The new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1876-1904, 1878-08-31


tightin', and when they git up a shindy,
look out! | can speak, for saw the big
fight betwixt them and the Rooshans at
Kazan boat three years ago, and If you
cares to hear the story tell yer jist how
it all happened.
You tell me as you've been TO Kazan,
and SO, O. cour'e, you'll remember that
the " Tartar Town." as they calls it, lies
a mile or two east of the reg lar Rooshan
quarter and midway between 'em a dry
gully (leastways it's dry in the summer
time, but you should jist see it arter the
spring thaw y with a little bridge over it.
Now, the Rooshan gangs and the Tartar
gangs, a-comin' from their WORK, used to
cross each ether jist at this bridge; and
o. course there was a good deal o.
chaffin' among 'em, and some fghtin'
too, now and then; for | needn't tell
you that Rooshan and Tartar are jist
about as fond of each other as Rooshan
and a Turk. Nowadays, the masters
have had the gumption to change the
hours of work, and keep 'em out of each
others way; but in my time there was a
scrimmage nearly every week, though
nothin' like this 'un Pm tellin' of.
|
evenin', and strolled back to my place
with young Roosnan merchant as |
knowed-a right good fellar, name O
Michael Feodorof. Just at the bridge
we stopped to have look at the sunset,
and a rare sight it was. There was the
dark-red tower of the old Tartar gate
way standin' out ag'in the bright
evenin' sky, and the citadel-wall with
all its turrets and battlements, and the
gilt cupolers of the churches in the
town, and the great green plain of the
Volga away below us, and the broad
river itself shinin' wherever the bright
light fell on it, and the purple hills be-
yond tipped with the gold every here
and there, jist like the Detachable Noun.
tains as mother used to read about on
Sundays when was boy.
While we were standin' lookin' at il
UP comes half a dozen Rooshan work.
men, a-goin' home from their work, and
four or five Tartars from 'tother side
a-goin' home from thei'n, and they
meets jist at the bridge. As they crossed
each other one O the Rooshans pulls q
bit sassage out of his pocket and holds
it up to the foremost Tartar Ga great
ugly-lookin' bruiser with one eye), ant
says to him, chaffin' like, Hollo
Mourad; dye want bit O grease tt
make yer beard grow"
Now, l needn't tell you that offerin
pork to Mussulman is like drinkin
Dutch Williams heal h at an Irish fair
and the words warn't we'll out o. thu
Rooshan's mouth afore the Tartar hac
him by the throat and was bangin' hi
head agin the bridge rails as if he wa
drivin' nail with it.
Then, all in one minute, whole
crowd of 'em seemed to start up out o
the very earth, and we found ourselves
right in the middle of regular tearin
tght-tossin' arms and fierce face,
whirlin' all round us; men strikin' anc
grapplin' and claWin' like fury, the
broad bearded faces of the Rooshan
and the fiat, sallow mugs of the Tartar
all blurred up together; and SIGH {
yellin' and cursin' and screechin' a-goin
on that | Almost thought myself one o
them old Roman Hemperors lookin
on at wild beast fight in the Call-and
see em.
was so took aback that | jist stood
and stared like a fool; but Feodorof
had his wits about him, and dragged mt
into a corner whe we could see it al
without bein' swept in. | saw d'rectly
that it was more than a plain bout 0
fisticutfs, for several of the Rooshant
had got out their knives, and were
slashin' about like one o'clock; and the
Fartars on their side had begun to teal
out the rails o the palisade, and tc
crack the skulls of the Rooshans with
them. Just then Ivan Marchenkoff
one of my best men, came tumblin
down at my feet with half a dozen Tar
tars atop of him; and as he fell he
caught sight O. me, and cried to me fol-
help.
Well. that was more'n l could stand
| busted loose from Feodoroff (who tried
to hold me), and leapt right among 'em
/ cotched the uppermost Tartar by
the scuff O. the neck, and chucked him
away like kitten; and the second hi
sich dollup behind the ear as made
him look five ways at once; but just
then two O. the rips jumped upon me
fr m behind, and down | went Then
Feodoroff flew TO save me, but the crowd
closed upon him, and down he went
too; | thought it twas all up with us
both.
Jist then heerd rumble of wheels
up the sloop leadin' to the bridge, and
then great shout of ",Sodalti! sodaltip pr
{" The soldiers! the soldiersp')
Then l lay close to the ground and
made myself as small as l could, for
knowed that if they fired into SIGH a
crowd with cannon, it 'ud just NOW 'em
down like grass. The next minute
heerd an officers voice sipgin out
Halt! front! frep But instead OF
the bang of cannon there cum hiss
like fifty tea-kettles a-bilin' over, and
then a great splash, and then the crowd
scattered fifty ways at once; and !
found myself wringin' wet all in min
ute. Then someb dy gripped hold O.
me and pulled me up, and there was
Feodoroff, and beside him Lieutenant
Berezinski, of the garrison, laughin' fit
to burst. And when / looked around
the whole place was puddle O. water,
with dozens O. men rollin' in it like flies
in treacle; and at the end O. the bridge
was ten or twelve sogers, and right in
front of 'em a great steam Jire-engine
Then l understood it all, and began
laughin' as hearty as anybody.
" You've cooled their courage this
time, Mr.. Lieutenant" says /.
think l have" says the Lieuten-
ant; " and that, too, without wasting a
cartridge or killing man. When you
go home to England, Yakoy Ivanovitch
James, son Of john, you can say that