The Lamoille news. (Hyde Park, Vt.) 1877-1881, 1878-07-03

/ Bs
found the bishop, who was q young
man, not more than two years Older
than myself, very urbane and sffable.
He spoke French, and German too,
fiuently, and was in tore and bearing
quite citizen Of the world.
The bishops business with me was
soon stated. He wanted passage to
the city of Kiew for himself and attend
ants; and also for party of ecclesiati-
cal students from the great monastery
OF Glinka, who were bound for the same
place, to be solemnly inducted within
the pale of the Russo Greek priesthood
by the Archbishop of Kew. There
were, moreover, some three or four
nuns, who desired to avail themselves of
the same opportunity for returning to
their abbey.
at first l was somewhat puzzled
Truth to tell, the vessels of the Anglo
Russian Navigation Company did very
little business in the passenger carrying
line. By towing, by the transport of
light goods, and So forth, we earned a
decent dividend; but although we had
an elaborate printed tariff of charges,
"the neat private cabins, and "saloon {"
for first-class passengers, had come to
be sadly conspicuous by their absence
However, the bishop, with his easy way,
made things pleasant. Russians, he
said with truth, needed, in fine weather,
but scanty accommodation. Students,
nuns, and himself, could rough it, only
thankful for speedy journey. And
the payment he would leave to me to
apportion.
ga compliment" added the prelate
with laugh and shrug, "which 1
assure you, captain, I would not offer to
my own countrymen. But you English
have conscience"
L did not forfeit the national reputa-
tion for fair dealing, by charging his
worthiness-for such I believe to be
the correct designation of a Muscovite
bishop-too much for the meagre COM
fort which I was able on board the Fair
Helen to supply to this clerical COM
pany. We set to work with hammer
and saw, and as all sailors, even Russian
fresh-water mariners, are handy fellows,
we soon knocked up some rough cabins
for the nuns, while I gave up my own
quarters to the bishop. AS for the
students, the weather was fine, ard a set
of hardy young fellows might surely
make shift to keep the deck.
There were, as it turned out, four
nuns, two of them being tall, burly
Tsvorniks, of that she-grenadier aspect
so common among the Russian peasant
women who take the VOWS, and the other
two, slight, delicate in manners and ap-
pearance, and Enthusiastically ladies.
There were twenty-three students, we'll
grown lads enough, but apparently shy
and i'll at ease, and who huddled togeth-
er in mob when brought on board, and
Stunned conversation. Nor was the
nuns very communicative; but the bish-
op, who was fluent and agreeable talk
er, made amends for the taciturnity of
the rest.
At Stostitza, where we stopped to take
in firewood, and where the overseers of
the RATS went ashore to hire fresh labor
ers in the room of dozen fever stricken
wretches on whom the miasma of the
muddy river had done its work, and who
had been left behind it at Bykhow, sad
procession went by the wharf alongside
of which the steamer lay. This consist
ed of some thirty political prisoners,
Poles, as we were told, implicated in an
abortive revolt near Minsk, and now on
their way to Siberia. They were of all
ranks and ages; some with delicate hands
and faces that told of culture and refine
ment; others who showed the marks Of
honest toll; bat all bore themselves with
a certain air of quiet dignity which
seemed to impress even the half-savage
Cossacks who guarded them. There
was something in the proud endurance
of the captives which touched me. They
were in chains, their clothes were worn
and ragged. Their faces were wan with
the privations of a Russian prison, and
all were footsore and weary. Yet it was
impossible not to admire the patient
courage of their demeanor.
"Bah They are not of our century,
these Poles," said the bishop, taking a
pinck of snuff and Offering to me the
gilt box with suave courtesy. "They
sacrifice themselves for dream"
We were long time at Stostizta, for
the overseer's new hands were hard to
coax away from the vodka shops, though
when they did arrive they certainly
turned out to be fifteen as strapping fell
lows as had ever seen; men, too, who
walked with the steady step of old
soldiers. OF this, however, since con-
sciption passes half the peasantry
through the ranks, I thought little, but
gave orders to cast off the moorings,
get up fuller head of steam, to make
up for lost time, and push on to Roga-
czew, our next halting-place. -Four
versts down the river, I caught the
CLEAN, among the tall reeds OF the bank,
of Cossack lance-points, and soon,
rounding a head-land, deserted the
kafila of prisoners. These latter marched
but slowly, and their mounting guards,
under the orders of an officer in green
uniforms major, as I guessed, by his
medals and the glitter of his epaulettes
were driving them on with blows and