LEAVING BYSK 283 



they are. And the sudden chajige in spring would 

 just as surely change his temperament in the opposite 

 direction . 



The peasant labourer has cause for rejoicing when 

 one considers that he earns from is. 3d. to 2s. 6d. 

 per day of twelve hours in summer against lod. to 

 IS. 8d. per day of eight hours in winter. The mines 

 are closed in the winter and open in spring, and work 

 is carried on eighteen out of twenty-four hours in 

 the summer, the summer night in Siberia only last- 

 ing for about five hours. In the depth of winter 

 this is the length of the day, and the labourers work 

 from sunrise to sunset. These and many other 

 advantages, which I shall not enumerate, easily 

 account for the brightness which pervaded the 

 atmosphere of Novo-Nicolaevsk that day. 



The warmer weather was such a relief to me after 

 the excessive cold I had experienced that I was quite 

 prepared to fall in love with the Siberian climate. It 

 is altogether a mistake to suppose that because an 

 explorer or traveller is accustomed to all kinds of 

 climate and temperature any kind of weather is 

 enjoyed by him. On the contrary, it is he who can 

 best appreciate fine weather when it comes his way. 

 The lucky mortal who has always lived in a fairly 

 even temperature does not assess his privileges at 

 their true worth. 



There was no necessity for early rising next morn- 

 ing, so we indulged in a larger share of sleep than 

 we had been allowing ourselves for some time. When 

 w^e did rise we determined to have a day of rest, 

 with no more arduous work than making a few 

 purchases or taking stock of the customs of the 

 inhabitants. At one of the Novo-Nicolaevsk con- 

 fectioner's shops we bought some well-made sweets 

 and cakes. We were reliably informed that the 

 proprietor was a banished murderer. When I com- 



