to
tell him what has befallen me. He will be thinking I am dead, and
will, at any rate, be in great anxiety about me."

"I have taken a liking to you, young fellow," the leader said, "and
will send in one of my men to Warsaw with a letter; that is, if you
can write one."

"Yes, I can write. Fortunately there are paper, pen, and an ink
horn on that shelf. Ben Soloman brought them the last time he came,
to write down the lies he wanted me to testify to. I am greatly
obliged to you, and will do it at once."

As he had, only the day before he was attacked, sent off a
messenger to Count Piper, telling him all he had done the previous
week, there was no occasion to repeat this, and he had only to give
an account of his capture, and the events that had since occurred.

"You see," he said, "I cannot return to Warsaw. The Jew who was
here unfortunately heard that it was in a struggle with me Ben
Soloman was killed, and he will, of course, denounce me as his
murderer, though the deed was done in fair fight. I should have all
his tribe against me, and might be imprisoned for months awaiting
trial. I am still very weak, and could not attempt the journey to
the frontier. I am, however, gaining strength, and, as soon as I am
quite recovered, I shall take the first opportunity of leaving the
men I am with, and making for the Swedish camp. Please forward this
news by a sure hand to Count Piper, and express my sorrow that my
mission has not been completed, although, indeed, I do not think
that my further stay at Warsaw would have been any great service,
for it is clear that the great majority of the traders will not
move in the matter until the Swedes advance, and, from their point
of view, it is not to their interest to do so.

"I know but little of the men I am with at present, beyond the fact
that they are bandits, nor can I say whether they are disbanded
soldiers, or criminals who have escaped from justice; but at any
rate they show me no ill will. I have no doubt I shall be able to
get on fairly with them, until I am able to make my escape. I wish
I had poor Stanislas with me. Only one of the men here speaks
Swedish, and he does not know very much of the language. I cannot
say, at present, whether the twenty men here are the whole of the
band, or whether they are only a portion of it. Nor do I know
whether the men subsist by plundering the peasants, or venture on
more serious crimes. Thanking you for your great kindness duri