372 ICE-BOUND ON KOLGUEV 
It was well on into the afternoon when, having at last 
cleared one long straight channel in the teeth of the 
wind, we were able to set our foresail and mizzen, and in 
fifteen minutes we had run in under the lee of the land. 
Then the hands went ashore, and Hyland with them to 
tow, while Alexander took the ‘pomorrna,’ I the helm, 
and so we moved up a mile until we were under Pronia’s 
choom, in deep water close to land. We took the poor 
little fox ashore, who straightway made himself a capital 
kennel in the bank. Old Sailor, too, was mad with 
delight, recklessly rolling into the deepest snow-drifts he 
could find. 
We remained on shore three days, and then moving 
up in a boat we walked over the tundra till we found 
more reindeer, with which we went to Okshin on the 
Petchora. The journey was full of incidents. Among 
other things, I may mention that I found my fame as a 
doctor had spread, I suppose because I had dosed them 
with ginger and pills on Kolguev. One of my cases was 
that of a poor old man who had badly cut his knee with 
an axe. And after making him a poultice I turned to 
go, when there came a voice behind me, ‘This is for 
him who came to us in our trouble, this is for our friend,’ 
with which pretty speech his son offered me a blue fox’s 
skin. 
But I set out with the object of telling you about 
Kolguev Island, and had certainly no idea it would take 
so long in the telling. 
