"Rechnung," said Dr. Winstock, which means, "Bring me the bill;" as the French say, "Addition," for the same thing, and the Austrians, "Bezahlen."
The bill, which doubtless included the veal cutlets, was three marks, or sixty cents, for each person—a foretaste of Russian prices, dearer than in any other part of Europe. It was paid, and the party took a walk through the gardens, extending down to the sea-shore. It is simply a pleasant place, without being very attractive. A hill near the point of the peninsula commands a fine view of Sveaborg and the Gulf. There is an extensive bathing-house near the rocky shore. A trip among the islands in the vicinity is very agreeable, and little steamers may be chartered for such excursions at three rubles an hour. The party returned to the town, and drove to the landing-place, where they were fortunate enough to find Professor Badois, to act as interpreter in paying the drosky fares; for however bland the drivers were in their manners, they were evidently familiar with the tricks of their craft.
The several ship's companies went on board at once. The next morning the squadron sailed for Wyborg, where she arrived after a day and a night at sea, though the steamers make the trip in twelve hours. Twelve versts from the town, the vessels passed into the harbor, which is an extensive bay, through a narrow passage, on both sides of which were vast piles of lumber, from which craft of all sizes and kinds were loading. Off the town the squadron came to anchor, but no one was permitted to go on shore until after the recitations in the afternoon.
CHAPTER VII.
WYBORG AND THE SECOND DEGREE.
"I should like to know what the name of this place is," said Lincoln to Dr. Winstock, who was seated near him in the commodore's barge, which was leading the line to the shore. "In one book it is Viborg; in another, Wiborg; in a third, Wyborg." "The different spellings of the same word simply indicate the attempts of authors to render the foreign sounds into English," replied the surgeon. "We have the same variety in many other words. On the English maps of Russia, you will find the names of rivers, provinces, and towns given in many different ways; as, Kief, Kiev, and Kiew, the latter being the German rendering of the word; Nyzni, Nysni, Nezhnii, and a dozen other forms. Of course you can take your choice. As for Wyborg, I think it will hardly pay to land, for there is really nothing to be seen here. Like Constantinople, the best view of the town is from the outside."
"It certainly looks well from the bay."
The students landed at the town, which is built on uneven ground. Most of the streets are narrow and crooked, and the travellers soon realized the truth of the surgeon's view. At the east side of the place is an old castle in ruins. On a rock, rising from an arm of the sea, is a lofty old tower, which has played its part in many a battle and siege, for Wyborg was long a bone of contention between Sweden and Russia, before the latter obtained possession, of it. Looking to the eastward of the town, vast sheets of water may be seen, on which small steamers ply, as at Stockholm, and a few miles distant are a garden and summer resort for the people. A series of rivers and lakes connects Lakes Ladoga and Saima, and a canal at Wyborg joins both of these great sheets of water to the Gulf of Finland. Lakes Onega and Ladoga are united by the River Svir, upon which plies a small steamer. The waters of Lake Onega also mingle with those of the Volga. The Volkof River flows from Lake Ilmen into Ladoga, and is navigable for barges; and Lake Ilmen, by the help of a canal, is also connected with the Volga. A boat may, therefore, start from the upper waters of the Finnish lakes, and go through to the Caspian Sea.