Chapter 5

The bright disk of the sun, shining through the milk- white mist, had risen quite high ; the grayish-violet horizon was widening all the time, and though it was farther away, it was also sharply closed in by the decep- tive white mist wall.

In front of us, beyond the forest which had been cut down, there was opened up a fairly large clearing. Over the clearing there spread on all sides the smoke from the fires, now black, now milk-white, now violet, and the white layers of the mist were forming themselves into fantastic shapes. Far in the distance, occasionally appeared groups of Tartar horsemen, and were heard the infrequent re- ports of our carbines, and their guns and cannon.

" This was not yet an engagement, but mere child's play," as the good Captain Khlopov used to say.

The commander of the ninth company of sharpshooters, who were to flank us, walked up to the guns, pointed to three Tartar horsemen, who were at that time riding near the forest, at a distance of more than six hundred fathoms from us ; he asked me, with that eagerness to see an artillery fire which is characteristic of all infantry officers in general, to give them a shot or a shell.

" Do you see," he said, with a kindly and convincing smile extending his hand from behind my shoulder, " there where the two high trees are ? One of them, in front, is on a white horse, and dressed in a white mantle, and there, behind him, are two more. Do you see them ? Couldn't you just — "

"And there are three others, riding near the forest," added Antonov, who had remarkably sharp eyes, ap- proaching us, and conceahng behind his back the pipe which he had been smoking. " The one in front has just taken out the gun from its case. You can see him plainly, your Honor ! "

"I say, he has fired it off, brothers! There is the white puff of the smoke," said Velenchuk, in a group of soldiers who were standing a short distance behind us.

" He must have aimed at our cordon, the rascal ! " remarked another.

" See what a lot of them the forest is pouring out. I suppose they are trying to find a place to station their cannon," added a third. " If we could just burst a shell in the midst of them, — that would make them spit — "

" What is your opinion ? will it reach so far, dear man ? " asked Chikin.

"Five hundred or five hundred and twenty fathoms, not more," Maksimov said, coolly, as though speaking to himself, though it was evident that he was anxious to fire off the cannon, as the rest were. " If we were to give forty-five lines to the howitzer, we might hit it, — hit it square in the middle."

"Do you know, if you were to aim straight at this group, you would certainly hit somebody. See how they have all gathered in a mass ! Now, quickly, give the order to fire," the commander of the company continued his entreaties.

" Do you order the gun to be aimed ? " Antonov sud- denly asked, in a jerky bass voice, with gloomy malice in his eyes.

I must confess that I myself was anxious for it, and so I ordered that the second cannon be brought into posi- tion.

No sooner had I given the order than the shell was powdered, and rammed in, and Antonov, clinging to the gun-cheek, and placing his two fat fingers on the carriage- plate, was ordering the block-trail to the right and left.

" A trifle more to the left — a wee bit to the right — now, the least Httle bit more — now it's all right," he said, walking away from the gun with a proud face.

The infantry officer, I, and Maksimov, one after an- other put our eyes to the sight, and each expressed his particular opinion.

" Upon my word, it will carry across," remarked Velen- chuk, clicking with his tongue, although he had only been looking over Antonov's shoulder, and therefore did not have the least reason for such a supposition. " Upon my word, it wiU carry across, and will strike that tree, brothers ! "

" Second ! " I commanded.

The crew stepped aside. Antonov ran to one side, in order to see the flight of the projectile ; the fuze flashed, and the brass rang out. At the same time we were en- veloped in powder-smoke, and through the deafening boom of the report was heard the metallic, whizzing sound of the projectile, flying with the rapidity of light- ning, dying away in the distance amid a universal silence. A little behind the group of the horsemen ap- peared white smoke, the Tartars galloped away in both directions, and we heard the sound of the explosion.

" That was fine ! How they are scampering ! See, the devils don't like it ! " were heard the approvals and jests in the ranks of the artillery and infantry.

" If we had aimed a little lower, we should have hit Mm straight," remarked Velenchuk. " I told you it would strike the tree, and so it did, — it went to the right."