TO AZOF AND TAGANROG. 
421 
indignation: “ You shall hear how they obtain c ^ r p - 
it ; and what they do with it ; and why you . > 
never see any of it. They are industrious mer- 
chants, and derive wealth by commerce: they 
are good husbands and fathers, providing for 
their families, and educating their children : 
and you never see all this, because, as you con- 
fess, you never visit them.” 
We succeeded, with great difficulty, in ob- Departure 
taining leave to quit the place the following day. 
General Pekin lent us his assistance ; and it was 
owing chiefly to his interest that twenty soldiers 
were ordered to attend by day-break, and to 
assist in towing the boat against the current ; 
as it was necessary to re-ascend a part of the 
river, and to proceed towards the sea by one of 
the mouths through which the Don disembogues 
itself, nearer to Taganrog than that branch of it 
upon which Azof is situate. We took leave of 
our boisterous entertainers soon after midnight, 
most of whom were by this time more than 
“ half seas over and, in order to secure our 
retreat, we determined to pass the night in the 
boat. It was still dark, and dreadfully tem- 
pestuous. A thunder-storm came on, and the 
wind blew with the fury of a hurricane. As 
we passed the sentinels, to go towards the 
river, vivid flashes of lightning disclosed to us, 
