rs were opened
and examined in haste. At last our turn came, and our things,
along with those of all other American-bound travellers, were
taken away to be steamed and smoked and other such processes
gone through. We were told to wait till notice should be given
us of something else to be done.

The phrases "we were told to do this" and "told to do that" occur
again and again in my narrative, and the most effective handling of
the facts could give no more vivid picture of the proceedings. We
emigrants were herded at the stations, packed in the cars, and driven
from place to place like cattle.

At the expected hour we all tried to find room in a car
indicated by the conductor. We tried, but could only find enough
space on the floor for our baggage, on which we made-believe
sitting comfortably. For now we were obliged to exchange the
comparative comforts of a third-class passenger train for the
certain discomforts of a fourth-class one. There were only four
narrow benches in the whole car, and about twice as many people
were already seated on these as they were probably supposed to
accommodate. All other space, to the last inch, was crowded by
passengers or their luggage. It was very hot and close and
altogether uncomfortable, and still at every new station fresh
passengers came crowding in, and actually made room, spare as it
was, for themselves. It became so terrible that all glared madly
at the conductor as he allowed more people to come into that
prison, and trembled at the announcement of every station. I
cannot see even now how the officers could allow such a thing;
it was really dangerous.

The following is my attempt to describe a flying glimpse of a
metropolis:--

Towards evening we came into Berlin. I grow dizzy even now when
I think of our whirling through that city. It seemed we were
going faster and faster all the time, but it was only the whirl
of trains passing in opposite directions and close to us that
made it seem so. The sight of crowds of people such as we had
never seen before, hurrying to and fro, in and out of great
depots that danced past us, helped to make it more so. Strange
sights, splendid buildings, shops, people, and animals, all
mingled in one great, confused mass of a disposition to
continually move in a great hurry, wildly, with no other aim but
to make