17
The Promised Land
personal sense of smell couldn't have been that good. But seeing my
puzzled look he went on," '"Actually it was the dog who first alerted
me, he kept looking back with his ears pricked up. But now I see you
are unarmed and harmless, perhaps we can ride on and together we
can catch this animal. I could do with some company."'
"The tone of this request sounded very much like an order and so
we continued on our way."
"I asked him where he was from and he told me he was a Cossack
officer from the Ukraine."
'"Is there a big bounty on wolves then that you hunt them so far
afield?"' I asked him. He roared with laughter leaned across and
punched me hard on the shoulder with the heel of his hand."
'"Holy Mother Russia, and by all the Saints, no indeed!"' he
laughed, '"I'm not hunting wolves, nor rabbits nor wild pigs. I'm
hunting men, and when I catch them I am going to kill them!"'
"He continued to chuckle and laugh to himself shaking his head as
we rode along and I was filled with a feeling of the utmost dread and
foreboding at how any God-fearing human being could be so matter
of fact about such an inhuman prospect."