144 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 



' Petchora or no, you go on,' say I. ' Kolguev is 

 under the Governor of Archangel.' 



So they were very sulky, but had to go ; and as we 

 couldn't go north-west, we went south-west, — a very sen- 

 sible compromise. The country was much easier. We 

 were indeed soon on the bogs, skirting those very hills 

 alono; which we had come. 



Four hours of this brought us suddenly upon a second 

 lot of Samoyeds, who had but just arrived at their halting 

 place, and were pitching chooms. 



The head of these was one On Tipa. I write the 

 word as it sounds ; but I have reasons for believing that 

 this word is nothing but Antipas. And other names I 

 could afterwards trace to Bible origin. Onaska is a 

 diminutive or pet name for Anania, or as we say, Ananias 

 ■ — Mekolka for Nicholai or Nicholas. The Samoyeds 

 have also a practice of adding ' o ' ; thus Philip becomes 

 Philipo, while Uano is Ivan. 



On Tipa was a fine-looking old man, with long grey 

 hair and a general resemblance to Moses in the church 

 windows. He was chocolate-coloured, whereas Uano 

 was yellow. 



He gave us real tea, and we spread reindeer fat on 

 bread for butter. I was much struck by his long train 

 of sleighs, some of which carried boats. Afterwards 

 I came to know On Tipa for the richest and most 

 trustworthy man on the whole island. His district was 

 the head-waters of the Pesanka, and he told me that 



