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

Pakhom immediately fetched the best dressing-gown and five pounds of tea,
and offered these to the chief. The chief accepted them, and seated himself
in the place of honour. The Bashkirs at once began telling him something.
The chief listened for a while, then made a sign with his head for them to
be silent, and addressing himself to Pakhom, said in Russian:

"Well, let it be so. Choose whatever piece of land you like; we have plenty
of it."

"How can I take as much as I like?" thought Pakhom. "I must get a deed to
make it secure, or else they may say, 'It is yours,' and afterwards may
take it away again."

"You are quite right," said the chief. "We will make it over to you."

"I heard that a dealer had been here," continued Pakhom, "and that you have
him a little land, too, and signed title-deeds to that effect. I should
like to have it done in the same way."

The chief understood.

"Yes," replied he, "that can be done quite easily. We have a scribe, and we
will go to town with you and have the deed properly sealed."

"And what will be the price?" asked Pakhom.

"Our price is always the same: one thousand rubles a day."

Pakhom did not understand.

"A day? What measure is that? How many acres would that be?"

"We do not know how to reckon it out," said the chief. "We sell it by the
day. As much as you can go round on your feet in a day is yours, and the
price is one thousand rubles a day."

Pakhom was surprised.

"But in a day you can get round a large tract of land," he said.

The chief laughed.

"It will all be yours!" said he. "But there is one condition: If you don't
return on the same day to the spot whence you started, your money is lost."

"But how am I to mark the say that I have gone?"

"Why, we shall go to any spot you like, and stay there. You must start from
that spot and make your round, taking a spade with you. Wherever you think