A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 239 



his nerves, and when he was not drinking, he smoked 

 cigarette after cigarette, as quickly as the native girl 

 could roll them for him. Added to this, it was not 

 long before other, and even less desirable, companions 

 made their presence known, and their raids soon 

 banished sleep. We were all heartily glad when 

 morning came, and we could have a breath of clean air, 

 and a cold splash in the river outside. 



The wind had dropped completely, and we chartered 

 a native boat and three Yuraks to row us back to 

 Swerifskye. Our hostess came down to the beach to 

 watch our departure. This morning the poor girl's face 

 looked as radiant as it ever could look, because her 

 man had come home to her. Vassilli Vassillievitch 

 himself sat huddled sulkily beside the stove, and 

 answered nothing when Madame Antonoff said good-bye, 

 and hinted kindly but gravely that the patience of 

 even the most long-suffering landlord must come to an 

 end at last. But his wife Hared up at once in his 

 defence. She would not hear a word about his neglect 

 of herself. He was too good for this work, she said, and 

 other folks were jealous and carried slanders of him to 

 Golchika. She would not even admit that she had 

 been solitary all by herself while he had been carousing 

 at Swerifskye. But all the same, her green eyes looked 

 a little wistful as the boat pushed oft', and left her 

 standing all alone on the shore. Then the babe wailed 

 for her fretfully, and she ran back quickly to the house. 



