340 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 



put the fire out. In this wretched place were many 

 dogs and eight persons besides myself, namely, the four 

 brothers (a fresh one was there), the eldest son's four 

 sons, 1 and a little girl. For supper we had ripe cloud- 

 berries in tea, and boiled reindeer. They offered me 

 as a great delicacy some cold liver, but, as I never 

 touch liver, I refused. The man's wife was dead, and, 

 as always happens when there is no woman, the family 

 were simply 'pigging it.' 



After the 'salnik' or lamp was lit (this was a bowl 

 of reindeer fat in which a bit of old fish-net served for 

 wick) they sang sagas, and then we lay down for sleep. 

 But I slept very little. It happened that my feet were 

 over some old fish-bones, at which the dogs kept pull- 

 ins'. After a bit I let out, and caught one of them a 

 hearty kick. Whereupon the dog, believing itself at- 

 tacked by its fellow, set instantly upon it, and a furious 

 fio-ht ensued. Also, no sooner was the light out than 

 it seemed a whole Noah's ark of fierce invertebrates were 

 loosed upon me, and the attack went on till morning. 



September 3rd. — As a consequence of all this I was 

 moving earlier than any one else. The bitter gale 

 of yesterday had died out, and the ground and all the 

 water was bound by a hard frost. We had breakfast 



1 Like all Samoyeds, the boys had a Samoyed and a Russian name apiece — 



1. Ludi (Samoyed), Roman (Russian). 



2. Nensika or Petrooska. 



3. Moziik or Mekolka. 



4. Tierrki or Simeon. 



