Year: 1859

CossACK Observation-Disclosures Du-
mas, in his sketches of A Visit to ST.
Petersburgh," relates that Siberian
Cossack, fifty years of age, who had al
ready killed thirty-nine bears, at length
went QUIT to kill the fortieth. accompanied
by his son, youth of twenty, and arm
ed with the rifle instead of knife. He
had taken these precautions because the
fortieth bear is generally supposed to be
fatal to the sportsmon, and avenge his
nine and thirty brethren. The reason
of this is very simple-the huntsman be-
lieving the myth, misses the bear. but
the bear does not miss him. Well,
then, the Cossack set out with his son
but instead of finding bear, they came
across magnificent leopard. The
young man. who had never before seen
so terrible an animal, was terrified, and
when the leopard attacked his father
instead of assisting him, he ran away
The Cossack, with the GOODNESS of an old
hunter waited till the animal was twenty
PAGES from him and fired The animal
made gigantic leap, ard fell dead.


The Cossack turned to his son to see
if, or the sound of firing, he would not
come back but the young man did not
even turn his head, but continued toHy.


Then the Cossack reloaded his gun
put his knife between his teeth, and went
home very thoughtful. His meditations
were grave-he was asking himself
what punishment theG coward deserved
who quilted his friend in danger. And
he added: The son who abandons his
father is more than a coward: he is a
traitor"


When he reached home he had quite
decided. He went to his son who had
shut himself up in his room and ordered
him to open the door. The young man
obeyed and fell at his fathers feet.
But the father, without any reason or
dered him to take pick and follow him;
he also took one himself. He led him
about quarter ofa verst from the house
and then traced on the ground space
six feet long by three wide; then he be-
gan breaking up the ground, making
sign to his son to do the same.


The young man, who had no idea
what he was doing, set to work. AT the
end of two hours. they had dug hole in
which man could lie down.


That is WELL" said the father, rising;
snow say thy prayer" es


The young man began to understand.
Yet there was such decision in the ac-
cent with which the words were pros
ncunced, that he attempted no resist
ance.


lie fell on his knees and prayed.
The father granted him time to say his
prayer; then he measured the distance
from which he had fired on the leopard,
aimed at his son, and lodged ball in his
head just at the spot where he had the
animal.


The young man fell stone dead. The
father laid him in the grave, covered him
with earth. then, dressing himself in his
Sunday clothes, went and told the Judge
all that had occurred. lie was sent to
prison and ordered to await the judge
mont of the Governor-General. He
obeyed with perfect calmness. The
Governor ordered the following SEN
tence.


"For three days and nights the father
will hold on his knee his sons head,
separated from the body. Ifhe dies, or
goes mad, it will be the Judgment Of
Heaven. he survives it he will have
judged, not according to the wrath of
men, but the conscience of father"
The judgment was made known to
the old Cossack, who performed the task
with perfect tranquility, and was imme-
dia'ely set at liberty. He reached the
age of eighty, killed his fortieth bear
without any misadventure, and after
that a great number of others. He died
in 1851, without evincing the slightest
remorsc.


TAKE DRINT The drinking cus-