But even now I sometimes see in a dream the grey heather and the stunted grass of the waste land, and King Stakh’s Wild Hunt leaping, dashing through the marshes. The horses’ bits do not tinkle, the silent horsemen are sitting up straight in their saddles. Their hair, their capes, their horses’ manes are waving in the wind, and a lonely star is burning overhead. King Stakh’s Wild Hunt is racing madly across the earth in terrifying silence. I awaken and think that its time is not yet over, not as long as gloom and darkness and cold, social inequality and dark horror exist on earth. Across the land, half drowned in fog, still dashes The Wild Hunt. CONTENTS Chapter the First 4 Chapter the Second 36 Chapter the Third 51 Chapter the Fourth 72 Chapter the Fifth 106 Chapter the Sixth 128 Chapter the Seventh 131 Chapter the Eighth 146 Chapter the Ninth 159 Chapter the Tenth 169 Chapter the Eleventh 181 Chapter the Twelfth 193 Chapter the Thirteenth 200 Chapter the Fourteenth 207 Chapter the Fifteenth 215 Chapter the Sixteenth 232 Chapter the Seventeenth 240 Chapter the Eighteenth 263 Chapter the Nineteenth 268 Uladzimir Karatkevich KING STAKH S WILD HUNT A STORY Translated from the Byelorussian by MARY MINTZ Edited by GRAHAM WHITTAKER Illustrated by ULADZIMIR VISHNEVSKY Minsk, Yunatstva Publishers, 1989 Перевод сделан no нзданню: Уладзімір Караткевіч. Вока тайфуна: Апавяданні і аповесці. Мн„ «Маст. літ.*, 1974. (0-50) Printed in the USSR Works by Uladzimir Karatkevich (1930—1984) are wellknown to Soviet and foreign readers. His prose-books ("Spikes under Your Sickle", "The Alshany Black Castle") and books of poetry ("A Mother's Soul", "My Iliad", "I Was. I Am. I Will Be") demonstrated the great artistic talent of the author. In "King Stakh's Wild Hunt" Uladzimir Karatkevich remained true to the best traditions of romanticism. The book is a Stirring adventure narration based on an encient Byelorussian legend.