[Russia by Donald Mackenzie Wallace]@TWC D-Link book
Russia

CHAPTER I
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His incitements are all oral.

He talks to his cattle as he would to animals of his own species--now encouraging them by tender, caressing epithets, and now launching at them expressions of indignant scorn.

At one moment they are his "little doves," and at the next they have been transformed into "cursed hounds." How far they understand and appreciate this curious mixture of endearing cajolery and contemptuous abuse it is difficult to say, but there is no doubt that it somehow has upon them a strange and powerful influence.
Any one who undertakes a journey of this kind should possess a well-knit, muscular frame and good tough sinews, capable of supporting an unlimited amount of jolting and shaking; at the same time he should be well inured to all the hardships and discomforts incidental to what is vaguely termed "roughing it." When he wishes to sleep in a post-station, he will find nothing softer than a wooden bench, unless he can induce the keeper to put for him on the floor a bundle of hay, which is perhaps softer, but on the whole more disagreeable than the deal board.

Sometimes he will not get even the wooden bench, for in ordinary post-stations there is but one room for travellers, and the two benches--there are rarely more--may be already occupied.

When he does obtain a bench, and succeeds in falling asleep, he must not be astonished if he is disturbed once or twice during the night by people who use the apartment as a waiting-room whilst the post-horses are being changed.


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