The authorities do not
really care to arrest the wanderers during the summer months, as they
know they will get them all when winter comes on; besides, in these
villages all the people sympathize with us, and as we are armed, and
not likely to be taken without a fight, it is not probable that one man
would care to venture his life in such a matter."

On arrival at the spirit-shop they went in.

"The policeman tells us you buy skins at a rouble for a dozen. We have
ten dozen."

"Are they good and uninjured?" the man asked.

"They are. There is not a hole in any of them."

The man looked them through carefully.

"I will buy them," he said. "Do you want money, or will you take some of
it in vodka?"

"We want money. We do not drink in summer when we are hunting."

The man handed over ten rouble notes, and they passed out. A minute
later the policeman strolled in.

"Wanderers?" he said with a wink. The vodka seller shrugged his
shoulders.

"I did not ask them," he said. "They came to me with a good
recommendation, for they told me that you had sent them here. So after
that it was not for me to question them."

"I told them you bought skins," the policeman said. "They seemed
well-spoken fellows. The one with the bow was a Tartar or an Ostjak, I
should say; he may have been a Yakute, but I don't think so. However, it
matters little to me. If there was anything wrong they ought to have
questioned them at Kirensk; they have got soldiers there. Why should I
interfere with civil people, especially when one has a gun and the other
arrows?"

"That was just my opinion," the other said. "Well, here is a glass of
vodka, and I will take one with you. They are good skins, all shot with
a blunt arrow."

Godfrey and his companion now took matters easily. There was no motive
for hurrying, and they devoted themselves seriously to the chase.

"We must have skins for the winter," Luka said. "I can dress and sew
them. The squirrels are plentiful here, and if we set snares we may
catch some foxes. We shall want some to make a complete suit with caps
for each of us, and skins to form bags for sleeping in; but these last
we can buy on the way. The hunters in summer bring vast quantities of
skins down to the rivers to be taken up to Krasnoiarsk by steamer, and
you can get elk skins for a rouble or two, which will do for sleeping
bags, but they are too thick for clothing unless they are very well
prepared. At any rate we will get