'Good-bye, Sara... mind you come.'

'Yes.'

She went home; I told the sergeant to follow me with the party, and
galloped off.

The next day I got up very early, dressed, and went out of the tent. It
was a glorious morning; the sun had just risen and every blade of grass
was sparkling in the dew and the crimson glow. I clambered on to a high
breastwork, and sat down on the edge of an embrasure. Below me a stout,
cast-iron cannon stuck out its black muzzle towards the open country. I
looked carelessly about me... and all at once caught sight of a bent
figure in a grey wrapper, a hundred paces from me. I recognised Girshel.
He stood without moving for a long while in one place, then suddenly ran
a little on one side, looked hurriedly and furtively round... uttered a
cry, squatted down, cautiously craned his neck and began looking round
again and listening. I could see all his actions very clearly. He put
his hand into his bosom, took out a scrap of paper and a pencil, and
began writing or drawing something. Girshel continually stopped, started
like a hare, attentively scrutinised everything around him, and seemed
to be sketching our camp. More than once he hid his scrap of paper, half
closed his eyes, sniffed at the air, and again set to work. At last, the
Jew squatted down on the grass, took off his slipper, and stuffed the
paper in it; but he had not time to regain his legs, when suddenly, ten
steps from him, there appeared from behind the slope of an earthwork the
whiskered countenance of the sergeant Siliavka, and gradually the whole
of his long clumsy figure rose up from the ground. The Jew stood with
his back to him. Siliavka went quickly up to him and laid his heavy paw
on his shoulder. Girshel seemed to shrink into himself. He shook like a