Fiction - Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky: Excerpt from the novel "Crime and Punishment"

  Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky
  Excerpt from the novel "Crime and Punishment"

  (typed for you The Gravedigger)

----------------------------------------------------------------
  "Ugh, shameless people, they're pestering you!
                              -Don't worry, I won't give it to you, sir.
                              “Oh, debauchery has gone wrong!..”

  ...Everyone is drunk, everyone is singing songs, and near the tavern there is a cart,
but a strange cart.  This is one of those big carts that
harness large draft horses and transport goods in them and
wine barrels. He always loved to look at these huge drays
horses, long-maned, with thick legs, walking calmly, measuredly
walking and carrying some mountain behind them, not at all
pushing on, as if it was even easier for them with carts than without carts. But
now, strangely enough, she was harnessed to such a big cart
a small, skinny Savrav peasant nag, one of those
which - he often saw - sometimes strain themselves with high
some cartload of firewood or hay, especially if the cart gets stuck in
mud or in a rut, and at the same time they are hit so painfully, so painfully
men always use whips, sometimes eventhe very face and the eyes,
and he is so sorry, so sorry to see this that he almost
he cries, and his mother always used to take him away from the window. But here
suddenly it becomes very noisy: people come out of the tavern shouting,
songs, with balalaikas, drunk, big men like that
red and blue shirts, with saddlebags. "Sit down, everyone
sit down!  - shouts one, still young, with such a thick neck and
with a fleshy, red face like a carrot, “I’ll take everyone, sit down!” But
Immediately there is laughter and exclamations:
  - Such a nag, good luck!
  - Yes, Mikolka, you are in your mind, or something: such a little mare in such a cart
banned!
  - But Savraska will certainly be twenty years old,
brothers!
  - Sit down, I’ll take everyone! - Mikolka screams again, jumping first in
cart, takes the reins and stands on the front at full height.
-The bay one left with Matvey, - he shouts from the cart, - and the little filly
etta, brothers, it just breaks my heart: so it would seem that she
killed, eats bread for nothing.  I say, sit down!  Let me gallop! Jump up
will do!  - And he takes the whip in his hands, preparing to flog with pleasure
Savraska.
  - Yes, sit down, why! - they laugh in the crowd. - Hey, he's going to gallop!
  - She's already gallopingI haven’t jumped for ten years.
  - Jumps!
  - Don’t be sorry, brothers, take every whip, prepare it!
  - And then! Whack her!
  Everyone climbs into Mikolka’s cart with laughter and witticisms. Fit
There are six people, and you can still seat them. They take one woman with them,
thick and rosy.  She's in red, in a tunic with beads, on her feet
cats, cracks nuts and chuckles.  Around in the crowd too
they laugh, and really, how can one not laugh: such a chilling little filly
Yes, it will be such a burden to carry at a gallop! Two guys in a cart right away
They each take a whip to help Mikolka.  Hears: “Well!”
the nag pulls with all his might, but not only gallops, but even
at a pace he can move slightly to the right, but only shuffles his feet,
grunts and crouches from the blows of three whips raining down on her,
like peas.  The laughter in the cart and in the crowd doubles, but Mikolka
gets angry and in a rage strikes the little filly with rapid blows, as if
really believes that she will gallop.
  - Let me too, brothers! - one tired guy screams
from the crowd.
  - Sit down!  Everyone sit down!  -  Mikolka shouts, - everyone will be lucky.
I'll spot it!  - And it whips, whips, and no longer knows what to hit with
frenzy.
  - Daddy, daddy, - he shouts to his father, - daddy, what are they
they do! Daddy, the poor horse is being beaten!
  - Let's go, let's go!  says the father, - drunk, naughty, fools:
let's go, don't look! - wants to take him away, but he breaks out of him
hands and, not remembering himself, runs to the horse. But for a poor horse.
She gasps, stops, jerks again, almost falls.
  - Beat me to death! - Mikolka shouts, -for that matter. I'll spot it!
  - Why don’t you have a cross on, or something, you devil! - one screams
old man from the crowd.
  - Have you seen such a horse carry such luggage, -
adds another.
  - You'll starve! - the third one shouts.
  - Don't bother! My goodness! I do what I want. Sit down again! All
sit down! I want you to go galloping without fail!..
     Suddenly laughter erupts in one gulp and covers everything: the little filly
She endured frequent blows and began to kick in helplessness. Even
the old man could not stand it and grinned.  Indeed: so chilling
Little filly, and she still kicks!
  - In her face, in her eyes, in her eyes! - Mikolka screams.
  - Song, brothers!  - someone shouts from the cart, and everyone is incart
they pick it up.  A riotous song is heard, a tambourine jingles,
choruses whistle. The woman cracks nuts and chuckles.
  ...He runs beside the horse, he runs ahead, he sees how
They cut her in the eyes, right in the eyes! He's crying. The heart is in it
rises, tears flow. One of the attackers hits him in the face;
he doesn’t feel, he wrings his hands, screams, rushes to the gray
an old man with a gray beard who shakes his head and condemns everything
this.  One woman takes him by the hand and wants to lead him away;  but he
breaks free and runs to the horse again.  But already at the last
efforts, but once again begins to kick.
  - And for the hell of it! - Mikolka screams in rage. He throws
whip, bends down and pulls out a long and thick
the shaft, takes it by the end in both hands and swings it with force
over Savraska.
  - It will explode! - they are shouting all around.
  - It will kill!
  - My goodness!  -  Mikolka shouts and lowers it with all his might
Shaft. A heavy blow is heard.
  - Whack her, whip her! What have they become? - voices from the crowd shout.
  And Mikolka swings another time, and another blow from all over
falls with a flourish onto the back of the unfortunate nag. She settles all over everyone
zaom, but jumps up andpulls, pulls with all his last strength in
different sides to take out; but they accept it from all sides
six whips, and the shaft rises again and falls for the third time,
then on the fourth, measuredly, in a big way. Mikolka is furious that
Can kill with one hit.
  - Tenacious! - they are shouting all around.
  - Now it will certainly fall, brothers, this is the end of it! - screams
one amateur from the crowd.
  - Ax her, what! Finish with her at once,” shouts the third.
  - Oh, eat those lobsters!  Make way!  - screams furiously
Mikolka throws down the shaft, bends back into the cart and
pulls out an iron scrap.  - Beware! - he screams and what is there
forcefully stuns his poor horse. The blow collapsed;
the little filly staggered, sank, wanted to pull, but the crowbar again
with all his might he falls on her back and she falls to the ground,
It was as if all four legs had been cut at once.
  - Finish it off!  -  Mikolka screams and jumps up as if
remember, from the cart.  Several guys, also red and drunk,
they grab anything - whips, sticks, shafts - and run todying filly.  Mikolka stands to the side and starts hitting
a crowbar to the back in vain. The nag stretches out his muzzle, sighs heavily and
dies.
  - Finished! - they shout in the crowd.
  - Why is there no video card, the resolution is small, there is no WinAmp
available!
  - My goodness!  - Mikolka shouts, with a crowbar in his hands and with poured
bloody eyes.  He stands as if regretting that there is no one else
beat.
  - Well, really, you know, you don’t have a cross!  - shout
spektrumists from the crowd...