settlers on crown lands, nobles on their own soil and de-
pendent on no one, land stewards, some Cossack elders, and
a few inferior nobles,--some living on other men's acres
and some on their own.

These groups occupied benches at long oaken tables and
conversed in loud voices, all speaking of the flight of
Hmelnitski, which was the greatest event of the place.
Zatsvilikhovski sat with Skshetuski in a corner apart. The
lieutenant began to inquire what manner of phoenix that
Hmelnitski was of whom all were speaking.

"Don't you know?" answered the old soldier. "He is
the secretary of the Zaporojian army, the heir of Subotoff,-
and my friend," added he, in a lower voice. "We have been
long acquainted, and were together in many expeditions
in which he distinguished himself, especially under Tetera.
Perhaps there is not a soldier of such military experience in
the whole Commonwealth. This is not to be mentioned in
public; but he has the brain of a hetman, a heavy hand,
and a mighty mind. All the Cossacks obey him more than
koshevoi and ataman. He is not without good points, but
imperious and unquiet; and when hatred gets the better of
him he can be terrible."

"What made him flee from Chigirin?"

"Quarrels with the Starosta Chaplinski; but that is all
nonsense. Usually a nobleman bespatters a nobleman from
enmity. Hmelnitski is not the first and only man of-
fended. They say, too, that he turned the head of the
starosta's wife; that the starosta carried off his mistress
and married her; that afterward Hmelnitski took her fancy,
--and that is a likely matter, for woman is giddy, as a
rule. But these are mere pretexts, under which certain
intrigues find deeper concealment. This is how the affair
stands; In Chigirin lives old Barabash, a Cossack colonel,
our friend. He had privileges and letters from the king.
Of these it was said that they urged the Cossacks to resist
the nobility; but being a humane and kindly man, he kept
them to himself and did not make them known. Then
Hmelnitski invited Barabash to a dinner in his own
house, here in Chigirin, and sent people to Barabash's
country-place, who took the letters and the privileges away
from his wife and disappeared. There is danger that out
of them such a rebellion as that of Ostranitsa may arise;
for, I repeat, he is a terrible man, and has fled, it is un-
known whither."