CHAPTER XXVIII
Still they remained two days together. The court, it is true, set outthe day following, but the queen, with all her court ladies, and amultitude of lay and church dignitaries, followed the king to TarnovskiHeights where the camp was and where a great review had been ordered.The retinue being numerous moved slowly and hence to overtake it waseasy. The subsequent advance of the forces, with the king at the headof them, from the boundary to Vienna astonished the world by itsswiftness, especially since the king hastened on and arrived before themain army, but to Tarnovski Heights the queen dragged on six days, withher retinue. In two days the Tachevskis came up with the escort. PaniTachevski took her seat then in a court carriage, and Yatsek hurried onto the camp for the night, to join there his regiment. For the royalpair the time of separation was approaching. On August 22 the king tooksolemn farewell of his beloved "Marysienka." In the early morning hemounted and marshalled before her the army; next he moved at the headof it to Glivitsi.
People noted that although he always took farewell of the queen withgreat sorrow, since he loved her as the apple of his eye, and waspained by even a short absence, his face this time was radiant. So thechurch and lay dignitaries took courage. They knew how tremendous was awar with that enemy, who besides had never advanced with such forces."The Turks have moved three parts of the world, it is true," said theyto themselves, "but if our lord, their greatest crusher and destroyer,goes with such delight to this struggle, we have no cause for anxietytouching it." And hope filled their bosoms, the sight of the warriorsincreased it still more, and changed it to perfect confidence invictory. The army, with all the camp followers seemed veryconsiderable. As far as the eye reached the sun shone on helmets, onarmor, on sabres, on barrels of muskets and cannon. The glitter was sobright that eyes were dazzled by the excess of it. Rainbow-hued ensignsand banners played in the blue air, above the army. The rolling ofdrums throughout the foot regiments was mingled with responses fromtrumpets, crooked horns, and kettledrums, and also the hellish noise ofa Janissary orchestra, and the neighing of horses.
At first the train moved toward one side, to afford a free way to allmovements of the army, and only then the review began really. The royalcarriage halted on a plain not too high, a little to the right of theroad by which the regiments were to pass while advancing. In the firstcarriage sat the queen wearing plumes, laces, and velvets glitteringwith jewels. She was beautiful and imposing, with the full majesty inher face of a woman who possesses all in life that the most daringdesigns can imagine, for she had a crown, and the unspeakable love ofthe most glorious of contemporary monarchs. She, in common with thosedignitaries in the suite of the king, felt most certain that when herhusband was on horseback for action, he would be followed, as he hadbeen followed at all times, by destruction and triumph. And she feltthat at the moment the eyes of all the world from Tsargrad to Rome,Madrid, and Paris, were turned on him that all Christianity wasstretching out hands to him, and that only in those iron arms of hiswarriors did people see rescue. Hence her heart rose with the pride ofa woman. "Our might is increasing, and glory will raise us above allother kings," said she in spirit; and therefore, though her husband wasleading barely twenty and some thousands of men against countless hostsof Osmanli, her breast was filled with delight and no cloud of alarm ordistrust darkened then her white forehead. "Look at the victor, look atyour father, the king," said she to her children, who, as little birdsfill a nest, filled the carriage--"when he returns, the world willkneel to him in thanksgiving."
In other carriages were visible the charming features of youthful courtladies, the mitres of bishops, and the dignified, stern faces ofsenators, who remained at home to manage the government in place of HisMajesty. The king himself was with the army, but all could see him veryclearly on the height at some distance, among hetmans and generals,where he produced the impression of a giant on horseback. The army wasto pass a little lower, before his feet, as it seemed to spectators.
First there moved forward, with a deep, rolling sound and the biting ofchain-links, Pan Kantski's artillery; after it went foot regiments witha musket on the shoulder of each man, under officers with sabres onstraps, and carrying long canes with which they kept all ranks inorder. Those regiments marched four abreast and seemed movingfortresses, their step preserved time and was thundering. Each regimentwhen passing the carriage of Her Majesty gave a loud shout to saluteher, and lowered its ensign in homage. Among them were some with acostlier outfit than others, and showing a form beyond common indignity, but the most showy regiment of all was made up of Kashubiansin blue coats and yellow belts for ammunition. These Kashubians, largeand strong fellows, were so carefully chosen that each seemed a brotherto the next man; the heavy muskets moved in the mighty hands of thosewarriors as would walking-sticks. At the sound of the fife they haltedbefore the king as one person, and presented arms with such accuracythat he smiled with delight, and the dignitaries said to one another:"Eh! To strike upon these men will not be healthy for even the Sultan'sown body-guard. Those are real lions, not people!"
But immediately after them moved squadrons of light-horse. One mighthave thought them real centaurs to such a degree had each man and horsebecome one single entity. These were undegenerate sons of thosehorsemen who in their day had trampled all Germany, cleaving apart withtheir sabres and with horse hoofs whole regiments, nay, entire armiesof Luther's adherents. The heaviest foreign cavalry, if only equal innumber could not oppose them, and the lightest could not escape fromthem by fleeing. The king himself had said of those men when at Hotsim:"If they are led to the enemy they will cut down all in front of them,as a mower cuts grass at his labor." And though at this moment theyadvanced past the carriages slowly, each person, even one quiteunknowing in warfare, divined very quickly that at the right momentnothing save a hurricane could surpass them in swiftness, power towhirl, strike down, and overthrow. Crooked trumpets and drums went onthundering in front of them, while they marched forward, squadron aftersquadron, with drawn sabres which seemed flaming swords in thequivering sunlight. When they had passed the court carriages theyadvanced like a wave starting suddenly, going first at a trot whichturned soon to a gallop, and, when they had outlined a great giantcircle, they passed again, and this time they rushed like a tempest andnear the queen's carriage; but while they were doing this they shouted,"Slay! Kill!" and in extended right hands held their sabres pointedforward as if in attacking, on horses whose nostrils were distended tothe utmost, with waving manes, as if wild from the impetus of theironrush. And they passed thus a second time, and then at the third turnthey, without breaking ranks, stood still on a sudden. They did this soaccurately, so evenly, and with such agreement that foreigners, of whomat that court there were many, and especially those who saw then forthe first time Polish cavalry in action, gazed at one another withamazement, as if each man were questioning his own eyesight.
When they had vanished the field glittered with dragoons everywhere andbloomed like a blossom. Some of those regiments had appeared under PanYablonovski, some had been assembled by magnates, and one by the king,from his own private fortune; this was commanded by Pan de Maligny, HerMajesty's brother.
In the dragoons served common folk for the greater part, but mentrained to riding from childhood, experienced in fighting of varioussorts, stubborn under fire, less terrible at close quarters thannobles, but disciplined and most enduring of military labor.
But the greatest delight for the eyes and the spirit began only whenthe hussars started forward. They moved on in calmness as was properfor regiments of such value; their lances pointing upward seemed aforest, and at the points, moved by the light breeze, was a rainbowcloud of streamers. Their horses were heavier than those in othersquadrons; their steel armor was inlaid with gold; on their shoulderswere wings, in which the feathers, even when moving slowly, made thatsound heard in forests among branches. The great dignity, and, as itwere, the pride which issued forth from them, made so deep animp
ression that the queen and court ladies, the senators, and aboveall, foreign visitors, rose in their carriages to see them moreaccurately. There was something tremendous in that march, for it cameto the mind of each man unwittingly, that when an avalanche of ironlike that should rush forward it would crush, grind, and drive apartall things in front of it, and that there was no human strength whichcould stop it. And this was undoubted. Not so distant at that time wasthe day when three thousand such horsemen had rubbed into dust Swedishlegions five times their own number; still less remote was that otherday when one squadron of the same kind had passed, like a spirit ofdestruction, through the whole army of Karl Gustav; and quite recentwas the day when at Hotsim those same hussars under that same kingthere present had trampled in the earth Turkish guards formed ofJanissaries, as easily as standing wheat in the open. Many of the menwho had shared in that shattering of the enemy at Hotsim were servingthen under the banners of that day, and these warriors, proud, calm,and confident, were starting now toward the walls of a foreign capitalto reap a new harvest.
Terror and strength seemed the soul of that body. An afternoon breezerose behind them on a sudden, whistled in their streamers, blew forwardthe waving manes of their horses, and made so mighty a sound in thewings at the shoulders of each mounted warrior, that the horses fromSpain which drew the court carriages rose on their haunches. Thesquadrons approached to a line twenty yards from the carriages, turnedto one side and marched past in squadrons. Then it was that PaniTachevski saw her husband for the last time before the expedition. Herode in the second rank at the edge of the squadron, all in iron andwinged armor, the ear pieces of his helmet hid his cheeks altogether.His large golden bay Turkish stallion bore him on easily despite theweighty armor, throwing his head upward, rattling his bit, andsnorting loudly, as if in good omen for the rider. Yatsek turned hisiron-covered head toward his wife, and moved his lips as if whispering,but though no distinct word reached her ears she divined that he wasgiving her the last "Fare thee well!" and such an impulse of yearningand love seized her heart that if she could have, at the cost of herlife, changed at that moment to a swallow she would have perched on hisshoulder, or on the flag of his lance point, and gone with him; shewould not have stopped for one twinkle to calculate.
"Fare thee well, Yatsek! God guard thee!" cried she, stretching herhands to him. And her eyes were tear-bedewed while he rode past insolemnity, gleaming in the sunlight, and, as it were, rendered sacredby the service imposed on him.
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Behind this the regiment of Prince Alexander came up and marched paststill others, equally terrible and equally brilliant Then otherregiments described a great circle and halted on the plain almost inthe places from which they had started in the time of reviewing, butnow in marching order.
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From the carriages on the height the eye could embrace all theregiments very nearly. Far away and near by were seen crimson uniforms,glittering armor, the flashing of swords, the upturned forest oflances, the broad cloud of streamers, and above them great banners likegiant blossoms. From the regiments standing nearer, the breeze broughtthe odor of horse sweat, and the shouts of commanders, the shrill noteof fifes, and the deep sound of kettledrums. But in those shouts, inthose sounds, in that delight and that eagerness for battle, there wassomething triumphant. A perfect confidence in the victory of the crossabove the crescent,--that confidence was flowing through every heart inthose legions.
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The king remained yet for a moment at the carriage of Her Majesty, butwhen a blessing had been given him with a cross and with relics by thebishop of Cracow, he rushed at a gallop to the army. The air was rentsuddenly by the keen sound of trumpets, while masses of foot and ofcavalry stirred, began slowly to lengthen, and finally those massesmoved, all of them, westward. In advance were the banners of the lighthorse, behind them hussars; the dragoons closed the movement.
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The prince bishop of Cracow raised with both hands the cross, holdingrelics as high above his head as was possible:
"O God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, have mercy on Thy people!"
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Just then more than twenty thousand breasts raised the anthem which PanKohovski had composed for that moment:
"For Thee, O pure Lady, O Mother Immaculate, We go to defend Christ, Our Lord.
"For thee, O dear country, For you, O white eagles, We will crush every enemy. ON THE FIELD OF GLORY."