Page:The Boy Travellers in the Russian Empire.djvu/344

338 to it all their lives, and not at all disturbed by anything of an ordinary character. They resemble the lower classes of the English populace more than any other people.

The women are more refined than the men in their amusements. Ringing and dancing are very popular among them, and they have quite a variety of dances. A favorite dance is in couples, where they spin round and round, until one of the pair drops or sits down from sheer fatigue.

As our friends strolled near the river-bank they came upon a group of

women engaged in one of these dances. Three or four of the by-standers were singing, and thus supplied the music; two women stood facing each other in the centre of the group, each with her hands resting on her hips. One of the singers raised her hands, and at this signal the whirling began.

When this couple was tired out another came forward, and so the dance was kept up. Fred thought the dress of the dancers was not particularly