COLONISTS AND EXILES IN SIBERIA. 537 



sake his sure bullet remorselessly ends a human life. Apart from 

 such misadventures, the fugitive meets with scarcely any hindrance. 

 For every Siberian, from innate good -nature, or compassion 

 wrongly bestowed, perhaps also from fear or laziness, is more ready 

 to help a fugitive than to hinder his flight. In all, or at any rate 

 in many of the villages on the route, the villagers place a can of 

 milk, a large piece of bread, and perhaps even a piece of meat 

 behind an open window to furnish the fugitive who may pass 

 through their village by night with food, and thus to prevent his 

 stealing. So long as the fugitive takes only what is freely offered 

 to him, so long as he begs for what he needs, refrains from seizing 

 things forcibly, and neither steals nor robs, even the district-gover- 

 nor shuts an eye when unknown people travel by night through 

 his village, appropriate the food intended for unfortunates, and seek 

 and find a night's rest in the baths, which are always warm, and 

 always stand apart from the other buildings. And though an 

 "unfortunate" should beg in broad daylight, no one will betray 

 him; should the same "unfortunate" beg for a bridle, no one will 

 refuse it who has one to spare. What he wants the bridle for they 

 know well enough. Outside of the village the horses are grazing, 

 untended by anyone notwithstanding wolves and bears. The 

 fugitive walks up to the herd, throws the bridle over the head of 

 a capable stallion, swings himself up on its broad back, and trots 

 comfortably away. 



" Nikolai Alexandrovitch," someone announces to the owner of the 

 horse, " an unfortunate has just seized hold of your best black horse, 

 and ridden away towards Romanowskaja; shall we follow him?" 



" Nitschewo," answers Nikolai, "the little horse will come back; 

 it is probably an unfortunate. Let him ride." 



And the little horse does come back; for in the meadow behind 

 Romanowskaja the " unfoi'tunate " had exchanged it for a fresh one 

 on which to continue his journey, while the black horse trots com- 

 placently home along the familiar road. 



Thus aided and abetted, ninety out of a hundred fugitive exiles 

 reach Tjumen, Perm, and even Kasan. If they were more experienced 

 in travel, or had some idea of geography, if they did not always keep 



