Year: 1877

IHarper's Weekly.I


The Cossack cavalry of Russia, though
regarded as wild and irregular class of
soldiers through their restlessness and
aversion to discipline, when preparing
for move show an amount of order
and system that entities them 10 great
credit. They are nomads by instinct
and habit, and so accustomed to folding
their tents like the Arab and silently
stealing away, or rather riding away on
their rough little ponies, that when called
upon to break up their encampments
and remove elsewhere, they accomplish
the necessary maneuvers with the
smallest possible amount of disorder and
confusion.


The long habit of providing for him
self in a predatory manner during peace
has made the COssack most successful in
foraging for himself in time of war
They supply their own horses, clothes,
and arms, together with all necessaries
except food. This the government is
supposed to provide; but the scanty al
lowance the troops receive would scarcely
afford them subsistence if it were not
supplemented by their own exertions.
The pay of a Cossack is only seven
rubles every four months. Thus the
Gar obtains his irregular horse at the
cost of less than fifteen dollars year for
each man, to which is added only
an insignificant amount spentfOr rations.
The Cossacks, too, furnish a guard for
the Emperor, and are generally petted
a little, though, with the pride of irreg-
ulars, they think themselves neglected
in favor of the regular cavalry. If a
man lose his horse in battle, he either
gets another or joins a company which
fights on foot, for they are trained shots
and good skirmishers.


Still the Cossack seems to lose his in
dividuality when deprived of his pony.
The shaggy little quadruped appears to
be the inseparable complement of the
man. There is an understanding be-
tween master and horse that shows how
accustomed they are to be in each others
society. One of the most noticeable
features of a Cossack camp is the lines
of horses standing tethered to long ropes,
without danger of movement from their
places or damage from ropes in front of
them. If foreleg passes over the rope
where they were tethered, they remain
quiet, or call with voice almost human in
its expressiveness the man who knows
how to loose them.


The Cossacks are the descendants of
Russian men who were banished to the
lonely regions of the Terek and the Don,
chiefly because their religious belief was
not orothodox. Their women were not
permitted to accompany them, SO they
began to make raids on the Caucasus for
wives. Hence came two effects. The
beauty of the race was improved by the
ixytI, OfN nd
perate feud grew between the Terek
Cossacks and the husbands or fathers of
the stolen beauties, who did not, like the
Sabine woman, succeed in reconciling
the antagonists. Thus, though always a
mixed race from the beginning, it is a
true race.


In appearance the Cossacks are fine
looking men, generally tall, broad-shoul-
dered, muscular, and with an air of be-
ing well cared for and well fed. Indeed,
the type seems to incline rather to stout
ness than to loss of flesh as time turns
hair and beard gray. The dress sets off
the figure we'll. Loose baggy breeches,
tucked into boots without stiff soles, are
almost entirely concealed by the single
richly colored in their own country, but
during the war is, for the sake of dIstinc-
ton, to be always black. Beneath the
outer coat is another, or rather a shirt,
of the same shape, and lighter in texture,
and colored according to the regiment.
The color for the Tereks is blue. The
hair of the men is generally black in
youth, but after the age of thirty it be-
comes prematurely streaked with gray.
There is nothing false or theatrical about
these men. They are simply following
their national customs and their instincts.
which are those of children. Their
vanity is pardonable, for their mothers
belonged to the fairest race of women in
the world, while their ancestors were
pure Russians from Moscow and the
regions of the Volga. And yet, although
religious persecution drove these ances-
tors from their homes, there are now
among the men of each regiment many
Mohammedans, who are known by their
wearing white shirts instead of blue.
There appears to be no difference in their
treatment from that of the others.


The childish nature of the Cossack is
shown by his amusements, which might
be those of school-boy. They fill out
the leisure hours of camp life by riding,
racing, and frolickingin manner that
is most inharmonious with the grave ex-
preston of their Caucasian features. II
a visit is to be made to another camp, a
number of men go in body shouting
and screaming like children just escaped
from school. Nothing seems to tire them
out or lower their spirits.