Upon leaving the quarters of Count Piper, Charlie returned to the
camp, and, after discussing the matter with Major Jervoise,
proceeded with him to the colonel's hut.
"Well, you look brighter this morning, Carstairs. Are you better
pleased, now you have thought the matter over?"
"Yes, sir. What you said last night has been quite confirmed by
Count Piper, and the matter does not really seem so difficult. I am
merely, as a foreigner in the employment of the King of Sweden, to
talk with foreigners in Warsaw, to assure them that the king is
sincere in his desire to avoid war with Poland, and will gladly
make a lasting peace between the two countries, to urge upon them
to show themselves favourable to his project for securing such a
peace, by forcing Augustus to resign the crown, and to use what
influence they can in that direction, both upon their fellow
traders and upon the Poles."
"There is nothing very difficult about that," Colonel Jamieson said
cheerfully, "as it happens to be quite true; and there can be no
real question as to the true interest of Poland, and especially of
the trading classes in the great towns, from whom heavy
contributions towards the expenses of war are always exacted by
their own rulers, and who have to pay a ruinous ransom in case of
their city being captured by the enemy. The traders of Warsaw will
need no reminder of such well-known facts, and will be only too
glad to be assured that, unless as a last resource, our king has no
intention of making war upon Poland, and they will certainly be
inclined to bestir themselves to avert such a possibility. You
have, I suppose, a list of names of the people with whom you had
best put yourself into communication?"
"Yes, sir. Here is a list. There are, I see, ten Scotchmen, fifteen
Frenchmen, and about as many Jews."
"I know nothing of the Frenchmen, and less of the Jews," the
colonel said, taking the list; "but I ought to know some of the
Scotchmen. They will hail from Dundee and Glasgow, and, it may be,
Dumfries."
He ran his eye down the list.
"Aha! Here is one, and we need go no further. Allan Ramsay; we were
lads together at the High School of Glasgow, and were classmates at
the College. His father was a member of the city council, and was
one of the leading traders in the city. Allan was a wild lad, as I
was myself, and many a scrape did we get into together, and had
many a skirmish with the watch. Allan had two or three half
brothers, men from ten to twenty years older than himself, and, a
year or two after I came out to Sweden and entered the army as an
ensign, who should I meet in the streets of Gottenburg, but Allan
Ramsay.
"We were delighted to see each other, and he stopped with me nearly
a week. He had, after leaving the College, gone into his father's
business, but when the old man died he could not get on with his
half brothers, who were dour men, and had little patience with
Allan's restlessness and love of pleasure. So, after a final
quarrel, they had given him so much money for his share of the
business, and a letter of introduction to a trader in Poland, who
had written to them saying that he wanted a partner with some
capital; and Allan was willing enough to try the life in a strange
country, for he was a shrewd fellow, with all his love of fun.
"Five years afterwards, he came through Gottenburg again. I did not
see him, for my regiment was at Stockholm at the time, but he wrote
me a letter saying that he had been in Scotland to marry and bring
back one Janet Black, the daughter of a mercer, whom I remember
well enough as an old flame of his.
"He reported that he was doing well, and that the Poles were not
bad fellows to live among, though less punctual in their payments
than might be wished. He said he did not suppose that, as a Swedish
officer, I should ever be in Poland, unless Sweden produced another
Gustavus Adolphus; but if I was, he would be delighted to welcome
me, and that anyone I asked in Warsaw would direct me to his shop.
I wonder that I did not think of him before; but that is ten years
ago, and it had altogether passed out of my mind, till I saw his
name here. Unless he is greatly changed, you may be sure of a
hearty welcome from Allan Ramsay, for my sake. We need not trouble
about the other names. He will know all about them, and will be
able to put you in the way of getting at them."
This was a great relief to Charlie, who felt that it would be an
immense advantage to have the house of someone, from whom he might
expect a welcome, to go to on his arrival in Warsaw; and he was
able, during the day, to talk over the prospects of the journey,
with Harry Jervoise, with a real sense of interest and excitement
in his mission.
In the evening, he again went to the house of the minister. The
latter, a close observer of men, saw at once that the young officer
was in much better spirits than he had been in the morning.
"Have you obtained information respecting any of the persons whose
names I gave you?" he asked.
"Yes, sir. It seems that, most fortunately, the trader named Allan
Ramsay is an old friend of Colonel Jamieson, and the colonel has
given me a letter to him which will, he assures me, procure me a
hearty welcome."
"And have you thought anything more of your best plan of action?"
"Yes, sir. It seems to me that I had better dress myself in an
attire such as might be worn by a young Scotchman, journeying
through the country to place himself with a relation established in
business. I could ride behind the royal envoy, as if I had received
permission to journey under the protection of his escort, and could
drop behind a few miles from the capital, and make my way in alone.
I could not, of course, inquire for Allan Ramsay in Polish, but I
know enough French to ask for him at any shop having a French name
over it, if I did not happen to light upon one kept by a
Scotchman."
"Yes, that plan will do very well. But you will have no difficulty
in finding the house, as I have arranged that a man shall accompany
you as servant. He is a Lithuanian, and is the grandson of a
soldier of Gustavus Adolphus, who married and settled there. His
grandfather kept up his connection with his native country, and the
young fellow speaks Swedish fairly, and, of course, Polish. For the
last three weeks I have employed him in various matters, and find
him shrewd and, I believe, faithful. Such a fellow would be of
great use to you, and could, if necessary, act as your interpreter
in any interviews you may have with Polish Jews, although you will
find that most of these men speak other languages besides their
own."
He touched a bell, and on a servant entering, said:
"Bring Stanislas Bistron here."
An active, well-built young fellow of some four and twenty years of
age entered the room a minute later. His fair hair and blue eyes
showed that he took after his Swedish ancestors.
"This is the gentleman, Stanislas, that you are to accompany to
Warsaw, as his servant. You will obey him, in all respects, as if
he had hired you in his service, and, should he arrive at any
situation of danger or difficulty, I trust that you will not be
found wanting."
The man had looked closely at Charlie.
"I will do my best, sir, and I doubt not that the gentleman's
service will suit me. He has the look of one who would be kind to
his servants."
"Wait at the outside door," the count said. "Captain Carstairs will
speak to you as he leaves."
The man bowed and went out, and the count then said, with a smile
at the look of surprise on Charlie's face:
"It was not a slip of the tongue. Here is a commission, signed by
his majesty, appointing you to the rank of captain, as he has long
considered that you had well won your promotion, by your suggestion
which enabled him to cross the Dwina without loss; but he thought
there would be a difficulty in placing you over the heads of so
many officers senior to yourself. This inconvenience no longer
exists, now that you have what may be considered a staff
appointment, and the rank may, moreover, add to your weight and
influence in your interviews with persons at Warsaw.
"You will need money. Here is a purse for your expenses. You may
meet with some of these men, especially among the Jewish traders,
who may need a bribe. Bribery is common, from the highest to the
lowest, in Poland. You will find, in this letter of instructions,
that you are authorized to promise sums of money to men whose
assistance may be valuable. It is impossible to fix the sums. These
must depend upon the position of the men, and the value of their
services; and I can only say do not be lavish, but at the same time
do not hesitate to promise a sum that will secure the services of
useful men. Your best plan will be to find out, if you are able,
what each man expects, and to make what abatement you can. The only
limit placed is that you must not commit the royal treasury to a
total sum exceeding ten thousand crowns. You will, I hope, find a
smaller sum suffice.
"The envoy will start at six tomorrow morning. I do not know that
there are any further instructions to give you. You will find
details, in these written instructions, as to the manner in which
you are to communicate, from time to time, the result of your
mission, and you will receive orders when to return."
Outside the house, Charlie saw his new servant waiting him.
"You have a horse, Stanislas?"
"Yes, sir, I have been provided with one. I have also a brace of
pistols, and a sword."
"I hope you will not have to use them, but in these disturbed times
they are necessaries."
"I have better clothes than these, sir, if you wish me to look
gay."
"By no means," Charlie replied. "I am going in the character of a
young Scotchman, on my way to join a relative in business in
Warsaw, and you accompany me in the capacity of guide and servant.
As I should not be in a position to pay high wages, the more humble
your appearance, the better. We start at six in the morning. The
envoy will leave the royal quarters at that hour, and we travel
with his escort. Join me a quarter of an hour before that at my
hut. You had better accompany me there now, so that you may know
the spot. I shall not require your services before we start, as my
soldier servant will saddle my horse, and have all in readiness."
Harry came to the door of the hut, as he saw his friend
approaching.
"Well, Charlie, is all satisfactorily settled?
"Yes, quite satisfactorily, I think. That is my new servant. Count
Piper has appointed him. He speaks Swedish and Polish."
"That will be a great comfort to you, Charlie. Jock Armstrong, who
has not picked up ten words of Swedish since he joined, would have
been worse than useless."
"I have another piece of news, Harry, that I am in one way very
glad of, and in another sorry for. I had always hoped that we
should keep together, and that, just as we joined together, and
were made lieutenants at the same time, it would always be so."
"You have got another step?" Harry exclaimed. "I am heartily glad
of it. I thought very likely you might get it. Indeed, I was
surprised that you did not get it, at once, after our fight with
the Saxons. I am sure you deserved it, if ever a fellow did,
considering what it saved us all."
"Of course it is for that," Charlie replied, "though I think it is
very absurd. Count Piper said the king would have given it to me at
once, only it would have taken me over the heads of so many men
older than myself; but he considered that, now I am going on a sort
of staff work, away from the regiment, I could be promoted, and he
thought, too, that the title of Captain would assist me in my
mission."
"Of course it will," Harry said, warmly. "That is just what I told
you, you know. This business was not quite to your liking, but it
was a good long step towards making your fortune. Don't you think
that I shall be jealous of your going ahead, for I am not in the
least. I am sorry you are going away, for I shall miss you
terribly; but I am quite content to be with the regiment, and to
work my way up gradually. As it is, I am senior lieutenant in the
regiment, and the first battle may give me my company; though I
don't expect it, for I do not think my father would wish the
colonel to give me the step, if it occurred, for all the other
lieutenants are older than we are, though they are junior to us in
the regiment, and I feel sure that he would prefer me to remain for
another two or three years as lieutenant. In fact, he said as much
to me, a short time ago. Still, when I am fit to command a company,
there is no doubt I shall get it.
"Of course, I am sorry you are going, very sorry, Charlie; but,
even if you go altogether on to the staff, I shall see a good deal
of you, for, as the king is always with the army, this must be your
headquarters still.
"I wonder how long you will be away. I like the look of the fellow
who is going with you. It was an honest, open sort of face, as far
as I saw it. At any rate, it is a comfort to think that you won't
be absolutely alone, especially among people whose language you
don't know. Mind, if you are sending letters to Count Piper, be
sure you send a few lines, by the same messenger, to let me know
how you are going on. Not long letters, you know; I expect you will
have your hands pretty well full; but just enough to give me an
idea of how you are, and what you are doing."
The following morning, Charlie started. He had said goodbye to no
one, except the colonel, Major Jervoise, and Harry, as it was not
considered advisable that his departure with the envoy for Warsaw
should be talked about. He only joined the party, indeed, after
they had ridden out of the camp. He had laid aside his uniform, and
was dressed in clothes which Major Jervoise had procured for him,
from one of the last-joined recruits who had but just received his
uniform. The lieutenant commanding the escort of twenty troopers
rode up to him, as he joined the party.
"Baron Seckers informs me that he has given permission to a young
Scotchman and his servant, travelling to Warsaw, to ride under his
protection. Are you the person in question, sir?"
"It is all right, Lieutenant Eberstein," Charlie said, with a
smile. "Don't you recognize me?"
"Of course--Lieutenant Carstairs. I was at the hunt where you were
taken prisoner; but I did not expect to see you in this garb."
"I am going on duty," Charlie said, "and am dressed according to
orders. Do not address me by my name. I am at present Sandy
Anderson, going to join a relation in Warsaw."
"Ah, ah! Is that so? Going to put your head into the den of the
Lion Augustus. Well, I rather envy you, for it is likely, by all
accounts, to be dull work here for some time. It is hard to be
sitting idle, while the Russian guns are thundering round Narva.
Now, I must join the baron again. Where would you rather
ride--after us, or behind the escort?"
"Behind the escort. I think it will be more natural, and I can chat
more freely with my servant. He is a Lithuanian, but speaks
Swedish, and I hope to get some information from him."
The lieutenant rode on, and, as he passed the troopers, he told
them that the two men behind had the baron's permission to ride
with them, in order that they might have protection from the bands
of pillagers who were roaming through the country.
"Now, Stanislas," Charlie said. "We can talk freely together. Do
you know Warsaw?"
"I have been there several times, sir, but I never stopped there
long. Still, I can find my way about the town."
"When were you there last?"
"Some two months ago. It was just before I entered the Swedish
service."
"And what do the people say about the war?"
"They are bitterly opposed to it. The king entered upon it without
consulting the diet, which was altogether contrary to the
constitution. It is true that the king may do so, in cases of
emergency, and obtain the sanction of the diet afterwards. There
was no urgency here, and the king made his agreement with the czar
and the king of Denmark without anyone knowing of it. He certainly
obtained a sort of sanction from the diet afterwards, but everyone
knows how these things are worked. He has a strong party, of
course, because it is the interest of a great many people to retain
him in power, as no one can say who would be chosen to succeed him.
But among the people in general, the traders and the peasants, he
is hated, and so are his Saxon soldiers.
"Suppose he had gained a slice of Swedish territory. It would not
have benefited them; while, as it is, all sorts of misfortunes and
troubles have come upon the country, and none can say how much
greater may ensue.
"Poland is always split up into parties. They used to unite against
the Turk, and they would unite again against the Swedes, if their
country was invaded; but as long as King Charles keeps his army
beyond the frontier, they are too deeply engaged in their own
quarrels to think of anything else."
"Then, even if I were known, in the city, to be in the Swedish
service, there would be little danger, Stanislas?"
"I do not say that, at all," the man said gravely. "In the first
place, Warsaw is held by Saxon soldiers, who would show you but
scant mercy, were you known to be a Swedish officer; and, in the
second place, the lower classes are ever ready to make tumults;
and, if worked upon by the archbishop, or the nobles of the king's
party, they would readily enough tear a stranger to pieces.
"Going as you do as a Scotchman, there is, I hope, little danger,
especially if you are received into a Scottish household."
The journey passed without incident, until they were within a few
miles of Warsaw, when Charlie, after formally thanking Baron
Seckers for the protection his escort had afforded him, fell behind
with his servant. Several parties of armed men had been met with,
but they knew better than to interfere with the little body of
Swedish cavalry; while, in the towns through which they passed, the
baron was respectfully received as the envoy of the dreaded King of
Sweden.
"Is there another gate to the city, on this side of the town,
beside that by which the Swedes will enter? If so, it would be as
well to use it, so that there should seem to be no connection
between us and them," said Charlie.
There was another gate, and by this they rode into Warsaw, at that
time a city of far greater importance than it is at present. The
gate was unguarded, and they passed through without question. The
citizens were talking excitedly in groups, evidently discussing the
question of the arrival of the Swedish envoy, and the chances of
peace; and no attention was paid to the travellers, whose
appearance denoted them to be persons of no importance.
Richly-attired nobles, in costumes of almost oriental magnificence,
galloped through the streets on splendid horses, scattering the
groups of citizens, and paying no attention whatever to the angry
murmurs that followed them.
Charlie stopped at a small inn, and there the horses were put up.
Stanislas made inquiries for the shop of Allan Ramsay, mentioning
that his employer was a relation of the Scottish merchant, and had
come out to be with him, until he had learned the language.
"The Scots know their business," the landlord grumbled. "They and
the French and the Jews, together, have their hand in everyone's
pocket. They buy the cattle and grain of the peasants, for what
they choose to give for them, and send them out of the country,
getting all the profits of the transaction; while, as to the
nobles, there is scarce one who is not deep in their books."
"Still, you could not do without them," Stanislas said. "There must
be somebody to buy and to sell, and as the nobles won't do it, and
the peasants can't, I don't see that the foreigners are to be
blamed for coming in and taking the trade."
"That is true enough," the landlord admitted reluctantly. "Still,
there is no doubt the country is kept poor, while, between them,
these men gather up the harvest."
"Better that than let it rot upon the ground," Stanislas said
unconcernedly; and then, having obtained the name of the street
where several of the Scottish traders had places of business, he
and Charlie started on foot. They were not long in finding the shop
with the sign of the merchant swinging over the door.
"You had better wait outside, Stanislas, while I go in and see the
master. No; if he is not in the shop, his men will not understand
me, so come in with me till you see that I have met him, and then
go back to the inn for the night. Whether I join you there will
depend upon the warmth of my welcome."
Two or three young Poles were in the shop. Stanislas asked them for
Allan Ramsay, and they replied that he was taking his evening meal
upstairs, whereupon Charlie produced the letter from Colonel
Jamieson, and Stanislas requested one of them to take it up to the
merchant. Three minutes later the inner door opened, and a tall man
with a ruddy face and blue eyes entered, holding the open letter in
his hand. Charlie took a step forward to meet him.
"So you are Sandy Anderson," he said heartily, with a merry twinkle
in his eye, "my connection, it seems, and the friend of my dear
classmate Jamieson? Come upstairs. Who is this Scotch-looking lad
with you?"
"He is my servant and interpreter. His grandfather was a Swede, and
to him he owes his fair hair and complexion. He is a Lithuanian. He
is to be trusted, I hope, thoroughly. He was sent with me by--"
"Never mind names," the Scotchman said hastily. "We will talk about
him afterwards. Now come upstairs. Your letter has thrown me quite
into a flutter.
"Never say anything in English before those Poles," he said, as he
left the shop; "the fellows pick up languages as easily as I can
drink whisky, when I get the chance. One of them has been with me
two years, and it is quite likely he understands, at any rate,
something of what is said.
"Here we are."
He opened a door, and ushered Charlie into a large room,
comfortably furnished. His wife, a boy eight years of age, and a
girl a year older, were seated at the table.
"Janet," the merchant said, "this is Captain Carstairs, alias Sandy
Anderson, a connection of ours, though I cannot say, for certain,
of what degree."
"What are you talking of, Allan?" she asked in surprise; for her
husband, after opening and partly reading the letter, had jumped up
and run off without saying a word.
"What I say, wife. This gentleman is, for the present, Sandy
Anderson, who has come out to learn the business and language, with
the intent of some day entering into partnership with me; also,
which is more to the point, he is a friend of my good friend Jock
Jamieson, whom you remember well in the old days."
"I am very glad, indeed, to see any friend of Jock Jamieson," Janet
Ramsay said warmly, holding out her hand to Charlie, "though I do
not in the least understand what my husband is talking about, or
what your name really is."
"My name is Carstairs, madam. I am a captain in the Swedish
service, and am here on a mission for King Charles. Colonel
Jamieson, for he is now colonel of the regiment to which I
belong--"
"What!" the merchant exclaimed. "Do you mean to say that our Jock
Jamieson is a colonel? Well, well, who would have thought he would
have climbed the tree so quickly?"
"It is a regiment entirely of Scotch and Englishmen," Charlie said;
"and he was promoted, to take its command, only a short time
since."
"Well, please to sit down and join us," Mrs. Ramsay said. "It is
bad manners, indeed, to keep you talking while the meat is getting
cold on the table. When you have finished, it will be time enough
to question you."
While the meal was going on, however, many questions were asked as
to Colonel Jamieson, the regiment, and its officers.
"As soon as matters are more settled," the merchant said, "I will
give myself a holiday, and Janet and I will go and spend a few days
with Jock. Many of the names of the officers are well known to me,
and two or three of the captains were at Glasgow College with Jock
and myself. It will be like old times, to have four or five of us
talking over the wild doings we had together."
The supper over, the children were sent off to bed. Allan Ramsay
lit a long pipe. A bottle of wine and two glasses were placed on
the table, and Mrs. Ramsay withdrew, to see after domestic matters,
and prepare a room for Charlie.
"Now, lad, tell me all about it," Allan Ramsay said. "Jock tells me
you are here on a mission, which he would leave it to yourself to
explain; but it is no business of mine, and, if you would rather
keep it to yourself, I will ask no questions."
"There is no secret about it, as far as you are concerned, Mr.
Ramsay, for it is to you and to other merchants here that I have
come to talk it over;" and he then went fully into the subject.
The Scotchman sat, smoking his pipe in silence, for some minutes
after he had concluded.
"We do not much meddle with politics here. We have neither voice
nor part in the making of kings or of laws, and, beyond that we
like to have a peace-loving king, it matters little to us whom the
diet may set up over us. If we were once to put the tips of our
fingers into Polish affairs, we might give up all thought of trade.
They are forever intriguing and plotting, except when they are
fighting; and it would be weary work to keep touch with it all,
much less to take part in it. It is our business to buy and to
sell, and so that both parties come to us, it matters little; one's
money is as good as the other. If I had one set of creditors deeper
in my books than another, I might wish their party to gain the day,
for it would, maybe, set them up in funds, and I might get my
money; but, as it is, it matters little. There is not a customer I
have but is in my debt. Money is always scarce with them; for they
are reckless and extravagant, keeping a horde of idle loons about
them, spending as much money on their own attire and that of their
wives as would keep a whole Scotch clan in victuals. But, if they
cannot pay in money, they can pay in corn or in cattle, in wine or
in hides.
"I do not know which they are fondest of--plotting, or fighting, or
feasting; and yet, reckless as they are, they are people to like.
If they do sell their votes for money, it is not a Scotchman that
should throw it in their teeth; for there is scarce a Scotch noble,
since the days of Bruce, who has not been ready to sell himself for
English gold. Our own Highlanders are as fond of fighting as the
Poles, and their chiefs are as profuse in hospitality, and as
reckless and spendthrift.
"But the Poles have their virtues. They love their country, and are
ready to die for her. They are courteous, and even chivalrous, they
are hospitable to an excess, they are good husbands and kindly
masters, they are recklessly brave; and, if they are unduly fond of
finery, I, who supply so many of them, should be the last to find
fault with them on that score. They are proud, and look down upon
us traders, but that does not hurt us; and, if they were to take to
trading themselves, there would be no place for us here. But this
has nothing to do with our present purpose.
"Certainly, if it was a question of Polish affairs, neither the
foreign nor the Jewish merchants here would move a finger one way
or the other. We have everything to lose, and nothing to gain.
Suppose we took sides with one of the parties, and the other got
the upper hand. Why, they might make ordinances hampering us in
every way, laying heavy taxes on us, forbidding the export of
cattle or horses, and making our lives burdensome. True, if they
drove us out they would soon have to repeal the law, for all trade
would be at an end. But that would be too late for many of us.
"However, I do not say that, at the present time, many would not be
disposed to do what they could against Augustus of Saxony. We are
accustomed to civil wars; and, though these may cause misery and
ruin, in the districts where they take place, they do not touch us
here in the capital. But this is a different affair. Augustus has,
without reason or provocation, brought down your fiery King of
Sweden upon us; and, if he continues on the throne, we may hear the
Swedish cannon thundering outside our walls, and may have the city
taken and sacked. Therefore, for once, politics become our natural
business.
"But, though you may find many well wishers, I doubt if you can
obtain any substantial aid. With Saxon troops in the town, and the
nobles divided, there is no hope of a successful rising in Warsaw."
"The king did not think of that," Charlie said. "His opinion was,
that were it evident that the citizens of Warsaw were strongly
opposed to Augustus of Saxony, it would have a great moral effect,
and that, perhaps, they might influence some of the nobles who, as
you say, are deeply in their books, or upon whose estates they may
hold mortgages, to join the party against the king."
"They might do something that way," Allan Ramsay agreed. "Of
course, I have no money out on mortgages. I want badly enough all
the money I can lay hands on in my own business. Giving credit, as
we have to, and often very long credit, it requires a large capital
to carry on trade. But the Jews, who no doubt do hold large
mortgages on the land, cannot exert much power. They cannot hold
land themselves, and, were one of them to venture to sell the
property of any noble of influence, he would be ruined. The whole
class would shrink from him, and, like enough, there would be a
tumult got up, his house would be burned over his head, and he and
his family murdered.
"Still, as far as popular opinion goes, something might be done. At
any rate, I will get some of my friends here tomorrow, and
introduce you to them and talk it over. But we must be careful, for
Augustus has a strong party here, and, were it suspected that you
are a Swedish officer, it would go very hard with you.
"Tomorrow you must fetch your servant here. I have already sent
round to the inn, and you will find your valises in your room. You
said you could rely thoroughly upon him?"
"Yes, he was handed over to me by Count Piper himself; and
moreover, from what I have seen of him, I am myself confident that
he can be trusted. He is of Swedish descent, and is, I think, a
very honest fellow."
For a fortnight, Charlie remained at Allan Ramsay's, and then, in
spite of the pressing entreaties of his host and hostess, took a
lodging near them. He had, by this time, seen a good many of the
leading traders of the town. The Scotch and Frenchmen had all
heartily agreed with his argument, that it was for the benefit of
Poland, and especially for that of Warsaw, that Augustus of Saxony
should be replaced by another king, who would be acceptable to
Charles of Sweden; but all were of opinion that but little could be
done, by them, towards bringing about this result.
With the Jewish traders his success was less decided. They admitted
that it would be a great misfortune, were Warsaw taken by the
Swedes, but, as Poles, they retained their confidence in the
national army, and were altogether sceptical that a few thousand
Swedes could withstand the host that could be put in the field
against them.
Several of them pointedly asked what interest they had in the
matter, and, to some of these, Charlie was obliged to use his power
of promising sums of money, in case of success.
There were one or two, however, of whom he felt doubtful. Chief
among these was Ben Soloman Muller, a man of great influence in the
Jewish community. This man had placed so large a value upon his
services, that Charlie did not feel justified in promising him such
a sum. He did not like the man's face, and did not rely upon the
promises of silence he had given, before the mission was revealed
to him. It was for this reason, principally, that he determined to
go into lodgings. Should he be denounced, serious trouble might
fall upon Allan Ramsay, and it would at least minimize this risk,
were he not living at his house when he was arrested. Ramsay
himself was disposed to make light of the danger.
"I believe myself that Ben Soloman is an old rogue, but he is not a
fool. He cannot help seeing that the position of the king is
precarious, and, were he to cause your arrest, he might get little
thanks and no profit, while he would be incurring the risk of the
vengeance of Charles, should he ever become master of the town. Did
he have you arrested, he himself would be forced to appear as a
witness against you, and this he could hardly do without the matter
becoming publicly known.
"I do not say, however, that, if he could curry favour with the
king's party by doing you harm, without appearing in the matter, he
would hesitate for a moment.
"Even if you were arrested here, I doubt whether any great harm
would befall me, for all the Scotch merchants would make common
cause with me, and, although we have no political power, we have a
good deal of influence one way or another, and Augustus, at this
time, would not care to make fresh enemies. However, lad, I will
not further dispute your decision. Were I quite alone, I would not
let you leave me, so long as you stop in this city, without taking
great offence; but, with a wife and two children, a man is more
timid than if he had but himself to think of."
Charlie therefore moved into the lodging, but every day he went for
three or four hours to the shop, where he kept up his assumed
character by aiding to keep the ledgers, and in learning from the
Polish assistants the value of the various goods in the shop.
One evening, he was returning after supper to his lodging, when
Stanislas met him.
"I observed three or four evil-looking rascals casting glances at
the house today, and there are several rough-looking fellows
hanging about the house this evening. I do not know if it means
anything, but I thought I would let you know."
"I think it must be only your fancy, Stanislas. I might be arrested
by the troops, were I denounced, but I apprehend no danger from men
of the class you speak of. However, if we should be interfered
with, I fancy we could deal with several rascals of that sort."
At the corner of his street, three or four men were standing. One
of them moved, as he passed, and pushed rudely against him, sending
his hat into the gutter. Then, as his face was exposed, the fellow
exclaimed:
"It is he, death to the Swedish spy!"
They were the last words he uttered. Charlie's sword flew from its
scabbard, and, with a rapid pass, he ran the man through the body.
The others drew instantly, and fell upon Charlie with fury, keeping
up the shout of, "Death to the Swedish spy!" It was evidently a
signal--for men darted out of doorways, and came running down the
street, repeating the cry.
"Go, Stanislas!" Charlie shouted, as he defended himself against a
dozen assailants. "Tell Ramsay what has happened; you can do no
good here."
A moment later, he received a tremendous blow on the back of the
head, from an iron-bound cudgel, and fell senseless to the ground.