“The idea! It's quite another matter when it's necessary,” drawled the voice of Vasin, who made all the others keep silent when he spoke: “since the 24th, the firing has been going on desperately; and what is there wrong about it? You'll get killed for nothing, and your superiors won't so much as say ‘Thank you!’ for it.” At these words of Vasin, all burst into a laugh. “There's Melnikoff, that fellow who will sit outside the door,” said some one. “Well, send him here, that Melnikoff,” added the old gunner; “they will kill him, for a fact, and that to no purpose.” “Who is this Melnikoff?” asked Volodya. “Why, Your Honor, he's a stupid soldier of ours. He doesn't seem to be afraid of anything, and now he keeps walking about outside. Please to take a look at him; he looks like a bear.” “He knows a spell,” said the slow voice of Vasin, from the corner. Melnikoff entered the bomb-proof. He was fat (which is extremely rare among soldiers), and a sandy-complexioned, handsome man, with a huge, bulging forehead and prominent, light blue eyes. “Are you afraid of the bombs?” Volodya asked him. “What is there about the bombs to be afraid of!” replied Melnikoff, shrugging his shoulders and scratching his head, “I know that I shall not be killed by a bomb.” “So you would like to go on living here?” “Why, of course, I would. It's jolly here!” he said, with a sudden outburst of laughter. “Oh, then you must be detailed for the sortie! I'll tell the general so, if you like?” said Volodya, although he was not acquainted with a single general there. “Why shouldn't I like! I do!” And Melnikoff disappeared behind the others. “Let's have a game of _noski_,[M] children! Who has cards?” rang out his brisk voice. [M] A game in which the loser is rapped on the nose with the cards. And, in fact, it was not long before a game was started in the back corner, and blows on the nose, laughter, and calling of trumps were heard. Volodya drank some tea from the samovár, which the drummer served for him, treated the gunners, jested, chatted with them, being desirous of winning popularity, and felt very well content with the respect which was shown him. The soldiers, too, perceiving that the gentleman put on no airs, began to talk together. One declared that the siege of Sevastopol would soon come to an end, because a trustworthy man from the fleet had said that the emperor's brother Constantine was coming to our relief with the 'Merican fleet, and there would soon be an agreement that there should be no firing for two weeks, and that a rest should be allowed, and if any one did fire a shot, every discharge would have to be paid for at the rate of seventy-five kopeks each.