A few steps away from Joco a young girl sat upon the ground, gently stroking a light-colored little bear.  They were both so huddled up together that the villagers scarcely noticed them, and the Captain was therefore all the better able to observe the young woman, who appeared to be withdrawing herself as much as possible from public gaze.  And really she seemed to be an admirable young creature.  She was slight of build, perhaps not yet fully developed, with the early ripeness of the Eastern beauty expressed in face and figure—­a black cherry, at sight of which the mouth of such a gourmand as the Ritter von Wallishausen would naturally water!  Her fine face seemed meant only to be the setting of her two black eyes.  She wore a shirt of coarse linen, a frock of many-colored material, and a belt around her waist.  Her beautifully formed bosom, covered only by the shirt, rose and fell in goddesslike shamelessness.  A string of glass beads hung round her neck, and two long earrings tapped her cheeks at every movement.  She made no effort to hide her bare feet, but now and then put back her untidy but beautiful black hair from her forehead and eyes; for it was so thick that if she did not do so she could not see.

The girl felt that the Captain’s fiery gaze was meant for her and not for the little bear.  She became embarrassed, and instinctively turned her head away.  Just at this moment Joco turned round with Ibrahim.  The tall Servian peasant let the whistle fall from his hand, and the wild dance came to an end.  Ibrahim understood that the performance was over, and, putting down his front paws on the ground, licked, as he panted, the strong iron bars of his muzzle.

The Captain and Joco looked at each other.  The powerful young bear-leader was as pale as death.  He trembled as if something terrible had befallen him.  Captain Winter looked at him searchingly.  Where, he asked himself, had he met this man?

The villagers did not understand what was going on, and began to shout, “Zorka!  Now, Zorka, it is your turn with Mariska.”  The cries of the villagers brought Joco to himself, and with a motion worthy of a player he roused the little bear to its feet.  Then he made signs to the girl.  Being too excited to blow his whistle, he started singing and beating the drum; but his voice trembled so much that by and by he left off singing and let the girl go through her performance alone.

Then the Captain saw something that wrought him up to ecstasy.  Zorka was singing a sad Bosnian song in her tender, crooning voice, and dancing with graceful steps round the little bear, who, to tell the truth, also danced more lightly than the heavy Ibrahim, and was very amusing when he lifted his paw to his head as Hungarians do when they are in high spirits and break forth in hurrahs.

Captain Winter, however, saw nothing but the fair maid, whose pearly white teeth shone out from between her red lips.  He felt he would like to slip a silk ribbon round her waist, which swayed as lightly as a reed waving to and fro in the wind, and lead her off as if she were a beautiful colored butterfly.