him by this time. He had been prepared for death for a long time now, but to die without having kept his word, which he had sworn to do, to him whose future and perhaps even life depended upon the keeping of that promise, to die a traitor even if only in the eyes of another traitor, that thought was worse torture than death itself.
Also death itself seemed far worse now after seeing Peace-Renown again, than it had been an hour earlier when he had sat in the middle of the road choked by the smoke from the conflagration and gazed mutely at the fire which destroyed his house. But what was that? The earth trembled and a loud reverberation stirred the air, causing an uproar in the camp. Shouts arose, the clanging of weapons. What had happened? Maxim jumped to his feet and clapped his hands until the chains clanged. Joy, joy! The Tukholians were at work! It meant they were building that obstacle which would hinder the Mongols, and prevent him from becoming a traitor! Now he could die in peace for he would not have to break his word with his enemy. His heart thumped turbulently, he could not sit still and began to pace up and down the tent. The hubbub in the camp began to subside and in a moment, the boyar reentered the tent. His face was alight with happy satisfaction.
“Boy,” he began immediately, “your proposition came just in the nick of time! It saved me from untold danger. Did you hear that noise? Your Tukholians are crafty, they’re building barricades right behind us. Come quickly to the commander, he’s already choosing a detail to go with you. We need to get out of here in a hurry; it’s not safe here!”
Like sharp knives these words cut into Maxim’s heart. But come what may, he needed to detain their march until the moment when it would be rendered impossible.
“Since when, Boyarin, have you begun to fear the peasants’ barricades? I don’t think there’s any sudden danger confronting the Mongols. Let the Tukholians amuse themselves with
186
