The Cossacks: A Tale of 1852

by graf Leo Tolstoy

  Chapter XXII

  The Captain and the head of the village rode away, and Olenin, toplease Lukashka as well as to avoid going back alone through the darkforest, asked the corporal to give Lukashka leave, and the corporal didso. Olenin thought that Lukashka wanted to see Maryanka and he was alsoglad of the companionship of such a pleasant-looking and sociableCossack. Lukashka and Maryanka he involuntarily united in his mind, andhe found pleasure in thinking about them. 'He loves Maryanka,' thoughtOlenin, 'and I could love her,' and a new and powerful emotion oftenderness overcame him as they walked homewards together through thedark forest. Lukashka too felt happy; something akin to love madeitself felt between these two very different young men. Every time theyglanced at one another they wanted to laugh.

  'By which gate do you enter?' asked Olenin.

  'By the middle one. But I'll see you as far as the marsh. After thatyou have nothing to fear.'

  Olenin laughed.

  'Do you think I am afraid? Go back, and thank you. I can get on alone.'

  'It's all right! What have I to do? And how can you help being afraid?Even we are afraid,' said Lukashka to set Olenin's self-esteem at rest,and he laughed too.

  'Then come in with me. We'll have a talk and a drink and in the morningyou can go back.'

  'Couldn't I find a place to spend the night?' laughed Lukashka. 'Butthe corporal asked me to go back.'

  'I heard you singing last night, and also saw you.'

  'Every one...' and Luke swayed his head.

  'Is it true you are getting married?' asked Olenin.

  'Mother wants me to marry. But I have not got a horse yet.'

  'Aren't you in the regular service?'

  'Oh dear no! I've only just joined, and have not got a horse yet, anddon't know how to get one. That's why the marriage does not come off.'

  'And what would a horse cost?'

  'We were bargaining for one beyond the river the other day and theywould not take sixty rubles for it, though it is a Nogay horse.'

  'Will you come and be my drabant?' (A drabant was a kind of orderlyattached to an officer when campaigning.) 'I'll get it arranged andwill give you a horse,' said Olenin suddenly. 'Really now, I have twoand I don't want both.'

  'How--don't want it?' Lukashka said, laughing. 'Why should you make mea present? We'll get on by ourselves by God's help.'

  'No, really! Or don't you want to be a drabant?' said Olenin, glad thatit had entered his head to give a horse to Lukashka, though, withoutknowing why, he felt uncomfortable and confused and did not know whatto say when he tried to speak.

  Lukashka was the first to break the silence.

  'Have you a house of your own in Russia?' he asked.

  Olenin could not refrain from replying that he had not only one, butseveral houses.

  'A good house? Bigger than ours?' asked Lukashka good-naturedly.

  'Much bigger; ten times as big and three storeys high,' replied Olenin.

  'And have you horses such as ours?'

  'I have a hundred horses, worth three or four hundred rubles each, butthey are not like yours. They are trotters, you know.... But still, Ilike the horses here best.'

  'Well, and did you come here of your own free will, or were you sent?'said Lukashka, laughing at him. 'Look! that's where you lost your way,'he added, 'you should have turned to the right.'

  'I came by my own wish,' replied Olenin. 'I wanted to see your partsand to join some expeditions.'

  'I would go on an expedition any day,' said Lukashka. 'D'you hear thejackals howling?' he added, listening.

  'I say, don't you feel any horror at having killed a man?' asked Olenin.

  'What's there to be frightened about? But I should like to join anexpedition,' Lukashka repeated. 'How I want to! How I want to!'

  'Perhaps we may be going together. Our company is going before theholidays, and your "hundred" too.'

  'And what did you want to come here for? You've a house and horses andserfs. In your place I'd do nothing but make merry! And what is yourrank?'

  'I am a cadet, but have been recommended for a commission.'

  'Well, if you're not bragging about your home, if I were you I'd neverhave left it! Yes, I'd never have gone away anywhere. Do you find itpleasant living among us?'

  'Yes, very pleasant,' answered Olenin.

  It had grown quite dark before, talking in this way, they approachedthe village. They were still surrounded by the deep gloom of theforest. The wind howled through the tree-tops. The jackals suddenlyseemed to be crying close beside them, howling, chuckling, and sobbing;but ahead of them in the village the sounds of women's voices and thebarking of dogs could already be heard; the outlines of the huts wereclearly to be seen; lights gleamed and the air was filled with thepeculiar smell of kisyak smoke. Olenin felt keenly, that nightespecially, that here in this village was his home, his family, all hishappiness, and that he never had and never would live so happilyanywhere as he did in this Cossack village. He was so fond of everybodyand especially of Lukashka that night. On reaching home, to Lukashka'sgreat surprise, Olenin with his own hands led out of the shed a horsehe had bought in Groznoe--it was not the one he usually rode butanother--not a bad horse though no longer young, and gave it toLukashka.

  'Why should you give me a present?' said Lukashka, 'I have not yet doneanything for you.'

  'Really it is nothing,' answered Olenin. 'Take it, and you will give mea present, and we'll go on an expedition against the enemy together.'

  Lukashka became confused.

  'But what d'you mean by it? As if a horse were of little value,' hesaid without looking at the horse.

  'Take it, take it! If you don't you will offend me. Vanyusha! Take thegrey horse to his house.'

  Lukashka took hold of the halter.

  'Well then, thank you! This is something unexpected, undreamt of.'

  Olenin was as happy as a boy of twelve.

  'Tie it up here. It's a good horse. I bought it in Groznoe; it gallopssplendidly! Vanyusha, bring us some chikhir. Come into the hut.'

  The wine was brought. Lukashka sat down and took the wine-bowl.

  'God willing I'll find a way to repay you,' he said, finishing hiswine. 'How are you called?'

  'Dmitri Andreich.'

  'Well, 'Mitry Andreich, God bless you. We will be kunaks. Now you mustcome to see us. Though we are not rich people still we can treat akunak, and I will tell mother in case you need anything--clotted creamor grapes--and if you come to the cordon I'm your servant to go huntingor to go across the river, anywhere you like! There now, only the otherday, what a boar I killed, and I divided it among the Cossacks, but ifI had only known, I'd have given it to you.' 'That's all right, thankyou! But don't harness the horse, it has never been in harness.'

  'Why harness the horse? And there is something else I'll tell you ifyou like,' said Lukashka, bending his head. 'I have a kunak, GireyKhan. He asked me to lie in ambush by the road where they come downfrom the mountains. Shall we go together? I'll not betray you. I'll beyour murid.'

  'Yes, we'll go; we'll go some day.'

  Lukashka seemed quite to have quieted down and to have understoodOlenin's attitude towards him. His calmness and the ease of hisbehaviour surprised Olenin, and he did not even quite like it. Theytalked long, and it was late when Lukashka, not tipsy (he never wastipsy) but having drunk a good deal, left Olenin after shaking hands.

  Olenin looked out of the window to see what he would do. Lukashka wentout, hanging his head. Then, having led the horse out of the gate, hesuddenly shook his head, threw the reins of the halter over its head,sprang onto its back like a cat, gave a wild shout, and galloped downthe street. Olenin expected that Lukishka would go to share his joywith Maryanka, but though he did not do so Olenin still felt his soulmore at ease than ever before in his life. He was as delighted as aboy, and could not refrain from telling Vanyusha not only that he hadgiven Lukashka the horse, but also why he had done it, as well as hisnew theory of happiness. Vanyusha did not approve o
f his theory, andannounced that 'l'argent il n'y a pas!' and that therefore it was allnonsense.

  Lukashka rode home, jumped off the horse, and handed it over to hismother, telling her to let it out with the communal Cossack herd. Hehimself had to return to the cordon that same night. His deaf sisterundertook to take the horse, and explained by signs that when she sawthe man who had given the horse, she would bow down at his feet. Theold woman only shook her head at her son's story, and decided in herown mind that he had stolen it. She therefore told the deaf girl totake it to the herd before daybreak.

  Lukashka went back alone to the cordon pondering over Olenin's action.Though he did not consider the horse a good one, yet it was worth atleast forty rubles and Lukashka was very glad to have the present. Butwhy it had been given him he could not at all understand, and thereforehe did not experience the least feeling of gratitude. On the contrary,vague suspicions that the cadet had some evil intentions filled hismind. What those intentions were he could not decide, but neither couldhe admit the idea that a stranger would give him a horse worth fortyrubles for nothing, just out of kindness; it seemed impossible. Had hebeen drunk one might understand it! He might have wished to show off.But the cadet had been sober, and therefore must have wished to bribehim to do something wrong. 'Eh, humbug!' thought Lukashka. 'Haven't Igot the horse and we'll see later on. I'm not a fool myself and weshall see who'll get the better of the other,' he thought, feeling thenecessity of being on his guard, and therefore arousing in himselfunfriendly feelings towards Olenin. He told no one how he had got thehorse. To some he said he had bought it, to others he repliedevasively. However, the truth soon got about in the village, andLukashka's mother and Maryanka, as well as Elias Vasilich and otherCossacks, when they heard of Olenin's unnecessary gift, were perplexed,and began to be on their guard against the cadet. But despite theirfears his action aroused in them a great respect for his simplicity andwealth.

  'Have you heard,' said one, 'that the cadet quartered on Elias Vasilichhas thrown a fifty-ruble horse at Lukashka? He's rich! ...'

  'Yes, I heard of it,' replied another profoundly, 'he must have donehim some great service. We shall see what will come of this cadet. Eh!what luck that Snatcher has!'

  'Those cadets are crafty, awfully crafty,' said a third. 'See if hedon't go setting fire to a building, or doing something!'