Page:Henryk Sienkiewicz - Potop - The Deluge (1898 translation by Jeremiah Curtin) - Vol 1.djvu/402

372 "Be cautious yourself on the road; and those rascals, the confederates, who have mutinied against me and are ravaging Podlyasye, for God's sake think how to disperse them, lest they go to the king. They are preparing to visit Zabludovo, and beer in that place is strong; when they get drunk, let them be cut off, — each host may finish his guest. Nothing better is needed; for when the heads are removed, the rest will scatter —"

Boguslav threw the letter with vexation on the table.

"Listen, Pan Kmita," said he, "you see I have to go to Prussia and at the same time arrange a slaughter in Zabludovo. I must feign myself a partisan of Yan Kazimir and a patriot, and at the same time cut off those people who are unwilling to betray the king and the country. Is that sense? Does one hang to the other? Ma foi, the prince is losing his head. I have met now, while coming to Pilvishki, a whole insurgent squadron travelling along through Podlyasye. I should have galloped over their stomachs with gladness, even to gain some amusement ; but before I am an open partisan of the Swedes, while my uncle the elector holds formally with the Prussian towns, and with Yan Kazimir too, I cannot permit myself such pleasure, God knows I cannot. What could I do more than to be polite to those insurgents, as they are polite to me, suspecting me of an understanding with the hetman, but not having black on white?"

Here the prince lay back comfortably in the armchair, stretched out his legs, and putting his hands behind his head carelessly, began to repeat, —

"Ah, there is nonsense in this Commonwealth, nonsense! In the world there is nothing like it!"

Then he was silent for a moment; evidently some idea came to his head, for he struck his wig and inquired, —

"But will you not be in Podlyasye?"

"Yes," said Kmita, "I must be there, for I have a letter with instructions to Harasimovich, the under-starosta in Zabludovo."

"In God's name!" exclaimed the prince, "Harasimovich is here with me. He is going with the hetman's effects to Prussia, for we were afraid that they might fall into the hands of the confederates. Wait, I will have him summoned."

Here the prince summoned a servant and ordered him to call the under-starosta.

"This has happened well," said the prince. "You will