Letters of Anton Chekhov (Tchekhov) - Penn State University

Letters of Anton Chekhov to His Family and Friends with biographical sketchthree months I have seen no one but convicts or people who cantalk of nothing but penal servitude, the lash, and the convicts. Adepressing existence. One longs to get quickly to Japan and fromthere to India.I am quite well, except for flashes in my eye from which I oftensuffer now, after which I always have a bad headache. I had theflashes in my eye yesterday and to-day, and so I am writing this witha headache and heaviness all over.At the station the Japanese General Kuse-San lives with his twosecretaries, good friends of mine. They live like Europeans. To-daythe local authorities visited them in state to present decorations thathad been conferred on them; and I, too, went with my headacheand had to drink champagne.Since I have been in the south I have three times driven to NayRace where the real ocean waves break. Look at the map and youwill see at once on the south coast that poor dismal Nay Race. Thewaves cast up a boat with six American whalefishers, who had beenshipwrecked off the coast of Sahalin; they are living now at the stationand solemnly walk about the streets. They are waiting for thePetersburg and will sail with me.I am not bringing you furs, there are none in Sahalin. Keep welland Heaven guard you all.I am bringing you all presents. The cholera in Vladivostok andJapan is over.204