appointed from koshevoi atamans of long standing; single
parties were sent out to capture castles, and receive thereby
training for battle. They were men valiant by nature,
fitted beyond all others for war, used to arms, familiar with
fire and the bloody front of battle, through Tartar raids.
Two colonels, Handja and Ostap, went to Nestorvar, which
they captured, cutting to pieces all the Jews and nobles among
its inhabitants, and beheading Prince Chetvertinski's miller
on the threshold of the castle. Ostap made the princess his
captive. Others went in other directions, and success at-
tended their arms; for a terror of the heart seized the
Poles, -- a terror "unusual to that people," who dropped
the weapons from their hands and lost their strength.

More than once it happened that the colonels importuned
Hmelnitski: "Why don't you move on Warsaw" Why do
you stay resting here, getting information from wizards,
and filling yourself with gorailka, letting the Poles recover
from their terror and assemble their men?" More than
once also the drunken crowd howled in the night-time, sur-
rounding the quarters of Hmelnitski, asking him to lead
them against the Poles. The hetman had raised the rebel-
lion and given it a terrible power, but now he began to see
that this power was urging him forward to an unknown
future; therefore he gazed often into that future with uncer-
tain eye, tried to solve the riddle of it, and in the face of
that future was disturbed at heart.

As has been said, among those colonels and atamans he
alone knew what terrible power there was in the apparent
weakness of the Commonwealth. He had raised the rebel-
lion, gained the victory at Joltiya Vodi, at Korsun had
swept away the armies of the Crown, -- but what further?

He assembled the colonels then in council, and glancing
at them with bloodshot eyes before which they all trembled,
proposed the very same question, -- "What further? What
do you want? To go to Warsaw? Then Prince Vish-
nyevetski will be here, and kill your wives and children
with the speed of lightning. He will leave only earth
and water behind, and will follow to Warsaw, marching
with the whole power of the nobles who will join him.
Then, caught between two fires, we shall perish; if not
in battle, empaled on stakes. You cannot depend on Tar-
tar friendship. To-day they are with us; to-morrow they
may turn against us and rush off to the Crimea, or sell
our heads to the Poles. Well, what more will you say?