“I’ve done it,” he said exultantly. “I don’t know whether there are any other wires, but I’ve cut the main ones, and that will probably cause some delay. But how came you to halt here?” he asked anxiously.
I explained the change of vehicles, and we rode on after the Princess.
“You passed Spernow?” I asked.
“Yes, and left my men to follow with his. He tells me he is to join you as soon as he is clear of Liublian; he should be near now;” and he glanced back as I thought with some anxiety.
“We have done well so far. It was a stroke of luck to get rid of that lumbering old carriage,” said I.
“True, but we have already been a long time covering very little ground, and must press forward. Our pursuers won’t sleep on the road. I’m surprised we haven’t heard from them before now.”
It was unlike him to meet alarm half-way in this fashion, but I made no answer except to urge my horse to greater speed, so as to close up the distance between us and the Princess.
Markov was now driving at a very rapid rate, the road was much better, and I felt my spirits rise as we covered the ground quickly. Every yard gained safely made the prospect of escape more hopeful.
“Spernow should have joined us by now,” said Zoiloff again presently, as we were breathing the horses up a steep hill.
“We have been travelling much faster since we changed conveyances, and his cattle may be a bit stale,” I replied, trying to reassure him.