For the Right Part 41

"You may kill us, hetman," he cried pa.s.sionately, "but we shall not again follow you: we will never again lift hand at your bidding. We cannot bear it any longer, to spill the blood of men who are unable to resist us. We fear the judgment of G.o.d!"

Taras was not utterly unprepared for this terrible accusation, Jemilian, more than once, having reported to him remarks he had overheard among the men. Sophron's words, at the same time, struck to his heart; and he who had not quailed when all the band seemed ready to turn upon him now leant on his musket, for he trembled, and his voice quivered as he made answer, "G.o.d is with those who love justice! This is, and has been, my stand-by; I require none other, and it ought to hold good for you."

"Then how do you know that that which is just in your sight is just also in the sight of G.o.d?" cried Sophron ... "Tell me," he continued excitedly, taking hold of the hetman's hand, "speak, Taras, and prove it, that G.o.d has shown you His will better and plainer than to others.

Prove it, and show us that you have a right to judge men in His name--that the power you claim is given you by Him above!"

An ugly peal of laughter burst from Iwon and his party, but the Royal Eagle indignantly ordered them to hold their peace. Taras looked fixedly before him.

"Tell us!" Sophron repeated.

"What I have to say, you have known from the beginning," Taras made answer at length, but his voice was hollow. "I claim no power beyond that which every honest man is called to in this unhappy land, where right is not otherwise to be found."

"This is nonsense!" cried Sophron wildly, "I have suffered greater wrong than you. I have lost all, my property, my wife, my child, I have myself been imprisoned, and with no earthly show of justice. Yes, I have been wronged, cruelly, and so have you--I will admit it--and many another, no doubt! But for all that, can you prove that there is nothing left for honest men but to turn murderers themselves? What would become of mankind, I ask you--what of this country, if every man who has suffered innocently felt called upon to do as you have done?...

Taras, you have misled us--you are grievously mistaken. And as for us, our latter ruin is likely to be worse that our former! Say, what answer shall we make to the Judge above, when He inquires of us, saying: 'What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from the ground!'"

"Listen to him! that comes of having been a choir leader!" cried Iwon, with a sneer. But again the Huzul chief silenced him peremptorily.

"What is it you want?" said Taras, hoa.r.s.ely.

"We want to leave you!" cried Sophron. "Let us go--we cannot bear it any longer.... We will try to live honestly and peacefully again; we will go away from this country which we have defiled with so much blood-shedding--far, far away. We will try to expiate the great wrong we have committed. And if our deep sorrow avails not, if the Almighty cannot again turn His face upon us, and we must fall into the hands of earthly judges, be it so, we have deserved it."

"You are at liberty to go," said Taras.

And wild excitement filled the air. The men of Sophron's party seemed beside themselves with the sudden prospect of quitting their present mode of life. "Would that we had spoken sooner!" they, kept crying.

"Any one is at liberty," repeated Taras; "let all those whose conscience forbids them to continue with me, lift up their right hand."

Some forty men gave the required token; and, as Taras could see at a glance, he was losing the most trustworthy of his followers--not counting his own few personal adherents.

He heaved a sigh. "Step aside to yonder fir-tree," he said, "I will settle with you presently; you shall have your share of the common property. But I must arrange with these others first," He drew himself up proudly, and his eyes shot fire. "Now for you, Iwon Pistak!" he cried.

The giant hung back, but his fellows pushed him forward. "Why should I bear the brunt of it," he muttered; but gathering courage, he continued: "Well, you know our meaning, hetman, and I daresay you find it natural; for after all, why should we go and help those fellows in the Bukowina, utter strangers to us? and don't you think we owe something to ourselves? Supposing now, we did your bidding, we might find the manor garrisoned and soldiers in the cottages, some of their bullets might hit, and we lose life or limb--that is looking at the worst side. But at best--well, we kill the landlord or his steward, men who never have done us any harm, we help these wretched Bukowinians to get their money back, and then we return on our steps poor as church mice, even as we went. Is that fair, we ask? You call yourself an avenger, and we grant you are just, but in justice to ourselves you ought to allow us something for our pains, now, oughtn't you? Where would be the harm if you allowed us to go shares with the peasants in any money found, for after all it is our doing if they get any at all!

And moreover, Taras, we do think it is ridiculous to expect of us fighting-men to live like a parcel of monks! We want to enjoy life, we----"

"That will do," interrupted Taras, "and what if I deny your requests?"

"In that case, Taras," declared the giant, with a foolish grin, "you couldn't be offended if we gave you the slip; we might carry on a warfare against rich wrong-doers on our own account, mightn't we?"

"That will do!" and Taras turned to the fellows of this man. "Whoever of you is of his way of thinking, let him signify it by lifting up his right hand." In a moment some fifty hands went up in the air. Taras would not have believed it possible, but he looked neither surprised nor mortified. "Very well," he said, "take your place by this rock, you shall have your due."

He stepped up to Julko. "And what about you?" he said, "do you also want to leave me?"

"It is not for me alone to decide," replied the Royal Eagle, gloomily, "else we should have left weeks ago. It is neither your fault nor ours!

But the Huzuls have ever been free--we are not a submissive race. Of course we should always obey the hetman of our choosing, but I also must say that men who are willing to be hajdamaks do not expect to live like monks. We should, indeed, have given up long ago but for my father, who would not hear of it. This was his message when I sent him word of our desire: 'It is not I who commanded you to join Taras's banner; but neither did I forbid it, for I lay down no law unless I see absolute need of it; moreover, I consider Taras to be an honest man, who knows what he is about, and I approve of his warfare. If you think differently, the question is whether he has ever expected anything of you beyond that which you knew he would expect when you joined him. If this is the case you may break with him; but if not, you must stay!'

This is my father's opinion, Taras!"

"And what is yours? Do you think, as he puts it, you ought to leave me?"

"No; else we should not be here still. But I say this, that we did not much consider what might be your real meaning when we came to you, or perhaps we misunderstood you entirely. So what we propose now is this: Take us back to the Black Water and we will submit the case to my father in person. He shall hear you and hear us, and we will leave him time to think it over; if after that he still will have us continue as your followers, we shall do so, whatever our own feelings may be."

"And if I do not agree to this proposal?"

"Then we leave you this very day," said the Royal Eagle, curtly. "I will answer for it to my father."

"In that case," said Taras, after a pause, "I must accept your proposal; you will see for yourself, Julko, that I have no other choice. If I had began this work for any advantage of my own, or merely to satisfy private revenge, I should have no need to appeal to you for your services any longer. For in that case I should turn the pistol against my own head at once, if I had not done so long ago!... But I have undertaken to fight for a holy cause, and I must not, I dare not, give it up till all means have failed me. I could not continue the work with the handful of faithful followers I have left; I must hope, therefore, that your father will be on my side. But at the present moment I have something else to ask of you, and you will do it, for it is a duty, Julko--the duty of an honest man!"

The Royal Eagle bent closer. "I guess your meaning," he said, under his breath; "it concerns Iwon and his fellows. You want to pa.s.s sentence on them."

"No, not that; for, evil as their intentions are, they have as yet committed no crime to be atoned for with their lives. But I must not permit these men to use their weapons, which have served a holy cause, for murder and robbery in the future. I will disarm them. Will you help me?"

"Of course we will!"

Thereupon Taras went over to Sophron and his party, asking their a.s.sistance also, which was readily granted.

But Iwon and his fellows little guessed what was in store for them.

Standing or lying about, they talked noisily of the merry life they now hoped to lead, when suddenly to the right and to the left ranks were forming against them. They flew to arms, but it was too late; they saw themselves surrounded, and a circle of muskets levelled at their heads.

Taras fearlessly went up to them. "Lay down your arms," he commanded.

"Not before I have made a last use of mine," cried Iwon, enraged, and, s.n.a.t.c.hing up his pistol, he discharged it at Taras.

The bullet missed its mark, striking a tree close beside the captain; but another bullet proved true to its aim. Lazarko, quick as lightning, had fired back at the a.s.sailant of his beloved master. The giant's hand went up to his head, he staggered, and fell heavily to the ground.

The sudden death of their ringleader so terrified the mutinous men that they obeyed helplessly, laying down their arms and entreating Taras to forgive them this once, and they would do his bidding for ever.

But he shook his head. "I know you now," he said, sternly, "men of your sort are no fit champions of a holy cause. Go your ways, and seek a better occupation than you intended. Green Giorgi and the rest of the hajdamaks have disappeared, for they are afraid of me; should you make common cause with them they might venture forth from their hiding-places and once more be the pest of the land. Take warning, then, for I shall hold you answerable. If any crimes are committed I shall know that you are the scoundrels whom I shall have to deal with next. And be very certain I shall find you, if need be."

"We will seek an honest livelihood, indeed we will!" they a.s.serted, trembling.

"So much the better," he returned, coldly. "I charge you to do as you promise, lest I should have to make good my word."

Thereupon Jemilian, by his orders, gave to every man who was ready to go food for three days and his fair share of the common purse, the disarmed number starting first, abashed and silent. And then the word was given for a general departure.

"Say a kind word to us before leaving," said Sophron, with honest entreaty, and all the rest of that party pressed round the captain, begging him to forgive them. "We are sorry, but we must do it," they pleaded.

"I know," said Taras: "I bear you no grudge; but you also shall believe that it is laid upon me to act as I have done. Farewell, and G.o.d grant that we may not meet again!"

"Oh!" cried Sophron, "then you do bear us ill-will?"

"No," said Taras, and his voice was low with inward emotion; "indeed I wish you well, and that is why I said, G.o.d grant that we may not meet again on the road--that road which is marked out for me. Fare ye well!"

He spurred his horse, and, followed by his own friends and the Huzuls, he led the way towards the Red Hollow. The night fell, and the stars looked down upon the deserted camp by the Crystal Springs. Taras never returned to it.

They reached the Black Water, after four days of desperate riding through the pathless forest wilds. Their coming was entirely unexpected; but all the greater was the delight of the tribe at the return of the clansmen. Taras, too, was received with a hearty welcome.

Those savage natures are not p.r.o.ne to show affection; but having made friends, they are fast and true. They had received the unhappy man with real sympathy on his first seeking their alliance. His dauntless courage struck a kindred chord, not to mention an undercurrent of _nave_ grat.i.tude in their minds, as though they were indeed beholden to him for being such a thorn in the flesh of the powers they hated.

And when the aged Hilarion had clasped hands with Taras, in token of mutual friendship, the wild shouts of "Urrahah" that filled the air, if an expression of savage delight, promised faithful adherence as well....

This being the case, the returning champions were loth to disclose the real reason of their arrival, and with tacit consent deferred matters to the following morning, when Julko and Taras together sought the presence of Hilarion, informing him of the state of affairs calmly and without bitterness.