thout arms, and by him
stood two private soldiers with bare bayonets--Gerwazy recognised them:
alas! the Muscovites!!!

Often had the Warden been in like distress, often had he felt ropes on his
arms and legs; and yet he had freed himself, for he knew a way of breaking
bands: he was very strong and trusted in himself. He planned to save
himself by silence; he closed his eyes as if he were asleep, slowly
stretched out his arms and legs, held his breath, and contracted his belly
and his chest to the utmost; then suddenly he grew short, puffed himself
out, and doubled up: as a serpent, when it hides its head and tail in its
coils, so Gerwazy became short and thick instead of long. The cords
stretched and even creaked, but did not break! From very shame and terror
the Warden turned over and hid his angry face upon the floor; closing his
eyes he lay senseless as a log.

Then the drums began to roll, at first slowly, then with a rumble that
became ever faster and louder; at this signal the Muscovite officer gave
orders to lock up the Count and the jockeys in the hall, under guard, but
to take the gentry out into the yard, where the other company was
stationed. In vain Sprinkler fumed and struggled.

The staff was stationed in the yard, and with it many armed gentry, the
Podhajskis, Birbaszes, Hreczechas, Biergels, all friends or kinsmen of the
Judge. They had hastened to his relief when they heard of the attack upon
him, the more eagerly since they had long been at odds with the
Dobrzynskis.

Who had summoned the battalion of Muscovites from the villages? Who had
gathered so quickly the neighbours from the hamlets? Was it the Assessor
or Jankiel? As to this there were various rumours, but no one knew with
certainty either then or later.

Already the sun was rising, and showed blood-red; its blunt edge, as if
stripped of beams, was half visible and half hidden in the black clouds,
like a heated horseshoe in the charcoal of a forge. The wind was rising,
and it drove on the clouds from the east, crowded and jagged as blocks of
ice; each cloud as it passed over sprinkled cold rain; behind it rushed
the wind and dried the rain again; after the wind again a damp cloud flew
by; and thus the day by turns was cold and drizzly.

Meanwhile the Major had given orders to drag up the beams that were drying
near the yard, and in each beam to cut with an axe semicircular notches;
into these notches he thrust the legs of the prisoners a