284 A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 



forebodings. Vassilli trudged along behind us. I think 

 that he, too, was sorry that the summer was over. 



When we reached the balagans, there was still no 

 sign of the boat from the Oryol, and a thin rain began 

 to drift over the island. By way of filling up the time, 

 we went into one of the huts. With ready Siberian 

 hospitality, the family brought us tea, bread, and 

 excellent fresh caviare. It was a tiny little room, and 

 an unlimited number of people seemed to live in it, but 

 they all appeared unusually healthy. The women here 

 were dressed like men, and very sensible and neat they 

 looked in their loose Russian shirts and long boots and 

 breeches. They were just making ready to return to 

 Yenesiesk for the winter, after an unusually successful 

 fishing season. One seine net alone had brought them 

 in seven hundred pouds of omul. We had scarcely 

 finished when the boat was seen at the beach, and we 

 had to take leave of our companions. Good luck to 

 them both, and their plucky adventure into the twilight 

 and frost of an arctic winter ! 



We watched them go on board the Oryol and saw 

 the steamer slowly depart on her fifteen-hundred-mile 

 journey to the south. Then, feeling very much of a 

 pair of waifs and strays, we went back to our new 

 quarters on the Ragna. 



The Ragna was a steamship of 2250 tons. Both 

 she and the Skule, her consort, flew the Norwegian flag. 

 Both had been fitted up with ice-bows for this expedi- 

 tion, and were also provided with wireless telegraphy. 

 At supper we learned how it was that the ships had 

 arrived at the meeting-place a week later than was 



