"Aren't you afraid of the Russians?" "What will the Russians do to me? I am an old man," he repeated, carelessly glancing at the circle surrounding him. On the way back, I saw this old man without a hat, with his hands still tied, jolting behind a mounted Cossack, and he was looking about him with the same expression of unconcern. He was necessary in an exchange of prisoners. I went to the staircase, and crept up to where the captain was. "Not many of the enemy, it seems," I said to him, wishing to obtain his opinion about the affair. "The enemy," he repeated with surprise, "there weren't any at all. Do you call these enemies?... Here when evening comes, you will see how we shall retreat; you will see how they will go with us! Won't they show themselves there?" he added, pointing with his pipe to the forest which we had passed in the morning. "What is that?" I asked anxiously, interrupting the captain, and drawing his attention to some Don Cossacks who were grouped around some one not far from us. Among them was heard something like the weeping of a child, and the words,-- "Eh! don't cut--hold on--you will be seen--here's a knife--give him the knife." "They are up to some mischief, the brutes," said the captain indifferently. But at this very instant, suddenly from around the corner came the handsome ensign with burning, horror-stricken face, and waving his hands rushed among the Cossacks. "Don't you move! don't kill him!" he cried in his boyish treble. When the Cossacks saw the officer they started back, and allowed a little white goat to escape from their hands. The young ensign was wholly taken aback, began to mutter something, and stood before them full of confusion. When he caught sight of the captain and me on the roof, he grew still redder in the face, and springing up the steps joined us. "I thought they were going to kill a child," he said with a timid smile. X. The general had gone on ahead with the cavalry. The battalion with which I had come from Fort N---- remained in the rear-guard. The companies under command of Captain Khlopof and Lieutenant Rosenkranz were retreating together. The captain's prediction was fully justified: as soon as we had reached the narrow forest of which he had spoken, from both sides the mountaineers, mounted and on foot, began to show themselves incessantly, and so near that I could very distinctly see many crouching down, with muskets in their hands, and running from tree to tree. The captain took off his hat, and piously made the sign of the cross; a few old soldiers did the same. In the forest were heard shouts, the words, "_iáï! Giaur! Urús! iáï!_"