The Circassian Chief: A Romance of Russia
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direction of Ghelendjik, and of theintervening hills and valleys, from which, with their glasses, theycould perceive wreaths of smoke curling upwards to the clear sky inevery direction. Alas! they told a sad tale of destruction goingforward! As the Hadji gazed with an anxious eye to discover the cause--
"Curses on the fell Giaour!" he exclaimed. "Yonder flames and smoke aretheir hellish work! See how the burning cottages, and farms, and ripecorn fields of our countrymen, mark the course of our foes. See, theytake the passes towards Anapa. Ha! we may yet be in time to stop thembefore they reach that castle. They will no doubt attempt the passageof the valley of the Zemes; and there the brave Seraskier Manjour Beywill be found in waiting for them. Onward, my friends, we will see whatthese Moscov are about."
Saying which, the whole party urged their horses down the dizzymountain's side, crossing valleys, streams, rocks and hills, in theireagerness to arrive at the scene of action. It was nearly sun-set whenthey came within hearing of distant and straggling shots; and,surmounting a hill, they perceived in the broad valley below them, thevast Russian force winding its way by the side of a clear stream, whichprotected one flank.
The long and close columns advanced in regular and steady order; theircolours waving above their heads, their bands playing animating andlively airs, and their artillery guarding their van and rear. Trains ofbaggage and ammunition waggons were in the centre, furnished with allthe "materiel" for war; while troops of Cossacks scoured the fields oneach side, to protect their flanks, and to guard them from a surprise.Here and there might be seen hovering around them, parties of thepatriot horsemen, every now and then charging the Cossacks, grapplingwith their opponents, bearing them off, or cutting them down, ere theRussians could point their howitzers at the assailants.
A messenger now arrived who had been sent in search of the Hadji's partyfrom the Seraskier, then commanding the main body of the Circassiansassembled to impede the Russian's progress. He informed them that thischief had determined to hazard no engagement till the enemy had enteredthe valley of the Zemes, which they would probably do on the followingmorning; calling in all stragglers to form an ambuscade, except a fewscouts to watch the movements of the foe. The Hadji and his partydirectly determined to obey the wishes of the General, as did most ofthe parties who had been engaged in harassing the enemy's advance;though a few still continued hovering on his flanks.
The Hadji and his followers, therefore, turned their horses' heads inthe direction of the spot where their friends were assembled; ridingover the summit of the hills, which bounded the valley, till theyarrived at the edge of the lofty cliffs forming the sides of the pass orglen of the Zemes. The Seraskier Manjour Bey came forward to welcomethe friends who had so opportunely arrived; and led them round to theplaces where he had posted his men, who were to sleep that night ontheir arms ready for any sudden movement of the enemy, should theyattempt to pass through the gorge under cover of the night; the Hadjiplacing his followers in other advantageous positions. Behind everyrock and bush, on every projecting craig where footing was to be found,were to be seen the athletic forms of the highland warriors, theirrifles and bows ready for action, and their ears intent to catch thefirst notes of the Russian horns in their advance. Many also, in placesto which they could lead their horses, were crouching down by the sideof the well-trained animals, hidden by the thick brushwood and brokenrocks.
It was but a small body of mountaineers whom the Hadji and Selem foundassembled; they were entirely destitute of artillery, and there was ascarcity of ammunition. They could, therefore, depend alone on theirsharp broad swords to contend with the well-trained bands of Europesupplied with all the "materiel" of war. The Hadji was deeplydisappointed when he discovered the hopelessness of entirelyannihilating the Russian army, as he at first expected; but hedetermined to gall them, as much as possible, in their march.
Here the brave patriot band continued the live-long night in eagerexpectation; not a word above a whisper being uttered to disturb thedead silence which reigned around. Young Alp remained by his father'sside, as did Selem, for they well knew that where the fight wasthickest, there would the gallant old warrior be found. Seated on thesoft heather, on a bank rising but a little way above the bottom of theglen, they passed the night, listening to his long tales of war, and hisadventures. Our hero, unaccustomed as yet to the night watch, and thebivouac, was worked up to the highest pitch of excitement andexpectation; the night seemed interminably protracted; but to the otherhardy warriors it was an affair of constant occurrence, though theywere, perhaps, no less eager for the issue of the approaching combat,which might be of such vital importance to the liberty of the provinceof Khapsoukhi.
At length, as reclined on the turf, he gazed up into the pure calm sky,dotted with myriads of stars, they seemed to grow fainter and fainter,until he could scarcely distinguish them, amid the blue void. He sprungto his feet; not a sound was heard; the first faint streaks of dawnappeared in the east, yet no one moved from the leafy shelter. The sunrose, a vast globe of living fire, glowing as if in anger at the sceneof blood on which his beams were so soon to shine; now throwing aglowing red flame on the dew-besprinkled trees above their heads, soonto be followed by one of still deeper hue.
So calm and quiet was the scene, that a traveller might have passedthrough the glen, unconscious that he was surrounded by hundreds ofwarriors and their steeds. All were on the tiptoe of expectation; forevery moment might bring up the Russian army; when the interest wasincreased tenfold as the scouts, breaking through the brushwood, spurredtheir horses up the sides of the glen.
"The Urus are advancing! The Urus are advancing!" they cried, as theypassed to make their report to the Seraskier, and to take their stationwithin the shelter of the thickets. All things wore again the silenceof the grave; then the cheering sounds of drums and fifes came faintlyon the breeze, through the windings of the valley; next, the firm treadof the approaching host might be heard; and then appeared the advanceguard of the Russian army. Onward they came, regardless of danger.Each of the highland warriors held his breath with eagerness, and morefirmly grasped his sword to spring forward on the foe; or kept hisfinger on the lock of his rifle, or drew his arrow to his ear, preparedfor the word of command to commence the work of death.
Not a leaf moved, not a whisper was heard, when the advancing column ofthe Russian force appeared in sight. The leading file came directlybelow the ambuscade. At this moment, a terrific cry arose from thesides of the glen, reverberating from rock to rock, from craig to craig,down the whole extent of the savage pass.
"Come, my sons, now is the moment; we'll up and be at them. Follow,those who will. Wa Allah! Allah! Allah!" cried the gallant Hadji,springing to his horse. His example was followed by Alp, Selem, andabout twenty other warriors, who drew their scymitars as they rushedfrom the leafy cover; shrieking, rather than shouting their war cry, anddashing among the foremost ranks of the Russians, giving them not amoment to defend themselves.
It is necessary to go back a little in our narrative, and explain thecause of this sudden incursion on the part of the Russians. When thebrig of war returned to Ghelendjik, bringing the remnant of thegarrison, and an account of the loss of the fort, the rage of BaronGaletzoff knew no bounds; especially when he heard that our hero hadbeen one of the most daring leaders, and that Lieutenant Stanisloff hadescaped. Again, and again, he renewed his vows of wreaking vengeance onthe Circassians, and expressed his determination to capture the twofriends at all hazards. Count Erintoff confessed that he had, at first,the intention of putting the Baron's warrant into execution himself, anddispatching Thaddeus in prison, with his own hands; but the surprise ofthe mountaineers had been so sudden, that he had barely time to escapewith his life. Some time after these events, a fleet arrived with freshtroops to garrison Ghelendjik; and the Baron received orders from thegeneral-in-chief to proceed with a large body of troops by land, toAnapa, through the defiles of the Zemes, from thence to take up hisposition, and erect a n
ew fort near the Kouban, at no great distancefrom the spot where the Ubin falls into that river.
The Baron marched out of the fort with four or five thousand men underhis command, well supplied with all the munitions of war, and wasallowed to proceed unmolested through the broader valleys, where hiscannon had range enough to play, leaving, as he advanced through thesmiling vales, dotted with hamlets, and spread with verdant fields, along track of ruin and desolation behind him. So suddenly, indeed, hadthe Russian army sallied out, that the inhabitants had scarce time todrive off their flocks and herds, and remove their valuables, as from adistance they mournfully beheld, but with a keen hope of vengeance,their habitations wantonly committed to the flames. The Russianscontinued to advance through the open valleys, and through the firstpart of the defiles of the Zemes, without meeting a foe; the countrythroughout appealing to be some land of