Page:Taras Bulba. A Tale of the Cossacks. 1916.djvu/58

52 Mother… keep you! My dear little sons, forget not your mother… send some little word of yourselves…" she could say no more.

"Now boys, let's go!" said Bulba.

By the porch stood the horses, ready saddled. Bulba sprang upon his "Devil" which jumped madly rearward, feeling upon his back a load of twenty puds, for Taras was extremely stout and heavy.

When the mother saw that her sons also were mounted on their horses, she flung herself toward the younger, whose features expressed somewhat more gentleness than those of his brother. She grasped his stirrup, clung to his saddle, and, with despair in her eyes, would not loose him from her hands. Two husky kazáks seized her carefully, and carried her into the cottage. But when they had already ridden through the gate, with all the agility of a wild goat, utterly out of keeping with her years, she rushed through the gate, with irresistible strength stopped a horse, and embraced one of her sons with a sort of senseless vehemence. Then they led her away once more.

The young kazáks rode on sadly, repressing their tears out of fear of their father who, on his