Прыгоды з жыцця прыроды
Adventures from the life of nature
Вячаслаў Грамыка
Для сярэдняга школьнага ўзросту
Выдавец: Беларусь
Памер: 263с.
Мінск 2003
But when a dog was not so stupid and stronger as in the third case, the old wolf, which could play tricks well and deceive anyone, was the winner again. It took him only more time. When approaching the courtyard and being felt by the dog, he would pretend to be wounded, dragging the rump on the snow. The dog would then attack him and that was what the wolf aimed at. He would snarl stepping back and leading the dog away from the house, but then instantly he would attack the dog and do away with it.
Having finished with the dogs, he used to come to the same courtyards visiting them in the daytime and stealing poultry. Almost every day the infuriated beast would steal either a hen or a duck. It was strange, but he would choose only very young and small birds.
The hunters looked helpless in this situation. The wolf found his hide out somewhere in the thicket, but as soon as the danger was over he would resume his ruthless raids.
During one of the raids he was the first to attack, which never happened with any other wolves.
When on heat the old wolf suddenly attacked the dogs, which were following him, and they ran away. It is true the
moment was suitable for the Lame. The dogs were far ahead of their masters who couldn't rush to help them.
Besides, they were not real hounds at all. Farmers didn't keep pure breeds in the village. They used to have crossbreeds of hounds and mongrels, and that was quite good for them. No one dared to think about purebred dogs.
During his raids at night the Lame always kept away from the houses where hunters lived. He seemed to have some special card index or even a special information service. Whenever any of them went away for some time, the wolf felt it at once, made a raid on that farm and raged there ruthlessly.
That is why the hunters quieted down. And when the master was at home with a gun at hand, the family could be more or less safe and the wife wouldn't let him go away too far saying violently “While you are loafing about we can loose our own cattle.”
Moreover, there was no practical use from local hunters. They could neither track the Lame nor trap him, nor find any other way. They tried to use the lure again. They put a dead pig on the very brink of the forest. A day passed by, the hunters went round the forest area, examined the place which interested them, but there was no evidence that the old wolf showed any interest to the lure.
The next day the wolf didn't come near the pig either, but magpies and other bids took notice of it. They flew there in stocks and pecked the frozen fresh fat.
On the third night the Lame came up to the place. He went around the lure several times, stopped, looked at it but never came close to it.
Several days later it began to snow heavily. Big snowflakes fell on the ground covering all tracks and the Lame went on stealing hens, ducks, killed dogs and tried to get into sheds. Now the farmers and villagers took more care in safeguarding their domestic animals.
Feeling that the old wolf began to show his aggressiveness towards people more and more often.
He began to meet people returning home late at night and scared them.
One day he scared to death the children who were sledging on the hill near the village. He caught one boy's strap and was pulling him to the forest for some time. Only when the children and the women who ran out began to cry he let the scared boy go. The boy was shivering and his face was white, everybody was scared very much.
In the evening the wolf attacked a woman who was returning home late. He jumped at her, threw her down and struck her in the snow, but the woman somehow managed to stand up and ran to the village. The beast followed her all the way and from time to time knocked her down in the snow. Almost unconscious the woman ran to her porch and fell down where her husband found her.
That was the last straw. Some way out had to be found. Who could help the farmer, come to his rescue? The farmers discussed one way and another, weighted up all proposals, considered them. Finally they recalled Kuzmich again, his sympathetic sly look, his'perturbed pace and his favorite saying in difficult situations, “Yokha-makha”. They didn't know whether he recovered or was still sick. At any case, one way out was to go to the old hunter. So two hunters from the village and my father who knew the former friend of his own father best, went to Kuzmich. Women sent him a present — a big piece of fat pork.
The old man was well and eagerly welcomed the guests on the porch, but he only looked strong. The years told on him and there was no longer strength in his body. So it was no use expecting alertness and cheerfulness from the forester at such an age.
Here also was this piece of pork. When Kuzmich saw it he became furious with the men as if they brought some kind of sop or payment. It was he who had helped many people in hard hungry years, but now when everybody could earn his living, he took it as an offense or disrespect, but soon he didn't feel grudge anymore, he became kinder saying that he had been too hot tempered. He believed that the hunters didn't mean to offend him and that was the present in all sincerity.
Kuzmich invited them to come in, set a big copper samovar to boil and treated his guests to his forest tea of grass and tree flowers.
They drank tea with brown crackers and dark heather honey. It was good to sit at such a table. It was pleasant, it put them in good spirits and the conversation was easy going. And there was much to talk about. Imperceptibly they came to the point of their visit. The old smiled cunningly and asked, “Well, what are your problems?”
Here my father told him all about the trouble of the villagers and farmers.
Kuzmich understood that something extraordinary might have happened in their life as soon as they arrived, but gave them an opportunity to rest a bit and to have a bite after their trip, so that they could talk over all their problems quietly and reasonably.
The facts about what the Lame had done surprised Kuzmich greatly. It was impossible to explain the infinite impudence of the beast. Moreover, it was most surprising how he treated his victims. He attacked people but never hurt anyone with his fangs and he strangled domestic animals but never ripped them. He attacked poultry, while other wolves always preferred bigger prey and he plundered with incomparable greed. Having heard the story, the old man sat in deep thought for a long time. What should they start with, where could they find the way out?
He knew that people in the village and at the farmsteads hoped for his help.
At last an interesting thought came to the old man's mind. He decided to try to make use of the wolf s infinite impudence.
So when his thought was ride he wouldn't waste time. Kuzmich sent the men back home and ordered them to return the next day. They had to start as early as possible.
The men didn't get what he meant wondering why they should go back so far away if they would have to go back again hardly having a short nap. But the old man insisted on his plan. He borrowed a gun from one of the hunters and said that he would keep it with him for a while. The hunter stared at him in puzzlement.
But the old man went on speaking in a commanding tone so characteristic of him. Once more he reminded them to hit the road as early as possible and it would be better if both of them would come together. They shouldn't take their guns with them. He ordered them to speak and laugh loudly on their way. The men couldn't make out what it was all for. The men went away and as they had been ordered to come early, did their best to be on time the next day. It didn't look as if Kuzmich was going anywhere. He was walking round the courtyard in deep thought.
“Could he have forgotten about everything?” the men wondered.
Seeing the embarrassment on their faces, Kuzmich said, “Where are you hurrying to? Take off your coats and have a rest. Now we will boil potatoes.”
The men were surprised, even my father who knew Kuzmich's tricks well, was staring at him in absolute puzzlement. He couldn't stand it any more, so he asked when the old man was going to chase the wolf if he was really going to do it.
“Oh, it will be in the evening?” Kuzmich dismissed the matter with a wave of his hand. “Meanwhile, let's go in and don't take it close to your heart.”
The men couldn’t make out why Kuzmich had ordered them to come so early. If everything was to be done in the evening, then they should have come in the afternoon and not waste time, but they preferred not to argue with Kuzmich. Perhaps, it really had to be done that way.
Kuzmich started getting ready when it was getting dark. His preparations didn't take much time, as there wasn't much to do. But the old man was preparing thoroughly. Kuzmich applied anise oil to the two guns, his gun and the one of the father's mate, Stepan; he did it to kill the smell of iron. He examined and set straight the sledge, in which they had come to him, put some more hay brought from the shed.
His behavior was still incomprehensible. For some reason he brought a linen sack, put a stringed pack of hay inside. Then he placed it on the sledge. He pulled out a strong rope from under the shed roof and tied the sack to the sledge. Was he afraid to lose it? But why did he bind it at such ajength — the rope was
about 25 — 30 meters long. Was he going to drag it after the sledge? Nobody knew it. Meanwhile he put everything on the sledge.
When evening turned into night he said 'It is just th? time. Get ready, Stepan. You are young and strong, so you'll come with me. Put on your coat and take the driver's place. 1'11 be there in a minute', and he ran to the shed again.
When he came back he had one more sack. Something was stirring and grunting inside. It was a pig. Father and Stepan who got used to Kuzmich's incomprehensible behavior during the day were not surprised now and didn't ask him anything. The old man fixed the sack carefully in the front of the sledge, then he put the sack of hay under it to make the pig comfortable. He said “Well, Youzya, you will stay as the master here and we shall go to try our luck. We'll be back at dawn.”
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