登陆注册
5382300000011

第11章 CHAPTER I(10)

If this little incident justifies me in drawing a general conclusion, I should say that exposure to extreme cold is an almost painless form of death; but that the process of being resuscitated is very painful indeed--so painful, that the patient may be excused for momentarily regretting that officious people prevented the temporary insensibility from becoming "the sleep that knows no waking."

Between the alternate reigns of winter and summer there is always a short interregnum, during which travelling in Russia by road is almost impossible. Woe to the ill-fated mortal who has to make a long road-journey immediately after the winter snow has melted; or, worse still, at the beginning of winter, when the autumn mud has been petrified by the frost, and not yet levelled by the snow!

At all seasons the monotony of a journey is pretty sure to be broken by little unforeseen episodes of a more or less disagreeable kind. An axle breaks, or a wheel comes off, or there is a difficulty in procuring horses. As an illustration of the graver episodes which may occur, I shall make here a quotation from my note-book:

Early in the morning we arrived at Maikop, a small town commanding the entrance to one of the valleys which run up towards the main range of the Caucasus. On alighting at the post-station, we at once ordered horses for the next stage, and received the laconic reply, "There are no horses."

"And when will there be some?"

"To-morrow!"

This last reply we took for a piece of playful exaggeration, and demanded the book in which, according to law, the departure of horses is duly inscribed, and from which it is easy to calculate when the first team should be ready to start. A short calculation proved that we ought to get horses by four o'clock in the afternoon, so we showed the station-keeper various documents signed by the Minister of the Interior and other influential personages, and advised him to avoid all contravention of the postal regulations.

These documents, which proved that we enjoyed the special protection of the authorities, had generally been of great service to us in our dealings with rascally station-keepers; but this station-keeper was not one of the ordinary type. He was a Cossack, of herculean proportions, with a bullet-shaped head, short-cropped bristly hair, shaggy eyebrows, an enormous pendent moustache, a defiant air, and a peculiar expression of countenance which plainly indicated "an ugly customer." Though it was still early in the day, he had evidently already imbibed a considerable quantity of alcohol, and his whole demeanour showed clearly enough that he was not of those who are "pleasant in their liquor." After glancing superciliously at the documents, as if to intimate he could read them were he so disposed, he threw them down on the table, and, thrusting his gigantic paws into his capacious trouser-pockets, remarked slowly and decisively, in something deeper than a double-

bass voice, "You'll have horses to-morrow morning."

Wishing to avoid a quarrel we tried to hire horses in the village, and when our efforts in that direction proved fruitless, we applied to the head of the rural police. He came and used all his influence with the refractory station-keeper, but in vain.

同类推荐
  • The Enchiridion

    The Enchiridion

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 三光注龄资福延寿妙经

    三光注龄资福延寿妙经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 雅量

    雅量

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说大威灯光仙人问疑经

    佛说大威灯光仙人问疑经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 孔子家语

    孔子家语

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 美错虚度

    美错虚度

    “余斜墨,当初我跟你表白,结果呢?结果就是你不理我,放假后你直接失踪。你的QQ头像从放假那天就没亮过,打电话给你,关机!我好不容易从老师那知道你的住址,我去找你,我在你家门口等了整整三天,从白天等到晚上,”郭羽敏要早已经崩溃,眼泪像不要钱地往下掉,“结果…就是别人告诉我,你搬家的消息。搬家?多可笑!”郭羽敏指着余斜墨,“我喜欢你五年,就算你不喜欢我,你不告诉我就算了,你谁都没告诉,一句话一个字都给留下。”郭羽敏好像发泄地差不多,情绪没有开始那么激动了,“我喜欢你五年,我用三年的时间才慢慢开始忘记你,可是为什么要再次出现在我的生活里?你告诉我,你凭什么说你想追求我?”
  • 乌龙婚姻纪事

    乌龙婚姻纪事

    这个世界上最苦逼的不是你升级成大龄女郎还嫁不出去,也不是你贱肉横生而难以挤进你男神的法眼,而是你莫名其妙地遇见一个人,糊涂地跟他结了婚。如果这些还不算,那么我告诉你,当你终于想起那小本子的九块钱是你付的时候,想去离婚竟然发现自己被一个类似疯子的物体缠上了....你会不会有以头抢地的冲动?我是奕珊,我想简述我这一段有点不堪回首的“乌龙婚姻纪事”。
  • 兵马俑密码

    兵马俑密码

    来自2200年前的秦朝大国师徐福,通过鱼形时光飞船,把诗诗、龙龙和壮壮骗回到从前,要把他们当做长生不老药的“药引子”,进献给秦始皇。诗诗三人巧施妙计逃出,目睹那个时代的种种暴行,邂逅万里寻夫的孟姜女……一系列的遭遇,逐步唤醒了他们心中的正义力量,他们与骄横跋扈的小王爷胡亥斗智斗勇,揭露徐福不可告人的阴谋诡计,直面秦始皇的淫威,永不退缩。最后,当他们和孟姜女、万喜良准备一同返回现代时,却不得不再度面临生死考验……
  • 我只是一只召唤兽

    我只是一只召唤兽

    当龙宇以召唤兽的形式重生到御兽星球中,还附带一个系统,会发生什么样的事情?是会苟延残喘的活下去?还是登上兽神巅峰?亦或者统领御兽星球?然而龙宇却表示:做这些太累了,我还是好好当召唤兽吧,反正我只是一只召唤兽!喜欢本书的可以加入书友群来一起互相嗨皮哦,群号码:554372020
  • 逝去的故乡桃花

    逝去的故乡桃花

    《逝去的故乡桃花》呈现了一个富有精神乌托邦色彩的写作者张杰,20年如一日在村庄和偏僻县城的所有精神努力。他尝试了精神存在对于一个时代的可能性,在一种具有毁灭性的文字结局里,得出一个悲怆性的结论,至少在一些区域,精神的存在是这个时代的一种奢望,而且其普遍性已逼近时代的本质部分。
  • 帝神大道起源

    帝神大道起源

    (新书《风伴剑行》,此书后续正文)一代帝神,曾差点以一己之力毁灭一大族,可惜被活活耗死。叶氏到了叶耀杰这一代,不知会发生什么事情,一步一步,洞悉真相,一人一剑,成就祖神之位!
  • 我家阁楼通异界

    我家阁楼通异界

    少年江楠偶然踏入阁楼,门后竟是一个崭新世界。还魂丹,驻颜草,不老药……待我打通两界入口,我就是这个世界最富有的!
  • 攀登成功的阶梯(教育篇)

    攀登成功的阶梯(教育篇)

    要做一个受人尊敬的人,别辜负父母苦心,做人必须要有志气,立志要以德为本;不要在年轻时享福,不要父母的溺爱,学会接受自己本来的面貌,凡事从小做起,期待未来,立足今天!
  • 美人殇

    美人殇

    五国之乱,作为和亲祭品的她,入宫。助他打下江山,功成身退,他道:“我对你,只存了虚情假意……”一朝红颜乱,共她笑江山!重生之后,一个华丽的转身,她决意以牙还牙、以血还血,灭了他的国,斩了他的人……
  • 冯氏锦囊秘录

    冯氏锦囊秘录

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。