, he said: 'In the name of the
Father and of the Son,' in the Cossack way learnt in his childhood, and
pulled the trigger. A flash of lightning lit up for an instant the
reeds and the water, and the sharp, abrupt report of the shot was
carried across the river, changing into a prolonged roll somewhere in
the far distance. The piece of driftwood now floated not across, but
with the current, rocking and whirling.

'Stop, I say!' exclaimed Ergushov, seizing his musket and raising
himself behind the log near which he was lying.

'Shut up, you devil!' whispered Lukashka, grinding his teeth. 'abreks!'

'Whom have you shot?' asked Nazarka. 'Who was it, Lukashka?'

Lukashka did not answer. He was reloading his gun and watching the
floating wood. A little way off it stopped on a sand-bank, and from
behind it something large that rocked in the water came into view.

'What did you shoot? Why don't you speak?' insisted the Cossacks.

'Abreks, I tell you!' said Lukashka.

'Don't humbug! Did the gun go off? ...'

'I've killed an abrek, that's what I fired at,' muttered Lukashka in a
voice choked by emotion, as he jumped to his feet. 'A man was
swimming...' he said, pointing to the sandbank. 'I killed him. Just
look there.'

'Have done with your humbugging!' said Ergushov again, rubbing his eyes.

'Have done with what? Look there,' said Lukashka, seizing him by the
shoulders and pulling him with such force that Ergushov groaned.

He looked in the direction in which Lukashka pointed, and discerning a
body immediately changed his tone.

'O Lord! But I say, more will come! I tell you the truth,' said he
softly, and began examining his musket. 'That was a scout swimming
across: either the others are here already or are not far off on the
other side--I tell you for sure!' Lukashka was unfastening his belt and
taking off his Circassian coat.

'What are you up to, you idiot?' exclaimed Ergushov. 'Only show
yourself and you've lost all for nothing, I tell you true! If you've
killed him he won't escape. Let me have a little powder for my
musket-pan--you have some? Nazarka, you go back to the cordon and look
alive; but don't go along the bank or you'll be killed--I tell you
true.'

'Catch me going alone! Go yourself!' said Nazarka angrily.

Having taken off his coat, Lukashka went down to the bank.

'Don't go in, I tell you!' said Ergushov, putting some powder on the
pan. 'Look, he's not moving. I can see. It's nearly morning