by G. A. Henty
Chapter 9: In Warsaw.
Upon leaving the quarters of Count Piper, Charlie returned to thecamp, and, after discussing the matter with Major Jervoise,proceeded with him to the colonel's hut.
"Well, you look brighter this morning, Carstairs. Are you betterpleased, now you have thought the matter over?"
"Yes, sir. What you said last night has been quite confirmed byCount Piper, and the matter does not really seem so difficult. I ammerely, as a foreigner in the employment of the King of Sweden, totalk with foreigners in Warsaw, to assure them that the king issincere in his desire to avoid war with Poland, and will gladlymake a lasting peace between the two countries, to urge upon themto show themselves favourable to his project for securing such apeace, by forcing Augustus to resign the crown, and to use whatinfluence they can in that direction, both upon their fellowtraders and upon the Poles."
"There is nothing very difficult about that," Colonel Jamieson saidcheerfully, "as it happens to be quite true; and there can be noreal question as to the true interest of Poland, and especially ofthe trading classes in the great towns, from whom heavycontributions towards the expenses of war are always exacted bytheir own rulers, and who have to pay a ruinous ransom in case oftheir city being captured by the enemy. The traders of Warsaw willneed no reminder of such well-known facts, and will be only tooglad to be assured that, unless as a last resource, our king has nointention of making war upon Poland, and they will certainly beinclined to bestir themselves to avert such a possibility. Youhave, I suppose, a list of names of the people with whom you hadbest put yourself into communication?"
"Yes, sir. Here is a list. There are, I see, ten Scotchmen, fifteenFrenchmen, and about as many Jews."
"I know nothing of the Frenchmen, and less of the Jews," thecolonel said, taking the list; "but I ought to know some of theScotchmen. They will hail from Dundee and Glasgow, and, it may be,Dumfries."
He ran his eye down the list.
"Aha! Here is one, and we need go no further. Allan Ramsay; we werelads together at the High School of Glasgow, and were classmates atthe College. His father was a member of the city council, and wasone of the leading traders in the city. Allan was a wild lad, as Iwas myself, and many a scrape did we get into together, and hadmany a skirmish with the watch. Allan had two or three halfbrothers, men from ten to twenty years older than himself, and, ayear or two after I came out to Sweden and entered the army as anensign, who should I meet in the streets of Gottenburg, but AllanRamsay.
"We were delighted to see each other, and he stopped with me nearlya week. He had, after leaving the College, gone into his father'sbusiness, but when the old man died he could not get on with hishalf brothers, who were dour men, and had little patience withAllan's restlessness and love of pleasure. So, after a finalquarrel, they had given him so much money for his share of thebusiness, and a letter of introduction to a trader in Poland, whohad written to them saying that he wanted a partner with somecapital; and Allan was willing enough to try the life in a strangecountry, for he was a shrewd fellow, with all his love of fun.
"Five years afterwards, he came through Gottenburg again. I did notsee him, for my regiment was at Stockholm at the time, but he wroteme a letter saying that he had been in Scotland to marry and bringback one Janet Black, the daughter of a mercer, whom I rememberwell enough as an old flame of his.
"He reported that he was doing well, and that the Poles were notbad fellows to live among, though less punctual in their paymentsthan might be wished. He said he did not suppose that, as a Swedishofficer, I should ever be in Poland, unless Sweden produced anotherGustavus Adolphus; but if I was, he would be delighted to welcomeme, and that anyone I asked in Warsaw would direct me to his shop.I wonder that I did not think of him before; but that is ten yearsago, and it had altogether passed out of my mind, till I saw hisname here. Unless he is greatly changed, you may be sure of ahearty welcome from Allan Ramsay, for my sake. We need not troubleabout the other names. He will know all about them, and will beable to put you in the way of getting at them."
This was a great relief to Charlie, who felt that it would be animmense advantage to have the house of someone, from whom he mightexpect a welcome, to go to on his arrival in Warsaw; and he wasable, during the day, to talk over the prospects of the journey,with Harry Jervoise, with a real sense of interest and excitementin his mission.
In the evening, he again went to the house of the minister. Thelatter, a close observer of men, saw at once that the young officerwas in much better spirits than he had been in the morning.
"Have you obtained information respecting any of the persons whosenames I gave you?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. It seems that, most fortunately, the trader named AllanRamsay is an old friend of Colonel Jamieson, and the colonel hasgiven me a letter to him which will, he assures me, procure me ahearty welcome."
"And have you thought anything more of your best plan of action?"
"Yes, sir. It seems to me that I had better dress myself in anattire such as might be worn by a young Scotchman, journeyingthrough the country to place himself with a relation established inbusiness. I could ride behind the royal envoy, as if I had receivedpermission to journey under the protection of his escort, and coulddrop behind a few miles from the capital, and make my way in alone.I could not, of course, inquire for Allan Ramsay in Polish, but Iknow enough French to ask for him at any shop having a French nameover it, if I did not happen to light upon one kept by aScotchman."
"Yes, that plan will do very well. But you will have no difficultyin finding the house, as I have arranged that a man shall accompanyyou as servant. He is a Lithuanian, and is the grandson of asoldier of Gustavus Adolphus, who married and settled there. Hisgrandfather kept up his connection with his native country, and theyoung fellow speaks Swedish fairly, and, of course, Polish. For thelast three weeks I have employed him in various matters, and findhim shrewd and, I believe, faithful. Such a fellow would be ofgreat use to you, and could, if necessary, act as your interpreterin any interviews you may have with Polish Jews, although you willfind that most of these men speak other languages besides theirown."
He touched a bell, and on a servant entering, said:
"Bring Stanislas Bistron here."
An active, well-built young fellow of some four and twenty years ofage entered the room a minute later. His fair hair and blue eyesshowed that he took after his Swedish ancestors.
"This is the gentleman, Stanislas, that you are to accompany toWarsaw, as his servant. You will obey him, in all respects, as ifhe had hired you in his service, and, should he arrive at anysituation of danger or difficulty, I trust that you will not befound wanting."
The man had looked closely at Charlie.
"I will do my best, sir, and I doubt not that the gentleman'sservice will suit me. He has the look of one who would be kind tohis servants."
"Wait at the outside door," the count said. "Captain Carstairs willspeak to you as he leaves."
The man bowed and went out, and the count then said, with a smileat the look of surprise on Charlie's face:
"It was not a slip of the tongue. Here is a commission, signed byhis majesty, appointing you to the rank of captain, as he has longconsidered that you had well won your promotion, by your suggestionwhich enabled him to cross the Dwina without loss; but he thoughtthere would be a difficulty in placing you over the heads of somany officers senior to yourself. This inconvenience no longerexists, now that you have what may be considered a staffappointment, and the rank may, moreover, add to your weight andinfluence in your interviews with persons at Warsaw.
"You will need money. Here is a purse for your expenses. You maymeet with some of these men, especially among the Jewish traders,who may need a bribe. Bribery is common, from the highest to thelowest, in Poland. You will find, in this letter of instructions,that you are authorized to promise sums of money to men whoseassistance may be valuable. It is impossible to fix the sums. Thesemust depend upon the position of the men, and the val
ue of theirservices; and I can only say do not be lavish, but at the same timedo not hesitate to promise a sum that will secure the services ofuseful men. Your best plan will be to find out, if you are able,what each man expects, and to make what abatement you can. The onlylimit placed is that you must not commit the royal treasury to atotal sum exceeding ten thousand crowns. You will, I hope, find asmaller sum suffice.
"The envoy will start at six tomorrow morning. I do not know thatthere are any further instructions to give you. You will finddetails, in these written instructions, as to the manner in whichyou are to communicate, from time to time, the result of yourmission, and you will receive orders when to return."
Outside the house, Charlie saw his new servant waiting him.
"You have a horse, Stanislas?"
"Yes, sir, I have been provided with one. I have also a brace ofpistols, and a sword."
"I hope you will not have to use them, but in these disturbed timesthey are necessaries."
"I have better clothes than these, sir, if you wish me to lookgay."
"By no means," Charlie replied. "I am going in the character of ayoung Scotchman, on my way to join a relative in business inWarsaw, and you accompany me in the capacity of guide and servant.As I should not be in a position to pay high wages, the more humbleyour appearance, the better. We start at six in the morning. Theenvoy will leave the royal quarters at that hour, and we travelwith his escort. Join me a quarter of an hour before that at myhut. You had better accompany me there now, so that you may knowthe spot. I shall not require your services before we start, as mysoldier servant will saddle my horse, and have all in readiness."
Harry came to the door of the hut, as he saw his friendapproaching.
"Well, Charlie, is all satisfactorily settled?
"Yes, quite satisfactorily, I think. That is my new servant. CountPiper has appointed him. He speaks Swedish and Polish."
"That will be a great comfort to you, Charlie. Jock Armstrong, whohas not picked up ten words of Swedish since he joined, would havebeen worse than useless."
"I have another piece of news, Harry, that I am in one way veryglad of, and in another sorry for. I had always hoped that weshould keep together, and that, just as we joined together, andwere made lieutenants at the same time, it would always be so."
"You have got another step?" Harry exclaimed. "I am heartily gladof it. I thought very likely you might get it. Indeed, I wassurprised that you did not get it, at once, after our fight withthe Saxons. I am sure you deserved it, if ever a fellow did,considering what it saved us all."
"Of course it is for that," Charlie replied, "though I think it isvery absurd. Count Piper said the king would have given it to me atonce, only it would have taken me over the heads of so many menolder than myself; but he considered that, now I am going on a sortof staff work, away from the regiment, I could be promoted, and hethought, too, that the title of Captain would assist me in mymission."
"Of course it will," Harry said, warmly. "That is just what I toldyou, you know. This business was not quite to your liking, but itwas a good long step towards making your fortune. Don't you thinkthat I shall be jealous of your going ahead, for I am not in theleast. I am sorry you are going away, for I shall miss youterribly; but I am quite content to be with the regiment, and towork my way up gradually. As it is, I am senior lieutenant in theregiment, and the first battle may give me my company; though Idon't expect it, for I do not think my father would wish thecolonel to give me the step, if it occurred, for all the otherlieutenants are older than we are, though they are junior to us inthe regiment, and I feel sure that he would prefer me to remain foranother two or three years as lieutenant. In fact, he said as muchto me, a short time ago. Still, when I am fit to command a company,there is no doubt I shall get it.
"Of course, I am sorry you are going, very sorry, Charlie; but,even if you go altogether on to the staff, I shall see a good dealof you, for, as the king is always with the army, this must be yourheadquarters still.
"I wonder how long you will be away. I like the look of the fellowwho is going with you. It was an honest, open sort of face, as faras I saw it. At any rate, it is a comfort to think that you won'tbe absolutely alone, especially among people whose language youdon't know. Mind, if you are sending letters to Count Piper, besure you send a few lines, by the same messenger, to let me knowhow you are going on. Not long letters, you know; I expect you willhave your hands pretty well full; but just enough to give me anidea of how you are, and what you are doing."
The following morning, Charlie started. He had said goodbye to noone, except the colonel, Major Jervoise, and Harry, as it was notconsidered advisable that his departure with the envoy for Warsawshould be talked about. He only joined the party, indeed, afterthey had ridden out of the camp. He had laid aside his uniform, andwas dressed in clothes which Major Jervoise had procured for him,from one of the last-joined recruits who had but just received hisuniform. The lieutenant commanding the escort of twenty troopersrode up to him, as he joined the party.
"Baron Seckers informs me that he has given permission to a youngScotchman and his servant, travelling to Warsaw, to ride under hisprotection. Are you the person in question, sir?"
"It is all right, Lieutenant Eberstein," Charlie said, with asmile. "Don't you recognize me?"
"Of course--Lieutenant Carstairs. I was at the hunt where you weretaken prisoner; but I did not expect to see you in this garb."
"I am going on duty," Charlie said, "and am dressed according toorders. Do not address me by my name. I am at present SandyAnderson, going to join a relation in Warsaw."
"Ah, ah! Is that so? Going to put your head into the den of theLion Augustus. Well, I rather envy you, for it is likely, by allaccounts, to be dull work here for some time. It is hard to besitting idle, while the Russian guns are thundering round Narva.Now, I must join the baron again. Where would you ratherride--after us, or behind the escort?"
"Behind the escort. I think it will be more natural, and I can chatmore freely with my servant. He is a Lithuanian, but speaksSwedish, and I hope to get some information from him."
The lieutenant rode on, and, as he passed the troopers, he toldthem that the two men behind had the baron's permission to ridewith them, in order that they might have protection from the bandsof pillagers who were roaming through the country.
"Now, Stanislas," Charlie said. "We can talk freely together. Doyou know Warsaw?"
"I have been there several times, sir, but I never stopped therelong. Still, I can find my way about the town."
"When were you there last?"
"Some two months ago. It was just before I entered the Swedishservice."
"And what do the people say about the war?"
"They are bitterly opposed to it. The king entered upon it withoutconsulting the diet, which was altogether contrary to theconstitution. It is true that the king may do so, in cases ofemergency, and obtain the sanction of the diet afterwards. Therewas no urgency here, and the king made his agreement with the czarand the king of Denmark without anyone knowing of it. He certainlyobtained a sort of sanction from the diet afterwards, but everyoneknows how these things are worked. He has a strong party, ofcourse, because it is the interest of a great many people to retainhim in power, as no one can say who would be chosen to succeed him.But among the people in general, the traders and the peasants, heis hated, and so are his Saxon soldiers.
"Suppose he had gained a slice of Swedish territory. It would nothave benefited them; while, as it is, all sorts of misfortunes andtroubles have come upon the country, and none can say how muchgreater may ensue.
"Poland is always split up into parties. They used to unite againstthe Turk, and they would unite again against the Swedes, if theircountry was invaded; but as long as King Charles keeps his armybeyond the frontier, they are too deeply engaged in their ownquarrels to think of anything else."
"Then, even if I were known, in the city, to be in the Swedishservice, there would be little danger, Stanisl
as?"
"I do not say that, at all," the man said gravely. "In the firstplace, Warsaw is held by Saxon soldiers, who would show you butscant mercy, were you known to be a Swedish officer; and, in thesecond place, the lower classes are ever ready to make tumults;and, if worked upon by the archbishop, or the nobles of the king'sparty, they would readily enough tear a stranger to pieces.
"Going as you do as a Scotchman, there is, I hope, little danger,especially if you are received into a Scottish household."
The journey passed without incident, until they were within a fewmiles of Warsaw, when Charlie, after formally thanking BaronSeckers for the protection his escort had afforded him, fell behindwith his servant. Several parties of armed men had been met with,but they knew better than to interfere with the little body ofSwedish cavalry; while, in the towns through which they passed, thebaron was respectfully received as the envoy of the dreaded King ofSweden.
"Is there another gate to the city, on this side of the town,beside that by which the Swedes will enter? If so, it would be aswell to use it, so that there should seem to be no connectionbetween us and them," said Charlie.
There was another gate, and by this they rode into Warsaw, at thattime a city of far greater importance than it is at present. Thegate was unguarded, and they passed through without question. Thecitizens were talking excitedly in groups, evidently discussing thequestion of the arrival of the Swedish envoy, and the chances ofpeace; and no attention was paid to the travellers, whoseappearance denoted them to be persons of no importance.Richly-attired nobles, in costumes of almost oriental magnificence,galloped through the streets on splendid horses, scattering thegroups of citizens, and paying no attention whatever to the angrymurmurs that followed them.
Charlie stopped at a small inn, and there the horses were put up.Stanislas made inquiries for the shop of Allan Ramsay, mentioningthat his employer was a relation of the Scottish merchant, and hadcome out to be with him, until he had learned the language.
"The Scots know their business," the landlord grumbled. "They andthe French and the Jews, together, have their hand in everyone'spocket. They buy the cattle and grain of the peasants, for whatthey choose to give for them, and send them out of the country,getting all the profits of the transaction; while, as to thenobles, there is scarce one who is not deep in their books."
"Still, you could not do without them," Stanislas said. "There mustbe somebody to buy and to sell, and as the nobles won't do it, andthe peasants can't, I don't see that the foreigners are to beblamed for coming in and taking the trade."
"That is true enough," the landlord admitted reluctantly. "Still,there is no doubt the country is kept poor, while, between them,these men gather up the harvest."
"Better that than let it rot upon the ground," Stanislas saidunconcernedly; and then, having obtained the name of the streetwhere several of the Scottish traders had places of business, heand Charlie started on foot. They were not long in finding the shopwith the sign of the merchant swinging over the door.
"You had better wait outside, Stanislas, while I go in and see themaster. No; if he is not in the shop, his men will not understandme, so come in with me till you see that I have met him, and thengo back to the inn for the night. Whether I join you there willdepend upon the warmth of my welcome."
Two or three young Poles were in the shop. Stanislas asked them forAllan Ramsay, and they replied that he was taking his evening mealupstairs, whereupon Charlie produced the letter from ColonelJamieson, and Stanislas requested one of them to take it up to themerchant. Three minutes later the inner door opened, and a tall manwith a ruddy face and blue eyes entered, holding the open letter inhis hand. Charlie took a step forward to meet him.
"So you are Sandy Anderson," he said heartily, with a merry twinklein his eye, "my connection, it seems, and the friend of my dearclassmate Jamieson? Come upstairs. Who is this Scotch-looking ladwith you?"
"He is my servant and interpreter. His grandfather was a Swede, andto him he owes his fair hair and complexion. He is a Lithuanian. Heis to be trusted, I hope, thoroughly. He was sent with me by--"
"Never mind names," the Scotchman said hastily. "We will talk abouthim afterwards. Now come upstairs. Your letter has thrown me quiteinto a flutter.
"Never say anything in English before those Poles," he said, as heleft the shop; "the fellows pick up languages as easily as I candrink whisky, when I get the chance. One of them has been with metwo years, and it is quite likely he understands, at any rate,something of what is said.
"Here we are."
He opened a door, and ushered Charlie into a large room,comfortably furnished. His wife, a boy eight years of age, and agirl a year older, were seated at the table.
"Janet," the merchant said, "this is Captain Carstairs, alias SandyAnderson, a connection of ours, though I cannot say, for certain,of what degree."
"What are you talking of, Allan?" she asked in surprise; for herhusband, after opening and partly reading the letter, had jumped upand run off without saying a word.
"What I say, wife. This gentleman is, for the present, SandyAnderson, who has come out to learn the business and language, withthe intent of some day entering into partnership with me; also,which is more to the point, he is a friend of my good friend JockJamieson, whom you remember well in the old days."
"I am very glad, indeed, to see any friend of Jock Jamieson," JanetRamsay said warmly, holding out her hand to Charlie, "though I donot in the least understand what my husband is talking about, orwhat your name really is."
"My name is Carstairs, madam. I am a captain in the Swedishservice, and am here on a mission for King Charles. ColonelJamieson, for he is now colonel of the regiment to which Ibelong--"
"What!" the merchant exclaimed. "Do you mean to say that our JockJamieson is a colonel? Well, well, who would have thought he wouldhave climbed the tree so quickly?"
"It is a regiment entirely of Scotch and Englishmen," Charlie said;"and he was promoted, to take its command, only a short timesince."
"Well, please to sit down and join us," Mrs. Ramsay said. "It isbad manners, indeed, to keep you talking while the meat is gettingcold on the table. When you have finished, it will be time enoughto question you."
While the meal was going on, however, many questions were asked asto Colonel Jamieson, the regiment, and its officers.
"As soon as matters are more settled," the merchant said, "I willgive myself a holiday, and Janet and I will go and spend a few dayswith Jock. Many of the names of the officers are well known to me,and two or three of the captains were at Glasgow College with Jockand myself. It will be like old times, to have four or five of ustalking over the wild doings we had together."
The supper over, the children were sent off to bed. Allan Ramsaylit a long pipe. A bottle of wine and two glasses were placed onthe table, and Mrs. Ramsay withdrew, to see after domestic matters,and prepare a room for Charlie.
"Now, lad, tell me all about it," Allan Ramsay said. "Jock tells meyou are here on a mission, which he would leave it to yourself toexplain; but it is no business of mine, and, if you would ratherkeep it to yourself, I will ask no questions."
"There is no secret about it, as far as you are concerned, Mr.Ramsay, for it is to you and to other merchants here that I havecome to talk it over;" and he then went fully into the subject.
The Scotchman sat, smoking his pipe in silence, for some minutesafter he had concluded.
"We do not much meddle with politics here. We have neither voicenor part in the making of kings or of laws, and, beyond that welike to have a peace-loving king, it matters little to us whom thediet may set up over us. If we were once to put the tips of ourfingers into Polish affairs, we might give up all thought of trade.They are forever intriguing and plotting, except when they arefighting; and it would be weary work to keep touch with it all,much less to take part in it. It is our business to buy and tosell, and so that both parties come to us, it matters little; one'smoney is as good as the other. If I had one set of cre
ditors deeperin my books than another, I might wish their party to gain the day,for it would, maybe, set them up in funds, and I might get mymoney; but, as it is, it matters little. There is not a customer Ihave but is in my debt. Money is always scarce with them; for theyare reckless and extravagant, keeping a horde of idle loons aboutthem, spending as much money on their own attire and that of theirwives as would keep a whole Scotch clan in victuals. But, if theycannot pay in money, they can pay in corn or in cattle, in wine orin hides.
"I do not know which they are fondest of--plotting, or fighting, orfeasting; and yet, reckless as they are, they are people to like.If they do sell their votes for money, it is not a Scotchman thatshould throw it in their teeth; for there is scarce a Scotch noble,since the days of Bruce, who has not been ready to sell himself forEnglish gold. Our own Highlanders are as fond of fighting as thePoles, and their chiefs are as profuse in hospitality, and asreckless and spendthrift.
"But the Poles have their virtues. They love their country, and areready to die for her. They are courteous, and even chivalrous, theyare hospitable to an excess, they are good husbands and kindlymasters, they are recklessly brave; and, if they are unduly fond offinery, I, who supply so many of them, should be the last to findfault with them on that score. They are proud, and look down uponus traders, but that does not hurt us; and, if they were to take totrading themselves, there would be no place for us here. But thishas nothing to do with our present purpose.
"Certainly, if it was a question of Polish affairs, neither theforeign nor the Jewish merchants here would move a finger one wayor the other. We have everything to lose, and nothing to gain.Suppose we took sides with one of the parties, and the other gotthe upper hand. Why, they might make ordinances hampering us inevery way, laying heavy taxes on us, forbidding the export ofcattle or horses, and making our lives burdensome. True, if theydrove us out they would soon have to repeal the law, for all tradewould be at an end. But that would be too late for many of us.
"However, I do not say that, at the present time, many would not bedisposed to do what they could against Augustus of Saxony. We areaccustomed to civil wars; and, though these may cause misery andruin, in the districts where they take place, they do not touch ushere in the capital. But this is a different affair. Augustus has,without reason or provocation, brought down your fiery King ofSweden upon us; and, if he continues on the throne, we may hear theSwedish cannon thundering outside our walls, and may have the citytaken and sacked. Therefore, for once, politics become our naturalbusiness.
"But, though you may find many well wishers, I doubt if you canobtain any substantial aid. With Saxon troops in the town, and thenobles divided, there is no hope of a successful rising in Warsaw."
"The king did not think of that," Charlie said. "His opinion was,that were it evident that the citizens of Warsaw were stronglyopposed to Augustus of Saxony, it would have a great moral effect,and that, perhaps, they might influence some of the nobles who, asyou say, are deeply in their books, or upon whose estates they mayhold mortgages, to join the party against the king."
"They might do something that way," Allan Ramsay agreed. "Ofcourse, I have no money out on mortgages. I want badly enough allthe money I can lay hands on in my own business. Giving credit, aswe have to, and often very long credit, it requires a large capitalto carry on trade. But the Jews, who no doubt do hold largemortgages on the land, cannot exert much power. They cannot holdland themselves, and, were one of them to venture to sell theproperty of any noble of influence, he would be ruined. The wholeclass would shrink from him, and, like enough, there would be atumult got up, his house would be burned over his head, and he andhis family murdered.
"Still, as far as popular opinion goes, something might be done. Atany rate, I will get some of my friends here tomorrow, andintroduce you to them and talk it over. But we must be careful, forAugustus has a strong party here, and, were it suspected that youare a Swedish officer, it would go very hard with you.
"Tomorrow you must fetch your servant here. I have already sentround to the inn, and you will find your valises in your room. Yousaid you could rely thoroughly upon him?"
"Yes, he was handed over to me by Count Piper himself; andmoreover, from what I have seen of him, I am myself confident thathe can be trusted. He is of Swedish descent, and is, I think, avery honest fellow."
For a fortnight, Charlie remained at Allan Ramsay's, and then, inspite of the pressing entreaties of his host and hostess, took alodging near them. He had, by this time, seen a good many of theleading traders of the town. The Scotch and Frenchmen had allheartily agreed with his argument, that it was for the benefit ofPoland, and especially for that of Warsaw, that Augustus of Saxonyshould be replaced by another king, who would be acceptable toCharles of Sweden; but all were of opinion that but little could bedone, by them, towards bringing about this result.
With the Jewish traders his success was less decided. They admittedthat it would be a great misfortune, were Warsaw taken by theSwedes, but, as Poles, they retained their confidence in thenational army, and were altogether sceptical that a few thousandSwedes could withstand the host that could be put in the fieldagainst them.
Several of them pointedly asked what interest they had in thematter, and, to some of these, Charlie was obliged to use his powerof promising sums of money, in case of success.
There were one or two, however, of whom he felt doubtful. Chiefamong these was Ben Soloman Muller, a man of great influence in theJewish community. This man had placed so large a value upon hisservices, that Charlie did not feel justified in promising him sucha sum. He did not like the man's face, and did not rely upon thepromises of silence he had given, before the mission was revealedto him. It was for this reason, principally, that he determined togo into lodgings. Should he be denounced, serious trouble mightfall upon Allan Ramsay, and it would at least minimize this risk,were he not living at his house when he was arrested. Ramsayhimself was disposed to make light of the danger.
"I believe myself that Ben Soloman is an old rogue, but he is not afool. He cannot help seeing that the position of the king isprecarious, and, were he to cause your arrest, he might get littlethanks and no profit, while he would be incurring the risk of thevengeance of Charles, should he ever become master of the town. Didhe have you arrested, he himself would be forced to appear as awitness against you, and this he could hardly do without the matterbecoming publicly known.
"I do not say, however, that, if he could curry favour with theking's party by doing you harm, without appearing in the matter, hewould hesitate for a moment.
"Even if you were arrested here, I doubt whether any great harmwould befall me, for all the Scotch merchants would make commoncause with me, and, although we have no political power, we have agood deal of influence one way or another, and Augustus, at thistime, would not care to make fresh enemies. However, lad, I willnot further dispute your decision. Were I quite alone, I would notlet you leave me, so long as you stop in this city, without takinggreat offence; but, with a wife and two children, a man is moretimid than if he had but himself to think of."
Charlie therefore moved into the lodging, but every day he went forthree or four hours to the shop, where he kept up his assumedcharacter by aiding to keep the ledgers, and in learning from thePolish assistants the value of the various goods in the shop.
One evening, he was returning after supper to his lodging, whenStanislas met him.
"I observed three or four evil-looking rascals casting glances atthe house today, and there are several rough-looking fellowshanging about the house this evening. I do not know if it meansanything, but I thought I would let you know."
"I think it must be only your fancy, Stanislas. I might be arrestedby the troops, were I denounced, but I apprehend no danger from menof the class you speak of. However, if we should be interferedwith, I fancy we could deal with several rascals of that sort."
At the corner of his street, three or four men were standing. Oneof them moved, as he passed, and
pushed rudely against him, sendinghis hat into the gutter. Then, as his face was exposed, the fellowexclaimed:
"It is he, death to the Swedish spy!"
They were the last words he uttered. Charlie's sword flew from itsscabbard, and, with a rapid pass, he ran the man through the body.The others drew instantly, and fell upon Charlie with fury, keepingup the shout of, "Death to the Swedish spy!" It was evidently asignal--for men darted out of doorways, and came running down thestreet, repeating the cry.
"Go, Stanislas!" Charlie shouted, as he defended himself against adozen assailants. "Tell Ramsay what has happened; you can do nogood here."
A moment later, he received a tremendous blow on the back of thehead, from an iron-bound cudgel, and fell senseless to the ground.