Siberia and the exile system . times call it, a gypsy sweat—from coldand from long exposure to rain; but they have neither dryclothing to put on nor blankets with which to cover them-selves, and must lie down upon the hard plank ndri, or uponthe floor, and seek warmth in close contact with one of them have, perhaps, a change of clothing in theirgray linen bags, but both bags and clothing have beenexposed for eight or ten hom-s to a pouring rain, and arecompletely soaked through. If the Grovernment really caredanything about the comfort or health of exiles on the road,it would fuin
Siberia and the exile system . times call it, a gypsy sweat—from coldand from long exposure to rain; but they have neither dryclothing to put on nor blankets with which to cover them-selves, and must lie down upon the hard plank ndri, or uponthe floor, and seek warmth in close contact with one of them have, perhaps, a change of clothing in theirgray linen bags, but both bags and clothing have beenexposed for eight or ten hom-s to a pouring rain, and arecompletely soaked through. If the Grovernment really caredanything about the comfort or health of exiles on the road,it would fuinish convoy ofiicers with tarpaulins or sheets ofoilcloth to put over and protect the exiles baggage in rainyweather. This would add a mere trifle to the cost of exiletransportation, and it would make all the difference between DEPORTATION BY ETAPE 403 life and death to hundreds of weak or half-sick human beings,who come into an etape soaked to the skin after a march oftwenty miles in a cold rain, and who have no dry clothing. AN OLD CONVICT BEGGING FOOD. to put on. The very money spent for the bmial of the poorwretches who die from croup, pleurisy, or pneumonia, as aresult of sleeping in wet clothes on the road, would buya substantial tarpaulin for every exile baggage-wagon inSiberia—and yet the tarpaulins are not bought. If it be 4(U SIBERIA asked why not, I can only say, because the officials who carehave not the power, and the officials who have the powerdo not care. 1 went through Siberia with the words Whyso t and Why not ? upon my lips, and this, in effect, wasthe answer that I everywhere received. I have recommended again and again, said a high offi-cer of the exile administration to me, that the convicts betaken to their destinations in summer and in wagons, insteadof being obliged to walk throughout the whole year. I haveshown conclusively, by exact figuies and carefully preparedestimates, that the transportation of exiles from Achinsk toIrkutsk in wagons, and in s
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1890, booksubjectsiberiarussiadescrip
