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I stopped, and soon recognized our "ouriadnik." After joining us at a gallop, he jumped from the back of his own horse, and handing me the bridle of the other "Your lordship," said he, "our father makes you a present of a horse, and a pelisse from his own shoulder." On the saddle was slung a plain sheepskin "touloup."
"Jingling in my pocket?" replied the "ouriadnik," not a whit disconcerted; "God forgive you, old man, 'tis a bridlebit, and never a half rouble." "Well! well!" said I, putting an end to the dispute. "Thank from me he who sent you: and you may as well try as you go back to find the lost half rouble and keep it for yourself."
She called a servant, and bid her tell the "ouriadnik" to come. The little, old man was looking curiously at me with his one eye. "Might I presume to ask you," said he to me, "in what regiment you have deigned to serve?" I satisfied his curiosity. "And might I ask you," continued he, "why you have condescended to exchange from the Guard into our garrison?"
An hour afterwards the "ouriadnik" brought me my safe-conduct pass, with the scrawl which did duty as Pugatchéf's signature, and told me the Tzar awaited me in his house. I found him ready to start. How express what I felt in the presence of this man, awful and cruel for all, myself only excepted? And why not tell the whole truth? At this moment I felt a strong sympathy with him.
When we came near, some Bashkirs drove back the crowd, and we were presented to Pugatchéf. The bells ceased clanging, and the deepest silence reigned again. "Where is the Commandant?" asked the usurper. Our "ouriadnik" came forward and pointed out Iván Kouzmitch. Pugatchéf looked fiercely upon the old man and said to him, "How was it you dared to oppose me, your rightful Emperor?"
"Maximitch," the Commandant's wife said to him, "find a quarter for this officer, and a clean one." "I obey, Vassilissa Igorofna," replied the "ouriadnik." "Ought not his excellency to go to Iwán Poléjaïeff?" "You are doting, Maximitch," retorted the Commandant's wife; "Poléjaïeff has already little enough room; and, besides, he is my gossip; and then he does not forget that we are his superiors.
At once the Commandant put the "ouriadnik" in arrest, and declared Joulaï his substitute. This change was received by the Cossacks with manifest discontent. They grumbled aloud, and Iwán Ignatiitch, who executed the Commandant's orders, heard them with his own ears say pretty clearly "Only wait a bit, you garrison rat!"
It happened one day he went out of the town with a lieutenant, and they had taken swords, and they set to pinking one another, and Alexey Iványtch killed the lieutenant, and before a couple of witnesses. Well, well, there's no heading ill-luck!" At this moment the "ouriadnik," a young and handsome Cossack, came in.
"You know it is very easy to say that. The scoundrel seems in force, and we have but a hundred and thirty men, even counting the Cossacks, on whom we must not count too much, be it said, without any reproach to you, Maximitch." The "ouriadnik" smiled. "Nevertheless, let us do our duty, gentlemen.
The Commandant sent the "ouriadnik" on a mission to look well into all in the neighbouring village and little forts. The "ouriadnik" came back after an absence of two days, and reported that he had seen in the steppe, about sixty versts from the fort, many fires, and that he had heard the Bashkirs say that an innumerable force was approaching.
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