A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 93 



stores. In his absence Madame AntonofF not only- 

 looked after the house, but attended to the business 

 and superintended the curing of the fish. She was a 

 wonderful woman — Madame AntonofF — and her unfail- 

 ing kindness to the four foreigners who came to her 

 house is among the pleasantest of my Siberian recollec- 

 tions. She could steer a canoe as well as any man, and 

 I well recollect meeting her in the marsh at the back of 

 the house one day. She was wearing her husband's 

 long boots, which were so much too large that she could 

 scarcely drag one foot after another. In one hand she 

 carried his gun, and in the other a duck which she had 

 just shot ; for, as she said in her housewifely way, 

 Michael Petrovitch had eaten nothing but fish for so 

 long that a duck would be a nice change. She very 

 sensibly looked upon her kilted petticoats and huge 

 boots quite as much of a matter of course as that she 

 should pluck and cook the bird when she brought it in. 



The longer we lived at Golchika, the more instances 

 did we see of the goodness of heart of both AntonofF 

 and his wife. For instance, her two orphaned sisters, 

 girls of fifteen and sixteen, made their home there. 

 Their father had died suddenly, leaving them penniless, 

 and their brother-in-law had adopted them. Not only 

 that, but he also entirely maintained their drunken 

 brother who lived at Yenesiesk. 



The two remaining members of the household were 

 Nill, and Anastasia, his wife. Nill, we already knew 

 after our excursion to Och Marino. Anastasia was 

 likewise red haired, a dumpy little body with round 

 eyes, who made the best ijirog in Siberia. Nill and 



