284 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 
and don’t think I heard it—blushed, and looked so 
confused that I was quite sorry for her. I failed hope- 
lessly to make them understand ; they had so completely 
jumped to the conclusion that wanting her head-dress 
meant wanting her hand, that I found it useless to try 
and explain. So I bolted into the tent. And when 
I came out presently with my sketch-book, and tried 
to take her picture, they concluded that I had only 
meant that. I never got the head-dress. I had not 
courage enough for the task. It seemed like asking a 
lady to hand over her diamonds. 
The Uano family were used to my ways, but new- 
comers like the Yeliseis never got over the feeling 
against being sketched. Onaska too hated it, and once 
when catching him asleep on the ground I had succeeded 
in doing a rapid study of his face, Mekolka woke him 
up, and told him. He was mad. He jumped up, and 
ran round and round in a circle, which worked off the 
evil influence in some way, I suppose. And the sketch 
of the camp which I give here was done under great 
difficulties. For always I had a reporter looking over 
my shoulder, and no sooner did they suspect that I was 
drawing one or the other than the word went forth, and 
the subject dived behind the first screen that. offered. 
‘I dabbled about in the river Tinyan to-day, and 
would have caught a little fish, for I ran him on to 
the shallows, but dear old Sailor got so excited about 
it that he mudded all the water at the critical moment. 
