446 FROM NORTH POLE TO EQUATOR. 



beating of the drum, greeted our entrance, and marked the beginning 

 of the proceedings. 



" That you may see that I am a man of truth," said the master's 

 voice, " I shall now adjure the messenger of the heavenly will, who 

 is at my behest, to appear among us and communicate to me what the 

 gods have determined concerning your future. Later, you yourselves 

 will be able to determine whether I have told you the truth or not." 



After this introduction, which was translated to us by two 

 interpreters, the favourite of the gods struck the calf -skin, or rather 

 reindeer-skin of his drum, with quick strokes which followed one 

 another at equal intervals, but were indefinitely grouped, and accom- 

 panied his drumming with a song which, in the usual Samoyede 

 fashion, was half -spoken, or rather muttered, and half -sung, and 

 was faithfully repeated by the youth, whom we may call the clerk. 

 The master held the drum so as to keep his face in shadow, and 

 he also shut his eyes that nothing might distract his inward vision; 

 the clerk, on the other hand, smoked even while he sang, and 

 spat from time to time, just as he had been doing before. Three slow, 

 decided strokes brought the drumming and the song to an end. 



" I have now," said the master with dignity, " adjured Yamaul, 

 the heavenly messenger, to appear among us, but I cannot say how 

 much time must pass before he arrives, for he may be far off." 



And again he beat his drum and sang his incantation, concluding 

 both song and accompaniment as before. 



"I see two emperors before me; they will send you a writing," 

 spoke the messenger of the gods through his lips. 



So Yamaul had been kind enough to appear in the tshum to 

 oblige his favourite. Then the individual sentences of the heavenly 

 message, with the invariable prelude of drumming and song, were 

 uttered as follows: 



" Once again, next summer, you will traverse the same route as 

 this year." 



" Then you will visit the summit of the Ural, where the rivers 

 Ussa, Bodarata, and Shtshutshya begin their course." 



'' On this journey something will befall you, whether good or 

 evil I cannot tell." 



