TO THE HOLY HILLS 333 



So we left. 



Now Mekolka was driving a team of whites. And 

 presently his Niasminta turned rusty and lay down. I 

 thought the poor beast was tired, and said so to 

 Alexander, but he answered, ' No, he is not tired, only 

 he is bad.' That being so, he was a very bad rein- 

 deer indeed. For, do what we could, he wouldn't 

 budo-e. 



Then Mekolka turned him over on his back. You 

 know that if you turn a beetle or a tortoise over on its 

 back when it is ' shammino- dead ' it will come to life and 

 try to turn over. Well, the white niasminta did the 

 same, and jumped up on to its legs. But as soon as ever 

 you tried to make it move down it dropped again. Many 

 times we did this, but it always collapsed. So then they 

 passed a thong round his neck, and the team dragged 

 him along for, I should say, a hundred yards. I thought 

 he must choke, but he didn't, nor would he come to 

 life. After this we turned him over again, and when he 

 tried to rise we prevented him, and so on many times. 

 At last up he jumped and stood. We were afraid to 

 try and drive him, so we tied him to the back of a 

 sleigh and towed him home. 



August 2<^th. — ' Great bartering going on to-day. All 

 the inland Samoyeds came down and exchanged their 



while hidden in their clothes, going gravely through this function. I really believe 

 that in their poor confused way they felt they were doing their best to keep in with 

 both the Powers. 



