r had
replied that any inconvenience was outweighed by the great honour
conferred upon her house by the presence of officers of the French Army.
It would not be polite to the glorious French Army to repeat Madame
Pastrokoff's reply. It only shows how stupid it is to send to foreign
countries any but the best men to represent a great and gallant nation.
I naturally reminded Madame that she was a Russian, living in her own
country, under her own Government, and she must report the case to the
Russian authorities, who would doubtless provide accommodation for the
French Mission if necessary.

The Pastrokoffs, coupled with the vivacious Madame Barbara Pastokova and
her husband, were among the most homely and interesting people it was my
pleasure to meet in the Urals. If you have never been in Russia you know
nothing of hospitality; you only squirm around the fringe of the
subject. The hospitality of our friends at Perm was truly Russian, and
I was sorry when we had to leave. M. Pastrokoff told me of the following
incident of the early relief of Perm from the Terrorist.

General Pepelaieff's army was stretched along the railway from Perm
towards Vatka, the junction of the Archangel Railway. The temperature
was over "60 below," the men were without clothes, thousands had died
from exposure, and other thousands were in a ghastly condition from
frost-bite. There was little or no hospital accommodation, and the Omsk
Ministers were deaf to all appeals for help, they being more concerned
as to how they could shake off the Supreme Governor's control than how
best to perform their duty. In the early days of February the feeding of
the army became a pressing problem, and still the Omsk Ministers
remained silent. On February 10 Pastrokoff received an imperative order
to appear at General Hepoff's office. At 11 A.M. he arrived to find nine
of the wealthiest citizens of Perm already collected. Looking out of the
windows they saw a full company of Siberian Rifles surround the building
with fixed bayonets. The general entered the room and sat at his table,
they remained standing. Looking at, and _through_, each one separately,
he delivered this cryptic speech: "Gentlemen, I have brought you here to
tell you that out on the railway between you and your enemies lie the
remains of our brave army! They have little clothes, but plenty of wood,
so their fires may prevent their bodies from being frozen, but ten days
from now there will be no fo