336 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 



' Yes,' I answered, ' Bolvana gorah. What about 

 it?' 



Then it turned out they had remembered how old 

 Marrk had taken me to Sieycherhur, and that they 

 thought I might like to go to see Bolvana mountain. 

 To this I agreed. We would go to-morrow. I would 

 sleep in their choom, and the following day we should 

 go on to see the bolvans. 



I was very much astonished at this, but it seemed 

 clearer when Alexander looked in for a moment and 

 explained that these Bulchikoff were exceedingly poor, 

 that they had looked to do a little trading with his 

 cousin Alexis, who now, it seemed, must have been lost 

 in the ice ; that they hoped, by taking me to their 

 choom, to catch me for a bit of trading. So I made it 

 clear that I should not trade, but that, if that was it, we 

 had better make a bargain at once. I would go, I said, 

 on one condition, and I would pay them five roubles (for 

 it was a very long journey, and it did not seem fair to do 

 less). My condition was, that they should give me, or 

 sell me, a little bolvan, one of those they wore under 

 their clothes. Now, at this juncture old Bulchikoff, the 

 father, came in. 



'Bolvan,' said he, 'my son no bolvan. My son 

 Christian.' 



They were always suspicious of me, because of the 

 Governor's letter ; they connected me somehow with the 

 ruling powers, and feared I would report them for idolatry. 



