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To his good looks was joined an uncommon strength of
body, which he retained to his old age.1
Another brilliant and romantic career was that of
Ensign Barthold Ennis.1 2 He has left us some short
notices of his banishment to Siberia after the disaster of
Poltawa. We learn from them that he started from
Moscow, where he had to assist at the Czar’s triumphal
entry on the 22nd of December, 1709, on the 12th of
January in the next year, and did not reach Tobolsk until
the 14th of February, 1711, having accomplished the
journey partly on board small vessels. His prison-life
turned out to be more endurable than that of others, as he
possessed great mechanical skill. He was able to turn
out good work at the lathe, to weave and to crochet, after
having procured the necessary implements. Prince
Gagarin, who had seen some of his products, commissioned
him to weave Gobelins for his castle of silk embroidered
with silver and gold flowers, for which he received one
Rubel a yard. Ennis had now not only enough for
himself, but he also procured work for three of his
comrades, whom he taught as his apprentices the art of
weaving; their names were George Mallin, Gustaf Horn,
and John Barry. With the help of these three he soon
earned enough to treat twelve of his poorest
fellow-prisoners to a good dinner on every Sunday of the year.
On 21st November, 1721, the glad tidings reached
Tobolsk that peace had been concluded between Sweden
and Russia, and two months afterwards thirty-three
1 It is a remarkable fact that most of the Scottish officers who had
been imprisoned in Siberia reached a great age. Many accounts tell of
their extraordinary “ Kroppstärke,” “bodily strength.” With Gerner’s
son, Colonel Jacob (1722-99) the Swedish noble family of Gerner
became extinct.
2 Of the Ennis of Helsingfoss, see Part I.
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