THE MAINLAND 367 



would not be here. I wasn't so sure of that. It struck 

 me they would gladly have come without me had they 

 seen their way. 



' Yes,' says Alexander, ' Kolguev is an island, and 

 your England is an island. Very much sea. So you 

 understand all ships and all islands, and that is why your 

 Queen Victoria — your woman king — rules all the islands 

 of the world.' 



So we were friends again. Only once was there any 

 reference to the bolvan after that. Just before they went 

 to sleep Alexander and Yakoff came to me, and smiling 

 said, ' Look in your box. Your bolvan is not there. 

 The Holy Nicholas there ; your bolvan not there. Look 

 and see.' What on earth they were driving at I never 

 could guess. Perhaps they had been exorcising it. 

 They had expected an indignant denial, but were dis- 

 appointed. For my little bolvans were all safe in my 

 pocket, so that I could honestly answer, ' I needn't look, 

 I know it. Quite right, the bolvans are not there.' It 

 took the wind out of their sails, and much astonished, 

 while it flattered them in some way, for they beamed 

 with delight and went to sleep. 



In the distance we could see a choom on the river 

 bank, and a man walking- along. 



Hyland was in high spirits at our safe arrival. He 

 looked forward with great delight to his return to the 

 little business which he had started in England a few 

 months before he came away. Other and more tender 



