him with their own eyes, all in armor, with a sword in his hand and a crown on his head. Various stories, also, were current of the forces which he had with him, and in general the number of his dragoons was exaggerated to the fabulous. There were some who had seen ten thousand, and who could not wait till the last horses, men, gunners, and flags had passed.
"Surely," said they, "the Swedes will spring before them, but what they will do with such a force is unknown."
"Well," asked the king of Tyzenhauz, "was not Babinich right?"
"We are not in Lyubovlya yet, Gracious Lord," replied the young magnate.
Babinich was satisfied with himself and with the journey. Generally he went ahead of the king's party with the three Kyemliches, examining the road; sometimes he rode with the rest, entertaining the king with narratives of single incidents in the siege of Chenstohova, of which the king never had enough. And almost every hour that young hero, cheerful, mettlesome, eagle-like, drew nearer the heart of the king. Time passed for the monarch now in prayer, now in pious meditation on eternal life, now in discussing the coming war and the aid hoped from the emperor, and finally in looking at knightly amusements with which the attendant soldiers endeavored to shorten the time of the journey. For Yan Kazimir had this in his nature, that his mind passed easily from seriousness almost to frivolity, from hard labor to amusements, to which, when there was leisure, he gave himself with his whole soul, as if no care, no grief had pressed him at any time.
The soldiers then exhibited themselves, each with what he could do; the Kyemliches, Kosma, and Damian, immense and awkward figures, amused the king by breaking horseshoes, which they broke like canes; he paid them a thaler apiece, though his wallet was empty enough, for all his money, and even the diamonds and "parafanaly" (paraphernalia) of the queen, had been spent on the army.
Pan Andrei exhibited himself by throwing a heavy hatchet, which he hurled upward with such force that it was barely visible, and then he sprang under the instrument with his horse and caught it by the handle as it fell. At sight of this the king clapped his hands.
"I saw that done," said he, "by Pan Slushka, brother of the vice-chancellor's wife, but he threw not so high by half."
"This is customary with us in Lithuania," said Pan Andrei; "and when a man practises it from childhood he becomes skilful."
"Whence have you those scars across the lip?" asked the king of him once, pointing to Kmita's scars. "Some one went through you well with a sabre."
"That is not from a sabre, Gracious Lord, but from a bullet. I was fired at by a man who put the pistol to my mouth."
"An enemy or one of ours?"
"One of ours; but an enemy whom I shall yet call to account, and till that happens it is not proper for me to speak of it."
"Have you such animosity as that?"
"I have no animosity. Gracious Lord, for on my head I bear a still deeper scar from a sabre, through which cut my soul almost left me; but since an honorable man did it I harbor no offence against him." Kmita removed his cap and showed the king a deep furrow, the white edges of which were perfectly visible. "I am not ashamed of this wound," said he, "for it was given me by such a master that there is not another like him in the Commonwealth."
"Who is such a master?"
"Pan Volodyovski."
"For God's sake! I know him. He did wonders at Zbaraj. And I was at the wedding of his comrade, Skshetuski, who was the first to bring me news of the besieged. Those are great cavaliers! And with them was a third, him the whole army glorified as the greatest of all. A fat noble, and so amusing that we almost burst our sides from laughter."
"That is Pan Zagloba, I think!" said Kmita; "he is a man not only brave, but full of wonderful stratagems."
"Do you know what they are doing now?"
"Volodyovski used to lead dragoons with the voevoda of Vilna."
The king frowned. "And is he serving the Swedes now with the prince voevoda?"
"He! The Swedes? He is with Pan Sapyeha. I saw myself how, after the treason of the prince, he threw his baton at his feet."
"Oh, he is a worthy soldier!" answered the king. "From Pan Sapyeha we have had news from Tykotsin, where he is besieging the voevoda. God give him luck! If all were like him, the Swedish enemy would regret their undertaking."
Here Tyzenhauz, who had been listening to the conversation, asked suddenly, "Then were you with Radzivill at Kyedani?"
Kmita was somewhat confused, and began to throw up his hatchet. "I was," answered he.
"Give peace to your hatchet," said Tyzenhauz. "And what were you doing at the prince's house?"
"I was a guest," answered Kmita, impatiently, "and I ate his bread, until I was disgusted with his treason."
"And why did you not go with other honorable soldiers to Pan Sapyeha?"
"Because I had made a vow to go to Chenstohova, which you will more easily understand when I tell you that our Ostra Brama was occupied by the Northerners."
Tyzenhauz began to shake his head and smack his lips; this attracted the attention of the king, so that he looked inquiringly at Kmita. The latter, made impatient, turned to Tyzenhauz and said, —
"My worthy sir! Why do I not inquire of you where you have been, and what you have been doing?"
"Ask me," replied Tyzenhauz; "I have nothing to conceal."
"Neither am I before a court; and if I shall ever be, you will not be my judge. Leave me, then, that I lose not my patience."
When he had said this, he hurled the hatchet so sharply that it grew small in the height; the king raised his eyes after it, and at that moment he was thinking of nothing save this, would Babinich catch it in its fall, or would he not catch it?
Babinich put spurs to his horse, sprang forward, and caught it. That same evening Tyzenhauz said to the king, —
"Gracious Lord, this noble pleases me less and less."
"But me more and more," answered the king, pursing his lips.
"I heard to-day one of his people call him colonel; he only looked threateningly, and straightway confused the man. There is something in that."
"And it seems to me sometimes that he does not wish to tell everything," added the king; "but that is his affair."
"No, Gracious Lord," exclaimed Tyzenhauz, forcibly, "it is not his affair, it is our affair, and that of the whole Commonwealth. For if he is some traitor who is planning the death or captivity of your Royal Grace, then with your person will perish all those who at this moment have taken arms; the whole Commonwealth will perish, which you alone are competent to save."
"I will ask him myself to-morrow."
"God grant that I be a false prophet, but nothing good looks out of his eyes. He is too smart, too bold, too daring; and such people are ready for anything."
The king looked troubled. Next morning, when they moved on their journey, he beckoned Kmita to approach him.
"Where were you, Colonel?" asked the king, suddenly.
A moment of silence followed.
