A RESCUED PARTY 247

good enough afterwards to promote me to the rank of
captain.”

“So it was owing to you that our army—or rather the
Saxon army, for but few Poles were engaged in the battle
—was defeated,” the count said smiling. ‘Well, sir, it
will do you no harm with us, for personally we are entirely
opposed to Augustus of Saxony. But you have not yet
explained how you, an officer in the Swedish service, came
to be here.”

“Twas sent by King Charles to Warsaw to ascertain the
feeling of the trading classes there. I had an introduction
to a Scottish merchant, and I passed as a countryman of
his, who had come out to enter his business. One of the
objects of my mission was to endeavour to induce the
foreign merchants in Warsaw to do what they could to
promote a feeling in favour of peace with the Swedes, and
the substitution of another king in place of Augustus.”

“It is not very clear, Captain Carstairs, how you can be
fulfilling that object by passing your winter with a party of
robbers—for I suppose your disbanded soldiers were little
better—in a forest on the confines of Russia.”

Charlie laughed. “It is rather a long story, count.
Perhaps you will kindly tell me the news about public
affairs first.”

“By no means,” the count said. “That is a long story
too, and my wife would much rather hear yours than listen
to it; she has not yet recovered from the events of this
morning. But we will wait until we are at the village; we
have left the forest behind us, and another half hour will
take us to Stromoff, where we can get pretty good accommo-
dation.”

The horses, a splendid pair of animals, had during their
passage through the forest shown every sign of fear, starting
hervously, swerving, and going in sharp, sudden rushes, and
always needing a constant strain on the reins to keep them