"Pray, sir," said Juan, "if I may presume,

What brought you here?"—"Oh! nothing very rare—

Six Tartars and a drag-chain——"—"To this doom

But what conducted, if the question 's fair,

Is that which I would learn."—"I served for some

Months with the Russian army here and there;

And taking lately, by Suwarrow's bidding,

A town, was ta'en myself instead of Widdin."[275]