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
The Swedes were confused for a time, especially since a considerable
number of them fell from the first blow; but soon recovering, they went
powerfully against the enemy. Their flanks came together; and since the
Polish squadron was pushing ahead anyhow, for it wished to pass through
with a thrust, it was soon surrounded. The Swedish centre yielded
before the squadron, but the flanks pressed on it with the greater
power, unable to break it; for it defended itself with rage and with
all that incomparable adroitness which made the Polish cavalry so
terrible in hand-to-hand conflict. Sabres toiled then against rapiers,
bodies fell thickly; but the victory was just turning to the Swedish
side when suddenly from under the dark wall of the pinewood rolled out
another squadron, and moved forward at once with a shout.
The whole right wing of the Swedes, under the lead of Sweno, faced the
new enemy in which the trained Swedish soldiers recognized hussars.
They were led by a man on a valiant dapple gray; he wore a burka, and a
wild-cat skin cap with a heron feather. He was perfectly visible to the
eye, for he was riding at one side some yards from the soldiers.
“Charnyetski! Charnyetski!” was the cry in the Swedish ranks.
Sweno looked in despair at the sky, then pressed his horse with his
knees and rushed forward with his men.
But Charnyetski led his hussars a few yards farther, and when they were
moving with the swiftest rush, he turned back alone.
With that a third squadron issued from the forest, he galloped to that
and led it forward; a fourth came out, he led that on; pointing to each
with his baton, where it must strike. You would have said that he was a
man leading harvesters to his field and distributing work among them.
At last, when the fifth squadron had come forth from the forest, he put
himself at the head of that, and with it rushed to the fight.
But the hussars had already forced the right wing to the rear, and
after a while had broken it completely; the three other squadrons,
racing around the Swedes in Tartar fashion and raising an uproar, had
thrown them into disorder; then they fell to cutting them with steel,
to thrusting them with lances, scattering, trampling, and finally
pursuing them amid shrieks and slaughter.
Kanneberg saw that he had fallen into an ambush, and had led his
detachment as it were under the knife. For him there was no thought of
victory now; but he wished to save as many men as possible, hence he
ordered to sound the retreat. The Swedes, therefore, turned with all
speed to that same road by which they had come to Vyelki Ochi; but
Charnyetski’s men so followed them that the breaths of the Polish
horses warmed the shoulders of the Swedes.
In these conditions and in view of the terror which had seized the
Swedish cavalry, that return could not take place in order; and soon
Kanneberg’s brilliant division was turned into a crowd fleeing in
disorder and slaughtered almost without resistance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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