Jottmgs from Russia. 327 



a muster of our large crowd of excursionists for the purpose of 

 explaining our day's trip, we all tramped down to the banks of 

 the Volga and boarded the paddle-wheeled tug-boat which 

 awaited us. After the long and dusty journey by rail, it was a 

 great delight to get out into the fresh air of the river ; and I sat 

 surrounded by several congenial friends, high in the bow, 

 breathing in the pure air, and singing out of pure exuberance 

 of spirits. We went down stream for an hour, passing on the 

 bank two of the simple Russian villages crowded with Sunday 

 holiday visitors, all in their bright red frocks and queer sandals 

 or high felt boots. We landed on the bank at the base of a 

 high bluff whose rocks were full of fossils, whose striking simi- 

 larity to those Prof. Lawson and I had laboriously collected at 

 home, added another feature to the many that reminded us of 

 California. It was a warm day, the sky filled with floating 

 white clouds, the hills round about bare and brown and 

 the roads deep in dust, so that it was very easy to imagine our- 

 selves in the California foothills. But the aspect of the people 

 quite banished the analogy; especially when on our return, we 

 met the oddly-shaped boats crowded to the brim with the scarlet- 

 f rocked, bearded fellows, their one lanteen sail filled to the gen- 

 tle down stream breeze. We Americans (half a dozen at least) 

 left the crowd on landing and hurried off to the luxury of a bath, 

 — the first in many days, and not less delightful than neces- 

 sary. This past, we searched for fossils and soon whiled away 

 the two hours before return. At 2:30 we got back to "break- 

 fast," which was served on tables set in box cars (freight cars), 

 which are doubtless to be our traveling restaurants from now 

 on. The afternoon was spent in a second excursion up stream, 

 where we again bathed, and where I took my first lesson in 

 swimming (imagine in the Volga), which I am determined shall 

 not be my last. 



Our crowd is overwhelmingly German, two-thirds at least. 

 Some twenty-five Americans, ten English, six Italians, six 

 French, six Mexicans, two Japanese, ten Russians, and the 

 rest of German speaking races, make a rough estimate of our 

 varied party. So far all has gone well, and the splendid organ- 



