SPRING THAW DIFFICULTIES 239 



and saw a Russian peasant actually sowing seeds. 

 I had seen no land that had ever been touched by, 

 a plough from Katunda to Chorni-Anni. This was 

 civilisation once more, and the sight was truly 

 pleasurable after so much wild cotuitry. iWe also 

 noticed a huge forest, fired fully four to six square 

 miles, on the slope of a mountain to our left. Finally 

 we reached Chorni-Anni, which is the central market - 

 town of the Kalmucks, and, in comparison with the 

 villages through which we had just passed, is quite 

 civilised. It contains a spacious market-place, in 

 which the annual Easter fair was being held when 

 we arrived. All transactions are conducted on a 

 system of barter, and one respectable London corn- 

 dealer's shop would stock all that this huge market 

 has to' offer. The principal article of trade at the 

 fair is flour ; but boots, bread, butter, and other 

 articles are also bought and sold. All business was 

 stopped as we drove through the village to the post 

 station, the peasants, in long, shirt -like overalls and 

 enormous fur caps, dragging themselves out of the 

 way in the most leisurely fashion to make a passage 

 for our drosky. Every one of them, as far as I could 

 see, raised his cap to salute us as we passed, to which 

 we naturally replied by raising our own. 



Arrived at the post station we learnt that the road 

 we had come from Bysk had been impassable for 

 six days, and that no one had ventured to attempt it. 

 kWe decided, therefore, to be guided by the man at 

 the post station, who was willing to direct us as to 

 the best road to take. As for the road we had come 

 by, neither he nor any one else would attempt it, 

 and there had been no communication with Bysk for 

 fully seven days. Wjs discussed the matter at con- 

 siderable length, and finally decided upon a road 

 which started away west from Chorni-Anni, whereas 

 the one we had decided to abandon runs east by 



