The wind was blowing keenly,
and the fire spread rapidly from house to house, and by the time
he reached the road along which the army had travelled the whole
village was in flames. He felt that he could not travel far, for
the intense sufferings which he had endured for twenty-four hours
without food or water had exhausted his strength.
His limbs were swollen and bruised from the tightness of the cords,
the agony of his burned wrists was terrible, and after proceeding
slowly for about a mile he drew off from the broad trampled track
which the army had made in passing, and dragging himself to a clump
of trees a short distance from the road, made his way through some
thick undergrowth and flung himself down. The night was intensely
cold, but this was a relief to him rather than otherwise, for it
alleviated the burning pain of his limbs while he kept handfuls of
snow applied to his wrists.
Two hours after he had taken refuge he heard a number of men come
along the road at a run. Looking through the bushes he could see
by their figures against the snow that they were peasants, and had
no doubt that they were the men of the village who had returned
and at once started in pursuit of him.
An hour later, feeling somewhat relieved, he left his hiding place
and moved a mile away from the road, as he feared that the peasants,
failing to overtake him, might, as they returned, search every
possible hiding place near it.
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