The next morning a kibitka [a cart] was at the door; my trunk was placed on it, and also a case holding tea and a tea-service, with some napkins full of rolls and pastry, the last sweet bits of the paternal home.

Finally, the day of departure arrived. It was after Epiphany. For the road, we cooked veal, goose, turkey, and duck, baked a chicken pie, minced pies, flatbread, and kalaches, which had whole eggs, shell and all, inside them. To eat it, you have to simply pull it apart, take out the egg and eat it with the bread. A special large box was used for the food. A pogrebets was made for tea and cutlery. It stored everything: tin plates for the table, knives, forks, spoons, teaspoons and tea cups, pepper, mustard, vodka, salt, vinegar, tea, sugar, napkins, etc. In addition to the pogrebets and the box for food, there was also a box for a travel folding samovar (…) For defense against robbers, who were on our minds due to many legends, especially when moving through the scary Murom forests, there were two long guns, a couple of pistols, and a saber as an edged weapon…