. The boy travellers in the Russian empire: adventures of two youths in a journey in European and Asiatic Russia, with accounts of a tour across concerning droskiesand isvoshchiks: It is astonishing to contemplate the swarm of droskies with whicliSt. Petersburg and every other Russian city abounds. They are to befound everywhere and at all hours. No matter where you may be, or atMhat hour of the day or night, you have only to call out Isvoshchik!or Drosky! and one of tlie little carriages appears as if by only one, but half a dozen will be pretty sure to come forward. Thed
. The boy travellers in the Russian empire: adventures of two youths in a journey in European and Asiatic Russia, with accounts of a tour across concerning droskiesand isvoshchiks: It is astonishing to contemplate the swarm of droskies with whicliSt. Petersburg and every other Russian city abounds. They are to befound everywhere and at all hours. No matter where you may be, or atMhat hour of the day or night, you have only to call out Isvoshchik!or Drosky! and one of tlie little carriages appears as if by only one, but half a dozen will be pretty sure to come forward. Thedrivers contend, and not always very j^olitely, for the honor of your pat- DROSKIES AND ISVOSHCHIKS. 59 ronage; but as soon as yon Lave made your selection the rejected onesdrop away and leave you undisturbed. There is sometliing interesting in the manner of the isvoshchik,especially in the marked contrast before and after he has made a bargainwith you. Until the transaction is closed, he is as independent as thehackman of New York or the cabby of London. The moment the bargainis settled and he has accepted your oifer, he is your willing slave. Oiler. ISVOSHCHIKS IN WINTER. liim forty copecks an hour, and he refuses, while demanding fifty or sixty;you walk on, and he pretends to go away, and if your offer is unreason-ably low he will not trouble you again. Suddenly he reins up his horseclose to the sidewalk, springs from his seat, and with the word ?PoshowUs( If you please) he motions you to enter the carriage. He is now atyour service, and will drive just as you desire; your slightest wish willbe his law. Doctor Bronson told us we must learn how to count in Russian, andalso acquire a few phrases in common use; the more of them we couldlearn the better. While on the train from Warsaw to St. Petersburg welearned to count. I think we did it in about two hours, as it was really 60 THE BOY TRAVELLERS IN THE RUSSIAN EMPIRE. very simple after we had gone through the numerals up to ten
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