"Because they are not covered up on the road, but yonder! Do you observe that clump of alders?"
And he pointed with his hand to the darkening in the distant thicket which could be seen plainly on the white snow-covered expanse, when the clouds unveiled the moon's disk and the night became clear.
"They have apparently wandered from the road; they turned aside and moved in a small circle along the river; in the wind and drifting snow, it is quite easy to go astray. They moved on and on as long as the horses did not give out."
"How did you find them?"
"The dog led us."
"Are there any huts near here?"
"Yes, but they are on the other side of the river. Close here is Wkra."
"Whip up the horses," commanded Zbyszko.
But the command was easier than the execution of the order. The piled up snow upon the meadow was not yet frozen firm, and the horses sank knee-deep in the drifts; they were therefore obliged to move slowly. Suddenly they heard the barking of a dog; directly in front of them there was the deformed thick stump of a willow-tree upon which glistened in the light of the moon a crown of leafless twigs.
"They are farther off," said the guide, "they are near the alder clump, but it seems that here also there might be something."
"There is much drift under the willow-tree. Bring a light."
Several attendants dismounted and lit up the place with their torches. One of them soon exclaimed: "There is a man under the snow, his head is visible. Here!"
"There is also a horse," said another.
"Dig them out!"
They began to remove the snow with their spades and throw it aside.
In a moment they observed a human being under the tree, his head upon his chest, and his cap pulled down over his face. One hand held the reins of the horse that lay beside him with its nostrils buried in the snow. It was obvious that the man must have left the company, probably with the object of reaching a human habitation as quickly as possible in order to secure help, and when the horse fell he had then taken refuge under the lee of the willow-tree.
"Light!" shouted Zbyszko.
The attendant brought the torch near the face of the frozen man, but his features could not be distinguished. Only when a second attendant lifted the head from the chest, they all exclaimed with one accord: "It is the lord of Spychow!"