Page:Morgan Philips Price - Siberia (1912).djvu/165

 Rh mune five years ago, and has now built his own house."

The evening was now coming on, and the old man and I began to think of making for home. The plough was thereupon left, and the horse was tied to the rough cart. "Ride home with me," he said, "for the way is long and darkness is coming." Soon another party of peasants who had been ploughing some land beyond joined in. And so a party of five peasants and myself squatted on a rough open cart and jogged steadily in the darkness back to the little village. As we went I asked them more about the system under which they held their land. "The land," they said, "is common [obshchee]; we all have a right to our part of it." "To whom do you pay your taxes?" I asked. "To the 'Obshchestvo, they replied, and by this I knew they meant the village commune. "We are the commune," they continued, "and we can divide up the land as we wish when we have paid our taxes to the 'Nachalnick.' In some districts they distribute the land so that each man gets a fresh piece every few years." "Have you had your portion of land for long?" I asked. "Fifteen years ago we divided the land, and I and my brothers have kept our land since then." "Will the land be redistributed again throughout the village?" "How am I to tell you?" he said; "we have much land and many of our brothers wish to keep it for themselves, for they have worked on it for many years. But for me, 'Vsyo ravno' [it is all the same]; I do not mind." This puzzled me not a little, but I learned more the next day, when I had the good fortune to converse with some other members of the commune.