138 BIRDS OF RUSSIAN LAPLAND 



before us, very rotten, but looking quite impassable ; the old winter 

 road was still marked on it by a series of young fir-trees fixed 

 together in threes. If the timber were of any value the waste of 

 young trees in marking these routes afresh every winter would be 

 considerable. There appeared to be a little water in places between 

 the land and the ice on the west shore, so we made for that ; what 

 wind there was also coming from that direction tended to keep 

 the ice off. Then followed some hours of hard work, sometimes 

 rowing, at others towing from the shore, or breaking through those 

 parts of the ice which were still attached to the bank. Our wretched 

 steersman did not lighten the work of the other men, yet when we 

 were at last through our difficulties, he of course claimed the chief 

 credit ! Musters and I walked much of the way, and were struck by 

 the almost total absence of birds ; they do not seem to frequent the 

 central parts of the shores of these large lakes, but prefer the ends 

 where there is running water. The last five versts were free from 

 ice and we reached Pulozero at midnight, delighted to have finished 

 our travels for the present. The telegraphist, M. Vortsekovsky, was 

 still up, and received us in full uniform. He not only gave up to us 

 the best room and put together a second bedstead, but bore with us 

 patiently while we removed into his room various articles of furniture 

 which were more ornamental than useful, and took out the double 

 windows, to admit fresh air for the first time since the previous 

 summer. A very short experience of our new quarters showed that 

 we were indeed in clover, and we had much cause to congratulate 

 ourselves on finding such comfort in this wilderness. 



The station of Pulozero stands on a high bank at the head of 

 the lake of that name, and was built in 1896 or 1897, when the 

 telegraph line was erected from Kola to Kandalax, under the orders 

 of Governor Engelhardt, who had personally surveyed the whole 

 distance^ (I think in 1895). A telegraphist and three men are 

 stationed here in charge of the line, who have to trace out and make 



^ " A Russian Province of the North," pp. 92-106. 



