The Deluge. Vol. 1

"A ducat a man!" cried the young colonel, who in spite of all his fever and excitement saw that those soldiers had guessed his thought quickly.

"We give thanks, Commander!" cried all in chorus.

"Two men will take the pack-horses and go out of the place immediately toward Dembova. Go slowly through the town; outside the town put the horses on a gallop, and stop not till the forest is reached."

"According to command!"

"Four others load their pistols. For me saddle two horses, and let another be ready."

"I knew there would be something!" muttered Soroka.

"Now, Sergeant, after me!" cried Kmita.

And undressed as he was, in trousers only, and open shirt, he went out of the front room. Soroka followed him, opening his eyes widely with wonder; they went in this fashion to the well in the yard of the inn. Here Kmita stopped, and pointing to the bucket hanging from the sweep, said, -

"Pour water on my head!"

Soroka knew from experience how dangerous it was to ask twice about an order; he seized the rope, let the bucket down into the water, drew up quickly, and taking the bucket in his hands, threw the water on Pan Andrei, who, puffing and blowing like a whale, rubbed his wet hair with his hands, and cried, -

"More!"

Soroka repeated the act, and threw water with all his force, just as if he were putting out a fire.

"Enough!" said Kmita, at length. "Follow me, help me to dress."

Both went to the inn. At the gate they met the two men going out with two pack-horses.

"Slowly through the town; outside the town on a gallop!" commanded Kmita; and he wont in.

Half an hour later he appeared dressed completely, as if for the road, with high boots and an elkskin coat, girded with a leather belt into which was thrust a pistol.

The soldiers noticed, too, that from under his kaftan gleamed the edge of chain mail, as if he were going to battle. He had his sabre also girt high, so as to seize the hilt more easily. His face was calm enough, but stern and threatening. Casting a glance at the soldiers to see if they were ready and armed properly, he mounted his horse, and throwing a ducat at the innkeeper, rode out of the place.

Soroka rode at his side; three others behind, leading a horse. Soon they found themselves on the square filled by Boguslav's troops. There was movement among them already; evidently the command had come to prepare for the road. The horsemen were tightening the girths of the saddle and bridling the horses; the infantry were taking their muskets, stacked before the houses; others were attaching horses to wagons.

Kmita started as it were from meditation.

"Hear me, old man," said he to Soroka; "from the starosta's house does the road go on, – it will not be necessary to come back through the square?"

"But where are we going, Colonel?"

"To Dembova."

"Then we must go from the square past the house. The square will be behind us."

"It is well," said Kmita.

"Oh, if only those men were alive now! Few are fitted for work like this, – few!"

Meanwhile they passed the square, and began to turn toward the starosta's house, which lay about one furlong and a half farther on, near the roadside.

"Stop!" cried Kmita, suddenly.

The soldiers halted, and he turned to them. "Are you ready for death?" asked he, abruptly.

"Ready!" answered in chorus these dare-devils of Orsha.

"We crawled up to Hovanski's throat, and he did not devour us, – do you remember?"

"We remember!"

"There is need to dare great things to-day. If success comes, our gracious king will make lords of you, – I guarantee that! If failure, you will go to the stake!"

"Why not success?" asked Soroka, whose eyes began to gleam like those of an old wolf.

"There will be success!" said three others, – Biloüs, Zavratynski, and Lubyenyets.

"We must carry off the prince marshal!" said Kmita. Then he was silent, wishing to see the impression which the mad thought would make on the soldiers. But they were silent too, and looked on him as on a rainbow; only, their mustaches quivered, and their faces became terrible and murderous.

"The stake is near, the reward far away," added Kmita.

"There are few of us," muttered Zavratynski.

"It is worse than against Hovanski," said Lubyenyets.

"The troops are all in the market-square, and at the house are only the sentries and about twenty attendants," said Kmita, "who are off their guard, and have not even swords at their sides."

"You risk your head; why should we not risk ours?" said Soroka.

"Hear me," continued Kmita. "If we do not take him by cunning, we shall not take him at all. Listen! I will go into the room, and after a time come out with the prince. If the prince will sit on my horse, I will sit on the other, and we will ride on. When we have ridden about a hundred or a hundred and fifty yards, then seize him from both sides by the shoulders, and gallop the horses with all breath."

"According to order!" answered Soroka.

"If I do not come out," continued Kmita, "and you hear a shot in the room, then open on the guards with pistols, and give me the horse as I rush from the door."

"That will be done," answered Soroka.

"Forward!" commanded Kmita.

They moved on, and a quarter of an hour later halted at the gate of the starosta's house. At the gate were six guards with halberds; at the door of the anteroom four men were standing. Around a carriage in the front yard were occupied equerries and outriders, whom an attendant of consequence was overseeing, – a foreigner, as might be known from his dress and wig.

Farther on, near the carriage-house, horses were being attached to two other carriages, to which gigantic Turkish grooms were carrying packs. Over these watched a man dressed in black, with a face like that of a doctor or an astrologer.

Kmita announced himself as he had previously, through the officer of the day, who returned soon and asked him to the prince.

"How are you, Cavalier?" asked the prince, joyfully. "You left me so suddenly that I thought scruples had risen in you from my words, and I did not expect to see you again."

"Of course I could not go without making my obeisance."