Life of Schamyl | Page 8

victory. Trained to take part in the ambuscade, he will creep after his
master like a dog, and lie crouching at his feet in silence. No unkind
word is ever spoken to him; nor is he ever beaten; so that his spirit is
unbroken, and his attachment to his lord is manifested by the pleasure
he takes in his caresses, the gladness with which, snorting and pawing
the ground, he receives him on his back, the pride of step and eye with
which he bears him off, the fury with which he dashes into the fight
and pursues the enemy, and the intelligent fidelity with which he obeys
every movement of the rein or the hand, dutiful until he falls bleeding
at last on the field of battle, or at a very advanced age is relieved from
further service, and with clipt tail and mane is turned out to graze the
peaceful pastures until the day of his death.
There are a number of varieties of the Circassian horse, though without
very marked differences. Those of Kabarda are among the most famed;
and excellent cavalry horses are got by Pratof's stallions out of the
Tartar and Kalmuck mares. These are valued at from two to three
hundred roubles. The Turcoman breed also is highly esteemed,
standing about fifteen hands high, in perfect training, and joining to the
strength of a bull the spirit of a lion. But universally throughout the
Caucasus the native horse is docile, fleet, capable of enduring very
great fatigue, of supporting very great privations, possessed of the most
undeniable mettle, and endowed with the largest measure of
intelligence and affection within the capacity of the animal's nature. In
the best breeds his pedigree is kept with care; and the mark of his
master is branded in the shape of a horse-shoe, an arrow, or some
similar device on his haunches.

VIII.
THE CIRCASSIAN GAMES.

Throwing the djerrid was perhaps the deli-kan's favorite equestrian
amusement. To play this game a certain number of combatants,
belonging often to two different aouls or districts, assemble at an
appointed place, each mounted on his steed, and armed with a long
white wand or staff. At a given signal they all set off at full gallop in
pursuit of each other, the object of the race being to give blows and
avoid receiving them. The staves accordingly are seen flying through
the air in all directions. The dexterity with which the combatants
manage to elude each other's blows, catch a stave thrown at them, pick
up one from the ground, and that without alighting or losing a
moment's time, is to the stranger who for the first time beholds the
sport truly astonishing. When a horseman who happens to be without a
djerrid gets entangled among his opponents, he will be seen twisting
and turning with the activity of a wild-cat in order to elude the blows
aimed at him; now completely screened under the belly of the horse,
then lying at full length on his back, and again stretched by his side,
until regaining a djerrid he becomes in turn the assailant. In this rough
sport only the greatest agility and suppleness of limbs, combined with
extraordinary physical strength, can secure the palm, while the less
dexterous combatants may not escape without the disgrace of broken
heads.
Another feat which only long practice will enable the young rider to
perform, is one of archery. A mark is attached to the top of several lofty
poles fastened together so as to elevate it to a considerable height. Then
a horseman starting a short distance from the pole rides towards it at
full speed, and just before reaching it, suddenly bends his bow, stoops
to the left side of his horse the instant before the latter passes to the
right of the pole, and then twisting himself around with his face turned
back and looking almost directly upwards, lets fly the shaft
perpendicularly. The difficulty of the position, joined to the speed of
the horse, renders the hitting of the mark a proof of the highest skill;
and even where the competition is spirited, the victors are few.
Running for the flag is a game in which the fleetness and bottom of the
horse are tested perhaps more than the expertness of the rider. A
number of cavaliers having assembled, one of them taking a small flag,

or crimson scarf; or pistol cover embroidered by the fair hands of the
belle of the aoul, starts off on the gallop, his prize streaming in the
wind like a meteor. The others, after having given him the advantage in
the start, pursue for the purpose of overtaking him; for whoever
succeeds in coming up with the flag-bearer takes his place, and so to
the end