ly with a certain
Prince, brigands bore away his son-in-law into the mountains, and
insolently demanded a ransom from his kinsfolk; we, hastily gathering our
servants and vassals, attacked them: I killed two robbers with mine own
hand; I was the first to break into their camp; I freed the prisoner. Ah,
my Gerwazy, how triumphant, how beautiful was our return, in
knightly-feudal style! The populace met us with flowers--the daughter of
the Prince, grateful to the deliverer, with tears fell into my embraces.
When I arrived at Palermo, they knew of it from the gazette, and all the
women pointed at me. They even printed a romance about the whole event,
where I am mentioned by name. The romance is entitled, _The Count; or, The
Mysteries of the Castle of Birbante-Rocca_. Are there dungeons in this
castle?"

"There are immense beer-cellars," said the Warden, "but empty, for the
Soplicas have drunk up the wine!"

"We must arm the jockeys on the estate," added the Count, "and summon the
vassals from the village."

"Lackeys? God forbid!" interrupted Gerwazy. "Is a foray a drunk and
disorderly affair? Who ever heard of making a foray with boors and
lackeys? Sir, you know nothing at all about forays! Vassals, that is,
mustachioed champions,98 are something quite different; vassals of that
sort can be found. But we must not look for them in the peasant villages,
but through the hamlets of the gentry, in Dobrzyn, in Rzezikow, in
Cientycze, in Rombanki;99 the gentry of ancient lineage, in whom flows
knightly blood, are all well disposed to the family of the Horeszkos, and
are all mortal enemies of the Soplicas! Thence I will collect some three
hundred mustachioed gentlemen; that is my affair. Do you return to your
mansion and sleep your fill, for to-morrow there will be hard work; you
are fond of sleeping, it is already late, the second cock is already
crowing. I will guard the castle here until day breaks, and at sunrise I
shall be in the hamlet of Dobrzyn."

At these words the Count withdrew from the balcony, but before he departed
he glanced through the opening of an embrasure, and exclaimed, seeing a
multitude of lights in the household of the Soplicas, "Illuminate if you
will! To-morrow at this time it will be bright in this castle, but dark in
your mansion."

Gerwazy sat down upon the floor, leaned against the wall, and bent down
his thought-laden brow towards his breast. The light of the moon fell on
his bald pate, and Ger