The cornet became excited, and began giving orders to the Cossacks as to how they should divide and from which side they should approach. But the Cossacks did not appear to pay any attention to these orders, listening only to what Lukáshka said and looking to him alone. Lukáshka’s face and figure were expressive of calm solemnity. He put his horse to a trot with which the others were unable to keep pace, and screwing up his eyes kept looking ahead. “There’s a man on horseback,” he said, reining in his horse and keeping in line with the others. Olénin looked intently, but could not see anything. The Cossacks soon distinguished two riders and quietly rode straight towards them. “Are those the _abreks?_” asked Olénin. The Cossacks did not answer his question, which appeared quite meaningless to them. The _abreks_ would have been fools to venture across the river on horseback. “That’s friend Ródka waving to us, I do believe,” said Lukáshka, pointing to the two mounted men who were now clearly visible. “Look, he’s coming to us.” A few minutes later it became plain that the two horsemen were the Cossack scouts. The corporal rode up to Lukáshka. Chapter XLI “Are they far?” was all Lukáshka said. Just then they heard a sharp shot some thirty paces off. The corporal smiled slightly. “Our Gúrka is having shots at them,” he said, nodding in the direction of the shot. Having gone a few paces farther they saw Gúrka sitting behind a sand-hillock and loading his gun. To while away the time he was exchanging shots with the _abreks_, who were behind another sand-heap. A bullet came whistling from their side. The cornet was pale and grew confused. Lukáshka dismounted from his horse, threw the reins to one of the other Cossacks, and went up to Gúrka. Olénin also dismounted and, bending down, followed Lukáshka. They had hardly reached Gúrka when two bullets whistled above them. Lukáshka looked around laughing at Olénin and stooped a little. “Look out or they will kill you, Dmítri Andréich,” he said. “You’d better go away—you have no business here.” But Olénin wanted absolutely to see the _abreks_. From behind the mound he saw caps and muskets some two hundred paces off. Suddenly a little cloud of smoke appeared from thence, and again a bullet whistled past. The _abreks_ were hiding in a marsh at the foot of the hill. Olénin was much impressed by the place in which they sat. In reality it was very much like the rest of the steppe, but because the _abreks_ sat there it seemed to detach itself from all the rest and to have become distinguished. Indeed it appeared to Olénin that it was the very spot for _abreks_ to occupy. Lukáshka went back to his horse and Olénin followed him. “We must get a hay-cart,” said Lukáshka, “or they will be killing some of us. There behind that mound is a Nogáy cart with a load of hay.”