CHAPTER XXXI.
Basia took the Tartar that very day to "an examination," following theadvice of her husband; and fearing the shyness of Azya, she resolvednot to insist too much at once. Still, he had barely appeared beforeher when she said, straight from the bridge,--
"Pan Bogush says that you are a great man; but I think that thegreatest man cannot avoid love."
Azya closed his eyes, inclined his head, and said, "Your grace isright."
"I see that you are a man with a heart."
When she had said this, Basia began to shake her yellow forelock andblink, as if to say that she knew affairs of this kind well, and alsohoped that she was not speaking to a man without knowledge. Azya raisedhis head and embraced with his glance her charming figure. She hadnever seemed so wonderful to him as on that day, when her eyes,gleaming from curiosity and animation, and the blushing child-likeface, full of smiles, were raised toward his face. But the moreinnocent the face, the more charm did Azya see in it; the more diddesire rise in his soul; the more powerfully did love seize andintoxicate him as with wine, and drive out all other desires, save thisone alone,--to take her from her husband, bear her away, hold herforever at his breast, press her lips to his lips, feel her arms twinedaround his neck: to love, to love even to forget himself, even toperish alone, or perish with her. At thought of this the whole worldwhirled around with him; new desires crept up every moment from the denof his soul, like serpents from crevices in a cliff. But he was a manwho possessed also great self-control; therefore he said in spirit, "Itis impossible yet!" and he held his wild heart at check when he chose,as a furious horse is held on a lariat.
He stood before her apparently cold, though he had a flame in his mouthand eyes, and his deep pupils told all that his compressed lips refusedto confess. But Basia, having a soul as pure as water in a spring, andbesides a mind occupied entirely with something else, did notunderstand that speech; she was thinking in the moment what further totell the Tartar; and at last, raising her finger, she said:
"More than one bears in his heart hidden love, and does not dare tospeak of it to any one; but if he would confess his love sincerely,perhaps he might learn something good."
Azya's face grew dark for a moment; a wild hope flashed through hishead like lightning; but he recollected himself, and inquired, "Of whatdoes your grace wish to speak?"
"Another would be hasty with you," said Basia, "since women areimpatient, and not deliberate; but I am not of that kind. As tohelping, I would help you willingly, but I do not ask your confidencein a moment; I only say this to you: Do not hide; come to me evendaily. I have spoken of this matter with my husband already; graduallyyou will come to know and see my good-will, and you will know that I donot ask through mere curiosity, but from sympathy, and because if I amto assist, I must be certain that you are in love. Besides, it isproper that you show it first; when you acknowledge it to me, perhaps Ican tell you something."
Tugai Bey's son understood now in an instant how vain was that hopewhich had gleamed in his head a moment before; he divined at once thatit was a question of Eva Novoveski, and all the curses on the wholefamily which time had collected in his vengeful soul came to his mouth.Hatred burst out in him like a flame; the greater, the more differentwere the feelings which had shaken him a moment earlier. But herecollected himself. He possessed not merely self-control, but theadroitness of Orientals. In one moment he understood that if he burstout against the Novoveskis venomously, he would lose the favor of Basiaand the possibility of seeing her daily; but, on the other hand, hefelt that he could not conquer himself--at least then--to such a degreeas to lie to that desired one in the face of his own soul by sayingthat he loved another. Therefore, from a real internal conflict andundissembled suffering, he threw himself suddenly before Basia, andkissing her feet, began to speak thus:--
"I give my soul into the hands of your grace; I give my faith into thehands of your grace. I do not wish to do anything except what youcommand me; I do not wish to know any other will. Do with me what youlike. I live in torment and suffering; I am unhappy. Have compassion onme; if not, I shall perish and be lost."
And he began to groan, for he felt immense pain, and unacknowledgeddesires burned him with a living flame. But Basia considered thesewords as an outburst of love for Eva,--love long and painfully hidden;therefore pity for the young man seized her, and two tears gleamed inher eyes.
"Rise, Azya!" said she to the kneeling Tartar. "I have always wishedyou well, and I wish sincerely to help you; you come of high blood, andthey will surely not withhold naturalization in return for yourservices. Pan Novoveski will let himself be appeased, for now he lookswith different eyes on you; and Eva--" Here Basia rose, raised herrosy, smiling face, and putting her hand at the side of her mouth,whispered in Azya's ear,--"Eva loves you."
His face wrinkled, as if from rage; he seized his hips with his hands,and without thinking of the astonishment which his exclamation mightcause, he repeated a number of times in a hoarse voice, "Allah! Allah!Allah!" Then he rushed out of the room.
Basia looked after him for a moment. The cry did not astonish hergreatly, for the Polish soldiers used it often; but seeing the violenceof the young Tartar, she said to herself, "Real fire! He is wild afterher." Then she shot out like a whirlwind to make a report to herhusband, Pan Zagloba, and Eva.
She found Pan Michael in the chancery, occupied with the registry ofthe squadron stationed in Hreptyoff. He was sitting and writing, butshe ran up to him and cried, "Do you know? I spoke to him. He fell atmy feet; he is wild after her."
The little knight put down his pen and began to look at his wife. Shewas so animated and pretty that his eyes gleamed; and, smiling, hestretched his arms toward her. She, defending herself, repeatedagain,--
"Azya is wild after Eva!"
"As I am after you," said the little knight, embracing her.
That same day Zagloba and Eva knew most minutely all her conversationwith Azya. The young lady's heart yielded itself now completely to thesweet feeling, and was beating like a hammer at the thought of thefirst meeting, and still more at thought of what would happen when theyshould be alone. And she saw already the face of Azya at her knees, andfelt his kisses on her hands, and her own faintness at the time whenthe head of a maiden bends toward the arms of the loved one, and herlips whisper, "I love." Meanwhile, from emotion and disquiet she kissedBasia's hands violently, and looked every moment at the door to see ifshe could behold in it the gloomy but shapely form of young Tugai Bey.
But Azya did not show himself, for Halim had come to him,--Halim, theold servant of his father, and at present a considerable murza in theDobrudja. He had come quite openly, since it was known in Hreptyoffthat he was the intermediary between Azya and those captains who hadaccepted service with the Sultan. They shut themselves up at once inAzya's quarters, where Halim, after he had given the requisiteobeisances to Tugai Bey's son, crossed his hands on his breast, andwith bowed head waited for questions.
"Have you any letters?" asked Azya.
"I have none, Effendi. They commanded me to give everything in words."
"Well, speak."
"War is certain. In the spring we must all go to Adrianople. Commandsare issued to the Bulgarians to take hay and barley there."
"And where will the Khan be?"
"He will go straight by the Wilderness, through the Ukraine, toDoroshenko."
"What do you hear concerning the encampments?"
"They are glad of the war, and are sighing for spring; there issuffering in the encampments, though the winter is only beginning."
"Is the suffering great?"
"Many horses have died. In Belgrod men have sold themselves intoslavery, only to live till spring. Many horses have died, Effendi; forin the fall there was little grass on the steppes. The sun burned itup."
"But have they heard of Tugai Bey's son?"
"I have spoken as much as you permitted. The report went out from theLithuanian an
d Podolian Tartars; but no one knows the truth clearly.They are talking too of this,--that the Commonwealth wishes to givethem freedom and land, and call them to service under Tugai Bey's son.At the mere report all the villages that are poorer were roused. Theyare willing, Effendi, they are willing; but some explain to them thatthis is all untrue, that the Commonwealth will send troops againstthem, and that there is no son of Tugai Bey at all. There weremerchants of ours in the Crimea; they said that some there were givingout, 'There is a son of Tugai Bey,' and the people were roused; otherssaid, 'There is not,' and the people were restrained. But if it shouldgo out that your grace calls them to freedom, land, and service, swarmswould move. Only let it be free for me to speak."
Azya's face grew bright from satisfaction, and he began to walk withgreat strides up and down in the room; then he said, "Be in goodhealth, Halim, under my roof. Sit down and eat."
"I am your servant and dog, Effendi," said the old Tartar.
Azya clapped his hands, whereupon a Tartar orderly came in, and,hearing the command, brought refreshments after a time,--gorailka,dried meat, bread, sweetmeats, and some handfuls of dried water-melonseeds, which, with sunflower seeds, are a tidbit greatly relished byTartars.
"You are a friend, not a servant," said Azya, when the orderly retired."Be well, for you bring good news; sit and eat."
Halim began to eat, and until he had finished, they said nothing; buthe refreshed himself quickly, and began to glance at Azya, waiting tillhe should speak.
"They know here now who I am," said Azya, at length.
"And what, Effendi?"
"Nothing. They respect me still more. When it came to work, I had totell them anyhow. But I delayed, for I was waiting for news from thehorde, and I wished the hetman to know first; but Novoveski came, andhe recognized me."
"The young one?" asked Halim, with fear.
"The old, not the young one. Allah has sent them all to me here, forthe maiden is here. The Evil Spirit must have entered them. Only let mebecome hetman, I will play with them. They are giving me the maiden;very well, slaves are needed in the harem."
"Is the old man giving her?"
"No. _She_--she thinks that I love, not her, but the other."
"Effendi," said Halim, bowing, "I am the slave of your house, and Ihave not the right to speak before your face; but I recognized youamong the Lithuanian Tartars; I told you at Bratslav who you are; andfrom that time I serve you faithfully. I tell others that they are tolook on you as master; but though they love you, no one loves you as Ido: is it free for me to speak?"
"Speak."
"Be on your guard against the little knight. He is famous in the Crimeaand the Dobrudja."
"And, Halim, have you heard of Hmelnitski?"
"I have, and I served Tugai Bey, who warred with Hmelnitski against thePoles, ruined castles, and took property."
"And do you know that Hmelnitski took Chaplinski's wife from him,married her himself, and had children by her? What then? There was war;and all the troops of the hetmans and the king and the Commonwealth didnot take her from Hmelnitski. He beat the hetmans and the king and theCommonwealth; and besides that, he was hetman of the Cossacks. AndI,--what shall I be? Hetman of the Tartars. They must give me plenty ofland, and some town as capital; around the town villages will rise onrich land, and in the villages good men with sabres, many bows and manysabres. And when I carry her away to my town, and have her for wife,the beauty, with whom will the power be? With me. Who will demand her?The little knight,--if he be alive. Even should he be alive, and howllike a wolf and beat with his forehead to the king with complaint, doyou think that they would raise war with me for one bright tress? Theyhave had such a war already, and half the Commonwealth was flaming withfire. Who will take her? Is it the hetman? Then I will join theCossacks, will conclude brotherhood with Doroshenko, and give thecountry over to the Sultan. I am a second Hmelnitski; I am better thanHmelnitski: in me a lion is dwelling. Let them permit me to take her, Iwill serve them, beat the Cossacks, beat the Khan, and beat the Sultan;but if not, I will trample all Lehistan[20] with hoofs, take hetmanscaptive, scatter armies, burn towns, slay people. I am Tugai Bey's son;I am a lion."
Here Azya's eyes blazed with a red light; his white teeth glitteredlike those of old Tugai; he raised his hand and shook his threateningfist toward the north, and he was great and terrible and splendid, sothat Halim bowed to him repeatedly, and said hurriedly, in a lowvoice,--
"Allah kerim! Allah kerim!"[21]
Then silence continued for a long time. Azya grew calm by degrees; atlast he said, "Bogush came here. I revealed to him my strength andresource; namely, to have in the Ukraine, at the side of the Cossacknation, a Tartar nation, and besides the Cossack hetman a Tartarhetman."
"Did he approve it?"
"He seized himself by the head, and almost beat with the forehead; nextday he galloped off to the hetman with the happy news."
"Effendi," said Halim, timidly, "but if the Great Lion should notapprove it?"
"Sobieski?"
"Yes."
A ruddy light began to gleam again in Azya's eyes; but it remained onlyduring one twinkle. His face grew calm immediately; then he sat on abench, and resting his head on his hands, fell into deep thought.
"I have weighed in my mind," said he, at last, "what the grand hetmanmay answer when Bogush gives him the happy news. The hetman is wise,and will consent. The hetman knows that in spring there will be warwith the Sultan, for which there are neither men nor money in theCommonwealth; and when Doroshenko and the Cossacks are on the side ofthe Sultan, final destruction may come on Lehistan,--and all the morethat neither the king nor the estates believe that there will be war,and are not hurrying to prepare for it. I have an attentive ear here oneverything; I know all, and Bogush makes no secret before me of whatthey say at the hetman's headquarters. Pan Sobieski is a great man; hewill consent, for he knows that if the Tartars come here for freedomand land, a civil war may spring up in the Crimea and the steppes ofthe Dobrudja, that the strength of the horde will decrease, and thatthe Sultan himself must see to quieting those outbreaks. Meanwhile, thehetman will have time to prepare himself better; the Cossacks andDoroshenko will waver in loyalty to the Sultan. This is the onlysalvation for the Commonwealth, which is so weak that even the returnof a few thousand Lithuanian Tartars means much for it. The hetmanknows this; he is wise, he will consent."
"I bow before your reason," answered Halim; "but what will happen ifAllah takes from the Great Lion his light, or if Satan so blinds himwith pride that he will reject your plans?"
Azya pushed his wild face up to Halim's ear, and whispered, "You remainhere now until the answer comes from the hetman; and till then I willnot go to Rashkoff. If they reject my plans, I will send you toKrychinski and the others. You will give them the order to advance tothis side of the river almost up to Hreptyoff, and to be in readiness;and I with my men here will fall on the command the first night Ichoose, and do this for them--" Here Azya drew his finger across hisneck, and after a while added, "Fate, fate, fate!"
Halim thrust his head down between his shoulders, and on his beast-likeface an ominous smile appeared. "Allah! And that to the Little Falcon?"
"That to him first."
"And then to the Sultan's dominions?"
"To the Sultan's dominions,--with her."
Pan Michael: An Historical Novel of Poland, the Ukraine, and Turkey Page 32
