Tolstoy.leo!Twenty Three Tales

8/6/2019 Tolstoy.leo!Twenty Three Tales

1/166

T we nt y- Th re e T al es

By

L eo Tolstoy T r an sl at ed B y

L. & A. Maude

Originally published byF un k & W ag na ll s C om pa nyNew Yo rk (1907)

Table O f Cont e nt s Preface

Part I: Tales For Children (1872)

1. God Sees The Truth, But Waits 2. A Prisoner In The Caucasus 3. TheBearHunt

Part II: Popular Stories

4. What Men LiveBy (1881) 5. A Spark Neglected Burns The House (1885) 6. Two Old Men (1885) 7. Where Love Is, God Is (1885)

Part III: A FairyTale

8. The Story Of IvnThe Fool (1885)

P a g e 1


2/166

Part IV: Stories Written To Pictures (1885).

9. EvilAllures,But GoodEndures10. Little Girls Wiser ThanMen11. Ilys

Part V: Folk-Tales Retold

12. The Three Hermits (1886)13. The Imp And The Crust (1886)14. HowMuchLandDoes A Man Need? (1886)15. A Grain As Big As A Hen's Egg (1886)

16. The Godson (1886)17. TheRepentant Sinner (1886)18. The Empty Drum (1891)

Part VI: Adaptations FromThe French

19. TheCoffee House Of Surat (1893)20. Too Dear (1897)

Part VII: Stories Given ToAid The Persecuted Jews (1903)

21. Esarhaddon, King Of Assyria22. Work, DeathAnd Sickness23. Three Questions

Contents | First Story

Pr e f ac eTHIS volume is divided into seven parts.

First wehave T al es f or C hi ld re n, published about the year 1872, and reminding usof the timewhenTolstoy was absorbed in efforts to educate the peasant children. This section of the book contains thetwo stories which of all that hehas written Tolstoy likes best. In What is Art? he claimsnoplace amongexamples of good art for any of his own productions 'except for the story God sees the Truth, but Waits, which seeks a place in the first class (religious art), and A Prisoner in the Caucasus, whichbelongs to the second (universal art).' In the first of these the subject (a favourite one with Tolstoy) is the

forgiveness of injuries. The seconddeals with the simplest feelings common to all men: fear and courage,pity, endurance, &c.' expressed with that individuality, clearness, and sincerity,whichTolstoy says arethe signs of true art.

P a g e 2


3/166

Part II contains a series of stories written for the people; and among them W hat Me n Li ve B y, probablythe mostwidely circulated of all Tolstoy's tales. It is founded on the oft-repeated legendof an angel sentbyGod to live for a while among men.

Part III consists of a Fairy Tale, Ivn the Fool, which contains in popular formTolstoy's indictment of

militarismandcommercialism.

Part IV contains three short stories written to help the sale of cheap reproductions of some gooddrawings; Tolstoy having for manyyears beenanxious byall means in his power to further the circulation,at a cheap price, of goodworks of pictorial aswell as literary art.

In Part V wehave a series ofRussian Folk-Tales. The gemsof this collection are the temperance story,The Imp and the Crust , the anti-war story, The Empty Drum, and another story, How Much Landdo es a M an N ee d? which deals with a peasant's greed for land. A Grain as big as a Hen's Egg andThe Godson are highly characteristic of the spirit of the Russian peasantry, and supply a glimpse of the

sources from whenceTolstoy imbibedmanyof his own spiritual sympathies and antipathies.

PartVI gives two adaptations from the Frenchwhich have appeared in nopreviousEnglish edition of Tolstoy's works. They arenot merely translations, for to some extent Tolstoywhen translating them,modified themand made themhis own.

Part VII consists of stories Tolstoy contributed in aid of the Jews left destitute after the massacres andoutrages inKishinf and elsewhere inRussia in 1903, -- outrageswhich were forerunners of the yet moreterrible Jewish massacres of 1905.

The importanceTolstoy attributes to literature of the kindcontained in this volume, is shown by the

following passage inWhat isArt? --

'The artist of the future will understand that to compose a fairy tale, a little song which will touch

a l ul lab y or a r iddl e wh ic h wi ll e nt er ta in, a j es t w hi ch wi ll am us e, or t o dr aw a s ke tc h s uc h as wi ll

d el ig ht d oz en s o f g en er at io ns o r m il li on s o f c hi ld re n a nd a du lt s , i s i nc om pa ra bl y m or e i mp or ta nt

and more fruitful than to compose a novel, or a symphony, or paint a picture, of the kind which

diverts some members of the wealthy classes for a short time and is then for ever forgotten. The

r eg ion of t hi s ar t of t he s im pl es t f ee li ng s a cc es si bl e t o al l i s e nor mou s, an d i t i s as y et al mos t

untouched.' The sections of the bookhave been arranged in chronological order. The datewhen eachstory was published is given. The translations are new ones, and for the footnotes I am responsible.

Aylmer Maude

Great BaddowChelmsfordFebruary 1, 1906

Contents | Part I

Preface | Contents | Next Story

Part I: Tales For Children

1. God Sees The Truth, But Waits

P a g e 3


4/166

IN the townofVladmir lived a young merchant named IvnDmtritch Aksynof. Hehad two shops anda house of his own.

Aksynofwas a handsome, fair-haired, curly-headed fellow, full of fun, and very fondof singing.Whenquite a youngman he had been given to drink, and was riotouswhenhe had had too much, but after he

married he gave up drinking, except now and then.

One summerAksynof was going to the NzhnyFair, and as hebadegood-bye to his family his wife saidto him, 'IvnDmtritch, do not start to-day; I have had a bad dream about you.'

Aksynof laughed, and said, 'Youare afraid thatwhen I get to the fair I shall go on the spree.'

Hiswife replied: 'I do not know what I am afraid of; all I know is that I had a bad dream. I dreamt youreturned from the town, and when you took off your cap I saw that your hairwas quite grey.'

Aksynof laughed. 'That's a lucky sign,' said he. 'See if I don't sell out all mygoods, and bring you somepresents from the fair.'

So he said good-bye to his family, and drove away.

Whenhehad travelled half-way, hemet a merchantwhomheknew, and theyput up at the same inn forthe night. Theyhad some tea together, and thenwent to bed in adjoining rooms.

Itwas not Aksynof's habit to sleep late, and, wishing to travel while itwas still cool, he aroused hisdriver before dawn, and told him to put in the horses.

Then he made his way across to the landlordof the inn (who lived in a cottage at the back), paidhis bill,and continuedhis journey.

Whenhe had gone about twenty-five miles, he stopped for the horses to be fed.Aksynof rested awhilein the passage of the inn, then he stepped out into the porch and, ordering a samovr to be heated gotout his guitar andbegan to play.

Suddenly a t r yka drove upwith tinklingbells, and anofficial alighted, followedby two soldiers. Hecame toAksynof and began to questionhim, askinghim who hewas and whence he came. Aksynof answered him fully, and said, 'Won't you have some tea withme?'But the officialwent on

cross-questioning him and asking him, 'Where did you spend last night?Were you alone, orwith afellow-merchant?Did you see the other merchant thismorning?Why did you leave the inn before dawn?'

Aksynofwonderedwhy hewas asked all these questions, but he described all that had happened, andthen added, 'Why do you cross-question me as if I were a thief or a robber? I am travelling onbusinessof myown, and there is noneed to question me.'

Then the official, calling the soldiers, said, 'I am the police-officer of this district, and I question youbecause themerchantwith whomyou spent last night has been foundwith his throat cut.Wemust searchyour things.'

They entered the house. The soldiers and the police-officer unstrapped Aksynof's luggage and searchedit. Suddenly the officer drewa knife out of a bag, crying, 'Whoseknife is this?'

P a g e 4


5/166

Aksynof looked, and seeing a blood-stained knife taken fromhis bag, hewas frightened.

'How is it there is blood on this knife?'

Aksynof tried to answer, but could hardly utter a word, and only stammered: 'I -- I don't know -- notmine.'

Then the police-officer said, 'This morning the merchantwas found in bed with his throat cut.You are theonly personwho could have done it. The house was locked from inside, and noone elsewas there.Hereis this bloodstained knife in your bag, and your face and manner betrayyou!Tellmehow you killedhim,and how muchmoney you stole?'

Aksynof swore he had not done it; that he had not seen the merchant after they had had tea together;that hehad nomoney except eight thousand roubles of his own, and that the knifewas not his.But hisvoice was broken, his facepale, andhe trembledwith fear as thoughhewere guilty.

The police-officer ordered the soldiers to bindAksynof and to put him in the cart. As they tied his feettogether and flung him into the cart, Aksynof crossed himself and wept. His money and goods weretaken fromhim, and hewas sent to the nearest townand imprisoned there. Enquiries as to his characterweremade inVladmir. The merchants and other inhabitants of that town said that in formerdays he usedtodrink and waste his time, but that he was a good man. Then the trial cameon: he was charged withmurdering a merchant fromRyazn, and robbing him of twenty thousand roubles.

His wifewas in despair, and did not knowwhat to believe.Her childrenwere all quite small; one was ababy at her breast. Taking them allwith her, she went to the town where her husbandwas in gaol.At firstshe was not allowed to see him; but, after muchbegging, she obtained permission from the officials, andwas taken to him.When she saw her husband in prison-dress and in chains, shut upwith thieves and

criminals, she fell down, anddid not come to her senses for a long time. Then she drew her children toher, and sat down near him. She told himof things at home, andasked about what had happened to him.He told her all, and she asked, 'What can we do now?'

'We must petition the Tsar not to let an innocentman perish.'

Hiswife told him that she had sent a petition to the Tsar, but that it hadnot been accepted.

Aksynof did not reply, but only looked downcast.

Thenhis wife said, 'It was not for nothing I dreamtyour hair had turnedgrey. You remember? Youshould not have started that day.' And passing her fingers through his hair, she said: 'Vnya dearest, tellyour wife the truth; was it not you who did it?'

'So you, too, suspect me!' saidAksynof, and hiding his face in his hands, he began toweep. Then asoldier came to say that the wife and childrenmust goaway; and Aksynof said good-bye to his familyfor the last time.

When theywere gone, Aksynof recalledwhat had been said, and whenhe remembered that his wifealsohad suspected him, he said to himself, 'It seems that onlyGod can know the truth, it is toHim alonewemust appeal, and fromHim alone expectmercy.'

And Aksynofwrote nomore petitions; gave up all hope, and only prayed toGod.

P a g e 5


6/166

Aksynofwas condemned to be flogged and sent to the mines. Sohewas flogged with a knout, andwhen the woundsmadeby the knout were healed, hewas driven to Siberia with other convicts.

For twenty-six years Aksynof lived as a convict in Siberia.His hair turnedwhite as snowand his beardgrew long, thin, and grey. All his mirth went; he stooped; hewalked slowly, spoke little, and neverlaughed, but he often prayed.

In prisonAksynof learnt tomake boots, and earned a littlemoney,withwhich he bought The Lives of the Saints. He read this bookwhen there was light enough in the prison; and onSundays in theprison-church he read the lessons and sang in the choir; for his voicewas still good.

The prison authorities likedAksynof for his meekness, and his fellow-prisoners respected him: theycalled him 'Grandfather,' and 'TheSaint.' When theywanted to petition the prison authorities aboutanything, they alwaysmadeAksynof their spokesman, and when there were quarrels among theprisoners they came to him to put things right, and to judge the matter.

No news reached Aksynof from his home, and he did not even know if hiswife and children were stillalive.

One day a fresh gangof convicts came to the prison. In the evening the old prisoners collected round thenew ones and asked themwhat towns or villages they came from, and what theywere sentenced for.Among the restAksynof sat downnear the new-comers, and listenedwith downcast air towhatwassaid.

One of the new convicts, a tall, strongman of sixty,with a closely-cropped grey beard,was telling theothers what he had been arrested for.

'Well, friends,' he said, 'I only took a horse thatwas tied to a sledge, and I was arrested and accused of stealing. I said I had only taken it to get home quicker, andhad then let it go; besides, the driverwas apersonal friend ofmine. So I said, "It's all right." "No," said they, "you stole it." But how orwhere I stoleit theycould not say. I once really did something wrong, and ought by rights to have comehere longago,but that time I was not found out. Now I have been sent here for nothing at all. . . . Eh, but it's lies I'mtelling you; I'vebeen to Siberia before, but I did not stay long.'

'Where are you from?' asked some one.

'From Vladmir. My family are of that town. Myname isMakr, and theyalso callmeSemynitch.'

Aksynof raisedhis head and said: 'Tell me, Semynitch, doyou knowanythingof the merchantsAksynof, ofVladmir? Are they still alive?'

'Know them? Ofcourse I do. The Aksynofs are rich, though their father is in Siberia: a sinner likeourselves, it seems!As for you,Gran'dad, how did you come here?'

Aksynof did not like to speak of his misfortune. Heonly sighed, and said, 'Formy sins I havebeen inprison these twenty-six years.'

'What sins?' asked Makr Semynitch.

But Aksynof only said, 'Well, well -- I must have deserved it!' Hewould have said nomore, but hiscompanions told the new-comer how Aksynof came to be in Siberia: how someone had killed a

P a g e 6


7/166

merchant and had put a knife among Aksynof's things, and Aksynof had beenunjustly condemned.

WhenMakr Semynitch heard this, he looked atAksynof, slapped his own knee, and exclaimed,'Well this iswonderful!Reallywonderful!But how old you've grown, Gran'dad!'

The others asked him why hewas so surprised, and where he had seenAksynof before; but Makr

Semynitch did not reply.Heonly said: 'It's wonderful thatwe shouldmeet here, lads!'

These words madeAksynofwonderwhether thisman knewwho had killed the merchant; so he said'Perhaps, Semynitch, you have heard of that affair ormaybe you've seenme before?'

'Howcould I help hearing?The world's full of rumours.But it's long ago, and I've forgotten what Iheard.'

'Perhaps you heard who killed the merchant?' asked Aksynof.

Makr Semynitch laughed, and replied, 'It must have beenhim inwhose bag the knife was found! If someone elsehid the knife there, "He's not a thief till he's caught," as the saying is. How could anyoneput a knife into your bag while it was under your head? It would surely havewoke you up?'

WhenAksynof heard these words, he felt sure thiswas the man who had killed the merchant. He roseand went away. All that night Aksynof lay awake.

He felt terriblyunhappy, andall sorts of images rose inhis mind. There was the image ofhis wife as shewas when he parted from her to go to the fair. He saw her as if she were present; her face and her eyesrosebefore him;he heard her speak and laugh.Thenhe saw his children, quite little, as theywere at thattime: one with a little cloak on, another at his mother's breast. And thenhe rememberedhimself as he

used tobe -- young and merry. He remembered how he sat playing theguitar in the porch of the innwhere he was arrested, andhow free fromcare he hadbeen.He saw, in his mind, the place where hewas flogged, the executioner, and the people standing around; the chains, the convicts, all the twenty-sixyears of his prison life, and his premature old age. The thought of it all madehim sowretched that he wasready tokill himself.

'And it's all that villain's doing!' thought Aksynof. And his anger was so great against Makr Semynitchthat he longed for vengeance, even if hehimself should perish for it. He kept repeating prayers all night,but could get no peace. During the day he did not go near Makr Semynitch, nor even look at him.

A fortnight passed in thisway.Aksynof could not sleep at nights, andwas somiserable that hedid notknow what to do.

One night as he was walking about the prisonhenoticed someearth that came rolling out fromunder oneof the shelves onwhich the prisoners slept. He stopped to see what it was. SuddenlyMakr Semynitchcrept out fromunder the shelf, and lookedupatAksynofwith frightened face. Aksynof tried to passwithout looking at him, butMakr seized his hand and toldhim thathehad dug a hole under the wall,getting rid of the earth byputting it into his high-boots, andemptying it out every day on the roadwhenthe prisoners were driven to their work.

'Just you keep quiet, old man, and you shall get out too. If you blab they'll flog the life out of me, but I willkill you first.'

Aksynof trembledwith anger as he lookedat his enemy.Hedrewhis handaway, saying, 'I have no

P a g e 7


8/166

wish to escape, and you have no need tokill me; you killed me long ago! As to telling of you -- I may doso or not, asGod shall direct.'

Next day, when the convicts were led out to work, the convoy soldiers noticed that one or other of theprisoners emptied some earth out of his boots. The prisonwas searched, and the tunnel found. TheGovernor cameand questioned all the prisoners to findout who had dug the hole. Theyall deniedany

knowledge of it. Those who knew, would not betrayMakr Semynitch, knowing hewould be floggedalmost to death. At last the Governor turned toAksynof,whom heknew to be a just man, and said:

'You are a truthful old man; tellme, beforeGod,who dug the hole?'

Makr Semynitch stood as if hewere quite unconcerned, looking at the Governor and not somuch asglancingatAksynof. Aksynof's lips and hands trembled, and for a long timehecould not utter a word.He thought, 'Whyshould I screenhim who ruined mylife? Let him payfor what I havesuffered. But if Itell, theywill probably flog the life out of him and maybe I suspect him wrongly.And, after all,what goodwould it be to me?'

'Well, old man,' repeated the Governor, 'tell us the truth:who has beendigging under the wall?'

Aksynof glanced atMakr Semynitch, and said 'I cannot say, your honour. It is not God's will that Ishould tell! Dowhat you likewithme; I am inyourhands.'

However much the Governor tried,Aksynofwould say nomore, and so the matter had to be left.

That night,whenAksynofwas lying onhis bed and just beginning to doze, someone camequietly andsat down on his bed. He peered through the darkness and recognized Makr.

'What more do you want ofme?' asked Aksynof. 'Why have you come here?'

Makr Semynitchwas silent. SoAksynof sat up and said, 'What doyou want? Go away, or I will callthe guard!'

Makr Semynitch bent close overAksynof, and whispered, 'IvnDmtritch, forgive me!'

'What for?' asked Aksynof.

'It was I who killed the merchant and hid the knife amongyour things. I meant to kill you too, but I heard

a noise outside; so I hid the knife in your bag andescaped out of the window.'

Aksynofwas silent, and did not knowwhat to say.Makr Semynitch slid off the bed-shelf and kneltupon the ground. 'Ivn Dmtritch,' said he, 'forgiveme! For the love ofGod, forgive me! I will confessthat itwas I who killed the merchant, and you will be released and can go to your home.'

'It is easy for you to talk,' saidAksynof, 'but I have suffered for you these twenty-six years.Wherecould I go to now? . . . My wife is dead, and my children have forgotten me. I have nowhere to go. . . .'

Makr Semynitch did not rise, but beat his headon the floor. 'Ivn Dmtritch, forgive me!' he cried.'When they flogged me with the knout it was not so hard to bear as it is to see you now . . . yet you hadpity on me, anddid not tell. ForChrist's sake forgive me,wretch that I am!' Andhe began to sob.

WhenAksynof heard him sobbing he, too, began toweep.

P a g e 8


9/166

'Godwill forgive you!' said he. 'Maybe I ama hundred times worse thanyou.' And at these words hisheart grew light, and the longing for home left him. Heno longer had any desire to leave the prison, butonly hoped for his last hour to come.

In spite ofwhatAksynof had said, Maker Semynitch confessed his guilt. But when the order for his

release came, Aksynof was already dead.

(Written in 1872)

Preface | Contents | Next Story

Previous Story | Contents | Next Story

2. A Prisoner In The Caucasus

I

ANofficer named Zhlinwas serving in the army in the Caucasus.

One day he receiveda letter fromhome. Itwas fromhis mother, who wrote: 'I amgetting old, and shouldlike to see my dear son once more before I die. Come and say good-bye tome and buryme, and then, if God pleases, return to service againwithmyblessing. But I have found a girl for you,who is sensible andgood and has someproperty. If you can love her, you might marry her and remain at home.'

Zhlin thought it over. Itwas quite true, the old ladywas failing fast and hemight not have another chanceto see her alive.Hehad better go, and, if the girl was nice, why not marry her?

So hewent to his Colonel, obtained leave of absence, said good-bye to his comrades, stood the soldiersfour pailfuls of vdka as a farewell treat, and got ready to go.

Itwas a timeof war in the Caucasus. The roads were not safe bynight or day. If ever a Russian venturedto rideor walk anydistance away fromhis fort, the Tartars killedhim orcarried himoff to the hills. So it

had been arranged that twice every week a body of soldiers shouldmarch fromone fortress to the nextto convoy travellers frompoint to point.

It was summer. At daybreak the baggage-train got ready under shelter of the fortress; the soldiersmarched out; and all started along the road. Zhlinwas onhorseback, and a cartwith his thingswentwiththe baggage-train.Theyhad sixteen miles to go. The baggage-train moved slowly; sometimes the soldiersstopped, or perhaps a wheelwould come off one of the carts, or a horse refuse to goon, and theneverybody had to wait.

When by the sun itwas already past noon, theyhad not gone half the way. Itwas dusty and hot, the sun

was scorching and there was no shelter anywhere: a bare plain all round -- not a tree, not a bush, by theroad.

P a g e 9


10/166

Zhlin rodeon in front, and stopped,waiting for the baggage to overtakehim.Thenheheard thesignal-horn sounded behind him: the company had again stopped. So he began to think: 'Hadn't I betterride on bymyself? Myhorse is a good one: if the Tartars do attackme, I can gallop away. Perhaps,however, it would bewiser towait.'

As he sat considering,Kostlin, an officer carrying a gun, rode up to him and said:

'Come along,Zhlin, let's goonbyourselves. It's dreadful; I amfamished, and the heat is terrible. Myshirt iswringingwet.'

Kostlinwas a stout, heavy man, and the perspirationwas running downhis red face. Zhlin thoughtawhile, and then asked: 'Is your gun loaded?'

'Yes it is.'

'Well, then, let's go, but on condition thatwekeep together.'

So they rode forward along the road across the plain, talking, but keeping a look-out on both sides. Theycould see afar all round.But after crossing the plain the road ran through a valley between two hills, andZhlin said: 'We had better climb that hill and have a look round, or the Tartarsmay be on us beforeweknow it.'

But Kostlin answered: 'What's the use?Let us goon.'

Zhlin, however, would not agree.

'No,' he said; 'youcan wait here if you like, but I'll go and look round.'And he turned his horse to the

left, up the hill. Zhlin's horse was a hunter, and carried himup the hillside as if it had wings. (He hadbought it for a hundred roubles as a colt out of a herd, and had broken it in himself.) Hardly had hereached the top of the hill, whenhe saw some thirtyTartars not muchmore than a hundred yards aheadof him.As soonashe caught sight of themhe turned round but the Tartars had also seenhim, and rushedafter him at full gallop, getting their gunsout as theywent. DowngallopedZhlin as fast as the horse's legscould go, shouting toKostlin: 'Get your gun ready!'

And, in thought, he said tohis horse: 'Get me well out of this, my pet; don't stumble, for if you do it's allup. Once I reach the gun, they shan't takeme prisoner.'

But, instead ofwaiting,Kostlin, as soon ashe caught sight of the Tartars, turnedback towards thefortress at full speed, whippinghis horse now onone sidenow on the other, and its switching tailwas allthat couldbe seen of him in the dust.

Zhlin saw itwas a bad look-out; the gun was gone, andwhat could hedowith nothing but his sword?He turnedhis horse towards the escort, thinking to escape, but there were six Tartars rushing to cut himoff.His horse was a good one, but theirs were still better; and besides, they were across his path. Hetried to rein in his horse and to turn another way, but itwasgoing so fast it could not stop, and dashed onstraight towards the Tartars.He saw a red-bearded Tartar on a grey horse, with his gun raised, come athim, yelling and showing his teeth.

'Ah,' thoughtZhlin, 'I knowyou, devils that youare. If you takemealive, you'll put me in a pit and flogme. I will not be taken alive!'

P a g e 1 0


11/166

Zhlin, thoughnot a big fellow, was brave.He drewhis sword and dashed at the red-bearded Tartarthinking: 'Either I'll ridehim down, ordisable him withmysword.'

Hewas still a horse's length away fromhim,whenhewas fired at from behind, and his horse was hit. Itfell to the groundwithall its weight, pinning Zhlin to the earth.

He tried to rise, but two ill-savouredTartars were already sitting onhim and binding his hands behind hisback. Hemade an effort and flung them off, but three others jumped from their horses and began beatinghis head with the butts of their guns. His eyesgrewdim, and he fell back. The Tartars seized him, and,taking spare girths from their saddles, twisted his hands behind him and tied themwith a Tartar knot.Theyknocked his cap off, pulled off his boots, searchedhim all over, tore his clothes, and tookhismoney and his watch.

Zhlin looked round at his horse. There it lay on its side, poor thing, just as it had fallen; struggling, its legsin the air, unable to touch the ground. There was a hole in its head, and black blood was pouring out,turning the dust tomud for a couple of feet around.

One of the Tartarswent up to the horse andbegan taking the saddle off, it still kicked, so he drew adagger and cut its windpipe. A whistling sound came from its throat, the horse gave one plunge, and allwas over.

The Tartars took the saddle and trappings. The red-bearded Tartarmounted his horse, and the othersliftedZhlin into the saddlebehindhim.Toprevent his falling off, they strappedhim to the Tartar's girdle;and then theyall rodeaway to the hills.

So there sat Zhlin, swaying fromside to side, his head striking against the Tartar's stinking back. Hecould see nothing but thatmuscular back and sinewy neck, with its closely shaven, bluish nape. Zhlin's

headwas wounded: the blood had dried over his eyes, and he could neither shift his positionon thesaddle nor wipe the blood off.His armswere bound so tightly that his collar-bones ached.

They rode up anddown hills for a long way. Then they reached a river which they forded, and came to ahard road leading across a valley.

Zhlin tried to see where theywere going, but his eyelids were stuck togetherwith blood, and he couldnot turn.

Twilight began to fall; theycrossed another river and rodeup a stony hillside. There was a smell of

smoke here, and dogswere barking.Theyhad reached anAoul (a Tartar village). The Tartars got off their horses; Tartar children came and stood roundZhlin, shrieking with pleasure and throwing stones athim.

The Tartar drove the childrenaway, tookZhlin off the horse, and calledhis man.A Nogy with highcheek-bones, and nothing on but a shirt (and that so torn that his breastwas all bare), answered the call.The Tartar gave him anorder.Hewent and fetched shackles: two blocks of oak with iron rings attached,and a clasp and lock fixed to oneof the rings.

TheyuntiedZhlin's arms, fastened the shackles onhis leg, and dragged him to a barn, where they pushedhim in and locked the door.

Zhlin fell on a heapofmanure. He lay still awhile then gropedabout to find a soft place, and settleddown.

P a g e 1 1


12/166

II

That night Zhlin hardly slept at all. Itwas the timeof yearwhen the nights are short, and daylight soonshowed itself through a chink in the wall. He rose, scratched tomake the chink bigger, and peepedout.

Through the hole he saw a road leading down-hill; to the right was a Tartar hut with two trees near it, ablack dog lay on the threshold, and a goat and kids were movingabout wagging their tails. Then he saw ayoung Tartarwoman in a long, loose, bright-coloured gown, with trousers and highboots showing fromunder it. She had a coat thrownover her head, onwhich she carried a large metal jug filledwithwater.She was leading by the hand a small, closely-shavenTartar boy,who wore nothing but a shirt; and as shewent along balancing herself, the muscles of her backquivered. Thiswoman carried the water into thehut, and, soon after, the red-bearded Tartar of yesterday came out dressed in a silk tunic,with a

silver-hilted dagger hanging byhis side, shoes onhis bare feet, and a tall black sheepskin cap set far backon his head. He came out, stretched himself, and stroked his red beard.He stood awhile, gave an orderto his servant, and went away.

Then two lads rode past fromwatering their horses. The horses' noses were wet. Some otherclosely-shaven boys ranout, without any trousers, and wearing nothingbut their shirts. They crowdedtogether, came to the barn, pickedupa twig, and beganpushing it in at the chink. Zhlin gave a shout,and the boys shrieked and scampered off, their little bare knees gleaming as they ran.

Zhlinwas very thirsty: his throatwas parched, and he thought: 'If only theywould comeand somuchas

look at me!'Thenhe heard someone unlocking the barn. The red-bearded Tartar entered, and with him was anothera smallerman, dark, with bright black eyes, red cheeks and a short beard.Hehad a merry face, and wasalways laughing. Thisman was evenmore richly dressed than the other.Hewore a blue silk tunictrimmed with gold, a large silver dagger in his belt, red morocco slippersworkedwith silver, and overthese a pair of thick shoes, andhe had a white sheepskin cap onhis head.

The red-bearded Tartar entered,muttered something as if hewere annoyed, and stood leaning againstthe doorpost, playing with his dagger, and glaring askance atZhlin, like a wolf. The dark one, quick andlively and movingas if onsprings, came straight up toZhlin, squatteddown in front of him, slapped him

on the shoulder, and began to talk very fast in his own language. His teeth showed, andhekeptwinking,clicking his tongue, and repeating, 'Good Russ, goodRuss.'

Zhlin could not understand a word, but said, 'Drink! givemewater to drink!'

The darkman only laughed. 'Good Russ,' he said, and went on talking in his own tongue.

Zhlinmade signs with lipsand hands that hewanted something todrink.

The darkman understood, and laughed. Thenhe looked out of the door, and called to some one: 'Dina!'

A little girl came running in: she was about thirteen, slight, thin, and like the darkTartar in face. Evidentlyshewas his daughter. She, too, had clear black eyes, and her facewas good-looking. She had on a long

P a g e 1 2


13/166

blue gown with wide sleeves, and no girdle. The hem of her gown, the front, and the sleeves, weretrimmed with red. She wore trousers and slippers, and over the slippers stouter shoes with high heels.Round her neck she had a necklacemade ofRussian silver coins. She was bareheaded, and her blackhair was plaited with a ribbon and ornamentedwith gilt braid and silver coins.

Her father gave anorder, and she ran away and returnedwith a metal jug. She handed the water to Zhlin

and sat down, crouching so that her knees were as high as her head, and there she satwith wide openeyeswatchingZhlindrink, as thoughhewere a wild animal.

WhenZhlin handed the empty jug back to her, she gave sucha sudden jumpback, like a wild goat, thatitmadeher father laugh.He sent her away for something else. She took the jug, ran out, and broughtback some unleavened bread on a round board, andonce more sat down, crouching, and looking onwith staring eves.

Then the Tartars went away and again locked the door.

After a while the Nogy came and said: 'Ayda, the master, Ayda!'

He, too, knewnoRussian.All Zhlin could makeout was that hewas told to go somewhere.

Zhlin followed the Ngay, but limped, for the shackles dragged his feet so that he could hardly step atall. On getting out of the barn he saw a Tartar village of about ten houses, and a Tartar church with asmall tower. Three horses stood saddled before one of the houses; little boyswere holding themby thereins.The darkTartar cameout of this house, beckoning with his hand for Zhlin to followhim.Thenhelaughed, said something in his own language, and returned into the house.

Zhlin entered.The roomwas a goodone: the walls smoothly plastered with clay. Near the front wall lay

a pile of bright-coloured feather beds; the sidewalls were covered with rich carpets used as hangings,and on these were fastenedguns, pistols and swords, all inlaidwith silver. Close to one of the walls was asmall stove ona level with the earthen floor. The floor itselfwas as clean as a thrashing-ground. A largespace in one cornerwas spread overwith felt, onwhich were rugs, and on these rugswere cushionsstuffed with down. And on these cushions sat fiveTartars, the dark one, the red-haired one, and threeguests. Theywerewearing their indoor slippers, and each had a cushion behind his back. Before themwere standing millet cakes on a round board, melted butter in a bowl and a jug of buza, or Tartar beer.They ate both cakes and butterwith their hands.

The dark man jumped up and ordered Zhlin to be placed on one side, not on the carpet but on the bare

ground, then he sat downon the carpet again, and offered millet cakes and buza to his guests. Theservant madeZhlin sit down, after which he tookoff his own overshoes, put themby the doorwhere theother shoes were standing, and sat downnearer to his masters on the felt, watching themas they ate, andlicking his lips.

TheTartars ate as much as they wanted, and a woman dressed in the samewayas the girl -- in a longgownand trousers, with a kerchief on her head -- came and took away whatwas left, and brought ahandsomebasin, and an ewerwith a narrowspout. The Tartars washed their hands, folded them, wentdownon their knees, blew to the four quarters, and said their prayers.After they had talked for a while,one of the guests turned toZhlin and began to speak inRussian.

'You were captured by Kazi-Mohammed,' he said, and pointed at the red-bearded Tartar. 'AndKazi-Mohammed has given you toAbdul Murat,' pointing at the dark one. 'AbdulMurat is now yourmaster.'

P a g e 1 3


14/166

Zhlinwas silent. ThenAbdul Murat began to talk, laughing, pointing toZhlin, and repeating, 'SoldierRuss, good Russ.'

The interpreter said, 'He orders you towrite home and tell them to send a ransom, and as soon as themoney comes hewill set you free.'

Zhlin thought for a moment, and said, 'Howmuch ransomdoeshewant?'

The Tartars talked awhile, and then the interpreter said, 'Three thousand roubles.'

'No,' said Zhlin,' I can't pay somuch.'

Abdul jumpedup and,wavinghis arms, talked toZhlin' thinking, as before, that hewould understand.The interpreter translated: 'Howmuchwill you give?'

Zhlin considered, and said, 'Five hundred roubles.' At this the Tartars began speaking very quickly, alltogether. Abdul began to shout at the red-bearded one, and jabbered so fast that the spittle spurted outof his mouth. The red-bearded one only screwed uphis eyes and clicked his tongue.

They quietened down after a while, and the interpreter said, 'Five hundred roubles is not enough for themaster. Hepaid two hundred for you himself. Kazi-Mohammedwas in debt to him, and he tookyou inpayment. Three thousand roubles! Less than that won't do. If you refuse to write, you will be put into apit and floggedwith a whip!'

'Eh!' thought Zhlin, 'themore one fears them the worse itwill be.'

So he sprang tohis feet, and said, 'You tell that dog that if he tries to frighten me I will not write at all,and he will get nothing. I neverwas afraid ofyou dogs, and never will be!'

The interpreter translated, and again they all began to talk at once.

They jabbered for a long time, and then the darkman jumpedup, came toZhlin, and said: 'D zh i gi t R u ss ,d z hi g it R u ss !' (Dzhigit in their languagemeans 'brave.') And he laughed, and said something to theinterpreter, who translated: 'One thousand roubleswill satisfy him.'

Zhlin stuck to it: 'Iwill not givemore than fivehundred.And if you killmeyou'll get nothing atall.'

The Tartars talked awhile, then sent the servant out to fetch something, and kept looking, now atZhlin,now at the door. The servant returned, followed by a stout, bare-footed, tatteredman, who also had hisleg shackled.

Zhlin gaspedwith surprise: itwas Kostlin. He, too, had been taken.Theywere put side by side, andbegan to tell each otherwhat had occurred.While they talked, theTartars looked on in silence. Zhlinrelated what had happened to him; and Kostlin told how his horse had stopped, his gun missed fire, andthis sameAbdul had overtaken and captured him.

Abdul jumpedup, pointed to Kostlin, and said something.The interpreter translated that they both nowbelonged to one master, and the one who first paid the ransom would be set free first.

'There now,' he said to Zhlin, 'youget angry, but your comrade here is gentle; hehas written home, and

P a g e 1 4


15/166

theywill send five thousand roubles. Sohewill be well fed and well treated.'

Zhlin replied: 'My comrade can do as he likes; maybe he is rich, I am not. Itmust be as I said. Killme, if you like --you will gainnothingby it; but I will notwrite for more than five hundred roubles.'

Theywere silent. Suddenly up sprangAbdul, brought a little box, tookout a pen, ink, and a bit of paper,

gave themtoZhlin, slappedhim on the shoulder, and made a sign that he shouldwrite.Hehad agreed totake five hundred roubles.

'Wait a bit!' saidZhlin to the interpreter; 'tell him that hemust feedusproperly, giveusproper clothesand boots, and let us be together. It will bemore cheerful for us. And hemust have these shackles takenoff our feet,' and Zhlin looked at his master and laughed.

The master also laughed, heard the interpreter, and said: 'I will give them the best of clothes: a cloak andboots fit to bemarried in. I will feed them like princes; and if they like they can live together in the barn.But I can't take off the shackles, or theywill run away. They shall be taken off, however, at night.' And

he jumpedup and slapped Zhlin on the shoulder, exclaiming: 'Yougood, I good!'

Zhlinwrote the letter, but addressed it wrongly, so that it should not reach its destination, thinking tohimself: 'I'll run away!'

Zhlin and Kostlinwere taken back to the barn and given somemaize straw, a jug ofwater, somebread,two old cloaks, and someworn-outmilitary boots -- evidently taken from the corpses of Russiansoldiers, At night their shackleswere taken off their feet, and theywere lockedup in the barn.

III

Zhlin and his friend lived in thisway for a whole month.The master always laughed and said: 'You, Ivn,good! I,Abdul, good!' But he fed thembadly giving themnothing but unleavenedbread ofmillet-flourbaked into flat cakes, or sometimes only unbaked dough.

Kostlinwrote homea second time, and did nothing but mope and wait for the money to arrive. Hewould sit for days together in the barn sleeping, or counting the days till a letter could come.

Zhlin knewhis letterwould reach noone, and hedid not write another.He thought: 'Where could mymother get enough money to ransom me? As it is she lived chieflyon what I sent her. If she had to raisefive hundred roubles, she would be quite ruined. WithGod's help I'll manage to escape!'

So he kept on the look-out, planning how to run away.

Hewould walk about the Aoulwhistling;orwould sit working,modelling dolls of clay, orweavingbaskets out of twigs: for Zhlin was cleverwith his hands.

Once he modelled a doll with a nose and hands and feet and with a Tartar gown on, and put it up on the

roof. When the Tartarwomen came out to fetch water, the master's daughter, Dina, saw the doll andcalled the women,who put down their jugs and stood looking and laughing. Zhlin tookdown the dolland held it out to them. They laughed, but dared not take it. He put down the doll andwent into the barn,

P a g e 1 5


16/166

waiting to see whatwould happen.

Dina ran up to the doll, looked round, seized it, and ran away.

In the morning, at daybreak, he lookedout.Dina cameout of the house and sat downon the thresholdwith thedoll, which she had dressed up inbits of red stuff, and she rocked it like a baby, singinga Tartar

lullaby.Anold woman cameout and scolded her, and snatching the doll away she broke it to bits, andsentDina about her business.

But Zhlinmadeanother doll, better than the first, andgave it toDina. OnceDinabrought a little jug, putit on the ground, sat down gazing athim,and laughed, pointing to the jug.

'What pleases her so?'wonderedZhlin. He took the jug thinking it was water, but it turned out to bemilk. Hedrank the milk and said: 'That's good!'

How pleased Dinawas! 'Good, Ivn, good!' said she, and she jumped up and clapped her hands. Then,

seizing the jug, she ran away. After that, she stealthilybrought him somemilk every day.

The Tartars make a kind of cheeseout of goat'smilk, which theydry on the roofs of their houses; andsometimes, on the sly, she brought him someof this cheese.And once, whenAbdul had killed a sheepshe broughtZhlin a bit of mutton inher sleeve. Shewould just throw the thingsdown and run away.

One day there was a heavy storm, and the rain fell in torrents for a whole hour. All the streams becameturbid. At the ford, the water rose till it was seven feet high, and the current was so strong that it rolledthe stones about. Rivulets flowedeverywhere, and the rumbling in the hills never ceased. When the stormwas over, the water ran in streamsdown the village street. Zhlingot his master to lend him a knife, andwith it he shaped a small cylinder, andcutting some little boards, hemadea wheel towhich he fixed two

dolls, one on each side. The little girls brought him somebits of stuff, and hedressed the dolls, one as apeasant, the other as a peasant woman. Then he fastened them in their places, and set thewheel so thatthe stream shouldwork it. The wheel began to turn and the dolls danced.

The whole village collected round.Little boys and girls, Tartarmen and women, all came and clickedtheir tongues.

'Ah,Russ! Ah, Ivn!'

Abdul had a Russian clock,which was broken. He calledZhlin and showed it to him, clickinghis tongue.

'Give itme, I'llmend it for you,' saidZhlin.

He took it to pieceswith the knife, sorted the pieces, and put them together again, so that the clock wentall right.

The masterwas delighted, and madehim a present of oneofhis old tunicswhich was all inholes.Zhlinhad to accept it. He could, at any rate, use it as a coverlet at night.

After thatZhlin's fame spread; and Tartars came fromdistant villages, bringinghim now the lockof a gunor of a pistol, nowa watch, tomend. His master gave himsome tools -- pincers, gimlets, and a file.

One day a Tartar fell ill, and theycame toZhlin saying, 'Come and healhim!' Zhlinknewnothing aboutdoctoring, but hewent to look, and thought to himself, 'Perhaps hewill get well anyway.'

P a g e 1 6


17/166

He returned to the barn, mixed somewater with sand, and then in the presence of the Tartars whisperedsomewords over it and gave it to the sickman to drink.Luckily for him, the Tartar recovered.

Zhlin began topickup their language a little, and someof the Tartars grewfamiliarwithhim.When theywanted him, theywould call: 'Ivn! Ivn!' Others, however, still looked at him askance, as at a wild

beast.

The red-bearded Tartar dislikedZhlin. Whenever he saw him he frowned and turned away, or swore athim. There was also an oldman therewho didnot live in the Aoul, but used to come up from the foot of the hill. Zhlin only saw himwhen he passed on hisway to the Mosque. He was short, and had a whitecloth wound round his hat. His beard and moustacheswere clipped, and white as snow; and his facewaswrinkled and brick-red.His nosewas hooked like a hawk's, his grey eyes looked cruel, and he had noteeth except two tusks.Hewould pass,with his turbanonhis head, leaning onhis staff, and glaring roundhim like a wolf. If he sawZhlinhe would snort with anger and turnaway.

OnceZhlin descended the hill to see where the old man lived.Hewent downalong the pathway andcame to a little garden surroundedby a stone wall; and behind the wall he saw cherry and apricot trees,and a hut with a flat roof. Hecame closer, and saw hives madeof plaited straw, and bees flying aboutand humming.The old man was kneeling, busydoing something with a hive. Zhlin stretched to look, andhis shackles rattled. The old man turned round, and, giving a yell, snatched a pistol fromhis belt and shotatZhlin, who justmanaged to shelter himself behind the stone wall.

The old man went toZhlin'smaster to complain. The master calledZhlin, and saidwith a laugh, 'Whydid you go to the oldman's house?'

'I did him noharm,' replied Zhlin. 'I onlywanted to see howhe lived.'

The master repeatedwhatZhlin said.

But the old man was in a rage; hehissed and jabbered, showinghis tusks, and shaking his fists atZhlin.

Zhlin could not understandall, but hegathered that the old man was telling Abdul heought not tokeepRussians in the Aoul, but ought tokill them. At last the old man went away.

Zhlin asked the master who the old man was.

'He is a great man!' said the master. 'He was the bravest of our fellows; hekilledmanyRussians and wasatone timevery rich. Hehad three wives and eight sons, and they all lived inone village.Then theRussians cameand destroyed the village, and killed seven of his sons. Only one son was left, and hegavehimself up to the Russians. The old man alsowent and gavehimself up, and lived among the Russians forthree months. At the end of that timehe foundhis son, killedhimwith his ownhands, and thenescaped.After that he left off fighting, and went toMecca to pray toGod; that iswhy hewears a turban. One whohas been toMecca is called "Hadji," and wears a turban.He does not like you fellows. He tells me to killyou.But I can't kill you. I havepaid money for you and, besides, I have grown fond of you, Ivn. Farfrom killing you, I wouldnot even let yougo if I hadnot promised.' And he laughed, saying inRussian,'You, Ivn, good; I, Abdul, good!'

P a g e 1 7


18/166

IV

Zhlin lived in thisway for a month.During the day hesauntered about the Aoulorbusiedhimself withsome handicraft, but at night,when all was silent in the Aoul, he dug at the floor of the barn. It was noeasy task digging, because of the stones; but heworkedawayat themwith his file, and at last had madea hole under the wall large enough to get through.

'If only I could get to know the lay of the land,' thought he, 'and which way togo! But none of the Tartarswill tellme.'

So he chose a day when the master was away from home, and set off after dinner to climb the hillbeyond thevillage, and to look around. But before leaving home themaster always gave orders to hisson towatch Zhlin, and not to lose sight ofhim.So the lad ran after Zhlin, shouting: 'Don't go! Fatherdoesnot allow it. I'll call the neighbours if you won't comeback.'

Zhlin tried topersuadehim, and said: 'I'mnot going far; I only want to climb that hill. I want to findaherb -- to cure sick people with. You come with me if you like. Howcan I run away with these shackleson? To-morrow I'llmake a bow and arrows for you.'

So he persuaded the lad, and they went. To look at the hill, it did not seem far to the top; but it was hardwalking with shackles onhis leg.Zhlinwenton andon, but itwas all he could do to reach the top.Therehe sat downand noted how the land lay.To the south, beyond the barn, was a valley inwhich a herd of horseswas pasturing and at the bottomof the valley one could see another Aoul. Beyond thatwas a stillsteeper hill, and another hill beyond that. Between the hills, in the bluedistance, were forests, and stillfurther off weremountains, rising higher and higher. The highest of themwere covered with snow, white

as sugar; and one snowypeak towered above all the rest. To the east and to the westwere other suchhills, and here and there smoke rose fromAouls in the ravines. 'Ah,' thought he, 'all that is Tartar country.'And he turned towards the Russian side. At his feet he saw a river, and the Aoul he lived in, surroundedby little gardens.He could see women, like tiny dolls, sitting by the river rinsing clothes. Beyond the Aoulwas a hill, lower than the one to the south, and beyond it two other hills wellwooded; and betweenthese, a smooth bluishplain, and far, far across the plain something that looked like a cloud of smoke.Zhlin tried to rememberwhere the sun used to rise and set whenhewas living in the fort, andhe saw thatthere was nomistake: the Russian fortmust be in that plain. Between those two hills hewould have tomake his way when he escaped.

The sun was beginning to set. The white, snowy mountains turned red, and the dark hills turned darker;

mists rose fromthe ravine, and the valley, where he supposed the Russian fort to be, seemedon firewiththe sunset glow. Zhlin looked carefully. Something seemed to bequivering in the valley like smoke froma chimney, and he felt sure the Russian fortresswas there.

It had grown late. The Mullah's cry was heard. The herds were being driven home, the cowswerelowing, and the lad kept saying, 'Come home!' But Zhlin did not feel inclined to go away.

At last, however, theywent back. 'Well,' thought Zhlin, 'now that I know the way, it is time to escape.'He thought of running away that night. The nightsweredark -- the moon had waned.But as ill-luckwould have it, the Tartars returnedhome that evening.Theygenerally camebackdriving cattle before

themand in good spirits.But this time theyhad no cattle.All theybrought homewas the deadbodyof aTartar -- the red one's brother --who had been killed. They came back looking sullen, and they allgathered together for the burial. Zhlin also cameout to see it.

P a g e 1 8


19/166

They wrapped the body in a piece of linen, without anycoffin, and carried it out of the village, and laid iton the grass under some plane-trees. The Mullah and the old men came. Theywound clothes round theircaps, took off their shoes, and squatted on their heels, side by side, near the corpse.

The Mullah was in front: behind him ina row were three oldmen in turbans, andbehind them again the

other Tartars.All cast down their eyes and sat in silence. This continued a long time, until the Mullahraised his head and said: 'Allah!' (whichmeans God). He said that one word, and theyall cast down theireyes again, and were again silent for a long time. They sat quite still, not movingormakingany sound.

Again the Mullah liftedhis headand said, 'Allah!' and theyall repeated: 'Allah! Allah!' and were againsilent.

The dead body lay immovable on the grass, and they sat as still as if they too were dead. Not one of themmoved.There was no sound but that of the leavesof the plane-trees stirring in the breeze. Then theMullah repeated a prayer, and they all rose. They lifted the body and carried it in their arms to a hole in

the ground. Itwas not anordinary hole, but was hollowedout under the ground like a vault. They tookthe body under the armsand by the legs, bent it, and let it gently down, pushing it under the earth in asitting posture,with the hands folded in front.

The Nogy brought somegreen rushes, which they stuffed into the hole, and, quickly covering itwithearth, they smoothed the ground, and set an upright stone at the headof the grave.Then they trod theearth down, and again sat in a row before the grave, keeping silence for a long time.

At last they rose, said 'Allah! Allah!Allah!' and sighed.

The red-bearded Tartar gavemoney to the old men; then he too rose, took a whip, struck himself with it

three times on the forehead, and went home.

The nextmorning Zhlin saw the red Tartar, followedby three others, leading a mare out of the village.When theywere beyond the village, the red-bearded Tartar tookoff his tunic and turneduphis sleeves,showing his stout arms. Thenhe drewa dagger and sharpened it on a whetstone.The other Tartarsraised the mare's head, and he cut her throat, threw her downand began skinning her, loosening the hidewith his big hands.Women and girls came and began towash the entrails and the inwards.The marewascut up, the pieces taken into the hut, and the whole village collected at the red Tartar's hut for a funeralfeast.

For three days they went oneating the flesh of the mare, drinking buza, and praying for the dead man.All the Tartars were at home. On the fourth day at dinner-timeZhlin saw thempreparing to goaway.Horseswere brought out, they got ready, and some ten of them (the red one among them) rode away;but Abdul stayed at home. It was new moon, and the nightswere still dark.

'Ah!' thought Zhlin, 'to-night is the time to escape.'And he toldKostlin; but Kostlin's heart failed him.

'How can we escape?' he said. 'We don't even know the way.'

'I know the way,' said Zhlin.

'Even if you do'' saidKostlin, 'we can't reach the fort in one night.'

'If we can't,' said Zhlin, 'we'll sleep in the forest. See here, I have saved some cheeses.What's the good

P a g e 1 9


20/166

of sitting and mopinghere? If they sendyour ransom--well and good; but suppose they don't manage tocollect it? The Tartars are angry now, because the Russians have killed one of their men.They are talkingofkillingus.'

Kostlin thought it over.

'Well, let's go,' said he.

V

Zhlin crept into the hole, widened it so thatKostlinmight alsoget through, and then theyboth sat waitingtill all shouldbequiet in the Aoul.

As soon as all was quiet, Zhlin crept under the wall, got out, and whispered to Kostlin, 'Come!' Kostlincrept out, but in so doinghe caught a stone with his foot and made a noise. The master had a very viciouswatch-dog, a spotted one calledOulyashin. Zhlin had been careful to feed him for some timebefore.Oulyashin heard the noise and began to bark and jump, and the other dogs did the same. Zhlin gave aslightwhistle, and threw him a bit of cheese. Oulyashin knewZhlin, waggedhis tail, and stopped barking.

But the master had heard the dog, and shouted to him fromhis hut, 'Hayt, hayt, Oulyashin!'

Zhlin, however, scratched Oulyashin behind the ears, and the dog was quiet, and rubbed against his legs,wagginghis tail

They sat hiddenbehind a corner for awhile. All became silent again, only a sheep coughed inside a shed,and the water rippled over the stones in the hollow. It was dark, the stars were high overhead, and thenew moon showed red as it set, horns upward, behind the hill. In the valleys the fog was white as milk.

Zhlin rose and said to his companion, 'Well, friend, come along!'

They started; but theyhad only gonea few steps when theyheard the Mullah crying fromthe roof, 'Allah,Beshmillah! Ilrahman!' Thatmeant that the peoplewould be going to the Mosque. So they sat downagain, hiding behind a wall, and waited a long time till the peoplehad passed. At last all was quiet again.

'Now then! May God bewith us!' They crossed themselves, and started oncemore. They passedthrough a yard and went down the hillside to the river, crossed the river, and went along the valley.

The mistwas thick, but only near the ground; overhead the stars shone quite brightly. Zhlin directed theircourse by the stars. It was cool in the mist, and easywalking, only their boots were uncomfortable, beingworn out and trodden down. Zhlin took his off, threw themaway, and went barefoot, jumping fromstone to stone, and guiding his courseby the stars.Kostlin began to lag behind.

'Walk slower,' he said, 'these confounded boots have quite blistered my feet.'

'Take themoff!' saidZhlin. 'It will be easierwalking without them.'

Kostlinwent barefoot, but got on still worse.The stones cut his feet and hekept lagging behind. Zhlin

P a g e 2 0


21/166

said: 'If your feet get cut, they'll heal again; but if the Tartars catch us and kill us, itwill beworse!'

Kostlin did not reply, but went on, groaning all the time.

Their way lay through the valley for a long time. Then, to the right, theyheard dogsbarking.Zhlinstopped, looked about, and began climbing the hill feeling with his hands.

'Ah!' said he, 'we have gonewrong, and have come too far to the right. Here is another Aoul, one I sawfrom the hill. We must turnback and go up that hill to the left. Theremust be a wood there.'

But Kostlin said: 'Wait a minute! Let meget breath.My feet are all cut and bleeding.'

'Nevermind, friend!They'llheal again.You should springmore lightly. Like this!'

And Zhlin ran backand turned to the left up the hill towards the wood.

Kostlin still laggedbehind, and groaned.Zhlin only said 'Hush!' and went onand on.

Theywent up the hill and found a wood asZhlin had said. Theyentered the woodand forced their waythrough the brambles, which tore their clothes.At last theycame to a path and followed it.

'Stop!' Theyheard the tramp ofhoofs on the path, and waited, listening. It sounded like the trampingof ahorse's feet, but then ceased. Theymoved on, and again they heard the tramping. When theypaused, italso stopped.Zhlin crept nearer to it, and saw something standingon the pathwhere itwas not quite sodark. It looked like a horse, and yet not quite like one, and on itwas something queer, not like a man. Heheard it snorting. 'What can it be?' Zhlin gave a low whistle, and off it dashed fromthe path into thethicket, and the woods were filledwith the noise of crackling, as if a hurricane were sweeping through,

breaking the branches.

Kostlinwas so frightened that he sank to the ground. But Zhlin laughed and said: 'It's a stag.Don't youhearhim breaking the branches with his antlers? Wewere afraid of him, and he is afraid of us.'

Theywent on. The Great Bearwas already setting. It was nearmorning, and theydid not knowwhetherthey were going the right way or not. Zhlin thought itwas the way hehad beenbroughtby the Tartars,and that they were still some sevenmiles fromthe Russian fort; but he had nothingcertain togoby, andat night one easilymistakes the way.After a time theycame to a clearing. Kostlin sat downand said: 'Doas you like, I can go no farther! My feet won't carry me.'

Zhlin tried to persuadehim.

'No I shall never get there, I can't!'

Zhlin grewangry, and spoke roughly to him.

'Well, then, I shall go on alone.Good-bye!'

Kostlin jumpedup and followed. Theywent another three miles. The mist in the woodhad settled downstill more densely; theycould not see a yard before them, and the stars had grown dim.

Suddenly they heard the sound of a horse's hoofs in front of them. Theyheard its shoes strike the stones.Zhlin lay down flat, and listenedwith his ear to the ground.

P a g e 2 1


22/166

'Yes, so it is! A horseman is coming towards us.'

They ran off the path, crouched among the bushes and waited. Zhlin crept to the road, looked, and sawa Tartar on horseback driving a cow and humming to himself. The Tartar rode past. Zhlin returned toKostlin.

'God has led him past us; get up and let's go on!'

Kostlin tried to rise, but fell back again.

'I can't; on myword I can't! I have no strength left.'

Hewas heavy and stout, andhad been perspiring freely.Chilled by the mist, andwith his feet allbleeding, he had grown quite limp.

Zhlin tried to lift him,when suddenlyKostlin screamedout: 'Oh, how it hurts!'

Zhlin's heart sank.

'What are you shouting for?The Tartar is still near; he'll have heard you!' And he thought to himself, 'Heis really quite done up. What am I to do with him? It won't do to desert a comrade.'

'Well, then, get up, and climb uponmyback. I'll carry you if you really can'twalk.'

Hehelped Kostlin up, and put his armsunder his thighs. Then hewent out on to the path, carrying him.

'Only, for the love of heaven,' saidZhlin, 'don't throttlemewith your hands!Hold on tomy shoulders.'

Zhlin found his load heavy; his feet, too,were bleeding, and hewas tired out.Now and thenhe stoopedto balance Kostlin better, jerking him upso that he should sit higher, and thenwent onagain.

The Tartar must, however, really have heard Kostlin scream. Zhlin suddenly heard some one gallopingbehind and shouting in theTartar tongue. He darted in among the bushes. The Tartar seized his gun andfired, but did not hit them, shouted in his own language, and gallopedoff along the road.

'Well, now weare lost, friend!' said Zhlin. 'That dog will gather the Tartars together to hunt usdown.

Unlesswecan get a couple ofmiles away fromhereweare lost!'And he thought to himself, 'Why thedevil did I saddlemyselfwith this block? I should havegot away long ago had I beenalone.'

'Go on alone,' said Kostlin. 'Why should you perish because ofme?'

'No I won't go. It won't do to desert a comrade.'

Again he tookKostlin onhis shoulders and staggered on. Theywent on in thatway for another half-mileormore. Theywere still in the forest, and could not see the end of it. But the mistwas already dispersing,and clouds seemed to be gathering, the stars were no longer to be seen. Zhlinwas quite done up. Theycame to a springwalled inwith stonesby the sideof the path. Zhlin stopped and set Kostlin down.

'Let me have a rest and a drink,' said he, 'and let us eat some of the cheese. It can't be much farthernow.'

P a g e 2 2


23/166

But hardly had he lain down to get a drink,when heheard the sound of horses' feet behind him.Againthey darted to the right among the bushes, and lay downunder a steep slope.

They heard Tartar voices. The Tartars stopped at the very spotwhere they had turned off the path. TheTartars talked a bit, and then seemed to be setting a dog on the scent. There was a soundof crackling

twigs, and a strange dog appeared frombehind the bushes. It stopped, and began to bark.

Then the Tartars, also strangers, came climbing down, seizedZhlin and Kostlin, bound them, put themon horses, and rode awaywith them.

When theyhad riddenabout two miles, theymet Abdul, their owner,with two other Tartars followinghim.After talking with the strangers, heput Zhlin and Kostlin on two ofhis own horses and took themback to the Aoul.

Abdul did not laugh now, and did not saya word to them.

Theywere back at the Aoul by daybreak, and were set down in the street. The children came crowdinground, throwing stones, shrieking, and beating themwithwhips.

The Tartars gathered together in a circle, and the old man from the foot of the hillwas also there. Theybegan discussing, and Zhlin heard themconsidering what should be donewith him and Kostlin. Somesaid theyought to be sent farther into the mountains; but the old man said: 'They must bekilled!'

Abduldisputed withhim, saying: 'I gave money for them, and I must get ransom for them.'But the oldman said: 'They will pay you nothing, but will onlybring misfortune. It is a sin to feedRussians. Kill them,and havedonewith it!'

Theydispersed.When theyhad gone, the master cameup toZhlin and said: 'If the money for yourransom isnot sentwithin a fortnight, I will flog you; and ifyou try to run away again, I'll kill you like adog!Write a letter, and write properly!'

Paper was brought to them, and theywrote the letters. Shackleswere put on their feet, and theyweretaken behind the Mosque to a deep pit about twelve feet square, intowhich theywere let down.

VI

Lifewas now very hard for them. Their shackleswere never taken off, and theywere not let out into thefresh air. Unbaked doughwas thrown to themas if they were dogs, andwater was let down in a can.

Itwas wet and close in the pit, and there was a horrible stench. Kostlin grewquite ill, his bodybecameswollen and heached all over, and moanedor slept all the time. Zhlin, too, grewdowncast; he saw itwas a bad look-out, and could think of no way of escape.

He tried tomake a tunnel, but there was nowhere to put the earth.His master noticed it, and threatenedtokillhim.

P a g e 2 3


24/166

Hewas sitting on the floor of the pit one day, thinkingof freedom and feeling very downhearted,whensuddenly a cake fell into his lap, then another, and then a showerof cherries. He lookedup, and therewas Dina. She lookedat him, laughed, and ran away. And Zhlin thought: 'Might not Dinahelpme?'

He cleared out a little place in the pit, scraped up some clay, and began modelling toys. Hemademen,horses, and dogs, thinking, 'When Dina comes I'll throw themup to her.'

But Dinadid not comenext day.Zhlin heard the tramp of horses; somemen rode past, and the Tartarsgathered in council near the Mosque. They shouted and argued; the word 'Russians' was repeatedseveral times. Hecould hear the voiceof the old man.Thoughhecould not distinguish whatwas said, heguessed thatRussian troopswere somewhere near, and that the Tartars, afraid theymight come into theAoul, did not knowwhat to dowith their prisoners.

After talking awhile, theywent away. Suddenly he heard a rustling overhead, and saw Dina crouching atthe edge of the pit, her knees higher than her head, and bending over so that the coins of her plait dangledabove the pit. Her eyes gleamed like stars. She drew two cheeses out of her sleeve and threw them to

him.Zhlin took themand said, 'Whydid you not comebefore? I havemade some toys for you.Here,catch!' And he began throwing the toys up, one byone.

But she shookher head andwould not look at them.

'I don't want any,' she said. She sat silent for awhile, and thenwent on, 'Ivn, theywant to kill you!' Andshe pointed to her own throat.

'Whowants to killme?'

'Father; the old men say he must.But I am sorry for you!'

Zhlin answered: 'Well, if youare sorry for me, bringmea longpole.'

She shook her head, as much as to say, 'I can't!'

He clasped his hands andprayed her: 'Dina, please do! DearDina, I beg of you!'

'I can't!' she said, 'they would see mebringing it. They're all at home.'And she went away.

Sowhenevening cameZhlin still sat looking upnow and then, and wondering whatwould happen. The

starswere there, but the moonhad not yet risen.The Mullah's voice was heard; then allwas silent. Zhlinwas beginning to doze, thinking: 'Thegirlwill beafraid todo it!'

Suddenly he felt clay falling onhis head. He looked up, and saw a longpole poking into the oppositewallof the pit. It kept poking about for a time, and then it camedown, sliding into the pit. Zhlinwas gladindeed. He tookhold of it and lowered it. It was a strongpole, one that he had seenbefore on the roof of his master's hut.

He lookedup. The stars were shining high in the sky, and just above the pit Dina's eyes gleamed in thedark like a cat's. She stooped with her face close to the edge of the pit, andwhispered, 'Ivn! Ivn!'wavingher hand in front of her face to showthat he should speak low.

'What?' said Zhlin.

P a g e 2 4


25/166

'All but two have gone away.'

ThenZhlin said, 'Well,Kostlin, come; let us haveone last try; I'll help you up.'

But Kostlinwould not hear of it.

'No,' said he, 'It's clear I can't get away fromhere. Howcan I go,when I have hardly strength to turnround?'

'Well, good-bye, then! Don't think ill ofme!' and theykissed eachother. Zhlin seized the pole, toldDinato hold on, and began to climb.He slipped once or twice; the shackles hindered him.Kostlin helped him,and hemanaged to get to the top.Dinawith her little hands, pulledwith all her might at his shirt, laughing.

Zhlin drewout the pole and said, 'Put it back in its place,Dina, or they'll notice, and you will be beaten.'

She dragged the pole away, andZhlinwent down the hill. Whenhehad gonedown the steep incline, he

took a sharp stone and tried towrench the lock off the shackles. But it was a strong lock andhe couldnot manage to break it, and besides, it was difficult to get at. Thenheheard someone running down thehill, springing lightly.He thought: 'Surely, that's Dina again.'

Dina came, took a stone and said, 'Letme try.'

She knelt downand tried towrench the lock off, but her little hands were as slender as little twigs, andshe had not the strength. She threw the stone away andbegan to cry. Then Zhlin set towork again at thelock, and Dina squatted beside him with her handon his shoulder.

Zhlin looked round and saw a red light to the left behind the hill. The moon was just rising. 'Ah!' he

thought, 'before the moonhas risen I must have passed the valley and be in the forest.' So he rose andthrew away the stone. Shackles or no, hemust go on.

'Good-bye,Dina dear!' he said. 'I shall never forget you!'

Dina seizedhold of him and felt about with her hands for a place to put some cheeses she had brought.He took themfromher.

'Thankyou,my little one.Who willmakedolls for you when I amgone?'And he stroked her head.

Dinaburst into tears hidingher face in herhands. Then she ran up the hill likea young goat, the coins inher plait clinking against her back.

Zhlin crossed himself took the lockof his shackles in his hand to prevent its clattering, and went along theroad, dragging his shackled leg, and looking towards the place where the moonwas about to rise. Henow knewthe way. If hewent straight he would have towalk nearly six miles. If only he could reach thewoodbefore the moonhad quite risen!He crossed the river; the light behind the hillwas growing whiter.Still looking at it, hewent along the valley. The moonwas not yet visible.The light becamebrighter, andone side of the valleywas growing lighter and lighter, and shadows were drawing in towards the foot of the hill, creeping nearer and nearer to him.

Zhlinwent on, keeping in the shade.Hewas hurrying, but the moonwas moving still faster; the topsof the hills on the right were already lit up. Ashegot near the wood the white moonappeared frombehindthe hills, and it became light as day. One could see all the leaves on the trees. Itwas light on the hill, but

P a g e 2 5


26/166

silent, as if nothing were alive; no sound could beheard but the gurgling of the river below.

Zhlin reached the woodwithout meeting any one, chose a dark spot, and sat down to rest.

He rested and ate one of the cheeses. Then he found a stone and set to work again to knock off theshackles. He knocked his hands sore, but could not break the lock. He rose and went along the road.

After walking the greater part of a mile he wasquite done up, andhis feet were aching.He had to stopevery ten steps. 'There is nothing else for it,' thought he. 'Imust drag onas long as I have any strengthleft. If I sit down, I shan't be able to rise again. I can't reach the fortress; but when day breaks I'll liedown in the forest, remain there all day, and goonagain at night.'

Hewent on all night. Two Tartars onhorseback passed him;but heheard thema longway off, and hidbehind a tree.

The moonbegan to growpaler, the dew to fall. It was getting near dawn, and Zhlin had not reached theend of the forest. 'Well,' thought he, 'I'll walk another thirty steps, and then turn in among the trees and sit

down.'

Hewalked another thirty steps, and saw that hewas at the endof the forest. He went to the edge; it wasnow quite light, and straight before him was the plain and the fortress. To the left, quite close at the footof the slope, a firewas dying out, and the smoke from it spread round.There weremen gathered aboutthe fire.

He looked intently, and saw guns glistening. Theywere soldiers -- Cossacks!

Zhlinwas filledwith joy.Hecollected his remaining strength and set off down the hill, saying to himself:'God forbid that any mounted Tartar should seemenow, in the open field! Near as I am, I could not get

there in time.'

Hardly had he said thiswhen, a couple of hundred yards off, on a hillock to the left, he saw three Tartars.

They saw him also and madea rush. His heart sank. Hewaved his hands, and shoutedwith all his might,'Brothers, brothers! Help!'

The Cossacks heard him, and a party of themon horseback darted to cut across the Tartars' path. TheCossackswere far and the Tartars were near; but Zhlin, too,made a last effort. Lifting the shackleswithhis hand, he ran towards the Cossacks, hardly knowing what hewas doing, crossing himself and

shouting, 'Brothers! Brothers!Brothers!'

There were some fifteen Cossacks. The Tartars were frightened, and stopped before reaching him. Zhilinstaggered up to the Cossacks.

They surroundedhim and began questioning him. 'Whoare you?What are you?Where from?

But Zhlinwas quite beside himself, and could onlyweep and repeat, 'Brothers!Brothers!'

Then the soldiers came running upand crowded round Zhlin -- one givinghim bread, anotherbuckwheat, a third vdka: one wrapping a cloak round him, another breaking his shackles.

The officers recognizedhim, and rodewith him to the fortress. The soldierswere glad to see him back,and his comrades all gathered round him.

P a g e 2 6


27/166

Zhlin told themall thathad happened tohim.

'That's the way I went home and got married!' said he. 'No. It seems plain that fatewas against it!'

So hewent on serving in the Caucasus. A month passed before Kostlinwas released, after paying five

thousand roubles ransom. Hewas almost deadwhen they brought him back.

(W ri tt en i n 1870)

PreviousStory | Contents | Next Story

Previous Story | Contents | Next Story

3. The Bear Hunt

[The adventure here narrated is one that happened to Tolstoy himself in 1858. More than twenty yearslater hegave uphunting, on humanitarian grounds.]

WEwere out on a bear-hunting expedition. Mycomrade had shot at a bear, but only gave him aflesh-wound. There were traces of blood on the snow, but the bear had got away.

Weall collected in a group in the forest, to decide whether weought to go after the bear at once, orwaittwo or three days till he should settle down again.We asked the peasant bear-driverswhether itwouldbe possible to get round the bear that day.

'No. It's impossible,' said an old bear-driver. 'Youmust let the bear quiet down. In five days' time it willbe possible to surroundhim; but if you followedhim now, you would only frighten him away, and hewould not settle down.'

But a young bear-driver began disputing with the old man, saying that itwas quite possible to get roundthe bear now.

'On such snow as this,' said he, 'he won't go far, for he is a fat bear.He will settle down before evening;or, if not, I can overtake him on snowshoes.'

The comrade I was withwas against following up the bear, and advised waiting.But I said:

'We need not argue. You do as you like, but I will follow up the track with Damian. Ifweget round thebear, all right. If not, we lose nothing. It is still early, and there is nothing else for us to do to-day.'

So it was arranged.

The otherswent back to the sledges, and returned to the village.Damian and I took some bread, andremainedbehind in the forest.

When they had all left us, Damian and I examined our guns, andafter tucking the skirts ofour warm

coats into our belts, we started off, following the bear's tracks.

The weather was fine, frosty and calm; but it was hard work snow-shoeing. The snowwas deep and

P a g e 2 7


28/166

soft: it had not caked together at all in the forest, and fresh snowhad fallen the day before, so that oursnow-shoes sank six inches deep in the snow, and sometimesmore.

The bear's trackswere visible froma distance, and we could see how hehad beengoing; sometimessinking inup to his belly and ploughing up the snowashe went. At first,while under large trees,wekeptin sight of his track; but when it turned into a thicket of small firs, Damianstopped.

'We must leave the trail now,' said he. 'He has probably settled somewhere here. You can see by thesnow that he has been squatting down. Let us leave the track and go round; but wemust go quietly.Don't shout or cough, orwe shall frighten him away.'

Leaving the track, therefore,we turnedoff to the left. But whenwehad gone about five hundred yards,there were the bear's traces again right before us. We followed them, and they brought us out on to theroad.There we stopped, examining the road to see which way the bear had gone. Here and there in thesnowwere prints of the bear's paw, claws and all, and here and there the marks of a peasant's barkshoes. The bear had evidently gone towards the village.

Aswe followed the road, Damian said:

'It's no use watching the road now. Weshall seewherehehas turned off, to right or left, by the marks inthe soft snowat the side. Hemust have turnedoff somewhere; for hewon't havegone on to the village.'

Wewent along the road for nearly a mile, and then saw, ahead of us, the bear's track turning off theroad. We examined it. How strange! Itwas a bear's track right enough, only not going from the road intothe forest, but from the forest on to the road! The toeswere pointing towards the road.

'This must be another bear,' I said.

Damian looked at it, and considered a while.

'No,' said he. 'It's the same one. He's been playing tricks, and walked backwards when he left the road.'

We followed the track, and found it reallywas so!The bear hadgone some ten steps backwards, andthen, behind a fir tree, had turned round and gone straight ahead.Damian stopped and said:

'Now,we are sure to get roundhim. There is a marsh aheadof us, andhe must have settled down there.Let usgo round it.'

Webegan tomakeour way round, through a fir thicket. I was tired out by this time, and it had becomestill more difficult to get along.Now I glidedon to juniper bushes and caughtmysnow-shoes in them,now a tiny fir tree appeared between my feet, or, fromwant of practise, my snow-shoes slipped off; andnow I cameupon a stumpor a log hidden by the snow. I wasgetting very tired, and wasdrenched withperspiration; and I took off my fur cloak. And there was Damian all the time, gliding along as if in a boat,his snowshoes movingas if of their own accord, never catchingagainst anything, nor slippingoff.Heeventookmyfur andslung it over his shoulder, and still kept urging meon.

We went on for two moremiles, and came out on the other side of the marsh. I was lagging behind. Mysnow-shoes kept slipping off, and my feet stumbled. Suddenly Damian, who was ahead ofme, stoppedand waved his arm.When I cameup to him, hebentdown, pointingwith his hand, and whispered:

'Do you see the magpie chattering above that undergrowth? It scents the bear fromafar. That iswhere he

P a g e 2 8


29/166

must be.'

We turnedoff and went on for more thananother half-mile, and presently we cameon to the old trackagain.We had, therefore, been right round the bearwho was now within the track wehad left. Westopped, and I took offmy cap and loosened allmy clothes. I was as hot as in a steam bath, and as wetas a drowned rat. Damian too was flushed, and wiped his facewith his sleeve.

'Well, sir,' he said, 'we have done our job, and now wemust have a rest.'

The evening glowalready showed red through the forest. We tookoff our snow-shoes and sat downonthem, and got some bread and salt out of our bags. First I ate some snow, and then some bread; and thebread tasted so good, that I thought I had never in my life had any like it before.We sat there resting untilit began togrow dusk, and then I asked Damian if itwas far to the village.

'Yes,' he said. 'It must be about eight miles. Wewill goon there to-night, but now we must rest. Put onyour fur coat, sir, or you'll be catching cold.'

Damian flattened down the snow, and breakingoff some fir branchesmade a bed of them. We lay downside by side, resting our heads on our arms. I do not remember how I fell asleep. Twohours later I wokeup, hearing something crack.

I had slept so soundly that I did not know where I was. I looked around me.How wonderful! I was insomesort of a hall, all glittering and white with gleamingpillars, and whenI lookedup I saw, throughdelicatewhite tracery, a vault, raven black and studded with coloured lights. After a good look, Iremembered that wewere in the forest, and that what I took for a hall andpillars,were trees coveredwith snowand hoar-frost, and the coloured lights were stars twinkling between the branches.

Hoar-frost had settled in the night; all the twigs were thick with it, Damianwas covered with it, itwas onmy fur coat, and it droppeddown from the trees. I wokeDamian, and we put onour snowshoes andstarted. It was very quiet in the forest. No sound was heard but that of our snow-shoes pushing throughthe soft snow; exceptwhen now and then a tree, cracked by the frost, made the forest resound. Onlyonceweheard the sound of a livingcreature. Something rustled close to us, and then rushedaway. I feltsure it was the bear, but whenwewent to the spot whence the soundhad come, we found the footmarksof hares, and saw several young aspen trees with their bark gnawed. Wehad startled some hares whiletheywere feeding.

Wecameout on the road, and followed it, dragging our snow-shoesbehind us. It was easywalking now.

Our snow-shoes clattered as they slid behind us from side to side of the hard-trodden road. The snowcreaked under our boots, and the cold hoar-frost settled on our faces like down. Seen through thebranches, the stars seemed to be running tomeet us, now twinkling, now vanishing, as if thewhole skywere on the move.

I found mycomrade sleeping, but wokehim up, and related how wehad got round the bear. After tellingour peasant host to collect beaters for the morning,we had supper and lay down to sleep.

I was so tired that I could have slept on tillmidday, ifmycomradehadnot roused me. I jumped up, andsaw that hewas already dressed, and busydoing something to his gun.

'Where isDamian?' said I.

'In the forest, long ago. Hehas already been over the tracks you made, and been backhere, and now he

P a g e 2 9


30/166

has gone to look after the beaters.'

I washed anddressed, and loaded myguns; and then wegot into a sledge, and started.

The sharp frost still continued. It was quiet, and the sun could not be seen. There was a thick mist aboveus, and hoar-frost still covered everything.

After driving about two miles along the road, aswe camenear the forest, we saw a cloud of smoke risingfroma hollow, and presently reached a group of peasants, both men and women, armed with cudgels.

Wegot out and went up to them. The men sat roastingpotatoes, and laughing and talking with thewomen.

Damianwas there too; and whenwe arrived the people got up, and Damian led themaway to place themin the circle wehad made the day before.They went along in single file, men and women, thirty in all. Thesnowwas so deep thatwe could only see them from their waists upwards. They turned into the forest,

and my friend and I followed in their track.

Though theyhad trodden a path, walking was difficult, but, on the other hand, itwas impossible to fall: itwas likewalking between two walls of snow.

Wewent on in thisway for nearly half a mile, when all at once wesawDamian coming fromanotherdirection -- running towards us onhis snowshoes, and beckoning us to join him.Wewent towards him,and he showed uswhere to stand. I tookmyplace, and looked roundme.

To my leftwere tall fir trees, between the trunks of which I could see a good way, and, like a black patchjust visible behind the trees, I could see a beater. In front of mewas a thicket of young firs, about as high

as a man, their branchesweighed downand stuck togetherwith snow. Through this copse ran a paththickly covered with snow, and leading straight up towhere I stood.The thicket stretched away to theright ofme, and ended in a small glade, where I could see Damianplacing mycomrade.

I examinedbothmyguns, and consideredwhere I had better stand. Three steps behindmewas a tall fir.

'That's where I'll stand,' thought I, 'and then I can leanmy secondgun against the tree'; and I movedtowards the tree, sinking up tomyknees in the snow at each step. I trod the snow down, and made aclearance about a yard square, to stand on.One gun I kept in myhand; the other, ready cocked, Iplaced leaning up against the tree. Then I unsheathed and replaced my dagger, to make sure that I could

draw it easily in case of need.

Just as I had finished these preparations, I heard Damian shouting in the forest:

'He's up! He's up!'

And as soon asDamian shouted, the peasants round the circle all replied in their different voices.

'Up, up, up!Ou! Ou! Ou!' shouted the men.

'Ay!Ay! Ay!' screamed the women in high. pitched tones.

The bearwas inside the circle, and asDamiandrove him on, the people all round kept shouting. Onlymyfriend and I stood silent and motionless, waiting for the bear to come towards us. As I stood gazing and

P a g e 3 0


31/166

listening,myheart beat violently. I trembled, holding mygun fast.

'Nownow,' I thought. 'He

Tolstoy.leo!Twenty Three Tales

Documents

Transcript of Tolstoy.leo!Twenty Three Tales