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In April the troops were enlivened by news of the Emperor's
arrival, but Rostov had no chance of being present at the review
he held at Bartenstein, as the Pavlograds were at the outposts
far beyond that place.
They were bivouacking. Denisov and Rostov were living in an
earth hut, dug out for them by the soldiers and roofed with branches
and turf. The hut was made in the following manner, which had
then come into vogue. A trench was dug three and a half feet wide,
four feet eight inches deep, and eight feet long. At one end of
the trench, steps were cut out and these formed the entrance and
vestibule. The trench itself was the room, in which the lucky
ones, such as the squadron commander, had a board, lying on piles
at the end opposite the entrance, to serve as a table. On each
side of the trench, the earth was cut out to a breadth of about
two and a half feet, and this did duty for bedsteads and couches.
The roof was so constructed that one could stand up in the middle
of the trench and could even sit up on the beds if one drew close
to the table. Denisov, who was living luxuriously because the
soldiers of his squadron liked him, had also a board in the roof
at the farther end, with a piece of (broken but mended) glass
in it for a window. When it was very cold, embers from the soldiers'
campfire were placed on a bent sheet of iron on the steps in the
"reception room"- as Denisov called that part of the
hut- and it was then so warm that the officers, of whom there
were always some with Denisov and Rostov, sat in their shirt sleeves.
In April, Rostov was on orderly duty. One morning, between
seven and eight, returning after a sleepless night, he sent for
embers, changed his rain-soaked underclothes, said his prayers,
drank tea, got warm, then tidied up the things on the table and
in his own corner, and, his face glowing from exposure to the
wind and with nothing on but his shirt, lay down on his back,
putting his arms under his head. He was pleasantly considering
the probability of being promoted in a few days for his last reconnoitering
expedition, and was awaiting Denisov, who had gone out somewhere
and with whom he wanted a talk.
Suddenly he heard Denisov shouting in a vibrating voice behind
the hut, evidently much excited. Rostov moved to the window to
see whom he was speaking to, and saw the quartermaster, Topcheenko.
"I ordered you not to let them that Mashka woot stuff!"
Denisov was shouting. "And I saw with my own eyes how Lazarchuk
bwought some fwom the fields."
"I have given the order again and again, your honor,
but they don't obey," answered the quartermaster.
Rostov lay down again on his bed and thought complacently:
"Let him fuss and bustle now, my job's done and I'm lying
down- capitally!" He could hear that Lavrushka- that sly,
bold orderly of Denisov's- was talking, as well as the quartermaster.
Lavrushka was saying something about loaded wagons, biscuits,
and oxen he had seen when he had gone out for provisions.
Then Denisov's voice was heard shouting farther and farther
away. "Saddle! Second platoon!"
"Where are they off to now?" thought Rostov.
Five minutes later, Denisov came into the hut, climbed with
muddy boots on the bed, lit his pipe, furiously scattered his
things about, took his leaded whip, buckled on his saber, and
went out again. In answer to Rostov's inquiry where he was going,
he answered vaguely and crossly that he had some business.
"Let God and our gweat monarch judge me afterwards!"
said Denisov going out, and Rostov heard the hoofs of several
horses splashing through the mud. He did not even trouble to find
out where Denisov had gone. Having got warm in his corner, he
fell asleep and did not leave the hut till toward evening. Denisov
had not yet returned. The weather had cleared up, and near the
next hut two officers and a cadet were playing svayka, laughing
as they threw their missiles which buried themselves in the soft
mud. Rostov joined them. In the middle of the game, the officers
saw some wagons approaching with fifteen hussars on their skinny
horses behind them. The wagons escorted by the hussars drew up
to the picket ropes and a crowd of hussars surrounded them.
"There now, Denisov has been worrying," said Rostov,
"and here are the provisions."
"So they are!" said the officers. "Won't the
soldiers be glad!"
A little behind the hussars came Denisov, accompanied by two
infantry officers with whom he was talking.
Rostov went to meet them.
"I warn you, Captain," one of the officers, a short
thin man, evidently very angry, was saying.
"Haven't I told you I won't give them up?" replied
Denisov.
"You will answer for it, Captain. It is mutiny- seizing
the transport of one's own army. Our men have had nothing to eat
for two days."
"And mine have had nothing for two weeks," said
Denisov.
"It is robbery! You'll answer for it, sir!" said
the infantry officer, raising his voice.
"Now, what are you pestewing me for?" cried Denisov,
suddenly losing his temper. "I shall answer for it and not
you, and you'd better not buzz about here till you get hurt. Be
off! Go!" he shouted at the officers.
"Very well, then!" shouted the little officer, undaunted
and not riding away. "If you are determined to rob, I'll..."
"Go to the devil! quick ma'ch, while you're safe and
sound!" and Denisov turned his horse on the officer.
"Very well, very well!" muttered the officer, threateningly,
and turning his horse he trotted away, jolting in his saddle.
"A dog astwide a fence! A weal dog astwide a fence!"
shouted Denisov after him (the most insulting expression a cavalryman
can address to a mounted infantryman) and riding up to Rostov,
he burst out laughing.
"I've taken twansports from the infantwy by force!"
he said. "After all, can't let our men starve."
The wagons that had reached the hussars had been consigned
to an infantry regiment, but learning from Lavrushka that the
transport was unescorted, Denisov with his hussars had seized
it by force. The soldiers had biscuits dealt out to them freely,
and they even shared them with the other squadrons.
The next day the regimental commander sent for Denisov, and
holding his fingers spread out before his eyes said:
"This is how I look at this affair: I know nothing about
it and won't begin proceedings, but I advise you to ride over
to the staff and settle the business there in the commissariat
department and if possible sign a receipt for such and such stores
received. If not, as the demand was booked against an infantry
regiment, there will be a row and the affair may end badly."
From the regimental commander's, Denisov rode straight to
the staff with a sincere desire to act on this advice. In the
evening he came back to his dugout in a state such as Rostov had
never yet seen him in. Denisov could not speak and gasped for
breath. When Rostov asked what was the matter, he only uttered
some incoherent oaths and threats in a hoarse, feeble voice.
Alarmed at Denisov's condition, Rostov suggested that he should
undress, drink some water, and send for the doctor.
"Twy me for wobbewy... oh! Some more water... Let them
twy me, but I'll always thwash scoundwels... and I'll tell the
Empewo'... Ice..." he muttered.
The regimental doctor, when he came, said it was absolutely
necessary to bleed Denisov. A deep saucer of black blood was taken
from his hairy arm and only then was he able to relate what had
happened to him.
"I get there," began Denisov. "'Now then, where's
your chief's quarters?' They were pointed out. 'Please to wait.'
'I've widden twenty miles and have duties to attend to and no
time to wait. Announce me.' Vewy well, so out comes their head
chief- also took it into his head to lecture me: 'It's wobbewy!'-
'Wobbewy,' I say, 'is not done by man who seizes pwovisions to
feed his soldiers, but by him who takes them to fill his own pockets!'
'Will you please be silent?' 'Vewy good!' Then he says: 'Go and
give a weceipt to the commissioner, but your affair will be passed
on to headquarters.' I go to the commissioner. I enter, and at
the table... who do you think? No, but wait a bit!... Who is it
that's starving us?" shouted Denisov, hitting the table with
the fist of his newly bled arm so violently that the table nearly
broke down and the tumblers on it jumped about. "Telyanin!
'What? So it's you who's starving us to death! Is it? Take this
and this!' and I hit him so pat, stwaight on his snout... 'Ah,
what a... what...!' and I sta'ted fwashing him... Well, I've had
a bit of fun I can tell you!" cried Denisov, gleeful and
yet angry, his showing under his black mustache. "I'd have
killed him if they hadn't taken him away!"
"But what are you shouting for? Calm yourself,"
said Rostov. "You've set your arm bleeding afresh. Wait,
we must tie it up again."
Denisov was bandaged up again and put to bed. Next day he
woke calm and cheerful.
But at noon the adjutant of the regiment came into Rostov's
and Denisov's dugout with a grave and serious face and regretfully
showed them a paper addressed to Major Denisov from the regimental
commander in which inquiries were made about yesterday's occurrence.
The adjutant told them that the affair was likely to take a very
bad turn: that a court-martial had been appointed, and that in
view of the severity with which marauding and insubordination
were now regarded, degradation to the ranks would be the best
that could be hoped for.
The case, as represented by the offended parties, was that,
after seizing the transports, Major Denisov, being drunk, went
to the chief quartermaster and without any provocation called
him a thief, threatened to strike him, and on being led out had
rushed into the office and given two officials a thrashing, and
dislocated the arm of one of them.
In answer to Rostov's renewed questions, Denisov said, laughing,
that he thought he remembered that some other fellow had got mixed
up in it, but that it was all nonsense and rubbish, and he did
not in the least fear any kind of trial, and that if those scoundrels
dared attack him he would give them an answer that they would
not easily forget.
Denisov spoke contemptuously of the whole matter, but Rostov
knew him too well not to detect that (while hiding it from others)
at heart he feared a court-martial and was worried over the affair,
which was evidently taking a bad turn. Every day, letters of inquiry
and notices from the court arrived, and on the first of May, Denisov
was ordered to hand the squadron over to the next in seniority
and appear before the staff of his division to explain his violence
at the commissariat office. On the previous day Platov reconnoitered
with two Cossack regiments and two squadrons of hussars. Denisov,
as was his wont, rode out in front of the outposts, parading his
courage. A bullet fired by a French sharpshooter hit him in the
fleshy part of his leg. Perhaps at another time Denisov would
not have left the regiment for so slight a wound, but now he took
advantage of it to excuse himself from appearing at the staff
and went into hospital.
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