Prisoner of the Caucasus

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy

Lev Tolstoy

Prisoner of the Caucasus

One gentleman served as an officer in the Caucasus. His name was Zhilin.

Once he received a letter from home. An old woman's mother writes to him: “I have become old, and I want to see my beloved son before I die. Come to say goodbye to me, bury me, and there, with God, go back to the service. And I looked for you and a bride: both smart, and good, and there is a property. If you fall in love with you, maybe you will marry and stay completely. "

Zhilin hesitated: “Indeed, the old woman has become bad; may not have to see. To go; and if the bride is good - and you can marry. "

He went to the colonel, straightened his leave, said goodbye to his comrades, put four buckets of vodka for his soldiers in parting and got ready to go.

There was a war in the Caucasus then. There was no passage on the roads either day or night. Few of the Russians will drive away or leave the fortress, the Tatars will either kill or take them to the mountains. And it was established that twice a week escorting soldiers went from fortress to fortress. Soldiers are walking in front and behind, and people are riding in the middle.

It was summer. At dawn the carts gathered behind the fortress, the escorting soldiers came out and set off along the road. Zhilin rode on horseback, and the cart with his things went in the train.

The ride was 25 miles. The train went quietly; then the soldiers will stop, then in the wagon train someone's wheel will jump off, or the horse will stand, and everyone is standing - waiting.

The sun had already passed in half a day, and the train had passed only half the way. Dust, heat, the sun is baking, but there is nowhere to hide. Bare steppe, no trees, no bush along the road.

Zhilin drove forward, stopped and waited for the baggage train to approach. He hears, they began to play on the horn from behind - to stand again. Zhilin thought: “Why not leave alone, without the soldiers? The horse under me is kind, if I attack the Tatars, I will gallop away. Or not to ride? .. "

He stopped, hesitated. And another officer Kostylin rides up to him on horseback, with a gun, and says:

- Let's go, Zhilin, alone. There is no urine, I want to eat, and the heat. At least wring my shirt on. - And Kostylin is an overweight, fat man, all red, and sweat pours from him.

Zhilin thought and said:

- Is the gun loaded?

- Loaded.

- Well, let's go. Only an agreement - not to disperse.

And they drove forward along the road. They're driving by the steppe, talking and looking around. You can see far away.

As soon as the steppe ended, the road went between two mountains into the gorge, Zhilin said:

- We have to go up the mountain, have a look, or then, perhaps, jump out from behind the mountain and you will not see.

And Kostylin says:

- What to watch? let's go ahead.

Zhilin did not listen to him.

- No, - he says, - you wait downstairs, and I'll just take a look.

And he let the horse go to the left, up the mountain. The horse near Zhilin was a hunter's horse (he paid a hundred rubles for it in the herd with a foal and went out himself); as on wings, carried him up the steep. He just jumped out, lo and behold - and in front of him, on a tithe of a place, there are Tatars on horseback - about thirty people. He saw, began to turn back; and the Tatars saw him, rushed to him, and at a gallop they pulled their guns out of their cases. He let Zhilin go down the slope at all his horse's legs, shouting to Kostylin:

- Take out your gun! - and he thinks about the horse on his own: “Mother, take it out, don't get caught with your foot; if you stumble, you're lost. I'll get to the gun, I won't give it to them. "

And Kostylin, instead of waiting, just saw the Tatars - he rolled as far as the spirit to the fortress. The horse is fried with a whip from one side, then from the other. Only in the dust you can see how the horse twirls its tail.

Zhilin sees that things are bad. The gun is gone, you can't do anything with one saber. He let the horse go back to the soldiers - he thought to leave. He sees that six are being rolled across to him. Under him the horse is kind, but under those it is even kinder, and they gallop across the path. He began to twist, wanted to turn back, but the horse had already gone, he could not hold it, he was flying straight at them. He sees - a Tatar on a gray horse is approaching him with a red beard. Shrieks, teeth bared, gun at the ready.

“Well,” Zhilin thinks, “I know you, devils, if they take a live person, put him in a pit, they will flog with a whip. I won't give myself up alive. "

And Zhilin, though small in stature, was daring. He snatched a saber, let the horse go straight to the red Tatar, thinking: "Either I'll kill him with a horse, or I'll cut it down with a saber."

Zhilin did not jump on the horse - they shot at him from behind with guns and hit the horse. The horse hit the ground with all its might - Zhilina fell on his leg.

He wanted to get up, and already on it two smelly Tartars were sitting, twisting his arms back. He rushed, threw off the Tatars, - and even three jumped from their horses on him, began to beat him on the head with rifle butts. His eyes dimmed and he staggered. The Tatars grabbed him, removed the spare girths from the saddles, twisted his arms behind his back, tied him with a Tatar knot, and dragged him to the saddle. They knocked off his hat, pulled off his boots, ransacked everything, took out the money, took out his watch, and tore his dress. Zhilin looked back at his horse. She, heart, as she fell on her side, and lies, only beats with her feet - does not reach the ground; there is a hole in the head, and black blood is whistling out of the hole - it has moistened the dust for an arshin around.

One Tatar went up to the horse and began to remove the saddle. She keeps beating. ”He took out his dagger and cut her throat. It whistled from my throat, fluttered, and steam out.

The Tatars took off their saddle and harness. A Tatar with a red beard sat on a horse, while others put Zhilin on his saddle, and so that he would not fall, they pulled him by the belt to his belt to the Tatar and took him to the mountains.

Zhilin sits at the Tatar, swaying, poking his face against the stinking Tatar back. He only sees in front of him a hefty Tatar back, and a sinewy neck, and the shaven nape of the head turns blue from under the cap. Zhilin's head is broken, blood is caked over his eyes. And he can neither get better on a horse, nor wipe off the blood. Hands are so twisted that it hurts in the collarbone.

They rode for a long time from mountain to mountain, wade the river, drove onto the road and drove down a hollow.

Zhilin wanted to notice the road where he was being taken - but his eyes were smeared with blood, but you couldn't turn around.

It began to get dark. We moved across the river, began to climb the stone mountain, the smell of smoke, dogs began to roar.

We arrived at the village. The Tatars climbed off the horses, the Tatar guys gathered, surrounded Zhilin, squealing, rejoicing, they began to shoot stones at him.

The Tatar drove the guys away, took Zhilin off the horse and called the worker. A high-cheeked Nogay came in, in one shirt. The shirt was torn off, the whole chest was bare. The Tatar ordered something to him. The worker brought a block: two blocks of oak were set on iron rings, and in one ring there was a punch and a lock.

They untied Zhilin's hands, put on a shoe and took him to the barn; pushed him there and locked the door. Zhilin fell on the manure. I lay down and felt in

Page 2 of 2

darkness, where it is softer, and lay down.

Almost all that night Zhilin did not sleep. The nights were short. He saw that it began to glow in the crack. Zhilin got up, dug out a larger crack, began to look.

He can see the road from the crack - it goes downhill, the Tatar saklya to the right, two trees next to it. The black dog lies on the doorstep, the goat walks with the kids, twitching its tails. He saw - a young Tatar woman walking from under the mountain, in a colored shirt, loose-fitting, in trousers and boots, her head was covered with a caftan, and on her head was a large tin jug of water. She walks, trembles in her back, bends over, and by the hand a Tatar woman leads a shaved woman in one shirt. The Tatar walked into the saklya with water, the yesterday's Tatar came out with a red beard, in a silk beshmet, a silver dagger on a belt, in shoes on bare feet. On the head is a high hat, lamb, black, folded back. He went out, stretching, stroking his red beard himself. He stood, ordered something to the worker and went somewhere.

Then two guys rode on horseback to the watering hole. Horses have wet snoring. Some more boys ran out, shaved in some shirts, without trousers, gathered in a bunch, went to the barn, took a twig and shoved it into the crack. Zhilin as he falls on them: the guys screeched, rolled to run away - only bare knees shine.

But Zhilin is thirsty, his throat is dry; thinks - if only they came to visit. He hears - they open the shed. A red Tatar came, and with him another, smaller, blackish. The eyes are black, light, ruddy, the beard is small, trimmed; the face is cheerful, everyone laughs. The blackish one is dressed even better: the beshmet is silk blue, trimmed with a galloon. A large silver dagger on a belt; shoes are red, morocco, also trimmed with silver. And thin shoes have other thick shoes. High hat, white lamb.

The red Tatar entered, said something as if he was swearing, and stood; leaned his elbows on the lintel, wiggles his dagger, like a wolf glancing sideways at Zhilin. And the blackish one - fast, lively, so all on springs and walks, - went straight to Zhilin, squatted down, bared his teeth, patted him on the shoulder, began to mutter something often in his own way, winks with his eyes, clicks with his tongue, and says everything: “Good urus! korosho urus! "

Zhilin did not understand anything and said: "Give me some water to drink!"

Black laughs. "Korosh Urus", - everything mutters in its own way.

Zhilin showed with his lips and hands that they gave him a drink.

Black understood, laughed, looked out the door, called someone: "Dina!"

A girl came running - slender, thin, about thirteen years old and looks like a black face. It can be seen that the daughter. Also - eyes are black, light and beautiful face. She is dressed in a long blue shirt with wide sleeves and without a belt. It is trimmed in red on the floors, on the chest and on the sleeves. On my feet are pants and shoes, and on shoes others, with high heels, on the neck monisto, all of the Russian fifty rubles. The head is uncovered, the braid is black, and there is a ribbon in the braid, and there are plaques and a silver ruble hanging on the ribbon.

Her father told her something. She ran away and came again, brought a tin jug. She gave me water, squatted down herself, all bent so that the shoulders were gone below the knees. She sits, opens her eyes, looks at Zhilin, how he drinks - like at what kind of beast.

Zhilin handed the jug back to her. How she leaps away like a wild goat. Even my father laughed. Sent her somewhere else. She took the jug, ran, brought unleavened bread on a round plank and sat down again, bent over, keeping her eyes on it, looking.

The Tatars left, the doors were locked again.

After a while, a Nogay comes to Zhilin and says:

- Come on, master, come on!

He also does not know Russian. Only Zhilin understood that he was telling him to go somewhere.

Zhilin went with a shoe, he is limping, he cannot step, and he turns his leg to the side. Zhilin went out for the Nogai. Sees - a Tatar village, ten houses and their church, with a turret. One house has three horses in saddles. The boys are kept on the bit. A blackish Tatar jumped out of this house, waved his hand so that Zhilin would go to him. He laughs himself, everyone says something in his own way, and went out the door. Zhilin came to the house. The upper room is good, the walls are smoothly smeared with clay. Motley down jackets are stacked against the front wall, expensive carpets hang on the sides; on the carpets there are guns, pistols, checkers - all in silver. In one wall there is a small stove level with the floor. The floor is earthen, clean as a current, and the entire front corner is covered with felts; there are carpets on felt, and down pillows on carpets. And on the carpets, the Tatars are sitting in the same shoes: black, red and three guests. Behind everyone's backs, downy pillows are laid, and in front of them, on a round plate, millet pancakes and cow butter are dissolved in a cup, and Tatar beer is booze in a jug. They eat with their hands, and their hands are covered in oil.

Read this entire book by purchasing the full legal version (http://www.litres.ru/lev-tolstoy/kavkazskiy-plennik-3746155/?lfrom=279785000) in liters.

Notes (edit)

Aul is a Tatar village. (Notes by Leo Tolstoy.)

Nogayets - highlander, resident of Dagestan.

Monisto is a necklace made of beads, coins or colored stones.

End of introductory snippet.

Text provided by Litres LLC.

Read this book in its entirety by purchasing the full legal version for liters.

You can safely pay for the book with a Visa, MasterCard, Maestro bank card, from a mobile phone account, from a payment terminal, in an MTS or Svyaznoy salon, through PayPal, WebMoney, Yandex.Money, QIWI Wallet, bonus cards or in another way convenient for you.

Here is an introductory snippet of the book.

Only part of the text is open for free reading (restriction of the copyright holder). If you liked the book, the full text can be obtained on the website of our partner.

Page 1 of 5

Story: Prisoner of the Caucasus

I
One gentleman served as an officer in the Caucasus. His name was Zhilin.
Once he received a letter from home. An old woman's mother writes to him: “I have become old, and I want to see my beloved son before death. Come to say goodbye to me, bury me, and there, with God, go back to the service. And I looked for you and a bride: both smart, and good, and there is a property. If you fall in love, maybe you will marry and stay completely. "
Zhilin thought about it: “And in fact: the old woman has become bad; may not have to see. To go; and if the bride is good - and you can marry. "
He went to the colonel, straightened his leave, said goodbye to his comrades, put four buckets of vodka for his soldiers in parting and got ready to go.
There was a war in the Caucasus then. There was no passage on the roads either day or night. Few of the Russians will drive away or leave the fortress - the Tatars (1) will either kill or take them to the mountains. And it was established that twice a week escorting soldiers went from fortress to fortress. Soldiers are walking in front and behind, and people are riding in the middle.
It was summer. At dawn the carts gathered behind the fortress, the escorting soldiers came out and set off along the road. Zhilin rode on horseback, and his cart with things went in the train.
It was twenty-five miles to go. The wagon train went quietly: the soldiers would stop, then in the wagon train the wheel would jump off or the horse would stop, and everyone stood and waited.
The sun had already passed in half a day, and the train had passed only half the way. Dust, heat, the sun is baking, and there is nowhere to hide. Naked steppe; not a tree, not a bush on the way.
Zhilin drove forward, stopped and waited for the baggage train to approach him. He hears, they began to play on the horn from behind - to stand again. Zhilin thought: “Why not leave alone, without the soldiers? The horse under me is kind, if I attack the Tatars, I will gallop away. Or not to ride? .. "
He stopped, hesitated. And another officer, Kostylin, with a gun, rides up to him on horseback and says:
- Let's go, Zhilin, alone. There is no urine, I want to eat, and the heat. At least wring my shirt on. - And Kostylin is an overweight, fat man, all red, and sweat pours from him. Zhilin thought and said:
- Is the gun loaded?
- Loaded.
- Well, let's go. Only an agreement - not to disperse. And they drove forward along the road. They're driving by the steppe, talking and looking around. You can see far away.
As soon as the steppe ended, the road went between two mountains into the gorge. Zhilin says:
- We need to go up the mountain to have a look, or then, perhaps, they will jump out of the mountain and you will not see it.
And Kostylin says:
- What to watch? Let's go ahead. Zhilin did not listen to him.
- No, - he says, - you wait downstairs, and I'll just take a look.
And he let the horse go to the left, up the mountain. The horse near Zhilin was a hunter's horse (he paid a hundred rubles for it in the herd with a foal and went out himself); as on wings, carried him up the steep. He just jumped out - lo and behold, and in front of him, on a tithe of a place, the Tatars are on horseback. Thirty people. He saw, began to turn back, and the Tatars saw him, rushed to him, they themselves at a gallop grab their guns from the cases. Zhilin let his legs go down the steep, shouting to Kostylin:
- Take out your gun! - and he thinks about his horse: “Mother, take it out, don't get caught with your foot, if you stumble, you're gone. I'll get to the gun, I won't give it to them. "
And Kostylin, instead of waiting, just saw the Tatars, - he rolled, which is the spirit, to the fortress. The horse is fried with a whip from one side, then from the other.
Only in the dust, you can see how the horse twirls its tail.
Zhilin sees that things are bad. The gun is gone, you can't do anything with one saber. He let the horse go back to the soldiers - he thought to leave. He sees six people being rolled across to him. Under him the horse is kind, but under those it is even kinder, and they gallop across the path. He began to twist, wanted to turn back, but the horse had already gone, he could not hold it, he was flying straight at them. He sees - a Tatar on a gray horse is approaching him with a red beard. Shrieks, teeth bared, gun at the ready.
“Well,” Zhilin thinks, “I know you, devils, if they take a live person, put him in a pit, they will flog with a whip. I won't give myself up alive ... "
And Zhilin, though not great in stature, was daring. He snatched a saber, let the horse go straight to the red Tatar, thinking: "Either I'll kill him with a horse, or I'll cut it down with a saber."
Zhilin did not jump on the horse, they shot at him from behind with guns and hit the horse. The horse hit the ground with all its might, - Zhilina leaned on her leg.
He wanted to get up, and already on it two smelly Tartars were sitting, twisting his arms back. He rushed, threw off the Tatars, - and even three jumped from their horses on him, began to beat him on the head with rifle butts. His eyes dimmed and staggered. The Tatars grabbed him, removed him from the saddles, spare girths, twisted his arms behind his back, tied him with a Tatar knot, and dragged him to the saddle. They knocked off his hat, pulled off his boots, ransacked everything, took out the money, took out his watch, and tore his dress. Zhilin looked back at his horse. She, heart, as she fell on her side, and lies, only beats with her feet - does not reach the ground; there is a hole in the head, and black blood is whistling out of the hole - it has moistened the dust for an arshin around.
One Tatar went up to the horse and began to remove the saddle. She keeps beating. ”He took out his dagger and cut her throat. It whistled from my throat, trembled, and the steam is out.
The Tatars took off their saddle and harness. A Tatar with a red beard sat on a horse, while others put Zhilin on his saddle; and in order not to fall, they pulled him with a belt by the belt to the Tatar and took him to the mountains.
Zhilin sits at the Tatar, swaying, poking his face against the stinking Tatar back. Only he sees in front of him a hefty Tatar back and a sinewy neck, and the shaven nape of the head turns blue from under the cap. Zhilin's head is broken, blood is caked over his eyes. And he can neither get better on a horse, nor wipe off the blood. Hands are so twisted that it hurts in the collarbone.
They rode for a long time from mountain to mountain, wade the river, drove onto the road and drove down a hollow.
Zhilin wanted to notice the road where he was being taken - but his eyes were smeared with blood, but you couldn't turn around.
It began to get dark; we moved across the river, began to climb the stone mountain, the smell of smoke, the dogs roared.
We arrived at the village. The Tatars climbed off the horses, the Tatar guys gathered, surrounded Zhilin, squealing, rejoicing, they began to shoot stones at him.
The Tatar drove the guys away, took Zhilin off the horse and called the worker. A Nogai came, with high cheekbones, in one shirt. The shirt was torn off, the whole chest was bare. The Tatar ordered something to him. The worker brought a block: two blocks of oak were set on iron rings, and in one ring there was a punch and a lock.
They untied Zhilin's hands, put on a shoe and took him to the barn; pushed him there and locked the door. Zhilin fell on the manure. He lay down, felt in the dark, where it was softer, and lay down.

Prisoner of the Caucasus

Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy

One gentleman served as an officer in the Caucasus. His name was Zhilin.

Once he received a letter from home. The old woman's mother writes to him: "I have become old, and I want to see my beloved son before death. Come to say goodbye to me, bury me, and there, with God, go back to the service. You have a property. Maybe you will fall in love, and you will marry and stay completely. "

Zhilin thought: "And in fact, the old woman has become bad, maybe she won't have to see. Go; and if the bride is good, you can get married."

He went to the colonel, straightened his vacation, said goodbye to his comrades, put four buckets of vodka for his soldiers goodbye and got ready to go.

There was a war in the Caucasus then. There was no passage on the roads either day or night. Few of the Russians will drive away or leave the fortress, Tatars [Tatars in those days were called mountaineers North Caucasus who obeyed the laws of the Muslim faith (religion)] will either be killed or taken to the mountains. And it was established that twice a week escorting soldiers went from fortress to fortress. Soldiers are walking in front and behind, and people are riding in the middle.

It was summer. At dawn the carts gathered behind the fortress, the escorting soldiers came out and set off along the road. Zhilin rode on horseback, and his cart with things went in the train.

The ride was twenty-five miles. The wagon train went quietly: either the soldiers would stop, then in the wagon train someone's wheel would jump off, or the horse would stop, and everyone stood waiting.

The sun had already passed in half a day, and the wagon train had passed only half of the way. Dust, heat, the sun is baking, and there is nowhere to hide. Bare steppe: not a tree, not a bush along the road.

Zhilin drove forward, stopped and waited for the train to approach him. He hears, they started playing on the horn from behind - to stand again. Zhilin thought: "Shouldn't I leave alone, without soldiers? The horse is good under me, if I attack the Tatars, I will gallop away. Or not to ride? .."

He stopped, hesitated. And another officer Kostylin rides up to him on horseback, with a gun, and says:

- Let's go, Zhilin, alone. There is no urine, I want to eat, and the heat. At least wring my shirt on. - And Kostylin is an overweight, fat man, all red, and sweat pours from him. Zhilin thought and said:

- Is the gun loaded?

- Loaded.

- Well, let's go. Only an agreement - not to disperse.

And they drove forward along the road. They're driving by the steppe, talking and looking around. You can see far away.

As soon as the steppe ended, the road entered the gorge between two mountains. Zhilin says:

- We have to go up the mountain to have a look, or then, perhaps, they will jump out of the mountain, and you will not see.

And Kostylin says:

- What to watch? Let's go ahead.

Zhilin did not listen to him.

- No, - he says, - you wait downstairs, and I'll just take a look.

And he let the horse go to the left, up the mountain. The horse near Zhilin was a hunter's horse (he paid one hundred rubles for it in the herd with a foal and went out himself); as on wings, carried him up the steep. He just jumped out - lo and behold, and in front of him, on the tithe [tithe is the measure of the land: a little more than a hectare] place, the Tatars are on horseback. Thirty people. He saw, began to turn back; and the Tatars saw him, rushed to him, and at a gallop they pulled their guns out of their cases. He let Zhilin go down the slope at all his horse's legs, shouting to Kostylin:

- Take out the gun! - and he thinks of the horse to his own: "Mother, take it out, do not get caught with your foot; if you stumble, you’re gone. I’ll get to the gun, I won’t give it up myself."

And Kostylin, instead of waiting, just saw the Tatars, rolled as far as the spirit to the fortress. The horse is fried with a whip from one side, then from the other. Only in the dust you can see how the horse twirls its tail.

Zhilin sees that things are bad. The gun has left, you can't do anything with one saber. He let the horse go back to the soldiers - he thought to leave. He sees that six are being rolled across to him. Under him, the horse is kind, but under those it is even kinder, and they even jump across the path. He began to twist, wanted to turn back, but the horse had already spread - he would not hold it, he was flying straight at them. He sees - a Tatar on a gray horse is approaching him with a red beard. Shrieks, teeth bared, gun at the ready.

“Well,” Zhilin thinks, “I know you, devils: if they take a live one, they put him in a pit, they will flog with a whip.

And Zhilin, though not great in stature, was daring. He snatched a saber, let the horse go straight at the red Tatar, thinking: "Either I'll shake it up with a horse, or I'll cut it down with a saber."

Zhilin did not jump on the horse - they shot him from behind with guns and hit the horse. The horse hit the ground with all its might - Zhilina fell on his leg.

He wanted to get up, and already on it two smelly Tartars were sitting, twisting his arms back. He rushed, threw off the Tatars, and even three jumped from their horses on him, began to beat him on the head with rifle butts. His eyes dimmed and he staggered. The Tatars grabbed him, removed the spare girths from the saddles, twisted his arms behind his back, tied him with a Tatar knot, and dragged him to the saddle. They knocked off his hat, pulled off his boots, ransacked everything - the money, the watch was taken out, the dress was all torn. Zhilin looked back at his horse. She, heart, as she fell on her side, and lies, only beats with her feet - she does not reach the ground; there is a hole in the head, and black blood is whistling from the hole - it has moistened the dust for an arshin around. One Tatar went up to the horse, began to remove the saddle, - it still beats; he took out a dagger and cut her throat. It whistled from my throat, fluttered - and steam out.

They rode for a long time up the mountain, wade the river, drove onto the road and drove down a hollow.

Zhilin wanted to notice the road where he was being taken, but his eyes were smeared with blood, but you couldn't turn around.

It began to get dark: we moved over the river, began to climb the stone mountain, the smell of smoke, the dogs roared. We arrived in the aul [Aul is a Tatar village. (Leo Tolstoy's note)]. The Tatars climbed off the horses, the Tatar guys gathered, surrounded Zhilin, squealing, rejoicing, they began to shoot stones at him.

The Tatar drove the guys away, took Zhilin off the horse and called the worker. A Nogay came [Nogay - a mountaineer, a resident of Dagestan], high-cheeked, in one shirt. The shirt was torn off, the whole chest was bare. The Tatar ordered him something. The worker brought a block: two blocks of oak are set on iron rings, and in one ring there is a punch and a lock.

They untied Zhilin's hands, put on a shoe and took him to the barn; pushed him there and locked the door. Zhilin fell on the manure. He lay down, felt in the dark, where it was softer, and lay down.

Almost all that night Zhilin did not sleep. The nights were short. He sees - it began to glow in the crack. Zhilin got up, dug out a larger crack, began to look.

He can see the road from the crack - it goes downhill, to the right is a Tatar saklya [Saklya dwelling of the Caucasian highlanders], two trees next to it. The black dog lies on the doorstep, the goat with the kids walks - twitching its tails. He sees from under the mountain there is a young Tatar woman, in a colored shirt, hanging loose, in trousers and boots, her head is covered with a caftan, and on her head is a large tin jug of water. She walks, trembles in her back, bends over, and by the hand a Tatar woman leads a shaved woman in one shirt. The Tatar went into the saklya with water, the yesterday's Tatar came out with a red beard, in a beshmet [Beshmet - outerwear] in silk, a silver dagger on a belt, in shoes on bare feet. On the head is a high hat, lamb, black, folded back. He went out, stretching, stroking his red beard himself. He stood, ordered something to the worker and went somewhere.

Then two guys rode on horseback to the watering hole. Horses snore [Snoring here: the lower part of the horse's muzzle] is wet. Some more boys ran out, shaved in some shirts, without trousers, gathered in a bunch, went to the barn, took a twig and shoved it into the crack. Zhilin as he falls on them: the guys screeched, rolled to run away - only bare knees shine.

But Zhilin is thirsty, his throat is dry. Thinks: "If only they came to visit." He hears - they open the shed. A red Tatar came, and with him another, smaller, blackish. The eyes are black, light, ruddy, the beard is small, trimmed; the face is cheerful, everything is laughing. The blackish one is even better dressed: a silk blue beshmet, with a galunchik [Galunchik, galloon - braid, a stripe of gold or silver color] is trimmed. A large silver dagger on a belt; shoes are red, morocco, also trimmed with silver. And on thin shoes there are other, thick shoes. High hat, white lamb.

The red Tatar entered, said something, as if he was swearing, and stood, leaning his elbows on the lintel, wiggling his dagger like a wolf glancing sideways at Zhilin. And the blackish - fast, lively, so all on springs and walked right up to Zhilin, squatted down, bared his teeth, patted him on the shoulder, he began to grumble often, often in his own way, winks with his eyes, clicks his tongue. Everything says:

- Good Urus! korosho urus!

Zhilin did not understand anything and says:

- Give me some water to drink.

Black laughs.

- Korosh Urus, - everything mutters in its own way.

Zhilin showed with his lips and hands that they gave him a drink.

The black man understood, laughed, looked out the door, called someone:

A girl came running, thin, skinny, about thirteen years old and looks like a black face. It can be seen that the daughter. Also black eyes, light and beautiful face. She is dressed in a long blue shirt with wide sleeves and without a belt. It is trimmed in red on the floors, on the chest and on the sleeves. On the legs there are trousers and shoes, and on the shoes there are others, with high heels, on the neck there is a monisto [Monisto necklace of beads, coins or colored stones], all of Russian fifty dollars. The head is uncovered, the braid is black, and there is a ribbon in the braid, and on the ribbon there are plaques and a silver ruble.

Tolstoy's stories are no less rich in content than his novels, so it is also important to correctly outline them in order not to miss a single important detail from the plot and remember all the main events. So that short retelling"Prisoner of the Caucasus" from "Literaguru" - an irreplaceable aid in training, as well as.

There was a gentleman named Zhilin in the Caucasus. One day he receives a letter from his mother, in which she asks her son to return home for a while, she feels bad and wants to finally see her son. She also says that she looked for a bride for him.

There was a war in the Caucasus at that time, and the roads were unsafe. Zhilin, accompanied by soldiers, sets off on a journey. Breakdowns often happened on the road, and Zhilin decides to go further alone, hoping for his faithful horse. Another officer, Kostylin, went with him.

As soon as the two drove away from the escort, they were immediately overtaken by the Tatars. Kostylin ran away in fright, Zhilin did not want to give himself up alive, because he knew how the Tatars treated the captured Russians. His horse was shot, the man himself was brought to the aul, put on a shoe and thrown into the barn.

Chapter II

Zhilin did not sleep all night, in the morning the Tatars came, they did not understand Russian, and the man gestured to bring water. A thin little girl came in with a jug, she looked frightened at the prisoner while he drank.

Zhilin was brought into the house, where the translator explained to the officer that he would not be released until a ransom was paid for him. The Tatars demanded three thousand, but the hero, remembering his poor mother, said that he was ready to give only five hundred.

The second prisoner was brought to the house, it turned out to be Kostylin, he could not hide from the Tatars. Zhilin was told that he had already sent a letter asking for a ransom. Zhilin wrote a note, but in such a way that it did not reach the recipient. He was determined to run away.

Chapter III

Kostylin was waiting for the ransom to be sent for him. Zhilin wasted no time: in the daytime he examined the surroundings of the aul, in the evenings he did needlework.

Many Tatars spoke well of the captive Russian: Zhilin repaired a watch to one of the villagers, cured a patient, and made beautiful dolls for the girls. The thin girl who brought a jug of water on the first day began to carry milk for him. Her name was Dina.

Chapter IV

Zhilin lived like this for a whole month. Dina brought him cakes and milk, some of the Tatars began to look cautiously at the prisoner, rumors appeared that they wanted to kill the soldiers without waiting for the ransom.

Zhilin made a small tunnel in the barn, in the afternoon he persuaded the boy, who was to look after him, to climb the mountain. He examined the surroundings of the aul and roughly imagined in which side to move.

Chapter V

Kostylin was frightened of running away, but nevertheless agreed. The yard dog barked when the prisoners crawled out from under the shed, but Zhilin had been feeding the dog for a long time, and he quickly fell silent.

For a long time, the prisoners wandered through the night forest, Kostylin was completely exhausted, he tore off his legs in blood and could no longer move. Zhilin was not ready to leave his comrade and carried him on his back.

The soldiers heard the clatter of hooves, and in an instant the Tatars overtook them, tied them up and took them back to the aul. There the prisoners were beaten with whips, one of the Tatars told Zhilin that if the ransom did not come in a week, he and his comrade would be killed. The prisoners were put in a deep hole and fed like dogs.

Chapter VI

Zhilin's last hope was the kind girl Dina. He made new beautiful dolls for her, but the girl was afraid to take them, she gestured to the man that they wanted to kill him. Then he asked to bring him a long stick, the heroine shook her head and ran away.

Zhilin thought that the girl was frightened, but one night a long pole went down into the pit. Kostylin ordered Zhilina to get out alone, he could not cope. The officer with difficulty with a heavy block on his leg climbed up the pole. Dina gave Zhilin food and cried for a long time. "Who will make dolls for you without me?" - the prisoner said to her, stroked the girl on the head and disappeared into the forest.

Zhilin got out of the forest and saw in the distance the Cossacks, Russian soldiers. The hero turned around, and the Tatars were already rushing after him at full speed. With the last of his strength, the man rushed to his own with a shout: “Brothers! Brothers! " The Tatars were afraid to run into the Russian cordon and stopped. The Cossacks immediately removed the block from Zhilin, fed and watered. After that, he decided to stay in the Caucasus: “So I went home and got married! No, it’s not my fate. ” A month later, Kostylin also returned barely alive, for him they still sent a ransom.

Interesting? Keep it on your wall!

1

One gentleman served as an officer in the Caucasus. His name was Zhilin.

Zhilin thought about it: “And in fact: the old woman has become bad; may not have to see. To go; and if the bride is good - and you can marry. "

He went to the colonel, straightened his leave, said goodbye to his comrades, put four buckets of vodka for his soldiers in parting and got ready to go.

It was summer. At dawn the carts gathered behind the fortress, the escorting soldiers came out and set off along the road. Zhilin rode on horseback, and the cart with his things went in the train.

The ride was 25 miles. The train went quietly; then the soldiers will stop, then in the wagon train someone's wheel will jump off, or the horse will stand, and everyone is standing - waiting.

The sun had already passed in half a day, and the train had passed only half the way. Dust, heat, the sun is baking, but there is nowhere to hide. Bare steppe, no trees, no bush along the road.

He stopped, hesitated. And another officer, Kostylin, with a gun, rides up to him on horseback and says:

- Is the gun loaded?

- Loaded.

- Well, let's go. Only an agreement - not to disperse.

And they drove forward along the road. They're driving by the steppe, talking and looking around. You can see far away.

As soon as the steppe ended, the road went between two mountains into the gorge, Zhilin said:

- We have to go up the mountain, have a look, or then, perhaps, jump out from behind the mountain and you will not see.

And Kostylin says:

- What to watch? let's go ahead.

Zhilin did not listen to him.

- No, - he says, - you wait downstairs, and I'll just take a look.

And he let the horse go to the left, up the mountain. The horse near Zhilin was a hunter's horse (he paid a hundred rubles for it in the herd with a foal and went out himself); as on the wings lifted him up the steep. He just jumped out, lo and behold - and in front of him, on a tithe of a place, there are Tatars on horseback - about thirty people. He saw, began to turn back; and the Tatars saw him, rushed to him, and at a gallop they pulled their guns out of their cases. He let Zhilin go down the slope at all his horse's legs, shouting to Kostylin:

- Take out your gun! - and he thinks about his horse: “Mother, take it out, don't get caught with your foot, if you stumble, you're gone. I'll get to the gun, I won't give it to them. "

Zhilin sees that things are bad. The gun is gone, you can't do anything with one saber. He let the horse back to the soldiers - he thought to leave. He sees six people being rolled across to him. Under him the horse is kind, but under those it is even kinder, and they gallop across the path. He began to twist, wanted to turn back, but the horse had already gone, he could not hold it, he was flying straight at them. He sees - a Tatar on a gray horse is approaching him with a red beard. Shrieks, teeth bared, gun at the ready.

“Well,” Zhilin thinks, “I know you, devils, if they take a live person, put him in a pit, they will flog with a whip. I won't give myself up alive. "

And Zhilin, though small in stature, was daring. He snatched a saber, let the horse go straight to the red Tatar, thinking: "Either I'll kill him with a horse, or I'll cut it down with a saber."

Zhilin did not jump on the horse, they shot at him from behind with guns and hit the horse. The horse hit the ground with all its might, - Zhilina leaned on her leg.

He wanted to get up, and already on it two smelly Tartars were sitting, twisting his arms back. He rushed, threw off the Tatars, - and even three jumped from their horses on him, began to beat him on the head with rifle butts. His eyes dimmed and staggered. The Tatars grabbed him, removed the spare girths from the saddles, twisted his arms behind his back, tied him with a Tatar knot, and dragged him to the saddle. They knocked off his hat, pulled off his boots, ransacked everything, took out the money, took out his watch, and tore his dress. Zhilin looked back at his horse. She, heart, as she fell on her side, and lies, only beats with her feet - does not reach the ground; there is a hole in the head, and black blood is whistling out of the hole - it has moistened the dust for an arshin around.

One Tatar went up to the horse and began to remove the saddle. She keeps beating. ”He took out his dagger and cut her throat. It whistled from my throat, fluttered, and steam out.

The Tatars took off their saddle and harness. A Tatar with a red beard sat on a horse, while others put Zhilin on his saddle; and in order not to fall, they pulled him with a belt by the belt to the Tatar and took him to the mountains.

They rode for a long time from mountain to mountain, wade the river, drove onto the road and drove down a hollow.

Zhilin wanted to notice the road where he was being taken - but his eyes were smeared with blood, but you couldn't turn around.

It began to get dark. We moved across the river, began to climb the stone mountain, the smell of smoke, dogs began to roar.

We arrived at the village. The Tatars climbed off the horses, the Tatar guys gathered, surrounded Zhilin, squealing, rejoicing, they began to shoot stones at him.

They untied Zhilin's hands, put on a shoe and took him to the shed: they pushed him there and locked the door. Zhilin fell on the manure. He lay down, felt in the dark, where it was softer, and lay down.