The Cossacks: A Tale of 1852 Page 36

  Chapter XXXVI

  Just then two men rode out of the side street into the square. One ofthem was Nazarka. The other, Lukashka, sat slightly sideways on hiswell-fed bay Kabarda horse which stepped lightly over the hard roadjerking its beautiful head with its fine glossy mane. The well-adjustedgun in its cover, the pistol at his back, and the cloak rolled upbehind his saddle showed that Lukashka had not come from a peacefulplace or from one near by. The smart way in which he sat a littlesideways on his horse, the careless motion with which he touched thehorse under its belly with his whip, and especially his half-closedblack eyes, glistening as he looked proudly around him, all expressedthe conscious strength and self-confidence of youth. 'Ever seen as finea lad?' his eyes, looking from side to side, seemed to say. The eleganthorse with its silver ornaments and trappings, the weapons, and thehandsome Cossack himself attracted the attention of everyone in thesquare. Nazarka, lean and short, was much less well dressed. As he rodepast the old men, Lukashka paused and raised his curly white sheepskincap above his closely cropped black head.

  'Well, have you carried off many Nogay horses?' asked a lean old manwith a frowning, lowering look.

  'Have you counted them, Grandad, that you ask?' replied Lukashka,turning away.

  'That's all very well, but you need not take my lad along with you,'the old man muttered with a still darker frown.

  'Just see the old devil, he knows everything,' muttered Lukashka tohimself, and a worried expression came over his face; but then,noticing a corner where a number of Cossack girls were standing, heturned his horse towards them.

  'Good evening, girls!' he shouted in his powerful, resonant voice,suddenly checking his horse. 'You've grown old without me, youwitches!' and he laughed.

  'Good evening, Lukashka! Good evening, laddie!' the merry voicesanswered. 'Have you brought much money? Buy some sweets for the girls!... Have you come for long? True enough, it's long since we saw you....'

  'Nazarka and I have just flown across to make a night of it,' repliedLukashka, raising his whip and riding straight at the girls.

  'Why, Maryanka has quite forgotten you,' said Ustenka, nudging Maryankawith her elbow and breaking into a shrill laugh.

  Maryanka moved away from the horse and throwing back her head calmlylooked at the Cossack with her large sparkling eyes.

  'True enough, you have not been home for a long time! Why are youtrampling us under your horse?' she remarked dryly, and turned away.

  Lukashka had appeared particularly merry. His face shone with audacityand joy. Obviously staggered by Maryanka's cold reply he suddenlyknitted his brow.

  'Step up on my stirrup and I'll carry you away to the mountains.Mammy!' he suddenly exclaimed, and as if to disperse his dark thoughtshe caracoled among the girls. Stooping down towards Maryanka, he said,'I'll kiss, oh, how I'll kiss you! ...'

  Maryanka's eyes met his and she suddenly blushed and stepped back.

  'Oh, bother you! you'll crush my feet,' she said, and bending her headlooked at her well-shaped feet in their tightly fitting light bluestockings with clocks and her new red slippers trimmed with narrowsilver braid.

  Lukashka turned towards Ustenka, and Maryanka sat down next to a womanwith a baby in her arms. The baby stretched his plump little handstowards the girl and seized a necklace string that hung down onto herblue beshmet. Maryanka bent towards the child and glanced at Lukashkafrom the corner of her eyes. Lukashka just then was getting out fromunder his coat, from the pocket of his black beshmet, a bundle ofsweetmeats and seeds.

  'There, I give them to all of you,' he said, handing the bundle toUstenka and smiling at Maryanka.

  A confused expression again appeared on the girl's face. It was asthough a mist gathered over her beautiful eyes. She drew her kerchiefdown below her lips, and leaning her head over the fair-skinned face ofthe baby that still held her by her coin necklace she suddenly began tokiss it greedily. The baby pressed his little hands against the girl'shigh breasts, and opening his toothless mouth screamed loudly.

  "You're smothering the boy!" said the little one's mother, taking himaway; and she unfastened her beshmet to give him the breast. "You'dbetter have a chat with the young fellow."

  "I'll only go and put up my horse and then Nazarka and I will comeback; we'll make merry all night," said Lukashka, touching his horsewith his whip and riding away from the girls.

  Turning into a side street, he and Nazarka rode up to two huts thatstood side by side.

  "Here we are all right, old fellow! Be quick and come soon!" calledLukashka to his comrade, dismounting in front of one of the huts; thenhe carefully led his horse in at the gate of the wattle fence of hisown home.

  "How d'you do, Stepka?" he said to his dumb sister, who, smartlydressed like the others, came in from the street to take his horse; andhe made signs to her to take the horse to the hay, but not to unsaddleit.

  The dumb girl made her usual humming noise, smacked her lips as shepointed to the horse and kissed it on the nose, as much as to say thatshe loved it and that it was a fine horse.

  "How d'you do. Mother? How is it that you have not gone out yet?"shouted Lukashka, holding his gun in place as he mounted the steps ofthe porch.

  His old mother opened the door.

  "Dear me! I never expected, never thought, you'd come," said the oldwoman. "Why, Kirka said you wouldn't be here."

  "Go and bring some chikhir, Mother. Nazarka is coming here and we willcelebrate the feast day."

  "Directly, Lukashka, directly!" answered the old woman. "Our women aremaking merry. I expect our dumb one has gone too."

  She took her keys and hurriedly went to the outhouse. Nazarka, afterputting up his horse and taking the gun off his shoulder, returned toLukashka's house and went in.