A SUMMER ON THE YENESEI 317 



obliged to leave the Ragna, and during the day she and 

 the Skule left for Bergen, where they were to go into 

 dock for the winter. The mail-boat to the south did not 

 leave until midnight, so we had more than sufficient 

 time to see the sights of Tromsoe, which, to tell the 

 truth, as it was snowing heavily and the streets were 

 filled with slush, were quickly exhausted. The principal 

 " lion " was a Customs official who had been to the South 

 Pole with Roald Amundsen ; but when we had seen 

 this hero, and also a party of Lapps who were wander- 

 ing about the town in their picturesque national dress, 

 there was nothing to be done but go back to the hotel 

 and read the Times all over again. 



A little incident at Tromsoe may give some idea of 

 the extent to which Germany was mobilising her forces 

 at this time. It will be remembered that there were on 

 board the Skule seven German officers, who had com- 

 manded the little steamers as far as the Yenesei. Six 

 of these could unquestionably claim exemption from 

 military service on account of their age, but the seventh 

 was more doubtful, for he did not look much past forty 

 years. However, when the German consul had claimed 

 the rest of the crews in Tromsoe six weeks before, he 

 asserted so strenuously that he was above the age limit, 

 that he was allowed to proceed on his voyage. Poor 

 man, no amount of equivocation can escape the lynx 

 eye of German officialdom. Now, on his return to port, 

 he was met with the news that the Hamburg authorities 

 had telegraphed a command that he was to return and 

 report himself at once in Germany, where he would run 

 a good chance of being shot as a deserter. 



