east. Occasionally they passed large tracts of
cleared land, villages, and cultivated fields. At some of these
they stopped and replenished their stock of flour, which they took
without paying for it, but did no farther damage.

Of meat they had abundance. Two or three men started each day as
soon as they halted, and, in a short time, returned with a goat or
young pig.

"We are now close to the Bug River," Ladislas said at their last
halting place. "Tomorrow we shall meet some, at least, of our
comrades. I do not expect a great many, for we were pretty equally
divided as to the direction we should travel in. Practically, we
were safe from pursuit when we had gone fifteen miles, for the
forest there spreads out greatly, and those in search of us would
know that further pursuit would be useless. Many of my men did not
care about going farther, but all this part of the country has been
so harried, for the last two or three years, that we thought it
best to try altogether new ground. When we have crossed the Bug we
shall be beyond the forest, but there are great swamps and
morasses, and hills with patches of wood. Many streams take their
rise there, all meeting farther on, and forming the Dnieper. We
must keep north of that river, for to the south the country is
thinly populated, and we should have difficulty in maintaining
ourselves."

Charlie made no comment, but he was glad to hear that the band
intended to keep to the north of the Dnieper, for that river would
have formed a serious obstacle to his making his way to rejoin the
Swedes. The next day, they reached the bank of the Bug, and,
following the river down, came after an hour's walking upon a great
fire, round which fifteen men were stretched. These, as the
captain's party approached, rose to their feet with a shout of
welcome.

"That is better than I expected," Ladislas said, as they came up to
them. "Five and twenty is quite enough for work here. In the
forests one can do with more, but, moving steadily on, as we mean
to do, till we get pretty near the eastern frontier, five and
twenty is ample. It is enough, when together, to surprise a
village; and it is not too many, travelling in twos and threes, to
attract attention. Things always go on better, too, after a
dispersal. Many who are discontented, or who want to command a band
of their own, break off, and one starts fresh, with just the men
one likes best to keep."

"We had begun to give you up, captain