THE next day, the 19th of July, the Caucasus reached Perm,
the last place at which she touched on the Kama.
The government of which Perm is the capital is one of the largest
in the Russian Empire, and, extending over the Ural Mountains,
encroaches on Siberian territory. Marble quarries, mines of salt,
platina, gold, and coal are worked here on a large scale.
Although Perm, by its situation, has become an important town, it is
by no means attractive, being extremely dirty, and without resources.
This want of comfort is of no consequence to those going to Siberia,
for they come from the more civilized districts, and are supplied
with all necessaries.
At Perm travelers from Siberia resell their vehicles,
more or less damaged by the long journey across the plains.
There, too, those passing from Europe to Asia purchase carriages,
or sleighs in the winter season.
Michael Strogoff had already sketched out his programme.
A vehicle carrying the mail usually runs across the Ural Mountains,
but this, of course, was discontinued. Even if it had not been so,
he would not have taken it, as he wished to travel as fast as possible,
without depending on anyone. He wisely preferred to buy a carriage,
and journey by stages, stimulating the zeal of the postillions
by well-applied "na vodkou," or tips.
Unfortunately, in consequence of the measures taken against foreigners
of Asiatic origin, a large number of travelers had already left Perm,
and therefore conveyances were extremely rare. Michael was
obliged to content himself with what had been rejected by others.
As to horses, as long as the Czar's courier was not in Siberia,
he could exhibit his podorojna, and the postmasters would give him
the preference. But, once out of Europe, he had to depend alone
on the power of his roubles.
But to what sort of a vehicle should he harness his horses?
To a telga or to a tarantass? The telga is nothing
but an open four-wheeled cart, made entirely of wood,
the pieces fastened together by means of strong rope.
Nothing could be more primitive, nothing could be less comfortable;
but, on the other hand, should any accident happen on the way,
nothing could be more easily repaired. There is no want of firs
on the Russian frontier, and axle-trees grow naturally in forests.
The post extraordinary, known by the name of "perck-ladnoi,"
is carried by the telga, as any road is good enough for it.
It must be confessed that sometimes the ropes which fasten
the concern together break, and whilst the hinder part remains stuck
in some bog, the fore-part arrives at the post-house on two wheels;
but this result is considered quite satisfactory.
Michael Strogoff would have been obliged to employ a telga,
if he had not been lucky enough to discover a tarantass.
It is to be hoped that the invention of Russian coach-builders
will devise some improvement in this last-named vehicle.
Springs are wanting in it as well as in the telga;
in the absence of iron, wood is not spared; but its four wheels,
with eight or nine feet between them, assure a certain
equilibrium over the jolting rough roads. A splash-board
protects the travelers from the mud, and a strong leathern hood,
which may be pulled quite over the occupiers, shelters them
from the great heat and violent storms of the summer.
The tarantass is as solid and as easy to repair as the telga,
and is, moreover, less addicted to leaving its hinder part
in the middle of the road.
It was not without careful search that Michael managed to
discover this tarantass, and there was probably not a second
to be found in all Perm. He haggled long about the price,
for form's sake, to act up to his part as Nicholas Korpanoff,
a plain merchant of Irkutsk.
Nadia had followed her companion in his search after a suitable vehicle.
Although the object of each was different, both were equally
anxious to arrive at their goal. One would have said the same will
animated them both.
"Sister," said Michael, "I wish I could have found a more comfortable
conveyance for you."
"Do you say that to me, brother, when I would have gone on foot,
if need were, to rejoin my father?"
"I do not doubt your courage, Nadia, but there are physical fatigues
a woman may be unable to endure."
"I shall endure them, whatever they be," replied the girl.
"If you ever hear a complaint from me you may leave me in the road,
and continue your journey alone."
Half an hour later, the podorojna being presented by Michael,
three post-horses were harnessed to the tarantass. These animals,
covered with long hair, were very like long-legged bears.
They were small but spirited, being of Siberian breed.
The way in which the iemschik harnessed them was thus:
one, the largest, was secured between two long shafts, on whose
farther end was a hoop carrying tassels and bells; the two others
were simply fastened by ropes to the steps of the tarantass.
This was the complete harness, with mere strings for reins.
Neither Michael Strogoff nor the young Livonian girl had any baggage.
The rapidity with which one wished to make the journey, and the more than
modest resources of the other, prevented them from embarrassing themselves
with packages. It was a fortunate thing, under the circumstances,
for the tarantass could not have carried both baggage and travelers.
It was only made for two persons, without counting the iemschik,
who kept his equilibrium on his narrow seat in a marvelous manner.
The iemschik is changed at every relay. The man who drove
the tarantass during the first stage was, like his horses,
a Siberian, and no less shaggy than they; long hair, cut square
on the forehead, hat with a turned-up brim, red belt, coat with
crossed facings and buttons stamped with the imperial cipher.
The iemschik, on coming up with his team, threw an inquisitive
glance at the passengers of the tarantass. No luggage!--
and had there been, where in the world could he have stowed it?
Rather shabby in appearance too. He looked contemptuous.
"Crows," said he, without caring whether he was overheard or not;
"crows, at six copecks a verst!"
"No, eagles!" said Michael, who understood the iemschik's slang perfectly;
"eagles, do you hear, at nine copecks a verst, and a tip besides."
He was answered by a merry crack of the whip.
In the language of the Russian postillions the "crow" is the stingy
or poor traveler, who at the post-houses only pays two or three
copecks a verst for the horses. The "eagle" is the traveler
who does not mind expense, to say nothing of liberal tips.
Therefore the crow could not claim to fly as rapidly as
the imperial bird.
Nadia and Michael immediately took their places in the tarantass.
A small store of provisions was put in the box, in case at any time they
were delayed in reaching the post-houses, which are very comfortably
provided under direction of the State. The hood was pulled up,
as it was insupport-ably hot, and at twelve o'clock the tarantass
left Perm in a cloud of dust.
The way in which the iemschik kept up the pace of his team would
have certainly astonished travelers who, being neither Russians
nor Siberians, were not accustomed to this sort of thing.
The leader, rather larger than the others, kept to a steady
long trot, perfectly regular, whether up or down hill.
The two other horses seemed to know no other pace than the gallop,
though they performed many an eccentric curvette as they went along.
The iemschik, however, never touched them, only urging them on
by startling cracks of his whip. But what epithets he lavished
on them, including the names of all the saints in the calendar,
when they behaved like docile and conscientious animals!
The string which served as reins would have had no influence
on the spirited beasts, but the words "na pravo," to the right,
"na levo," to the left, pronounced in a guttural tone,
were more effectual than either bridle or snaffle.
And what amiable expressions! "Go on, my doves!" the iemschik
would say. "Go on, pretty swallows! Fly, my little pigeons!
Hold up, my cousin on the left! Gee up, my little father
on the right!"
But when the pace slackened, what insulting expressions,
instantly understood by the sensitive animals!
"Go on, you wretched snail! Confound you, you slug!
I'll roast you alive, you tortoise, you!"
Whether or not it was from this way of driving, which requires
the iemschiks to possess strong throats more than muscular arms,
the tarantass flew along at a rate of from twelve to fourteen
miles an hour. Michael Strogoff was accustomed both to the sort
of vehicle and the mode of traveling. Neither jerks nor jolts
incommoded him. He knew that a Russian driver never even tries
to avoid either stones, ruts, bogs, fallen trees, or trenches,
which may happen to be in the road. He was used to all that.
His companion ran a risk of being hurt by the violent jolts
of the tarantass, but she would not complain.
For a little while Nadia did not speak. Then possessed
with the one thought, that of reaching her journey's end,
"I have calculated that there are three hundred versts
between Perm and Ekaterenburg, brother," said she.
"Am I right?"
"You are quite right, Nadia," answered Michael; "and when we have
reached Ekaterenburg, we shall be at the foot of the Ural Mountains
on the opposite side."
"How long will it take to get across the mountains?"
"Forty-eight hours, for we shall travel day and night.
I say day and night, Nadia," added he, "for I cannot stop
even for a moment; I go on without rest to Irkutsk."
"I shall not delay you, brother; no, not even for an hour,
and we will travel day and night."
"Well then, Nadia, if the Tartar invasion has only left the road open,
we shall arrive in twenty days."
"You have made this journey before?" asked Nadia.
"Many times."
"During winter we should have gone more rapidly and surely,
should we not?"
"Yes, especially with more rapidity, but you would have suffered much
from the frost and snow."
"What matter! Winter is the friend of Russia."
"Yes, Nadia, but what a constitution anyone must have to endure
such friendship! I have often seen the temperature in the Siberian
steppes fall to more than forty degrees below freezing point!
I have felt, notwithstanding my reindeer coat, my heart
growing chill, my limbs stiffening, my feet freezing in triple
woolen socks; I have seen my sleigh horses covered with a
coating of ice, their breath congealed at their nostrils.
I have seen the brandy in my flask change into hard stone,
on which not even my knife could make an impression.
But my sleigh flew like the wind. Not an obstacle on the plain,
white and level farther than the eye could reach! No rivers
to stop one! Hard ice everywhere, the route open, the road sure!
But at the price of what suffering, Nadia, those alone could say,
who have never returned, but whose bodies have been covered up
by the snow storm."
"However, you have returned, brother," said Nadia.
"Yes, but I am a Siberian, and, when quite a child, I used to follow
my father to the chase, and so became inured to these hardships.
But when you said to me, Nadia, that winter would not have stopped you,
that you would have gone alone, ready to struggle against the frightful
Siberian climate, I seemed to see you lost in the snow and falling,
never to rise again."
"How many times have you crossed the steppe in winter?"
asked the young Livonian.
"Three times, Nadia, when I was going to Omsk."
"And what were you going to do at Omsk?"
"See my mother, who was expecting me."
"And I am going to Irkutsk, where my father expects me.
I am taking him my mother's last words. That is as much
as to tell you, brother, that nothing would have prevented me
from setting out."
"You are a brave girl, Nadia," replied Michael. "God Himself
would have led you."
All day the tarantass was driven rapidly by the iemschiks,
who succeeded each other at every stage. The eagles of the mountain
would not have found their name dishonored by these "eagles"
of the highway. The high price paid for each horse, and the tips
dealt out so freely, recommended the travelers in a special way.
Perhaps the postmasters thought it singular that, after the publication
of the order, a young man and his sister, evidently both Russians,
could travel freely across Siberia, which was closed to everyone else,
but their papers were all en regle and they had the right to pass.
However, Michael Strogoff and Nadia were not the only travelers on
their way from Perm to Ekaterenburg. At the first stages, the courier
of the Czar had learnt that a carriage preceded them, but, as there
was no want of horses, he did not trouble himself about that.
During the day, halts were made for food alone.
At the post-houses could be found lodging and provision.
Besides, if there was not an inn, the house of the Russian peasant
would have been no less hospitable. In the villages, which are
almost all alike, with their white-walled, green-roofed chapels,
the traveler might knock at any door, and it would be opened to him.
The moujik would come out, smiling and extending his hand to his guest.
He would offer him bread and salt, the burning charcoal would
be put into the "samovar," and he would be made quite at home.
The family would turn out themselves rather than that he should
not have room. The stranger is the relation of all.
He is "one sent by God."
On arriving that evening Michael instinctively asked the postmaster how
many hours ago the carriage which preceded them had passed that stage.
"Two hours ago, little father," replied the postmaster.
"Is it a berlin?"
"No, a telga."
"How many travelers?"
"Two."
"And they are going fast?"
"Eagles!"
"Let them put the horses to as soon as possible."
Michael and Nadia, resolved not to stop even for an hour,
traveled all night. The weather continued fine, though the
atmosphere was heavy and becoming charged with electricity.
It was to be hoped that a storm would not burst whilst they
were among the mountains, for there it would be terrible.
Being accustomed to read atmospheric signs, Michael Strogoff
knew that a struggle of the elements was approaching.
The night passed without incident. Notwithstanding the jolting
of the tarantass, Nadia was able to sleep for some hours.
The hood was partly raised so as to give as much air as there
was in the stifling atmosphere.
Michael kept awake all night, mistrusting the iemschiks, who are
apt to sleep at their posts. Not an hour was lost at the relays,
not an hour on the road.
The next day, the 20th of July, at about eight o'clock in the morning,
they caught the first glimpse of the Ural Mountains in the east.
This important chain which separates Russia from Siberia was still
at a great distance, and they could not hope to reach it until
the end of the day. The passage of the mountains must necessarily
be performed during the next night. The sky was cloudy all day,
and the temperature was therefore more bearable, but the weather
was very threatening.
It would perhaps have been more prudent not to have ascended
the mountains during the night, and Michael would not have done so,
had he been permitted to wait; but when, at the last stage,
the iemschik drew his attention to a peal of thunder reverberating
among the rocks, he merely said:
"Is a telga still before us?"
"Yes."
"How long is it in advance?"
"Nearly an hour."
"Forward, and a triple tip if we are at Ekaterenburg to-morrow morning."
