ting and moans. He thought he saw smoke and
blood, and abandoning his horse and quite beside himself he ran towards
the Cossacks. Horror seemed to blind him. He could not make out
anything, but understood that all was over. Lukashka, pale as death,
was holding a wounded Chechen by the arms and shouting, 'Don't kill
him. I'll take him alive!' The Chechen was the red-haired man who had
fetched his brother's body away after Lukashka had killed him. Lukashka
was twisting his arms. Suddenly the Chechen wrenched himself free and
fired his pistol. Lukashka fell, and blood began to flow from his
stomach. He jumped up, but fell again, swearing in Russian and in
Tartar. More and more blood appeared on his clothes and under him. Some
Cossacks approached him and began loosening his girdle. One of them,
Nazarka, before beginning to help, fumbled for some time, unable to put
his sword in its sheath: it would not go the right way. The blade of
the sword was blood-stained.

The Chechens with their red hair and clipped moustaches lay dead and
hacked about. Only the one we know of, who had fired at Lukashka,
though wounded in many places was still alive. Like a wounded hawk all
covered with blood (blood was flowing from a wound under his right
eye), pale and gloomy, he looked about him with wide--open excited eyes
and clenched teeth as he crouched, dagger in hand, still prepared to
defend himself. The cornet went up to him as if intending to pass by,
and with a quick movement shot him in the ear. The Chechen started up,
but it was too late, and he fell.

The Cossacks, quite out of breath, dragged the bodies aside and took
the weapons from them. Each of the red-haired Chechens had been a man,
and each one had his own individual expression. Lukashka was carried to
the cart. He continued to swear in Russian and in Tartar.

'No fear, I'll strangle him with my hands. ANNA SENI!' he cried,
struggling. But he soon became quiet from weakness.

Olenin rode home. In the evening he was told that Lukashka was at
death's door, but that a Tartar from beyond the river had undertaken to
cure him with herbs.

The bodies were brought to the village office. The women and the little
boys hastened to look at them.

It was growing dark when Olenin returned, and he could not collect
himself after what he had seen. But towards night memories of the
evening before came rushing to his mind. He looked out of the window,
Maryanka was passing to and fro from