VI. POUGATCHEFF.
Before beginning the recital of the strange events of which I waswitness, I ought to say a few words about the situation of affairstoward the end of the year 1773. The rich and vast province of Orenbourgwas inhabited by a number of tribes, half civilized, who had justrecognized the sovereignty of the Russian Czars. Their continualrevolts, their impatience of law and civilized life, their inconstancyand cruelty, demanded on the part of the government a constantwatchfulness to reduce them to obedience. Fortresses had been erected infavorable places, and Cossacks, the former possessors of the shores ofthe Iaik, in many places formed a part of the garrisons. But these veryCossacks, who should have guaranteed the peace and security of theirdistricts, were restless and dangerous subjects of the empire. In 1772a riot occurred in one of their chief towns. This riot was caused by theseverity of the measures employed by General Traubenberg to bring thearmy to obedience. The only result of these measures was the barbarousmurder of Traubenberg, a change of Imperial officers, and in the end, byforce of grape and canister, the suppression of the riot.
This happened shortly before my arrival at the fortress of Belogorsk.Then all seemed quiet. But the authorities had too easily believed inthe feigned repentance of the rebels, who nursed their hate in silence,and only awaited a propitious moment to recommence the struggle.
I return to my story. Once evening, it was in the month of October,1773, I was alone in the house, listening to the whistling of the Autumnwinds, and watching the clouds gliding rapidly before the moon. Anorder came from the Commandant, calling me to his presence. I wentthat instant. I found there Alexis, Ignatius and the Corporal of theCossacks, but neither the wife nor daughter of the Commandant. My chiefbade me good evening, had the door closed, and every one seated, exceptthe Corporal who remained standing; then he drew a paper from his pocketand said to us:
"Gentlemen, important news! Listen to what the General writes." He puton his spectacles and read:
"To the Commandant of the Fortress of Belogorsk, Captain Mironoff._Confidential_. I hereby inform you that the deserter and turbulentCossack of the Don, Imiliane Pougatcheff, after having been guilty ofthe unpardonable insolence of usurping the name of the deceased EmperorPeter III, has assembled a troop of brigands, disturbed the villages ofthe Iaik, and has even taken and destroyed several fortresses, at thesame time committing everywhere robberies and assassinations. Therefore,upon the receipt of this, you will, Captain, bethink you of the measuresto be taken to repulse the said robber and usurper; and if possible,in case he turn his arms against the fortress confided to your care, tocompletely exterminate him."
"It is easy to talk," said the Commandant, taking off his spectacles,and folding the paper; "but we must use every precaution. The rascalseems strong, and we have only 130 men, even adding the Cossacks,upon whom there is no dependence, be it said without reproach to thee,Maxim." The Corporal of the Cossacks smiled. "Gentlemen, let us do ourpart; be vigilant, post sentries, establish night patrols; in case of anattack, shut the gates and call out the soldiers. Maxim, watch well yourCossacks. It is necessary to examine the cannon and clean it; and aboveall to keep the secret, that no one in the fortress should know anything before the time."
Having given his orders, Ivan Mironoff dismissed us. I went out withAlexis, speculating on what we had heard. "What do you think of it? Howwill this end?" I asked him.
"God knows," he replied, "we shall see. At present there is no danger."And he began, as if thinking, to hum a French air.
Notwithstanding our precautions the news of the apparition ofPougatcheff spread through the fortress. However great the respect ofIvan Mironoff for his wife, he would not reveal to her for anything inthe world a military secret. When he had received the General's letterhe very adroitly rid himself of Basilia by telling her that the Greekpriest had received from Orenbourg extraordinary news which he kept agreat mystery. Thereupon Basilia desired to pay a visit to Accouline,the clergyman's wife, and by Mironoff's advice Marie went also. Masterof the situation, Ivan Mironoff locked up the maid in the kitchen andassembled us.
Basilia came home without news, and learned that during her absence acouncil of war had been held, and that Polacca was imprisoned inthe kitchen. She suspected that her husband had deceived her, andoverwhelmed him with questions. He was prepared for the attack, andstoutly replied to his curious better-half:
"You see, my dear, the women about the country have been using strawto kindle their fires; now as that might be dangerous, I assembled myofficers, and gave them orders to prevent these women lighting fireswith anything but fagots and brushwood."
"And why did you lock up Polacca in the kitchen till my return?" IvanMironoff had not foreseen that question, and muttered some incoherentwords. Basilia saw at once her husband's perfidy, but knowing thatshe could extract nothing from him at that moment, she ceased herquestioning, and spoke of the pickled cucumbers which Accouline knewhow to prepare in a superior fashion. That night Basilia never closed aneye, unable to imagine what it was that her husband knew that she couldnot share with him.
The next day, returning from mass, she saw Ignatius cleaning the cannon,taking out rags, pebbles, bits of wood, and all sorts of rubbishwhich the small boys had stuffed there. "What means these warlikepreparations?" thought the Commandant's wife? "Is an attack from theKirghis feared? Is it possible that Mironoff would hide from me somere a trifle?" She called Ignatius, determined to know the secret thatexcited her woman's curiosity. Basilia began by making some remarksabout household matters, like a judge who begins his interrogation withquestions foreign to the affair, in order to reassure the accused, andthrow him off his guard. Then having paused a moment she sighed andshook her head, saying: "O God! what news! what news! What will becomeof us?"
"My dear lady," said Ignatius, "the Lord is merciful; we have soldiersand plenty of powder; I have cleaned the cannon. We may repulse thisPougatcheff. If the Lord is with us, the wolf will eat no one here."
"Who is Pougatcheff?" asked the Commandant's wife.
Ignatius saw that he had gone too far, and he bit his tongue. But it wastoo late. Basilia constrained him to tell her all, having given her wordto keep the secret. She kept her word, and indeed told no one exceptAccoulina, whose cow was still on the steppe and might be carried off bythe brigands. Soon every one talked of Pougatcheff, the current reportsbeing very different. The Commandant sent out the Corporal to pick upinformation about him in all the neighboring villages and little forts.The Corporal returned after an absence of two days, and declared thathe had seen on the steppe, sixty versts from the fortress, a great manyfires, and that he had heard the Bashkirs say that an innumerable forcewas advancing. He could not tell anything definitely, having been afraidto venture farther.
Great agitation was soon after this observed amongst the Cossacks ofour garrison. They assembled in groups in the streets, speaking in alow tone amongst themselves, and dispersing as soon as they perceiveda dragoon or other Russian soldier. Orders were given to watch them.Zoulac, a baptized Kalmouk, made a very grave revelation to theCommandant. According to the Kalmouk, the Cossack made a false report;for to his comrades the perfidious Corporal said that he had advanced tothe rebel camp, had been presented to their rebel chief, had kissed hishand and conversed with him. The Commandant ordered the Corporal underarrest, and replaced him by the Kalmouk. This change was received bythe Cossacks with visible discontent. They openly murmured and Ignatius,when executing the Commandant's order, heard them say, with his ownears, "wait, garrison rat, wait!"
The Commandant decided to examine the Corporal that same day, but hehad escaped, no doubt, by the aid of his brother Cossacks. Anotherevent increased the Captain's uneasiness. A Bashkir was seized bearingseditious letters. Upon this occasion, the Commandant decided to callat once a council, and in order to do so, wished to send away his wifeunder some specious pretext. But as Mironoff was the simplest and mosttruthful of men, he could think of no other device than that alreadyemployed.
> "You see, Basilia," said he, coughing several times, "Father Garasimhas, it is said, been to the city--"
"Silence! silence!" interrupted his wife; "you are going to call anothercouncil and talk in my absence of Imiliane Pougatcheff, but this timeyou can not deceive me."
The Captain stared; "Eh! well! my dear," said he, "since you know all,stay; we may as well speak before you."
"You cannot play the fox," said his wife; "send for the officers."
We assembled again. The Commandant read, before his wife, Pougatcheff'sproclamation, written by some half-educated Cossack. The briganddeclared to us his intention of marching directly upon our fortress,inviting the Cossacks and soldiers to join him, and advising thechiefs not to resist, threatening, in that case, extremest torture. Theproclamation was written in vulgar but energetic terms, and must haveproduced an impression upon simple-minded people.
"What a rascal!" exclaimed the Captain's wife. "Just see what heproposes. To go out and meet him and lay our flags at his feet. Ah! theson of a dog! He does not know that we have been forty years in service,and that, thank God, we have seen all sorts of military life. Is itpossible to find a Commandant cowardly enough to obey this robber?"
"It ought not to be," replied the Captain, "but it is said that thevillain has taken possession of several fortress."
"It appears he is quite strong," said Alexis.
"We shall instantly know his real force," continued the Commandant;"Basilia, give me the key of the garret. Ignatius, bring the Bashkirhere, and tell Zoulac to bring the rods."
"Wait a little, my dear," said the Commandant's wife, leaving her seat;"let me take Marie out of the house, or else she will hear the screamsand be frightened. And, to tell the truth, I am, myself, not verycurious about such investigations. Until I see you again, adieu."
Torture was then so rooted in the customs of justice, that the humaneUkase of Catherine II, who had ordered its abolition, remained longwithout effect. It was thought that the confession of the accused wasindispensable to his condemnation, an idea not only unreasonable, butcontrary to the most simple good sense in matters of jurisprudence; forif the denial of the accused is not accepted as proof of his innocence,the confession which is torn from him by torture ought to serve stillless as proof of his guilt. Even now I sometimes hear old judges regretthe abolition of this barbarous custom. But in the time of our story noone doubted the necessity of torture, neither the judges nor the accusedthemselves. For this reason the Captain's order did not astonish anyof us. Ignatius went for the Bashkir, and a few minutes later hewas brought to the waiting-room. The Commandant ordered him into thecouncil-room where we were.
The Bashkir crossed the threshold with difficulty, for his feet wereshackled. He took off his high Cossack cap and stood near the door. Ilooked at him and shuddered, involuntarily. Never shall I forget thatman; he seemed at least seventy years of age, and had neither nose norears. His head was shaved; a few sparse gray hairs took the place ofbeard. He was small of stature, thin and bent; but his Tartar eyes stillsparkled.
"Eh! eh!" said the Commandant, who recognized by these terrible signsone of the rebels punished in 1741. "You are an old wolf, I see; youhave already been caught in our snares. This is not your first offense,for your head is so well planed off."
The old Bashkir was silent, and looked at the Commandant with an air ofcomplete imbecility.
"Well! why are you silent?" continued the Captain; "do you notunderstand Russian? Zoulac, ask him, in your tongue, who sent him intoour fortress."
The Kalmouk repeated in the Tartar language the Captain's question. Butthe Bashkir looked at him with the same expression and without answeringa word.
"I will make you answer," exclaimed the Captain, with a Tartar oath."Come, take off his striped dressing-gown, his fool's garment, andscourge him well."
Two pensioners commenced to remove the clothing from the shoulders ofthe old man. Then, sore distress was vividly depicted on the face ofthe unfortunate man. He looked on all sides, like a poor little animalcaught by children. But when one of the pensioners seized his hands toturn them around his neck and lift up the old man on his shoulders; whenZoulac took the rods and raised his hand to strike, then the Bashkiruttered a low, but penetrating moan, and raising his head, opened hismouth, where, in place of a tongue, moved a short stump!
We were still debating, when Basilia rushed breathlessly into the roomwith a terrified air. "What has happened to you?" asked the Commandant,surprised.
"Misfortune! misfortune!" replied she. "A fort was taken this morning;Father Garasim's boy has just returned. He saw how it was captured.The Commandant and all the officers are hanged, all the soldiers madeprisoners, and the rebels are coming here."
This unexpected news made a deep impression on me, for I knew theCommandant of that fortress. Two months ago, the young man, travelingwith his bride coming from Orenbourg, had paid a visit to CaptainMironoff. The fort he commanded was only twenty-five versts from ours,so that from hour to hour we might expect an attack from Pougatcheff.
My imagination pictured the fate of Marie, and I trembled for her.
"Listen, Captain Mironoff," said I to the Commandant, "our duty is todefend the fortress to our last breath; that is understood, but thesafety of the women must be thought of; send them to a more distantfortress,--to Orenbourg, if the route be still open."
Mironoff turned to his wife. "You see my dear! indeed it would be wellto send you somewhere farther off until we shall have defeated therebels."
"What nonsense!" replied she. "Where is the fortress that balls havenot reached? In what respect is our fortress unsafe? Thank God, we havelived here twenty and one years. We have seen Bashkirs and Kirghis;Pougatcheff can not be worse than they."
"My dear, stay if you will, since your faith is so great in ourfortress. But what shall we do with Marie? It will be all well if wecan keep off the robber, or if help reach us in time. If the fortress,however, be taken--"
Basilia could only stammer a few words, and was silent, choked by herfeelings.
"No, Basilia," continued the Commandant, who remarked that his wordsmade a deep impression on his wife, perhaps for the first time in hislife, "it is not advisable that Marie stay here. Let us send her toOrenbourg, to her god-mother's. That is a well-manned fortress, withstone walls and plenty of cannon. I would advise you to go thereyourself; think what might happen to you were your fortress to be takenby assault."
"Well! well! let us send Marie away," said the Captain's wife, "but donot dream of asking me to go, for I will do nothing of the kind. It isnot becoming, in my old age, to separate myself from thee and seek asolitary grave in a strange place. We have lived together; let us dietogether."
"You are right," said the Commandant. "Go, and equip Marie; there is notime to lose; tomorrow, at the dawn of day, she shall set out; she musthave a convoy, though indeed there is no one to spare. Where is she?"
"She is at Accoulina's," said his wife. "She fainted upon hearing thatthe fortress had been taken."
Basilia went to prepare for her daughter's departure. The discussionstill continued at the Commandant's, but I took no further part init. Marie reappeared at supper with eyes red from tears. We suppedin silence and rose from the table sooner than usual. Having bade thefamily good night, each one sought his room. I forgot my sword, onpurpose, and went back for it; I anticipated finding Marie alone. Intruth she met me at the door and gave me my sword.
"Adieu, Peter," she said, weeping, "they send me to Orenbourg. Be happy.Perhaps God will permit us to meet again; if not--"
She burst into tears. I folded her in my arms.
"Adieu, my angel!" I said, "adieu my cherished, my beloved; what everhappens, be sure that my last thought, my last prayer, will be forthee." Leaning of my breast, Marie wept. I kissed her and rushed out.