Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1900-09-12

ular force in the Russian army. The
non-payment of taxes is only one Of
their privileges, which include the
right Of free hunting, fishing. brewing
and distilling. The Russian govern
ment also makes mysterious subsidies
to the clans, for the support and ap-
pointments Of the various Cossack
functionaries. Each Cossack is liable
for military service between the ages
OF IS and so, and must provide his own
horse. This is not difficult task, for
a foal is set aside for each Cossack
baby boy at his birth, and by the time
he Is IA he Is not only a superb rider,
but has several horses Of his own, TAX
en- from the half wild herd belonging
to the clan and broken in by himself.
The Cossack uniform Is blue coat
and trousers. the former lined and
faced with the color Of his clan. In the
regular Cossack regiments Of the I'M
perial Guard, the coat, however, Is red.
The cap, is invariably Of black astra-
chan, the high boots are Of sort leath-
er, without spurs. His arms are lance
of bamboo without butt and tipped
with a steel point, not barbed, and a
yataghan, or curved saber. with no hilt
or protection for the hand. Among his
weapons must be counted his whip, the
short handle Of which is wood or whale
bone. To this is hung a steel rod,
leather wrapped, and with an angu-
lar patch of leather at the end. A
glance at the Cossack whip explains
the lack Of necessity for spurs. On
his back, Is a shaggy goat skin COW
er, the Cossack carries his service ri
fle, the "tnree-line" magazine, which
takes, by convention, the same am
munition as the French Lebel. His
horse Is ridden away on the snaft1e, and
he uses a comfortable high peaked,
cushioned saddle with a deep cross
slit in It resembling that in a hy-
gienic cycle saddle; but turned the
other way.
The o.ncers Of Cossack regiments"
are, of course, always Cossacks-no
others would be obeyed. Typical
"crack" cavalrymen they are too, and
gamble deeply, drink vodka as deep
ly, are smart clubmen and as hospita-
BILE as Turks. Wild fellows they are
though, and after spell OF garrison
duty has got on their nerves-there are
always Cossack detachments in Rus
sian garrisons-they will ride amuck
through the town whooping and
smashing windows with pistol shots
like the picturesque barbarians they
are at bottom.
Cossack regiments have no bands,
unless a couple Of tamborine players
and a "pelf STAFF can be dignified
by that title. Added to these the Cos
sacks march to the wailing minor OF
their own songs. Not that they
are dismal mortals! On the contrary.
they are gay, vivacious beings, and
patient of hunger and privation to an
almost incredible extent.
By religion, they are Of the Greek
church, and carry with them a little
leaden image of their family saint.
Three divisions account for the Cos
sack soldiery, those on active service,
those on short furlough and those on
longer leave-in all, some 10000 men.
There are now Cossack towns and VII
lagos innumerable, where little agri-
culture and much hunting and horse
and cattle breeding Is carried on.
The Russian government keeps a re-
spectful distance from Cossack inde-
and the clan chiefs and mil
itary officers keep going separate
kingdom within the Russian empire,
owing only to the great white czar the
service of the sword.
Kinship and common interests bind
the clans together, and over all at
moments of friction or danger, Is the
powerful chieftainship of the hetmann
of Ukraine.-London Express.