Before long a signal-fire blazed up on the hill from which the fugitives had noted the beacon-lights. Thus far, then, their pursuers had tracked them, and no doubt they would be about their ears in a few minutes. Richard and Paul were bathed in perspiration, and there were still thirty led horses to be driven over the bridge. "I hear a trumpet behind us," said one of the men; "wouldn't it be best to leave the extra horses and each man look out for himself?" "No," said Richard; "there must not be a single horse left behind. Let no one ride on until every horse is over." His order was obeyed, and not a man stirred from the spot until all the reserve horses were across the bridge. By that time the trumpet notes were very near, and the white mantles of the pursuing horsemen could be discerned in the darkness. Richard gave Paul a whispered order, whereupon the old hussar disappeared with two companions. Then the bridge was heaped with dry brushwood, the rest of the tar poured over it, and the whole set on fire. As the flames shot upward the one band of horsemen could see the other, face to face. Richard swung himself into his saddle, and ordered his men to move forward, carefully, over the narrow dike and down the ravine. He himself remained behind until all had preceded him. The cuirassiers did not reach the mill in a body, having become greatly scattered in the course of their hot pursuit. Otto Palvicz, however, was in the lead, his full-blooded stallion being best able to stand the strain of the twenty hours' continuous chase. With him were but a score of his men, and there was no telling how long the others might be in joining him; yet he spurred his horse on as if he would have crossed the burning bridge. The animal, however, would not be driven into the fire. "Captain Richard Baradlay!" shouted Palvicz. "Here I am, Major Otto Palvicz," came back the answer. "Surrender yourself my prisoner!" "Come over and get me!" "I will, all in good time, you may depend upon it." "But not to-night." "Yes, to-night. I sha'n't halt till I have caught you." "But you can't cross the broken dike." "It won't delay us more than an hour. By that time we shall be across and at your heels again. You can't escape me." "We'll see about that." During this dialogue a rushing of water became audible from the direction of the fish-pond, and Otto Palvicz noticed that an added flood was pouring through the break in the dike and widening the rupture. "I have had the fish-pond sluices raised," said Richard, "and you will hardly fill in this gap in an hour's time." Otto Palvicz saw that the other was right. "I see that I cannot cross immediately," he admitted; "but if you are a cavalier, stay where you are and let us fight it out over fire and water. Will you join me in a pistol duel?" "With all my heart." "We will fire at each other until one of us falls from his horse."