MICHAEL'S fear of meeting the Tartars in the plains beyond the Baraba was by no means ungrounded.

The fields, trodden down by horses' hoofs, afforded but too clear evidence that their hordes had passed that way; the same, indeed, might be said of these barbarians as of the Turks: "Where the Turk goes, no grass grows." Michael saw at once that in traversing this country the greatest caution was necessary.

Wreaths of smoke curling upwards on the horizon showed that huts and hamlets were still burning.

Had these been fired by the advance guard, or had the Emir's army already advanced beyond the boundaries of the province?
Was Feofar-Khan himself in the government of Yeniseisk?
Michael could settle on no line of action until these questions were answered.

Was the country so deserted that he could not discover a single Siberian to enlighten him?
Michael rode on for two versts without meeting a human being.