The herds had not yet been driven home and the people had not returned from their work.
Olenin's lodging was situated almost at the end of the village.

At rare intervals, from somewhere far beyond the Terek in those parts whence Olenin had just come (the Chechen or the Kumytsk plain), came muffled sounds of firing.

Olenin was feeling very well contented after three months of bivouac life.

His newly washed face was fresh and his powerful body clean (an unaccustomed sensation after the campaign) and in all his rested limbs he was conscious of a feeling of tranquillity and strength.

His mind, too, felt fresh and clear.