__ . 



- 

 154 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 



with his shas-hka (The captain paused awhile, and 

 then continued, stamping on the ground) : One thing I 

 shall never forgive myself; the devil put it into my 

 head, when I got back to the fort, to tell Petchorin all 

 I had overheard in the shed. He smiled, with such a 

 sly air, he had his reasons for it, as you shall see. 



Asamat came to the fort some three or four days 

 after the wedding, and, as usual, made for Petchorin's 

 quarters, where he was always pampered with dain- 

 ties. I was present : the conversation turned on 

 horses, and Petchorin began to cry up Kasbitch's 

 horse, it was so spirited, so handsome, so like an ante- 

 lope in short, by his account, there was not such an- 

 other on the face of the earth. The little Tartar's 

 eyes began to glow, but Petchorin pretended not to 

 notice this. I turned the talk to other subjects, but 

 he somehow contrived always to bring it back to Kas- 

 bitch's horse. The same thing invariably occurred as 

 often as Asamat visited us. At the end of three 

 weeks I could plainly perceive that Asamat was grow- 

 ing pale and wasted, just as the effects of love are de- 

 scribed in romances. Curious ! 



Now it was not till some time after, do you see, 

 that I got at the rights of this whole piece of roguery. 

 Petchorin tantalized him to that degree, that he was 

 ready to drown himself. At last he said to him, " I 

 see, Asamat, you have taken a great fancy to this 

 horse ; but you have no more chance of ever getting 



