Chapter 106 Part Three - Two

Sekinina and Maslova went to the noisy place and saw this: a strong officer with a long light yellow mustache, frowning, rubbing the palm of the right hand that hurt the prisoner with his left hand, mouth Constantly swearing unbearable foul language.In front of him stood a tall, thin prisoner with a shaved head.The prisoner was wearing a short prison robe and a pair of shorter trousers. He wiped his bleeding face with one hand and held a screaming little girl in a scarf with the other. "I'm going to teach you a lesson..." The officer cursed, "I want you to know what it's like to talk back..." He cursed again. "Give the children to the wives.

Put on the handcuffs," he yelled. It turned out that the prisoner was a peasant who had been sentenced to exile by the village community. His wife died of typhoid fever in Tomsk, leaving him with a young daughter, whom he had to carry with him all the way.The escort officer ordered him to be handcuffed, and he said he could not wear handcuffs because he wanted to hold the child.The escort officer was not happy at first, but when he heard this, he became even more furious, and beat the prisoner who disobeyed the order severely. ① -------- ① This matter is described in the book "The Escort" written by D. A. Renev. — Notes from Tolstoy.

Opposite stood an escort soldier and a male prisoner with a big black beard.The male prisoner was handcuffed with one hand, frowning sullenly, looking from the escort officer to the beaten prisoner holding the child.The escort officer again ordered the escort soldiers to take the little girl away.The complaints of the prisoners became louder and louder. "He hasn't been handcuffed since Tomsk," said a hoarse voice from the back row. "It's not a pup, it's a doll." "What should he do with this little girl?" "It's against the law," said another.

"Who said that?" The escort officer seemed to have been bitten by a snake, and rushed towards the crowd, shouting. "I want you to know what the law is. Who said it? You? You?" "Everyone is talking. Because..." said a short, broad-faced male prisoner. Before he could finish his sentence, the escort officer slapped him in the face right and left. "You are going to rebel! I want to let you have a taste of rebellion. I will kill you all like dogs. The superiors will thank me when they know. Take the little girl away!" The crowd fell silent.One escort captured the little girl who was crying desperately, and the other put handcuffs on the prisoner who obediently stretched out her hands.

"Take her to the women," shouted the officer of the escort to the escort, adjusting the belts on which his sabers hung. The little girl struggled to stretch out her little hand from the scarf, crying incessantly, her face flushed red.Shekinina came out from the crowd and went up to the escort. "Mr. Officer, let me hold this doll." The escort stopped holding the little girl. "Who are you?" the escort asked. "I'm a political prisoner." Shekinina's pretty face and her fine goldfish eyes obviously had an effect on the escort officer (he had already seen her when receiving the prisoners).He looked at her silently, as if weighing something.

"I don't care. If you want it, just take it. It doesn't matter if you pity them, but if someone runs away, who will be responsible?" "How could he escape with the doll in his arms?" Shekinina said. "I don't have time to talk to you. If you want it, just take it." "Did you tell her?" the escort asked. "give her." "Come, come to me!" Sekinina called, trying to call the little girl to her side. But the little girl leaned over to her father from the arms of the escort, still screaming and refusing to go to Serkinina.

"Wait a minute, Sekkinina, she'll come to me," said Maslova, taking a roll from her pocket. The little girl recognized Maslova, saw her and the roll, and went up to her. A storm passed like this.At this moment the gate was opened, and the prisoners went outside and lined up.The escort recounted the number of people.Everyone put the bags on the cart, tied them together, and let the weak ones get on the cart.Maslova, carrying the little girl in her arms, went to the line of female prisoners and stood beside Fedosya.Simonsson, who had been watching what had just happened, now strode up to the officer.The officer had just arranged his affairs and was about to jump into his carriage.

"You are wrong, Monsieur officer," said Simonson. "Go back to the team, it's none of your business!" "Why is it none of my business? What you're doing is wrong. I just wanted to say it, and I said it too." Simon locked his thick eyebrows tightly, staring at the escort officer's face and said. "Is everything all right? Attention everyone, let's go," the escort officer ignored Simonson and shouted loudly, then pressed the driver's shoulders and got into the carriage. The procession began to move, pulling a long string through the dense woods and advancing along the rough and muddy road with ditches on both sides.