AMONG THE DON COSSACKS 23 



his mother; and later on to an older widowed sister, 

 and his own modest requirements paid for. He would 

 then say, gratefully, as one relieved of a burden: "No 

 more money, no more worry ! I have given it all where 

 it belongs." 



In accepting the offer from the Caucasus he was only 

 too happy at the opportunity to do the work he had 

 been preparing himself for in the previous three years. 



In March, 1886, my husband, our little daughter 

 Marie and I left for Yiesk, a town east of Rostov, on 

 the border of the Caucasus the very heart of the 

 country of the Don Cossacks. The estate consisted of 

 about 2,000 acres of land. Parts of it were sub-leased 

 to Letts, who had emigrated from Lapland several dec- 

 ades before, and the rest to the native Cossacks. My 

 husband's mission was to bring the land that had been 

 sub-leased to a higher degree of cultivation. The 

 property was laid out mainly in small fruit orchards, 

 yielding apples, pears, plums and grapes, and in large 

 fields of rye, wheat and corn. 



As soon as we arrived at the estate, a three-room 

 house was built for us, and in this we bestowed our- 

 selves comfortably and hopefully. 



My husband's public-spiritedness, which played so 

 great a part in his nature, showed itself immediately. 

 First he called together all the tenants of the estate 

 under his management and informed them that his 

 knowledge was at their service; that he was always 

 ready, nay, eager to give them advice in whatever ca- 



