ibutes "the sabre of honor" to his bravest Murids, after a
bloody encounter. With traitors or criminals whom he has resolved to
destroy, he will converse without betraying the least sign of anger or
vengeance. He regards himself as a mere instrument in the hands of a
higher Being; and holds, according to the Sufi doctrine, that all his
thoughts and determinations are immediate inspirations from God. The
flow of his speech is as animating and irresistible as his outward
appearance is awful and commanding. "He shoots flames from his eyes,
and scatters flowers from his lips,"--said Bersek Bey, who sheltered
him for some days after the fall of Achulgo,--when Schamyl dwelt for
some time among the princes of the Djighetes and Ubiches, for the
purpose of inciting the tribes on the Black Sea to rise against the
Russians. Schamyl is now (_circa_ 1847?) fifty years old, but still
full of vigor and strength: it is however said, that he has for some
years past suffered from an obstinate disease of the eyes, which is
constantly growing worse. He fills the intervals of leisure which his
public charges allow him, in reading the Koran, fasting, and prayer.
Of late years he has but seldom, and then only on critical occasions,
taken a personal share in warlike encounters. In spite of his almost
supernatural activity, Schamyl is excessively severe and temperate in
his habits. A few hours of sleep are enough for him: at times he will
watch for the whole night, without Showing the least trace of fatigue
on the following day. He eats little, and water is his only beverage.
According to Mohammedan custom, he keeps several wives--[this
contradicts Wagner, who affirms that Schamyl always confined himself
to one]; in 1844 he had _three_, of which his favorite, _Dur Heremen_,
(Pearl of the Harem) as she was called, was an Armenian, of exquisite
beauty."

Will Russian arms prevail in the end? The following is Herr
Bodenstedt's answer; after noticing the arrival of Woronzow, and the
expectations raised by his talents, by the immense resources at
his command, as well as by such events as the storm of Schamyl's
stronghold of Cargo:--

"He who believes that the issue of this contest hangs on the
destruction of stone fortresses, on the devastation of tracts of
forest, has not yet conceived the essential nature of the war in the
Caucasus. This is not merely a war of men against men--it is a strife
between the mountain and the steppe. The population of