He was, in spite of all help, a corpse before the end of eight
hours. The dead body was landed in the morning, at Bschada; it was
packed in a heap of sail-cloth, and kept secret from the travellers.
The cabin was thoroughly washed with vinegar, and scoured, and no
one else was attacked.
I did not at all wonder that there was sickness on board, only I had
expected it would be among the poor soldiers, who were day and night
upon the deck, and had no further food than dry, black bread, and
had not even mantles or covering; I saw many half-frozen from cold,
dripping with rain, gnawing a piece of bread: how much greater
suffering must they have to undergo in the winter time! The passage
from Redutkale to Kertsch, I was told, then frequently occupied
twenty days. The sea is so rough that it is difficult to reach the
stations, and sometimes the ship lies for days opposite them. If it
should happen that a poor soldier has to proceed the whole distance,
it is really a wonder that he should reach the place of his
destination alive. According to the Russian system, however, the
common man is not worthy of any consideration.
The sailors are indeed better, but, nevertheless, not well provided
for; they receive bread and spirits, a very small quantity of meat,
and a soup made of sour cabbage, called bartsch, twice a day.
The number of officers, their wives, and soldiers on the deck,
increased at every station, very few being landed from the ship.
The deck was soon so covered with furniture, chests, and trunks,
that there was scarcely a place to sit down, except on the top of a
pile of goods. I never saw such an encampment on board a ship.
In fine weather, this life afforded me much amusement; there was
always something new to see; every one was animated and happy, and
appeared to belong to the same family; but if a heavy rain came on
suddenly, or a wave washed over the deck, the passengers began to
shout and cry, and the contents of every chest became public. One
cried, "How shall I shelter my sugar-loaves?" another, "Oh, my meal
will be spoiled." There a woman complained that her bonnet would be
full of spots; here, another, that the uniform of her husband would
certainly be injured.
At some of the smaller stations, we had taken on board sick
soldiers, in order to carry them to the hospital at Kertsch. This
was done, as I was told, less on account of nursing them than as a
measure of safety.
