The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1888-12-15

the haunts of men. For many night after
ward, therefore, the Ostiak burrow was my
sole refuge, and became so accustomed to
| it that at close of day entered the forest as
| IL IL were well known hostlery.
From the 18th or 10th of February to the
| first week in April l iourncyed northward,
only thrice venturing to seek shelter in a
house. / suffered much. The absence of
| all civilized comforts, and especially of hot
| food, privstion more difficult to bear than
any other on such long cold journey
| almost brought me to the grave Then, too,
| / had constantly to struggle against that dis
position to sleep which is death in such u
case as mine.
| 1t was ut Paouda, high up in the Oural
Mountains, that slept in house for the
second time after leaving lrbit was pass
| ing late at night through village, when a
voice from one of the izbas (huts) called out;
"Who goes there."
IA traveller"
! "Are you going far"
80, very far"
"Well, IL you choose, como in and sleep In
our house."
May the God reward you! / exclaimed
| as L entered the door. "But shall not be a
trouble to you"
"How should you trouble us! We are not
| yet in bed. Come i'm
| My two good kind hosts-an old peasant
| and his wife-gave me a meager supper,
which was to me a feast. In the morning
| breakfasted with them, and for my food and
| bed they refused any recompense. AS L
prepared to leave chem. the old man said:
"a little beyond Paouda you will find n
corps de garde, who will look at your papers
and give you all the information about your
| journey"
Twas, of course, very careful to avoid the
corps de garde, and journeyed on as before,
| buying my provisions at tho izbas during
the day, but sleeping in the forest at night.
Preached the summit Of tho Oural Noun
| tains on n clear, calm night in March. The
moon was at the full, and lit up Il landscape
at once magnificent and strange, where
gigantic rocks and trees cast their shadows
| on a vast expanse of snow A, silence pro-
| found and solemn rcigned over all. Every
now and then a hard metallic ring was
audible. 1t was the swapping of the stones
caused by the intense cold. a few days
afterward passed through Solilsamsk, and
| went on over the steppe of Petchara toward
Veliki- Oustioug The journey was always
the same-the same vast snow-covered
plains the same deep forests, the same icy
winds, and for me always my toilsome
| march, my Ostiak burrow, and now and
then less meager repast i'll an iZbouchka
| Ga sort of peasant inn).
These izbouchkas were my greatest
temptation. dared not think of sleeping in
them. But little hot soup! How ardcntly
| l longed to stop and buy some, and eat 1t in
| warm room! l could not venture to do
| this often, and one night when, after losing
my way in awhirlwnd Of snow found my
self without bread, and racked by acute
pain as well as hunger, writhed in my
burrow and prayed for death. When morning
| broke found could not walk. After sew
eral attempts sank unconscious on the
snow How long lay there do not know.
was aroused by loud voice. A stranger
stood beside me, who inquired what l was
doing in the forest.
| l answered that l had lost my way; that
[ was from Tchordine. and was making a
| pilgrimage to the monastery ut Solovetsk,
but that was dying OF hunger.
at is not surprising that you should have
lost your way in such u Storm answered
the man. ~ do so often, though l am from
| this district, and know the forestwcll. Now
taste that"
| So say ing he held bottle to my mouth,
| and l drank. IL contained some excellent
brandy, which revived me at once. but ut the
same time burned so terribly that fell on
| the snow in commissions. My good friend
soothed me- and gave me some bread and
dried fish, which devoured eargeriy We
then sat at the foot of tree, and my COM
panion explained that he was o trapper, and
was now on his way home with the game
which he had caught. He added that he
would remain with me until l felt calmer
| and stronger and would then conduct me TO
| the nearest iZbouchka.
| ~ thank you with all my heart. May the
| good God reward youW
"Eh! for what then!h he answered,
kindly. "We are Christians"
! He afterward supported me to the door OF
| the izbouch1a, where he bade me farewell,
recommending me to God
| An immense relief was mine as crossed
| the Threshold of the izbouchka but had
scarcely done so when fell senseess to
| the floor j recovered in half an hour and
| asked for some warm soup, but could not
| swallow it, / fell asleep on bench at mid
day, and never stirred for twenty-four
hours. when was awakened by my host,
who was anxious. He was an honest man,
and his kindness and sympathy rcdoubled
when he learned that was making pious
pilgrimage to the monster OF Solovetsk.
| He begged me- to stay several days, but
| / dared not do so, and on the following
morning / resumed my journey. reached
the gates of Vcliki-Oustioug on the llth of
| April, and there IN my role Of pilgrim lodged
| in a humble inn with many others, all bound
| for the monastery OF Solovetsk.
At Veliki- -OustiouS we were all obliged to
remain for o month, in order to await the
| thawing Of the Dvina. Tho month over. l
agreed as did many other pilgrims, to row
| in q boat going to Archangel. Each OF us
received fifteen rubles. We reached Arch
angel in fortnight, and most OF my COM
panions pressed on TO tho monastery. l
pretended fatigue, and for several days !
huanted the quays in the hope OF discovering
| a French vessel. Alas not one was in port,
and on the deck of every vessel, Russian
and foreign, paced Russian soldier, armed
to the teeth This precaution Is taken in
order TO prevent the escape OF exlles by way
of Archangel. After week passed In this
manner became awarethat was watched,
and decided most reluctantly to abandon
the hope which had hitherto sustained me,
that of escaping from the port OF Archangel.
| 1 therefore, in order to disarm suspicion,
took the road to Soovetsk. ] had not then
decided what TO do, but AS / journeyed on
came TO the conclusion that the safest plan
would be for me to make the pilgrim Jour-
ney, as 1t is called; that is, to 80 from
Solovetsk to Omega, and thence 10 the
shrines of Novgorod and Kiow. The pill
grim disguise had hitherto served mo well,
and it continued to do 30.
Ineyer reached Solovetsh, but took boat
at Vyteggra Opposite Solovetsk) for b.
Petersburg. / with several other pilgrims
was engaged to row, and as we were paid