THE MAINLAND 369 



channels. For two rivers enter this gulf, viz., the Kam- 

 balnitsa and the Kolokolkova. But we grounded so often 

 that we gave it up, and with great difficulty worked our 

 way down again, and so lay with a foot of water under 

 our keel. 



One of the mainland Samoyeds, whose name was 

 Pronia, crossed again, and returned bringing his wife to 

 call upon our old Anka. They both rowed, with the 

 baby on the bottom of the boat between them. I was 

 much amused with the women's quaint politenesses to 

 one another. Mrs. Pronia wore earrings with bunches 

 of hare's fur in them. These people brought kambola, 

 which our crew ate raw. They told me there are no 

 salmon here, but admitted thev had never set nets to 

 see. On this evening, as our fuel is reduced to two logs, 

 we went by invitation to supper with Alexis. 



On our return our visitors dropped the baby into their 

 tiny boat (which a man could easily lift on to his shoulder) 

 and pulled off across the dark river-mouth with a two- 

 mile journey before them. 



The following morning opened fine, and Alexander 



had quite made up his mind to run out with the tide and 



make for the Timanskii Schar, behind Sengenskii Island, 



which is only a hundred versts from his home. He has 



never before been in our present harbour, and does not 



like it. But just as we were off a fog came on, and then 



the wind chopped to the north, and we were prisoners. 



So there was nothing for it but to warp the boats to 



2 A 



