176 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 



Uano beat me game after game, roaring with laughter 

 at my defeat. Old Ustynia looked on with her wrinkled 

 face and kindly twinkling eyes, taking the keenest 

 interest in her lord's success. Hyland played it better 

 than I, but he was worsted too. 



fuly *jtk. — It was a lovely sunny day, though the wind 

 still blew keenly from the northward. 



Always most anxious to keep any undertakings made 

 with these people, so that they might come to rely upon 

 my word, I used every effort to have all ready and 

 stowed on the sleighs by half-past two, the hour they 

 had fixed for moving off. 



But the reindeer had strayed away, and so we all 

 stood tentless and choomless until six o'clock. And 

 then we moved off. 



Among the herd was one little calf only born five days 

 ago. Yet this small creature kept up most gallantly. 

 Every now and then it dropped behind, and its mother 

 anxiously waited, lowing, and charging the dogs, who 

 tried to hurry it on. But just when we thought it was 

 really so tired that we ought to lift it on to a sleigh, it 

 pulled itself together and scampered off. 



We pulled up now and then for the deer to rest, and 

 once Mekolka left us. He had picked up by the way a 

 reindeer's shed antler. This he bore away to a spot on 

 the tundra, where was a circular, low tower, built entirely 

 of reindeer's horns. On this he placed the horn he bore, 



