This apparently sleepy and easy-going man was unmercifully severe to the soldiers, whom he not only abandoned to the ferocity of the "non-coms.," but whom he himself personally whipped till they fell bleeding to the ground; but in all that concerned their food, clothing, and pay, he displayed the greatest consideration and honesty, and in this he was only surpassed by the commander of the 5th Company. To the junior officers Captain Sliva was always harsh and stiff, and a certain native, crabbed humour imparted an additional sharpness to his biting sarcasms. If, for instance, a subaltern officer happened, during the march, to step out with the wrong foot, he instantly bellowed-- "Damnation! What the devil are you doing? All the company _except_ Lieutenant N. is marching with the wrong foot!" He was particularly rude and merciless on occasions when some young officer overslept himself or, for some other cause, came too late to drill, which not unfrequently was the case with Romashov. Captain Sliva had a habit then of celebrating the victim's advent by forming the whole company into line, and, in a sharp voice, commanding "Attention!" After this he took up a position opposite the front rank, and in death-like silence waited, watch in hand and motionless, while the unpunctual officer, crushed with shame, sought his place in the line. Now and then Sliva increased the poor sinner's torture by putting to him the sarcastic question: "Will your Honour allow the company to go on with the drill?" For Romashov he had, moreover, certain dainty phrases specially stored up, e.g. "I hope you slept well," or "Your Honour has, I suppose, as usual, had pleasant dreams?" etc., etc. When all these preludes were finished, he began to shower abuse and reproaches on his victim. "Oh, I don't care," thought Romashov to himself in deep disgust as he approached his company. "It is no worse to be here than in other places. All my life is ruined." Sliva, Viätkin, Lbov, and the ensign were standing in the middle of the parade-ground, and all turned at once to Romashov as he arrived. Even the soldiers turned their heads towards him, and with veritable torture Romashov pictured to himself what a sorry figure he cut at that moment.