CHAPTER XLV.
The sabres whistled; edge clashed against edge. The place of conflictwas shifted at once; for Bogun pressed on with such fury thatVolodyovski sprang back a number of steps, and the seconds had toretreat too. The lightning zigzags of Bogun's sword were so swift thatthe astonished eyes of those present could not follow them. It seemedto them that Volodyovski was altogether surrounded and covered, andthat God alone could snatch him from beneath that storm ofthunderbolts. The blows were mingled in one uninterrupted whistle; therush of the moving air struck all faces. The fury of the Cossackincreased; the wild rage of conflict seized him, and like a hurricanehe pushed Volodyovski before him. The little knight retreatedcontinually, and merely defended himself. His extended right armscarcely moved; only his hand described, without stopping, circlesnarrow but swift as thought, and caught the raging blows of Bogun. Heput edge under edge, warded off and again defended and still retreated,fixed his eyes on the eyes of the Cossack, and in the midst ofserpentine lightnings appeared calm; but on his cheeks purple spotswere coming out. Zagloba closed his eyes, and heard nothing but blowafter blow, bite after bite.
"He defends himself yet," thought he.
"He defends himself yet," said the Selitskis and Kushel.
"He is already pushed to the sand-bank," added Kushel, quietly.
Zagloba opened his eyes again and looked. True, Volodyovski was pushedto the bank; but evidently he was not wounded yet. The flush on hisface had become deeper, and drops of sweat were on his forehead.
Zagloba's heart began to beat with hope. "Pan Michael is a masterbeyond masters," thought he, "and this fellow will become tired atlast."
In fact Bogun's face had grown pale, sweat stood in drops on hisforehead; but resistance only roused his rage, foam shone from underhis mustache, and from his breast came the hoarseness of fury.
Volodyovski did not let him out of sight, and defended himselfcontinually. Suddenly, feeling the sand-bank behind, he collectedhimself. It seemed to the spectators that he had fallen; meanwhile hebent, shrunk up, half squatted, and hurled his whole body as if it werea stone against the breast of the Cossack.
"He is attacking!" shouted Zagloba.
"He is attacking!" repeated the others.
So he was, in fact. The Cossack retreated now; and the little knight,having discovered the whole power of his opponent, pushed on him sobriskly that the breath stopped in the breasts of the seconds.Evidently he began to warm up; his little eyes shot sparks; hesquatted, he sprang, he changed position in a moment, he describedcircles around the Cossack, and forced him to turn where he stood.
"Oh, masterly, masterly!" said Zagloba.
"You will perish!" said Bogun, all at once.
"You will perish!" answered, like an echo, Volodyovski.
At that moment the Cossack threw, his sabre from his right to his lefthand,--a feat possible only to the ablest fencers,--and gave with hisleft hand such a terrible blow that Volodyovski fell to the ground asif struck by lightning.
"Jesus, Mary!" screamed Zagloba.
But Volodyovski had fallen on purpose, so that the sabre of Bogun mightmeet only air. Then the little knight sprang up like a wildcat, andwith almost the whole length of his blade cut terribly into the openbreast of the Cossack.
Bogun tottered, advanced a step, and with a last effort gave the lastthrust. Volodyovski warded it off with ease, and struck still twice onthe inclined head. The sabre dropped from the powerless hands of Bogun,and he fell with his face on the sand, which immediately reddened underhim in a broad pool of blood.
Eliasenko, present at the duel, rushed to the body of the ataman. Theseconds were unable to utter a word for some time. Pan Michael too wassilent; he rested both hands on his sabre and panted heavily.
Zagloba first broke the silence. "Pan Michael, come to my embrace!"said he, with emotion.
Then they surrounded him in a circle.
"You are a swordsman of the first water. May the bullets strike you!"said the Selitskis.
"You are a deceitful rogue, I see," said Kharlamp; "but I'll meet you,lest it be said that I am afraid. But though you were to slash me insuch fashion as this, still I congratulate you."
[Illustration "THE LITTLE KNIGHT, HAVING DISCOVERED THE WHOLE POWER OFHIS OPPONENT, PUSHED ON HIM BRISKLY."]
Copyright, 1898, by Little, Brown, and Company.
"And you should put yourself at rest, for in fact you have nothing tofight about," said Zagloba.
"Impossible!" answered the light-horseman, "for it is a question hereof my reputation, for which I am glad to give my life."
"I have no claim on your life. It is better to drop the matter; for totell you the truth, I have not come in your way as you imagine. Someother man better than I will stand in your way, but not I."
"Is that true?"
"My knightly word for it."
"Then make peace with each other," cried the Selitskis and Kushel.
"Let it be so," said Kharlamp, opening his arms.
Volodyovski fell into them, and the two men kissed each other till theechoes resounded along the bank.
Kushel said: "I did not think that you could beat such a giant; and heknew too how to use a sabre."
"I had no idea that he was such a swordsman. Where could he havelearned?"
Here the attention of all was directed again to the prostrate chief,whom at that time Eliasenko had turned on his back and was looking withtears for signs of life in him. It was impossible to recognize thefeatures of Bogun, for they were covered with streaks of blood whichflowed out of the wounds in his head and which immediately grew stiffin the chill air. The shirt on his breast was all in blood, but hestill gave signs of life. Seemingly he was in his last agonies; hisfeet quivered, and his fingers hooked convulsively like claws in thesand.
Zagloba looked and waved his hand. "He has had his fill; he is partingwith the world."
"Ah," said one of the Selitskis, looking at the body, "that's a corpsealready!"
"Yes, for he is almost cut into bits."
"He was no common knight," muttered Volodyovski, nodding his head.
"I know something of that," added Zagloba.
Meanwhile Eliasenko tried to raise up and carry away the unfortunateataman; but being rather a slender man and not young, and since Bogunbelonged almost to the giants, he could not. It was some distance tothe inn, and Bogun might die at any moment. The essaul, seeing this,turned to the nobles.
"Gentlemen," said he, clasping his hands, "for the sake of the Saviourand the Holy Most Pure, help me! Do not let him die here like a dog! Iam old, not strong enough, and the men are far away."
The nobles looked at one another. Animosity against Bogun had vanishedfrom every heart.
"True, it is hard to leave him here like a dog," muttered Zagloba."Since we met him in a duel, he is no longer a peasant for us, but asoldier, to whom such assistance is due. Who will carry him with me,gentlemen?"
"I," said Volodyovski.
"Then carry him on my burka," added Kharlamp.
In a moment Bogun was lying on the mantle, the ends of which Zagloba,Volodyovski, Kushel, and Eliasenko held; and the whole party, incompany with Kharlamp and the Selitskis, moved with slow steps towardthe inn.
"He has a firm life," said Zagloba; "he is moving yet. My God, if anyman had told me that I should become his nurse and carry him in thisfashion, I should have thought that he was trifling with me. I have toofeeling a heart, I know that myself; but life is cruel. I'll dress hiswounds too. I hope we shall meet no more in this world; let himremember me kindly in the next."
"Then you think that he will not recover by any means?" asked Kharlamp.
"He! I wouldn't give a wisp of old straw for his life. Such was hisfate, and he could not escape it; for even if he had succeeded with PanVolodyovski, he wouldn't have escaped my hands. But I prefer that ithas happened as it has, for already there is an outcry against me as amerciless slaughterer. And what am I to do when a man c
rawls into myway? I had to pay Pan Dunchevski five hundred sequins' fine, and youknow, gentlemen, that estates in Russia give no income now."
"True, for they have plundered you there to the last," said Kharlamp.
"Oh, this Cossack is heavy!" said Zagloba; "I've lost mybreath.--Plundered us, yes, plundered; but I hope the Diet will makesome provision, otherwise we are reduced to death. But he is heavy, heis heavy! See, the blood is beginning to run again! Hurry, PanKharlamp, to the inn; let the Jew mix some dough with spider-web. Itwon't help the dead man much, but care is a Christian act, and it willbe easier for him to die. Hurry, Pan Kharlamp!"
Kharlamp pushed ahead; and when at last they carried the chief into theroom, Zagloba betook himself, with great knowledge of the art andexpertness, to dressing him. He stopped the blood, closed the wounds,then turned to Eliasenko and said,--
"You, grandfather, are not needed here. Ride with all speed toZaborovo, ask to be placed before the prince, deliver the letter, andtell what you saw, everything as it was. If you lie, I shall know, forI am a confidant of his Highness the Prince, and I shall command yourhead to be cut off. Give my respects to Hmelnitski, for he knows andloves me. We will give a fitting funeral to your ataman. You do yourown work; do not loiter in corners, or some one will settle you beforeyou can tell who you are. Be in good health, and be off!"
"Let me stay, gentlemen, even till he gets cold."
"Be off, I tell you!" said Zagloba, threateningly; "if not, I'll orderthe peasants to take you to Zaborovo. And my respects to Hmelnitski."
Eliasenko bowed to the girdle and went out. Zagloba said again toKharlamp and the Selitskis,--
"I've got that Cossack off; for what has he to do here, and if some oneshould kill him, which might easily happen, then the blame would belaid on us. The partisans of Zaslavski and the curs of the chancellorwould be first to roar with all their might that in spite of God's lawVishnyevetski's men murdered the whole Cossack embassy. But a wise headhas a remedy for everything. We won't let ourselves be eaten in kashaby these fops, these parasites; and when necessary you, gentlemen, willbear witness how it all happened, and that he challenged us himself. Imust order the bailiff of this place to bury him somehow. They don'tknow here who he was; they will think that he was a noble, and bury himdecently. It's time for us too to be on the road, Pan Michael, for wehave a report to make to the prince yet."
The hoarse breathing of Bogun interrupted these words.
"Oh, the soul is seeking a way for itself," said Zagloba. "It isgetting dark, and the spirit will go groping to the other world. Butsince he put no shame on our young lady, may God give him eternalrest,--amen! Let us go, Pan Michael. From my heart I forgive him allhis sins, though to tell the truth, I put myself more in his way thanhe put himself in mine. But the end has come. Gentlemen, I wish yougood health. It was a delight to make the acquaintance of suchhonorable men, but remember to testify in case of need."