Through Russia On A Mustang

Excerpt from Through Russia on a Mustang In the following pages the author has endeavored to give an unbiased picture of the Russians and their country, as seen by him from the saddle, on a horseback ride of more than one thousand miles through the heart of the country, from Moscow to Sevastopol; thence up the Don and the Volga to Nijni Novgorod. When in Moscow, preparing for the horseback journey, I was fortunate enough to enlist the enthusiasm of Sascha Kritsch, a young Russian who had just completed his studies, and was eager to distinguish himself by a noteworthy achievement in the saddle before joining the cavalry. He could speak English, and both as an interpreter and a companion I found him of much value. He accompanied me as far as Ekaterinoslav, about two thirds of the distance to the Black Sea, when the heat and fatigue of the southern steppes, together with the suspicions and vexatious interference of the police, caused him to dispose of his horse and return to Moscow by rail. I may say that, in so far as I permitted myself the indulgence of preconceived ideas, my wish was to exploit the better, rather than the more objectionable, features of the government, and the economic and political conditions of the country. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

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Throughout his life, Leo Tolstoy demonstrated a fascination for Americans, a feeling that was avidly reciprocated in the United States. Although Tolstoy was never able to come to America, during his lifetime he was visited at his home in Russia by a number of Americans including writers, journalists, ambassadors, professors and tourists. Many wrote about the conversations they had with the great Russian novelist. This volume gathers together 30 recollections of such conversations, all originally published in periodicals from 1887 through 1923. A brief introduction to each piece introduces the author of the narrative with concise biographical information, and a bibliographical note indicates the time and place of original publication.