comes their head chief--also took it into his head to
lecture me: 'It's wobbewy!'--'Wobbewy,' I say, 'is not done by man who
seizes pwovisions to feed his soldiers, but by him who takes them to
fill his own pockets!' 'Will you please be silent?' 'Vewy good!' Then he
says: 'Go and give a weceipt to the commissioner, but your affair will
be passed on to headquarters.' I go to the commissioner. I enter, and at
the table... who do you think? No, but wait a bit!... Who is it that's
starving us?" shouted Denisov, hitting the table with the fist of his
newly bled arm so violently that the table nearly broke down and
the tumblers on it jumped about. "Telyanin! 'What? So it's you who's
starving us to death! Is it? Take this and this!' and I hit him so
pat, stwaight on his snout... 'Ah, what a... what a...!' and I sta'ted
fwashing him... Well, I've had a bit of fun I can tell you!" cried
Denisov, gleeful and yet angry, his white teeth showing under his black
mustache. "I'd have killed him if they hadn't taken him away!"

"But what are you shouting for? Calm yourself," said Rostov. "You've set
your arm bleeding afresh. Wait, we must tie it up again."

Denisov was bandaged up again and put to bed. Next day he woke calm and
cheerful.

But at noon the adjutant of the regiment came into Rostov's and
Denisov's dugout with a grave and serious face and regretfully showed
them a paper addressed to Major Denisov from the regimental commander
in which inquiries were made about yesterday's occurrence. The adjutant
told them that the affair was likely to take a very bad turn: that a
court-martial had been appointed, and that in view of the severity with
which marauding and insubordination were now regarded, degradation to
the ranks would be the best that could be hoped for.

The case, as represented by the offended parties, was that, after
seizing the transports, Major Denisov, being drunk, went to the chief
quartermaster and without any provocation called him a thief, threatened
to strike him, and on being led out had rushed into the office and given
two officials a thrashing, and dislocated the arm of one of them.

In answer to Rostov's renewed questions, Denisov said, laughing, that he
thought he remembered that some other fellow had got mixed up in it, but
that it was all nonsense and rubbish, and he did not in the least fear
any kind of trial, and that if those scoundrels dared attack him he
would give them an answer that they would