The diary of a Russian lady : $b reminiscences of Barbara Doukhovskoy (née princesse Galitzine)Dukhovskaia, Varvara
General
The diary of a Russian lady : $b reminiscences of Barbara Doukhovskoy (née princesse Galitzine)
Dukhovskaia, Varvara
Russia -- Social life and customs; Voyages and travels
September 10th.—After having made a long halt at Zevine, we overtook a
large detachment of emigrants going to Kars on their way to America.
On the passage of the Saganlough we rejoined the rifle battalion. The
officers invited us to dismount and sit down to lunch on the grass
with them. When we came to Karagalis, a tiny hamlet composed of a few
cottages, the hut in which we were to pass the night appeared so dirty
and miserable to us that we preferred to sleep in the open air, stretched
on mats on the grass outside.
September 11th.—Rising early we remounted our horses. Amongst the crowd
of villagers who surrounded us we saw a great many Armenians wearing
fezzes on their heads. When one of our fellow-travellers asked an old
Armenian the reason why he wore this Turkish head-gear instead of a cap,
he replied candidly that he wasn’t quite sure yet to what territory he
was to belong, and said that if he belonged to the Turks he would have to
pay dearly for the change of his head-covering.
We reached Kars in safety some little time before sunset, after having
been in the saddle three days, riding at the rate of 50 miles a day, and
intended to put up at the London Hotel for rest, but General Franchini,
the governor of Kars, took us off to his house. I was tired out and
unable to do anything but rest and wanted a good sleep after our long
journey. I hurried up to my room and stretched my tired limbs in the
comfort of my bed.
Kars has changed considerably since my departure to Erzeroum; sign-boards
written in Russian are to be seen everywhere, and our language chiefly is
heard in the streets.
September 18th.—From Kars to Alexandropol we travelled in a post-chaise.
General Franchini and his colleagues expressed a desire to accompany
us to the first station on horseback. On approaching it, we were very
much surprised to hear the sounds of a military band and to see a large
tent in which a farewell banquet was served. A greater surprise still
awaited us; Sergy found an address under his table-napkin a printed order
proceeding from General Lazareff, in which he referred to my husband’s
first-rate administration of the country which had just been restored to
the Turks. During the repast we all remembered the painful moments that
we had passed during these two years of war. Thank God it’s happily over
now; all this nightmare of war done with and gone!
The first thing we did on our arrival at Alexandropol was to hire a
carriage and go and pray on the tombs of our departed friends, victims of
that terrible war. Quick! let us get out of this land of mourning, grief
and sorrow! Let us come out of the darkness and gloom into the light
again!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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