Eróshka winked at Olénin, pointing to Belétski. “Eh, he’s a proud one that _kunak_ of yours,” he said. Belétski raised his glass. “_Allah birdy!_” he said, emptying it. (_Allah birdy_, “God has given!”—the usual greeting of Caucasians when drinking together.) “_Sau bul_” (“Your health”), answered Eróshka smiling, and emptied his glass. “Speaking of holidays!” he said, turning to Olénin as he rose and looked out of the window, “What sort of holiday is that! You should have seen them make merry in the old days! The women used to come out in their gold-trimmed _sarafáns_. Two rows of gold coins hanging round their necks and gold-cloth diadems on their heads, and when they passed they made a noise, ‘flu, flu,’ with their dresses. Every woman looked like a princess. Sometimes they’d come out, a whole herd of them, and begin singing songs so that the air seemed to rumble, and they went on making merry all night. And the Cossacks would roll out a barrel into the yards and sit down and drink till break of day, or they would go hand-in-hand sweeping the village. Whoever they met they seized and took along with them, and went from house to house. Sometimes they used to make merry for three days on end. Father used to come home—I still remember it—quite red and swollen, without a cap, having lost everything: he’d come and lie down. Mother knew what to do: she would bring him some fresh caviar and a little _chikhir_ to sober him up, and would herself run about in the village looking for his cap. Then he’d sleep for two days! That’s the sort of fellows they were then! But now what are they?” “Well, and the girls in the _sarafáns_, did they make merry all by themselves?” asked Belétski. “Yes, they did! Sometimes Cossacks would come on foot or on horse and say, ‘Let’s break up the _khorovóds_,’ and they’d go, but the girls would take up cudgels. Carnival week, some young fellow would come galloping up, and they’d cudgel his horse and cudgel him too. But he’d break through, seize the one he loved, and carry her off. And his sweetheart would love him to his heart’s content! Yes, the girls in those days, they were regular queens!” Chapter XXXVI