Ogniem i mieczem. English

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

  CHAPTER XXXV.

  The sun was high when the princess opened her eyes from sleep on thefollowing day. Her glance rested first on the ceiling, and remainedthere long; then it took in the whole room. In her breast returningconsciousness struggled still with the remnants of sleep and visions.On her face were depicted wonder and disquiet. Where is she, whence didshe come, and in whose power is she? Is she dreaming yet, or is sheawake? What means the splendor with which she is surrounded? What hashappened to her?

  At that moment the awful scenes of the taking of Bar rose before her asif in life. She remembered everything,--the slaughter of thousands ofnobles, townspeople, priests, nuns, and children; the faces of the mobsmeared in blood, their necks and heads wound around with the stillsteaming entrails, the drunken uproar, that day of judgment for theruined town; finally the appearance of Bogun and her seizure. Sheremembered also how in a moment of despair she had fallen upon a knifeheld by her own hand, and the cold sweat stood on her temples. It wasevident that the knife slipped along her shoulder, for she suffers onlya little pain; but immediately she feels that she is alive, thatstrength and health are returning to her, and finally she remembersthat she has been borne a long time somewhere in a swing. But where isshe now? In some castle, is she saved, rescued, out of danger? Andagain her eyes wandered around the room. The windows in it were small,square, as in a peasant's cottage, and the world outside could not beseen through them; for instead of panes oL glass, they were fitted withpieces of white membrane. Was it really a peasant's cottage? No, forthe unbounded luxury within bears witness against that. Instead of aceiling over her head was an enormous piece of purple silk on whichwere embroidered golden stars and a moon; the walls were entirely hungin brocade; on the floor lay a many-colored carpet, covered as withliving flowers. In front of the fireplace was a Persian rug; goldenfringes, silks, velvets, everywhere, from the walls of the ceiling tothe pillows on which her head is reposing. The bright light of day,penetrating the window membranes, lighted up the interior, but was lostin the purple, dark violet, and sapphire colors of the velvet, forminga kind of enchanted rainbow darkness. The princess marvelled, did notbelieve her eyes. Was this some witchery, or had not the troops ofYeremi rescued her from the hands of Cossacks and put her away in oneof the prince's castles?

  She clasped her hands. "Oh, Holy Most Pure! grant that the first faceto appear at the door shall be the face of my guardian and friend!"

  Then through the heavy fringed bed-curtain came to her the flowingsound of a distant lute, and at the same time a voice began toaccompany with the familiar song,--

  "Oh, this loving Is worse than sickness! Sickness I can live through, And grow well again; But my faithful loving I cannot part with while I live."

  The princess raised herself, and the longer she listened the widerstared her eyes from terror. At last she screamed and fell as if deadon the cushions. She recognized the voice of Bogun.

  Her scream passed evidently through the walls of the chamber; for aftera while the heavy curtain rustled, and the chief himself appeared onthe threshold.

  Kurtsevichovna covered her eyes with her hands, and her whitened andquivering lips repeated, as if in a fever: "Jesus, Mary! Jesus, Mary!"

  And yet the sight which so terrified her would have rejoiced the eyesof more maidens than one, for there was a blaze from the apparel andthe countenance of the young hero. The diamond buttons of his uniformglittered like stars in heaven, his dagger and sabre were covered withprecious stones, his coat of silver cloth and his scarlet kontushdoubled the beauty of his brunette face; and he stood before her,lithe, dark-browed, magnificent,--the beauty of all the Ukraine heroes.But his eyes were in mist, like stars curtained by haze, and he lookedon her with obedience; and seeing that fear did not leave her face, hebegan to speak in a low, sad voice,--

  "Have no fear, Princess!"

  "Where am I? where am I?" asked she, looking at him through herfingers.

  "In a safe place, far from war. Fear not, my dear soul! I brought youhere from Bar, so that no harm might come to you from man or war. TheCossacks spared no one in Bar; you alone came out alive."

  "What are you doing here? Why do you pursue me?"

  "I pursue you! Oh, merciful God!" And the chief extended his arms as aman who is confronted by a great injustice.

  "I fear you terribly," she said.

  "And why do you fear? If you say so, I shall not move from the door. Iam your slave; I will sit here at the door and look into your eyes.Evil I do not wish you. Why do you hate me? Oh, merciful God! youthrust a knife into your body at the sight of me, though you have knownme long, and knew that I was going to defend you. You know I am not astranger to you, but a heartfelt friend; and you stabbed yourself witha knife."

  The pale cheeks of the princess were suddenly suffused with blood. "Ipreferred death to disgrace; and I swear, if you do not respect me, Iwill kill myself, even if I were to lose my soul!"

  The eyes of the maiden flashed fire, and the chief knew that there wasno trifling with the princely blood of the Kurtsevichi; for in herfrenzy she would carry out her threat, and a second time would pointthe knife with more success. He made no answer, therefore, merelyadvanced a couple of steps toward the window, and sitting on benchcovered with gold brocade, hung his head.

  Silence lasted for a time.

  "Be at rest," said he. "While my head is clear, while Mother Gorailkadoes not heat my brain, you are for me like an image in the church. Butsince I found you in Bar I have ceased to drink. Before that I drankand drank, drowning my sorrow with Mother Gorailka. What could I do?But now I take to my mouth neither sweet wine nor spirits."

  The princess was silent.

  "I will look on you," he continued, "comfort my eyes with your face,then go."

  "Give me back my liberty!" said she.

  "But are you in captivity? You are mistress here. And where do you wantto go? The Kurtsevichi have perished, fire has devoured villages andtowns; the prince is not in Lubni, he is marching against Hmelnitskiand Hmelnitski against him; war is everywhere, blood is flowing; everyplace is filled with Cossacks and Tartars and soldiers. Who will havesympathy and respect for you? Who will defend you, if not I?"

  The princess raised her eyes, for she remembered that there was anotherin the world who would give her protection, sympathy, and defence; butshe would not speak his name, so as not to rouse the fierce lion. Deepsorrow therefore pressed her heart. Was he for whom her soul wasyearning still alive? While in Bar she knew that he was, forimmediately after the departure of Zagloba she heard Skshetuski's namecoupled with the victories of the terrible prince. But from that timehow many days and nights had passed, how many battles might have beenfought, how many perils have reached him. News of him could come to herthen only through Bogun, of whom she neither wished nor dared toinquire.

  Her head then dropped on the cushions. "Am I to remain a prisonerhere?" asked she, with a groan. "What have I done to you, that youfollow me like misfortune?"

  The Cossack raised his head, and began to speak so quietly thatscarcely could he be heard.

  "What have you done to me? I know not; but this I do know, that if I ammisfortune to you, you too are misfortune to me. If I had not lovedyou, I should have been free as the wind in the field, free in heartand in soul, and full of glory as was Konashevich Sahaidachny himself.Your face is my misfortune, your eyes are my misfortune; neitherfreedom is dear to me, nor Cossack glory! What were beauties to me,till from being a child you had grown to be a woman? Once I captured agalley with maidens the most beautiful, for they were on the way to theSultan; and no one of them touched my heart. The Cossack brothersplayed with them; then I ordered a stone to the neck of each, and intothe water they went. I feared no man, I minded nothing. I went with waragainst the Pagan. I took booty, and like a prince in his castle was Iin the steppe. And to-day what am I? I sit here; I am a slave. I cravea kind word from you and cannot
receive it; I have never heard it, evenwhen your aunt and your cousins gave you to me. Oh, if you, girl, hadbeen different to me, then what has come to pass would not have been! Ishould not have stricken down your cousins, I should not have joinedfraternal hands with rebellion and peasants; but through you I havelost my mind. If you had wished to lead me anywhere, you could have ledme where you liked, and I should have given you my blood, my soul. NowI am steeped in blood of nobles; but in old times I killed onlyTartars, and brought you booty, that you might be clothed in gold andjewels like cherubim of the Lord. Why did you not love me, then? Oh, itis heavy and sad at my heart! I cannot live with you nor without you,nor far away nor near you, neither on the mountain nor in the valley,my dove, my precious heart! But forgive me that I came for you toRozlogi in Cossack style, with sabre and fire; but I was drunk withanger at the princes, and I drank gorailka on the way,--unhappy outlaw!But afterward, when you escaped me, I howled like a dog, and my woundstortured me, and I could not eat. I begged death to take me; and youwant me to yield you now, to lose you a second time, my dove, myheart!"

  The chief stopped, for his voice broke in his throat, and he began togroan. Helena's face grew red and pale by turns. The more ofmeasureless love there was in Bogun's words, the greater the gulf whichopened before her, bottomless, and without hope of rescue.

  The Cossack rested awhile, regained self-command, and continued,--

  "Ask what you like. See how the room is decorated! This is mine; thisis booty from Bar, which I brought for you on six horses. Ask what youwish,--yellow gold, shining garments, bright jewels, willing slaves. Iam rich, I have enough of my own; and Hmelnitski will not sparetreasures on me, and Krivonos will not spare them. You will be likePrincess Vishnyevetski. I will win castles for you, give you half theUkraine; for though I am a Cossack, not a noble, I am a bunchuk ataman.Under me are ten thousand men,--more than Prince Yeremi commands. Askwhat you like, only not to flee from me,--only stay with me and loveme, O my dove!"

  The princess raised herself on the cushions. She was very pale, but hersweet and marvellous face expressed such unbroken will, pride, andpower that the dove was most like an eagle at that moment.

  "If you are waiting for my answer," said she, "then know that if I hadeven a lifetime to groan out in captivity with you, never, never shouldI love you, God be my aid!"

  Bogun struggled with himself a moment. "Do not tell me such things,"said he, with a hoarse voice.

  "Do not speak to me of your love; it brings me shame and offence. I amnot for you."

  The chief rose. "And for whom, then, are you, Princess Kurtsevichovna?And whose would you have been in Bar but for me?"

  "Whoso saves my life to give me shame and captivity is my enemy, not myfriend."

  "And do you suppose that the peasants would have killed you? Thethought is terrible."

  "The knife would have killed me, but you wrenched it from me."

  "And I will not give it up, for you must be mine," burst out theCossack.

  "Never! I prefer death."

  "You must and will be."

  "Never!"

  "Well, if you were not wounded, after what you have told me, I shouldsend my Cossacks to Rashkoff to-day and have a monk brought here, andto-morrow I should be your husband. Then what? It is a sin not to loveyour husband and fondle him. Ai! you high mighty lady, the love of aCossack is an offence, an anger to you. And who are you that I am foryou a peasant? Where are your castles and boyars and troops? At whatare you angry,--at what are you offended? I took you in war; you are acaptive. If I were a peasant, I should teach you reason on the whiteshoulders with the whip, and without a priest would have enough of yourbeauty,--if I were a peasant, not a knight!"

  "Angels of heaven, save me!" whispered the princess.

  But in the mean while greater and greater fury rose to the face ofBogun, and anger seized him by the hair.

  "I know," said he, "why you're offended, why you resist me. Youpreserve for another your maiden modesty. But in vain, as I live, as Iam a Cossack! Nakedness[15] the noble! The insincere, miserable Polebarely saw you, merely turned with you in the dance,--death tohim!--and took you captive altogether. Then let the Cossack suffer,break his head. But I will reach this Pole, and I will order him tornout of his skin, will nail him up. Do you know that Hmelnitski ismarching on the Poles, and I go with him; and I will find your doveeven under the ground, and when I return I will throw his head at yourfeet as a present."

  Helena did not hear the last words of the ataman. Pain, anger, wounds,emotion, terror, took her strength; an immeasurable weakness came uponall her limbs, her eyes and her thoughts grew dark, and she fell into aswoon.

  The chief stood some time, pale from anger, with foam on his lips. Thenhe saw the lifeless head hanging back powerless, and from his lips wentout a roar almost unearthly. "It is all over with her! Horpyna!Horpyna!" And he threw himself on the floor.

  The giantess rushed into the room with all speed. "What is the matter?"

  "Help! help!" cried Bogun. "I have killed her, my soul, my light!"

  "What! Did you scold her?"

  "I have killed her, I have killed her!" groaned he; and he wrung hishands over his head.

  But Horpyna, approaching the princess, soon discovered that it was notdeath, but a deep faint, and putting Bogun outside the door, began toassist her. The princess opened her eyes after a time.

  "My dear, there is nothing the matter with you," said the enchantress."You were frightened at him, I see, and darkness settled on you; butthe darkness will pass and health will come. You are like a nut, mygirl; you have long to live in the world and enjoy happiness."

  "Who are you?" asked the princess, with a weak voice.

  "I? Your servant, for he so ordered it."

  "Where am I?"

  "In the Devil's Glen. A pure wilderness here; you will see no one buthim."

  "Do you live here?"

  "My farm is here. I am Dontsovna. My brother is a colonel under Bogun;he leads young heroes, and I stay here, and will care for you in thisgolden chamber. From a cottage it has become a bower, so that lightgleams from it. He has brought all this for you."

  Helena looked at the lively face of the young woman, and it seemed toher full of sincerity.

  "But will you be good to me?"

  The white teeth of the young witch gleamed in a smile. "I shall; whyshouldn't I? But do you be good also to the ataman. He is a falcon, heis a glorious hero, he will--"

  Here the witch bent to the ear of Helena, whispered something, thenburst into laughter.

  "Be off!" screamed the princess.