A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 179 



terrible experience. He was out alone in his sledge 

 when the pourga overtook him. He and his dogs 

 were entombed in a drift, and lay there for six days. 

 Two of the team died, but the rest were able to drag 

 the sledo^e back to Golchika when the storm had 

 passed. 



August the 2nd was kept as a high holiday. It 

 was the Feast of the Blessed Ilia — a saint who seemed 

 to be a kind of Siberian St. Swithin, and exercised a 

 good or baneful influence over the weather, according 

 as his votaries did, or did not, observe his festival. 

 Vassilli believed firmly in the power of the saint, and 

 told the tale of a priest of Achinsk who urged his 

 parishioners to gather in their harvest on the holiday. 

 This displeased St. Ilia so much that he sent down 

 storms and lightning upon their crops and destroyed 

 them all. The Golchikans certainly did not tempt 

 his wrath by working. Instead, they all became 

 gloriously drunk. All day jovial parties reeled along 

 the river bank, and besought their neighbours to join 

 them in their revelry, for the native is a generous 

 fellow, and asks for nothing better than to share his 

 bottle of vino with his friends. We, however, kept 

 our door discreetly closed against such boon companions, 

 and allowed Vassilli, who was an expert diplomat, to 

 persuade them that we were not at home — as indeed we 

 were not, in the conventional sense of the phrase. 



However, something must have annoyed the saint, 

 for although the morning was very fine, the sky clouded 

 over threateningly towards night. This was disappoint- 

 ing, for on 2nd August, at midnight, the sun dips for a 



