Arthur W. Marchmont

“ He was so obviously in earnest that I saw it was useless to attempt to argue him out of his superstition.
“Well, witch or no witch, spell or no spell, I am going to see her into safety,” I answered firmly.
“You’ll live to rue it, Burgwan. If I help you, it’s because I serve you; not to serve her, God’s curse on her;” and he crossed himself again and spat again, as he always did when he spoke of her. “If you want to be safe from her spells and the devil, her master, you’d better twist her neck at midnight and lop off her hands. It’s the only way to break the spell when once cast.” ”

“ You have seen Gatrina for the last time, Mr. Bergwyn.”
“I will go to the Queen herself and deny it.”
“You might, if she would receive you. But Gatrina was supposed to be coming as a last step to win you and your money to the side of the Court. Can she carry back any news other than that her mission as Queen’s Advocate has failed? You are now, indeed, pledged to support the cause of Her Majesty’s bitterest enemies—the army. And even angry as you are now, you can judge the prospect of your reception. You have chosen your side and must take the bitter with the sweet.” ”

“ Chris succeeded where I had failed.
“What is that?” It was Gatrina’s voice; and hearing it the dog whined and barked joyfully.
“It is Chris,” I called. “We are here to save you. Open the door for the love of God at once.”
“Who is that speaking?”
“It is I, Bourgwan,” I replied, my voice unsteady in my excitement. “There is not a moment to lose.”
“Where are the soldiers?”
“I will explain all. For God’s sake come or it will be too late. Every second is precious.” ”

“ Your carriage is waiting, Baroness.”
She gazed at me intently; and gradually her features and the expression of her eyes hardened.
“As you will—but that decision will cost you dear. The men whom you have helped or are going to help with your money are assassins; and when they have done their work and when the city runs red with blood, and both the Queen and her advocate, Gatrina, lie dead among their victims, you will remember this hour and your rejection of my help; and eat out your heart in belated, unavailing regret. ”

“ I had halted at a point where the road forked and, in considerable doubt which way to ride, was anxiously consulting my map when Chris put his nose to the ground and whimpered.
“Steady, Chris, good dog, steady,” I whispered; and he knew he was to make no noise. “Someone is about,” I said to Mademoiselle. We sat silent and listened, and presently heard the throbbing of hoofs from the direction we had been riding.
“Two horses,” said Karasch, whose hearing was very acute.
“It may be nothing. Ride into the shadow of those trees and let Karasch and Chris go with you,” I said to Mademoiselle. ”

“ Crime you call it?” I answered, passionately. “Crime? To tie up half a dozen men in order to prevent a real crime, murder, being committed? If mine is the crime, all I can say is I am guilty of it, and would be guilty of it a hundred times over.”
“This heat will serve no purpose, Mr. Bergwyn,” said the major, after a pause.
“You’re right there; we’ll have no more of it. I’ll tell you how the thing arose—for I’ve nothing to conceal;” and I told him plainly how I had overheard the talk between the spy from Gatrina’s house and just what I had done afterwards. ”

“ I declared, angrily. “Please to loose that bridle, Mademoiselle.”
“Not until you break my arm, Burgwan.”
I sat still looking with a child’s sullen anger into her clear, calm, resolute eyes.
“If you were a man....” I began and then laughed. “I’m a fool and that’s all there is to it. I’ll get off—but I won’t forgive you. This is mutiny.” I rolled from the saddle and was glad of the help of Karasch’s sturdy arm. “You don’t seem very weak, you coward,” I said, half in earnest, half in jest. ”

“ I was seized by three soldiers.
“Lieutenant, you will tell Colonel Petrosch how I, his personal friend, have been condemned without a hearing.”
“Away with him,” shouted the captain, stamping with rage. The men began to lead me away.
“This is murder, and shall not be done,” cried Gatrina, jumping to her feet.
“Silence, woman,” exclaimed the bully. “Your doom is near, too.”
“I will not be silent while murder is being done. I call upon all of you to stop this murder. You, sir,” turning to the lieutenant. ”

“ Bergwyn has told me that many murders have been committed in the night. There will be a heavy reckoning for each of them.”
“Lives have been taken, it is true, because, as we believe, no other course was left, if a violent revolution, followed by the horrors of a civil war, was to be avoided. Better for half a dozen lives to be taken deliberately than as many thousands in a civil war. What we have done we have done; and we leave the issue to God. The future will judge whether we have done right.”
“Cold blooded murder cannot be justified by an appeal to the Almighty,” said Gatrina, indignantly. ”

“ I looked at Gartski and the third man closely, for any sign that they had had a hand in it; but their superstitious fear was too genuine to be doubted.
“Turn the horses over,” I ordered; but they shrank away and obstinately refused to put a finger near them.
“Who is smeared with the blood of a witch-killed beast dies before the moon is old,” said Karasch. “They must burn where they lie.”
“You’re a set of fools,” I cried angrily. But neither anger nor request was heeded. ”

“ The world appeared all bright and glorious for us, and care and trouble far away.
Karasch was with us, of course; solemn, reserved and taciturn as ever; but breaking into a sort of grim smile whenever Gatrina spoke to him to point out some bit of the road where some incident of that other ride had occurred.
Buller I packed off to Samac to go by rail and meet us afterwards at a place to which we could get the train from Tuzla on the other side of the camp. He did not belong to our hill comradeship and would have been in the way. ”

“ I have no mercy for a witch. God curse them all;” and he crossed himself earnestly and spat on the ground.
“She is no witch, Karasch, but just a girl in a plight.”
“A witch can look just as she pleases. You don’t know them, Burgwan”—this was how they pronounced my name. “She was an old woman when she left Belgrade. My friend told me that; and she’s been growing younger every hour. She’s known to be a hundred years old at least. She’s cast her spell over you.” ”

“ I went over to them and found that Karasch had strapped the man’s legs tight together and was holding on to the strap with his one arm while the Austrian was fighting and wrestling to get free.
“Down, Chris. You may loose him, Mademoiselle,” I said; and the good dog came instantly to heel. “Stand from him, Karasch,” I called next. “Now, sir, you must stop those cries; or I shall put the dog on you.”
“This is an outrage, an infernal outrage, and you shall all suffer for it,” he cried, furiously.
“It’s done by my orders. The outrage is that you should endeavour to force yourself upon us.” ”

“ I kept all these thoughts to myself, however, and pushed on as fast as practicable, although both Mademoiselle and Karasch urged me more than once to halt and rest.
“We must get on while the light lasts,” was my answer. “We shall be compelled to rest when the dark falls;” and the only time we slackened speed was when the nature of the road compelled us.
“I wish you would rest, Burgwan, if only for an hour,” said Mademoiselle as we were walking the horses up a hill. ”

“ Whom should I see?”
“You must take it from us that we are united, Bergwyn: for no one knows it. That the army, if united, must be all powerful, you can learn from any one anywhere. No one doubts it. Here, see these people;” ”

“ A Mexican had taught me—an adept with the knife, with half a score of lives to the credit of his skill. I stood all the time quite still; every nerve at tension, every muscle ready for the spring when the moment came, but wasting no strength in useless feints. The less you do before the moment comes, the more you can do when it does come.
Never for an instant did my eyes stray from his; noting every change of expression; watching every movement, step, and gesture; almost every breath he drew; and using every second to find the weak spot in his attack. ”

“ I told Karasch what had passed, emphasising what the leader had said about the prisoner being no witch.
“But you said she had put a charm over your life, Burgwan.”
“Because I saw you were set on killing her. She is no witch, but a prisoner of great importance. They are to have three thousand gulden for taking her to Maglai.”
“Three thousand gulden!” he cried, his eyes wide at the thought of such a sum. To him it was a fortune.
“Would anyone pay so much for a witch, Karasch?”
He shook his head.
“The man may be lying.” ”

“ But I feel such a coward now for all that I have had to do against you. I could help you in all—all except Gatrina. That can never be possible for you. But you are being so shamefully betrayed.”
“I have given you my answer.”
“Yes, I know, and I know how dogged you are. [285] But if you trust these officers, this Colonel Petrosch, he will only deceive you. I told you before, that their policy is to be summed up in one word—assassination; if once they resolve to move. We all know that and dread it for the sake of Servia. And if you help them with money, they will take it and only lie to you. ”

“ It was of Elma’s lie. “In that you did me grave wrong. I had no thought but for you in coming here; and none in staying. You might have trusted me after that day at Samac.”
[394] “I did not mistrust you. I thought only of your——” she hesitated in sudden embarrassment.
“Let all be clear now between us, Gatrina. We may never meet again or we may never part again—as you decide it. The stake is too great for us to risk it all for the lack of plain words. I know what is in your thoughts; but on my honour it was never for an instant in mine, and never could be. Do believe that.” ”

“ Bergwyn. Isn’t it an extraordinary coincidence, Gatrina, that Mr. Bergwyn should have an immense dog, positively [237] an immense creature of the same name, Chris? I declare I’ve been thinking about it ever since I left your house;” and she turned to me with a glance. Her audacity increased with every fresh thrust she made.
“There are many big dogs in the world, Baroness, and not nearly enough names to go round. Thousands of them must bear the same; and a dog is not like us, you see, and cannot change its name.” ”

“ At the door she turned, her face very pale, her manner and tone cold as ice. ‘Under the circumstances, Captain Nikolitch, your presence is an insult,’ she said. And never in my life have I felt the lash of a woman’s tongue more keenly. I suppose she was mad you had told me anything of how matters stood with you. I felt like a whipped cur as I stumbled out of the room.”
[318] “Well, it’s just a devil of a mess, that’s all, and we’ll have to find some way of helping her against her will.”
I told him of the result of my visit to Petrosch and of the confirmation of the news from Elma. ”

“ The three horses lay dead on the shed floor, each in a pool of blood; and on the quarter of each of them a small ring of blood was to be seen some two inches across. Peering into the shed stood the horse from which Karasch had just dismounted, his neck outstretched and his ears cocked in fear.
Karasch and Petrov were inside, preternaturally [43] grave and awe-struck. Both looked as frightened as Gartski when he had come running with the news to me; and Karasch pointed ominously in turn at the marks on each of the dead animals.
“The witch’s mark. It’s always there,” he said. ”

“ Bergwyn, I am not a talebearer,” she answered with a quick shrug of the shoulders.
“You allow other people to carry tales to you. But that perhaps is your interpretation of consistency. Do you believe what I told you?”
“Shall we change the subject, Mr. Bergwyn? I hope your impressions of Belgrade, so far as the scenery is concerned, have been pleasant.” Her assumption of courtesy was excellent.
“Do you believe what I told you that I came here without knowing of the presence of the Baroness von Tulken?”
“The views from the higher grounds are considered to be among the finest in Europe. ”

“ He was a Major Kireef whom I had met at the Palace reception.
I was placed in front of him, and two or three of the soldiers took up positions by Gatrina. As the major held my fate and perhaps my life in his hands, I scrutinised him closely. He was a man between forty and fifty years of age; his face strong but not harsh; his manner peremptory as of one accustomed to exact prompt obedience; but he gave me the impression that he would deal justly even if sternly. A vastly different type of man from the red-headed, passionate beast whose place he had taken. ”

“ It led direct to the tent.
“Let me see to your arm, Karasch,” I said first, intending to let them have some minutes to recover from the first effects of their stupefaction.
“No, Burgwan. You have cursed blood on you. You cannot touch me. I should die, too.”
“Very well, then, we’ll settle this thing first. You saddled Karasch’s horse last night, Gartski. Did you fasten the shed afterwards?”
“No; we never fasten it. Bars won’t keep out devils.”
“This is the work of no devil. Those horses have been killed by someone who plunged a knife into their hearts and then cut that ring on the haunch. ”

“ If it came to a head and Elma’s grim forecast of assassination were realised, it would be directed against the Obrenovics family as a whole. Gatrina, as a member of that family, would be in actual personal danger; for it was difficult to think that one so directly in the line of succession as she was would be allowed to slip through the meshes of a net flung wide and drawn in by strong, angry, merciless hands. ”

“ I answered lightly,
“One never knows. The world’s a small place now. You might come to America some day.”
“No, no. That is impossible,” she interjected quickly.
“Then I might go to Belgrade.”
“No, no,” she exclaimed again in the same quick tone. “That too must be impossible.”
“Impossible is a word we are going to wipe out of the American dictionary,” I replied, with a smile. “We shall see; but as we are at the top of the hill we’ll hurry on to Samac—the first stage, whether for America or Belgrade.” ”

“ I led the way motioning to Karasch to walk at Gatrina’s side, with two of the men in front and two bringing up the rear. The women thinking the thing real began to weep.
I had heard the soldiers coming up and they met us on the stairs. The only chance was to put as bold a face as possible on the matter and with as much show of authority as I could assume, I said:
“Is the way from the house clear? I shall take the prisoner by the back through the garden.” ”

“ He shook his head. “It does not matter now, Mr. Bergwyn. I have told you nothing—I could tell you nothing, of course—that may not be openly repeated. It is too late for anything of that kind to signify now. The army is too strong to be shaken from its purpose by anything that could happen. You will see that yourself very soon. The die is cast.”
This indifference to publicity amazed me as much as anything he had said in the interview and confirmed the absorbingly gloomy impression which he had created.
I drove back to my house feverishly anxious now to hear how Nikolitch had fared with Gatrina. ”

“ It is because I realise the peril that encircles you that I speak so plainly. All the parties concerned—the Court, the army and the Russian—are struggling for their own objects; and however that struggle may end, you stand to lose all. If the Court wins, you will be set aside; if the Russian, you might gain the throne for a while, but the country would be convulsed by a revolution ”

“ He turned deathly pale and beads of perspiration stood on his forehead, as he stared at me horror-struck. “And I have sworn to save you.” It was just a whisper of dismay and helplessness, and it showed the struggle which was raging between his superstition and his fealty to me.
“I’ll release you from your oath to me, if you wish; and you and the rest can leave as soon as you like.”
“No, by God, no; not if I’m damned forever,” he cried. “I’ll stand by you, Burgwan, mad blind fool though you’ve been. Curse the witch and all her infernal arts;” ”