48 THE FOREST LANDS OF NORTHERN RUSSIA. 
kinds of agricultural implements, made of wood alone, a 
two-pronged and a three-pronged fork, cut from the 
branching bough of a tree, and a harrow with smaller 
branches inserted into the bars for teeth. The place was 
lumbered with other encumbrances. On a wooden bed- 
stead, under a covering like a mosquito net, but made of 
coarse linen, the man lay awake. His wife showed us to 
noble apartments in a wood built pavilion, erected by 
the Government in connection with the zavod already 
mentioned, and designed for the accommodation of visitors, 
bringing as we did a permit from the authorities. It was 
light, for at midsummer there is no night there, but it was 
very cold, and we returned to the house, where, according 
to our desire, she was preparing for us a supper of tea, 
eggs, black bread and butter. Inside there was like con- 
fusion ; but there was a plain deal table and bench, scrupu- 
lously clean. Behind a temporary screen two daughters were 
sleeping ; on the hearth was a blazing fire, on which our 
eggs were being cooked ; of these there was being prepared 
no stinted supply, and as soon as they were boiled 
they were placed for a minute in cold water. Meanwhile, 
with embers from the fire, the water in the samovar, or 
Russian tea-urn, was made to boil, and tea was soon 
infused. We intimated our preference to take it there 
rather than in the pavilion. Bread and butter were soon 
on the table, but no knife or spoon. My fellow traveller 
at once produced his pocket-knife, and laid on thickly the 
butter; seeing I had none, our hostess soon produced her 
husband’s forester’s knife with which the bread had been 
cut, and handed it to me, when I did likewise. Our only 
light was that supplied by the little fire on which the eggs 
were boiled, and a small window not above 18 inches 
square, and though it was now only half an hour past mid- 
night the light was all we could desire. There was no 
chimney, but two holes in the roof, about a foot square, 
one above the fire, the other near the centre of the room. 
The higher half of the apartment was filled with smoke, 
which irritated my eyes, and provoked a cough, upon 
