1944 (Part III)

Because of these great emotions for a long time at night I couldn’t fall asleep, and when finally sleep overtook me, the whole time I dreamed that it was winter, and I with Olenka Billewiczowa rode in a giant sled pulled by my horse. 

In addition to the sled, unknown why, the horse pulled also a beautiful, but not as exciting to me as Olenka Billewiczowa, Helen, on skis, but aside from her ski boots she was completely dressed in an outfit of the epoch. 

This was not on hand for me and I would decidedly prefer to be one on one with Olenka Billewiczowa. In addition the sled like some portentous trolley every so often stopped and every so often someone came on or got off. And now Onufry Zagłoba, an now Basieńka Wołodyjowska, Longinus Podbipięta with his dour face, and even the brothers Kiemlicz and Bohun. 

And when suddenly in a sled appeared Andrzej Kmicic with the old Kurcewiczowa, Helen’s mother, I awoke immediately. 

It was already light and right away I went off to see my horse. In the stable-garage nothing especially changed. 

The horse, who turned out to be gelded, stood peacefully, and everything was exactly fed on. He got two cubes of sugar. I wanted to give him water but it didn’t especially interest him. Besides which, at night he had minutely defecated on the concrete floor. 

Because to this time he had only had a rope, I put a webbed bridle on him. It even fit him very well. I took him outside. I wanted to mount him, but for now I just led him around the garden, or rather he led me. He was most interested in the several days old, just beginning to ripen light green sepals on a few of the fruit trees and like some giraffe at any cost he tried to nibble at them. 

At last I decided to try to mount him, but at every attempt he threw his hind into the air or reared up, letting off with this a strange neigh, with a menace and expression close to a devilish snicker. 

Then my mom came. She was not delighted at this whole situation, and the horse she named an inelegant plebian nag. 

She added to this, not to be too excited, because by and by for sure someone would come for him, and as for her, she decidedly to a horse preferred an automobile. 

Now I figure that my mom probably associated horses with my father, who often annoyed her very much and who on the point of horses was completely nuts. When my mom went to make breakfast, to which I was to be ready in twenty minutes, I tried again to mount him. 

One time even I almost made it. Attached with my fingers to his coat and mane, I held on for several strong hind tosses into the air, but when he reared up, I fell off. I knew well that when I would have a bit and bridle, then it would definitely be a different discussion with him. Of the saddle and stirrup for now I didn’t even think, however I always managed well riding bareback. 

After dinner came to me one guy who wanted to trade me a leather Russian army bit and bridle on sack cloth reins, but seeing what terrible need I was in, he demanded as much as the proverbial Gypsy for the monkey and so the transaction momentarily hung in limbo. 

I in exchange had offered also very attractive wares: a leather basketball which was also well suitable for playing soccer, an eighteen inch back bicycle wheel with an almost new red tire, an inner tube, and a chain and cog set, I was even able to include a pump, several Russian gas masks with filter, but this unfortunately had almost no value, a Russian army parade cap, three wool budenovkas, as well as possibly more than twenty packs of Hungarian cigarettes. 

These cigarettes were still left over from when at the very beginning of my stay in this town I made a good investment with a Hungarian soldier who improved my finances greatly. 

I had been going once in the morning alone by the nearby train tracks, passing at a siding a large convoy full with the Hungarian army. These soldiers, knowing full well that in their native tongue they won’t be able to talk to anyone, every so often in parts German, in parts Slovakian, called out that they needed moon shine and girls. Girls unfortunately were not especially at my disposal, but I knew that almost everyone here made moonshine and even though it was greatly consumed there was still a considerable surplus. 

I told the Hungarians, that soon I would be “curyk” and scurried to this one guy who I knew made it and also had a large surplus. With money designated for milk, for which my mother had just sent me, I bought from him two half-liter flasks of moonshine. 

The investment was very fruitful, because it ended up that the moonshine producer, definitely not belonging to the intelligentsia, seeing very elegant and refined packaging of the Hungarian cigarettes, with which the soldiers paid me for the alcohol, as well as the beautiful lettering on the package in a language completely unknown to him, thought for sure that they were English or even American and that he was making a good investment—and for half a liter of this moonshine he took from me two packs. 

Later for the same half liter the Hungarians gave me five packs. The train stood at this siding some three days, and I constantly coursed to and fro.