Zhilin serves as an officer in the Caucasus. Once he thought about it, Zhilin “straightened out his vacation” and got ready to go home. “There was a war in the Caucasus at that time” - the Tatars attacked lonely travelers, so Zilina’s convoy was accompanied by soldiers. Wanting to get there faster, the officer decides to break away from those accompanying him, and Kostylin joins him. However, on the way they met Tatars. Due to the fault of Kostylin, who got scared and ran away, the unarmed Zhilin was captured and taken to an aul (Tatar village). The prisoner was put in stocks and locked in a barn. The Tatar forced the captives to write letters home asking for ransom. Zhilin wrote a letter with the wrong address so that it would not reach. Zhilin and Kostylin lived in the barn for a whole month. Zhilin began to sculpt clay dolls for the owner’s daughter Dina. She secretly brought him food. Planning his escape, Zhilin began digging a hole in the barn. One night, when the Tatars left the village, the prisoners escaped. They walked through the forest almost all night, Kostylin was far behind. On the road they were caught by other Tatars and taken to their owner in the village. They were put in a hole. One day Zhilin asked Dina to bring him a long stick, and at night Dina threw the long pole into the pit. Zhilin was going to take Kostylin with him, but he refused. The officer (Zhilin) fled from the village. Having recognized Zhilin, the officers took him to the fortress. Zhilin realized that it was not his destiny to go home and get married, so he remained to serve in the Caucasus. “And Kostylin was bought out only a month later for five thousand. They brought me barely alive.”
The story of Lev Nikolaevich Tolstoy " Caucasian prisoner"I read it with great pleasure. In general, I love books about war and about the adventures of real heroes, and I especially liked this one. The author described the events very realistically. He probably succeeded because he himself participated in the war that he tells readers about.
There are three main characters in Tolstoy’s work. These are Russian army officers Zhilin and Kostylin, and also a girl, Dina, the daughter of a Tatar. Events take place at the end of the 19th century, when Russia was at war with the highlanders in the Caucasus.
Zhilin is a positive hero. He is brave, strong, honest, hardworking, determined and very driven. This is exactly what I believe a man and a real soldier should be. “But how then did this warrior end up captured?” - you ask. And Kostylin was to blame for everything, because of whose cowardice his comrades fell to the Tatars.
This Kostylin is not at all like Zhilin. One can hardly follow an example from him. He is lazy, cowardly and irresponsible - he wants other people to do everything for him. And Kostylin always whines and complains instead of acting.
When the officers were captured, the Tatars demanded a ransom for them. They wanted five thousand each. Kostylin was waiting for this money to be given for him and wrote a letter to his family. But Zhilin is a completely different matter. He did not intend to upset his sick mother and decided that he would get out of the trap himself. In the meantime, I looked closely at the Tatars and even managed to make friends with them.
His owner's daughter Dina especially liked Zhilin. She felt sorry for the officer and brought him food. It can also be attributed to goodies, because the girl took a lot of risks helping the prisoner.
Essay “Prisoner of the Caucasus”: 5th grade
And so, the first escape attempt was made. Zhilin did not want to leave his comrade alone and persuaded him to go too. And again because of Kostylin everything failed! His shoes were rubbing and he refused to go further. He whined and complained all the way until Zhilin carried him on his back. And despite the fact that he was much thinner than his fat friend! Due to Kostylin’s whims, it was not possible to go far, and the soldiers were caught by the Tatars. This was the most exciting moment for me. I was very worried about Zhilin, who had done so much to escape... And now he was facing certain death.
The officers were returned to the same Tatar. And the girl Dina again began to feed them. The conditions were terrible - much worse than the first time. And, probably, if not for her care, the prisoners would have died of hunger. And then Dina helped Zhilin escape again. She brought him a tall pole, and he was able to climb out of the deep hole. But Kostylin refused to escape. He stayed to wait for the ransom.
Russian officer Zhilin decides to go home to visit his old mother. During the war, you can only travel from one Russian fortress to another in columns guarded by soldiers. But they come with large convoys, very slowly. Another officer, Kostylin, after half the journey, suggests that Zhilin leave the convoy and ride further together on horseback in the hope that he will be able to reach the fortress without meeting hostile highlanders. Zhilin agrees.
But on the way they meet a crowd of armed Caucasians. Kostylin runs away on his horse alone, abandoning Zhilin. The mountaineers overtake Zhilin, take him prisoner, take him to their village, put stocks on his feet and lock him in a barn.
Tolstoy. Caucasian prisoner. Audiobook
Chapter 2 – summary
The next morning two highlanders enter the barn. Zhilin asks for a drink. One of those who entered calls his daughter, Dina, beautiful girl 13 years old. She brings Zhilin a jug of water and some flatbread.
They explain to him: “Kazi-Mugamed, who took you prisoner, sold you for 200 rubles to Abdul-Murat. He can let you go for a ransom of three thousand.”
Zhilin is not rich. The only relative he has is his mother, but she has nowhere to get three thousand. “I can give no more than 500 rubles,” he says. - It’s not enough for you - kill. But then you won’t take anything at all.”
Here Kostylin is brought in - it turns out that he was also captured. They say: he wrote home asking for 5 thousand to be sent for him. “Well, my friend is probably not poor, but I don’t have money,” Zhilin says again. “500 is not enough for you - kill.” The mountaineers agree to 500 rubles. But Zhilin writes a letter about them too in such a way that it cannot reach his old and poor mother. He hopes he will escape.
They take him and Kostylin to the barn, give them tattered clothes and some food.
Chapter 3 – summary
They live like this for a month. They are fed poorly, but are allowed to walk around the village a little during the day. Zhilin, a great needleworker, begins making children's dolls from clay. He gives several dolls to Dina. She plays with them and, in gratitude, sometimes begins to secretly bring Zhilin milk instead of water, good cheese cakes, and once even a piece of lamb.
Not all residents of the village treat Russian captives tolerably. Many people look at them evilly and scold them. One old man was especially hostile, a zealous Muslim who went on Hajj to Mecca and killed one of his own sons for going over to the Russians.
Tolstoy. Caucasian prisoner. Feature film, 1975
Chapter 4 – summary
Zhilin begins to dig under the wall of his barn. During one day's walk, he climbs a nearby mountain, examines the surroundings from it and guesses which road leads to the Russian fortress.
One evening, the body of brother Kazi-Mugamed, killed in a skirmish with the Russians, is brought to the village. Zhilin observes the ritual of a Muslim funeral: he sees how the deceased is not laid, but placed in a hole that is dug underground in the manner of a basement.
On the fourth day, most of the men leave the village. Zhilin invites Kostylin to escape together that same night. He initially refuses, but then agrees.
Chapter 5 – summary
When it gets dark, they get out of the barn through a tunnel made by Zhilin and walk along the road between the mountains. Zhilin walks briskly, but fat Kostylin soon bleeds his legs and barely drags along. As luck would have it, they lose their way in the dark and wander for some time.
It hurts for Kostylin to walk. Zhilin puts him on his back and tries to carry him, but soon the Caucasians overtake them, grab him, tie him up and take him back to the village. The old haji advises to immediately kill the fugitives, but the owner decides to wait another two weeks for the ransom to be sent - “and then I will screw you.”
Chapter 6 – summary
Now they are kept not in a barn, but in a pit, and are fed very poorly, like dogs. Zilina goes to visit Dean, and he makes her new dolls from the clay he digs in the hole. The weak Kostylin falls ill and loses his last strength.
A few days later, Zhilin hears that the mountaineers have gathered around the mosque and are saying something about the Russians. Soon Dina arrives and tells Zhilin that they want to kill him.
He asks the girl to bring a pole with which he can get out of the hole. Dina initially refuses in fear, but when the darkness of night falls, she drags a long stick and helps Zhilin get out. Exhausted, Kostylin does not want to go anywhere, and Zhilin has to leave him in the hole.
Dina, saying goodbye to Zhilin, cries and shoves flat cakes into his bosom. She tries to help him knock down the block with a stone, but neither he nor she succeeds. This time Zhilin has to walk with blocks on his feet.
Overcoming the pain, he walks all night. Coming out of the forest at dawn, he sees Russian Cossacks not far away. Zhilin rushes towards them, but on the other side, three mountaineers standing right there on the hill are jumping after him. Zhilin no longer wants to save lives, but in last moment The mountaineers, afraid of the Cossacks coming towards them, turn back.
The exhausted Zhilin is brought to the Russian fortress. He remains to serve in the Caucasus. The barely alive Kostylin’s relatives buy him back a month later for five thousand rubles.
© Author of the summary – Russian Historical Library. On our website you can read the full text of the story “Prisoner of the Caucasus”.
Officer Zhilin served in the Caucasus. He received a letter from his mother, and he decided to go home on vacation. But on the way he and another Russian officer Kostylin were captured by the Tatars. This happened due to Kostylin’s fault. He was supposed to cover Zhilin, but he saw the Tatars, got scared and ran away from them. Kostylin turned out to be a traitor. The Tatar who captured the Russian officers sold them to another Tatar. The prisoners were shackled and kept in the same barn.
The Tatars forced the officers to write letters to their relatives demanding a ransom. Kostylin obeyed, and Zhilin specially wrote a different address, because he knew: there was no one to buy him, Zhilin’s old mother lived very poorly. Zhilin and Kostylin sat in the barn for a whole month. The owner's daughter Dina became attached to Zhilin. She secretly brought him cakes and milk, and he made dolls for her. Zhilin began to think about how he and Kostylin could escape from captivity. Soon he began digging in the barn.
One night they ran away. When we entered the forest, Kostylin began to lag behind and whine - his boots had rubbed his feet. Because of Kostylin, they did not go far; they were noticed by a Tatar who was driving through the forest. He told the owners of the hostages, they took the dogs and quickly caught up with the prisoners. The shackles were put on them again and they were not removed even at night. Instead of a barn, the hostages were put in a hole five arshins deep. Zhilin still did not despair. I kept thinking about how he could escape. Dina saved him. At night she brought a long stick, lowered it into the hole, and Zhilin climbed up using it. But Kostylin stayed, didn’t want to run away: he was scared, and he didn’t have the strength.
Zhilin moved away from the village and tried to remove the block, but nothing worked. Dina gave him some flat cakes for the journey and cried, saying goodbye to Zhilin. He was kind to the girl, and she became very attached to him. Zhilin went further and further, even though the block was very much in the way. When his strength ran out, he crawled and crawled to the field, beyond which there were already his own Russians. Zhilin was afraid that the Tatars would notice him when he crossed the field. Just thinking about it, look: to the left, on a hillock, two tithes away from it, three Tatars are standing. They saw Zhilin and rushed to him. And so his heart sank. Zhilin waved his hands and shouted at the top of his voice: “Brothers! Help out! Brothers!” The Cossacks heard Zilina and rushed to intercept the Tatars. The Tatars got scared, and before reaching Zhilin they began to stop. This is how the Cossacks saved Zhilin. Zhilin told them about his adventures, and then said: “So I went home and got married! No, apparently it’s not my destiny.” Zhilin remained to serve in the Caucasus. And Kostylin was bought out only a month later for five thousand. They brought him barely alive.
Option 2
After the news came from her mother, a Caucasian officer named Zhilin wanted to visit her, and he went home. However, due to the cowardice of another officer, Kostylin, with whom he set off on this long journey, they were taken prisoner by the Tatars. After that, they were sold to other Tatars, who hid them both in a barn, chained.
In order to receive a ransom, the captives were forced to write letters to their loved ones. Zhilin remembered that his mother was very poor and she definitely wouldn’t have enough to pay for the ransom, so he entered someone else’s address, unlike the obedient Kostylin. A month has already passed since they were in captivity. Dina, the daughter of the Tatar who bought the officers, began to secretly court Zhilin. He reciprocated her feelings. Zhilin began to plot his and Kostylin’s escape.
Having made a tunnel in the barn, they managed to escape from captivity. Kostylin fails again. Before he had even gone very far, his legs began to hurt because of his tight shoes, and he began to hesitate; Zhilin had to wait for him. There they were noticed by a Tatar passing nearby, who informed the owners about their disappearance. It was not difficult to catch the fugitives. But Zhilin’s hope for salvation did not fade away, despite the fact that they were now thrown into deep hole. This time, the brave and kind Dina came to the rescue: she found a stick of sufficient size and brought it to them. Kostylin did not want to get out, because he was very exhausted, although to a greater extent, he was simply chickened out.
Dina had to say goodbye to Zhilin and, sobbing, she handed him several flat cakes for the journey. And the officer left. It was completely inconvenient to walk, since it was not possible to get rid of the shackles. The fugitive could no longer walk, he was terribly tired, but he did not give up and began to crawl. As he crawled across the field, three Tatars standing on a hill noticed him and ran after him. Zhilin, who knew that the Cossacks were already behind the field, from last bit of strength stood up, started waving his arms and screaming. And then our people appeared and ran towards the Tatars, who rushed back out of fear, leaving them alone former prisoner. He later told his rescuers about his story.
Officer Zhilin continued his service in the Caucasus. Kostylin remained in prison for another month, and then he was ransomed for five thousand.
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Audio story by Leo Nikolayevich Tolstoy "Prisoner of the Caucasus", included in the "Fourth Russian Reading Book". 1 chapter, which gives comparative characteristics Zilina and Kostylina, description of household items, men's and women's clothing Tatars (Muslims) of the Caucasus, decorations, customs.
“One gentleman served as an officer in the Caucasus. His name was Zhilin. One day he received a letter from home. His old mother wrote to him: “...Come say goodbye to me, bury me... And I have found you a bride: both smart and good , and there is an estate. You'll fall in love with him, maybe you'll get married and stay completely."... He went to the colonel and straightened out his leave... There was war in the Caucasus at that time. There was no passage on the roads either day or night... Under him there was a good horse, even kinder, and they were jumping across... The Tatars grabbed him... put him in a shoe and took him to the barn...
Chapter 2 Kazi-Mugamed took Zhilin and gave the prisoner to Abdul-Murat for debts. Abdul-Murat forced Zhilin to write a letter to his homeland about the ransom. I wanted to take 3,000 rubles, but Zhilin bargained for 500 rubles + good clothes and food. I wrote the address on the envelope incorrectly so that the letter would not arrive, because I knew that my mother did not have the money to pay for it. Kostylin also ended up here, behaved quietly, wrote home to send 5,000 rubles as a ransom for himself. The chapter vividly, in detail, with respect and careful awe, describes the life, clothing, and customs of the Tatars of that time.
We suggest reading summary, listen online or download for free and without registration the audio story of Leo Tolstoy "Prisoner of the Caucasus".
Officer Zhilin served in the Caucasus. He received a letter from his mother, and he decided to go home on vacation. But on the way he and another Russian officer Kostylin were captured by the Tatars. This happened due to Kostylin’s fault. He was supposed to cover Zhilin, but he saw the Tatars, got scared and ran away from them. Kostylin turned out to be a traitor. The Tatar who captured the Russian officers sold them to another Tatar. The prisoners were shackled and kept in the same barn.
The Tatars forced the officers to write letters to their relatives demanding a ransom. Kostylin obeyed, and Zhilin specially wrote a different address, because he knew: there was no one to buy him, Zhilin’s old mother lived very poorly. Zhilin and Kostylin sat in the barn for a whole month. The owner's daughter Dina became attached to Zhilin. She secretly brought him cakes and milk, and he made dolls for her. Zhilin began to think about how he and Kostylin could escape from captivity. Soon he began digging in the barn.
One night they ran away. When they entered the forest, Kostylin began to lag behind and whine - his boots had rubbed his feet. Because of Kostylin, they did not go far; they were noticed by a Tatar who was driving through the forest. He told the owners of the hostages, they took the dogs and quickly caught up with the prisoners. The shackles were put on them again and they were not removed even at night. Instead of a barn, the hostages were put in a hole five arshins deep. Zhilin still did not despair. I kept thinking about how he could escape. Dina saved him. At night she brought a long stick, lowered it into the hole, and Zhilin climbed up using it. But Kostylin stayed, didn’t want to run away: he was scared, and he didn’t have the strength.
Zhilin moved away from the village and tried to remove the block, but nothing worked. Dina gave him some flatbread for the journey and cried, saying goodbye to Zhilin. He was kind to the girl, and she became very attached to him. Zhilin went further and further, even though the block was very much in the way. When his strength ran out, he crawled and crawled to the field, beyond which there were already his own Russians. Zhilin was afraid that the Tatars would notice him when he crossed the field. Just thinking about it, look: to the left, on a hillock, two tithes away from it, three Tatars are standing. They saw Zhilin and rushed to him. And so his heart sank. Zhilin waved his hands and shouted at the top of his voice: “Brothers! Help out! Brothers! The Cossacks heard Zilina and rushed to intercept the Tatars. The Tatars got scared, and before reaching Zhilin they began to stop. This is how the Cossacks saved Zhilin. Zhilin told them about his adventures, and then said: “So I went home and got married! No, apparently it’s not my destiny.” Zhilin remained to serve in the Caucasus. And Kostylin was bought out only a month later for five thousand. They brought him barely alive.
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