During the preceding week a stormy meeting, which nearly ended in a riot, had been held in connection with the complaint of one of the companies that the soldiers had to eat lentils, which they hated, and thin soup, simply because all the groats and butter were taken for the officers' mess. This was clearly nonsense. Nevertheless, it was resolved to appoint a Committee for investigation, which would report to a general meeting of the regiment. The Report was drawn up by a member of the Committee, Lieutenant-Colonel Petrov, who had been removed the year before from the post of Chief of the Commissariat and was now settling accounts with his successor. In a petty, cavilling way, with a sort of mean irony, he enumerated slight, irrelevant, inaccuracies in the Commissariat Department of the regiment--there were no serious ones--and dragged out his Report endlessly in his creaking, monotonous voice. The crowd, which at first had kept quiet, now hummed again, having ceased to listen. From different sides voices were heard:
The Chairman of the Commission ceased reading and suggested that "those comrades who wished" should express their opinions. A tall, stout soldier ascended the platform, and began speaking in a loud, hysterical voice:
"Comrades, you have heard? That is where the soldiers' property goes. We suffer, our clothes are worn out, we are covered with lice, we go hungry, while they pull the last piece of food out of our mouths."
As he spoke a spirit of nervous excitement kept growing in the crowd, muffled murmurs ran through it, and shouts of approval burst from it here and there.
"When will there be an end to all this? We are worn out, weary to death."
Suddenly 2nd Lieut. Yassny's deep voice was heard from the rear ranks, drowning the voices both of the speaker and of the crowd.
Some confusion took place. The orator was dumb. Shouts of indignation were flung at Yassny.
"We have no such man in the Seventh Company."
"Wait a bit, my friend," boomed Yassny, "was it not you that came in to-day with the new lot ... you were carrying a large placard? When have you had time to get worn out, poor fellow?"
The spirit of the crowd changed in an instant. It began to hiss, laugh, shout, and crack jokes. The unsuccessful orator disappeared in the crowd. Someone shouted: