"The Grand Duke of Lautenburg was riding one of those horses so beloved of the Germans, a great dark bay with hocks as big as a ham, and a back like a billiard-table. Moreover, it didn't take me long to notice that the ugly brute had a hard mouth and galloped with his head between his legs. "My poor friend, I thought, you'll have some fun soon when you come to the ditches. "A second and a third fox were killed easily enough. Suddenly a fourth started up between me and the Grand Duke. I caught sight of him, a long, lean animal with hardly any tail. I knew at once he was what I was after. "'Ours!' I cried to Rudolph. "He spurred his great brute into a gallop. "The fox was a hundred yards ahead. Good little beast! He made straight for the thickest cover. "Every now and then the Grand Duke turned round: "'I'm not going too fast, am I? Can you keep up?' he asked, panting. "'Go on! Go on!' I replied. "And Taras-Bulba snorted as if to echo: "'Go on! Go on!' "Soon we were in the depths of the woods. Then I just touched my little nag's neck and gave him his head. In a moment the Grand Duke was left behind. "I caught a glimpse of him, all red and breathless.... He was now a quarter of a verst behind me. "I told Taras-Bulba to slow down and he did so. "'You did give me a fright,' said the poor man as he came up. 'I thought your horse had bolted.' "'Look out!' I cried. "There was a stream at our feet. He got over it by the skin of his teeth. The fox, with three hounds at his heels, was running ahead in a flat meadow that sloped away from us. "Then came more woods. I held my head down and thus escaped the scratches of the branches which were pushed aside for a moment by Taras-Bulba's head, only to close up immediately behind him. But my poor companion's face was already covered with blood. A twig carried away his eyeglass. I felt he was done. His big horse was blowing like a steam-engine. "'Keep going,' I cried, 'the fox is tiring!' and I gave Taras-Bulba a touch of the spur. "The little animal doesn't like liberties. He gave a tremendous bound. His rival followed painfully behind amidst a terrible noise of broken branches. "'You're beginning to tire,' I said to myself. 'You'll come down next time.' "'Next time' appeared in the form of a ditch fifteen feet wide and as many deep, with a half-concealed and extremely tricky edge. For a second even I asked myself whether Taras-Bulba, with the pace he had just been keeping, would manage to get over. But lo and behold! He picked himself up, the gallant little beast, and flew over like a swallow. "Then I turned round, knowing full well what would happen. "It _did_ happen. Horse and rider came down in one terrific crash. The beast missed the edge with its hind legs and unceremoniously hurled its master to the ground. "I jumped down and went up to the Grand Duke, feeling vaguely that I had gone a bit too far. "'You haven't hurt yourself, I hope?'