Page:Taras Bulba. A Tale of the Cossacks. 1916.djvu/167

Rh, said: "How now, Koshevói? Kukubenko has spoken truth. What have you to say to that?"

"What have I to say? I say, Blessed be the father who begat such a son! It requires not much wisdom to utter words of reproof; but much wisdom is needed to say such words as, without cursing a man's misfortune, encourage him, restore to him his spirit, put spurs to the horse of his soul, refreshed by watering. I meant myself to speak words of comfort to you, but Kukubenko has forestalled me."

"The Koshevói also has spoken well!" rang through the ranks of the Zaporozhtzi. "His words are good," repeated others. And even the grey-heads who stood there like dark-blue doves, nodded their heads, and twitching their grey moustaches, said softly: "That word was well spoken!"

"Listen now, noble sirs," continued the Koshevói. "To take a city, scale it, undermine it as the foreign engineers do, is the sort of shamming we'll leave to the enemy: that's not proper nor an affair for a kazák. But, judging from appearances, the enemy entered the city without many provisions; they hadn't many carts with them. The people in the city are hungry: they will eat up everything in a trice; and the horses will do the