CHAP. V. THE OLD BELIEVERS. 45 



dark pines on the top, form a striking contrast to the pure 

 white snow on the ice below, down which for many versts 

 may be seen the long winding line of diminutive fir-trees, 

 marking the road, upon which the sledges of the travelling 

 peasants look like black spots in the distance. It would, 

 perhaps, be a very difficult subject to make a fine picture of, 

 the effect on the eye being one of simple vastness, causing 

 one continually to exclaim, " What a great river ! What 

 a big country ! " 



Most of the peasants of Ust-Zylma and the villages near 

 ,are Old Believers, people who retain a very curious form of 

 Christian superstition, closely allied to the Greek Church. 

 Castren calls them the " Easkoluicken " of Ust-Zylma. They 

 have not a good reputation amongst the Germans, who have 

 to hire labour for the timber trade on the Petchora. They 

 are represented as crafty and faithless, and as few of them 

 are employed as possible. Their chief characteristic appears 

 to be that they make the sign of the cross with the thumb 

 touching the second and third, instead of the fourth and fifth 

 fingers, as is the fashion of the Orthodox Church. They have 

 a curious prejudice against tobacco, and will not smoke it 

 themselves nor, if they can help it, allow other persons to 

 smoke in their houses. They seem to have Jewish supersti- 

 tions against pork and hare, neither will they use any plate, 

 ^lass, or other article from which persons not of their religion 

 have eaten or drunk. If you offer them vodka in your own 

 glass they will refuse it if they be strict Old Believers, but 

 we must do them the justice to say that under circumstances 

 of this kind many we met were superior to their superstitions. 



