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"I ask one thing of you," he said sternly, "to obey me and not shove yourself forward anywhere." He did not say another word to Petya but rode in silence all the way. When they had come to the edge of the forest it was noticeably growing light over the field. Denisov talked in whispers with the esaul and the Cossacks rode past Petya and Denisov.
"Michael Feoklitych," said he to the esaul, "this is again fwom that German, you know. He" he indicated Petya "is serving under him." And Denisov told the esaul that the dispatch just delivered was a repetition of the German general's demand that he should join forces with him for an attack on the transport. "If we don't take it tomowwow, he'll snatch it fwom under our noses," he added.
"You see?... What a wogue it's just as I thought," said Denisov to the esaul. "Why didn't you bwing that one?" "What was the good of bringing him?" Tikhon interrupted hastily and angrily "that one wouldn't have done for you. As if I don't know what sort you want!" "What a bwute you are!... Well?" "I went for another one," Tikhon continued, "and I crept like this through the wood and lay down."
"We'll send the infantwy down by the swamps," Denisov continued. "They'll cweep up to the garden; you'll wide up fwom there with the Cossacks" he pointed to a spot in the forest beyond the village "and I with my hussars fwom here. And at the signal shot..." "The hollow is impassable there's a swamp there," said the esaul. "The horses would sink. We must ride round more to the left...."
It was already growing dusk when Denisov, Petya, and the esaul rode up to the watchhouse. In the twilight saddled horses could be seen, and Cossacks and hussars who had rigged up rough shelters in the glade and were kindling glowing fires in a hollow of the forest where the French could not see the smoke.
But the firing and shouting did not relate to them. Down below, a man wearing something red was running through the marsh. The French were evidently firing and shouting at him. "Why, that's our Tikhon," said the esaul. "So it is! It is!" "The wascal!" said Denisov. "He'll get away!" said the esaul, screwing up his eyes.
"I have some raisins, fine ones; you know, seedless ones. We have a new sutler and he has such capital things. I bought ten pounds. I am used to something sweet. Would you like some?..." and Petya ran out into the passage to his Cossack and brought back some bags which contained about five pounds of raisins. "Have some, gentlemen, have some!" "You want a coffeepot, don't you?" he asked the esaul.
The man whom they called Tikhon, having run to the stream, plunged in so that the water splashed in the air, and, having disappeared for an instant, scrambled out on all fours, all black with the wet, and ran on. The French who had been pursuing him stopped. "Smart, that!" said the esaul. "What a beast!" said Denisov with his former look of vexation. "What has he been doing all this time?"
Beside Denisov rode an esaul, * Denisov's fellow worker, also in felt cloak and sheepskin cap, and riding a large sleek Don horse. * A captain of Cossacks. Esaul Lovayski the Third was a tall man as straight as an arrow, pale-faced, fair-haired, with narrow light eyes and with calm self-satisfaction in his face and bearing.
Though it was impossible to say in what the peculiarity of the horse and rider lay, yet at first glance at the esaul and Denisov one saw that the latter was wet and uncomfortable and was a man mounted on a horse, while looking at the esaul one saw that he was as comfortable and as much at ease as always and that he was not a man who had mounted a horse, but a man who was one with his horse, a being consequently possessed of twofold strength.
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