"The commandant has gone at a gallop!" said they to one another. "Surely he wants to look around to see if there is some public house near by. It is time to feed the horses,--time." A half-hour passed, an hour, two hours, and Pan Kovalski seemed to be ahead all the time, for somehow he was not visible. The horses grew very tired, especially those drawing the wagon, and began to drag on slowly. The stars were leaving the sky. "Gallop to the commandant," said the sergeant; "tell him the horses are barely able to drag along, and the wagon horses are tired." One of the soldiers moved ahead, but after an hour returned alone. "There is neither trace nor ashes of the commandant," said the soldier; "he must have ridden five miles ahead." The soldiers began to grumble. "It is well for him he slept through the day, and just now on the wagon; but do thou, soldier, pound through the night with the last breath of thy horse and thyself!" "There is an inn eighty rods distant," said the soldier who had ridden ahead. "I thought to find him there, but no! I listened, trying to hear the horse--Nothing to be heard. The devil knows where he is!" "We will stop at the inn anyhow," said the sergeant. "We must let the horses rest." In fact they halted before the inn. The soldiers dismounted. Some went to knock at the door; others untied bundles of hay, hanging at the saddles, to feed the horses even from their hands. The prisoners woke when the movement of the wagon ceased. "But where are we going?" asked old Stankyevich. "I cannot tell in the night," answered Volodyovski, "especially as we are not going to Upita." "But does not the load from Kyedani to Birji lie through Upita?" asked Pan Yan. "It does. But in Upita is my squadron, which clearly the prince fears may resist, therefore he ordered Kovalski to take another road. Just outside Kyedani we turned to Dalnovo and Kroki; from the second place we shall go surely through Beysagoli and Shavli. It is a little out of the way, but Upita and Ponyevyej will remain at the right. On this road there are no squadrons, for all that were there were brought to Kyedani, so as to have them at hand." "But Pan Zagloba," said Stankyevich, "instead of thinking of stratagems, as he promised, is sleeping sweetly, and snoring." "Let him sleep. It is clear that he was wearied from talk with that stupid commandant, relationship with whom he confessed. It is evident that he wanted to capture him, but with no result. Whoso would not leave Radzivill for his country, will surely not leave him for a distant relative." "Are they really relatives?" asked Oskyerko. "They? They are as much relatives as you and I," answered Volodyovski. "When Zagloba spoke of their common escutcheon, I knew it was not true, for I know well that his is called wczele (in the forehead)." "And where is Pan Kovalski?" "He must be with the soldiers or in the inn."