Page:Dead Souls - A Poem by Nikolay Gogol - vol2.djvu/174

164 to disentangle himself, turned on his back, belly upwards, and became more entangled than ever. Afraid of breaking the net he swam together with the fish that had been caught, telling them to tie a cord round him. Tying him with the cord they flung the end of it on to the bank. Some twenty fishermen standing on the bank caught hold of the end and began carefully hauling it in. When he reached shallow water the gentleman stood up, covered with the meshes of the net like a lady's hand covered with her openwork summer glove, glanced upwards and caught sight of the visitor driving along the dam in the carriage. Seeing a visitor he nodded to him. Tchitchikov took off his cap and politely bowed from the carriage.

'Have you dined?' shouted the gentleman, scrambling with the fish on to the bank, holding one hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun, the other in the attitude of the Medici Venus stepping out of the bath.

'No,' said Tchitchikov.

'Well, you may thank God then.'

'Oh why?' asked Tchitchikov with curiosity, holding his cap above his head.

'Why, look at this,' said the gentleman, who stood on the bank together with the carp and crucians which were struggling at his feet and leaping up a yard from the ground. 'These are nothing, don't look at these, that is the prize over there, yonder. Show the sturgeon, Big Foma.' Two sturdy peasants pulled a monster out of a tub.