may not catch you."

This time the breeze blew from the other side, and his words were
audible to the Cossacks. But for this counsel he received a blow on the
head with the back of an axe, which made everything dance before his
eyes.

The Cossacks descended the cliff path at full speed, but their pursuers
were at their heels. They looked: the path wound and twisted, and made
many detours to one side. "Comrades, we are trapped!" said they. All
halted for an instant, raised their whips, whistled, and their Tatar
horses rose from the ground, clove the air like serpents, flew over
the precipice, and plunged straight into the Dniester. Two only did not
alight in the river, but thundered down from the height upon the stones,
and perished there with their horses without uttering a cry. But the
Cossacks had already swum shoreward from their horses, and unfastened
the boats, when the Lyakhs halted on the brink of the precipice,
astounded by this wonderful feat, and thinking, "Shall we jump down to
them, or not?"

One young colonel, a lively, hot-blooded soldier, own brother to the
beautiful Pole who had seduced poor Andrii, did not reflect long, but
leaped with his horse after the Cossacks. He made three turns in the air
with his steed, and fell heavily on the rocks. The sharp stones tore him
in pieces; and his brains, mingled with blood, bespattered the shrubs
growing on the uneven walls of the precipice.

When Taras Bulba recovered from the blow, and glanced towards the
Dniester, the Cossacks were already in the skiffs and rowing away. Balls
were showered upon them from above but did not reach them. And the old
hetman's eyes sparkled with joy.

"Farewell, comrades!" he shouted to them from above; "remember me, and
come hither again next spring and make merry in the same fashion! What!
cursed Lyakhs, have ye caught me? Think ye there is anything in the
world that a Cossack fears? Wait; the time will come when ye shall learn
what the orthodox Russian faith is! Already the people scent it far and
near. A czar shall arise from Russian soil, and there shall not be a
power in the world which shall not submit to him!" But fire had already
risen from the fagots; it lapped his feet, and the flame spread to the
tree.... But can any fire, flames, or power be found on earth which are
capable of overpowering Russian strength?

Broad is the river Dniester, and in it are many deep pools, dense
reed-beds, clear shallows and little bays