BĂșlka's and Milton's End (Tolstoy)
Division into chapters is editorial.
Miltons tragic end
The story began with the simultaneous deaths of two beloved hunting dogs. Milton met his tragic end during a hunting expedition with an inexperienced handler.
BĂșlka and Milton died at the same time. The old Cossack did not know how to get along with Milton. Instead of taking him out only for birds, he went with him to hunt wild boars.
During this dangerous hunt, a tusked boar attacked and fatally wounded Milton. The old Cossack lacked the knowledge to properly treat such severe injuries, and Milton died from his wounds.
BĂșlkas strange behavior and disappearance
Meanwhile, BĂșlka survived his recent ordeal with prisoners but did not live long afterward. Soon after his rescue, the intelligent hunting dog began exhibiting disturbing behavioral changes that alarmed his owner.
The narrator observed his beloved dog's increasingly erratic behavior with growing concern. BĂșlka began compulsively licking everything he encountered, but this was different from his usual affectionate gestures.
He licked my hands, but not as formerly when he fawned. He licked for a long time, and pressed his tongue against me, and then began to snap. Evidently he felt like biting my hand.
The narrator wisely refused to give BĂșlka his hand when the dog showed signs of wanting to bite. BĂșlka then turned his attention to other objects, licking the narrator's boot and table legs before attempting to snap at them as well. This disturbing pattern continued for approximately two days.
That lasted about two days, and on the third he disappeared, and no one saw him or heard of him. He could not have been stolen or run away from me.
The narrator was certain that theft or voluntary departure were impossible explanations for BĂșlka's disappearance, given the dog's loyalty and the circumstances surrounding his vanishing.
The explanation: rabies from a mad wolf
The narrator gradually pieced together the tragic truth behind BĂșlka's behavior and disappearance. The timeline provided a crucial clue to understanding what had happened to his beloved companion.
This happened six weeks after the wolf had bitten him. Evidently the wolf had been mad. BĂșlka had gone mad, and so went away. He had what hunters call the rabies.
The narrator understood that the wolf bite from six weeks earlier had been the source of BĂșlka's affliction. The wolf had been rabid, transmitting the deadly disease to the dog. Hunters were familiar with this terrible condition and its devastating effects on animals.
They say that this madness consists in this, that the mad animal gets cramps in its throat. It wants to drink and cannot, because the water makes the cramps worse.
The disease caused excruciating throat spasms that made drinking impossible, despite the animal's desperate thirst. This combination of pain and thirst drove the afflicted creature to madness and aggressive behavior. The narrator realized that BĂșlka's compulsive licking and snapping had been early symptoms of these throat cramps beginning to develop.
Understanding the progression of the disease explained BĂșlka's strange final days and his ultimate decision to leave.
The search for BĂșlka and his likely fate
Desperate to learn what had become of his faithful companion, the narrator conducted an extensive search throughout the local area.
I went everywhere in the neighbourhood and asked about BĂșlka, but could not find out what had become of him, or how he had died.
The narrator reasoned that if BĂșlka had been running about and attacking people as rabid dogs typically do, someone would have reported such incidents. The absence of any such reports suggested a different outcome.
Hunters shared their knowledge about intelligent dogs afflicted with rabies, believing such animals instinctively sought natural remedies in the wilderness, rolling in dew and searching for healing herbs. However, these desperate attempts at self-cure rarely succeeded, and BĂșlka never returned home.