Page:Taras Bulba. A Tale of the Cossacks. 1916.djvu/225

Rh straight upon the big-bellied colonel. The colonel could not withstand the attack and, wheeling his horse about, set out at a gallop; but Kukubenko pursued him for a long distance, all over the plain, and prevented him from joining his regiment.

Perceiving this from the kurén on the flank, Stepan Guska set out after him, lasso in hand, bending his head to his horse's neck, and taking advantage of an opportunity, with one cast he landed the lasso about his neck: the colonel turned purple in the face, grasped the cord with both hands, and tried to break it; but a powerful blow drove a lance through his body. And there he remained, pinned to the earth. But things turned out badly for Guska! Before the kazáks had time to look about them, they beheld Stepan Guska elevated on four spears. All the poor fellow succeeded in saying was, "May all our enemies perish, and may the Russian land rejoice forever!" and then he yielded up his spirit.

The kazáks glanced around, and there was kazák Meteltzya on one side, entertaining the Lyakhs, dealing blows on the head to one and another; and on the other side, Atamán Nevylychky was attacking with his men; and Zakrutybuga was turning and slaying the foe near the transports; and the third Pisarenko had repulsed a whole