270 DOWN RIVER TO THE KAMIN PASS 



rosposki, on which our empty " pavoska " was mounted, 

 a vemschik standing- on the box at the back, and 

 driving his three horses over the top. Equipage No. 2 

 was a tarmitass, with two horses, drawing our luggage. 

 Equipage No. 3 was another tarantass, containing 

 Captain Wiggins and myself. We got away about 

 1 1 A.M., and trundled along over snow, mud, grass, or 

 gravel up the hill, through a series of extempore rivers, 

 and across the steppes — a wild bleak country, like a 

 Yorkshire moor — for 35 versts, at an expense of fifteen 

 roubles. The next staofe was 28 versts. The road was 

 a little better. We dismissed the rosposki, and travelled 

 in the otherwise empty sledge, but retained one tarantass 

 for our luggage. This stage cost us six roubles. Night 

 came on, and after a squall of wind, snow, and sleet, it 

 grew a little colder. The next stage was 23 versts. We 

 travelled as on the last, but transferred our luggage from 

 the tarantass to a sledge. We had reached the forest, 

 the roads soon became better, the wind got more 

 northerly, the night was cooler, and we got off for four 

 roubles. At the end ot this stage we repacked our 

 sledge, got horses at the regular price of three kopeks 

 per verst per horse, and matters began steadily to 

 improve. Our five horses were soon knocked down to 

 four, and finally to three. What little wind there was 

 blew cold, the sky was clear, the sun shone brightly, and 

 all our troubles were over for the present. The road 

 became excellent. The country was hilly, and the 

 scenery grew once more like an English park with fine 

 timber. We might easily have fancied ourselves in the 

 Dukeries in Nottinghamshire. Hooded crows had 

 entirely disappeared, but the carrion crow was several 

 times seen. In the evening we dined at a roadside 

 station, kept by a Jew. We had potato soup and fish, 



