214 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 



You see it was close on midnight, and Uano and old 

 Ustynia had gone to bed. Their tent would just hold 

 three sleepers, cheek by jowl. And, as my entertainers, 

 they had laid a special white reindeer skin just between 

 them, which was to be my bed. 



'Sdorova?' — 'How d'ye do ?' — they said without rising, 

 and then tapped the skin between them and said, ' Here 

 your bed.' 



Well, I didn't want to hurt these poor people's feelings, 

 but I felt I wasn't up to studying" Samoyed life quite so 

 closely as all that. I laughed, and said it was too hot 

 to-nig"ht, I would sleep outside ; and, under cover of 

 this, retreated. 



I found an old boat, which, turned on its side, would 

 do very well, and under this I spread my macintosh, 

 and lay down to sleep. 



Now see how kind these people are. Rain-showers 

 (and nasty ones) had come on, and yet I saw Katrina 

 and little Zornka busy about the fire in the open, and 

 Verrmyah plucking a goose. But I didn't take much 

 notice beyond wondering that they should trouble to do 

 that in the rain. 



But after a bit little Wanka comes up to the boat with 

 a wooden bowl of smoking hot goose, saying 'pillet ' {i.e. 

 plate), an English word he was very proud of. But I 

 was afraid to eat o-oose-stew a t t na t moment, so then he 

 brought me 'yah'; and I was afraid to drink the 'yah.' 

 For I knew that if I was to go o-oose-huntino- to-morrow 



