FETCH OR A 267 



Havana, Cuba, Black Sea, etc., and has now been for 

 four years captain of M. SidorofFs steamer on the 

 Petchora. He has been nineteen years away from his 

 home in Mecklenburg-Schwerin, and has got so fond 

 of a roving, unsettled life that he finds difficulty in 

 making up his mind to go home, though he feels it 

 would be better for himself. He says after he has been 

 twenty-five years away he will then go home. He will 

 then be entitled to have his name put on the list of 

 sailors who have served a certain number of years, and 

 as this is a great honour, he will, he says, then rest 

 on his laurels; or, as he expresses it, 'Never mind the 

 weather ; keep your legs together ! ' He speaks English 

 well (with an accent), but says he has forgotten it after 

 four years on the Petchora. He told us much of his 

 experiences and adventures ; gave us some useful hints, 

 and also a good deal of reliable information about the 

 Samoyedes, having stayed often in their ' chooms ' and 

 seen a good deal of them at Habarika, Pustozersk, and 

 at Varandai and elsewhere. His information I will give 

 further on. 



April 19. 



On Monday, the 19th of April, Seebohm and I each 

 took a sketch of the old church, which sketches were 

 fairly successful. 



The other morning we did some marketing. We saw 

 the ribs of a sheep, and felt them, but did not buy. It 

 was a poor, lean beast. We viewed then a piece of a cow 

 at Hd. (4J kopeks) per Ib. Our purveyor and cook, 

 a peasant living not far off, made good soup and steak 

 therefrom. Kaibchiks cost 20 kopeks per brace ; small, 

 round rolls are 12 kopeks per pound ; reindeer tongues, 

 fresh, are 10 kopeks each. Our purveyor also bakes 

 beautiful white bread for us, and makes fresh butter, 

 which costs 30 kopeks (lOd.) per Kussian Ib. M, 



