AT THE EXILE'S HOUSE. 253 



learn the best route for getting to Bulun. To this he will- 

 ingly consented, and at two in the afternoon we drove over 

 to his house. With him and his wife, a Yakut woman, I 

 spent the evening, and here 1 learned some news from the 

 great world from which we had been so long absent. He 

 told me that the Czar had been assassinated, that the Lena 

 was still in the river, that Sibiriakoff was running some 

 steamboats, and also that Austria and Prussia had been at 

 Avar. He spoke of Count Bismarck, of Generals Skobeleff 

 and Gourko, and the Turkish war, and of a great many other 

 things besides. His wife presented me with some tobacco, 

 about live pounds of salt, a small bag of rye flour, some sugar, 

 and two bricks of tea. And here let me say that the native 

 women were always very kind, in spite of their ugliness, and 

 1 would like to send up a large load of gay calicoes, ban- 

 danas, and other fineries for them if I could. 



Next morning Kusmah Eremoff for that was the name of 

 this Russian exile took me to the door and showed me a 

 fine little reindeer which he had bought for us, and asked if 

 it suited me. I told him it would be very welcome, and so it 

 was immediately slaughtered. We had tea for breakfast, 

 with fish, and fish pate's which the good woman had made 

 specially for me ; and just before I left, Kusmah promised 

 that on the following Sunday he would take me to Bulun 

 with deer-teams. I asked him who else would go, and he 

 said two other Russians. I asked how many Tunguses, and 

 he said there would be none, because they were bad ; and on 

 all occasions he tried to indicate that there was something 

 wrong with the Tunguses. I asked him to come over the 

 following Wednesday to consult with Melville, and then I 

 returned home with the provender. Our people were de- 

 lighted with the change of diet. The deer, when dressed, 

 weighed ninety-three pounds. 



On Wednesday, Kusmah came over as he had promised 

 Melville. We took him down to the boat and had it turned 

 over for his inspection. We then retired to an empty house, 

 where Melville, Kusmah, and I had a consultation. Kusmah 



