Young Rascal cries out to his father. "Papa, papa, what are they doing, they're beating the poor horse!"
"Come along, come along!" says his father. "They're drunk they're playing pranks, the fools---come along, don't look!" and he wants to take him away, but he tears himself from his father's hands and, beside himself, runs to the horse. But the poor horse was in a bad way. She is panting, she stops, tugs again, nearly falls.
The old mare cannot endure such lashing and has begun to kick.
"Really such a wretched mare, and still kicking!"
Two fellows from the crowd get two more whips, and run to whip the horse from the side.
"On the eyes, on the muzzle, lash her on the eyes!" shouts Mikolka.
The drunks sing a song, a peasant woman cracks nuts and giggles.
. . . Young Raskol runs past the horse, runs ahead of her, sees how they are lashing her on the eyes, right on the eyes! He is crying. His heart is in his throat, the tears are flowing. One of the whips grazes his face, he does not feel it, he wrings his hands, he shouts, he rushes to the gray-bearded old man, who is shaking his head in disapproval of it all. A woman yanks him by the hand and tries to lead him away, but he breaks free and runs back to the horse. SHE already at her last gasp, but she stars kicking again.
"Ah, go to the hairy devil!" Mikolka cries out in rage. He drops his whip, bends down and pulls out a long stout shaft from the bottom of the cart, takes one end of it in both hands and, with an effort, swings it aloft over the gray horse.
"He'll strike her dead!" people cry out!
"He'll kill her!"
"!It's my goods!" shouts Mikolka, and with a full swing he brings the shaft down. There is a heavy thud.
"Whip her, whip her! Why did you stop!" voices cry from the crowd.
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YOU SEE THE PICTURE, AFTER 4 BRUTAL BLOWS THE HORSE MIKOLKA IS FURIOUS SHE STILL LIVES. "Take an axe to her finish her off fast," shouts the crowd. MIKOLKA TAKES AN IRON CROWBAR WITH TWO SWINGS THE MARE GOES DOWN, FINALLY. MANY OF THE DRUNKS ALSO HIT HER, AS MIKOLKA CONTINUES TO BEAT HER POINTLESSLY. SHE HEAVES A DEEP SIGH, AND DIES.
"You've got no fear of God in you!" many shout.
THE BOY IS OVERCOME WITH EMOTIONS, HE REACHES DOWN THROWS HIS ARMS AROUND THE BLEEDING ANIMAL KISSING HER EYES AND MOUTH . . . THEN FLIES AT MIKOLKA WITH HIS FISTS.HIS FATHER SEIZES HIM AND CARRIES HIM OUT OF THE CROWD.
"Papa! Why did they kill that poor horse for!" he sobs, but his his breath fails, and the words burst like cries from his straining chest.
"They're drunk," playing pranks, it's none of our business!" He throws his arms around his father, there is so much strain in his chest. He tries to take a breath, to cry out, and wakes up from his dream.................
RASKOL WAKES UP SWEATING, HAIR DAMP, GETTING UP IN TERROR. IT WAS ONLY A DREAM. I MUST BE COMING DOWN WITH A FEVER, REALLY WHAT A DREAM! HE FELT DARK AND TROUBLED, HIS BODY BROKEN.
"God!" he exclaimed, "but can it be, can it be, that I will really take an axe and smash her skull . . . slip in the warm, sticky blood, break the lock, steal, and tremble, and hide, all covered with blood . . . with the axe . . . Lord can it be?"
HE WAS TREMBLING, I COULD NEVER ENDURE IT, TORMENTING MYSELF ALL THIS TIME. YESTERDAY DURING THE TRIAL RUN PAWNING THE WATCH, I REALIZED I COULD NEVER ENDURE IT . . . GOING DOWN HER STAIRS THE MERE THOUGHT MADE ME VOMIT IN REALITY. "I couldn't endure it, I couldn't! . . . What has this been all along?"
HE FELT AS THOUGH HE HAD RELEASED A BURDEN THAT HE HAS BEEN CARRYING THE LAST MONTH. FREEDOM, HE WAS FREE OF THAT SPELL!
HE MADE AN UNNECESSARY DETOUR THROUGH THE HAY MARKET. ABSOLUTELY NO REASON TO, BUT DOZENS OF TIMES HE HAS DONE SO.
HE HAPPENS UPON LIZAVETA IVANOVA, THE PAWWNBROKER'S HALF SISTER, TALKING TO A TRADESMAN AND HIS WIFE. LIZAVETA WAS A SLAVE TO HER SISTER, SHE WAS TALL, AWKWARD, HUMBLE, TREMBLING BEFORE HER OLDER SISTER, EVEN SUFFERING HER BEATINGS. LIZAVETA WAS A SIMPLETON. THEY HAD A DEAL FOR LIZAVETA TO MAKE A LITTLE MONEY ON, RASKOL JUST SO HAPPENED TO OVER HEAR THAT LIZAVETA WOULD NOT BE HOME AT BETWEEN SIX AND SEVEN.
INITIALLY HEARING THAT THE OLD PAWNBROKER WOULD BE ALONE TOMORROW GAVE WAY TO A CHILL RUNNING DOWN HIS SPINE!
HE WALKED INTO HIS PLACE FEELING LIKE A MAN THAT HAS BEEN SENTENCED TO DEATH! HE COULD NOT REASON, HE FELT THAT HE HAD NO FREEDOM EITHER OF MIND OR WILL AND THAT EVERYTHING HAD BEEN DECIDED.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hi this here be Glen. There's so much going on in this chapter, I must give you the feel for.
This is very hard and new to me attempting such a feat, summary, my observations of this book.
I'm not sure WHY! I can say for sure I'm seeing more and new underlining events! "Read between the lines, I reckon!" HAHAHA.
I HOPE TO IMPROVE AS I GO. PLEASE BEAR WITH ME, MAYBE THIS TRIP WILL BE WORTH IT, I HOPE SO.
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