The Cossacks: A Tale of 1852 Page 8

  Chapter VIII

  It was quite dark when Uncle Eroshka and the three Cossacks, in theircloaks and shouldering their guns, left the cordon and went towards theplace on the Terek where they were to lie in ambush. Nazarka did notwant to go at all, but Lukashka shouted at him and they soon started.After they had gone a few steps in silence the Cossacks turned asidefrom the ditch and went along a path almost hidden by reeds till theyreached the river. On its bank lay a thick black log cast up by thewater. The reeds around it had been recently beaten down.

  'Shall we lie here?' asked Nazarka.

  'Why not?' answered Lukashka. 'Sit down here and I'll be back in aminute. I'll only show Daddy where to go.'

  'This is the best place; here we can see and not be seen,' saidErgushov, 'so it's here we'll lie. It's a first-rate place!'

  Nazarka and Ergushov spread out their cloaks and settled down behindthe log, while Lukashka went on with Uncle Eroshka.

  'It's not far from here. Daddy,' said Lukashka, stepping softly infront of the old man; 'I'll show you where they've been--I'm the onlyone that knows. Daddy.'

  'Show me! You're a fine fellow, a regular Snatcher!' replied the oldman, also whispering.

  Having gone a few steps Lukashka stopped, stooped down over a puddle,and whistled. 'That's where they come to drink, d'you see?' He spoke ina scarcely audible voice, pointing to fresh hoof-prints.

  'Christ bless you,' answered the old man. 'The boar will be in thehollow beyond the ditch,' he added. Til watch, and you can go.'

  Lukashka pulled his cloak up higher and walked back alone, throwingswift glances now to the left at the wall of reeds, now to the Terekrushing by below the bank. 'I daresay he's watching or creeping alongsomewhere,' thought he of a possible Chechen hillsman. Suddenly a loudrustling and a splash in the water made him start and seize his musket.From under the bank a boar leapt up--his dark outline showing for amoment against the glassy surface of the water and then disappearingamong the reeds. Lukashka pulled out his gun and aimed, but before hecould fire the boar had disappeared in the thicket. Lukashka spat withvexation and went on. On approaching the ambuscade he halted again andwhistled softly. His whistle was answered and he stepped up to hiscomrades.

  Nazarka, all curled up, was already asleep. Ergushov sat with his legscrossed and moved slightly to make room for Lukashka.

  'How jolly it is to sit here! It's really a good place,' said he. 'Didyou take him there?'

  'Showed him where,' answered Lukashka, spreading out his cloak. 'Butwhat a big boar I roused just now close to the water! I expect it wasthe very one! You must have heard the crash?'

  'I did hear a beast crashing through. I knew at once it was a beast. Ithought to myself: "Lukashka has roused a beast,"' Ergushov said,wrapping himself up in his cloak. 'Now I'll go to sleep,' he added.'Wake me when the cocks crow. We must have discipline. I'll lie downand have a nap, and then you will have a nap and I'll watch--that's theway.'

  'Luckily I don't want to sleep,' answered Lukashka.

  The night was dark, warm, and still. Only on one side of the sky thestars were shining, the other and greater part was overcast by one hugecloud stretching from the mountaintops. The black cloud, blending inthe absence of any wind with the mountains, moved slowly onwards, itscurved edges sharply denned against the deep starry sky. Only in frontof him could the Cossack discern the Terek and the distance beyond.Behind and on both sides he was surrounded by a wall of reeds.Occasionally the reeds would sway and rustle against one anotherapparently without cause. Seen from down below, against the clear partof the sky, their waving tufts looked like the feathery branches oftrees. Close in front at his very feet was the bank, and at its basethe rushing torrent. A little farther on was the moving mass of glassybrown water which eddied rhythmically along the bank and round theshallows. Farther still, water, banks, and cloud all merged together inimpenetrable gloom. Along the surface of the water floated blackshadows, in which the experienced eyes of the Cossack detected treescarried down by the current. Only very rarely sheet-lightning, mirroredin the water as in a black glass, disclosed the sloping bank opposite.The rhythmic sounds of night--the rustling of the reeds, the snoring ofthe Cossacks, the hum of mosquitoes, and the rushing water, were everynow and then broken by a shot fired in the distance, or by the gurglingof water when a piece of bank slipped down, the splash of a big fish,or the crashing of an animal breaking through the thick undergrowth inthe wood. Once an owl flew past along the Terek, flapping one wingagainst the other rhythmically at every second beat. Just above theCossack's head it turned towards the wood and then, striking its wingsno longer after every other flap but at every flap, it flew to an oldplane tree where it rustled about for a long time before settling downamong the branches. At every one of these unexpected sounds thewatching Cossack listened intently, straining his hearing, and screwingup his eyes while he deliberately felt for his musket.

  The greater part of the night was past. The black cloud that had movedwestward revealed the clear starry sky from under its torn edge, andthe golden upturned crescent of the moon shone above the mountains witha reddish light. The cold began to be penetrating. Nazarka awoke, spokea little, and fell asleep again. Lukashka feeling bored got up, drewthe knife from his dagger-handle and began to fashion his stick into aramrod. His head was full of the Chechens who lived over there in themountains, and of how their brave lads came across and were not afraidof the Cossacks, and might even now be crossing the river at some otherspot. He thrust himself out of his hiding-place and looked along theriver but could see nothing. And as he continued looking out atintervals upon the river and at the opposite bank, now dimlydistinguishable from the water in the faint moonlight, he no longerthought about the Chechens but only of when it would be time to wakehis comrades, and of going home to the village. In the village heimagined Dunayka, his 'little soul', as the Cossacks call a man'smistress, and thought of her with vexation. Silvery mists, a sign ofcoming morning, glittered white above the water, and not far from himyoung eagles were whistling and flapping their wings. At last thecrowing of a cock reached him from the distant village, followed by thelong-sustained note of another, which was again answered by yet othervoices.

  'Time to wake them,' thought Lukashka, who had finished his ramrod andfelt his eyes growing heavy. Turning to his comrades he managed to makeout which pair of legs belonged to whom, when it suddenly seemed to himthat he heard something splash on the other side of the Terek. Heturned again towards the horizon beyond the hills, where day wasbreaking under the upturned crescent, glanced at the outline of theopposite bank, at the Terek, and at the now distinctly visibledriftwood upon it. For one instant it seemed to him that he was movingand that the Terek with the drifting wood remained stationary. Again hepeered out. One large black log with a branch particularly attractedhis attention. The tree was floating in a strange way right down themiddle of the stream, neither rocking nor whirling. It even appearednot to be floating altogether with the current, but to be crossing itin the direction of the shallows. Lukashka stretching out his neckwatched it intently. The tree floated to the shallows, stopped, andshifted in a peculiar manner. Lukashka thought he saw an arm stretchedout from beneath the tree. 'Supposing I killed an abrek all by myself!'he thought, and seized his gun with a swift, unhurried movement,putting up his gun-rest, placing the gun upon it, and holding itnoiselessly in position. Cocking the trigger, with bated breath he tookaim, still peering out intently. 'I won't wake them,' he thought. Buthis heart began beating so fast that he remained motionless, listening.Suddenly the trunk gave a plunge and again began to float across thestream towards our bank. 'Only not to miss ...' thought he, and now bythe faint light of the moon he caught a glimpse of a Tartar's head infront of the floating wood. He aimed straight at the head whichappeared to be quite near--just at the end of his rifle's barrel. Heglanced cross. 'Right enough it is an abrek! he thought joyfully, andsuddenly rising to his knees he again took aim. Having found the sight,barely visible at the end of the long gun, h
e said: 'In the name of theFather and of the Son,' in the Cossack way learnt in his childhood, andpulled the trigger. A flash of lightning lit up for an instant thereeds and the water, and the sharp, abrupt report of the shot wascarried across the river, changing into a prolonged roll somewhere inthe far distance. The piece of driftwood now floated not across, butwith the current, rocking and whirling.

  'Stop, I say!' exclaimed Ergushov, seizing his musket and raisinghimself behind the log near which he was lying.

  'Shut up, you devil!' whispered Lukashka, grinding his teeth. 'abreks!'

  'Whom have you shot?' asked Nazarka. 'Who was it, Lukashka?'

  Lukashka did not answer. He was reloading his gun and watching thefloating wood. A little way off it stopped on a sand-bank, and frombehind it something large that rocked in the water came into view.

  'What did you shoot? Why don't you speak?' insisted the Cossacks.

  'Abreks, I tell you!' said Lukashka.

  'Don't humbug! Did the gun go off? ...'

  'I've killed an abrek, that's what I fired at,' muttered Lukashka in avoice choked by emotion, as he jumped to his feet. 'A man wasswimming...' he said, pointing to the sandbank. 'I killed him. Justlook there.'

  'Have done with your humbugging!' said Ergushov again, rubbing his eyes.

  'Have done with what? Look there,' said Lukashka, seizing him by theshoulders and pulling him with such force that Ergushov groaned.

  He looked in the direction in which Lukashka pointed, and discerning abody immediately changed his tone.

  'O Lord! But I say, more will come! I tell you the truth,' said hesoftly, and began examining his musket. 'That was a scout swimmingacross: either the others are here already or are not far off on theother side--I tell you for sure!' Lukashka was unfastening his belt andtaking off his Circassian coat.

  'What are you up to, you idiot?' exclaimed Ergushov. 'Only showyourself and you've lost all for nothing, I tell you true! If you'vekilled him he won't escape. Let me have a little powder for mymusket-pan--you have some? Nazarka, you go back to the cordon and lookalive; but don't go along the bank or you'll be killed--I tell youtrue.'

  'Catch me going alone! Go yourself!' said Nazarka angrily.

  Having taken off his coat, Lukashka went down to the bank.

  'Don't go in, I tell you!' said Ergushov, putting some powder on thepan. 'Look, he's not moving. I can see. It's nearly morning; wait tillthey come from the cordon. You go, Nazarka. You're afraid! Don't beafraid, I tell you.'

  'Luke, I say, Lukashka! Tell us how you did it!' said Nazarka.

  Lukashka changed his mind about going into the water just then. 'Goquick to the cordon and I will watch. Tell the Cossacks to send out thepatrol. If the ABREKS are on this side they must be caught,' said he.

  'That's what I say. They'll get off,' said Ergushov, rising. 'True,they must be caught!'

  Ergushov and Nazarka rose and, crossing themselves, started off for thecordon--not along the riverbank but breaking their way through thebrambles to reach a path in the wood.

  'Now mind, Lukashka--they may cut you down here, so you'd best keep asharp look-out, I tell you!'

  'Go along; I know,' muttered Lukashka; and having examined his gunagain he sat down behind the log.

  He remained alone and sat gazing at the shallows and listening for theCossacks; but it was some distance to the cordon and he was tormentedby impatience. He kept thinking that the other ABREKS who were with theone he had killed would escape. He was vexed with the ABREKS who weregoing to escape just as he had been with the boar that had escaped theevening before. He glanced round and at the opposite bank, expectingevery moment to see a man, and having arranged his gun-rest he wasready to fire. The idea that he might himself be killed never enteredhis head.