etween the trees.
"Ostap, Ostap! don't yield!" shouted Taras, and grasping his sword he
began to cut down all he encountered on every side. But six suddenly
sprang upon Ostap. They did it in an unpropitious hour: the head of one
flew off, another turned to flee, a spear pierced the ribs of a third;
a fourth, more bold, bent his head to escape the bullet, and the bullet
striking his horse's breast, the maddened animal reared, fell back upon
the earth, and crushed his rider under him. "Well done, son! Well done,
Ostap!" cried Taras: "I am following you." And he drove off those
who attacked him. Taras hewed and fought, dealing blows at one after
another, but still keeping his eye upon Ostap ahead. He saw that eight
more were falling upon his son. "Ostap, Ostap! don't yield!" But they
had already overpowered Ostap; one had flung his lasso about his neck,
and they had bound him, and were carrying him away. "Hey, Ostap, Ostap!"
shouted Taras, forcing his way towards him, and cutting men down like
cabbages to right and left. "Hey, Ostap, Ostap!" But something at that
moment struck him like a heavy stone. All grew dim and confused before
his eyes. In one moment there flashed confusedly before him heads,
spears, smoke, the gleam of fire, tree-trunks, and leaves; and then he
sank heavily to the earth like a felled oak, and darkness covered his
eyes.

CHAPTER X

"I have slept a long while!" said Taras, coming to his senses, as if
after a heavy drunken sleep, and trying to distinguish the objects about
him. A terrible weakness overpowered his limbs. The walls and corners
of a strange room were dimly visible before him. At length he perceived
that Tovkatch was seated beside him, apparently listening to his every
breath.

"Yes," thought Tovkatch, "you might have slept forever." But he said
nothing, only shook his finger, and motioned him to be silent.

"But tell me where I am now?" asked Taras, straining his mind, and
trying to recollect what had taken place.

"Be silent!" cried his companion sternly. "Why should you want to
know? Don't you see that you are all hacked to pieces? Here I have been
galloping with you for two weeks without taking a breath; and you have
been burnt up with fever and talking nonsense. This is the first time
you have slept quietly. Be silent if you don't wish to do yourself an
injury."

But Taras still tried to collect his thoughts and to recall what had
passed. "Well, the Lyakhs must have surrou