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Rh the hide from the flesh with his huge hands. Then the women and the girls came up and began to wash the entrails and the inside. After that they cut up the mare and dragged the meat into the hut And the whole village came together at the house of the red-bearded man to commemorate the deceased.

Three days they ate of the mare, drank buza, and commemorated the deceased.

All the Tatars were at home now, but on the fourth day Zhilin, after dinner, beheld them assembling to go somewhither. They brought their horses, made ready, and went off, ten men in all, and the red-bearded man went too—only Abdul remained at home. There was a new moon just then, and the nights were still pretty dark.

"Now's the time," thought Zhilin; "now we must make a bolt for it." He spoke to Kostuilin about it, but Kostuilin was afraid.

"How can we run away?—we don't know the road!" said he.

"I know the road."

"But we shall never be able to get there in the night."

"Suppose we don't, surely we can pass the night in the forest? And look! I've collected some hearth-cakes. Why do you want to stick here? 'Tis easy enough to send for money, but you see they haven't collected it. And besides, the Tatars are angry now because the Russians have killed one of their people. They have been talking together about killing us likewise."

Kostuilin thought and thought for a long time.

"Very well, let us go!" said he at last.