How Much Land Does a Man Need? 1886 Leo Tolstoy There once was a peasant named Pahom who worked hard and honestlyfor his family, but who had no land of his own, so he always remained as poor as the next man. Busyas we are from childhood tilling mother earth, he often thought, we peasants will always die as we are living, with nothing of our own. If onlywe had on r own land, it would be different. Now, close to Pahoms village there lived a lady, a small landowner, who had an estate of about three hundred acres. One winter the news got about that the ladywas going to sell her land. Pahom heard that a neighbor of his was buying fiftyacres and that the ladyhad consented to accept one half in cash and to wait a year for the other half. Look at that, Pahom thought. The land is being sold, and I shall get none of it. So he spoke to his wife. Other people are buying it, and we must also buytwentyacres or so. Life is becoming impossible without land of our own. So theyput their heads together and considered how theycould manage to buyit. Theyhad one hundred rubles laid by. Theysold a colt, and one half of their bees, hired out one of their sons as a laborer, and took his wages in advance. Theyborrowed the rest from a brother-in-law, and so scraped together half the purchase money. Having done this,Pahom chose a farm of fortyacres, some of it wooded, and went to the ladyand bought it. So now Pahom had land of his own. He borrowed seed, and sowed it, and the harvest was a good one. Within a year he had managed to payoff his debts tothe lady and his brother-in-law. So hebecame a landowner, plowing and sowing his own land, making hayon his own land, cutting his owntrees, and feeding his cattle on his own pasture. When he went out to plow his fields, or to look at his growing corn, or at his meadows, his heart would fill with joy. The grass that grew and the flowers that bloomed there seemed to him unlike anythat grew elsewhere. Formerly, when he had passed bythat land, it had appeared the same as anyother land, but nowit seemed quite different. Then one dayPahom was sitting at home when a peasant, passingthrough the village, happened to stop in. Pahom asked him where he came from, and the stranger answered that he came from beyond the Volga, where he had been working. One word led to another, and the man went on to saythat much land was for sale there, and that manypeople were moving there to buyit. The land was so good, he said, that the rye sown on it grew as high as a horse, and so thickthat five cuts of a sickle made a sheaf. One peasant, he said, had brought nothing with him but his bare hands,and now he had six horses and two cows of his own. Pahoms heart was filled with desire. Whyshould I suffer in this narrow hole, he thought, if one can live so well elsewhere? I will sell myland and myhomestead here, and with the moneyI will start fresh over there and get everything new. So Pahom sold his land and homestead and cattle, all at a profit, and moved his familyto the new settlement. Everything the peasant had told him was true, and Pahom was ten times better off than he had been. He bought plentyof arable land and pasture, and could keep as manyhead of cattle as he liked. At first, in the bustle of building and settling down, Pahom. was pleased with it all, but when he got used to it he began to think that even here he was not satisfied. He wantedto sow more wheat, but had not enough land of his own for the purpose, so he rented extra land for three years. The seasons turned out well and the crops were good,so that he began to laymoneyby. He might have gone on living comfortably, but he grew tired of having to rent other peoples land every year, and having to scramble to payfor it. If it were all myown land, Pahom. thought, I should be independent, and there would not be all this unpleasantness. Then one daya passing land dealer said he was just returning from the land of Bashkirs, far away, where he had bought thirteen thousand acres of land, all for onlyone thousand rubles. All one need do is to make friends with the chiefs, he said. I gave awayabout one hundred rubles worth of dressing gowns and carpets, besides a case of tea,and I gave wine to those who would drink it, and I got the land for less than twopence an acre. There now, thought Pahom, out there I can get more than ten times as much land as I have now. I must tryit. So Pahom left his familyto look after the homestead and started on the journey, taking his servant with him. Theystopped at a town on their way, and bought a case of tea, some wine, and other presents, as the tradesman had advised him. On and on theywent until theyhad gone more than three hundred miles, and on the seventh daytheycame to a place where the Bashkirs had pitched their tents. As soon as theysaw Pahom, theycame out of their tents and gathered around their visitor. Theygave him tea and kumiss, and had a sheep killed, and gave him mutton to eat. Pahom took presents out of his cart and distributed them, and told them he had come about some land. The Bashkirs seemed very glad, and told him he must talk to their chief about it. So theysent for him and explained to him whyPahom had come. The chief listened for a while, then made a sign with his head for them to be silent, and addressing himself to Pahom, said: Well, let it be so. Choose whatever piece of land you like. We have plentyof it. And what will be the price? asked Pahom. Our price is always the same: one thousand rubles a day. Pahom did not understand. A day? What measure is that? How manyacres would that be? We do not know how to reckon it out, said the chief.We sell it bythe day, As much as you can go round on your feet in a dayis yours, and the price is one thousand rubles a day. Pahom was surprised. But in a day you can get round a large tract of land, he said. The chief laughed. It will all be yours! said he. But there is one condition: if you dont return on the same dayto the spot whence you started, your moneyis lost. But how am I to mark the way that I have gone? Why, we shall go to anyspot you like, and staythere. You must start from that spot and make your round, taking a spade with you. Wherever you think necessary, make a mark. At everyturning, dig a hole and pile up the turf, then afterward we will go round with a plow from hole to hole. You maymake as large a circuit as you please, but before the sun sets you must return to the place you started from. All the land you cover will be yours. Pahom was delighted. It was decided to start earlynext morning. Theytalked awhile, and after drinking some more kumiss and eating some more mutton, theyhad tea again, and then the night came on. Theygave Pahom a featherbed to sleep on, and the Bashkirs dispersed for the night, promisingto assemble the next morning at daybreak and ride out before sunrise to the appointed spot. Pahomlayon the featherbed,but could not sleep. He kept thinking about the land. What a large tract I will mark off! thought he.I can easilydo thirty-five miles in a day. The days are long now, and within a circuit of thirty-five miles what a lot of land there will be! I will sell the poorer land, or let it to peasants, but Ill pick out the best and farm it. I will buytwo ox teams, and hire two more laborers. About a hundred and fiftyacres shall be plow land, and I will pasture cattle on the rest. Looking round he saw through the open door that the dawn was breaking. Its time to wake them up, thought he. We ought to be starting. He got up, roused his man (who was sleepingin his cart), bade him harness; and went to call the Bashkirs. Its time to go to the steppe to measure the land, he said. The Bashkirs rose and assembled, and the chief came too. Then theybegan drinking kumiss again, and offered Pahom some tea, but he would not wait. If we are to go, let us go. It is high time, said he. The Bashkirs got readyand theyall started: some mounted on horses, and some in carts. Pahom drove in his own small cart with his servant, and took a spade with him. When theyreached the steppe, the morning red was beginning to kindle. Theyascended a hillock and, dismounting from their carts and their horses, gathered in one spot. The chief came up to Pahom and stretched out his arm toward the plain. See, said he,all this, as far as your eye can reach, is ours. You mayhave any part of it you like. Pahoms eyes glistened: it was all virgin soil, as flat as the palm of your hand,as black as the seed of a poppy, and in the hollows different kinds of grasses grew breast high. The chief took off his fox fur cap, placed it on the ground and said: This will be the mark. Start from here,and return here again. All the land you go round shall be yours. Pahomtook out his moneyand put it on the cap. Then he took off his outer coat, remaining in his sleeveless undercoat. He unfastened his girdle and tied it tight below his stomach, put a little bagof bread into the breast of hiscoat, and tying a flask of water to his girdle, he drew up the tops of his boots, tookthe spade from his man, and stood readyto start. He considered for some moments which way he had better go - it was tempting everywhere. No matter, he concluded, I will go toward the rising sun. He turned his face to the east, stretched himself, and waited for the sun to appear above the rim. I must lose no time, he thought,and it is easier walkingwhile it is still cool. The suns rays had hardlyflashed above the horizon, before Pahom, carrying the spade over his shoulder, went down into the steppe. Pahom started walking neither slowlynor quickly. After having gone a thousand yards he stopped, dug a hole, and placed pieces of turf one on another to make it more visible. Then he went on; and now that he had walked off his stiffness he quickened his pace. After a while he dug another hole. Pahomlooked back. The hillock could be distinctlyseen in the sunlight, with the people on it, and the glittering tires of the cart wheels. At a rough guess Pahom concluded that he had walked three miles. It was growing warmer; he took off his undercoat, flungit across his shoulder, and went on again. It had grown quite warm now; he looked at the sun, it was time to think of breakfast. The first shift is done, but there are four in a day, and it is too soon yet to turn. But I will just take off myboots, said he to himself. He sat down, took off his boots, stuck them into his girdle, and went on. It was easywalking now. I will go on for another three miles, thought he, and then turn to the left. This spot is so fine, that it would be a pityto lose it. The further one goes,the better the land seems. He went straight on for a while, and when he looked round,the hillock was scarcely visible and the people on it looked like black ants, and he could just see something glistening there in the sun. Ah, thought Pahom, I have gone far enough in this direction, it is time to turn. Besides I am in a regular sweat, and verythirsty. He stopped, dug a large hole,and heaped up pieces of turf.Next he untied his flask, had a drink, and then turned sharplyto the left. He went on and on; the grass was high, and it was veryhot. Pahom began to grow tired: he looked at the sun and saw that it was noon. Well, he thought, I must have a rest. He sat down, and ate some bread and drank some water; but he did not lie down, thinking that if he did he might fall asleep. After sitting, a little while, he went on again. At first he walked easily: the food had strengthened him; but it had become terriblyhot, and he felt sleepy; still he went on, thinking: An hour to suffer, a lifetime to live. He went a long wayin this direction also,and was about to turn to the left again, when he perceived a damp hollow: It would be a pityto leave that out, he thought. Flax would do well there. So he went on past the hollow, and dug a hole on the other side of it before he turned the corner. Pahom looked toward the hillock. The heat made the air hazy: it seemed to be quivering, and through the haze the people on the hillockcould scarcelybe seen. Ah! thought Pahom, I have made the sides too long; I must make this one shorter. And he went along the third side, stepping faster. He looked at the sun: it was nearlyhalfwayto the horizon, and he had not yet done two miles of the third side of the square. He was still ten miles from the goal. No, he thought,though it will make myland lopsided, I must hurryback in a straight line now. I might go too far, and as it is I have a great deal of land. So Pahom hurriedlydug a hole, and turned straight toward the hillock. Pahom went straight toward the hillock, but he now walked with difficulty. He was done up with the heat, his bare feet were cut and bruised, and his legs began to fail. He longed to rest, but it was impossible if he meant to get back before sunset. The sun waits for no man, and it was sinkinglower and lower. Oh dear, he thought,if onlyI have not blundered trying for too much! What if I am too late? He looked toward the hillock and at the sun. He was still far from his goal, and the sun was alreadynear the rim. Pahom walked on and on; it was veryhard walking, but he went quicker and quicker. He pressed on, but was still far from the place. He began running, threw awayhis coat, his boots, his flask, and his cap, and kept onlythe spade, which he used as a support. What shall I do, he thought again. I have grasped too much, and ruined the whole affair. I cant get there before the sun sets. And this fear made him still more breathless. Pahom went on running, his soaking shirt and trousers stuckto him, and his mouth was parched. His breast was working like a blacksmiths bellows, his heart was beating like a hammer, and his legs were giving wayas if theydid not belong to him. Pahom was seized with terror lest he should die of the strain. Though afraid of death,he could not stop. After having run all that waythey will call me a fool if I stop now, thought he. And he ran on and on, and drew near andheard the Bashkirs yelling and shouting to him, and their cries inflamed his heart still more. He gathered his last strength and ran on. The sun was close to the rim,and cloaked in mist looked large, and red as blood. Now, yes now, it was about to set! The sun was quite low, but he was also quite near his aim. Pahom could alreadysee the people on the hillock waving their arms to hurryhim up. He could see the fox fur cap on the ground, and the moneyon it, and the chief sitting on the ground holding his sides. There is plentyof land, thought he,but will God let me live on it? I have lost mylife, I have lost mylife! I shall never reach that spot! Pahomlooked at the sun, which had reached the earth; one side of it had alreadydisappeared. With all his remaining strength he rushed on, bending his bodyforward so that his legs could hardlyfollow fast enough to keep him from falling. just as he reached the hillockit suddenlygrew dark. He looked up-the sun had alreadyset! He gave a cry: All my labor has been in vain, thought he, and was about to stop,but he heard the Bashkirs still shouting, and remembered that though to him, from below, the sun seemed to have set,theyon the hillock could still see it. He took a long breath and ran up the hillock. It was still light there. He reached the top and saw the cap. Before it sat the chief laughing and holding his sides. Pahom uttered a cry: his legs gave waybeneath him, he fell forward and reached the cap with his hands. Ah, thats a fine fellow! exclaimed the chief.He has gained much land! Pahoms servant came running up and tried to raise him, but he saw that blood was flowing from his mouth. Pahom was dead! The Bashkirs clicked their tongues to show their pity. His servant picked up the spade and dug a grave long enough for Pahom to lie in, and buried him in it. Six feet from his head to his heels was all he needed.
Posted on: Wed, 31 Dec 2014 16:38:54 +0000
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