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silence, uninterrupted but by occasional cracking of cedar-nuts, the story-teller at last entered upon his task.

Some of his tales were of Russian origin; but, as they may be known from other publications, I do not mean to reproduce them here. I will speak only of the Ostiak stories, which, from their originality, may be read with interest. Simple though they may be, they exhibit apart from their literary value, a picture as genuine as it is faithful, both of the northern scenery and the employment of the natives; and I might almost say, are the embodiment of their ethics.

THE OSTIAK HUNTERS.

Once upon a time a party of seven Ostiaks went hunting in a distant forest. Each had a narta and three reindeer, and each took some provisions for his use; but, above all, an excellent bow and a good share of arrows. They had therefore but little need of their provisions, as their arrows could everywhere procure a supply. They appointed a spot where their sledges were to meet, and from that spot they joyfully started together. But, as if ill-luck would have it, the

hunting happened to prove unsuccessful; and the Ostiaks were for several days traversing the forest in all directions, and did not meet with any game.

But experienced hunters are never discouraged by ill-success. Our Ostiaks proceeded onwards in their search, for how could they return home empty-handed, remembering well that they had left a vacant pantry, and that their wives and children were looking to them for food.

After several days of fruitless labour they emerged from the thicket on a vast boundless tundra* on which, as far as their eyes could reach, they could not see a single tree, nor descry any other object that could serve them as a landmark, on their way through the wilderness. Only a few osiers and stunted stalks of grass were descernible, and these were covered with snow. There was nowhere any other sign of life-no trace of any animal, fox, reindeer, or ermine, on the whole extent of the virgin

snow.

* A tundra means lowlands, or an extensive moor, without any wood, swampy, and incapable of producing anything but moss.

The hunters, although the environs all around, far and near, had previously been well known to them, lost at last all recollection of the country where they were. Still they stopped not, but pushed briskly onwards, hoping that they might reach the banks of some river, or discern some forest, where they would be able to find their way. But the farther they proceeded, the more boundless seemed the vast tundra spread before their eyes.

They looked to the right, they looked to the ⚫ left, and still saw only the same interminable wilderness. They looked behind, but even the forest from which they came had disappeared from their sight. Bewilderment, and almost despair had overcome them. "What is to be done?" they asked each other. Their scanty store of provisions, not being augmented by any game, was nearly exhausted-hunger gnawed their vitals-home was far off, and even at home they had no supplies.

While they were lamenting their hard lot, they perceived at a distance something like a cloud rising above the horizon: it was a tremendous column of snow.

"Do you see that frightful drift of snow?"

asked one," and there is neither a ravine, nor a forest, where we can take shelter."

"There is no other means of safety," replied one of his companions, “than to dig a hole in the snow, as fast as we can, to protect us against it."

They had scarcely time to commence the work, in accordance with his advice, when they saw the snow-column, which moved with fearful rapidity, less than a hundred paces from them. What was their joy to find, however, that what they feared to be the buran,* was but a cloud of snow raised by the hoofs of a white reindeer, harnessed to a most elegantly wrought narta of mammoth bones, bearing a stately hunter, armed with a mighty bow and arrows.

The unknown stranger no sooner perceived the Ostiaks than he pulled up, and saluting them, inquired whither they were journeying. They replied, by stating what a deplorable plight

* A buran is, in the language of the natives, a whirlwind, which mixes the falling snow with that which it raises from the earth, thereby preventing a traveller from seeing his way, and is often attended with serious disasters, those who are exposed to it being sometimes cased in snow, and frozen to death.

they were reduced to, apprising him that they had been many days searching for game and had found none, and that they did not even know how far they had wandered from home, or how to trace their way back through the snow.

The stranger pointed to the eastward, and said that in that direction was a mys,* crowned by three ancient larch trees, surrounding an enormous stone, by the side of which lay the decaying trunk of a cedar. Here, he assured them they would find plenty of all sorts of game.

On hearing this, the Ostiaks looked at each other in some perplexity. Quite worn out and fatigued, they would fain have profited by the stranger's advice; but were quite at a loss how to find out the reported land of plenty, seeing around them, nothing but an extensive sheet of snow, everywhere wearing the same monotonous aspect, and having nothing to fix the eye in its whole extent. These difficulties stared them in the face, and, after a little hesitation, they ventured to represent them to the stranger, who on hearing their doubts meditated for

* A mys means, in the Ostiak romance, a piece of land in the shape of a knee.

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