1856.] A Siberian Winter, 105 



^ ^ibjerian Wiinttx, 



The following graphic account of a Siberian winter, taken from 

 "Travels in the North," we recommend as '' coTd comfort^' to all 

 grumblers at the " snug weather " of our present winter. 



** The traveler in Siberia, during the winter, is so enveloped in furs 

 that he can scarcely move ; and under the thick fur hood which is fas- 

 tened to the bear-skin collar, and covers the whole face, and can draw in, 

 as it were by stealth, a little of the external air, which is so keen that 

 it causes a very peculiar and painful feeling to the throat and lungs. 

 The distance from one halting place to another takes about ten hours, 

 during which time the traveler must always continue on horseback, as 

 the cumbrous dress makes it insupportable to wade through the snow. 

 The poor horses suffer at least as much as their riders ; for besides the 

 general effects of the cold, they are tormented by ice forming in their 

 Bostrils and stopping their breathing. AYhen they intimate this, by a 

 distressed snort and a convulsive shaking of the head, the drivers 

 relieve them by taking out the pieces of ice, to save them from being 

 suffocated. When the icy ground is not covered by snow, their hoofs 

 often burst from the effect of the cold. The caravan is always sur- 

 rounded by a thick cloud of vapor ; it is not only living bodies, which 

 produce this effect, but even the snow smokes. These evaporations are 

 instantly changed into millions of needles of ice, which fill the air. and 

 cause a constant slight noise, resembling the sound of torn satin or thick 

 silk. Even the reindeer seeks the forest to protect himself from the 

 intensity of the cold. In the tundoas, where there is no shelter to be 

 found, the whole herd crowd together, close as possible, to gain a little 

 warmth from each other, and may be seen standing in this way quite 

 motionless. Only the dark bird of winter, the raven, still cleaves the 

 icy air with slow and heavy wing, leaving behind him a long line of 

 thin vapor, marking the track of his solitary flight. The influence of 

 the cold extends even to inanimate nature. The thickest trunks of trees 

 are rent asunder with a loud sound, which in these deserts falls on the 

 ear like a signal shot at sea ; large masses of rocks are torn from their 

 ancient sites ; the ground in the tundoas, and in the rocky valleys, cracks, 

 forming wide yawning fissures, from which the waters which were 

 beneath the surface^ rise, giving off a cloud of vapor, ar.d become imme- 

 diately changed into ice. The effect of this degree of cold extends even 



