about ten steps they stopped and humbly arranged themselves in rows of four.  Immediately behind these came another contingent, also with shaved heads and similarly dressed, without leg-fetters, but handcuffed to each other.  These were exiles.  They walked as briskly as the others, stopped, and formed in rows of four.  Then came the women in the same order, in gray coats and ’kerchiefs, those sentenced to hard labor coming first; then the exiles, and finally those voluntarily following their husbands, in their native costumes.  Some of the women carried infants under the skirts of their coats.

Children—­boys and girls—­followed them on foot, hanging on to the skirts of their mothers.  The men stood silently, coughing now and then, or exchanging remarks, while the women carried on incessant conversation.  Nekhludoff thought that he saw Maslova as she was coming out, but she was soon lost in the large crowd, and he only saw a lot of gray creatures almost deprived of all womanly features, with their children and sacks, grouping themselves behind the men.

Although the convicts had been counted within the walls of the prison, the guard began to count them over again.  This counting took a long time, because the convicts, moving from one place to another, confused the count of the officers.  The officers cursed and pushed the humbly but angrily compliant convicts and counted them again.  When the counting was finally over, the officer of the guard gave some command, and suddenly all became confusion in the crowd.  Infirm men, women and children hastened to the trucks, on which they first placed their sacks, then climbed in themselves, the infants crying in their mothers’ arms, the children quarreling about the places, the men looking gloomy and despondent.

Some of the convicts, removing their caps, approached the officer and made some request.  As Nekhludoff afterward learned, they were asking to be taken on the wagons.  The guard officer, without looking at the applicants, silently inhaled the smoke of his cigarette, then suddenly swung his short hand at one of the convicts that approached him, who dodged and sprang back.

“I will elevate you to the nobility with a rope!  You can walk!” shouted the officer.

Only a tall, staggering old man in irons was permitted to ride on a wagon.  The old man removed his cap, and making the sign of the cross, dragged himself to the wagon; but his fettered legs prevented his climbing up until an old woman, sitting on the wagon, took his hand and helped him in.

When all the wagons were loaded with sacks and those that were permitted to ride, the guard officer uncovered his bald head, wiped with a handkerchief his pate, forehead and red, stout neck, made the sign of the cross, and gave command to proceed.