Page:Taras Bulba. A Tale of the Cossacks. 1916.djvu/56

50 lain down upon the grass; the topmost leaves of the willows began to rustle softly, and little by little the rippling rustle descended to their very bases. She sat there, unwearied, until daylight, and wished in her heart that the night might last as long as possible. From the steppe came the ringing neigh of a stallion; red tongues darted brightly athwart the sky.

Bulba suddenly awoke and sprang to his feet. He remembered perfectly well all that he had ordered the night before. "Now, my lads, time's up! you've slept enough! Water the horses! And where's the old woman?" (This was what he generally called his wife.) "Hurry up, old woman, get us something to eat; we've a long trip ahead of us."

The poor old woman, deprived of her last hope, slipped sadly into the cottage. While with tears she prepared what was needed for breakfast, Bulba issued his orders, went to the stable, and himself selected his best trappings for his boys.

The collegians were suddenly transformed. Red morocco boots with silver heels replaced their dirty old foot-gear; trousers wide as the Black Sea, with thousands of folds and plaits, were supported by golden girdles; from the girdles hung long, slender thongs, with tassels and other jingling things for pipes. The kazák coat, of brilliant