n8 LISKI 



I met many old friends in Russia. A great crowd, 

 especially those in the horse line, came from Germany, 

 such as rotmistr (Rittmeister = & cavalry captain), shpora 

 (Sporn = spur), trenzel ( Trense = snaffle), moondshtook (Murid- 

 stiick = mouth-piece, meaning curb-bit), and Schenkel, which 

 signifies "thigh" in German, but is used in Russian riding 

 schools to denote the lower part of the leg when it is applied 

 to the horse's side as an "aid." A few words come from the 

 French, such as sakvoyaj, a hand-bag, and akvartl, a water- 

 colour painting. Persian gives Russian among other words, 

 soondook(l?eYs.sandook) for "trunk," and arbooz (Pers. tarbooza) 

 for "water-melon." The Gypsies and Jews have my old 

 Indian friend, kaput (broken) in frequent use. 



The military cantonment of Liski is made up of a line 

 of barracks, half a dozen large and lofty stables, the same 

 number of riding schools, a few detached houses in one of 

 which the General lived, and a line of paltry native shops 

 of the Indian bazaar type. From the high ground occupied 

 by the barracks, a pretty view (Fig. 24) can be obtained of 

 the river Don and the old town of Liski on the other side 

 of the river. 



On arriving at Liski in the morning, I got a one-horse 

 drojky (cab) outside the station, and drove to the General's 

 house in order to call upon him. I found General Hahn 

 to be a fine old soldier, tall, gaunt, a strict martinet, and a 

 good judge of a horse. Whether right or wrong, he brooks 

 no contradiction, and his German quartermaster, Rotmistr 

 Heppener, told me with sincere pride that in slanging the 

 officers and men under him, he hasn't his equal in the entire 

 Russian army. On hearing this, I wondered how he would 

 have fared in a match with my clear old friend, poor George 

 Gambier of the Royal Horse, who used to command the 

 Chestnut Troop. On one occasion at a review, so the 

 story goes, the gun teams tied themselves into knots, and 



