Not only whole villages, but even whole districts, have in this way acquired a bad reputation for robbery, the manufacture of paper-money, and similar offences against the criminal law.

In popular parlance, these localities are said to contain "people who play pranks" (narod shalit).

I must, however, remark that, if I may judge by my own experience, these so-called "playful" tendencies are greatly exaggerated.

Though I have travelled hundreds of miles at night on lonely roads, I was never robbed or in any way molested.

Once, indeed, when travelling at night in a tarantass, I discovered on awaking that my driver was bending over me, and had introduced his hand into one of my pockets; but the incident ended without serious consequences.
When I caught the delinquent hand, and demanded an explanation from the owner, he replied, in an apologetic, caressing tone, that the night was cold, and he wished to warm his fingers; and when I advised him to use for that purpose his own pockets rather than mine, he promised to act in future according to my advice.