mbling along the heavens in his chariot of fire--until
the end of August or early September the peasant may work day and night
and yet find that he has barely time to get all his work done. During
the summer months the sun in this region scarcely ever sets below the
horizon and the peasant may often be found in the fields as late as
twelve o'clock at night trying to complete the day's work. In a little
more than a month from this time he has to reap and stack his grain,
oats, rye and whatever else he may have sown, and to sow his winter
grain for the next, year. To add to the difficulty both grains often
ripen about the same time and then it requires almost superhuman efforts
on his part to complete his task before the first snow flies.

When one considers that all this work is done by hand--the planting,
plowing, reaping, threshing, etc., in the majority of cases by home made
instruments, it is really a more remarkable thing that the Russian
peasant accomplishes so much in such a short space of time. About the
end of September, however, the field labor is finished and on the first
day of October the harvest festival begins. At this particular season of
the year our troops on the Vaga river were operating far below Shenkursk
in the vicinity of Rovdinskaya and it was our good fortune to witness a
typical parish fete--celebrated in true Russian style. While it is true
during the winter months that the peasant lives a very, frugal and
simple life, it is not in my opinion on account of his desire so to do
but more a matter of necessity. During the harvest festivals the
principal occupation of the peasant seems to be that of eating and
drinking. In each household large quantities of braga or home brewed
beer is prepared and a plentiful supply of meat pies are constantly on
hand. There is also another delectable dish, which I am sure did not
appeal to our troops to the fullest extent. It was a kind of pie
composed of cabbage and salt fish, but unless one was quite accustomed
to the odor, he could not summon up sufficient courage to attack this
viand. It, however, was a very popular dish among the peasants.

After a week or so of this preparation the fete day finally arrives and
the morning finds the entire village attending a long service in the
village church. All are dressed in their very best and the finest linens
and brightest colors are very much in evidence. After the service they
repair to their different homes--of cou