St. Tammany farmer. [volume] (Covington, La.) 1874-current, 1892-11-26
A WOLF HUNT.


fOr many years puOllc interest has
been drawn toward that portion Of
Austrian Poland which would consti
tutc the battle ground in the event Of Z
war with Russia Beyond the track OF
ken of the ordinary tourist, aud com.
paratively undisturbed by the Shrek
and rattle Of the railway trains, it has
remained terra incognita to all ex.
cept the officers and troops charged
with the duty Of guarding the frontier,
and to the few great mobiles who dwell
in grandeur in the magnificent castles
which here and there crown the rocky
cminenccs and dominate the boundless
steppes. The boundary line between
Austria and Russia is closely guarded
by regiments OF C0ssacks on ono side
and by Austrian lancers on the other.
and the surrounding country, being ex-
trcmely wild and but sparsely populat-
ed by a half-civilizcd peasantry, and
being. moreover. infested with wild
beasts, the life of the officers detailed
for frontier duty is often fraught with
much danger and adventure.
A few years ago, nthe month Of Au-
gust. my regiment, the til Ian
GERS, was ordered to leave its pleasant
quarters in Vienna and proceed to
W for the purpose Of relieving the
- regiment of lancers on the Rus
sian frontier, and four weeks later we
reached our station on the border of
the steppes. The country appeared ex-
tremely desolstc. with villages few
and far between: immense plains of
grain and grass; large swamps Of
reedy wilderness and gloomy forests of
pines. through which the wind moaned
piteously. The village where we were
quartered was rather picturesque. The
peasants huts, built on both sides of q
broad, muddy road, were painted blue,
yellow or pink. and were shaded by
groves of birchcs and willow trees.
The nearest town was \ nineteen
hours ride over execrable roads, and
when finally reached was but a miser-
able tlacc, which did not repay the
long journey. When we arrived at our
destination we looked rather disconso-
lately at the bare, damp. wooden bar
racks which our predecessors had left
in . very unprepossessing condition,
and we should have given up the At
tempt Of ever hoping TO make our
abode even moderately habitable had
it not been for the cheerful and light
hearted manner in which young Prin-
cess NJ, the wife of our colonel, who
had been adventurous enough to ae-
company her husband into this vol
untary. exile, accepted all the hard
ships Of the situation. The young prin-
cess. who was of French birth, had
been married ut sixteen to our colonel,
Prince NJ. and At the time OF which
] am writing was about eighteen years
old. She was = small. slender, lovely
girl. with . fair. white skin, golden
brown hair. large, dark gray eyes and a
fragile frame, which, however. seemed
stecled against any kind of fatigue.
She was one of Empress Elizabeth's
favorite ladies in waiting. and it was
only with difficulty that she had
from her imperial mis-
tress permission to follow her
husband into the wilds of Poland.
She said that she considered il to
be her duty to come with us, and to
cheer us in our dependency. God
bless her 70: her unselfshness and
in coming: For the months
which we spent on the frontier would
have been well-nigh unbearable with
out her constant and untiring efforts to
make both soldiers and officers look 1t
the bright side of things. When she ap-
reared am0n9 ms with neP memoriea az
Paris. her joyful animation. her sweet,
gay, silvery voice and her great eyes
alike with mirth and with |
health, every face frightened, and the |
fullest hours were changed into |
ireams of wonderland. How could we
complain Of the privations which this |
'etted court beauty accepted 50 uncom-
and with such happy grace? |
she ssrsagsd Der suite os mIsersbls ]