The Crosses, the village where Vasili Andreevich lived, consisted of six houses. As soon as they had passed the blacksmith's hut, the last in the village, they realized that the wind was much stronger than they had thought. The road could hardly be seen.

The tracks left by the sledge-runners were immediately covered by snow and the road was only distinguished by the fact that it was higher than the rest of the line where sky and earth met could not be seen. The Telyantin forest, usually clearly visible, now only loomed up occasionally and dimly trought the driving snowy dust.