CHAPTER XIX.
TO THE RESCUE
A consultation was held on the evening of the battle. As was thecustom of the Polish peasants after a success, many wished to returnfor a while to their homes and families. Several plans were proposedamong the group of officers, and the leader asked the young midshipmenfor their opinion.
Dick said that in his ignorance of the circumstances and the geographyof the country he could offer none; but Jack, on being appealed to,said,--
"It seems to me that you will never do any good if you confineyourselves to beating back a Russian column occasionally, and thendispersing until they again advance. My opinion is that it isabsolutely necessary to follow up the victory we have gained, and todo something which will induce the whole country to believe that thereis a prospect of success. We have gained a very fair victory to-day. Ipropose that while the men are all in high spirits, and the Russiansproportionately depressed, we take the offensive and fall upon one oftheir garrisons. Hitherto, as you say, you have always contentedyourselves with attacking the columns sent out against you, and theRussians will be altogether unprepared for an attack on them in theirown quarters. If we fall suddenly at night upon Piaski, we ought tosucceed in nearly annihilating them. There are about 1200 men of thecolumn whom we have fought, and about 2000 in the other column whichmarched out against us this morning, but fell back when they heard ofthe defeat of their comrades. It is probable that pretty nearly thewhole force in the town came out, so that altogether there cannot beabove 2500 men. If we can fall upon them at night, we ought to be ableto defeat them easily. At any rate before they rally we should inflicttremendous damage upon them."
Jack's proposition was received with acclamation, and it was decidedthat the attack should take place on the following night. The officerstherefore went among the men, and appealed to them to remain foranother forty-eight hours, in order that they might annihilate thegarrison of Piaski.
The men assented, the more readily that abundant supplies of bread andspirits had been found in the captured wagons, the Russian commanderhaving deemed it probable that the expedition might extend over aperiod of some days.
The next morning all were instructed in the use of the Russianmuskets, many of the peasants being wholly unacquainted with themanagement of fire-arms. It was arranged that each peasant should, inaddition to his gun, carry his scythe, his favorite weapon for closeconflict.
When night came on all was ready for the march. The bands were toadvance separately, each under orders of its own leader, and were tounite in the market-place as the clock struck one. There were threebarracks, and a certain proportion were told off for the attack ofeach. Three of the guns were hidden in the forest. The other three,each drawn by four horses, accompanied the column, the duty assignedto them being to blow in the gates of the several barracks. Coarsegrass was cut and swathed round the wheels, and the horses' feet werealso muffled. The peasants were all clad in sandals, and there wastherefore no fear of the noise of their advance being heard.
At nine o'clock the column set out for the town, which was nine milesdistant, and upon nearing it separated, so as to enter as arranged indifferent directions. Each column was preceded at a distance of somehundred yards by four or five men, chosen for their activity, theirduty being to seize and silence any watchmen they might meet in thestreets.
The town seemed absolutely asleep when the band of Stanislas, withwhich for the time were the three cannon, entered it a few minutesbefore one.
Once the lads thought that they could hear a stifled cry, but if so itattracted no attention, for the streets were deserted, and not asingle window opened as they passed. The other hands had alreadyarrived in the market-place when that commanded by Stanislas reachedit.
A few words were exchanged by the leaders, a gun told off to eachcolumn, and the bands started to their respective destinations. Thecontingent of Count Stanislas, to which Jack Archer was attached withhis gun, was intended to attack the principal barrack. This was builtin the form of a large quadrangle, and contained some seven or eighthundred infantry and a battery of artillery.
As the head of the column entered the street leading to the gate, asentry on the outside challenged. No answer was made, and a momentlater a gun was fired.
There was no longer any need for concealment, and with a wild cheerthe column rushed forward. Some of the men threw themselves with axesupon the postern gate, which the sentry had entered and closed behindhim.
The gun, which was close to the head of the column, was brought up andplaced in position within a few feet of the gate, its muzzle directedtowards the lock. The explosion tore a hole in the gate, but a massivebar still kept this in its place. Another discharge broke this also,and the Poles with exulting shouts surged in.
As they entered, a scattered fire opened upon them from the windows,but, without pausing, the band broke up into parties, each under itschief, and rushed at the entrances leading to the staircases.
Then ensued a desperate conflict. The Russians, taken wholly bysurprise, appalled by the suddenness of the attack, and knowing theferocity with which their assailants fought, in some cases offered butslight resistance, and leaped by scores from the windows at the back,preferring the risk of death or broken limbs to awaiting the rush oftheir enemies. Others defended themselves desperately, gathering onthe top of the stairs, barring the doors, and resisting foot by footuntil every man had been cut down.
The absence of their officers, who were quartered together in adifferent part of the barracks, proved fatal to the defenders;accustomed to act like machines, and to move only at the command oftheir officers, they were bewildered at finding themselves under suchcircumstances without head or direction, and in ten minutes after theentry had been effected all resistance had ceased, and the barracksremained in the hands of the victorious Poles.
The instant that his own part of the work was done, Jack Archer, witha band of fifty men who had been told off to act under his orders,proceeded to the stables. The artillery horses were all brought outand harnessed to the guns and wagons, and by the time that theresistance had ceased these were ready to depart.
The Poles, taking the muskets of the Russian soldiers, and ladingthemselves with blankets and such other articles as they fancied,swarmed out into the courtyard. In the store-rooms of the barrackswere found large quantities of uniforms ready for issue to the troops,and a number of these Count Stanislas ordered to be brought out andstowed in an empty wagon.
Three minutes later the barrack was set on fire in a dozen places.Then the newly-captured artillery started at a trot for the forest,while the Poles moved away to render any assistance which might benecessary to the other columns.
The division to which Dick Hawtry was attached had experienced asuccess as complete as that which attended the principal column, andthe flames were already rising in the air as the latter issued intothe town.
The other barrack was, however, successfully defending itself. It wassupposed that some watchman must have conveyed the news of the advanceof the insurgents, for the instant the column appeared within sight ofthe barracks a musketry fire was opened upon it by the guard at thegate, and two or three minutes later every window bearing upon it wasthrown up, and the Russian infantry opened a heavy fire. The gunnersin vain attempted to bring up their piece close to the gate. Thehorses had been shot down, but scores of willing hands pushed forwardthe gun; but so heavy was the destruction which the Russian bulletswrought among them that these also were brought to a standstill, andwhen Count Stanislas arrived he found that a furious musketryencounter was raging between the Poles, now scattered all round thebarrack, and the Russians pouring from the upper windows. After ahasty consultation with the other leaders, it was agreed that as thevictory had been complete so far, two out of the three barrackscarried and burnt, 1500 Russians killed, and a battery of artillerytaken, it would be a pity to risk a final repulse by an attack upon abuilding which, now that the garrison were prepared for resistance,could only be carr
ied with a great loss of life.
The horns were accordingly sounded, and the assailants drawn off, andthe column marched through the town, now illuminated by the flames ofthe two burning barracks. It was but half an hour since the attack hadbegun, but the appearance of the town had changed as if by magic.Every house was lit up, every window open, crowds of people throngedthe streets, while the windows were filled with women and children.All were delirious with delight, and cheered, shouted, and waved theirhandkerchiefs as the patriot band marched along. Not a few of theyounger men, bidding a hasty adieu to their friends, joined the ranksof their countrymen, and, seizing one of the captured muskets,prepared to take a part in the strife which had been so well begun.
Upon gaining the forest a halt was ordered. Great fires were lit, andthe companies mustered, when it was found that some eighty of thosepresent had received wounds, and that forty had fallen. All thewounded unable to walk had been carried off, as to leave them wherethey fell would be to expose them to certain death when found by theRussians. A plentiful supply of spirits had been found in the stores,and several barrels brought off. An ample allowance was now servedout, and after an hour's carouse in honor of the victory the band,fatigued by their exertions, went off to sleep.
In the morning the guns--now amounting to two complete batteries--weretaken some miles farther into the forest. The greater part of the bandinsisted upon returning to their homes for a few days, and theirleader, finding himself powerless to resist the determination gavethem leave to do so. All agreed to return at the end of ten days. Some400 men remained, and from these the count requested the midshipmen tochoose a sufficient number to constitute two batteries, each eightystrong, and to drill them as far as possible in the interval. Hehimself started to visit his estates, which lay about eighty milesfrom their present position. Here he hoped to raise a furthercontingent of men, and all who went home were bidden to bring backfresh recruits, and to spread everywhere the news of the victory.
Six days elapsed, and the band in the forest had already beenincreased by many hundreds of new-comers, whom the news of thesuccesses which had been gained had induced to take up arms, and thetime of the various leaders was fully occupied in giving some notionof drill and of the use of the musket to the new levies.
On the evening of the sixth day a peasant arrived with intelligencewhich spread dismay in the encampment. Count Stanislas had beencaptured by the Russians, having been surprised by a body of Russiancavalry, who, doubtless by means of a spy, had obtained news of hisreturn home. He had been conveyed to Lublin, where he would doubtlessbe at once tried and executed.
A council of the leaders was hastily summoned.
Lublin was a large town garrisoned by some 5000 Russian troops, andeven had the whole of the insurgent bands been collected, they wouldnot have been strong enough to attempt a repetition of their latesuccessful surprise, especially, as after that occurrence, the Russiantroops would be everywhere on the alert.
All agreed that the loss of their most successful leader would be adeath-blow to the revolt in that part of the country. The personalpopularity of the young leader was immense, and the prestige which hehad won by his several successes had excited the greatest confidenceamong his followers. So important was his life considered that themidshipmen urged that at all costs his rescue should be attempted, andalthough the enterprise appeared a desperate one, their proposal wasfinally agreed to.
A few men were at once despatched to Lublin to find out what was goingon, and when and where the execution would take place, while 500chosen men prepared to march through the forests to a point within afew miles of the town, where the spies were to rejoin them.
Just as they were starting the idea struck Dick that the Russianuniforms might be utilized, and, much to their disgust, half the partywere ordered to dress themselves in the hated garb. The transformationwas soon effected, and the band set out on their march.
Upon the third evening they arrived at the indicated spot, whereseveral of the spies were already awaiting them. These informed themthat the trial would take place on the following day, and that it wasgenerally supposed that the count would be executed the next morningas there could be no doubt what the finding of the court would be.
Next day the midshipmen, accompanied by several of the leaders, all inpeasants' dress, visited the town to learn its general features, andmake themselves acquainted with the approaches to the great square,where it was considered probable the execution would take place. Theyfound the whole population moody and depressed. The news of thesuccesses of the patriot bands had already spread far and wide, andhad excited high hopes in every Polish breast. The fact, then, thatthe most successful leader was in the hands of their enemies hadspread universal grief and consternation. After learning all theparticulars they desired, the party rejoined their friends in theforest. The greatest difficulty existed from the fact that it would beimpossible for the rescuing party to carry either muskets or theirlong scythes. Some twenty revolvers had fallen into their hands in thetwo fights, and with these the officers had all armed themselves. Acertain portion of the men cut long sticks, like ox-goads, made to fitthe bayonets; others fitted short handles to their scythes, whileothers carried short heavy sticks, to which again bayonets werefitted. A hundred of those dressed as soldiers were to carry theirmuskets, and, under the orders of one of their leaders, to marchboldly down the street, so timing their arrival as to reach the squarejust at the time at which the execution was to take place, while therest were to mix with the crowd.
Late at night the news was brought to them that proclamations had beenposted through the town, saying that the execution would take place ateight in the morning in the grand square. Orders had been issued, itwas learnt, that 1000 troops should be present, and the others wereordered to be in readiness in their barracks, in case any sign ofpopular feeling should be manifested. As it was evident, therefore,that no soldiers in uniform would be loitering in the street, it wasdetermined that the 250 men so dressed should march together to thesquare with their arms.
In the morning the insurgents, in twos and threes, started for thetown, and joined the town's-people assembling in the great square.Across the square, within thirty or forty paces of one side, wasformed up a strong battalion of Russian infantry, the rest of thesquare being occupied by the town's-people, all of whom had attiredthemselves in mourning. In the centre of the square, behind thesoldiers, a scaffold had been erected, as by the sentence of thecourt-martial the count was to die by hanging.
The midshipmen and their friends made their way through the crowd tothe front, the latter giving way upon a whisper being circulated thatan attempt was to be made to rescue the prisoner, and the 250insurgents were soon gathered in a close body in front of the soldiersstanding before the scaffold. Each man had his scythe or bayonethidden under his long coat, the leaders grasping their pistols. Themen had been ordered to refrain from any expression of excitement, andto assume, as far as possible, a look of quiet grief. Behind theinfantry were a number of mounted officers, among whom GeneralBorodoff, the governor of the town and district, was pointed out tothe midshipmen, and near the general, under a strong guard, theprisoner was standing. All the insurgents, with the exception of thoseforming the first line, quietly fitted their scythes and bayonets tothe handles and waited the signal.
Presently there was a movement behind the troops, who were drawn upsix deep. Then a man was seen mounting the scaffold followed by thepriest, behind whom came the prisoner between two warders. Just atthis moment there was a stir in the crowd at the end of the square,and over the heads of the people a line of glittering bayonets couldbe seen coming down the street. The general looked in that directionwith surprise, and immediately gave orders to a mounted officer besidehim, who, passing through the line of soldiers, tried to make his waythrough the crowd. This, however, either from its denseness or anunwillingness to move from the place it had gained, made way for himbut slowly, in spite of his angry shouts to the people to clear a way.
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