94 SIBERIA IN EUROPE. CHAP. ix. 



both missed ; a third time the rifles caine within range, but 

 with no better result ; after which the swans flew right away. 



We then visited a small lake close to the banks of the 

 Petchora, but it was completely ice-bound, and declared to 

 be "neeayt dohbra" (good for nothing). Finally, we 

 selected a spot where there was open water in two places. 

 Geese flew about in small flocks, at intervals during the 

 afternoon, and we all expressed confident hopes of a bag 

 after sunrise. The horses were taken from the sledge, a fire 

 was lit, supper with unlimited tea followed, and was over by 

 eleven. We then selected places, supposed to be favourable 

 for the cachets ; at each place a hole was dug in the snow, 

 which was piled up to the height of three or four feet, and 

 this snow wall was planted round with willow twigs. Cocksure 

 (the nickname we gave to Piottucb, a bad pun on his name),* 

 who by the way was in high glee, drove across the Petchora, 

 with the postmaster, where he was " cocksure " of finding 

 plenty of geese. 



After a final cup of tea and a smoke, we separated at one 

 o'clock, each departing to his cachet, to take, if he felt so 

 inclined, a sleep in the snow for a couple of hours. I did 

 not feel sleepy, and was curious to watch a whole night on 

 the banks of the Petchora ; so dofling my malitza, axe in 

 hand, I set to work to turn my cachet into a turreted castle, 

 some six feet high inside. It was a keen frost, and the 

 surface snow was easy to hew out into square blocks, which 

 I joined together, with soft snow from below ; soon, my 



* " Piatookh " is the Russ for " a cock." 



