254 A SUMMER ON THE YENESEl 



and his two companions felt the influence of the day, 

 and occupied themselves idyllically in picking wild 

 flowers. Of course the Giant's nosegay went to pretty 

 Nura Antonofl". 



About four o'clock in the afternoon, our two com- 

 panions arrived on reindeer sledges. They were accom- 

 panied by a number of natives, and also by Simeon 

 Prokopchuk, who had slept off" his carouse. Miss 

 Czaplicka, always tireless where there was work to be 

 done, began at once to take measurements of the natives' 

 skulls. The rest did mysterious business with Prokop- 

 chuk, and then sat down to an uproarious meal of 

 tea and vodka. The difl'erence between Simeon and 

 Gerasim Androvitch was nowhere more seen than in 

 their dealings with the natives. The latter never per- 

 mitted the least familiarity, nor allowed them to take 

 any liberties. Simeon Prokopchuk, on the other hand, 

 indulged in horseplay with them, and encouraged them 

 in all sorts of antics. There was, in particular, one big 

 boisterous Samoyede, with a shock head of hair, who 

 was evidently in the condition described in Ireland as : 

 "not to say drunk, but he had drink taken." He 

 gambolled about the beach, danced with our host, and 

 was so far on the high road to get out of hand altogether 

 that we were glad to take our leave. We promised to 

 send our poor hostess some milk for her babies, and in 

 turn she ofl'ered to sell some furs. If afterwards it was 

 found that she had the best of the latter bargain — well, 

 as the Malay proverb says : If there are worms in the 

 earthy why dig them up ? 



We left Kazachye that evening, and as the wind 



