I know one village where the good-fellowship went even a step farther: the Christians determined to repair their church, and the Mahometans helped them to transport wood for the purpose! All this tends to show that under a tolerably good Government, which does not favour one race at the expense of the other, Mahometan Tartars and Christian Slavs can live peaceably together.
The absence of fanaticism and of that proselytising zeal which is one of the most prolific sources of religious hatred, is to be explained by the peculiar religious conceptions of these peasants.

In their minds religion and nationality are so closely allied as to be almost identical.

The Russian is, as it were, by nature a Christian, and the Tartar a Mahometan; and it never occurs to any one in these villages to disturb the appointed order of nature.

On this subject I had once an interesting conversation with a Russian peasant who had been for some time living among Tartars.

In reply to my question as to what kind of people the Tartars were, he replied laconically, "Nitchevo"-- that is to say, "nothing in particular"; and on being pressed for a more definite expression of opinion, he admitted that they were very good people indeed.
"And what kind of faith have they ?" I continued.
"A good enough faith," was the prompt reply.
"Is it better than the faith of the Molokanye ?" The Molokanye are Russian sectarians--closely resembling Scotch Presbyterians--of whom I shall have more to say in the sequel.
"Of course it is better than the Molokan faith." "Indeed!" I exclaimed, endeavouring to conceal my astonishment at this strange judgment.