Eróshka winked at Olénin, pointing to Belétski. “Eh, he’s a proud one that kunak of yours,” he said.
Belétski raised his glass.
“Allah birdy!” he said, emptying it. (Allah birdy, “God has given!”—the usual greeting of Caucasians when drinking together.)
“Sau bul” (“Your health”), answered Eróshka smiling, and emptied his glass.
“Speaking of holidays!” he said, turning to Olénin as he rose and looked out of the window, “What sort of holiday is that! You should have seen them make merry in the old days! The women used to come out in their gold-trimmed sarafáns. Two rows of gold coins hanging round their necks and gold-cloth diadems on their heads, and when they passed they made a noise, ‘flu, flu,’ with their dresses. Every woman looked like a princess. Sometimes they’d come out, a whole herd of them, and begin singing songs so that the air seemed to rumble, and they went on making merry all night. And the Cossacks would roll out a barrel into the yards and sit down and drink till break of day, or they would go hand-in-hand sweeping the village. Whoever they met they seized and took along with them, and went from house to house. Sometimes they used to make merry for three days on end. Father used to come home—I still remember it—quite red and swollen, without a cap, having lost everything: he’d come and lie down. Mother knew what to do: she would bring him some fresh caviar and a little chikhir to sober him up, and would herself run about in the village looking for his cap. Then he’d sleep for two days! That’s the sort of fellows they were then! But now what are they?”
“Well, and the girls in the sarafáns, did they make merry all by themselves?” asked Belétski.
“Yes, they did! Sometimes Cossacks would come on foot or on horse and say, ‘Let’s break up the khorovóds,’ and they’d go, but the girls would take up cudgels. Carnival week, some young fellow would come galloping up, and they’d cudgel his horse and cudgel him too. But he’d break through, seize the one he loved, and carry her off. And his sweetheart would love him to his heart’s content! Yes, the girls in those days, they were regular queens!”
Chapter XXXVI
Just then two men rode out of the side street into the square. One of them was Nazárka. The other, Lukáshka, sat slightly sideways on his well-fed bay Kabardá horse which stepped lightly over the hard road jerking its beautiful head with its fine glossy mane. The well-adjusted gun in its cover, the pistol at his back, and the cloak rolled up behind his saddle showed that Lukáshka had not come from a peaceful place or from one near by. The smart way in which he sat a little sideways on his horse, the careless motion with which he touched the horse under its belly with his whip, and especially his half-closed black eyes, glistening as he looked proudly around him, all expressed the conscious strength and self-confidence of youth. “Ever seen as fine a lad?” his eyes, looking from side to side, seemed to say. The elegant horse with its silver ornaments and trappings, the weapons, and the handsome Cossack himself attracted the attention of everyone in the square. Nazárka, lean and short, was much less well dressed. As he rode past the old men, Lukáshka paused and raised his curly white sheepskin cap above his closely cropped black head.
“Well, have you carried off many Nogáy horses?” asked a lean old man with a frowning, lowering look.