Book 3 Part 2 Chapter 9 (Chapter 196 overall)

Сhapter Summaries: Dole: Characteristics of the Bogucharovo peasantry. The approach of Anti-Christ. Dronushka. The starosta. His excuses for not furnishing horses. Conversation between Yakof Alpatuich and Dron.
Briggs: The truculent peasantry. Alpatych speaks to Dron.
Maude: Character of the Bogucharovo peasantry and the baffling undercurrents in the life of the Russian people. The village elder, Dron. Alpatych talks to him. The peasants decide not to supply horses or carts
Pevear and Volokhonsky (chapters 9-12): The French advance continues. Preparations to leave Bogucharovo. Troubles with the peasants. Princess Marya unable to leave. She remembers her father's last words.

Translation:

IX.

Bogucharovo was always, before the settlement at it of Prince Andrey, an ocular estate, and the men of Bogucharovo had really a different character from Bald Mountains. They were distinguished from them in speaking, clothes, and morals. They were called steppe. The old prince praised them for their tolerance to work when they came to Bald Mountains to help in harvesting or digging ponds and ditches, but did not love them for their wildness.

The latter residence at Bogucharov of Prince Andrey, with his innovations— hospitals, schools and the relief of quitrent, — did not soften their mores, but the opposite strengthened in them those features of character that the old prince called wildness. Between them always went some obscure talk, about the enumeration of them all in the Cossacks, then about the new faith in which they turned to, then about tsarist sheets of some kind, then about an oath to Pavel Petrovich in the year 1797 (about whom it was said that would then still exit, and the gentlemen took away), then about having in seven years the reign of Peter Feodorovich, in which all will be at ease and will be so simple, that nothing will be. Gossip about the war and Bonaparte and his invasion connected for them with such the same unclear presentations about the antichrist, the end of the world and a clean will.

In the vicinity of Bogucharov were all large villages, state and quitrent landlords. Living in this terrain were very little landlords; very little was also the court and literate, and in the life of peasants this terrain was more noticeable and stronger than in the other, that mysterious flow of folk, Russian life, the causes and matters which are inexplicable for contemporaries. One of these phenomena was the manifested twenty years to that backwards move between the peasants of this terrain to resettlement to some warm river. Hundreds of peasants, including at Bogucharovo, began to suddenly sellout their cattle and leave with their families somewhere to the south-east. As birds fly somewhere for the seas, strove these people with their wives and children there, to the south-east, where nothing from them was. They rose by caravans, one by one bathed, ran and rode, and went there, to the warm river. Many were punished, exiled to Siberia, many from cold and hunger died on the way, many returned themselves, and with the move fell silent by themselves so the same as it started without obvious causes. Yet the underwater flows did not stop moving in these people and were going for some new forces, having manifested so the same weirdly, suddenly and together with that simply, naturally and strongly. Now, in the year 1812, for a man, closely living with people, it was noticeable that this underwater flow produced strong work and were close to manifestation.

Alpatych, having arrived in Bogucharovo some time before the demise of the old prince, saw that between the people was happening an excitement, and opposite to that what was happening in the strip of Bald Mountains in a sixty verst radius where all peasants went away (leaving to Cossacks to ravage their village) to a strip of the steppe, in Bogucharovo, the peasants, as it was heard, having intercourse with the French, receiving some paperwork, who went between them, stayed in place. He knew through devotees of his court people that rode in the other day with an official of supply the peasant Karp, who had a great influence in the world, returned with the news that the Cossacks ruined the villages of which exited the residents, but that the French did not touch them. He knew that other peasants yesterday brought even from the village of Vislouhova — where the French were standing — a paper from a general of the French, in which to the residents announced that they will be done no harm, and for all that in them will take pay, if they stay. In proof of this, a peasant brought from Vislouhova one hundred rubles of banknotes (he did not know that they were fake), issued him forward for hay.

Finally, more important only, Alpatych knew that on that very day, as he ordered the headman to gather carts for an export wagon for the Princess from Bogucharov, in the morning was a village gathering, in which was not taken out and waited. But between that time they suffered. The leader, on the day of the death of the prince, the 15th of August, insisted to Princess Marya for her to leave on that same day, as it became dangerous. He spoke that after the 16th he was not responsible for that. On the same day of the death of the prince he left at night, but promised to come to the burial on the next day. Yet on the next day he could not come, as he received the news himself that the French suddenly moved, and he only had time to take away from his estates his family and all valuables.

For thirty years Bogucharovo was governed by the headman Dron, whom the old prince called Dronushkoy.

Dron was one of those strong physically and morally peasants, which, as only entering into the years of an overgrown beard, so do not changed in living until 60 — 70 years-old, without one gray-haired hair or lack of tooth, such the same direct and strong in sixty years-old, as in thirty.

Dron, soon after the move to the warm river, in which he participated as others, was made headman-manager at Bogucharov and from his 23rd year spotlessly stayed at this post. Men were afraid of him more than the baron. The gentlemen, old prince, and young, and the manager respected him and on things was called a minister. In all the time of his service, Dron not once was drunk, or ill; never, after sleepless nights, or after some kind of work, showed the slightest fatigue, and, not knowing literacy, never forgot one account of money and poods of torture by the huge wagons which he sold, or one stock of dinner bread in each of the dozen Bogucharovo fields.

This was that Dron, Alpatych, coming out of the ruined Bald Mountains, called upon to himself on the day of the burial of the prince and ordered him to prepare 12 horses under crew for the princess and 18 to supply under a wagon, which should be lifted from Bogucharov. Although the men were quitrent, these entrusted orders could not be met with difficulty, by the opinion of Alpatych, as at Bogucharov was 230 draft, and the men were well-to-do. Yet the headman Dron, listening to the order, silently lowered his eyes. Alpatych called his peasant, whom he knew and with whom he ordered to take the carts.

Dron responded that the horses of these peasants were at carriages. Alpatych called another peasant. And at these, by the words of Dron, horses were not: one was under official supplies, another powerless, a third had dead horses from feedlessness. The horses, by the opinion of Dron, could not be gathered not only under the wagon, but under crews.

Alpatych carefully looked at Dron and frowned. As Dron was a model headman, so Alpatych not for nothing governed twenty years of the estates of the prince and was a model manager. He in a higher extent was capable of understanding the instinct of needs and the instincts of people, with whom he had business, and because of it he was an excellent manager. Looking at Dron, he immediately got that the answers of Dron were not the expressions of the thought of Dron, but the expression of the common mood of the Bogucharovo world, which the headman was now occupied. But together with that he knew that the profitable and hated in the world Dron was hesitating between two camps— the master’s and the peasant’s. This hesitation he saw in his glance and because of it, Alpatych, frowning, moved forward to Dron.

— You, Dronushkoy, listen! — he said. — You do not speak empty to me. His excellency Prince Andrey Nikolaich themselves ordered me, so that all people are sent and not to stay with the enemy, and the tsar has that order. But who stays, that is a traitor to the tsar. Do you hear?

— I am listening, — was the response of Dron, not raising his eyes.

Alpatych was not satisfied by this answer.

— Hey, Dron, you will badly! — said Alpatych, shaking his head.

— Your power! — said Dron sadly.

— Hey, Dron, leave! — repeated Alpatych, taking out his arm from behind his bosom and in a solemn gesture pointing by it to the floor under the legs of Dron. — I am not that, what is through you, I under you at three arshins all through you I see, — he said, peering at the floor under the legs of Dron.

Dron embarrassed, fluently looked at Alpatych and again lowered his eyes.

— You leave that nonsense, and to the people say that they are going from their houses to go to Moscow and prepare the carts tomorrow morning under the princess’s wagon, and do not go to the gathering. Do you hear?

Dron suddenly fell at his legs.

— Yakov Alpatych, fire me! Take from me the keys, fire me for Christ.

— Leave! — said Alpatych strictly. — Below you through three arshins I see, — he repeated, knowing that his skill to walk behind bees, the knowledge of when to sow oats, and that he for twenty years was able to please the old prince, for a long time acquired him the glory of a sorcerer, and that ability to see at three arshins under a man was attributed to sorcerers.

Dron got up and wanted to say something, but Alpatych interrupted him.

— What of this have you decided? Ah?..What do you think? Ah?

— What am I to do with the people? — said Dron. — Shaken really. And I am to speak to them...

— What do you speak, — said Alpatych. — Drunk? — he shortly asked.

— All shaken, Yakov Alpatych: another barrel was brought.

— So you listen. I to the police chief will ride, but your people will be lucky if they threw this, and so that there were carts.

— I am listening, — was the response of Dron.

More Yakov Alpatych did not insist. He long governed people, and knew that the main means for people obeying, consists in this, so that you do not show them doubt in that they may obey. Getting from Dron a submissive "I am listening,” Yakov Alpatych was satisfied by this, although he not only doubted, but was almost sure that the carts without the assistance of the military commanders will not be delivered.

And really, in the evening the carts were not gathered. In the village at the tavern was another gathering, and at the gathering it was laid to steal the horses in the forest and to not give away supply. Nothing was said about this to the princess, Alpatych told to fold with the coming from Bald Mountains his own luggage and to prepare these horses under the carriages of the princess, but himself went to the chief.

Time: 1812, the 15th, the 16th, the day of the prince's funeral, evening
Mentioned: 1797, seven years hence, twenty years before, the following day, thirty years, twenty-three years, twenty years

Locations: Bogucharovo
Mentioned: Lysyya Gory, Russian, warm rivers, Siberia, French, the steppes, Visloukhov (Visloukhovo in Dunnigan, Maude, and Dole. Vislouhovo in Garnett. cut in Bell.)

Pevear and Volokhonsky Notes: Interesting that the peasants are different at Bogucharovo than at Bald Hills, revealing a heterogeneity of the peasant class. At Bogucharovo, they work hard but are wild and Andrei’s reforms have not changed their character. These peasants dabble in rumors and conspiracy theories (though less informed, this is portrayed similarly as a lot of the political gossip, especially that of the Russian-patriotic circle, is portrayed in the novel), including one about the reemergence of Peter III.

“The rumors of war and Bonaparte and his invasion combined for them with equally vague notions of the Antichrist, the end of the world, and pure freedom.”

Tolstoy spends some time discussing the original migration of the peasants

“Many were punished, exiled to Siberia, many died on the road of cold and hunger, many came back of themselves, and the movement died down, just as it had begun, without any obvious reason. But the undercurrents never ceased to flow among these people and were gathering some sort of new forces in order to manifest themselves just as strangely and unexpectedly, and at he same time as simply, naturally, and strongly.”

The Cossacks and not the French are devastating the peasants’ villages. Dron is introduced as a steady head of the peasants and stands against Alpatych’s plan to gather horses so he can help get the princess out. “He knew that Dron, grown rich and therefore hated by the community, was bound to waver between the two camps--the masters and the peasants.” Much like the steward in Pierre’s attempt to reform, it is that middle class between the poor and nobility that stands as the biggest obstacle to the peasants.

Alpatych uses his mystic reputation to get Dron to relent. Alpatych also threatens to bring the police in to combat the peasants with violence.

“He had been managing peasants for a long time and knew that the main means of getting people to obey consisted in not showing them any suspicion that they might not obey.”

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 *):

Prince Andrei Nikolaitch (with “His Illustriousness” as a title. Edmonds, Maude,and Briggs don’t use the second name. See Shinshin in chapter 16 for variations on “Nikolaitch”.)

The old prince

Paul Petrovitch (this is Paul I, which is what Bell uses.. “Paul Petrovich” in Wiener. “Tsar Pavel Petrovitch” in Garnett (Dunnigan uses the same, though removing the t in the last name). “Tsar Paul” in Edmonds, Maude, and Mandelker.)

Peter Feodorovitch (Dole footnotes “Peter III”, which is what Bell uses. “Tsar Peter Fyodorovich” in Briggs. “Peter Feodorovich” in Wiener. “Piotr Fiodorovich” in Edmonds. “Pyotr Fyodorovich” in Dunnigan and Mandelker. “Peter Fedorovitch” in Garnett. “Peter Fedorovich” in Maude.)

Bonaparte (though Dole uses Napoleon. Also Anti-christ is mentioned in relation to him.)

Yakof Alpatuitch

Karp

Princess Mariya (“princess”, though Garnett, Briggs, and Maude provide the name, which Dole doesn’t until the very end of the chapter.)

The predvodityel (see previous chapter. “The marshal” in Garnett, Briggs, and Maude (the latter capitalizing).)

Dron (also “Dronushka”. The starosta or bailiff and Village Elder. Also called “minister”. Bell gives an alternative reading in “Drone”.)

(Also, of course, peasants, the French, and Cossacks are mentioned. As is the ispravnik.)

Abridged Versions: Start of Chapter 17 in Bell. No break.
Gibian: Chapter 9.

Fuller: Though the basic intro about the peasants at Bogutcharovo is kept, the section about their conspiracy theories and migration is removed, getting to Alpatitch quicker. However, the entire episode with Dron is cut, though the final paragraph, which explains the ramifications, is kept and followed by a line break.

Komroff: Though the references to Peter and Paul are removed, the basic structure of conspiracy theory and migration is kept. The Karp digression is removed. The basic structure and information of the chapter is kept and followed by a line break with occasional details removed.

Kropotkin: Chapter 6: Alpatitch’s entrance into the chapter and the information he hears is removed, getting to Dron quicker. The rest of the chapter is preserved and followed by a chapter break.

Bromfield: We get a different backstory of Dron, as he had been the village elder 23 years before but got removed because he drank. He then went on to visit monasteries and stuck himself in a cave and deprived himself. He then returned and became elder again. The conversation between him and Alpatych is much shorter. End of Chapter 5.
Simmons: Chapter 9: the entire chapter is cut and replaced with "The steward Alpatych fails to persuade Dron, the village elder of Bogucharovo, to provide horses and carts to move themselves and Princess Mary to Moscow. Alpatych goes to the police. A suspicion has sprung up among the peasantry that in moving them the masters have some evil purpose.

Additional Notes: Dole and Wiener have Alpatuitch say that he can see three “arshins” under Dron. Pevear and Volokhonsky use “seven feet”. Bell has three “archines”. Garnett, Briggs, Edmonds, Dunnigan, Mandelker, and Maude use three “yards”.

Yanov/Dunn: Page 7: “In the middle of the thirteenth century, an apparently irresistible wave of cavalry from the Mongolian steppes inundated Russia on its way westward. On the Hungarian plain, which is the end of the gigantic wedge of steppe running from Siberia into Europe, this wave halted and turned back.”

Niketenko/Kolchin: xi: "In Russia, peasants appeared so different from nobles--especially after Tsar Peter I (1682-1725) forced nobles to adopt European dress and manners, including requiring men to shave their beards--that defenders of serfdom found it easy to argue that the peasants were inherently unsuited for freedom. Indeed, use of this essentially racial argument to defend a "nonracial" system of bondage underscores the subjective character of race in general, and shows how Russians "made" race."

Herold: Page 348: “Kept in ignorance and superstition by an ignorant, superstitious clergy, they endured patiently the most intolerable hardships, yet avoided the apathetic fatalism of slaves: they had kept intact the two qualities that enable even the most brutalized people to rise to dignity and heroism--belief in justice and love of country...Alexander’s proclamation to his people…”Let us drive this plague of locusts out! Let us carry the Cross in our hearts, and steel in our hands!” The comte de Segur: “They convinced these peasants that we were a legion of devils commanded by the Antichrist, infernal spirits, horrible to look upon, and whose very touch defiled.”