The Deluge: An Historical Novel of Poland, Sweden, and Russia. Vol. 2Sienkiewicz, Henryk
History
The Deluge: An Historical Novel of Poland, Sweden, and Russia. Vol. 2
Sienkiewicz, Henryk
Historical fiction; Poland -- History -- John II Casimir, 1648-1668 -- Fiction
Pan Sapyeha was quartered temporarily at Byala. His forces were
composed of about ten thousand regular troops, cavalry and infantry.
They were the remnants of the Lithuanian armies, increased by new men.
The cavalry, especially some of the squadrons, surpassed in valor and
training the Swedish horsemen; but the infantry were badly trained, and
lacked firearms, powder, and cannon. Sapyeha had thought to find these
in Tykotsin; but the Swedes, by blowing themselves up with the powder,
destroyed at the same time all the cannons of the castle.
Besides these forces there were in the neighborhood of Byala twelve
thousand general militia from all Lithuania, Mazovia, and Podlyasye;
but from few of these did the voevoda promise himself service,
especially since having an immense number of wagons they hindered
movement and turned the army into a clumsy, unwieldy multitude.
Kmita thought of one thing in entering Byala. There were under Sapyeha
so many nobles from Lithuania and so many of Radzivill’s officers, his
former acquaintances, that he feared they would recognize him and cut
him to pieces before he could cry, “Jesus! Mary!”
His name was detested in Sapyeha’s camp and in all Lithuania; for men
still preserved in vivid remembrance the fact that while serving Prince
Yanush, he had cut down those squadrons which, opposing the hetman, had
declared for the country.
Pan Andrei had changed much, and this gave him comfort. First, he had
become thin; second, he had the scar on his face from Boguslav’s
bullet; finally, he wore a beard, rather long, pointed in Swedish
fashion, and his mustache he combed upward, so that he was more like
some Erickson than a Polish noble.
“If there is not a tumult against me at once, men will judge me
differently after the first battle,” thought Kmita, when entering
Byala.
He arrived in the evening, announced who he was, whence he had come,
that he was bearing letters from the king, and asked a special audience
of the voevoda.
The voevoda received him graciously because of the warm recommendation
of the king, who wrote,—
“We send to you our most faithful servant, who is called the Hector of
Chenstohova, from the time of the siege of that glorious place; and he
has saved our freedom and life at the risk of his own during our
passage through the mountains. Have him in special care, so that no
injustice come to him from the soldiers. We know his real name, and the
reasons for which he serves under an assumed one; no man is to hold him
in suspicion because of this change, or suspect him of intrigues.”
“But is it not possible to know why you bear an assumed name?” asked
the voevoda.
“I am under sentence, and cannot make levies in my own name. The king
gave me a commission, and I can make levies as Babinich.”
“Why do you want levies if you have Tartars?”
“For a greater force would not be in the way.”
“And why are you under sentence?”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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