CHAPTER XII.
PRISONERS ON PAROLE
Day after day the convoy made its way northward without any incidentof importance happening. The midshipmen were glad to find that,thanks to their sheepskin cloaks and pointed hoods, they passedthrough the towns without attracting any attention whatever.
The convoy lessened in length as it proceeded. The animals broke downin great numbers and died by the road, under the task of dragging theheavy wagons through the deep snow.
At a town of some size, where they halted for two days, relief wasafforded by the wheels being taken off the wagons, and rough runnersaffixed, the wheels being placed on the carts, as that they could beput on again in case of a thaw.
Famine, however, did more that fatigue in destroying the animals; foralthough good exertions had been made to form depots of forage alongthe roads, these were exhausted faster than they could be collected bythe enormous trains, which, laden with provisions and warlike stores,were making their way to Sebastopol from the interior of Russia. Therewas no lack of food for the men, for ample stores of black bread werecarried, and a supply of meat was always obtainable at the end of theday's journey by the carcase of some bullock which had fallen and thenbeen shot during the day's march.
But though the train diminished in length, its occupants diminishedeven more rapidly. Every morning, before starting, a burying partywere busy interring the bodies of those who had died during theprevious day's march or in the night.
When the halt was made at a village, the papa or priest of the placeperformed a funeral mass; when, as was more common, they encamped inthe 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 theextreme.
After leaving the Crimea the country became a dead flat; which,though bright in summer, with a wide expanse of waving grain, wasinexpressibly mournful and monotonous as it lay under its widecovering of snow. Here and there, far across the plain, could be seenthe low, flat-roofed huts of a Russian village, or the massively-builtabode of some rich landed proprietor.
Scarce a tree broke the monotony of the wide plain, and the creakingof the carts and the shouts of the drivers seemed strangely loud asthey rose in the dense silence of the plain.
From the first day of starting, the midshipmen set themselves to learnsomething of the language. The idea was Jack's and he pointed out toHawtry, who was rather disinclined to take the trouble, that it wouldin the first place give them something to think about, and be anamusement on the line of march; in the second, it would render theircaptivity less dull, and, lastly, it would facilitate their escape ifthey should determine to make the attempt.
As they walked, therefore, alongside their friend the doctor, theyasked him the names of every object around them, and soon learned theRussian words for all common objects. The verbs were more difficult,but thanks occasionally to the doctor (who spoke French) joining themat their encampment at night, they soon learned the sentences mostcommonly in use.
As they had nothing else to do or to think about, their progress wasrapid, and by the end of a month they were able to make themselvesunderstood in conversations upon simple matters.
They had been much disappointed, when, upon leaving the Crimea, theconvoy had kept on north instead of turning west; for they had hopedthat Odessa would have been their place of captivity.
It was a large and flourishing town, with a considerable foreignpopulation, and, being on the sea, might have offered themopportunities for escape. The Russians, however, had fears that theallied fleets might make an attack upon the place, and for thisreason, 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 clearand bright, for when the morning was rough and the snow fell, theconvoy remained in its halting-place.
The cold was by no means excessive during the day, and although thesnow was deep and heavy, there was no difficulty in keeping up withthe convoy, as the pace of the bullocks was little over a mile and ahalf an hour. At night they were snug enough, for the doctor hadadapted an empty wagon as their sleeping-place, and this, with a deepbed of straw at the bottom, blankets hung at the sides and others laidover the top, constituted as comfortable a shelter as could bedesired.
At last, after a month's travelling, the doctor pointed to a townrising over the plain, and signified that this was theirhalting-place.
It was a town of some seven or eight thousand inhabitants, and themosque-like domes of the churches shining, brightly in the sun, andthe green-painted roofs and bright colors of many of the houses, gaveit a gay and cheerful appearance.
The convoy made its way through the streets to large barracks, nowconverted into a hospital. When the sick had been taken into thewards, the doctor proceeded with the midshipmen to the residence ofthe governor.
The boys had laid aside the sheepskin cloaks which had proved soinvaluable during their journey, and as they walked through thestreets, in their midshipman's uniform, attracted a good deal ofattention.
They were at once shown in to the governor, an officer of somefive-and-thirty years old, with a fierce and disagreeable expressionof countenance. He was a member of a high Russian family; but as apunishment for various breaches of discipline, arising from hisquarrelsome disposition and misconduct, he had been appointed governorto this little town, instead of going with his regiment to the front.
Saluting him, the doctor delivered to him an order for the safeguardianship of the two English officers.
"Ah," he said, as he perused the document, and glanced at themidshipmen, "if these are British officers, I can scarcely understandthe trouble they are giving us. They are mere boys. I thought theiruniform was red. The soldiers who were brought here a month ago wereall in red."
"These are young naval officers," the doctor said. "I understand thatsome of the sailors are serving on shore, and these were captured, Iam told, when out with a party of their men cutting fuel."
"A wonderful capture, truly," the governor said sneeringly. "Two boysscarce out of the nursery."
"It cost us some men," the doctor said calmly, "for I hear from theofficer who brought them in that we lost altogether fifteen men, andthe sailors would all have got away had it not been that one of theseyoung officers was shot in the leg and the other stood by him, andshot several men with his revolver before he was captured."
"A perfect St. George," the commandant sneered. "Well, sir, your dutyis 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. "Unlessthey 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 wentout, touching his lips with his fingers to them as he turned his backto the governor, a movement which the lads understood at once as ahint that it would be as well to say nothing which might show thatthey had any knowledge of Russian.
The governor rang a hand-bell, and a sergeant entered. The governorwrote a few words on a piece of paper.
"Take these prisoners to Count Preskoff's," he said, "and deliver thisorder to him."
The sergeant motioned the lads to follow him. With a bow to thegovernor, which he passed unacknowledged, they followed the soldier.
"A disagreeable brute, that," Jack said. "A little work in thetrenches 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. Idon'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 aclean pair of heels."
"He didn't ask for our parole," Dick said, "so we shall be justifiedin making a bolt if we see a chance."
> Passing through the streets the sergeant led them through the town andout into the country beyond.
"Where on earth is he taking us to?" Jack wondered. "I would bet thathe has quartered us on this Count Preskoff from pure spite. I wonderwhat 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 comfortablequarters here."
They entered a large courtyard, across one side of which stood thehouse; and the sergeant, proceeding to the main entrance, rang thebell. It was opened by a tall man dressed in full Russian costume.
"I have a message for the count from the commandant," the sergeantsaid.
"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 followhim.
They ascended the stairs and entered a large and handsome room, inwhich sat a lady of some forty years old, with three younger ones offrom sixteen to twenty years old.
Countess Preskoff was a very handsome woman, and her daughters hadinherited 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 thesergeant, saluting, retired.
The countess turned to her daughters.
"The commandant has quartered two prisoners, English officers, uponus," she said. "Of course he has done it to annoy us. I suppose theseare they." And she rose and approached the lads, who were standing bythe door. "Why, they are boys," she said in surprise, "and will do forplayfellows for you, Olga. Poor little fellows, how cruel to send suchboys to fight!"
Then she came up to the boys and bade them welcome with an air ofkindness which they both felt.
"Katinka," she said, turning to her eldest daughter, "you speakFrench, and perhaps they do also. Assure them that we will do our bestto 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, andcannot understand it at all unless you speak quite slow. I wish now Ihadn't been so lazy at school. But we both speak a few words ofRussian, and I hope that we shall soon be able to talk to you in yourown language."
Bad as Dick's French was, the girls understood it, and an animatedconversation in a mixed jargon of French and Russian began. The girlsinquired how they had come there, and how they had been taken, andupon hearing they had been in Sebastopol, inquired more anxiously asto the real state of things there, for the official bulletins werealways announcing victories, and they could not understand how it wasthat the allies, although always beaten, were still in front ofSebastopol, when such huge numbers of troops had gone south to carryout the Czar's orders, to drive them into the sea.
The lads' combined knowledge of French and Russian proved quiteinsufficient to satisfy their curiosity, but there was so muchlaughing over their wonderful blunders and difficulty in finding wordsto explain themselves, that at the end of half an hour the boys wereperfectly at home with their hostesses.
"You will like to see your rooms," the countess said; and touching ahand-bell, she gave some orders to a servant who, bowing, led the wayalong a corridor and showed the boys two handsomely-furnished roomsopening out of each other, and then left them, returning in a minuteor two with hot water and towels.
"We're in clover here," Jack said, "and no mistake. The captain'sstate cabin is a den by the side of our quarters; and ain't they jollygirls?"
"And pretty, too, I believe you; and the countess, too. I call her astunner!" he exclaimed enthusiastically; "as stately as a queen, butas friendly and kind as possible. I don't think we ought to go to warwith people like this."
"Oh, nonsense!" Jack said. "We've seen thousands of Russians now, anddon't think much of them; and 'tisn't likely we're going to let Russiagobble up Turkey just because there's a nice countess with three jollydaughters living here."
Dick laughed.
"No, I suppose not," he said. "But, Jack, what on earth are we goingto do about clothes? These uniforms are getting seedy, though it islucky that we had on our best when we were caught, owing to our havinghad the others torn to pieces the night of the wreck. But as for otherthings, we have got nothing but what we have on. We washed our flannelshirts and stockings as well as we could whenever we halted, but wecan't well do that here; and as for money, we haven't a ha'pennybetween 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, whichhe laid down on the bed with the words,--
"With the countess's compliments."
"Hurrah!" shouted Dick. "The countess is a brick. This is somethinglike. Now for a big wash, Jack, and a clean white shirt. We shan'tknow ourselves. Here is a brush, too. We shall be able to make ouruniforms 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 andgentlemen than when they left the room. They were both good-lookinglads, and the Russian girls were struck with their bright and cheerfulfaces.
Dick hastened to express their warm thanks to the countess for thewelcome supply of clothes, and said that Jack and himself were ashamedindeed at not only trespassing on their hospitality, but being obligedto rely upon their wardrobe.
As Dick had carefully thought out this little speech, translated itinto French, and said it over half-a-dozen times, he was able to makehimself understood, utterly defective as were his grammar andpronunciation.
Katinka explained that the clothes had belonged to her brother, whowas now a lieutenant in a regiment stationed in Poland, and that theyhad long been outgrown; he being now, as she signified by holding upher hand, over six feet in height.
A quarter of an hour later the dinner was announced, and the countessin 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 andanticipated their wants. The girls continued their Russian lessons bytelling them the names of everything on the table, and making themrepeat 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 thenorth of Russia, and that he was not likely to return for some littletime.
After dinner Dick asked Katinka to tell the countess that they did notwish to be troublesome, and that they would be out and about theplace, and would not intrude upon them except when they wished to havethem. The countess replied through her daughter that they would bealways 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 intendedwhen he quartered you upon us, you will make a very pleasant break. Itis dreadfully dull here now," she said. "There is no longer anygayety, many of our neighbors are away, and nobody talks of anythingbut 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 bearranged beforehand. I wish my brother Orloff had been at home. Hecould have l
ooked after you nicely."
Delighted at the prospect, the boys said that they should like adrive, and a few minutes later, descending to the courtyard, theyfound a sledge with three horses at the door.
"What a stunning turn-out!" Jack exclaimed, delighted. "We shall fancywe are princes, Dick, and get spoiled altogether for a midshipman'sberth."
The sledge was of graceful form, painted deep blue. The seats werecovered with furs, while an apron of silver fox-skin was wrapped roundtheir legs. The driver sat perched up on a high seat in front. He wasa tall, stately figure, with an immense beard. On his head was the capof 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 hiswaist. It had a great fur collar and cuffs. His feet were encased inuntanned leather boots, reaching above the knees.
The horses were harnessed in a manner quite different to anything thelads had before seen. They were three abreast; the middle one was inshafts, those on either side ran free in traces, and by dint, as theboys supposed, of long training, each carried his head curved roundoutwards, so that he seemed to be looking half-backwards, giving thema most peculiar effect, exactly similar to that which may be seen inancient Greek bas-reliefs, and sculptures of horses in ancientchariots. This mode of harnessing and training the horses ispeculiarly Russian, and is rigidly adhered to by all the old Russianfamilies. Over each horse was a blue netting reaching almost to theground, its object being to prevent snow or dirt being thrown up inthe faces of those sitting in the low sledge.
Cracking his whip with a report as loud as that of a pistol, thedriver set the horses in motion, and in a minute the sledge wasdarting across the plain at a tremendous pace; the centre horsetrotting, the flankers going at a canter, each keeping the leg next tothe horse in the shafts in front. The light snow rose in a cloud fromthe runners as the sledge darted along, and as the wind blew keenly intheir faces, and their spirits rose, the boys declared to each otherthat sledging was the most glorious fun they had ever had.
They had been furnished with fur-lined coats, whose turned-up collarsreached far above their ears, and both felt as warm as toast, in spiteof the fact that the thermometer was down at zero.
The country here differed in its appearance from that over which theyhad been travelling, and great forests extended to within two or threemiles of the town.
"I suppose," Dick said, "that's where the shooting is, for I can'tfancy any birds being fools enough to stop out on these plains, and ifthey did, there would be no chance of getting a shot at them. Howpretty those sledge-bells are, to be sure! I wonder they don't havethem in England."
"I've seen wagons down in the country with them," Jack said, "and verypretty the bells sounded on a still night. But the bells were not soclear-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 littlebells, 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 atremendous pace."
The boys were amused at the driver, who frequently cracked his whip,but never touched the horses, to whom, however, he was constantlytalking, 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 traversedsome eighteen miles, they returned to the chateau. The servant at thedoor relieved them of their warm cloaks and of the loose, fur-linedboots, with which they had also been furnished, and then, evidently inaccordance with orders, conducted them upstairs to the room where thecountess and two of her daughters were working, while the third wasreading aloud. It was already getting dusk, and lighted lamps burnedon the tables, and the room, heated by a great stove in the corner,felt pleasantly warm and comfortable.