Shackles. S. Skitalec

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СКАЧАТЬ men, children surrounded with a ring the man in a blue caftan, in a high black hat grechneviky, with the drum hanging at it on a belt. He fractionally beat the drum with two small sticks, from time to time pulling the thick chain tied by one end to a belt, and another – passed throughout a nostril to a big shaggy animal.

      The animal somersaulted and grabbled on the ground, rose as the person, on hinder legs and then became the whole head above crowd. On other, thinner chain attached for a collar there was other same animal, but still small, it is no more than bandog. The young of wild animal sat at legs of the man and quietly looked at works of the mother, at the crowd with laughter monitoring representation.

      – This is a she-bear with a bear cub! – mother told, lifting on the son’s hands.

      She-bear showed any ridiculous pieces. Then it was entered into the house, and the room was filled with the people. She-bear stood on hinder legs and drank up vodka from a glass, holding it in forepaws.

      The festive crowd filling the room laughed, made a din.

      The bear cub was brought to the yard and there tied to the tumbled-down wattle fence under a canopy. Vukol very much became interested in a bear cub: the young of wild animal was absolutely manual, was afraid of nobody and behaved ridiculously. Vukol ran after him. There was a strong wish to get acquainted with it closer and to play as played with the King.

      The bear cub sat on a wattle fence, pogromykhivy a chain. Vukol stood few steps away from him, having thrust hands into pockets of trousers. Small bear eyes sparkled good-natured friendliness. Both with curiosity watched some time at each other. Vukol decided to begin a game: bent down, lifted a small dry stick and threw into a bear cub. That sniffed at it, took in a paw, sucked and threw back. Vukol laughed and, having decided to continue a game, threw into him a stone. The bear cub looked for a stone, did not find and, having gone down from a wattle fence, went to the little person on all fours, but the chain prevented. Then he got up on hinder legs and quietly, plaintively zaurchat, as if complaining of a chain and as if inviting to approach him closer. Here Vukol remembered how the she-bear owner for fun struggled with her before the laughing loudly people. There was a wish to clasp also to it the new friend in arms. He gave hands to a young of wild animal. The bear cub sniffed at Vukol. From an animal smelled of wet wool. Approached it closely, but at this time someone seized him behind and lifted on air: it was Vukol’s mother. Without telling anything, she ran from the yard, strong pressing the son to a breast.

      On the street put on legs, took by hand, told:

      – It is impossible to play with a bear: he will eat you! Let’s go better to Romanevym!

      Vukol was surprised: so ridiculous bear cub and cheerful!

      Romanev lived nearby, in a big old log hut. Them was much: the grandma, the gray-haired grandfather, two bearded men, two guys – all such huge, they seemed Vukola nearly to a ceiling: women, maids, children – the log hut is always full. In a log hut the horse harness, in an outer entrance hall – a colored arch with a bell is hanging: about Romanev said that they are from time immemorial coachmen. There lives Pashka, the friend Vukola. She comes to play every day to it dolls or calls on the street. Lips and a chin at it always in sores from fever, it always nasty, but Vukol loves it with all the heart.

      All family sat at a table and had dinner. Pashkina the grandmother gave on a table.

      – Welcome! – all told chorus. – Ali the groom – from missed the bride? Pashka! you will go in marriage for Vukol?

      – I will go! – Pashka answers, thrusting a finger into a mouth, and, having approached “groom”, whispers to it on an ear: – Let’s go to a barn.

      All densely laughed.

      Vukola with Pashka called the groom and the bride long ago and though they did not understand value of these words, nevertheless believed that they will always play together, even when big will grow.

      Mother began to tell about Vukol’s fight against a little bear and asked not to allow to go home the boy, will not take away bears yet: the guide has dinner.

      – And we it together with Pashka on the near field will take to build a buffoonery! – men answered. – Tomorrow on an arable land we want to leave!

      Mother left soon.

      All family left to the yard. Men began to oil tar of a wheel and axis of the cart, women put knots, koshma, sheepskin clothes in the cart.

      Pashka quietly pulled Vukol a sleeve and began to mince to gate. Her head with a white braid is tied by a motley scarf, a sundress on it from homespun matter, a leg barefoot, with coarse heels, in “tsypka”. Vukol always went after Pashka, and Pashka bossed.

      The barn was across the road, there stood omt last year’s straw, near it an old shed with a straw low roof. The somersaults in straw and a travel from an omet on a flat roof of a shed were favourite their game.

      This time they, as before, happened, climbed on a shed and, having joined hands, with an extraordinary celebration jumped on an old, thin roof, and Pashka, choking with happy laughter, sang:

      Rain, rain, stop,

      We will go to Arestan…

      – Sing! – she shouted, jumping and holding Vukol by both hands.

      In the heat of their fun the roof under their legs cracked, was moved apart, and both of them failed down, in a shed, together with an armful of brushwood and rotten straw. It was so unexpected that children did not manage even to be frightened and only floundered in dusty straw.

      Dust powdered eyes, sprinkled faces, jammed into a nose. Having put out the heads from straw, they looked at each other in a dark shed and laughed. Got out, shook off, and Pashka began to jump again and started singing.

      – Gate are locked! – plaintively Vukol told. – Let’s not get out!

      – Eva! and a gate on what?

      Easily crept under shed gate, through a pool. From a barn ran to the Pashkiny log hut. Midway to them the low old man met a long white beard, in bast shoes and a high cap, in a blue pestryadinny shirt, a comb at a belt. Having passed them by itself, it took the end of a beard in a mouth, terribly began to roar, shook the head and zatopat bast shoes.

      Children very much started running.

      – This is the brownie! – Pashka explained, having turned pale and having begun to shake. She ran quicker than Vukol, but did not release his hand from the.

      Vukol believed Pashke that it is not the person, but some terrible brownie: and before he heard about it from Pashki any horrors. The brownie steals some children, carries away them with himself in a bag and even eats.

      In fear they looked back.

      – Dorzhi! dorzh! – the brownie shouted them following – — solution! – shook a beard and stamped legs in bast shoes as though being going to catch up with them.

      In horror, with crying they ran in in a log hut.

      At Vukol were stared, lips twitched, the person turned pale as chalk.

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