228 HOMEWARD BOUND 



burden off our minds. We now proceeded to administer, 

 with better grace than we could have before, a sound 

 rating to our two lazy, good-for-nothing Russian servants. 

 They were the only two who had grumbled during this 

 time of perplexity ; for ever muttering that if the storm 

 did not abate and the steamer come to our rescue, we 

 should surely all be " propal" (lost). We had ordered 

 one to join the forlorn-hope party, but he had soon 

 returned, and all the night he had done little but kneel 

 in a state of abject fear, trembling, crossing himself, and 

 crying, " Gospodin, Gospodin, dai khleba" (Lord, Lord, 

 give us bread). These poor dupes of the miserable 

 Greek Church have not learnt the wholesome doctrine 

 Cromwell taught his soldiers, to "trust in the Lord and 

 keep their powder dry. " Like many other fanatics at home 

 and abroad, they close their eyes to the truth that God 

 may bless their work, but will never bless their idleness. 

 As a just punishment for their sloth and cowardice, we 

 condemned them to pluck the geese, on which we and the 

 captors made a hearty meal. While we regaled ourselves 

 they had to look on, and feast upon leeks. 



The larger number of geese, being in full moult, had 

 been unable to fly. Cocksure assured us that both old 

 and young constantly hid themselves under the water, 

 where some remained, just keeping their beaks above 

 the surface, for ten minutes at a time. He added that he 

 had often observed the same thing in Mezen during the 

 moulting season. 



The gale exhausted its violence during the night, and 

 gradually slackened and wore itself out during the day : 

 when the following morning came, the weather was quite 

 calm. With ten geese in our larder, we considered our- 

 selves entitled to a lazy day, so we wandered out in the 

 tundra, making a small collection of the flowers that grow 



