Their horses could hardly bear the rapidity of their flight and save
them from their pursuers, but Potozki this time proved worthy of his
charge; unweariedly did he pursue them, and he overtook them at last
on the banks of the Dniester, where Boolba had paused for rest in
an abandoned ruined fortress. The dismantled walls of this fortress
and its crumbling keep, stood on a steep cliff above the Dniester.
Its platform, paved with stones and fragments of bricks, seemed to be
ready at any moment to tumble down and roll into the river. Here it
was that the hetman Potozki, encamping on the two sides which were
adjacent to fields, surrounded the Cossacks. For four days did the
Cossacks keep their stand, fighting and rolling down stones and bricks
on the assailants. At last, their strength and their provisions were
exhausted, and Tarass resolved to cut his way through the ranks of the
enemy. Already had the Cossacks traversed the ranks, and they might
perhaps once more have owed their escape to the swiftness of their
horses, when on a sudden, in the very heat of their flight, Tarass
stopped and cried out, "Stay, I have dropped my pipe, not even my pipe
shall the cursed Poles have!" and the old Ataman stooped and began to
seek in the grass for his pipe, his never-failing companion over sea
and land, in his campaigns and in his home. Meanwhile a whole crowd
rushed at once upon him and took him by his shoulders. He endeavoured
to shake all his limbs, but no longer as of old did the heydukes fall
down around him. "Eh, old age, old age!" said he, and the stout old
Cossack began to weep. But his age was not the cause of it, strength
had got the better of strength. Nearly thirty soldiers hung about
his arms and legs. "The crow is caught," shrieked the Poles, "let us
find out the best mode of paying homage to the dog!" And with the
hetman's assent they decided on burning him alive, in sight of all.
There stood near at hand a dry tree, whose top had been struck by
lightning. Tarass was bound with iron chains to the trunk of this tree,
his hands were nailed to it, and he was raised on high, in order that
from everywhere around the Cossack might be seen. Beneath they made a
pile of faggots. But Tarass paid no attention to the pile, he did not
think about the fire that was to burn him, he looked, poor old fellow,
to where the Cossacks were seen fighting; from the height to which he
had been lifted he could distinctly see everything. "Lads," cried he,
"quick, reach the hill behind the wood, they will not overtake you
there!" But the wind blew his words away. "They will perish, perish for
nothing!" exclaimed he, in despair; and he gazed down on the Dniester,
glittering below. Delight flashed in his eyes. He saw the prows of four
boats, projecting out of the bushes, and gathering all the strength of
his lungs, he shouted at the top of his voice, "To the shore, lads, to
the shore! take the cliff path on your left. Near the shore are boats,
take them all to prevent pursuit." The wind this time blew from another
quarter, and every word was heard by the Cossacks. But this advice cost
Boolba a stroke on his head, which made everything swim before his eyes.
The Cossacks galloped at the utmost speed of their horses to the cliff
path, the pursuers were close at hand; and behold, there lies the
cliff path curling round in zig-zags. "Well, comrades, let us take our
chance," said they; then they stopped for a moment, lifted their whips,
gave a whistle, and their Tartar horses, springing from the ground,
stretched themselves like snakes in the air, flew over the abyss, and
leaped straight into the Dniester. Only two riders missed the river,
fell on the rocks and remained there for ever with their steeds, not
having had even time to utter a shriek. And the Cossacks were already
swimming with their horses and loosening the boats. The Poles stopped
before the precipice, astounded at the unheard-of Cossack feat, and
arguing whether they would jump or not? One young colonel, with hot
boiling blood in his veins, the brother of the Polish beauty who had
bewitched poor Andrew, did not remain long thinking, he leaped at once
after the Cossacks. Thrice did he wheel round and round in the air
with his horse, and fell upon the rocks. Tom to pieces by their sharp
points, he disappeared in the abyss, and his brains, mingled with
blood, splashed the bushes which grew on the uneven sides of the chasm.
When Tarass Boolba recovered from the blow, and looked on the Dniester,
the Cossacks were already in the boats and rowing; bullets after
bullets flew from above, but did not reach them. And the eyes of the
old Ataman gleamed with joy.
"Fare ye well, comrades!" cried he to them; "Remember me and fail not
to return here next spring and enjoy yourselves. How now, devil's
Poles? do you think there is anything in the world than can affright a
Cossack? Wait a bit; the time is coming when you shall know what the
Russian faith is! Already do nations far and near forebode it. There
shall arise a Czar in Russia, and there shall be no power on earth that
shall not yield to his power"--
Meanwhile the flames rose from the pile and scorched his feet, and
spread over the tree--but here in the world such flames, such
torments, power as can overcome the strength of a Russian?
No small river is the Dniester, many are its inlets, its thick grown
reeds, its shallows, and its gulfs. Its mirror-like surface glitters,
re-echoing the ringing screams of the swans which proudly swim on its
stream. Many are the divers coloured birds that dwell in its reeds and
on its banks.
The Cossacks sailed fast in their two-ruddered boats, the oars splashed
with measured stroke; they warily avoided the shoals, scaring the
birds, and talked of their Ataman.
[Footnote 1: The meads of Little Russia, Lithuania, and Poland are
renowned for their flavour, which, like that of some wines, increases
with being kept. They are very strong and act especially on the
legs, so that sometimes a glass of mead is sufficient to deprive the
most experienced drinker of the use of his legs, although his head
may remain perfectly clear. Some ascribe the fact of so many Poles
suffering from gout to nothing more than the immoderate use of mead.]
[Footnote 2: A sort of guitar peculiar to Little Russia.]
[Footnote 3: _Union_, in the Russian acceptation of the term, means
the mixed religion, uniting the rites of the Greek Church with the
dogmas of Popery, which was enforced by Poland upon Little Russia
and Lithuania, and which gave the Poles occasion to commit the most
abominable cruelties on the adherents of the Greek Church, and roused
the vengeance of the latter. A correct and most strictly true picture
of those struggles is to be found in this tale.]
[Footnote 4: A rank in Russian irregular troops corresponding to that
of captain or commander of a company.]
[Footnote 5: The above-mentioned college was placed under the orders of
an abbot, and the professors and tutors in it were monks.]
[Footnote 6: Formerly Saturday was a dreaded day in Russian schools.
Every pupil received on the evening of that day a severe flogging--the
bad pupils as a punishment for their past misdeeds and laziness,
the good ones as a foretaste of what awaited them in case of their
altering their conduct. Some strange notion existed of accustoming the
pupils to endure bodily pain, and of giving a periodical impulse to
the circulation of their blood, and this had some connection with the
barbarous system.]
[Footnote 7: A _cossackin_ means a Cossack's dress, which is a coat
fastened by hooks down the middle of the breast, and fitting closely to
the figure. It is furnished with skirts which never descend lower than
the knee.]
[Footnote 8: This is a Russian custom still observed. Before a
departure every one present sits down for a minute or two in silence;
then all rise at once, making the sign of the cross, and invoking the
protection of Heaven on the intended travellers.]
[Footnote 9: _Voevoda_, governor of a city or province.]
[Footnote 10: The pupils intrusted to the care of the _consuls_ (or
elder pupils).]
[Footnote 11: A species of guitar.]
[Footnote 12:: A verst is about two-thirds of an English mile.]
[Footnote 13: Dwellings.]
[Footnote 14: _Rada_, general assembly of the Cossacks, in which every
one had a voice, and which was summoned on important occasions, such
as declaration of war, conclusion of peace, or the election of the
_koschevoï ataman_, supreme head of the Zaporoghian commonwealth.]
[Footnote 15: Supreme chief of the Zaporoghian Ssiecha.]
[Footnote 16: The elective chief of the kooren, subordinate to the
Koschevoï Ataman.]
[Footnote 17: General assembly or council.]
[Footnote 18: Different sorts of guitars, common in Little Russia.]
[Footnote 19: The Russians adorn their church images with metallic
(_i.e_., copper, silver, and golden) covers, which reproduce, in
basso-relievo, the painting which is placed under them, and of which
nothing but the flesh parts of the painted saint (_i.e_. the face, the
arms, hands, and sometimes the feet) are left visible. Some of the
metallic cloths, as they are called, are very heavy and costly; upon
some of them may be seen precious stones of great value.]
[Footnote 20: That is, in the western part of Little Russia, subjected
to Poland and governed by an elective prince _(hetman_), confirmed in
his office by the King of Poland.]
[Footnote 21: These statements, as well as the subsequent, are strictly
historical. The vexations inflicted by Polish lords upon persons
professing the Russian-Greek faith--not only at the times spoken of in
this tale, but even within the present century--account sufficiently
for the inveterate and indelible hatred with which Russians look upon
Poles.]
[Footnote 22: Truly historical.]
[Footnote 23: The costume of the Polish Jews consists of a coat which
goes down to the heels. On their feet they usually wear slippers. Their
head is covered with a closely fitting skull cap, from beneath which on
either side hands a long lock of hair which, together with their beard
and mustachios, form the _sanctum sanctorum_ of their persona.]
[Footnote 24: Common people in Russia, even now, use no socks or
stockings; but strips of linen, in which they wrap their feet.]
[Footnote 25: A proverbial expression still used by Russians.]
[Footnote 26: _Voevoda_--governor of a city or province.]
[Footnote 27: A dish somewhat like starch, much used in Russia by the
common people.]
[Footnote 28: The catacombs of the _Peckerskoï_ (_i.e_., of the
caverns) cloister at Kieff, were, like those of Rome, the places of
worship and of burial of cenobites, whose relics are still preserved
there by the Russians.]
[Footnote 29: The Polish Jewesses, when married, follow very strictly
the prescription of their law to hide their hair and their ears; but,
as a compensation for not showing their beautiful hair, and wearing no
earrings, they wear wigs on their head, and pieces of cloth adorned
with jewels over their ears.]
[Footnote 30: The _Ssiem_ was one of the most incongruous phenomena of
the Polish administration. Every landed proprietor had a voice in this
assembly, which was convoked on every important occasion: such as the
election of a king, the declaration of war, the conclusion of peace,
&c., &c. The _veto_ of a single member was, _de jure_, sufficient to
put a stop to any political or administrative measure proposed to
these assemblies; _de facto_, however, the king availed himself of the
support of some powerful magnates to enforce the execution of his will;
but as this was only an infringement of the law, so it never failed
to excite the opposition (very often, armed) of the malcontents. No
wonder, then, if the _Ssiems_, forming the supreme constituent power
in the state, brought upon Poland the miseries of which the history of
that country is one long and uninterrupted story.]
[Footnote 31: Polish cuirassiers wore brass helmets adorned on each
side with small wings, like those allotted by mythology to the
travelling cap of the Greek Hermes. Some of them, also, wore large
wings fastened to their cuirass behind their shoulders.]
[Footnote 32: The ancient fashioned Polish overcoats were put on over
a sleeve coat, from Which they were distinguished by their colour, and
had sleeves hanging behind the shoulders, and sometimes hooked together
on the back for convenience' sake.]
[Footnote 33: A very frequent practice of the Turks with their
Zaporoghian prisoners was, to cover them with tar and then burn them
alive.]
[Footnote 34: The _arkan_ of the Cossacks is like the lasso of the
Mexicans--a rope with a running slip-knot, which is thrown over the
object of the Cossack's chase (a wild horse or an enemy). The Caucasian
mountaineers make use of the same instrument, and, like the Cossacks of
yore, often drag their prisoners at their horses' heels with the knot
round their neck or their waist--the other end of the _arkan_ being
tied to the saddle. This practice involuntarily reminds one of Achilles
dragging the body of Hector tied to his chariot.]
[Footnote 35: Gentlemen Officers.]
[Footnote 36: The Nakaznoï or temporary Ataman was elected for ope
single campaign, during which he had the full power of the Koschevoï,
and at the conclusion he resigned it to the latter.]
[Footnote 37: In the original, there follows here a list of Cossacks'
names, perfectly uninteresting: and almost unpronounceable to an
English reader. In several other places they have also been omitted.]
[Footnote 38: Constantinople.]
[Footnote 39: This is a usual phrase in Russian tales of olden times,
when recording the deeds of knights fighting (for the most part singly)
against swarms of infidels.]
[Footnote 40: The Zaporoghians had their trowsers made (when they had
the means to do so) of the most costly cloth, especially red, and
to express their contempt of luxury, besmeared them with tar. The
_nagaïkas_ is the Cossack whip, a weapon the impression of which many
a Frenchman bore on his back, after the invasion of Russia by Napoleon
the Great. Its handle is not more than half a yard long, the lash,
of the same length, consists of an iron wire, plaited all round with
leathern thongs, terminating in a square piece of leather, about an
inch in width. A blow of the nagaïka may break a bone, and a well-aimed
stroke of its square end may cut out a piece of flesh.]
[Footnote 41: Heydukes (properly haydooks) formed a select body in the
Polish army, and were recruited among the tallest and strongest men.]
[Footnote 42: For an account of the Sseim, see the note at page 163.]
[Footnote 43: The introduction of Popish rites into the Greek Church.]
[Footnote 44: _Boonchook_ is the name of a Turkish standard, consisting
of a horse-tail nailed to a pole. The Cossacks also used them besides
banners, which bore the image of the Saviour or the Virgin.]
[Footnote 45: All this is truly historical, and will be readily
believed by any one in the least acquainted with the national character
of the Poles.]
FINIS.