that in Turkey the Christians
are less truthful than the Mahometans.

But we have wandered a long way from the road to Bashkiria. Let us
therefore return at once.

Of all the journeys which I made in Russia this was one of the most
agreeable. The weather was bright and warm, without being unpleasantly
hot; the roads were tolerably smooth; the tarantass, which had been
hired for the whole journey, was nearly as comfortable as a tarantass
can be; good milk, eggs, and white bread could be obtained in abundance;
there was not much difficulty in procuring horses in the villages
through which we passed, and the owners of them were not very
extortionate in their demands. But what most contributed to my comfort
was that I was accompanied by an agreeable, intelligent young Russian,
who kindly undertook to make all the necessary arrangements, and I
was thereby freed from those annoyances and worries which are always
encountered in primitive countries where travelling is not yet a
recognised institution. To him I left the entire control of our
movements, passively acquiescing in everything, and asking no questions
as to what was coming. Taking advantage of my passivity, he prepared for
me one evening a pleasant little surprise.

About sunset we had left a village called Morsha, and shortly
afterwards, feeling drowsy, and being warned by my companion that
we should have a long, uninteresting drive, I had lain down in the
tarantass and gone to sleep. On awaking I found that the tarantass had
stopped, and that the stars were shining brightly overhead. A big
dog was barking furiously close at hand, and I heard the voice of the
yamstchik informing us that we had arrived. I at once sat up and looked
about me, expecting to see a village of some kind, but instead of that
I perceived a wide open space, and at a short distance a group of
haystacks. Close to the tarantass stood two figures in long cloaks,
armed with big sticks, and speaking to each other in an unknown tongue.
My first idea was that we had been somehow led into a trap, so I drew
my revolver in order to be ready for all emergencies. My companion was
still snoring loudly by my side, and stoutly resisted all my efforts to
awaken him.

"What's this?" I said, in a gruff, angry voice, to the yamstchik. "Where
have you taken us to?"

"To where I was ordered, master!"

For the purpose of getting a more satisfactory explanation I took to
shaking my sleepy companion, but befor