dark that even strain your eyes you could see nothing. Pan Andrei fell into such humor as if some one had given him the steed of the Sultan; and midnight had barely sounded when he stood before Charnyetski in his cavalry dress, the roll under his arm.
"I am going!" said he.
"Wait, I will speak to the prior."
"That is well. Kiss me. Pan Pyotr, and go for the prior."
Charnyetski kissed him with feeling, and turned away. He had hardly gone thirty steps when Kordetski stood before him in white. He had guessed that Kmita was going, and had come there to bless him.
"Babinich is ready; he is only waiting for your reverence."
"I hurry, I hurry!" answered the priest. "O Mother of God, save him and aid him!"
After a while both were standing at the opening where Charnyetski left Kmita, but there was no trace of him.
"He has gone!" said the prior, in amazement.
"He has gone!" repeated Charnyetski.
"But, the traitor!" said the prior, with emotion, "I intended to put this little scapular on his neck."
Both ceased to speak; there was silence around, and as the darkness was dense there was firing from neither side. On a sudden Charnyetski whispered eagerly, —
"As God is dear to me, he is not even trying to go in silence! Do you hear steps crushing the snow?"
"Most Holy Lady, guard thy servant!" said the prior.
Both listened carefully for a time, till the brisk steps and the noise on the snow had ceased.
"Do you know, your reverence, at moments I think that he will succeed, and I fear nothing for him. The strange man went as if he were going to an inn to drink a glass of liquor. What courage he has in him! Either he will lay down his head untimely, or he will be hetman. H'm! if I did not know him as a servant of Mary, I should think that he has – God give him success, God grant it to him! for such another cavalier there is not in the Commonwealth."
"It is so dark, so dark!" said Kordetski; "but they are on their guard since the night of your sortie. He might come upon a whole rank before he could see it."
"I do not think so. The infantry are watching, that I know, and watch carefully; but they are in the intrenchment, not before the muzzles of their own cannon. If they do not hear the steps, he can easily push under the intrenchment, and then the height of it alone will cover him – Uf!"
Here Charnyetski puffed and ceased speaking; for his heart began to beat like a hammer from expectation and alarm, and breath failed him.
Kordetski made the sign of the cross in the darkness.
A third person stood near the two. This was Zamoyski.
"What is the matter?" asked he.
"Babinich has gone to blow up the siege gun."
"How is that? What is that?"
"He took a roll of powder, cord, and flint, and went."
Zamoyski pressed his head between his hands.
"Jesus, Mary! Jesus, Mary! All alone?"
"All alone."
"Who let him go? That's an impossible deed!"
"I. For the might of God all things are possible, even his safe return," said Kordetski.
Zamoyski was silent. Charnyetski began to pant from emotion.
"Let us pray," said the prior.
The three knelt down and began to pray. But anxiety raised the hair on the heads of both knights. A quarter of an hour passed, half an hour, an hour as long as a lifetime.
"There will be nothing now!" said Charnyetski, sighing deeply.
All at once in the distance a gigantic column of flame burst forth, and a roar as if all the thunders of heaven had been hurled to the earth; it shook the walls, the church, and the cloister.
"He has burst it, he has burst it!" shouted Charnyetski.
New explosions interrupted further speech of his.
Kordetski threw himself on his knees, and raising his hands, cried to heaven, "Most Holy Mother, Guardian, Patroness, bring him back safely!"
A noise was made on the walls. The garrison, not knowing what had happened, seized their arms. The monks rushed from their cells. No one was sleeping. Even women sprang forth. Questions and answers crossed one another like lightnings.
"What has happened?"
"An assault!"
"The Swedish gun has burst!" cried one of the cannoneers.
"A miracle, a miracle!"
"The largest gun is burst!"
"That great one!"
"Where is the prior?"
"On the wall. He is praying; he did this."
"Babinich burst the gun!" cried Charnyetski.
"Babinich, Babinich! Praise to the Most Holy Lady! They will harm us no longer."
At the same time sounds of confusion rose from the Swedish camp. In all the trenches fires began to shine. An increasing uproar was heard. By the light of the fires masses of soldiers were seen moving in various directions without order, trumpets sounded, drums rolled continually; to the walls came shouts in which alarm and amazement were heard.
Kordetski continued kneeling on the wall.
At last the night began to grow pale, but Babinich came not to the fortress.
CHAPTER IV
What had happened to Pan Andrei, and in what way had he been able to carry out his plan?
After leaving the fortress he advanced some time with a sure and wary step. At the very end of the slope he halted and listened. It was silent around, – so silent in fact that his steps were heard clearly on the snow. In proportion as he receded from the walls, he stepped more carefully. He halted again, and again listened. He was somewhat afraid of slipping and falling, and thus dampening his precious roll; he drew out his rapier therefore and leaned on it. That helped him greatly. Thus feeling his way, after the course of half an hour he heard a slight sound directly in front.
"Ah! they are watching. The sortie has taught them wariness," thought he.
And he went farther now very slowly. He was glad that he had not gone astray, for the darkness was such that he could not see the end of the rapier.
"Those trenches are considerably farther: I am advancing well then!" whispered he to himself.
He hoped also not to find men before the intrenchment; for, properly speaking, they had nothing to do there, especially at night. It might be that at something like a hundred or fewer yards apart single sentries were stationed; but he hoped to pass them in such darkness. It was joyous in his
