noble; "He has bowed to us and asked that we grant him;
and we remembering his services, do grant, etc." In this
way were wealth and distinction acquired in Russia; in
this way enormous expanses of the empty steppe, which
hitherto had belonged to God and the Commonwealth, passed
into private hands; in this way a needy stripling grew to
be a lord, and might strengthen himself with the hope that
his descendants would hold their seats among senators.
Krechovski was annoyed that in the office committed to
him he must divide authority with Barabash; still it was
only a nominal division. In reality, the old colonel of
Cherkasi, especially in the latter time, had grown so old and
worn that his body alone belonged to this earth; his mind
and soul were continually sunk in torpidity and lifeless-
ness, which generally precede real death. At the begin-
ning of the expedition he roused up and began to move
about with considerable energy, as if at the sound of the
trumpet the old soldier's blood had begun to course more
vigorously within him, for he had been in his time a famous
Cossack and a leader in the steppe; but as soon as they
started the plash of the oars lulled him, the songs of the
Cossacks and the soft movement of the boats put him to
sleep, and he forgot the world of God. Krechovski ordered
and managed everything. Barabash woke up only to eat;
having eaten his fill, he inquired, as was his custom, about
this and that. He was put off with some kind of answer;
then he sighed and said,--

"I should be glad to die in some other war, but God's
will be done!"

Connection with the army of the crown marching under
Stephen Pototski was severed at once. Krechovski com-
plained that the hussars and the dragoons marched too
slowly, that they loitered too long at the crossings, that the
young son of the hetman had no military experience; but
with all that he gave orders to move on.

The boats moved along the shores of the Dnieper to
Kudak, going farther and farther from the armies of the
crown.

At last one night the thunder of cannon was heard.
Barabash slept without waking. Flick, who was sailing
ahead, entered the scout-boat and repaired to Krechovski.

"Colonel," said he, "those are the cannon of Kudak!
What are we to do?"

"Stop your boats. We will spend the night in the reeds."