hunter notes

Chapter 60
"Let me remind you," Yermolay said to me when I came to the farmhouse, just after dinner, and I was lying on my cot trying to sleep after a successful but exhausting grouse hunt—it was seven In the middle of the month, the weather is scorching hot... "I tell you: we are all out of shotguns."

I jumped out of bed. "Out of shotguns! How is that possible? We brought almost thirty Fendts from the village!--a bag full!" "Yes, the bag is big enough for two weeks. I know what's going on! There's probably a hole in the bag, and anyway, there's really no more shotgun...less than ten rounds left."

"So what should we do? There's a better place ahead - tomorrow we've agreed to shoot 6 broods..."

"Let me go to Tula. It's not far from here, forty-five versts in total. I'll come as soon as you order, with a put of shotgun."

"Are you going now?" "Yes. Why the delay? But one thing: some horses are to be hired."

"Why hire a horse? Why not use your own horse?"

"My own horse is useless. The shaft horse is lame...very lame!"

"Since when?"

"A few days ago - the coachman took it to hammer the iron shoe. The iron shoe was nailed. Maybe the blacksmith's skill is not good. Now it can hardly step on one foot, which is the front foot. It can only retract the front foot... Like a dog."

"How could this be? Then at least the hoof has been removed from it?"

"No, it hasn't been removed, but it must be removed. It looks like a nail has been driven into its flesh."

I sent for the coachman.Only then did I realize that Yermolai had not lied, and the shaft horse could not step on it anymore.Immediately I ordered its hoofs to be removed, and let it stand directly on the wet earth.

"All right? Shall I hire a horse and go to Tula?" Yermolay came to pester me again.

"Is it possible to hire horses in this remote place?" I couldn't help but exclaim angrily... We are staying in a remote village, and all the residents are poor. It's a spacious farmhouse.

"Yes," said Yermolay, still calmly, "you are quite right about this village. But there used to be a farmer who lived here. He was clever! And rich! He had nine horses. He himself dead, and now his eldest son is in charge. This man is a real fool, but he has not spent all my property. We can ask him for horses. You send me to fetch him. I heard that his two My brother is quite clever...but he's the boss."

"Why?" "Because he is the eldest! The younger brother must obey him!" At this moment, Yermolai criticized the younger brother violently, and his words were hard to describe. "I'll go to him. He's an honest man. I'm sure we can talk to him."

When Yermolay went to call Candide, I thought: I should go to Tula myself!First, it is a lesson learned from experience, and he no longer trusts Yermolai.Once I asked him to go shopping in the city, and he promised me to fulfill all my orders in one day—but he went for a whole week, and spent all his money on wine and drinks; the carriage was gone.Secondly, I have a horse dealer in Tula who I know well, and I can go to him to buy a horse to replace the lame workhorse.

"That's the way!" I thought, "I'll go by myself, and sleep on the way—and the wagon is pretty smooth."

"Called!" cried Ermolay a quarter of an hour later, breaking into the farmhouse.A burly farmer followed behind him, wearing a white shirt, blue trousers and straw sandals, with fair hair, poor eyesight, a pointed brown beard, a long and plump nose, and an open mouth.It seems that he is indeed an "honest man".

"Talk to him," said Yermolay, "he has horses and would like to rent them out."

"Well, here, I..." began the farmer in a slightly hoarse voice, scratching his thinning hair and fingering the brim of his hat in his hand. "I, here..."

"What's your name?" I asked.The farmer lowered his head and seemed to be in deep thought. "My name?"

"Yes." "My name is Feiluofei."

"Well, brother Feiluofei, I heard that you have horses. You go and bring three horses, I want to use them to pull the cart - there is nothing in it - just take me to Tula. That's it. There was a moon in two nights, it was very bright, and the weather was cool. How is the road here?"

"Is there a road? The road is okay. From here to the main road, it's about 20 versts. It's just a small place... It doesn't go well, but everything else is fine."

"What's a small place that doesn't go well?" "You'll have to walk across the ford." "You want to go to Tula by yourself?" asked Yermolay. "Yes, I will go myself." "Oh!" My faithful servant shook his head. "Oh—!" He called again, spat, and walked out.The trip to Tula was obviously no longer attractive to him, it was a boring and boring thing for him. "Do you know the way?" I asked him.

"Of course I'm familiar with it! But, I mean, I follow your orders, but I can't... because suddenly..."

It turned out that when Yermolai went to see Feiluofei, he had promised him that he would rest assured that he would pay him, a fool... and that was just one sentence!Feiluofei, though—according to Yermolay—was a fool who could not be satisfied with just such a promise.He asked me for 50 rubles - a very high price; I said give him 10 rubles - a very low price.We negotiated the price. Feiluofei insisted on it at first, and then began to compromise the price, but he was very unhappy.During this period Yermolay came in and assured me: "That fool (Ferofei overheard him whispering: 'He always likes to say that!'), this fool doesn't know how to count money at all." Remind me of one thing: about 20 years ago, an inn my mother opened in a busy intersection fell into utter ruin because the old servant who had put it in charge of the business couldn't count money.Just know that the quantity is good, that is to say, for example, to pay a 25-kopeck silver piece as six five-copeck copper pieces, and at the same time to curse.

"Hey, you, Feiluofei! Really Feiluofei!" finally Yermolay yelled, slammed the door angrily, and went out.

Pherofei did not contradict him, he seemed to realize that it is indeed not good to be called Pherofei, and that a person should be blamed for such a name, even if in fact it was the priest's fault for not being properly baptized. Pay him.

I finally settled on 20 rubles with him.He went back to lead the horses, and after an hour, he brought 5 horses, which he chose at will.The horses were all well and good, though their manes and tails were shaggy and their bellies were big and tense like drum skins.Feiluofei's two younger brothers also came, they were not like him.Small in stature, with dark eyes and pointed noses, they gave the impression of being "smart"; they talked too much and quickly, as Yermolay called "chattering," but they all followed their elder brother.

For an hour and a half they were busy drawing the carriage from under the eaves, and assembling the carts and horses; now loosening and now fastening the rope lanyards.The two younger brothers insisted on putting the "grey zebra" on the shaft because "it goes downhill well"; but Feiluofei decided to "use the rough-haired horse" and finally put the rough-haired horse on the shaft.

They stuffed the wagons with hay, and tucked the yokes of the lame shaft-horses under the seats, so that they could be fitted as soon as Tula bought new horses... Pherofei even ran back and put on his father's long coat when he came back. In a long white toga, a tall felt hat, and well-oiled boots, he triumphantly climbed onto the driver's seat.I got into the car and it was a quarter past ten.Yermolay did not say goodbye to me, but went to beat his dog Valetka.Feiluofei pulled the reins and called out to the horse in a high voice: "Hey, you little things!" His two younger brothers ran over from left and right and hit the side horse in the belly. We set off and turned out the door. take to the streets.The shaggy horse wanted to go back, but Pherofei gave him a few whips to enlighten him, and we were out of the village on a smooth road among the thick hazel groves.

The night is charming and it is a very suitable time to travel.The wind sometimes made a sound in the jungle and shook the branches, sometimes it was completely still; in some places in the sky there were still, silvery clouds; the moon hung in the sky, shining brightly all around.Stretched out on the hay, I was about to doze off...but remembered the "something that didn't go well" and woke up for a while.

"Hey, Feiluofei, is it still far from the shallows?" "Shoals? About 8 versts."

"Eight versts," I thought, "not in an hour. I can sleep a little longer."

"Feiluofei, are you familiar with the road?" I asked again. "Of course. It's not the first time..." He continued to say something, but I couldn't hear it...I fell asleep.

I awoke quickly, not because I was going to sleep for exactly an hour (which is often the case), but because I heard a strange though slight gurgling and gurgling sound under my ears.I looked up...very weird!I was still lying in the carriage, but around the carriage, about half Archen's height from the edge of the carriage, there was a patch of water, reflecting the moonlight, making small, clear, quivering waves.I looked ahead: Feiluofei was sitting on the driving platform with his head bowed like an idol; further ahead, above the gurgling water, were the curved yoke, the horse's head and back.Everything was still and silent, as if in a magical land, in a magical dream... What happened?I looked back under the hood - we were in the middle of the river...the bank was about 30 paces away!
"Fei Luo Fei!" I yelled. "What?" he replied. "And 'what?' So where the hell are we?" "In the river."

"I know it's in the river. But we're going to be drowned soon. Is this the ford you're talking about? Huh? You're asleep, Fei Luo Fei! Answer me!"

"I must have made a mistake," said my coachman, "a little too far, and taken the wrong way, and now we must wait."

"What do you mean 'wait a minute'! What are we waiting for?" "Let the shaggy horse check it out. Wherever it turns, we'll go."

I sit up.The head of the shaft horse remained motionless on the water.Under the bright moonlight, only one of its ears was seen moving slightly—sometimes backwards, sometimes forwards.

"Your shaggy horse has also fallen asleep!" "No," Feiluofei replied, "he's sniffing the water." Everything was quiet again, except for the faint gurgling of the water.

I am also at a loss.The moon, the night, the river, us in the river... "There was a hoarse voice." I asked Feiluofei.

"That's the duckling in the reeds...maybe it's a snake." Suddenly the shaft horse's head turned, its ears pricked up, it snorted and started to walk.

"Ho-ho-ho-ho!" Feiluofei suddenly shouted at the top of his voice, he straightened up and waved his horsewhip.The carriage quickly left the place, it cut through the waves of the river and rushed forward, staggering to the front... At first I thought we were sinking, going to a deep place, but after passing After two or three crashes and sinkings, the water seemed to drop suddenly... It was lower and lower, and the carriage slowly came out of it, and lo and behold, the wheels and the tail of the horse were exposed.Then the horses trod out fierce, thick drops that splashed out in the dim moonlight like diamonds—no, not diamonds—but sapphire rays; Pulled ashore, slapped his smooth and wet feet randomly, and headed towards the mountains along the road.

I thought to myself, "Maybe now Feiluofei is going to say 'Look, I'm right!' or something like that?" But he didn't say anything.I therefore felt no need to reproach him for his negligence, and lay down on the hay, intending to sleep on.

But I couldn't sleep, not because I was not tired from hunting, nor because the panic I just drove away my drowsiness, but because we came to a very beautiful place.This is a vast, fertile and lush steppe, where there are countless small grasslands, small lakes, small rivers, and small harbors with willows and shrubs at the end. It is a place that is really Russian and Russians like, just like our ancient The place where legendary warriors hunted on horseback.The flat road twisted like a yellow ribbon, and the horses trotted lightly.I just keep my eyes open and appreciate it!All these scenes pass symmetrically on both sides under the soft moonlight.Fei Luo Fei was also moved.

"This is St. Yegel Grassland," he said, turning his head to me, "and beyond that is Grand Duke Grassland. This kind of grassland is unique in all of Russia...how beautiful!" The shaft horse snorted and shook ..."My God!..." Fei Luofei whispered solemnly. "It's beautiful!" he said again, sighing, and letting out a long snort. "It's time to mow, and how much to get all the hay together—what a wonder! So many fish in the harbour. What a fine bream!" he drawled. I can't bear to die."

He suddenly stretched out a hand. "Ah! Look! On the lake... is there a heron standing? Does the heron catch fish at night? Haha! It's a branch, not a heron. Wrong! The moon can deceive people."

(End of this chapter)