A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 111 



After the wheels of barter had been oiled by many cups 

 of tea and vino, and the sale of their foxskins placed on 

 more or less of a business footing, both parties went 

 down to the store, and the huckstering began all over 

 again. We were never present at the latter part of 

 these mysterious negotiations — Gerasim Androvitch 

 never permitted anyone to hear how he clinched the 

 final bargain, but after a longer or a shorter time, 

 according as there was much or little vino in the house, 

 the natives were seen returning to their sledges, dragging 

 after them bundles containing felt, knives, kettles, and 

 souhari. Souhari are square chunks of coarse bread, 

 dried in the oven until they are as hard and crisp as 

 biscuit. Prepared thus, bread will keep for a long time, 

 and both Prokopchuk and Antonoff had large supplies 

 in their stores. The natives had a very shrewd idea of 

 the value of things. English goods, however cheap, 

 were greatly prized, and considered to be much better 

 than those of Russian manufacture. Sylkin, for example, 

 never tired of relating how once many years before he 

 had gone on board Captain Wiggin's steamer, and had 

 been given a cup of " Angliski Koffe,'' i.e. English 

 coffee. He seemed to think that the name conferred 

 upon the drink some virtue which was absent from coffee 

 brewed in Siberia. The Samoyedes fully appreciated 

 good work. When I first went to Golchika, I wore a 

 pair of Cording's fishing boots for wading in the marshes. 

 These boots won universal admiration, and as soon as 

 they had shaken hands, our callers used to examine my 

 feet curiously, and feel the texture of the leggings. 

 " Voda nyet ? " they inquired, and when assured that 



