night; and when itwas rumoured that the celebrated Hadji Guz Beg had returned from hisdistant pilgrimage, and was about to take the field, with his hatred ofthe Urus unabated, numbers of young men volunteered to join hisstandard, leaving the old men and women to attend to their fields.Achmet Beg indeed, though the head of his tribe, and a much respectednoble, had not gained that renown which his younger brother had acquiredby a long series of hazardous and daring exploits. The latter,therefore, was always preferred as a leader by the young and boldspirits of their tribe, nor did the elder, who was of an unambitious,quiet character, feel the slightest jealousy at his brother's superiormilitary abilities.
Ivan was overjoyed when he found with whom he had formed a friendship,little thinking while aboard ship, where he had scarcely spoken on thesubject of war, that the sedate Hadji was the renowned warrior he on allsides was acknowledged to be; and though he seemed somewhat to boastamong his friends of past deeds, and of others to be accomplished, itwas easy to see that it was not the vaunting of a pretender, by theattention paid to his words.
A gallant array of cavaliers now assembled before the house of PrinceMahmood; the chiefs in glittering suits of armour, some of highlypolished plates of steel, and others of finely worked chain, theircloaks of varied colours, and swords girded to their sides, with richlyembossed handles. The daggers in their belts were decorated in the samemanner. Many carried pistols, and the greater number had also a longrifle slung at their backs, thus mingling the weapons of ancient andmodern days.
Their retainers were armed, some with long guns, and others with longbows, and quivers full of arrows, wearing in their belts shortdouble-edged swords, or rather daggers, and straight sabres by theirsides.
As Ivan issued from the house, he found a high-mettled steed waiting atthe door, held by Achmet Beg's squire. The Hadji advanced as heappeared, and leading the horse forward, presented it to him, saying:
"Let me be the first, my son, to provide you with a charger of the trueAtteghei breed, who well knows his way among the ranks of the Moscov;and in case you do not like the gift, you can repay me when we have madea foray into their country, and have carried off a rich booty. Tillthen, accept him from a father who loves you. There are two others,which count as nothing, for the use of your squire and page, thoughperhaps not to be matched among the Cossacks of the plain."
Ivan, gratefully thanking him for his well-timed present, vaulted withalacrity into the light saddle, Javis holding his stirrup, and thenfollowing his example. Young Conrin also shewed himself no meanhorseman, leaping lightly on his small, but well proportioned and activesteed.
The whole party were prepared to set forth, when the aged prince himselfappeared, tendering to each guest of noble rank a parting stirrup cup ofmead; for such is the knightly custom, still adhered to in thatprimitive country.
"May the blessings of Allah attend you, my sons!" said the agedchieftain; "may your arms be victorious over our enemies, and may deathfly from your ranks. Would that I too had strength to lead my followersto the field; but while my gallant sons yet exist to take my place, Imust remain to guard our lands from the foe. Should it be the will ofAllah that they fall, then I too must gird on my sword, and yield mylast breath amid the din of battle. Now Heaven protect you, my sons!"
The venerable Prince, grasping the hand of each chief as in turn theyrode by, the cavalcade set forward. As they issued from the court-yardof their konag, the cry of "Ogmaff! ogmaff! farewell! farewell!"resounded on all sides from the assembled retainers and slaves of thechief; and loud shouts of "Vo-ri-va-ka," rent the air, as a partingsalute to the warriors who were sallying forth to defend their country.
They set forward at a brisk pace, Ivan keeping by the side of the Hadji,who pointed out to him each scene of note as they advanced, explainingto him the Circassian style of fighting, and other subjects of interestand importance.
In the rear of their ranks, came the Armenian merchant and his packhorses, light active animals, formed of bone and sinew alone, whocontinued to keep up with the high-mettled steeds of the warriors,though the ground was rough and hilly. Their route lay across acountry, wild as if no other foot had trodden it save the beasts of theforest; now over the edge of dizzy precipices, then descending intosavage glens and through dark and frightful defiles, amid giganticrocks, bared, broken, and distorted into a thousand strange forms.
Then again they had to scale some lofty elevation, amid splendidforest trees, where a platform of rich ground would be found,highly-cultivated, and far removed from the reach of their enemies.Occasionally they saw, amid the almost inaccessible recesses of themountains, some Alpine cot, whose skin-clad inhabitant was tending hisflocks of goats.
As they rode along, game of various sorts, such as wild turkeys,pheasants, hares, and deer, would start up in their path, to which someof the party gave chase, and either ran down or shot with theirtrue-aimed arrows. As they were passing through a rocky defile, animmense wild boar started up in their path.
"A fortunate omen for our next expedition," shouted the Hadji. "Now, myDeli Khans, let us give chase to the huge monster as we would to thesavage Urus."
Uttering these words, and with the spirit and agility of youth, spurringon his horse, followed by Ivan and the younger men of the party, he rodeat the beast, who, gnashing his long tusks in defiance as he turned hishead towards them, first endeavoured to escape among the rocks, when hesaw the number of his foes. The Hadji was, however, too quick for him;and the boar, seeing escape from his active pursuers was hopeless, stoodat bay. Grinning at them with his sharp teeth, and foaming with fury,he prepared to rush at the headmost of his opponents; but, nothingdaunted, the aged, but active huntsman rode directly at him, and leaningfrom his saddle, plunged a short sword deep into the thick neck of theanimal, who made a last desperate attempt to rip up the horse of hisopponent; but the Hadji, making his steed spring on one side, the fiercebeast rolled over, and expired without a struggle.
Shouts of applause, from those of his friends who had come up to thescene of action, followed this dexterous feat of the old warrior.
"Bosh! it is nothing," he exclaimed. "I did it but to ascertain if myeye had lost its quickness, or my arm its nerve; but, praises be toAllah, neither of them is the worse for my long rest."
The carcase of the boar was left to feed the beasts of the mountain,less scrupulous than the followers of Mahomet; though in truth, few ofthe Circassian mountaineers are very strict observers of the tenets ofhis religion, nor would object, if hard pressed, to a slice of theunclean animal.
"We will soon find more noble game than this," said the Hadji, turningto Ivan, who had arrived as the boar received his death stroke; "and youwill become both a good huntsman and a good warrior. But Inshallah! thefirst is only fit sport for boys or young men, when there are no enemiesto be met with; and I did it but to stretch my sinews a little after myvoyage."
The whole party now proceeded through a deep and romantic glen, wherescarcely a breath stirred the light festoons of creeping plants whichhung from the rocks above. All seemed solemn and sad; when Achmet Beg'sfollowers struck into a low chaunting song, describing the actions ofsome chief who had fallen lately, fighting against the Russians. Thewhole party joined in a rich and full chorus; the sounds of Ay-a-ri-raswelling and dying away among the ravines and far distant glades of themountain forest.
Ascending a lofty eminence, crowned by trees, they emerged from theirshelter, when a view was obtained of the sea below them, and of the fortof Ghelendjik, far to the north, built on one side of a deep bay.Stretching far beyond it was a long line of white cliffs. As the partyof warriors gazed on it, expressions of execration burst from theirlips, and the Hadji looked anxiously down a steep pathway leading to theshore, by which he might have gained the outside of the fort; butfeeling the uselessness of the wish, he merely contented himself withmuttering--
"The piggish cowards! Let us but meet them beyond their walls andwithout their cannon, and we will soon teach them better
manners than topay us a visit without an invitation."
It struck the chiefs as singular, that they had met none of thesentinels, who watch every height along the coast in the neighbourhoodof an enemy.
"The men of Hyderbey were not wont to be sluggards at their posts!"exclaimed the Hadji to his brother. "How is it that they do not watchthese heights?"
"Perhaps they have gone nearer to our foes," replied the chief, "toshoot any who may show their faces above the walls of their fort."
The scene below them seemed calm and quiet. A few white sails ofRussian vessels, alone dotted the smooth bosom of the Euxine. In thefort all was so quiet, that it looked like a deserted mound of earth.The roofs of the buildings scarcely peered above the walls; and theproud standard of Russia was hardly distinguishable, as it hunglistlessly round its staff.
Not a breath stirred the air, and deep
The Circassian Chief: A Romance of Russia Page 51
