EXPEDITION TO THE ALTAI 151 



compromised matters on the understanding that he 

 would be at liberty to stop at the last village and 

 engage a huntsman and horses and spend his time 

 hunting, while I went to the mountains. At four 

 o'clock that afternoon we resumed our journey, and 

 I was truly delighted that I had not been compelled 

 to proceed alone. 



Mr. N. A. Sitcheff, a wealthy merchant of the 

 place, was good enough to lend me a " shuba," which 

 is ,a heavy coat made entirely of fur. It was so 

 thick and heavy that I thought it quite a joke to 

 put it on, feeling that no cold, not even that of 

 Siberia, would be intense enough to penetrate it. I 

 was mistaken. It is impossible for any one who has 

 not experienced it to realise what the cold in Siberia 

 is like, or to calculate the thickness of the clothing 

 necessary for comfort in that country. 



As there is little or no difficulty in making the 

 journey as far as Bysk, I have not given the inter- 

 mediate stations or their distances. Beyond Bysk, 

 however, the country is so little known, and there 

 are so many different post routes, that I propose 

 to describe the country more minutely, in order that 

 my description may serve as a guide to any future 

 travellers . 



The first stage was one of 1 6 miles to Krasnobaisk . 

 We spent about two hours on the way shooting white 

 hares ; meanwhile the Sun set behind the distant 

 Altai Mountains. It was half -past seven when we 

 reached Krasnobaisk. We directed our yamshtchik 

 to drive us to the post station, but instead of doing 

 so he took us to his friends. The domestic arrange- 

 ments at this place left much to be desired. The 

 house was very small and stuffy, the interior being 

 illuminated by a solitary candle, while a family of 

 eight lay huddled in sleep upon the floor. While the 

 baggage was being shifted I did my best to fraternise 



