i's Shool, for
the sake of their blood.

Thenceforth Maxim's hatred of Struli was mingled with fear. He was
terrified when he passed the Shool at night, and he used to dream that
Struli stood over him in a prayer robe, prepared to slaughter him with a
ram's horn trumpet.

This because he had once passed the Shool early one Jewish New Year's
Day, had peeped through the window, and seen the ram's horn blower
standing in his white shroud, armed with the Shofar, and suddenly a
heartrending voice broke out with Min ha-Mezar, and Maxim, taking his
feet on his shoulders, had arrived home more dead than alive. There was
very nearly a commotion. The priest wanted to persuade him that the Jews
had tried to obtain his blood.

So the two children grew into youth as enemies. Their fathers died, and
the increased difficulties of their position increased their enmity.

The same year saw them called to military service, from which they had
both counted on exemption as the only sons of widowed mothers; only
Israel's mother had lately died, bequeathing to the Czar all she had--a
soldier; and Maxim's mother had united herself to a second
provider--and there was an end of the two "only sons!"

Neither of them wished to serve; they were too intellectually capable,
too far developed mentally, too intelligent, to be turned all at once
into Russian soldiers, and too nicely brought up to march from Port
Arthur to Mukden with only one change of shirt. They both cleared out,
and stowed themselves away till they 'fell separately into the hands of
the military.

They came together again under the fortress walls of Mukden.

They ate and hungered sullenly round the same cooking pot, received
punches from the same officer, and had the same longing for the same
home.

Israel had a habit of talking in his sleep, and, like a born
Bessarabian, in his Yiddish mixed with a large portion of Roumanian
words.

One night, lying in the barracks among the other soldiers, and sunk in
sleep after a hard day, Struli began to talk sixteen to the dozen. He
called out names, he quarrelled, begged pardon, made a fool of
himself--all in his sleep.

It woke Maxim, who overheard the homelike names and phrases, the name of
his native town.

He got up, made his way between the rows of sleepers, and sat down by
Israel's pallet, and listened.

Next day Maxim managed to have a large helping of porridge, more than he
could eat, and he found Israel, and set it be