night, if youlike.’ And Gurka, outside the window, said to himself, ’Well, how about that!’”
“You’re lying!”
“I swear it’s true!”
Lukashka said nothing for a few moments. “Well, if she’s with someone else, then she can go to Hell! The village is full of girls! I was getting tired of her anyway.”
“You’re a fool. You should go for the cornet’s daughter, Maryanka. Surely she’s the kind who’ll look twice at a man.”
Lukashka frowned. “Maryanka? Well, I don’t care.”
“So try her.”
“Why, do you think there aren’t enough girls in the village?”
Lukashka began whistling again and walked to the checkpoint, plucking leaves off twigs. He came to some bushes and, seeing a smooth sapling, stopped, drew his knife, and cut it off.
“That’ll make a nice cleaning rod for my rifle,” he said, whipping the sapling through the air so it whistled.
The Cossacks were sitting on the dirt floor in the clay-walled front room of the hut, eating their supper around a low Tatar table, when the question of whose turn it was to lie in ambush that night came up.
“Well, who’s got to go tonight?” one of the Cossacks called through the open door to the sergeant in the other room.
“Yes, whose turn is it?” the sergeant called back. “Uncle Burlak has been, Fomushkin has been,” he added, hesitating. “Will the two of you go—you and Nazarka?” the sergeant said to Lukashka. “And Ergushov too—that is, if he’s slept off his liquor.”
“You never sleep off your liquor, why should he?” Nazarka muttered, and everyone laughed. Ergushov was the man who had been lying drunk outside the hut. He had just come staggering into the room, rubbing his eyes. Lukashka was already up, cleaning his rifle.
“Well then, get a move on! Eat your supper and go!” the sergeant said, coming into the room and closing the door without waiting for an answer, as he evidently did not expect Lukashka and the two others to agree. “I wouldn’t be sending you out if I hadn’t been ordered to,” hecontinued. “But the captain could turn up here any moment, and we all know word has it that eight Chechens have crossed the river!”
“Of course we have to go!” Ergushov said. “An order’s an order! We have to be out there at times like this! I say we go!”
Lukashka had picked up a large chunk of pheasant meat in both hands and was holding it in front of his mouth. His eyes darted from the sergeant to Nazarka. He laughed, apparently indifferent to the mounting tension between the two men. Suddenly Uncle Eroshka, who had been waiting in vain for the hawk under the plane tree, came into the darkening room. “Well, boys!” his bass voice thundered, drowning out all the others. “I’m coming along! You lie in wait for Chechens, and I’ll lie in wait for boars!”
8
Darkness had fallen by the time the three Cossacks, wrapped in their cloaks, their rifles slung over their shoulders, left the checkpoint with Uncle Eroshka and walked along the Terek to where they were to lie in wait. Nazarka had not wanted to go, but Lukashka spoke some sharp words to him, and they all set out. They walked along a runlet in silence, then headed toward the riverbank on a path that was barely visible among the reeds. A thick, black log had washed onto the bank, flattening the reeds around it.
“Why don’t we hide here?” Nazarka asked.
“Good!” Lukashka replied. “Stay here, and I’ll be right back. I want to show Uncle Eroshka where I saw the boar.”
“Yes, this is a very good place!” Ergushov agreed. “The Chechens won’t be able to see us, but we’ll see them. Let’s stay here—it’s the best place!”
Nazarka and Ergushov spread their cloaks on the ground and settled down behind the log, while Lukashka continued along the path with Uncle Eroshka.
“It’s near here,” Lukashka whispered, walking noiselessly a few steps ahead of the old man. “I’ll show you where that boar is hiding.
“You’re lying!”
“I swear it’s true!”
Lukashka said nothing for a few moments. “Well, if she’s with someone else, then she can go to Hell! The village is full of girls! I was getting tired of her anyway.”
“You’re a fool. You should go for the cornet’s daughter, Maryanka. Surely she’s the kind who’ll look twice at a man.”
Lukashka frowned. “Maryanka? Well, I don’t care.”
“So try her.”
“Why, do you think there aren’t enough girls in the village?”
Lukashka began whistling again and walked to the checkpoint, plucking leaves off twigs. He came to some bushes and, seeing a smooth sapling, stopped, drew his knife, and cut it off.
“That’ll make a nice cleaning rod for my rifle,” he said, whipping the sapling through the air so it whistled.
The Cossacks were sitting on the dirt floor in the clay-walled front room of the hut, eating their supper around a low Tatar table, when the question of whose turn it was to lie in ambush that night came up.
“Well, who’s got to go tonight?” one of the Cossacks called through the open door to the sergeant in the other room.
“Yes, whose turn is it?” the sergeant called back. “Uncle Burlak has been, Fomushkin has been,” he added, hesitating. “Will the two of you go—you and Nazarka?” the sergeant said to Lukashka. “And Ergushov too—that is, if he’s slept off his liquor.”
“You never sleep off your liquor, why should he?” Nazarka muttered, and everyone laughed. Ergushov was the man who had been lying drunk outside the hut. He had just come staggering into the room, rubbing his eyes. Lukashka was already up, cleaning his rifle.
“Well then, get a move on! Eat your supper and go!” the sergeant said, coming into the room and closing the door without waiting for an answer, as he evidently did not expect Lukashka and the two others to agree. “I wouldn’t be sending you out if I hadn’t been ordered to,” hecontinued. “But the captain could turn up here any moment, and we all know word has it that eight Chechens have crossed the river!”
“Of course we have to go!” Ergushov said. “An order’s an order! We have to be out there at times like this! I say we go!”
Lukashka had picked up a large chunk of pheasant meat in both hands and was holding it in front of his mouth. His eyes darted from the sergeant to Nazarka. He laughed, apparently indifferent to the mounting tension between the two men. Suddenly Uncle Eroshka, who had been waiting in vain for the hawk under the plane tree, came into the darkening room. “Well, boys!” his bass voice thundered, drowning out all the others. “I’m coming along! You lie in wait for Chechens, and I’ll lie in wait for boars!”
8
Darkness had fallen by the time the three Cossacks, wrapped in their cloaks, their rifles slung over their shoulders, left the checkpoint with Uncle Eroshka and walked along the Terek to where they were to lie in wait. Nazarka had not wanted to go, but Lukashka spoke some sharp words to him, and they all set out. They walked along a runlet in silence, then headed toward the riverbank on a path that was barely visible among the reeds. A thick, black log had washed onto the bank, flattening the reeds around it.
“Why don’t we hide here?” Nazarka asked.
“Good!” Lukashka replied. “Stay here, and I’ll be right back. I want to show Uncle Eroshka where I saw the boar.”
“Yes, this is a very good place!” Ergushov agreed. “The Chechens won’t be able to see us, but we’ll see them. Let’s stay here—it’s the best place!”
Nazarka and Ergushov spread their cloaks on the ground and settled down behind the log, while Lukashka continued along the path with Uncle Eroshka.
“It’s near here,” Lukashka whispered, walking noiselessly a few steps ahead of the old man. “I’ll show you where that boar is hiding.
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