VII.] .4.V AWKWARD DILEMMA. 153 



doubt, have constructed a couple of tree-trunk rafts of sufficient 

 buoyancy to float our baggage, but here there were no pines, and 

 as we had but little rope, we should have had to make use of 

 willow fastenings. It would have cost us five or six days' hard 

 work, and grudging almost every hour of delay, we only looked 

 upon it as a last resource. 



In the evening Jacof's dripping form appeared at the door of 

 the tent, where, as philosophically as we could, we sat skinning a 

 very fat and extremely fishy eagle. He had brought four men with 

 him. AVe had thus natives from no less than three settlements in 

 the camp ; from Mashura, Tschappina, and Tolbatchik ; and as we 

 got under our reindeer skins for the night, it was with the feeling 

 that at least there was abundant material for a very pretty row 

 upon the morrow. 



We were up early, anxious to get the affair over as soon as 

 possible, for we had settled on our line of action, and had no inten- 

 tion whatever of yielding a single kopeck. The ball was opened by 

 the Mashura men, who again claimed an exorbitant sum. We 

 replied by once more making our original offer, which they 

 refused. They had, it appears, made arrangements with the 

 Tschappina people, and thinking that by their co-operation they 

 had got us in a corner from which there was no means of escape 

 except by our yielding to their demands, they took to their canoes 

 and paddled away, doubtless thinking that before long we should 

 be obliged to send after them. The Tschappina men were still 

 talking among themselves, when a fresh difficulty arose with the 

 four new-comers from Tolbatchik, who demanded to know what 

 we were going to give them. AYe told them that one rouble per 

 diem was our settled pay for each man, counting three days for 

 every one day in order to allow for the return journey, but in this 

 case, as the work would be harder, we would give a rouble and a 

 half. This offer, which was in reality far more than they ought to 

 have had, — for six shillings a day is, it must be admitted, very 

 tolerable pay, — they refused, but eventually agreed to go as far as 



