BYSK 266 



to find that it was snowing. We showed our letter 

 of introduction from the Minister of Ways and Com- 

 munications to the postmaster. It had been of great 

 assistance to us so far, but this particular moujik 

 was too near Bysk, and therefore too enlightened, 

 to be persuaded that it was quite as good as a post- 

 master's letter, so he required us to pay full fare, 

 stating that he would refund the balance to the 

 postal authorities. Our principal object being to 

 avoid being delayed, we had no objection to paying 

 more ; our reason for showing the letter was that we 

 were afraid of being stranded, the more so as several 

 peasants who were travelling the same way had been 

 refused horses at any price. 



We started in a driving snowstorm for Katunsky, 

 the last station before reaching Bysk, which is 

 situated on the River Katun, at a distance of about 

 eight miles from Bysk. While crossing a stream, 

 the ice of which had thawed, our drosky broke 

 through the ice-sheet about half-way across and 

 turned over sideways, depositing my companion in 

 the water and myself on top of him. As we were 

 both enveloped in large fur overcoats, which were 

 wrapped tightly round our legs, the situation was 

 not without a certain measure of inconvenience, 

 especially as the water was extremely cold and quite 

 two feet deep. My friend struggled to his feet and 

 walked out, while I, having reassumed the perpen- 

 dicular, helped to turn the drosky over again and 

 rescued one of the boxes from a watery grave. We 

 afterwards discovered that one of the gun cases had 

 got wet^ spoiling the gun. The horses struggled 

 ashore, and my companion insisted that it would be 

 folly to go on ; but I was determined not to turn 

 back, so, seeing that my mind was made up, he 

 consented to continue the journey. We removed our 

 stockings and poured the water out of our valenki. 



