The Deluge. Vol. 2

Hearing this, Pan Oskyerko conducted Sakovich at once to his quarters. The hetman waved his hand as a parting; then he turned to Pan Andrei. "Why did you say 'Woe,' when he spoke of that man whom they seized?" asked he, looking quickly and severely into the eyes of the knight. "Has hatred so deadened your conscience that you really sent a murderer to the prince?"

"By the Most Holy Lady whom I defended, no!" answered Kmita; "not through strange hands did I wish to reach his throat."

"Why did you say 'Woe'? Do you know that man?"

"I know him," answered Kmita, growing pale from emotion and rage. "I sent him from Lvoff to Taurogi – Prince Boguslav took Panna Billevich to Taurogi – I love that lady. We were to marry – I sent that man to get me news of her. She was in such hands – "

"Calm yourself!" said the hetman. "Have you given him any letters?"

"No; she would not read them."

"Why?"

"Boguslav told her that I offered to carry away the king."

"Great are your reasons for hating him."

"True, your worthiness, true."

"Does the prince know that man?"

"He knows him. That is the sergeant Soroka. He helped me to carry off Boguslav."

"I understand," said the hetman; "the vengeance of the prince is awaiting him."

A moment of silence followed.

"The prince is in a trap," said the hetman, after a while; "maybe he will consent to give him up."

"Let your worthiness," said Kmita, "detain Sakovich, and send me to the prince. Perhaps I may rescue Soroka."

"Is his fate such a great question for you?"

"An old soldier, an old servant; he carried me in his arms. A multitude of times he has saved my life. God would punish me were I to abandon him in such straits." And Kmita began to tremble from pity and anxiety.

But the hetman said: "It is no wonder to me that the soldiers love you, for you love them. I will do what I can. I will write to the prince that I will free for him whomsoever he wishes for that soldier, who besides at your command has acted as an innocent agent."

Kmita seized his head: "What does he care for prisoners? he will not let him go for thirty of them."

"Then he will not give him to you; he will even attempt your life."

"He would give him for one, – for Sakovich."

"I cannot imprison Sakovich; he is an envoy."

"Detain him, and I will go with a letter to the prince. Perhaps I shall succeed – God be with him! I will abandon my revenge, if he will give me that soldier."

"Wait," said the hetman; "I can detain Sakovich. Besides that I will write to the prince to send me a safe-conduct without a name."

The hetman began to write at once. An hour later a Cossack was galloping with a letter to Yanov, and toward evening he returned with Boguslav's answer: —

"I send according to request the safe-conduct with which every envoy may return unharmed, though it is a wonder to me that your worthiness should ask for a conduct while you have such a hostage as my servant and friend Pan Sakovich, for whom I have so much love that I would give all the officers in my army for him. It is known also that envoys are not killed, but are usually respected even by wild Tartars with whom your worthiness is making war against my Christian army. Now, guaranteeing the safety of your envoy by my personal princely word, I subscribe myself, etc."

That same evening Kmita took the safe-conduct and went with the two Kyemliches. Pan Sakovich remained in Sokolka as a hostage.

CHAPTER XXV

It was near midnight when Pan Andrei announced himself to the advanced pickets of the prince, but no one was sleeping in the whole camp. The battle might begin at any moment, therefore they had prepared for it carefully. Boguslav's troops had occupied Yanov itself; they commanded the road from Sokolka, which was held by artillery, managed by the elector's trained men. There were only three cannons, but abundance of powder and balls. On both sides of Yanov, among the birch groves, Boguslav gave orders to make intrenchments and to occupy them with double-barrelled guns and infantry. The cavalry occupied Yanov itself, the road behind the cannons, and the intervals between the trenches. The position was defensible enough, and with fresh men defence in it might be long and bloody; but of fresh soldiers there were only eight hundred under Kyritz; the rest were so wearied that they could barely stand on their feet. Besides, the howling of the Tartars was heard in Suhovola at midnight, and later in the rear of Boguslav's ranks; hence a certain fear was spread among the soldiers. Boguslav was forced to send in that direction all his light cavalry, which after it had gone three miles dared neither return nor advance, for fear of ambushes in the forest.

Boguslav, though fever together with violent chills was tormenting him more than ever, commanded everything in person; but since he rode with difficulty he had himself carried by four soldiers in an open litter. In this way he had examined the road as well as the birch groves, and was entering Yanov when he was informed that an envoy from Sapyeha was approaching.

They were already on the street. Boguslav was unable to recognize Kmita because of the darkness, and because Pan Andrei, through excess of caution on the part of officers in the advance guard, had his head covered with a bag in which there was an opening only for his mouth.

The prince noticed the bag when Kmita, after dismounting, stood near him; he gave command to remove it at once.

"This is Yanov," said he, "and there is no reason for secrecy." Then he turned in the darkness to Pan Andrei: "Are you from Pan Sapyeha?"

"I am."

"And what is Pan Sakovich doing there?"

"Pan Oskyerko is entertaining him."

"Why did you ask for a safe conduct when you have Sakovich? Pan Sapyeha is too careful, and let him see to it that he is not too clever."

"That is not my affair," answered Kmita.

"I see that the envoy is not over-given to speech."

"I have brought a letter, and in the quarters I will speak of my own affair."

"Is there a private question?"

"There will be a request to your highness."

"I shall be glad not to refuse it. Now I beg you to follow. Mount your horse; I should ask you to the litter, but it is too small."

They moved on. The prince in the litter and Kmita at one side on horseback. They looked in the darkness without being able to distinguish the faces of each other. After a while the prince, in spite of furs, began to shake so that his teeth chattered. At last he said, —

"It has come on me grievously; if it were – brr! – not for this, I would give other conditions."

Kmita said nothing, and only wished to pierce with his eyes the darkness, in the middle of which the head and face of the prince were outlined in indefinite gray and white features. At the sound of Boguslav's voice and at sight of his figure all the former insults, the old hatred, and the burning desire for revenge so rose in Kmita's heart that they turned almost to madness. His hand of itself sought the sword, which had been taken from him; but at his girdle he had the baton with an iron head, the ensign of his rank of colonel; the devil then began to whirl in his brain at once, and to whisper: "Cry in his ear who you are, and smash his head into bits. The night is dark, you will escape. The Kyemliches are with you. You will rub out a traitor and pay for injustice. You will rescue Olenka, Soroka – Strike! strike!"

Kmita came still nearer the litter, and with trembling hand began to draw forth the baton. "Strike!" whispered the devil; "you will serve the country."

Kmita had now drawn out the baton, and he squeezed the handle as if wishing to crush it in his hand. "One, two, three!" whispered the devil.

But at that moment Kmita's horse, whether because he had hit the helmet of the soldier with his nose, or had shied, it is enough that he stumbled violently. Kmita pulled the reins. During this time the litter had moved on several steps. The hair stood on the head of the young man.