THE BREAK-UP OF WINTER.
Spring was rapidly approaching now. Occasionally for a day or two
southerly winds set in and rain fell in torrents, then again the Arctic
currents prevailed, and everything was frozen as hard as before. Flocks
of geese passed over, flying north, but returned again when the cold set
in afresh. Small birds, too, in great numbers made their appearance,
crowding on patches of ground that the sun and rain had cleared of snow,
fluttering round the tents in flocks, picking up scraps of food that had
been thrown out, and keeping the dogs in a state of perpetual
excitement. The Ostjaks said that the break-up of the ice might come any
day, or it might be delayed for another month; it depended less upon the
weather here than on that higher up. It is not the sun or the rain that
breaks up the ice, but the rise of the river from the snow melting a
thousand miles higher up, and all over the country drained by the rivers
running into the Yenesei.
The women were now making a canoe under Godfrey's instructions. He had
often gone out in canoes on the Severn and on the sea when staying at
watering-places there. The craft that had done them such good service
before would not do for their present undertaking. They required a boat
which should be fairly fast, sea-worthy, and yet light, for it might be
necessary to carry it considerable distances. It was necessary that its
dimensions should exceed those of an English canoe, for it must carry a
considerable amount of food, although of course he meant to depend
chiefly on the fishing-lines and gun. It was made five-and-twenty feet
long, and three feet wide. The central compartment was thirteen feet
long. This was covered in at the sides and ends, leaving an opening for
them to sit and paddle, fifteen inches wide, and five feet long.
Underneath the covered parts provisions, furs, cooking utensils, &c.,
could be stowed away on both sides, leaving room for them to lie down at
full length in the centre.
The two end compartments were entirely covered in, but had openings over
which a cover was lashed, and could, if necessary, be used for holding
stores; but Godfrey did not intend to put anything here except
temporarily, as it was important that the canoe should be as buoyant and
light as possible. The frame of the boat was built of the tough and
elastic wood of which the Ostjaks made their bows. It was very light,
the ribs being bound to the longitudinal pieces by fine gut. It was
built, as nearly as Godfrey could lay them out, on the lines of an
English cruising canoe. The deck strips were similarly lashed, and when
the framework was completed Godfrey tested its strength by dropping it
three feet to the ground, rolling it over and over, and trying it in a
variety of ways.
When fully satisfied with it the work of putting on the cover commenced.
This was made of very soft and well-tanned reindeer hide, stretched as
tightly as possible, and then rubbed with seal oil. The keel of the boat
had been made very strong, as the rigidity of the whole craft depended
upon this. It had been made flat, and the skins had been taken over it.
When it was finished a false keel six inches in depth in the centre,
tapering away to nothing at the ends, was fixed underneath. This keel
was also made of tough wood, a little more than a quarter of an inch
thick, but widening suddenly to over an inch where it touched the boat,
in order that it might be securely fixed with screws to the keel inside.
The boat was provided with a light mast, which could be stepped or
unstepped at pleasure, and there were two stays of twisted leather, one
fastening to each side of the boat. An iron ring with a cord travelled
up and down the mast, the halliard running through a small block, as
Luka had been able to obtain a sheave at Turukhansk. The sail was a lug
made of sheeting, oiled, and the boat carried beside a triangular sail
of very much smaller dimensions and stouter cloth for heavy weather. She
also carried a small mizzen mast and sail. In rough weather the cockpit
could be completely covered with a light apron with openings where the
rowers sat, with a sort of collar, which could be lashed tightly round
their waists. The edges of this apron could be lashed down over the
gunwale round the cockpit. When completed the canoe itself, with its
mast and sails, weighed but sixty pounds, and could be carried with ease
by one person on his shoulder.
The Ostjaks greatly admired the craft, which was entirely different from
anything they had ever seen. The false keel puzzled them greatly, and
Godfrey's explanations, even when aided by Luka, failed altogether in
making them understand that it would have the effect of enabling the
craft to sail near the wind without drifting to leeward. The additional
draught of water was no inconvenience whatever in a craft designed for
the sea, and it added materially to the strength of the canoe. On the
15th of May it was freezing hard. The natives going down to the water's
edge in the morning reported a sudden rise of three feet in the river.
It continued to rise all day, and by nightfall was fifteen feet above
its former level.
In the evening the north wind dropped suddenly, and an hour later it
sprang up from the south, and by midnight a torrent of rain was falling.
Godfrey could hear sounds like the reports of cannon above the pattering
of the rain on the skins, and knew that it must be the ice breaking. In
the morning when he looked out the whole mass of ice seemed to be
moving. Black cracks showed everywhere across the white surface. The
river had during the night risen another twenty feet. By mid-day the
scene was a wild one indeed. No longer was the surface smooth. Hurrying
along at the rate of fifteen miles an hour the great masses of ice were
dashed against each other by the force of the current.
Two miles lower down the river narrowed suddenly, and here a block was
formed. Some of the pieces of ice were thrust down, others climbed over
them, thrusting themselves one on the top of the other till a ridge
thirty or forty feet high was formed from bank to bank. At times this
gave way, and then the whole was whirled down the stream, while another
ridge at once commenced to form. Godfrey walked down to the point and
stood for hours looking at the scene. The great blocks of ice, six or
eight feet thick, seemed almost to be endowed with vitality as they
climbed one above the other, until thrust off the crest of the ridge by
the pressure of those behind them. The din was prodigious, a crackling,
rustling, roaring sound, with sharp explosions and deep muffled booming.
The whole air seemed to quiver with sound, and the loudest shout would
have been inaudible a yard or two away. Below the ridge the river, so
long as the barrier stood, was comparatively clear, but from time to
time great masses of ice that had been sunk by the pressure and swept
along under the ridge came to the surface with a surge that lifted one
end high out of the water, reminding Godfrey of the spring of some
enormous fish; then the ice would come down with a mighty splash, and
hasten away reeling and rocking on the rapid current. Entranced by this
mighty conflict of the forces of nature, Godfrey stood there until seven
or eight o'clock in the evening.
It would be light for three hours yet, for the sun now only sank for a
short time below the horizon. The rain was still falling heavily when he
returned to his hut. The river had risen another thirty feet since the
evening before, and the height of the bank had decreased from a hundred
feet to about thirty. For two more days it rained incessantly. The river
had now risen to its high-water mark, ten feet below the bank. Godfrey
asked the Ostjaks if there was no fear of its overflowing, but they told
him that there was no cause for uneasiness, for that at its present
point it overflowed at many places both above and below them, and
extended over a vast tract of country, and that at every additional foot
it would spread so widely that it would speedily begin to fall again.
The ridge had now ceased to form, although the river was still packed
with floating masses.
"In another two days," the Ostjaks' chief said, "the ice will be all
gone except a few blocks. Much of the ice above is carried out by the
floods and left to melt on the land as the water lowers, but even
without that the river at its present rate would soon carry it all
down."
This Godfrey could well imagine, for at the rate of fifteen miles an
hour over three hundred and sixty miles of the river would have been
emptying daily. At the end of another three days but few blocks of ice
were visible, and Godfrey now began to make preparations for his start.
First the canoe was to be tried. She was taken down and placed in the
water, and the sides under the half-decks were filled in with frozen
geese and fish from the pile, which was still but little affected by the
thaw.
When she was thus brought down to nearly the weight she would have to
carry, Godfrey and Luka took their places in her, dipped their paddles
in the stream, shot out, and paddled about for some time in the still
water behind the shelter of the point. Godfrey found to his satisfaction
that she paddled easily, quite answering to his expectations. Then Luka,
who had already practised the manoeuvre on shore, stepped the masts,
fastened the stays, and hoisted the sails. There was a light breeze from
the south, and the boat ran rapidly along before it till it was again
abreast of the village, then she was put about and made short tacks in
the dead-water. Godfrey found that she stood stiffly up to the canvas,
and, as far as he could see, made little or no leeway. Then he returned
to the village. The Ostjaks, who seldom made use of sails, and then only
when dead before the wind, were perfectly astounded alike at the
rapidity with which the boat glided through the water and at the ease
with which she came about, and were astonished beyond measure at seeing
her make a zigzag progress in the teeth of the wind.
Early the next morning the rest of the preparations were completed. The
tea, tobacco, cooking utensils, and other necessaries were stowed away
under the deck astern of Godfrey, together with twenty pounds of fat.
This had been carefully set aside for the purpose when animals were
killed and cut up. It had been melted down in the chief's large pot and
poured into a tin drinking-mug, in which four strands of unravelled cord
had been placed to act as wicks. The tin was dipped in ice water, and in
a few minutes the fat solidified, then the tin was dipped again, this
time in hot water, and the short fat candle with its four wicks then
came easily out, and the process was repeated. These candles weighed
just about a pound each. Godfrey collected fat enough to make fifty, but
being afraid of overburdening the canoe he decided that twenty must
suffice, believing that he would be able to pick up drift-wood as they
coasted along.
A store of pine-wood torches was lashed on the deck on each side of the
mast forward of Luka, the fishing spears, hatchets, and other articles
for trade stowed away, the furs and their winter garments laid thickly
at the bottom of the boat. They took with them Jack, Godfrey's favourite
dog, and then, bestowing all the rest of their possessions on the
Ostjaks, they took a hearty farewell of them, stepped on board, and
started. They had at the last moment decided to take their old boat also
with them. This was fastened by a tow-rope behind the canoe. It was
filled with frozen provisions, having been first lined with rough furs,
others were laid closely over them. In this way Godfrey calculated that
they would remain frozen for a long time. The rest of the store of flour
and a stock of firewood were added.
As to the extra weight of towing the canoe it was immaterial, as until
they reached the mouth of the river there would be no occasion for
paddling, and beyond that the stock of provisions could be transferred
to their own canoe to take the place of those used up on the way, and
the craft could then be cast adrift. As there was a light breeze,
however, the sail was hoisted, rather because it gave them steerage way
than for any increase to their speed. As soon as the canoe shot out into
the rougher water in the full force of the stream, Godfrey was still
more delighted with the boat, the empty compartments fore and aft
rendering her exceedingly buoyant. She had been built with somewhat
higher sides than the canoes Godfrey had seen at home, and rose a good
deal towards the ends; and she floated as lightly as a cork on the
surface of the water. That afternoon they passed Turukhansk. Below this
the river widened out. In the evening they lowered the sail, as they did
not wish to run the risk of striking either the shore or a piece of ice
that might have got delayed on its journey. All night they hurried on,
lying snugly in the bottom of the boat with the apron closed overhead.
In the morning they found they were not far from the left bank, and that
the river now was more than four miles wide. The sail was again hoisted
and breakfast made, after which they got out their lines and hooks,
baited, and dropped them into the water. During the course of the day
they caught several fish, and picked up a considerable quantity of
floating wood, which they stowed in the large canoe.
"I think, Luka," Godfrey said, "that instead of letting our old boat go
we may as well keep it for a time. As long as there is wind, it makes no
great difference to our speed, though, of course, it would be heavy if
we were paddling. If we had bad weather we could land and turn it bottom
upwards, and there would be a hut ready made for us. This canoe is all
right for sleeping in when the water is smooth, but with its deep keel
we could not sleep in it ashore."
Luka was, as usual, quite of Godfrey's opinion. After this they made the
old boat their kitchen, for there was but little room in the canoe for
cooking purposes; and it was, moreover, a relief to get into the roomy
craft where they could move about as they pleased. As drift-wood was
abundant they made their fires entirely of this, keeping their candles
for the time when they might have to leave their store-boat behind them.
On the third day the river widened out greatly. They could no longer see
the right bank, and Godfrey concluded that they were now in the Gulf of
Yenesei.
"The weather is going to change," Luka said the next morning; "the wind
will soon be coming from the north; going to blow hard."
"In that case, Luka, the sooner we are ashore the better. The current
now is nothing like so swift as it was. I don't think we are going past
the land at more than three miles an hour, but that would be quite
enough if the wind comes from the north to knock up a nasty sea in no
time. Let us get our paddles out; there is not a breath of wind."
In half an hour they reached the shore, but had to coast along for some
time before they found a place free of rocks.
"This will do, Luka, we are not a minute too soon; those puffs just now
were so strong that we made no way against them. Now, then, jump out and
get the canoe high and dry."
They had retained their long boots, and stepped out into water up to
their knees. Then they lifted the canoe and carried it ashore.
"It is heavier than it was when we put it in," Luka said.
"I should think so. What with the furs and provisions, candles, and one
thing and another, there must be a hundred and fifty pounds weight in
her. There, put her down here, Luka, and let us get the other up. We
must take the things out first. Quick, man, the wind is getting up fast.
Isn't it cold; we shall want our fur jackets on directly." The firewood
and provisions were carried up some distance above the water's edge, and
then the boat was lifted and placed beside them. A thick sleet had now
set in, and the wind was blowing with tremendous gusts.
"Now, then, look about, Luka, and see if you can find a sheltered nook.
I will pile stones into the well of the canoe so as to anchor her
safely. If she were to be rolled over and over her skin would soon be
cut to pieces."
Before he had finished this Luka returned. "Good place here," he said.
"Good shelter."
"We'll finish this job first, Luka. This is much more important than our
getting wet."
As soon as it was done they went to the large canoe, and lifting it
carried it away to the place Luka had found--a ridge of rock running
back at a right angle from the shore, with a perpendicular face some
twelve feet high. At one point there was a deep cleft in it, some eight
feet wide at the mouth and narrowing gradually in.
"Capital, Luka; we shall be as snug as possible here. Now, turn her over
and take her in."
The cleft was so deep that the stern of the boat was, when she was laid
down bow foremost, fully fifteen feet inside the entrance.
"Now it may blow as much as it likes," Godfrey said, "it won't hurt us
here. Now do you go and get some of the firewood. I will fetch some
skins from the canoe, and the sails."
After getting out some provisions, the cooking utensils, and a couple of
the candles, Godfrey returned to the boat. Then he made another journey
for some more skins and the two sails. By this time the wind was blowing
so fiercely that he could scarcely stagger along with his load. The sea
was covered with white heads, and the waves were breaking noisily
against the rocks. Luka had already brought up plenty of firewood, and
had thrown a large skin over the furs containing the frozen fish, and
piled stones on it to prevent its being blown away.
"Now, where will you put the fire?" he asked. "If you put it inside it
would burn the boat, if you put it outside it would be no good to us."
"I quite see that, Luka. We must make ourselves comfortable, for this
storm may last for days for anything I know. We must prop this end of
the boat up so that we can sit upright under it with something to spare.
We must pile up some stones a couple of feet high under each gunwale."
In a quarter of an hour this was done. The sail was then laid over the
boat, the ends being kept down by stones.
"That is snug," Godfrey said. "Now we will put the mizzen over forward
so as to keep the wind out right along." There were four feet of head
room at the entrance to the boat tent, and in front of this the fire was
soon lit, one of the pine torches being cut up to start it with. The
skins were laid upon the ground, and taking off their wet coats they put
on fur jackets. "Now we can see about breakfast, Luka."
Luka had run down and filled the kettle, while Godfrey was fastening
down the sail. This was placed on the fire, and as soon as it began to
burn clear some of the fish they had caught the day before were laid on
the glowing embers, together with two legs of a goose.
"The thing we are going to have most trouble about, Luka, is fresh
water," Godfrey said as they ate their breakfast. Luka looked surprised.
"When we once get beyond the stream of the Yenesei," he went on, "the
water will be salt."
"Salt!" Luka repeated.
"Yes, too salt to make tea with. We shall be all right for a time, no
doubt. What with the melting snow and the rains we have had, there are
sure to be lots of little streams running into the sea; but when the
land dries we shall be in a bad way."
Luka looked serious; this was altogether beyond his experience.
"Of course if we can get plenty of fresh fish we shall get on fairly, as
we sha'n't require much to drink. We will look about the rivers when I
can get at the map. I know there is a small one called the Gida running
in just between the mouths of the Yenesei and Obi; and there is the Kara
on farther, and then the Petchora. As far as I can remember that is all
that were marked, but of course there may be lots of little streams that
were not put down. There is one thing, if we find that we generally get
wind, and can keep the big boat with us, we could make her carry water
as well as fuel. She would hold any quantity, for half a dozen barrels
would not sink her above an inch. We should certainly get out of the
difficulty that way. It gave me quite a fright at first. I felt so sure
that I had thought of everything, and there, I never for a moment
thought about the sea being salt. How it is blowing outside! It is lucky
indeed you have found such a snug corner, Luka, for if we had been out
in the open we could only have piled stones in the boat to prevent it
blowing away, and lain at full length underneath her, which would be all
well enough for one night, but would be a frightful nuisance if it had
to go on for three or four days."
So sheltered were they, indeed, that they scarce felt the wind that was
howling above them, and were as comfortable beneath their boat as they
had been in their hut by the river side.
"When it is as rough as this in the gulf, Luka, it will be tremendous
out at sea."
Luka had never seen waves higher than those in some of the rapids of the
upper river, and he was astonished at the white-headed waves and at the
showers of spray they sent up as they struck the rocks.
"Are the waves ever much bigger than this?" he asked.
"Bigger! I should think so. Out in the open sea one of the waves would
make a hundred of these."
"Then they must break the vessels to pieces, Godfrey?"
"No, they are built very stout and strong, and very big. They get broken
to pieces if the sea drives them against rocks, and sometimes in very
great storms get so beaten by the waves that the planks open and the
water runs in and they sink."
"I should not like to go to sea if the waves were like that," Luka said
thoughtfully. "This is terrible. Why, if we had not come ashore in time
the boat would have sunk."
"She would have made a good fight for it, Luka. With the apron tied in
round us we could stand a very heavy sea. So long as we keep her head to
the waves the water might wash over us, but it could not get in; and
even if it did fill the space where we sleep, the compartments at the
ends are quite buoyant enough to keep her up."
"What would you do if you were out in what you call a great sea,
Godfrey?"
"I should lash the mast and the sail and our paddles and the firewood
together, fasten our mooring rope to them and throw them overboard, that
would keep us head to sea--because these things would all float in the
water, and the wind would not get hold of them. They call a contrivance
like that a floating anchor. Then we would both lie down in the bottom,
button the flaps over the holes in the cover, and lie there as snugly as
possible. You see our weight would be down quite low in the boat then,
and that would keep her steady. Oh, we should get on capitally if there
were plenty of room for us to drift."
"How far have we to go now?"
"I can't exactly tell you. I wish I knew. From the long jagged cape,
which is the northern point of land on the western side of the Gulf of
Yenesei and forms the separation between it and the mouth of the Gulf of
Obi, to Waigatz Straits, between the mainland and Waigatz Island, which
lies south of the island called Nova Zembla, is about two hundred and
fifty miles in a straight line, but I should think it is quite three
times that if we have to follow all the ins and outs of the shore. From
there to Archangel, if we go in to Archangel, is about three hundred and
fifty miles more, cutting across everything. If we had a current with
us, like the stream of the Yenesei, we should make very short work of
it; but unfortunately there is nothing of that sort. Paddling steadily
we might go three miles an hour--say a hundred miles in three days. If
we had wind that would help us, of course we should go a great deal
faster, because we should paddle and sail too."
"But if we don't go to the place you call Archangel, where should we
go?"
"We should keep far north of it, Luka, and sailing in a straight line
nearly due west, should strike the northern coast of Norway somewhere or
other. I should say, from what I saw of it on the map, it would be five
hundred miles from Waigatz. But that would be madness for us to attempt.
We might get caught in terrible storms; we might get into fogs, and as
we have no compass there we should lie, not knowing which way to go. No,
we must stick to the land till we get to the mouth of the White Sea.
With a favourable wind we should get across that in a day, and then go
on coasting again till we get beyond the Russian frontier; then at the
first village we come to we land, find out all about the distances, and
arrange to get taken in reindeer sledges to some regular settlement."
"What sort of people are they there?" Luka asked.
"They are the same sort of people as the Samoyedes. I don't know that
they are just the same. Anyhow, they speak the same sort of language.
Well, you know the Northern Ostjaks we stayed with speak nearly the same
as the Samoyedes. You could hardly get on with them at first, because
their talk was so different to that of the Southern Ostjaks; but you got
to speak it quite easily at last. So I have no doubt you will be able to
make any natives you may meet, whether they are Samoyedes or anything
else, understand you without difficulty.
"What is it, Jack? What are you whining about?" he asked the dog, who,
having made a hearty meal, had been lying down between them while they
were talking, but who now sat up, snuffing and whining uneasily.
"It may be either a fox or a bear," Luka said, making his way farther
back into the hut, and returning with his bow and arrows, Godfrey's gun,
and the two spears.
"I hope it is a bear," Godfrey said as he removed the charges of shot,
and rammed down bullets in their place. "We don't want any more skins,
unless it happens to be a black fox, which would be worth having, but a
supply of bear meat would come in very handy."
The dog's whine presently changed into an angry growl.
"Bear sure enough. I expect he knows of this place, and has come here
for shelter. He had much better have left it alone. It is lucky for us
that the fire has burnt low; it would have scared him if it had been
blazing. Lie down, Jack."
Lying perfectly still they presently heard a sharp snuffing noise, and a
minute or two later a bear came round a corner of the rock. Astonished
at the sight of the white object, the animal sat up on its haunches.
"Now!" Luka exclaimed, and discharged his arrow at the same moment that
Godfrey had pulled his trigger. The arrow struck the bear in the throat,
and such was the force with which it was sent that the head showed at
the back of the neck. Godfrey's bullet struck it in the chest, and the
bear at once rolled over. Thinking it was killed, he crawled from under
the boat and ran forward, but the animal suddenly rose to its feet;
running up alongside, he placed the muzzle close to its ear and pulled
the other trigger.
[Illustration: LUKA FACES THE BEAR.]
"It is dead now, Luka," he shouted as he bent over it. At the same
moment he heard a cry of warning, and was simultaneously struck a heavy
blow which stretched him on the ground beside the bear. It flashed
through his mind that his assailant was the female bear. He had heard
from the Ostjaks that the best plan, if attacked by an enraged bear, was
to sham death, and he therefore lay without moving a muscle as he was
struck down. He heard the twang of Luka's bow, and Jack's sharp
barking close to his ear. Then with a deep angry growl the bear left him
and rushed towards the tent. Godfrey at once sprang to his feet. He had
not brought his spear with him as he crawled out, but he sprang to the
fire and dragged out a brand. Luka had discharged another arrow, and
Jack was harassing the bear by snapping at its hind-legs. In terror for
the safety of the canoe rather than that of Luka, who could, he knew,
well defend himself, Godfrey leapt forward and struck the bear across
the nose with the brand. With a roar of fury it turned upon him, but as
it did so it exposed its side to Luka, who discharged another arrow
behind its shoulder. It rolled over and over, but again gained its feet.
The pause, however, had given Luka time to emerge from under the boat
with his spear in his hand, and running up he thrust it right through
the body, and the bear fell over dead. Then he ran to Godfrey.
"Are you hurt?" he asked.
"I am hurt a bit, Luka, for I felt a sharp pain as the beast knocked me
over, but I do not think it can be much. It was very lucky that we put
our fur jackets on again; if it hadn't been for that, I expect he would
have regularly laid open my shoulder."
He took off his coat. The bear's claws had penetrated through the skin,
and had scored three gashes on his shoulder. But these, Luka said, were
of no great depth, and beyond making his arm stiff for paddling for a
day or two would matter little.
They at once set about skinning the two bears, put the four hams
carefully aside, cut off most of the meat, gave Jack another hearty
meal, and then retired again to their shelter.
"My heart was in my mouth when I saw him rushing at the tent; if he had
struck the boat, or thrown his weight upon it, it would have been a
terrible business."
"I was afraid too," Luka said. "I was just going to shoot again when you
struck him on the nose, and so gave me a chance of hitting him in a
vital spot. If it hadn't been for your blow I should hardly have stopped
him; he was so close that even if I wounded him mortally he would have
come down on the boat."
"Well, it is fortunate it has ended so, Luka; it will be a lesson to me
when I shoot a bear next to look out for its mate, and also not to leave
my spear behind me, or to advance towards a bear I think dead until I
have loaded my gun again."
For two days longer they had to remain in their shelter; but the third
morning when they awoke the wind had died away, and the sun was shining
brightly. As there was still some sea on, Godfrey determined to stay
another day and explore the coast a little. Leaving Luka to look after
the boats and goods in case any more bears might be in the
neighbourhood, he started with Jack. He was amazed at the quantity of
birds that he met with--thrushes, wagtails, warblers, chifchaffs,
fieldfares, and red-poles rose at every step. The air quivered with the
song of innumerable larks, which mingled with those of the
willow-warblers; snipe in considerable numbers sprang up and darted off
with a sharp cry from almost under his feet; plovers circled round and
round; ducks of various kinds passed between the shore, and, as Godfrey
supposed, inland swamps or lakes; martins in great numbers darted hither
and thither hawking for insects. Occasionally birds, which he supposed
to be grouse, rose with a loud whirr.
Short as was the time since the snow had cleared off the ground, spring
had come in with marvellous rapidity. The grass was already well-nigh
knee-deep, and flowers of various kinds were in full bloom. Where the
ground was comparatively bare of grass, it was studded with the yellow
blossoms of wild heart's-ease, and amongst some stunted alder-trees
Godfrey found a dwarf rose already in bud, and wild onions and wild
rhubarb in flower. Then he came upon a broad expanse of a shrub that
looked to him like a rhododendron, with a flower with a strong aromatic
scent. Several times he heard the call of a cuckoo. On a patch of sand
there were some wild anemones in blossom. Godfrey pulled a bulb of wild
onion, cut off a slice and tasted it. It was similar in flavour to the
cultivated plant, but very sharp and acrid. However he set to work, and
pulled up several dozen bulbs. They were small, not exceeding the size
of a radish, but they would be very valuable, as one of them chopped
fine would be sufficient to give a savour to a whole goose.
Turning to the right and coming down upon the shore he saw that the edge
of the water was fringed with seagulls of various kinds picking up tiny
fish as the waves broke in sandy coves, or scuttling into the water and
making sudden dips and dives into it. Farther out flocks of black ducks
were feeding, while two or three pairs of swans passed overhead going
north. Presently he saw three or four native huts ahead; some reindeer
were grazing near them, and three boats were hauled upon the shore.
These were doubtless Samoyedes. As soon as he caught sight of them he
turned. He had heard that the Samoyedes, although more friendly than the
Tunguses with strangers, were much less to be depended upon than the
Ostjaks, and as he had no faith in being able to explain what he was
doing there with his comparatively limited command of the Ostjak
language, he thought it better to return at once to Luka. He found when
he reached the tent that the Tartar was beginning to feel anxious, for
he had been four hours absent. As they had abundance of food, and had no
occasion to trade with the natives at present, they decided not to pay a
visit to them.
As soon as dinner had been cooked, they set to work to get everything in
readiness for a start. The stores were taken out of the canoe, and she
was carried down to within a few feet of the water. The tent was
dismantled, and the boat also carried down. Then they devoted themselves
for the rest of the afternoon to collecting more drift-wood, for the
water was again falling, and the highest level it had reached was strewn
with debris. As there was now no practical distinction between night and
day they lay down and slept for four or five hours, then put the large
canoe into the water, and placed the firewood in her, with the stock of
flour, frozen meat, and the bears' flesh; then with the kettle and
frying-pan they baled eight or ten buckets of water into her, for
Godfrey did not know how soon the river would become brackish. They
spread the bear-skin over all, then having carefully repacked the canoe,
they put her also into the water, stepped the mast, took their places in
her, hoisted the sail, and with the boat in tow started north again.
The wind was from the south, and with the assistance of the current they
went along rapidly; but, nevertheless, the paddles were got to work, as,
now that they were fairly on their way again, every mile gained was of
importance. They kept about a mile from shore so as to take advantage of
the current. In twenty minutes the native encampment was passed. They
saw no one moving about there, and supposed that they must all be
asleep, for the sun was low down on the horizon. Godfrey's watch was
still going, but as he had had no opportunity of comparing it with any
other timepiece for just a year, he could only consider it to be an
approximate guide. Once a month or so he had made a point of setting it.
This he did by sticking up a pole and measuring the shadow it cast,
knowing that this would be at its shortest at twelve o'clock. By this
means he calculated that he was never more than half an hour wrong.
The shore continued very flat, and once or twice they saw sand-banks
stretching out a considerable distance. Sometimes both paddled,
sometimes Godfrey steered only and Luka laid in his paddle. Three times
in the course of the day the big canoe was pulled up, and Luka went on
board and cooked a meal, the flat slab on which they lit their fire
having been raised three or four inches above the bottom to keep it out
of the water. Hitherto Godfrey had done all the steering when the boat
was under sail, but he now instructed Luka. Little teaching was, indeed,
needed, as the steering was done with the paddle, and Luka was
accustomed to keeping the boat straight when paddling. He was, however,
nervous with the sail, which was boomed straight out with a light spar
Godfrey had cut for the purpose. However as the wind was dead aft there
was no fear of this jibing so long as the boat's course was kept true;
this was rendered all the more easy by the steady drag of the boat
astern.
Twelve hours after starting Godfrey told Luka to lie down and sleep, as
he intended that so long as they had favourable winds they should
continue their voyage without stopping. There was no occasion for going
ashore. The bears' flesh would last them as long as it kept good, and
they had plenty of water on board for at least a fortnight. In a few
minutes Luka was sound asleep. Jack lay on the deck in front of him,
sometimes sleeping, sometimes waking up, and giving a sharp bark in
reply to the cry of a sea-gull passing overhead, or a flock of black
ducks skimming along close to the surface of the water within fifty
yards of the boat.