ourier of the Czar felt less uneasy, and began to hope that no fresh
obstacle would delay his progress.

The road was good, for that part of it which extends between Krasnoiarsk
and Irkutsk is considered the best in the whole journey; fewer jolts for
travelers, large trees to shade them from the heat of the sun, sometimes
forests of pines or cedars covering an extent of a hundred versts.
It was no longer the wide steppe with limitless horizon; but the rich
country was empty. Everywhere they came upon deserted villages. The
Siberian peasantry had vanished. It was a desert, but a desert by order
of the Czar.

The weather was fine, but the air, which cooled during the night, took
some time to get warm again. Indeed it was now near September, and in
this high region the days were sensibly shortening. Autumn here lasts
but a very little while, although this part of Siberian territory is
not situated above the fifty-fifth parallel, that of Edinburgh and
Copenhagen. However, winter succeeds summer almost unexpectedly. These
winters of Asiatic Russia may be said to be precocious, considering that
during them the thermometer falls until the mercury is frozen nearly
42 degrees below zero, and that 20 degrees below zero is considered an
unsupportable temperature.

The weather favored our travelers. It was neither stormy nor rainy. The
health of Nadia and Michael was good, and since leaving Tomsk they had
gradually recovered from their past fatigues.

As to Nicholas Pigassof, he had never been better in his life. To him
this journey was a trip, an agreeable excursion in which he employed his
enforced holiday.

"Decidedly," said he, "this is pleasanter than sitting twelve hours a
day, perched on a stool, working the manip-ulator!"

Michael had managed to get Nicholas to make his horse quicken his pace.
To obtain this result, he had confided to Nicholas that Nadia and he
were on their way to join their father, exiled at Irkutsk, and that they
were very anxious to get there. Certainly, it would not do to overwork
the horse, for very probably they would not be able to exchange him
for another; but by giving him frequent rests--every ten miles, for
instance--forty miles in twenty-four hours could easily be accomplished.
Besides, the animal was strong, and of a race calculated to endure great
fatigue. He was in no want of rich pasturage along the road, the grass
being thick and abundant. Therefore, it was possible to demand an
i