RUSSIAN OFFICIALDOM 273 



white gloves, patent boots, medals, a cigarette and 

 a bristling moustache, strode in, followed by a 

 couple of satellites in grey overcoats. One had 

 pince-nez ; his hair, moustache and beard were 

 all brushed in different directions, whilst his com- 

 panion appeared to be suffering from adenoids. 

 They brought an atmosphere redolent of the 

 Burlington Arcade in their wake. The bristly 

 gentleman, after a rapid exchange of spitting gut- 

 turals with the satellites, decreed with an air of 

 Jove-like solemnity that the permit for our rifles 

 and baggage did not include us and that we must 

 continue to inhale ozone at bright and breezy 

 Bakti until one arrived. 



I would have given worlds for plenty of room 

 and a free kick as he clanked pompously out. He 

 was the only Russian official we met who showed 

 gratuitous incivility. 



All that day, all the next and the next we passed 

 in helpless rage. We occupied one small room 

 belonging to a Russian merchant, where we slept 

 and fed with our sleigh drivers and any odd man 

 who happened to turn up. Our only relief consisted 

 in watching the " Scotch elder " prepare for the 

 night. He gradually shed various coats (incident- 

 ally losing a marvellous waist), after which he 

 repeated the process with the garments clothing 

 his nether limbs. He eventually arrived at a series 

 of fancy waistcoats and a pair of gauze trousers 

 decorated with a blue pattern which would not have 

 disgraced the leading lady in a Turkish musical 

 comedy. As a covering to his skinny little limbs 

 they caused us a good deal of amusement. 



We were much encouraged during our enforced 



