Chapter 9, Piotr Karpenko Summary and Analysis

The friendship with Piotr Karpenko begins while Gurdjieff still resides in Kars and studies with his tutors. Karpenko is one of his childhood acquaintances, but not yet a close friend. A jealous rivalry brings them together.

Both like a neighborhood girl and vie for her attentions. They fight over her and decide that the only proper thing to do is to have a dual. However, they cannot obtain the customary weapons of swords or pistols, so they decide, with the help of their other friends, that they will occupy shell holes in the artillery range while the soldiers practice firing in the evening. Gurdjieff and Karpenko are to stay in their shell holes until a predetermined time after the soldiers finish their bombardment.

The boys sneak onto the field and take their shell holes. The bombardment starts...