Mineral Point Tribune

The Terrible Tcherkesses.

The Tcherkesses—the term now most used in Europe to designate the different Caucasian tribes—are a wild, bellicose, and rapacious nation. The Tcherkess is a warrior in his very soul, sly, cruel, and blood-thirsty. The sufferings of an enemy awaken in him only a sensual smile of enjoyment. He tortures his prisoner, kills him, and mutilates him terribly. How many loved comrades have I found with their arms twisted out of joint, and other parts of their bodies cut off and stuck in their mouths! The Tcherkess is not a fanatic, but he is a great fatalist; and now he is in the Russian service he attacks with the same ruthless ardor and blood-thirstiness the Mussulman with whom thirty years ago he used to fight side by side against the Russians. He always seeks to attack his enemy in the sly, but when he does not succeed in surprising him, he dashes upon him and displays prodigious courage.

Tcherkess boys are trained from their tenderest years to ride and handle weapons. The Tcherkess horseman will rush at full gallop into a small court-yard, and not turn his horse until he strikes his nose against the wall. In the same way he will gallop toward a precipice, and turn his horse only when his forefeet are over the abyss. All the Tcherkess games and dances are of a warlike nature. One of the most picturesque sights one can imagine is a Tcherkess fete, when these tall, dark-skinned men, handsome and muscular, with their swords and poniards drawn, execute their favorite dance, the "Lesginka," around a fire, which, with its red glare, lights up their strong features and illumines the surrounding woods and rocks. A favorite game is to leap on horseback over the fire when the flame is at its highest. All the natives of the Caucasus carry arms up to the present day, and the Russian government finds it prudent not to interfere with this usage. Still it must appear strange to one who travels for the first time in the Caucasus to find himself surrounded by people who are all armed to the teeth. Doubtless the Caucasus is pacified, but travelling there is not completely safe. The Tartars and Kurds in the southern Caucasus, and the Jangouches in the northern districts, often indulge in brigandage.

In European warfare the Tcherkesses are very useful on outpost duty and as skirmishers. Even in open battle they can make very successful charges. In the last Turkish campaign it happened once that a trench occupied by the Turks was attacked by a battalion of infantry, but the deadly fire preventing them from reaching the intrenchments, order was given to the Jangouche militia to mount to the attack, and they simply dashed upon the enemy like a hurricane, leaped over the defences, and massacred the Turks inside.—Harper's Magazine.