INTRODUCTION. 5 



doubt that it somehow has upon them a strange and 

 powerful influence. 



* Any one who undertakes a journey of this kind should 

 possess a well-knit, muscular frame and good tough 

 sinews, capable of supporting an unlimited amount of 

 jolting and shaking ; at the same time, he should be well 

 inured to all the hardships and discomfort incidental to 

 what is vaguely termed i( roughing it." When he wishes 

 to sleep in a post-station he will find nothing softer than 

 a wooden bench, unless he can induce the keeper to put 

 for him on the floor a bundle of hay, which is perhaps 

 softer, but on the whole more disagreeable than the deal 

 board. Sometimes he will not get even the wooden 

 bench, for in ordinary post-stations there is but one room 

 for travellers, and the two benches there are rarely more 

 may be already occupied. When he does obtain a 

 bench, and succeeds in falling asleep, he must not be 

 astonished if he is disturbed once or twice during the 

 night by people who use the apartment as a waiting-room 

 whilst the post-horses are being changed. These passers- 

 by may even order a Samovar, and drink tea, chat, laugh, 

 smoke, and make themselves otherwise disagreeable, 

 utterly regardless of the sleepers. Then there are the 

 other intruders, of which I have already spoken when 

 describing the steamers on the Don. I must apologise to 

 the reader for again introducing this disagreeable subject. 

 Jilsthetically it is a mistake, but I have no choice. My 

 object is to describe travelling in Russia as it is, and any 

 description which did not give due prominence to this 

 species of discomfort would be untrue like a description 

 of Alpine climbing with no mention of glaciers. I shall 

 refrain, however, from all details, and confine myself to a 

 single hint for the benefit of future travellers. As you 

 will have abundant occupation in the work of self-defence, 

 learn to distinguish between belligerents and neutrals, 

 and follow the simple principle of international law, that 

 neutrals should not be molested. They may be very 

 ugly, but ugliness does not justify assassination. If, for 



