Chapter 130 Part Three - Twenty Six

The warden, the Englishman, and Nekhludoff, accompanied by several guards, entered the first convict cell through the porch and the revolting passage.In the corridor, they were surprised to see two male prisoners urinating directly on the floor.In the center of the cell was a row of plank beds, and the prisoners were already asleep.There were about seventy people inside.They lay there head to head and body to body.As soon as the visitors came in, they all jumped out of the bed, the iron chains rattled, and they stood beside the bed, their freshly shaved yin and yang hair shining.Only two people lay down and did not get up.One was a young man, flushed and obviously feverish; the other was an old man, moaning incessantly.

The Englishman asked if the young man had been ill for a long time.The warden said that he just got sick this morning. As for the old man, he has had stomach problems for a long time, but there is no place to settle down, because the hospital is already full.The Englishman shook his head disapprovingly, said he would like to say a few words to these people, and asked Nekhludoff to interpret for him.It turns out that apart from writing an article reflecting Siberia’s exile and imprisonment, the British traveled this time with another purpose, which was to preach the truth of saving souls through faith and atonement.

"Please tell them that Christ has mercy on them, loves them and died for them," he said. "If they believe this, they can be saved." When he spoke, all the prisoners straightened up, put their hands on the seams of their trousers, and stood silently in front of the plank bed. "Please tell them," he concluded, "that all the truths are in this book. Is there anyone here who can read?" It turns out that there are more than 20 people here who can read and write.The Englishman took out several hardcover copies of the New Testament from his handbag.So several big hands with muscular body and strong black nails protruded from the cuffs of the burlap shirt, scrambling to ask for the book.The British handed out two Gospels in this cell, and then moved on to the next cell.

The same goes for the next cell.Inside, too, is the same stuffiness and stench; in front, between the two windows, there is the same icon; on the left, there is a toilet; the prisoners lie there, side by side, crowded together; they also jump out of bed, Standing there upright; there were also three who couldn't get out of bed.Two of them managed to get up and sat up on the bed, and one lay still, not even looking at anyone who came in.All three were sick.The English preached the same sermon again, and sent them the same two Gospels. Shouts and noises came from the third cell.The warden knocked on the door and shouted: "Stand at attention!" As soon as the door opened, all the prisoners stood upright by the bed, except for a few sick people and two fighters.The two fighters, with angry faces, twisted together, one grabbed the other by the hair, and the other grabbed the other by the beard.They didn't let go until the guard ran up to them.One had a broken nose, with snot and blood flowing from his nose, and he kept wiping it with the sleeve of his coat; the other pulled away the beards that had been pulled out by the other party.

"Squad leader!" the warden shouted viciously. A strong, well-made man stepped out. "You can't control them, sir," said the monitor, with a happy smile in his eyes. "Then let me deal with them," said the warden, frowning. "What are they fighting about?" asked the Englishman. -------- ①The original text is English. Nekhludoff asked the monitor why they were fighting. "For a piece of foot wrap, he took someone else's foot wrap by mistake," the squad leader said with a smile. "This one pushes, and that one punches back."

Nekhludoff told the British. "I want to say a few words to them," the Englishman said to the warden. Nekhludoff translated the sentence."All right," said the warden, and the Englishman brought out his leather-bound Gospel. "Please translate for me," he said to Nekhludoff. "You quarrel and fight, but Christ, who died for us, gave us another way to resolve disputes. Ask them, do you know how to treat those who bully us according to Christianity?" Nekhludoff translated the English words and questions. "Tell the officer, let the officer deal with it, right?" A person looked sideways at the majestic warden and said tentatively.

"Smack him and he won't bully anymore," said another. A few people laughed and agreed.Nekhludoff translated their answers for the English. "Please tell them that it is the opposite to do what is Christian: if someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek to him," said the Englishman, as if giving his cheek to him. Nekhludoff translated. "Better let him taste it for himself," someone said. "If he has been beaten on both sides, what else can he give to others?" said a patient lying on the bed. "Then let him beat you to pieces."

"Hey, give it a go then," said someone in the back, laughing happily.Uncontrollable laughter erupted throughout the cell.Even the man who was beaten was bleeding, spitting, and laughing.Even a few patients laughed. The British remained calm and asked Nekhludoff to tell them that some things seemed impossible, but believers could do them easily. "Ask them if they drink." "Drink, sir," said one, followed by snorting and laughing again. There are four patients in this cell.The British asked why the sick were not grouped together in one cell.The warden replied that they themselves did not want to.These patients were not suffering from contagious diseases, and there was a physician attending to them and treating them.

"He hasn't been seen in over a week," one said. The warden ignored him and took the guest to the next cell.The door was opened again, and everyone got up again, in silence, and the British delivered the Gospel again.In the fifth cell, in the sixth cell, on the right side of the aisle, on the left side of the aisle, it was the same scene in every cell. They went from the cells of the convicts to the cells of the exiles, from the cells of the exiles to the cells of the peasants sentenced by the village community, and then to the cells of the families of the prisoners who voluntarily followed them.Everywhere is the same, everywhere the frozen, the hungry, the idle, the diseased, the humiliated, the deprived of liberty, like animals.

After a certain number of Gospels were distributed, the British stopped publishing them, and even stopped preaching.The embarrassing sight, and above all the suffocating air, had evidently drained his energy.He went from cell to cell, listening to the warden's introduction to each cell, and just said casually: "All right." Nekhludoff staggered as if sleepwalking, feeling exhausted, Dejected, but not courageous to quit halfway, to leave this place. -------- ①The original text is English.