communication of the morning, he had then designedly gone after the sound in a way which he certainly should not have done, at so critical a moment, unless in the expectation of finding the Khan assaulted by assassins.  A few minutes after 10 they reached the outpost at which it became safe to leave the Tartar chieftain; and immediately the four fugitives commenced a flight which is, perhaps, without a parallel in the annals of travelling.  Each of them led six or seven horses besides the one he rode; and by 15 shifting from one to the other (like the ancient Desultors of the Roman circus), so as never to burden the same horse for more than half an hour at a time, they continued to advance at the rate of 200 miles in the twenty-four hours for three days consecutively.  After that time, 20 considering themselves beyond pursuit, they proceeded less rapidly; though still with a velocity which staggered the belief of Weseloff’s friends in after years.  He was, however, a man of high principle, and always adhered firmly to the details of his printed report.  One of the 25 circumstances there stated is that they continued to pursue the route by which the Kalmucks had fled, never for an instant finding any difficulty in tracing it by the skeletons and other memorials of their calamities.  In particular, he mentions vast heaps of money as part of the 30 valuable property which it had been necessary to sacrifice.  These heaps were found lying still untouched in the deserts.  From these Weseloff and his companions took as much as they could conveniently carry; and this it was, with the price of their beautiful horses, which they afterward sold at one of the Russian military settlements for about L15 apiece, which eventually enabled them to pursue their journey in Russia.  This journey, as regarded Weseloff in particular, was closed by a tragical catastrophe. 5 He was at that time young and the only child of a doting mother.  Her affliction under the violent abduction of her son had been excessive, and probably had undermined her constitution.  Still she had supported it.  Weseloff, giving way to the natural impulses of his filial 10 affection, had imprudently posted through Russia to his mother’s house without warning of his approach.  He rushed precipitately into her presence; and she, who had stood the shocks of sorrow, was found unequal to the shock of joy too sudden and too acute.  She died upon 15 the spot.

* * * * *

We now revert to the final scenes of the Kalmuck flight.  These it would be useless to pursue circumstantially through the whole two thousand miles of suffering which remained; for the character of that suffering was 20 even more monotonous than on the former half of the flight, but also more severe.  Its main elements were excessive heat, with the accompaniments of famine and thirst, but aggravated at every step by the murderous attacks of their cruel enemies, the Bashkirs and the 25 Kirghises.