Kmita on returning, instead of riding straight to Suhovola, rushed toward the west and came to the Kamyonka. This swampy river had overflowed widely, for that year the springtime was wonderfully abundant in water. Kmita looked at the river, threw a number of broken branches into it so as to measure the speed of the current, and said to Ulan,— “We will go around their flank and strike them in the rear.” “Horses cannot swim against the current.” “It goes slowly. They will swim! The water is almost standing.” “The horses will be chilled, and the men cannot endure it. It is cold yet.” “Oh, the men will swim holding to the horses’ tails! That is your Tartar way.” “The men will grow stiff.” “They will get warm under fire.” “Kismet (fate)!” Before it had grown dark in the world, Kmita had ordered them to cut bunches of willows, dry reeds, and rushes, and tie them to the sides of the horses. When the first star appeared, he sent about eight hundred horses into the water, and they began to swim. He swam himself at the head of them; but soon he saw that they were advancing so slowly that in two days they would not swim past the trenches. Then he ordered them to swim to the other bank. That was a dangerous undertaking. The other bank was steep and swampy. The horses, though light, sank in it to their bellies. But Kmita’s men pushed forward, though slowly and saving one another, while advancing a couple of furlongs. The stars indicated midnight. Then from the south came to them echoes of distant fighting. “The battle has begun!” shouted Kmita. “We shall drown!” answered Akbah Ulan. “After me!” The Tartars knew not what to do, when on a sudden they saw that Kmita’s horse issued from the mud, evidently finding firm footing. In fact, a bench of sand had begun. On the top of it there was water to the horses’ breasts, but under foot was solid ground. They went therefore more swiftly. On the left distant fires were gleaming. “Those are the trenches!” said Kmita, quietly. “Let us avoid them, go around!” After a while they had really passed the trenches. Then they turned to the left, and put their horses into the river again, so as to land beyond the trenches. More than a hundred horses were swamped at the shore; but almost all the men came out. Kmita ordered those who had lost their beasts to sit behind other horsemen, and they moved toward the trenches. First he left volunteers with the order not to disturb the trenches till he should have gone around them to the rear. When he was approaching he heard shots, at first few, then more frequent. “It is well!” said he; “Sapyeha is attacking!” And he moved on. In the darkness was visible only a multitude of heads jumping with the movement of the horses; sabres did not rattle, armor did not sound; the Tartars and volunteers knew how to move in silence, like wolves. From the side of Yanov the firing became more and more vigorous; it was evident that Sapyeha was moving along the whole line.