"I don't myself know 'to who,'" replied the cornet in a serious tone, "but the prince told me to 'go and tell the colonel that the hussars must return quickly and fire the bridge.

'" Zherkov was followed by an officer of the suite who rode up to the colonel of hussars with the same order.

After him the stout Nesvitski came galloping up on a Cossack horse that could scarcely carry his weight.