The force of custom, of fancy, and of casual associations is very great
both upon the external and internal taste. An Eskimaux can regale
himself with a draught of whale-oil, and a Canadian can feast upon a
dog. A Kamtschatkadale lives upon putrid fish, and is sometimes reduced
to eat the bark of trees. The taste of rum or green tea, is at first as
nauseous as that of ipecacuanha to some persons, who may be brought by
use to relish what they once found so disagreeable.
* * * * *
* * * *
Interesting History Of
_THE BARON DE LOVZINSKI._
With a relation of the most remarkable occurrences in the life
of the celebrated COUNT PULASKI, well known as the champion of
American Liberty, and who bravely fell in its defence before
Savannah, 1779.
_Interspersed with Anecdotes of the late unfortunate KING of POLAND,
so recently dethroned._
(Continued from page 150.)
“Pulaski, I am ready to obey you: I swear to follow your fortunes, and
to participate in your dangers. And think not that it is Lodoiska alone,
who has exacted from me this oath: I love my country as much as I adore
thy daughter; I swear by her, and before you, that the enemies of the
republic have always been, and shall never cease to be mine: I swear
that I will spill the very last drop of my blood, to chase those
foreigners out of Poland, who reign there in the name of its king!”
“Embrace me, Lovzinski! I now recognise you; I adopt you for my
son-in-law--My children, all our misfortunes are at an end!”
Pulaski desired me to unite my hand to Lodoiska’s, in token of our
union; and we were embracing the brave palatine at the very moment that
Titsikan re-entered.
“Good! good!” exclaims the chieftain: this is what I wished; I am fond
of marriages. Father, I shall instantly order you to be unbound.
“By my sabre!” adds the Tartar, while his followers were cutting the
cords with which the hands and feet of Pulaski were tied; “by my sabre!
I shall do a noble action, but it will cost me a world of wealth! Two
grandees of Poland! a beautiful maiden! They would have produced me a
large ransom!”
“Titsikan, such a thought is not worthy of you!” says Pulaski,
interrupting him.
“No! no!” rejoins the Tartar, “it is a mere reflection only---it is one
of those ideas which a robber cannot prevent.---My brave and unfortunate
friends, I demand nothing from you---nay, more, you shall not retire on
foot; I have some charming horses, with which I intend to present
you.---And, for this lady, if you please. I will give you a litter, on
which I myself have been carried for these last ten or twelve days. This
young man here had given me such a wound, that I could no longer sit on
horseback.---The litter is indeed a bad one, clumsily constructed, by
means of branches of trees; but I have nothing except that or a little
covered waggon, to offer you: choose which ever of them you please.”
In the mean time, Dourlinski, who had not as yet uttered a single word,
remained with his eyes fixed upon the ground, while an air of
consternation was spread over his countenance.
“Unworthy friend!” says Pulaski to him, “how could you so cruelly abuse
the confidence I reposed in you? Were you not afraid to expose yourself
to my resentment? What demon blinded you?”
“Love!” replies Dourlinski, “an outrageous love! You, perhaps, do not
comprehend to what excess the passions may hurry on a man, violent and
jealous by nature. This frightful example, however, ought to teach you,
that a daughter so charming as yours is a treasure which one ought not
to entrust to any person.
“Pulaski, I have, indeed, merited your hatred; but I am still worthy of
your pity. I have rendered myself exceedingly culpable; but you behold
me cruelly punished. I lose, in one single day, my rank, my riches, my
honour, my liberty! more than all this, I lose thy daughter!
“O, Lodoiska! lovely maiden, whom I have so much outraged, will you
deign to forget my persecutions, your danger, and your grief? Will you
deign to grant to me a generous pardon?
“Ah! if there are no crimes which a sincere repentance cannot expiate,
Lodoiska, I am no longer criminal. I would I were able, at the price of
all my blood, to redeem those tears which I have occasioned you to shed.
Amidst the horrible state to which Dourlinski is about to be reduced,
shall he not be permitted to carry with him the consoling recollection
of having heard you tell him, that he is no longer odious to you?
“Too amiable, and until this present moment, too unfortunate maiden!
however great my wrongs may have been in regard to you, I have it in my
power to repair them all by means of a single word---advance---approach
me---I have a secret which can only be entrusted to your private ear: it
is exceedingly important that it should be revealed to you!”
Lodoiska, without the least distrust, now leaves my side, and advances
towards him without suspicion.
At that very moment I beheld a poniard glittering in the hand of
Dourlinski!
I precipitate myself upon him.---It was too late; for I could only parry
the second thrust; and the lovely Lodoiska, wounded immediately above
the left breast, had already fallen senseless at the feet of Titsikan!
Pulaski, furious at the horrid treason, drew his sabre quick as
lightning, on purpose to avenge his daughter’s fate.
“No! no!” exclaims the Tartar, at the same time withholding his arm:
“you are about to make this wretch suffer too gentle a death!”
“It is well,” says the infamous assassin, addressing himself to me, and
at the same time contemplating his victim with a cruel joy. “Lovzinski
you appeared but now eager to be united with Lodoiska; why do you not
follow her? Go, my too happy rival, go and accompany your mistress to
the tomb! Let them prepare my _punishment_; it will appear pleasant to
me: I leave you to torments no less cruel, and infinitely longer than
mine.”
Dourlinski was not allowed to utter another sentence, for the Tartars
rushed in upon him, and threw him into the midst of the burning ruins.
* * * * * * * * * *
What a night! how many different cares, how many opposite sentiments
agitated my unhappy mind during its continuance! How many times did I
experience the successive emotions of fear, hope, grief and joy! After
so many dangers and inquietudes, Lodoiska was at length presented to me
by her father, and I was intoxicated with the near hope of possessing
her:---a barbarian had but now assassinated her in my pretence!
This was the most cruel and unfortunate moment of any during the whole
course of my life!---But my happiness eclipsed, as it were, in a single
instant, was not long in shining forth with all its former splendor.
Amidst the Tartars belonging to Titsikan, was one somewhat conversant in
surgery. We sent for him; on his arrival he examines the wound, and
assures us that it is but a slight one. The infamous Dourlinski,
constrained by his chains, and blinded by his despair, had happily been
prevented from giving any other than an ill-directed blow.
As soon as Titsikan was informed that the life of Lodoiska was not in
any danger, he prepared to take leave of us.
“I leave you,” said he, “the five domestics who accompanied Pulaski;
provisions for several days, arms, six excellent horses, two covered
waggons, and the people belonging to Dourlinski in chains. Their base
lord is no more! Adieu! the day is about to appear; do not leave this
place until to-morrow; I shall then visit the other cantons. Adieu,
brave Poles! tell to your countrymen that Titsikan is not so bad as he
has been represented to them; and that he sometimes restores with one
hand what he takes with another. Adieu!”
At these words he lifts his hand to his head, and having saluted us
gracefully after the manner of his country, he gives the signal to
depart: the Tartars mount their fleet coursers in an instant, pass along
the drawbridge, and make for the neighbouring plain at a full gallop.
They had been gone scarcely two hours when several of the neighbouring
nobility, supported by a detachment of militia, came on purpose to
invest the castle of Dourlinski.
Pulaski himself went out to receive them: he related the particulars of
all that had occurred; and some, gained over by his eloquence, promised
to follow us to the palatinate of Lublin.
They asked for only two days to prepare every thing necessary for the
expedition, and actually came and rejoined us at the appointed time, to
the number of sixty.
Lodoiska having assured us that she was now able to undergo the fatigues
of a journey, we placed her in a commodious carriage, which we had
luckily been able to procure for this purpose.
After having restored Dourlinski’s people to liberty, we abandon the two
covered waggons to them, in which Titsikan, acting with his usual
generosity, had left part of his immense booty: this we divided among
them in equal proportions.
We arrived, without meeting with any accident, at Polowisk, in the
Palatinate of Lublin, this being the place which Pulaski had appointed
for the general rendezvous.
The news of his return having gone abroad, a crowd of malecontents in
the space of less than a month flocked to and increased our little army
to such a degree, that we soon found it to amount to no less than 10,000
men.
Lodoiska entirely cured of her wound, and perfectly recovered from her
fatigues, had regained her usual spirits, and appeared in possession of
all her former beauty. Pulaski one day called me into his tent, and
spoke as follows. “Three thousand Russians have appeared, as you well
know, upon the heights above, and at no greater distance than half a
league from us: take, in the course of the ensuing night, three thousand
chosen men, and go and chase the enemy from the advantageous posts which
they now occupy. Recollect that on the success of a first attempt
depends almost always that of the campaign; recollect that you are about
to avenge your country’s wrongs; recollect too, my friend, that
to-morrow I shall learn thy victory, and that to-morrow also thou shalt
espouse Lodoiska!”
(_To be continued._)
* * * * *
THE FIERY ORDEAL;
A Judicial Anecdote.
Towards the end of the Greek Empire at Constantinople, a general, who
was an object of suspicion to his master, was urged to undergo the fiery
proof of the Ordeal by an archbishop, a subtle courtier. The ceremony
was this; three days before the trial the patient’s arm was inclosed in
a bag, and secured by the royal signet; he was expected to bear a red
hot ball of iron three times, from the altar to the rails of the
sanctuary, without artifice and injury. The general eluded the
experiment with pleasantry. ‘I am a soldier,’ said he, ‘and will boldly
enter the lists with my accusers; but a layman, a sinner like myself, is
not endowed with the gift of miracles. Your piety, holy prelate, may
deserve the interposition of heaven, and from your hands I will receive
the fiery globe, the test of my innocence.’ The archbishop stared, the
emperor smiled, and the general was pardoned.
* * * * *