They came from Tchigirin, from Pereyaslaf, from Baturin, from Glukhof, from the regions of the lower Dnieper, and from all its upper shores and islands.
An uninterrupted stream of horses and herds of cattle stretched across the plain.

And among all these Cossacks, among all these bands, one was the choicest; and that was the band led by Taras Bulba.

All contributed to give him an influence over the others: his advanced years, his experience and skill in directing an army, and his bitter hatred of the foe.

His unsparing fierceness and cruelty seemed exaggerated even to the Cossacks.

His grey head dreamed of naught save fire and sword, and his utterances at the councils of war breathed only annihilation.
It is useless to describe all the battles in which the Cossacks distinguished themselves, or the gradual courses of the campaign.