Page:The Complete Works of Lyof N. Tolstoi - 08 (Crowell, 1899).djvu/56

44 what people they were, and under whose sway they lived.

The Tartars replied that they belonged to the Tsardom of Siberia, and their Tsar was Kuchum.

Yermak let the Tartars go, except three of the most intelligent, whom he retained to act as guides.

They sailed farther. The farther they sailed, the bigger grew the river all the time, and the country grew better and better.

And they kept encountering more and more people. But the inhabitants were not powerful, and the Cossacks captured all the towns along the river.

In one town they made a great number of Tartars prisoners, and one person of authority, an old Tartar.

They began to ask the Tartar who he was. And he said: "I am Tauzik, and I am a servant of my Tsar Kuchum, and I am his head man in this city."

Yermak proceeded to ask Tauzik about his Tsar. "Was his city of Sibir far distant? Had Kuchum a large army? had he great wealth?"

Tauzik told him all about it.

"Kuchum is the very first Tsar in all the world. His city of Sibir is the biggest city in the world. In this city," said he, "there are as many men and cattle as there are stars in the sky. The Tsar Kuchum's army is beyond number; all the other tsars banded together could not vanquish him."

And Yermak said:—

"We Russians have come here to vanquish your Tsar Kuchum, and to take his city, and to bring him under the sway of the Russian Tsar. And we have a great army. Those who have come with me are only the vanguard, but those who follow us in bateaux are beyond number, and they all have guns. And our guns will shoot through a tree, and are not like your bows and arrows. Just look here!"

And Yermak shot at a tree and split it, and the Cossacks from all sides began to fire off their guns.

Tauzik fell on his knees with fright, and Yermak said to him:—