126 Chapter IV. 



" The country lying between the sources of the Voikara 

 and the Ussa is wooded in every direction." Between 

 the River Ussa and the River Vorkuta, and even beyond 

 that, Trontheim and his company travelled through quite 

 luxuriant wood. In the middle of May, as the caravan 

 approached the tundra region, the wood got thinner and 

 thinner, and by May 27th it was nothing but scattered 

 underwood. After this came quite small bushes and 

 weeds, and then at last the interminable tundra came 

 in sight. Not to be without fuel on the tundra they 

 felled some dead trees and other wood, eight sledge 

 loads. The day after they got out on the tundra 

 (May 29th) the caravan set off at full speed, the Syrianes 

 being anxious to get quickly past a place where a whole 

 herd of reindeer had perished some years before. The 

 reindeer-drivers take good note of such places, and do 

 everything possible to avoid them, as the animals may 

 easily be infected by gnawing the bones of their dead 

 comrades. God help the herd that this happens to ! 

 The disease passes rapidly from animal to animal, and 

 scores may die of it in a day.* 



"In this region there are many bogs ; the low land 

 forms one continuous morass. Sometimes we had to 

 walk up to the waist in water ; thus on June 5th we 

 splashed about the whole day in water, in constant fear 

 of the dogs catching cold. On the 6th a strong north- 



* This disease is probably anthrax, or something of the same nature. 



