The Deluge: An Historical Novel of Poland, Sweden, and Russia. Vol. 1 (of 2)

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

  CHAPTER XXXIX.

  From the gates of the fortress peasants and nobles, villagers fromvarious neighborhoods, people of every age, of both sexes, of allranks, pressed forward to the church on their knees, singing prayerfulhymns. That river flowed slowly, and its course was stopped wheneverthe bodies of people crowded against one another too densely. At timesthe songs ceased and the crowds began to repeat a litany, and then thethunder of words was heard from one end of the place to the other.Between hymn and litany, between litany and hymn, the people weresilent, struck the ground with their foreheads, or cast themselves downin the form of a cross. At these moments were heard only the imploringand shrill voices of beggars, who sitting at both banks of the humanriver exposed their deformed limbs to public gaze. Their howling wasmingled with the clinking of coppers thrown into tin and wooden dishes.Then again the river of heads flowed onward, and again the hymnsthundered.

  As the river flowed nearer to the church door, excitement grew greater,and was turned into ecstasy. You could see hands stretched towardheaven, eyes turned upward, faces pale from emotion or glowing withprayer. Differences of rank disappeared: the coat of the peasanttouched the robe of the noble, the jacket of the soldier the yellowcoat of the artisan.

  In the church door the crush was still greater. The bodies of men hadbecome not a river, but a bridge, so firm that you might travel ontheir heads and their shoulders without touching the ground with afoot. Breath failed their breasts, space failed their bodies; but thespirit which inspired gave them iron endurance. Each man was praying;no one thought of aught else. Each one bore on himself the pressure andweight of the whole of that mass, but no man fell; and pressed by thosethousands he felt in himself power against thousands, and with thatpower he pushed forward, lost in prayer, in ecstasy, in exaltation.

  Kmita, creeping forward in the first ranks with his men, reached thechurch with the earliest; then the current carried him too to thechapel of miracles, where the multitude fell on their faces, weeping,embracing the floor with their hands, and kissing it with emotion. Soalso did Pan Andrei; and when at last he had the boldness to raise hishead, delight, happiness, and at the same time mortal awe, almost tookfrom him consciousness.

  In the chapel there was a ruddy gloom not entirely dispersed by therays of candles burning on the altar. Colored rays fell also throughthe window-panes; and all those gleams, red, violet, golden, fiery,quivered on the walls, slipped along the carvings and windings, madetheir way into dark depths bringing forth to sight indistinct formsburied as it were in a dream. Mysterious glimmers ran along and unitedwith darkness, so undistinguishable that all difference between lightand darkness was lost. The candles on the altar had golden halos; thesmoke from the censers formed purple mist; the white robes of the monksserving Mass played with the darkened colors of the rainbow. All thingsthere were half visible, half veiled, unearthly; the gleams wereunearthly, the darkness unearthly, mysterious, majestic, blessed,filled with prayer, adoration, and holiness.

  From the main nave of the church came the deep sound of human voices,like the mighty sound of the sea; but in the chapel deep silencereigned, broken only by the voice of the priest chanting Mass.

  The image was still covered; expectation therefore held the breath inall breasts. There were only to be seen, looking in one direction,faces as motionless as if they had parted with earthly life, hands palmto palm and placed before mouths, like the hands of angels in pictures.

  The organ accompanied the singing of the priest, and gave out tonesmild and sweet, flowing as it were from flutes beyond the earth. Atmoments they seemed to distil like water from its source; then againthey fell softly but quickly like dense rain showers in May.

  All at once the thunder of trumpets and drums roared, and a quiverpassed through all hearts. The covering before the picture was pushedapart from the centre to the sides, and a flood of diamond lightflashed from above on the faithful.

  Groans, weeping, and cries were heard throughout the chapel.

  "_Salve, Regina!_" (Hail, O Queen!) cried the nobles, "_Monstra te essematrem!_" (Show thyself a mother); but the peasants cried, "O Most HolyLady! Golden Lady! Queen of the Angels! save us, assist us, console us,pity us!"

  Long did those cries sound, together with sobs of women and complaintsof the hapless, with prayers for a miracle on the sick or the maimed.

  The soul lacked little of leaving Kmita; he felt only that he hadbefore him infinity, which he could not grasp, could not comprehend,and before which all things were effaced. What were doubts in presenceof that faith which all existence could not exhaust? what wasmisfortune in presence of that solace? what was the power of the Swedesin presence of that defence? what was the malice of men before the eyesof such protection?

  Here his thoughts became settled, and turned into faculties; he forgothimself, ceased to distinguish who he was, where he was. It seemed tohim that he had died, that his soul was now flying with the voices oforgans, mingled in the smoke of the censers; his hands, used to thesword and to bloodshed, were stretched upward, and he was kneeling inecstasy, in rapture.

  The Mass ended. Pan Andrei knew not himself how he reached again themain nave of the church. The priest gave instruction from the pulpit;but Kmita for a long time heard not, understood not, like a man rousedfrom sleep, who does not at once note where his sleeping ended and hiswaking moments began.

  The first words which he heard were: "In this place hearts change andsouls are corrected, for neither can the Swedes overcome this power,nor those wandering in darkness overcome the true light!"

  "Amen!" said Kmita in his soul, and he began to strike his breast; forit seemed to him then that he had sinned deeply through thinking thatall was lost, and that from no source was there hope.

  After the sermon Kmita stopped the first monk he met, and told him thathe wished to see the prior on business of the church and the cloister.

  He got hearing at once from the prior, who was a man in ripe age,inclining then toward its evening. He had a face of unequalled calm. Athick black beard added to the dignity of his face; he had mild azureeyes with a penetrating look. In his white habit he seemed simply asaint Kmita kissed his sleeve; he pressed Kmita's head, and inquiredwho he was and whence he had come.

  "I have come from Jmud," answered Kmita, "to serve the Most Holy Lady,the suffering country, and my deserted king, against all of whom I havehitherto sinned, and in sacred confession I beg to make a minuteexplanation. I ask that to-day or to-morrow my confession be heard,since sorrow for my sins draws me to this. I will tell you also,revered father, my real name,--under the seal of confession, nototherwise, for men ill inclined to me prevent and bar me from reform.Before men I wish to be called Babinich, from one of my estates, takennow by the enemy. Meanwhile I bring important information to which doyou, revered father, give ear with patience, for it is a question ofthis sacred retreat and this cloister."

  "I praise your intentions and the change of life which you haveundertaken," said the prior, Father Kordetski; "as to confession, Iwill yield to your urgent wish and hear it now."

  "I have travelled long," added Kmita, "I have seen much and I havesuffered not a little. Everywhere the enemy has grown strong, everywhere heretics are raising their heads, nay, even Catholics themselvesare going over to the camp of the enemy; who, emboldened by this, aswell as by the capture of two capitals, intend to raise nowsacrilegious hands against Yasna Gora."

  "From whom have you this news?" asked the prior.

  "I spent last night at Krushyn, where I saw Count Veyhard Vjeshchovichand Baron Lisola, envoy of the Emperor of Germany, who was returningfrom the Brandenburg court, and is going to the King of Sweden."

  "The King of Sweden is no longer in Cracow," said the prior, lookingsearchingly into the eyes of Pan Andrei.

  But Pan Andrei did not drop his lids and talked on,--

  "I do not know whether he is there or not. I know that Lisola is goingto him, and Count Veyhard was sent to relieve the esc
ort and conducthim farther. Both talked before me in German, taking no thought of mypresence; for they did not suppose that I understood their speech. Iknowing German, was able to learn that Count Veyhard has proposed theoccupation of this cloister and the taking of its treasure, for whichhe has received permission from the king."

  "And you have heard this with your own ears?"

  "Just as I am standing here."

  "The will of God be done!" said the priest, calmly.

  Kmita was alarmed. He thought that the priest called the command of theKing of Sweden the will of God and was not thinking of resistance;therefore he said,--

  "I saw in Pultusk a church in Swedish hands, the soldiers were playingcards in the sanctuary of God, kegs of beer were on the altars, andshameless women were there with the soldiers."

  The prior looked steadily, directly in the eyes of the soldier. "Awonderful thing!" said he; "sincerity and truth are looking out of youreyes."

  Kmita flushed. "May I fall a corpse here if what I say is not true."

  "In every case these tidings over which we must deliberate areimportant."

  "You will permit me to ask the older fathers and some of the moreimportant nobles who are now dwelling with us. You will permit,--"

  "I will repeat gladly the same thing before them."

  Father Kordetski went out, and in quarter of an hour returned with fourolder fathers. Soon after Pan Rujyts-Zamoyski, the sword-bearer ofSyeradz, entered,--a dignified man; Pan Okyelnitski, banneret ofVyelunie; Pan Pyotr Charnyetski, a young cavalier with a fiercewar-like face, like an oak in stature and strength; and other nobles ofvarious ages. The prior presented to them Pan Babinich from Jmud, andrepeated in the presence of all the tidings which he had brought. Theywondered greatly and began to measure Pan Andrei with their eyesinquiringly and incredulously, and when no one raised his voice theprior said,--

  "May God preserve me from attributing to this cavalier evil intentionor calumny; but the tidings which he brings seem to me so unlikely thatI thought it proper for us to ask about them in company. With thesincerest intention this cavalier may be mistaken; he may have heardincorrectly, understood incorrectly, or have been led into errorthrough heretics. To fill our hearts with fear, to cause panic in aholy place, to harm piety, is for them an immense delight, which surelyno one of them in his wickedness would like to deny himself."

  "That seems to me very much like truth," said Father Nyeshkovski, theoldest in the assembly.

  "It would be needful to know in advance if this cavalier is not aheretic himself?" said Pyotr Charnyetski.

  "I am a Catholic, as you are!" answered Kmita.

  "It behooves us to consider first the circumstances," put in Zamoyski.

  "The circumstances are such," said the prior, Kordetski, "that surelyGod and His Most Holy Mother have sent blindness of purpose on theseenemies, so that they might exceed the measure in their iniquities;otherwise they never would have dared to raise the sword against thissacred retreat. Not with their own power have they conquered thisCommonwealth, whose own sons have helped them. But though our peoplehave fallen low, though they are wading in sin, still in sin itselfthere is a certain limit which they would not dare to pass. They havedeserted their king, they have fallen away from the Commonwealth; butthey have not ceased to revere their Mother, their Patroness and Queen.The enemy jeer at us and ask with contempt what has remained to us ofour ancient virtues. I answer they have all perished; still somethingremains, for faith in the Most Holy Lady and reverence for Her haveremained to them, and on this foundation the rest may be built. I seeclearly that, let one Swedish ball make a dint in these sacred walls,the most callous men will turn from the conqueror,--from being friendswill become enemies of the Swedes and draw swords against them. But theSwedes have their eyes open to their own danger, and understand thiswell. Therefore, if God, as I have said, has not sent upon themblindness intentionally, they will never dare to strike Yasna Gora; forthat day would be the day of their change of fortune and of ourrevival."

  Kmita heard the words of the prior with astonishment, words which wereat the same time an answer to what had come from the mouth of CountVeyhard against the Polish people. But recovering from astonishment, hesaid,--

  "Why should we not believe, revered father, that God has in factvisited the enemy with blindness? Let us look at their pride, theirgreed of earthly goods, let us consider their unendurable oppressionand the tribute which they levy even on the clergy, and we mayunderstand with ease that they will not hesitate at sacrilege of anykind."

  The prior did not answer Kmita directly, but turning to the wholeassembly, continued,--

  "This cavalier says that he saw Lisola, the envoy, going to the King ofSweden. How can that be since I have undoubted news from the Paulistsin Cracow that the king is not in Cracow, nor in Little Poland, sincehe went to Warsaw immediately after the surrender of Cracow."

  "He cannot have gone to Warsaw," answered Kmita, "and the best proof isthat he is waiting for the surrender and homage of the quartersoldiers, who are with Pototski."

  "General Douglas is to receive homage in the name of the king, so theywrite me from Cracow."

  Kmita was silent; he knew not what to answer.

  "But I will suppose," continued the prior, "that the King of Swedendoes not wish to see the envoy of the emperor and has chosen purposelyto avoid him. Carolus likes to act thus,--to come on a sudden, to go ona sudden; besides the mediation of the emperor displeases him. Ibelieve then readily that he went away pretending not to know of thecoming of the envoy. I am less astonished that Count Veyhard, a personof such note, was sent out to meet Lisola with an escort, for it may bethey wished to show politeness and sugar over the disappointment forthe envoy; but how are we to believe that Count Veyhard would informBaron Lisola at once of his plans."

  "Unlikely!" said Father Nyeshkovski, "since the baron is a Catholic andfriendly both to us and the Commonwealth."

  "In my head too that does not find place," added Zamoyski.

  "Count Veyhard is a Catholic himself and a well-wisher of ours," saidanother father.

  "Does this cavalier say that he has heard this with his own ears?"asked Charnyetski, abruptly.

  "Think, gentlemen, over this too," added the prior, "I have a safeguardfrom Carolus Gustavus that the cloister and the church are to be freeforever from occupation and quartering."

  "It must be confessed," said Zamoyski, with seriousness, "that in thesetidings no one thing holds to another. It would be a loss for theSwedes, not a gain, to strike Yasna Gora; the king is not present,therefore Lisola could not go to him; Count Veyhard would not make aconfidant of him; farther. Count Veyhard is not a heretic, but aCatholic,--not an enemy of the cloister, but its benefactor; finally,though Satan tempted him to make the attack, he would not dare to makeit against the order and safeguard of the king." Here he turned toKmita,--

  "What then will you say, Cavalier, and why, with what purpose, do youwish to alarm the reverend fathers and us in this place?"

  Kmita was as a criminal before a court. On one hand, despair seizedhim, because if they would not believe, the cloister would become theprey of the enemy; on the other, shame burned him, for he saw that allappearances argued against his information, and that he might easily beaccounted a calumniator. At thought of this, anger tore him, hisinnate impulsiveness was roused, his offended ambition was active; theold-time half-wild Kmita was awakened. But he struggled until heconquered himself, summoned all his endurance, and repeated in hissoul: "For my sins, for my sins!" and said, with a changing face,--

  "What I have heard, I repeat once more: Count Veyhard is going toattack this cloister. The time I know not, but I think it will besoon,--I give warning and on you will fall the responsibility if you donot listen."

  "Calmly, Cavalier, calmly," answered Pyotr Charnyetski, with emphasis."Do not raise your voice." Then he spoke to the assembly,--"Permit me,worthy fathers, to put a few questions to the newly arrived."

  "You have no right to o
ffend me," cried Kmita.

  "I have not even the wish to do so," answered Pan Pyotr, coldly; "butit is a question here of the cloister and the Holy Lady and Hercapital. Therefore you must set aside offence; or if you do not set itaside, do so at least for the time, for be assured that I will meet youanywhere. You bring news which we want to verify--that is proper andshould not cause wonder; but if you do not wish to answer, we shallthink that you are afraid of self-contradiction."

  "Well, put your questions!" said Babinich, through his teeth.

  "You say that you are from Jmud?"

  "True."

  "And you have come here so as not to serve the Swedes and Radzivill thetraitor?"

  "True."

  "But there are persons there who do not serve him, and oppose him onthe side of the country; there are squadrons which have refused himobedience; Sapyeha is there. Why did you not join them?"

  "That is my affair."

  "Ah, ha! your affair," said Charnyetski. "You may give me that answerto other questions."

  Pan Andrei's hands quivered, he fixed his eyes on the heavy brass bellstanding before him on the table, and from that bell they were turnedto the head of the questioner. A wild desire seized him to grasp thatbell and bring it down on the skull of Charnyetski. The old Kmita wasgaining the upper hand over the pious and penitent Babinich; but hebroke himself once more and said,--

  "Inquire."

  "If you are from Jmud, then you must know what is happening at thecourt of the traitor. Name to me those who have aided in the ruin ofthe country, name to me those colonels who remain with him."

  Kmita grew pale as a handkerchief, but still mentioned some names.Charnyetski listened and said, "I have a friend, an attendant of theking, Pan Tyzenhauz, who told me of one, the most noted. Do you knownothing of this arch criminal?"

  "I do not know."

  "How is this? Have you not heard of him who spilled his brother'sblood, like Cain? Have you not heard, being from Jmud, of Kmita?"

  "Revered fathers!" screamed Pan Andrei, on a sudden, shaking as in afever, "let a clerical person question me, I will tell all. But by theliving God do not let this noble torment me longer!"

  "Give him peace," said the prior, turning to Pan Pyotr. "It is not aquestion here of this cavalier."

  "Only one more question," said Zamoyski; and turning to Babinich, heasked,--"You did not expect that we would doubt your truth?"

  "As God is in heaven I did not!"

  "What reward did you expect?"

  Pan Andrei, instead of giving an answer, plunged both hands into asmall leather sack which hung at his waist from a belt, and taking outtwo handfuls of pearls, emeralds, turquoises, and other preciousstones, scattered them on the table. "There!" said he, with a brokenvoice, "I have not come here for money! Not for your rewards! These arepearls and other small stones; all taken from the caps of boyars. Yousee what I am. Do I want a reward? I wish to offer these to the MostHoly Lady; but only after confession, with a clean heart. Here theyare--That's the reward which I ask. I have more, God grant you--"

  All were silent in astonishment, and the sight of jewels thrown out aseasily as grits from a sack made no small impression; for involuntarilyevery one asked himself what reason could that man have, if he had nothought of rewards?

  Pan Pyotr was confused; for such is the nature of man that the sight ofanother's power and wealth dazzles him. Finally his suspicions fellaway, for how could it be supposed that that great lord, scatteringjewels, wanted to frighten monks for profit.

  Those present looked at one another and Kmita stood over his jewelswith head upraised like the head of a roused eagle, with fire in hiseyes and a flush on his face. The fresh wound passing through his cheekand his temple was blue; and terrible was Pan Babinich threatening withhis predatory glance Charnyetski, on whom his anger was speciallyturned.

  "Through your anger truth itself bursts forth," said Kordetski; "butput away those jewels, for the Most Holy Lady cannot receive that whichis offered in anger, even though the anger be just; besides, as I havesaid, it is not a question here of you, but of the news which hasfilled us with terror and fear. God knows whether there is not somemisunderstanding or mistake in it, for, as you see yourself, what yousay does not fit with reality. How are we to drive out the faithful,diminish the honor of the Most Holy Lady, and keep the gates shut nightand day?"

  "Keep the gates shut, for God's mercy, keep the gates shut!" cried PanAndrei, wringing his hands till his fingers cracked in their joints.

  There was so much truth and unfeigned despair in his voice that thosepresent trembled in spite of themselves, as if danger was really thereat hand, and Zamoyski said,--

  "As it is, we give careful attention to the environs, and repairs aregoing on in the walls. In the day-time we can admit people for worship;but it is well to observe caution even for this reason, that the kinghas gone, and Wittemberg rules in Cracow with iron hand, and oppressesthe clergy no less than the laity."

  "Though I do not believe in an attack, I have nothing to say againstcaution," answered Charnyetski.

  "And I," said the prior, "will send monks to Count Veyhard to enquireif the safeguard of the king has validity."

  Kmita breathed freely and cried,--

  "Praise be to God, praise be to God!"

  "Cavalier," said the prior, "God reward you for the good intention. Ifyou have warned us with reason, you will have a memorable merit beforethe Holy Lady and the country; but wonder not if we have received yourinformation with incredulity; more than once have we been alarmed. Somefrightened us out of hatred to our faith, to destroy the honor shownthe Most Holy Lady; others, out of greed, so as to gain something;still others, so as to bring news and gain consideration in the eyes ofpeople; and maybe there were even those who were deceived. Satan hatesthis place most stubbornly, and uses every endeavor to hinder pietyhere and to permit the faithful to take as little part in it aspossible, for nothing brings the court of hell to such despair asreverence for Her who crushed the head of the serpent. But now it istime for vespers. Let us implore Her love, let us confide ourselves toher guardianship, and let each man go to sleep quietly; for whereshould there be peace and safety, if not under Her wings?"

  All separated. When vespers were finished Father Kordetski himselfheard the confession of Pan Andrei, and listened to him long in theempty church; after that, Pan Andrei lay in the form of a cross beforethe closed doors of the chapel till midnight. At midnight he returnedto his room, roused Soroka, and commanded the old man to flog himbefore he went to sleep, so that his shoulders and back were coveredwith blood.