MY DOUBLE CHRISTMAS

Te Aroha News, Volume IV, Issue 184, 25 December 1886, Page 2

MY DOUBLE CHRISTMAS

It was getting well on toward midnight ■when we dragged our horses through the last snowdrift, and stood on the summit of the mountain. Not a human being was in eight, and the wind rapidly levelled the tracks we had just made, as it had obliterated the path of those who had preceded us. A row of dim, twinKling lights, far ■away to the north-east, and behind ue, gave tis our bearings, and we instinctively moved away in the opposite direction until they could no longer be seen. We were at first determined to await our comrades on the water shed ; but the cutting wind soon drove ua to shelter under a clump of great beechtrees that stood well down the southerly slope. Here we fastened our horses, and with our hands and feet soon cleared a hole in the snow quite down to the turf. Leaving my companion to collect what fuel he could, I gathered the dry leaves from the stunted oak-trees until I had a large armful. By lighting one of these leaves, and by careful coaxing of the flame with pieces of bark rubbed with tallow from our cartridges, I soon had a small blaze, which shortly de ▼eloped into a cheerful fire. We eat down on the side of the snow pit, and quite forgot in the stimulating warmth the seriousness of the situation. Suddenly Prince S looked at his ■watch, and paid, rising to his feot. " Look here ! it is a quarter past eleven, and if we don't celebrate your Christraaa now, we won't have another chauce for a year " Then we looked at one another and laughed. Celebration was ridiculous. Snow on all tides of us ; not a sound but the rushing of the wind and the crackling of the fire ; cwo half starved horses gnawing the tree 9 to which thej were fastened, and "two tired) famished men — these conditions were not strongly Buggestive of a Christmas celebration. The fire alone, tinging the snow to a ruddy colour, and tracing tho twigs in warm red against the sky, wag the only reminder of the merry holiday season at home. But we determined to rummage, take account of stock, and see wh*\t we could do. From my paddlebags we turned out a frozen onion, a piece of dried beef about the size ot a coot heel and quite a« hard, and a handful of black dust, the shiftings of a parcel of tea which tad lonw been carried, there. The Prince found two or three cigarettes, broken and damp, an empty brandy fla'-k, a spoonful of black bread crumbs, some battle-field relics ; but nothing, with tbs exception of the meagre store of tobacco, which could by any stretch of the imagination bo converto 1 into a mean* of entertainment. " There's nothing to inebriate, and very little to cheer," I remarked ; " but we may possibly arrange a sewing-circle fcasfc, for we have cold meat and tea, the chief element? of such a meal. We only lack the cake to make it •complete." We carefully cut the oniou and 4he beef into slices, strung them in alternate pieces on a twig, and ptuck them in the enow so that tho meat hung in the full heat of the fire. It soon pent off an appetising odour, ■which the wind only too quickly di&cipated. We had fasted, as it happened, since daybreak. I melted snow in my tin cup in order to make the tea ; and we sat down to watch the cooking with that delightful anticipatory sensation which only comes to thoee who have long hungered and exercised in the open air I have hinted that the situation was BGriOU3j and have given an outline of the Bcenery, It only remains to explain that we were with the Russian expedition led b\ General Gourkho against the Turks in the winter of 1877-78. Plevna had fallen, and the Balkan army, now re inforced by a large part of the besieging force at Plevna, was making the great decisivemove that brought the campaign to an end General Gouikho divided his army into five columns, each to cross the mountains at a different point on either side of the main pa?s, which was guarded by the Turks, the whole force to assemble in the valley beyond, <md attack the Turks on the flanks and rear. The successful passage of the mountains depended entirely on the endurance of the men, for horses were uselc^ in th<- pttep ascent, and the cannon equipages had to be taken apart and dragged piecemeal up tho rude paths ana icy incline-*. The advance was ordered for Christmas morning, or, by the Russian calendar, the 13th of December, General Gourkho and hisßtaffaccompanying the principal column, which waa to crocs the ridtje a few nailer west of the pass. We had stood impatiently stampiog our feet in the snow at the foot of tho mountain all day long, tho column moving past us making scarcely half a mile an hour. Something was certainly blocking the road, and so much depended on celerity as well ac secrecy of movt ment we chafed and fretted at the delay At last, late in the afternoon, I proposed to Prince S , who had no duties to perform, that we ehouli make an advance on our own responsibility, and try to cress at the bead of the column, so we fell in with the line of men and horses, and, as we moved slowly along, witched for a chance to leave the path and climb up the mountain-side past the troops. We soon found an opening in the bushes running up between the ledeee, and dodged into it, leading our horses. We now made up for the inaction of the day by violent exercise, climbing and wading in tho deep snow. We zigzagged and doubled on our tracks, but made quite rapid upward progress, often losing sight ot tho ■oldiere, and again crossing their path. We saw the reason for the snail-like adTsnce of the column, for the cannon blocked the path, and the rest of the army could only move on as fatt aa the artillery. Relays of men of a hundred or more dragged the guns lashed to rude sledges. They pulled and hauled, yelled and sang, but often spent an hour in passing a short but steep and slippery acclivity. At sunset we were a couple of miles up the mountain, and could see the dark masses of men down in the valley waiting to take their turn in the climb Through th« trees f&r to the eastward lay the lines of opposing intrenchments, traced plainly on the snowcovered mountain tops. With approaching darknesa came the thought of our own ■safety and comfort, and we realised that we had neither blankets nor supplies ; and furthermore, owing to the confusion and delay of the movement, were not likely to meet our pack-horses for a day or two. At the mess the evening before, while we were all very jolly at the idea of a break in the monotony of the mountain siege, we had expected to be on the summit at nightfall, and it was proposed and accepted unanimously that we should celebrate our Christmas there. With that idea we loaded on one of the pack-horses a Bmall hamper of the most stimulating supplies that the suiter offered for sale. Our little mess, which consisted of five of General Oourkho's aides-de-camp, Prince S , of the diplomatic corps, and myself, wae dignified by the name of the English Club, and was rather famous in the army for keeping up its spirits under all circum-

stances. Our planß had been quite upset by the deUy* during the day, but ther« seemed to toe nothing better for us to do than to go ahead, bo we continued to climb, notwithstanding the dark-

new, and passed the first cannon in the train about ten o'clock. Our progress was now much faster, for we could follovr the path cut by the sappers, and were not obliged to do our pioneering, A violent wind had sprung up after sunset, and the sky was overcast, threatening snow. Small parties of men in advance of the cannon were in bivouac, apparently for the night. As we climbed still further we overtook only occasional Circassian Cossacks straggling along in pairs, finally saw only tracks of men and horses in sheltered spots, and then came out alone on the wind-swept summit. _ It is no marvel that, after an experience like this, we took great comfort in our bright crackling fire, and gloated over our small supper, now executing its final but savory fizzle on the nodding twig. The enow-wat6r in my cup had boiled, the black dust had asserted its identity as real tea by an unmistakable and delicious fragrance, and we were juefc about to effect an honourable division of the feast, when one of the horses neighed piteously, and we heard what eeenaed to be an answering neigh off to the leeward. I pulled my coat around.me, and stood up to see if anyone was in sight, hoping and half expocting to see the rest of the English Club tumble in upon us just in time to divide the one half ration among ub ull A dark figure ro«e suddenly out of tbe snow, levelled a rifle at my head, yelled something with a decidedly commanding voice, and in a language I did not under f tand. Exactly what passed within the next few soconds I cannot quite remember, and never could, for between the hunger, the fatigue, the cold, and the sudden fright, I was somewhat d<;zad to say the least. What I do remember distinctly is, that Prince S and I were phortly afterward standing together under cover of a revolver held by a very wioked-looking Circassian, while ho wwoa o blowing a whistle which was hung around his neck. I romember also feoliusr ui> r^ol^, quite useless in its securely fastened leather caac, pressed against my eide by the heavy coat, and, with a thousand other thoughts, flashed through my mind a curious appreciation of the adventure, and a tense of" surprise that everything seemed so commonplace and undramatic and natuial afto all. In arother moment a companion bad appeared leading two hor?es which ho coolly proceeded to fasten alongside ouis, and then came up to the tiro and grinned at us with about as villainous an expre.-sion a? I have ever seen. These twn rasca's first proceeded to shite botnocn them our meagre feast. Somehow we didn't feel hungry any longer, and saw with indifference our dainty roast vanish down those capacious throats. Too clearly before our eyes was the honid vHon of the heaps of JRusfri&n he'id* with which the Turkish Circa?bians were accostome'l to deorate the roadside during tho summer campaign, and we mentally calculated how I-'ut it would be before tho enow would givo our headless trunks a winding-sheet We know, of couiso. that we Ivid, in the excitement of the climb and in the rfaiknccd, stiaved too far in advance of our army, onri had been discovered by the enemy 'a tcoutd. This was likely to happen at any timu, for the picket service on both fiuus Was of'u,ri \ jrv inefficient. After they had celebrated our Christmas for v?, searched our trap? for eatables, taken the cartridges out of our revolvers, and turned the flasks upside down a dozen times, tho 1 uflhuis started up oft in Indian file, one leading the way aud one guarding the rear. We struggled for a long time through the snow in the teeth of the wind until we c-nno to a thick wood, where we etruck a ehcitered, poruowhat beaten path. We could ccc dark foima of men and horses moving about on i>t» snow below u« : but we did rut overtake them. The road wound down the mountain, often through j deep cuttings in the ground. Tho topography did nut in the least resecuble that of the northern fJope. We went on for perhaps te?i minutes after wo came into the path, when wo noticed the trees lighted up to the left and below us, and as the road mode a sharp turn we came upon a little b*u?in-like holkivv where a great log fire was burning. At firfet the brilliant iight dcizzlud our e>es; then we saw a sight which plcved us b3tter than a royal feiat. Tho pooplo uround tho fire were Ku-sians > We had scarcely time to pause bofore we recognised the members of the English Club, and even General Gourkho himself. Shouts of recognition were exchanged, and wo grasped the situation in an instant. So did our captors, f r they hurriedly gave us our revolvers, and clunk a way, almost as much frightened aeve had been. We made no attempt to stop them, but went up to the fire, and were glad enough to turn in with the rest, and sleep where we were, with snow for a bed and pillow, and our coats for coveting iNot a word did we say about our ridiculous adventure, lor it would have mado too much capital for standing jokes in the club. We felt very much ag it we had just waked out of an ucly dieam. The explanation of our capture is simple enough. Tbe necessities of the winter campaign had obliterated many of Che distinctive mark of oatvral drees and rank, and we were naturally taken for natives because we wore their winter garments. We had in obedience to the order to be careful not to kindle fireß where they could be seen by tho enemy, moved faraway from the line of march, and were discovered by the Circassian Cossack scouts. We on our part naturally mistook our captors for the enemy, because it nerer occurred to us that our nationality could be mistaken, and because we knew that there was a large force of these Coasacks in the Turkish army, who could scarcely be distinguished from those wit}* the Russians except by the rifles fchey carried. It frequently happened in the winter that captures were made from the enemy by their mistaking the Russian Circassian Cossacks for their own troops. The dayß and nights which followed were full of excitement. A terrible storm developed in tbe mountains, routing one column with a heavy loss in frozen men and horses. Our own detachment crossed with few casualties besides broken limbs caused by falling on the ice. The men straggled down into the valley during several daye, hungry, cold, and smokeblackened, their feet wrapped in sheep-skins and rags, shelter tents and coverlets hugged around their bodies, concealing all semblance of soldiers. But discipline and courage remained to them, and without a pause they marched on to face and defeat the Turks, as they had conquered in the struggle against the hostile forces of nature. The engagements in the valley, where dead men stood shot in the waist-deep Bnow ; the cavalry raids and daehus ; the retreat of the enemy, and the meeting of the Russians in tho valley ; the march to Sofia and the capture of that city— theee are successive chapters in the story of that winter campaign crowded with adventure and incident. Salt and sugar gave out, and provisions of all kinds were at a premium long before the supply trains came up. The anecdote of the officer who rode into Sofia at the head of the scouting party which took possession of that city illuetrates well enough the state of the commissariat. This officer was met by a few cringing native*, who half expected death, and certainly did not hope to escape being plundered. * * Have you any eugar I

yelled the officer, riding up to them. " Give my men some salt r We paused for a few days at Sofia to rest the troops and to give time to get up supplies for the next move toward Constantinople. The Russian Christmas occurred while we were luxuriating in comfortable quarters in Sofia, and we, as a club, made what preparations we could to properly celebrate that holiday. We occupied a Greek house, haying a large square room for our meas and sleeping room. A divan running around three sides of this room served as couch by night and loungingplace by day, and we seven lay there hours at a stretch telling yarns and storing up rest for the work we knew was before us. Prince S and I had too much regard for our own peace of mind to let drop a hint ef our mountain adventure, and we were always anxious leet a member of the club, a native of the Caucaaßua, and lieutenant of the Circassian Cosßticks, should get hold of the story from the men who captured us. Of course the two Cossacks, who had been very much frightened at first because they had expected a punishment for their mistake were by this time certain that we meant to take no notice of it. In a short time they would begin to talk with their comrades about it ; then the ricliculoua story would be too smiling and winking to be endurable. We would be obliged, for relief, to get cftptur> d in earnest. The market of Sofia did not furnish anything particularly startling in tho way of provisions, but we managed a Greco-Bul-garian -Turco - Roumanian - Rnsso- American dinner that Christmas-day which would have disarranged the digestive machinery of an ostrich. The wine list was short but characteristic — mastic, raid, and vodka were the chief items. We eat at a table. That was half the luxury of the feast. After eating on the ground for weeks the sense of dignified luxury which one experiences when he strotches his legs under a table and ©a(a like a Christian is really worth living for. It was our intention a<? a cosmopolitan club to take advantage of the occasion, and make up for all past disappeintmente. Our Balkan Christmas was duly remembered and celebrated. New Year's Day, N. S., the Turkish Bairam, several bank holidays, and other festivals, civil or religious, which had occurred eince the passage of the Danuhe, we remembered them all, and did them what justice we could It was a motley and picturesque assembly. With our guests we counted nearly a dozen nationalities, and the Babel of tongues was indescribable. When, after dinner, there were signs of a pause in the hilarity, a pquad of Cossacks was introduced, who sang and danced for us in the usual grote=que fashion of that people. During the re9t which followed there was =ome confusion, cigarettelighting, and vodka drinking ; and Cossacks and commandeis were intermingled in a decidedly fraternal manner. Suddenly I was seized on both side=< and behind, and before I knew it I wtw flying in the air I felt the coiling beams come unpleasantly near, and breathed tbei'edolent atmosphere above the heads of the crowd I had a confused idea of a huge body gyrating in space dangerously n6ar me. Then came the downward flight;, and an uupleaaant anticipation of how I would look all broken up on the floor. But a dozen vigorous arms caught me. 1 saw shaggy faces with white teeth and shining eyos ; then wont up again like a ball. After a few throws I waß set up on my feet like a tenpin, and stood in the circle of breathless Co?3acka, s»ll prinnifc^ like Hands. My eye first lighted, on a familiar face — it was the Co j sack who held his rifle at my head in the Baldan bivouac. His expression was changed somewhat by a very large smile, and there wa-9 good fellowship in hi 3 «mall twinkling eyes, but the Circassian was all there nevertheless. Wo shook hands solemnly, thus acknowledging ourselves quits. Prince S in another part of the room had accepted a similar apology. Tin's was only the beginning of a toss game, which went on without regard to rank or station. It was the soldier's way of expressing regard for hia Ruporiovs, and not an uncommon oue on like occasions. 1 have seen a certain general, tho chief of staff ot a large army, thrown up like a schoolboy by private soldiers at a similar festival. While this rough play was going on, I paw our Circassian lieutenant in converea tion with one of our captors The story of the Balkan Christmas became tho property of the club. F. D. Millet.