FAREWELL TO NORWAY 139 



tent-poles and sometimes blocks of ice, and it occasionally 

 took them a whole day to get across. By degrees their 

 supply of wood was used up, and it w^as difficult to get 

 food cooked. Few bushes were to be found. On June 

 17th they met a Syriane reindeer driver and trader; from 

 him they bought two bottles of wine (brandy) at ']o ko- 

 pecks each. " It was, as is customary, a very friendly 

 encounter, and ended with treatins^s on both sides. One 

 can see a long way on the tundra ; the Syriane's keen 

 eye detects another herd, or smoke from inhabited 

 tents, 10 versts off; and a nomad who has discovered the 

 presence of another human being 10 or 12 versts off 

 never lets slip the opportunity of visiting him in his 

 camp, having a talk, and being regaled with tea, or, in 

 preference, brandy. The day after, June i8th, some 

 Samoyedes, who had heard of the caravan, came on four 

 sledges to the camp. They were entertained with tea. 

 The conversation, carried on in Samoyede, was about the 

 health of the reindeer, our journey, and the way to Yugor 

 Strait. When the scanty news of the tundra had been 

 well discussed they took their departure." 



By the end of June, when they had got through all 

 the ramifications of the Little Ural Mountains, the time 

 was drawing near when, according to his agreement, 

 Trontheim was due at Yugor Strait. He was obliged 

 to hasten the rate of travelling, which was not an easy 

 matter, with more than 40 sledges and 450 reindeer, 

 not countino: the calves. He, therefore, determined to 



