UP THE TOBOL 47^ 



removal of the Government offices to Omsk, it has 

 declined in importance. Its streets are wide, and paved 

 with thick planks or battens laid longitudinally, which 

 have rotted away in places, and a drive through the city 

 is an experience to be endured rather than enjoyed. We 

 found a second-class photographer in Tobolsk, from whom 

 I bought some photographs of Ostiaks and Samoyedes. 



The next day we steamed up the Tobol accompanied 

 by a small steamer, which was to take us on to Tiumen, 

 when the river became too shallow for our vessel to 

 navigate. The country we passed continued to be very 

 flat; there was seldom any view to be had from the deck 

 but that of the interminable willows on either bank. 

 Whenever we stopped for wood in the neighbourhood of 

 a village, its inhabitants came out with milk, cream, eggs, 

 raspberries, and cranberries to sell. These Russian 

 hamlets looked, as usual, poor and dirty; many houses 

 in them falling to ruins. On the other hand, the Tatar 

 villages were clean and orderly. 



We were nine days and nights steaming from Tomsk 

 to Tiumen ; but although the scenery was generally very 

 monotonous — for the most part a low sandbank and the 

 edge of an interminable willow-swamp was all that could 

 be seen — we nevertheless enjoyed the change. It was 

 something to be able to get a "square" meal. Occa- 

 sionally we were able to go on shore at the villages, where 

 we stopped to take in passengers or firewood. The stacks 

 of the latter at some of the stations were enormous. Our 

 engine-fires consumed forty sazhlns a day, more than two 

 hundred cubic yards. Twice before reaching Tiumen we 

 had to change into smaller steamers, which alone were able 

 so late in the season to thread the shallow labyrinth of the 

 Tura. This river winds like a snake ; we seemed to be 

 perpetually describing a circle : the normal appearance was 



