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     Leading a nomad life

     They were busy talking their Yakut while I could only guess the meaning but I entered into their conversation saying that something had to be done. Otherwise the lost man would die of cold! They nodded & told me it wouldn’t happen because he was drunk. Then they drove the stick into the snow through my sledge so that the deer wouldn’t run away & left me alone in complete cold darkness. 
     All at once it became silent & frightful. Something was rustling in my ears. The deer was calm, lying still & unwilling to escape. Only then I noticed the striking beauty of northern moonlight & the snow, shining in it. I would admire the scenery again & again if only I didn’t feel colder & colder. I didn’t dare, however, to get off the sledge because I was afraid that the deer could run away. What would I do then? I curled up on the sledge. My deer was chewing quietly, the silence grew more & more frightening. Time went by while my guides seemed to have vanished in that horrible frozen desert forever.
An hour later, being tired of listening, my ears could distinguish some sounds. They were slowly approaching me. Soon I was able to hear drunk voices yelling. At last I managed to understand the only phrase which the delegate’s brother, rescued from inevitable death, was crying out.