CHAPTER I.
EE! heesta!” (gee) shouted Poldik to his horses; he was driving with his wagon into Podskali (Undercliff) be it understood, and from there distributed throughout the city sand in summer and ice in winter.
Through summer, all through winter, and for many a long year it was the same monotonous journey to and fro. In summer he carted sand for the builders. When one house was completed, he carted for other builders perhaps in quite a different quarter of the city—that change occurred in summer. In winter when he had stocked the cellar of one brewer, he led ice to the neighbouring brewery, which was perhaps some streets distant—that change occurred in winter. Otherwise, provided the order was for the produce for the Moldau, ice and sand, he carted anywhere, his pilgrimage to the Moldau, always finishing with Myslikoff Street, thence diverging to the Zitne gasse, and finally passing the Sipkoff mills until at last it was brought to a termination at Naplavka (the Quay).