The Circassian Chief: A Romance of Russia
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that you have escaped unharmed from this dreadful combat; andthat I again see you after the terrible perils to which you have beenexposed! I thought never more to have been pressed in your arms!"
"Allah, by the means of that noble young stranger, protected me, mychild," replied the chieftain: "but we must stay no longer here; let ushasten from this scene of death."
"Gladly will I go," said Ina. "But first let us thank our gallantpreserver; for know you, my father, that when you were separated fromme, I was surrounded by those terrible Cossacks, when he came, like aprotecting angel, with the speed of lightning, and saved me from thepower of that traitorous Khan. Oh! my father, I have much to thank himfor!"
"I will seek him, my Ina," replied the chieftain. "Oh! had heaven butspared me such a son as he, to delight my heart with his noble deeds, Ishould have been content: but the will of Allah be done--he is great!"
Ordering some of his band to escort Ina and her women up the mountain,he rode round to seek the chiefs of the party who had brought him suchtimely assistance. He first recognised the aged warrior, Uzden AchmetBeg, and, throwing himself from his horse, he hastened to thank him.The two chiefs warmly grasped each other's hands; a few manly wordssufficing to show the gratitude of one whom the other well knew wouldhave acted in the same way towards him. As he turned, his eye fell onthe Hadji Guz Beg, who was advancing to meet him, though he at firstscarcely recognised him after his long absence, disfigured as he waswith the dust and smoke of the conflict.
"Is it indeed you, my father, my friend?" he exclaimed. "Most welcome,are you to our native land, and well have you shown this day that, amongthe effeminate nations in whose lands you have journeyed, you have notforgotten the use of your sharp sword. Thanks, brave Hadji, for yourtimely succour."
"Oh! it is nothing," replied the Hadji, laughing; "I will soon show theUrus that I love them not better than of yore. And you, Uzden, glad Iam to see you, and to have lost no time in wetting my blade in the bloodof the cursed Urus for your sake."
"Thanks, many thanks, my father," answered the chief. "But where isthat gallant young warrior, who rushed so bravely to my aid when hardpressed by the Cossacks?"
"He is my friend, my adopted son," replied the Hadji; "a true son of theAtteghei, as he has this day shown himself to be; but he gives not hisname, nor know I even whence he comes. He will first do some deed towin a name for himself, and to show himself worthy of his father and histribe; and happy will be the father who can own him."
"Happy will he be, indeed," replied Arslan Gherrei, sighing; "for he iswell worthy to be the son of the bravest of our chiefs. Whither has hegone? Let me hasten to thank him."
"I saw him last," replied the Hadji, "closely pursuing the flyingtroops; I thought he had returned. Perhaps he and his followers havealready gone up the mountain's side."
"Allah forbid that the brave youth should have been laid low by the fireof the enemy, or fallen into their cursed power; for little mercy wouldthey show him."
Search was made in every direction for the gallant stranger, but hecould nowhere be found; and the chieftains, at length summoning theremainder of their warriors, hastened to overtake the party who hadpreceded them.
Volume 2, Chapter XII.
As our hero was attacking the retiring troops of the Russians, heobserved a young officer endeavouring to form his men into squares, andto keep them in close order to repel the desperate charges of the wildmountain cavalry.
Again and again were they broken; and at one time, by a furious charge,Ivan succeeded in riding close up to the officer, in hope of taking himprisoner; when, to his sorrow, he recognised in his opponent his formerfriend, Thaddeus Stanisloff. Before he had time to summon him tosurrender, one of the Circassian horsemen was on the point of cuttinghim down, when, throwing himself forward, he interposed his own sword,and saved his friend from destruction. A shot directly after killed theCircassian; and Ivan, calling upon Thaddeus by name, entreated him tosurrender. But at the moment the young Pole recognised him, theRussians rushed forward with desperation to rescue their officer, andIvan was himself obliged to retreat with his followers. He had nofurther opportunity of getting near enough to Thaddeus to speak to him;for the retreat of the defeated infantry was soon after covered by thearrival of a strong body of troops from Ghelendjik; and the Circassianwarriors were obliged to quit the pursuit of their prey.
Like the last heavy cloud of a thunder-storm, the mountaineers made atremendous charge on the remnant of the retreating Russians, almostoverwhelming them in their fury; and then, like a whirlwind, they sweptby before the arrival of the fresh troops, and galloped off to overtaketheir companions.
As Ivan was passing the prisoners, he heard a voice calling to him byname. He started, and turned to see whence it came; for he fancied herecognised the tone; and in a miserable object, his dress torn andcovered with blood, he saw his former attendant, the faithful Karl, inthe hands of a mountaineer, who, on a promise of a slight recompense,consented to give up his prize to his young leader.
As soon as poor Karl was liberated, he rushed to Ivan's side to expresshis gratitude. "My honest, my kind friend," said our hero, "it makes myheart beat quickly to see your old familiar face. Banish all fears, forno one here will ill-treat you. You shall be at liberty to go where youlike, or to return to your countrymen in the castle of Ghelendjik."
"Oh, my dear master," replied Karl; "don't, for mercy's sake, talk ofsending me back; for that is the very last place that I know of in theworld, that I should wish to return to. Let me be your servant andslave as before, for I would not give a glass of quass for the freedomwe gain, by becoming soldiers. Let me follow you wherever you go."
"Well, my good friend," replied Ivan; "you shall do as you wish; but wehave no time to lose, or we may all fall again into the hands of theRussians. Keep, therefore by my side, till we get beyond the reach ofthe enemy."
Saying which, Ivan rode on with his companions, Karl holding by hisstirrup.
During the whole of the combat and skirmishing we have described, youngConrin and Javis were by Ivan's side, charging into the thickest of theenemy; and many a blow did the page ward off from his master, while thesquire was as much occupied in protecting him, for he seemed scarcely tothink of himself. The boy's eye burned with an almost unnatural lustre,and his lips were closely pressed, as with sword in hand, he rushed amidthe fierce melee; but he seemed to bear a charmed life, for neithersteel or bullet touched him.
While our hero was proceeding at a fast pace along the sea shore,followed by his two attendants, and a body of mountaineers, who had nolittle difficulty in dragging on some of their captives, and werebesides, heavily laden with arms taken from the enemy, a loud shout madethem turn their heads, when they perceived a large body of Cossacksfresh from the fort, coming at full gallop towards them. The horses ofall the party were already fatigued with the fight and pursuit; they hadsmall chance of escape by flight, and they were too far outnumbered bythe foe, to hope to gain the victory in a second engagement. Yet, whatwas to be done? It was better to die fighting bravely with their facesto the enemy, than to be cut down in an ignominious flight; and at allhazards, Ivan ordered his men to wheel round, and receive the charge ofthe coming cavalry, though the odds were dreadfully against them, whenone of the Circassian horsemen, calling to his companions to follow, ledthe way through a steep narrow ravine, thickly overhung with trees.
Here, at all events, they could fight at an advantage, if the Cossacksattempted to follow; but most of the party had enough of fighting forthe day. They eagerly followed their guide up the mountain, whichappeared almost insurmountable for the animals. Karl, in greater hastethan any of the party to escape from his late masters, scrambled up therocks with the utmost agility, scarcely looking behind, to see if Ivanfollowed; who, finding; the uselessness of further fighting, rode afterthe rest; and they had already gained a considerable height, when theCossacks arrived at the base of the mountain.
Their horses, though fleet, w
ere unable to compete with the goat-likenimbleness of the Circassian steeds; and, as they rode about seeking fora practicable way to follow, many of their number fell beneath theunerring aim of the mountaineers. Vainly returning the shots which toldso fearfully among their ranks, they rode up the mountain indesperation; and at last, finding the pathway by which the Circassianshad escaped, and attempting to ride up it, they were still more at themercy of their enemy; till at length, despairing of overtaking them, andhaving lost many of their number, their officers called them off, andthey galloped back to the fort, leaving our hero and his band to pursuetheir route unmolested.
From the spot they had now reached, it was much more easy to mount thanto descend. Continuing, therefore, their upward course among brokencrags and stumps of