The Cossacks: A Tale of 1852
Page 17
Chapter XVII
From Eroshka's hut Lukashka went home. As he returned, the dewy mistswere rising from the ground and enveloped the village. In variousplaces the cattle, though out of sight, could be heard beginning tostir. The cocks called to one another with increasing frequency andinsistence. The air was becoming more transparent, and the villagerswere getting up. Not till he was close to it could Lukishka discern thefence of his yard, all wet with dew, the porch of the hut, and the openshed. From the misty yard he heard the sound of an axe chopping wood.Lukashka entered the hut. His mother was up, and stood at the oventhrowing wood into it. His little sister was still lying in bed asleep.
'Well, Lukashka, had enough holiday-making?' asked his mother softly.'Where did you spend the night?'
'I was in the village,' replied her son reluctantly, reaching for hismusket, which he drew from its cover and examined carefully.
His mother swayed her head.
Lukashka poured a little gunpowder onto the pan, took out a little bagfrom which he drew some empty cartridge cases which he began filling,carefully plugging each one with a ball wrapped in a rag. Then, havingtested the loaded cartridges with his teeth and examined them, he putdown the bag.
'I say, Mother, I told you the bags wanted mending; have they beendone?' he asked.
'Oh yes, our dumb girl was mending something last night. Why, is ittime for you to be going back to the cordon? I haven't seen anything ofyou!'
'Yes, as soon as I have got ready I shall have to go,' answeredLukashka, tying up the gunpowder. 'And where is our dumb one? Outside?'
'Chopping wood, I expect. She kept fretting for you. "I shall not seehim at all!" she said. She puts her hand to her face like this, andclicks her tongue and presses her hands to her heart as much as tosay--"sorry." Shall I call her in? She understood all about the abrek.'
'Call her,' said Lukashka. 'And I had some tallow there; bring it: Imust grease my sword.'
The old woman went out, and a few minutes later Lukashka's dumb sistercame up the creaking steps and entered the hut. She was six years olderthan her brother and would have been extremely like him had it not beenfor the dull and coarsely changeable expression (common to all deaf anddumb people) of her face. She wore a coarse smock all patched; her feetwere bare and muddy, and on her head she had an old blue kerchief. Herneck, arms, and face were sinewy like a peasant's. Her clothing and herwhole appearance indicated that she always did the hard work of a man.She brought in a heap of logs which she threw down by the oven. Thenshe went up to her brother, and with a joyful smile which made herwhole face pucker up, touched him on the shoulder and began makingrapid signs to him with her hands, her face, and whole body.
'That's right, that's right, Stepka is a trump!' answered the brother,nodding. 'She's fetched everything and mended everything, she's atrump! Here, take this for it!' He brought out two pieces ofgingerbread from his pocket and gave them to her.
The dumb woman's face flushed with pleasure, and she began making aweird noise for joy. Having seized the gingerbread she began togesticulate still more rapidly, frequently pointing in one directionand passing her thick finger over her eyebrows and her face. Lukashkaunderstood her and kept nodding, while he smiled slightly. She wastelling him to give the girls dainties, and that the girls liked him,and that one girl, Maryanka--the best of them all--loved him. Sheindicated Maryanka by rapidly pointing in the direction of Maryanka'shome and to her own eyebrows and face, and by smacking her lips andswaying her head. 'Loves' she expressed by pressing her hands to herbreast, kissing her hand, and pretending to embrace someone. Theirmother returned to the hut, and seeing what her dumb daughter wassaying, smiled and shook her head. Her daughter showed her thegingerbread and again made the noise which expressed joy.
'I told Ulitka the other day that I'd send a matchmaker to them,' saidthe mother. 'She took my words well.'
Lukashka looked silently at his mother.
'But how about selling the wine, mother? I need a horse.'
'I'll cart it when I have time. I must get the barrels ready,' said themother, evidently not wishing her son to meddle in domestic matters.'When you go out you'll find a bag in the passage. I borrowed from theneighbours and got something for you to take back to the cordon; orshall I put it in your saddle-bag?'
'All right,' answered Lukashka. 'And if Girey Khan should come acrossthe river send him to me at the cordon, for I shan't get leave againfor a long time now; I have some business with him.'
He began to get ready to start.
'I will send him on,' said the old woman. 'It seems you have beenspreeing at Yamka's all the time. I went out in the night to see thecattle, and I think it was your voice I heard singing songs.'
Lukashka did not reply, but went out into the passage, threw the bagsover his shoulder, tucked up the skirts of his coat, took his musket,and then stopped for a moment on the threshold.
'Good-bye, mother!' he said as he closed the gate behind him. 'Send mea small barrel with Nazarka. I promised it to the lads, and he'll callfor it.'
'May Christ keep you, Lukashka. God be with you! I'll send you some,some from the new barrel,' said the old woman, going to the fence: 'Butlisten,' she added, leaning over the fence.
The Cossack stopped.
'You've been making merry here; well, that's all right. Why should nota young man amuse himself? God has sent you luck and that's good. Butnow look out and mind, my son. Don't you go and get into mischief.Above all, satisfy your superiors: one has to! And I will sell the wineand find money for a horse and will arrange a match with the girl foryou.'
'All right, all right!' answered her son, frowning.
His deaf sister shouted to attract his attention. She pointed to herhead and the palm of her hand, to indicate the shaved head of aChechen. Then she frowned, and pretending to aim with a gun, sheshrieked and began rapidly humming and shaking her head. This meantthat Lukashka should kill another Chechen.
Lukashka understood. He smiled, and shifting the gun at his back underhis cloak stepped lightly and rapidly, and soon disappeared in thethick mist.
The old woman, having stood a little while at the gate, returnedsilently to the hut and immediately began working.