[10] Soldier-servant.
[11] He was called Ivan Smirnoff, a name which might be translated into French as “John the Gentile,” which contrasted strangely with his character, as we shall see by what follows.
[12] A familiar proverb of Russian soldiers in the moment of danger.
[13] A Russian drink; it is a kind of beer made with flour.
[14] A Russian word which corresponds to what is called in French “cap.”
[15] Mutton roasted in small pieces at the end of a stick.
[16] A cloak of impervious felt with long hair, rather like bearskin. The burka, the ordinary cloak of the Cossacks, is only made in their country: with it they brave with impunity the rain and mud of the bivouac.
[17] The kibitka is a carriage, the body of which, like that of a roughly-built barouche, is fixed directly on two axle-trees, and in winter on two runners forming a sledge; it is the ordinary travelling-carriage in Russia.
EL VERDUGO
HONORÉ DE BALZAC
Midnight had just sounded from the belfry of the little town of Menda. At that moment a young French officer, who was leaning over the parapet of a long terrace, which ran along the edge of the gardens of the castle of Menda, seemed to be sunk in meditation more profound than was natural to the carelessness of military life; but it must be said at the same time that hour, place, and night were never more propitious to meditation. The clear sky of Spain spread an azure dome overhead. The sparkling of the stars and the soft light of the moon lit up a delightful valley, which unrolled itself invitingly at his feet. By supporting himself upon an orange-tree in blossom, the major could see, a hundred feet below him, the town of Menda, which seemed to have taken shelter from the north winds at the foot of the rock upon which the castle was built. Turning his head, he could observe the sea, its shining waters framing the prospect in a broad sheet of silver. The castle was lit up. The merry tumult of a ball, the strains of the orchestra, the laughter of some officers and their partners reached his ears, blended with the distant murmur of the waves. The coolness of the night imparted a sort of energy to his body, fatigued by the heat of the day. And, finally, the garden was planted with shrubs so odoriferous and flowers so sweet, that the young man felt as if plunged in a bath of perfumes.