The Circassian Chief: A Romance of Russia
Page 34
to the nearest spot, by which the doorcould be approached; and without allowing it scarcely time to stop, thepeasant and a gipsy were seen, bearing the body of a man, wrapped up inthe folds of a peasant's dress, his head bandaged so as completely toconceal his features. No sooner was he placed in the cart, reclininghis whole length at the bottom, than the young peasant, again taking thereins, drove rapidly away. The old man was again left to his solitude,and the two gipsies hastened off in an opposite direction.
The peasant proceeded quickly through the narrow and winding streets ofthe city; once or twice the police seeming inclined to stop him, but ashe put on a careless air, whistling and singing as he drove along, theydid not think it necessary to interrupt his progress. At length,however, an officer of police, in search of some of the conspirators,who had as yet escaped detection, ordered him in an authoritative toneto stop his telga. He instantly obeyed, uncovering the face of itsoccupant, and displaying a profusion of red shaggy locks, and largeuntrimmed beard; a cloth being bound round the head of the wounded man.
The peasant's volubility and frankness, seemed to convince the officerthat there was no cause for suspicion, and he bid the former drive on,an order most promptly obeyed; until at length the peasant escaping allfurther impediments, reached the caravan party in safety.
He was warmly welcomed by his friends, who were making merry over cansof their beloved quass and vodka; and having attended carefully to thecomforts of his charge, whom he covered up in his wagon, he joined hiscomrades, and remained with them, until they stole off to rest in theircarts, the young peasant rolling himself up beneath the shelter of hisown telga.
The next morning they were all astir; but it was some time before theywere ready to begin their journey towards the south. The wounded manwas able to sit up among the merchandise, with which the telga of thepeasant was now loaded, the owner walking by its side; and as theypassed the gates of the city, he had a joke for each of the guards, whoafter looking into each vehicle, allowed the caravan to pass on.
At a short distance, outside the gates of the city, they observed aconcourse of people assembled, when the wounded man inquired the causeof the crowd. "It is only because a few people are going to beknouted," answered one of the drivers, taking it as a thing of course.
As they passed close to the place of execution, the wounded man observedone of the unfortunate culprits standing in a conspicuous situation,just about to receive punishment. He uttered an exclamation, and seemedas if he would rush forward to the rescue of the criminal; but hisweakness reminded him of his incapability even to walk, as with a lookof indignant regret, he sank back on his seat. The young peasant,observing the movement, leaped quickly into the telga, urging on hishorse at a faster speed.
"Hist, Sir! hist! Would you spoil all, by want of caution?" he said,"nothing can save the poor fellow, and I know he would rather die thanbring you into danger. The knowledge that you are safe will fully repayhim."
The caravan had now proceeded on some way, clouds of dust obscuring thehateful scene from their eyes, and perchance, even among that servileband of drovers, many a breast might have heaved, indignant at thecruelty they had witnessed; for to their sorrow they knew, that theinnocent too often suffered punishment, due alone to the guilty, yetnone of them dared to utter their thoughts, even to their comrades. Itwas some time before the young peasant could resume his gaiety, as hereturned to his post by the side of his telga; however, he at lengthbegan to talk and laugh as before, his light-hearted companions quicklydismissing all recollection of the scene they had witnessed.
Some versts further on, after charging his comrades not to mention hishaving been with them, and receiving their cordial farewell, he droveaway rapidly along the bye road which there presented itself.
He was long remembered by that kind-hearted and simple race, in whosebreasts enmity retains a slighter hold than gratitude and affection.
The caravan had proceeded for about the space of an hour, along theroad, when an alarm was given, that a party of mounted police weregalloping after them. The emissaries of justice were soon among thewagoners, calling loudly to them to stop, striking at them with theirthick whips, and demanding a culprit, who had escaped their vigilance.Though the sturdy carters could easily have overpowered their brutalassailants, not one attempted to make any resistance; but the youngpeasant reaped the reward of his address and wit, in conciliating them,for they one and all denied any knowledge of the person described, norcould additional blows gain any further information from them. Thepolice, after bestowing a few parting stripes, returned the way theycame; many a muttered curse followed them, the honest carters rejoicingthat their friend had escaped, and piously crossing themselves, offeredup many a hearty prayer for his ultimate escape.
The peasant drove on, till he caught sight of the Gipsy encampment ofour former friends, between whose tented walls he forthwith entered, andwas received with a shout of congratulation by its swarthy inhabitants.The Zingani chief went forward to welcome the new-comers; a cry ofpleasure escaping Azila, who timidly followed her father, as the woundedman was lifted from his conveyance; and he with the seeming peasant,throwing off their disguises, discovered to their assembled friends,Ivan and the young Gipsy Javis.
The chief warmly welcomed Ivan, and congratulated Javis on thesuccessful commencement of his undertaking, to which Azila added her ownthanks. Ivan was then conducted to the principal tent, where the oldcrone Hagar, took the wounded man again under her surgical care, andfrom the effects of her healing remedies, he soon experienced relief.
The chief took a seat by his side. "My daughter," said he, "could notventure again into the city, to aid your escape as she wished, having aswe have reason to know, been already suspected by the police of beingconcerned in the late conspiracy; and as you well know, suspicion issufficient to condemn a person in this country, of a political crime."
"I trust, my friend, to be soon able to relieve you from the danger yourun in sheltering me," said Ivan.
"Not until you are sufficiently recovered to undertake the journey, willwe allow you to depart," answered the Gipsy, "and then I have hopes,that by the talents and ingenuity of Javis, you will entirely escapefrom the power of your enemies."
While this conversation was going forward, a man who had been sent outas a scout, hastened into the tent, to say that he had seen a party ofthe police, galloping on the high road towards the south, in thedirection the caravan had taken which Javis had just left.
"Ah!" said the chief, "you have had a narrow escape, Sir, but I have myhopes that the police will lose their scent, and I trust that we are notyet suspected. We will, however, move our camp as quickly as possibletowards the south, where we may be more secure from their interference."
Volume 1, Chapter XVIII.
We must now refer back for a short period, to the morning on which theCount Erintoff learned, from public rumour, that a dreadful murder hadbeen committed, on some one who could not be recognised, owing to themangled state of his features, and to the absence of any papers orvaluables upon the body by which it could be known.
The Count congratulated himself that he had at length got rid of one,whom he most deeply hated; looking upon him as his rival in Azila'slove; and he now therefore anticipated an easy conquest of the beautifulGipsy girl. He was however, not aware that she had been made fullyacquainted, not only with his views towards herself, but with hisintention of causing Ivan's assassination.
It will be remembered that there were two Gipsy boys, whom Groff hadkept in the palace for the purpose of enticing Azila thither; these ladswere, by the Count's orders, afterwards allowed to remain, in the hopeof again attracting her there. None of their tribe, however, seemed totake any notice of them; the wounded boy remaining in bed, and the otherwho appeared to be dull and heavy was suffered to wander about thehouse, at will. The Count little thinking at the time, that he was anactive, intelligent spy, whom Azila, profiting by the accident which hadintroduced them to the palace, had purpos
ely left there to discover andreport all the Count's movements.
The Count being convinced of Ivan's death, when Groff presented himselfto claim the wages of blood, gladly paid the money, and then bethoughthimself of some plan, to make the most advantageous use of the papers hehad become possessed of. They clearly proved the existence of someconspiracy, but of what nature or extent he could not tell; and he beganto consider whether or no, he had not better make further discoveries,before he communicated it to the government. He ordered Groff,therefore, to watch the neighbourhood of the place, to learn if othersassembled there; an office the wretch was very unwilling to perform; ahorror seizing him as he approached the spot, where he had committed themurder, and driving him away, so that he brought back word to his masterthat he had seen no one.
The Count's rage and disappointment was excessive, when on the morningof Ivan's return to Moscow, he