Russia 
 as it really is 
 
 By 
 
 Carl Joubert
 
 \
 
 RUSSIA AS IT REALLY IS
 
 RUSSIA 
 
 AS IT REALLY IS 
 
 BY 
 
 CARL JOUBERT 
 
 JALKA JALKA CHTO NIKOLAI SPEET 1 
 (What a pity that Nicholas sleeps !) 
 
 LONDON 
 
 EVELEIGH NASH 
 
 1904
 
 Alt rights reserved 
 Entered at the Library of 
 Congress, Wash ington , U.S.A.
 
 PREFACE 
 
 It is my object, in the following pages, to give a 
 true and faithful account of the present state of the 
 Russian Empire. That many books have been pub- 
 lished on the subject within the last few years I 
 am aware. Volume after volume describing social 
 and even political life in Russia has made its 
 appearance ; but all are written from the point of 
 view either of the traveller, or of the alien politician 
 who seeks to demonstrate the effects of Russian 
 expansion on the policy of his own particular 
 country. Some have been written with but scanty 
 knowledge and restricted powers of observation, 
 others are dependent on official information for the 
 facts (?) which they set forth. 
 
 Not long ago I was honoured with the presenta- 
 tion of two books on Russia by the author of them. 
 I took time to read them, and then I laid them 
 aside, and pondered how those books could have 
 been written, published and sold to the public. 
 They purported to describe Russia — it might almost 
 as well have been Timbuctoo. And they were not 
 novels at that, but works dealing with the political 
 and social life of Russia. I presume that the author 
 of them derived his knowledge of the country from 
 
 b
 
 vi PREFACE 
 
 a short residence among the Russian element in 
 Whitechapel, and from the works of contemporary 
 writers ; and armed with so great authorities con- 
 sidered himself competent to deal with his subject. 
 
 I do not challenge the rights of any man. But 
 it is unfortunate when a few scribbling pens can 
 lead a nation to false impressions. And here I 
 would point out that the Russian immigrant to this 
 country knows about as much of his own country 
 as the average street pedlar in Whitechapel knows 
 of the British Empire. 
 
 I took some friends of mine one day to White- 
 chapel to demonstrate this very fact. I gave them 
 leave to select their own subjects for examination. 
 They found the man they wanted, and we sat down 
 to talk. He was a well-dressed man who could 
 read and write Russian. 
 
 " You are a Russian ? " 
 
 " Yes, sir." 
 
 " From what part of Russia ? " 
 
 " From Jacobstadt." 
 
 " Could you tell me to what State Jacobstadt 
 belongs ? " 
 
 *' I do not know." 
 
 " Can you tell me any city or large town near 
 Jacobstadt ? " 
 
 The man brightened up. 
 
 " Oh yes, sir, Dinabourg is near Jacobstadt." 
 
 " How many versts ? " 
 
 " I don't know. It is two hours by rail." 
 
 " Is there a railway from Jacobstadt to Vitebsk ? " 
 
 " I don't know."
 
 PREFACE vii 
 
 " How far is Riga from Jacobstadt 1 " 
 
 " I don't know." 
 
 " Has Jacobstadt a Governor in residence ? " 
 
 " I don't know, sir. But she has a Pristav." 
 
 " How do you know that ? " 
 
 " Because I had a fight with a man and I was 
 brought before the Pristav," 
 
 '* How did you come to England, and by what 
 road?" 
 
 " I came from Jacobstadt to Kovno by rail, and 
 from there I stole over the frontier in the dark." 
 
 My friends were not satisfied with the examina- 
 tion of one man only, so they found another who 
 had served in the Russian army for six years. 
 
 He said that he was born in the country, his 
 father was a farmer, and the nearest town to his 
 home was Pockroy. 
 
 " In what county is Pockroy ? " 
 
 " Ponevigeskaja." 
 
 " And in what State is Ponevjes ? " 
 
 " Kovenskaja." 
 
 " And where is the nearest railroad to your home ? " 
 
 The man thought for a long time and then he 
 answered : 
 
 " I believe it is Sahgar." 
 
 " But Sahgar has no railroad to tliis day," I 
 objected. 
 
 " Oh, then it must be Shavli." 
 
 " But Shavli has no railroad. Surely your nearest 
 railway was at Radsivilishki ; it is only twelve versts 
 from Pockroy, and it is the terminus of the Libavski 
 Romainskaja Railway."
 
 viii PREFACE 
 
 *' Oh, yes ! " he answered. " I have heard of it." 
 
 Now the terminus has been established at Iladsi- 
 viHsliki with round houses and machine shops for 
 the last thirty years. 
 
 I passed on to his army career. He told me that 
 he had served in Kharkoff ; but he did not know if 
 there was a Governor in Kharkoff. 
 
 We questioned several other Russians ; but none 
 of them knew the name of the State in which he 
 had lived, or the seat of the Governor. They could 
 not answer questions that a nine-year-old school- 
 boy in England would have no difficulty in 
 answering. 
 
 What knowledge, then, can be derived from these 
 immigrants from Russia as to the social and political 
 condition of their country ? And what is the value 
 of a book that draws inspiration from such a source, 
 or from the cursory examination of the country that 
 a few months of travel afford ? 
 
 A man must live in Russia to be able to speak 
 with authority of her attributes— but there he is 
 not allowed to speak. He must, with eyes hard 
 strained across the level plains and over and beyond 
 the Ural Mountains, examine diligently the signs of 
 life in the sullen masses which creep slowly — ah, 
 how slowly ! — towards the light ; but let him look to 
 it that his eyes are not blinded. He must listen 
 with attentive ear to the voices that call out of the 
 silence of the night to catch the muttered whisper 
 of the truth — but the hands of the Government 
 are there to stop the ears of the inquisitive. His 
 heart must beat in unison with the pulses of the
 
 PREFACE ix 
 
 nation, that he may feel the smouldering fires of her 
 wrath, and know the dull lethargy of her moods — 
 but let him beware of the sword of the Tsar which 
 the tender-hearted cannot stay. 
 
 Therefore from Russia herself we can get no word 
 of truth. The traveller can only give us the out- 
 ward and visible signs — the student can but repeat 
 with parrot cries the words that he has read from 
 the books of the travellers. Only now and again a 
 forked flame of light rends the sable darkness of 
 the cloud that broods over the heart of the nation, 
 when Tolstoi speaks, or Gorky with bloody fingers 
 smears, for the world to see, a hideous picture 
 of infamy and misery and crime. 
 
 It has been my lot to spend nine years in Russia. 
 During that period I have visited every Govern- 
 ment in the Empire ; I have associated with every 
 class ; I have been the guest of Princes and the 
 bedfellow of peasants ; I have feasted in the palaces 
 of St. Petersburg with the dissolute, and I have sat 
 at the feet of the greatest thinker and philan- 
 thropist in Russia. And I, too, have thought some- 
 times. And my thoughts I have carried in my 
 brain — for it is dangerous to think in Russia, and a 
 thousand times more dangerous to commit those 
 thoughts to writing. I have acquired the languages 
 of the country, Russian and corrupt Russian, Polish, 
 Lettish, Lithuanian and Yiddish. 
 
 Such are my authorities for this book ; and I offer 
 them as my apology for adding one more volume to 
 the long tale of books on Russia. 
 
 For many of the opinions which I hold I shall be
 
 X PREFACE 
 
 condemned — I do not write to order, and no Emperor 
 nor King shall hold a mortgage on my thoughts — 
 much less on my convictions. Every man who is 
 born into the world is either a part or nothing of 
 the great whole ; he is endowed with })rains and 
 reasoning powers — they are given to him for his use. 
 Why, then, should he be bound down by conven- 
 tionality and fashions of thought ? Why should he 
 hesitate to express fearlessly the convictions which 
 he holds ? 
 
 CARL JOUBERT.
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PART I 
 
 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 I. The Holy Tsar . 
 II. The Holy Church 
 
 III. The Army . 
 
 IV. Justice 
 V. Education . 
 
 VI. The Aristocracy 
 VII. Traders 
 VIII. The Moujik 
 IX. The Missionary 
 X. The Settlement 
 XI. Science 
 XII. Literature and the Censor 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I 
 7 
 
 14 
 22 
 28 
 35 
 43 
 52 
 58 
 62 
 72 
 77 
 
 PART II 
 
 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 I. 
 
 The Rabbi 
 
 . . 84 
 
 IL 
 
 Education op the Jew 
 
 . 96 
 
 III. 
 
 The Jewish Merchant 
 
 lOI 
 
 IV. 
 
 The Russian Jewess .... 
 
 . 108 
 
 V. 
 
 Family Life of the Jews . 
 
 . 115 
 
 VI. 
 
 The Jewish Soldier .... 
 
 . 123 
 
 VII. 
 
 The Treatment of the Jews 
 
 . 130
 
 Xll 
 
 CONTENTS 
 
 PART III 
 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 CHAP. 
 
 I. I Re-visit Russia in a Hurry . 
 
 II. KOLKA .... 
 
 III. I BECOME A KUSSIAN PATHOLOGIST 
 
 IV. Dr. Denmanovitch 
 
 V. A Mysterious Old Gentleman 
 
 VI. The Polkovnik . 
 VII. Dr. Anatovitch , 
 VIII. Prisoners .... 
 
 IX. A Message erom Kolka . 
 
 X. Ivan 
 
 XI. In the Wake of the Rota 
 XII. The Widow 
 
 XIII. A PosT-MoRTEM Examination 
 
 XIV. A Test op Sight and Speech 
 XV. The Escape 
 
 XVI. In Hiding .... 
 
 XVII. Waiting .... 
 
 XVIII. Liberty .... 
 
 An Open Letter to the Tsar 
 
 PAGE 
 
 138 
 
 144 
 
 150 
 161 
 168 
 176 
 184 
 J92 
 198 
 206 
 216 
 227 
 237 
 245 
 254 
 264 
 272 
 280 
 
 291 
 
 APPENDICES 
 
 Appendix I. The Titles of His Imperial Majesty 
 
 Nicholas Alexandrovitch 296 
 
 Appendix II. A List of some of the principal Outrages 
 AND Murders perpetrated on the Jews by the 
 Christians 297
 
 PART I 
 -HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE HOLY TSAR 
 
 His Imperial Majesty Emperor Nicholas Alexandro- 
 vitch, Autocrat of All the Russias. 
 
 P>y these and many other titles is He known — the 
 Holy Tsar of Russia. He himself has commanded 
 that He should be so called ; for no subject can give 
 Him honours and titles, He alone can confer them 
 upon Himself And, therefore, is He known as 
 Zemhla Bogh — " The God on Earth," " The Pope of 
 the Greek Church," " The Master and Maker of the 
 Holy Synod," " The Adjuster of the Earth," " The 
 Peace and Goodwill on Earth." 
 
 For Russia is the Tsar. The Tsar is Russia. The 
 Synod belongs to the Pope ; and the Pope is the 
 Tsar, and the Tsar is the God on Earth. And as 
 His sacred personality forbids the indignity of titles 
 and honours conferred by mortal man — unless 
 indeed they be the dignities bestowed by foreign 
 rulers, which, by courtesy, He deigns to accept — so 
 also is the emblem of His power sacred. No man
 
 2 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 may touch His Holy Crown. Let the heads of the 
 Senate, aye, and the MetropoUtans themselves, keep 
 their hands off. The Zemhla Bogli alone shall place 
 it on the brow of the God on Earth. And let all the 
 people fall down and worship him, and say. Amen. 
 
 Mark the Majesty of his descent. As the Mikado 
 of Japan can boast direct descent from the " God of 
 the Sun," so can Nicholas IL, Tsar of all the 
 Russias, and " God on Earth," trace back His line 
 to Romanoff. 
 
 Now Romanoff was a Robber. 
 
 He has His Ministers and officers of State. By 
 Him they are appointed, and at His pleasure they 
 hold their offices. They are in the palm of His 
 hand, and under His holy heel. Let them see to it 
 that they offend not against His will, nor provoke 
 His displeasure. For then will the doctors in 
 St. Petersburg be summoned in consultation, and 
 rest and change will be prescribed for the wayward 
 Minister. Cannes, Nice, or Paris may know him for 
 a time ; but if he drifts back to Russia he will avoid 
 St. Petersburg, for the waters of the Neva are 
 injurious to the health, and the grim fortress of 
 St. Peter and St. Paul overlooks and underlies the 
 river. Rather will he get him to his country seat, 
 and in retirement eke out the remnant of his days. 
 
 He lives at the TsarsJcoi Sclo, the palace of the 
 " God on Earth." Situated on the Duderhof Hills 
 she lifts to heaven her golden cupolas and countless 
 minarets, a landmark to the country-side, a monu- 
 ment rising out of the plain to the glory of the 
 " God on Earth," an altar whose horns are drenched
 
 THE HOLY TSAR 3 
 
 with daily hecatombs. All around the palace is a 
 mighty wall of fine design, enclosing the sacred 
 precincts of this New Jerusalem. Before the wall 
 at close intervals are stationed huts of wood striped 
 black and white, resembling the barbers' shops of 
 an American city. In every hut there stands a 
 sentry guarding the sacred person of the " God on 
 Earth." Behind the wall is an open paved space, 
 and beyond, another wall with its sentry-boxes and 
 stolid grey-coated sentinels. At every gate-way 
 through the walls a guard of Cossacks is stationed 
 that none may pass unchallenged. In the hand of 
 the Cossacks is the knout, the emblem of order and 
 circumspect behaviour in the kingdoms of the Tsar. 
 
 It was my privilege once to enter the sacred 
 precincts, and to penetrate even into the palace 
 itself, under the escort of a certain prince. There 
 were the barbaric splendours of the East, in count- 
 less profusion ; gold and jewels and precious fabrics 
 woven cunningly in many colours ; marble and 
 alabaster columns and pavements, and vaulted 
 ceilings frescoed with grotesque design. Before the 
 jewel- encrusted icons the golden lamps burnt low ; 
 and the air was laden with the fumes of incense. 
 And everywhere were soldiers, and the glitter of 
 sword and epaulette ; the whispered pass-word and 
 suspicious glance. 
 
 We left the palace and the outer walls behind us, 
 and I turned to ask a question : 
 
 " What is the meaning of all these soldiers within 
 and without the palace ? " 
 
 The prince laughed.
 
 4 « HOLY RUSSIA " 
 
 " I would rather not answer you," he said. '• But 
 since you have come to Kussia for the purpose of 
 learning something — whilst you run you may read. 
 That is all." 
 
 Although He is the " God on Earth," the " Little 
 Father " of his peoples, worshipped and adored ; 
 although all power is His and the Majesty of 
 Dominion, yet will He not venture Himself amongst 
 His subjects — no, not for an hour. For so surely as 
 He went amongst them unattended, would the fate 
 of His murdered Fathers overtake Him. The Tsar 
 goes abroad. Then let the Politzmaister issue his 
 orders, and see that the line of route is clear. So 
 the Politzmaister communicates with the Pristavs ; 
 and these are the orders that he gives : 
 
 First : to arrest all on the road who cannot give 
 a satisfactory account of themselves, or explain for 
 what purpose they are on that particular road. 
 
 Secondly : that all windows and doors by which 
 His Imperial Majesty will pass must be closed and 
 sealed. 
 
 Thirdly : no strangers shall be taken in as guests 
 or visitors in any of the houses along the line of 
 route. All guests or visitors who are staying in the 
 houses, including relatives of the owners of the 
 houses, shall forthwith report themselves to the 
 Politzmaister or Pristavs, in order that arrangements 
 may be made for their accommodation elsewhere. 
 
 Fourthly : all children must be kept within doors. 
 The windows overlooking the streets must be ob- 
 scured by blinds. 
 
 Fifthly : provisions should be obtained in the houses
 
 THE HOLY TSAR 5 
 
 along the line of route three days before the day 
 appointed for the passing of His Imperial Majesty, 
 as all shops will be closed until further orders. "^ 
 
 There are also many instructions issued for the 
 information and guidance of those who live in the 
 neighbourhood, too numerous to mention. 
 
 I was once tempted to go out into the streets of 
 St. Petersburg in the hope of seeing the Holy Tsar. 
 I was staying in the Hotel de I'Europe, which is in 
 a side-street off the Nevski Prospect, along which 
 thoroughfare he was to pass. But I could not leave 
 the hotel. Kegiments of soldiers lined every passage 
 that led to the Nevski Prospect, and barred the way. 
 Every one was in uniform of some sort ; every one 
 carried arms. There were not half a dozen men in 
 civilian clothes. It was impossible to break through 
 the barrier of their serried ranks, so I returned to 
 my room in'the hotel ; and the question which I had 
 put to the prince outside the Tsarskoi Selo recurred 
 to my mind. " What is the meaning of all these 
 soldiers ? " 
 
 Is it possible that they were there to overawe 
 a peace-loving people, a people who venerate the 
 " Little Father," whose passing form they were 
 anxious to behold ? Is it possible that this " God 
 on Earth " is afraid of his chosen people ? Or is it 
 that he cannot look them in the face ? But, be the 
 reason what it may, the soldiers are there, the 
 Cossacks are there, to say to the humble subject 
 of the " God on Earth," " stand back ! " 
 
 * These orders apply to provincial towns, and not to St. 
 Petersburg and Moscow.
 
 6 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 " God loves the common people, therefore he has 
 made so many of them," said Abraham Lincoln. 
 What is the view of the " God on Earth " on the 
 subject ? There are people in enlightened and 
 civilised countries who make excuses for Nicholas 
 Alexandrovitch of the lineage of Romanoff. They 
 will tell you that his autocracy is a sham ; that he is 
 hemmed in by a bureaucracy that has bound him 
 hand and foot with chains of steel ; that he means 
 well, but is unable to perform. O, charitable people ! 
 But not thus lightly shall Nicholas Alexandrovitch 
 escape his responsibilities. For Russia is the Tsar. 
 The Tsar is Russia. The very titles that he has as- 
 sumed condemn him. For so long as he is " Autocrat 
 of all the Russias," for so long must he bear the 
 burden of his high calling. It is useless for him to 
 shrug and wriggle his narrow shoulders, he cannot 
 shift the load or abate one tittle of his responsibility. 
 Let the " God on Earth " bear it — like a man ! ^ 
 * See Appendix A.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 THE HOLY CHURCH 
 
 She is established, and stands firm upon the sohd 
 foundations of Superstition and Ignorance — two rocks 
 on which the lapse of centuries have left no traces 
 in Russia, for they are carefully preserved in dark- 
 ness for the purposes of the " Zembla Bogh," who 
 is the head of the Greek Catholic Church, and whose 
 power is supreme. 
 
 Beneath him, is the Procurator, the ecclesiastical 
 head, who is also tutor to the Tsar in his tender 
 years — if, indeed, the term is applicable to the 
 scions of the house of Romanoif. But when the 
 " God on Earth " has arrived at man's estate and 
 with his sacred hand has placed the crown upon his 
 brow, then the Procurator becomes the first adviser 
 to the Tsar, in matters secular or ecclesiastical. 
 
 The Metropolitans, by order of the Tsar, arrange 
 the ritual to be observed in the churches, issue 
 special prayers for special occasions, and regulate 
 the amount of holiness to be observed in the house 
 of every moujik. There is no doubt that they are 
 adept at stage-management. No one can deny the 
 impressiveness of the ritual, of the deep bass chant- 
 ing of the popes, of the subdued light through which 
 the little lamps before the icons shine like lonely
 
 8 " HOLY RUSSIA " 
 
 stars, casting their flickering beams on gilded and 
 bejewelled pictures of the " Holy Mother " and the 
 saints. They know their business, these Metro- 
 politans, and the fear of the Church and of the 
 confessional is over the people ; whilst they drug 
 their senses with fragrant incense and the touch of 
 holy water. 
 
 Then, lest the mind of the people should be 
 occupied with unprofitable speculation and dreams, 
 the word goes forth that their thoughts must be 
 directed in harmless channels. Give superstition to 
 the ignorant, and behind the doors of the moujik's 
 cot the talk will be of spooks and devils, and not of 
 rights and wrongs. 
 
 Therefore, superstition is given a free hand, and 
 to each district fallacies and beliefs are preached in 
 accordance with the temper and traditions of the 
 people. To the true moujik one mode of super- 
 stition is given, in Archangel another. What is 
 good in Bessarabia is useless in Don Cossacks. 
 What rouses the curiosity in Kourland falls flat in 
 Orenburg. The creeping terrors of Kovno are 
 the laughing-stock of Podolsk. But each receives 
 according to its wants, not grudgingly or of 
 necessity. Every state has her own spirits and 
 her special devils ; they are hers to ponder, to 
 evade, to propitiate. 
 
 Childish and ridiculous as these beliefs may 
 appear to the enlightened, they are very real to 
 the humble and ignorant subjects of the Tsar. If 
 a black crow should perch on a hog's back, no busi- 
 ness must be done that day. If a man meets a
 
 THE HOLY CHURCH 9 
 
 funeral he must follow it, otherwise the devil will 
 come to his house. Never turn round if you hear 
 footsteps behind you. It may be the devil who is 
 following to tempt you. By turning round you 
 make a compact with the devil, and no one will 
 take your hand for two days. The moment the 
 icon leaves the house the devils make entry and 
 stay there. At the little lamp in front of the icon 
 all impure souls come to cleanse themselves at mid- 
 night. If in the morning the lamp is out, it signifies 
 that the evil souls, unable to purify themselves and 
 gain admission to heaven, have drunk up all the oil. 
 
 On Easter Eve the people bring their meat to the 
 church, where it is deposited for the night, each 
 paying a fee in accordance with his means. The 
 pope of the church sprinkles holy water over the 
 repast, so that those who partake thereof on Easter 
 Day may be blessed. 
 
 A volume could easily be filled with evidences of 
 the superstition and idolatry practised in the Greek 
 Church throughout Russia. 
 
 Here is an instructive story, for the truth of 
 which I can vouch, that serves as an apt illustration 
 of the text. In the State of Grodno there lived a 
 poor Jew, who made a living by selling pir'rogs (meat 
 pies). Every week he journeyed by rail to a neigh- 
 bouring market town to dispose of his wares. One 
 day he took his seat in a third-class railway carriage 
 with his basket of pirrogs to go to the market. 
 There were two moujiks in the carriage with him. 
 Now the 2^'i''^ogs were still hot from the oven, and 
 the smell of them rose throusfh the blanket which
 
 10 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 covered the basket and filled the compartment with 
 a grateful odour. Tlie two moujiks were poor men 
 and hungiy, and the sweet savour of* the pirrogs 
 aroused covetous desires in their hearts. They spoke 
 together quietly in the far corner of the carriage. 
 Then they moved across to where the Jew was 
 sitting, and seizing the unfortunate vendor by the 
 collar thrust him through the window, and took 
 possession of the basket of ^^^rro^6•. 
 
 The Jew fell in a heap on the line, opposite to a 
 small signal-hut, where a man with a green flag pro- 
 claimed that all was well. The siofnalman slouched 
 up to the Jew, and turned him over on to his back. 
 Then he went to the nearest telegraph signal station, 
 and reported that a Jew had been thrown out of the 
 train and that he was dead. 
 
 So, when the train arrived at the next station 
 a search was made by the railway police, and the 
 basket of pirrogs was discovered intact in the 
 possession of the two moujiks. They could not 
 account for the presence of the basket, and they 
 were arrested. But it was only a Jew w^ho had 
 been killed, and the sympathies of the gendarme 
 were with the two moujiks. 
 
 " Why did you not eat the pirrogs and throw the 
 basket away ? " he asked confidentially. 
 
 " You forget," said one of the moujiks, " that to- 
 day is Friday, and it is not allowed to eat meat." 
 
 The murder of a Jew was nothing to them — they 
 were merely following the example set by the "Little 
 Father " and the Procurator. But to eat piii^ogs on 
 a Friday was an unpardonable sin, which no self-
 
 THE HOLY CHURCH 11 
 
 respecting moujik would commit. To the best of 
 my belief they were not punished. 
 
 Now the minds of the simple and ignorant, in 
 order that they may grasp and hold fast to an 
 abstract conception, require some outward sign per- 
 petually before them. Aaron in the Wilderness, 
 seeing that the Israelites were falling away from 
 their faith, in the absence of Moses, set up a golden 
 calf, and cried, " Behold your God ! " With the 
 same object in view the Greek Church instituted 
 the use of the icon in Russia. 
 
 Doubtless to the educated and enlightened — a 
 very small minority in Russia — the icon is a symbol 
 and nothino; more ; but to the mouiikit is an idol to 
 be worshipped, to be propitiated, to be feared. The 
 Greek Church has given him superstition for a 
 religion, and the icon for a god. 
 
 The graven images are set up in every church in 
 the country, and every household has its idol. The 
 splendours of the icons in the larger cathedrals and 
 churches surpass description. St. Isaac's Church in 
 St. Petersburg has more riches than I have seen in 
 any church in Rome. The wealth of precious stones 
 and pure gold in St. Isaac's is not a quantity that 
 can be valued in pounds sterling. And that is only 
 one church out of three hundred in St. Petersburg. 
 
 In Moscow there are over five hundred churches. 
 Who shall estimate the riches of the Kremlin with 
 her civil and ecclesiastical buildings ? Or of the 
 Terema, once the palace of the Holy Tsar? The 
 Alexanderski Dvoretz and the Malo Dvoretz ; the 
 Cathedral of the Assumption with its domes and
 
 12 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 cupolas, and walls glittering with grotesque frescoes 
 of sacred subjects; the great Church of the Annuncia- 
 tion, where the Tsar assumes the crown, paved with 
 jaspar, cornelian, and agate ; the Arkhanghelski 
 Sabor, where lie the bodies of many Tsars ; the 
 Tower of Ivan Veliki, rising to a height of two hun- 
 dred feet and culminating in a golden dome ; the 
 beautiful Cathedral of St. Vassili, with its score of 
 gilded domes and towers ; these and five hundred 
 more are the cathedrals, palaces, and churches in 
 Moscow, which serve as the residences of the " God 
 on Earth," or for the worship of the mighty icon. 
 
 And they have bells ; bells by the tens of 
 thousands ; bells that twenty horses can scarcely 
 draw ; bells the size of a teacup. The sound of 
 them ascends to the heavens, as though they would 
 compel the Lord of Hosts to give ear to the joraise of 
 the holy city, Moscow. For here, on the border- 
 land of East and West, are met the barbaric magnifi- 
 cence of the dark Orient and the fringe of Western 
 civilisation. 
 
 And what of the rank and file of the priesthood — 
 the " popes," as they are called ? They are drawn 
 from the lower orders of the people. They pass 
 through a seminary, where they receive an educa- 
 tion of a scanty nature, as we regard education ; but 
 doubtless it is suited to the ministry that lies before 
 them, and they are instructed in all the tricks of 
 their trade. He leaves the seminary and becomes a 
 pope. He conducts his services in his church as 
 prescribed, and he visits the sick and dying when he 
 is paid to do so. For the rest, he is the obedient
 
 THE HOLY CHURCH 13 
 
 and humble tool of the " God on Earth," and he will 
 play cards from morning till midnight. 
 
 This is the Church that instructs the young of 
 Russia ! This is the Church to which they turn for 
 enlightenment and the spread of civilisation ! The 
 Synod belongs to the Pope, and the Pope is the 
 Tsar, and the Tsar is *' God on Earth." And the 
 Tsar decrees that all his people shall belong to this 
 Church, that they may stumble in darkness, and lay 
 hold of superstition to guide their steps. Such as 
 refuse to bow the knee to the icon, he orders to be 
 thrust into a burning fiery furnace of persecution 
 and affliction. 
 
 Ask the Poles ; ask the Finns ; ask the Jews.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE ARMY 
 
 It is not my intention to recite the numbers of horse 
 and foot and guns that the Imperial Army of the 
 Tsar contains ; neither shall I enter into details of 
 the organisation and equipment of the forces. These 
 facts are easily ascertainable by those who desire 
 to acquaint themselves with the subject. The 
 conscientious traveller will have noted them down 
 in his book on Russia ; it is even possible that they 
 may be known in Pall Mall. 
 
 The facts that I wish to bring forward are to be 
 found in no Blue Book of the Imperial Russian 
 Army, and there is no record of them kept in St. 
 Petersburg. But, like many other accounts in Russia, 
 they are seared with a hot iron on the brains of men 
 and women, and they are never forgotten. 
 
 The Voinskaja Povinost is the most dreaded 
 ordeal in Russia. The town hall of a provincial 
 town : behind the barrier which divides the room in 
 two is huddled together a motley assortment of men 
 and women, and perhaps a few children. There are 
 mothers and fathers, wives and sons, with faces 
 anxious to the degree of pain. Their solicitude 
 is all for the younger men amongst them, round 
 whom they press, clinging to their arms, and gazing
 
 THE ARMY 15 
 
 wistfully into their haggard, callous faces. It is well 
 to assume an air of callous indifference when the heart 
 is full and the words stick in the throat ; it is the 
 one little bit of acting which comes naturally to all 
 brave men. 
 
 The opening in the barrier is kept by two soldiers 
 that none may pass through until their names are 
 called. In the other portion of the hall there is a 
 table at which some officers are seated, and in front 
 of the table is a long barrel-shaped box with an 
 opening at the top, supported on a trestle. 
 
 The young men are sorted out from their relations 
 and formed into a ragged line along the barrier. 
 They are about to take part in a grim game of 
 chance. The stakes are years of human life, and the 
 bank pays nothing if it loses. They file past the 
 ballot-box, dipping their hands in as they pass and 
 drawing out a slip of paper, and in accordance witVi 
 the number on the paper is their fate decided. For 
 those who have drawn the unlucky numbers, but 
 one hope remains — that they may be found medically 
 unfit. 
 
 Within my own observation, I have known young 
 men to starve themselves for two months before the 
 recruiting time so that they might be rejected on 
 medical grounds. Some even maim themselves for 
 life rather than chance that medical examination. 
 Oh, the joy over the rejected ! Oh, the tears for 
 those who are taken ! It is a pitiable spectacle. 
 
 I was once invited by the chief medical officer to 
 accompany him to the Voinskaja Povinost. He 
 asked me whether I would like to examine some of
 
 16 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 the recruits myself — I have taken a degree in 
 medicine — and I readily assented. I brought joy to 
 the hearts of a good few mothers, and I would have 
 made still more happy, but I feared to overstep the 
 limits of my invitation. 
 
 It is true that other nations are called upon to 
 face the ordeal of conscription. It is a fact that 
 they also dislike it, and stories of malingering are 
 not confined to Kussia. But there is this difference. 
 In Germany or France a man is taken against his 
 will and made to serve ; he is kicked and ill treated 
 by those in authority over him, and eventually he 
 is sent back to civil life without any further in- 
 dignities. 
 
 In Kussia the kicks are harder and the ill-treat- 
 ment more malignant, and to these are added a 
 system of persecution and sjDoliation which beggars 
 description. Then, too, the Kussian has very little, 
 if any, sentiment of patriotism, a virtue which 
 upholds and consoles both the Teuton and the Gaul 
 in the hour of his despondency 
 
 I once asked a wretched mother, who was weeping 
 bitterly over the fate of her son : 
 
 "Why all these tears? You ought to be proud 
 that your son is to serve his country." 
 
 " Oi, Oi," she answered. " I would not cry if I 
 were a mother in your country, knowing that my 
 son would return with honours. But he will serve 
 his time for nothing, and come home dishonoured." 
 
 " But how dishonoured ? " I asked. 
 
 " You do not know what is before him, Bareen ; 
 nobody will associate with a soldier when he
 
 THl-: ARMY 17 
 
 returns. And if he should chance to be crippled he 
 will only be given a certificate that he has the 
 privilege of begging for a living." 
 
 The Russian soldier is heavy and dull and slow. 
 He has no initiative whatsoever ; he is not encouraged 
 to have any, nor would he dare to possess such a 
 dangerous commodity. With an empty belly he is 
 a very poor creature. With a full belly he is brave, 
 with a stubborn, unreasoning courage that makes 
 him perfectly indifferent as to whether he lives or 
 dies for his country and the Tsar. lie is ready then 
 to be driven with his comrades to the slaughter, or 
 to stand his ground and be cut down, that is, as the 
 officers order. It is no affair of his in what manner 
 they dispose of him. He is quite prepared to march 
 with his regiment into the bed of a river, and, 
 flinging himself down with them in the stream, form 
 a human causeway for the passage of the guns, as he 
 did in the Kusso-Turkish War. 
 
 The rank and file of the Russian army are 
 illiterate. Not lo per cent, of them can read or 
 write. It was the great-grandftither of the present 
 Tsar who issued an ukase that all generals on the 
 active list must know how to read and write ! The 
 patient, apathetic ignorance of the Russian soldier is 
 the only quality that makes life bearable to him ; 
 and it is also the officer's opportunity, for the 
 Russian officer is a bird of prey, and his men are 
 carrion. 
 
 Poor Ivan has been taken for a soldier, and his 
 parents at home lock themselves to and fro in the 
 extravagance of their grief, and blubber prayers to
 
 18 " HOLY RUSSIA " 
 
 the icon in the corner of their hovel. But the 
 poignancy of anguish is soon dulled in the hearts of 
 the very poor ; the struggle for life and the gnawing 
 pangs of hunger are powerful anaesthetics for the 
 troubles of the mind. And so they go about their 
 tasks once more ; but Ivan is not forgotten. The 
 father brings home his meagre wage to his wife, and 
 a few kopeks are put aside for Ivan. There will be 
 a little less food for the others ; but Ivan must have 
 something. And every week the store of kopeks is 
 increased, until a rouble has been collected, and a 
 few kopeks over for postage and remuneration to 
 the poor clerk who is to write the letter. It is a 
 proud day for the old moujik and his wife when that 
 letter is at last posted. 
 
 Then what becomes of it ? It is delivered at the 
 barracks, where it falls into the hands of the 
 company officer. Now Ivan is illiterate, and it is 
 therefore obviously the duty of his officer to open 
 and read his correspondence for him. So the 
 younker sends for Ivan and reads as much of the 
 letter as he considers it is good for him to hear. It 
 is even possible that he gives him a few kopeks of 
 the money. Then the captain interviews the 
 younke7\ and there is a further division of the old 
 moujik's rouble. It is well for Ivan if his old father's 
 hard-earned rouble procures for him some relaxation 
 of the brutality that his officers habitually mete 
 out to him. But he must not expect too much for 
 his money. 
 
 I have seen officers strike their men in the most 
 savage manner, without reason or provocation. I
 
 THE ARMY 19 
 
 have seen an officer kick a private soldier in the 
 stomach and strike him three times with his clenched 
 fist in the face, because the man was occupying a 
 latrine which the officer was waiting to use, and in 
 which the man had a perfect right to be. I have 
 seen, too, a wretched crippled soldier sitting in the 
 porch of a church begging. His begging certificate 
 was his sole pension for the loss of his legs. He asked 
 alms of a member of the nobility who was going into 
 the church. The nobleman turned upon him with a 
 savage curse : 
 
 *' Thou dog's son ! What art thou doing here ? " 
 
 Then stepping across the poor mutilated body he 
 entered the church, and sprinkling himself with holy 
 water got him to his prayers. 
 
 A total disregard for the welfare and lives of his 
 men is a characteristic of the Russian officer. They 
 are simply so many units under him, to be instructed 
 and bled in times of peace ; to be driven and sacrificed 
 in war. A good officer will lead his men, and they 
 will follow him to the gates of Hell, and beyond. It 
 is the bad officer who finds it necessary to drive his 
 men. The difference between leading and driving 
 is the difference between a well disciplined and a 
 badly disciplined force. In the Russian army it is 
 driving that predominates. 
 
 The callous indifference to the lives of the men 
 extends to officers of the highest rank. They sacrifice 
 them needlessly in war, and show a shocking disre- 
 gard to the death-rate in their commands in time of 
 peace. No casualty list, of any account, is published 
 in the newspapers. It is better that these details
 
 '20 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 should not be made public. Consequently, the 
 unhappy relations of the soldier are left to speculate 
 on his fate, and to await his return home, until they 
 are weary of waiting for one who will never come 
 back to them. 
 
 In his private capacity the Russian officer is 
 seldom a gentleman. He is drawn from the lower 
 middle classes for the most part, and he is not a very 
 refined person. If you are anxious to make his 
 acquaintance in private life, knock at the third door 
 on the left hand side of the street, where there is a 
 red lamp in the window, after 8 p.m. It is a house 
 which is licensed by the Government, and from which 
 the Tsar draws a considerable portion of his 
 revenue. 
 
 The terrors of conscription drive many young 
 men across the frontier under cover of the night. 
 But it is only the more enterprising who thus seek 
 to avoid the ordeal of military service. The moujik 
 is too stupid and lethargic to attempt to avoid his 
 obligations to his Fatherland except by malingering. 
 
 Numbers of these fugitives from the military 
 tyranny of the Tsar come to England, and help 
 to swell the huge total of our alien immigrants. In 
 terror lest they should be sent back to Russia, they 
 will say that they belong to any other nation but 
 their own ; and they frequently adopt names calcu- 
 lated to mislead the inquisitive as to their origin or 
 nationality. 
 
 In conclusion, a word about the Cossacks. There 
 is no (juestion that they are a race of born fighters ; 
 keen, agile, and ferocious, and lovers of the bloodiest
 
 THE ARMY 21 
 
 work. Formerly they served as the frontier force of 
 the Empire, guarding the peaceful Russians from the 
 inroads of the tribes on the frontier. Now they have 
 other duties assigned to them. They are the pioneers 
 of Russia's colonial expansion, and the compellers 
 of order within her gates. 
 
 How they are hated and feared by the people ! 
 Let loose upon a mob of unruly students they dash 
 in amongst them knout in hand, and no man, woman, 
 or child in the crowd is spared the curling lash. 
 At the least show of resistance, the sword is out of 
 the scabbard and the streets are red with blood. 
 The yelling crowd breaks and disperses on every side, 
 pursued and cut down by the Cossacks in the frenzy 
 of murder. 
 
 I wonder what the Tsar thinks of a London police- 
 man or of a Tammany Hall uniform.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 JUSTICE 
 
 I SUPPOSE that justice may be considered as one of 
 the essentials of civiHsation. In a crude form it 
 exists even among savages. Therefore, it is fair to 
 assume that the government which is without justice 
 is unclean. 
 
 Is it possible that Holy Russia is unclean ? In the 
 law of Moses (Leviticus ii.) it is laid down that the 
 beasts which are cloven-footed and chew the cud are 
 clean. " And the swine, though he divide the hoof 
 and be cloven-footed, yet he cheweth not the cud ; 
 he is unclean to you." 
 
 The outward and visible signs — the cloven feet 
 are the courts and the machinery of the law. The 
 chewing of the cud is the conscientious administra- 
 tion and use of the means provided for justice. To 
 be clean, a government must divide the hoof and 
 chew the cud. If it only succeeds in one of these 
 essentials, it is unclean. Even the swine is anxious 
 to appear clean. Watch him lying in his sty. He 
 buries his snout in the mire, so that none may see 
 that he does not chew the cud ; but his cloven feet 
 he exposes to the view of all. 
 
 The cloven feet of His Imperial Majesty, the Tsar 
 of all the Russias, are patent to the world. He has
 
 JUSTICE 23 
 
 his courts of justice, his trial by jury, his Book of 
 Kights, his civil and criminal procedure, and his 
 ukase. 
 
 But what about the cud ? If he wishes to prove 
 to the civilised world that he chews the cud, and 
 that his Government is clean, he can do so with a 
 stroke of the pen. Let him recall from Siberia and 
 Vladikavkas the honest men whom he has banished 
 thither because they had the courage of their 
 opinions, and spoke or wrote in defence of justice 
 and the right. Until he does so, be sure that the 
 beast is unclean and an abomination. 
 
 I have visited the High Courts and Law Courts 
 of all the governments in Kussia. I do not pro- 
 pose to deal here with the minor cases, which are 
 tried before the Pristav. A sugar loaf or a rouble 
 will always satisfy him as to the justice of your 
 cause. You can bring it into court with you, and 
 he will tell you where to put it. Nor will I touch 
 upon the Mirovoy Sud or the Mirovoy Syezd, courts 
 which are conducted by one or more judges, whose 
 price varies from a hundred to a thousand roubles. 
 But the Okruznoi Sud (Supreme Court) is deserving 
 of notice ; for in this court there is trial by jury 
 and a full bench of judges, attended by advocates 
 and counsel. After the lawyers are through with 
 their arguments, the judges retire to deliberate — 
 and for other purposes. Then they return into 
 court, and the decision is handed to the presiding 
 judge. 
 
 On the return of the judges to court, I have 
 frequently seen them drunk ; one learned brother
 
 24 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 supporting his neighbour to his seat on the bench. 
 A verdict in this court costs some thousands of 
 roubles, to be paid to the presiding judge before he 
 leaves his home for the circuit. 
 
 Trial by jury is an absolute farce. The jury, who 
 are drawn from all classes, are for the most part 
 uneducated men. Many of them do not understand 
 the language of the lawyers. They have no say 
 in the verdict, which has probably been paid for 
 some weeks before the trial. But they have other 
 matters to occupy them in court, matters which 
 touch them more closely than the doings and affairs 
 of other men. 
 
 They have entered the court, crossed themselves 
 to the icon, and taken their places on the jury 
 bench, with mixed feelings — they are awed by the 
 majesty of the law, and within them is a sensation 
 of pride at the importance of their position. They 
 have on their best clothes and a general air of 
 conscious respectability. The court opens and the 
 trial begins ; and they very quickly realise that their 
 part in the farce is simply that of " walking gentle- 
 men." Nevertheless they are the jury, and the 
 glamour of the situation awes them to correct 
 behaviour. 
 
 But, anon, first one and then another begins to 
 fidget uneasily, to work his shoulders, to rub his 
 knees together. And then, with twitching fingers, 
 one seizes his leg, and, unable to bear the torture 
 longer, indulges in a luxurious scratch. The others 
 gain courage by his example, and soon they all fall 
 to scratching. The warmth of the court-house has
 
 JUSTICE 25 
 
 aroused their enemies to activity ; and neither for 
 the judge, nor for the icon, nor even for the picture 
 of the " God on Earth " himself, will they show any 
 resjiect. How welcome is the retirement from court 
 for a Russian jury only those who have been similarly 
 afflicted can judge. 
 
 The duties and responsibilities of a Russian lawyer 
 are, to say the least of it, complex. His first duty 
 is, of course, towards the Tsar ; but it is a little 
 difficult to say what his duties are towards his 
 client. 
 
 A special court was assembled, by order of the 
 Tsar, to try certain persons for the slaughter of Jews 
 in KishinefF. Counsel were appointed to represent 
 the defendants, and the trial was commenced. It 
 ended, so far as the defendants were concerned, in a 
 few of them receiving slight sentences. Then came 
 the turn of the defending counsel. For their efforts 
 on behalf of their clients some were despatched to 
 Siberia or Vladikavkas, others were struck off the 
 rolls. And the questions which are exercising the 
 minds of the Presajni Povereyii (Attorney-at-Law) 
 at this moment can be more easily imagined than 
 stated. 
 
 With the example of the governors and judges 
 before them, it is hardly to be expected that the 
 police should be free from guile. They are not. The 
 stolid gorodovoy in the streets is always on the look 
 out for a tip. He will touch his cap to you like an 
 English crossing-sweeper when you cross the road ; 
 and the other hand is always behind him palm up- 
 wards. If you happen to be a humble subject of the
 
 26 " HOLY RUSSIA " 
 
 Tsar, living in the neighbourhood of his beat, it is as 
 well to place something in it now and again ; for he 
 has it in his power to make things unpleasant. 
 He divides the spoil with the thief; and he can 
 give useful information to the burglar as to the 
 easiest method of entry into your house, for he 
 makes a particular study of the windows and 
 doors of the habitations of which he is placed in 
 charge. 
 
 His superior officer expects, and gets, a share ot 
 the plunder when he is relieved from duty ; and he, 
 in his turn, is liable to calls from higher authority ; 
 and so on, up to the Pristav, who is also receiving 
 loaf-sugar and stara vodka from petty offenders, 
 against the day of reckoning. 
 
 In the witness-box, it is scarcely necessary to state, 
 the gorodovoy and his superiors are liars ; but that, 
 alas ! is a failing not confined to the police of the 
 Tsar. There is this difference, however, that whereas 
 the departure from the truth on the part of the 
 police of other countries is deplored, in Russia it is 
 the normal tendency. 
 
 The passport system of the country is in the 
 hands of the Meschanshaia Uprava* and under the 
 supervision of the police ; and here is another source 
 of income. Juggling with passports may be very 
 remunerative when skilfully managed. The pass- 
 port is a sacred document in Russia. None may live 
 
 * Inhabitants of cities must obtain their passports from the 
 Meschamkaia Uprava. Those who live in the country from the 
 Volostnoia Pravlenia. People desiring to (juit Russia must obtain 
 passports from the Governor of State.
 
 JUSTICE 27 
 
 without it ; and the theft of this holy certificate of 
 the Hberty of the subject is a serious oifence. So 
 great is the soHcitude of the Tsar for the welfare of 
 his people, that he has adopted this means of knowing 
 exactly where every individual one of them is, and 
 what he is doing. 
 
 When I was in Tomsk, on my way to Siberia, my 
 passport " ran out," and it was necessary for me to 
 apply for a new one. There was a good deal of 
 trouble about it, and I became impatient. 
 
 " In my country," I exclaimed, "it is only the dogs 
 who are required to have passports." 
 
 " They are all dogs in Russia," the official answered 
 surlily. 
 
 From the Baltic to the Yenisei the whole country 
 is corrupt. From Governor to Uryadnik every man 
 has his price, and is anxious to be offered it. The 
 Government, the Synod, the Army, the Bench are 
 putrid with corruption. Every man preys on his 
 poorer neighbours and cozens his superiors if he 
 can. A certain Burgomaister of St. Petersburg, 
 who robbed widows and orphans, and lent out the 
 money at 500 per cent., was a noble example of the 
 rule, and not the exception. 
 
 The cloven hoof is there, but, of a certainty, the 
 Beast does not chew the cud.
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 EDUCATION 
 
 The school system in Russia is generally dictated 
 by the Synod. 
 
 The Synod is the Church, and the Church is the 
 Tsar. The Tsar is therefore the teacher of his 
 people. And his indulgence of his pupils is quite 
 touching. On no account will he allow their brains 
 to be overstrained ; and no child is compelled to 
 come to his school. There are many different nations 
 and races within the limits of his vast Empire ; and 
 the Tsar, with his enlightened understanding, has 
 arranged for every nation to be offered instruction 
 and education in accordance with its requirements, 
 with certain restrictions, and on payment. 
 
 The whole system of education in the Empire is 
 under his control. There are no private schools, 
 except for girls ; and there is no competition with 
 His Imperial Majesty in the form of independent 
 educational establishments. He does it all by him- 
 self, with the assistance of the Metropolitans and the 
 Synod. 
 
 There are the elementary schools, where the 
 children of the poor can receive instruction in read- 
 ing, writing, arithmetic, Russian history, and geo- 
 graphy if their parents will pay the fees. There are
 
 EDUCATION 29 
 
 the Real Schools, divided into seven classes, for the 
 sons of the wealthier people. From the Real Schools 
 the students can pass on to the Gymnasium, which 
 is also divided into seven classes. Then there are 
 the Universities and Polytechnics. 
 
 In none of these institutions are board and lodg- 
 ing provided for the students. Parents sending 
 their children to the Real Schools and the Gym- 
 nasiums from outlying towns and villages must 
 arrange for their housing and care within reach of 
 the schools. 
 
 I have stated that in the different nations which 
 go to form the Empire of the Tsar different regula- 
 tions are in force as regards education, and certain 
 restrictions are imposed by His Imperial Majesty in 
 his desire to promote the welfare and enlightenment 
 of his subjects. 
 
 First, take the case of the moujik of Russia 
 proper. There are the elementary schools for him, 
 if he is in a position to pay for the education of his 
 children. But he is not. 
 
 After all, what does a moujik want with educa- 
 tion ? His father must bring him up as best he can, 
 and at the age of one-and-twenty he must come 
 to the Voinskaja Povinost and become a soldier. 
 Surely he can eat kapusta and black bread without 
 knowing who discovered America ! If he knew too 
 much it might become difficult to manage him. It 
 is possible that he would begin to think, and there 
 is nothing more dangerous than the thinking man. 
 He might compare the rule of his "Little Father" 
 with the governments of other countries. What
 
 30 " HOLY RUSSIA " 
 
 then ? He would learn the translation of two Latin 
 phrases — "Magna Charta " and "Habeas Corpus," 
 and in time he might demand them for himself He 
 would know what a " Constitution " is, and he would 
 want one. It is far better that he should live his 
 life in happy contentment under the care and pro- 
 tection of an all- wise and all-powerful " God on 
 Earth," to be spoon-fed on ignorance and super- 
 stition, with no yearnings for the unattainable, and 
 no knowledge of the laws and customs of foreign 
 heretics. For the moujik decidedly " Ignorance is 
 bliss." 
 
 Then as to the Jew. The Jew will not acknow- 
 ledge the "Holy Mother" nor the divinity of the 
 " God on Earth," therefore measures must be taken 
 to bring him to a repentant frame of mind. It 
 would be manifestly ridiculous to educate him until 
 he has become a member of the Holy Greek Church. 
 But if he will repent and bow the knee to the icon 
 he will be free to enjoy the advantages of education 
 as supplied by the Tsar. How zealous is the " God 
 on Earth " for the conversion of the Jews to the true 
 Faith ! Look at the record of the efforts of the last 
 three generations of Tsars on behalf of the souls of 
 the Hebrew race. This touching solicitude for the 
 poor heretic Israelites should bring tears to the eyes 
 of the world. 
 
 The methods of conversion of the Jews in Bussia 
 savour of the Middle Ages, it is true — and an apology 
 is due to the Middle Ages for the comparison — but 
 the Holy Tsar of Russia is a student of the Bible, 
 and he finds there a precedent for his methods in
 
 EDUCATION 31 
 
 the treatment of the Chosen People by the Pharoah 
 who knew not Joseph. There is this difference 
 between them, that whereas Pharoah of old ordered 
 the destruction of the male children of Israel at 
 birth, the Tsar of Russia in his mercy usually allows 
 them a few years of life before he turns the Cossacks 
 loose on them. But it is my intention to deal with 
 the Jews, as a part of the gi^eat Russian Empire, 
 later on. It is only the question of their education 
 that concerns us at present. 
 
 Since he has been unable to turn them from the 
 religion of their forefathers, the Tsar has forbidden 
 that more than 5 per cent, of them shall receive 
 education. But, even so, he cannot keep them in 
 the utter darkness of ignorance ; for in their chedars 
 they receive a sound education, which raises them, 
 in this respect, far above their Russian neighbours. 
 
 The Poles, like the Jews, are heretics, for they do 
 not acknowledge the Tsar as their Pope ; they even 
 have their doubts as to his infallibility ! Therefore, 
 they, too, must be kept in the pit of ignorance. Not 
 more than 10 per cent, of their children are allowed 
 to attend schools. The Polish language and the 
 teaching of Polish history are forbidden, and all 
 Polish books ; and no Pole is allowed to rise above 
 the rank of younker (lieutenant) in the army of the 
 Tsar. 
 
 There is the same trouble with the Finlander. 
 He is a lyiauvais sujet, and must be treated accord- 
 ingly. He refuses to adopt the customs and manners 
 of the Russians in any form, and, therefore, it would 
 be absurd to educate him. He has another lesson
 
 82 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 to learn first, and good General BobrikofF is busy 
 teaching him. 
 
 When I was in Kussia some of the universities 
 were ojDen, but not all. As a rule, more than one 
 half were closed — " for repairs," I was told, with a 
 twinkle of the eye. It is easy to understand that 
 the educational establishments of Russia are in need 
 of repairs — and alterations. But ask the students 
 themselves about the closing of their universities, 
 and you will hear another story. 
 
 It seems that some of the students began to think. 
 That is the worst of education ; it makes men think. 
 They studied history — and they thought about it. 
 They read the classic literature of the Greeks and 
 Romans — and they thought about that. They 
 dipped into philosophy, science, and sociology — 
 and their thoughts became deeper than ever. Por- 
 ing over their books, doubts began to obtrude them- 
 selves on their minds — doubts about the infallibility 
 of the " God on Earth," doubts of the sanctity of 
 Holy Russia. 
 
 Then, one day, a student whispered his doubts to 
 his friend, and found that he, too, had his doubts. 
 So they went to a third and whispered to him ; 
 and he whispered to another. At last, somebody 
 whispered to the governor ; and the university was 
 closed, and a squadron of Cossacks was quartered in 
 the town. 
 
 Then the governor held an inquiry, by order of 
 the Tsar ; and the more thoughtful students were 
 brought before him. There were signs of unrest 
 amongst their companions whilst the inquiry was in
 
 EDUCATION 33 
 
 progress ; little groups of students discussing affairs 
 on the outskirts of the town, a general, undefined 
 air of excitement and anxiety amongst the towns- 
 men. One day it became known that the thinkers 
 were to be sent to Vladikavkas ; and the groups of 
 students united and formed themselves into a pro- 
 cession and marched through the streets. The 
 squadron of Cossacks was ordered out. The officer 
 in command gave the word to " go " ; and the bloody 
 work began. The university was closed " until 
 further orders." 
 
 Of such a scene I was an eye-witness in Kazan, 
 where the students assailed the university, which 
 was closed because they were too poor to pay the 
 fees. Thus it happens that a great many of the 
 best brains of the Empire are now in Siberia or 
 Vladikavkas. But they are not all there. Students, 
 thinkers, and philosophers are still at large in 
 Russia ; and the Tsar knows it and trembles. 
 
 That is the reason why he has sealed the lips of 
 Dr. Rastovbseff, and commanded him to discontinue 
 his lectures on science. He was making known to 
 the poor the inestimable blessings of medical science, 
 and it is not good for the peasants to know such 
 things. Therefore, in spite of the protests of 
 thousands of medical men throughout Russia, he 
 was suppressed. There was not a word of this in 
 the Russian newspapers ; it was not likely that there 
 would be ! But it is the truth nevertheless, and it 
 happened as lately as January 1904. 
 
 Now what is the present state of affairs in Russia ? 
 Half her universities are closed on account of
 
 34 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 disturbances. Scores of students are weekly exiled 
 to Siberia ; scores are imprisoned ; and the ablest are 
 those who have revolted against the system of the 
 Tsar and the Synod. But what good will this do to 
 the Government, to the Synod, to the Tsar ? They 
 are all one. 
 
 They cannot exile all the thinkers to Siberia. 
 Even if they could, they cannot exile their thoughts. 
 Though they place irons on their limbs they cannot 
 fetter their understanding. For every head that 
 the Tsar takes off, a hundred will spring up in 
 defence of the liberties and rights of humanity. 
 
 It is fool's work to suppress all that is noblest 
 and best in a great country, to bolster up a bogus 
 divinity — especially when the divinity has cloven 
 feet and does not chew the cud.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE ARISTOCRACY 
 
 In the preface to this book I stated that I have been 
 the guest of princes and the bed-fellow of peasants 
 throughout the Empire of Russia. There is no 
 credit due to me for either experience. I went to 
 Russia in search of information, and I sought it from 
 every quarter. But I can truthfully say that I 
 received no hospitality from princes or beggars that 
 I did not return with interest. No man shall say 
 that under cover of friendship I have abused his 
 hospitality. I made few friends in Russia, and not 
 a few enemies — but I paid my way. And in a 
 country where the chief subject of conversation is 
 money, I consider that I have bought my privilege 
 to speak. 
 
 To speak alphabetically, I have visited every 
 Guhernii from Archangel to Yaroslaif; and I 
 have made the acquaintance of a certain number 
 of the aristocracy in each government that I have 
 visited. The girls I have always found well 
 educated and versed in several languages. No 
 matter how rich their parents may be, they always 
 are acquainted with the simplest household duties. 
 Many have a taste for music, art, or literature. 
 
 For the most part, the education of the children
 
 36 « HOLY RUSSIA ^ 
 
 of the aristocracy is entrusted to tutors in their own 
 homes. These tutors are taken from the ranks of 
 the poor students at the universities or are imported 
 from France. I have seen as many as four tutors 
 living in one house for the education of the children. 
 
 But the sons of the Russian aristocracy are of an 
 altogether different stamp from their sisters. It is 
 useless to disguise the fact, that all Russian men, 
 from the Holy Tsar downwards, are, with few 
 exceptions, moujiks. The hot Tartar blood is so 
 close to the surface that the thin veneer of civilisa- 
 tion is unable to keep it in check. A moment of 
 anger, a pair of flashing eyes, an extra glass of 
 stwa vodka, will suffice to reduce the polished 
 Russian gentleman to the level of the moujik. I 
 will give an example of it. 
 
 I was at a dinnei-party one night in the Hotel de 
 France, St. Petersburg. The company was what 
 might be called distinguished. Our host was an 
 official of the War Office, whose father was a gentle- 
 man-in-waiting on the Tsar. There were also present 
 a general of the army and several other officers — 
 all noblemen. 
 
 The dinner was excellently cooked and well served, 
 and the table was decorated with china, plate, and 
 flowers. All went well until the arrival of the coffee 
 at the end of the repast. Then the general, who 
 was also a kniaz (prince), turned to me — he had 
 drunk a great deal of champagne and his utterance 
 was thick. 
 
 " Now, young man, show us how the soldiers 
 marcli in your country."
 
 THE ARISTOCRACY 37 
 
 I replied politely that I was not a soldier, and 
 that I did not consider the dining-room a proper 
 place for the display of martial skill. 
 
 He scowled at me savagely and growled like a 
 bear, but he left me alone. 
 
 The rest of the party, who had been watching us 
 intently in the hope of seeing me drawn into an un- 
 dignified exhibition, pushed back their chairs and 
 rose from the table. Then, as is the custom in 
 Russia, they turned towards the icon in the corner of 
 the room and began to cross themselves. I was the 
 only one present who did not do so, and once again 
 I unconsciously became the centre of attraction. 
 
 " Have you no icons in your country ? " one of 
 them asked brusquely. 
 
 " We have no icons," I replied ; *' but we have 
 our God, and our honour." 
 
 They asked me no more unpleasant questions and 
 harmony was restored. They filled up their glasses 
 afresh and began to drink to each other. As each 
 toast was honoured they dashed their glasses to the 
 ground. Soon the whole floor was covered with 
 broken glass ; and the waiters came and went among 
 the debris bringing more wine and more glasses. 
 It is not necessary to scratch the Russian to find the 
 Tartar — you only need to lubricate him. As the 
 drinking became more fast and furious, and the glass 
 crackled beneath their feet, I could see the moujik 
 coming out in all of them. 
 
 Then, when they could drink no more, our host 
 advanced unsteadily towards the table, and seizing 
 the cloth at one end swept everything on the floor,
 
 38 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 china, cut-glass vases, fruit dishes and plates, 
 epergne and flowers, all broken and destroyed in a 
 heap on the carpet. So have I seen the cloven-footed 
 pigs gulp down the wash prepared for them and 
 then take savage vengeance on the empty trough. 
 
 Shift the scene of this story from St. Petersburg 
 to London ; for Russian kniaz and officers substitute 
 the names of British nobleman and high Staff 
 officers, and it makes very amusing reading. It is 
 only by travel in foreign countries that the Russian 
 nobleman loses his moujik manners. The education 
 he receives in Russia is not sufficient to eradicate the 
 lower instincts in him. 
 
 He spends his life partly on his estates in the 
 country and partly in St. Petersburg or Moscow. 
 He is a bully by nature, and his servants and depen- 
 dants stand in dread of him. His wife he treats as 
 an inferior being, unless, indeed, she happens to be a 
 woman of spirit, and refuses to occupy the position 
 accorded to the wife of a Mussulman or Buddhist. In 
 St. Petersburg he spends most of his time in gambling 
 at his club, or in the society of the demi-monde. 
 
 He has a great opinion of himself, and the word 
 " honour " is perpetually on his lips — but it does not 
 go any further. He has, however, a certain amour 
 2)ropre which takes its place, and for which he is 
 prepared to fight. As to honour, as the word is 
 understood by a nation of shop-keepers as Great 
 Britain is, he has none. His word is not his bond. 
 He will lie to you on the smallest provocation ; and 
 his promises of to-day he will utterly repudiate to- 
 morrow. He is the same man all over Russia, with
 
 THE ARISTOCRACY 39 
 
 the exception of the Baltic Provinces and Poland. 
 And in these parts the nobility are either of German 
 or Polish descent. 
 
 The religion of the Russian aristocrat is of the 
 same superstitious order as that of the moujik. The 
 fear of the icon is over all the land. I have seen a 
 Russian noble standing before the icon in his room 
 bowing and crossing himself for three hours without 
 cessation. What crime he had committed to merit 
 such a severe penance I do not know ; but it must 
 have been of a peculiarly malignant nature. During 
 the performance it almost seemed as though his arm 
 must fall off from the elbow, so strenuous and rapid 
 were his movements. At the end of his devotions 
 his face looked as happy as possible. Doubtless all 
 his sins were forgiven, and he was free to start 
 afresh. 
 
 The sons of the aristocracy, as I have stated, are 
 usually educated at home, until they are old enough 
 to go to the university. There they seldom distin- 
 guish themselves as scholars, and it is rare to find 
 scions of the noble Russian families amongst those 
 who have graduated with honours. 
 
 After they leave the universities they either go 
 into " crack " regiments or else loaf away the time 
 at their homes or in St. Petersburg. You will never 
 find the sons of the aristocracy employed in engineer- 
 ing works or any other craft ; and, of course, trade of 
 any kind is out of the question for them. 
 
 Like every other class in Russia, they are unscru- 
 pulous as to the means by which they obtain money. 
 The London Stock Exchange and Wall Street, New
 
 40 " HOLY RUSSIA " 
 
 York, are innocents in comparison with the Russian 
 aristocracy, who do not even trouble to issue a lying 
 prospectus before they set about to rob the widow 
 and orphan. 
 
 But there is more money to be made out of 
 company promoting in London and New York than 
 in Holy Russia, and, therefore, they are often to 
 be found in the principal hotels of the two capitals 
 with wonderful concessions to sell to the British or 
 American public at absurdly reasonable figures. One 
 has mineral oil springs on his estate ; another exten- 
 sive coal-fields. Kniaz Blowhisnoski has a conces- 
 sion from the Tsar to build a railway in the Ural 
 Mountains ; Baron Hurriupski has discovered a 
 second Rand on his Siberian estate. And they have 
 all come to London to give the British public an 
 opportunity, which may not occur again, of making 
 immense sums of money out of them ! 
 
 This brings me to another element in the social 
 life of the Russian Empire. I refer to the Russian 
 adventuress. She is not necessarily of the aristo- 
 cracy ; but she is closely associated with it, and 
 assumes names and titles with the full consent of the 
 genuine owners. In Russia she is to be found in 
 Kharkoff", Kieff, Moscow, Nijni Novgorod, St. Peters- 
 burg, and Warsaw, &c. She is always on friendly 
 terms with the Politzmaister and Pristav, for it 
 is through their goodwill that she is enabled to 
 travel with valid passports and impressive titles. 
 The arrangement is eminently satisfactory to both 
 parties. She pays, and they provide the pass- 
 ports.
 
 THE ARISTOCRACY 41 
 
 She is devoted to travelling, and makes many 
 friends on the Wagon Lit. She dines with them 
 on the train. The victim orders champagne, but the 
 Countess will drink nothing but water ; and there- 
 fore he is compelled to finish the bottle by himself 
 When he awakes in the morning he finds that the 
 fair Countess left the train at midnight for some 
 unknown destination. And then he suddenly recol- 
 lects that she borrowed a hundred rouble note from 
 him on some pretext or other. Of course, as she is a 
 Countess, his lips are sealed. 
 
 She does not confine her travels to Russia. She 
 will go to the Governor one day, and, with her 
 most gracious smile, ask for a passport for Paris, 
 or London, or Brussels. The Governor draws a 
 long face, he is unwilling to lose so good a client 
 as the Countess for a prolonged period ; but he 
 gives it to her at a special advanced rate for foreign 
 passports, and expresses the hope that he will have 
 the felicity of seeing her home again in due course. 
 
 So the Countess arrives in London with unex- 
 ceptionable credentials, and takes up her abode in 
 one of the large, fashionable hotels in the neighbour- 
 hood of the Strand. She spends money with no 
 mean hand. The servants at the hotel receive 
 liberal tips, and bow and scrape to her. It soon 
 becomes known, and well known, that the Countess 
 has large coal estates in the Don Cossacks, and has 
 come to London to raise the necessary capital for 
 working them. She flourishes the engineer's report 
 on the property signed by a Notary Public of Holy 
 Kussia — for all of which she paid twenty-five roubles
 
 42 " HOLY RUSSIA ^' 
 
 — and with her kuptchi kriepost (deed of property) 
 gets her to Mincing Lane, and seduces some poor, 
 Withering idiot there to advance her ^2000 on the 
 strength of the documents and a few endearments. 
 If he only knew it, those documents are as easily 
 obtained in Russia as lice from the moujik, and the 
 endearments don't require even that amount of 
 hunting. 
 
 Then she is suddenly called away to Brussels, and 
 the Mincing Lane idiot is left in possession of the 
 deed of property and an I.O.U. for ^2000, signed 
 by the fair Countess' hand, as a memento of her 
 visit to London. 
 
 Perhaps it was a little outside the purposes of 
 this chapter to introduce the Russian adventuress ; 
 but if the exposure of her methods helps to clear the 
 names and fame of the noble ladies in Russia whom 
 she unblushingly impersonates in foreign countries, 
 as in her own, then, at least, it will have served a 
 good purpose.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 TRADERS 
 
 *'The holy St. John. Who'll buy the holy St. 
 John ! " The cry came from a moujik in the market- 
 place of YaroslafF, who was selling coloured prints 
 of the Holy Mother and the Saints. He was only a 
 common, ignorant moujik, but the nature of his 
 wares made him a holy man amongst the buyers 
 and sellers in the market. Partly on account of 
 his holiness, and partly because the gaudy colours 
 of the prints fascinated the eyes of the humble 
 peasants of the YaroslafF district, he was always 
 sure of customers. 
 
 The market-place was crowded, and the vendors 
 had ranged their wares in rows, and set them out to 
 the best advantage. Here was a stall with red and 
 black wooden bowls and platters and spoons. Next 
 to it a fine assortment of children's toys. Remnants 
 of coloured cotton and cloth textures were dis- 
 played on another. Rags of meat and sickly sweet- 
 stuffs, bread, vegetables, and eatables of all kinds 
 were exposed for sale. And at the corner was the 
 holy man selling his pictures of the Mother of God 
 and the Saints. 
 
 A man in a coarse sheepskin coat and long 
 leather boots slouched up to him, and stood looking
 
 44 "HOI.Y RUSSIA'' 
 
 admiringly at the rich blues and reds of St. John's 
 apparel. 
 
 " How much ? " he asked laconically. 
 
 " The holy Ivan, thirty-five kopeks." 
 
 " Impossible. I cannot pay so much." 
 
 The dealer in holy pictures crossed himself and 
 began to roll up the St. John. It might mean that 
 he would take no less, and was going to put it 
 away from the gaze of the penurious ; or, it might 
 be that he intended to effect a sale, and was rolling 
 the picture for the customer to take away with 
 him. 
 
 " Eh, my brother," he said sadly, '* times are 
 hard with us all. The Holy Mother is punishing 
 us because we are wicked. But since you say, my 
 brother, that thirty-five kopeks are too much money 
 you shall have it for thirty kopeks." 
 
 The man shook his head, but he still remained 
 before the stall of the dealer in holy pictures. 
 
 " You don't know, my brother," the vendor con- 
 tinued, in the same tones of pious regret, " how evil 
 the times are. I have seen some brothers go into 
 the kharchevna and drink thirty glasses of tea and 
 ten glasses of vodka, and they will go home and 
 not so much as bend their knees to the Holy 
 Mother. But I sold one of them a St. Peter yester- 
 day and he is a dift'erent man. It is not for the 
 money only that I sell the holy saints, it is for the 
 good that they will do." He unrolled the picture 
 and held it before the eyes of the man. 
 
 " See, my brother, see the holy St. John ! You 
 can almost hear him cry from the Wilderness !
 
 TRADERS 45 
 
 You shall have it for twenty kopeks. You shall not 
 go away without it, as I fear for your salvation." 
 
 But still the would-be purchaser held back ; he 
 might buy his salvation for less than twenty kopeks 
 if he were patient. It was evident to the vendor of 
 holy pictures that he must change his tactics. 
 
 " What is your name, brother ? " he asked. 
 
 " Ivan Ilyitchovitch." 
 
 "Is it possible that your father's name was 
 Ilyitch ? That also was my father's name, who is 
 now in heaven among the angels. You shall have 
 the holy St. John for ten kopeks ! " 
 
 And rolling up the picture once more he thrust it 
 into the hands of Ivan Ilyitchovitch, receiving ten 
 kopeks in exchange. Whilst he was stowing away 
 the money in the little canvas bag which he wore 
 round his neck I went up to Ivan Ilyitchovtich. 
 
 "Well, brother, are you satisfied with your 
 picture ? " I asked. 
 
 The man looked at me dreamily, his thoughts 
 intent on the holy St. John. 
 
 " Yes ; but it was five kopeks too much." 
 
 This is a humble example of the manner of trad- 
 ing throughout Russia. In the big establishments 
 of St. Petersburg or Moscow it is the same as in the 
 market-place of Yaroslaff — there will be an attempt 
 made to cheat the customer to begin with, and a 
 gradual " climb down " on the part of the merchant 
 until a reasonable figure is reached. 
 
 It is a dangerous custom to look into shop 
 windows if you do not intend to buy, for just 
 within the door sits a buxom woman waiting, like
 
 46 " HOLY RUSSIA " 
 
 some large spider for flies to become entangled in 
 her web. The unwary loiterer is suddenly seized 
 upon and dragged within the door, and when he 
 emerges again he generally carries a parcel under 
 his arm. 
 
 When I was in Ekaterinoslaff I wanted to buy 
 a polshupka, a fur coat made from a sheepskin, so I 
 went to the best fur store in the town to procure it. 
 There was an old lady sitting behind the counter, 
 rolled up in a shawl and warming her hands at the 
 stove. The shawl enveloped her whole head, and 
 only her eyes were visible between the folds of it. 
 There was an expensive icon of the Boje Matery in 
 the corner, and the little lamp burnt in front of it. 
 The remainder of the wall space was occupied by fur 
 coats of every description hanging on pegs. 
 
 Besides the old lady there was a boy in the shop 
 and an intelligent-looking girl of seventeen or so, 
 who came towards me and asked what I wanted. I 
 answered her in French, for I took it into my head 
 to leave the Russian language alone for the purposes 
 of the business which I had come to transact. 
 
 The girl gave me to understand that she could 
 not speak French. I, in my turn, displayed an 
 absolute ignorance of Russian. With a wave of the 
 hand in the direction of the goods on the walls she 
 indicated that I should point out to her what I 
 wanted. The old lady, seeing the difficulties of the 
 situation, hit upon a bright idea. She despatched 
 the boy to a neighbouring iron foundry, where, she 
 knew, there were several foreign engineers, with 
 instructions to bring back an interpreter.
 
 TRADERS 47 
 
 The lad returned in five minutes with a Belgian 
 engineer. His French was very shaky and his 
 knowledge of Kussian not much better, but he was 
 all smiles, and most willing to do his little best to 
 help us out of our difficulties. I explained my wants 
 to the engineer, and as soon as the old lady heard 
 the word polshupka — 
 
 "So, so, your High-born Excellency!" she exclaimed, 
 and began to hunt among the coats on the wall. 
 
 They are very liberal with their titles in Russia 
 when there is likely to be money in them. You can 
 be a baron for a gi'atuity of twenty-five kopeks, and 
 a rouble will certainly entitle you to the honour of 
 veliki kniaz. The American heiress should take 
 her poor old father to Russia, where for a very small 
 consideration she can obtain titles both for herself 
 and him without the painful necessity of marrying 
 herself to a peer of the realm. 
 
 But to return to the old lady in the shawl. With 
 a long stick she took down several coats from the 
 wall and handed them to me to try on. Then I 
 heard her say quietly to the girl, '* Say twenty-five 
 roubles more." And with that she resumed her seat 
 by the stove. 
 
 I found a coat to my liking and fit, and I asked 
 the price through the interpreter. 
 
 The girl consulted the woman, and I could see that 
 she was expostulating with her for the extortionate 
 figure proposed. 
 
 " Oh, that is nothing to a rich Frenchman ! " the 
 old lady replied tartly. 
 
 I laughed to myself; and when the girl informed
 
 48 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 me, with some diffidence, that the price of the coat 
 was forty-five roubles, I deducted in my mind the 
 twenty-five which the old lady had added and a 
 further 20 per cent, for making me a Frenchman. 
 
 " I will give fifteen roubles," I said to the 
 engineer. 
 
 The engineer looked at me with a quiet grin, 
 and winked. Then he translated my offer to the 
 old lady. 
 
 The efiect was electrical. She began crossing 
 herself violently ; the shawl fell from her head and 
 shoulders, and she spluttered unintelligible words to 
 the Belgian, which he, poor soul, endeavoured un- 
 successfully to translate to me. She kept protesting 
 that she had sold a similar coat to a baron only the 
 day before for forty-five roubles. Seeing that the 
 interpreter was unable to do full justice to her cause 
 she approached me in person, and endeavoured by 
 shouting in my ear to make me understand the drift 
 of her tirade. 
 
 The girl had been watching the scene quietly. I 
 fancy she guessed that I could understand more than 
 I pretended of the Kussian language. Presently she 
 came up and suggested, through the interpreter, that 
 a polsliuhka would make people think that I was a 
 Russian, and therefore a different kind of coat would 
 be preferable for me. 
 
 I answered that I was going to Moscow, and that 
 I did not want people to think that I was a French- 
 man. She smiled, but said nothing. 
 
 Finally the old lady took my fifteen roubles and I 
 took the polshubka.
 
 TRADERS 49 
 
 The same evening, whilst I was at my tea in the 
 hotel, the porter came in and said that there was a 
 young girl downstairs who wanted to see me. I 
 told him to show her in. He went down again, 
 leaving the door open behind him ; and presently 
 I heard them coming up the stairs together. The 
 girl was speaking, and I recognised her voice at 
 once. 
 
 " How do you make the Bareen understand ? " she 
 asked. " Do you speak French to him ? " 
 
 " Why should I speak French ? " I heard the porter 
 answer. " The Bareen is an Englishman, and speaks 
 Russian as well as you do." 
 
 Then the door was pushed wide open and she 
 came in smiling, but evidently in some confusion. 
 She began to excuse herself for the want of ceremony 
 of her visit. I reassured her, and told her to be 
 seated. 
 
 " I knew you could speak our language, Bareen," 
 she said. " When the old lady told me to ask forty- 
 five roubles for the j^olshubka I saw that you under- 
 stood. I did not want to ask so much ; the coat cost 
 her less than eight roubles." 
 
 So this girl had come to me to apologise for the 
 attempted extortion of her employer. I liked her for 
 that, though perhaps she was not acting very loyally 
 to her mistress. 
 
 " If I had been a Russian," I said, " I should have 
 offered ten roubles." 
 
 " And you would have got the coat," she confessed 
 readily. 
 
 "Well, in my country we wish the merchant to
 
 50 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 live, and in return he tells us the lowest price that 
 he will take. It is simpler and saves time." 
 
 This was evidently to her a new light on com- 
 mercial ethics ; for she took some moments to con- 
 sider the matter. 
 
 " And so you came to tell me that you are 
 sorry your employer tried to impose upon me ? " I 
 asked. 
 
 " Yes, that was one reason why I came," she said, 
 with a return to the confusion which she had shown 
 on her entry. 
 
 " And what was the other reason ? " 
 
 " I thought perhaps, Bareen, that you could tell 
 me something of the world outside of Russia. How 
 I should like to see the world ! " 
 
 I had been merely amused at the girl before, I 
 was interested in her now. Here was another 
 thinker who had, so far, escaped Siberia. 
 
 *' Tell me about yourself first," I said. 
 
 She told me her little history. She was an orphan, 
 and the widow who kept the fur store had adopted 
 her, and treated her as her own child. I asked her 
 whether she ever read books. 
 
 " I read sometimes when my guardian cannot see 
 me," she confessed. " And after I have been reading I 
 often want to run away and go out into the world, and 
 see what it is all like. We, Kussians, are a stupid 
 race, I know ; there is nothing but the Church and 
 the cupolas before our eyes, and they only make us 
 more stupid and blind." 
 
 I could only agree with her ; but I cautioned her 
 against running away from her guardian.
 
 TRADERS 51 
 
 " If you had been a boy," I said, " I would have 
 encouraged you to go, and I might have been able to 
 help you. But since you are not " 
 
 I gave her what, I hope, was excellent advice, and 
 I told her something of the great world which she 
 was so anxious to see ; not forgetting to point out 
 the pitfalls and snares which are everywhere set for 
 the feet of the unwary. 
 
 I sometimes wonder what has happened to the 
 little thinker of Ekaterinoslaff.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 THE MOUJIK 
 
 In a previous chapter I mentioned that all men in 
 Kussia, from the highest to the lowest, are moujiks. 
 That is a view of the social condition of the Empire 
 of the Tsar which is possibly not in accord with the 
 ideas of the 'aristocracy of that country. Let them 
 controvert it if they can. Meanwhile we will pass 
 on to the class whose generic name I have applied, 
 or misapplied, to the whole race. 
 
 He is known by various names, according to his 
 locahty ; but " Chacholl," " Katchap," or " Strug- 
 ovtchik " — all are moujiks. 
 
 His ignorance is colossal ; his patience is infinite ; 
 his stupidity is profound ; and he possesses a 
 humour of his own. Beneath these qualities there 
 is a smouldering fire, which occasionally breaks out, 
 and is at once suppressed by order of the Tsar ; but 
 it Is never altogether extinguished, and some day 
 It will get beyond control. 
 
 He resembles a badly-ventilated haystack — 
 cumbersome, stolid, Imperturbable ; but on fire 
 within, from over-pressure and want of air. When 
 he is sober he cares nothing what you call him, or 
 what you do to him. When he Is drunk, the fire
 
 THE MOUJIK 53 
 
 is apt to break through and show itself — and it 
 generally damages something. 
 
 Here is an episode that I witnessed in Tiflis ; it 
 strikes the key-note of the moujik character. In 
 a traktir (tea-shop and restaurant) in Tiflis two 
 moujiks sat at a table and called for vodka. There 
 was nothing in the appearance of either of them to 
 lift them above their class or to dej^rade them 
 beneath it. They were just two heavy, patient 
 moujiks. 
 
 "Eh, Petrushka, never, never could I believe it of 
 thee. Thou hast done me a great wrong. And I 
 know well that thou hast made dirt of me, for Maxi- 
 moff told me all. Why did'st thou serve me thus ? 
 Oi, oi ! one would think that thou should'st be my 
 greatest friend, after all I have done for thee these 
 six years past." 
 
 " I tell thee, as I have told thee before, it is 
 nothing but a lie. That Maximoff is a dog's son," 
 Petrus retorted hotly. " Why should'st thou take 
 his word before mine ? Soinka will tell thee that I 
 speak the truth." 
 
 He got up from his seat and crossed himself twice, 
 and sat down again. I could see trouble brewing in 
 Petrus' face. He remained silent for some minutes, 
 staring vacantly at the table before him. Then he 
 broke out again. 
 
 " Thou knowest, Mikhalka, that to this day I 
 would give my life for thee ; and yet thou wilt 
 believe that dog's son, Maximoif, before me ! Before 
 me ! " 
 
 He struck his fist on his chest repeatedly,
 
 54 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 reiterating the words, " before me," at every blow. 
 Then he fell to abuse of Maximoff and his fathers 
 for three generations. And, at last, the smouldering 
 fire within him, fanned by the gusts of his wrath, 
 broke into flame. 
 
 " Well, thou knowest what a friend I am to 
 thee ! " he exclaimed. And snatching a knife from 
 his pocket, he jerked the long blade open and drove 
 it into his chest. His arms dropped to his sides, 
 leaving the knife buried to the hilt between his ribs. 
 
 " See how I love thee — see ! — see ! — see ! " 
 
 The U'alctir was almost empty. Shouting to the 
 waiter I went across to the body of Petrus, which 
 had fallen across the chair on to the floor. The fall 
 had driven the knife further in, and the left lung 
 was pierced through and through. There was no 
 earthly help for him. 
 
 And now the traktir rapidly filled with people of 
 all sorts. They mobbed the unfortunate Mikhael, 
 thinking that he had killed his friend. In the 
 scuflle the table and the samovar were overturned, 
 and it was with difficulty that I succeeded in rescu- 
 ing Mikhael from their hands. 
 
 The cry of " Gorodovoy ! " echoed through the 
 streets, and in a few minutes the police arrived and 
 restored order. 
 
 It was two hours before they took the body of 
 Petrus to the mortuary — he had been dead for more 
 than an hour. Mikhael they took to the police 
 station. His eyes were red and swollen from crying 
 over his friend's death ; but he would say no word 
 one way or the other to the questions of the police.
 
 THE MOUJIK 55 
 
 The next morning I attended at the examining 
 court, and on my evidence Mikhael was set free. I 
 never saw a man so changed as he was in that one 
 night, his hair had turned completely gray. 
 
 The patience of the moujik Is almost incredible. 
 Centuries of oppression and injustice have tempered 
 his nature to stolid forbearance. Less than half a 
 century ago he was a serf. Then Alexander II. 
 made him a free man in name ; but he omitted to 
 teach him what freedom means, and the moujik 
 has never been able to find out for himself. But, 
 " it doesn't matter — it doesn't matter" — the eternal 
 cry in Russia. " It doesn't matter — it is all the 
 same." 
 
 The whole land is full of Jobs who do not curse 
 the stars and the day they were born, nor have they 
 comforters. But there Is the Starosta to tell them to 
 *' move on " some thousands of miles, to the land of 
 promise which the holy Tsar and the missionary 
 have spied out for them in the East. And they go 
 without a murmur. 
 
 The moujik is always at peace with all the world, 
 in so far as he knows it. 
 
 I once asked one if he had ever heard of London. 
 " No," he said ; " I can hardly conceive another 
 world when one sees the size of our holy Bussia." 
 
 " But you believe in the existence of St. Peters- 
 burg and Moscow ? " 
 
 ''Of course!" he exclaimed, with kindling eyes. 
 " Is not Moscow the city where the Holy Mother 
 rests, and has built forty times forty churches for 
 her resting-place ? "
 
 56 " HOLY RUSSIA " 
 
 And he uplifted his voice and began to sing : 
 " Ach Moskva ! Moskva ! Moskva ! 
 Zolotaya Goroda." 
 
 A song dear to all Russian hearts. 
 
 Of St. Petersburg he said : " Ah, if I can only live 
 to walk on the holy earth where our Tsar, the ' God 
 on Earth ' walks, I shall die happy." 
 
 The moujik is a very stupid fellow ; but even in 
 his stupidity there is a rough humour, and at times 
 he is very merry. One can never feel dull with him. 
 
 In the Donetz district I called on a large coal- 
 mine proprietor. He showed me over his works, 
 and we arrived at the mouth of a shaft some 1 50 ft. 
 in depth. There were two moujiks at the mouth of 
 the shaft. One had just taken his seat in the 
 basket to be lowered down the shaft, the other 
 stood at the crank to let him down. 
 
 " Be careful," says the man at the wheel, leaning 
 over the mouth of the shaft and peering down at his 
 companion fifty feet below him ; "be careful that 
 you don't fall and get killed ! " 
 
 " All right ! " the other sings out from the depths, 
 " I have not yet eaten my kasha, and I will not let 
 the Holy Mother call me until I have dined." 
 
 There is no particular point in this story, and 
 the wit of the moujik's rejoinder is, perhaps, not very 
 well turned ; but it is a fair specimen of the cold- 
 blooded humour of his class. 
 
 It is as a family man that the moujik shows to 
 the best advantage. He is a good husband and 
 father, and his mother he always places before him- 
 self He brings his wages home with him ; and on
 
 THE MOUJIK 57 
 
 market days he will generally come back with some- 
 thing for his wife and children — tawdry jewellery or 
 wooden toys. He beats his wife once a week, to 
 keep her in health. In the moujik's menage the 
 weekly thrashing is the equivalent to winding the 
 clocks in more enlightened establishments. If he 
 neglects the operation, he finds that his wife gets 
 "run down" and in need of a stimulus; and she 
 works better when she is kept regularly " wound 
 up." At other times he is extravagant of his 
 endearments, and will hug her, like a bear, in public. 
 
 The savage moujik knows nothing of our civilised 
 ways. Ask him what fashion is, and he will answer : 
 " My wife in her yupka, and my mother with her 
 gray hair, and my little babies on the oven asleep." 
 
 He never wishes for anything nor frets for what 
 might have been. He has no ambitions beyond his 
 daily needs. If he has enough, he has it ; if not, it 
 doesn't matter. He is perfectly satisfied with him- 
 self, and riches for him are a sufficiency of black 
 bread and salted herrings and a little vodka. If he 
 can get it he will soak himself in vodka ; but he is 
 quite content with his stakan of tea if he cannot. 
 He will steal when there is no chance of detection, 
 and lie as a matter of course. And he has a simple 
 faith in the icon for the remission of sins, and in the 
 '* God on Earth " for his destiny.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 THE MISSIONARY 
 
 That the Holy Russian Church should send mis- 
 sionaries to the " poor benighted heathen " beyond 
 the pale of the far-reaching dominions of the Tsar is 
 an idea that should bring a blush to the striped coat 
 of the hyena. Is there not darkness enough in 
 Russia for all her holy men that they seek it else- 
 where ? Did Stanley in "Darkest Africa" ever enter 
 gloom as impenetrable as the cloud of ignorance and 
 hypocrisy that overshadows the kingdom of the 
 *' God on Earth?" 
 
 The plague of Darkness which Moses called down 
 upon Pharoah and the Egyptians was rolled aside 
 Avhen the heart of the monarch was softened. But 
 it was not dispersed. It hovered over the world 
 looking for a new home. The countries of Europe 
 harboured it in turn. Spain gave it a long lease. 
 France, Italy, England, and Germany invited it to 
 spend a few centuries with them. Some of them 
 retain remnants of it to this day, but no country 
 would give it a permanent home. The cloud drifted 
 eastwards, and at last came to Russia. One, 
 Romanoff, seeing it, took pity upon it, because it 
 was homeless and driven from place to place. Out 
 of his great charity he invited it to stay in Russia
 
 THE MISSIONARY 59 
 
 for ever ; and the cloud of darkness sat down upon 
 Russia and waxed denser than ever, for nobody 
 came to disturb it. It is there to this day, but it 
 never is able to soften the heart of a Romanoff. 
 
 From under the cloud the Russian missionaries 
 emerge and go out into the brighter world, as 
 commanded by the Holy Synod. 
 
 With his little sack across his shoulders and 
 his cassock to his heels and his long-flowing hair 
 crowned with a brimless stove-pipe hat he marches 
 forth, by order of the Tsar, to preach the gospel of 
 the " God on Earth " to nations that know Him not, 
 but which shall know Him soon. 
 
 Now, mark him in his holy offices, and learn from 
 him the gospel of the " God on Earth." Not from 
 the house-tops does he proclaim the tidings of joy, 
 but quietly and silently he gets to work, seeking by 
 mysterious rites to raise the heathen's curiosity. 
 
 From his little sack he draws forth a smoking 
 censer and swings it by the gilded chains, chant- 
 ing a weird incantation. The gaping natives stand 
 around in awe and wonder. It is possible that they 
 have seen a missionary before, but never one after 
 this kind. The air of mysticism which pervades 
 his sacred rites and the grotesqueness of his garb 
 impress them forcibly. Half fearful they approach 
 him, and are received with fair words. Thus he 
 gains their confidence and prepares the way for 
 many things. 
 
 The missionary spends much time within his 
 house, and there he writes long letters — to his 
 wife at home ? Oh, dear, no ! Thev are addressed
 
 60 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 to St. Petersburg. Then they will contain lists of 
 his converts to the Ploly Church ? I do not think 
 so. But there is probably much useful information 
 in them of another kind, for he is an observant man. 
 There will be a description of the country, })0ssibly 
 a rough map ; an account of the inhabitants and their 
 disposition, whether they are warlike or peaceably 
 inclined ; the fortified towns and villages he will 
 mention in passing ; the numbers and nationality of 
 any foreigners in the district, and their standing 
 with the natives and government ; he may even 
 refer to the religion of the inhabitants ; but since 
 they soon will all be of the Holy Russian Church 
 that Is not of much Importance. 
 
 The missionary gives the Information, the Tsar 
 does the rest. And the world sees the outcome of it 
 all, in the shape of Russian colonies in Manchuria 
 and China. 
 
 It was the missionaries who discovered that this 
 was a land flowing with milk and honey ; hence the 
 great Trans-Siberian Railway with its thousands of 
 miles of steel rails. It was a religious mission that 
 penetrated to Lhassa, In Thibet, a short time ago, 
 which seems to have left some of Its members behind 
 it In the sacred city of the Lamas ; hence the lengthy 
 correspondence with Lord Lansdowne and a British - 
 Indian expedition to the heart of Thibet. 
 
 The Russian missionary, in fact, has only one 
 object in view — to serve his God In the Tsarskoi 
 Selo. He is a spy pure and simple. But the 
 natives of the countries to which he is sent do not 
 discover this fact until the eleventh hour.
 
 THE MISSIONARY 61 
 
 How sliould they ? 
 
 They cannot see the maps hidden beneath his 
 cassock, nor the drawings of their fortified places. 
 They cannot see that the cross which he wears con- 
 ceals a sword. They know nothing of the geo- 
 metrical instruments beneath the cover of his Bible ; 
 and if they knew they would not understand. 
 
 Thus Russia enlarges her borders, and the Tsar 
 and the Metropolitan shriek the name of Christ to 
 pacify the nations of the earth ; and the Neva and 
 the Volga are filled to the brim with Christ's tears. 
 The "God on Earth " cries *' Peace ! " and summons 
 all nations to his congress of goodwill. But there is 
 no peace. And the man of small understanding 
 asks : " How shall there be peace and goodwill on 
 earth, whilst the ' God on Earth ' violates his 
 promises and breaks faith with the nations ? "
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 THE SETTLEMENT 
 
 A DAY arrives when the Russian missionary writes 
 to the Synod in St. Petersburg that he has made 
 the place ready for occupancy. 
 
 Now the Tsar has a system by which he can 
 populate a country to order. It is a beautiful and 
 simple system, and yet no other country in the 
 world possesses it. The Tsar issues his orders to 
 the Governors of certain Guherniis. The Governors 
 pass them on to the Politzmaisters. The Politz- 
 maisters communicate Mdth the Pristaves. The 
 Pristaves summon the Uryadniks. The Uryadnik 
 sets out for certain villages, where poverty and 
 want are the prevailing characteristics, and pays a 
 house to house visitation. 
 
 He enters the house of a poor moujik, crosses 
 himself to the icon, and says " God is good." The 
 members of the household who are present return 
 his salutation ; and the children, terrified at the 
 uniform and sword of the Uryadnik ^ rush for pro- 
 tection to their mother's skirts. 
 
 It is probable that only the old man and his wife 
 and the grandchildren are present, and the Uryadnik, 
 who is anxious to ascertain the full strength of the
 
 THE SETTLEMENT 63 
 
 family, inquires after the health of the absent 
 members. 
 
 The old man, in a meek voice, tells him that 
 Ivanka is working in the coalfields ; Yurka is hired 
 out as a farm labourer ; but his eldest son can 
 get no work to do. The times are hard, and he 
 will be thankful when the Holy Mother calls him 
 up to Herself, as he is no longer useful to the 
 world. 
 
 Here the Ui-yadnik sees his opening. He has a 
 story to tell of comfort and hope. The Starosta, he 
 says, has heard of their poverty and trouble, and 
 knows that the land is very poor. So he brought 
 the sad state of affairs in the district to the notice 
 of the Governor, and the Governor communicated 
 with the " Little Father." The " Little Father " 
 has found a land flowing with milk and honey, and 
 he has arranged for all the poor people in the district 
 to be transported to the mellifluous country, so 
 that their troubles are ended at last. 
 
 The Uryadnik goes on to tell them what a fine 
 country it is to which they are going. How twice a 
 day a roasted ox walks round in company with 
 several smoked pigs — knives and forks are sticking 
 in their loins, and whoever wishes can help himself 
 to his heart's content. And there is land for all, 
 sasjens and sasjens of it, and all free ! And they 
 are to cultivate it and become rich. 
 
 And the eyes of the old moujik sparkle through 
 the mist of rheum, and the women listen open- 
 mouthed to the description of the wonderful place 
 which the "Little Father" has provided for them.
 
 64 " HOLY RUSSIA " 
 
 They long to leave behind them the poverty-stricken 
 country and enter upon this land of promise. 
 
 But how are they to get there ? 
 
 The old man tells the Uryadnik that his son 
 Ivanka has a mining concession in the coalfields of 
 the Donetz basin ; that he has to give to the owner of 
 the land one half of all that he takes out of the 
 ground. Well, Ivanka worked night and day for 
 five months, and all he was able to make was 
 twenty-six roubles for himself On those twenty-six 
 roubles they still live ; but the old man thinks there 
 is only a rouble or two left. How can he undertake 
 the journey with his family since he has no money ? 
 
 " Well, well," says the Uryadnik, " if you have 
 no money we must see what the Holy Mother will 
 do in the matter." 
 
 He knows that the Starosta is instructed to 
 furnish those who have no money with third-class 
 tickets. So it is all arranged, and the Uryadnik 
 takes his departure, after giving instructions as to 
 the day and hour they are to be at the railway 
 station. 
 
 And now they must pack their sacks with what 
 few belongings they possess, and start for the rail- 
 way-station. The man has only the shiriell and 
 pair of trousers that he is wearing, which his wife 
 made for him from coarse sacking. He has but few 
 things to put into his sack. The woman also wears 
 a shinell with a leather belt round her waist and a 
 yupka. When she straps on her belt her bosom 
 acts as a general storehouse. Sometimes she keeps 
 her child there, sometimes a loaf of bread, or a
 
 THE SETTLEMENT 65 
 
 bottle of vodka, and the knives and platters of the 
 household. Then she is ready to start. 
 
 They trail along the roads towards the railway, 
 a dismal procession of dirt and poverty. On the 
 way they fall in with other parties and families, all 
 bound for the railway. For the Uryadniks have 
 been busy all over the country-side, and have 
 raised colonists far in excess of the numbers ordered 
 by the Starosta. But they will all go to the new 
 colony in Manchuria for the Russification of the 
 country. 
 
 They are herded together into trucks like cattle ; 
 and beast-like they know not whither they are 
 going or what their fate will be. They only know 
 that there can be no poorer and more desolate spot 
 on earth than the homes they are quitting for ever. 
 The icon is in the sack, and the " God on Earth " 
 directs their steps — and they have faith in both, 
 and hope for the future that is before them ; and 
 all that they have to love goes with them. 
 
 These poor colonists are generally drawn from 
 South Russia, Donetz District, Don Cossack Settle- 
 ment, &c., starting from Kharkoff, embracing 
 Ekaterinoslaif, and as far as Vladikavkas. 
 
 About three years ago I was at the railway- 
 station at Ekaterinoslaif with a friend, an English- 
 man, who had come from Kharkoff to see me. He 
 was travelling in Russia for a couple of months, and 
 was anxious to see as much of the country as possible 
 in the time. 
 
 I left my friend drinking his glass of tea in the 
 first-class portion of the station and went to see
 
 66 " HOLY RUSSIA " 
 
 what was going on in the third-class. I soon 
 returned to him, and told him if he wanted to see 
 something of Russian life he had better drink up his 
 tea and come with me. Then I took him to the 
 third-class station. 
 
 It is a large hall, with wooden benches round the 
 walls. The whole building was densely packed with 
 humanity of all ages, and in every degree of filth, 
 discomfort, and misery. There were over one hun- 
 dred families of them lying on the bare floor, or 
 huddling together on their sacks, or on the top of 
 one another. They were colonists waiting for their 
 train. 
 
 There were old men leaning painfully on their 
 elbows with long -suffering faces, wondering, per- 
 haps, whether there may not be a better and a 
 kinder world than theirs. There were women 
 suckling their little ones, poor, feeble mites who had 
 not yet begun to suffer, and were happy in the 
 knowledge that they had something to draw on, and 
 cared for nothing else. There were children more ad- 
 vanced in years, who whimpered pitifully or scratched 
 their tormented bodies with convulsive fingers. 
 
 So thick upon the ground were they that it would 
 scarcely have been possible to walk among them 
 without treading on their limbs or heads. Some 
 slept uneasily ; others looked with wistful eyes at 
 the last crust of black bread which some more 
 fortunate neighbour devoured greedily. An old 
 crazy woman, with dishevelled hair and mumbling 
 gums, crooned a weird song to herself, rocking from 
 side to side.
 
 THE SETTLEMENT 67 
 
 I have never seen humanity in a guise so abjectly 
 miserable and revolting. 
 
 My friend gasped at the sight of them. 
 
 " What are they ? And what are they doing 
 here ? Is it possible that they are human ? " 
 
 At the word " human " my heart sank within me. 
 
 "Yes," I answered, "just as human as you or I. 
 They never asked to come into the world, and this 
 is how it treats them. They are the employees 
 of the firm of Nero, Herod, and Co." 
 
 " What company is that ? " 
 
 I pointed to the icon with its little lamp. 
 
 " That is their trade-mark," I said. " Nero is the 
 Tsar and Herod is the Procurator. It is an old- 
 established firm." 
 
 "I don't care if we miss our train," said my friend, 
 " I shall stay here until you have told me all about 
 these people." 
 
 For an Englishman deliberately to miss his train 
 was a great concession to philanthropy. And so I 
 told him all I knew of them. 
 
 The gorodovoy on the platform outside passed and 
 repassed the entrance to the hall with steady per- 
 sistency. Every time he passed he looked at us 
 invitingly, as though he would say : 
 
 " You might take pity on me, too, for the value of 
 a stakan of vodka." 
 
 I gave him twenty-five kopeks to leave us un- 
 disturbed, and began to question some of the men, 
 translating their replies for the benefit of my friend. 
 
 " Well, brothers, where do you all come from ? " 
 
 A man put himself forward as spokesman.
 
 68 " HOLY RUSSIA ' 
 
 " From the Don Cossacks district, Bareen." 
 
 " And where are you going ? " 
 
 " To some district in Manchuria ; we do not 
 know the name of it." 
 
 " And how long have you been on the road ? " 
 
 " This is the fourth day, Bareen." 
 
 " Four days from the Don Cossacks district to 
 Ekaterinoslaff ! " I exclaimed. "Why, I went to 
 Yusoffka yesterday and back again to-day ! " 
 
 "Yusoffka is in Don Cossacks district, a few hours 
 journey by train from Ekaterinoslaff." 
 
 At the mention of Yusoffka a dozen people 
 jumped up from the floor crying : " That is our 
 town ! " 
 
 We know that it is not far," said the spokesman, 
 " but yesterday morning we were told to change our 
 train, and no other has come for us yet." 
 
 " So you have been here like this since yesterday 
 morning ? " I said, indicating with a wave of the 
 arm the appalling condition of the people around us. 
 
 " Yes, Bareen; we may leave sometime to day." 
 
 " Who told you so ? " 
 
 '* The gorodovoy." 
 
 Whilst I was talking to them an official in a red 
 pancake-shaped cap came up. He was the station- 
 master, and, therefore, a man of great authority. 
 An old man with a long, white beard scrambled to 
 his feet and approached him humbly. 
 
 " Surely, Bareen, it is not possible that the Holy 
 Mother will let us starve to death before the train 
 comes to take us on?" he pleaded. "Let us go 
 back to our homes where we may get food, and wait
 
 THE SETTLEMENT 69 
 
 for a through train. We shall die if we are left 
 here." 
 
 The station-master drew himself up, and assumed 
 an air of outraged authority. 
 
 " Keep silence, thou diseased dog ! " he shouted at 
 the venerable moujik. " What do you mean by 
 speaking to me ? To hell with you ! You dog's 
 son ! 
 
 He used many other expressions which are quite 
 unprintable, though common on the lips of all classes 
 in Russia. 
 
 The old man sank back abashed. But, I confess, 
 it was with difficulty that I could restrain myself 
 I looked at my English friend, I could see the glint 
 of suppressed fury in his eyes — and he had not 
 understood the words which the station-master had 
 used. I thought it better not to translate them 
 to him. 
 
 But I was not going to let the station-master 
 escape. I intercepted him as he was leaving the 
 hall, and there I questioned him on the rules of 
 etiquette to third-class passengers and old men. 
 
 He looked me up and down critically — I had 
 nothing to fear from him in point of size and weight, 
 and he recognised the fact. 
 
 My friend, seeing the threatening aspect of affairs, 
 came to my side. 
 
 I had a few more words to say to the station-master 
 of a denunciatory character; and then I produced from 
 my pocket a letter of introduction to the Governor- 
 General of Kieif, and pointed to the address. 
 
 " That is to whom I am going, my friend," I said,
 
 70 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 " and I shall take the opportunity of acquainting him 
 with this affair." 
 
 The man's face fell at once. 
 
 " I admit I was a little hasty," he said. " Is that 
 enough ? " 
 
 " By no means," I answered. " You have insulted 
 and outraged an old man, and therefore you will 
 apologise to him." 
 
 It was a severe trial to his amour 'propre, and he 
 took some minutes to think over it. Perhaps he 
 thought that we would take our departure and not 
 molest him further. But seeing that we still 
 remained with the unfortunate colonists he pre- 
 sently came back, and going up to the old man 
 kissed him on both cheeks and asked his forgiveness. 
 The old man thought that he must be crazy, and 
 began to cross himself vigorously. 
 
 The station-master having done penance as pre- 
 scribed by his self-appointed confessor, called me 
 outside. 
 
 " You will not now mention the affair to the 
 Governor of Keiff ? " he whined. 
 
 I assured him that I would not, and he returned 
 to his office satisfied. 
 
 When we returned to the hall, for my friend had 
 accompanied me outside with the station-master, 
 the poor people fell upon us and began kissing our 
 hands and, I regret to say, even our feet, thinking 
 that we were great officials in disguise. 
 
 Then it occurred to the practical mind of my 
 friend that kisses would not fill empty stomachs. 
 So we chartered a sleigh and drove into the town.
 
 THE SETTLEMENT 71 
 
 We bought up all the bread and hams in Ekaterino- 
 slaff. I remember there were fourteen sacks of white 
 bread. Some blankets and shawls we also managed 
 to procure, and a few bottles of vodka. 
 
 And when, at last, our train arrived, we were 
 speeded on our journey with the blessings of those 
 unhappy colonists, delivered from their knees. 
 
 For some minutes after the train had left the 
 station we were both silent. 
 
 " Well, what are you so quiet about ? " I asked at 
 last. 
 
 " I was thinking," he answered laconically, and 
 then after an interval — " I did not know that such 
 treatment of the human race was possible ; I have 
 learnt something." 
 
 He drew his travelling rug round him and began 
 to smoke. I could read his thoughts through the 
 mist that veiled his eyes. Dear, great soul of his ! 
 I could Avell understand what his feelings were, and 
 I did not disturb his thoughts until the train came 
 to a standstill at our station. 
 
 Such is the Tsar's patent system for populating 
 provinces. As I have said before, Nero, Herod, 
 and Co. have the sole right to the patent. They 
 have employed it successfully at Stambov, Irkutsk, 
 Tomsk, Vladivostock, Port Arthur, Dalni, Nieu 
 Chwang, Mukden, and Harbin ; and though the 
 firm have infringed the rights of many other nations 
 in the exercise of their patent, yet Japan is the only 
 one who has had the courage to cry " Stop ! "
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 SCIENCE 
 
 In telling the naked truth about Russia I am not 
 actuated by any feeling of animosity against her 
 people. My endeavour has been to show that the 
 failings in the national character are due entirely to 
 the system of government under which Russia 
 labours. 
 
 In my travels through Russia I have met in every 
 Government men not less enlightened, unselfish, and 
 noble than the best of the civilised world. 
 
 The learned man, the thinker, the philanthropist, 
 the theologist, of Russia is never a surface man, for 
 three reasons. First, because no man who is not 
 really in earnest would devote his life to the study of 
 sciences so dangerous to his liberty. Secondly, 
 because the material for investigation, aftbrded by 
 the appalling condition of his own country, is so vast 
 that he cannot explore it in a lifetime of hard work. 
 Thirdly, because there are no means to his hand for 
 the study of any of these sciences, and no teachers of 
 them. In civilised countries we can be spoon-fed on 
 all the sciences, if we desire it ; but in Russia a man 
 must discover them for himself 
 
 The thinker must never let his thoughts find an 
 outlet beyond his own door ; hence he is a very quiet
 
 SCIENCE 73 
 
 man with little to say. But nevertheless the police 
 have a strict eye on him. 
 
 Once I had an opportunity of questioning a high 
 official, in whose house I was a guest, on the subject. 
 I asked him why the police should trouble them- 
 selves so much on account of men who were known 
 to be as single-minded as they were learned. 
 
 At first he was not inclined to answer me, but 
 knowing me well he replied at last : 
 
 " My friend, we are obliged to do our duty, and to 
 carry out the instructions we receive." 
 
 He then went on to tell me of the case of a man 
 he had known for twenty years. He was a botanist, 
 and devoted his whole life to the study of that 
 science. He was also a man of tender heart and 
 devoted to children. But one day he disappeared 
 from the town and he had not since been heard 
 of. 
 
 The official paused in his narrative, and though 
 that- might well have been the end of it I could see 
 that he had something more to say. 
 
 *' I understand that when you leave us you are 
 going to Vladikavkas," he continued presently ; 
 " and if that is so, I am sure you could find him 
 there. The Government does not send prisoners to 
 Siberia now." 
 
 Under the promise of secrecy he gave me his 
 name. But when I arrived at a particular town in 
 Vladikavkas three months later, I found that the 
 old botanist had been dead for two years. 
 
 What his crime was no one knows. No record is 
 to be found of his trial or sentence in any of the
 
 74 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 Tsar's books. He was spirited away to Vladikavkas, 
 and died there. " The rest is silence." 
 
 The uncertainty of liberty from day to day — which 
 arrests such as the foregoing create in the minds of 
 men in Russia who wear civilian's clothes — has left its 
 stamp on the faces of the people. They are morose 
 and suspicious in expression, and usually quite 
 devoid of mirth. 
 
 The civilian will always give a wide berth to the 
 uniformed official. If he is on the pathway he will 
 move into the middle of the road to let the Uryad^iih 
 pass. He avoids him whenever he can lest he should 
 one day fall into the clutches of the law, and be no 
 more heard of in his home. 
 
 The practical sciences in Kussia are almost 
 neglected. On her railways, in her manufactories 
 and laboratories, the engineers and experts are 
 almost without exception foreigners. France, Bel- 
 gium, England, and America supply nearly all the 
 brains for her great industries. The reasons for this 
 are not far to seek. The Universities and Polytech- 
 nics where young Russia ought to acquire proficiency 
 in the sciences, are perpetually being closed, because 
 the students are supposed to be disaffected towards 
 the Government. Under these circumstances con- 
 tinuity of scientific training is an impossibility. In 
 cities such as St. Petersburg, Moscow, Kharkoff, 
 Odessa, Kazan, or Riga, where the educational estab- 
 lishments are kept open and constantly guarded by 
 soldiers and police, it is possible that training in the 
 practical sciences may be obtained, but the students 
 who attend at these institutions are nearly all the
 
 SCIENCE 75 
 
 sons of rich men, who do not adopt any profession 
 when they leave the universities. The military 
 schools are the only technical educational establish- 
 ments which are always in full swing. 
 
 One of the most deplorable results of the constant 
 interruption and neglect of scientific training is to 
 be found in the ignorance of the medical profession 
 in Russia. The very best doctors know about as 
 much of surgery and medicine as an Edinburgh medi- 
 cal student who has passed the first examination. It 
 can be imagined then how much the Russian medical 
 student knows of ''Materia Medica" or practical 
 surgery, not to mention the knowledge of diagnosis 
 of any particular ailment. 
 
 And yet, only the other day — nth February, 
 1904 — the Tsar issued a special ukase that all the 
 medical students at the universities were to receive 
 their diplomas as doctors of medicine without any 
 examination whatever ! They are being sent to the 
 war to attend to the sick and wounded. 
 
 It is possible that those doctors of medicine will 
 be as harmless to the Tsar and his Government in 
 Korea or Manchuria as they would be in Siberia or 
 Vladikavkas, whither he delights to send medical 
 students ; but what about the army ? Will they be 
 harmless to that, too ? 
 
 That a monarch can make a knight, or a baron, or 
 even a duke from a common man there Is no doubt ; 
 but he cannot make him a gentleman. He may 
 create a viscount, but he cannot make him a 
 violinist. He may raise up a prince, but he cannot 
 make him a physician. Yet the " God on Earth," by
 
 7(y "HOLY RTTSSIA " 
 
 liis holy will and ukase makes a boy wlio hardly 
 knows the names of physiology or botany a full- 
 fledged doctor of medicine ! 
 
 Therefore, let the " slackers " of the University of 
 Edinburgh rejoice, and the students of Harvard and 
 John Hopkins University be glad ! No more need 
 they fear the terrors of the examination room, nor 
 await with quaking hearts the verdict of the 
 examiners. They have but to go to Holy Russia and 
 the Tsar will create them doctors of medicine.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 LITERATURE AND THE CENSOR 
 
 There is no lack of printed matter in Russia. 
 Nearly every town of fifteen thousand inhabitants 
 and upwards has its newspaper. There are daily 
 papers, weekly papers, and monthly magazines. 
 They are published in various languages, according 
 to the locality, in Russian, German, and even in 
 Yiddish and many other dialects, excepting, of 
 course, in the Polish language, which is prohibited. 
 But at the bottom of the front page of every publi- 
 cation there are two words printed, '* Dozvoleno 
 Tchensuroyu," which is by interpretation, "With the 
 permission of the Censor." No editor would dare 
 to issue his paper without those words upon the 
 front page. 
 
 As with the newspapers so it is with all books. 
 The pious divine of the Greek Church who writes a 
 commentary in the most orthodox fashion must see 
 that the title-page of his book is adorned with the 
 mystic words Even the one-syllable spelling-book 
 must have them, though they are too long for the 
 reader's intelligence. 
 
 The censorship in Russia has a Government office 
 to itself; and it is the most expensive of all the 
 Government offices. Each Gubernii has its head
 
 78 *'HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 censor and beneath him a host of under-censors, all 
 of whom can presumably read and write. Then, 
 there are censors for all the foreign languages and 
 for the foreign press. Generally speaking the duties 
 of the press censors are as follows : 
 
 (i) To see that no news shall be printed, from 
 foreign countries especially, dealing with certain 
 political views. 
 
 (2) That no newspaper shall copy from the foreign 
 press any matter that would tend to the enlighten- 
 ment of the nation. 
 
 (3) That no publication shall be copied from any 
 country having a Constitutional Government or a 
 Republic. 
 
 (4) That all foreign newspapers entering Russia 
 shall have articles and paragraphs dealing with 
 Russia blocked out with ink. 
 
 The censorship of books and other publications is 
 equally arbitrary and oppressive. That blood-thirsty 
 ruffian, Nicholas I., was responsible for many of the 
 more stringent rules of censorship in his efforts to 
 keep Western ideas out of Russia. Had he con- 
 fined himself to strangling literature and the press 
 his name would have gone down to history as the 
 srentlest of Tsars. But it was Nicholas I. who 
 ordered the massacre of the Poles, and the ruthless 
 destruction of Roman Catholics and Jews, his 
 soldiers sparing neither women nor children from 
 dishonour and death. It was Nicholas I. who 
 tortured the Jewish children to convert them to the 
 Holy Church of Russia. It was Nicholas I. w^hose 
 butcher's bill amounted to over 200,000 souls.
 
 LITERATURE AND THE CENSOR 79 
 
 But even in Russia ideas have advanced a little 
 in the half-century which separates Nicholas I. from 
 Nicholas 11. , though this advance cannot be attri- 
 buted to any relaxation of the censorship. But in 
 spite of the censorship the press and literature of 
 the civihsed world have invaded the dominions of 
 the Tsar, and brought a little light beneath the 
 official cloud of darkness. 
 
 This flicker of light has been admitted through 
 the old channel of official corruption — a strait 
 through which any barque may pass on payment. 
 A rouble on either eye and a rouble across the mouth 
 will efiectually prevent the Russian official from 
 seeing or speaking. The traveller in revolutionary 
 literature from the West knows the formula well. 
 What is more, there are officers stationed on the 
 lines of the frontier who will even help the tired 
 traveller with his contraband of forbidden fruit ; 
 but that costs more. The poor Rittmaister, who is 
 in charge of the customs officials, does not have it 
 all his own way, for he has to divide with the officers 
 who are off duty — and it cuts up very small. 
 
 The method of procedure is this. The purveyor 
 of undesirable literature having arrived on the 
 frontier, at a point some distance from the railway, 
 approaches the Rittmaister and arranges matters 
 with him. The Rittmaister sees him and his cart- 
 load of books safely into the land of the Tsar and 
 directs him to Shavli, or some other small town near 
 the frontier. Then the Rittmaister raises the alarm 
 and calls his men to horse ; and they start off in pur- 
 suit of an imaginary smuggler in another direction,
 
 80 " HOLY RUSSIA " 
 
 firing into the air to show their zeal in the dis- 
 charge of their duties. 
 
 So the books of the traveller are distributed 
 through Russia, and find their way even to the 
 Winter Palace of the Tsar in St. Petersburg and to 
 the Kremlin in Moscow, and to the Palaces of the 
 Holy Metropolitans, and to M. Pobyedonostseff, the 
 Procurator. And so the light of civilisation is dis- 
 tributed in spite of the extinguisher of the censor. 
 As yet its lamps are not so numerous as those which 
 burn before the icons ; but the little flames are 
 illuminating the minds of many in Russia, and 
 Western ideas prevail among the educated classes. 
 
 It is a light which the Tsar with his Cossacks is 
 unable to quench, and he knows it and trembles, 
 because by its beams he can read the " Writing on 
 the Wall." 
 
 The thinker in Russia laughs at the censor, and 
 thanks God that he cannot blue-pencil his brains. 
 
 But Russia has her own literature. What shall 
 we say of Lomonosov or Keraskov, Kostrov, Bog- 
 danovitch, Dershaven or Alexander Pushkin ? 
 
 They were men of talent, some of genius, and 
 some of great imagination. But their genius was 
 hampered by the exigencies of their times. They 
 dared not write what they knew to be the truth. 
 They mortgaged their brains for life and liberty, 
 and who shall blame them ? The Empress Catherine, 
 Paul, and Nicholas I. were not monarchs with whom 
 to trifle. An indiscretion on the part of an author 
 meant indefinite incarceration within the solid walls 
 of a fortress.
 
 LITERATURE AND THE CENSOR 81 
 
 But Nicholas II. Is not Nicholas I. with the best 
 will in the world. And, therefore, there Is to-day 
 In Russia a man who writes, and who has the 
 courage of his great-hearted convictions. That man 
 is Leon Tolstoi. There are in Russia thousands of 
 men of the same stamp as Leon Tolstoi, but none 
 like him. They prefer to mark time whilst he 
 leads the way. They keep silence whilst he cries 
 " Forward ! " They remain in hiding whilst he 
 stands forth alone. 
 
 Another writer with the courage of his opinions 
 is the man who Is known by the name of " Maxim 
 Gorky." He draws with brutal force life as he has 
 found It, and it is a hideous spectacle. He is known 
 to me personally — a man of scarcely any education 
 and unable to use more than two hundred words of 
 his own language. But he needed no Oxford educa- 
 tion to enable him to put on paper, in his straight- 
 forward, savage Russian language, what his own eyes 
 had seen and his heart had suffered. Much of his 
 work has found its way into the censor's oven, 
 unpublished and unpralsed. 
 
 But "Maxim Gorky" and Leon Tolstoi are two 
 and not one. " Maxim Gorky " is a poor ti:amp and 
 a thinker, and some day he will end his democratic 
 thoughts in Siberia. 
 
 But not so Tolstoi. 
 
 Who dares to injure a hair of his noble gray 
 head ? What Okrusnoi Sud of Holy Russia can 
 judge him ? He Is far above the courts, and fears 
 neither them nor the Synod. He has openly defied 
 the Metropolitans. He has even written a letter to
 
 82 "HOLY RUSSIA" 
 
 the " God on Earth " Himself, exhorting Him to lift 
 Himself above His Holy Fathers. And the Tsar's 
 answer was the Peace Congress at the Hague. 
 
 Then, why do not the Metropolitans proceed to 
 further extremities than excommunication agfainst 
 Leon Tolstoi ? Why not banish him to Siberia ? 
 Thousands have journeyed thither in chains for less 
 than he has done. 
 
 But the Tsar knows well, and the Metropolitans 
 know well, that should they lay a hand upon Leon 
 Tolstoi or injure a hair of his head, then the 
 thousands who are marking time in Russia would 
 advance. They can read it by the light that has 
 been smuggled into Russia. 
 
 And Nicholas I. turns in his sarcophagus and 
 mutters, " Jalha ! Jalka ! chto Nicholi speat ! " 
 (What a pity that Nicholas sleeps !). 
 
 I was once present in court when a young man 
 was brought before the judge for something that he 
 had done which did not please the authorities. The 
 case was going against him, and it was evident that 
 he would be convicted. At this juncture Tolstoi, 
 dressed in the red ruhaschka and long boots of a 
 peasant, walked into the court-house and stood 
 before the judge. 
 
 "Sir," he said, "you must release this man. In 
 committing the offence with which he is charged he 
 was acting on my instructions. I am here to take 
 the responsibility. You can sentence me, but no 
 other shall pay the penalty for my deeds." 
 
 The judge looked coldly at the dignified old man, 
 with his long gray beard.
 
 LITERATURE AND THE CENSOR S:} 
 
 ** I hear what your Excellency says," he answered. 
 " The case against the prisoner is dismissed, I shall 
 refer the matter to my superior in St. Petersburg." 
 
 " If I am wanted," said Tolstoi, placing his shljapa 
 on his head, "you know where I am to be found." 
 
 And he turned and walked out of the court-house. 
 
 The Procurator, M. Pobyedonostseff, the first 
 adviser to the Tsar, at whose instigation hapless 
 Jews have been done to death and Poles and Finns 
 persecuted and destroyed, has on several occasions 
 written letters of reprimand to Tolstoi ; but he has 
 never dared to go beyond reprimand. On the other 
 hand, Tolstoi has frequently written to ministers in 
 St. Petersburg taunting them with the egregious 
 barbarity of the administration of justice. 
 
 On one occasion he demanded to know why a 
 certain lady who had circulated works of his own 
 was kept in prison and tortured to the verge of 
 madness, whilst he, the author of the prohibited 
 books, was allowed to go free. But the challenge 
 was not accepted, and Tolstoi remains at liberty.
 
 PART II 
 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 THE RABBI 
 
 I DEVOTED a great deal of time whilst I was in 
 Russia to the study of the Jews, and the problems 
 which surround their existence as subjects of the 
 Tsar. And that I might thoroughly acquaint 
 myself with their nature, habits, and modes of 
 thought, I lived among them and with them for a 
 considerable period. 
 
 Every grade and every class came under my 
 notice, from the richest to the poorest ; from the 
 Rabbi to the renegade. Their language, the Yid- 
 dish, I acquired whilst living amongst them. Their 
 religion and laws I already knew when I went to 
 them, having studied the Talmud for three years in 
 Jerusalem, though I am not myself a Jew. 
 
 The Russian Jew of the present day is a survival 
 of the bygone times of the Sanhedrin, or of the 
 days of Philo, the Jew philosopher of Grecian fame. 
 Their religion, laws, and customs are unchanged to 
 this day. The Sanhedrin was dissolved when the
 
 THE RAIJ13I 85 
 
 Temple at Jerusalem was destroyed. But the law 
 is still administered by the Rabbinates in the various 
 towns throughout the length and breadth of Russia 
 where the Jews are to be found. 
 
 Among the Rabbis of Russia there have been, and 
 are to this day, many men of great wisdom and 
 learning, whose fame has reached to every country 
 of the earth. In the city of Kovno there was a 
 great Rabbi, Isaac Elchonon, whose name is known 
 and reverenced throughout all Jewry. He wrote 
 many books on the law and philosophy ; and it was 
 for him that Alexander II. sent on several occasions, 
 when he wanted information about the Jews. Rabbi 
 Elchonon was always the first to raise his voice 
 against the persecution of the Jews, without fear of 
 the Tsar. So zealous was he in the defence of his 
 people that he undermined his health and died work- 
 ing in their cause. 
 
 Rabbi Elchonon left several sons, great in learn- 
 ing ; but none of them have attained to the lustre 
 and prominence of their father. One became Rabbi 
 in Mitau, and is now chief Rabbi in Kovno, in his 
 father's place. Another great Rabbi, whom I knew, 
 was Ellinka Leeder. He was Rabbi in Sagory, and 
 his fame was great even amongst the Lithuanians, 
 Letts, and Poles. Unlike Rabbi Elchonon of Kovno, 
 he never cared to travel or to leave his place. His 
 devotion to his people was infinite, and places him, 
 in that respect, on a line with Moses. He was 
 always to be found either in the synagogue or in 
 his own house ; and he would accept honours from 
 no one. In the streets of the town one day a
 
 86 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 Lithuanian fell on his knees and began to worship 
 Rabbi Leeder. The godly man was horrified ; and 
 from that day he seldom left his house except to go 
 to the synagogue. 
 
 I called on him once at his house in Sagory, and 
 was admitted without ceremony. I found him in a 
 large room, simply furnished with a sofa and a few 
 chairs, and a large table covered with a green cloth ; 
 and there were books everywhere. He spoke to me 
 kindly, and asked from what country I had come. 
 I told him that I had lately arrived in Russia from 
 America. 
 
 " And how do they treat the Jews in America ? " 
 he asked. I noticed that there were tears in his 
 eyes and that he seemed much affected when he 
 spoke of his own people. 
 
 I replied that Christian or Jew made no difference 
 to a man's treatment in America ; and that the 
 highest offices were open to both alike. 
 
 When I had finished speaking, perhaps with a 
 little pride, of the free institutions of the Anglo- 
 Saxon races, he went to the table and handed me a 
 newspaper in Hebrew. 
 
 "Alas! that I should live to see this day," he 
 cried pointing to a paragraph in the paper. " Our 
 children are taken from their mothers, and the babes 
 from their mother's breasts, and dashed to pieces 
 before their eyes. Our sisters are polluted, and our 
 homes are consumed with fire." 
 
 I looked at the newspaper. It contained an 
 account of the massacre of the Jews in Kiev a few 
 days before, when hundreds had been ruthlessly
 
 THE RABBI 87 
 
 slain by the Christian population, who spared neither 
 women nor children ; whilst the police looked on at 
 the scene of carnao-e unmoved. 
 
 o 
 
 Then Rabbi Leeder raised his voice to heaven, and 
 implored Almighty God to let him die and see no 
 more the affliction of his people, I stood by with 
 bowed head and shame in my heart — for was not I 
 a Christian ? And this thing had been done in 
 the sacred name of Christ and of the mother of 
 Christ. 
 
 I left his house dazed and ashamed. In the face 
 of the atrocious outrage which had been perpetrated 
 on his people, I could find no defence to oiFer to 
 Rabbi Leeder for the Church of Christ. I could only 
 meditate on the Infinite disparity between the 
 teaching of Christ and the dogmas of the Church 
 which calls Itself His. It was no consolation to 
 remember that for the last nineteen hundred years 
 more than half the wars and massacres and murders 
 that have been waged and committed were waged 
 and committed In His Name. 
 
 Rabbi Leeder was a second Jeremiah, day and 
 night his eyes were wet with tears for the persecu- 
 tion of the Jews in Russia. His lamentations were 
 unceasing and absolutely honest. He was offered a 
 very large salary to go to Odessa as Rabbi ; and a 
 certain synagogue In New York made him a still 
 more advantageous offer ; but he would never leave 
 his poor congregation In Sagory, from whom he 
 received not a kopek of money, his salary consisting 
 of rations of bread and meat and a humble house to 
 live in. If he received any money as a present he
 
 88 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 would have it sent at once for the reHef of his 
 persecuted brethren in Russia or Koumania ; but he 
 never handled money himself. 
 
 He died whilst I was still in Russia, and the 
 mournino; for him there was indescribable. Hes- 
 paidim made (bewailing prayers) were said for him 
 in all the large cities of the world. 
 
 No Jew will live even in the smallest towns in 
 Russia unless there is a Rabbi there. There is a 
 village called Pockroi, with a population of only 
 some two hundred families, mostly Jews, and even 
 this small community has its Rabbi. In the event 
 of the Rabbi dying, or leaving the town, the Elders 
 immediately communicate with the chief Rabbi in 
 their Guhernii, who sends them a Rabbi on approval, 
 and changes him until the Elders intimate that they 
 have elected a Rabbi. 
 
 The members of the synagogue vote for their 
 Rabbi in the synagogue. Should there be more 
 than one synagogue, the votes of all the synagogues 
 are counted together, and submitted to the president 
 and vice-president of the synagogue, who declare 
 finally the name of the elected Rabbi. His salary 
 is fixed by the votes of the congregation before the 
 election takes place. The president and vice-presi- 
 dent and the treasurer of the synagogue are elected 
 annually. As soon as the Rabbi has been elected, 
 the Elders call upon him and acquaint him with the 
 fact. If he is not resident in the town, a letter is 
 drafted in the Holy Script and sent to him. When 
 the new Rabbi enters the town the Elders go out 
 to meet him, greet him with rejoicings, and conduct
 
 THE RABBI 89 
 
 him to his house. In the evening all the members 
 of the congregation call and congratulate him, and 
 he gives them his blessing. 
 
 Then the women of the congregation call upon 
 the wife of the Rabbi. The ladies are great gossips, 
 and the Rabbi's wife is at once posted in all the 
 tittle-tattle of the community. More especially is 
 she told of any short-comings on the part of the 
 married ladies with regard to the " shaitel." Now 
 the "shaitel" is a wig, and when a Jewess is 
 married she is required to cut oif her hair and wear 
 a " shaitel." It may be made from her own hair if 
 she likes, but she must wear a " shaitel " of some 
 sort. " There's the rub"; for the girl with beautiful, 
 glossy, black hair has a strong objection to cutting- 
 it off — and no wonder ! So she does not. Her 
 sisters, who were only too thankful to shear off their 
 meagre wisps of dusky filaments and don a full- 
 bloomed wig when they were married, look askance 
 at her, and tell the Rabbi's wife. 
 
 But more serious than the " shaitel" is the gossip 
 of the " mikva," for that may affect the legitimacy 
 of their- children. The "mikva" is a certain bath 
 which all girls must enter on marriage, and even 
 after marriage at stated periods, according to the 
 law of Moses, which is to this day scrupulously 
 observed by the devout and faithful all over the 
 world. 
 
 The wife of the Rabbi is a tactful little lady. 
 She listens to the gossip with a charitable ear, and 
 straightens out the difficulties and misunderstand- 
 ings with a smooth hand.
 
 90 THE JEAV IN RUSSIA 
 
 It Is the duty of the Rabbi to see that his people 
 observe the law according to Poskim, which Is a 
 decision above the Talmud, and all the lesser cere- 
 monies of the common law. He must affix his seal 
 to all meat to be sold to the Jews by Christian 
 butchers. All disputes, whether between husband 
 and wife, or master and servant, or merchant and 
 merchant, are brought to the Rabbi for decision, 
 and he judges according to the law of Moses, from 
 which there Is no appeal ; and all abide by his 
 decision. 
 
 It Is for the Rabbi to decide whether meat that 
 has been accidentally sprinkled with any milky 
 substance may be eaten by the household ; or, ' if a 
 knife that Is used for butter should, Inadvertently, 
 be also used for meat, whether the meat may be 
 eaten ; and many other "jots and tittles " of the law. 
 
 He lectures In the synagogue to his congregation 
 at stated Intervals. At marriages he Is present, and 
 gives his blessing and a lecture to the contracting 
 parties. He zealously upholds the fourth Command- 
 ment, and reasons sternly with the Sabbath-breakers. 
 He attends at the bedside of the sick and dying 
 and offers consolation ; nor does he exact fees for 
 his services as the pojDes of the Holy Church of 
 Russia do on such occasions, but he would rather 
 rebuke the offerer of money. When he attends a 
 funeral it Is a mark of special respect to the deceased. 
 In fact, from circumcision to to the grave the Rabbi 
 Is the Law and the Prophets to his congregation. 
 
 I used to know a Rabbi In Minsk who was called 
 " the Shirtless Rabbi." He earned the nickname
 
 THE RABBI 91 
 
 from the fact that he was unable to keep a shirt on 
 his back. The truth of the matter is that this 
 particular shirtless Rabbi never had any money — I 
 don't think he had ever seen a rouble in his life ; 
 but he was of a very charitable disposition. When 
 a beggar approached him in the street and asked 
 alms, the Babbi would say : " My brother, I have 
 no money ; but come with me." The beggar would 
 follow him to a side street, and there the Rabbi 
 would divest himself of his shirt and give it to the 
 beggar, saying, " Take this, brother, you will be able 
 to get something for it." 
 
 Then he would put on his coat again and turn up 
 the collar and return quietly to his house, endeavour- 
 ing if possible to escape the observation of his wife. 
 In an hour he had forgotten all about his shirt, and 
 was quite prepared to give away another, if he had 
 it. It was his wife who used to remind him of his 
 missing shirts. She strongly disapproved of this 
 form of charity ; but it was useless for her to 
 expostulate, the shirts continued to disappear in 
 spite of her protests. 
 
 When I had been in Minsk about a fortnight, I 
 heard the story of " the Shirtless Rabbi " ; and there 
 was another story about him going the rounds at the 
 time. It was to the effect that he had oflSciated at 
 the marriage of a rich couple ; and that the bride- 
 groom, knowing that the Rabbi would not accept 
 money for his services, had slipped an envelope con- 
 taining a note for fifty roubles into the Rabbi's coat 
 pocket. The Rabbi had gone home in ignorance of 
 his good fortune ; but his wife had quickly discovered
 
 92 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 it, and took possession of the bank-note, knowing 
 full well that her husband was not to be trusted 
 with it. The next day she went into the town and 
 purchased a new shirt for the Kabbi at a cost of two 
 and a half roubles, which he still wore. 
 
 Now the story of "the Shirtless Kabbi" amused 
 me immensely. " To give the shirt off one's back" 
 has become a common metaphorical phrase in our 
 own country, but I could not believe that it was a 
 form of benevolence that was actually practised. I 
 determined, however, to test the accuracy of the 
 phrase for myself, and, if possible, to become the 
 possessor of that two and a half rouble shirt. I dis- 
 guised myself as a beggar, with the help of an old 
 suit of clothes, and a " hittelle " on my head, and for 
 five nights I waited outside the house of " the 
 Shirtless Rabbi." 
 
 On the sixth night the Rabbi emerged from his 
 house in company with another man. The presence 
 of the stranger frustrated my plans, for it was not 
 likely that the Rabbi would part with his shirt in 
 the presence of a third party. So I waited patiently, 
 hoping that he would return alone. 
 
 Whilst I was walking up and down a gorodovoy 
 came up to me. 
 
 " You dog's son and pickpocket move on ! " he 
 commanded. 
 
 I moved ; but I swore vengeance on that gorodovoy. 
 May no one be a pickpocket but the police ? 
 
 Presently I saw the Rabbi returning alone. But 
 his coat-collar was turned up, and I feared that some 
 other scoundrel had been before me, and secured that
 
 THE RABBI 93 
 
 expensive shirt. However, I followed him, and 
 poured into his ear a tale of starvation and woe. A 
 moment later I regretted it. For the good Eabbi 
 turned upon me a look of genuine compassion and 
 sadness. I could see in his eyes the weary expression 
 of pain of one who suffers with his fellows, and is 
 therefore always suffering ; and I felt ashamed of 
 myself. 
 
 " Oi, 01 ! " he said gently, " follow me, brother." 
 
 There was nothing to be done but follow him, 
 though my conscience accused me of cowardice. 
 
 He stopped suddenly at a dark corner of the 
 street, and, throwing off his coat, divested himself of 
 his shirt, and, rolling it into a bundle, came towards 
 me with his face wreathed in smiles. He thrust it 
 into my hands saying, '* May God bless you — but 
 that is all I have." 
 
 Then he looked at me narrowly, and I suppose the 
 contrition that I felt was apparent in my face, for he 
 went on : "I like thy face, my son, come and see me 
 to-morrow." 
 
 He left me, and for some minutes I stood still with 
 the shirt in my hands, and a voice in my ears crying, 
 " Shame ! Shame ! " 
 
 Then a violent desire seized me to go in search 
 of the gorodovoy who had called me a dog's son 
 and a pickpocket, and to wring his neck. I be- 
 lieve at that moment I was capable of any crime, 
 and it is as well that I failed to come across him 
 again. 
 
 I went back to my hotel, and to bed ; but I could 
 not sleep. The compassionate eyes of" the Shirtless
 
 94 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 Habbi " haunted me, and the voices in my ears still 
 cried, " Shame ! Shame ! " 
 
 The next morning, before ten o'clock, I had already 
 bouofht half a dozen embroidered flannel shirts of the 
 best make in the town, and was on my way to the 
 Kabbi's house. 
 
 The Rabbi's wife admitted me — she was a 
 shrewish little woman — and after she had shown 
 me into the library, I could hear her calling to 
 husband impatiently, " Nu ! Nu ! Why don't you 
 come ? The Orel (uncircumcised) is waiting for 
 
 And then the old Rabbi came in bowing to me ; 
 and his wife stood outside the open door, rubbing her 
 nose in her apron, and looking suspiciously at me as 
 though she feared to leave me alone with her 
 husband. 
 
 I asked her whether she would not come in and 
 sit down and hear what I had come to say. She 
 muttered something about being busy brewing mead 
 for the Passover ; but curiosity got the better of her 
 sense of duty, and she left the hops and honey to 
 listen to my story. 
 
 I confessed all to the Rabbi, and substantiated my 
 story by the production of the shirt, which I begged 
 permission to keep. Then I handed to his wife the 
 parcel containing the six new shirts and a fifty 
 rouble note as a fine for my offence. 
 
 The old Rabbi was very unwilling to receive the 
 money ; but I would not take it back ; and finally 
 his wife took possession of it. As I left the house I 
 heard her say to her husband :
 
 THE RABBI 95 
 
 " What a piece of luck, Mendel ! You will be able 
 to give away your shirt six times now." 
 
 The old Rabbi forgave me frankly for the trick I 
 had played on him. I made several calls upon them 
 during my stay in Minsk, and became quite a 
 favourite with the old lady. In fact, I was invited to 
 their house for the feast of the Passover, and was 
 thus enabled to find out many things that I did not 
 know before. 
 
 The shirt of " the Shirtless Rabbi " I retain to this 
 day. It is amongst the most treasured relics of my 
 travels.
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 EDUCATION OF THE JEWS 
 
 In a former chapter on education in Russia I pointed 
 out the disabiHties under which the Jews are placed 
 with regard to the national educational establish- 
 ments of the country, and I mentioned that, in spite 
 of the stringent regulations in force to keep them in 
 ignorance, the Jews receive a sound education in 
 their own communities, which raises them above the 
 level of their Russian neighbours in this respect. 
 
 I propose here to deal briefly with the system of 
 education in use among the Jews in Russia, and to 
 endeavour to show the dangers to which Russia 
 is exposing herself by the suppression of education 
 among the Jews and other nationalities who are 
 unwilling subjects of her rule. 
 
 Education among the Jews in Russia is not com- 
 pulsory and it is not free. Nevertheless, nearly 
 every Jewish child in Russia is sent to the "Chedar" 
 to be instructed. If the parents are too poor to be 
 able to pay the fees for their children, some one will 
 always be found to meet the expense, for education 
 is regarded as an absolute essential among the Jews; 
 besides, there is Talmud-torah (free school). 
 
 A boy is sent to the "Chedar" when he is between 
 five and six years old. His father will cover him up
 
 EDUCATION OF THE JEWS 97 
 
 in a " talith " (a striped shawl with fringes), envelop- 
 ing him completely in its folds, and carry him to the 
 " Chedar," where he is to be taught. 
 
 The Rebbe (the teacher) of the "Chedar" comes 
 forward to receive his new pupil, and makes him sit 
 down at a table amongst the other children. A 
 black-board is placed before the future Philo covered 
 with the letters of the alphabet in large print, and 
 the Rebbe begins his instruction. He points out 
 each letter to the child, and tells him the name of 
 it. " This is called Aleph (i<), and this Beth (a), and 
 this Gimmel (:i)," he explains. 
 
 Then, when he has told him the first four or five 
 letters, he asks the child to repeat them to him. 
 The proud father stands, unobserved, behind his 
 child, and, if he repeats the letters correctly, he lets 
 fall upon the table in front of him a few almonds 
 and raisins ; and the child is told that, because he 
 has answered rightly, the Angel Gabriel has made 
 raisins drop from heaven for him to eat. 
 
 But the poor youngster comes to grief soon enough 
 when the Bebbe takes him further in the mystic 
 letters, and the raisins cease to fall from heaven. 
 In a few days time the Angel Gabriel becomes more 
 stingy ; and sometimes the child will make no mis- 
 takes, and yet no raisins fall from heaven. By the 
 end of a week he has ceased to place any confidence 
 in the rewards of the Angel Gabriel. 
 
 The boy will remain at the " Chedar" until he is 
 of age ; the Jew comes of age at thirteen. But in the 
 case of very poor families the boys will be taken 
 from the " Chedar " before they come of age, so that 
 
 G
 
 98 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 they may be apprenticed to some trade. When this 
 is done, the responsibiHties of the parent with regard 
 to their sons are ended. Among the richer people, 
 the boys are taken away from the " Chedar" when 
 they come of age, and are sent to a more advanced 
 school of learning. 
 
 In some of the " Chedars " the Rebbe used to em 
 ploy a student from the Real Schools to instruct the 
 children in Russian reading and writing, history — 
 such as it is in Russia — and elementary mathe- 
 matics. For that class an extra fee was charged 
 to the parents. In other " Chedars " teachers were 
 employed from the Gymnasiums for instruction in 
 foreign languages and more advanced subjects. But 
 of late all such teachers and professors for "Chedars" 
 have been forbidden by the Tsar. The Jews, there- 
 fore, who are possessed of the means to do so, send 
 their children to Germany, France, or England after 
 they leave the " Chedars " to complete their educa- 
 tion. Any child who has passed through the 
 "Chedars" knows the Mishna, and a good many 
 of them are Talmudical students. 
 
 To whatever part of the Empire I travelled, from 
 Archangel to Astrakhan, from Bessarabia to Grodno, 
 from Kharkoff to Vilna, I always found that the 
 most intelligent and apt students were the Jews, 
 and next to the Jews the Poles. Yet these are 
 the very people for whom the Tsar, in his wisdom, 
 prescribes " No education ! " 
 
 But in the universities of Germany, France, 
 Switzerland, Italy, England, and even of America, 
 you will find Poles and Russian Jews. These
 
 EDUCATION OF THE JEWS 99 
 
 students, though they are In foreign seats of learn- 
 ing, are the most bitter enemies to Kussla. And If 
 Russia has any cause for fear, or If the Holy Tsar 
 and the Procurator and the Synod have reason for 
 uneasiness of mind, It Is on account of these young 
 men at the foreign universities, whom they have 
 driven out of Russia in search of education and 
 enlightenment. Among them are no waverers ; they 
 speak but little, yet their jaws are set ; and they 
 have only one purpose before them in the world. 
 
 Here is a story from the Talmud Psochim, which 
 the Tsar and the Metropolitans would do well 
 to "read, mark, learn, and Inwardly digest," even 
 though it comes from the book of the heretic. 
 
 When the children of Israel were established in 
 their strength, and in the fear of the Lord their God, 
 they worshipped Him In the Temple at Jerusalem, 
 where He dwelt, within the Holy of Holies. And 
 every year the people gathered themselves together 
 at the Holy City, Jerusalem, to partake of the Feast 
 of the Korban-Pessach. Now a certain man who 
 was an Orel (" unclrcumcised ") went every year to 
 Jerusalem and partook of the Feast of the Korban- 
 Pessach, which it Is not lawful for the unclrcumcised 
 to eat. Now there lived many miles from Jerusalem 
 a great Rabbi, by the name of Juda ben Thara, well 
 stricken In years and infirm. And the Orel came 
 unto him and said : " Behold, I who am unclrcum- 
 cised go every year to the Feast of Korban-Pessach 
 at Jerusalem, and eat of the meat of the Feast 
 which ye say It is not lawful for the unclrcumcised 
 to eat, and I go my way and no man knoweth
 
 100 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 thereof." And Rabbi Juda ben Thara answered, and 
 said unto him: "What portion of the meat give 
 they unto thee ? " And he said : " The lean portion." 
 Then said the Rabbi unto him : " Surely they deal 
 unjustly with thee, seeing that they give thee not 
 of the fat of the meat. When thou goest again to 
 Jerusalem to the Feast of Korban-Pessach, say unto 
 the priest : ' Give me to eat of the fat of the meat.' 
 And if he will not give it to thee, then shalt thou 
 say that I, Juda ben Thara, told thee to ask it, and 
 thou wilt receive thy due." And when the Feast 
 of the Korban-Pessach drew nigh, the same man 
 went up to Jerusalem to the Feast. And he went 
 into the Temple, and said unto the priest : " Give me 
 to eat of the fat of the meat." Now it is not lawful 
 for the people to eat of the fat of the meat, which is 
 a sacrifice unto God. And the priest said unto him : 
 " Why dost thou ask for that which is not lawful ? " 
 And the man answered : *' Rabbi Juda ben Thara 
 told me that 1 should ask it." Then knew they 
 that he was not of the Children of Israel. And they 
 brought him before the High Priest, and dealt with 
 him according to the law. Then the " Sanhedrin " 
 sent word unto the Rabbi, saying : " Though thou 
 livest far from the Holy City, in Nitchvin Armenia, 
 yet is thy net spread unto Jerusalem." 
 
 The Tsar would do well to remember that, whilst 
 he is defiling the homes of the Jews in Russia, the 
 net of the students whom he has driven to foreign 
 universities is being spread, and one day it may 
 reach even to the Tsarskoi Selo. 
 
 But let History record her own pages.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 THE JEWISH MERCHANT 
 
 All over the world, in whatever country you meet 
 him, the Jew has one marked characteristic : he will 
 never perform manual labour unless he is absolutely 
 obliged to do so. His genius is for becoming rich 
 on the labour of others. It is this trait in his nature 
 that has made him unpopular with the rest of the 
 world. The Christian fanatic shades his head and 
 points to Calvary, and talks of the wrath of God 
 and vengeance. But the truth is simple. The Jew 
 has an aptitude for making money. Money is the 
 god of the civilised world. The civilised world objects 
 to any one making a corner in gods. The Jew makes 
 a corner in civilised gods. And, therefore, the world 
 hates the Jew. 
 
 But the genius of the Jew is not confined to be- 
 coming rich by using his brains whilst others use 
 their hands. If the world hates the Jew for his 
 money, she should not forget her debt to him for the 
 priceless treasures which he has conferred upon her 
 in literature, science, music, and art. Does the world 
 owe Israel nothing for such men as Philo, Aaron 
 ben Asher, Solomon Gabirol, Halevy, Mendelssohn, 
 Heine, Meyerbeer, Rubinstein, Joachim, and many 
 others ?
 
 102 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 And if the sordid conglomeration of humanity that 
 calls itself the civilised world can see no merit in 
 such names as these, then I base my appeal to her 
 Christian charity on arguments more suited to her 
 understanding. And I ask, what better stewards 
 can you find for the wealth of nations, aye for their 
 honour too, than the Jews ? Does Britain owe 
 nothing to Lord Beaconsfield, Montefiore, or the 
 Rothschilds ? Can France repudiate her debt to 
 Fould, Gaudahaux, Oppert ; or Germany to Fiirst, 
 Steinschneider, Herxheimer, Lasker, Auerbach, 
 Traube, and Lazarus and Benfey ! 
 
 But it is not with the Jews in the civilised world 
 that we are concerned at present. They can be 
 trusted to look after themselves, whilst we go back 
 to the Jew in Russia. 
 
 There, as in every other country, he is principally 
 engaged in commerce. The finest wholesale and 
 retail establishments in Russia are conducted by 
 Jews, in spite of the law that no Jew is allowed to 
 trade in any town, unless he was born there. This 
 rule is very strictly adhered to in large cities such as 
 St. Petersburg, Moscow, Odessa, &c. 
 
 There are Jews who nominally become Chris- 
 tians — that is to say, members of the Russian 
 Church — in order to enjoy greater facilities for 
 trading. This is one class of Jew which brings 
 discredit on the wliole race, and is utterly de- 
 spised by the Jewish community. Oppression and 
 persecution and death are bravely born and faced 
 by the Jews in Russia every day ; it is easy, there- 
 fore, to understand how bitterly they resent the
 
 THE JEWISH MERCHANT 103 
 
 apostasy of any member of their community for the 
 sake of gain. 
 
 In certain businesses in Russia the Jew has a 
 monopoly. For instance, in Lodz, the great cloth 
 manufacturing town, nearly all the inhabitants, in- 
 cluding the mill-owners, are Jews. Some of them are 
 very rich. Their woollen stuffs are used extensively 
 throughout Kussia, and I believe they have an ex- 
 port trade as well. Hundreds of hands are employed 
 at these works, engineers, dyers, pattern-makers, &c. 
 No business is conducted on Saturdays — the Jewish 
 Sabbath — and the mills are closed. They have their 
 own hospitals and almshouses for the poor, supported 
 entirely by the Jewish community. 
 
 In other directions the Jew is equally enterprising 
 — in Russian leather, sail-cloths, cotton and linen 
 stuffs, plate glass and crystal, iron, copper, and 
 porcelain. In fact, he deals in everything under 
 the sun. 
 
 He may not eat the flesh of the pig, but he does a 
 large business in their bristles. There is a saying 
 amongst them : " The chazer is traif ; but his hair 
 is kosher " — the swine is unclean, but his hair is 
 clean. 
 
 There is no more charitable person than the 
 Jewish merchant. When he gives, he does it 
 quietly. There is no loud report, as of a tray of 
 crockery thrown from the housetop, such as heralds 
 the beneficence of so many people whom we know. 
 The Rabbi knows it possibly, for he is made the 
 medium of the transaction ; but no one else. 
 
 But all the Jewish traders in Russia are not
 
 104 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 merchant princes. In the smaller towns the wife 
 attends to the business of the shop, whilst her 
 husband is in Beth Hamedrosh learning the Talmud. 
 She is proud to conduct his purely mundane affairs 
 for him, so that he may become a scholar, and she 
 takes credit to herself for half of his learning. The 
 study of the Talmud in Beth Hamedrosh (the outer 
 courts of the synagogue) is looked upon as a holy 
 occupation, and the student is regarded as a man 
 of distinction by the community. The very poor 
 Talmudical student is supported by his neighbours 
 during his researches. Even the old women may be 
 seen bringing to the Beth Hamedi^osh food for the 
 students within. 
 
 Then there is the Jew in Russia who has no shop 
 and no visible occupation, neither does he study the 
 Talmud in Beth Hamedrosh. But he is always to 
 be found where the feast is prepared. At a wedding, 
 he is first at the table to eat ; at a " Brith Millah," 
 (circumcision) he is the first to arrive and the last 
 to leave the table. At the election of a Babbi, 
 or of the officers of the synagogue, his voice is heard 
 above all others ; and he lays down the law on the 
 question of the Babbi's salary. In the traktir 
 (restaurant) it is always the other fellow who pays 
 for the chicken and schnapps ; and even in the bath 
 he calls to his neighbour to throw the water on the 
 heated stone, that he may enjoy more warmth from 
 the steam without trouble to himself 
 
 What is his business ? He is the philanthropist 
 who is ready to assist his needy neighbours in their 
 financial difficulties, " on note of hand simply," and
 
 THE JEWISH MERCHANT 105 
 
 on terms as advantageous to himself as he is able to 
 exact. He is more prompt and not more grasping 
 than his London prototype, and just as merciful. 
 The rate of interest that he charges is not so high, 
 for the simple reason that he cannot get it ; and he 
 has to be satisfied with a good deal less than 150 
 per cent. 
 
 But he draws the line as to whom he will lend his 
 money. The Russian aristocracy are not on his 
 books, though they should ofter 500 per cent. And 
 the reason is not far to seek. For Nicholas II. 
 is liberal with his ukases ; and it is always on the 
 cards that he may order the members of the aristo- 
 cracy to repudiate all debts to Jews that bear 
 interest at a higher rate than 2 J per cent. Such a 
 ukase breaks the heart of the Russian aristocrat, 
 who, of course, is anxious to pay his money back to 
 the poor Jew. But in the face of the ukase of the 
 Tsar, what can he do ? 
 
 So the Jew leaves the aristocracy alone, though 
 they seek him night and day for pecuniary assist- 
 ance. It is only when they oifer some valuables to 
 deposit as security that he will listen to them. On 
 gold and silver plate, jewellery or valuable furs, he 
 will advance them money ; but even then he demands 
 a document, signed before two witnesses and sworn 
 before a Notary Public, to certify that the valuables 
 are their own property. 
 
 But there was a worse pest than the usurer 
 among the Russian Jews, and that was the " Isborst- 
 chik." 
 
 He began his career under the Douma, before the
 
 lOf) THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 days of the Voinskaia Pavinost, when his principal 
 duties were those of the press-gang. He was re- 
 quired to produce Jewish soldiers for the service of 
 the Tsar, and he stuck at nothing to obtain recruits. 
 His other duties were connected with the passport 
 system. His business was to go from house to house 
 once or twice a year and levy taxes on the passports 
 of all who lived in his syezd (county). He was a 
 blood-sucker of the worst description. When he 
 entered a house his eyes would travel rapidly round 
 the room, as though he were appraising the value 
 of the furniture. Then he looked to the condition 
 of the owner and his family, whether they appeared 
 prosperous and well clothed. And when he had 
 finished his inspection, he would sit down uninvited 
 and begin to talk. 
 
 " You see, Mr. Mosche, your passport has only a 
 few weeks to run ; and this year I find that your 
 home is of richer aspect then it used to be. Your 
 wife has a new dress, and it is not jountev (holiday) 
 yet. Last year, you may remember, you paid for your 
 passport only eighteen roubles. But this year you 
 will have to pay thirty roubles ; you know I am very 
 reasonable in taxing you to that amount — eh ? It 
 is not as though I received all the money myself" 
 
 And the poor devil was obliged to pay thirty 
 roubles or quit the place where he made his living. 
 
 The Isborstchik lost his official rank and position 
 many years ago ; nevertheless, he still finds employ- 
 ment in a nefarious trade. He is now the middle- 
 man in the illicit passport trade, and is employed 
 both by the Meschanskaia Upi^ava and by the
 
 THE JEWISH MERCHANT lOT 
 
 Starosta to obtain money from people who are in need 
 of passports to which they are not legally entitled. 
 
 But it is not for me to abuse the Ishorstchik ; the 
 poor fellow only pockets a small portion of the 
 money he receives from his customers, the greater 
 part going into the pockets of the Meschanskaia 
 Uprava, and there was once an occasion when I had 
 reason to be thankful for his services.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 THE RUSSIAN JEWESS 
 
 The daughters of the Jews in Russia are brought up 
 to work, and the idle girl is almost unknown. If 
 the parents can afford it she is educated at home ; 
 but in the case of the very poor the girls are sent to 
 the " Chedar " to be educated. At the age of nine 
 or ten years she is able to read and write Hebrew 
 and Russian. She is then taught housekeeping 
 and cooking ; and the care of the younger members 
 of the family devolves upon her. 
 
 At fifteen years of age she is already a little 
 housekeeper, and is also earning a trifle for herself 
 by sewing, or making gloves for some shop in the 
 town at so much a dozen pairs. Others live by 
 dressmaking or carpet-weaving. In various callings 
 they find occupation until the day comes for them to 
 be married. 
 
 That important day arrives for nearly all of them. 
 I do not think that I met ten old maids among the 
 Jewesses in Russia. The majority of the girls are 
 married between the ages of nineteen and twenty - 
 one. And it is a sore grief to the mother who has 
 an unmarried daughter on her hands over the age of 
 three-and-twenty. 
 
 A singular feature in Jewish marriages, more
 
 THE RUSSIAN JEWESS 109 
 
 especially in Kussia, is the employment of the 
 " Shatchen." He is to be found in every town in 
 Russia, and his business is to bring together suitable 
 couples for matrimonial purposes. The introduction 
 generally takes place in the house of the girl's 
 parents, whither the " Shatchen " has brought the 
 young man on approval. For the first visit he is 
 their guest, and nothing more. But when he leaves 
 the house the " Shatchen " remains behind and 
 confers with the parents, and if everything is satis- 
 factory the engagement is made between them, 
 without reference to the inclinations of the prospec- 
 tive bride, unless, indeed, she happens to be a 
 young lady of decided views. 
 
 For years the parents have been saving up money 
 against this day. For in accordance with the 
 "nadan," with which they are enabled to endow 
 their daughter, will the status and wealth of her 
 husband be. If she is to marry a tailor or boot- 
 maker, she must be endowed with about 200 roubles. 
 If a clerk in a shop, 400 roubles. A goldsmith or 
 watchmaker will expect his bride to come to him 
 with 600 roubles. Whilst a well-favoured young 
 man, with a knowledge of the Mishna and Talmud, 
 and a good pedigree, will stipulate for 2000 roubles, 
 And so on up the social and financial scale to tens 
 and hundreds of thousands of roubles. 
 
 Reb Yankel, the prosperous young leather 
 merchant, goes to the "Shatchen" and places himself 
 matrimonially in his hands. He tells him that his 
 shop and stock are worth 20,000 roubles, and that 
 he expects his wife to bring him that amount.
 
 no THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 The "Sliatchen" makes a note of it, and veriiies lleb 
 Yankel's statement. It Is a good commission, and 
 he Is prepared to travel a thousand miles In search 
 of a rich bride for him. 
 
 It is obvious that the " Shatchen " must be a man 
 of great tact and business capacity. As a rule, he is a 
 man of fifty or more, with a long, patriarchal beard 
 and corkscrew "pales" curled over his ears. He wears 
 a long double-breasted coat and a " kapeluch " on his 
 head. He is a man of learning, with a fund of small 
 talk and good stories. He Is soft of speech, and 
 when he Is talking his hands join in the conversa- 
 tion, gesticulating wildly In unison with his words. 
 He has always an eye to business, and knows the 
 names and probable "nadan" of every girl In the town. 
 And In his pocket-book Is noted down the names of 
 the marriageable young men, with their prices In 
 secret figures against them. 
 
 He keeps up a general correspondence with the 
 " Shatchens " in neighbouring towns, with a view to 
 mutual accommodation. " I have a young man of 
 the value of 50,000 roubles," he writes to his confrere, 
 " but I will take 40,000 In cash or 20,000 on engage- 
 ment, 10,000 on the day of the wedding, and two 
 ' vekcels' (promissory notes) of 10,000 each payable 
 in two years." 
 
 If matches are made in heaven, It follows that the 
 " Shatchen," among the Jews In Kussia, is the direct 
 representative of heaven, and a very important 
 personage in the community. His lot is, as a rule, 
 a happy one ; but he sometimes has his troubles, 
 poor man.
 
 THE RUSSIAN JEWESS 111 
 
 I was once a witness to a lamentable miscarriage 
 of his arrangements. It was in the town of 
 Chernigov. I had been invited to a Jewish wedding 
 which was to take place in the courtyard of the 
 bride's house, and I went. The guests were all 
 assembled and the Rabbi and his assistants were 
 ready to proceed with the ceremony according to the 
 rites of Israel. The canopy, with its four decorated 
 posts, supported by members of the family, was in 
 the middle of the courtyard. And beneath the 
 canopy the bridegroom stood, waiting for his bride 
 to make the seven circuits of the canopy before she 
 joined him beneath it. 
 
 I was standing close to the bridegroom, when the 
 bride, leaning on the arm of her bridesmaid, began 
 to walk round the canopy. She had completed the 
 seven solemn circles, and was about to enter, when 
 the bridegroom suddenly came from under the 
 canopy and demanded to see the bride's father. 
 The old man, with anxious looks, hurried up to 
 him, and I could overhear a hasty conversation 
 about 200 roubles. 
 
 It seems that the bridegroom had received 800 
 roubles three days before the wedding, and the girl's 
 father had promised to pay the balance of 200 
 roubles on the wedding-day. Through some un- 
 foreseen circumstances he had been unable to obtain 
 the ready money by the appointed day, and he now 
 offered the bridegroom a note of hand for the amount. 
 But the bridegroom was firm as a rock, and refused 
 to allow the ceremony to proceed until he had been 
 paid those 200 roubles in cash.
 
 112 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 Among the assembled guests there was some con- 
 fusion and an undercurrent of whispered questions. 
 What did it mean ? Why was the ceremony 
 interrupted ? The bride herself stood still before 
 the canopy leaning on her bridesmaid's arm. Her 
 head was bowed, and through the veil which she 
 wore I could see her cheeks burning with shame 
 and indignation. It was evident that she guessed 
 at the cause of the interruption of the ceremony. 
 
 At last the Rabbi walked beneath the canopy and 
 addressed the recalcitrant bridegroom in clear words 
 that all could hear : " My son, you have received 
 800 roubles from the father of the bride, and you 
 were promised 200 roubles more to-day. I under- 
 stand that ready money is not available to-day ; 
 but the bride's father is willing to give you a vekcel 
 for the amount." 
 
 He paused ; but the bridegroom made no sign. 
 
 " And even if a vekcel should not be forthcoming," 
 he continued in suave tones, "let it be worth 200 
 roubles to you that your bride has walked around 
 this canopy seven times." 
 
 " That is nothing to me," said the bridegroom 
 sulkily. 
 
 He had hardly uttered the words, when the bride 
 tore the veil from her head and confronted the 
 assembled guests with flashing eyes. 
 
 " Never ! " she cried, " never would I marry that 
 man. No, not for a 1,000,000 roubles ! " 
 
 And she turned and walked straight into the 
 house. 
 
 A murmur of approval ran through the assembly.
 
 THE RUSSIAN JEWESS 113 
 
 For myself, I confess, my fingers were itching to 
 give the bridegroom a sound thrashing. The out- 
 come of it all was, that the bridegroom had to return 
 the 800 roubles which he had received to the bride's 
 father. The only loser by the transaction was the 
 unfortunate " Shatchen," who experienced to the full 
 the truth of the proverb : '* There is many a slip 
 'twixt cup and the lip." 
 
 Like any other professional men, there are "Shat- 
 chens " and *' Shatchens." Some will not touch a 
 match under 5000 roubles ; whilst others are 
 dependent for their business on 50 and 100 rouble 
 couples. It is a remarkable fact that the marriages 
 arranged by the " Shatchens," among the Jews in 
 Russia, are almost invariably successful. Divorces 
 are extremely rare, and marriage scandals of all 
 kinds are seldom heard of. If any trouble arises 
 between husband and wife it is generally referred 
 to the Kabbi, who, with a great deal of tact and 
 forbearance smooths over all unpleasantnesses. 
 
 The Rabbi in Israel is indeed a marvellous person. 
 How much simpler it would be if, in the great 
 civilised world, where we mistrust and hate our 
 neighbour and attribute the basest of motives to his 
 every act, even to his acts of charity ; where we fly 
 at each other's throats armed with the talons of the 
 law in defence of what we are pleased to call our 
 rights, but which is, in fact, only our self-interest ; 
 where we wallow in the squalor of the divorce court 
 and hang out our shame on the clothes-lines of 
 public opinion — how much simpler it would be if 
 we could have our Rabbis, learned, simple-minded,
 
 114 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 disinterested, to whom we could bring our troubles 
 and our wrongs, and rest assured that they would 
 right them. 
 
 I can see the sleek -faced parson volunteering for 
 the post with the confidence of self-righteousness 
 and the assurance of his high calling. But no, my 
 friend ! You can never don the breeches of the 
 Kabbi. You have studied your Bible and you have 
 dabbled in Hebrew, but you know nothing of the 
 Law — the true Law. In this particular the Rabbi 
 of Israel is as well grounded as the Lord Chief 
 Justice of England, and a great deal better than the 
 Supreme Court judges of the United States. 
 
 I once knew a Jew in Vilna who went into partner- 
 ship with a Christian Pole in the "old clo'" line. 
 After a time the Pole took it into his head that his 
 Hebrew partner was not acting squarely by him. 
 There was some trouble over a consignment of 
 second-hand clothes and the market quotation for 
 rags. Words ensued, but neither would give 
 way. Suddenly a happy thought struck the Pole. 
 Pudjim do Rabhinovo ! he shouted (" Come to the 
 Kabbi ! ").
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 FAMILY LIFE OF THE JEWS 
 
 When the " Shatchen " has completed his work 
 successfully and the young Jewess has become a 
 married woman, there is no question in her mind as 
 to where her duty lies. From that day forward her 
 husband is all in all to her. 
 
 The enlightened and very young lady of the 
 Western world will exclaim : " Oh, but that is im- 
 possible ! She could not really love a man whom 
 she had married under such conditions." 
 
 Go back to your bread and butter, little miss. I 
 never said that she does love him. If you had been 
 brought up with a strict sense of duty — a very strict 
 sense of duty, as the young Jewish girl is brought 
 up, you would understand that a husband may be 
 all in all to his wife, and she may be all in all to her 
 husband, without any unnecessary and evanescent 
 sentiment. Remember, too, that when you even- 
 tually come to be married yourself you will be 
 handed over to the highest bidder, and your mother 
 will tell you how much you love him before you 
 discover it yourself. 
 
 It may be that the Jewish girl has no heart, as the 
 six-shilling novel reckons heart ; it may be that 
 she has no love for her husband, as the schoolgirl
 
 116 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 understands love. I will grant it. I have not set 
 out to write a treatise on the psychology of sex ; but 
 to record facts as I found them in Russia. And since 
 I have lived for more than a year in the house ol 
 a poor Jewish bootmaker and his wife in Kazan, I 
 can give some sort of notion of their mode of life. 
 
 Rubinski was a powerful young man, who made 
 boots of all sizes. These were mostly long boots, 
 such as are worn by all Russians, reaching to the 
 knee and wrinkled above the ankle. He generally 
 had eight or ten pairs made up, and twice a week 
 he used to take them to the market-place to sell. 
 He had a stand in the market, for which he paid 
 a fee of fifteen kopeks daily, and sometimes more. 
 On market days he would be at his stand from eight 
 in the morning until five in the evening. His wife 
 used to take his dinner up to him at the market at 
 noon, and wait until he had finished, so that she 
 could bring back the cloth and platter. Whilst she 
 was waiting, she would look at the boots dangling 
 from the cross-bar above the stall and count them, 
 to see how many pairs her husband had sold. Then 
 she would wonder what price he had received for 
 the pairs that were gone. That is a very material 
 question in Russian trade, where the price varies 
 according to the astuteness of buyer and seller. 
 
 She knows that the boots cost her husband in 
 material alone two roubles and seventy-five kopeks ; 
 then there is his labour. It takes him two days at 
 sixteen hours a day to make a pair. She does not 
 trouble to work out in her head how much he should 
 receive per hour for his work'; she does not even know
 
 FAMILY LIFE OF THE JEWS 117 
 
 the meaning of the terms, "trade union" and "living 
 wage." She only hopes that he has sold them well. 
 
 Rubinski is all smiles when he has made a good 
 bargain. He tells her that he has made seven 
 roubles for two days work. But he is less com- 
 municative if he has made only a rouble or so on the 
 transaction. He has his own scale of charges for 
 his goods. From the farmer he will ask seven 
 roubles ; from the " swell " fifteen. The asking is 
 easy enough, what troubles the poor sapojnik (boot- 
 maker) is getting what he asks. 
 
 Now Chaja, his wife, counts the boots, and notices 
 that there are only six pairs left. Rubinski took 
 ten pairs with him in the morning. Therefore he 
 must have sold four pairs. He has said nothing to 
 her about the price, and she is longing to know 
 how much he received for his eight days work. But 
 her husband does not tell her, and she will not ask. 
 There is a great moral lesson even in four pairs of 
 boots. 
 
 But Rubinski and his wife have secured me as a 
 lodger, so they have no anxiety for the rent of their 
 house. They have four rooms, and I have taken 
 two of them, and for them and attendance I pay the 
 whole rent of the house. It is an arrangement 
 which contents both parties. I am learning the 
 Yiddish jargon from Rubinski, and in the evenings, 
 when he comes home, he sits and works at his 
 boots, Chaja sits near him knitting stockings and 
 socks, whilst I, with my pipe in my mouth, ask 
 questions of them both. 
 
 From watching Rubinski I learn a thing or two
 
 118 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 about boot-making, and notice that he puts a good 
 deal of wood under the soles. When his mouth is 
 not full of little nails he talks to me, and answers 
 my many questions, without ceasing his boot- 
 making. Sometimes I volunteer to act as his appren- 
 tice. I take the sole leather from the water where 
 It has been soaking ; I bind up the wrinkles in the 
 leg of the boot over a wooden block ; I rub the sole 
 with sand-paper. Chaja looks on and laughs at me 
 learning the trade. But In spite of her mockery, a 
 day arrives when I put a new pair of soles on my 
 boots. This was a triumph which I have never 
 endeavoured to repeat. I found that It took almost 
 as much leather off my hands as I put on to the 
 soles of the boots. I send my boots to the cobbler 
 now for repairs. 
 
 When RublnskI came back from the market I 
 would ask him : 
 
 " Have you had a good day ? " 
 
 No ; the market was flat. No gentry were there ; 
 only a few farmers with their milk-carts, and some 
 strugovtchiks from the Volga. But, God be praised ! 
 I made nine roubles on the seven pairs of boots I 
 sold last market-day." 
 
 Nine roubles for fourteen days work of sixteen 
 hours a day seems pitiable enough ; but RubinskI 
 is quite happy, and he Is saving up a little money. 
 
 Chaja bakes the bread, and cooks the meals, and 
 does all the housework ; but she manages to find 
 time to call on her neighbours and the Babbl's wife 
 now and then and Indulge In a little gossip. Some- 
 times I overhear her telling her neighbours what
 
 FA]\TILY LIFE OF THE TEWS 119 
 
 a useful person her lodger is — how he splits the logs 
 for the fire and puts them in the sun to dry, and 
 does various other odd jobs. Then she sinks her 
 voice, and says what a pity it is that he is not a Jew. 
 
 But one day Chaja was not out of bed in the 
 morning, and Rubinski came to my room, a very sad 
 man, with tears in his eyes. He told me that Chaja 
 was ill, and would I go and see her. 
 
 I went to her room, and when I asked her what 
 was the matter — 
 
 " Oi," she cried, *' ouf alle goim gesogt ! " (" My 
 pains should all the Christians have ! ") 
 
 I laughed aloud ; and she hastened to correct her- 
 self 
 
 " Nain ! Nain ! I did not mean you, nor the 
 Christians of your country. But I wish it to all 
 the Russian Christians." 
 
 "Well, you can go on wishing that," I said. 
 " But you must take care of yourself." 
 
 Chaja had the influenza badly, and it was some 
 weeks before she recovered. 
 
 Rubinski and Chaja had no children, and In this 
 respect they differed from the majority of the 
 married Jews in Russia, who, for the most part, 
 have large families. 
 
 The Jewess Is a very gentle and loving mother, 
 and she lavishes upon her children all the tender 
 affection which has perhaps found no outlet before 
 she became a mother. 
 
 In his habits and modes of life the Russian Jew 
 Is regular and frugal. A drunken Jew Is a thing 
 practically unknown. During the whole nine years
 
 120 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 that I was in Russia I do not think that I saw 
 three cases of drunkenness amongst them. And yet 
 they will drink of all kinds of wines, spirits, and 
 beer in moderation. At the feasts and holiday 
 celebrations the fare is liberal and the wine or 
 spirits well supplied ; but there is never any excess 
 of eating or drinking. 
 
 The Jew is regular and punctual in his hours. He 
 eats at the proper time and rests at the proper time. 
 He will return from his work and go to his Beth 
 Hamedrosh for the evening prayers, and then home 
 to supper with the regularity of clockwork. This 
 strict regimen keeps his brain clear and active, 
 and endows him with physical endurance. 
 
 It is for these very qualities that he is hated and 
 despised by the Russian aristocracy, to whom the 
 Jew is the superior in powers of intellect, bodily 
 strength, and deportment. 
 
 Amongst the Jews in Russia there are no tramps. 
 The Jews take care of their own poor, and find work 
 of some sort for the man who is down on his luck. 
 The Russian Jews who find their way to this country 
 and America are the young men who have fled from 
 Russia to avoid military service. Their immigration 
 to England does not mean that they were unable to 
 make a living in Russia among their own people, but 
 simply that they prefer to escape from persecution 
 and oppression and conscription. 
 
 Here I am led into a digression from the subject 
 of the Jew in particular to the deplorable state 
 of uncleanliness, both bodily and locally, general 
 throughout Russia. It was the mention of tramps
 
 FAMILY LIFE OF THE JEWS 1^1 
 
 that recalled the subject to my mind, and conjured up 
 a vision which I will describe. 
 
 A dreary road stretching away for miles and miles 
 over a flat landscape; patches of snow are still visible 
 here and there, in the ditches and sheltered spots ; 
 but the sun is shining fitfully through the clouds, and 
 the promise of spring is in the air. A party of travel- 
 ling popes are coming down the road with their long- 
 cloaks and brimless hats. They are making for a 
 desolate-looking farmhouse by the road side, where 
 they will beg their dinner and shelter for the night. 
 They have already been for some weeks on the road, 
 as is their custom before Easter, begging for the poor 
 from village to village — though I should be sorry to 
 assert that the poor receive any benefit from their 
 mission. They are mud-stained and unkempt, and 
 as they tramp along the dirty road they leave behind 
 them a malodorous stench of unwashed, sweating 
 flesh. 
 
 At the farmhouse one goes forward to the door to 
 interview the owner and beg for food and shelter. 
 The rest dispose themselves by the roadside in the 
 sun, and leisurely begin to divest themselves of their 
 garments and to search for lice in the seams and 
 corners. They are all filthily verminous, and they 
 have no difficulty in finding what they seek. 
 
 Presently the pope who went to the farm comes 
 out and beckons his brothers in. They huddle on 
 their clothes and troop into the house, where we 
 will leave them to bow before the icon and enjoy 
 the hospitality of the poor farmer to their hearts' 
 content.
 
 122 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 The plague of lice, like the plague of darkness, 
 seems to have travelled to Russia and taken up its 
 abode there. Ninety per cent, of the population are 
 verminous, and they can make no secret of it ; for 
 the particular parasite from which they suffer gives 
 them no rest. 
 
 In the baths special arrangements are made to 
 cope with it. A long pole is suspended near the 
 black ceiling of the bath-room, on which are hung 
 the clothes of all the bathers, turned inside out. The 
 heat at the top of the room is terrific, and whatever 
 may be in those clothes is baked to cinders in an 
 hour. 
 
 The sanitary arrangements throughout Russia are 
 pestilential and revolting. In very few cities is 
 there any system of drainage whatever ; and even 
 in St. Petersburg, Moscow, and Odessa the drains 
 are very inefficient. In other towns the arrange- 
 ments for the disposal of the sewage are perfectly 
 sickening. If it were not for the six months of cold 
 weather these insanitary conditions would provoke 
 a plague throughout the whole country. 
 
 In addition to this, the habits of the people them- 
 selves are disgusting and indecent. But this is a 
 subject which it is impossible to discuss. Indeed, I 
 think it is better to let the whole unsavoury sub- 
 ject drop, and return once more to the Jew in 
 Russia.
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE JEWISH SOLDIER 
 
 The young Jew must of course go to the Voinskaia 
 Povinost like every other humble subject of the 
 Tsar; and in the Russian Army there is no more 
 useful soldier. His usefulness is not due to excessive 
 martial ardour, nor to the love which he bears for 
 Holy Russia and the Tsar ; but to the simple fact 
 that he is an educated man. 
 
 The Tsar has plenty of men to do his fighting for 
 him, he wants no young Joshuas ; but he badly 
 needs clerks to keep the accounts, and tradesmen to 
 make clothes and boots for the fighting line. And 
 though he does his best to suppress the education 
 of the Jew, he is very glad to make use of the 
 accomplishments which he has acquired in spite of 
 his ukase. O logical " God on Earth ! " 
 
 Therefore you will find the Jewish soldiers 
 employed as military clerks, and even serving as 
 private secretaries to ojBficers of high rank. You 
 will find them in the topogi-aphical department 
 making maps and drawing plans. In barracks they 
 are employed at every kind of trade — tailoring, 
 boot-making, carpentering, or at the smith's forge 
 shoeing horses and welding iron. 
 
 The officers of their regiments employ them on
 
 124 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 private jobs, quite unconnected with their duties to 
 the State, and if they offer them any payment for 
 their work, it takes the form of an order for a piece 
 of pork from the cook-house, which they know the 
 Jew will not accept. 
 
 *' Here, Jew ! " says an officer, " my wife wants 
 you to make her a copper coffee-pot." 
 
 The Jew salutes and answers : " Very good, your 
 Excellency." 
 
 He has scarcely gone to work on the coffee-pot 
 when another officer comes up. 
 
 " You must make me a stand for a lamp of 
 wrought iron." 
 
 *' Yes, your High-born. But I have an order 
 already from his Excellency to make a coffee-pot." 
 
 " Then you will make the lamp-stand after- 
 wards." 
 
 That was the state of affairs in the barrack iron- 
 monger's shop when a young officer, with whom I 
 was acquainted, went in to give a commission to the 
 unfortunate Jewish tradesman. 
 
 " You will come to my house and mend a samovar, 
 which is leaking," he said. 
 
 The Jew saluted, and explained that he had 
 already two orders to execute which would keep 
 him occupied for nine days. 
 
 " You cursed Jew ! Can you not work at 
 night ? " He used other endearing epithets which 
 need not be repeated. 
 
 "Yes, your High-born, I will commence your work 
 after nine o'clock to-night, and try to finish it before 
 breakfast to-morrow morning."
 
 THE JEWISH SOLDIER 125 
 
 The young officer left the shop, and I walked with 
 him towards his mother's house, where the leaky 
 samovar awaited repairs. 
 
 " Why do you talk to your men like that ? " I 
 asked. 
 
 " We have to assert our authority as officers," he 
 answered curtly. 
 
 " If you tried it on in some countries that I know 
 of you would find that you were making a very big 
 mistake." 
 
 " I know what you mean," he answered callously ; 
 *' but your soldiers are educated." 
 
 " No better educated than that Jew," I said. 
 
 He did not continue the discussion. Presently I 
 persuaded him to return with me to the iron- 
 monger's shop and tell the Jew that he need not 
 execute his order until he had finished the work 
 which he had on hand. But it cost me a new 
 samovar to persuade him to do it. 
 
 In the regimental tailors' shop the Jew is very 
 heavily worked. He is often kept at it night and 
 day, and he has orders for six months ahead. He 
 makes uniforms for the officers, and everything they 
 wear. And his reward is to be called " a dirty 
 diseased Jew," " A dog's son," and various other 
 things. 
 
 The carpenter and bootmaker have also a busy 
 time in barracks. Their services are in constant 
 request by all officers from the polkovnik to the 
 younker. 
 
 Then, Jews are generally employed as dentchiks. 
 The dentcliik is the officer's servant — and I cannot
 
 126 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 imagine a more unenviable occupation. His duties 
 are undefinable, and are only limited by the orders 
 of his master. He cleans and scrubs the house, is in 
 charge of the horses and carriage or sleigh, acts as 
 nursery governess to the children, runs messages 
 like a dog, looks after the clothes and accoutrements 
 of his master, and does all the dirty work there is to 
 be done. 
 
 In one respect the Jewish soldier is more fortunate 
 than his Christian comrade in arms. He has some- 
 body to look after him outside the barracks. It 
 comes about in this way. The Jew will not eat the 
 rations provided for him in barracks as it is against 
 his religion to do so. In this respect his officers 
 treat him kindly. They do not force him to eat. In 
 fact, they are quite indifferent as to whether he eats 
 or not. 
 
 But his own people have a care for him. In 
 whatever place he is serving the Kabbi arranges 
 with the congregation for his meals. I know of a 
 certain rich Jew who has never less than two Jewish 
 soldiers coming to his table three times a day. And 
 I was told that he has done this for more than 
 eighteen years. There are families which cannot 
 afford to give a whole week's board to the soldier ; 
 and when this is the case the soldier is sent from 
 house to house for his meals, so that the burden is 
 equitably distributed throughout the community. 
 
 In a garrison town where the Jewish community 
 was very small it once happened that about fifty 
 Jewish soldiers were quartered. The Kabbi saw 
 that it would be an impossibility to arrange for
 
 THE JEWISH SOLDIER 127 
 
 the feeding of so many mouths in his small con- 
 gregation, and therefore he summoned the soldiers 
 and gave them a dispensation. They were allowed 
 to eat the barrack fare ; but the Rabbi ordered that 
 they should throw away the first spoonful. 
 
 There are many who scoff at the strict observance 
 by the Jews of the minutiae of the Law, who regard 
 the "jots and tittles " as ridiculous and trifling, and 
 despise a religion which adheres to its old traditions 
 and does not advance with the times. 
 
 To those people I would say — " Consider the Jews 
 of to-day." What other nation or race in the world 
 would have preserved its individuality and nation- 
 ality in the face of the disasters which have befallen 
 the Jews for the last nineteen hundred years ? 
 They have no country and are scattered. They are 
 persecuted and oppressed and despised. Yet 
 through it all they remain distinctly and unques- 
 tionably a nation. 
 
 What has held them together ? What is the 
 bond that binds the Jew in England to the Jew in 
 Russia or America ? Why have they not become 
 absorbed into the nations of their adoption ? Why 
 are they to this day a world power ? The answer to 
 all these questions is the one word — " Religion." 
 
 Would the Christian religion, as administered by 
 the Churches of the Protestant religion, or by the 
 Church of Rome, have proved a strong enough bond 
 to hold together a nation through the stress of cen- 
 turies of dispersion and persecution ? Lay aside pre- 
 judice, and answer truthfully, " No." And then seek 
 for the reasons. You will find them in dissensions,
 
 128 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 in lax discipline, in superstition, in want of learning 
 on the part of the priests, in carelessness, in uncharit- 
 ableness. 
 
 It is by unity, by the strict observance of every 
 iota of the Law, by the erudition of the Rabbis, by 
 attention, by charity, that the Jewish religion keeps 
 its grasp upon the race, and has guided it through 
 the storms of nearly two thousand years. 
 
 Then, whether we be Christians or whether we 
 be Buddhists, we cannot afford to laugh at the 
 religion of the Jews, or criticise the manners and 
 forms of its administration. 
 
 It is a religion that is inculcated in every member 
 of the community. Every child born of Jewish 
 parents is Instructed in It, however humble his 
 parentage may be. There Is no Ignorance of religion 
 among the Children of Israel. 
 
 Contrast this with the state of things in London. 
 A British officer of my acquaintance told me the 
 following story, and vouched for the truth of it. He 
 was acting as recruiting officer at a certain depot in 
 the East End of London. One of the questions 
 which is put to every recruit on attestation is — 
 " What Is your religion ? " My friend assured me 
 that he frequently received the reply : " I don't know 
 what you mean." 
 
 On one occasion the recruit paused to consider the 
 question, and answered at last : " I'm not rightly 
 sure." 
 
 " Oh," said my friend, " you must have some 
 religion If you are coming Into the army," 
 
 The recruit scratched his head thoughtfully, and
 
 THE JEWISH SOLDIER 129 
 
 then the recollection of his religious denomination 
 suddenly flashed into his mind. 
 
 " Please, sir, I'm a Prostitute ! " he exclaimed. 
 
 And yet we send missionaries abroad. Even the 
 poor Jewish soldier in Russia knows better than 
 that.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 THE TREATMENT OF THE JEWS 
 
 In the short account of the Jews in Russia which I 
 have given, I have endeavoured in a few words to 
 describe their characteristics and modes of hfe. It 
 is a subject on which many volumes could be written, 
 but to give more than the merest sketch of the Jews 
 in Russia is outside the scope of this book. Before 
 leaving them, however, it would be instructive to 
 take note of the relations which exist between them 
 and the Government and their fellow subjects in 
 Russia. 
 
 How dearly the Tsar loves this peaceable race 
 within his borders we have seen from the great 
 solicitude which he exhibits for their education. 
 For their health he is equally careful. Jews are not 
 allowed to bathe in rivers and lakes, nor are they 
 permitted to go to seaside watering-places, sana- 
 toriums, or mineral wells. They must reside in the 
 Jewish quarters of the towns, and are not allowed 
 to go to the more salubrious suburbs to live, even if 
 it is necessary for their health. If a Jew wishes to 
 consult a medical practitioner who lives in some 
 other town he cannot do so unless he obtains 
 permission from the police. 
 
 Then the popes of the Holy Russian Church stir
 
 THE TREATMENT OF THE JEWS 131 
 
 up the ignorant and superstitious moujiks against 
 the Jews, and massacres are the result. Kemember, 
 the pope is the property of the Synod, and the 
 Synod belongs to the Tsar. The chain of respon- 
 sibility is complete, and it is easy to lay the blame 
 on the riofht man. 
 
 There are police and soldiers looking on at the 
 slaughter, even if they do not join in with the 
 moujiks. The army and the police belong to the 
 Tsar. The chain of responsibility is complete, and 
 it is easy to lay the blame on the right man. 
 
 After it is all over, and some hundreds of Jews 
 have been killed and their women dishonoured 
 before death, there is possibly a mock inquiry into 
 the circumstances, and the lawyers who speak in- 
 advisedly are sent to Vladikavkas. Justice also 
 belongs to the Tsar. The chain of responsibility is 
 complete, and it is easy to lay the blame on the 
 right man. 
 
 Has the world forgotten the massacres in Kieff in 
 1880, 1 88 1, and 1882, or in Kharkoff in 1882, or 
 in Warsaw in 1 881, or in Novgorod in 1884, or in 
 Kischinieif and Gomel in 1903? In Kieff the 
 houses of the Jews were fired and pillaged. The 
 children were torn from their mothers' breasts and 
 dashed to pieces before their eyes. Four hundred 
 souls were destroyed in two days. And whilst the 
 smoke of Kieff rose to heaven and her streets ran 
 red with blood, in a Jewish town, seventy ve7\st^ 
 away, a fanatic priest was inflaming the passions of 
 the moujiks against the Jews. He told a story that 
 the Jews had stolen a Christian child, and would
 
 L'}2 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 use his blood for their Passover. Not a Jewish 
 family was left alive in the place. 
 
 Then at the massacre at Kischinieif last year the 
 scenes of horror surpassed even those at Kieif. The 
 young Jewish girls were outraged before the eyes 
 of their parents. One frantic woman tore herself 
 from her captors and rushed to her daughter's 
 rescue, but a blow from the butt of a soldier's rifle 
 scattered her brains. The Pristav and the Politz- 
 maister, with police and soldiery, looked on at the 
 slaughter. It is significant that the woman should 
 have been killed with a soldier's rifle. Doubtless 
 the Government oflicials who were present were 
 able to supply a full report of the proceedings to 
 St. Petersburg. 
 
 The Kischiniefl" aflair struck horror to the Christian 
 world. There were protests from England and 
 America. And then ? Nothing. 
 
 A tardy investigation was held, and a mock trial 
 of a few of the murderers is apparently still in 
 progress. In a newspaper of the 26th of February, 
 1904, it is stated that sixty-eight persons are now 
 on trial in connection with the aflair. But as one 
 of the prisoners, who was found guilty of murder, was 
 sentenced to one year's imprisonment, and another to 
 undergo two and a half years service in a disciplinary 
 company, it is obvious that the whole trial is nothing 
 but a sham. Apparently all the civil actions for 
 damages have been dismissed. 
 
 The charitable Christian reader comfortably en- 
 sconced by his own fireside wearies of this tale of 
 horrors, and mutters : "Oh, nonsense ! The man is
 
 THE TREATMENT OF THE JEWS 133 
 
 a fanatic, or a E-ussian Nihilist. The whole thing 
 is exaggerated and overdone." 
 
 O comfortable and charitable Christian reader ! 
 go to Kussia and see for yourself. Or, if that is too 
 much trouble, turn up the files of the newspapers 
 and read. If you have used all your old newspapers 
 to light the fire by which you sit in judgment on 
 the world at large, and if you are too lazy to go to 
 the nearest public library to consult the files, then 
 take the word of one of your own race, whose only 
 connection with Russia is, that he has lived in that 
 country for nine years for the purpose of finding 
 out the truth.* 
 
 The question which I wish to put to every fair- 
 minded man and woman is this : Suppose that the 
 Jews had a kingdom of their own, and that they 
 treated the Christians within their gates with a 
 mere fraction of the barbarity which Kussia metes 
 out to the Jews, how long would it be before the 
 Christian world interfered ? 
 
 But Russia is known as a Christian country — and 
 the Jew is a Jew — and does not count. That is 
 the view of the Christian world. And in proof of 
 it, what do we see at this moment ? The Christian 
 Russia authorised by the Powers to coerce the Turk 
 to decent behaviour towards the Armenians. 
 
 Now Turkey does not pretend to Christianity, 
 and the rule of the Sultan may not be all that is 
 admirable. But his treatment of the Armenians is 
 not one whit worse than the treatment of the Jews 
 by Russia. There is this difference, the Jew is a 
 * See Appendix.
 
 134 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 peaceful and law-abiding subject; but the Armenian, 
 though he wears the badge of Christianity, is a 
 murderer and cut-throat at heart, and has brought 
 the trouble on himself. 
 
 But because the Turk is a Mahommedan and the 
 Armenian a Christian, therefore Christian Kussia, 
 who murders the Jews by thousands, is deputed by 
 the rest of Christianity to suppress the Turk. 
 
 Can any modern historian find a parallel in 
 Turkish history to the savagery of Russia ? Or 
 can he name any man who has been girded with 
 the sword of Osman in the Mosque of Ejub in Con- 
 stantinople who can compare with the " Gods on 
 Earth " of the past sixty years in blood-guiltiness 
 and oppression ? 
 
 What Sultan of Turkey has ever commanded the 
 suppression of the language and history of a vassal 
 State ? What Sultan has prohibited the education 
 of a section of his subjects ? What Sultan has re- 
 stricted the benefits of medical science, and closed 
 his sanatoriums and watering-places to a section of 
 his subjects ? What Sultan has ordered the massacre 
 of his own subjects without provocation ? What 
 Sultan has tortured children to convert them to his 
 faith, making them kneel upon sacks half- filled with 
 shot for eighteen hours a day, until they embraced 
 Mahommedanism, and caused those who would not 
 be converted to be knouted to death between the 
 ranks of his soldiers ? 
 
 Eighteen thousand children were destroyed in 
 two years in the name of Christ in the time of 
 Nicholas I.
 
 THE TREATMENT OF THE JEWS 135 
 
 What Sultan has released murderers from jail 
 to swell the ranks of his religion ? What Sultan 
 has condoned the wholesale slaughter of the un- 
 offending and peaceful inhabitants of a frontier 
 town, as Nicholas II. condoned the bloody massacre 
 of Blagovestshensk in 1 900 ? 
 
 The massacre of Blagovestshensk surpasses for 
 savage ferocity anything in the history of the Middle 
 Ages. So great was the slaughter of men and 
 women and children that the Amur river was choked 
 with corpses for many miles. By order of General 
 Gribsky the wretched Chinese inhabitants of the 
 town were driven by thousands into the river ; and 
 those who would not enter the water were mur- 
 dered in cold blood on the bank by the Cossacks. 
 The deputy Pristav Shabanov looked on at this 
 orgie of massacre until his gorge rose against it, and, 
 sickened by a surfeit of bloody horrors, he was 
 forced to turn away. In Blagovestshensk and the 
 surrounding country more than 15,000 inoffensive 
 Chinese were slaughtered. 
 
 On hearing of the massacre I went to Blagovest- 
 shensk, being at the time five days journey from 
 that place. I arrived on July 21, 1900, and re- 
 mained there for three weeks. During the whole 
 time I was there corpses of the murdered Chinese 
 were floating down the river. 
 
 It is superfluous to multiply the deeds of savagery 
 and barbarism which have been committed in Russia 
 during the reigns of Nicholas I., Alexander II., 
 Alexander III., and Nicholas 11. in the last sixty 
 years. The amiable British statesman who professes
 
 136 THE JEW IN RUSSIA 
 
 to be a connoisseur of " methods of barbarism," and 
 a champion of the outraged Armenian, should go to 
 Russia or to his Armenian i^oteges to learn the real 
 meaning of the word " barbarism," and then return 
 home and a^iologise to the British army for applying 
 the term to the conduct of the war in South Africa. 
 
 He would find that his Armenian brothers, 
 together with the Koumanians, Servians, and Bul- 
 garians, are ruffians who have been schooled in the 
 science of murder from the cradle ; and that when 
 Turkey deals out justice to them, they shriek the 
 name of Christ to the civilised world and implore 
 her aid, crying : " Come over to Macedonia and 
 help us." 
 
 And because they shelter their crimes under the 
 cloak of Christianity the civilised world is appalled, 
 and falls into hysterics ; and implores Russia and 
 Austria to interfere and stop it. 
 
 I do not wish to associate myself with the methods 
 of the Turk, or to hold the Sultan up as a model of 
 what a ruler should be. But I would rather a 
 thousand times be a Turk or even a Hottentot than 
 a gentle Christian of Russia, Roumania, Bulgaria, 
 Servia, or Armenia. 
 
 The position of the civilised world, then, is this : 
 that the Armenians must be preserved even at the 
 cost of a European conflagration, because they are 
 Christians. But the Jews may be ruthlessly mas- 
 sacred, and left to their fate, because they are 
 Jews. 
 
 That is the logical conclusion of the matter ; and 
 there is only one other admission possible, and that
 
 THE TREATMENT OF THE JEWS 137 
 
 is not a creditable one to the civilised world, namely: 
 that the nations are afraid of Russia. Those are 
 the only alternatives, and I leave it to the reader 
 to ponder over, and to decide for himself which is 
 the true one.
 
 PART 111 
 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 CHAPTER I 
 
 I REVISIT RUSSIA IN A HL'RRY 
 
 The narrative which I am about to relate concerns 
 many people in Russia and in other parts of the 
 world, most of whom are alive, and I trust well, at 
 this moment. It is probable that if this book falls 
 into the hands of any of them, they will recog- 
 nise themselves under strange names, in strange 
 places, and at strange times. For this is a true 
 story ; and, therefore, out of consideration for those 
 who are my friends in Russia, and for those whose 
 assistance I obtained by other means than friendship, 
 I have suppressed all names of persons, changed the 
 names of towns and governments, and altered the 
 date of the occurrences. It is therefore impossible 
 that those who took part in the aifair can be com- 
 promised by the relation of it now. 
 
 My object in telling this story is not to pose as 
 the hero of it ; for, in fact, the credit is not due to 
 me, but to the almighty Russian rouble. It is, as I 
 have said, a true story and not fiction, and, therefore,
 
 I REVISIT RUSSIA IN A HURRY 139 
 
 no hero is necessary. But I tell it because it is 
 a story with a moral, and moral tales are always 
 instructive however unpalatable. 
 
 The moral is this : that if you have an object in 
 view in Russia, you can always attain to it, however 
 impossible it may appear, by the help of the rouble. 
 There is another moral which I recommend to the 
 notice of the relations and friends of those who are 
 involuntary residents in Siberia and Vladikavkas, 
 and it is this : that any man who is undergoing a 
 sentence of penal servitude in Siberia or Vladikavkas 
 can be liberated with outside help and a sufficiency 
 of roubles. 
 
 The story has also a moral for the Tsar himself, 
 namely : that there is a poAver in Kussia above the 
 " God on Earth," and it takes the form of a sub- 
 stantial silver coin. 
 
 In the year 1896 I was returning from Vera Cruz, 
 Mexico, and arrived in San Francisco in March. At 
 the Palace Hotel, where I had rooms, I found a 
 bundle of letters, which had accumulated for three 
 weeks past, awaiting me. Among the letters was a 
 cablegram marked via Eydtkuhnen. I tore it open 
 and read : " If possible come earlier to St. Petersburg, 
 Kolka in trouble." 
 
 There was no signature and the cablegram was 
 dated February 24. I knew well enough who the 
 sender was ; but the fact that the cablegram had 
 been awaiting my arrival for a fortnight caused me 
 considerable uneasiness. I went hastily through 
 the bundle of letters, in the hope of finding one 
 from the sender of the message, which would
 
 140 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 throw more light on the subject ; but there was 
 none. 
 
 It had been my intention to start for Russia, on 
 a visit to some friends in St. Petersburg and Kasan, 
 later in the spring ; but that cablegram decided me 
 to start forthwith, and I made arrangements for an 
 immediate departure. 
 
 I left San Francisco by the midnight express the 
 same evening, and on the third day arrived at the 
 Windy City — Chicago. There I determined to stay 
 for a day, for there was a man in Chicago whom I 
 wanted to see. I found him at the Iroquois Club. 
 I told him that I was on my way to St. Petersburg, 
 and asked If he could give me letters of Introduction 
 to certain medical officers In high official positions 
 there. It is always well to go to a foreign country 
 well furnished with Introductions, and in the present 
 instance I thought it very possible that I should 
 require all the Influence I could get. 
 
 My friend readily assented ; and I left Chicago, 
 early the following morning, with his letters In my 
 pocket. 
 
 At Washington I again broke my journey. I 
 had friends there, too, who had influence in Russia, 
 and from them I received an Important letter of 
 introduction to a high official in Odessa. The next 
 day I arrived in New York, and secured a berth In 
 the White Star liner Germanic, which was due to 
 sail in a few days time. 
 
 I thought that voyage across the Atlantic would 
 never end. The enforced inactivity of life on board 
 ship was exasperating. A voice from out of Russia
 
 I REVISIT RUSSIA IN A HURRY 141 
 
 had called me, to I knew not what. But the call 
 was imperative and I longed to be there. The great, 
 green waves of the Atlantic rose like huge walls in 
 endless succession to bar the way ; and the good 
 ship Germanic climbed them conscientiously and 
 steadily, gathering her strength on the downward 
 dip to struggle up the vast incline beyond. 
 
 The captain was an old friend of mine, and my 
 seat at table was next to his ; but I am afraid he 
 found me very dull company during that trip. 
 " Come earlier — Kolka in trouble." I could only 
 speculate on the real meaning of the words ; but my 
 speculations absorbed me to the exclusion of all 
 other subjects. 
 
 On the ninth day we arrived at Liverpool, and I 
 started at once for London. It was a relief to be 
 active again. So long as I could " hustle around," 
 getting my passport and letters of introduction, and 
 making final arrangements for my expedition, I was 
 happy. In three days I had my passport and every- 
 thing in readiness ; and after sending three tele- 
 grams, one to St. Petersburg, one to Moscow, and a 
 third to Vyatka, I left London to travel via Berlin 
 and Eydtkuhnen to St. Petersburg. 
 
 At the Russian frontier the spirit of the country 
 in which I had spent so many years of my life came 
 back to me. The official who inspected my passport 
 found a five-rouble note pinned to the back of it ; 
 and, in consequence, my luggage was passed through 
 the custom house unopened, and I was allowed to 
 proceed on my journey unmolested. The next day 
 I reached St. Petersburg.
 
 142 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 M. Renault, of the Hotel de France, welcomed me 
 with effusion. He had received my telegram and 
 was awaiting me in my room. 
 
 I had scarcely sat down when I was interrupted 
 by the sound of voices in the passage without. 
 The porter was firm, he would not admit any one to 
 the Bareen's room without first giving notice of his 
 arrival. 
 
 " Wait here, your High-born, until I have taken 
 your card to the Bareen." 
 
 The visitor declined to wait, but he was evidently 
 in the dilemma of not knowing which room to enter. 
 At this juncture I opened the door of my room and 
 came out into the passage. 
 
 In a moment I was seized in the embrace of the 
 visitor. His hands, like a great bear's paws, hugged 
 my shoulders ; he kissed me on both cheeks, and his 
 venerable grey beard swept against my face ; he 
 talked and laughed and cried in the same breath. 
 The porter looked on in amazement, and then dis- 
 creetly withdrew. But still the old man held me in 
 his arms, as though he would assure himself that it 
 was in very truth Carl Joubert who stood before 
 him. 
 
 At last I led him into my room, still clinging to 
 my arm. 
 
 " So you have come — you have really come ! " he 
 exclaimed. 
 
 " I should have been here a fortnight ago," I said, 
 " if I had received your cablegi'am earlier. But I 
 was away fi^om San Francisco when it arrived." 
 
 Then I told him of my journey across two
 
 I REVISIT RUSSIA IN A HURRY 143 
 
 continents and the Atlantic. I showed him the cable- 
 gram stamped with the date that I received it from 
 the Palace Hotel. I explained to him how it had 
 been delayed at Los Angelos, California, to which 
 address he had originally directed it. In fact, I 
 made every imaginable excuse for the tardiness of 
 my arrival. I would not have him think that for 
 one moment I had hesitated to respond to his call, 
 " Come earlier — Kolka in trouble." 
 
 He heard me to the end without a word, sitting 
 bolt upright on the edge of his chair, grasping his 
 knees in his great, strong hands, and looking into 
 my face with a half-dazed expression in his eyes, as 
 though he could not realise that I had come. Then, 
 all at once, he learned back in his chair, and his 
 limbs relaxed, and he began to cry like a child. 
 
 I could see the tears rolling from his grey beard 
 like drops of dew in spite of the big hands that 
 covered his face. How the veins stood out on the 
 backs of those hands ! And between the gusts of 
 tears he cried pitifully : " Kolka — my poor Kolka ! "
 
 CHAPTER II 
 
 KOLKA 
 
 But the impatient reader, who hates mysteries at 
 the outset of a story, Is no doubt anxiously de- 
 manding "who Is Kolka? What Is his trouble? 
 What has the old man to do with It ? And what 
 business Is It at all of the author of this book ? " 
 
 Then let me explain. 
 
 Maximov Bogdanovltch, whom we left overcome by 
 his feelings In the Hotel de France, St. Petersburg, 
 Is known as a great doctor of medicine. His experi- 
 ence stretches over a period of forty years. He has 
 taken many degrees, among others M.D. of London, 
 and he Is a Fellow of the Royal Society. In his 
 younger days he was a great traveller. But for the last 
 thirty years he has seldom left his estate In Vyatka, 
 and has not journeyed beyond the borders of Russia. 
 His estate Is large, but his Income Is by no means 
 commensurate with It. He could have become 
 rich. If he had desired it, by the practice of medi- 
 cine ; but for the last forty years he has not 
 made a kopek from his practice, for reasons of his 
 own. He treats all comers free of charge, be they 
 Christians, Jews, Tartars, or Mahommedans. He 
 has been excommunicated from the Greek Church ; 
 and when he Is not attending to his patients he Is
 
 KOLKA 145 
 
 engaged with his microscope or in the study of 
 pathology. 
 
 His family consists of three daughters and one 
 son. One of his daughters is married to a doctor 
 who has a good practice at Mentone. The other 
 two are unmarried and live at home. The two un- 
 married daughters guard their father with a jealous 
 care. They keep house for him, and will allow no 
 servant to wait upon him, preferring to attend to 
 all his wants themselves. They are well educated 
 girls, and very musical, and as charming as they are 
 accomplished. The son's name is Alexander ; but 
 he is always called " Kolka." At the time of which 
 I speak he was thirty-four years old. 
 
 So much for Dr. Bogdanovitch and Kolka. It 
 remains to be explained how I became an intimate 
 in their household. 
 
 In my student days I met Kolka at the University 
 of Heidelberg. We were both studying medicine ; 
 and I was first attracted to him by his fine qualities. 
 He was a great lover of nature ; he was absolutely 
 unselfish ; he would never take advantage of a 
 weaker fellow student ; he was good-natured to the 
 point of carelessness ; he was clever at his work, 
 and he had a respect and love for the memory of 
 his mother, who was dead, which was very touching. 
 
 We became friends, and he would often talk to 
 me without reserve about his mother. She would 
 have wished him to do this ; he had promised her 
 never to do that. He shaped his life on the influ- 
 ence which she had left behind her. If I advised 
 a certain course of action, he would pause before
 
 146 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 adopting it, and I knew what was passing in his mind. 
 Then, when he declared quite frankly that he did 
 not approve of my suggestion I felt reproved, though 
 there was never a thought of reproof in his mind, 
 nor a word to show that he resented my proposal. 
 
 His ambition was to become a doctor, like his 
 father, and to treat all his patients gratuitously. Bat 
 he dreaded Russia and the idea of succeeding his 
 father to the estates in Vyatka. 
 
 " Do you think that I should be allowed to set up 
 a free practice in your land of Johnny Bull ? " he 
 would ask me sometimes. He always called England 
 " The land of Johnny Bull." It was a mild form of 
 wit perhaps ; but there was not a particle of malice 
 in it. 
 
 In the vacations I would invite him to my home 
 in England. Sometimes he came. Then the old 
 doctor would write me charming letters, and express 
 the hope that I would some day pay him a visit 
 in Vyatka. 
 
 Kolka was beloved of all who met him. His very 
 diflfidence was attractive, more especially to the 
 weaker sex, in whose presence he would be covered 
 with confusion. 
 
 But this is hardly fair to you, Kolka — is it ? I 
 have started to tell your story without your per- 
 mission ; and the least I can do is to spare your 
 blushes. So I will leave your many good qualities 
 alone, and go on with the narrative. 
 
 The first time that I visited Dr. Bogdanovitch's 
 home in Vyatka a great friendship sprang up be- 
 tween the whole family and myself. I was made to
 
 KOLKA 147 
 
 understand that I was to look upon the house and 
 the inmates as my own home and people. When 
 Kolka and I left Vyatka to return to Heidelberg it 
 was a sad day for us all. But that was only the 
 first of many visits to Vyatka. 
 
 After we had both taken our degrees at the 
 university, Kolka went to Moscow to practise medi- 
 cine ; and I wandered over Kussia, visiting every 
 part of the vast Empire, and studying the manners 
 and customs of her peoples. In the course of my 
 wanderings I often found myself back in Vyatka. 
 And the intimacy which had begun in my student 
 days was continued during the whole nine years 
 that I spent in Russia. 
 
 Then I determined to go home again for a time. 
 But I had acquired a roving disposition and I did 
 not remain at home for very long. There are other 
 countries in the world besides England and Russia, 
 and I wanted to see them and find out something: 
 about them for myself So I left my home and 
 travelled for several years in the American conti- 
 nent. And during all my wanderings I kept up a 
 correspondence with the Bogdanovitches in Vyatka. 
 
 And this brings me up to the day when I 
 received the cablegram at the Palace Hotel, San 
 Francisco. 
 
 When the old doctor had recovered his self- 
 possession in my room at the Hotel de France, I 
 asked him anxiously about Kolka. What had he 
 done ? And what had become of him ? 
 
 The old man told me the whole story. 
 
 Kolka was practising in Moscow, where he had
 
 148 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 made himself unpopular with the authorities by 
 constantly bringing to their notice the fact that the 
 restrictions of the benefits of medical science, which 
 were imposed on the Jews, were a scandal and 
 a disgrace to civilisation. When the authorities 
 ignored his communications he wrote openly on the 
 subject. That was too much for the authorities 
 with whom he was already unpopular, not only on 
 account of his views but also because his father 
 was an excommunicant from the Church. 
 
 Then a riot broke out among the students at the 
 university, and the authorities saw their oppor- 
 tunity. Kolka was charged with instigating the 
 students to riot. The rest, of course, was easy for 
 the authorities, and Kolka was sentenced to five 
 years' penal servitude in Siberia. 
 
 The fate of Kolka has been the fate of thousands 
 and thousands of innocent men in Russia. But it 
 is only when the iniquity of the sentence is brought 
 home to us by the infliction of it on those who are 
 dear to us that we experience the full measure of 
 indignation and impotent wrath against the system 
 of government which makes such outrages possible. 
 To grind the teeth and swear oaths of vengeance, 
 to clench the hands until the nails cut into the flesh 
 of the palms and curse the Tsar, to weep copious 
 tears and cry aloud for mercy — all are in vain. 
 Nothing can assuage our burning sense of injustice 
 or lift one link of the chain that drags upon the 
 limbs of our beloved one. 
 
 Oh, the bitterness and gall of man's injustice ! 
 Let God in his mercy afflict us with misfortune and
 
 KOLKA 149 
 
 pain ; but God send that we fall not into the burning 
 pit of human injustice. 
 
 As I looked at the bowed head of the venerable 
 old man before me, who in faltering words told the 
 story of his son's persecution and banishment, I de- 
 termined that it was impossible to sit down meekly 
 under the lash of the " God on Earth." It was not 
 to be thought of ; something must be done. 
 
 So when Dr. Bogdanovitch asked me to return 
 with him to Vyatka I gave him at once to under- 
 stand that I had not come to Kussia on this occa- 
 sion to pay visits, for I had important business on 
 hand to which I must immediately attend. 
 
 He looked at me narrowly, and I could see that 
 he understood what I meant, though he said 
 nothing. 
 
 " And now, doctor," I said, " you must go home 
 to Vyatka, and give my kindest remembrances to 
 your daughters. Tell them I am in Kussia for the 
 purposes of pathological research. You must expect 
 no letters from me, and I cannot give you any fixed 
 address to which to write. But you may expect me 
 when you see me." 
 
 He kissed me and implored me to be careful, and 
 we parted, he to his home in Vyatka and I back 
 to my room in the Hotel de France.
 
 CHAPTER III 
 
 I BECOME A RUSSIAN PATHOLOGIST 
 
 I RANG the bell and told the waiter to bring me a 
 samovar. There is something companionable and 
 friendly about a Russian samovar. He sits on the 
 table in front of you buzzing and fuming good- 
 naturedly ; and as you watch the steam pouring 
 from the air holes and vanishing into space, and 
 listen to the varied assortment of noises with which 
 he enlivens the tedium of his work, you gain confi- 
 dence in his abilities and look to him for counsel ; 
 and he will help you to think. 
 
 Therefore, after I had said farewell to the old 
 doctor, I drew up a comfortable chair and sat down 
 to consult my trusty friend the samovar. 
 
 The first thing he told me was that I was engaged 
 on a dangerous venture, and that I would do well to 
 bear in mind my old friend's warning to be careful. 
 He reminded me of this with a great deal of un- 
 necessary groaning and bubbling. I informed him 
 that it was quite superfluous to gird at me on that 
 point, and if he had nothing more practical to suggest 
 that he had better look sharp and boil, and have 
 done with it. Then, he suddenly pitched his note 
 higher and came to business : 
 
 " What's your name ? " he asked.
 
 I BECOME A RUSSIAN PATHOLOGIST 161 
 
 I thought before replying. It would be as well to 
 change my name perhaps ; so I answered him : 
 
 " My name is Denman." 
 
 " I suppose it is on your passport," said the 
 aarnovar. 
 
 Here was a dijficulty ; for my passport bore the 
 name of Joubert, and it would be quite impossible 
 for me to persuade the British or the American 
 Ambassador to make me out a fresh j)assport in the 
 name of Denman, I was known to both of them as 
 Joubert. 
 
 The samovar' saw that he had scored a point, and 
 laughed until his lid clattered. 
 
 " If you are going to change your name," he said 
 at last, *' why not change your nationality at the 
 same time ? What is to prevent you from becoming 
 a Russian ? " 
 
 " But the Russian must have a passport just the 
 same," I objected. 
 
 " I should have thought," said the samovar, with 
 a disdainful hiss, " that you had lived long enough 
 in Russia to know that any Russian can obtain a 
 passport on payment. That friend of yours on the 
 Lithuanian border could arrange that for you." 
 
 " Very well, then," I answered, " my name is 
 Denmanovitch." 
 
 The samovar chuckled uproariously. 
 
 " And how are you going to get money from the 
 banks ? The cashiers will never allow Denmanovitch 
 to draw on Carl Joubert's account ; and without 
 money you can do nothing in this country." 
 
 That samovar is a level-headed fellow. What he
 
 152 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 said was perfectly true. My letter of credit was for 
 10,000 roubles, and I had already spent nearly a 
 thousand. I should want more money, and I must 
 get it all in notes, and carry it about with me. 
 
 "I shall send a telegram to London at once," I said, 
 "telling my bankers to wire me back 40,000 roubles." 
 
 " Now you are talking ! " exclaimed the samovar. 
 With that he relapsed into a tranquil silence, and 
 I knew that my tea was ready. 
 
 The same evening I went out and sent the tele- 
 gram. Then I walked from one shop to another in 
 St. Petersburg to find some receptacle in which to 
 carry my money. An ingenious tradesman in Mala 
 Marskaja designed a belt for me. It was four inches 
 wide and lined with fine kid leather ; it was divided 
 into pockets, and a flap covered the openings of the 
 pockets, and was fastened with small buttons at the 
 bottom of the belt. In this belt I calculated that I 
 should be able to carry my 50,000 roubles in small 
 notes. I promised the tradesman a substantial bonus 
 if he would undertake to deliver the belt to me on the 
 following day ; and I left his shop with the title of 
 Grand Duke, and returned to the Hotel de France. 
 
 At the hotel I found several friends, English and 
 American, waiting for me. They had seen my name 
 in the list of arrivals at St. Petersburg hotels in the 
 Paris edition of the New York Herald. That I had 
 come to Kussia in the month of April seemed a 
 matter for surprise. 
 
 " Well," said an American, " for what have you 
 come to this God-forsaken country at this season ? " 
 
 " My dear friend," I answered, " you are surely
 
 I BECOME A RUSSIAN PATHOLOGIST 153 
 
 mistaken. Russia is not God-forsaken — she is Holy 
 Russia." 
 
 I invited them all to supper with me at the hotel, 
 and it was late when we parted. I could not help 
 wondering what their opinion of me would have 
 been had they known the thoughts which were in 
 my head. I think they would have kept me a 
 prisoner in my room and wired to my people in 
 England to come at once, bringing a strait-waistcoat 
 with them. 
 
 On the following afternoon, at about three o'clock, 
 I once more returned to the hotel and locked myself 
 into my room and hung a hat over the keyhole. 
 Then I opened a thick bundle of notes, and counted 
 out 49,000 roubles in all kinds and values and in 
 every shade of colour, engraved with portraits of the 
 rulers of Russia from Catherine to Alexander III, 
 These I deposited in the safe of the proprietor of the 
 hotel pending the arrival of the belt from the Mala 
 Marskaja, and went out again. At a druggist's 
 shop I completed my medicine chest, and bought 
 several hundred pathological glass slides and some 
 spare lenses for my microscope. There was no diffi- 
 culty about supplying as much pure morphine and 
 prussic acid as I required, and I completed my 
 outfit with forceps and other surgical appliances. 
 
 The next day I left St. Petersburg and took the 
 train for a certain town on the Lithuanian border, 
 which shall be nameless. I will only so far indicate 
 its position by stating that the journey occupied 
 two days in a train, which was abominably slow for 
 the last 200 miles of the journey.
 
 154 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 And once more I was seated in front of a samovar 
 in a hotel sitting-room, but I did not seek its advice. 
 I was waiting for a certain friend of mine, an 
 Ispravnik (district chief of poHce), a man whom 
 I had known for many years and wdth whom I was 
 on the terms of the greatest intimacy. 
 
 Presently I heard the clank of his sword on the 
 stairs, and in another moment he held me in his 
 embrace, kissing me on both cheeks, as is the 
 custom of his country. There were many questions 
 to be asked and answered concerning the health 
 and well-being of his family and of myself. And 
 when the preliminary salutations were over, Dimitri 
 Stankevitch demanded an explanation of my presence 
 in the hotel. 
 
 "Your little sister will never forgive you for stay- 
 ing at a hotel when our house is always ready for 
 you," he said. His wife was known amongst us as 
 " my little sister," and one of his children was my 
 god-son. 
 
 " Sit down and hear Avhat I have to say," I 
 answered, " and then you will understand why I am 
 in this hotel instead of at your house." 
 
 He took off his sword and his great Nicholaievski 
 coat and threw them across a chair. 
 
 " Go on, my boy," he said. 
 
 I told my story from the beginning, omitting no 
 particulars. Dimitri Stankevitch had met Kolka 
 on several occasions in my company, but he had not 
 heard of his fate until I told him. 
 
 " Well, what are you going to do ? " he asked. 
 
 "I am going to take him out. Do you understand ? "
 
 I BECOME A RUSSIAN PATHOLOGIST 155 
 
 " Oh, yes, I understand well enough," he answered 
 slowly, " but how do you propose to set about it ? " 
 
 " I thought at first of trying to work it through 
 the officials in St. Petersburg," I replied, " but the 
 Tsar and the Procurator and the Holy Synod are 
 dead against him because his father is an excom- 
 municant, and I don't think it is of any use to waste 
 my time and money in that quarter. I suppose, 
 therefore, I shall have to try some other means. 
 Now do you understand ? " 
 
 I slapped him between his broad shoulders as I 
 put the question. 
 
 " I see that your hands are still strong and able," 
 he answered dryly. Then for a few minutes he was 
 silent, and I could see that he was deep in thoughts 
 which evidently were vexatious to him, for a frown 
 setttled down on his face. At last he spoke again. 
 
 " Then I suppose you have come here to say 
 good-bye to us for ever. When next we meet it 
 will be with the ' Boje Materi ' in heaven." 
 
 " Not at all, my friend," I answered. " I have every 
 intention of coming back to you here, and of tasting 
 that excellent kolbash and kapusta which your cook 
 alone knows how to prepare." 
 
 I think he resented my levity, for he muttered 
 something about the English regarding nothing as 
 sacred except their horses and dogs, and inquiring 
 the name of the Derby winner with their dying 
 breath. 
 
 " And you are going to the end of the world to 
 try and rescue Kolka," he continued, " in the same 
 spirit as you would sit down to your beef-steak
 
 156 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 pudding. If your little sister knew of it she would 
 die." 
 
 " But there is no need for her to know anything 
 about it. I shall not tell her." 
 
 " Nor I," he assented gravely. He evidently 
 regarded my attempt with the utmost disapproval, 
 and I was anxious to convince him of its feasibility. 
 So I took off my belt and handed it to him. 
 
 " That is what I am relying upon to eifect my 
 purpose," I said. " You can count it, and tell me 
 if it will be enough." 
 
 Dimitri Stankevitch knew as well as I the power 
 of the rouble throughout Bussia, and when he 
 had counted the contents of my belt I do not think 
 that he regarded my venture in quite such a hope- 
 less light. 
 
 " I want you to take it home with you and keep 
 it safely for me," I said. " In a hotel like this it is 
 rather an anxiety, and it will be a relief to have it 
 off my body for a few days." 
 
 " But you did not come to Lithuania for the 
 purpose of giving me your money to take care of," 
 said the Ispravnik, taking the belt from my hands. 
 " What else can I do ? " 
 
 " I thought you could tell me where to get pass- 
 ports," I said. " I want some blank ones that I 
 can fill in for myself." 
 
 " I can get you them," he answered readily. 
 
 " No, no, my friend," I exclaimed. I will not take 
 them from you. If there is going to be trouble over 
 the matter I am not going to let you in for it. I 
 only want you to tell me to whom I should apply."
 
 I BECOME A RUSSIAN PATHOLOGIST 157 
 
 He took out his pocket-book and wrote a name 
 and address on a leaf, which he tore out and gave 
 to me, saying : 
 
 " I should not advise you to show him the contents 
 of your belt ! " 
 
 I laughed at the notion of exposing so much 
 money to the avaricious eyes of the official whose 
 name was inscribed on the paper in my hand. I 
 knew his class too well for that ! 
 
 The IsiDvavnih rose and began to buckle on his 
 sword again. 
 
 " Come to supper," he said. " The little sister 
 will be flattening her nose against the window look- 
 ing for you." 
 
 We walked together to his house. On the way 
 Dimitri Stankevitch became more cheerful about 
 my prospects of success. 
 
 " You may succeed in getting him out," he ad- 
 mitted ; " but how are you going to quit the country 
 afterwards ? " 
 
 " That will be easy enough," I replied. " I shall 
 have a few passports in my pocket." 
 
 " Well ! " he exclaimed, laughing. " You are 
 nothing but a ' bradjaga ' (tramp) ! " 
 
 " I have been a 'bradjaga ' all my life," I answered, 
 " and I am beginning to know something of the road." 
 
 With that we arrived at his house and the 
 " little sister " welcomed me warmly ; and my 
 god-son rushed at me like a whirlwind, calling me 
 "my father." We spent a very happy evening 
 together, and no word was said of the reason of my 
 visit to the Lithuanian border.
 
 158 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 The next day I had an interview with a tall, 
 long-bearded official of the Meschanskaia Uprava. 
 From him I obtained four passports and four 
 " chorosho povidenias " for the sum of 275 roubles. 
 The "chorosho povidenia" is a State or Govern- 
 ment good reference ; it is sometimes a more useful 
 document than a passport, and in large cities it is 
 a necessity for Russians ; but it is never used by 
 foreigners. 
 
 I made out one passport and one " chorosho 
 povidenia " for myself. In the passport I figured as 
 Albert Denmanovitch. Age 32. Hair black. Chin 
 prominent ; eyes brown, &c. Profession, Doctor of 
 Medicine and Specialist. From the Lithuanian 
 Government, City 
 
 My *' chorosho povidenia " stated that I had, by 
 my medical skill, cured all manner of diseases on the 
 Lithuanian border, and almost raised people from 
 their graves. Then followed the Government stamp 
 and seals. 
 
 I stowed away my documents in the belt along 
 with the roubles. And when I took leave of the 
 obliging official, I was to all intents and purposes a 
 Russian subject, with a leaning towards pathological 
 research. 
 
 A few days afterwards I called upon my " little 
 sister" to say farewell. I pretended that I was 
 going on a yachting cruise in the Baltic, starting 
 from Riga ; and said that I might not have an 
 opportunity of writing to her for some time. The 
 kind little lady was sad at my departure, and baked 
 all manner of cakes for me to take on my trip, I
 
 I BECOME A RUSSIAN PATHOLOGIST 159 
 
 felt thoroughly ashamed of myself. But Dimitri 
 Stankevitch stood by with set jaws and not a sign on 
 his face to betray the least emotion. He told his 
 wife that he would accompany me for a short distance 
 on the railway, and would probably return that 
 night. 
 
 So we left the house together ; and " my little 
 sister" stood on the steps fluttering her tiny hand- 
 kerchief to us until we were out of sight. 
 
 On the way to the station Dimitri never uttered 
 a word, and it was not until we had taken our 
 places in the carriage, and the third bell had rung 
 for the train to start, that he spoke. He began by 
 assuring me of his devotion ; but that I had never 
 doubted. Then he expressed his sorrow for having 
 thrown cold water on my scheme when we had first 
 spoken of it at the hotel ; and he assured me that 
 if, through this venture, I should find myself in the 
 same boat as Kolka, he would risk all to save me, in 
 spite of his wife and children. 
 
 He was deeply moved, and the tears were in his 
 eyes when he made me this promise, and I was con- 
 vinced that he would abide loyally by it if the worst 
 should happen. However, I would not hear of 
 failure, and could not see where the great danger he 
 apprehended lay. I had only to find Kolka, and 
 then bribe heavily until I had bought his freedom. 
 
 So I made light of it to Dimitri ; but he still 
 regarded me with a kindly, grave face, and 
 implored me to be careful. Then he produced a 
 bundle of letters from his pocket and handed them 
 to me.
 
 160 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 " I want you to use these," he said, '* if you need 
 them." 
 
 They were letters of introduction to fourteen 
 officials in Siberia, giving my name as Dr. Denman- 
 ovitch. 
 
 " Some of them are to men whom I have never 
 seen," he continued ; " but when you have time I 
 should like you to read them, and make use of any 
 that may help you." 
 
 I thanked him, and promised that I would use 
 them if necessary. He was relieved at my accept- 
 ance of the letters. 
 
 " I thought you would not take them," he said ; 
 " but you need not scruple to use these men to your 
 own advantage. They are nothing to me, and I care 
 little for any of them — but I do care for you." 
 
 At the next station we separated. I promised to 
 write to him whenever I could without danger ; and 
 he told me that I should hear from him at Moscow 
 and Ekaterinaburg.
 
 CHAPTER IV 
 
 DR. DENMANOVITCH 
 
 I WAS back in St. Petersburg In two days, but I did 
 not go to the Hotel de France. I had no wish to 
 meet any of my friends again, and I was only in 
 St. Petersburg for one night. So I went to a 
 hotel near the station, and on the following day I 
 started for Moscow. 
 
 I was no longer Carl Joubert, but Dr. Denmano- 
 vitch, the specialist. I had not shaved myself since 
 I embarked on the Germanic at New York a month 
 ago, and my beard was nearly full grown and 
 shaping itself in the true Russian fashion. My hair 
 and eyes are dark and my cheek-bones high, so it 
 was an easy matter to pass myself off as a Russian 
 in appearance. As to the language, I speak Russian 
 with almost greater facility than English, and any 
 accent in pronunciation is unnoticed in Russia, 
 where the language spoken in one part differs 
 widely from that of another. But if, in spite of 
 my physical and linguistic advantages, any one 
 questioned my nationality, had I not my passport 
 and chorosho povidenia to prove my identity up to 
 the hilt ? 
 
 My only fear was that old acquaintances might 
 recognise me In Moscow, and, therefore, I avoided
 
 162 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 the haunts of the foreigner and the houses of my 
 friends. I would have avoided Moscow altogether 
 if it had been possible ; but there I had to stay 
 until I could find out to what part of the world they 
 had transported my Kolka. 
 
 Among the letters of introduction which Dimitri 
 had given me at the last moment was one addressed 
 to the Governor of Moscow. I made up my mind 
 that I would go to see him, though it was not clear 
 to me how I was to extract any information on the 
 subject of the Siberian prisoners from him with- 
 out arousing suspicion ; but to remain inactive in 
 Moscow was worse than useless. I must be pre- 
 pared to take some risks if I am to find out and 
 rescue Kolka, and, therefore, I would see what could 
 be done with the Governor of Moscow. 
 
 So at eleven o'clock the following morning I pre- 
 sented myself at his Excellency's palace and sent in 
 my letter of introduction. In less than five minutes 
 I was shown into a well-appointed library. The 
 Governor himself, a tall, upright man in uniform, 
 came towards me. 
 
 " I thank you, doctor, for your call," he said 
 graciously. " I see that you arrived in Moscow 
 some days ago. I am sorry that you did not pre- 
 sent yourself to me when you first arrived, so that 
 I could have had the pleasure of making your 
 acquaintance earlier." 
 
 Evidently Dimitri Stankevitch's introduction 
 carried weight in this quarter. 
 
 I made some appropriate ansv/er, and, seeing that 
 he was busily engaged on his official duties, I rose
 
 DR. DENMANOVITCH 163 
 
 to take my leave. He came up to me and laid hi& 
 hand on my shoulder. 
 
 " I hope you will dine with me, Dr. Denmanovitch, 
 to-night at seven o'clock." 
 
 I readily accepted his invitation, and bowed 
 myself out of the room. The corridors and pas- 
 sages were crowded with officers and uniformed 
 officials waiting to transact their business with the 
 Governor. I passed through them and out once 
 more into the streets of White Moscow. 
 
 I hardly knew whether to be pleased with myself 
 or not. Perhaps I might, with patience, extract 
 some useful information from the Governor ; on the 
 other hand, I might simply be wasting my time. 
 
 I was at the palace punctually at seven o'clock. 
 It was evidently an "official" dinner-party, for 
 there were several notable men in gorgeous uniforms 
 assembled when I arrived. His Excellency's wife 
 was the only lady present, and my astonishment 
 was great when I was requested to take her in to 
 dinner. Most decidedly Dimitri's letter of intro- 
 duction bore weight, and I had become a man of 
 importance. 
 
 The conversation was carried on principally in 
 French, as is usual in Russian '* high life," and was 
 of a general character. I was called upon by my 
 neighbour to answer several embarrassing questions. 
 How did I like Moscow ? For how long was I stay- 
 ing ? They are inquisitive people, the Russians, and 
 they will always endeavour to find out all about a 
 stranger by cross-examination, more especially when 
 the stranger is treated as a man of importance.
 
 164. A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 I replied that I was in Moscow for the first time, 
 ;and that my stay would not be of long duration, as 
 I was visiting the hospitals in the larger towns 
 throughout Russia. 
 
 After dinner there was some music. His Excel- 
 lency's German governess had a fine voice, and she 
 sang several songs to the delight of the company. 
 I think I should have enjoyed that dinner-party if 
 it had not been for the name of Denmanovitch. 
 But saddled with a false name, to which I had not 
 yet become accustomed, I felt ill at ease. 
 
 Before leaving, the Governor asked me it he 
 could do anything to assist me in my researches. 
 I thanked him for his kindness, and was hesitating 
 in my mind whether or no I should ask for per- 
 mission to visit the prisons, when he made the 
 suggestion himself. 
 
 " Perhaps it might interest you to go round the 
 prison wards," he said casually ; " there is the 
 ' Pugatchev,' you might find something there to 
 interest you." 
 
 Again I thanked him, and accepted his offer with 
 as little show of eagerness as possible. He wrote 
 down my address, and promised to send a dentchik 
 with the necessary permits to my hotel in the 
 morning. 
 
 At half-past ten o'clock on the following morning 
 an orderly presented himself with an oblong en- 
 velope in his hand. I took it from him, and he 
 saluted and retired, whilst I hurriedly tore open 
 the envelope. 
 
 And, behold, here was the permit for me to enter
 
 DR. DENMANOVITCH 165 
 
 and examine all the hospitals, prisons, and institu- 
 tions in Moscow ! 
 
 In the afternoon I hailed a droshJca and drove to 
 the Central Prison. 
 
 My permit, signed by the Governor, assured me 
 of the most obsequious attention on the part of the 
 prison staff. A warder and another official were 
 told off to conduct me to every department, and 
 give me any information I required. 
 
 I was shown the "Pugatchev" with its towers 
 and strongholds where prisoners undergoing penal 
 servitude for life are kept ; then the cells of crimi- 
 nals who have been awarded lesser sentences ; and, 
 finally, the prisons where those who had been sen- 
 tenced to penal servitude in Siberia are detained 
 until there is a sufficient number to make up a 
 holshoia partia, or gang, for transport to their desti- 
 nation. It may easily be imagined with what 
 anxiety I scanned the faces of the men in this 
 department ; and I hardly knew whether I was 
 glad or sorry when I failed to find Kolka among 
 them. 
 
 " How many prisoners a year do you send to 
 Siberia ? " I asked my guide. 
 
 " It is impossible for me to say, Bareen," the man 
 answered. " Sometimes there are so many that we 
 cannot find accommodation for them whilst they are 
 awaiting transport. When the railway to Siberia 
 is complete it will be a simple matter, and the prisons 
 along the road will not then become so congested." 
 
 " And how many transports do you make in a 
 year ? " I asked.
 
 166 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 *' That is also a difficult question to answer. Two 
 years ago we made only four transports ; last year 
 we had five. These men here will form the second 
 this year." 
 
 I felt that I was upon the right tack, and I con- 
 tinued my cross-examination. 
 
 " When did your last transportation take place ? " 
 I asked casually, 
 
 " About seven weeks ago, your High-born." 
 
 " Well," I said, *' I cannot understand why people 
 place themselves in such an unenviable position. 
 But I suppose most of your prisoners are from the 
 lowest order of the people." 
 
 The warder looked at me with an amused smile, 
 he seemed to think me a very ingenuous person. 
 Then he explained that nine- tenths of the prisoners 
 for Siberia were " politicals," who are mostly highly 
 educated men — lawyers, doctors, and students, and 
 even professors. 
 
 " For my part," he said, " I am sometimes thankful 
 that I am an uneducated man when I see to what 
 education brings some of them. In our last trans- 
 port for Siberia we had eighteen doctors, more than 
 forty professors, and about eighty students. The 
 common people are just the murderers and general 
 criminals, but never those pestilent ' politicals.' " 
 
 I had found out all that I wanted from the prison. 
 What remained to be discovered must be sought 
 outside the grim walls of the Krepost. So I deter- 
 mined to leave Moscow, and to endeavour to 
 overtake the " rota " of convicts who had seven 
 weeks start of me on the Siberian road. If Kolka
 
 DR. DENMANOVITCH 167 
 
 had been already sent on, he must be with that 
 " rota." 
 
 But before quitting Moscow I went once more to 
 call on the Governor, and thanked him for his kind- 
 ness. He was very cordial, and gave me a few 
 letters of introduction, which were not of much 
 importance, and bade me good-bye. 
 
 I returned to my hotel, where I found a letter 
 awaiting me. It was in the handwriting of Dimitri 
 Stankevitch, and the envelope was fastened down 
 with four seals. I broke them open, and found a 
 letter and an enclosure. The letter ran : 
 
 "You must leave Moscow at once and go to 
 Yaroslaff, never mind what plans you have made. 
 I enclose a letter of introduction to in Yaros- 
 laff. Go to him as soon as you get there. Wire me 
 to my office that you will do so." 
 
 So I went out to the telegraph office and wired : 
 
 " I start for Yaroslaff to-day in accordance with 
 your instructions."
 
 CHAPTER V 
 
 A MYSTERIOUS OLD GENTLEMAN 
 
 When I arrived in Yaroslaff I wasted no time 
 before going to the official for whom the Ispravnik 
 had sent me a letter of introduction. 
 
 He was an elderly gentleman with eye-glasses, 
 and he wore a long surtuk with gold epaulettes. 
 He rose from his seat and greeted me kindly when I 
 entered. Then he called his orderly. 
 
 "I can see nobody," he said to the man. "You 
 understand, I am in to nobody 
 
 He closed the door and led me to a comfortable 
 corner, where we both sat down. He opened the 
 conversation with the usual kind inquiries after my 
 health ; and then he astonished me slightly by 
 asking how his Excellency the Governor of Moscow 
 had treated me, and whether his wife and family 
 were well. 
 
 I told him how kind his Excellency had been, and 
 that he had asked me to dinner at the palace, and 
 given me permits to visit the hospitals and prisons 
 in Moscow. Then I launched forth on other topics. 
 All the time I was talking the old man sat quite 
 silent, looking me through and through. When at 
 last I came to the end of my remarks he looked me 
 straight in the eyes, and said :
 
 A MYSTERIOUS OLD GENTLEMAN 169 
 
 " Doctor, you have made up your mind to find a 
 certain political prisoner ? " 
 
 His words staggered me. There were only two 
 men in all Russia who knew of my determination, 
 Dr. Bogdanovitch and Dimitri Stankevitch — and I 
 was absolutely certain that neither of them would 
 betray me. But this affable old gentleman spoke 
 with the utmost confidence of my intentions. To 
 deny the truth of his statement would be futile ; 
 but I must not commit myself So I answered : 
 
 •' Yes, sir." 
 
 " Of course," he continued, "I am not asking 
 what your intentions may be after you have met 
 that particular political prisoner. But I can assure 
 you that you need fear nothing from me. I happen 
 to know all about it. I used to know old Dr. Bog- 
 danovitch fifteen years ago — I remember him well." 
 
 He paused, as though his mind were carried back 
 by a train of recollections into the past. 
 
 ** If I may be allowed I will offer you my advice," 
 he continued at last. 
 
 I begged him to proceed. 
 
 " Young Dr. Bogdanovitch has been sentenced to 
 five years in Siberia ' voilnoie poselenia' (^.e., trans- 
 portation without hard labour and without confine- 
 ment in prison). He, in fact, will not have a hard 
 time of it at all. Being a doctor he may be favoured 
 in many ways. Under the circumstances is it worth 
 while to interfere ? " 
 
 I stated emphatically that I considered it worth 
 while, and that I intended to take young Dr. Bog- 
 danovitch out of Bussia.
 
 170 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 He laughed good-naturedly at my enthusiasm, 
 and admitted candidly that there may be happier 
 lands than E,ussia to live in. 
 
 " But, I warn you," he said, " that you must be 
 prepared to rough it if you are going to find him. 
 You will have to travel beyond the limits of the 
 railways, and the roads are bad." 
 
 " I am prepared to walk all the way if necessary," 
 I answered. 
 
 " Very good, my friend," he continued, and I knew 
 that he was convinced of my determination, " since 
 you are bent on it, may I still offer my advice ? " 
 
 I expressed myself grateful, and he went on. 
 
 " First, then, you must make straight for Irkutsk, 
 though your friend may not arrive there for several 
 months. Secondly, under no circumstances must 
 you try to intercept your friend on the road. You 
 may not endanger yourself b}^ doing so, but you 
 will endanger your friend, and render your mission 
 abortive. I will give you a letter of introduction to 
 the Governor-General of Irkutsk, and you must do 
 all you can to get in his good graces — there are a 
 hundred ways of doing that. And you must con- 
 tinue your scientific researches, and thereby gain 
 entry into any place you choose. Lastly, and most 
 important of all, let your name be what it really is, 
 and your country too. Let your name be Carl 
 Joubert, of England, and not Dr. Denmanovitch, of 
 Lithuania. And let it be so from this time forth. 
 As to the rest," the old man concluded kindly, " may 
 the Master and Great Architect of the World help 
 you."
 
 A MYSTERIOUS OLD GENTLEMAN 171 
 
 I was already past the stage of articulate sur- 
 prise ; I could only wonder vaguely to myself how 
 it was that this man knew, not only of my plans 
 but also my name and nationality. That he was 
 kindly disposed towards me there was no doubt in 
 my mind ; that I must act upon his advice was 
 imperatively impressed upon me by the letter which 
 I had received from Dimitri Stankevitch. What 
 troubled me was the uncertainty as to the source 
 from which the old gentleman had obtained his 
 information. If Dimitri had made a confidant of 
 him alone, all was well. But there was a dread in 
 my mind that possibly Dimitri had communicated 
 my story to him through a third party, and had 
 thus put the fate of Kolka and myself at the mercy 
 of some man who might, in his cups or out of them, 
 betray our secret. 
 
 Perhaps it was an unworthy thought on my part ; 
 but I argued — if Dimitri had told my story to the 
 old official at Yaroslaff then why not to another '^ 
 If three people knew it, then why not the Tsar and 
 the whole of Russia? My anxiety on this point 
 was very great, and I was resolved that I must find 
 out the truth before I left Yaroslaff. 
 
 Three days after my interview with the official I 
 received an invitation from him to dinner. I ac- 
 cepted it gladly, as I should probably thus have an 
 opportunity of questioning him on the subject. 
 
 I found that the old gentleman was from the 
 Baltic provinces. He was born in Mitau, and came 
 of an old aristocratic German family. He had re- 
 ceived a good education, and had served in the
 
 17'^ A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 army, being promoted step by step until he attained 
 to the exalted position which he then held. He was 
 a man of refinement and gentle disposition, very 
 unlike the sealed pattern official bully so common 
 throughout Russia. 
 
 His wife was also of German extraction. She 
 came from Window, about seven miles from Mitau, 
 and was the daughter of a certain Baron Popp who 
 owned a large estate in Kourland. There were also 
 present at dinner several of their children, most of 
 whom were grown up, and already serving in the 
 army. 
 
 When I entered the whole family was speaking 
 German, but out of courtesy to me it was suggested 
 that the conversation should be carried on in French 
 or Russian. However, I told them that it was quite 
 unnecessary, as I spoke German very comfortably. 
 
 The opportunity of questioning my host on the 
 subject of my enterprise came after dinner. The 
 coffee and liqueurs had been served and the ladies 
 of the party had retired. He turned to me and 
 asked if I would smoke a cigar with him in his 
 study. So for a quarter of an hour we were 
 alone. 
 
 I asked him frankly how he came by my name 
 and the nature of my business, and whether Dimitri 
 Stankevitch was his informant. 
 
 '* That, my friend, you will never know," he 
 answered ; " nor need you trouble yourself about it. 
 Your secret will die with the men to whom it is 
 entrusted. Perhaps it would interest you to know 
 that three days before your arrival in Yaroslaff I
 
 A MYSTERIOUS OLD GENTLEMAN 173 
 
 knew all about you, and that you would come to 
 see me here." 
 
 I felt relieved by the assurance which he had 
 given me, though, in truth, I was no wiser than 
 before. For some minutes we smoked on in silence. 
 Then he laid down his cigar, and, looking at me 
 with a kindly smile went on with the conversation. 
 
 "It is no crime for a man to wish to see his 
 friend who is a convict. He has a perfect right to 
 see him ; and he may even obtain a permit to speak 
 with him — unless his friend happen to be immured 
 in the fortress of Schlusselburg.* That is all that I 
 know about you — you wish to visit your friend who 
 is a convict. You are committing no crime, and I 
 am satisfied. It is the business of the authorities to 
 see that the prisoners are safe in their keeping ; it 
 is nothing to me if they escape — and it is only 
 human nature if they try to do so. And it is 
 for the reason that you are doing no wrong in 
 attempting to find and speak with your friend that 
 I counselled you to drop your false name and pass- 
 port. By assuming Russian nationality you are 
 placing yourself in a false position and violating 
 the laws of the country ; and I cannot see that you 
 are thereby benefiting your friend. I hope you will 
 recognise the advisability of reverting to your own 
 name and nationality as soon as possible." 
 
 I assured him that I would take his advice on 
 this point, and once more become Carl Joubert, an 
 
 * The fortress of Schlusselburg is a living grave ; no com- 
 munications of any kind are allowed with the prisoners, who are 
 in solitary confinement in its cells until death.
 
 174 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 English doctor, travelling in Russia for pathological 
 research. 
 
 The old gentleman was evidently pleased at my 
 decision, and repeated that by so doing I should be 
 acting in the best interest of my friend and of 
 myself. 
 
 " I will give you one last word of advice before 
 we join the ladies," he said, rising from his chair and 
 throwing away the end of his cigar. " Whatever 
 your friend in Lithuania tells you to do — do it. 
 Keep him always informed of your next move, and 
 his letters will be addressed to you ' Poste Res- 
 tante.' " 
 
 Then we left his study and rejoined the ladies in 
 the drawing-room, and it was late in the evening 
 before I returned to my hotel. 
 
 In reflecting on the events of the past week one 
 fact became very clear to me, namely, that the direc- 
 tion of the " Kolka relief expedition " had passed 
 out of my hands and had been assumed by Dimitri 
 Stankevitch. I was to do whatever he told me. I 
 confess that at first I resented the supersession of 
 my command. I had my own ideas and my own 
 plans, and it was mortifying to forego them. But, 
 on second thoughts, I saw the wisdom of resigning 
 the chief command to Dimitri. He was a man of 
 influence in Russia ; his letters of introduction 
 had proved of the utmost value ; he had means of 
 ascertaining facts which neither Dr. Denmanovitch, 
 of Lithuania, nor Carl Joubert, of England, could 
 possibly find out ; and, lastly, he was Dimitri 
 Stankevitch, my friend, and the man who had
 
 A MYSTERIOUS OLD GENTLEMAN 175 
 
 promised to risk everything for me if trouble befell. 
 Therefore I resigned myself to the position of 
 Dimitri's agent in the affair, and was content to 
 work under his guidance, so long as the object in 
 view were attained. 
 
 I had not long to wait for my orders. On 
 the day after my dinner with the family of the 
 mysterious old gentleman I received a telegram 
 from the Ispravnik. 
 
 " Glad you have taken my advice. Go to Tomsk."
 
 CHAPTER VI 
 
 THE POLKOVNIK 
 
 I DO not propose to weary my readers with a detailed 
 account of my journey from Yaroslaff to Tomsk. I 
 will only mention the fact that I was nearly a month 
 on the road, travelling sometimes by railway and 
 sometimes in a di'oshka. Twice the train in which 
 I travelled came to grief; but finally I arrived 
 safely with my precious belt at the capital of Tomsk. 
 
 It was midsummer when I reached my destina- 
 tion, and it was insufferably hot. The mosquitoes 
 and flies were maddening in their attentions, I 
 remember, and those who have lived in tropical 
 climates will understand and pardon me for descend- 
 ing to particulars so minute as mosquitoes. 
 
 There are certain things in life which impress 
 themselves indelibly on the memory : the mosquito 
 is one of them. On the other hand, dates are not. 
 For obvious reasons I kept no diary of my pere- 
 grinations in Russia. I have endeavoured to recall 
 events as they happened ; but after a lapse of years 
 only the cardinal points stand out clear in my 
 memory ; the blank days are forgotten. 
 
 Hitherto the blanks have been few, and nearly 
 every day from the date of my departure from San 
 Francisco to the last interview with the kindly
 
 THE POLKOVNIK 177 
 
 old official at Yaroslaff was eventful. But on my 
 arrival at Tomsk the march of events was necessarily- 
 slower. One reason for this was that I had no 
 letter of introduction to any official in Tomsk. 
 
 I went, on my arrival, to the post office, and 
 handing my passport (it was my English passport 
 made out in my own name) to the clerk, I inquired 
 if there were any letters for me. The Tartar clerk 
 took down a bundle of letters from a shelf and 
 looked through them lazily : " No," he said, " there 
 are no letters for you." 
 
 I admit that I felt relieved, for, so long as I was 
 left without instructions from Dimitri, I was free to 
 follow my own devices. One of my first actions was 
 directly opposed to the advice of the old gentleman 
 in Yaroslaff, who had counselled me on no account 
 to try to intercept Kolka before his arrival in 
 Irkutsk. 
 
 It was the sight of the prisoners' barracks, with 
 the sentries parading up and down outside the 
 gates, that impelled me to try and gain admission. 
 At the barred windows I could see faces peering 
 out — faces of all descriptions ; but all sad. There 
 were young girls' faces among them with dishevelled 
 hair and hollow cheeks. They paused for a moment 
 behind the iron bars to inhale a breath of fresh air, 
 and then gave place to another. So, like a pro- 
 cession of damned souls in hell, the faces passed 
 silently by the grated windows and disappeared. 
 
 A Tartar carrying a basket of fish passed me in 
 the street as I stood gazing up at the windows of 
 the barracks. I stopped him.
 
 178 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 *'What place is that?" I asked pointing to the 
 grim building. 
 
 He answered curtly that it was the halting-place 
 for prisoners on the road to the far East of Siberia, 
 and walked on. 
 
 The thought that Kolka might be amongst them 
 maddened me. At whatever cost I must gain 
 admission and find out whether he is there, or 
 whether I must go further East seeking him. If 
 he were behind those bars, how could I let him 
 go further without making an attempt to free 
 him ? 
 
 But it was useless for me to stand gazing at the 
 haunting procession of faces at the window ; permits 
 are not obtained in that way — even if they are 
 obtained at all. As I was reasoning thus with 
 myself, my right hand rested on the belt round my 
 waist, and I was convinced that the necessary per- 
 mit could be obtained. 
 
 I returned to my hotel and asked for the pro- 
 prietor. He was a typical Tartar with a dark and 
 smiling visage, and with all the cunning and greed 
 of his race. 
 
 '' I want you to assist me," I said. 
 
 The proprietor at once assumed an air of self- 
 importance. 
 
 " I am ready to serve your Excellency in any way 
 that you command. 
 
 " I am a stranger in these parts," I continued, 
 " and I am anxious to see all your institutions and 
 public buildings. I should especially like, as a 
 doctor, to inspect your hospitals and prisons."
 
 THE POLKOVNIK 179 
 
 At the mere mention of the prisons, mine host 
 sniiFed disdainfully. 
 
 " Pfui ! pfui ! " he exclaimed. " If you go there, 
 you will regret it — they are not pleasant places. 
 But if you really have such an unsavoury desire, I 
 can easily arrange the matter for you. The officers 
 of the prison staff come here every evening to eat 
 and drink. If you will come to their room this 
 evening I will be there, and I will introduce you to 
 the Polkovnik, who is in command. For one bottle 
 he wiU do anything you wish." 
 
 I thanked him, and promised to come to the 
 officers' room that evening. 
 
 Then I went out to take stock of the town. It 
 is a great straggling place and shelters a population 
 of many races. The Russian officials and their 
 families have houses on the higher portion of the 
 town. Tartars and some Chinese inhabit the 
 suburbs. There are some substantial buildinofs, and 
 the towering spires of mosques give an imposing 
 appearance to the place. But the poorer quarters 
 are composed of streets of wretched, wooden hovels. 
 
 I attracted but little notice in the town, for I 
 wore a Bussian Bubashka, and belt and lono^ boots. 
 My costume and the black beard and drooping 
 moustaches which covered my face gave me the 
 appearance of a Tartar. But if I looked " at home" 
 in Tomsk, I was feeling very lonely ; and the 
 thought that Kolka might also be in Tomsk made 
 me the more determined to find him if I could. 
 
 When I entered the officers' room in the hotel 
 that evening there were about a dozen officers
 
 180 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 present. Some were eating, some were enjoying 
 ices, and a good number were playing cards, with 
 little piles of roubles in front of them. 
 
 The proprietor came up to me smiling and bowing, 
 and asked if I would not take something to drink. 
 I ordered a bottle of Kievskoi Nalivka, a mild 
 liqueur of a dark reddish colour which is contained 
 in bottles coated with fine gravel. He served me 
 with a bottle, and standing by the table at which 
 I sat, he pointed out the Polkovnik playing cards at 
 a neighbouring table. 
 
 " I will ask him to leave his play and allow me 
 to introduce you to him," he said, and went across 
 to the table where the Polkovnik sat. 
 
 But the Polkovnik was a loser, and declined to be 
 disturbed until he had had his revenge, and so the 
 proprietor conducted me to the table and introduced 
 me to the Polkovnik, placing a chair behind him for 
 me. The game was " Ocko," and it was obvious 
 from the single coin in front of him, and the large 
 heap that had accumulated on the opposite side 
 of the table, that the Polkovnik was having a bad 
 time of it. 
 
 However he shook hands good-naturedly and bade 
 me sit down. 
 
 " I have lost a lot of money to-night," he said 
 quietly. 
 
 I asked if I might be allowed to go into partner- 
 ship with him, and said I should be very glad to put 
 up the money if he was agreeable. 
 
 My suggestion met with general approval ; for it 
 was evident that the Polkovnik could not continue
 
 THE POLKOVNIK 181 
 
 playing much longer with a solitary five-rouble 
 piece, and I daresay the idea of relieving a stranger 
 of some of his superfluous cash was not without its 
 charms for the rest of the players. 
 
 I pulled out a hundred rouble note and handed 
 it to the Polhovnih, though there were not more 
 than sixty roubles on the table. The eflect on the 
 players was instantaneous, their eyes brightened 
 greedily, and they promptly doubled the stakes. 
 
 But my hundred rouble note gave the Polhovnih 
 fresh courage, and brought a change of luck. We 
 were winning money hand over fist, and before an 
 hour was over the Polhovnih had won back all that 
 he had lost and a good deal more. 
 
 When the game broke up, at about one o'clock, 
 the Polhovnih handed me back my hundred rouble 
 note and sixty-five more as my share of the win- 
 nings. I pocketed the money and invited him to 
 have some supper with me. 
 
 We sat down at a table away from the others, 
 and supper was brought for us. 
 
 " I want you to do me a favour," I said quietly. 
 
 " What is it ? " the Polhovnih asked. 
 
 " I wish you would take this back," I answered, 
 pushing the sixty-five roubles across the table to 
 him. 
 
 The Polhovnih demurred. He declared that I was 
 entitled to the money and should keep it. The 
 notes lay on the table between us, and I could see 
 in his greedy Calmuck eyes that he was afraid that 
 I should put them back into my pocket. So he 
 accepted them with a show of reluctance, and
 
 182 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 with the stipulation that he should pay for our 
 supper. 
 
 Then we talked of many things, and he questioned 
 me on my travels, and asked for what part of the 
 world I was bound. 
 
 I told him that at 23resent I was on my way to 
 the Government of Irkutsk, and that I contemplated 
 returning home by China for the study of Asiatic 
 diseases. 
 
 " Then you are a doctor ? " he said. 
 
 " Yes," I answered. " 1 have made quite a re- 
 putation by the graveyards I have filled." 
 
 The Polkovnik was amused at my pleasantry ; at 
 least, he laughed uproariously till the windows 
 rattled, and even the yellow cat who was slumbering 
 peacefully in the corner got up and stretched herself 
 reproachfully. 
 
 " And how long are you staying in Tomsk ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 " That depends on whether I find anything to 
 interest me here." 
 
 " I suppose you have seen Russian churches ? " 
 
 " Yes — hundreds of them." 
 
 " And prisons ? " 
 
 " A few. I had a permit from the Governor of 
 Moscow to visit the central prison there, and to 
 inspect the prisoners." 
 
 " I know the Governor," said the Polkovoiik. ** He 
 is a dear old man. I served under him a long time 
 ago." 
 
 *' He was very kind to me," I said. ** I was much 
 interested in examining the prisoners."
 
 TRB POLKOVNIK 183 
 
 *' Oh, then 1 hope you will come and inspect our 
 prison barracks here, if it interests you. 1 should 
 like to hear what you think of the health of the 
 prisoners. I am always receiving complaints from 
 them that they cannot walk or that they have 
 consumption. Some of our doctors say that they are 
 malingering, and others that they are really ill. I 
 don't know what to make of it. We lose a good 
 many men and women certainly before they arrive 
 at their destinations. When I see the casualty 
 reports it seems almost like murder." 
 
 He paused, as though this were a subject that he 
 either dared not or disliked to pursue further. Then 
 he broke out again suddenly. 
 
 '* Of course, I have to do my duty. But I am 
 more than sure that the prisoners are not fed suffi- 
 ciently to keep them alive. I have forwarded 
 reports on the subject to St. Petersburg. But that 
 is all I can do — and nothing more is ever done. 
 Before the Boje Materi it is little short of murder ! 
 You are a disinterested party, and I should like to 
 hear what you think of it, when you have seen the 
 prisoners for yourself." 
 
 I assured him that I should be very happy to fall 
 in with his suggestion, and expressed a hope that 
 my services might be of some use to humanity and 
 contribute to his peace of mind. 
 
 ** If you will call at the barracks at any hour that 
 is convenient to you, and ask to see me, I shall be 
 glad to show you over the place," said the Polkovnik, 
 handing me his card. 
 
 I thanked him and bade him good-night.
 
 CHAPTER VII 
 
 DR. ANATOVITCH 
 
 I BREAKFASTED early the next morning, and having 
 ascertained that my medical chest and instruments 
 were in order, I sat down for a few minutes thought 
 before starting for the barracks. 
 
 It was quite probable that I should find Kolka 
 among the prisoners — and what was to be done if 
 he were there ? It was impossible to come to any 
 conclusion on the subject. But there was a dread 
 in my mind that Kolka might recognise me, and by 
 some word or gesture give evidence of the fact, and 
 in one uns^uarded moment wreck the whole scheme 
 for his rescue. It was true that he had never seen 
 me wearing a Russian Rubashka and with a beard ; 
 but still he might recognise me by my eyes, and I 
 determined to leave nothing to chance. 
 
 So taking my case of instruments in my hand I 
 went out into the business quarter of the town. It 
 was a long time before I discovered what I wanted, 
 but at last I found a shop where they kept coloured 
 glasses. With a pair of dark blue spectacles on my 
 nose I was convinced that nobody could recognise 
 me unless they heard my voice, and I was deter- 
 mined that if Kolka were among the prisoners he 
 should not hear me speak.
 
 DR. ANATOVITCH 185 
 
 Thus equipped, I took my way through the streets 
 of Tomsk, until I stood before the gates of the 
 barracks where the sentry on guard marched up 
 and down before the inhospitable entrance. I passed 
 in unchallenged by him — I daresay that he thought 
 me beneath his notice — and arrived at the main 
 door of the barracks. 
 
 I presented my card to the soldier who opened 
 the door, and requested to see the Polkovnih. He 
 bade me follow him, and conducted me across an 
 open courtyard, where several squads of soldiers 
 were being drilled, and finally brought me to a 
 corridor, and handed me over to another soldier, 
 with the remark that his mission ended here, and I 
 could give him whatever I thought fit. I handed 
 him twenty kopeks, and he saluted, addressed me as 
 " Excellency " and left me in charge of the other 
 soldier. 
 
 In a few minutes I was face to face with my 
 friend the Polkovnik. He was surprised to see me 
 in blue goggles ; but I explained that the strong 
 sunlight tried my eyes, and I was sometimes obliged 
 to wear them. 
 
 *' You have come just at the right time," he said, 
 " our regimental doctor is here and will like to go 
 round with you." 
 
 He called the doctor to him, and introduced us. 
 
 " This is Dr. Mahomed Anatovitch." 
 
 The man whom the Polkovnik presented was a 
 young fellow of about thirty, good looking and 
 smart in his white linen double-breasted uniform 
 and sword. He made a favourable impression upon
 
 186 A POAVER ABOVP: THE TSAR 
 
 me at once, but the peculiarity of his Christian 
 name puzzled me. Why Mahomed ? 1 asked myself. 
 However, there was no time for speculations on the 
 creed or patronymics of the young doctor. He pro- 
 duced his cigarette case and handed it to me and to 
 the Polkovnih ; then we all sat down and entered 
 into conversation. 
 
 The Polkovnik was full of his good fortune of the 
 night before, and recounted for the doctor's benefit 
 the story of our partnership in the game of " Ocko," 
 and how he had won three weeks' pay — after losing 
 all he possessed. It did not appear to trouble him 
 that somebody else had lost three weeks' pay — that 
 was no affair of his ; his juniors must look after 
 themselves. 
 
 Dr. Anatovitch congratulated the Polkovnik on 
 his success, though he did not appear to be deeply 
 interested in the story. But he brightened up 
 when the Polkovnik began to speak of our subse- 
 quent conversation on the subject of the casualty 
 reports of the Siberian prisoners. 
 
 " Dr. Joubert is travelling with hundred rouble 
 notes in the research of science," he explained to 
 Anatovitch, " so I invited him to come and inspect 
 our prisoners' barracks here. It will be interesting 
 to hear what he thinks of our arrangements." 
 
 " I fear he w'ill not find them up to the standard 
 of his owm country," Anatovitch replied. " I had 
 the advantage of attending at a London hospital for 
 four months six years ago. I wish I could have put 
 in four years there." 
 
 Then he began to question me about the physicians
 
 DR. ANATOVITCH 187 
 
 and surgeons whom he had met in the hospital in 
 London. It was evident that he looked upon his 
 visit to Enfrland as the event of his life. He was 
 enthusiastic about our hospitals and institutions. 
 And the more Dr. Anatovitch talked the better I 
 liked him. 
 
 Presently the conversation came back to the health 
 of the prisoners. 
 
 " We have not received much encouragement 
 from St. Petersburg for the petition which we sent 
 in seven months ago," said Anatovitch to the 
 Polhovnih. " The answer has come back, that if we 
 are not competent to take proper care of the pris- 
 oners there will have to be a change made." 
 
 The Polkovnih laughed aloud ; but Anatovitch 
 did not regard the matter from a humorous point 
 of view. There was a look of rebellion in his eyes 
 as he continued : 
 
 '* For my part I should welcome the change. The 
 present state of things is intolerable. Dr. Sutayeif, 
 my galova (head physician), says we are wasting 
 our sympathy on the prisoners, and that we take 
 their word for everything. I would rather give up 
 my profession at once than act on my superior 
 officer's advice in this matter. But so long as I 
 remain a doctor I shall make my reports in accord- 
 ance with my professional knowledge and conscience, 
 and in spite of my superiors, even if I am sent to 
 voilnoie poselenia for it, as was the case with 
 Alexander Bogdanovitch." 
 
 My heart stood still at the mention of Kolka's 
 name. It came so suddenly and unexpectedly that
 
 188 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 I was taken completely aback. In his outburst of 
 righteous indignation Dr. Anatovltch had blurted 
 out the one name that I was most anxious to hear 
 spoken. What did he know of Alexander Bogdano- 
 vitch ? I could hardly restrain myself from asking 
 the question. But there was no need to ask it ; for 
 after a pause Anatovitch turned to me and said : 
 
 " This Dr. Bogdanovitch was here as a ' political ' 
 a short time ago. He is a great man in the science of 
 surgery and medicine. You have probably heard of 
 his father, old Dr. Bogdanovitch, a great doctor in 
 Vyatka ; he was excommunicated, and the sins of 
 the father were visited on the unfortunate son. 
 Whilst he was here I gave him thirty-eight prisoners 
 to examine and to diagnose their cases. His diagnosis 
 agreed with my own in thirty-four cases out of the 
 thirty-eight ; and, I can tell you, I was very proud of 
 myself, for Bogdanovitch is by far my superior in 
 medical science. He had his education at Bonn, and 
 was a post-graduate of Heidelberg, and he was for a 
 long time in London and Edinburgh University." 
 
 He paused, and I was desperately afraid that the 
 conversation might take a different turn, and the 
 subject of Alexander Bogdanovitch be dropped 
 before I could find out all I wanted to know. I 
 dared not show interest in the son ; but I could 
 speak of the father without arousing suspicion. 
 
 " Yes," I said, " I have heard of old Dr. Bogdano- 
 vitch of Vyatka. I have read his name in some 
 medical journal, I think it was the Lancet of 
 London." 
 
 Dr. Anatovitch did not pursue the subject ; and
 
 DR. ANATOVITCH 189 
 
 again I felt that if I let this opportunity slip of 
 finding out where Kolka had been sent, I might not 
 have another chance of questioning Anatovitch on 
 the subject. The moment was tense with anxiety. 
 I must risk the question. 
 
 " And what has become of young Dr. Bogdano- 
 vitch ? " I asked with as much unconcern as I could 
 muster. 
 
 " He left here ten days ago for Krasnoiarsk," 
 Anatovitch answered. " To what place is he con- 
 signed ? " he asked, addressing the question to the 
 Polkovnik. 
 
 The Polkovnik went over to a shelf at the far end 
 of the room and took down a large volume and 
 began to search the index. 
 
 *' Bogdanovitch is consigned to Balogansk in the 
 Government of Irkutsk," he said at last, closing the 
 book and returning it to the shelf. 
 
 " Poor boy ! " said Anatovitch with a sigh. " It 
 was on my recommendation that he went to Kras- 
 noiarsk, I thought they could find some professional 
 work for him there." 
 
 " Balogansk," " Balogansk," the word was ring- 
 ing in my ears. " How long will it be before he 
 reaches Balogansk ? " I asked the question of the 
 Polkovnik. 
 
 " How long ? " he reiterated. " I expect the 
 partia will be five or six months on the road. 
 What with the invalids and women, and their 
 chains, the convicts are not fast travellers." 
 
 " Bogdanovitch wiU at least be without chains," 
 said the doctor, " nor will he have bis head shaved.
 
 190 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 have arranged for that wibh the officer in charge. 
 He will be treated like a gentleman." 
 
 " What was his offence ? " I asked innocently. 
 
 "Oh, well ! " said the Polkovnik, " we won't talk 
 about that." 
 
 Anatovitch glanced at himself in the glass, and 
 twisted up the ends of his moustache. An orderly 
 entered the room with papers for the Polkovnih to 
 siofn : and whilst the Polkovnik sat down at the 
 table to append his signature, the doctor turned 
 to me. 
 
 " His offence — eh ? " he said quietly. " His 
 oHence may be mine to-morrow." 
 
 I liked Anatovitch from the first ; and this simple 
 confession increased my respect for the man. 
 
 When the Polkovnih had despatched his business, 
 I asked them both to return and dine with me at the 
 hotel. I could see by their faces that they were 
 pleased by my invitation, and they accepted it 
 readily. So we left the barracks and returned to 
 the hotel together. I dispensed with my blue 
 spectacles, finding that my eyes no longer troubled 
 me. I knew now that there would be no need for 
 me to wear them when I visited the prisoners in 
 the barracks, for I should not find Kolka amongst 
 them. 
 
 The proprietor of the hotel greeted us with a 
 smiling countenance. Guests were always welcome, 
 especially when expensive dinners and champagne 
 were ordered for their consumption. There was some 
 misunderstanding over the champagne. When it 
 arrived, I noticed at once that the bottle bore no
 
 DR. ANATOVITCH 191 
 
 resemblance to the ordinary champagne bottle of 
 France. I called the proprietor and questioned him 
 about it. 
 
 '* This is the finest Russian champagne, your 
 High-born," he explained, turning the bottle in his 
 hands and displaying the label. " It costs one rouble 
 and seventy-five kopeks a bottle. But, of course, if 
 you wish for imported wine you shall have it ; but 
 the price is very high — as much as fourteen roubles 
 a bottle." 
 
 '' Never mind," I answered ; "let us have two 
 bottles of French champagne." 
 
 I think the proprietor put me down as a madman. 
 Not once in six months did he receive a demand for 
 imported champagne, and an order for two bottles 
 at once was unprecedented. As for the Polhovnik, 
 I could see his greedy little eyes twinkling in anti- 
 cipation of the feast. A man who flourished hundred 
 rouble notes and ordered French champagne was 
 worthy of encouragement and friendship, and he 
 frankly extended both to me before the meal was 
 over. The third bottle, ordered at the end of the 
 feast, sealed the bond of eternal amity between us. 
 We rose from the table on terms of brotherhood.
 
 CHAPTER VIII 
 
 PRISONERS 
 
 The Polkovnik was perfectly satisfied with the 
 arrangement. Dr. Anatovitch was to conduct me 
 round the prisoners' barracks and show me every- 
 thing I wished to see, and give me liberty to 
 examine any prisoners whom I wished to examine. 
 It was a carte blanche order to inspect the interior 
 of a Siberian prison. 
 
 The cells were without furniture, and were fitted 
 with sloping plank beds across the whole breadth of 
 the compartment. There was no straw or covering 
 of any kind for the wretched prisoners, who sat 
 huddled together on the bare benches which 
 formed their seat by day and their resting-place 
 at night. In the women's cells the state of 
 things was just the same — no consideration was 
 extended to their gentler sex. They were pri- 
 soners — that was all ; and a Russian prisoner has 
 no sex. 
 
 On one bench I saw as many as fourteen prisoners 
 sitting or lying together with their heavy chains 
 upon their legs. At every movement the chains 
 clank and rattle upon the boards ; and as they can 
 never keep still for a moment, but must of necessity 
 scratch their tormented limbs, the clatter of the
 
 PRISONERS 193 
 
 chains is ceaseless, and proclaims the measure of 
 their wretchedness. 
 
 Their food is repulsive. They are given a piece of 
 bread and a bowl of soup. I inspected the rations 
 in the prison at Tomsk. The soup stank with the 
 odour of a soap factory. I asked for a piece of the 
 bread from a warder, and when I had examined it 
 I called for a bowl of warm water. I put the bread 
 to soak in the water, and in a couple of minutes I 
 handed the wooden bowl to Dr. Anatovitch, and 
 asked him to look at it. 
 
 " Why should I examine it ? " he asked. But a 
 moment later I heard him exclaim : " My God ! My 
 God ! " 
 
 The surface of the water was covered with worms. 
 
 He gave his permission to have the bowl sealed 
 and sent to my hotel for analysis ; and confessed to 
 me that he had never discovered the state of the 
 bread before. 
 
 I am aware that in no part of the world is the lot 
 of the prisoner a happy one. It is not intended 
 that it should be ; but in civilised countries they 
 are, at least, given the opportunity of keeping them- 
 selves clean and decent. They are treated as human 
 beings, and their health is considered ; but in Kussia 
 it is different. The prisoners in Russia, whether 
 before or after the trial — and a gi'eat many of the 
 political prisoners have no trial — the Russian 
 prisoners are considered beasts, and treated accord- 
 ingly. The warders know what is expected of them ; 
 and if a warder shows any glimmering of humanity 
 in his treatment of the prisoners committed to his
 
 194 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 charge, his services are dispensed with and a 
 stronger-hearted warder takes his place. 
 
 I said that Russian prisoners have no sex ; but I 
 must quaHfy that statement. In so far as the nor- 
 mal treatment of the women is concerned, they are 
 separated from the men, but no other distinction is 
 made. If they are young and attractive, however, 
 their sex can procure for them, and worse still, for 
 those who are dear to them, a certain amount of con- 
 sideration from those in authority over them on the 
 road to Siberia. 
 
 Dr. Anatovitch raised no objections to my ex- 
 amination of some of the prisoners who had reported 
 themselves as unfit to travel, and who had therefore 
 been accused of malingering. He lent me his office 
 for the purpose of my inspection, and very consider- 
 ately allowed me to be alone with each case. 
 
 I begged that the fetters might be removed from 
 the prisoners before they were sent in to me, and 
 asked that I might see the "politicals " first. One 
 by one they were admitted to the office, where I 
 examined and questioned them. 
 
 I am able to give some of the cases which came 
 under my notice. 
 
 (i) A young man, aged twenty, a student from 
 Kasan, stated that he has committed no crime ; but was 
 found reading a certain book in which the censor's 
 name did not figure on the title-page, was arrested 
 by the secret police, and sent for five years hard 
 labour in the Government of Irkutsk. I examined 
 him and found him in the second stage of consump- 
 tion. His troubles would soon be over.
 
 PRISONERS 195 
 
 (2) A man, aged thirty-four, a compositor by trade 
 — this is a suspicious trade in Russia — stated that he 
 was taken from his home in Odessa, two years ago, 
 and sent to penal servitude for life in the Govern- 
 ment of the Amurs without trial. On examination 
 I found that he was infected with sarcoma. Nothing 
 had been done for him, and he slept and ate with the 
 other prisoners. 
 
 (3) A lad, aged eighteen, a student in Moihilev, 
 stated that he was arrested for being in company 
 with a man who had certain pamphlets against the 
 Greek Church in his possession. He was but very 
 slightly acquainted with the man. Sentenced to 
 three years voilnoie poselenia in the Government of 
 Yenisei. Health, internal aneurism. An immediate 
 operation was necessary ; but there was no one 
 capable of performing the operation. 
 
 (4) Man, aged twenty-five, medical student from 
 Kieff. Sentenced to fifteen years in the Govern- 
 ment of the Amurs for being implicated in a students' 
 riot. Health, first stage of consumption. 
 
 I examined many other cases that day amongst 
 the male prisoners, and found a very large propor- 
 tion of them sufiering from diseases for which they 
 had received no treatment of any kind. 
 
 On the following day I was allowed to make an 
 examination of some of the women. 
 
 (i) A girl, aged nineteen, from Taganrog, stated 
 that she was found in the house of a Nihilist. The 
 Nihilist got away before arrest, but she was 
 taken, though absolutely innocent, as a substitute. 
 No trial. Twenty years voilnoie poselenia in the
 
 196 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 'Government of Irkutsk. Examined her and found 
 that she was suffering from cancer of the breast. 
 Nothing had been done for her. 
 
 (2) A woman, aged twenty-seven, from the city 
 of Moscow, wife of a lawyer. Her husband, in the 
 same prison, was sentenced to ten years voilnoie 
 poselenia for being in the possession of certain 
 books. Health, advanced pregnancy. 
 
 (3) Woman, aged twenty-two, stated that she was 
 found in the company of advanced thinkers. Sen- 
 tenced to ten years in the Government of Irkutsk. 
 I found that she was suffering from tetanus. Nothing 
 had been done for her. I advised that she should 
 be treated hypodermically with anti- tetanus serum, 
 morphine with atropine, &c. 
 
 (4) Woman, aged thirty-one, was arrested in 
 Odessa with her husband, who had made a " revolu- 
 tionary" speech. Sentenced to twenty years voilnoie 
 poselenia in the Government of Yenesei. On ex- 
 amination I found that she had lupus in an advanced 
 stage. She needed good, healthy air, and to be 
 treated with Rontgen rays, poor soul ! 
 
 Such were a few of the cases that came under my 
 notice. I have no reason to think that there was 
 anything exceptional in the gang of prisoners to 
 which they belonged. It was just the normal treat- 
 ment of all prisoners consigned to Siberia, and it is 
 not therefore surprising that a large number of them 
 never reach their destinations. 
 
 In the year 1898 s. pai'tiaof 310 prisoners left the 
 Moscow prison for Siberia. Only seventy-two ar- 
 rived at their destination. Some were murdered by
 
 PRISONERS 197 
 
 their guards, some by infectious diseases, some by 
 starvation, and some because they wanted to be 
 murdered. 
 
 And who is responsible for this appalling state of 
 affairs ? 
 
 Can you blame the doctors, ignorant as most of 
 them are ? Their ignorance is fostered by the Gro- 
 vernment, and their reports of the facts are used as 
 a weapon against them. 
 
 Can you blame the military escorts and the staff 
 of the prisons and halting-places on the route, brutal 
 and callous as they generally are ? Their conduct 
 towards the prisoners is but the outcome of their 
 training, and it is not called in question by their 
 superiors. 
 
 The fireside philanthropist, who is charitably dis- 
 posed to all men, says that it is the fault of the 
 system, and nobody is to blame. But the system is 
 the Government, and the Government is the Tsar, 
 and the Tsar is the " Zembla Bogh." Here, as else- 
 where, the chain of responsibility is complete, and it 
 is easy to lay the blame on the right man.
 
 CHAPTER IX 
 
 A MESSAGE FROM KOLKA 
 
 After the inspection and examination of the wards 
 and prisoners I returned with Dr. Anatovitch to 
 the hotel. I invited him to my room to discuss 
 our two days' work, and he appeared glad of the 
 opportunity of talking frankly on a subject which 
 interested him so deeply. 
 
 He was very sad about the state of the prisoners. 
 
 " You see how helpless I am ! " he exclaimed. " I 
 can do nothing ! It will continue to be hopeless so 
 long as " 
 
 He checked himself Even to me he dared 
 not say what was in his mind. But I knew 
 Dr. Anatovitch well enough by this time to fear 
 nothing from him as regards my mission. 
 
 My heart was already directed towards Kras- 
 noiarsk. Yet I could not leave Tomsk before I 
 received instructions from Dimitri Stankevitch. I 
 felt as helpless as Anatovitch ; like him, I knew 
 what it was in my heart to do, and yet I could not 
 do it without breaking faith with Dimitri. I was 
 inwardly raging at my impotence ; and whilst my 
 thoughts were travelling to Krasnoiarsk and thence 
 to Balogansk, Dr. Anatovitch was helping himself 
 to tea from the samovar and lighting a cigarette.
 
 A MESSAGE FROM KOLKA 199 
 
 " You English enjoy life," he said, dropping a 
 slice of lemon into his glass. " You travel wherever 
 it pleases you, and, when you are tired of travelling, 
 you marry and settle down to domestic bliss." 
 
 " Possibly," I answered, with discretion. " And 
 what do you Russians do ? " 
 
 " You know what our existence is well enough," 
 he said bitterly. " In the last two days you have 
 seen how we travel, with chains and disease, and 
 we are permitted to settle down to domestic bliss — 
 in the Government of Irkutsk." 
 
 What I answered I cannot remember ; but a little 
 later he said that he seemed to have known me for 
 years, and asked if he might tell me his story. 
 I encouraged him to unburden himself, not out 
 of curiosity or civility but because I liked and 
 sympathised with him. 
 
 " My mother was a Mohammedan," he began, and 
 thus his strange " Christian " name was explained. 
 "She was a * lady-in-waiting ' to a certain Kniaz in 
 Moscow. I am the illegitimate son of the Kniaz. 
 My mother died when I was quite young. I had a 
 beggarly sort of education and my father neglected 
 me. However, he sent me to Moscow to study 
 medicine, and I worked night and day to save up 
 a little money to enable me to go to London for a 
 course in one of the hospitals there before I entered 
 the Service. 
 
 " After I returned I became an army doctor ; but 
 my father would still do nothing for me. He could 
 have procured my promotion if he had liked ; but he 
 considered that he had done his duty by giving me
 
 200 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 a start in life, and he washed his hands of me. I 
 was not going to ask any favours of him, and so it 
 comes about that I have a hard struggle for life on 
 less than a hundred roubles a month, and every- 
 thing to find for myself. I have nothing to which 
 to look forward, and if I do my duty conscientiously 
 I am reprimanded by my superior officers. Can 
 you wonder that I am not a happy man ? Do 
 you blame me for envying you English, with your 
 education and liberty ? Do you realise that in this 
 country we are not allowed even to express an 
 opinion, and that I would not dare to say to any of 
 my own countrymen what I am saying to you now ? 
 It is the same with all of us : we have senses 
 and reasoning powers, and, therefore, we must 
 feel and think ; but, if we gave expression to our 
 thoughts, how many, even of the highest officials, 
 would retain their posts ? How many would 
 go where my friend Alexander Bogdanovitch is 
 going ? " 
 
 The mention of that name again set my pulses 
 beating faster. Why had Dr. Anatovitch referred 
 to him again ? And why did he speak of Kolka as 
 " my friend ? " 
 
 "You have mentioned Bogdanovitch 's name to me 
 twice," I said. " Is he, then, a friend of yours ? " 
 
 " Yes," he answered. " I know him and his family 
 very well. I regard Alexander as one of my best 
 friends." 
 
 " Then why did you not effect his rescue ? " I 
 asked. 
 
 Anatovitch leaned over the table towards me with
 
 A MESSAGE FROM KOLKA 201 
 
 an eager expression in his eyes, and sank his voice 
 almost to a whisper. 
 
 " I tried to persuade him to escape," he said 
 hoarsely ; " I made every avenue clear for him, and 
 I offered him all the money I have in the world — it 
 only amounts to 3 lo roubles — but he would not listen 
 to me. He was afraid that I should get into trouble. 
 I could do no more than I have done." 
 
 And then I did a thing which I fear will meet 
 with the disapproval of my readers. I rose and 
 went across to him, and, laying my hands on his 
 shoulders, kissed him. 
 
 We are an unemotional race, and such exhibitions 
 of weakness shock our sense of decorum. I will only 
 urge in my defence that Tomsk is not Piccadilly, 
 and that the studied reserve of Belerravia is not de 
 
 o 
 
 rigueur in Siberia. 
 
 It was some moments before I could trust myself 
 to speak ; but at last I found my voice again. 
 
 "I have travelled 1 1 ,000 miles to release Alexander 
 Bogdanovitch," I said. 
 
 " You ! " Anatovitch exclaimed incredulously. 
 
 " He is more than a brother to me, and his father 
 treats me as his son," I explained. 
 
 Anatovitch unbuttoned his tunic, and from an 
 inside pocket produced a letter-case. 
 
 '* Bogdanovitch gave me this," he said, drawing a 
 carte-de-visite photograph from the case, " and told 
 me that it was a friend of his who would come for 
 him. If he came through Tomsk, and I recognised 
 him, I was to tell him to comfort his father and 
 sisters, and to warn him not to be reckless on his
 
 202 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 account ; but that he would follow him when he 
 came." 
 
 He handed the photograph to me with a puzzled 
 look. It was a picture of myself taken many years 
 before without a beard, and in English clothes — 
 quite unrecognisable. 
 
 " It is a photograph of me," I said, " though you 
 might not think so." 
 
 I was glad that Kolka expected me ; and this 
 extraordinary message from him gave me renewed 
 hope, and seemed to bring him closer. But I could 
 see that Anatovitch was sceptical, and I wanted to 
 convince him, for, apart from the fact that I liked 
 the man, I saw in him a valuable and willing ally. 
 
 And so I told him the whole story from the begin- 
 ning, up to the time when I appeared at the prison in 
 blue spectacles, to avoid startling Kolka, and dis- 
 carded them when I discovered that he was not 
 there. As a further argument that I was not an 
 impostor, I lifted up my ruhashka and unfastened 
 the belt which I wore beneath it. From one of the 
 pockets in it I produced a passport and a chorosho 
 povedenia made out to suit Kolka's figure and face, 
 even to the scar which I had placed there in a duel 
 at Heidelberg University many years before. 
 
 Dr. Anatovitch was convinced, even to the extent 
 of tracing a likeness in the photograph. 
 
 " How do you intend to rescue him ? " he asked. 
 
 " Look in the belt and you will see," I answered. 
 
 At the sight of so much money Anatovitch 
 became visibly excited. 
 
 " Boje moi ! " he exclaimed. " If the proprietor
 
 A MESSAGE FROM KOLKA 203 
 
 of the hotel knew of this you would be murdered in 
 daylight." 
 
 He went to the door and looked outside, to make 
 sure that nobody was listening. Then he closed it 
 again carefully and came back to his chair. I 
 buckled on the belt beneath my ruhashka, and for 
 some minutes neither of us spoke. Anatovitch was 
 evidently deep in thought. 
 
 " Destiny is in it," he exclaimed at length. " I 
 shall stand in with you my English friend, and take 
 the chances." 
 
 " Since we understand each other, and have the 
 same purpose in view," I said, " tell me what we 
 should do. I have friends helping me in the 
 matter, as I have told you ; but they are thousands 
 of miles from the base of operations, and we are on 
 the spot, and the time has come to act on our own 
 initiative." 
 
 " Just at present," Anatovitch answered, " I am 
 not thinking of Alexander Bogdanovitch, but of you. 
 With all that money about you your life is in danger 
 here. You do not realise that there are men in this 
 country who will be murderers for fifty kopeks ; and 
 I am frankly anxious for the life of a man who 
 orders three bottles of imported champagne at a 
 sitting. You must do what I advise in this matter, 
 my friend, or there will be an untimely end to all 
 our schemes." 
 
 I told him that he need not trouble himself 
 about my safety, but find out some means to rescue 
 Kolka. 
 
 " We have been together quite long enough," he
 
 204 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 answered. " We must go downstairs and see what 
 the Polkovnik is doing at the card-table. I will 
 think it over." 
 
 And so we quitted my room and went to the 
 restaurant. The Polkovnik was absorbed in his 
 play, and I noticed that he was a winner. We 
 showed ourselves for a few minutes in the room, 
 and then went out into the streets of Tomsk together, 
 and I walked with Anatovitch to his house. 
 
 " I am going to lend you one of my dentchiks" he 
 said, when we arrived at his quarters. " He will 
 mount guard over you and your roubles. I have 
 two of them, and I can quite well spare one for you. 
 You will greatly relieve my mind by accepting his 
 services. He is a trustworthy man from my own 
 country, and he has my orders to do whatever he 
 is told." 
 
 So that night, whilst I slept, the dentchik paraded 
 the passage outside my door, or sat by the closed 
 portal. I daresay Anatovitch was perfectly right, 
 and that the possession of so large a sum of money 
 constituted a personal danger ; but I cannot pretend 
 that the presence of the dentchik made any appreci- 
 able difference to my peace of mind; and the thought 
 that the unfortunate man was doing sentry-go out- 
 side my room all night made me quite uncomfort- 
 able. 
 
 In the morning he brought me my samovar and 
 sacharais, and I dressed myself and went to the 
 post office to inquire if there were any letters for 
 rae. The clerk knew me, and it was not necessary 
 to produce my passport again ; but there was no
 
 A MESSAGE FROM KOLKA 205 
 
 letter. And so I returned to the hotel, wondering 
 that Dimitri Stankevitch had sent no word since my 
 arrival in Tomsk. 
 
 At the hotel I found the dentchik cleaning my 
 boots with vigour, and seeming to enjoy the work. 
 There was something thorough and cheerful about 
 the man which was pleasing. I stopped to speak to 
 him, and asked his name. 
 
 " I am called Petrus, your Excellency," he replied, 
 
 standing to "attention" with a boot in either hand. 
 
 "Very well, Petrus," I said, "you are to stay 
 
 here with me for the present, and I will give orders 
 
 to the servants to look after you well." 
 
 His face expressed satisfaction with the arrange- 
 ment, and I have reason to believe that Petrus fared 
 sumptuously during his stay in the hotel in Tomsk. 
 I was expecting Anatovitch to come and see me, 
 and therefore I did not go out again. But the 
 morning wore on and he did not put in an appear- 
 ance. At last I fell asleep in my chair, and it was 
 past four o'clock when I awoke to a loud knocking 
 at the door. 
 
 Petrus entered in answer to my summons. He 
 reported that a very tall man of rough appearance 
 had come to see me. He had refused to state 
 his business or to say who he was. The dentchih 
 evidently regarded him as a suspicious personage, 
 and had warned him with threats not to approach 
 my door. 
 
 I could not imagine who the stranger could be ; 
 but I told Petrus to admit him, and to wait for 
 further orders.
 
 CHAPTEE X 
 
 IVAN 
 
 He was a very tall man, with long muscular limbs 
 and an inscrutable face, which seemed vaguely- 
 familiar to me. He was travel-stained and unkempt^ 
 but he held himself straight as an arrow, and saluted 
 with military precision when he entered the room. 
 From a leather wallet, slung with a strap across his 
 shoulder beneath his coat, he produced a large 
 envelope, and handed it to me in silence. The 
 moment I caught sight of the seals on the envelope 
 I knew from whom he had come, and I told Petrus 
 to take him to the restaurant and see that he was 
 given food and drink. 
 
 They both saluted and left the room. As they 
 retired I could hear Petrus explaining, that if he 
 had known that the stranger was acquainted with 
 his Excellency he would not have made any trouble 
 about admitting him. But the saturnine stranger 
 did not trouble to answer, nor to meet the friendly 
 overtures of Petrus in a like spirit. He was morosely 
 silent. 
 
 I closed the door behind them and broke the seals 
 of the letter. It was from Dimitri Stankevitch, and 
 the purport of it was this : 
 
 Greetings from his family circle. This communi-
 
 IVAN 207 
 
 cation would be handed to me by his most trusted 
 servant, Ivan, whom I must have seen about his 
 home in Lithuania — probably with the children, to 
 whom he was a devoted and constant companion. 
 Ivan could be as tender as a child, but when there 
 was work to be done there was no man more com- 
 petent to do it — especially if it were work of a 
 dangerous nature. He had, therefore, instructed 
 Ivan to stay with me for so long as I remained 
 in the country, and to watch over and serve me to 
 the best of his ability. He went on to caution me 
 as to the dangerous character of the people amongst 
 whom I was now living, describing them as " cut- 
 throats and thieves." And he hoped that Ivan 
 would prove a protection to me. And then followed 
 a sentence which gave me much relief of mind. It 
 was to the effect that I need not further consult 
 him as to my plans for attaining my object ; and 
 that I must follow my own inclinations in future in 
 the matter. In conclusion he invoked the blessing of 
 Heaven on my enterprise — and there was no signature. 
 
 The letter of Dimitri Stankevitch cheered me not 
 a little. When a man is thousands of miles from his 
 friends, and in a land alone, there is a deal of 
 comfort in a letter from one of his old associates. It 
 brings a breath of familiarity into the arid atmo- 
 sphere of loneliness which surrounds him, and recalls 
 vividly to his mind the environment of other days. 
 
 I read the letter over and over again ; and then 
 I went out in search of Anatovitch, who had not 
 come to see me as I had expected. At his house the 
 dentchik informed me that he had gone out on
 
 208 A POWER ABO\'E THE TSAR 
 
 horseback at an early hour in the morning, and had 
 not yet returned. I asked the man whether there 
 was anything unusual in this ; but he declined 
 to express an opinion, and his attitude gave me to 
 understand that the habits of Dr. Anatovitch were 
 no business of mine. 
 
 I went to the barracks and called on the Polkovnih, 
 in the hope of hearing from him of the whereabouts 
 of the doctor. But the Polkovnik was not at the 
 barracks. I was leaving the building when I met 
 one of the officers in the corridor. I asked if he had 
 lately seen Dr. Anatovitch. He had met him, he 
 said, on horseback on the great Moscow road at 
 about nine o'clock in the morning, and he would 
 probably be back before night, as he had his duties 
 to attend to the next day. 
 
 I was not a little disturbed by the news. Why 
 had Anatovitch not told me that he was going away 
 for the day? I had been expecting him to come 
 and see me ; but he had gone off on some mysteri- 
 ous errand without a word of explanation. 
 
 So I returned to the hotel. The day was stifling 
 hot and there was not a breath of air. I went to 
 my room and ordered ices and sat down to think 
 it over. Perhaps Petrus could throw some light on 
 the matter. I summoned and questioned him. 
 
 " Where does the Moscow road lead to, Petrus ? " 
 
 " To Moscow, your Excellency," he replied 
 promptly — he knew that much, in spite of the 
 absence of the schoolboard in Russia. 
 
 " But in the other direction ? " I persisted. 
 " Supposing that you followed it from Moscow
 
 IVAN 209 
 
 and went East through Tomsk, where would you 
 get to ? " 
 
 " To many places, Bareen — Atchinsk, Marunsk, 
 and Krasnoiarsk." 
 
 " Very good," I answered. " Now send the man 
 who came with the letter to me." 
 
 Petrus saluted and withdrew, and in a few 
 minutes Ivan presented himself. He looked a very 
 different man from the ungainly and unkempt 
 ruffian who had delivered his letter to me in the 
 afternoon. He wore a clean suit and polished boots, 
 and his hair and beard were well combed and glossy. 
 
 " Well, Ivan," I said, " how long is it since you 
 left your master in Lithuania ? " 
 
 " Six weeks, Bareen," he replied laconically. 
 
 " By what route did you come ? " 
 
 " To the White City, where I remained for two 
 days, in accordance with his High-born's instruc- 
 tions. Then to Yaroslaff. I was four hours in 
 Yaroslaff. I returned to Moscow, and came here 
 by Kasan, Ekaterinaburg, and Omsk." 
 
 " You have had a long journey on the way to 
 Eastern Siberia," I said. 
 
 "It is nothing," he answered. He spoke as 
 though a journey of over 4000 miles were part of 
 his daily routine, and displayed not the slightest 
 emotion at the separation from his home and people 
 which it entailed. 
 
 "Your master has very kindly placed your ser- 
 vices at my disposal," I continued. " You will meet 
 with a great deal of hard work and possibly some 
 dangers in my service."
 
 210 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 *' So his High-born informed me, Bareen." 
 
 " And you are prepared to go through with it 
 and take the risks ? " 
 
 He looked at me with what was almost a pitying 
 smile. It was the first gleam of expression of any 
 sort that I had seen in his face ; but he answered 
 in two words : 
 
 "Yes, Bareen." 
 
 When he had left the room I realised the measure 
 of strength which this taciturn man possessed. His 
 personality, in its cold, unbending rigidity, resembled 
 an iron girder hidden within the walls of a housed 
 His presence suggested strength and stability ; and 
 when he took his departure I was conscious of his 
 absence. He was one of those men whom the great 
 of this world use as foundations for the bridge over 
 which they pass to fame. Silent and uncomplaining 
 they stand the stress of the flood waters of revolu- 
 tion, whilst the man who shaped them for his pur- 
 pose passes in triumph over the structure which they 
 support. 
 
 The evening was wearing on and still Anatovitch 
 did not return. I despatched Petrus to his house to 
 make inquiries, but he came back without news of 
 his master. 
 
 To pass the time I went for a walk in the streets 
 of Tomsk ; but first I delivered my precious belt to 
 Ivan's keeping, telling him to guard it as his own 
 life. He buckled it on beneath his ruhaschka with 
 absolute unconcern, and saluted respectfully when 
 the adjustment was complete. 
 
 As I was returning to the hotel, and was about to
 
 IVAN 211 
 
 enter, I heard the clatter of a horse's hoofs on the 
 roadway ; and on looking back I saw Anatovitch 
 ride up to the entrance, covered with dust and 
 perspiration. He leaned over in the saddle and 
 whispered that he was tired and hungry, and would 
 go to his house to change his clothes, and then come 
 back to the hotel for supper. 
 
 I ordered a meal for us both ; and in less than an 
 hour Anatovitch returned and flung himself into a 
 chair in my room. 
 
 " I have done a good day's work," he said, 
 lighting a cigarette. " Yes, by God, a good day's 
 work ! " 
 
 " Tell me about it," I said. I knew quite well 
 that his day's work was in connection with our 
 scheme to rescue Alexander Bogdanovitch, and I 
 was desperately anxious to hear his news. 
 
 " I have located a certain convoy of prisoners 
 which left this place some time ago for Krasnoiarsk. 
 I rode along the Krasnoiarsk road until I got 
 definite news of them. They are at a halting- 
 place about half-way, and according to my informant, 
 whom I met coming from Krasnoiarsk, they have 
 been at the halting- place for several days." 
 
 *' How far is it to Krasnoiarsk ? " I asked. 
 
 " About 500 versts." 
 
 "That is about 350 English miles," I mused 
 aloud. *' Then according to your information the 
 convoy is some 250 versts from Tomsk ? " 
 
 " Yes," he answered, " and making very slow 
 progress. I expect this hot weather is breaking 
 the poor creatures down by the score. That is my
 
 SI 2 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 news, and I have come straight to you with it, 
 so that we may talk it over." 
 
 " I have had some news to-day, too," I said, 
 handing him Dimitri Stankevitch's letter. There 
 was no heading to it and no signature, so I did not 
 compromise Dimitri by showing it to Anatovitch. 
 He read it through several times and then handed 
 it back to me, and I held it in the flame of a candle 
 until it was burnt. 
 
 Then supper was served, and we fell to. We were 
 both hungry, and the presence of the servants and 
 our appetites prevented any further discussion until 
 after the meal was over. 
 
 I noticed that Anatovitch looked approvingly at 
 Ivan, who was assisting Petrus to wait on us. The 
 man instilled confidence even by the'manner in which 
 he handed the dishes. His impassive features never 
 relaxed into a smile or frown. He was perfectly 
 imperturbable in his demeanour and movements. 
 
 After the table had been cleared, and the servants 
 had retired, we lighted our cigarettes and came to 
 business once more. 
 
 " We must act at once," I said. " That letter 
 which I showed you leaves me unfettered, and there 
 is no one now whom I need consult. My idea is that 
 we should not allow our friend to enter Irkutsk nor 
 Balogansk. The further he goes on the road the 
 greater will be the difficulty of bringing him back. I 
 think I should intercept him before the rota arrives 
 at Krasnoiarsk. For if once he enters the strong- 
 holds of Krasnoiarsk or Balogansk goodness knows 
 when or how we can get him out."
 
 IVAN 21S 
 
 Anatovitch was in complete agreement with me 
 on this point. 
 
 " The rota cannot arrive at Krasnoiarsk for at 
 least three weeks," he said, ** though the road is 
 shaded for the greater part of the way by forests of 
 trees. It is a magnificent road, from an aesthetic 
 point of view, though a deal of human suffering and 
 sorrow finds a path along it." 
 
 He paused for a few minutes, as though he were 
 planning the details of the scheme. 
 
 " Of course you will take Ivan and Petrus with 
 you ? " he said at last. " I can trust Petrus, though 
 I do not pretend that he is of the same stamp as that 
 fellow Ivan. But he is a reliable man and under- 
 stands horses. I can get the horses for you here, 
 and Petrus will look after them on the road. When 
 will you start ? " 
 
 There was nothing to prevent my starting the 
 next day, and I told him so. 
 
 " Very well," he said. " I will give you a letter 
 to the officer in command of the convoy. I shall say 
 that you are a doctor travelling for pathological re- 
 search — the old story; and that you were entertained 
 royally by the regiment here — which is not true, but 
 will serve its turn as an introduction. As to the rest, 
 you must rely upon your belt ; there is enough in 
 that to corrupt all the officials in Asiatic Russia." 
 
 " And when I have obtained possession of Alex- 
 ander Bogdanovitch — what then ? " I asked. 
 
 " You can bring him back here, and I will do 
 the rest ; or, at least, I can help you to dispose 
 of him," he answered.
 
 214 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 His suggestions seemed feasible. Certainly I was 
 not in a position to improve upon them. But there 
 was one question which I had still to ask him. We 
 were very good friends by this time, and the formal 
 "you" had given place to the familiar "thou" in 
 our intercourse — a distinction which cannot well be 
 adhered to in English. 
 
 " If I can get Alexander Bogdanovitch safely out 
 of the country, and myself too, will you come with 
 us ? "I asked. " You would be happier out of 
 B/Ussia." 
 
 " I can make no promises," Anatovitch replied. 
 *' I am not thinking of myself just now. I am 
 thinking of Alexander Bogdanovitch." 
 
 I said no more on the subject, and we discussed 
 the details of our plans. I was to take with me 
 clothes for Kolka ; and Anatovitch suggested that 
 I should carryall my spare clothes with me. "There 
 may be others," he explained, laconically. 
 
 " Then it is quite settled that you start to- 
 morrow ? " 
 
 I nodded assent, and Anatovitch called in 
 Petrus. 
 
 " Petrushka," he said, "you will go now, at once, 
 to Demidoff and tell him to get three of his best 
 horses ready for to-morrow morning at eleven o'clock 
 — and see that they are well rested. If he wants to 
 know for how long they will be required, you can 
 tell him for some weeks — that is all. Mind, two in a 
 droshka, and one saddled ; to be here at eleven o'clock 
 to-morrow. Come back and report if he can do it." 
 
 It was very late when Petrus returned with the
 
 IVAN 215 
 
 news that the horses and dr'oshka would be ready at 
 eleven o'clock in the morning. 
 
 " Petrushka," said Anatovitch, " you will drive 
 the droshka and look after the horses. And you are 
 to go with the Bareen, and defend him if necessary, 
 and bring him back to me safely." 
 
 Petrus grinned good-naturedly, and replied that 
 he would protect me with his life. He was evidently 
 elated at the idea of the journey, though he knew 
 nothing of its destination or duration. It was 
 enough for him that the hum-drum existence of 
 Tomsk was to be exchanged for a pair of horses and 
 the road. 
 
 When he had gone, Anatovitch said that he must 
 be returning to his house. I walked home with him, 
 and said good-bye at his door. 
 
 " I wonder if we shall ever meet again ? " he said, 
 resting his hand on my shoulder. 
 
 " Yes," I answered laughing. " You and Bog- 
 danovitch are going to practise medicine in London- "
 
 CHAPTER XI 
 
 IN THE WAKE OF THE ROTA 
 
 At half-past ten the following morning a droshka 
 with a pair of serviceable black horses was at the 
 entrance of the hotel. Petrus was stowing my 
 baggage under the seat, whilst Ivan tightened 
 the girths of his saddle and inspected the stirrup 
 leathers and bridle with a critical eye. 
 
 Anatovitch had found time to come and see me 
 start, in spite of our farewell of the night before. 
 He was with me for about an hour, and embraced 
 me affectionately before I left my room. 
 
 There was yet another person who lamented my 
 departure, and he was the hotel proprietor. I think 
 he was wondering who would be the next to order 
 his imported champagne. It cheered him consider- 
 ably when I told him that I should be back in 
 Tomsk in a few weeks. 
 
 So we took the road eastwards, Petrus driving 
 with the mantle of Jehu and Ivan cantering behind 
 the droshka. 
 
 We were soon clear of the town, and its spires 
 and domes glinted fitfully through the cloud of dust 
 which rose in our wake. Then we entered the 
 forest, and the scent of the trees and the songs of 
 the birds filled my mind with pleasant fancies, until
 
 IN THE WAKE OF THE ROTA 217 
 
 the thought of the tens of thousands who had 
 tramped that road in chains and bitter anguish 
 recalled me to the stern realities of Russian life. 
 The dust which we scattered light-heartedly- 
 had been trodden by the feet of men, women, and 
 children who trailed their weary steps along the 
 great highway of misery and destitution, urged on 
 by the whips of their mounted escort, or left to die 
 forgotten by the wayside. 
 
 By half-past one we had covered twenty miles of 
 the road, and stopped at a farmhouse to water the 
 horses. An old man came out and invited me to 
 enter the house. I was surprised to see no icon in 
 the room to which he conducted me, and I asked 
 the reason of the absence of this emblem, universal 
 in Russia. 
 
 "We are not Christians," the old man hastened 
 to inform me, " we are Sabbatarians." 
 
 He went on to explain that the Sabbatarians 
 regard themselves as the only true Jews, and observe 
 laws which differ materially from those of the recog- 
 nised Children of Israel. I regretted that I had not 
 time to be enlightened further on the subject ; but 
 the horses were ready, and I would not keep them 
 waiting. 
 
 I offered the old man some money, but he refused 
 to take anything, and expressed the hope that I 
 would visit him on my return. 
 
 The road was no longer in good order, and 
 our rate of progress was necessarily slower. We 
 blundered along in a dense cloud of dust for several 
 hours, and arrived at last at a dilapidated wooden
 
 218 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 farmhouse, where we again stopped to rest the horses. 
 A woman, who appeared to be the sole occupant of 
 the place, told me that it was fourteen versts to 
 Atchinna, where we could obtain good accommodation 
 for the night. 
 
 We started once more, and it was dark w|ien we 
 arrived at the village. Petrus found a good house 
 where we could lodge, and he and Ivan divided the 
 night into watches, each mounting guard in turn 
 over my door. 
 
 At daybreak we started again. For five days we 
 travelled without any incident worth recording. The 
 road lay through huge forests and across open plains. 
 Sometimes we crossed rivers and streams on rough 
 wooden bridges, at others we splashed through fords. 
 The horses had stood the hard going well, and at 
 sunset on the fifth day we had made 165 miles. 
 
 I despatched Petrus to find a shelter for all of us 
 for the night. He returned shortly, and led the way 
 to a lowly house in the vicinity. The owner of it 
 came out to greet us, apologising for the poverty of 
 his abode, but assuring us of his willingness to serve 
 us if we wished to stay. 
 
 There was no question of wishing with me, for 
 the evening was falling and there was no other 
 accommodation available. So I followed the man 
 into his house, whilst Ivan and Petrus stabled the 
 horses in a shed behind it. 
 
 After I had eaten of the fare which our host and 
 his wife provided, I strolled out on to the road. It 
 was a lovely evening, and the air was laden with the 
 fragrance of perfumed trees and wild flowers. The
 
 IN THE WAKE OF THE ROTA 219 
 
 short twilight of the East was rapidly sinking to the 
 darkness of night, and here and there in the opal 
 sky a star shone with lonely brilliance. 
 
 Ivan had evidently seen me leave the house and 
 take the road through the forest ; for I noticed that 
 he was following me at a respectful distance. In 
 the daytime I was never out of this man's sight, and 
 for half of the night he watched by my door, resign- 
 ing his charge to Petrus reluctantly when it was his 
 turn to mount guard. 
 
 I had walked some little distance when in front of 
 me I saw a man slink out of the woods on to the 
 road. He caught sight of me at once and darted 
 into the thicket again. I hailed him and called him 
 to me. After a few moments hesitation he emerged 
 from his hiding-place and came towards me. 
 
 Never in my life have I seen a rougher and more 
 wretched -lookino^ individual. His hair and beard 
 were matted all over his head and face, his clothes 
 were in rags, and his feet were sticking out through 
 the remnants of his boots. He stood a few yards off 
 and regarded me suspiciously from head to foot 
 without speaking. 
 
 I asked him if he were an inhabitant of the 
 neighbourhood. He laughed drearily and answered 
 that he was anxious to get out of the neighbour- 
 hood as quickly as possible, but that, unfortunately, 
 he did not know the way. 
 
 " And even if I did, I think I should starve 
 before I got through," he concluded bitterly. 
 
 " Where is your home then ? " I asked. 
 
 " Vilna," he answered. " And I have been six
 
 220 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 weeks wandering in these cursed forests, and cannot 
 find the road." 
 
 " But if your home Is in Vilna, how do you come 
 to be here ? " 
 
 " Oh," he said, " I am not here of my own free 
 will, you may depend on that. I did something 
 which offended the police, and they sent me to 
 Irkutsk Government for ten years ; but I did not 
 stop with them for more than a couple of months 
 when they got me there. I left them a long time 
 ago." 
 
 " But surely you were chained," I suggested. I 
 was not at all sure that the man was not an im- 
 postor, who was trying to work on my sympathies 
 by the story of his escape from a penal settlement. 
 It was quite possible that he was nothing but a 
 common bradjaga. 
 
 " They put me to gold washing," he answered 
 " and my chains were off during the day — and so 
 was I. That must be about nine months ago. I 
 have begged my way thus far, tramping by night 
 and lying up during the day. Then I came to these 
 forests and I lost myself." 
 
 " Who has fed you ? " I asked. 
 
 " At the farms and villages I have begged for 
 food, and they generally give me something. The 
 Sabbatarians are the best. They let me shelter 
 in their barns, and sometimes give me a little 
 money." 
 
 I mentioned the possibility of his re-capture ; 
 but the long months of wandering unmolested had 
 weakened his apprehension on this score.
 
 IN THE WAKE OF THE ROTA 221 
 
 " I do not think they will take me again," he said 
 carelessly. " At any rate, I am as free as a beast in 
 the woods at present." 
 
 I called to Ivan, who, I knew, was not far off. 
 When the wretched tramp saw a second man 
 approaching he drew off hurriedly to the woods 
 again, and it was with diflSculty that I persuaded 
 him to return, assuring him that he need fear 
 nothing from us. 
 
 I told Ivan to take him quietly to the shed where 
 our horses were stabled, and to give him some food, 
 and then to try and make him more presentable in 
 appearance. For I felt that it was useless to en- 
 deavour to help the fellow in his present condition 
 of raggedness. His appearance would arouse im- 
 mediate suspicion wherever he went. What he 
 needed most was a new suit of clothes, and I was 
 glad that, acting on Anatovitch's advice, I had 
 brought several changes with me. 
 
 Ivan entered into the scheme without any dis- 
 play of his feelings in the matter. It was impos- 
 sible to judge whether he regarded it favourably or 
 not. But he had a suggestion to make which was 
 eminently practical, namely, that the man should 
 stay where he was until it was quite dark before he 
 came to the shed. 
 
 We left him seated by the roadside, with instruc- 
 tions to wait until it was dark when Ivan would 
 fetch him. 
 
 I returned to the house, and found that our poor 
 host and his wife had done all that they could to 
 make us comfortable. The man came to my room to
 
 222 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 bid me good-night, and asked if there were anything 
 more he could do for us. I thanked him, and said 
 that we should be starting early in the morning, and 
 I should therefore be obliged if he would leave out 
 the samovar so that my servants could make tea 
 before we started. 
 
 In about an hour's time, when the good people of 
 the house were asleep in their bed, I went out to the 
 shed to see the horses. The spectacle which con- 
 fronted me as I opened the door was one which 
 I shall never forget. 
 
 Petrus was holding a candle in his hand which 
 illumined the tall, solemn figure of Ivan girt about 
 the waist with an old sack, which did duty as an 
 apron, and with a large pair of scissors in his hand. 
 Seated on an old box between them was the un- 
 fortunate tramp, half shorn of his matted locks and 
 beard and looking the picture of dejection. There 
 was enough hair on the floor to stuff a pillow. 
 Petrushka was busy giving advice to Ivan on ton- 
 sorial art, and pointing with the butt end of the 
 candle to indicate where the finishing touches were 
 required. Ivan, of course, was perfectly grave and 
 silent, and wholly absorbed in the operation. 
 
 I did not interrupt them ; but told Ivan when he 
 had completed the tramp's toilet to bring him to my 
 room. 
 
 It was a long time before Ivan appeared, and 
 announcing "All is ready" showed the wanderer 
 into the room. The change in the man's appearance 
 was most remarkable. He glanced at himself in the 
 broken mirror on the wall, and I heard him mutter :
 
 IN THE WAKE OF THE ROTA 223 
 
 " I must be dreaming ! " 
 
 I bade him sit down, and talk quietly, so as not to 
 arouse the people of the house. By degrees I got 
 his story from him. He was a lawyer's assistant in 
 Vilna, and a member of a revolutionary society. 
 One day a certain member of the society was arrested 
 in Moscow, and papers were found in his possession, 
 including a list of the members of the society. 
 Within twenty-four hours over one hundred and fifty 
 men and women were arrested in various parts of 
 Kussia as a result of this one man's arrest. The 
 semblance of a trial was given them, and most of 
 them were ordered to Siberia. For his part, he 
 was sentenced to ten years. 
 
 In order to test his veracity I asked him several 
 questions about people in Vilna whom I knew there, 
 and he answered correctly. I also asked him for 
 what lawyer he was working, and he gave me his 
 name and address. He further told me that he had 
 been educated at the Eeal School, and could speak 
 German and French. 
 
 '* Now," I said, " it is not necessary for you to 
 know who I am ; but if I am going to help you, will 
 you keep your mouth shut and do what I tell 
 you?" 
 
 He promised secrecy and obedience. Indeed, I 
 think he would have promised anything at that 
 moment. 
 
 "Where do you want to go ? " I asked. 
 
 " I have an uncle living in Paris. I think it 
 would be best for me to go to him if I can get 
 there."
 
 224 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 ' " If I advance you money to go to Paris, will you 
 promise to pay me back with 5 per cent, interest?" 
 I asked. 
 
 The man looked at me in open-eyed astonish- 
 ment, and then burst out laughing. 
 
 " It is no laughing matter," I said ; " and I will 
 trouble you not to make so much noise. If I offer to 
 advance you money I shall expect to be repaid. I 
 am not a travelling philanthropist." 
 
 The man sobered down at once. 
 
 " I will pay you, Bareen, whenever I can. I am 
 a young man and I can earn a living." 
 
 I told Ivan to take the man outside, whilst I 
 opened my belt and took from it 200 roubles and a 
 blank passport and a chorosho povidenia. 
 
 I asked the man to come in again, and left Ivan 
 outside. 
 
 " From Tomsk to Kovno costs on the railway 
 about twenty roubles," I said. " From Kovno to 
 Berlin sixty marks. From Berlin to Paris sixty-five 
 marks, in all about eighty roubles. That will leave 
 you 120." I handed him the notes. "At night 
 time you can get over the frontier with official 
 sanction for two roubles, and you can use the 
 balance for incidental expenses. Now for your pass- 
 port and chorosho povidenia. Here they are, and 
 you can fill them in for yourself." 
 
 The astonished man was biting his finger to make 
 sure that he was awake. I asked him if his finger 
 hurt, but he did not answer. 
 
 " Now I shall trouble you for a receipt for my
 
 IN THE WAKE OF THE ROTxV 225 
 
 bill," I said, and I made out the following 
 account : 
 
 To one hair-cutting and shaving . 
 „ one suit of clothes, kaftan, and boots 
 „ cash ...... 
 
 „ one passport and chorosho povidenia 
 
 R. 
 
 K. 
 
 O 
 
 50 
 
 II 
 
 
 
 200 
 
 
 
 50 
 
 
 
 261 50 
 
 The man signed it with his name, David Margolius, 
 of Yilna, and added what he hoped would be his 
 Paris address — 41 Rue Ordinaire. 
 
 Then I called in Ivan, and handed over David 
 Margolius to his charge. 
 
 The next morning I asked him how he intended 
 to get to Tomsk. 
 
 " I shall walk," he said. " It is safer." 
 
 " But you have nothing to be afraid of," I told 
 him. " You have clear papers and need not fear 
 the devil himself. The authorities will hardly be 
 looking out for you after a lapse of nine months, and 
 they would not recognise you if they came across 
 you." 
 
 I arranged with our host to send back one of my 
 servants to Tomsk for the sum of five roubles. The 
 man had not noticed whether I came with three 
 servants or two, and his suspicions were not 
 aroused. 
 
 And so we said farewell to David Margolius. 
 
 " Some day, when I return from inspecting my 
 gold mines, I may meet you in Paris," I said ; " there 
 is no telling." 
 
 p
 
 226 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 But I have never seen or heard of Margolius again 
 to this day. I hope that he won safely through to 
 the avuncular residence in Paris ; and perhaps some 
 day I will call at 41 E-ue Ordinaire, and present 
 my little account for payment with 5 per cent, 
 interest.
 
 CHAPTER XII 
 
 THE WIDOW 
 
 On the seventh day of our journey I knew that 
 we must be nearing the rota. We had travelled 
 about 200 miles, and the gallant little horses were 
 beginning to show signs of wear. There are but few 
 breeds of horses in the world who could do what 
 they had done — an average of over thirty miles a 
 day for six days, with a clumsy droshJca, on bad 
 roads. But the Tartar steed needs no commendation 
 from me — his endurance is proverbial. 
 
 A tramp on the road begged alms, and I stopped 
 the droshka in the hope of gaining some information 
 from him. 
 
 He told me that he was on his way to Tomsk, and 
 that he could afford to be leisurely in his move- 
 ments as he was not one of those escaped convicts, 
 for whom he expressed the greatest contempt, and 
 therefore he was not in a hurry. 
 
 I asked him how far we were from Krasnoiarsk, 
 and he replied that he thought it was about 200 
 versts. 
 
 " There is a convict caravan about fifty versts 
 ahead of you, Bareen," he said. " When you come 
 up with them be careful of your belongings, for they 
 will steal whatever they can lay their hands on."
 
 228 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 I gave him a small coin and thanked him for his 
 advice, and we drove on. 
 
 The morning was young, and I knew that with 
 fair "going" we should be on the heels of the rota 
 by sunset. I was elated and excited at the prospect 
 of coming to grips with my undertaking. It was 
 five months since I received Dr. Bogdanovitch's 
 cablegram in San Francisco, and now, at last, I was 
 within striking distance of my objective. To-morrow, 
 perhaps, I should see Kolka. And what then? 
 Well, I would not return empty-handed to Tomsk, 
 that was certain. One does not travel 1 1 ,000 miles 
 at great personal inconvenience for the sake of saying 
 " How do you do ? " to a convict. I looked from 
 Petrus, driving the wiry little blacks, to Ivan, canter- 
 ing on the roadside ; neither of them knew the 
 errand on which we were bent, but I felt that I 
 could trust them both to see me through with it. 
 My third ally I wore around my waist, and I had 
 greater confidence in the power of my belt than even 
 in Ivan, the imperturbable. 
 
 At five o'clock we arrived at a village and 
 stopped to rest the horses. I learned from an in- 
 habitant that there was a Government halting- 
 station for convicts ten versts further on, and 
 that the rota had passed through, the village in the 
 morning, and would be halted there, probably for 
 several days. 
 
 Accordingly I sent Petrus on Ivan's horse to find 
 a house where we could put up within a verst or 
 two of the camp. I always employed Petrus as 
 " quarter-master " as he spoke the dialect of the
 
 THE WIDOW 229 
 
 country, whereas Ivan was scarcely intelligible to 
 the inhabitants. 
 
 When I gave Petrushka the order — I think it 
 dawned on his stolid mind that I contemplated the 
 rescue of a prisoner from the rota — he gave the 
 invariable answer : " Tak totchno gospodin," and 
 rode off down the road. 
 
 I gave him an hour's start, and then followed, 
 with Ivan driving, in the droshka. 
 
 It was eight o'clock when we arrived at the house 
 which Petrus had found for our accommodation, a 
 dilapidated shanty standing a little way back from 
 the road in a clearing in the forest. The owner of 
 it was a widow with three grown-up daughters and 
 a son, a boy of nine years old. 
 
 The old woman was anxious to make us as com- 
 fortable as possible, and ordered the girls about in 
 the preparation of our supper and rooms. 
 
 I noticed that Petrushka had already made him- 
 self quite at home, and was even paying marked 
 attentions to one of the daughters, a proceeding 
 which Ivan regarded with lofty disapproval. 
 
 After I had eaten the meal provided, I asked the 
 widow to stay and talk to me for a few minutes. 
 She was a garrulous old lady and made no diffi- 
 culties on the conversational score. She was soon 
 chattering of her privat aff. ii s to me without re- 
 serve. Her husband, who had been a convict, died 
 several years ago. He had been sentenced to voilnoie 
 poselenia, and, after serving his term, had settled in 
 the country. She had been thirty years in Siberia, and 
 all her children had been born on the Irkutsk border.
 
 230 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 I ventured to ask her for what reason her husband 
 had been convicted. She admitted candidly that he 
 had been impHcated in a fire which had broken out 
 in a government building in Smolensk, and had 
 been sentenced to ten years hard labour followed 
 by voilnoie poselenia. She had accompanied her 
 husband to Siberia and they had lived there ever 
 since. 
 
 Having given me this much information about 
 herself at great length and with many digressions, 
 she then proceeded to question me. 
 
 I was very frank with her. I informed her that I 
 was going to the Government of the Amurs to visit 
 a friend who was interested in a gold mine there, and 
 that I should probably visit China before my return. 
 The ice having thus been broken, and a friendly 
 footing established between us, I turned the conver- 
 sation to other channels. And it was not long 
 before we were on the subject of convicts and their 
 treatment. On this point the old lady was full of 
 information. She told me that at some time or other 
 every convict makes an attempt to escape. Her 
 husband had several golden opportunities ; but at 
 the last moment he had always held back, preferring 
 to remain quietly with his wife, to await the time 
 when he could settle down in the territory appointed 
 to convicts who have served their term. Others 
 would escape and perish of cold and starvation in 
 the country. The long, severe winter was all in 
 favour of the prison guards ; and few who escaped 
 ever reached Europe ; whilst many of them returned 
 of theii' own free will.
 
 THE WIDOW aSl 
 
 From the abstract I gradually piloted the old 
 woman to the concrete, and questioned her on the 
 neighbouring halting-station and the rota of convicts 
 which had just arrived there. 
 
 " Oh, yes," she said, in answer to my inquiries. 
 " There is a large rota there now. My little boy 
 went there to-day, and he tells me there are about 
 600, many of them women. It is a regular village. 
 I am sure I hope we shall make something out of 
 them." 
 
 I did not understand what she meant, but she 
 explained that when a rota was encamped at the 
 halting- station her daughters went with provisions 
 to sell to the prisoners. In fact, she regarded the 
 advent of a caravan of prisoners as a sort of " season," 
 when trade might be regarded as brisk. 
 
 " In my husband's life-time we made a lot of 
 money from the camp ; but it was a dangerous 
 game, and we don't do that any longer." 
 
 Here again was an enigmatical statement. What 
 was it, I asked myself, that her husband had done 
 which she dared not do ? But it is a difi&cult thing 
 to fix any statement made in the garrulous, irre- 
 sponsible chatter of an elderly widow, and I let it 
 pass with a mental note. I asked her about the 
 escort, and learned that the caravan was under the 
 command of a captain, who was apparently slack in 
 his duties, as it was reported that several of the 
 prisoners had escaped from under the noses of the 
 escort. I was glad to hear that. 
 
 At this point in our conversation Ivan entered the 
 room and asked permission to speak to me. The old
 
 232 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 lady withdrew, and Ivan closed the door behind 
 her. 
 
 " Bareen," he said impressively, " believing that 
 the movements of the rota are of interest to you, I 
 went to the halting-station this evening ; and I have 
 ascertained that they are to march again on Thursday 
 morning," 
 
 " Thank you, Ivan," I replied. " Are the horses 
 all right?" 
 
 " They will need several days' rest, Bareen, other- 
 wise they will be useless when we want them. To- 
 day is Monday, by Thursday they will be rested." 
 
 I told him to get some sleep and let Petrus mount 
 guard. And he withdrew in stately silence. Then I 
 called in the old lady again and we continued our 
 conversation. 
 
 " So some of the prisoners have managed to 
 escape," I said, taking up the subject where it had 
 been dropped. 
 
 The old woman looked at me curiously, and then 
 laughed. 
 
 " Why not trust me, Bareen ? " she asked con- 
 fidentially. *' You can speak without ceremony to 
 me. I will serve you if I can." 
 
 " Very well, then," I answered. " Listen to me. 
 There is a certain young man in the rota whom I 
 am going to rescue. The caravan will be at the 
 halting-station until Thursday morning, and I must 
 get him away before they leave. If you can help 
 me to accomplish this successfully I will give you 
 200 roubles for yourself and a 100 for each of your 
 children — 600 roubles in all. But if I find that
 
 THE WIDOW 233 
 
 there is any treachery on your part, or if you do 
 anything to upset my plans, I will not be responsible 
 for what may happen to you and your children. 
 Do you understand ? " 
 
 The old woman fell to crossing herself vigorously, 
 and calling on the Boje Materi to bear witness that 
 she would serve me with her life. Her excitement 
 was so great that her words were scarcely intelligible. 
 I gathered from the torrent of eloquence which my 
 offer and threat called forth, that she doubted the 
 existence of so great wealth as 600 roubles, that she 
 would be quite content to do anything I asked her 
 for ten, and that the Holy Mother and various saints 
 would back her up in her honest efforts to earn a 
 little money. 
 
 When she had calmed down I produced a fifty 
 rouble note and handed it to her as a token of good 
 faith. She took it in a hand trembling with emotion, 
 and fingered it lovingly. Never in her life had she 
 possessed so much money at one time, and it was 
 impossible for her to realise that 550 roubles more 
 might be earned in two days. She began to cry 
 hysterically and flung herself on the ground, kissing 
 my feet and declaring that the Holy Mother had 
 sent me from heaven to bless her and her children. 
 The situation was embarrassing ; but there was 
 nothing for me to do but submit to her blandish- 
 ments and await her return to a practical frame of 
 mind. 
 
 Presently she rose from the floor and sat down 
 again at the table, and there was an expression of 
 alert cunning in her .eyes, which gave me hope that
 
 234 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 she would prove a useful ally, and cheap even at 600 
 roubles. 
 
 " Well," I said, " how do you propose to earn 
 your money, matushka ? " 
 
 She came across to me, and laying her hand on 
 my arm said : 
 
 " Come with me, Bareen, and I will show you 
 something." 
 
 She led the way to a small, ill-furnished bedroom 
 at the back of the house. In the corner was a plain 
 wooden bedstead, which she requested me to help 
 her to move. We carried it out into the middle of the 
 floor, and taking a pointed steel rod from the 
 corner she prised up a board in the floor, and then 
 another. 
 
 " You can go in there, Bareen," she explained, 
 pointing to the hole in the floor. " And you can 
 come out sixty paces away in the forest." 
 
 As I peered into the black cavity below the floor 
 a sensation came over me as though I were dreaming, 
 and the little old woman holding the flickering 
 candle above her head and standing at the edge of 
 the abyss appeared to me as the genie in an Arabian 
 tale. I almost expected to see Kolka emerge from 
 the opening and fling himself into my arms. The 
 whole episode seemed absurd and extravagant, and 
 I laughed. My laughter awoke me ; but still the 
 little old woman was standing by the side of the hole 
 in the floor with her candle in her hand, looking at 
 me with cunning eyes. 
 
 " But why ? " I exclaimed, pointing downwards. 
 
 " My husband worked at it, on and off, for five years,"
 
 THE WIDOW 235 
 
 she replied, " and it brought him in a Uttle money. 
 But no one has been there since my husband died." 
 
 Then I began to understand what the old woman 
 meant when she said that in her husband's day they 
 used to make a lot of money out of the prisoners' 
 camp at the halting-station. 
 
 I had evidently come to the right house for 
 assistance. 
 
 The old woman put the boards in their places, 
 and we carried the bed back to the corner of the 
 room. No one could have guessed at the existence 
 of the subterranean passage from the appearance of 
 the floor, the boards fitted exactly, and the bed 
 stood above them in ingenuous simplicity. 
 
 " I will send Soinia down to-morrow to see that it 
 is all clear," said the old woman, leading the way 
 back to my room. " And if you, Bareen, will do as 
 I advise you, it will be an easy matter." 
 
 It may be imagined I was only too anxious to have 
 the advice of one who knew the coast so well, and I 
 assured her that I was all attention. 
 
 " Then you must go to the camp in the morning 
 and try to make the acquaintance of the captain." 
 
 I told her that I had a letter of introduction to 
 him in my pocket. 
 
 " That is good," she answered ; " then there will 
 be no suspicion of you. My three girls will be about 
 the camp, selling vegetables to the prisoners. Get 
 your man into their hands, and leave the rest to 
 them. And keep your two servants out of the way. 
 They can do no good, and they might excite the 
 suspicion of the guards."
 
 236 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 She took up her candle and went towards the door. 
 
 "Good-night, to you, Bareen," she said. "May 
 the Holy Mother protect you. Fifty roubles ! And 
 I know not how many more to come. May all the 
 saints watch over you, Bareen."
 
 CHAPTER XIII 
 
 A POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION 
 
 In the morning I started out for the camp, wearing 
 my blue spectacles again. I shall not attempt to 
 describe my feelings during that short walk of one 
 mile which led me to my journey's uttermost limit ; 
 but I knew instinctively that the end was to be 
 success. 
 
 At the halting-station the prisoners were in groups 
 in the " compound." Some were playing cards for 
 small stakes, as the heaps of kopeks denoted. Others 
 were washing their clothes and laying out their red 
 7'uhashkas to dry in the sun. There were others 
 who sat with their heads resting on their hands, 
 thinking. It was probably this accursed habit of 
 thinking that had brought them to their present 
 pass ; but still they were thinking, and they cannot 
 break themselves of it. 
 
 I looked anxiously at every group ; but Kolka was 
 not amongst them. I began to feel apprehensive 
 lest he had escaped before I could come to fetch him. 
 The very idea alarmed me ; for I was selfish enough 
 to wish to effect his rescue myself, since I had taken 
 so much pains in the matter. 
 
 At the outskirts of the camp I could see women 
 with their baskets and trays, selling trifles to the
 
 238 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 prisoners — the widow's daughters were amongst 
 them, and I have no doubt they marked my arrival. 
 
 I approached the entrance ot* a wooden building, 
 which looked as if it might be the orderly-room of 
 the commander of the convoy, and gave my letter of 
 introduction to a soldier who was standing outside, 
 and requested him to deliver it to the captain. The 
 man took the envelope and went in, and as he did 
 so some one passed him coming out of the door. It 
 was Kolka. 
 
 I looked quickly round me ; nobody was near. I 
 began to hum a song, which had been dear to us 
 both in our student days at Heidelberg. The notes 
 reached Kolka, and he started slightly and paused. 
 I called his name softly, " Kolka ! " 
 
 His face went deathly white, and he came a few 
 steps towards me with uncertainty. 
 
 I took off my glasses and looked him straight in 
 the face. 
 
 " I am Carl," I whispered. " Get ready to come 
 with me. Don't speak. Walk away from me." 
 
 He turned obediently and walked off, and as he 
 went I whispered, " All well at home." 
 
 Then the orderly came out and asked me to follow 
 him. He conducted me through an outer room, 
 where several soldiers lounged on forms or stared 
 out of the window, and ushered me into the captain's 
 office. 
 
 He was a plethoric-looking man of about forty, 
 clad in a white uniform ; and he came forward to 
 greet me with outstretched hand. He inquired after 
 the well-being of his friend Dr. Anatovitch, and the
 
 A POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION 239 
 
 other officers of the garrison of Tomsk, to which 
 inquiries I replied to the best of ray knowledge, 
 accepting a cigarette from the case which he proffered. 
 He spoke in French, and I could see that he was 
 very proud of his linguistic accomplishments. 
 
 I asked him whether he had ever been in London. 
 
 " Certainly," he replied. " I know well Piccadilly 
 and the Continental Hotel. Ah, but I had a gay 
 time in London ! But I never could learn the 
 language. There are only five words that I can 
 remember, and they were always on my lips." 
 
 1 inquired what the immortal five words might be ? 
 
 " Koom and kiss me kvick ! " he replied, his fat 
 sides shaking with laughter at the remembrance of 
 his experiences. 
 
 He was quite satisfied with himself, and it was to 
 my purpose to keep him in a good humour. We 
 chatted on for some minutes, though I must confess 
 that most of the captain's conversation went in at 
 one ear and out of the other. He asked me to stay 
 and dine with him, and I accepted the invitation, in 
 the hope of learning something more of the plans of 
 the convoy, and the arrangements made for guarding 
 the prisoners. 
 
 Dinner was served to us in the office at about two 
 o'clock. During the meal I questioned him on the 
 subject of his present duties, and asked whether he 
 liked convoying prisoners. 
 
 " It is tedious sort of work," he answered. " The 
 common criminals are easy enough to deal with ; but 
 the ' politicals ' — pfui ! " 
 
 He went on eating in silence, and I feared that he
 
 240 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 had dismissed the subject with this exclamation of 
 disgust. But presently he began again. 
 
 " The criminals want watching or they will try to 
 escape ; but we lose very few ' politicals,' unless they 
 happen to die. The trouble with them is that they 
 seem to think that they are conducting us to Siberia, 
 and not we them. They are full of complaints about 
 everything, and want this, that, and the other, until 
 my life is almost bothered out of me by them." 
 
 He pointed out of the window to a group of 
 prisoners standing together in the " compound." 
 
 " You see that fellow there in the gold eye-glasses," 
 he said. I followed the direction of his hand and 
 nodded assent. 
 
 " He is the law amongst the ' politicals ' — a dan- 
 gerous Nihilist, of the name of Yankevitch. He was 
 a lawyer in Orel. The cursed fellow puts all sorts 
 of notions into the others' heads. The man next 
 to him is a young doctor from Moscow, Grazinski by 
 name ; and the fellow behind him was a Petersburg 
 journalist. They are a crew of Nihilists of a des- 
 perate order." 
 
 At that moment Kolka joined the group, and I 
 asked the captain if he were another dangerous man. 
 
 " That one ? Oh, dear no, he is as harmless as a 
 child. He, too, is a Moscow doctor, Bogdanovitch is 
 his name. There was likely to be trouble amongst 
 the others yesterday, and he counselled them to 
 observe regulations, and kept them in order. I 
 ordered his chains off for it ; but he refused to have 
 them taken off unless I treated the others in the 
 same way. As we shall be in camp here for a few
 
 A POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION 241 
 
 days, I let him have his way, and told the sergeant 
 to have all the chains removed until we take the 
 road again. So I hope they are happy ! " 
 
 I turned the conversation to other topics, and 
 whilst we were still talking a sergeant came in and 
 saluted the captain. 
 
 " A woman in the political ward and her child are 
 dead, your High-born." 
 
 " How is that ? " the captain inquired in- 
 differently. 
 
 " Dr. Boo;danovitch and Dr. Grazinski examined 
 the bodies at my request, and they are of opinion 
 that the woman strangled her child and then herself 
 with a rope." 
 
 " Damn her ! " said the captain. " It means more 
 reports to make out." 
 
 "May I offer my services in this affair?" I said. 
 " I should be pleased to make a post-mortem 
 examination if it would assist you." 
 
 " Certainly, doctor," the captain answered. " I 
 should be obliged if you would. The sergeant will 
 show you the way. For my part I hate the sight of 
 corpses. It takes away my appetite for days." 
 
 I followed the sergeant out into the " compound," 
 thankful to be quit of the company of the brute. 
 He took me to a small, ill-lighted room and re- 
 quested me to enter. He would go no further than 
 the threshold himself; for in Russia, especially 
 amongst the uneducated classes, there is a fear of 
 the dead. 
 
 On a wooden bench, similar to those I had seen 
 in the prison at Tomsk, the bodies of the woman and 
 
 Q
 
 242 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 her child were lying side by side. Poor soul ! 
 She had tasted life, and found it exceeding bitter. 
 Who shall cast stones at her for trusting to the 
 mercy of God the life which He had given her, and 
 the life which she had transmitted to her helpless 
 child, rather than face the miseries which the span 
 of human existence held out to both of them ? 
 
 The incentives to crime are manifold — some are 
 revolting, some are pitiable, and some are beyond 
 the limits of human criticism. In the latter class was 
 the crime of the miserable woman who lay cold and 
 dead before me, with her child by her side. Then, 
 in the presence of the dead, I saw my opportunity. 
 
 I went back to the door and called to the sergeant. 
 
 " You said that some doctors had already ex- 
 amined the bodies ? " I asserted. 
 
 "Yes, gos2)odm, two doctors who are prisoners 
 have examined them." 
 
 " I should like to see them," I continued. " The 
 courtesy of my profession demands that they should 
 be present, even if they are prisoners." 
 
 The sergeant bowed to my ruling on the point of 
 medical etiquette. 
 
 " By all means, gospodin. They shall be here in a 
 minute." 
 
 He went out, and I heard him call their names 
 aloud. 
 
 " Dr. Grazinski, Dr. Bogdanovitch, you are 
 wanted." 
 
 And in a few minutes they came to me in the 
 little, dark room, where the bodies lay on plank 
 beds.
 
 A POST-MORTEM EXAMINATION 243 
 
 The sergeant closed the door behind them and 
 returned to the other prisoners in the " compound." 
 
 In a moment Kolka's arms were around me — 
 
 " You need not fear Grazinski," he said, " he is my 
 friend. You can speak before him." 
 
 " I have come to take you away," I explained — 
 and for the moment that was all I could say. 
 
 " I knew it ! " said Grazinski. " I knew we should 
 all escape in time ; but it must be one by one. It is 
 your turn first, Bogdanovitch — good luck to you ! " 
 
 Then Kolka began to reel off a string of questions ; 
 but I stopped him. There was no time for explana- 
 tions, only for plans. 
 
 " There is only one clear day before you march," I 
 said ; "it must be to-morrow. I have made all 
 the arrangements, including passports. Keep close 
 to those girls who are selling things in the camp, 
 they will give you word when to go, but don't do 
 anything on your own responsibility." Kolka looked 
 doubtfully from me to Grazinski — 
 
 " I should like to take Grazinski and Yankevitch 
 with me," he said, " I can't leave them behind." 
 
 " You must arrange that amongst yourselves," I 
 answered, " and let me know through the girls what 
 you decide, by noon to-morrow." And then I pointed 
 to the two bodies lying on the bench before us. 
 
 " We are here to investigate the causes of death," 
 I reminded them. " Are you both agreed ? " 
 
 *' Poor, miserable woman ! " said Grazinski, *' she 
 chose another means of escape for herself and little 
 one." 
 
 I opened the door and we went out into the
 
 244 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 " compound," talking loudly, so that others could 
 hear, of the result of our examination. 
 
 I returned with the sergeant to the captain's 
 office, and verified the report of Drs. Grazinski and 
 Bogdanovitch. 
 
 He gave me a cigarette, and we once more fell into 
 desultory conversation. I think he was pleased to 
 have some one to talk to ; and he asked me many 
 questions about my intended journey to the Amurs 
 and China. So that when I rose to say good-bye, I 
 ventured to ask permission to call on him again, and 
 he requested me to come the next day, as they were 
 to march on the day after ; and so I took my leave 
 of him.
 
 CHAPTER XIV 
 
 A TEST OF SIGHT AND SPEECH 
 
 Outside the captain's quarters I met the sergeant 
 again. He was polite and communicative, and 
 walked with me to the entrance of the camp. 
 
 " How do you like this sort of life, sergeant ? " I 
 asked. 
 
 " Well, doctor," he answered, " I have been in 
 service for fourteen years, and I should not know 
 what to lay my hand to if I gave up soldiering." 
 
 *' Then you like taking prisoners to Siberia ? " 
 
 " No, no, doctor ; it is dirty work. This is only 
 my second trip with a convoy." 
 
 " But you do your work with zeal, of course," I 
 said. 
 
 " I don't know about that. We obey orders." 
 
 " I suppose it happens now and then that prisoners 
 manage to escape — what do you do then ? " 
 
 "We bring them back, doctoi-, if we can find 
 them ; and if not, then they are marked down on 
 our reports as dead." 
 
 "Oh," I said, "I always understood that if you 
 let a convict escape you had to take his place." 
 
 The sergeant laughed at the idea. 
 
 " That would be a pretty state of affairs ! " he ex- 
 claimed. "All the escort would soon be prisoners
 
 246 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 in Siberia ; for there is not a prisoner but tries to 
 escape at the first opportunity." 
 
 " How is it that your prisoners are not chained ? " 
 I asked. " I was told that all Siberian convicts had 
 chains on their legs." 
 
 " So they have, doctor, so they have. Look at 
 them over there." 
 
 He pointed to a group of men in a corner of the 
 camp which I had not before observed. They were 
 all chained. 
 
 " Those are the common prisoners," he explained, 
 " criminals and poor ' politicals.' The gentry whom 
 you saw this morning are treated with more con- 
 sideration than the common folk. It is as the cap- 
 tain orders." 
 
 He hesitated for a moment as though he would 
 say something more, and finally made up his mind 
 to risk it. 
 
 '* I will tell you a secret, doctor," he said confi- 
 dentially. " I don't believe that some of those high- 
 born gentlemen will ever reach their destination." 
 
 " Do you mean that they will kill themselves, as 
 that miserable woman did ? " I asked. 
 
 " God knows," he replied, with a twinkle of amuse- 
 ment in his eyes. " But if ever they get to the 
 penal settlements they are greater fools than I take 
 them to be. As to killing, I don't think they mean 
 to do it for themselves ; and, so far as I am con- 
 cerned, I never yet could get a rifle to shoot straight 
 at such men as they are, and yet I am considered a 
 good shot. Do you understand me, doctor ? " 
 
 I replied that I grasped his meaning perfectly.
 
 A TEST OF SIGHT AND SPEECH 247 
 
 and appreciated the humane sentiments which he 
 entertained for the prisoners under his charge. 
 
 " Some day you will be recompensed for your 
 humanity," I said. 
 
 " Oh, yes," he answered, " I can always get a 
 begging certificate when I am unfit for further ser- 
 vice." 
 
 " I hope," I said, " that it will not be so bad as 
 that." 
 
 " We had better not talk of it," said the sergeant 
 dejectedly. 
 
 We had now arrived at the limits of the camp, 
 beyond which the sergeant could not pass. 
 
 " I have been much interested in our conversa- 
 tion," I said, " and I should like to continue it at 
 some other time. Could you meet me somewhere on 
 the road near here this evening ? " 
 
 He expressed himself delighted at the prospect 
 of further talk with me. He would be off duty at 
 nine o'clock and would walk down the road to meet 
 me. So we parted. 
 
 When I returned to the widow's house I found 
 the old lady arrayed in her best clothes, a white 
 cloth was on the table, and the samovar awaited me. 
 
 Ivan was not looking altogether happy. His in- 
 structions from his master had been to watch over 
 me, and he was uneasy when I was out of sight. 
 Petrus, too, was unhappy because the widow's 
 youngest daughter, Soinia, had been at the camp 
 all day, whilst he was compelled to stay at home. 
 
 The widow questioned me on the result of my 
 visit to the camp, and I told her the arrangements
 
 248 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 which I had made with my friend, by which he was 
 to receive communications from me through her 
 daughters, and wait for word from them before he 
 attempted to escape. She approved of my arrange- 
 ment, and then informed me of the steps which she 
 had taken. She had examined the long disused 
 subterranean chamber and passage, and found them 
 in working order. She had sent Petrus oif with 
 the horses and droshha to a stable a verst away. 
 Petrus could go over there twice daily to look after 
 the horses ; but it would not do to have them on 
 the premises. 
 
 After supper I told Ivan that I was going out 
 again, but that I should not require him to come 
 with me as I was bent on an entirely peaceful 
 undertaking. By nine o'clock I was on the road, 
 walking slowly in the direction of the camp. 
 
 I had not gone far before I heard footsteps ap- 
 proaching me. I stopped in the shadow of the trees 
 to see who it might be, and in another moment the 
 sergeant came up. 
 
 " Good evening, sergeant," I said, going up to 
 him. 
 
 *' Good evening, doctor." 
 
 I glanced up and down the road, and listened, 
 but I could neither see nor hear any one. 
 
 " Shall we sit down by the roadside and talk?" 
 I suggested. 
 
 We sat down side by side at the edge of the 
 forest. 
 
 " Tell me, sergeant," I said, " if I were to place a 
 fifty rouble note on your eye could you see ? "
 
 A TEST OF SIGHT AND SPEECH 249 
 
 " No, doctor. I should not be able to see with 
 that eye ; but I could see out of the other." 
 
 '* Oh, you could ! Well then fifty roubles on your 
 other eye would make you totally blind ? " 
 
 " Yes, doctor, I should be blind for life. There 
 are so many colours in a lOO rouble note that it 
 is impossible to see through it I am told." 
 
 "Yes," I said; "the colours in a lOO rouble 
 note resemble the flesh of the back of a thinking 
 man when the Cossacks have been at him with their 
 knouts." 
 
 " That is very true, gospodin, very true." 
 
 " Now let us come to an understanding. I place 
 a fifty rouble note on each of your eyes, and you are 
 blind. Now supposing that I place another upon 
 your mouth, would you lose your power of speech ? " 
 
 "A man cannot speak with his mouth full of 
 paper, gospodin. You are a doctor who knows well 
 the medicine to prescribe for every disease." 
 
 "Very good," I said. " Now when you are blind 
 and speechless, what are you going to do ? " 
 
 " You may leave that to me, doctor. All I want 
 to know is which are the birds, and how many are 
 to be turned into the woods ? You shall have as 
 many as you wish ; but you must remember that we 
 have only a little more than 600 of them, and there- 
 fore, gospodin, you will not ask for 700 birds." 
 
 " Good heavens, no ! " I only want four or five at 
 the outside," I exclaimed, astounded by the potency 
 of the medicine I had prescribed. 
 
 " Only five ! " said the sergeant, " then you can 
 take off fifty roubles."
 
 250 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 " No, I shall not take any off; but if you make a 
 good job of it I will add another fifty. So you will 
 have 200 roubles." 
 
 " Boje moi, Boje moi ! I shall be rich. The devil 
 take soldier's service when I have 200 roubles ! " 
 
 " To-morrow morning I will come up to the camp, 
 and when I leave the captain's quarters you can 
 follow me, and I will tell you which men I want. 
 Shall you work it single-handed ?" 
 
 " There is a man whom I can trust," said the 
 sergeant. " I shall warn him for escort duty to- 
 morrow, and I will give him something for his 
 trouble." 
 
 " When you let them go turn them into the 
 woods, as you suggested. They will be looked after 
 there," I said, thinking of the widow's daughters. 
 
 " Very good, doctor ; and as soon as they are 
 gone I shall raise a hue and cry, and fall in the 
 guard and start in pursuit ; but we shall take the 
 opposite direction, and we shall not find them." 
 
 " And they will be returned as dead," I said, 
 remembering the conversation of the morning. 
 
 *' Eventually, they will be returned as dead," the 
 sergeant assented, " but not until we have given up 
 all hope of finding them. It would be advisable for 
 you to continue to visit the captain in camp for as 
 long as we remain here." 
 
 "You can leave that to me," I answered, and we 
 rose from the ground. 
 
 " Then I will say good-night to you, gospodin." 
 
 I gave him a note for twenty-five roubles before 
 we parted.
 
 A TEST OF SIGHT AND SPEECH 251 
 
 " You are a business man, doctor," he exclaimed, 
 pocketing the note. 
 
 "Business is business," I answered, and turned 
 towards the widow's house, well satisfied with my 
 interview with the sergeant. 
 
 I had hardly gone a dozen yards when I heard 
 footsteps in the wood moving parallel with me. 
 There could be no question that somebody was 
 watching me. Perhaps he had overheard the whole 
 of my conversation with the sergeant — and what 
 then ? I pulled out my pistol and called out : 
 " Who is there ? " 
 
 "It is I, Bareen," said Ivan, emerging from the 
 cover of the trees on to the road. 
 
 " What are you doing at my heels ? " I demanded, 
 for I had told him to stay within the house ; and I 
 was a little ashamed of myself for being frightened 
 into drawing my pistol. 
 
 Ivan was as imperturbable as ever, and made no 
 apologies ; he simply gave his explanation. 
 
 " It was my master's order, Bareen, that I should 
 protect you with my life, if necessary, and therefore 
 I followed you out this evening." 
 
 " You might have upset all my plans by coming," 
 I protested. 
 
 " The Bareen will lose nothing through my inter- 
 ference," he answered with perfect respect, and no 
 show of temper. 
 
 We walked back to the house together. 
 
 The old dame was on pins and needles to hear how 
 the affair was progressing. I told her that the 
 arrangements were made, and that all she had to do
 
 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 was to lay in a plentiful supply of food, as there 
 would be several additional mouths to be filled, and 
 to warn her daughters to be on the look-out on the 
 morrow. 
 
 " You may depend upon the girls, Bareen," she 
 asserted. " They are steady as rocks." 
 
 Then I went to bed ; but I could not sleep. Over 
 and over again I reviewed every detail of the scheme, 
 and tried to picture the fulfilment of it. Kolka 
 would tell the girls how many I was to expect ; the 
 girls would tell me ; and I would tell the sergeant. 
 Then the sergeant would find some pretext for 
 marching them into the woods under escort, and the 
 prisoners would escape and be taken in charge by 
 the widow's daughters and conducted to the house. 
 
 Yes, so far it all seemed simple enough, providing 
 no mistake were made in the transmission of the 
 messages. 
 
 And then I began to wonder what I should do if 
 the plan failed. I felt very certain that, if necessary, 
 I could bribe the captain of the escort to let them 
 go. But I did not wish to place myself under any 
 obligation to a man of the captain's stamp. Besides, 
 the failure of the first attempt would make it very 
 difficult for the captain to save his face if they 
 managed finally to escape ; and supposing that the 
 escape came off successfully, but that afterwards the 
 hiding-place was discovered — what then ? 
 
 All through the night the doubts and dangers of 
 the undertaking presented themselves with the per- 
 sistency of the recurring decimal. Here I will make a 
 confession. I hoped and believed that I should
 
 A TEST OF SIGHT AND SPEECH 253 
 
 attain my object by peaceable means, but if any man 
 stood in the way of its fulfilment, I was determined 
 to use my pistol rather than fail. I leave it to 
 ethical philosophers to decide in what category my 
 intention should be classed. 
 
 Then the day broke, and I went to the open 
 window and looked out. The morning was cool, and 
 the silence of the forest profound. The first rays of 
 the sun shimmered on the dense foliage and 
 penetrated amongst the giant stems of the trees. 
 Soon the other inmates of the house began to move 
 about, and going to the door I bade the widow bring 
 in the samovar.
 
 CHAPTER XV 
 
 THE ESCAPE 
 
 How I managed to pass the time until ten o'clock 
 I do not know. The hours seemed interminable. 
 At last I would wait no longer and set out for the 
 camp. 
 
 It was about eleven o'clock when I arrived. The 
 sergeant was on the look-out for me, and took me 
 straight to the little room where the bodies of the 
 woman and her child were still lying awaiting burial. 
 Again he went and called the names of Dr. Bogdano- 
 vitch and Dr. Grazinski. I was grateful to the 
 sergeant for giving me this opportunity of speaking 
 to them, and thereby avoiding any misunderstanding 
 which might have arisen had it been necessary to 
 use the widow's daughters as the medium of our 
 communications. 
 
 Kolka and Grazinski came in almost immediately, 
 and the sergeant shut the door on us as he had done 
 on the previous day. 
 
 "Well," I said, "everything is ready — how many 
 is it to be ? " 
 
 " Yankevitch, Grazinski, and myself," said Kolka. 
 " There were two others whom I asked, but they 
 prefer to wait until they get to Irkutsk, where they 
 have relations who will help them out of the country
 
 THE ESCAPE 255 
 
 and supply them with money. So they have decided 
 to remain." 
 
 " We shall be certain to meet them in London or 
 in Paris in eighteen months' time," said Grazinski. 
 
 " Very well," I said, " all you have to do is to obey 
 the sergeant's orders, and look out for the girls with 
 the baskets, and follow them when the time comes." 
 
 We cut the interview as short as possible ; and 
 then we tenderly carried out the bodies of the woman 
 and her child for interment, so that all might see for 
 what purpose we were together. We placed them on 
 rough stretchers outside the building and covered 
 them over with some pieces of sacking. 
 
 Then Kolka and Grazinski walked away and the 
 sergeant came up to me. 
 
 " There will only be three," I told him, " Yanke- 
 vitch, Grazinski, and Bogdanovitch." 
 
 " Only three ! But what a pity that the others 
 will not go ! " 
 
 I told him the reason. 
 
 " Well," he said, " I owe them to you, and they 
 shall have no trouble when they are ready to go." 
 
 " When the birds are free, I will come again and 
 settle up with you," I said. 
 
 He was quite satisfied. 
 
 " I shall give them their chance at about four 
 o'clock," said he, " and I hope it won't be necessary 
 for me to kick them out of the camp ! " 
 
 " I don't think so, sergeant," I answered, and with 
 that I left him and went to the captain's quarters. 
 
 The captain was busy writing reports, I was told 
 by the orderly ; and not wishing to interrupt him in
 
 256 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 his duties, I went off towards the part of the camp 
 where the criminal prisoners were quartered. 
 
 The poor creatures all begged for a few kopeks. 
 They were a miserable assortment of degraded 
 humanity, with dull, brutish faces, on which crime 
 and suffering had indelibly set their stamp. I left 
 them and went to the women prisoners, and there I 
 found the same state of things as I had seen in Tomsk 
 — only their bread was better. They, too, begged 
 of me, poor souls, and I gave them a few roubles. 
 
 Whilst I was still standing amongst them an 
 orderly came up and saluted. The captain, he 
 informed me, would like to see me. I followed him 
 back to the captain's office, and found that gentle- 
 man on the point of departure for the next halting- 
 station — I suppose to ascertain that the camp there 
 was in order for his caravan — and wishing to say 
 good-bye to me before he left. 
 
 " Is there anything I can do for you, doctor ? " he 
 asked. 
 
 With the laudable intention of misleading him I 
 asked if he could give me a letter of introduction to 
 any one in Irkutsk. He sat down and wrote a 
 letter to the principal officer there and handed it to 
 me. 
 
 " I was interested in examining the general health 
 of your prisoners just now," I said, " I hope that I 
 was not doing wrong ? " 
 
 " Not at all ! Not at all ! " the captain repHed. " I 
 hope you will do so as much as you like. I will 
 send an orderly round with you." 
 
 Then he wished me a hearty farewell, and I left
 
 THE ESCAPE 257 
 
 him in his office making his final preparations before 
 starting and followed the orderly into the camp. 
 
 I made a very careful examination of a number of 
 the prisoners, prolonging my inspection as much as 
 possible, for the reason that I did not wish to leave 
 the camp until five o'clock or later. 
 
 I found one woman so badly aftected with sarcoma, 
 that I sent a note to the captain that she ought to 
 be removed from the other prisoners. The captain 
 had not left the camp and my note delayed him still 
 further. He sent an order back that the woman 
 was to be left behind. 
 
 Just after three o'clock I was called upon to exer- 
 cise my skill in midwifery ; and helped to bring a 
 wretched mortal into a world of misery. So there 
 was another woman to be left behind. But, to my 
 surprise, she requested not to be left ; and here was 
 another matter to be referred to the captain. There 
 seemed to be a fate against his leaving the camp 
 that afternoon. 
 
 Then I was present at the funeral of the woman 
 and child whose tragedy had been my opportunity. 
 A pope from the neighbouring village conducted the 
 funeral service, and when it was over I walked back 
 with him. He was a sleek-faced, dirty individual, 
 with a rotund stomach and familiar manner. 
 
 Just as we reached the main road there was a 
 clatter of horses' feet, and hoarse shouts of command, 
 followed almost immediately by a fusillade of rifle 
 fire. We stopped short on the road, and the pope^ 
 green with fear, and his teeth chattering in his head, 
 laid hold of my arm for support.
 
 258 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 " Don't move ! " he cried, " or we shall be hit by 
 a stray bullet." 
 
 I was laughing inwardly at the din and racket 
 which the sergeant was providing for my money. 
 And since the pope refused to move either one way 
 or the other, I was glad to have him holding on 
 to my arm — it gave me quite an air of distinction 
 to have the Holy Russian Church under my pro- 
 tection. 
 
 Certainly the sergeant was an excellent stage- 
 manager, and I was enjoying the farce which he had 
 produced with so much effect. " Alarums and excur- 
 sions " were never more faithfully presented ; and a 
 very fair amount of the Tsar's powder was expended 
 on the entertainment. 
 
 Whilst we were still standing on the road my 
 sergeant dashed up at full gallop, and reined in his 
 horse within a few feet of us. 
 
 " Holy father," he exclaimed in accents of con- 
 sternation, addressing himself to the pope, " three 
 hrudjagas have escaped from the camp and run 
 away. It is a terrible affair ! I am thankful that 
 the captain had not left the camp, and I reported 
 the affair to him as he was going out. I am sure I 
 don't know what the world is coming to ! Yesterday 
 a woman killed her child and herself, and to-day 
 three prisoners break loose." 
 
 *' But had they not chains on ? " asked the pope, 
 leaving his hold on my arm and assuming an air of 
 authority. 
 
 " No, father," the sergeant answered. 
 
 ** How was that ? " he demanded.
 
 THE ESCAPE 259 
 
 " The captain thought that they were men to be 
 trusted, and had ordered their chains off." 
 
 " Then you can go back and tell your captain to 
 light a candle for them " — a Kussian saying that 
 implies ** irretrievably lost " — " you will never see 
 them again, that is certain." 
 
 The sergeant, whose face showed signs of great 
 determination and zeal for the recovery of the run- 
 aways, turned his horse and rode off, and as he 
 turned he gave me a knowing wink. 
 
 When he had gone I proposed to the pope that 
 we should walk up to the camp together and see 
 the disturbance. And we arrived a few minutes 
 later. 
 
 All the prisoners in the " compound " had their 
 chains on now, and the "politicals" had been con- 
 fined in the cells and were behind iron bars. 
 
 We went to the captain's quarters, and before we 
 arrived at the entrance we could hear his voice. His 
 language was powerful, and would only bear com- 
 parison with the remarks of an American travelling 
 salesman who has missed his train. But when he 
 saw the pope and me approaching he at once changed 
 his tone, and, coming out to meet us, bowed his head 
 before the holy man. 
 
 "My son," said the pope, "what means all this 
 confusion ? " 
 
 " This is an unfortunate affair for me, batushka," 
 the captain answered. " A week ago six prisoners 
 escaped and broke their chains and only one of them 
 was recaptured — and he is dead, as he deserves — 
 the tramp ! "
 
 260 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 " My son," said the pope with reproof, " knowest 
 thou not that the dead are holy ? " 
 
 "I ask your pardon, batusaka," the captain 
 answered. " I spoke in haste. And now, not an 
 hour ago, three ' poUticals ' break loose and escape 
 into the woods. The criminals are not of much 
 importance ; but the Government cannot stand the 
 loss of political prisoners." 
 
 " How did they manage to get away ? " asked the 
 holy man. 
 
 " Here is the report of the affair as I have taken 
 it down from the sergeant's lips," said the captain, 
 picking up a sheet of paper from the table and hand- 
 ing it to the pope. I read it over his shoulder, and 
 it stated that, shortly after four o'clock, Sergeant 
 Solobov, with five soldiers as an escort, took out 
 the prisoners Grazinski, Bogdanovitch, Yankevitch, 
 Demidov, and Sapoznikoff into the woods to gather 
 certain plants for medical purposes for the benefit of 
 the other prisoners, with the consent of the captain. 
 
 Grazinski, Bogdanovitch, and Yankevitch became 
 separated from the other^two men and the escort, 
 though they were still within sight. Suddenly the 
 three men, Grazinski, Bogdanovitch, and Yankevitch 
 were seen to throw down the plants which they had 
 collected and run off into the forest in a southerly 
 direction. Sergeant Solobov and two men at once 
 started in pursuit, leaving Demidov and Sapoznikoff 
 in charge of the other three men of the escort, who 
 marched them straight bock to camp and gave the 
 alarm. Sergeant Solobov and the two men with 
 him were unable to overtake the fugitives.
 
 THE ESCAPE 261 
 
 Then followed a note of the steps which the 
 captain had taken m the matter. He had at once 
 ordered all the prisoners to be locked up, and had 
 despatched twenty men to assist Sergeant Solobov, 
 and to bring in the escaped prisoners, dead or alive. 
 Sergeant Solobov returned to make his report when 
 the reinforcements reached him. 
 
 The pope handed the paper back to the captain, 
 who folded it and put it away. 
 
 " The three hrudjagas will be brought in before 
 the morning, and they shall march in irons for the 
 rest of the journey," he asserted, with a valiant 
 attempt to carry oiF the incident as lightly as 
 possible. Then he added less confidently : " Dead 
 or alive they must be found, if I have to postpone 
 the march to-morrow." 
 
 " I trust, my son, that you will recover them," 
 said the pope. " The neighbourhood is already 
 terrorised by these vagabonds who have escaped 
 from their rotas. They steal anything that they 
 can lay hands on. It was brought to my notice 
 only a few days ago that a begach (escaped convict) 
 called at a house in the district and demanded food, 
 and, when it was refused him, he murdered the un- 
 fortunate householder and made off with everything 
 he could carry from the house. To this day he has 
 not been caught. Now, my son, we have three more 
 to contend with," he concluded reproachfully. 
 
 The captain turned to me in despair. 
 
 " You see how we have to earn our pay and pro- 
 motion," he exclaimed. " You have no such state 
 of things in your country, doctor."
 
 262 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 "No, indeed!" I answered sympathetically. "I 
 can see what hardships you have to face." 
 
 " It is the hardships," said the captain grandilo- 
 quently, " that make our soldiers the best in the 
 world." 
 
 "Hear! hear!" said the fat priest, clapping his 
 hands. "Nasha Russki Mallatchi! " (Our Russian 
 bravery !) 
 
 It is the catch phrase of the Russian army, and I 
 could only smile inwardly when I thought of the 
 value of the vaunted bravery which is purchasable 
 for 80 few roubles. 
 
 As we were still talking to the captain Sergeant 
 Solobov came in covered with dirt and perspiration, 
 and apparently fagged out. He had come to report 
 that the three prisoners had not yet been caught ; but 
 that he had obtained information from two sources 
 that they had been seen going towards the south. 
 
 " They are making for the Chinese border," said 
 the captain. " We must head them off from that. 
 You must make for the Yenesei, Sergeant Solobov, 
 and don't come back until you have found them. 
 Ah, that scamp, Yankevitch ! I always had my fears 
 about him with his gold glasses on his nose. He is 
 at the bottom of it, I'll be bound. But wait until I 
 get him back, and I will decorate him with chains in 
 accordance with his deserts." 
 
 Sergeant Solobov had various reasons to bring 
 forward for postponing the pursuit until the next 
 day. The horses were tired ; the men had not fed. 
 But the real reason he did not see fit to mention, 
 namely, that he was expecting to meet me quietly in
 
 THE ESCAPE 263 
 
 the evening to receive payment for his day's work. 
 In the end, he prevailed upon the captain to wait 
 until the next morning before despatching a force to 
 cut off the fugitives. At this point I said good-bye 
 to the captain and withdrew, followed by the pope. 
 
 When I had gone half-way across the camp I 
 noticed that the pope was still at my side. He 
 seemed to have developed a great fondness for me 
 and a desire to remain in my company. He positively 
 would not let me go until I had contributed some- 
 thing to his privy purse. There is no more syste- 
 matic beggar in the world than a Russian priest, and 
 this one was no exception to the rule. I had given 
 all my small change to the prisoners in the morning, 
 and I had nothing less than a rouble, and I gave it 
 to him to rid myself of his company. 
 
 I don't think he had expected more than five 
 kopeks, for when he saw the rouble he crossed him- 
 self a dozen times, and, giving me his blessing, hurried 
 off towards the village with his prize.
 
 CHAPTER XVI 
 
 IN HIDING 
 
 I LOST no time in returning to the widow's bouse, 
 and there I was met by the widow, her shifty, little 
 eyes dancing with triumphant cunning. 
 
 " You can go to your friends, Bareen, as soon as 
 you please," she said. 
 
 I walked straight through the house to the little 
 bedroom at the back, followed by the old lady. To- 
 gether we removed the bed and she prised up the 
 boards. A wooden step led down to the chamber 
 beneath, and in a moment I was surrounded by the 
 three men. There is no need to dwell on the mutual 
 rejoicings and congratulations which followed. I 
 will only say that, for my part, I felt happier than I 
 can ever remember feeling before or since. By the 
 light which penetrated from the hole in the floor 
 above us, I could see that the widow had spread 
 matting on the floor of the chamber, and there were 
 the remains of a substantial meal still visible on 
 plates and dishes. 
 
 After the first greetings were over I told them of 
 my experiences at the camp. 
 
 ' ' The captain takes your escape very badly," 
 I said. " He sent a special message to you,
 
 IN HIDING 265 
 
 Mr. Yankevitch ; when he catches you he will decorate 
 you with chains in accordance with your deserts." 
 
 Yankevitch smiled grimly through his glasses, but 
 said never a word. He was a lawyer, and knew well 
 when to speak and when to hold his tongue. It 
 would serve no good purpose to argue about a con- 
 tingency so improbable as his immediate recapture, 
 and therefore he was silent. 
 
 Then I drew Kolka aside and consulted with him. 
 I told him about Anatovitch, and how I had met 
 him in Tomsk, and suggested that I should send 
 Ivan to him with the news ; and that Ivan should 
 then go on to Vyatka and tell the good tidings to 
 the old doctor. When this was arranged I left them 
 for awhile^ and, putting two hundred rouble notes 
 into an envelope, I strolled down the road towards 
 the camp. 
 
 I had not far to go before I met my man ; he was 
 waiting for me at the roadside. Without a word I 
 handed him the envelope, and he placed it in his 
 boot and crossed himself. 
 
 " Thanks be to the Holy Mother," he said. " This 
 will make me the proprietor of a l-harchevna." 
 
 •* When will the convoy be on the move ? " I 
 asked, when he had disposed of his money satisfac- 
 torily. 
 
 " I do not think that we shall march before 
 Monday, doctor," he replied. " The captain is in a 
 great taking about the escape of the prisoners. To- 
 morrow morning I have orders to start in pursuit of 
 them to the Yenesei. I shall return with my men 
 in the evening ; and when the captain understands
 
 266 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 that they cannot be found that will be the end of 
 the matter. But I do not think that he will order 
 the camp to be moved until Monday. But you must 
 keep your birds caged for some time to come, doctor. 
 Do not let them out until we have left the camp for 
 at least a week. They will be safe enough then." 
 
 I promised to be discreet, and we said good-bye. 
 
 " If you are in KharkofF, doctor, in a year's time, 
 I hope you will patronise my hhmxhevna," said the 
 sergeant, and he turned towards the camp. 
 
 I returned to the house and again took counsel 
 with my proteges. 
 
 I gave Kolka his passport and ckorosho povidenia, 
 which were already made out for him in his 
 own name. I had only one blank passport and 
 cliorosho j^ovidenia left, and I filled them up for 
 Yankevitch. Grazinski, for the time being, could 
 make use of the passport of Dr. Denmanovitch, 
 which I still kept, until an opportunity arrived of 
 procuring a new one for him. I laid great stress on 
 the necessity of all of them remaining in hiding for 
 a week after the departure of the 7'ota from the 
 halting-station, and for as long as they remained in 
 the neighbourhood. Then I wrote a long letter to 
 Anatovitch, and when it was finished I summoned 
 Ivan. 
 
 " I am going to send you on a long journey by 
 yourself, Ivan," I said ; " are you prepared to go ? " 
 
 " I shall do whatever the Bareen orders," he an- 
 swered ; and I could not gather from his words or 
 face whether he was pleased to go or not. I thought, 
 perhaps, he might have had some scruples about
 
 IN HIDING 267 
 
 leaving me ; but the strict obedience of orders was 
 to him the first duty of man. 
 
 " You will start to-morrow morning and take this 
 letter to Dr. Anatovitch," I said, handing him the 
 unaddressed envelope. " You must give it to him 
 privately, and he will tell you whether you are to 
 return here or to go to Vyatka." 
 
 I was determined that old Dr. Bogdanovitch should 
 hear the news as soon as possible ; but I left it for 
 Anatovitch to decide whether he would send on Ivan 
 or a man of his own. 
 
 Early the following morning Ivan left on horse- 
 back for Tomsk, and there was nothing for us to 
 do but wait developments. 
 
 To avoid suspicion I went to see the captain at 
 the camp. He seemed surprised that I was making- 
 such a prolonged stay on the road to Irkutsk ; but I 
 told him that my horses needed a rest, and that I 
 preferred the quiet beauty of the country to life in 
 the towns, and so I had decided to spend a few days 
 in the neighbourhood whilst my horses recovered 
 their condition. I also told him that the opportuni- 
 ties which he had given me of inspecting the prisoners 
 at the camp had been a source of great interest to 
 me, and that I appreciated his kindness and com- 
 panionship. May Heaven forgive me ! 
 
 The captain was still greatly perturbed about the 
 escape of the prisoners, and he sent out patrols on the 
 Friday and Saturday to intercept the fugitives. But, 
 at last, he gave up the search as hopeless, and 
 ordered the march for Monday morning. 
 
 I was there to see them start, and a pitiable
 
 268 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 spectacle the poor wretches presented as they filed 
 out from the camp on to the road, with their mounted 
 escort to urge them forwards and their heavy chains 
 to keep them back. 
 
 The captain bade me an aftectionate farewell, and 
 hoped that I would visit his relations if I returned 
 by Moscow. And so they clanked off miserably 
 down the road, and I watched them depart with a 
 feeling of great relief mingled with pity. 
 
 Two weeks passed, and still Ivan did not return. 
 The three boys enjoyed life to the fullest extent that 
 their restricted circumstances permitted. All day 
 long they would play like rabbits round a certain 
 tree in the forest which marked the entrance of their 
 burrow, prepared at the approach of any man to 
 bolt into their hole. At night they slept in the 
 little chamber under the floor rolled up in rugs on 
 the ground. 
 
 The widow's house stood alone in the forest, and 
 the village was three or four versts away, con- 
 sequently we saw very few people beyond a casual 
 traveller or tramp on the road now and then. I do 
 not think that my presence in the widow's house 
 was known to any one outside of it. 
 
 The restless spirit of the party was Yankevitch. 
 He was always fretting to be gone, and found the 
 restraint on his freedom very trying. Once I had 
 to assert my authority, as leader of the party, to 
 prevent him starting for Tomsk on foot. Kolka and 
 Grazinski backed me up, and Yankevitch was reluc- 
 tantly compelled to remain where he was. 
 
 There was one member of the party who was
 
 IN HIDING 269 
 
 supremely happy — and that was Petrushka. Twice 
 daily he went off to the old shed where the horses 
 were stabled to look after them ; the rest of the day 
 he spent in the company of the widow's daughters, 
 showing a marked preference for Soinia, the youngest. 
 He was a very simple-minded fellow, and he 
 would have been quite contented to spend the rest 
 of his days in the forest home of his Soinia. 
 
 Seventeen days after his departure Ivan returned, 
 bringing a letter from Anatovitch. He implored me 
 to keep my charges in order, and on no account to 
 allow them to break loose or to do anything to 
 jeopardise their safety. He recommended that they 
 should be sent in two parties into Tomsk, where he 
 had arranged a safe quarter for them as they arrived, 
 and he would dispose of them one at a time. He 
 would send back the horses when the first two 
 arrived, and I was to follow with the third. He had 
 sent his own servant to Vyatka with my letter to 
 Dr. Bogdanovitch, as he thought that I should pre- 
 fer to have Ivan with me. He further informed me 
 that my Tartar friend, the hotel proprietor, was 
 counting the days to my return. 
 
 There was no signature to the letter, and the 
 names of Dr. Bogdanovitch and Vyatka were repre- 
 sented by initial letters only. 
 
 Ivan stood before me as I read it, silently awaiting 
 orders. And again I was conscious of the strens^th 
 of his personality. The quiet confidence of the man 
 made itself felt by those with whom he came in 
 contact. 
 
 I thanked him for the successful accomplishment
 
 270 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 of the mission on which I had sent him. He saluted 
 gravely, and his eyes smiled almost imperceptibly, 
 just enough for me to see that he appreciated my 
 thanks. I questioned him about his journey, which 
 had not been altogether uneventful ; but he made 
 nothing of the difficulties which he had encountered. 
 He was a man who was made to combat and sweep 
 away opposition, and it seemed only natural that 
 obstacles which would prove insurmountable to the 
 ordinary man should sink into insignificance before 
 him. There are other men of his stamp in Russia, 
 and some day they will have to be reckoned with by 
 the Powers that be, unless they enlist them on their 
 side. 
 
 I sent Ivan away to get food and rest, and went 
 with my letter to the little bedroom at the back of 
 the house where the floor-boards were movable. 
 There we held a consultation. 
 
 When I announced that two of them could start 
 for Tomsk in the droshha the following day, it was 
 interesting to watch the effect of the news upon them. 
 Yankevitch at once began to make all the arrange- 
 ments. Grazinski and himself would start at six 
 o'clock in the morning, and Kolka and I could follow 
 after. Feeling ashamed that his anxiety to get away 
 had led him to thrust forward his claims unduly he 
 suggested that Kolka and I should go first. Gra- 
 zinski left the matter entirely in my hands. Kolka 
 expressed his intention of remaining behind with me 
 whilst the other two went on. I settled the matter 
 by making them draw lots. It fell out that Gra- 
 zinski and Kolka were to be the first to go. To the
 
 IN HIDING 271 
 
 fortunes of the ballot I insisted on all adhering, 
 though I think Kolka would have preferred to wait 
 behind with me. 
 
 Accordingly, the next morning the droshJca and 
 pair were waiting on the road with Ivan to drive. 
 I dared not trust them with the worthy Petrushka, 
 good fellow as he was. But with Ivan I felt they 
 were safe ; so we bade farewell to Kolka and Gra- 
 zinski, with a word to Ivan not to spare the horses, 
 but to return as soon as possible. They disappeared 
 down the road in a cloud of dust and to the cracking 
 of Ivan's whip, and Yankevitch and I returned to 
 the widow's house.
 
 CHAPTER XVII 
 
 WAITING 
 
 It was now near the end of September. The days 
 were beginning to shorten perceptibly. Morning 
 and evening there was a touch of cold in the air, 
 and the forest took on a gloomy aspect as the days 
 drew in and the leaves of the hardwood trees littered 
 the ground. 
 
 Yankevitch and I made gallant efforts to possess 
 our souls in patience until Ivan could return for us 
 with the horses ; but we knew that at least three 
 weeks must elapse before he arrived, and it might be 
 longer if Anatovitch saw good reason for delay, or 
 had difficulty in procuring fresh horses. 
 
 Our enforced intimacy gave us the opportunity of 
 becoming mutually well acquainted with one another. 
 I found in the restless, versatile Yankevitch a thinker 
 and philosopher of no mean order. We passed our 
 days in discussions and arguments, often of an 
 abstruse nature. On many subjects we differed 
 widely in opinion, and wrangled over our respective 
 convictions until we became very good friends. He 
 was essentially a pessimist — and no wonder. For my 
 part, I am inclined to optimism, outside of Russia 
 and the countries of the Serb, and our differences 
 led to many friendly arguments.
 
 WAITING 273 
 
 One day, about a week after the departure of 
 Kolka and Grazinski, the widow shuffled into the 
 little back room where we were at our tea and asked 
 permission to speak to me. I told her to proceed 
 without ceremony ; and with some confusion she told 
 her story. 
 
 *' You see, Bareen," she explained, " I am a poor 
 widow with my four children." Then she corrected 
 herself. " No, Bareen, I am no longer poor, thanks 
 to the Holy Mother and to you." 
 
 I begged her to couple my name with no ladies, 
 and to come to the point. 
 
 "When you came here we did not know what 
 happiness was. Ah, how hard we used to work ! — 
 Myself and the girls and the jialtchik (Httle boy) — 
 and we could scarcely make a living selling things in 
 the village and to the convicts at the camp. It was 
 hard, Bereen, very hard ! Then you came with your 
 two servants." She paused, and once more became 
 covered with confusion. 
 
 " Well," I said, " go on, matushka." 
 
 " Of course Ivan is like ice; but Petrushka " 
 
 " What about Petrushka ? " 
 
 " Petrushka," said the old lady, crumpling up the 
 corner of her apron. " Petrushka wants to marry my 
 daughter, Soinia, and I have come to ask your 
 permission, and your blessing." 
 
 " I don't see that my blessing would be of much 
 use to them," I answered ; " and as to my permission, 
 Petrus is not really my servant, though he is serving 
 me for the time beino^. He is a dentchik to an 
 officer in Tomsk."
 
 274 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 " That is what Petrushka told my Soinia," said 
 the widow triumphantly. I think she was gratified 
 to find that Petrushka was a man of truth. 
 
 " If they are both satisfied," I continued, "I do 
 not suppose that his master will resent it, and I will 
 undertake that he gives his permission." 
 
 There was an inclination on the part of the widow 
 to throw herself on the ground and kiss my feet 
 again ; but this I sternly repressed, much to the 
 amusement of Yankevitch. Then I sent for Petrus 
 and his fiancee, who came in looking thoroughly 
 ashamed of themselves. I asked Petrus what he 
 proposed to live on when he was married. He drew 
 a delightful picture of wedded bliss, in which he still 
 figured as a dentchih in the service, whilst his wife 
 s>o\dfulkas (rolls) at a stall in the market-place. He 
 had already amassed a fortune of eighteen roubles 
 by careful hoarding of gratuities received whilst in 
 service, and this he referred to as a " start in life." 
 Neither of them knew of the lOO roubles which 
 fell to Soinia as her share of the reward for assistingf 
 in the rescue of Kolka and his companions, and I did 
 not mention it to them. But I promised Soinia a 
 wedding present of fifty roubles. 
 
 " Will it be hisj too ? " she asked doubtfully. 
 
 " Certainly," I answered. " It will be yours and 
 his." 
 
 " I would not like to have it if it would not 
 belong to Petrushka as well as to me," she explained 
 simply. " But since the Bareen says that it will 
 belong to both of us, may the Holy Mother bless 
 him for his goodness."
 
 WAITING 275 
 
 Petrus joined tearfully in her benediction, and 
 they left the room together in a state of delirious 
 happiness at the prospect before them. 
 
 ** How little it takes to make the simple-minded 
 happy," I said to Yankevitch, when they had gone. 
 
 " Oh, yes, my friend, they are happy enough," he 
 answered, " as the beasts of the field are happy. 
 Ignorance may be bliss, but I would rather have 
 knowledge with bitterness. God knows that I and 
 my friends have drunk deep enough of the cup. We- 
 may yet be compelled to drain it to the last drop ; 
 but so long as it is spiced with the leaves of the 
 tree of knowledge we shall not thrust it aside." 
 
 When I looked out of my window the next 
 morning the sky was overcast with heavy clouds. 
 A cold north wind drove them down upon the 
 forest and moaned through the branches of the 
 stooping trees. It swept in shrieking gusts over 
 the roof of the house, which groaned and rattled 
 beneath the blast. And then, in its violence, it tore 
 the filmy lining of the clouds and dashed the flakes 
 of snow in whirling myriads to the earth. 
 
 In an hour's time the snow lay piled in drifts 
 against hillocks, banks, and tree trunks. The wind 
 moderated ; but still the snow fell thick, lying in 
 even purity on the ground, and splashing the dark 
 verdure of the firs with clinging patches of white- 
 ness. 
 
 I found Yankevitch in the depths of despair. 
 
 " It will be weeks before Ivan can return if the 
 weather holds like this," he grumbled. 
 
 " On the contrary," I said. " He will come witli
 
 27b* A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 a sledge in half the time that he would take with 
 the droshka," 
 
 " The road must settle first," Yankevitch objected. 
 " A thaw may come any day and spoil it." 
 
 He was justified in his prognostications. For a 
 week the weather remained unsettled, so that a man 
 starting on a long journey by road would not know 
 whether to take carriage or sleigh for his purpose, 
 and would judiciously delay his departure until the 
 weather declared itself. For a sleigh on a bare road 
 is as useless as a carriage in a snow-drift. 
 
 So we waited impatiently for Ivan's return until 
 the end of October. One day he presented himself 
 in his pelshuhka and heavy boots, a thorough Russian, 
 and with a respectful greeting handed me a letter 
 from Anatovitch. 
 
 I told Ivan to get his dinner and rest, and sent 
 Petrus to attend to the horses and sleigh, for there 
 was no longer any doubt about the state of the road, 
 and Anatovitch had sent a large sleigh with a high 
 back and noble expanse of splash-board. 
 
 Then I eagerly tore open the letter and read it 
 aloud to Yankevitch. Anatovitch had been delighted 
 to receive my guests in safety. Dr. Grazinski was 
 already on the way to Warsaw, where he was to 
 pass the frontier at night and await me at Konigs- 
 berg. Kolka, he said, was as safe with him in 
 Tomsk as he could be anywhere, and he would stay 
 there until we joined him. He had sent a fresh 
 pair of horses and a sleigh for us, and hoped we 
 would start as soon as possible. He had given 
 Ivan fur coats and felt-over boots for us all, so
 
 WAITING 277 
 
 that we should keep warm on the journey. The 
 letter ended with expressions of congratulation and 
 good-will, 
 
 " Dear soul ! " Yankevitch exclaimed, when I had 
 finished reading. 
 
 " Yes," I answered, " he is a dear soul, with a 
 noble nature." 
 
 " Two qualities which are out of place in this 
 country, and which will eventually land him in a 
 penal settlement," said Yankevitch. 
 
 " I hope not," I replied, " for much as I admire the 
 fine woodland scenery of Siberia, I am not anxious 
 to follow up my researches in pathology in this part 
 of the world again." 
 
 The snow was still deep on the road, and there 
 had been very little traffic as yet to tread it down ; 
 and Ivan recommended that we should wait three 
 days before setting out, to rest the horses and give 
 the road a chance of improvement. 
 
 Yankevitch chafed at the delay ; but there were 
 several things to be done before we could leave. 
 Another small sleigh must be procured from the 
 village for Petrus and the third horse ; and a 
 marriage ceremony was due to be performed, which 
 would add another passenger to the second sleigh. 
 
 The widow was quite satisfied that Soinia and 
 Petrushka should be married before our departure ; 
 and though the good Petrus had some qualms about 
 marrying without the consent of his master, I took 
 the responsibility on myself, and started oft' in the 
 snow to fetch my friend the pope from the village. 
 
 The priest was mightily surprised to see me again.
 
 278 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 I told him that I was on my return journey, and had 
 called to see him on business. His holiness liked 
 the sound of the word. It was suggestive of more 
 roubles. So he washed down the last mouthful of the 
 kolhash, which he was eating, with a glass of vodka 
 and turned a beaming countenance towards me. 
 
 ^^Eh, paltcliik moia ! " he exclaimed. " What can 
 I do for you ? " 
 
 I requested him to be kind enough to come 
 with me and perform a marriage ceremony. He was 
 delighted at the prospect. 
 
 ' ' That is right, my iKdtchik, that is right ! Marriage 
 is ordained by Heaven." 
 
 "Is that where the roubles come from, batushka ? " 
 I asked irreverently, digging my fist into his fat ribs. 
 
 " Oi, 01, paltcliik," he grunted. "You have a 
 strong fist." 
 
 " Well, then, to business. I want you to marry 
 a couple of poor villagers, and I shall pay the costs." 
 
 " It is good, my paltchik, to help the poor. The 
 Holy Mother will reward you tenfold." 
 
 " That may be," I answered; " but I never received 
 a kopek from the Holy Mother for that rouble which 
 I gave you some time ago." 
 
 The pope shook his head reproachfully, and the 
 greasy tresses of his long hair flopped against his 
 shoulders. 
 
 "We must not expect to receive the rewards of 
 our good works in this world, paltcliik," he protested. 
 
 " Then, when I ask you to marry this poor couple, 
 am I to refer you to the next world for payment ? " 
 
 " The rich should pay for the poor," said the holy
 
 WAITING 279 
 
 man thoughtfully, "and therefore you pay me for 
 the ceremony, and the Holy Mother will pay you 
 back in the next world." 
 
 And on that understanding we started out for the 
 widow's house. 
 
 " The quicker you perform your business and clear 
 out of the house the higher your pay will be," I 
 assured him, as we neared our destination. 
 
 It was a quaint entertainment. The widow 
 and her children, dressed in their best, kissed the 
 garments of the pope when he entered, and ranged 
 themselves stiffly against the wall of the room. 
 Ivan was present, looking more serious than ever. 
 Petrushka was awkward and shy. Soinia was 
 perfectly composed. 
 
 Mindful of my admonition the pope lost no time 
 in the despatch of the ceremony. And having given 
 them his blessing and drunk a couple of glasses of 
 vodka, he hurried out, taking care to notice that I 
 followed him. I thrust three roubles into his palm, 
 and may the blessings which he bestowed on me fall 
 on his own head ! 
 
 After he had taken his departure, Alexai Yanke- 
 vitch, attorney-at-law, emerged from his hiding-place 
 underground and joined in the congratulations to the 
 happy pair. 
 
 There was nothing now to detain us longer in the 
 widow's house. The road was in good condition and 
 the horses fit for the journey. So we bade farewell 
 to the widow and her family, who were all in tears 
 at our departure, and on the 4th of November started 
 back to Tomsk.
 
 CHAPTER XVIII 
 
 LIBERTY 
 
 The road was in excellent condition, and the morning 
 bright and still, with that exhilarating coldness that 
 makes the blood tingle in the veins and awakens the 
 joy of life. We were all in the highest spirits ; even 
 Ivan so far relaxed as to shout words of encourage- 
 ment to the horses, who laid themselves out for the 
 journey with a dash and eagerness that promised well 
 for our progress. 
 
 Petrushka and his wife followed in the little sleigh 
 behind us. For thirty miles we skimmed down the 
 Moscow road without drawing rein. Yankevitch 
 looked at the forest slipping away from us with 
 kaleidosco23ic effects, as the stems of the tall trees 
 crossed and zigzagged in and out and fell behind 
 us, and he laughed aloud. 
 
 " Those trees didn't flash past like that the last 
 time I saw them," he said. " I used to count them 
 as we trudged along in chains. It took an eternity 
 to pass a hundred ; but it kept me from thinking of 
 other things." 
 
 We made sixty miles that day, and passed the 
 night in a wayside house. Yankevitch and I slept 
 on the oven, which is regarded as the "best 
 bedroom " in a Russian house in winter.
 
 LIBERTY 281 
 
 The next day the road was more difficult. There 
 were several steep inclines, and on the flat tops 
 where the forest no longer protected the road the 
 wind had swept away the snow, and made the 
 " going " very thin. Forty-two miles were all that 
 we were able to accomplish. But I was determined 
 to spend the fourth night at the house of the old 
 Sabbatarian Avho had shown us so much hospitality 
 on our outward journey. To reach his house we had 
 upwards of lOO miles to travel in the two days, 
 and I ordered an early start. 
 
 It was a bitterly cold morning, the wind blew 
 down upon us from the north-east, and I was afraid 
 that it would bring another fall of snow before night 
 and spoil the road. There was no pleasure in the 
 drive that day, for the intense cold made it impossible 
 to enjoy oneself. The horses resented it as much as 
 we did, and at the end of the day they presented a 
 " tucked up " appearance, and Ivan reported that 
 they were ofl" their feed. The snow came, as I had 
 anticipated, about four o'clock, and we sought shelter 
 for the night in the first house that we came across. 
 When we started on the fourth morning the weather 
 had cleared and the wind had dropped. The house 
 of the Sabbatarian was more than fifty miles distant ; 
 but I made up my mind to reach it, if possible, as I 
 was anxious to arrive in Tomsk early on the fifth day. 
 
 The fresh snow impeded our progress not a little ; 
 and at mid-day we had made only thirty miles, and 
 the horses showed signs of fatigue. So we rested at 
 a dilapidated hovel for three hours and fed them. 
 When we started again, I noticed that Ivan was
 
 282 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 nursing them carefally. He kept them to a steady 
 pace of about eight miles an hour, and Petrus, who 
 followed close behind us, had some difficulty in 
 keeping his horse even to that moderate speed. 
 
 We had covered about fifteen miles when night 
 overtook us, and there were still seven or eight miles 
 to be traversed before we reached our destination. 
 However, the moon was up, and the reflections of her 
 beams on the snow made our path clear enough. I 
 was admiring the beauty of the night and the eflects 
 produced by the moonbeams on the trees and snow, 
 when I heard Ivan talking to his horses. 
 
 " Steady, then, steady ! " he was saying ; and it 
 struck me as singular that he should find it necessary 
 to steady his tired horses at the end of a long journey. 
 
 A moment later the sleigh behind shot up and 
 passed us at full gallop, with Petrus laying on to the 
 reins with all his might. Our horses caught the in- 
 fection, and broke too. Ivan, standing up, took a 
 twist of the reins round his wrists, and lay back on 
 them. And turning his head towards us he said 
 quietly : 
 
 " Get your guns ready, Bareen. It is the wolves." 
 
 I fumbled beneath my j^cilshuhka for my revolver, 
 and produced it, and as I did so I heard the sharp 
 crack of a rifle from the sleigh in front of us. Soinia 
 was standing up at the back of the sleigh with her 
 husband's rifle in her hands, and she was reloading it 
 as I caught sight of her. Then I looked back, and I 
 could see the beastly eyes of the wolves following in 
 our wake. 
 
 I fired amongst them, apparently without effect.
 
 LIBERTY 283 
 
 But the rifle from the sleigh in front cracked again, 
 and one of the pack rolled over in the snow. In an 
 instant a dozen of the wolves turned upon their 
 fallen comrade and devoured him. Yankevitch was 
 anxious to have a shot at the cannibals, and I 
 handed my revolver to him. He fired, and another 
 wolf at the head of the pack stumbled, and met his 
 fate at the jaws of his fellows. 
 
 Meanwhile Soinia was firing with unerring effect, 
 and for every wolf that fell a dozen stopped to eat 
 him. The horses, with flattened ears, tore along the 
 road, scattering the snow in all directions. 
 
 The wolves kept up the pursuit until we were in 
 sight of the lights of the Sabbatarian's house, though 
 their numbers were considerably reduced by the fire 
 of Soinia and Yankevitch and the members of the 
 pack who had stopped to feast on their comrades. 
 
 I think we were all glad to arrive in safety at the 
 humble abode of the old Sabbatarian. He received 
 us with the greatest hospitality, and expressed his 
 pleasure at seeing us again. I told him of our 
 experience ; and he said that the wolves at this time 
 of year were a menace to the neighbourhood. 
 The hard frost, and consequent difficulty in procur- 
 ing food, made them ferocious and fearless from 
 hunger. He had often seen them within a couple of 
 hundred yards from his house, and they would 
 devour anything they came across. 
 
 Again we found a comfortable bed on the oven, 
 whither we retired after an interestinof conversation 
 with our host on the views and tenets of the 
 Sabbatarians.
 
 284 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 We were but thirty versts from Tomsk, and I sent 
 Petrushka on, in the morning, to warn Anatovitch of 
 our approach. 
 
 "You can leave your wife with us," I said, "and 
 do not say anything to your master about her until 
 I come." 
 
 So Petrus drove on ahead of us to Tomsk, and we 
 followed a couple of hours later. 
 
 Anatovitch met us in a troica a few miles out of 
 the town. And after mutual salutations, and a look 
 of curiosity on his part at the pretty Soinia, who was 
 seated in the sleigh between us, he insisted on 
 taking Yankevitch away from me and conducting 
 him to a place of safety in the town. 
 
 " I suppose you will go to the hotel," he said, 
 addressing himself to me. " I will come and see you 
 this evening." 
 
 I deposited Soinia at the entrance of the town, out 
 of consideration for the convenances, and told her to 
 walk to the hotel, and drove on by myself through 
 the streets. 
 
 The Tartar proprietor was overjoyed to see me 
 again. He conducted me to the best rooms in the 
 hotel, and on the table of the sitting-room a bottle of 
 imported chamjDagne awaited me. I was stiff and 
 tired after the journey, and glad enough to find 
 myself in comfortable rooms once more. 
 
 In the evening Anatovitch came to see me, and he 
 stayed until two o'clock in the morning, for we had 
 a great deal to tell one another. I recounted to him 
 all that had hapj)ened since I left Tomsk in the 
 summer, and wound up with the confession that I
 
 LIBERTY 285 
 
 had married his dentchik to a fair Siberian, wliom he 
 had seen in the sleigh with us in the morning. 
 Anatovitch was vastly amused at this episode, and 
 laughed heartily over it. 
 
 Then he told me his news. He had despatched 
 Grazinski to Germany via Warsaw ; but he had 
 intended to keep Kolka in Tomsk until our arrival. 
 Later on, however, he had found it advisable to send 
 him out of the country, and he was now in Memel, 
 where Grazinski had joined him, so they were both 
 in safety. Old Dr. Bogdanovitch was selling his 
 estate in Vyatka, and intended to make his home in 
 Mentone, where his married daughter was living. 
 
 "As to Yankevitch," he said, in conclusion, "you 
 can leave him to me. I have all my plans ready for 
 getting him out of the country if you can find the 
 money. All my little hoard went in getting Kolka 
 out of the way." 
 
 The generous soul had spent his last rouble on 
 his friends ; but fortunately there were still plenty 
 of notes in my belt, and we adjusted financial matters 
 satisfactorily. 
 
 I only once again saw Yankevitch before he left 
 Tomsk, and that was two hours before he started. 
 I gave him some letters of introduction to friends of 
 mine in New York and Baltimore, for he intended 
 to go to America, and we said good-bye. 
 
 " I shall go to our friends in Memel first," he said, 
 "and then to America. We shall meet aerain, Mr. 
 Joubert, if I live, we shall meet again." 
 
 Thus the three men who had been the victims of 
 the blind savagery of the " God on Earth " were
 
 286 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 delivered out of his hands. I was left in Tomsk 
 with Mahommed Anatovitch and Ivan. 
 
 Anatovitch and I were sitting together in my 
 room at the hotel three days after the departure of 
 Yankevitch. 
 
 " Do you remember," I said, " that I once made a 
 proposition to you, which you refused to consider so 
 long as Alexander Bogdanovitch was a prisoner ? 
 Kolka is free now, and, therefore, I am at liberty to 
 renew the subject." 
 
 " You mean your proposal that I should leave 
 Russia and practise medicine in England," he 
 answered eagerly. 
 
 '•Yes," I said. " Will you come ? " 
 
 "But I have no means to procure a practice. I 
 am tied to Bussia with the bonds of poverty." 
 
 " You are too proud to accept financial assistance ; 
 but if there is anything in the bond of true friend- 
 ship you will not refuse to let me help you. If you 
 will come to England with me I will undertake that 
 you obtain a start." 
 
 Anatovitch sat with his head resting in the palms 
 of his hands thinking. I could see that the tempta- 
 tion to accept my oifer was strong, whilst his pride 
 and a stern sense of duty urged him to reject it. 
 
 " If you stay here," I said at last, " what will your 
 fate be ? You cannot conscientiously do your duty 
 and remain a free man. You are bound, sooner or 
 later, to cry out against the iniquities perpetrated 
 by a corrupt government, and then you will go 
 where Kolka has been. In Bussia fetters are a 
 necessity, and if a man will not wear them on his
 
 LIBERTY 287 
 
 understanding he must submit to them on his Hmbs. 
 Why should you submit ? Why not go to a country 
 where there is Hberty of thought and conviction and 
 freedom to speak ? " 
 
 Presently he rose from his chair and, coming up 
 to me, laid his hand on my shoulder. 
 
 " I will come with you," he said. 
 
 The details of our departure were soon settled. 
 Anatovitch was to obtain two months leave of 
 absence, and we would go together to our friends, the 
 Bogdanovitches, in Vyatka, and thence to England. 
 
 I summoned Ivan, intending to bid him farewell 
 and dismiss him to his home in Lithuania. 
 
 "Well, Ivan," I said, "our work is done, and 
 right well have you performed your heavy share of 
 it. You can leave for your home to-morrow, if it 
 suits you." 
 
 Ivan drew himself up to his full height. 
 
 " No, Bareen," he answered, " I cannot go." 
 
 I looked at him in surprise. 
 
 " What is there to prevent your going ? " I asked. 
 
 " I have strict orders not to leave you, Bareen, 
 until you are in my master's hands." 
 
 "Bravo, Ivan ! " Anatovitch cried. " Bravely 
 spoken indeed ! Maladetch Ivan da Bogh ! " 
 
 Ivan looked at him unemotionally. 
 
 " It is an order," he said, by way of explanation. 
 "When my master sent me to the Bareen, he said : 
 ' You will return with my friend, or you will not 
 return at all.' I cannot go back without you, 
 Bareen." 
 
 "You are under arrest," said Anatovitch, "and
 
 288 A POWER ABOVE THE TSAR 
 
 you will have to go with Ivan. But first you must 
 both come with me to Vyatka." And so it was 
 arranged. 
 
 We paid a visit to old Dr. Bogdanovitch and his 
 daughters, and found them preparing to leave the 
 place. The estate was already sold, and they were 
 packing up their household gods — there were no 
 ikons amongst them — for transportation to a happier 
 land. 
 
 The old man greeted me tenderly, and he said 
 many things which must remain secret between us. 
 He looked years younger than when I had last seen 
 him in the Hotel de France, St. Petersburg, nearly a 
 year before, and he was very happy. 
 
 I stayed with them only a few days, and then 
 started with Ivan for Lithuania, leaving Anatovitch 
 behind us. It was very evident that he was a 
 persona grata in the house, more especially with the 
 younger sister, Vera Bogdanovitch. I am sure that 
 he found much pleasure in helping her to pack. 
 This I can say without indiscretion, for Vera 
 Bogdanovitch is now Madame Anatovitch. 
 
 So I took leave of them all, arranging to meet 
 Anatovitch in Memel in a month's time, and 
 journeyed with Ivan to Lithuania. 
 
 Ivan solemnly handed me over to Dimitri Stanke- 
 vitch. He had accomplished his mission, and he 
 took up his daily duties at the point where they had 
 been interrupted by his journey to Eastern Siberia. 
 The last time I saw my great, lion-hearted Ivan, he 
 was seated on a bench in the garden with my little 
 god-son on his knee, and the other children rushing
 
 LIBERT\^ 289 
 
 madly around him in the snow. He was still 
 perfectly grave and reserved ; but the little fellow 
 nestled confidingly against his palshuhka, and Ivan's 
 strong arms encircled him tenderly. 
 
 For the first time Dimitri Stankevitch told " my 
 little sister " the true story of my trip to Russia and 
 of the mysterious departure of Ivan from the house- 
 hold. Needless to say, I had to give full particulars 
 of our doings from the day that I left their house. I 
 was with them for about three weeks, and then a 
 telegram came for me from Memel. 
 
 "We are all waiting for you. — Kolka." 
 And so I bade farewell to my friends, and to the 
 kingdom of the " God on Earth."
 
 AN OPEN LETTER TO THE TSAR 
 
 Your Imperial Majesty, — 
 
 For a period of nine years I have had the 
 honour of living in your Majesty's country. I went 
 there of my own free will to study your Majesty's 
 peoples and the conditions under which they live. I 
 have visited every part of the vast Empire over 
 which your Majesty holds sway — from the Baltic to 
 the Caspian sea ; from the Black Sea to the Pacific 
 Ocean. I have come in contact with all nations and 
 peoples who acknowledge your Majesty as their ruler, 
 and some who will not acknowledge your Majesty ; 
 but over whom, nevertheless, your Majesty holds 
 dominion. I have humbly endeavoured to make 
 myself acquainted with the systems of administra- 
 tion of your Majesty's Church, courts of Justice, 
 services civil and military, and educational methods. 
 I have observed that all the functions of government 
 are centred in your august personality. Your Majesty 
 is the head of the Church, the supreme commander of 
 the land and sea forces, your Majesty is the Law, and 
 under your Majesty's control are all the departments 
 of State. 
 
 The responsibilities of government rest upon your 
 Majesty alone. It is therefore to your Imperial 
 Majesty that I presume to address myself, in the
 
 AN OPEN LETTER TO THE TSAR 291 
 
 same spirit as a wayfarer on the road, without 
 incurring the charge of undue interference, might 
 summon the owner of a house to warn him that there 
 is a fire smouldering beneath the eaves. 
 
 I have seen the smoke issuing from the crannies of 
 your Majesty's house. Since I was an inmate of the 
 structure I can also speak to the fact that the beams; 
 are rotten as tinder, and they will burn fiercely when/ 
 the fire reaches them. 
 
 Let me direct your Majesty's attention to the 
 state of the pillars of the edifice. The Church which 
 boasts Christ as its head in heaven, and your 
 Majesty as its head on earth, teaches superstition 
 to the people and fosters ignorance. Are these 
 things in accord with the teachings of Him who pro- 
 claimed Himself " The Light of the World ? " And 
 is your Majesty to be acquitted of the charge of 
 blasphemy in allowing the divine right of kings to 
 be extended to the presumption of a god-head on 
 earth ? Is the rigorous persecution by the Church 
 of those who diifer from her doctrines part of the 
 mission of Him whose birth was heralded with 
 " Peace on earth and goodwill towards men ? " At 
 the doors of the holy Kussian Church he the massacres 
 of the Jews in Kischiniefi' and Kiev, and many other 
 places vithin your Majesty's dominions. The perse- 
 cution of the Poles and the Finns she justifies on the 
 plea of heresy, yet they too acknowledge Christ to be 
 the Lord, though they are reluctant to bow the knee 
 before the " God on Earth." Herein lies their heresy. 
 
 The Church is the strongest pillar in your Majesty's. 
 house, but it is rotten and corrupt.
 
 S92 AN OPEN LETTER TO THE TSAR 
 
 Turn, then, to the pillar of Justice. It is orna- 
 mented with carvings of grotesque design. Here 
 a drunken judge slavers over the Book of Kights, 
 whilst his learned brother pockets the bribe which 
 the litigant offers him. Here are twelve poor men, 
 whose eyes are bandaged and their ears and mouths 
 stopped up — they are the jury, who are enjoying 
 the privilege of trial by peers ; but they have no say 
 in the verdict. The nervous-looking men who are 
 speaking are the counsel,Vho dare not exercise their 
 forensic powers to the full extent lest they should 
 be made to exchange places with the prisoner in the 
 dock. Your Majesty will observe that the police 
 and court officials are represented with coins in the 
 place of eyes and mouths. The endless procession of 
 wretched forms which encircles the pillar are the 
 men and women who have been sent to the penal 
 settlements without trial. The capital is ornamented 
 with the thongs of the Cossack's knout, the emblem 
 of law and order throughout your Imperial Majesty's 
 dominions. The pillar is crumbling with corruption, 
 and some day it may fall on your Majesty's head. 
 
 The pillar of education and culture is constructed 
 entirely of paper, and is flimsy and inflammable. I 
 presume that it is on account of its combustible 
 qualities that your Majesty denies education to his 
 subjects. It is dangerous for children to play with 
 fire, and therefore the " Little Father " takes away 
 the light. Even the gymnasiums and universities 
 are a terror to your Majesty, and the feeble flicker 
 of their beams is constantly being extinguished by 
 order of your Majesty, lest the flames should spread
 
 AN OPEN LETl^ER TO THE TSAR 293 
 
 too far and kindle the sparks of intelligence in the 
 rainds of many. 
 
 Your Majesty has hidden the candle of knowledge 
 under the bushel of the censorship ; but, in spite of 
 all precautions, the smoke leaks out from under the 
 flooring. There is a fire smouldering somewhere. 
 
 The fourth pillar of your Imperial Majesty's house 
 is a mighty structure. It is built up of 5,000,000 of 
 armed men, of guns, and lately-battered ships. The 
 strength of this pillar is being subjected to a test at 
 this moment. How does it stand it, your Majesty ? 
 Are all the stores and munitions of war complete ? 
 Is your Majesty satisfied that none of his officers has 
 sold information to the enemy? These questions 
 deserve the consideration of your Majesty, for in 
 times of peace the army is corrupt and the officers 
 prey upon their men. The pillar has a formidable 
 appearance ; but, for all that, it is crumbling with 
 corruption within. 
 
 May I venture to direct your Majesty's attention 
 from the pillars to the wall of the house ? For on the 
 wall is something written which has possibly escaped 
 your Majesty's notice in the darkness of the house. 
 
 I am no Daniel, but I can read the writing on the 
 wall, for it is only one word — "Revolution." 
 
 Your Majesty is worshipped and beloved of his 
 people. So was Louis XVI. of France. France had 
 only one Marat ; but there are more men of his 
 stamp in Russia than your Majesty could count. 
 There are also many Robespierres and Dantons. The 
 Reign of Terror in France will sink into insignificance 
 and oblivion when the day of the Russian Revolution
 
 294 AN OPEN LETTER TO THE TSAR 
 
 dawns. Each government will mete out her own 
 particular ideas of justice ; each state will have her 
 own terrors ; each village its tree of execution ; and 
 the " heads" will be demanded by the thousands. 
 
 The seeds of revolution are already sown in your 
 Majesty's dominions. There are mothers bringing 
 up sons who will be the judges of vengeance, and 
 who are now learning to lisp the word. There 
 are in foreign universities young Russians who are 
 studying science with set jaws, and thinking ; but 
 they will not always be thinking. In the breast of 
 every humble moujik there is a consuming fire. He 
 is ignorant and cannot diagnose the malady, and he 
 is patient in his suffering. But when the young 
 men return from the foreign universities and tell 
 him the real nature of his disease, and fan the 
 smouldering fire within him, the bestial flame of 
 savagery will leap out, destroying in wanton fury 
 all whom he is incited to destroy. 
 
 Thus the trouble in your Majesty's dominions will 
 come from within. And it is not by the secret police 
 and politzmaisters that it can be averted ; neither is 
 it by the censorship ; nor by the suppression of 
 education ; nor by persecution and massacre, effec- 
 tually as these means have hitherto served to keep 
 the house of Romanov in power. 
 
 But let your Majesty lift himself above his ances- 
 tors, and leave a name behind him which will be 
 honoured and revered by all posterity, as the libera- 
 tor of his country from oppression and ignorance. 
 The revenue which your Majesty would obtain from 
 the abolition of the censorship would pay for the free
 
 AN OPEN LETTER TO THE TSAR 295 
 
 education of the nation. The recall from the penal 
 settlements of the learned and honest men whom 
 your Majesty has exiled thither without trial would 
 enable him to fill the vacancies in the legal and 
 civil services, caused by the expulsion of drunken and 
 dishonest judges and officials. From the ranks of 
 the men who have been driven out of Kussia by the 
 maladministration of justice, your Majesty would be 
 able to choose wise and prudent counsellors to occupy 
 the positions of those Ministers who now surround 
 you, whose counsel is dictated neither by love of 
 your Majesty nor for the welfare of their country, 
 but for the benefit of the class from which they are 
 drawn. 
 
 The grant of equal rights in the eye of the law to 
 all your Majesty's subjects without respect to creed, 
 colour, or race, is an elementary form of justice which 
 is only to be expected of an enlightened monarch. 
 
 Freedom of speech and of the press are not 
 regarded as dangers to the peace of civilised 
 countries. 
 
 It is only by granting reforms such as these that 
 the day of revolution can be averted. 
 
 The smoke, your Imperial Majesty, is issuing from 
 the eaves of your house, and I have taken the liberty 
 of warning your Majesty of the fact. 
 
 Carl Joubert.
 
 APPENDIX 1 
 
 THE TITLES OF HIS IMPERIAL MAJESTY 
 NICHOLAS ALEXANDROVITCH 
 
 Nicholas the Second, Emperor and Autocrat of all the 
 
 Russias, Moscow, Kieff, Vladimir, Novgorod. 
 Tsar of Kazan. 
 Tsar of Astrakhan, Poland, Siberia, Chersonesus-Taurica, 
 
 Grusia. 
 Sovereign of Pskoff, and 
 Grand Duke of Smolensk, Litwa, Volhynia, Padolia, and 
 
 Finland. 
 Duke of Estland, Lifland, Kurland and Smigalsk, Samogitsk, 
 
 Belvetok, Korelsk, Tver, Yugorsk, Perm, Vyatka, Bol- 
 
 garien, and others. 
 Sovereign and Grand Duke of the Niederlands of Novgorod, 
 
 Chernigofif, Eyzan, Polotsk, Rastov, Yaroslaf, Beloziorsk, 
 
 Vodorsk, Obdorsk, Kondijsk, Vitebsk, Ulstislavi, and 
 
 all other Northern lands the Commadoe. 
 Sovereign of Everck, Kartalinsk, and Kabardinsk lands, and 
 
 Armenia Regions, and 
 Sovereign Heir and Possessor To the Dukes of Cherkoss and 
 
 Gorskia. 
 Sovereign of Turkestan, and 
 Heir of Norway. 
 
 Duke of Schleswig-Holstein, Fehmarn, Ditmarsen, etc. 
 By 70,000,000 of people in Russia the Holy Tsar is known 
 
 as the " Zembla Bogh " — the God on Earth, or the Little 
 
 Father.
 
 APPENDIX II 
 
 A LIST OF SOME OF THE PRINCIPAL OUTRAGES AND 
 MURDERS PERPETRATED ON THE JEWS BY THE 
 CHRISTIANS UNDER THE SYSTEM INTRODUCED 
 BY M. POBIEDONOSTSEFF, THE PROCURATOR 
 OF THE HOLY SYNOD 
 
 Yelisabetgrad. — I5th-i8th April, 1881. The Jewish quarter 
 
 pillaged and burnt, and the Jews destroyed unmerci- 
 fully. No details of casualties available. 
 District of Yelisabetgrad and Alexandria. — i7th-2ist 
 
 April, 1 88 1. General outrages on the Jews, in which 
 
 the officials took a hand. No details of casualties 
 
 available. 
 Ananieff and the Goltah District. — 17th April, 1881. The 
 
 Jews met with the same treatment as in Yelisabetgrad. 
 Beresovka. — 26th April, 1881. 159 private houses were 
 
 robbed and destroyed, also 28 shops and business houses. 
 Annanieff. — 27th April, 1881. 175 private houses and 24 
 
 business houses were destroyed, mostly the property of 
 
 poor ews. 
 Annanieff District. — 28th April to ist May, 1881. Eight 
 
 villages of Jews were destroyed and the inhabitants 
 
 exterminated. 
 KiEFF. — 23rd-26th April, 188 1. Massacre and outrages of 
 
 the Jewish inhabitants of a fearful description. 
 VosiLKOFF. — 29th and 30th April, 1881. Extermination of 
 
 the Jews.
 
 298 OUTRAGES AND MURDERS PERPETRATED 
 
 OsATRE, NEAR KiEFF. — 29th and 30th April, 1 88 1. Massacre 
 
 and robbery of the Jews. 
 Zmarinkah. — 27th April, 1881. Massacre and robbery of 
 
 the Jews. 
 KoNOTOP. — 27th-29tb April, 1881. Several Jews murdered 
 
 and robbed. The officials shared in the spoils. Nine 
 
 villages in the district wiped out. 
 Smealah and Cherkass District. — 3rd and 4th May, 
 
 1 88 1. Thirteen villages destroyed and the inhabitants 
 
 massacred. 
 VoLOCHiSK. — 5th May, 1881. Volochisk and the neighbour- 
 ing villages were destroyed by fire and sword. 
 Odessa. — 3rd-5th May, 1881. Massacre and robbery of 
 
 Jews, in which the authorities took part. 
 Jewish Colony, near Odessa. — 4th-ioth May, 1881. The 
 
 colony was wiped out and their effects plundered. 
 Nikolaieff. — ist-4th May, 1881. The Jews destroyed by 
 
 fire and sword. 
 Alexandroffsk and Novomoscva Districts. — istMay, 1881. 
 
 Massacre and robbery, with arson. 
 Kharkoff and Berdjansk. — 4th-6th May, 1881. Massacre 
 
 and robbery, in which the officials joined. 
 Berdjansk and Marienpol. — i8th and 19th May, 1881. As 
 
 above. 
 DoNSKOi Losovo. — 6th May, 1881. At the Sevastopol rail- 
 way station, outrage of women and massacre. 
 RoMNY. — 6th and 7th May, 1881. Romny and neighbouring 
 
 villages destroyed. Children murdered in the presence 
 
 of representatives of the Church. 
 KiEFF. — 8th May, 1881. 2000 Jews were left homeless, 
 
 their houses pillaged and burnt, stores sacked, men 
 
 murdered in the streets, women outraged publicly, and 
 
 babies thrown from the windows of the houses. 
 Yaroslav. — 30th June and 14th July, 1881. In Yaroslav 
 
 and the neighbouring villages was a repetition of the 
 
 scenes in Kieff.
 
 ON THE JEWS BY THE CHRISTIANS 299 
 
 Nezin. — 2istand 22nd July, 1881, Jews murdered in the 
 
 streets and their dead bodies robbed. 
 Faodosia. — 2nd June, 1881. Massacre and robbery of Jews. 
 Odessa. — 1 4th- 1 8th November, 1881. A repetition of the 
 
 scenes in KiefF. 
 Krosilnikoff. — 28th and 29th December, 1881. Massacre 
 
 and robbery of Jews. 
 Warsaw. — I2th-i5th December, 1881. 298 business houses^ 
 
 690 small shops, 519 private houses were burnt or made 
 
 desolate. The synagogues were polluted, and nearly a 
 
 hundred Jews were never accounted for. 
 
 Extract from " Encyclopaedia Britannica," vol. 24, p. 475 : 
 
 " Within a few weeks the whole of Western Russia, from 
 the Black Sea to the Baltic, was smoking with the ruins of 
 Jewish homes. Scores of Jewish women were dishonoured, 
 hundreds of men, women, and children were slaughtered, and 
 tens of thousands were reduced to beggary and left without 
 a shelter. Murders, riots, or incendiary outrages took place 
 in no fewer than 167 towns and villages, including Warsaw, 
 Odessa, and Kieff. Europe had witnessed no such scenes of 
 mob savagery since the Black Death massacres in the four- 
 teenth century." 
 
 So much for 1881, the first year of the gentle system 
 inaugurated by M. Pobiedonostseff. 
 
 1882. 
 In this year there were massacres of the Jews, attended 
 by the usual horrors at : 
 
 Balta District, Kaments. 
 moghileff. 
 
 1883. 
 
 Rostoff. 
 
 Ekaterinoslaff. 
 
 Krivoy-Rog.
 
 300 OUTRAGES AND MURDERS 
 
 1884. 
 
 NuNi Novgorod. 
 
 DoMBRovrrzA, District of Rovno. 
 Every year until 1895 there were frequent massacres of 
 the Jews in some part or other of Russia. Then there was a 
 pause in the orgie of Jew-murder, and until 1903 massacres 
 were not so frequent, though of annual occurrence at Easter, 
 when the old story of the Jews murdering Christian children, 
 to knead their unleavened bread with their blood, is regularly 
 circulated by the popes of the Russian Church. Kischinieff 
 and Gomel foot the list, and prove to the civilised world that 
 M. PobiedonostsefE has lost none of his savage vindictiveness 
 against the Children of Israel. From 1880 until 1904 M. 
 Pobiedonostseflf has filled the post of first adviser to the Tsar, 
 as Procurator of the Holy Synod. He is responsible for the 
 " May Laws " and the system of rigorous persecution of all 
 unorthodox persons, whether Jews, Christians, or Mahom- 
 medans. The Protestant Stundists sufiered under his direction 
 afflictions almost as dire as those of the Jews. To the instiga- 
 tion of M. Pobiedonostseff must be traced the murder of 
 thousands of innocent persons, the violation of countless 
 women and girls, the destruction by fire of the homes of 
 tens of thousands of helpless Jews. M. Pobiedonostseff is 
 to this day the chief adviser of the Tsar, and the Procurator 
 of the Holy Synod. His influence with his Royal Masters 
 has been, and is, enormous. Alexander III. was completely 
 in his power, and turned a deaf ear to the appeals of the 
 civilised world, and even of the Tsaritsa herself, on behalf 
 of the persecuted Jews, refusing with coarse oaths to hear 
 their name mentioned in his presence. His influence with 
 Nicholas II. seems to be equally strong, and old age has not 
 abated his bloodthirstiness nor weakened his savage hatred 
 of the heretic. 
 
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 London 6^ Edinburgh
 
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 Joubert, Carl. 
 
 Russia as it r-^^ally is 
 
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