Page:Notes upon Russia (volume 2, 1851).djvu/183
The fortified city of Sandomir, situated on the Vistula, at the distance of eighteen miles from Lublin.
Poloniza, on the river Czerna, in which are taken very splendid fish, which are commonly called "lachs".[1]
The new city called Cortzin, with a walled fortress.
This place reminds me of a marvellous and almost incredible circumstance, which I have thought ought not by any means to be passed over. Once, in returning from Lithuania through this country, I fell in with a man who held a high place amongst the Poles, whose name was Martin Svorovski, who invited me very earnestly, and took me to his house, and received me with great cordiality. While we were talking familiarly on various subjects, he related to me that a certain nobleman named Pierstinski (at the time that King Sigismund was waging war beyond the Dnieper), being dressed in rather heavy cavalry armour, went into the river between Smolensko and Dobrovna up to his knees, and his horse suddenly becoming restive, he was thrown off into the middle of the stream, and as he did not appear for some time, was given up with certainty as a lost man; but that suddenly, in the presence of King Sigismund himself and his army, consisting of nearly three thousand men, he emerged from the water and came up to the bank. Now, although I was impressed with the authority of the man, yet he seemed to me to be telling a story of a very incredible character; nevertheless, it happened that on that same day we came, accompanied by Martin, to the new city of Cortzin, where lived a man of very high rank amongst the Poles, one Christopher Schidloveczki, castellan of Cracow, and captain of the same place. As I was received there by him at a very splendid entertainment, in company with many other most illustrious men, the recollection of this story of Pierstinski recurring to my mind, I could not refrain from making mention of it, which, in fact, happened very opportunely; for it was confirmed,
- ↑ A kind of salmon.