THE HEATHEN OSTIAKS. 441 



mother forces it on her daughter, should they begin by rebelling 

 against the destructive poison. For brandy the Ostiak squanders 

 his laboriously-gained treasures, his whole possessions; for it he 

 binds himself as a slave, or at least as a servant; for it he 

 sells his soul, and denies the faith of his fathers. Brandy is an 

 indispensable accompaniment to the conclusion of every business, 

 even to conversion to the orthodox church. With the help of 

 brandy a dishonest merchant can get possession of all an Ostiak's 

 skins, and without these, with empty purse and confused head, the 

 man who arrived in Obdorsk full of hope and pride, returns to 

 his tshum cheated, not to say plundered. He repents his folly and 

 weakness, makes the best of resolutions, becomes tranquil in doing 

 so, and soon remembers nothing except that he enjoyed himself 

 excellently with his fellow tribesmen. First they had drunk 

 together; then men and women had kissed each other, then the 

 men had beaten their wives, had tried their strength on each other, 

 had even drawn their sharp knives, and, with flashing eyes, had 

 threatened each other with death; but no blood had been shed; 

 there had been a reconciliation; the women who had fallen on the 

 ground, stupefied with blows and brandy, were lifted up tenderly, 

 and were tended by other women; to celebrate the reconciliation 

 an important compact had been made, a bridegroom was sought for 

 the daughter, a little bride for the son; even a widow had been 

 married, and they drank again to the occasion; in short, they had 

 had a splendid tirhe. That the government officials had shut up all 

 those who were dead drunk, that all, all their money had gone the 

 way of things perishable, had certainly been disagreeable, very dis- 

 agreeable. However, the prison had opened again; after a time, 

 the loss of the money had been got over, and only the golden 

 recollection, over which they could gloat for a whole year, and the 

 betrothal, so satisfactory to all parties, remained as permanent gain 

 from the delightful festival. 



The bridegroom and bride had also been at the fair, had drunk 

 with the rest, and thus made each other's acquaintance, and the 

 bridegroom had agreed with his parents to choose the maiden as 

 his wife, or rather had agreed to receive her. For it is the parents' 



