Whereupon they fished the Cossack out of the pool, and having placed him across the horse, began to climb the side of the Donon by such a steep path, that Materne repeated, a hundred times at least,--"The horse will never go up there." But the horse, with its long goat-like legs, passed more easily than they did; so that the old hunter wound up by remarking--"These Cossacks have famous horses. If ever I grow old, I will keep him to go after the deer with. We have a famous horse, my boys; with all his look of a cow, he is strong as a cart-horse." From time to time he also made reflections on the Cossack:--"What a queer face, eh! A round nose and a forehead like a cheese-box. There are certainly queer folks in the world! Thou hast hit him well, Kasper; right in the middle of the chest. And look! the ball came out at the back. Capital powder! Divès always keeps good articles." Toward six they heard the first shout of their sentinels: "Who goes there?" "France," replied Materne, advancing. Everybody ran to meet them. "Here is Materne!" Hullin himself was as curious as the rest, and could not help hastening toward them with Doctor Lorquin. The partisans were soon collected round the horse, with outstretched necks and open mouths, by the side of a large fire where the supper was cooking. "It is a Cossack," said Hullin, squeezing Materne's hand. "Yes, Jean-Claude; we caught him at the pond of Kiel: it was Kasper who shot him." They stretched the corpse out near the fire. His yellow face had strange shadows on it in the firelight. Doctor Lorquin, having looked at him, said: "It is a fine specimen of the Tartar race; if I had time, I should put it in a lime-bath, so as to obtain a skeleton of this tribe." He then knelt down, and opening the long tunic,--"The ball has traversed the pericardium, and has produced almost the same effect as aneurism of the heart." The others kept silence. Kasper, with his hand on the muzzle of his rifle, seemed quite contented with his game; and old Materne, rubbing his hands, said: "I was sure I would bring you back something: my boys and I never return empty-handed. There now!" Hullin then pulled him aside. They entered the farm together, and after the first surprise was over, every man began to make his own personal reflections on the Cossack. CHAPTER XIII ROUND THE WATCHFIRES That night, which was on a Friday, the anabaptist's little farm-house never ceased for an instant to be filled with people coming in and going out. Hullin had established his head-quarters in the large room on the ground floor, to the right of the barn, facing Framont: on the other side of the passage was the ambulance: the upper part was inhabited by the farm people. Although the night was very still and the stars were shining in myriads, the cold was so intense that there was nearly an inch of ice on the panes.