Page:Taras Bulba. A Tale of the Cossacks. 1916.djvu/222

216 Shilo could not endure it: he trampled under foot the Holy Scriptures, wound a vile turban about his sinful head, won the confidence of a Pasha, became steward on a ship, and ruler over all the slaves. The poor prisoners sorrowed greatly thereat, for they knew that if he had betrayed his Faith he would become a tyrant, and his hand would be the more severe and heavy on them; and so it turned out. Mosii Shilo had them all put in new chains, three in a row, and twisted the cruel cords until they cut clean to the bone; and he beat them upon the back of the neck, regaling them with cuffs for their napes. And when the Turks rejoiced at having obtained such a servant, and began to carouse, and, forgetful of their law, all got drunk, he distributed all the sixty-four keys among the prisoners, in order that they might free themselves, fling their chains and manacles into the sea, and, seizing their swords, in their turn slay the Turks. Then did the kazáks collect great booty, and return with glory to their country; and the bandura-players glorified Mosii Shilo for a very long time. The men would have elected him Koshevói, but he was a very peculiar kazák. At one time he would perform some feat which the most sagacious never would have dreamed of; and at another, folly simply took possession of him. He drank away and squandered away everything,