instant they looked behind, but, finding no hope of escape in that
direction, each man of them suddenly grasped up a handful of mud, and,
dashing it over his nostrils, shouted "Death, to the garlic-eaters!"
and rushed against the enemy with indescribable ferocity. Never before
were such prodigies of valor performed on the field of battle. The
French went down like stricken reeds before the ferocious onslaught of
the Imperial Guard. Their dead bodies lay piled in heaps on the bloody
field. The fortunes of the day were saved, and, panting and bleeding,
the men of Noses stood triumphantly in the presence of their chief. In
an ecstasy of pride and delight he complimented them upon their valor,
and pronounced them the brightest nosegay in his imperial majesty's
service, which name they have borne ever since.

CHAPTER X.

THE EMPEROR'S BEAR-HUNT.

The present emperor, Alexander III., is more distinguished for his
liberal views respecting the rights of his subjects than for his
military proclivities. In private life he is much beloved, and is said
to be a man of very genial social qualities. His predominating passion
in this relation is a love of hunting. I have been told that he is
especially great on bears. With all your experience of this manly
pastime in America, I doubt if you can form any conception of the
bear-hunts in which the Autocrat of all the Russias has distinguished
himself. Any body with nerve enough can kill a grizzly, but it
requires both nerve and money to kill bears of any kind in the genuine
autocratic style. By an imperial ukase it has been ordered that when
any of the peasants or serfs discover a bear within twenty versts of
the Moscow and St. Petersburg Railway, they must make known the fact
to the proprietor of the estate, whose duty it is to communicate
official information of the discovery to the corresponding secretary
of the Czar. With becoming humility the secretary announces the
tidings to his royal master, who directs him to advise the distant
party that his majesty is much pleased, and will avail himself of his
earliest leisure to proceed to the scene of action. In the mean time
the entire available force of the estate is set to work to watch the
bear, and from three to five hundred men, armed with cudgels, tin
pans, old kettles, drums, etc., are stationed in a circle around him.
Dogs also are employed upon this important service. The advance
trains, under the direction of the maste