DESCRIPTION OF THE COSSACKS. 81 



The young girls dress their hair in a multiplicity of curls, and instead 

 of the veil wear a small red fez, garnished with pieces of metal and 

 all kinds of trinkets. 



The Nogais are Mohammedans, of the sect called Sunnites (or 

 believers in the " Sunna," the sayings and aphorisms traditionally 

 attributed to the Prophet). Their name is derived from that of 

 their first chief, the grandson of Chingis-Khan, who, about 1260, 

 declared himself independent of the Kapchakian empire, and estab- 

 lished himself with his warriors on the borders of the Black Sea. 



The Kosaks (or Cossacks) are, as we have said, Slaves rather 

 than Tartars. They have blue eyes, red hair, thick lips, a flat nose. 

 Nimble, robust, indefatigable, skilful horsemen, they furnish the 

 Russian army with a formidable host of irregulars. Some have fixed 

 their homes in the towns, but the majority inhabit the villages or 

 stanitzas scattered over the Steppes. Very few are agriculturists. 

 Either they devote themselves to breeding horses and cattle, or live 

 on the small pension allowed them for their military services. Nearly 

 all the young and hardy of the males have no other trade but that of 

 arms. The Cossack chieftains, their Hetmans, or Attamans, derive 

 their authority directly from the Czar. Their religion is that of the 

 Russian Greek Church ; and they are, we believe, the only Chris- 

 tians in the entire zone of the Steppes. 



Bold and resolute robbers in time of war, the Cossacks " at 

 home" are peaceable, kindly-natured, and more honest than the 

 Russian Mongiks. The erroneous ideas which still prevail respecting 

 their character are mainly due to French prejudices, excited by the 

 disastrous events of 1814 and 1815, when the jingle of their arms 

 resounded in the streets of Paris. But they are not really so black 

 as they have been painted. The traveller passes through the country 

 which they inhabit with the utmost security, and is received in their 

 stanitzas with a hospitable welcome. 



These stanitzas, if we may credit Madame Hommaire de Hell, 

 present a far more agreeable appearance than the Russian villages. 



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