Taras Bulba

way into the city; but it afterwards appeared that the Pereyaslavsky kuren, encamped before the wide gate of the town, had b

t the relieving force had already passed through the gate, and its rear ranks fired upon the sle

her gentles! See what drunkenness has led to! See what shame the enemy has put upon us! It is evident that, if your allowances are kindly doubled, then you are

state of the case. You have not been quite just in your reprimand. The Cossacks would have been guilty, and deserving of death, had they got drunk on the march, or when engaged on heavy toilsome labour during war; but we have been sitting here unoccupied, loitering in vain before the city. There was no fast

d many nodded approvingly, muttering, "Kukubenko has spoken well!" And Taras Bulba, who stood not far f

wisdom is needed to find such words as do not embitter a man's misfortune, but encourage him, restore to him his spirit, put spurs

are good," repeated others. And even the greyheads, who stood there like dark blue doves, no

o leave the city. Divide yourselves, therefore, into three divisions, and take up your posts before the three gates; five kurens before the principal gate, and three kurens before each of the others. Let the Dadikivsky and Korsunsky kurens go into ambush and Taras and his men into ambush too. The Titarevsky and Timoschevsky kurens are to guard the baggage train on the right flank, the Scherbinovsky and Steblikivsky on the left, and to select from their ranks the most daring young men to face the foe. The Lyakhs are of a restless nature and cannot endure a siege, and perhaps this very day they will sally for

nd camps. It was only when they had gone some distance that they covered themselves. All began to equip themselves: they tested t

en among the slaughtered Cossacks. Taras pondered deeply and went past his men without hearing that some one had for some time been calling him by name. "Who wants me?" he said, finally arousing himself from his refl

how he had succeeded in getting into

e way, because I wanted to know as soon as possible the cause of the noise and why the Cossacks were firing at dawn. I ran to the very gate of the city, at the moment when the last of the army was passing through. I looked, and

tle the debt!" said Bulba; "and he did not o

and promised to lend him more if he would only help me to collect my debts from the other nobles; for I can tell my lord that the noble cornet had not a ducat in his pocket, although he has farms and estates and four castles

the city? Did you se

m there: Itzok, Rachum, Samuel, K

a rage. "Why do you name your Jewish trib

Zaporozhtzi; I sa

is he doing? Where did you see him? In

t, gold everywhere about him; as the sun shines in spring, when every bird twitters and sings in the orchard, so he shines,

. "Why has he put o

bout, and the others ride about, and he teaches them, a

ed him to

rced. Does not my lord know that he w

went

d An

t wh

side; he is now a

, you ho

I should lie? Would I lie at the risk of my head? Do not

o you, he has betrayed his

d anything; I merely said that he

eed was never known in a Christian l

pit upon the grave of my father, my mother, my father's father, and my mother's fath

hy

ew tried his utmost to express beauty by extending his hands, screwing up his

what of

in love, then all things are the same to him; like the sole of a

uproar, and saw them going through the city gate, I seized a string of pearls, in case of any emergency. For there are beauties and noble-women there; 'and if there are beauties and noble-women,' I said to myself, 'they will buy pearls, even if they have nothing to eat.' And, as soon as ever the co

m on the spot, you devil

his own free will. What is his crime? He

aw him fac

! more splendid than all the rest. God bless him, he

did he

my father, tell my brother, tell all the Cossacks, all the Zaporozhtzi, everybody, that my father is no lon

ou lie, dog! I will kill you, Satan! Get away from here! i

hout looking back, through the Cossack camp, and then far out on the deserted plain, although Taras did not ch

with some woman, and he bowed his grey head. Still he would not believe that so disgra

ens turned out: Oumansky, Popovichesky, Kanevsky, Steblikovsky, Nezamaikovsky, Gurgazif, Titarevsky, Tomischevsky. The Pereyaslavsky kuren alone was wanting. Its Cossacks had smoked and drank to their destruction. Some awoke

ith gold. He was a tall, stout man, and his rich and ample caftan hardly covered him. Near the side gate stood another colonel. He was a dried-up little man, but his small, piercing eyes gleamed sharply from under his thick and shaggy brows, and as he turned quickly on all sides, motioning boldly with his thin, withered hand, and giving out his orders, it was evident that, in spite of his little body, he understood military science thoroughly. Not far from him stood a very tall cornet, with thick moustaches and a highly-coloured complexion - a noble fond of strong me

a sword or the mountings of a gun. The Zaporozhtzi were not given to decking themselves out gaily for battle: the

by Demid Popovitch, a strongly built Cossack who had been hanging about the Setch for a long time, after having been in Adrianople and undergoing a great deal in the course of his life. He had been burned, and ha

I should like to know what sort

the whole of you. Surrender your guns and horses, slaves. Did you see how

Zaporozhetz bound

ust as they had captured him in his drunken sleep. He bowed his head in shame before the Cossacks at his

ill rescue you," shouted

t you naked: that misfortune might happen to any man. But it is a disgrace to them tha

people who are asleep to fight," remarked

nge your top-knots fo

hem on his horse; and then, glancing at his comrades, he added, "Well, perhaps the Lyakhs

lter?" asked the Cossacks, knowing that Pop

d the devil himself couldn't help you to reach a

ng, "What a fellow Popovitch is for a joke! but now -" But the

e Koschevoi, seeing that the Lyakhs could not endure the

hussars in orderly ranks, behind them the horsemen in armour, and then the heroes in brazen helmets; after whom rode singly the highest nobility, each man accoutred as he pleased. These haughty nobles would not mingle in the ranks with others,

ge on the other! Attack them in the rear, Kukubenko and Palivod! Check them, break them!" The Cossacks attacked on all sides, throwing the Lyakhs into confusion and getting confu

far afield, shouting to the Cossacks standing about to catch them. Then he rushed again into the fray, fell upon the dismounted nobles, slew one, and throwing his lasso round the

d not look out for himself, and a bullet struck him on the temple. The man who struck him down was the most distinguished of the nobles, the handsomest scion of an ancient and princely race. Like a stately poplar, he bestrode his dun-coloured steed, and many heroic deed

the terrible cry, it bounded aside, and the Lyakh received Kukubenko's fire. The ball struck him in the shoulder-blade, and he rolled from his saddle. Even then he did not surrender and strove to deal his enemy a blow, but his hand was weak. Kukubenko, taking his heavy sword in both hands, thrust it through his mouth. The sword, breaking out two teeth

tones, and taken from the foe's belt a purse of ducats, and from his breast a silver case containing a maiden's curl, cherished tenderly as a love-token. But he heeded not how the red-faced cornet, whom he had already once hurled from the saddle and given a good blow as a remembrance, flew upon him from behind. The cornet swung his arm with all his might, and brought his sword down

one cast. The cornet's red face became a still deeper purple as the cruel noose compressed his throat, and he tried to use his pistol; but his convulsively quivering hand could not aim straight, and the bullet flew wild across the plain. Ostap immediately unfastened a silken c

ecure his body, and consulted at once as to whom they should select as their leader. At length they said, "But why consult? It is impossible to

ng too hot for them, and retreated across the plain in order to form again at its other end. But the little colonel signalled to the reserve of four hundred, stationed at the gate, and these rained shot upon the Cossacks. To little purpose, however, their shot only taking effect on the Cossack oxen, which were gazing wildly upon the batt

the iron-bound gates swung open and received the weary and dust-covered riders, flocking like sheep into a fold. Many of the Zaporozhtzi would have pursued them, but Ostap stopped his Oumantzi, saying, "Farther, farther from the walls, brother gentles! it is not well to approach them too closely." He spoke truly; for from the ramparts the foe rained and poured down everything which came to hand, and many were struck. At that mom

themselves again on the city ramparts with tattered mantles. Many ric

cried the Zaporozht

m a rope. The weary, dust-covered warriors ceased not to threate

nours. They dug graves with swords and spears, brought earth in their caps and the skirts of their garments, laid the Cossacks' bodies out decently, and covered them up in order that the ravens and eagles might not claw out their eyes. But binding the bodies of the Lyakhs, as th

ply gone into the city against his will? But then he recollected that there were no bounds to a woman's influence upon Andrii's heart; he felt ashamed, and swore a mighty oath to himself against the fair Pole who had bewitched his son. And he would have kept his oath. He would not have looked at her beauty; he would have dragged her forth by her thick and splendid hair; he would have trailed her after him over all the plain, among all the Cossacks. Her beautiful shoulde