Read Sketches from a Hunter's Album for Free Online

Khor,’ I was saying to him, ‘why don’t you buy yourself off from your master?’
    â€˜But why should I? Now I know my master and I know the rent I must pay. Our master’s a good man.’
    â€˜But surely it’s better to be free,’ I remarked.
    Khor gave me a sideways glance.
    â€˜That’s for sure,’ he muttered.
    â€˜Then why not buy yourself off?’
    Khor gave a little turn of the head.
    â€˜What, sir, am I to use to buy myself off with?’
    â€˜Surely, old man, you’ve got…’
    â€˜If Khor was among free people,’ he continued in a low mutter, as though speaking to himself, ‘then everyone without a beard would be a bigger fish than Khor.’
    â€˜Then cut off your beard.’
    â€˜What’s a beard good for? It’s just like grass, you can cut it if you want to.’
    â€˜Well, then?’
    â€˜It’s like this – Khor’ll straightaway find himself among merchants. They live a good life, that’s for sure, and they wear beards.’
    â€˜Don’t you also do some trading?’ I asked him.
    â€˜We do a wee bit o’ trading, a bit of oil here, some tar there… What about it, sir, can I order them to harness up the cart?’
    You’re one who knows his own mind and keeps a strong rein on his tongue, I said to myself. ‘No,’ I said out loud. ‘I don’t need the cart. I’ll be going hunting in this region tomorrow and, if you’ll allow me, I’d like to spend the night in your barn.’
    â€˜With pleasure, sir. Are you sure you’ll be all right in the barn? I’ll get the women to lay down a sheet for you and a pillow. Hey, women, come along!’ he shouted, getting up. ‘And you, Fedya, you go along with them. Women are a stupid lot by themselves.’
    A quarter of an hour later Fedya showed me the way to the barn with his lantern. I flung myself down into the fragrant hay and my dog curled up at my feet. Fedya wished me good night; the door creaked and banged to behind him. I was unable to go to sleep for a long time. A cow came up to the door and breathed loudly once or twice; the dog gave it a dignified growl; a pig strolled by, grunting in its preoccupied way; a horse somewhere close by began to chew the hay and snort… Finally I fell asleep.
    Fedya awoke me at first light. I had grown to like this gay, lively young fellow very much, and so far as I could tell he was also Khor’s favourite. They made very good-natured fun of each other. The old man came out to meet me. Whether it was because I had spent the night under his roof, or for some other reason, he treated me now in a much more kindly fashion than on the previous day.
    â€˜The samovar’s ready for you,’ he said with a smile. ‘Let’s go and have some tea.’
    We took our places round the table. A buxom girl, one of his daughters-in-law, brought in a bowl of milk. One by one his sons came into the hut.
    â€˜What a fine, grown-up crowd you have!’ I remarked to the old man.
    â€˜Yes,’ he murmured, biting off a tiny piece of sugar, ‘it doesn’t seem like they’ve got much complaint to make against me and the old woman.’
    â€˜And do they all live with you?’
    â€˜They do. That’s how they want it.’
    â€˜And they’re all married?’
    â€˜There’s one of ’em not married yet,’ he answered, indicating Fedya who was as usual leaning against the door. ‘Vaska’s young yet, and he can wait a bit.’
    â€˜What do I want with marriage?’ Fedya protested. ‘I’m all right as I am. What good’s a wife? To have howling matches with, eh?’
    â€˜There you go again… I know what you’re up to! You’ve got those silver rings on your fingers and you’re all the time sniffing round the girls out in the yard. “Give over, you ought to be ashamed!”’