THE URAL COSSACKS AND THEIR FISHERIES. 769 



In 1580, we read in a historical document, came to the lower 

 part of Yaik River a band of Cossacks and expelled from the 

 country the remainder of a once famous and strong Gold-Horda 

 of Tartars. They ruined Saraitchik, the chief residence of the 

 Tartars, and sailing up the river, founded a fortress near the place 

 where is now situated Uralsk, the chief city of the Ural Cossacks. 



At first these warlike bands lived by a rather peculiar industry 

 — marauding of hostile neighbors (Tartars) and sometimes com- 

 mercial ships on the Caspian Sea en route from Khiva and 



Persia. 



" Ah, formerly we Cossack fellows 



Sailed pretty well on thy waves, 

 In light boats looking for prey, 



For the prey from Khiva and Persia," 



says one Cossack song about this old time. 



It is difficult to say when the Ural Cossacks changed this in- 

 dustry for the more peaceful one of fishing. Probably this was 



Married woman. Old woman. Girl. 



Fig. 2. — Ttpes of Ural Cossack Women. 



very soon after the conclusion with the Muscovite Czar of a kind 

 of protectorate (1613), which is commemorated by a peculiar old 

 custom of presenting fish and caviar from the community to the 

 imperial court. This custom, sanctified by more than three centu- 

 ries, exists yet, and was doubtless a token of loyalty and hospital- 

 ity similar to the custom of the Russian agricultural population 

 of presenting bread and salt on like occasions. As the Russian 

 peasant poetizes his hard agricultural labor and surrounds it with 



VOL. XLIII. 56 



