The Arkansaw traveler., 1882-10-22
Sight. in Siberia.

StGnt1 Tn SioertA.
 A traveller through Siberia gives the fnkloNlng interesting account in the Bos- tm CoSsneyriaI BsiiSis of a niGAsss lodging m human sardine box:
 Looking out from our sheltered posi- ton in the sleigh. as soon as we could gather wits from our half asleep con- di,Ion we could see nothing bu, grea, drifts of snow on either s,de We hailed out yemshick, and tha, pleasant individual calmly and kindly informed Us that we had reached the station house. and that here ~e should remain for the rest oi the night. Closer inspection ei ear surroundings. too. showed US the mercst ghmmef of lfsh; a hundred wards away perhaps. Ru, A stop here did no; sui; Us as well a> Il appar- enliy did the yrmshick. We ordered hinl 10 go on . he pronounced the road impas- sable and horses unable to be procured We argued. imporuned begged. threat ened. but all to no effect upon ,he lmpes- ,urbable fellow. He had fully determined not ,o go on, and go on he would not and did not. Al last. finding ;ha; we could more easily move the mountains than move the yeinshick. we concluded that the only thing Jeff for us 10 do was 10 diSmount and seek the comfort of the house. But again we misealculated Ne got ou, of the sleigh. and ading through snowdrifts, often up 10 our waists, al last succeeded in reaching the house. Open ing the door. the warmth that flew out into our faces was something of comforting assurance, as the storm still ragged eA Als overpowering effiuvia that greeted our nostrils very nearly drove us into the open l air again. But the cold and the storm conquered and we rushed in and shut the door.
 The place was sight to behold" as the old women would say. The house consisted of but one room. perhaps twenty or twenty tive feet square. and the floor was completely covered ~ith sleeping hu- man beings No, the floor alone either. The omnipreseni oven wa> buil; against one ,ide of the room. and on top ot this were no less than halt-adozen men. packed beside each other so oarclcsslN tha; expected q; any moment Ia see them roll of. There were TWO ot three ,lers ef hunks built upon another slrir ef the raom and these hllcd ~Ith stTlw were also occupied. some ei them with iWo persons each, pa, ked n like saidinc> m Il boN These were regarded as art>to- cfauc beds and were reserved tpI the better class of people. that is. for those Who could put little hrlhe-mones into the hands oi the nteIprisins n9al,fhsi l3ut the majority oi the great housctul were eamped upon the foot. er upon the k T b. covered with straw m ..n advanced stage ot decay. and the benches were covered with nothing l ,hink that there were |, least tsa->eure ot persons ii these narfoM, eramped quarters. men. women and thti- drcn. They weie strete he'd about TIT every conceivable direction. heads and feet together without the least reg.ud iof the positions ti neighbars. Most ot them were fully dressed. as IF the daS tune and others had simply thrown of thelr outer clothing. So there they lay an almost ind,sttnguIshahlc mass ut hu mani,y The stoyc WAS hot and the ai mosphere sufiocating All the slcepers were snoring. grunting and perspirng as only housefui of Russians like these e..Ia- The air had been breathed over and over agaIu by the crowd during the night, and had become absolutely fciid. l. was all could do ,o catch my breath m the stem ii-holc.
 iinalIN concluded that l could stand |, for a ic~ hours perhaps. Tn preference c to beng frozen ,o death outside, and so rousing up the smolyff,I. who ever since our entrance had been sitting upright H. the place where he had aroused himself. and still half asleep. was rubbing his watery eyes and scratehing and pull'ns his tangled locks In 4 few moment, the sdpso7a, was ready. and We had several cups of hot. refreshing tea. for whatever else Is bad and uncomfortable m SIbcfIa. we always found that the tea was good, because We carried il with us in our own pockets.
 \ couple of hunks were assigned ,o me and to my compan,on. and notwl,hs'and- ing the remonstrintes and the advlce oi the latter determined io shut my eyes ,o the filth and my sose to the s,eneh and tumble n and res; as best l might Bu, there was one consideration that l forget to ,ake into account migh, be able 10 sleep in some fashion with herds of men, women. and children Tn All de grces. of fowls and filters of swine, bu, when armies of small specimens of living beings insisted upon sharing my bed with me the difficulty assumed quite an other aspect. managed to drop of into troubled slumber, in fact sor of nightmare. when l was dreaming ,ha, 1 was sor, ofGulliver. and the little pig mics were scrambling over me and bind i ing me where I lays In my struggles to ge, free, 1 thought tha, was slaughter,ng ! my assailan,s by the hundreds, and when at las, an unusually vigorous attack awoke me from my sleep, found tha, my dream had indeed been true. though the pigmics ,ha, had slaughtered were Of a somewha, differcn, kind from those l had been l dreaming about