I didn't give my mother a chance to utter a word but flew out of the door like a bullet, forgetting even to close the door after me, a negligence usually punished in our village by a beating. I did not lessen my speed until I found myself at my uncle's felt-padded door. Turning the knob (it was not customary to lock doors or to knock in our village), I walked in. Uncle was still in bed and at first could not understand my presence. When he did, he jumped to his feet with "You rascal, you caught me this time, all right! Take any rifle you want." He pointed to several antlers on the wall on which hung an array of rifles and daggers. While I tried to decide on the rifle, he washed and dressed, made a fire and began to prepare pancakes and tea. Having decided what gun I wanted, I helped him by hammering odd-shaped lumps of sugar from a big cone-shaped loaf. From time to time he looked smilingly at me and uttered unrelated ejaculations, from which I learned that he favored my going. We sat down, I thinking what a cheerful man he was. "I guess you haven't breakfasted," he said, filling my plate. "Your mother probably gave you a spanking instead of something to eat." I looked up at him in surprise. How could he know that I hadn't had anything to eat, and that my mother was angry. Having eaten heartily, we went out. I helped saddle his horse, and then together, laughing and talking, we hitched a mule to a sleigh into which we put hay and grain, a bag of tobacco, some bread, salt and meat, sugar and tea, an _arkan_ (the Cossack's lassoo), and some cartridges. I tried to follow his excellent method of packing things away neatly, for I knew that that was a part of the training of every Cossack. When we were ready to start, I in front, he a few steps behind, his pipe in his mouth, a smile on his lips, I could not help asking: "Uncle, what are you smiling at?" "At you!" he answered unexpectedly. "I guess you wouldn't go home just now even for ten rubles."[11] "Why--" I began and stopped, wondering again how he could read my thoughts. For it had just occurred to me that if, for any reason, I had to return, mother wouldn't let me out again, and perhaps even father-- At this point, I hit the mule on whose back I was mounted, and we started off. FOOTNOTES: [Footnote 11: Russian money. Ten rubles would equal about five dollars of our money.--THE EDITOR.] CHAPTER IX THE HUNT