When it could not be found,
questions were asked of some of our own men, and some wounded
Russians, who were lying near the spot where you had been seen to
fall.
"Our men had seen nothing, for, as the Russians closed in behind
your company as it advanced, they had shut their eyes and lay as if
dead, fearing that they might be run through, as they lay, by the
Cossack lances. The Russians, however, told us that they had seen
two of the Cossacks dismount, by the orders of one of their
officers, lift you on to a horse, and ride off with you. There was
therefore a certainty that you were still living, for the Russians
would assuredly not have troubled to carry off a dead body. His
majesty interested himself very much in the matter, and yesterday
morning sent me off to inquire if you were alive, and if so, to
propose an exchange.
"I was much pleased, when I reached Plescow yesterday, to learn
that your wound is not a serious one. I saw the doctor, who, I
found, was a countryman of yours, and he assured me that it was
nothing, and made some joke that I did not understand about the
thickness of North Country skulls.
"The czar arrived in the afternoon, but I did not see him until
late in the evening, when I was sent for. I found him with the
general in command, and several other officers, among whom was your
friend the doctor.
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