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satisfying our curiosity as dark was approaching. We saw many
water barrels drawn by two horses and mounted men hurrying
forward, and we had ourselves gone so far, that we did not
reach our boarding house on our return until a considerable time after dark.

On another afternoon we decided to visit the encamp
ment of the Imperial Guard, on a large open space or Champ
de Mars a short distance out of the city. They were said to number
80.000 men, which was probably true, as the space occupied by
the tents was very great. Upon reaching the outer line of the
tents, we stopped in our drosky in front of some drilling that
was going on, and, after alighting, a young officer approached
and invited us into his tent, offering us at the same time
a cigarette, which both of us declined. He took us for Frenchmen,
and we did not undeceive him, and the conversation while in his
tent was principally about the Crimea and the differences in ap-
pearance and equipment between the French and Russian Impe-
rial Guards. Fling had been to the Crimea and therefore had
something to say about what he had observed there, but his French
became perfectly infamous as he undertook to explain matters,
and it was a wonder to me that the Russian did not see through
the joke. When peace was concluded and the allies were leaving
the Crimea, the English army was reviewed and the Russians in-
vited to look on. There were only about 20.000 men in line, but
they had all been newly uniformed, and consequently made a good
show. The Russian had been a looker on and mentioned the new
uniforms with a perceptible twinkle in his eyes, for it was notorious
that the English had not distinguished themselves before Sevastopol.
A more creditable exhibition of their army would have been in their
worn uniforms which would have been mute witnesses of their fati-
gues and hardships. We were much pleased with the civility of this
officer, and the deception was my doing, as I was somewhat vain of my
French. It would have been more honest to explain where we were from
especially as all Americans were most welcome in Russia then.

The only occasion upon which we went at night
to a place of public amusement was to a garden on the outskirts where
there were fireworks and afterwards a concert within doors. After
the fireworks we entered the concert hall and in choosing our seats
I became separated from the rest of my party and secured a good
place not far from the orchestra. A moment after an officer in uni-
form with some ladies came to where I was and seemed to expect that
I would surrender my seat to him. There was nothing on the seats
though to indicate that they had been engaged and I was deter-
mined not to give way to the soldier, however much he might
consider that a common civilian should. Finding me unmoved
then by the sight of his immaculate white tunic and his very admi-
rable military bearing, he concluded that there was no remedy for
the situation and he stood up near by. Fling and the others were
observing him from where they were seated, and they told me after-
wards that they thought the officer would make some effort to oust
me, as he looked very savage and disgusted, and such is the pres-
tige of the army in Russia that perhaps he would have done so if I had been
a Russian in civil life of some kind.

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