Ogniem i mieczem. English

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

  CHAPTER XXXVIII.

  Skshetuski so marched with his detachment that he rested during the dayin forests and ravines, throwing out pickets carefully, and pushedforward only in the night. Whenever he approached a village he usuallysurrounded it so that not a man went out, took provisions, feed for hishorses, but above all collected information concerning the enemy; thenhe marched away without inflicting harm on the people. But when out ofsight he changed his road abruptly, so that the enemy in the villagemight not know in what direction he had gone. The object of hisexpedition was to discover whether Krivonos with his forty thousand menwas still besieging Kamenyets, or having given up the fruitless siege,was marching to assist Hmelnitski so as to join him for a generalengagement; and further what the Dobrudja Tartars were doing,--whetherthey had crossed the Dnieper already and joined Krivonos, or were stillon the other bank. These were important items for the Polish army,which the commanders should have tried to obtain; but being men withoutexperience, it did not enter their heads to do so. Yeremi thereforetook that burden on himself. If it should appear that Krivonos, withthe hordes of Belgorod and Dobrudja, had abandoned the siege of theimpregnable Kamenyets and was marching to Hmelnitski, then it behoovedthem to attack the latter as quickly as possible before he had grown tohis highest power.

  Meanwhile the commander-in-chief. Prince Dominik Zaslavski Ostrogski,was not hastening, and at the time of Skshetuski's departure he wasexpected at the camp in two or three days. Evidently he was feastingalong the road, according to his custom, and felt well; but the mostfavorable moment for breaking the power of Hmelnitski was passing, andPrince Yeremi was in despair at the thought that if the war should becarried on further in this fashion, not only Krivonos and the forcesbeyond the Dniester would come to Hmelnitski in season, but also theKhan himself at the head of all the forces from Perekop, Nogai, andAzoff.

  There were tidings in camp that the Khan had already crossed theDnieper, and was moving westward day and night with two hundredthousand horse; but day after day passed, and Prince Dominik did notarrive. It became more and more likely that the troops at CholganskiKamen would have to meet forces five times more numerous, and in caseof defeat nothing would prevent the enemy from breaking into the heartof the Commonwealth at Cracow and Warsaw.

  Krivonos was the more dangerous in this, that in case the commanderswished to push into the heart of the Ukraine, he, by going fromKamenyets directly northward to Konstantinoff, could bar their retreat,and in every case they would be taken then between two fires.Skshetuski determined therefore not only to gain information concerningKrivonos, but to check him. Penetrated with the importance of thistask, on the accomplishment of which the fate of the whole army was inpart dependent, he risked willingly his own life and the lives of hissoldiers, though that undertaking might have been considered insane ormad if the young knight had had the intention of checking with fivehundred men in an offensive battle the forty thousand men of Krivonosreinforced by the hordes of Belgorod and Dobrudja. But Skshetuski wastoo experienced a soldier to rush into insane undertakings, and he knewperfectly well that in case of battle the torrent would sweep over thebodies of himself and his men in an hour. He seized upon other means.He gave out among his own soldiers that they were merely the advanceguard of a whole division of the terrible prince, and this report hespread everywhere in all the farms, villages, and towns through whichit came to him to pass. And in truth it spread like a flash oflightning along Zbruch, Smotrich, Studenitsa, Ushka, Kalusik, and fromthem it reached the Dniester and flew on farther as if driven by thewind from Kamenyets to Yagorlik. It was repeated by Turkish pashas inKhotim, the Zaporojians in Yampol, and the Tartars in Rashkoff. Andagain was heard that famous cry, "Yarema is coming!" from which thehearts of the rebellious people sank, and from which they trembled,knowing neither the day nor the hour.

  And no one doubted the truth of the report. The commanders would fallupon Hmelnitski, and Yeremi on Krivonos,--that lay in the order ofthings. Krivonos himself believed in it, and his hands dropped. Whatwas he to do? Move on the prince? At Konstantinoff there was anotherspirit in his men and he had more troops; still they were beaten,decimated, barely escaped with their lives. Krivonos was sure that hisCossacks would fight madly against all other armies of theCommonwealth, and against every other leader, but with the approach ofYeremi they would speed away like a flock of swans before an eagle, orlike the thistle-down of the steppes before the wind.

  To wait for the prince at Kamenyets was still worse. Krivonosdetermined to hurry eastward as far as Bratslav, to avoid his evilspirit and move toward Hmelnitski. He knew, it is true, that circlingaround in this way he would not arrive in time; but at least he wouldhear of the results in season, and plan for his own safety.

  A new report came with the wind, that Hmelnitski was already defeated.Skshetuski had spread it purposely, as he had the previous report. Thistime the unfortunate Krivonos knew not what to do.

  Later he determined all the more to march to the east and push on asfar as possible into the steppes; maybe he would meet the Tartars andfind shelter among them. But first of all he wished to be sure;therefore he looked carefully among his colonels to find a man trustyand prepared for everything, so as to send him with a party to getinformation. But the choice was difficult; there was a lack ofvolunteers, and it was absolutely necessary to find a man who in casehe should fall into the hands of the enemy would not disclose the plansof retreat, even if burned with fire, empaled on a stake, or broken ona wheel. At last Krivonos found the man. One night he gave the order tocall Bogun, and said to him,--

  "Do you hear, Yurku, my friend Yarema is marching on us with a greatforce; we shall all perish, unfortunates!"

  "I have heard that he is coming,--you have already spoken of that,father. But why should we perish?"

  "We cannot withstand him. We could another, but not Yeremi. TheCossacks are afraid of him."

  "But I am not afraid of him. I cut to pieces a regiment of his atVassilyevka beyond the Dnieper."

  "I know that you are not afraid of him; your fame of a Cossack and ahero is equal to his as a prince. But I cannot give him battle, for myCossacks are unwilling. Remember what they said at the council,--howthey rushed on me with sabres because I wanted to lead them toslaughter."

  "Then we will go to Hmelnitski; there we shall find blood and booty."

  "They say that Hmelnitski is already defeated."

  "I do not believe that, Father Maksim. Hmelnitski is a fox; he will notstrike the Poles without the Tartars."

  "I think so too, but we must find out. Then we could go around thisdevil of a Yeremi and join Hmel; but we must have information. Now, ifsome one who has no fear of Yeremi were to go with a party and takeprisoners, I should fill his cap with ruddy sequins."

  "I'll go, Father Maksim,--not for sequins, but for Cossack, for heroicglory."

  "You are the next ataman to me, and since you are willing to go, youwill become first ataman yet over the Cossacks, good hero, for you arenot afraid of Yeremi. Go, my falcon, and hereafter you have but to askfor what you want. Well, I tell you, if you were not going I should gomyself; but it is not for me to go."

  "No; for if you were to go, father, the Cossacks would say that youwere saving your head and would scatter over the world, but when I gotheir courage will increase."

  "Shall I give you many men?"

  "I will not take many; it is easier to hide and approach with a smallforce. But give me about five hundred good warriors, and my head forit, I will bring you informants,--not soldiers, but officers from whomyou will learn everything."

  "Go at once! They are firing cannon from Kamenyets with joy,--salvationto the Poles and destruction to us innocents."

  Bogun went out, and began to prepare at once for the road. His heroes,as was the fixed practice on such occasions, drank to the verge ofdestruction, "before Mother Death should clasp them to her breast." Hetoo drank with them till he was snorting from gorailka.

  He froli
cked and revelled, then had a barrel filled with tar, and justas he was, in brocade and serge, sprang into it, sank a couple oftimes, once over his head, and shouted,--

  "I am black as Mother Night. Polish eyes won't see me now!"

  He rolled himself on Persian carpets, sprang on his horse and rodeaway. After him clattered, amid the darkness of night, his trustyheroes, followed by shouts: "Glory! Luck!"

  Skshetuski had already pushed on to Yarmolintsi, where, meetingopposition, he baptized the townspeople in blood, and having told themthat Prince Yeremi would arrive next day, gave rest to his weariedhorses and men. Then assembling his officers in council, he said tothem,--

  "So far God has given us success. I see also, by the terror whichseizes the peasants, that they take us for the advance guard of theprince, and believe that his whole force is following. We must lookout, however, that they do not bethink themselves when they see thatone company is going everywhere."

  "And shall we go about in this way long?" asked Zagloba.

  "Till we find out what Krivonos has determined."

  "Then we may not come in time for the battle at the camp?"

  "Maybe not."

  "Well, I am not glad of that," said Zagloba. "My hand has become alittle exercised on the ruffians at Konstantinoff. I captured somethingfrom them there; but that is a trifle. My fingers are itching now."

  "Perhaps you will get more fighting than you expect," answered Pan Yan,seriously.

  "How is that?" asked Zagloba, rather alarmed.

  "Why, any day we may come upon the enemy, and though we are not here tobar the road with arms, we shall have to defend ourselves. But toreturn to the subject. We must occupy more country, so they may know ofus in several places at once; cut down the obstinate here and there, soas to spread terror; and everywhere circulate reports. Therefore Ithink we must separate."

  "So I think," said Volodyovski. "We shall increase in their eyes, andthose who escape to Krivonos will talk about legions."

  "Well, Lieutenant, you are leader here, give the orders," saidPodbipienta.

  "I will go through Zinkoff to Solodkovets, and farther if I can," saidSkshetuski. "You, Podbipienta, will go straight down to Tatarjiski; andyou, Michael, go to Kupin; and Zagloba will press on to Zbruch, nearSatanoff."

  "I!" exclaimed Zagloba.

  "Yes. You are a man of thought and full of stratagems. I supposed youwould undertake the enterprise willingly; but if not, Sergeant Kosmachwill lead the fourth party."

  "I will take it under my command," cried Zagloba, who was suddenlydazzled by the thought that he would be the leader of a separate party."If I asked, it was because I am sorry to part with you."

  "But have you experience in military matters?" asked Volodyovski.

  "Have I experience? It hadn't yet come into the head of any stork tomake a present of you to your father and mother when I was commandinglarger bodies of men than this. I served all my life in the army, andshould have served to this moment had it not been for the mouldybiscuit that stuck in my stomach and stayed there three years. I had togo for a bezoar to Galats, the details of which journey I will tell inproper time, but now I am in a hurry for the road."

  "Go on, then, and spread the reports that Hmelnitski is beaten,and that the prince has passed Ploskiroff," said Skshetuski."Don't take the first informant that comes along; but when you meetscouting-parties from Kamenyets, try to get people who are able to giveinformation about Krivonos, for those whom we have now tellcontradictory stories."

  "I hope I may meet Krivonos himself. I hope he will want to go on ascouting expedition. I should give him pepper and ginger. Don't beafraid! I will teach the ruffians to sing, and dance for that matter."

  "In three days we shall meet again at Yarmolintsi, and now each one tohis journey," said Skshetuski. "And I beg of you to spare your men."

  "In three days at Yarmolintsi," repeated Volodyovski, Zagloba, andPodbipienta.