Taras stamped furiously. "Ah, mercy, I will tell you everything!"

faltered the whilom conqueror of Ostrolenka, sinking to his knees.

"They did not think there was much fear of your coming, on account of the soldiers, but Mr. Hajek insisted on setting spies, that he might be warned of any possible danger. We were still at table--and a fine banquet it was--when suddenly the signal was given; there was barely time left to lock the outer gate and drag the mandatar from the house.

He could not stand on his own legs for fear of meeting you; but since there was a chance of his getting away safely through the orchards, and gaining the town, old Bogdan and his womenfolk undertook to lead you off the scent. They expected me to take a part also, but I stoutly refused. 'How should I deceive this Taras, this n.o.ble avenger,' I said; 'I shall do no such thing; for Taras is a brave man, an honourable man, a generous----'"

Which eulogy was not even heard by Taras. "Follow me!" he called out to his men, bursting from the house. "I want to have a word with that pack of deceivers; where are they?"

"Made their escape, hetman," reported the men at the door.

"Their escape? I will hold every one of you answerable!"

The two men in charge of the grounds now came up. "Hetman," they said; "we can hardly be blamed. These three deceitful serpents would have got round an archangel, not to say the devil himself. We had asked them to keep near the house, and there they stood awhile, when the old woman suddenly gave a cry with all the antics of swooning; upon which the young one implored us to a.s.sist in carrying her mother into the arbour yonder. And then she fell a-shrieking, 'Water! water! for pity's sake, get some water!' Well, as they were women after all, and the old man, who kept wringing his hands, a.s.sured us she would die unless we complied, what else could we do? We went for water, and returning quickly enough, we found they had gone--disappeared in the darkness. We searched the orchard, but they have escaped us, much to our disgust."

Taras looked gloomy.

"I may come back to that presently," he said, sternly; "the next thing to be done is this--the house which has given shelter to the mandatar, and whose owners have deceived me so shamefully, shall disappear from the earth.... Set fire to it, in the bas.e.m.e.nt, beneath the roof, everywhere--let it flare up quickly ... but "--and he drew his pistol--"if any of you value his life, let him beware of plundering!"

The men gave a wild halloo, brandishing their torches, and burst into the house.

"And what is to be done with this man?" said Wa.s.silj, dragging the Polish champion behind him.

"Who are you, then?" now asked Taras. "What is your name?"

"Thaddeus Bazanski, and--and----"

"I can tell you all about him," interrupted Wa.s.silj; "one of the mandatar's men has just told me. He is a miserable wretch, living on his betters, and making money in all sorts of mean ways. It is he that brought about the engagement between the mandatar and that fair, fat creature of a countess!"

"I don't deny it," cried the would-be n.o.bleman, eagerly. "But I am sure, if you knew all about her, and what bliss awaits your enemy in wedlock, you would say 'Thank you' to me!"

Taras could not repress a smile, the man spoke with such utter a.s.surance; but his brow clouded again as Wa.s.silj continued: "He is a Polish n.o.bleman by his own showing. True, he is nothing but a beggar now; but he keeps telling his listeners how _he_ got money out of his peasants before he lost his vast possessions."

"Indeed?" said Taras, frowningly.

"Ah, no," whined Thaddy; "I never owned any possessions. How, indeed, should I have come by any land?"

"Well, captain, these are his tales whenever he can get a man to drink with."

"That much is true," said the imperial offspring, with woe-begone countenance. "A man must live--I mean, one gets thirsty and is bound to drink. And no one will stand me a gla.s.s unless I give him a fine story in return. They don't mind the lying, so I go on inventing. But I am not n.o.ble at all--never was, or fought any battles either. My father was a poor cobbler, and I--I----"

"Well, out with it!"

"I am nothing particular, at present. How I manage to live, most honoured avenger, I have just confessed to you--this young man in that has spoken the truth. In my younger days I was a--a--well, something of an artist."

"Indeed! what sort of an artist?"

Thaddy smiled bashfully, and since the word was not forthcoming, he took refuge in signs, pa.s.sing his hands over his jaws and under his chin, at which he blushed and smiled afresh.

"What, a cut-throat?"

"Oh, dear, no; only a barber!" cried Thaddy. "As sure as I hope for better days, you may believe me--just nothing but a barber! And I think I could give you proof of my craft still. Might I perhaps have the honour----"

"No, thank you," said Taras, and turning to Wa.s.silj, he added, "Let him off!"

The hero of Ostrolenka bowed to the ground in grat.i.tude, and still clasping the famous confederatka, he vanished into the night as quickly as his legs would carry him.

The men returned. "We have done it, hetman," they reported. "We have set fire to all the rooms not facing the town, so that it may not be perceived there too soon."

The signal to mount was given; and the band was ready to start. "We will yet gain our end," cried Taras. "We will seek the wretch in his own dwelling within the town."

But he had scarcely done speaking, when the tocsin broke upon the night with its own lugubrious notes of warning. Taras looked at the villa, smoke was rising, but no flame as yet. "This is not the alarm of fire,"

he exclaimed, "but rather in warning of our coming! They must have received information. Well, never mind! The townsfolk will not harm us, and the few soldiers we shall get the better of. I suppose we must make straight for the main guard-house, and I should not wonder if we found our man there--he will not feel safe in his own dwelling. Are you ready?"

"Urrahah!" responded the men, and away they went.

The rest of it happened more quickly than it can be told.

The band made for the town at full gallop, every moment swelling the tumult ahead of them. All the bells of the place by this time had joined with the tocsin, filling the air with dismal, deafening sound.

The citizens had all awaked. "Fire!" cried some; "The avenger--save yourselves!" shouted others.

Meanwhile the night was lit up suddenly behind the riders, volumes of lurid flames rising to the heavens. The villa in a moment stood lapt in fire.

The band of hors.e.m.e.n was nearing the marketplace, the streets were heaving. Everywhere the people burst from their dwellings, some barely clad; and from hundreds of horror-struck voices the news rang through the air, "The avenger is upon us!" Some returned to their houses, endeavouring to barricade the doors, others in senseless terror rushed to the market-place.

"Urrahah!" was the war-cry resounding ever and anon through all the wild commotion. Like a mountain stream the cavalcade dashed onward, over the heads and limbs of any in their way. They reached the market-place. The main guardhouse was full of light, torches everywhere. In front of it the handful of soldiers drawn up with their corporal, muskets levelled.

Taras and his men burst upon the scene. The people, shrieking, ran hither and thither. The corporal gave the word, "Fire!" Milko fell from his horse, shot to the heart, and Nashko reeled in his saddle. Another moment and the soldiers were disarmed and cut down to a man.

Some of the band were left to guard the door, the others, following Taras, rushed into the building to seek the mandatar. The first-floor was utterly deserted, but at the top of the stairs two venerable figures awaited them, the burgomaster and the senior priest, falling on their knees. "Have mercy!" they pleaded, "the mandatar is not in the place."

"Where is he, then?"

"We cannot tell. If we knew, we would give him up to you, that other lives might be spared. He fainted in the fields, and maybe is lying there still. The groom who was to accompany him ran on alone to warn us of your coming."

"Can you swear it is so?"

They affirmed it on their oath.

"Then all the night's work has been for nothing!" cried Taras. "To seek him in the open fields would be useless, and the hussars may be back at any moment."

The signal was given, the outlaws mounted and dashed away with the same amazing rapidity with which they had come.

CHAPTER XVI.

THE AVENGER TO THE RESCUE.

The terrible night was over, the garrison had returned; but an agony of fear was uppermost in the district town. What Taras had dared seemed well-nigh incredible, and greater than the horror of what was past was the direful apprehension of what the future might bring. He might return any night; nay, in broad daylight even.