240 THROUGH RUSSIA ON A MUSTANG. 



I explained that I had not mistaken him for a station- 

 keeper, but that it was now dark, my horse was tired, 

 the road unfamiliar to me, and the post-station a long 

 way off. 



" This is not a house for travelers," he reiterated, and 

 turned on his heel by way of bringing the matter to an 

 end. 



The night came on very dark, and so, within a couple 

 of versts of this gentleman's place, I was compelled to 

 tie Texas, supperless, to a telegraph pole, and spread- 

 ing my rug on the ground beside him, also supperless, 

 wait till morning. 



Nearly all travelers who have spent any length of 

 time in Russia agree that the Russians are hospitable. 

 The lavish hospitality of the country houses of wealthy 

 Russians, and the ostentatious plenty of the Russian 

 merchant's table when guests are in his house, have 

 been attested by more than one English and American 

 traveler. Wallace tells of being the guest in a mer- 

 chant's house, where it was difficult to obtain anything 

 simpler than sturgeon and champagne; and the same 

 authority, treating this time more particularly of noble- 

 men's houses, says: " Of all the foreign countries in 

 which I have traveled, Russia certainly bears off the 

 palm in all that regards hospitality. Every spring I 

 found myself in possession of a large number of invita- 

 tions from landed proprietors in different parts of the 

 country, and a great part of the summer was generally 

 spent in wandering about from one country house to 

 another." 



In spite of my own experiences, then, the Russians are 

 hospitable. There is no doubt that a foreigner who 



