CHAPTER XXXI.
Passing along the very boundary between the province of Trotsk andPrussia, they travelled through broad and pathless forests known onlyto Kyemlich, until they entered Prussia and reached Leng, or, as oldKyemlich, called it, Elko, where they got news of public affairs fromnobles stopping there, who, taking their wives, children, and effects,had fled from the Swedes and sought refuge under the power of theelector.
Leng had the look of a camp, or rather it might be thought that somepetty diet was in session there. The nobles drank Prussian beer in thepublic houses, and talked, while every now and then some one broughtnews. Without making inquiries and merely by listening with care,Babinich learned that Royal Prussia and the chief towns in it had takendecisively the side of Yan Kazimir, and had made a treaty of mutualdefence with the elector against every enemy. It was said, however,that in spite of the treaty the most considerable towns were unwillingto admit the elector's garrisons, fearing lest that adroit prince, whenhe had once entered with armed hand, might hold them for good, or mightin the decisive moment join himself treacherously to the Swedes,--adeed which his inborn cunning made him capable of doing.
The nobles murmured against this distrust entertained by townspeople;but Pan Andrei, knowing the Radzivill intrigues with the elector, hadto gnaw his tongue to refrain from telling what was known to him. Hewas held back by the thought that it was dangerous in Electoral Prussiato speak openly against the elector; and secondly, because it did notbeseem a small gray-coated noble who was going to a fair with horses,to enter into the intricate subject of politics, over which the ableststatesmen were racking their brains to no purpose.
He sold a pair of horses, bought new ones, and journeyed farther, alongthe Prussian boundary, but by the road leading from Leng to Shchuchyn,situated in the very corner of the province of Mazovia, between Prussiaon the one side and the province of Podlyasye on the other. ToShchuchyn Pan Andrei had no wish to go, for he learned that in thattown were the quarters of the confederate squadron commanded byVolodyovski.
Volodyovski must have passed over almost the same road on which Kmitawas travelling, and stopped before the very boundary of Podlyasye,either for a short rest or for temporary quarters, in Shchuchyn, whereit must have been easier to find food for men and horses than ingreatly plundered Podlyasye.
Kmita did not wish to meet the famous colonel, for he judged thathaving no proofs, except words, he would not be able to persuadeVolodyovski of his conversion and sincerity. He gave command,therefore, to turn to the west toward Vansosh, ten miles fromShchuchyn. As to the letter he determined to send it to Pan Michael atthe first opportunity.
But before arriving at Vansosh, they stopped at a wayside inn called"The Mandrake," and disposed themselves for a night's rest, whichpromised to be comfortable, for there was no one at the inn save thehost, a Prussian.
But barely had Kmita with the three Kyemliches and Soroka sat down tosupper when the rattling of wheels and the tramp of horses were heard.As the sun had not gone down yet, Kmita went out in front of the inn tosee who was coming, for he was curious to know if it was some Swedishparty; but instead of Swedes he saw a carriage, and following it twopack-wagons, surrounded by armed men.
At the first glance it was easy to see that some personage was coming.The carriage was drawn by four good Prussian horses, with large bonesand rather short backs; a jockey sat on one of the front horses,holding two beautiful dogs in a leash; on the seat was a driver, and athis side a haiduk dressed in Hungarian fashion; in the carriage was thelord himself, in a cloak lined with wolfskin and fastened with numerousgilded buttons.
In the rear followed two wagons, well filled, and at each of them fourservants armed with sabres and guns.
The lord, though a personage, was still quite young, a little beyondtwenty. He had a plump, red face, and in his whole person there wasevidence that he did not stint himself in eating.
When the carriage stopped, the haiduk sprang to give his hand to helpdown the lord; but the lord, seeing Kmita standing on the threshold,beckoned with his glove, and called,--
"Come this way, my good friend!"
Kmita instead of going to him withdrew to the interior, for angerseized him at once. He had not become accustomed yet to the gray coat,or to being beckoned at with a glove. He went back therefore, sat atthe table, and began to eat. The unknown lord came in after him. Whenhe had entered he half closed his eyes, for it was dark in the room,since there was merely a small fire burning in the chimney.
"But why did no one come out as I was driving up?" asked the unknownlord.
"The host has gone to another room," answered Kmita, "and we aretravellers, like your grace."
"Thank you for the confidence. And what manner of travellers?"
"Oh, a noble travelling with horses."
"And your company are nobles too?"
"Poor men, but nobles."
"With the forehead, then, with the forehead. Whither is God guidingyou?"
"From fair to fair, to sell horses."
"If you stay here all night, I'll see, perhaps I'll pick out something.Meanwhile will you permit me to join you at the table?"
The unknown lord asked, it is true, if they would let him sit withthem, but in such a tone as if he were perfectly sure that they would;and he was not mistaken. The young horse-dealer said,--
"We beg your grace very kindly, though we have nothing to offer butsausage and peas."
"There are better dainties in my bags," answered the lordling, notwithout a certain pride; "but I have a soldier's palate, and sausagewith peas, if well cooked, I prefer to everything." When he hadsaid this,--and he spoke very slowly, though he looked quickly andsharply,--he took his seat on the bench on which Kmita pushed aside togive convenient room.
"Oh, I beg, I beg, do not incommode yourself. On the road rank is notregarded; and though you were to punch me with your elbow, the crownwould not fall from my head."
Kmita, who was pushing a plate of peas to the unknown, and who, as hasbeen said, was not used to such treatment, would certainly have brokenthe plate on the head of the puffed up young man if there had not beensomething in that pride of his which amused Pan Andrei; therefore notonly did he restrain his internal impulse at once, but laughed andsaid,--
"Such times are the present, your grace, that crowns fall from theloftiest heads; for example, our king Yan Kazimir, who by right shouldwear two crowns, has none, unless it be one of thorns."
The unknown looked quickly at Kmita, then sighed and said, "Times aresuch now that it is better not to speak of this unless withconfidants." Then after a moment he added: "But you have brought thatout well. You must have served with polished people, for your speechshows more training than your rank."
"Rubbing against people, I have heard this and that, but I have neverbeen a servant."
"Whence are you by birth, I beg to ask?"
"From a village in the province of Trotsk."
"Birth in a village is no drawback, if you are only noble; that's themain thing. What is to be heard in Lithuania?"
"The old story,--no lack of traitors."
"Traitors, do you say? What kind of traitors?"
"Those who have deserted the king and the Commonwealth."
"How is the prince voevoda of Vilna?"
"Sick, it is said; his breath fails him."
"God give him health, he is a worthy lord!"
"For the Swedes he is, since he opened the gates to them."
"I see that you are not a partisan of his."
Kmita noticed that the stranger, while asking him questions as it weregood-naturedly, was observing him.
"What do I care!" said he; "let others think of him. My fear is thatthe Swedes may take my horses in requisition."
"You should have sold them on the spot, then. In Podlyasye arestationed, very likely, the squadrons which rebelled against thehetman, and surely they have not too many horses."
"I do not know that, for I have not b
een among them, though some man inpassing gave me a letter to one of their colonels, to be delivered whenpossible."
"How could that passing man give you a letter when you are not going toPodlyasye?"
"Because in Shchuchyn one confederate squadron is stationed, thereforethe man said to me, 'Either give it yourself or find an opportunity inpassing Shchuchyn.'"
"That comes out well, for I am going to Shchuchyn."
"Your grace is fleeing also before the Swedes?"
The unknown, instead of an answer, looked at Kmita and askedphlegmatically, "Why do you say _also_, since you not only are notfleeing from the Swedes, but are going among them and will sell themhorses, if they do not take your beasts by force?"
At this Kmita shrugged his shoulders. "I said _also_, because in Leng Isaw many nobles who escaped before the Swedes; and as to me, if allwere to serve them as much as I wish to serve them, I think they wouldnot warm the places here long."
"Are you not afraid to say this?"
"I am not afraid, for I am not a coward, and in the second place yourgrace is going to Shchuchyn, and there every one says aloud what hethinks. God grant a quick passage from talking to action."
"I see that you are a man of wit beyond your station," repeated theunknown. "But if you love not the Swedes, why leave these squadrons,which have mutinied against the hetman? Have they mutinied becausetheir wages were kept back, or from caprice? No! but because they wouldnot serve the hetman and the Swedes. It would have been better forthose soldiers, poor fellows, to remain under the hetman, but theypreferred to give themselves the name of rebels, to expose themselvesto hunger, hardships, and many destructive things, rather than actagainst the king. That it will come to war between them and the Swedesis certain, and it would have come already were it not that the Swedeshave not advanced to that corner as yet. Wait, they will come, theywill meet here, and then you will see!"
"I think, too, that war will begin here very soon," said Kmita.
"Well, if you have such an opinion, and a sincere hatred for theSwedes,--which looks out of your eyes, for you speak truth, I am ajudge of that,--then why not join these worthy soldiers? Is it nottime, do they not need hands and sabres? Not a few honorable men areserving among them, who prefer their own king to a foreign one, andsoon there will be more of these. You come from places in which menknow not the Swedes as yet, but those who have made their acquaintanceare shedding hot tears. In Great Poland, though it surrendered to themof its own will, they thumbscrew nobles, plunder, make requisitions,seize everything they can. At present in this province their manner isno better. General Stenbok gave forth a manifesto that each man remainquietly at home, and his property would be respected. But what good wasin that! The General has his will, and the smallest commandants havetheirs, so that no man is sure of to-morrow, nor of what property heholds. Every man wishes to get good of what he has, to use it in peace,wants it to bring him pleasure. But now the first best adventurer willcome and say, 'Give.' If you do not give, he will find reason to stripyou of your property, or without reason will have your head cut off.Many shed bitter tears, when they think of their former king. All areoppressed and look to those confederates unceasingly, to see if somerescue for the country and the people will not come from them."
"Your grace, as I see, has no better wish for the Swedes than I have,"said Kmita.
The unknown looked around as it were with a certain alarm, but sooncalmed himself and spoke on,--
"I would that pestilence crushed them, and I hide that not from you,for it seems to me that you are honest; and though you were not honest,you would not bind me and take me to the Swedes, for I should notyield, having armed men, and a sabre at my side."
"Your grace may be sure that I will not harm you; your courage is to myheart. And it pleases me that your grace did not hesitate to leaveproperty behind, in which the enemy will not fail to punish you. Suchgood-will to the country is highly deserving of praise."
Kmita began unwittingly to speak in a patronizing tone, as a superiorto a subordinate, without thinking that such words might seem strangein the mouth of a small horse-dealing noble; but apparently the younglord did not pay attention to that, for he merely winked cunningly andsaid,--
"But am I a fool? With me the first rule is that my own shall not leaveme, for what the Lord God has given must be respected. I stayed at homequietly with my produce and grain, and when I had sold in Prussia allmy crops, cattle, and utensils, I thought to myself: 'It is time forthe road. Let them take vengeance on me now, let them take whateverpleases their taste.'"
"Your grace has left the hind and the buildings for good?"
"Yes, for I hired the starostaship of Vansosh from the voevoda ofMazovia, and just now the term has expired. I have not paid the lastrent, and I will not, for I hear the voevoda of Mazovia is an adherentof the Swedes. Let the rent be lost to him for that, and it will add tomy ready money."
"'Pon my word," said Kmita, smiling, "I see that your grace is not onlya brave cavalier, but an adroit one."
"Of course," replied the unknown. "Adroitness is the main thing! But Iwas not speaking of that. Why is it that, feeling the wrongs of ourcountry and of our gracious king, you do not go to those honorablesoldiers in Podlyasye and join their banner? You would serve both Godand yourself; luck might come, for to more than one has it happened tocome out of war a great man, from being a small noble. It is evidentthat you are bold and resolute, and since your birth is no hindrance,you might advance quickly to some fortune, if God favors you withbooty. If you do not squander that which here and there will fall intoyour hands, the purse will grow heavy. I do not know whether you haveland or not, but you may have it; with a purse it is not hard to rentan estate, and from renting an estate to owning one, with the help ofthe Lord, is not far. And so, beginning as an attendant, you may die anofficer, or in some dignity in the country, in case you are not lazy inlabor; for whoso rises early, to him God gives treasure."
Kmita gnawed his mustache, for laughter seized him; then his facequivered, and he squirmed, for from time to time pain came from thehealing wound. The unknown continued,--
"As to receiving you there, they will receive you, for they need men;besides, you have pleased me, and I take you under my protection, withwhich you may be certain of promotion."
Here the young man raised his plump face with pride, and began tosmooth his mustaches; at last he said,--
"Will you be my attendant, carry my sabre, and manage my men?"
Kmita did not restrain himself, but burst out in sincere, joyouslaughter, so that all his teeth gleamed.
"Why laugh?" asked the unknown, frowning.
"From delight at the service."
But the youthful personage was offended in earnest, and said,--
"He was a fool who taught you such manners, and be careful with whomyou are speaking, lest you exceed measure in familiarity."
"Forgive me, your grace," answered Kmita, joyously, "for really I donot know before whom I am standing."
The young lord put his hands on his hips: "I am Pan Jendzian ofVansosh," said he, with importance.
Kmita had opened his mouth to tell his assumed name, when Biloues camehurriedly into the room.
"Pan Com--"
Here the soldier, stopped by the threatening look of Kmita, wasconfused, stammered, and finally coughed out with effort,--
"I beg to tell you some people are coming."
"Where from?"
"From Shchuchyn."
Kmita was embarrassed, but hiding his confusion quickly, he answered,"Be on your guard. Are there many?"
"About ten men on horseback."
"Have the pistols ready. Go!"
When the soldier had gone out, Kmita turned to Pan Jendzian of Vansoshand asked,--
"Are they not Swedes?"
"Since you are going to them," answered Pan Jendzian, who for some timehad looked with astonishment on the young noble, "you must meet themsooner or later."
"I should prefer the Swedes to
robbers, of whom there are manyeverywhere. Whoso goes with horses must go armed and keep on the watch,for horses are very tempting."
"If it is true that Pan Volodyovski is in Shchuchyn," said PanJendzian, "this is surely a party of his. Before they take up theirquarters there they wish to know if the country is safe, for withSwedes at the border it would be difficult to remain in quiet."
When he heard this, Pan Andrei walked around in the room and sat downin its darkest corner, where the sides of the chimney cast a deepshadow on the corner of the table; but meanwhile the sound of the trampand snorting of horses came in from outside, and after a time a numberof men entered the room.
Walking in advance, a gigantic fellow struck with wooden foot the looseplanks in the floor of the room. Kmita looked at him, and the heartdied within his bosom. It was Yuzva Butrym, called Footless.
"But where is the host?" inquired he, halting in the middle of theroom.
"I am here!" answered the innkeeper, "at your service."
"Oats for the horses!"
"I have no oats, except what these men are using." Saying this, hepointed at Jendzian and the horse-dealer's men.
"Whose men are you?" asked Jendzian.
"And who are you yourself?"
"The starosta of Vansosh."
His own people usually called Jendzian starosta, as he was the tenantof a starostaship, and he thus named himself on the most importantoccasions.
Yuzva Butrym was confused, seeing with what a high personage he had todo; therefore he removed his cap, and said,--
"With the forehead, great mighty lord. It was not possible to recognizedignity in the dark."
"Whose men are these?" repeated Jendzian, placing his hands on hiships.
"The Lauda men from the former Billevich squadron, and now of PanVolodyovski's."
"For God's sake! Then Pan Volodyovski is in the town of Shchuchyn?"
"In his own person, and with other colonels who have come from Jmud."
"Praise be to God, praise be to God!" repeated the delighted starosta."And what colonels are with Pan Volodyovski?"
"Pan Mirski was," answered Butrym, "till apoplexy struck him on theroad; but Pan Oskyerko is there, and Pan Kovalski, and the twoSkshetuskis."
"What Skshetuskis?" cried Jendzian. "Is not one of them Skshetuski fromBujets?"
"I do not know where he lives," said Butrym, "but I know that he was atZbaraj."
"Save us! that is my lord!"
Here Jendzian saw how strangely such a word would sound in the mouth ofa starosta, and added,--
"My lord godson's father, I wanted to say."
The starosta said this without forethought, for in fact he had been thesecond godfather to Skshetuski's first son, Yaremka.
Meanwhile thoughts one after another were crowding to the head of PanKmita, sitting in the dark corner of the room. First the soul withinhim was roused at sight of the terrible graycoat, and his hand graspedthe sabre involuntarily. For he knew that Yuzva, mainly, had caused thedeath of his comrades, and was his most inveterate enemy. The old-timePan Kmita would have commanded to take him and tear him with horses,but the Pan Babinich of that day controlled himself. Alarm, however,seized him at the thought that if the man were to recognize him variousdangers might come to his farther journey and the whole undertaking. Hedetermined, therefore, not to let himself be known, and he pushed everdeeper into the shade; at last he put his elbow on the table, andplacing his head in his palms began to feign sleep; but at the sametime he whispered to Soroka, who was sitting at the table,--
"Go to the stable, let the horses be ready. We will go in the night."
Soroka rose and went out; Kmita still feigned sleep. Various memoriescame to his head. These people reminded him of Lauda, Vodokty, and thatbrief past which had vanished as a dream. When a short time beforeYuzva Butrym said that he belonged to the former Billevich squadron,the heart trembled in Pan Andrei at the mere name. And it came to hismind that it was also evening, that the fire was burning in the chimneyin the same way, when he dropped unexpectedly into Vodokty, as if withthe snow, and for the first time saw in the servants' hall Olenka amongthe spinners.
He saw now with closed lids, as if with eyesight, that bright, calmlady; he remembered everything that had taken place,--how she wished tobe his guardian angel, to strengthen him in good, to guard him fromevil, to show him the straight road of worthiness. If he had listenedto her, if he had listened to her! She knew also what ought to be done,on what side to stand; knew where was virtue, honesty, duty, and simplywould have taken him by the hand and led him, if he had listened toher.
Here love, roused by remembrance, rose so much in Pan Andrei's heartthat he was ready to pour out all his blood, if he could fall at thefeet of that lady; and at that moment he was ready to fall on the neckof that bear of Lauda, that slayer of his comrades, simply because hewas from that region, had named the Billeviches, had seen Olenka.
His own name repeated a number of times by Yuzva Butrym roused himfirst from his musing. The tenant of Vansosh inquired aboutacquaintances, and Yuzva told him what had happened in Kyedani from thetime of the memorable treaty of the hetman with the Swedes; he spoke ofthe oppression of the army, the imprisonment of the colonels, ofsending them to Birji, and their fortunate escape. The name of Kmita,covered with all the horror of treason and cruelty, was repeatedprominently in those narratives. Yuzva did not know that PanVolodyovski, the Skshetuskis, and Zagloba owed their lives to Kmita;but he told of what had happened in Billeviche,--
"Our colonel seized that traitor in Billeviche, as a fox in his den,and straightway commanded to lead him to death; I took him with greatdelight, for the hand of God had reached him, and from moment to momentI held the lantern to his eyes, to see if he showed any sorrow. But no!He went boldly, not considering that he would stand before the judgmentof God,--such is his reprobate nature. And when I advised him to makeeven the sign of the cross, he answered, 'Shut thy mouth, fellow; 'tisno affair of thine!' We posted him under a pear-tree outside thevillage, and I was already giving the word, when Pan Zagloba, who wentwith us, gave the order to search him, to see if he had papers on hisperson. A letter was found. Pan Zagloba said, 'Hold the light!' and heread. He had barely begun reading when he caught his head: 'Jesus,Mary! bring him back to the house!' Pan Zagloba mounted his horse androde off, and we brought Kmita back, thinking they would burn himbefore death, to get information from him. But nothing of the kind!They let the traitor go free. It was not for my head to judge what theyfound in the letter, but I would not have let him go."
"What was in that letter?" asked the tenant of Vansosh.
"I know not; I only think that there must have been still otherofficers in the hands of the prince voevoda, who would have had themshot right away if we had shot Kmita. Besides, our colonel may havetaken pity on the tears of Panna Billevich, for she fell in a faint sothat hardly were they able to bring her to her senses. I do not makebold to complain; still evil has happened, for the harm which that manhas done, Lucifer himself would not be ashamed of. All Lithuania weepsthrough him; and how many widows and orphans and how many poor peoplecomplain against him is known to God only. Whoso destroys him will havemerit in heaven and before men."
Here conversation turned again to Pan Volodyovski, the Skshetuskis, andthe squadrons in Podlyasye.
"It is hard to find provisions," said Butrym, "for the lands of thehetman are plundered completely,--nothing can be found in them for thetooth of a man or a horse; and the nobles are poor in the villages, aswith us in Jmud. The colonels have determined therefore to divide thehorses into hundreds, and post them five or ten miles apart. But whenwinter comes, I cannot tell what will happen."
Kmita, who had listened patiently while the conversation touched him,moved now, and had opened his mouth to say from his dark corner, "Thehetman will take you, when thus divided, one by one, like lobsters froma net." But at that moment the door opened, and in it stood Soroka,whom Kmita had sent to get the horses ready for the road. The ligh
tfrom the chimney fell straight on the stern face of the sergeant. YuzvaButrym glanced at him, looked a long time, then turned to Jendzian andasked,--
"Is that a servant of your great mightiness? I know him from some placeor another."
"No," replied Jendzian; "those are nobles going with horses to fairs."
"But whither?" asked Yuzva.
"To Sobota," said old Kyemlich.
"Where is that?"
"Not far from Pyantek."
Yuzva accounted this answer an untimely jest, as Kmita had previously,and said with a frown, "Answer when people ask!"
"By what right do you ask?"
"I can make that clear to you, for I am sent out to see if there arenot suspicious men in the neighborhood. Indeed it seems to me there aresome, who do not wish to tell where they are going."
Kmita, fearing that a fight might rise out of this conversation, said,without moving from the dark corner,--
"Be not angry, worthy soldier, for Pyantek and Sobota are towns, likeothers, in which horse-fairs are held in the fall. If you do notbelieve, ask the lord starosta, who must know of them."
"They are regular places," said Jendzian.
"In that case it is all right. But why go to those places? You can sellhorses in Shchuchyn, where there is a great lack of them, and thosewhich we took in Pilvishki are good for nothing; they are galled."
"Every man goes where it is better for him, and we know our own road,"answered Kmita.
"I know not whether it is better for you; but it is not better for usthat horses are driven to the Swedes and informants go to them."
"It is a wonder to me," said the tenant of Vansosh. "These people talkagainst the Swedes, and somehow they are in a hurry to go to them."Here he turned to Kmita: "And you do not seem to me greatly like ahorse-dealer, for I saw a fine ring on your finger, of which no lordwould be ashamed."
"If it has pleased your grace, buy it of me; I gave two quarters for itin Leng."
"Two quarters? Then it is not genuine, but a splendid counterfeit. Showit."
"Take it, your grace."
"Can you not move yourself? Must I go?"
"I am terribly tired."
"Ah, brother, a man would say that you are trying to hide your face."
Hearing this, Yuzva said not a word, but approached the chimney, tookout a burning brand, and holding it high above his head, went straighttoward Kmita and held the light before his eyes.
Kmita rose in an instant to his whole height, and during one wink of aneyelid they looked at each other eye to eye. Suddenly the brand fellfrom the hand of Yuzva, scattering a thousand sparks on the way.
"Jesus, Mary!" screamed Butrym, "this is Kmita!"
"I am he!" said Pan Andrei, seeing that there were no further means ofconcealment.
"This way, this way! Seize him!" shouted Yuzva to the soldiers who hadremained outside. Then turning to Pan Andrei, he said,--
"Thou art he, O hell-dweller, traitor! Thou art that Satan in person!Once thou didst slip from my hands, and now thou art hurrying indisguise to the Swedes. Thou art that Judas, that torturer of women andmen! I have thee!"
So saying, he seized Pan Andrei by the shoulder; but Pan Andrei seizedhim. First, however, the two young Kyemliches, Kosma and Damian, hadrisen from the bench, almost touching the ceiling with their bushyheads, and Kosma asked,--
"Shall we pound, father?"
"Pound!" answered old Kyemlich, unsheathing his sabre.
The doors burst open, and Yuzva's soldiers rushed in; but behind them,almost on their necks, came Kyemlich's men.
Yuzva caught Pan Andrei by the shoulder, and in his right hand held anaked rapier, making a whirlwind and lightning with it around himself.But Pan Andrei, though he had not the gigantic strength of his enemy,seized Butrym's throat as if in a vice. Yuzva's eyes were coming out;he tried to stun Kmita with the hilt of his rapier, but did notsucceed, for Kmita thundered first on his forehead with the hilt of hissabre. Yuzva's fingers, holding the shoulder of his opponent, opened atonce; he tottered and bent backward under the blow. To make room for asecond blow, Kmita pushed him again, and slashed him with full sweep onthe face with his sabre. Yuzva fell on his back like an oak-tree,striking the floor with his skull.
"Strike!" cried Kmita, in whom was roused, in one moment, the oldfighting spirit.
But he had no need to urge, for it was boiling in the room, as in apot. The two young Kyemliches slashed with their sabres, and at timesbutted with their heads, like a pair of bullocks, putting down a manwith each blow; after them advanced their old father, bending everymoment to the floor, half closing his eyes, and thrusting quickly thepoint of his weapon under the arms of his sons.
But Soroka, accustomed to fighting in inns and close quarters, spreadthe greatest destruction. He pressed his opponents so sorely that theycould not reach him with a blade; and when he had discharged hispistols in the crowd, he smashed heads with the butts of the pistols,crushing noses, knocking out teeth and eyes. Kyemlich's servants andKmita's two soldiers aided their masters.
The fight moved from the table to the upper end of the room. The Laudamen defended themselves with rage; but from the moment that Kmita,having finished Yuzva, sprang into the fight and stretched out anotherButrym, the victory began to incline to his side.
Jendzian's servants also sprang into the room with sabres and guns; butthough their master cried, "Strike!" they were at a loss what to do,for they could not distinguish one side from the other, since the Laudamen wore no uniforms, and in the disturbance the starosta's young menwere punished by both sides.
Jendzian held himself carefully outside the battle, wishing torecognize Kmita, and point him out for a shot; but by the faint lightof the fire Kmita vanished time after time from his eye,--at oneinstant springing to view as red as a devil, then again lost indarkness.
Resistance on the part of the Lauda men grew weaker and weaker, for thefall of Yuzva and the terrible name of Kmita had lessened theircourage; still they fought on with rage. Meanwhile the innkeeper wentpast the strugglers quietly with a bucket of water in his hand anddashed it on the fire. In the room followed black darkness; thestrugglers gathered into such a dense crowd that they could strike withfists only; after a while cries ceased; only panting breaths could beheard, and the orderless stamp of boots. Through the door, then flungopen, sprang first Jendzian's people, after them the Lauda men, thenKmita's attendants.
Pursuit began in the first room, in the bins before the house, and inthe shed. Some shots were heard; then uproar and the noise of horses. Abattle began at Jendzian's wagons, under which his people hidthemselves; the Lauda men too sought refuge there, and Jendzian'speople, taking them for the other party, fired at them a number oftimes.
"Surrender!" cried old Kyemlich, thrusting the point of his sabrebetween the spokes of the wagon and stabbing at random the men crouchedbeneath.
"Stop! we surrender!" answered a number of voices.
Then the people from Vansosh threw from under the wagon their sabresand guns; after that the young Kyemliches began to drag them out by thehair, till the old man cried,--
"To the wagons! take what comes under your hands! Quick! quick! to thewagons!"
The young men did not let the command be given thrice, but rushed tountie the coverings, from beneath which the swollen sides of Jendzian'ssacks appeared. They had begun to throw out the sacks, when suddenlyKmita's voice thundered,--
"Stop!"
And Kmita, supporting his command by his hand, fell to slashing themwith the flat of his bloody sabre.
Kosma and Damian sprang quickly aside.
"Cannot we take them, your grace?" asked the old man, submissively.
"Stand back!" cried Kmita. "Find the starosta for me."
Kosma and Damian rushed to the search in a moment, and behind themtheir father; in a quarter of an hour they came bringing Jendzian, who,when he saw Kmita, bowed low and said,--
"With the permission of your grace, I will say that wrong is done mehere,
for I did not attack any man, and to visit acquaintances, as I amgoing to do, is free to all."
Kmita, resting on his sabre, breathed heavily and was silent; Jendziancontinued,--
"I did no harm here either to the Swedes or the prince hetman. I wasonly going to Pan Volodyovski, my old acquaintance; we campaignedtogether in Russia. Why should I seek a quarrel? I have not been inKyedani, and what took place there is nothing to me. I am trying tocarry off a sound skin; and what God has given me should not be lost,for I did not steal it, but earned it in the sweat of my brow. I havenothing to do with this whole question! Let me go free, your greatmightiness--"
Kmita breathed heavily, looking absently at Jendzian all the time.
"I beg humbly, your great mightiness," began the starosta again. "Yourgreat mightiness saw that I did not know those people, and was not afriend of theirs. They fell upon your grace, and now they have theirpay; but why should I be made to suffer? Why should my property belost? How am I to blame? If it cannot be otherwise, I will pay a ransomto the soldiers of your great mightiness, though there is not muchremaining to me, poor man. I will give them a thaler apiece, so thattheir labor be not lost,--I will give them two; and your greatmightiness will receive from me also--"
"Cover the wagons!" cried Kmita, suddenly. "But do you take the woundedmen and go to the devil!"
"I thank your grace humbly," said the lord tenant of Vansosh.
Then old Kyemlich approached, pushing out his underlip with theremnants of his teeth, and groaning,--
"Your grace, that is ours. Mirror of justice, that is ours."
But Kmita gave him such a look that the old man cowered, and dared notutter another word.
Jendzian's people rushed, with what breath they had, to put the horsesto the wagons. Kmita turned again to the lord starosta,--
"Take all the wounded and killed, carry them to Pan Volodyovski, andtell him from me that I am not his enemy, but may be a better friendthan he thinks. I wish to avoid him, for it is not yet time for us tomeet. Perhaps that time will come later; but to-day he would neitherbelieve me, nor have I that wherewith to convince him,--perhapslater--Do you understand? Tell him that those people fell upon me and Ihad to defend myself."
"In truth it was so," responded Jendzian.
"Wait; tell Pan Volodyovski, besides, to keep the troops together, forRadzivill, the moment he receives cavalry from Pontus de la Gardie,will move on them. Perhaps now he is on the road. Yanush and BoguslavRadzivill are intriguing with the Elector of Brandenburg, and it isdangerous to be near the boundary. But above all, let them keeptogether, or they will perish for nothing. The voevoda of Vityebskwishes to come to Podlyasye; let them go to meet him, so as to give aidin case of obstruction."
"I will tell everything, as if I were paid for it."
"Though Kmita says this, though Kmita gives warning, let them believehim, take counsel with other colonels, and consider that they will bestronger together. I repeat that the hetman is already on the road, andI am not an enemy of Pan Volodyovski."
"If I had some sign from your grace, that would be still better," saidJendzian.
"What good is a sign?"
"Pan Volodyovski would straightway have greater belief in your grace'ssincerity; would think, 'There must be something in what he says if hehas sent a sign.'"
"Then here is the ring; though there is no lack of signs of me on theheads of those men whom you are taking to Pan Volodyovski."
Kmita drew the ring from his finger. Jendzian on his part took ithastily, and said,--
"I thank your grace humbly."
An hour later, Jendzian with his wagons and his people, a little shakenup however, rode forward quietly toward Shchuchyn, taking three killedand the rest wounded, among whom were Yuzva Butrym, with a cut face anda broken head. As he rode along Jendzian looked at the ring, in whichthe stone glittered wonderfully in the moonlight, and he thought ofthat strange and terrible man, who having caused so much harm to theconfederates and so much good to the Swedes and Radzivill, still wishedapparently to save the confederates from final ruin.
"For he gives sincere advice," said Jendzian to himself. "It is alwaysbetter to hold together. But why does he forewarn? Is it from love ofVolodyovski, because the latter gave him his life in Billeviche? Itmust be from love! Yes, but that love may come out with evil result forthe hetman. Kmita is a strange man; he serves Radzivill, wishes well toour people, and is going to the Swedes; I do not understand this."After a while he added: "He is a bountiful lord; but it is evil to comein his way."
As earnestly and vainly as Jendzian, did old Kyemlich rack his brain ineffort to find an answer to the query, "Whom does Pan Kmita serve?"
"He is going to the king, and kills the confederates, who are fightingspecially on the king's side. What is this? And he does not trust theSwedes, for he hides from them. What will happen to us?"
Not being able to arrive at any conclusion, he turned in rage to hissons: "Rascals! You will perish without blessing! And you could noteven pull away a little from the slain?"
"We were afraid!" answered Kosma and Damian.
Soroka alone was satisfied, and he clattered joyously after hiscolonel.
"Evil fate has missed us," thought he, "for we killed those fellows.I'm curious to know whom we shall kill next time."
And it was all one to him, as was also this,--whither he was faring.
No one dared approach Kmita or ask him anything, for the young colonelwas as gloomy as night. He grieved terribly that he had to kill thosemen, at the side of whom he would have been glad to stand as quickly aspossible in the ranks. But if he had yielded and let himself be takento Volodyovski, what would Volodyovski have thought on learning that hewas seized making his way in disguise to the Swedes, and with passes tothe Swedish commandants?
"My old sins are pursuing and following me," said Kmita to himself. "Iwill flee to the farthest place; and guide me, O God!"
He began to pray earnestly and to appease his conscience, whichrepeated, "Again corpses against thee, and not corpses of Swedes."
"O God, be merciful!" answered Kmita. "I am going to my king; there myservice will begin."