The Deluge: An Historical Novel of Poland, Sweden, and Russia. Vol. 2 (of 2)

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

  CHAPTER XLII.

  The sword-bearer of Rossyeni returned a few days later. In spite of thesafe-conduct of Boguslav, he went only to Rossyeni; to Billevicheitself he had no reason to go, for it was no longer in the world. Thehouse, the buildings, the village, everything was burned to the groundin the last battle, which Father Strashevich, a Jesuit, had fought atthe head of his own detachment against the Swedish captain Rossa. Theinhabitants were in the forests or in armed parties. Instead of richvillages there remained only land and water.

  The roads were filled with "ravagers,"--that is, fugitives from variousarmies, who, going in considerable groups, were busied with robbery, sothat even small parties of soldiers were not safe from them. Thesword-bearer then had not even been able to convince himself whetherthe barrels filled with plate and money and buried in the garden weresafe, and he returned to Taurogi, very angry and peevish, with aterrible animosity in his heart against the destroyers.

  He had barely put foot out of his carriage, when Olenka hurried him toher own room, and recounted all that Hassling-Kettling had told her.

  The old soldier shivered at the recital, since, not having children ofhis own, he loved the maiden as his daughter. For a while he didnothing but grasp his sword-hilt, repeating, "Strike, who has courage!"At last he caught himself by the head, and began to say,--

  "_Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa_ (It is my fault, my greatest fault); forat times it came into my head, and this and that man whispered thatthat hell-dweller was melting from love of you, and I said nothing, waseven proud, thinking: 'Well, he will marry! We are relatives of theGosyevskis, of the Tyzenhauzes; why should we not be relatives of theRadzivills?' For pride, God is punishing me. The traitor prepared arespectable relationship. That's the kind of relative he wanted to be.I would he were killed! But wait! this hand and this sabre will moulderfirst."

  "We must think of escape," said Olenka.

  "Well, give your plans of escape."

  The sword-bearer, having finished panting, listened carefully; at lasthe said,--

  "Better collect my subjects and form a party! I will attack the Swedesas Kmita did Hovanski. You will be safer in the forest and in the fieldthan in the court of a traitor and a heretic."

  "That is well," answered the lady.

  "Not only will I not oppose," said the sword-bearer, "but I will saythe sooner the better. And I lack neither subjects nor scythes. Theyburned my residence, never mind that! I will assemble peasants fromother villages. All the Billeviches in the field will join us. We willshow you relationship, young man,--we will show what it is to attackthe Billevich honor. You are a Radzivill! What of that? There are nohetmans in the Billevich family, but there are also no traitors! Weshall see whom all Jmud will follow! We will put you in Byalovyej andreturn ourselves," said he, turning to Olenka. "It cannot be otherwise!He must give satisfaction for that affair, for it is an injustice tothe whole estate of nobles. Infamous is he who does not declare for us!God will help us, our brethren will help us, citizens will help us, andthen fire and sword! The Billeviches will meet the Radzivills! Infamoushe who is not with us! infamous he who will not flash his sword in theeyes of the traitor! The king is with us; so is the Diet, so is thewhole Commonwealth."

  Here the sword-bearer, red as blood and with bristling forelock, fellto pounding the table with his fist.

  "This war is more urgent than the Swedish, for in us the whole order ofknighthood, all laws, the whole Commonwealth is injured and shaken inits deepest foundations. Infamous is he who does not understand this!The land will perish unless we measure out vengeance and punishment onthe traitor!"

  And the old blood played more and more violently, till Olenka wasforced to pacify her uncle. He sat calmly, then, though he thought thatnot only the country, but the whole world was perishing when theBilleviches were touched; in this he saw the most terrible precipicefor the Commonwealth, and began to roar like a lion.

  But the lady, who had great influence over him, was able at last topacify her uncle, explaining that for their safety and for the successof their flight it was specially needful to preserve the profoundestsecrecy, and not to show the prince that they were thinking ofanything.

  He promised sacredly to act according to her directions; then they tookcounsel about the flight itself. The affair was not over-difficult, forit seemed that they were not watched at all. The sword-bearer decidedto send in advance a youth, with letters to his overseers to assemblepeasants at once from all the villages belonging to him and the otherBilleviches, and to arm them.

  Six confidential servants were to go to Billeviche, as it were, for thebarrels of money and silver, but really to halt in the Girlakolforests, and wait there with horses, bags, and provisions. They decidedto depart from Taurogi in sleighs and accompanied by two servants, asif going merely to the neighboring Gavna; afterward they would mounthorses and hurry on with all speed. To Gavna they used to go often tovisit the Kuchuk-Olbrotovskis, where sometimes they passed the night;they hoped therefore that their journey would not attract the attentionof any one, and that no pursuit would follow, unless two or three dayslater, at which time they would be in the midst of armed bands and inthe depth of impenetrable forests. The absence of Prince Boguslavstrengthened them in this hope.

  Meanwhile the sword-bearer was greatly busied with preparations. Amessenger with letters went out on the following morning. The day afterthat, Pan Tomash talked in detail with Patterson of his buried money,which, as he said, exceeded a hundred thousand, and of the need ofbringing it to safe Taurogi. Patterson believed easily; for Billevichwas a noble and passed as a very rich man, which he was in reality.

  "Let them bring it as soon as possible," said the Scot; "if you needthem, I will give you soldiers."

  "The fewer people who see what I am bringing the better. My servantsare faithful, and I will order them to cover the barrels with hemp,which is brought often from our villages to Prussia, or with staveswhich no one will covet."

  "Better with staves," said Patterson; "for people could feel with asabre or a spear through the hemp that there was something else in thewagon. But you would better give the coin to the prince on hisrecognition. I know, too, that he needs money, for his revenues do notcome regularly."

  "I should like so to serve the prince that he would never needanything," answered the old man.

  The conversation ended there, and all seemed to combine most favorably,for the servants started at once, while the sword-bearer and Olenkawere to go next morning. But in the evening Boguslav returned mostunexpectedly at the head of two regiments of Prussian cavalry. Hisaffairs seemed to advance not too favorably, for he was angry andfretful.

  That evening he summoned a council of war, which was composed of therepresentatives of the elector. Count Seydevitz, Patterson, Sakovich,and Kyritz, a colonel of cavalry. They sat till three in the morning;and the object of their deliberation was the campaign to Podlyasyeagainst Sapyeha.

  "The elector and the King of Sweden have reinforced me in proportionto their strength," said the prince. "One of two things willhappen,--either I shall find Sapyeha in Podlyasye, and in that event Imust rub him out; or I shall not find him, and I shall occupy Podlyasyewithout resistance. For all this, however, money is needed; and moneyneither the elector nor the King of Sweden has given me, for theyhaven't it themselves."

  "Where is money to be found if not with your highness?" askedSeydevitz. "Through the whole world men speak of the inexhaustiblewealth of the Radzivills."

  "Pan Seydevitz," answered Boguslav, "if I received all the income frommy inherited estates, I should surely have more money than five of yourGerman princes taken together. But there is war in the country;revenues do not come in, or are intercepted by rebels. Ready moneymight be obtained for notes from the Prussian towns; but you know bestwhat is happening in them, and that purses are opened only for YanKazimir."

  "But Koenigsberg?"

  "I took what I could get, but that was little."

  "
I think myself fortunate to be able to serve you with good counsel,"said Patterson.

  "I would rather you served me with ready money."

  "My counsel means ready money. Not longer ago than yesterday PanBillevich told me that he had a good sum hidden in the garden ofBilleviche, and that he wishes to bring it here for safety, and give itto your highness for a note."

  "Well, you have really fallen from heaven to me, and this noble aswell!" cried Boguslav. "But has he much money?"

  "More than a hundred thousand, besides silver and valuables, which areworth perhaps an equal amount."

  "The silver and valuables he will not wish to turn into money, but theycan be pawned. I am thankful to you, Patterson, for this comes to me intime. I must talk to Billevich in the morning."

  "Then I will forewarn him, for he is preparing to go to-morrow with thelady to Gavna to the Kuchuk-Olbrotovskis."

  "Tell him not to go till he sees me."

  "He has sent the servants already; I am only alarmed for their safety."

  "A whole regiment can be sent after them; but we will talk later. Thisis timely for me, timely! And it will be amusing if I rend Podlyasyefrom the Commonwealth with the money of this royalist and patriot."

  Then the prince dismissed the council, for he had to put himself yet inthe hands of his chamber attendants, whose task it was every nightbefore he went to rest to preserve his uncommon beauty with baths,ointments, and various inventions known only in foreign lands. Thislasted usually an hour, and sometimes two; besides, the prince wasroad-weary and the hour late.

  Early in the morning Patterson detained Billevich and Olenka with theannouncement that the prince wished to see them. It was necessary todefer their journey; but this did not disturb them over-much, forPatterson told what the question was.

  An hour later the prince appeared. In spite of the fact that Pan Tomashand Olenka had promised each other most faithfully to receive him informer fashion, they could not do so, though they tried with everyeffort.

  Olenka's countenance changed, and blood came to the face of thesword-bearer at sight of Prince Boguslav; for a time both stoodconfused, excited, striving in vain to regain their usual calmness.

  The prince, on the contrary, was perfectly at ease. He had grown alittle meagre about the eyes, and his face was less colored thancommon; but that paleness of his was set off wonderfully by thepearl-colored morning dress, interwoven with silver. He saw in a momentthat they received him somewhat differently, and were less glad thanusual to see him. But he thought at once that those two royalists hadlearned of his relations with the Swedes; hence the coolness of thereception. Therefore he began at once to throw sand in their eyes, and,after the compliments of greeting, said,--

  "Lord Sword-bearer, my benefactor, you have heard, without doubt, whatmisfortunes have met me."

  "Does your highness wish to speak of the death of Prince Yanush?" askedthe sword-bearer.

  "Not of his death alone. That was a cruel blow; still, I yielded to thewill of God, Who, as I hope, has rewarded my cousin for all the wrongsdone him; but He has sent a new burden to me, for I must be leader in acivil war; and that for every citizen who loves his country is a bitterportion."

  The sword-bearer said nothing; he merely looked a little askance atOlenka. But the prince continued,--

  "By my labor and toil, and God alone knows at what outlay, I hadbrought peace to the verge of realization. It was almost a question ofmerely signing the treaties. The Swedes were to leave Poland, asking noremuneration save the consent of the king and the estates that afterthe death of Yan Kazimir Karl Gustav would be chosen to the throne ofPoland. A warrior so great and mighty would be the salvation of theCommonwealth. And what is more important, he was to furnish at oncereinforcements for the war in the Ukraine and against Moscow. We shouldhave extended our boundaries; but this was not convenient for PanSapyeha, for then he could not crush the Radzivills. All agreed to thistreaty. He alone opposes it with armed hand. The country is nothing tohim, if he can only carry out his personal designs. It has come tothis, that arms must be used against him. This function has beenconfided to me, according to the secret treaty between Yan Kazimir andKarl Gustav. This is the whole affair! I have never shunned anyservice, therefore I must accept this; though many will judge meunjustly, and think that I begin a brother-killing war from purerevenge only."

  "Whoso knows your highness," said the sword-bearer, "as well as we dowill not be deceived by appearances, and will always be able tounderstand the real intentions of your highness."

  Here the sword-bearer was so delighted with his own cunning andcourtesy, and he muttered so expressively at Olenka, that she wasalarmed lest the prince should notice those signs.

  And he did notice them. "They do not believe me," thought he. Andthough he showed no wrath on his face, Billevich had pricked him to thesoul. He was convinced with perfect sincerity that it was an offencenot to believe, a Radzivill, even when he saw fit to lie.

  "Patterson has told me," continued he, after a while, "that you wish togive me ready money for my paper. I agree to this willingly; for Iacknowledge that ready money is useful to me at the moment. When peacecomes, you can do as you like,--either take a certain sum, or I willgive you a couple of villages as security, so that the transaction willbe profitable for you.--Pardon," said the prince, turning to Olenka,"that in view of such material questions we are not speaking of sighsor ideals. This conversation is out of place; but the times are suchthat it is impossible to give their proper course to homage andadmiration."

  Olenka dropped her eyes, and seizing her robe with the tips of herfingers, made a proper courtesy, not wishing to give an answer.Meanwhile the sword-bearer formed in his mind a project of unheard-ofunfitness, but which he considered uncommonly clever.

  "I will flee with Olenka and will not give the money," thought he.

  "It will be agreeable to me to accommodate your highness. Patterson hasnot told of all, for there is about half a pot of gold ducats buriedapart, so as not to lose all the money in case of accident. Besides,there are barrels belonging to other Billeviches; but these during myabsence were buried under the direction of this young lady, and shealone is able to calculate the place, for the man who buried them isdead."

  Boguslav looked at him quickly. "How is that? Patterson said that youhave already sent men; and since they have gone, they must know wherethe money is."

  "But of the other money no one knows, except her."

  "Still it must be buried in some definite place, which can be describedeasily in words or indicated on paper."

  "Words are wind; and as to pictures, the servants know nothing of them.We will both go; that is the thing."

  "For God's sake! you must know your own gardens. Therefore go alone.Why should Panna Aleksandra go?"

  "I will not go alone!" said Billevich, with decision.

  Boguslav looked at him inquiringly a second time; then he seatedhimself more comfortably, and began to strike his boots with a canewhich he held in his hand.

  "Is that final?" asked he. "Well! In such an event I will give a coupleof regiments of cavalry to take you there and bring you back."

  "We need no regiments. We will go and return ourselves. This is ourcountry. Nothing threatens us here."

  "As a host, sensitive to the good of his guests, I cannot permit thatPanna Aleksandra should go without armed force. Choose, then. Either goalone, or let both go with an escort."

  Billevich saw that he had fallen into his own trap; and that broughthim to such anger that, forgetting all precautions, he cried,--

  "Then let your highness choose. Either we shall both go unattended, orI will not give the money!"

  Panna Aleksandra looked on him imploringly; but he had already grownred and begun to pant. Still, he was a man cautious by nature, eventimid, loving to settle every affair in good feeling; but when once themeasure was exceeded in dealing with him, when he was too much excitedagainst any one, or when it was a question of the Billevich honor, hehurled hims
elf with a species of desperate daring at the eyes of eventhe most powerful enemy. So that now he put his hand to his left side,and shaking his sabre began to cry with all his might,--

  "Is this captivity? Do they wish to oppress a free citizen, and trampleon cardinal rights?"

  Boguslav, with shoulders leaning against the arms of the chair, lookedat him attentively; but his look became colder each moment, and hestruck the cane against his boots more and more quickly. Had thesword-bearer known the prince better, he would have known that he wasbringing down terrible danger on his own head.

  Relations with Boguslav were simply dreadful. It was never known whenthe courteous cavalier, the diplomat accustomed to self-control, wouldbe overborne by the wild and unrestrained magnate who trampled everyresistance with the cruelty of an Eastern despot. A brilliant educationand refinement, acquired at the first courts of Europe; reflection andstudied elegance, which he had gained in intercourse with men,--werelike wonderful and strong flowers under which was secreted a tiger.

  But the sword-bearer did not know this, and in his angry blindnessshouted on,--

  "Your highness, dissemble no further, for you are known! And have acare, for neither the King of Sweden nor the elector, both of whom youare serving against your own country, nor your princely position, willsave you before the law; and the sabres of nobles will teach youmanners, young man!"

  Boguslav rose; in one instant he crushed the cane in his iron hands,and throwing the pieces at the feet of the sword-bearer, said with aterrible, suppressed voice,--

  "That is what your rights are for me! That your tribunals! That yourprivileges!"

  "Outrageous violence!" cried Billevich.

  "Silence, paltry noble!" cried the prince. "I will crush you intodust!" And he advanced to seize the astonished man and hurl him againstthe wall.

  Now Panna Aleksandra stood between them. "What do you think to do?"inquired she.

  The prince restrained himself. But she stood with nostrils distended,with flaming face, with fire in her eyes like an angry Minerva. Herbreast heaved under her bodice like a wave of the sea, and she wasmarvellous in that anger, so that Boguslav was lost in gazing at her;all his desires crept into his face, like serpents from the dens of hissoul.

  After a time his anger passed, presence of mind returned; he lookedawhile yet at Olenka. At last his face grew mild; he bent his headtoward his breast, and said,--

  "Pardon, angelic lady! I have a soul full of gnawing and pain,therefore I do not command myself." Then he left the room.

  Olenka began to wring her hands; and Billevich, coming to himself,seized his forelock, and cried,--

  "I have spoiled everything; I am the cause of your ruin!"

  The prince did not show himself the whole day. He even dined in his ownroom with Sakovich. Stirred to the bottom of his soul, he could notthink so clearly as usual. Some kind of ague was wasting him. It wasthe herald of a grievous fever which was to seize him soon with suchforce that during its attacks he was benumbed altogether, so that hisattendants had to rub him most actively. But at this time he ascribedhis strange state to the power of love, and thought that he must eithersatisfy it or die. When he had told Sakovich the whole conversationwith the sword-bearer, he said,--

  "My hands and feet are burning, ants are walking along my back, in mymouth are bitterness and fire; but, by all the horned devils, what isthis? Never has this attacked me before!"

  "Your highness is as full of scruples as a baked capon of buckwheatgrits. The prince is a capon, the prince is a capon. Ha, ha!"

  "You are a fool!"

  "Very well."

  "I don't need your ideas."

  "Worthy prince, take a lute and go under the windows of the maiden.Billevich may show you his fist. Tfu! to the deuce! is that the kind ofbold man that Boguslav Radzivill is?"

  "You are an idiot!"

  "Very well. I see that your highness is beginning to speak withyourself and tell the truth to your own face. Boldly, boldly! Pay noheed to rank."

  "You see, Sakovich, that my Castor is growing familiar with me; as itis, I kick him often in the ribs, but a greater accident may meet you."

  Sakovich sprang up as if red with anger, like Billevich a little whilebefore; and since he had an uncommon gift of mimicry, he began to cryin a voice so much like that of Billevich that any one not seeing whowas talking, might have been deceived.

  "What! is this captivity? Do they wish to oppress a free citizen, totrample on cardinal rights?"

  "Give us peace! give us peace!" said the prince, fretfully. "Shedefended that old fool with her person, but here there is one to defendyou."

  "If she defended him, she should have been taken in pawn!"

  "There must be some witchcraft in this place! Either she must havegiven me something, or the constellations are such that I am simplyleaving my mind. If you could have seen her when she was defending thatmangy old uncle of hers! But you are a fool! It is growing cloudy in myhead. See how my hands are burning! To love such a woman, to gainher--with such a woman to--"

  "To have posterity!" added Sakovich.

  "That's so, that's so!--as if you knew that must be; otherwise I shallburst as a bomb. For God's sake! what is happening to me? Must I marry,or what, by all the devils of earth and hell?"

  Sakovich grew serious. "Your princely highness, you must not think ofthat!"

  "I am thinking of just that, precisely because I wish it. I will dothat, though a regiment of Sakoviches repeated a whole day to me, 'Yourprincely highness must not think of that!'"

  "Oh, I see this is no joke."

  "I am sick, enchanted."

  "Why do you not follow my advice at last?"

  "I must follow it,--may the plague take all the dreams, all theBilleviches, all Lithuania with the tribunals, and Yan Kazimir to boot!I shall not succeed otherwise; I see that I shall not! I have hadenough of this, have I not? A great question! And I, the fool, wasconsidering both sides hitherto; was afraid of dreams, of Billeviches,of lawsuits, of the rabble of nobles, the fortune of Yan Kazimir. Tellme that I am a fool! Do you hear? I command you to tell me that I am afool!"

  "But I will not obey, for now you are really Radzivill, and not aCalvinist minister. But in truth you must be ill, for I have never seenyou so changed."

  "True! In the most difficult positions I merely waved my hand andwhistled, but now I feel as if some one were thrusting spurs into mysides."

  "This is strange, for if that maiden has given you somethingdesignedly, she has not done so to run away afterward; but still, fromwhat you say, it seems that they wish to flee in secret."

  "Ryff told me that this is the influence of Saturn, on which burningexhalations rise during this particular month."

  "Worthy prince, rather take Jove as a model, for he was happy withoutmarriage. All will be well; only do not think of marriage, unless of acounterfeit one."

  All at once the starosta of Oshmiana struck his forehead.

  "But wait, your highness! I have heard of such a case in Prussia."

  "Is the Devil whispering something into your ear? Tell me!"

  But Sakovich was silent for a long time; at last his face brightened,and he said,--

  "Thank the fortune that gave you Sakovich as friend."

  "What news, what news?"

  "Nothing. I will be your highness's best man" (here Sakovichbowed),--"no small honor for such a poor fellow!"

  "Don't play the jester; speak quickly!"

  "There is in Tyltsa one Plaska, or something like that, who in his timewas a priest in Nyevorani, but who falling away from the faith became aLutheran, got married, took refuge under the elector, and now isdealing in dried fish with people of this region. Bishop Parchevskitried to lure him back to Jmud, where in good certainty therewas a fire waiting for him; but the elector would not yield up afellow-believer."

  "How does that concern me? Do not loiter."

  "How does that concern your highness? In this way it must concern you;for he will sew you and her tog
ether with stitches on the outside, youunderstand? And because he is a fool of a workman, and does not belongto the guild, it will be easy to rip the work after him. Do you see?The guild does not recognize this sewing as valid; but still there willbe no violence, no outcry; you can twist the neck of the workmanafterward, and you will complain that you were deceived, do youunderstand? But before that time _crescite et multiplicamini_. I'll bethe first to give you my blessing."

  "I understand, and I don't understand," said the prince. "The devil Iunderstand there perfectly. Sakovich, you must have been born, like awitch, with teeth in your mouth. The hangman is waiting for you; itcannot be otherwise, O Starosta! But while I live a hair will not fallfrom your head; a fitting reward will not miss you. I then--"

  "Your highness will make a formal proposal to Panna Billevich, to herand to her uncle. If they refuse, if they do not consent, then givecommand to tear the skin from me, make sandal strings out of it, and goon a pilgrimage of penance to--to Rome. It is possible to resist aRadzivill if he wishes simply to be a lover; but if he wishes to marry,he need not try to please any noble. You must only tell Billevich andthe lady that out of regard for the elector and the King of Sweden, whowant you to marry the Princess of Bipont, your marriage must remainsecret till peace is declared. Besides, you will write the marriagecontract as you like. Both churches will be forced to declare itinvalid. Well, what do you think?"

  Boguslav was silent for a while, but on his face red fever-spotsappeared under the paint; then he cried,--

  "There is no time in three days. I must move against Sapyeha."

  "That is just the position! Were there more time, it would beimpossible to justify the pretext. Is not this true? Only through lackof time can you explain that the first priest at hand officiates, ashappens in sudden emergencies, and marries on a bolting-cloth. Theywill think too, 'It is sudden, for it must be sudden!' She is aknightly maiden; you can take her with you to the field. Dearbridegroom, if Sapyeha conquers, even then you will have half thevictories of the campaign."

  "That is well, that is well!" said the prince.

  But at that moment the first paroxysm seized him so that his jawsclosed and he could not say another word. He grew rigid, and then beganto quiver and flounder like a fish out of water. But before theterrified Sakovich could bring the physician, the paroxysm had passed.