74 RUSSIA THEN AND NOW 



a half of whose houses had been destroyed by 

 fire a few days before. Three men fell upon their 

 knees before us in the road, begging for help to 

 rebuild their homes. Next to famine and pesti- 

 lence, fire is the most fearfully dreaded enemy of 

 these people. In a dry time, when a blaze starts 

 among their heavily thatched straw roofs many of 

 the houses go up in fire and smoke together. 



Count Paul Bobrinskoy, my companion of many 

 days, now about to part with me at the railway 

 station, Kashinow, fell upon my neck and kissed 

 me, just as we are told in the Book of Acts the 

 companions of his namesake, the great Apostle, 

 did, and like the Apostle's friend, I, too, "sorrowed 

 most of all for the words which he spake, that I 

 should see his face no more/ 



I carried with me a letter written by Count Paul 

 to Vladimer Ivanovitch Peterson, the station- 

 master at Riask, five hours' journey toward Mos- 

 cow, written to him that I might be directed to 

 the right train at that point, which was a junction 

 of two lines of railway. I presented this letter 

 on arrival, nine o'clock at night, to a servant of 

 the company. With the aid of a bystander, an 

 English gentleman, who observed my futile 



