The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1878-01-03
OUR STORY TELLER.
THE COOLEST MAN in RUSSIA.
BY DAVID KER.


I've seen many brave man In my
time, sure enough" said old Ivan Start
koff, removing his short pipe to puff out
n volume of smoke from beneath his
long white mustache. Many and
many one have / seen; for, thank
Heaven, the children Of holy Russia are
never wanting in that way; but all of
them put together wouldn't make one
such man as our old colonel, Count Pa
vel Petrovitch SEVERN. 1t wasn't only
that he faced danger like a man,-all
the others did that, he never
seemed to know that there 1ods any dam
ger at all. IL was as good as a re-
enforcement of ten battalions to have
him among us in the thick of fight,
and to see his grand, tall figure drawn
up to its full height, and his firm face
and keen gray eye turned straight upon
the smoke of the enemy's line, as if de-
flying them to hurt him. And when the
very earth was shaking with the cannon
ade, and balls were flying thick as hail,
and the hot, sitting smoke closed us in
like the shadow of death, with a flash
and roar breaking through it every
now and then, and the whole air filled
with the rush of the shot, like the wind
sweeping through forest in autumn
then Petrovitch would light cigarette
and hum a snatch of song, as coolly as
il he were at q dinner-party in the En-
glish Club at Moscow. And it really
seemed as il the bullets ran away from
him, instead of his running from them !;
for he never got hit. But if he saw any
out cheerily: Never fear, lads-re-
hs.w hot fhn in
those days we had an old camp-song that
we were fond of singing, and the chorus
of it was this:
"Then fear not swords that brightly shine,
Nor towers that grmy frown;
For God shall march before our line,
And tread our foemen down.
"He said this so often, that at last he
got the nickname among us of Ne
Boisya' Don't fear), and he deserved it
IL ever man did yet. Why, Father Nj
kolai Pavlovitch himself (the Emperor
Nicholas) gave him the Cross of St
George with his own hand (the St
George from the Emperor's own hand
think of thatD at the siege of Varna, il
the year '2S. You see, our battery haC
been terribly cut up by the Turkish fire
80 at last there were only about half
hot work as / ever was in,-shot pelting
earth-works crumbling, gabions crash
ing, guns and gun-carriages tumblin,
over together, men falling on every sid
like leaves, till, all at once, shot wen
slap through our flagstaff, and dow
came the colorsl
"Quick as lightning, Pavel Petrovitcl
was up on the parapet, caught the fla
- q fall I'LL . IL, e.
all the Turkish guns, while / and anothe
man splced the pole with our belts
You may think how the unbelievers lie
fly at him when they saw him standin
there on the top Of the breastwork, jus
ns IL he'd been set up for mark; an
all at once / saw one fellow Gan Alba
nian by his dress, and you know wha
deadly shots they are) creep along to tn
very angle Of the wall, and take stead
aim at himl
81 made spring to drag the colont
down i was his servant, you know, an
whoever hurt him hurt me) but befor
/ could reach him / saw the flash of tn
Albanian's piece, and Pavel Petroyitch
cap went spinning into the air, with
hole right through it Just above the for,
head. And what do you think the coll
mel did2 Why, he just snapped his fiji
gers at the fellow, and called out to hin
In some jibber-jabber tongue only fit [
talk to Turk in:
"'Can't you aim better than that, yo
fool? If were your officer, I'd ei,
you thirty lashes for wasting the Cover,
ment ammunitionp
"Well, as said, he got the St. Georg
and of course everybody congratulate
him, and there was a great shaking
hands, and giving of good wishes, al
drinking his health in mayro tohai,-
that's horrid mess of eggs, and scrap,
cheese, and sour milk, and Moldavis
wine, which these Danube fellows ha
the impudence to call 'black tea as
1t was anything like the good old t
that we Russians drink at home! T
always thought, for my part, that t
ought TO grow in Russia for it's shar
that those Chinese idolaters should ha
such grand stuff all to themselves.)
"Well. Just in the height of the tai
Pavel Petrovitch takes the cross off
neck, and holds il out in his hand-jl
so-and says:
"Well, gentlemen, you say Pm I
coolest man in the regiment, but perha
everybody wouldn't agree with yt
Now, Just to show that / want nothi
but fair play, il ever meet my mat
in that way, Ill give him this cross
minep =.
"Now, among the officers who sto
around him was a young fellow who h
lately joined--a quiet, modest lad, qu
boy to look at, with light curly ha
and q face as smooth as any lady
n.w& L. L. vl~k IL