364 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 
enough that we never kept our guns loaded in the cabin, 
and doubtless they meant to have us at a disadvantage 
should occasion arise. I thought it best to settle the 
point. Yakoff couldn’t go; he was cornered, as it were, 
so after his first surprise at discovery he tried to appear 
unconcerned, pretending he had come ‘in about the lamp. 
‘Now, look here, Yakoff Popoff,’ I began, ‘you re- 
member the Governor's letters with the seal, and what 
he said?’ I smiled to myself as I said this, my voice 
sounded so innocent, like the quiet beginnings of Peter 
Simple’s Mr. Chucks. 
‘Yes, yes,’ says Yakoff. 
‘Good. Well, the Governor can send you and Alex- 
ander andthe lot of you to Siberia, unless I save him 
the trouble.’ With that I opened the box again, took 
out my revolver, slipped in six cartridges, Yakoff watch- 
ing all the time, and put it in my pocket. 
‘I am a soldier,’ says Yakoff with a fine show of 
courage. 
‘You may be a soldier,’ I answered, ‘for all I know or 
care, but you look very like a fox.’ 
I used instead of the Russian word ‘lisitsa’ the 
Samoyed word ‘tchuornia.’ You could not insult these 
Russians more than by using Samoyed words of them. 
Yakoff retired to the deck. 
Then I thought I would make assurance sure. I took 
out my bolvans, the one they knew, and the mountain 
ones of which they knew nothing, and putting them in 
