Winter amusements of the Albanians, &c.
IN winter, the river, frozen to a great depth, formed the principal road
through the country, and was the scene of all those amusements of
skating, and sledge races, common to the north of Europe. They used, in
great parties, to visit their friends at a distance, and having an
excellent and hardy breed of horses, flew from place to place, over the
snow and ice, in these sledges, with incredible rapidity, stopping a
little while at every house they came to, and always well received,
whether acquainted with the owners or not. The night never impeded these
travellers, for the atmosphere was so pure and serene, and the snow so
reflected the moon and star-light, that the nights exceeded the days in
beauty.
In town, all the boys were extravagantly fond of a diversion, that to us
would appear a very odd and childish one. The great street of the town,
in the midst of which, as has been formerly mentioned, stood all the
churches and public buildings, sloped down from the hill on which the
fort stood, towards the river: between the buildings was an unpaved
carriage-road, the footpath, beside the houses, being the only part of
the street which was paved. In winter, this sloping descent, continued
for more than a quarter of a mile, acquiring firmness from the frost,
and became extremely slippery. Then the amusement commenced. Every boy
and youth in town, from eight to eighteen, had a little, low sledge,
made with a rope like a bridle to the front, by which it could be
dragged after one by the hand. On this, one or two, at most, could
sit—and this sloping descent, being made as smooth as a looking-glass,
by sliders, sledges, &c., perhaps a hundred at once set out in
succession from the top of this street, each seated in his little
sledge, with the rope in his hand, which drawn to the right or left,
served to guide him. He pushed it off with a little stick, as one would
launch a boat; and then, with the most astonishing velocity,
precipitated by the weight of the owner, the little machine glided past,
and was at the lower end of the street in an instant. What could be so
peculiarly delightful in this rapid and smooth descent, I could never
discover—though in a more retired place, and on a smaller scale, I have
tried the amusement: but to a young Albanian, sleighing, as he called
it, was one of the first joys of life, though attended with the drawback
of walking to the top of the declivity, dragging his sledge every time
he renewed his flight, for such it might well be called. In the
management of this little machine, some dexterity was necessary: an
unskilful Phaeton was sure to fall. The conveyance was so low, that a
fall was attended with little danger, yet with much disgrace, for an
universal laugh from all sides, assailed the fallen charioteer. This
laugh was from a very full chorus, for the constant and rapid succession
of this procession, where every one had a brother, lover, or kinsman,
brought all the young people in town to the porticos, where they used to
sit, wrapt in furs, till ten or eleven at night, engrossed by this
delectable spectacle. What magical attraction it could possibly have, I
never could find out; but I have known an Albanian, after residing some
years in Britain, and becoming a polished, fine gentleman, join the
sport, and slide down with the rest. Perhaps, after all our laborious
refinements in amusement, being easily pleased is one of the great
secrets of happiness, as far as it is attainable in this “frail and
feverish being.”
Now there remains another amusement to be described, which I mention
with reluctance, and should scarce venture to mention at all, had I not
found a precedent for it among the virtuous Spartans. Had Lycurgus
himself, been the founder of their community, the young men could scarce
have stolen with more alacrity and dexterity. I could never conjecture
how the custom could possibly originate among a set of people of such
perfect and plain integrity; but thus it was. The young men now and then
spent a convivial evening at a tavern together, where, from the extreme
cheapness of liquor, their bills, (even when they committed an
occasional excess,) were very moderate. Either to lessen the expense of
the supper, or from the pure love of what they styled frolic, (anglicè
mischief,) they never failed to steal either a roasting pig, or a fat
turkey, for this festive occasion. The town was the scene of these
depredations, which never extended beyond it. Swine and turkeys were
reared in great numbers by all the inhabitants. For those they brought
to town in winter, they had an appropriate place at the lower end of the
garden, in which they were locked up. It is observable that these
animals were the only things locked up about the house, for this good
reason, that nothing else ran the least risk of being stolen. The
dexterity of the theft consisted in climbing over very high walls,
watching to steal in when the negroes went down to feed the horse or
cow, or making a clandestine entrance at some window or aperture;
breaking open doors was quite out of rule, and rarely ever resorted to.
These exploits were always performed in the darkest nights; if the owner
heard a noise in his stables, he usually ran down with a cudgel, and
laid it without mercy on any culprit he could overtake. This was either
dexterously avoided or patiently borne. To plunder a man, and afterwards
offer him any personal injury, was accounted scandalous; but the turkies
or pigs were never recovered. In some instances, a whole band of these
young plunderers would traverse the town, and carry off such a prey as
would afford provision for many jovial nights. Nothing was more common
than to find one’s brothers or nephews amongst these pillagers.
Marriage was followed by two dreadful privations: a married man could
not fly down the street in a little sledge, or join a party of
pig-stealers, without outraging decorum. If any of their confederates
married, as they frequently did, very young, and were in circumstances
to begin house-keeping, they were sure of an early visit of this nature
from their old confederates. It was thought a great act of gallantry to
overtake and chastise the robbers. I recollect an instance of a young
married man, who had not long attained to that dignity, whose turkies
screaming violently one night, he ran down to chastise the aggressors;
he overtook them in the fact, but finding they were his old associates,
could not resist the force of habit, joined the rest in another exploit
of the same nature, and then shared his own turkey at the tavern. There
were two inns in the town, the masters of which were “honourable men,”
yet these pigs and turkies were always received and dressed, without
questioning whence they came. In one instance, a young party had, in
this manner, provided a pig, and ordered it to be roasted at the King’s
Arms; another party attacked the same place, whence this booty was
taken, but found it already rifled. This party was headed by an idle,
mischievous young man, who was the Ned Poins of his fraternity: well
guessing how the stolen roasted-pig was disposed of, he ordered his
friends to adjourn to the rival tavern, and went himself to the King’s
Arms. Inquiring in the kitchen, (where a pig was roasting,) who supped
there, he soon arrived at certainty; then taking an opportunity when
there was no one in the kitchen but the cook-maid, he sent for one of
the jovial party, who were at cards up stairs. During her absence, he
cut the string by which the pig was suspended, laid it in the
dripping-pan, and through the quiet and dark streets of that sober city,
carried it safely to the other tavern, where, after finishing the
roasting, he and his companions prepared to regale themselves. Meantime,
the pig was missed at the King’s Arms, and it was immediately concluded,
from the dexterity and address with which this trick was performed, that
no other but the Poins aforesaid, could be the author of it. A new
stratagem was now devised to outwit this stealer of the stolen. An
adventurous youth of the despoiled party, laid down a parcel of shavings
opposite to the other tavern, and setting them in a blaze, cried fire! a
most alarming sound here, where such accidents were too frequent. Every
one rushed out of the house, where supper had been just served. The
dexterous purveyor, who had occasioned all this disturbance, stole in,
snatched up the dish with the pig in it, stole out again by the back
door, and feasted his companions with the recovered spoils.
These were a few idle young men, the sons of avaricious fathers, who
grudging to advance the means of pushing them forward, by the help of
their own industry, to independence, allowed them to remain so long
unoccupied, that their time was wasted, and habits of conviviality at
length degenerated into those of dissipation. These were not only pitied
and endured, but received with a great deal of kindness and indulgence,
that was wonderful. They were usually a kind of wags, went about like
privileged persons, at whose jests no one took offence, and were in
their discourse and style of humour, so much like Shakspeare’s clowns,
that on reading that admirable author, I thought I recognized my old
acquaintances. Of these, however, I saw little, the society admitted at
my friends being very select.
-------