CHAPTER XXIV
Yatsek was really wounded. One of those robbers, who defendedthemselves to the utmost, cut him, with a scythe in the left shoulder,and since he and the men marched without mail, the very end of the ironhad cut into his arm rather deeply from the shoulder to the elbow. Thewound was not over grievous, but it bled quite profusely; because ofthis the young man had then fainted. The experienced Father Voynovskicommanded to put him in a wagon, and, when the wound had been dressed,he left him in care of the women. Yatsek opened his eyes somewhatlater, and began again to look, as at a rainbow, into the face of PannaAnulka, which was there bending over him.
Meanwhile the attendants filled the ditch and removed all obstructions.The wagons and the men passed to the dry road beyond, where they haltedto bring the train into order, take some rest, and question theprisoners. From Tachevski the priest went to the Bukoyemskis to see ifthey had suffered. But they had not. The horses were torn and evenstabbed with forks, but not seriously; the men themselves were inexcellent humor, for all were admiring their valor, since they hadcrushed before war, more opponents than had many others during years ofcampaigning.
"Now, gentlemen, ye may join Pan Zbierhovski," said the hussars hereand there. "From of old it is known, and God grant that men will seesoon, that our regiment is the first even among hussars. PanZbierhovski admits no common men, or any man easily, but he will acceptyou with gladness, and we shall be charmed from our hearts to find youin our company."
The Bukoyemskis knew that this might not be, for they could not havethe attendants, or the outfit demanded in such a high regiment, butthey listened to those speeches with rapture, and when cups went theround, they let no man surpass them.
When that part was ended, the captured bandits were seized by theirheads, and led from the mud to Zbierhovski and the priest and PanSerafin. No bandit had escaped, for with a detachment of twelve hundredthere were men to surround the whole quagmire and both ends of theridgeway. The appearance of the prisoners astonished Pan Serafin. Hehad thought to find Martsian among them, as he had told Stanislav, andMartsian's Radom outcasts also; meanwhile he saw before him a raggedrabble reeking with turf and bespattered with mud of the ridgeway, acompany made up, like all bodies of that kind, of deserters from theinfantry, of runaway servants and serfs, in a word, of all kinds ofwicked, wild scoundrels working at robbery in remote places andforests. Many such parties were raging, especially in the wooded regionof Sandomir, and since they were strengthened by men who were eager foranything, men who if captured were threatened with terrible punishment,their attacks were uncommonly daring, and they fought savage battles.
The search through the quagmire continued for a time yet, then PanSerafin turned to Zbierhovski.
"Gracious colonel," said he. "These are highway robbers. We thoughtthem quite different. This was an attack of common bandits. We thankyou, and all your men with grateful hearts for effective assistance,without which, as is possible, we should not have seen the sun risethis morning."
"These night marches are good," said Zbierhovski, and he smiled whilehe was speaking. "The heat does not trouble, and it is possible toserve others. Do you wish to examine these captives immediately?"
"Since I have looked at them closely already, it is not needed. Thecourt in the town will examine them, and the headsman will guide them."
At this a tall, bony fellow, with a gloomy face, and light hair pushedout from the captives and said, as he bent to Pan Serafin's stirrup.
"Great mighty lord, spare our lives, and we will tell truth. We arecommon bandits, but the attack was not common."
The priest and Pan Serafin, on hearing this, looked at each other withroused curiosity.
"Who art thou?" asked the priest.
"I am a chief. There were two of us, for this party was formed of twobands, but the other man fell. Give me pardon, and I will telleverything."
Father Voynovski stopped for a moment.
"We cannot save you from justice," said he, "but for you it is betterin every case to tell truth, than be forced to declare it undertorture. Besides, if ye confess, God's judgment and man's will be morelenient."
The bandit looked at his companions, uncertain whether to speak or besilent. Meanwhile the priest added,--
"And if ye tell the whole truth, we can intercede with the king, andcommend you to his mercy. He accepts offenders in the infantry, andrecommends mercy now to judges."
"In that case," said the man, "I will tell everything. My name is Obuh;the leader of the other band was Kos, and a noble engaged us to fall onyour graces."
"But do ye know the name of that noble?"
"I did not know him, for I am from distant places, but Kos knew him,and said his name was Vysh."
The priest and Pan Serafin looked at each other with astonishment.
"Vysh,[6] didst thou say?"
"Yes."
"But was there no one with him?"
"There was another, a lean, thin, young man."
"Not they," said Pan Serafin to the priest in a whisper.
"But they may have been Martsian's company."
Then he said aloud to the man,--
"What did they tell you to do?"
"This: 'Do what ye like with the people,' said they; 'the wagons andplunder are yours; but in the company there is a young lady whom ye areto take and bring by roundabout ways between Radom and Zvolenie toPolichna. Beyond Polichna a party will attack you and take the lady. Yewill pretend to defend her, but not so as to harm our men. Ye will geta thaler apiece for this, besides what ye find in the wagons.'"
"That is as if on one's palm," said the priest.
"Then did only those two talk with Kos and thee?"
"Later, a third person came in the night with them; he gave us a ducatapiece to bind the agreement. Though the place was as dark as in acellar, one of our men who had been a serf of his recognized that thirdperson as Pan Krepetski."
"Ha! that is he!" cried Pan Serafin.
"And is that man here, or has he fallen?" inquired Father Voynovski.
"I am here!" called out a voice from some distance.
"Come nearer. Didst thou recognize Pan Krepetski? But how, since it wasso dark, that thou couldst hit a man on the snout without knowing it?"
"Because I know him from childhood. I knew him by his bow-legs and hishead, which sits, as it were, in a hole between his shoulders, and byhis voice."
"Did he speak to you?"
"He spoke with us, and afterward I heard him speak to those who camewith him."
"What did he say to them?"
"He said this: 'If I could have trusted money with you, I should nothave come, even if the night were still darker.'"
"And wilt thou testify to this before the mayor in the town, or thestarosta?"
"I will."
"When he heard this, Pan Zbierhovski turned to his attendants andsaid,--
"Guard this man with special care, for me."
On the Field of Glory: An Historical Novel of the Time of King John Sobieski Page 25