Milton and BĂșlka (Tolstoy)
Division into chapters is editorial.
Introduction to Milton and BĂșlka
The narrator purchased a setter specifically for pheasant hunting.
The dog was named Milton.
Milton was remarkably peaceful in his relationship with BĂșlka, another dog in the household.
In fact, Milton's restraint was wise, as BĂșlka commanded respect from all the other dogs in the area. The narrator observed that BĂșlka possessed a fearsome reputation among his canine peers.
He did not fight with BĂșlka. No dog ever tried to get into a fight with BĂșlka. He needed only to show his teeth, and the dogs would take their tails between their legs and slink away.
This intimidating presence would soon prove problematic when both dogs found themselves together on a hunting expedition.
BĂșlka interferes with the hunt
One day, the narrator set out with Milton for a pheasant hunting expedition. However, their plans were unexpectedly complicated when BĂșlka suddenly appeared and followed them into the forest. The narrator attempted to send BĂșlka back home, but the distance was too great, and his efforts proved futile. Reluctantly accepting the situation, he decided to continue with the hunt, hoping that BĂșlka would not cause too much disruption.
Unfortunately, the narrator's hopes were quickly dashed. The problems began immediately when Milton detected the scent of a pheasant and began his methodical search.
The moment Milton scented a pheasant in the grass and began to search for it, BĂșlka rushed forward and tossed from side to side. He tried to scare up the pheasant before Milton.
BĂșlka's hunting technique was fundamentally flawed and disruptive. Despite his aggressive behavior toward other dogs, he lacked the essential skills needed for successful hunting.
He had a poor scent and could not find the track himself, but watched Milton, to see where he was running. The moment Milton started on the trail, BĂșlka ran ahead of him.
The narrator grew increasingly frustrated with BĂșlka's behavior. He tried various methods to control the disruptive dog, calling him back repeatedly and even resorting to physical punishment, but nothing seemed to work. Every time Milton began his careful tracking work, BĂșlka would dart forward and completely interfere with the process. The situation became so problematic that the narrator seriously considered abandoning the hunt altogether, believing that any chance of success had been completely ruined by BĂșlka's interference.
Miltons clever solution
Just when the hunting expedition seemed doomed to failure, Milton demonstrated his remarkable intelligence by devising an ingenious solution to the BĂșlka problem. Rather than competing directly with the disruptive dog or allowing the interference to continue, Milton developed a sophisticated strategy of deception.
The moment BĂșlka rushed ahead of him, he gave up the trail and turned in another direction, pretending that he was searching there.
This clever ruse worked perfectly. BĂșlka, completely dependent on Milton's superior tracking abilities, would immediately abandon his position and rush to wherever Milton appeared to be searching. Once BĂșlka had been successfully misdirected, Milton would calmly return to the actual trail and continue his proper hunting work.
BĂșlka rushed there where Milton was, and Milton looked at me and wagged his tail and went back to the right trail.
The narrator observed with admiration how Milton repeated this deceptive strategy throughout the entire hunting expedition. Each time BĂșlka attempted to interfere by rushing past Milton, the intelligent setter would simply take several steps to one side, successfully mislead his competitor, and then return to guide the narrator along the correct path. Through this brilliant tactical approach, Milton managed to maintain complete control over the hunt while preventing BĂșlka from spoiling their chances of success. The strategy proved so effective that the hunting expedition, which had seemed destined for failure, was ultimately salvaged by Milton's remarkable problem-solving abilities and patient execution of his deceptive plan.