Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - VII. On the Middle Lena
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of September. All this time they receive no money, only
food, clothing etc. “on the book” at the storehouse. On
this great pay-day they get what is left of their earnings
and go to Vitim, which for a couple of weeks is now
changed into a veritable pandemonium, until the gold
earned or stolen during the summer has all gone to the
drinking-saloons, the brothels, or the robbers. It is a
common occurrence for gold-diggers to disappear during
these days of riot without leaving a trace behind them.
And who cares for their loss—“it was only a varnàk!”
At Vitim several passengers left the steamer, and some
new ones, belonging to “the nobility of Vitim”, came on
board. A few miles north of the town we passed the
mouth of the river Vitim, where we had a beautiful view
of the snow-clad mountains towards the south-east.
According to the information we received at Ust-Kutsk we were
to meet the steamer Lena at Vitim and continue our
northward voyage in her. But as neither the Lena nor
another steamer which was expected made their appearance,
the old Rabotnik, which should have returned at Vitim,
had to continue her way further north.
In the middle of the night we met the steamer
Permiak, coming from Yakutsk, overcrowded with passengers
and goods. The two vessels having anchored alongside
each other, the trans-shipment began in general crowding
and confusion, and continued till late in the morning of the
following day. The Permiak was an old steamer, very
much like the Rabotnik.
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