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DOWN THE LONELY TARTM. 69
pile as much as we liked upon our " camel " ; he never
murmured as the caravan camel sometimes does.
When we started again at daybreak on loth November,
the river and country adjacent were veiled in a damp mist.
The night previous it had been unusually cold, and our
ferry-boat and black cabin were white with rime frost ; but
after a crisp breeze got up from the south-west, the air soon
cleared, and we renewed our delightful journey down the
great river. Our flotilla now numbered four craft, a guide
leading the way in a canoe. A nice bek of Terez gave me a
new dog, which I called Dovlet, after the one I had lost.
He was a little reddish-brown, short-legged pup, fat and
round, and from the very first moment on board played the
maddest pranks you can think of. He very soon made
himself the prime favourite of all the two-legged passengers,
the cocks alone excepted.
The more sheltered parts of the river now began to be
gradually covered with thin sheets of bright pure ice. By
the middle of November the ice was strong enough to bear
the weight of our dogs. All along, when they grew tired
of the monotony on board, they used to jump over, swim
to land, and follow the ferry-boat on the bank. Then,
when they again wanted a change, they just swam back
and once more scrambled on board.
The ice reminded us that we had still a long, long way to
go to reach our goal, and if we did not wish to get frozen in
we should have to make very great haste indeed. For if
we did get frozen in what would happen to us ? Should
we have to leave all our belongings in the lurch, and tramp
on foot through these never-ending silent woods ? To
obviate such a possibility as that, we now made it a rule
to travel 12 hours every day. These cold mornings, as
soon as I had got my clothes on, I used to hurry up to the
men’s camp-fire to thaw myself, and get a cup of smoking
hot tea. As I appeared I was greeted from all sides with
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