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 undertaking6. 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[263] 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 compartment7 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. Underneath8 the covered parts provisions, furs, cooking utensils9, &c., could be stowed away on both sides, leaving room for them to lie down at full length in the centre.
The two end compartments10 were entirely11 covered in, but had openings over which a cover was lashed13, 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 elastic14 wood of which the Ostjaks made their bows. It was very light, the ribs15 being bound to the longitudinal pieces by fine gut16. 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 fully17 satisfied with it the work of putting on the cover commenced. This was made of very soft and well-tanned reindeer18 hide, stretched as tightly as possible, and then rubbed with seal oil. The keel of the boat had been made very strong, as the rigidity19 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, tapering20 away to nothing at the ends, was fixed21 underneath. This keel was also made of tough wood, a little more than a quarter of an inch thick, but[264] 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 lug22 made of sheeting, oiled, and the boat carried beside a triangular23 sail of very much smaller dimensions and stouter24 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 apron26 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 leeward27. The additional draught28 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[265] hour later it sprang up from the south, and by midnight a torrent1 of rain was falling. Godfrey could hear sounds like the reports of cannon29 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 ridge30 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 vitality31 as they climbed one above the other, until thrust off the crest32 of the ridge by the pressure of those behind them. The din4 was prodigious33, a crackling, rustling34, roaring sound, with sharp explosions and deep muffled35 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 mighty36 splash, and hasten away reeling and rocking on the rapid current. Entranced by this[266] 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 incessantly37. 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 overflowing38, but they told him that there was no cause for uneasiness, for that at its present point it overflowed39 at many places both above and below them, and extended over a vast tract40 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 affected41 by the thaw42.
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[267] 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 man?uvre on shore, stepped the masts, fastened the stays, and hoisted43 the sails. There was a light breeze from the south, and the boat ran rapidly along before it till it was again abreast44 of the village, then she was put about and made short tacks45 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 perfectly46 astounded47 alike at the rapidity with which the boat glided48 through the water and at the ease with which she came about, and were astonished beyond measure at seeing her make a zigzag49 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 strands50 of unravelled51 cord had been placed to act as wicks. The tin was dipped in ice water, and in a few minutes the fat solidified52, 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 decided53 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[268] each side of the mast forward of Luka, the fishing spears, hatchets54, 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 Jack55, Godfrey's favourite dog, and then, bestowing56 all the rest of their possessions on the Ostjaks, they took a hearty57 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 fore3 and aft rendering58 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 cork59 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 snugly60 in the bottom of the boat with the apron closed overhead.
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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 upwards62, 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 ashore63."
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 Gulf64 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[270] 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 puffs65 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 sleet66 had now set in, and the wind was blowing with tremendous gusts67.
"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 perpendicular68 face some twelve feet high. At one[271] point there was a deep cleft69 in it, some eight feet wide at the mouth and narrowing gradually 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 prop70 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[272] 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[273] 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 frightful71 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."
"No, they are built very stout25 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 planks73 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[274] 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 lash12 the mast and the sail and our paddles and the firewood together, fasten our mooring74 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 cape75, 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 steadily76 we might go three miles an hour—say a hundred miles in three days. If we had wind that[275] 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 favourable77 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 sledges78 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 whining79 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[276] 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 rammed80 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."
"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 muzzle83 close to its ear and pulled the other trigger.
LUKA FACES THE BEAR. LUKA FACES THE BEAR.
"It is dead now, Luka," he shouted as he bent84 over it. At the same moment he heard a cry of warning, and was simultaneously85 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 enraged86 bear, was to sham87 death, and he therefore lay without moving a muscle as he was struck down. He heard the twang of[277] 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 harassing88 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 penetrated89 through the skin, and had scored three gashes90 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 retired91 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."
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"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 determined92 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 larks93, which mingled94 with those of the willow-warblers; snipe in considerable numbers sprang up and darted95 off with a sharp cry from almost under his feet; plovers96 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 thither97 hawking98 for insects. Occasionally birds, which he supposed to be grouse99, 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[279] blossoms of wild heart's-ease, and amongst some stunted100 alder-trees Godfrey found a dwarf101 rose already in bud, and wild onions and wild rhubarb in flower. Then he came upon a broad expanse of a shrub102 that looked to him like a rhododendron, with a flower with a strong aromatic103 scent104. Several times he heard the call of a cuckoo. On a patch of sand there were some wild anemones105 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 acrid106. 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 coves107, or scuttling108 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.
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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 dismantled109, and the boat also carried down. Then they devoted110 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 debris111. 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 brackish112. 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.
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The shore continued very flat, and once or twice they saw sand-banks stretching out a considerable distance. Sometimes both paddled, sometimes Godfrey steered113 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 slab114 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 steering115 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 jibing116 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.
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1
torrent
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| n.激流，洪流；爆发，(话语等的)连发 | |
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2
torrents
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| n.倾注；奔流( torrent的名词复数 )；急流；爆发；连续不断 | |
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3
fore
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| adv.在前面；adj.先前的；在前部的；n.前部 | |
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4
din
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| n.喧闹声，嘈杂声 | |
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5
scraps
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| 油渣 | |
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6
undertaking
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| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
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7
compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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8
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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9
utensils
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| 器具，用具，器皿( utensil的名词复数 )； 器物 | |
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10
compartments
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| n.间隔( compartment的名词复数 )；（列车车厢的）隔间；（家具或设备等的）分隔间；隔层 | |
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11
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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12
lash
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| v.系牢；鞭打；猛烈抨击；n.鞭打；眼睫毛 | |
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13
lashed
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| adj.具睫毛的v.鞭打( lash的过去式和过去分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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14
elastic
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| n.橡皮圈，松紧带；adj.有弹性的；灵活的 | |
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15
ribs
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| n.肋骨( rib的名词复数 )；（船或屋顶等的）肋拱；肋骨状的东西；（织物的）凸条花纹 | |
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16
gut
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| n.[pl.]胆量；内脏；adj.本能的；vt.取出内脏 | |
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17
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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18
reindeer
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| n.驯鹿 | |
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19
rigidity
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| adj.钢性，坚硬 | |
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20
tapering
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| adj.尖端细的 | |
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21
fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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22
lug
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| n.柄，突出部，螺帽；(英）耳朵；（俚）笨蛋；vt.拖，拉，用力拖动 | |
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23
triangular
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| adj.三角（形）的，三者间的 | |
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24
stouter
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| 粗壮的( stout的比较级 )； 结实的； 坚固的； 坚定的 | |
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26
apron
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| n.围裙；工作裙 | |
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27
leeward
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| adj.背风的；下风的 | |
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28
draught
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| n.拉，牵引，拖；一网（饮，吸，阵)；顿服药量，通风；v.起草，设计 | |
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29
cannon
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| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
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30
ridge
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| n.山脊；鼻梁；分水岭 | |
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31
vitality
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| n.活力，生命力，效力 | |
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32
crest
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| n.顶点；饰章；羽冠；vt.达到顶点；vi.形成浪尖 | |
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33
prodigious
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| adj.惊人的，奇妙的；异常的；巨大的；庞大的 | |
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34
rustling
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| n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的 | |
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35
muffled
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| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
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36
mighty
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| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
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37
incessantly
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| ad.不停地 | |
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38
overflowing
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| n. 溢出物,溢流 adj. 充沛的，充满的 动词overflow的现在分词形式 | |
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39
overflowed
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| 溢出的 | |
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40
tract
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| n.传单，小册子，大片(土地或森林) | |
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41
affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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42
thaw
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| v.（使）融化，（使）变得友善；n.融化，缓和 | |
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43
hoisted
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| 把…吊起，升起( hoist的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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44
abreast
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| adv.并排地；跟上(时代)的步伐，与…并进地 | |
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45
tacks
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| 大头钉( tack的名词复数 )； 平头钉； 航向； 方法 | |
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46
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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47
astounded
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| v.使震惊(astound的过去式和过去分词)；愕然；愕；惊讶 | |
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48
glided
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| v.滑动( glide的过去式和过去分词 )；掠过；（鸟或飞机 ） 滑翔 | |
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49
zigzag
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| n.曲折，之字形；adj.曲折的，锯齿形的；adv.曲折地，成锯齿形地；vt.使曲折；vi.曲折前行 | |
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50
strands
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| n.（线、绳、金属线、毛发等的）股( strand的名词复数 )；缕；海洋、湖或河的)岸；（观点、计划、故事等的）部份v.使滞留，使搁浅( strand的第三人称单数 ) | |
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51
unravelled
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| 解开，拆散，散开( unravel的过去式和过去分词 )； 阐明； 澄清； 弄清楚 | |
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52
solidified
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| （使）成为固体，（使）变硬，（使）变得坚固( solidify的过去式和过去分词 )； 使团结一致； 充实，巩固； 具体化 | |
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53
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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54
hatchets
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| n.短柄小斧( hatchet的名词复数 )；恶毒攻击；诽谤；休战 | |
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55
jack
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| n.插座，千斤顶，男人；v.抬起，提醒，扛举；n.（Jake）杰克 | |
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56
bestowing
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| 砖窑中砖堆上层已烧透的砖 | |
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57
hearty
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| adj.热情友好的；衷心的；尽情的，纵情的 | |
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58
rendering
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| n.表现，描写 | |
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59
cork
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| n.软木，软木塞 | |
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60
snugly
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| adv.紧贴地；贴身地；暖和舒适地；安适地 | |
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61
snug
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| adj.温暖舒适的，合身的，安全的；v.使整洁干净，舒适地依靠，紧贴；n.（英）酒吧里的私房 | |
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62
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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63
ashore
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| adv.在(向)岸上，上岸 | |
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64
gulf
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| n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂 | |
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65
puffs
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| n.吸( puff的名词复数 )；（烟斗或香烟的）一吸；一缕（烟、蒸汽等）；（呼吸或风的）呼v.使喷出( puff的第三人称单数 )；喷着汽（或烟）移动；吹嘘；吹捧 | |
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66
sleet
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| n.雨雪；v.下雨雪，下冰雹 | |
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67
gusts
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| 一阵强风( gust的名词复数 )； （怒、笑等的）爆发； （感情的）迸发； 发作 | |
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68
perpendicular
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| adj.垂直的，直立的；n.垂直线，垂直的位置 | |
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69
cleft
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| n.裂缝；adj.裂开的 | |
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70
prop
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| vt.支撑；n.支柱，支撑物；支持者，靠山 | |
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71
frightful
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| adj.可怕的；讨厌的 | |
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72
vessels
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| n.血管( vessel的名词复数 )；船；容器；（具有特殊品质或接受特殊品质的）人 | |
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73
planks
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| （厚）木板( plank的名词复数 )； 政纲条目，政策要点 | |
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74
mooring
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| n.停泊处；系泊用具，系船具；下锚v.停泊，系泊（船只）(moor的现在分词) | |
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75
cape
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| n.海角，岬；披肩，短披风 | |
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76
steadily
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| adv.稳定地；不变地；持续地 | |
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77
favourable
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| adj.赞成的，称赞的，有利的，良好的，顺利的 | |
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78
sledges
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| n.雪橇，雪车( sledge的名词复数 )v.乘雪橇( sledge的第三人称单数 )；用雪橇运载 | |
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79
whining
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| n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚 | |
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80
rammed
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| v.夯实（土等）( ram的过去式和过去分词 )；猛撞；猛压；反复灌输 | |
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81
whine
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| v.哀号，号哭；n.哀鸣 | |
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82
growl
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| v.（狗等）嗥叫，（炮等）轰鸣；n.嗥叫，轰鸣 | |
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83
muzzle
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| n.鼻口部；口套；枪(炮)口；vt.使缄默 | |
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84
bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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85
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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86
enraged
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| 使暴怒( enrage的过去式和过去分词 )； 歜； 激愤 | |
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87
sham
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| n./adj.假冒(的)，虚伪(的) | |
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88
harassing
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| v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人） | |
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89
penetrated
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| adj. 击穿的，鞭辟入里的 动词penetrate的过去式和过去分词形式 | |
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90
gashes
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| n.深长的切口（或伤口）( gash的名词复数 )v.划伤，割破( gash的第三人称单数 ) | |
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91
retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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92
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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93
larks
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| n.百灵科鸟（尤指云雀）( lark的名词复数 )；一大早就起床；鸡鸣即起；（因太费力而不想干时说）算了v.百灵科鸟（尤指云雀）( lark的第三人称单数 )；一大早就起床；鸡鸣即起；（因太费力而不想干时说）算了 | |
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94
mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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95
darted
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的过去式和过去分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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96
plovers
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| n.珩，珩科鸟（如凤头麦鸡）( plover的名词复数 ) | |
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97
thither
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| adv.向那里；adj.在那边的，对岸的 | |
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98
hawking
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| 利用鹰行猎 | |
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99
grouse
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| n.松鸡；v.牢骚，诉苦 | |
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100
stunted
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| adj.矮小的；发育迟缓的 | |
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101
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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102
shrub
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| n.灌木，灌木丛 | |
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103
aromatic
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| adj.芳香的，有香味的 | |
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104
scent
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| n.气味，香味，香水，线索，嗅觉；v.嗅，发觉 | |
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105
anemones
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| n.银莲花( anemone的名词复数 )；海葵 | |
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106
acrid
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| adj.辛辣的，尖刻的，刻薄的 | |
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107
coves
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| n.小海湾( cove的名词复数 )；家伙 | |
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108
scuttling
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| n.船底穿孔，打开通海阀（沉船用）v.使船沉没( scuttle的现在分词 )；快跑，急走 | |
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109
dismantled
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| 拆开( dismantle的过去式和过去分词 )； 拆卸； 废除； 取消 | |
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devoted
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| adj.忠诚的，忠实的，热心的，献身于...的 | |
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111
debris
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| n.瓦砾堆，废墟，碎片 | |
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112
brackish
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| adj.混有盐的；咸的 | |
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113
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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114
slab
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| n.平板，厚的切片；v.切成厚板，以平板盖上 | |
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115
steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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116
jibing
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| v.与…一致( jibe的现在分词 )；（与…）相符；相匹配 | |
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