om all directions. At about ten o'clock the
parade began. Each peasant would lead his horse by the colonel, who
would look them over carefully and then ask what the owner would take
for his horse. Usually he would be met with a bow and downcast eyes as
the owner replied: "As your excellency decides." "Very well, then, you
will receive nine hundred roubles or some such amount." Instantly the
air of submissiveness and meekness disappears and a torrent of words
pours forth, eulogizing the virtues of this steed and the enormous
sacrifice it would be to allow his horse to go at that price. After the
usual haggling the bargain would be closed--sometimes at a greater
figure and sometimes at a lesser.

Now the amusing part of this transaction to me was that with my
interpreter we moved around amongst the crowd and got their own values
as to some of these horses. What was our amazement some moments later
to see them pass before the colonel who in a number of cases offered
them more than their estimates previously given to myself, whereupon
they immediately went through the maneuvers above described and in some
cases actually obtained increases over the colonel's first hazard.

This lesson later stood us in good stead, for some weeks later it
devolved upon us to purchase harnesses and sleds for these very horses
and the reader may be sure that such haggling and bargaining (all
through an interpreter) was never seen before in this part of the
country. Somehow the word got around that the Amerikanskis who were
buying the sleds and harness had gotten acquainted with the horse
dealing method of some weeks past and therefore it was an especial event
to witness the sale and purchase of these various articles, and,
needless to say, there was always an enthusiastic crowd of spectators
present to cheer and jibe at the various contestants. All these various
transactions must have resulted with the balance decidedly in favor of
the villagers, for they were extremely pleasant and hospitable to us
during our entire stay here and instead of being hostile were exactly
the opposite, actually putting themselves to a great amount of trouble
time after time to meet with our many demands for logs and laborers,
although they were in no way bound to do these things.

In our dealings with the community here, as elsewhere, all transactions
were carried on with the starosta or village head. We naturally figured
that this officer was one of the highest