The wolf-chase on the steppes is quite peculiar in its way. A thicket in which wolves are supposed to lie concealed, is surrounded by nets. In front of these nets the hunters station themselves with their fowlingpieces, and behind them stand the peasants wdth spears and pitchforks. The drivers and dogs then enter the thicket to scare the wolves into the plain, and this they do with a cry which I could easily imitate (for the sound is one never to be forgotten), but which it would be vain for me to attempt to describe. Those wolves that escape the tubes of the hunters, entangle themselves in the nets, where they are speared and pitchforked by the peasants, and sometimes taken alive. The genuine Cossack of the steppe, however, uses neither musket nor pitchfork, but mounted on his trusty steed, depends only on his well plaited nagaika or whip, with which he rarely fails to cut down a wolf, as with a sabre.
We found so many subjects of inquiry at all the stations, that we proceeded very slowly, notwithstanding the excellence of the roads, and only arrived towards evening at the village of Gromokleyanla. These roads are in their best condition in the months of April and May ; for in the summer there rises from the ground a dust so fine and light, that it hangs suspended in the air, even when not a breath of wind is stirring. The colour of this dust is nearly black, so that the traveller is soon metamorphosed by it into a negro. In the beginning of the spring, on the melting of the snow, the steppe is absolutely patliless and impassable, for the whole of its deep rich soil is changed into a tough miry paste. Ai-t has done but little for these roads, no more indeed than marking their limits by digging small ditches at the distance of thirty-six fathoms. Beside this, on the great roads, small stone-pyramids have been erected at certain distances, to mark the way which would otherwise be entirely lost in winter.
So imposing a breadth is given to these roads, on account of the great herds of cattle which pass through them to the slaughter-houses of Moscow and Petersburg, and to the great Salgans (establishments for the boiling of tallow) at Odessa, Kherson, and Taganrog. The road serves at the same time as a pasture-ground, the cattle eating their way as they go along. The trading caravans which travel to and from the Black Sea, also camp out out upon these roads, where they require no other roof to cover them, than that which nature has provided for them, namely, the vault of heaven. Towards evening we often saw on the road to Odessa the fires of many of these caravans. They mostly consist of from 30 to 40 waggons drawn by oxen, under the guidance of an upper Tshumahy and his men, but I have sometimes seen aline of from 300 to 400.
We took some pains to inquire into the movements of the caravans which move between the Dniester and the Volga, and from Kieft' to the Euxine, and form the principal element of life on these ixada of the steppe. Wherever we saw their fires, or met with Tshumaks eating their borsht (their national soup) we stopped and entered into conversation with them.