CHAPTER XXV.

AFTER the nine days' march of which Mashkevich was
the Xenophon, and the three days' passage of the Desna,
the army reached Chernigoff at last. Skshetuski entered
first of all with the Wallachians. The prince ordered him
to the place on purpose, so that he might inquire sooner
about the princess and Zagloba. But here, as in Lubni,
neither in the town nor the castle did he hear anything
of them. They had vanished somewhere without a trace,
like a stone in the water, and the knight himself knew not
what to think. Where could they have hidden themselves?
Certainly not in Moscow, nor in the Crimea, nor in the
Saitch. There remained only one hypothesis, that they
had crossed the Dnieper; but in such an event they would
find themselves at once in the midst of the storm. On that
side there were slaughter and swarms of drunken peasants,
Zaporojians, and Tartars, from whom not even a disguise
would protect Helena; for those wild Pagans were glad to
take boys captive, for whom they found a great demand in
the markets of Stamboul. A terrible suspicion entered
Skshetuski's head, -- that possibly Zagloba had taken her to
that side on purpose to sell her to Tugai Bey, who might
pay him more liberally than Bogun; and this thought drove
him to the very verge of madness. But Podbipienta, who
had known Zagloba longer than Skshetuski, quieted him
considerably in this respect.

"My dear brother," said he, "cast that thought out of
your head! That noble has done nothing of the sort. The
Kurtsevichi had treasures enough, which Bogun would have
been willing to give him. Had he wished to ruin the girl,
he would not have exposed his life, and he would have
made his fortune."

"True," said the lieutenant; "but why has he fled
with her across the Dnieper, instead of going to Lubni
or Chernigoff?"

"Well, quiet your mind, my dear fellow! I know that
Zagloba. He drank with me and borrowed money of me.
He does not care for money, -- either his own or another
man's. If he has his own he will spend it, and he won't