38 SIBERIA 



South Africa. The passengers had been there for 

 hours, while a number of emigrants might well have 

 been waiting for a day or two, seated or reclining 

 on easy couches, their goods and chattels piled 

 around them on the floor. Nobody hurried, and it 

 looked for all the world like a holiday. After lunch 

 we made for the train, which was drawn up along- 

 side the station, but not under a roof as in our 

 English stations. The smoke from the engine could 

 rise into space without blackening the windows or 

 clouding the whole station. Iron roofs, a little 

 higher than the train, sheltered the platform. The 

 result was that the platform was airy and clean, 

 and the station buildings and halls in keeping with 

 them. 



We secured a first-class compartment with two 

 berths, our luggage being easily contained by the 

 racks, which hold fully five times as much as those 

 in English railway carriages. One advantage of 

 travelling first is that one's luggage is not exfcessed, 

 although it may exceed the legal weight by as much 

 as half a hundredweight. In a second-class carriage 

 — such, at least, was the experience of one of my 

 friends — the luggage would have been excessed. We 

 found an Irish friend on the platform who was 

 endeavouring, in very eloquent Irish, to convince 

 the station-master, who only spoke Russian, that his 

 tickets were in perfect order. My companion went 

 to his assistance, when it was discovered that the 

 Irishman had forgotten to provide himself with a 

 " place " ticket. As the bell had already sounded 

 once he was permitted to take his seat, the officials 

 agreeing to assess him on the train. The bell 

 sounded twice, and an immediate change took place 

 in the expressions of those saying " Goodbye." 

 There were merchants, emigrants, officers of the 

 Army, and Government officials, all bound for the 



