TO THE HOLY HILLS 339 



I find that I never told you of our old cook Anna, 

 Anka, Anaka, Ananinka — for she answered to all these 

 names according as you were angry with her or pleased ; 

 Anna being 1 the term of command, Ananinka of wheed- 

 ling or entreaty, and the other means between the two. 

 She was Mrs. Uano's eldest daughter. She was a widow, 

 and lived in the service of Alexander at Okshin on the 

 Petchora. An old woman in appearance (though she 

 could not have been more than thirty), 1 she ruled the fire 

 and the pot, and I found her kindness itself. There 

 was nothing the old creature would not do for Hyland 

 and myself, and she was always full of laughter at our 

 ways. Every year she crossed to Kolguev to do Alex- 

 ander's work and see her friends. 



In the evening I left with the Bulchikoff brothers. 

 Their choom was only ten versts away. The first five 

 versts we did in twenty-five minutes, the last in thirty- 

 five minutes ; for the first we did at the lope or canter, 

 the next at a slow trot. This will give an idea of rein- 

 deer pace in summer. 



Now I do not claim to have been very particular, but 

 I must confess I was disgusted this time. Such a choom 

 as it was ! Dirty, full of holes and very small, it could 

 not have been more than twelve feet across, for when 

 1 stretched myself out to go to sleep my feet were in 

 the fire ; so we had to send the boys out for water to 



1 People such as these, with whom the women are grown-up, in a sense, at about 

 thirteen, age so rapidly that a woman of twenty-five looks old. 



