b o o k made of fait, or fometimes freih meat, groats, rye-flour,
. _' j highly feafoned with onions and garlick, which latter ingredients
are much ufed by the Ruffians.
The peafants feemed greedy of money, and almoft wholly
demanded previous payment for every trifle we bought or
bargained for. They feemed alfo in general much inclined
to thieving. In Poland it was not necefiary to be always
upon the watch ; and we frequently left the equipage during
the whole night without any guard : but in this country,
without the precaution of regularly Rationing a fervant in
the carriage, every article would foon have difappeared;
and even with this expedient, the watchfulnefs of our Argus
was continually baffled by the fuperior vigilance of the
natives; and the morning generally announced fome petty
lofs, to which the night had given birth.
The peafants at every poft were obliged to furniffi us
with horfes at a fixed and very reafonable rate, which had
one ill effedt of rendering them extremely dilatory in their
motions ; and as our only interpreter was a Bohemian * fervant,
not perfectly acquainted with the Ruffian language, his
difficulty in explaining, joined to their backwardnefs in
executing our orders, occafioned our frequently waiting
feveral hours for a change of horfes. The peafants a ¿led in
the capacity of coachmen and poftilions : they always har-
nefled four horfes a-breafi, and commonly put eight, and
fometimes even ten horfes to our carriage, as the ftages were
for the moft part twenty, and fometimes even thirty miles in
length, and the roads extremely bad. They feldom ufed
either boots or faddles, and had no fort of ftirrup, except a
rope doubled and thrown acrofs the horfe’s back. Each horfe
was equipped with a fnaffle-bridle, which however was fel-
* The Bohemian and Ruffian languages are both diale&s o f the Sclavonian tongue.
4 dom
dom inferted into the mouth, but was generally fuffered to c h a p .
hang loofe under his jaw. The general method of driving ■ .
was not in a fteady pace, but by ftarts and bounds, with
little attention to the nature of the ground : the peafants
feldom trotted their horfes ; they would fuddenly puih them
forwards into a gallop through the worft roads, and fometimes
as fuddenly check their fpeed upon the moft level
furface. A common piece of rope ferved them for a whip*
which they feldom had any occafion to ufe, as they urged
their horfes forwards by hooting and whiffling like cat-calls.
The intervals of thefe noifes were filled with finging, which
is a favourite pradlice among the Ruffians ; and has been
mentioned by moft travellers who, for thefe two or three
laft centuries, have vifited this country, and which I ihall enlarge
upon on a future occafion.
From the wretched hamefs, which was continually breaking,
and required to be repeatedly adjufted, the badnefs of
the roads, the length of time we were always detained at
the pofts before we could procure horfes, and other necef-
fary impediments, we were feldom able.to travel more than,
forty or fifty miles a day, although we commenced our journey
before fun-rife, and purfued it till it was quite dark.
Auguft 27. Near Viafma we entered the vaft foreft of
Volkoniki^ through which we continued for 150 miles without
interruption almoft to the gates of Mqfcow., This forefty.
which ftretches. on all tides to an immenfe extent, gives rife
to the principal rivers of European Ruffia, the Duna, the
Dnieper, and the Volga. The fources of the Duna were at
fome diftance from' our route ; but thofe of the Dnieper and
the Volga rofe at fmall intervals from each other, not far from
Viafma. The country in this part was more than ufual
Voi*. I, L I broken