he winter.

"What will they do if fuel should run short?" Godfrey asked Luka.

"They will cross the frozen river with their sledges to the forests.
They would either take their huts down and establish themselves there,
or would cut wood, fill their sledges, and bring it over. I have been
talking to them. On the other side there are many Russian villages, for
the post-road is on that side. In summer the carriages are drawn by
horses; in winter they have reindeer. These people are very poor; the
skins that they make their clothes with are all poor, the animals were
torn by the dogs or injured--that is why they could not sell them. Those
red fox-skins would have been worth two roubles each if they had been
good; but the merchants will give nothing for those that are injured.
They say it does not pay for the carriage. So they were glad to make
them up for us."

"What do they do with the reindeer?"

"They milk them in summer, and in winter they let them to the owners of
the post-stations. Of course, when they move they use them themselves."

"What we want, Luka," Godfrey said, after sitting quiet for some time,
"is more money. If we had that, we might hire sledges and reindeer as
soon as the snow gets on the ground, and travel west; but of course
there is no tempting these poor people to make such a journey without
money to pay them well."

"They will go hunting presently," Luka said. "You might get some good
furs and sell them."

"Yes; but I don't see why I should. No doubt many of the Russian
peasants in the villages have guns; and if they don't get skins, why
should I?"

"A great many skins come down every year," the Tartar said. "Black fox
is worth money, fifteen, twenty roubles; ermine is worth money; lots of
them in the woods."

"Well, we must hope for the best. If we can but get enough for them to
take us across to the Obi, we ought to be able to coast round in a canoe
to Archangel. But I don't think we could do it from this river in one
season. The ice does not break up till June, and begins to form again in
October. We can only rely upon three open months. I doubt whether we
could get in that time from the Yenesei. However, it is of no use our
bothering ourselves about that now."

Another fortnight and the frost was so severe that the ice extended
almost across the river, and a heavy fall of snow covered everything. As
soon as it was deep enough Godfrey and Luka followed the example of the
Ostjaks and r