een the northern point of water and the steep mountains that rise
almost directly from it. He had specially studied the geography of this
region, and knew that after passing round the head of the lake there
was a track across the hills by which they would, after travelling a
hundred and fifty miles, strike the main road from Irkutsk to Yakutsk,
near the town of Kirensk, on the river Lena. From Kirensk it would be
but little more than a hundred miles to the nearest point on the Angara,
which is one of the principal branches of the Yenesei.

To gain this river would be a great point. The Lena, which was even
nearer to the head of Lake Baikal, also flowed into the Arctic Sea; but
its course was almost due north, and it would be absolutely hopeless to
endeavour to traverse the whole of the north coast of Siberia. The
Angara and the Yenesei, on the other hand, flowed north-west, and fell
into the Arctic Sea near the western boundary of Siberia, and when they
reached that point they would be but a short distance from Russia. It
seemed to him that the only chance was by keeping by a river. In the
great ranges of mountains in the north of Siberia there would be no
means of obtaining food, and to cross such a district would be certain
death. By the rivers, on the other hand, there would at least be no fear
of losing their way. The journey could be shortened by using a canoe if
they could obtain one, and if not, a raft. They would often find little
native villages or huts by the banks, and would be able to obtain fish
from them. Besides, they could themselves catch fish, and might possibly
even winter in some native village. For all these reasons he had
determined on making for the Angara.

Buying a stock of dried fish at a little fishing village on the lake
they walked to within a mile of its head, there they slept for the
night, and started an hour before daybreak, passed the Cossack
guard-house unseen just as the daylight was stealing over the sky, and
then went along merrily.

The road was not much used, the great stream of traffic passing across
Lake Baikal, but was in fair condition, and they made good progress
along it. Long before that, Luka had, after several attempts, made a bow
to his satisfaction. It was formed of three or four strips of tough wood
firmly bound together with waxed twine, they having procured the string
and the wax at a farmhouse on the way. There was one advantage in taking
this unfrequented route.