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

"Ah!" thought Pakhom, "I have made the sides too long; I must make this one
shorter." And he went along the third side, stepping faster. He looked at
the sun: it was nearly half-way to the horizon, and he had not yet done two
miles of the third side of the square. He was still ten miles from the
goal.

"No," he thought, "though it will make my land lop-sided, I must hurry back
in a straight line now. I might go too far, and as it is I have a great
deal of land."

So Pakhom hurriedly dug a hole, and turned straight towards the hillock.

IX

Pakhom went straight towards the hillock, but he now walked with
difficulty. He was done up with the heat, his bare feet were cut and
bruised, and his legs began to fail. He longed to rest, but it was
impossible if he meant to get back before sunset. The sun waits for no man,
and it was sinking lower and lower.

"Oh dear," he thought, "if only I have not blundered trying for too much!
What if I am too late?"

He looked towards the hillock and at the sun. He was still far from his
goal, and the sun was already near the rim.

Pakhom walked on and on; it was very hard walking but he went quicker and
quicker. He pressed on, but was still far from the place. He began running,
threw away his coat, his boots, his flask, and his cap, and dept only the
spade which he used as a support.

"What shall I do?" he thought again, "I have grasped too much and ruined
the whole affair. I can't get there before the sun sets."

And this fear made him still more breathless. Pakhom went on running, his
soaking shirt and trousers stuck to him and his mouth was parched. His
breast was working like a blacksmith's bellows, his heart was beating like
a hammer, and his legs were giving way as if they did not belong to him.
Pakhom was seized with terror lest he should die of the strain.

Though afraid of death, he could not stop. "After having run all that way
they will call me a fool if I stop now," thought he. And he ran on and on,
and drew near and heard the Bashkirs yelling and shouting to him, and their
cries inflamed his heart still more. He gathered his last strength and ran
on.

The sun was close to the rim, and cloaked in mist looked large, and red as
blood. Now, yes now, it was about to set! The sun was quite low, but he was
also quite near his aim. Pakhom could already see the people on the hillock
waving their arms to hurry him up. He could see the fox-fur cap on the