he hotel, he advised Fred and Harry to return there,
promising soon to follow them.

"We can find our way there easily enough!" they both exclaimed; "we know
exactly what to say to the ishvoshtstick--Angliskoy Nabergenoy--that's
it--the English Quay. Oh, we shall get along famously."

Saying this, they jumped up on their fore-and-aft drosky, and, giving
their directions as well as could any Russian, they thought, away they
drove.

They were then in the Vasiliefskoi Ostrof quarter, or on Basilius
Island. This is the name given to the large island which is to the
north of the main channel of the Neva. Here is the Exchange, and many
public buildings before mentioned, and here most of the English
merchants reside. They drove on, remarking a variety of novel and
curious sights on their way; but, forgetting to take due note of the
direction in which they were going, they passed along the quay, and over
one of the floating bridges, and then through some fine wide streets.
They were amused with the guards stationed at the corners of streets in
every quarter of the city. They were mostly thin, tall, lank men, in
long coats reaching to their heels, with huge battle-axes on long poles
in their hands, and helmets on their heads. What use they were of it
was difficult to say, for they certainly could not have run after a
thief, much less have knocked one down. The signs, also, in front of
the shops appeared very ridiculous. Instead of the display of articles
made by an English tradesman in his windows, there were large boards
over the doors and windows, and their sides, and under the windows,
painted with gigantic designs representing the chief articles to be
found within. Huge gloves and stockings, and cravats and
pocket-handkerchiefs, and boots and shoes, and coats and trousers, and
hats and caps, and knives and forks and spoons--indeed, it is impossible
to enumerate all the articles thus represented.

"Those are what we may call Russian hieroglyphics, Harry," said Fred; "I
daresay, now, that the Egyptians had something of the sort in their shop
windows before they knew how to write."

"It is a capital sort of language," replied Harry, "because, you see,
the mujicks, who do not know how to read, and we, who don't understand
Russian, both understand it equally well."

"The best universal language," remarked Fred. "If something of the sort
were established regularly in the world, it would save a great deal of
troubl