of their Cossack trousers, and, sailing off, escaped from the fastest
Turkish vessels. And not only did they arrive unharmed at the Setch,
but they brought a gold-embroidered vesture for the archimandrite at
the Mezhigorsky Monastery in Kief, and an ikon frame of pure silver
for the church in honour of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, which
is in Zaporozhe. The guitar-players celebrated the daring of Balaban
and his Cossacks for a long time afterwards. Now he bowed his head,
feeling the pains which precede death, and said quietly, "I am
permitted, brother gentles, to die a fine death. Seven have I hewn in
pieces, nine have I pierced with my lance, many have I trampled upon
with my horse's hoofs; and I no longer remember how many my bullets
have slain. May our Russian land flourish forever!" and his spirit
fled.

Cossacks, Cossacks! abandon not the flower of your army. Already was
Kukubenko surrounded, and seven men only remained of all the
Nezamaikovsky kuren, exhausted and with garments already stained with
their blood. Taras himself, perceiving their straits, hastened to
their rescue; but the Cossacks arrived too late. Before the enemies
who surrounded him could be driven off, a spear was buried just below
Kukubenko's heart. He sank into the arms of the Cossacks who caught
him, and his young blood flowed in a stream, like precious wine
brought from the cellar in a glass vessel by careless servants, who,
stumbling at the entrance, break the rich flask. The wine streams over
the ground, and the master, hastening up, tears his hair, having
reserved it, in order that if God should grant him, in his old age, to
meet again the comrade of his youth, they might over it recall
together former days, when a man enjoyed himself otherwise and better
than now. Kukubenko cast his eyes around, and said, "I thank God that
it has been my lot to die before your eyes, comrades. May they live