FIRST MORNING AT ZASKOORA. 33 



or thereabouts, and ending at dark, is a 

 rougher form of pleasure and comes much 

 nearer the point where pain and pleasure 

 meet, than either football or boxmg. 



A Svan has no idea of waking you by 

 degrees. It is not as it is at home, first your 

 shaving water, then a younger sister and her 

 scales — finally, the effective summons of the 

 breakfast bell, by which time you have come 

 back by easy stages from dreamland ; but 

 here a rough hand shakes you out of your 

 blanket almost into the wood ashes, and in 

 five minutes from your waking start and 

 shiver you must be en ruute, with all your 

 stiffened muscles on the stretch. 



The ten roubles I had promised Simon, if 

 I should be lucky enough to secure a good 

 ram, made him terribly wide-awake and eager 

 that first morning at Zaskoora ; so though it 

 was still dark night, with as yet no pretence 

 of approaching dawn, I had to sit up and 



VOL. II. D 



