DON COSSACKS. 
387 
Perhaps an anecdote, which may now be C ^ I I J V I P - 
related, will render the contrast between Cossacks ' 
and Russians more striking. The truth of it, 
owing to its notoriety, will not be disputed by 
either party. When a quarrel among the Cossacks 
causes them to combat each other, they fight, 
as in England, with their fists, and never with 
knives, daggers, or any similar weapon. This 
practice is so established a characteristic of the 
people, that it gave rise to a very remarkable 
wager. Teplof and Gelagin, two of the late Remark- 
Empress Catherines privy-counsellors, chanced w ag «r. 
to be in her presence, when it was told her 
that a Cossack priest, then a monk in the Convent 
of St. Alexander Nevsky, had been arrested for 
cutting the throat of a young woman, whom he 
had made pregnant, and with whom he had 
quarrelled : upon this Teplof offered to wagej^ 
with Gelagin that the monk was not a Cossack. 
The bet was made, and won by Teplof; the 
monk proving to be a Russian. Being questioned 
how he could possibly divine the probable 
success of his wager ; “ Because,” said he, “ no 
Cossack would strike a woman: if he did, he 
would use his cane ; not his knife.” 
It was during one Sunday evening that Lieu- Survey of 
tenant-colonel Papof conducted us over the 
whole of Tcherkask. We walked a distance 
