42 AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI 



Russia, where peasants arc only tenants oi the 

 land, and are shifted by decisions of the community 

 from one hit of ground to another ; the result being 

 that they never care to improve ground which next 

 year may be taken away and allotted to someone 



else. Here every peasant is a small proprietor, 

 and the Government land tax is cheerfully paid. 



In one of the villages our tarantass wheels at 

 last succumbed to the overwhelming mud, and 

 caused a long delay. The mud, indeed, was so 

 deep that all traffic was stopped, and the inhabitants 

 had great difficulty in wading from one side of the 

 street to the other. We reached Bisk in the dark, 



