72 LIFE IN UST-ZYLMA 



Meanwhile we mingled with the inhabitants of Ust- 

 Zylma and observed their ways. Sunday seemed a day 

 devoted to calling, and many sledges used to drive up to 

 the house where we were from the neighbouring villages. 

 The peasants combined business with these visits to town, 

 and we bought four skins of white fox and one of grey 

 fox for nine roubles and a half, from one of Boulegan's 

 visitors. 



Once we had an opportunity of seeing the people of 

 Ust-Zylma turning out to extinguish a fire. A small 

 conflagration burst out in the house of Captain Arendt. 

 All the villagers trooped to the spot, armed with axes, 

 wooden shovels, and boat-hooks. It is the law that in 

 case of fire every peasant should assist in putting it out. 

 On each house a board is nailed up, on which is roughly 

 sketched the article its inhabitants must furnish to assist 

 in extinguishing the flames. The people keep to their 

 primitive ways and habits. We watched a peasant one 

 day shooting at a mark with a flint-lock rifle. The 

 barrel was very thick, and the bore the size of a large 

 pea. He carried a spiral coil of lead, and, when he 

 wanted a bullet, bit a piece off with his perfectly white 

 regular teeth, and chewed it into a rough sphere. His 

 gun, which he told us was worth five roubles, was 

 ornamented all over the stock with by no means inartistic 

 carvings. 



On one occasion we assisted at a wedding in the 

 Orthodox Greek church. The marriage ceremony took 

 place in the afternoon, and was sufficiently imposing. 

 The priest met the couple at the vestibule of the church. 

 After going through a form of prayer, he presented the 

 bride and bridegroom with a lighted taper, which he had 

 first crossed over their bowed heads ; the rings likewise 

 were crossed over their heads, as were also a pair of 



