Chapter 17 Taras Bulba - Section VIII

Before the sun had risen to the mid-heaven, all the Zaporos gathered in a circle.Word came from the Setch that when the Cossacks were leaving, the Tatars rushed in and looted everything, dug up what the Cossacks had secretly buried in the ground, killed and captured all who remained, and drove Take all the stolen cattle and horses, and go straight to Pilicop.Only one Cossack, Maxim Golodukha, escaped from the Tatars on the way, stabbed an officer, untied a purse full of gold coins from him, and rode He ran away from the hunt for a day and a half and two nights, slapped the horse and rode to death, changed to another horse on the way, and flogged it desperately to run forward until he changed to the third horse and finally ran away. When he arrived at the Zaporosh army camp, he knew that the Zaporosh had already arrived at the city of Dubno. He could only explain to everyone that such a catastrophe had occurred; however, how could this catastrophe happen? Whether or not the Zaporoshis had ever behaved in the Cossack manner, whether they were taken prisoner while drunk, how the Tatars knew where the military supplies were buried, etc., etc., he could not say at all. Cossacks Weary to the extreme, his whole body was swollen, his face was scorched, and he was terribly drenched in the wind and rain; he fell to the ground and immediately fell into a drowsy sleep.

In such cases the Zaporoches, as a rule, immediately pursued the marauders and tried to intercept them on the road, for otherwise the captives would have to appear in the markets of Asia Minor, in Smyrna and Crete. On the island, God only knows where no Zaporosh with forehead hair will appear.This is why the Zaporoshites gathered.They all stood there with their hats on, for they did not come to be instructed by their superiors, but to consult with each other as equals. "Let the elders speak first!" someone in the crowd yelled. "Leader, please express your opinion!" others said.

Then the commander took off his hat, not as a superior, but as a companion, thanked all the Cossacks for the honor bestowed upon him, and said: "There are many old and wise men among us, but we have never given up, so I have some humble opinion to tell the brothers, don't waste your time, you have to catch up with the Tartars. Because you know What kind of people are the Tartars. They don't hold their loot waiting for us to chase, they squander it all in the blink of an eye, so you don't even have a trace I can't find it either. So my opinion is this. Go. We've had enough fun here. The Poles already know the power of the Cossacks: we've done everything in our power to avenge our faith; There are not many benefits. So, my opinion is to go."

"Let's go!" The voice rang deafeningly in the various camps of Zaporosh. However, these jobs did not suit Taras.At Bulba's will, he locked even more over his eyes his two gray eyebrows, which were darkly furrowed with sorrow, like bushes growing on the high mountains, covered with the needle-like frost of the Northland. "No, you're wrong, Commander!" he said. "You can't say that. You probably forgot that many of us were captured by the Poles and are still captives? You probably don't want us to obey the first , the sacred and inviolable righteousness of an ally, had the heart to abandon his compatriots, let them skin and cramp them alive, tear their Cossack bodies into pieces, and then distributed them to various towns and villages for public display, as in the past Is that what they did to our commander and the good Russian warriors in Ukraine? Is their blasphemy too little? Who are we? I ask you all. I have the heart to leave my partner in misfortune, let him be like A dog who died in a foreign land, is this still a Cossack? If things have reached this point, everyone does not take the honor of the Cossack seriously, and is willing to let others moan at their white beard and use obscene words scold yourself, then none of you blame me. I'm here alone!"

All the Zaporoshis who were standing hesitated. "But don't you forget, brave captain," said the captain at this moment, "the Tartars have our comrades too, and if we don't rescue them now, their lives will be sold to the heathen Slave, is that worse than any cruel death? Have you forgotten that all the riches we have won with the blood of Christians are now taken by them?" All the Cossacks were lost in thought, not knowing what to say.None of them wants their reputations to be stained.At this moment, Kasyan Bavjug, the oldest in Zaporosh's army, came forward.He is respected by all Cossacks.Twice he had been elected commander, and was a valiant Cossack in battle, but he was too old to take part in any expedition; Lying beside the crowd of Cossacks, listening to the stories of their encounters and Cossack expeditions, he never interrupted the conversation, but always listened carefully, stuffed his finger with the ashes in the short pipe that never left his mouth, and then He sat there with his eyes slightly closed for a long time, and the Cossacks could not guess whether he had fallen asleep or was still listening.Every time he goes on an expedition, he always stays at home, but this time, the old man is suddenly moved.He waved his hand in the Cossack way and said:

"I don't care about anything! I'm going this time too, maybe I can be of some use to the Cossack army!" Now when he walked to the front of the hall, all the Cossacks fell silent, because they hadn't heard a word from him for a long time.Everyone wondered what Bauvjug would say. "Brothers, it's my turn to speak!" he began. "Young men, please listen to the old man. The commander is very wise; Responsible Cossack leader, he couldn't have said more clever words. That's it! This is my first paragraph! Now listen to my second paragraph. The second paragraph I want to say is In this way: The captain of the Talas United is also right. May God bless him for a long life. Ukraine should have more such captains! The first responsibility and first honor of the Cossacks is to obey the righteousness of the allies. I have lived like this Old age, brethren, I have not heard of any place where the Cossacks deserted or betrayed their companions. Whether captured here or at home, they are our companions; no matter how many. Or less, all the same, all are our companions, all are precious to us. So what I will say is this: whoever sympathizes with the companions captured by the Tartars, let them hurry after the Tartars Let them stay if they sympathize with their comrades captured by the Poles and refuse to give up the just fight. From the point of view of duty, the regimental commander should lead half of the people to pursue the Tatars, and the other half needs to choose a Come here, Deputy Commander. Commander, if you will listen to the old man with white hair, there is no one more suitable than Taras Bulba. None of us has a reputation for bravery. Comparable to him!"

After Bovjug had finished speaking, he fell silent; all the Cossacks were very happy, and the old man's words made them understand.They tossed their hats into the air, and shouted: "Thank you, old man! You were silent, silent, long silent, but at last you spoke. When you set out on the expedition, you said you would be of some use to the Cossacks, It’s not in vain: you really did it!” "Well, do you agree with this?" asked the head of the group. "Everyone agrees!" cried the Cossacks. "So, the meeting is over?" "The meeting is over!" shouted the Cossacks.

"Listen to my military order now, lads!" said the regimental commander. He went to the front and put on his hat, but all the Zaporos took off their hats one by one, with their heads bald and eyes watching. Landing on the ground, as the Cossacks often do in the chief training. "Now stand apart, brothers! Those who want to go, stand to the right; those who want to stay, stand to the left! The battalion where most people stand, the captain also stands there; if only a few people stand, Then, this sub-battalion will merge with other sub-battalions." So everyone stood up one after another, some stood to the right, and some stood to the left.For every battalion where most people stood, its captain also stood there; for a battalion where only a few people stood, it was merged with other battalions, so that the number of people in the west was almost equal.Those who are willing to stay: almost all of Nezhamainov's battalion, more than half of Popovich's battalion, all of Uman's battalion, all of Kanev's battalion, Steb More than half of Rikiv's battalion, more than half of Dymoshev's battalion.All the rest were willing to go after the Tartars.On both sides there are many strong, hardy Cossacks.Among those Cossacks who decided to go after the Tatars were the old heroes Cherevati, Pokodipolje, Remish, Prokopovich Homa; Demid Popovich also went to that side He went, because he was a wandering Cossack and he couldn't stay in one place; he had already fought the Poles, and this time he wanted to fight the Tatars.The captains of the battalion were: Noschuvan, Pokryshka, Neverichki; and many other excellent and brave Cossacks who wanted to try their swords and strong shoulders against the Raj in a battle.Among those who would stay there were also very, very good Cossacks: Battalion Captain Demetrovich, Kukubenko, Verdihevist, Balaban, Bulba's son Osta Pu and so on.Then there are many other well-known, strong and strong Cossacks: Futuxunko, Cherevichenko, Stepan Guska, Okhlim, Guska, Mekola, Gustui, Chatarozhini, Meterika, Ivan Chakrudikuba, Mosi Shilo, Koga Gyaliko, Shoutorenko, Besalenko, and then another Besalenko , and then there was Bessalenko, and many other good Cossacks.They are people who are accustomed to trekking: they have visited the coast of Anatolia, the salt marshes and fields of Crimea, all the rivers big and small that flow into the Dnieper, all the harbors. and the islands of the Dnieper; have been to the countries of Moldavia, Volokia, and Turkey; have sailed all over the Black Sea in a Cossack sampan with two rudders, a row of fifty sampans, to He has attacked the most magnificent and tallest ships, sunk many Turkish warships, and fired countless ammunition in his life.More than once the precious lingluo satins and velvets were torn to make foot wraps.Stuffing more than once gold coins in the girdle-laced bag, each of them squandered so much possessions on drink and loitering, enough for others to last a lifetime, that amount cannot be counted.After Cossack fashion, they squandered all their possessions, entertained everyone, hired musicians to play, and entertained everyone in the world.Even now, there are very few of them who do not keep their treasures buried in the ground: wine glasses, silver spoons, plates, etc., under reeds on the islands of the Dnieper, in case something unfortunate should happen and the Tatars should suddenly attack Xie. Do not let them find them when they are strange; but it is indeed difficult for the Tartars to find them, because even the master himself has long since forgotten where he buried them.That's how some Cossacks are willing to stay and take revenge on the Poles for the sake of their faithful companions and the faith of Christ!Old Bauvjug also wanted to join them.He stayed together, and he said: "At my age, I can no longer go after the Tartars. This is the right place for a good Cossack to rest. I have prayed to God, if I have to end my life Life, then, let me end it in a war for the holy Christian cause." My wish was granted.There could never have been a happier ending for an old Cossack. "

Everyone stood apart, according to the order of the battalion, divided into two rows and stood on the west side, the regiment leader walked through the middle of the team and said. "Brothers, are you happy with each other?" "Satisfied, Father!" replied the Cossacks. "Okay, let's kiss each other and say goodbye to each other, because God alone knows whether we will meet again in this life, obey the command of your captain, and perform tasks you know: you know it yourself, the honor of the Cossacks order you to do something." Then all the Cossacks kissed each other.The captains started first. They held their white beards with their hands, hugged and kissed each other, then took each other's hands and held them tightly.One wanted to ask the other: "How is it, my brother, will we meet again?" But there was no time, just silence, so both gray heads were immersed in Shen En, and all the Cossacks looked at each other one by one. They said goodbye, knowing that both sides still had a lot to do; but they did not decide to leave immediately, but waited until after dark, so as not to let the enemy see that the number of Cossacks was dwindling.Then everyone went back to the sub-battalion for lunch.

After lunch, all who were going on the road lay down to rest, and slept soundly and long, as if with a presentiment that this might be the last time they would be able to sleep in such comfort.They slept until the sun went down; when the sun went down and it was dark, they started oiling the cars.After everything was ready, they sent the baggage cart to go ahead, waved their hats to their companions as farewell, and then quietly followed the cavalry behind the baggage cart without choking or hissing the horses. Steadily following the infantry: soon lost in the darkness.There was only the clatter of horseshoes and the squeak of the wheels of some vehicles because they hadn't run smoothly or hadn't been well oiled in the night, and they sounded indistinctly.

The companions who remained waved to them from a distance for a long time, although there was no trace of them.When they separated and returned to their dormitories, when they saw under the shining starlight that half of the baggage trucks had disappeared and many comrades had gone away, each of them felt dejected, and everyone put His wandering head drooped down, and he couldn't help thinking. Taras saw that the Cossack ranks were overwhelmed by wavering moods, that a melancholy disproportionate to the warriors was gradually dominating their minds, but he did not say a word; he wanted to give everyone a little time to get used to it. However, at the same time, he quietly prepared to yell in the Cossack manner to wake them all up, so that the spirit returned to each day with greater force than before. In one's mind, only the Slavic nation can have this kind of vigor, because this is a free-spirited and powerful nation, which compares with other nations as the sea compares with rivers.In times of storm, the sea roars, howls, and rages, raising waves that no river can raise; in times of calm, the sea unfolds its ever-beautiful, endless mirror-like surface more clearly than all rivers. So Taras ordered his servants to unload the goods from a baggage wagon that stood alone.It was the largest and strongest of the Cossack trains; the heavy wheels were fastened by strong double rims; The resinous twine was tightly bound: the cart was full of bottles and barrels of old wine that had been stored for many years in the cellars of Taras.He brought the wine to be drunk on a solemn day, and if that great moment comes, when everyone must do something worthy of the praise of posterity, every Cossack can drink the treasured wine, in this A great moment can allow great emotions to dominate people's hearts.The servants obeyed the captain's order and went straight to the front of the baggage cart, cut the strong rope with a double-edged knife, removed the thick cowhide and horse clothes, and unloaded the wine bottles and wine from the baggage cart. "Everyone, get your stuff," said Bulba, "everyone take whatever you have: spoons, ladles for horses, gloves, hats, whatever No, you can just drink it with two palms." All the Cossacks brought things, some spoons, some horse-drinking ladles, some hands, some hats, and some just stretched out their palms.The servants of Taraji moved up and down the line, pouring wine from bottles and barrels for everyone to drink.Taras, however, refrained from inviting them to drink until he gave the signal for a toast.Obviously he wanted to say something.Taras knew that no matter how strong the old wine is, no matter how refreshing it is, if you can add a few words, then the strength of the wine and the spirit will be doubled. "I entertain you, brethren," said Bulba, "not to thank you for electing me as acting commander, though it is a great honor for me, nor to commemorate our parting from our companions: no, instead. At any other time it would be well to do both; and we are not at such a moment. Before us lies a cause which requires blood, toil, and great Cossack valor! Let us, then, Come and have a drink, fellows, and first of all we'll toast to the holy Orthodox faith: let's hope this eve; , they will all become Christians! We also want to drink to Boqi, may it live forever in order to wipe out all the cultists, and may it give birth to countless young people every year, one stronger than the other, and one more than the A beautiful one. We'll drink to our own honor too, and hopefully our grandchildren and great-grandchildren will say that there were men who never dishonored an ally or betrayed one of their kind. Well, for faith, brother Men, for faith!" "For the Faith!" all the people standing in the next few rows shouted in low voices. "For the Faith!" echoed those who stood a little further away, and everyone, young and old, toasted to the Faith. "For Shech!" said Bellas, raising one hand above his head. "For Xieqi!" The people in the front row answered in a deep voice, "For Xieqi!" The old people twisted the white shochu and whispered him; the young people became active like young eagles beating their wings, and repeated: " For the Setch!" Then the voices of the Cossacks praising their Setch were heard in the distant field. "This is the last bite, my friends, for the honor, and for all Christians living in the world!" So all the Cossacks in the field drank the last sip of wine in their spoons for all the Christians in the world.Among the ranks of all the battalions it was repeated for a long time: "For all Christians in the world!" The spoons were empty, but the Cossacks still stood there with their hands held high, and though their drunken eyes gleamed happily, they were deep in thought. Luck had gold coins, precious weapons, embroidered cloaks, and famous Circassian horses; but they brooded, like vultures on the top of a steep hill, from which far away the endless There are many boats with sails and oars, sea boats and various ships scattered like birds on the sea. On the west is a long and thin coastline looming along the coast. There are some mosquito-like towns and elephants along the coast. A forest swaying in the wind like grass.Like vultures, their eyes scanned the whole field around them and their own fate flickering in the distance.The entire wilderness, the continuous wasteland, and the criss-crossing village roads will be covered with their exposed bones, washed with the blood of their Cossacks without hesitation, wrecked vehicles, broken sabers, etc. And adorned with spears.Farther away, their heads would be covered with curly blood-clotting forehead hair and drooping beards.Goshawks will come and ramble for a while, pecking at the eyes of their Cossacks.But it is under this vast and freely unfolding ruins of death that great treasures are buried!No noble cause will ever be extinguished, and the honor of the Cossacks will not be dissipated like a small powder shot from the muzzle of a gun.A polychord player with a white beard and chest, or a white-haired old man who is still very starry and prophetic, will sing about their deeds in reserved and powerful words.Their fame will spread far and wide, and all posterity will recite their exploits.Because powerful words will spread far away, like a buzzing copper bell, the craftsman mixed precious pure silver into the copper, so that the beautiful sound spread far to the towns and huts. , palaces and villages, calling all to holy prayers.