[Footnote 6:  It is worth noting—­as a characteristic of Russian misrule and of its consequences—­that this chieftain, after having been a devoted soldier of the Emperor for seven years, was goaded by the ill treatment of his officers into abjuring the service; make the offer of his sword to Schamyl, against whom he had fought with the utmost animosity; was heartily welcomed by that prudent leader, and became one of his principal lieutenants.]

“Schamyl is of middle stature; he has light hair, gray eyes, shaded by bushy and well-arched eyebrows,—­a nose finely moulded, and a small mouth.  His features are distinguished from those of his race by a peculiar fairness of complexion and delicacy of skin:  the elegant form of his hands and feet is not less remarkable.  The apparent stiffness of his arms, when he walks, is a sign of his stern and impenetrable character.  His address is thoroughly noble and dignified.  Of himself he is completely master; and he exerts a tacit supremacy over all who approach him.  An immovable stony calmness, which never forsakes him, even in moments of the utmost danger, broods over his countenance.  He passes a sentence of death with the same composure with which he distributes “the sabre of honor” to his bravest Murids, after a bloody encounter.  With traitors or criminals whom he has resolved to destroy, he will converse without betraying the least sign of anger or vengeance.  He regards himself as a mere instrument in the hands of a higher Being; and holds, according to the Sufi doctrine, that all his thoughts and determinations are immediate inspirations from God.  The flow of his speech is as animating and irresistible as his outward appearance is awful and commanding.  “He shoots flames from his eyes, and scatters flowers from his lips,”—­said Bersek Bey, who sheltered him for some days after the fall of Achulgo,—­when Schamyl dwelt for some time among the princes of the Djighetes and Ubiches, for the purpose of inciting the tribes on the Black Sea to rise against the Russians.  Schamyl is now (circa 1847?) fifty years old, but still full of vigor and strength:  it is however said, that he has for some years past suffered from an obstinate disease of the eyes, which is constantly growing worse.  He fills the intervals of leisure which his public charges allow him, in reading the Koran, fasting, and prayer.  Of late years he has but seldom, and then only on critical occasions, taken a personal share in warlike encounters.  In spite of his almost supernatural activity, Schamyl is excessively severe and temperate in his habits.  A few hours of sleep are enough for him:  at times he will watch for the whole night, without Showing the least trace of fatigue on the following day.  He eats little, and water is his only beverage.  According to Mohammedan custom, he keeps several wives—­[this contradicts Wagner, who affirms that Schamyl always confined himself to one]; in 1844 he had three, of which his favorite, Dur Heremen, (Pearl of the Harem) as she was called, was an Armenian, of exquisite beauty.”