the princess at the head of her people cut to pieces the
remnant that had escaped as far as Rozlogi. She had set-
tled for good in Rozlogi, and began to consider the place as
the property of herself and her sons. She loved these sons
as the wolf loves her young, but being rude she had no
thought of a proper education for them. A monk of the
Greek rite from Kieff taught them to read and write; here
their education ended. It was not far to Lubni, where
Vishnyevetski's court was, at which the young princes
might have acquired polish and trained themselves to pub-
lic business in the Chancery, or entered the school of knight-
hood under his banners. The princess, however, had reasons
of her own for not sending the young nien to Lubni.

Prince Yeremi might remember to whom Roziogi be-
longed, and might look into the guardianship of Helena, or in
memory of Vassily might take that guardianship upon him-
self; then slie would undoubtedly have to move away from
Rozlogi. The princess preferred, therefore, that in Lubni
they should forget there were Kurtsevichi on earth. So
the young princes were reared half wild, more as Cossacks
than as nobles. While still young, they took part in the
quarrels of the old princess, in attacks on the Sivinskis,
and in her expeditions against Tartars. Feeling an innate
aversion to books and letters, they fired arrows from bows
for whole days, or took exercise in the management of their
fists or sabres and lariats. They never occupied them-
selves with the estate, for their mother would not let that
out of her own hands. It was sad to look at those de-
scendants of a noted stock in whose veins princely blood
was flowing, but whose manners were harsh and rude, and
whose ideas and dull hearts reminded one of the unculti-
vated steppe. Meanwhile they were growing up like young
oaks; seeing their own ignorance, they were ashamed to
live with the nobility; on the contrary, the companionship
of wild Cossack leaders was more agreeable. When old
enough, therefore, they went with companies to the lower
country, where they were considered as comrades. Some-
times they stayed half a year in the Saitch; went to
"industry" with the Cossacks, took part in campaigns
against the Turks and Tartars, which finally became their
chief and favorite occupation.

Their mother was not opposed to this, for they often
brought back abundant booty. But in one of these cam-
paigns the eldest, Vassily, fell into pagan hands. His