Amazing transformations of the magician Goodwin. Goodwin, the Great and Terrible Farewell, Emerald City! Goodwin from which fairy tale
James Goodwin is one of the most controversial sorcerers of the Enchanted Land and the rulers of the Emerald City.
Appearance
Acquaintance with the "wizard" James Goodwin is unusual. At first, we only hear about him (in the scene when Villina tells Ellie about the Emerald City and its ruler), then Ellie and her friends talk about him, using the epithet "Great and Terrible" and thinking about how the sorcerer looks and what he is similar (head, mermaid, fireball, six-legged). And only then, by pure chance, thanks to the dog Totoshka, we see an elderly man of small stature, with a large head and a wrinkled face, dressed in a colorful waistcoat, striped trousers and a long frock coat. And the first phrase of this little man was a maxim:
“I am Goodwin, the Great and Terrible,” the little man answered in a trembling voice. "But please, please don't touch me!" I will do whatever you ask of me!"
When James Goodwin arrived in Fairyland, he was only about 30 years old, “He was short, strongly built, and had lush red hair. And most importantly, he was energetic and enterprising. He had golden hands, accustomed to any craft.
Personality and character
The prototype of James Goodwin was the wizard from Oz from a series of fairy tales by L.F. Baum. A.M. Volkov only changed the name and slightly corrected the "biography" of the imaginary sorcerer. S. Sukhinov supplemented information about Goodwin. In all three authors, the magician appears as a dreamer, dreamer, storyteller, inventor. By nature - kind, but somewhat selfish.
Magic
James Goodwin is an illusionist, magician and circus performer (according to S. Sukhinov, a local theater actor, then a carpenter, loader, salesman and director of a department store) from Kansas (although for some time our hero lived in the state of Dakota, in the city of Aberdeen, working as an aeronaut ). magician in literally words he is not. Just like Ellie, Goodwin ended up in Fairyland by accident, being carried by the hurricane of the evil sorceress Gingema. And, like Ellie, the simple-hearted locals mistook him for a great sorcerer.
Goodwin decided to take advantage of this: he hid the truth from them and became the ruler of the Green Country. In order not to be exposed, he came up with several tricks with masks, and the rumor about his "magic" spread throughout the Fairyland.
With the first lie began many years of pretense. It was not an easy life, as Goodwin himself later admitted.
Goodwin with Scarecrow brains
He lined up Emerald City, in which everything was "green" color. In fact, the emerald color was given by glasses that were worn by all the inhabitants of the city without exception. And only the emeralds on the highest towers of the city were real.
Goodwin's ingenuity is shown in the scenes in which the "wizard" gives Ellie's friends a coveted heart sewn from a red piece of cloth, brains from pins and needles, and "courage" from valerian.
Most of all, he was afraid of real sorceresses, he even tried to fight with them, but failed. The good-natured but weak-willed Goodwin was so intimidated that he sent a little girl and her friends to fight Bastinda.
When Goodwin was exposed, the imaginary wizard was even delighted: he was very sick of pretense, and he himself did not know how to get out of this story ...
Care
Before departure
James Goodwin left Fairyland in a balloon, appointing the Scarecrow the Wise as ruler of the Emerald City. Actually, he flew away because of Ellie: the girl had to be returned home. But it so happened that the rope was torn off the Earth earlier, and Goodwin returned to Kansas alone. There he opened a grocery store. In the future, Ellie and her uncle, the one-legged sailor Charlie, saw Goodwin and called him to help the Fairyland, but he flatly refused.
When Ellie and her friends returned victorious to the Emerald City, Goodwin had already figured out how to fulfill their cherished desires.
He realized that even without any magic, the Scarecrow was smart, the Tin Woodman was kind, and the Lion was brave. But all three simply lacked self-confidence. And it was very easy for Goodwin to inspire them with such confidence. After all, he managed to convince all the inhabitants of the Green Country, and even Stella and Villina, that he is the Great and Terrible Wizard!
It was much more difficult to fulfill Ellie's cherished desire, who really wanted to return home to Kansas. But after all, Goodwin himself dreamed of returning to his homeland! He was sick of being a recluse in the Emerald Palace and ruling the Green Country. There was little joy from this, but Goodwin was very tired of loneliness.
And then he remembered his old balloon. Even before Ellie arrived in Wonderland, Goodwin figured out how to extract hydrogen from ordinary water. If the balloon is repaired and filled not just with hot air, but with hydrogen, then on it, with a fair wind, you can fly even to distant Kansas!
And finally, the day of fulfillment of desires has come. Goodwin stuffed the Scarecrow's head with bran mixed with needles and pins. The Straw Man immediately proudly declared, "I'm starting to feel wise!"
Goodwin put a red silk heart stuffed with sawdust into the woodcutter's iron chest. “Oh, how happy I am, my dear friends!” exclaimed the Tin Woodman joyfully, with tears in his eyes.
Well, with the Cowardly Lion there was very little trouble. Goodwin gave the mighty beast to drink fizzy kvass mixed with valerian.
"I'm already getting strong! - said the delighted Leo. “Courage flowed through my veins and fills my heart!”
Goodwin only smiled when he heard those words. He knew perfectly well that the three friends had simply fallen for his trick. And for the first time in his life, Goodwin felt that someone benefited from his deceit.
It remained to fulfill Ellie's cherished desire. On Goodwin's orders, the arzals quickly patched up the balloon and dragged it to the main square of the Emerald City. And then the balloon was filled with hydrogen and it slowly rose into the air. Now it was only held by a rope.
The farewell was very touching. Hundreds of excited citizens gathered on the square. Goodwin announced to them that he was flying to heaven to see the great magician Sun. He ordered the townspeople to never take off their green glasses, and left the Scarecrow the Wise as the ruler in his place. And then he shouted:
- Goodbye, my friends!
What's up here! After many years, the Arzals finally saw the Great and Terrible Goodwin with their own eyes. And this time he appeared before them not in the form of a monster, but in the form of a fat, bald man with kind eyes and an affectionate, slightly sad smile. How can you not scream with joy? But this joy was with tears in his eyes - after all, Goodwin flew back to heaven! Who knows if he will ever return?
- Ur-r-a-ra! - rushed over the area. Farewell, Goodwin! Long live the Scarecrow the Wise!
Goodwin waved sadly at them. He was very sorry to leave the Emerald City, and forever say goodbye to the kind and hardworking arzals. But he so wanted to go home to Kansas!
And Ellie and Toto at that time were saying goodbye to their friends - the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Lion. No one hid their tears - after all, they all managed to make friends like that!
And then a strong gust of wind came up. Goodwin was alarmed.
- Ellie, hurry to the basket! he shouted.
But the rope suddenly snapped, and the balloon soared into the sky.
Goodwin looked longingly at the Main Square. Ellie ran, waving her arms at him and shouting something. Probably, the girl asked him to go down again - but how could this be done with such a strong wind?
The balloon quickly rose to the clouds. Goodwin stared at the glittering towers of the Emerald City. He could not even believe that it was he, together with the Arzals, who had built such a wonderful city.
“Farewell, Fairyland…” he mournfully whispered. "Will I never come back here?"
Suddenly he noticed that a small pink cloud appeared among the gray clouds. It was rapidly approaching the balloon. Suddenly the cloud melted, and Goodwin was surprised to see the sorceress Stella fluttering in the air. In her hands she held a red rose.
Goodwin bowed respectfully to the sorceress.
“Please forgive me, dear sorceress,” he said in a voice full of remorse. “For many years I have deceived all the inhabitants of the land of Thorn, including you and Villina. You see, I have never been a magician! I am the most a common person. I have always dreamed of wealth and power. And here, in the land of Thorn, I have achieved everything I wanted, but only through deceit! Perhaps that is why neither the title of the ruler nor the treasure brought me either joy or happiness...
He sighed bitterly and bowed his head. But Stella laughed and shook her head.
“Not so bad, dear Goodwin,” her silvery voice sounded. - Yes, you took the throne of the ruler of the Green Country by deceit, and this does not paint you in any way. But, despite this, you have done a lot of good here! You have built a wonderful Emerald City. You have protected the Green Country from evil witches. You fulfilled the cherished desires of the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodman and the Lion. You probably already guessed that Villina and I are counting on their help in the future. There are many disturbing events ahead of the Magic Land, and such true friends and good helpers we really need it!
Goodwin nodded.
Yes, I already understood that. But, unfortunately, I could not fulfill Ellie's cherished desire. The rope broke at the wrong time! Or... or did it happen for a reason, too?
Stella narrowed her eyes mischievously.
“Nothing happens by chance here in Fairyland, dear Goodwin. We are counting on Ellie! Villina believes that this girl will someday be able to become a great sorceress. Therefore, Villina did not reveal the secret of the silver slippers to Ellie. If Ellie would immediately return home to Kansas, then she would not find true friends here, and would not have time to fall in love with the Magic Land.
"So you're going to help her get back to Kansas soon?" Goodwin agreed.
- Certainly! Stella nodded. “But Ellie and her friends have a few more tests to go through. Tomorrow she will go to me, to the Pink Country. I really want Ellie to help the Lion become the king of the beasts, and then get acquainted with the Marrans and my subjects Chatterboxes. She will have to go through some dangerous adventures, but everything will end well, I will take care of that.
“Is that so…” Goodwin muttered. “So Ellie will ever return to the land of Thorn forever?”
“Yes,” Stella replied. “And you can trust me that Ellie and all her friends will always remember you with a kind word.
Goodwin lowered his head and said softly:
– It turns out that I did not live my life in vain... I told the children about the Magic Land so many times, but I never thought that I would help make it even more beautiful and wonderful with my own hands!
He hesitated, and then took out a magic mirror from under the bench and handed it to Stella:
– Give this thing as a gift to our dear Ellie! I wanted to take the mirror to Kansas, but I think Ellie will need it more.
- I will definitely tell you - when the time comes, - Stella agreed. Farewell, Great and Terrible! Let your life be there in big world will be truly happy! And here, in the land of Thorn, your memory will live forever. Although you were not a wizard, you managed to build a wonderful Emerald City that will exist for thousands of centuries - as long as people live on Earth!
Stella handed Goodwin a red rose and unexpectedly kissed him on the cheek. And then flew away and disappeared among the clouds.
Goodwin gazed after her, touched.
“I would like to know what will happen in the Magic Land after many years, when Ellie returns here forever ... Will she really turn into a great sorceress? What if she someday even becomes the queen of the Emerald City? Why not?
And then Goodwin looked the other way and saw the snow-capped peaks of the Round the World Mountains in the distance. They were getting closer every minute.
“For so many years I dreamed of returning to my native Kansas ...” he whispered. “So why is my heart clenching in pain right now?” Farewell Emerald City, farewell my friends! Will we never meet again?
But Goodwin was wrong. One day, many years later, he met Ellie and the Scarecrow again, and even made a long journey with them along the yellow road from the enchanted mountain to the sea of \u200b\u200bThorn. You will read about this in other books about the Magic Land. See you soon, my dear readers!
One of the brightest fairy tales of our childhood is The Wizard of the Emerald City. It tells about the adventures of the girl Ellie, who accidentally got into a magical land. And in order to return home, she needs to find one wizard - this is Goodwin. Volkov's book "The Wizard of the Emerald City" is a retelling of the story written by the American writer L.F. Baum "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz".
Briefly about the character
Goodwin is a dreamer and illusionist who, having fallen into a hurricane in a balloon, finds himself in a magical Greenland. Residents take him for a sorcerer. Perhaps that is why Goodwin wanted to build the Emerald City. But in the process it turned out that there were not enough materials for construction.
Then he finds an interesting way out: the wizard ordered all the inhabitants to wear green glasses. That is, Goodwin used simple glass for construction, and the townspeople believe that these are emeralds. The Wizard is slowly getting bored in Greenland and decides to restore the hot air balloon so he can return home to Kansas.
Despite the fact that Goodwin is not a magician, but a good magician, he helps Ellie and her friends. He appoints the Scarecrow as the new ruler of the city.
Upon returning to Kansas, Goodwin starts working in the circus, and then opens a grocery store. Ellie saw him in Kansas and even invited him to go on a trip to Fairyland again, but Goodwin stayed at home.
Ellie and her friends request
Ellie and her friends were looking for the wizard Goodwin to help make their dreams come true. The girl wanted to go home to Kansas, the Scarecrow wanted brains, the Tin Woodman wanted a heart, and the Lion wanted courage. Before entering the Emerald City, the heroes put on green glasses.
The locals called the ruler of the city the Great and Terrible, because they considered him a magician. Despite the fact that he did not own magic (Goodwin hid this), he was an excellent illusionist. Therefore, he appeared before his friends in different images: a talking head, a beautiful woman, a monster and a fireball. He nevertheless agrees to help his friends, but only if they fulfill his request - they will destroy the Wicked Witch of the West, who seized power in the country of Migunov.
Help
Friends complied with the request, but despite this, Goodwin does not want to accept them. Heroes show perseverance and get an audience. Goodwin tells them that he is no magician, but a simple magician. He talks about how he got to this country and how the Emerald City appeared.
However, Goodwin managed to fulfill the requests of Ellie and her companions. The Scarecrow got a brain made from pins and sawdust, the Woodcutter a silk heart, the Lion a carbonated drink that gave him courage. True, here, most likely, the placebo effect worked.
And then Goodwin and Ellie fly back to Kansas in a brand new balloon. The fact that the ruler of the Emerald City was able to fulfill requests without magic confirms that he was a gifted magician and a quick-witted person.
Character in other works
Goodwin from the fairy tale "The Wizard of the Emerald City" is practically no different from the hero of the original story created by the American writer L.F. Baum. A. M. Volkov only changed the name of the main character and some details of his biography.
Unlike the stories of other authors, little information is given about the ruler of the Emerald City in Volkov's cycle. In addition to the first part, he is also mentioned in the book Urfin Deuce and His Wooden Soldiers. In it, Ellie finds Goodwin, who has already opened his own grocery store, and offers to go to Fairyland again, but he refuses.
Also, a separate cycle about adventures in the land of Oz was created by S. Sukhinov. He pays more attention to the personality of the wizard and even dedicates a story to him called "Goodwin, the Great and Terrible." Just like with Baum, Goodwin becomes a real magician with him.
But in all the adaptations, most of the biography has remained the same as in the original story. The Wizard Goodwin from the tale of Oz is one of the most popular wizards. Even though he wasn't. But tricks can also be attributed to magic, because not all people can understand how this or that trick is done. Goodwin, despite his reputation as the Great and Terrible, was a kind and sympathetic person. After all, he agreed to help Ellie and her companions.
He also had good ingenuity and charisma: he managed to convince the inhabitants that he was a wizard, and the city was built of emeralds. But Goodwin did this not so much because of vanity, but because of the creative side of his nature. And he, by the way, managed to bring a little magic into the life of Ellie and her companions.
THE AMAZING TRANSFORMATIONS OF THE WIZARD GOODWIN
The next morning, the green girl washed and combed Ellie and led her to the throne room of Goodwin.
In the hall next to the throne room, gentlemen of the court and ladies in elegant costumes gathered. Goodwin never went out and never received them. However, for many years they spent every morning in the palace, laughing and gossiping; they called it court service and were very proud of it.
The courtiers looked at Ellie with surprise and, noticing the silver shoes on her, bowed low to her to the ground.
- Fairy ... fairy ... this is a fairy ... - a whisper was heard.
One of the most daring courtiers approached Ellie and, bowing incessantly, asked:
“I dare to inquire, gracious lady fairy, did you really get a terrible reception from Goodwin?”
“Yes, Goodwin wants to see me,” Ellie replied modestly.
There was a murmur of surprise in the crowd. At this time the bell rang.
- Signal! the green girl said. “Goodwin wants you into the throne room.
The soldier opened the door. Ellie timidly entered and found herself in a wonderful place. Goodwin's throne room was round, with a high vaulted ceiling; and everywhere - on the floor, on the ceiling, on the walls - countless precious stones shone.
Ellie looked ahead. In the center of the room stood a throne of green marble gleaming with emeralds. And on this throne lay a huge living head, one head, without a body ...
The head was so imposing that Ellie froze with fear.
The face of the head was smooth and glossy, with full cheeks, with a huge nose, with large, tightly compressed lips. The naked skull gleamed like a convex mirror. The head seemed lifeless: no wrinkles on the forehead, no folds at the lips, and only the eyes lived on the whole face. With incomprehensible agility, they turned in their orbits and stared at the ceiling. As the eyes rolled, there was a creaking sound in the stillness of the room, and Ellie was startled by it.
The girl looked at the incomprehensible movement of the eyes and was so confused that she forgot to bow her head.
“I am Goodwin, great and terrible!” Who are you and why are you bothering me?
Ellie noticed that the mouth of the head did not move and the voice, soft and even pleasant, was heard as if from the side.
The girl perked up and replied:
“I am Ellie, small and weak. I came from afar and I ask you for help.
The eyes turned in their orbits again and froze, looking away; they seemed to want to look at Ellie, but they couldn't.
The voice asked:
Where did you get your silver shoes from?
- From the cave of the evil sorceress Gingema. My house fell on her - crushed her, and now the glorious munchkins are free ...
– Munchkins released?! – revived voice. “And Gingema is no more?” Good news! The eyes of the living head spun and finally stared at Ellie. - Well, what do you want from me?
- Send me to my homeland, to Kansas, to my father and mother ...
Are you from Kansas? interrupted the voice, and good human notes were heard in it. - And how is it now ... - But the voice suddenly stopped, and the eyes of the head turned away from Ellie.
“I'm from Kansas,” the girl repeated. “Although your country is magnificent, I don’t like it,” she continued bravely. There are dangers at every turn...
– What happened to you? the voice asked.
- Dear, I was attacked by a cannibal. He would have eaten me if my faithful friends, the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, had not rescued me. And then we were chased by saber-toothed tigers... And then we ended up in a terrible poppy field... Oh, this is a real sleepy kingdom! Lev, Toto, and I fell asleep there. And if it were not for the Scarecrow and the Tin Woodman, and even the mice, we would have slept there until we died ... Yes, all this is enough to talk about for the whole day. And now I ask you: please fulfill the three cherished desires of my friends, and when you fulfill them, you will also have to return me home.
Why should I bring you home?
Because it is written in magic book Villains…
“Ah, this is the good sorceress of the Yellow Country, I heard about her,” said the voice. Her predictions don't always come true.
“Because of that,” Ellie continued. That the strong should help the weak. You are a great sage and magician, and I am a helpless little girl...
“You were strong enough to kill the evil sorceress,” the head objected.
"It was Villina's magic that did it," the girl answered simply. - It's not my fault.
“Here is my answer,” said the living head, and its eyes rolled with such extraordinary rapidity that Ellie cried out in fright. “I don’t do anything for free. If you wish to use my magical arts to return home, you must do as I command you.
The eyes of the head blinked many times in a row. Despite her fright, Ellie followed her eyes with interest and waited for what they would do next. The movements of the eyes did not at all correspond to the words of the head and the tone of her voice, and it seemed to the girl that her eyes were living an independent life.
The head was waiting for a question.
“But what should I do? Ellie asked surprised.
“Free the Purple Country from the power of the evil sorceress Bastinda,” the head replied.
“But I can't! Ellie screamed in fright.
“You ended the slavery of the Munchkins and managed to get Gingema's magic silver slippers. There is one evil sorceress left in my country, and poor, timid winks, the inhabitants of the Purple Country, are languishing under her rule. They also need to be free...
– But how to do it? Ellie asked. “I can’t kill the sorceress Bastinda, can I?”
“Um, um…” The voice trailed off for a moment. - I don't care. You can put her in a cage, you can expel her from the Purple Country, you can ... Yes, in the end, - the voice got angry. You will see what can be done on the spot! The only important thing is to get rid of her dominance of Winkies, and judging by what she told about herself and her friends, you can and should do it. Thus said Goodwin, the great and terrible, and his word is law!
The girl began to cry.
You are asking the impossible from us!
“Any reward must be deserved,” the head objected dryly. “This is my last word: you will return to Kansas with your father and mother when you free the Winkies. Remember that Bastinda is a powerful and evil sorceress, terribly powerful and evil, and you must deprive her of her magical powers. Go and do not return to me until you have completed your task.
Sad Ellie left the throne room and returned to her friends, who were anxiously waiting for her.
- No hope! – said the girl with tears. “Goodwin ordered me to deprive the evil Bastinda of her magical powers, and I will never do that!”
Everyone was sad, but no one could console Ellie. She went to her room and cried until she fell asleep.
Goodwin (also Goodwin, Great and Terrible)(in the original by L. F. Baum: Wizard of Oz - Wizard of Oz) - one of the heroes of the fairy tale cycle about the Magic Land and the Emerald City (author Alexander Volkov, founder Lyman Frank Baum).
History of Goodwin
Unsuccessful dreamer James Goodwin, who worked at the circus, is caught in a hurricane that blows him along with a balloon to Fairyland. There he lands in the Green Country, where the inhabitants mistake him for a wizard.
Returning to Kansas, Goodwin continued his career in the circus, and upon its completion he opened a grocery store. Ellie, at least twice, saw Goodwin in Kansas, and once even invited him to go on a new trip to Magic Land, which Goodwin categorically refused.
Goodwin in the works of various authors
Wizard of Oz
In L.F. Baum's original work, the Wizard was also an ordinary man named Oscar Zoroaster Fadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmanuel Ambroise Diggs (eng. Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs ). He worked as a circus magician in Omaha, Nebraska. As one of the numbers, he used a balloon, on which he wrote his initials - O. Z. On this balloon, he ended up in the Land of Oz during a hurricane. The inhabitants of Oz, because of the identity of the initials with the name of the country, mistook Oscar for the great Wizard and offered him to rule the country, since there was no ruler in it at that time. Oz agreed, and to maintain his reputation as a magician, he used his circus props. When Dorothy and her friends exposed the magician, he flew home to Omaha, leaving the Scarecrow the Wise to temporarily rule the country until the rightful ruler of Oz, Princess Ozma, took the throne. Despite the fact that Oz was no longer the ruler of the Land of Oz, he is also found in the following works of L. F. Baum, for example, Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz, where they, along with Dorothy and the boy Zeb, enter a magical land through a crack in the earth formed after an earthquake.
Goodwin in Volkov's fairy tales
Goodwin in Sukhinov's fairy tales
An excerpt characterizing Goodwin (character)
“Well, I’m hell to see you,” Denisov interrupted him, and his face again took on a worried expression.“Mikhail Feoklitich,” he turned to the esaul, “after all, this is again from a German. He is pg "and he is a member." And Denisov told the esaul that the content of the paper brought now consisted in a repeated demand from the German general to join in attacking the transport. "Wow," he concluded.
While Denisov was talking to the esaul, Petya, embarrassed by Denisov's cold tone and assuming that the position of his pantaloons was the reason for this tone, so that no one would notice this, adjusted his fluffy pantaloons under his overcoat, trying to look as militant as possible.
“Will there be any order from your high nobility?” - he said to Denisov, putting his hand to his visor and again returning to the game of adjutant and general, for which he had prepared, - or should I remain with your honor?
“Orders?” Denisov said thoughtfully. - Can you stay until tomorrow?
- Oh, please ... Can I stay with you? Petya screamed.
- Yes, how exactly were you ordered from the geneg "ala - now to get out"? Denisov asked. Petya blushed.
Yes, he didn't say anything. I think it is possible? he said inquiringly.
“Well, all right,” said Denisov. And, turning to his subordinates, he made orders that the party go to the designated resting place near the guardhouse in the forest and that the officer on a Kyrgyz horse (this officer acted as adjutant) went to look for Dolokhov, find out where he was and whether he would come in the evening . Denisov himself, with the esaul and Petya, intended to drive up to the edge of the forest, overlooking Shamshev, in order to look at the location of the French, which was supposed to be attacked tomorrow.
“Well, God’s ode,” he turned to the peasant conductor, “take me to Shamshev.
Denisov, Petya and the esaul, accompanied by several Cossacks and a hussar who was carrying a prisoner, drove to the left through the ravine, to the edge of the forest.
The rain had passed, only fog and drops of water fell from the branches of trees. Denisov, the esaul, and Petya silently followed the peasant in the cap, who, lightly and silently stepping with his feet turned out in bast shoes over the roots and wet leaves, led them to the edge of the forest.
Coming out to the izvolok, the peasant paused, looked around and headed towards the thinning wall of trees. At a large oak tree, which had not yet shed its leaves, he stopped and mysteriously beckoned to him with his hand.
Denisov and Petya drove up to him. From the place where the peasant stopped, the French were visible. Now a spring field was going down behind the forest like a semi-hillock. To the right, across a steep ravine, one could see a small village and a manor house with collapsed roofs. In this village, and in the manor house, and along the whole hillock, in the garden, by the wells and the pond, and along the entire road uphill from the bridge to the village, no more than two hundred fathoms away, crowds of people could be seen in the wavering fog. Their non-Russian cries were clearly heard at the horses in the carts tearing up the mountain and calls to each other.
“Give the prisoner here,” Denisop said quietly, not taking his eyes off the French.
The Cossack dismounted from his horse, removed the boy, and together with him approached Denisov. Denisov, pointing to the French, asked what kind of troops they were. The boy, thrusting his chilled hands into his pockets and raising his eyebrows, looked frightened at Denisov and, despite his apparent desire to say everything he knew, got confused in his answers and only confirmed what Denisov was asking. Denisov, frowning, turned away from him and turned to the esaul, telling him his thoughts.
Petya, turning his head with quick movements, glanced first at the drummer, then at Denisov, then at the esaul, then at the French in the village and on the road, trying not to miss something important.
- Pg "is coming, not pg" is Dolokhov, you have to bg "at! .. Huh?" Denisov said, his eyes flashing merrily.
“The place is convenient,” said the esaul.
“We’ll send infantry from below—by swamps,” Denisov continued, “they’ll crawl up to the garden; you will call with the Cossacks from there, ”Denisov pointed to the forest outside the village,“ and I’m from here, with my gusags.
“It won’t be possible in a hollow - it’s a quagmire,” said the esaul. - You will bog down the horses, you have to go around to the left ...
While they were talking in an undertone like this, below, in the hollow from the pond, one shot clicked, the smoke began to turn white, another, and a friendly, as if cheerful, cry of hundreds of voices of the French who were on the half-mountain was heard. In the first minute, both Denisov and the esaul leaned back. They were so close that it seemed to them that they were the cause of these shots and screams. But the shots and screams did not belong to them. Below, through the swamps, a man in something red was running. Obviously, the French were shooting at him and shouting at him.
- After all, this is our Tikhon, - said the esaul.
- He! they are!
“Eka rogue,” said Denisov.
- Leave! - screwing up his eyes, said the esaul.
The man whom they called Tikhon, running up to the river, flopped into it so that the spray flew, and, hiding for a moment, all black from the water, got out on all fours and ran on. The French, who were running after him, stopped.
- Well, clever, - said the esaul.
- What a beast! Denisov said with the same expression of annoyance. And what has he done so far?
- Who is this? Petya asked.
- This is our plast. I sent him to pick up the language.
“Ah, yes,” Petya said at Denisov’s first word, nodding his head as if he understood everything, although he absolutely did not understand a single word.
Tikhon Shcherbaty was one of the most the right people in the party. He was a peasant from Pokrovsky near Gzhatya. When, at the beginning of his actions, Denisov came to Pokrovskoye and, as always, calling the headman, asked what they knew about the French, the headman answered, as all the headmen answered, as if defending themselves, that they did not know anything, know they don't know. But when Denisov explained to them that his goal was to beat the French, and when he asked if the French had wandered into them, the headman said that there had been marauders for sure, but that in their village only Tishka Shcherbaty was engaged in these matters. Denisov ordered Tikhon to be called to him and, praising him for his activities, said a few words in front of the headman about the loyalty to the tsar and the fatherland and hatred for the French, which the sons of the fatherland should observe.
“We do no harm to the French,” said Tikhon, apparently timid at these words of Denisov. - We only so, means, on hunting dabbled with the guys. It was like two dozen Miroderov were beaten, otherwise we didn’t do anything bad ... - The next day, when Denisov, completely forgetting about this peasant, left Pokrovsky, he was informed that Tikhon had stuck to the party and asked to be left with it. Denisov ordered to leave him.
Tikhon, who at first corrected the menial work of laying out fires, delivering water, skinning horses, etc., soon rendered big hunt and ability to guerrilla war. He went out at night to plunder and each time brought with him a dress and French weapons, and when he was ordered, he brought prisoners. Denisov put Tikhon away from work, began to take him on trips with him and enrolled him in the Cossacks.
