A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 261 



for the sake of their intrinsic interest, as for the more 

 practical purpose of identification ; for the Russian 

 Government has always a lurking fear that the opening 

 up of the Kara Sea route will afford a means of escape 

 to some of the Yenesei exiles. However, we were too 

 much bewildered to refuse. I believe that, if at that 

 moment he had asked to electrocute us, we should have 

 submitted obediently enough. As it was, I remember 

 being pushed into position between two very disreput- 

 able and awestruck Samoyedes, and if my expression 

 was anything like those of my companions, I must have 

 looked quite as miserable as the most despairing of 

 political exiles. 



Later on we had a long consultation with Mr. 

 Christensen. He had heard that the two English ships 

 had left Denmark safely just before the outbreak of 

 the war, and unless any accident had befallen them on 

 the way, they were due to reach the Yenesei at any 

 moment. They were escorting three small tug-boats, 

 which had been bought by the Russian Government 

 from a Hamburg firm for trade on the Yenesei. Mr. 

 Christensen himself had chartered the Yenesiesk and 

 the Ob, two small river steamers, and had brought 

 down eight lighters loaded with the cargo destined for 

 Europe. He had left these lighters at the appointed 

 rendezvous at Nosonovsky Ostrov — one of the Breok- 

 offsky islands — and had come down to Golchika in 

 the Yenesiesk to look out for the English ships. Our 

 mails were following in the Oryol, which was only a 

 day's run behind. He had arranged that we were 

 all to go together in the Oryol as far as Nosonovsky, a 



