LEAVING BYSK 271 



The road to the next station, Ovchinikovskaya, 

 fourteen miles distant, was over a very narrow track. 

 So narrow was it indeed that one of our horses got 

 ofif the track into very deep snow, and some valuable 

 time was lost in extricating it. After this episode 

 the irioujik tied one of the horses behind the sledge 

 and drove the other two tandem. Not a cloud was in 

 the sky, and the country we passed through was 

 unifoniily attractive, being richly wooded with birch- 

 trees. .We reached the village, which also lies in a 

 valley, but only stayed long enough to pack another 

 sledge and procure fresh horses, and were soon on 

 the way to Jelensky, i6| miles farther. The road 

 was good, lying, in fact, over the typical steppe 

 country, without a tree to be seen and only a few 

 wild bushes showing themselves here and there. 

 During this stage we had sortie good shooting, 

 bringing down a large cra;ne, in Russian, " jouravl." 

 Being shot in the wing, it lay on its back with its 

 legs in the air, ready to attack us with its formidable 

 beak. We could hear the cries of its companion as it 

 soared out of reach of the gun. We pretended to go 

 away, in the hope that it would return and enable 

 us to have another shot at it, but the creature was 

 too sagacious. Large numbers of these birds are to 

 be seen in this part of the country. The specimen 

 we obtained was three feet across the wings and 

 stood about three feet high; when walking together 

 in pairs they present a very striking appearance. 



In 2j hours we arrived at Jelensky, the roads still 

 being in good condition, and, after a light lunch, 

 started dft the next stage to Chelofsky, a distance of 

 i8f ttiiles. From Jelensky to Bamaoul by the post 

 road is forty miles, but there is also a more direct 

 road, which is only twenty-five miles. We took the 

 latter road, covering the distance in three hours, 

 through a fairly well- wooded district. Nine versts 



