Berezovo: A Revolutionary Russian Epic

Tying the thongs of the kisys together, he hung them round his neck and prepared himself for the next stage of his escape. In the preceding days he had noted how loudly each of the stair treads had creaked and had taken care surreptitiously to try the rail’s strength every time he had climbed or descended the stairs. It had held firm then, but would it now bear the weight of his whole body?

He grasped the upper newel post and swung his left leg over the banister rail. Still gripping the post hard, he lowered himself, testing his weight. He felt the wood give fractionally beneath him but the rail seemed secure enough. Reluctantly, he let go of the newel post and at once began to slide downwards. Gripping the rail with both hands in an attempt to slow his descent, he almost lost his balance. Steadying himself, Trotsky lay prone along the length of the rail, resting his brow against its cool, smooth surface as he struggled to overcome the sudden impulse to laugh out loud. He pictured himself as he would appear in court: an absurd figure, his boots still hanging round his neck, charged with sliding down banisters without permission.

Cheered by the vision, he tried again; this time taking more care to compensate for the staircase’s steep incline and the natural impetus of his body to accelerate towards the lower newel post. When he reached the bottom he slipped to the ground, wincing as the soles of his feet made a dull slapping sound as they landed on the cold stone floor. The rhythmic snores coming from the attendant’s room continued undisturbed.

Within half a minute he had padded across the hallway, entered the Admissions office and closed the door silently behind him. By the light that came from the globed lamps outside the building, shining through the small window into the office, he hastily unfastened the knot that tied the kisys’ thongs together. Taking his foot rags from his pocket, he bound his feet and drew on the boots. When he had tied the thongs securely he began to unbutton his coat.

Hurry up! he told himself, I’ve taken too long in leaving my room and descending the stairs. It must now be over a quarter of an hour since I started. At this rate I’ll certainly miss the rendezvous with Goat’s Foot.

Removing the coat, he laid it across the dvornik’s desk, carefully avoiding contact with its inkwell and its pot of pens and pencils. Going to the window, he peered out into the darkness. The street looked deserted. Turning his attention to the window frame, his fingers felt in the shadows for the catch that fastened it shut. Finding it, he gave it an exploratory tug, but it did not budge. Using both hands, he applied more pressure, alternately raising and lowering it so that the stiffness was overcome and it worked itself free of the latch. There was a sound of splintering wood as it finally came apart, and he cursed his clumsiness. Telling himself that the moment for caution had passed, he roughly pushed the window open, causing the ice on the ledge to crack loudly as it was broken. Picking up his coat he flung it across the sill then, gripping the upper frame of the window, he hoisted himself out into the freezing night air.

Once through the window, he drew the overcoat after him. A pocket caught on a nail and he heard the cloth tear. Clad only in his boots and prison uniform, the cold was already entering his bones, but he forced himself to slow down. With trembling fingers he freed the coat and put it on. Pulling the window to, he fumbled in his pocket for the sharp knife, intending to slide its blade between the window and its frame, lift its catch and close it behind him. But as his fingers closed around the knife he heard something that sent him scurrying into the shadows beyond the lamplight. It was the unmistakeable sound of jingling harness and soft hoofbeats on snow. A moment later, six horsemen formed up in two columns rode around the opposite corner of the hospital and proceeded towards the distant intersection with Alexander III Street. It was the night guard.