Taras Bulba

e exercises. The young generation learned these by experience alone, in the very heat of battles, which were therefore incessant. The Cossacks thought it a nuisance to fill up the in

ting about it. It was not an assemblage of topers, who drank to drown sorrow, but simply a wild revelry of joy. Every one who came thither forgot everything, abandoned everything which had hitherto interested him. He, so to speak, spat upon his past and gave himself recklessly up to freedom and the good-fellowship of men of the same stamp as himself - idlers having neither relatives nor home nor family, nothing, in short, save the free sky and the eternal revel of their souls. This gave rise to that wild gaiety which could not have sprung

eath, had seen life, and life in all its intensity; those who, from generous habits, could never keep a coin in their pockets; those who had thitherto regarded a ducat as wealth, and whose pockets, thanks to the Jew revenue-farmers, could have been turned wrong side out without any danger of anything falling from them. Here were students who could not endure the academic rod, and had not carried away a single letter from the schools; but with them were also some who knew about Horace, Cicero, and the Roman Republic. There were many leaders who afterwards distinguished themselves in the king's armies; and there were numerous clever partisans who

Setch prayed in one church, and were willing to defend it to their last drop of blood, although they would not hearken to aught about fasting or abstinence. Jews, Armenians, and Tatars, inspired by strong avarice, took the liberty of living and trading in the suburbs; for the Zaporozhtzi never cared for bargaining, and paid whatever money their hand chanced to grasp in their pocket. Moreover, the lot of these gain-loving traders was pitiable in the extreme. They resembled people settled at the foot of Vesuvius; for when the Zaporozhtzi lacked money, these bold adventurers broke down their booths and took everything gratis. The Setch consisted of over sixty kurens, each of which greatly resembled a separate independent republic, but

the smallest trifle, it was considered a disgrace to the whole Cossack community. He was bound to the pillar of shame, and a club was laid beside him, with which each passer-by was bound to deal him a blow until in this manner he was beaten to death. He who did not pay his debts was chained to a cannon, until some one of his comrades should decide to ransom him by paying his debts for him. But what made the deepest imp

rt, deer, and goats. Or they went out upon the lakes, the river, and its tributaries allotted to each kuren, to throw their nets and draw out rich prey for the enjoyment of the whole kuren. Although unversed in any trade exercised by a Cossack, they were soon

he wanted active employment. He reflected incessantly how to stir up the Setch to some bold enterprise, w

is time for the Zap

ed the Koschevoi, removing his short pip

nowhere? We can go

Tatary," replied the Koschevoi, puttin

impos

ave promised th

od and the Holy Scriptures co

sworn by our faith, it might be

sons, both young men. Neither has been to war; and you say that we have no rig

t is not

a single good deed, that he should be of no use to his country or to Christianity! Why, then, do we live? What the deuce do we liv

was an obstinate Cossack. He was silent for a whi

t be war?" Tar

N

no use think

t to be t

f; "you shall learn to know me!" and he at onc

ettledrums which were generally beaten to assemble the people. Not finding the sticks, which were kept by the drummer, they seized a piece of woo

beat the dru

icks, and beat when you are ord

ke bees in the square. All formed in a ring; and at length, after the third summons, the chiefs began to arrive - the Koschevoi with staff in hand, the symbol of his office; the judge with the army-s

wish, gentles?" said the Koschevoi. Shout

er!" shouted some of the Cossacks in the crowd. Some of the sober ones appeared to wish to op

e, if enraged, might beat him to death, as almost always happened in such c

" said the judge, the secretary, and the osaul, as they prepar

d. "We only wanted to drive out the Koschevoi beca

lect as Koschevoi?

ukubenko," s

another party: "he is too young; the

" shouted some: "make

nd of a Cossack is he who is as thievish as a Tatar

us make Borodat

ty! To the evil one's

" whispered Taras

. "Borodaty, Borodaty! Kirdyanga, Kirdyan

ed the crowd, in order not to give any one a chance of supp

ga!" echoed more st

rod

the matter by a show of

he crowd - some of them hardly able to keep their feet, to such an extent ha

d been sitting for some time in his kuren,

les? What do you

ve chosen you

onour? Why should I be made Koschevoi? I have not sufficient capacity

agged him to the square, accompanying his progress with shouts, blows from behind with their fists, kicks, and exhortations. "Don't hold

o had brought him, "are you agreed tha

ng, and the whole plain trembled for

crowd, and again the whole plain resounded afar with the Cossacks' shout. Then there stepped out from among the people the four oldest of them all, white-bearded, white-haired Cossacks; though there were no very old men in the Setch, for none of the Zaporozhtzi ever died in their beds. Taking e

rn-brandy, and beer seized without payment, the owners being only too glad to escape with whole skins themselves. The whole night passed amid shouts, songs, and rejoicings; and the rising moon gazed long at troops of musicians traversing the streets with guitars, flutes, tambourines, and the church choir, who were kept in the Setch to sing in church and glorify the deeds of the Zaporozhtzi. At length drunkenness and fatigue began to overpower even these strong heads, and here and there