JACOB IN FLIGHT.
Warsaw presented a strange sight. From all its doors the population
hurried toward the forests. The combat had been precipitated, and they
rushed eagerly to death.
The Russians paid no attention to this exodus. They did not wish to
oppose it.
At the Chateau de Bruehl they repeated the saying: "When the abscess is
ripe it must surely burst!" The cold-blooded authorities did not say
that this abscess was the result of a purulent malady, engendered by
unbridled oppression. They cared neither for the suffering which it
produced in ripening, nor for the blood which was lost in bursting.
In the interior of the capital everything seemed to be in a normal
condition. Only the initiated recognized in the streets the gladiators
vowed to death, for the fever in their souls was concealed by a
deceitful calm. From time to time, rumours were secretly circulated
that companies had been formed under the very nose of the Russian
troops, that Muscovite detachments had been beaten, that the insurgents
had taken such a village, that here and there the national flag had
been ostentatiously displayed and the revolutionary government
proclaimed.
Gromof alone persisted in declaring the revolutionary movement
premature, and sought to check the torrent. Vain efforts; the dikes
were broken, and the rallying word was "Liberty or death!"
Thoughtful men, however, foresaw the imminent explosion of Muscovite
vengeance. A barbarous and savage repression began, like that of 1794,
in the time of Kosciusko. Then some concealed themselves in the
thickets, while others fell into the hands of the police. Houses were
searched, and in some cases destroyed, during the hunt for insurgents.
Roofs were broken in and floors pulled up, and often, in default of
finding the guilty, the innocent were made to suffer in their stead.
The citadel was crowded with prisoners. Every day files of the
unfortunates, including nobles of high degree, left for Siberia, and
chains commenced to be lacking, so many were imprisoned.
And during these horrors the groves put forth joyously their green
leaves, the turf was carpeted with flowers, and the lark sang in the
clear azure heaven; but the doom of the destroyer was over all.
Russia prepared her saturnalias to celebrate a definite victory. By
hundreds of thousands the soldiers tracked the insurgents, who were
scattered in bands without camps, without money, without arms or
powder. Yet victory was delayed for a whole year.
One might attribute the rage of the Russian government to the
humiliation of the army, if the slowness of the man[oe]uvres had not,
as we have already said, been premeditated. The Russians wished to
crush Poland, but they wished it to appear as if the revolution had
been entirely a surprise. Since 1863 her vengeance had increased in
ferocity, redoubled under a thousand pretexts. Her cruelty had now
become systematic. And the civilized world assisted at this frightful
execution by looking on with cold indifference at such sufferings.
Jacob saw in his imagination the dark future of Poland,--a future
become a perpetual present. He was almost desperate at his impotency to
stay the impending disaster. To despair, succeeded apathy. What good
was life, thought he, without high aim. And, alas, all the ways towards
this end were closed to him! He tried vainly to become absorbed in
reading, but his brain seemed congealed. A heavy slumber like a
lethargy overtook him. When he opened his eyes the lamp was out, and
the morning light filled the room. He opened the windows. The sky was
sad and sombre, like his soul. In the silence of the new-born day he
heard steps on his staircase; some one knocked at his door. He opened
the door, and a man quickly entered. A long cloak covered him
completely, and his hat was drawn over his eyes. It was Kruder.
"You know all, do you not? Then you are all ready?" cried he.
"All--what?"
"There's not a minute to lose. It is four o'clock. You have an hour and
a half, or two hours at the most, before you."
"What is it, then?" asked Jacob.
"There is no use beating about the bush with a man like you. In two
hours they are coming to arrest you."
"Why?"
"One never knows why in these times. I bring you a passport. I procured
it yesterday, before the authorities at the chateau had warned the
police against passports. Come, do not tarry!"
"Where shall I go?"
"Where you will."
"Would it not be possible for me to wait, and prove myself innocent?"
"You jest! They would answer you by sending you to the extreme borders
of the Russian empire. They are doing it every day."
"Be it so! They would send me back."
"And you would submit to Russian brutality when you can avoid it?"
"To leave my country at such a supreme moment would be to compromise my
Israelite acquaintances, which Mann has recently reproached me for. I
would be accused also of cowardly motives, of excessive prudence, of
calculating egotism, and my flight would justify the accusation."
"The moments are precious. Keep yourself for better times. Captivity
would ruin you, and unfit you for the future. The insurrection is
strengthening. No one can foresee the result. European diplomacy may
interfere. It is true that the uprising is premature, but it is
possible that this time they may obtain some concessions. You can be
useful to us. Keep your intelligence, your relations, and your fortune
for Poland."
"Intelligence falsified by mysticism. Every one says 'relations,' but
with whom? My ideas are always in contradiction with those around me;
there remains to me only a fortune. Alone, whom can I serve?"
"Come on! This is no time for pessimism. You must decide."
"My resolution is taken. I will go and make my farewells to my mother,
and leave her in charge of the house. I will go far away, and there
reflect as to what is the best course to pursue. I can give myself up
to the gendarmes at any time, but not just yet. I will accompany you.
Do you know of a safe place for a few hours?"
"Yes. Come with me."
Jacob lost no time in changing his clothes and ran to embrace his
mother. He filled his pocket-book with bank-notes, and a quarter of an
hour later was in the streets with Kruder. By many devious ways they
arrived at the poorer quarter of the town. The fugitive had for a
moment entertained the idea of seeking the hospitality of Segel, of
Bartold, or of his guardian, but after reflection he feared to
compromise them.
"We are going to the 'Kafarnaum,'" said Kruder smiling.
"The Kafarnaum? What is that?"
"A sobriquet of my own invention to designate the place where the
revolutionists meet."
"You belong to them, then?"
"I belong to everybody and to nobody," answered he. "I enter, I listen.
I give my advice and I engage in arguments, and I wait. With me you
will be welcomed at the Kafarnaum."
"Is it a safe asylum?"
"Excellent, no one suspects, and therefore it has nothing to fear from
the police. It is in the house of the _commissaire_ of the ward."
"Let us go there, then."
Kruder turned into an alley. It was growing light, but the city was
still quiet and deserted, and the only people abroad were the milkmen
and the hucksters. They stopped before a house. At the entrance were
some gendarmes, police, and individuals in citizens' dress. By a
staircase which opened on the court they ascended to the second story.
The house was new, and the apartment at the door of which they stopped
had a fine external appearance. A servant who was half asleep let them
in, and without question indicated a second door. This led them to a
spacious _salon_. Two men were writing at a large table by the light of
a lamp. The couches and easy-chairs were occupied by young men, whose
fatigued air bore witness that they had passed a sleepless night.
Kruder whispered some words into the ears of the two men at the table.
These persons, whose faces were somewhat familiar to Jacob, offered him
their hands.
"Here," said they, "no one can come to seek you. As we have no secrets
from honest men, we will continue our work before you. We conspire even
in the open air, in the public streets, and as yet we have not fallen
under suspicion. Be seated, take part in our deliberations, give us
your advice,--we ask it. Today it is necessary to combine all our
forces to arm, to rouse enthusiasm and practise strategy. Do not be
disturbed, monsieur; do as you would in your own house."
Kruder, whose custom was to take no sides, went from one to another,
read the order of the day over the secretary's shoulder, listened to
short dialogues between different persons, and then hastened to some
other meeting.
Jacob, left there by his friend, assisted at a strange, and to him
novel, spectacle. Every instant the door opened; it was a continual
going and coming of individuals of all ages and of all ranks of
society. Among them were women, children, Jews, and ecclesiastics. Some
brought good or bad news, messages and money, while others came to
receive orders or to bring letters, and in this crowd appeared some in
uniforms which bore the insignia of high rank in the army. They showed
by their faces and bearing traces of a long and fatiguing military
career. The breasts of many were covered with decorations gained in the
Caucasus or in the Taschkend. In contrast with these officers were
workmen, artisans, idlers, and vagabonds. The movement was incessant,
and the crowd was continually changing.
A youth who had been wounded came to relate the particulars of the
combat, where he had received a bullet in his leg. He asked for a
surgeon to extract it, and seemed impatient to return to the seat of
war. His face was lighted up with heroism, and the fever of his
patriotism exceeded the fever of his wound.
A workman came in haste to announce that the police had made a raid on
a clandestine printing-house where he was employed, and from which he
had escaped through the roof. Immediate decision was taken to establish
another printing-office in another hiding-place.
The revolution displayed an immense activity which, notwithstanding,
was defective. Necessary funds were not forthcoming, in spite of the
threats and prayers employed to procure them. Every moment there
arrived from the insurgents scattered in the forests complaints of lack
of arms, powder, ambulances, medicines, and surgeons. There were
rumours that this or that emissary had fallen into the hands of the
Russians, or that a knavish contractor, who had been paid in advance,
had delivered a cargo of guns which proved to be utterly useless, the
refuse of the Austrian arsenals. These difficulties did not daunt the
committee, for it was composed of men of unheard-of audacity and
bravery, who had already accomplished miracles with their scanty
resources. Russian surveillance was relaxed, and this fact, which
should have made the revolutionists suspicious, encouraged their
efforts. Their confidence increased daily. From all the Polish
provinces, and even from the districts incorporated with the Russian
empire in 1772, came assurances of warmest sympathy, but each
accompanied by an urgent prayer to delay the uprising. It was too late.
The duchy of Posen, annexed to Prussia, and Galicia, with the city of
Cracow, which was subservient to Austria, viewed the situation with the
deepest interest, but did not revolt for fear of drawing down on Poland
two more adversaries. These remnants of the old republic sent
volunteers and money, and at the same time procured some arms from
Austria, not always openly, though the government at Vienna closed its
eyes and let them pass.
Gromof had the right of entrance to the Kafarnaum. Here he continued to
oppose the insurrection, and excited general ridicule.
"Instead of blaming our enthusiasm," replied they, "do something for
us. Work the army. Work the dissenters from the orthodox church."
"Alas!" replied Gromof, "that is what we are doing. But our people do
not respond to the first appeal. We have yet to instruct them and teach
them their rights."
"And you desire us to remain inactive and wait for these babes to grow
up? Oh, no! You cannot expect that any more than for us to return to
the Greek calendar."
"But you are going to your own destruction. You are on the brink of an
abyss."
"An abyss! To hell! rather than your yoke," cried an impetuous youth.
This argument was interrupted by a woman who came to tell that her son
had been sent to the citadel, and that she had succeeded in saving some
very compromising papers that he carried on his person. After the woman
came a youth almost a child. He told how he had fled from the soldiers
who had seized him for the Russian service.
Amid this noisy crowd came and went women chatting tranquilly, carrying
important despatches hidden in their stockings or their corsets, and
messengers waited while cobblers drew the nails from the heels of their
boots where messages had been inserted.
Jacob saw before him an admirable tableau of devotion. To him the
spectacle was most pitiful, for he was convinced that all these efforts
could only result in a final catastrophe. Kruder returned. He informed
his friend that one hour after their departure the police had invaded
his dwelling, searched his papers, demolished stoves, had even taken up
part of the floor, and carried away as sole trophy a pocket pistol, a
prohibited weapon. The house was placed under strict supervision, and
the search for Jacob was now going on in the streets.
There remained to him the choice between flight or prison; but whither
should he fly? He thought of some obscure streets where the poor Jews
lived. He had among them many friends whom he had aided in their
distress. He had often penetrated into these houses of misery with the
idea of devoting himself some day to their total extinction. With this
end in view he had organized a Jewish school, for in his opinion
popular instruction was the basis of moral reform and material
improvement.
One man in particular in this quarter he knew well. A certain Rebe
Schmul, a petty merchant who had been on the verge of bankruptcy when
Jacob had set him once more on his feet. His back loaded with old
clothes, he walked in the cold or the heat crying in the streets,
"_Hendel! Hendel!_" ("Old clothes! old clothes!") Nothing escaped his
glance or his hearing. He heard the calls from the garrets, and
introduced himself into the courts at the risk of being harshly
treated. It was a laborious business, and often scarcely sufficed to
sustain existence. At the most it permitted him to buy a little fish
and a morsel of white bread for the Sabbath.
Rebe Schmul and his wife were growing old; they had five daughters, two
of whom were married, while three remained at home. In all, five mouths
to feed. To do this it was necessary that each day, in all seasons, the
pedler should tramp from early morning until nightfall. He must also be
careful not to make a bad bargain in buying old clothes, which often
appeared so well that a hole would pass unperceived. There lies the
danger of the business, and Schmul, although experienced, had been
taken in more than once. Tall and thin, he did not look his age, for,
as he said, he had no time to think of it. In this business, which he
had followed for more than thirty years, he had become a keen observer
of men; and from this study was born in his soul not contempt, but
compassion, for his fellow-creatures. Although he was very poor, he
often found some one more unfortunate, who drew from him the last sou
in his pocket in charity. Besides this sensibility, he was
distinguished by a jovial humour. His natural gayety served him well in
trading. A smile always attracts, and he by his bright ways encouraged
men who were obliged to sell their best garments, and softened the
bitterness of the sacrifice. Schmul always had a joke to tell, and a
smile on his lips, when he left home in the early morning or when he
returned weary and footsore at night. He treated his sick wife with
pleasantry; by pleasantry he consoled his daughters in their chagrins;
and lastly he fortified himself thereby, when he felt that a sigh was
likely to escape his breast.
No one celebrated with more enjoyment the feast of the Sabbath than did
Schmul, in his narrow and crowded lodging, by the light of a tallow
candle. His business did not prosper, although he worked so hard. This
was a disappointment to him, for he had dreamed of enlarging his stock
by the addition of blacking and matches; but circumstances had not as
yet permitted the realization of his hopes. Then he bought tickets in
the lottery, and each time hoped to gain the grand prize. In vain did
his wife beg him to renounce this delusion, and use the money in buying
the necessaries of life for his family. When she had scolded him well,
his only reply was that he must not shut his door against the good God.
Schmul lodged with his family on the third floor of a large house
inhabited by many other Jewish families, all equally poor. This
building, it is needless to say, did not shine with neatness. It was
constructed in a rectangle with a narrow front, and opened upon a
court. On each story a wooden gallery served for the workroom of the
household. Here they washed and dried the linen. Here they split the
wood, and cooked the food, and dressed the children. What did they not
do here? Old clothes of all kinds were stretched on ropes, and the
odours of the cooking, the steam from many wash-boilers, the waters
from which ran through the court, produced a perfume which the lodgers
endured from force of habit only. The inhabitants were like one family,
many of whom had been born and were destined to die in this receptacle
of misery.
Schmul occupied three dark rooms, where the air and the light came only
from the court. You can imagine what air and what light! Both had to
filter through the wet clothes and the rags which hung on the ropes
stretched from one gallery to another.
One of these rooms served for a parlour, and possessed a rickety sofa
and two old arm-chairs. The other apartment was the bedroom for the old
couple; the third, the chamber of the three girls. It was here that the
Schmul girls cleaned, patched, and mended the old clothes. A memorable
event happened here. The father loved to tell of it as a proof of the
protection of Providence.
Ten years before, the pedler's position was desperate. He had been so
unfortunate as to buy some clothes that proved to be stolen. He was
obliged to give back the goods, beside paying a large fine. To raise
the money for this he had appealed to several friends in vain. Seeing
no way out of his embarrassment, he had gone out and had succeeded in
selling an old cloak for a few florins. He had just returned home when
a soldier came and wished to sell him an old velvet waistcoat. He
refused to buy it; but the man insisted, and seizing him by the arm,
made such a noise that Schmul gave him a small sum for the garment. He
soon perceived that he had made a poor purchase, for it was nearly
worthless. He gave it to one of his girls to patch, who presently
uttered a great cry of joy, for under each button she had found a piece
of gold, the total of which was sufficient to pay the fine.
The waistcoat contained also a paper written over closely, but the
writing was almost effaced and indecipherable.
It was not possible to return the garment to its owner, for the soldier
had evidently stolen it. Nevertheless, Schmul did not believe it right
to appropriate a sum which seemed to have been sent from Heaven; he
considered himself the depositary, and distributed the whole in small
sums to political prisoners. This act describes the man. Unfortunate
though he was, he paid his debt to an unknown. He often showed pieces
of the waistcoat when he had occasion to relate the story, and returned
thanks to Providence, for he was very pious.
He always left home early in the morning and did not return until dark.
He carried an old umbrella, formerly blue, but become by long usage an
indefinable colour. It was less to shield himself than to shelter his
merchandise from the rain, the snow, and the sun. His breakfast was
invariably composed of a raw onion or a smoked herring, with a morsel
of bread and a small glass of brandy. In the evening he loved to find
some hot dish awaiting him, and seated at the table he related the most
amusing incidents of the day, to which his family listened attentively.
Then came the prayer before going to bed.
The pedler was generally loved on account of his good character and
jovial spirit. People were surprised that with his intelligence he had
not already made his fortune. He replied by likening himself to a pair
of scissors. Be they ever so sharp, they were no use without something
to cut. Gold was the something that God, in his wisdom, had not given
to every one.
Jacob arrived at the staircase which led to the Schmuls' lodging. He
ascended without seeing the pedler, who, returning from his work,
followed him, and stopped at the same time before the door of his
lodging, on which was graven the name of God. Following the custom, he
touched it with his hand and afterwards kissed it. It was then that
Schmul recognized him.
"_Salem alekem_," said he.
"_Alekem salem_," replied the fugitive.
"Rabbi Jacob, tell me why I am honoured by your presence?" asked
Schmul.
"I am in trouble," replied Jacob.
"Can I do anything for you?"
"Yes, and easily, I hope."
"Even if it were not easy you may count on me to do all I can."
They entered; the old man dusted the sofa and the table in Jacob's
honour, and begged him to be seated. The prettiest and the boldest of
his daughters, Rosele, came to help him. Notwithstanding their poverty,
she was dressed neatly and in good taste, and her beautiful black eyes
indicated a certain coquetry.
"Now that you are seated," said Schmul, "I will listen to you."
"In a moment. Rest yourself first, you must be tired."
"Oh, as for that, yes! I cannot say how many stairs I have climbed
to-day. I have done well. There are some young Poles who sold their
last fine shirts to buy thick warm garments. I did not have to make
myself hoarse to-day by crying '_Hendel!_ Everybody called to me. They
sold at any price. I had not enough money, and was obliged to borrow of
old Mortchel."
"I am obliged," said Jacob in a low voice, "to leave Warsaw. The police
paid a visit to my house this morning."
"To your house? Is it possible? Are you then, Rabbi Jacob, one of those
madmen who tempt God?"
"No; but the Russian government often arrests innocent people."
"This is true. They do it every day. No one is secure here, nor ever
has been under Russian rule."
"Do you know any one who can conduct me in safety to the first post
station?"
"Certainly. Under this very roof dwells Mordko. As every one must live
by some means, he is a smuggler. Merchandise, papers, men, he gets them
all across the frontier. Thus, by exposing his head every day, he feeds
his stomach."
"Can I trust him?"
"Entirely. This Mordko is a queer fellow, and when you see him you will
not doubt him. Half mute, almost blind, he can scarcely say four words
or take three steps. He has such a stupid and innocent air that he is
never suspected. I will go and find him."
Madame Schmul came in to keep Jacob company, and at the half-open door
the three girls peeped at him with admiration. Rosele said to herself:
"What happiness for me if I could please this rich man. But, alas! I
must not think of it. I am called beautiful, but no doubt I should not
satisfy a man such as he."
In a few moments Schmul returned with a very shabby individual. He
looked at Jacob from head to foot attentively.
"He already understands the situation," said the pedler. "You need make
no farther explanations."
"I wish to leave at once," said Jacob.
"To-night? No!" replied Mordko. "Too dangerous! Morning will be
better."
"But I cannot sleep here, there is no room, and the hotels are
surrounded by the police."
"I know a place where you can sleep quietly. I will return in a moment,
and conduct you to it."
As soon as Mordko had gone, Schmul said to his visitor:--
"Your flight gives me great sorrow. When will you return? No one knows.
Your absence is a misfortune for the Israelites. You are the only one
who could restore our old purity of religion. No one else, and now you
are taken from us."
"If I am really useful to our cause, be sure that the God of Israel
will protect me," replied Jacob.
"Then you will return, safe and sound. I have a presentiment. And
waiting here we will drink the bitter cup to the dregs."
Mordko returned, and Jacob, under his guidance, went to a small hotel
in the suburbs, where he was given an isolated chamber. He soon slept,
and for several hours the fugitive was oblivious to the world.