"Unless they could fly, they could not make their way through the country.
There, sir, that will do." The doctor bowed, shook hands with the boys, and without a word went out, touching his lips with his fingers to them as he turned his back to the governor, a movement which the lads understood at once as a hint that it would be as well to say nothing which might show that they had any knowledge of Russian.
The governor rang a hand-bell, and a sergeant entered.

The governor wrote a few words on a piece of paper.
"Take these prisoners to Count Preskoff's," he said, "and deliver this order to him." The sergeant motioned the lads to follow him.

With a bow to the governor, which he passed unacknowledged, they followed the soldier.
"A disagreeable brute, that," Jack said.

"A little work in the trenches would do him good, and take some of his cockiness out of him.
That was a good idea of the doctor, not saying good-bye in Russian.

I don't suppose we shall run against that fellow again, but it we did, he might make it so disagreeable that we might be driven to show him a clean pair of heels." "He didn't ask for our parole," Dick said, "so we shall be justified in making a bolt if we see a chance." Passing through the streets the sergeant led them through the town and out into the country beyond.
"Where on earth is he taking us to ?" Jack wondered.