A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 269 



midday news was brought that the Oryol would be in 

 at daybreak. In the evening, Joseph told us that he 

 had made up his mind to leave Golchika on the next 

 day. We feared that when his father heard of the 

 intention, he might, in his anger, refuse to allow 

 Marusia to leave home. We tried to persuade Joseph 

 to let her start safely with us in the Oryol while he 

 himself followed a few days later in the Lena ; but the 

 Giant refused to do this. He replied that Nura AntonofF 

 was going to Yenesiesk in the latter steamer and, as he 

 said simply : 



" It would spoil her name for ever among these 

 people if she and I left Golchika together." 



We had always noticed Joseph's love and reverence 

 for Nura ; and it touched us the more that at present 

 the girl was a flighty little minx, and not nearly good 

 enough for the honest Giant. 



Meanwhile the Yenesiesk was still lying off the 

 island, and in the evening we saw Mr. Christensen. 

 He was anxious about the arrival of the English steamers, 

 which were now more than a week overdue. The Lena 

 had brought up a bundle of newspapers, in one of 

 which was a little paragraph stating that three German 

 torpedo boats had captured some English merchantmen 

 off Trondhjem. Mr. Christensen was afraid that these 

 German warships might have interfered with the 

 expedition. He therefore advised us to give up the 

 idea of returning by the Kara Sea, and to go straight 

 to Krasnoyarsk in the Oryol. 



We awoke early on the following morning, and ran 

 straight to the window. There at last was the Oryol, 



