Page:The Complete Works of Lyof N. Tolstoi - 08 (Crowell, 1899).djvu/54

42 Yermak received the agents, listened to their words, and agreed to come with his army about the time of the Assumption.

At the time of the Feast of the Assumption six hundred Cossacks, with their ataman Yermak, the son of Timofeï, came to the Strogonofs. At first Strogonof sent them out against the neighboring Tartars. The Cossacks defeated them. Then when there was nothing further to do, the Cossacks began to wander about and pillage. Strogonof summoned Yermak, and said:—

"I am not going to keep you any longer, if you act so lawlessly."

And Yermak replied:—

"I myself am sorry. But it is not so easy to manage my men; they are wild fellows. Give us something to do."

And Strogonof said:—

"Go beyond the Urals, and fight with Kuchum and master his land. Even the Tsar will reward you."

And he read to Yermak the Tsar's missive, and Yermak was delighted; he called together his Cossacks, and said:—

"You scandalize me before the master here. You are always up to some lawlessness. If you don't behave, he will dismiss you, and then where will you go? On the Volga the Tsar has a great army; they will take you prisoners, and it will go hard with you on account of the deeds that you have done. But if you find it dull here, we must find some work for you to do."

And he showed them the Tsar's missive permitting Strogonof to conquer the land beyond the Urals. The Cossacks talked it over and agreed to go.

Yermak returned to Strogonof, and the two began to consult together how best to make the expedition.

They decided how many bateaux would be needed, how much grain, powder, lead; how many cattle, firearms; how many Tartar prisoners for interpreters; how many German gunsmiths.

Strogonof said to himself:—

"Though this is going to cost me dear, still I must