Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1897-02-25
MY RUSSIAN BISHOP.

Brown, in the engine-room, to stick to
her present rate of speed. Seven knots,
all things considered, is decent going,
even downstream, on one of these Rus
sian rivers; and then we are in duty
bound, you know, to economic the
company's firewood, cheap as it isl
"Aye, aye, Capt. Burton" cheerfully
responded my tall, raw-boned first off,
Ger, entering with national alacrity into
a question of thrift.
Macgregor, chief mate, and Brown,
chief engineer, we're, with myself, John
Burton by name, the only three Eng
lishmen on board the Fair Helen, a fine
steamer, of light draught but consider
able engine-power, belonging to the
Anglo-Russian Steam Navigation Com
pany and built expressly for service on
the Dnieper. We were pretty far to the
north just then, in the government of
Mohilew, where the great river first be-
comes navigable for anything bigger
than skiff or fatboat, and were COM
ing down now with a string of RATS in
tow.
Macgregor left me on his round of
inspection, but I, who had just then no
call of duty, remained idly leaning
against the taffrail and gazing, now at
the summer sky of greenish blue, now
at the swampy and reed-grown shores,
where herds of black buffalo and
fiocks of sickly sheep browsed on the
rank grass, and once again at the brown
waters of the sluggish Borysthenes, now
swollen by recent rain. Astern of the
steamer was the long array Of RATS
which we were towing, composed OF
timber, cut down in the forests further
north, which forms valuable article Of
export to the more pastoral and treeless
south of Russia. Most Of these RATS
had shells or straw-thatched novels
built upon them to screen the laborers
from sun and rain; and at the edge of
each some half dozen men with long
poles in their hands kept watch in case
the clumsy craft should ground among
the shadows and mud-banks.
I had now spent over two years in
Russia, and had acquired some little
knowledge Of the country, and, what
was harder, a tolerable smattering Of
it's very difficult language, while there
were those who regarded me as singu-
larly lucky in having been appointed,
young as I was, to the command of the
Fair Helen The duties, however, in
cumbent on me as skipper of river
steamboat in Russia were not much to
my inclination, and l believe l should
long since have resigned my post and
gone back to blue water and sailors
life had it not been that I fell in love
and that my love was returned.
Pretty Annie Clements, only child of
the English manager of Prince Deml-
doff's paper mills at Mohilew, was the
enchantress whose bright eyes detained
me in Russia, and only two months had
elapsed since our troth-plight had re-
ceiyed the sanction of Annie's father.
Mr.. Clements, who had from his youth
I'D filled lucrative positions in the
Cars dominion and had saved money,
was a good type of class OF English
men who may be described as Anglo
Russians. His industry and business
habits had given him marked superb
GRITTY over the people among whom ne
dwelt; but at the same time he was I'M
bued with an almost superstitlOus re-
spect for the government under which
he had long lived and for every abuse
and every freak of administrative tyr
amy on the part of the higher powers.
'"This must be Bykhow," said |, start
ing from my reverie, as l caught slghL
of the copper-coated cupola OF the
Church of st. Michael overlapping the
wooden roofs of the tiny town; 'oul
what have we here!" added, as boat
put off from the wharf and was soon
alongside of the steamer, which nad
slackened speed in obedience to a sig
nal from the shore. Why, 1t is .
bishopv'
And. indeed, the most prominent per-
sonage of the group which presently
boarded us was, to Judge by his garb
and mien. a prelate of the RUSSIAN
Church. He wore gracefully flowing
robes of almost Oriental aspect, and the
quaint mftre, with it's marrow edglng OF
purnle and gold, which distinguishes
Museovite bishop. Behind him came
three attendants-his chaplain, his ero-
sier- bearer, and another, who unkieu
little silver bell, at the sound OF wncn
o,ir Russian sailors and deckmen
dropped upon their knees and struggled
with one another who should De the
first to kiss the bishops ungloved hand,
on which glistened great amethyst
ring
found the bishop, who was young
man. not more than two years oiuer
than myself. very urbane and aHaDle.
Fa spoke French and German, too, nu-
emily. and was in tone and bearing
quite a citizen of the world.
The bishops business with me was
soon stated. He wanted a passage 10
the city of Knew for himself and attend
ants. and also for party OF ecciesI-
astical students from the great monas-
terry of Giinka, who were bound TOT the
same place to be solemnly lnduc.eu
within the pale of the Russo-Greek
priesthood by the Archbishop OF Knew.
There were. moreover, some three OF
four nuns who desired to avail tnem-
selves of the same opportunity Tor re-
turning to their abbey.
At first I was somewhat puxzlsu.
Truth to tell, the vessels of the AngIo-
Russian Navigation Company dld very
little business in the passenger oarry
ing line. BY towing, by the transpo ~
of light goods, and SO forth, we earneu
a decent dividend: but although we nau
an elaborate printed tariff OF cnargess;;
t.the neat private cabins" and saio0n
for frst-class passengers had come ~
be sadly conspicuous by their absence.
However. tie bishop, with his easy way s
made things pleasant Russians ne