334 DRIVING. 



It was indeed with a heavy heart that we parted from such 

 good friends and generous enemies as the Viceroy Muravieff, 

 Dondukoff Karsakoff, Loris Melikoff, Serge Cheremeteff, and 

 many others. 



We started on our long posting journey under the care of 

 Prince P. Gagarine in a ' tarantass,' and as that vehicle became 

 for a time a sleigh it deserves here a word of description. The 

 body of the machine was like the centre portion of a boat that 

 had had its stern and bow cut off. This midship segment was 

 closed at either end, and over it was spread a sort of leathern 

 waggon tilt. There was no superfluous luxury about its internal 

 fittings. Valises containing some bedding and a portmanteau 

 had to suffice for seats and everything else. Some four or five 

 rough poles connected the axles, did duty for springs, and 

 supported the body. The driver sat upon some primitive 

 and mysteriously attached edifice in front. The distance that 

 separated the axles was so great that after the fore-wheels had 

 bumped through a hole or over a rock one went to sleep again 

 before the hind wheels negotiated the same obstacle. The 

 machine as a rule had five horses attached to it, three at the 

 wheel and two in the lead, but I have seen as many as eleven 

 employed when the quality of the road was somewhat below the 

 average. Amongst the many advantages appertaining to the 

 ingenious construction there was this very important one : it 

 would travel either upon runners or wheels, as occasion required. 

 If there were little or no snow the thing went upon wheels, 

 the runners being attached to the poles connecting the axles. 

 If there were good snow the wheels and runners changed 

 places. 



Now we could not have left Tiflis at a more disadvantage- 

 ous moment than the end of March, but in Russia of all 

 countries in the world ' on ne connait que la consigne.' 



Travelling is always more difficult and dangerous in spring 

 during the debacle than at any other time of the year. The 

 snow melts, avalanches fall, the ice on the rivers breaks up, 

 floods, floods are everywhere, the lower lands are rotted and 



