assembled in a crowd. News had come from the Ssiecha, that the Tartars,
during the absence of the Cossacks, had pillaged it, and dug up the
treasures which the Cossacks kept concealed underground, had killed or
made prisoners all those who were left behind, and had directed their
course straight to Perekop, with all the herds of cattle and horses
which they had taken. One Cossack only, Maxim Gotodookha, had escaped
on the way, from the hands of the Tartars, had killed one of their
Mirzas,[35] had taken away his purse of sequins, and had, on a Tartar
horse, in a Tartar dress, for one day and a half and two nights, fled
from their hue and cry; had ridden his horse to death, had taken a
second, which sank also under hard riding, and had only on the third
found his way to the Zaporoghian encampment, which, he ascertained
on the road, was under the walls of Doobno. He scarcely found time
to declare the misfortune that had happened; but as to how it had
happened, whether the remaining Cossacks had caroused too deeply,
according to Cossack fashion, and had been made prisoners whilst tipsy;
and how had the Tartars been apprised of the spot where the treasures
lay hidden--nothing could he tell about all this. He was too exhausted,
the whole of his body was swollen, his face was scorched by the sun and
beaten by the wind; he fell on the spot fast asleep.
In such emergencies, the Zaporoghians were accustomed to proceed
without the least delay, in pursuit of the invaders, and endeavour to
catch them on the way, because the prisoners might be sent in no time
to the slave markets of Asia Minor, to Smyrna, to the island of Crete,
and wherever else the crown-locked heads of the Zaporoghians might
not be expected to make their appearance. It was for this reason that
the Zaporoghians had now assembled. They stood now with their heads
covered, because they had come together, not by command to hear an
order from their chief, but to deliberate as equals among themselves.
"Let the elders give their advice first," was the cry heard from the
crowd. "Let the Koschevoï give his advice," exclaimed some. And the
Koschevoï, cap in hand, no longer as a chief but as a comrade, thanked
all the Cossacks for the honour, and spoke thus: "There are many among
us who are older than I, and who have more wisdom in their counsels,
but as you have honoured me, my advice is this. Do not waste your time,
comrades, go in pursuit of the Tartars at once; they are not likely to
wait for our arrival with the stolen goods; they will quickly spend
them and leave no trace. So this is my advice, go at once. We have
done our duty here. The Poles know at present what the Cossacks are; we
have avenged our faith as much as lay in our power; no great booty can
be found in a famished city; so, this is our advice, go!"
"Let us go!" was the shout throughout the Zaporoghian koorens. But the
speech was not welcome to Tarass Boolba, and still deeper over his eyes
did he bend his contracted eyebrows, whose grayish white made them
resemble bushes which grow on the high crest of mountains, and whose
tops are ever covered with the sharp points of the Boreal sleet.
"Not so; thy advice is not good, Ivoschevoï!" said he, "thy speech is
all wrong. Thou seemest to forget that our comrades taken by the Poles,
are still prisoners? Thou seemest to wish that we should not fulfil the
first holy rule of comradeship, that we should leave our brothers that
they may be flayed alive, or that their Cossack bodies may be quartered
and dragged about through towns and villages, as they have already done
with the Hetman and the best Russian knights. Has our faith not yet
sustained sufficient insults? Who are we then? I ask all of you, what
sort of Cossack is he who leaves his comrade in misfortune--who leaves
him to die the death of a dog in a foreign country? If it has come to
such a pitch that nobody any longer values the Cossack's honour, that
every one allows his gray mustachios to be spit upon, and bears the
insult of shameful words, I, for one, will not bear it! Alone will I
remain!"
The Zaporoghians wavered.
"And dost thou forget, brave colonel," replied the Koschevoï, "that
those who are now in the hands of the Tartars are our comrades too,
and that if we do not release them now, they will be sold into
life-long slavery to infidels; and that slavery is more bitter than the
most cruel death? Dost thou forget that all our treasures, acquired
with Christian blood, are now in their hands?"
The Cossacks remained thoughtful, and did not know what to say. None of
them were desirous of acquiring a disgraceful character. Then Kassian
Bovdug, the oldest in all the Zaporoghian army, stepped forward. He
was held in reverence by all the Cossacks; twice had he been elected
Koschevoï Ataman, and a good Cossack had he proved in war; but he had
long ago grown old, and ceased to take part in campaigns; he did not
like to give advice, but the old fellow liked to remain lying in the
Cossack circles listening to stories about events which had come to
pass, and Cossack exploits in war. He never joined in their talk, but
remained constantly listening, pressing with his fingers the ashes in
his short pipe, which he never took out of his mouth; and long would he
remain with his eyes closed, so that the Cossacks knew not whether he
was asleep or listening. During all the late campaigns he had remained
at home; but on this occasion he had come too, after waving his hand
in the Cossack fashion, and saying, "Happen what will, I'll go, and
perhaps be of some Use to my fellow-Cossacks!"
All the Cossacks kept silence as he now appeared before the assembly,
because for a long time none had heard him say a single word. Every
one was anxious to know what Bovdug would say. "My turn is now come
to speak, gentlemen brothers," he began, "listen to the old Cossack's
saying, children. Wise were the Koschevoï's words, and, as the chief
of the Cossacks, who is bound to preserve the treasures of the army,
and to care for them, nothing more wise could he have said. Let this be
my first saying; listen now to my second. This is what I will tell you
now; great was the truth of what the Colonel Tarass said; may Heaven
lengthen his life, and may it send more such colonels to Ukraine!
The Cossack's first duty and first glory is to fulfil the duty of
comradeship. Long as I have lived in this world, gentlemen brothers,
I never happened to hear that a Cossack ever left his comrade, or
betrayed him in any emergency. These and those are both our comrades;
be their numbers great or small, it is the same thing--both are our
comrades, both are dear to us; so this is my saying: let the men to
whom those who have been made prisoners by the Tartars are dearer,
pursue the Tartars; let the others to whom those who have been made
prisoners by the Poles are dearer, and who do not choose to desist from
a righteous undertaking, remain here. The Koschevoï, according to his
duty, may, with the one party, give chase to the Tartars, and the other
party may choose a Nakaznoï Ataman.[36] And should you like to listen
to my old mind's advice, none is better entitled to be the Nakaznoï
Ataman than Tarass Boolba; none of us is equal in valour to him!"
Thus spake Bovdug, and then remained silent; and the Cossacks were
rejoiced at his having settled their minds. They threw their caps up
in the air, and cried "Thanks to thee, father! thou kept silent--for a
long time hast thou kept silent--and now at last thou hast spoken thy
mind; truly saidst thou when joining the campaign, that thou mightest
be of use to the Cossacks, so has it proved to be!"
"Well, do you approve this?" asked the Koschevoï.
"Yes, all of us approve it!" cried the Cossacks.
"So, then, the Rada is ended?"
"Yes, it is!" cried the Cossacks.
"Well then, children, listen to my orders now!" said the Koschevoï;
and stepping forward, he put on his cap, while all the Zaporoghians,
from first to last, took off theirs, and remained uncovered with their
eyes bent on the ground, according to the Cossack custom when their
chief was about to address them. "Now, gentlemen brothers, separate
yourselves! whoever wishes to go, step to the right; whoever remains,
go to the left; wherever the greater part of a kooren goes, thither the
ataman follows; if the lesser part goes on one side, it may join the
other koorens."
And now they began to pass, some to the right, some to the left.
Whither the greater went thither followed the ataman, the lesser
part always joining with the other koorens. In the end, the two sides
proved nearly equal. Among those who chose to remain were not a few of
the very very excellent Cossacks.[37] All off them had seen war and
campaigns; had sailed to the Anatolian coasts, traversed the Crimean
salt-marshes and steppes, knew all the rivers and streams that flow
into the Dnieper, all the banks and islands of that river; had been
in Moldavia, "Wallachia, and Turkey; had crossed the Black Sea in
all directions in their two-helmed Cossack boats--fifty such boats
in ranks had attacked the richest and the tallest ships; had sent to
the bottom of the sea not a few Turkish galleys, and had fired away
much, very much powder in their lives; more than once had they torn
to rags costly stuffs and silks to wrap up their feet; more than once
had their pockets been full of bright sequins. And it would have been
impossible to reckon how much property, which would have lasted others
for a whole life, each of them had spent in feasting and drinking.
They had spent it all like righteous Cossacks, treating every one and
hiring musicians, in order that every one around them might enjoy
himself. Even now, there were but few of them who had not treasure
hidden underground; cups, silver goblets, and ornaments hidden in the
reeds on the islands of the Dnieper, in order that the Tartars should
not discover them, if by mischance they should fall upon the Ssiecha
unawares; but it was scarcely possible that the Tartars could have
found them, for even the owners had begun to forget where they had
hidden them.
Such were the Cossacks who resolved to remain, and take their revenge
on the Poles for the sake of their beloved comrades and the Christian
faith. The old Cossack Bovdug resolved also to abide with them, saying
"My years are no longer those in which I could give chase to the
Tartars; here is the place where I may find a Cossack's death. For a
long time I have prayed God, that I might, when I close my life, end it
in war for some holy and Christian reason. Thus it now happens; the old
Cossack could not find a more glorious end, or in a more fitting place."
When all were separated and stood in two rows, in koorens on both
sides, the Koschevoï went through the ranks and said, "Well now,
gentlemen brothers, is one side pleased with the other?"
"All are pleased, father," answered the Cossacks.
"Well then, embrace one another, and give one another a farewell shake
of the hand, for Heaven knows if we are to meet again in this life.
Obey your Ataman, do what you know must be done; you know yourselves
what a Cossack's honour bids you to do!"
And all the Cossacks, as many as were there, embraced one another.
First of all began the atamans, and wiping their gray mustachios with
their hands, kissed one another's cheeks, and then as they took one
another's hands and held them tight, they wished to ask, "Gentleman
brother, shall we ever meet again, or shall we not?" However, they
put not the question, but kept silence, and both gray heads remained
thoughtful. The Cossacks, too, bade farewell to one another, well
knowing that both sides would have hard work; still they decided not
to separate at once, but to await the darkness of night, in order that
the foe should not perceive the diminution of their forces. They all
repaired to their koorens for dinner. After dinner, those who had to
go on march laid themselves down for repose, and had a long sound
sleep, as if conscious that this would perhaps be their last sleep in
such freedom. They slept till the sun set; as it went down and darkness
came on, they began to put their carts in order. This done, they made
them advance, and themselves bidding once more farewell to their
comrades, slowly followed; behind the infantry tramped the cavalry in
silence, without crying to their horses or urging them on, and soon,
nothing could be seen of them in the darkness of the night. The hollow
trampling of the horses alone resounded, and at times was heard the
creaking of some wheel, which had not been properly greased on account
of the darkness.
The comrades who were left behind, stood a long time waving their
hands to them, although nothing could be seen. But when they ceased at
last, and came back to their places, when they saw by the light of the
stars, which now shone brightly, that half the waggons were gone, and
that many, many friends were there no longer, sorrow crept into their
hearts, and all became thoughtful and bent down their heads.
Tarass saw how mournful the ranks of the Cossacks had become, and
that sadness, unbecoming to brave men, had found its way into the
heads of the Cossacks; but he kept silence, wishing to leave time for
everything, time to grieve over their parting with their comrades;
but while silent, he prepared himself to awaken them all at once by
suddenly speaking to them like a Cossack, so that courage might again
and with still greater power return to their hearts. The Slavonic race,
that wide spreading, that mighty race, is the only one capable of
this--a race which, is to others what the sea is to shallow rivulets;
when the weather is tempestuous it roars and thunders, rises in
mountain-like waves, such as feeble streams can never exhibit; but when
there is no storm and all is quiet, it spreads out its immeasurable
glassy expanse, clearer than any stream, and soothing to the sight of
the beholder.
Tar ass ordered one of his servants to unload one of the carts which
stood apart. This cart was the biggest and the strongest in the whole
Cossack camp; a double iron hoop encircled its strong wheels; it
was heavily loaded, covered with horse-cloths, strong ox-hides, and
corded with tarred ropes. It was filled with casks and barrels of
old wine which had long lain in Tarass's cellars. He had brought it
in preparation for any solemn occasion, when some great event might
occur, when some mighty feat, worthy to be recorded for posterity,
should be at hand; that then every Cossack, to the very least, might
drink some of the precious wine, in order that in a solemn moment, a
deep impression might be made on every man. On hearing the colonel's
command, his servants rushed to the cart, severed the ropes with their
sabres, tore away the thick ox-hides and horse-cloths, and took down
the casks and barrels.
"Take, all of you," said Boolba, "all, as many as are here, whatever
every one has got; a cup, or the scoop with which you water your
horses, or a gauntlet, or a cap--or if you have none of these, why
then, hold out the hollow of your hands."
And all the Cossacks, as many as were there, took some of them cups,
others scoops with which they gave drink to their horses, others
gauntlets, or caps, and some held out the hollow of their hands. To
every one of them did the servants of Tarass, as they passed through
their ranks, pour out wine from the casks and barrels. But Tarass
ordered that none should drink till he gave the signal, in order that
all might drink at the same time. One could see that he was about to
speak. Tarass knew, excellent as the good old wine might be of itself,
and well adapted to raise a man's spirits, that when a well-suited
harangue should be joined to its effect, double would be the strength
both of wine and of courage.
"I treat you now, gentlemen brothers," so spoke Tarass, "not to
celebrate my being elected by you as your ataman, however great that
honour be, not to solemnize our parting with our comrades; another time
would better suit for both matters. But now we have another more solemn
occasion before us. A deed of much labour, of great Cossack valour,
now awaits us! So let us drink together, comrades, let us drink first
to the holy faith, that the time may at last come when everywhere over
the whole world one holy faith may be diffused, and all misbelievers,
as many as they are, may become Christians! Let us drink together also
to the Ssiecha, that it may long stand for the destruction of all
unbelievers, that every year it may send forth warriors, each stronger
and better than their predecessors! Let us drink also to our own
renown, that our grandchildren, and the sons of those grandchildren,
may say that there once were those who did not betray comradeship
and did not leave their brothers in need! So to the faith, gentlemen
brothers, to the faith!"
"To the faith!" shouted the deep voices of those whose ranks stood
nearest. "To the faith!" joined in the more remote, and every one of
them, old and young, drank to the faith.
"To the Ssiecha!" said Tarass, and lifted his arm high above his head.
"To the Ssiecha!" deeply resounded amidst the foremost ranks. "To the
Ssiecha!" slowly said the old ones, twitching their gray mustachios;
and excited, like young hawks fluttering their wings, the young
Cossacks shouted, "To the Ssiecha!" And far away the field resounded
with the shouts of the Cossacks, "To the Ssiecha!"
"And now, a last dram, comrades: To renown and to all Christians in the
world!" And all the Cossacks there present drained the last drop to
renown, and to all the Christians who are spread all over the world.
And long amidst all the ranks, among the koorens, resounded the words,
"To all Christians, all over the world!"
The cups were already empty, and still the Cossacks remained standing
with uplifted arms; gay were the glances of all eyes, glistening with
wine, but profound were their thoughts. They thought not of booty or
profit, they thought not of the ducats they might succeed in taking,
or of the costly arms, rich dresses, and Circassian steeds. They were
thoughtful as eagles sitting on the crests of rocky cliffs, steep and
high, from which may be seen the far-expanding sea, all covered with
galleys and ships like so many small birds, and bordered by narrow
scarcely visible coasts, with towns no bigger than flies, and woods as
diminutive as grass. Like eagles did the Cossacks cast their glances
over the field, foreboding their fate which darkened far away before
them. Thus indeed shall it be! The field shall be strewn with their
whitening bones, it shall be richly bathed in their Cossack blood;
and broken chariots, broken swords, and spears, shall be scattered
all over it; from a long distance off shall be seen mouldering
crown-tufted heads with curling and gore-clotted locks, and downward
twisted mustachios; and eagles swooping down from the skies shall tear
out and feast on their cossack eyes! But great also is the boon of
such a widely and freely-scattered repose in death! No feat of valour
shall perish, and the Cossack's fame shall no more be cast away than
the grain of powder on the gun-lock. The time shall come when some
bard with gray beard flowing down on his breast, or peradventure some
white-haired man, old in years but full of manly vigour, shall with
soothsaying words tell of them with mighty utterance. And all over the
world shall their renown extend, and even those who are yet unborn
shall speak of them. For widely does the mightily-uttered word spread,
like the resonance of bell-metal into which the founder has thrown much
pure and precious silver, that its solemn tone may echo far away in
city and hamlet, palace and hovel, summoning all equally to holy prayer.
IX.
Nobody in the town knew that one-half of the Zaporoghians had gone in
pursuit of the Tartars. The sentries on the tower of the town hall
had indeed noticed that part of the waggons had been drawn behind the
forest, but they thought that the Cossacks had prepared an ambuscade:
the French engineer was of the same opinion. Meanwhile, the words of
the Ivoschevoï proved true, and victuals began to be scarce in the
town. As was usual in old times, they had not calculated the number
of troops and the allowance to be made to them. A sally was tried,
but one-half of the daring fellows were killed on the spot by the
Cossacks, and the other was driven back into the town with no result.
The Jews however, profited by this sally, and ferreted out everything,
whither and wherefore the Zaporoghians were gone, and with which of
the chiefs, also which of the koorens, in what number, and how many
were left behind, and what they intended to do; in a word, some minutes
had hardly elapsed when everything was known in the town. The colonels
took courage, and prepared to give battle. Tarass perceived this by
the movement and noise in the town, and, accordingly, busily occupied
himself in forming the troops and giving orders; he divided the koorens
into three encampments, which he surrounded with waggons by way of
fortification, a mode of entrenchment in which the Zaporoghians were
never conquered. He sent two koorens into ambuscade, ordered sharp
stakes, broken weapons, and stumps of spears to be scattered over part
of the field, intending to drive the enemy's cavalry to that locality
when the opportunity should present itself. And when all his orders had
been executed, he harangued the Cossacks, not in order to encourage
them, or to heighten their spirits, for he knew them to be spirited
enough, but simply because he wished to say what weighed on his own
heart.
"I wish to tell you, gentlemen, what our comradeship is. You have heard
from your fathers and grandfathers how highly esteemed our country
has been, how it caused itself to be honoured by the Greeks, how the
city of the Caesars[38] paid ducats to it, how rich its towns were,
how beautiful its churches, what men were its sovereigns--sovereigns
of Russian pedigree, its own bosom sovereigns, and no Popish heretics.
All this have the misbelievers destroyed; everything have they laid
waste. We remained orphans, and our country like ourselves has been
bereft too, like a widow after the loss of a mighty husband! This was
the time, comrades, when we held out our hands to one another to be
brothers! This is the foundation of our brotherhood! No ties are more
holy than those of comradeship. The father loves his child, the mother
loves her child, the child loves its father and mother; but this is no
wonder. The brute loves its cub, too! but man alone can make to himself
relations by the relationship of the heart, without that of blood!
There have been comrades in other countries, but such comrades as are
in our Russian country, such, I say, have never existed elsewhere. More
than one of you have been dragged away into foreign countries; there,
too, you have seen men! They also are God's creatures; with them also
did you speak as with your own countrymen; but when you had to tell
them what you felt in the inmost recesses of your hearts, then you
saw the difference! Clever men are they, but not like our countrymen!
men, also, but not like us! No, brothers, to love as a Russian heart
loves--not to love with your mind, or anything else, but to love with
all that God has given us, with all your being, with all, all," said
Tarass; and he waved his arm, and shook his gray head, and jerked his
mustachios, and then went on: "To love in such a manner, nobody but
Russians can love. I know that baseness has found its way into our
country; many think only about having heaps of corn and hay, herds of
horses, and of preserving untouched in their cellars their sealed casks
of mead; many ape the devil knows what customs of misbelievers, and are
ashamed of their native speech, they avoid meeting their countrymen,
they sell them, as one sells brutes in the market. Higher than any
brotherhood do they value the favour of a foreign king, no, not merely
of a king, but even the base favour of a Polish magnate, who tramples
on their faces with his yellow boots. But yet the basest of them, be he
base as man can be, be he all besmeared with dirt and flattery, even
he, brothers, has some grain of Russian feeling in his breast; he will
wake up at some time, and the poor fellow will wring his hands, he
will tear his hair and curse his base life, and be ready by torments
of every description to redeem it. Let every one of them know what
comradeship means in our Russian country. If it has come to that point,
that we must die, well then, let us die as none of them may ever die!
no, not one! their mouse-like nature would not dare to confront such
death!"
Thus spoke the ataman, and as he ended his speech, he still shook his
head, grown silver-gray in Cossack feats; strongly did the speech
impress all who stood there, and straight to their hearts did it go;
even the oldest stood motionless in their ranks, their gray heads bent
down towards the ground, and a tear slowly rolled from their old eyes;
slowly did they brush it away with their sleeves, and then all, as with
one accord, waved their hands at once and shook their heads.