“Yandrek!” cried the king, falling into good humor and pursing his lips, “as God is dear to me, I cannot find a better shepherd for those lambs! Take them and lead them wherever it pleases thee most.”
“I give thanks, Gracious Lord!” said the knight, pressing the knees of the king.
“When do you wish to start?” asked Yan Kazimir.
“God willing, tomorrow.”
“Maybe Akbah Ulan will not be ready, because his horses are road-weary.”
“Then I will have him lashed to a saddle with a lariat, and he will go on foot if he spares his horse.”
“I see that you will get on with him. Still use mild measures while possible. But now, Yendrek, it is late; tomorrow I wish to see you again. Meanwhile take this ring, tell your royalist lady that you have it from the king, and tell her that the king commands her to love firmly his faithful servant and defender.”
“God grant me,” said the young hero, with tears in his eyes, “not to die save in defence of your Royal Grace!”
Here the king withdrew, for it was already late; and Kmita went to his own quarters to prepare for the road, and think what to begin, and whither he ought to go first.
He remembered the words of Kharlamp, that should it appear that Boguslav was not in Taurogi it would really be better to leave the maiden there, for from Taurogi being near the boundary, it was easy to take refuge in Tyltsa, under care of the elector. Moreover, though the Swedes had abandoned in his last need the voevoda of Vilna, it was reasonable to expect that they would have regard for his widow; hence, if Olenka was under her care, no evil could meet her. If they had gone to Courland, that was still better. “And to Courland I cannot go with my Tartars,” said Kmita to himself, “for that is another State.”
He walked then, and worked with his head. Hour followed hour, but he did not think yet of rest; and the thought of his new expedition so cheered him, that though that day he was weak in the morning, he felt now that his strength was returning, and he was ready to mount in a moment.
The servants at last had finished tying the saddle-straps and were preparing to sleep, when all at once someone began to scratch at the door of the room.
“Who is there?” asked Kmita. Then to his attendant, “Go and see!”
He went, and after he had spoken to someone outside the door, he returned.
“Some soldier wants to see your grace greatly. He says that his name is Soroka.”
“By the dear God! let him in,” called Kmita. And without waiting for the attendant to carry out the order, he sprang to the door. “Come in, dear Soroka! come hither!”
The soldier entered the room, and with his first movement wished to fall at the feet of his colonel, for he was a friend and a servant as faithful as he was attached; but soldierly subordination carried the day, therefore he stood erect and said—
“At the orders of your grace!”
“Be greeted, dear comrade, be greeted!” said Kmita, with emotion. “I thought they had cut you to pieces in Chenstohova.” And he pressed Soroka’s head, then began to shake him, which he could do without lowering himself too much, for Soroka was descended from village nobility.
Then the old sergeant fell to embracing Kmita’s knees.
“Whence do you come?” asked Kmita.
“From Chenstohova.”
“And you were looking for me?”
“Yes.”
“And from whom did you learn that I was alive?”
“From Kuklinovski’s men. The prior, Kordetski, celebrated High Mass from delight, in thanksgiving to God. Then there was a report that Pan Babinich had conducted the king through the mountains; so I knew that that was your grace, no one else.”
“And Father Kordetski is well?”
“Well; only it is unknown whether the angels will not take him alive to heaven any day, for he is a saint.”
“Surely he is nothing else. Where did you discover that I came with the king to Lvoff?”
“I thought, since you conducted the king you must be near him; but I was afraid that your grace might move to the field and that I should be late.”
“Tomorrow I go with the Tartars.”
“Then it has happened well, for I bring your grace two full belts, one which I wore and the other you carried, and besides, those precious stones which we took from the caps of boyars, and those which your grace took when we seized the treasury of Hovanski.”
“Those were good times when we gathered in wealth; but there cannot be much of it now, for I left a good bit with Father Kordetski.”
“I do not know how much, but the prior himself said that two good villages might be bought with it.”
Then Soroka drew near the table, and began to remove the belts from his body. “And the stones are in this canteen,” added he, putting the canteen near the belts.
Kmita made no reply, but shook in his hand some gold ducats without counting them, and said to the sergeant—
“Take these!”
“I fall at the feet of your grace. Ei, if I had had on the road one such ducat!”
“How is that?”
“Because I am terribly weak. There are few places now where they will give one morsel of bread to a man, for all are afraid; and at last I barely dragged my feet forward from hunger.”
“By the dear God! but you had all this with you!”
“I dared not use it without leave.”
“Take this!” said Kmita, giving him another handful. Then he cried to the servants—
“Now, scoundrels, give him to eat in less time than a man might say ‘Our Father,’ or I’ll take your heads!”
They
