In view of this remarkable piece of feminine strategy, our strong-minded women in America must admit that their Siberian sisters show greater ingenuity in obtaining their rights and throwing dust in the eyes of their lords and masters than has yet been exhibited by all the Women’s Rights Associations in Christendom.  To invent an imaginary disease with such peculiar symptoms, cause it to prevail as an epidemic throughout a whole country, and use it as a lever to open the masculine pocketbooks and supply feminine wants, is the greatest triumph which woman’s craft has ever achieved over man’s stupidity.

The effect of the ispravnik’s revelation upon Dodd was very singular.  He declared that he felt the premonitory symptoms of the “Anadyrski bol” coming on, and was sure that he was destined to be a victim to the insidious disease.  He therefore requested the Major not to be surprised if he should come home some day and find him in strong convulsions, singing “Yankee Doodle” in the Yakut language, and demanding his back pay!  The Major assured him that, in a case of such desperate emergency, he should be compelled to apply the ispravnik’s remedy, viz., twenty lashes on the bare back, and advised him to postpone his convulsions until the exchequer of the Siberian Division should be in a condition to meet his demands.

Our life at Gizhiga during the early part of June was a very decided improvement upon the experience of the previous six months.  The weather was generally warm and pleasant, the hills and valleys were green with luxuriant vegetation, daylight had become perpetual, and we had nothing to do but ramble about the country in pursuit of game, row down to the mouth of the river occasionally to look for vessels, and plan all sorts of amusements to pass away the time.

The nights were the most glorious parts of the days, but the perpetual light seemed even more strange to us at first than the almost perpetual darkness of winter.  We could never decide to our own satisfaction when one day ended and another began, or when it was time to go to bed.  It seemed ridiculous to make any preparations for retiring before the sun had set; and yet, if we did not, it was sure to rise again before we could possibly get to sleep, and then it seemed just as preposterous to lie in bed as it did in the first place.  We finally compromised the matter by putting tight wooden shutters over all our windows, and then, by lighting candles inside, succeeded in persuading our unbelieving senses that it was night, although the sun outside was shining with noonday brilliancy.  When we awoke, however, another difficulty presented itself.  Did we go to bed today? or was it yesterday?  And what time is it now?  Today, yesterday, and to-morrow were all mixed up, and we found it almost impossible to distinguish one from the other.  I caught myself repeatedly making two entries in my journal in the course of twenty-four hours, with the mistaken impression that two days had passed.