he
station. He could give but slight hope of quarters for the night, but
generously offered his services. Droshkies were engaged to convey us to
the old city, on the hill beyond the Oka; and, crowded two by two into
the shabby little vehicles, we set forth. The sand was knee-deep, and
the first thing that happened was the stoppage of our procession by the
tumbling down of the several horses. They were righted with the help of
some obliging spectators; and with infinite labor we worked through this
strip of desert into a region of mud, with a hard, stony bottom
somewhere between us and the earth's centre. The street we entered,
though on the outskirts of the Fair, resembled Broadway on a
sensation-day. It was choked with a crowd, composed of the sweepings of
Europe and Asia. Our horses thrust their heads between the shoulders of
Christians, Jews, Moslem, and Pagans, slowly shoving their way towards
the floating bridge, which was a jam of vehicles from end to end. At the
corners of the streets, the wiry Don Cossacks, in their dashing blue
uniforms and caps of black lamb's-wool, regulated, as best they could,
the movements of the multitude. It was curious to notice how they, and
their small, well-knit horses,--the equine counterparts of
themselves,--controlled the fierce, fiery life which flashed from every
limb and feature, and did their duty with wonderful patience and
gentleness. They seemed so many spirits of Disorder tamed to the service
of Order.

It was nearly half an hour before we reached the other end of the
bridge, and struck the superb inclined highway which leads to the top of
the hill. We were unwashed and hungry; and neither the tumult of the
lower town, nor the view of the Volga, crowded with vessels of all
descriptions, had power to detain us. Our brave little horses bent
themselves to the task; for task it really was,--the road rising between
three and four hundred feet in less than half a mile. Advantage has been
taken of a slight natural ravine, formed by a short, curving spur of the
hill, which encloses a _pocket_ of the greenest and richest foliage,--a
bit of unsuspected beauty, quite invisible from the other side of the
river. Then, in order to reach the level of the Kremlin, the road is led
through an artificial gap, a hundred feet in depth, to the open square
in the centre of the city.

Here, all was silent and deserted. There were broad, well-paved streets,
substantial houses, the square towers