Book 2 Part 4 Chapter 6 (Chapter 135 Overall)

Chapter Summaries: Dole: The fox-hunt. The Ilagins. The dispute. Ilagin's courtesy. The hound Yorza (Yorzanka). The "Little Uncle's" Rugai (Rugaiushka). After hares. The rivalry.
Briggs: Ilagin's courtesy. Triumph of 'Uncle's' dog, Rugay.
Maude: The fox-hunt and hunter's quarrel. Ilagin's courtesy. Chasing a hare. Rugay's triumph

Translation:

VI.

The old count went home. Natasha with Petya had promised now to already come. The hunting went farther, as it was still early. At midday the hounds were let into the overgrowth of the ravine in the forest that the young frequented. Nikolay, standing up in the stubble, saw all of his hunters.

On the opposite of Nikolay was greenery and there stood his hunter, alone in the pit behind a hazel protruding bush. Only as he brought the hounds, Nikolay heard the rare rut of the famous for him dog — Voltorna; the other dogs had joined to him, then shutting up, then again taking to drive. In a moment from the island the voice of a fox, and all the flock, falling down, drove by the ravine, by the direction of the greens, away from Nikolay.

He saw the prancing survivors in red hats by the edges of the overgrown ravine, he saw even the dogs, and for a whole second was waiting for what was on that side, and on the greenery appeared the fox.

The hunter standing at the pit, set off and released the dogs, and Nikolay saw the red, low, strange fox, which, fluffing up as a pipe, hastily carried by the greens. The dog began to sing to her. Here moving closer, here in circles began to wag the fox between them, all more and more often making these circles and circling around its flurry pipe (tail); and here flew someone’s white dog, and following behind her a black, and everything mixed up, and as stars, spreading apart its backside, a little bit hesitating, became the dog. To the dogs jumped up two hunters: one in a red hat and another foreign one in a green caftan.

"What such is this? — thought Nikolay. — Where from is this hunter? This is not uncle."

The hunters beat off the fox and for long, not hurrying, were standing on foot. About them on a rope were standing the horses with their own saddle ridges and lying dog. The hunters waved hands and did something with the fox. From there again rang out the sound of horns — the conditioned signal of fights.

— This is the Ilaginsky hunter that riots with our Ivan, — said the stirrup of Nikolay.

Nikolay sent the stirrup to beckon to himself his sister and Petya and stepping, went to that place where arrived the collected hounds. A few hunters jumped to the place of the fight.

Nikolay tore from his horse, stopped beside the hounds with the driving Natasha and Petya, expecting information about the finishing of the business. From behind the left fringes fought the hunter with the fox in the game straps and drove to the young master. He from afar stripped off his hat and tried to speak respectfully; but he was pale, gasping for breath, and his face was vicious. One of his eyes were hit, but he probably did not know this.

— What do you have there? — asked Nikolay.

— How again, from under our hounds he will bait! Yes and that bitch of mine caught mice. Go, judge! For a fox it’s enough! I and the fox well to roll. Here she is, in the game straps. But do you want this? — spoke the hunter, pointing at the dagger and probably imagining that he all the more spoke with his enemy.

Nikolay, not talking with the hunter, asked his sister and Petya to wait for him and went to that place where this hostile Ilaginsky was hunting.

The winning hunter entered into the crowd of hunters and there, surrounded by the sympathetic and curious, talked of his feat.

The business was that Ilagin, with which the Rostovs were in a quarrel and process, hunted on places, by custom owned by Rostov, and now as if on purpose told to drive to the island where hunted the Rostovs, and allowed his hunter to bait from under the strangers’ hounds.

Nikolay had never seen Ilagin, but as always in his judgments and feelings knew not the middle, by rumors about rioting and the selfishness of this landowner, all his soul hated and counted him as the worst enemy. He embitteredly excited rode now to him, hard squeezing his whip in his hand, in complete readiness to the most decisive and dangerous action against his enemy.

Barely had he left for the ledge of the forest, as he saw advancing towards him the thick baron in a beaver cap on a beautiful black horse, accompanied by two stirrups.

Instead of an enemy Nikolay found in Ilagin a representative, courteous baron, especially willing to become acquainted with the young count. Driving to Rostov, Ilagin raised his beaver cap and said that he extremely pitied what happened; how he ordered to punish the hunter which allowed himself to bait from under the strangers’ dogs, and requested the count to be familiar and suggested to him his places for hunting.

Natasha, afraid that her brother would do something terrible, in agitation rode near behind him. Seeing how the enemies friendly bowed, she drove to him. Ilagin still higher raised his beaver cap before Natasha and nicely smiling, said that the countess represented Diana by her passion to hunting and by her beauty, about which he had heard much.

Ilagin, so that to make amends for the blame of his hunter, strongly requested Rostov to take to his hill, which was a verst away, in which he banked for himself and which was, by his words, pouring hares. Nikolay agreed, and the hunting, more than twice increased, set off farther.

Going before the Ilaginsky hill were fields. The hunters leveled. The gentlemen rode together. The uncle, Rostov, and Ilagin looked secretly at the strangers’ dogs, trying to do so that the other did not notice this, and with anxiety were looking between the rival’s dogs.

Rostov was especially struck by a beautiful small cleaned-up, narrow, but with steel muscles, thin forceps (muzzle) and rolled out black eyes, red-footed bitch in the pack of Ilagin. He heard about the agility of the Ilaginsky dogs, and in this beautiful bitch saw the rival of his Milka.

In the middle of the sedate conversation about the harvest of the year, which was started by Ilagin, Nikolay pointed out to him his red-spotted bitch.

— Good to you is this bitch! — he said in a careless tone. — Frisky?

— This? Yes, this is — a good dog, a catch, — in an indifferent voice said Ilagin about his red-footed Erza, for which he a year to that backwards gave his neighbor three court families. — And so in you, count, the threshed is not to be praised? — he continued the began conversation. And considering it courteous to repay the young count by that same, Ilagin examined his dogs and chose Milka, rushing his eyes on its width.

— Good in you is this black-footed — okay! — he said.

— Yes, nothing, it rides, — was the response of Nikolay. "Here only would run in the field a seasoned hare, I would show you, how this dog is!" he thought, and turning around to the stirrup said that he would give a ruble to that whom he suspected, i.e. finding a lying hare.

— I do not understand, — continued Ilagin, — how other hunters are envious in beasts and in dogs. I to you say about myself, count. I amuse, you know, take a ride; here you will eat with such company... Now what the same can be better (he stripped off again his beaver cap before Natasha); but this, so that skins are counted, how much are brought — I don’t care!

— Well yes.

— Or so that to me it was a shame that an alien dog caught, but not mine — I only would admire the baiting, whether it is not so, count? Then I judge...

— His — horse, — was heard at this time the lingering shout of one of the stopped hunters. He stood at the half mound stubble, holding up a whip, and another time repeated the lingering: — Ah — his — horse! (this sound and the lifted whip meant that he saw before himself a lying hare.)

— Ah, I suspected, it seems, — Ilagin said carelessly. — What again, poison, count!

— Yes, I need to drive... and what the same, together? — was the response of Nikolay, peering at Erza and at the red Rugay of the uncle, at two of their rivals, with which he still not once had succeeded in equalizing their dogs. "Well what as with ears cut off is my Milka!" he thought, nearby with the uncle and Ilagin moving forward to a hare.

— Seasoned? — asked Ilagin, moving forward to the suspect hunter, and not without excitement looking back and whistling at Erza...

— Ah you, Mihail Nikanorych? — he turned to the uncle.

The uncle rode frowning.

— How I butt in! Because your — a clean business march! — by the village for a dog cry, with your thousands. You measure them, and I'll see!

— Rugay! — he shouted. — Rugayushka! — he added, unwittingly by this diminutive expressing his tenderness and hopes assigned on this red male. Natasha saw and felt the hidden excitement between these two older men and her brother and was worried.

The hunter on a half-pile stood with a raised whip, and the gentleman drove up to him; the hounds, marching to the very horizon, wrapped away from the hare; the hunters, but not the gentleman, also drove off. All moved slowly and powerfully.

— What lies ahead? — asked Nikolay, driving the one hundred steps to the suspect hunter. Yet he did not have more time for the hunter to respond, as a hare, feeling the frost to tomorrow morning, was not lying and jumped up. The flock of hounds in bows, with roars, raced under the mountain for the hare; to all parties the greyhounds, not formerly in packs, threw onto the hounds and to the hare. All these slowly moving hunters survivors screamed: stop! Knocking down the dogs, the greyhounds with screaming: horse! The directed dogs — jumped by the weeds. The calm Ilagin, Nikolay, Natasha and the uncle flew, themselves not knowing how and where, seeing only the dogs and the hare, and fearing only to lose though the moment any kind of movement of the bullying. The caught hare was seasoned and playful. Jumping up, it did not immediately again gallop, but led with the ears, listening to the screaming and stomping, distributed suddenly to all parties. He jumped nine times not fast, admitting to himself the dogs, and finally, choosing a direction and realizing the danger, attached its ears and carried everything in the legs. He lied on the stubble, but ahead was the green, which was soggy. Two dogs of the suspect hunter, formerly nearer than all, first looked and laid down behind the hare; but still long away did not move to it, as from behind them took off Ilaginsky’s red-footed Erza, approaching to the dog’s distances, with scary speed bumping, aiming at the tail of the hare and thinking that she grabbed it, rolled head over heels. The hare arched back and gave still faster. From behind Erza got out the wide-backed, black-footed Milka and quickly came to the hare.

— Darling, mother! — was heard the triumphant shout of Nikolay. It seemed, now Milka would hit and pick up the hare, but she caught up and flashed. The hare settled. Again inhabited the beauty Erza and above the very tail of the hare hung, as if trying not to be mistaken now, grabbing behind the back of the thigh.

— Erzynka! Little sister! — was heard a cry, not in the voice of Ilagin. Erza did not heed his pleas. At that very moment, as it was needed to wait for how she would grab the hare, it shook and rolled out onto the frontier between the greens and stubble. Again Erza and Milka, as a drawbear couple, aligned and came to the hare; on the turn of the hare it was easier, the dog not so quickly moved closer to him.

— Rugay! Rugayushka! A clean business march! — shouted at this is time still a new voice, and Rugay, the red, hunchbacked male of the uncle, stretching out and arching back, equaled with the first two dogs, moved forward from behind them, gave with terrible selflessness now above the very hare, knocked it down from the frontier onto green, still angry gave another time by the dirty greens, drowning to its knee, and it was only seen how it was head over heels, soiling back in the mud, rolled with the hare. The dogs surrounded it. In a moment all were standing about the crowding dogs. Alone the happy uncle in tears cut off the grooves of the hare. Shaking the hare, so that it dripped blood, he uneasily looked around, running his eyes, not finding the situation of his hands and legs, and spoke, himself not knowing with whom and how. "Here this is a business march... here is a dog... here pulled out all, and thousands of rubles — a clean business march!" he spoke, gasping for breath and viciously looking back, as if scolding someone, as if all were his enemies, all hurt him, and only now finally he succeeded in justifying it. “Here are your thousands — a clean business march!"

— Rugay, on the groove! — he spoke, throwing the cut off foot with the sticky earth; — Deserved — a clean business march!

— She waved, three pursuits gave alone, — spoke Nikolay, also not listening to anybody, and not taking care about whether they listened to him, or not.

— Yes this is that same at the crosswise! — spoke Ilaginsky’s stirrup.

— Yes, it so stopped short, so with pursuits any mongrel could catch it, — spoke at that same time Ilagin, red, forcibly leading across the spirit from racing excitement. At that same time Natasha, not transferring spirit, happily and enthusiastically screamed so piercingly that her ears rang. She by this screeching expressed all that was expressed by the other hunters at one-time in conversation. And this screeching was so strange that she herself was ashamed of this wild screeching and all must have been surprised by it, should this be at another time. The uncle himself tied the hare, cleverly and smartly thrown across the backside of the horse, as he would be reproaching all by this throwing over, and with such a look that he spoke with whom he did not want to, sat down on his horse and went away. All, besides him, sad and offended, departed and only long after could come to the former pretense of indifference. For long still they looked at the red Rugay, which soiled with mud, a hunchback, rattling glands, with a calm look of a winner was walking behind the feet of the horse of uncle.

"What the same I am such again, as in all, when the business does not touch to bullying. Well, but I really hold here!" it seemed to Nikolay that this view of the dog spoke.

When, long after, the uncle drove to Nikolay and began talking with him, Nikolay was flattered by how the uncle after what was, still honored to speak with him.

Time: middle of the day, a minute later, a minute later

Locations: see previous chapter

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Significantly, the old count leaves while Petya and Natasha stay.

The fight: "The thing was that Ilagin, with whom the Rostovs had had a quarrel and a lawsuit, used to hunt in places that customarily belonged to the Rostovs, and now as if on purpose had sent his men to the reserve where the Rostovs were hunting and had allowed his hunter to take the quarry hunted down by the Rostovs' hounds. Nikolai had never seen Ilagin, but, as usual, knowing no middle way in his opinions and feelings, judging by the rumors of this landowner's violence and willfulness, hated him with all his heart and considered him his bitterest enemy...Instead of an enemy, Nikolai found in Ilagin a respectable, courteous gentleman, especially desirous of making the young count's acquaintance."

Some emphasis on the worth and cost of dogs.

"Nikolai felt flattered that, after all that had happened, his uncle still condescended to speak to him."

Characters (characters who do not appear, but are mentioned are placed in italics. First appearances are in Bold. First mentions are underlined. Final appearance denoted by *):

Count Rostof ("the old count". He rides off at the beginning of the chapter, so debatable whether he is a mentioned character or a character inside the chapter.)

Natasha (also referenced as resembling "Diana")

Petya

Nikolai (also "brother")

Voltorn (one of Nikolai's favorite dogs. Bell appears to drop the name.)

The little uncle (revealed to be named "Mikhail Nikanorych", as in Dunnigan, Wiener, and Briggs. "....Nikanorovich" in Mandelker. "Mihail Nikanoritch" in Garnett. "Michael Nikanorovich" in Maude. "Mihail Nikanorovich" in
Edmonds. "Michael Niknorovitch" in Bell. And his horse.)

Ivan ("our Ivan" the "quarreling huntsman")

Ilagin (technically has been referenced before. Bell offers an alternative in "Ilaguine". And his whipper-in and his groom, who may or may not be the same person.)

Milka (also called "Milushka" by Nikolai, in Dole and Dunnigan. Also "matushka--little mother" in Dole. "Milashka" in Mandelker, Maude, and Garnett (who also uses "little mother") Also called "Miloucha" in Bell.)

Yorza (as in Dole. "Yerza" in Dunnigan, Edmonds, and Briggs. "Erza" in Maude, Bell, Wiener, and Mandelker. Also "Yorzanka" in Dole. "Yerzynka" in Briggs. "Yerzinka" in Dunnigan and Garnett. Edmonds, Maude, Bell,
Wiener, and Mandelker don't use this second name.)

Rugay (as in Garnett, Maude, Wiener, and Mandelker. "Rugai" in Dunnigan. "Rougai" in Bell. Also "Rugayushka" in Maude, Wiener, Briggs, and Garnett. Edmonds and Bell don't use this second name.)

(of course, hounds, foxes, and huntsmen. Nikolai's whipper-in also makes an appearance)

Abridged Versions: Dole is missing pages 266-267.

Chapter 12 in Bell. No break.
Gibian: Chapter 6.

Fuller: Entire Chapter is cut.

Komroff: Entire Chapter is cut.

Kropotkin: Entire Chapter is cut.

Bromfield: Chapter 2 ends with Nikolai and Natasha accepting the invitation to the uncle's house. Petya doesn't seem to be with them.
Simmons: Chapter 6: Chapter is cut and replaced with "After the wolf hunt, the old count leaves, but Natasha and Petya remain. Nicholas is ready to quarrel with a neighbor Ilagin, whose huntsmen run down a fox on
Rostov land, but they make up. In a hare hunt "Uncle's" favorite dog surpasses those of Nicholas and Ilagin."

Additional Notes:

Lydia Ginzburg (Casual Conditionality): Diary for 1898 containing the following entry (dated March 19): “One of our greatest errors in judging a person is to call or define him as intelligent, foolish, good, evil, strong, or weak,

for he is all of these--all possibilities--since he is a fluid substance.”

The Cossacks (Briggs/Maude): XV: “Yeroshka is larger than life, but not through any exaggeration on Tolstoy’s part. It is clear that such a man could exist, indeed had existed, with all his extravagance of physical stature,

alluring powers of conversation, strong reputation and redoubtable character.”

Letters (Christian): Page 408: “live the lives of the people described, describe in images their inner feelings, and the characters themselves will do what they must do according to their natures, i.e. a denouement resulting

from the nature and situation of the characters will invent itself and materialise of its own accord, especially as the characters are splendidly drawn.”