by turning traitor against their country. The deluded girl did not realize how deeply her father had sunk into that abyss already so that in truth for him there was no other way out except to fall deeper, down to its very bottom.
The farther down they descended the thicker the uncanny, murky darkness drew around them and the less they could see except for the flickering of campfires and the vast billowy sea of distant fires of the burning villages and cities. However, the roar and tumult increased to deafening volume. The wreaths of smoke ate into their eyes and took away their breath.
The boyar set his horse in the direction of the first campfire which flared high in the middle of the plain. Here was stationed the Mongolian sentry. Nearing it, they perceived five men dressed in fur coats with the fur side out (in Ukraine it is the custom to wear coats with the fur on the inside), wearing tri-cornered fur turbans, their bows slung over their shoulders and battle-axes in their hands.
Not far from the guards’ campfire, Peace-Renown overtook her father and catching hold of his hand, said, “Father, in God’s name, I beg of you, turn back from here!”
“Where to?”
“Let’s go back to Tukhlia!”
“No. It’s too late! We will return there later, but not submissively pleading for their mercy. We will go as guests and I’d like to see whether your Berkut will dare to drive us out then!”
At this juncture the Mongols became aware of the presence of strangers and with savage yells, bows held in readiness, they surrounded them.
“Who goes there?” several called in their own language and in Ukrainian.
“A humble servant of the great Jinghis Khan!” answered Tuhar Wolf in Mongolian.
The Mongol guards gaped at him in astonishment.
94
