Basia took the Tartar that very day to “an examination,” following
the advice of her husband; and fearing the shyness of Azya, she
resolved not to insist too much at once. Still, he had barely
appeared before her when she said, straight from the bridge,--
“Pan Bogush says that you are a great man; but I think that the
greatest man cannot avoid love.”
Azya closed his eyes, inclined his head, and said, “Your grace is
right.”
“I see that you are a man with a heart.”
When she had said this, Basia began to shake her yellow forelock
and blink, as if to say that she knew affairs of this kind
well, and also hoped that she was not speaking to a man without
knowledge. Azya raised his head and embraced with his glance her
charming figure. She had never seemed so wonderful to him as on
that day, when her eyes, gleaming from curiosity and animation, and
the blushing childlike face, full of smiles, were raised toward his
face. But the more innocent the face, the more charm did Azya see
in it; the more did desire rise in his soul; the more powerfully
did love seize and intoxicate him as with wine, and drive out all
other desires, save this one alone,--to take her from her husband,
bear her away, hold her forever at his breast, press her lips
to his lips, feel her arms twined around his neck: to love, to
love even to forget himself, even to perish alone, or perish with
her. At thought of this the whole world whirled around with him;
new desires crept up every moment from the den of his soul, like
serpents from crevices in a cliff. But he was a man who possessed
also great self-control; therefore he said in spirit, “It is
impossible yet!” and he held his wild heart at check when he chose,
as a furious horse is held on a lariat.
He stood before her apparently cold, though he had a flame in his
mouth and eyes, and his deep pupils told all that his compressed
lips refused to confess. But Basia, having a soul as pure as water
in a spring, and besides a mind occupied entirely with something
else, did not understand that speech; she was thinking in the
moment what further to tell the Tartar; and at last, raising her
finger, she said:
“More than one bears in his heart hidden love, and does not dare to
speak of it to any one; but if he would confess his love sincerely,
perhaps he might learn something good.”
Azya’s face grew dark for a moment; a wild hope flashed through his
head like lightning; but he recollected himself, and inquired, “Of
what does your grace wish to speak?”
“Another would be hasty with you,” said Basia, “since women are
impatient, and not deliberate; but I am not of that kind. As
to helping, I would help you willingly, but I do not ask your
confidence in a moment; I only say this to you: Do not hide; come
to me even daily. I have spoken of this matter with my husband
already; gradually you will come to know and see my good-will, and
you will know that I do not ask through mere curiosity, but from
sympathy, and because if I am to assist, I must be certain that you
are in love. Besides, it is proper that you show it first; when you
acknowledge it to me, perhaps I can tell you something.”
Tugai Bey’s son understood now in an instant how vain was that
hope which had gleamed in his head a moment before; he divined at
once that it was a question of Eva Novoveski, and all the curses
on the whole family which time had collected in his vengeful soul
came to his mouth. Hatred burst out in him like a flame; the
greater, the more different were the feelings which had shaken
him a moment earlier. But he recollected himself. He possessed
not merely self-control, but the adroitness of Orientals. In one
moment he understood that if he burst out against the Novoveskis
venomously, he would lose the favor of Basia and the possibility of
seeing her daily; but, on the other hand, he felt that he could not
conquer himself--at least then--to such a degree as to lie to that
desired one in the face of his own soul by saying that he loved
another. Therefore, from a real internal conflict and undissembled
suffering, he threw himself suddenly before Basia, and kissing her
feet, began to speak thus:--
“I give my soul into the hands of your grace; I give my faith into
the hands of your grace. I do not wish to do anything except what
you command me; I do not wish to know any other will. Do with me
what you like. I live in torment and suffering; I am unhappy. Have
compassion on me; if not, I shall perish and be lost.”
And he began to groan, for he felt immense pain, and unacknowledged
desires burned him with a living flame. But Basia considered these
words as an outburst of love for Eva,--love long and painfully
hidden; therefore pity for the young man seized her, and two tears
gleamed in her eyes.
“Rise, Azya!” said she to the kneeling Tartar. “I have always
wished you well, and I wish sincerely to help you; you come of high
blood, and they will surely not withhold naturalization in return
for your services. Pan Novoveski will let himself be appeased, for
now he looks with different eyes on you; and Eva--” Here Basia
rose, raised her rosy, smiling face, and putting her hand at the
side of her mouth, whispered in Azya’s ear,--“Eva loves you.”
His face wrinkled, as if from rage; he seized his hips with
his hands, and without thinking of the astonishment which his
exclamation might cause, he repeated a number of times in a hoarse
voice, “Allah! Allah! Allah!” Then he rushed out of the room.
Basia looked after him for a moment. The cry did not astonish her
greatly, for the Polish soldiers used it often; but seeing the
violence of the young Tartar, she said to herself, “Real fire! He
is wild after her.” Then she shot out like a whirlwind to make a
report to her husband, Pan Zagloba, and Eva.
She found Pan Michael in the chancery, occupied with the registry
of the squadron stationed in Hreptyoff. He was sitting and writing,
but she ran up to him and cried, “Do you know? I spoke to him. He
fell at my feet; he is wild after her.”
The little knight put down his pen and began to look at his wife.
She was so animated and pretty that his eyes gleamed; and, smiling,
he stretched his arms toward her. She, defending herself, repeated
again,--
“Azya is wild after Eva!”
“As I am after you,” said the little knight, embracing her.
That same day Zagloba and Eva knew most minutely all her
conversation with Azya. The young lady’s heart yielded itself now
completely to the sweet feeling, and was beating like a hammer at
the thought of the first meeting, and still more at thought of
what would happen when they should be alone. And she saw already
the face of Azya at her knees, and felt his kisses on her hands,
and her own faintness at the time when the head of a maiden bends
toward the arms of the loved one, and her lips whisper, “I love.”
Meanwhile, from emotion and disquiet she kissed Basia’s hands
violently, and looked every moment at the door to see if she could
behold in it the gloomy but shapely form of young Tugai Bey.
But Azya did not show himself, for Halim had come to him,--Halim,
the old servant of his father, and at present a considerable murza
in the Dobrudja. He had come quite openly, since it was known in
Hreptyoff that he was the intermediary between Azya and those
captains who had accepted service with the Sultan. They shut
themselves up at once in Azya’s quarters, where Halim, after he
had given the requisite obeisances to Tugai Bey’s son, crossed his
hands on his breast, and with bowed head waited for questions.
“Have you any letters?” asked Azya.
“I have none, Effendi. They commanded me to give everything in
words.”
“Well, speak.”
“War is certain. In the spring we must all go to Adrianople.
Commands are issued to the Bulgarians to take hay and barley there.”
“And where will the Khan be?”
“He will go straight by the Wilderness, through the Ukraine, to
Doroshenko.”
“What do you hear concerning the encampments?”
“They are glad of the war, and are sighing for spring; there is
suffering in the encampments, though the winter is only beginning.”
“Is the suffering great?”
“Many horses have died. In Belgrod men have sold themselves into
slavery, only to live till spring. Many horses have died, Effendi;
for in the fall there was little grass on the steppes. The sun
burned it up.”
“But have they heard of Tugai Bey’s son?”
“I have spoken as much as you permitted. The report went out from
the Lithuanian and Podolian Tartars; but no one knows the truth
clearly. They are talking too of this,--that the Commonwealth
wishes to give them freedom and land, and call them to service
under Tugai Bey’s son. At the mere report all the villages that
are poorer were roused. They are willing, Effendi, they are
willing; but some explain to them that this is all untrue, that
the Commonwealth will send troops against them, and that there is
no son of Tugai Bey at all. There were merchants of ours in the
Crimea; they said that some there were giving out, ‘There is a son
of Tugai Bey,’ and the people were roused; others said, ‘There is
not,’ and the people were restrained. But if it should go out that
your grace calls them to freedom, land, and service, swarms would
move. Only let it be free for me to speak.”
Azya’s face grew bright from satisfaction, and he began to walk
with great strides up and down in the room; then he said, “Be in
good health, Halim, under my roof. Sit down and eat.”
“I am your servant and dog, Effendi,” said the old Tartar.
Azya clapped his hands, whereupon a Tartar orderly came in, and,
hearing the command, brought refreshments after a time,--gorailka,
dried meat, bread, sweetmeats, and some handfuls of dried
water-melon seeds, which, with sunflower seeds, are a tidbit
greatly relished by Tartars.
“You are a friend, not a servant,” said Azya, when the orderly
retired. “Be well, for you bring good news; sit and eat.”
Halim began to eat, and until he had finished, they said nothing;
but he refreshed himself quickly, and began to glance at Azya,
waiting till he should speak.
“They know here now who I am,” said Azya, at length.
“And what, Effendi?”
“Nothing. They respect me still more. When it came to work, I had
to tell them anyhow. But I delayed, for I was waiting for news from
the horde, and I wished the hetman to know first; but Novoveski
came, and he recognized me.”
“The young one?” asked Halim, with fear.
“The old, not the young one. Allah has sent them all to me here,
for the maiden is here. The Evil Spirit must have entered them.
Only let me become hetman, I will play with them. They are giving
me the maiden; very well, slaves are needed in the harem.”
“Is the old man giving her?”
“No. _She_--she thinks that I love, not her, but the other.”
“Effendi,” said Halim, bowing, “I am the slave of your house, and
I have not the right to speak before your face; but I recognized
you among the Lithuanian Tartars; I told you at Bratslav who you
are; and from that time I serve you faithfully. I tell others that
they are to look on you as master; but though they love you, no one
loves you as I do: is it free for me to speak?”
“Speak.”
“Be on your guard against the little knight. He is famous in the
Crimea and the Dobrudja.”
“And, Halim, have you heard of Hmelnitski?”
“I have, and I served Tugai Bey, who warred with Hmelnitski against
the Poles, ruined castles, and took property.”
“And do you know that Hmelnitski took Chaplinski’s wife from him,
married her himself, and had children by her? What then? There
was war; and all the troops of the hetmans and the king and the
Commonwealth did not take her from Hmelnitski. He beat the hetmans
and the king and the Commonwealth; and besides that, he was hetman
of the Cossacks. And I,--what shall I be? Hetman of the Tartars.
They must give me plenty of land, and some town as capital; around
the town villages will rise on rich land, and in the villages good
men with sabres, many bows and many sabres. And when I carry her
away to my town, and have her for wife, the beauty, with whom will
the power be? With me. Who will demand her? The little knight,--if
he be alive. Even should he be alive, and howl like a wolf and
beat with his forehead to the king with complaint, do you think
that they would raise war with me for one bright tress? They have
had such a war already, and half the Commonwealth was flaming with
fire. Who will take her? Is it the hetman? Then I will join the
Cossacks, will conclude brotherhood with Doroshenko, and give the
country over to the Sultan. I am a second Hmelnitski; I am better
than Hmelnitski: in me a lion is dwelling. Let them permit me to
take her, I will serve them, beat the Cossacks, beat the Khan,
and beat the Sultan; but if not, I will trample all Lehistan[20]
with hoofs, take hetmans captive, scatter armies, burn towns, slay
people. I am Tugai Bey’s son; I am a lion.”
Here Azya’s eyes blazed with a red light; his white teeth glittered
like those of old Tugai; he raised his hand and shook his
threatening fist toward the north, and he was great and terrible
and splendid, so that Halim bowed to him repeatedly, and said
hurriedly, in a low voice,--
“Allah kerim! Allah kerim!”[21]
Then silence continued for a long time. Azya grew calm by degrees;
at last he said, “Bogush came here. I revealed to him my strength
and resource; namely, to have in the Ukraine, at the side of the
Cossack nation, a Tartar nation, and besides the Cossack hetman a
Tartar hetman.”
“Did he approve it?”
“He seized himself by the head, and almost beat with the forehead;
next day he galloped off to the hetman with the happy news.”
“Effendi,” said Halim, timidly, “but if the Great Lion should not
approve it?”
“Sobieski?”
“Yes.”
A ruddy light began to gleam again in Azya’s eyes; but it remained
only during one twinkle. His face grew calm immediately; then he
sat on a bench, and resting his head on his hands, fell into deep
thought.
“I have weighed in my mind,” said he, at last, “what the grand
hetman may answer when Bogush gives him the happy news. The hetman
is wise, and will consent. The hetman knows that in spring there
will be war with the Sultan, for which there are neither men nor
money in the Commonwealth; and when Doroshenko and the Cossacks
are on the side of the Sultan, final destruction may come on
Lehistan,--and all the more that neither the king nor the estates
believe that there will be war, and are not hurrying to prepare for
it. I have an attentive ear here on everything; I know all, and
Bogush makes no secret before me of what they say at the hetman’s
headquarters. Pan Sobieski is a great man; he will consent, for he
knows that if the Tartars come here for freedom and land, a civil
war may spring up in the Crimea and the steppes of the Dobrudja,
that the strength of the horde will decrease, and that the Sultan
himself must see to quieting those outbreaks. Meanwhile, the
hetman will have time to prepare himself better; the Cossacks and
Doroshenko will waver in loyalty to the Sultan. This is the only
salvation for the Commonwealth, which is so weak that even the
return of a few thousand Lithuanian Tartars means much for it. The
hetman knows this; he is wise, he will consent.”
“I bow before your reason,” answered Halim; “but what will happen
if Allah takes from the Great Lion his light, or if Satan so blinds
him with pride that he will reject your plans?”
Azya pushed his wild face up to Halim’s ear, and whispered, “You
remain here now until the answer comes from the hetman; and till
then I will not go to Rashkoff. If they reject my plans, I will
send you to Krychinski and the others. You will give them the order
to advance to this side of the river almost up to Hreptyoff, and to
be in readiness; and I with my men here will fall on the command
the first night I choose, and do this for them--” Here Azya drew
his finger across his neck, and after a while added, “Fate, fate,
fate!”
Halim thrust his head down between his shoulders, and on his
beast-like face an ominous smile appeared. “Allah! And that to the
Little Falcon?”
“That to him first.”
“And then to the Sultan’s dominions?”
“To the Sultan’s dominions,--with her.”