by G. A. Henty
Chapter 11: With Brigands.
The man who had spoken to Charlie drew the long knife from the backof the Jew, wiped it on the grass, and handed it to him.
"That ought to be your property," he said. "It has done you goodservice."
Not sorry to have a weapon in addition to his cudgel, Charlieplaced it in his belt, and then started with the bandits. He wouldnot have cared to face the charcoal burner alone; but now that theband regarded him as enrolled among their number, he felt nouneasiness respecting him.
When they issued from the trees, the Jew was seen standing at thedoor of the hut. He at once ran in on seeing them, and came outagain, accompanied by the charcoal burner, who carried his axe onhis shoulder. The Jew started, on catching sight of Charlie amongthe ranks of the brigands, and said a word or two to his companion.
"Well, Master Charcoal Burner," the leader of the party said, "howis it that honest woodmen consort with rogues of the town?"
"I don't know that they do so, willingly," the man said gruffly."But some of us, to our cost, have put our heads into nooses, andthe rogues of the town have got hold of the other end of the ropes,and we must just walk as we are told to."
"Well, that is true enough," the brigand said.
"And you, Jew, what are you doing here?"
"I am like Conrad," he replied, sulkily. "It is not only countrymenwho have their necks in a noose, and I have to do what I amordered."
"By a bigger rogue than yourself?"
"That is so; bigger and cleverer."
"You are expecting him here now, our new comrade tells us. Well,you need expect him no longer. He will not come. If you will goalong the path, you will come upon his body, and may bury him ifyou like to take the trouble."
An exclamation of satisfaction broke from the two men.
"You have done us a service, indeed," the charcoal burner said. "Wehad thought to do it for ourselves, this morning, for after theescape of him you call your new comrade, he would have shown us nomercy."
"You may thank our new comrade, and not us," the brigand said. "Weonly arrived on the spot when it was all over."
The Jew looked at Charlie in astonishment.
"What! Did he kill Ben Soloman?"
"That did he; or rather, the Jew killed himself. There was agrapple hand to hand, and a wrestle. The Jew fell undermost, andwas pierced with his own knife."
"But the lad is but just out of a sickbed, and has no strength fora struggle, and Ben Soloman, though past middle life, was strongand active."
"Neither strong enough nor active enough," the man laughed. "Youhave been nicely taken in. Who would have thought that two Jews anda Pole would have been cheated by an English lad? His face showsthat he has been ill, and doubtless he has not yet recovered hisfull strength, but he was strong enough, anyhow, to overthrow BenSoloman.
"Now, what have you in the hut? We are in need of provisions."
The hut was ransacked; the flour, two bottles of spirits, and askin of wine seized, and the meat cut up and roasted over the fire.After the meal was eaten, the captain called upon Charlie to tellhis story more fully, and this he did, with the aid of the man whospoke Swedish; starting, however, only at the point when he wasattacked in the street, as he felt it better to remain silent as tohis connection with the Swedish army.
"But what was the cause of Ben Soloman's hostility to you?"
"There are some in Warsaw who are of opinion that Augustus ofSaxony has done much harm to Poland, in engaging without cause inthe war against Charles of Sweden, and who think that it would bewell that he should be dethroned, and some other prince made kingin his place. To this party many of the traders belong, and the Jewhad reason to think that I was acquainted with the design, andcould give the names of those concerned in it. There was really noplot against Augustus, but it was only intended that a populardemonstration against his rule should be made. But Soloman wantedme to give evidence that there was a conspiracy against the king'slife, so that he might gain great credit by exposing it, and mightat the same time rid himself of many of his rivals in the trade."
"He was an artful fox," the leader of the brigands said, when thishad been translated to him. "But where is the Jew he put over you?"
Three or four of the men sprang to their feet and ran out, but theJew was nowhere to be seen. The captain was furious, and abused hismen right and left, while his anger was in no way mitigated whenone of them told him that, if he had wanted the Jew kept, he shouldhave given one of them orders to look after him. This was soevident that the chief was silenced for a moment.
"How long is it since any of you saw him last?"
"He went round with the wineskin, and filled our cups just as wesat down to breakfast," one of the men said. "I have not noticedhim since."
Nor had any of the others.
"Then it will be no use to pursue. He has had more than half anhour's start, and long before this he will have mounted BenSoloman's horse, and have ridden off.
"Well, comrade," he said, turning to Charlie, "this settles yourmovements. I was but half in earnest before as to your joining us;but it is clear now that there's nothing else for you to do, forthe present. This fellow will, directly he gets to Warsaw, denounceyou as the murderer of his master. That he is sure to do to avertsuspicion from himself, and, if you were to return there, it wouldgo hard with you. So, for a time, you must throw in your lot withus."
When this was translated to Charlie, he saw at once the force ofthe argument. He could not have denied that the Jew had fallen in ahand-to-hand struggle with himself, and, were he to appear inWarsaw, he might be killed by the co-religionists of Ben Soloman;or, if he escaped this, might lie in a dungeon for months awaitinghis trial, and perhaps be finally executed. There was nothing forhim now but to rejoin the Swedes, and it would be some time, yet,before he would be sufficiently recovered to undertake such ajourney.
"I should not mind, if I could send a letter to Allan Ramsay, totell him what has befallen me. He will be thinking I am dead, andwill, at any rate, be in great anxiety about me."
"I have taken a liking to you, young fellow," the leader said, "andwill send in one of my men to Warsaw with a letter; that is, if youcan write one."
"Yes, I can write. Fortunately there are paper, pen, and an inkhorn on that shelf. Ben Soloman brought them the last time he came,to write down the lies he wanted me to testify to. I am greatlyobliged to you, and will do it at once."
As he had, only the day before he was attacked, sent off amessenger to Count Piper, telling him all he had done the previousweek, there was no occasion to repeat this, and he had only to givean account of his capture, and the events that had since occurred.
"You see," he said, "I cannot return to Warsaw. The Jew who washere unfortunately heard that it was in a struggle with me BenSoloman was killed, and he will, of course, denounce me as hismurderer, though the deed was done in fair fight. I should have allhis tribe against me, and might be imprisoned for months awaitingtrial. I am still very weak, and could not attempt the journey tothe frontier. I am, however, gaining strength, and, as soon as I amquite recovered, I shall take the first opportunity of leaving themen I am with, and making for the Swedish camp. Please forward thisnews by a sure hand to Count Piper, and express my sorrow that mymission has not been completed, although, indeed, I do not thinkthat my further stay at Warsaw would have been any great service,for it is clear that the great majority of the traders will notmove in the matter until the Swedes advance, and, from their pointof view, it is not to their interest to do so.
"I know but little of the men I am with at present, beyond the factthat they are bandits, nor can I say whether they are disbandedsoldiers, or criminals who have escaped from justice; but at anyrate they show me no ill will. I have no doubt I shall be able toget on fairly with them, until I am able to make my escape. I wishI had poor Stanislas with me. Only one of the men here speaksSwedish, and he does not know very much of the language. I cannotsay, at present, whether the twenty men her
e are the whole of theband, or whether they are only a portion of it. Nor do I knowwhether the men subsist by plundering the peasants, or venture onmore serious crimes. Thanking you for your great kindness during mystay at Warsaw, I remain, yours gratefully--
"Charlie Carstairs."
While he was occupied in writing this letter, an animatedconversation was going on between the bandits. Charlie gatheredthat this related to their future operations, but more than this hecould not learn. In a postscript to the letter, he requested AllanRamsay to hand over to the bearer some of the clothes left in hislodgings, and to pay him for his trouble.
"As to the money I left in your hands, I do not think it worthwhile for you to send it. However much these men may consider me acomrade, I have not sufficient faith in their honesty to believethat money would reach me safely; but, if you send me a suit ofclothes, two or three gold pieces might be wrapped up in a piece ofcloth and shoved into the toe of a shoe. The parcel must be a smallone, or there would be little chance of the man carrying it far. Iwill ask him, however, to bring me a sword, if you will buy one forme, and my pistols."
He folded up the letter and gave it to the captain. There was nomeans of fastening it, but this mattered little, because, beingwritten in English, there was no chance of its being read. Thecaptain handed it to one of the men, with instructions for itsdelivery. The messenger started at once. The others, afterremaining a short time in the hut, set out through the forest.
After an hour's walking, Charlie was unable to go further. Thecaptain, seeing this, ordered four of the men to stop with him, andto follow the next morning. As soon as he had gone on with the restof the band, the men set about collecting sticks and making a fire.Charlie, who was utterly exhausted, threw himself on the ground,and was not long before he fell sound asleep.
When he awoke, the shades of evening were already falling, and themen were sitting over the fire, roasting a portion of a goat, oneof a flock they had fallen in with in the wood, where large numbersroamed about in a semi-wild state.
The man who could speak Swedish was one of those who had remainedwith him, and, from him, he learnt that the present headquarters ofthe band were some six miles farther away. This distance wasperformed next morning, frequent halts being made to enable him tosit down and rest; and it was not till five hours after the startthat they arrived.
Overgrown as it now was, with trees and undergrowth, he could seethat a village once stood there. It must, however, have beenabandoned a very long time, as trees of considerable size grewamong the low walls and piles of stones that marked where cottageshad stood. The place occupied by the brigands had, in former times,been a castellated building of some strength, standing on a knollin the middle of the village, which had probably been inhabited bythe retainers of its owner. Part of the wall had fallen, but alarge arched room, that had doubtless been the banqueting hall ofthe castle, remained almost intact, and here the brigands hadestablished themselves. Several fires burned on the flagged floors,the smoke finding its way out through holes and crevices in theroof. Some fifty men were gathered round these, and were occupiedin cooking their midday meal.
"I am glad to see that you have arrived," the captain said, comingacross to Charlie. "I expected you two hours ago, and intended, assoon as we had finished our meal, to send out another four men tomeet you and help to carry you in."
"Thank you," Charlie said. "It is not the men's fault we are late,but the last part of the way we came on very slowly. I was gettingso exhausted that I had to stop every few hundred yards."
"Well, you had better eat something, and then lie down for a sleep.Meat is plentiful with us, for there are thousands of goats in theforest, and occasionally we get a deer or wild boar. If we had butbread and wine we should live like nobles. Our supplies, however,are low at present, and we shall have to make an expedition,tomorrow or next day, to replenish them."
Charlie ate a few mouthfuls of meat, and then lay down and slept,for some hours, on a bed of leaves. He was awoke by loud andexcited talking among the men, and learnt from Honred that one ofthe men, who had been left on watch at the mouth of the path bywhich he had entered the forest, had just brought in the news thata party of a hundred infantry, led by the Jew, had arrived with acart. In this the body of Ben Soloman had been sent off, while thetroops had established themselves in the little clearing round thehut.
"This comes of letting that Jew escape," the captain said. "Nodoubt he told the story his own way, and the Jewish traders went tothe governor and asked that troops should be sent to root us out.Well, they are far enough away at present, and I have sent off tohave their movements watched. It is a good nine miles, from here tothe hut, and they may look for a week before they find this place,unless that rascally Jew has heard of it from the woodman, or theyget hold of the fellow himself, though I should think they willhardly do that. I fancy he has some cause of quarrel with theauthorities, and will not put himself in the way of beingquestioned closely, if he can help it."
The next morning when Charlie awoke, two men were standing besidehim. His eyes first fell on the one who had been to the town, andwho held a large bundle in his hand. Then he turned his eyes to theother, and gave an exclamation of pleasure, as he saw that it wasStanislas. He looked pale and weak, and was evidently justrecovering from a severe illness.
"Why, Stanislas!" he exclaimed. "This is a pleasure, indeed. Inever for a moment dreamt of seeing you. I heard from the Jew whoguarded me that you got away, but I was afraid that you had beenbadly wounded. Why, my brave fellow, what brings you here?"
"I have come to be with your honour," the man said. "It was, ofcourse, my duty to be by your side. I was very ill for a week, forI had half a dozen wounds, but I managed, after the assailants leftme, to crawl back to Mr. Ramsay's to tell him what had happened. Idon't remember much about the next few days. Since then I have beenmending rapidly. None of the wounds were very serious, and it wasmore loss of blood, than anything else, that ailed me. Mr. Ramsaysearched high and low for you, and we had all given you up fordead, till a few hours before this man arrived with your letter.
"We heard you had killed Ben Soloman. I had a long talk with yourmessenger, who received a handsome present from Mr. Ramsay, and heagreed to conduct me here, upon my solemn promise that, if thecaptain would not receive me, I would not give any information, onmy return, as to the whereabouts of the band. Mr. Ramsay hired alight cart, and that brought us yesterday far into the forest. Wecamped there, and I had not more than a couple of miles to walk toget here this morning."
"Have you seen the captain?" Charlie asked eagerly.
"Yes. I was stopped by some sentries, a quarter of a mile away, andwas kept there while my guide came on and got permission of thecaptain for me to be brought in. When I met him, I had no greatdifficulty in persuading him to let me stop, for Mr. Ramsay hadgiven me fifty rix-dollars to give him; and so, your honour, here Iam, and here is a letter from Mr. Ramsay himself."
"I cannot tell you how glad I am to have you, Stanislas. I amgetting better, but I am so weak that I took five hours, yesterday,to get six miles. Now I have got you to talk to, I shall pick upstrength faster than I have been doing, for it has been very dullwork having no one who could understand me. There is only one manhere who understands a word of Swedish."
"We will soon get you round, sir, never fear. I have brought withme four casks of wine. They were left at the place where the cartstopped last night, but the captain has sent off men already tobring them in. You will be all the better for a suit of cleanclothes."
"That I shall. It is a month now since I had a change, and myjerkin is all stained with blood. I want a wash more than anything;for there was no water near the hut, and the charcoal burner usedto bring in a small keg from a spring he passed on his way to hiswork. That was enough for drinking, but not enough for washing--amatter which never seemed to have entered into his head, or that ofthe Jew, as being in the slightest degree necessary."
"There is a well just outside," Stanisla
s said. "I saw them drawingwater in buckets as we came in. I suppose it was the well of thiscastle, in the old time."
"I will go and have a wash, and change my clothes the first thing,"Charlie said. "Mr. Ramsay's letter will keep till after that."
They went out to the well together.
"So you heard the story, that I had killed Ben Soloman, before youleft?"
"Yes; before your letter arrived, Mr. Ramsay sent for me, and toldme a Jewish trader had just informed him that news had come thatBen Soloman had been murdered, and the deed had been done by theyoung Scotchman who had been with him. Mr. Ramsay did not believethe story in the slightest. He admitted that Ben Soloman might havebeen murdered, and even said frankly that, hated as he was, it wasthe most natural end for him to come to; but that you should havedone so was, he said, absurd. In the first place, he did not thinkthat you were alive; and in the second, it was far more probablethat you had been murdered by Ben Soloman, than that he should havebeen murdered by you.
"However, even before your letter came, three or four hours later,there seemed no longer any doubt that you had killed the Jew. Bythat time, there was quite an uproar among his people. He was theleader of their community, and had dealings with so many noblesthat his influence was great; and, although he was little liked, hewas regarded as an important person, and his loss was a very heavyone to the Jewish community. A deputation went to the governor, andwe heard that troops would be at once sent out to capture you, andthe band of brigands you had joined. Mr. Ramsay told me that it wasfortunate, indeed, that you had not returned to the city. But, nodoubt, he has told you all that in the letter."
"I feel quite another man, Stanislas," Charlie said, when he hadchanged his garments. "Now I can read the letter you brought me."
After expressing the great satisfaction he felt, at the news thatCharlie was alive, Mr. Ramsay went on to say that, even were hewell, he could not return to Warsaw in the present state of publicfeeling.
"Your story that you were attacked, grievously wounded, and, afterbeing confined here for some days, carried away and confined in thewood, by order of Ben Soloman, and that he visited you there, wouldbe treated with derision. The version given by the man who broughtin the story of the Jew's death was that he himself was staying inthe cottage of a charcoal burner, an acquaintance of his, and thata party of brigands, of whom you were one, arrived there, and thatthey were boasting of having caused the death of Ben Soloman, whohad fallen by your hand. He managed to escape from the brigands,and on the road found the dead body of his employer, who was, heknew, that morning coming out to give him some instructions. Myopinion, and that of my friends who knew you, was that the fellowhad himself killed and robbed his master; but your letter, ofcourse, showed that his account was true to some extent--that BenSoloman had fallen in a struggle with you, and that you yourselfwere a prisoner in the hands of these bandits. Still, as it wouldbe next to impossible for you to prove the truth of your story, andas the Jews of the place, who are numerous and influential, aredead against you, your life would certainly be forfeited were youto be captured.
"I know your story to be true, but it would appear wildlyimprobable, to others, that this wealthy Jew should have conspired,in the first place, to cause an attack to be made upon an unknownyoung stranger, still less that he should have had him carried offto the forest, and should have gone to visit him there. Theexplanation that you were a Swedish officer in disguise would notbenefit you in any way, while it would involve us who knew you inyour danger, and would cause the Jew to be regarded as a man whohad lost his life in endeavouring to unmask a plot against Poland.Therefore, I think it is extremely fortunate that you are, for thepresent, safe in the hands of these brigands, and should certainlyadvise you to make no attempt to leave them, until you areperfectly well and strong.
"I have, as you directed me, hidden a few pieces of gold in yourshoe, and have handed the rest of your money to your man, who isstarting to join you. He will conceal it about him. I have justheard that a body of troops are starting at once for the forest,and that orders have been sent to other towns, to send detachmentsinto it at different points, so it is evident the authorities aredetermined to catch you, if possible. If you had killed half adozen traders in a smaller way, they would have cared little aboutit; but just at present, pressed as the king is by want of money,he is bound to do everything he can to please the Jewish traders,as it is upon them that he must rely for loans for the payment ofhis troops.
"In this matter, then, he will leave no stone unturned to gratifythem, and I should strongly advise your band to move away from theneighbourhood, at any rate for a time. They may plunder wholevillages with impunity, but what is regarded as the murder of therichest citizen of Warsaw, a man mixed up in business and politicswith half the principal nobles of the land, is a different matteraltogether. Do not think of trying to traverse the country untilyou are perfectly strong. It will be a dangerous business at thebest, but with your man with you, to bear the brunt of replying toquestions, I have every confidence that you will succeed in makingyour way through. As to this, I can give no advice, as there is nosaying as to the point from which you may start, or the directionsin which you may travel.
"Should you, at any time, find yourself in a town in which thereare any of my countrymen established in trade, and you will findthem nearly everywhere, use my name. I think it is pretty generallyknown to Scotchmen in Poland. You will see I have inclosed a notethat will be useful to you."
The inclosure contained only a few words:
"I, Allan Ramsay, merchant of Warsaw, do declare the bearer of thisnote to be my friend, and beg any countrymen of mine, to whom hemay present himself, to assist him in every way, and, should herequire money, to furnish him with it, I undertaking to make myselfresponsible for the same, and to pay all monies and other chargesthat he may incur."
"The first thing to do," Charlie said, as he placed the letters inhis doublet, "is to let the leader of our band know that otherbodies of troops, besides that at the hut, are about to enter theforest. He may decide that it is necessary to march away at once."
As soon, indeed, as the outlaw received the tidings, he issuedorders for the band to prepare for instant departure.
"A party of five or six men together," he said to Charlie, "mighthide in this forest for years. But a band of fifty is too large tobe long concealed. To begin with, they must get food, and musteither buy it or hunt for it; and in the second, there are aconsiderable number of men living in the forest, charcoal burnersand herders of goats and swine, and any of these, if questioned bythe troops, might mention that they had seen a considerable numberof men passing. As it is, we will break up into parties of seven oreight, and appoint a rendezvous where we may meet again."
The band was speedily mustered, for, with the exception of thosewho were watching the forest through which the troops at the hutmust march to reach them, the whole were close at hand. A messengerwas sent off to call in the scouts. Then the booty that had beentaken during their late excursions was brought out, and emptied onthe ground. It consisted of money and jewellery. It was dividedinto equal portions, of which each member took one, the lieutenantsof the band two, and the captain three.
"You don't share this time," the latter said to Charlie; "but nexttime, of course, you and your comrade will each have your portion."
When this was done, the men were told off in parties of six orseven, and instructions given as to the point of rendezvous. Eachband chose its own leader, and, in an hour from the reception ofthe news, the place was deserted, and the parties were making theirway in different directions through the forest.
Charlie and Stanislas formed part of the captain's own force, whichnumbered ten in all.
"Do you think they will all turn up at the meeting place?" Charlieasked the leader, whose name he now ascertained was LadislasKoffski.
"They may," he said. "But it is seldom that bands, when they oncedisperse like this, ever come together again. It is impossible tocontent e
veryone, and any man who is chosen leader of a party may,if he is dissatisfied, persuade those with him to join some otherband. Even if they do not go in a body, many are sure to break offand make for their homes, to enjoy the booty they have gathered.
"But, upon the other hand, as we go we shall gather up freshrecruits. With so many disbanded soldiers and discontented menroaming the country, there is no difficulty in getting as many menas one cares to keep together.
"Fifty is the outside that is advisable, for with more, even if onemakes a good haul, it comes to so little, a head, that the men aredissatisfied. Of course they work in small parties, but this doesnot succeed so well as when a small band are under a singleleader."
"How long have you been at this work?"
"Since last autumn."
"And you find it pay?"
"We do not get much in money. As you saw, there were but four rixdollars a head, and that is the result of a month's work. Still,that is not bad for men who might otherwise starve. Sometimes we doworse and sometimes better, but that is about the average. Still,the life is a pleasant one, and unless we disbanded soldiers tookto it, what would there be for us to do? If government would keepus on regular pay, there would soon be no brigands left, except themen who have escaped from justice. But the treasury is empty, and,even at the best of times, the troops are badly and irregularlypaid, and are forced to plunder to keep life together. They arealmost in rags, and though we Poles do not mind fighting, there isgenerally a difficulty in getting sufficient infantry. As for thecavalry, they are nobles, and draw no pay.
"How do you feel today?"
"Better. The night's rest, and a wash and change of clothes thismorning, have made me feel another man. How far do you intend tomarch?"
"We shall go slowly for a day or two. The other parties have allpushed on ahead fast, but by taking matters quietly, and by keepinga sharp lookout, we need have no great fear of being surprised. Iknow the forest well, and its thickest hiding places, so we canafford to travel slowly, and as you become accustomed to it youwill be able to make longer journeys."
For ten days they travelled through the forest, increasing theirdistance daily, as Charlie regained his strength. The last day ortwo they did not make less than twenty miles a day. Their faceswere turned steadily east. Occasionally they passed large tracts ofcleared land, villages, and cultivated fields. At some of thesethey stopped and replenished their stock of flour, which they tookwithout paying for it, but did no farther damage.
Of meat they had abundance. Two or three men started each day assoon as they halted, and, in a short time, returned with a goat oryoung pig.
"We are now close to the Bug River," Ladislas said at their lasthalting place. "Tomorrow we shall meet some, at least, of ourcomrades. I do not expect a great many, for we were pretty equallydivided as to the direction we should travel in. Practically, wewere safe from pursuit when we had gone fifteen miles, for theforest there spreads out greatly, and those in search of us wouldknow that further pursuit would be useless. Many of my men did notcare about going farther, but all this part of the country has beenso harried, for the last two or three years, that we thought itbest to try altogether new ground. When we have crossed the Bug weshall be beyond the forest, but there are great swamps andmorasses, and hills with patches of wood. Many streams take theirrise there, all meeting farther on, and forming the Dnieper. Wemust keep north of that river, for to the south the country isthinly populated, and we should have difficulty in maintainingourselves."
Charlie made no comment, but he was glad to hear that the bandintended to keep to the north of the Dnieper, for that river wouldhave formed a serious obstacle to his making his way to rejoin theSwedes. The next day, they reached the bank of the Bug, and,following the river down, came after an hour's walking upon a greatfire, round which fifteen men were stretched. These, as thecaptain's party approached, rose to their feet with a shout ofwelcome.
"That is better than I expected," Ladislas said, as they came up tothem. "Five and twenty is quite enough for work here. In theforests one can do with more, but, moving steadily on, as we meanto do, till we get pretty near the eastern frontier, five andtwenty is ample. It is enough, when together, to surprise avillage; and it is not too many, travelling in twos and threes, toattract attention. Things always go on better, too, after adispersal. Many who are discontented, or who want to command a bandof their own, break off, and one starts fresh, with just the menone likes best to keep."
"We had begun to give you up, captain," one of the men said, as hejoined the other party. "We have been here six days."
"We travelled but slowly, at first, and it is only the last twodays we have really made fair journeys; but there was no reason forany great haste. The world is all our own, and, at any rate, aslong as we were in the forest, there was no fear of wanting food.
"So I see some of our comrades have left us."
"We can do very well without them, captain. There were thirty of ushere two days ago. Essos and Polinski quarrelled, and Essos waskilled. Then Polinski wanted us to elect him captain, and to moveaway at once. Four or five, who have always been grumblers, joinedhim at once, and persuaded some of the others, till we were aboutequally divided. It came pretty nearly to a fight; but neitherliked to begin, and they moved away."
"There are quite enough of us left," Ladislas said. "As to Essosand Polinski, I am heartily glad that they have gone. I know theyhave both been scheming for the leadership for some time. Most ofthe others can be very well spared, too. There are plenty of ushere for travel. There is no doubt, as we agreed before starting,that there is not much more to be done in this part of the country.What with the civil wars, and the bands of soldiers without aleader, and others like ourselves who do not mean to starve, thepeasants have been wrought up into a state of desperation. Theyhave little left to lose, but what they have got they are ready tofight to the death for, and, lately, at the first alarm they havesounded the bells and assembled for miles round, and, equipped withscythes and flails, routed those who meddled with them. We had morethan one hot fight, and lost many good men. Besides, many of thenobles who have suffered have turned out, with their followers, andstruck heavy blows at some of the bands; so that the sooner we getout of this country, which is becoming a nest of hornets, thebetter, for there is little booty and plenty of hard blows to begot.
"We will go on, as we agreed, till near the eastern frontier. Thecountry is well covered with forest there, and we can sally out onwhich side we like, for, if there is not much gold to be had in theRussian villages, there is plenty of vodka, and sometimes thingsworth taking in their churches. The priests and headmen, too, havegenerally got a little store, which can be got at with the aid of afew hot coals, or a string twisted tight enough round a thumb. Atany rate we sha'n't starve; but we must move on pretty fast, for weshall have to get up a warm hut in the forest, and to lay in astock of provisions before the winter sets in. So we must only stopto gather a little plunder when a good opportunity offers."
