Sightseeing tour in the school local history museum. Excursion to the local history museum

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Story: Prisoner of the Caucasus

I
One gentleman served as an officer in the Caucasus. His name was Zhilin.
Once a letter came to him from home. The old mother writes to him: “I have become old, and I want to see my beloved son before death. Come to say goodbye to me, bury me, and then with God, go back to the service. And I also found a bride for you: she is smart, and good, and there is an estate. You will fall in love - maybe you will marry and stay completely.
Zhilin thought about it: “And in fact: the old woman has become bad; maybe you don't have to see it. to go; and if the bride is good, you can get married.
He went to the colonel, straightened out his leave, said goodbye to his comrades, delivered four buckets of vodka to his soldiers as a farewell, and got ready to leave.
There was a war in the Caucasus then. There was no traffic on the roads day or night. Just a few of the Russians drive off or move away from the fortress - the Tatars (1) will either kill or take them to the mountains. And it was established that twice a week escorted soldiers went from fortress to fortress. Soldiers go in front and behind, and people ride in the middle.
It was summer. At dawn the wagon trains gathered outside the fortress, the escorted soldiers got out and set off along the road. Zhilin rode on horseback, and his cart with things was in the wagon train.
It was twenty-five miles to go. The convoy moved quietly: sometimes the soldiers would stop, then in the convoy a wheel would come off, or a horse would stop, and everyone would stand and wait.
The sun had already passed in half a day, and the wagon train had only covered half the road. Dust, heat, the sun bakes, and there is nowhere to hide. Naked steppe; not a tree, not a bush along the road.
Zhilin drove forward, stopped and waits for the convoy to approach him. He hears, behind the horn began to play - again stand. Zhilin thought: “But why not leave alone, without soldiers? The horse under me is kind, if I attack the Tatars, I will gallop away. Or don't drive?
Stopped, thinking. And another officer, Kostylin, drives up to him on a horse, with a gun, and says:
- Let's go, Zhilin, alone. There is no urine, I want to eat, and the heat. At least wring out my shirt. - And Kostylin is a heavy, fat man, all red, and sweat is pouring from him. Zhilin thought and said:
- Is the gun loaded?
- Loaded.
- Well, then let's go. Only agreement - do not disperse. And they went ahead along the road. They go through the steppe, talk and look around. Visible all around.
As soon as the steppe ended, the road between two mountains went into the gorge. Zhilin says:
- We must go to the mountain to look, otherwise, here, perhaps, they will jump out of the mountain and not see it.
And Kostylin says:
– What to watch? Let's go ahead. Zhilin did not listen to him.
“No,” he says, “you wait downstairs, and I’ll just take a look.”
And let the horse go to the left, up the mountain. The horse near Zhilin was a hunting horse (he paid a hundred rubles for it in the herd with a foal and rode it himself); as if on wings, lifted him to the steep. As soon as he jumped out - look, and in front of him, on a tithe of space, are the Tatars on horseback. Man thirty. He saw, began to turn back, and the Tatars saw him, rushed to him, they themselves snatched guns from their cases at a gallop. Zhilin let go down the steep slope with all his horse's legs, shouting to Kostylin:
- Get your gun out! - and he himself thinks about his horse: “Mother, take it out, don’t catch your foot, you stumble - it’s gone. I'll get to the gun, I won't give in to them.
And Kostylin, instead of waiting, only saw the Tatars, - he rolled, that there is a spirit, to the fortress. The whip fries the horse from one side, then from the other.
Only in the dust, you can see how the horse twirls its tail.
Zhilin sees that things are bad. The gun left, you can’t do anything with one checker. He let the horse go back to the soldiers - he thought to leave. He sees that six people are rolling towards him. Under him, the horse is kind, and under those it is even kinder, and they gallop across the path. He began to shorten, wanted to turn back, but the horse had already spread, he wouldn’t hold it, he was flying right at them. He sees - a Tatar with a red beard on a gray horse is approaching him. Squeals, teeth bared, gun at the ready.
“Well,” Zhilin thinks, “I know you, devils, if they take him alive, they will put him in a pit, they will flog him with a whip. I won't give myself up alive..."
But Zhilin, although not great in stature, was daring. He pulled out a saber, let the horse go straight at the red Tatar, he thinks: “Either I will crush it with a horse, or I will cut it down with a saber.”
Zhilin did not jump on the horse, shot at him from behind with guns and hit the horse. The horse hit the ground with all its might - Zhilin fell on his leg.
He wanted to get up, and two smelly Tartars were sitting on him, twisting his arms back. He rushed, threw off the Tatars, and even three jumped off their horses at him, began to beat him on the head with rifle butts. Blurred in his eyes and staggered. The Tatars grabbed him, took off his saddles, spare girths, twisted his hands behind his back, tied him with a Tatar knot, dragged him to the saddle. They knocked off his hat, pulled off his boots, ransacked everything, took out money, took out his watch, and tore everything off his dress. Zhilin looked at his horse. She, hearty, as she fell on her side, just lies there, only beats with her legs - she does not reach the ground; there is a hole in the head, and black blood whistles from the hole - the dust has moistened an arshin all around.
One Tatar went up to the horse, began to remove the saddle. She keeps on fighting, - he took out a dagger, cut her throat. It whistled from the throat, trembled, and steam out.
The Tatars removed the saddle and harness. A Tatar with a red beard sat on a horse, while others put Zhilin on his saddle; and so as not to fall, they pulled him with a belt by the belt to the Tatar and took him to the mountains.
Zhilin is sitting behind a Tatar, swaying, poking his face into the stinking Tatar back. All he sees in front of him is a hefty Tatar back and a sinewy neck, and the shaved back of the head turns blue from under the cap. Zhilin's head is broken, blood has dried over his eyes. And he can neither get better on a horse, nor wipe the blood. Hands are so twisted that it hurts in the collarbone.
They drove for a long time from mountain to mountain, forded the river, drove onto the road and drove through the hollow.
Zhilin wanted to take note of the road where he was being taken, but his eyes were smeared with blood, but it was impossible to turn around.
It began to get dark; we crossed another river, began to climb the stone mountain, there was a smell of smoke, dogs strayed.
We arrived in the village. The Tatars got off their horses, the Tatar guys gathered, surrounded Zhilin, squeaked, rejoiced, began to shoot stones at him.
The Tatar drove the guys away, took Zhilin off his horse and called the worker. A Nogai came, with high cheekbones, in one shirt. The shirt is torn off, the entire chest is bare. The Tatar ordered something to him. The worker brought a block: two oak logs were planted on iron rings, and in one ring there was a punch and a lock.
They untied Zhilin's hands, put on a block and took him to the barn; pushed him there and locked the door. Zhilin fell on manure. He lay down, felt in the dark, where it was softer, and lay down.

It was 25 miles to go. The convoy moved quietly; then the soldiers stop, then in the wagon train someone’s wheel will come off, or the horse will stop, and everyone is standing - waiting.

The sun had already passed in half a day, and the wagon train had only covered half the road. Dust, heat, the sun bakes, and there is nowhere to hide. Bare steppe, not a tree, not a bush along the road.

Zhilin drove forward, stopped and waits for the convoy to approach. He hears, they played the horn from behind, - stand again. Zhilin thought: “But why not leave alone, without soldiers? The horse under me is kind, if I attack the Tatars, I will gallop away. Or don't drive?

Stopped, thinking. And another officer, Kostylin, drives up to him on a horse, with a gun, and says:

Let's go, Zhilin, alone. There is no urine, I want to eat, and the heat. At least wring out my shirt. - And Kostylin is a heavy, fat man, all red, and sweat is pouring from him. Zhilin thought and said:

Is the gun loaded?

Loaded.

Well, let's go. Only agreement - not to disperse.

And they went ahead along the road. They go through the steppe, talk and look around. Visible all around.

As soon as the steppe ended, the road went between two mountains in the gorge, and Zhilin says:

We must go to the mountain, have a look, otherwise here, perhaps, they will jump out from behind the mountain and not see it.

And Kostylin says:

What to watch? let's go ahead.

Zhilin did not listen to him.

No, - he says, - you wait downstairs, and I'll just take a look.

And let the horse go to the left, up the mountain. The horse near Zhilin was a hunting horse (he paid a hundred rubles for it in the herd with a foal and rode it himself); how on wings she carried him to the steep. He just jumped out, looking - and in front of him, on a tithe of a place, there were Tatars on horseback - about thirty people. He saw, began to turn back; and the Tatars saw him, rushed towards him, and at a gallop they themselves snatched their guns from their cases. Zhilin let go down the steep slope in all horse legs, shouted to Kostylin:

Take out your gun! - and he himself thinks about his horse: “Mother, take it out, don’t catch your foot, stumble - it’s gone. I'll get to the gun, I won't give in to them.

And Kostylin, instead of waiting, only saw the Tatars - rolled up to the fortress. The whip fries the horse from one side, then from the other. Only in the dust you can see how the horse twirls its tail.

Zhilin sees that things are bad. The gun left, you can’t do anything with one checker. He let the horse back to the soldiers - he thought to leave. He sees that six people are rolling towards him. Under him, the horse is kind, and under those it is even kinder, and they gallop across the path. He began to shorten, wanted to turn back, but the horse had already spread, he wouldn’t hold it, he was flying right at them. He sees - a Tatar with a red beard on a gray horse is approaching him. Squeals, teeth bared, gun at the ready.

“Well,” Zhilin thinks, “I know you, devils, if they take him alive, put him in a pit, they will flog him with a whip. I won't give myself up alive."

And Zhilin, although small in stature, was daring. He pulled out a saber, let the horse go straight at the red Tatar, he thinks: “Either I will crush it with a horse, or I will cut it down with a saber.”

Zhilin did not jump on the horse, shot at him from behind with guns and hit the horse. The horse hit the ground with all its might - Zhilin fell on his leg.

He wanted to get up, and two smelly Tartars were sitting on him, twisting his arms back. He rushed, threw off the Tatars, and even three jumped off their horses at him, began to beat him on the head with rifle butts. Blurred in his eyes and staggered. The Tatars grabbed him, removed the spare girths from the saddles, twisted his hands behind his back, tied him with a Tatar knot, and dragged him to the saddle. They knocked off his hat, pulled off his boots, ransacked everything, took out money, took out his watch, and tore everything off his dress. Zhilin looked at his horse. She, hearty, as she fell on her side, just lies there, only beats with her legs - she does not reach the ground; there is a hole in the head, and black blood is whistling from the hole - the dust has moistened to a arshin all around.

One Tatar went up to the horse, began to remove the saddle. She is still beating, - he took out a dagger, cut her throat. It whistled from the throat, fluttered, and steam out.

The Tatars removed the saddle and harness. A Tatar with a red beard sat on a horse, while others put Zhilin on him

on the saddle; and so as not to fall, they pulled him with a belt by the belt to the Tatar and took him to the mountains.

Zhilin is sitting behind a Tatar, swaying, poking his face into the stinking Tatar back. All he sees in front of him is a hefty Tatar back, and a sinewy neck, and the shaved back of the head turns blue from under the cap. Zhilin's head is broken, blood has dried over his eyes. And he can neither get better on a horse, nor wipe the blood. Hands are so twisted that it hurts in the collarbone.

They drove for a long time from mountain to mountain, forded the river, drove onto the road and drove through the hollow.

Zhilin wanted to note the road where he was being taken, but his eyes were smeared with blood, but you couldn’t turn around.

It began to get dark. We crossed another river, began to climb the stone mountain, there was a smell of smoke, dogs strayed.

We arrived at aul 1. The Tatars got off their horses, the Tatar guys gathered, surrounded Zhilin, squeaked, rejoiced, began to shoot stones at him.

The Tatar drove the guys away, took Zhilin off his horse and called the worker. A high-cheeked Nogai came, in one shirt. The shirt is torn off, the entire chest is bare. The Tatar ordered something to him. The worker brought a block: two oak logs were planted on iron rings, and in one ring there was a punch and a lock.

They untied Zhilin's hands, put on a block and led him into the barn: they pushed him there and locked the door. Zhilin fell on manure. He lay down, felt in the dark, where it was softer, and lay down.

2

Zhilin did not sleep almost all that night. The nights were short. He sees - it began to glow in the crack. Zhilin got up, dug out a bigger crack, and began to look.

The road is visible to him from the crack - it goes downhill, to the right the Tatar saklya, two trees near it. A black dog lies on the threshold, a goat walks with kids, twitching its tails. He sees - from under the mountain there is a young Tatar, in a colored shirt, with a belt, in trousers and boots, her head is covered with a caftan, and on her head is a large tin jug of water. Walks, trembles in the back, bends over,

1 Aul is a Tatar village. (Note by L. N. Tolstoy.)

and by the hand a Tatar woman leads a shaved man, in one shirt. A Tatar woman passed in a saklya with water, yesterday's Tatar came out with a red beard, in a silk beshmet, a silver dagger on a belt, in shoes on his bare feet. On the head is a high cap, mutton, black, twisted back. He went out, stretched himself, stroking his red beard. He stood, ordered something to the worker and went somewhere.

Then two guys rode on horseback to a watering place. Horses snore wet. More shaved boys ran out, wearing only shirts, without trousers, gathered in a bunch, went up to the barn, took a twig and put it in a crack. Zhilin hoots at them: the guys squealed, rolled to run away, only their bare knees glisten.

But Zhilin is thirsty, his throat is dry; thinks - at least they would come to visit. Hears - unlock the barn. A red Tatar came, and with him another, smaller, blackish. The eyes are black, light, ruddy, the beard is small, trimmed; cheerful face, everyone laughs. The blackish one is dressed even better: a silk blue beshmet, trimmed with lace. The dagger on the belt is large, silver; the shoes are red, morocco, also trimmed with silver. And on thin shoes there are other thick shoes. The hat is high, white lamb.

The red Tatar came in, said something as if he were cursing, and stood; he leaned on the lintel, wiggles his dagger, like a wolf squinting at Zhilin from under his brows. And the blackish one - fast, lively, so all on springs and walks - went straight to Zhilin, squatted down, bared his teeth, patted him on the shoulder, began to mutter something often, often in his own way, winks his eyes, clicks his tongue, everyone says: “Koroshourus! koroshourus!"

Zhilin did not understand anything and said: “Drink, give me water to drink!”

Black laughs. “Korosh Urus,” everything mutters in its own way.

Zhilin showed with his lips and hands that they gave him a drink.

Black understood, laughed, looked out the door, called someone: "Dina!"

A girl came running - thin, thin, about thirteen years old and her face looked like a black one. Apparently a daughter. Also - her eyes are black, bright and her face is beautiful. Dressed in a long, blue shirt with wide sleeves and no belt. On the floors, on the chest and on the sleeves, it is delayed by red.

On the feet are pants and shoes, and on the shoes others are in high heels; Monisto around the neck, all from Russian fifty dollars. The head is uncovered, the braid is black, and there is a ribbon in the braid, and plaques and a silver ruble are hung on the ribbon.

Her father told her something. She ran away and came again, brought a tin jug. She served water, squatted herself, all bent so that the shoulders below the knees were gone. He sits, opens his eyes, looks at Zhilin, how he drinks, like what kind of animal.

Zhilin gave her back a jug. How she jumps away like a wild goat. Even my father laughed. Sent it somewhere else. She took a jug, ran, brought unleavened bread on a round plank, and again sat down, bent over, her eyes were not taken off - she was looking.

The Tatars left, locked the door again.

After a while, a Nogai comes to Zhilin and says:

Come on, master, come on!

He doesn't speak Russian either. Only Zhilin understood that he was ordering to go somewhere.

Zhilin went with a block, he was lame, he couldn’t step, and he turned his leg to the side. Zhilin went out for the Nogai. He sees - a Tatar village, ten houses, and their church, with a turret. One house has three horses in saddles. The boys are holding on. A blackish Tatar jumped out of this house, waved his hand for Zhilin to come to him. Himself laughs, everyone says something in his own way, and went out the door. Zhilin came to the house. The upper room is good, the walls are smoothly smeared with clay. Motley down jackets are stacked against the front wall, expensive carpets hang on the sides; on the carpets, guns, pistols, checkers - everything is in silver. In one wall there is a small stove flush with the floor. The floor is earthen, clean as a current, and the entire front corner is covered with felts; carpets on felts, and down pillows on carpets. And on the carpets in the same shoes sit Tatars: black, red and three guests. Behind everyone's backs are feather pillows, and in front of them on a round plank are millet pancakes and cow's butter dissolved in a cup, and Tatar beer - buza, in a jug. They eat with their hands, and their hands are all in oil.

The black man jumped up, ordered to put Zhilin on the sidelines, not on the carpet, but on the bare floor, climbed back onto the carpet, treats the guests with pancakes and booze. Planted worker Zhilina

into place, he himself took off his top shoes, put them in a row by the door, where the other shoes stood, and sat down on the felt closer to the hosts; watching them eat, drooling wipes.

The Tatars ate pancakes, a Tatar woman came in a shirt the same as the girl, and in trousers; the head is covered with a scarf. She took away butter, pancakes, served a good pelvis and a jug with a narrow toe. The Tatars began to wash their hands, then they folded their hands, sat on their knees, blew in all directions and read prayers. We talked in our own way. Then one of the Tatar guests turned to Zhilin and began to speak Russian.

You, - he says, - Kazi-Mugamed took, - he himself points to the red Tatar, - and gave you to Abdul-Murat, - points to the blackish one. - Abdul-Murat is now your master. - Zhilin is silent.

Abdul-Murat spoke, and everything points to Zhilin, and laughs, and says: "Urus soldier, Urus is good."

The interpreter says: “He tells you to write a letter to your home so that they send a ransom for you. As soon as the money is sent, he will let you in.

Zhilin thought and said: “How much does he want a ransom?”

The Tatars talked, the translator says:

Three thousand coins.

No, - says Zhilin, - I can't pay this.

Abdul jumped up, began to wave his arms, says something to Zhilin - everyone thinks that he will understand. The interpreter translated, he said: “How much will you give?”

Zhilin thought and said: "Five hundred rubles."

Here the Tatars spoke often, all of a sudden. Abdul began to shout at the red one, stammered so that drool splashed from his mouth. And the red one just squints and clicks his tongue.

They fell silent; translator and says:

I'll ransom the owner a little five hundred rubles. He paid two hundred rubles for you. Kazi-Muhamed owed him. He borrowed you. Three thousand rubles, less can not be allowed. And if you don’t write, they will put you in a pit, they will punish you with a whip.

“Oh,” Zhilin thinks, “it’s worse to be shy with them.” He jumped to his feet and said:

And you tell him, the dog, that if he wants to scare me, then I won’t give a penny, and I won’t write. I was not afraid, and I will not be afraid of you dogs!

The interpreter retold, all of a sudden they all started talking again.

They muttered for a long time, a black man jumped up and went up to Zhilin.

Urus, - he says, - horseman, horseman Urus!

Dzhigit, in their language, means "well done." And he laughs himself;

said something to the interpreter, and the interpreter says:

Give me a thousand rubles.

Zhilin stood his ground: “I won’t give you more than five hundred rubles. If you kill, you won't take anything."

The Tatars talked, sent a worker somewhere, and they themselves looked at Zhilin, then at the door. A worker came, and some kind of fat man, barefoot and skinned, followed him; on the leg, too, a block.

So Zhilin gasped, - Kostylin recognized. And he was caught. They put them side by side; they began to tell each other, but the Tatars were silent, watching. Zhilin told how it was with him; Kostylin said that the horse stopped under him and the gun broke off, and that this same Abdul overtook him and took him.

Abdul jumped up, points to Kostylin, says something.

The translator translated that they are now both the same owner, and whoever gives the ransom first will be released first.

Here, - says Zhilina, - you are all angry, and your comrade is meek; he wrote a letter home, five thousand coins will be sent. So they will feed him well and will not offend.

Zhilin says:

Comrade, as he wishes; he may be rich, but I'm not rich. I, - says, - as I said, so be it. If you want to kill, it won't do you any good, and I won't write more than five hundred rubles.

They were silent. Suddenly, Abdul jumped up, took out a chest, took out a pen, a piece of paper and ink, put Zhilina in, clapped him on the shoulder, shows: “write.” Agreed to 500 rubles.

Wait a little longer, - Zhilin says to the translator, - tell him to feed us well, dress and shod us, properly, to keep us together - it will be more fun for us, and to remove the block. - He looks at the owner and laughs. The owner laughs too. He listened and said:

I will dress the best ladies: both a Circassian coat and boots, at least get married. I will feed like princes. And if they want to live together, let them live in a barn. And the block cannot be removed - they will leave. I will only shoot at night. He jumped up and patted him on the shoulder. Yours is good, mine is good!

Zhilin wrote a letter, but on the letter he wrote it wrong so that it didn’t come through. He thinks: "I'm leaving."

They took Zhilin and Kostylin to the barn, brought them corn straw, water in a jug, bread, two old Circassian coats and worn soldiers' boots. It can be seen that they were dragged from the dead soldiers. They took off their stocks for the night and locked them in a shed.

3

Zhilin lived like this with a friend for a whole month. The owner laughs. - Yours, Ivan, is good, - mine, Abdul, is good. - And he fed badly, - he only gave that unleavened bread made from millet flour, baked with cakes, or even unbaked dough.

Kostylin wrote home again, kept waiting for the money to be sent and was bored. For whole days he sits in the barn and counts the days when the letter arrives, or sleeps. But Zhilin knew that his letter would not reach, but he did not write another.

“Where,” he thinks, “mothers can get so much money, pay for me. And then she lived the more that I sent her. If she collects five hundred rubles, she must be ruined completely. God willing, I'll get out myself."

And he himself is looking out for everything, trying to find out how he can escape. Walks around the village, whistles; otherwise he sits, does some needlework, or sculpts dolls from clay, or weaves wickerwork from twigs. And Zhilin was a master of all needlework.

Once he made a doll, with a nose, with arms, with legs and in a Tatar shirt, and put the doll on the roof.

The Tatars went for water. The master's daughter Dinka saw the doll and called the Tatars. They made jugs, they look,

laugh. Zhilin took off the doll, gives it to them. They laugh, but do not dare to take. He left the doll, went into the barn and sees what will happen?

Dina ran up, looked around, grabbed the doll and ran away.

The next morning he looks, at dawn Dina came out on the threshold with a doll. And she has already removed the doll with red patches and shakes it like a child, she lulls herself in her own way. The old woman came out, scolded her, grabbed the doll, broke it, sent Dina somewhere to work.

Zhilin made another doll, even better, - he gave it to Dina. Once Dean brought a jug, put it down, sat down and looked at it, laughs herself, points to the jug.

"What is she happy about?" Zhilin thinks. He took a pitcher and began to drink. He thinks it's water, but there's milk. He drank milk, “good,” he says. How happy Dina will be!

Okay, Ivan, okay! - and jumped up, clapped her hands, snatched the jug and ran away.

And since then she began to carry milk to him every day, stealing. And then the Tatars make cheese cakes from goat's milk and dry them on the roofs - so she secretly brought these cakes to him. And then once the owner was slaughtering a ram, - so she brought him a piece of mutton in her sleeve. Throw and run away.

There was once a strong thunderstorm, and the rain poured for an hour like a bucket. And all the rivers were clouded, where the ford was, there the water went three arshins, the stones tossed. Streams are flowing everywhere, the rumble is in the mountains. That's how the storm passed, everywhere in the village streams run. Zhilin begged the owner for a knife, cut out a roller, planks, feathered the wheel, and attached dolls to the wheel at both ends.

The girls brought him shreds, - he dressed the dolls: one is a man, the other is a woman; approved them, put the wheel on the stream. The wheel is spinning and the dolls are jumping.

The whole village gathered: boys, girls, women; and the Tatars came, they clicked their tongues:

Hey urus! hey Ivan!

Abdul had a Russian watch, broken. He called Zhilin, shows, clicks his tongue. Zhilin says:

Come on, I'll do it.

I took it, took it apart with a knife, laid it out; again mastered, gave. There are hours.

The owner was delighted, brought him his old beshmet, all in rags, gave him. There is nothing to do, I took it - and that is good to cover at night.

Since then, fame has passed about Zhilin that he is a master. They began to come to him from distant villages: someone would bring a lock on a gun or a pistol to fix it, someone would bring a watch. The owner brought him tackle; and tweezers, and gimlets, and files.

Once a Tatar fell ill, they came to Zhilin: "Come, lie down." Zhilin knows nothing about how to treat. He went, looked, thought: "Maybe he will get better on his own." He went to the barn, took water, sand, stirred. Under the Tatars, he whispered into the water, gave it to drink. Fortunately for him, the Tatar recovered. Zhilin began to understand a little in their language. And which Tatars are accustomed to it - when necessary, they call: "Ivan, Ivan!" - and which everyone, like an animal, squint.

The Red Tatar did not like Zhilin. As soon as he sees, he frowns and turns away or scolds. They also had an old man. He did not live in the village, but came from under the mountain. Zhilin saw him only when he came to the mosque to pray to God. He was small in stature, he had a white towel wrapped around his cap, his beard and mustache were trimmed - white as fluff; and his face was shriveled as red as a brick. The nose is hooked like a hawk, and the eyes are gray, angry and there are no teeth - only two fangs. He used to walk in his turban, leaning on his crutch like a wolf, looking around. As Zhilina sees, she will snore and turn away.

Once Zhilin went downhill to see where the old man lives. He went down the path, he sees a garden, a stone fence; because of the fence - cherries, sears and a hut with a flat lid. He came closer; sees - the hives are standing, woven from straw, and the bees are flying, buzzing. And the old man is on his knees, busying himself by the beehive. Zhilin rose higher, to look, and rattled the block. The old man looked around - how he would squeal; pulled out a pistol from his belt, fired at Zhilin. He barely managed to crouch behind a stone.

The old man came to the owner to complain. The owner called Zhilin, he laughs and asks:

Why did you go to the old man?

I, - he says, - did not do him any harm. I wanted to see how he lives.

Submitted by the owner. And the old man gets angry, hisses, mutters something, puts out his fangs, waves his hands at Zhilin.

Zhilin did not understand everything; but I realized that the old man was telling the owner to kill the Russians, and not to keep them in the village. The old man left.

Zhilin began to ask the owner: what kind of old man is this? The owner says:

This is a big man! He was the first horseman, he beat many Russians, he was rich. He had three wives and eight sons. All lived in the same village. The Russians came, ravaged the village and killed seven sons. One son remained and was handed over to the Russians. The old man went and handed himself over to the Russians. He lived with them for three months, found his son there, killed him himself and fled. Since then, he quit fighting, went to Mecca - to pray to God. From this he has a turban. Whoever was in Mecca is called a haji and puts on a turban. He doesn't like your brother. He orders to kill you; yes, I can’t kill - I paid money for you; yes, Ivan, I fell in love with you; I’m not only going to kill you, I wouldn’t even let you out if I didn’t give a word. - Laughs, he says in Russian: “Yours, Ivan, is good, mine, Abdul, is good!”

4

Zhilin lived like this for a month. During the day he walks around the village or does needlework, but when night comes, he will calm down in the village, so he digs in his barn. It was difficult to dig from the stones, but he rubbed the stones with a file, and he dug a hole under the wall that it was just right to climb through. “If only,” he thinks, “I have a good place to know which way to go. Let no one say the Tatars.

So he chose the time when the owner left; after lunch I went behind the village to the mountain - I wanted to see a place from there. And when the owner was leaving, he ordered the little one to follow Zhilin, not to let him out of his sight. A small one runs after Zhilin, shouting:

Do not go! Father didn't say. Now I will call the people!

Zhilin began to persuade him.

I, - he says, - will not go far, - I will only climb that mountain: I need to find grass - to treat your people. Come with me; I will not run away with a block. Tomorrow I will make you a bow and arrows.

Persuaded the little one, let's go. Looking at the mountain is not far, but it is difficult with a block; walked, walked, climbed by force. Zhilin sat down, began to look at the place. For half a day, behind the mountain, there is a hollow, a herd walks, and another aul is visible in the lowland. From the village another mountain is even steeper, and behind that mountain is another mountain. Between the mountains the forest turns blue, and there the mountains rise higher and higher. And above all - white as sugar, the mountains stand under the snow. And one snow mountain is higher than the others with a hat. At sunrise and sunset - all the same mountains; in some places auls smoke in the gorges. “Well,” he thinks, “this is all their side.” He began to look in the Russian direction: under his feet there was a river, his village, gardens all around. On the river, like little dolls, you can see - the women are sitting, rinsing. Behind the aul, lower, there is a mountain, and through it two more mountains, along them there is a forest; and between two mountains there is a blue flat place, and on a flat spot, far, far away, as if smoke is spreading. Zhilin began to remember when he lived in a fortress at home, where the sun rose and where it set. He sees: that's right, in this valley there should be our fortress. There, between these two mountains, you have to run.

The sun began to set. The snowy mountains became white - scarlet; it grew dark in the black mountains; steam rose from the hollows, and the very valley where our fortress should be, lit up like a fire from the sunset. Zhilin began to peer - something looms in the valley, like smoke from chimneys. And so he thinks that this is the very thing - a Russian fortress.

It's already too late. Heard - the mullah shouted. The herd is being driven - the cows are roaring. The little one keeps calling: "Let's go," but Zhilin doesn't want to leave.

They returned home. “Well,” Zhilin thinks, “now I know the place; gotta run." He wanted to run away that very night. The nights were dark - the damage of the month. Unfortunately, the Tatars returned in the evening. They used to come - they drive cattle with them and come cheerful. And this time they didn’t bring anything, but they brought their murdered Tatar, the red-haired brother, on the saddle. They arrived angry, gathered to bury everything. Zhilin also went out to look. They wrapped the dead man in linen, without a coffin, carried him out under the plane trees behind

village, laid on the grass. A mullah came, the old men gathered, tied their hats with towels, took off their shoes, sat down on their heels in a row in front of the dead.

Mullah in front, three old men in turbans in a row in the back, and Tatars behind them. They sat down, looked down and were silent. They were silent for a long time. The mullah raised his head and said:

Allah! (means god) - He said this one word, and again they looked down and were silent for a long time; sitting, not moving. The mullah raised his head again:

Alla! - and everyone said: "Alla" - and again fell silent. The dead man lies on the grass, does not move, and they sit as if dead. Not one moves. You can only hear, on the plane tree, the leaves turn from the breeze. Then the mullah read a prayer, everyone stood up, lifted the dead man in his arms, carried him. Brought to the pit. The pit was not dug simple, but dug under the ground, like a basement. They took the dead man under the armpits, and under the hatchets, bent him over, lowered the little one, slipped the seat under the ground, tucked his hands on his stomach.

The Nogai brought green reeds, filled the pit with reeds, quickly covered it with earth, leveled it, and put a stone upright in the head of the dead man. They trampled down the ground, sat down again in a row in front of the grave. They were silent for a long time.

Allah! Allah! Allah! - Take a breath and stand up.

The redhead handed out money to the old people, then got up and took

whip, hit himself three times on the forehead and went home.

The next morning, Zhilin sees - he leads a red mare outside the village, and three Tatars follow him. They went out of the village, took off his red beshmet, rolled up his sleeves - healthy hands - took out a dagger, sharpened it on a bar. The Tatars lifted the mare's head up, a red-haired man came up, cut the throat, knocked the mare down and began to skin - he rips the skin with his fists. The women and girls came and began to wash their guts and guts. Then they chopped up the mare, dragged it into the hut. And the whole village gathered to the redhead to commemorate the dead man.

For three days they ate a mare, drank buza, and commemorated the dead. All Tatars were at home. On the fourth day, Zhilin sees, they are going somewhere for lunch. They brought horses, got out and drove about 10 people, and the red one drove off: only Abdul remained at home. The moon was just born, the nights were still dark.

“Well,” Zhilin thinks, “today you need to run,” and he says to Kostylin. And Kostylin became timid.

But how to run? We don't even know the way.

I know the way.

And we will not reach the night.

If we don't get there, we'll spend the night in the forest. I've got cakes. What are you going to sit? Well, they will send money, otherwise they won’t collect it. And the Tatars are now angry - because the Russians killed theirs. They say they want to kill us.

I thought, thought Kostylin.

Well, let's go.

5

Zhilin climbed into the hole, dug out wider so that Kostylin could crawl through, and they were sitting - waiting for the village to calm down.

As soon as the people in the village calmed down, Zhilin climbed under the wall and got out. Whispers to Kostylin: "Get in." Kostylin also climbed, but hooked a stone with his foot, thundered. And the owner had a gatehouse - a motley dog, and an evil, wicked one; her name was Ulyashin. Zhilin had already fed her in advance. Heard Ulyashin, - he wandered and rushed, and other dogs followed him. Zhilin whistled a little, threw a piece of cake, Ulyashin recognized it, wagged his tail and stopped talking.

The owner heard, bellowed from the sakli: “Screw! Guyt! Ulyashin!

And Zhilin scratches Ulyashin behind the ears. The dog is silent, rubs against his legs, waving his tail.

They sat around the corner. Everything was quiet; all you can hear is a sheep puffing in the cove and down below the water rustles over the pebbles. Dark; the stars are high in the sky; above the mountain, the young moon turned red, horns go up. In the hollows the fog turns white like milk.

Zhilin got up, said to his comrade: “Well, brother, let's go!”

Started; as soon as they moved away, they heard - the mullah on the roof sang: “Alla! Besmilla! Ilrakhman!" So people will go to the mosque. They sat down again, hiding under the wall. We sat for a long time, waiting for the people to pass. It got quiet again.

Well, with God! - Crossed, let's go. We went through the yard under the steep to the river, crossed the river, went through the hollow. The fog is thick, but it stands below, and the stars are visible above the head. Zhilin notes by the stars which way to go. It's fresh in the fog, it's easy to walk, only the boots are awkward - they are worn out. Zhilin took off his, left, went barefoot. He jumps from pebble to pebble and looks at the stars. Kostylin began to lag behind.

Hush, - he says, - go: the damned boots, all the legs have been erased.

Take it off, it'll be easier.

Kostylin went barefoot - even worse: he cut all his legs on the stones and everything lags behind. Zhilin tells him:

Rip off your legs - they will heal, and if they catch up - they will kill you - worse.

Kostylin says nothing, walks, groans. They went down for a long time. They hear - the dogs wandered to the right. Zhilin stopped, looked around, climbed the mountain, felt it with his hands.

Eh, - he says, - we made a mistake, - we took it to the right. Here is a strange aul, I saw it from the mountain; back it is necessary, but to the left uphill. There must be a forest here.

And Kostylin says:

Wait at least a little, let me breathe - my legs are all in the blood.

E, brother, they will heal; you jump easier. That's how!

And Zhilin ran back, to the left, uphill, into the forest. Kostylin still lags behind and groans. Zhilin shushed, shushed at him, but he kept going.

They climbed the mountain. So it is - the forest. They entered the forest, - they tore the last dress along the thorns. They hit the path in the woods. They're coming.

Stop! - Stamped with hooves on the road. Stop and listen. It stomped like a horse and stopped.

They set off - it flooded again. They will stop - and it will stop. Zhilin crawled up, looks at the light along the road - there is something. A horse is not a horse, and something wonderful is on the horse, it does not look like a person. Snorted - hears. "What a miracle!" Zhilin whistled slowly - as he shuffles off the road into the forest and crackles through the forest, as if a storm is flying, breaking branches.

Kostylin fell down with fear. And Zhilin laughs, says:

This is a deer. Do you hear how the forest breaks with horns? We are afraid of him, and he is afraid of us.

Let's move on. Already the high heat began to descend, until the morning is not far away. And whether they go there, whether they don’t, they don’t know. It seems to Zhilin that he was being taken along this very road, and as for his own - there will still be ten versts; but there are no true signs, and you can’t make out the night. They went out to the meadow. Kostylin sat down and said:

As you wish, but I won’t get there - my legs don’t go.

Zhilin began to persuade him.

No, he says, I won't, I can't.

Zhilin got angry, spat, scolded him.

So I'll go alone - goodbye!

Kostylin jumped up and went. They walked four miles. The fog in the forest settled even more densely, nothing could be seen in front of him, and the stars were barely visible.

Suddenly they hear a horse stomping ahead. Heard - horseshoes cling to stones. Zhilin lay down on his belly, began to listen on the ground.

So it is - here, a horse rides to us.

They ran off the road, sat in the bushes and waited. Zhilin

he crawled up to the road, looked - a riding Tatar was riding, driving a cow, purring something to himself under his breath. The Tartar passed by. Zhilin returned to Kostylin.

Well, God said, get up, let's go.

Kostylin began to get up and fell down.

I can't, by God, I can't; I don't have strength.

The man is overweight, plump, sweaty; Yes, how a cold fog enveloped him in the forest, and his legs were peeled, - he became malty. Zhilin began to lift it by force. As Kostylin screams:

Oh, it hurts! Zhilin froze.

What are you screaming? After all, the Tatar is close - he will hear. - And he himself thinks: “He really is relaxed; what should I do with it? Leaving a friend is not good."

Well, he says, get up, sit on your backs, in the snow, if you can’t walk.

He put Kostylin on top of himself, grabbed his thighs with his hands, went out onto the road, dragged him.

Only, - he says, - do not crush me by the throat with your hands, for the sake of Christ. Hold onto your shoulders.

It's hard for Zhilin - his legs are also covered in blood and he is exhausted. He bends down, corrects, throws up, so that Kostylin sits higher on him, drags him along the road.

Apparently, the Tatar heard Kostylin scream. Zhilin hears, someone is riding behind, calling in his own way. Zhilin rushed into the bushes. The Tartar drew his gun, fired it, didn't hit, squealed in his own way, and galloped away along the road.

Well, - says Zhilin, - disappeared, brother! He, the dog, will now gather the Tatars in pursuit of us. If we don’t leave three versts, we’re gone. - And he himself thinks about Kostylin: “And the devil pulled me to take this deck with me. I would have left long ago."

Kostylin says: - Go alone, why do you have to disappear because of me.

No, I won’t go, it’s not good to leave a comrade. He picked it up again on his shoulders, poper. He passed like this

verst. All the forest goes and see no way out. And the fog began to disperse, and as if the clouds began to set in, you could no longer see the stars. Zhilin was exhausted.

He came, there was a spring by the road, trimmed with stone. He stopped, put Kostylin down.

Give, - he says, - I'll rest, I'll get drunk. Let's eat cake. Must be close.

As soon as he lay down to drink, he hears - stomped behind. Again they rushed to the right, into the bushes, down the slope, and lay down.

They hear Tatar voices; the Tatars stopped at the very place where they had turned off the road. We talked, then zauskali, as dogs are baited. They hear - something is cracking in the bushes, someone else's dog is right towards them. Stopped, wandered off.

The Tatars are also climbing - also strangers; they seized them, tied them up, put them on horses, and took them away.

We drove three versts, - Abdul-the owner meets them with two Tatars. I talked something with the Tatars, they put me on their horses, and they took me back to the village.

Abdul no longer laughs and does not say a word to them.

They brought me to the village at dawn, put me on the street. The boys ran away. They beat them with stones, whips, squeal.

The Tatars gathered in a circle, and an old man came from under the mountain. They started talking. Zhilin hears that they are being judged about what to do with them. Some say: we need to send them further into the mountains, and the old man says: "we must kill." Abdul

argues, says: "I gave money for them, I will take a ransom for them." And the old man says: “They will not pay anything, they will only cause trouble. And it's a sin to feed the Russians. Kill it and it's over."

Dispersed. The owner approached Zhilin, began to say to him:

If, - he says, - they don't send me a ransom for you, I'll shut you up in two weeks. And if you start running again, I'll kill you like a dog. Write a letter, write well!

They brought them papers, they wrote letters. They stuffed stocks on them, took them behind the mosque. There was a pit about five feet deep, and they lowered them into this pit.

6

Their life has become very bad. The pads were not removed and not released into the wild. They threw unbaked dough for them there, like dogs, and let the water down in a jug. The stench in the pit, stuffiness, phlegm. Kostylin fell completely ill, swollen, and the ache all over his body became; and everyone groans or sleeps. And Zhilin became discouraged, he sees that things are bad. And he doesn't know how to get out.

He began to dig under, but there was nowhere to throw the earth; saw the owner, threatened to kill.

Once he squats in a hole, thinks about a free life, and he is bored. Suddenly, a cake fell right on his knees, another, and the cherries fell down. He looked up, and there was Dean. She looked at him, laughed and ran away. Zhilin thinks: “Will Dina help?”

He cleared a place in the pit, picked up the clay, and began to sculpt dolls. He made people, horses, dogs, he thinks: "as soon as Dina comes, I will throw it to her."

Only the next day there is no Dina. And Zhilin hears - horses stamped, some drove past, and the Tatars gathered at the mosque, arguing, shouting and remembering about the Russians. And hear the old man's voice. He didn’t make out well, but he guesses that the Russians have come close, and the Tatars are afraid that they won’t enter the village, and they don’t know what to do with the prisoners.

We talked and left. Suddenly he hears something rustling upstairs. Sees: Dina squatted down on her knees

they stick out above the head, hang down, the monists hang, dangle over the pit. The little eyes shine like stars; took two cheese cakes out of her sleeve and threw them to him. Zhilin took it and says:

What hasn't happened in a long time? And I made you some toys. On here! - Began to throw her one at a time. She shakes her head, doesn't look.

No need, he says. She paused, sat down and said: - Ivan! want to kill you. - She shows her hand to her neck.

Who wants to kill?

Father, the old people tell him to. And I feel sorry for you.

Zhilin says:

And if you feel sorry for me, then bring me a long stick.

She shakes her head, "No." He folded his hands, praying to her:

Dina, please! Dinushka, bring it!

You can’t, - he says, - they will see, everyone is at home, - and she left.

Here Zhilin sits in the evening and thinks: “what will happen?” All

looks up. The stars are visible, but the moon has not risen yet. Mulla shouted, everything was quiet. Zhilin has already begun to doze, he thinks: "the girl will be afraid."

Suddenly clay fell on his head; looked up - a long pole was poking into that edge of the pit. Stumbled, began to descend, crawling into the pit. Zhilin was delighted, grabbed his hand, lowered it - a healthy pole. He had seen this pole on the master's roof before.

He looked up - the stars are shining high in the sky; and above the pit itself, like a cat's, Dina's eyes glow in the dark. She bent her face to the edge of the pit and whispered: "Ivan, Ivan!" - and she herself is waving her hands in front of her face, - that "quieter, they say."

What? Zhilin says.

Everyone left, only two were at home.

Zhilin says:

Well, Kostylin, let's go, let's try one last time; I'll put you up.

Kostylin does not want to listen.

No, - he says, - I can’t seem to get out of here, Where will I go when I don’t even have the strength to turn around?

Well, so goodbye - do not remember dashingly. - Kissed Kostylin.

He grabbed the pole, ordered Dina to hold it, climbed. Twice it broke off - the block interfered. Supported him Kostylin - got out somehow upstairs. Dina pulls his shirt with her little hands, with all her might, laughing herself.

Zhilin took the pole and said:

Take it to the place, Dina, otherwise they will grab you - they will beat you.

She dragged the pole, and Zhilin went downhill. He climbed down the slope, took a sharp stone, began to turn the lock from the block. And the castle is strong - it won’t knock down in any way, and it’s embarrassing. He hears someone running down the mountain, jumping lightly. He thinks: "That's right, Dina again." Dina came running, took a stone and said:

She sat down on her knees and began to twist. Yes, the little hands are thin, like twigs - there is nothing strength. She threw a stone and cried. Zhilin again took up the lock, and Dina sat down beside him on her haunches, holding him by the shoulder. Zhilin looked around, he sees - to the left behind the mountain a red glow lit up, the moon rises. “Well,” he thinks, “it takes a month to go through the hollow, to get to the forest.” He got up and threw a stone. At least in the block - yes, you have to go.

Farewell, - says, - Dinushka. I will remember you forever.

Dina grabbed onto him: she fumbles around with her hands, looking for where to put the cakes for him. He took cakes.

Thank you, she says, smart. Who will make dolls for you without me? And patted her on the head.

When Dina cries, she covers herself with her arms and runs up the mountain like a goat jumps. Only in the dark is it audible - the monists in the braid rattle along the back.

Zhilin crossed himself, grabbed the lock on the block with his hand so that he would not strum, went along the road, dragging his leg, and he himself looked at the glow, where the moon rises. He knew the way. Go straight eight versts. If only I could reach the forest before the moon is completely gone. He crossed the river, - already the light behind the mountain turned white. He went through the hollow, he walks, he glances himself: not to be seen for another month. Already the glow has brightened, and on one side of the hollow it is getting brighter and brighter. A shadow crawls downhill, everything approaches it.

Zhilin is walking, keeping all the shadows. He is in a hurry, and the month is getting out even faster; the tops of the head were already lit up to the right. He began to approach the forest, a month got out from behind the mountains - white, light just like in the daytime. All the leaves are visible on the trees. Quiet, light in the mountains, how everything died out. All you can hear is the river murmuring below.

I reached the forest - no one was caught. Zhilin chose a darker place in the forest, sat down to rest.

Rested, ate a cake. I found a stone, began to knock down the block again. All hands were beaten, not knocked down. He got up and walked down the road. Walked a mile, exhausted, - legs ache. He takes ten steps and stops. “There is nothing to do,” he thinks, “I will drag myself as long as I have strength. And if I sit down, I won't get up. I can’t reach the fortress, but as soon as it dawns, I’ll lie down in the forest, the front, and at night I’ll go again.

Walked all night. Only two Tartars were caught on horseback, but Zhilin heard them from afar, buried behind a tree.

Already the month began to turn pale, the dew fell, close to the light, but Zhilin did not reach the edge of the forest. “Well,” he thinks, “I’ll walk another thirty steps, turn into the forest and sit down.” He walked thirty steps, he sees - the forest ends. He went out to the edge - it was completely light, like a steppe and a fortress on the palm of his hand, and to the left, close under the mountain, the fires burned, went out, smoke spread and people around the fires.

He peered - he sees: guns shine, Cossacks, soldiers.

Zhilin was delighted, gathered his last strength, went downhill. And he himself thinks: “God forbid, here, in an open field, an equestrian Tatar will see; even close, but you won’t leave.”

I just thought - looking: to the left, on a hillock, there are three Tatars, two tithes. They saw him, they ran to him. So his heart broke. He waved his hands and shouted at the top of his lungs:

Brothers! help me out! brothers!

We heard ours - mounted Cossacks jumped out. They set off to him - in spite of the Tatars.

The Cossacks are far away, but the Tatars are close. Yes, and Zhilin rallied with his last strength, grabbed a block with his hand, runs to the Cossacks, but he does not remember himself, crosses himself and shouts:

Brothers! brothers! brothers!

There were fifteen Cossacks.

The Tatars were frightened - not reaching, they began to stop. And Zhilin ran up to the Cossacks.

The Cossacks surrounded him, asking: “who is he, what kind of person, where does he come from?” But Zhilin does not remember himself, he cries and says:

Tolstoy Lev Nikolaevich

Prisoner of the Caucasus

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy

Prisoner of the Caucasus

One gentleman served as an officer in the Caucasus. His name was Zhilin.

Once a letter came to him from home. The old mother writes to him: “I have become old, and I want to see my beloved son before my death. Come to say goodbye to me, bury me, and then with God go back to the service. there is an estate. Maybe you will fall in love, and you will marry and stay completely.

Zhilin thought about it: "Indeed, the old woman has become bad, maybe she won't have to see. Go; and if the bride is good, you can get married."

He went to the colonel, straightened out his leave, said goodbye to his comrades, delivered four buckets of vodka to his soldiers as a farewell, and got ready to leave.

There was a war in the Caucasus then. There was no traffic on the roads day or night. As soon as a Russian leaves or moves away from the fortress, the Tatars [Tatars in those days called the mountaineers of the North Caucasus, who obeyed the laws of the Muslim faith (religion)] will either be killed or taken to the mountains. And it was established that twice a week escorted soldiers went from fortress to fortress. Soldiers go in front and behind, and people ride in the middle.

It was summer. At dawn the wagon trains gathered outside the fortress, the escorted soldiers got out and set off along the road. Zhilin rode on horseback, and his cart with things was in the wagon train.

It was twenty-five miles to go. The convoy moved quietly: sometimes the soldiers would stop, then in the convoy a wheel would come off or a horse would stop, and everyone was waiting.

The sun had already passed in half a day, and the wagon train had only covered half the road. Dust, heat, the sun bakes like that, and there is nowhere to hide. Naked steppe: not a tree, not a bush along the road.

Zhilin drove forward, stopped and waited for the convoy to approach him. He hears, they played the horn from behind - to stand again. Zhilin thought: “But shouldn’t I leave alone, without soldiers? The horse under me is kind, if I attack the Tatars, I’ll ride off. Or not ride? ..”

Stopped, thinking. And another officer Kostylin rides up to him on a horse, with a gun, and says:

Let's go, Zhilin, alone. There is no urine, I want to eat, and the heat. At least wring out my shirt. - And Kostylin is a heavy, fat man, all red, and sweat is pouring from him. Zhilin thought and said:

Is the gun loaded?

Loaded.

Well, let's go. Only agreement - not to disperse.

And they went on down the road. They go through the steppe, talk and look around. Visible all around.

As soon as the steppe ended, the road between two mountains entered the gorge. Zhilin says:

We must go up the mountain to have a look, otherwise here, perhaps, they will jump out of the mountain, and you won’t see it.

And Kostylin says:

What to watch? Let's go ahead.

Zhilin did not listen to him.

No, - he says, - you wait downstairs, and I'll just take a look.

And let the horse go to the left, up the mountain. The horse near Zhilin was a hunting horse (he paid a hundred rubles for it in the herd as a foal and rode it himself); as if on wings, lifted him to the steep. He just jumped out - look, and in front of him, on a tithe [Tith - a measure of land: a little more than a hectare] of space, the Tatars are on horseback. Man thirty. He saw, began to turn back; and the Tatars saw him, rushed towards him, and at a gallop they themselves snatched their guns from their cases. Zhilin let go down the steep slope in all horse legs, shouted to Kostylin:

Take out your gun! - and he himself thinks about his horse: "Mother, take it out, don't get caught with your foot; if you stumble, you're gone. I'll get to the gun, I won't give up myself."

And Kostylin, instead of waiting, only saw the Tatars, rolled up to the fortress. The whip fries the horse from one side, then from the other. Only in the dust you can see how the horse twirls its tail.

Zhilin sees that things are bad. The gun left, you can’t do anything with one checker. He let the horse go back to the soldiers - he thought to leave. He sees - six people are rolling towards him. Under him, the horse is kind, and under those it’s even kinder, and they gallop across the path. He began to shorten, wanted to turn back, but the horse had already spread - he wouldn’t hold it, he was flying right at them. He sees - a Tatar with a red beard on a gray horse is approaching him. Squeals, teeth bared, gun at the ready.

“Well,” Zhilin thinks, “I know you, devils: if they take him alive, they will put him in a pit, they will flog him with a whip. I won’t give myself up alive ...”

But Zhilin, although not great in stature, was daring. He pulled out a saber, let the horse go straight at the red Tatar, thinking: "Either I will crush it with a horse, or I will cut it down with a saber."

Zhilin did not jump on the horse - they shot at him from behind with guns and hit the horse. The horse hit the ground from all over - Zhilin fell on his leg.

He wanted to get up, and two smelly Tartars were sitting on him, twisting his arms back. He rushed, threw off the Tatars, and even three jumped off their horses at him, began to beat him on the head with rifle butts. Blurred in his eyes, and staggered. The Tatars grabbed him, removed the spare girths from the saddles, twisted his hands behind his back, tied him with a Tatar knot, and dragged him to the saddle. They knocked off his hat, pulled off his boots, ransacked everything - money, they took out his watch, they tore everything off his dress. Zhilin looked at his horse. She, hearty, as she fell on her side, lies just like that, only beats with her legs - she does not reach the ground; there is a hole in the head, and black blood whistles from the hole - it has moistened the dust to a yard around. One Tatar went up to the horse, began to take off the saddle - it still beats; he took out a dagger, cut her throat. It whistled from the throat, trembled - and steam out.

The Tatars removed the saddle and harness. A Tatar with a red beard sat on a horse, while others put Zhilin on his saddle, and in order not to fall, they pulled him with a belt by the belt to the Tatar and took him to the mountains.

Zhilin is sitting behind a Tatar, swaying, poking his face into the stinking Tatar back. All he sees in front of him is a hefty Tatar back, and a sinewy neck, and the shaved back of the head turns blue from under the cap. Zhilin's head is broken, blood has dried over his eyes. And he can neither get better on a horse, nor wipe the blood. Hands are so twisted that it hurts in the collarbone.

They rode for a long time up the mountain, crossed the river, drove out onto the road and drove through the hollow.

Zhilin wanted to note the road where he was being taken, but his eyes were smeared with blood, but it was impossible to turn around.

It began to get dark: they crossed another river, began to climb the stone mountain, there was a smell of smoke, dogs wandered. We arrived at the aul [Aul is a Tatar village. (Note by L.N. Tolstoy)]. The Tatars got off their horses, the Tatar guys gathered, surrounded Zhilin, squeaked, rejoiced, began to shoot stones at him.

The Tatar drove the guys away, took Zhilin off his horse and called the worker. A Nogai came [Nogaets is a highlander, a resident of Dagestan], with high cheekbones, in one shirt. The shirt is torn off, the entire chest is bare. The Tatar ordered something to him. The worker brought a block: two oak logs were planted on iron rings, and in one ring there was a punch and a lock.

They untied Zhilin's hands, put on a block and took him to the barn; pushed him there and locked the door. Zhilin fell on manure. He lay down, felt in the dark, where it was softer, and lay down.

Zhilin did not sleep almost all that night. The nights were short. He sees - it began to glow in the crack. Zhilin got up, dug out a bigger crack, and began to look.

He can see the road from the crack - it goes downhill, to the right the Tatar saklya [Saklya dwelling of the Caucasian highlanders], two trees near it. A black dog lies on the threshold, a goat walks with kids - they twitch their tails. He sees a young Tatar coming from under the mountain, in a colored shirt, with a belt, in trousers and boots, her head is covered with a caftan, and on her head is a large tin jug of water. He walks, quivers in his back, bends over, and by the hand the Tatar girl leads a shaved man, in one shirt. A Tatar woman passed in a saklya with water, yesterday's Tatar came out with a red beard, in a beshmet [Beshmet - outerwear] in silk, a silver dagger on a belt, in shoes on his bare feet. On the head is a high hat, mutton, black, twisted back. He went out, stretched himself, stroking his red beard. He stood, ordered something to the worker and went somewhere.

Then two guys rode on horseback to a watering place. Horses snore [Snoring here: the lower part of the muzzle of a horse] is wet. More boys ran out, shaved in their shirts, without trousers, gathered in a bunch, went up to the barn, took a twig and put it in a crack. Zhilin hoots at them: the guys squealed, rolled to run away - only their bare knees shine.

But Zhilin is thirsty, his throat is dry. He thinks: "If only they would come to visit." Hears - unlock the barn. A red Tatar came, and with him another, smaller, blackish. The eyes are black, light, ruddy, the beard is small, trimmed; cheerful face, everyone laughs. The blackish one is dressed even better: a silk blue beshmet, trimmed with galunchik [galunchik, galun - braid, stripe of gold or silver color] trimmed. The dagger on the belt is large, silver; the shoes are red, morocco, also trimmed with silver. And on thin shoes there are other, thick shoes. The hat is high, white lamb.

Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy

Prisoner of the Caucasus

One gentleman served as an officer in the Caucasus. His name was Zhilin.

Once a letter came to him from home. The old mother writes to him: “I have become old, and I want to see my beloved son before my death. Come to say goodbye to me, bury me, and then with God go back to the service. there is an estate. Maybe you will fall in love, and you will marry and stay completely.

Zhilin thought about it: "Indeed, the old woman has become bad, maybe she won't have to see. Go; and if the bride is good, you can get married."

He went to the colonel, straightened out his leave, said goodbye to his comrades, delivered four buckets of vodka to his soldiers as a farewell, and got ready to leave.

There was a war in the Caucasus then. There was no traffic on the roads day or night. As soon as a Russian leaves or moves away from the fortress, the Tatars [Tatars in those days called the mountaineers of the North Caucasus, who obeyed the laws of the Muslim faith (religion)] will either be killed or taken to the mountains. And it was established that twice a week escorted soldiers went from fortress to fortress. Soldiers go in front and behind, and people ride in the middle.

It was summer. At dawn the wagon trains gathered outside the fortress, the escorted soldiers got out and set off along the road. Zhilin rode on horseback, and his cart with things was in the wagon train.

It was twenty-five miles to go. The convoy moved quietly: sometimes the soldiers would stop, then in the convoy a wheel would come off or a horse would stop, and everyone was waiting.

The sun had already passed in half a day, and the wagon train had only covered half the road. Dust, heat, the sun bakes like that, and there is nowhere to hide. Naked steppe: not a tree, not a bush along the road.

Zhilin drove forward, stopped and waited for the convoy to approach him. He hears, they played the horn from behind - to stand again. Zhilin thought: “But shouldn’t I leave alone, without soldiers? The horse under me is kind, if I attack the Tatars, I’ll ride off. Or not ride? ..”

Stopped, thinking. And another officer Kostylin rides up to him on a horse, with a gun, and says:

Let's go, Zhilin, alone. There is no urine, I want to eat, and the heat. At least wring out my shirt. - And Kostylin is a heavy, fat man, all red, and sweat is pouring from him. Zhilin thought and said:

Is the gun loaded?

Loaded.

Well, let's go. Only agreement - not to disperse.

And they went on down the road. They go through the steppe, talk and look around. Visible all around.

As soon as the steppe ended, the road between two mountains entered the gorge. Zhilin says:

We must go up the mountain to have a look, otherwise here, perhaps, they will jump out of the mountain, and you won’t see it.

And Kostylin says:

What to watch? Let's go ahead.

Zhilin did not listen to him.

No, - he says, - you wait downstairs, and I'll just take a look.

And let the horse go to the left, up the mountain. The horse near Zhilin was a hunting horse (he paid a hundred rubles for it in the herd as a foal and rode it himself); as if on wings, lifted him to the steep. He just jumped out - look, and in front of him, on a tithe [Tith - a measure of land: a little more than a hectare] of space, the Tatars are on horseback. Man thirty. He saw, began to turn back; and the Tatars saw him, rushed towards him, and at a gallop they themselves snatched their guns from their cases. Zhilin let go down the steep slope in all horse legs, shouted to Kostylin:

Take out your gun! - and he himself thinks about his horse: "Mother, take it out, don't get caught with your foot; if you stumble, you're gone. I'll get to the gun, I won't give up myself."

And Kostylin, instead of waiting, only saw the Tatars, rolled up to the fortress. The whip fries the horse from one side, then from the other. Only in the dust you can see how the horse twirls its tail.

Zhilin sees that things are bad. The gun left, you can’t do anything with one checker. He let the horse go back to the soldiers - he thought to leave. He sees - six people are rolling towards him. Under him, the horse is kind, and under those it’s even kinder, and they gallop across the path. He began to shorten, wanted to turn back, but the horse had already spread - he wouldn’t hold it, he was flying right at them. He sees - a Tatar with a red beard on a gray horse is approaching him. Squeals, teeth bared, gun at the ready.

“Well,” Zhilin thinks, “I know you, devils: if they take him alive, they will put him in a pit, they will flog him with a whip. I won’t give myself up alive ...”

But Zhilin, although not great in stature, was daring. He pulled out a saber, let the horse go straight at the red Tatar, thinking: "Either I will crush it with a horse, or I will cut it down with a saber."

Zhilin did not jump on the horse - they shot at him from behind with guns and hit the horse. The horse hit the ground from all over - Zhilin fell on his leg.

He wanted to get up, and two smelly Tartars were sitting on him, twisting his arms back. He rushed, threw off the Tatars, and even three jumped off their horses at him, began to beat him on the head with rifle butts. Blurred in his eyes, and staggered. The Tatars grabbed him, removed the spare girths from the saddles, twisted his hands behind his back, tied him with a Tatar knot, and dragged him to the saddle. They knocked off his hat, pulled off his boots, ransacked everything - money, they took out his watch, they tore everything off his dress. Zhilin looked at his horse. She, hearty, as she fell on her side, lies just like that, only beats with her legs - she does not reach the ground; there is a hole in the head, and black blood whistles from the hole - it has moistened the dust to a yard around. One Tatar went up to the horse, began to take off the saddle - it still beats; he took out a dagger, cut her throat. It whistled from the throat, trembled - and steam out.

The Tatars removed the saddle and harness. A Tatar with a red beard sat on a horse, while others put Zhilin on his saddle, and in order not to fall, they pulled him with a belt by the belt to the Tatar and took him to the mountains.

Zhilin is sitting behind a Tatar, swaying, poking his face into the stinking Tatar back. All he sees in front of him is a hefty Tatar back, and a sinewy neck, and the shaved back of the head turns blue from under the cap. Zhilin's head is broken, blood has dried over his eyes. And he can neither get better on a horse, nor wipe the blood. Hands are so twisted that it hurts in the collarbone.

They rode for a long time up the mountain, crossed the river, drove out onto the road and drove through the hollow.

Zhilin wanted to note the road where he was being taken, but his eyes were smeared with blood, but it was impossible to turn around.

It began to get dark: they crossed another river, began to climb the stone mountain, there was a smell of smoke, dogs wandered. We arrived at the aul [Aul is a Tatar village. (Note by L.N. Tolstoy)]. The Tatars got off their horses, the Tatar guys gathered, surrounded Zhilin, squeaked, rejoiced, began to shoot stones at him.

The Tatar drove the guys away, took Zhilin off his horse and called the worker. A Nogai came [Nogaets is a highlander, a resident of Dagestan], with high cheekbones, in one shirt. The shirt is torn off, the entire chest is bare. The Tatar ordered something to him. The worker brought a block: two oak logs were planted on iron rings, and in one ring there was a punch and a lock.

They untied Zhilin's hands, put on a block and took him to the barn; pushed him there and locked the door. Zhilin fell on manure. He lay down, felt in the dark, where it was softer, and lay down.

Zhilin did not sleep almost all that night. The nights were short. He sees - it began to glow in the crack. Zhilin got up, dug out a bigger crack, and began to look.