Alexander Pushkin

Although Peter Andreitch Grineff was registered as a sergeant in the Semenovsky regiment when he was very young, he was given leave to stay at home until he had completed his studies. When he was nearly seventeen, his father decided that the time had arrived to begin his military career. With his parents' blessing, Peter set out for distant Orenburg, in the company of his faithful servant, Savelitch.

The trip was not without incident. One night the travelers put up at Simbirsk. There, while his man went to see about some purchases, Peter was lured into playing billiards with a fellow soldier, Zourin, and quickly lost one hundred roubles. Toward eveing of the following day the young man and Savelitch found themselves on the snowy plain with a storm coming up. As darkness fell the snow grew thicker, until finally the horses could not find their way and the driver confessed that he was lost. They were rescued by another traveler, a man with such sensitive nostrils that he was able to scent smoke from a village some distance away and to lead them to it. The three men and their guide spent the night in the village. The next morning Peter presented his hareskin jacket to his poorly-dressed rescuer. Savelitch warned Peter that the coat would probably be pawned for drink.

Late that day the young man reached Orenburg and presented himself to the general in command. It was decided that he should join the Bailogorsk fortress garrison under Captain Mironoff. For his superior felt that the dull life at Orenburg might lead the young man into a career of dissipation.

The Bailogorsk fortress, on the edge of the Kirghis steppes, was nothing more than a village surrounded by a log fence. Its real commandant was not Captain Mironoff but his lady, Vassilissa Egorovna, a lively, firm woman who saw to the discipline of her husband's underlings as well as the running of her own household.

Peter quickly made friends with a fellow officer, Shvabrin, who had been exiled to the steppes for fighting a duel. He spent much time with his captain's family and grew deeply attached to the couple and to their daughter, Maria Ivanovna. After he had received his commission, he found military discipline so relaxed that he was able to indulge his literary tastes.

The quiet routine of Peter's life was interrupted by an unexpected quarrel with Shvabrin. One day he showed his friend a love poem he had written to Maria. Shvabrin criticized the work severely and went on to make derogatory remarks about Maria until they quarreled and Peter found himself challenged to a duel for having called the man a liar.

The next morning the two soldiers met in a field to fight but they were stopped by some of the garrison, for Vassilissa Egorovna had learned of the duel. Peter and his enemy, although apparently reconciled, intended to carry out their plan at the earliest opportunity. Discussing the quarrel with Maria, Peter leaned that Shvabrin's actions could be explained by the fact that he was her rejected suitor.

Assuring themselves that they were not watched, Shvabrin and Peter fought their duel the following day. Peter, wounded in the breast, lay unconsicous for five days after the fight. When he began to recover, he asked Maria to marry him. Shvabrin had been jailed. Then Peter's father wrote that he disapproved of a match with Captain Mironoff's daughter, and that he intended to have his son transferred from the fortress so that he might forget his foolish ideas. As Savelitch denied having written a letter home,Peter could only conclude that Shvabrin had been the informer.

Life would have become unbearable for the young man after his father's letter arrived if the unexpected had not happened. One evening Captain Mironoff informed his officers that the Yaikian Cossacks, led by Emelyan Pougatcheff, who claimed to be the dead Emperor Peter III, had risen and were sacking fortresses and committing outrages everywhere. The captain ordered his men to keep on the alert and to ready the cannon.

The news of Pougatcheff's uprising quickly spread through the garrison. Many of the Cossacks of the town sided with the rebel, so that Captain Mironoff did not know whom he could trust or who might betray him. It was not long before the captain received from the Cossack leader a manifesto ordering him to surender.

It was decided that Maria should be sent back to Orenburg, but the attack came early the next morning before she could leave. Captain Mironoff and his officers made a valiant effort to defend the town, but with the aid of Cossack traitors inside the walls Pougatcheff was soon master of the fortress.

Captain Mironoff and his aides were hanged. Shvabrin deserted to the rebels. Peter, at the intercession of old Savelitch, was spared by Pougatcheff. The townspeople and the garrison soldiers had no scruples about pledging allegiance to the rebel leader. Vassilissa Egorovna was slain when she cried out against her husband's murderer.

When Pougatcheff and his followers rode off to inspect the fortress, Peter began his search for Maria. To his great relief, he found that she had been hidden by the wife of the village priest, and that Shvabrin, who knew her whereabouts, had not revealed her identity. From Savelitch he learned that the servant had recognized Pougatcheff as the man to whom he had given his hareskin coat months before. Later the rebel leader sent for Peter and acknowleged his identity.

The rebel tried to persuade Peter to join the Cossacks, but respected his wish to rejoin his own forces at Orenburg. The next day Peter and his servant were given safe conduct, and Pougatcheff gave Peter a horse and a sheepskin coat for the journey.

Several days later the Cossacks attacked Orenburg. During a sally against them Peter received a disturbing message from one of the Bailogorsk Cossacks Shvabrin was forcing Maria to marry him. Peter wennt at once to the general and tried to persuade him to raise the siege and go to the rescue of the village. When the general refused, Peter and Savelitch started out once more for the Bailogorsk fortress. Intercepted and taken before Pougatcheff, Peter persuaded the rebel to give Maria safe conduct to Orenburg.

On the way they met a detachment of soldiers led by Captain Zourin, who persuaded Peter to send Maria, under Savelitch's protection to his family, while he himself remained with the troops in Orenburg.

The siege of Orenburg was finally lifted, and the army began its task of tracking down rebel units. Some months later Peter found himself near his own village and set off alone to visit his parents's estate. Reaching his home, he found the serfs in rebellion and his family and Maria captives. That day Shvabrin swooped down upon them with his troops. He was about to have them all hanged, except Maria, when they were rescued by Zourin's men. The renegade was shot during the encounter and taken prisoner.

Peter's parents had changed their attitude toward the captain's daughter, and Peter was able to rejoin Captain Zourin with the expectation that he and Maria would be wed in a month. Then an order came for his arrest. He was accused of having been in the pay of Pougatcheff, of spying for the rebel, and of having taken presents from him. The author of the accusations was the captive, Shvabrin. though Peter could easily have cleared himself by summoning Maria as a witness, he decided not to drag her into the matter. He was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in exile in Siberia.

Maria, however, was not one to let matters stand at that. Leaving Peter's parents, she traveled to St. Petersburg and went to Tsarskoe Selo, where the court was. Walking in the garden there one day, she met a woman who declared that she went to court on occasion and would be pleased to present her petition to the empress. Maria was summoned to the royal presence the same day and discovered that it was the empress herself to whom she had spoken. Peter received his pardon and soon afterward married the captain's daughter. (来源：英语聊天室 http://chat.EnglishCN.com)

上 尉 的 女 儿

虽然彼得·安德列伊奇·格里尼约夫小时候就上了谢苗诺夫斯基团的名册成为近卫军中士，但他一直请假在家读书以完成学业。快满十七岁时，父亲决定他的军事生涯应当开始了，于是彼得就带着父母的祝福动身前往遥远的奥伦堡，他的忠仆沙威里奇随他同行。

旅途并不是一帆风顺的。一天晚上，这两位旅行者在辛比尔斯克过夜。仆人出去买东西了，另一名近卫军人佐林哄彼得同他玩台球，轻而易举地赢了他一百卢布。第二天傍晚，这位年轻人和沙威里奇在雪原上赶路，遇上了暴风雪。天黑时，雪越下越大，最后马迷了路，车夫也只好承认自己束手无策。一位行路的人搭救了他们，那人鼻子很灵，能嗅出远处村庄里的炊烟。他把大伙儿带到村里，一起在村里过夜。第二天早晨，彼得把自己的兔皮袄送给了衣衫褴褛的救命恩人，沙威里奇却警告彼得说兔皮袄会被当了买酒喝。

当天傍晚,年轻人到达奥伦堡，向司令官报到。 他被派往米龙诺夫上尉管辖的白山要塞,因为上司认为奥伦堡的生活枯燥,会把这位年轻人引向邪路。

地处吉尔吉斯草原边缘的白山要塞只不过是一个木栅栏围起来的村庄。它真正的指挥官并不是米龙诺夫上尉，而是他的太太华西里莎·叶戈诺夫娜，一位爽朗而刚毅的女性，她不仅操持家务，还负有使丈夫的下属严守军纪的责任。

彼得很快同另一名军官希瓦卜林交了朋友，这个人是因为决斗而被贬到吉尔吉斯草原的。彼得经常同上尉一家在一块，对上尉夫妇和他们的女儿玛利亚·伊凡诺夫娜产生了浓厚的感情。他被授予军衔后即发现军纪十分松弛，甚至可以沉迷于文学。

同希瓦卜林的一场意外争吵搅乱了彼得安宁的生活。一天,他把写给玛利亚的一首爱情诗拿给朋友看。希瓦卜林极力贬低这首诗,并说了许多诋毁玛利亚的话，最后二人吵了起来，由于彼得指责希瓦卜林说谎，希瓦卜林便向他提出决斗。

第二天早上，两位军人在一块田地里碰头决斗，但被卫戍部队制止了，因为华西里莎·叶戈洛夫娜得知了决斗的消息。两位对手虽然表面上和解了，但打算一有机会便执行他们的计划。彼得同玛利亚谈及这场争吵，才了解到希瓦卜林曾向她求婚，但遭到了拒绝。这样希瓦卜林的行为便不难理解了。

第二天，彼得和希瓦卜林摆脱了人们的监视，进行了决斗。彼得胸部受伤，一连五天昏迷不醒。身体刚有好转，他就向玛利亚求婚。希瓦卜林受到监禁。不久，彼得的父亲来信，不同意儿子与米龙诺夫上尉的女儿结婚，并且要求把他的儿子调离要塞，说是这样他就会忘记自己的傻念头。由于沙威里奇说他没有往家里写过信，彼得只能断定是希瓦卜林告的密。

父亲的意旨本来会把彼得的生活变得难以忍受，可就在这时发生了意外事件。一天晚上，米龙诺夫上尉通知他的军官们：叶米里扬·普加乔夫假冒是已经去世的彼得三世，已率领雅伊茨河畔的哥萨克起事，正在到处洗劫要塞，犯下种种暴行。上尉命令他的部下加强戒备，准备好大炮。

普加乔夫起义的消息迅速传遍了要塞，村里的许多哥萨克站在叛乱者一边，因此米龙诺夫上尉不知道哪些人可以信任，哪些人会背叛他。不久上尉便接到这位哥萨克首领要他投降的通牒。

上尉夫妇决定把玛利亚送回奥伦堡，但第二天一早她还没来得及动身，进攻就开始了。米龙诺夫上尉和他的军官们奋勇作战，保卫村子，但普加乔夫在村内叛乱的哥萨克的帮助下，很快占领了要塞。

米龙诺夫上尉和他的助手们被绞死。希瓦卜林投靠了叛军。由于老仆沙威里奇的求情，彼得被普加乔夫赦免了。村民和士兵们纷纷向叛乱首领宣誓效忠。华西里莎·叶戈诺夫娜由于斥责杀害丈夫的凶手而遭戕害。

当普加乔夫和他的下属骑上马去巡视要塞时，彼得开始寻找玛利亚。他了解到她被村里神父的妻子藏了起来，而知道她下落的希瓦卜林也没有揭露她的身份，一颗悬着的心才放了下来。沙威里奇告诉彼得，他认出了普加乔夫就是几个月前他送给兔皮袄的那个人。后来普加乔夫派人把彼得找去，向他公开了自己的身份。

这位叛乱者劝说彼得加入哥萨克一伙，但尊重了他的意愿，让他回到奥伦堡自己的队伍中。第二天彼得和他的仆人拿到了通行证，普加乔夫送给彼得一匹马和一件羊皮袄供他旅途上用。

几天之后，哥萨克们攻打奥伦堡。在一次反击中，白山要塞的一位哥萨克给彼得带来了令人不安的消息，希瓦卜林正在强迫玛利亚嫁给他。彼得立刻去找将军，竭力劝说他冲破包围去解救白山村。彼得在遭到拒绝之后，就和沙威里奇重返白山要塞。他们在途中遭到截击并被带到普加乔夫那里，彼得说服了这位叛乱首领让玛利亚到奥伦堡去。

半路上他们遇到佐林上尉率领的一支部队。彼得接受了佐林的劝告，让沙威里奇护送玛利亚到自己的家，只身和部队一起留在奥伦堡。

奥伦堡终于解围了，部队开始追剿叛乱者。几个月之后，彼得辗转到离自己村子很近的地方，便独自前往父母的田庄。到家后，他发现农奴们造了反，家里人和玛利亚都被关了起来。那天希瓦卜林带领人向他们发劝突袭。这个叛徒正要把除玛利亚之外的人都绞死，佐林的队伍赶到了，将他们救了出来，交战中叛徒受了伤，做了俘虏。

彼得的父母改变了对玛利亚的看法。彼得重新回到佐林上尉的部队里，以为再过一个月他和玛利亚就可以成亲。这时下达了逮捕他的命令。他被指控受雇于普加乔夫，为这位叛乱者充当间谍并接受他的礼品。控告者就是当了俘虏的希瓦卜林。虽然彼得只要让玛利亚出来作证就可解脱，他还是决定不让她卷入这件事，结果被判处终身流放西伯利亚。

然而玛利亚却不能让事情就此了结，她不是那种人。她辞别了彼得的父母，赶到彼得堡的皇村，当时的行宫就在那儿。有一天她在花园里行走时遇到一位女人，这人声称她有机会进宫，乐意将玛利亚的请愿转达给女皇。当天玛利亚即被女皇召见，她发现同自己谈过话的那个女人就是女皇本人。彼得得到了赦免，不久后便同上尉的女儿结了婚。