638 SCENES OF THE 29lH OF NOVEMBER, 1830. 



hidden, for the rescue of which the grand-duke ventures to send his 

 best regiment. A platoon is ordered to enter the house then the 

 aide-de-camp steps in this sorcerer, who was to reveal the great 

 mystery, and produce by a stroke of his wand the hidden "jewel of 

 Yamshied." 



And in fact the officer applied the edge of his sword to one of the 

 clefts of the old wainscot, and in a moment a trap opened in the 

 floor ; the vigorous efforts of ten soldiers could scarcely lift up the 

 falling board. Under it some steps descended leading to a narrow 

 passage. The officer shouted, Lukasinski ! but no voice answered to 

 the call. He then took a torch, and with some of his men descended 

 the steps. 



" At the end of the passage/' says a faithful recorder of that hor- 

 rible scene, " they observed two doors numbered. Door No. 1 

 being forced open was found to be a damp and noxious vault, which 

 admitted no light except a sickly ray through a small and lofty 

 aperture. Here an appalling spectacle presented itself; a corpse lay 

 extended on the ground ; it was miserably lean and emaciated, and 

 the face was so hideous as not to be identified ; worms were creeping 

 out of the nostrils and ears ; morsels of flesh were between the teeth ; 

 the hands were dreadfully lacerated the prisoner had died of hun- 

 ger r 



Dead ! but how much more fortunate than the tenant of the second 

 cell the companion of his torments and now the living counterpart 

 of his corpse. 



The officer having opened the door No. 2, found a narrow cell 

 like a coffin, and in it a man, or rather a skeleton dressed in moulded 

 rags, standing without motion, without any sign of life. The pale- 

 ness of his face was heightened by a long black beard and long 

 tresses of hair ; his chained hands were raised to heaven. The Rus- 

 sian even shuddered at the sight of a standing corpse, for the narrow- 

 ness of the place kept it erect. Soon the fresh air and the shaking 

 of the officer began to reanimate the wretched victim. Look ! a 

 sudden smile brightens his countenance. He awakes as from a 

 trance "Liberty ! dear liberty ! glory to Poland !" cried he out, as 

 he opened his eyes. 



" Liberty ! you shall have liberty !" answered the Tartar, with a 

 hellish smile, ordering the Polish major to be drawn out of the cave 

 by the chains, with which he was loaded ; and striking him with his 

 sword, he had him dragged towards the head-quarters of the grand- 

 duke. 



A few days afterwards the Russian army was in full retreat to- 

 wards the frontiers of the kingdom. The generous Poles suffered 

 ten thousand soldiers to escape, who returned in the sequel to crush 

 their liberty. They even appointed commissioners to provide for the 

 retreating army. The poor peasant, the long sufferer under Russian 

 atrocity, saw the last morsel of the coarse bread dashed away from 

 his mouth to feed with it the vanquished tyrants. But when this 

 army was well fed, well warmed, and returned unmolested to Russia 

 there was one who did not partake of those benefits. He was 

 dressed like a criminal, chained to a cannon, and following it bare- 



