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contemplate the sightless bard shutting himself up in
the resources of his own powerful intellectuahty. and
directing with parental tenderness his daughter, as an
Imanuensis, to transfer to paper those “draught: “ml
breathe, and words that burn”-that fell like precious
jewels from his lips; when we behold him composing
those golden sentences, which he himself was fated to
never read, the mind is lost in contemplation of such
genius exerting itself under the depressing intluence of
such circumstances. He never hartered principle for lucre,
never pandered to the vile taste and dippant folly of his
age, but stood alone, both in poetry and prose, one of
the -greatest men England has yet produced. Shall we,
then, be blamed for alludingin such terms to the writings
of auchdman? No! rather shall the illuinining lamp
ofpoetry, kindled by his pen, yet hang resplendent alike
-in hall or cottage, undimmed by the glare of the former,
and shining still more brilliantly through the gloom of S
the latter. That his lines may be familiar as household
phrases to the lips of all classes, is our sincere wish, and
in the fervent hope thereof we direct especial attention
to the vigorous conception, and the pure mind, thatshines
through the poetry, and displays itself in the prose
achievements of-1‘lll.‘l'0N !
-The Hill of the 'rlJl'e9 Sisters.
In the neighbourhood of the village of llaltschinjetz,
not far from Berditschew, there rises a hill, the foot of
which is traversed by several roads running in ditfarsnt
directions; its summit is thickly covpred with weeds
and stunted hriars-while in its bosom there are buried
numerous relics of by-gone days. Many and varied are
the traditions concerning it which have sprung from the
teeming imagination of those‘ whom business or amuse-
ment has induced to resort to it. The children of the
neighbourhood, who at the time of the summer solstice
go there in search of glow-worms, oftiines see strange
forms arise out of the undervrood, which gradually in-
crease till they form one huge ball of dre, which then
rolls slowly towards the village. The atfriglited young-
sters hide themselves as quickly as possible in the sur-
rounding rusbes; but as soon as the phantom fire be-
comes stationary, thoy rise on tip-toe, give the signal
one to another, and burst forth into aloud shout. The
dame gradually gets paler and paler, until at last it
vanishes into air. The little victors return with merry
steps back to their play place, when lo, a fresh troop
of phantom tires arise from the earth, and, after fol-
lowing for awhile tho astonished children, remain stead-
fast; at which taking fresh courage, they boldly attack
the phantom and stamp it out. hus they wile away
the time in contests with the spirits, which furnish them,
when they turn homeward, with materials for strange
tales, which they do not fail to enrich wit many
wondrous irnnginings. The ood housewives of the
neighbourhood whisper cautiously to one another hints
about witches and sorcerers; but the men, on the con-
trary, when the hill and the mysterious fires are spoken
of, pretend great ignorance upon the subject. None of
them ever venture to ascend it after night-fall; and the
unhappy villa er who is at that time compelled to pass
its foot, finds his blood run cold, his hair stand on end,
and hislimbs trembling with a death-like cliillness.
In llaltschinjetz, the venerable Lewko was the only
man who ever mounted the bill. for his but lay close
y; but he never conversed with any one respecting
that onhallnwed spot, or-the phantoms which so fre-
quently appeared there.
Late one evening-it was the vigil of St. lllichael-
Lewko sate on the hill-top. Nowhis eyes were directed
towards the village, now was his forehead almost buried
in the earth-which he kept digging up with a stout
statf, as though he would dig himself an entrance into
the world below, and learn from what had passed away
a knowledge of the‘futura. A hollow wind sounded
mournfully as it rattled through the withered grass, and
he occasionally struck a few loud notes on the strings of
his Balabaika, which lay on the ground beside him; and
the tones which he called forth sounded as though they
would, by their divine harmony, uphold the seer in
weaving bis fantastic web The clouds passed ra-
pidly; and as a goodly company of steel-clad knights
passing by a spectator display to him a glittering helm,
or I burnished spear shining through the dust which
they stir up, so ever and anon did the beams of the
m n, or of some glittering star, shine forth from the
blackness which surrounded them. At the foot of the
old man lay a milk-white greyhound, his hind legs
closely drawn up, his fore legs stretched out before him;
Is serpent eyes rested on the earth; bestirred atevery
sound, and listened, half-pricking up those cars which
felllike silken hangings on each side of his graceful
neck-then looked up into the face of his old master
and wagged his tail.
' ‘“ lenstli zcock was heard to crow themiduight hour
"=0mB.n?'shbounng farm;-at this sound, a dog in
";"'”b‘"J"” bell“ ‘to bowl; iio did a second, and a
third, until the bowling was heard to extend from the
village all over the surrounding la
J uft then two riders on coal-blaclinsteeds sprang from
it.
. 3',"
a doorway as hastily as ,if they were in search of the
head of the Khan of Tartary, or the treasures of the
Grand Duke. The noise of their horses’ feet approached
nearer to the old man; he listened, bear
sound as though something had fallen to the ground.
The greyhound started to his feet, and would have darted
forward, but, being checked by a low whistle from the
old man, stood stretching out his neck in the direction
from which the sound proceeded. w 0 now saw two
horses standing at the cross, and two men ascending tho
' : he hallood to them, and as they returned his cry,
he echo spread far and wide around them.
Themen approached and exchanged greetings. " Now
Father Lewko,” said one, here we are, “ will you keep
your promise l"-“ What is once promised,” answered
Lswlro, “ that must man fiilhl. But if ye would hear
the tale, so must you needs believe it-for if the woman
gets angry and mutters a curse against you, woe befall
you. It ' ens matter to raise the devil, but not
so easy to escape from his clutches. But to my
5‘
tor .
“lln those happy days when Bohdanko led the C05-
sacks, and Poles, Tartars, and Zaporagians feasted to-
gether at the table of the Ilettman in ’l'rechtymirow-
the city which King Stephen Batori bestowed upon the
Cossack people,-in those happy days, when three
mighty people combined to bridle the insolence of the
border chiefiains,-there was a farm at V 3 1-
CHAMBERS’S ‘LONDON JOURNAL.
heavily upon their hearts, and their thoughts were fixed
on those they had left behindthem. The Cossack
dreamed, probably for the first time in his life, of the
Joys and advantages of a married life, and resolved at
iii’. hex: gathering together of his people to lit: up
' oice and try whether he could not do away.with
the law- forbidding marriage. artar weighed
against one another the doctrines of Christianity and of
Mahoined the Prophet, and at last came to the conclu-
sion that the followo-rs of both bowed themselves before
the sawie Supreme Creator, and that a ditfereiice of
belief ought not to hinder the alliance of those who
loved one another. The Pole wished earnestly for
equality of rank, regarded as a mere toy his family arms
-a black raven on an azure field-went back to the
time of Adam and Eve, and at last satisfied himself-
‘ We are all children of the some parents; all are
brethren : Nature has not made one betterthan another.’
Busied with such childish fancies, they at length reached
Berditschew-wh t sy separated. They were never
heard of more.
“ From this time forth, however, sorrow and lamenta-
tion filled the dwelling of Sukuricha. The chiding of
the mother, the silent tears of her daughters, banished
peace, which tied like the dove from a house in dames ;
the charms of the maidens withered like flowers in the
frost ofharvest. They died one afteranotber, yet with-
out .- l . - - - , . . .
E‘
u
<
.i
der, where you see that black aldertree, which belonged
to the Dudnr family,-the earthen dyke which sur-
rounded it is not yet levelled. There stood a hut, in
which dwelt a. woman whom they called Sukuricha.
Some said she was a witch; others called her a pro.
pheiess; for she healed d'seases, dealt in charms, called
down bail and rain,. nzade rich lands barren, and
scattered good luck with the one hand and misfortune
with the other. '
“ Now Sukuricha had three daughters, sprightly and
graceful asbleak, nimble and active as wild cats-
redness of their cheeks was like the moss-berry on the
dazzling snow, w an the sun shines bright. When
they began to sing. the nightingale would listen to their
songs, and when they were ended would try to warble
forth the same melody. If they moved their little feet
in a measured dance, the very eartli quivered with joy.
Thus their days passed without care and without
sorrow; and all the youths of the neighbourhood docked
around them, like dies round honey. llow blest hewho
opened the dance with one of these fair ones !-did one
ofthem but fasten a golden llovreret in his bonnet, his
good fortune seemed unbounded E yet the hearts and of-
fections of these maidens remained as free as the night of
the bird through the air. '
fine summer-’s afternoon, they were seated in
the house-porch, spinning and talking over the last
Sunday’s dance, when they saw three‘ horsemen riding
. The gate of the court-yard was open, and quick as
an arrow, with: deer-like bound, a Cossack mounted
on a horse of the desert, sprang into the middle of it.
The youngest of the sisters gazed upon the sunburnt
face oftbe rider, and u on his waving Kelp.-ik (1,,-ad.
dress), and her heart tluttcred, and her cheeks grew as
red as blood, even to her very ears. He was imme-
diately followed by a Tartarian Mirza, whose horse
seemed as if it were swinaming-so easily and so gently
(lid the beast lift its nimble feet over the earth. The
second maiden beheld the black eyes of the Tartar, and
his rich dress ofsilvery fur. and her heart beat violently
in her trembling bosom, and she cast her eyes upon the
ground. Close behind them rode a Pole, so skilfully
that be made his good steed prance and beat the air
with his fore legs so that his haunches rested on the
ground-and the eldest of the sisters gazed upon his
littering arms, shining helm, and cheerful countenance,
and her heart beat forveryjoy, and she bestowed a look
of womanly love upon the siniler.
' ‘ ow, what could these maidens do’! Their morbi-
was from home. and the rights of hospitality were
claimed. The strangers were kindly invited to fasten
up their steeds and enter. the dwelling, where their
skillul hostesses soon laid before them refreshment-
cream and pickled cucumbers. The behaviour of their
3
(D
or
‘<
them a thousand agreeable ualities were soon dis-
covered. Coyness at first limited their conversation to
briefquestions, and answers just as brief--but this did
not last long; the jest and the laugh went round, though
oft there was no other cause for it than some whim-
sical fancy of (he minute; then followed gentle words,
arrow-like glances of the eyes, and lastly an innocent
kiss, stolen as it were in fun. It may readily be be-
lieved that they were in no hurry to resume their
'ouruey-‘ You will travel more pleasantly in the cool
of the evening,’ said the maidens-and one word from
a pretty mouth is a command to a brave man.
“The whole party indeed felt as delighted, as over-
jn ed, as though Paradise were their dwelling place..
w en, suddenly, their joy was interrupted as it were by
a thunderbolt by the return of Sukuricha. Not kindly
did she welcome her guests ; and as she stole a sidelong
glance at the burning cheeks of her daughters, her eyes
were as full of venom as those of an adder whose lurk-
ing-place is disturbed by man. The young men tarried
but a little while ere they departed ; and, as - the
journeyed on, they spalienota word, for sorrow weighed
a.
O eir , e was
closedagaiust them; the old woman buried them in this
spot,-she raised a. mound over their corses, and mur-
mured over them unintelligible words of mystery. No
flower, no garland, marked their graves, which remained
as fresh as if they had been dug but yesterday, and
waited for their prey.
“ Six years passed in this way. Every night was old
Sukuricha seen with her dishsvelled. hair hanging in
tangled locks, her countenance so withered that the very
bones seemed starting through her skin-making her
circuit round the graves of her children-and at the,very
hour of midnight scattering grains of corn towards the
south and towards the west : from the convulsive motion
ofher lips it was plain she muttered her incantations,
yet no one dared venture near enough to hear what she
said, or see exactly what she was engaged in.
“ Everything on earth changes ; now are nations at.
peace : new again are they at enmity. The alliance of
the three nations had been rent as readily as the web of
the spider. llordes of Tarlars, after having plundered
Moscow, advanced towards Poland. The Diet resolved
upon a general levy; the royal decree was quickly
published ; the nobles rose in arms; the whistle of the
ettman was heard ; and his warlike people ranged
themselves under his banner at the sound of the trumpet.
They took the field. Fear and consternation led the
way,-murder, fire, and desolation followed in their
rear. '
. , O
“ Was it more accident, or the work of supernatural
power, that the horde of Cossacks pitched their tents on.
the very spot where the three sisters were buried. Be
it as it might-they had scarcely dismounted from their
saddles, when a bod of llussars burst u on them.
llard was the tight, the, blood of both was shed in abun-
dance, yet could neither claim the victory. At that mo-
ment big with fate, the Cossack host rode into the field
and levelled their lances against the Mussulmen. The
Tartarthorde lied like a cloud ofdust towards l3erdits-
chew, in hopes of there crossing the river which . flowed
through the vale. .
“ The battle field was strewed with the bodies of the
dead, as a harvest tield witli the thick corn ; yet neither
party could boast of victory, since the leaders of the
three were slain. Sukuricba alone-dressed as if she
had been bidden to a wedding feast-showed herself at
nightfall, and gazed without a sign of, feeling upon the
scene of carriage. When, however, she saw me ]e,,de,-
of the Cossacks lying dead upon the grave of 1,5,-
youngest daughter, and recognised him as one of their
3'-‘9 W"P3‘3 by the. hair ofthe head, clotted as it was with
, net and corruption, and with infuriated hands dragged
it to the grave of lIEf.BEC0l'Id. daughter, moistening the
esirth as she did so with the blood of the Muggulm,-m,
: thin; searched among the dead bodies of the Poles ;
in :1 n she had found him who had been beloved by
er (el 'estd2ugbtcr, when he sprang on his well-trained
Elge llitq the court-yard of their dwelling-place, she
seized it in her withered claws, even as I hawk seizes a
‘EPWTOWZ and with nimble feet bore it, shakingand bend.
‘:55 for It was yet warm, over the heaps of dead, and
'tn:w it upgn the grave where herfirst born was burged,
the '1 imcenflng the hillock, she clasped her hands with
dis“ g 86 :1 a child whose wish has been fuliilled, and
tppearp . Whether she sank into the uni,
vanished into the air, no oneknows ; but she was never
‘xszhssear grl:)6u:‘liXi0 gall from a place of concealment
n s as soo
his fright, related wimfii’ D as he 'e“'""“‘’ f’‘’“'
tants ofthevillage. Men iind women jsgembled with
3Pf“l95 Eff] ,'“‘?“’9l‘! ; laid the bodies of the fallen,
VV)&llOlil'hlSUnCiIDn of nation, by time of mag, lead“; ;
an l'Bl3l1lf'-a mound over them, named it um Gxnvg of
the Three histers.
“ Years tied and returned no more ; people died and
,or
-+7’