TO THE HOLY HILLS 335 
night to feed. But here were nineteen poor cows come 
back by themselves, wandering about and _ lowing 
piteously. To-day the remainder of the herd was 
brought back, and the twenty-five calves shot or caught 
with the di-zha. 
Alexander's second man, André, brought an old 
broken accordion, a ‘garmonia,’ he called it, into the 
hut, and played frightful tunes on it. Then Yakoff and 
he sang discordant nasal songs to it till the noise was 
truly diabolical. is 
September 1st.—We had a fine fire outside the huts, 
and I spent the greater part of the day drying our 
wet things, a work of some anxiety, as one. had to 
hang them right in the smoke, and if not watched the 
sparks took hold of them. Hyland looked so wretched, 
creeping about the fire, that I chaffed him at last into 
taking a walk. So he went up by the creek, and 
returned in an hour saying he was warm, a very unusual 
case with him. 
The three brothers Bulchikoff called on me to-day. 
Walking straight into the hut they sat down in silence, 
taking snuff. I went on with my writing, and not a 
word was exchanged for probably half an hour. At the 
end of that time I closed my book and asked to what I 
was indebted for the honour of this visit. 
‘Bolvana gorah’ (Bolvan mountain), said the eldest 
son. 
