CHAPTER XXVIII. 



MR NEWCOMB'S NARRATIVE. 



(CONTINUED.) 



OUR road, as we approached the city, lay on the Lena 

 River, and, as I saw the church spires rising in the 

 distance, it seemed as if I was approaching the Mecca of my 

 hopes. 



Yakutsk is situated on the right side of the river on rising 

 ground. It is a place of some four thousand inhabitants, 

 and the seat of government of Upper Siberia. On our arrival 

 we were taken to the office of the Chief of Police, whose 

 name was Carpuf. He was a dapper little man of some 

 thirty-two or three years, and very kind and attentive during 

 our stay in Yakutsk. When we first went into his office Mr. 

 Danenhower inquired if there was any one there who could 

 speak French. Upon this, a man stepped forward whose 

 name was Bobokoff, and through him Mr. Danenhower told 

 the Lieutenant of Police that he wished to see the Governor- 

 General, and also who we were. 



After this we were taken to a large house which was for 

 the accommodation of Russian army officers when traveling 

 that way. Our apartments consisted of two large rooms 

 comfortably heated, with chairs and some pictures and 

 flowers, and they proved quite a luxury to us. A hanging 

 lamp to burn kerosene (the first one I had seen in this coun- 

 try) was suspended from the ceiling. We were waited upon 

 by the Ispravnik, the Lieutenant of Police, and Captain Gro- 

 enbek of the steamer Lena, and the next day received a call 

 from Governor-General Tchernieff. 



After this, arrangements were made for us to obtain our 

 meals at an eating-house across the street from where we 

 lived, and the next day we got some cheap shirts and stock- 



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