308 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 
August 17th—Now here is an odd fact. The 
musquitoes were about to-day, yet they did not worry 
me at all. But Verrmyah, who was working at my 
sleigh, was bitten and bothered very much. A native 
might have been expected to be musquito-proof. 
On Tipa was to choose three young bulls from our 
herd as part of his son’s settlement. One would have 
supposed that he would have just jumped on to his sleigh 
and come across to look over the herd, as a farmer would 
at home. Nota bit of it. This was not consistent with 
his dignity on such an occasion. So Verrmyah and 
Mekolka had to round up the whole herd of five hundred 
beasts more or less, and drive them twenty versts away 
to On Tipa on the head of the Veliki river. This they 
did to-day, and brought them back. 
Hyland took my glass up to the hill, and coming back, 
reported a sail at Scharok! This Mekolka also had 
seen in the morning. Uano was very cunning about 
it. He didn’t know that we were aware of it, and so 
he had made up his mind that he would slip off by him- 
self and see his Russians. I think that he chiefly wanted 
the pleasure of telling them all about us, and of talking 
us over with them before we met. So I did not even 
know he had started until he was two miles off. Then 
I went for Verrmyah, who said, ‘My adliurs Ahnglia’s 
adliurs. Ahnglia go quick, yes, yes.’ But I had no 
intention of pounding all the way to Scharok for nothing. 
. - 
For of course we knew the sail was not the Saxon’s. 
