Chapter 3

A solemn promise is then exacted of him that he will not give lessons of any kind, or try to teach anyone; that every letter (S. 48, N. 6) he writes will go through the Ispravnik’s hands, and that he will follow no occupation except shoemaking, carpentering, or field labour. He is then told he (App. § 28) is free, but at the same time is solemnly warned that should he attempt to pass the limits of the town, he would be shot down like a dog rather than be allowed to escape; and, should he be taken alive, would be sent off to Eastern Siberia without further formality than that of the Ispravnik’s personal order.

The poor fellow takes up his little bundle, and, fully realising that he has now bidden farewell to the culture and material comfort of his past life, he walks out into the cheerless street. A group of exiles, all pale and emaciated, are (S. 107, N. 13) there to (S. 19, N. 7) greet him, take him to some of their miserable lodgings, and feverishly demand news from home. The new comer gazes on them as one in a dream; some are melancholy, and almost mad, others nervously irritable, and the remainder have evidently tried to find solace in drink. They live (S. 116, N. 17) in communities of twos and threes, have food, a scanty provision of clothes, money, and books in common, and consider it their sacred duty to help each other in every emergency, without distinction of (S. 3, N. 2, and S. 10, N. 9) sex, rank, or age. The noble by birth get sixteen shillings a month from Government for their maintenance, and commoners only ten, although many of them are married, and sent into exile with young families.

Say ‘Hereupon one demands (+verlangen+) of him the solemn promise’.

not of any kind, +keinerlei+, adj. (indeclinable).

or try = and not try. The auxiliary verb of mood ‘+will+’ need be expressed but once, and stands, of course?

+unterrichten+, insep. comp. w. v. tr.

Say ‘and that he besides (+außer+) shoemaking (+Schuhmacherei+, f., with def. art.), carpentering and field-labour, will carry on (+treiben+) no (+keinerlei+) occupation’.

‘then’, here +Endlich+, with which begin the clause, and construe accord. to S. 4, N. 4 (+man+).

but — warned, +aber zugleich kündigt man ihm an+.

that — escape. This passage requires an altogether different construction in German; say ‘they (+man+) would upon (+bei+) an attempt, to go beyond (+überschreiten+, insep. comp. str. v. tr.) the limits of the town, not allow him to escape, but rather (+vielmehr+) shoot him down like a dog’ (liter.—but him rather like a dog shoot down, +nie´derschießen+)’.

Say ‘should he however be caught (+ein´fangen+) alive, (+so+) they (+man+) would send him without further formality (+Formalität+, f.), upon the simple order of the Ispravnik to the East of Siberia’.

and — realising = and well knowing (pres. p.).

to bid farewell, +Lebewohl sagen+.

+materielle Bequemlichkeiten+ (Nom. pl.), which use with the def. art. in the Dat. pl.

= former.

to walk out into the street, +in die Straße hinaus´schreiten+.

= outside.

Supply the pron. ‘these’ before the verb take (+führen+, i.e. lead); to = into.

to demand news from home, +einen nach Nachrichten aus der Heimat fragen+.

in drink, +im Trunke+.

in — threes, +je zwei oder drei zusammen+.

Supply ‘as also’ before ‘money’; in common, +gemeinschaftlich+.

My parents consider it their duty to help their neighbours in every emergency, +meine Eltern halten es für ihre Pflicht, ihren Nachbarn in jeder Not und Gefahr beizustehen+.

Insert ‘+und zwar+’ before ‘without’, which will improve the rendering very much.

+von+.

1 sh. = 1 +Mark+; a month, +monatlich, jeden Monat+, or +alle Monate+.

+doch die Bürgerlichen+; repeat ‘+Mark+’ after ‘+ten+’.

and sent = and are being sent (see S. 2, N. 1).

= children.

Section 168.

RUSSIAN POLITICAL PRISONERS IN BANISHMENT.