Of the sum realised, he brings home perhaps only a small part, for he has a strong temptation to buy rum, tea, and other luxuries, which are very dear in those northern latitudes.

If the fishing is good and he resists temptation, he may save as much as 100 roubles--about 10 pounds--and thereby live comfortably all winter; but if the fishing season is bad, he may find himself at the end of it not only with empty pockets, but in debt to the owner of the boat.

This debt he may pay off, if he has a horse, by transporting the dried fish to Kargopol, St.Petersburg, or some other market.
It is here in the Far North that the ancient folk-lore--popular songs, stories, and fragments of epic poetry--has been best preserved; but this is a field on which I need not enter, for the reader can easily find all that he may desire to know on the subject in the brilliant writings of M.Rambaud and the very interesting, conscientious works of the late Mr.
Ralston,* which enjoy a high reputation in Russia.
* Rambaud, "La Russie Epique," Paris, 1876; Ralston, "The Songs of the Russian People," London, 1872; and "Russian Folk-tales," London, 1873..