i;2 BALAKLEYA 



introduce the English game. Besides, in Russia, French 

 fashions are far more popular than English ones. I used to 

 play billiards a good deal when I was in the Service, and 

 have made many a pretty serie on French tables, especially 

 at Cafe Paradiso in Alexandria, where I have often had a 

 gamble at carambolage and trictrac. 



In out-of-the-way places in Russia, the post-office people 

 have so few papers to read, that they naturally fill up this 

 literary want by perusing the letters which pass through their 

 hands. Few would object to this solace of official boredom, 

 if the postal authorities were energetic enough to return the 

 letters to their respective envelopes after they were done 

 with, and to forward them on to their legitimate destination. 



o 



But in that country of neechdvo and sleeping all the afternoon, 

 such a high degree of smartness cannot be expected from 

 officials. To avoid letters becoming lost in this manner, 

 people writing to or from the interior of Russia often register 

 their letters, which was a mode of protection adopted by my 

 wife when writing to me from England while I was at the 

 cadres. This precaution enabled me to get her epistles 

 intact, until I arrived at Balakleya, where I was handed by 

 the Brigade Adjutant three of her registered letters which 

 had been opened, so he told me, by the General. As he also 

 told me that there was a lady in the station who understood 

 English, but whose acquaintance I had not the honour of 

 making, I hope their perusal amused him. Had 1 had the 

 pleasure of seeing him, I would have been only too glad to 

 have arranged to have sent him all my old letters, including 

 those from duns ; but he did not make his appearance all the 

 time I was at Balakleya. The officers tolcl me that he was 

 very old : over eighty, I believe. They seemed to get on all 

 right without him. 



Captain Oznobishin, who put me up, did everything he 

 could to make me comfortable, and Captain Andre Drossi, 



