152 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 



yet I have seen him dash at a wild boar all alone. 

 Ay, he had very odd ways, surely, and he must have 

 been very rich, for you never saw such a lot of costly 

 things as he had with him. He stayed with me a full 

 year, and good reason I have to remember that year, 

 for it caused me a great deal of anxiety and sorrow ; 

 but I will not think of that now. 



There was a friendly prince residing about six 

 versts from the fort, whose son, a lad about fifteen, 

 was in the habit of visiting us every day, for one thing 

 or another. Petchorin and I took a great liking to 

 him. What a smart, nimble chap he was ! There 

 was nothing he could not do. He could pick up his 

 cap from the ground, or load and fire off his gun at 

 full gallop. But there was one bad thing in him ; he 

 had a desperate hankering after money. Gregorii 

 Alexandrovitch once promised in joke, that he would 

 give him a ducat, if he would steal him the best ram 

 out of his father's flock and what do you think ? the 

 young scamp dragged him in to us the very next night 

 by the horns. But if ever, as happened now and then, 

 we took it into our heads to make fun of him, his 

 eyes would flash fire, and his hand was on his dagger 

 in an instant. O Asamat, I used to say to him, you 

 will never wear a grey head on your shoulders, your 

 unruly temper will be the ruin of you. 



