The Three Comrades | Page 5

me and, recognizing me, laid me sleeping on a wagon and took
me as far as our hut. There they awakened me, laid me down, and
half-sleeping I didn't realize at once what had happened the day before.
I ran to the hall and opened the door.
"The rays of the rising sun struck our bedroom first--the same that day.
It lit up the bed of my father, and ..." Bacha stopped and tears ran down
his cheek.
"And what, Bacha? Oh, what, Bacha?" with bitter cries both boys
exclaimed. The tears were already running down Ondrejko's pale face.
"There on the bed in the rays of the sun like a holy picture, rested our
Stephen, sleeping. Mother sat beside the bed. There was a humming in
my ears and blackness before my eyes, and if father had not jumped
and caught me I would have fallen over. It was long before they
brought me back to consciousness."
"So he didn't drown?" both boys were astonished and rejoicing.
"Didn't he fall into that swamp?"
"He fell in it, children. Oh, he fell in, and there was no man who could
have saved him. But we had a large dog called Whitie who went around
always with us, as Fido with you. When we left home we left him
behind, but he followed us, and the Lord God Himself sent him in that
moment when the stone under Stephen gave way, and he lost his
balance and fell. Whitie caught him by the hair and dragged him to the
shore, and whined and barked till the forester came.
"He carried Stephen to the brook, washed off the mud, and revived him,
for he was almost dead, and then carried him home. I expected father
would punish me but he did not. Mother kissed me crying, and gave me
breakfast. They were afraid something had happened to me. They
thought I had been drowned because I couldn't be found anywhere. I
saw clearly that they both loved me very much, but it did not please me,
I was afraid it would become known what I had intended to do. My

parents are already in eternity, and I can not now ask them for
forgiveness because after death there is no more forgiveness.
"Stephen never let it be known that I made him go that way, and from
that time on we loved each other as from the beginning. I was no longer
jealous of the love of father and mother to him. I knew and felt now
that they loved me also, and that I didn't deserve this love.
"From that time I couldn't look at the dog Whitie. It was always painful
to me that he, a dog, saved Stephen, when I wanted to drown him. But
though he didn't drown that time the Holy God took him to Himself. He
must be angry at me, a sinner, to this day. Thus I say, 'Never do any
harm to animals; they are much better than people; they are God's
creatures; they never do wrong things before God but obey always.'
And now, boys, run and go to sleep."
Though the boys had many questions on their hearts they obediently
bade him "good night" and went. For a long time, lying on the hay, they
spoke together about Stephen, how he jumped over the bunches of
grass, how the rock turned under him, how he fell, and how Whitie
saved him.
"I am very sorry for Bacha Filina," said Ondrejko. "I can never forget it.
It must pain him--could it be that God is still angry with him?"
"But where is this Stephen?" worried Petrik. "They were the same age,
so he must be just as old now. Perhaps he will tell us some other time
about him." They were stopped from further talking by Fido. Somehow
he had managed to get to them and they were rejoiced. They told him
once more about the hero Whitie and enjoined upon him to follow him.
He wagged his tail, licked their hands and faces, whining for joy as if
he were promising it all, and when the boys slept, he slept with one eye
open because he had to stand guard over his comrades.

CHAPTER THREE

The following week Bacha Filina had much work to do, so he could not
look much after the boys, though they did all they could; they obeyed
him and tried to please him in every way. On Tuesday the doctor came
to look at Ondrejko. He was told where Ondrejko slept, but he only
laughed: "Good for you, boy, that will help you; though your father is a
great lord and a proud Magyar, everything serves in its time. Thus I
trust we shall live to see that