, that their dazzled eyes could see absolutely nothing. When, at
last, he came to a narrow bridge over a stream which they had to cross,
he stumbled so suddenly that those coming immediately behind tumbled
over him, and the torch was extinguished in the water. Zudar, meanwhile,
had had time to conceal himself and the girl in the bushes on the banks
of the stream. Nobody had observed him except the Leather-bell, and as
soon as that worthy could gain his legs again he fell a-bellowing with
all his might:

"On, on! there he goes! catch him, seize him!"

And off he went at full tilt, as if a high price had been set upon the
head of the pursued, and he was determined to win it, whilst Zudar, snug
in his hiding-place, listened to the hundreds and hundreds of pattering
feet that made the bridge creak over his head, and to the hundreds and
hundreds of hoarse voices clamouring for his blood. Presently he heard
them all come panting back again, cursing and swearing and consoling
one another with the assurance that although they had not caught him
now, he would not be able to escape them for long.

"Yes," he thought to himself, "a time is coming when you will find me
without having sought me."

And now the pursuing band, full of fresh fury, stormed back to the
castle. The Leather-bell cursed them for not following up the trail when
they were already hot upon it. He had had, he maintained, the tail of
the fugitive's coat in his very hand, but had been obliged to leave go
because they had not helped him to hold on, and so the headsman had fled
away among the maize-fields.

The sky was now growing grey, the dawn was not far off; but the folks
had forgotten to ring in the morning, for the bell-ringers had something
better to do.

At Thomas Bodza's command they carried the corpses aside out of the
courtyard, the corpses of Ivan, Dame Zudar, and poor Mekipiros. They
conveyed them to a large ditch at the back of the house, so that none
might see their remains.

The surviving ringleader felt a secret satisfaction when his colleagues
had thus perished by his side. He alone remained upon the field, and he
flattered himself that Fate was on his side, and by thus putting the
leading threads of the whole movement into his hands, meant to emphasize
the fact that _mind_ was the true motive-power--his own mind
naturally--and therefore it was for him, and him alone, to hold sway.

The mob must be impressed, of course, by some great
never