276 DOWN RIVER TO THE KAMIN PASS 



We had arrived at Yeneseisk in a hard frost, but 

 before we had been there three days the south wind 

 overtook us. The snow began to melt, and taking fright 

 at once, we left at 1 1 o'clock on the evening of Monday 

 the Qth of April. For the first few stations the road was 

 through the forests or along the sloping banks of the 

 river, and we thought ourselves fortunate if we did not 

 capsize more than half a dozen times between two stations. 

 Afterwards our path was down the river, a splendid road 

 as long as we kept on it, perfectly level, except on 

 arriving at a station, where we had to ascend from the 

 winter level of the ice to the villages, which are built on 

 the bank above the level of the summer floods. Tne 

 villagers generally came out to meet us, and help us up 

 the steep ascent. The assistance they gave us in de- 

 scending was still more important. It sometimes almost 

 made our hearts jump into our mouths to look down the 

 precipice which led to the road. We commenced the 

 descent with three or four peasants holding on to each 

 side of the sledge. As the pace became fast and furious, 

 one or two of our assistants occasionally came to grief, 

 and had a roll in the snow, but the help they rendered 

 was so efficient that we ourselves always escaped without 

 an accident. 



In spite of the thaw, and the consequent bad roads, 

 we made seventy-eight versts the first night, and were 

 entertained by an official whom we had met at the house 

 of the Ispravnik in Yeneseisk. As is always the case in 

 Russia, we were very hospitably received, and on taking 

 leave of the Zessedatel, we were provided with a courier. 

 The Easter holidays were not yet over, and we might 

 have difficulty or delay in obtaining horses. This courier 

 accompanied us to the "grenitza," or boundary of the 

 province of Yeneseisk, a distance of about 300 versts. 



