Month to year. Defense of Sevastopol. 1853—1855. Eastern War. Love and death do not know barriers

Landowner-breaker

On the outskirts of the forest, branches trembled in dense bushes. Birds, doubtfully looked around the fluffy greens, shook their beaks, and sometimes spread their wings, preparing to take off. They suspected to see that there was someone among the branches, but hiding.

In the morning, early Michel went out into the yard, stretching, and rubbing his eyes. It was still early, the pipe was not smoking over the kitchen, which means that the cook Efrosinya had not yet melted the stove. The estate was still asleep, in a sweet dawn shower. He was rushing on the corner, next to the stable, and saw how Ivan Etskov, Fedor Grigoriev and Evgraf Kolychev, were taking horses out of the stable. And take off the guy – the shepherd, Maksimka. It seems to be nothing like that, but each had a gun with his back, and the pistols were holstered at the saddles. And everyone has old sabers on their belts. With a saber on the wolf went?

Michelle quickly ran to get dressed, but Yakim came to the noise. The young man managed to take a double-barreled gun and pistols, a gift from his grandfather.

– Where are you going, master? – asked the batman.

– So I’m going for a walk.

– I’m with you…

– What am I, young, Yakim?

– No, master, but not one thing…

So we left together, and Michel saw three former cuirassiers on the road, trotting towards the Terentyev estate

– Why are they going there?” the young man asked, thinking of the bad.

– Terentyev asked grandfather Rusov to help against the neighbor. The forest is stolen from him.

– We’re with them. Yakim, – said young Zalepsky in a stern voice and drove the horse.

But after thinking, I decided not to rush, and stay at a distance so that my father would not complain. The young man mastered hunting excitement. Soon the forest began, vacationers dismounted, and Maximka led the horses. Three walked carefully, examined the clearing with stumps from sawn trees, and hid in the bushes. Yakim was left nearby with horses, and Michelle found shelter among the old trees.

I didn’t have to wait long… A dozen carts drove up to the clearing, and there were fifteen men on them. Two had guns in their hands, they sat on stumps, and just talked about something and laughed. They were with saws and axes, and briskly set to work.

– Well, now we will laugh…

But he was ahead of his grandfather’s foresters, Ivan Etskov and Fyodor Grigoriev, with guns aimed at men with weapons, came out of the bushes and ran very close.

“Put it on the ground, and do not spoil it,” Ivan ordered loudly.

The man tried to cock the trigger, but Etskov shot into the air, immediately taking out a pistol. The other immediately threw the gun into the grass, the first was thinking about everything.

– Do you want a bullet in the stomach? – Grigoriev asked gloomily, – you won’t die right away, you will suffer…

Michel also ran up, and became a little from the side, grabbing a cart horse under the bridle, the owner of which tried to escape from the battlefield. The young man took out his loaded colt.

– Tie your hands, men… – he ordered, – we will go to the Terentyev estate.

– What are you, master… Our master. Apollo Zakharchenko, he will ask yours, “said one of the peasants who threw the gun.

“That’s for sure,” another confirmed, “the captain is a police officer, Prokhor Kuzmich, he has teas every day.

– Let’s see… – the young master yelled.

Soon the Terentyev people observed a funny picture – carts tied to carts, several bound peasants in carts, ahead of this caravan a master, and a servant, seemingly neighboring. Behind the carts were still those riders, with guns behind their backs and with sabers, and with them a boy on horseback. The guys enthusiastically ran after the creaking wheels, loudly hooting.

The yard man nimbly opened the gate, and the cavalcade ended up in the estate. The master Terentyev Pyotr Fedorovich personally met, Dressed in a homemade cap, a silk robe and indispensable Turkish shoes.

– Caught men – in batogi, scarb – in a manor pantry, – he sentenced.

– Oh, the master, – one of those who were with weapons spoke, – I would not have to regret… Apollon Sokratovich will not suffer resentment..

Peter Fedorovich sneered unkind, and went closer to the lively adventurer.

– And to this – the whip. Ten strikes.

The serfs of Terentyev drove away the carts, put the horses in the stables, and began to sadly flog the caught. They beat slightly, for the sake of order. But the talking was courted by the blacksmith Silantius under the supervision of Terentyev himself.

Michelle, meanwhile, went to the estate, where Elizaveta Vasilievna fed the dear guest breakfast. Next to the young man sat and joyful Marya Petrovna.

“Thank you, you helped our neighbor’s peasant to cope,” the mistress of the house said, “good fellow, knight.”

– It is more father’s foresters work did, Elizaveta Vasilyevna.

“And thank you father. Yes, you eat, the pies are good, otherwise they will cool down.

Michel was very hungry, but looked more at Masha’s pink cheeks than ruddy pies.

***

After lunch, they drove the Poroty thieves from the estate, and in the evening Apollon Sokratovich Zakharchenko himself appeared in person. The butler, or rather, just an old servant, reported the Terentyevs, and entered the modest living room of the house, no, this nobleman burst in.

Mr. Zakharchenko was above average height, his physique was dense, he was dressed up in the hussar uniform of the Leuchtenberg regiment, and judging by his uniform, he rose to the rank of captain. The face was round, decorated with a mustache. But to say that judging by his appearance, this is a vicious person – it was impossible, on the contrary, rather his appearance aroused sympathy.

– Pyotr Fedorovich, dear neighbor! – he began and laughed loudly, as if with joy, – it’s good that you taught my peasants. So they have nothing to steal someone else’s forest. But return the carts, return… It’s not neighborly.

– Apollon Sokratovich, – the owner answered firmly, – let them pay for the stolen goods, but for the offense – I’ll give the carts.

– After all, people of God, it is necessary to forgive them, as the Lord commands, Peter Fedorovich?

– So at the fair everywhere they demand money for their goods, and not for that they give it away.

– People scold what will happen, God forbid, – Zakharchenko added in a quiet voice, but with a green face with anger. – may burn your estate.

– To all God’s will, – Terentyev also answered with anger in his voice, – by their sins they will be rewarded.

– Such a thing, – and Apollon Ҫ okratovich smiled broadly, – I widowed, I want to marry. If I grab your daughter, Marya Petrovna?

– I don’t know what to answer, – Pyotr Fedorovich, who was taken aback, was not found, – it is necessary to ask Mashenka.

“Think of my suggestions. Well, okay, I’ll go, otherwise the business, the farm cannot be left unattended for a long time.

Terentyev did not go to see off the guest, and Elizaveta Vasilievna did not even bring water to the landowner Zakharchenko.

***

Michelle sat in the corner, and only listened to the conversation, did not interfere. Not the owner here, but the guest. The young man restrained her when he heard the words about the matchmaking of this robber. But as soon as Zakharchenko came out, the young man stood up impetuously and approached Terentyev, who was sitting in a chair.

– The police officer must report, let him punish the villains.

– He won’t be engaged in such trifle. I already applied, but no use. Our police officer is hunting with Zakharchenko, and Apollo regularly loses to him at cards. And I was not the only one to complain – he steals from everyone, the Tartishchevs took the sheep away. Well, your father is afraid – very rich, but influential friends, comrades in the regiment.

– If so, we will guard. Man, judging by the habits, cocky, wants to get even. Here we will grab him.

– It’s not for one day, Mikhail Dmitrievich. At once and do not dare to do this.

And for sure, they sat under the bushes, Michelle and their father’s foresters, four of them every night for a week on the convenient path of the Terentyev forests, but here…

Michelle had already fallen asleep, and barely heard the rustle of the bushes, and a quiet conversation:

– On both sides we will wait, and we will burn the estate, who will run – those knives. Good everything will go to you, and I have a girl, Mary.

“You’ll be lost with her, sir. And how will he tell whom? Do not blow your heads then.

“Don’t be cowardly, Leonty. Robbery requires courage. Everything is sweet, but other silk neighbors will be, everyone will be afraid of me.

– Let’s go, it’s decided… ‘another robber replied.

Michelle grabbed the gun, but Ivan Etskov raised his finger to his mouth, calling for silence, and whispered:

– We’ll finish everyone in the clearing at once. Exterminate the robbers! The police officer will free us, and punish us.

“We’d better not…

Fedor Grigoriev and Evgraf Kolychev, taking the guns, moved to the left, and Zalepsky and Ivan Etskov stood on the right. They did not warn, but immediately began to shoot. Michel fired first from one Colt, then from another. Eight bodies remained on the ground. Olin tried to crawl into the bushes, leaving a bloody trail on the grass, almost black at night. But Evgraf cut the wounded throat with the tip of a saber. The young man removed one revolver and took out another. He looked, as bewitched, at the lying dead body of Zakharchenko, into which he fired four bullets.

– Now the master, we will drown them all in the swamp, – said Fedor Grigoriev, who was silent for the time being, – we will take the weapons and money.

– Do, just faster, Michel said, crouching on a fallen tree.

He looked at his hands, which now seemed sticky, as if they were covered in blood. He turned his palms up and down, clenched his hands into fists, and could not calm down. Well, at least they did not shake, and their knees did not bend.

Marriage of Michael

Mikhail was always a welcome guest with the Terentyevs, however, even Pyotr Fedorovich did not ask about the case with the neighboring landowner, and where he disappeared. The young man denied everything, turned away and did not speak.

– Well, it’s in the swamp, – Terentyev said, laughing.

Zalepsky directly distorted from such words, recalling how former soldiers drowned naked corpses in the swamp, and they did not want to drown. Nearby was a fire that scared away mosquitoes, on which the robbers’ clothes burned out. All of them were smeared with swamp slurry then, just from head to toe…

So, changing anger to mercy, Rusov seized the bride for his grandson. The young man did not know anything about this yet, and studied the photographic camera. The description was in English, but he knew the language, and already began to carry this box on a tripod, and took a photo of all the household, moreover, their portraits took place in the estate hall. Although, of course, the portraits were small in size – several inches, but were processed by young men according to the latest system. Now Mikhail has prepared an apparatus to make a portrait of Maria Petrovna.

– Do you have such a new thing?” I only read about her in the magazine.

– Grandfather wrote out. That I would walk less in the forests. You’ll have to freeze for almost a minute now. So that the picture turns out.

Masha nodded, however, not too hiding pleasure. None of her acquaintances were filmed on a photographic plate. The picture was ready, and Zalepsky was getting ready for himself.

– We must go home, – he made excuses, and quickly got into a heap, putting things there, chasing the horse, went to his estate.

The wagon slipped into the gate, Yakim took the horse under the bridle, and the young man, with a large suitcase, climbed the stairs, where relatives and friends were waiting for him. The mother came forward, for some reason wiping away her tears.

– What happened? Mikhail was a little taken aback.

– We thought, son, marry you,,, What is it? The young one needs to live in happiness, not wait for old age.

– So to serve me until I reach the ranks… That would be a good salary. Yes, and young I still…

– She does not give special income to the generals, if not to steal, of course, – my father said judiciously, – I myself know, I served. Are we going to get poorer? We have a decent income, we will manage.

– Yes, I don’t want to, – I didn’t know what the young man was going to think, – I’m not ready, right word.

– Not anyhow, – Rusov’s grandfather shook, – she is both clever and beautiful. The best bride of our province, in beauty, of course.

– Yes, I love another, – blushing, answered Mikhail, – Maria Petrovna Terentyeva, the daughter of our neighbor. She promised me to wait until I got into the captains.

“That’s how they grabbed her,” the mother smiled, “that’s how it will be better for you.”

– Mamenka, – whispered the son, kissing the woman on the cheek.

So a month later, the wedding was played. The guests were surprised how the Zalepskys decided to intermarry with the Terentyevs, and the only son of Dmitry Ivanovich married so early. But, no one wanted to ask, so as not to quarrel with the hot-tempered owners.

Soon Maria Petrovna was already in a position, having delighted her husband’s family more than himself, who was preparing to take the exam for a cadet in the regiment.

Cavalier Guard Regiment