The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-06-01
spIashinr Qallop through the slush and mud,
IT ina mounted trooper on the right hand and

UUtNjG UuGDlA5.
.'There Ia no remedy. / enyelop myself
once more Of my eider-down and resign my
SELF to destiny. comprehend at last; all is
lost for me. | see the boulevards and the
Champs Elysees no more, Adieu, Belle
means now to mistake;. ! am en- route for the
Siberia. Unhappy that am Ii at least
could have come In pantaloons.' 3ss8M1
Even those that have travelled them under
more suspicious circumstances than the
lucklesB De la Jobardiere have borne witness
to the terrible condition Of the Russian roads
between late autumn and early winter. Bolt
and bump and thump ana crash, swing to
this side and swaying to that; with one
wheel chur1iing the liquid mud In rut as
deep as to the felloe, and the other apparent
" revolving In the empty air like the wind
ward paddle-wheel Of o sea-going steam
packet tn the trough Of rolling wave. Then
a pitch and toes fairly up and down, stem
and stern, as If over q chopping sea, but
petrified. Endless were the miseries endured
cushions Of which the hardness did not fail to
make itself felt, even through such folds Of
eider-dOwn as could be spared from the pro-
lection OF the lower limbs from the pen-knife
currents Of air which came through the door.
chinks. How the feidjager kept his hard
perch outside was O marvel to the man In his
custody. w.,
"They must have strapped him with g
leather, or corded him to the bench for sure,
that detestahle Cossack" thought De la %
bardiere, when hecould spare Thought from
hts own deplorable condition How long this
voyage lasted he never was able to calculate
| He lost all account of days In his excitement
Of agony and despair. The same chinks that
| lot lii the aerial current did indeed tell some
they could be- seen to admit some lght-gtving
rays, at another time only felt, thanks to
those keen draughts which they admitted.
| There were no gtoppages, except such mo-
mentary delays, fabulous In the shortness OF
their duration, as were necessary for the
busy fingers Inexperienced post-boys to har-
ness the horses, which were always to be
heard neighing and snorting In readiness US
they dashed up to the relays.
There was 3. sort OF little trap or window,
unglazed, however, In the front panel OF the
carriage, through which the red and hirsute
with q little flask Of vodki and mug Of water
now and then.
Horrible stuff, that vodki-burns worse
than Irish whisky. At night some times that
Cossack opened the carriage door and hand
ed me o bowl Of ste'ti. Do you know what
stehi is2 A cabbage soup with the most hor-
rible eeasoning-a barbarous dish that would
drive q scullion mad. Yet was so hungry
that devoured 1t and licked the spoon after
wards, /, De la Jobardiere, once editor Of the
Hdstr01somic Journal
On and on, and on, through the darkness,
missions Of the chtnks; on and On till all
reckoning Of his time was utterly confused.
But all things have an end on earth here,
and at last the carriage came to q dead stand
STILL with LTD half-dead passenger inside.
It was at least as raw and as cold, as foggy
and as disagreeable q night as that OF The
departure from St. Petersburg, when, for
the first time, the carriage door was opened
wide. Right and lett stood D toll figure, In
|lstinct u gfe With ast muffin
up the barrel OF d FURNISHED musket. Ii the
open doorway of q house whence q red glow,
as OF cheerful fire, came streaming out,
stood another martial figure In cooked hat
and feathers and the green uniform, with
aiguillettes OF an aid-de-camp. He raised his
hand to the cooked hat in question, after the
military fashion OF salute.
"Deign to descend, monsieur" ~
81 am then at Tobolsk7'
"Of none, monsieur, to the contrary"
s'Where, then? At 1rkutsk?"
.'Still less, monsieur; pray give yourself
the trouble to descend"
II am hardly In that costume" objected
Dc 10 Jobardiere. for that brute OF a field
aObeyed, + have no doubt, his orders to the
letter; pray, Monsieur, descend" insisted the
plumed aid.de-camp, with imperturbable
"This, then Is at last Siberian"
"Siberia, Monsieur, by no manner of MEANS y
but WnHId Oh ediIu, IHeH nave Ine MS
fortune to find mySelf-eXCuse me-the honor
to make your distinguished acquaintance"
II have the distinguished honor" said
the staff officer, unwilling to be outdone In
politeness by the Frenchman, ito receive
Monsieur at the Grand Guard or the head
quarters OF his Imperial Majesty's army In
Turkey, within the enceinte Of the citadel Of
Silistrfa."
"Peste!" exclaimed De la Jobardiere, 81
begin to comprehend"
"Possibly?" quoth the aid-de-camp.
May once more trouble Monsieur to de.
This last word was in tone which admit
ted of no trifiing. m-..~
With mournful consciousness Of the lu-
dicrous appearance he presented that almost
overpowered the WEAKNESS, the anxiety, the
indignation which possessed him. De Ia DO
bardiere stepped out of his flying prison van
and followed the aid-de-camp into the guard
room. There, by solid deal table, stood the
feldjager, whose snub-nose and scrubby, red
moustaehe were henceforth impressed indeli-
bly, upon his captives memory.
An officer, whose bearing and appearance
would, without the stars and medals upon
his breast, have given to the most careless
observer indication of high military COM
just handed to him by that functionary, the
envelope OF which he had thrown carelessly
upon the table:
a Son Exc.
LIE Marecnal deb
was all that In his confusion De La Jobardiere
was able to spell out
Monsieur De la Jobardiere. presume?''
said this officer, with glance Of inquiry. but
Of perfect gravity.
"The same, Monsieur lie Marechal," fall
tered the owner Of the appellation.
What officer has the grand rounds to-
nght?" he next inquired, turning towards a
group of officers In the background.
"Major Razumoffski, Of the Orenberg Ar
tillery Brigade" answered one Of their num-
Der, with the accustomed salute.
is he mOuntedW
And at the door, General
sLet one Of the OrderIles dismount and let
Monsieur DE la Jobardiere have his horse"
"But consider little, Marechal, this cos
tume-or, / must say. this want of it"
"Is no doubt a regretabIe circumstance, sir,
but orders, sir, superior orders; excuse me !;
the grand rounds should be starting-you
will be good enough to mount and accompany
the Major"
There was no help for it; that stolid field
jaeger was holding the dismounted troopers
nag at the door with unmoved countenance.
Upon the less impossible troopers own Tar
tar physiognomy, however, was somewhat
like grin. A frown from the feldjager sup
mr. IL ocr Ia 1ahar 1ip ar,nh n