too. When we walk along the road, the old
priest and me, we meet all the time soldiers
marching and officers on horse. All those
officers, when they see what I carry under the
cloth, pull up their horses and kneel down on
the ground in the road until we pass. So I feel
very bad for my kawn-tree-man to die without
the Sacrament, and to die in a bad way for his
soul, and I feel sad for his family."

We had listened attentively. It was impos-
sible not to admire his frank, manly faith.

"I am always glad to meet a young man
who thinks seriously about these things," said
grandfather, "and I would never be the one
to say you were not in God's care when you
were among the soldiers."

After dinner it was decided that young
Jelinek should hook our two strong black
farmhorses to the scraper and break a road
through to the Shimerdas', so that a wagon
could go when it was necessary. Fuchs, who
was the only cabinet-maker in the neighbor-
hood, was set to work on a coffin.

Jelinek put on his long wolfskin coat, and
when we admired it, he told us that he had
shot and skinned the coyotes, and the young
man who "batched" with him, Jan Bouska,

[[122]]

p121 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p122w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p123

v?