Harold Lamb

“ NINE times in ten, a company of soldiers thoroughly thrashed and dispersed in strange country would have scattered helplessly through the forest. The cry, “Each man for himself,” would have meant death for all at the hands of the Moslems.
In fact the warriors from the corsair had kindled torches and were searching the wood in bands, expecting to hunt down the fugitives.
On every hand, however, as the Turks advanced, the cries of beasts arose in the brush. The yelp of a jackal answered the whining snarl of a panther, and, more distant than the rest, the howling of a wolf rose steadily. ”

“ Never before now had he been called upon to defend a galley and his mind misgave him, as to what should be done.
“What is our best course?” he asked Balaban, who stood with Ostrog at the steering oars.
“Row on, lash the slaves and gain what time we may. The sun is near to setting, and when darkness falls we may run the galley ashore and shift, each for himself, in the forest.”
“Better,” growled Ayub, who liked this counsel little, “to turn in our tracks and fall on them with our sabers.” ”

“ Demid’s keen eyes studied the polished poop of the pursuer, outlined clearly in the setting sun, and the steady beat of the long oars. Now he could hear the measured throbbing of the drum on the Moslem ship—could make out the lateen sail clewed up skilfully. Every warrior except the helms man and the reis was stretched prone on the deck, to offer less resistance to the air.
“Aye,” Balaban noticed his gaze, “’tis a corsair from Barbary, on cruise in the Black Sea to collect wealth for the Sultan, doubtless. ”

“ Turning back through the lattice, he raced for the steps, expecting to have to hew his way through the throng of Turks upon the poop. But here Togrukh still stood with one of the warriors, back to back. And Michael, who had seen Demid go down into the cabin, was poised over the stair-head, his rapier making play against three simitars, his lean face expressionless as a mask.
Signing to him to follow, Demid made his way down to the waist of the galley, struck the hilt of his sword into the eyes of a foe who was climbing over the wale, and leaped bodily down into the darkness and rushes. ”

“ The Turks eyed the wall of rock on three sides with misgivings; no ponies could climb the cliff here, and yet the Cossacks were gone.
“Dil i yarana—be of stout hearts, comrades,” they said, one to another. “The ghils have taken the infidels and without doubt we shall behold them of nights. Aye, fire will rush out of their nostrils, as they spur their ponies through the air while the spirits whip them on.”
With this wonder to relate in the villages they hastened back rather more quickly than they came. Only Balaban smiled his wry smile—
“The time is not yet.” ”

“ El Riman limped along while Ayub and Michael strained their sight ahead, making out the channel by the break in the trees that lined each bank.
So the race had been lost, and they were forced to listen to the mocking shouts of the pursuers who were clearly to be seen under lighted flares and torches, set in place on the corsair’s rail.
“They are taking their daggers in their teeth, father,” Togrukh pointed out. “They are ready to attack.” ”

“ Slay the horses while there is time.”
But the Cossacks would not do that. The ponies staggered against the dip of the vessel and jerked at their halters. One screamed, and another, plunging, broke its halter. The men nearest the frantic animals began to barricade themselves behind piled-up benches.
Balaban and Ayub took one of the steering sweeps, Ostrog and Michael held to the other. A dull creaking began in the depth of the galley, and before the third watch the sail ripped loose from its sheet. Snapping and lurching, it whipped forward from the slanting spar. ”

“ They remembered these things all the more because snow flurries smote them, and bitter winds buffeted them. They pounded the cymbals and smote the drums, until the wind died down and the flurries ceased and they came to the sheer walls of rock on two sides and a frozen waterfall at the end of the ravine. ”

“ Ayub built with the timbers taken from the galley, a narrow jetty at the deepest point of the shore and the vessel was brought up to this during a calm.
The rowers’ benches were rearranged—half a dozen before the horses, as many behind. Three men were put to an oar instead of two, the captured janizaries near the poop on which the Don Cossacks quartered themselves.
Balaban shook his head.
“If we run into a storm, the horses will break loose and bring terror among the rowers. The galley will steer badly, and how is the sail to be lowered?” ”

“ May he burn!”
“We have not done with him,” responded Demid. “A barb is in him that will goad him against us.”
“See the Turk reins in, and slows from a gallop to a trot. He seeks to tire out our men at the oars, knowing that we can not hide our trail from him.”
So said Ayub, and in fact the pursuer settled down to a long stroke that kept him about a mile distant. Aware by now of the exact strength of the men he was following and their lack of seamanship, he could afford to choose his own time to attack. El Riman had drawn closer inshore, but the coast was rocky and bare of cover. ”

“ It is a hundred leagues to the southern shore—eight days sailing if the wind holds fair. But what if we have a bonanza, a dead calm? Take thought of this: the oars will not drive the galley against a head wind, nay, nor a cross wind. ”

“ The big warrior was in a seething rage because the Christian slaves would not touch the weapons he offered them. Aware that the Cossacks were bound to lose in the fight, they sat passively on the rowing benches, choosing for the most part to go back to their lot as slaves rather than be cut down by the Moslems. Some jumped into the water and waded ashore with the ponies who stampeded as soon as the firing began.
Barely half a dozen followed Ayub to the poop. He was met by Demid who had cleared a space on the after deck for the moment, aided by the cavalier. ”

“ Once our mothers bore us,” he added reflectively, and a trifle indistinctly, for his upper lip and some teeth had been shot away by an arrow.
The dark line of the forest was kindled by oncoming torches, and the main party of the Moslems who had followed the trail of the horses came into sight, loud-voiced and flushed with slaying. They had put to death the unfortunate galley slaves who had decided to await their coming, and were reinforced by the liberated janizaries. ”

“ Turning, Demid was aware of the sergeant, standing at attention, and realized that Togrukh considering himself at fault, expected a blow from his saber or denunciation before the warriors which to a man of Togrukh’s long service was as bad. ”