Every woman looked like a princess.

Sometimes they'd come out, a whole herd of them, and begin singing songs so that the air seemed to rumble, and they went on making merry all night.

And the Cossacks would roll out a barrel into the yards and sit down and drink till break of day, or they would go hand-in-hand sweeping the village.

Whoever they met they seized and took along with them, and went from house to house.

Sometimes they used to make merry for three days on end.