Dig izsd by Google of Second- Captain Liko, was invested by the enemy in greatly superior force; as the fort contained a considerable amount of maU'ncl of war, which the commander was determined should n6t fall into their hands, he refused all terms of surrender, and the Circassians prepared for the assault. Being thus hard pressed and without any prospect of relief, Captain Liko resolved that the victory of his enemies should be dearly bought, and called for a volunteer to apply a match to the magazine so soon as the mountaineers should be in possession of the fort, A private named Arhippe Ossipoff, who immediately stepped to the front, was entrusted with the desperate task, and after the deadly struggle had raged and the Circassians poured in, a terrific explosion took place, the whole of the Russian garrison perished, and a few only of the enemy survived. On learning these facts, the late Emperor decreed that the name of Arhippe Ossipoff should for ever muster on the strength of the 77th regiment; the best-conducted man on the roll is recommended by the commanding officer to assume the name, and it has become the practice for the sovereign, when reviewing this corps, to inquire; ' Where is Arhippe Ossipoff? ' The representative replies, * Arhippe Ossipoff died for his country, and for the glory of Russia's arms.' A subscription was raised in 1873 by the officers of the raiment, for the purpose of erecting a monument to the memory of its hero,
Arhippe Ossipoff is here' the chief character in a pretty little legend, for how came Ossipoft's heroism to be known, when none of his brethren in arms were left to tell the tale? Yes, there was one of the Mihailovsky. garrison left to tell a tale, who was a deserter at the time of the occurrence, and subsequently gave himself up from disgust at his mode of life and treatment among the Circassians. The authorities probably thought of the deserter's by Google story, se non e vero, c hen trovato, so the Pole was pardoned his capital offence, while OssipofiT became immortalised, and his brave comrades remain for ever glorified.
We derived much pleasure from a visit to a school of little Osset girls, who were all attired alike in their national everyday dress — a pink cotton garment reaching from the neck to the ankles, with a second but shorter garment over it, open at the bosom, and tightened at the waist with a leathern belt, the head being bound with a black kerchief which completely concealed the hair; they all wore shoes and stockings. They are taught needlework and embroidery, to read and write the Russian language, and take their turn at the laundry and kitchen. One could scarcely remain unmoved and unimpressed at the sight of so much regularity and order at a charity-school in this nook of the vast empire, whose people are so little able to appreciate or practise either excellence, and among little creatures whose ancestors but a generation or two ago were a rude, intractable tribe, a lawless and pagan race. This school, like the one at Olghynsk, is solely supported by the ' Society for, the Restoration of Christianity in the Caucasus.' At the conclusion of the examination in our honour, the children sang a hymn and the national anthem, facing in their turn the two divinities whose images were suspended at one end of the room.
The bazaars are poorly furnished, but we saw the prized bourkas of Kabardah, and a large assortment of gold and silver braid, with which Vladykavkaz supplies the Caucasus.
Near the new railway terminus at the outskirts of the town, were a couple of miserable and degraded-looking creatures in rusty black, whose appearance at once attracted notice. We learnt that they belonged to a sect called the Strannyky, 'wanderers,' and Begounn^, 'runaways.' The Strannyky arc divided into three by Google
THE 'WANDERERS' AND 'RUNAWAYS: 15
classes, viz., they who wander, they who receive wanderers, and others that instruct, these last being subdivided into separate orders. Those who receive ' wanderers ' and are anxious to escape detection, submit in appearance only to the State and Church; they do not partake of the sacrament, but their children are christened and registered in the Orthodox Church, being afterwards washed, that all pollution may be removed; they are then baptized anew.