The Cossacks: A Tale of 1852 Page 40

  Chapter XL

  The next day Olenin awoke earlier than usual, and immediatelyremembered what lay before him, and he joyfully recalled her kisses,the pressure of her hard hands, and her words, 'What white hands youhave!' He jumped up and wished to go at once to his hosts' hut to askfor their consent to his marriage with Maryanka. The sun had not yetrisen, but it seemed that there was an unusual bustle in the street andside-street: people were moving about on foot and on horseback, andtalking. He threw on his Circassian coat and hastened out into theporch. His hosts were not yet up. Five Cossacks were riding past andtalking loudly together. In front rode Lukashka on his broad-backedKabarda horse.

  The Cossacks were all speaking and shouting so that it was impossibleto make out exactly what they were saying.

  'Ride to the Upper Post,' shouted one.

  'Saddle and catch us up, be quick,' said another.

  'It's nearer through the other gate!'

  'What are you talking about?' cried Lukashka. 'We must go through themiddle gates, of course.'

  'So we must, it's nearer that way,' said one of the Cossacks who wascovered with dust and rode a perspiring horse. Lukashka's face was redand swollen after the drinking of the previous night and his cap waspushed to the back of his head. He was calling out with authority asthough he were an officer.

  'What is the matter? Where are you going?' asked Olenin, withdifficulty attracting the Cossacks' attention.

  'We are off to catch abreks. They're hiding among the sand-drifts. Weare just off, but there are not enough of us yet.'

  And the Cossacks continued to shout, more and more of them joining asthey rode down the street. It occurred to Olenin that it would not lookwell for him to stay behind; besides he thought he could soon comeback. He dressed, loaded his gun with bullets, jumped onto his horsewhich Vanyusha had saddled more or less well, and overtook the Cossacksat the village gates. The Cossacks had dismounted, and filling a woodenbowl with chikhir from a little cask which they had brought with them,they passed the bowl round to one another and drank to the success oftheir expedition. Among them was a smartly dressed young cornet, whohappened to be in the village and who took command of the group of nineCossacks who had joined for the expedition. All these Cossacks wereprivates, and although the cornet assumed the airs of a commandingofficer, they only obeyed Lukashka. Of Olenin they took no notice atall, and when they had all mounted and started, and Olenin rode up tothe cornet and began asking him what was taking place, the cornet, whowas usually quite friendly, treated him with marked condescension. Itwas with great difficulty that Olenin managed to find out from him whatwas happening. Scouts who had been sent out to search for abreks hadcome upon several hillsmen some six miles from the village. Theseabreks had taken shelter in pits and had fired at the scouts, declaringthey would not surrender. A corporal who had been scouting with twoCossacks had remained to watch the abreks, and had sent one Cossackback to get help.

  The sun was just rising. Three miles beyond the village the steppespread out and nothing was visible except the dry, monotonous, sandy,dismal plain covered with the footmarks of cattle, and here and therewith tufts of withered grass, with low reeds in the flats, and rare,little-trodden footpaths, and the camps of the nomad Nogay tribe justvisible far away. The absence of shade and the austere aspect of theplace were striking. The sun always rises and sets red in the steppe.When it is windy whole hills of sand are carried by the wind from placeto place.

  When it is calm, as it was that morning, the silence, uninterrupted byany movement or sound, is peculiarly striking. That morning in thesteppe it was quiet and dull, though the sun had already risen. It allseemed specially soft and desolate. The air was hushed, the footfallsand the snorting of the horses were the only sounds to be heard, andeven they quickly died away.

  The men rode almost silently. A Cossack always carries his weapons sothat they neither jingle nor rattle. Jingling weapons are a terribledisgrace to a Cossack. Two other Cossacks from the village caught theparty up and exchanged a few words. Lukashka's horse either stumbled orcaught its foot in some grass, and became restive--which is a sign ofbad luck among the Cossacks, and at such a time was of specialimportance. The others exchanged glances and turned away, trying not tonotice what had happened. Lukaskha pulled at the reins, frownedsternly, set his teeth, and flourished his whip above his head. Hisgood Kabarda horse, prancing from one foot to another not knowing withwhich to start, seemed to wish to fly upwards on wings. But Lukashkahit its well-fed sides with his whip once, then again, and a thirdtime, and the horse, showing its teeth and spreading out its tail,snorted and reared and stepped on its hind legs a few paces away fromthe others.

  'Ah, a good steed that!' said the cornet.

  That he said steed instead of HORSE indicated special praise.

  'A lion of a horse,' assented one of the others, an old Cossack.

  The Cossacks rode forward silently, now at a footpace, then at a trot,and these changes were the only incidents that interrupted for a momentthe stillness and solemnity of their movements.

  Riding through the steppe for about six miles, they passed nothing butone Nogay tent, placed on a cart and moving slowly along at a distanceof about a mile from them. A Nogay family was moving from one part ofthe steppe to another. Afterwards they met two tattered Nogay womenwith high cheekbones, who with baskets on their backs were gatheringdung left by the cattle that wandered over the steppe. The cornet, whodid not know their language well, tried to question them, but they didnot understand him and, obviously frightened, looked at one another.

  Lukashka rode up to them both, stopped his horse, and promptly utteredthe usual greeting. The Nogay women were evidently relieved, and beganspeaking to him quite freely as to a brother.

  'Ay--ay, kop abrek!' they said plaintively, pointing in the directionin which the Cossacks were going. Olenin understood that they weresaying, 'Many abreks.'

  Never having seen an engagement of that kind, and having formed an ideaof them only from Daddy Eroshka's tales, Olenin wished not to be leftbehind by the Cossacks, but wanted to see it all. He admired theCossacks, and was on the watch, looking and listening and making hisown observations. Though he had brought his sword and a loaded gun withhim, when he noticed that the Cossacks avoided him he decided to takeno part in the action, as in his opinion his courage had already beensufficiently proved when he was with his detachment, and also becausehe was very happy.

  Suddenly a shot was heard in the distance.

  The cornet became excited, and began giving orders to the Cossacks asto how they should divide and from which side they should approach. Butthe Cossacks did not appear to pay any attention to these orders,listening only to what Lukashka said and looking to him alone.Lukashka's face and figure were expressive of calm solemnity. He puthis horse to a trot with which the others were unable to keep pace, andscrewing up his eyes kept looking ahead.

  'There's a man on horseback,' he said, reining in his horse and keepingin line with the others.

  Olenin looked intently, but could not see anything. The Cossacks soondistinguished two riders and quietly rode straight towards them.

  'Are those the ABREKS?' asked Olenin.

  The Cossacks did not answer his question, which appeared quitemeaningless to them. The ABREKS would have been fools to venture acrossthe river on horseback.

  'That's friend Rodka waving to us, I do believe,' said Lukashka,pointing to the two mounted men who were now clearly visible. 'Look,he's coming to us.'

  A few minutes later it became plain that the two horsemen were theCossack scouts. The corporal rode up to Lukashka.