HOW WE WERE TRANSPORTED.
It was my intention, as well as that of Whiskerandos, after hearing of
the cheerfulness of a Russian winter, and the comfort preserved in the
houses, to remain to witness the ice-mountains, the frozen Neva, and,
above all, the wonderful market which Wisky had described to us on that
night.
Our intentions, however, were frustrated, and our projects of amusement
defeated by an incident which suddenly altered the whole course of our
affairs.
Whiskerandos, who was of a very bold and independent disposition, cared
not to place himself constantly under the guidance of his Russian
companion. He made forays by himself into the streets, moon or no
moon, it was all one to him. He brought us back accounts of many
singular adventures,-- how he had been seen by a dog, chased by a cat,
and nearly run over by a drosky, the name given to the vehicles which in
St. Petersburg take the place of our London cabs.
"Have a care, brother, have a care! Even the brave may dare too much,
and the fortunate venture once too often!" with such exclamations as
these our courteous Russian rat would listen to the tales of such
hair-breadth escapes.
The effect of his words upon me was to render me cautious,-- timid
perhaps you will call it. The only motives which usually roused me to
encounter danger, were hunger, or overpowering curiosity. I liked to see
all, hear all, and know all, and picked up scraps of general information
with the same relish that I would have picked up scraps of cheese.
Once Whiskerandos came home in high spirits. He had made such a
discovery, found such treasures,-- been in the very place where of all
others a rat might rejoice in boundless content.
Directly behind the Exchange he had found a large open space, fenced
round with iron railing, which, while keeping out man, offered
everywhere a door of welcome to rats. Here, protected by nothing but
tarpaulin, was collected a quantity of goods, both those which had been
imported into Russia, and those with which she paid back from her own
productions the contributions of the world.
"Oh, the mountains of tallow which I saw there!" exclaimed Whiskerandos,
executing a somerset in the air, in the excess of his admiration and
delight.
"There may well be mountains, brother," observed Wisky, "since, besides
the quantities which she uses herself, Russia is said to export every
year about _two hundred and fifty millions of pounds_ of tallow, of
which above one half is shipped from St. Petersburg."
"Two hundred and fifty millions!" I exclaimed, almost breathless with
amazement, "why, surely that is enough to light up the whole world, and
feast every rat that is in it! I would give anything to see the place
where such glorious mountains are to be found?"
"Trust yourself with me to-morrow night, and I will guide you to the
place," said Whiskerandos.
Now commenced a conflict in my mind, caution pulling me one way,
curiosity the other, while a discussion took place between my comrades,
Wisky backing caution, Whiskerandos curiosity,-- and the English rat won
the day.
So that night off we two scampered together, and without accident or
adventure reached the space at the back of the Exchange. Truly I was in
a world of wonders! I actually revelled in everything that can charm the
palate or the nose of a rat! Here was the division for Russian
imports,-- various and curious were they. There were chests of tea from
China, coffee from Arabia, sugar from the West Indies, and English
cotton goods, bales on bales piled up to a marvellous height. There
was a quantity of tobacco, heaps of cheese, spices of all sorts and
kinds. Now we came upon the odour of cinnamon or cloves; then the strong
perfume of musk betrayed an importation from India.
No wonder that the hours passed unheeded while we lingered in this
wonderful place! We passed on to the portion of the area devoted to
Russian exports, and here we were, if possible, still more delighted!
All the articles which Bright-eyes had mentioned as coming from Russia
were here; we were bewildered amongst heaps of furs, piles of leather,
barrels of tallow, and prodigious quantities of corn! Morn was breaking,
indeed, but we could not tear ourselves away, till the sounds of life,
and the signs of motion around us, alarmed me with the idea that it was
too late to retreat.
"Let's bury ourselves in this corn-sack," cried I, "we can sleep here
very well during the day, and recommence our explorations after dark."
Whiskerandos acceded to my proposition. Quiet we kept, very quiet.
Noisier the world seemed to grow, till at length voices were heard so
alarmingly near, that I crouched closer to my companion in terror!
Then-- oh! the horrible sensation which I experienced,-- never shall I
forget it! I felt that our sack was roughly pushed by some one, then
suddenly lifted on high!
"We are lost!" I gasped to Whiskerandos. Then another sort of motion
succeeded, accompanied by a heavy rumbling sound, like that of the
rolling wheel of a truck. Every hair of mine quivered with fear!
"Whiskerandos! oh, Whiskerandos! if they should be carrying us to a
mill!-- if we should be ground into powder between two great stones!"
"Be quiet and never despair," was the answer of the bold-hearted rat.
I believe that that terrible journey did not last long, but to me the
time appeared an age! Every turn of the grating wheel beneath me sent a
pang of anguish through my frame! At last the truck, if such it were,
stopped; in a few minutes the sack was again rudely moved, carried
aloft, and then tumbled, with its living contents, down-- down-- we
could not tell where!
What a shock it gave me, that tumble! I lay for some seconds quite
stunned. My first impulse, when I recovered a little, was bitterly to
bewail my condition, and to reproach him who had brought me into it.
"Oh that I had been content with my kwas and my shtshee! Oh that I had
never left the kitchen! that I had never ventured forth with a reckless
companion, who would, I believe, play at hide and seek with a cat, or
nibble at the pocket of a rat-catcher!"
My tone was, I knew, both peevish and provoking; and many a brown rat,
in the position of my companion, would have stopped my doleful squeaking
at once by giving me something to squeak for. But Whiskerandos, whatever
were his faults, was above that mean one of quarrelling with those who
found them out, or attempting to screen and defend them.
"Ratto, I am sorry that I have led you into trouble," said he. "I wish
that I could suffer alone for my self-will and imprudence. But since no
regrets can recall the past, let us not make our miseries greater by
reproaches and dissension between those who may soon die, as they have
lived, together."
His mildness quite overcame any feeling of bitterness in my heart;
and hope revived as some time elapsed without fresh cause for alarm
occurring.
"I wonder where we are!" exclaimed I, shaking myself into a more easy
position.
"I fancy that I hear the creaking of a windlass!" cried Whiskerandos.
"And the flapping of canvass!" added I. "And I smell tar."
"A strong odour of tar! Depend upon it, we are down in the hold of a
ship!"
"Ha! that's the ripple of water! she moves,-- she moves!"
We were again afloat on the waters!