The Circassian Chief: A Romance of Russia
Page 18
was almostblinded by a dazzling and brilliant flame which burned before him. Onrecovering his sight, he found himself standing in the midst of a circleof persons, the points of whose swords radiated towards him.
"With these swords we swear to protect you! to gain true liberty forRussia, or to perish in the attempt, with them in our hands!--and withthese swords we swear to destroy any, who, by word or deed, shall betraythe trust reposed in him!--We swear!" uttered all the persons present.
"Our aims are these," added the first speaker: "to curb the despoticpower of the autocrat; to abolish the exclusive privileges of thenobles; to place every subject of Russia on an equal footing of liberty;to liberate the serfs from the thraldom under which they groan; to havebut one law in the land to govern all men."
"To these we have sworn," responded the conspirators.
"Ivan Galetzoff! are you ready to swear to do your utmost to aid in theaccomplishment of these objects?"
"To all this I solemnly swear!" said Ivan, repeating the secret form ofthe oath.
No sooner had he uttered these words, than the conspirators dropped thepoints of their swords, which they had hitherto held up at his breast,and advanced towards him with extended hands, exclaiming--
"Welcome, our brother in the great work of the regeneration of Russia!"
"We will leave you now," said he who appeared to be the conductor of theceremony, "till it be time to summon you to the assembly of members;"saying which, the conspirators disappeared by a number of separatedoors, from the chamber, which was much larger than the one where he hadbeen previously left, and Ivan again found himself alone.
The room was vaulted, and lighted by a number of lamps, shedding abright glare on the various devices with which it was ornamented; butIvan was too much occupied and confused by the strange adventures he hadgone through to examine them. He had now banished all hesitation anddoubt, having once made the step from which there was no retracting, andhe stood with dilated eye, compressed lip, and determination on hisbrow, boldly prepared to redeem, to the utmost, the pledge he had given.He had not much time left for thought, when his friend, who hadconducted him to the place, entered, summoning him to follow, and ledthe way down a flight of rude and broken steps, through a long passage,ascending to a door, through which proceeded the sound of many voices.He presently found himself in a rude, but large and vaulted apartment,in the centre of which was placed a long table, surrounded by a numberof persons, who rose at his entrance, and he was desired to take a seatby his guide, near the head of the table. As he gazed around him, herecognised, to his astonishment, the faces of several nobles whom he hadmet in the first circles of the society of Moscow, though, with thegreater number of persons present he was unacquainted.
The association comprised men of rank, fortune, and influence; militaryofficers; grave citizens, distinguished from the rest by their beardsand long coats; and even some who appeared to be lowly serfs. Allpresent wore an air of anxiety and eagerness on their countenances,conversation being carried on in an undertone: meanwhile, several othersentered, and took their seats at the board. When all were seated, thepresident of the meeting arose, and silence ensued. He was a man longpassed the prime of life, of a tall and commanding figure, whoseexpansive forehead, piercing eye, and firm set lips, marked one fit tocommand.
"Countrymen! Fellow Russians!" he cried, "the sacred cause of libertyis advancing with rapid strides, and soon may we hope to see itsstandard unfurled, and floating proudly in the face of our panic-struckenemies. To those who have not yet had an opportunity of hearing ourultimate ends and aims discussed, I now address myself.
"We have not combined to overthrow religion, virtue, and honour, order,and wholesome government; no, my countrymen! our purpose is rather toconfirm and strengthen them throughout the land. We war alone againstvice and tyranny, unjust power and misrule. These shall crouchtrembling before our triumphant standard. I ask you, is it right--is itjust, that one man should rule millions, by the fiat of his will--thathe should be the sole and undisputed master of their lives andproperties? Are Russians worthy of the name of men, while they tamelysubmit to bow their necks to so despicable a yoke? Who amongst us is,for a moment, safe? The noble, the citizen, or the serf, by the singleword of a tyrant, may be deprived of his liberty, his property, and hislife; each amongst them is liable to be torn from his home and family--from all that is held dear and sacred, to be bound in chains, and sentto pass a life of exile amidst the dreary wilds of Siberia. Can welonger submit to be thus enslaved? No--justice, honour, manhood forbidit!
"We have, moreover, other enemies to contend with. We must attack theprivileges of those vain and dastardly nobles, who, bending their necksto the yoke of the despot, aid and abet him in his tyranny; for withoutthem, how could his power stand? Are not the rest of their countrymenequal to them in intellect, in talents, in virtue? Why then should theybe allowed to hold in slavish subjection, creatures, human asthemselves, with the same blood and sinews, with hearts beating to thesame impulses, with thoughts as free, and sentiments as noble, as theirown? There are many among us here of aristocratic birth,disinterestedly refusing to avail themselves of their privileges, andanimated by a spirit of the most exalted philanthropy, who have arrayedtheir power under the banner of freedom."
The speaker paused; his eye proudly surveyed the assembly, and thecountenances of all tacitly echoed his sentiments. He resumed:
"My brave, my loved countrymen! pardon me for speaking of myself; but Imust do so to afford you an example. I was born of the privilegedclass. I once held high rank, noble possessions, unbounded wealth, and,as I thought, power. I was young, and vainly fancied myself happy andfree. I dared to speak the thoughts of my heart, which were bold andfree, under the impression that I was too far removed from the authorityof the Emperor, to fear his anger. I dared to assert the right and justindependence of man--to utter the word liberty. Yet how had I deceivedmyself in my dream of impunity; for a word spoken thoughtlessly, I wasdeprived of my rank, stripped of my wealth, dragged from my family, andbanished from my rich possessions, to the barren soils of Siberia. I,who had been brought up in the most luxurious indulgence, was drivenover hundreds of weary leagues, bare-footed, and in chains, exposed tothe inclemency of the weather the lash of the brutal guards impelling mydrooping, my exhausted steps. Each time that the sharp thong becamecrimsoned with my blood, I swore deeply that no human power shouldprevent me from returning, and straining every nerve to overthrow thetyranny which could allow such atrocious barbarities to be perpetrated.I passed many years in banishment, forgotten, and unknown. At length, Iescaped, to return to my native city; and here again I vow to accomplishthat noble purpose, or to perish in the attempt. Russians, you know myhistory--many here will remember my name. The same fate may await anyof you, when least expected; and thus you are all equally interested inrescuing our country from so abject a thraldom.
"Is it not preposterous--is it not shameful, that men who, with thelight of education, have by their own exertions gained wealth, muststill wear the vile mark of bondage; that they cannot without theirmasters' will be free, and that their children must be brought up asslaves!
"To liberate the serfs from their state of galling vassalage, is, initself, a great and noble work. No sooner shall the bright folds of thestandard of liberty be displayed, than thousands, tens of thousands ofthat now debased class, arousing from their lethargy, will flock aroundit, and proclaim the regeneration of Russia! For this cause we are allready to shed our blood; and again do I swear never to sheath my swordtill our holy, our glorious object is accomplished."
Every man simultaneously animated by the same spirit, stood up, and withone accord, drawing their weapons, exclaimed together "We swear toaccomplish the regeneration of Russia, or to die in the attempt."
The president was succeeded by several of the conspirators, who in theirturn rose to address the meeting. Some were fierce and fierycharacters, to whom mild measures were distasteful, and who would
besatisfied with nothing short of the total overthrow of the Imperialfamily; the abrogation of all the privileges and titles of nobility; andthe establishment of a republic, in which each member of the governmentshould be elected by ballot. Ivan was at first carried away by theenthusiasm, and force of eloquence displayed by some, but he soondiscovered, that many were actuated by motives far different from thosewhich they professed; some by vindictive feelings; others by theanticipation of succeeding to offices and employments, from which thepresent occupiers would be thrust. Some, bankrupt in purse andcharacter, hoped to reap a harvest amid the general confusion, whichmust ensue on a revolution, having themselves nothing to risk; but fewof the whole number perhaps, were solely influenced by the exaltedprinciples of liberty.
The meeting, after numerous speeches, and discussions, at length brokeup; no plan of proceedings having yet