The dark one grinned.
"A fine Russ!" and all the time he kept babbling.
Zhilin signified by his hands and lips that they should give him water.
The dark one understood, grinned, put his head out of the door, and cried,
"Dina!"
A young girl came running in,--a slender, lean creature of thirteen, with a
face like the dark man's. Evidently she was his daughter.
She was dressed in a long blue shirt with wide sleeves and without a belt.
On the bottom, on the breast, and on the cuffs it was relieved with red
trimmings. She wore on her legs pantalettes and slippers, and over the
slippers another pair with high heels. On her neck was a necklace wholly
composed of half-ruble pieces. Her head was uncovered; she had her hair in
a black braid, and on the braid was a ribbon, and to the ribbon were
attached various ornaments and a silver ruble.
Her father gave her some command. She ran out, and quickly returned,
bringing a little tin pitcher. After she had handed him the water, she also
squatted on her heels in such a way that her knees were higher than her
shoulders.
She sits that way, and opens her eyes, and stares at Zhilin while he
drinks, as though he were some wild beast.
Zhilin offered to return the pitcher to her. She darted away like a wild
goat. Even her father laughed.
He sent her after something else. She took the pitcher, ran out, and
brought back some unleavened bread on a small round board, and again
squatted down, and stared without taking her eyes from him.
The Tatars went out, and again bolted the door.
After a while the Nogáï also comes to Zhilin, and says, "_Aï-da, khozyáïn,
aï-da!_"
But he does not know Russian either. Zhilin, however, perceived that he
wished him to go somewhere.
Zhilin hobbled out with his clog; it was impossible to walk, so he had to
drag one leg. The Nogáï led the way for him.
He sees before him a Tatar village, of half a score of houses, and the
native mosque with its minaret.
In front of one house stood three horses saddled. Lads held them by the
bridle. From this house came the dark Tatar, and waved his hand, signifying
that Zhilin was to come to him. He grinned, and kept saying something in
his own tongue, and went into the house.
Zhilin followed him.
The room was decent; the walls were smoothly plastered with clay. Against
the front wall were placed feather-beds; on the sides hung costly rugs; on
the rugs were guns, pistols, and sabres, all silver-mounted.
On one side a little oven was set in, on a level with the floor.
The floor was of earth, clean as a threshing-floor, and the whole of the
front portion was covered with felt; rugs were distributed over the felt,
and on the rugs were down pillows.
On the rugs were sitting some Tatars in slippers only,--the dark Tatar, the
red-bearded one, and three guests. Behind their backs, down cushions were
placed; and before them on wooden plates were pancakes of millet-flour, and
melted butter in a cup, and the Tatar beer, called _buza_, in a pitcher.
They ate with their fingers, and all dipped into the butter.
The dark man leaped up, bade Zhilin sit on one side, not on a rug but on
the bare floor; going back again to his rug, he handed his guests cakes and
_buza_.
The servant showed Zhilin his place; he himself took off his shoes, placed
them by the door in a row with the slippers of the other guests, and took
his seat on the felt as near as possible to his masters; and while they eat
he looks at them, and his mouth waters.
After the Tatars had finished eating, a Tatar woman entered, dressed in the
same sort of shirt as the girl wore, and in pantalettes; her head was
covered with a handkerchief. She carried out the butter and the cakes, and
brought a handsome finger-bowl, and a pitcher with a narrow nose.
The Tatars finished washing their hands, then they folded their arms, knelt
down, and puffed on all sides, and said their prayers. They talked in their
own tongue.
Then one of the guests, a Tatar, approached Zhilin, and began to speak to
him in Russian. "Kazi Muhamet made you prisoner," said he, pointing to the
red-bearded Tatar; "and he has given you to Abdul Murat," indicating the
dark one. "_Abdul Murat is now your master._"[100]
[Footnote 100: _khozyáïn._]
Zhilin said nothing.
Abdul Murat began to talk, all the time pointing toward Zhilin, and grinned
as he talked-: "_soldat Urus, korosho Urus_."
The interpreter went on to say, "He commands you to write a letter home,
and have them send money to ransom you. As soon as money is sent, he will
set you free."