24
Zillah Moody
'"What? and be shot? With all due respect Captain you are not being realistic.
You have won, you've driven them out, how far do you
want to take it? I know you Cossacks have a reputation which you
must feel you have to live up to, but in the name of God and the Holy
Mother can't you ease off with this obsession?"'
"I felt I had gone too far with him and that he would be angry but
it seemed he was enjoying the debate."
'"They must pay for their crimes"'
'"But do you really know who started it and who should be held to
account?"'
'"No and I don't much care."'
'"Supposing it was your son then in that situation? Do you have
children?"'
'"Yes, I do have a son who is only twelve yet but he wouldn't go
marching into someone else's land without good cause."'
'"Who knows what is good cause and what isn't? These people are
barely a couple of years older than your own boy, but the result of this,
if you succeed, will be more suffering in a land far away from here."'
'"I appeal to you as a father to let this drop. God will think all the
more of you for it."'
"This argument went on and on bouncing this way and that. In
the end I don't know if I bored him into submission or what, but he
went a bit quiet."
"You know Jonas, for the first time I saw what I took to be doubt
in his eyes - I hoped it was. Whether it was directed towards his own
intentions or whether he just didn't trust me to back him up if needed
I wasn't quite sure at the time."
Jurgis continued the story as Jonas listened.
"He gave me back the gun telling me to wrap it up again and put
it somewhere safe. He must have been tired out by the discussion plus
the exertions of the day, because Kyril, - we were now on first name
terms - unrolled his sleeping bag and climbed inside then seemed
to lapse into a fitful slumber leaning against the log in the warmth