BACKTOSCHAROK 305 



August i6tk. — This was our record clay for heat. 

 The diary runs : — 



'Wind S., very light — thermometer, 7 a.m., 70° in 

 sun ; noon, 76° in shade, 86° in sun ; midnight, 54 , bar. 

 29'9 in. Clear all night, which is most unusual. The 

 hottest day we have had. I went into flannels. The 

 dogs dead beat, lying about just as they did last Wednes- 

 day, and yet the heat would not compare with that of a 

 hot English summer day. Even the Samoyeds felt it, 

 and opened flaps in their choom. They lit their fire 

 outside for the first time. The girls came out to-day in 

 red skirts and belts ; the men also. They wear the 

 shirt-tail outside in the Russian peasant fashion. (Baby 

 was hawked about all day without its cradle or its 

 clothing.) 



' The bulls' horns are now beoinning- to lose the velvet, 

 but the steers retain theirs. 1 



' In spite of the heat we had no musquitoes to-day, no 

 doubt because of our high position. But the fly was 

 very bad indeed. 



' While Mekolka was out adliurgo to-day his dog- 

 caught a young red fox. It was little hurt, and he 

 brought it back. He had tied its legs together, and 

 muzzled it also with a leather thong-. I was sketching- it 

 as it lay on the ground, when suddenly it slipped the 

 thong from its feet, and was off down the snow ravine at 

 the back. Instantly every man, woman, child, and dog- 



1 The majority of the gelded deer never lose the velvet. 



U 



