On  the  bridal  eve,  while  all  the  guests
were  assembled,  and  the  bride,  in  wedding
garments,  was  the  centre  of  attraction,
she  suddenly  disappeared.  After  a  long
search  her  body  was  found  in  one  of  the
apartments  of  the  castle,  but  life  was  ex-
tinct. At  Eastertide  the  shade  of  this  sad
body  makes  the  round  of  the  deserted
halls,  and  in  passing  leaves  after  it  a  faint
odor  of  wild  roses.
The  basement  is  half  filled  with  old
rubbish.  I  found  rooms  where  an  amateur
minstrel  entertainment  had  been  given.
Rude  lettering  upon  the  walls  recorded


Over  the  Rocky  Mountains  to  Alaska.  145

the  fact  in  lampblack,  and  a  monster
hand  pointed  with  index  finger  to  its
temporary  bar.  Burnt-cork  d&bris  was
scattered  about,  and  there  were  "old
soldiers"  enough  on  the  premises  to  have
quite  staggered  a  moralist.  The  Muscovite
reign  is  over.  The  Princess  is  in  her  grave
on  the  hill  yonder, — a  grave  that  was  for-
gotten for  a  time  and  lost  in  the  jungle
that  has  overgrown  the  old  Russian
cemetery.  The  Indians  mutilated  that
tomb ;  but  Lieutenant  Oilman,  in  charge
of  the  marines  attached  to  the  Adams,
restored  it;  and  he,  with  his  men,  did
much  toward  preserving  Sitka  from  going
to  the  dogs.
