Pan Michael: An Historical Novel of Poland, the Ukraine, and Turkey

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

  CHAPTER XXIX.

  All were silent, so great was the impression which the name of theterrible warrior had made. Tugai Bey was the man who, in company withthe dreadful Hmelnitski, had shaken the entire Commonwealth; he hadshed a whole sea of Polish blood; he had trampled the Ukraine, Volynia,Podolia, and the lands of Galicia with the hoofs of horses; haddestroyed castles and towns, had visited villages with fire, had takentens of thousands of people captive. The son of such a man was nowthere before the assembly in the stanitsa of Hreptyoff, and said to theeyes of people: "I have blue fish on my breast; I am Azya, bone of thebone of Tugai Bey." But such was the honor among people of that timefor famous blood that in spite of the terror which the name of thecelebrated murza must have called forth in the soul of each soldier,Mellehovich increased in their eyes as if he had taken on himself thewhole greatness of his father.

  They looked on him with wonderment, especially the women, for whomevery mystery becomes the highest charm; he too, as if he had increasedin his own eyes through his confession, grew haughty: he did not drophis head a whit, but said in conclusion,--

  "That noble"--here he pointed at Novoveski--"says I am his man; butthis is my reply to him: 'My father mounted his steed from the backs ofmen better than you.' He says truly also that I was with him, for Iwas, and under his rods my back streamed with blood, which I shall notforget, so help me God! I took the name of Mellehovich to escape hispursuit. But now, though I might have gone to the Crimea, I am servingthis fatherland with my blood and health, and I am under no one but thehetman. My father was a relative of the Khan, and in the Crimea wealthand luxury were waiting for me; but I remained here in contempt, for Ilove this fatherland, I love the hetman, and I love those who havenever disdained me."

  When he had said this, he bowed to Volodyovski, bowed so low beforeBasia that his head almost touched her knees; then, without looking onany one again, he took his sabre under his arm, and walked out.

  For a time yet silence continued. Zagloba spoke first. "Ha! Where isPan Snitko! But I said that a wolf was looking out of the eyes of thatAzya; and he is the son of a wolf!"

  "The son of a lion!" said Volodyovski; "and who knows if he hasn'ttaken after his father?"

  "As God lives, gentlemen, did you notice how his teeth glittered, justlike those of old Tugai when he was in anger?" said Pan Mushalski. "Bythat alone I should have known him, for I saw old Tugai often."

  "Not so often as I," said Zagloba.

  "Now I understand," put in Bogush, "why he is so much esteemed amongthe Tartars of Lithuania and the South. And they remember Tugai's nameas sacred. By the living God, if that man had the wish, he might takeevery Tartar to the Sultan's service, and cause us a world of trouble."

  "He will not do that," answered Pan Michael, "for what he hassaid--that he loves the country and the hetman--is true; otherwise hewould not be serving among us, being able to go to the Crimea and swimthere in everything. He has not known luxury with us."

  "He will not go to the Crimea," said Pan Bogush, "for if he had had thewish, he could have done so already; he met no hindrance."

  "On the contrary," added Nyenashinyets, "I believe now that he willentice back all those traitorous captains to the Commonwealth again."

  "Pan Novoveski," said Zagloba, suddenly, "if you had known that he wasthe son of Tugai Bey, perhaps then--perhaps so--what?"

  "I should have commanded to give him, instead of three hundred, threethousand blows. May the thunderbolts shatter me if I would not havedone so! Gracious gentlemen, it is a wonder to me that he, being TugaiBey's whelp, did not run off to the Crimea, It must be that hediscovered this only recently; for when with me he knew nothing aboutit. This is a wonder to me, I tell you it is; but for God's sake, donot trust him. I know him, gentlemen, longer than you do; and I willtell you only this much: the devil is not so slippery, a mad dog is notso irritable, a wolf is less malignant and cruel, than that man. Hewill pour tallow under the skins of you all yet."

  "What are you talking about?" asked Mushalski. "We have seen him inaction at Kalnik, at Uman, at Bratslav, and in a hundred otheremergencies."

  "He will not forget his own; he will have vengeance," said Novoveski.

  "But to-day he slew Azba's ravagers. What are you telling us?"

  Meanwhile Basia was all on fire, that history of Mellehovich occupiedher so much; but she was anxious that the end should be worthy of thebeginning; therefore, shaking Eva Novoveski, she whispered in her ear,"But you loved him, Eva? Own up; don't deny! You loved him. You lovehim yet, do you not? I am sure you do. Be outspoken with me. In whomcan you confide, if not in me, a woman? There is almost royal blood inhim. The hetman will get him, not one, but ten naturalizations. PanNovoveski will not oppose. Undoubtedly Azya himself loves you yet. Iknow already; I know, I know. Never fear. He has confidence in me. Iwill put the question to him at once. He will, tell me without torture.You loved him terribly; you love him yet, do you not?"

  Eva was as if dazed. When Azya showed his inclination to her the firsttime, she was almost a child; after that she did not see him for anumber of years, and had ceased to think of him. There remained withher the remembrance of him as a passionate stripling, who was halfcomrade to her brother, and half serving-lad. But now she saw himagain; he stood before her a handsome hero and fierce as a falcon, afamous warrior, and, besides, the son of a foreign, it is true, butprincely, stock. Therefore young Azya seemed to her altogetherdifferent; therefore the sight of him stunned her, and at the timedazzled and charmed her. Memories of him appeared before her as in adream. Her heart could not love the young man in one moment, but in onemoment she felt in it an agreeable readiness to love him.

  Basia, unable to question her to the end, took her, with Zosia Boski,to an alcove, and began again to insist, "Eva, tell me quickly, awfullyquickly, do you love him?"

  A flame beat into the face of Eva. She was a dark-haired and dark-eyedmaiden, with hot blood; and that blood flew to her cheeks at anymention of love.

  "Eva," repeated Basia, for the tenth time, "do you love him?"

  "I do not know," answered Eva, after a moment's hesitation.

  "But you don't deny? Oho! I know. Do not hesitate. I told Michael firstthat I loved him,--no harm! and it was well. You must have loved eachother terribly this long time. Ha! I understand now. It is fromyearning for you that he has always been so gloomy; he went around likea wolf. The poor soldier withered away almost. What passed between you?Tell me."

  "He told me in the storehouse that he loved me," whispered Eva.

  "In the storehouse! What then?"

  "Then he caught me and began to kiss me," continued she, in a stilllower voice.

  "Maybe I don't know him, that Mellehovich! And what did you do?"

  "I was afraid to scream."

  "Afraid to scream! Zosia, do you hear that? When was your loving foundout?"

  "Father came in, and struck him on the spot with a hatchet; then hewhipped me, and gave orders to flog him so severely that he was afortnight in bed."

  Here Eva began to cry, partly from sorrow, and partly from confusion.At sight of this, the dark-blue eyes of the sensitive Zosia filled withtears, then Basia began to comfort Eva, "All will be well, my head onthat! And I will harness Michael into the work, and Pan Zagloba. I willpersuade them, never fear. Against the wit of Pan Zagloba nothing canstand; you do not know him. Don't cry, Eva dear, it is time forsupper."

  Mellehovich was not at supper. He was sitting in his own room, warmingat the fire gorailka and mead, which he poured into a smaller cupafterward and drank, eating at the same time dry biscuits. Pan Bogushcame to him late in the evening to talk over news.

  The Tartar seated him at once on a chair lined with sheepskin, andplacing before him a pitcher of hot drink, inquired, "But does PanNovoveski still wish to make me his slave?"

  "There is no longer any talk of that," answered the under-stolnik ofNovgrod, "Pan Nyenashinyets might claim you first; but he cares nothingfor you, si
nce his sister is already either dead, or does not wish anychange in her fate. Pan Novoveski did not know who you were when hepunished you for intimacy with his daughter. Now he is going aroundlike one stunned, for though your father brought a world of evil onthis country, he was a renowned warrior, and blood is always blood. AsGod lives, no one will raise a finger here while you serve the countryfaithfully, especially as you have friends on all sides."

  "Why should I not serve faithfully?" answered Azya. "My father foughtagainst you; but he was a Pagan, while I profess Christ."

  "That's it,--that's it! You cannot return to the Crimea, unless withloss of faith, and that would be followed by loss of salvation;therefore no earthly wealth, dignity, or office could recompense you.In truth, you owe gratitude both to Pan Nyenashinyets and PanNovoveski, for the first brought you from among Pagans, and the secondreared you in the true faith."

  "I know," said Azya, "that I owe them gratitude, and I will try torepay them. Your grace has remarked truly that I have found here amultitude of benefactors."

  "You speak as if it were bitter in your mouth when you say that; butcount yourself your well-wishers."

  "His grace the hetman and you in the first rank,--that I will repeatuntil death. What others there are, I know not."

  "But the commandant here? Do you think that he would yield you into anyone's hands, even though you were not Tugai Bey's son? And PaniVolodyovski, I heard what she said about you during supper. Evenbefore, when Novoveski recognized you, she took your part. PanVolodyovski would do everything for her, for he does not see the worldbeyond her; a sister could not have more affection for a brother thanshe has for you. During the whole time of supper your name was on herlips."

  The young Tartar bent his head suddenly, and began to blow into the cupof hot drink; when he put out his somewhat blue lips to blow, his facebecame so Tartar-like that Pan Bogush said,--

  "As God is true, how entirely like Tugai Bey you were this momentpasses imagination. I knew him perfectly. I saw him in the palace ofthe Khan and on the field; I went to his encampment it is small to saytwenty times."

  "May God bless the just, and the plague choke evildoers!" said Azya."To the health of the hetman!"

  Pan Bogush drank, and said, "Health and long years! It is true those ofus who stand with him are a handful, but true soldiers. God grant thatwe shall not give up to those bread-skinners, who know only how tointrigue at petty diets, and accuse the hetman of treason to the king.The rascals! We stand night and day with our faces to the enemy, andthey draw around kneading-troughs full of hashed meat and cabbage withmillet, and are drumming on them with spoons,--that is their labor. Thehetman sends envoy after envoy, implores reinforcements for Kamenyets.Cassandra-like, he predicts the destruction of Ilion and the people ofPriam; but they have no thought in their heads, and are simply lookingfor an offender against the king."

  "Of what is your grace speaking?"

  "Nothing! I made a comparison of Kamenyets with Troy; but you, ofcourse, have not heard of Troy. Wait a little; the hetman will obtainnaturalization for you. The times are such that the occasion will notbe wanting, if you wish really to cover yourself with glory."

  "Either I shall cover myself with glory, or earth will cover me. Youwill hear of me, as God is in heaven!"

  "But those men? What is Krychinski doing? Will they return, or not?What are they doing now?"

  "They are in encampment,--some in Urzyisk, others farther on. It ishard to come to an agreement at present, for they are far from oneanother. They have an order to move in spring to Adrianople, and totake with them all the provisions they can carry."

  "In God's name, that is important, for if there is to be a greatgathering of forces in Adrianople, war with us is certain. It isnecessary to inform the hetman of this at once. He thinks also that warwill come, but this would be an infallible sign."

  "Halim told me that it is said there among them that the Sultan himselfis to be at Adrianople."

  "Praised be the name of the Lord! And here with us hardly a handful oftroops. Our whole hope in the rock of Kamenyets! Does Krychinski bringforward new conditions?"

  "He presents complaints rather than conditions. A general amnesty, areturn to the rights and privileges of nobles which they had formerly,commands for the captains,--is what they wish; but as the Sultan hasoffered them more, they are hesitating."

  "What do you tell me? How could the Sultan give them more than theCommonwealth? In Turkey there is absolute rule, and all rights dependon the fancy of the Sultan alone. Even if he who is living and reigningat present were to keep all his promises, his successor might breakthem or trample on them at will; while with us privileges are sacred,and whoso becomes a noble, from him even the king can take nothing."

  "They say that they were nobles, and still they were treated on a levelwith dragoons; that the starostas commanded them more than once toperform various duties, from which not only a noble is free, but evenan attendant."

  "But if the hetman promises them."

  "No one doubts the high mind of the hetman, and all love him in theirhearts secretly; but they think thus to themselves: 'The crowd ofnobles will shout down the hetman as a traitor; at the king's courtthey hate him; a confederacy threatens him with impeachment. How can hedo anything?'"

  Pan Bogush began to stroke his forelock. "Well, what?"

  "They know not themselves what to do."

  "And will they remain with the Sultan?"

  "No."

  "But who will command them to return to the Commonwealth?"

  "I."

  "How is that?"

  "I am the son of Tugai Bey."

  "My Azya," said Pan Bogush, after a while, "I do not deny that they maybe in love with your blood and the glory of Tugai Bey, though they areour Tartars, and Tugai Bey was our enemy. I understand such things, foreven with us there are nobles who say with a certain pride thatHmelnitski was a noble, and descended, not from the Cossacks, but fromour people,--from the Mazovians. Well, though such a rascal that inhell a worse is not to be found, they are glad to recognize him,because he was a renowned warrior. Such is the nature of man! But thatyour blood of Tugai Bey should give you the right to command allTartars, for this I see no sufficient reason."

  Azya was silent for a time; then he rested his palms on his thighs, andsaid, "Then I will tell you; Krychinski and other Tartars obey me. Forbesides this, that they are simple Tartars and I a prince, there areresources and power in me. But neither you know them, nor does thehetman himself know them."

  "What resources, what power?"

  "I do not know how to tell you," answered Azya, in Russian. "But why amI ready to do things that another would not dare? Why have I thought ofthat of which another would not have thought?"

  "What do you say? Of what have you thought?"

  "I have thought of this,--that if the hetman would give me the will andthe right, I would bring back, not merely the captains, but would puthalf the horde in the service of the hetman. Is there little vacantland in the Ukraine and the Wilderness? Let the hetman only announcethat if a Tartar comes to the Commonwealth he will be a noble, will notbe oppressed in his faith, and will serve in a squadron of his ownpeople, that all will have their own hetman, as the Cossacks have, andmy head for it, the whole Ukraine will be swarming soon. The LithuanianTartars will come; they will come from the South; they will come fromDobrudja and Belgrod; they will come from the Crimea; they will drivetheir flocks, and bring their wives and children in wagons. Do notshake your head, your grace; they will come!--as those came long agowho served the Commonwealth faithfully for generations. In the Crimeaand everywhere the Khan and the murzas oppress the people; but in theUkraine they will have their sabres, and take the field under their ownhetman. I swear to you that they will come, for they suffer from hungerthere from time to time. Now, if it is announced among the villagesthat I, by the authority of the hetman, call them,--that Tugai Bey'sson calls,--thousands will come here."

  Pan Bogush seized his own head:
"By the wounds of God, Azya, whence didsuch thoughts come to you? What would there be?"

  "There would be in the Ukraine a Tartar nation, as there is a Cossack.You have granted privileges to the Cossacks, and a hetman. Why shouldyou not grant them to us? You ask what there would be. There would notbe what there is now,--a second Hmelnitski,--for we should have putfoot at once on the throat of the Cossack; there would not be anuprising of peasants, slaughter and ruin; there would be no Doroshenko,for let him but rise, and I should be the first to bring him on ahalter to the feet of the hetman. And should the Turkish power think tomove against us, we would beat the Sultan; were the Khan to threatenraids, we would beat the Khan. Is it so long since the LithuanianTartars, and those of Podolia, did the like, though remaining in theMohammedan faith? Why should we do otherwise? We are of theCommonwealth, we are noble. Now, calculate. The Ukraine in peace, theCossacks in check, protection against Turkey, a number of tens ofthousands of additional troops,--this is what I have been thinking;this is what came to my head; this is why Krychinski, Adurovich,Moravski, Tarasovski, obey me; this is why one half the Crimea willroll to those steppes when I raise the call."

  Pan Bogush was as much astonished and weighed down by the words of Azyaas if the walls of that room in which they were sitting had opened on asudden, and new, unknown regions had appeared to his eyes. For a longtime he could not utter a word, and merely gazed on the young Tartar;but Azya began to walk with great strides up and down in the room. Atlast he said,--

  "Without me this cannot be done, for I am the son of Tugai Bey; andfrom the Dnieper to the Danube there is no greater name among theTartars." After a while he added: "What are Krychinski, Tarasovski, andothers to me? It is not a question of them alone, or of some thousandsof Lithuanian or Podolian Tartars, but of the whole Commonwealth. Theysay that in spring a great war will rise with the power of the Sultan;but only give me permission, and I will cause such a seething among theTartars that the Sultan himself will scald his hands."

  "In God's name, who are you, Azya?" cried Pan Bogush.

  The young man raised his head: "The coming hetman of the Tartars!"

  A gleam of the fire fell at that moment on Azya, lighting his face,which was at once cruel and beautiful. And it seemed to Pan Bogush thatsome new man was standing before him, such was the greatness and pridebeating from the person of the young Tartar. Pan Bogush felt also thatAzya was speaking the truth. If such a proclamation of the hetman werepublished, all the Lithuanian and Podolian Tartars would return withoutfail, and very many of the wild Tartars would follow them. The oldnoble knew passing well the Crimea, in which he had been twice as acaptive, and, ransomed by the hetman, had been afterward an envoy; heknew the court of Bagchesarai; he knew the hordes living from the Donto the Dobrudja; he knew that in winter many villages were depopulatedby hunger; he knew that the despotism and rapacity of the Khan'sbaskaks were disgusting to the murzas; that in the Crimea itself itcame often to rebellion; he understood at once, then, that rich landsand privileges would entice without fail all those for whom it wasevil, narrow, or dangerous in their old homesteads. They would beenticed most surely if the son of Tugai Bey raised the call. He alonecould do this,--no other. He, through the renown of his father, mightrouse villages, involve one half of the Crimea against the other half,bring in the wild horde of Belgrod, and shake the whole power of theKhan,--nay, even that of the Sultan. Should the hetman desire to takeadvantage of the occasion, he might consider Tugai Bey's son as a mansent by Providence itself.

  Pan Bogush began then to look with another eye on Azya, and to wondermore and more how such thoughts could be hatched in his head. And thesweat was in drops like pearl on the forehead of the knight, so immensedid those thoughts seem to him. Still, doubt remained yet in his soul;therefore he said, after a while,--

  "And do you know that there would have to be war with Turkey over sucha question?"

  "There will be war as it is. Why did they command the horde to march toAdrianople? There will be war unless dissensions rise in the Sultan'sdominions; and if it comes to taking the field, half the horde will beon our side."

  "For every point the rogue has an argument," thought Pan Bogush. "Itturns one's head," said he, after a while, "You see, Azya, in everycase it is not an easy thing. What would the king say, what thechancellor, the estates, and all the nobles, for the greater parthostile to the hetman?"

  "I need only the permission of the hetman on paper; and when we areonce here, let them drive us out! Who will drive us out, and with what?You would be glad to squeeze the Zaporojians out of the Saitch, but youcannot in any way."

  "The hetman will dread the responsibility."

  "Behind the hetman will be fifty thousand sabres of the horde, besidesthe troops which he has in hand."

  "But the Cossacks? Do you forget the Cossacks? They will beginopposition at once."

  "We are needed here specially to keep a sword hanging over the Cossackneck. Through whom has Doroshenko support? Through the Tartars! Let metake the Tartars in hand, Doroshenko must beat with his forehead to thehetman."

  Here Azya stretched out his palm and opened his fingers like the talonsof an eagle; then he grasped after the hilt of his sabre. "This is theway we will show the Cossacks law! They will become serfs, and we willhold the Ukraine. Do you hear, Pan Bogush? You think that I am a smallman; but I am not so small as it seems to Novoveski, the commandant ofthis place, and you, Pan Bogush. Behold, I have been thinking over thisday and night, till I have grown thin, till my face is sunken. Look atit, your grace; it has grown black. But what I have thought out, I havethought out well; and therefore I tell you that in me there areresources and power. You see yourself that these are great things. Goto the hetman, but go quickly. Lay the question before him; let himgive me a letter touching this matter, and I shall not care about theestates. The hetman has a great soul; the hetman will know that this ispower and resource. Tell the hetman that I am Tugai Bey's son; that Ialone can do this. Lay it before him, let him consent to it; but inGod's name, let it be done in time, while there is snow on the steppe,before spring, for in spring there will be war! Go at once and returnat once, so that I may know quickly what I am to do."

  Pan Bogush did not observe even that Azya spoke in a tone of command,as if he were a hetman giving instructions to his officer. "To-morrow Iwill rest," said he; "and after to-morrow I will set out. God grant meto find the hetman in Yavorov! Decision is quick with him, and soon youwill have an answer."

  "What does your grace think,--will the hetman consent?"

  "Perhaps he will command you to come to him; do not go to Rashkoff,then, at present,--you can go more quickly to Yavorov from this place.Whether he will agree, I know not; but he will take the matter underprompt consideration, for you present powerful reasons. By the livingGod, I did not expect this of you; but I see now that you are anuncommon man, and that the Lord God predestined you to greatness. Well,Azya, Azya! Lieutenant in a Tartar squadron, nothing more, and suchthings are in his head that fear seizes a man! Now I shall not wondereven if I see a heron-feather in your cap, and a bunchuk above you. Ibelieve now what you tell me,--that these thoughts have been burningyou in the nighttime. I will go at once, the day after to-morrow; but Iwill rest a little. Now I will leave you, for it is late, and my headis as noisy as a saw-mill. Be with God, Azya! My temples are aching asif I had been drunk. Be with God, Azya, son of Tugai Bey!"

  Here Pan Bogush pressed the thin hand of the Tartar, and turned towardthe door; but on the threshold he stopped again, and said, "How isthis? New troops for the Commonwealth; a sword ready above the neck ofthe Cossack; Doroshenko conquered; dissension in the Crimea; theTurkish power weakened; an end to the raids against Russia,--for God'ssake!"

  When he had said this. Pan Bogush went out. Azya looked after him awhile, and whispered, "But for me a bunchuk, a baton, and, with consentor without, she. Otherwise woe to you!"

  Then he finished the gorailka, and threw himself on to the bed, coveredwith skins. The fire had
gone down in the chimney; but through thewindow came in the clear rays of the moon, which had risen high in thecold wintry sky. Azya lay for some time quietly, but evidently wasunable to sleep. At last he rose, approached the window, and looked atthe moon, sailing like a ship through the infinite solitudes of heaven.The young Tartar looked at it long; at last he placed his fists on hisbreast, pointed both thumbs upward, and from the mouth of him whobarely an hour before had confessed Christ, came, in a half-chant, ahalf-drawl, in a melancholy key,--

  "La Allah illa Allah! Mahomet Rossul Allah!"