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'I have been to the bank; I have found the ford.... Let us go. We wanted to set off at once; but he first brought some string out of his pocket out of the water, tied the slaughtered ducks together by their legs, took both ends in his teeth, and moved slowly forward; Vladimir came behind him, and I behind Vladimir, and Sutchok brought up the rear. It was about two hundred paces to the bank.
'Come, come, come! Yermolai shouted roughly to him and Sutchok, scrambling, hopping and skipping, managed to reach a shallower place, but even in his greatest extremity was never so bold as to clutch at the skirt of my coat. Worn out, muddy and wet, we at last reached the bank. Two hours later we were all sitting, as dry as circumstances would allow, in a large hay barn, preparing for supper.
'The boat is repaired, he announced churlishly. 'Go after your pole you there! Sutchok ran to get his pole. During the whole time of my conversation with the poor old man, the sportsman Vladimir had been staring at him with a contemptuous smile. 'A stupid fellow, was his comment, when the latter had gone off; 'an absolutely uneducated fellow; a peasant, nothing more.
There was not much conversation between us; indeed, we tried not to look at one another. The ducks hovered over our heads; some seemed disposed to settle near us, but suddenly rose up into the air and flew away quacking. We began to grow numb. Sutchok shut his eyes as though he were disposing himself to sleep. At last, to our indescribable delight, Yermolai returned. 'Well?
The approach of Yermolai with Vladimir and the man with the strange nickname, Sutchok, broke in on my meditations. Barelegged, ragged and dishevelled, Sutchok looked like a discharged stray house-serf of sixty years old. 'Have you a boat? I asked him. 'I have a boat, he answered in a hoarse, cracked voice; 'but it's a very poor one. 'How so?
'No, it is not deep, observed Sutchok, who spoke in a strange, far- away voice, as though he were in a dream, 'and there's sedge and mud at the bottom, and it's all overgrown with sedge. But there are deep holes too. 'But if the sedge is so thick, said Vladimir, 'it will be impossible to row. 'Who thinks of rowing in a punt? One has to punt it.
'Can you swim? I asked him. 'No, I can't, his voice sounded from behind the reeds. 'Then he'll be drowned, remarked Sutchok indifferently. He had been terrified at first, not by the danger, but through fear of our anger, and now, completely reassured, he drew a long breath from time to time, and seemed not to be aware of any necessity for moving from his present position.
Sutchok remained standing in the same place, his head bent and his hands clasped behind his back, according to the old habit of house-serfs. 'Tell me, please, I began, 'have you been the fisherman here long? 'It is seven years now, he replied, rousing himself with a start. 'And what was your occupation before? 'I was coachman before. 'Who dismissed you from being coachman?
'Tfoo! curse it! he muttered, spitting into the water; 'here's a go. It's all you, you old devil! he added, turning wrathfully to Sutchok; 'you've such a boat! 'It's my fault, stammered the old man. 'Yes; and you're a nice one, continued my huntsman, turning his head in Vladimir's direction; 'what were you thinking of? Why weren't you baling out? you, you?
'Well, we'll take a look round; we can't spend the night here, he answered. 'Here, you, take my gun, he said to Vladimir. Vladimir obeyed submissively. 'I will go and find the ford, continued Yermolai, as though there must infallibly be a ford in every pond: he took the pole from Sutchok, and went off in the direction of the bank, warily sounding the depth as he walked.
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