It took him a long time to cover the short distance to the high road, but when they got there, the horses refused to go on at all. The hill in front of them was impassable. He sat down on the sledge, pondering whether Slimak would come to his assistance, or leave him to his fate. 'He'll come for the horses; don't cry, little one, God won't forsake us.' While he listened, it seemed to him as if the whistling of the wind changed into the sound of bells. Was it his fancy? But the bells never ceased; some were deep-toned and some high-toned; voices were intermixed with them. They approached from behind like a swarm of bees in the summer. 'What can it be?' said Maciek, and stood up. Small flames shone in the distance. They disappeared among the juniper bushes, and then flickered up again, now high, now low, coming nearer and nearer, until a number of objects, running at full speed, could be seen in the uncertain light of the flames. The tumult of voices increased; Maciek heard the clattering of hoofs, the cracking of whips. 'Heh! stop...there's a hill there!' 'Look out! don't be crazy!' 'Stop the sledge, I shall get out!' 'No, go on!' 'Jesus Mary!' 'Have the musicians been spilt yet?' 'Not yet, but they will be.' 'Oh...la la!' Maciek now understood that this was a sleigh race. The teams of two-and four-horsed sleighs approached at a gallop, accompanied by riders on horseback carrying torches. In the thick mist it looked as if the procession appeared out of an abyss through a circular gate of fire. They bore straight down upon the spot where Maciek and his sledge had come to a standstill. Suddenly the first one stopped. 'Hey...what's that?' 'Something is in the way.' 'What is it?' 'A peasant with a cartload of wood.' 'Out of the way, dog. Throw him into the ditch!' 'Shut up! We'd better move him on.' 'That we will! We are going to move the peasant on. Out of your sledges, gentlemen!' Before Maciek had recovered from his astonishment, he was surrounded by masked men in rich costumes with plumed hats, swords, guitars, or brooms. They seized his sledge and himself, pushed them to the top of the hill and down the other side on to level ground. 'Thank God!' thought the dazed man. 'If the devil hadn't led them this way, I might have been here till the morning. They are fine fellows!' 'The ladies are afraid to drive down the hill,' some one shouted from the distance. 'Then let them get out and walk!' 'The sledges had better not go down.' 'Why not? Go on, Antoni!' 'I don't advise it, sir.' 'Then get off and be hanged! I'll drive myself!' Bells jingled violently, and a one-horse sledge passed Maciek like a whirlwind. He crossed himself. 'Drive on, Andrei!' 'Stop, Count! It's too risky!' 'Go on!' Another sledge flew past. 'Bravo! Sporting fellow!' 'Drive on, Jacent!'