sha, with her
back toward Foma; he looked at her beautiful figure and involuntarily
recalled Medinskaya. The latter was smaller in size. The recollection of
her stung him, and he cried out in a loud, mocking voice:

"Eh, there! Good-bye! Ha! ha! ha!"

Suddenly the dark figures of the people moved toward him and crowded
together in one group, in the centre of the raft. But by this time a
clear strip of water, about three yards wide, was flashing between them
and Foma.

There was a silence lasting for a few seconds.

Then suddenly a hurricane of shrill, repulsively pitiful sounds, which
were full of animal fright, was hurled at Foma, and louder than all and
more repulsive than all, Zvantzev's shrill, jarring cry pierced the ear:

"He-e-elp!"

Some one--in all probability, the sedate gentleman with the side
whiskers--roared in his basso:

"Drowning! They're drowning people!"

"Are you people?" cried Foma, angrily, irritated by their screams which
seemed to bite him. And the people ran about on the raft in the madness
of fright; the raft rocked under their feet, floated faster on account
of this, and the agitated water was loudly splashing against and under
it. The screams rent the air, the people jumped about, waving their
hands, and the stately figure of Sasha alone stood motionless and
speechless on the edge of the raft.

"Give my regards to the crabs!" cried Foma. Foma felt more and more
cheerful and relieved in proportion as the raft was floating away from
him.

"Foma Ignatyevich!" said Ookhtishchev in a faint, but sober voice, "look
out, this is a dangerous joke. I'll make a complaint."

"When you are drowned? You may complain!" answered Foma, cheerfully.

"You are a murderer!" exclaimed Zvantzev, sobbing. But at this time a
ringing splash of water was heard as though it groaned with fright or
with astonishment. Foma shuddered and became as though petrified.
Then rang out the wild, deafening shrieks of the women, and the
terror-stricken screams of men, and all the figures on the raft remained
petrified in their places. And Foma, staring at the water, felt
as though he really were petrified. In the water something black,
surrounded with splashes, was floating toward him.

Rather instinctively than consciously, Foma threw himself with his chest
on the beams of the raft, and stretched out his hands, his head hanging
down over the water. Several incredibly long seconds passed. Cold,
wet arms clasped his n