The next morning, as Zaklika was drinking warmed beer in the common
room, there entered, with a great noise, three soldiers from the guard
of the castle.
Zaklika immediately recognized them as soldiers whom he had seen in
Dresden, and one of them began to look at him attentively.
"Well," said the soldier, leaning on the table, "I seem to know you."
"To be sure," answered Zaklika, "for I was a long time in service at
the Court, till I took to business."
"Ah! you are the man who breaks horse-shoes!" exclaimed the soldier.
"Yes, I could even stop an ox by taking it by the horns; but now I
don't know whether I could do the same even with a sheep."
The soldier saluted him smiling. Zaklika called for beer for him, and
they became friends.
"We are now doing penance," said the soldier. "We are in Nossen
watching a petticoat! It is frightfully dull there."
"They might at least have given a few pretty girls to the Countess,"
said another soldier.
"How long are you going to stay here?"
"Who knows? And it is so dreadful to have nothing to do."
"Why don't you play cards?" said Zaklika.
"With whom? And then we don't have much money."
He gaped, and drank the beer.
When they started to return to the castle, Zaklika accompanied them to
the gate, then, still talking, he entered the courtyard and the
corridor.
The other soldiers were not surprised at the newcomer; on the contrary,
they were glad he came. They began to chat together. They found cards,
and won from him two thalers. This pleased them very much. As he was
going, he expressed a wish to see the castle, and nobody objected to
it. The officer was in the town, playing the guitar to a butcher's
daughter.
He was not able, however, to do anything more that day.
Zaklika stayed on, pretending that he was not well, purchased skins,
and looked about for a way of stealing into the castle. They did not
suspect him, but the difficulties were great from the position of the
castle. The part of the castle in which the Countess was imprisoned
adjoined the empty portion of it. There the old steward and his family
were living. Through the soldiers, Zaklika became acquainted with him.
He was avaricious, and had a large family. Treating him with beer,
Zaklika learned from him which way the windows of the Countess's rooms
looked out, and also that the iron door of the tower, of which the
steward had the key, led to a large empty hall. Zaklika told him he was
very fond of old buildings; but to this the steward made no answer.
Another day they were talking about the Countess, and Zaklika tried to
arouse pity for her in the steward. They looked at one another--the
steward was silent again.
"The Countess," said Zaklika, "has still many friends at Court, and
some of them think that she will return to the King's favour. I would
not be surprised if some of them appeared here one day and offered you
a handsome sum of money for a moment's conversation with her."
The steward muttered something.
"What would you do in that case?" asked Zaklika.
"It would be a devilish temptation," answered the steward. "I would do
as Luther did, I would throw the inkstand at the devil!"
But he smiled.
"Suppose someone should offer you thirty thalers?" asked Zaklika.
"For thirty thalers they would hang me," laughed the steward.
"But it is not a crime to let the Countess talk for a few minutes with
a friend. However," continued Zaklika, "we are talking just in fun; but
I am sure just the same that someone would give you even fifty
thalers."
The steward looked at him with wide-open eyes and stroked his beard.
The thought of getting fifty thalers intoxicated him.
"If you know someone who would give me fifty thalers, then tell him to
come and see me," answered the German.
"Here he is," answered Zaklika.
"I thought so."
"Conduct me to the empty hall when the women are not with the Countess;
I shall not be long with her."
"Were it not for the women everything could be done very easily.
Unfortunately, they are with the Countess by turns."
"Tell your wife to invite them."
"No, a woman should not know about anything."
"Yes," said Zaklika; "but she can invite them without knowing why."
The consultation lasted quite a while, and they agreed that at the next
opportunity the steward should let Zaklika see the Countess.
One day, as she was in her chamber, she heard a knocking at the iron
door of the tower. With throbbing heart she rushed there and knocked at
it too. At that moment the door opened and Zaklika appeared.
"I have only time to tell you that I am in the vicinity, and that I
will do anything to come to your rescue."
"Help me to escape!" said Cosel.
"It is impossible just now," said Zaklika; "at least it requires a
great deal of time. You must rely upon me--I will do my best. Drop a
cord from the window in the tower, and I will attach a paper with the
news to it, for it will be impossible for us to see one another."
The steward began to grow impatient. Zaklika slipped into the
Countess's hand a bag of money, and whispered,--
"You must bribe one of the servants. I am at the inn called 'The Golden
Horse Shoe.'"
The door was shut, for the women might come at any moment, but the
Countess grew hopeful.
Zaklika, that poor servant, on whom she hardly deigned to look from the
height of her majesty, had not betrayed her.
The steward took the fifty thalers with unconcealed joy. He was glad of
the opportunity of making some money, and from that time it was he that
ran after Zaklika, who had already conceived a plan to free the
Countess.
The next day the steward showed him the castle, and during this visit
Zaklika noticed that there was a door in the wall near the road; it was
encumbered with stones, but they could easily be cleared out.
But it was not enough to leave the castle, it was necessary to have the
means of gaining the frontier and finding a hiding-place that could not
be easily discovered by Augustus' spies. Zaklika thought that if he
could cross Silesia and reach Poland, they could hide there, for he
knew that the Saxon, as they called Augustus in Poland, had many
enemies.
To purchase horses and hire people for the flight was a difficult task
in Saxony, where the King had many spies.
The next day Zaklika attached a paper to a string, telling the Countess
that he was going away to make preparations for her escape. Before
going away, he had a conversation with the steward, hinting to him that
there might come an opportunity for him to earn not fifty, but a
thousand thalers.
"With a thousand thalers you could go quietly into the Rhine provinces
and live there with your family in your own house."
The old man did not say a word, only nodded.
Having drunk lots of beer with the soldiers in saying farewell, he told
them he would come back for the skins, and that he was going to
Dresden.
After his departure, Cosel was in a fever, waiting for news. Every day
she rushed to the window and drew up the string. She did not think of
difficulties; it seemed to her that the man ought to free her
immediately when she had told him to do so. In the meantime, she
decided to bribe one of the servants.
Both of them were gloomy and unfriendly, but the younger was more
accessible. She would talk a few words at least with her every day.
Cosel was in the habit of treating every one in a queenly manner and
assuring them of her favour. She was always majestic, thinking that she
was the King's wife. But little by little she assumed a more gentle
manner with the young servant Madeleine. She could not, however, make
her friendly till she began to complain of the older one. The money
acted still better, but a month passed before she could count upon her.
Zaklika had not returned. He could not act quickly, for this reason,
that he was known in Dresden, and the purchase by him of a carriage and
horses would arouse suspicion. Therefore a great amount of cunning was
necessary to purchase what he needed without attracting attention.
Through the Wend he made some acquaintances in Budzishyne, and there he
worked out his plans.
It took a good deal of time, however, and the autumn passed by and
winter came, and it was the worst time of the year for flight. Zaklika
went to Nossen in order to ask Cosel to be patient until the spring.
The steward was paid to open the door, at which Madeleine kept watch,
and they were able to talk freely and come to an agreement that they
would try to fly in the spring. There was no doubt that the steward,
tempted by the money, would give in.
The winter was long, and such kind of enterprises, when they drag, are
apt to furnish a chance for repentance on the part of those who help to
accomplish them. The steward, being tipsy on one occasion, said
something about it to his wife; the rest she got out of him. The shrewd
woman thought that when one betrays it is better to betray everybody,
and take all possible benefit out of it. According to her opinion they
should agree to take the money from Zaklika, and then communicate the
plan to the authorities in order not to lose their position, and thus
not be obliged to fly into another country.
The steward smiled at the shrewd idea of his cunning wife. They awaited
the spring.
The Countess was so sure of Madeleine that she told her all about it,
and asked her to go with her. The woman became frightened at the idea.
She wrestled with herself. Under the pretext of seeing her family, she
asked permission to go to Dresden. She had a sister in the service of
Countess Denhoff--she went to see her. The women consulted each other
and agreed that it would be best to tell the Countess's mother of the
plans of Cosel, for which act they were sure to be well rewarded.
The fear of the women may be imagined when they learned that Cosel
could escape. Loewendahl was called up at once. The first step was to
arrest both women. The same day a double guard of soldiers went to
Nossen to replace those that were there. They doubled the sentries,
arrested the steward, and led him in chains to Dresden.
During the night sentries were placed under the windows. In the morning
Cosel found in the anteroom an unknown officer, who, accompanied by an
official, searched all her things and inspected the doors and locks.
She was angry, but did not dare to ask any questions, being afraid that
Zaklika might be detected and arrested. Happily nobody here knew him by
his name, for he had taken precautions to assume another.
They found no proofs of the proposed escape, for she had destroyed the
paper written by Zaklika; but from that time life in Nossen became
unbearable. New servants were sent, who treated the Countess with great
severity. She defended herself only with pride and silence.
When the official had left the room, the young officer, having a more
tender heart than the others, said to her,--
"I am sure the Countess does not remember a lad whom she has seen many
times as the King's page. I am here on a sad duty, and I came here only
to spare you some suffering if I can. You must try not to make your
position worse."
Cosel looked at him proudly.
"If you wish to prove to me your sympathy," she said, "tell me then
what they have discovered and how."
"I do not know the details," said the officer. "The orders were given
by Marshal Loewendahl. They have changed the garrison and the servants;
the steward of the castle is arrested."
"And who besides?"
"Nobody else, besides the servants, I believe," answered the officer.
"I will come to see you every day. I shall be very severe in the
presence of the servants, but I will do anything to please you."
He saluted and went off.
A few days passed by in fear and uncertainty. Zaklika, having learned
in Dresden that the plan of escape was discovered, kept quiet, waiting
to see if they would try to arrest him. He understood that he could not
show himself near Nossen, and in the meantime he felt it would relieve
the Countess if she knew he was still free and that she could count on
him.
In consequence he dressed as a beggar and stole at nights to the
castle. During the day, lying in the thickets, he noticed that the
string was not at the window, and that a sentry was beneath it.
Communication with the Countess was therefore very difficult, and he
racked his brains how he could do it. Wandering through the country,
notwithstanding the snow and cold, he met a pedlar named Trene selling
various wares for Christmas. He had a small van which he used to draw
to an inn, to which the women came to make their purchases, while to
the houses of the richer people he carried the goods himself.
Zaklika had known this pedlar in Dresden. He stopped him and reminded
him that he used to make purchases from him at the Wend's house.
"In Nossen," said Zaklika, "you can do good business, for in the castle
the Countess Cosel is imprisoned. I am sure she will purchase some
presents for the servants."
The pedlar's eyes sparkled.
"Thank you for the advice," said he. "I never should have thought of
it."
"When you are there," said Zaklika, "remember me to her, for I was in
her service formerly."
"What shall I tell her?" asked the pedlar.
"Tell her that her servant who used to break horseshoes is free, and
wanders throughout God's world. Where are you going from Nossen?" asked
Zaklika.
"I think home, for Christmas is not far off, and I would like to spend
it with my family."
"Then perhaps we shall meet on the road."
The pedlar, like all sellers when it is a question of gain, knew how to
act. When he came to the town he went straight to the castle. The
soldiers wanted to drive him away; but he raised such a din that the
officer came out. He was more indulgent, and sent to the Countess,
asking her whether she would admit a pedlar. For distraction's sake
Cosel consented.
The modest wares of the poor pedlar did not satisfy her refined taste,
and she was looking contemptuously at them, when Herr Trene whispered
to her,--
"I was asked to tell you that your faithful servant, the
horseshoe-breaker, is in good health, and wanders free through God's
world."
"Who told you this?" asked Cosel.
"He himself," answered Trene. "I met him in the neighbourhood."
When the Countess had heard those words she purchased a lot from him,
and the pedlar was surprised at his good luck. He left the castle
happy. He also did good business in the inn, and was obliged to stay
overnight. The next day he met Zaklika on the road to Dresden. He
greeted him cordially.
"Did you tell her about me?" asked the Pole.
"Yes," answered Trene, "and evidently the Countess was pleased. I did
good business. I thank you."
In the meantime the prisoners were questioned in Dresden. The steward
was intelligent enough not to avow anything whatever, and they released
him; but he lost his position. The women were released too, but not
rewarded.
The King ordered that Cosel should be watched carefully. He knew her
too well, and was aware that she could be dangerous. When he learned of
the plan for escape, he ordered Stolpen Castle to be prepared for her.
It was a stronghold, built on basalt rock; the same which Cosel had
once visited with the King, and it was while riding there that she met
the Slav woman, Mlawa, who foretold her future.
At once orders were sent to Stolpen to furnish the St. John's tower, in
which the Bishop of Meissen used to imprison refractory priests.
Augustus was offended and angry. The unconquered will of a woman mocked
his might; a woman dared to ask him to keep his promise, and accuse him
of breach of faith. It was unpardonable daring; and whoever drew the
lord's anger upon himself, for him there was no mercy.
Two days before Christmas there was a great stir in Nossen Castle.
There was sent from Dresden another detachment of soldiers and a
carriage, with the King's order to transport Cosel to Stolpen.
The surprised officer did not dare to enter the Countess's room with
the new order, which announced to her a still harder lot.
Cosel, hearing an unaccustomed noise, rushed to the door. She still
hoped at times that Augustus, whom she had not ceased to love, would
have pity on her, and she thought that as a Christmas present he had
granted her freedom. She stood trembling when an official entered and
bowed to her profoundly. The apparition of the scribbler was the worse
message for her. He was holding a paper in one hand, spectacles in the
other; he was trembling too.
"What do you wish?" asked Cosel.
"I have brought an order signed by His Majesty the King, who has kindly
designated Countess Cosel Stolpen Castle as her place of abode."
The Countess rushed screaming towards the wall as though she would tear
it down. The servants tried to hold her, but she pushed them away
vigorously with cries and moans. The official stood by as if turned to
stone.
They were obliged to conduct her by force to the carriage, in which she
was taken to Stolpen, and lodged in St. John's and Donat's towers, on
the 25th of December, 1716.