Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1899-02-22
A SIBERIAN BOY.
a Little Fellow who Drove Sledge Until
He Almost Froze to Death.

j
He Almost Froze to Death.
"The Boys of Siberia is the title
of an article in the st. Nicholas by
Thomas G. Allen, Jr. Mr.. Allen says:
I have often witnessed the brave
endurance of the Siberian boy, but
never to such an extent as while on a
sledge journey from Krasnoyarsk to
Minusinsk. The road between these
two points during the winter is moth
ing more than the frozen surface of
the Yenisel river, for the ice is over
q yard in thickness, and although the
swift current of the river crowds it
up into small hummocks during the
early winter, yet, with the packing of
snow and the constant wear of the
sledge caravans, it affords a compare
lively smooth and solid roadbed. The
ice is considered so safe that it is even
used as bridge for the trains of the
Trans-Siberian railway. The ties are
laid directly upon the ice and the loco
motive with loaded train steams
across. Fancy thousand tons weight
crossing one of the largest and deep
est rivers in Siberia merely on frozen
water!
The incident t am going to tell oc-
Cured on one of the coldest nights 1
have ever experienced, for the ther-
mometer stood at q legrees below
zero. In ord" - prepare for the
long rice To- e next station, I had
swallowed three or four glasses of hot
tea at the yemskie quarter, or station,
and strapped on heavy reindeer.pelt
over my huge Russian overcoat. On
reaching the sledge, or tarantass,
which was waiting, I saw on the drivers
box what appeared to be a solid ball
of fur, but on closer inspection L
found that the bundle contained boy
not more than fourteen years Of age.
His extreme youthfulness surprised
me. AMI I Immediately returned to the
keeper of the quarter to demonstrate
with him him against detailing mere
boy for such an arduous duty on
such q cold night. He assured me
that the boy referred to had made the
same journey many times before, and
was indeed full-hedged yemstchick,
or tarantass driver. Although in
wardly protesting, I could do nothing
but accept the situation.
gave the word to start. Crack !
went the little fellows whip, and
away dashed the troika team of three
horses). Our horses were already i'm
patient with the cold. The night was
black and threatening, and the road
way among the hummocks OF ice on
the river was almostindistinguishable.
AS the darkness increased, we fire.
quently missed it altogether, and the
ponderous sledge went humping and
topping over the icy hummock of ice.
'The horse is down, barin" (master),
shouted the little yemstchick. I leaped
out at once. and ran to the horses
head to assist him to rise, but he did
not move. There was not even sound
of breathing. L placed my hand over
his heart. There was not beat. The
horse was dead. The poorly-nour-
ished animal had succumbed to the
excessive cold and strain. We took
off the harness, backed the sledge out
of the way, and then started off again
with the two horses remaining. The
little fellow on the box, I could see,
was shivering with the cold, as myself
was by this time, for the exposure
necessitated by the accidenth chilled
me through. L offered to take, and
even insisted upon taking, his place
for time, SO that he might warm up;
but he resented this intrusion as
almost an indignity to his calling. Not
r..r,er-->,f 1i5cvuvvnu- Yu5svu- iIio
lips. On we rode through the dark
ness; but how long I know not, for,
exhausted by twenty-four hours con-
slant travelling. I fell into dose.
From this I was finally reused by q
sudden shock. We seemed to have
collided with something. I looked
out, and saw that we had reached the
next village, and that our steaming.
frost-covered horses, eager to get into
shelter, had run the shafts of our
vehicle headlong into the gate.
"What's the matter % l called out
to the yemstchick.
please, barin, couldn't hold 'em"
came the reply, in chattering voice.
That admission was sufficient; 1
knew that the little fellows hands
must be either numbed or frozen, and
for that reason he could not pull on
the reins. jumped ont, opened the
gate, and led the horses in; but he
did not move from his box; his legs
were too stiff with the cold. picked
him up and carried him bodily into
the house. A basin of snow was I'M
mediately brought to thaw out his
frozen fingers, while I removed his
clothing to rub q circulation back into
his stiffened limbs. With this and q
glass OF two of hot ten we finally re-
stored him to animation. Even then
he never uttered one word of COM
plant, and when slipped ruble into
his glowing fingers he looked as
cheerful as though nothing unpleas-
ant had happened.
If this, I thought, is the stuff the
Siberian soldiery are made of, then
Russia need never fear a rival to hcl
title Of "Ruler of the East !''