120 NORTHERN RUSSIA. 



information. He armed himself with a loaded revolver; 

 and hid himself in the wood, in the environs of Moscow, 

 to watch his prey. The carrier appeared in due time ; 

 dropped and concealed the cotton bale in the wood ; 

 passed on ; and in a short time was followed by the 

 young merchant in his drosky, accompanied by an empty 

 cart. The bale was conveyed into the empty cart by its 

 driver, and, along with the drosky and its driver, was 

 proceeding on their journey, when the Moscow gentleman 

 found himself suddenly seized by a huge man who 

 sprang into his vehicle beside him, threatening to shoot 

 him if he offered any opposition while pinioning his hands. 

 A mouse might as well have opposed a wild cat ! Mr. S. 

 drove him to the police-office of the district. 



Now it so happened that the head police-officer was 

 bribed by Mr. S. 



" Bribed 1 " I exclaimed, interrupting his story ; " how 

 could you do that ? ' A general smile prevailed on the 

 countenances of the company, while Mr. S. replied 



" Every man must bribe in this country. It is a tax, 

 understood and fixed. Unless merchants bribed the post- 

 office " 



"At what rate?" 



" I know some houses that p>y about 1 a week; and 

 the merchant who refused this would not get his letters 

 until long after they were due. Unless we bribed the 

 police, neither we nor they could live. For example, the 

 police-officer I speak of only receives as his nominal 

 salary say 100. But he has to keep four horses and 



