CHAPTER II.

REACHING Chigirin next morning, Pan Skshetuski stopped
at the house of Prince Yeremi in the town, where he was to
spend some time in giving rest to his men and horses after
their long journey from the Crimea, which by reason of the
floods and unusually swift currents of the Dnieper had to
be made by land, since no boat could make head against the
stream that winter. Skshetuski himself rested awliile, and
then went to Pan Zatsvilikhovski, former commissioner of
the Commonwealth, - a sterling soldier, who, though he did
not serve with the prince, was his confidant and friend.
The lieutenant wanted to ask him if there were instructions
from Lubni; but the prince had sent nothing special. He
had ordered Skshetuski, in the event of a favorable answer
from the Khan, to journey slowly, so that his men and horses
might be in good health. The prince had the following busi-
ness with the Khan: He desired the punishment of cer-
tain Tartar murzas, who had raided his estates beyond the
Dnieper, and whom he himself had punished severely. The
Khan had in fact given a favorable answer, - had promised
to send a special envoy in the following April to punish the
disobedient; and wishing to gain the good-will of so famous
a warrior as the prince, he had sent him by Skshetuski a
horse of noted stock and also a sable cap.

Pan Skshetuski, having acquitted himself of his mission
with no small honor, the mission itself being a proof of the
high favor of the prince, was greatly rejoiced at the permis-
sion to stop in Chigirin without hastening his return. But
old Zatsvilikhovski was greatly annoyed by what had been
taking place for some time in Chigirin. They went together
to the house of Dopula, a Wallachian, who kept an inn and
a wine-shop in the place. There they found a crowd of no-
bles, though the hour was still early; for it was a market-
day, and besides there happened to be a halt of cattle
driven to the camp of the royal army, which brought a
multitude of people together. The nobles generally assem-
bled in the square at Dopula's, at the so-called Bell-ringers'
Corner. There were assembled tenants of the Konyet-
spolskis, and Chigirin officials, owners of neighboring lands,