128 CHAPTER VIII. The bay-Lodgings-Want of market-Sour ducks— heat. WE disembarked at the quay in the bay, and found a crowd of people of all classes, old and young, standing on the shore, the women dressed in gaudy, bright colours, their gowns, pelisses, and handkerchiefs shining like so many flower beds, as if it were a fair. Seeing this assemblage of people at one point, not on Sunday, but on a working day, I conceived quite a different idea of Berezov from what I had previously entertained. Making our way through this throng, we proceeded, in company with the imperial functionary, to the lodgings prepared for us. After so long a voyage, and confinement in a narrow cabin, where we could scarcely make three steps across, it was quite a relief to enjoy the unconstrained freedom of our feet, and a luxury to be put in possession of two airy, light, and cleanly rooms. The only drawback was, that the fire being lighted in the stove shortly before our arrival, as is usual on such occasions, there was a suffocating smell from it. But the Cossack, who from our guard had become our landlord, suggested we should in the meanwhile occupy the room of his own family; and according to the custom of the country, we were treated with tea. As we were now, however, close upon St. Peter's Day, a period of strict Lent, the tea was served without milk or cream; and tea is a beverage which I could never bear without the latter accessories. Moreover, we were very hungry. But as it would have been anything but good taste to impose laws on teously offered to us, we for more substantial food, VOL. I. hospitality so courrepressed our desire comforting ourselves K with the idea of having our own household arranged very speedily, when we could do whatever we wished. When the stove had burnt out, and the rooms were ventilated, we retired to our rooms. All our luggage, together with the cow, was still on board the vessel; and we were told that we could hardly have them this day, as it was difficult to find people who would disembark them; and besides, our present lodging being occupied but temporarily, it was difficult to provide a place for them. Not seeing much reason, therefore, why we should be in a hurry, I asked our landlord if he could procure us some articles of food from the market, when he replied that there was none in the town. "No market! Then where do you get your food?" I inquired. "Everybody gets his food where he can," was his reply. I never supposed, nor could any such idea have ever entered into my imagination, that a town could exist without a market. Yet such was the case here; and we saw that we could not do otherwise than accommodate ourselves to the exigency. I inquired of the Cossack whether he could not supply us with something out of his own pantry; but his reply was, that he had nothing, and all he could give us at that moment was sour ducks, which perhaps would not be to our taste. The hungry are never over dainty. Thinking, therefore, that the ducks, of which he spoke so disparagingly, might not be so bad, and that hunger might easily reconcile our palates to a worse dish, I requested that they should be served. This being done, we found to our great mortification that "sour" was but a euphonious term for meat absolutely putrid. We could not touch even a morsel of such disgusting stuff, and there remained no alternative but to betake ourselves to bed, without appeasing the cravings of hunger. There was no night, but the perfect light of day prevailed the whole time. This difference we could not observe before, while we were on board the vessel, through the narrow window of our cabin, for, though it might have been clear on the deck, the light even of noon could but scantily penetrate into our dormitory. But here the case was different; it was continual daylight, without any distinction between day and night; and this the more visible from the houses in Siberia having an excessive number of windows. I can hardly account for the introduction of such an absurd taste in architecture, and one so particularly unsuited to a northern climate. What with the glare of light streaming upon us, the keenness of hunger, and the novelty of our position, neither Josephine nor myself could for a single moment close our eyes, and we passed the whole night in restless attempts to compose ourselves. No sooner did the people of the house awake in the morning, than we saw a tea-urn, with boiling water and milk, figure on our table; but the good people probably had forgotten that we had neither tea nor sugar, as our things were yet on board the vessel. Josephine and I exchanged looks, and easily guessed, that, after the last day's fast, we were doomed again to a meagre diet. But we gathered strength from resignation, and the samovar being arranged by our landlord's daughter, after she left the room, we filled our cups with water and milk, and baby-like |