"Tolstoy, Leo - How Much Land Does A Man Need" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tolstoy Leo)

"It's time to go to the steppe to measure the land," he said.

The Bashkirs rose and assembled, and the chief came too. Then they began
drinking kumiss again, and offered Pakhom some tea, but he would not wait.

"If we are to go, let us go. It is high time," said he.

VIII

The Bashkirs got ready and they all started: some mounted on horses, and
some in carts. Pakhom drove in his own small cart with his servant and took
a spade with him. When they reached the steppe, the morning red was
beginning to kindle. They ascended a hillock (called by the Bashkirs a
shikhan) and dismounting from their carts and their horses, gathered in one
spot. The chief came up to Pakhom and stretching out his arm towards the
plain;

"See," said he, "all this, as far as your eye can reach, is yours. You may
have any part of it you like."

Pakhom's eyes glistened: it was all virgin soil, as flat as the palm of
your hand, as black as the seed of a poppy, and in the hollows different
kinds of grasses grew breast high.

The chief took off his fox-fur cap, placed it on the ground and said:

"This will be the mark. Start from here, and return here again. All the
land you go round shall be yours."

Pakhom took out his money and put it on the cap. Then he took off his outer
coat, remaining in his sleeveless under-coat. He unfastened his girdle and
tied it tight below his stomach, put a little bag of bread into the breast
of his coat, and tying a flask of water to his girdle, he drew up the tops
of his boots, took the spade from his man, and stood ready to start. He
considered for some moments which way he had better go - it was tempting
everywhere.

"No matter," he concluded, "I will go towards the rising sun."

He turned his face to the east, stretched himself, and waited for the sun
to appear above the rim.

"I must lose no time," he thought, "and it is easier walking while it is
still cool."

The sun's rays had hardly flashed above the horizon, before Pakhom,
carrying the spade over his shoulder, went down into the steppe.

Pakhom started walking neither slowly nor quickly. After having gone a
thousand yards he stopped, dug a hole, and placed pieces of turf one on