DON COSSACKS. 
305 
Below the town, which stands upon the c ^ p - 
western bank of the Don, we beheld this river, . — 
augmented to a most magnificent piece of water, 
rolling in a full and copious tide, and marking 
its progress, through a country otherwise sterile, 
by clumps of trees and flowers, and by an 
abundant vegetation near to its sloping sides : 
but all beyond is bare and desolate. We bathed 
frequently, and found the current very rapid. 
The fine sterlets caught here were often brought 
to regale us during our stay. We preserved 
one of them tolerably well ; but they have been 
often engraved; and, were this not the case, 
a young sturgeon will give a very good repre- 
sentation of their appearance. Another sort of 
fish, of large size, is also taken in this river; 
it is like the bream in shape, but quite equal to 
the sterlet in flavour. We had one served 
at our table, weighing half a poud (eighteen 
pounds). 
The women of this place are very beautiful. 
The shops are supplied with several articles of 
luxury, such as loaf-sugar, ribbands, costly silks, 
and other wares of large towns. Among the 
more numerous articles offered for sale were 
sabres. The Cossacks call this weapon Sabla ; 
the Poles and Malo- Russians, Sabel. We ob- 
served the bag-pipe frequently in use. A kind 
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