20 THROUGH RUSSIA ON A MUSTANG. 



the Church the Orthodox and only true church, and the 

 Russians are Christians, as distinct from foreigners, who 

 are heretics. 



We asked them about America. They had heard of 

 it, but knew nothing about where it was. They asked 

 if it was a good country to live in. 



" In America," I replied, " every man is his own 

 Czar, and nobody has to be a soldier unless he wants 

 to. 



"That may be good for America," they said, shaking 

 their shock heads, " but not for us. For us, our Czar 

 is much better." 



" Here you have to work for five rubles a month," 

 I pursued ; " in America a workman earns as much in 

 one day. Why don't you go to America, like the 

 Germans? " 



" It is true that we work hard and get small pay, 

 but it is better to remain in Russia and be poor than 

 to live elsewhere and grow rich. It is all very well for 

 the Germans, but we like Mother Russia best of all." 



How devoted they seemed, these rag-beclecked. 

 soft-spoken, polite peasants — how loyal to Mother 

 Russia and the Czar! The only grievances you could 

 wring from them by questioning on all points was 

 against their own local and nominally self-elected 

 officials. 



We passed the night in the house of a moujik, who, 

 from the peasant's standpoint, would be neither rich 

 nor poor. His house was leaning sadly to one side 

 and the back wall of it had disappeared, leaving the rear 

 rooms exposed ; but he owned a horse and rattletrap 

 telega and cultivated land for two souls, — himself and 



