ious stranger would
again triumph.

For some moments the cautious walk-round continued, then there was a
sudden exclamation of surprise from the crowd, for the blacksmith seized
his adversary by the waist, and with a quick throw, caused him to turn
almost a somersault in the air, and to come down on his back with
stunning violence.

While the heavy fellow lay, as if slightly stunned, on the ground,
Petroff stooped, again shook hands with him, and then lifting him high
in the air, as though he had been but a boy, set him on his feet, and
turned to resume his jacket, amid the enthusiastic cheers of the people.

Petroff's jacket was handed to him by a pretty dark-eyed girl of about
five years of age, who bore so strong a resemblance to the young woman
who had brought the blacksmith on the scene, that I at once set them
down as sisters. The child looked up in the champion's face with such
innocence that he could not resist the temptation to stoop and kiss her.
Then, taking the little one's hand, he pushed through the crowd and
left the ring. I observed that the young woman also rose and went with
them.

Feeling interested in these people. Lancey and I followed, and overtook
them before they had quitted the field. I said in Russian:--

"Good-day, Petroff; you overthrew that fellow with greater ease than I
had expected."

The blacksmith gave me a look of pleased recognition as he returned my
salutation.

"Well, sir," he said, "it was not difficult. The man is strong enough,
but does not understand the art well. You are an Englishman, I think."

"I am," said I, somewhat surprised as well by the question as by the
superior manner and address of the man.

"It was a man from your land," returned Petroff, with a grave earnest
look, "who taught me to wrestle,--a man from Cornwall. He was a
sailor--a stout fellow, and a good man. His vessel had been anchored
off our village for some time, so that we saw a good deal of him. They
had a passenger on board, who landed and went much about among the
people. He was a German, and called himself a colporteur. He taught
strange doctrines, and gave away many Bibles, printed in the Bulgarian
tongue."

"Ah," said I, "no doubt he was an agent of the British and Foreign Bible
Society."

"Perhaps so," returned Petroff, with a somewhat perplexed look, "but he
said nothing about that. His chief desire seemed to be to get us to
listen to what he read out of his Bible. And s