OUR CHINESE COOK 167 



General that we managed to cover so much oround 

 that day, for he had given strict orders to the men to 

 stop on no account whatever. On the whole our men 

 were a good-natured lot, and the ponies, though up to 

 all sorts of tricks, strong little animals and used to hard 

 work. That night our dinner, consisting of boiled 

 ov/fs^' and roast veal picked up at Koriak, was quite 



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a luxurious repast, though \'asska's broad grin had 

 given way to a sad expression of fatigue, and he 

 seemed quite helpless, our companions having to do 

 all the work. Yasska, although a good sort and an 

 excellent cook, would now and again relapse into a 

 lazy mood, and only "cooky fishy or meaty" provided 

 everything he wanted was brought within his reach. 

 This was the case that evening. He kept ordering 



