64 SIBERIA IN EUROPE. CHAP. vn. 



thirds on the Petchora, and the remaining third across 

 country, principally islands. It was so good that we ac- 

 complished the distance in four hours, stopping for half an 

 hour midway to feed the horses. We scarcely saw a bird on 

 the whole journey. 



Habariki is a poor little village, without a church and 

 containing not more than a dozen houses. The sandy banks 

 of the river are about fifty feet higher than the level on 

 which it is built, and keep it out of the reach of the floods 

 that come with the thaw. The village was admirably 

 adapted for the winter quarters of Sideroff's steamer, which 

 lay below the bend in a little creek running back out of 

 the Petchora, protected there from danger of being smashed 

 to pieces by the blocks of ice that crash down on the break- 

 ing up of the river. 



After a good lunch we hired two sledges and started in 

 search of the Samoyedes with Captain Engel and a Kussian, 

 the engineer of the steamer lying frozen under the village. 

 We had ascertained that there were some chooms about four 

 versts off, but just as we arrived at the place we found every- 

 thing ready for a move northward. The chooms were taken 

 down and packed on sledges, and the reindeer, to the number 

 of about 500, were collected together ; and before we had 

 been there ten minutes the order to march was given. We 

 were informed that they were not going far that afternoon, 

 and would probably erect their chooms in the course of the 

 evening within a verst of Habariki, but that before doing so 

 they were going to take out fifty of the reindeer which be- 

 longed to a Kussian. We were anxious to see the operation 



