ON THE WAY HOME 295 



stopped, as General Kourapatkin's special train 

 stopped here too. All the passengers were interested 

 and went out to look at the General, so, being 

 interested myself, I left the train and saluted him on 

 the platform as the others did. 



The Minister is dark-complexioned, with keen eyes 

 aiid a serious and rather stern face. He is of medium 

 height and wears a black beard. He had a tall 

 Caucasian soldier in attendance, who was dressed 

 in the Caucasian dress, and with his copper-coloured 

 skin looked the handsome mountaineer he no doubt 

 was. The train was a special one and consisted of 

 eight strong carriages. One contained a drawing- 

 room, another a dark room — probably stores — then 

 the travelling kitchen and five carriages for the 

 General and his attendants. The train was very well 

 made to protect the passengers from the shots of the 

 robbers in Manchuria. For two feet from the bottom 

 the lower part of the carriages was of steel. The 

 General seemed to realise his responsibility and his 

 manner was grave and solemn. Like most powerful 

 men he has risen from a relatively humble position. 



The thirty passengers on the train I was travel- 

 ling with were on their way from the East, and as 

 far as I could gather I was the only passenger who 

 joined the train in Siberia. Nearly all the passengers 

 use that railway to get from the Eastern to the 

 Western world. 



There were three English missioniary ladies on the 

 train. One, from Pekin, had been a doctor in Pekin 

 during the siege. Another of the missionary ladies 

 was from Amoy and another from Foochow, China. 

 They were returning to England after several years' 

 absence. There was also a good old English gentle- 

 man coming for the first time by that route to 

 England. He had been in business in Hong-Kong 

 for forty years, and he informed me that he sent an 



