The Circassian Chief: A Romance of Russia
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again drew back, andlistened attentively. Footsteps approached, he could not be mistaken;he heard the light and quick step advancing--nearer and nearer it came--he feared to breathe lest the sound might reach his victim's ears--hemore firmly clutched his dagger. With one foot advanced--his arm raisedready to strike, he stood pressing his body against the wall; he coulddistinguish the very breathing of him who was approaching. The figurefilled the archway--the assassin sprang from his lair, his dagger'spoint towards the breast of his victim. The lightning flashed brightlyin forked streaks from the sky and played round the blue steel, but itfailed to bring heaven's vengeance, as it glanced before the eyes of thedoomed one. He started back, but, alas, too late! the sharp pointpierced his bosom. Too firmly was the assassin's arm nerved; deep--deep, he drove his murderous weapon home; his whole force was in thethrust. Loud rolling peals of thunder reverberated through the heavens,as the work of blood was doing, and drowned the dying groan of themurdered man. Heavily he fell, struck down by the force of the blow.No sigh escaped his breast; but the foul midnight murderer was notcontent; drawing the reeking steel from the wound, his teeth grindingwith fury, his eyes starting from his head, he plunged it again, andagain, to the very hilt, into the bosom of the fallen man, the warmblood spouting from each fresh wound, and dyeing his hands. He stoopeddown, tearing aside the cloak and vest, seeking with eager haste, tofeel the bosom of him whom he had slain, to find if perchance it yetpalpitated with life; but well and truly had he done his work; a deepdeadly wound had pierced that heart, which, but a few moments before,had beat with confidence--true patriotism--high hopes and aspirations;inflicted by his foul hand.
For a moment, a gleam of satisfaction passed through the murderer'sbosom that his work was accomplished, and his reward gained; but aninstant afterwards, and oh! for ten thousand worlds would none haveexchanged the most wretched poverty for the feelings which possessedhim. It was his first cold, deliberate, mercenary shedding of blood; hefelt himself to be an accursed wretch on the earth.
He could not fly, a fascination chained him to the spot; his fingerswere clammy with blood, thick clotted to his dagger's handle. He soughtfor a pool that he had stepped in near the spot; he tried to wash awaythe damning stains, but he knew that to be impossible.
In the exciting moment of the murder, he had been thoughtless of theblood which flowed over him, but he now observed that he was coveredwith it. The rain again fell in torrents, he stood exposed to its fury,to let it wash away the stain. It revived him; his thoughts againreturned to their accustomed channel. The recollection of the money,for which he had done the deed, recurred to him; avarice seized hisheart, and he remembered that, perchance, the murdered man might havegold about him.
He now neither trembled nor hesitated, as he felt about the body of hisvictim. With joy he clutched a purse, by the size and weight of whichhe knew it must contain gold; he felt in the breast, he drew from thencea packet of letters; a thought struck him that they might be of use tohis master; he also possessed himself of watch and jewels. He wassatisfied: no regret, no compunction for the deed oppressed him. Hiscallous indifference had returned; an idea then occurred to him--horrid--diabolical. He searched around, to find some large stones, andwith all his force he dashed one on the head of the murdered man; heseized another, and another, and hurled them with fury on the head ofhis victim, till he knew that every feature must be obliterated.
Again the lightning flashed brightly, and shewed him his work. He gazedon the ghastly spectacle; the thunder rolled terrifically, and seemedabout to cast its bolts on his head. Even the assassin, callous andhardy as he was, now trembled, he could stand no more, and fled hastilyfrom his cursed work. On--on--he went, nor dared to look behind him,for he felt himself pursued by some phantom of tremendous, of horridaspect. There was a weight at his breast, his brain burned; he longedto shriek, to give vent to his feelings; but his voice seemed choked, hecould utter no sound. He felt a longing desire to rush into fiercestrife, to find more and more to slay, more to destroy. He was like thetiger who has once tasted of blood; nothing could slake his thirst;blood--blood he longed for, and still he fled away from that he hadfirst spilled; but he thought he could blot out, with fresh blood, theremembrance of that dreadful deed.
He was flying on, a sort of brute instinct guiding his way, when he wascalled to his senses, by the loud challenge of a sentry from somegovernment building. In a moment, he was again himself, the bold,careless ruffian; he answered calmly to the challenge, and was allowedto proceed onward; he drew his cloak closely around him, and walkedtowards the palace of his master, with a steady step; but it stillrequired some exertion over his nerves, to prevent himself from rushingonward at his former pace.
At length he reached the palace, and knocked at a side door, whereKruntz was in waiting for him. His fellow ruffian started, as holdingup a light, he caught sight of his pale, haggard cheek, his startingeye, and the dark red stains with which, as his cloak fell off, hisdress was besmeared.
"What work hast thou been about now, Groff?" asked the man, "thoulook'st like some wandering ghost."
"A butcher's!" answered Groff, in a thick husky voice; "but ask me noquestions. Where is our lord? I must see him directly; I have mattersof importance to communicate."
"Would'st go to him in that pretty guise, friend?" said Kruntz; "trulyit would please him much to see thee thus. Look at thyself in a glass,man, and thou would'st not much admire thine own countenance; if thoudidst look always thus, thou would'st have but poor chance with the fairdamsels thou seekest to captivate, and even men would be apt to shun thycompany. I, for one, should not much like to be as near thee always asI now am. Get thee in, man, and change thy draggled garments."
"Aye, I forgot me," answered Groff. "Say not a word, Kruntz, nor rousethe other knaves. I'll go change these wet garments, and then presentme to our Lord; here, give me thy lamp."
Thus saying, Groff seized the lamp from Kruntz's hand, and turned thelight away from himself. "Go, tell the Count, that I have returned andwill give my news, when I am fit to appear before him."
While Kruntz went to report the return of Groff, the assassin hastenedto throw off his blood-stained garments, which he carefully tied up in abundle, and hid them away together with his dagger; then having washedall stains from his cheeks and hands, he presented himself before theCount Erintoff.
He entered the room abruptly. "The deed is done which you required," hesaid; "to-morrow morning the whole city will ring with it, and I maythen claim my reward. I made sure work, and the youth will never morestand in your way."
"Good," answered the Count, "you shall have your reward. Come to-morrowto claim it."
"It is well and hardly earned, let me say; and here is something that Ifound in the breast of the youth; these papers may give you someinformation," said Groff.
"Let me have them," said the Count. "Is this all you found upon him,knave, eh?"
"Nothing farther; I stayed not to search him," answered the ruffian.
"Well, well, it matters not," said the Count; "leave me, I will examinethese papers."
The murderer gladly withdrew from the presence of his instigator tocrime, to join his companion, and to drown his conscience with wine;first examining and then carefully hiding the spoils he had taken fromhis victim.
The Count, when left alone, eagerly tore open the papers he hadreceived, though he shuddered as on the outer packet, he caught sight ofthe stains of blood; the blood of the youth he had so heartlessly, sorevengefully consigned to an early death; but all thoughts of remorsefor the deed were forgotten, as he glanced his eye over the documents.Some were in cypher, but others he perused with the deepest interest.As he read, he exclaimed aloud: "Ah, this is a fortunate discovery! Howmany do I now hold in my power! Ah, and you too! The man I hate! Ishall be amply revenged on him! My fortune is on the ascendant! ByHeavens! this information is worth a princedom to me! Ay, and I willgain it too! I would have sacrificed a thousand lives to h
ave gainedit! My revenge satisfied, now for love! Ah, beautiful but haughtygirl, your lover dead, you will now become mine; you will soon willinglycome to my arms. Fortunately, that villain cannot read, nor has he evenlooked at these papers; I must not let him guess at their contents, orhe may make higher demands on me. I trust he has not kept back anyother papers; but no, he has given these as my share, and has kept theyouth's gold, if he had any, to himself:--he is welcome to it. But if Igive information of this affair, may I not be suspected of the murder?However, that matters nothing; the government will be too well pleasedto gain the information, to inquire very minutely how I came by it, or,if they should, I may easily invent a tale to account for it. I mustsee to this."
Volume 1, Chapter XII.
We must now