Back in Irkutsk I availed myself of the afier the Governor-General of the pro-Viinco had made two mouths before, to viz sit the largest prison in Siberia, that of Alexandrovski.
The convict town lies just fifty miles to the north-west of Irkutsk, over hills and through a wild and wooded region. The journey was to be made by tarantass. As it was the closing days of October, and all Siberia lay beneath a cloak of snow, sledges were scudding through the broad streets of Irkutsk, everybody was wrapped in furs, and it was likely to be a eeld trip. As companion I had the secretary of the Inspector of Prisons and a young German, who spoke Russian well, and who was delighted to have the opportunity, by acting in the capacity of interpreter, to sea the inside of a famous prison.
Tt had been arranged that we were to start in, the early afternoon, and reach Alexandrovski in time to have an evening meal with the Governor. But you must always allow a margin of a few hours in Russia, so I was not surprised at it being close on five o'clock, and the daylight waning when I heard a great jangle of bells in the streets heralding the arrival of two tarantasses. They were like great country carts, roughly built, with the back covered with a hood lined with skin. Everything had been done to secure comfort. The bottom of the cart was filled with hay, and over this had been thrown sheepskins. There were pillows puder the hood, sheepskins to throw over us, and a big leather apron that buttoned three-parts up the cart. I donned a pair of clump sy, knee-reaching felt boots over my crdinary boots, and besides an ordinary top-cent, suitable for winter wear in England I put on my sheepskin "shuba," and on the top of that a mighty enveloping fur-skin travelling coat lent me by the Prison Inspector. Thus with a warm astray khan hat, I felt I might brave a visit to the North Polo, though I was as ungainly as a walrus. My comparrions were clad much the same, but, they carried revolvers, and threw them on their pillows ready for use; and at the last moment a friend pushed his revolver into my hand, and insisted on my taking it. There had been fourteen murders in the outskirts of Irkutsk the previous week. Desperados were about, and it was unwise to go unarmed.
Tt was just dark when we set off, the German and I in the big trarantass and the official following in a smaller tarantass. The six horses were fresh, and with much bell-ringing, away we clattered into the country. 'The road was little other than a track, roughened up in the rains and now frozen hard, and with not sufficient snow to deaden the jolting. We jolted I was certain' my bones © were splintered.
The night was beautiful; the moon, a great arch of light streaming upon a world of snow, gave a brightness almost as of day. We climbed into the hills that had a whiteness only broken by tufts of gaunt fir trees, There were long stretches of slow going; then stretches at 2 rattling pace, then crawling again. There was no wind. Around us was a great moon-swept silence, but for the bells that xang cri-ply in the iey air. After fifteen miles we reached a post-house, and were glad to throw off our heavy coverings and move our chilled limbs while the wife of the postmaster made tea.
Bere we decided to have ledges. Travelling by sledge on a moonlight night, through still woods and with not a sound
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.