“I’d never fear wolves, were they more Than a score; Nor foes, were I fighting with men Ten times ten!” CHAPTER X The days between Corpus Christi and the next Sunday passed slowly for Matthew, Gregory, and their friends. Matthew had to suspend his work on Staho’s cabin, and the others too gave up their occupations, all their days and evenings being devoted to stirring up the people against the German settlers, and urging upon them the necessity of driving the latter out of Podlesie. On his side, the tavern-keeper was lavish of persuasions and—with opponents—of free drinks, and even loans. Nevertheless, it was very uphill work. The elders would scratch their heads and heave a deep sigh, but go no farther without consulting their women, who unanimously condemned any such enterprise against the Germans. “What folly is this?” they cried. “Have we not suffered enough on account of the forest? One affliction is not yet past, and they would bring down another upon us?” And the wife of the Soltys, usually a quiet woman, was near taking a besom to Gregory! “If you’d egg us on to another rising, I’ll give you up to the gendarmes! The lazy rogues!—they won’t work, and only want to lounge about!” she bawled at him outside her hut. Balcerkova, too, stormed at Matthew as fiercely: “Ye pack of idlers! I’ll set the dogs at you!... Aye, and have boiling water ready besides!” So they stood up stubbornly and unanimously against all persuasions, deaf both to arguments and to prayers, and would not hear reason. They clamoured against the men furiously, and often added tears to their clamours. “I’ll not let my goodman go! I will hang to the skirts of his capote, and hold fast, aye, should they break my arms! We have had woes enough!” Matthew cursed with rage. “May a brimstone thunderbolt blast you all!—Like magpies before rain: always shrieking, shrieking!—You’ll sooner teach human speech to a calf than words of wisdom to a woman,” he declared, bitterly disappointed. “Let them alone, Gregory; you’ll never get at their understanding,” he complained. “Were the woman your wife, perchance she might listen then. Otherwise, the only argument for her is—a stick!” “Nay, force is useless here,” Gregory said; “we must employ some other means with them. We must not contradict them at first, we even must approve ... so as to bring them round little by little.”