Read Told by the Death's Head: A Romantic Tale Page 5

  CHAPTER I.

  WITH THE ROBBERS--THE PRSJAKA CAVES.

  I was ensign in a regiment under command of General Melchior Hatzfeldof the imperial forces. (Thus Hugo began his confession the next daywhen he had been brought to the court-room from the death-cell.) Myconduct at that time was exemplary; I acquired so much skill inhandling fire-arms that, at the siege of Cracow, I was advanced to theposition of chief gunner of a battery.

  Cracow at that time was in the hands of George Rakoczy, prince ofTransylvania, who had leagued with Sweden to subdue Poland; and hewould most likely have succeeded had not the imperial army come to theassistance of the Poles.

  I shall not dwell long on the siege of Cracow lest I awake in theminds of the honorable gentlemen of the court a suspicion that, byrelating incidents not immediately connected with my transgressions, Iam purposely prolonging my recital. I shall therefore speak only ofthose occurrences which it will be necessary to mention in order toexplain why I committed the crimes of which I am guilty. While withthe army before Cracow I made the acquaintance of the daughter of aPolish noble. The young lady, who took a great fancy to me--I wasn't abad-looking youth in those days, your honors--was a charming creatureof sixteen years, with the most beautiful black eyes. If I rememberrightly her name was Marinka. She taught me how to speak herlanguage--and something else, too: how to love--the fatal passionwhich has all my life been the cause of much of my trouble.

  During the siege my general frequently sent me to reconnoiter amongthe Hungarian camps; and as I was a fearless youth, I would venture tothe very gates of the manor-houses in the neighborhood of Cracow. Atone of these houses I met my sweetheart; and after that, you mayguess, honored sirs, that it was not for the general's "yellow boys"alone I risked my neck night after night. No, my little Marinka'ssparkling eyes were as alluring as the gold pieces; and I knew when Iset out on my nightly tour that my sweetheart would be waiting for meat the gates of her father's place. But our secret meetings were atlast discovered. There was an old witch of a housekeeper who ferretedout her young mistress' secret, and informed the old noble. Onemoonlight night Marinka was teaching me in her own little cozy chamberhow to say: "_Kocham pana z calego zersa_"--which is "Mistress, I loveyou with my whole heart,"--when we heard her father's heavy footstepsascending the staircase. I tell you I was frightened and said tomyself, "This is the end of you, my lad!" but Marinka whispered in myear:

  "_Nebojsa!_ (don't be afraid), go into the corridor, walk boldlytoward my father, and to whatever he may say to you, do you reply 'Godis One.'"

  Then she softly opened the door, pushed me into the corridor, closedand locked the door behind me. The old gentleman was coming up thestairs very slowly because of a lame leg which he had to drag afterhim step by step. He had a square red face which I could see onlyindistinctly above the burning lunt he carried in one hand, blowing itcontinually to prevent it from going out. In the other hand he held amusket. The blazing lunt must have blinded him, for he did not see meuntil the muzzle of the musket came in contact with my breast. Then hestopped and cried in a stern voice:

  "_Kto tam? Stoj!_" (Who are you? Stand!)

  "God is One," I made answer. What else could I have said? The oldgentleman's aggressive mien changed at once. He became quite friendly;he extinguished the lunt by stamping on it with his foot, tapped myshoulder in a confidential manner and called me little brother. Thentaking me by the arm he led me down the stairs to a room where a hugefire was blazing on the hearth. Here he bade me seat myself on asettee covered with a bear skin and placed before me an English flagonof spirits. After he had arranged everything for my comfort he fetchedfrom a secret cupboard a small book--it was so small I could havehidden it in the leg of my boot--and began to read to me all manner ofheretical phrases such as "There is no need for a Holy Trinity,because the little which is done on earth in the name of God caneasily be done by One alone."

  My hair stood on end as I listened to the sinful words and I foundwhat a trap I had fallen into. My Marinka's father was a Socinian, aleader of the heretical sect, and he was trying to make a proselyte ofme.

  The doctrines of Blandrata had spread extensively throughout Poland,but, owing to the persecution of its adherents, they could meet andwork only in secret. The old noble's manor was one of their retreats,where recent converts were received for instruction. When the oldgentleman believed he had enlightened me sufficiently he produced aheavy volume, bade me lay my right hand on it and repeat after him thevows of the society.

  You may believe I was in a dilemma!

  If I refused to repeat the vows I should have to confess that I hadcome to the manor for Marinka's sake, then the old noble would fetchhis musket and send me straightway to paradise. If, on the other hand,I repeated the vows, then I was sure to journey to hades. Which was Ito choose?

  Should I elect to travel by extra-post, direct, without stopping, intothe kingdom of heaven, or should I journey leisurely by a circuitousroute, with frequent halts, to hades?

  I was a mere lad; I was sorry for my pretty curly head--I chose thelatter alternative!

  From that time I became a daily visitor in the retreat of thefollowers of Socinus. Being a neophyte I was permitted to take part intheir meetings only during the singing; when the sermon began I wassent to the gates to guard against a surprise. This was a welcomeduty; for, once outside the house, all thought of taking up my stationat the gates would leave me and, instead, I would climb the tree whichgrew close to my Marinka's window, swing myself by a branch into herroom, in which she was kept a prisoner by her father to prevent ourmeeting; and there, while the sages below-stairs expounded the dogmaof the unity of God, we two ignorant young people demonstrated how twohuman hearts can become as one.

  One day our little community received an unexpected addition to itsmembership. There arrived from Cracow a troop of Hungarian soldierswho announced themselves as followers of Socinus. They received ahospitable welcome from the old noble, whom they overwhelmed with joyby telling him the prince of Transylvania had become an adherent ofSocinus; that his highness had averred that, were he the King ofPoland, all persecution of the heretics should cease at once and thatsome of the churches should be given over to them for their worship.

  When I repeated this piece of news to my general he became so excitedhe sprang from his seat--his head almost struck the roof of thetent--and shouted: "It is perfectly outrageous how those Hungarianswill stoop to base methods in order to win allies! If they succeed ininveigling the Polish Socinians to their ranks then we may as wellstop trying to get them out of Poland!"

  Fortunately, however, there arose dissensions between the Hungarianand the Polish adherents of Socinus. I must mention here, in order toexplain how I became cognizant of the facts I am about to relate, thatMarinka's father had begun to suspect me. Instead of sending me tostand guard at the gates when the sermon began, I was permitted tohear it and take part in the disputations.

  The Hungarian troopers maintained that it was the duty of all piousSocinians to commemorate, at every one of their meetings, the death ofthe Savior by drinking wine; and they were so extremely devout that anentire quarter-cask of their host's best Tokay was emptied at everycelebration. After the meetings, when the old noble would lift andshake the empty wine-cask, I could read in his countenance signs thatheterodoxy was gradually taking root in him. At first he contentedhimself with remonstrating against the frequency of the celebration;surely it ought to satisfy the most devout member of the sect toobserve the ceremony on Sundays, and holy days. But the troopers methis arguments with scriptural authority for their practices.

  Then the old gentleman, finding his remonstrances of no avail, made anassault upon the dogma itself. He delivered an impassioned address inwhich he sought to disprove the divinity of Jesus. To this blasphemousassertion the Magyars made reply:

  "If what you say be true, then He was the son of an honest man, and agood man Himself. Therefore, it is meet and right for us to show Himall honor and respect." And ano
ther quarter-cask was brought from thecellar. The old noble became daily more fanatical in his assaults uponthe tenets to which he had so devoutly adhered before the accession tohis little congregation of the Hungarian troopers; and, at lastdeclared that Jesus was a Jew; that He deserved to be put to death,because He had promulgated the unjust law of taxation. But not eventhis fearful blasphemy deterred the Hungarians from their frequentcelebrations. They said:

  "If the Nazarene is so unworthy, then it is our plain duty to shed Hisblood, the symbol of which is wine--"

  "Tremendously clever fellows, those Magyars!" here interrupted theprince.

  "They were impious devils!" exclaimed the mayor reprovingly. "Impiousdevils!"

  "_Habet rectum_," responded his highness. Then to the prisoner:"Continue, my son."

  Hugo resumed his confession:

  When the last cask was brought from the cellar the old noble declaredto his congregation that the entire story of the Divine birth was amyth invented by the priests--

  "And you took part in those blasphemous meetings?" sternly interruptedthe mayor.

  No, indeed, your honor! That is a crime of which I am guiltless. Inever said one word; and escaped from the meetings whenever I couldmanage to do so. I had determined to flee with Marinka from the sinfulcommunity. Our plan was: I was to steal from the meeting on a certainnight, assist my pretty Marinka to descend from her room by means ofthe tree outside her window and then set fire to the sheep-stables.The conflagration would scatter the blasphemers; everybody would runto the stables to release the horses, and in the general confusionMarinka would hastily secure as many of the family jewels as could bepacked into a portmanteau. Then she and I would mount two of the freedhorses and gallop straightway to my camp, where I would introduce heras my wife--

  "A pious idea, certainly," commented the prince.

  "How can your highness say so!" in a tone of reproof, exclaimed themayor. "It was incendiarism pure and simple: _Incendiarii ambitiosicomburantur_; and further: _raptus decem juvencis puniatur_, and_rapina palu affigatur_."

  "Very well, then," assented his highness. "My son, for theincendiarism you shall be burned at the stake; for the rape of themaid you shall pay a fine of ten calves; for the theft of the jewels,the punishment is impalement. Continue."

  Unfortunately, resumed the prisoner, our plans miscarried, through theintermeddling of the old housekeeper I spoke of. Her suspicions hadbeen aroused by Marinka's preparations for flight; she informed theold noble, who set spies to watch me. I was caught in the act offiring the stables and was flogged with hazel rods until I confessedthat I was a spy from the enemy's camp. The old noble wanted to bindme to the well-sweep; but one of the Hungarian troopers tookcompassion on me and offered to buy me for sixteen Polish groschen.His offer was accepted; I was sold to him and taken to Cracow. Ishould not have had such a hard time as a slave had I not beencompelled to grind all the pepper used in the Hungarian army. I groundenormous quantities, for the Magyars like all their food stronglyseasoned with the condiment. My eyes were red constantly; my nose wasswollen to the size of a cucumber. The only other complaint I had tomake was that my master compelled me to eat everything that was setbefore me. He would say, when he placed before me enough for threemen:

  "You shall not be able to say that you hungered while you were myslave."

  When I had eaten until I could not swallow another morsel, my masterwould seize me by the shoulders, shake me as one shakes a full bag inorder to get more into it, and he would repeat the operation until thecontents of every dish had been emptied into me. I used to sicken atthe approach of meal-times, and whenever I saw the huge spoon--twicethe size of my mouth--with which the food was ladled into me. Yourhonors will hardly believe that there is no greater torture than to bestuffed with food--

  "We have never tried that method," remarked the prince.

  "Nor are we likely to test it very soon," supplemented the mayor, witha grim expression on his countenance.

  I yearned to be released from my unpleasant situation, resumed theprisoner. For the first time I realized the enormity of thetransgression I had committed in joining the Socinian Community. NowI had no one to intercede for me with the Supreme Ruler of the earth.Had I become a Mussulman I should have had Mohammed; had I adopted theJewish faith I should have been able to call to my aid Abraham, orsome one of the other fathers in Israel. But I had no one. However, mydesire to be released from the tortures of food-stuffing andpepper-grinding was at last fulfilled; I was captured, together withthe entire Hungarian army, by the Tartars--

  "Hold! hold!" interrupted the chair. "You must not tell untruths. Youforget that you were in Poland. The Tartars could not have fallen fromthe sky."

  I was about to explain how they came to be at Cracow when your honorinterrupted me. It was this way: His Majesty, the Sultan of Turkey,who had become angry because his vassal, George Rakoczy, prince ofTransylvania, had presumed to aspire to the crown of Poland, hadcommanded the khan of Crim-Tartary to attack the Hungarians with100,000 cavalry. The khan obeyed. He devastated Transylvania in hismarch, surrounded the Hungarian army in Poland and captured every manjack of them--

  "The explanation is satisfactory," enunciated the prince. "It was easyenough for the Tartars to appear at Cracow."

  Yes, your highness; but I wish they hadn't, continued the accused. Noone regretted it more bitterly than did I. After the capture of theTransylvanian army by the Tartars the victors divided the spoils asfollows: The commanding officers took possession of all the valuables;the under-officers took the prisoners' horses; the captivesthemselves were sold to the common soldiers, each of whom bought asmany slaves as he had money to spare.

  My former master was sold for five groschen; my broad shouldersbrought a higher price--nine groschen. The same Tartar--an ugly,filthy little rascal for whom I would not have paid twogroschen--bought my master and me.

  The first thing our Tartar master did was to strip us of our goodclothes and put on us his own rags. He couldn't talk to us, as we didnot understand his language; but he managed in a very clever manner toconvey his meaning to us. He examined the material of which our shirtswere made--the Hungarian's was of fine, mine of coarse homespun linen,and concluded that one of us was a man of means--the other a poordevil.

  Then he took from his purse a gold coin, held it in his open palmtoward the Hungarian, while with the other hand he hung a rope ofhorse-hair around his captive's neck. Then he closed his fingers overthe coin, opened them again, at the same time drawing the rope moretightly about the captive's neck.

  This pantomime signified: "How many coins like this gold one will yourfriends pay to ransom you?"

  The Hungarian closed and opened his fist ten times to indicate "onehundred."

  The Tartar brought his teeth together, which was meant to say, "notenough."

  Then the Hungarian indicated as before, "two hundred," whereupon theTartar placed the end of the rope in the captive's hand--he wassatisfied with the ransom. Then came my turn. How much ransom would bepaid for me? I shook my head to indicate "nothing;" but in Tartary, toshake one's head means consent. The little fellow smiled, and wantedto know "how much?"

  Not knowing how else to express my meaning, I spat in his palm, whichhe understood. He put the gold coin back into his purse, took out asilver one and held it toward me. I treated it as I had the gold coin.Then he produced a copper coin; but I indicated with such emphasisthat not even so small a sum would be paid for me that he raised hiswhip and gave me a sound cut over the shoulders. The Tartars then setout on their return to Tartary. My former master and I were boundtogether and driven on foot in front of our owner.

  How forcibly my sainted grandmother's words, "He that reviles hisSavior will be turned into an ass," came home to me when I was givendried beans to eat--the sort we feed to asses at home. Dried beansevery meal, and my Tartar master did not think it necessary to stuffinto me what I could not eat. What were left at one meal were servedup again the next. Still more forcibly were my g
randam's wordsimpressed on my mind when, the fifth day of our journey, I became averitable beast of burden. My Hungarian yoke-fellow declared his feetwere so sore he could go no farther. His was certainly a weighty bodyto drag over the rough roads, especially as he had never beenaccustomed to travel on foot _per pedes apostolorum_. The littleTartar became alarmed; he feared he might lose the ransom if he lefthis rich captive behind, so he alighted from his horse, examined theHungarian's feet and ordered him to get into the saddle. Then my feetwere examined, and I imagined I too was to be given a mount. But I wasmistaken. Before I could guess what he intended the little Tartar wasseated astride my shoulders, with his feet crossed over my breast, andhis hands clutching my hair for reins.

  Luckily for me it was a lean little snips, not much heavier than thesoldier's knapsack I was accustomed to carrying. It would have beenworse had the Hungarian been saddled on my shoulders. That gentlemanwas greatly amused by the turn affairs had taken, and from his seat onour master's horse made all manner of fun of me.

  He ridiculed my prayers, said they were of no avail where the enemywas concerned; that a hearty curse would give me more relief. I tellyou he was a master of malediction! There was an imprecation he usedto repeat so often that I remember it to this hour. I will repeat itfor you--it is in that fearful Magyar lingo: "_Tarka kutya tarkamagasra kutyorodott kaeskaringos farka!_"[3]

  [Footnote 3: The imprecation is really quite harmless, as are manyother of the dreadful things attributed to the Magyars. It is,literally: "The spotted dog's straight upright spottedtail."--Translator's observation.]

  "Hold!" commanded the prince. "That sounds like an incantation."

  "Like 'abraxas,' or 'ablanathanalba,'" added the mayor, shuddering."We must make a note of it; the court astronomer may, with theassistance of the professors, be able to tell us its portent."

  When the notary had taken down the imprecation, his highness, theprince, said to the prisoner:

  "Continue, my son. How long were you compelled to remain in thatdeplorable condition of slavery?"

  One day, resumed the accused, while I was fervently praying thatheaven, or Satan, would relieve me from my ignominious situation, weturned into an oak forest. We had hardly got well into it, when, witha fearful noise, as if heaven and earth were crashing together, thehuge trees came toppling over on us, burying the entire vanguard ofthe Tartar horde, together with their captives, under the trunks andbranches.

  Every one of the trees in the forest had been sawn clear through thetrunk, but left standing upright, thus forming a horrible trap for theTartars. The first tree that toppled over, of course, threw over theone against which it fell, that one in turn throwing over the nextone, and so on until the entire wood was laid low.

  My Tartar rider and I were crushed to the earth by the same tree. Itwas fortunate for me that I had him on my back, for he received thefull force of the falling tree; his head was crushed, while mine wasso firmly wedged between his knees I couldn't move. The horrible noiseand confusion robbed me of my senses; I became unconscious. It is,therefore, impossible for me to tell how I escaped with my life. Ionly know that when I came to my senses I found myself in the camp ofthe "Haidemaken," a company of thieves and murderers, made up of allnationalities, the worst of all the robber bands that infested thecountry. The members were the outcasts of every land--the flower ofthe gallows. When inflamed with wine, they fought each other withaxes; settled all disputes with knife and club. He who had becomenotorious for the worst crimes was welcomed to their ranks; theboldest, the most reckless dare-devil, became their leader. They wouldrelease condemned criminals, often appearing as if sprung from theearth at the place of execution, bear away the miscreants, who,naturally, became members of the band.

  Was a pretty woman condemned to the stake for violation of themarriage vow or for witchcraft, the haidemaken would be on hand beforethe match was applied to the faggots, and bear away the fair culprit.In a word, the haidemaken were the hope, the comfort, the providenceof every miscreant that trembled in shackles.

  The band claimed no country as fatherland. Every wilderness, everysavage ravine, from the Matra mountains to the Volga, offered them asecure retreat. They knew no laws save the commands of their leader,which were obeyed to the letter. None kept for himself his stealings;all booty was delivered into the hands of the leader, who divided itequally among the members of the band.

  To him who, through special valor, deserved special reward, was giventhe prettiest woman rescued from the stake, the dungeon, the rack.

  Where the haidemaken set up their camp, the Roman king, the prince ofTransylvania, the Wallachian woiwode, the king of Poland, the hetmanof the Cossacks, ruled only in name. The leader of the robbers alonewas the law-giver; he alone levied taxes, exacted duties.

  The trading caravans passing from Turkey to Warsaw, if they were wise,paid without a murmur the duty levied by the haidemaken, who wouldthen give the traders safe conduct through all the dangerous forests,over suspicious mountain passes, so that not a hair of their headswould be hurt or a coin in their purses touched.

  If, on the other hand, the caravan leaders were unwise, they wouldemploy a military escort. Then, woe to them! The robbers would lurethem into ambush, scatter the soldiers and plunder the caravan. He whoresisted would be put to death.

  There was constant war between certain nobles and the robbers. If theband, however, could be brought to seal a compact of peace with anindividual or a community, it was kept sacred, inviolable, as we shallsee later.

  The haidemaken never entered a church unless they desired to securethe treasures it contained. Yet, they numbered several priests amongtheir ranks. They were such as had been excommunicated for sometransgression.

  The band never set out on a predatory expedition without firstcelebrating mass, and receiving a blessing from one of theserenegados. If the expedition proved to be successful, the priest wouldshare the spoils, and dance with the robbers to celebrate thevictory.

  When one of the band took unto himself a wife, a renegado wouldperform the marriage ceremony. The haidemaken were as great sticklersfor form as are the members of good society. To abduct a maid, or awoman, was not considered a crime; but for one member to run away withthe wife of another was strictly prohibited.

  They did not erect strongholds, for they knew where to hide inmountain caverns and in morasses, from which no human power coulddrive them.

  In their various retreats they had stores of food, enough to stand asiege for many months. How great was their daring is best illustratedby the plot which threw me into their power. The prince ofTransylvania had invaded Poland with an army of 20,000 men. This armywas captured by the Tartar khan with his 80,000 men. Four hundred ofthe robbers laid in wait for this combined force, and slaughtered thevanguard of 2,000 men in the oak forest, as I have described.

  When I opened my eyes after the catastrophe, I was lying on a bundleof faggots on the bank of a purling brook. By my side stood a giganticfellow, with a hideous red face--compared to him the Herr Mayor,there, is a very St. Martin!--his beard and eyebrows were also red,but of a lighter shade. His nose was cleft lengthwise--a sign that hehad had to do with the Russian administration of justice. He had themuscles of a St. Christopher.

  At a little distance apart stood a group of similar figures, but nonewas so repulsive in appearance as the giant by my side. He wasleaning on his sword, looking down at me, and when he saw my eyes openhe said, or rather bellowed, for his voice was more like the soundthat comes from the throat of a bull:

  "Well, young fellow, are you alive? Can you get up on your knees? Ifso, swear that you will join our band, or I'll fling you out yonderwhence I brought you, to perish with the rest of your comrades."

  I had heard many fearful tales of the dreaded haidemaken, and knewthem to be capable of any atrocity. Moreover, I was indifferent as towhat became of me, so I said I would join the band if my life werespared.

  "What are you?" then asked the red one, who was the leader of theband, "pea
sant or noble?"

  I was not lying when I answered that I was as poor a devil as evercaught flies to satisfy a craving for food.

  "That is well," returned the leader, "we have no use for nobles in ourranks. You shall stand the test at once." He blew a whistle, and twosturdy ruffians dragged from a cave nearby the loveliest maid I hadever set eyes on. Her complexion was of milk and roses; every virtuebeamed in her gentle countenance. I can see her now, with her goldenhair falling to her ankles--and she was very tall for a woman.

  "Now lad," continued the leader, "we shall see how you stand the test.You are to cut off this maid's head. She is the daughter of a noble,whom we stole for a ransom; and, as her people have seen fit to ignoreour demands, she must die. Here, take this sword, and do as you arebid."

  He handed me his sword, which was so heavy I could lift it only bygrasping it with both hands.

  The maid knelt in the grass at my feet, bent meekly forward, andparted her beautiful hair at the back of her snowy neck, so that Imight the more easily strike the fatal blow.

  But I didn't do anything of the sort!

  Instead, I flung the sword at the feet of the leader and cried:

  "Go to perdition, you red devil! You may devour me alive--I won't harma hair of this pretty child's head."

  "Ho-ho," bellowed the red one, "you have betrayed yourself, my lad!Were you a peasant you would cut off the girl's head rather than loseyour own. You are a noble--you would rather die yourself than harm awoman. Very well; so be it! On your knees! The maid will show you howto cut off a head at one blow. She is my own daughter."

  He handed the sword to the maid, who had risen to her feet and waslaughing at me. She took the heavy weapon in one hand and swung it aslightly as if it had been a hazel rod, several times about her head. Ihave always been fortunate enough to be able to command my feelings,no matter what the situation; no matter how extreme the danger, Inever allow myself to yield to fear.

  I looked at the wonderful maid confronting me with mocking eyes, herwhite teeth gleaming between her red lips, her beautiful hair shininglike gold.

  "Kneel!" she cried, stamping her foot. "Kneel and say your prayers."

  A faint-hearted fellow would, most likely, have lost courage; but, asI said before, I had never made the acquaintance of fear. So Ilaughed, and said: "I am not going to kneel; and I am not going topray. I don't want to part with my head, I have too much need of itmyself." Then I turned boldly toward her father, and addressed him:"Captain, I want to marry your daughter," I said. "Let me serve underyou for one year, and, if at the end of that time I have not provedmyself worthy to be your son-in-law, you may cut off my head, andwelcome!"

  The robber chief received this daring speech with a grin that was likethe grimace of a hungry wolf preparing to devour a lamb.

  "Fellow, do you know what you ask?" he bellowed. "The suitor for thehand of my daughter is tortured to death by that hand if he fails toperform the tasks she sets for him."

  "All right!" I returned jauntily, "you needn't give yourself anytrouble about me."

  He held out his hand; I gave him mine, and the pressure it received inthe powerful grasp was so severe that the blood spurted from under thefinger-nails. But I did not betray by look or sign how badly it hurtme. Nay, I even gave a playful pinch with the crushed fingers to thecheek of the golden-haired maid and received from her in return asound slap on my hand.

  I could see that my behavior won favor in the eyes of the robbers.But we had little time for merry-making. The main body of the Tartararmy now drew near, and we were face to face with an infuriated enemyoutnumbering our band a hundred to one.

  In face of the extreme danger which threatened, our leader remainedcalm. At a signal from him, his men with lightning speed set fire infifty different places to the fallen trees, among which a considerablenumber of the vanguard, who had not been crushed to death, werehiding.

  Of course the poor wretches, Tartars and captives alike, were consumedin the flames; we could hear their shrieks of agony when we were halfway up the mountain, to which we had made our escape.

  The Tartar army not being able to follow us, because of the burningforest, made our escape easy; and, by the time the trees had beenreduced to ashes, we were far enough away, and in a place of safety.

  Instead of giving me weapons to carry, I was compelled to continue inthe role of beast of burden; a heavy bag of treasure was strapped onmy back. We marched until the next morning. The haidemaken travelledonly by night, consequently they were familiar with all roads andmountain passes.

  When day broke we halted to rest and partake of a scanty meal. Whilewe were eating, the leader asked me my name, and I gave him the firstone that came into my head: "Jaroslaw Terguko," which was the name ofMarinka's father. If I couldn't steal anything else from him I couldat least steal his name?

  Late in the afternoon we set out again on our journey, which led usover rugged paths and through savage gorges where no signs of humanlife were to be seen. At last we entered a deep defile between twomountain spurs. The walls of rock on either side seemed, with theirprojections and hollows, as if they might once have been joinedtogether. They were nearer together at the top than at the base, andwhen I looked up at the narrow strip of sky far, far above me, I had asensation as if the two walls were coming together. In this almostinaccessible defile was the chief retreat of the haidemaken. It was astronghold that could successfully defy all human assaults.

  In the south wall, about twenty yards from the base, yawns the mouthof a huge cavern.

  At that point the wall is so steep, and inclines forward to such adegree, that access to the cavern cannot be gained by means of aladder. The robbers, however, had contrived a clever hoistingapparatus.

  From the top of the opposite wall a mountain brook had once leapedinto the defile, to continue its way over the rocky bed into thevalley.

  When the haidemaken first established themselves in the cavern, ithappened frequently that they would be blockaded in their retreat bythe nobles and their followers, who had pursued the predatory band tothe defile.

  At such times the robbers suffered greatly from the scarcity of freshwater, especially if they chanced to be out of wine. Therefore, theyconceived the plan of conducting the brook from the opposing wall intothe cavern through a stout oaken gutter, and the water at the sametime served to turn a series of wheels. Over one of the wheels ran astout iron chain, to which were securely attached several largebaskets; and so skillfully was the apparatus manipulated that theentire band might be hoisted into, or let down from, the cavern in theshort space of two hours. It was a most admirable contrivance for therobbers, but not so admirable for the dwellers in the valley. Theintercepted brook now flowed into the cave, and, as the water did notfill the cave, the most natural conclusion was that it found an outletthrough various subterranean fissures.

  The turning of the water from its original channel caused PrinceSiniarsky considerable inconvenience, in that all his saw-mills,flour-mills and leather factory were left without a motor; while theinhabitants of the surrounding hamlets, who were dependent on theirlooms for a livelihood, were compelled to remove to another region,because they now were unable to bleach the linen.

  Still greater was the misfortune which had overtaken Count Potocky. Hewas the owner of extensive salt mines on the further side of themountain, which contains an illimitable deposit of the saliferoussubstance. The haidemaken were unable to drink the water of thelakelet in the bottom of their cavern, because of its salinecharacter.

  After the course of the brook had been changed, the worthy CountPotocky discovered one day that innumerable springs of fresh waterwere bursting from his side of the mountain, and flooding his mostprofitable mines. If he attempted to obstruct the flow of water inone place it would break out in another.

  At last the two magnates discovered the cause of the mischief, anddetermined to oust the thievish haidemaken from their retreat byfumigation. So long as the band confined their depredations to thetrading
caravans they might be tolerated; but, when they becameinsolent enough to interfere with the comfort and convenience of themagnates, it was high time to put a stop to their pestiferous conduct!

  And so an expedition against the cavern was planned. Before it couldbe carried out the war against the Transylvanians and Swedes brokeout, and the noble gentlemen were compelled to march with theirfollowers toward the invaders; but when hostilities ceased and thesuccoring Tartars had returned home, a formal blockade of the robberswas constituted.

  The entrance to their cavern, which is about as large as the door ofthe cathedral at Coblentz, was fortified by a double parapet furnishedwith loop-holes. The intercepted brook did not pour its waters intothe main entrance, but into a side opening, underneath which was thehoisting wheel. This wheel also turned the mill-stone, which groundthe rye used by the robbers.

  The band included a miller as well as a smith, a shoemaker and atailor. As it is dark in the cave, all work was performed bytorchlight. Where all the torches used in the cavern were procured Ilearned afterward.

  The fore part of the cavern, into which the rays of the blessed sunpenetrate as far as the opposite wall permits, is like a vaulted hall.In it were stored the weapons: all manner of fire-arms, all patternsof cutting, thrusting and hurling implements, which had been purloinedfrom the armories of noble castles. Here, for the first time, I saw anold-time culverin, rusty with age and for want of care. In this partof the cavern were stored also the provisions in huge stonereceptacles--enough to feed four hundred men during a long siege.

  From the provision chamber a low, narrow passage leads to themill-cave, but, as I never entered it, I cannot tell you just what itcontained.

  The main cavern is spacious as a church. When the entire band wereassembled in the vast hall they were as lost in it. The arched roof isso high above the floor it is invisible in the gloom, which not eventhe light of many torches can dispel.

  From this hall numerous narrow passages and corridors lead to smallercaves, in which the artisans of the band performed their labors. Theseunfortunates certainly must have been captives; for it is hardlypossible that any man would, of his own free will, consent to pass hislife toiling in so gloomy a hole. When we arrived at the cavern theleader asked me if I had a trade, and, as I could truthfully replythat the only one I was perfectly familiar with was that ofbombardier, I did so.

  "Very good; you shall soon have an opportunity to prove that youunderstand your trade as thoroughly as you say," he growled. "It isnot safe to boast here, my lad, and not be able to perform--as youshall soon learn."

  Meanwhile the robbers had hoisted to the cavern the booty taken fromthe Tartars. It was stored in one of the smaller chambers, into whichI merely got a glimpse, as they rolled the huge slab of granite fromthe entrance, but that fleeting glance was enough to dazzle my eyes.There were heaps on heaps of costly articles: robes, mantles,vestments, richly embroidered with gold and precious gems, gold andsilver chalices, shrines, _ciboria_, pastoral staffs, and a host ofvaluables too numerous to remember. Had the haidemaken only decided todisband then, every one of them would have received a fortune as hisshare of the plunder.

  It is not to be wondered at that such stores of gold and silver hadaccumulated. The robbers never had occasion to need money.

  The provision chamber was filled with food and drink. Such quantitiesof meat and bread were served that every man had all he wanted to eat,while casks of metheglin were constantly on tap.

  The secret of this inexhaustible food supply was known only to theleader and his daughter. No matter how much was taken from theprovision chamber, no decrease was ever noticeable.

  The first evening of our return, the successful expedition wascelebrated by a feast. After the robbers had eaten their fill, theylighted a huge fire and danced wildly around it; and when they haddrunk all they wanted, they gathered about their leader and hisdaughter, who had taken their seats on an estrade draped with purplecloth.

  Then a pale-faced young man was dragged into the hall and placed infront of the leader.

  I saw now that a sort of trial was about to be held, a singulartribunal, where the judge and the jury first get tipsy!

  "Jurko," said the leader to the youth, "you are accused ofcowardice--of having run away at the approach of the enemy; also, ofhaving neglected to give warning of the coming of the Tartars."

  "I am not guilty," responded the youth in defence. "You placed me onguard to watch for the Tartars. Instead of the Tartars came wolves.Ten of the beasts attacked me--maybe there were fifty. If I hadallowed the wolves to eat me, how could I have signaled to you? Ididn't run away--I hid in a hollow tree to defend myself--one againstfifty! I call that brave, not cowardly."

  "Silly chatter!" bellowed the leader. "No matter what happened, youshould have obeyed the command of your leader. If you are not thecoward you are accused of being, then prove it by standing the test."

  "That I will!" cried the youth, striking his breast with his fist.

  The leader rose, took his daughter's hand, stepped down from theestrade, and, bidding his comrades follow, moved with the maid towardthe rear of the cavern, which, until now, had been buried in midnightgloom.

  Here the ground slopes steeply downward, and I could see by the lightof the torches that we were on the verge of an abyss, at the bottom ofwhich was water.

  The leader held a wisp of straw to a torch, then tossed it into theabyss, which was lighted for a few seconds by the circling wreath ofblazing straw; but it was quite long enough for me to see the terriblegrandeur of the yawning gulf.

  After tossing the straw into the abyss, the leader snatched the redand yellow striped silken kerchief from his daughter's neck, leavingthe lovely snow-white shoulders and bosom uncovered, and flung it alsointo the abyss.

  "There, Jurko," he cried, "you have often boasted that you are thebravest of our band, and you have aspired to the hand of my daughterMadus. If you are what you pretend to be, fetch the bride's kerchieffrom the lake down yonder."

  The youth stepped boldly enough to the rim of the yawning gulf, andevery one believed he was going to dive into it. But he halted on theedge, leaned forward and peered down at the water far below. After amoment's survey, he drew back, rubbed his ear with his fingers andmade a wry face.

  "Why don't you jump?" cried his comrades, tauntingly.

  Jurko cautiously thrust one leg over the edge, bent forward and tookanother look; then he drew back his leg and rose to his feet.

  "The devil may jump into this hell for me!" he exclaimed; "there's nogetting out of it again for him who is fool enough to enter it!"

  "Ho, coward! coward!" derisively shouted his comrades, rushing uponhim. They disarmed him and dragged him by the hair toward a cleft inthe wall of the cavern, wide enough only to admit the body of a man.This opening was closed by a block of granite that required thecombined strength of six men to move it. A lighted candle was placedin the trembling youth's hand; then he was thrust into the rock-tomb,and the granite door moved back to its place. The wild laughter of hiscomrades drowned the shrieks of the victim who had been buried alive.

  Then followed the "dance of death," and I never witnessed anythingmore terrifying. The lovely Madus feigned death and looked it, too!and every member had to dance a turn with her. When it came my turn,the leader said to me:

  "Hold, lad, you may not dance with Madus until you have become reallyone of us--until you have stood the test. Moreover, you, too, presumeto aspire to the hand of my daughter."

  "Yes, I do!" I replied, "and I will do whatever I am bid."

  "Very good; the bride's kerchief lies down yonder in the lake; let ussee if you are courageous enough to go after it."

  "You surely did not undertake so foolhardy a task?" here interruptedthe prince; and the chair dictated to the notary as follows:

  "Sinful tempting of providence, prompted by criminal desire for animpure female."

  "Yes, your highness, I performed the task," continued Hugo, "but I begyour honors not
to register the leap as an additional transgression. Iam not responsible for it. I was compelled to jump or be buried alivein the wall of the cavern. Besides, I knew the danger was not so greatas it appeared. When a boy, I once visited a salt mine. I had seen bythe light of the blazing straw that the walls of the abyss were formedof the dark blue strata peculiar to salt mines, and guessed that thelake was strongly impregnated with salt. I had also noticed on thefurther wall of the abyss a flight of steps hewn in the rock, andconcluded that I had nothing to fear from drowning in the buoyantwater, if I reached it in safety. But, before I proceed farther, Idesire to enter a formal protest against the chair's designating mybeloved Madus an 'impure female.' She was pure and innocent--an angelon earth, a saint in heaven. He that defames her must do battle withme--my adversary in coat of mail, I in doublet of silk. The weapons:lances, swords, or maces--whatever he may select; and I positivelyrefuse to proceed with my confession until his honor, the mayor, hasgiven me satisfaction, or amended the protocol."

  "Well, mayor," said the prince, addressing the chair, "I think theprisoner is justified in his protest. Either you must amend theprotocol, or fight him."

  The former expedient was chosen, and the notary erased the latterclause of the protocol. It read, when corrected: "Sinful temptationof providence by chaste affection for a respectable maid."

  "Now, my son, you may jump."

  Hugo thanked the prince and resumed his confession:

  I pressed my ankles together, bent forward, and sprang, head foremost,into the abyss. As I sped swiftly downward, there was a sound likeswelling thunder in my ears, then I became stone deaf, and the waterclosed over me. My eyes and mouth told me it was salt water, andwhatever apprehension I had had vanished. The next moment I wasfloating on the surface, my head and shoulders above the water. I soonfound the kerchief, which I tied about my neck, amid the acclamationsand cheers of my comrades, which were multiplied by the echoing wallsto the most infernal roaring. The torches held over the mouth of theabyss gleamed through the darkness like a blood-red star in thefirmament of hades.

  A few vigorous strokes propelled me to the steps leading from the laketo the upper gallery of the abyss, which is really an abandoned saltmine.

  There are one hundred and eighty steps, but by taking two at a time Ireduced them to ninety; and three minutes after I had taken my leap, Istood, encrusted from head to foot with salt--like a powderedimp!--before my blushing Madus.

  She received me with a bashful smile when the robbers carried me ontheir shoulders to her, and I was about to kiss her, when the leaderseized me by the collar and drew me back.

  "Not yet, lad, not yet!" he cried. "You have only been through thechristening ceremony. Confirmation comes next. You must become amember of our faith before you can become my daughter's husband. Everyman that marries a princess must adopt her belief."

  Now, as your honors may have guessed, the question of religion was oneI did not require much time to answer. I consented without a moment'shesitation to adopt my Madus' faith. The leader then signed to one ofthe band to prepare for the ceremony of confirmation. It was one ofthe priests of whom I have spoken--I had taken particular notice ofhim during the feast, because he ate and drank more than any one else.

  "He that becomes a member of our society"--the leader informedme--"must take a different name from the one he has borne elsewhere. Iam called 'Nyedzviedz,' which signifies either 'the bear,' or 'withoutequal.' What name shall we give you?"

  Some one suggested that, as I was an expert swimmer, I should becalled "Szczustak" (perch); another thought "Lyabedz" (swan), moresuitable and prettier, but I told them that, as I excelled most inhurling bombs, "Baran" (ram), would be still more appropriate; andBaran it was decided I should be called.

  In the meantime the robber priest had donned his vestments. On hisplentifully oiled hair rested a tall, gold-embroidered hat; over hiscoarse peasant coat he had drawn a richly decorated cassock; his feetwere thrust into a pair of slippers, also handsomely embroidered--relics,obviously, of some gigantic saint; for the robber priest's feet, fromwhich he had not removed his boots, were quite hidden in them. In hishands he held a silver crucifix; and as I looked at him, the thoughtcame to me that he had, without a doubt, made way with the originalwearer and bearer of the rich vestments, and the crucifix.

  He ordered me to kneel before him. I did so, and he began to performall sorts of hocus-pocus over me. I couldn't understand a word of it,for he spoke in Greek, and I had not yet become familiar with thatlanguage. I learned it later.

  After mumbling over me for several minutes, he smeared someill-smelling ointment on my nose; then he fumigated me with incenseuntil I was almost suffocated. In concluding, when he bestowed on memy new name, he gave me such a vigorous box on the ear, that it rangfor several seconds, and I almost fell backward. The blow was notgiven with the hand of the priest, but with the sturdy fist of therobber.

  This is carrying the joke too far, I said to myself; and, before theruffian could guess what I intended, I was on my feet, and haddelivered a right-hander on the side of his head that sent his goldhat spinning across the floor, and himself, and his slippers after it.

  "_Actus majoris potentiae contra ecclesiasticam personam!_" dictatedthe mayor to the notary; while his highness, the prince, held hisstomach, and laughed until the tears ran down his cheeks.

  "I should like to have seen that performance!" he exclaimed when hehad got his breath again. "Did the padre excommunicate you?"

  Not much, he didn't, your highness! From that moment I became a personof consequence among the haidemaken. The leader slapped me heartily onthe shoulder, and said approvingly:

  "You're the right sort, lad--we need no further proof."

  After a bumper all 'round, to celebrate my entrance to the community,every man wrapped himself in his bear-skin, and lay down on the floorof the cavern. Although the torches had been extinguished I could see,by the faint light which penetrated from the entrance, that Madusascended a rope ladder to a deep hollow high up in the wall, and drewthe ladder up after her.

  In a very few minutes the snores from the four hundred robbersproclaimed them oblivious to this work-a-day world.

  At day-break the watchman's horn brought every man to his feet; at thesame moment the leader appeared from an adjoining chamber, and gave toeach one his task for the day.

  After we had breakfasted, Nyedzviedz conducted me, in company withMadus and several of the band, to the armory.

  "Here Baran," he said,--thrusting his foot against the culverin Imentioned before--"you claim to be a skilled bombardier. Let us see ifyou understand how to manage a thing like this. We stole it fromCount Potocky's castle, and brought it here with great difficulty.Sixteen men would carry it two hundred steps, then other sixteen wouldrelieve them, and so on. We didn't find out until we had got it uphere that it would be of no use to us. The first time we tried to fireit off--it lay on the ground as now--four men sat astride of it, as ona horse, to steady it. I, myself, directed the shot toward the mouthof the cavern, and three men stood behind me to observe operations.When I applied the fuse, the infernal thing sprang into the airflinging the four men astride it to the roof of the cave; while theball, instead of going where I had aimed--out of the entrance--imbeddeditself in the wall over yonder, where it still sticks."

  I laughed heartily at his amusing description of the gun's behavior;whereupon he said soberly:

  "Oh, you may laugh, but it was no laughing matter I can tell you! Imade a second attempt. I tied a rope around the rascal's neck toprevent him from kicking again, and fastened the ends securely to twostout pegs driven into the ground. 'There, sir,' I said, 'now kick ifyou want to!' I lighted the fuse--the demon didn't kick this time;instead he rushed backward dragging both pegs with him; broke theright leg of one of the men, the left of another, and both legs of thethird; and the ball bored itself into the corner over there. Now letus see if you can do any better."

  "Oh, you stupid bear!" I exclaimed, unable to re
strain my mirth, "youmay thank your stars that the rusty old gun didn't burst into flindersand kill every one of you!--as you deserved! The first thing to bedone with the culverin is to clean and polish it until it shines likea mirror. Then--who ever heard of laying a cannon on the ground tofire it off?--it must have a sort of platform on wheels so it can bemoved about."

  The leader immediately gave orders to the smith and the wagon-maker ofthe band to obey my instructions and complete as quickly as possiblethe sort of gun-carriage I should describe to them, and I set about atonce to clean and scour the old culverin which, with the accumulatedrust of years, was no light task.

  There was no time to lose, for the Tartars, with their Hungariancaptives, having vacated Poland, the Polish magnates returned to theircastles, and prepared to carry out the plans for punishing theinsolent haidemaken, which had been interrupted by the war. Thosemembers of the band who were sent on various errands into the regionsadjacent to the Prsjaka Gorge, brought back, instead of booty, bloodyheads, and the startling news that the roads leading to the Gorge werefilled with armed troopers.

  The two despoiled magnates had combined their forces, and wereprepared for a regular siege of the plundering haidemaken.

  The latter, however, merely laughed at the warlike preparations. Theywere not afraid of a siege! Nyedzviedz, on learning of the approach ofthe beleaguerers, instead of curtailing our rations, doubled them,mystifying all of us by the seemingly illimitable supplies in theprovision chamber. We received, every day, double rations of freshgoats' meat and mutton, and yet there was not in any of the caves eventhe sign of a living animal.

  Meanwhile the beleaguerers advanced steadily.

  There was a stratagem the robbers had frequently resorted to in orderto vanquish a beleaguering foe. They opened an underground sluicethrough which the water of the salt lake in the bottom of the abysswould rush into the defile and drown the enemy. But Prince Siniarsky'stroopers had become familiar with this trick; and one morning, when weawoke, we found that a stone wall had been built across the gorgewhile we slept. An arched opening in the center of the base would giveegress to all the water we might choose to let out of the lake.

  This was bad enough, but worse came later.

  The wall increased in height every night. I told Nyedzviedz at thebeginning what would be the outcome of such a proceeding; when the topof the wall should have reached to the height of the wooden gutterwhich conveyed the brook into the cavern, Siniarsky's men would flinga line over it, attach a stout chain to the line, and when they haddrawn it over the gutter it would be easy enough to pull it down.

  "In that case we shall die of thirst," growled the leader, "for thereisn't any other water in the cavern fit to drink. But a still greaterdanger, of which you know nothing, threatens us."

  He did not tell me what it was, but he became so morose andill-tempered, that no one but his daughter ventured to speak to him.

  The haidemaken made several assaults on the wall, but the troopersreturned the fire with such volleys from the numerous loop-holes init, that our men were always forced to retreat.

  All hopes were now centered in me, and on the culverin, which I hadpolished until it shone like gold. The carriage for it had beencompleted, and balls cast under my directions.

  The wall grew higher and higher, until at last the top was on a levelwith our conduit. Its completion was celebrated in the enemy's camp bythe blaring of trumpets, and beating of drums, and what I had foretoldcame to pass; the arquebusier mounted to the top of the wall, adjustedhis arquebuse on its forked rest, and prepared to take aim at ourwater conduit.

  "Now, watch me!" said I to Nyedzviedz, pointing the culverin's muzzletoward the cornice of the wall.

  Two shots sounded simultaneously, and when the smoke had cleared away,there was neither arquebuse, nor arquebusier--nor yet the cornice ofthe wall, to be seen. All three had vanished.

  I took aim a second time--this time at the base of the wall; and atthe sixth shot, the entire structure of solid masonry tumbled downwith a deafening crash, burying under it the musketeers who were atthe loop-holes. Not one of them escaped alive.

  The haidemaken, with loud cries of triumph, now hastily descended fromthe cavern in their baskets, and flung themselves on the enemy, andwhile the combat raged in the defile below me, I wheeled my culverinto the mouth of the cavern, and hurled shot after shot toward thetroopers who were hurrying to the aid of their comrades.

  The enemy was completely routed, and our men returned to the cavernrichly laden with spoils.

  So all-powerful is a cannon when its management is thoroughlyunderstood.

  "That will do for today;" at this point observed the prince. "Theconfession will be continued tomorrow."

  THE VISZPA OGROD.

  The next morning Hugo resumed his confession:

  When the haidemaken, after having put to flight the troopers returnedwith their booty to the cavern, the leader said to me:

  "Well, Baran, you certainly earned your name today, by provingyourself a most effective 'ram.' To your assaults with the culverin weowe our victory. Here is the treasure we took from the vanquishedfoe--take of it what you want, you have the first choice." Gold andsilver galore lay before me, but I answered: "Thank you, Nyedzviedz,you know very well I have no use for money; instead, I want yourdaughter--for her alone I have served you; she is the reward Idesire."

  To this reply the leader shook his head irritably, and said: "I amdisappointed in you, Baran. You are, after all, only a tender-hearteddove that wants to bill and coo. The man who has a wife is only half aman. The true haidemak embraces his sweetheart, then slays her--orbetter: slays her first. Why do you desire to marry? Be wise, lad, andremain a celibate. If you will think no more of Madus I will make youmy second in command."

  "But I can't, and won't think of anything but Madus," I returned,stubbornly; "and if you don't give her to me, you are not a man ofyour word."

  "You don't know what you are asking, Baran," again said the leader."If you persist in your demand you will compel me to send you the wayall our members have gone who proved themselves to be soft-hearteddoves. The man who wants to bill and coo cannot remain with us. If youmarry Madus you must leave us."

  I told him I would manage somehow to endure such a calamity, whichmade him laugh heartily.

  "I know very well, Baran, my lad, that it would not grieve you toleave us, if you were allowed to depart with Madus to the outsideworld. But that may not be. The man we pronounce a 'dove,' must go adifferent route. The youth who refused to leap into the abyss the dayyou arrived, was a dove. You saw what became of him. A hundred andmore love-lorn swains, and cowards have gone the same way. You willfind in every crevice the skeletons of the unfortunates. Do you stilldesire to join the ghastly company?"

  It did not sound very alluring--to celebrate one's nuptials amongcadavers; but when I looked at Madus, who was standing by her father'sside, the glance which met mine from her beaming eyes banished frommy thoughts everything but her beautiful image, and I said:

  "It matters not whither I go if my Madus goes with me--be the journeyto hades itself!"

  When Madus also declared she had no dread of undertaking the journeywith me, her father summoned a priest--the same bearded rascal thathad performed the ceremony of confirmation over me.

  His vestments this time were even more magnificent--('acquired,' Ihave not the least doubt, from some wealthy cathedral by my respectedfather-in-law and his comrades) and with all manner of unintelligiblemummery he performed the ceremony, which united me and my belovedMadus in the holy bonds of matrimony.

  When the marriage ceremony was concluded, my wife and I each receivedfrom her father a costly, gold ornamented cap, and a richlyembroidered mantle; a bag of provisions, and a jug of wine were alsogiven to us. Then we were conducted to the same cleft in the wall ofthe cavern, in which the unfortunate Jurko had been entombed.

  When the heavy rock had been removed from the opening the robbers, oneafter the other, shook hands wi
th us. The leader was so deeplyaffected he embraced both of us. After a lighted taper had been placedin my hand, we were thrust into the narrow passage which wasimmediately closed behind us.

  The noises in the cavern sounded like the low murmur one hears in asea-shell held close to the ear. By the faint light from our taper Icould see a smile of encouragement on my Madus' face, and obeyedwithout a question when she bade me follow her.

  We had forced our way through the narrow passage, which was hardlywide enough for one person, a considerable distance, when we suddenlycame to a small chamber about the size of a room in a pleasantcottage. Here, Madus said, we should have to rest and pass the night.

  "Night?" I repeated. "We can easily bring the blackness of midnightupon us in this hole! We have only to extinguish the candle. But weshall never know when it is morning. Daylight never enters here. Nocheerful cock-crow ever reaches this tomb. Here, no one will come torouse us, and say: 'Rise, rise! morning, beauteous morning, is come.'"

  "Fie, fie, Baran," chided my Madus. "Do you already regret the stepyou have taken? Should you be sorry never again to see daylight--nowthat you have me with you?"

  "No, no," I answered, promptly, ashamed of my momentary regret. "No,no," and I set about preparing for our night's rest. We spread ourbear skins on the floor of the cave, sat down on them, and ate oursupper, becoming quite cheerful as the wine sped with pleasurablewarmth through our veins.

  Suddenly Madus turned toward me and asked:

  "Where do you imagine we are, Baran?"

  "In paradise," I made answer, kissing her.

  Thereupon she roguishly blew out the light and asked again: "Can yousee me?"

  "No," I answered, for I could see nothing at all. "Look again, Baran,and repeat after me what I say."

  I fixed my eyes where I believed her to be, and repeated after her,word for word, the Lord's Prayer, the _Ave Maria_ and the _Credo_, andas I did so, it seemed to me as if the dear child's countenance cameinto view, gradually growing brighter and brighter, until the gloomdisappeared, and the subterranean grotto became irradiated as with thesunlight of noon. I did not tell her so, though, for women are soeasily made vain; but from that moment I became convinced that Maduswas my guardian angel.

  Never, in all my life, have I been so happy as I was with my belovedMadus in that underground cave, and I should have been content to stopthere with her until the end of time! I would not have inquired ifever a morning would dawn again for us, had not Madus roused me from asound slumber, and lighted the taper.

  "What do you imagine will become of us?" she asked, and I replied:

  "I believe the haidemaken are playing a trick on us, and that theywill fetch us away from here after a while."

  "No, you are mistaken, Baran, we shall never again return to thecavern. The haidemaken do not expect to see us again."

  "But, surely, Nyedzviedz will not allow his only daughter to perishmiserably in this hole?" I exclaimed.

  "Alas, you don't know him, my poor Baran," returned Madus sorrowfully."My father's heart is impervious to pity. Those whom he banishes, aswe have been banished, can never return to the cavern."

  I now became alarmed in earnest. Until that moment I had entertained asuspicion that the haidemaken were only trying to frighten me.

  I was cursing my folly--mentally of course--for having allowed thefascinations of a love-dream to lure me to so wretched a fate, whenMadus rose from her bear skin couch, and bade me follow her. Iremembered her radiant countenance of the preceding evening, and myconfidence in her was restored.

  We passed onward, through the narrow corridor which traversed numerouscaves, larger and smaller than the one in which we had rested. I keptglancing furtively, right and left, expecting every moment to see thehelpless skeletons with which Nyedzviedz had tried to intimidate me.

  On, on we pressed, occasionally passing the entrance to a cave thatwas stored with all manner of plunder. At last I noticed that thecorridor began to widen, and suddenly my soul was rejoiced todiscover, far ahead, a faint gleam of light that became brighter andbrighter as we approached. It was daylight!

  "Hurrah!" I shouted aloud, in my ecstacy clasping Madus to my heart."We are free! We are free!"

  "Free? No, my Baran, far from it!" she returned gently and sadly. "Weare approaching our life-prison. You will soon see it."

  The passage was now wide enough for the two of us to walk side byside. We did not need the taper now, for we had sunlight from thestrip of blue sky we could see overhead. I pressed eagerly forward tosee more of it. I could have drunk in at one long breath the entireheaven.

  At last we arrived at the end of the passage between the two tallwalls of rock, and there below us lay the Viszpa Ogrod, which means:"Island Garden."

  And it is a veritable island; only, instead of water, it isencompassed by rocks--rocks so high, and so steep, that nothingwingless can ever hope to escape over them into the world outside.

  Heaven-towering walls of basalt, naked cliffs, sheer inaccessible,dome-shaped, and truncated, ranged one against the other in a compactmass like the facade of a vast cathedral, environ the Viszpa Ogrod,which, with its verdant fields, forest, fruit and vegetable gardens,lies like a gleaming emerald in a setting of rock, at the bottom ofthe deep crater.

  From the dizzy heights of the cavern wall leaps a stream, that istransformed to iridescent spray before it reaches the valley, there topursue its sinuous course amid the fields, gardens, and tiny whitedwellings upon which we looked down as through a misty veil.

  "That is our future home," whispered Madus. "Our life-prison fromwhich there is no escape. To this island garden is banished all thosehaidemaken who prove too tender-hearted for their cruel trade, or tireof their adventurous life; also those who refuse to desert the womenthey love. Here, the banished dwell together and till the ground--theywill never again see any other portion of the globe than this littlevalley."

  The Viszpa Ogrod revealed the secret of the haidemaken's power to defya siege. This island garden made it possible for them to defy all thetroops sent against them, for it contained an inexhaustible supply ofprovisions. When the robbers discovered it, it was a wilderness ofstunted fir trees. No living creature could exist in it, for there wasno water until the brook, conducted into the cavern from the oppositeside of the defile, found an outlet into it, thence, through theground, into Prince Siniarsky's salt mines.

  The water very soon wrought a wonderful change in the aspect of thevalley. A portion of the stunted forest was cleared, and the groundplanted with rye, vegetables, and various shrubs and plants whichthrove luxuriantly in this "garden" sheltered from the cold winds bythe wall of rock. The firs left standing put forward new growth, andbecame stately trees--everything, even the human beings that came todwell here, underwent a complete transformation.

  True, those whom the haidemaken sent to the valley had already becometender-hearted, or, weary of the wild life of the robbers; but, nomatter what the life of a man had been before he became a member ofthe little community in the island garden, there he would forget theentire world, become an entirely new being.

  I speak from experience, for I, who have enjoyed a full share of thisworld's pleasures--everything that can rejoice the king in his palace,and the dreams of the prisoner in his dungeon--I never was truly happyuntil I went to dwell with my beloved Madus in the Viszpa Ogrod.

  A narrow path winds from the outlet of the rock-corridor down into thevalley. Madus, who was perfectly familiar with the path, led the way,recognizing, while still at a distance from them, each occupant of thelittle cottages. The children ran to meet us, and, on hearing fromMadus who I was, seized our hands, and with shouts of joy drew ustoward the village.

  A bell was rung to announce our arrival. Later I learned from theinscription on this bell that it had formerly swung in the tower ofBicloviez monastery. Like everything else in the valley, it had beenstolen. Everything, even the beautiful cloth and silk garments whichclothed the women--nay the women themselves, were plunder. r />
  Robber and robbed dwelt together amid plunder in harmony, happy asAdam and Eve in Eden. They ploughed, planted, and gathered the harvestin perfect contentment. They shared their abundance with the cavern,and received in return plunder from all parts of the world.

  As I have said before, there were no animals in the Viszpa Ogrod whenthe robbers discovered it, and as it was impossible to conveyfull-grown cattle through the narrow passage from the cavern, calves,goats, and lambs instead were brought to the valley, which had becomeso well stocked with everything necessary to sustain a large army,that no potentate on earth could have reduced the haidemaken tostarvation, no matter to what length the siege might have beenextended.

  The only danger which threatened the cavern was the stoppage of theirwater supply. Were that cut off, the luxuriance and fruitfulness ofthe valley would vanish, and it would become again an arid wildernessuninhabitable for man and beast. This was the danger dreaded byNyedzviedz when the troopers began to build their wall in the defile.

  The dwellers in the Viszpa Ogrod lived together like the family ofFather Abraham in the promised land. The eldest of the men was thepatriarch. He made all the laws; issued all the commands; allotted toeach one his task and share of the harvest, giving to everyone as muchas was required for the needs of himself and his household.

  There was no priest in the valley. There was no Sabbath. The pleasantdays were working-days; when it rained everybody rested.

  There was no praying, no cursing, no quarreling. There, where everyhead of a household had once been a thief, no disputing about mine andthine was ever heard. There, every woman--and not one of them had beengiven an opportunity to vow fidelity to her mate before the altar, buthad been forcibly conveyed to the valley--was so faithful, so modest,that no stranger could have told what was the color of her eyes.

  When Madus and I arrived in the valley, Zoraw, the patriarch, preparedfor us a feast, to which were invited the rest of the community to thenumber of eighty. After the feast, Zoraw conducted us to the brook,where we drank with everyone the pledge of fraternity from a woodenbottle of fresh water--that being the only beverage in the valley. Atthe conclusion of this ceremony, the bottle was broken in pieces, tosymbolize unalterable alliance.

  Then Zoraw measured off and assigned to us our plot of ground. Theentire community lent a hand, and in two days our cottage was underroof, modestly furnished, and ready for occupancy. In the stable stooda cow and a goat for the housewife. When we were comfortably settledin our new home I was asked by the patriarch what manner of tools heshould give me; and finding that I should be compelled towork--something I had never learned at school, or in the field--Ichose the trade of smith, which would at least give me the handling ofiron, without which I never felt contented.

  I became accustomed in a very short time to my new mode of life. Iwould work at my trade the allotted time every day, then go home to mywife, who would tell me how the ducklings had got smothered in theshell, how the milk had turned sour, and such like prattle. And oneday she whispered blushingly in my ear the secret which makes thehusband's heart beat faster with joy and pride. In listening to it, Iforgot everything else in the world. The thought that I was to becomethe father of a family, that would grow up to know no other home butthis peaceful valley, filled my soul with joy and content. Thisthought became to me what roots are to a tree; it attached me sosecurely to my little plot of ground, that I felt as if no power onearth could tear me away from it. My beloved Madus, and our littlehome, became doubly dear to me. Had all the wealth, all the splendorthat came to me later, been offered me then in exchange for my Madusand the humble little home she filled with her joyous presence, Ishould have refused with scorn.

  THE KOLTUK-DENGENEGI.

  I had become perfectly satisfied with my peaceful and uneventfulexistence. My entire world now lay within the rocky rim of the ViszpaOgrod. My entire happiness lay in the beaming smile with which myMadus greeted my home-coming every day. My labors in the smithy werealways over by noon; the afternoons were devoted to work required tobe done at home.

  One day I was siting in the hall-way of our cottage busily employedfashioning, from some crimson willow withes, a pretty basket-cradle,when a shadow suddenly shut out the sunlight from me. I looked up andwas startled to see Nyedzviedz standing in the door-way.

  "You here!" I exclaimed. "Have you, too, been relegated to the ViszpaOgrod because of the softened heart? Or have you come here to hidefrom an enemy?--Which?"

  "Neither, my good Baran," answered the leader. "I am not come to stopin this happy valley, but to fetch you away from it. We need you inthe cavern. We cannot get on without you. We are planning a mostimportant expedition, and need your assistance. A rich caravan is onthe road to Mohilow; it is made up of Russian, Turkish and Jewtraders, and is accompanied by a military escort. We propose tocapture this caravan, and take possession of all the treasure andvaluables, after which, we shall proceed to Berdiczov and loot themonastery. As the monastery is strongly fortified, and garrisoned, weshall have to batter down the walls; therefore we must take you withus, as you are the only one who understands how to handle our fieldgun. I shall appoint you second in command of the expedition."

  Madus had come from the kitchen while her father was speaking. She wasnot in the least glad to see him; on the contrary, she greeted himwith a frown, and demanded angrily:

  "Why do you try to lure my gentle-hearted Baran away from me? He doesnot need your stolen treasure. He has all he wants here in his humblehome. You buried us here--we are dead to you, therefore leave us herein peace."

  To which Nyedzviedz made answer by saying: "Baran, does the father orthe husband control the wife? If you, the husband, don't know how tocontrol your wife, I, her father, will show you what to do with thewoman who speaks when she is not spoken to."

  I well knew what a hasty temper was the leader's, and persuaded Madusto come with me to the kitchen, where I gently argued away heropposition to my leaving home. I assured her it would be for our good;that when I had got together enough money to keep us in comfort Ishould return, and find a way to escape with her from the valley tosome large city, where we should be safe from the haidemaken, andwhere she might sweep the dusty streets with a long-tailed silk gown,and be addressed as "gracious lady."

  This had the desired effect. She wept bitterly; but she bade me gowith her father. When I turned to cast a last look into the valley,before we entered the rock-corridor, I could see my poor little wife'sred kerchief still gleaming in the doorway of our cottage. Herfavorite dove had flown after me to the entrance of the corridor;there it settled down on my shoulder and began to coo into my ear. Ihad to fling it away from me quite forcibly in order to frighten itback to its mistress. My former comrades greeted me with loud cries ofwelcome, and celebrated my return by a tremendous drinking-bout.

  When, after my long abstention from it, I again tasted wine, I forgotthe Viszpa Ogrod and everything connected with it--as one will, whenawake, forget even the most enchanting dreams.

  It is a well-known fact that the wine-drinker who abstains for a longperiod from his favorite beverage, then yields again to thetemptation, becomes a more inveterate drunkard than before he resistedthe fascinations of the cup. The haidemaken drank only Tokay; theymade a point of selecting from the cellars of the prelates, andmagnates whom they plundered, only the best vintages.

  The following night we set out for Mohilow, a twelve days' journey.

  I am almost willing to wager that not a soul, in the region to whichwe were going, really believed such a band of robbers as thehaidemaken was in existence--or, if it had ever been heard of, thetales of its marvelous exploits were looked upon as kindred to thefables repeated in the nursery.

  As I said before, the band always traveled by night. During the day werested, hidden in a dense forest, or in an uninhabited valley.

  We never entered a village to procure food, but carried with usrations of dried meat, varying our diet with mushrooms collected onthe way.


  On learning definitely from the scouts we had sent to reconnoiter thatthe caravan was expected to reach Mohilow on a certain day, weconcealed ourselves in a swampy thicket by the side of the road overwhich it would have to pass. Here we were forced to wait two days,during which our meat gave out, and we had to eat raw frogs and birds'eggs. The peasant carts passing along the road, with pretzels, smokedsausages, cheese, mead and wine for the market at Mohilow, were notmolested by the hungry robbers, who would only have needed to stretchout their hands to secure the good things for which they languished.But the leader would not allow it.

  "We are here to fight, not feast," he said.

  Our patience was well nigh at an end, when, one day, the sound of atrumpet and drum announced the approach of the caravan.

  On mules, on horses, camels, and ox-carts, came thefifteen-hundred-odd human souls, their escort, a valiant company ofsoldiers in coats of mail, and helmets, and armed with halberds, andmuskets. It was a motly crowd, outnumbering our band in souls; butinferior to us in strength.

  When, at a preconcerted signal, our men dashed from the thicket, theentire caravan fell into confusion. The soldiers fired off theirmuskets, heedless where they aimed; we, on the other hand, sent ourshots where they would prove most effective.

  A frightful tumult ensued--it was: save himself who can; while theheavily laden carts and vans were left behind.

  I must admit that the haidemaken behaved atrociously. Never, in all myexperience on the battlefield, did I witness such a scene of carnage.It made me ill; I became so faint with horror and disgust I sankunconscious to the ground.

  When I came to my senses, I saw a Turkish merchant hobbling on acrutch toward me. He was old, and seemed to have been seriouslywounded, for he was covered with blood. He came straight toward me,and, sinking to the ground by my side, said in a pleading tone: "Myson, I beg you, take my yataghan, and cut off my head."

  Your honors may believe that I was startled by so singular a request.

  "I shan't do any such thing!" I replied promptly, and with decision.

  "Pray do," he urged. "Cut off my head without further parley, and youshall have this koltuk-dengenegi," which is Turkish for "beggar'sstaff."

  "No, Baba," I returned, with the same decision as before. "I can't cutoff your head, for I have no grudge against you. I am not anassassin--though I do belong to the haidemaken; I was forced intothis band, much as Pilate was thrust into the _credo_--against hiswill, I'll warrant!"

  "Your countenance tells me, my son, that you are better than yourcomrades," said the old Turk. "For that reason I ventured to ask afavor of you. Come, hesitate no longer to perform the deed of mercyfor which you shall be handsomely rewarded. Decapitate this old body;it will not be assassination; one can murder only a living being--sosays the Koran, the only truthful book on earth--and I cannot strictlybe called a living being. I have a deadly wound in the abdomen, and ambound to die sooner or later. Besides, I am prepared and desire todie. I can't flee any farther; and if I fall into the hands of yourcruel comrades I shall be horribly tortured. Therefore, I beg you torelease me from further suffering; cut off my head with this beautifulyataghan, which shall also be yours."

  But, not even then could I bring myself to grant his prayer, andrelieve him of his sufferings and his bald head.

  "Leave me, Baba," I exclaimed impatiently. "If you want to get rid ofyour head, cut it off yourself with that beautiful yataghan; or else,hang yourself on one of those beautiful trees over yonder."

  To this the old Turk responded with pious mien: "That I dare not do,my son. The Koran--the only truthful book on earth--says, there areseven hells: one underneath the other, and each one more terrible thanthe one above it. The first hell is for true believers, like myself;the second is for Christians; the seventh is for the Atheists. Thefourth, Morhut, is for those persons who commit suicide. Were I totake my own life, I should have to descend to the fourth hell, where,as well as in every one of the three hells above it, I should beobliged to remain three-hundred and thirty-three years before I shouldbe permitted to enter paradise. Whereas, if I should lose my life atthe hands of an unbeliever like yourself, I should--so says the Koran,the only truthful book on earth--go straightway to paradise."

  And still I hesitated; though it seemed but kindness to grant the oldTurk's request, and send him speeding straightway into paradise. But,I remembered that our Bible (really the only truthful book on earth)says: "Thou shalt not kill;" and thrust the importunate old fellowaway from me.

  But he renewed his pleading with increased urgency: "See, my son, Iwill give you this koltuk-dengenegi--" "Of what use would that crutchbe to me?" I interrupted.

  "If you will screw off the top you will see that the crutch is filledwith gold pieces," he replied; and to prove that he spoke the truth,he unscrewed the shoulder rest and shook several gold coins into thepalm of his hand.

  The yellow metal dazzled my eyes: "The crutch would hold a good manycoins," I said to myself, to which added the Turk's pleading voice:

  "You shall have it all, my son, if you will but grant my prayer."

  And still I hesitated.

  "I can't do it, Baba," I said. "Even if you gave me the crutch, Ishould not be allowed to keep the gold. No member of our band isallowed to keep for his own use alone any valuables that may come intohis possession. Everything must be placed at once in the commontreasury for the use of the entire band--and woe to the haidemak whowould dare to keep for himself even a single Polish groschen! So, yousee, Baba, your gold would be of no use to me."

  "Listen to me, my son," again urged the wounded Turk, who was growingvisibly weaker; "you are young; I can see that this wild life is notsuited to you. If you had my gold, you could escape to Wallachia, buyan estate--a castle--serfs, and marry. Perhaps you already have asweetheart--if so, why shouldn't you live in happiness with her,instead of skulking about in caves and swamps like a wild animal?"

  This suggestion made me thoughtful. It brought back to my mind my deargood Madus. Ah! if only I might fly with her, far away, to some regionwhere she might become a respected lady. If I had the Turk's gold! Icould easily keep it secreted in the crutch. Some day, when thehaidemaken were away on an expedition, I could easily stupefy the fewmembers of the band remaining in the cavern by drugging their meadwith Venice treacle; and when they were sound asleep I could fetch myMadus from the Viszpa Ogrod and with her escape to a far away land.

  This thought impressed itself so deeply on my mind--it became soalluring that, unconsciously, my hand went out toward the beautifulyataghan.

  "If I thought I could keep the gold hidden!" I said, unconscious thatI had given voice to the thought.

  "That will be easy enough; just leave it in the crutch," promptlyresponded the Turk. "When you join your comrades make believe to havetaken cold in the swamp yonder, say that the muscles of your leg havecontracted and made you lame. That will not only give you an excuse touse the crutch, but it will most likely get your discharge; a hobblingcripple is not a desirable comrade in a band of robbers."

  Without waiting to see how I might take his suggestion, the Turkproceeded at once to show me how to bandage my left leg, so that itcould not be straightened at the knee; how to keep my ankle againstthe crutch, and hobble along on the right leg. I thought of Madus, forwhom I would have hobbled on one leg to Jerusalem, and let him show mehow to transform myself to a cripple.

  "Now, my son," he said, when he had delivered his instructions, "takemy yataghan, my beautiful yataghan, and cut off my head--only don'thack it off as a butcher would with a cleaver. Swing the yataghan,thus, in a half-circle--easily, gracefully, as you would the bow of aviolin. I will kneel here at your feet, bend forward, thus; then doyou strike just here: between these two segments of the vertebrae. Besure to keep firm hold on the handle to prevent the blade fromslipping--"

  He gave me so many directions, kept on talking so long that Satan, whois ever at one's elbow, gave my arm a sudden thrust, and, before Iknew what had happened, a body minus
a head lay at my feet, while ahead minus a body was rolling down the hill--

  "_Homicidium!_" dictated the chair to the notary. To this the princeappended:

  "Under extenuating circumstances. We must not ignore the fact that thedeed was committed at the urgent request of the decapitated--underapproval of the Koran, and instigated, I might say, forced, to the actby the wicked one at the perpetrator's elbow."

  "It was killing a human being, all the same!" said Hugo, "and I hadcause soon afterward to repent most bitterly what I had done. After Ihad committed the bloody deed I set out to overtake my comrades. Theyhad secured much valuable booty which they were carrying on theirbacks. When I came up with them, hobbling on one leg and leaning on mycrutch, they broke into loud laughter:

  "What the devil is the matter with you?" queried the leader.

  "I am all used up!" I groaned. "I killed an old Turk, whose lame legprevented him from running away with the rest of them; and before hegave up the ghost he cursed me and prayed that I might be compelled tohobble along on a crutch for the rest of my life. He had hardly gotthe words out of his throat before my leg became as you see it, and Ican't straighten it."

  "That comes of standing in the swamp--cold water will affecteffeminate fellows like you in that way," observed Nyedzviedz. "Butdon't worry, we have among us one who understands how to cure suchmaladies. Ho, there! Przepiorka, come hither."

  I was frightened, I can tell you! If my leg were examined it would befound to be in a sound and healthy condition. But there was no helpfor it--I could not escape an examination. So I drew up the calf ofthe leg so tightly against the lower part of the thigh thatPrzepiorka, after he had tried several times in vain to straighten itpronounced it permanently crippled.

  On hearing this decision, I forgot my role and would have straightenedthe leg to convince myself that it could be done; but, what was myconsternation and alarm to find that I was unable to do it. Theaffliction I had pretended had come upon me in earnest! God hadpunished me. I was a miserable cripple, unable to take a single stepwithout the koltuk-dengenegi.

  How I cursed him who had left it to me in legacy!