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my son who is with the Russians. I have the modes of the marauders were not civilnow come to assure you that you need feel ized modes. The Princess Chavchavadzey, no alarm about remaining here: no one will who was known, was the object of a contest, harm or annoy you, and you will be treated during which her clothes were torn off her like the members of my own family, but only back, leaving her with nothing but her stays, on one condition-that you attend strictly to my injunction not to write or receive letters without my permission. If you attempt to carry on any secret correspondence with your relations, or if they offend in a similar manner on their side, then I will spare neither yourselves nor your children-I will kill you all,

chemise, and one slipper; and in this plight she had to make part of the journey, not through wantonness but thoughtlessness. Worn out with cold and fatigue, she could not any longer carry her infant with one arm, or extricate the other from the girdle of the man as I killed ten Russian officers who were prisoners here and received a letter baked in behind whom she was riding. To stop was a loaf. Their ingenuity was discovered, and out of the question, for they were hurrying I ordered them to have their heads cut off. past an ambush of the Russians, whose balls Remember, too, the young Russian countess were falling among them. Little Lydia, the at Stavropol, who was on the point of being infant, dropped from the mother, and was married when she was taken prisoner by my either killed by the fall or by being struck; That girl could have been ransomed for the baby's body was afterwards found by long ago; but I would listen to none of her relatives' offers, because she presumed to set a detachment sent out by the father-" she me at defiance. The same thing might hap-bore no trace of a wound, but a small blue pen to you; therefore take care what you do.'

men.

"Shamil having concluded this long speech, paused for a reply.

"The Princess Chavchavadzey was so enraged at Shamil's menaces that she resolved not to say a word; but her sister, who was less excited, went to the door and addressed him in the following terms

"You need not threaten us. We have no intention of disobeying you. Our position and our education alike forbid us to have recourse to falsehood, and you may have entire confidence in our promises. As for any letters which may be addressed to us, of course we cannot be answerable for their contents.'

"Very well,' returned the Iman; but do not forget that you are in Shamil's power.'

This finished the interview. Shamil rose, disappeared, and was followed by Hadjio and and the interpreter; after which the captives breathed freely."

spot was just visible on her left temple." All this is very shocking; but to the freebooters it would appear as in the usual course of things. One man offered a lady a handful of flour, which he took from his pocket: it was useless to her, but he could have made a tolerable mouthful of it had he had time. A politer man at nightfall offered the Princess Orbeliani an apple, accompanying his present with the remark, "You Georgians are accustomed to eat every day, and you are no doubt hungry; take this.' But the Princess, in spite of her exhaustion, felt no wish to partake of the marauder's supper, and refused the proffered fruit." An unlucky Frenchwoman, just arrived to take charge of the children as governess, was among the captives, and suffered not but from seeming to expect French gallantry only from the contrast to "la belle France,”

in the Caucasus.

There is more of information as to manners, and perhaps a wider interest, in the "While the robbers were taking the Prinsecond part than in the first. This last-cess Orbeliani down stairs, and after her the named section, however, has this kind of at- remained on her knees, covering her face Princess Chavchavadzey, Madame Drancey traction-it gives us back a glimmer of the with her hands, seeing nothing, and hearing middle ages. In the sack of the mansion, only the screams of the children. Soon afthe capture of the ladies and their people, terwards she felt herself in the arms of a and the subsequent march, one can realize man with a bare shaven head, a red face, and an onslaught of the age of chivalry. The an indescribable odour. This mountaineer, whom the French lady calls a monster, carPrincesses were of too high rank, and Sha-ried her part of the way down the staircase, mil's object too important, to allow of any palpable ill-usage; but there was much of suffering, and much that an European woman would deem ill-usage, simply because

which fell beneath his steps.

"In this catastrophe all the women suffered considerably-as much from fright as from positive injuries; and with the excep

tion of the Princesses Orbeliani and Baratoff all had their dresses more or less torn.

"Madame Drancey, in the latter respect, was more to be pitied than any one; for the robbers, in their anxiety to take everything valuable she possessed, tore her clothes from her back, and left her with nothing but her chemise, her stays, and her Parisian boots.' In this condition she was carried into the courtyard, made to sit down on the steps of the laundry, and told to take care of a couple of horses, whose reins were placed in her hands. Madame Drancey had always been afraid of horses, but she understood that she had no choice but to obey."

On the road, her privations and the indig

nities she suffered were worse.

"The second halt was made early the next morning, on the bank of some river.

"Here they were joined by Madame Drancey, exhausted, beaten, and almost without clothing.

"The unhappy French lady had indeed had her share of suffering during the short but eventful march.

"Though she had followed a separate route in the midst of the herd of oxen, she found herself towards nightfall at the edge of the same wood which had been entered by the other captives. She had travelled the greater part of the way on foot, and the road had been both long and full of obstaeles; but when she failed to keep up with the horsemen, the Murid made use of his

whip to awaken new strength in the exhausted woman.

"The first blow from the Chechnian's whip roused all the pride and all the anger of the already irritated Frenchwoman. She turned towards her insulter, and expressed, in forcible but unfortunately quite unintelligible language, all the indignation and contempt which she felt for his conduct.

"Of course it was in vain that Madame Darncey addressed her remarks to the Mu

rid, and he did not cease to apply his whip to the unfortunate lady's shoulders whenever she lagged behind. At a later period, when the moon had risen, Madame Darncey, unMahometans, worshipped that orb, took no der the impression that her persecutors, as trouble to curse it. But the imprecation was not more intelligible than her expressions of indignation and contempt, the mountaineers being utterly unable to understand either the pantomine or the language of their captive.

"Madame Drancey passed the night in the woods, where she had to sleep in company with the cattle and the Chechnians. The chief of the party having lain down on a large cloak, which he had previously extended along the ground, invited her to share it; but she informed him (of course in the French language) that she was not accustomed to receive such offers from strangers, and that she preferred to sleep with one of the oxen; whose back she soon converted into a pillow."

ATCHAFALAYA CURRENCY.-Captain Shallcross of the Mississipi Steamer Peytona, is one of the crack captains on the river. Everybody knows him and he knows every body, and therefore we must tell a little story about him. One day the Peytona was steaming down past the cotton woods towards New Orleans when she was hailed by another boat going up:

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"Hallo! Capt. Shall!"- "Hallo!" was the answer. "Got any Atchafalaya money?" "Yes, plenty." Well, pay it out; the bank's busted, or a gwine to." Ay, ay," said Capt. Shallcross; Clerk have you got much of that money?" "About a thousand dollars I reckon, sir," said the clerk of the Peytona. Well, stop at the first wood boat."

And the Peytona puffed on until a wood boat was seen moored to the shore, with piles of cord-wood around, and a small man, with his trousers rolled up, and his hands in his pockets, shivering on the bank beside of his boat, in the chill December weather.

"Wood boat, ahoy!" sang out Captain

Shall. Small man in the distance, "Halloo!" "Want to sell that wood?" Small man in the distance, "Yas." "Take Atchfalaya money?" Small man in the distance. "Yas." "Round to, pilot," said Capt. Shall.

The boats bound down stream always have to come around, with their bow pointed up stream, to resist the current of the Mississippi; sometimes they encounter a big eddy, and have to take a sweep of some miles before they reach the landing-place. So it was in, this instance.

"So you'll take Atchafalaya money for wood, will you?" said the captain as the boat approached the shore. "Yas." said the small man. "How will you take it? said Capt. Shall, (meaning at what rate.) "Take it even,' "said the small man. "What do you mean by even?" "Cord for cord, captain." "Put her round again, pilot," said Capt. Shall, "and wood up at the next wharf-boat; I reckon this fellow has been posted by somebody on Atchafalaya."-Cozen's Wine Press.

From The Athenæum.

Sporting Scenes amongst the Kafirs of South Africa. By Capt. Alfred W. Drayson, Royal Artillery. (Routledge & Co).

THIS is the despatch-book of a soldier and sportsman, whom a strong uncivilized instinct impelled to the Cape in search of prey, and the fondness of friends on his return induced to publish his experiences. Capt. Drayson's adventures in Africa, are neither very novel nor very marvellous. He is not a man of science-he is not an explorer, but, as far as we learn, simply a gentleman who went out to shoot wild beasts and, without emulating Mr. Gordon Cumming, achieved a satisfactory amount of slaughter. The scene of warfare is chiefly in Caffre-land, in the Zulu country, the neighborhood of Natal and Pietermaritzberg He left England for the Cape in the hard winter of 1855-sailed in a wet little brigantine for Algoa Bay-amused himself on the voyage with cutting off a string of cabbages from the poop; and, after three weeks' tossing about in the society of a romantic and abstemious skipper, a nasal carpenter who never changed his clothes, and a squat Dutchman who economized his person in a berth whence he tootled annonymous airs on the flute,-our author was delighted to find the vessel bumping over the harborbar of Port Natal, and verdant little islets and shores and hills in view, overgrown with swinging boughs of mangroves or giant euphorbias. In due time, he camps among the Caffres-learns their arts and speech-can spoor elephants or elands or buffaloes, and even win savage respect and affection. He makes experiments in bush-life, learns to steal along in soft leather veld-shoens, to avoid cracking boughs and rustling leaves, to mount and dismount at full speed, load and fire at a gallop after a four-mile ride, rattle over rocks and ruts with a loose rein, and, when he is flung, roll out of imminent reach of his pony "with the rapidity of a monkey." His mistakes of identity are curious. Occasionally he confounds an evening party of baboons "doing their hair," with their human relatives, the Hottentot ladies, or in the dark levels his piece at a lonely Caffre digni

tary who is "getting up " his thoughts for a public meeting. Like African huntsmen in general Capt. Drayson suffers from want of water. His "Totty" friends let him into a

secret:

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"Well,' said Kemp, when I go into the country where there is not much water, I always take my baboon.-You don't drink him, do you? No, but I make him show me water.'-How do you do that?'' In this way-When water gets scarce, I give the Bavain none: if he does not seem thirsty I rub a little salt on his tongue; I then take him out with a long string or chain. At first it was difficult to make him understand what was wanted, for he always wished to go back to the waggons. Now, however, he is well trained. When I get him out some distance, I let him go; he runs along a bit, scratches himself, shows his teeth at me, takes a smell up-wind, looks all round, picks up a bit of grass, smells or eats it, stands up for another sniff, canters on, and so on. Wherever the nearest water is, there he is sure to go.' This anecdote was corroborated by others present."

His domestic relations with the Caffres appear to be encouraging. He wins the heart of the men by slaying wild bucks, and bringing down furtive crows which run off with the meat laid out to dry. The ladies, too, like the white man, and bring him milk. Take his opinion of them, and a sketch of Caffrarian fashions :

:

"The women can be handsome, although perhaps admiration for them is an acquired taste. Well, Peshauna (the girl's name) was the best looking of Inkau's wives, and she did but little work, and was highly was placed as head woman of Inkau's kraal; dressed, in the extreme of the fashion, not in crinoline or embroidery, but in beads and brass. Round her head she had a broad band of light-blue and white beads; a pendent string of the latter hanging in a graceful curve over her eyelids, giving them the of our fair sex. sleepy, indolent look assumed by so many Round her neck in numbers, strings of beads were negligently hung, and a little apron of fringe about a foot long was fastened round her waist; this was neatly ornamented with beads of red, white, and blue; her wrists were also decorated while her ankles were encircled with a fringe with bracelets made of beads and brass, made from monkey's hair. This was the full-dress contume of Peshauna. To these

SPORTING SCENES AMONG THE KAFFIRS.

79

adornments the most affable and agreeable | bacco. More grinding seemed to amalgamanners were added, quite divested of that mate the two compositions, when she tried a hauteur and assumption so often practised pinch herself, and pronounced that it wanted by acknowledged belles; she had a most graceful way of taking her snuff; and stuck through her ears were two very long mimosa thorns for the purpose of combing her woolly locks. I think all must agree in placing her on record as a most charming and divine nymth! She was, alas, another's! Twenty cows had been paid for her, and five men assagied, before she became the property of my gallant friend Inkau. It took at least a pint of gin before I could work him up to tell his story."

An old lady regards him favorably. Here is her portrait.

drying in the sun, and would then be good.
During the whole time that she was at work
she was uttering disjointed remarks to me, and
at length proposed, in the most shameless
and barefaced manner, that I should marry
her daughter. I requested to know which of
the damsels then present was the proposed
bride, and was shown a young lady about
twelve years old, who had very much the
appearance of a picked Cochin-China fowl.
I concealed my laughter, and told the old
lady that when this lassy became taller, and
very fat, I might then think more seriously
of her proposition; but as at present I had
not six cows (the required price) handy, I
could not entertain the subject. The old
lady told me she would get the skin and
bone adorned with fat by the time I came on
another visit; and, for all I know, this black
charmer may be now waiting in disappointed
plumpness.

I stayed seven days at this kraal: after the third day I had no bread or biscuit, but merely roasted Indian corn and meat, with the amasi and ubisi (sour and sweet milk). Therefore I felt the want of bread, butter, and a bed, and bidding my shooting companion farewell, I distributed beads and tobacco to the women and some lucifers to the men, and then took my departure. I should wish to testify to the manner in which 1, a perfect stranger, unknown by name or reputation to these savages, was treated during this visit. They were kind, civil, and really hospitable It was pleasing to see a young Kaffir girl come each evening with a bowl of milk and some corn, and, putting them down quietly beside me, look with her wild black eyes into my face, and musically say, 'Ar ko inkosi' (Yours, chief)."

"Her face was thin and wrinkled, while her whole body looked as though it were covered with a skin that had been originally intended for a very much larger person. She had also suffered from sickness, as was shown by the scars all over her body,-signs of the cupping and bleeding that had been performed on her by some Kaffir doctor, with an assagy in lieu of a lancet. Still she did not seem to be much displeased with herself, a circumstance for which I can only account by the absence of looking-glasses in this village. I did not feel much inclined to move after my long walk this day, so I took a seat near the door of the hut, and watched the old lady turn my tobacco into snuff. She first cut it up into little bits with an assagy, and brought two large stones to the hut; into the lower stone, which had a well-worn hollow, she put all the bits of tobacco, and with the other, which was nearly circular, and about the size of an ostrich-egg, she commenced grinding the tobacco: it seemed very hard work, as she pressed heavily on the stone during the operation. After a The author's 'scapes and fortunes-how he time she added some water, which made the mess into a sort of paste, something like a was treed by elephants, and how he fuddled child's dirt-pie. After a great deal of grind the fish with an insane root, those who like ing and scraping, the composition began really to look like a snuff-powder. She then to consult his entertaining book may find got a wooden spoon nearly full of white amply detailed. wood-ashes, and mixed them with the to

A RUSSIAN AND AN ENGLISH REGIMENT.-up together in he same square:-"See," said a Neapoliton to me, who had mistaken me for The courage of an English army is the sum total of the courage which the individual soldiers one of his couutrymen, "there is but one face bring with them to it, rather than of that which in that whole regiment; while in that (pointing they derive from it. When I was at Naples, a to the English), every soldier has a face of his ussian and an English regiment were drawn own."-Coleridge's Friend.

PUBLISHERS' PROSPECTUS.

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THE CHEAPEST PERIODICAL IN THE WORLD.

This work, which has been received with universal approval of the Press, religious and secular, has also enjoyed the cordial approbation of many eminent men of our country,- among them,

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STANFORD & DELISSER, PUBLISHERS,

637 Broadway, New-York.

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