TO THE HOLY HILLS 343 



I found Hyland better ; and he accepted an invitation 

 from Verrmyah and Katrina to spend the night in their 

 choom, now pitched by the Baroshika. At Scharok 

 also I found the whole of the Uano family, who had 

 taken up their abode in a small lean-to. That day 

 seventy-six of Uano's calves had been killed, and 

 Hyland told me that four men had skinned seventy- 

 eight calves in six hours ; which, said Hyland (who 

 had had some experience in that line), was very good 

 work. 



There was great rejoicing in Alexander's hut ; for 

 at the harbour mouth had appeared a sail, which could 

 be no other than Alexis'. So he had not died after 

 all. And this was proved later on when the vessel, 

 having come to an anchorage in the creek a mile and 

 a half away, some of his men came ashore. It appeared 

 that, since his departure from Okshin in June, he had 

 been slowly coasting along, bartering with mainland 

 Samoyeds. 



This evening I came across for the first time a 

 character destined to play (though we did not know it 

 then) a considerable part in our story. 



I was sitting in Alexander's hut drinking tea (Uano 

 was there, and Mrs. Uano, dirty Shabla, who had 

 come up from the Gobista, and one or two more) when 

 suddenly the door opened and a most extraordinary 

 figure appeared. 



No words of mine can possibly convey to you even 



