332 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 



mouth, and then moved down to the southern extreme. 

 Here we found three old isba and three ombara. One 

 of the isba had a fine brick oven. The bricks for 



this, Alexander told me, had been 

 brought the whole way from the Pet- 

 chora by his brother who was dead. 

 Alexander is now guardian to the 

 brother's little boy, whose reindeer 

 are those tended by Marrk. 



But the feature of the Pugrinoy 

 mouth is a very nice little chapel 

 which was set up many years ago by 

 Alexis (who owned the 10,000 rein- 

 deer). 



Now Mekolka had come with us, 

 and he, On Tipa, and Alexander 

 spent a whole hour in lighting candles 

 before the * ikona ' and in getting the 

 incense to burn. The candles, which 

 were stuck on by their melted bottoms, 

 kept tumbling down, and then Alex- 

 ander would cross himself many times 

 and say a prayer of apology, the two 

 Samoyeds standing behind him like 

 acolytes, and copying his every movement. 1 At last all 

 went well and the place was thoroughly censed. 



1 There was something singularly grotesque in this Rimmon-worship— something 

 quaintly child-like in the idea of these poor Samoyeds, with their little idols all the 



COMMON WINTER-GREEN 



{Pyrola minor L. ) 

 Found by the Pugrinoy. 



