SPRING THAW DIFFICULTIES 241 



On attaining the top of the ridge we entered what 

 was, in effect, a second circle of mountains like the 

 one we had just left, and were several hours descend- 

 ing through snow-drifts along a rough and devious 

 road. In some places the hardy and vigorous steppe 

 grass had withstood the winter colds and we came 

 across great patches of it growing from two to three 

 feet high. The sun set gradually while we were in 

 the middle of our difficulties, and, when we entered 

 upon the road which led to the village, pitch dark- 

 ness had already come upon us. The snow had been 

 shaken off the wheels of the drosky and mud had 

 taken its place. We were just congratulating our- 

 selves upon having surmounted our difficulties when 

 we were warned by a scraping noise that some- 

 thing was amiss. One of the wheels of the drosky 

 had come off, so we were obliged to tumble out of 

 the vehicle and strike matches until we found it. 

 It was a small wheel and required a great deal of 

 fixing, but we succeeded in getting it in its place at 

 last and drove for another quarter of a mile. Then 

 it came off again, and the process of searching for 

 it and fixing it in its place in the darkness was 

 repeated. This happened every three or four 

 hundred yards, but we reached the village at last 

 in pitch darkness, having done the 20 versts 

 (12^ miles) in about six hours. 



It was a memorable journey. The drosky crawled 

 through the darkness and the moujik groped about 

 for the post station. When we did find it at last 

 we had to knock up the people in charge, as they 

 had already retired to rest. We ordered tea and 

 food, and, before turning in, I went outside for a 

 few moments to breathe the fresh air and look at 

 the night. Everything was still, "and the darkness 

 indescribably intense. I could hear a dog barking 

 in the distance and the steady munching of a horse, 



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