260 A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 



station, we met a boat coming ashore from the vessel. 

 A smart gendarme officer sat in the bows, and beside 

 him was none other than our old friend, Mr. Chris- 

 tensen, from Krasnoyarsk, A minute later we were 

 shaking hands with him on the bank. 



I remember our first words, spoken laughingly : 

 " Well, have you arranged for us to go home in the 

 English steamer ? " 



But his reply struck all the laughter out of us. 



" You must go home that way, for you cannot travel 

 overland. England is at war with Germany." 



We stood aghast. 



"Yes," he went on, "and Russia and France and 

 Servia and Montenegro are helping England, and 

 Austria is allied with Germany." 



It sounded like Armageddon ! " But what are they 

 all fighting about ? " we managed to inquire. 



" Because a Servian student murdered the heir of 

 Austria." 



That was all he could tell us. Even this news was 

 out of date, for the steamer had left Krasnoyarsk three 

 weeks previously, and had received no fresh tidings 

 since passing Turukhansk. We could only stare at each 

 other helplessly and exclaim : " War in Europe ! " It 

 seemed wonderful that in such a state of things the sun 

 should continue to shine. 



In the midst of our bemusement, the gendarme 

 officer came up and asked leave to photograph us in 

 company with the natives, because " it would make such 

 an interesting group." As a matter of fact, we reflected 

 afterwards that he did not so much want our portraits 



