SPRING THAW DIFFICULTIES 249 



half when, at last, we emerged into the village street, 

 and groped our way to the post station. The post- 

 master had returned. The peasant whom he had 

 conducted that niorning had been thrown, through his 

 horse stumbling, and was the richer for a broken leg. 



The following morning we had our first meal of 

 flesh meat for the past fourteen days, and we did it 

 ample justice. It appeared that this was the 

 customary Easter calf. It was cooked entire, — head, 

 tail, and collaterals — but the cooking had been well 

 done, and the flesh tasted delicious, the more so, no 

 doubt, as we had been without food of the kind for 

 so long. 



Breakfast over, we began anxiously to make 

 arrangements for continuing our journey. We were 

 assured by the postmaster that we would experience 

 very little difficulty on the way, but we were not 

 easy to convince, and wished to put his assurances 

 to the test. As we drove through the village, the 

 name of which is Solonofka, we awakened quite 3. 

 flattering interest in the breasts of the native 

 population, who turned out in their strength to see 

 us take our departure. After a ride of about half 

 an hour we came to the river, at the spot where the 

 vanished bridge had stood, to find a very convenient 

 canoe waiting for us. We paddled across, the horses 

 swimming after the boat. The river was swollen 

 and the current very swift. A second drosky was 

 waiting for us on the other side, into which we 

 climbed, rejoicing exceedingly as we rattled over the 

 flat steppes and soon forgetting our adventures of 

 the night before. We had a journey of seven miles 

 to Seechofka. As we drove into the village we 

 passed groups of peasants standing idly at the street 

 corners — celebrating Easter. The people at the post 

 station had not expected visitors on a Sunday, but 

 they willingly gave us horses and harnessed them to 



