BORTE: The abode of onagers? Why did you go there? KORSHI: Before the order of the great Kagan for pardon was received, the executioners who killed Jochi were mortally Afeared of the Khan’s anger and threw Jochi’s body into the midst of a herd of onagers to hide the traces of the crime. Borte and the old woman Keikuat fearfully look sideways at Korshi, as if they just saw the angel of death. BORTE: What did you say? What am I hearing? Keikuat-apai? And what happened next? Did you find Jochi’s body? KORSHI: We have not found him, Borte-Khansha. They searched every corner. Either he turned into an angel and flew into the sky, or, having turned into a spirit, fell through the earth. In one phrase, we could not find his remains. BORTE: Speaking such terrible words, is it not you then, Korshi the Warrior, who has come to strangle me? I am already heartbroken, so strangle me down into an abyss of mourning, but there was a time when I saved you from death. KORSHI: No, not to strangle you, Borte-Khansha. Having searched every inch of land, we came across this item. Korshi hands the thing wrapped in a rag into Borte’s hands. Borte unties the knot and, having looked at what is inside, at first cannot understand what it is. She turns it over with his fingers. BORTE: What is it? KORSHI: Only this part remained from Jochi. The dust adhered to the bloody clot and hardened. Borte, seeing Jochi’s thumb in the wrapped bundle, losing consciousness and collapses onto the ground. Korshi and Keikuat sprinkle water on her face, they give her a medicinal infusion to drink from a silver cup. Borte comes to her senses. She suddenly jumps up. BORTE: (To Korshi) Was that why you were looking for me? KORSHI: No one else has the determination to show a bloody thumb to the great Kagan. Only you can do it. I have come to ask you. BORTE Father often recalled the following proverb, “Woe is as bottomless as the sea – you risk, you’ll drown – a boat, and you’ll swim.’ If you grieve all the time, then you can drown in the abyss of sorrow. So, Keikuat-apai, get

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241