THEdistancebetweenMoscowandIrkutsk，abouttobetraversedbyMichaelStrogoff，wasthreethousandfourhundredmiles。
BeforethetelegraphwireextendedfromtheUralMountainstotheeasternfrontierofSiberia，thedispatchservicewasperformedbycouriers，thosewhotraveledthemostrapidlytakingeighteendaystogetfromMoscowtoIrkutsk。Butthiswastheexception，andthejourneythroughAsiaticRussiausuallyoccupiedfromfourtofiveweeks，eventhougheveryavailablemeansoftransportwasplacedatthedisposaloftheCzar’smessengers。
MichaelStrogoffwasamanwhofearedneitherfrostnorsnow。
Hewouldhavepreferredtravelingduringtheseverewinterseason，inorderthathemightperformthewholedistancebysleighs。
Atthatperiodoftheyearthedifficultieswhichallothermeansoflocomotionpresentaregreatlydiminished，thewidesteppesbeingleveledbysnow，whiletherearenoriverstocross，butsimplysheetsofglass，overwhichthesleighglidesrapidlyandeasily。