Full resolution (JPEG) - On this page / på denna sida - XV. Through the Lena Delta
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liked to talk. Now Kusma rose and made the following
strong speech, addressing himself to the chief:—
“Thou art a coward,” he said, “and like a coward thou
talkest! Dost thou believe that the great Tangara (god)
has sent these ‘oloshon jurokdakjon’ (Yakut: meaning
‘great and learned men’) and ‘surdakjon’ (‘marvellously
powerful men’) to this land to seek their lost brothers
and will let them perish from storm and cold? Twee!
(and he spat scornfully on the fire). No!” he continued,
“I for one will go with these remarkable and great men,
be it life or death.”
This speech had a powerful effect on its hearers and
resulted in two more of the men offering to go with us. Then
the chief himself resolved to go some way further also,
sending back a man with reindeer-meat for his wife. Our
talk over, we bade adieu to the others and continued on
our way, the picturesque flotilla of the native vetkas
disappearing in the cold fog which came sweeping up
from the north.
About 8 o’clock in the evening of the following day
we arrived at a place called Balagan Syr, where we put
up at the yurta of a widow, who hospitably invited us to
reindeer-marrow and frozen fish. The poor woman
commenced telling us about her great loss in the death of her
husband, but soon her voice was choked with sobs, and
she cried bitterly like any other good widow in civilised
Europe. Her youngest son had now taken charge of the
home. According to the curious custom among these
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