Chapter 15: An Old Acquaintance.
The next morning Charlie was placed in a tent, in which lay severalofficers who had been wounded, either the night before or by shotsfrom the town. He learned with great pleasure, upon questioning thedoctor, that the Swedes had got off safely in the darkness. Someeight or ten men only had straggled and been made prisoners, andnot more than twenty had been left dead on the field. He had thesatisfaction, therefore, of knowing that the defence made by hisown pikemen had been the means of saving the whole force. In otherrespects he had nothing to complain of, for he was well attendedto, and received the same treatment as the Russians.
For another ten days the roar of the cannon continued, some seventyguns keeping up an incessant fire on the town. At the end of thattime the governor capitulated, and was allowed to march out withthe honours of war.
Only forty out of the brave garrison remained unwounded at the endof the siege. They, as well as such of their comrades as werestrong enough to travel, passed through the lines of the Russians,and marched to Vyburg.
Three weeks after being made a prisoner, Charlie's wound was so farhealed that the surgeon pronounced him able to sit a horse, and,under the escort of an officer and four Cossacks, he was taken byeasy stages to Bercov, a prison fortress a short distance fromMoscow. He had inquired from the surgeon who attended him forDoctor Kelly. The doctor knew him, but said that he was not withthe army, but was, he believed, away visiting some towns on theVolga, where a serious pestilence was raging.
Charlie remained but a short time at Bercov. His wound was healingrapidly, and the surgeon who attended him assured him that therewas every prospect of his making a complete cure, if he would butkeep his arm, for some weeks, in a sling.
He had nothing to complain of, either as to his comfort or food.The governor, who spoke a little Polish, visited him every day, andasked many questions as to his native country. On one of thesevisits he said to him:
"You asked me yesterday if I knew Doctor Kelly, one of the chiefsurgeons of the army, who, as you had heard, was at present on theVolga. You mentioned that he was a friend of yours, and that youhad made his acquaintance, when you were unlucky enough before tobe a prisoner in our hands. I am sorry to say that I have todayseen an official report, in which his name appears among the listof those who have fallen victims to the pestilence."
"I am sorry to hear that," Charlie exclaimed; "both because he wasvery kind to me, and I liked him much, and because, in the secondplace, I was sure that he would have used his influence, with theczar, to obtain my exchange as soon as possible."
"It is very unfortunate," the governor said, "especially as theseexchanges are of rare occurrence. A few officers may be takenprisoners on each side in the skirmishes, but the numbers are toosmall to make the loss of any importance, either to Russia orSweden, and it is months since either have taken any steps to bringabout exchanges. I myself have no influence. My appointment here isa sort of punishment, for having offended the czar by not havingbrought up my regiment in time to take part in the fight, when youattacked us at Narva. I saved the regiment, but that was notregarded as any excuse for having been three days longer on themarch than the czar expected; so I was sent here, as a sort ofdismissal from active service.
"You know no one else who could move in your matter?"
"No one. The governor of the castle at Plescow was a surly fellow,and was reprimanded by the czar, at least so I heard, for nothaving treated me sufficiently well. I was only three or four daysthere, and the only officer I saw besides Doctor Kelly was a friendof his, another doctor. He was at the table when I dined withKelly. He seemed to me to be a fine fellow, and, by the by, he didsay jokingly that, if I was ever made prisoner again, I was to askfor him, and that he would do anything he could for me."
"What was his name?" the governor asked.
"Peter Michaeloff.
"Do you know him?" he added, as he saw a look of surprise in thegovernor's face.
"I know one of that name," the governor said doubtfully, "I don'tknow that he is a doctor; though he may be, for he knows somethingof many things."
"Oh, he was a doctor," Charlie said confidently. "I know Kelly saidhe could take off a limb as well as he could do it, himself."
"What sort of man was he?"
"He was a tall, strong man, with black hair and gray eyes. He hasrather a positive way of talking, and seemed to have very strongopinions about things. He looked good tempered, but I should saythat he could be passionate enough, if he were put out."
"That might be the Peter Michaeloff I know," the governor said."You are sure he said that you were to ask for him, if you were asecond time taken prisoner?"
"I am quite certain he said so, though I don't know whether thepromise meant much. But he certainly spoke as if he thought hemight be able to help me, and, though it did not seem likely that Icould have such bad luck twice, I think he meant at the time whathe said, and I should think he was the sort of man who would keephis word."
"I will make some inquiries," the governor said, "and find out, ifI can, where he is at present. Yes, I should think that he would beable to assist you, if he chose to interest himself in the matter."
Ten days later, the governor came into Charlie's room.
"An officer has arrived, with an order for your removal," he said."You are to be taken up again to Notteburg."
"I am very sorry," Charlie said. "I have been very comfortablehere. You have been very kind to me, and I feel sure the changewill not be for the better. Besides, we are nearly into Septembernow, and in that marshy country round the lake and river, thewinter will be even more severe than it is here. The only thing Ican think of is that the Swedes at Vyburg may have taken a Russiancaptain prisoner, and that they are going to exchange us."
The governor shook his head.
"There are no longer any Swedes at Vyburg. All Ingria is in ourhands and the Swedes have retired into Finland. It may be that itis the work of your friend. I sent a message to Peter Michaeloff,should he be found in that neighbourhood, by an officer who wasgoing there, telling him that you were here, and that, having methim when a prisoner at Plescow, you relied on his good offices.Should the officer have found him there, and have given him mymessage, he may probably have begged the field marshal to order youto be taken to the prison there, where he could be near you, andvisit you sometimes."
"Your doctors must have a good deal more influence in your armythan they have among the Swedes," Charlie remarked, "if that is howit has come about."
"It would be a matter of favour," the governor said. "If Michaeloffis acquainted with the field marshal, or had attended him whenunwell, he could ask a little favour of that sort. If the fieldmarshal sent you here, he could send for you again without moretrouble than signing his name to the order."
"Well, if it is Michaeloff who has done this," Charlie grumbled;"no doubt he meant it kindly, but I would much rather that he leftme here. A ride of two hundred and fifty miles, in August, is notpleasant to begin with, and the thought of winter in those swampsis enough to make one shiver."
"With a comfortable room and a warm stove, you will not find muchto complain of, Captain Carstairs," the governor said with a smile;"and, no doubt, Michaeloff may be enabled to obtain leave for youto go out with him on parole. I was about myself to ask you, nowthat you are strong and well again, whether you would like to giveyour parole, and offer you the use of my horse for a ride, wheninclined for it."
"Thank you, governor. If Michaeloff can do that, it will certainlybe a boon, but I am not disposed to agree that the change can behis work. In the first place, we don't know that he is there. Inthe second, I can hardly think that he could have managed it; and,most of all, I do not see he could possibly have had a hand in thematter, for, even supposing the officer had found him directly hearrived, and then given him the message, and he had acted upon itat once, there would have been no time for the order to get here.It would have needed a messenger riding night and day, withfrequent r
elays of horses, to have got to Notteburg and back sincethe day I spoke to you about the matter.
"When am I to start?"
"As soon as you have eaten your breakfast. The order says 'send atonce,' and field marshals expect their orders to be attended topromptly."
On descending to the courtyard after breakfast, Charlie wassurprised to see that, instead of a horse as he had expected, awell-appointed carriage, with an ample supply of rugs, was standingthere. The governor was there to see him off.
"Well, sir," Charlie said. "If this is the way in which you conveyprisoners from one place to another in Russia, I shall certainly beable, when I meet King Charles, to report to him most favourably asto the treatment of his officers who have fallen into the czar'shands. This will make the journey a very much more pleasant onethan I had expected."
"I am glad you are pleased," the governor said, "and that you haveno unpleasant recollection of your stay here."
A minute later, the carriage dashed out through the gate of theprison. An officer was seated by Charlie's side, two Cossacksgalloping in front, while two others rode behind.
"It was worth making the change, if only for this drive," Charliethought cheerfully, as the dust flew up in a cloud before thehorses' hoofs, and he felt a sense of exhilaration from the keenair that blew in his face.
The journey was performed with great rapidity. One of the Cossacksgalloped ahead, as soon as they arrived at the station where theychanged horses, and had fresh ones in readiness at the next posthouse. The Cossacks themselves were changed at every other station,fresh relays from the men stationed there taking their place.Excellent meals were served three times a day, and each night acomfortable bed was provided, at the last post house where theystopped.
The officer was a pleasant fellow, but he spoke nothing exceptRussian, and, although Charlie fancied he understood him to someextent when he spoke to him in Polish, he shook his head and gaveno answers in that language.
Late in the evening of the third day, they arrived at Notteburg.The building at which the carriage stopped was of considerablesize. It stood in the heart of the town, and had no outwardappearance of a prison. It was apparently at a side entrance atwhich they stopped. On the officer knocking at the door, it wasopened by two Cossacks, who, after exchanging a few words inRussian with the officer, led Charlie along a passage and up anarrow staircase, which led into a somewhat spacious corridor. Theyopened a door, and he found himself in a comfortable room. A tablelaid for dinner with handsome silver and appointments stood in themiddle of the room, which was carpeted with tartar rugs. One of theCossacks opened an inner door, which led into a bedroom, snuglyfurnished.
"It must be the doctor, after all," Charlie murmured to himself, ingreat surprise. "I see now that there was plenty of time for aletter to come up here and have gone back again, and I suppose thegood fellow has got leave for me to stay for a night in hisquarters, before I am handed over to the prison. Well, for the lastthree days I have travelled like a prince, and this is the closingact of it."
He enjoyed a good wash, then returned to the other room, and satdown in a comfortable chair to wait for his host. He was on thepoint of dozing off, when the door opened, and Peter Michaeloffentered. Charlie sprang to his feet.
"Well, Captain Carstairs," the Russian said, holding out his hand,"so it seems you had bad luck again. You must have quite anaffection for our prisons."
"I shall have, at least, a pleasant remembrance of the kindnessshown to me as a prisoner," Charlie said; "and I am sure it is youthat I have to thank for my transfer here, and for the pleasantjourney I have had. I could not have travelled more comfortably, ifI had been a Russian grandee."
"Well, I am glad to meet you again," the doctor said heartily. "Letme see, it is some twenty months since we supped together last atKelly's quarters. Poor fellow! I shall miss him greatly. You haveheard of his death?"
"The governor of Bercov told me of it, a fortnight ago. I wasindeed sorry to hear it. I shall never forget his kindness to me."
"Yes, he was a good man, skilful in his profession, and full ofzeal and energy. The blood runs faster somehow, in the veins of youislanders, than of us sluggish Muscovites. If we could but at onesweep banish every Russian official, from the highest to thelowest, and fill their places with men from your islands, whatprogress we should make, what work could we get done, what reformscould be carried out!
"However, at present," he went on, changing the subject abruptly,"the point is supper. I am as hungry as a bear, for I have been atwork since daylight, and have eaten nothing since I broke my fast."
He rang a handbell placed on the table. Two Cossacks enteredbearing dishes, and the doctor and his guest at once fell to on thesupper, which was excellent.
"Hard work deserves good food," the Russian said, in reply to aremark of Charlie's as to the excellence both of the food and wine."Your Charles does not think so, I hear, and lives on the roughestof food. What will be the consequence? He will wear himself out.His restless activity will exhaust his powers, and weaken hisjudgment. I can eat rough food if I can get no better, but I takethe best, when opportunity offers.
"What have you been doing ever since you left Plescow? I inquiredafter you the other day, when our troops broke up Schlippenbach'sforce on the Embach. I found you were not among the prisoners, andI wondered if you were among the killed."
"I was not in Livonia at the time. I was with the king's army atWarsaw. Three regiments were sent off, the day after the battle ofClissow, by boats down the Vistula, and then by ship to Revel. Minewas one of them, but we arrived a fortnight too late."
"Then you were present at Charles' third victory? How that youngfellow handles his troops, and what wonderful troops they are! Nowwe will get into our easy chairs again, and you shall tell mesomething about what you have been doing, since we last met."
Charlie gave a sketch of his adventures.
"So you fought at the Dwina, too? You have had luck in goingthrough three battles without a wound."
When Charlie stated that he had gone to Warsaw on a privatemission, whose nature was immaterial to the story, the doctor brokein:
"You need not tell me what it was, it was of course something to dowith Augustus. The way Charles is hunting down that unfortunateking is shocking, it is downright malignity. Why, he has wastedfifteen months over it already, and it has cost him Ingria. Hecould have made any terms with Poland he liked, after his victoryon the Dwina, and would then have been free to use all his forcesagainst us. As it is, he has wasted two summers, and is likely towaste another, and that not for any material advantage, but simplyto gratify his hatred against Augustus; and he has left us to takeIngria almost without a blow, and to gain what Russia has wantedfor the last hundred years, a foothold on the Baltic. He may be agreat general, but he is no politician. No real statesman wouldthrow away solid advantages in order to gratify personal pique."
"He considers Augustus the author of this league against him,"Charlie said. "He and the czar had no grounds at all of quarrelagainst him."
"We talked over that, the last time we met," the doctor said with alaugh, "and I told you then that a foothold on the Baltic was sonecessary to Russia, that she would have accepted the alliance ofthe Prince of Darkness himself to get it. As to Augustus, I don'tdefend him. He was ambitious, as I suppose most of us are. Hethought he saw an opportunity of gaining territory. He has foundthat he has made a mistake, and will of course lose a province. ButCharles' persecution of him goes beyond all bounds. Never beforedid a sovereign insist upon a nation consenting to dethrone itsking at his dictation.
"But go on with your story."
He listened without remark, until Charlie concluded.
"I wish you had been in our service," he said, "instead of that ofSweden. You would have mounted fast. You have all the requisitesfor success, above all, promptitude of decision and quickness ofinvention. You did well in getting away from that Jewish scoundrelin the hut, and in killing his master, but it was your advent
urewith the wolves that showed your quality. That idea of setting fireto the tree in which you were sitting, in order at once to warmyourself and to frighten away the wolves, would never have occurredto a Russian, and the quickness with which you formed, with threelogs, a redoubt against the wolves, showed a quick military eye,and the ability to think and act in a moment of danger.
"Now tell me how it was that you were the only officer captured theother day."
Charlie briefly related how he, with the pikemen of his company,had stayed behind to check the pursuit of the Russian horse, and togain time for the main body to lose themselves in the darkness. TheRussian struck his fist on the arm of his chair.
"It was well done," he said. "There is the difference. A Russiancaptain would have done it, if he had been ordered, and he and hismen would, without a question, have sacrificed themselves to coverthe retreat of the rest, but he would never have done it on his owninitiative. The idea would never have struck him. He would haveplodded along until the enemy's cavalry came up and annihilatedthem all. By the way, why did you not ask for me at once?"
"I had asked for Doctor Kelly the day after I was taken prisoner,and was told that he had gone to the Volga. I thought that he wouldbe back before long, and it was only when I heard of his death thatit occurred to me to endeavour to find one who had kindly promised,after a few hours' acquaintance only, to befriend me should I everfind myself in a similar scrape."
"It would have saved you the journey down to Moscow. I heard, ofcourse, that a Swedish captain had been made prisoner that night,but I was myself at Moscow at the time, and did not happen tonotice the name of the officer taken. Were you well treated atBercov?"
"The governor there was most kind, and all the arrangements of theprison seem excellent. I had no reason whatever to complain. Thegovernor was good enough to come frequently himself to talk to me.He is a fine soldierly man, and though he did not say much, I thinkhe is eating his heart out at being laid on the shelf there,instead of aiding to fight the battles of his country."
The Russian took out a pocketbook and made a note, then he rose.
"It is time for bed," he said. "I am up at daybreak."
"I hope I shall see you often in the prison," Charlie said. "Isuppose I shall go in there tomorrow morning. I am indebted to you,indeed, for the very great kindness you have shown me."
"No, you will not go in early. I have got leave for you for anotherday, and I am going to take you for a drive in the morning. Youwill be called an hour before sunrise. Take your breakfast as soonas you are dressed. Do not wait for me. I have work to do before Istart, and shall breakfast elsewhere."
As soon as Charlie had breakfasted the next morning, a Cossack toldhim that the carriage was below, and he followed him to the doorwhere he had entered on the previous evening. The carriage was asimple one, but the three horses harnessed abreast to it weremagnificent animals. Charlie stood admiring them for some littletime.
"I should think," he said to himself, "the doctor must be a man oflarge property, and most likely of noble family, who has taken uphis profession from pure love of it. He is evidently full ofenergy, and has an intense desire to see Russia greater and higherin the rank of nations. I suppose that, like Kelly, he is one ofthe principal medical officers in the army. Certainly he must be aman of considerable influence to obtain my transfer here so easily,and to see that I travelled so comfortably. I wonder where he isgoing to take me this morning."
Four or five minutes later Charlie's friend appeared at the door.He was evidently out of temper. He sprung hastily into the vehicle,as if he had altogether forgotten that he had asked Charlie toaccompany him.
Then, as his eye fell on him, he nodded and said briefly, "Jumpin."
A little surprised at the unceremonious address, Charlie spranginto the seat beside him without hesitation, seeing that hiscompanion was evidently so much out of temper that he was notthinking of what he was doing at the moment. The coachman crackedhis whip, and the spirited horses went off, at a rate of speed thatthreatened danger to persons traversing the narrow streets of thetown. The cracking of the coachman's whip, and an occasional loudshout and the jangling of the bells, gave, however, sufficientwarning of their approach.
Charlie smiled at the alacrity with which every one sprang out ofthe way, and either leapt into doorways or squeezed themselvesagainst the wall. He was surprised, however, to see that not onlydid the townspeople show no resentment, at the reckless pace atwhich the carriage was driven, but that the soldiers, officers aswell as men, cleared out as quickly, and without any expression ofindignation or anger.
Indeed, most of them, as soon as they gained a place of safety,saluted his companion.
"These Russians have evidently a higher respect for their doctorsthan have the Swedes," he said to himself. "I am sure that not eventhe chief surgeon of the army would be treated with anything likethe same respect, and, indeed, no one would recognize him at all,if he were not in uniform."
The doctor seemed to pay no attention to what was passing roundhim, but was muttering angrily to himself. It was not until theydashed out into the open country that he seemed to rememberCharlie's presence at his side.
"These people are enough to vex one of the saints, by theirstupidity," he said. "Unless they have some one standing behindthem with a whip, they cannot be trusted to do what they are told.It is not that they are not willing, but that they are stupid. Noone would believe that people could be so stupid. They drive mewell nigh to madness sometimes, and it is the more irritatingbecause, against stupidity, one is powerless. Beating a man orknocking him down may do him good if he is obstinate, or if he iscareless, but when he is simply stupid it only makes him morestupid than before. You might as well batter a stone wall.
"You slept well and breakfasted well, Captain Carstairs?"
"Excellently well, thank you. What superb horses you have, doctor."
"Yes. I like travelling fast. Life is too short to throw away timein travelling. A busy man should always keep good horses."
"If he can afford to do so," Charlie said with a laugh. "I shouldsay that every one, busy or not, would like to sit behind suchhorses as these, and, as you say, it would save a good deal of timeto one who travelled much. But three such horses as these wouldonly be in the reach of one with a very long purse."
"They were bred here. Their sire was one of three given by the kingof England to the czar. The dams were from the imperial stables atVienna. So they ought to be good."
Charlie guessed that the team must have been a present from theczar, and, remembering what Doctor Kelly had said of the czar'spersonal communications with him, he thought that the ruler ofRussia must have a particular liking for doctors, and that themedical profession must be a more honoured and profitable one inRussia than elsewhere.
After driving with great rapidity for upwards of an hour along thebanks of the Neva, Charlie saw a great number of people at work onan island in the middle of the river, some distance ahead, and soonafterwards, to his surprise, observed a multitude on the flat, lowground ahead.
"This is what I have brought you to see," his companion said. "Doyou know what they are doing?"
"It seems to me that they are building a fortress on that island."
"You are right. We have got a footing on the sea, and we are goingto keep it. While Charles of Sweden is fooling away his time inPoland, in order to gratify his spite against Augustus, we arestrengthening ourselves here, and never again will Sweden wrestIngria from our hands."
"It is marvellous how much has been done already," Charlie said, ashe looked at the crowd of workmen.
"Everything was prepared," his companion said. "While the army wasinvading Livonia, and driving the remnant of the Swedes into Revel,thousands of carts laden with piles of wood, stone, and cement weremoving towards Ingria. Tens of thousands of workmen and peasantswere in motion from every part of Russia towards this point, and,the day after Notteburg surrendered, they began their work here. Itwas the opportunity in t
he lifetime of a nation, and we have seizedit. The engineers who had, in disguise, examined it months ago, hadreported that the island was covered at high tides, and was unfitto bear the foundations of even the slightest buildings. Piles arebeing driven in, as close as they will stand, over every foot ofground in it. Over this a coating of concrete many feet thick willbe laid, and on this the fortress, which is to be the centre andheart of Russia, will rise. In the fort will stand a pile, whichwill be the tomb of the future czars of Russia, and there in frontof us, where you see fifty thousand peasants at work, shall be thefuture capital of the empire."
"But it is a swamp," Charlie said in astonishment, alike at thevastness of the scheme, and the energy with which it was beingprosecuted.
"Nature has made it a swamp," his companion said calmly, "but manis stronger than nature. The river will be embanked, the morassdrained, and piles driven everywhere, as has been done in theisland, and the capital will rise here. The fort has already beennamed the Fortress of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. The capital willbe named alike after the patron saint and its founder--Petersburg."
They had now reached the spot. The carriage stopped and theyalighted. Charlie saw, with astonishment, that a wide deep cut hadbeen driven, between the road and the river, in a straight line.Looking down into it, he saw that it was paved with the heads ofpiles, and that carts were already emptying loads of concrete downupon it.
"Every bag of cement, every stone that you see, has been broughtfrom a great distance," his companion said. "There is not a stoneto be had within fifty miles of this spot. The work would seemwell-nigh impossible, but it is the work of a nation. In anothermonth, there will be a hundred and fifty thousand peasants at workhere, and well nigh as many carts, bringing materials for the workand provisions for the workers."
"It is stupendous! But it will take years to complete, and it willsurely be terribly unhealthy here?"
"I calculate the work will occupy ten years, and will cost ahundred thousand, maybe two hundred thousand lives," the other saidcalmly; "but what is that to the making of a nation? Before, Russiawas stifled, she could not grow. Now we have a communication withthe world. The island that lies at the mouth of the Neva will befortified, and become a great naval arsenal and fort. Along thewalls which will rise here will be unloaded the merchandise ofEurope, and in exchange the ships will carry away our products.Some day we shall have another port on the south, but for thepresent this must suffice. You will say that this is dangerouslynear our frontier, but that will soon be remedied. As we havepushed the Swedes out of Ingria, so in time shall we drive themfrom Livonia on the west, and from Finland on the north.
"But I must to work."
And he motioned to a group of five or six officers, who had beenstanding a short distance away, to approach him.
Charlie was struck with the air of humility with which they salutedhis companion, who at once asked a number of questions as to thesupplies that had arrived, the progress that had been made, at apoint where they had met with a deep slough into which the pileshad penetrated without meeting with any firm ground, the number ofhuts that had been erected during the past three days for thereception of labourers, the state of stocks of meat and flour, andother particulars. To each he gave short, sharp orders. When theyhad left, he turned to Charlie.
"You guess who I am, I suppose?"
"I guess now, your majesty," Charlie said respectfully, "but untilnow the idea that my kind friend was the czar himself never enteredmy mind. I understood, from Doctor Kelly, that you were a surgeon."
"I don't think he said so," the czar replied. "He simply said thatI could perform an amputation as well as he could, which was notquite true. But I studied surgery for a time in Holland, andperformed several operations under the eyes of the surgeons there.
"I saw that you did not recognize my name. It is known to everyRussian, but doubtless you never heard of me save as Peter theCzar. Directly you mentioned it to the commandant at Bercov, anddescribed my appearance, he knew who it was you were speaking of,and despatched a messenger at once to me. He will be here in thecourse of a week or so. Upon your report of the state of theprison, I at once despatched an order for him to hand over hiscommand to the officer next in rank, and to proceed hither at once.He is evidently a good administrator, and heaven knows I have needof such men here.
"I was pleased with you, when I saw you with my friend DoctorKelly. It was pleasant not to be known, and hear a frank opinionsuch as you gave me, and as you know, I sent you back on thefollowing morning. I certainly told Kelly, at the time, not tomention who I was, but I did not intend that he should keep you inignorance of it after I had left, and it was not until I heard,from your jailer at Bercov, that you were ignorant that PeterMichaeloff was the czar, that I knew that he had kept you inignorance of it until the end.
"I should have liked to have kept you as my guest for a time, butwinter comes on early and suddenly, and if you did not go now youmight be detained here until the spring. I have therefore givenorders that one of the Swedish vessels we captured on the lakeshould be got in readiness, and its crew placed on board again. Youshall embark in an hour, and it shall carry you to any port inSweden you may choose. The wind is from the east, and you haveevery chance of a quick run thither."
Charlie expressed his warm thanks to the czar for his thoughtfulkindness.
"I have much to do now," the czar said, "and must hand you over tothe care of one of my officers. He will accompany you, in mycarriage, to the spot where the vessel is lying, near the mouth ofthe river, and will there see you on board. Should the fortune ofwar again throw you into our hands, do not lose an hour in sendinga message to Peter Michaeloff."
So saying, the czar shook hands with Charlie, beckoned an officerto him and gave him instructions, and then moved away among theworkmen, while Charlie, with his conductor, took their places inthe vehicle and drove rapidly off.
An hour later, he was on board the Swedish vessel, whose master andcrew were delighted at their sudden and unlooked for release. Theformer was overjoyed, for the vessel was his own property.
"You will find your things in your cabin, sir," he said. "They weresent on board this morning, together with food and wine sufficientfor a month's voyage, whereas, with this wind, we ought not to bemore than four days. At which port will you land?"
"I would rather go to Gottenburg, captain, though it is farther foryou than Stockholm."
"It shall be Gottenburg, sir. It is thanks to you that I have gotmy liberty and my ship, and a day or two can make no difference tome."
Charlie, indeed, had thought the matter over as he drove along. Hewould not be able to rejoin the army until it had gone into winterquarters, and therefore decided that he would go to Gottenburg,apply for six months' leave, and spend the winter with his father.Somewhat puzzled at the mention of his things having gone on board,he went into the cabin, and found there a handsome pelisse trimmedwith costly furs, two robes composed of valuable skins, and achange of clothes.
The wind held fair, blowing strongly, and four days later hearrived at Gottenburg.