114 THE HORSE AND HIS RIDER. 



they can, against the merciless Boreas, who comes to 

 them unchecked in his course all the way from the 

 pole. To a stranger it is quite harrowing to see the 

 noble animals, in severe weather, in one of these un- 

 protected enclosures. The stallions and the stronger 

 beasts take possession of the shed ; the timid and 

 feeble stand in groups about the wall, and creep closely 

 together, in order to impart a little warmth to each 

 other. Nor is it from cold that they have most to suf- 

 fer on these occasions. Early in winter they still find 

 a little autumnal grass under the snow, and the tabun- 

 shick scatters a little hay about the stable to help them 

 to amuse the tedious hours of night. The customary 

 improvidence of a Russian establishment, however, 

 seldom allows a sufficient stock of hay to be laid in 

 for the winter. As the season advances, hay grows 

 scarce, and must be reserved for the more valuable 

 coach and saddle horses, and the tabunshick is obliged 

 to content himself with a portion of the dry reeds and 

 straw stored up for fuel. For these he has soon to 

 battle it with the cook and the stove heaters, whose 

 interest never fails to outweigh that of the poor taboon 

 horses. These, if the winter lasts beyond the average 

 term, are often reduced to the thatch of the roofs, and 

 sometimes even eat away one another's tails and manes ; 

 and that in a country where every year more grass is 

 burnt during the summer, than would suffice to provide 

 a profusion of hay for a century of winters ! It will 



