He drew his pocket-knife out of its sheath, he went to the side of the carriage, and began to cut away at a young oak of the previous year. He cut it as best he could, then he began to rummage about in a box in the carriage to find some rope; but how could he find it if it had not been put in? After looking and looking in vain, he cut the cord from the nose-bag, and a strap from the bridle of one of the mares to tie the sapling where it was wanted, put the wheel in position, slipped in the bit of wood which ran from the head of the axle to the staff-side of the carriage, twisted round the chain which connected the head of the axle with the shaft, and tied it to the step; then he lit his pipe and said:
“Look, my dear young lady, how necessity teaches a man what to do. With old Nichifor of Tzutzuen no one comes to grief on the road. But from now on sit tight in the bottom of the carriage, and hold fast to the back of your seat, for I must take these mares in hand and make them gallop. Yes, I warrant you, my old woman won’t have an easy time when I get home. I’ll play the devil with her and teach her how to treat her husband another time, for ‘a woman who has not been beaten is like a broken mill.’ Hold tight, Mistress Malca! Houp-là!”
And at once the mares began to gallop, the wheels to go round, and the dust to whirl up into the sky. But in a few yards the sapling began to get hot and brittle and—off came the wheel again!
“Ah! Everything is contrary! It’s evident I crossed a priest early this morning or the devil knows what.”
“Mosh Nichifor, what are we to do?”
“We shall do what we shall do, young lady. But now stay quiet here, and don’t speak a word. It’s lucky this didn’t happen somewhere in the middle of the fields. Praise be to God, in the forest there is enough wood and to spare. Perhaps some one will catch us up who can lend me an axe.” And as he spoke he saw a man coming towards them.
“Well met, good man!”
“So your carriage has broken the road!”
“Put chaff aside, man; it would be better if you came and helped me to mend this axle, for you can see my heart’s breaking with my ill luck.”
“But I am in a hurry to get to Oshlobeni. You’ll have to lament in the forest to-night; I don’t think you’ll die of boredom.”