Grodzitski put spurs to his horse and galloped to the trenches. After a while cannonading was heard on the whole line, and somewhat later it was seen that a fresh division of Mazovian infantry went out of the nearest trenches, and on a run to the mole-hill.
The king stood there, looking continually. At last he cried: “Babinich should be relieved in the command. And who, gentlemen, will volunteer to take his place?”
Neither Pan Yan, Pan Stanislav, nor Volodyovski was near the king, therefore a moment of silence followed.
“I!” said suddenly Pan Topor Grylevski, an officer of the light squadron of the primate.
“I!” said Tyzenhauz.
“I! I! I!” called at once a number of voices.
“Let the man go who offered himself first,” said the king.
Pan Topor Grylevski made the sign of the cross, raised the canteen to his mouth, then galloped away.
The king remained looking at the cloud of smoke with which the mole-hill was covered, and the smoke rose above it like a bridge up to the very wall. Since the fort was near the Vistula, the walls of the city towered above it, and therefore the fire was terrible.
Meanwhile the thunder of cannon decreased somewhat, though the balls did not cease to describe arcs, and a rattle of musketry was given out as if thousands of men were beating threshing-floors with flails.