PETCHORA 401 



of ' brandy and maype wan of ta talishker after, which 

 will be petter.' 



The Swan's nest was a huge crushed-down dome-like 

 structure of dried grass, and the four eggs are covered 

 over with the same material. On both sides there is a 

 lake, but, though close to the nest, invisible, or nearly 

 so, from the dense nature of the thicket which is all 

 around the nest and within two feet of it. There were 

 no beaten paths leading to it made by the Swans. 

 ' Cock-sure ' supplied that desideratum. At 5 yards 

 in the thicket the nest would be invisible to a man 

 lying down, and at 20 to a man standing up (in 

 some directions invisible at 10 paces, or even less). 



Piottuch's petit maison stood proudly and ' cock- 

 surely ' at the end of a fine broad avenue, and a loop- 

 hole was left in the wall, whence the Swan's nest could 

 be covered with a culverin. To add to the comfort of the 

 house, Piottuch had been spitting all over the carpet ! 

 and innumerable papirosse ends were heaped up in a 

 corner, I suppose used to supply the want of a fire and a 

 good going chimney. 



At 2 a.m. the guide arrived, bringing my malitza 

 and pimih. I expressed my disapprobation of the archi- 

 tecture and laying-out of the grounds and levelling of the 

 lawn grass, pointing the finger of scorn and saying in the 

 best of (my) Russ ' neet dobra,' which in vulgar English 

 would be differently rendered ! 



At 7.30 Piottuch returned, and I left him to watch, 

 and relieved him again about one o'clock, but I could 

 not be prevailed upon to remain again. 



Nothing I said could convince Piottuch of its mutility. 

 1 Ah, monsieur, c'est rien,' meaning that the Swan 

 was blind and stupid, and that he was all-wise. 



After returning I slept, and while I was sleeping 

 Seebohm unravelled the mysteries connected with the 



