LEAVING BYSK 277 



arrived at Anisimofsky at eleven o'clock, the thermo- 

 meter registering 5 degrees a,bove freezing point. 

 There were still 130 versts to cover before we would 

 reach Novo-Nicolaevsk, and this we had an idea of 

 doing before midnight, so we promised each driver 

 something extra in the way of remuneration to go 

 at an increased speed. For three miles after we left 

 the road was very good, and we travelled the first 

 sixteen miles in two hours. According to the post- 

 house table for this station the journey should take 

 2^ hours, with half an hour's rest, and the return! 

 journey five hours, the horses to stand for three 

 hours after their return. We therefore did the 

 journey in one hour less than the official time. On 

 the way one of the horses had a nasty tumble. If 

 it had turned out to be a serious accident we should 

 have had to pay a fine of £4 for instructing the driver 

 to go beyond his speed limit. On this particulajr 

 journey we had made record time up to then, just 

 when we had expected to be hopelessly imprisoned 

 in isome village or other owing to the thaw. By 

 a little strategy we managed to escape the risk of 

 being fined, which we certainly should have been 

 for telling the moujiks to hurry. This was accom- 

 plished by telling them what the previous moujiks 

 had done and asking them if their horses were as 

 good. In addition, and this was the most important 

 point, we took good care to pay the extra kopecks 

 for good speed to the last moujik in the presence of 

 the new one. At this station, Garogekira, the dodge 

 worked splendidly, the moujik driving his horses at 

 a terrific pace, frightening them into increased efforts 

 by the most hideous shouts and yells. We arrived 

 at the next station, Medvedviseom, thirteen miles 

 away, in an hour, once more the best time on record 

 by a long way. 



The horses were harnessed in a curious manner, 



