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 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN 
 

 OJorncU Htttocraitg Elbrarg 
 
 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 
 COLLECTION 
 
 CHINA AND THE CHINESE 
 
 THE GIFT OF 
 
 CHARLES WILLIAM WASON 
 
 CLASS OF 1876 
 
 1918 
 
The date shows when this volume wnn tp'- -n 
 
 Cornell University Library 
 
 DS 8.M51 1889 
 
 From Paris to Pel<in over Siberian snows 
 
 3 1924 023 061 421 
 
 Seyxno-ur's Ijibrary'., 
 
 , REGENT STREET, 
 
 7 
 
The original of tliis book is in 
 tlie Cornell University Library. 
 
 There are no known copyright restrictions in 
 the United States on the use of the text. 
 
 http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924023061421 
 
^ 
 
 Seyi^TOUr's Xjibrary, 
 
 . REGENT STREET, 
 ■ IjEA.JV[I]srQ-TOIT. 
 
 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN OVER 
 SIBERIAN SNOWS. 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN 
 
 OVER SIBERIAN SNOWS. 
 
 A NARRATIVE OF A JOURNEY BY SLEDGE OVER THE SNOWS OF EUROPEAN 
 
 RUSSIA AND SIBERIA, BY CARAVAN THROUGH MONGOLIA, 
 
 ACROSS THE GOBI DESERT AND THE GREAT WALL, 
 
 AND BY MULE PALANQUIN THROUGH 
 
 CHINA TO PEKIN. 
 
 VICTOR MEIGNAN. 
 
 EDITED FROM THE FRENCH BY 
 
 WILLIAM CONN. 
 •With supplementary notes not contained in the original edition. 
 
 SECOND EDITION. 
 
 WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS FROM SKETCHES BY 
 THE AUTHOR AND OTHERS. 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 SWAN SONNENSCHEIN AND CO., 
 
 PATERNOSTER SQUARE. 
 1889. 
 
JDS "2^ 
 
PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH EDITION. 
 
 Embarrassed readers, who delight in books 
 of travel, whether for the recreation or the 
 useful information they afford, are not relieved 
 of their difficulty when the title of the work, 
 instead of indicating the nature of the subject, 
 only presents an enigma for them to solve. 
 How, for instance, is the reader to gauge 
 the nature of the contents of "Voyage en 
 Zigzag ? " It might mean the itinerary of 
 some crooked course among the Alps, or, 
 perhaps, the log-book of a yacht chopping 
 about the Channel, or the record of anything 
 but a straightforward journey. Again, " By 
 Land and Sea " might simply be the diary 
 of a holiday trip from London to Paris, or a 
 rechauffe, of impressions of a " globe-trotter," 
 who went to see what everybody talked 
 about that he also might talk about what he 
 had seen. Then there are a host of others, 
 
 b 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The reader will naturally discover from the 
 title of this book the traveller's course, but 
 he will at the same time, no doubt, desire to 
 know something of the character of the book. 
 
 It may gratify him to be told that essentially 
 it is a personal narrative, that cannot fail to 
 interest those who like in a book of travel 
 a tale of life full of incident and adventure : 
 it is one in which his sympathies will be 
 awakened and sustained in following the 
 traveller in his movements from day to day 
 and from place to place, his imagination 
 being vividly stirred by the illusion that the 
 participator is, as it were, in the changing 
 scenes and events passing before his eyes 
 like the tableaux of a diorama. And yet it 
 must not be supposed, because the writer's 
 chief object has been to give an interesting 
 personal narrative, that it is deficient in useful 
 information : far from it ; but, instead of 
 overcharging his book with minute details, he 
 has seized the more salient features of men and 
 things. These are presented from his own 
 point of view as the result of intelligent 
 observation or discriminating hearsay. 
 
 The traveller, who is evidently a most genial 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 companion, passes lightly and rapidly over 
 the well-known route from Paris to St. Peters- 
 burg and Moscow in the short space of thirty 
 pages. After taking a glance at the wonders 
 of the Kremlin and the monastery of Troi'tsa, 
 probably the richest religious community in 
 the world, with its heaps of precious pearls and 
 various gems, he passes on to the famous mart 
 of Nijni-Novgorod, along the frozen Oka and 
 the Volga, through the country of the Votiaks, 
 and across the Ural Mountains into Siberia. 
 Posting at full gallop over the snowy way, 
 sleeping, living altogether in fact, in his sledge 
 (for the luxury of beds is unknown in Siberian 
 hotels), he falls in with a series of adventures, 
 sometimes amusing and sometimes even tragic, 
 in his progress over that vast territory that 
 presents so many strange races, and, in winter, 
 so many remarkable scenes. At one time he 
 Is in imminent peril of being lost in a snow- 
 storm on the steppe of Omsk, and at another 
 on the frozen surface of the Baikal. He makes 
 an excursion on the way amid the wild 
 Kirghiz, gets a peep at the life of the Polish 
 exiles, and at the gold miners and the people 
 of Irkutsk in their amusements and occupations. 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 The grand scenes of nature, particularly at 
 this season, are all duly depicted with the 
 emotion of one alive to the beautiful and 
 sublime : the wonderful atmospheric effects of 
 light at a very low temperature, the novel and 
 changing aspects of the steppes ; the startling 
 spectacle of the frozen Angara and Lake 
 Baikal, the grotesque aspect of the snow- 
 capped forests, and then, later, the picturesque, 
 verdant valleys of China. In the course of his 
 journey through Mongolia, he enables us to 
 get a glimpse at those strange people the 
 Mongols, their tent life, their city of tents, 
 their incessant prayer-turning as a chief 
 occupation, and the fearful character of some 
 of their ceremonies. Then, after a caravan 
 journey of eighteen days across the trackless 
 Desert of Gobi, he arrives at the great Wall of 
 China, and finally at Pekin, where he con- 
 templates its curiosities, its works of art, its 
 people, their institutions and their daily life. 
 
 Having thus given an outline of the book 
 and its contents for the reader's guidance, I 
 will proceed to explain why I have thought 
 it advisable to depart from a close imitation 
 throughout of the original, and to present, in 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 fact, a modified version rather than a strict 
 translation. 
 
 The style of the original, though simple and 
 unadorned, is frequently slipshod ; and the 
 author — contrary to many French travellers, 
 who often make, and perhaps still oftener 
 attempt to make, the subject of their narrative 
 a vehicle for epigram and sparkling and 
 spirited diction— has evidently thought more 
 of conveying a truthful picture to the reader, 
 than of the mode of expression by which this 
 could be most effectively done. In many novel 
 and interesting descriptions, for example, the 
 effect they are capable of producing is almost 
 wholly lost through the want of a more just 
 co-ordination of parts and subordination of 
 minor details, and, occasionally, through the 
 want of sufficient expansion, lest the reader 
 should not have time to contemplate and 
 realize a quick succession of fleeting images. 
 
 These, consequently, are some of the chief 
 points I have attempted to correct ; though in 
 making the attempt, I hope I may not have 
 exposed myself to an unpleasant suspicion, in 
 the first place, of having assumed too much 
 assurance in undertaking uninvited to revise 
 
PREFACE. 
 
 the writing of another, and, in the next place, 
 in certain tableaux, which would be unattractive 
 if obscure or colourless, of having indulged in 
 a taste for fine writing, when the sole object 
 has been to place the matter before the reader 
 as lucidly and vividly as possible. 
 
 But it will probably more concern the reader 
 to be assured that the truthfulness of these 
 descriptions, such as represented by the tra- 
 veller, has not been distorted in this manner 
 of treating them. On this point he may 
 readily satisfy himself on taking the trouble to 
 compare some of them with those in the 
 original edition. He will find, I hope, that my 
 work has not been in vain, and that I have 
 contributed something towards rendering more 
 attractive this interesting narrative, chiefly 
 relating to that land over which Madame 
 Cottin, Xavier de Maistre, and other writers 
 have thrown a glow of romance. 
 
 WILLIAM CONN. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 FROM PARIS TO ST. PETERSBURG. 
 
 PAGE. 
 
 JEn rotite by rail — Berlin — ^Annoyances at the Russian 
 Custom House — First aspect of European Russia — 
 An evening on the banks of the Neva - - - i 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 ST. PETERSBURG TO MOSCOW. 
 
 Letters of recommendation for Siberia — M. PfafBus, 
 frontier commissary at Kiachta — Russian music — 
 Arrival at Moscow - 19 
 
 CHAPTER TIL 
 
 MOSCOW — NIJNI-NOVGOROD. 
 
 The Kremlin — Equipage and visits of the Virgin of In- 
 verski — Origin of Christianity in Russia — A few words 
 
xlv CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 about Troitsa — A travelling companion — Purchase of 
 furs — Passage of the Oka in a sledge — Feeling of 
 terror on first travelling in a sledge over a frozen river 30 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 FROM NIJNl-NOVGOROD TO KAZAN. 
 
 The Volga in winter— Varieties of podarojnaia— What is 
 necessary for a long sledge journey — Departure from 
 Nijni— Posting relays— A momentary thaw— The snow 
 — Arrival at Kazan - - . . - Si 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 KAZAN — JOURNEY TO PERil. 
 
 The Virgin of Kazan— Russian manner of expressing dis- 
 approval— Dining with a grandee— His description ot 
 the enfranchisement of the serfs— The Tartars- 
 Journey in a sledge— Caravan of exiles— The Votiaks 
 — Aspect of European Russia - . ►,, 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PERM— THE ROAD TO CATHERINEEURG. 
 
 Hotel accommodation in Siberia— A councillor— Opinions 
 and examples of Russian administration— National 
 music— The passion for aggrandizement of territory 
 —Entry into Asia - . 
 
 - 98 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI 7. 
 
 OUR PARTY ON THE ROAD TO TUMEN. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Trade and manufactures at Catherineburg- — Carolling 
 cherubs — Christmas at Kamechlof — Grand gala at a 
 posting stage — Tumen — Its situation — Its gipsies — 
 Fruit preserved in ice - ---113 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE ON THE STEPPE OF OMSK. 
 
 An ostentatious Siberian custom — The steppe — The 
 cemeteries — Omsk — Its situation — Its society — The 
 emancipation of the serfs related by a citizen — M. 
 Kroupinikof — Visit to an encampment of Kirghiz — 
 Masquerade at Ombk ...... 128 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE COLD ON THE WAY TO TOMSK. 
 
 The intense cold — Its inconveniences — The fine effects of 
 light at a very low temperature — The baptismal fete 
 of Christ on the Obi — ^Tomsk — Its commerce — An 
 evening on the banks of the Tom 156 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE GOVERNMENT OF YENISSEISK AND KRASNOIARSK. 
 
 Wretched aspect of the villages of this province — The 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 country at last becomes hilly— The night watchers at 
 Krasnoiarsk— M. Lovatine's three collections— A 
 Polish exile's ball - - - - " " '71 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 KRASNOIARSK TO IRKUTSK. 
 
 Social position and education of the country people and 
 citizens — Uselessness of Siberian forests — ^Journey to 
 Irkutsk — A pack of wolves — Cleanliness of the 
 villages — Congelation of the Angara — The govern- 
 ment of Irkutsk — ^The college— The prison — The fire 
 brigade - - 184 
 
 CHAPTER Xn. 
 
 IRKUTSK. 
 
 The gold miners — Their luxury ; their wealth ; their wives 
 — ^A few words about the clergy, and the code of re- 
 ligion — The Polish exiles — Travelling maniacs — ^A 
 dinner enfamille ... - . 202 
 
 CHAPTER XHI. 
 
 ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE BY A POLISH EXILE. 
 
 Why the Polish exiles cannot escape — Narrative of an 
 attempt by M. Bohdanovitch — Encounter with a bear 
 — Sanitary arrangements in Siberia — Wolf hunts — 
 A blue fox — Different values of furs — A few words on 
 the passion for displaying riches - - 222 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 IRKUTSK. TO LAKE BAIKAL. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 The natives — The Olkhonese — Shamanism — The Buriats 
 — The Tungus— The Samoyeds— The Carnival at 
 Irlcutsk — Pablo — Adieu to Constantine — Another 
 perilous night on the ice of Lake Baikal - 244 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 LAKE BAIKAL TO KIACHTA. 
 
 Observations on Eastern Siberia and its inhabitants — 
 Their dream of independence— Motives that might 
 contribute to independence — Example of the Chinese 
 — The Yakuts and the inhabitants of Kamtchatka 266 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 KIACHTA TO MAIMATCHIN. 
 
 The tarantass— Tea merchants— Their competition— The 
 Sienzy — Aspect of Maimatchin— A dinner at the 
 Chinese Governor's — Preparations for crossing the 
 Gobi desert • - 285 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 MAIMATCHIN TO URGA. 
 
 First Stage in MongoHa— The Mongols— Their tents 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 their life— How they steer their way in the desert — 
 The Caravan— A Sacrilege— The Russian Consul at 
 Urg-a- The Koutoukta 304 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 URGA AND THE ENTRY INTO THE DESERT OF GOm. 
 
 Urga — ^Mongol religion — Praying wheels — Burial cere- 
 monies—The Holy Mountain— My travelling com- 
 panions in the desert — Departure ixom Urga — First 
 halt — A Mongolian repast — Easter Eve - 321 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 CARAVAN ACROSS THE DESERT OF GOBT. 
 
 A Mongolian Prince and his Court — Prayer turning — Our 
 life in the desert — The sandy plain — Want of water — 
 Lunar mirage — Three executions — A traveller astray 
 in the desert — Arrival at Kalkann and the Great Wall 
 of China ... ... t^j^i 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 FROM 'IHE GREAT WALL TO TCHAH TAG. 
 
 First view of China proper — Last Russian hospitality — 
 The Palankeen — The streets of Kalkann — Travelling 
 along the Great Wall — The Secret Societies — Chinese 
 art — How order is maintained —Origin of the tress — 
 How the titles of Chinese nobility become extinct 362 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 TCHAH-TAO TO PEKIN. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 An exciting- incident — The Pass of Nang-kao — Pictur- 
 esqueness of the gorge — A young married couple — 
 The levy of taxes — Toun-cheh-ouh — The last solitude 
 — Entry into Pekin — ^Arrival at the Legation - 379 
 
 CHAPTER XXn. 
 
 fEKIN — DEPARl URE. 
 
 The Marble Bridge— The Tartar City— Objects of Art- 
 Japanese lacquering — Interments — The Observatory 
 — The Imperial Palace — The Temples — The four 
 harvests— Kinds of tea — Departure from Pekin — 
 Tien-tsin — The sea at last - - 395 
 
 NOTE'i - 417 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 FROM PARIS TO ST. PETERSBURG, 
 
 £n route by rail — Berlin — Annoyances at the Russian Custom 
 House — First aspect of European Russia — An evening on 
 the banks of the Neva. 
 
 When I had quite made up my mind to pass 
 my winter in Siberia and to proceed in the 
 following spring to Pekin by Mongolia and 
 the Desert of Gobi, my friends, hearing of 
 my project, were incredulous of the stead- 
 fastness of my resolution ; they shrugged their 
 shoulders, quivering, perhaps at the prospect 
 of frost-nipped limbs, and wondered what 
 could induce me to quit the comfortably 
 warmed salons at this season merely to brave 
 the boreal blasts of so rigorous a climate. 
 So far as it' concerned me, however, this 
 anticipatory cold was not at all catching, for, 
 
 I 
 
FROM FARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 indeed, my resolution was then too firmly set to 
 be shaken by a quivering void of sympathetic 
 influence, or to yield to the allurements of 
 the most inviting Parisian cercle or boudoir. 
 
 Having therefore already well considered 
 my project, I had decided on attempting to 
 accomplish it for this reason : I had seen 
 Syria and Nubia, lands of the Sun, in their 
 full-blown summer radiance and glory, and 
 I now longed to gaze on Siberia, the region 
 of snow and ice, in its wondrous winter garb. 
 When I am in the humour for a tour, I like 
 to visit countries in their typical season, just 
 as one likes to see a man in the exercise of his 
 proper vocation. There is, undoubtedly, a 
 feeling of satisfaction in contemplating the 
 animate or inanimate world merely in its 
 habitual phases, in so far as these are the 
 normal and appropriate expression of a con- 
 dition of established law and order — the 
 harmonies of nature as well as the moral 
 fitness of things. Siberia, as it is pictured 
 to our imagination, is vividly associated with 
 the stirring incidents of a rigorous arctic 
 winter; it is in this, its most characteristic 
 aspect, that we delight to regard it and muse 
 
FROM PARIS TO ST. PETERSBURG. 3 
 
 over it ; moreover, in winter only is it so 
 remarkably dissimilar from the nature we arc 
 accustomed to see in milder and more genial 
 climates, and in this season alone, with its 
 mighty ice-bound rivers and boundless snow- 
 capped forests, does it present to the wonder- 
 ing eye of the stranger the interest and 
 attractiveness of a striking novelty. 
 
 I was in excellent spirits from the exhi- 
 larating anticipation of so much adventure, 
 as the reader may imagine, and, busy with 
 final preparations, my friends seeing me thus 
 occupied, amused me with their diverse ques- 
 tions and suggestions. Every one puts 
 questions in his own way according to his 
 habitual ideas or occupation. The doctor 
 with a grave look asks, " Are you sure your 
 constitution is robust enough to bear so much 
 cold ? " the druggist, whether you have a 
 good supply of quinine or chilblain ointment, 
 or somebody's magic pills — some comprehen- 
 sive remedy for all human weaknesses, cor- 
 poreal and mental, excepting, of course, the 
 incurable one of belief in its efficacy ; then 
 ladies suggest a good supply of warm worsted 
 stockings and knitted comforters ; then others 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 inquire whether you have a passport duly 
 vise, a six-shot revolver, maps, a telescope, 
 letters of credit, a belt for gold, and I really 
 don't know with what they would not con- 
 siderately provide me. Some perhaps might 
 have gone so far as to suggest a warming 
 pan ; and for my part, I think that a warming 
 pan would not have been the least useful 
 article suggested, inasmuch as it might serve 
 as a stewing pan, and then I should be assured 
 of a hot supper and a warm bed ; then in inns 
 its sonorous capacity might supply the want 
 of bells, and on a journey serve to scare away 
 the wolves, and finally, having no further use 
 for this accommodating vade mecum, I might 
 sell it in Mongolia, a land of honey, for a 
 purpose to which, I have heard, it is some- 
 times applied in England, that is for swarming 
 bees with its deep .musical note, and this 
 failing, at all events, dispose of it in China, 
 on taking out the handle, as the latest novelty 
 in gongs in articles de Paris. 
 
 But not one of my friends, not even the 
 druggist, who sells mart aux mouches ahd other 
 insect killers, thought of the chasses one is 
 occasionally, though not so often now, obliged 
 
FROM PARIS TO ST. PETERSBURG. 5 
 
 to devote himself to in foreign inns ; probably 
 they were not lovers of the chase, at least of 
 such small game ; but when one has once been 
 bien mang4, the piqures leave their marks on the 
 memory when they have been long effaced else- 
 where, and not knowing what sport I might fall 
 in with, I took care to secure the completeness 
 of my grdement de chasse, and having at last 
 made all my arrangements, I was ready to start. 
 Accordingly on the 25th of October, 1873, 
 at eight in the morning, I left the Gare du 
 Nord, and no sooner had I taken my seat 
 than inquiries recommenced in another form 
 by a talkative traveller. This traveller was a 
 Belgian, and Belgians are generally loquacious 
 and free in making acquaintances. " Where 
 are you going, monsieur?" said he. "As 
 for me, I am going as far as Cologne ; it is a 
 very long journey, you know, and I like to 
 have some one to talk to, to pass away these 
 twelve long hours in a carriage." " And 
 so am I going to Cologne," I replied. " Oh ! 
 you are going to Cologne, are you ? Is it 
 to buy horses ? That is what I am going there 
 for," he explained. " I am accustomed to buy 
 my horses in Prussia." " No," I said, "I am 
 
tROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 not going to Cologne for that." "What for, 
 then ? " *' Well, it is to start again from 
 there, for I go to Berlin." " Oh 1 you are 
 going to Berlin ? Why then are you going 
 to Berlin ? Nobody goes there, neither 
 tourists nor men of business." "I go there 
 to start again, for I go from there to St. 
 Petersburg." These questions succeeded one 
 another in this way from stage to stage, till 
 the moment we had finished the tour of the 
 world. His simple Flemish countenance then 
 took a curious expression of droll astonish- 
 ment. He could say no more till after the 
 lapse of some moments, and then it was to 
 exclaim, opening his large mouth as wide as 
 possible and vigorously thumping the cushion 
 with his heavy fist, " Oh ! Ah ! Then you 
 are really going round the world. Dear me ! 
 round the world ! " " Yes, almost," I replied, 
 smiling, "and therefore when I want horses 
 I must buy them elsewhere than in Cologne." 
 As soon as Cologne and the Rhine are 
 passed, a little favoured spot of this dull 
 country— at least, as it appears to the traveller 
 en route — you traverse an endless plain, 
 neither picturesque nor interesting. Berlin 
 
FROM PARIS TO ST. PETERSBURG. 7 
 
 redeems with no artistic beauty its sterile 
 situation. But a Parisian could not be ex- 
 pected to find much attraction in Berlin, and 
 accordingly I found it very dull. Its streets 
 are badly paved ; enormous gutters, separat- 
 ing the roadway from the pavement, expose 
 carriages to danger and exhale noxious odours, 
 filled as they are with filthy water and refuse 
 of every kind. 
 
 What strikes one in this city is a general 
 aspect of gloominess. They have tried in all 
 the public buildings to imitate the Grecian 
 Doric, and have only too well succeeded in it. 
 I do not understand at all why the Prussians 
 have adopted this cold style, more sepulchral 
 even than the Egyptian, under a sky so dull, 
 and almost as foggy as that of Old England. 
 In the places of amusement, in the interior of 
 the Opera for instance, they have replaced 
 the Doric style with the Corinthian, that is to 
 say, mourning with half-mourning. The 
 national colours, white and black, profusely 
 distributed everywhere, complete its funereal 
 character. 
 
 The finest avenue, Unter den Linden, leads 
 from the Museum to the exterior promenades. 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 but the colour of the houses bordering this 
 boulevard spoils the effect; it suggested a 
 mixture of iron and saffron or something like 
 the sickly hue of jaundice. The general 
 impression is anything but cheerful. One is 
 almost disposed to say to every one he meets : 
 "Frere, il faut mourir!" but I said to myself, 
 "II faut partir," and, after a short halt, I 
 accordingly took my departure. 
 
 The following day the express train, without 
 any incident worthy of note, took me to the 
 Russian frontier. 
 
 Though there are custom houses at the 
 frontiers of every civilized state, their character 
 and methods of proceeding have not, in spite 
 of the levelling tendencies of railways, yet 
 arrived at much approach to uniformity; and 
 since these characteristics differ widely from 
 China to Peru, they frequently give some sign 
 of the political and social status of the people 
 into whose country one enters. 
 
 At the custom house of this colossal empire 
 of Russia, with a national budget so over- 
 charged, the treasury is especially solicitous 
 of filling the imperial coffers. Money is sorely 
 needed. 
 
FROM PARIS TO ST. P£:T£:RSBURG. 
 
 The stranger there must first prove his 
 identity by producing his passport duly vise 
 at the consulates of all the places he has passed. 
 The passport is returned to him, bearing a 
 word written on the back. This word leaves 
 every uninitiated traveller in complete ignor- 
 ance of its meaning or object ; it is written 
 in Russian characters, and, moreover, badly 
 written in a language which, in conformity 
 with good taste, one is expected not to know. 
 
 When I received my passport marked with 
 the mystic word, my embarrassment was pain- 
 ful. I walked up and down the waiting room, 
 showing the word to every one I met. They 
 all looked at me with astonishment, and kept 
 clear of me without offering any explanation. 
 I, at last, heard some one speaking French 
 near me ; it was a gentleman whose moustaches 
 of immoderate length and dark whiskers 
 white at the tips, something like the fur of the 
 blue fox, indicated him to be of Northern 
 nationality. I hastened to be enlightened, 
 and at once learnt that this important word 
 was the name of the officer appointed to 
 examine my baggage. After some difficulty, 
 I found the functionary, who, fortunately, spoke 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 French. "Monsieur," he said, "qu'avez-vous 
 a declarer?" " Rien," I promptly replied, 
 with all the freedom of innocence; "what I 
 bring with me is for my personal use, and if 
 some of the packages appear to yo\x very 
 bulky, it is because I am on a very long, a 
 very distant journey." " Be good enough to 
 open them." I accordingly began, feeling 
 assured that everything would go on well and 
 soon end. "It is my personal clothing," I 
 explained ; " there is nothing but clothes in 
 this trunk. Here is a pair of trousers that 
 seems new; I have had it these three years. 
 It looks, however, new ; that is to my credit ; 
 you see, I do not wear out my clothes much," 
 I remarked merrily. " But," he rejoined, "it 
 seems too new ; we will weigh it ; this will be 
 paid for." My mortification was about to 
 begin. He commenced putting into the scales 
 all the clothing which he considered had not 
 been worn. "What are these?" "They 
 are memorandum books." " Is there anything 
 written in them? " "Notliing yet," and then 
 they also go into the scales. But he was not 
 disposed to end there ; far from it ; I was 
 obliged to open the chest I had got packed in 
 
FROM PARIS TO ST. PETERSBURG. 
 
 Paris with the greatest care, containing my 
 sporting equipment and many things for 
 use only in Siberia. Perceiving that he was 
 inexorable in his determination to turn out 
 everything, I entreated him to put the case, 
 just as it was, into the scales, preferring to 
 pay more to having the contents turned upside 
 down in the greatest disorder after they had 
 been so artistically arranged. But I was much 
 deceived, for this gentleman was too much of 
 a Cossack to forego the pleasure of examining 
 Parisian objects. Everything was turned out, 
 and, if possible, inside out, and put into the 
 scales. I was enraged. 
 
 In the midst of this intolerable annoyance, 
 there was for me a gleam of malicious satis- 
 faction. I had brought with me an enormous 
 box of vermin-killer in powder, which was 
 considered to be invaluable for my long journey 
 through Asia. The box could not easily be 
 opened ; far from it. The officer tried in vain 
 for some time, but at last, the cover yielding 
 suddenly to his efforts, the powder was violently 
 flung into his face, penetrating into his eyes, 
 his nostrils, and mouth, and completelycovering 
 his coat. "What is this?" he demanded. 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 " A very violent poison," I replied, with an 
 affectation of terror, to add to his discomfiture, 
 which had due effect. He turned pale, and, 
 at once, fixed the duty on my effects at the 
 highest possible rate. But I had some unex- 
 pected sport with large game, and, my revenge 
 having afforded me full satisfaction, I drew 
 from my pocket my louis d'or. 
 
 But, alas! Russia, the country that produces 
 at present so much gold, is the one where it 
 has the least currency. I was obliged to go 
 and change my twenty-franc pieces for paper 
 roubles ; and thus I paid at this custom house 
 more than a hundred francs, merely to pass 
 my old clothes — this sum being as much as 
 they were worth — and my memorandum books, 
 which I could not make up my mind to 
 abandon, because they were my only com- 
 panions to be entrusted with my impressions de 
 voyage. 
 
 Before getting into the train, I observed a 
 newsvendor on the platform. "Have you the 
 Figaro}" I asked. "Yes, sir." "How 
 much?" "Thirty kopecks" (one shilling). 
 " Then give me a newspaper of your own 
 country printed in French." " Here is one. 
 
FROM PARIS TO S'l. PETERSBURG. 
 
 13 
 
 sir, the Journal, de St. Petersbourg." " How 
 much?" "Fifteen kopecks." "But why 
 is it so dear, printed in Russia?" "It is, 
 sir, because here there are enormous duties 
 on the manufacture of paper." This kind of 
 tax, in my opinion, is, for one thing, to be fully 
 appreciated. The Russians should thus be 
 guarded against a propensity for scribbling, 
 which, alas ! is so rampant in France. And 
 then again, when universal suffrage is to 
 appear in Russia, who knows whether the 
 exorbitant price of paper will not hinder 
 the candidates from distributing the voting 
 papers, and the electors from procuring them 
 at their own expense ? The exercise of this 
 new power will then be the cause of a fresh 
 charge and become consequently an obstacle. 
 Such a state of things perhaps will cause 
 universal suffrage to succumb and disappear 
 — an institution apparently just and attractive 
 in theory, but amusingly droll in practice to 
 those who have witnessed its working, es- 
 pecially in the country districts. This first 
 experience reconciled me with the administra- 
 tion of this vast country, almost even with its 
 custom house, and I climbed up into my 
 
14 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 carriage, where two stoves, though it had not 
 yet commenced to freeze, kept up a tropical 
 heat. There I installed myself in one of the 
 immense easy seats with which it was fur- 
 nished, and which was transformed at night, 
 with the aid of a mechanical arrangement, into 
 a kind of bed, where one may be tolerably 
 comfortable, and there I waited the signal of 
 departure, prepared to observe the aspect of 
 the country through which I was about to pass. 
 The part of Russia between Wilna and St. 
 Petersburg is simply melancholy. When I 
 passed over it, the absence of snow, of sun, 
 and leaves on the trees, rendered this charac- 
 ter, which is proper to it, still more striking. 
 Unlimited forests, that are no longer copse 
 and not yet arrived at full growth, and as 
 impenetrable as a jungle, especially in autumn, 
 from the swampy nature of the soil ; a long 
 undulating range of land, of an outline the 
 ocean would assume in the monstrous swell 
 of a tempest, sending back the horizon to an 
 enormous distance ; the appearance of a few 
 habitations, at long intervals, and whose 
 presence at all in such a spot suggests utter 
 desolation more than absolute solitude :— this 
 
FROM PARIS TO ST. PETERSBURG. 15 
 
 is what is presented to the traveller on entering- 
 Russia, immensity, impenetrability, and silent 
 gloom. 
 
 It is true that autumn is the least favourable 
 season for visiting Russia; it is, in a certain 
 way, the period of inactivity for the whole 
 race, a people scattered over an immense 
 space, whose special character needs a rapid 
 and continual locomotion. The land in autumn 
 becomes too swampy for wheeled carriages, 
 and travelling in sledges has not yet com- 
 menced. Soon, however, the snow, falling 
 probably in abundance, will permit the Rus- 
 sians their favourite mode of travelling; and 
 the intense cold, dissipating the clouds, will 
 give to its white mantle unparalleled purity 
 and brilliancy. 
 
 We will hasten to arrive at St. Petersburg, 
 of which, however, as well as of Moscow, I will 
 say but little, because I have to describe regions 
 more remote and much less known. When 
 one has a long journey before him, he should 
 not linger at the first stages, for fear of feeling 
 too sensibly the difficulties of the enterprise, 
 and consequently of being tempted to abandon 
 it in spite of a brave resolution at the outset. 
 
i6 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 I alighted at the Hotel de France, and, 
 almost immediately, went out afoot. It was 
 six in the evening and quite dark. A mild and 
 refreshing temperature was inviting to a walk. 
 The sky was serene, and the moon shone 
 brilliantly. It was one of those fine evenings 
 described by Joseph de Maistre, although we 
 were still in November. Chance led me 
 towards the Neva, and I was much delighted, 
 for, from the bridge of boats thrown across it, 
 I was able to contemplate a spectacle truly 
 magnificent. It is not a river, but rather an 
 inlet of the sea. Four or five times wider 
 than the Garonne at Bordeaux, this piece of 
 water makes a bend in the middle of the city ; 
 and along its banks is exposed the principal 
 architectural magnificence of St. Petersburg. 
 The Emperor's palace, the Senate, the For- 
 tress, the Hermitage, the Academy of Fine 
 Arts, are all along its banks, as well as an 
 immense number of churches, each surmounted 
 with five or six Byzantine domes. 
 
 At the moment I was there, the moon's 
 rays were reflected from all these gilded domes, 
 and again these glittering beams were flashed 
 like dazzling fireworks from the surface of 
 
FROM PARIS TO ST. PETERSBURG. 17 
 
 the water ; the gilded cupola of the Cathedral 
 St. Isaac rose majestically above the others, 
 and surpassed them in splendour. Black 
 barges, resembling somewhat, at this hour of 
 the night, Venetian gondolas, passed to and 
 fro, leaving their luminous trails glittering on 
 the surface of the water. The great mass of 
 water of Lake Ladoga was gliding onward 
 in its full flood with rapidity, but without 
 noise, for nothing opposed its passage. The 
 bells, which gave an idea of enormous size 
 from their deep, solemn, and prolonged tone, 
 alone broke the religious silence of the scene 
 by the call to prayer. It was grand, solemn, 
 and inspiring. This night at St. Petersburg, 
 God revealed Himself to man by the splendour 
 of the heavens and the mystery of the hour, 
 and man's thoughts were drawn to God by the 
 imposing towering of His temples and the 
 awe-inspiring sound of the bells. 
 
 Though I was much moved by this scene 
 and its associations, I knew I could not ade- 
 quately enjoy Russia in its aspect of the mild 
 season. A little later, however, the Neva 
 would be arrested in its course by the frost, 
 the domes of the churches,, as well as the land 
 
 2 
 
FROAI PARIS TO PEIvIN. 
 
 everywhere, would be dressed in a thick mantle 
 of snow, and then I should no longer behold 
 this country as it now was, but buried under 
 its winter shroud. I remained therefore long 
 contemplating this spectacle, the real beauty 
 of which was enhanced in my imagination by 
 the reflection that it was to be but of short 
 duration. 
 
CHAPTER II. 
 
 ST. PETERSBURG TO MOSCOW. 
 
 Letters of recommendation for Siberia — M. PfafEus, frontier 
 commissary at Kiachta — Russian music — Arrival at 
 Moscow. 
 
 During my sojourn at St. Petersburg, I went 
 of course, and more than once, to see the 
 curiosities with which the city is filled, but 
 it was necessary to remember that I had set 
 out for a much longer journey, and that my 
 chief occupation at St. Petersburg was to 
 search for a compagnon de voyage. With this 
 object, I availed myself of all the letters of 
 recommendation I had obtained in Paris, 
 hoping thereby to secure the useful as well 
 as agreeable society either of a tourist or 
 of a functionary returning to his post in 
 Eastern Siberia. 
 
 In the first reunions where I had the honour 
 to be invited, I invariably spoke of my intended 
 journey, hoping thereby to find a travelling 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIX. 
 
 companion, but in doing so, I was always 
 answered with a frown or met with a deaf 
 ear. 
 
 The reason was this : at St. Petersburg, 
 it is not in good taste to travel in the direction 
 of the East. The inhabitants of this city of 
 pleasure seem to regret their origin ; this 
 society, so fastidious and refined, appears 
 really to fear being still taken for a horde of 
 barbarians. Women in the highest social 
 rank have said to me sometimes : " Whatever 
 I may do or say, you will nevertheless have 
 your own opinion of me ; you will regard me 
 as a Cossack." Everything associated with 
 Asia is in disfavour, and, perhaps, those who 
 exaggerate the sentiment would willingly 
 cede Siberia to the Chinese Government, in 
 order to have nothing in common with the 
 East. To speak French is indispensable ; 
 when you are French and are received in 
 society in St. Petersburg, it is surprising to 
 see how much France is a la mode : French is 
 habitually spoken, and read in newspapers 
 and books ; the cuisine is French as well as 
 the costumes, and so are many of the plays 
 at the theatres. It is quite the ton to have 
 
ST. PETERSBURG TO MOSCOW. 21 
 
 arrived from Paris, Luchon, or Trouville, and 
 to have brought the latest cancans from the 
 boudoirs a la mode. 
 
 As soon as the frost appeared, I began 
 busying myself with the arrangements for my 
 journey. I was aided in this difficult task 
 by M. Bartholdy, then charge d'affaires at 
 the French Embassy. This obliging French- 
 man succeeded with the Imperial Government 
 in enabling me to traverse Siberia in a manner 
 somewhat official, and the ministers accord- 
 ingly gave me letters of recommendation to 
 the governors of the various provinces I was 
 about to visit. 
 
 I obtained also from M. Michaelof, the 
 contractor for the posting between Nijni- 
 Novgorod and Tumen, a circular order re- 
 quiring each postmaster on the route to 
 give me the best horses at the shortest 
 notice. 
 
 Many persons recommended me to their 
 friends in Siberia. In less than a fortnight I 
 was provided with thirty^two of these recom- 
 mendations, but I had not yet found either a 
 companion or a servant. 
 
 The frost, however, was becoming every 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 day more severe. The thermometer varied 
 between io° and 12° Centigrade below zero 
 (14" to 10° Fahr.).* 
 
 The canal of the Moika, which my windows 
 overlooked, was already half frozen ; enormous 
 blocks of ice were drifting on the Neva ; the 
 snow, though not yet very deep, fell often 
 enough to lead me to hope for sledging very 
 shortly. I was about to decide to start alone 
 for Moscow, when I received a letter from the 
 head of the Asiatic Government. 
 
 This letter informed me that the Russian 
 frontier commissary at Kiachta, M. Pfaffius, 
 was at St. Petersburg at the Hotel Demouth, 
 and was about to join his post 
 
 Without losing a moment, I gathered up all 
 the letters, those even the addresses of which 
 I could not read, and hastened to the Hotel 
 Demouth. 
 
 I did not yet know what it was to travel 
 
 ■ through Siberia; I had not the least idea 
 
 of many things that were required, nor 
 
 that so many things even were necessary, and 
 
 was therefore not a little surprised, on my 
 
 * See note i at end of book. 
 
Sr. PETERSBURG TO MOSCOW. 23 
 
 entry into M. Pfaffius's apartment, at the sight 
 that there awaited me. 
 
 In the middle of the room lay on the floor a 
 heap of pillows, furs, mattresses, blankets, and 
 ropes. This was not all, for I soon perceived 
 also a loaf of sugar, felt boots, a bottle of 
 brandy, and bags and sacks of every shape 
 and size. 
 
 The functionary, wearing a ring on the 
 second finger of his right hand, a sign of his 
 office, was seated at table breakfasting. At 
 his side stood a Buriat servant, with half- 
 Mongol, half-Tartar features, clad in a touloupe 
 of offensive odour, watching his master's 
 slightest gesture to satisfy the most trifling 
 desire. As soon as I appeared, the com- 
 missary ordered a chair for me, but since 
 unluckily, perhaps through accident, no chair 
 could be found in the room, it was necessary 
 to search for one elsewhere. I was obliged to 
 remain standing some moments while rage 
 became apparent on the countenance of my 
 host, who, however, as 1 afterwards found, was 
 gentle enough. He became red and pale 
 alternately. When the Buriat returned he 
 rated him pretty smartly in words almost in- 
 
24 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 articulate, though of perfectly intelligible 
 significance, and finished by raising his hand 
 to strike him. 
 
 Accustomed as I was to Oriental manners, 
 I anticipated the scene that was about to take 
 place, and took little notice of it, when, to my 
 great astonishment, the servant raised his 
 head, and looking sternly at the commissary, 
 addressed him in these simple words : " You 
 forget then, sir, that I am a subject of the 
 Emperor ! " 
 
 This man well knew that an article of the 
 decree enfranchising the serfs interdicted land- 
 owners and functionaries, under penalty of 
 disgrace and even imprisonment, from having 
 recourse to blows against any subject whom- 
 soever of the Emperor, whether naturalized 
 -Russian or native of a conquered country, 
 like the Kirghiz, the Buriats, or the Samoyeds. 
 
 These words were sufficient, in fact, to cause 
 the lifted fist of the official to drop harmlessly 
 by his side. What passion, indeed, is there in 
 a Russian, when roused even to exasperation, 
 that would venture to offend against the will 
 of the Czar ? 
 
 When this little scene had ended, M, 
 
ST. PETERSBURG TO MOSCOW. 25 
 
 Pfaffius became again perfectly calm and self- 
 possessed, — quite a man of the world. I 
 showed him my letters of recommendation. 
 As soon as his eye caught the seal of the Im- 
 perial Ministry — and this for a Russian official 
 was much more than was required — he showed 
 me the highest consideration. One of these 
 letters was personally addressed to him. I was 
 accordingly from that moment his friend, and 
 we resolved to travel together. 
 
 The reader will learn, from what took place 
 later, that this plan was only partially carried 
 out, in consequence of my having made at last 
 an acquaintance at Moscow. Being unable 
 at this moment to anticipate the number of 
 travelling companions that subsequently pre- 
 sented themselves, I regarded my commissary 
 as a great acquisition. He had to go to Kiew 
 before the organization of the sledging took 
 place. I allowed him to depart only after 
 every precaution taken to ensure our rendez- 
 vous, and, filled with enthusiasm, I set out on 
 my visites d^adieux. 
 
 I will speak of one of them only, which took 
 place in a box of the Russian Opera, not so 
 much on account of the very agreeable people 
 
2b FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 who had invited me there to see the Opera, 
 as on account of the character of the music 
 and the manner of the representation of which 
 I was a witness. It was the chef-d'ceuvre of 
 Glinka — Life for the Czar. 
 
 Without, however, detaining the reader with 
 the details of the manner of the representation, 
 which probably would interest him but slightly, 
 I will give my impression of the character of 
 the music:. 
 
 The Russians, who are not an inventive 
 people, have, however, a national music of a 
 kind special and original. 
 
 Those who appreciate French operas, even 
 plaintive, would feel little interest in listening 
 to long lamentations and mournful melodies, 
 so characteristic of this music. It may, how- 
 ever, move very much amateurs of grave 
 music, especially in the country where it 
 originates. 
 
 The phrases of Glinka's opera, gloomy and 
 lugubrious, as uniform as nature in Russia, 
 as profound as its horizons, succeed one 
 another monotonously without ever seeming 
 to reach a distinct solution. At the moment 
 when the impatient ear at last waits to dwell 
 
ST. PETERSBURG TO MOSCOW. 27 
 
 on the fundamental note, a renewed expression 
 of grief comes forth unexpectedly, and the 
 phrase is prolonged without changing its 
 character. I cannot better compare Glinka's 
 inspirations than with the permanent efforts of 
 the sea to assume its desired repose in strug- 
 gling against the incessant succession of waves. 
 This music therefore is void of the attraction 
 of gaiety, and, on account of its uniformity, 
 does not give rise to lively emotions, but it 
 has all the charm of melancholy and vague 
 reverie. 
 
 The flow of soul seems to wander and 
 become bewildered and enervated in the pro- 
 longed thrilling notes of this endless melody; 
 all the past comes back to the memory, and 
 when the last note dies away, one wakes up, 
 as if from a touching dream, with a tear 
 starting in the eye. 
 
 I had postponed my departure from day to 
 day, notwithstanding the snow that was falling 
 and the hard frost so favourable to my journey, 
 but having at last quitted the Russian capital, 
 my thoughts returned to it in this way. One 
 prefers, no doubt, the first enjoyment of a 
 pleasure to the mere remembrance of it, and 
 
28 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 yet, perhaps, one separates himself less will- 
 ingly from the souvenir than from the reality, 
 because he feels that when this prolonged 
 pleasure ends, it has vanished both from the 
 senses and the memory. 
 
 When I left St. Petersburg, it was the 20th 
 of November, and on the 21st, at ten o'clock 
 in the morning, in a frost of 24° Centigrade 
 (11° below zero Fahr.), I made my entry into 
 the holy city of Moscow. 
 
 The temperature I had to bear this day was 
 very moderate in comparison with that which I 
 subsequently experienced in Siberia; I could, 
 however, appreciate some of the effects pro- 
 duced by intense cold. You feel that every- 
 thing shrinks, tightens, and contracts. The 
 horses that perspire, on account of the rapid 
 pace at which they are driven, have their coats 
 covered with congealed perspiration that 
 resembles a petrifaction. The drivers' faces 
 are puffed, spongy, and repulsive-looking. 
 The sun, in the absence of snow, seems alone 
 to rejoice or enliven what it touches. Under 
 its caressing beams, the houses, with their 
 varied hues, assume a brighter and more joyous 
 aspect, that strikingly contrasts with the 
 
ST. PETERSBURG TO MOSCOW. 29 
 
 hooded personages afoot. I took caie at once 
 to provide myself with the usual winter 
 clothing of Russians. I bought goloshes to 
 march over the snow without suffering from 
 cold or humidity ; a bachelique, a kind of hood 
 in camel hair to protect the ears and neck ; 
 and, finally, a cloak of jenotle, a fur not at all 
 expensive and yet elegant. 
 
 The choice of fur is an important matter, 
 especially at Moscow, where one's individual 
 value is appreciated by the value of the animal's 
 skin he wears. There is indeed a Russian 
 proverb that seems to discredit this observa- 
 tion ; " On vous recoit selon votre habit, et 
 Ton vous reconduit selon votre esprit." But 
 this apophthegm rarely serves as a precept 
 in a society fond of showiness and imposing 
 magnificence — a society that is closed against 
 the most cultivated mind if the body be not 
 decked in the skins of certain beasts. 
 
CHAPTER III. 
 
 MOSCOW NIJNI-NOVGOROD. 
 
 The Kremlin — Equipage and visits of the Virgin of Inverski — 
 Origin of Christianity in Russia — ^A few words about 
 Troitsa — A travelling companion — Purchase of furs — 
 Passage of the Oka in a sledge — -Feeling of terror on first 
 travelling in a sledge over a frozen river. 
 
 I CANNOT better compare the disposition of 
 the streets of Moscow than with that of the 
 series of concentric threads in a cobweb. 
 Straight streets parting- from the Kremlin, as 
 a common centre, intersect all the circular 
 arteries, in such a way, that it is impossible to 
 lose one's self in the city, notwithstanding its 
 immensity. 
 
 Each Russian city has its kremlin. It is 
 an enclosure that contains generally a fortress, 
 a residence for the Emperor, and one or many 
 churches. The Kremlin of Moscow is much 
 celebrated on account of its vastness, its 
 historical souvenirs, and the wealth of its 
 sanctuaries. It is relatively modern, having 
 
MO SCO W—NIJNI-NO V GO ROD. 31 
 
 been rebuilt since the conflagration of 18 12. 
 One may still visit a little relic of the old 
 building. It would be difficult to say to what 
 style it belongs ; there may be found there a 
 mixtureof many of the Asiatic varieties, between 
 the Byzantine and those of the extreme East. 
 Walls of extraordinary thickness; a series of 
 little chambers, vaulted or rising in a point ; 
 narrow windows, permitting only the penetra- 
 tion of a mysterious light, sifted through 
 stained glass ; low doors surmounted with a 
 Moorish arch ; walls, gilt from the ceiling to 
 the floor, on which are drawn figures of saints, 
 having only the head and hands painted or 
 enamelled ; here and there Chinese monsters ; 
 doors opening occasionally to the height of the 
 first story, and consequently suspended stairs 
 to pass from one floor to another — this is the 
 ancient Kremlin. One wonders, on roving 
 through this intricate labyrinth, whether he is in 
 an oratory or a salon, in a place of amusement 
 or in a torture chamber of the Inquisition. 
 The new dwelling of the emperors is quite 
 different. Although of very doubtful taste, 
 it is at least in harmony, on account of its 
 vastness with the empire of which it is the 
 
32 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 seat, space has not been spared. The hall 
 of the throne is quite a steppe to traverse. Its 
 dimensions are monstrous. What was my 
 astonishment on finding- there several statues 
 and portraits of the Great Napoleon ! The 
 Russians, far from bearing any enmity towards 
 our military hero, like to render homage to 
 his glory. To admire thus genius, wherever it 
 may be found, even when the admirer has been 
 the victim, is at least the mark of a liberal 
 mind and high sentiments. 
 
 I had finished my first visit to the Kremlin, 
 and, muffled and wrapped in furs, I was being 
 comfortably driven to my hotel, musing care- 
 lessly on the way, when my coachman sud- 
 denly turned round, and with a silly smile, 
 lifted my fur cap, and at the same time raised 
 his own. Obtaining no intelligible explana- 
 tion, through my ignorance of the language, 
 I fancied myself the object of some practical 
 joke in which coachmen indulge, and, conse- 
 quently, being unable to rate him well as he 
 deserved, I subdued my rage and smiled also. 
 I demanded my cap, however, by gestures, 
 to which he responded with three bows, as 
 many signs of the cross, and sanctimoniously 
 
MOSCOW— NIJNI-NOVGOROD. 33 
 
 smiled again. I was just going to recover my 
 property by force, when I perceived we were 
 under the Spasskoi gateway, and that every 
 one was bareheaded. 
 
 The proceeding was now intelligible : this 
 gate is surmounted with the picture of the 
 Virgin of Inverski, the favourite virgin of the 
 Muscovites, the miraculous virgin whose super- 
 natural power had been equal to arresting the 
 conflagration of the Kremlin — the conflagration 
 lighted by Rostopchine, a personage much less 
 popular in Russia than Bonaparte. 
 
 Nobody, therefore, should pass the Spasskoi 
 gate without lifting his hat. Old men relate that 
 a violent wind forced even the great French 
 conqueror to submit to this law when he 
 intended to pass it unobserved. 
 
 The Virgin of Inverski is invoked by every- 
 body ; still she does not make herself so cheap 
 to everybody, for a widely spread custom con- 
 sists in vicarious visits by representations. 
 
 In order to obtain miraculous cures, they 
 send for the Virgin of the Assumption, and 
 more special favours, for the Virgin of Vladi- 
 mir ; and when one goes on a long journey, 
 he generally prefers a facsimile of the Virgin 
 
 3 
 
34 
 
 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 of Kazan, But extraordinary circumstances 
 must exist to demand a visit from the Virgin 
 of Inverski. 
 
 When the metropolitan considers that a 
 family is worthy of such an honour, four 
 monks and two dignitaries of the Church 
 proceed to the Spasskoi gate in a carriage 
 with six horses. Every spectator bows low 
 and makes the sign of the cross as the picture 
 is lowered from its accustomed place, and 
 prostrates himself completely, in spite of the 
 snow and frost, at the moment it is installed in 
 the bottom of the carriage; the two priests 
 then place themselves on the box in front, the 
 monks act as drivers and footmen, and thus 
 they proceed to the privileged house, whose 
 members do not receive the honour of such a 
 visit without very liberal offerings. 
 
 The individual ritual practices in the streets, 
 on the promenade, and everywhere, and at all 
 hours, constitute certainly some of the special 
 characteristics of Moscow. One meets at 
 every step people kneeling and reciting 
 prayers, though nothing apparently calls for 
 the devotion. The worship of pictorial repre- 
 sentations is exaggerated almost to idolatry 
 
MO SCO W—NIJNI NO VGOR OD. 35 
 
 even by the more enlightened portion of the 
 community. But then the higher class, though 
 almost wholly Nihilistic, condescends to ob- 
 serve these popular forms on the one hand, 
 merely through a servile deference to the 
 authority of the Emperor, and on the other, an 
 unwillingness to reproach by neglect the 
 superstition of the lower class. 
 
 The orthodox religion is well known to be 
 a faithful reproduction of the old Greek 
 worship of Constantinople. About the year 
 1000, the chief of the horde that was then to 
 become the embryo of the Russian nation — a 
 thorough barbarian in daring and cruelty, in 
 bruteforce and ungovernable impetuosity — con- 
 stituted himself the promulgator of the Greek 
 religion in the country subject to his rule. 
 
 This Vladimir — such was his name — hurled 
 defiance at all the neighbouring peoples, and 
 subjected to his will nearly the whole of the 
 actual limits of European Russia. He is 
 alleged to have had — if certain fabulous 
 chronicles may be trusted — five legitimate 
 wives, eight hundred concubines, and a multi- 
 tude of children, whom he sacrificed to the 
 gods. But just at the moment he was about 
 
36 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 to sacrifice his first wife, the partner even of 
 his throne, he was seized with remorse. 
 
 Intent ori forming into an entire nation all 
 the hordes he had conquered, he nevertheless 
 understood that this could only be accom- 
 plished by means of a national religion. 
 With this object in view, he sent ambassadors 
 into different countries, in order to study their 
 respective religions, and these from their 
 reports enabled him to choose which seemed 
 to him the best. Mahomedanism is said to 
 have displeased him, because the Koran 
 forbade the use of wine, a precept that would 
 not have favoured his indulgence in this habit. 
 Romanism was rejected on account of the 
 celibacy of the priesthood, and especially on 
 account of the obedience it would exact to- 
 wards an authority other than his own. Juda- 
 ism, a religion without national coherence, 
 was not favourable to his project of becoming 
 the founder of a homogenous and solid empire. 
 The Greek worship, however, imposed on his 
 barbarian mind by the magnificence of its 
 ritual ; he therefore adopted it, and Russia 
 became a Christian nation of the Eastern 
 Church. 
 
MOSCOW— NIJNI-NOVGOROD. ^ 
 
 Though its dogmas differ but little from those 
 of the Romish Church, the Russians have in- 
 herited the old hatred of the Greeks towards 
 the Romans. They would willingly put into 
 practice the ancient injunction of the Byzantine 
 bishops at the time of the expedition of 
 Frederick against Jerusalem : — " To obtain 
 the remission of sins, the pilgrims must be 
 massacred and exterminated from the face 
 of the earth." * 
 
 They derive also from the devotees of the 
 ancient Church their idolatry, for the indulgence 
 in which these sacrificed their lives. They are 
 the true disciples of those Byzantines who, at 
 the time of the Latin conquest, overthrew with 
 rage a statue of Minerva, upbraiding her with 
 having called hither the barbarians, because 
 she looked towards the west with outstretched 
 arms. 
 
 During my stay at Moscow, I visited the 
 monastery of Troitsa, near this city. This 
 monastery was founded by St. Sergius in 1338. 
 It would be more correct to say that at this 
 time the pious hermit of the forest of Godorok 
 
 * Michaud. 
 
38 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 became a cenobiie jn imparting to a few 
 zealous souls like his own a taste for poverty 
 and the renunciation of all worldly things. 
 But inasmuch as the united resources of 
 these devotees were barely sufficient at first to 
 provide for them a shelter, the convent was not 
 constructed till later. 
 
 His fortune was indeed changed when St. 
 Sergius, at the moment of the great Mongolian 
 invasion, prevailed on Prince Dmitri to march 
 against the barbarians in the plains of the 
 Don. This prince having become victorious 
 over the fierce Mamai, overloaded the new com- 
 munity with presents. In 1393, Troitsa was 
 partially pillaged and burnt by the Tartars, 
 and St. Sergius perished; but his body, re- 
 covered as if by a miracle from the heap of 
 ruins, continued to be an object of veneration. 
 The czars, the princes, the boyards, succes- 
 sively bestowed important largesses on the 
 convent, whose wealth then became legendary 
 in Russia. In the middle of the last century, 
 Troitsa possessed, in addition to an almost 
 incredible heap of jewels, immense domains 
 and a hundred thousand peasants. Then even 
 the wealth of the monastery was estimated to 
 
AIOSCOW—NIJNI-NOVGOROD. 39 
 
 be over forty millions of pounds sterling. Its 
 fortifications, which still exist, defended it in 
 1 609 against the Polish invasion, and sheltered 
 from danger the young czars John and Peter 
 Alexievitch during one of the revolts of the 
 Strelitz Imperial Guards. Besides the build- 
 ings serving the community as habitations, it 
 surrounds with its walls nine churches, whose 
 riches excite the wonder rather than the ad- 
 miration of the stranger. All the painted and 
 enamelled portions of the representations of 
 saints are set around with rubies, emeralds, 
 topazes, and diamonds, of enormous size. 
 The tomb of St. Serglus is in gilded silver; 
 the canopy is of massive silver, and supported 
 by four columns also of silver. The chasubles, 
 worn by the priesthood in the exercise of their 
 worship, are covered with fifteen, eighteen, 
 and even twenty-one pounds of pearls. The 
 spectator is at first dazzled at the sight of so 
 much magnificence ; but since all these things 
 are wonders only on account of their immense 
 value, one at last becomes indifferent to the 
 spectacle of a mere heap of precious things. 
 As other writers, more able, have already fully 
 described Troitsa, I will not fatigue the reader 
 
40 FROM PARTS TC PEKIN. 
 
 with further details. My guide led me to see 
 everything- : the chapels, the treasury, where 
 may be seen twenty gallons of fine pearls, which 
 are consigned to a glass case, the authorities 
 not knowing what other use to make of them. 
 When I had seen all these treasures, my guide 
 led me to one of the outer doors and held out 
 his hand. This movement, I must admit, 
 embarrassed me, for after having visited the 
 monastery of Troitsa, a donation of a thou- 
 sand roubles even seems a mere trifle. Before 
 taking leave of this devotee, I asked permis- 
 sion to visit the library. " We have none," he 
 replied. This poor fellow then seemed to me 
 really poor, and I was sorry I could not offer 
 him a gratuity of a kind I would have bestowed 
 with more pleasure. M. de Custine says the 
 monastery has a library, but that the regula- 
 tions do not permit the public to see it. I 
 only hope what M. de Custine says is true. 
 
 On returning from this visit, a young man 
 called Constantine Kokcharof came to see me. 
 His complexion was a yellowish brown, and he 
 had prominent cheekbones like the Mongols, 
 crisp hair and full lips like an African, a short 
 stature, and yet great muscular strength. He 
 
MO SCO W-NIJNI-NO VGOROD. 41 
 
 seemed to hold a place between the native of 
 the North and that of the tropical forests. If 
 he would only have made researches into his 
 genealogy, I am sure he would have traced his 
 origin to the Mongols after the race had passed 
 through some change in India. He said to 
 me on entering: " May God, monsieur, bless 
 your journey! " Then he gave me his name 
 and held out his hand according to the 
 Siberian custom. In Russia it is thought to 
 be impolite not to offer the hand immediately 
 on making an acquaintance. 
 
 " Monsieur," added Constantine, " I am the 
 friend of M. Sabachnikof, whom you have met 
 at the house of M. Pfafifius, the commissary of 
 Kiachta. I am returning to Irkutsk, where 
 my parents live. I had written to M. Pfaffius 
 to ask him if I might accompany him into 
 Siberia, and he replied by giving me your 
 address. Will you take me for your travelling- 
 companion ? I will serve you as interpreter, 
 and with me you will have the advantage of 
 travelling as fast or as easily as it suits you, 
 and, moreover, of taking the route that would 
 be most convenient to yourself." 
 
 I showed him my letters of recommendation; 
 
42 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 and among them he found one for his father 
 and another for his uncle, both being imperial 
 functionaries in Siberia. We settled the busi- 
 ness at once, and I then occupied myself solely 
 with preparations for departure. 
 
 My young companion was most valuable to 
 me, because he was thoroughly acquainted with 
 the route we were to take. 
 
 He was going to traverse, for the sixth time, 
 the immense space that intervenes between 
 Moscow and the Amoor river. He had made 
 the journey in summer and in winter ; he was 
 therefore fully competent to advise me as to 
 what arrangements had to be made, and what 
 precautions it would be indispensable to take 
 against cold and fatigue. He informed me 
 that, in the sledge, besides my jenotte fur, I 
 should roll myself up in a dacha, a kind of 
 mantle, furred inside and out, in which the 
 wearer, being muffled from head to foot, disap- 
 peared altogether. The one I bought the fol- 
 lowing day was lined with white hare skin, and 
 covered again with elk skin, the hair of which 
 was short, but thick. These two fur dresses 
 not being considered sufficiently a la mode, I 
 was obliged to set off with collars of beaver. 
 
MO SCO W—NIJNI-NO VG OR OD. 43 
 
 Swaddled in this manner, I innocently ima- 
 gined I could face with impunity the most 
 rigorous cold of Siberia. 
 
 I have met, in the course of my travels, many 
 a sharper and with many an impudent attempt 
 at extortion, but never with a demand sup- 
 ported with such unscrupulous reasoning as 
 that of the interpreter at the hotel at Moscow. 
 "Monsieur," he began unblushingly, "you owe 
 me at least a recompense of three hundred 
 francs. I will show you in what way. You had 
 urgent need of a Russian companion to go 
 through Siberia. When M. Kokcharof came to 
 ask for you, I could easily have told him that 
 I did not know you, and in keeping on talking 
 with him, have found out his address. Then 
 I might have come and said to you : ' I have 
 just found the man you want, but I cannot 
 promise to let you know his name and where 
 he may be found unless you give me a thou- 
 sand francs.' Now, monsieur, you know, I 
 have not done such a thing as that, and you ought, 
 indeed, to take it into consideration." 
 
 My rage made me forget for the moment 
 the article in the decree of the Emperor — the 
 interdiction to strike a subject. 1 was about to 
 
44 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 raise my hand, but I raised my foot instead, 
 and, in this way, speedily dismissed the bare- 
 faced impostor. I found out afterwards that 
 this man was a Pole, a circumstance that enabled 
 me to calm my conscience, for could the decree 
 be meant for these convicts ? Having finally 
 secured my trunks, I went, in company with 
 M. Constantine Kokcharof, chatting with him 
 all the way, to take the train for Nijni-Nov- 
 gorod. 
 
 Nijni-Novgorod is the last station of the 
 railway before entering by road into Siberia. 
 
 To get from the railway station to the city, 
 it is necessary to cross the Oka river, at about 
 a few hundred yards before it falls into the 
 Volga. When I arrived at Novgorod, on the 
 15th of December, the winter passage over the 
 ice had begun. The surface of the Oka was 
 furrowed with the passage of sledges coming 
 from Irkutsk, from Nicolaefsk, from the world's 
 end, in fact, and bringing to the railway all 
 kinds of Asiatic provisions. Every river in 
 Russia and Siberia freezes in a different way. 
 Some even have an aspect so special as to 
 enable one, at a mere glance at the ice, to say 
 which river it is. This peculiarity is caused 
 
MO SCO W—NIJNI-NO VGOROD. 45 
 
 by atmospheric conditions, by the nature and 
 form of the shores, and especially by the rate 
 of movement of the stream at the time of 
 congelation. 
 
 The Oka, when frozen, presents on its sur- 
 face a series of great protuberances, in form 
 something like a succession of mounds and 
 consequent dales. The untravelled foreigner 
 sees in his imagination the rivers of the North, 
 during winter, presenting a surface like plate 
 glass, whereon .skaters make long excursions 
 at a rapid pace, and thus accomplish long 
 journeys. Except, perhaps, the Volga, over 
 which the ice, on account of the sluggishness 
 of the current, is almost everywhere level, but 
 where the presence of snow, however, does not 
 admit of skating, I have seen in Russia no 
 river whatever covered to any extent with a 
 smooth surface of ice ; indeed, many of them 
 have a surface so uneven, that it would be 
 impossible for any vehicle to pass over them. 
 The course of the Oka, however, is not of 
 this character ; its frozen surface is one of the 
 least rugged. As for me, hitherto inexperi- 
 enced in Northern locomotion, I should cer- 
 tainly not have supposed, on looking over the 
 
46 FROM PARIS 20 PEKIN. 
 
 roughness of the route, that I was journeying 
 over a frozen river, if my attention had not 
 been attracted by a strange noise beneath, a 
 noise too strange to be forgotten, and suffi- 
 cient to dismiss from my mind any illusion 
 that I was travelling over an ordinary road. 
 
 It was a hollow rumbling sound in a deep 
 gulf below. To the excited fancy of the w^ay- 
 farer, it seemed, at times, the echoed roar of 
 some angry demon imprisoned in the depths 
 of an icy cave; and the traveller, listening as 
 he is whisked along, is affected by a terrifying 
 sensation of sinking, produced by the alternate 
 rising and falling of the sledge over the undulat- 
 ing surface — a movement from which he in- 
 voluntarily recoils. Just as in a carriage, when 
 the horses are rushing on with uncontrolled 
 impetuosity, he instinctively throws himself 
 backwards, as if to struggle against the force 
 that would hurl him to destruction, or, stand- 
 ing on the ridge of a precipice, he impulsively 
 recoils towards surer ground from the abyss 
 yawning to devour him, so, the first time he 
 travels over the frozen river, he shrinks from a 
 movement, but from one against which it is in 
 vain to struggle; for, in glancing over the 
 
MO SCO W—NiyNI-NO VG OR OD. 47 
 
 fragile partition, he finds he is contending, not 
 to attain solid ground, for there is no shore of 
 safety near for retreat, but hopelessly against 
 his own weight. He is irritated at the presence 
 of others there, at their not becoming as light 
 as air ; he is angry with everybody and every- 
 thing that is heavy, because what aggravates 
 the danger by its weight, men or baggage, is 
 exasperating, and, indeed, not without reason, 
 for every ponderous atom, in his imagination, 
 exaggerates the imminence of that desperate 
 moment when, without the resource of a jutting 
 branch or anything stable presented provi- 
 dentially to his grasp, this frail, frozen floor 
 should break under the weight like a pane of 
 glass, and plunge him into all the horrors of 
 a glacial sepulture. 
 
 Scared with this appalling phantom that 
 clung to me in my first sledging experience, 
 it was a great relief to regain the solid ground 
 with no roaring gulf beneath, and a still 
 greater pleasure to arrive safe at Novgorod. 
 The city of Nijni-Novgorod is picturesquely 
 constructed, and, at the same time, very interest- 
 ing, on account of the liveliness of its bazaars. 
 The Volga where it receives the waters of 
 
48 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the Oka is, at least, four miles wide. A great 
 hill, or rather a mountain, swells up along the 
 right bank of this immense sheet of water, 
 and Novgorod rises proudly on the summit of 
 this mountain, watching on one side Asia 
 and on the other Europe, ready to awaken 
 the Russian empire to any danger that might 
 menace it from one quarter or the other. Corh- 
 municating freely with remote districts by aid 
 of its railway and two fine waterways, pro- 
 tected against catastrophes of inundations by 
 its elevated position, against the misfortune of 
 poverty by its extensive commerce, and 
 against the calamity of decadence by its 
 Important annual fair, Novgorod is one of 
 the most agreeable cities in Russia to visit, 
 because, contrary to what one generally meets 
 with in this vast empire, everything here has 
 an air of gaiety, of busy prosperity, and lively 
 movement. 
 
 The streets of the bazaars especially present 
 extraordinary animation. Even when it is not 
 the season of the great fair, they are pic- 
 turesque with the costumes, the most singular 
 and dissimilar, of every Asiatic race, specimens 
 of which the stranger encounters at every 
 
MO SCO W—NIJJ\ri-NO VGOROD. 49 
 
 Step. In this business quarter, the only one, 
 perhaps, so constructed in Russia, the houses 
 have several stories, and the shops rise one 
 above the other, although they do not always 
 belong- to the same proprietor. Wooden 
 balconies, ascended by means of exterior 
 staircases, where one may circulate from one 
 end of the street to the other, serve the public 
 in going to make their purchases at the shops 
 of the upper stories. 
 
 In the other parts of the city, the houses are 
 elegant, and they are almost wholly built of 
 stone, houses, in fact, which, in any city 
 beyond Moscow, and still more beyond Kazan, 
 would be considered even magnificent. 
 Numerous comfortable hotels offer an asylum 
 to the traveller, who sees around him here, 
 as well as in the city, bustling though not 
 extensive, conspicuous results of the activity 
 of its inhabitants and the incessant movement 
 of commerce. 
 
 From the foot of the column dedicated to 
 Sviataslof Vsevolovitch, on the spot where he 
 vanquished the Swedes and Poles, that rises 
 on one of the highest summits of the great hill 
 on which Novgorod is built, the stranger may 
 
 4 
 
50 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 contemplate a prospect that might serve as 
 a type of a Russian landscape in winter. In 
 the plain below sleeps the Volga, silent and 
 still to the senses in its winter dress ; for the 
 frost, one of nature's forces, the most impos- 
 ing from its effects, has already congealed 
 the surface of its running stream into the 
 solidity and quiescence of the plain. One sees 
 on the left bank of this river, and to an 
 enormous distance through the crepuscular 
 gloom common to these latitudes in winter, 
 a series of long, vast undulations, covered with 
 boundless forests, leafless, dark and dreary. 
 Here and there, however, the melancholy 
 monotonous uniformity is broken b)'' a few 
 patches of pines, but elsewhere the white 
 trunks of the birch start up like apparitions 
 in this desolate expanse of savage nature. 
 
 This scene, characteristic of Russia in 
 winter, is one of the most mournful and un- 
 inviting to behold, and the stranger who has 
 once seen it wonders why any people, however 
 wretched, do not shudder at the idea of esta- 
 blishing themselves in a land where nature is 
 so cheerless and inhospitable. 
 
CHAPTER TV. 
 
 FROM NIJNI-NOVGOROD TO KAZAN. 
 
 The Volga in winter — Varieties of podarojnaia — ^What is 
 necessary for a long sledge journey — Departure from 
 Nijni — Posting relays — ^A momentary thaw — The snow — 
 Arrival at Kazan. 
 
 Hardly had I arrived at Novgorod, when I 
 wished to begin my journey in a sledge as 
 soon as possible. Thus man is attracted 
 towards unknown adventures, even should he 
 feel he is doomed to become, in consequence of 
 them, a sufferer. 
 
 I went at once to the governor of the 
 province, in order that he might afford me 
 every facility for obtaining horses at the several 
 posting stages. To obtain relays, there are 
 three kinds of recommendations, which are 
 called in Russian podarojnaia. 
 
 The most valuable and important of the 
 three is the podarojnaia de courrier, which can 
 only be obtained for exceptional cases, for an 
 
52 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 envoy extraordinary of the Emperor for 
 instance. 
 
 When a traveller arrives at a stage pro- 
 vided with this order, the posting master is 
 obliged to furnish horses immediately, and if 
 they are not there, to demand them elsewhere 
 by requisition ; he also commands the driver 
 to gallop without intermission. 
 
 The Crown podarojnaia, although an order 
 of the second rank, is, nevertheless, much 
 appreciated. It is generally accorded to the 
 functionaries who are returning to their posts, 
 or to those who are travelling in the public 
 service. It was with one of these orders that 
 the governor of Nijni-Novgorod was pleased 
 to furnish me. The posting masters should 
 always reserve a troika or drdika (a vehicle 
 with three horses) in case a traveller should 
 present himself furnished with a Crown poda- 
 rojnaia. It is therefore a rare occurrence to 
 the bearer of this important order when he 
 presents himself at a posting stage not to be 
 provided with horses immediately. The 
 drivers, under this order, have copper badges 
 attached to their caps and arms, which warn 
 afar off other conductors coming in a contrary 
 
FROM NIJNI-NOVGOROD TO KAZAN. si 
 
 direction to clear the way immediately, under 
 a penalty of severe chastisement in case of 
 neglect ; they also drive almost always at a 
 gallop, like the drivers of the podarojnaia de 
 courrier. 
 
 Between the Crown podarojnaia and the 
 simple podarojnaia, there is a great difference. 
 This is for the mass of ordinary travellers. 
 It is necessary to pay at once, pretty dearly, to 
 get it at all, and then the traveller is quite at 
 the mercy of the postmasters, who will not 
 give him horses unless they are disposed to 
 do so. 
 
 The rule is that each relay should have six 
 hours' rest between each course. It, there- 
 fore, often happens that the traveller finds at 
 the stages no other relays than those taking 
 their usual rest, excepting always the reserve 
 for the Crown podarojnaia. I have frequently 
 seen travellers who had been waiting, two or 
 three days, until the posting master was dis- 
 posed to accommodate them or had been tired 
 out with having his guests on his hands. 
 
 Unfortunately, the contractors of relays find 
 every advantage in prolonging such a delay. 
 The guest does not pay for his lodging, which 
 
54 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 is gratuitous, but he always takes there some 
 provisions, and the postmasters hope to 
 receive in the end, when he is tired out with 
 waiting, a liberal gratuity in addition, in order 
 to furnish a troika, even with horses fatigued 
 from a recent course. 
 
 The organization of the posting between 
 Nijni-Novgorod and Tumen does not at present 
 belong to the Government. It is conceded 
 temporarily to M. Michael of, who is making 
 a rapid fortune by letting his horses at a high 
 rate. 
 
 Provided, as I have mentioned, with a recom- 
 mendation from this fortunate contractor, and 
 also with a Crown podarojnaia, for which I 
 was indebted to the governor of Nijni, I thought 
 I should be able to start the following morning. 
 
 But, alas ! I had reckoned, this time again, 
 without Siberian frosts. 
 
 To complete my preparations for a pro- 
 longed journey in a sledge, I was obliged the 
 whole morning to run about from shop to shop. 
 The number of objects to be bought was incal- 
 culable. Constantine had made out a list as 
 long as an apothecary's bill. I did not get back 
 to my hotel till one in the afternoon, worn out 
 
FROM NIJNI-NOVGOROD TO KAZAN. 55 
 
 with fatigue, in a very bad humour, thirsty and 
 dying with hunger, and, moreover, so knocked 
 up, that I wished for nothing more than to go 
 to bed at once and rest my weary limbs. 
 
 I was in this state, when Constantine said to 
 me with all the coolness in the world : " Now, 
 monsieur, we are quite ready ; do you wish 
 to start? " I was about to propose not to 
 get into the sledge till the following day, or 
 to wait at least a few hours, when I happened 
 to cast my eyes over my acquisitions, stand- 
 ing in a great heap in the middle of the room. 
 
 The heap that had bewildered me, when I 
 paid my visit to M. Pfaffius, was a mere hillock 
 beside this mountain. There were here heaped 
 up soft leather trunks filled with clothing, to 
 be put at the bottom of the sledge to deaden 
 the jerks, round valises, to serve as bolsters 
 at night, touloupes, a dacha in sheepskin, 
 cushions, mattresses, veal and mutton sausages, 
 felt boots, felt rugs, bottles of brandy, ropes, 
 a hammer, a liberal supply of tools for iron 
 and wood work, eight pairs of large worsted 
 stockings, belts, bags, a. store of white bread, 
 pillows, and I don't know what else. And 
 then, my trunks being no longer of any use, 
 
5b FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 all the clothing I had brought from France 
 lay distributed everywhere in this little room, 
 and for the first time found themselves in such 
 strange company. Neither the most crammed 
 railway cloak rooms, nor chinoiserie shops, nor 
 back rooms of pawnshops, nothing, in fact, 
 except perhaps the brain cases of certain 
 inveterate political reformers or the witches' 
 caldron in Macbeth, could give any idea of 
 such a perplexing jumble. 
 
 This exhilarating spectacle at once restored 
 my courage ; I then had but one object in view 
 — to get out of it as speedily as possible and 
 start. I ordered horses on the instant. 
 
 While a servant had gone in search of the 
 team, we, Constantine and myself, set to work 
 to pack all the articles I have just enumerated 
 into a sledge, which I had ordered from the 
 manufactory of Romanof — the most celebrated 
 of Russian coachbuilders. This sledge, especi- 
 ally, was wonderfully built. Lightness and 
 strength, the two most important qualities of 
 a good vehicle, were united in it to the highest 
 point of excellence. The sledge being an 
 open one, at least in front, we could enjoy, 
 during the daytime, a view of the country ; 
 
FROM NIJNI-NOVGOROD TO KAZAN. 57 
 
 whilst a fixed hood, which we closed in com- 
 pletely at night with tarred canvas, protected 
 us pretty well against the wind and the snow. 
 Two pieces of wood, fixed at a little height 
 above the ground and disposed in a sloping 
 position from the front to the back, prevented 
 the sledge from overturning, at least in ordi- 
 nary circumstances, and protected the body of 
 the vehicle against obstacles and shocks — 
 encounters that were met with, I believe, verily 
 twenty or thirty times a day. 
 
 Just as you make your bed, you lie on it, 
 says the proverb. And in Russia, just as one 
 arranges his sledge, he bears up in proportion 
 against the fatigue of the journey. Constan- 
 tine had, in this art, real talent. He laid 
 the mattresses in a slanting position, just 
 nicely calculated ; he adroitly smoothed over, 
 in some way, every jutting angle or boss as 
 often as one or the other arose from the 
 settling of the contents during a long journey. 
 As soon as a cavity had formed from the 
 jolting, no matter where, he immediately filled 
 up the vacant space with hay, and everythin.^ 
 kept its place to the advantage of our ease. 
 He transformed, in short, our sledge into a 
 
58 FROM PARIS TO PEKJN. 
 
 comfortable soft bed, which would have en- 
 abled us to support, without fatigue, the fifteen 
 hundred leagues we had to traverse as far as 
 Irkutsk, if circumstances, which I shall subse- 
 quently relate, had not occurred. When all 
 these preparations had been made and the 
 horses put to, I began to wrap myself in my 
 travelling costume. 
 
 Those who have not visited Siberia have 
 no idea of the excessive wrapping-up and 
 muffling necessary to a traveller on a long 
 journey in that climate. 
 
 To put on such a great number of garments 
 is no light matter, and cannot be accomplished, 
 the first time especially, without laughing 
 outright a great deal and perspiring much 
 more. 
 
 We first put on four pairs of worsted stock- 
 ings and over them, like jack boots, a pair of 
 felt stockings that covered our legs. We then 
 wrapped ourselves in three garments of fur, 
 one over the other. Then we covered our 
 heads with an astrakan and a bachelique. 
 When we had got into the sledge we wrapped 
 our legs in a fur rug and then buried 
 ourselves side by side in two more fur rugs. 
 
FROM NIJNI-NOVGOROD TO KAZAN. 59 
 
 These accoutrements, which would be exces- 
 sive to protect one's self merely for a few hours 
 against the cold, even the most intense, be- 
 come light enough and barely sufficient when 
 the traveller remains exposed to the air a long 
 time, and especially to the fatigue of a sledge 
 journey prolonged night and day, without 
 stopping to sleep. 
 
 The only defect in the construction of 
 Siberian sledges is the want of a seat for the 
 yemschik or driver: this unhappy individual 
 is obliged to sit on a wooden platform, that 
 covers the travellers' legs, with his legs hang- 
 ing either on the right or left side, and, conse- 
 quently, has to drive from either side. When he 
 has troublesome horses to manage he gets on 
 his knees, or even stands up on the platform. 
 This arrangement is all the more inconvenient, 
 inasmuch as it requires unusual dexterity to 
 drive and hold in the mettlesome little horses 
 of Northern Asia. The moment they feel the 
 harness on their backs, whether from natural 
 ardour alone or from a want to get warm, 
 there is no holding them; their impatience 
 is unparalleled in horseflesh. They tremble 
 with excitement, they paw and scrape the 
 
6o FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 ground, nibble at the snow, or make a huge 
 ball with it, and then scatter it in a cloud of 
 fine particles. The drivers have a very 
 difficult task to calm their impetuosity; they 
 accomplish this in the most soothing manner, 
 by means of a steady trill on their lips ; they 
 sustain this more intensely the moment they 
 leap on the platform of the sledge, which 
 is for them a very delicate gymnastic feat, 
 demanding great agility. At this critical 
 moment, the horses, feeling no further restraint, 
 uncurbed, rampant, start off in a mad gallop, ie 
 diable en queue. If, on the other hand, the driver 
 should lucklessly make an abortive attempt, he 
 is hurled over the crosspieces like a tile by the 
 passing gale, and the travellers go on without 
 a whip, flying on the wings of the wind. 
 
 This was just the hairbreadth escape 
 that happened to the first yemschik chance 
 had thrown in our way. His horses, just as 
 he seized the platform to leap on to it, 
 started off at a furious pace. Like a brave 
 fellow, he kept his grip on it like a bulldog, 
 and, luckily, on the reins too, and was thus 
 hauled over the snow at our side for some 
 minutes. At the end of this critical interval 
 
FROM NIJNI-NOVGOROD TO KAZAN. 5i 
 
 he fckind some lucky projection beside the 
 sledge, where he could support his knee, and 
 at last, thanks to the herculean strength of 
 his arms and the help we gave him, he 
 succeeded in gaining his seat and then tena- 
 ciously clung to it to the end of the stage. 
 Thus equipped, we left Nijni-Novgorod on 
 the 17th of December at three o'clock in 
 the afternoon. 
 
 This first day's journey in a sledge was 
 delightful and exhilarating. We felt all the 
 pleasure of the novelty of the locomotion 
 without yet beginning to experience the least 
 fatigue, and at every moment we met other 
 travellers coming, twenty and even thirty 
 leagues, to the city we had just quitted, on 
 their business or pleasure. 
 
 However great the distance may be, it is 
 never an obstacle to the Russians : they seem 
 to make nothing of it, and never to calculate 
 it. A lady at St. Petersburg said to me one 
 day : "You should go and see the cascade of 
 Tchernaiarietchka : I went there the other 
 day, and I was charmed with it; I never 
 dreamt there was anything so beautiful at our 
 city gates." On making inquiries about it a 
 
62 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 few days later, and as to how I could get 
 there, I found that it would take forty-eight 
 hours by rail, and twelve by diligence. I dare- 
 say they will think of sending the poor seamen 
 who are ordered to join their ships at Nico- 
 laefsk to St. Petersburg gates ; it is only three 
 hundred leagues from the Russian capital. 
 The reader will learn subsequently, if he is 
 interested in continuing the journey with me, 
 that the Siberians, of the fair sex even, are not 
 at all dismayed at the prospect of undertaking 
 journeys of fifteen hundred, nay, two thousand 
 leagues in a sledge, with young children to 
 boot, and these sometimes at the breast. 
 
 On account of the great novelty and variety 
 of the spectacle, I found the trip delightful on 
 leaving Novgorod. The time passed more 
 rapidly than the banks of the river, over whose 
 congealed surface our horses continued fleeing 
 at a mad pace as if pursued by a phantom. 
 
 This imposing Volga is of a character truly 
 quite exceptional. France, certainly, has no 
 river worthy of so much admiration for its 
 grandeur. During the summer it is en- 
 livened with an incessant movement of 
 steamers, and is of immense importance as a 
 
FROM NJJNI-NOVGOROD TO KAZAN. 63 
 
 waterway ; and during winter also it continues 
 rendering great services to humanity, affording 
 the means for the transport of the grain that it 
 has fertilized with its beneficent waters. 
 Nothing is grander than this glacial route of 
 unusual width, and of a uniformity and smooth- 
 ness which no road laid by the hand of man 
 can approach ; without a pebble or a rut, one 
 glides over without a jolt. Nothing interests 
 the traveller more, the first time, than to watch 
 the shores passing before the eye like a 
 panorama ; to contemplate the mountains and 
 valleys the frozen way spares him the trouble 
 of traversing; to coast the islands without 
 navigating ; and to pass here and there some 
 barque, or perhaps steamer, imprisoned in the 
 ice. 
 
 In about three hours and a half after leaving 
 Novgorod, we reached our first stage, it being 
 then quite dark. 
 
 In all these posting stages, there is a room 
 for the travellers ; and this room, though 
 heated at the proprietor's expense, becomes 
 really a free home for the wanderer : he may 
 eat, drink, and sleep there ; do, in fact, what- 
 ever he likes ; and what is still more singular, 
 
64 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 lodge there as long- as he wishes, no one 
 having a right to dislodge him. 
 
 Although this privilege is secured by 
 contracts made between the posting masters 
 and the Imperial administration, it would 
 undoubtedly be quite consistent with the 
 Russian character to accord it if it were not 
 compulsory, the people being essentially hos- 
 pitable. 
 
 This amiable quality results, perhaps, from 
 the rigour of the climate ; but I am rather 
 disposed to believe — so general and spon- 
 taneous is it — that it is the consequence of a 
 happy and generous disposition. 
 
 I shall have something more to say, by-and- 
 by, on the merits of the Russian peasantry. 
 I do not say that they have a monopoly of this 
 benevolent spirit, for, indeed, it is common to 
 all classes. The society of St. Petersburg 
 cannot, certainly, be suspected to be wanting 
 in kindness towards strangers ; even the old 
 Muscovite noble, notwithstanding his haughti- 
 ness, notwithstanding his hatred of new social 
 institutions, notwithstanding his regret to see 
 Moscow no longer the residence of the 
 emperors, and, moreover, his antipathy for 
 
FROM NIJNI-NOVGOROD TO KAZAN. 65 
 
 European ideas and fashions, adopted in the 
 new capital; — in spite of all that, the Muscovite 
 lord has retained profoundly rooted in his 
 nature the old traditions of respect towards 
 him who is his guest, and he regards hos- 
 pitality, not simply as a passive virtue, but 
 seriously as an active duty. 
 
 At the Siberian posting stages, the stranger 
 often finds pleasant company or something to 
 amuse him in the travellers' room ; it is rare to 
 find it unoccupied ; and when people are dis- 
 posed to talk, subjects of conversation are not 
 wanting. Those who are going in a contrary 
 direction begin inquiring about everything 
 that interests them on the way; about the 
 state of the route ; about the difficulties, more 
 or less serious, that have been encountered in 
 getting horses. Those who are taking the 
 same way have generally already met at one 
 or more stages, and now salute one another 
 as old acquaintances. When the stage 
 happens to be in a village, the principal 
 persons of the neighbourhood generally come 
 to pass away an hour or two very sociably 
 with the travellers. They are very curious to 
 know all about political matters from those 
 
 5 
 
66 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 who come from the West, and business affairs 
 from those coming from the East. They all 
 chat together in a manner perfectly free and 
 easy, without the least exclusiveness on account 
 of class, profession, or position. Their inter- 
 course is always marked with the utmost good- 
 nature and affability. 
 
 But at the stages that link Nijni to Kazan 
 this kind of society is not always so agreeable. 
 
 The travellers around here are, in fact, a 
 little too much civilized to be always quite 
 so simple and warm-hearted. They are, 
 perhaps, a little too well initiated in the new 
 social principles of e^aiite and /raternite to 
 believe that these amiable sentiments have so 
 profoundly modified human nature as they find 
 it in their surroundings. They look on the 
 people accident throws in their way rather 
 as competitors for accommodation, whose 
 presence there may contribute to retard their 
 journey, and would, if they had the liberie, 
 such as their brethren and equals understand 
 it (from the purely practical side of the 
 formula), much rather smash their brethren's 
 sledges, than give them a helping hand under 
 difficulties. 
 
FROM NIJNI-NOVGOROD TO KAZAN. 67 
 
 I did not linger very long in these first 
 stages, where, on account of the privileged 
 recommendations I was favoured with for 
 obtaining horses, I met only with unfriendly 
 looks and gestures ; therefore, in twelve hours 
 from my departure, I had already accomplished 
 more than a quarter of the distance that 
 separated me from Kazan. 
 
 We continued travelling over the Volga. A 
 little before daybreak I was surprised at the 
 strange noise that was being produced by the 
 horses' feet over the ice : it was no longer the 
 dull, hollow sound that had terrified me at 
 Nijni-Novgorod. It was to me one quite novel, 
 and people generally, especially the most 
 experienced, — a circumstance far from reassur- 
 ing, — begin to get uneasy at it. ■ This sound 
 seemed to me the most fearful that one could 
 hear on the ice ; it was a splashing. I listened 
 in terror ; but as my companion had smiled at 
 my first affright at Nijni, I did not venture, till 
 after a long interval, to reveal it to him this 
 time. 
 
 Through an excess of amour-propre which I 
 probably now derived from intercourse with 
 Russians, I was just going to allow him to fall 
 
68 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 off asleep, when I was splashed full in the face, 
 and my terror, excited to its highest pitch, 
 could no longer be smothered. I started up, 
 leaping almost, over Constantine, who, to use 
 a Siberian saying, " was snoring enough to 
 frighten the wolves." Itwas but a poor resource 
 against actual danger. Whilst I was rousing 
 him, my wits seemed to be going a-wool-gather- 
 ing ; what wonderful feat were they not going 
 to perform in such a peril as this ? My imagi- 
 nation in fact, stirred up, no doubt, by the poesy 
 of the journey, brought to my mind Dame 
 Fortune saving the life of a sleeping infant 
 on the brink of a well. The complete absence 
 of wheels, however, soon brought me round to 
 sober reality, and I explained the situation 
 to Constantine with a conciseness that might 
 serve as a model to many an orator. He 
 questioned the yemschik on the matter, who 
 replied with complete indifference : " Yes, sir, 
 it is thawing ; but it is merely the snow melt- 
 ing : the ice is just as thick as ever." 
 
 The sky being very cloudy, the night was 
 profoundly dark. Experience principally 
 served to guide the driver in his course, and 
 then the water — a fatal indication, indeed, of 
 
FROM NIJNI-NOVGOROD TO KAZAN. 69 
 
 the way, when this way is over the bed of a 
 frozen river ! I crept back, without saying a 
 word more, into the bottom of the sledge ; but 
 I must admit that it seemed to me that the 
 ice successively yielded, cracked, and opened, 
 and then, freezing over again with sufficient 
 thickness, bore us up firmly. What does not 
 the imagination shadow forth to an excited 
 brain ? 
 
 Gradually, but very gradually, the day came 
 forth, or it would be more exact to say rather 
 a kind of twilight, for a thick fog veiled, 
 nearly every object from our eyes. The sum- 
 mits of the hills that continuously command 
 the right bank of the Volga marked a shadow 
 on the horizon barely more sombre. Every- 
 thing else appeared confounded in a general 
 grey hue, and nothing, not even the shore, could 
 be distinguished. Our ears soon began to 
 catch the ominous sounds of a crackling under 
 the horses' feet, thereby announcing that the 
 thaw had begun its work, now, indeed, on the 
 ice. Then we could just distinguish very 
 portentous fissures, starting right and left 
 under the passage of the sledge. The yemschik 
 at last, discovering that the situation was 
 
70 FROM PARIS TO PEICIN. 
 
 becoming perilous, thought it now high time 
 to take precautions. He therefore dashed on 
 as if chased by a pack of famishing wolves as 
 far as the first village, and here we were glad 
 to set foot at last on terra firma. 
 
 The following night snow began to fall, to 
 our great discomfiture; for no state of the 
 atmosphere here is so disagreeable to travellers 
 in a sledge only partially closed. 
 
 Fatigued by the exciting emotions of the 
 preceding night, and especially by thirty-six 
 hours' duration of a kind of locomotion to 
 which I was not yet accustomed, I had fallen 
 into a sound sleep. As it was not very cold, 
 Constantine and I had never thought of lower- 
 ing the canvas that partially closes in the front 
 of the vehicle, and, moreover, we had neglected 
 to take the precaution to cover our faces. But 
 as the warmth of our breath dissolved the 
 flakes that would otherwise have interrupted 
 our respiration, we had scarcely noticed our 
 situation. The snow, indeed, had penetrated 
 and fallen thickly everywhere ; our faces even 
 were quite covered ; it had insinuated itself in 
 the openings of our dachas, and melting there, 
 saturated our inner mantles : water was now 
 
FROM NIJNI-NOVGOROD TO KAZAN. 71 
 
 running- fast down our necks and sleeves ; we 
 were drenched : and it was likely to have been 
 a very serious matter if the cold, which then 
 commenced to make itself felt very acutely, 
 had not roused us from our slumbers. But 
 what a transition was that awakening ! My 
 mind, which seemed at first to be wandering 
 far away from actual life, could in no way 
 account for the situation ; we opened our eyes, 
 it is true, but were unable to distinguish any- 
 thing ; we felt a load pressing us down every- 
 where, and yet we were unable to grasp anything. 
 I fancied myself one moment in a delirium and 
 in the next the victim of a vivid nightmare ; 
 but the cold at last brought me to my senses. 
 The first thing we did was to urge the 
 yemschik to drive as fast as he could, that we 
 might dry ourselves as soon as possible at the 
 first stage. The wind now turned towards the 
 north, the clouds had dispersed, and a piercing 
 cold benumbed our limbs. Everything was 
 frozen to our garments, which had become 
 to the touch as rigid as tanned hides bristling 
 " like quills upon the fretful porcupine." 
 
 Fortunately, in this plight, the distance that 
 separated us from Kazan was not very great. 
 
72 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 The surface of the Volga, on which we were 
 enabled to continue our journey at daybreak, 
 contributed very much to shorten the way, and 
 on the 19th of December, about one in the 
 afternoon, we drove into the ancient capital of 
 the Tartars, after having accomplished what 
 they consider in Siberia a short, easy journey. 
 
CHAPTER V. 
 
 KAZAN JOURNEY TO PERM. 
 
 The Virgin of Kazan — Russian manner of expressing dis- 
 approval — Dining with a grandee — His description of the 
 enfranchisement of the serfs — The Tartars — Journey in 
 a sledge — Caravan of exiles — The Votiaks — Aspect of 
 European Russia. 
 
 The city of Kazan is not situated on the 
 banks of the Volga. It stands at the distance 
 of at least half a mile from the left bank of 
 this river. 
 
 The day after we arrived here, Constantine 
 introduced me to one of his old college com- 
 panions, a young man who had just finished 
 his studies in medicine at the university of 
 Kazan. Being desirous of seeing Kazan and 
 its neighbourhood, and this young medical 
 man knowing them well, I begged him to 
 become my guide, which he most courteously 
 consented to do. 
 We first went to the university, which is 
 
74 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 celebrated ; then to the cathedral, which inter- 
 ested me very much. Its style is different 
 from the Byzantine— a style that obtrudes so 
 often on the eye of the stranger in Russia 
 that he at last gets tired of it ; but this 
 cathedral reminds one of certain portions of 
 the ancient Kremlin, and is evidently a con- 
 struction of a remote period. Its paintings 
 are very crude, as in the early stages of the 
 art, though well-executed specimens of the 
 epoch. Another object that attracted my 
 attention was the high altar in massive silver. 
 Then we went on a pilgrimage to the Virgin 
 of Kazan, the patron saint of travellers. This 
 virgin was formerly left hanging on a tree in 
 the middle of the forest. There she performed 
 wonderful miracles amid the awestruck pea- 
 santry, who made long pilgrimages to obtain 
 pardon of their sins and find favour in her 
 sight. One of the chief bishops of Kazan, 
 touched at her exposure in so wild a spot, 
 ordered her to be conducted to the cathedral, 
 that she might be honoured in a sanctuary 
 worthy of her merits. But on the day follow- 
 ing the ceremony the lady excited the greatest 
 wonder and admiration by returning herself 
 
KAZAN— JOURNEY TO PERM. 75 
 
 to her accustomed place in the forest. It was 
 in vain they led her back three times in a 
 grand procession to the city ; for the repeated 
 miracle of her return just as often clearly 
 indicated her will and pleasure. Since the 
 lady would not go to a church, a church was 
 obliged to come to the lady, and one accord- 
 ingly came, or rather rose, on this privileged 
 spot, and then followed in its wake a monastery 
 which became, after that of Troitsa, one of 
 the richest in Russia. Then later habitations 
 of the devoted began to cluster around, and 
 now the Virgin of Kazan, whether she likes it 
 or not, is shut up in a city. 
 
 This wonderful virgin, the reader will under- 
 stand, is a little picture, pretty well executed 
 in the Byzantine style and of great antiquity. 
 
 As I wished to see this treasure, we went 
 there and sent to the abbess to obtain permis- 
 sion to visit it ; but, to my disappointment and 
 vexation, it was refused. This was the only 
 occasion on which doors were closed against 
 me whenever I presented myself, either in 
 European Russia or Siberia, to gratify my 
 curiosity in visiting any public building. 
 
 The young student who accompanied me 
 
76 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 was disgusted at the scrupulosity or ill-nature 
 of the abbess, and manifested his feelings 
 in a way more significant than delicate — a way 
 quite common with Russians — by spitting with 
 great energy repeatedly on the ground. But 
 in spite of this unseemly reception of the 
 abbess's message, he was most respectful and 
 courteous towards the nun who bore it, and we 
 went away exchanging bows, as if she had 
 conferred on us the highest favour. 
 
 This dainty habit of expressing disapproval 
 or protestation by salivary effusion is so 
 common and popular that it finds its way even 
 into literature. It was here, just in this city, 
 that I was present at a play wherein the 
 author tried to represent as effectively as 
 possible how far domestic quarrels might go 
 in a household composed of members who 
 were not very accommodating to one another. 
 The representation was perfectly intelligible 
 to me from beginning to end, notwithstanding 
 my ignorance of the Russian language, simply 
 because the best arguments employed by the 
 leading characters in the play consisted princi- 
 pally in repetitions of this gesture, certainly 
 far more expressive than delicate. 
 
KAZAN— JOURNEY TO PERM. 77 
 
 And so far as regarded my young com- 
 panion also, if anything would have withheld 
 him from responding quite as demonstratively 
 to the abbess herself on receiving her refusal, 
 it would not have been any sentiment of 
 reverence or scruples of piety, and for a very 
 good reason : because the students of the 
 university of Kazan pique themselves on being 
 freethinkers. 
 
 But what is much more serious in the 
 Russian territory is that they strain the theory 
 of emancipation to embrace ideas of political 
 liberty in its most liberal sense. The Govern- 
 ment, however, knows how to suppress this 
 excess of enthusiasm as soon as it manifests 
 itself. At the time of the Polish insurrection, 
 three students having a little too openly 
 demonstrated their views, one was shot and 
 the other two banished for life to the Siberian 
 deserts. 
 
 The liberation of the serfs had naturally 
 caused a great deal of bitter feeling towards 
 the late Czar on the part of certain aris- 
 tocratic landowners ; and the Russian liberals 
 have succeeded, in a great measure, in 
 conciliating the latter by sympathizing with 
 
78 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 them in their imaginary wrong ; thus it 
 sometimes happens that nobles and liberals 
 share the same hopes, and consequently draw 
 closer to one another. With this spirit 
 pervading these two classes, the reader will 
 not be surprised to learn that I was introduced 
 by a student of the university of Kazan to 
 an important personage of the old Russian 
 aristocracy. 
 
 He entertained me with an account of the 
 enfranchisement of the serfs, and it was 
 naturally from his own point of view; but 
 since these views differ very widely among 
 people with whom I have conversed on the 
 subject, according to their interests or pre- 
 judices, I will give in his own words the 
 opinion of this old Russian noble without 
 making any comment on it. He thus began : 
 
 " Formerly all the Russian territory be- 
 longed to the nobles. The peasant, of course, 
 was at the mercy of the lord on whose land 
 he lived, and was obliged to give him a 
 certain amount of work. The lord, however, 
 never abused this privilege ; on the contrary, 
 he was in the habit of distributing every year 
 among the peasantry a certain quantity of 
 
KAZAN-JOURNEY TO PERM. 7^ 
 
 land to farm for their own benefit, as a re- 
 compense for ' their services. Under this 
 arrangement, the peasant had an interest in 
 working ; he worked for his master, and the 
 land consequently improved, and then he 
 worked for himself, to obtain some comfort in 
 his old age. The land under this system 
 produced more, and the general prosperity 
 could not fail to increase accordingly. 
 
 " But then the Czar, just like Louis XIV. 
 in France, fearing the growing influence of 
 the aristocracy, gave to the peasantry the 
 lands they had hitherto merely farmed. The 
 Emperor himself undertook to indemnify the 
 lords, reserving to himself the right of receiv- 
 ing, in the form of a land tax, the established 
 rents, which, in the absence of such a liberality, 
 — a liberality more apparent than real — the 
 peasant would have continued paying to his 
 lord. Since that time, the lords, deprived of 
 their authority, have almost all abandoned 
 their lands; the peasantry discover that the 
 profits of their lands are absorbed by the 
 Imperial tax; and this tax, itself inequitably 
 assessed, does not, without much difficulty, 
 find its way into the coffers of the state. The 
 
8o FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 consequence of this enfranchisement, accorded 
 solely with the object of increasing the Czar's 
 authority, is an injury in the first place to 
 the serfs, then to the nobility, and finally to 
 the state." 
 
 This noble, as it appears, would admit no 
 advantage whatever. The most insignificant 
 social changes, however just — and there are 
 none now in Russia that are not — appeared 
 to him in the light of iniquities. 
 
 In the presence of these retrograde views, 
 the political creed of the most ardent French 
 Legitimists would appear revolutionary. 
 
 I was very much entertained, nevertheless, 
 the evening I passed with him, where the old 
 Russian manners and habits were scrupulously 
 observed. When we rose from the supper 
 table each of the guests went up to the host 
 and hostess to shake hands in token of 
 gratitude, to which they replied in the pre- 
 scribed form: "I beg you will excuse me 
 for what God has this day given me to eat, 
 when I have the honour to receive you." And 
 to this they added such compliments as : "A 
 votre sante " ; " Les absents n'ont pas toujours 
 tort. 
 
KAZAN— JOURNEY TO FERM. 81 
 
 These complimentary customs, however 
 amiable they may seem externally, lose a 
 great deal of their sincerity when the motive 
 that gives rise to them becomes apparent ; 
 and this undoubtedly is vanity, and especially 
 the vain desire of exhibiting a little mag- 
 nificence and expense. The real meaning of 
 these fine phrases is : "I pray you to take 
 notice that I have just offered myself a bottle 
 of champagne, and the satisfaction it gives me 
 in making you a witness of this luxurious 
 habit surpasses any other pleasure I could 
 possibly get out of it." 
 
 The Tartar population that enlivens the 
 streets of Kazan contributes very much to 
 the picturesqueness of the city. Notwith- 
 standing that they have been deprived of their 
 territory ever since 1552, the Tartars can, 
 with a very good grace, hold up their heads 
 wherever they show themselves in Kazan, for 
 they are not only the founders of the city, 
 but they defended it with great bravery 
 against their enemies, who captured it only 
 after severe losses. After having made several 
 bold sorties and repelled many desperate 
 assaults, they courageously bore their suffer- 
 
82 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 ings from the want of water — a calamity the 
 Russians inflicted on them by cutting off their 
 communications with the Volga. When the 
 last hope of victory died away the Tartar 
 queen flung herself headlong from the top of 
 the Sonnbec tower — a building which remains 
 well preserved to the present day. 
 
 This interesting tower, from its combination 
 of the minaret and the pagoda, reminds one 
 of the people whose features are half Arab 
 and half Mongol. It stands on a commanding 
 eminence over the city, and forms certainly 
 one of its most beautiful and attractive objects. 
 
 The Tartar harems are much less accessible 
 than those of the Bosphorus or of Tunis, 
 perhaps because Mahomedan fanaticism, in 
 being here roused through impatience of 
 Christian domination, has become all the more 
 uncompromising. I therefore found it im- 
 possible to catch a glimpse of a single 
 individual of these jealously guarded com- 
 munities ; and I was rather disappointed, 
 because in judging from their lords, I had 
 formed an idea that they must be very beautiful. 
 The regularity and symmetry of features of 
 the Arab race are associated in the Tartars 
 
KAZAN— JOURNEY TO PERM. «3 
 
 with great muscular strength, and the dignified 
 and haughty glance of a race impatient of 
 conquest. This highly favoured physique is 
 accompanied with moral attributes as elevated, 
 and the Russians, however disdainfully they 
 treat this people, have nevertheless adopted 
 the proverb : " Honest and faithful as a 
 Tartar." 
 
 Kazan is the last European city on the road 
 to Siberia that still preserves a European 
 aspect, in so far as many of its houses are built 
 of stone, and are ranged in streets of definite 
 form. I was, therefore, getting impatient to 
 quit it, and to see something of an Asiatic 
 character. 
 
 Constantine and I went together to purchase 
 a supply of eatables for our journey. We laid 
 in a supply of sausages, some caviare, cheese, 
 not forgetting white bread, which, when soaked 
 in tea, is the principal part of the subsistence on 
 a journey in Siberia. To venture on a journey 
 in these parts, one should be neither a gourmet 
 nor a gourmand. I have often been astonished 
 to find how very little is necessary to sustain 
 the human body, and wonder why we French- 
 men at home take so much trouble to give 
 
FROM PARIS TO RE KIN. 
 
 our stomachs so little rest and so much un- 
 necessary work. 
 
 We went through the operation, for the 
 second time, of getting into our three heavy 
 fur garments, and on the 22nd of December, 
 at four in the afternoon, we were gliding along 
 again cosily, side by side, over the frozen 
 snowy dust of the road leading to Siberia. 
 
 In order to go at a brisk rate in a sledge, 
 it is necessary that the snow over which it is 
 moving be well beaten down. Private sledges 
 are not numerous enough to prepare a way by 
 crushing the snow, so this work is done by 
 sledges carrying goods ; and since these follow 
 in a line in the wake of one another, the 
 beaten part of the road, on which one is 
 desirous of gliding, is of very limited width. 
 The consequence of this narrowness of the 
 chosen way is that two sledges never pass 
 without clashing against each other; nor are 
 the yemschiks very solicitous about avoiding a 
 collision, since they know perfectly well their 
 own necks are quite safe, the long projecting 
 wooden guards, which I have already de- 
 scribed, being amply sufficient to protect them 
 from danger. The sledges thus guarded whisk 
 
KAZAN—JOURNEY TO PERM. 85 
 
 rapidly along one against the other, sometimes 
 striking one another with a shock in which 
 horses and sledge are thrown down and shot 
 off at a tangent across the road. 
 
 The worst kind of these collisions is the 
 shock from two sledges of unequal size : the 
 larger of the two, being generally too heavy to 
 be simply hurled aside by its adversary, as is 
 the case with the lighter vehicle, is taken 
 underneath and lifted instead, and occasionally 
 high enough to be almost overturned. 
 
 But it is never a complete overthrow: the 
 sledge thus thrown off or lifted slides along on 
 a single skate and on the end of the long 
 wooden guard, and they do not stop for so 
 trifling a matter. The yemschik, unable to 
 keep himself on an inclined plane without 
 holding, hangs on to the apron and maintains 
 his place by the sheer strength of his arms ; 
 the horses still go on at a gallop, and the 
 travellers proceed three or even five hundred 
 yards in this half-tilted posture till some rut in 
 the road brings the sledge down again on 
 both skates. 
 
 Each part of the road to Siberia has its 
 special advantages and disadvantages, but the 
 
86 FROM PARIS 20 PEKIN. 
 
 incidents just mentioned are of common occur- 
 rence when the wanderer no longer travels over 
 a frozen river. The most disagreeable effect 
 of this constant jolting, to an inexperienced 
 traveller, is the want of sleep. During the 
 whole night after we left Kazan I never closed 
 my eyes a moment, whilst Constantine gave 
 evident proofs of the soundness of his slumber 
 by a prolonged sonorous snoring, equally un- 
 interrupted whether he fell on me or I fell on 
 him, crushing him even with all my weight. 
 
 I was bemoaning sadly within myself a long, 
 tedious night, passed without sleep, when we 
 came up at daybreak with a caravan of exiles. 
 These poor wretches, dragging their chains 
 afoot, were wearily trudging along, with a long 
 journey before them, to the far end of Eastern 
 Siberia. I had not at that time more pity for 
 assassins and thieves than I have now, and 
 since the day I passed the Russian frontier, 
 conspirators have appeared to me no better, 
 perhaps even worse ; still it touched me to the 
 heart to see these unhappy creatures, with a 
 wearisome journey of three thousand leagues 
 before them, and their fate too — if they lived 
 to reach the end of the dreary march — instead 
 
KAZAN— JOURNEY TO PERM. 87 
 
 of there finding a home to cheer them, to find 
 nothing but a gaol ! 
 
 A few sledges were following this caravan, 
 and when I inquired why they thus accom- 
 panied it, I was briefly informed: "For the 
 invalids and princes." A phrase that had on 
 reflection a great deal of meaning in it, and 
 suggested very forcibly the formidable power 
 of the Emperor in Russia, a sovereign power 
 before which every subject, from the humblest 
 serf to the highest prince of the realm, must 
 bow down, with their differences almost lost 
 in the equal degree of subjection. 
 
 The Emperor, in fact, may without trial 
 condemn any subject to two years' imprison- 
 ment, and even, if he thinks proper to do so, 
 banish him for life. 
 
 It occurred to me, as I was watching these 
 poor exiles, that there might be one innocent, 
 and this thought would have made me very 
 uneasy if I had not by this time become too 
 good a Russian subject to venture to entertain 
 it very long. 
 
 It is not at all an uncommon occurrence in 
 Siberia to meet travellers afoot. I have seen, 
 it is true, but very few women that recalled to 
 
88 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 my memory " the Siberian girl " of Xavier da 
 Maistre ; if I had, and our road had been in 
 the same direction, I should have offered them 
 perhaps a place in my sledge, just as the 
 peasants of the Ural mountains compassion- 
 ately helped the heroine, where she became 
 so popular, to reach the end of her painful 
 journey. But I have met men, very often in 
 all kinds of weather and situations, trudging 
 on foot, in spite of the snow and the intense 
 cold, across a dreary extent of country where 
 no human habitation could be seen, in order to 
 reach some remote region with the hope of 
 providing for a domestic want, to accom- 
 plish a pilgrimage, or to proceed to some 
 destination under the coercion of the Govern- 
 ment. 
 
 Amongst these was a young soldier on leave 
 at home with his parents, and who had been 
 ordered suddenly to join his regiment in 
 garrison at Kazan. He was then in ill-health, 
 but notwithstanding his feeble condition, he set 
 off at once, and it might be said even with 
 pleasure, because the will of the Emperor was 
 in question. He was compelled to do so, they 
 would tell me ; no doubt he was : but the senti- 
 
KAZAN— JOURNEY TO PERM. 89 
 
 ment of obedience and loyalty is so deeply 
 implanted in the Russian peasant, that he will 
 submit to suffering without a murmur the 
 half of which he would not undergo for any 
 other personage than his sovereign. 
 
 When he had nearly come to his journey's 
 end, this brave young fellow, being no longer 
 able to drag one foot after the other, and 
 seized with giddiness and fainting, had 
 wandered a few yards from the track beaten 
 by the sledges, and there lay almost buried in 
 the snow, the even surface of which had de- 
 ceptively hidden a sudden fall in the ground. 
 Just as I was passing by, a man of strange 
 aspect had saved him from a terrible fate and 
 was watching over him : this good Samaritan 
 had a red beard and red hair under a thick 
 shaggy fur cap ; over his shoulder were slung a 
 long bow and some arrows, and his feet were 
 strapped on two long narrow planks of suffi- 
 cient length to keep him whilst thus gliding 
 over the snow from sinking into it, even at 
 the spot where the young soldier was lying 
 almost lost to sight in its ominous embrace. 
 
 As I had now gathered much information 
 regarding the indigenous races, I recognized 
 
go FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 him almost at a glance to be a Votiak. With 
 the aid of this good man, we helped the poor 
 soldier on to a goods sledge, one of a file that 
 fortunately happened to be passing at the 
 moment, as if almost by a miracle. Having 
 done this, we gave him some brandy to warm 
 him, a little food, and then, being assured of 
 his safety, we parted, each on our way. 
 
 I was much interested in examining this 
 specimen of a race that has occupied the 
 country, not only before the Russians, but 
 before the Tartars. The Votiaks seem to have 
 preserved all their ancient freedom, and they 
 roam the intricate and boundless forests of 
 Eastern Russia in pursuit of game, on which 
 they subsist. I regretted almost the direction 
 I had to take as I watched this Votiak disap- 
 pearing gradually amid the trees like a spirit 
 of the forest, careless of the rifts over which he 
 passed without seeming to notice them, a 
 mythological union of half beast and half man : 
 externally, in colour and roughness of ways, a 
 beast ; and internally, in humanity and tender- 
 heartedness, a man, as this act I have related 
 proved him to be — a curious combination of 
 savageness and sensibility. I would willingly 
 
KAZAN— JOURNEY TO PERM. 91 
 
 have followed this man and have had the 
 liberty to hunt, in his company, the deer, the 
 wolf, and the bear, to study his simple manners 
 and lead his strange life ; but when I could not 
 make without fatigue a simple excursion in a 
 sledge, I felt on comparison humiliated at the 
 thought of having so little power of endurance. 
 
 In 1774 the Votiaks were fifty-five thousand 
 in number, and since this period no census has 
 been taken. Many have been converted to 
 Christianity, though a large number remain 
 idolaters, and still practise the superstitious 
 ceremonies of their worship in the depths of 
 their forests. 
 
 Tents pitched at certain distances from each 
 other, generally in some picturesque spot, 
 covered with groups of pine and birch, serve 
 them as a sanctuary ; these tents have but one 
 opening, and that always facing the south. 
 They are entirely void of furniture or orna- 
 ment.* 
 
 The Votiaks have three principal divinities : 
 a Master and Supreme Lord of everything, 
 called Inmar; a god that protects the land and 
 
 * Muller. 
 
92 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the harvests ; and a third god that has 
 dominion over the waters. Inmar dwells in 
 the sun, which is an object of their highest 
 veneration. 
 
 The principal fete of the year is in the month 
 of August, and then the grand priest known 
 as Toua proceeds to one of the sanctuaries I 
 have just mentioned, and there sacrifices, in 
 due order, one after the other, a duck, a goose, 
 a bull, and a horse. The horse should be 
 chestnut, though in cases of necessity it may 
 be of any other colour, except black. After- 
 wards the faithful have a repast on the flesh 
 of these animals ; then the Toua collects the 
 blood and the fat, and, putting them into the 
 stomachs, he burns them with a portion of the 
 bones ; the heads are hung up on a neighbour- 
 ing pine, and the skins sold for the benefit of 
 the high-priest.* 
 
 Before burying their dead the Votiaks wash 
 them carefully and clothe them in rich orna- 
 ments. When they are about to close the 
 grave they throw in a few pieces of silver, and 
 say: "This ground is thine." Finally, when 
 a member of the family is dangerously ill, the 
 
 * Pallas. 
 
KAZAN— JOURNEY TO PERM. 
 
 93 
 
 parents are accustomed to sacrifice a black 
 sheep.* As these practices are always carried 
 out in secret, it was not without much diffi- 
 culty that Pallas and Miiller were able to pene- 
 trate the mysteries I have just mentioned. 
 
 It is the custom in Russia, whenever a new 
 emperor mounts the throne, to oblige the 
 Votiaks to take a fresh oath of fidelity. The 
 ceremony is curious. They stretch a bear's 
 skin on the ground, and then lay on it an axe, 
 a knife, and a bit of bread. Every Votiak cuts 
 off a morsel of this bread, and, before eating 
 it, recites this formula : " If I should not 
 remain ever faithful to my sovereign during 
 my life, or should I rebel against him with my 
 free will and knowledge ; if I neglect to per- 
 form the duties that are due to him, or if I 
 offend him in any manner whatever — may a 
 bear like this tear me to pieces in the heart 
 of the forest, this bread choke me at once, 
 this knife pierce my body, and this axe cut off 
 my hand." There is not an instance, says 
 Gmelin, of a Votiak having violated his oath, 
 although they have been so often persecuted 
 on the ground of their religion. 
 
 * Miiller. 
 
94 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 The road leading from Kazan to Perm 
 passes through immense forests of evergreen 
 trees. My journey through this region was 
 attended with a degree of cold rather severe. 
 The thermometer varied from twenty to thirty 
 degrees below zero (Centigrade). At this 
 temperature, a temperature not at all unusual 
 in Siberia, it rarely happens that the least 
 breeze comes to disturb the tranquillity of the 
 atmosphere. All the trees of the forest were 
 therefore almost perfectly at rest: the only 
 movement perceptible from time to time was 
 a branch bending down slowly to relieve itself 
 from a too heavy burden of snow. 
 
 This complete silence — this all-pervading 
 stillness of nature, in which she seems to 
 repose from the terrible manifestations of her 
 power, as in the tempest and in the billows 
 of the ocean — is not without grandeur, and to 
 the thoughtful, perhaps, if less imposing, is 
 more solemn than her other phases. On the 
 one side she presents to us vicissitude and 
 transitoriness, and on the other unchangeable- 
 ness and duration ; the agitation and the 
 turmoil of the one may, indeed, remind us 
 more vividly of life, but the quiescence and 
 
KAZAN— JOURNEY TO PERM. 95 
 
 sepulchral muteness of the other draw our 
 thoughts nearer to eternity. 
 
 The aspect of Asiatic Russia produces on 
 the mind an impression not dissimilar from 
 that derived from contemplating the ocean, or 
 the African desert, and this is immensity- 
 mournful immensity. 
 
 To be lost amid this inhospitable, boundless 
 space is not to pine away simply from hunger 
 and thirst, as on the sands of the desert, with 
 some prospect, however remote, of relief ; here 
 one dies pierced with cold to the marrow, 
 lingering without hope ; for what hope could 
 exist to escape from a region interminable to 
 the desponding eye, whose glacial temperature 
 without movement means inevitable death ? 
 
 With the muteness and unchanging aspect 
 of these limitless wilds is associated another 
 of a fantastic character, doubtless one of the 
 causes of the all-pervading superstition of 
 this country. In the depth of these forests, 
 which may be called virgin forests — not that 
 they are untrodden, for they are inhabited — 
 the snow falls very unequally. Here and 
 there enormous cedars preserve beneath their 
 branches large bare spaces : and farther on 
 
96 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the avalanches from weaker branches ac- 
 cumulate into high pyramids. On one side 
 the wind rounds off the angularity, and on 
 the other it is pierced by protruding branches 
 of vigorous shrubs. It follows that the snow, 
 thus heaped up in these spots, takes many 
 irregular forms, which, to the excited imagi- 
 nation, may easily become terrifying, especially 
 at approaching night, when these white phan- 
 toms stand forth from the mysterious obscurity 
 under the spreading cedars. 
 
 When we dismounted at the end of our 
 stage, there was a little adventure that made 
 me blush, I must admit, for my French 
 gallantry. We met here two women, who 
 had been waiting the whole day long, till the 
 posting master was pleased to give them 
 horses to continue their journey. This autocrat 
 had at last relented just before we came up ; 
 the horses were put in their sledge, and they 
 were going to start at once, when Con stan tine 
 presented our Crown podarojnaia order. 
 " That is my last troika," exclaimed the 
 master of the relays ; "I shall be obliged, I 
 am sorry to say, to my great regret, to keep 
 you waiting here " 
 
KAZAN— JOURNEY TO PERM. g; 
 
 "Take the horses out of that sledge," said 
 Constantine authoritatively, perfectly indif- 
 ferent to the distressing- embarrassment into 
 which he had thrown these two poor travellers. 
 
 I did not clearly understand the affair at first, 
 but I doubt whether, after having examined 
 these two personages, my gallantry would have 
 overruled my selfishness, for their departure 
 or detention depended on the one or the 
 other. If at night all cats are grey, in 
 Siberia all women swaddled for a journey are 
 uniformly unattractive ; and the face, besides, 
 is disfigured with a look of uncleanliness from 
 intense and prolonged cold. 
 
 I do not know what Don Quixote would 
 have done in the presence of these two Dul- 
 cineas : as it was quite impossible for me to 
 follow them, the only alternative was to 
 precede them. 
 
 The reader will soon learn what followed 
 from this incident. I am ashamed to say I 
 had the cowardice to approve, at least by my 
 silence, Constantine's decision ; and we con- 
 tinued our journey, without any other adven- 
 ture, as far as Perm, where we arrived on the 
 26th of December at day-break. 
 
 7 
 
CHAPTER VI. 
 
 PERM THE ROAD TO CATHERINEBURG. 
 
 Hotel accommodation in Siberia — A councillor — Opinions and 
 examples of Russian administration — National music — 
 The passion for aggrandizement of territory — Entry into 
 Asia. 
 
 Though Perm is still within the limits of 
 Europe, it has quite the aspect of a Siberian 
 city : the houses are constructed of wood, 
 without upper stories, and disposed without 
 regularity with regard to one another. Its 
 position reminds one a little of that of Nijni- 
 Novgorod. Overlooking the Kama from the 
 summit of a hill, Perm commands beyond also, 
 from the same eminence, an immense plain 
 covered with forests. 
 
 I put up at the Hotel de la Poste. The 
 reader would smile, no doubt, if he could only 
 see the building to which I give the name of 
 hotel. And yet the poverty of our language 
 obliges me to use this term : I could not give 
 the name of auberge or gargote to the most 
 
PERM— THE ROAD TO CATHERINEBURG. 99 
 
 important resting place the traveller could find 
 in a city — a city which is the capital of a 
 province as large as France. 
 
 In the way of familiar terms, the Russian 
 language has a richness almost disheartening 
 to those who have had the courage to com- 
 mence its study. Constantine would frequently 
 attempt to gratify his curiosity by putting 
 questions to me like these : " What do you 
 call in French, monsieur, a field of corn whose 
 ears are just beginning to show ? " '' What do 
 you call in your language a book that has its 
 leaves cut by the reader as he proceeds with 
 the reading?" Sometimes I replied: "We 
 have no special term corresponding to the 
 meaning of this periphrasis"; but more fre- 
 quently I said I didn't know ; preferring that 
 he should have a less favourable opinion of 
 my knowledge than of the comprehensiveness 
 of our language. 
 
 The walls of my room, like all those in 
 Siberia, were whitewashed. The furniture 
 consisted of a few chairs and a sofa ; but no 
 toilet table nor washstand, nor even a bed. 
 This, in Siberia, is the traveller's room, and 
 indeed, one of the most luxurious ; for the 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 sofa, here quite an objet de luxe, is often want- 
 ing. Nobody, moreover, in this land of primi- 
 tive manners, knows the refreshing comfort 
 of reposing on a bed. At Kiachta, where I 
 accepted the hospitality of a rich merchant, 
 he found it quite sufficient for his night's 
 slumber to roll himself up in a blanket, and 
 thus stretch himself on two chairs standing 
 front to front. 
 
 The substitute for a washstand and its 
 accessories is, to the stranger, even less satis- 
 factory than the makeshift for a bed. In every 
 hotel, this consists of a little reservoir of water, 
 furnished at the bottom with a minute copper 
 tube, and fixed against the wall in the passage. 
 The traveller, desirous of performing his usual 
 ablutions, lifts this tube, and a tiny jet of water 
 spurts forth and trickles over his hands, which 
 he endeavours to appropriate and utilize as well 
 as he can, though he allows it to "slip through 
 his fingers." This cleansing operation, how- 
 ever, is apparently deemed by every Siberian 
 of either sex, if not as effective, certainly quite 
 as serviceable, as the more elaborate process 
 of a Turkish bath. 
 
 I rarely experienced in the whole course 
 
PERM— THE ROAD TO CATHERINES URG. loi 
 
 of my travels so much disappointment as at 
 Perm, where, after a long- and fatiguing- sledge 
 journey, I had looked forward to the refreshing 
 comfort of a thorough ablution, and found 
 nothing more than this trickling stream to 
 stand under. Knowing well it was perfectly 
 useless to go elsewhere in search of any superior 
 accommodation, I determined to enter my pro 
 test against it at once, and went out to buy a 
 big copper basin, which I procured, had 
 brought into my room, and insisted on having 
 filled with water. My ablutions then became, 
 more than once, the subject of very lively 
 altercations between the proprietors of the 
 hotel and Constantine. The latter, fortunately, 
 fully understanding the importance I attached 
 to them, took upon him my defence so warmly, 
 that he invariably came off victorious, but not 
 without strenuous efforts, and not without 
 much reproach for my want of cleanliness, as 
 manifested by the splashing all around. 
 
 There is also another very great incon- 
 venience for the traveller, and that is, there 
 are no means of ventilating the chamber: he is 
 shut in there with every chink closely puttied, 
 and the temperature raised to twenty-eight, 
 
102 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 thirty, and even thirty-five degrees centigrade 
 of heat, — that is to say, the summer tempera- 
 ture of Bombay. And since the winter cold 
 of Central Siberia is seldom less than thirty 
 degrees centigrade, one has to submit, on 
 going out of doors, to a difference of sixty 
 or seventy degrees. 
 
 When they had brought everything out of 
 my sledge into my room, — for when these 
 objects, however diverse they, may be, are 
 no longer in movement they should always be 
 before the traveller's eyes, — and I had almost 
 retired for the night, Constantine led into my 
 room a gentleman who was introduced to me 
 as a member of the general council of Perm. 
 
 A councillor, whatever may be his origin, 
 his rights, or his functions, seems to be a sign 
 of liberal institutions. This dignitary, with his 
 ideas savouring a little of decentralisation, and 
 an ambition to augment his prerogatives, is 
 not generally met with, except in democratic 
 lands. Therefore, I must admit, I was not a 
 little surprised to find, breathing in Russian 
 atmosphere, a man marked with the title ot 
 ' councillor.' I found him very communicative 
 and courteous, knowing thoroughly our history 
 
PMRM—THE ROAD TO CATHERINEBURG. 103 
 
 and our institutions, and expressing himself 
 easily in French He held besides the office 
 of engineer of mines. I therefore felt I could 
 enter into many subjects with him, and I 
 received some encouragement to do so from 
 the courtesy of his manners and his desire to 
 be communicative. Perhaps, under the colour 
 of holding similar views, he might have allied 
 himself with the old noble I met at Kazan 
 against the Emperor, reserving the disguised 
 power to get rid of the aristocracy when they 
 had fully served his purpose. 
 
 When I complimented him on the dignity 
 of his office, the exercise of which then drew 
 him to Perm — " I can do very well without 
 this honour," he replied, "for our provincial 
 assemblies are far -from enjoying the preroga- 
 tives of yours. The Emperor, in creating 
 them, would fain make believe in his liberalism, 
 but in reality, he has given them but illusory 
 rights. In the first place, the members of the 
 council are nominated by important proprietors 
 in the province of Perm, who have received 
 from the Czar the faculty to send to the 
 sessions one or several representatives. The 
 president of the council is nominated by the 
 
104 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 Government. It is in no case whatever 
 permitted to discuss politics. The Governor- 
 General of Perm may, if so disposed, disregard 
 entirely the wishes or votes of the council. 
 The council may, it is true, appeal to the 
 Senate of St. Petersburg, but the response is 
 invariable : it emanates directly from the 
 cabinet of the Emperor, and pronounces the 
 dissolution of the council. Our votes, there- 
 fore, are very far from having the force of law. 
 Three times have we demanded some repair 
 of the road from Perm to Catherineburg : you 
 will soon see in what state it still is for your 
 journey." 
 
 Among the interesting opinions with which 
 this agreeable and well-informed man enter- 
 tained me, I will mention one regarding the 
 finances of the empire. I expressed my aston- 
 ishment at not seeing in Russia, a country 
 supposed to be rich, more coin in circulation. 
 " The Government," he said, " is wrong in 
 not seeking its principal revenue in agriculture, 
 and in the metallic resources in which the 
 country abounds. It has been dazzled by the 
 auriferous riches of the Trans-Baikal district, 
 and hopes with these to maintain its financial 
 
PERM— THE ROAD TO CATHERINES URG. 105 
 
 position. A decree punishes, with the sever- 
 est penalties, proprietors of gold mines who 
 neglect to send to St. Petersburg all the 
 precious metal they extract from the earth. 
 The Emperor thus monopolizes, at its source, 
 all the Russian gold, and then reimburses his 
 subjects with bank-notes only. This state of 
 things can only get worse, unless immediate 
 and important reform be duly made in the 
 administration and in the distribution of the 
 tax. The budget, in fact, amounts to four 
 or five hundred millions of roubles, whilst the 
 State draws from the mines no more than 
 seventy-five to eighty millions of roubles. To 
 what rate of depreciation will not Russian 
 paper fall, if they continue issuing such a 
 quantity ? " 
 
 This interesting mining engineer then turned 
 from finance to the more comprehensive sub- 
 ject of politics in general, and added : " It is 
 impossible for a single man to know all that 
 takes place over such an immense territory. 
 But if the Emperor could indeed be enlightened 
 through the interpolations of a wise and 
 intelligent opposition, he would still take 
 good care not to introduce this element into 
 
io6 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the Constitution. To give you an instance of 
 the ignorance of the high administration of the 
 empire, I will only tell you that I regularly 
 receive every -year four thousand roubles, 
 officially as engineer, for superintending the 
 working of a Government manufactory that 
 has been closed for five years ! " 
 
 I could not help smiling at this candid 
 avowal ; and on learning this significant fact 
 it seemed to me conclusive and peremptory. 
 
 I thanked my visitor for his agreeable 
 society, and thought that this Russian proverb 
 might justly be applied to him : " No one lets 
 a bird of the Government escape without 
 plucking out some feathers." I begged him 
 to introduce me in the evening to a sitting of 
 the Council General, and then went with Con- 
 stantine to visit an important cannon foundry 
 situated at about three miles from Perm. 
 
 The director of this foundry pretends that 
 the cannon turned out here are superior to 
 anything that has been hitherto made in 
 Prussia. 
 
 This sitting of the Council General was void 
 of interest, and soon ended from, default of 
 speakers. The members, having replied to 
 
PERM— THE ROAD TO CATHERINEBURG. lo; 
 
 their names, left at once to be present at a 
 concert given by a company of travelling 
 musicians under the direction of Monsieur 
 Slavenski. 
 
 The Russian people, essentially musical, 
 sing on all occasions. After a marriage cere- 
 mony the guests mount into eight or ten 
 sledges and then make an excursion, following 
 one after the other in line, singing all the time. 
 They do the same at funerals and baptisms ; 
 sometimes — provided the season is not too 
 severe — for no other reason than because it is 
 winter and there is no work to do. These 
 songs, which were executed by a company of 
 forty artistes, who travel over the country to 
 give their popular airs, constituted the entire 
 entertainment: their voices united an exuberant 
 richness to a remarkable simplicity of harmony. 
 
 The nearer one approaches an object he is 
 intent on, the more impatient he becomes ; I 
 was longing, therefore, to tread at last on 
 Siberian ground. As the distance was not 
 very great that separated me from Catherine- 
 burg, I imagined I should get over it very 
 speedily. But, alas ! the Councillor was quite 
 right. The road was, indeed, in a deplorable 
 
io8 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 State, I do not know, indeed, how they could 
 give the name of road to a long course of land 
 whose surface was not level for a single yard, 
 and where wide pits succeeded each other 
 without interruption — not simple ruts, but pits 
 three, four, nay, five feet deep ! The yems- 
 chik has to calculate very nicely the fall of 
 the sledge into these pits, that the horses' 
 legs be not broken by the shock of the vehicle 
 shooting forward against them ; then he has 
 to climb up the other side of the ditch, but 
 not without great efforts, and no sooner does 
 he get out of it than he has to prepare to dive 
 into another. 
 
 The reader may easily conceive what the 
 result of such a locomotion must be to a poor 
 traveller : he is doubly wearied on account of 
 the creeping pace accompanying the usual 
 fatigue. It took me twenty-four hours to get 
 over twenty-eight English miles ! I was exas- 
 perated. My hope was to get a glimpse at 
 the chain of the Ural Mountains, but a boister- 
 ous wind swept up the snow and whirled it 
 round and round in moving columns reaching 
 to the sky ; beyond a few hundred yards no- 
 thing was visible. 
 
PERM— THE ROAD TO CATHERINEBURG. 109 
 
 To pass away the tedious hours I began 
 questioning Constantine. "What is there in 
 summer under this snow?" "Grass." "Of 
 what use is it?" "None at all." "Who 
 takes it?" "Nobody." "Who cuts these 
 woods?" "No one." " Do all these lands 
 belong to any one ? " " Not always." " This 
 land then is not capable of producing any- 
 thing ? " "On the contrary; it would be 
 very productive if they cultivated it." "But 
 then, why has your Emperor such a passion 
 for conquest, when he can get so much out 
 of his own land ? Why does he go in search 
 of gold in the Trans-Baikal, in the' valley of 
 the Issoury, and will soon perhaps in the Corea, 
 as it is said among you, when he has at home 
 more abundant and surer sources of riches ? 
 Why does he lead his armies into the burning 
 deserts of Tartary, that were formerly indepen- 
 dent ? Why does he waste so much money 
 in the conquest of Khiva when he could make 
 far more on his own lands ? ' ' 
 
 When I waited for a reply to these questions, 
 Constantine, who clung like a burr to the 
 glory of his Emperor — and I congratulate him 
 for his spirit — gave me one disdainfully : "I 
 
FROM PARIS lU PEKIN. 
 
 can easily understand, that the French, whose 
 country is less extensive than our government 
 of Perm, should be jealous of the immensity 
 of our territory. You see, monsieur, that we 
 are marching to the conquest of Asia entirely, 
 which is the cradle of our race, and to Constan- 
 tinople also, where our religion originated." 
 
 My companion was much offended ; it was 
 easy to perceive that ; and I held my tongue 
 to give him time to recover his equanimity. 
 An hour after this conversation, I wished to 
 see if he continued to have a grudge against 
 me ; " How I long to come to the end ! " I 
 exclaimed, "this long route tires me out." 
 " Ah ! Indeed, monsieur," he exclaimed, 
 bridling up, " how grand Russia is ! There 
 is not another empire in the whole world of 
 such vast extent ! " " You are mistaken," I 
 replied, duly estimating the lands uncultivated 
 and absolutely useless, we had just traversed. 
 " And which, if you please ? " " The empire 
 of the seas !" I replied gravely. His flattened 
 nostrils then distended and quivered with in- 
 dignation, and I patiently waited to be greeted 
 with some emphatic Russian execration. 
 
 In spite of his amour-propre, Constantine 
 
PERM— THE ROAD TO CAT HERINEBURG. iii 
 
 was, nevertheless, of a congenial humour, — 
 towards me at least. Sometii.ies he excited 
 in me a feeling almost of pity, which I could 
 hardly conceal. Just while we were passing 
 the Ural — that almost imperceptible elevation 
 that is called mountain because it is in Russia, 
 but which would be a mere hill in the Vosges, 
 a mere hillock amid the Alps, a ridge in the 
 Himalayas, — just here, we came on a village 
 of wooden houses, like all Russian villages, 
 but perched against a slope that gave it a 
 picturesque air. A little further down stood a 
 house of less wood construction than the 
 others, and surrounded with a few trees. On 
 this spot Constantine's eyes were riveted in a 
 kind of reverie. "What a charming abode! 
 Those people should indeed be happy!" he 
 exclaimed. This remark moved me a little 
 with commiseration, and I wondered what 
 enthusiasm he would feel if he could only see 
 our smiling Pyrenees or our Norman valleys, 
 beaming with joy on a sunny May day. 
 
 Two days after our departure from Perm, on 
 the 30th of December, about nine in the morn- 
 ing, we passed the boundary that marks the 
 separation of Europe from Asia. It is a 
 
112 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 construction of stone, neither very high nor 
 very fine, but which strikes the traveller on 
 account of its simplicity and isolation. 
 
 Providence has decidedly withheld from this 
 portion of the Russian Empire the imposing 
 marks of its European limits. The quarters 
 of the world generally (their states also, not 
 unusually) have their boundaries defined by 
 grand and prominent frontiers, such as the sea, 
 high mountains, the desert, or some noble 
 river. But here the border of the Ural is so 
 little elevated, so unworthy of its role of 
 boundary, that man has thought it his duty 
 to interpose with his pigmy work, and say : 
 // is here ! 
 
 And here it is at last ! We will enter with a 
 beating heart, and advance as far as possible 
 into the strange lands of ancient Asia — the 
 dream of every traveller. We will endeavour 
 to reach, as soon as we can, the shores of Lake 
 Baikal, Mongolia, and the frontiers of China ; 
 for I fear my readers are tiring from the 
 monotony of my narrative, as I have myself 
 suffered since I left Perm from the monotony of 
 this long route. 
 
CHAPTER VII. 
 
 OUR PARTY ON THE ROAD TO TUMEN. 
 
 Trade and manufactures at Catherineburg — Carolling cherubs 
 — Christmas at Kamechlof — Grand gala at a posting 
 stage — Tumen — Its situation — Its gipsies — Fruit preserved 
 in ice. 
 
 After we had been journeying nine or ten 
 hours in Asia, we arrived at Catherineburg. 
 This city should serve as an example to many 
 other Russian cities. Its inhabitants are very 
 industrious, and know how to turn the re- 
 sources of their land to account. They have 
 iron foundries and many other metal works. 
 They sculpture artistically coloured and trans- 
 parent stones that are found in the Ural in 
 great abundance, converting them into objects 
 of very good taste for domestic ornamentation. 
 The manager of the establishment where 
 these stones are so artistically chiselled, showed 
 me a chimney-piece of inestimable value tha 
 had just received its last touches, and was to 
 
 8 
 
114 FROM PARIS TO REKIN. 
 
 be sent away to the Emperor. I asked him 
 who was the owner of the establishment. He 
 replied, "L'etat." "And who will pay for 
 such a marvel of art?" "L'etat" — and he 
 added: " L'etat payera, I'Empereur recevra." 
 There are not many sovereigns, perhaps, who 
 have a better right than the Emperor of 
 Russia to say: "L'etat c'est moi." 
 
 When I returned to my inn, I heard that 
 Monsieur Pfaffius had just arrived at Catherine- 
 burg, and that he wished to see me. I was all 
 the more pleased because it was something 
 unexpected, and I consequently lost no time 
 in paying him a visit. 
 
 And, at the house pointed out to me, I was 
 delighted to find again the courteous and 
 distinguished man I had left at St Petersburg. 
 " Do you intend starting soon ? " he inquired 
 at once. " As soon as possible." " Shall we 
 travel together, then ? " " With all my heart." 
 "Then that is settled." 
 
 During the conversation two ladies made 
 their appearance in the room of the Commis- 
 sary of Kiachta: one of them was about thirty, 
 tall and as beautiful as an antique statue ; the 
 other was less in stature and much younger. 
 
OUR PARTY ON THE ROAD TO lUMEN. 115 
 
 The beautiful, luxuriant, fair hair of the latter. 
 fell perfectly free and charmingly, methought, 
 over her shoulders. Her youthful countenance 
 beamed with freshness and vivacity. 
 
 " I am going to introduce you, if you will 
 allow me," said Monsieur Pfaffius, " to Mrs. 
 Grant and Miss Campbell. These ladies are 
 also going to Kiachta, and I have no doubt 
 you will be highly delighted, as I shall be, with 
 their agreeable society." 
 
 On talking a few moments with these fair 
 travellers, I learnt that Mrs. Grant was not 
 English, but Russian, and had married Mr. 
 Grant, an Englishman, at Kiachta; that her 
 husband had been obliged to return to England 
 for two or three years, she having accompanied 
 him thither, and that now she was just return- 
 ing to Kiachta, her native place, to meet her 
 husband, who was expected there, taking Miss 
 Campbell with her as a companion. 
 
 The latter, a young English lady, a little 
 adventurous, like a great many of her country- 
 women, had left her native land just as readily 
 and just as merrily as she would have remained 
 there, and now seemed to take pleasure in this 
 wandering life, though she could foresee 
 
it6 from PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 neither the end nor the consequences of it ; 
 and from day to day, penetrated still deeper 
 into Asia, happy in running about everywhere, 
 merely to see everything and pick up every 
 scrap of information. ' ' Have you been fatigued 
 with the road? " I asked them, fully expecting 
 to hear bitter complaints of it. " Not in the 
 least, monsieur," replied Miss Campbell, with 
 an air that seemed to say she was hurt at 
 the suspicion of having suffered from such 
 a trifle as the jolting. " Do you go by way 
 of Omsk to Kiachta ? " " That would be 
 going out of our way to no purpose : we go 
 straight to Tomsk." " You will travel quickly 
 then?" "As fast as we can." "For my 
 part," I remarked, " I prefer, on the contrary, 
 going on slowly." On this observation her 
 eyes seemed to sparkle with some lively 
 thought. "Indeed, we should not have sup- 
 posed so." "Well, and for what reason ? " 
 " They say that you are exceedingly clever in 
 procuring horses everywhere." 
 
 This observation made me open my eyes 
 with astonishment, and I added : " Even at 
 the expense of ladies?" "Quite possible." 
 " Then you know one who has had the 
 
OUR PARTY ON THE ROAD TO TUMEN. 117 
 
 misfortune to be a sufferer from my impatience, 
 at a certain stage?" "It is not unlikely." 
 I could never have believed it if it had not 
 been positively affirmed. I could not believe 
 that the elegant toilettes then before my eyes 
 could in any way ever have adorned two such 
 figures so incapable of embellishment as those 
 that appeared to me at the stage between 
 Kazan and Perm. For they were quite hooded 
 and overloaded with rough and draggled fur ; 
 so much like bales of raw hides, so little like 
 human beings, that one would never have 
 suspected that beauty lay there so many skins 
 deep. The reader will readily understand how 
 ill-adapted is the rigorous climate of Siberia 
 to setting off the charms of female beauty. 
 
 I warmly pleaded to be pardoned for my 
 conduct, and on behalf of Constantine, who 
 was the guiltier of the two, and the following 
 day we were all gliding rapidly along in three 
 sledges, one after the other, on the road to 
 Tumen ; happy in the opportunity of chatting 
 together at every stage, smiling at the embar- 
 rassments of the post-masters, which Monsieur 
 Pffiufas coolly disregarded, and facing cheer- 
 fully the snow and the cold (those two enemies 
 
ii8 I' ROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 with which travellers in Siberia are doomed 
 to struggle), but without venturing on the 
 slightest murmur. 
 
 Of course the reader is well aware that 
 Russia has not accepted the reform brought 
 to the calendar by Pope Gregory XIII. ; there- 
 fore when we arrived in the little town ot 
 Camechlof, on the 6th of January, at break of 
 day, it was actually then only Christmas-day 
 in Russia, and we were no sooner quietly 
 sealed at table, taking our tea, as is customary 
 with Russian travellers at every stage, than 
 five or six little children entered our room, 
 singing Christmas carols. 
 
 I have rarely seen a more touching and 
 adorable tableau than this little group of fair 
 heads, celebrating, with the warbling pure 
 voice of early childhood, the most poetic 
 episode of sacred history. Is there really any 
 day more appropriate for singing ? Indeed, I 
 have always thought that if God should, for an 
 instant, lift the veil from the supernal world 
 on Christmas Day, we should see passing, to 
 and fro, groups of innocents, around whom was 
 resounding sweet music, breathing peace and 
 Joy to man below. The little children, who 
 
OUR PARTY ON THE ROAD TO TUMEN. 119 
 
 thus agreeably surprised us at so early an hour 
 at Camechlof, suggested to my imagination 
 a flock wandering from this celestial host. 
 
 This vision, brief like their visit, had hardly 
 vanished when we saw appearing from the 
 other side — the mundane this time — a young 
 couple, accompanied by a nurse, carrying a 
 very young infant. " Ivan Michaelovitch," ex- 
 claimed Constantine. "Madame Nemptchi- 
 nof," cried Mrs. Grant, and then followed 
 hand-shaking and embracing ; we were again 
 among acquaintances. 
 
 This Madame Nemptchinof was the wife of 
 a tea merchant of Kiachta, who, notwithstand- 
 ing her advanced interesting situation, had 
 been to see one of her daughters at a boarding 
 school in Moscow ; her son had accompanied 
 her, and the little being that had come into 
 the world during the journey was now on its 
 way to Kiachta. 
 
 In our country, undoubtedly, few women 
 would have been equal to the task of under- 
 taking such a journey, especially under such 
 circumstances ; in Russia, however, such an 
 enterprise is not at all rare. 
 ■ Then, before we had finished our tea, another 
 
120 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 group of children entered, singing the same 
 song, but these would speedily have dispelled 
 any lingering vision of cherubs had any now 
 remained, for these earth-born, unlicked cubs 
 were clearly unhallowed and unlovely. 
 
 Having now sufficiently rested, we resumed 
 our journey. 
 
 The horse, placed in the centre before the 
 Siberian troika, has its collar always sur- 
 mounted by a bow, which serves as a stay or 
 spring, to keep the shafts apart, and these are, 
 at the same time, kept in their places together 
 by a stretched cord. The collar, sustained 
 by the bow above and resting on this cord, no 
 longer weighs on the neck of the horse, and 
 thereby diminishes its fatigue. This system 
 of harnessing is really quite ingenious. Five or 
 six bells are generally suspended from the 
 bow, and the lively ringing of these relieves 
 a little the monotony of the journey. 
 
 Our departure from Camechlof, with the 
 bells of our caravan of four sledges in move- 
 ment, was rather a noisy one. M. Pfaffius 
 and his servant led the way ; then followed, 
 in a second sledge, Mrs. Grant and Miss 
 Campbell; I occupied with Constantine the 
 
OUR PARTY ON THE ROAD TO TUMEN. 121 
 
 third, and Madame Nemptchinof and her 
 smalah broug-ht up the rear of the caravan in 
 an enormous closed sledge drawn by four 
 horses. 
 
 This part of the journey, if not the most 
 interesting, was at least the most agreeable. 
 
 We were a party of seven, and a very con- 
 vivial party too, that sat down to dinner in the 
 evening. The bill of fare contributed largely 
 to our merriment. Each of us produced our 
 reserves, and it was a charming picnic, that 
 furnished interesting incidents in abundance. 
 We brought forward frozen bread, frozen 
 caviare, frozen preserved fruits, and sausages, 
 so rigid, that they resisted any attempt to 
 yield, even against the knee, whatever force 
 was employed. 
 
 Let one picture to himself seven famishing 
 guests sitting round a table of thirty dishes 
 any one of which would inevitably break his 
 teeth if he had not the patience to wait for 
 the effects of a little warmth. But gradually 
 this element did its work ; and in proportion 
 as each aliment gave way before it, a smile of 
 satisfaction beamed on every countenance, and, 
 when the point of the knife succeeded at last 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 in penetrating any part, shouts of triumph 
 announced a victory at hand. 
 
 Subjects of conversation were not wanting, 
 and, as I was French, and the Russians spoke 
 French well, to the great advantage of foreign- 
 ers not knowing the Russian language, French 
 was the sole language used at table this even- 
 ing. 
 
 The youthful Nemptchinof, who had not 
 wandered much nor very far from Kiachta, 
 was the least conversant with French ; knowing 
 Chinese and Mongolian well, he thought, per- 
 haps, this acquisition well compensated for his 
 ignorance of the Western languages. In order 
 to express contentment, satisfaction, approba- 
 tion, pleasure, he used but one word : tres ^ai, 
 and he pronounced it only with great difficulty; 
 his accent made the expression still more odd. 
 " Si vous voulez bien m'apprendre I'Anglais,' 
 said he to Miss Campbell, "je serai tres gai." 
 This young lady, knowing French very well, 
 seemed to watch every opportunity that offered 
 her amusement by rallying him on his phrases. 
 
 When dinner was over, the incessant badinage 
 between the young English lady and her new 
 Russian acquaintance, that had entertained us 
 
OUR PARTY ON THE ROAD TO TUMEN. 123 
 
 SO much with an occasional corruscation like a 
 fresh bottle of champagne, had subsided into 
 more serious and probably more genial inter- 
 course between the young couple — a tete-a-tete, 
 suggestive of the smoothness and tenderness 
 of Glinka's music. This change led me to 
 speculate on the possible issue of an apparently 
 interesting flirtation, to which the badinage had 
 so effectively, though probably undesignedly, 
 prepared the way. 
 
 Whether I was justified or not in my con- 
 jectures, Mrs. Grant took another view of the 
 matter, and, on mounting into the sledge, 
 whispered to me : "I am quite certain that 
 your M. Constantine is in love with my 
 young English companion, and therefore you 
 will never prevail upon him to go by way of 
 Omsk. I see clearly, as a consequence, that 
 we shall all form one party as far as Irkutsk." 
 " Constantine in love ! " I exclaimed with a 
 smile of incredulity; "that would seem to me 
 very droll, too droll to be probable. I am 
 disappointed that I shall be deprived of the 
 pleasure of your company en route, for I have 
 decided on going by way of Omsk, and 
 Constantine is so useful to me that I cannot, 
 
124 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 I am sorry to say, dispense with his valuable 
 services and agreeable society." Constantine, 
 as I gauged the nature of his sentiments, was 
 far more likely to derive gratification in con- 
 templating the Influence he might exercise 
 over some fair victim to love for him, if he, 
 in his self-conceit, imagined it to exist, than in 
 indulging in any vague similar emotion in his 
 own heart. Mrs. Grant looked disappointed at 
 my decision. " You will not on that account," 
 I added, " be deprived of the enjoyment of 
 a romantic incident ; for, If I am not mistaken 
 in trusting my eyes, the young Ivan, no longer 
 trh gai, is a little smitten with the graces of 
 your fair young companion, and he has been, 
 I think, so far favoured as to rouse the green- 
 eyed monster. Nous verrons^ 
 
 The following day we arrived in Tumen. 
 This city, like almost every other of the 
 empire, commands a river from an eminence 
 on its banks, and this river at Tumen is the 
 Tura. 
 
 Its only striking feature is that it is built at 
 the confluence of the Tura with another little 
 river, which is considered here as a mere 
 rivulet, one whose existence even is ignored 
 
OUR PARTY ON- THE ROAD TO TUMEN. 125 
 
 by geographers, but which nevertheless is as 
 wide as the Seine at Paris, and of sufficient 
 force to have scooped out a profound gorge 
 in the Tumen hill to discharge itself in the 
 Tura. 
 
 A bridge has been constructed over this 
 river, but it is at the bottom of the ravine. 
 No care has been taken to diminish the steep- 
 ness of the opposite banks, so that, to ascend 
 the last, the traveller is obliged to descend 
 the first with great rapidity and maintain the 
 impulse over the bridge and for some distance 
 beyond. 
 
 The sledges accomplish this feat at full 
 gallop. As to wayfarers afoot, they descend 
 the slope generally otherwise than on their 
 feet and much faster than they like. The 
 cattle, generally so slow, roll down in a few 
 seconds, as if at the sport of Russian moun- 
 tains. Everything there goes down at a giddy 
 pace. The city offers little to interest the 
 stranger, but it has all the aspect of the East ; 
 bazaars in the open air, in spite of the rigour 
 of the climate, call back to the memory those 
 of Syria and Africa. 
 
 In the cafes, the women deck themselves 
 
126 I'ROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 out, at certain hours, in silks, without divesting 
 themselves of their dirty petticoats, and make 
 it their business to sing and dance for the 
 entertainment of the guests. 
 
 In Africa, they are pleased with the bellow- 
 ing of the Arab almees, through love for the 
 picturesque, and because there is nothing else 
 to listen to ; but in Russia, the country of 
 sweet and mystic melodies, I cannot under- 
 stand how these repulsive gipsies are encour- 
 aged to raise their voices. Those who have 
 eulogised the gipsies of St. Petersburg and Mos- 
 cow are not altogether wrong in their appre- 
 ciation; there they are civilised, educated a 
 little, and, in some way, denationalised in 
 character. But here, at Tumen, they are in 
 their native element. I had the unlucky 
 curiosity to venture into one of these ca/is, 
 and lost no time in escaping again, to join 
 with pleasure my travelling companions. 
 
 At the end of our evening meal, we had 
 some excellent fruits preserved in ice. This 
 method of preserving fruit is quite special to 
 Siberia. So soon as the severe cold sets in, 
 these fruits are exposed in the open air, if 
 possible to the north, where there is no sun to 
 
OUR PARTY ON THE ROAD TO TUMEN. 127 
 
 reach them; they freeze completely in this 
 way, and are thus preserved, like meat and all 
 other fresh aliments, in Siberia. 
 
 These fruits retain their flavour, notwith- 
 standing their change from a state of rigid 
 congelation. When they are served, they are 
 as hard as wood, and if they fall to the ground, 
 they sound like a stone. 
 
 The heat gradually softens their texture, and 
 then they reassume their primitive form. I 
 tasted a pear at Tumen that had become over- 
 ripe, and then in which any further change had 
 been completely arrested so far as flavour was 
 concerned. This method of preserving aliments 
 seems to be simple, economical, and tho- 
 roughly successful. 
 
 In summer, Tumen is a great place of call 
 for steamers coming from Tomsk by the Tom, 
 from the Obi, the Tobol, and the Tura. This 
 city is therefore a considerable mart for mer- 
 chandise,* its only claim, apparently, to notice ; 
 for it has neither manufactures to interest the 
 curious in the useful arts, nor beauty of 
 situation to attract the lover of nature. 
 
 * See note 2 at end of book. 
 
CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE ON THE 
 STEPPE OF OMSK. 
 
 An ostentatious Siberian custom — The steppe — ^The cemeteries 
 — Omsk — Its situation — Its society — The emancipation of 
 the serfs related by a citizen — M. Kroupinikof — ^Visit to 
 an encampment of Kirghiz — Masquerade at Omsk. 
 
 We left Tumen about eight o'clock in the 
 morning. Constantine, thoroughly familiar 
 with Siberian customs, had put into the 
 sledge several bottles of champagne, to pro- 
 vide for what was about to take place. The 
 precaution was good, but the supply, alas ! 
 insufficient. 
 
 To open a bottle of champagne is in Siberia 
 the greatest luxury that can be paraded before 
 admiring eyes. This is the consequence of its 
 high price and the caprice of fashion. In 
 America, it is said that " the keeping of the 
 proprieties is as indispensable as clean linen"*; 
 
 * Emerson. 
 
A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE. 129 
 
 here, perhaps, if doing the right thing to do 
 be considered as one of them, the clean linen 
 would have to give way to the proprieties. 
 A dinner, a fete, an anniversary, or any like 
 ceremony in Siberia without champagne, would 
 be marked as being wanting in its most 
 necessary element ; and it is certainly not 
 here that common-sense is so robust as to 
 disregard the whimsical consensus of opinion 
 that holds the civilized world in subjection 
 a la mode, from Indus to the Pole. 
 
 About six hours after we had left Tumen, 
 we arrived at a place where we had to take 
 different roads. M. Pfafifius, Mrs. Grant, 
 and Madame Nemptchinof, were going to take 
 the road to Tomsk, whilst I had to turn a little 
 more to the south. In order to defeat this 
 project, Mrs. Grant had recourse to a little 
 manoeuvre, which very nearly turned Con- 
 stantine's head. With a view to dissuading 
 the latter from yielding to my plan, Mrs. Grant 
 had taken her place in the closed sledge of 
 Madame Nemptchinof; then she had arranged 
 to bring Ivan and her young companion 
 together, by making them mount side by side. 
 Constantine, who was apparently smitten with 
 
 9 
 
130 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the charms of the young English lady, seeing 
 her en teie-a-tete with Ivan, seized a bbttle of 
 champagne, and cutting the wire, directed the 
 cork at his rival's head, which Miss Campbell 
 carefully shielded with her great fur glove ; 
 then the fire commenced on all sides, whilst I 
 wondered what unseasonable and scandalous 
 bacchanals were about to be inaugurated with 
 so much uncorked wine. Happily, however, 
 we tasted but a very moderate quantity. Then 
 all my companions, in conformity with an 
 ostentatious custom in Siberia, dismounted 
 from their vehicles, each of them holding two 
 bottles, and, advancing before my horses a few 
 paces, poured the precious beverage on the 
 snowy ground, just at the spot the skates 
 of my sledge were destined to pass over. I 
 scrupulously performed the same ceremony, 
 a ceremony too solemn to be profaned with 
 a laugh, which I could hardly repress, and 
 then I took leave of this very agreeable 
 caravan, but not without the prospect of 
 meeting again, either at Tomsk, Irkutsk, or 
 Kiachta. 
 
 As we resumed our way, but now in different 
 directions, I heard a few mere detonations of 
 
A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE. 131 
 
 corks; and when the sound of the bells had 
 died away and all had vanished from sight, 
 Constantine looked at me most piteously. The 
 tete-d-iik had evidently left some rankling- 
 effect in his breast that would have resisted 
 any attempt at consolation had I ventured on 
 so delicate a task ; for, as far as I could see, 
 he had received no encouragement whatever 
 from Miss Campbell, and as, in this instance, 
 the wounds of self-esteem and slighted love 
 could not be salved with this same remedy, 
 having no other to offer, I left the malady to 
 cure itself. 
 
 What struck me all at once on this route 
 was its absolute solitude. The carrying 
 sledges bringing tea and other merchandise 
 from China and the products of the Trans- 
 Baikal to Nijni-Novgorod avoid passing by 
 Omsk ; it would be going out of the way to 
 no purpose. It is therefore a rare occurrence 
 to fall in with a sledge in this district. The 
 snow, besides, is scarcely sufficiently beaten 
 down to admit of an easy march. Here, in 
 the absence of such movement, one is op- 
 pressed with an impression of wild waste, 
 cheerless immensity, mournful silence. Gra- 
 
132 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 dually, vegetation diminishes, becomes more 
 scattered and stinted, then disappears alto- 
 gether, and the traveller enters at last on the 
 great steppes. 
 
 But how changed during summer ! Then 
 the steppe is an immense prairie, whose rich, 
 curly grass soothes the eye with its refreshing 
 tint, and protects the body from jolting with 
 its luxuriant bed. 
 
 And in winter, it is a vast plain rendered 
 level and white by the snow with which it is 
 covered. The French language, unfortunately, 
 is here again insufficient to explain in a word 
 the character of its outline. We call La Beauce 
 a flat country; now the steppe in its snowy 
 dress is not like La Beauce ; neither is it level 
 like the Mediterranean in calm weather, nor 
 like the bed of a river. The surface of the 
 steppe is strictly horizontal throughout. But 
 Providence — as if to compensate in some mea- 
 sure to the eye of the artist for the absence of 
 interesting scenery — has diffused, it is true, 
 over this bare country, some of the finest 
 effects of light with which any land is beauti- 
 fied and resplendent. And yet, in spite of 
 this attraction, however varying and diversified, 
 
A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE. 133 
 
 its joyless aspect preys on the mind of the 
 traveller who enters on such a desert. 
 
 We had passed Ischim at nine in the morn- 
 ing ; about five in the evening, we had again 
 changed horses, when it was quite dark, and 
 wearied with fatigue, J had fallen asleep. 
 Suddenly I was awoke with a start by a fearful 
 shock that had as suddenly roused Constantine. 
 Our yemschik had gone astray in this fright- 
 ful wilderness. The absence of the moon and 
 the veiling of the stars with heavy snow clouds 
 were together the cause of this misadventure. 
 His fear of being underrated, and perhaps of 
 animadversion, had hindered him from avow- 
 ing immediately his awkwardness and blunder- 
 ing, and for three hours at least, he had been 
 wandering about, where chance led him, with 
 the hope of finding his way again — a hope 
 poor indeed when he had lost all idea of 
 direction and every vestige of landmark. 
 The fall into a pit, concealed by the snow, 
 which we had just experienced, obliged him 
 now to avow his blunder. 
 
 Constantine and I unrolled ourselves from 
 our blankets, got down, and set to work, with 
 lantern in hand, to find the road. On looking 
 
134 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 round, we contemplated the spectacle of our 
 sledge and horses almost buried in the snow, 
 and it was one of dire significance. Of the 
 sledge the only part visible was the hood, and 
 of the horses little more than their shoulders 
 and heads. 
 
 Sinking ourselves up to the waist, and 
 consequently unable to move one foot before 
 the other without great effort, having to battle 
 besides against the violent cutting wind loaded 
 with the snow it had swept up in its passage 
 and hurled in our faces, we struggled thus 
 desperately to see a few paces, as much as we 
 could hope to see before us, but to no purpose, 
 and were forced to return to our sledge in 
 despair, to breathe again and recover a little 
 more strength. 
 
 After an hour of this painful work, we were 
 no more enlightened as to the way we should 
 take than at first, and, moreover, we were 
 exhausted. Over the land there was not a 
 vestige of anything but the snow to be seen ; 
 for at a short distance all around there was 
 nothing but darkness, impenetrable ; not a 
 star in the sky was visible, not a sound in the 
 air audible, to induce us to risk the chance of 
 
A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE. 135 
 
 attempting one direction in preference to 
 another. The situation was portentously 
 critical, and, unless we would resign ourselves 
 then to our fate, it was necessary to make a 
 supreme effort. In this dilemma we consulted 
 together as to what expedient we should next 
 try. This decided on, the yemschik unhar- 
 nessed one of the horses with the object of 
 riding as quickly as possible In search of some 
 village, and began, with a lantern in one hand, 
 leading the horse with the other, to discover 
 afoot some trace of the way from which he 
 had strayed. 
 
 We watched him struggling with the ele- 
 ments till the last beam of light died away ; 
 then Constantine and I, thrown back on our- 
 selves in the darkness — a night with no day 
 near at hand, and a solitude without refuge or 
 clear prospect of retreat — had little to contem- 
 plate but our dismay. We thought of our 
 poor horses exposed without movement, of our 
 inability to relieve them from the cold, and, 
 seeing how utterly helpless we were, we 
 wrapped ourselves in our furs and blankets 
 and re-entered our shelter. There we made 
 some effort to cheer each other. We saw 
 
136 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 passing, in imagination, caravans of Kirghiz, 
 from whom we were, in reality, not distant, 
 and we fancied ourselves led prisoners into the 
 heart of Tartary, in some wild lawless territory 
 not yet brought under subjection. We saw 
 also — but this time it' was not a vision — five or 
 six packs of wolves prowling around our poor 
 beasts, watching for a meal if they should be 
 dying or dead, but, happily, these prowlers 
 scampered away at the sound of my revolver. 
 The first shot Was not without a moment of 
 terror, for I was not at all assured that the 
 result would not be disastrous. Having my 
 rifle packed up in my trunk through not having 
 foreseen what was likely to come to pass, I 
 found myself absolutely defenceless, in case 
 they should be emboldened, in the lonely 
 position we were, to join in a united attack. 
 Retreat we had none, except behind the 
 canvas ; we might close in front ; but how long 
 would this resist their assault, met with the 
 shot of a single revolver ? Their disappear- 
 ance therefore was hailed with joy. 
 
 Many tedious hours thus passed away, and, 
 since our thoughts were occupied in waiting 
 for the return of our man, who might bring us 
 
A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE. 137 
 
 the relief we had not yet despaired of, every 
 hour passed seemed in the aggregate as many 
 nights in succession. He had long been 
 absent, when I began to be tormented with a 
 suspicion of his fidelity. If we ever stirred 
 from the spot and should be fortunate enough 
 to reach the first village, might he not there 
 expect a severe chastisement for the serious 
 consequences of his culpable neglect, involving 
 perhaps the loss of the horses, from which he 
 might think to escape with impunity by leaving 
 us to our fate ? Then we thought of the small 
 store of provisions we had brought with us ; 
 and, determined not to surrender ourselves yet 
 to our prospective fate of desertion and pro- 
 tracted hunger and cold, I proposed to Con- 
 stantine to descend and follow on foot the 
 footsteps of the yemschik, with the hope of 
 extricating ourselves from our perilous posi- 
 tion. 
 
 We had got out, and were on the point of 
 putting our project into execution, when we 
 perceived, to our horror, that no track could be 
 found. The blast had been strong enough to 
 sweep the snow across the path he had taken ; 
 no depression, however slight, was visible ; 
 
138 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 every vestige of a footprint had been effaced. 
 To wander from where we were, we should be 
 speedily lost; to remain on the spot, our fate 
 seemed not less inevitable, but as we had some 
 provisions and shelter, it would be prolonged, 
 and the return of day might bring us rescue. 
 "Let us wait daybreak," said Constantine ; 
 " then perhaps we may catch a glimpse of our 
 man in the distance, if he is still alive ; for at 
 this moment, if he has not succeeded, he must 
 have given up further searching." 
 
 We had been an hour, I thought, so well as 
 I could conjecture" time, sitting side by side in 
 the vehicle, when I fancied my ears caught the 
 sound of cries in the distance. But it was so 
 feeble, that I trembled lest my excited imagi- 
 nation should have deceived me. I replied, 
 however, though my voice was too weak, and 
 Constantine refused to join his to mine. I 
 thought he had resigned himself to his fate ; 
 but it was fear, overpowering fear that closed 
 his throat. He yielded at last to my entreaties, 
 and then voices in response, the last glimmer 
 of hope, seemed really approaching. 
 
 After a little while, we attempted to shout 
 more intelligibly a few words, and then came 
 
A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE. 139 
 
 replies. At last, to our infinite joy, we saw 
 our liberators. They were coming in great 
 number and with many horses, to rescue us 
 from our impending fate. 
 
 No mariner lingering on a wreck and watch- 
 ing for rescue, in any sign of movement on a 
 lonely shore, could have hailed deliverers with 
 more exultation. Our spirits mounted now in 
 proportion to their recent depression. We 
 joked pretty freely on the stupidity of our 
 yemschik, whom his comrades now turned into 
 ridicule. The two poor beasts, that remained 
 harnessed to the sledge, paid dearly for this 
 adventure. When they attempted to drag 
 them out of the hollow, they were rigid and 
 benumbed with the cold ; they could not follow 
 us a single pace, and Constantine understood 
 at once that these men had decided on putting 
 an end to their suffering. 
 
 Daylight had just appeared, when we made 
 our. entry into the village. All the inhabitants 
 having heard of the great peril we had en- 
 countered, ran out to see us pass, and bowed 
 and made the sign of the cross to the great St. 
 Sergius and the Virgin of Kazan in expression 
 of their gratitude for our deliverance. 
 
140 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 Our journey continued this day without any 
 particular incident ; the reflection on that of 
 the preceding night, and the congratulation 
 on our narrow escape from such peril, were 
 sufificient to engross our thoughts. The 
 aspect of this great desert, covering the 
 vestiges of many an untold catastrophe with 
 its snowy shroud, made me tremble at the 
 remembrance of it ; and I have often thought 
 since that if our yemschik had not come to 
 our succour in time, the only abode he would 
 have had to conduct us to would have been 
 a cemetery. In the steppe, the resting places 
 of the dead are the only spots planted with 
 trees, and, on that account, are seen at a great 
 distance. They bring to these melancholy 
 spots birch trees from Krasnoiarsk, at a great 
 expense, and these little groups of white 
 trunks, glittering in the sunbeams, become so 
 many landmarks for the lonely wanderer. 
 They give also to this desolate spot, from one 
 point of view, notwithstanding the mournful 
 association from another, an aspect of calm joy- 
 fulness, when the solemnity of the scene draws 
 the thoughts nearer to hope and resurrection, 
 rather than to despair and definitive annihila- 
 
A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE. 141 
 
 tion. When the sky is clear and the cold 
 intense, these cemeteries on the steppes are 
 radiant with reflected beams, even where every- 
 thing is luminous in the immensity around. 
 
 The following morning when I awoke at 
 daybreak, I found we were stopping on the 
 way. I opened the canvas curtain that closed 
 in the front of the sledge, to ascertain if we 
 were still on the road, and finding that we 
 were, I could not help laughing at the situation 
 we were in. The scenery had not changed; 
 it was still the steppe, and nothing but the 
 steppe around in view ; but our driver was in a 
 profound slumber, with his head resting on our 
 provisions ; the horses also, feeling themselves 
 allowed to have their own way, were standing 
 stock-still, and probably were slumbering also ; 
 but as to Constantine there was no doubt, 
 for his snoring, loud enough " to frighten 
 the wolves," proclaimed his happy condition, 
 and considering the exhausting effect of the 
 emotions he must have experienced, I was at 
 first loth to rouse him. Still this indulgence 
 could not go on very long with the prospect of 
 a journey of eighteen hundred leagues before 
 us, and having contemplated a few moments 
 
142 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the drollery of this quiescent attitude — a 
 drollery all the more irresistible from contrast 
 with the seriousness of the situation — I resolved 
 to wake him and accordingly did so as gently 
 as possible. Now fully roused from his 
 drowsiness, he regarded the driver a moment 
 with irritation, and then, instead of employing 
 the bland proceeding I had adopted towards 
 him, commenced pommelling the yemschik's 
 head with his fist, the only efficacious method, 
 he suggested, for a skull so thick. The horses 
 now, in their turn, were quickly set going with 
 means still more energetic and as we whisked 
 briskly along in the fresh morning air, I 
 admired with rapture those sublime changes of 
 light that invariably accompany the rising of 
 the sun in a cloudless sky in these latitudes, 
 and their reflection in paler tints successively 
 passing over the surface of the snow. 
 
 At last, after this eventful course, we arrived 
 at Omsk, in a cutting atmosphere of forty-five 
 degrees,* an intensity of cold that scarcely 
 diminished during the remainder of my sojourn 
 in Siberia. 
 
 * Nearly 50° of Fahrenheit's scale below the lowest tempera- 
 ture indicated thereon, = 82° below freezing point. 
 
A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE. 143 
 
 Many geographers erroneously represent 
 Tobolsk to be the capital of Siberia, but the 
 honour belongs to Irkutsk. Tobolsk is not 
 even the seat of a Government, for Omsk is 
 the capital of Western Siberia. 
 
 I needed but a very short stay at Omsk to 
 congratulate myself on having chosen my 
 route by this city. This fortified place, for 
 such it is, is situated on the top of a little hill, 
 on the borders of the Irtish. The view, there- 
 fore, is commanding over this river; then 
 beyond, over its opposite bank, which is 
 marked bya mound, the steppe stretches away 
 in front and on the right and left till lost 
 to sight in the horizon. The steppe, viewed 
 from this point, has not the same uniformity 
 to the eye which I before mentioned. The 
 snow takes here and there tints so distinct and 
 dissimilar, and these are ever varying with 
 such inimitable beauty and artistic combina- 
 tion, that the steppe seen from Omsk is lovelier, 
 more diversified, and more imposing even than 
 the sea. A Frenchman, whom I have already 
 mentioned, and in whose company I have 
 spent hours in contemplating this magnificent 
 spectacle without ever tiring of it, told me that, 
 
144 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 during summer, the steppe was still more 
 interesting. The ^ass, he said, takes chang- 
 ing hues so deep as to be almost black; then 
 it seems that instead of a boundless green 
 sward, there is a vast gulf of immeasurable 
 depth yawning before the spectator ; and then, 
 perhaps, an hour afterwards, according to the 
 position of the sun and the state of the firma- 
 ment, an illimitable field of brilliant verdure 
 rises under the eye, and replaces, as if by 
 enchantment, the mysterious gloom of the 
 bottomless abyss by the inspiring gaiety of a 
 vernal landscape. 
 
 The steppe, to the Inhabitants of Omsk, is as 
 the desert to the wandering Bedouin, the sea 
 to the navigator, the Alps to the Swiss. They 
 search in its changing aspects for prognostics 
 of the weather, and these determine their daily 
 movements. At Omsk, the people have a 
 strong attachment to the steppe ; it furnishes 
 abundant pasture to the flocks and herds, and 
 an exciting hunting ground to these ardent 
 lovers of the chase, who find here no lack 
 of wild animals. The public fetes take place 
 here, and the promenade is in view of the 
 steppe. To go on the steppe, or merely to 
 
A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE. 145 
 
 see it, constitutes, in fact, the chief occupation 
 of life for the inhabitants of Omsk, and, indeed, 
 when one has once seen the steppe, it is not 
 difficult to conceive this passionate attachment ; 
 as for myself, who had very narrowly escaped 
 leaving my bones to bleach there on its snowy 
 bed, and on that account, perhaps, should 
 have been repelled from it rather than attracted 
 to It, I was probably more enthusiastic over its 
 charms than anybody, and it was with regret 
 and tender melancholy that I was obliged to 
 withdraw from the contemplation of a spectacle 
 so truly magnificent and sublime. 
 
 Society in Siberian cities is composed of 
 functionaries, who are deemed the aristocracy, 
 and traders and miners. At Omsk only is 
 there found a third element, a real middle 
 class of retired citizens, that is to say, men 
 who, having made their fortunes, devote their 
 time to study or amusement. 
 
 The first of these citizens to whom I was 
 introduced having spoken very favourably of 
 the decree of the emancipation of the serfs, 
 I mentioned to him the conversation I had 
 with the old aristocrat of Kazan. " This 
 gentleman has not told you,'' he said, " all 
 
 10 
 
146 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the vexatious proceedings that the serfs were 
 constantly obliged to submit to by their lords, 
 and the extortions of which they were the 
 victims. He has not told you that the serfs 
 never had the right to quit the land of their 
 lord, how many cudgellings they may have 
 been made to undergo, and how often the 
 lords gambled away between one another, on 
 the throw of a die, a property consisting of 
 five or six families. He has not said a word 
 about the mancEuvre of the lords, who, being 
 obliged every year to abandon to the service 
 of the Emperor a certain number of their 
 vassals, choose, as might be expected, the least 
 vigorous, who, notwithstanding the feeble state 
 of their health, become soldiers for life. 
 Certainly," he continued, " wfi do not yet 
 enjoy complete liberty ; we cannot quit 
 Russian territory before having complied with 
 the requirements of the military law ; we can 
 change neither religion nor country ; but after 
 all, every one is treated alike, and the sove- 
 reignty of the Emperor is not to be compared 
 with the vexatious seigniory of the lords." 
 
 It will require, certainly, great address for 
 the Czar to introduce, without violent transition 
 
A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE. 147 
 
 or revolution, the necessary liberal reforms. 
 It is to be hoped he may succeed, thanks 
 to the fetishism that surrounds his person. 
 He puts, perhaps, a little too much confidence 
 in the ever-increasing power of the trading 
 class, the possessors of the great wealth of the 
 country, who are still devoted to the Emperor, 
 on account of their hatred to the aristocracy, 
 but who might well turn against their benefac- 
 tor so soon as they found themselves in a 
 position sufficiently strong. 
 
 Another citizen of Omsk entertained me 
 with his views on another subject, not less 
 interesting. It was M. Kroupinikoff, who 
 had been fifteen years among the Kirghiz, 
 as Government official, charged with a difficult 
 duty. 
 
 The Kirghiz, whose territory is subjected to 
 the Czar, have, nevertheless, remained in their 
 wild state, and with a longing to recover 
 sooner or later their lost national independence. 
 In order to prevent them from uniting any- 
 where in great masses, the Government has 
 assigned to each tribe a zone, and they are 
 interdicted from going beyond this limit under 
 penalty of death. 
 
hS from PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 It was M. Kroupinikoff's duty to take care 
 that every Kirghiz kept within the bounds 
 of his respective territory. 
 
 To accomplish this difficult and dangerous 
 task, he had but an insufficient escort. " To 
 give you an instance," he said, " I was attacked 
 and made a prisoner by these wild people, and 
 I don't know what would have happened if I 
 had not fortunately made my escape, and, 
 indeed, without horse and almost without 
 anything to eat. This enterprise, probably, is 
 much more hazardous for me than another to 
 sojourn among the Kirghiz, whose character 
 on the whole is not ferocious. What they 
 detested in me was the functionary, and not 
 the man. 
 
 " For a period of fourteen days and fourteen 
 nights, I was exposed to the rigorous cold on 
 the steppe, wandering on foot, amid deep 
 snow. I was suffering from hunger, and yet 
 hardly dared to touch a morsel of the food I 
 had succeeded in bringing with me, for fear 
 the last crumb should disappear long before 
 I should be able to drag myself as far as 
 Omsk. But I arrived in a state painful even 
 to remember ; for it was in this adventure 
 
A PERILOUS NIGH2 ADVENTURE. 149 
 
 that I was seized with the malady with which, 
 you see, I am now tormented, without a hope 
 of ever being cured." This poor man, indeed, 
 had a nervous trembling from head to foot, 
 that did not allow him a moment's repose, the 
 bare contemplation of which was sufficient at 
 the first glance to make one shudder. 
 
 " If you like, monsieur," he politely offered, 
 " I will take you to see a Kirghiz encampment 
 I know, not very far from here ; I shall be 
 most happy to have a little excursion in your 
 company ; that will recall my old occupations." 
 I accepted his proposal gladly, and early the 
 following morning we left in a sledge, and 
 took our way towards the south. 
 
 The Kirghiz anciently formed a part of 
 the great Mohammedan family, and roved 
 along the flowery banks of the Tigris and the 
 Euphrates. It is not exactly known at what 
 epoch, and in what disaster, they were defeated 
 by the Turks, and subsequently driven from 
 their old haunts into the great Tartar steppe. 
 They tried many times to reconquer their 
 ancient land, but only in vain. One expedition 
 of the Kirghiz is mentioned, that penetrated, 
 in 1738, as far as Tashkend. 
 
150 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 Miiller gives us an account of some of the 
 institutions of these people during the period 
 preceding their final submission to the Rus- 
 sians. When war was declared, the chief 
 named those who were to enlist, and assigned 
 them the quota of arms and horses they were 
 to furnish to the army. 
 
 In administering justice, judgments were 
 given by an assembly of elders. He who was 
 found guilty of murder first suffered the 
 penalties pronounced by the tribunal, and was 
 then delivered over to the relatives of his 
 victim, who were at liberty either to kill him, or 
 to keep him as a slave. In the latter event, 
 the assassin had to furnish to his masters one 
 hundred horses and two camels, with liberty 
 to substitute five sheep for every horse. 
 
 If the victim of an assassination were a 
 woman or child, the relatives of these had no 
 right to demand the life of the murderer, and 
 the fine was reduced to one half. The crime 
 of rape was punished in the same manner as 
 the murder of women or children. 
 
 The Kirghiz still have among them a great 
 number of diviners, * in whose revelations they 
 
 * Pallas. 
 
A PERILOUi, NIGHT ADVENTURE. 151 
 
 have more or less faith according to the 
 method these magicians employ in predict- 
 ing. 
 
 Some divine with books without having 
 recourse to the stars. Others employ the 
 shoulder blade of a sheep. It is absolutely 
 necessary that this bone be denuded of flesh 
 with a knife, and that human teeth have not 
 gnawed it, otherwise it would have no virtue. 
 When one of these magicians is consulted, he 
 puts the shoulder blade on the fire, and makes 
 his predictions according to the fissures pro- 
 duced by the heat. These diviners pretend 
 with their science to determine how far distant 
 an absent person may be. 
 
 The Kirghiz call the third class of magi- 
 cians bukscha. To obtain a prediction from 
 them, they exact a horse, a sheep, or a goat. 
 The magician begins the ceremony by chant- 
 ing and beating on a drum furnished with 
 rings ; and whilst thus occupied, he goes 
 through a succession of leaps and contortions 
 of the body for half an hour When this part 
 of the ceremony has ended, he has a sheep 
 brought to him, and killing it, receives the 
 blood in a vessel, expressly made for this 
 
152 FROM PARIS TO PR KIN. 
 
 purpose ; he then keeps the skin for himself, 
 and distributes the flesh among the spectators, 
 who eat it. He afterwards takes the bones, 
 and, dyeing them red or blue, throws them 
 towards the west. Then he scatters the blood 
 in the same direction, begins again his contor- 
 tions, and, after an interval, gives his response 
 to the question proposed to him. A fourth 
 class of diviners are called kamtscha. They 
 augur from the colour of the flame that rises 
 from butter or fat thrown into the fire. The 
 latter class of diviners is not much esteemed. 
 
 I had been about two hours on our excursion 
 in conversation with M. Kroupinikoff, when 
 I perceived three tents made of pointed 
 stakes, pitched side by side, and covered with 
 felt. As we had been some time announced, 
 the head of the family received us before his 
 encampment. This man was tall, and of a 
 haughty look, and his dress, composed mostly 
 of trophies of the chase, was really very 
 picturesque. His head was covered with a 
 hood of red wool, surmounted with a wolf's 
 head stuffed, the ears of which, being turned 
 forwards, seemed as if they were his own. 
 His shoulders were covered with a red shirt 
 
A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE. 153 
 
 and a wolfs skin. From his waist hung a 
 pouch, similar to a Highlander's, but made of 
 the skin of the white deer of the desert. His 
 legs were swathed in skins of different colours ; 
 his sandals were of plaited straw, his feet 
 disappearing under leather gaiters, that ex- 
 panded below like Mexican trousers. In 
 imitation of the ancient savages, this man bore 
 at the same time his weapon of war and of the 
 chase. He had a bow over his shoulder, 
 arrows suspended from a shoulder belt, an 
 enormous club hanging from his waist, and a 
 falcon perched on his hand. This club served 
 him to strike down the wolves as soon as he 
 ran them down with his fleet courser. Near 
 him stood a hare-hound of a breed, it appears, 
 found only among these people. They are 
 hairless all over the body, excepting on the 
 ears, where the hair is of unusual length. On 
 seeing this one, I fancied it had been shaved 
 by the Kirghiz, who are very much attached 
 to these dogs, but M. Kroupinikoff assured 
 me that this was their natural state. These 
 animals they say, are swifter and more intel- 
 ligent than Scotch or Syrian hounds. Except- 
 ing the peculiarity of the long hair on the 
 
154 FROM PARIS TO RE KIN. 
 
 ears, which detracts from their beauty, they 
 are extremely graceful animals. 
 
 The Kirghiz being Mohammedans, the 
 women of this tribe hid themselves from 
 our eyes in their tents. M. Kroupinikoff 
 being unwilling to displease the chief by 
 asking to be admitted into the tent, preferred 
 asking him to show me how he hunted the 
 wolf with the club. 
 
 He was in his saddle in an instant, and 
 executed before us a manoeuvre with a dex- 
 terity that would have been envied by 
 Arabs if they could have seen him. Off he 
 went, cutting through the air like a dart, 
 hiding himself from view by leaning down 
 close beside the shoulder of his courser, and 
 low enough to strike the snow with his toma- 
 hawk. And the next moment, hanging on by 
 some part of the harness, he appeared com- 
 pletely close under his steed. 
 
 This wild, wolf-eared figure, arrayed in red ; 
 this sinewy, sinuous hunter of the desert, 
 guiding his courser, like the bound of a tiger 
 on some imaginary prey, was altogether a 
 striking spectacle, and one quite as interesting 
 as it was startling and fantastic. We bid 
 
A PERILOUS NIGHT ADVENTURE. 155 
 
 adieu to this son of Genghis Khan, and re- 
 turned to Omsk, with this vision ever present 
 to my imagination, like a vivid dream. 
 
 I was amused with a diversion quite pecuHar 
 to this city, that takes place during the three 
 first days of the year. It consists in going to 
 pay a visit to one's friends disguised in costume 
 and masked, in a way so effectually, that it is 
 impossible to be recognized. To give more 
 animation occasionally to the amusement, 
 families mutually exchange houses, disguising 
 themselves also, and then the visitors and the 
 visited find themselves equally mystified. 
 These merry reunions are generally accom 
 panied with dancing and refreshments. The 
 society of Omsk is too limited to afford facilities 
 for any intrigue, and too strict even that such, 
 if any, should be attended with any serious 
 consequence ; but for all that, there are few 
 cities in the world, perhaps, where during these 
 three days so much boisterous mirth may 
 be heard as in this privileged spot on the 
 Tartar steppe. 
 
CHAPTER IX. 
 
 THE COLD ON THE WAY TO TOMSK. 
 
 The intense cold — Its inconveniences — The fine effects of 
 light at a very low temperature — The baptismal fete of 
 Christ on the Obi — Tomsk — Its commerce — An evening 
 on the banks of the Tom. 
 
 I LEFT Omsk on the 17th of January at one 
 in the afternoon. This day was intensely 
 cold ; the thermometer indicated almost fifty 
 degrees ! I could hardly open my bachelique 
 when I wished to do so, in order to admire the 
 fine effects of light that invariably accompany 
 so low a temperature. 
 
 The snow, through some optical effect I 
 am unable to explain, presented, from certain 
 points of view, reflections so dark as to be 
 almost black ; and then, in contrast to these, 
 innumerable little crystals, reflecting the sun's 
 rays, sparkled with such resplendence, that 
 one might fancy he was admiring particles of 
 diamonds scattered over a rich velvet cloth. 
 
THE COLD ON THE WA Y TO TOMSK. 157 
 
 After a few hours of this journeying, we came 
 to a part of the steppe called the long grass, 
 on account of an abundance of it in these parts 
 reaching a great height. 
 
 When I saw it, it was quite covered with a 
 hoar frost. Towards evening when the sun 
 was disappearing in the horizon, the mass 
 received the expiring rays and became dazz- 
 ling white. The snow at the same time, 
 disposed to take its hue from the sky, pre- 
 sented a dark blue tint. This fine spectacle, 
 unfortunately, was of short duration. The sun 
 had now gone down, and a feeble, mystic 
 twilight began spreading over this immense 
 plain, which presently became illumined by 
 the aurora borealis, suffusing the whole with its 
 rosy hue. 
 
 It would be impossible to depict in words 
 the diverse and ever- varying tints I have 
 witnessed, from time to time, beautifying 
 Siberian landscapes. When the cold is 'very 
 intense, the play of light that enters on the 
 scene is far too subtle for art to give any 
 conception of it. It is during some of these 
 beautiful transformations I have mentioned 
 that the light vapour in the air freezes ; at 
 
158 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 these times, I have seen shoals of fine crystals, 
 almost imperceptible, swimming" in the air, 
 glittering in the sunbeams, and casting their 
 rainbows superimposed on the horizon. As we 
 see these colours in France, generally in a more 
 sombre sky, they are dull in comparison with 
 the lively, fascinating, and mystic hues pre- 
 sented here on an azure of infinite purity, 
 
 A cold so rigorous is not without serious 
 inconvenience to poor human beings who 
 venture to brave it. The part of the face 
 around the nose and mouth disappears com- 
 pletely, in a few moments, under a thick icy 
 coating, formed from the moisture of the 
 breath ; and as it is necessary to remove this 
 glacial crust from time to time, the operation 
 occasions much suffering. 
 
 To prepare at night for sleep, the Siberian 
 wanderers are accustomed to moisten their 
 bacheliques, which speedily freeze and stiffen, 
 and thus present a solid partition or case, at a 
 few inches from the face. The respiration 
 then congeals against the inner surface of this 
 improvised wall. But in spite of these pre- 
 cautions, when I awoke in the morning, I found 
 my eyelids completely sealed up with little 
 
THE COLD ON THE WA Y TO TOMSK. 159 
 
 icicles around the lashes, which I was obliged 
 to dissolve between my warm fingers before 
 I could open my eyes to the daylight. 
 
 Another strange effect of cold so intense 
 may be seen on entering a village, at an early 
 hour, when the inhabitants are just lighting 
 their fires. The hot smoky air rising from the 
 chimneys ascends straight up to a certain 
 point, where, becoming rapidly cooled and 
 condensed and meeting with a stratum of 
 equal density, it commences spreading out 
 horizontally, on every side, like a kind of 
 ceiling or canopy, and this, increasing in thick- 
 ness, obstructs radiation, and thus forms a 
 protecting cloud for the whole village. 
 
 Between Kolivan and Diorosno, two little 
 towns, standing face to face on opposite hills, 
 the telegraph wires extending to Kiachta are 
 encased in a cable underground, an expedient 
 adopted to avoid repeated destructions of the 
 communication by floods which occurred when 
 formerly placed on poles. 
 
 The Obi freezes in the same manner as the 
 Oka; the protuberances are so exaggerated in 
 magnitude, that it is difficult to realise that they 
 cover the bosom of a river ; they form, in fact, 
 
i6o FROM FARIS TO FEKIN. 
 
 hills and valleys, obliging the traveller to 
 ascend and descend. 
 
 We arrived at Diorosno at eight in the 
 morning, on the anniversary of the baptism 
 of Christ. A hole, about a yard in diameter, 
 had been made through a thick flooring of 
 ice ; and, through this aperture, the Obi might 
 be seen flowing rapidly towards the north, as 
 if seeming to make sport of the cold trying to 
 arrest its course on the surface. The clergy of 
 the village, followed by a crowd of devotees, 
 came in great pomp to this hole to bless 
 the water of this river. When the ceremony 
 ended, all the inhabitants drew near with their 
 buckets, vases, and vessels of all kinds, to fill 
 them and then carry away to their dwellings the 
 water that had just been blessed. When they 
 had all taken what they desired, three or four 
 fanatics divested themselves of their clothing 
 in the twinkling of an eye, plunged into the 
 freezing water, and dressing themselves again 
 as hurriedly, hastily ran home to warm them- 
 selves at their fires. These people consider 
 it a miracle if one escapes without perishing 
 from the consequences of an act of such 
 rashness. I think that the short duration of 
 
THE COLD ON THE WAY TO TOMSK. 161 
 
 the bath and the reaction subsequently pro- 
 duced by the violent run are the chief safe- 
 guards against danger. 
 
 After having passed the Obi, we entered on 
 a country of most singular aspect ; it was still 
 flat, but inclined, an inclined plane, in fact, 
 that rose gradually, seemingly without end, to 
 the horizon. I think that the magnitude of 
 the rivers in Siberia arises, in the first place, 
 from the vastness of their basins, and then 
 from these prolonged inclined planes, that 
 facilitate so much the descent of accumulating 
 waters. Whatever it may be produced by, this 
 strange sloping land gives rise to wonder, and 
 at first brings on giddiness, especially when 
 one is gliding downwards. Although the 
 slope is not very steep, the sensation of slip- 
 ping down gently into some distant, unknown 
 abyss is unpleasantly suggestive of danger. 
 As the ground sinks under you, the world 
 might easily be imagined to have broken loose 
 from its moorings, and to be floating away 
 to some inconceivable destination. One is 
 instinctively urged to put out his hand to seize 
 something, but since there is nothing but the 
 bare ground in view, he is thrown back on 
 
 II 
 
1 62 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 himself more completely, and this singular im- 
 pression becomes all the more vivid and painful. 
 
 We had now been three days journeying from 
 Omsk, when, about five in the morning, we 
 were roused by some violent jerking from the 
 rugged ice of the Tom, which announced our 
 approach, accomplished not without difficulty, 
 to the city of Tomsk. It is always a great 
 relief in Siberia, after a long journey, to have 
 a resting place in view, and then to arrive 
 there. I made up my mind to stay a while in 
 this city, where the inn, by comparison, ap- 
 peared relatively comfortable. 
 
 The chamber they gave me contained no- 
 thing more than is usual elsewhere, but con- 
 sidered here completely furnished; still the 
 room was lighted by four great windows, and 
 the floor was well swept. Finding it therefore 
 rather inviting, I opened all my trunks, and 
 begged Constantine to keep me company for 
 a little time in this important centre of Siberian 
 commerce. 
 
 The city is divided into two parts, the lower 
 city lying in the valley of the Tom, and the 
 upper perched on a hill, running along the 
 right bank of this river. The first is the b'usi- 
 
7HE COLD ON THE JVA Y TO TOMSK. 163 
 
 ness quarter ; there are found the bazaars and 
 warehouses. The other, on the contrary, is 
 composed of elegant dwellings, at least elegant 
 for the country, occupied by those who have 
 either acquired large fortunes, or are on the 
 way to this enviable object. 
 
 In order to have a good idea of the nature 
 of the commerce of Tomsk and its importance, 
 it is necessary to have been an eye witness of 
 that disposition of the inhabitants of Western 
 Siberia for a far niente existence on the one 
 hand, and on the other, to know that absorbing 
 passion with which the Eastern Siberians 
 devote themselves to gold-hunting and the 
 working of gold mines. 
 
 At Irkutsk, the centre of this second part of 
 Siberia, the land is fertile, and yet not a grajn 
 of wheat is put into it; the city is at the 
 confluence of three rivers, but, for all that, not 
 a fish is taken from them. Although there 
 are in the neighbourhood iron mines, and china 
 clay of excellent quality for the manufacture of 
 porcelain, all these raw materials are neglected, 
 and the material for building is brought from 
 the Ural, and domestic utensils from Moscow 
 and even St. Petersburg, 
 
1 64 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 The inhabitants of Tomsk make profit out 
 of the indolence of the Western Siberians and 
 the gold fever of the Eastern, and become corn 
 merchants, forage providers, butchers, and — 
 what is surprising — the fishmongers for nearly 
 the whole of Siberia. The enormous distance 
 between Tomsk and other important cities, of 
 which I have spoken, might throw doubt on 
 the soundness of such a view ; but this com- 
 merce is rendered quite possible from the 
 curious effects of extreme cold on aliments. 
 
 One day, on dining on a plump fowl that had 
 been placed before me, I asked, from curiosity, 
 how long it had been since the bird was 
 killed ; they replied, in order to diminish the 
 natural repugnance of a Frenchman for any- 
 thing not fresh, " Two months only ; not 
 more." For beef, no precautions are required, 
 to preserve it ; it takes care of itself. Nearly 
 all the butchers kill, for a stock of fresh pro- 
 visions, at the commencement of the cold, a 
 quantity sufficient for the winter. There is no 
 fear of any fresh alinjent changing under such 
 a temperature. It is the same with the fish, 
 which become so solid and stiff, that they are 
 set up on their tails against the walls of the 
 

 WgpjMB 
 
THE COLD ON THE WAY TO TOMSK. 165 
 
 markets, be the tail ever so long and the fish 
 ever so heavy. 
 
 The climate of Siberia has also very marked 
 ffect on the germination and growth of grain: 
 he sowing is done in May only, and in July 
 he corn is ripe for harvesting. 
 
 It is quite clear, besides, that the spring 
 here in Siberia makes its effects felt much 
 more rapidly than in England or France. If 
 one watches the trees, their leaves and twigs, 
 he will perceive very sensible differences in 
 the development from day to day. This 
 arises in part from the increased vigour of 
 a sap long dormant under the snow, but more 
 particularly from the great length of the days, 
 and consequent increase of sunshine, whereby 
 vegetation enjoys not only considerably more 
 heat and longer periods of diurnal activity, but 
 from the shortness of the nights, suffers a 
 proportionately less share of refrigeration and 
 retardation of its development.* 
 
 The inhabitants of Tomsk being always 
 occupied, and principally in the cultivation of 
 the soil, have, on this account, preserved, 
 
 * See note 3. 
 
i66 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 more scrupulously than elsewhere, the ancient 
 Siberian customs. I will mention only a few 
 of them. In every house and even every 
 room, one or several lamps may be seen 
 burning before some picture, some object of 
 piety, according to the day or religious solem- 
 nity. When a visitor presents himself he 
 bows two or three times, at the same time 
 making the sign of the cross before the picture ; 
 then, but not before, he salutes his host in a 
 manner according to his occupation at the 
 moment. If he is eating, they say : " Tea 
 and sugar," which signifies: "I hope you 
 will be able to put sugar in your tea." This 
 luxury here is not given to everybody. On 
 leaving the room, they say : " Rest in peace! " 
 When the inhabitants of Tomsk enter a shop, 
 they make use of an expression of this mean- 
 ing : "I wish you may make a bargain with 
 me quite to your own advantage." 
 
 Great quantities of merchandise are brought 
 from China and the Trans- Baikal and dis- 
 charged at Tomsk during the summer, to be 
 conveyed hence by steamboats to Tumen, and 
 this additional traffic adds considerably to the 
 wealth of the former city. 
 
THE COLD ON THE WA V TO TOMSK. 167 
 
 Tomsk is, it appears, one of the coldest 
 spots in all Siberia. During certain winters, 
 the thermometer has been known to descend 
 to fifty- five degrees and remain for some time 
 at this temperature, and one is known even so 
 low as fifty-eight degrees ! 
 
 When I was here, the temperature, on the 
 contrary, was less rigorous than during my 
 sojourn at Omsk. It snowed heavily for some 
 days, and that induced me to confine myself to 
 my room, which I in no way regretted, with 
 the discomfort of so many long days and 
 nights, just passed in the open air, still fresh in 
 my memory. 
 
 One night only, urged by some motive for 
 exercise, and perhaps adventure, I went out 
 alone afoot, and took my way, musing, along 
 the banks of the river. The night was very 
 dark, and heavy clouds veiled the stars ; but 
 the ground was lighted up with the snow fallen 
 during the day. The frozen surface of the 
 Tom was nowhere even, and I was able to 
 account for the joltings we had experienced in 
 the sledge on crossing this river. Blocks ol 
 ice were rising one above the other, sometimes 
 to a great height, presenting their edge 
 
i68 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 upwards, and the aspect of having struggled 
 with tremendous force to escape from the 
 crushing embrace of the solid mass on which 
 they rested. It might be said to have been 
 the result of a terrific combat between two 
 great forces of nature — between the river and 
 the frost — the one visible and vanquished, and 
 the other invisible and victorious. Now, how- 
 ever, this struggle was suspended till the time 
 would come for the victory to be reversed, and 
 meanwhile all was motionless and silent. 
 
 I stood regarding it with awe for some time, 
 like the pale visage of death on whose features 
 the convulsions of agony told some dreadful 
 tale. The night was too dark to distinguish 
 the other bank of this great river ; and what 
 was before me, in its chilling inhospitable 
 state — total estrangement from the world in 
 this white solitude as far as the eye could 
 reach through the gloom — made me shudder 
 in my loneliness. It was the first time I felt 
 myself so entirely abandoned, so utterly cut 
 off from the world, exiled from my country 
 and home and all that was dear to me. To 
 think of taking to the sledge again, and con- 
 tinuing my journey through this chilling air 
 
THE COLD ON THE WA Y TO TOMSK. 169 
 
 and darkness, made me shrink with repugnance 
 and fear. To struggle against such a force as 
 had stopped this gigantic river in its course 
 seemed to me foolhardiness. It was indeed a 
 true picture of the extreme North I had come 
 so far as Siberia to see; and although I had 
 gratified my longing as a tourist to see 
 wonders, I wended my way home overwhelmed 
 with this aspect of nature, and it required all 
 the brilliant sunshine of the morrow to brighten 
 my mind with more cheerful thoughts, and give 
 me some courage to resume my journey. 
 
 One thing I noticed peculiar to Tomsk was 
 the great number of Corean servants, male and 
 female, that are there met with. I asked the 
 governor the reason of this, and he informed 
 me that many natives of this land took refuge 
 among the Russians to escape from the severe 
 laws in force there. " They know well enough 
 that they will be well received among us, 
 for we have already a protectorate over their 
 country." 
 
 This announcement of a protectorate afforded 
 me some matter for reflection. The Corea, it 
 is known, is only tributary to China. The 
 sovereign of this territory is opposed to Euro- 
 
170 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 peans, who are not only not allowed to 
 establish themselves there in any way, but are 
 often persecuted by this tyrant with extreme 
 cruelty. The conquest of the Corea by the 
 Russians — a conquest quite imminent accord- 
 ing to the views of the governor of Tomsk — 
 might, if accomplished, occasion important 
 modifications in our trading depots of the 
 extreme East. It would be an important step 
 towards the complete conversion of China and 
 Japan to modern ideas 
 
CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE GOVERNMENT OF YENISSEISK AND KRAS- 
 NOIARSK. 
 
 Wretched aspect of the villages of this province — The country 
 at last becomes hilly — The night watchers at Krasnoiarsk 
 — M. Lovatine's three collections — ^A Polish exile's ball. 
 
 I TOOK my departure from Tomsk on the 26th 
 of January. The appearance of the road at 
 first did not differ materially from the one I 
 had recently passed over. 
 
 In the villages, however, there was a great 
 difference. Certain details showed the absence 
 of civilization and industry of any kind. The 
 poor inhabitants, instead of admitting light 
 into their dwellings through glass, which would 
 be too costly for them, plug the holes with the 
 skins of their sheep. One may easily imagine 
 how little light can penetrate through these 
 small apertures, and how gloomy the existence 
 of these poor creatures must be during a long 
 winter's darkness. 
 
172 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 These dwellings are raised without any pre- 
 pared foundation, and are composed of posts 
 or beams bound firmly together. When a thaw 
 takes place, the result is a subsidence, and 
 these hovels, instead of falling down altogether, 
 being secured laterally, simply lean in a mass 
 on one side. In this position they generally 
 remain ; for their inhabitants give themselves 
 no trouble to set them upright again. The 
 consequence is that the flooring inside is 
 frequently so inclined, that it is quite an effort 
 to climb across it. This accident, so very 
 common in this part of Siberia, gives a miser- 
 ably dilapidated look to the villages ; the roofs 
 seem ready to fall over each other, or fall away 
 in another direction; the upper story in some is 
 brought down on end almost to the ground, 
 and in others the ground floor is thrown up on 
 an inclined plane to the height of first stories. 
 On beholding this disorder, the spectator would 
 suppose the village had been scourged with a 
 hurricane or an earthquake. 
 
 The day after our departure from Tomsk, 
 we entered into a vast birch forest — so vast, 
 that it covers all the central region of Siberia. 
 These trees, which in our country never come 
 
VE:sUSSEisxr and krasnoiarsk. 173 
 
 to any great size, and which we lookupon as 
 some of the most attractive ornaments of our 
 woods, acquire here enormous proportions, but 
 at the same time, I must say, to the detriment 
 of their gracefulness and beauty. In growing 
 old, the bark of their trunks loses its bright 
 pale colour, which we are accustomed to 
 admire, and looks dirty beside the snow ; and 
 then, when they advance to decrepitude, it 
 becomes quite black. The most noticeable 
 peculiarity of these forests is that they have 
 never been cut and turned to account. Such 
 an enormous mass of trees allowed to perish 
 is a thing unheard of in France. Here and 
 there may be seen huge trunks, lying on the 
 ground, or leaning against others, ready to 
 fall, or broken off half-way, attesting the 
 violence of some passing cyclone or the de- 
 structive power of lightning. Enormous birds 
 of a black or deep blue colour, known generally 
 by the name of cock of the wood, roost on the 
 branches of these venerable trees, and then 
 may be seen huge owls, all white, turning 
 lazily their flat faces towards the passing 
 traveller, regarding him without moving, with 
 the utmost indifference. Here, perhaps, more 
 
174 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 than elsewhere, is the domain of the strange 
 and fantastic, and it requires little effort of the 
 imagination to people it with all the fanciful 
 and grotesque creations of mediseval poesy. 
 
 We continued a long time travelling on 
 through this primeval forest, whose mournful 
 silence and savage grandeur disposed me 
 to muse rather than to talk. My companion 
 also seemed to have his thoughts engrossed 
 with something weighty; he was thinking of 
 the future — of his parents and friends he was 
 shortly about to join, and, what I suspected, 
 of Miss Campbell, who had preceded us on 
 this road. Mine, on the contrary, were rather 
 of the present and the past ; I thought of the 
 long distance I had already glided over in my 
 sledge ; then my soul wandered from the dark, 
 mysterious forest to the unveiled, prosaic 
 steppe, and finally went astray in bewilder- 
 ment at the immensity of this trackless space. 
 
 The surface, over which we were now 
 moving, was becoming gently undulated, then 
 little hillocks succeeded, and at last the 
 monotonous flatness disappeared. 
 
 This reminded me very forcibly how in- 
 different we become in time to the endlessly 
 
YENISSEISK AND KRASNOIARSK. 175 
 
 repeated or continued scenes of everyday life, 
 however congenial they may be, and how 
 readily we wake up to even a bare conscious- 
 ness of them after a merely moderate interval 
 of their interruption. 
 
 Since leaving the Ural, I had been travelling 
 from six to seven hundred leagues over a 
 country absolutely flat, presenting some in- 
 teresting features, it is true, and not least the 
 marvellous effects of light; but for all that, 
 it was void of variety and life ; and this novel 
 contrast revealed how dear to me were the 
 animated and changing scenes to which I had 
 been habituated, and how little, from too much 
 familiarity with them, was I then able to ap- 
 preciate them. 
 
 During the two days preceding my arrival 
 at Krasnoiarsk, I passed several hills, some- 
 times abrupt and sometimes gently sloping, 
 and then again others rising to a peak high 
 over valleys, that appeared to me very deep. 
 My eye was at last interested in some change, 
 and could be attracted on the right by reflec- 
 tions of sunbeams from the snow mantling 
 striking diverse objects, or repose on the left 
 in the impenetrable shadows. In short, the 
 
176 FROM PARIS TO P£KIN. 
 
 monotony had ceased, and to the fatigues of 
 the journey had succeeded the excitement 
 of locomotion, the variety and life of pic- 
 turesque nature. At the view of this change, 
 I vividly felt how lonely and joyless had been 
 the dead, changeless plain I had left behind 
 me. I thought of the poor inhabitants of 
 Omsk, who look over the steppe so often with 
 longing eyes. It is not from a love for this 
 immense plain, it struck me at the time, but 
 from some vague instinctive hope, of which 
 they are barely conscious, though sensible, to 
 see beyond in the horizon the dawn of some- 
 thing brighter than this endless uniformity, 
 and perhaps in such a hope they find their 
 happiness. 
 
 On approaching Krasnoiarsk, the hills rise 
 higher and higher, and become at last, around 
 the city, imposing mountains. We made our 
 entry into this capital of the province of 
 Yenisseisk on the 29th of January at three in 
 the afternoon. 
 
 As the day was closing in, I went out at 
 once, and was able to contemplate and admire 
 the picturesque position of Krasnoiarsk. It 
 is built on the banks of the Yenissei, which. 
 
YENISSEISK AND KRASNOIARSK. 177 
 
 meanders between two very high mountains, 
 whose precipitous sides give more striking 
 depth to the valley they overhang. It is in a 
 hollow at the foot of one of these towering 
 cliffs that the city is built. 
 
 My first impression of Krasnoiarsk was 
 therefore favourable. It seemed to me that 
 the inhabitants of this city, having such a fine 
 view of nature before their eyes, ought to be 
 gayer and more inventive than those I had 
 just left behind me, and my expectation in this 
 was not at all deceived. The society of Kras- 
 noiarsk, from another cause, however, might 
 have been thought to be sedate and little 
 disposed to hospitality, since it is composed of 
 Polish exiles having little reason for mirth, 
 and some gold-seekers, to whom anything else 
 than heavy glittering nuggets seemed unworthy 
 to occupy their thoughts. 
 
 I did not look up my letters of recommenda- 
 tion to make use of them till the following day. 
 During the night, a singular and continuous 
 noise hindered me from sleeping ; it was the 
 harsh clank produced by the violent shock of 
 two pieces of metal. The sounds were re- 
 peated at quick intervals, and seemed to move 
 
 12 
 
178 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 from one part of the house to the other. Con- 
 jectures as to the cause of this strange noise 
 increased the excitement of my mind, and 
 contributed to keep me awake. The explana- 
 tion came in due course. It appears that the 
 Siberians here have borrowed from the Chinese 
 this strange custom of warning thieves by this 
 ceaseless jangling noise, that the inmates are 
 on the alert within, and that any attempt at a 
 burglary would be discovered and frustrated. 
 Lucky thieves who thus know which house to 
 avoid and which to pillage ! Happy families 
 who have their ears charmed and their slumbers 
 lulled with such music ! 
 
 The first visit I made at Krasnoiarsk was 
 to a savant, M. Lovatine, who has three 
 remarkable collections : first, a collection of 
 objects in stone — prehistoric stone implements 
 of the aboriginal inhabitants of Siberia, which 
 are quite similar to others I have seen in other 
 countries of Europe and in other parts of the 
 world. M. Lovatine seemed quite devoted 
 to this study, and I could well understand 
 the pleasure it gave him without being able 
 to enter into it myself. Next, there was a 
 numismatic collection, on which he gave me 
 
YENISSEISK AND KRASNOIARSK. 179 
 
 some interesting explanations. I will mention, 
 among others, a medal struck under Peter the 
 Great, the possession of which at that time 
 exempted compliance with the general regula- 
 tion prescribed by this great reformer to his 
 subjects under which they were obliged to 
 divest themselves of their beards. Those who 
 wished to indulge in the luxury of this hirsute 
 appendage were made to pay very dearly for 
 it ; for the Emperor was not indulgent towards 
 those who did not approve his orders : and 
 thus a tax on a luxury was obtained. The form 
 of this medal is rather singular, having a piece 
 nipped out on one side like a barber's shaving 
 dish. The third collection was geological, to 
 which Siberia, with its abundance and variety 
 of minerals, could contribute largely. In con- 
 nection with this M. Lovatine had some 
 political theories, the principal of which was 
 that the further south people lived, the more 
 turbulent and the more difficult to govern 
 they were, and that Southern lands were better 
 fitted to despots. 
 
 The Siberians dance a great deal ; balls are 
 frequent and very elegant, but they rarely take 
 place in private houses. In every city there 
 
i8o FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 are generally two clubs, the club of the 
 noblesse and the club of the bourgeoisie^ to either 
 of which one is invited to come and pass the 
 evening, according to his position, the noblesse 
 being composed of the Government function- 
 aries and the other of traders. 
 
 The day after my arrival at Krasnoiarsk, I 
 was invited to a ball at the club of the noblesse. 
 The functionaries not being numerous in this 
 city, they had invited a few of the commercial 
 class, and particularly some Polish exiles. A 
 ball of convicts seemed to be something in- 
 congruous, but it would be an error to sup- 
 pose that the Poles exiled in Siberia are at 
 present all ill-treated, and that they while 
 away their time in weeping for their beloved 
 country. When I come to Irkutsk, I shall 
 have occasion to speak more fully of the fate 
 of the Polish exiles in Siberia. But now, here 
 in Krasnoiarsk, nearly all were members of 
 good society. Their political opinions, like 
 those of all Poles I have met, are, it is true, 
 extremely advanced. They had not only 
 taken part in their war of independence, but 
 had been nearly all implicated in insurrections 
 beyond the borders of their country ; they 
 
YENISSEISK AND KRASNOIARSK. i8i 
 
 admired our violent French demagogues, and 
 found excuses for our Commune ; but in spite 
 of these preposterous opinions, which ignorance 
 of contemporary history and distance from the 
 scene of action may have rendered excusable, 
 I found at Krasnoiarsk a society of enlight- 
 ened Poles and perfectly well-bred men. As 
 they formed the majority, the ball was quite a 
 la mode polonaise, and it is a kind of dancing, 
 in my opinion, that ought to survive for ever 
 their lost nationality. One never steps as in an 
 ordinary walk. To proceed from one side to 
 another, it is necessary to adopt the step 
 called la polonaise, rather difficult to master, 
 it is true, but which is, undoubtedly, very 
 graceful. The consequence is that in these 
 dances, and especially the cotillon, there is a 
 liveliness that is never seen in our salons, 
 considered the gayest in the world. As another 
 proof of the knowledge which the Russians 
 and Poles have of our language, I will merely 
 observe that here, in this city lost in the 
 depth of Siberia, when the ball was over and 
 we sat down to supper, a very numerous party 
 spoke no other language than French. 
 
 It is here at Krasnoiarsk that one begins to 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 become acquainted with a few gold-seekers. 
 I was first received at the house of M. Rodos- 
 venny, who, although enormously rich, is 
 here considered simply in pretty comfortable 
 circumstances, on account of his neighbour 
 M. Kousnietzof, whose mines are considerably 
 richer. After I had seen at Irkutsk and at 
 Kiachta the houses of Nemptchinof, Bazanof, 
 and Trapeznikof, the luxury of M. Kousnietzof 
 did not appear to me more extraordinary ; but 
 knowing the cost of living to a simple traveller 
 in Siberia, and having gleaned some informa- 
 tion as to the cost of an elegant house in 
 stone and ironwork, materials that have chiefly 
 to be brought all the way from the Ural, I 
 was lost in wonder at this palace of M. 
 Kousnietzof, quite as extensive as our grand 
 Parisian mansions and almost as luxuriously 
 appointed. 
 
 To mention two or three luxurious follies in 
 which these great proprietors of gold mines 
 in Eastern Siberia indulge, I will refer to the 
 cigar ash receptacle — where the smokers in 
 the salon drop the ends of their cigarettes, 
 according to the Russian custom, after a 
 meal — composed of a pure nugget of gold, 
 
YENISSEISK AND KRASNOIARSK. 183 
 
 worth sixteen hundred pounds sterling, and just 
 in the rough state in which it had been found in 
 the mine. The Czar has permitted, in an excep- 
 tional case, M. Kousnietzof to retain possession 
 of this nugget in his house, on account of the 
 rarity of such a godsend. The proprietor of 
 this treasure did not omit to inform me that 
 having had this precious receptacle for thirty 
 years, he had lost not merely the sixteen 
 hundred pounds sterling, but also the interest, 
 two thousand four hundred pounds, and, con- 
 sequently, this luxury had cost him four 
 thousand pounds. Having gratified my curi- 
 osity by weighing in my hands again and again 
 this enormous nugget, I took leave of this 
 opulent family. 
 
 The next day, we found ourselves again 
 seated in the sledge with a journey of two 
 hundred and fifty leagues to accomplish with- 
 out a break, at the end of which we hoped to 
 find ourselves in Irkutsk, the capital of Siberia. 
 
CHAPTER XI. 
 
 KRASNOIARSK TO IRKUTSK. 
 
 Social position and education of the country people and 
 citizens — Uselessness of Siberian forests — Journey to 
 Irkutsk — A pack of wolves — Cleanliness of the villages — 
 Congelation of the Angara — The government of Irkutsk — 
 The college — The prison — The fire brigade. 
 
 We started along the banks of the Yenissei, 
 and, on our way, observed some idlers amusing 
 themselves by line-fishing. , Their process is 
 rather ingenious : they break a hole through 
 the thickness of the ice, and down this aperture 
 they drop one end of their line, the other end 
 being attached to a little apparatus gliding on 
 two skates like a sledge. The fish, on taking 
 a bite, sets this little vehicle in movement, and 
 thereby announces its simplicity. The remain- 
 der of the performance does not differ from 
 that practised everywhere, and in the end, as 
 in many other ingenious contrivances, cunning 
 fattens on credulity. 
 
KRASNOIARSK TO IRKUTSK. 185 
 
 A short time afterwards Krasnoiarsk dis- 
 appeared from our view, and then we found 
 ourselves again amid the most complete solitude. 
 The bosom of the Yenissei was really a fine 
 sight; it occupied the whole valley, which, 
 notwithstanding its width, appeared very 
 narrow and profound, on account of the impos- 
 ing height and steep sides of the mountains 
 forming precipitous cliffs along the shores. 
 In presence of this grand scenery, it was amus- 
 ing to hear the tinkling of our puny bells, 
 agitated beyond measure to announce our 
 important passage over the rough ice; it was 
 a contrast of the ridiculous and the sublime. 
 We went on in this way till we reached the end 
 of the ravine, cut by an abrupt turn of the 
 mountain, when we left the river and continued 
 our course eastward. 
 
 During two days again, the country pre- 
 sented nothing to interest the traveller. 
 
 On wending bur way through these pine 
 forests, extending from Krasnoiarsk to Irkutsk, 
 the trees of which are gigantic in height and 
 circumference, I supposed that they would 
 furnish to the Russian Government, whose 
 property they are, considerable sums ; but I 
 
i86 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 was mistaken. The Government allows the 
 peasantry to cut timber for their own use, but 
 forbids the felling as a commercial undertaking, 
 and particularly the exportation of this wood, 
 even for its own account and profit. But the 
 reason for this strict regulation is a mystery. 
 The Mongols, for want of timber, make use of 
 dried camel dung as a combustible, as the 
 Egyptians do in Egypt. The Chinese and the 
 Japanese have barely fuel enough to warm 
 themselves ; the Russian Government therefore 
 might find a large source of wealth in these 
 forests, as well as in the coal beds of the island 
 of Tarakai. There may be valid reasons for 
 neglecting them, but of what nature they are 
 I have no conception. 
 
 One night, when the moon was pouring 
 down a flood of silvery light over the snow- 
 capped trees, we caught sight of a pack of 
 enormous wolves, about two hundred yards 
 ahead of our sledge. "Wolves!" cried out 
 our yemschik. " Wolves ! " I repeated, getting 
 out my revolver and laying it down in readiness, 
 whilst I hastened to charge my rifle, which, 
 since the perilous escape near Omsk, I had 
 taken good care to have at hand, and not 
 
KRASNOIARSK TO IRKUTSK. 187 
 
 Stowed away in some inaccessible baggage. 
 I had everything ready, and was waiting for a 
 serious attack. Being the best armed, I knelt 
 down beside the yemschik, with my revolver, 
 rifle, and a formidable big knife. The driver 
 and Constantine both smiled at me, and 
 wondered what feat of prowess I was about 
 to perform ; and their smiles, evidently, proved 
 their experience. As soon as the wolves 
 heard us, they all stopped, turned round 
 attentively to face us, then watching us a 
 few moments without moving, and finding we 
 were drawing nearer and nearer, turned and 
 trotted along the road before us in the same 
 direction like a pack of tired hounds after 
 a good day's run. 
 
 All praise be due to the lively imaginations 
 of poets and artists, to whom I was indebted 
 for a thrilling emotion ! I waited with panting 
 breath for the realization of a long-cherished 
 exciting dream, and to become an actual 
 participator in those soul-stirring adventures 
 I had pored over many a time with fascinating 
 delight in the Magasin Ptitoresque, the Habita- 
 tion au Desert, and many similar books, with all 
 their fantastic illustrations ; and now, instead 
 
1 88 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 of a thrilling scene of real life, I had to content 
 myself with a spectacle provokingly prosaic ; 
 for there was nothing more to interest me 
 than the tame march of fifteen fine wolves, 
 fleeing calmly at our approach, at a respectful 
 distance before us.* It seems that the depth 
 of the snow in the forest impeded their free 
 course ; and the poor beasts, consequently, 
 preferred taking their way over a road well 
 beaten down, even by their enemies. We 
 kept each other company, in this way, for 
 a mile or more, when the approach to a village, 
 with which probably they were well acquainted, 
 though not to the extent of the door latches, 
 induced them to turn off, and plunge into thel 
 depth of the forest. Doubtlessly, discretion 
 more than fear was the motive for this move- 
 ment in avoiding conflict with a force directed 
 by the superior intelligence of man. What 
 better proof could there be of their sagacity 
 and just appreciation of valour ? 
 
 The villages and adjacent properties of the 
 inhabitants are all enclosed together. The 
 Emperor accords to each village a certain 
 portion of land, which is generally equally 
 
 * See note 4. 
 
KRASNOIARSK TO IRKUTSK. 189 
 
 distributed among the male inhabitants. In 
 the forest beyond the enclosure, they have the 
 privilege of pasturing their flocks, but are not 
 permitted to till the land. This apparent 
 liberality has not much significance, on ac- 
 count of the immense extent of territory to the 
 small number of inhabitants ; the little plots, in 
 comparison with the non-utilized soil, are mere 
 minnows to a whale. 
 
 But this act of graciousness, on the part of 
 the sovereign towards his subjects, is not 
 admitted by the Baron de Haxtausen, who 
 maintains that the system had its origin in the 
 natural development of the mode of life of the 
 Russian people. "The Russian people," he 
 observes, " were nomadic, and among the 
 nomads, there is no defined individual pro- 
 perty — the land was utilized in common, for 
 the benefit of the whole tribe. Then gradually 
 these nomadic hordes, established in Russia, 
 ceased their wandering life, and became fixed 
 in permanent dwellings, and it was at this 
 time that the pasturages became constant, 
 instead of temporary, as they had formerly 
 been. Then agriculture advanced, in combi- 
 nation with the pastoral occupation and breed- 
 
1 90 FROM PARIS TO FEKIN. 
 
 ing- of cattle, the ordinary life of the nomad. 
 But the old element of nomadic life was too 
 deeply implanted in the existence and charac- 
 ter of the people: it was a part of their nature, 
 and could not be eradicated. Pasturage was 
 carried on in common, and agriculture likewise 
 was carried on in common ; all the members 
 of the tribe or of the community laboured to- 
 gether, and the harvests were gathered by their 
 united work, and then distributed in equal 
 parts to every member entitled to share. In 
 Servia, Bosnia, and Sclavonia, villages may be 
 seen having the same principle in practice. 
 In Russia they have improved this organiza- 
 tion without, however, attacking the principle. 
 They have divided and distributed the land in 
 equal parts between all the members of the 
 commune, not in perpetuity, still for a period 
 of many years." 
 
 The same author shows all the advantages 
 of such an organization : " It develops in the 
 people the desire to remain in the country; 
 it fortifies the sentiments of homogeneity, com- 
 munity, fraternity, and justice, and love of the 
 country and attachment to a place. It 
 strengthens the ties of family life, and in 
 
KRASNOIARSK TO IRKUTSK. 191 
 
 Russian villages, contrary to what is seen 
 elsewhere in Europe, a great number of chil- 
 dren are a source of riches." 
 
 I have just mentioned that the Siberian 
 peasants have the right of felling timber in 
 the forests for their own use. Since they 
 obtain their fuel gratuitously, they maintain 
 in their houses an extremely high temperature. 
 In elegant houses, constructed of stone, neither 
 stoves nor open fires are there seen ; the heat- 
 ing apparatus is between the two surfaces of 
 the walls. The heat is transmitted by contact 
 with the surface, and uniformly from the 
 ceiling to the floor. This process has not the 
 disadvantages of our system of closed stoves, 
 and does not affect the head with carbonic 
 gases diffused in the room. In the peasants' 
 dwellings the wooden walls do not admit of 
 the same arrangement. In the centre of the 
 habitation is raised a construction of stone or 
 baked clay, and this, heated at the centre, 
 throws off the heat from the surface. 
 
 The women seldom leave their houses ; 
 therefore they are loosely clad in no other 
 garment than a kind of dressing gown, like the 
 fellah women of Lower Egypt. This scanty 
 
192 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 clothing seems strangely inconsistent with the 
 snow on the grouad out of doors. So soon as 
 the outer door is opened, the hot air in the 
 interior, charged with vapour, becomes sud- 
 denly condensed, and forms a cloud around 
 the entering visitor for a few rhoments so dense 
 as to prevent his recognition. He makes his 
 appearance, as in the stories of "The Thousand 
 and One Nights," wrapped in a cloud that has 
 accompanied his passage, and which is dis- 
 persed so soon as its mission is accomplished. 
 At one of the stages where I stopped, bet\Areen 
 Krasnoiarsk and Irkutsk, the heat was so great 
 in the travellers' room, that in spite of the 
 season, a butterfly, some flies and mosquitoes 
 were fluttering and buzzing around in full 
 vigour. 
 
 I was informed that in this part of Siberia 
 the mosquitoes form very formidable enemies 
 to battle with. Constantine told me that 
 during summer here one is obliged to put 
 his head into a sack, and in spite of this 
 precaution, is often a victim to these terrible 
 insects. Madame de Bourboulon, who had 
 passed there in the month of July, mentions 
 these pests, and that travellers, and even 
 
KRASNOIARSK TO IRKUTSK. 
 
 193 
 
 horses, have perished from the effects of their 
 stings. 
 
 After having been on the road eight days 
 and eight nights, we penetrated at last into the 
 valley of the Angara. This river proceeds 
 from Lake Baikal, passes on to Irkutsk, and 
 finally loses itself in the Yenissei. As the 
 difference of level between Irkutsk and Lake 
 Baikal is considerable, though the distance is 
 only fifteen leagues, the current of the Angara 
 is extremely rapid. The frost, consequently, 
 does not succeed till very late and after great 
 efforts in arresting its lively course. Nowhere 
 else in Siberia does this struggle between a 
 running stream and hibernal congelation — the 
 arrest of motion and the transmutation of force 
 — produce effects so remarkable. In order to 
 become master of its adversary, the frost 
 attacks the running water at first from below, 
 beginning at the banks. It is in the bottom 
 of the Angara and contiguous to its shores 
 where the first solidifications appear. Whilst 
 these are spreading, little blocks of ice form 
 and float over the surface, and then these two 
 opponents gathering force, seek to join their 
 efforts in a simultaneous and combined attack. 
 
 13 
 
194 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 The river threatened to be stopped in its 
 course struggles desperately. Pursued and 
 being closed in, it rushes frantically onwards, 
 and if it could thus break loose and carry 
 its floating enemy with it, it would perhaps 
 gain the victory. But these restless foes, 
 increasing in size and number, maintain their 
 hold and menace further retreat. The Angara 
 has then recourse to a supreme effort. It 
 changes suddenly its ordinary course, and 
 leaping in torrents over the barriers, spreads 
 out over the valley, scattering its force in 
 every direction, as if routed by its Implacable 
 enemy. It Is then that the victory is decided. 
 The waters that have overflowed are speedily 
 overcome so soon as they relax in their retreat, 
 and are transfixed and congealed in an instant ; 
 and those also, retreating along the course of 
 the river, weakened In body and velocity, 
 yield too in their turn to a terrific conflict of 
 eight or ten days' duration, and there, at last, 
 repose under a white shroud, vanquished and 
 still, leaving monuments of might that strike 
 the eye with astonishment. 
 
 These mountains of ice are heaped up 
 on this river to a great height. They rise 
 
KRASNOIARSTC TO IRKUTSK. 195 
 
 irregularly, sustaining huge, jagged blocks awry 
 on their mass of contortions, presenting the 
 most singular and grotesque spectacle of 
 unaccountable disarray. The whole width of 
 the valley, on account of the inundation, was 
 filled with this startling convulsion of nature. 
 When my eye first rested on this wondrous 
 sight, the sun was shining through one of 
 these blocks, pitched on one of the highest 
 pinnacles, and produced a natural pharos of 
 dazzling splendour ; here its rays, refracted 
 from innumerable icicles, coloured the valley 
 with rainbows, or there fell on minute crystals 
 of ice, formed from the watery vapour floating 
 in the air, and with these depicted two luminous 
 columns, that rose and melted away in the 
 depth of the sky. It called up in my fancy 
 that sun palace sung by Ovid, sustained by 
 shining columns. Had the poet, when he 
 described these marvels,, already known the 
 bitterness of exile in hyperborean lands ? had 
 he, like me, contemplated this strange phe- 
 nomenon in the same latitudes ? 
 
 My arrival at Irkutsk was accompanied by 
 these grand fairy scenes of light, so startling 
 in their novelty and splendour. 
 
196 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 This city is built at the confluence of three 
 rivers, the Angara, the Irkut, and the Kiida. 
 Instead of being perched on a commanding 
 hill, like most other Siberian cities, it is, on 
 the contrary, placed in the centre of a circus, 
 formed between the mountains, that opens only 
 on the side formed by the course of the 
 Angara. Irkutsk is inhabited by the repre- 
 sentatives of a great variety of races, who 
 there retain not only their physical type, but 
 their costumes and manners ; the aspect of the 
 streets is therefore extremely picturesque. At 
 every moment you pass on the way Buriats, 
 Tungus, Samoyeds, and then Chinese and 
 Mongols, and Mantchous and even some Kir- 
 ghiz, who have been permitted by the Govern- 
 ment of Omsk to quit their districts. But I 
 will first present to my readers the Russian 
 society of Irkutsk and the Polish exiles. 
 
 The Russian society here may be classed 
 under three categories : the functionaries, the 
 gold-seekers, and the clergy. 
 
 At the head of the first is the governor- 
 general; he represents directly the Emperor 
 in the whole of Eastern Siberia ; he has, 
 moreover, full power, and his acts are con- 
 
KRASNOIAR^K TO IRKUTSK. 197 
 
 trolled by the Emperor alone. This appella- 
 tion might lead one to suppose that this 
 supreme dignity must be enjoyed by a military 
 man ; but this is not the case. In Russia, in 
 every department of the civil administration, 
 there are grades, corresponding to those in the 
 army, having the same designations. At the 
 time of my sojourn at Irkutsk the governor- 
 general was M. Silegnikof. I presented to him 
 my recommendations from St. Petersburg, and 
 he received me with all the usual hospitality 
 of a Russian functionary and the courtesy of 
 a great lord of this country. He appointed a 
 young man attached to his office to accompany 
 me wherever I wished to go or to be admitted. 
 
 Immediately after the governor-general in 
 the hierarchy comes the military governor, 
 who is not only commander of the troops, but 
 in a certain way Minister of War of Eastern 
 Siberia. 
 
 The first establishment in Irkutsk I visited 
 was the Lyceum. There is only one thing to 
 remark there, especially when free instruction 
 is the order of the day. There are no pro- 
 fessions in Russia free and independent. Not 
 only are engineers, as in France, Government 
 
1 98 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 officials, but also the lawyers and doctors. 
 The Government gives them appointments 
 according to their rank, just the same as to 
 other servants of the Crown, People that are 
 rich, it is true, are accustomed to pay for the 
 services they receive, but a poor patient may 
 call in any medical man he pleases, without 
 being under any obligation to give him the 
 smallest recompense. The Government, con- 
 trary to the general opinion, is desirous of 
 extending instruction ; fearing, however, the 
 consequences of an education absolutely gra- 
 tuitous, it enters into an engagement with its 
 young subjects desirous of instruction, by 
 virtue of which it gives at first to the student 
 the necessary instruction, and this accomplished, 
 the latter, in return, is bound to give to the 
 State five years of gratuitous services in the 
 profession he has chosen. If the young man, 
 however, does not succeed in passing his 
 examination, he is obliged to enter the army 
 to acquit himself of the debt of five years' 
 service. As this gives undoubted facilities in 
 the choice and adoption of a career, it seems 
 to me a very ingenious organization. 
 
 Then I visited the prison, but it was a sight 
 
IvJiASNOTARSK TO IRKUTSK. 199 
 
 to make me shudder. To be bound not only 
 to Irkutsk, but to a prison in Irkutsk, is some- 
 thing terrible. When I had contemplat3d the 
 features of these assassins and robbers, faces 
 no longer human, where, instead of intelligence 
 and sensibility, nothing but rage and thirst for 
 blood is seen depicted, my commiseration 
 speedily vanished. I lamented only one thing 
 here, and more than elsewhere, and that is the 
 pernicious Siberian habit of keeping the win- 
 dows always closed ; certain chambers of this 
 prison were tenanted by seventy or eighty 
 prisoners without having ever been ventilated ! 
 Before leaving this lugubrious sight, my 
 guide took me to the chamber of political 
 prisoners. There were about fifteen men there, 
 nearly all very young, thrown together without 
 any consideration, and probably for long 
 periods. Let us drop a veil over such un- 
 happy beings. Be it far from me to hurl any 
 reproach at the Czar ; for, considering the 
 enormous responsibility that rests on him, he 
 must necessarily be driven sometimes to cruel 
 decisions, if there be no other means of secur- 
 ing the tranquillity and welfare of his people ; 
 but for all that, I tremble on thinking of the 
 
200 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 victims of these arbitrary judgments, of these 
 young spirits, similar to those misguided lights 
 led astray by guilty revolutionists in France, 
 and who so innocently imagine that true 
 liberty is to be found elsewhere than in 
 respect for law and order. If justice could be 
 ubiquitous and reach every culprit, I know 
 which class of offenders would predominate in 
 the prison of Irkutsk and in our bagnes also. 
 
 The wives of these prisoners are allowed to 
 follow their husbands into Siberia; they are 
 even maintained at the expense of the State, 
 but, at the same time, are subject to a severe 
 regulation, that obliges them, in the first place, 
 to renounce all rights proceeding from their 
 birth or social position. And in the next 
 place, they can neither send nor receive 
 letters nor money but through the hands of 
 the authorities. Besides, they see their hus- 
 bands only at fixed times and places. If the 
 husband is exiled for life, the wife can under 
 no pretext return to Europe. The local 
 administration has the right to exact from 
 them the most humble services, such as the 
 scouring of floors, and similar work. 
 
 On leaving here, I went to see ihe barracks 
 
KRASNOIARSK TO IRKUTSK. 2oi 
 
 of the firemen. This corps, second in utility- 
 only to the police in every country, is of the 
 first importance in Siberia, where the towns 
 are built of wood. An observatory surmounts 
 each of the four barracks of firemen at Irkutsk, 
 and a watcher is constantly there to give the 
 first alarm of danger. My guide begged the 
 commanding officer to give me an example of 
 the turn-out. He at once pulled a bell, and 
 ordered the hoisting of certain colours at the 
 top of the observatory. In two minutes, 
 neither more nor less, sixteen horses were 
 found harnessed to an engine and accessories, 
 and appeared in the court where I stood ; and 
 five minutes afterwards, three other engines 
 arrived from the other establishments. The 
 rapidity with which fire spreads in wooden 
 buildings requires the promptest resources, 
 and these are furnished by sixty-four horses 
 bringing four engines fully equipped to the 
 spot in five minutes. 
 
CHAPTER XII. 
 
 IRKUTSK. 
 
 The gold miners — Their luxury ; their wealth ; their wives — 
 A few words about the clergy, and the code of religion — 
 The Polish exiles— Travelling maniacs — A dinner en 
 famille. 
 
 I HAVE spoken of the gold-seekers of Eastern 
 Siberia, and given an instance of their pro- 
 digality in the wonderful cigar ash receptacle 
 of M. Kousnietzof. The miners of Irkutsk are 
 still more extravagant in their fancies, favoured 
 by their greater wealth. 
 
 But it is not every gold-seeker that makes 
 his fortune ; many even ruin themselves when 
 they have insufficient capital for the preliminary 
 outlay and this is not rewarded with immedi- 
 ate success. It is rare in Siberia to search for 
 gold in a comminuted and commingled state, 
 and I doubt if the Siberians would trouble 
 themselves about so hungry a pursuit, at least 
 to their eyes, accustomed to see it in a less 
 
IRKUTSK. 
 
 203 
 
 occult form, and their hands to test its weight 
 more sensibly. What they here call a gold 
 mine is a place where great glittering nuggets 
 of pure gold are found here and there in the 
 sand, and where they may be extracted without 
 having recourse to expensive machinery and 
 chemical manipulation. The greatest accu- 
 mulations of ingots, though not at the surface, 
 are generally at about two or three yards below, 
 and where they may be won by open work- 
 ings. 
 
 The machines, the most commonly used for 
 separating the gold from the sand, consist of 
 large inclined cylinders, into which the aurife- 
 rous sand is thrown and there submitted to 
 the action of a stream of water. The sand, 
 comparatively light, is soon carried off by the 
 force of the water, whilst the heavy gold falls to 
 the bottom of the apparatus. The smaller 
 particles of gold, too light to resist the force 
 of the water, and that are consequently carried 
 away with the sand, become the property of 
 the labourers. 
 
 The most prolific mine in all Siberia yields 
 annually one million two hundred thousand 
 pounds sterling ! It is the property of three 
 
204 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 proprietors only, MM. Bazanof, Nemp- 
 tchinof, and Trapeznikof. The latter, who is 
 a young man, displays beyond the others the 
 extravagancies of a millionaire that would 
 seem senselessly lavish in Europe, but which 
 in this country of exaggerated profusion do 
 not appear to exceed the bounds of reason. 
 Finding, one day, the road too muddy for the 
 wheels of his carriage, and being desirous of 
 taking the air, he had carpets laid down the 
 whole length of his drive. When he came 
 back, he had the satisfaction of regarding his 
 carriage and horses perfectly free from the 
 serious disfigurement of a spot of mud ! 
 
 This example of luxury unhappily is imi- 
 tated in a feebler degree, though perhaps not 
 with a feebler spirit, by the labourers, the 
 effects of which are the more frequently felt 
 when they come home in autumn to their 
 wives, who have barely a crust left, and not 
 a kopeck to receive from the pretty round 
 sum earned by their devoted partners during 
 their summer's work at the mines. M. 
 Silegnikof, the governor-general, has tried 
 to remedy this evil. An official nominated by 
 him makes it his duty to hold in deposit the 
 
IRKUTSK. 205 
 
 sums gained by these workers in the mine, 
 and to restore these savings to them on their 
 arrival at the village. The first year this 
 functionary received in deposit from the 
 miners of a single commune fifteen thousand 
 roubles. But since this organization had not 
 been generally accepted by those for whose 
 benefit it was designed, and had been resorted 
 to, it was supposed, by a small number only, 
 it may be calculated that the depositors had 
 gained thirty-five or forty thousand roubles, 
 from ;^3,5oo tO;^4,ooo. If these thoughtless 
 miners would amend and acquire habits of 
 economy, they could easily become rich ; but 
 these poor deluded creatures imagine that the 
 mines are inexhaustible, and it is by no means 
 clear to the engineer that the Government 
 is not equally credulous. 
 
 To show to what extent gold is squandered 
 at Irkutsk, even among the humbler classes, 
 I will give an instance. On arriving at this 
 city, I found I could not open one of my 
 trunks, in consequence of having lost the key 
 during my journey, and sent for a locksmith, 
 thinking I should have to pay about twenty- 
 five or thirty kopecks, such as I should pay in 
 
2o6 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 Paris. This locksmith said to my messenger : 
 " How much will your master give me for 
 this job ? " " Two or three roubles, I 
 suppose." "Then I am not going to bother 
 myself for such a trifle." I was therefore 
 obliged to break open my trunk. 
 
 Perhaps it may be asked why these lucky 
 mine proprietors do not go to St. Petersburg 
 and Paris, to get something more tempting 
 for the big nuggets they have found, and how 
 they manage to gratify their exaggerated 
 wants in the cheerless depths of Siberia. They 
 prefer, no doubt, to be seen and known by 
 every inhabitant of Irkutsk and Kiachta, than 
 to pass unnoticed in the immense crowds on 
 the banks of the Neva, in Hyde Park, or in the 
 Bois de Boulogne. I have already given an 
 idea of the cost of the merest trifle in this 
 land of gold mines, void of all industry. In 
 spite of the exorbitant price of everything, in- 
 deed, perhaps for that very reason, these nabobs 
 indulge their fancies in building immense 
 palaces in stone, and in filling their apartments 
 and conservatories with orange trees, banana 
 trees, and all kinds of tropical plants, which 
 have been dragged half across the globe at an 
 
IRKUTSK. 207 
 
 enormous cost to furnish insipid fruit or sickly 
 flowers and some visible sign of wealth. 
 
 They must have grand pianos from Erard's, 
 or the best makers of St. Petersburg. They 
 give magnificent dinners of a hundred converts, 
 where sterlets, brought alive from the Volga, 
 are served in the most recherche style beside 
 the choicest wines France can produce. They 
 mantle themselves in sable, -beaver, and furs 
 of blue fox, or even blue fox feet, a luxury 
 that involves the purchase of four or five 
 hundred of these animals ; they shackle their 
 fingers with heaps of rings. In short, their 
 living, their clothing, their display in general, 
 are in complete and constant opposition to 
 this precept of Montesquieu, which they all 
 certainly ignore : " En fait d'apparat, il faut 
 toujours rester au-dessous de ce qu'on peut." 
 And then their wives, whose lot, doubtlessly, 
 the reader will be curious to know. It is very 
 simple, at least from the husbands' point of 
 view, for they are necessarily neglected. 
 Being absorbed with this passion for aggran- 
 dizing their fortune, the pressing need of 
 satisfying ridiculous vanities, of what impor- 
 tance is a wife beside a nugget ? what are the 
 
2o8 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 soft whispers of love beside the delicious 
 music of the ^old in the cylinder? During 
 the summer all the lords are at the mines, and 
 their ladies are left to themselves at Irkutsk. 
 During winter the former are still absorbed in 
 their business, and when they are not these 
 votaries to feverish pastimes are at the gaming 
 table, watching the fall of the dice, and their 
 wives are still forgotten at home. There is one 
 thing very curious, and which in this instance, 
 though subordinate to a dominant passion, 
 proves, perhaps, the strong spirit of con- 
 tradiction in woman. The ladies of Irkutsk 
 manifest in no way a taste for the costly vani- 
 ties of their husbands. They are ambitious of 
 assimilating themselves to the ladies of St. 
 Petersburg ; they learn foreign languages, 
 translate Jules Verne or Paul Feval into 
 Russian, and imagine themselves to be en- 
 dowed with high mental qualities. But the 
 instances are rare where these gifts and 
 accomplishments exist in reality and not 
 simply subjectively in the imagination. These 
 need too active an alimentation to develop and 
 fructify in so petty a colony as Irkutsk. 
 Mischievous intrigues and cancans form the 
 
IRKUTSK. 209 
 
 Staple of all the gossiping that usurps the 
 place of conversation. It would not be too 
 severe to apply to the society of this city the 
 judgment of Madame de Maintenon on the 
 society of Versailles : " Nous menons ici une 
 vie singulidre. Nous voudrions avoir de 
 r esprit, de la galanterie, de 1' invention, et 
 tout cela nous manque entidrement. On joue, 
 on bailie, on ramasse quelques misSres, les 
 uns des autres, on se hait, on s' en vie, on se 
 caresse, on se dechire." 
 
 The gold mine proprietors at Irkutsk and — 
 to finish with these instances of the flaunting 
 of stupendous riches — the tea merchants of 
 Kiachta, gratify their passion for exciting envy 
 and wonder, in a way by no means displeasing 
 to themselves nor to the recipients of their 
 roubles, by considerable donations to the 
 churches. 
 
 At Irkutsk, the convent of St. Innocent 
 is the principal object of their attention. It 
 is quite haut ton among these millionaires 
 never to set out on a journey before having 
 made a gift to the monastery. Therefore, in a 
 few years, a stupendous church rose over the 
 tomb of the old Siberian metropolitan, where 
 
 14 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 immense wealth is now heaped together. The 
 rivalry between this convent of St. Innocent 
 and the cathedral of the village of Kiachta 
 is not at all inactive, and is certainly to the 
 advantage of both. 
 
 At the time of my visit, the latter bore the 
 palm. It is singular to find, in the midst of 
 a group of houses, which in France would be 
 considered a mere hamlet, a church where the 
 altar is of massive silver and gold, and where the 
 iconostasis, hiding the sanctuary from the eyes of 
 the' congregation, is sustained by fourteen 
 columns in rock crystal. These columns, each 
 three feet high, are formed with three blocks of 
 crystal a foot high and a foot in diameter, and 
 are very remarkable. 
 
 I will not enter on the subject of the 
 orthodox religion, inasmuch as it is not a 
 question exclusively Siberian. Certain writers 
 In France have given a deplorable aspect to 
 the manners of the Russian clergy. I am far 
 from assuming that the conduct of all the 
 Greek popes is irreproachable, for I have 
 myself seen several of them tippling and com- 
 mitting even greater faults, but it would be 
 rash to deduce from so limited a number of 
 
IRKUTSK. 
 
 isolated facts general conclusions. In what 
 hierarchy shall we not find lamentable excep- 
 tions? The Russian clergy are distinctly 
 divided into two classes : the secular priests, 
 who may marry, but to whom are closed the 
 high ecclesiastical honours ; and the regular 
 priests, who live at first in the convents, to 
 rise afterwards to bishops, archimandrites, and 
 metropolitans. The first live retired in their 
 villages, bringing up their children in their 
 homes in the fear of God and with a taste 
 for the ministry. The second are restrained 
 in their youth by a severe rule, and later by 
 the respect for their high dignity. 
 
 The most striking feature at the first view 
 of the orthodox religion is its organization as 
 a political power. In this empire of supreme 
 despotism, the Church stands out, iviperium in 
 imperio, an actual republic. This republic, it 
 is true, is subject to the authority of the 
 Emperor. It is his will and pleasure to ratify 
 or not the decisions arrived at, but all the 
 questions are nevertheless discussed by a 
 synod, held at St. Petersburg, composed of 
 all the metropolitans. What could be more 
 ingenious than this system of complete de- 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 pendence, enjoying the appearance of liberty ? 
 It would be interesting to conjecture what 
 would have been the state of Europe if the 
 Catholic Church had been thus subjected 
 either to the emperors of Germany or to the 
 kings of France. Frederick Barbarossa would 
 probably have made himself master of the 
 world ; he would, in any case, have driven the 
 infidels, not only out of Europe, but from 
 Western Asia. It is also equally probable 
 that, without the authority and wise foresight 
 of the popes, the great revolution of the 
 Crusades would never have occurred, and that 
 Europe, then subject to civil authorities more 
 bellicose than warlike, more chivalrous than 
 politic, would have been swamped with the 
 flood of Islamism, against which the popes 
 alone were able to raise a barrier. 
 
 If the Russians, in adopting the religion of 
 the Greek Church, had not inherited its in- 
 considerate hatred of the Roman, they would 
 certainly recognise this great work of the 
 popes. Unfortunately, human motives of action 
 absolutely prevent every Russian from em- 
 bracing the Catholic or any other religion. 
 Intolerant laws punish with the severest 
 
IRKUTSIC. 
 
 213 
 
 penalties the converted, and especially those 
 who attempt to convert others.* 
 
 The Czar, invested in the eyes of his people 
 with an imposing sacred character, profits by 
 the inviolability it confers to dominate over 
 the revolution whilst accomplishing the re- 
 forms he deems efficient. Liberty of con- 
 science is therefore a long way from the 
 advent of its enjoyment in Russia. May the 
 Emperor, in preserving the respect of the 
 masses, suffer no derogation in the eyes of his 
 enlightened subjects, who are already, as I 
 have seen everywhere, breaking loose from all 
 ties of religious faith, and who may well one 
 day claim by force, and before all other rights, 
 the liberty to embrace a new faith. 
 
 This religious intolerance is painful to all, 
 and especially to the peoples recently sub- 
 jected to the authority of the Czar, to the 
 Polish exiles for example, who, although 
 sincerely Catholic, are compelled to bring up 
 their children in the orthodox faith. Alas ! 
 since the insurrection this grievance is only a 
 part of the sufferings these poor wretches have 
 had to endure. 
 
 * See note 5. 
 
214 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 They have, at first, been led on foot, with 
 their hands bound behind their backs, to the 
 spot of exile that has been assigned to them 
 in Eastern Siberia: some to Irkutsk, and these 
 were the most favoured ; others to Yakutsk, 
 or the island of Tarakai, known to the Russians 
 by the name of Saghalien, or to Kamtchatka. 
 Many perished on the way, as may easily be 
 supposed, and those who were strong enough 
 to brave exhausting fatigues were, on their 
 arrival, thrown into the gaol, to keep company 
 with thieves and assassins. 
 
 It is singular to remark a circumstance that 
 clearly shows the fetishism with which the 
 Emperor's person is surrounded; these as- 
 sassins at the gaol look down on their 
 comrades from Poland with the utmost disdain, 
 and often refrain from speaking to them, 
 under the pretext that the crime of the Poles 
 was rebellion against the Czar. The Russian 
 assassins have therefore, it seems, a kind of 
 conscience when it involves a question of 
 conspiracy. 
 
 The Polish exiles I saw here 'were sub- 
 mitted, for five years, to the same treatment 
 as the other convicts. They were numbered 
 
IRKUTSK. 215 
 
 in red on the back, and for a mere trifle 
 were punished with the strait-jacket, or twenty 
 strokes with the rod. During five years, they 
 passed the winter in this prison I have 
 mentioned, sixty or eighty thrown together 
 into this horrible chamber without air and 
 almost without light, and the summer in work- 
 ing at the mines with an hour's rest during 
 the day and a nourishment barely sufficient. 
 Their lot, happily, is now much better : 
 except the liberty of going beyond the limits 
 of a certain assigned district, they enjoy the 
 same advantages as other Russian subjects. 
 They constitute, besides, at Irkutsk, it must 
 be admitted, the most intelligent part of the 
 population ; and receiving no assistance from 
 the Government, they gain not only their 
 living, but sometimes even a fortune. They 
 are medical practitioners, professors, musicians, 
 or theatrical performers. Some even, who in 
 Poland formed a part of the aristocracy, have 
 taken to opening shops, where they sell all 
 kinds of objects from Moscow, St. Petersburg, 
 or Warsaw, articles which, brought from such 
 a distance, fetch a high price and reward 
 ' their sellers with a considerable income. One 
 
2i6 FROM PARIS TO PEKJN. 
 
 among these enjoying the title of count, and 
 for this reason unwilling to follow from the 
 beginning the general example, was, at the 
 time of my visit, reduced to the humble oc- 
 cupation of cabdriver. 
 
 Among the exiles I saw at Irkutsk, I will 
 mention, in particular, M. Schlenker, because 
 I met at his house certain persons already 
 introduced to the reader. This gentleman 
 was occupied during the day in selling linen, 
 cloth, pates de foies gras, wines, in short the 
 usual wares of a bazaar, and in the evening, 
 after the hours of business, forgot all his 
 affairs to become in his sa/on a perfect man of 
 the world, such as he had formerly been in 
 Poland. He took in the Revue des Deux 
 Mondes, many French and Russian periodicals, 
 played the piano, and had ingratiated himself 
 with the military governor, with whom he 
 often went hunting ; he was, in fact, a man 
 very well informed, and, having seen and read 
 a great deal, could speak in the most interest- 
 ing manner on many subjects. 
 
 To remember the date of any occurrence, it 
 was calculated from the year of his con- 
 demnation to hard labour. Nothing seemed 
 
IRKUTSK. 217 
 
 SO odd and sad at the same time as to hear 
 this distinguished man say calmly: "I am 
 sure that such a thing tdok place at such a 
 time, because I know it was so many months 
 after I was thrown into gaol." 
 
 And yet> fully alive to all these severities, 
 I must abstain from recriminating too readily : 
 in the first place, because I learnt on my 
 arrival in China that fresh liberties had been 
 accorded to the Poles in Siberia ; and next, 
 because chastisements undoubtedly severe 
 have probably preserved Russia from great 
 evils and the necessity of making the punish- 
 ment still heavier if a more lenient one had 
 been found insufficient. We must not be blind 
 to the fact that the Poles are not always 
 patriots, and when they demand liberty, it is 
 not always on the side of law and order. How 
 many Poles were there not mixed up in our 
 Commune of 1871, and how many other law- 
 less adventurers shut themselves up in Cartha- 
 gena with the last Spanish insurge-nts ! Russia, 
 that has these smouldering embers of insurrec- 
 tion on its hearth, has been more fortunate 
 than France in preventing them from bursting 
 into a consuming conflagration. But I cannot 
 
2i8 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 help pitying their sufferings, and especially the 
 sufferings of those who, with all their faults, 
 possessed in the highest degree the noblest of 
 God's gifts — an intelligent head obeying the 
 dictates of a tender heart. 
 
 Having been invited to dine one day at M. 
 Schlenker's, I met there, to my great delight, 
 the whole of the little caravan with whom I 
 had made my entry into Siberia. Mrs. Grant, 
 Miss Campbell, M. Pfaffius, Madame Nemp- 
 tchinof and her son Ivan Michaelovitch, had 
 just arrived at Irkutsk, and were about to 
 start again for Kiachta. Constantine was 
 also among the guests, as well as a young 
 Russian, M. Isembech, an intimate friend of 
 M. Schlenker, who was a complete personifi- 
 cation of those travellers in perpetual move- 
 ment of whom I have spoken. 
 
 "You are going to Japan," he remarked, 
 " and I hope to have the pleasure of meeting 
 you again there, for I am going there shortly." 
 "Come with me," I said; "the pleasure of 
 the trip will be doubled." " That will be 
 impossible: I must go to-morrow to the 
 Amoor river, and shall not have returned 
 before a fortnight." " I intend to remain 
 
IRKUTSK. 219 
 
 longer than that here, and shall have no 
 trouble in waiting for you." " But before 
 going to Japan, I must go to St. Petersburg 
 for a fortnight." "Then we shall see each 
 other no more." " Why not ? " " How long 
 then do you take to go to St. Petersburg?" 
 " Twenty-three days and twenty-t;hree nights." 
 " And you do not stop on the way ? " " Four 
 hours at Omsk only, in order to transact 
 some business with the governor-general. In 
 two months to the day, I shall be here again ; 
 it will be the time of the breaking up of the 
 Amoor, and then it will take hardly a month 
 to get to Japan ; I shall therefore want three 
 months to accomplish the whole, and will meet 
 you on the 25th of June at the Hotel d'Orient 
 in Yokohama." 
 
 This hardy mercurial traveller had little 
 else than his winged feet, for the whole of 
 his luggage consisted of some linen and a 
 black dress coat. 
 
 The black coat, in fact, is here, even in 
 the morning, the costume de rigueur : from ten 
 in the morning to noon, the residents pay and 
 receive visits ; at half-past two they dine, 
 always in formal dress ; in the evening, at 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the theatre and supper, the same coat, and 
 one is obliged to retain the whole day this 
 inconvenient garment. 
 
 Our party at M. Schlenker's passed off most 
 gaily. We recalled the incidents of our journey 
 between Kamechlbf and Tumen, the fear we 
 indulged in on parting, the tender reminis- 
 cences that followed; and when dinner was 
 over, our agreeable host sat down at the 
 piano to accompany the sweet voice of Miss 
 Campbell. Thus ended a delightful evening. 
 • What delicious enjoyments are obtained 
 through a few days passed thus, in the interval 
 of a long arduous journey ! One muses over 
 the adventures of the road already passed, 
 and speculates over those that may come ; 
 the novelty of the scene and situation, the 
 society and topics of conversation, the fresh 
 direction to one's habitual current of thought, 
 the total change, in short, of one's sur- 
 roundings, brings an exhilaration that nothing 
 else can supply. Every incident during these 
 days seemed to gleam serenely in a sunshine 
 of poesy. And yet, when sensation becomes 
 thus more keenly alive to the enjoyment of 
 congenial society, we see in the persons 
 
IRKUTSK. 
 
 around us but the brightest sides of their 
 character, and the hour when the disillusion 
 comes we have already parted each on our way. 
 How many perfections of this kind have I not 
 met with on my route which, unhappily, I have 
 never had the chance to live with more than 
 one short day ! 
 
 " S'il est des jours amers, il en est de si doux ! 
 Helas ! quel miel jamais n'a laiss6 de degoflts ?" 
 
CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE BY A POLISH EXILE. 
 
 WTiy the Polish exiles cannot escape — Narrative of an 
 attempt by M. Bohdanovitch — Encounter with a bear — 
 Sanitary arrangements in Siberia — Wolf hunts — ^A blue 
 fox — Different values of furs — A few words on the passion 
 for displaying riches. 
 
 ArxER the description I have just given of 
 the mcde of life of M. Schlenker, the question 
 may occur to the reader why the Poles 
 banished in Siberia do not avail themselves 
 of the quasi-liberty they enjoy at present 
 to effect their escape. They could not, it 
 is true, return to their own country, but no 
 doubt they would like to live in some other 
 land of their free choice, where the climate 
 would be less rigorous than that of Siberia ; 
 such a favour, however, would not be accorded. 
 But Siberia is barely inhabited, except in 
 the neighbourhood of the great highway that 
 leads from the Ural to the banks of the Amoor 
 and to its mouth. All the rest of this vast 
 
ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE BY AN EXILE. 223 
 
 territory, known under the same denomination, 
 — excepting, perhaps, that also along the banks 
 of the rivers, — is nothing but an immense wild 
 tract of steppes and forests. 
 
 The frontier, moreover, that separates the 
 Russian empire from the Chinese, is formed 
 of a chain of mountains very elevated and by 
 no means easily accessible. And even if the 
 poor fugitive should succeed in reaching the 
 frontier, he would find himself afterwards in 
 the great desert of Gobi, without shelter, 
 without provisions, and even without a pass- 
 port, necessary for admission into China 
 proper ; he would then have to dread being 
 placed under restraint there, infinitely more 
 terrible than exile in Siberia or, what is more 
 likely, extradition, followed by a fresh in- 
 carceration, and then perpetual exile to 
 Kamtchatka or the island of Tarakai. 
 
 On arriving at Irkutsk, I was indisposed, 
 in consequence of the fatigue from so long 
 a journey in a sledge. During these long, 
 gloomy days, — for nothing is more depressing 
 and painful than illness far away from home 
 and in loneliness, — I frequently had a visit 
 from a Polish exile, who, having formerly 
 
224 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 lived in France, was delighted to come and 
 chat away an hour about the places where 
 he had passed his youth, and the happy days 
 he had known during his eventful and troublous 
 life. His name was Bohdanovitch. Our long 
 conversations were a great solace, and an 
 effective means of dispelling ennui. Among 
 all those of his nation exiled in Siberia, he was 
 the only one who seemed doomed to suffer 
 perpetually from the bare exile itself. He 
 spoke of the prison with the utmost indiffer- 
 ence ; he repeated many times that he would 
 willingly give all his fortune to see France 
 again, especially Poitou, where he had lived 
 a long while, and whence he had set out to 
 join in the Polish insurrection to please his 
 father, who urged it against his son's will. 
 
 As soon as he was free in Irkutsk, such 
 a man could not resist the temptation to 
 regain France. He gave me an interesting 
 narrative of this attempt, which I will repro- 
 duce in his own words: 
 
 " Two of my countrymen and myself had 
 resolved, in the month of April, 187 1, to reach 
 China through the forests. We succeeded in 
 procuring rifles, though it was forbidden by 
 
.aJ#^'-^L-: 
 
 J W 
 
ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE BY AN EXILE. 225 
 
 the regulations to carry arms.* We obtained 
 also some enormous knives, and having every- 
 thing in readiness, we attempted, at the end of 
 May, to put our project into execution. At 
 this time of the year, unfortunately, the thaw 
 that has set in is still too recent, and the 
 land consequently too swampy, to enable any 
 one to accomplish forced marches. We were 
 therefore compelled to return to Irkutsk, 
 hiding our rifles under our clothes, fearing 
 every moment to be suspected and searched. 
 
 " Our absence did not escape observation, 
 but, since our project of fleeing from exile was 
 not for a moment suspected, one so rash 
 being here regarded as impracticable, we were 
 simply reprimanded. After this time a numer- 
 ous patrol was moving all over the country, 
 and so discouraged us, that we thought many 
 times of abandoning the enterprise. Our 
 courage, however, in the end prevailed over 
 our apprehensions, and during one fine night ia 
 June, we slipped out of the town unobserved. 
 
 " All the provisions we had with us were 
 contained in wallets, which we had to throw 
 over our shoulders; for the thick, obstructed 
 
 * See note 6. 
 
 15 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 woods of Siberia, untrodden by the foot of man, 
 are not, except by wild beasts easy to pene- 
 trate. We easily crossed the Angara, making 
 the ferrymen believe we had come from 
 Yakutsk, and were on a pilgrimage to the 
 convent of St. Innocent.* Hardly had we 
 landed on the opposite bank when we left the 
 road and plunged into the depth of the forest 
 and, as soon as we thought ourselves suffi- 
 ciently advanced to be safe from any possible 
 pursuit, we made a halt, to pour out our pent- 
 up feelings on the exciting and momentous 
 event. Tears of joy were trickling down our 
 cheeks ; we believed ourselves free at last ! 
 
 " Never shall I forget," he here passionately 
 exclaimed with all the bitterness of the recol- 
 lection, " this moment of enthusiastic joy, 
 which, alas! was followed by such bitter grief! 
 We made vows to each other of mutual aid and 
 protection till death, and continued our forced 
 march towards the south. 
 
 " During the first few days, we were in high 
 spirits, and leapt with joy. When night came, 
 we regretted a little, it is true, not being able 
 to find some shelter, even if it were only 
 
 * See note 7. 
 
ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE BY AN EXILE. 227 
 
 under a tent, to repose from the fatig-ues of 
 the day. Our meal, however, composed of 
 provisions still fresh, restored our strength, 
 and cheered us with the hope of overcoming 
 all difficulties in soon reaching the frontiers of 
 China. How many enchanting dreams had 
 we then, how many alluring projects of the 
 future, which, alas ! for my two poor com- 
 panions, were to change into a painful and 
 premature death, and for me into a banish- 
 ment which I now believe to be perpetual ! 
 
 "When the first few bright days had passed, 
 we were assailed with a heavy and continuous 
 rain. Our clothing was very soon wet through, 
 impeding thereby our march ; and the fire, 
 which we could only succeed in lighting every 
 evening after repeated failures, was far too 
 feeble to dry them. Sleeping thus, wrapped in 
 our wet clothing and without shelter, we found 
 on awaking, in the morning, our limbs so 
 benumbed with the cold as to seriously impede 
 our movements. In this state, fever was not 
 long in making its appearance, to threaten the 
 remnant of our strength and render us in- 
 capable perhaps of further movement ; and to 
 aggravate the whole, our stock of provisions 
 
228 FROM PARIS TO PEKI2^. 
 
 was sensibly diminishing. To eke out this 
 scanty supply as well as possible, we had 
 recourse several times to hunting, but this 
 had the disadvantage of retarding our march. 
 
 "And then the animals did not often show 
 themselves in these regions, except the cock 
 of the woods, which could only be brought 
 down on taking the greatest precautions. As 
 soon as the hunter perceives one of these 
 birds, he immediately stops short, and remains 
 completely motionless till the moment it begins 
 to crow. As soon as it commences to make 
 its note heard, its senses of hearing and seeing, 
 which are very quick and acute, are, in a 
 certain way, diverted and, as it were, be- 
 wildered. This is the moment to advance. 
 But if the hunter, in his progress, should make 
 the least movement the instant the crowing 
 has ended, he is unerringly discovered, and 
 then loses all the expected fruit of his patience. 
 We were able to get near a very great number 
 of cocks, and, luckily, had a good shot some- 
 times ; but it was necessary to sacrifice many 
 precious hours merely for a single bird. 
 
 "Near the banks of a little river, which we 
 were obliged to cross by swimming — an inci- 
 
A ITEMPT AT ESCAPE BY AX EXIL E. 229 
 
 dent that very much increased our fevers — 
 we fell in with a few hares, half yellow and 
 half white, a colour determined by the season.* 
 But all these resources in no way compensated 
 for the fatigue we had to endure in marching, 
 the weakness from the fever, and the discomfort 
 from the rain ; and when we arrived at the 
 foot of the chain of mountains that marked 
 the limits of Siberia, our limbs began to fail 
 so much that we could hardly manage to drag 
 ourselves along. We had brought with us a 
 large quantity of brandy, and a little of this 
 stimulated us to further exertion, but the stock 
 of it was diminishing rapidly, and when we 
 had arrived about half-way over the chain of 
 mountains, where all vegetation but grass dis- 
 appeared, and with bare inhospitable rocks 
 before us, the remainder of this and our other 
 provisions was exhausted. 
 
 " My two unhappy companions, feeling 
 themselves unable to proceed any further, 
 were obliged to lie down to rest before making 
 any renewed attempt, but alas ! it was the 
 final one, for they rose no more ! I watched 
 two days over their cruel sufferings, striving 
 
 *■ See note 8. 
 
230 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 to soothe them and to allay their agony, and 
 at last heard their dying murmurs and con- 
 soled them with my tears. With my enfeebled 
 arms, I buried them in the best way I could, 
 and I made two rough crosses, which I planted 
 over their graves. Then, when this tragic end 
 of my comrades was consummated, and feeling 
 all the horror of my loneliness and the im- 
 possibility of continuing to live beyond the 
 forest without provisions, I took the resolution 
 to retrace my steps, and to attempt to get 
 back to Irkutsk, in spite of the dungeon cell, 
 in spite of the renewed sufferings, that would 
 infallibly await me there. 
 
 " But before quitting this fatal spot," ex- 
 claimed this poor fellow with a shudder of 
 abhorrence, " I heaped maledictions on the 
 crests of those mountains that rose before me 
 to dispute my way like a battalion of Russian 
 gendarmes, and there shut out from my 
 longing eyes the sight of some other land 
 that was to give me life and liberty." 
 
 "But this empire," I replied, "is not so 
 hard, since it has not punished you for your 
 rebellion." 
 
 "That is true," he said ; " they have not 
 
ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE BY AN EXTLE. 231 
 
 only pardoned me on account of the sufferings I 
 had endured, but they have even given me more 
 liberty, knowing full well," he added sorrowfully, 
 "that I should never renew so rash an attempt." 
 
 I then asked him what miraculous inter- 
 vention enabled him to get back alive. 
 
 " I was indebted for that to my robust 
 constitution. I managed to live upon roots, 
 and gum from the trees, and that little red 
 fruit with which the Siberians make a sort of 
 wine.* I was so weak that I could march 
 only very slowly, but the rain having ceased, 
 I began to gain a little more strength, not- 
 withstanding the miserable nourishment I was 
 forced to subsist on. When I arrived as far 
 as the little river I mentioned, I took it into 
 my head to construct a small raft, that I might 
 float down the current, and thereby diminish 
 my fatigues. I succeeded, after a great deal 
 of trouble, and when I ventured on this con- 
 trivance, I believed I was saved. 
 
 " But a few days after I had been borne 
 along in this fragile craft, seeing a favourable 
 spot to obtain a fresh supply of roots and fruit, 
 I attached my float to the shore, and went in 
 
 * See note 9. 
 
232 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 search of them. I had not gone far before I 
 found myself in presence of an enormous bear 
 of appalling ferocity. My rifle was on the 
 raft, and I had only my big knife at my girdle, 
 and although I had heard of the artifice 
 practised by the Siberians in slaying this 
 ferocious beast, I shrank at first from exposing 
 myself to such a danger. I tried to flee, but 
 it was useless ; I began climbing up a tree, 
 but the bear followed me everywhere. At last, 
 seeing no escape and no means of avoiding a 
 struggle, I summed up all my courage as a 
 last expedient, and stood facing the beast, 
 waiting the onslaught with a firm foot, deter- 
 mined to sell my life as dearly as possible. 
 The formidable brute came up with a slouching 
 gait, and rose on his hind quarters to seize me 
 with his forepaws ; just at this critical moment, 
 according to the Siberian mode of attack, I 
 leapt suddenly into his forepaws, as one human 
 being would into the enthusiastic embrace of 
 another and, raising Instantly my right hand, 
 plunged my knife into his back to the right of 
 the backbone and to the depth of the heart. 
 My grim antagonist fell dead on the spot, and 
 with a few scratches on my shoulders I escaped. 
 
ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE BY AN EXILE. 233 
 
 " I then retraced my steps, dragging my 
 prey after me, and re-embarked in my craft 
 with a good stock of provisions. At last, I 
 delivered myself up at Irkutsk to the Russian 
 authorities, who pardoned me, as you are aware, 
 thinking probably I had been sufficiently 
 punished, and convinced, as they doubtlessly 
 were, of my intention to live henceforth peace- 
 ably in this city in expectation of my ultimate 
 liberty." 
 
 It may be seen from this touching narrative 
 how difficult it would be for exiles to escape. 
 Should even the greatest precautions and the 
 most ample stock of provisions allow them 
 to remain concealed a long time in the forests, 
 the abundance of snow in winter would drive 
 them out on to the beaten road, the only 
 practicable way, and consequently into the 
 hands of the authorities. An evasion, there- 
 fore, similar to the one just related to me, 
 should, in order to succeed, be accomplished 
 in three months, and that would be quite 
 impossible. 
 
 During my stay at Irkutsk, M. Silegnikof, 
 the governor-general, was recalled to St. 
 Petersburg. Several people, whose acquaint- 
 
234 FROM PARIS TO PBKIN. 
 
 ance I had made, left also and preceded him 
 on the road in order to warn the authorities 
 of all the villages they passed to level the 
 snow on the way, so as to spare this old 
 gentleman the fatigue of so long a journey. 
 When these had left, M. Bohdanovitch was 
 my most constant companion. 
 
 In Siberia, during winter, none of our 
 methods of cleaning the streets or removing 
 sewage can be employed. Refuse of every 
 description is collected by carts, and deposited 
 over the bed of the river. So long as the 
 frost lasts, no inconvenience is felt from this 
 accumulation : but, when a thaw begins, it is 
 quite otherwise ; then the air is pervaded with 
 a noxious odour, and the water, for a week 
 afterwards, is not potable. The Siberian 
 towns are, therefore, very unhealthy at the 
 breaking up of the frost. 
 
 During my sojourn at Irkutsk, a quantity 
 of enormous birds constantly alighted on the 
 fetid ice of the Angara, and M. Bohdanovitch 
 and I went into the country, to get a shot at 
 them on their way to this repulsive spot, where 
 they were accustomed to feed. 
 
 Then we made excursions together in the 
 
ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE BY AN EXILE. 235 
 
 neighbourhood of Irkutsk, and visited some 
 country houses, the residences of some of the 
 millionaires I have mentioned, and particularly 
 that of M. Trapeznikof. When a district is 
 covered with forests and watered with three 
 rivers, it is easy to create charming residences. 
 Our French taste, with such elements, would 
 have worked marvels. Although the architect 
 of M. Trapeznikof has not made the most of 
 every natural advantage, it is, nevertheless, 
 remarkable : lakes and cascades, mounds and 
 slopes, are there in abundance, and these, 
 though fashioned by the hand of man, form 
 in the centre of a fine forest, a charming 
 seat. 
 
 As soon as the new governor-general, M. 
 Solachnikof, made his appearance, I was invited 
 to join him in a wolf hunt in the neighbour- 
 hood of the Siberian capital. 
 
 These animals are allured, a day or two 
 previously, by the carcases of horses or oxen ; 
 then, when they are well assembled at their 
 repast, people come in large numbers, and 
 gradually enclose them by forming a circle. 
 It was very exciting sport to bring down this 
 kind of game, so soon as they slipped through 
 
23b FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the circle of hunters. I have never seen in any 
 menagerie wolves to be compared with these 
 Siberian beasts ; they are of formidable height 
 and size. But when they are dead, it is 
 almost impossible to approach them, on 
 account of their odour and the swarm of re- 
 pulsive parasites escaping from their fur. 
 
 We were returning very lazily on our hunters, 
 that had taken us, by the road to Lake Baikal, 
 to the rendezvous in the forest, when a little 
 animal, to which my attention was directed by 
 one of my fellow-huntsmen calling out : "^ blue 
 fox!'''' could be seen darting away among the 
 trees. "A blue fox!" they all echoed, to 
 warn the party of huntsmen at a little distance 
 behind. A shot was heard ; the animal limped, 
 and then took its course. " Hit ! " exclaimed 
 the governor-general, giving directions at the 
 same time to the Buriats, who, being equipped 
 with long snow skates, could run the animal 
 down. It was soon bagged ; and the next day 
 1 received, as a present, the carefully prepared 
 skin of this little quadruped, that had occa- 
 sioned more excitement than a pack of 
 wolves. 
 
 As I have already mentioned, a man is 
 
ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE BY AN EXILE. 237 
 
 appreciated in Russia according to the fur he 
 is wrapped in. The most highly esteemed is 
 doutblessly the fur of the blue fox, still only 
 that portion of it that covers the paws. They 
 do not here even wear any other part of the 
 skin of this animal ; but these furs, without 
 these choice bits, are exported to France and 
 England, to the great joy of the ladies of these 
 countries, who, if their husbands are disposed 
 to be obliging, esteem themselves very ele- 
 gantly attired in them, though in Russia, and 
 particularly at Irkutsk, their wearers would 
 be regarded by connoisseurs as eccentric and 
 ridiculous. And the relative value here will 
 show the difference of appreciation, for the 
 whole fur, except that of the four paws, fetches 
 no more than the latter ; that is to say, from 
 two pounds fifteen shillings to three pounds 
 five shillings. But the difference in apprecia- 
 tion in Russia is much more remarkable if it be 
 borne in mind that certain cloaks of blue fox, 
 so highly esteemed throughout this empire, 
 composed entirely of the fur of the paws, are 
 estimated at from one thousand four hundred 
 to one thousand six hundred pounds sterling the 
 cloak, the whole of which could be swallowed 
 
238 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 up by a few moths and their progeny in the 
 course of a few weeks ! 
 
 The next highly esteemed fur in importance 
 is the beaver ; consequently very few cloaks 
 are seen of these skins. 
 
 And then comes the sable, which is fre- 
 quently employed for mantles, at least for the 
 cuffs and collars. These luxurious-looking 
 furs are lined inside sometimes with commoner 
 ones; I have even seen at St. Petersburg some 
 that were not lined at all. 
 
 The jenotte is in the fourth rank. This is 
 very much appreciated by travellers, because 
 it is considered elegant, though the value may 
 vary considerably according to the length and 
 thickness of the hair. I have seen jenotte 
 cloaks so low as ten pounds, and others esti- 
 mated at about fifty pounds. As the difference 
 of value cannot be appreciated at a distance, 
 a man is considered elegantly clad in this fur 
 even when the real value is very little. 
 
 The marten is generally placed in the fifth 
 rank. This is the fur of an animal quite dif- 
 ferent from the sable, though it is frequently 
 erroneously designated in France as martre 
 zibehne. The fur of the sable is dark-coloured, 
 
ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE BY AN EXILE. 239 
 
 very thick, and a little rough to the touch; that 
 of the marten, on the contrary, is light yellow, 
 and feels like a silky down. 
 
 Finally, the fur the least esteemed, and 
 consequently the least worn by the beau monde, 
 is the Astrakan. In certain cities, such as 
 Moscow and Irkutsk, where the fashion is 
 scrupulously respected, it would be even con- 
 sidered very venturesome to appear in public 
 clad in this fur. The Astrakan cap, especially, 
 is regarded with the utmost disdain ; and if 
 certain Russians have adopted among them, 
 as a principle of conduct, — and I have heard it 
 from their own mouths, — never to stoop to 
 salute persons on foot in the streets, they would 
 recoil, no doubt, with repugnance from the 
 idea of being acquainted with any one so low 
 as to wear Astrakan. 
 
 Other furs, such as sheepskin, bear, and elk, 
 are used by the untitled and obscure million. 
 But, since they are the warmest, the rich do 
 not disdain to wrap themselves up in them 
 when travelling, thinking at the same time 
 to give these cloaks a more elegant appear- 
 ance by setting them off with collars of beaver, 
 fox or jenotte. 
 
?40 FROM PARIS TO PEKJN. 
 
 The extraordinary price of fur from the paws 
 of the blue fox is apparently no criterion of 
 its value in the eyes of the beau monde, but 
 rather the result of a conventional caprice of 
 millionaires, who find in this object a con- 
 venient badge and mode of displaying their 
 riches ; for none, perhaps, but the very opulent 
 and the prodigal, would be disposed to pay so 
 dearly for no other object than to shine as a 
 star of fashion. And this presumption appears 
 to be well supported by the fact that the 
 Russians keep this special luxury for them- 
 selves, and very naturally, because the English 
 and French would not appreciate it as a sign 
 of wealth, and, consequently, would pay no 
 higher for it than the price it would command 
 merely as an article quite d la mode* 
 
 But this foible for parading riches is by no 
 means limited to the expedient of wearing this 
 exquisite fur. Pearls, for instance, have long 
 been a favourite medium, and this the Mus- 
 covites seem to have derived from the Romans. 
 Two hundred years ago, " the Russian gran- 
 dees," says Lord Macaulay, " came to court 
 dropping pearls and vermin." 
 
 * See note lo. 
 
ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE BY AN EXILE. 241 
 
 There is, however, no reason to suppose that 
 " dropping pearls " — with or without their con- 
 comitants at court — was a mode of parade ever 
 held to be haut ton ; for a continuous dropping 
 of *'un winnowed " pearls would have involved 
 a burden as intolerable as the Muscovite chasu- 
 ble. But if this particular art of display did not 
 bloom into a fashion, it was at least a device 
 full of meaning and " movement." For was 
 not an abundance of riches not only dropping, 
 but " running over," suggestive of super 
 abundance — a sign of something de trop ? 
 
 The spectator gazes in wonder, no doubt, at 
 the many bushels of precious pearls garnered 
 under glass cases at the monastery of Troitsa ; 
 but the spectacle after all is a mere Dutch 
 picture of still-life in comparison with this 
 nacreous shower — this tableau vivant at court, 
 as full of life and flowing riches as the golden 
 drops falling animated at the feef of Danae. 
 
 This epigram of Lord Macaulay's is so 
 amusingly droll that the reader will excuse 
 one more digression. Pascal has said : "Si 
 le nez de Cleopatre eut ete plus court, toute 
 la face de la terre aurait change." 
 
 Now, might not the portentous difference in 
 
 16 
 
242 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the history of the world, implied in the release 
 of Antony, have been as readily brought about 
 by the Egyptian siren if, instead of dissolving 
 and drinking her precious pearls to detain 
 her lover, she had dropped them at his feet 
 rigoureusement a la russe ? 
 
 A nose "plus court" might not have 
 changed in either sense " toute la /ace de 
 la terre," for, 
 
 Mark Antony led astray by the nose so long, 
 
 His head, when by another turned, 
 
 Would still have g-one wrong ; 
 
 For Egypt's queen — in spite of a nose too short by far — 
 
 Might then, by his own have led him, 
 
 "As asses are." * 
 
 If women always will lead the World by the nose, 
 
 It goes better than pulled by the ears, 
 
 They suppose. 
 
 But ears less long it needed ; not a nose so small, 
 
 To have otherwise changed Hsx&face 
 
 Of the world at all. 
 
 But as history records no precedent that 
 would deprive the Ri^ssian grandees of the 
 honour of having been the originators of the 
 *' courtly " mode, Cleopatra obviously could 
 not have imitated it in all its integrity. The 
 Muscovite nabobs, however, like Sir Thomas 
 
 * " And will as tenderly be led by th' nose 
 As asses are— " Othello. 
 
ATTEMPT AT ESCAPE BY AN EXILE. 243 
 
 Greshara, might imitate Cleopatra. The rich 
 citizen of London, to rival the Spanish ambas- 
 sador in a magnificent dinner, is said to have 
 pulverized a pearl of the value of fifteen 
 thousand pounds, and then drunk it in a toast 
 to his sovereign. And these nabobs, since 
 they are decidedly of opinion that prodigality 
 is the most intelligible mode of displaying 
 riches, might win more applause by likewise 
 drinking their pearls in bumpers to their czar, 
 or, perhaps, in throwing away their pearls and 
 drinking their wine, by changing the Siberian 
 custom of flinging champagne on the road 
 before horses to actually casting their pearls 
 before swine. 
 
CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 IRKUTSK TO LAKE BAIKAL. 
 
 The natives — The Olkhonese — Shamanism — The Buriats — 
 The Tungus — ^The Samoyeds — The Carnival at Irkutsk — 
 Pablo — Adieu to Constantine — Another perilous night on 
 the ice of Lake Baikal. 
 
 Among other races, natives of the island of 
 OIkhon are occasionally met with in the streets 
 of Irkutsk. The shores of Lake Baikal, before 
 the Russian conquest, had served, from the 
 most remote times, as a place of banishment 
 for the Chinese. They called this country, in 
 their figurative language, the land of long 
 nights. Some of the descendants of these 
 exiles still exist in these parts, and inhabit a 
 little island on the western shore of Lake Baikal, 
 called OIkhon. Many of these islanders still 
 adhere to the ancient Shamanic religion, 
 from which sprang later, they say, the widely 
 spread worship of Buddha. Not much is known 
 of this religion of Shamanism beyond the fact 
 
IRKUTSK TO LAKE BAIKAL. 245 
 
 that they worship a supreme being, who resides 
 in the sun. 
 
 Miiller, in his important work on Siberia, 
 refers to the superstitions of these people, 
 and gives some account of their ceremonies. 
 
 "The Shamanists," he says, "fear especially 
 ghosts, and the resentments of the dead, to 
 whom, when alive, they had done some injury. 
 To charm away the evil that these may visit 
 on them, they leap on certain days over burn- 
 ing faggots. 
 
 " They believe in sorcerers who predict the 
 future for them. 
 
 " On fete days, they assemble round one of 
 their priests, who beats on a drum and recites 
 prayers, whilst an acolyte sprinkles the faithful 
 with milk and alcohol." 
 
 One of these old Olkhonese, one day, related 
 to me a legend, concerning the sect inhabi- 
 ting the Trans-Baikal. In order to understand 
 this legend, it is necessary to know that there 
 is a great difference of level between Irkutsk 
 and Lake Baikal, and that all the waters of 
 this lake are held in check at the highest by 
 an enormous rock, at the opening of the 
 Angara. If this rock, they say, were to break 
 
246 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 away, all the water in the lake would rush down 
 in a single wave, annihilate Irkutsk and, carry- 
 ing everything before it with frightful rapidity, 
 would form a vast sea filling the valley 
 of the Angara. The Shamanists believe that 
 the souls of the departed are transported on 
 to this rock after death. The top of this 
 rock where they sojourn is so narrow and pre- 
 cipitous that they are seized with giddiness, 
 and being close to the turmoil and rush of the 
 flood into the Angara, they are so bewildered 
 with it, that they can hardly keep their foot- 
 ing. If they succeed in doing so, it is because 
 they have been good and have the grace of 
 God; if, on the contrary, their life has been 
 wicked, they are drawn in and lost in the 
 rushing waters. The roar produced by the 
 impetuosity of these waters of the Angara, is, 
 according to these people, nothing more than 
 the united lamentations of the souls who 
 fear losing their balance. It is true, that at 
 this spot, the mountains give a striking echo 
 from the uproar of the fall. I do not sup- 
 pose I should be suspected by my readers of 
 belief in the supernatural, and yet, I could 
 easily fancy, in this imposing concert of nature, 
 
IRKUTSK TO LAKE BAIKAL. 247 
 
 that I was sometimes listening to human 
 voices from the Shamanic rock. 
 
 But the Buriats, a people who originate from 
 the neighbourhood of Nertschinsk, to the west 
 of Irkutsk and Lake Baikal, and the Tungus, 
 who pretend to be even better horsemen than 
 the Kirghiz or the Mongols, are the most 
 numerous of these divers races seen at Irkutsk. 
 These two races have become so Russianized 
 in their habits, and almost in their costumes, 
 that it is unnecessary to say much about them. 
 Neither the nose, nor the cheek-bones, nor the 
 forehead is prominent : one can then easily 
 realize to himself the appearance of the profile 
 of a Buriat. The women redeem the plainness 
 of their faces by a figure generally very fine, 
 and an extraordinary smoothness of skin, 
 which has become proverbial in Siberia. Now 
 and then some Samoyeds are seen, a race 
 formerly nomadic, but who begin, I am in- 
 formed, to people Yakutsk, just as the Buriats 
 and the Tungus have established themselves 
 at Irkutsk and around there. The clothing of 
 these people of the extreme north, is made of 
 the skin of the reindeer, ornamented with little 
 bits of clpth, generally of bright red. I have 
 
248 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 seen several of them clad in seal skins, and 
 skins of other amphibious animals : but these 
 it seems, are the poorest, for this kind of fur 
 is cheap and not warm. 
 
 There is no race more degraded in the 
 characteristic of regarding the women as in- 
 ferior beings, and among no other, are they 
 treated so harshly as among the Samoyeds. 
 " They are annoyed and oppressed," says 
 Pallas, "even in their own tents. The men 
 put a pole behind the fire-place, facing the 
 entrance, and the women are not allowed to 
 stride over this. This stolid, idiotic race of 
 beings believe that if the wife should unluckily 
 pass within, the night will not end without a 
 wolf coming and devouring one of their rein- 
 deer. To be in a delicate state, euphemised as 
 ' interesting,' is considered degrading. During 
 this period, women dare not eat fresh meat; 
 they are obliged to be satisfied with less palat- 
 able food. They are particularly ill-treated at 
 the period of their accouchement. They are 
 obliged to make their confession in the pre- 
 sence of the husband and the midwife : to de- 
 clare whether they have been unfaithful to their 
 lords, and if so, to name the paramour. They 
 
IRKUTSK TO LAKE BAIKAL. 249 
 
 take good care not to deny the imputation, 
 fearing, that in doing so, they would have to 
 endure cruel sufferings at the critical moment : 
 on the contrary, if they are guilty, they 
 avow their peccadillo with perfect frankness. 
 Their confession, however, is attended with 
 no inconvenience. The husband merely goes 
 in search of the accused, and exacts from him 
 some slight compensation." 
 
 The revelry of the carnival at Irkutsk is 
 quite different from that in France : it consists 
 principally in continuous promenades in large 
 open sledges, around which are suspended 
 numerous bells : the harness also is covered 
 with bells wherever they can be attached. 
 But this is not sufficient ; enthusiasts violently 
 agitate others in their hands to produce a 
 more effective resonance ; and, by way of 
 accompaniment, that nothing may be miss- 
 ing, children and the lower classes, who, in 
 ordinary times, slide rapidly on their skates 
 over a little wooden causeway, covered along 
 the houses with frost-hardened, well-beaten 
 snow, flit past in greater numbers at these 
 rejoicings, in which bells again are not want- 
 ing to complete the stirring hurly-burly. 
 
250 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 My windows unhappily were towards the 
 principal street, where this abominable jingling 
 was ever present. Never did I feel so much 
 the want of a little quietness, as during these 
 ten days of carnival, than which nothing better 
 could be contrived a porter le diable en terre. 
 
 Never did I salute with more pleasure the 
 arrival of Lent. 
 
 During the first three days of this period 
 of penitence, a singular custom permits the 
 coachmen attached to the house where you 
 are staying to pay you a visit and demand a 
 present. I, being a foreigner, was unduly 
 honoured in seeing defile before me, in the 
 rear of the drivers of the establishment, all the 
 isvostchiks or cabmen that had profited by my 
 fares during my sojourn. 
 
 In order to escape from these importunities, 
 I went to the convent of St. Innocent, where 
 I witnessed the solemn ceremonies at the 
 commencement of Lent. 
 
 During this period, the saint is the object 
 of the highest veneration. His tomb is not 
 only opened,' like that of Saint Sergius, but his 
 body, unlike that of the patron of Troitza, is 
 not covered with any shroud. The body is 
 
IRKUTSK TO LAKE BAIKAL. 251 
 
 wonderfully preserved, except in the colour of 
 the skin, which is quite black. A pious 
 legend informs the inhabitants of Irkutsk, that 
 this colour arises from the sins of the faithful, 
 that have quitted their souls the instant they 
 kissed this precious relic. I have often 
 witnessed the enthusiasm with which the 
 devotees of Eastern Siberia embrace the 
 venerated remains, and the contentment they 
 feel, in removing with their nail or a pen- 
 knife, a splinter of the coffin, the remainder 
 of which will soon in this way inevitably 
 disappear. 
 
 It may be noticed also, in many other 
 practices, how very sincere and profound is 
 the piety of the Siberian peasant. 
 
 I have observed, many times, with what 
 scrupulousness, these simple folks keep the 
 fasts that are prescribed. It occurred to me 
 sometimes, on days marked for penitence — 
 and there are many — on arriving at a posting 
 stage, to ask, from curiosity, if I might be 
 provided with some food. " It is Lent, 
 Monsieur," they invariably replied, "We can 
 take nothing but tea to-day : we have no 
 bread even, to offer you." It seems strange 
 
252 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 that a Government which has known how to 
 employ so well a religion as a political power, 
 should not modify a regulation so enervating 
 to a poor population needing more food and 
 vigour. 
 
 Before leaving Irkutsk, I visited the museum 
 to see the collection of fossil mastodons, 
 remains that abound in certain strata in 
 Siberia : and now after having been hunting 
 with the Governor General several times, and 
 enjoyed myself here for six weeks, I thought 
 it time to resume my j ourney. 
 
 M. Pfaffius had promised to inform me, 
 from Kiachta, when a caravan of Russian 
 tea-merchants would form there, in order to 
 proceed to the south of China. 
 
 " Try to find an interpreter," he told me, 
 " in order that you may never be at a loss to 
 understand these tea-merchants, and they will 
 undertake all the necessary arrangements 
 for your journey among the Mongols and the 
 Chinese." But I had no choice to make, for 
 only one man presented himself to accompany 
 me from Irkutsk in the capacity of interpreter. 
 He was honest to the backbone, I admit, but 
 his history must have been curious. He 
 
IRKUTSK TO LAKE BAIKAL. 253 
 
 claimed to be a French subject, but he was 
 born in Constantinople, and had never seen 
 France. He was known by the Spanish name 
 of Pablo, and his passport was written in 
 Greek. 
 
 He pretended he could speak all the 
 languages of the Levant, Russian even, as 
 well as Italian and French ; but to make 
 myself intelligible I was frequently obliged 
 in speaking French to interlard my phrases 
 copiously with Italian, Russian and even 
 German words. He had, however, the faculty 
 of making himself so well understood to 
 everybody, by aiding his jargon with signs, 
 that I considered myself very fortunate in my 
 acquisition. This genius of elucidating the 
 signification of his words by gesture, was 
 evidently derived from his former profession, 
 which was that of a player of pantomime in 
 a circus. 
 
 Although this Pablo was now in my service, 
 and was ready to do anything I required, 
 Constantine wished to help me, for the last 
 time, in my preparation for departure. Though 
 our characters were opposed in many features, 
 one does not separate with indifference from 
 
254 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 a travelling companion, who has been by your 
 side day and night in a journey of fifteen 
 hundred leagues, and especially when the 
 parting is to be for ever. My young fellow 
 traveller moved me by the uneasiness he 
 manifested on my intended passage over the 
 Lake Baikal. He begged me again and again, 
 for three days, not to expose myself to this 
 danger, but to turn the lake on the south ; 
 and, as a proof of the interest he took in my 
 safety, in order to dissuade me from my 
 purpose, he brought to me, when I was about 
 to start, the chief of police, who assured me 
 that the Government had taken no precautions 
 this year for the safe passage of the lake along 
 the ordinary track. 
 
 On receiving this intimation I yielded, and, 
 alas ! I had much cause to regret my 
 determination, or rather, having modified it, 
 as the reader will learn ; for prudence, under 
 these circumstances, 'did not secure safety. 
 Pablo was overjoyed at my decision. His 
 exaggerated fear of the dangers, and his 
 solicitude for his personal comfort, had inspired 
 me from the first with uneasiness regarding 
 our future relations. 
 
IRKUTSK TO LAKE BAIKAL. 255 
 
 I set out from Irkutsk on the 20th of March, 
 
 at one in the morning. Constantine came into 
 
 the sledge, between Pablo and me, and kept 
 
 me company as far as the opposite bank of 
 
 the Angara. This short trip was a kind of 
 
 rdsund of the three months we had just passed 
 
 together, and, when we warmly pressed our 
 
 hands for the last time, we were equally deeply 
 
 moved by the parting. He had before him 
 
 the prospect of an indefinitely prolonged 
 
 sojourn at Irkutsk ; and I, a turning point in 
 
 my adventures ; for the phases of my journey, 
 
 without him, were about to change completely. 
 
 When Constantine was gone, I was not 
 
 much disposed to begin a conversation with 
 
 .Pablo. I could see no utility in this man, 
 
 except the prospective one in a future still 
 
 very uncertain, and, as I then knew Russian 
 
 well enough to accomplish alone a journey in 
 
 Siberia, his presence for the moment was 
 
 anything but agreeable., 
 
 The country we were passing through was 
 very picturesque. Mountain after mountain 
 covered with pine trees, producing in the 
 dark a singular and striking effect with their 
 sable hue, seemed to become loftier and more 
 
256 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 imposing on either side, as we advanced. I 
 was now all the better situated for a full view 
 of nature, being no longer cooped up in the 
 canopied sledge of Nijni-Novgorod. The one 
 I had now was entirely open. 
 
 At daybreak we came in sight of the Baikal. 
 As the constant and violent winds in these 
 parts sweep the snow from the surface of the 
 ice, the frozen surface assumes nearly every- 
 where a bluish tint resembling, in some degree, 
 smooth water. 
 
 The scene was striking. Deep, deep below 
 our feet, reposed a bay, in the hollow between 
 two chains of mountains, and then, beyond, 
 the lake suddenly expanded, and extended 
 as far as the eye could reach, to the right and 
 left and before us, its endless ice-clad bosom. 
 
 " There at last is Lake Baikal ! " I exclaimed 
 with enthusiasm at the startling spectacle. 
 " Monsieur," said Pablo, jumping up from his 
 seat, " Has no one, indeed, then told you ? 
 You must call it the sea ; otherwise it will be 
 angry and cause some evil." 
 
 This superstitious fear revealed, at once, the 
 character of my new companion. Ignorant 
 and of weak intellect, he had borrowed some- 
 
IRKU2SK TO LAKE BAIKAL. 257 
 
 thing his fear of the unknown had prompted 
 him to accept as a revelation of truth regarding 
 it from every people he had lived among, pro- 
 bably with other characteristics. He had thus, 
 I think, acquired from the Germans and Poles, 
 a little melancholy, from the Turks and Arabs, 
 servility, and from the Russians and Siberians, 
 superstition ; for his honesty and simplicity, I 
 think he was indebted to none ; it was native. 
 
 We descended to the- shore of the lake by 
 the south side of the mountain. The snow, 
 that had melted during the previous day, had 
 frozen again during the night, and formed at 
 every step a slippery surface. 
 
 The sledge shot first in one direction, then 
 in another, in a way to inspire terror, for the 
 route was constantly on the ridge of a pre- 
 cipice. We were, indeed, sometimes so near 
 it, that the yemschik had his legs, now and 
 then, dangling over the brink of a frightful 
 abyss. A sharp clack of the whip, keenly felt, 
 once gave a sudden diversion to the direction 
 of the vehicle, and we were then miraculously 
 saved from an appalling pitch. The yemschik, 
 unfortunately, was over-confident, and, when 
 we had escaped so far, was too ready to 
 
 17 
 
2^8 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 believe that all danger was over. He had 
 neglected, just before our arrival at Baikal, to 
 give a required sudden turn to the sledge 
 by administering a sharp cut to the horses, 
 consequently, one of the skates of the sledge 
 passed over the edge of the road, and the 
 entire vehicle and its contents instantly fol- 
 lowed; we rolled out, Pablo and I, into a ditch 
 five or six feet deep and almost perpendicu- 
 lar, with all our rugs and baggage huddled 
 together; a pretty kettle of fish. Pablo was 
 too terrified to speak, and probably thought 
 it unnecessary to remind me of the anger of 
 the sea, now only too evident. 
 
 A short time after this diveriissement, we 
 arrived at a stage. The posting master dis- 
 suaded me from continuing my journey by 
 land. " The road is not only longer," he said, 
 "but, as you well know, dangerous also, whilst 
 the ice over the Baikal is extremely thick and 
 not likely to crack anywhere." We followed 
 his advice, and trotted away over the ice. 
 
 Pablo was most ridiculously alarmed every 
 time I spoke of Lake Baikal, and tried to 
 charm away the danger by saying, " The sea ! 
 the sea! the sea!" On the right and left 
 
IRKUTSK TO LAKE BAIKAL. 259 
 
 towered, over our heads, the two chains of 
 mountains I have just mentioned, closing in 
 the southern extremity of the lake, whereon 
 we had just entered ; and before us nothing 
 could be seen, as far as the horizon, but in- 
 terminable ice. 
 
 I was completely lost in admiration of this 
 striking spectacle — such a one, I think, as is 
 unequalled in the whole world. I had seen 
 nowhere else in Siberia so complete an 
 example of the mighty, triumphant effects of 
 winter as this remarkable sea of ice, and in 
 no other part of this climate, have I seen light 
 assuming such magnificent warm tones. In 
 the evening particularly, when the crests of the 
 mountains were glowing in a rich rosy light, 
 the surface of the Baikal, then in the shadow, 
 reflected an intense blue, similar to that of the 
 Mediterranean. The tint would have led me 
 to fancy that I was off Nice or the coast of 
 Algiers, if the sledge, and especially the ac- 
 companying noise of its gliding, had not too 
 forcibly recalled me to actuality. This appal- 
 ling noise, of which I have already spoken 
 in my first sledging experience over the Oka, 
 was much more disquieting there, however, 
 
26o FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 from the depth of the hollow below. Here it 
 contributed to the wonder of this unique 
 scene. 
 
 The night was just closing in when we 
 arrived at the eastern extremity of the bay. 
 We went on land merely to dine and change 
 horses. When we started again on the lake 
 it was nine in the evening, and our yemschik, 
 instead of keeping a north-east course to take 
 us towards the Eastern coast, went due north 
 towards the centre of the lake. 
 
 Since I had already many times noticed the 
 deviating course of the yemschiks over frozen 
 water-ways, in order to avoid some pit or some 
 spot of doubtful solidity, I did not at first ask 
 any question, but turned round from time to 
 time, to take a view of the retreating land. 
 Thus occupied, it sank lower and lower in the 
 horizon and at last disappeared altogether 
 from my eyes. The aspect was now com- 
 pletely changed ; it seemed as if we were on 
 the open sea, for whichever way we turned we 
 could see land nowhere. 
 
 I must confess that, at this moment, I began 
 to feel ashamed a little of my boasting indif- 
 ference a few hours before. This desolate, 
 
IRKUTSK TO LAKE BAIKAL. 261 
 
 inhospitable tract now made me shudder, and I 
 seemed to be all at once inspired with a servile 
 respect for this terrible Siberian sea I had so 
 inconsiderately insulted from the shore. 
 
 It was so very seldom I had had occasion 
 to complain of my yemschik during my 
 journey, that I was not by any means disposed 
 to find fault in this instance ; I was not long-, 
 however, in perceiving he was intoxicated, and 
 that he had led us astray. 
 
 The surface was becoming gradually more 
 and more irregular ; a few loose or superim- 
 posed blocks were distributed here and there ; 
 presently these became not only larger, but 
 more numerous. This rough broken way, in 
 fact, was threatening, for the further we ad- 
 vanced the more our new difficulties increased, 
 and it was not long before we were obliged to 
 make our way along mountains of ice surpass- 
 ing even those of the Tom and the Angara. 
 
 The view of these ever-augmenting obstacles 
 would have been disquieting in the open day; 
 but now, in the depth of the night, without an 
 outline of land ever so shadowy to be dis- 
 cerned, and in complete ignorance of our 
 direction, the situation was indeed alarming. 
 
262 FROM PARIS TO PEKTN. 
 
 I began questioning the yemschik, from whom 
 I could get no intelligible answer, even with 
 the aid of Pablo. 
 
 The poor creature was besotted — paralyzed 
 with fear. 
 
 Bewildered with the utter helplessness of 
 our perilous situation, the idea that came 
 uppermost to my mind was, to ask on which 
 side we could the soonest gain the land. 
 The yemschik held out his hand towards the 
 west. I understood at once the fearful plight 
 we were in and was resolved to wait on the 
 spot the break of day. The driver refused to 
 stop at once, making light of my apprehensions, 
 but the matter was so serious that I was 
 obliged to draw my revolver and, presenting 
 it at his head, threatened to shoot him on the 
 spot if he advanced a step further. 
 
 It was now about one o'clock in the morning, 
 and I could distinguish nothing but mountains 
 of ice surrounding us on all sides. On ex- 
 amining these hillocks, I found they were built 
 up with blocks of -about a foot thick. 
 
 It was clear, therefore, that we were sus- 
 pended over the depths of the lake by a floor 
 of no greater thickness. Could we count on 
 
IRKUTSK TO LAKE BAIKAL. 263 
 
 this even, throughout, to bear up the weight 
 of the laden sledge and horses ? 
 
 Between life and death, between the air we 
 breathed and the bottom of the lake, there was 
 only one foot of ice. We were not only far 
 from human beings, but far from the land they 
 inhabited. Who, indeed, knew where we were ? 
 Who would be thinking of us at this hour ? 
 Who at this distance could have heard our last 
 desperate cry of anguish, at the moment when 
 the ice, breaking under our weight, would open 
 and then close over us for ever ? 
 
 The mournful moaning of the wind in the 
 hollows of this glacial wild, interrupted by 
 the ominous cracking of the ice, like the low 
 booming of cannon in the distance, broke the 
 silence of the night. Never had I felt the 
 weakness, the ignoble insignificance of man in 
 a manner so complete and absolute : never had 
 I been so sensible to the imposing might of 
 Nature. I held my breath with awe, for man, 
 in her august presence, would be as meaningless 
 as a grain of sand or the poorest worm, if the 
 moment should come when he was doomed to 
 be crushed in the terrible exercise of her power. 
 
 When day at last appeared we could realize. 
 
204 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 Still more forcibly, the danger of our situation. 
 There were fissures scoring the surface in 
 every direction. Pools of water in certain 
 spots showed that the congelation in these 
 parts, from some cause or other, had only been 
 partial. On seeing myself exposed to so many 
 snares, I understood why the Russian Govern- 
 ment had declined assuming any responsibility 
 this year for the safety of travellers. I was 
 abandoned to my own resources and trembled 
 for the consequences, for it seemed I was lost. 
 
 In the dilemma I knew not what to do ; it 
 was necessary to move, for we could not escape 
 danger by remaining still any longer, and I 
 gave orders to the driver, mechanically, as if 
 spell-bound, to take his course towards the 
 rising sun. We started'; no way could have 
 been more prudently selected and, In spite of 
 the element of danger still existing, be more 
 replete with thrilling interest. We were 
 obliged to make many long windings to avoid 
 some crevice or other. The yemschik, now 
 having recovered from the effects of his In- 
 temperance, seemed desirous of redeeming his 
 fault, and went on foot alone in advance in 
 peril of his life, to ascertain the thickness of 
 
IRKUTSK TO LAKE BAIKAL. 265 
 
 the ice. We were obliged to pull up now and 
 then, as we came near an ominous long streak 
 of rippling water that barred our passage. 
 If we ventured to brave it, we decided to 
 draw back on our steps a little way — reculer 
 pour mieux sauter — and then, with the whip 
 smartly applied, aided with wild gesture, hal- 
 looing and screaming, to give a mad rattling 
 pace to the horses, we cleared, in the twinkling 
 of an eye, but not without a sickening horror, 
 these treacherous crevices gaping to devour us. 
 
 About eight in the morning we caught a 
 glimpse of the land, and soon after it plainly 
 came into sight. The further we advanced 
 the thicker and more reliable the ice became, 
 and every step now raised our long depressed 
 spirits, till, at last, all further danger disap- 
 peared. Then, strange to say, I felt a pang of 
 regret to quit the Baikal : for though I had 
 blenched with fear, I could not forget that I 
 was still standing on enchanted ground. 
 
 At last, at ten in the morning, I entered the 
 village of Slernaia to reflect over the twenty- 
 two hours passed on Lake Baikal — the most 
 stirring and momentous adventure I have 
 experienced in all my travels. 
 
CHAPTER XV. 
 
 LAKE BAIKAL TO KIACHTA 
 
 Observations on Eastern Siberia and its inhabitants — Their 
 dream of Independence — Motives that might contribute 
 to independence — Example of the Chinese — The Yakuts 
 and the inhabitants of Kamtchatka. 
 
 While breakfasting the following- morning at 
 Verchni-Oudinsk, I overheard a singular con- 
 versation between three men, who were pro- 
 bably natives of this part, for they declared 
 themselves to be more attached to Eastern 
 Siberia than to the Russian Empire; and 
 these reminded me of the people of Vannes 
 or St. Brieux, who profess to love Brittany 
 more than France. If the empire were in 
 danger or the throne of the Czar threatened, 
 these men would no doubt do their duty and, 
 perhaps, better than many others ; but, for all 
 that, it was easy to perceive that this Eastern 
 portion of Siberia was by far the nearest to 
 their heart. "What a beautiful country! — 
 
LAKE BAIKAL TO KIACHTA. 267 
 
 How fertile it is ! " they exclaimed, "we have 
 not only abundance of wheat and other grain, 
 but what excellent wine comes from the Ussury 
 valley. I cannot understand at all why our 
 Emperor lives at St. Petersburg. You will 
 see ; our capital, which is so unhealthy, will 
 be abandoned one of these days : then the 
 Court will come and establish itself on the 
 banks of the river Okhotsk." 
 
 I do not think that the dream of these simple 
 people is worth consideration, still, at some 
 future period, this feeling might develop into a 
 longing for national independence in a manner 
 much more practical among these inhabitants 
 of the banks of the Amoor, and in this event 
 would not be without significance. 
 
 It is not very long since the country to the 
 north of the Amoor has been annexed to the 
 Russian Empire, and, as it was a complete 
 desert before this period, it is not surprising 
 that this region is still only very thinly peopled. 
 The Amoor river has a course of a thousand 
 leagues, and the Governor General informed 
 me, that on this immense territory there were, 
 including the military and civil service, in all 
 twenty-six thousand souls. But since these 
 
268 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 inhabitants are natives of the old Russian 
 Empire, and are here as colonists, it is natural 
 they should still remain attached to their 
 native country and their Emperor. In the 
 course of a few generations, however, the 
 people of the banks of the Amoor will not fail 
 to perceive that independence will lead to 
 wealth, and, with this incentive, what efforts 
 would they not make to obtain it ? 
 
 In short, the corn of Siberia is very often 
 preferred by the inhabitants of Northern 
 Russia to that of Odessa. The cultivators on 
 the banks of the Amoor could supply not only 
 themselves but export grain, and profit largely 
 by the exportation. The valley of the Ussury, 
 which would produce not only wine, but all the 
 fruits of the South, such as oranges and 
 bananas, would create additional riches. The 
 inhabitants of this country would not then be 
 obliged, as they are now, to send to St. Peters- 
 burg all the gold they get out of the earth. 
 They might also accumulate wealth from other 
 sources in their land, from the immense de- 
 posits of iron and graphite, (for the famous 
 Alibert mine is in this district), from clay for 
 the manufacture of porcelain, the forests, and 
 
LAKE BAIKAL TO KIACH2A. 269 
 
 also the coal of the island of Tarakai. More- 
 over, the sea of Okhotsk would furnish them 
 with an easy outlet, and communication with 
 the markets of the world, whilst the Russian 
 ships from St. Petersburg, could not leave the 
 Baltic, if opposed by Germany, Sweden, and 
 Denmark, or indeed even by England and 
 Holland. 
 
 It will be evident from these facts, that this 
 region, measuring ten or twelve hundred 
 leagues in length by eight or nine hundred 
 wide, has all the resources necessary to form 
 not only an independent state, but one of the 
 richest even in the world. It is not at all 
 unlikely, in the course of a few years, that the 
 inhabitants of this country, hitherto a little over- 
 ruled and overreached by the Czar, will open 
 their eyes to the tempting advantages within 
 their reach, and attempt to secure them fully 
 by making an effort to gain their independence. 
 It may be objected, perhaps, that the prospect 
 of a revolution in Russia is far too remote for 
 such a movement to come to pass ; that the 
 religion is too deeply rooted in the hearts of 
 the people, and, consequently, they have too 
 rtluch veneration for the sacred person of the 
 
270 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 Czar to venture to assail him. This is, to a 
 certain extent, true, and what I have related 
 about the sentiments of the assassins towards 
 the Poles, in the prison of Irkutsk, gives some 
 weight to the objection. Still, in Russia, it 
 must be admitted, that the respect for religion 
 — contrary to its form of manifestation in 
 France — diminishes in proportion as the social 
 rank rises. And then, if the respect for 
 religion vanishes, that for the authority of the 
 Emperor will soon follow. In Eastern Siberia, 
 in fact, where everyone is trying to enrich 
 himself and often succeeds, examples among 
 these of this disregard for religion, which I 
 have heard so frankly expressed, are not 
 wanting ; and when this will have spread 
 among the multitude, the sacred authority of 
 the Emperor, that keeps this country in sub- 
 jection, will have lost its hold. 
 
 I can give instances of this irreverence, for, 
 while I was at Irkutsk, I happened to ask one 
 of the richest and most important personages 
 there, if the priests were gathered from the 
 peasantry. "Oh, no," he replied. "Then 
 they belong to the upper classes ? " " Not at 
 all." "Then where are they recruited?" 
 
LAKE BAIKAL TO KIACHTA. 271 
 
 " God knows where," he replied, with the 
 utmost contempt, as if they were quite beneath 
 his notice. 
 
 Another inhabitant of Irkutsk, m a still 
 higher position, asked me one day, how I had 
 passed my Sunday. I told him that, among 
 other occupations, I had been in the morning, 
 to hear mass by the archimandrite, and in the 
 evening at the theatre, to hear Oyphie aux 
 Enfers. "Then," added my interlocutor, "you 
 have assisted, to-day, at two representations 
 douffes.^' 
 
 I do not affirm that all the members of the 
 Russian aristocracy speak so contemptuously 
 of their religion and their priests : but here, 
 certainly, are two remarks that no Catholic 
 in our country even, without faith and without 
 any apparent respect whatever for religion 
 or authority, would have dared to make. 
 
 There is not in Siberia as in European 
 Russia so great a distance between the people 
 and the upper classes. The peasantry, one 
 day, will not fail to notice the manner in 
 which their creed, to which they have always 
 bent the knee in veneration, is treated by their 
 superiors, and will not be slow in claiming 
 
FROM PARIS 20 PEKIN. 
 
 the alluring liberty they have discovered in 
 those who should- serve as models for their 
 conduct. 
 
 It may be objected again, that this patient 
 and submissive character of the Russian people, 
 and the remoteness of the Eastern Siberians 
 from any civilized nation that might set them 
 an example and encourage them, would retard 
 this emancipation. 
 
 The Russians, it is true, are so habituated to 
 a state of patient endurance, in which they 
 live ; their resignation is so manifested in their 
 conduct, in their forms of politeness bordering 
 on servility, in their music, and even in their 
 amusements, that it seems impossible there 
 should be a great leader forthcoming from 
 among them capable of changing their destiny. 
 Their neighbours, the Chinese, live under a 
 form of Government, perhaps, still less desir- 
 able, and, consequently, these two nations 
 seem incapable of ever escaping from the 
 slavery under which they now live. 
 
 But the Chinese, it must be admitted, are 
 far from accepting their subjection with as 
 much resignation as their neighbours of the 
 North. Hitherto accustomed to regard the 
 
liii 
 
 IIP"* 
 
 I I 
 
 <|m 
 
 I, III 
 
 ■fflf 
 
 
LAKE BAIKAL TO KIACHTA. 273 
 
 frontiers of their empire as the limits of the 
 world, and ignorant of the means by which 
 liberty is acquired, it is not surprising that 
 they should have submitted to an authority 
 imposed on them from the first by irresistible 
 force. But to change their views completely, 
 they require only to know us, and then this 
 enlightenment will gradually spread among 
 them. They are not indeed very partial to 
 us, but we astonish them, and they study us. 
 They will soon appreciate the difference of 
 condition between the European nations and 
 the people of the Celestial Empire : they will 
 come among us to educate themselves still 
 more ; and since the Chinese are naturally 
 intelligent and logical, doing nothing super- 
 ficially, they will adopt among themselves such 
 of our institutions as appear to them sound, 
 and adapted to secure the prosperity and hap- 
 piness of a nation. 
 
 In this event the example would probably be 
 followed in rich, but unhappy Siberia. 
 
 The three men I have mentioned, taking 
 their meal at Verchni-Oudinsk, and who 
 seemed so convinced of the brilliant future 
 of Eastern Siberia, were not long in entering 
 
 18 
 
274 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 into conversation with us. Pablo availed 
 himself of the opportunity for expatiating on 
 the terrors he had experienced on Lake 
 Baikal. He described them with much em- 
 phasis, not forgetting the most trifling incident, 
 and embellished his narrative with a recital 
 of certain feats of personal prowess that had 
 inevitably escaped my observation. I should 
 certainly have cut short so bombastic and 
 prolonged an entertainment, if I had not seen 
 this man take from my store of provisions a 
 bottle of brandy which I had kept for a 
 different object, deliberately fill his glass and 
 then his companions', and calmly continue his 
 diversion, sipping all the time as if he were 
 taking his kirsch or anisette. 
 
 I wondered at this habit of swallowing thus 
 such strong spirit. It was probably the cold of 
 Siberia that induced the habit, for he was not 
 addicted to it at Constantinople. This droll 
 fellow, in gratifying this singular taste, revealed 
 a superstition still more odd. He took a pinch 
 of earth from a kind of snuff-box he kept 
 constantly in his pocket, and throwing it into 
 his brandy, gulped it, as if it had been deli- 
 ciously sweetened with so much sugar. 
 
LAKE BAIKAL TO KIACHTA. 275 
 
 When I asked him the reason for this 
 practice, he explained : " This earth has been 
 taken from my native land. If I swallow a 
 morsel of it in this way, from time to time, 
 I am sure of not catching any epidemic disease 
 in the country where I am travelling. If you 
 had known that, before quitting France, you 
 would not have been ill on your arrival at 
 Irkutsk." 
 
 Pablo, it may be seen, was a singular 
 creature. Good nature and devotedness were 
 so conspicuous in him, that I congratulated 
 myself on having brought him with me : but 
 I should never come to the end if I were to 
 relate all the eccentricities of this half-cracked, 
 childish, superstitious specimen of human 
 nature. 
 
 Before leaving Verchni-Oudinsk and enter- 
 ing on Chinese territory, I ought to say a few 
 words about a few tribes inhabiting Eastern 
 Siberia, many specimens of which I had the 
 opportunity of seeing before quitting this part 
 of the Russian Empire. 
 
 The Yakuts are copper-coloured and have 
 long black hair. Their wives are regarded with 
 contempt. They are invariably covered with 
 
276 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 ornaments, generally of iron, yet artistically 
 worked. The Yakuts are good-natured, 
 honest, and hospitable. Their religious belief 
 is exaggerated- to superstition and idolatry. 
 Their priests, in fact, are sorcerers who 
 exercise great influence over this simple 
 people by their practice of magic. 
 
 When Miiller was here, he desired to see a 
 priestess who, he was informed by the 
 Yakuts, plunged a knife into her body without 
 causing death. The first time, it seems, the 
 operation did not succeed, but the next day, 
 the attempt was renewed, and this time the 
 blow was better directed. She had really 
 plunged the blade into the intestines, and 
 withdrew it covered with blood ! " I ex- 
 amined the wound," says Miiller, " I saw her 
 take a morsel of flesh, which she cut from 
 the incision and, then grilling it on the fire, 
 eat it. She afterwards dressed the wound with 
 a plaster of larch resin and birch bark, and 
 bound it over with a rag. But there was an 
 incident still more singular. She was com- 
 pelled to sign a sort of official report, in 
 which she declared she had never plunged 
 the knife into her body before having operated 
 
LAKE BAIKAL TO ICIACHTA. 277 
 
 before us ; that she did not even intend, at 
 first, to go so far ; that she designed merely 
 to deceive us as well as the Yakuts, in dex- 
 terously slipping the knife between her skin 
 and her dress ; that the Yakuts had never 
 suspected the truth of the spell, but we had 
 watched her too closely ; that, besides, she 
 had heard from other sorcerers, when one 
 would strike effectively he did not die after 
 it however little he tasted of his own fat ; 
 and that, now being required of her own 
 free will to tell the truth, she could not deny 
 that, until now, she had deceived the Yakuts. 
 The wound, which she dressed twice only, 
 was quite cured in ten days, and, probably, 
 her youth contributed much to this prompt 
 cure." 
 
 The city of Yakutsk, in the centre of the 
 territory inhabited by the Yakuts, is con- 
 sidered to be the coldest city in Siberia. 
 It serves as a place of exile. I have frequently 
 heard of a poor poet, who was condemned 
 to live indefinitely in this city, after two years 
 of preliminary imprisonment, for having 
 written a little book unfavourable to the 
 Russian Government, which to me seemed 
 
278 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 quite harmless. This book is entitled Sto. 
 ddlditi, " What is to be done " ? * 
 
 The inhabitants of Kamtchatka are divided 
 into three peoples, whose language and man- 
 ners are dissimilar. The Koriaks in the 
 north, the Kamtchatdales in the centre, and 
 the Kuriles in the south. 
 
 Among the Koriaks, f some are nomadic, 
 others stationary. 
 
 The wandering Koriaks have Arab features, 
 and small eyes, shaded with thick eye-brows ; 
 they are not so stout nor so tall as the 
 stationary Koriaks ; they are also less robust 
 and courageous. 
 
 And yet, the nomads despise the sedentary 
 tribe as slaves, and these quietly accept this 
 servility. When a wandering Koriak presents 
 himself to a sedentary one, the latter cringes to 
 him, loads him with presents, and pockets all 
 the disdain and insult hurled at him by his 
 guest, without a word of reproach. 
 
 The nomads are very jealous of their wives. 
 They slay them at once when caught in 
 adultery, and sometimes even on a bare sus- 
 picion of infidelity. They take offence at 
 
 * See Note ii. t Krachenninikov. 
 
LAKE BAIKAL TO ICIACH2A. 279 
 
 everything. Their wives must appear sluttish 
 and begrimed, for fear of irritating their hus- 
 bands with too many luring charms. They 
 never wash nor comb themselves ; they never 
 have any colour on their cheeks. " Why should 
 they varnish themselves?" their husbands ask, 
 " unless they want to please others." They 
 therefore, sometimes, hide really good clothing 
 under a bundle of rags. 
 
 The manners of the fixed Kodaks are quite 
 different. They receive strangers, in the way 
 mentioned of the Laplanders by Bernardin de 
 Saint-Pierre, and they would kill a guest who 
 would refuse to take his place in the conjugal 
 bed. 
 
 The Koriaks, whether vagrant or stationary, 
 like all the inhabitants of Kamtchatka, have 
 no religion. "A chief of these tribes," says 
 Krachenninikov, " with whom I had an oppor- 
 tunity of conversing, had no idea of the 
 Divinity." The Koriaks, however, fear an 
 evil spirit, and sometimes sacrifice to him a 
 reindeer, but without the object of satisfying 
 themselves whether this sacrifice should bring 
 them good or evil. 
 
 Could the name of worship be given to a 
 
28o FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 superstitious custom, very prevalent among 
 the stationary Koriaks, which consists in 
 giving a place in the conjugal bed to stones 
 swathed in clothing? "An inhabitant of 
 Oukinka had two of these stones ; a large one, 
 which he called his wife, and a little one, which 
 was his son. I asked him," said Krachen- 
 ninikov, " the reason of this strange act. He 
 told me that, one day, when his body was 
 covered with an eruption, he had found his great 
 stone on the bank of a river ; as he desired to 
 take it, it blew on him like a human being, and, 
 through fear, he cast it into the river. From 
 this moment his malady got worse until the 
 end of a year, when, having gone to search for 
 the stone at the place he had thrown it, he was 
 astonished to see it again at some distance 
 from the spot, lying on a great flat stone with 
 a little one beside it. He took them both, 
 carried them to his dwelling, dressed them, and 
 soon after his malady disappeared. Since 
 that time, he said, I have always carried the 
 little stone with me, and I love my stone wife 
 more than my living one." 
 
 This story of Krachenninikov shows to what 
 extent of folly, the need of a belief in a Divinity 
 
LAKE BAIKAL TO laACIITA. 281 
 
 may drive a man whose mind is neither en- 
 lightened nor directed 
 
 The Kamtchatdales have dark skins, broad 
 and flat faces and squat noses.* They have a 
 fishy odour ; they exhale also a strong scent 
 of sea birds, and sometimes of musk, caused by 
 their eating of the animal containing it with- 
 out preparation.! 
 
 They live, however, principally on fish, 
 which they cook in diverse ways. The most 
 common consists in cutting several salmon in 
 six parts. They put the heads into a pit to 
 decompose, dry the back and belly with smoke, 
 and the tail and flanks in the air. They then 
 pound the whole together, and afterwards dry 
 this paste, which serves them almost daily 
 for their food. Ducks and geese and eggs 
 preserved in fish fat form also, it is said, a 
 portion of their subsistence. 
 
 These people formerly had no other drink 
 than water ; and to make themselves a little 
 lively, they used to drink an infusion of mush- 
 rooms. Since the Russian conquest they 
 have become acquainted with brandy, and now 
 imbibe a large quantity of it. 
 
 * Steller. t Abb6 Chapx^e. 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 The Kamtchatdales have a great passion for 
 dress. The costume of a rich man was 
 formerly made of the skins of the reindeer, the 
 fox, the dog, the marmot, the wild ram, bears' 
 and wolves' feet, many seals and feathers. It 
 required twenty animals, at least, to clothe a 
 Kamtchatdale. Commerce was carried on 
 exclusively by barter. A complete costume 
 was worth about a hundred martens or a 
 hundred foxes.* 
 
 But now this singular people have borrowed 
 from the Russians the taste for the clothing 
 material of civilized life, and in a slight degree 
 for the form also. The women have odd 
 whims ; they stain their faces with red and 
 white. They are very particular in not show- 
 ing themselves to a stranger before having 
 undergone a special ablution, and then having 
 been well reddened and tricked out. 
 
 In order to obtain fire they use the fire drill, 
 and it is produced by twirling rapidly between 
 the hands a round dry stick passed through a 
 hole in a plank. A bit of bruised dry grass 
 serves as tinder. 
 
 The manners of the Kamtchatdales are so 
 
 Muller. 
 
LAKE BAIKAL TO KIACHTA. 283 
 
 very gross, that they resemble the instincts of 
 animals rather than the habits of man. They 
 have no idea of the spirituality of the soul.* 
 Moreover, they have no religion. A single 
 feie, called Purifications, fully described by 
 Krachenninikov, .consists so much more in 
 dancing and revelling than in prayers and 
 sacrifices, that it would be evidently wrong, 
 I think, to consider it as forming part of any 
 religious system. 
 
 The Kuriles inhabit the islands of the same 
 name which stretch, one after the other, 
 between the extremity of Kamtchatka and 
 Japan. These people feel the influence of the 
 civilized nation so near them ; still they 
 approach much nearer the inhabitants of 
 Kamtchatka than those of Japan. They dwell 
 in tents, like their neighbours on the north, 
 and live on fish. 
 
 The Kamtchatdales and the Kuriles differ, 
 however, on many points. A Kurile wife, 
 when unfaithful to her husband, dishonours 
 him. He then challenges his adversary, and 
 they have a duel with clubs. He who 
 challenges is the first to receive, on his back, 
 
 * Steller. 
 
284 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 three blows with a club of the thickness of a 
 man's arm. And then he returns as many to 
 his enemy ; the combat continues in this way, 
 till one of them demands pardon or succumbs 
 to the number and violence of the blows. 
 
 The Kurile mothers have a very cruel prac- 
 tice. When they have two infants at a birth, 
 they kill one ; and yet these people are gentle 
 and humane. They respect old age, they are 
 attached to their kindred, and form friendships. 
 
CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 KIACHTA TO MAIMATCHIN. 
 
 The tarantass— Tea merchants — Their competition — -The 
 Sienzy — Aspect of Maimatchin — A dinner at the Chinese 
 Governor's — Preparations for crossing the Gobi desert. 
 
 We found quite a change in the state of the 
 road after leaving Verchni-Oudinsk. The 
 sledge, in the course of a few hours, being no 
 longer supported with a smooth thick layer of 
 snow, its skates occasionally came in contact 
 with the earth below, and this increasing the 
 friction, considerably retarded our progress. 
 This at last produced so much jolting that, 
 on arriving at the first stage, we were obliged 
 to abandon our sledge and proceed in a 
 tarantass. This vehicle, in which the Russians 
 travel in summer, has no other spring than 
 that afforded by four birch poles resting on 
 the axles of four wheels. I do not know any 
 kind of locomotion, excepting the Chinese 
 mule palanquin, more uncomfortable than the 
 
286 FROM PARIS TO PEKTN. 
 
 tarantass, and yet, the jolting apart, I was 
 delighted the first time I found myself mounted 
 on this vehicle. The country was still for the 
 most part covered with snow, but here and 
 there I caught a glimpse of uncovered spots : 
 the land that had been lost to sight since 
 quitting St. Petersburg, the land of Siberia, 
 in fact, which, although I had passed over 
 fifteen hundred leagues of this country, strictly 
 speaking, I had not yet seen. Here it was 
 a rich soil apparently favourable to agricul- 
 ture, but of so dark a colour that it must give 
 a more gloomy aspect to the neighbourhood of 
 the villages in summer, than the spotless 
 snowy shroud in winter. 
 
 As we went on our way, we noticed a great 
 difference in the people; they were more 
 singular-looking and of a type more Oriental : 
 the villagers, the yemschiks, and even the 
 posting masters, were nearly all Buriats. We 
 now often passed Chinese, in carriages or 
 palanquins, clad in silks, red, blue, and in fact 
 of every colour; still more frequently Mongols 
 perched on camels, or mounted on frisky little 
 horses, all of them capped alike with a yellow 
 turban lined with fur, and wrapped in a full 
 
laACHTA TO MAIMATCHIN. 287 
 
 cloak, made of the skin of the white deer of 
 the Gobi desert, folded across the chest. At 
 last, on the 27th of March, at nine in the 
 morning, I caught sight, from the top of a hill, 
 of the village of Kiachta, at the end of which 
 stood up two enormous yellow posts that 
 marked the frontier of the Celestial Empire, 
 and the entry into the town of Maimatchin. 
 
 I went straight to M. Pfaffius. " I had no 
 idea," he said, "you would have been so long 
 in coming from Irkutsk." I related to him 
 my adventures of the Baikal. " The little 
 caravan of tea-merchants which you were to 
 join, left here yesterday morning. But you 
 will lose nothing by it, for there will be another 
 caravan leaving here in a week. You will 
 then have plenty of time to make all your 
 preparations to accompany it to Pekin, and we 
 shall have the pleasure of your company here 
 all the week." I went to announce this news 
 to Ivan Michaelovitch Nemptchinof, who was 
 so highly delighted, and offered me, with so 
 much courtesy, the hospitality of his father's 
 house, that I shall never forget the occasion. 
 
 Ivan Michaelovitch' s father,* with whom I 
 
 * See Note 12. 
 
288 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 lodged at Kiachta, is a cousin of the Nempt- 
 chinof 1 have already mentioned as one of the 
 three proprietors of the richest gold mine of 
 Trans-Baikalia. Not feeling disposed to risk 
 his fortune in gold-hunting, so often pre- 
 carious, he preferred devoting himself to the 
 tea business, and has acquired in it an immense 
 fortune. 
 
 The flourishing state of the tea trade by 
 caravan is due to two causes : first, the great 
 consumption of tea in Siberia and Russia, and 
 particularly in Russia, where it is the necessary 
 part of their meals : secondly, to its free entry 
 into Eastern Siberia, which the Czar has 
 accorded to his Eastern subjects. Since the 
 customs' duty is considerable on the tea im- 
 ported by Odessa, it follows that nearly all the 
 tea that is drunk in Russia passes through the 
 hands of the Kiachta merchants, and not with- 
 out leaving in them a great many roubles. 
 
 These merchants are a little frightened,, 
 just now, by the appearance of a competition, 
 the success of which, still doubtful, it is true,, 
 would ruin them completely. This rival 
 enterprise would have for its object the 
 conveyance of tea by sea, from the mouth 
 
KIACHTA TO MAIMATCHIN: 
 
 of the Yang-Se' to the port of Vladivostok, 
 and thence to Irkutsk, by the Ussuri and 
 the Amoor rivers. If this communication were 
 established, there is no doubt that tea could 
 be sold very much cheaper than at present, 
 for the overland carriage, through Mongolia 
 and the Desert of Gobi, is very expensive ; 
 but the undertakers of the new project would 
 be obliged to make so considerable an outlay 
 from the commencement, that it is feared the 
 failure of it would be decisive before a single 
 chest could find its way by this route to 
 Irkutsk. 
 
 In order to render the carriage as low as 
 possible, they would propose to embark the 
 tea at Han-Kow, the great centre of the plan- 
 tations of South China, on the banks of the 
 Yang-Se', and disembark it only at Nert- 
 chinsk on the Schilka, immediately within the 
 government of Irkutsk. But to attain this 
 object, it would be necessary to scoop out 
 a canal, between Vladivostok and Lake Hinka, 
 where the Ussuri takes its source, a very 
 mountainous region ; and besides, to construct 
 steamers small enough to pass into a canal, 
 and, at the same time, large enough to resist 
 
 19 
 
290 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the waves, often formidable, in the China 
 seas. The idea is certainly ingenious and even 
 remarkable ; but if the capital of the new com- 
 pany is important enough for the establishment 
 of this maritime route, its success is not doubt- 
 ful. In any case, the rivalry is interesting, 
 and I daresay that some of my readers, already 
 informed of this gigantic commercial enterprise, 
 will be curious to learn its results. 
 
 The Chinese who inhabit Maimatchin were 
 not slow in ascertaining if Monsieur Nempt- 
 chinof had a Sienzy really lodging in his 
 house, that is a man from the extreme west. 
 As specimens of this race are rather rare in 
 Northern China, and the curiosity of no women 
 in the world can approach to that of Chinese 
 men, all the inhabitants of Maimatchin wanted 
 to see me. 
 
 According to the Russian custom, all the 
 crannies of the window frames where I was were 
 puttied, although the cold had almost taken 
 its departure, but the doors were wide open ; I 
 could not, therefore, escape from the endless 
 crowd of visitors, that came to see me. There 
 were, at least, forty or fifty at a time, in the 
 three little rooms that formed my suite. They 
 
KIACHTA TO MAIMArCHIN. 291 
 
 scrutinized my most ordinary gestures and 
 movements, pounced on all my writings, felt 
 my beard, which appeared to them as some- 
 thing monstrous ; for they are not accustomed 
 to see, on their own faces, nor generally even 
 on those of the Siberians, anything but mous- 
 taches ; and then they wanted to hear me 
 speak my language. Getting repeatedly quite 
 exhausted from their persistent and indiscreet 
 persecution, I remonstrated sharply, and 
 finding this ineffective, I lost all patience and 
 swore at them like a trooper; but it was all 
 to no purpose, for their ears were evidently so 
 pleased with these euphonious expressions 
 that they often begged me to repeat them 
 to the new comers that nothing might be lost. 
 
 The Governor could not resist the tempta- 
 tion to flow with the stream. His visit 
 interested me. He was clad in a robe of 
 cloth of gold. His cap was surmounted with 
 a blue ball, the mark of his dignity. Two 
 long peacock feathers hung from the back of 
 this cap. This Governor was accompanied 
 by two Chinese officers and a Mongolian 
 prince. The latter was costumed like all other 
 Mongols ; except that his chest was com- 
 
2Q2 FROM PA PIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 pletely covered with a profusion of ornaments 
 and amulets in silver and coral. A cousin 
 of Ivan Michaelovitch, M. Solomanof, acted 
 as interpreter. " I ought legally to oppose 
 your entry into China," said the Governor 
 to me ; " the Russians only have a right to 
 enter by land into the Celestial Empire. I 
 shall, however, wink at it. Ask M. Pfaffius 
 merely for a tea merchant's passport, as a 
 Russian subject, in case you should have any 
 difficulties with the Chinese authorities you 
 may meet on your way." The interview 
 ended by his inviting me to dine with him 
 the next day ; an invitation I accepted with 
 pleasure, and we parted cordially like old 
 acquaintances. 
 
 Maimatchin is the most singular city in 
 the world, inasmuch as it is peopled with men 
 only. The Chinese women are not only for- 
 bidden to leave their territory, but even to 
 pass the great wall of Kalkann and enter into 
 Mongolia. This rule will hinder, for some 
 time to come, any modification of the Chinese 
 character. However numerous the emigrations 
 may be, foreign influence will never be very 
 great over men born in Chinese territory and 
 
KIACHTA TO MAIMATCHIN. 293 
 
 educated there till manhood in all the customs 
 and prejudices of their own over-extolled 
 country. All the Chinese of this border city- 
 are exclusively traders, and they accumulate 
 money, till their trading- with Europe through 
 Siberia has created a sufficient fortune, to 
 enable them to return to their native cities 
 and live there in ease with their families. 
 Their dwellings indicate their prosperity. 
 They are separated from the streets by a clay 
 wall, rather ugly, it is true, but surrounding, 
 generally, a very elegant-looking house, before 
 which are gambolling those sleek, plump- 
 looking curs with unusually big eyes, such 
 as are pretty faithfully represented on Chinese 
 vases and screens. It very often happens that 
 objects thus represented to us, which we regard 
 as grotesque caricatures, are, in fact, with 
 their faults of perspective, rather than of form, 
 true images of objects of the country. 
 
 The main part of the houses of Maimatchin 
 is divided into two compartments, and that 
 which is behind is raised. Fires are kept up 
 under this great platform, which is covered 
 with mats, that serve as seats by day and beds 
 by night. 
 
294 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 Opposite the door a niche is generally seen, 
 where the domestic idols, unaccustomed to 
 attitudinize to profane eyes, repose behind an 
 ornamented blind. 
 
 The walls of the reception room are lacquered 
 in red or black, or sometimes, even covered 
 with figured silk, according to the taste and 
 wealth of the proprietor. The apartment 
 overlooking the court, is generally of light 
 wood, perforated and carved, and over these 
 openings coloured paper is stretched. The 
 light, sifted through the artistically carved 
 wood-work, and then casting its diverse 
 shadows on the coloured transparency, pro- 
 duces something of the graceful effect of 
 stained glass: 
 
 I was deeply interested with the novelties 
 of these gay interiors, as might be supposed, 
 and I passed here many hours, called, first to 
 one apartment, then to another, to partake of 
 the liberal and courteous entertainment, 
 abounding in pastry and preserved fruits. 
 
 It is quite a misconception we have in 
 Europe generally, to confound the edifices 
 designed for worship with the high towers 
 usually dominating the villages. These 
 
KIACHTA TO MAIMATCHIN. 255 
 
 towers have nothing of a religious character : 
 they are simply landmarks in the vast plains 
 of Central China. They are, therefore, not 
 seen in mountainous districts, as in the 
 neighbourhood of Maimatchin for example. 
 
 The idol temple of this city is beside the 
 Governor's house. It is approached by three 
 successive courts, surrounded vath sunk 
 wooden galleries, painted in various colours. 
 
 In the first, rise three little structures, 
 covering a gigantic tam-tam, and two gilt 
 monsters. In the second, stands a theatre, 
 so disposed, that the doors of the temple being 
 open, the idol may contemplate the spectacle, 
 which, to me, seems to constitute an essential 
 part of the religious ceremony. The third 
 court is covered, and serves as a vestibule 
 to the temple specially so called, containing 
 idols of the most grotesque character. The 
 door of this temple is charming : it is of 
 carved open wood-work, richly gilt. There are 
 three sanctuaries : the centre one is devot,ed 
 to a gigantic idol with monstrous features. 
 I remarked the ferocious look of this figure : 
 he had fierce eyes ; his beard, composed of 
 natural hair, descended to the waist, and he 
 
2q6 from PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 was robed in yellow silk. Twelve statues in 
 the attitude of prayer were bending before 
 him. A mass of ornaments, of all kinds, 
 encumbered this sanctuary : immense chan- 
 deliers of Wrought iron, swords, gilt lances, 
 lighted tapers and lanterns. The god, on 
 the left of this one, was conspicuous with his 
 three eyes and scarlet robe : it is this one that 
 penetrates the most secret thoughts. For 
 this reason, no taper was lighted before him, 
 his clear-sightedness requiring no adventitious 
 aid. The god on the right was decked in a 
 green robe. 
 
 I took care not to neglect the invitation 
 the Chinese Governor had given me. At 
 the appointed hour, I punctually presented 
 myself: I met there several I was acquainted 
 with, and, among them, my old travelling 
 companions living at Kiachta, whom my host 
 had the good taste to bring together here. 
 We took our places on the estrade I have 
 mentioned, squatting in groups of three or 
 four round several low tables. 
 
 The cover for each guest consisted of a 
 little plate, a liliputian cup, and two sticks. 
 The little plate is not intended to receive the 
 
KIACHTA TO MAIMATCHIN. 297 
 
 portion of any dish offered to the guest: it 
 contains merely some hot, black vineear, an 
 indispensable sauce, incessantly renewed by 
 the servants, and into which one steeps each 
 mouthful that he has directly taken from the 
 dish between his two sticks. 
 
 When the mouthful thus seasoned is dis- 
 posed of, the two little sticks are at liberty 
 to seize right and left, on their points, some 
 savoury kors-d' ceuvre, placed in saucers around 
 the central plate. They consist principally of 
 marine plants, — black mushrooms cultivated on 
 the birch-trees, scented herbs, preserved eggs 
 — the albumen of which, by some process, has 
 turned black — and little reptiles artistically 
 cut into spiral forms and otherwise meta- 
 morphosed. 
 
 I remember, on another occasion, when 
 I was much nearer to the sea, that one of 
 these side dishes was a little bowl of shrimps, 
 served up in some ingenious sauce that 
 seasoned them well without killing them : they 
 are eaten in this way all alive, preference being 
 given to those that afford the best proofs of 
 their liveliness by their repugnance to the 
 sauce. 
 
298 FROM PARTS TO PEKIN. 
 
 The only drink, served in cups about the 
 size of thimbles, is hot rice brandy. 
 
 All these minute portions and preparations, 
 these graceful tiny utensils, this variety of little 
 dishes, are suggestive of a dinner children give 
 to their dolls. It is a table indeed, that well 
 represents this effeminate race of attenuated 
 hands and pinched feet, a race of feeble 
 appetites and feeble powers, that accomplishes 
 nothing great, unless through a slow accumu- 
 lation of puny efforts and petty means. The 
 mouthfuls are prepared and cut before being 
 served in the dishes, and each morsel is sur- 
 mounted with a red almond, to indicate that 
 no one has yet touched it. 
 
 The procession of twenty-five or thirty 
 dishes, composing the governor of Maim- 
 atchin's dinner, commenced, according to 
 Chinese habits, with the meats, continued with 
 the soups and sweets, and ended with a plate 
 of plain boiled rice, which is invariably 
 presented to the guests at the end of the 
 repast, no one, however, touching it, and 
 apparently having no other meaning than this: 
 " I have now offered you everything I have in 
 my house, and, to continue the hospitality, I 
 
KIACHTA TO MAIMATCHJN. 299 
 
 have no other resource than to place before 
 you the most ordinary article of diet." 
 
 The day for the departure of the caravan 
 was now approaching, and I began to busy 
 myself with my preparations for crossing the 
 Desert of Gobi. 
 
 The tea merchants, with whom I was to 
 travel through Mongolia and north China, 
 undertook to furnish us with conveyances, and 
 to arrange with a Mongolian guide to take us 
 as far as the Great Wall. 
 
 This journey is undertaken in little Chinese 
 vehicles, kinds of boxes resting on a pair of 
 wheels behind, and supported in front by a 
 draught camel between two long shafts ; the 
 box being of sufficient size to permit the occu- 
 pant to lie down. The vehicle can contain but 
 one traveller; and the camel, which has to bear 
 considerable fatigue — as the reader will subse- 
 quently learn — cannot ascend any hill. These 
 animals, therefore, are not employed in the 
 first part of the route in Mongolia, between 
 Kiachta and Urga, because it is necessary to 
 traverse a steep road along a chain of moun- 
 tains. During this first period, these little 
 vehicles are drawn by oxen. The tedious 
 
300 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 slowness of their movements, and, besides, the 
 desire I had to precede the caravan to Urga, 
 that I might stay there a little while, induced 
 me not to join my companions from Kiachta, 
 but to proceed as far as Urga in a tarantass. 
 I accordingly left Pablo and my baggage to 
 come by the slow caravan, and I offered a 
 place in my Russian vehicle to M. Marine, 
 one of the tea merchants who was to cross, 
 with me, the Desert of Gobi. 
 
 It is astonishing what a heap of objects are 
 necessary when the traveller is going to 
 wander, more than a month, in the desert, far 
 from the aid of his fellow-creatures. He has 
 to think, not only of the necessary provisions, 
 but of an assortment of tools, for repairing the 
 vehicles ; preventives and remedies for man 
 and beast against possible accidents of the 
 way ; presents, indispensable to making friends 
 among the wandering tribes ; and, especially, 
 the strange money current among the 
 Mongols, a stock of which is requisite. 
 
 These Orientals despise gold and silver, 
 and their business is carried on exclusively 
 by barter. A tea of ordinary quality, called 
 brick tea, on account of the form given to it by 
 
KIACHTA TO MAIMATCHIN. -^oi 
 
 compression, is the article of food the most 
 appreciated, and the most common substitute 
 for money. One of these bricks would re- 
 present about eight or ten shillings. 
 
 Needles ready threaded, sugar and brandy, 
 have also an important exchangeable value. 
 I was obliged to furnish myself with many 
 objects at a village neighbouring to Kiachta, 
 at Triosky-Sawsk, where I had an opportunity 
 of visiting the rare collections of M. Popoff. 
 
 This sava7it has studied the habits of all the 
 insects of Trans-BaikaUa. I noticed, among 
 the lepidoptera, a butterfly of an extremely 
 rare kind, which he calls Liparis Ochropoda, 
 and which lays productive eggs without the 
 aid of the male. This fact is attested by some 
 very curious experiments, confirmed by him 
 by repetition, at the gymnasium of Irkutsk, and 
 at Triosky-Sawsk, with complete success. He 
 has seen these produced for three generations 
 successively without access to the male, the last 
 of these being composed entirely of males.* 
 
 Our tarantass, containing M. Marine and 
 myself, left Kiachta three days after the 
 departure of the caravan. 
 
 * See note 13. 
 
302 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 We calculated not only on joining it at 
 Urga, but on passing it on the way, and on 
 remaining many days in this city, waiting its 
 arrival. 
 
 Mrs. Grant, Miss Campbell, and Ivan 
 Michaelovich, each in a separate carriage, 
 kept me company on the road for about twelve 
 miles. We passed through Maimatchin and 
 entered into Mongolia. There appeared to 
 me very little difference between this country 
 and the desert. Here and there, however, but 
 at long distances apart, might be seen a native 
 encampment, composed of one or two tents 
 fenced around, with a camel, a horse, and a 
 few sheep in the enclosure. 
 
 As soon as the day began to close in, the 
 three little carriages accompanying my 
 tarantass pulled up, their occupants being now 
 obliged to return. I am ashamed to say, I had 
 (Juite forgotten to bring with me, in accordance 
 with the Siberian custom, a stock of cham- 
 pagne, to lay the dust before their steps on 
 parting: I was therefore quite disconsolate. 
 Moreover, the changed aspect of the country, 
 the prospect before me of having no companion 
 who could speak French — for M. Marine did 
 
KTACHTA TO MATMATCHIN: 303 
 
 not know a word of our language — the begin- 
 ning of an existence quite new and unknown 
 to me, added not a little to the emotion and 
 sadness of such a separation. 
 
 After the most cordial leave-taking, I con- 
 tinued my journey towards the south, whilst 
 my three friends, fearing that night would 
 overtake them on the road, set off for Kiachta 
 at a full gallop. 
 
 A cloud of fine dust of the desert was thrown 
 up by the horses' feet, which speedily veiled 
 them from my sight. 
 
 My journey through Siberia, and with it one 
 of its most pleasing incidents, had come to an 
 end. 
 
CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 MAIMATCHIN TO URGA. 
 
 First Stage in Mongolia — The Mongols — Their tents ; their 
 life — How they steer their way in the desert — The. Caravan 
 — A Sacrilege — The Russian Consul at Urga — The Kou- 
 toukta. 
 
 We felt the cold becoming rather cutting at 
 the fall of night, and we observed the ther- 
 mometer already several degrees below zero. 
 We therefore resolved to alight at a Mongolian 
 encampment, that we might be able to warm 
 ourselves at the family fire. Besides, M. 
 Marine, like a true Russian, was longing for 
 a cup of tea, and all the utensils necessary for 
 this purpose were with the caravan, far 
 beyond our reach. The tents, near which our 
 yemschik pulled up his troika, were most 
 picturesquely pitched on the slope of a hill 
 just on the skirts of a little pine wood, and 
 these trees were the last I had the pleasure of 
 regarding for a long time. The night was 
 
MAI21ATCHIN TO URGA. 305 
 
 beautifully clear, and little plots of snow, that 
 had stood out against the thaw of the preceding 
 days, were quite luminous in the silvery rays 
 of the moon. We quickly leapt to the ground 
 and then over the barrier of the paling, and 
 M. Marine and I, without calling out, presented 
 ourselves at the opening of the tent which 
 appeared to be the principal habitation. 
 
 These tents are firmly raised on wooden 
 lattice-work, covered with several layers of 
 sheep's skins. They are about three yards 
 in diameter, and are entered by a single, 
 narrow, low opening, which is closed by a 
 sheep's skin hanging before it. Facing 
 this entrance may invariably be seen a 
 little statuette or picture, representing the 
 protecting deity of the family, and, before it, 
 stand seven or eight small vessels or vases, 
 containing bread, salt, bits of wood, camel- 
 dung, tea, — everything in fact necessary to the 
 ignoble, barbaric existence of these poor, rude 
 people. 
 
 The tent was occupied by two men and a 
 woman, who were lying around a fire placed 
 in the centre, and which barely lighted with 
 its glowing embers this wretched hovel. We 
 
 20 
 
3o6 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 soon discovered that this recumbent attitude 
 was the only one supportable ; for the abund- 
 ance of smoke rendered respiration impossible 
 beyond two or three feet above the ground. 
 This is the reason the Mongols appear nearly 
 black, from having their faces covered with 
 a layer of soot, a coating they are not accus- 
 tomed to remove. The wife, like all Mongolian 
 women, was covered with jewels. A demi- 
 crown in silver was set on her forehead ; two 
 large pins gathered her hair behind her ears, 
 as in Egyptian mummies, and two enormous 
 brooches, also of silver, fastened the ends of it 
 over her chest ; the whole being ornamented 
 with variously coloured stones. 
 
 These three human beings crouching like 
 tired hounds around a smouldering heap of 
 dried camel-dung, whose feeble and fitful 
 glowing alone lighted up in the gloaming 
 their black ej^es and glittering jewels, formed 
 a scene, in which the startled imagination 
 conjured up, from mediaeval times, midnight 
 councils of black spirits, looming through " the 
 fog and filthy air." It was one altogether 
 soectral and diabolic. A few hours hafd indeed 
 transformed my existence, and carried me be- 
 
I.IAIMA'ICIIIN TO URGA. 307 
 
 yond the pale of civilized life into a desert, 
 where I was doomed to pass many long days 
 and nights, in which there was no retreat but 
 these unearthly abodes. But then, on the 
 other hand, I was well provided with food and 
 utensils ; and, as I looked up through an open- 
 ing in the top of the tent, and gazed on the 
 pale twinkling stars, they seemed to invite me 
 benignly to spread my repast on the desert 
 sand and trust to their unerring guidance over 
 the trackless way. 
 
 Our yemschik was not long in following us 
 into the tent : as he was a Buriat, he entered 
 into conversation with our hosts, who seemed 
 pleased to receive us. I tried to make myself 
 intelligible to M. Marine, but did not venture 
 to do so in Russian : the ease, however, with 
 which I made myself understood, gave me a 
 high opinion of his intelligence. The Mon- 
 gols quickly perceived that signs and gestures 
 were important elements in our conversation, 
 and I was to them, as to the Chinese of 
 Maimatchin, an object of much curiosity. I 
 took care, however, to keep them at a respectful 
 distance, and not to allow myself to be touched 
 by any -member of this filthy, fulsome, fetid 
 
3o8 FROM PARIS TO PEKTN. 
 
 race, teeming with vermin and covered with 
 corroding- sores. There is not, I am sure, 
 any people in the world more disgusting than 
 the Mongols. Water in this region, unhappily, 
 is too precious to admit of its use for any 
 other purpose than drinking. These wretched 
 creatures are therefore putrefying in their 
 wounds : sometimes, in fact, their limbs drop 
 off and they perish piecemeal, inspiring with 
 horror all those who come near them, who can 
 only stand helpless and aghast at such a 
 spectacle of human suffering. 
 
 When we had refreshed ourselves and 
 warmed our benumbed limbs, we hastened to 
 emerge from this loathsome hut and to 
 breathe again, under the star-bespangled 
 firmament, the pure bracing desert air. 
 Then we stretched ourselves in our tarantass 
 for our night's repose. 
 
 It was about three o'clock in the morning, 
 when our horses had sufficiently rested, and 
 we resumed our way. 
 
 During this journey we found ourselves, 
 many times, suddenly surrounded by Mongol 
 horsemen clad in yellow jackets and red 
 breeches, who, having spied a Russian con- 
 
MAIMATCHTN TO URGA. 309 
 
 veyance, had galloped up at full speed to 
 gratify their curiosity. They had long poles 
 rather heavy fastened to their horses and 
 trailing behind them, and these left on the 
 sand a trace of their course. 
 
 This precious furrow, playing the part of the 
 little white pebbles of Tom Thumb, prevents 
 them from going astray, and brings them, 
 after many days' wild roving over the desert, 
 unerringl}' back to their tents. Armed so 
 formidably as they appeared to be, sometimes 
 with a bow and arrows, sometimes with a 
 musket bristling with a spike, and always with 
 a murderous-looking knife, these savage-look- 
 ing rovers were calculated to fill one with 
 misgiving as to their pacific intentions. After 
 having escorted us for a few moments, and 
 satisfied their curiosity by questioning our 
 yemschik, they started off at full speed, some- 
 times standing upright on their stirrups, some- 
 times bending close over the neck of their 
 courser, cleaving the air like the flight of a dart. 
 
 The Mongols, among whom we pulled up 
 the next day, were too much like those of the 
 preceding night to render it worth while to 
 say anything about these. I found it impos- 
 
310 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 sible, however, to stay under their tent as soon 
 as I discovered what kind of a repast these 
 wretched creatures were crouched around. 
 There was a dead camel lying on the ground 
 at a few paces from their habitation : the cold 
 had contributed no longer to its preservation, 
 and all around there was a most repulsive 
 odour. These poor creatures, by cutting off 
 a slice of this carrion every day, hoped to have 
 meals for sonie time to come. When I entered 
 under their blackened roof in a cloud of smoke 
 from the smouldering camel-dung, they were 
 greedily devouring, without sauce, salt, or bread, 
 this revolting, putrid mess, fresh from the 
 pestiferous, reeking caldron of broth standing 
 beside their horrible meal. 
 
 We took good care, M. Marine and I, not 
 to boil the water for our tea in this pot ; we 
 therefore retired from its unsavoury proximity, 
 and breakfasted on some mutton sausages, 
 with which I had provided myself. Then I 
 went to cleanse myself in the snow, a luxury 
 I was, through the thaw, unhappily deprived 
 of a few days subsequently, and, having emerged 
 from it as clean as a new penny, I stretched 
 myself on the ground till the horses had suffi- 
 
MAIMATCHIN TO URGA. 311 
 
 ciently rested and were ready to continue the 
 journey. 
 
 Whilst thus musing- I watched a Mongol, 
 who came out of his tent, mounted a camel, 
 and disappeared in a turn of the valley, singing 
 joyfully all the way. I thought this incident 
 worth the consideration of philosophers who 
 speculate on the sources of happiness. Still, 
 for my part, I would rather be any animal, 
 however limited its enjoyment of life might 
 be, than this jubilant Mongol. 
 
 Our attention was fully occupied the next 
 day in searching intently the horizon to catch 
 the faintest trace of our caravan, which we 
 should now have been approaching. Between 
 Kiachta and Urga, there is no marked way, 
 and the traveller simply takes a southern course; 
 obstacles, however, in his path, may cause a 
 deviation of a few miles from the most direct. 
 
 We examined minutely with our telescopes 
 the Mongol encampments, the troops of camels, 
 and the least shadowy objects, and took long 
 turns in every direction, with no other result 
 than to discover that our eyes had been 
 deceived by some phantasm, which we had 
 taken for a group of vehicles and camels. 
 
312 FROM PARTS TO PEKIN. 
 
 But, at last, two flags, waving in the wind 
 at the head of a caravan, came into view and 
 left us no longer in doubt that it was ours and 
 really close at hand. 
 
 One of the flags bore the Russian eagles, 
 and the other, containing a prayer, had been 
 placed there by the Mongol guide as a pro- 
 tection for our journey. I was delighted to 
 see my poor Pablo again, who appeared to 
 me to be looking quite emaciated. He spoke 
 in the highest terms of my other companions 
 of the journey, with whom he was already on 
 an excellent footing. Having heartily saluted 
 and assured them that it would not be my 
 fault if we were not the best friends in the 
 world, and then having patted lovingly the 
 poor ox drawing my empty vehicle, we con- 
 tinued our way. 
 
 A few hours afterwards and just as the 
 darkness was closing in we saw, starting up 
 before us, the dark outline of something 
 very strange. On approaching we found it 
 was an idol, quite open to the sky and to the 
 desert, representing probably the deity of 
 travellers. It was made of compressed bread, 
 covered over with some bituminous substance. 
 
MAIMATCHIN TO URGA. 313 
 
 and perched on a horse of the same material, 
 and held in its hand a lance in Don Quixote 
 attitude. Its horrible features were surmounted 
 with a shaggy tuft of natural hair. A great 
 number of offerings of all kinds were scattered 
 on the ground all around. Five or six images, 
 formed also of bread, were bending in an 
 attitude of prayer before the deity. 
 
 We looked slyly and cautiously all around 
 the horizon, and, in spite of the supplication 
 of our timid yemschik, we laid violent hands 
 on. the ample treasure. We at first snatched 
 up several offerings, then seized a few idolaters, 
 and finally, seeing no impediment, I wrung off 
 the head of the god himself and threw it into 
 my big bag. Having committed this sacri- 
 lege, we scampered off from the desecrated 
 altar with all the precipitancy of guilty 
 consciences pursued by an avenging spirit. 
 I was not long after all in regretting my 
 sacrilege, for the principal booty, the head 
 of the god, crumbled away from the shocks of 
 the vehicle so as to be no longer recognizable. 
 
 We were roused the following morning by 
 the sudden, furious scamper of our horses. 
 The driver had fallen asleep and then dropped 
 
314 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the reins to the ground : the animals, scared 
 with something clinging to their heels and 
 finding themselves unrestrained, went straight 
 before them, leaping over ditches, earth 
 mounds, and obstacles of all kinds that came 
 in their way. The most vigorous shouting, 
 or the most soothing tremolos from the lips of 
 the yemschik, were of no avail ; they kept on 
 their mad, vent a terre course. 
 
 Our driver then,' like a true, devoted subject 
 of the Emperor of Russia, as he was, did not 
 hesitate at the critical moment to expose his 
 life, when. In his conscience, it was imperative 
 to save the lives of other subjects of the same 
 Emperor. Whilst we held him suspended by 
 the feet between the vehicle and the horses, he 
 was — hanging in this way — enabled to gather 
 up the reins which had already become en- 
 tangled around the legs of one of the horses. 
 A violent kick or fling, in this dangerous posi- 
 tion, might have fractured the skull of this 
 brave fellow, whose only fault had been the mis- 
 fortune to have been suddenly overcome with 
 too much fatigue, and whose devotion we did 
 not fail to reward as it merited, when we 
 arrived at Urga. 
 
MAIMATCHIN TO URGA. 315 
 
 But our trouble did not end here : we had 
 unfortunately lost our way. 
 
 Not one of us knew how long we had been 
 at the mercy of our team and, consequently, 
 how far we had strayed. After going one 
 way, then another by chance, having nothing 
 but the sun for a guide, our Buriat began to 
 despair of finding the right way. In this 
 dilemma, we resolved to ascend a high 
 mountain and scan the horizon all around, 
 but M. Marine and I being of course quite 
 ignorant of the conformation and chief 
 features of the country, the driver alone under- 
 took this ascent. This accident and its 
 consequences caused us to lose a whole day, 
 but when he returned, happily, he was confident 
 as to the route he had to take, and we set off 
 in the same state as the pigeon in the fable, 
 believing this time, our troubles would end 
 with this trial. 
 
 We had not proceeded very far before we 
 were most annoyingly stopped by a water- 
 course. We feared that its covering of ice 
 was too fragile to bear us, and, on the other 
 hand, it was apparently too treacherous to 
 admit of our sounding it. Alter my adven- 
 
3i6 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 tures on Lake Baikal, I was quite prepared 
 to trust myself over this ice without much 
 hesitation, but, seeing the apprehensions of 
 M. Marine and the driver, I became timid, and 
 yielded to them. 
 
 We got out of the tarantass; M. Marine 
 and I first went across on foot, and then the 
 driver, after starting the horses at a gallop, 
 followed us. The resistance of the ice was 
 just sufficient, and the next day, probably, we 
 could not have crossed, for the ice even now 
 split under the weight, spurting up the com- 
 pressed water everywhere through the inaus- 
 picious fissures. 
 
 We still had a mountain to ascend before 
 arriving at Urga, and as our jaded horses 
 crept up with difficulty, we got down to relieve 
 them. Our attention was at once attracted 
 by the picturesqueness of the scenery. As 
 we advanced, the valleys around us coming 
 into view, deepened in shadow and narrowed 
 in width ; the crests of the overhanging moun- 
 tains were beginning to catch the first rays of 
 the rising sun, and fascinated us with their 
 luminous splendour. It called up, in my 
 memory, my former excursions in the Alps 
 
MAIMATCHIN TO URGA. 317 
 
 and the Pyrenees. I loitered on my way 
 musingly for some time, and tried to abstract 
 my thoughts from actuality ; from the perils 
 of my adventure, the remoteness from my 
 friends, and indulged in the illusion that I had 
 before my eyes the snowy cap of Mont Blanc 
 or the Maladetta. But this attractive imagery 
 was soon rudely dispelled by the sight of two 
 or three Mongolian tents on the summit of the 
 hill we had to ascend. These were too forcibly 
 suggestive of the first encampment I had 
 visited to permit me to indulge any longer 
 in a day-dream that I was so near my home. 
 We resumed our places in the tarantass, and 
 our descent of the mountain, across snow-pits 
 and boggy spots, in the absence of any road- 
 way whatever, kept us in perpetual alarm. 
 The valley into which we descended, was 
 strewn with huge stones, and we could not 
 proceed, even at a snail's pace, without being 
 tossed with fearful joltings. This wearying 
 movement lasted five or six hours, and M. 
 Marine became quite exhausted and alarmingly 
 pale from the effects. Towards one in the 
 afternoon, we perceived a grand lamasery 
 gracefully rising on the slope of a mountain. 
 
3i8 FROM PARIS TO RE KIN. 
 
 and, in another hour, we at last arrived at 
 Urga, the capital of Mongolia. 
 
 The Russian consul, to whom I had a letter 
 of recommendation, does not live in the city, 
 and the reason will soon be apparent. His 
 government has built a fine residence for him 
 in the Siberian style, about two miles distant, 
 and he has been living there twenty years with 
 his wife, protected by two companies of Russian 
 gendarmes, opening his house to travellers, 
 who rarely present themselves, and having 
 beyond this no other incidents to enliven his 
 existence than he can find in the neighbour- 
 hood of this city, into which I will invite the 
 reader to enter with me. 
 
 The streets are bordered right and left with 
 palisades of trunks of trees, placed upright and 
 strongly bound together, and these are pierced 
 here and there, on each side, by gates of the 
 same material and kind of construction, which 
 give access into courts, where tents, exactly of 
 the same character as those I haive already 
 described, are permanently pitched. The 
 Mongols are essentially nomads, and would 
 not, even in towns, live in any other kind of 
 habitation. The governor of Mongolia, the 
 
MAHJATCHIN TO URGA. 319 
 
 Grand Lama, the highest dignitaries, live here 
 also under tents. The lamasery, the Koutoukta 
 palace, and the prison, alone stand out above 
 the other strange constructions, but since these 
 three principal are raised commandingly on a 
 series of logs one above the other, they break 
 slightly the monotonous aspect of the whole. 
 
 The lamasery is tolerably rich in its contents. 
 The principal idol placed in the centre is cast 
 in copper, sixty feet high ; and around this are 
 disposed several other personages, also of 
 copper. Niches are also sunk along the walls, 
 and contain other little copper idols : I counted 
 twelve hundred of them. Flags and banners 
 of precious stuffs embroidered with gold adorn 
 this temple, but prevent one, through inter- 
 cepting the view, from appreciating the general 
 •effect. On the right of the principal god a 
 platform is raised for the Koutoukta, who takes 
 his place here during the ceremonies. This 
 Koutoukta is the favourite deity of the Mongols. 
 He is brought here from Thibet by the Grand 
 Lama of Urga, who goes into this country to 
 search for him, guided probably by the 
 indications of the other lamas of the country. 
 The child lives retired in the recesses of this 
 
320 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 building, to which they give the pompous 
 name of "palace." Through some strange 
 fatality, a fatality always renewed, this living 
 deity never survives the age of eighteen or 
 twenty years. The cause of this cruel destiny 
 may be traced, I think, to the apprehensions 
 of the government of Pekin, who, jealous of 
 the influence the Koutoukta exercises over the 
 Mongol population, fears it might become 
 dangerous if protracted beyond this age. As 
 to the prison, it consists of two enclosures 
 about eighteen feet high, constructed also with 
 trunks of trees. 
 
 Such is the external aspect at first sight ; 
 the internal life it covers is much more 
 singular. 
 
CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 URGA AND THE ENTRY INTO THE DESERT OF 
 GOBI. 
 
 Urga — Mongol religion — Praying wheels — Burial ceremonies 
 — The Holy Mountain — My travelling companions in the 
 desert — Departure from Urga — First halt — ^A Mongolian 
 repast — Easter Eve. 
 
 The thought of death and a future life hovers 
 constantly over this mournful city, and lugu- 
 brious religious ceremonies constitute the 
 principal occupation of its fanatical inhabitants. 
 Banners inscribed with prayers are all around 
 the palings surrounding , their tents, every- 
 where fluttering in the breeze ; but, as if these 
 were insufficient, certain fanatics stretch a cord 
 around below this row of banners, and 
 suspend oriflammes therefrom covered with 
 pious texts. These stuffs of every colour, as 
 thick as blossom on a peach tree, in lively 
 agitation from the slightest breeze and glitter- 
 ing in the sun, give to this city the aspect of 
 a perpetual fete, contrasting most singularly 
 
 2 I 
 
322 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 with the funereal atmosphere one breathes 
 here amid so many obtrusive relics of the dead. 
 Their chief religious exercise consists in 
 turning round on an axis like a horse in a mill 
 a great drum, crammed with a countless 
 number of written prayers. In the eyes of the 
 faithful, to obtain a turn or two of this miracu- 
 lous wheel in their favour, is to procure for 
 themselves all the blessings they could hope 
 to attain if the prayers it contains had been 
 turned over on their tongues, or, perhaps, — 
 could they only see the perfunctory procedure 
 of a more enlightened race, — as others are 
 sometimes turned over in a book without a 
 handle. These praying wheels are quite an 
 institution throughout the country. They are 
 seen in the streets of Urga at every thirty or 
 forty paces, and of sufficient size to accommo- 
 date a working team of four or five men at a 
 time. Around the lamasery where they are 
 sown broadcast from eighty to a hundred may 
 be counted. Notwithstanding the wheels are 
 as plentiful as fire plugs in civilized cities, and 
 much more accessible when wanted, and, more- 
 over, are as full of prayers " as a pomegranate 
 is full of seed," they are still insufficient for 
 
URGA AND THE DESERT OF GOBI. 323 
 
 certain Mongols of exemplary piety feeling 
 the need of private devotion, and who make 
 up for the deficiency by turning a little port- 
 able wheel in the left hand, whilst their right 
 is fully employed in the public duty of working 
 the big machine of their district. These pray- 
 ing wheels are furnished with two bells, the one 
 having a grave and the other an acute note, 
 which thus indicate by their tone every turn 
 and half turn : an incessant chime is accord- 
 ingly heard here which contributes very much 
 to the picturesqueness and grotesqueness of 
 this strange spot. 
 
 It is not allowed to enter the space before 
 the palace of the Koutoukta, either on horse or 
 camel or in a carriage. The rite imposes the 
 duty to approach on foot, but the majority 
 make of it a work of supererogation and only 
 come crouching on their knees. 
 
 But among the curious customs of this 
 people, the most singular are the ceremonies 
 that accompany death and the disposal of the 
 dead. 
 
 It is a great misfortune in the eyes of the 
 Mongols to die in one's tent : for the entry 
 into paradise is not only closed against the 
 
324 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 defunct, but a sort of unlucky fatality sur- 
 rounds, for the future, the dwelling thus con- 
 taminated by the presence of a corpse. 
 
 As soon as an inhabitant of Urga is seized 
 with a malady considered incurable, and there 
 is no hope of his recovery, he is carried to 
 a chamber, called the chamber of the dying, 
 a kind of funereal building annexed to the 
 lamasery. When the patient is once there, he 
 is in the hands of his priests, who, far from 
 thinking of any remedy for his disease or of 
 giving the least humane assistance, busy them- 
 selves merely with saving his soul. 
 
 I had the curiosity to enter this abominable 
 hole ; but I must admit, I remained there so 
 short a time, that I can give no adequate 
 description of it. I witnessed the lugubrious 
 spectacle of five or six men or women, 
 stretched on carpets on the ground, in the 
 agony of death. But to finish as soon as 
 possible with this gloomy subject, we will now 
 accompany a corpse to its last resting place. 
 
 The body is wrapped in a winding sheet of 
 blue linen, but with the face exposed, and 
 carried to a spot about half a mile on the 
 north-east of the town. Arrived here, it is 
 
URGA AND THE DESERT OP GOBI. 325 
 
 deposited on the ground, and the mourners 
 standing all around begin filling the air with 
 their piercing shrieks. Hardly has this fright- 
 ful uproar set in than, on looking round, some 
 enormous dogs are seen prowling about, and 
 while these are watching with ferocious eyes, 
 a hoarse croaking is heard in the air, and 
 suddenly ravens and vultures are seen hover- 
 ing overhead with their sable wings outspread, 
 trembling with impatience. But these hideous 
 specimens of animal life, which nature seems to 
 have strangely adapted to their horrible role 
 in bestowing on them beaks and claws of blood- 
 red, have not long to wait ; for, in about ten 
 minutes, the friends of the deceased, tired of 
 howling, embrace one after the other the feet 
 of the dead and then retire covering their 
 faces. So soon as the spot is cleared no- 
 thing can equal the horror of the scene that 
 takes place. The dogs skulk no longer, but 
 advance snarling and growling at one another 
 all the way, whilst the birds voraciously pounce 
 down, filling the air with their sinister croaking. 
 An hour after the ceremony, nothing remains 
 of the dead but the skull and the winding 
 sheet; but he who has been a spectator of this 
 
326 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 diabolic repast — resembling in every way that 
 of the dream of Athalie — has been so pro- 
 foundly moved, that he will not, for a long 
 time to come, be able to purge his memory 
 of so ghastly a spectacle. 
 
 All this side of the town is strewn with 
 skulls and shrouds : it is almost impossible to 
 advance without striking the foot against the 
 one, or getting it entangled with the other. 
 Some lying on the surface and crumbling 
 away, are sometimes carried by the wind to a 
 long distance; others are partially decomposed 
 and lie confounded with the earth. When 
 cyclones visit this district, and the wanderer 
 has the misfortune to encounter their sweeping 
 clouds of dust, he trembles to think what he 
 may be breathing or grating between his 
 teeth. 
 
 I returned to the Russian Consul's with my 
 mind quite troubled with what I had just 
 seen : but I found a great distraction in the 
 delightful evening I passed with his family, 
 and in chatting about St. Petersburg and 
 Paris, which my kind hosts knew very well 
 and hoped to visit again soon. I learnt, how- 
 ever, this evening, some sad news : two of the 
 
URGA AND THE DESERT OF GOBI. 327 
 
 three merchants forming the first caravan, of 
 whom M. Pfaffius had spoken to me with the 
 thought of joining me, had died ; one during 
 the journey from Kiachta to Urga, and the 
 other shortly after having left the Mongolian 
 capital. I went to visit the two fresh graves 
 of those who might have been my travelling 
 companions, and I blessed my stars that 
 Lake Baikal had thus retarded my arrival at 
 Kiachta. 
 
 The next morning I went to take a walk, 
 with the young interpreter of the Consulate, 
 over a neighbouring mountain, known by the 
 name of the Holy Mountain. It is an object 
 of great veneration, and cannot be ascended 
 otherwise than on foot. It is not permitted to 
 cultivate the smallest plot or to cut a single 
 tree there; so that this is the sole wooded 
 mountain amid the immense bare surface of 
 Mongolia. The inhabitants of this dismal land 
 often leave their homes and retire into the 
 recesses of this wood to meditate here, weeks 
 and even months in gloomy solitude over the 
 vanities of the things of this world, and to 
 enjoy the consolation procured by leading the 
 life of an anchorite. I saw several of these 
 
32S FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 hermits, established in the depths of the wood, 
 occupied incessantly in turning their devo- 
 tional wheel, and who charitably offered to 
 intercede for us with the Koutoukta. 
 
 During my sojourn at Urga, I regretted 
 very much my inability to pay a visit to this 
 young divinity. He had died about six weeks 
 before my arrival in the Mongolian capital. 
 I was equally disappointed at not having seen 
 the Grand Lama, who had gone into Thibet, 
 to hunt for another little god. I was all the 
 more sorry, inasmuch as the Russian Consul 
 told me he cnuld, through the Chinese 
 Governor, have enabled me even to approach 
 the feet of the Koutoukta. I should thus have 
 been enabled, for a few moments, to inter- 
 pellate a god on things of the other world. 
 Such a revelation no doubt, if given to the 
 world, would have assured a great success to 
 this book, for the latest novelties in spirit 
 rapping would have shrunk into insignificance 
 by comparison. 
 
 Day after day went by, and our caravan 
 we passed on the road, had not yet made its 
 appearance on the horizon. A young Russian 
 had just arrived in a carriage from Kiachta, 
 
URGA AND THE DESERT OF GOBI. 329 
 
 and had seen nothing of it on the way; I 
 began therefore to get a little uneasy, for I 
 had confided to Pablo not only my baggage, 
 but also my fortune. It will easily be under- 
 stood that a large sum in tea bricks, the only 
 money current in Mongolia, and also in silver 
 pieces, with which I was obliged to provide 
 myself for my future journey in China, con- 
 stituted altogether cumbersome luggage. I 
 should, certainly, not have acted in this way 
 with everybody, but Pablo was quite an excep- 
 tional servant on the score of scrupulous 
 honesty. I had not a moment's uneasiness 
 from a fear that he had fled with the cash : 
 I depended, moreover, on his continual and 
 salutary apprehensions; still, I feared that some 
 evil had visited the caravan, or that Pablo 
 had died, two events, after all, to me not 
 improbable. Fortunately nothing of the sort 
 happened; for, on the fifth day after my 
 arrival at (Jrga, he presented himself in my 
 room. He at once took my hand and, in the 
 manner of the Turks, pressed it on his fore- 
 head, and laid down the key of my carriage 
 like a soldier laying down his sword. Our 
 Mongol guide asked for a day's delay, that 
 
350 FROM PARIS TO FEKIN. 
 
 he might have time to sell the oxen and buy- 
 camels, required for drawing the carriages. I 
 then had time before leaving to become 
 acquainted with my new companions. 
 
 M. Schevelof, the leader of the caravan, 
 was about thirty-eight or forty. He was 
 making the journey from Kiachta to Hankow 
 for the seventh time. His complexion was 
 quite yellow from fevers and liver disease 
 contracted in South China. He spoke Chinese 
 and Mongolian most fluently, and was at 
 once our mentor and our interpreter; con- 
 sequently, if we had lost him on the way, I 
 do not know what would have become of us. 
 
 There was also M. Kousnietzof, a young 
 man of twenty, a native of Verchni-Oudinsk, 
 not related to the millionaire I have mentioned, 
 but a young man of the same name leaving 
 his native city for the first time. Like a true 
 Siberian of pure race, he had thick blonde hair 
 that hung down to the middle of his back, 
 and not a filament of down on his chin. Being 
 accustomed to the great boots and full blouse 
 of the Russian national costume, he was not 
 only uncomfortable in the trousers and short 
 coat he had put on for the occasion of his 
 
URGA AND THE DESERT OI' GOBI. 331 
 
 journey into China, but he imagined he was 
 dressed in a manner quite indecent : therefore, 
 to avoid a blush on his cheek, on presenting 
 himself in the drawing-room of the Consul's 
 wife, he had improvised for himself, as he 
 thought in the most becoming manner, a kind 
 of jupon with his new shirt, by employing that 
 part the most scrupulously concealed, to cover 
 the indelicate nakedness of a simple pair of 
 trousers. 
 
 It would be difficult to find perhaps a more 
 striking, and at the same time a more 
 amusing illustration, of the predominance of 
 conventionalism in the sentiment of modesty. 
 
 M. Marine came from Tobolsk, his native 
 city. He was acquainted with Omsk, the Ural, 
 and Catherineburg ; he had been once even 
 as far as Perm, and spoke enthusiastically of 
 his distant travels and of what wonders he had 
 formerly seen in the West. His incessant 
 complaining, his slowness and heaviness of 
 manner in body and mind, wearied us a great 
 deal at first, but later we turned all these 
 weaknesses to our amusement, at his expense, 
 and thus this poor sufferer became, I am 
 ashamed to say, the butt of the party. 
 
332 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 It was on the 8th of April when I took 
 leave of the Russian Consul at Urg-a, whose 
 name, I regret, I have forgotten. As he was 
 about to leave shortly for St. Petersburg with 
 all his family, we could wish each other, 
 mutually, bon voyage. He accompanied me as 
 far as the gate of his grounds, and, after a 
 cordial hand-shaking, I accomplished on foot 
 the two first kilometres of the five hundred 
 leagues of desert I had to travel over. 
 
 On marching thus behind a conveyance, 
 which was to be, for many days to come, my 
 sole habitation, I imagined myself, for an 
 instant, like the Chevalier des Grieux attached 
 to a company of strolling players. No one, 
 alas ! in the caravan, could complete the 
 illusion by presenting to my imagination, even 
 in the remotest way, the pretty face of Manon 
 Lescaut. 
 
 M. Schevelof s carriage led the way ; it 
 was surmounted with a Russian flag and a 
 Mongolian prayer banner. Then followed 
 M. Kousnietzof's vehicle, and then fourteen 
 camels, carrying the baggage, marching in a 
 line one after the other. Among this baggage 
 there were two tents; one for us, and the 
 
URGA AND THE DESERT OF GOBI. 333 
 
 Other for the Mongols, and besides a set of 
 cooking utensils. And then the rear was 
 brought up by Pablo's carriage, M. Marine's, 
 and my own. We were accompanied by seven 
 natives, who were under a chief on horseback, 
 and these natives, mounted on camels, 
 guarded, each from his elevated position, the 
 portion of the caravan under his care. 
 
 We began by threading our way through 
 a fine mountainous country, but scattered all 
 over with huge stones, which, coming in 
 contact with our wheels, gave us a most un- 
 pleasant shaking. Towards eleven at night, 
 we halted, but pitched one tent only, intend- 
 ing not to remain long at this spot. This 
 time, we had the luxury of fresh provisions, 
 which we had brought with us from Urga, 
 and, after we had dined, we went to see the 
 Mongols at their repast. 
 
 They quickly lighted a fire with camel-dung 
 in the middle of the tent, and having set over 
 it a caldron filled with water, they threw into 
 it a whole sheep that had just been roughly 
 hacked into seven portions without any method. 
 This had hardly simmered a quarter of an hour, 
 when the chief gave the signal to begin. 
 
334 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 With their eyes glaring with ravenous im- 
 patience, they all, like beasts of prey, rushed 
 around the caldron, and seized each a portion, 
 which they began tearing and devouring, 
 without bread or salt, cracking and crunching 
 the bones between their teeth, and bolting with 
 painful efforts whatever impeded this savage 
 feat of gorging. This enormous quantity of 
 flesh, the whole sheep in fact except the large 
 bones, was despatched with the celerity of a 
 carcass before a pack of voracious wolves, 
 whose feeding, rather than a human repast of 
 the most savage race even, it so strongly 
 resembled. 
 
 Since the Mongols have the custom of 
 simply depositing their dead on the ground, 
 they should, from a desire to avoid a similar 
 treatment of the remains of animals, dispose 
 of these otherwise, either by burial or burning. 
 It was the latter process our guides adopted 
 this evening, A most repulsive odour soon 
 filled the tent and compelled us to quit it, 
 and as there was no other retreat than our 
 carriages, we turned into them and slept pro- 
 foundly. 
 
 Our slumbers, however, were of short dura- 
 
URGA AND THE DESERT OF GOBI. 335 
 
 tion, for we were suddenly awoke by the cries 
 of our men, who were running after one of 
 our pack camels. This poor beast, having 
 probably already experienced the fatigues of 
 the passage of the Gobi, naturally desired to 
 escape from our caravan. Having luckily 
 shaken off, by his bounding, two little chests 
 that were attached to his back, and which 
 happened to belong to me, he had wandered 
 away in the wide desert, or perhaps to the 
 wood on the Holy Mountain, which we had 
 skirted in our route. In short, we never saw 
 him any more, and the accident hindered 
 us from striking our tent this night. Our 
 guide was obliged to go and buy another 
 camel at Urga, and consequently we could 
 not resume our march till ten in the morning. 
 On the third day we arrived at the foot of a 
 chain of mountains that formed the limits on 
 this side of the desert proper. As the laden 
 camels cannot ascend any hill, our guide hired 
 oxen of the Mongols, who are established on 
 this side of the range to let them for this 
 purpose. It took us four hours to reach the 
 summit, and when I had got so far, I turned 
 to the north to contemplate, for the last time, 
 
336 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the magnificent Altai mountains, whose crests 
 covered with snow now shut out Siberia from 
 my eyes ; and I bid adieu for ever to its wintry 
 scenes. In this glance I could trace the whole 
 of the wrong route I had just followed, and 
 when I turned to the south, where not a flake 
 of snow was visible, my thoughts brightened 
 with the prospect of spring over the verdant 
 plains of China, which I hoped soon to reach. 
 
 We at last entered' the great Desert of 
 Gobi, and began a journey which happened 
 to be of eighteen days' duration across this 
 dreary waste. 
 
 We stopped but very little on the way, and 
 I wondered how camels, animals that appear 
 so lank and so loose in their framework, 
 could support so much fatigue. We pitched 
 our tents about eleven in the morning, and, 
 while stationary for about two hours, our 
 camels pastured on some sparse grass. When 
 we started the caravan did not stop again 
 till eleven at night. 
 
 The night halt, during which the camels 
 slept, did not last more than an hour, and then 
 we went on again without stopping till eleven 
 in the morning. 
 
URGA AND THE DESERT OF GOBI. 337 
 
 The centre of the Desert of Gobi resembles 
 the Sahara. It is a sea of sand, over the 
 whole extent of which there is no object what- 
 ever to arrest the eye. When a little later 
 we got further into it, and during the four 
 days which it took us to cross the part wholly 
 void of vegetation, our camels accomplished 
 their work as usual without taking the least 
 nourishment. The last day only, several of 
 them stopped and began to lie down, as if 
 to make us understand their extreme fatigue. 
 A few blows with the stick soon set them up 
 on their legs again and, in the end, not one 
 dropped altogether. The horse that our. guide 
 had bought at Kiachta, and whose forage of 
 hay and oats was borne by the camels, died at 
 the end of a week, and another, we had bought 
 of the Mongols we met accidentally on our 
 way, shared the same fate. We had here a 
 striking proof, under our eyes, of the superiority 
 of the camel over the horse in supporting pro- 
 longed fatigue. 
 
 The Mongol leader of our caravan had a 
 thorough knowledge of the desert. During 
 the day he followed, generally, the still visible 
 traces of caravans ; skeletons of camels, horses, 
 
 22 
 
338 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 or sometimes of oxen, which we saw scattered 
 here and there. At night, he kept his eye 
 on a star, as the mariner does on a distant 
 pharos, and marched straight towards it with- 
 out looking at the ground, like the Magi of 
 the Gospel. Sometimes, however, the sky 
 was covered with clouds and the ground pre- 
 sented no traces of former passages ; but 
 these accidents in no way embarrassed him, 
 he continued guiding our caravan towards 
 Kalkann with the calm assurance of a navigator 
 steering his ship towards some port still 
 beyond the reach of vision. 
 
 At one night halt, four days after leaving 
 Urga, M. Schevelof reminded us that the next 
 day the orthodox church would celebrate the 
 feast of Easter: "We must," he said, "on 
 this occasion, give ourselves up to some enjoy- 
 ment." The project was cheerfully adopted. 
 M. Marine ran out and soon brought in some 
 bonbons, which he distributed to begin with ; 
 and then I said, " I will provide some 
 delicacy for supper," and hastening to my 
 carriage, I quickly selected and brought in a 
 tureen of foie gras, a stock of which I had 
 laid in. M, Schevelof opened a bottle of 
 
URGA AND THE DESERT OF GOBI. 339 
 
 Crimean wine, and we sat- down to a jolly 
 repast. 
 
 The Mongols, hearing our merry-making, 
 came and squatted down at the entrance of 
 Qur tent, and began discussing the delicate 
 qualities of our repast, some vestiges of which 
 they picked up from the ground with avidity. 
 Young Kousnietzof, impatient to contribute 
 his share to the festivity, also left the tent, but 
 instead of returning with some dainty, came 
 in tuning a guitar, which he played delight- 
 fully, soothing us with some of the melancholy 
 thoughts of Wassili-Michaelovitch. 
 
 This group of five wanderers, squatting 
 around a fire in this little habitation, the sole 
 plot lighted in the midst of the deep solitude 
 and silence of the immensity of the desert, with 
 the party of Mongols grouped in their national 
 costume at the entrance, presented a highly 
 picturesque tableau. The hour of the night, 
 the loneliness of the spot, our remoteness from 
 civilized life and the strangeness of our sur- 
 roundings, found us in no mood for protracted 
 gaiety, and this soon gave way to silent 
 reverie more in harmony with the solemn 
 incident and the tender melancholy of the 
 
340 FROM PARIS TO PEKiy:. 
 
 Russian airs. We should certainly, in this 
 mood, have forgotten the hour, if our Mongol 
 chief, more sensible to the exigencies of the 
 desert than to the notes of the guitar, had not 
 suddenly appeared to warn us of the necessity 
 of departure. In a quarter of an hour the 
 tents were folded and packed; we recom- 
 menced our march, and the little spot, that 
 had served us as the site of our temporary 
 habitation, no longer presented any mark to 
 distinguish it from the rest of the desert. 
 
CHAPTER XTX. 
 
 CARAVAN ACROSS THE DESERT OF GOBI. 
 
 A Mongolian Prince and his Court — Prayer turning — Our life 
 in the desert — The sandy plain — Want of water — Lunar 
 mirage — Three executions — A traveller astray in the desert 
 — Arrival at Kalkann and the Great Wall of China. 
 
 The following morning was ushered in with 
 a wind so violent that no one attempted to 
 emerge from his shelter, and, singular enough, 
 this Easter day, which ought to have been 
 passed in rejoicing, disappeared without any- 
 one having sought the society of his fellow 
 travellers. The weather the following day 
 was not better, and we had, in addition, several 
 hail showers that quite whitened the surface 
 of the desert. Therefore, we did not break 
 from our long confinement till the approach 
 of evening, when M. Schevelof descried, with 
 the aid of his telescope, far away, a large 
 assemblage of tents. On drawing nearer we 
 perceived to our disappointment that they 
 
342 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 were not inhabited by Europeans ; for our 
 guide soon discovered that it was a halt of 
 a Mong-olian prince, surrounded with his 
 court. 
 
 About a score of tents were pitched beside 
 each other, and that of the prince was dis- 
 tinguished by its larger size and by its being 
 enclosed with a kind of wall covered with 
 coarse paintings. Another of about the same 
 size, surrounded with praying-wheels, ap- 
 peared to be the temple of the tribe. On our 
 approach the dogs, that guarded each a tent, 
 set up such a barking and howling that the 
 whole community was stirred up with alarm. 
 Many of the inhabitants seeing, in the distance, 
 we were strangers, came out to meet us from 
 curiosity, and, at the same time, to be assured 
 of our pacific intentions. After an interview 
 between one of these and M. Schdv^lof, the 
 latter informed us we were to be admitted 
 to the presence of the prince. 
 
 The simplicity and bareness of his tent 
 astonished me. There was nothing special 
 to be seen in the interior but a little stove, 
 with a pipe leading from it through the top 
 of the tent. The sole luxury, therefore, of this 
 
CAJiA VAJV A CROSS THE DESERT OF GOBI. 343 
 
 princely habitation, consisted in a precaution 
 against asphyxia, a danger to which all 
 others in tent life are exposed through the 
 noxious and nauseous smoke. He was squat- 
 ting on a carpet, and was clad in an ample 
 blue silk robe edged with black velvet, his 
 feet being covered with a kind of black silk 
 boots. His belt, to which were attached all 
 the requisites for smoking and the production 
 of fire, as is usual with the Mongols, was 
 embroidered with silver. His head was covered 
 with a cap of yellow leather, having the 
 border in fur turned up, and surmounted with 
 a blue ball, from which hung a little tuft of 
 hair. 
 
 As soon as we entered, he drew from his 
 pocket a little bottle filled with essence of 
 tobacco, which he presented to M. Sch^velof. 
 Our leader then withdrew the stopper, to which 
 was attached a minute spoon, took in this 
 a drop of the essence and bore it to his nose, 
 affecting to be highly delighted with the effect, 
 and then, replacing the stopper, passed it to 
 M. Marine, telling him to repeat the same 
 ceremony. When we had, all five of us, gone 
 through this pantomime of simulated joy, for 
 
344 FROM PARIS TO FEKIN. 
 
 Pablo did not miss the opportunity of keeping 
 close to my side to share in this novel 
 ceremony, it was necessary to say something. 
 This delicate mission, of course, was the duty 
 of M. Sch6velof, who acquitted himself of it 
 with dignity. He then asked permission to 
 visit the temple, and this being accorded, we 
 went to see the lama, who offered to pray to 
 the god to bless the remainder of our journey. 
 As a recompense for this protection of a deity, 
 I presented him with a brick of tea, five needles, 
 and a bit of thread — a recompense in my 
 estimation ample enough, considering the cost 
 of the benediction, however highly cherished 
 might be its effect. 
 
 As soon as I retired to my carriage, it was 
 surrounded by five lamas who, prostrated 
 before it, were chanting prayers, each of them 
 turning all the time \\\.\\.t portable prayer wheels. 
 This comedy was irresistibly ludicrous : the 
 sight of these grave priests, solemnly turning 
 their prayers as a child winds round a toy 
 windmill, was too much for my gravity, and 
 I was obliged to hide my irreverent laughter 
 in the far corner of my carriage. The grand 
 priest, however, soon opened the door without 
 
CAHA VAN ACROSS THE DESERT OF GOBI. 345 
 
 ceremony, to gratify his curiosity with its 
 contents. Not knowing what to do with my 
 visitors, I took a bottle of scent and presented 
 it to their noses, and they were so delighted 
 with the odour that I sprinkled them with it 
 just as the caravan began to march. Their 
 gratitude at this favour was unbounded : they 
 all bowed repeatedly in acknowledgment, and 
 when they were disappearing from my sight, 
 they were being mobbed apparently by the 
 members of the community, who had come up 
 to sniff at their shoulders, so wonderfully 
 odoriferous. This incident was, perhaps — 
 judging from the popular excitement — of 
 sufficient importance to them to be handed 
 down to posterity. 
 
 From this time we had beautiful weather, 
 and it became warm also. Our days passed 
 away much in the same way, it is true, but not 
 without pleasure and even merriment at times. 
 When the caravan halted in the mornings, we 
 all came out of our carriages. As we were not 
 in want of water during the first half of our 
 journey, at least for drinking, a discussion 
 usually took place every day, as they were 
 pitching the tents, between my companions, on 
 
346 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 tea-making. Were they to have fine tea or 
 brick tea ? Should they mix with it sheep' s 
 milk, wine, or lemon ? Should it be prepared 
 entirely in the Mongolian way, that is, with 
 butter, flour, and salt ? Many other sugges- 
 tions, too long to mention here, were made by 
 M. Kousnietzof and even Pablo who, having 
 lived in many lands, had also his methods. 
 When we had all refreshed ourselves, the tents 
 were struck, the camels resumed their march, 
 and, shouldering our guns, we wandered about 
 till five or six in the evening, when we joined 
 our carriages and fell in again with the march 
 of the caravan. Some pursued winged game. 
 M. Kousnietzof never finished the day without 
 having bagged a duck, or a partridge ; the 
 latter of a kind common everywhere in Mon- 
 golia, but still little known in Europe, with 
 feet covered with hair, not unlike rat's feet. 
 
 For my part, I preferred hunting the white 
 deer and bucks, which we sometimes saw in 
 great numbers, but always at a long distance. 
 How many leagues have I not gone out of 
 my way in the hope of stalking one of these 
 animals! On one occasion, in particular, being 
 fully satisfied I had wounded one badly, I was 
 
CARA VAN A CROSS THE DESERT OF GOBI. ,347 
 
 led a pretty dance after it, and I do not know 
 where I should have wandered, if twilight had 
 not warned me that unless I turned back I 
 might lose sight of the caravan, and then go 
 astray in the middle of this desert — the greatest 
 desert in the world.* 
 
 M. Marine, through caution or fear of 
 fatigue, did not venture far from the caravan. 
 Sometimes, evep, he used to sit at the opening 
 of his carriage, with his feet resting on the 
 steps, and, from this advantageous position, 
 pepper away at everything that came into 
 view, whatever animal it might be, or at what- 
 ever distance it might be beyond gun-shot. 
 One day, however, M. Schevelof and I suc- 
 ceeded in stimulating in him the ardour and 
 enthusiasm of a hunter, under circumstances 
 that amused us for a very long time afterwards. 
 
 I happened to be walking about half a mile 
 in advance of the caravan, in conversation with 
 its pleasant leader, when we perceived on the 
 ground a dead ermine — unquestionably dead, 
 as its putrid odour proved. We took it up and 
 perched it in a tuft of grass, raising its head 
 and pointing its ears to make it look as livelv 
 
 See note 14. 
 
348 FROM PARIS TO FEICIX. 
 
 as possible ; having done this we went to 
 M. Marine to inform him that an excellent 
 opportunity presented itself to have a good 
 shot. Full of excitement at a chance such as 
 he had long pined for on the steps of his 
 carriage, he advances slowly and noiselessly, 
 entreating us not to stir a peg, and to speak 
 only in whispers. He shoulders his piece, aims 
 carefully, fires, and sees nothing escape ; 
 clearly he had bagged something at last. 
 "Bravo!" I exclaimed, uith a movement as 
 if I intended to secure the animal in a bound; 
 and here the comic part of the incident began. 
 M. Marine stretches out his arm and with a 
 furious gesture stops me. I comply, and he 
 again takes aim with the greatest precaution, 
 whilst M. Schevelof is ready to split with 
 laughing. " Ah ! this time he is surely 
 dead," exclaimed M. Marine immediately after 
 the second shot. " But why did you fire 
 twice ? " I asked. " I feared I might have 
 missed the first time, and that it might not 
 have heard the report." After this reply we 
 had no end of fun with poor Ivan Ivanovitch. 
 
 Shortly after this we came on the great 
 sandy plain I have mentioned that forms the 
 
CAHA VAN ACROSS THE DESERT OF GOBI. 349 
 
 centre of the Gobi desert. The first day passed 
 pretty well : a certain gloom pervaded us, it is 
 true, though we did not pay much attention to 
 it. The second day was more trying. M. 
 Kousnietzof found that they had put a few 
 grains of salt too many in the tea : every one 
 seemed in the humour to complain. The third 
 day was still worse. Wassili Michaelovitch did 
 not even make his appearance in the tent 
 during the morning halt : with the excuse 
 that he had an interesting book to read, he 
 breakfasted in his carriage. We could not 
 have had more agreeable travelling com- 
 panions, but we all felt the depressing influence 
 of the bareness of nature — the emptiness of 
 space around us. 
 
 In the immense solitudes of Siberia there 
 are forests presenting diverse features that 
 relieve the eye with the change of colour or 
 form; on the open sea the waves are con- 
 stantly in movement, movement that is sug- 
 gestive of life and consequently engages our 
 sympathy ; but here in the desert there is a 
 complete absence of change as well as move- 
 ment. There is nothing but an endless soli- 
 tude of silence and rest. Nowhere, perhaps, 
 
350 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 except in the presence of the dead, or alone 
 among the tombs, of which the desert is 
 strongly suggestive, do we feel so doleful and 
 lonely, such an oppression on the spirits, 
 encompassed as we are by this endless and 
 changeless sandy waste. 
 
 As an illustration of the influence of sur- 
 rounding nature on the mind, we could not 
 resist the gloominess it inspired, and lounged 
 along, moping in our joylessness, one far apart 
 from the other.* 
 
 With our eyes cast down, we occupied our- 
 selves in picking up some rare stones with 
 which the desert of Gobi is scattered in certain 
 parts; large agates and many other minerals, 
 unknown to me, quite transparent, and tinged 
 with orange or green ; the soil was quite 
 covered with these, presenting a gigantic 
 mosaic. 
 
 The Mongol chief declared one morning 
 that our provision of water was exhausted. 
 " I had reckoned," he said, " on renewing the 
 supply from a pond here that generally con- 
 tains water, but you see the spot and that 
 it is quite dry." This news, though rather 
 
 See note 15. 
 
CAHA VAjV a CT^OSS THE DESERT OF GOBI. 351 
 
 serious, caused a little diversion in the mono- 
 tony of our existence, and actually made us 
 merry. M. Schev61of and I alone had thought 
 of providing wine, and our stock of it was not 
 large. We had no tea this day, neither with 
 salt, sugar, nor flour ; and our tins of preserves 
 had diminished considerably. Filling our 
 glasses with wine, so suddenly enhanced in 
 value, we drank a toast to the prospect of soon 
 finding water. 
 
 M. Kousnietzof who, like a true Siberian, 
 would have preferred half a cup of tea to a 
 whole bottle of the most delicate wine, could 
 not accommodate himself very easily to this 
 privation. He was occupied, all day long, 
 in inspecting the horizon around with his 
 telescope, and again resumed at intervals his 
 persevering work at night. "Wada! Wada!" 
 (water, water,) he suddenly calls out, stopping 
 the caravan, and pointing at a spot with a 
 bluish surface near the horizon. In our 
 enthusiasm we all jumped out of our carriages, 
 and began leading the camels that bore the 
 -water kegs towards the indicated spot. M. 
 Kousnietzof ran and M. Marine danced with joy, 
 Pablo sang and I followed M. Schevelof, who 
 
352 FROM PARIS TO PEKIX. 
 
 doubted, and he was the wisest of all. This 
 deceptive blue tint was produced merely by 
 a large bed of salt; so we returned, looking- 
 rather blue ourselves, to our carriages. The 
 same night, we witnessed a deception of 
 another kind in a lunar mirage. This pheno- 
 menon, which appears to be rather rare, is 
 one of the most graceful and enchanting 
 presented by nature. The landscape that 
 charmed our sight was certainly a phantom, 
 for it was far too dissimilar from any real 
 one to be met with in the middle of the 
 desert; and if I had not witnessed it myself, 
 I should certainly have believed, if my com- 
 panions had faithfully described it to me, that 
 they had been indulging in a flight of im- 
 agination. We had before our eyes not only 
 a little lake reflecting the moonbeams from 
 its smooth surface, but we distinguished on 
 its borders the outlines of groups of fine 
 trees, and even some wading birds. Wassili 
 Michaelovitch, who at Verchni-Oudinsk had 
 never even heard of such a thing as a mirage, 
 went leaping towards this little lake, when the 
 Mongols stopped his enthusiastic course by 
 loud peals of laughter. It is probable that 
 
CARA VAN ACROSS THE DESERT OF GOBI. 353 
 
 this phenomenon, however rare elsewhere, is 
 not uncommon in the Desert of Gobi, since the 
 natives accompanying us appeared in no wise 
 surprised at such a beautiful vision. 
 
 Two days afterwards we came upon a little 
 pond of dirty water, quite stagnant, and 
 surrounded with skeletons of all kinds of 
 animals that had come there to quench their 
 thirst and then die. This water, in which I 
 did not venture to wash myself, was welcomed 
 by us as a God-send. The camels that had 
 not drunk for a very long while, and even, 
 till just previously, eaten anything for many 
 days, needed ample rest. We, therefore, made 
 here a long halt. After the repast M. 
 Kousnietzof began giving us some airs on 
 his guitar, and our caravan, that had been as 
 dull as the ditch water, cheered up a little. 
 We were still in the heart of this great 
 solitude, but we were confident that the most 
 difficult part had been passed, and we should 
 now overcome all further obstacles. 
 
 Five or six days later we fell in with a few 
 Mongols. Our leader exchanged one of our 
 camels that was jaded for one of theirs 
 fresh and strong : we bought, also between us, 
 
 23 
 
354 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 a sheep. This day did not pass without some 
 excitement. The new camel had not yet been 
 broken in to any kind of work : it was there- 
 fore necessary to begin by piercing- a hole 
 through his nose, in order to pass a stick 
 through it for the purpose of taming and 
 leading him. This operation was not per- 
 formed without difficulty, for it is extremely 
 painful to the animal. And, besides, one of 
 our camels had its foot cracked ; this kind of 
 accident happens pretty often at the end of 
 journeys, on account of the protracted fatigue 
 and the hardness of the ground. The Mongols 
 treat it by sewing together the wound, and 
 the suffering of the poor beast may be easily 
 imagined. But the principal business was the 
 killing of our sheep ; the first Mongol ap- 
 pointed by our leader for this work refused 
 to obey ; he opened his robe, and showing us 
 a little copper idol suspended on his chest, 
 " I am a lama," he said, " and I am forbidden 
 to spill blood, even the blood of animals." 
 Another Mongol undertook the function of a 
 butcher, but he killed the sheep in a strange 
 way. He made a long incision in the 
 abdomen, and then thrust his arm into ihe 
 
CAJ?A VAN A CROSS THE DESERT OF GOBI. 355 
 
 wound to seize the heart and stop its beating 
 by holding it fast. 
 
 An adventure, of which I was the hero, 
 caused some delay. About an hour after the 
 caravan had resumed its march, after the 
 usual night halt, the tether that attached my 
 camel to Pablo's carriage got loose; and 
 the beast, feeling itself no longer drawn along, 
 stopped altogether. When my camel found 
 himself thus left behind, I was in the rear of 
 the caravan. The Mongols were sleeping 
 profoundly between the two humps of their 
 camels, and, consequently, not knowing that 
 anything was amiss, kept on their course. 
 The reader may imagine my sensations on 
 finding myself quite alone on awaking in the 
 morning. Fortunately I had the presence of 
 mind to avoid going in search of the caravan ; 
 for if I had attempted to overtake it I should, 
 in all probability, have gone astray altogether, 
 and, perhaps, in this plight if any natives 
 had observed my weakness and inexperience, 
 they might have shown towards me little 
 benevolence and hospitality. I sat down on the 
 ground before my stupid-looking camel, with 
 a good mind to give him a sound beating: but, 
 
356 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 fearing he might take flight, I was constrained 
 to treat him kindly, for I dreaded beyond 
 everything to be obliged to stir even a 
 hundred yards from the spot where I had 
 been left, because there I hoped to be found 
 again. This anxious loneliness, happily, came 
 to an end about ten in the morning. At 
 daybreak, the Mongols having perceived my 
 absence, stopped and turned back on the 
 traces of the caravan, spreading out in different 
 directions. I was soon led back, and the 
 caravan hailed my return with joyous shouting. 
 Pablo was quite overcome with joy on seeing 
 me safe again ; his fidelity and attachment 
 could not be more strongly manifested. 
 
 The surface was now gradually becoming a 
 little hilly, and we were soon surrounded with 
 high mountains. The temperature had become 
 quite mild, and as the moon shone in all its 
 splendour, our journeying was now easy and 
 agreeable. The tents of the Mongols were 
 more numerous, and we met two or three 
 Chinese caravans going to Maimatchin. At 
 last the route, like the way on leaving Urga, 
 was again strewn all over with huge stones, 
 and these enabled our guide to announce to 
 
CAJiA VAN ACROSS THE DESERT OF GOBI. 357 
 
 US that three days later we should come in 
 sight of the Great Wall. 
 
 When Mongolia is traversed from north to 
 south, the traveller rises gradually, without 
 suspecting it on account of the ease of the 
 ascent, to four thousand feet above the sea- 
 level. On arriving at this culminating point 
 the land is found cut almost perpendicularly 
 to the depth of this elevation, and in such a 
 manner that, to continue the route, it is 
 necessary to descend by a series of zig-zags 
 cut out by the hand of man, the descent of 
 which is as rapid as the most perilous 
 mountain paths of the Alps and Pyrenees. 
 It is along this peaked crest that the Great 
 Wall of China runs. It is not built of 
 brick, like the interior walls of Nang-Kao for 
 example, of which 1 shall say something here- 
 after, and which many travellers erroneously 
 take for the true Great Wall. But the true 
 Great Wall that separates, in the first place, 
 Mongolia from China proper, is built of 
 stones laid over each other without cement. 
 Towers, placed at certain distances from each 
 other, are more solidly constructed, and have 
 thus more effectually resisted the wear of 
 
358 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 time. This wall has the form of capital A 
 open : the others, which I believe are seven 
 in number, unless I passed more in the night 
 without having seen them, form as many 
 transverse bars. 
 
 When our caravan, after three days of 
 fatiguing march across the rough stony land 
 I have mentioned, reached the Great Wall of 
 China, it was about six in the morning on 
 the 29th of April. The sun appeared on the 
 horizon, and we could distinguish a series of 
 hills stretching far away into the interior, 
 with the intervening spaces veiled in cloud. 
 We could see these undulations of the Celestial 
 Empire to advantage at the great elevation 
 we had arrived at, and we sat down some time 
 admiring the magnificent spectacle. 
 
 My attention was struck immediately by 
 the remarkable difference between the country 
 we had just travelled over and the one we 
 were about to enter. Behind me was a wild 
 uncultivated waste, and before me extended 
 that famous fertile land that bestows annually 
 on its people two crops of corn or rice, and 
 two crops of vegetables. On one side it was 
 an unpeopled desert, and on the other a 
 
CAJiA VAN A CROSS THE DESERT OF GOBI. 359 
 
 swarming of human beings numbering probably 
 more than four hundred millions, and whose 
 assemblage of four hundred thousand even 
 constitutes but a village among its populous 
 cities. But a little while ago it was every- 
 where bleak and barren, and for the future 
 it will be sunshine over rich verdant lands. 
 Thus much for the most striking advantages 
 on the side of China, to which may be opposed 
 others on the side of Mongolia. The air of 
 Mongolia was pure and invigorating; that of 
 China will be nauseating and unhealthy. The 
 soil was covered with a sand so coarse that 
 the most violent winds were unable to raise it : 
 the soil in future will be composed of a 
 dust so fine that the least breeze will lift it 
 in clouds, impeding the sight and respiration. 
 The Mongols were hospitable ; the Chinese 
 will be hostile ; the mere circumstance of 
 baing there constitutes an offence in their 
 eyes, and one they would punish if they dared. 
 It would be difficult to find two neighbouring 
 countries more dissimilar than China and 
 Mongolia in the nature of the soil and in 
 the character of the inhabitants. The Great 
 Wall, which has separated them in the past. 
 
36o FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 does not seem by its ruin to bring them 
 nearer to one another in the future. If I 
 were asked which of these two peoples I 
 prefer, though it is difficult to compare a 
 civilized with a savage race, I should reply : 
 " The Mongol is superior to the Chinese in 
 honesty and disposition ; but the latter to the 
 Mongol in talent and ingenuity in the arts." 
 
 We descended on foot the zig-zags that 
 lead from the Great Wall to Kalkann. The 
 natives formed in two rows to see us pass. 
 They came from all parts, even from under- 
 ground ; for they live in caves like the caverns 
 of Touraine, which they have scooped out 
 of the rock in the side of the mountain. The 
 women with their little feet walk with 
 difficulty, and holding a child by one hand 
 make use of the other as a balancing pole 
 to maintain their equilibrium. M. Schdv^lof 
 got into a rage two or three times with these 
 people, who pressed in around and would not 
 get out of the way to let us pass, and yet we 
 were only in the rural part. Five hours 
 after passing the Great Wall we came to the 
 bottom of the valley, which narrows here 
 almost to a gorge. The aspect of the country 
 
CAJiA VAN' ACJiOSS THE DESERT OF GOBI. 351 
 
 is picturesque. A little rivulet, which occa- 
 sionally swells out in width to fill the whole 
 valley, meanders along, sometimes at the foot 
 of an enormous rock, sometimes lost in a 
 thicket of verdure. Everything is pretty and 
 graceful, but strange in form and arrangement. 
 I recognised here the models of Chinese land- 
 scapes I have seen in France, and which I 
 had always taken to be imaginary composi- 
 tions. Thus in the midst of this valley, formed 
 between two great hills of majestic dark rocks, 
 rises abruptly a pointed granite mound, on the 
 top of which is built a temple : a little further, 
 an enormous red rock is suspended, in a 
 manner incomprehensible, on the apex of a 
 cone of earth. The whole of this singular 
 bit of nature is variegated and enlivened by 
 trees, irregularly disposed here and there, 
 freshly decked in their vernal dress. 
 
 If the reader will picture to his fancy this 
 landscape, peopled with men of effeminate look 
 with long pig-tails, and women with painted 
 faces presenting the appearance of wax 
 figures, he will form some idea of the country 
 we traversed in descending from the Great 
 Wall of China. 
 
CHAPTER XX. 
 
 FROM THE GREAT WALL TO TCHAH-TAO. 
 
 First view of China proper — Last Russian hospitality — The 
 Palankeen — The streets of Kalkann — Travelling along the 
 Great Wall — The Secret Societies — Chinese Art — How 
 order is maintained — Origin of the tress — How the titles 
 of Chinese nobility become extinct. 
 
 We were hospitably received in a Chinese 
 house belonging to a Russian, a friend of M. 
 Sch^vdlof. This house was charmingly situ- 
 ated out of the town, on the other side of the 
 brook I have just mentioned, and, conse- 
 quently, in view of the mountain we had 
 lately descended surmounted with the irregular 
 outline of the Great Wall. 
 
 It was the last Russian house into which 
 I entered, and not the least agreeable. During 
 my leisure in the day I went to ramble about 
 this strange country and among the still more 
 strange people. 
 
 I lounged also many hours on the balcony 
 
FROM THE GREAT WALL TO 1CHAH-7A0. zbi 
 
 of this house, where I took refreshments, 
 agreeably occupied in contemplating the scene 
 around me. I shall never forget these days 
 oi far niente passed at Kalkann after the long 
 monotonous passage of the Gobi without 
 stages and almost without repose. I was 
 approaching at last the goal of my travels — 
 that city of Pekin, towards which I had been 
 almost daily moving for the last seven months. 
 I was indeed in China at last, and all my 
 surroundings forcibly impressed me with the 
 novelty of my situation. I was never tired 
 of watching every object, every incident, from 
 my observatory, and when evening closed in I 
 quitted it with regret. 
 
 Then we retired to a distant room. Wassili 
 Michaelovitch, as well as a young inhabitant 
 of Tientsin who happened to be visiting 
 Kalkann, played on the guitar, and, in listen- 
 ing to the melancholy notes of their melodies, 
 I recalled to memory the far-reaching steppe 
 of Omsk and its changing aspects, the perilous 
 night adventure in the snow on leaving 
 Tumen, the savage grandeur of the frozen 
 Angara, the terrors of the lonely Baikal, Mrs. 
 Grant and Constantine — all my adventures in 
 
364 FROM PARIS TO PEKTN: 
 
 Siberia, — in fact, that now, with the rigours of 
 an Arctic winter, were things of the past. 
 The remembrance of all these incidents I 
 cherished with that genial sensation that is 
 experienced when we find ourselves safe at 
 the end of a series of perilous adventures, 
 provided they leave behind no ill consequences, 
 but, on the contrary, a feeling of congratulation 
 that we have so happily escaped them. 
 
 But what a contrast was this past to the 
 present ! It was not simply a change of 
 country and people, but a change of the face 
 of nature; for the trees had put forth their 
 tender leaves and vied in brilliancy of tints 
 with the verdure of the ground, and the whole 
 was bathed in the genial beams of the warm 
 spring sun. 
 
 Still it is the destiny of a traveller, who 
 has before him a long journey to be ac- 
 complished without delay, to be always on 
 the move. On the morning of the 3rd of 
 May, therefore, we had five palanquins brought 
 up for cur accommodation. They are a kind 
 of litter without wheels, furnished with two 
 long shafts projecting before and behind and 
 supported by these on two mules. The mule 
 
FROM THE GREAT WALL TO TCHAH-TAO. 365 
 
 in the rear is not put in without some trouble, 
 it being repugnant, apparently, to these 
 animals to go into the shafts head foremost; 
 they are, therefore, generally obliged to have 
 their eyes bandaged during the operation. 
 
 The palanquin with mules is the most dis- 
 agreeable vehicle I have ever travelled in : 
 in the first place the greatest care is necessary 
 to keep yourself quite in the middle, inasmuch 
 as the least movement on the one side or the 
 other disturbs at once the adjustment of the 
 harness. In the second place the two mules do 
 not step together or move in harmony, and 
 consequently there is a continual pitching and 
 jolting in every direction, producing as much 
 sickness and distressing fatigue as the move- 
 ment of the sea. 
 
 Our host would accompany us beyond 
 Kalkann ; we, therefore, began our journey 
 afoot, going through the city from end to end. 
 We went inside the fortifications, which consist 
 of crenulated walls very solidly built, and 
 from these we had a good view of the 
 streets. 
 
 The attention is arrested at once by the 
 swarming of the population. The Arab bazaars, 
 
366 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the most thronged even, can give no adequate 
 idea of such a circulation. The noise of all 
 this is quite equal to the concourse. Every 
 shop-keeper considers it his duty to stand in 
 front of his shop to praise his wares. He calls 
 out to the passer-by, to invite him to come in 
 and buy, and, as every one strains his voice to 
 make himself heard over his competitor, it may 
 easily be imagined what a hurly-burly would 
 greet the ear on penetrating further into the 
 city. 
 
 Mule drivers, palanquin leaders, mandarins' 
 coachmen or carriers, scream also with all their 
 might to have the way clear. Conjurers and 
 tumblers are exercising their profession all 
 along the streets, some violently beating their 
 drums, others blowing their bamboo pipes with 
 all the vigour at their command to arrest 
 attention. But the concert of sounds is not 
 yet complete ; children being drubbed are 
 squalling, and awkward people, that cannot 
 escape from being crushed, are screaming : 
 petty traders are violently quarrelling with 
 their rivals, and then comes the growl of the 
 tam-tam, marking, from time to time, the hour 
 or the intervals on the bourse. An early 
 
FROM THE GREAT WALL TO TCHAH-TAO. 367 
 
 morning at Billingsgate, or at the Halles in 
 Paris, is quite peaceable in comparison with 
 the obstreperous precinct of a Chinese town. 
 Our ears were greeted with this uproar for 
 an hour without cessation in passing on our 
 way from one end to the other. M. Schevdlof 
 turned round to me many times with a 
 wearied look, and exclaimed : " O Mongolia ! 
 calm of the desert, how precious thou art, and 
 how I regret thee! " We arrived at last at 
 the limit of the town, passed through another 
 gate, and were in the country again, but 
 Chinese country without solitude and silence. 
 We took leave of our host, and a quarter of an 
 hour afterwards we were swinging in our five 
 palanquins, anxious to look out, but, following 
 the advice of Mr. Schevdlof, we closed our 
 curtains and tried to escape from persecuting 
 curiosity. 
 
 When night had quite closed in I opened the 
 threq windows of my palanquin, one on the 
 right, one on the left, and the other in front, 
 and was thus enabled to contemplate at my 
 ease the magnificent scenery amid which we 
 were travelling. 
 
 We had entered into a narrow and pre- 
 
368 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 cipitous ravine : it was indeed so narrow, 
 occasionally, that the palanquin had only just 
 room to pass. Massive rocks rising- perpendi- 
 cularly were starting on our vision on all sides. 
 It was clear we were now travelling- along- the 
 crest of a mountain range, for gaps suddenly 
 appearing here and there opened to view fearful 
 precipices that made the head swim. The 
 wind was blowing violently all the evening ; 
 and clouds flitting quickly over the face of the 
 moon gave, through the fitful movements of 
 light and darkness, a most fantastic aspect to 
 this bit of nature. 
 
 We fell in with a second wall, built also of 
 stone like the first, but in a better state of 
 preservation : we travelled some distance 
 over this wall, and our mules sometimes ap- 
 proached so near the edge that they made us 
 tremble. The rear mule is especially dis- 
 quieting to the traveller unaccustomed to this 
 mode of locomotion, this one being obliged 
 to follow blindly the leading of the other ; but,, 
 unlike the leader, unable to pick its way with 
 the same liberty, and being drawn along at the 
 same time over the ground, which is hardly 
 visible ; but at the moment the foot is ready to 
 
FROM THE GREAT WALL TO TCHAH-TAO. 369 
 
 fall, might very easily take a false step and 
 draw everything with it over the precipice. 
 In several places the Great Wall, along the 
 top of which we were travelling this night, 
 turned suddenly in its course at a right angle ; 
 and as our mules had the detestable habit like 
 those of the Alps to follow invariably the 
 edge of a precipice, it resulted that while the 
 leader was turning these angles the rear mule 
 must have marched in a line which would, if 
 prolonged a few feet, have led over the brink 
 of the declivity. In order, however, to ac- 
 commodate their course to each other, as the 
 rigidity of the shafts compelled them, a 
 struggle invariably took place between the 
 two, and, inevitably, at the most critical spot, 
 during which the poor traveller found himself 
 unpleasantly suspended a moment over the 
 angle of the fearful escarpment. 
 
 After a journey of sixty lies, about twenty 
 English miles, not without exciting moments, 
 but still in contemplating a phase of nature 
 unique, perhaps, ^ in the world, we arrived at 
 Suen-oua-fou. No sooner had we passed the 
 fortifications of this village than our mule 
 drivers began uttering constantly repeated 
 
 24 
 
3ro FROM PARIS TO PEKIN: 
 
 cries. There is no country more infested with 
 secret societies than China. Every inhabitant 
 of this empire makes it a point of honour to 
 belong to one or two of them. The cries of our 
 mule leaders were the rallying signals of those 
 to which they were attached. I wondered 
 what was the cause of this warning, but did 
 not discover it. 
 
 The hotel at which we stopped was disposed 
 like the houses of Maimatchin, already 
 mentioned : there was merely that difference 
 between the two which there is in France 
 between an inn and a palace. One thing in 
 particular deserves notice ; it is that through- 
 out China, even in the most humble dwellings, 
 art may be recognized, not merely in the 
 general arrangement, but even in the minutest 
 details. The tables that are placed on the 
 estrade of every room, the stools, the little 
 cups out of which rice brandy is sipped, the 
 small teapots, the slender eating sticks, have 
 all an artistic form or look. It is very often 
 singular, and even occasionally a little far- 
 fetched, but everywhere may be witnessed 
 the predominance of artistic ideas, and every 
 object is interesting to examine. After the 
 
FROM THE GREA7 TVALL TO TCHAH-TAO. 371 
 
 meal — a miserable low tavern repast this time, 
 and sadly adapted to the demands of European 
 palates — we soon stretched ourselves to sleep, 
 like the Chinese, on the estrade where we had 
 just dined. 
 
 The next day, the 4th of May, we passed over 
 a charming country; the loveliest I have seen 
 anywhere, except in some parts of Japan. We 
 followed constantly the course of a rivulet only 
 a few yards wide meandering along the foot of 
 a wall-sided cliff, the top of which was crowned 
 with large trees that formed a bower over the 
 stream and dropped from their spreading 
 branches long festoons of verdant tufty 
 creepers, coming down to caress lovingly the 
 bosom of the brook. We continued our way 
 through this attractive country for at least 
 sixty lies more, and at last arrived at an 
 immense village, called Ti-mih-gnih, about 
 eleven in the morning, where we breakfasted. 
 This, like all Chinese villages, was fortified, 
 and had outgrown its fortifications from time 
 to time, for there were several lines of enclosure 
 one within the other. It may surpass in size 
 Toun-cheh-ouh, with its population of 400,000 
 souls. It took us an hour to cross it. 
 
372 FROAI PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 Perhaps the reader may wonder how good 
 government is ensured among such masses of 
 human beings, and may suppose that an 
 immense army is requisite for the emperor to 
 maintain his throne and his dynasty. Order 
 is secured almost without an army, and by 
 means of a secret police and the rigorous 
 application of the law by those who are 
 responsible for its maintenance. The father 
 of the family answers with his head as a gauge 
 for the conduct of his children ; the mandarin 
 of the third class likewise for the order of his 
 district, etc. On the other hand, the father 
 has the power of life or death over his children ; 
 and the mandarin likewise over the members 
 of his district. In case of conspiracy, there- 
 fore, it may be suspected what takes place. 
 The father of a family, fearing the repressive 
 power of the mandarin, sacrifices his children 
 immediately he knows they are guilty. Before 
 revolution can reach so far as the imperial 
 palace, all the members of the administrative 
 hierarchy must have steeped their hands in it 
 with the conviction that they have all thereby 
 exposed their lives. Such an event, therefore, 
 is highly improbable. This explains also how 
 
FROM THE GREAl WALL TO TCHAH-TAO. 373 
 
 many travellers have been witnesses of twenty 
 or thirty executions at a time, as they have 
 described in their narratives. If a mandarin 
 admonished of a grave crime in his district 
 spares a single accomplice, he is responsible 
 to his superior : he generally prefers, then, 
 to sacrifice a few lives, and thus be on the 
 right side for the safety of his own head, to 
 running the risk of overlooking a single 
 guilty one. 
 
 It is quite intelligible that with such 
 summary, arbitrary proceedings, the Chinese 
 government does not desire Europeans to 
 penetrate into its empire. They are, in short, 
 an imbecile race, who are so besotted as to 
 share the hatred of their government towards 
 us and sacrifice the missionaries we send 
 there rather than profit by them to obtain 
 their liberty. 
 
 On leaving Ti-mih-gnih the valley opened 
 considerably. The wind became so boisterous 
 that it caused our mules to yield to its force, 
 even so far as to expose them to the risk of 
 being blown over the edge into the river. 
 After a third march of sixty lies we reached 
 Chah-tchen. The evening passed away in 
 
374 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 the most disconsolate manner. The palanquin 
 journey and the Chinese cuisine superadded, 
 had indisposed us severely. M. Schevelof, 
 M. Wassili-Michaelovitch, and Pablo did not 
 even rise from their palanquins. M. Marine 
 and I only slept on the inn platform. 
 
 We were startled out of our slumbers in 
 the middle of the night by the report of fire- 
 arms in the court. We leaped up in a hurry, 
 convinced that one of our companions, and 
 probably young Kousnietzof, who had two 
 guns and a revolver, had been the victim of 
 an accident. Our fears were, however, im- 
 mediately calmed on seeing our friends in a 
 deep sleep. The discharge of fire-arms had 
 taken place undoubtedly in the street. A 
 Chinese man or woman had perhaps received 
 it full in the chest, an incident much too 
 trifling to interrupt one's slumber in this 
 country. 
 
 We started early the next morning, and 
 having done fifty lies through an uninteresting 
 country we stopped to breakfast at Hrouae- 
 laeh-sien. 
 
 The Chinese villages, just the same as the 
 Arab villages, are very much like one another. 
 
FROM THE GREAT WAT^L TO TCHAH-TAO. 375 
 
 I was never tired, however, at every halt of 
 regarding this bustling movement, quite ex- 
 ceptional and unknown in our western cities, 
 even the most commercial, such as London, 
 San Francisco, or New York. How manv 
 types presented themselves in reality now ! 
 types I had seen formerly only in albums, 
 or on folding screens. The street porter 
 balancing on his shoulder a pole of ex- 
 aggerated length, with little round cards 
 hanging from each end covered with dragons 
 or some fantastic figures; children with puffed- 
 out stomachs and three little tails of hair 
 hanging from their shaven crowns, one above 
 the forehead and the other two dangling near 
 their ears. The constant shaving till the age 
 of twelve or fifteen gives to the hair of the 
 back of the head an unusual vigour when 
 it is -wanted to form a fine pigtail. 
 
 The habit of adults of preserving but a 
 single long tress behind, dates only from the 
 conquest of the Tartars and the establish- 
 ment of their dynasty. The conquerors 
 being Mahometans, and consequently fanatics, 
 endeavoured to impose the Koran throughout 
 China. They did not succeed in this object, 
 
376 FROAd PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 but an edict promulgated by the Emperor, 
 requiring the head to be shaved in the Arabian 
 manner, preserving merely a little tuft of hair 
 on the crown of the head, commonly called 
 the Mahomet, continued in force. But as the 
 Chinese are artistic in everything they do, 
 they transformed the ludicrous little tuft of the 
 Arabs into a long thick silky tress. This 
 coiffure is, moreover, perfectly consistent with 
 the climate and the nature of the soil. It is 
 so in this way ; the dust is so fine, and con- 
 sequently is so copiously raised by the lightest 
 breeze, that it is necessary after the least 
 travelling, or in Pekin after even an ordinary 
 promenade in the streets, to get into a bath 
 so soon as one reaches his home. Now all the 
 Chinese without exception have abundance 
 of hair, and if they were to keep it all on 
 their heads, it may easily be imagined what 
 care and trouble it would demand to cleanse 
 it, and if neglected, particularly by those 
 whose occupations compelled them to remain 
 constantly in the open air, what foul, dusty 
 mops they would have usurping the place of 
 head-gear. Exported and sold too, in such a 
 condition, these shorn chignons would evidently 
 
FROM THE GREAT WALL TO TCHAH-TAO. 377 
 
 be less presentable to the ladies of England and 
 France, to whom China sends so many cargoes 
 of these delicate objets de luxe — the only valuable 
 remnants probably of so many decapitated 
 criminals. 
 
 They can, on the other hand, very easily 
 keep their pigtail free from dust, and as 
 spruce as a skein of silk, either by hiding it 
 under a cap, or by letting it hang under 
 their clothing. The peasants, who are obliged 
 during summer to work in the open field, use 
 this tress to fasten large wet napkins over their 
 heads as a protection against the fierce rays 
 of the sun. 
 
 It is astonishing, moreover, on entering 
 China — a country we in France have too long 
 ridiculed — to see what industry pervades the 
 people in everything they do, and especially 
 in their agriculture, which, however much it 
 may be favoured by the richness of the soil, 
 is nevertheless indebted for its prosperity to 
 the industry of the people. 
 
 With regard to this question I will refer 
 to a social organization well worth notice. 
 When a Chinese has merited by his services 
 a title of nobility, his son in due course inherits 
 
378 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 merely the title immediately inferior, and the 
 nobility thus descends, diminishing in rank in 
 the family from generation to generation until 
 it becomes definitely extinct, unless one of its 
 members render some service to his country 
 and thus regain the title originally granted 
 to his ancestors. No one, certainly, has more 
 veneration than I have for old French 
 families and ancient titles ; but I should 
 always desire to have good reason to esteem 
 the men that are honoured by them as much as 
 I respect the bare names and titles themselves. 
 The ingenious Chinese institution gives an 
 ever active emulation to the nobility, a desire 
 all the stronger to render a service to the 
 country, since the title is always fading away, 
 because it is thought more dishonourable to 
 suffer this inheritance to become extinct by 
 those who have enjoyed it, than never to have 
 merited a distinction at all. 
 
CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 TCHAH-TAO TO PEKIN. 
 
 An exciting incident — The Pass of Nang-kao — Picturesque- 
 ness of the gorge — A young married couple— The levy of 
 taxes — Toun-cheh-ouh — The last solitude — Entry into 
 Pekin — Arrival at the Legation. 
 
 After having travelled over fifty lies since 
 leaving Hrouae-lach-sien, we arrived at 
 Tchah-tao. This village is picturesquely 
 situated at the foot of a little mountain that 
 carries the third wall — here a brick wall. As 
 we arrived rather early, and our inn was near 
 the gate of the town, we went to take a walk 
 along the ramparts, which consist of a great 
 brick wall four or five yards wide. I was 
 much astonished to see there two cannon 
 without carriages, lying abandoned as useless 
 lumber. Can it be true that cannon existed 
 in China long before we had any notion in 
 Europe of the properties of gunpowder? But 
 it is quite certain that no European expedition 
 
38o FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 has penetrated so far as Tchah-tao. These 
 bronze cannon unfortunately bore no inscrip- 
 tion, nor even any mark that might indicate 
 their origin. 
 
 During this promenade M. Marine thought- 
 lessly threw a stone from the ramparts, which 
 happened to hit a dog below. The proprietor 
 of the animal turned round in a rage, and 
 seeing that the projectile had been thrown 
 by a European, tried to excite the crowd to 
 take vengeance for such an outrage. The 
 opportunity was only too well appreciated, 
 and we were followed by more than five 
 hundred persons, in our retreat to the inn, 
 hooting, and showing a disposition to rush on 
 us. M. Schev61of made a sign for me to 
 retire with Pablo into some obscure corner, 
 and mounting on the platform began address- 
 ing them to pacify their anger. 
 
 "We are not Europeans," he earnestly 
 remonstrated. "We are Siberians; look at 
 our passports ; the two peoples are brothers, 
 and you cannot doubt our friendly senti- 
 ments." A few Chinese who spoke Russian, 
 of which there are instances everywhere here, 
 replied in this language ; the affair then came 
 
TCHAH-TAO TO PEKIN. 381 
 
 quietly to an end. Pablo and I did not venture 
 out of our hole till this mob was dispersed, 
 and M, Schev^lof advised us on account of 
 the adventure to quit the village at day-break. 
 
 This day we were to go through the famous 
 passes of Nang-Kao, between the village of 
 Nang-Kao and the portion of the Great Wall 
 the nearest to the capital — an attraction that 
 no tourist to Pekin disregards. Dreading the 
 shocks of the palanquin in so mountainous a 
 country, and desiring to enjoy as much as 
 possible the grand scenery at our ease, we 
 jogged along on asses, from Tchah-tao to 
 Nang-Kao. About an hour after we had left 
 the village, and having passed the brick wall 
 I have mentioned, we arrived at the pass, the 
 entrance of which is very narrow, and is 
 closed by a fourth wall. 
 
 The approach is by zigzags in the declivity 
 similar to those we passed between Mongolia 
 and Kalkann, and then, after crossing a fifth 
 wall, one enters into a narrow gorge ex- 
 tremely picturesque. The Chinese doubt- 
 lessly must have formerly regarded this spot 
 as the most formidable entrenchment against 
 the Mongols. In a gorge that can only be 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 approached by an escarped road, and pro- 
 tected by two walls surmounted with crene- 
 lated towers and fortresses, there were certainly 
 the means of an obstinate defence for a long 
 time, even against an enemy very superior in 
 number. When the tourist has arrived at the 
 bottom of the valley the route is continued 
 amid remarkable sites constantly varied. I 
 will mention one only that struck me more 
 than the others by its originality and its 
 charming aspect. 
 
 The pass at this spot may be from about 
 twelve to sixteen yards wide. 
 
 The little river of Nang-kao occupies the 
 whole width of it, and scatters its waters amid 
 scores of rocks. Our little donkeys were 
 obliged to leap from one to another to clear 
 the passage between. The two walls of rock 
 forming the gorge overhang the river, and 
 come so near to one another at a certain 
 height that they admit through the opening 
 but a few rays to light up, in a mysterious 
 gloom, this sort of natural grotto. The 
 Chinese have scooped out a little temple in 
 the face of one of these rocks about ten yards 
 from the ground. 
 
TCHAH-TAO TO PEKIN. 383 
 
 It is reached by steps cut out on the wall 
 of the rock, having- the appearance of a 
 natural causeway. The entrance of the temple 
 is ornamented with sculptured wood painted 
 red and gilded, with lanterns and all sorts of 
 suspended ornaments. Nothing can be more 
 charming, or gayer and prettier, and at the 
 same time more Chinese than this little nook, 
 which is all at once a valley, a grotto, the 
 bed of a rivulet, and a sanctuary. Once in 
 my life only have I desired to be an idol. 
 Happy the god that dwells in such an en- 
 chanting spot ! 
 
 I was quite astonished on emerging from 
 this little temple to find on the other side 
 the walls of the rock sculptured in the 
 Egyptian manner, and kinds of modillions, 
 as in the land of the Pharaohs. 
 
 The remainder of the pass of Nang-kao is 
 also very fine, but resembling too much many 
 similar my readers must have frequently seen 
 in their travels, to render it worth while to 
 describe it here. 
 
 But I may say briefly that it resembles 
 the entrance to the gorges of the Trent, 
 Roland's Breach, and the valley of the Chiffa 
 
384 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 in Algeria ; what may be seen and admired 
 very often in mountainous countries. I should 
 mention, however, a village gate, a kind of 
 triumphal arch in stone, sculptured, sunk, and 
 covered with dragons and fabulous monsters 
 in such a way that it may certainly be 
 reckoned among the che/s-d' ceuvre of Chinese 
 art. 
 
 We crossed in due course the two last walls 
 of China, or, to speak more correctly, the two 
 last buttresses of the Great Wall of Kalkann, 
 and arrived at Nang-kao. I was delighted 
 to hear myself addressed in French on enter- 
 ing this village by the Chinese mule drivers 
 and sedan carriers, and to see written on the 
 walls of the inn warnings in French to 
 travellers, such as this: "Defiez-vous du 
 maitre de I'hotel, c'est un hardi voleur ; " 
 signed " Un officier de marine compitissant 
 envers les Strangers ; " and many similar. 
 
 The reason was, Nang-kao is often a place 
 of rendezvous for the personnel of the embassies 
 at Pekin ; and the tourists who visit the 
 capital never omit going to Nang-kao and the 
 tomb of the Mignes, returning by the Summer 
 Palace and the Great Bell. It is the established 
 
TCHAH-TAO TO PEKIN. 385 
 
 excursion, just as to see the Mer de Glace of 
 Chamounix or the Righi of Lucerne. 
 
 After we had resumed our palanquins to 
 take our way to the village of Kouan-chih-lih, 
 M. Schfevdlof said to me : " We are obliged to 
 reach as quickly as possible the south of 
 China, and consequently to take the road to 
 Toun-cheh'Ouh and Tien-tsin. We have just 
 decided on not going to Pekin ; still, you are 
 not far from the capital here, and the time is 
 come to separate and say adieu." " I will go 
 with you to the next stage, Toun-cheh-ouh, 
 and from there to Pekin," I said, unwilling to 
 part till absolutely necessary. In truth this 
 sudden announcement of a separation, the 
 prospect of finding myself alone with Pablo in 
 an unknown country, among people that seemed 
 hostile and to whom I could not make myself 
 intelligible, inspired me with misgiving and 
 almost fear. The reader will see what curious 
 result this decision led to from what follows. 
 
 At the moment of starting we saw coming 
 into the court of the inn a palanquin borne 
 by two men. It contained, therefore, some 
 aristocratic personage ; for in China such 
 a mode of locomotion is permitted only to 
 
 25 
 
385 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 persons enjoying a certain dignity or holding 
 a certain rank in the hierarchy. The horse 
 and the mule palanquin may be used by every- 
 body ; the carriage, and especially the carriage 
 having the axle far removed from the shafts, 
 as well as the palanquin borne by men, 
 are reserved for the aristocracy. 
 
 We, therefore, approached this privileged 
 vehicle as soon as we saw it enter into the 
 court of our inn, and presently there descended 
 from it. a lady apparently rather pretty, if one 
 might say that a lady could be pretty under 
 a thick coat of paint, with the disadvan- 
 tage of extraordinary embonpoint. What I 
 specially remarked was the apparent absence 
 of feet. Under the ankle the leg ended in a 
 point like the end of a stilt or a wooden leg. 
 
 The poor woman, whom this conformation 
 indicated as a member of the high class, and 
 as one to be admired and envied by all fine 
 connoisseurs and people of the most refined 
 taste, could not take a single step, even 
 supported between her two servants. She 
 was carried from the palanquin, to be laid 
 down like anything else unendowed with power 
 of movement, on the platform of a distant 
 
TCHAH-TAO TO PEKIN. 387 
 
 room. M. Schdvdlof was informed on ques- 
 tioning the palanquin men that she was the wife 
 of a great mandarin, on his honeymoon tour. 
 
 We saw the happy husband arrive a few 
 minutes later; it will be sufficient to say he 
 was just like the governor of Maimatchin, 
 already mentioned. These Chinese husbands 
 of high rank should be free from any anxiety 
 on the score of their wives running away from 
 them, and at the same time be perfectly 
 satisfied with the important guarantee they 
 hold for obedience to their lord and master. 
 
 As the distance is very great between 
 Kouan-chih-lih and Toun-cheh-ouh we left 
 as early as two in the morning. On leaving 
 Nang-kao we left the mountains also, to enter 
 on the plains of Pekin. The country, there- 
 fore, was not what would be called picturesque, 
 but it was so well cultivated, so green, so well 
 wooded with fine trees, so cool, from the 
 numerous canals cutting it in every direction, 
 that I was never tired of regarding it, and the 
 sight was all the more grateful to my eyes 
 after the perpetual snow of Siberia and the 
 monotonous desert of Mongolia, in spite of 
 the picturesqueness of their mountain scenery. 
 
FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 After having travelled over sixty lies we 
 halted a short time at Lih-choui-tziao, and then 
 resumed our way. We easily passed the 
 Chinese custom house of Tum-bah, thanks 
 again to the ability of M. Schevdlof. Wherever 
 the Chinese impose a tax it is difficult to 
 escape it, and to the collection of taxes the 
 law of responsibility extends also. The 
 sovereign says to the grand mandarins, " I 
 want so much money from your government." 
 The grand mandarin says to his subordinate, 
 "I want so much from your province," taking 
 care to double the sum for security. The 
 mandarin of the second class exacts the same 
 from the mandarin of the third class, in each 
 case doubling through precaution ; and the 
 mandarin of the third class announces to his 
 district that he must raise such and such a 
 tax, again doubled no doubt through being 
 over zealous. 
 
 Such an organisation doubtlessly is burden- 
 some to the tax-payer, but since so much is 
 extracted, this is precisely what seems to me 
 an incontestable proof of the great riches of 
 this country. In spite of these abuses, misery 
 and destitution are apparently not very pre- 
 
TCHAH-TAO TO PEKIN. 389 
 
 valent. During the whole of my sojourn in 
 China, there were hardly eight or ten who 
 came to me begging, whilst in Egypt, a country 
 reputed rich, one is constantly assailed with 
 packs of beggars dinning in one's ears : 
 " Backsheesh," " chavaga." 
 
 It was about four in the afternoon when we 
 entered the immense village of Toun-cheh-ouh, 
 on the banks of the Pei-ho. 
 
 We were entertained at the house of a young 
 Chinese full of health and embonpoint, remind- 
 ing one a little of the exaggerated round 
 figure of Mr. Punch, but a thoroughly good 
 fellow, and one fond of good living in every 
 way. He served us a dinner a la russe, which 
 I found to my taste, after the detestable 
 cuisine of the Chinese cook-shop. 
 
 Immediately after this repast my companions 
 went to embark for TIen-tsin, and I accom- 
 panied them as far as the river. On the way 
 M. Schevelof gave all the necessary instruc- 
 tions to my host to enable him to provide for 
 my safe journey on the morrow to Pekin. 
 
 When these tea merchants arrived at the 
 port, they entered into one of the barges 
 moored to the shore, in the middle of whose 
 
390 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 decks is raised a construction for passengers, 
 resembling somewhat that of the Venetian 
 gondola. We wished one another good-bye 
 and pleasant journeys, and off they went. 
 These merchants in departing from my sight 
 dropped completely the curtain between me and 
 the Empire of the Czars, and I turned mine eyes 
 from Siberia, a country over which, in spite of 
 its fertility and auriferous riches, a bird of prey 
 seemed to be continually hovering. Therefore, 
 on seeing the last ties that held me, though 
 only remotely, to this unfortunate land of 
 exile and sorrow cut away, I felt relieved from 
 an oppression, notwithstanding the singular 
 position in which I found myself among these 
 bulb-shaped Chinese. I could say nothing 
 whatever to my host. Even Pablo's talent 
 in expressing himself in pantomime became 
 quite insufficient to penetrate the limited 
 intelligence of the Buddhist with whom I was 
 lodged. I could not close an eye the whole 
 night on account of the repeated attacks of an 
 army of fleas, that annoyed me with their scouts 
 in every quarter, drawn out probably by a 
 change of diet in which they revelled ; and 
 again on account of the night watch, whose 
 
TCHAH-TAO TO PEKTN. 391 
 
 duty it was to make a row to frighten away 
 thieves, according to the Chinese custom, 
 which I first became acquainted with at 
 Krasnoiarsk. The next day my host could not 
 provide me with a palanquin before one in the 
 afternoon. I was, however, very glad that he 
 had even so far complied with the instructions 
 of M. Schevelof, for if he had been disposed to 
 keep me at his house some time, I really do not 
 know how I could have managed to have got 
 out of it again. Just as I was going away I gave 
 a trifle to one of the servants : the master per- 
 ceiving it called all the servants together, who 
 came and knelt before me and touched the 
 ground with their foreheads. However familiar 
 a European may be with Oriental manners, he 
 can never regard without a pang such a 
 spectacle of slavish humility, I jumped into 
 ray palanquin as quickly as possible, and took 
 leave of my host, not in offering my hand, 
 which is not in accordance with Chinese custom, 
 but in pressing my hands together, and 
 moving them two or three times in a line 
 perpendicular to my chest. I understood, with 
 satisfaction, that this obliging man recom- 
 mended my mule driver to conduct me to the, 
 
392 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 French Embassy ; then we started, Pablo and I, 
 towards the capital of the Celestial Empire. 
 
 Whilst I was journeying under a burning sun 
 over this road, covered with thick dust, in the 
 abominable vehicle called a palanquin, three 
 young horsemen, whom I shall present to the 
 reader, galloped by without drawing rein 
 between Tien-tsin and Pekin. 
 
 The distance is thirty-two leagues, and 
 they would accomplish it in a day. They 
 had, certainly, no time to lose. Having left 
 Tien-tsin at four in the morning, they had 
 stopped an hour in a village to breakfast and 
 change horses : at the time I was leaving 
 Toun-cheh-ouh, they had just begun the second 
 stage. In order to go from Paris to Pekin, 
 these three young French travellers had not 
 braved the hardships of a Siberian winter, nor 
 the monotony of a sledge, nor the discomfort 
 of a Chinese vehicle ; and yet their adventures 
 were as interesting as mine. They had been 
 through India : they had been received in the 
 palaces of the nabobs of that country, far 
 more attractive I should say than those of the 
 gold hunters of the North : they had hunted 
 wild beasts in Ceylon and Java, chased the 
 
TCHAFI-TAO TO PEKIN. 393 
 
 elephant in the virgin forests of Malacca, and 
 continuing their hardy course, they thought it 
 a mere trifle to do thirty-two leagues a day, 
 intending, if circumstances admitted of it, to 
 resume their journey at the same speed. 
 
 The first of these three young men — one of 
 my best friends, who, whilst we were travelling 
 a few miles apart on the plain of Pekin, I 
 thought was in Paris — was the Baron Benoist 
 Mechin ; his two comrades were the Viscomte de 
 Gouy d' Arsy and Monsieur Guillaume Jeannel. 
 They arrived at the legation as I came in sight 
 of the fortifications of the capital of China. 
 
 At this sight I felt quite a glow of enthusiasm. 
 The longer one has had an object in view, and 
 the more efforts he has made to attain it, the 
 greater is the joy on reaching it at last. It is 
 difficult to find anything grander and more 
 boldly constructed than the first wall of Pek'm. 
 It is a wall of imposing elevation, crenelated, 
 and perfectly regular. Here and there 
 fortresses are raised above principal gates, 
 rising to three or four stories, and roofed in 
 green porcelain, that glitters in the sun. The 
 gates are of bronze, and gigantic : they are 
 closed at night, and at certain hours of the day. 
 
394 FROM PARIS TO PEK}2^. 
 
 I did not enter the city without feeling a 
 thrill of emotion. I had to pass over some 
 irregular space scattered over with low, un- 
 sightly habitations ; then I entered into the 
 populous quarter ; finally, under a dome of 
 foliage I perceived a wooden gate, elegantly 
 sculptured with two marble lions, above which 
 I could read, "Legation de France." I had 
 at last accomplished my journey from Paris 
 to Pekin overland. 
 
 When I entered into the salon of M. de 
 Geoffroy, who was the Envoy Extraordinary 
 of France in China, all the personnel of the 
 legation were present to do honour to the three 
 young travellers I have just mentioned. I shall 
 never forget my entry into this hospitable 
 salon, where I found so much courtesy and 
 affability. The palace was quite an Eden. What 
 happy days I passed there ! I slept at last 
 in a bed, a luxury I had not known since I 
 left Nijni-Novgorod : I lived a la cuisine 
 fran^aise, and I spoke French with French 
 people. But the reader will feel more in- 
 terested in a description of Pekin and its 
 people, which I shall attempt in the next and 
 last chapter. 
 
CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 PEKIN DEPARTURE. 
 
 The Marble Bridge— The Tartar City— Objects of Art- 
 Japanese lacquering — Interments — The Observatory — 
 The Imperial Palace — The Temples — The four harvests 
 — Kinds of tea— Departure from Pekin — Tien-tsin — The 
 sea at last. 
 
 The following day we went first to pay our 
 respects to Monseigneur de Laplace, the 
 bishop of Pekin, who was then residing at 
 the Mission of the Pdres Lazaristes. 
 
 To get there we had to go over the marble 
 bridge, which is one of the local wonders. 
 This bridge rises in a saddle-back over a 
 pond, I might say a little lake, and this is 
 surrounded by the gardens of the Imperial 
 palace. Unfortunately, the profusion of aqua- 
 tic flowers with which this pond is so gay 
 during summer were not yet in bloom, still 
 we could, at least, admire the picturesque 
 view from the marble bridge. 
 
 Mounds undoubtedly artificial, but called 
 
396 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 here by the grand name of mountains, rise in 
 waving outline around this piece of water. 
 They are covered with rare trees, surmounted 
 with kiosks, and those little constructions 
 which we call pagodas. Pavilions are raised 
 on piles above the water. The soil is covered 
 with grass and creeping plants, that stretch 
 along the ground and fall into the lake. The 
 whole is delightfully cool, shady, and attractive, 
 and laid out with unusual refinement of taste. 
 
 The Mission of the Lazaristes is built in the 
 middle of this charming spot. All the fathers 
 wear the Chinese costume, and I found it odd 
 to call Reverends Peres these men in papooches, 
 and adorned with pigtails as long as those 
 of the Chinese : it is true their tresses are 
 false, or nearly all false, but they would scarcely 
 be supposed to be factitious unless seen very 
 near. 
 
 The finest part of Pekin is that surrounding 
 the palace : it is known by the name of the 
 Tartar city. The great merchants and the 
 most famous dealers in curiosities live here, 
 and carry on their business as well. 
 
 The houses have simply a ground floor and 
 no other storey ; but their facades in the 
 
PEKIN— DEPARTURE. 397 
 
 Streets are of wood sculptured and gilt. The 
 thickness of the ornamentation is considerable, 
 and the carvings are sunk into it with a 
 delicacy quite Chinese in its way. I do not 
 know what one of these house fronts would 
 be worth in France. Let the reader fancy a 
 whole street lined with such shops glittering 
 with gilding under a brilliant sky, and reveal- 
 ing, tastefully disposed in their interiors, 
 embellished with these rich frames, all the 
 wonders of Asiatic fairy-land. 
 
 I am sorry to be obliged here to undeceive, 
 perhaps, my readers with regard to the fine 
 Chinese collections which they imagine they 
 possess at home. I am far from saying there 
 are not in Europe admirable specimens of 
 Chinese art. But, generally, all the articles 
 offered for sale in England and France come 
 from the southern cities, from Canton, Hong 
 Kong, and Shanghai, and consequently are 
 the productions of second-rate makers. Pekin 
 art is almost everywhere still unknown, and 
 it will easily be understood why it should be 
 so, when it is remembered that Europeans 
 are not allowed to carry on business in the 
 capital of the Celestial Empire. Our last 
 
398 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 expeditions have not procured us any more 
 liberty in this respect. The specimens of the 
 art of Pekin are, therefore, almost exclusively 
 bought by tourists on their visits, who do not 
 dispose of them by way of trade. There may 
 be seen in France, it is true, enamels in 
 cloisonnd work, but they give no idea of the 
 marvels of the kind of work tourists may 
 admire in the temple of Pekin. But there are 
 entire panels much less known, representing 
 landscapes, produced by the application of 
 lacquer to porcelain ; screens, wherein dyed 
 ivory is applied to open-carved woodwork ; 
 or lacquered folding screens with ornamenta- 
 tion produced by the coloured transparent 
 stones of Mongolia. The latter kind of work 
 presents objects of incomparable beauty, and 
 one is never tired of admiring them. There 
 are also vases in uniform enamel, generally 
 blue with designs in white, level with the 
 surface, having a most graceful effect. This 
 kind of vase is not rare at Pekin, and yet 
 very little known in Europe. 
 
 Whilst I am describing the art of the 
 extreme East, I should like to enlighten the 
 reader a little on Japanese lacquers, though 
 
PEKIN— DEPARTURE. 399 
 
 I intend drawing my notes of travel to a close 
 at Tien-tsin, and to say nothing of those 
 -Japan islands — a sojourn dear as a souvenir 
 of pleasure and joy. All the productions to 
 which we in France give this pompous title 
 of laque au Japon, consist merely of surfaces 
 of varnished wood. In the true lacquer, on 
 the contrary, the drawings in bold relief are 
 composed of pure gold, and the ground-work 
 is covered with adventurine reduced to a 
 powder before application. Objects in true 
 lacquer command therefore, in Japan, exorbi- 
 tant prices. 
 
 I one day asked at Yeddo the price of a 
 cabinet resembling pretty much those that 
 are become now so common in France, and 
 are generally sold with us for two or three 
 hundred francs. The dealer demanded twenty- 
 five thousand francs for it. A little square 
 box of about four inches each way, of genuine 
 lacquer, is worth, in Japan, from eight hundred 
 to one thousand francs. I shall not enter into 
 the subject of Chinese porcelain, because this 
 alone would form matter for a volume: besides, 
 I did not remain long enough at Pekin to 
 become well acquainted with this delicate 
 
400 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 department of Chinese art, more difficult to 
 master. I will simply mention two kinds of 
 vaies in porcelain which appeared to me 
 much esteemed. The one sort is ornamented 
 weth large Chinese figures, having in the 
 middle a medallion representing some scene 
 ic character with the surroundings. The 
 other is covered with designs in bold relief, 
 also of porcelain, and coloured. These two 
 l<inds of vases, it seems, originated three or 
 four hundred years ago, and are worth gene- 
 rally from four to seven hundred francs. 
 What are known also as pretty little thin 
 cloisonne enamels, date also from about the 
 same epoch, and fetch considerable prices in 
 China. These cloisonne enamels are rather 
 rare in Europe. They may be recognised by 
 their designs being more sunk and less regu- 
 lar than in those relatively modern, and 
 especially by certain parts of them, where the 
 transparency of the enamel permits the copper 
 on which it is laid to be seen beneath. 
 
 As I have just mentioned, the streets of the 
 Tartar quarter are lined with shops, exposing 
 in their fronts the beautiful articles just 
 described. In the roadway the throng of 
 
PEKIN— DEPARTURE. 401 
 
 people is even greater than in the villages I 
 had passed through. 
 
 The crowds of people on foot are obliged 
 to stand aside constantly to make way for 
 the palanquins of the grandees, borne by men; 
 the two-wheeled carriages of the mandarins, 
 who may be seen through the black or green 
 persiennes, wrapped in their long robes of 
 embroidered silk; the horses, the camels, the 
 travelling palanquins with mules, then the 
 marriage and funeral processions. The 
 latter occupy a considerable space, and stretch 
 over five hundred or a thousand yards, accord- 
 ing to the dignity of the deceased. The poor 
 carry in the line of procession parasols, poles 
 surmounted with hands in gilt wood, and all 
 kinds of amulets. Then follow the objects that 
 belonged to the defunct; his horse, his 
 carriage, in which is generally set up an 
 effigy in wax representing his features, and if 
 a mandarin, wearing his court costume. At 
 last is feeen the coffin, made of oak about two 
 and a Jialf inches thick, and placed on a 
 catafalque. The great bier is borne by at 
 least forty or sixty men. The relatives 
 dressed in white, the mark of mourning, 
 
 26 
 
402 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 precede the coffin, throwing- flowers in the 
 way, burning- incense, and going through a 
 ceremony of respect to the dead every eighty 
 or hundred steps. For this demonstration the 
 procession comes to a halt. They spread on 
 the ground a white cloth, and the mourners, 
 prostrating themselves entirely face down- 
 ■wards, strike their foreheads on the ground. 
 This part of the ceremony finished, they get 
 up and the procession proceeds, with these 
 interludes, to some land belonging to the 
 deceased, where the coffin is deposited on the 
 ground in the open air and left there without 
 burial. When the coffin decays they form a 
 tumulus of earth around it, but it is never 
 put into a grave. The spot remains ever 
 afterwards sacred, and can be used no rnore 
 for cultivation. 
 
 It may be imagined what an immense 
 extent of valuable land the Chinese lose 
 through this custom. It is known what many 
 quarrels it also leads to in the towns along 
 the coast inhabited by Europeans : the subject 
 has been too often discussed to make it worth 
 while to say anything about it here. 
 
 Among the great concourse of people in 
 
PEKIN-DEPARTURE. 403 
 
 the Tartar city may be seen a multitude of 
 conjurers exercising their wonderful feats in 
 the open air. 
 
 Their dexterity is surprising; for they 
 execute their tricks among the spectators 
 without the convenient aid of tables and boxes 
 with false bottoms, which are such valuable 
 adjuncts in theatres. Some of them perform 
 even dangerous feats: they leap head-foremost 
 through a cylinder placed horizontally, bristling 
 with nails and pointed blades. I should never 
 come to an end if I were to describe every- 
 thing that obtrudes itself on the sight in 
 these wide streets of the Tartar city. Nowhere 
 else can be seen such a varied and picturesque 
 kaleidoscope as here meets the astonished 
 eye. 
 
 Unfortunately, side by side with these 
 marvels, one turns with disgust from other 
 sights repulsive to European civilization. All 
 along the streets vast holes are sunk for a 
 purpose it would be embarrassing to explain. 
 There is no city in the world so noisome, and 
 I can easily understand why the personnel of 
 the legations prefer remaining shut up four 
 and five months at a time in their fine 
 
404 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 residences and grounds, to seeking any re- 
 creation in such a polluted atmosphere. 
 
 We visited the observatory, constructed by 
 the Chinese under the direction of the Jesuits. 
 The scientific instruments to be seen there 
 are admirable. They are made of bronze, 
 supported on feet of the same metal, in which 
 all the fancies of Chinese art have been 
 lavished. The contortions of these mount- 
 ings, composed of dragons and grotesque 
 monsters, produce a striking contrast to the 
 regular forms of the spheres, the parallel lines 
 and astronomical figures which they sustain 
 at a great height in the air. 
 
 I have seen at Pekin, in the temples of the 
 Mongolian lamas, or of the priests of Buddha, 
 splendid enamels and objects of great value; 
 but I have never found in China, nor even 
 in Japan, where bronze is, certainly, turned 
 to better account than in the Celestial 
 Empire, anything so artistic, in the strict 
 meaning of the term, as the apparatus of this 
 observatory. The taste of the Chinese it 
 must be admitted is very questionable. One 
 may admire, especially, the colours of their 
 porcelain, the soft hues of their ancient 
 
PEKIN— DEPARTURE. 405 
 
 enamels, and the harmony of the tints in 
 their embroidered stuffs ; but in their designs, 
 in the forms of their objects and personages, 
 many faults and even repulsive monstrosities 
 may be noticed. But the instruments of the 
 Pekin Observatory are, in my opinion, above 
 all criticism. Fancifulness certainly abounds 
 therein, but it is only within just bounds : 
 the supports I have just mentioned are so 
 slender, so delicately worked, that they seem 
 quite foreign and distinct from the spheres 
 they sustain, and these indeed produce the 
 illusion of being maintained by their proper 
 force like real celestial worlds. 
 
 Before quitting this spot I took from the 
 top a panoramic view of this immense capital, 
 and the prospect extended over a considerable 
 distance. The golden roofs of the merchants' 
 houses of the Tartar city were glittering 
 with splendour in the sun ; then I remarked 
 the not less brilliant green porcelain roofs of 
 the fortresses rising above the chief gates, 
 the blue porcelain roofs of the pagodas, of 
 the Temple of Heaven, and of the Temple 
 of Agriculture, and then, particularly, the 
 Imperial palace, .covered with yellow porcelain. 
 
4o6 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 The Imperial palace of China is the abode 
 of mystery; a mystery no one can boast of 
 having penetrated. It is a little spot, un- 
 known and deserted, amid these teeming 
 millions of human beings — a recess into which 
 no European has ever entered, and wherein 
 only a very limited number of Chinese can 
 penetrate once in the twenty-four hours, and 
 then only in the darkest hours of the night. 
 
 The audience which the Emperor gave a 
 few years ago to the European ministers, and 
 which made a considerable sensation, did not 
 take place even in the palace. The Son of 
 Heaven did not deign to show himself here to 
 the ministers but in a pavilion so far removed 
 from the mysterious palace that it is plainly 
 visible from the marble bridge. 
 
 Many reports have circulated in Europe 
 regarding the private life of the Emperors of 
 China, and the internal regulations of the 
 palace. M. Berth6my, the French minister in 
 Japan, whom I had the honour to meet at 
 Yokohama, and who had previously been in 
 China for many years, said : " All that has 
 been retailed about the interior of the Imperial 
 palace of Pekin can only be a mere fable, for 
 
PEKIN— DEPARTURE. 407 
 
 it is impossible for anyone to know anything 
 about it. The only thing that seems to me 
 likely, because it has been declared to me by 
 all the mandarins, is that the Emperor is 
 subjected to a severe etiquette, and that he 
 would be immediately assassinated by his own 
 guards if he attempted to set it aside." 
 
 The sight of the yellow roofs of this palace 
 produced on me a deep impression, and on 
 reposing at my ease at the Embassy I com- 
 pared in my mind the existence of this poor 
 Emperor, a slave to etiquette, to our good 
 king Saint Louis showing himself to his 
 people and administering justice under an oak 
 in the Bois de Vincennes. How many un- 
 happy there are in this world in all the scales 
 of the social hierarchy ! 
 
 I shall say little of the Temple of Heaven, 
 and of the Temple of Agriculture, because 
 they are not interesting. The first especially 
 is unworthy of the exalted name it bears. It 
 is in an immense park surrounded with walls, 
 in which chapels and pretty pavilions, covered 
 with blue porcelain, are distributed, and where 
 a subdued light penetrates through blinds 
 composed of little tubes of blue glass placed 
 
4o8 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 parallel. A platform of white marble is raised 
 in the middle of the park, and it is here the 
 Emperor occasionally comes to offer with his 
 own hand sacrifices to the Divinity. 
 
 The curious portion of the Temple of Agri- 
 culture and its precincts is a field where, every 
 year, on a certain day, the Emperor, holding 
 in his hand a plough, makes a furrow along 
 the ground, as if to give an example to his 
 subjects. The remainder of the field is after- 
 wards ploughed by the mandarins. This 
 ceremony shows how much agriculture, the 
 principal source of the wealth of the country, 
 is honoured in China. With their two annual 
 harvests of corn, the Chinese succeed in pro- 
 viding bread at a moderate price, and by 
 exporting their tea and their rice they draw 
 gold into their country from all parts of the 
 world. Their method of cultivation very much 
 resembles the Egyptian system. They divide 
 their fields into little squares, around which 
 water is conducted for irrigation to all parts. 
 This water flows from numerous canals wind- 
 ing through the country, and is supplied by 
 contrivances worked by Chinese labourers like 
 the Egyptian shadoufs. For the cultivation of 
 
PEKIN—DEPARTURE. 409 
 
 rice the little squares are surrounded with an 
 embankment high enough to maintain over 
 the field a sheet of water several inches deep. 
 The land thus disappears completely. When 
 I visited the rice fields in the month of May, 
 the seed, lately sown, hardly sprouted above 
 the surface of the water. 
 
 The tea is a little shrub, a foot and a half 
 to two feet high. The leaves are gathered 
 from May to August, according to the species, 
 and also according to the quality required. 
 There are in China growths of tea as there 
 are in France growths of wine. The nature 
 of the soil and the different kinds of plants 
 produce the varieties known to the trade. 
 The most esteemed kind is known by the name 
 of yellow tea. It is the ordinary drink of the 
 Emperor of China and the Emperor of Russia, 
 
 This tea is so valuable, that in Siberia, in 
 certain even rich families, I have sometimes 
 seen one cup of it only made in my honour, 
 whilst my hosts deprived themselves of it by 
 reason of economy. It would not be interest- 
 ing here to enumerate the different growths, 
 because they are not known by their original 
 names. The various kinds are named in 
 
410 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 France according to the mode of g-athering : 
 thus pearl tea is from small leaves gathered 
 at the beginning of spring, soon after their 
 formation. The th^ a poinles blanches is made 
 of a mixture of leaves and flowers. The white 
 points are merely the dried flowers of the 
 shrub ; this is the reason this kind is the 
 strongest. One of the commonest kinds is the 
 brick tea, which I have already mentioned as 
 serving for money in Mongolia ; and finally 
 the commonest tea, which through some pre- 
 paration I am ignorant of presents an odd 
 appearance. It has also the form of a brick, 
 but it is quite black, and neither a stalk nor a 
 leaf can be seen in it, as in the other bricks. 
 On looking at it, it might be supposed to be 
 a block of coal or peat. This tea is sold for 
 a mere trifle, and is a great resource for the 
 poor of Siberia as well as China. 
 
 The intelligence and skilfulness of the 
 Chinese are everywhere apparent, and they 
 know how to turn these advantages to account 
 in everything. They have also brought to 
 great perfection the art of sail-making. I am 
 not acquainted with all the systems adopted in 
 France, but in mentioning thelateen sail {la voile 
 
PEKIN— DEPARTURE. 41 1 
 
 latine), which bears the name of our race, I men- 
 tion, I believe, one of the inventions of Europe. 
 But this lateen sail in swelling out excessively 
 under the action of the wind does not at the 
 same time utilize all the force this moving 
 power is capable of imparting. Besides, in 
 squalls, the handling consists in slackening the 
 rope that ties it below. The canvas flapping 
 then at the top of the mast imparts a pitching 
 or tossing to the boat that may be very 
 dangerous. This method of sailing is, there- 
 fore, imperfect. The Chinese sail is, on the 
 contrary, held in by a series of parallel bars, 
 and thus constantly opposes an even surface 
 to the play of the wind. Then, with the aid of 
 a pulley at the top of the mast, it can be 
 lowered to any degree. In this way the 
 Chinese may, in the most violent squalls, still 
 have a sail spread that offers little, much 
 above the deck, for the storm to grapple with, 
 consequently exposing in no way the ship 
 to danger. 
 
 I might quote many examples of this in- 
 genious and practical mind; and in travelling 
 through China I have conceived the highest 
 opinion of the intelligence, the cleverness, and 
 
412 liJiUJVI Jr'JLIilCi lU fJlJi.ll\. 
 
 the perseverance of the Chinese. There is only 
 one thing wanting to these people: agovernment 
 that will let them know there are other nations 
 in the world besides the Chinese ; that these 
 nations have also a civilization, from which it 
 would be judicious and especially profitable 
 to borrow certain inventions. But the day will 
 come, and perhaps it is not afar, when the 
 Chinese will immigrate into Europe, as they 
 already immigrate into Japan, California, and 
 Peru; they will form at Marseilles, Paris, and 
 London more important quarters than the 
 depots of Shanghai, Macao, and Saigon, and 
 foreign commerce will take an expansion 
 unknown with this nation. 
 
 The majority of the French people believe 
 the intelligence of the Japanese is very superior 
 to that of the Chinese. It is a serious mistake. 
 The Japanese resemble us very much in their 
 character, and that is the reason this people 
 pleases travellers. They are gay, enterprising, 
 boastful, disputative, and a little revolutionary. 
 There is in Japan an actual pretender, and 
 consequently among the Japanese partisans of 
 such and such a family, and, perhaps, even 
 republicans more or less democratic or 
 
PEKIN— DEPARTURE. 413 
 
 socialistic. The French, therefore, like the 
 Japanese, and on the other hand the Japanese 
 admire the French. They create a little army 
 in which they adopt our costumes ; nothing 
 is more singular than to see a chasseur de 
 Vmcennes mounting guard in the streets of 
 Yeddo. They construct little railways, little 
 telegraphs ; but in the end these things are not 
 serious, because in the first place there is not, 
 nor can be, anything serious in these people ; 
 these applications of our inventions are insig- 
 nificant because they are confined to a little 
 tongue of land very narrow along the sea, 
 beyond which it is impossible for Europeans to 
 penetrate. The interior of Japan is absolutely 
 closed to us, whilst we are perfectly free to 
 travel from one end of China to the other. 
 It is, therefore, I consider, quite an error to 
 suppose that Japan is marching towards civi- 
 lization. The existing transformations are 
 limited to a very minute portion of the terri- 
 tory, and consequently have no significance. 
 
 The Chinese government does not permit 
 to its people either telegraphs or railways, or 
 anything that is European ; but the day when 
 the Chinese, through some much desired 
 
414 ricuiM ji'Ji.j^j.i, lu j^JULiiv. 
 
 revolution, will have obtained these concessions 
 from its government, it will not only apply our 
 inventions with judgment but will perfect them, 
 and perhaps we shall be astonished one fine 
 day to learn from the Chinese the means of 
 uniting on railways the highest speed with the 
 greatest security. To impose on the Chinese 
 a new form of government, or on the existing 
 government a new constitution, is what our 
 last expedition there should have taken in 
 hand, instead of destroying the Summer 
 Palace, a piece of work repugnant to my 
 feelings to dwell on. 
 
 A little lake, surrounded entirely with marble 
 galleries and covered with miniature islands, in 
 the middle of which are displayed the most 
 charming pavilions in the world ; a large range 
 of steps in porcelain, rising to the top of the 
 hill of Wan-tcho-chan, and two little temples in 
 porcelain, — these are the remains of the marvels 
 that once astonished the wondering sight in 
 this palace and surrounding park. 
 
 I took leave of my kind hosts at the Legation 
 of Pekin, whose hospitality and attentions I 
 shall never forget, on the i8th of May, and 
 went to Tien-tsin by the course of the Peiho. 
 
PEKIN— DEPARTURE. 415 
 
 M. Rystel, then at the Consulate of Tien- 
 tsin, entertained us very agreeably the time we 
 were obliged to wait for a boat, and at last, on 
 the 24th of May, I embarked for Shanghai 
 with my three young companions already 
 mentioned. I could not make up my mind to 
 leave Pablo at Tien-tsin, and I, therefore, took 
 him with me. The poor fellow was so faithful 
 and devoted, and never ceased expatiating with 
 tears in his eyes on the far niente life he had 
 enjoyed, with so much good living, at the 
 Embassy of Pekin. On going to sea at the 
 mouth of the Peiho I was overcome with 
 rapture. For this great sea is all one, and, in 
 washing the shores of every land it touches, 
 it brought me nearer to my native land ; its 
 waves caressed as lovingly the beaches of 
 Trouville and Biarritz as the cliffs of the gulf 
 of Pei-Chi-Li. 
 
 My fatiguing travels over the Siberian 
 steppes and the Desert of Gobi were decidedly 
 at an end, and I now had before me the 
 prospect of my friends and my home. 
 
 My readers, perhaps, will wonder what 
 could have induced me to have undertaken 
 so wearisome a journey : I had imagined the 
 
4i6 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 bright side of it only then, but now I have seen 
 the other I can advise them not to follow my 
 example ; for though there are many novel, 
 grand, and striking scenes of nature, accom- 
 panied with much exciting adventure, still 
 they are not to be enjoyed in so rigorous a 
 climate as that of Siberia in Winter without 
 incurring much hardship, and even a certain 
 exposure to a considerable share of danger. 
 
NOTES, 
 
 Note i, Chap. IL, Page 22. 
 
 Whenever the degree of temperature is mentioned in the 
 course of this narrative, it is according to the Centigrade 
 scale, altliough it is calculated by the Reaumur thermometer, 
 and no other, in Russia. 5° Centigrade are equal to 9° 
 Fahrenheit : but since the freezing point in the Centigrade 
 thermometer is o, and in the Fahrenheit 32°, in converting 
 one scale into the other, care must be taken to add or deduct 
 this difference in calculating above or below freezing point. 
 It will therefore be seen that when 18° below o in the Cen- 
 tigrade scale are reached — a point nearly equivalent to zero 
 in the Fahrenheit thermometer — tlie latter is quite inadequate 
 to indicate the intense cold of Siberia, where, in certain parts, 
 as at Yakutsk and Tomsk, it is said to reach 58° Centigrade 
 even, in some winters. This temperature would be equivalent 
 to 105° Fahrenheit below freezing point, disregarding the 
 irrational descending scale below this mark, and supposing 
 the graduation to continue instead from freezing point with 
 augmenting numbers. But Gabriel Fahrenheit contrived his 
 thermometer for Dantzig, and evidently not for Siberia ; for 
 the lowest point, zero, has no scientific basis, no significance 
 whatever in the phenomena of heat, and represents merely the 
 extreme cold 'registered at Dantzig in 1709, a degree of cold 
 which must have been surpassed there subsequently by many 
 degrees, and even in Paris by at least 15°, once in the winter 
 of 1871 during the siege, and more than once during the 
 rigorous winter of 1880. We seem to be more attached to this 
 Dantzig thermometer than the Dantzigians themselves, who, 
 
 27 
 
4i8 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 probably, have long ago adopted the more rational scale of 
 Reaumur or of Celsius, more rational at least so far as they 
 are graduated each way from freezing, point. Perhaps a 
 change may come about when we begin to dine at i8 o'clock 
 instead of 6 p.m. — W. C. 
 
 Note 2, Chap. VII., Page 127. 
 
 Siberia, it appears, judging from an account of a corre- 
 spondent of the Times at Tumen, published November 20th, 
 1883, is quite un ;pays de cocagne, so far as provisions are 
 concerned, sparkling champagne of course excepted. The 
 prices of some articles of food at Tumen are given as follows : 
 
 " Geese in autumn cost fivepence a pair, and are frozen in 
 numbers to be sent west to Russia and east to Irkutsk ; grouse 
 in summer, being a delicacy, cost threepence a pair, and good 
 fish, such as sterlet and nelma, from three-halfpence to two- 
 pence-halfpenny per pound. Sheep are scarce and not much 
 eaten, but beef in autumn costs from fifteen to twenty pence 
 the pood, or about a halfpenny per pound." 
 
 In spite of the cheapness of provisions and labour, travelling 
 appears to be, at least to the foreigner, very expensive in 
 Siberia.— W. C. 
 
 Note 3, Chap. IX., Page 165. 
 
 Some interesting experiments on seeds and plants have re- 
 cently been made by a Norwegian savajit, Professor Schubeler, 
 with the view of demonstrating the beneficial influence of pro- 
 longed sunlight on vegetation during the long summer days 
 of the north. Some of these experiments were as follows : 
 dwarf beans taken from Christiania to Drontheim, being less 
 than 4° further north, gained more than 60 per cent, in weight ; 
 thyme brought from Lyons and planted at Drontheim gained 
 71 per cent. It appears that the grain grown in northern 
 latitudes is much heavier than that grown in more southern 
 lands : on the other hand, seed taken from Norway and sown 
 at Bresslau greatly diminished in weight the first year. As 
 the differences of soil, moisture, temperature of the ground- 
 
2VOTES. 4'9 
 
 and air, and other disturbing elements have to be duly ac- 
 counted for, these experiments do not appear to be sufficient 
 to establish the fact that the increase of weight was wholly 
 due to increased sunlight. Perhaps experiments for com- 
 parative results will be made under similar conditions, except 
 those of the duration and quantity of sunlight, and such 
 experiments, more in accordance with the principles of experi- 
 mental science, would, if made, be more satisfactory. — W. C . 
 
 Note 4, Chap. XL, Page 188. 
 
 It does not appear, however, that wolves are always so 
 peaceful and harmless. From a police report it seems that, 
 in 1875, 161 persons, and domestic animals to the value of 
 ;^2,5oo,ooo, were killed by wolves in European Russia : their 
 depredations in Siberia could not probably be easily calcu- 
 lated. In 1882 it is reported that 278 human beings were 
 killed by wolves in British India. — W. C. 
 
 Note 5, Chap. Xfl., Page 213. 
 
 The following are a few clauses from the Russian penal 
 code that came into operation on the ist of May, 1846, and 
 will show how far religious intolerance is carried in Russia. 
 Certain clauses relating to corporal punishments, the abro- 
 gation of privileges, and the right of suzerainty are omitted, 
 because the decree emancipating the serfs renders them null 
 and void. 
 
 "Sec. 196. — He who abandons the orthodox faith for any 
 other creed. Christian even, is to be handed over to the 
 ecclesiastical authorities, in order to be admonished and 
 enlightened, and that his case may be judged according to 
 the rules of the Church. Until he returns to the orthodox 
 faith, the Government lakes ste^s to preserve his children, 
 under age, from corruption : a guardian is placed over his 
 estates, and he is forbidden to reside thereJ" 
 
 " Sec. 197. — He who shall attempt, either by word of mouth 
 or writing, to draw orthodox believers into another creed, 
 shall be condemned : 
 
420 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 " For the first offence, to be imprisoned for one year or two 
 years in a house of correction ; for the second, to be incar- 
 cerated in a fortress for a period of four to six years ; for the 
 third, to be sent into exile in the government of Tobolsk or 
 Tomsk, with imprisonment for one or two years." 
 
 " Sec. 198. — If the parents, who are legally obliged to 
 bring up their children in the orthodox faith, shall bring 
 them up according to the practices of some other creed. 
 Christian even, they shall be condemned to imprisonment 
 for one or two years ; their children shall be entrusted to 
 parents of the orthodox faith for their education, or in 
 default of such persons, to guardians nominated by the 
 Government." 
 
 " Sec. 199. — He who shall hinder anyone from following 
 the orthodox faith shall be condemned to be imprisoned for 
 three to six months : and if he shall have used threats or 
 violence or practised annoyance, he shall be confined for two 
 or three years in a house of correction." 
 
 " Sec. 200. — He who is well aware that his wife or his 
 children, or any persons legally under his surveillance, in- 
 tend to abandon the orthodox creed, and does not attempt 
 to dissuade them from it, or take such measures as are 
 authorised by the law to prevent them from doing so, shall 
 be liable to an imprisonment of three days to three months ; 
 and if he is orthodox, he shall be subject to ecclesiastical 
 punishment." 
 
 This law therefore obliges a man, even if he is a Romayi 
 Catholic, to denounce his wife and children of the orthodox 
 faith and act with rigour against them. 
 
 "Sec. 202. — Members of the clergy of the Christian sects, 
 convicted of having taught the Catechism to orthodox children, 
 although it should ?tot be proved that they intended to be- 
 guile them, will be liable : for the first offence, to be removed 
 from their spiritual charge for one to three years ; for the 
 second, to forfeit entirely their charge, and, after having been 
 imprisoned for one to two years, to be placed continually 
 under the surveillance of the police." 
 
NOTES. 421 
 
 With regard to the grave question of mixed mai-riages, the 
 tenth book of the laws, among other vexatious regulations, 
 stipulates that : "If one of the two contracting parties is 
 orthodox, the priest can only give his benediction to the 
 marriage when he shall have obtained from the heterodox 
 party a formal engagement in writing, that he or she shall 
 not attempt to gain over the other to his or her religion by 
 allurements, threats, or other means, and that all their 
 children shall be brought U'p in the orthodox faith." 
 
 Marriages between members of the Catholic and of the 
 Orthodox faith, celebrated only in a Catholic church, are de- 
 clared null and void. 
 
 Note 6, Chap. XIII., Page 225. 
 
 The exiled Poles, at present even, can only carry offensive 
 weapons with the permission of the military governor. 
 
 Note 7, CtiAP. XIII., Page 226. 
 
 In Siberia, poor people, who travel enormous distances 
 afoot, in order to pray at a tomb or the image of a saint, 
 are often met with. It is not a rare occurrence for peasants 
 to attempt to undertake a journey thus as far as Jerusalem. 
 There are many, indeed, that abandon their project on the 
 way from sheer fatigue, but not from want of courage. A 
 few are sometimes known to accomplish even this formidable 
 undertaking. 
 
 Note 8, Chap. XIII., Page 229. 
 
 Many Siberian animals that are white during winter, resump, 
 in the summer, furs of a colour which we habitually see here. 
 The ermine is a changeable fur, and becomes yellow during 
 the warm season. A summer ermine is almost worthless in 
 the eyes of a connoisseur. — The Author. 
 
 These, no doubt, are instances of the ^protective colours 
 observed by Darwin and Mr. Wallace. 
 
 "A common Indian and Sumatran butterfly (^Kallimd) 
 disappears like magic when it settles in a bush ; for it hides 
 
422 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 its head and antennae between its closed wings, and these in 
 form, colour, and veining, cannot be distinguished from a 
 withered /^o/ together with the footstalk." — Wallace. 
 
 "With animals of all kinds, whenever colour has been 
 modified yo^ so?ne special j>ur^ose, this has been, as far as 
 we can judge, A'Cciexfor protection or as an attraction between 
 the sexes." — Darwin, Descent of Man. 
 
 The white furs of the animals, liable to become the prey of 
 others amid the snow, are obviously a protection from obser- 
 vation ; and likewise in summer, some other colour presenting 
 a diminished contrast with surrounding nature, would have 
 the same effect. 
 
 Perhaps this adaptation of colour to surroundings may ex- 
 tend also to certain animals, which would otherwise become 
 extinct if they did not enjoy the facilities it conferred in the 
 capture of their prey when they are placed at a great disad- 
 vantage. The Polar bear, for instance, requires no protection 
 from its enemies, but favourable conditions, probably, for 
 approaching its prey unobserved. It seems reasonable to 
 conclude that animals of either class favoured with a colour 
 that enables them either to escape from their pursuers, or, 
 on the other hand, to approach their prey, have, in the 
 struggle for life, the best chance- of a prolonged existence, 
 and consequently of leaving the most numerous offspring to 
 perpetuate the race. Though colour is one of the most varying 
 eatures of animals, it is, whether changing or permanent, 
 beginning to be recognised no longer as capricious or acci- 
 dental, as we have hitherto usually regarded it, but as the 
 consequence of the survival of the most highly favoured in an 
 endowment conducive to the preservation of the species, a 
 discovery on which the continued observations of naturalists 
 are ever throwing fresh light. — W. C. 
 
 Note 9, Chap. XIII., Page 231. 
 This is a small fruit resembling that of the dog rose. A 
 beverage is made from it by infusing the berries for a fortnight 
 in some brandy with sugar, which is not disagreeable to the 
 palate. 
 
NOTES. 423 
 
 Note 10, Chap. XIII., Page 240. 
 
 In England, in the time of Henry VIII., Sable was 
 probably adopted by wealthy people as a distinctive mark 
 of their social position ; otherwise, why should it have become 
 an object of legislation, and have been prohibited by the 
 Statute of Apparel (24 Hen. VIII.) to be worn by any under 
 the degree of an earl ? 
 
 It will, no doubt, be seen from this diverse and often 
 singularly-extravagant appreciation of furs in Russia — and 
 occasionally not so much for their beauty and elegance as 
 for their rarity and great money value — that it is the lucky 
 possessors who are admired and envied in these luxuries, 
 because they are the means of proclaiming and parading so 
 effectively their opulence ; and the vain, exulting in this 
 special homage to their exaggerated self-importance, cheer- 
 fully buy the gratification at their own appraisement, and 
 thereby give to these furs an exorbitant value. 
 
 It might be contended that a single caprice of this nature 
 is insufficient to prove the existence of a passion for the display 
 of wealth, and that such instances must necessarily be rare 
 because the furs are rare. 
 
 But it has significance enough to deduce from it its pervading 
 character. The vain, it is true, can be vain only of what they 
 possess ; but to suppose these to have undivided possession of 
 the folly, as well as exclusive enjoyment of the highly-prized 
 furs, would be to take no account of the admiring multitude 
 and the envious, without whom the vanity of others would 
 clearly have no raison d'etre — no visible existence ; for the 
 price of these special badges or symbols, these admirers, the 
 public in fact, so materially sustain, is precisely the measure 
 of the public estimation. 
 
 It seems therefore reasonable to infer that the sentiment is 
 general. 
 
 Then when a caprice becomes d. la mode — " the proper thing 
 to do " — a powerful fresh stimulus is added to the folly, and 
 the feverish desire "to be in the fashion" may develop the 
 
424 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 passion into a mania, whether its special objects be badges 
 of wealth, bibelots, tulips, or bric-a-brac, and 
 
 " Thus does a false ambition rule us, 
 Thus pomp delude and folly fool us." 
 
 But a desire to fall in with the fashion would alone be insuf- 
 ficient to explain the extraordinary price of blue fox feet fur ; 
 for a fashion to become a rage must first take the form of an 
 epidemic — a condition rigorously excluded by the very restricted 
 number of possible possessors of the coveted object. And so 
 far as beauty is concerned, however beautiful this fur may be, 
 its beauty would still far less account for the price. That the 
 Russians consider it beautiful, is likely enough, for beauty to 
 most people is purely conventional, and much more readily 
 perceived through the ears than the eyes. Few, perhaps, 
 would contend that the beauty of pearls and diamonds is at 
 all commensurate with their price, and yet those who recog- 
 nise the exaggeration, might not readily perceive that nearly 
 all their value is derived from the esteem they command as 
 badges or insignia of wealth and competence. If beauty has 
 no objective existence — and there is no evidence that it has 
 any other than as a sentiment or idea — it can have no money 
 value at all in a beautiful object, simply because it is not there, 
 but in the brain of the beholder ; and this would, perhaps, 
 explain why so many seem insensible to its influence, and 
 again, why it appeared to Goethe to elude the grasp of de- 
 finition. How often we vainly imagine we secure it in acquiring 
 some charming tableau de genre or bit of old china, some 
 rare gem or inimitable enamel, and, at the end of a few 
 months' familiarity with it, are disappointed at finding that it 
 no longer rouses the enthusiasm we felt on first beholding its 
 wondrous beauty ! And yet, ever fondly clinging to the illusion 
 that it is an intrinsic part of the object, we continue the pursuit 
 like the chase of the beautiful blue-winged butterfly of Kash- 
 meer, described in The Giaour, and not rarely find at last 
 that— 
 
 " The lovely toy so fiercely sought, 
 Hath lost its charm by being caught." 
 
NOTES. 425 
 
 But it exists only in tlie mind, which feels no satisfaction 
 in the constant indulgence of a single emotion, and it may, 
 as in pearls and diamonds, be enjoyed for itself alone, without 
 material possession, as gratuitously as the surpassing beauty 
 of a splendid sunset. Nor would, perhaps, the exigencies of 
 fashion — which may be fully met by imitations so deceptive 
 as to elude ordinary detection — raise the price of the real 
 much beyond the fictitious gem, unless the fashionable were 
 as scrupulous as ladies were in the reign of Elizabeth, who, 
 according to Fuller, " would have as patiently digested a lie, 
 as the wearing of false stones or pendants of counterfeit pearl." 
 
 But regarded as insignia of wealth, possession is a sine 
 qud non, and the extravagant price is essential to its object, 
 and the more extravagant it is, the higher the gratification to 
 be derived from it, because this implies increased distinction 
 — the consequence of fewer enjoying a superfluity of wealth. 
 The desire also to acquire a beautiful article of exaggerated 
 value is independent of an appreciation of beauty ^er se, 
 and is principally a purely factitious desire, varying for no 
 better reason than because other people in general by a tacit 
 consensus think more or less of it ; and if society should agree 
 to think any object, whether beautiful or not, a convenient 
 vehicle to attract attention to any quality it values, such as 
 wealth, refinement, hautton, elegance, or culture, a. new value 
 is immediately given to such object, which the rage to acquire 
 may exaggerate to outrageous extravagance. If, for instance, 
 diamonds and pearls had not been taken into favour by princes, 
 from time immemorial all the world over, they might not now, 
 perhaps, have a much higher value than Brighton pebbles or 
 Whitby jet. And if blue fox feet fur had not been adopted 
 by the Muscovite grandees, it might have no higher value than 
 grey fox or squirrel. But it is plainly envy and admiration of 
 riches that the Russian grandees buy, and when they have 
 a relish for the luxury they pay for it as munificently as 
 Lucullus paid for a magnificent supper, who probably thought 
 as little of the epicurean gratification to be got out of a dish 
 of peacock's brains, as these nabobs think of the comfort or 
 
426 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 eleg-ance to be got out of a cloak of blue fox feet, the senti- 
 mental value of which they estimate at the rate of sixteen 
 hundred pounds sterling ! — W. C. 
 
 Note ii, Chap. XV., Page 278. 
 
 The author of " Chto dyelat" was Tschernishevsky, who 
 wrote it in the Petro-Paolovsky fortress at St. Petersburg. 
 He had written also several romances during his imprison- 
 ment, all of which he had burnt with his own hand. Accord- 
 ing to his own statement, it does not appear that he was 
 imprisoned on account of anything he had written. In the 
 month of December, 1883, he was living as a free convict 
 under surveillance at Astrachan, and on the nth of this 
 month, had completed his long term of nearly twenty years 
 of banishment. He gave the following account of his treat- 
 ment as a prisoner to a correspondent of the Daily News, 
 whose interesting letter regarding him was published in that 
 journal, December 22nd, 1883. 
 
 " I was always treated by the agents of the Government as 
 respectfully as any man could desire. My treatment was not 
 that of a convict, but, throughout, that of a prisoner of war. 
 The hard labour, of which I have spoken, was for me, as well 
 as for many of the Russian and Polish political exiles, among 
 whom my lot was cast, a name only — it existed on paper, but 
 had no reality." — W. C. 
 
 Note 12, Chap. XVL, Page 287. 
 
 The reader perhaps may not know why, in mentioning the 
 names of certain persons, their family names are preceded 
 by two baptismal names. It is because in Russia courtesy 
 demands that, in addressing anyone, you should add the 
 baptismal name of his father, to which is affixed the termina- 
 tion ovitch. Thus Iwan Michaelovitch Nemptchinof means 
 Iwan the son of Michael Nemptchinof. This double appella- 
 tion, not merely polite, but indeed the most respectful of all, 
 
NOTES. i,2-j 
 
 especially when the family name is not added, is so rigorously 
 exacted by usage, that the Emperor, in the public acts, is 
 designated Alexander Nicolaevitch. It is one of the grossest 
 insults to address anyone by his sole baptismal name as we are 
 accustomed to do in our intimacies : it seems that in omitting 
 the name of the father in addressing a Russian you would 
 insinuate that he was obscure and unknown and of illegitimate 
 birth. 
 
 Note 13, Chap. XVI., Page 301. 
 
 The same fact has been remarked by Blanchard [Animaux 
 articules, Paris, 1846), and by Lacordaire {Introduction d. 
 rentomologie, tome iii, page 383). 
 
 Note 14, Chap. XIX., Page 347. 
 
 The Desert of Gobi properly so called is a little less in extent 
 than the Sahara ; it must not be forgotten, however, that the 
 countries bordering it, especially on the west, are actual 
 deserts. 
 
 Note 15, Chap. XIX., Page 350. 
 
 The depressing effect on the mind of the traveller, produced 
 by the aspect of monotonous scenery, has been noticed by M. 
 Gabriel Charmes, in an excursion in the Auvergne {Journal 
 des Debats, July, 1881), who attributes the habitual lowness 
 of spirits of the peasantry to the cheerless uniformity of certain 
 parts of the Cantal, amid which they dwell. As some of these 
 are said to become sorcerers from the prolonged effect, may 
 not the gloomy character of the Mongolian religion be largely 
 attributable to the dismal baldness of their desert ? M. Gabriel 
 Charmes thus describes the mountains of the Cantal and their 
 influence on the mind of the spectator: " I have referred to 
 those great, sterile, melancholy table-lands, that are every- 
 where met with in the Cantal and the mountainous district of 
 the Pu7-de-D6me. In the spring even, when the long grass 
 
428 FROM PARIS TO PEKIN. 
 
 is mingled with an abundance of flowers, it is almost impos- 
 sible to traverse them, and quite impossible to. dwell there, 
 without feeling some vague, unaccountable weight or oppres- 
 sion on the spirits, similar to that experienced by those who 
 live on the sea-shore, in sight of the incessant monotony of 
 the waves. The clouds depict on them great dark shadows, 
 which, driven on by a brisk wind, flit past like gigantic phan- 
 toms. This perpetual play of shadows and light is the only 
 diversity that arrests the eye in the interminable uniformity. 
 They, therefore, who frequent them a long while, acquire, in 
 course of time, strange habits of mind. It is a very widely 
 spread opinion among the peasantry of the Auvergne, that 
 the cow-herds, who pass most of the year on the lonely hills, 
 actually become wizards. The special fixedness, perhaps, 
 which the contemplation of an unvarying nature stamps on 
 their sight, is the cause of this prejudice. . . . The mind 
 contracts there a kind of natural melancholy, and this seems 
 to dispose it to sadness rather than joyousness." It is not 
 probable that the monotony of the waves produces the same 
 effect, for here we have movement, with which the mind 
 sympathises, and, being thus relieved, does not readily be- 
 come a prey to melancholy. The sea is very different from 
 the motionless, unchanging desert. — W. C. 
 
 Notes bearing 710 initials at the end d7-e taken from the 
 Original Edition. 
 
 THE ABERDEEN UNIVERSITV PRESS; J. THOMSON AND J. F. THOMSON, M.A. 
 
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