The snow storm that began when we left Tomsk, continued through the night and the following day.  The air was warm, and there was little wind, so that our principal inconvenience was from the snow flakes in our faces, and the gradual filling of the road.  Toward sunset a wind arose.  Every hour it increased, and before midnight there was good prospect of our losing our way or being compelled to halt until daybreak.  The snow whirled in thick masses through the air, and utterly blinded us when we attempted to look out.  The road filled with drifts, and we had much difficulty in dragging through them.  The greatest personal inconvenience was the sifting of snow through the crevices of our sleigh cover.  At every halt we underwent a vigorous shaking to remove the superfluous snow from our furs.

A storm with high winds in this region takes the name of bouran.  It is analogous to the poorga of Northeastern Siberia and Kamchatka, and may occur at any season of the year.

Bourans are oftentimes very violent, especially in the open steppe.  Any one who has experienced the norther of Texas, or the bora of Southern Austria, can form an idea of these Siberian storms.  The worst are when the thermometer sinks to twenty-five degrees or more below zero, and the snow is dashed about with terrific fury.  At such times they are almost insupportable, and the traveler who ventures to face them runs great risk of his life.  Many persons have been lost in the winter storms, and all experienced voyagers are reluctant to brave their violence.  In summer the wind spends its force on the earth and sand which it whirls in large clouds.  A gentleman told me he had seen the dry bed of a river where there were two feet of sand, swept clean to the rock by the strength of the wind alone.  A little past daylight the sleigh came to a sudden stop despite the efforts of all concerned.  The last hundred versts of our ride we had four horses to each sleigh, and their united strength was not more than sufficient for our purpose.  The drift where we stopped was at least three feet deep, and pretty closely packed.  We, that is to say, the horses and yemshicks, made several efforts but could not carry the sleigh through.  The mammoth sleigh came up and the two yemshicks trod a path through the worst part of the drift.  The doctor and I descended from the vehicle, and assisted by looking on.  The sleigh thus lightened, was dragged through the obstruction but unfortunately turned on its beam ends, and filled with snow before it could be righted.

The bouran was from the south, and raised the temperature above the freezing point.  The increasing heat became uncomfortable after the cold I had experienced.  The horses did not turn white from perspiration as in colder days, and the exertion of travel set them panting as in summer.  The drivers carefully knotted their (the horses’) tails to prevent them (the tails) from filling with snow, but the precaution