I waved my hand in farewell, and dropped it a second
later with a yell, for a bullet had grazed my finger and I felt the
blood. Old Sapt turned round in the saddle. Someone fired again, but
they had no rifles, and we were out of range. Sapt fell to laughing.
"That's one to me and two to you, with decent luck," said he. "Little
Josef will have company."
"Ay, they'll be a _partie carree_," said I. My blood was up, and I
rejoiced to have killed them.
"Well, a pleasant night's work to the rest!" said he. "I wonder if they
noticed you?"
"The big fellow did; as I stuck him I heard him cry, 'The King!'"
"Good! good! Oh, we'll give Black Michael some work before we've done!"
Pausing an instant, we made a bandage for my wounded finger, which was
bleeding freely and ached severely, the bone being much bruised. Then we
rode on, asking of our good horses all that was in them. The excitement
of the fight and of our great resolve died away, and we rode in gloomy
silence. Day broke clear and cold. We found a farmer just up, and made
him give us sustenance for ourselves and our horses. I, feigning a
toothache, muffled my face closely. Then ahead again, till Strelsau lay
before us. It was eight o'clock or nearing nine, and the gates were all
open, as they always were save when the duke's caprice or intrigues shut
them.
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