PETCHORA 301 



approaching in the same manner as before on different 

 sides. Sitting shots were obtained from the latter, but 

 without effect. 



Waiting on the road for their return, Seebohm and I, 

 feeling it cold, ' thought to 'herselves they would pe the 

 petter of a wee drap of cognac,' and accordingly the better 

 to enjoy it, while also watching the chase, seated ourselves 

 on the back of the sledge, with our backs to the horses. 

 Seebohm was just in the act of ' beginning to taste ' when 

 the yemstchick, likewise bent on enjoying himself, blazed 

 off his rifle. Off bolted the horse and sledge minus Messrs. 

 Seebohm and Harvie-Brown worthy Ibises who were 

 left stranded in a most undignified position on the snow, 

 staring at one another, first with utter and blank astonish- 

 ment, and then in speechless laughter. We were sitting 

 bolt upright on the snow with our feet pointing to the 

 west and our horse's head to the east, and the yemst- 

 chick, unable to behave himself in a regretful or silent 

 manner, seemed to be seized with a violent fit of unutter- 

 able giggle. The situation was indeed ' tooral-looral.' 

 Wonderful to relate, very little of the cognac was spilled 

 in a wrong direction, and most of it found its way to its 

 originally-intended destination . 



Arrived at our Goose-ground, we drew up our sledges, 

 and had tea and cold meat, etc. Our camp was on a 

 rising ground, and in the vicinity were certain small 

 pools of surface water and melted snow, where the Geese 

 are supposed to alight to drink in the early hours of the 

 morning. 



About 11 p.m. each chose a position at the different 

 points of ' vantage,' and the yemstchicks, with a wooden 

 spade and an axe, prepared our ' caches,' digging out a hole 

 in the snow three or four feet deep, piling up the snow on 

 the edges, bushing it round with willows, and lining the 

 floor with a little dry hay. 



