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

dammed-up torrent, like a river, the whole army in wild panic rush from the camp, flee, scatter, disappear. No more an army, no more leaders, no more a Commonwealth⁠—nothing but unwashed disgrace and the foot of the Cossack on your neck!”

Here Vershul began to groan and to pull at his horse, for the madness of despair had caught him. This madness he communicated to the others, and they rode on in that rain and night as if bewildered. They rode a long time. Zagloba broke silence first⁠—

“Without battle. Oh, the rascals! Oh, such sons of⁠—You remember what lordly figures they cut at Zbaraj⁠—how they promised to eat Hmelnitski without pepper and salt. Oh, the scoundrels!”

“How could they?” shouted Vershul. “They ran away after the first battle gained over the Tartars and the mob⁠—after a battle in which the general militia fought like lions.”

“The finger of God is in this,” said Skshetuski; “but there is some secret too, which must be explained.”

“If the army had fled, why that sort of thing happens in the world,” said Volodyovski; “but here the leaders left the camp first, as if on purpose to lighten the victory for the enemy and give the army to slaughter.”

“True, true!” said Vershul. “It is said even that they did this on purpose.”

“On purpose? By the wounds of Christ, that cannot be!”

“It is said they did so on purpose; but why? Who can discover, who can guess?”

“May their graves crush them, may their race perish, and only a memory of infamy remain behind them!” said Zagloba.

“Amen!” said Skshetuski.

“Amen!” said Volodyovski.

“Amen!” repeated Pan Longin.

“There is one man who can save the fatherland yet, if they give him the baton and the remaining power of the Commonwealth. There is only one, for neither the army nor the nobles will hear of another.”

“The prince!” said Skshetuski.

“Yes.”

“We will rally to him; we will perish with him. Long live Yeremi Vishnyevetski!” cried Zagloba.

“Long life!” repeated a few uncertain voices. But the cry died away immediately; for when the earth was opening under their feet and the heavens seemed falling on their heads, there was no time for shouts.

Day began to break, and in the distance appeared the walls of Tarnopol.

XLII

The first wrecks from Pilavtsi reached Lvoff at daybreak, September 26; and with the opening of the gates the news spread like lightning through the city, rousing incredulity in some, panic in others, and in still others a desperate desire for defence. Skshetuski with his party arrived two days later, when the whole city was packed with fugitive soldiers, nobles, and armed citizens. They were thinking of defence, for the Tartars were expected any moment; but it was not known yet who would stand at the head of the defence or how it would begin. For this reason disorder and panic prevailed everywhere. Some fled from the place, taking their families and their property with them; dwellers in the region round about sought refuge in the city. Those departing and arriving crowded the streets, fought for passage; every place was filled with wagons, packs, bags, horses, soldiers from the greatest variety of regiments; on every face was seen either uncertainty, feverish expectation, despair, or resignation. Every little while terror broke out like a sudden whirlwind, and the cries were heard: “They are coming! they are coming!” and the crowd swept like a wave, sometimes running straight ahead infected with the madness of alarm, until it appeared that another one of the fragments of the wreck was coming⁠—fragments which increased more and more.

But how sad was the sight of these soldiers who a short time before had marched in gold and plumes, with song on their lips and pride in their eyes, to that campaign against peasants! Today, torn, starved, emaciated, covered with mud, on wasted horses, with shame in their faces, more like beggars than knights, they could only rouse pity, if there was time for pity in that place against the walls of which the whole power of the enemy might soon hurl itself. And each one of those disgraced knights comforted himself in this alone, that he had so many thousands of companions in shame. All concealed themselves in the first hour, so that afterward when they had recovered they might spread complaints, blame, scatter curses with threats, drag along through the streets, drink in the shops, and only increase disorder and alarm. For each one repeated: “The Tartars are here, right here!” Some saw conflagrations in the rear; others swore by all the saints that they had been forced to defend themselves against scouting-parties. The crowds surrounding the soldiers listened with strained attention. The roofs and steeples of the churches were covered with thousands of curious people; the bells tolled alarm, and crowds of women and children suffocated one another in churches in which amid flaming tapers shone the most holy sacrament.

Skshetuski pushed slowly from the Galitian gate with his party through dense masses of horses, wagons, soldiers, city guilds standing under their banners, and through people who looked with wonder at that squadron entering the town, not in disorder, but in battle-array. Men shouted that succor was coming; and again joy justified by nothing took possession of the throng, which swayed forward in order to seize Skshetuski’s stirrups. Soldiers too ran up, crying: “These are Vishnyevetski men! Long live Yeremi!” The pressure became so great that the squadron was barely able to push forward step by step.

At length a party of dragoons appeared opposite, with an officer at the head. The soldiers pushed aside the throng, and the officer cried: “Out of the road! out of the road!” and struck with the side of his sword those who failed to clear the way quickly. Skshetuski recognized Kushel.

The young officer greeted his acquaintance heartily. “What times! what times!” said he.

“Where is the prince?” asked Pan Yan.

“You would have killed him with anxiety if you had delayed. He is looking for you and your men intently.