SLEDGING DOWN THE VOLGA 259 



Calcutta, 2300 miles north of that city, before the roads 

 broke up, and then to sledge nearly a thousand miles due 

 north, before entering the Arctic Circle. Our sledge 

 was something like a cab on runners, with an empty 

 space under the driver's seat to enable us to stretch our 

 legs at night. We sledged away, day and night, with 

 three horses abreast, stopping to change them every 

 fifteen to twenty miles, with bells tinkling to drive away 

 the wolves. At first our road was down the Volga, and 

 we travelled smoothly along with no greater misfortune 

 than an occasional run through a snow swamp where the 

 thaw had been greatest ; but on some of the banks we 

 were knocked about unmercifully, the motion of the 

 sledge resembling that of a boat in a short choppy sea. 

 It was late in the year, and the roads were worn out. 



On Sunday we dined at Vassilla. There had been 

 some frost during the night, but it was thawing rapidly 

 at noon. Birds were plentiful for the time of the year. 

 Hooded crows, jackdaws, and house-sparrows were very 

 common, and I saw one flock of snow-buntings. Vassilla 

 is a large town about half-way to Kasan, the distance 

 from Nishni to Kasan being 427 versts, about 280 miles. 



We continued to sledge thus down the frozen Volga, 

 travelling day and night, with occasional snowstorms and 

 a persistent thaw. The left bank of the river as we 

 travelled down was comparatively flat, but the other 

 bank was hilly. This is the case with the Petchora, and 

 also with the Ob and the Yenesei. There was very little 

 change in the birds on the roadside. House-sparrows, 

 jackdaws, and hooded crows were the commonest. Once 

 I saw a pair of ravens, and once a solitary great tit, and 

 at a station 61 versts before we reached Kasan tree- 

 sparrows were feeding with the house-sparrows. On 

 the banks of the Volga were numerous holes, evidently 



