“I have already passed the whole night there, and I came here to try
and get a little rest,” said he. “Cannot you go alone? My assistant,
Lieutenant Kartz, is there, and he will show you everything.”
The captain had now been for six months in command of this, one of the
most dangerous of the batteries—and even when there were no casemates
he had lived, without relief, in the bastion and among the sailors,
from the beginning of the siege, and he bore a reputation among them
for bravery. Therefore his refusal particularly struck and amazed
Kalugin. “That's what reputation is worth!” he thought.
“Well, then, I will go alone, if you will permit it,” he said, in a
somewhat bantering tone to the captain, who, however, paid not the
slightest heed to his words.
But Kalugin did not reflect that he had passed, in all, at different
times, perhaps fifty hours on the bastion, while the captain had lived
there for six months. Kalugin was actuated, moreover, by vanity, by
a desire to shine, by the hope of reward, of reputation, and by the
charm of risk; but the captain had already gone through all that: he
had been vain at first, he had displayed valor, he had risked his
life, he had hoped for fame and guerdon, and had even obtained them,
but these actuating motives had already lost their power over him, and
he regarded the matter in another light; he fulfilled his duty with
punctuality, but understanding quite well how small were the chances
for his life which were left him, after a six-months residence in the
bastion, he no longer risked these casualties, except in case of stern
necessity, so that the young lieutenant, who had entered the battery
only a week previous, and who was now showing it to Kalugin, in company
with whom he took turns in leaning out of the embrasure, or climbing
out on the ramparts, seemed ten times as brave as the captain.
After inspecting the battery, Kalugin returned to the casemate, and ran
against the general in the dark, as the latter was ascending to the
watch-tower with his staff-officers.
“Captain Praskukhin!” said the general, “please to go to the first
lodgement and say to the second battery of the M—— regiment, which is
at work there, that they are to abandon their work, to evacuate the
place without making any noise, and to join their regiment, which is
standing at the foot of the hill in reserve.... Do you understand? Lead
them to their regiment yourself.”
“Yes, sir.”
And Praskukhin set out for the lodgement on a run.
The firing was growing more infrequent.