A PRISONER 113

another and another, until at last the man stationed next to
him repeated the signal. ‘Then they moved forward, each
trying to obey the orders to march straight ahead. For
some time nothing was heard save the shouts of the men,
and then Charlie made out some distant shots far in the
wood, and guessed that some animals were trying to break
through the lines. Then he heard the sound of firing
directly in front of him. ‘This continued for some time,
occasionally single shots being heard, but more often shots
in close succession. Louder and louder grew the shouting
as the men closed in towards a common point, and in half
an hour after the signal had been given all met.

“What sport have you had, father?” Harry asked as he
came up to Captain Jervoise.

“We killed seventeen wolves and four bears, with, what
is more important, six stags. I do not know whether we
are going to have another beat.”

It soon turned out that this was the king’s intention, and
the troops marched along the edge of the forest. Charlie
was in the front of his company, the king with the cavalry
a few hundred yards ahead, when from a dip of ground on
the right a large body of horsemen suddenly appeared.

“Russians !”? Captain Jervoise exclaimed, and shouted to
the men, who were marching at ease, to close up. ‘The
king did not hesitate a moment, but at the head of his fifty
cavalry, charged right down upon the Russians, who were
at least five hundred strong. ‘he little body disappeared
in the mélée, and then seemed to be swallowed up.

“Keep together, shoulder to shoulder, men. Double!”
and the company set off at a run. When they came close
to the mass of horsemen they poured in a volley, and then
rushed forward, hastily fitting the short pikes they carried
into their musket-barrels; for as yet the modern form of
bayonets was not used. ‘Vhe Russians fought obstinately,
but the infantry pressed their way step by step through