The Portland daily press., 1892-01-20

Of Kmita's abduction of the woman he
loved and her rescue from him, OF his
various adventures until he came to an
important crisis there is no need to speak
at length. That crisis came when Prince
Janush Radzivill deserted his king and
undertook to lead over to the king OF
Sweden all the mobiles and knights in his
following. Kmita would have been a
valuable supporter to this great prince IN
his schemes of ambition and treachery
but Kmita loved his country as he did
O.enka. He was deceived into follow
ing Radsivill for a while thereby incur
ing again the displeasure Of the clearer
sighted Olenka Through an interview
with Bognolar, the brother Of Jaunah
RadzivilI he learned the truth. To JOIN
the troops in the field was impossible SO
he set out to find the exiled king. On
his way he was shut up with the monks
of Chenstohora while it was besieged by
the enemy and performed there prod1gles
of valor, all the time under an assumed
name. Joining the king he found Bogu-
slar had poisoned Yam Casimir's mind
against him by an invented story which
also had set the maiden Olenka more
strongly than ever against him. Proving
his innocence of this, saving the king S
life and nearly losing his own on their
return to Poland, this most active and
daring of knights went through battle
and siege and adventures innumerable,
which with the deeds of his brave COM
panions are faithfully set down in these
pages. Numerous episodes like the siege
of Yasna Cora, the fall of Warsaw, the
end of Radzivill's life, the return to
Olenka's home and his glorious vindica-
ton before the people assembled to thank
God for the nations redemption lend
added interest to the story. Of course
he married Olenka and ''lived long in
exemplary harmony and love, surround
ed by universal respect They did say
he deferred too much to the Judgment OF
his wife, but Kmita did not mind that.
These are the principal characters, and
only one or two other women are added
to the long list of mobiles and princes, of
soldiers and priests, who enliven these
pages. But the reader will long remem-
Der old Zagloba, the boaster almost with
out parallel, yet the shrewd and service
able friend, one who preferred to be
Ulysses when he might have been
Achilles To him one must look for
the humorous pages of the book, though
if Knita's gang, who were so ruthlessly
exterminated in its early chapters, had
not been cut off they would doubtless
have afforded some amusement. Nor
will he soon forget Volodyorski, the
knight without reproach, unfortunate in
love, yet by all beloved, nor Rob Ko-
valski; nor Bogustav, the dandy and
lady-killer yet fit antagonist of Kinita
himself.
Sienkievicz has been called the peer of
any novelist of England, France or Ger
many now living, and this is not extrava-
CANT praise. His pages are full of life
and vigor His power of character
drawing is unrivalled and his men are
skillfully contrasted with each other.
The Deluge is story of dark and
cruel time, but it's pages are not all de-
void of beauty or poetry. One or two
little rural scenes suggest passages from
Blackmore. The reader will get live
lier interest in the unfortunate kingdom
of Poland than any other writer can give
him and he will learn from the novelist
the philosophy of its decline and fall
more easily than the hi4 orian could tell
him.
As rule the Translation is very salts
factory, but there are some phrases
which are overworked. and some which
are meaningless. The 7 should have
had glossary, for there are some words
in it which the English dictionary does
not contain. The Introductory notes on
the spelling and pronunciation of Polish
names are inadequate. Those names,
by the way, are something fearful For
Shchuchyn and Skshetuski and Phys
taine and Zlsarj are easy ones. Even of
the province where the story begins it
must be said it's name was Jmud.