Chapter 1 (Fragment)

“Now, I will surely have to die!” the thought flashed momentarily and disappeared, for she had not lost courage yet! She raised the battle-axe, grasped firmly in both hands, confidently ready to put up a vigorous battle. The beast slid ever closer to her. Peace-Renown felt its hot breath upon her cheek. A shaggy paw lifted, ready to strike, with its long sharp claws aimed for her chest. In a moment her mauled and mangled, bloody body would be forced off the ledge, for the battle-axe was too short to reach its mark beyond those huge, hairy paws.

“Help!” screamed panic-stricken Peace-Renown, her blood congealing with the horror of approaching death. Over her head, just in the nick of time, gleamed the shining point of a javelin and found its mark in the throat of the threatening beast which like a leaden maul now toppled off the rocky ledge.

On a crag of the rampart, just above her head, there appeared the glad, sun-reddened face of Maxim. One glance from the eyes of the grateful girl gripped his heart. Not a word passed between them for there was no time. The bear was still very much alive and howling ferociously, she sprang to her feet again. With a leap she was beside her young who, not understanding the meaning of the struggle, played and tumbled joyously within their lair. Having sniffed them over, she set herself to the attack again. But this time Peace-Renown was prepared. Raising the battle-axe, she swung it down with a mighty blow that cleaved the she-bear’s head open. The beast’s carcass jerked spasmodically from side to side a moment and then lay still.

In the meantime, Maxim had climbed down and stood beside Peace-Renown. Tears of gratitude sprang to the girl’s eyes and without uttering a word, she clasped and squeezed the hand of her rescuer warmly.

Maxim became confused, embarrassed, his face flushed and lowering his eyes, he stuttered, “I heard … your urgent call for help … but did not know where you were … Thank God I got here in time!”

Peace-Renown stood there holding the handsome young man’s hand a long minute looking up into his candid, sunburned and ruddy-cheeked, pleasant face. At the moment she felt nothing more than pure gratitude towards him for having saved her life. But when Maxim, taking courage, squeezed her small though strong hand in turn, then Peace-Renown felt a swift, sweet something steal into her heart and a shy blush deepened the rosy bloom of her lovely face. She lowered her eyelids and the words of thanks which had been ready upon her lips died away and, in their stead, a deep blush spread becomingly over her face.

Maxim was the first to break the spell. In the honest clean-cut young man’s heart there was born a happy and irrevocable resolve. With it returned all his former self-composure. Raising the horn to his lips, he blew upon it joyously, announcing the victorious kill. From behind the wall of ruins the horns of Tuhar and the other boyars came in answer. Agile as a squirrel, Peace-Renown scaled the bank of ruins from which she had fallen and from that vantage point, related to the entire company how Maxim had come to her rescue. With not a little difficulty, Tuhar and other boyar huntsmen climbed upon the wall. Tuhar embraced his daughter and held her for a long time. And perceiving blood upon her clothing, exclaimed, “My child, my child, my dear one, to think that you were in such awful danger!” and kept embracing her again and again as if he were afraid to let her go.