s.

"That man is an infernal scoundrel," said the Chief of Police, when told
that Napoleon's _barouche_ was to have cost me 150 roubles. "I will give
you a couple of good Yakute sleighs for half the money. You can only use
them on the Lena." And when I saw the primitive contrivances in question
I no longer marvelled at their low price.

Let me describe the comfortless conveyance in which we accomplished the
first two thousand miles of the journey across Siberia. A Yakute sleigh
has a pair of runners, but otherwise totally differs from any other
sleigh in the wide world. Imagine a sack of coarse matting about four
feet deep suspended from a frame of rough wooden poles in a horizontal
triangle, which also forms a seat for the driver. Into this bag the
traveller first lowers his luggage, then his mattress, pillows, and
furs, and finally enters himself, lying at full length upon his
belongings. There is a thick felt apron which can be pulled completely
over its occupant at night-time or in stormy weather. This sounds warm
and comfortable, but is precisely the reverse, for after a few hours the
porous felt becomes saturated with moisture (formed by bodily warmth and
external cold), rendering the traveller's heavy garments damp and chilly
for the remainder of the journey. There is nothing to prevent the
_Koshma_, as this covering is called (_Cauchemar_ would be a better
name!), from resting upon the face during sleep, and frost-bitten
features are the natural result. So far, therefore, as comfort is
concerned a Yakute sleigh is capable of some improvement, for, even in
fine weather, the occupant must raise himself up on his elbows to see
anything but the sky above him, while in storms the damp, heavy covering
casts him into outer darkness. Under the most favourable circumstances
little is seen of the country travelled through, but, as the Chief of
Police consolingly remarked, "Between here and Yakutsk there is nothing
to see!"

Provisions were the next consideration, and these were obtained from a
well-appointed store on the "Bolshaya." We now had but a dozen cases of
condensed foods, &c., left, and these I wished to keep intact, if
possible, for use in the Arctic regions. On the Lena road the
post-houses were only from thirty to forty miles apart, but as they only
provide hot water and black bread for the use of travellers, I laid in a
good supply of canned meats, sardines, and tea to carry us comfortably,
at any rate, th