"That is their lordly manner," answered Volodyovski; "though that did not please me either at first, for I too serve the country and not the Radzivills." "When did you receive this letter?" asked Pan Yan. "This morning, and I wanted to start this afternoon. You will rest to-night after the journey; to-morrow I shall surely return, and then we will move with the squadron wherever they command." "Perhaps to Podlyasye?" said Zagloba. "To Prince Boguslav," added Pan Stanislav. "Prince Boguslav is now in Kyedani," said Volodyovski. "He is a strange person, and do you look at him carefully. He is a great warrior and a still greater knight, but he is not a Pole to the value of a copper. He wears a foreign dress, and talks German or French altogether; you might think he was cracking nuts, might listen to him a whole hour, and not understand a thing." "Prince Boguslav at Berestechko bore himself well," said Zagloba, "and brought a good number of German infantry." "Those who know him more intimately do not praise him very highly," continued Volodyovski, "for he loves only the Germans and French. It cannot be otherwise, since he was born of a German mother, the daughter of the elector of Brandenburg, with whom his late father not only received no dowry, but, since those small princes (the electors) as may be seen have poor housekeeping, he had to pay something. But with the Radzivills it is important to have a vote in the German Empire, of which they are princes, and therefore they make alliances with the Germans. Pan Sakovich, an old client of Prince Boguslav, who made him starosta of Oshmiani, told me about this. He and Pan Nyevyarovski, a colonel, were abroad with Prince Boguslav in various foreign lands, and acted always as seconds in his duels." "How many has he fought?" asked Zagloba. "As many as he has hairs on his head! He cut up various princes greatly and foreign counts, French and German, for they say that he is very fiery, brave, and daring, and calls a man out for the least word."