DON COSSACKS. 
perceive that lie plunged a hollow cylinder 
vertically into the river, causing a noise under 
water, like the bursting of an air-bubble : this 
might be heard from the shore, on either side. 
The appearance of Tcherhask, viewed from 
the river, affords a most novel spectacle. 
Although not so grand as Venice, yet it some- 
what resembles that city. The entrance to it 
is by broad canals, intersecting it in all parts. 
On each side, wooden houses, built on piles, 
appear to float upon the water: to these the 
inhabitants pass in boats, or by narrow bridges 
only two planks wide, with posts and rails, 
forming a causeway to every quarter of the 
town. As we sailed into this city, we beheld 
the younger part of its inhabitants upon the 
house-tops, sitting upon the ridges of the 
sloping roofs, while their dogs were actually 
running about and barking in that extraordinary 
situation. During our approach, children leaped 
from the windows and doors, like so many frogs, 
into the water, and in an instant were seen 
swimming about our boat. Every thing seemed 
to announce an amphibious race : not a square 
inch of dry land could be seen : in the midst 
of a very populous metropolis, at least one half 
of its citizens were in the water, and the other 
half in the air. Colonel Papnf conducted us to 
361 
CHAP. 
XIII. 
Extraordi- 
nary Ap- 
pearance of 
'J'cherka&k. 
Inhabi- 
tants. 
