366 FULL SUMMER AT LAST 



annex anything ; he tried hard to cajole me, first, out of 

 my double-barrelled gun, then of my single barrel, and 

 lastly he made a dead set at my binocular, but I denied 

 him everything, and he left me with a sour countenance. 

 Certainly, in all my experience, I have never met with 

 :so shameless a beggar as old Von Gazenkampf. His 

 name led one to expect that he had some German noble 

 blood in his veins, and his aristocratic appearance 

 encouraged the supposition, but one soon discovered 

 that he belonged to the corrupt school of Russian officials 

 in the worst days of serfdom. It is scarcely possible to 

 believe that the Government of St. Petersburg is aware 

 of the rascalities practised in remote corners of the 

 empire, and no doubt an official sent from headquarters 

 to examine into the administration of these distant 

 districts, would on his arrival be heavily bribed to keep 

 ■silence. It was lamentable to see the universal system 

 of plunder carried on. The Russian peasants plunder 

 the poor Ostiaks, the Government officials and the 

 Yeneseisk shopkeepers plunder the Russian peasants. 

 Commercial honour seemed almost unknown on the 

 Yenesei. Let us take an instance. During our stay the 

 Mayor of Yeneseisk was a merchant, who had formerly 

 been a pedlar. Like many of the shopkeepers of that 

 unfortunate town, he came from the district south of 

 Nishni-Novgorod. He was at that time computed to be 

 worth two million roubles. He had failed twice, dishonour- 

 ably it was said, and paid each time five shillings in the 

 pound. We had a fine specimen of his mode of trans- 

 acting business. We bought sundry articles from him, 

 paid for them, and got a receipt. These were of the 

 value of seventy-three roubles, and were to be brought 

 down by the steamer to our ship with other articles 

 •ordered. When the river became navigable, the goods 



