PAGE 3
North To The Arctic
by
“I had not gone far when I struck the track which led along the riverside in the direction of Bulun. There, to my intense horror, I saw a man sitting still in a Siberian cart within a few hundred yards, apparently waiting for me to descend. I gave myself up for lost, but, nevertheless, made my way down to him. He was a young man with an uncertain face and weak, shifty eyes.
“‘Halloo!’ I cried, in order to have the first word, ‘what will you take to drive me to Maidy, where I wish to fish?’
“‘I cannot drive you to Maidy,’ he returned, ‘for I am carrying provisions to my father, who has the shop in Bulun; but for two roubles I will give you a lift to Wiledote, where you can cross the river to Maidy in a boat.’
“It was none so evil a chance after all which took me in his way. He was a useless fellow enough, and intolerably conceited. He was for ever asking if I could do this and that, and jeering at me for my incapacity when I disclaimed my ability.
“‘You cannot kill a wild goose at thirty paces when it is coming towards you– plaff –so fast! You could not shoot as I. Last week I killed thirty ducks with one discharge of my gun.’
“At this point he drove into a ditch, and we were both spilled out on the tundra, an unpleasant thing in summer when the peaty ground is one vast sponge. At Maidy we met this young man’s father. Here I found that it was a good thing for me that I had been isolated at the Yoort, for had I been in the Free Command I should certainly have been spotted. The wily old merchant knew every prisoner in the Command; but as I had always obtained all my supplies indirectly through Big Peter, my name and appearance were alike unknown to him. He approached me, however, with caution and circumspection, and asked for a drink of vodka for the ride which his son had given me.
“‘Why should I give thee a drink of vodka ?’ I asked, lest I should seem suspiciously ready to be friendly.
“‘Because my son drove you thirteen versts and more.’
“‘But I paid your son for all he has done–two roubles, according to bargain. Why should I buy thee vodka ? Thou art better without vodka. Vodka will make thee drunk, and thou shalt be brought before the ispravnik.’
“The dirty old rascal drew himself up.
“‘I, even I, am ispravnik, and the horses were mine and the tarantass also.’
“‘But thy son drove badly and upset us in the ditch.’
“‘Then,’ whispered the old scoundrel, coming close up with a look of indescribable cunning on his face, ‘give my son no vodka –give me all the vodka.’
“Being glad on any terms to get clear of the precious couple, I gave them both money for their vodka, and set off along the backwaters towards the place described by Leof and Big Peter. I found them there before me, and we lost no time in embarking. I found that they had the boat well provendered and equipped. Indeed, the sight of their luxuries tempted us all to excess; but I reminded them that we were still in a country of game, and that we must save all our supplies till we were out in the ocean. The Lena was swollen by the melting snows, and the boat made slow progress, especially as we had to follow the least frequented arms of the vast delta. We found, however, plenty of fish–specially salmon, which were in great quantities wherever, in the blind alleys of the backwaters, we put down the fish-spear. We were not the only animals who rejoiced in the free and open life of the delta archipelago. Often we saw bears swimming far ahead, but none of them came near our boat.