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With Fire and Sword
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Bogun approached and sat at her side. His face denoted fear and feverish curiosity.
"I see!" screamed the witch.
"What do you see?"
"The death of my brother. Two bullocks are drawing him on a stake."
"To the devil with your brother!" muttered Bogun, who wished to know something else.
For a time was heard only the thunder of the wheel whirling around in fury.
"Blue is my brother's head, how blue! The ravens are tearing it," said the witch.
"What else do you see?"
"Nothing. Oh, how blue! I call! I call! In the oaken wheel, in the white foam, in the clear mist, appear! I see-"
"What?"
"A battle! The Poles are fleeing before the Cossacks."
"And I am pursuing?"
"I see you too. You encounter a little knight. Hur! hur! hur! Be on your guard against the little knight."
"And the princess?"
"She is not there. I see you again, and with you some one who is betraying you, – your false friend."
Bogun was devouring with his eyes at one instant the foam, at another Horpyna; and at the same time he worked with his brain to aid the soothsaying.
"What friend?"
"I don't see. I don't know whether old or young."
"Old, he must be old!"
"Maybe he is old!"
"I know who he is. He has betrayed me once already. An old noble with a blue beard and a white eye. Death to him! But he is not a friend of mine."
"He is lying in wait for you, I see again-Stop! the princess is here too; she is in a crown, a white dress, above her a hawk."
"That is I."
"Maybe it is. A hawk-or a falcon? A hawk!"
"That is I."
"Wait! All has vanished. In the oaken wheel, in the white foam- Oh! oh! many soldiers, many Cossacks, oh, many, like trees in the forest or thistles in the steppes; and you are above all, – they are bearing three bunchuk standards before you."
"And the princess is with me?"
"She is not; you are in the camp."
The wheel roared till the whole mill trembled.
"Oh, how much blood, how much blood! how many corpses, – wolves above them, ravens above them, plague above them! Corpses and corpses, – far away nothing but corpses, nothing to be seen but blood!"
Suddenly a breath of wind whirled the mist from the wheel; and at the same time higher up above the mill appeared the deformed Cheremís with a bundle of wood on his shoulders.
"Cheremís, let down the sluice!" cried the girl.
When she had said this she went to wash her hands and face in the stream, and the dwarf stopped the water at once.
Bogun sat in thought. He was roused first by the coming of Horpyna.
"You saw nothing more?" he asked.
"What appeared, appeared; I shall see nothing more."
"And you are not lying?"
"By my brother's head, I spoke the truth. They were empaling him, drawing him on with oxen. I grieve for him. But death is written not for him alone. Oh, what bodies appeared! Never have I seen so many; there will be a great war in the world."
"And you saw her with a hawk above her head?"
"Yes."
"And was she in a wreath?"
"In a wreath and a white robe."
"And how do you know that that hawk was I? I spoke to you of that young Polish noble, – maybe it was he?"
The girl wrinkled her brows and grew thoughtful. "No," said she after a while, shaking her head; "if it had been the Pole, it would have been an eagle."
"Glory to God, glory to God! I will go now to the Cossacks to prepare the horses for the road. We go to-night."
"So you are going surely?"
"Hmelnitski has ordered, and Krívonos too. You know well that there will be a great war, for I read the same in Bar in a letter from Hmelnitski."
Bogun in reality could not read, but he was ashamed of it; he did not wish to pass for illiterate.
"Then go!" said the witch. "You are lucky, – you will be hetman. I saw three bunchuks above you as I see these fingers."
"And I shall be hetman and marry the princess, – I cannot take a peasant."
"I see!" screamed the witch.
"What do you see?"
"The death of my brother. Two bullocks are drawing him on a stake."
"To the devil with your brother!" muttered Bogun, who wished to know something else.
For a time was heard only the thunder of the wheel whirling around in fury.
"Blue is my brother's head, how blue! The ravens are tearing it," said the witch.
"What else do you see?"
"Nothing. Oh, how blue! I call! I call! In the oaken wheel, in the white foam, in the clear mist, appear! I see-"
"What?"
"A battle! The Poles are fleeing before the Cossacks."
"And I am pursuing?"
"I see you too. You encounter a little knight. Hur! hur! hur! Be on your guard against the little knight."
"And the princess?"
"She is not there. I see you again, and with you some one who is betraying you, – your false friend."
Bogun was devouring with his eyes at one instant the foam, at another Horpyna; and at the same time he worked with his brain to aid the soothsaying.
"What friend?"
"I don't see. I don't know whether old or young."
"Old, he must be old!"
"Maybe he is old!"
"I know who he is. He has betrayed me once already. An old noble with a blue beard and a white eye. Death to him! But he is not a friend of mine."
"He is lying in wait for you, I see again-Stop! the princess is here too; she is in a crown, a white dress, above her a hawk."
"That is I."
"Maybe it is. A hawk-or a falcon? A hawk!"
"That is I."
"Wait! All has vanished. In the oaken wheel, in the white foam- Oh! oh! many soldiers, many Cossacks, oh, many, like trees in the forest or thistles in the steppes; and you are above all, – they are bearing three bunchuk standards before you."
"And the princess is with me?"
"She is not; you are in the camp."
The wheel roared till the whole mill trembled.
"Oh, how much blood, how much blood! how many corpses, – wolves above them, ravens above them, plague above them! Corpses and corpses, – far away nothing but corpses, nothing to be seen but blood!"
Suddenly a breath of wind whirled the mist from the wheel; and at the same time higher up above the mill appeared the deformed Cheremís with a bundle of wood on his shoulders.
"Cheremís, let down the sluice!" cried the girl.
When she had said this she went to wash her hands and face in the stream, and the dwarf stopped the water at once.
Bogun sat in thought. He was roused first by the coming of Horpyna.
"You saw nothing more?" he asked.
"What appeared, appeared; I shall see nothing more."
"And you are not lying?"
"By my brother's head, I spoke the truth. They were empaling him, drawing him on with oxen. I grieve for him. But death is written not for him alone. Oh, what bodies appeared! Never have I seen so many; there will be a great war in the world."
"And you saw her with a hawk above her head?"
"Yes."
"And was she in a wreath?"
"In a wreath and a white robe."
"And how do you know that that hawk was I? I spoke to you of that young Polish noble, – maybe it was he?"
The girl wrinkled her brows and grew thoughtful. "No," said she after a while, shaking her head; "if it had been the Pole, it would have been an eagle."
"Glory to God, glory to God! I will go now to the Cossacks to prepare the horses for the road. We go to-night."
"So you are going surely?"
"Hmelnitski has ordered, and Krívonos too. You know well that there will be a great war, for I read the same in Bar in a letter from Hmelnitski."
Bogun in reality could not read, but he was ashamed of it; he did not wish to pass for illiterate.
"Then go!" said the witch. "You are lucky, – you will be hetman. I saw three bunchuks above you as I see these fingers."
"And I shall be hetman and marry the princess, – I cannot take a peasant."
