ht before, we were suffering now. I had thought
anything worse impossible. Worse it was now. The car was even more
crowded, and people gasped for breath. People sat in strangers' laps,
only glad of that. The floor was so thickly lined that the conductor
could not pass, and the tickets were passed to him from hand to hand.
To-night all were more worn out, and that did not mend their
dispositions. They could not help falling asleep and colliding with
someone's nodding head, which called out angry mutterings and growls.
Some fell off their seats and caused a great commotion by rolling over
on the sleepers on the floor, and, in spite of my own sleepiness and
weariness, I had many quiet laughs by myself as I watched the funny
actions of the poor travellers.

Not until very late did I fall asleep. I, with the rest, missed the
pleasant company of our friends, the Gittlemans, and thought about them
as I sat perched on a box, with an old man's knees for the back of my
seat, another man's head continually striking my right shoulder, a dozen
or so arms being tossed restlessly right in front of my face, and as
many legs holding me a fast prisoner, so that I could only try to keep
my seat against all the assaults of the sleepers who tried in vain to
make their positions more comfortable. It was all so comical, in spite
of all the inconveniences, that I tried hard not to laugh out loud, till
I too fell asleep. I was awakened very early in the morning by something
chilling and uncomfortable on my face, like raindrops coming down
irregularly. I found it was a neighbor of mine eating cheese, who was
dropping bits on my face. So I began the day with a laugh at the man's
funny apologies, but could not find much more fun in the world on
account of the cold and the pain of every limb. It was very miserable,
till some breakfast cheered me up a little.

About eight o'clock we reached Hamburg. Again there was a gendarme to
ask questions, look over the tickets and give directions. But all the
time he kept a distance from those passengers who came from Russia, all
for fear of the cholera. We had noticed before how people were afraid to
come near us, but since that memorable bath in Berlin, and all the
steaming and smoking of our things, it seemed unnecessary.

We were marched up to the strangest sort of vehicle one could think of.
It was a something I don't know any name for, though a little like an
express wagon. At that time I had never seen