"It cost us some men," the doctor said calmly, "for I hear from the officer who brought them in that we lost altogether fifteen men, and the sailors would all have got away had it not been that one of these young officers was shot in the leg and the other stood by him, and shot several men with his revolver before he was captured." "A perfect St. George," the commandant sneered. "Well, sir, your duty is done, and I will see to them. Are they on parole?" "They gave me their parole not to try to escape during the journey, and have expressed their willingness to renew it." "It matters little one way or the other," the governor said. "Unless they could fly, they could not make their way through the country. There, sir, that will do." The doctor bowed, shook hands with the boys, and without a word went out, touching his lips with his fingers to them as he turned his back to the governor, a movement which the lads understood at once as a hint that it would be as well to say nothing which might show that they had any knowledge of Russian. The governor rang a hand-bell, and a sergeant entered. The governor wrote a few words on a piece of paper. "Take these prisoners to Count Preskoff's," he said, "and deliver this order to him." The sergeant motioned the lads to follow him. With a bow to the governor, which he passed unacknowledged, they followed the soldier. "A disagreeable brute, that," Jack said. "A little work in the trenches would do him good, and take some of his cockiness out of him. That was a good idea of the doctor, not saying good-bye in Russian. I don't suppose we shall run against that fellow again, but it we did, he might make it so disagreeable that we might be driven to show him a clean pair of heels." "He didn't ask for our parole," Dick said, "so we shall be justified in making a bolt if we see a chance." Passing through the streets the sergeant led them through the town and out into the country beyond. "Where on earth is he taking us to?" Jack wondered. "I would bet that he has quartered us on this Count Preskoff from pure spite. I wonder what sort of chap he is." After half an hour's walking they approached a large chateau, surrounded by smaller buildings. "He's a swell evidently," Dick said. "We ought to have comfortable quarters here." They entered a large courtyard, across one side of which stood the house; and the sergeant, proceeding to the main entrance, rang the bell. It was opened by a tall man dressed in full Russian costume. "I have a message for the count from the commandant," the sergeant said. "The count is absent," the servant answered; "but the countess is in." "I will speak to her." Leaving them standing in the hall, the man ascended a wide staircase, and in a minute or two returned and motioned to the sergeant to follow him. They ascended the stairs and entered a large and handsome room, in which sat a lady of some forty years old, with three younger ones of from sixteen to twenty years old.