With Fire and Sword by Henryk Sienkiewicz (big ebook reader .txt) 📕

“Oh, he will fill the army entirely! I know him,” said Zagloba.

The nobles roared with laughter. Wine rose to their heads. Everywhere were to be seen flushed faces, moving mustaches; and the good feeling was increasing every moment.

Just then at the threshold of the hall appeared a gloomy figure, covered with dust; and in view of the table, the feast, and the gleaming faces, it stopped at the door as if hesitating to enter. The prince saw it first, wrinkled his brows, shaded his eyes, and said⁠—

“But who is there? Ah, that is Kushel! From the expedition. What news do you bring?”

“Very bad, your Highness!” said the young officer, with a strange voice.

Suddenly silence reigned in the assembly, as if someone had put it under a spell. The goblets raised to the lips remained halfway; all eyes were turned to Kushel, on whose wearied face pain was depicted.

“It would have been better had you not spoken, since I am joyful at the cup,” said the prince; “but since you have begun, speak to the end.”

“Your Highness, I too should prefer not to be an owl, for these tidings halt on my lips.”

“What has happened? Speak!”

“Bar is taken!”

On a certain calm night a band of horsemen, about twenty in number, moved along the right bank of the Valadinka in the direction of the Dniester. They went very slowly, the horses almost dragging one foot after the other. A short distance in front of the others rode two, as it were an advance guard; but evidently there was no cause for guarding or being on the watch, since for a whole hour they had been talking together instead of looking at the country about them. Reining in their horses every little while, they looked at the party behind, and one of them called out at this moment: “Slowly there! slowly!” And the others went still more slowly, scarcely moving.

At last the party, pushing out from behind the eminence which had covered them with its shadow, entered the open country, which was filled with moonlight, and then it was possible to understand the reason of their careful gait. In the centre of the caravan two horses abreast carried a swing tied to their saddles, and in this swing lay the form of some person. The silver rays lighted its pale face and closed eyes.

Behind the swing rode ten armed men. From their lances without bannerets, it was evident that they were Cossacks. Some led packhorses, others rode by themselves; but while the two riders in front seemed to pay not the least attention to the country about them, those behind glanced around on every side with unquiet and alarm. And still the region seemed to be a perfect desert.

Silence was unbroken save by the noise of the horses’ hoofs and the calling of one of the riders in front, who from time to time repeated his warning: “Slowly! carefully!”

At length he turned to his companion. “Horpyna, is it far yet?” he inquired.

The companion called Horpyna, who in reality was a gigantic young woman disguised as a Cossack, looked at the starry heavens and replied⁠—

“Not far. We shall be there before midnight. We shall pass the Enemy’s Mound, the Tartar Valley, and right there is the Devil’s Glen. Oh, it would be terrible to pass that place between midnight and cockcrow! It’s possible for me, but for you it would be terrible, terrible!”

The first rider shrugged his shoulders and said: “I know the devil is a brother to you, but there are weapons against the devil.”

“Devil or not, there are no weapons,” answered Horpyna. “If you, my falcon, had looked for a hiding-place through the whole world for your princess, you could not have found a better. No one will pass here after midnight unless with me, and in the glen no living man has yet put foot. If anyone wants soothsaying, he waits in front of the glen till I come out. Never fear! Neither Pole nor Tartar will get there, nor anyone, anyone. The Devil’s Glen is terrible, you will see for yourself.”

“Let it be terrible, but I say that I shall come as often as I like.”

“If you come in the daytime.”

“Whenever I please. And if the devil stands in my road, I’ll seize him by the horns.”

“Oh, Bogun, Bogun!”

“Oh, Dontsovna, Dontsovna, don’t trouble yourself about me! Whether the devil takes me or not is no concern of yours; but I tell you this⁠—take council with your devils when you please, if only no harm comes to the princess; but if anything happens to her, then neither devils nor vampires will tear you from my grasp.”

“Oh, they tried to drown me once when I lived with my brother on the Don, another time the executioner was going to cut my head off in Yampol⁠—I didn’t care for that. But this is another thing. I will guard her out of friendship for you, so that no spirit will make a hair of her head fall, and in my hands she is safe from men. She won’t escape you.”

“And, you owl, if you talk this way, why do you prophesy evil? Why do you hoot in my ear, ‘Pole at her side! Pole at her side!’ ”

“It was not I that spoke, but the spirits. But now perhaps there is a change. I will prophesy for you tomorrow on the water of the mill-wheel. On the water everything is clearly visible, but it is necessary to look a long time, you will see yourself. But you are a furious dog; if the truth is told, you are angry and wish to kill one.”

Conversation was interrupted, and only the striking of the horses’ feet against the stones was heard, and certain sounds from the direction of the river, like the chirping of crickets.

Bogun paid not the least attention to these sounds, though they might astonish one in the night. He raised his face