nine o’clock
A quarter of an hour later the contractor left the place , and as soon as the functionary who had seen him depart was relieved by another , the prisoner left his hiding-place , crossed the drawbridge in his turn , simulating the gait of his twin , and , without any hindrance , rejoined his orderly at the place agreed upon . The trick was played ! A matter of twenty kilometres was a mere trifle for infantry troopers . They walked as lightly as gymnasts , under a clear sky , through the fields , guided by the lights in the farmhouses , and at nine o'clock , having passed the frontier , they stumbled upon a post of Cossacks ambuscaded behind a hedge ! Unfortunately , at that time the Franco-Russian alliance was still in embryo , and an agreement between the two neighboring States interdicted all passage to Frenchmen escaping from the hands of their conquerors . The two deserters were therefore conducted to the major of the nearest garrison , who alone had the right to question them . As soon as they were in his presence , Henri could not restrain a start of surprise , for he recognized Constantin Lenaieff , one of his adversaries on the fatal night of the Freres-Provencaux .