'I can't help you, my brother,' he said; 'you shall drive me as often as I come to this neighbourhood. It isn't much, but every little helps. Where do you live?'
Slimak pointed to his cottage; he was longing to speak further, but the old man turned to give some orders, and the peasant could only embrace his knees.
Old Hamer waylaid him on the way back.
'Do you see now how badly you have done for yourself? You will do even worse, for Fritz is furious.'
'God is greater than Fritz.'
'Will you take seventy-five roubles an acre and settle on the other side of the Bug? You will have twice as much land.'
'I would not go to the other side of the Bug for double the money; you go, if you like!'
When the angry men were looking back at each other, the one was standing with a stubborn face, his pipe between his clenched teeth, the other with folded arms, smiling sadly. Each was afraid of the other.
The embankment was growing slowly from west to east. Before long thousands of carriages would roll along its line with the speed of birds, to enrich the powerful, shatter the poor, spread new customs and manners, multiply crime…all this is called 'the advancement of civilization'. But Slimak knew nothing of civilization and its boons, and therefore looked upon this outcome of it as ominous. The encroaching line seemed to him like the tongue of some vast reptile, and the mounds of earth to forebode four graves, his own and those of his wife and children.
Maciek also had been watching its progress, which he considered an entire revolution of the laws of nature.