The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1873-06-12

formality OF showing ones passport 70 the ponce
authorities and getting out odorozhnaDd, or ROAD
pass, which entities you to certain number OF
horses without the production OF this paper and
large number OF entries IN books at every station
horses can be got IL is strange that this useless
and stupid piece OF red tape should be kept mp
when one can travel everywhere railway and
steamboat without any papers or passport at all.
In Finland it Is simpler; and you have merely TO
write your name and destination In book 70 re-
ceive all the horses You want. The cross route TO
Urask. however, was not post road, and had to
be dependent on what called free horses All
went well till. In crossing q spur OF the Ural
Mountains, l arrived at the village OF Kuzebai.
This village, which was hardly visible until l
came on IL, was built Of low mud huts with a at
matched roofs, on which numerous dogs disported
themselves 1t was inhabited almost exclusively
by Bashkirs-a race OF Tartars-and boasted .
small mud mosque in Its middle. The sledge
stopped. made my way through sush and farm
yard Nth to the nearest hut and, going down
few steps, entered. The cleanliness and coseyness
OF the interior contrasted curousy with the court
outside In one corner was the stove, where
rather pretty young girl was trying TO boil huge
vat OF water. curtain drawn across from here
half concealed some half naked children, and was
evidently intended to mark the strictly private
portion OF the house-what In Mus
sulman house Of more pretensions would
be the harem. Round two sides ran
. divan Of earth. which, as well as the mud
walls, was covered by felt and carpets On one end
OF this was q woman, unveiled, with an infant
which had been born but few hours before, and
In the corner OF the room was tied sckly colt,
whose droppings were at once brushed up by the
housewife. While l was drinking tea the colt
perhaps out OF consideration for me-was banished
to the ante-chamber.
'.BRING FORTH THE HoRsRn
The master Of the house, very fine looking and
respectable old man in full Tartar dress. with
shaved head and skulIcap, lamented on my behalf
that there were no horses, but promised TO SEQ
what he could 90. Speedily an assembly OF
horse owners, young and old, was cOnvoked
in the hut and ! had . number OF Bash
kris squatting on their launches beside me.
verse from the Koran being recited, the bargain
ing commenced. The visitors were informed l
wanted horses. A long pause. 'How much would
givef" 1.-THE usual price-hfty kopecks q horse"
Another long pause. 1.-THE road was very long and
bad" More rejection. Urged by despair my offer
went up, but nothing satisfied them. Finally, in
Indignation, sent them all away, and refused TO
have anything to do with them. The host again
commserated me, and brought in q new set OF
Bashkirs with whom finally struck bargain at
a rouble and a half q horse-three times the regu-
lar price-for the twenty-five miles, We clenched
our bargain by shaking hands all round, and, hav-
ing another blessing from the Koran recited, at
last got OF. This little operation lasted about three
hours.
CAUGHT IN STORM
In the next stage after this was caught in one
Of those whirlwinds OF snow called Burans, which
so frequently aflict the steppe in Winter; the
drivers lost the way, and for more Than an hour 1t
was impossible to move In any direction. At last
the storm somewhat abated, and the drivers, by
going backwards and forwards, hit on the road,
and we moved on. When came to the station the
snow was still blowing furiously In every direc-
ton, and / was warned against proceeding, and
told fearful tales OF being lost in the snow and
frozen to DEATH and how only three days before
driver ON horseback had been lost and not yet
found. AS even the drivers refused to go
on, there was nothing to do hut to stay.
So ! drank my tea and spread my sheep
skin coat on the noor to await for the earliest
dawn. l seemed to have just dropped asleep,
when was awakened by the station master. 1t
was only one O'Clock. but, as he told me. 1t was
bright starlight and had better take the horses
while could get them. ! therefore pressed on,
crossed the last bit OF mountain, and reached the
first C0ssack station at seven the next morning.
AMONG THE COssAcKs.
What q change 1t was from the Bashkirs and
the peasants, and how / luxuriated in the fresh
white bread and cream OF the kindhearted ola
Cossack, who sat before me the best he had How
clean ami neat everything was l have known
something OF the Cossacks before, and every
one I have seen, since my journey, has
only confirmed my earlier Impressions; and /
am convinced that Russia can boast no better.
Drawer kinder and nobler race than these same
Cossacks, whom Western Europe holds up
eternal bugtear ana an example OF all that Is
brutal and savage. Perhaps am wrong IN calling
the Cossacks q race. They were originally pure
Russians, more daring and more enterprising than
the rest, who wanted always to be on some border
iOrray or to engage in some bold enterprise, where
they could show their pluck and receive its sub
stantia rewards. They were thought to be too
bold and daring not to be somewhat dangerous to
the government, and accordingly they were colo
nized everywhere along the frontier, and TO them
became joined the rash and enterprisng youth
rom all Russia. Read Gogol's charming "Tarass
Bulba,n or Merimee's Lies Cosaques d'Autretois"
to see how delightfully."- bold and simple the Cos
sacks were three centuries ago; hear OF the con-
quest Of Siberia by the Cossack Yermak to find out
how they fought; and then go to the Don, the
Terek, the Ural, Orenburg and the steppc, and
the same men. You will hear at Irghiz how, four
years ago. seven Cossacks cut their way through
$500 Kirgnlz. by whom they were surrounded, and
at Fort Alexandrotrsky how fifty Cossacks made
sortc and forced march, ana put to hight 5000
Khivans. The peculiarities OF individuals have,
after two centuries, become permanent In a race
where every man is brave, persistent and endur-
ing, and where neatness and economy are the
characteristics OF the women. In crossing the
steppe, wherever the post horses were well kept
up and in good order, there found Cossack,
civil and polite, ready to attend me and hasten
my journey. Wherever there was Cossack
woman the station was neat and orderly, and had
clean dishes, fresh eggs, milk, good bread and
sometimes dainty little meal.
The Cossacks were never serS, bu; always
boosted Of the proud designation Of "volny
Kazakn-"Free Cossack." This inherited freedom
is one great cause OF their immense superiority to