“His scouting-parties are. He remained in the rear himself, for some convoy is captured which Pan Kotchyts was conducting.”
“He was conducting Panna Borzobogati!” cried Kmita.
A silence followed. Boguslav’s success, and so sudden, had confused the officers beyond measure. All thought in their hearts that the hetman was to blame for delay, but no one dared say so aloud.
Sapyeha, however, felt that he had done what was proper, and had acted wisely. Therefore he recovered first from the surprise, sent out the men with a wave of his hand, and said,—
“These are ordinary incidents of war, which should confuse no one. Do not think, gentlemen, that we have suffered any defeat. Those regiments are a loss surely; but the loss might have been a hundred times greater if Boguslav had enticed us to a distant province. He is coming to us. We will go out to meet him like hospitable hosts.”
Here he turned to the colonels: “According to my orders all must be ready to move?”
“They are ready,” said Oskyerko. “Only saddle the horses and sound the trumpet.”
“Sound it to-day. We move in the morning at dawn, without fail. Pan Babinich will gallop ahead with his Tartars, and seize with all haste informants.”
Kmita had barely heard this when he was outside the door, and a moment later hurrying on as his horse could gallop to Rokitno.
And Sapyeha also did not delay long.