had rolled down, but it was impossible to do so: he kept rolling down
again, and so he had to go along at the foot of the hollow to find a way
up. About seven yards farther on he managed with difficulty to crawl up
the incline on all fours, then he followed the edge of the hollow back
to the place where the horse should have been. He could not see either
horse or sledge, but as he walked against the wind he heard Vasili
Andreevich's shouts and Mukhorty's neighing, calling him.

'I'm coming! I'm coming! What are you cackling for?' he muttered.

Only when he had come up to the sledge could he make out the horse, and
Vasili Andreevich standing beside it and looking gigantic.

'Where the devil did you vanish to? We must go back, if only to
Grishkino,' he began reproaching Nikita.

'I'd be glad to get back, Vasili Andreevich, but which way are we to go?
There is such a ravine here that if we once get in it we shan't get out
again. I got stuck so fast there myself that I could hardly get out.'

'What shall we do, then? We can't stay here! We must go somewhere!' said
Vasili Andreevich.

Nikita said nothing. He seated himself in the sledge with his back to
the wind, took off his boots, shook out the snow that had got into them,
and taking some straw from the bottom of the sledge, carefully plugged
with it a hole in his left boot.

Vasili Andreevich remained silent, as though now leaving everything to
Nikita. Having put his boots on again, Nikita drew his feet into the