At last the army was ordered to march back, and being then the property of a Cossack, he put me on a pony, and made me keep up with the squadron, driving me before him with his long spear, sometimes sticking the point into the rear of the pony, and sometimes into me, by way of a joke. But I had not been more than ten days on the retreat, before he sold me, pony, bridle, saddle, altogether, as a bargain, to an infantry officer, who, as soon as he had taken possession, made me dismount, while he got in the saddle, desiring me to lay hold of the pony’s tail and follow him. When they halted he made me wait upon him, and do every thing which he required. In the morning he mounted again, and I had to walk after him, as before. This was hard service for one who had been the favourite of the sultan. For a week I contrived to hobble after him, but it was impossible to go on any longer. We passed through a town, and as soon as we were clear of the gates and he did not watch me, I let go the tail of the pony, and escaped without his perceiving it. I regained the town, and faint with hunger and fatigue, sat at the steps of a large house. A lady, dressed in rich furs and sables, came out, and perceiving that my dress was foreign, stopped, and inquired of me who I was. I told her in a few words: she ordered me to be received and taken care of. A few days afterwards she sent for me, and I then narrated to her my history. She was kind and generous, and I became her head attendant; I was contented and happy, and hoped to die in her service. But my misfortunes were not half over. My mistress was a lady of rank, and much esteemed. Her house was always full of company: she was rich, and gave most splendid entertainments. Her husband had been dead about two years, but she was still very young, and exceedingly beautiful. One evening, when there was a large party assembled in her rooms, the door was opened, and an officer came up to her and whispered in her ear. She coloured, trembled, and said that she would be ready in an hour. I was near her at the time; she beckoned to me, hastened to her room, and burst into a flood of tears.
“I am ordered to Petersburgh immediately, on a charge of treason. My conscience tells me that I have done nothing: but, alas! for me, the emperor has no mercy. Ekaterina,” for that was the name I went by, “will you accompany me?—it will be a long, and a melancholy journey. God knows how it may end.”
I immediately consented—packed up what we required, and without disturbing those who were enjoying themselves we gained the court-yard, and took our seats in a britska, in company with the officer. In four days we arrived at Petersburgh, and my mistress was separated from me and thrown into prison. She never saw her accusers or her judges; her memorial to the emperor was disregarded, and she was condemned—but her punishment was not immediately decided upon.
For three weeks my mistress remained in prison. I was, by the humanity of the officer, who had the charge of her, allowed to visit her for a few minutes every day, but it was always in the presence of a third person. One morning when I came, the poor lady fell upon my neck and sobbed a long while without speaking; the countenance of the officer was also melancholy to a degree, and I perceived that a tear occasionally trickled down his manly cheek.
“Ekaterina,” said she, at last, “I have heard my sentence, and am to be punished to-morrow. O God! forgive them their cruelty and injustice:” and she sank from my arms upon the floor of the dungeon.
We raised her, and she recovered a little. “Yes, Ekaterina, I am to be punished to-morrow for a crime of which I am innocent—a punishment—God have mercy!—worse than death. The knout—the knout—and that attended with public exposure in the market-place. May God forgive the emperor his cruelty!”
I had heard of this dreadful punishment, but little thought that women suffered by it. It was too barbarous.
“I have not heard of it,” said the pacha. “Tell me, old woman, is it worse than the bastinado?”
“Yes, your highness. It is a whip of enormous power, so that if the executioner has a private order, he can kill the party on whom it is inflicted by two or three blows; but your highness will better comprehend the nature of the punishment when I describe what I witnessed.”