“Vespers were beginning to ring, but the wife of the pope[22] forbid it; the pope went away on a visit, and the devils are abroad in the churchyard.”

“Shut up, uncle,” retorted the vagabond.  “When it rains there will be mushrooms, and when you find mushrooms you will find a basket to put them in.  But now” (he winked a second time) “put your axe behind your back,[23] the gamekeeper is abroad.  To the health of your excellency.”

So saying he took the glass, made the sign of the cross, and swallowed his brandy at one gulp, then, bowing to me, returned to his lair above the stove.

I could not then understand a single word of the thieves’ slang they employed.  It was only later on that I understood that they were talking about the army of the Yaik, which had only just been reduced to submission after the revolt of 1772.[24]

Saveliitch listened to them talking with a very discontented manner, and cast suspicious glances, sometimes on the host and sometimes on the guide.

The kind of inn where we had sought shelter stood in the very middle of the steppe, far from the road and from any dwelling, and certainly was by no means unlikely to be a robber resort.  But what could we do?  We could not dream of resuming our journey.  Saveliitch’s uneasiness amused me very much.  I stretched myself on a bench.  My old retainer at last decided to get up on the top of the stove,[25] while the host lay down on the floor.  They all soon began to snore, and I myself soon fell dead asleep.

When I awoke, somewhat late, on the morrow I saw that the storm was over.  The sun shone brightly; the snow stretched afar like a dazzling sheet.  The horses were already harnessed.  I paid the host, who named such a mere trifle as my reckoning that Saveliitch did not bargain as he usually did.  His suspicions of the evening before were quite gone.  I called the guide to thank him for what he had done for us, and I told Saveliitch to give him half a rouble as a reward.

Saveliitch frowned.

“Half a rouble!” cried he.  “Why?  Because you were good enough to bring him yourself to the inn?  I will obey you, excellency, but we have no half roubles to spare.  If we take to giving gratuities to everybody we shall end by dying of hunger.”

I could not dispute the point with Saveliitch; my money, according to my solemn promise, was entirely at his disposal.  Nevertheless, I was annoyed that I was not able to reward a man who, if he had not brought me out of fatal danger, had, at least, extricated me from an awkward dilemma.

“Well,” I said, coolly, to Saveliitch, “if you do not wish to give him half a rouble give him one of my old coats; he is too thinly clad.  Give him my hareskin touloup.”

“Have mercy on me, my father, Petr’ Andrejitch!” exclaimed Saveliitch.  “What need has he of your touloup?  He will pawn it for drink, the dog, in the first tavern he comes across.”