thousand men, Cossacks and infantry, crossed
from Galatz in boats and rafts, and gained the heights above Matchin.
Zoukoff has beaten the enemy everywhere, and Zimmermann is reported to
have driven them out of Matchin--in fact we have fairly broken the ice,
and all that we have now to do is to go in and win."

I saw by the flush on his handsome countenance that the martial ardour
of Nicholas was stirred to its depths. There was a noble look of daring
in his clear grey eye, and a smile of what seemed like joy on his lips,
which I knew well were the expression of such sentiments as love of
country, desire to serve, like a brave son, that Emperor whom he
regarded as a father, hatred of oppression, belief in the righteousness
of the cause for which he fought, and delight in the prospect of wild
animal excitement. He was full of high hopes, noble aspirations,
superabundant energy, and, although not a deep thinker, could tell
better than most men, by looking at it, whether the edge of a grindstone
were rough or smooth.

We walked smartly to our hotel, but found that our servant had fled, no
one knew whither, taking our horses with him. The landlord, however,
suggested the railway station, and thither we ran.

A train was entering when we arrived. It was full of Russian soldiers.
On the platform stood a Jew, to whom Nicholas addressed himself. The
Jew at first seemed to have difficulty in understanding him, but he
ultimately said that he had seen a man who must be the one we were in
search of, and was about to tell us more, when a Turkish shell burst
through the roof of the station, and exploded on the platform, part of
which it tore up, sending splinters of iron and wood in all directions.
The confused noise of shout and yell that followed, together with the
smoke, prevented my observing for a moment or two what damage had been
done, but soon I ascertained that Nicholas and myself were unhurt; that
the Jew had been slightly wounded, and also several of the people who
were waiting the arrival of the train.

The groans of some of the wounded, and the cursing and shouting of the
soldiers just arrived, made a powerful impression on me.

"Come, I see our fellow," cried Nicholas, seizing me suddenly by the arm
and hurrying me away.

In a few minutes we had caught our man, mounted our horses, rejoined our
cavalry escort, which awaited us in the marketplace, and galloped out of
the town.

It is a fact worthy of record t