THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 147 



bitch. Now things were in such a position, you must 

 know, with respect to this man, that he could neither 

 be regarded as decidedly friendly to the Russians, nor 

 be pronounced decidedly the reverse. There were 

 many suspicions against him, though nothing definite 

 could ever be brought home to him. It often occurred, 

 that he brought us sheep into the fort, and offered them 

 at a low price ; but he would never higgle ; whatever 

 price he asked first, we had always to give him, for he 

 would sooner have let his head be chopped off, than 

 bate a kopeck. It was whispered that he was fond 

 of knocking about with the Abreks beyond the Kuban, 

 and to say the truth of him, he had very much the cut 

 of a robber : rather small, well knit, broad shouldered, 

 and as nimble as any wild cat ! His Tartar frock, 

 beshmet they call it, was always torn and patched, but 

 his weapons were bright, and adorned with silver. 

 And then his horse, it was renowned throughout all 

 Kabarda, and a better it would certainly be impossible 

 to conceive. It was not without reason, all the ma- 

 rauders envied him the possession of such an animal, 

 and more than one attempt was made to steal it from 

 him, but never with success. I can see that horse 

 now, as plainly as if it stood before me, black as pitch, 

 its limbs slender and strong as steel, its eyes a match 

 for Bela's ; and then for bottom ! it would clear its full 

 fifty versts at full speed ; and so tractable, that it 

 would follow its master like a dog, ay ! it knew even 



