He is without conscience! He thinks it is clever to sap the life out of us." The boy heard this grumbling and knew that it was concerning his father.
He also noticed that although Yefim was grumbling, he carried more wood on his stretcher than the others, and walked faster than the others.
None of the sailors replied to Yefim's grumbling, and even the one who worked with him was silent, only now and then protesting against the earnestness with which Yefim piled up the wood on the stretchers.
"Enough!" he would say, morosely, "you are not loading a horse, are you ?" "And you had better keep quiet.

You were put to the cart--cart it and don't kick--and should your blood be sucked--keep quiet again.

What can you say ?" Suddenly Ignat appeared, walked up to the sailor and, stopping in front of him, asked sternly: "What were you talking about ?" "I am talking--I know," replied Yefim, hesitating.

"There was no agreement--that I must say nothing." "And who is going to suck blood ?" asked Ignat, stroking his beard.
The sailor understood that he had been caught unawares, and seeing no way out of it, he let the log of wood fall from his hands, rubbed his palms against his pants, and, facing Ignat squarely, said rather boldly: "And am I not right?
Don't you suck it ?" "I ?" "You." Foma saw that his father swung his hand.

A loud blow resounded, and the sailor fell heavily on the wood.