Page:Tolstoy - Tales from Tolstoi.djvu/149

Rh stopping, bathe them plant another pole in the ground, and turned off sharply to the left. He went on and on. The grass was very stiff and high. The heat became oppressive. Pakhom stood still. He looked at the sun. It was dinner-time. "Well," thought Pakhom, "I must rest I suppose." So he stopped and ate some bread, but would not sit down. "For," thought he, "if you begin to sit down you will want to lie down, and if you lie down you will go to sleep." So he stood still for a little while to get his breath, and then on he went again. At first it was easy going. His food had fortified him. But soon it grew very hot again, and the sun beat full upon him. Pakhom began to grow mortally weary. "Come, come!" thought he, "endure for an hour and live like a king ever afterwards!"

So on he went and traversed ten mile's in this direction likewise. He was about to turn to the left again, when his eye fell upon a very good little spot—a fresh, well-watered ravine. He had not the heart to leave it out.

"How well flax will grow there," thought he. So he went straight on again and compassed the ravine, had another pole planted and turned the second corner. Pakhom looked towards the mound. The people on it were just visible. It was exactly fifteen miles off. "Well," thought he, "I have made the first two sides of my domain very long, this one must be much shorter." He now traversed the third side, taking longer strides than before. He looked again at the sun. It had already begun to decline. On the third side he had only gone two miles in all, and 99