Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-12-16
How General SkObeiOff Swan
the Danube.


chagin, in his entertaining sketches of
adventure during the Russo Turkish war
of 1877, published in serial form in the
Journal des Debats of Paris, gives
pleasant account of one of the many dare
devil episodes of adventure in the career
ef the younger General Skobeloff. This
was the swimming of the Danube on
horseback. Let M. Vereschagin be his
own narrator:
II was seated in my tent late one
afternoon, when l observed several
Ossetcs passing at gallop. Inquiring
what this meant, | was told that the
younger General Skobeloff had proposed
to Touloumine that he should try to
swim the Danube with his whole brig
ade. The General alleged it was i'm.
minently necessary to have cavalry on
the other side of the stream, and that
it was impossible to wait until the
pontoon. bridge was constructed to get
the men over there. And inasmuch as
Touloumine and Lewis had frankly de-
cined to make the attempt, for the ex-
cellent reason that the entire brigade
would most likely be drowned, the
Danube being at the proposed point
more than four kilometres wide, Skobe.
loft had begged them to scare up few
volunteers and to send them to him.
The o setes whom I had seen passing
were the volunteers in question.
II had my horse saddled and galloped
off in the direction of the river. Pres
emily l found assembled on a bank
nearly all the officers of the brigade.
"a little in advance of the groups the
elder Skobeloff stood between Levi and
Touloumine, watching his son, stripped
to his shirt and trousers, with his cross
of Commander of the Order of st.
George around his neck. Michael
Dmitrievitch Skobelof leaped on horse
back and urged the huge brownish bay
steed into the stream. At first the
animal resisted, shook his ears, neighed,
then bravely struck out swimming. For
short time Skobelof remained in the
saddle, because we could see his should
ers above the water, but soon we saw
nothing but his head. l learned after
ward that in order not to fatigue his
horse he had stepped into the river, and
keeping hold of the animals tail, SWAN
along beside him: The father began to
tremble for him and to cry after him in
his nasal tones:
'Micha, my little Michael, come
back! Micha, M-i-.cha, you will be
drowned!
"The old mans anxiety was pitiful to
witness.
"But little Michael continued to
swim without looking back, making
steady progress, A few Ossetes had
thrown themselves into the stream,
following the General, and one of them,
swimming out long distance, would
certainly have been drowned and his
hor with him, if boat had not been
sent to his relief.
"As for myself, as soon as I arrived
on shore, my first movement was to un-
dress. In less than two minutes 1 was
in the water with icy horse. The
creature swan few moments. then
in spite of all the blows l conld bestow
on his back. The Commandant of the
second squadron, Astakhy, had no better
luck than l did. Skobelof was no
longer anything but black dot long
way off. To ease our consciences, we
started after him in boat, drawing our
swimming horses after us by the brides,
and we made our way toward small
island. 1t was only after reaching this
point and gazing at the enormous dis
tance which had to be crossed before
reaching she Turkish shore that under.
stood how wisely my horse had acted in
disobeying me. There is not shadow
of doubt that l should have been
drowned. But how had it happened
that, not knowing that my horse would
swim, l had throwing myself into the
water behind the General? l only know
that when saw Skobeloff go in, said,
drown rather than abandon him!
"The elder Skobeloff remained motion
less on the bank, following the little
black point, scarcely perceptible on the
surface of the quiet stream.
Later on we learned that General
Michael, after narrowly escaping death
by drowning hundred times, had
reached the opposite bank. And
Skobeloff was prince of swimmers with
a matchless horse. Think what would
have become of the brigade if Toulou-
mine, accepting Skobeloffs proposition,
had launched his squadrons forth into
the Danube! How many would have
raoohad tho ish ohora2D