August 1916. The last days of sultry schilde, the crown of summer, as they call here the time when herbs and bushes have already been touched by the fading, but autumn is still far away.
Heavy rain has passed and the sky brightened, though the lumpy clouds still hid the blue sky, reminding worn-out spring ice floes covering pure bright water.
The sun went over the low hills covered with rare karagan bushes. Horses, sheep, cows, camels, caught in the rain, have already dried and were peacefully grazing near five auls , located in the valley that was lazily covered by the shallow Osen. People enjoyed a whiff of breeze, similar to the touching the body of a delicate silk. There were three tombs with high minarets on the steep river shore. Daytime haze blurred the contours of minarets, and they seemed to be fluttering, swaying in the heated air, but suddenly the coolness fell on the ground and silhouettes of the peaked towers dramatically outlined against the pale sky. The sounds were heard much more clearly than in the midday heat. –
" Kah!.. Kah!.. Kah!;. Ak-kus!.. Ak-kus!, Kah, kah, kah!" The excited voices were heard from the place where the herd was gazing, and a few riders, galloping with all their might, appeared on the edge of the hill. The rider on the white horse was moving opposite to them. Aul people, one and all, ran out of their yurts and, putting hands to the eyes, stared at the riders in amazement. Dogs, running to the herd, went barking. One of them, the white beagle from the middle aul, took the lead, and it seemed that it rushed at the speed of falling star. A horseman on the red horse came out of aul, located in the western part of the valley, and soon caught up with other dzhigits . Only a little black shaggy dog, sheltered at the sooty hearth of the little yurt in western aul, looked strange at the hooting riders and viciously barking dogs. The shaggy dog barked once or twice, hoping to get a sop from a woman in dirty patched clothes, bustled over the fire, but the woman didn’t pay attention to it, and the dog, growling with displeasure, returned to its seat.
The western aul, from where the rider left on a red horse, was called Kadyr’s aul. The aul consisted of five yurts. One of them, crooked, but with a strong koshma belonged to Kadyr. Other patched, low, sooty ones belonged to his eldest sons: Senbay, Janali and Kadyr’s matchmaker. In short, there were no strangers in this aul, except for guests, located not far from Senbay’s yurt near their fetlocked horses. Guests and hosts were engaged in easy conversation, but suddenly they heard a noise in the herd, and one of the talkers quickly bridled a horse and disappeared over the hill. Girls and young women, talking and laughing, came out of Janali’s yurt. They went to the river in a clamorous crowd, and in front of them the children were running with screams and laughter, overleaping each other and knocking with bare feet on the ground.
Wide skirts of the girls touched the ground, sholpy rang, uki swayed, green and red kerchiefs and white kimesheks of young women gleamed. Camisoles, chapans , beshmets ... A riot of colors that unwittingly brings to mind bright spring blooming. Two young women with kumgans swam like swans before.
Men, sitting near Senbay’s yurt, began to move cautiously, looking after the women. One of them, swarthy and spotted, in a large tymak of white lambskin, was staring intently, unblinking, like a hungry eagle in autumn weather. Dzhigit sitting in front of him smiled despite himself.
"Oh, how he stares at Aisha," he thought balefully. "Probably hopes for his riches, but what does he look like? He looks like the old spotted pike from rotten backwaters..."
The women disappeared in karagan spinney. Some, rolling up their sleeves and gleaming with silver bracelets, took pieces of scented soap and began to wash, whipping the thick white foam. Other, jingling kumgans, playfully bickered in waiting their turn.
Aisha wiped her face with a handkerchief and sang, looking around, as if she became acquainted with surroundings for the first time. However, her eyes didn’t fix on anything for long. Only three high minarets on the bank of Osen suddenly attracted her attention, for they reminded her of one familiar story of how a woman, named Kantbala, escaped from her odious husband and found a shelter in a niche of one of the tombs.
"In difficult times, when there’s nowhere to go this place can become a haven," Aisha thought.
Women, still making fun of each other, went to the aul. Aisha was still sad. Silently, she moved into the crowd of women, wrapped in a black satin chapan. Frowning face, tight-knitted sable eyebrows, eyes full of sorrow… She didn’t have a reputation of an easily amused woman, but this time her expression was so eloquent that even a stranger would have noticed that sadness oppressed her. The hearts of her herdmates shrank by the pity for the girl, but they suppressed their feelings, and in whatever tried to cheer up Aisha. Quiet peaceful evening...
The women disappeared in the yurt. The riders that passed through the hollow came back. White hound was running next to the red horse.
Aisha was the youngest daughter of Kadyr.
Shakir, a son of Boranbay from karakesek family, traveled about many auls searching for the bride. The rumour about the beauty of Aisha has come up on him and he, accompanied by kuda , sent to him by his son-in-law bai Bimende, came to Kadyr’s aul where for two days he matched a pleasing girl. Shakir was an elderly widower, that’s why the assignations of the engaged couple, so prevalent in Kazakh life, were out of the question. He wanted to take Aisha to his house, to pay bride price to bride’s chaperone and did not intend to delay matchmaking, for his empty house urgently needed in mistress. Shakir asked Kadyr, his brothers, his eldest sons and quickly found a common language with them - he managed to bargain Aisha for thirty heads of cattle.
Such complaisance of Kadyr’s family was explained both by Shakir’s wealth and the fact that he was a relative of Bimende. If Shakir was younger and not burdened with children, of course he would be asking for another bride, he would take to wife the daughter of noble parents, play a magnificent wedding, but the rich and powerful did not want to give their young daughters for cribbage faced old man with plucked beard, and he had to settle for Aisha.
They sat near Senbay’s yurt - Shakir and his fellows. Red pacing horse, on which dzhigit, outracing the white hound, raced toward the riders, was Shakir’s horse and Bimende’s envoy was riding it.
Kadyr slaughtered a sheep, invited the elders of five auls to toy and after treating them with meat and giving kumys to drink he asked for their blessing. Together with other foremen, Suleiman and Mullah, Bekir feasted - only two middle sons of Kadyr were not present in the collusion. One of them, Sapargali, worked in Nildinskiy plant, the other, Abil, pastured herds of his rich uncle.
Kadyr was pleased with the fact that in a single day he became the owner of a sizeable herd. Sometimes, however, sorry for his daughter awoke in him, but the wealth, suddenly dropped from the clouds, was too large to be sad about her fate for a long time. In the end - this is the women fate!
Twilight fell to the ground, and the four dzhigits came out of the groom’s yurt, heading into Janali’s yurt where they returned after woman washing. One of them was the groomsman, bai Bimende’s envoy; the other three lived in the nearby auls.
"Hey, where are you going?" matchmaker asked one of the dzhigits. "When we come to the girls, sing us a song ..."
He shifted tymak , covered with colorful silk, from his eyes, stuck out his lip, where he put nasybay , spat with relish and famously run his fingers over the little strings of dombra.
"I hope this time you will help me," the black bearded bai Bimende’s envoy laughed a reply.
"Assalaum-ageleykum! Are you healthy?" dzhigits bowed crossing the threshold.
"Eh-eh, welcome, welcome! What a fun without you?" the hoiden young women replied in the same tone and girls hid their eyes, as the custom told." Make yourself at home… Take the load off your feet…" women clamored interrupting each other.
Dzhigit with dombra turned to his fellows:" Good! If our presence is not a burden to the hosts, we will take a place at the tor ..." And he immediately turned to the matchmaker: "Come in, kuda. Sit down next to our girls. Kuda," he casted a glance upon those present and fixed eyes on Aisha’s face a little longer.
"We can come in, thank you for the invitation," dzhigits hooted, taking seats.
Moustached man, the oldest of all, looked at Aisha, at matchmaker.
"I have heard that our kuda is an expert in singing songs. Well, Ahmet, give him dombra," he commanded.
Ahmet, the guy that chewed nasybay, handed the instrument to the matchmaker.
"Well, let’s listen, let’s listen, how sweet your kuda sings," one of the young black-eyed and red-cheeked women in white kimeshek said.
"Do not blame me, but I do not know how to play dombra," matchmaker awkwardly uttered, returning the instrument to Ahmet.
Ahmed stepped back.
"Oh, kuda! Why do you hesitate? Who would believe that bai Bimende’s envoy does not know how to play dombra? Leave your jokes!" he laughed.
The matchmaker was embarrassed and blushed, not knowing how to wiggle out. He awkwardly held dombra with his sweaty hands and was ready to sink into the ground with shame. But he was rescued by ubiquitous young women. They instantly started the game “zhalgyz khan”, Ahmed touched the strings and the fun began. Only Aisha still did not look up, participating neither in conversation nor in game.
"Aisha, play for us," the moustached dzhigit addressed her. "We came to have fun and we're sorry to see you sad. Sing something!"
"It’s true… Play, have fun with your friends," the red-cheeked young woman said.
"Have fun in good health, if you want so. And why do I have to be happy?" Aisha responded with animosity.
"There is too little good in our lives, but what's the use to be sad? It's no use moaning, hold your head up, sister," women started talking at once.
"Cat's cheers are mice's tears. Play, if you want," Aisha replied.
"In this case, we’re leaving," Ahmed said, putting dombra aside.
"No, no. Don't pay attention on me. Sadyrbek, come to me, I need to talk to you." Aisha said to the moustached dzhigit.
“Zhalgyz khan” continued. Aisha leaned toward the dzhigit and whispered silently:
"Go and tell them once again that never in my life I will marry Boranbay’s son, though they give me all the riches of the world. He is an old man with his house full of orphans, there, but for the grace of Allah to see his face. I will not be his wife. And if they decide to sell me, as before God, I swear: I’ll have neither father nor mother or brothers. They give me in marriage to Shakir to get rid of me, but I have not caused them either grief, or worries. And if they still decide to do it, I will disappear as the day disappears with the coming of the evening, and they will never see me again. Go and tell them my words in details, not missing anything..."
Her eyes were dimmed with tears. Sadyrbek quietly left the yurt.
His leaving did not go unnoticed. Aisha’s tears did not hid from women and dzhigits, so the game was stopped by itself.
"What happened? Play, I beg you," Aisha appealed to everybody.
But the fun obviously came to an end. Dzhigits one after another left the yurt, women following them stretched to the door and Aisha left alone with two close friends - Bibiazhar and Muslim – and with the brother's wife Rahiya. A little later they were joined by the eldest daughter-in-law Rapysh. Her three children sat down by the fire, and the women, sitting at koshma, spoke in a low voice in the twilight about the hard woman's fate. The usual sounds of aul preparing for the night stroke upon them: the cries of people pounding cattle to kotan, the bleating of sheep, the lowing of cows.
Aisha’s mother Saliha came in to the yurt. Kadyr married her when his first wife, who bore him four sons, died. He liked Saliha and she also gave birth to children, among which Aisha was the eldest. Saliha also considered puckered Shakir to be unsuitable match for her daughter, but she believed in the meaning of honey words of bai Bimende’s envoy, enticed by the quick opportunity to get so many cattle. She was torn by doubts for the second day and could not come to any conclusion. Will Kadyr, who took all the decisions alone, advise with her? If he's up to something, consider it gone.
"Why are you sitting in the dark? Blow up the fire! And where are the others? Did they go home?" Saliha said quickly, glancing guiltily at Aisha, who has not changed a mournful posture." Well, everyone has gone, and it’s time for us to go… Rapysh," said the mother to the eldest daughter-in-law, "Go back home, the husband has been probably waiting for you..."
"He will wait. I’ve just came here," Rapysh snapped, but it was not so easy to cope with her mother-in-law.
"Go away, I tell you! The same applies to you, Rahiya!" Saliha ordered, and both women went along with her.
Sadyrbek, who seemed to be waiting for their leave, appeared out of the darkness. He just sat down next to Aisha, the girl understood from his face that there is nothing to expect for good news from the messenger.
"Well? What did he say?" she asked.
"All the same," Sadyrbek gloomily started. "I told them what you told me, I did not miss anything. But they firmly stand ground. These are women's whims, they say. All women, they say, start with such tricks and perhaps is not it the custom of the ancestors to give a girl in marriage to a widower? They say that you’ll come to your senses only when you find yourself in a rich Shakir’s house, where you will live like in an ivory tower. They tell you to stop stubborn, it's done... And you probably know that tomorrow they are going to see you off. First they walk you through five of our auls and in the afternoon they will see you off in a distant way..."
Aisha's eyes flashed, her face turned to stone. For a while she sat in silence, but then straightened.
"Well, now whatever will be, will be!"
"They gave a good talking to me too. They said that I’ve had to teach you a lesson instead of delivering your message." Sadyrbek added as if to comfort her.
"All right, though they scold you, but please, I beg you like a brother go to them again, and say not to hold it as a grievance against me. Tell them that previously I imposed on them, but now I will not. Tell them not to be angry with me. Do you understand me?'
"I understood." Sadyrbek meekly agreed and left the yurt. Rahiya and Rapysh appeared again.
"Phew, barely got rid of mother-in-law," Rapysh started talking. "Why are you looking sad and jaded? It’s too late to grieve. It is done. Tomorrow we will see Aisha off." she said to the girls.
Bibiazhar and Muslima exchanged looks silently. Sad Rahiya fingered the edge of the kerchief.
"It is necessary to visit relatives," Bibiazhar noticed. "As the custom says."
"Why is all that to me?" Aisha almost moaned, without raising her head.
"Er, do not say that, my dear," Rapysh stopped her. "You'll see, when you become the mistress, the full master of Shakir’s house, everything will be good, very good. Shakir is old, you're a beautiful woman and he will tend your every need. Of course, leaving home is a wrench, but you, for God's sake, are getting married not to the poor, you go to a rich house. Really in these times you can’t leave such a husband! Look, you’ll end up in a bad way!"
"I don’t want to be sold, Rapysh. Is Boranbay’s freckled son my well-matched couple? He is old enough to be my father, I won’t be happy with him! I feel that his wealth took leave of your senses too." Aisha said sharply.
Rapysh gasped.
"Oh-bei, my girl. I meant no harm. I told about Shakir’s wealth only for your own good, you shouldn’t cling onto your sadness. Don't be angry, honey ... If you want, I'll go."
"I don’t want you to go.” Aisha replied quietly.
"Aisha, let me and Muslim sing a song, maybe we can shatter your sorrow." Bibiazhar offered, breaking the painful silence.
"Please sing, sing, dear!" Rapysh rejoiced. "What will you say, Aisha?"
"If they want, let them sing" the girl replied wearily.
"Oh, Aisha, oh, sister! We will not always be together. Life will scatter us to the four corners of the earth. So Muslima let’s sing our favorite song for the last."
"What are we going to sing?" Muslima asked.
"”Zulkiya.” Begin and I’ll continue." Bibiazhar said. Muslima cleared her throat and began to sing:
Why did she blossom so many years?
And who for did she was slim, eddi-ah!
It is better for her not to be born,
Than shed bitter tears all her life, eddi-ah!
You cried for a long time, and there’re no more words.
Do not cry you’re the light of my life-zhanym , eddi-ah!
Bibiazhar revoiced.
Long-winded sad melody, similar to pitiful prayer, hung in the night air and it seemed that all auls were listening to the song.
A wounded goose fell to the deep, eldi-ah!
And the girl is apart from her home.
The wave blows the blood of a wounded bird,
The stranger took the girl away, eldi-ah!
My dear, you’ll have to live with it,
Do not cry, my dear zhanym, eddi-ah!
People began to gather near the yurt. They stood apart, not daring to enter, and their eyes glistened with tears.
The song was heard over auls:
Who recognized women's tears?
Who understood her sobs? Eldi-ah!
How hard it is to rise after falling into the deep!
Hope is only the will of God, eldi-ah!
Do not cry, you won’t ease your sorrow with tears,
Do not cry, my dear zhanym, eddi-ah!
Strong voices of two girls, the bitter despair of music, beating like a falcon caught in captivity, enchanted listeners. Silent Sadyrbek came to the yurt with dzhigits from the neighboring aul, Rahiya openly wiped her wet eyes, Aisha, hunched over, was sitting with her back to the singer, and her shoulders were shaking ...
For the well-fed heifer come all herds in a crowd.
My wrinkles appeared from the sorrow, eldi-ah!
For money the hateful man owns you.
Who can argue with the Creator? Eldi-ah!
Do not cry, you won’t ease your sorrow with tears,
Do not cry, my dear zhanym, eddi-ah!
Poor, pathetic words of comfort...
How could they stop the tears?
The sheep does not want to live on the leash,
It will live in clover dzhaylyau , eldi-ah!
And the girl enslaved by the will of her father,
Will marry the unloved, eddie-ah!
Do not cry, do not anger the Creator, my dear!
Do not cry, my dear zhanym, eddi-ah!
Suddenly the crowd parted, giving way to the tall broad-shouldered dzhigit. There was kamcha in his hands, a faded chekmen on his shoulders, he was belted by sash, there were worn out boots - saptama on his feet. It was evident that he was after the journey- even his red cap was covered with dust. With all his eyes he looked at the singing girls, stooped Aysha, Sadyrbek, who, hanging his head leaned unto the kerege . Rapysh, having noticed dzhigit, whispered something to Rahiya and she raised her tear-stained face. Meanwhile Bibiazhar and Muslim’s song continued to excite the calm neighborhood.
Let cheeks fall in and blush will come down,
Let eyes go blind by tears, eddie-ah!
But I do not want to be sold, like cattle,
Death will bring me freedom, eldi-ah!
Don't cry, my dear, don't cry, stop it!
Do not cry, my dear zhanym, eddi-ah!
"Abil ... Come to us. When did you come back?" Rahiya asked the broad-shouldered young dzhigit in a trembling voice, but he sobbed like a child, turned away and covered his face with his elbow, still holding his kamcha. Women looked as if they waited for that, they started sobbing openly, loudly, without hiding.
Abil, Aisha's brother, was adopted by their rich uncle and now the young dzhigit pastured the herds of his called father all the year round. In the winter cold and in a deadly storm he often chilled to the bone, but in summer the ruthless steppe sun burned his skin to black. But who could adopted child complain to? And was there any justice in the fact that uncle’s native children grew up in comfort, lived in jeweled yurts, sat on the velvet carpets, ate sausages, fatty mutton and drank kumis, demanding the fulfillment of all their whims. Why was he, tirelessly working, worse than these idlers? All of them were the grandchildren of the same grandfather, but damn wealth separated them. If not for the wealth, father would not give delicate, like a white swan, Aisha in marriage to a freckled old man, burdened with children. God damn the wealth! God damn the poverty, the age-old companion of Kazakh!
... Four friends - Bibiazhar, Muslim, Aisha and Salim – lied, cuddling, on the large feather bed in the cramped yurt with tightly closed tyundik and whispered about everything, knowing that this is the last night that they spend together; tomorrow Aisha will leave the aul and then at any moment the rest will follow her.
Late in the evening, when the songs were sung and people went to rest, the groom’s fellows gave women a delicate hint that it would be a good idea to introduce bride to a groom, as the custom says, they were supported by dzhigits, but Aisha refused categorically. Kuda with the groom went home empty-handed and extremely dissatisfied with the behavior of Abil, who firmly stated his mother and father:
"I'm not going to have you force Aisha. As long as I'm alive it is not going to happen."
After that he sworn at bai Bimende’s envoy, a respected man named Korzhenbay, jumped upon the horse and disappeared in the darkness.
And the earth meanwhile was swallowed by the darkness. Janali along with dzhigits Aydar and Serik guarded the aul. Abil behaved strangely: from time to time he went somewhere under the cover of darkness, came back and left again...
It was after midnight.
Crescent moon, like a chipped edge of a silver dish, raced from one cloud to another. It raced as a pacer on strong stony soil without leaving any trace, hiding in shaggy clouds... But the moon didn’t hide for long in its insecure shelter. It appeared again in the other side of the sky and then ran and hid exactly like that white hound, which was running from one karagan bush to another in the sunset.
The dawn was coming, and the girls became silent and lay quietly, motionless, like doves caught in a fowler’s net.
Aisha could not sleep, remembering those bitter stories about the sad events in the life of familiar and unfamiliar to her women... She had heard enough of such stories during her short life. She remembered a story of Kantabala from a neighboring aul, so looked like a fairy tale, despite the fact that Kantabala swore that all it was exactly as she says now.
"Husband took me to the younger wife; I had to give birth to many children for him. After the wedding, in due time, I gave birth to a child, but my little child didn’t live for long. Then misfortune fell on me: the children were born one after another and just as quickly died. Baybishe did not give me to live untroubled life. After all, you know the saying:”The sitting man is kicked in the head, the standing - in the legs.” That's it! They beat me like a rented mule. And my husband didn’t interfere with baybishe. I couldn’t withstand such behaviour and ran away from the husband to my family; it was spring. My family roamed in the upper reaches of Sarysu and on a dark night I went alone, looking for this river. I had nothing but the small kuruk in my hands. The bank was overgrown with thick reeds; the bare steppe was covered with pits, caved wells. The night was as dark as pitch. Fear hung upon me. Suddenly I saw a flash of the light ahead. I went to the light and a miracle happened! There was a woman in the steppe sitting under the tall reeds. She had tumble hair and was bare-breasted, she was building a fire.
"Who are you?" I asked her in fear. She looked at me and grinned. The cold struck through my clothes because I realized that there was a witch in front of me! I knocked kuruk on the ground, whispered a prayer and I saw that the fire and the witch disappeared… I continued my way and saw the light again, I rushed to the fire and saw the same witch, sitting and grinning! I knocked kuruk on the ground again, prayed silently - the vision disappeared. And that was all night: a wandering light flashed in front of me and the witch with untressed hair and pendulous breasts loomed. In the morning the rain came down with a vengeance. I was wet the skin, but continued to move forward. Suddenly I saw a tall black tower in the dawning twilight in front. I came closer and saw three tombs with high, as peaks, minarets, standing in a row. I was scared, but had nothing to do. Whispering a prayer, I took shelter from the rain in the tomb. The sky became lighter and in the light of the day I saw sharper outlines of the tombs. And suddenly, believe it or not, the whole interior of the tomb, where I was hiding, shone with even white light. At this point I began shouting a pray and it gave me strength. The rain stopped. How did I get out of the tomb, where did I run? I do not remember. I woke up only when I met wanderers and they really helped me to get to my native aul..."
Aisha also remembered the pale, exhausted by the heavy housework Rahiya, who ran away from her husband, fat and corpulent Ahmet, countless times but in the end she achieved her aim: got rid of the hateful husband... Dzhigits of the aul talked about her escape for a long time.
"It is amazing, how stubborn this Rahiya was." Azim said.
"Exactly. The other woman shows temper for some time and then comes to senses, but not this one!" Bazeken consented.
"What else could you wait for, if the woman lost shame and conscience?" Uytkibek grumbled.
Dzhigit Kadyrbek again and again told his friends how he returned from Kos-Shoky along the river Osen at the time when the majority of families has moved to dzhaylyau, and suddenly saw the lone man, almost indistinguishable among yellowish steppe vegetation, walking in the steppe, wavering in a hot haze. Curious Kadyrbek turned his horse toward him, but the closer he approached, the clearer it became to him that he sees a child in front, for some unknown reason walking in these deserted places. Suddenly the child disappeared. Kadyrbek worried, but looking closer he saw that the child sheltered in a hole, hiding behind the karagan bush so that only head was seen.
"Hey, bala , why are you here? Whose are you?" Kadyrbek shouted, but immediately realized his mistake, because there wasn’t a child in front of him, that was a young woman, who covered her face with her hands. Kadyrbek was dumbfounded and the horse beneath him began to snore, glancing at the karagan bush. And though Kadyrbek soothed the horse with a whip but he was still lost in conjectures.
"What a miracle and who are you? Were you robbed?" He struck his horse again and found himself next to a woman. "Do you have a tongue or are you mute? Why are you hiding? Why do not respond?" Kadyrbek asked. The woman sat up and Kadyrbek gasped finding Rahiya in her. She was completely naked, only her long black hair flowed. The woman hid again. Kadyrbek dismounted, took off his caftan, turning away, and handed it to Rahia and when she covered the nakedness he began to talk to her. It turned out that she ran away from her husband and went to her family, but Ahmet overtook her in the steppe, beat, ripped her clothes and rode away, leaving Rahiya in the buff... "Poor dear suffered torments to satiety but still in the end she got rid of the monster Ahmet." Aysha sighed. "Oh, damn wealth! You turn people's hearts to stone. If relatives took pity on the woman, they won’t give her in marriage by force to unloved and changed a woman for the cattle."
Bibiazhar shuddered in her sleep. Heavy sighs of her friend responded with pain in Aisha’s tormented soul.
"I wonder what the life of my friends will be like. Salima’s betrothed is a sensible, intelligent dzhigit. Muslima is not betrothed. Dyuysembay’s son that woos Bibiazhar is obviously no match for her: he’s boastful, stupid and cheeky. It’s clear, what a husband he will be..."
Why did she blossom so many years?
And who for did she was slim, eddi-ah!
It is better for her not to be born,
Than shed bitter tears all her life, eddi-ah!
Aisha’s pillow was wet with tears. "Can it be true that obeying the whims of my family, I will spend all my life in sorrow and grief?" the girl thought.
Let cheeks fall in and blush will come down,
Let eyes go blind by tears, eddie-ah!
But I do not want to be sold, like cattle,
Death will bring me freedom, eldi-ah!
"Instead of suffering for the rest of the day because of the callousness of the parents, it’s better to die as a daughter-in-law of Koshkarbay." she thought. "How could she do otherwise, this comely and pretty like a mountain goat, woman? After all, she was married to the cross-eyed, squat, twitchy son of Koshkarbay with eternal idiotic grin on his thin lips. That's another bitter fate of the steppe women..."
Koshkarbay’s son mercilessly beat his young wife from the earliest days of their life together.
"Slut! You don’t love me!” he roared. Rich freak exactly wanted to get even with her for his unhappiness. But it wasn’t her fault that this rotten vulture has bleary eyes and a crooked trunk from birth and perhaps a goat cannot fall in love with a toad. The young woman ran across the steppe, crying, her face was entirely covered by bruises. The blizzard raged, roared, stormed among the bushes, barely visible from under the snow and whistled in the pipes of dwarf wattle house of wintering. The icy wind threw armfuls of prickly snow; the sky and the earth were immersed in darkness. "Well, it is my destiny. And let my suffering come to an end," the woman whispered. The poor didn’t manage to do even ten steps as the storm whirled and blinded her.
Dark night. It was pitch-dark as if genies were dancing around. Howl, moan, sobs. The young woman went, keening with her last effort, but her screams, extinguished by the wind, were not heard by anybody. Only a blizzard howled harder and harder, as if mocking at her. Plastered with snow, she waded through bad weather, stumbling over every bump, falling into every hole. Snow fell into her boots, sleeves and bosom, plastered face, made it difficult to breathe and she prayed aloud to heaven and earth for help. Her clothes covered with ice crust. Tears on the eyelashes hardened. Blood became colder than ice. Only the heart was still beating, life was still flickering deep inside of her dying body. She stumbled, fell, got up and went again until she finally fell into the high soft snow. The heart beat slower and slower. Snowflakes danced and whirled. It seemed to her that the evil genies sat on snowflakes, clapping and laughing. Blind blizzard was laughing, playing and crying, and finally gently hid the woman with fluffy snow shroud and silence fell...
Unheard excitement reigned in the early morning in Kadyrbay’s aul. Cattle was pastured, the horses were watered and tied. Bluish night clouds have not dissipated yet, but loud voices were heard here and there and men scurried between yurts, treating each other with kumis. Girls, young women, dzhigits came to the yurt where Aisha spent the night. She sat at the tor, quietly talking with Sadyrbek. Her face grew lean after night, her eyes swelled from crying, her ice bound look was fixed at one point. The youth enfolded in silence only occasionally exchanging meaningless words. Older women shook their heads sadly. Janali entered the yurt and faced his wife Rahia near the door.
"Why are you running here and there, dog’s offspring?" he shouted at her for no reason at all.
Rahiya silently turned away.
"Why are you turning your face off? Go and call Rapysh, stupid woman..."
Soon Rapysh appeared. Janali began shouting at her with abuse. A demon exactly possessed him, he could not calm down. Or maybe he was ashamed that his young sister was getting married to an old man? Who knows? ...
Women standing at the entrance, exchanged smiles. One of them pointedly shifted her glance from Janali to the yurt where the groom slept and she quipped: "Someone needs a woman, another needs kumis; someone has tears, another has wealth."
"And the rich relatives in addition!" her friend answered in the same spirit. Janali flushed red, but not finding the answer, flung out of the yurt. And then Rapysh began to speak:
"Well, young people, take a walk. Janali is angry for a reason. Aisha should taste parents and relatives’ treats before leaving, as required by the custom. The elders are waiting for her and you still can't say goodbye..."
The young people looked at each other, but none of them moved. Aisha also sat motionless.
"Don't be sad, darling," Rapysh spoke again. "We all got through it. Is not Allah created woman for someone else's hearth? God has willed it so and you don’t need to grieve for nothing, honey. Father and mother told you to say goodbye to all the inhabitants of the aul, to receive the blessing of elders and taste food in the homes of respected people. Stand up; you don’t need to grieve in vain..."
Aisha raised closed eyelids and angrily frowned.
"Rapysh, I grew up before you. And there was no case of disobedience or misunderstanding between us. But today I'm telling you: go away; I will not do what you were sent for."
Rapysh gasped in surprise.
"What are you, what are you, my dear?" she hurried. "Well, well ... I am silent ... I only repeated your parents’ word. So don't be angry, sweetheart..." She came out of the yurt and soon another parents’ messenger came to Aisha.
"Father and mother told you to get around the auls. The horses are saddled since morning, including yours. If you are a daughter to them, please show your obedience and receive the blessings of elders," he said.
Aisha did not even move in response. The youth looked at each other in bewilderment, not knowing how to treat this.
Aisha’s mother rapidly burst into the yurt and all the eyes were turned to her. Saliha was angry. The idea that she became the owner of thirty heads of cattle and can behave equally with the wife of bai Ainash, having become Bimende’s relative, intoxicated her, and she forgot her yesterday doubts.
"Why aren’t you obeying? Why aren’t you going around the aul?" she asked sharply.
"Are you the first girl leaving the parental home? The horses are ready, people are waiting for you. Immediately forget all your whims!" she ordered and suddenly turned to those present. "Why are you sitting still? Take Aisha by the hand and go outside. You look like you have never seen the farewell ceremony."
Aisha looked up at her mother with cold eyes.
"Do whatever you want, but I am not going to say goodbye to anyone. In whose house the treat is ready for me? Whose blessing should I get? And what are you blessing me for, my parents, having sold me to the widower? You send me away in anger and haste like a homeless dog. I don’t need such family if they do so with me! And if the horses are ready, I'm ready too. Bring the horse here. Tell them to sit in the saddle and go to karakeseks for my ransom. Let’s go, if the fat is in the fire. I said everything."
Heavy silence hung over and Saliha hung her head. The daughter is right! Deceived by wealth, they let themselves be tempted, but what if a great disaster will come out of this. So, with her head down Saliha walked away. Swarthy dzhigit, one of the groom’s fellows made his way to the yurt through the lodge.
"Are you from karakeseks?" asked the girl. "Yes, I am."
"Are you really ready to leave?" – "Yes, I am."
"In this case saddle Shakir’s red mare for me..."
"Your horse has already been saddled."
"No, I want to ride Shakir’s horse. It is faster." Aisha said stubbornly and dzhigit did not dare to contradict her, fearing her temper, which he have heard a lot about.
"Well," he said, leaving, but she brought him back from the doorway:
"Bring your horse too. We will saddle and get under way together. I’m not going to take farewell of anyone, remember that. And hurry up ..."
"Well, well," dzhigit said again leaving.
"You go and help him." Aisha told Sadyrbek, he looked at her in surprise and obeyed her orders.
Soon the two saddled horses were standing at Aisha’s yurt. The swarthy dzhigit and Sadyrbek entered the yurt. Girls, young women and boys quieted down and silently looked at what was happening, not believing their eyes and ears.
"Is everything ready?" Aisha turned to them. And having received an affirmative answer, she began to dress hurriedly. She put chapan on, wrapped the waist with belt and picked up a whip.
"Well, farewell," she turned to the clustered youth. "I will tell that word no one except you. From now I have neither father, nor mother, nor relatives. From now my relatives are karakeseks. Farewell, farewell to all! And if I have offended you somehow, forgive me. Allah is great!"
Suddenly the crowd seemed to burst. Crying and wailing was heard:
"Aisha, will you really go away so?"
"Will you hold a grudge in your heart?"
"Oh, honey, will you say goodbye to anyone of your family?"
"Do not be angry, my dear, we love you."
"Stay a little longer."
"Aisha, zhanym, do you have a grouch on us?"
"At least be nice to say goodbye."
They gasped, sighed and hugged Aisha.
Finally, she barely escaped from the embrace. "Enough! ... Stop! ... Girls, stop crying... Forgive... forgive, if there’s something wrong..."
She wiped her tears and climbed up on the red mare, which was brought by the young dzhigit.
Girls, boys, children and young women ran after her. Adult villagers watched in silence.
Aisha did not even look back at her mother, her father and her family.
"Let’s go!" she commanded, waving her whip and the horse raced. The groom, matchmakers and girl’s relatives stood dumbfounded like rafters whose raft was broken and flown away. But soon Shakir came to his senses and jumped into the saddle. His example was followed by all the others. Relatives, catching up Aisha wanted to say goodbye to her at least here in the steppe, but the girl hearing the clatter of a horse approaching to her, did not look back, but clapped spurs to horse. Red pacer, Shakir’s favorite, rushed and left the riders far behind. The girl with sable eyebrows was sitting on its back tenaciously like a falcon.
The sky cleared and the sun flooded the land with light. Riders raced to the west, where karakeseks lived.
Meanwhile, a man on the grey horse got out of the burial tomb on the bank of Osen. He had flat, broad face, he was dark... There were big old boots on his feet and chekmen, worn over black beshmet padded with camel wool. There was a worn tymak on his head. There was kamcha with thick white handle in his hands. Heavy soil hung on the side. Dzhigit was safely concealed with high grass from the eyes of Aisha’s riders and he crossed the open spaces at a gallop. In such a way he was ahead of riders and after choosing a comfortable place he dismounted, crouched and listened, holding the reins.
When Aisha’s escort passed him, he carefully looked at each of them, then climbed back into the saddle and set off after them. It was after midday when the second horseman appeared from behind the other tomb. The hips of his light hound-gutted mare with a short mane and rare tail were covered with sweat. The rider caught up with the minaret, when a pair of hoopoes suddenly flew out of the hole in the wall. The horse rushed fearfully, but dzhigit calmed it and, dragging the soil, went to the edge of the cliff. Here he stopped and unbent the fur ear of tymak. Then he touched upon the croup of the horse with his kamcha and set off on the trail recently left by the grey horse of the broad-faced.
On the upper lip of dzhigit there was slightly visible mustache. The thin, blond, with high cheekbones he went quickly and easily like the tumbleweeds driven by the wind. When he reached the top of the hills Ak-Tas, the sun had moved to the west and disappeared behind Shot grove. The young man looked at the flat steppe washed by the river Sary-Su, Valley Kara Shalgam. The young man saw the group of the riders moving in the end of the cattle with his sharp eyes.
"There they are!" he said loudly and suddenly noticed a lone dzhigit, who followed the riders with wolf gait, hiding and concealing. His lips were touched by a satisfied smile; he walked straight across the steppe that spread out before him like a cloth. He rode at full gallop without sparing the horse and soon he reached the edge of Kara Shalgam. Two pairs of eyes and ears – the rider’s and the horse’s – were staring intently and listening to every rustle. The horse, easily as a chamois, put its feet, shook the ears at each strange sound, its eyes fearfully shone. Suddenly it shuddered and shrank aside. Dzhigit nearly fell out of his saddle of unexpectedness. Silently, like a soaring falcon, that very dzhigit on a yellow horse, which he observed from a distance, but then lost sight of, rose before him.
"Are you scared, Alkei?" dzhigit on a yellow horse teased his friend.
"A little bit, Abil." the boy laughed. "I was in such a hurry that I didn't notice how outdistanced you. And the horse, as you know, has the eyes and ears in the front, so you caught us by surprise."
"Are they there?" Abil pointed to the moving black spot, barely perceptible in the dusk.
"Yes, they are going to Aydeke, but probably will spend the night in Syzdyk’s aul at bai Bimende’s."
"Well, we should go too, otherwise we can lose sight of them, the night comes," said Alkei.
"You're right, they won't pass over such rich relatives," Alkei agreed. His mare neighed and the rider drew rein. The gray horse of Abil only disapprovingly waved its ear to the call of the mare.
The evening fell on the land. Aisha’s escort really decided to stay in Syzdyk’s aul. They were divided into two groups. The groom and his friends were placed by Korzhenbay at Bimende’s and women and matchmakers, riding for the ransom, were placed at Muserele’s. Syzdyk, whose name the aul was called, was the father of Bimende. Muserele was the quietest man of moderate means, Syzdyk’s nephew. Syzdyk married his mother after the death of his brother, Muserele’s father. Bai Bimende had two yurts, and in every of them there was a woman. The yurts were standing close, almost touching each other. The large yurt was for senior wife, the smaller one – for the younger. In the little yurt were also kept tanned hides, products, goods for sale and exchange. Shakir and his companions were located in the yurt of the senior Bimende’s wife at ease like in their own home and felt joyfully, cheerfully, as people, whose horses took the prize in the competition.
Bimende was a good host. Behind his yurts there stood the carts and reapers. Chewing the gum cows wheezed loudly, sheep and calves swarmed, camels huddled with colts.
The horses of the visitors were tied near the smaller the yurt. There were boiling samovars beside which female figures scurried.
Bai Bimende seemed to be swollen by arrogance. It seemed that he had not enough space in the yurt from the thoughts of his own greatness. In fact, he didn’t make a step out of the house, we can say not even lifted a finger, but immediately took to wife a very beautiful woman Shakira. He, the master to arrange the affairs with the most ruthless deception, was pleased to see such a visual confirmation of his significance. Beaming like a puddle in the sun with his swollen face, he turned to the elder wife.
"Order to slaughter the fattiest sheep. Look what a bird our relative caught."
"Do not grudge anything for a good man." the wife responded to husband at once, but then could not help saying a sarcastic remark:"Not to speak too soon. And why did not he look for the bride among our girls? Don’t we have the swans, worthy of an eagle?"
"Do not talk about you don’t understand, woman! I don’t want to hear such speeches no longer!" darken Bimende interrupted her.
The woman walked away laughing. She looked into the yurt of tokal (younger wife), gave an order to prepare for cutting of fresh carcasses and then chose a suitable sheep in kotan and doing away with the hassle went back to her yurt. Korzhenbay followed her.
"Come to a place of honor!" Shakir smiled him.
"Uh, I see a successful hunt for the red fox befriended you." Bimende remarked kindly.
"Hound is worthy of reward for such prey, the hound is waiting for some treats." Korzhenbay jokingly hinted, sitting at the tor. Bimende laughed merrily, pounding his fists on the taut stomach. Bokal (the senior wife) with the help of another woman brought a huge boiling samovar and began to brew up tea.
"Take ‘one hundred and ninth’ or ‘belohvostka ’. And give us the freshest cream out of separator," Bimende told her.
"Don't worry, we will give the best tea that we have!" the senior wife said soothingly.
"Strong tea with cream is a suitable drink for people carrying an excellent girl," Bimende weightily said and the guests began to nod, move and groan thus expressing their pleasure. A short man with a rare, matted beard in worn clothes shyly looked into the yurt. He stopped at the entrance in hesitation and bowed:
"Hello, Bimende. Salam Shakir. Congratulations."
"Thank you, if you're not joking. How are you doing?" Shakir asked.
"Just keeping alive," the man answered vaguely.
"Glad to see you, Konyrbay. Will you sing today in honor of Shakir? You’ve heard, I suppose, what a young woman he grabbed!" Bimende said to him.
"Okay, okay," Konyrbay agreed. "I will sing to Shakir as well as the last time. I would have come sooner, but my child is sick and did not let me go for the whole day. Even now I can say that I escaped from home cunningly. I really wanted to see Shakir and you."
The senior wife spread a checkered tablecloth in front of guests, put baursaks (baked products like pies) and sugar. Tokal meanwhile poured tea in patterned porcelain cups.
"Konyrbay, why aren’t you getting married? Is it easy for the solitary man with small children? They say you even milk you cow yourself." Bimende’s senior wife addressed to the man, bustling at the samovar.
"Oh, Zhumabike, do you think a marriage is as easy as winking? Who will go for me?" Konyrbay said.
"Uh, poor fellow! …Why not? Just look at Shakir! He buried his wife less than a month ago and already carries a new one. Or look at Bimende, I haven’t died yet, but he already has the second wife." baybishe pricked her husband. Korzhenbay, Shakir and even Bimende laughed.
"Ah, Zhumabike, who are you comparing with me? I’m not so respected as Bimende. And who will give a daughter to a poor man for free and I have absolutely no means to buy a wife." Konyrbay became sad.
"Who knows? Everything in life can arrange somehow, nothing is impossible." baybishe replied.
"Join us!" Akash, one of Shakir’s fellows, suggested Konyrbay.
"You should not. Eat yourself. I only came to see you." Konyrbay confused.
"Come, come here," Bimende beckoned him and Konyrbay finally decided to approach dastarkhan .
"Looks like you do not need a wife; otherwise you would have found something to pay," Korzhenbay said him forwardly, filling the saucer with thick extract of "belohvostka". "Last year when you wandered at dzhaylyau, you had many cattle, I remember..."
"I also remember that. But I have not these cattle anymore." Konyrbay responded awkwardly reaching for a tiny baursak.
"If you tell me how many heads of cattle you have really got, I'll find you a suitable wife," Korzhenbay continued making a mock of him.
"Oh, poor guy! He told so himself! He will really find. Our Korzhenbay is a quirky matchmaker!" Zhumabike grinned and ate a lump of sugar. All laughed again.
"And really, let's report to Korzhenbay if you want to cope with this." Bimende caught up.
"Well, let’s count ... Two cows with calves - one, ten sheep with lambs - two, a horse, a camel and a yearling calf. That's my cattle and three children in the yurt that open their mouths as little jackdaws..."
"Oh, oh! Where are the rest of the cattle? When your wife was alive, there were many of them!" Korzhenbay asked suspiciously.
"Where are the rest? Some were eaten, another died in jute, some lost ... One of these days thieves stole the last one standing mare. And last winter scoundrel Abdrahman took a camel and said that he would carry freight from the factory to the town and that he would pay me the money for it. He did not return either camel or money, except for the deposit. The deposit is a pittance."
"How is it possible?" those present surprised.
"Yes, that's true. I say, where is a camel? And he says, your camel was arrested by the police officer and given to the soldiers."
"What soldiers?"
"The soldiers, which were taken away from the villages to fight with the Germans. Abdrahman says: "I was going out of town, and met an army of soldiers. I caught up with them, but ushers and guards that led soldiers told me to get off the camel, but I did not listen to them. They then beat me and arrested your camel with all camel harness. They sat on the sleigh and drove away."
"Did they take only your camel, the rest were left?” Shakir asked.
"Yes, he told me so..."
"Did they give any document?"
"He says they didn’t."
"He did not pay you anything, isn’t he?"
"He paid a paltry sum of money, a deposit. Damn him and his earnest money!" he slipped out.
"But this is some kind of miracles." Korzhenbay said looking at Bimende and Shakir.
"Why don't you ask our Bimende to demand the value of your camel?" asked Akash.
"I asked for, but respected Bimende is a busy man." Konyrbay bent cajolingly trying not to look at bai. And again Bimende puffed up.
"Only a fool can have dealings with Abdrakhman," he said. "Such dog cannot be given not only a camel, but also camel’s fat. Although ... maybe he's not lying. Last winter, really a lot of people were taken to the soldiers from the settlements and villages, many of them roamed the roads. Last winter when we came back from the city with carts I had to go ahead until we passed the villages on the banks of the Nura. And all the way the soldiers troubled us. Give us this, give us those. Well, we talked to them amicably, and they didn't hurt. I remember how we met the son of a white mustached Russian from Zhylandy, he was ragged entirely and his whole gang was just as he. He recognized me, shook my hand and said piteously:"We go to the war and we don’t know if the German will let us live or we’ll fall on the field of battle." I took a fiver from my pocket and told him to take it. He took it. And they did not touch me."
"His brother was also recently taken away," Korzhenbay said.
"It will be difficult for them, I suppose, in a foreign country." Akash said.
"What are you talking about? Of course, it is difficult. Are they not human beings? Is it easy, when German cuts them all like sheep?" said Korzhenbay. "What will you say?" he turned to Shakir.
"I’ll say, let them cut these kafyrs . They set sights on our land, our water and our cattle, incited constables to brandish with kamcha over our heads, that’s why Allah punishes them. Is that right, Konyrbay?" Shakir got excited.
"That may be so, but together with them our brother dies. German does not spare anyone, German flies in the sky, throwing fire bombs from above. Russian has nothing to do with this; it is the bailiff's fault because that was he who took my camel." Konyrbay suddenly emboldened.
"Well, you should be quiet here about the bailiff and the constable." Bimende stopped them. There was an awkward silence. Zhumabike went to a smaller yurt, where dzhigits have already skinned lamb carcass and tokal was washing dishes.
"Okay, Konyrbay, cheer up! I will try to help you." Bimende smacked him on the knee. "Now sing a song in honor of Shakir and his bride," he ordered, leaning back on the pillows.
"I don’t know, I'm in bad voice today." Konyrbay began to make excuses.
"Please, sing, sing. Why are you clowning?" Korzhenbay reproved him.
"Well, I’m not clowning. What do you want me to sing? Let’s sing a short one, for example this," Konyrbay said and began:
Our life is as dark, as the night
And as close, as the prison.
If there were no quarrels
It would be so pleasant!
Slashing time has come,
Everyone needs water and land.
The soul does not hold wishes,
Grief cannot be exhausted.
"No, I’m not in good voice today." Konyrbay said grievingly and cleared his throat. "Let me better read the poems..."
And without waiting for permission, he began to recite:
Kazakh, you're blinded by ignorance,
You're the laughingstock for the cultural tribes.
You don't think about the future of the steppes,
Grief and mourning bring you carelessness.
Kazakh, why are you so air-headed?
You are tired of wandering! Like a hare runs into the bush,
You run away from the usher, shivering.
People, why did you become so coward?
You cannot, you dare not return back,
That your only brother took from you.
Who will impart wisdom to us? And who will
Look at the enemy with bold determination.
Who will give the heart for your favorite people?
Where is that man? And when will he come?
The words of the poor are worth nothing,
Only bai can say a word, though with wanton thoughts.
Konyrbay finished his reading with a drawling sigh and cringed again, avoiding looking at Bimende.
But bai was unperturbed. It seemed he couldn’t even think that the last lines of Konyrbay’s poem concerned with him.
"You're akyn !" Korzhenbay exclaimed. "These are good words, right words!" Akash remarked. "Let’s take our family: the best meadows on the banks of the Kura, the best land were given to settlers. The bailiff expelled us by force. All of you know that my father against his will had to move to karakesek, the land of my mother's relatives."
"Okay, stop whining!" Bimende interrupted him and weightily turned to Konyrbay:
"You are the real akyn. Tell me, do you compose these songs yourself?"
"When will I compose?" Konyrbay muttered, still hiding his eyes. "I sing what I’ve read in the books."
"Do you know how to read books? Why are you hiding your knowledge? People like you have to teach children!" Korzhenbay said.
"I’m not a teacher." Konyrbay waved his hand."I savvy in Turkic a little. I read whatever came to hand. And if I like something, I learn it by heart. I love poetry since childhood..."
Suddenly, the boy in torn trousers timidly stepped into the yurt. Zhumabike noticed him first.
"Er, whose child is it? He is your son, Konyrbay, isn’t he?"
Konyrbay patted the boy on the head.
"What's the matter? Why are you here?" he asked. "You should comfort him. He’s crying and calling you," the kid whispered shyly." You say he’s crying? Well, then let's go." Konyrbay stood up.
"Come to me. These days I'll go to town and maybe I’ll try to help you," Bimende called after him.
"Thanks. Peace to your home. I wish you happiness, Shakir." Konyrbay said at parting.
Bimende, Shakir and Korzhenbay began to talk about all sorts of things again. Akash, whose duty was to look after the horses, came after Konyrbay. The horses were tied firmly, and Akash, taking some boy as the escort, went to Muserele’s yurt where Aisha was. After talking a bit with her brother Janali, he invited him to Bimende. Shakir and Korzhenbay sat in the yurts, talking quietly. Noisy breathing of cows and calves was clearly heard in the silence. Soon Korzhenbay entered the yurt where he exchanged a few words with Bimende. They went out together, but Bimende immediately disappeared in a yurt of tokal, giving a beck to the rest of dzhigits to follow him. In a small yurt there was a separator on one side of the entrance and bales with goods and crops on the other side. In the depths several chests stacked on each other could be seen. There was a caldron hanging up over the fireplace in the middle. The smell of milk, cream, dry skin and dried meat permeated the room. Bimende opened one of the chests and began to pull out the cuts of all kinds of manufacture.
"Here is satin at the price of forty kopecks. This is wad at the price of twenty kopeks for arshine... Silk at the price of one ruble twenty kopeks... Bekesap costs six hryvnias. Metketon - thirty kopeks. Creton costs twenty kopecks for arshine. There is also lasting, drape and velvet. In short, everything that you want." he said to Shakir.
"First you take what you see proper and then I will." Shakir turned to Janali.
Bimende took his wooden yardstick. Fabric crackled. All these purchases were intended, of course, for Aisha.
She was seen off to karakeseks by five people, including her mother. Two of the escorts, Janali and Aydar, were her brothers, the other two, Tinzhen and Serik, also were Kadyr’s relatives. Tinzhen was the elder brother of Rapysh; Serik was Rahiya’s, Janali’s wife, younger brother.
The escorts were conveniently located in a large smoked Muserele’s yurt and they kept silent, trying their best to look important.
Muserele’s daughter, a contemporary of Aisha, was sitting in front of the bride, which was placed on the right side of the yurt on the bed of the daughter-in-law. Muserele’s daughter-in-law was busy with preparing tea. The host was sitting near the fireplace, sedately stroking his beard.
His elderly wife entered and left the yurt looking out for daughter-in-law, preparing tea.
Then she went to kotan, where, having examined sheep and goats, she started to whisper vigorously about something with her son. The son, having heard her, went to the yurt.
"Dear, may I have a word with you?"
"Yes, you may." Muserele stood up, making knowing look. What will we treat the guests to?" his wife whispered.
"How should I know? Suit yourself", - he said.
"Perhaps, let us slaughter one of the two gray goats,"
"Is it convenient? The hearing follows the guests. However they carry the bride of Boranbay’s son. If Boranbay finds out that we served a goat, we’ll feel ashamed. Kill the lamb for such occasion." Muserele decided.
"The lamb of the young sheep with cropped ears, right?" the wife said.
"No, it's better from the old one. Without a lamb she will become fatter for the winter," the son of Muserele said.
"Right. From the old one. Let's quickly get down to work," the host told and returning to the yurt, he told to the daughter-in-law: "Make up the fire and don't spare the firewood, zhanym. And where is your tea? Can’t you see that people are worn out from the road? And you, Ainash," he turned to his daughter, "go and help your mother, till after dark."
Guests understood that they were going to be treated to meat and some of them instantly lost feigned importance. A thin, beardless Tin-Jan from karakesek, riding as an honorary representative of Boranbay, even deliciously smacked his lips and secretly swallowed. Tea was served. Muserele sat close to the fire. Ainash lit the lamp. Baybishe with her son Muserele dragged a stubborn sheep to the yurt. White-chested dog slid after them. It wagged his tail, looking from the trembling animal to the host and sweetly licking its lips.
"Ah, have you brought the cattle? You’ll do the prayer, and you, Tursun," Muserele appealed to his son, "You will slaughter the lamb... Go away." he shouted at the dog. White-chested dog with the tail between the legs went away, but not very far. Having stopped at the threshold, it waited for the right moment to get back to the yurt again.
The sky was covered with heavy gray clouds. Darkness swallowed the river Sary-Su and the steppe with high grass, mountains and hills. Only the lights of the nearby villages flickered weakly in the darkness. Occasionally there were heard snatches of loud laughter and auls' inhabitants’ single words.
Meanwhile it was noisy in Syzdyk’s aul consisting of eight yurts. All yurts were illuminated. People were everywhere. The voices of guests and hosts were heard from everywhere. Horses of Aisha’s fellows stood on a leash behind Muserele’s yurt. Shakir’s horses snorted near Bimende’s yurt.
Hearths burned brightly. The dogs fought and grumbled scenting the smell of fresh blood. There was a death rattle of the lamb and the white-chested dog rushed to Muserele’s yurt.
A bowl with steaming blood was carried to the threshold and the white-chested dog dipped its face there. There was a greedy champing. Running up red puppy also poked to the bowl, but the white-chested dog grinned and growled threateningly. Puppy with the tail between its legs licked the edge of the plate and meekly stared at the master of the situation. Such obvious signs of obedience calmed the white-chested and he stopped paying attention to the puppy entirely surrendering to the pleasant activities, hurriedly eating a tasty dish.
Hiding in the darkness of the night, the two horsemen with soil cautiously approached the aul. The flaps of their chapans were picked up; the ears of tymaks were bent. Their horses stepped silently like cats. The riders strenuously to smarting in eyes peered into the darkness.
"You’d better be careful not to clank with the snaffle," Abil whispered almost inaudibly slightly outstripping his fellow.
Before that they have observed the aul for a long time. They moved stealthily trying to keep the back side of the yurts. Suddenly a dog barked loudly. The horses stood still, as if riveted to the spot. The riders kept their ears open.
"They’re not here… It seems that this is not Syzdyk’s aul. There are no horses and the yurt looks like there are no guests in it." the blond young man whispered. The barking calmed down.
"Yes, we turned left," Abil said.
They turned their horses in order to ride through the ravine. The light flashed and the voices were heard in a large yurt, standing on the slope. Almost next to the big yurt, as if being in its arms, there was the second, smaller one but there was no fire in it.
Blonde Alkei turned to his friend:
"You see, there’s something dark at the large yurt. I think someone's horse is tied."
"Let’s get closer." he suggested.
They rode along the bottom of the ravine and soon got to the meadow with cut grass. Suddenly the gray mare shuddered. The grey horse of Abil made a step and stopped too. The broad-faced horseman’s heart froze. He lightly struck the horse, but the horse did not move, standing like a cat sensing the prey or a prick-eared mouse.
Alkei tried to distinguish anything.
"Oh-bei, the horse has noticed someone." Abil said.
"It seems there are no guests in this aul. A horse is standing at kerme . Whose is it, do you think? I think Musa, the son of Isabek, hitches his horse in such a way... It must be his aul..."
"I wish I could know what my horse sees. It looks at these ravines. Isn’t anyone out there? Let's take a look."Abil suggested. With these words within fifty paces from them a figure of dzhigit in long clothes rose and immediately disappeared in the ravine. At the same moment another female shadow, according to the lineament, hugging the ground, ran to the steppe. Barking dogs rushed after them, but the riders seemed to have sunk in the darkness of night.
People plunged out of the yurts and began to encourage dogs with loud cries. Breathless Musa’s daughter-in-law hurriedly told her brother-in-law about this meeting of two riders:
"Oh-bei, I went to relieve myself over there and saw the two men riding their horses. As soon as they noticed me, they sped away. You see how the dogs are barking."
She elected to say nothing about the shadow, hiding in a ravine, because of the reason known only to her.
Her brother-in-law, young dzhigit, gasped:
"Oh-bei, you say they’ve sped away? They’re the thieves! Exactly the thieves! Why were you hesitated? Why didn’t you scream at once?" Without waiting for the answer, he rushed headlong to the yurt and faced Musa. He limped to the daughter-in-law.
"What's the matter? How many of them were there? Which way were they going?"
The aul took alarm. The cries were heard everywhere: "Thieves! Thieves!"
Musa’s movements became hurried, his voice interrupted and even his lameness seemed to have intensified.
"It is necessary to quickly inform the auls... Oteya! Asautay! Go and warn Umbet. Beisembay, Akkuba rush to Iskander. Zhumagul! Sat! Go to Bimende! They have many guests in their aul and it is full of the horses. Set dzhigits to the herds. Keep your eyes open!" he gave orders. Then he once again asked the daughter-in-law about what she saw. Cute woman without hesitation repeated:
"I took kumgan and went to relieve myself. So... Suddenly I saw two horsemen in the gully, looking at our light-chestnut. I mean first I noticed that they’re riders. I thought that horses have strayed from our herd. I came closer and saw two horsemen. Then they saw me, frightened and galloped away. It was then that I realized that they are unkind people; I did not understand that at once and that’s why I did not scream."
"Oh! Allah be thanked!! If not Kantbala, the horses would be led away. Our herds are without watchmen!" Musa gasped.
The first confusion has passed and people were already exchanging jokes. Meanwhile, six villages were informed and the inhabitants began to urgently take necessary precautions. Men, whose horses were grazing in herds, agreed on sending horsemen there. Together with Zhumagul and Sat two dzhigits came to Syzdyk’s aul. One of them was the son of Bimende, the other – bai’s neighbor. They welcomed Musa and people, crowding around him.
"Musaeke! Father asks whether you need any more riders. He says that we have to send one person from each aul to the herd. Father offers to send there more people," Bimende’s son said.
"Right! Great! I agree ... Just a moment. You Zhumagul and you Uten, look for the horses, and if you don’t find them, at least take a camel, but go to herds. Others will stay and guard the aul." Musa said and then added, "If there are not enough horses, then mount on a horse together, but go to the herd! And I'm going to Bimende. Hey, somebody out there! Bring me my lance!"
His horse pawed the ground and snorted, tearing the reins.
"Oh, it apparently feels that it would be a race. O Allah! Where is the saddle? Saddle faster! Lance, where is my lance?" Musa fussed. The meat of just slaughtered lamb boiled in the cauldron. Aisha stood up to come out into the open accompanied by Muserele’s daughter. Daughter-in-law, bustling about the hearth, joined them having left her work.
"My dear, be careful! Keep eyes open, the evening is so dark! How are the horses of our guests? Tell the watchman not to sleep!" Muserele said to his daughter and daughter-in-law, although his eyes were fixed on Aisha. She looked like young dzhigit in her bloomers, chapan and hat of foxy paws, but only looking closely he could see how admirable she was.
"What a girl!"Muserele thought admiringly.
After the bright light the surrounding darkness seemed impenetrable for women.
"It’s so dark! I can't see a yard in front of me!" Muserele’s daughter said.
"It’s as dark as pitch! Watch your step! It’s so dark that I'm scared, "daughter-in-law said.
"It does not mend matters to fear! People’s life is dark when they cannot live according to their will. Do not be afraid of darkness our eyes will soon get used to it." Aisha said, stepping cautiously, and she began to go around the yurt.
At their approach, Serik, guarding the horses, stood up.
"How are you Serik?" Aisha asked, stopping in front of him.
The unexpected question of the girl that didn’t say a single word during all the way, surprised dzhigit.
"Well…, I’m guarding ... Do you want to help me?" he joked.
"Are you tired?" the daughter-in-law interfered in the conversation.
"I haven’t slept for already two nights. I only manage to hit the hay for a while." confessed Serik.
"Are you a good watchman if you dream about a feather bed since evening?" daughter-in-law teased him.
"Who would think to steal the horses from such populous aul? Let him sleep in good health," Aisha smiled.
Women walked to the thicket of cheegrass, laughing.
"Shout louder; let’s scare a lurking thief or a wolf." Aisha turned to her fellows. "Let me try." Muserele’s daughter offered. "Hey! Ait!" Aisha with the daughter-in-law laughed and took up the cry of the girl. Aidar, Aisha’s brother came out of the yurt and began to whisper with Serik. Sometimes, they looked at the place where women's voices could be heard, but they could not see anything, though laughter, cries and ringing of kumgans were heard from the thicket of cheegrass. Aisha's voice, telling something to Muserele’s daughter and daughter-in-law, rang like a trickle, beating on the fragile ice.
Aidar, pretending to inspect the horses, shouted loudly several times:
"Ait! Hey! Ushut!"
Then he returned to the yurt.
The night was quiet. Only snatches of conversation and the bleating of sheep came from the neighboring auls. Suddenly women felt as if someone, hidden in the darkness, crept up to them: the thicket of cheegrass swayed before them.
"It seems to me someone is walking here," said daughter-in-law, pointing to the bush.
"Well, who can be there?" Aisha replied calmly. Cheegrass swayed again.
"Oh, indeed there is someone! Oh-bei, What if it’s the thief? Let us go back home quickly and tell everyone!" Muserele’s daughter shuddered.
"Come on! A thief needs cattle and only dzhigits are interested in conversation of girls and young women! You'll see, there is the one who wants to talk to you," Aisha stroked her down and asked the swaying bush:
"Welcome! Please show yourselves to us. There is nobody here except girls and young daughter-in-law."
Suddenly they heard a murmurous whisper from behind the cheegrass stems:
"Please do not be afraid of me..."
"Man!" Muserele’s daughter screamed.
"Man!" echoed daughter-in-law.
"Do not make noise! I need to say you something," the same voice said. A tall fair-haired dzhigit appeared in the thickets." Hello ..."
"Hello!" the amazed girls and daughter-in-law replied.
"Aisha, I'm sorry... I need you. Let your fellows wait for you a bit." the dzhigit said.
Aysha sprang. "Sit down, please and I'll talk to this person."
"Well, well," Muserele’s daughter-in-law and daughter confusedly babbled. The dzhigit and Aysha disappeared beyond the bushes, but soon Aysha returned.
"I have to give him one thing. He made a special trip for it from our aul. Let us go home and I’ll find what he is asking, but please don’t tell anyone about our meeting," she said. Young woman and girl seemed to understand what was going on.
"Oh-bei, why would we tell anyone? We’ll keep the mouths shut." they spoke chorally;
"Let's go!" Aisha said. "I put a bundle under the pillow, where I’ve recently sat. There are several rings with stones in the rag. And in the pouch in another rag there are bracelets and silver coins. I promised to give them to that dzhigit. Go, find and bring them here. I'm embarrassed to disappear so often. You live here and you will bring them unnoticed."
"Do you want us to look into you bundle? As you say there are two rags, one in the bundle and the other in the shadbush, aren’t there?" the daughter-in-law asked.
"It’s right!"
"Where did you put the bundle? Did you put it on the ground or between the cashmas?" the daughter-in-law continued to find out.
"If I am not mistaken, I put them between the cashmas... If they aren‘t there, look at the ground. In an extreme case, please tell my mother, she would find."
"We'll manage," Muserele’s daughter said. The three of them came up to Serik.
"Why did you walk so long?" he grinned.
"Was it long? We thought it was quickly." Serik smiled and without finding the answer, only coughed pointedly.
"I'll just stand here and you go," Aisha said to her fellows." If they ask about me, tell them that I stayed with the dzhigit, who guards the horses and that I’ll come soon. Go and don’t come back empty-handed."
"Well…"
The daughter-in-law with a girl came into the yurt.
Aisha turned to Serik.
"Serik! I hid one more thing in a horsecloth... I had to give it to Rahia, but I’ve forgotten and took it away with me. I will give it to you, while an opportunity turned up. Bring my horse." she said hurriedly.
"What thing is this?" Serik got interested.
"Bring me the horse, I'll get it and you will see."
Serik came to kerma, quickly untied the horse and led it to Aisha. In the yurt they heard the patter of hoofs and someone shouted:
"Hey, what happened, Serik?"
"Here I am. I tied the horse stronger." dzhigit answered. Aisha became fumbling in the folds of koshma.
"Oh-bei, it isn’t here. So I have to look for it in the bundle. Go and find my bundle and bring the fardel, wrapped in white cloth. I'll tie the horse myself. Hurry, until the women came." she began to hurry Serik, taking the reins.
Aisha's eyes sparkled with excitement, but Serik without noticing this, quickly went to the yurt. When he disappeared behind the curtain, Aisha untied the sash with which she was belted, tightened her chapan with it and vaulted into the saddle.
"Take me away, my Tulpar ," she whispered, pulling in the reins.
There was still silent in the auls, but two dzhigits with soils at the ready, hiding in the thicket of cheegrass were ready to fight: their chekmens and chapans were tightly belted, tymaks were firmly pulled over their heads and strings were tied under their chins.
Abil’s gray horse felt the approach of the girl first. The gray mare under the blond dzhigit also pricked up its ears. A silhouette of a galloping girl flashed.
Abil reassuringly patted the horse's neck and said softly:
"Listen to the beats in its heart."
Suddenly the horse started again and turned sharply to the right. Dzhigits curdled: under the cover of darkness four riders were approaching to them.
"There is Aisha and here is the chase. They tracked us down so it’s late to escape. Come what may, but I’m going to fight. And you ride to Aisha. If this is not she, go straight to the yurt. Now a commotion will start and you’ll take her away on the hop!" Abil ordered. Meanwhile, the four horsemen, cutting through the silence of the night with screams approached the dzhigits.
Those dispersed their horses and raised soils.
Dogs of all the nearby auls have risen a deafening barking. Excited voices and drumming horse clatter were heard from everywhere.
"Beat! Kill! Enemies! Take the horses!" riders screamed, swiftly attacking thickets of cheegrass. They closer approached to Abil, brandishing their weapons. Two soils touched him, but he contrived and with a clean blow he knocked a club out of the hands of one of the riders.
Meanwhile Alkei caught up with Aisha.
Let’s go, do not be afraid! Abil will stop them." he told the girl and rode next to her.
But two of the attackers separated from the other and started in pursuit of them. Ring of the riders coming from all auls closed. The voices were approaching.
"Don’t get lost! Don’t get lost! The enemy is here! Here!" they shouted. Abil waved his soil as long as the distance from the tor to the door of the yurt, and whipping the horse, rode directly to riders.
"Die like dogs! I’m going to kill you!" he roared. They could not withstand his onslaught and retreated to the reeds, growing on the river bank, and hided for some time. However, a couple of riders racing in pursuit of Aisha and Alkei have already overtaken them. Abil, who did not know whether his friend met Aisha or not, put the horse to the trot racing after those two ones that pursued Aisha with Alkei, and soon he overtook them.
"Stop!" one of the riders shouted.
"Get off the horse or it will be worse!" another rider took the lead and raised the lance over him.
"You will die sooner!" Abil untwisted his soil as a spindle and flicked with it, but the rider with a lance dodged a blow and dropped behind.
"Where is the enemy" the voices were heard.
"Here he is. This way!" was heard quite close. Abil took the lead again. He was followed by a rider with a lance. And they rode, chasing each other in the night steppe. Finally seeing two riders ahead and recognizing in them his friend and sister, Abil sighed with relief.
"Keep out! Keep out!" he shouted.
"Ride close. And I'll blow out of the saddle my pursuer." Alkei suggested. The gray horse, the gray mare and the red horse raced side by side. The rider with a lance reined his horse, waiting for his fellows. Abil threw a quick glance over his shoulder and said on the run:
"The others ride after him. Among them there was one fat man like Bimende. My fingers itch to give him a thrashing for long time. The horse of the rider with a lance is a real trotter. He caught up with me twice, but he does not know how to hold the lance, I think he is a real coward. But if those who follow us have such good horses he would become brave and it will turn out badly for us. I’m going to beat the face of this Bimende, live or die, if of course it was he. How are your horses riding?"
"Aisha’s horse gallops easily, and my gray mare may fail." Alkei said.
"Let’s try to fight off those three. But if the others will still be in time, you, Aisha race with all your might! We'll hinder them together. And if we find Bimende, I swear that we'll make that bastard cough up blood."
"You're right ... they should be stopped here. Aisha has a good horse, she can go alone and we’ll catch up with her later ... Did you understand Aisha? Go and remember the conditional words ‘hol tabar’ and ‘ayrylma’. Did you understand?" Alkei said hurriedly, listening to the cries of his pursuers.
"I understood... But if I get lost…"
"You won’t. Keep hold of a single direction along the edge of the ravines, and we'll find you." her brother reassured her.
The threesome pursuers rode very close. Abil vigilantly followed their every move.
"Hey, I'll shoot. Stop!" one of the riders shouted.
"And we'll shoot too. We also have a gun. We didn’t take anything yours. Why do you chase us? What do you want from us?" Alkei asked.
"We want you to be dismounted. Anyway, we will not let you go further," he replied.
"Ayrylma! Hold! Do not let go! Looks like your life is worth nothing. Make yourself scarce!" Abil shouted.
"We're not leaving until we drop a pinch of salt on your tail!"
"Your hand is short!" dzhigits burst out laughing.
Alkei turned to Aisha.
"Do not hesitate, Aisha, go ... We’ll torment them a little. And they probably will not let us go with a whole skin."
"Take care of you," Aisha said.
"Don’t worry about us. Everything will be alright..." Aisha galloped off.
"Let’s separate amicably. We don't know you, you don’t know us," Abil suggested.
"Beat! Crash them!" the riders screamed.
Abil clenched his knees over the hot sides of the horse and raced to the left flank of the enemy. Alkei turned right. The threesome did not understand the maneuver of dzhigits and they were pressed from both sides. Abil sharply turned his horse.
"Well, pray, your end has come!" he shouted, and waving the soil he bumped up against one of the riders. That one fell off his horse like tymak from the head. His horse snorted and reared up. The other two riders pursued Abil shouting. Alkei, pinching the horse, rushed to the rescue. The rider with a lance, who galloped first after Abil, turned his lance on him. Alkei, grabbing soil with both hands, gave him a crushing blow. The lance fell from the hands of the rider; he drooped throwing his arms around a horse's mane.
The third horseman rushed to help him, but there was Abil: he flew at him, like a black falcon, rushing from a height to catch a victim in its claws.
"Finally I will teach you a lesson, dog Bimende! I will fulfill my heart's desire. I’ll rip you to shreds, huckster and libertine," he whispered. His opponent turned his horse and took to heels, but Abil rode him down and knocked senseless. He clattered down from his horse. His horse stumbled and stopped. Turned around, Abil rode over a defeated enemy.
"Beat the dog!" he shouted to Alkei. Bimende fell out of the saddle and was lying on the ground, like a huge beef carcass, breathing heavily. The wound on his head was bleeding.
Other riders galloped to the place of battle, furiously turning their soils and Abil with Alkei hurried away.
Aisha’s red horse raced like a whirlwind. The girl seemed that cries ‘attan’ and ‘enemy’ were still chasing her. She seemed to hear drumming patter of hoofs from the right or from the left and she bent like the end of kamcha and vigilantly peered into the dark space, releasing the reins and allowing the horse to choose the right road.
Screams and cries finally quieted down. The sound of pursuit was far behind. The soft night breeze caressed Aisha’s face, cooled the sweaty sides of the horse and not a single sound broke dense silence of the night. Aisha pulled in the reins and looked around. The heated horse didn’t stand still, but restlessly jibbed. The night was still silent, as if it swallowed all sounds and noises. Aisha, knitting her black eyebrows together, strained her eyes, got used to the darkness, trying to see her saviors, Abil and Alkei, but it seemed that the night along with everything else swallowed these dzhigits.
"Maybe they passed me by a side wind! Or what happened to them? Maybe they were caught? Maybe I’d better shout? I cannot. My voice will attract the pursuit again. What if a stranger will come to my call? What will I do then, if I meet with a wicked man in the desert?" Aisha thought excitedly and immediately calmed herself. "Don’t be a coward! It is necessary to go further and that’s right because I can’t cool heels here until dawn... I have a strong and hardy horse. Meanwhile the dzhigits will catch up with me."
So she rode and kept looking back until she was finally at the foot of a hilly ridge. She stopped and listened again. Not a sound. And the place seemed quite unfamiliar to her.
"I’m lost."Aisha understood and looked up at the sky. She was looking for ‘Children of karakshi’ and ‘Temir kazyk’ (constellation of stars), but the shaggy clouds covered the stars."Whenever a man gets into trouble the heavens are turning away from him", she smiled bitterly. She moved on, trying to find a place with the help of the hills. She rode into a flat place and saw a new chain of hills in the distance.
Her thoughts struggled like a man looking for the way out a dark cave.
"One trouble is over, wait for another one. Tramps... Wolves prowling in the desert... the genies, shaitans... And what if all these stories about evil spirits are true? But... Should I frighten myself? Who knows what Kantabale could see with fear? As the saying goes: "Fear has many eyes." Why do I think about Kantabale! It is better to think about baybishe Ukezhan, who, dressed as dzhigit left hateful house the same deep night. She wandered the whole day and spent two nights in the desert, until she went to the camp of Turseken. She drank kozhe (a drink) and only after she sat on the horse again and asked the way to Koken’s aul, Turseken’s baybishe identified the woman in the voice of a young dzhigit. Ukezhan was timid, downtrodden and exhausted by overwork, when she decided to escape. And me? I’m a healthy and strong girl with strong horse beneath me. What and who do I fear?" She carefully examined herself. "Am I not a real dzhigit?” But this idea didn’t encourage her. Dzhigit or not, what's the point, when the path is lost and it is unclear where to ride in the dark - left, right, back?
"I'll have to wait for dawn, otherwise I will not get out of here," she had to admit it. She suddenly saw as if at the foot of the hill, overhanging in the right, there were gloomy silhouettes and her heart died within her. The shadows kept complete silence. Aisha touched the reins. Not a sound. Approaching closely, she saw that there was either the courtyard, surrounded by dilapidated fence, or the cemetery in front of her. Fear made her hastily go round the mysterious structure. In addition, the horse suddenly became troubled again. The horse raced, glancing at the ruins, and Aisha felt relieved for a moment differentiating that it was really an abandoned farmstead of wintering, but not a cemetery. Then the horse stopped so abruptly that she almost flew over its head. The horse was no longer stirred its ears, it was staring into the darkness intensely and stubbornly. A shiver went down Aisha's spine because she felt as if a plaintive groan was heard right out of the ground.
"Genie? Shaitan? Wolves?" terrible guesses flashed in her mind. The groan was replaced by lingering sad howl. Aisha's heart pumped hard and cold sweat beaded on her brow. The horse suddenly began to snore and jumped sharply to the left. Another moment and Aisha would have dropped out of the saddle. She managed to sit miraculously, clutching the croup of the horse with her knees. The howl was heard on the left, right and front. The sound did not come from any particular point and changed the direction all the time. The howl approached and the watchful eye of Aisha finally discerned eerie shadows of crouching wolves. Greenish lights in their eyes dimly glowed. It was even audible as they clink their sharp claws.
In winter wolves tore Karanay to pieces. There were only gnawed bloody bones on the snow," another remembrance burned Aisha. The horse snorted impatiently, as if before the match. Wolves, squealing crouched at a distance, followed closely their every move.
"I escaped from people who were worse than wolves, am I going to die from animal fangs?" Aisha thought sadly looking at the crumbling, barely visible in the dark courtyard of the wintering.
"If the gates are unbroken there I can hide inside together with the horse... But the fence is low and crumbled so the gates are surely broken. Then it turns out that I will let them devour me. Or maybe I’ll find a stick in the yard and will start to brandish it and then wolves will run away. They say for a reason that they don't touch riders. "
The wolves were getting more and more impudent and they moved closer and closer.
The greenish lights were flickering here and there.
Two large hardened wolves were the first who conquered their fear. They came very close and began to scratch impatiently.
"Hey! Ait! Ait!" Aisha screamed terribly. The horse stamped, snorting. The wolves retreated and mingled with the pack.
Aisha rushed to the wintering.
Looking back, she saw that a pack pursues her. "Hey! Ait! Ait!" she shouted again and stopped. The wolves also stopped.
"There isn't a soul here! What's to be done? What will I do?" Aisha thought. A deserted dwelling that scared her at the beginning now seemed to be a reliable protection. The horse looked askance at the wolves that followed them and at the fence, grown ahead.
Aisha was sure that the wintering was uninhabited, but could not resist and screamed:
"Hey, who's there? Is there anyone? Come out, help!" No reply ever came, only wolves keeping watch of them, howled even sadder.
Aisha entered the courtyard, looked around and saw a lean shook, surrounded by the fence. She swung and pulled out a hefty stake, without getting down from her horse. Meantime the wolves surrounded the yard. One of them rushed forward, but the horse began to snore and stamp again, Aisha screamed, waving the stake, and the wolf retreated.
"Ait! Ait!"Aisha loudly beat the ground with the stake. Returning to the yard, she carefully examined every corner. There was no gate. In a small hut there was not any unbroken window; everything was also destroyed on a nearby farmstead. The beasts recovered from the fright, went into the offensive once again; no matter how bad was the courtyard, but still it was more secure than the open steppe. Aisha put the horse at the fence, creating some kind of protection from the rear, and prepared for defence.
The previous pair of wolves came forward out of the total pack and the wolves rushed, but Aisha, hysterically screaming, beat a fence with the stake and predators wavered again.
The girl's head was turning. She could hardly determine now where the east or the west was, though, as she fought against the wolves, it was clearing, the night darkness faded and the outlines of the surrounding area became more distinct.
The clouds hiding the sky thinned, the stars twinkled in the gaps between the clouds, pale thin crescent moon beamed...
The moonlight faded and the horizon outlined.
Aisha exhausted by the night chasing and whacked out after the fight with the wolves, was overjoyed to see the shining of stars and bright gleam of dawn. It seemed a good sign of destiny and the lost strength and thirst for life returned to her again. She looked around, trying to recognize the place in the dawn twilight.
The horse also encouraged. Aisha beat with the stake against the fence with a vengeance and the wolves squeaked piteously, not daring to renew the attack and reluctantly receding from their victim further and further.
The mist cleared away. The outlines of surrounding objects were clearly visible and suddenly from behind the hills, shaded by soft light of dawn, a long, plangent sound was heard. It seemed to break the gloomy silence. "Oh, what is it? Where does it come from?" Aisha thought feverishly. The sound suddenly stopped. Second pause and again the lingering sound was heard. Aisha looked closely at the hills, at the chain of mountains outstanding to the south of them and suddenly felt relieved. She recognized the area. Her eyes flashed, as if she saw the one in the horizon who was searching for unsuccessfully all night.
"Uh-uh!" she cried and whipping the horse with the force she rushed towards the wolf pack. The wolves huddled and lazily trotted away with tails between their legs. Aisha chased them for some time and then turned towards those hills, where the mysterious sound that helped her to escape death was recently heard.
The wolves disappeared. It was quite light. Aisha raced across the steppe. From a distance she saw a pile of rocks similar to the human figure, frozen in the tall grass. Suddenly she stirred, as if an imaginary man made a movement. "Perhaps there is anyone alive?" Aisha thought, but soon she laughed, realizing her mistake: at the top of the rocks there was a huge bird. "It’s a Golden eagle. It is similar to a golden eagle of hunter Seidvaliy." defined Aisha. The eagle turned its head and stared at the girl with unblinking and proud glance. She grinned.
"That sound woke him early, poor fellow. Now the wolves will not dare to approach. Perhaps they know something I don't know..." The horse shuddered. Golden eagle spread its wings and took off. It flew toward the dawn, gently waving its powerful wings. It rose higher and higher, describing a wider range and finally, flashing in the glow of the lights disappeared behind the hills.
...When the morning sun, rising from behind the mountains, scattered its rays of gold through the earth, Aisha galloping toward dawn, reached the Nildinskie hills. The famous Nildinsky plant, located on the western slope of the hill, appeared before her as a huge, unfamiliar country. Although Nildinskie hills were the birthplace of Aisha’s ancestors and the plant was named after her native volost, she had never seen it and knew about its existence only by the stories of experienced people.
So her brother Sapargali, who worked here, during his rare visits to his father's village has always told about iron machines, long narrow furnaces, solid as a rock coal that stoked the furnaces, about mines, which, as wormholes, were dig over all inside the mountain, about ore blocks, concealing a yellow copper, huge brick barracks where the workers live, the shops full of all kinds of exotic goods, about Russian and English with their wonderful guttural accent, and finally about the siren, which he calls ‘coven’ that loudly announces the beginning and end of the work.
They truly say: what the ear hears, the eye can’t see. Long, plangent sound coming from behind the hills and so frightened at first the girl and then the wolves, as she now realized, was this very ‘coven’, so familiar from the stories of her brother.
She was standing on the hill. Long necks of pipes emitted clouds of thick black smoke into the sky. Workers were swarming like ants around the factory buildings with many windows. The carts creaked. The cows mooed, white faced woman in strange clothes - scarves tied around the corner and long dresses with wide skirts - drove them. Children clung to the hems. Aisha threw the stake that was still clutched in her hand. She turned her horse to the village, snuggled on the west side of the plant and consisted of a dozen yurts of different sizes.
All was curious in a new settlement: these clouds of smoke and tall buildings, so unlike the native huts, lots of windows in each building, a continuous noise and the roar. Only low additions and felt yurts were clear and dear to her. She could not help comparing the high factory buildings with those seen in all her short life. And what miserable the summer dwellings of the Kazakhs and their winter huts, cobbled together with living thread of stone, clay and adobe seemed to her. She was in the full conviction that the plant is the power and those, who will shelter at the plant, who will be taken under its protection, will not fear any steppe wolves in whatever form they will appear. If she knew how wrong she was. But all that was ahead for her both the insight and real life. She rode up to yurts and met with two Kazakh women leading cows in the herd.
"Uh, honey, where are you coming from at this hour?" the eldest women turned to her.
"I’m coming from Kadyr’s aul. My fellows drop behind and I overtook them. My brother Sapargali works here and I’m going to him. Do you know where he lives?"Aisha asked. The women looked at each other.
"Sapargali? What family is he from?" the eldest women asked her again.
"What family is he from? He’s from our family, from Toks," Aisha said.
"There are a lot of people from the family of Toks here. We are of this kind too, but we don’t know you. Tell us, is your Sapargali a relative to Shulenbay and Bijan?" the second woman asked.
"Yes, Yes..."Aisha answered happily."This is our family."
"Then it’s clear. They live there in the last yurts. And if your brother didn’t go to the turn, he should be at home."
When Aisha arrived to the specified place, a young woman with a pair of buckets in her hands came out of the yurts. Seeing Aisha she stopped, staring at her and at her male attire.
"Hello, do you know Sapargali?” Aisha asked.
"Yes, I do. But who are you?"
"I'm his younger sister."
"He lives in this yurt."
"Is he at home?"
"Yes, he is. He came from the night shift. He's probably sleeping." Aisha touched the horse. The young woman curiously stared after her. Aisha dismounted, not paying attention, and tied the horse's halter to beldeu. The horse shuddered and clanked its snaffle bit.
"She looks like dzhigit, and in fact she’s a girl." the young woman said loudly to no one.
Aisha opened the wooden door and stepped into the dark low yurt.
"Who's there?" a young woman asked, pushing the edge of the canopy and leaning out.
Aisha did not answer her. She looked at the three men huddled on the floor.
"Are you deaf?" the woman repeated shrilly.
"Is Sapargali here?" Aisha finally came to her senses.
"Yes, he is here. And who are you?"
"I'm his younger sister."
"Aisha? Why are you here? Oh, God... I didn't recognize you in the dark... Hey, men, get up," the woman added.
Jumping out of the bed, tumbling into her dress and somehow covering her head with a kerchief, barefooted woman came to Aisha.
"Honey, where are you from? Are you alone? Tyundik is closed and I didn't recognize you in the dark!" the woman said and began to waken up the sleeping:
"Hey, Sapargali! Get up! Get up! Aisha came to us! The woman, in whom Aisha recognized Sapargali’s wife, threw away tyundik and the yurt became light.
All the inhabitants of the yurt woke up. Sapargali, a tall and broad-shouldered dzhigit in sheeting shirt, blinked bleary-eyed from nap:
"Oh, Aisha, is that you?"
Saduakas and Aryn, Sapargali’s relatives that worked at the plant together with him and lived with him in the yurt, which was their only shelter, grunted and stretched.
Soon all the inhabitants of the yurt sat at the boiling samovar, moved with Aisha’s story. They continually interrupted her, specified details, forced to repeat what have just been said. Sapargali’s blood was up when he found out what they wanted to do with his sister by giving her in marriage to an old freak. And the others were no less excited. Aisha’s and dzhigits’ courage stroke their fancy. Women groaned listening how the girl was nearly killed having met with wolf pack.
"But where are Abil and Alkei? Did they return back?" Sapargali asked when Aisha’s story was over.
"I don't know. They could hardly return. We agreed that they will bring and settle me here. How could they come back, not knowing whether I arrived safely? Something must have happened to them." Aisha became sad.
"Perhaps they have got into the hands of the enemies?" Saduakas supposed, the big-eyed young woman who met Aisha, looking for the brother, was his wife.
"Well! Their horses are excellent. Abil grazes herds of Shulenbay’s uncle, so do you really think they haven’t chosen the friskiest pacers?" Sapargali said.
"Two of them stand for ten in the fight." Aryn supported him.
Is Alkei Shulenbay’s horse shepherd too?" Saduakas was surprised.
"Yes, he is. He has been working for him for already two years. Alkei is Abil’s best friend," Aisha said and blushed inexplicably." Saduakas looked at his sister, smiled and shook his head.
"I wish I knew if they said about their departure to Shulenbay and other shepherds?" Saduakas smacked on his knee.
"Probably, they said. After all, they both were on his horses. And if they didn’t, it doesn't matter all that much." Arik, the youngest of the men laughed.
"I don't think that something bad has happened to them. Even if they were caught, Bimende will not dare to detain Shulenbay’s people, he's quite a coward in addition!" Sapargali said after thinking for a while.
"Oh-bei, I'm telling you that Abil stands for ten and Alkei is not weaker. They have lost Aisha in the dark and now they are looking for her!" Aryn excitedly continued.
"Yes, yes ...That's right!" Saduakas agreed.
"Aisha is now with us and this is the most important thing. And if she is with us, we will not give her back even if the devil comes." Sapargali summed up.
"Don’t even try to wrest her out of our hands!" Aryn cried.
"They will hardly come here after such disgrace," Saduakas laughed. His wife Gulzhihan bustled around the samovar, but all her attention was focused on Aisha’s adventures.
"Just think what a brave girl our Aisha is!" she cried constantly.
"Why would she be afraid? She is now an independent woman. We won’t give her not only to Boranbay’s son but also to the son of God." Saduakas laughed.
"Oh, of course. Why should we give her?" the wife told her husband. And still we have to be careful. The first two or three days when we’ll go to the factory, it is necessary that Aisha wasn’t in the yurt. We will send her to the master Ibray or to Russian Sergey, who live at the end of the village." Sapargali suggested.
That’s a good idea, although nobody would dare to touch her," Saduakas said.
"I'll go and talk to Sergey and Ibray." Sapargali stood up.
"They are in gathering, the workers, they can be trusted..."
In the afternoon the riders appeared near Saduakas and Sapargali’s little yurt. The horses were foamed. Alkei and Abil really lost their way in the night and they looked for Aisha together at first and then separately and finally decided to go to the factory. It was a joy for them to hear that she’s got to her relatives and now she is safe. Abil’s head was tied with a kerchief after bai’s soil blows. He pulled tymak on the top and lay down, exhausted by the road, excitement and insomnia. Aisha was sleeping on Saduakas’s bed behind the canopy.
"Take the horses into neighbor Zholdybek's yard, tie next to the red horse and let them cool down. And ask Zholdybek's wife to see after them." Sapargali told Aryn.
"Wait a minute. Tell not to feed them before sundown. And slack a girth." Abil sat up, seeing that Aryn was heading for the exit.
"It will be done!" Aryn briefly said.
"Well, Abil, do you have a headache?" Saduakas asked sympathetically.
"Headache is nothing. I haven’t slept for already two nights and I want to sleep," Abil said. Alkei also raised his head from the pillow and quietly laughed:
"This head have seen a lot before..."
"I see your skin is stronger than the ox’s!" Sapargali smiled. All burst out laughing.
"Leave them. Let them rest and sleep. They’ll have to go far!" Saduakas said and yet he added, could not help admiring:
"It’s good that you settled accounts with Bimende and Shakir. You gave them a dose of their own medicine."
The sun went behind the mountains, when the horses were finally given food. Sapargali and Saduakas worked evening. Before going to work they took Aisha to the master Ibray. Abil and Alkei were already on their feet, ready to get under the way back. They said goodbye. And it was a touching farewell. In the small crowd gathered in front of the riders there stood Sapargali, Saduakas and Aryn, already dressed for work, Gulzhihan Sapargali’s wife, Russian Sergey and their neighbors Kazakhs.
Saduakas turned to the dzhigits:
"If worse comes to worst come back to us. You are along there and there are many of us here. You will work here. He will help you to settle down." Saduakas pointed to Sergey.
"Exactly. If anything, come to us. Together we will be alright! "Sergey said.
"We did not take anything. What can they do to us?" Abil said.
"I’m saying just in case. Who knows these rich men?" Saduakas fell to thinking.
"Thanks. We will not forget your kindness," dzhigits thanked.
"And we will remember your courage, won’t we, Sergey?"
"It is true, Saduakas."
"Well, goodbye, goodbye. Take care of Aisha!" Abil said.
"I think ... tell her that we'll see again soon." Alkei finally came to a decision.
"Well, we'll see. She is now at the plant, among us, so don’t worry." Sapargali said. Dzhigits touched the horses. The evening signal ‘coven’ so memorable to Aisha hooted.
Dzhigits moved away. They became less and less, but people looked and stare after them until they disappeared behind the hills. …
August 1916. The last days of sultry schilde, the crown of summer, as they call here the time when herbs and bushes have already been touched by the fading, but autumn is still far away.
1922 -1935
Translated by R. Seysenbaev
