Daddy Eroshka was a superannuated and solitary Cossack: twenty years ago his wife had gone over to the Orthodox Church and run away from him and married a Russian sergeant-major, and he had no children.

He was not bragging when he spoke of himself as having been the boldest dare-devil in the village when he was young.

Everybody in the regiment knew of his old-time prowess.

The death of more than one Russian, as well as Chechen, lay on his conscience.

He used to go plundering in the mountains, and robbed the Russians too; and he had twice been in prison.