Twenty of the most fiery horsemen dashed forward, without the slightest order or regularity, galloping onward and back again, placing themselves in all kinds of attitudes, and alternately passing each other.  At one moment they jostled one another from the course, and at the same time held in their horses, then again they let them go at full gallop over the plain.  After this, they each took slender sticks, called djigidis, and darted them as they rode, either in the charge or the pursuit, and again seizing them as they flew, or picking them up from the earth.  Several tumbled from their saddles under the strong blows; and then resounded the loud laugh of the spectators, while loud applauses greeted the conqueror; sometimes the horses stumbled, and the riders were thrown over their heads, hurled off by a double force from the shortness of their stirrups.  Then commenced the shooting.  Ammalat Bek had remained a little apart, looking on with apparent pleasure.  His noukers, one after the other, had joined the crowd of djigiterers, so that, at last, only two were left by his side.  For some time he was immovable, and followed with an indifferent gaze the imitation of an Asiatic combat; but by degrees his interest grew stronger.  At first he watched the cavaliers with great attention, then he began to encourage them by his voice and gestures, he rose higher in his stirrups, and at last the warrior-blood boiled in his veins, when his favourite nouker could not hit a cap which he had thrown down before him.  He snatched his gun from his attendants, and dashed forward like an arrow, winding among the sporters.  “Make way—­make way!” was heard around, and all, dispersing like a rain-cloud on either side, gave place to Ammalat Bek.

At the distance of a verst[19] stood ten poles with caps hanging on them.  Ammalat rode straight up to them, waved his gun round his head, and turned close round the pole; as he turned he stood up in his stirrups, turned back—­bang!—­the cap tumbled to the ground; without checking his speed he reloaded, the reins hanging on his horse’s neck—­knocked off another, then a third—­and so on the whole ten.  A murmur of applause arose on all sides; but Ammalat, without stopping, threw his gun into the hands of one of his noukers, pulled out a pistol from his belt, and with the ball struck the shoe from the hind foot of his horse; the shoe flew off, and fell far behind him; he then again took his gun from his nouker, and ordered him to gallop on before him.  Quicker than thought both darted forward.  When half-way round the course, the nouker drew from his pocket a rouble, and threw it up in the air.  Ammalat raised himself in the saddle, without waiting till it fell; but at the very instant his horse stumbled with all his four legs together, and striking the dust with his nostrils, rolled prostrate.  All uttered a cry of terror; but the dexterous horseman, standing up in the stirrups, without losing his seat, or even leaning forward, as