eding town, so disturbed by the governor's order.
Michael had as yet said nothing to the girl, he had not even questioned
her. He waited until she should speak to him, when that was necessary.
She had been anxious to leave that town, in which, but for the
providential intervention of this unexpected protector, she would have
remained imprisoned. She said nothing, but her looks spoke her thanks.

The Volga, the Rha of the ancients, the largest river in all Europe, is
almost three thousand miles in length. Its waters, rather unwholesome
in its upper part, are improved at Nijni-Novgorod by those of the Oka, a
rapid affluent, issuing from the central provinces of Russia. The system
of Russian canals and rivers has been justly compared to a gigantic tree
whose branches spread over every part of the empire. The Volga forms the
trunk of this tree, and it has for roots seventy mouths opening into the
Caspian Sea. It is navigable as far as Rjef, a town in the government of
Tver, that is, along the greater part of its course.

The steamboats plying between Perm and Nijni-Novgorod rapidly perform
the two hundred and fifty miles which separate this town from the town
of Kasan. It is true that these boats have only to descend the Volga,
which adds nearly two miles of current per hour to their own speed; but
on arriving at the confluence of the Kama, a little below Kasan, they
are obliged to quit the Volga for the smaller river, up which they
ascend to Perm. Powerful as were her machines, the Caucasus could not
thus, after entering the Kama, make against the current more than ten
miles an hour. Including an hour's stoppage at Kasan, the voyage from
Nijni-Novgorod to Perm would take from between sixty to sixty-two hours.

The steamer was very well arranged, and the passengers, according to
their condition or resources, occupied three distinct classes on board.
Michael Strogoff had taken care to engage two first-class cabins, so
that his young companion might retire into hers whenever she liked.

The Caucasus was loaded with passengers of every description. A
number of Asiatic traders had thought it best to leave Nijni-Novgorod
immediately. In that part of the steamer reserved for the first-class
might be seen Armenians in long robes and a sort of miter on their
heads; Jews, known by their conical caps; rich Chinese in their
traditional costume, a very wide blue, violet, or black robe; Turks,
wearing the national turban; Hindoos, wit