Ogniem i mieczem. English

by Henryk Sienkiewicz

  CHAPTER XLII.

  The first wrecks from Pilavtsi reached Lvoff at daybreak, September 26;and with the opening of the gates the news spread like lightningthrough the city, rousing incredulity in some, panic in others, and instill others a desperate desire for defence. Skshetuski with his partyarrived two days later, when the whole city was packed with fugitivesoldiers, nobles, and armed citizens. They were thinking of defence,for the Tartars were expected any moment; but it was not known yet whowould stand at the head of the defence or how it would begin. For thisreason disorder and panic prevailed everywhere. Some fled from theplace, taking their families and their property with them; dwellers inthe region round about sought refuge in the city. Those departing andarriving crowded the streets, fought for passage; every place wasfilled with wagons, packs, bags, horses, soldiers from the greatestvariety of regiments; on every face was seen either uncertainty,feverish expectation, despair, or resignation. Every little whileterror broke out like a sudden whirlwind, and the cries were heard:"They are coming! they are coming!" and the crowd swept like a wave,sometimes running straight ahead infected with the madness of alarm,until it appeared that another one of the fragments of the wreck wascoming,--fragments which increased more and more.

  But how sad was the sight of these soldiers who a short time before hadmarched in gold and plumes, with song on their lips and pride in theireyes, to that campaign against peasants! To-day, torn, starved,emaciated, covered with mud, on wasted horses, with shame in theirfaces, more like beggars than knights, they could only rouse pity, ifthere was time for pity in that place against the walls of which thewhole power of the enemy might soon hurl itself. And each one of thosedisgraced knights comforted himself in this alone, that he had so manythousands of companions in shame. All concealed themselves in the firsthour, so that afterward when they had recovered they might spreadcomplaints, blame, scatter curses with threats, drag along through thestreets, drink in the shops, and only increase disorder and alarm. Foreach one repeated: "The Tartars are here, right here!" Some sawconflagrations in the rear; others swore by all the saints that theyhad been forced to defend themselves against scouting-parties. Thecrowds surrounding the soldiers listened with strained attention. Theroofs and steeples of the churches were covered with thousands ofcurious people; the bells tolled alarm, and crowds of women andchildren suffocated one another in churches in which amid flamingtapers shone the most holy sacrament.

  Skshetuski pushed slowly from the Galitian gate with his party throughdense masses of horses, wagons, soldiers, city guilds standing undertheir banners, and through people who looked with wonder at thatsquadron entering the town, not in disorder, but in battle-array. Menshouted that succor was coming; and again joy justified by nothing tookpossession of the throng, which swayed forward in order to seizeSkshetuski's stirrups. Soldiers too ran up, crying: "These areVishnyevetski men! Long live Yeremi!" The pressure became so great thatthe squadron was barely able to push forward step by step.

  At length a party of dragoons appeared opposite, with an officer at thehead. The soldiers pushed aside the throng, and the officer cried: "Outof the road! out of the road!" and struck with the side of his swordthose who failed to clear the way quickly. Skshetuski recognizedKushel.

  The young officer greeted his acquaintance heartily. "What times! whattimes!" said he.

  "Where is the prince?" asked Pan Yan.

  "You would have killed him with anxiety if you had delayed. He islooking for you and your men intently. He is now at the Church of theBernardines. I am sent out to keep order in the city; but the grozwayerhas just taken it in hand, and I will go with you to the church. Thereis a council there at this moment."

  "In the church?"

  "Yes. They will offer the command to the prince, for the soldiersdeclare that they will not defend the town under another leader."

  "Let us go; I have urgent business also with the prince."

  The united parties moved on. Along the road Skshetuski inquired abouteverything that was passing in Lvoff, and if defence was alreadydetermined on.

  "That is just the question under consideration," said Kushel. "Thecitizens want to defend themselves. What times! People of insignificantposition show more courage than nobles and soldiers."

  "But the commanders, what has happened to them? Are they not here, andwill there not be opposition to the prince?"

  "No, unless he makes it himself. There was a fitter time to give himthe command; it is late now. The commanders dare not show their faces.Prince Dominik merely took refreshments in the archbishop's palace, andwent away immediately. He did well, for you cannot believe what hatredthere is for him among the soldiers. He is gone already, and still theycry: 'Give him up! We will cut him to pieces!' It is sure he would nothave escaped such a fate. The royal cup-bearer, Ostrorog, arrived herefirst, and he began to talk against the prince; but now he sits insilence, for a tumult rose against him. They laid all the blame on himto his face, and he only gulps his tears. In general it is awful, whatis going on; such times have come. I say to you, thank God that youwere not at Pilavtsi, that you did not flee from the place; for it is areal miracle to us who were there that we did not lose our sensesaltogether."

  "And our division?"

  "Exists no longer,--scarcely anything is left; Vurtsel gone, Makhnitskigone, Zatsvilikhovski gone. Vurtsel and Makhnitski were not atPilavtsi, for they remained in Konstantinoff. That Beelzebub, PrinceDominik, left them there so as to weaken the power of our prince. OldZatsvilikhovski has vanished like a stone in water. God grant he hasnot perished!"

  "And of all the soldiers have many come here?"

  "In number sufficient, but what of that? The prince alone could usethem, if he would take the command; they will obey no one else. Theprince was terribly alarmed about you and the soldiers. This is theonly sound squadron. We were already mourning for you."

  "At present he is the happy man for whom people are mourning!"

  They rode in silence for a time, looking at the crowd and listening tothe shouts and yells: "The Tartars! the Tartars!" In one place theybeheld the terrible sight of a man torn to pieces by the mob onsuspicion of being a spy. The bells were tolling incessantly.

  "Will the horde be here soon?" asked Zagloba.

  "The devil knows,--maybe to-day. This city will not defend itself long,for it cannot hold out. Hmelnitski is coming with two hundred thousand,besides Tartars."

  "Caput!" answered Zagloba. "It would have been better for us to havegone on at breakneck speed. What have we gained so many victories for?"

  "Over whom?"

  "Over Krivonos, over Bogun,--devil knows whom else."

  "But," said Kushel, in a low voice, turning to Skshetuski, "Yan, hasGod not comforted you in any way? Have you not found the one whom youwere seeking? Have you not at least learned something?"

  "No time to think of that," said Skshetuski. "What do I and my affairssignify in view of what has happened? All is vanity, vanity, and deathat the end."

  "It seems to me that the whole world will perish before long," saidKushel.

  Meanwhile they reached the Bernardine Church, which was blazing withlight. Immense crowds stood before the door; but they could not enter,for a line of men with halberds closed the passage, admitting only themost important officers of the army.

  Skshetuski ordered his men to form a second line.

  "Come," said Kushel; "half the Commonwealth is in this church."

  They entered. Kushel had not exaggerated greatly. All who were bestknown in the army and city had assembled for council, including thevoevoda, the castellans, the colonels, the captains, officers offoreign regiments, the clergy, as many nobles as the church could hold,a multitude of military of the lower grades, and a number of the towncouncillors with the grozwayer at their head, who was the leader of thecitizens. The prince too was present, the royal cup-bearer, and one ofthe commanders, the voevoda of Kieff, the starosta of Stobnik, Vessel,Artsishevski, and Osinski. They sat in f
ront of the great altar, sothat the public might see them. The council was held hastily andexcitedly, as is usual on such occasions. Speakers stood on benches andimplored the elders not to yield the city to the hands of the enemywithout defending it. "Even if we have to perish, the city will detainthe enemy, the Commonwealth will recover. What is needed for defence?There are walls, there are troops, there is determination,--only aleader is wanted." And after speeches of this kind, through the crowdflew murmurs which passed into loud shouts; excitement seized theassembly. "We will perish, we will perish willingly!" they cry. "Wewill wipe out the disgrace of Pilavtsi, we will shield the fatherland!"And they began to shake their sabres, and the naked edges glittered inthe blaze of the candles. Others cried: "Be quiet! Let thedeliberations be orderly! Shall we defend or not defend?" "Defend!defend!" roared the assembly till the echo thrown back from the archesrepeated, "Defend!" Who is to be the leader? Who should be the leader?"Prince Yeremi,--he is a leader, he is a hero! Let him defend the city;let the Commonwealth give him the baton. Long life to him!"

  Then such a thundering roar burst forth from a thousand lungs that thewalls trembled and the glass rattled in the windows of the church.

  "Prince Yeremi! Prince Yeremi! Long life to Prince Yeremi! Long life,victory to him!"

  A thousand sabres flashed; all eyes were turned to the prince. He rosecalmly with wrinkled brow. There was silence at once, as if onlypoppy-seeds were falling.

  "Gentlemen," said the prince, with a resonant voice, which in thatsilence reached every ear, "when the Cymbri and the Teutons fell uponthe Commonwealth of Rome no one would accept the consulate till Mariustook it. But Marius had a right to take it, for there were no leadersappointed by the senate. And I in the present straits would not avoidpower, since I wish to serve my dear country with my life; but I cannotaccept the command since I should offend the country, the senate, andthe authorities, and a self-elected chief I will not be. Among us isthe man to whom the Commonwealth has given the baton of command,--thecup-bearer of the Crown."

  Here the prince could speak no further; for hardly had he mentioned thecup-bearer when there rose a terrible din and the clattering of sabres.The crowd swayed and there was a burst as of powder on which a sparkhas fallen. "Away with him! Destruction to him! Pereat!" was heardin the throng. "Pereat! pereat!" was roared louder and louder. Thecup-bearer sprang from his seat, pale, with drops of cold sweat on hisforehead; and then threatening figures approached the stalls, near thealtar, and ominous words were heard: "Give him here!"

  The prince, seeing whither this was tending, rose and stretched out hisright hand. The crowds restrained themselves, thinking that he wishedto speak. There was silence in the twinkle of an eye. But the princewished merely to allay the storm and tumult, not to permit the sheddingof blood in the church. When he saw that the most threatening momenthad passed, he took his seat again.

  On the second chair from the voevoda of Kieff sat the unfortunatecup-bearer; his gray hair had dropped upon his breast, his hands werehanging, and from his mouth came words interrupted by sobs: "O Lord,for my sins I accept the cross with resignation."

  The old man might rouse pity in the hardest heart; but a crowd isgenerally pitiless. Again therefore the tumult began when the voevodaof Kieff rose and gave a sign with his hand that he wanted to speak. Hewas a partner in the victories of Yeremi, therefore they listened tohim willingly. He turned to the prince then, and in the most feelingwords adjured him not to reject the baton of command and not tohesitate to save the country. "When the Commonwealth is perishing, letlaws slumber; let not the appointed chief save it, but him who has themost power to save. Take the command, then, invincible leader, take itand rescue, not this city alone, but the whole Commonwealth. Behold I,an old man, with the lips of the Commonwealth implore you, and with meall ranks of people,--all men, women, and children,--Save us! save us!"

  Here followed an incident which moved all hearts. A woman in mourningapproached the altar, and casting at the feet of the prince her goldenornaments and jewels, knelt before him, and sobbing loudly, cried out:"We bring you our goods; we give our lives into your hands. Save us,save us; for we perish!"

  At the sight of this senators, soldiers, and then the whole throngroared with a mighty cry, and there was one voice in that church: "Saveus!"

  The prince covered his face with his hands; and when he raised his headtears were glittering in his eyes. Still he hesitated. What wouldbecome of the dignity of the Commonwealth if he should accept thecommand?

  Then rose the cup-bearer of the Crown. "I am old," said he,"unfortunate, and crushed. I have a right to resign the charge which isbeyond my powers, and to place it on younger shoulders. Here in thepresence of this crucified God and of all the knighthood, I deliver thebaton to you,--take it." And he extended the insignia to Vishnyevetski.

  A moment of such silence followed that flies on the wing could beheard. At last the solemn voice of Yeremi was heard: "For my sins--Iaccept it."

  Then a frenzy of enthusiasm ruled the assembly. The crowds broke thebenches, fell at the feet of Vishnyevetski, cast down their money andtreasures before him. The news spread like lightning through the wholecity. The soldiers were losing their senses from joy, and shouted thatthey wished to go against Hmelnitski, the Tartars, the Sultan; thecitizens thought no longer of surrender, but of defence to the lastdrop of blood; the Armenians brought money of their own accord to thecity hall, before anything was said of a levy; the Jews in thesynagogue raised an uproar of thanksgiving; the guns on the wallsthundered forth the glad tidings; along the streets was firing ofmuskets, pistols, and guns. Shouts of "Long life!" continued all night.Any one not knowing the state they were in might suppose that the citywas celebrating a triumph or some solemn festival. And still threehundred thousand enemies--an army greater than any which the GermanEmperor or the King of France could place in the field, an army wilderthan the legions of Tamerlane--might at any moment invest the walls ofthat city.