Page 213 - A Jacobite Exile

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," one of the men said, as he joined
the other party. "We have been here six days."

"We travelled but slowly, at first, and it is only the last two days we have

really made fair journeys; but there was no reason for any great haste. The
world is all our own, and, at any rate, as long as we were in the forest, there
was no fear of wanting food.

"So I see some of our comrades have left us."

"We can do very well without them, captain. There were thirty of us here
two days ago. Essos and Polinski quarrelled, and Essos was killed. Then

Polinski wanted us to elect him captain, and to move away at once. Four or
five, who have always been grumblers, joined him at once, and persuaded

some of the others, till we were about equally divided. It came pretty nearly
to a fight; but neither liked to begin, and they moved away."

"There are quite enough of us left," Ladislas said. "As to Essos and
Polinski, I am heartily glad that they have gone. I know they have both

been scheming for the leadership for some time. Most of the others can be
very well spared, too. There are plenty of us here for travel. There is no