”I could not. The blood of my brother Osman and of Abu Nutsal Khan was on his hands. I did not go to him. General Rosen sent me an officer’s commission and ordered me to gov- ern Avaria. All this would have been well, but that Rosen ap- pointed as Khan of Kazi-Kumukh, first Mahomet-Murza, and Hadji Murat afterwards Akhmet Khan, who hated me. He had been trying to get the Khansha’s daughter, Sultanetta, in marriage for his son, but she would not giver her to him, and he believed me to Leo Tolstoy be the cause of this. … Yes, Akhmet Khan hated me and sent his henchmen to kill me, but I escaped from them. Then he spoke ill of me to General Klugenau. He said that I told the Avars not to supply wood to the Russian soldiers, and he also said that I had donned a turban – this one” (Hajji Murad touched his tur- ban) ”and that this meant that I had gone over to Shamil. The general did not believe him and gave orders that I should not be touched. But when the general went to Tiflis, Akhmet Khan did as he pleased. He sent a company of soldiers to seize me, put me in chains, and tied me to a cannon. ”So they kept me six days,” he continued. ”On the seventh day they untied me and started to take me to Temir-Khan- Shura. Forty soldiers with loaded guns had me in charge. My hands were tied and I knew that they had orders to kill me if I tried to escape. ”As we approached Mansokha the path became narrow, and on the right was an abyss about a hundred and twenty yards deep. I went to the right – to the very edge. A soldier wanted to stop me, but I jumped down and pulled him with me. He was killed outright but I, as you see, remained alive. ”Ribs, head, arms, and leg – all were broken! I tried to crawl but grew giddy and fell asleep. I awoke wet with blood. A shepherd saw me and called some people who carried me to an aoul. My ribs and head healed, and my leg too, only it has remained short,” and Hajji Murad stretched out his crooked leg. ”It still serves me, however, and that is well,” said he. Original text source from RevoltLib.com, 2021. 80 his palace, and then to kill him from an ambush. Someone over- heard us and told Hamzad, who sent for grandfather and said, ’Mind, if it be true that thy grandsons are planning evil against me, thou and they shall hang from one rafter. I do God’s work and cannot be hindered. … To, and remember what I have said!’ ”Our grandfather came home and told us. ”Then we decided not to wait but to do the deed on thefirst day of the feast in the mosque. Our comrades would not take part in it but my brother and I remained firm. ”We took two pistols each, put on our burkas, and went to the mosque. Hamzad entered the mosque with thirty murids. They all had drawn swords in their hands. Aseldar, hisfa- vorite murid (the one who had cut off Khansha’s head), saw us, shouted to us to take off our burkas, and came towards me. I had my dagger in my hand and I killed him with it and rushed at Hamzad; but my brother Osman had already shot him. He was still alive and rushed at my brother dagger in hand, but I have him a finishing blow on the head. There were thirty murids and we were only two. They killed my brother Osman, but I kept them at bay, leaped through the window, and es- caped. ”When it was known that Hamzad had been killed all the people rose. The murids fled and those of them who didnot flee were killed.” Hajji Murad paused, and breathed heavily. ”That was very good,” he continued, ”but afterwards every- thing was spoiled. ”Shamil succeeded Hamzad. He sent envoys to me to say that I should join him in attacking the Russians, and that ifI refused he would destroy Kunzakh and kill me. ”I answered that I would not join him and would not let him come to me. …” ”Why didst thou not go with him?” asked Loris-Melikov. Hajji Murad frowned and did not reply at once. 79 Chapter 13 Contents When Loris-Melikov entered the drawing room Hajji Murad Chapter 1 5 received him with a bright face. ”Well, shall I continue?” he asked, sitting down comfortably Chapter 2 15 on the divan. ”Yes, certainly,” said Loris-Melikov. ”I have been in to have Chapter 3 21 a talk with thy henchmen. … One is a jolly fellow!” he added. Chapter 4 27 ”Yes, Khan Mahoma is a frivolous fellow,” said Hajji Murad. ”I liked the young handsome one.” Chapter 5 33 ”Ah, that’s Eldar. He’s young but firm – made of iron!” They were silent for a while. Chapter 6 40 ”So I am to on?” ”Yes, yes!” Chapter 7 46 ”I told the how the Khans were killed. … Well, having killed them Hamzad rode into Khunzakh and took up his quarters in Chapter 8 49 their palace. The Khansha was the only one of the family left Chapter 9 54 alive. Hamzad sent for her. She reproached him, so he winked to his murid Aseldar, who struck her from behind and killed Chapter 10 61 her.” ”Why did he kill her?” asked Loris-Melikov. Chapter 11 67 ”What could he do? … Where the forelegs have gone the hind legs must follow! He killed off the whole family. Shamil Chapter 12 73 killed the youngest son – threw him over a precipice. … ”Then the whole of Avaria surrendered to Hamzad. Butmy Chapter 13 78 brother and I would not surrender. We wanted his blood for Chapter 14 84 the blood of the Khans. We pretended to yield, but our only thought was how to get his blood. We consulted our grandfa- Chapter 15 89 ther and decided to await the time when he would come out of Chapter 16 104 78 3 Chapter 17 109 ”Five years,” replied Khanefi. ”I come from the same aoulas he. My father killed his uncle and they wished to kill me.” he Chapter 18 111 said calmly, looking from under his joined eyebrows straight into Loris-Melikov’s face. ”Then I asked them to adopt measa Chapter 19 116 brother.” ”What do you mean by ’adopt as a brother’?” Chapter 20 123 ”I did not shave my head nor cut my nails for two months, Chapter 21 130 and then I came to them. They let me in to Patimat, his mother, and she gave me the breast and I became his brother.” Chapter 22 135 Hajji Murad’s voice could be heard from the next room and Eldar, immediately answering his call, promptly wiped his Chapter 23 140 hands and went with large strides into the drawing room. ”He asks thee to come,” said he, coming back. Chapter 24 144 Loris-Melikov gave another cigarette to the merry Khan Ma- homa and went into the drawing room. Chapter 25 149 4 77 less and ready for any spree. He did not know what to do with his superfluous vitality. He was always gay and reckless, and played with his own and other people’s lives. For the sake of that sport with life he had now come over to the Russians, and for the same sport he might go back to Shamil tomorrow. Chapter 1 Eldar was also quite easy to understand. He was a man en- tirely devoted to his Murshid; calm, strong, and firm. The red-haired Gamzalo was the only one Loris-Melikov did I was returning home by the fields. It was midsummer, the hay not understand. He saw that that man was not only loyal to harvest was over and they were just beginning to reap the rye. Shamil but felt an insuperable aversion, contempt, repugnance, At that season of the year there is a delightful variety of flow- and hatred for all Russians, and Loris-Melikov could therefore ers – red, white, and pink scented tufty clover; milk-white ox- not understand why he had come over to them. It occurred to eye daisies with their bright yellow centers and pleasant spicy him that, as some of the higher officials suspected, Hajji Mu- smell; yellow honey-scented rape blossoms; tall campanulas rad’s surrender and his tales of hatred of Shamil might be false, with white and lilac bells, tulip-shaped; creeping vetch; yellow, and that perhaps he had surrendered only to spy out the Rus- red, and pink scabious; faintly scented, neatly arranged purple sians’ weak spots that, after escaping back to the mountains, plaintains with blossoms slightly tinged with pink; cornflow- he might be able to direct his forces accordingly. Gamzalo’s ers, the newly opened blossoms bright blue in the sunshine whole person strengthened this suspicion. but growing paler and redder towards evening or when grow- ”The others, and Hajji Murad himself, know how tohid ing old; and delicate almond-scented dodder flowers that with- their intentions, but this one betrays them by his open hatred,” ered quickly. I gathered myself a large nosegay and was going thought he. home when I noticed in a ditch, in full bloom, a beautiful thistle Loris-Melikov tried to speak to him. He asked whether he plant of the crimson variety, which in our neighborhood they did not feel dull.