PRISONERS ON PAROLE
Day after day the convoy made its way northward without any incident
of importance happening. The midshipmen were glad to find that,
thanks to their sheepskin cloaks and pointed hoods, they passed
through the towns without attracting any attention whatever.
The convoy lessened in length as it proceeded. The animals broke down
in great numbers and died by the road, under the task of dragging the
heavy wagons through the deep snow.
At a town of some size, where they halted for two days, relief was
afforded by the wheels being taken off the wagons, and rough runners
affixed, the wheels being placed on the carts, as that they could be
put on again in case of a thaw.
Famine, however, did more that fatigue in destroying the animals; for
although good exertions had been made to form depots of forage along
the roads, these were exhausted faster than they could be collected by
the enormous trains, which, laden with provisions and warlike stores,
were making their way to Sebastopol from the interior of Russia. There
was no lack of food for the men, for ample stores of black bread were
carried, and a supply of meat was always obtainable at the end of the
day's journey by the carcase of some bullock which had fallen and then
been shot during the day's march.
But though the train diminished in length, its occupants diminished
even more rapidly. Every morning, before starting, a burying party
were busy interring the bodies of those who had died during the
previous day's march or in the night.
When the halt was made at a village, the papa or priest of the place
performed a funeral mass; when, as was more common, they encamped in
the open, the grave was filled in, a rough cross was erected over it,
and the convoy proceeded on its march.
The midshipmen found the journey dreary and uninteresting in the
extreme.
After leaving the Crimea the country became a dead flat; which,
though bright in summer, with a wide expanse of waving grain, was
inexpressibly mournful and monotonous as it lay under its wide
covering of snow. Here and there, far across the plain, could be seen
the low, flat-roofed huts of a Russian village, or the massively-built
abode of some rich landed proprietor.
Scarce a tree broke the monotony of the wide plain, and the creaking
of the carts and the shouts of the drivers seemed strangely loud as
they rose in the dense silence of the plain.
From the first day of starting, the midshipmen set themselves to learn
something of the language. The idea was Jack's and he pointed out to
Hawtry, who was rather disinclined to take the trouble, that it would
in the first place give them something to think about, and be an
amusement on the line of march; in the second, it would render their
captivity less dull, and, lastly, it would facilitate their escape if
they should determine to make the attempt.
As they walked, therefore, alongside their friend the doctor, they
asked him the names of every object around them, and soon learned the
Russian words for all common objects. The verbs were more difficult,
but thanks occasionally to the doctor (who spoke French) joining them
at their encampment at night, they soon learned the sentences most
commonly in use.
As they had nothing else to do or to think about, their progress was
rapid, and by the end of a month they were able to make themselves
understood in conversations upon simple matters.
They had been much disappointed, when, upon leaving the Crimea, the
convoy had kept on north instead of turning west; for they had hoped
that Odessa would have been their place of captivity.
It was a large and flourishing town, with a considerable foreign
population, and, being on the sea, might have offered them
opportunities for escape. The Russians, however, had fears that the
allied fleets might make an attack upon the place, and for this
reason, such few prisoners as fell into their hands were sent inland.
The journeys each day averaged from twelve to fifteen miles, twelve,
however, being the more ordinary distance. The sky was generally clear
and bright, for when the morning was rough and the snow fell, the
convoy remained in its halting-place.
The cold was by no means excessive during the day, and although the
snow was deep and heavy, there was no difficulty in keeping up with
the convoy, as the pace of the bullocks was little over a mile and a
half an hour. At night they were snug enough, for the doctor had
adapted an empty wagon as their sleeping-place, and this, with a deep
bed of straw at the bottom, blankets hung at the sides and others laid
over the top, constituted as comfortable a shelter as could be
desired.
At last, after a month's travelling, the doctor pointed to a town
rising over the plain, and signified that this was their
halting-place.
It was a town of some seven or eight thousand inhabitants, and the
mosque-like domes of the churches shining, brightly in the sun, and
the green-painted roofs and bright colors of many of the houses, gave
it a gay and cheerful appearance.
The convoy made its way through the streets to large barracks, now
converted into a hospital. When the sick had been taken into the
wards, the doctor proceeded with the midshipmen to the residence of
the governor.
The boys had laid aside the sheepskin cloaks which had proved so
invaluable during their journey, and as they walked through the
streets, in their midshipman's uniform, attracted a good deal of
attention.
They were at once shown in to the governor, an officer of some
five-and-thirty years old, with a fierce and disagreeable expression
of countenance. He was a member of a high Russian family; but as a
punishment for various breaches of discipline, arising from his
quarrelsome disposition and misconduct, he had been appointed governor
to this little town, instead of going with his regiment to the front.
Saluting him, the doctor delivered to him an order for the safe
guardianship of the two English officers.
"Ah," he said, as he perused the document, and glanced at the
midshipmen, "if these are British officers, I can scarcely understand
the trouble they are giving us. They are mere boys. I thought their
uniform was red. The soldiers who were brought here a month ago were
all in red."
"These are young naval officers," the doctor said. "I understand that
some of the sailors are serving on shore, and these were captured, I
am told, when out with a party of their men cutting fuel."
"A wonderful capture, truly," the governor said sneeringly. "Two boys
scarce out of the nursery."
"It cost us some men," the doctor said calmly, "for I hear from the
officer who brought them in that we lost altogether fifteen men, and
the sailors would all have got away had it not been that one of these
young officers was shot in the leg and the other stood by him, and
shot several men with his revolver before he was captured."
"A perfect St. George," the commandant sneered. "Well, sir, your duty
is done, and I will see to them. Are they on parole?"
"They gave me their parole not to try to escape during the journey,
and have expressed their willingness to renew it."
"It matters little one way or the other," the governor said. "Unless
they could fly, they could not make their way through the country.
There, sir, that will do."
The doctor bowed, shook hands with the boys, and without a word went
out, touching his lips with his fingers to them as he turned his back
to the governor, a movement which the lads understood at once as a
hint that it would be as well to say nothing which might show that
they had any knowledge of Russian.
The governor rang a hand-bell, and a sergeant entered. The governor
wrote a few words on a piece of paper.
"Take these prisoners to Count Preskoff's," he said, "and deliver this
order to him."
The sergeant motioned the lads to follow him. With a bow to the
governor, which he passed unacknowledged, they followed the soldier.
"A disagreeable brute, that," Jack said. "A little work in the
trenches would do him good, and take some of his cockiness out of him.
That was a good idea of the doctor, not saying good-bye in Russian. I
don't suppose we shall run against that fellow again, but it we did,
he might make it so disagreeable that we might be driven to show him a
clean pair of heels."
"He didn't ask for our parole," Dick said, "so we shall be justified
in making a bolt if we see a chance."
Passing through the streets the sergeant led them through the town and
out into the country beyond.
"Where on earth is he taking us to?" Jack wondered. "I would bet that
he has quartered us on this Count Preskoff from pure spite. I wonder
what sort of chap he is."
After half an hour's walking they approached a large chateau,
surrounded by smaller buildings.
"He's a swell evidently," Dick said. "We ought to have comfortable
quarters here."
They entered a large courtyard, across one side of which stood the
house; and the sergeant, proceeding to the main entrance, rang the
bell. It was opened by a tall man dressed in full Russian costume.
"I have a message for the count from the commandant," the sergeant
said.
"The count is absent," the servant answered; "but the countess is in."
"I will speak to her."
Leaving them standing in the hall, the man ascended a wide staircase,
and in a minute or two returned and motioned to the sergeant to follow
him.
They ascended the stairs and entered a large and handsome room, in
which sat a lady of some forty years old, with three younger ones of
from sixteen to twenty years old.
Countess Preskoff was a very handsome woman, and her daughters had
inherited her beauty.
The sergeant advanced and handed to her the order. She glanced at it,
and an expression of displeasure passed across her face.
"The commandant's orders shall be obeyed," she said coldly; and the
sergeant, saluting, retired.
The countess turned to her daughters.
"The commandant has quartered two prisoners, English officers, upon
us," she said. "Of course he has done it to annoy us. I suppose these
are they." And she rose and approached the lads, who were standing by
the door. "Why, they are boys," she said in surprise, "and will do for
playfellows for you, Olga. Poor little fellows, how cruel to send such
boys to fight!"
Then she came up to the boys and bade them welcome with an air of
kindness which they both felt.
"Katinka," she said, turning to her eldest daughter, "you speak
French, and perhaps they do also. Assure them that we will do our best
to make them comfortable. Come here, my dears."
Then she formally, pointing to each of them, uttered their names,--
"Katinka, Paulina, Olga."
Dick, in reply, pointed to his companion,--
"Jack Archer,"--and to himself--"Dick Hawtry."
The girls smiled, and held out their hands.
"Mamma says," the eldest said in French, "that she is glad to see you,
and will do all in her power to make you comfortable."
"You're very good," Dick said. "I can speak very little French, and
cannot understand it at all unless you speak quite slow. I wish now I
hadn't been so lazy at school. But we both speak a few words of
Russian, and I hope that we shall soon be able to talk to you in your
own language."
Bad as Dick's French was, the girls understood it, and an animated
conversation in a mixed jargon of French and Russian began. The girls
inquired how they had come there, and how they had been taken, and
upon hearing they had been in Sebastopol, inquired more anxiously as
to the real state of things there, for the official bulletins were
always announcing victories, and they could not understand how it was
that the allies, although always beaten, were still in front of
Sebastopol, when such huge numbers of troops had gone south to carry
out the Czar's orders, to drive them into the sea.
The lads' combined knowledge of French and Russian proved quite
insufficient to satisfy their curiosity, but there was so much
laughing over their wonderful blunders and difficulty in finding words
to explain themselves, that at the end of half an hour the boys were
perfectly at home with their hostesses.
"You will like to see your rooms," the countess said; and touching a
hand-bell, she gave some orders to a servant who, bowing, led the way
along a corridor and showed the boys two handsomely-furnished rooms
opening out of each other, and then left them, returning in a minute
or two with hot water and towels.
"We're in clover here," Jack said, "and no mistake. The captain's
state cabin is a den by the side of our quarters; and ain't they jolly
girls?"
"And pretty, too, I believe you; and the countess, too. I call her a
stunner!" he exclaimed enthusiastically; "as stately as a queen, but
as friendly and kind as possible. I don't think we ought to go to war
with people like this."
"Oh, nonsense!" Jack said. "We've seen thousands of Russians now, and
don't think much of them; and 'tisn't likely we're going to let Russia
gobble up Turkey just because there's a nice countess with three jolly
daughters living here."
Dick laughed.
"No, I suppose not," he said. "But, Jack, what on earth are we going
to do about clothes? These uniforms are getting seedy, though it is
lucky that we had on our best when we were caught, owing to our having
had the others torn to pieces the night of the wreck. But as for other
things, we have got nothing but what we have on. We washed our flannel
shirts and stockings as well as we could whenever we halted, but we
can't well do that here; and as for money, we haven't a ha'penny
between us. It's awful, you know."
At this moment there was a knock at the door, and the servant entered,
bringing in a quantity of linen and underclothing of all kinds, which
he laid down on the bed with the words,--
"With the countess's compliments."
"Hurrah!" shouted Dick. "The countess is a brick. This is something
like. Now for a big wash, Jack, and a clean white shirt. We shan't
know ourselves. Here is a brush, too. We shall be able to make our
uniforms presentable."
It was nearly an hour before the boys again joined the ladies,
looking, it must be owned, a great deal more like British officers and
gentlemen than when they left the room. They were both good-looking
lads, and the Russian girls were struck with their bright and cheerful
faces.
Dick hastened to express their warm thanks to the countess for the
welcome supply of clothes, and said that Jack and himself were ashamed
indeed at not only trespassing on their hospitality, but being obliged
to rely upon their wardrobe.
As Dick had carefully thought out this little speech, translated it
into French, and said it over half-a-dozen times, he was able to make
himself understood, utterly defective as were his grammar and
pronunciation.
Katinka explained that the clothes had belonged to her brother, who
was now a lieutenant in a regiment stationed in Poland, and that they
had long been outgrown; he being now, as she signified by holding up
her hand, over six feet in height.
A quarter of an hour later the dinner was announced, and the countess
in a stately way took Dick's arm, and Jack, not without blushing,
offered his to the eldest of the girls. The dinner was, in the boys'
eyes, magnificent. Several domestics stood behind the chairs and
anticipated their wants. The girls continued their Russian lessons by
telling them the names of everything on the table, and making them
repeat them after them, and there was so much laughter and merriment,
that long as the meal was, it was by no means formal or ceremonious.
They learnt that the Count Preskoff was absent at some estates in the
north of Russia, and that he was not likely to return for some little
time.
After dinner Dick asked Katinka to tell the countess that they did not
wish to be troublesome, and that they would be out and about the
place, and would not intrude upon them except when they wished to have
them. The countess replied through her daughter that they would be
always glad to have them in the room.
"You will really be a great amusement to us. We were very dull before,
and instead of being a trouble, as Count Smerskoff no doubt intended
when he quartered you upon us, you will make a very pleasant break. It
is dreadfully dull here now," she said. "There is no longer any
gayety, many of our neighbors are away, and nobody talks of anything
but that horrid war. Count Smerskoff is almost the only person we see,
and," and she shrugged her pretty shoulders, "he's worse than nothing.
And now, mamma says, would you like to ride or to go out in a sledge?
If you would like some shooting, there is plenty in the neighborhood.
But of course for that you will want a whole day, and it must be
arranged beforehand. I wish my brother Orloff had been at home. He
could have looked after you nicely."
Delighted at the prospect, the boys said that they should like a
drive, and a few minutes later, descending to the courtyard, they
found a sledge with three horses at the door.
"What a stunning turn-out!" Jack exclaimed, delighted. "We shall fancy
we are princes, Dick, and get spoiled altogether for a midshipman's
berth."
The sledge was of graceful form, painted deep blue. The seats were
covered with furs, while an apron of silver fox-skin was wrapped round
their legs. The driver sat perched up on a high seat in front. He was
a tall, stately figure, with an immense beard. On his head was the cap
of black sheep-skin, which may be considered the national head-dress.
He wore a long fur-lined coat of dark blue, fitting somewhat tightly,
and reaching to his ankles. It was bound by a scarlet sash round his
waist. It had a great fur collar and cuffs. His feet were encased in
untanned leather boots, reaching above the knees.
The horses were harnessed in a manner quite different to anything the
lads had before seen. They were three abreast; the middle one was in
shafts, those on either side ran free in traces, and by dint, as the
boys supposed, of long training, each carried his head curved round
outwards, so that he seemed to be looking half-backwards, giving them
a most peculiar effect, exactly similar to that which may be seen in
ancient Greek bas-reliefs, and sculptures of horses in ancient
chariots. This mode of harnessing and training the horses is
peculiarly Russian, and is rigidly adhered to by all the old Russian
families. Over each horse was a blue netting reaching almost to the
ground, its object being to prevent snow or dirt being thrown up in
the faces of those sitting in the low sledge.
Cracking his whip with a report as loud as that of a pistol, the
driver set the horses in motion, and in a minute the sledge was
darting across the plain at a tremendous pace; the centre horse
trotting, the flankers going at a canter, each keeping the leg next to
the horse in the shafts in front. The light snow rose in a cloud from
the runners as the sledge darted along, and as the wind blew keenly in
their faces, and their spirits rose, the boys declared to each other
that sledging was the most glorious fun they had ever had.
They had been furnished with fur-lined coats, whose turned-up collars
reached far above their ears, and both felt as warm as toast, in spite
of the fact that the thermometer was down at zero.
The country here differed in its appearance from that over which they
had been travelling, and great forests extended to within two or three
miles of the town.
"I suppose," Dick said, "that's where the shooting is, for I can't
fancy any birds being fools enough to stop out on these plains, and if
they did, there would be no chance of getting a shot at them. How
pretty those sledge-bells are, to be sure! I wonder they don't have
them in England."
"I've seen wagons down in the country with them," Jack said, "and very
pretty the bells sounded on a still night. But the bells were not so
clear-toned as these."
From one shaft to another, in a bow, high over the horses' necks,
extended an arch of light wood, and from this hung a score of little
bells, which tinkled merrily as the sledge glided along.
"It's a delicious motion," Jack said; "no bumping or jolting, and yet,
even when one shuts one's eyes, he feels that he is going at a
tremendous pace."
The boys were amused at the driver, who frequently cracked his whip,
but never touched the horses, to whom, however, he was constantly
talking, addressing them in encouraging tones, which, as Jack said,
they seemed to understand just like Christians.
After an hour-and-a-half's drive, in which they must have traversed
some eighteen miles, they returned to the chateau. The servant at the
door relieved them of their warm cloaks and of the loose, fur-lined
boots, with which they had also been furnished, and then, evidently in
accordance with orders, conducted them upstairs to the room where the
countess and two of her daughters were working, while the third was
reading aloud. It was already getting dusk, and lighted lamps burned
on the tables, and the room, heated by a great stove in the corner,
felt pleasantly warm and comfortable.