Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1874-08-26
A Testing Marshal.

The stories told of the celebrated
Russian Marshal Suwaroff, display bet
ter tan whole pages of description the
W Jnderful way in which he contrived
to adapt himself to the rude spirits
with whom he had to deal. without
losing one iot of his authority.
What Napoleon was to the French
Suwarof was to the Russian army-now
jesting with soldier, and now rebuk-
ing general; one day sharing a ration
of black bread beside a bivouac fire,
and the next speaking as an equal to
princes and potentates. In fact the
two great sponsors of Russian wit form
most picturesque contrast. Balk-
aireff was very much the character of a
spaniel in lions cage-admiring even
while mocking his formidable patron,
behaving toward him with q half wag-
gish, half affectionate familiarity, per-
petually forgiven. Suwarof comes be-
fore us as an uncrowned king, one
whose authority needed no outward
symbol; an autocrat of natures max
ing, full of rough, hearty familiarity
that was in no danger of breeding con-
tempt, and surrounded by men who
enjoyed the bonhomie, while they
dreaded the displeasure of the little
pug-nosed, grimy man, who was in their
eyes the incarnation of earthly power
and grandeur.
1t must be owned, however, that in
his own peculiar vein of pleasantly the
old marshal more than once met with
his match. One of his favorite Jokes
was to confuse man by asking him un-
e1pectedly-
"How many stars are there in the
sky ?"
On one occasion ne put this question
to one of his sentries on bitter Janu-
ary, such as only Russia can produce.
The soldier, not a whit disturbed, an
swered coolly-
"Wait little and I'll tell you;" and
he deliberately began to count, "One,
two, three" etc.
In this way he went gravely on to- a
hundred, at which point Suwaroff, who
was already half frozen, thought it
high time to ride off, not however,
without inquiring the name Of the
ready reckoner.
The next day the latter found him
self promoted, and the story (Which
Suwaroff told with great glee to his
staff. speedily made its way through
the army.
On another occasion one of his gen.
erals of division sent him q sergeant
with dispatches, at the same time re-
commenting the bearer to Suwaroff's
notice. The marshal as usual, pro-
ceeded to test him by a series of whim-
steal questions; but the catechumen
was equal to the occasion.
"How far is it to the moon?' asked
Suwaroff.
"Two of your excellency's forced
marches, answered the sergeant.
"Supposing you were blockaded, and
had no provisions left, how would you
supply yourself? ?"
"From the enemy"
"How many fish are there in the
sea 2"
"As many as have not been caught. !"
And so the examination went on, till
Suwaroff, finding his new acquaintance
armed at all points, at length asked
him. as final poser
"What is the difference between your
colonel and myself ?"
"The difference is this" replied the
soldier, ,coolly;; ;;"my colonel cannot.make
me captain, but your excellency has
only to say the word"
Suwaroff, struck by his shrewdness,
kept his eyes upon the man, and in no
long time after actually gave him the
specified promotion.
The anecdotes of the marshal's &C.
centricities-his habits of wandering
about the camp in disguise, his whim
of giving the signal for assault by
growing like cock, his astounding en-
durance of heat and cold, his savage
disregard of personal comfort and neat
ness-are beyond calculation; but per
haps the most characteristic of all was
his appearance in 1899 at the Austrian
court, then one of the most brillian in
Europe.
On being shown to the room pre-
pared for him Ga splendid apartment,
filled with costly mirrors and rich furni-
ture) this modern Diogenes said,
simply
Turn out the rubbish, and shake
me down some straw"
An Austrian grandee who came to
visit him was startled at these prepara-
tions, and still more so at the first sight
of the marshal's baggage, which con-
sisted of two coarse shirts and a tat
tered cloak tied up in bundle.
SIS that enough for winter ?" asked
the astonished visitor.
"The winters the father of us Rus
slams" answered Suwaroff, with grin;
"besides, you don't feel the cold when
you're riding full gallop."
''But when yours tired of riding
what do you do?"
"Walk."
"But when you're tired of walking ?"
"Run."
"And do you never sleep, then? p
asked the petrifed questioner.
Sometimes, when I've nothing bet
ter to do" replied Suvoroff, carelessly;
''and when want to have q very lu1u-
rious nap, I take off one of my spurs. "
The thunderstruck Austrian bowed
and retired, doubtless considerably en-
lightened in his ideas of a Russian
General.