Chapter 40

The next day Olenin awoke earlier than usual, and immediately
remembered what lay before him, and he joyfully recalled her
kisses, the pressure of her hard hands, and her words, 'What white
hands you have!' He jumped up and wished to go at once to his
hosts' hut to ask for their consent to his marriage with Maryanka.
The sun had not yet risen, but it seemed that there was an unusual
bustle in the street and side-street: people were moving about on
foot and on horseback, and talking. He threw on his Circassian
coat and hastened out into the porch. His hosts were not yet up.
Five Cossacks were riding past and talking loudly together. In
front rode Lukashka on his broad-backed Kabarda horse.

The Cossacks were all speaking and shouting so that it was
impossible to make out exactly what they were saying.

'Ride to the Upper Post,' shouted one.

'Saddle and catch us up, be quick,' said another.

'It's nearer through the other gate!'

'What are you talking about?' cried Lukashka. 'We must go through
the middle gates, of course.'

'So we must, it's nearer that way,' said one of the Cossacks who
was covered with dust and rode a perspiring horse. Lukashka's face
was red and swollen after the drinking of the previous night and
his cap was pushed to the back of his head. He was calling out
with authority as though he were an officer.

'What is the matter? Where are you going?' asked Olenin, with
difficulty attracting the Cossacks' attention.

'We are off to catch abreks. They're hiding among the sand-drifts.
We are just off, but there are not enough of us yet.'

And the Cossacks continued to shout, more and more of them joining
as they rode down the street. It occurred to Olenin that it would
not look well for him to stay behind; besides he thought he could
soon come back. He dressed, loaded his gun with bullets, jumped
onto his horse which Vanyusha had saddled more or less well, and
overtook the Cossacks at the village gates. The Cossacks had
dismounted, and filling a wooden bowl with chikhir from a little
cask which they had brought with them, they passed the bowl round
to one another and drank to the success of their expedition. Among
them was a smartly dressed young cornet, who happened to be in the
village and who took command of the group of nine Cossacks who had
joined for the expedition. All these Cossacks were privates, and
although the cornet assumed the airs of a commanding officer, they
only obeyed Lukashka. Of Olenin they took no notice at all, and
when they had all mounted and started, and Olenin rode up to the
cornet and began asking him what was taking place, the cornet, who
was usually quite friendly, treated him with marked condescension.
It