CHAPTER XI.A BATTLE AGAINST ODDS.
The experience of two months ago, when he had last been called uponto defend his life against some of these very men, had not been lostupon Boris. He had then realized that he was but a poor swordsman, andthat he was indebted more to his superior agility and strength thanto his skill for his safety on that occasion. True, his antagonistshad shown that their knowledge of the science was not greater than hisown; but nevertheless Boris had made a mental note of his incapacity,and had registered at the same time a vow to make the science of thesword his principal study until he should have gained at least a fairdegree of proficiency. He had not failed to put this good resolutioninto practice, and had assiduously worked at his fencing daily withan exponent of the art, a German named Schmidt, under whose skilfultuition, and with his natural aptitude for every kind of manlyexercise, Boris had quickly acquired no little skill in the use of hissomewhat clumsy but formidable Russian weapon.
At the first onset, the Tsar was surprised and delighted to observethat Boris was more than a match for his opponent. Before the swordshad been crossed for two minutes, Zaitzoff was disabled and disarmed.
The Tsar bade him give up his sword and retire to the opposite wall,where he might watch the fun with as much comfort as was possible witha hole through his sword-arm and a deepish cut in the shoulder as well.Then Ulanof came to take his place.
Ulanof was a big and heavy man, determined and very powerful, butlacking skill. He made so furious an onslaught upon his antagonist,cutting and slashing and thrusting at him with extreme rapidity thoughquite without method, that for some moments Boris was fully occupiedin defending his own person without attempting to carry the fight intothe enemy's camp--in fact he actually lost ground, being surprised intostepping backwards by the unexpectedly furious character of Ulanof'sattack upon him. But as soon as the Tsar whispered encouragingly,"Steady, my Bear-eater!" Boris quickly recovered his position, andpulling himself together delivered an equally furious but a morescientific counter-attack upon Ulanof, whose exertions had alreadydeprived him of much breath.
Still fiercely battling, and contesting every inch of ground, Ulanofwas now driven backwards yard by yard until he stood at bay with hisback to the wall of the house opposite. To that wall Boris speedilyspitted him, his sword passing through Ulanof's body and into thewooden side of the house, whence Boris with difficulty drew it forth.As he did so, Ulanof fell with a gasp at his feet, and the officers'list of the Streltsi regiment was shorter by one name.
"Bravo, bravo, my good Boris!" cried the Tsar; "it was well andscientifically done, and after the German method, I perceive. We shallsee you sticking bears in the Prussian fashion on our next trip.--Now,gentlemen, how many more of you? Four, is it not?--Now, what say you,Boris, to taking them two at a time? This single process grows tedious.I shall see fair play--is it agreed?"
"With all my heart, your Majesty, if you desire it," said Boris, eyinghis still untried foes as though to estimate his chances against them,two swords to one.
After a short whispered consultation, these officers, however, steppedforward and informed the Tsar that their honour was satisfied--therewas no need for the fight to continue.
But the Tsar would not hear of it. The matter rested with BorisIvanitch, he declared; and, if Boris so desired it, every one of themshould meet him until _his_ honour had obtained ample satisfaction."As for _your_ honour, gentlemen, you left it at home when you salliedforth this evening like common midnight assassins to fall upon himunawares and murder him. No, officers of the Streltsi, you are here tofight, and fight you shall. If any man shirks, I too have a sword, andwith my sword I shall write 'coward' on his body for all men to see!"
Then the two, Katkoff and Shurin, fell upon the one, and the fightrecommenced; and a good fight it was. Katkoff was a good swordsman,Shurin was strong and active, and the battle was at first sightunequal. The Tsar would not suffer the pair to separate. If eitherattempted to edge to one side and take Boris in the flank, the Tsarangrily bade him return to line. The battle was to be fought fair,this much was plainly evident; it behoved Shurin and his partner,therefore, to be careful and watch, and to take the first advantagethat offered.
Boris fought like a lion, or like one of his own bears at bay. Invain Katkoff slashed and Shurin thrust; his sword was always there tointercept, and even to aim an answering blow before the pair were ableto repeat the attack. Once a thrust from Shurin touched his cheek andmade the blood spirt. Shurin cheered, and redoubled his exertions, wellbacked up by Katkoff. Then Boris, like an enraged tiger, fell upon thepair so fiercely, raining his blows upon them like hailstones in June,that they gave ground both together. Pursuing his advantage quicklyBoris drove them round by the wall, the two whole men and the woundedone moving out of their way as they went, Peter close at their heelsto see fair play. One tripped over dead Ulanof and nearly fell, butrecovered himself and fought on. Then Boris in his turn tripped andfell on his knee. In an instant the two were upon him, and Shurin'sthrust pierced through his left arm, while he just saved his head fromthe downward blow of Katkoff's weapon. But before Shurin could withdrawhis sword, Boris aimed a cut at the arm that held it with such terribleforce that it was severed at the wrist. Shurin caught at the kaftanof Boris to pull him over; while Katkoff, seeing that now, if ever,he must make his effort and end this struggle, rained his blows fromabove. Then Boris, in guarding his shoulder, nevertheless contrived atthe same time to administer to Shurin a backhander which laid him flatbeside Ulanof, and rising from his kneeling position he so furiouslyfell upon Katkoff that in a moment the latter was disarmed, his swordflying through the air with a whistle, and alighting point-down uponthe low wooden roof of an adjoining house, where it stuck, vibratingwith the force of its flight.
"In an instant the two were upon him."_Page 124._ ]
But this was Boris's final effort--tired nature could do no more. Heturned, as though to return to Peter's side, but slipped and fellfainting into the Tsar's strong embrace.
Peter looked darkly around at the remains of the party which had beenso roughly handled by Boris. "Go!" he said, "get you gone, you that canwalk. Leave your swords. You shall hear of me to-morrow. Meanwhile, youthat have escaped, be thankful that I am not tempted myself to finishwhat Boris Ivanitch has left undone. I should know well how to treatmidnight assassins. Leave your swords, I say. Now go!"
As the party of discomfited warriors limped and slunk away in thedarkness, leaving Shurin and Ulanof behind them, the Tsar tenderlypicked up the still unconscious Boris in his great arms, and carriedhim like a child to the nearest house. Thither he sent his own doctor,a Scotsman of much skill, under whose care Boris very quickly cameround, and, his arm being carefully bandaged and treated, he was ableto return on foot to the palace, to the delight of his master.
But though Boris was able to make his own way home, he was notdestined to come through this matter quite so easily as he had atfirst believed. His wound proved somewhat obstinate, and the poorhunter tossed for many days upon his plain camp-bed, racked with painand fever, during which time he longed incessantly for the fresh air,and the forest, and the delights of his old open-air life. All thatcould be done to relieve his pain and hasten his recovery was done byMacintyre, the Tsar's own doctor, who tended him assiduously, havingtaken a great liking to this fine specimen of a Russian peasant.
The Tsar himself frequently stole an hour from his various pressingduties in order to sit by his favourite servant and chat over what hadbeen and what was yet to be--fighting over again their battles withbear and wolf, which, to the joy of Boris, Peter solemnly promisedshould be repeated at the earliest opportunity; and discussing manyprojects at that time in the brain of the Tsar--such as the developmentof a standing army, which idea was already beginning to take practicalform; the organization of a navy; the building of a capital whichshould be a seaport; the necessity for recommencing that which Ivanthe Terrible had so nearly accomplished, but in which that monarch hadeventually failed--name
ly, the wresting from their lieges of thoseports in the Baltic which were absolutely necessary for the developmentof the empire; and, lastly, Eastern conquest--overland trade withIndia, and many other dazzling projects upon which the heart of Peterwas set.
From the Tsar, also, Boris learned that the banishment of theStreltsi regiment to which the wounded hunter was attached was now anaccomplished fact. After the disgraceful conduct of the officers atthe corner of the Uspensky, Peter had determined that the regimentshould not remain another hour in the capital, but be marched out ofit as early as possible on the following morning. The Tsar thereforehimself attended the early parade of the regiment, when he read alouda revised list of officers, in which the names of the six midnightassailants of Boris had no place. In their stead were substituted thoseof six privates, men who had shown aptitude for military service, andwhose good conduct had entitled them to recognition. Then Peter readthe names of six officers who, he said, in consequence of conductwhich disqualified them for ever from associating with men of theirown position in the service, were degraded to the ranks. These menwere directed to step out in order to be deprived of their insigniaof officer's rank, when Peter himself tore from their shoulders theepaulets of their order. It was observed that but four men appearedinstead of six, and that one of these wore his arm in a sling, whileanother limped as he walked.
After this ceremony, the Tsar bade the commanding officer pass theregiment in review, when Peter himself uttered several words ofcommand; finally in stentorian tones giving the order,--
"Gentlemen of the Streltsi, form in marching order! Right about face!Quick march! to the Ukraine!"
As the Tsar uttered these words, the consternation and surprise of theregiment, men and officers, was indescribable. None had expected thissudden change of date; no one was ready; final arrangements for thewinding up or transfer of business had been left by many to the lastmoment, and were still in abeyance; farewells to families and loverswere still unsaid; many of the men were but half dressed, their longkaftans serving to conceal the shortcomings of the unseen portionof their costume. But none dared disobey the personal ookaz of themasterful young giant whose stern lips had uttered it.
Sobbing and whining the regiment marched slowly through the streetsof Moscow, followed by troops of women and children, who sobbed andwhined also. The officers strode along looking pale and gloomy, manywith tears streaming down their faces. The word had soon passed fromstreet to street, and from house to house, and as the woful processionapproached the gates of the city the ranks of the weeping crowd offriends and relatives became largely increased, until, when theregiment had reached the open country, the colonel, who doubtlesshad matters of his own to attend to, called a halt in order that theunfortunate men might at least take a last farewell of their wives andfamilies ere they marched out into an exile the duration of which nonecould foretell.
Then ensued a remarkable scene. Most of the men were married, and mostof the wives and a great host of children of all ages had heard thenews of the sudden departure of their lords, and had hastened afterthem to get a last glimpse of them, and if possible a last word. Nosooner had the ranks obeyed the order to halt, than the lines wereinstantly invaded by swarms of sobbing women and children, eachseeking her own, and calling his name aloud. The confusion becameindescribable, the din deafening. Frantic women, unable to find theirhusbands or lovers, rushed shrieking from line to line, imploringsergeants and soldiers to tell them where to seek their lords. Others,having found their belongings, clung about their necks, while thechildren clasped the knees of their fathers and cried aloud. For afull hour the scene of woe and noise was prolonged, and then at lastthe word was given to resume the march, the women and children beingforbidden to follow further. Many young wives and girls, however,refused to obey the colonel's command, and followed or accompanied thetroops for many miles, wailing and crying and shouting last words oflove and farewell to their friends in the ranks.
Thus did Peter rid himself, in a characteristic manner, of a regimentwhich he knew to be rotten at the core. And thus it happened that Borisremained behind while the rest went into exile.