3o8 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 



August ijth. — Now here is an odd fact. The 

 musquitoes were about to-day, yet they did not worry 

 me at all. But Verrmyah, who was working at my 

 sleigh, was bitten and bothered very much. A native 

 might have been expected to be musquito-proof. 



On Tipa was to choose three young bulls from our 

 herd as part of his son's settlement. One would have 

 supposed that he would have just jumped on to his sleigh 

 and come across to look over the herd, as a farmer would 

 at home. Not a bit of it. This was not consistent with 

 his dignity on such an occasion. So Verrmyah and 

 Mekolka had to round up the whole herd of five hundred 

 beasts more or less, and drive them twenty versts away 

 to On Tipa on the head of the Veliki river. This they 

 did to-day, and brought them back. 



Hyland took my glass up to the hill, and coming back, 

 reported a sail at Scharok ! This Mekolka also had 

 seen in the morning. Uano was very cunning about 

 it. He didn't know that we were aware of it, and so 

 he had made up his mind that he would slip off by him- 

 self and see his Russians. I think that he chiefly wanted 

 the pleasure of telling them all about us, and of talking 

 us over with them before we met. So I did not even 

 know he had started until he was two miles off. Then 

 I went for Verrmyah, who said, ' My adliurs Ahnglia's 

 adliurs. Ahnglia go quick, yes, yes.' But I had no 

 intention of pounding all the way to Scharok for nothing. 

 For of course we knew the sail was not the Saxon's. 



