The Circassian Chief: A Romance of Russia
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a career of gloryis opening out before him? I love to gaze upon his noble form, to hearhis words, though spoken to others. If he fall, I shall not survivehim. Now leave me, kind Javis, and forget the wrong I've done you.Hark, what loud shout is that?"
The revelry still continued with unabated ardour. The green was coveredwith gay and happy dancers. Alp was to lead the last round with hissweet Zara, and then they must part, though soon to meet again. Thesong, the laugh, and the cheerful sounds of the musician's strains,filling the forest glade, gladdened the hearts of all; when a shriekarose from the women, and a terrific yell like the cry of demonsresounded through the woods. Before the youths could draw their swords,a fierce band of savage horsemen were upon them. Some of the affrightedmaidens fled, shrieking through the groves; others stood paralysed withfear, clinging to the arms of their protectors. The banqueting tableswere overturned, as the pursued and the pursuers rushed across theglade; the bright sparkling wine flowed on the grass, mingled with thered blood of the combatants, as the young warriors bravely rallied towithstand the overpowering attack of the fierce followers of the KhanKhoros Kaloret; for he it was who led the band of marauders.
His eye had singled out one fair object for his prey, as he fought hisway to the spot; she was struggling to escape from the grasp of one ofhis followers, who had seized her round the waist, to lift her on hishorse; when Thaddeus, escaping from those who had attacked him, rushedforward, cleaving the savage's shoulder to the arm. He had scarcelytime to save his mistress from being crushed by the weight of thefalling body, ere the Khan fiercely set on him, endeavouring to regainpossession of his prize.
Alp had thrown himself before Zara, at the first onset of the foe,repelling all who attacked him. He bore her in safety towards a partyof their friends, assembled round the aged chief, who were keeping thehorsemen at a distance to protect the women. Leaving his bride underprotection, he collected a few men, and hastened to assist a small partyfiercely beset by the Tartars, on whom he set with such energy, thatthey were compelled to fly; but only to return with fresh fury to theattack.
In the mean time, the Khan, finding Ina snatched from his very grasp,threw himself on Thaddeus, with his whole force, hoping to bear him tothe ground. Thaddeus eluded his first onset, placing Ina on his leftside, and parrying with the greatest difficulty, the repeated andfurious strokes aimed at him by the Khan. He retreated fighting, as hebore his mistress to a place of safety; when a heavy blow from theKhan's sword brought him on his knee to the ground, though he saved hishead by a timely guard. A second stroke from his opponent's sabre wouldhave cut him down; but Ina threw herself before him, arresting theKhan's arm, ere his sword descended, giving Thaddeus time to recover hisfeet.
"Foolish maiden, you shall not save your lover a second time," exclaimedthe Khan, attempting to seize her, though the movement was nearly fatalto himself; for so furious a blow did Thaddeus make at him, that he wasobliged to relinquish his hold, to parry it.
"Fly, Ina, fly! now that you are safe," exclaimed her lover. "I willkeep the savage chief at bay."
But Ina moved not from his side. At that moment, a fresh troop ofTartars galloped to their chief's assistance. Thaddeus began to fearthat his defence had been futile; when Alp, with a few other youths,bravely threw themselves in their way.
In a different division of the grove, many of the festive party had beenoverthrown at the first surprise; but others, drawing their weapons, andplacing themselves back to back, fought so bravely, that they gave timeto their fair partners to escape; and so well did they hold theirground, that they fully occupied the greater part of the Khan'sfollowers; thus preventing them from going to their chiefs assistance;pursuing them so actively whenever they attempted to answer hisreiterated summons, that the Tartars were again obliged to turn anddefend themselves.
Yet the youths, however brave, wearing only a light gala costume, andhaving no weapon of defence but their short swords, could scarcelywithstand the furious attacks of their fully equipped enemies, for whomvictory, at first wavering, was now about to declare, when the war shoutof the Atteghei was heard; and a small body of fully-armed warriorsbroke through the grove, led on by Selem, who fiercely attacked thefirst body of Tartars he met, and drove them before him. His arrivalturned the fortune of the day. Several of the young men flew to thehouse to seize their arms, and to mount their steeds tethered in theneighbouring thickets.
Selem, fighting his way up to the spot where Thaddeus was stilldefending Ina, compelled the Khan to retreat, foaming with rage.
The events we have here described took place in a few minutes, ere therevellers, scattered in all directions, could assemble; when the oldchief, having collected them, as also his serfs, and other retainers whopanted with indignation at the audacious outrage committed on histerritories, and at being unable to reach the perpetrators, led themagainst the enemy in so determined an array, that he compelled theTartars to desist from the attack, and to seek their own safety inflight. At the same moment, a party of the young warriors returned onhorseback, to fight on more equal terms; when the Khan, seeing that anyfurther attempt to gain possession of those he hoped to capture washopeless, called to his followers to retreat, leaving several of hisband dead on the field; for so flagrant was this attack, that, as anyfell, they were cut down without mercy by the Circassians.
The defeated Tartars, furious with their disappointment and disgrace,hastily retreated, hotly pursued by the active Circassian youths onfoot, and by Selem and a few others, who were mounted; but it washopeless for the pedestrians to overtake them, and the horsemen were toofew in number to be able to retaliate with success. The horses of Selemand his followers were fatigued; he, therefore, with Alp, urged theirfriends to return to arm completely, and mounting fresh steeds, tofollow after the daring Khan, and take ample vengeance for the outragehe had committed.
A few, already mounted on fleet horses, now set off to follow at adistance, tracking his course to bring back word what route he hadtaken. When at a little distance, the scouts saw the Khan's party reinin their steeds for an instant, and seize two persons on foot, and carrythem away. They were traced towards the Kouban, in the direction of thenewly erected Russian fort; one of the scouts returning to give theinformation. The young warriors hastened to their homes to arm, and tofollow Kaloret Khan. Alp, who was one of the first prepared, took atender farewell of the weeping Zara, and instead of then making her hisbride, was compelled to pursue the foe.
When Selem called for Javis, he was nowhere to be found; and as hepassed Ina, now with the other women assembled together, and recoveringfrom their terror, he also missed Conrin. No one had seen the boy. Hecalled for him through the grove. He answered not.
"Oh my brother!" cried Ina, "Allah forbid that he has fallen among theslaughtered ones! For worlds I would not that poor boy should beslain."
They searched among the dead throughout the wood, expecting every momentto see his pallid features; but he was not to be found. There waswailing and weeping through the grove, which had late resounded with thesounds of merriment and song. The soft green turf, where the feet ofthe young and beautiful had a short time previously so joyously troddenin the dance, was now defiled with dark red pools of blood. Severalyouths had fallen, cut down by the Tartars on their first onset; andtheir female friends and relations were mourning with loud cries andlamentations over the loved ones so barbarously murdered by those whomthey had ever looked upon as countrymen.
As Selem and Thaddeus were prepared to start, one of the scouts returnedand reported what he had seen.
"It must have been Conrin then," cried Ina. "His sad forebodings havebeen fulfilled, and both he and Javis have been carried off by the Khan.Oh haste, Selem, haste, my brother! Follow that cruel chief, for hebears away one who loves you more than life itself, who has sacrificedall for you. I may not say more; but for your own sake recover poorConrin at all risks."
"Fear not, dear Ina. We will overtake the Khan, and wreak our vengeanceon him
," answered Selem.
Several other horsemen now coming up, he and Thaddeus took a fond, buthasty, farewell of Ina, and set off in pursuit of the Khan. Though someof their horses were of good blood and speed, yet every one of theKhan's were picked from the fleetest he possessed, having fullycalculated on the necessity of a rapid flight; so that he kept a head ofhis pursuers. None of the villagers of the hamlets, through which hepassed, were prepared to offer him any impediment, ignorant also of hiserrand. Furiously and desperately he rode along, for he well knew thathe had not the remotest hope of mercy should any party of theCircassians, outnumbering his own, succeed in overtaking him, and withequal eagerness was he pursued.
Nothing stopped his savage band in their course; they swam their horsesacross the most rapid streams, leaped terrific chasms, galloped down thesteepest hills, and urged their steeds up almost precipitous rocks.