his exact starting point before sundown. Pahom feels concerned that the land he claims won't be properly marked and asks how that will be arranged. The Chief then explains how they willmark the startingpoint and how Pahom will mark out his perimeter using a spade.

More specifically, the Chief explains that they will start at any point Pahom wishes, and the Chief will remain with his tribe at that point all day long. He further explains that Pahom will need to carry a spade with him and mark whatever points of the perimeter he feels are necessary. Furthermore, Pahom will dig a hole at each turning point in the perimeter; then, he will "pile up the turf" on that spot to make the spot clearly visible. After all of Pahom's land is claimed, the Bashkirs will plow the land "from hole to hole" to clearly stake out the land.

As we see by the end of the story, Pahom successfully marks his perimeter but tries to walk more distance than he is physically capable of walking for the sake of greedily claiming more land. As a consequence, he dies by the time he returns to the starting point.

Pahom is given one day to trace the area of land that will become his for one thousand rubles. The only condition is that if he doesn't make it back to the spot from which he started by sunset on the same day, he will lose his rubles and leave with no land.

Pahom is delighted by this deal and is convinced that he can easily do thirty-five miles in a day. He quickly gets ahead of himself, planning the ox-teams that he will buy and the laborers that he will hire. When he heads out to start tracing the land, the greedy farmer in Pahom is practically salivating. The land is pristine, perfect for farming, and his for the taking. He keeps pushing himself further, finding features on the land that he would consider "a pity" to lose out on.

As a result of his greed and his desire to get as much land as he possibly can, he is walking with difficulty by the afternoon. He knows there is no time to stop and rest, because he needs to be back at his starting point before sunset. His nervousness about not getting back in time grow into panic and then to terror, as the cheers of the Bashkirs "inflamed his heart still more."

Pahom narrowly makes it back to his starting point in time but unfortunately dies just as he gets back. Pahom's endless quest for more land ultimately costs him his life.