He began to throw one after the other to her, but she shook her head, and did not look at them. "I do not want them," she said. She sat awhile in silence, and said; "Iván, they want to kill you!" She pointed with her hand to her neck. "Who wants to kill me?" "My father,--the old men tell him to. I am sorry for you." So Zhilín said: "If you pity me, bring me a long stick!" She shook her head, to say that she could not. He folded his hands, and began to beg her: "Dina, if you please! Dear Dina, bring it to me!" "I cannot," she said. "The people are at home, and they would see me." And she went away. Zhilín was sitting there in the evening, and thinking what would happen. He kept looking up. The stars could be seen, and the moon was not yet up. The mullah called, and all grew quiet. Zhilín was beginning to fall asleep; he thought the girl would be afraid. Suddenly some clay fell on his head. He looked up and saw a long pole coming down at the end of the ditch. It tumbled, and descended, and came down into the ditch. Zhilín was happy; he took hold of it and let it down,--it was a stout pole. He had seen it before on his master's roof. He looked up: the stars were shining high in the heavens, and over the very ditch Dina's eyes glistened in the darkness. She bent her face over the edge of the ditch, and whispered: "Iván, Iván!" and waved her hands in front of her face, as much as to say: "Speak softly!" "What is it?" asked Zhilín. "They are all gone. There are two only at the house." So Zhilín said: "Kostylín, come, let us try for the last time; I will give you a lift." Kostylín would not even listen. "No," he said, "I shall never get away from here. Where should I go, since I have no strength to turn around?" "If so, good-bye! Do not think ill of me!" He kissed Kostylín. He took hold of the pole, told Dina to hold on to it, and climbed up. Two or three times he slipped down: the stocks were in his way. Kostylín held him up, and he managed to get on. Dina pulled him by the shirt with all her might, and laughed. Zhilín took the pole, and said: "Take it to where you found it, for if they see it, they will beat you." She dragged the pole away, and Zhilín went down-hill. He crawled down an incline, took a sharp stone, and tried to break the lock of the stocks. But the lock was a strong one, and he could not break it. He heard some one running down the hill, leaping lightly. He thought it was Dina. Dina ran up, took a stone, and said: "Let me do it!" She knelt down and tried to break it; but her arms were as thin as rods,--there was no strength in them. She threw away the stone, and began to weep. Zhilín again worked on the lock, and Dina squatted near him, and held on to his shoulder. Zhilín looked around; on the left, beyond the mountain, he saw a red glow,--the moon was rising. "Well," he thought, "before the moon is up I must cross the ravine and get to the forest."