Entry 42

42

I am a jailer; I guess the first in our family.

Together with Comrade Adolf Pashinsky, -- a Pole from the dreadnaught
"Andrey Pervozvanny," -- I am walking on the Great Liberty Street,
and inside of the fence, watching the prisoners in the Mansion, and
watching to see that supreme justice -- the will of the people -- be
done.

My companion -- is a muscular man of thirty, without front teeth; his
thin lips are always curved in a bad smile; his brain is such that
he cannot think and speak of anything that would not be vulgar and
vicious.

The very first night we came to change sentinels -- I felt embarrassed,
as I do not know the ritual; but -- there is nothing military about
these things nowadays, all is abolished. The soldiers come to
change sentinels, talk freely, laugh loudly. Instead of military
traditions -- like parole, pass-words, exchange of salutes, etc.,
etc., -- they ask:

"Ah, howdy! What are "they" (meaning the prisoners) doing? Anything to
look at? All right -- now you go, we'll stay."

They have, however, a tradition. When the changed jailors are
assembled near the entrance, -- they start to knock on the rain pipes of
the Mansion with their rifles, to throw sand and small stones into
the windows of the Heir and the Princesses. When they think enough
frightening has been done, they start to sing something hideous and
pornographic.

"She went to the ma-a-rket,
Bought a bell as a locket...."

begins a thin trembling voice very calmly and even bashfully, as if
nothing bad will come out of this quiet song. And then, suddenly, a
chorus of twelve big fat swine would belch the notorious refrain:

"Ah, you brunette of mine,
O-oh, curly girl of mine...."

and so forth, with the licentious words of this song accompanying
it with whistles and jazzing with bayonettes, field-pans and general
noise.

I tried to analyze all of this. Why? Why is there such a hatred for
these, -- this poor man, these five women and a boy? Such unnecessary
torture of people of the past, -- nothing but a man who awaits the end
of his tragedy, nothing but a frail boy, nothing but five trembling
ladies. And the picture of the old woman that broke her hip on the
deck -- and provoked laughter, comes to me.

The second day of my occupation, -- it was about eleven when the
sentinels were changed and the night was warm and bluish, the
demonstration, perhaps in my honor, was exceptionally noisy and
obscene.

"How do you like it?" asked Pashinsky gloriously, looking at me and
showing, instead of teeth, a burned-out cemetery in his mouth. "Don't
they get enough? They just went to bed -- and here is the music."

"Fine!" I answered. "Why don't we shoot? It makes more noise and
frightens much more."

"We used to do so," he said with regret, "but all these burjoois, and
the popes, and the whole carrion of Tobolsk did not like it. So we
have decided for the moment not to. Nobody can forbid singing. We are
free. The air belongs to the Soviet Government."

Then he continued:

"You should have seen those little ones" -- he winked his eyes -- "they
got scared to death the first time we sang the "Parson's Daughter"
right near their windows! And I'll tell you...." he whispered
something in my ear.

I decided to start with him when it comes to rid the world of some of
these Reds.

"Good!" I said with extreme pleasure and tapping him on the shoulder,
"Where are their rooms?"

"Right where the white curtain hangs ... you see ... one ... two ...
three ... fourth window on the second floor. They all are there in one
room, they are never alone lately. They used to be on the first floor.
That -- was a holiday for us boys. Everything seen, -- and we would...."

The smile on his face stretched from ear to ear.

"But," he continued, -- "again the popes intervened. I hope they'll
croak soon. And Kobylinsky consented. He is with us, of course, -- but
we must get rid of him."

"Well, you boys have good times here," (I said dreamily) "I am glad I
came. It's great! All these people had enough of our blood. Now -- the
people rule themselves! Great life!"

"You bet! Stay with us longer and you'll see better things...."