Revenge his earlier doings in the morn:
For if another slay this nobleman,
You will not, Major, wash away your shame.
This noble must be lured into the plain.
The rifle may not slay him, but the sword.
‘What knocks no art is; I prefer what pierces,’
Did old Suwarow say; go to the plain,
Or he will shoot us, Major, every one.
Look, now he’s taking aim.” Thereto the Major:
“Rykow, dear friend, a dreadful fellow thou
Art with the sword; go thou forth, brother Rykow.
Or hark ye what, I’ll send out some lieutenant;
I as the Major may not leave the soldiers,
For I am in command of the battalion.”
This hearing, Rykow raised his sword, went forth
Boldly, commanded firing to give o’er;
Waved a white cloth, and asked of Thaddeus
What weapon pleased him. The conditions made,
They both agreed on swords. But Thaddeus had
No sword, and while they sought for one on rushed
The Count all armed, and broke their conference off.
He cried out, “Pan Soplica, by your leave,
You have the Major challenged. With the captain
I have a previous quarrel. In my castle”—
“Say, sir,” broke in Protasy, “in our castle”—
“He entered,” said the Count, concluding, “at
The head of all those thieves. He—I knew Rykow—
Bound fast my jockeys. Him I will chastise,
As I chastised the robbers ’neath that rock,
Which the Sicilians call Birbante-Rocca.”
All then was silent, and the firing ceased.
Both armies gazed with curiosity
Upon the meeting of their generals.
The Count and Rykow went, they turned aside,
Each other with the right hand threatening,
And right eye; with their left hands then they bare
Their heads, and courteously salute; the custom
Of honour, ere it come to murdering,
First to salute. Their swords already met,
And had begun to clash. The heroes lift
Their feet, and on the left knee kneel, by turns
Backward and forward springing. But as Plut
Saw Thaddeus standing right before his front,
He spoke in whispers to Gefreiter Gont,
Who passed as foremost shooter in the band.
“Gont,” said the Major, “see’st that gallows-thief?
If thou canst lodge a bullet in him, there
Beneath the fifth rib, thou shalt get from me
Four silver roubles.” Gont turned round his gun,
Stooped to the lock, his faithful comrades with
Their mantles hid him, and he fired, not at
The rib, but at the head of Thaddeus;
Shot, and hit very near, in middle of
The hat. Aside turned Thaddeus; then the Baptist
On Rykow fell, and all the nobles after,
Exclaiming, “Treachery!” Him shielded Thaddeus.
Scarce Rykow in retreating could succeed,
And fall into the centre of his ranks.
Once more did the Dobrzynskis onward charge,
Vying with Litva; spite of discord past
Between the parties, all like brothers fought,
The one cheered on the other. The Dobrzynskis,
Who saw Podhajski wheel around before
The Jäger ranks, down-mowing with his scythe,
Cried out rejoicing, “The Podhaje live!
Forward, Litvini brothers! Litva, Litva!”
The Skolubowie, seeing valiant Razor,
Though wounded, fly on with his sword raised high,
Cried out, “The Matthews! long live the Masovians!”
Each giving heart to each, they charge upon
The Russians; vainly Robak and Matthias
Would hold them back. While thus they smote the band
Of Jägers from the front, the Wojski left
The battle-field, and towards the garden went,
And at his side the sage Protasy came.
The Wojski gave him orders whispering.
There stood within the garden, close unto
The very wall that Rykow chose as base
For his triangle, a large ancient cheese-store,
Builded in lattices, with rafters bound
Cross-ways, in cage-like form. Within it gleamed
Great heaps of whitest cheeses, and around
Were sheaves of herbs there laid to dry, of sage,
Of carduus benedictus, and wild thyme;
A herbary complete, the Wojski’s daughter’s
Store of domestic medicine. Above,
The cheese-store was some seven ells in breadth.
Below, it rested on one mighty pillar,
Like a stork’s nest. That old and oaken column
Leaned sidewards, ’twas already half-decayed,
And threatened accident. Not once alone
The Judge was counselled to throw down the house,
Made weak by age; but always said the Judge,
He rather would repair than pull it down,
Or else he would rebuild. Thus he delayed
The building till some more convenient time;
Meanwhile beneath the pillar he caused place
Two props; the building thereby reinforced,
But yet unlasting, o’er the garden wall
Looked down on Captain Rykow’s triangle.
Towards this cheese-house silently the Wojski
And Wozny go; each with a monstrous pole,
As with a spear is armed, the housekeeper
Hastes through the hemp-plants after them, likewise
The scullion, though a small boy, very strong.
When there, upon the rotten column’s top
They placed the poles, and pushed with all their strength,
As watermen push off a barge when moored
On sandy shallows, and away from shore
With long poles push it off into the deep.
The column shook, the cheese-house tottered, fell
Headlong with crash of wood and cheeses on
The Muscovite triangle, crushing, wounding,
And slaying; where the files had stood, now lay
Corpses, and wood, and cheeses white as snow,
Defiled with blood and brains. The triangle
Broke into fragments, and the Sprinkler thundered
Upon their midst; already gleamed the Razor,
And the Rod smote; from forth the house there rushed
A crowd of noblemen, and from the gates
The Count his cavalry did hurl upon
The fugitives. Eight Jägers now alone,
Their sergeant at their head, still make defence.
The Klucznik rushes up, they boldly stand,
Nine barrels pointed straightway at his head.
He rushed upon their shot, the Penknife’s blade
Round whirling. This the priest perceiving, ran
Across the Klucznik’s way, himself he falls,
And strikes Gervasy’s foot. They fell, just when
The platoon fired. The lead scarce whistled by,
When up Gervasy stood. Into the smoke
He sprung, at once swept off two Jägers’ heads.
The rest in terror fled; he them pursued,
And smote; they ran across the courtyard, he
Behind them. In the barn doors opening wide
They rushed. Gervasy rushed into the barn.
Upon their necks, and vanished in the dark,
But not neglected battle. Through the doors
Came groans, a shouting, and blows thickly dealt.
Soon all was silent. Forth Gervasy came
With bloody sword, alone. The nobles now
Had cleared the plain, pursued the Jägers, scattered,
Cut down, ran through. Rykow alone remained.
He cried he never would lay down his arms,
And fought on, when the Chamberlain now came
Towards him,
