hunter notes

Chapter 56 The end of Qiertophanov (4)
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The time of trouble came for Pontely Yeremitch.His days of ease were few.There were good days, of course, and at that time he seemed to feel that there should be no hesitation in his heart. He drove away such weird thoughts like a entangled fly, and he even laughed at himself.However, there are also bad days. At that time, stubborn thoughts grow up and disturb his heart, like rats underground, so his heart is very painful.During that memorable day of finding Malek Adel, Tsartopkhanov felt nothing but happiness and joy... He spent the night with his recovered treasure, but at the When he saddled it the next morning under the low roof of the inn, he felt some kind of heartache for the first time... He just shook his head, but it couldn't change anything.On the journey home (which lasted about a week), doubts rarely arose in his mind, as soon as he returned to his village of Besson-Novo, as soon as he came to the place where Malek Adel had once lived, Doubt is even more serious.All the way home he had been riding at a loose pace, looking out in all directions, smoking a short pipe, not thinking about anything, but sometimes thinking to himself: "Like me, Ciel Tophano A man like my husband can do what he can say! Hmph!" Then he smiled proudly.But once back home, things were different.Of course, he hid all this in his heart, and his self-esteem alone did not allow him to express his inner panic.Whoever expressed even the slightest suspicion that the new Malek Adel seemed not to be the original one would "tear him in two."Sometimes he met people who congratulated him on a "good find"; but he didn't need such congratulations, he avoided people even more than before--not a good sign!There he was almost always testing (if it may be called that) the Malek Adel; Standing in front of it, looking into its eyes, asking it softly: "Is this you? Is it you? Is it you?" He said to himself, "That's right! It's it! Of course it's it!" Sometimes he became suspicious and even embarrassed.

The physical difference between this Malek Adel and that Malek Adel did not bother Chertopkhanov too much... although the difference did exist: the tail and mane of that horse seemed to be Thinner, pointed ears, shorter hooves, brighter eyes - but that may only be what it seems.It was the so-called difference of spirit that troubled Tsartopkhanov: the horse had different habits, and all the characters were very different.For example, the horse, Malek Adel, always turned his head and neighed softly whenever Chertopkhanov entered the stable; .Both stood still while the master jumped from the saddle.But that one came at once when his master called it, and this one still stood like a stump.That horse is also fast, but jumps better; this horse is more steady in the canter, but shakes more in the trot, and sometimes the horse's hooves clatter—that is, the heels Bump against the fore hoof.And that didn't happen to that horse—absolutely not!Tsartopkhanov noticed that this animal moved its ears from time to time and looked stupid; but the other one was the opposite: one ear was bent back, and it just looked at its master in this position!Whenever the horse saw that its surroundings were not clean, it immediately kicked the wall of the trough with its hind feet; but this horse didn't care about it-it didn't respond even if the feces piled up to its belly.If that horse is turned to the wind, it immediately breathes with its whole lungs and shakes its whole body, but this one just snorts; the wetness of the rain will make that one stop walking, but this one doesn't care... This one is so stupid. Much, much more stupid!Even the demeanor is not as good as that horse, and the steering is not sensitive-what's the point of talking about it!That horse was lovely, and this .But at other times, as when he gallops the horse at its top speed over freshly cleared fields, or makes it jump to the bottom of a washed-out ravine, and to jump up again at the steepest point, He was ecstatic and yelling, and then he knew, knew for sure that he was riding the real and unmistakable Malek Adel, because no other horse could do that. everything?

But at this time disaster and misfortune still came to him.The long search for Malek Adel cost Chertopkhanov a lot of money.He had no interest in the Kostroma hounds, but rode up and down the neighborhood alone, as before.On one man Tsartopkhanov encountered the prince's hunting party about five versts from the village of Bessonov--he had galloped so majestically before them a year and a half ago. the hunting party.And by coincidence: just like what happened that day, a gray rabbit jumped in front of the hound from under the boundary line on the hillside! "Catch it, catch it!" The whole hunting party flew by, and Tsartopkhanov also flew by, but not with them, and about two hundred paces away from them - also at the same time. Same as that time.A gigantic ditch zigzags through the hillside and narrows as it goes up, blocking Chertopkhanov's path.The ditch where he was going to jump—the place he jumped over a year and a half ago—was still about eight paces wide and two sand ropes deep.Tszrtopkhanov had the feeling that we were about to win—victory so skilfully replayed, he swung his whip and howled triumphantly.While running, the hunters watched the brave rider intently.His horse galloped like an arrow, and soon he was at the ditch--come, come, leap over, as then! ...but Malek Adel stopped abruptly and turned to the left, and Ertopkhanov tried in every possible way to turn his head to the ditch, but it ignored it and stubbornly ran along the cliff... It can be seen that it is timid and has no courage!At this moment Tsartopkhanov, full of shame and anger, almost burst into tears, let go of the reins, and drove his horse straight up into the mountains, far away from the hunters, just to avoid their jeers, but begged Quickly avoid their hateful stares!

Malek Adel ran home with whiplash and foam.Tsartopkhanov immediately shut himself up in the room.

"No, this is not him, this is not my good friend! That horse will not betray me even if it dies!"

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The following incident left Chertopkhanov with no room for maneuver.Once he rode Malek Adel to the back of the monks' village next to the chapel of the parish to which the village of Bessonnovo belonged.He pulled his fur hat over his eyes, stooped, with his hands hanging on the pommel, and walked slowly.He is not in a good mood.Suddenly someone called him.

He reined in his horse, looked up, and saw that it was the deacon with whom he had corresponded.The altar boy, who wore a brown hood over his braided brown hair, and a yellow homespun coat tied well below the waist with a light blue belt, came out to inspect the his heap.He had seen Bontely Yeremitch, he had to pay homage to him, and by the way he could learn something from him.As we know, no one in the church can speak to the world without this intention.

But Tsartopkhanov was not in the mood to deal with the deacon. He showed a little courtesy, snorted a few times, and then waved his whip... "Your horse is really beautiful!" The deacon quickly said, "That's a real thing to brag about. In fact, you're a very clever man, like a lion!" The church deacon was famous for his smooth words, which bothered the pastor, because the pastor had no eloquence and couldn't teach. good. "A cattle has been lost to a wicked man," continued the deacon, "you are not at all discouraged, but you believe in God's providence more, and you got yourself a new one, which is not worse than the old one, and even better. ……because……"

"What nonsense are you talking about?" Tsartopkhanov interrupted him. "Is there another one? This is the original one, this is Malek Adel . . . It was recovered by me." Here it comes. What nonsense..."

"Ah! ah! ah! ah!" said the deacon slowly, twirling his beard with his fingers, and looking at Chertopkhanov with bright, greedy eyes. "What happened, sir? Your horse was stolen, I think, about a fortnight after Our Lady's last year, and it's now the end of November."

"Well, yes, so what?"

The deacon continued to twirl his bearded hands. "That is to say, more than a year has passed since then, and your horse was gray with round spots then, and it is the same now, and it seems to be even darker. What is the reason? The gray horse is in the The color tends to fade a lot within a year."

Tsertopkhanov shuddered... as if he had been stabbed in the heart by a spear.Yes, the gray hair is indeed going to fade!Such a simple reason, why didn't he think of it before?

"Damn pig's tail! Fuck you!" he shouted suddenly, his eyes flashed angrily, and he disappeared from the deacon's eyes in an instant. "Alas! Everything is over!" Now everything is indeed over, there is nothing left, and the last move is lost!Everything is ruined at once by the words "the color will fade"!
The gray horse is getting lighter and lighter.Dance, dance, you wretched beast!These words expose you!Tsertopkhanov galloped home and locked the horse in the room again.

(End of this chapter)