"Why should I? Kapendiukhin is hardly ever the victor, and ill-success embitters a man. We understand! But in future we will have his gloves examined before the contest."
"That is your affair!"
When the important personage had gone away, our side began to abuse Kapendiukhin:
"You have made a nice mess of it. He would have killed his man, our Cossack would, and now we have to stay on the losing side!"
They abused him at length, captiously, to their hearts' content.
Sitanov sighed and said:
"Oh, you guttersnipes!"
And to the surprise of everyone he challenged the Mordovan to a single contest. The latter squared up and flourishing his fists said jokingly:
"We will kill each other."
A good number of persons, taking hands, formed a wide, spacious circle. The boxers, looking at each other keenly, changed over, the right hand held out, the left on their breasts. The experienced people noticed at once that Sitanov's arms were longer than those of the Mordovan. It was very quiet; the snow crunched under the feet of the boxers. Some one, unable to restrain his impatience, muttered complainingly and eagerly: