The marshal gave most effectual assistance. During this period, which by the way was short, the nobler sides of Lyubomirski’s nature gained, perhaps, the upper hand over his pride and self-love; therefore he omitted no toil, he spared neither his health nor his person, he led squadrons frequently, gave the enemy no rest; and as he was a good soldier he rendered good services. These, added to his later ones, would have secured him a glorious memory in the nation, were it not for that shameless rebellion which toward the end of his career he raised in order to hinder the reform of the Commonwealth.
But at this time he did everything to win glory, and he covered himself with it as with a robe. Pan Vitovski, the castellan of Sandomir, an old and experienced soldier, vied with him. Vitovski wished to equal Charnyetski himself; but he could not, for God had denied him greatness.
All three crushed the Swedes more and more, and with such effect that the infantry and cavalry regiments, to whom it came to form the rearguard on the retreat, marched with so much fear that a panic arose among them from the slightest cause. Then Karl Gustav decided to march always with the rearguard, so as to give courage by his presence.
But in the very beginning he almost paid for this position with his life. It happened that having with him a detachment of the lifeguards—the largest of all the regiments, for the soldiers in it were selected from the whole Scandinavian people—the king stopped for refreshment at the village of Rudnik. When he had dined with the parish priest he decided to sleep a little, since he had not closed his eyes the night preceding. The lifeguards surrounded the house, to watch over the safety of the king. Meanwhile the priest’s horse-boy stole away from the village, and coming up to a mare in the field, sprang upon her colt and raced off to Charnyetski.
Charnyetski was ten miles distant at this time; but his vanguard, composed of the regiment of Prince Dymitri Vishnyevetski, was marching under Shandarovski, the lieutenant, about two miles behind the Swedes. Shandarovski was just talking to Roh Kovalski, who had ridden up that moment with orders from Charnyetski, when suddenly both saw the lad flying toward them at all horse speed.
“What devil is that racing up so,” asked Shandarovski, “and besides on a colt?”
“Some village lad,” said Kovalski.
Meanwhile the boy had ridden to the front of the rank, and only stopped when the colt, frightened at horses and men, stood on his hind legs and dug his hoofs into the earth. The youth sprang off, and holding the colt by the mane, bowed to the knights.
“Well, what have you to say?” asked the lieutenant, approaching him.
“The Swedes are with us at the priest’s house; they say that the king himself is among them!” said the youth, with sparkling eyes.
“Many of them?”
“Not more than two hundred horses.”
Shandarovski’s eyes now flashed in their turn; but he was afraid of an ambush, therefore he looked threateningly at the boy and asked—
“Who sent you?”
“Who was to send me? I jumped myself on the colt, I came near falling, and lost my cap. It is well that the Swedish carrion did not see me!”
Truth was beating out of the sunburned face of the youth; he had evidently a great animosity against the Swedes—he was panting, his cheeks were burning, he stood before the officers holding the mane of the colt with one hand, his hair disordered, the shirt open on his bosom.
“Where is the rest of the Swedish army?” asked the lieutenant.
“At daybreak so many passed that we could not count them; those went farther, only cavalry remained. But there is one sleeping at the priest’s, and they say that he is the king.”
“Boy,” answered Shandarovski, “if you are lying, your head will fall; but if you speak the truth, ask what you please.”
“As true as I live! I want nothing unless the great mighty lord officer would command to give me a sabre.”
“Give him some blade,” cried Shandarovski to his attendants, completely convinced now.
The other officers fell to inquiring of the boy where the house was, where the village, what the Swedes were doing.
“The dogs! they are watching. If you go straight they will see you; but I will take you behind the alder grove.”
Orders were given at once, and the squadron moved on, first at a trot and then at a gallop. The youth rode before the first rank bareback on his colt without a bridle. He urged the colt with his heels, and every little while looked with sparkling eyes on the naked sabre.
When the village was in sight, he turned out of the willows and led by a somewhat muddy road to the alder grove, in
