and his army. And you, Colonel of Cherkasi, keep the
Cossacks in curb--and you, Lieutenant, the moment you
arrive at Lubni warn the prince to keep his eyes on the
Saitch. Even if they begin action, I repeat it, we have
time. There are not many people at the Saitch now; they
have scattered around, fishing and hunting, and are in vil-
lages throughout the whole Ukraine. Before they assemble,
much--water will flow down the Dnieper. Besides, the name
of the prince is terrible, and if they know that he has his
eye on Chertomelik, perhaps they will remain in peace."

" I am ready,"said the lieutenant," to start from Chigirin
even in a couple of days."

"That's right. Two or three days are of no account.
And do you, Colonel of Cherkasi, send couriers with an ac-
count of the affair to Konyetspolski and Prince Dominic.
But you are asleep, as I see."

Barabash had crossed his hands on his stomach and was
in a deep slumber, snoring from time to time. The old
colonel, when neither eating nor drinking,--and he loved
both beyond measure,--was sleeping.

"Look!" said Zatsvilikhovski quietly to the lieutenant;
"the statesmen at Warsaw think of holding the Cossacks
in curb through such an old man as that. God be good to
them! They put trust, too, even in Hmelnitski himself,
with whom the chancellor entered into some negotiations
or other; and Hmelnitski no doubt is fooling them
terribly."

The lieutenant sighed in token of sympathy. But Bara-
bash snored more deeply, and then murmured in his sleep:

"Christ save us! Christ save us!"

"When do you think of leaving Chigirin?" asked
Zatsvilikhovski.

"I shall have to wait two days for Chaplinski, who will
bring an action, beyond doubt, for what has happened to
him."

"He will not do that. He would prefer to send his ser-
vants against you if you didn't wear the uniform of the
prince; but it is ugly work to tackle the prince, even for
the servants of the Konyetspolskis."

"I will notify him that I am waiting, and start in two or
three days. I am not afraid of an ambush, either, having a
sabre at my side and a party of men."

The lieutenant now took farewell of Zatsvilikhovski, and
went out.