The Lost Man

   There lived an old man and an old woman. They had five sons. They were grown men. Four of them were married and had children. The fifth son was still single. There were few reindeer, two hundred, enough for an argysh (a caravan with reindeer). The sons were skilful hunters of wild reindeer. They never returned from hunting with empty sledges. When the sons were hunting, the old man would watch for reindeer. He was not quite old yet.
   The youngest son, however, was a very naughty man. Sometimes his elder brothers would go to hunt wild deer, but he would not, he said, I have other work. No, he said, I'll go to get partridges. When they would go fishing, he wouldn't go again, he said I had to fix the sledge. His father always scolded him, he said:
   - Son, why are you cutting the words of your elder brothers? You don't keep my words in your mind either. How will you live? Won't you get into trouble?
The youngest son replied:
   - Father, I'm not a little boy anymore. Why are you teaching me? I have my own mind. Let my brothers do what they want. I'll do what I want too. Don't teach me anymore!
   The old man said nothing more. What will he say if the youngest son only keeps his wits about him?
   All right, let him have it his way. Just don't get in trouble. Some time passed. One day, as usual, the older brothers went to look for wild deer. They took their bows and arrows and went out.
   The old man said to his youngest son:
   - Today you go guard the reindeer! My legs hurt. I'll stay in the chum (a deerskin tent), I won't go anywhere. Even though we don't have many reindeer, we still have to guard them.
   The youngest son said:
   - Father, if you say so, I'll go on guard. If my brothers had told me, I wouldn't have listened. All right now, I'll keep watch.
   The youngest son went to the reindeer. His older brothers are gone, they've gone far away. So he went. He walks along the tundra, he has gone far away from the chum.
Suddenly a big black hole in the ground appeared in front of him. The man did not have time to take a step back, but fell into the hole and began to fall somewhere. It was dark and nothing could be seen. As he fell, the man lost consciousness...
   When he came to his senses and opened eyes, he saw that he was on some unfamiliar land. Tundra is just like tundra. The sun is shining. It's quiet, you can't hear anything. But the land is completely unfamiliar. There are some hills and flat places. In the lowlands you can see bushes. But the land is strange. The deer he was going to look out for are nowhere to be seen.
   The man stood there wondering what to do next. He could not stand in one place. He went and started to climb up the hill, thinking that maybe he would see chums somewhere. He climbed up and looked around, but he did not see any chums anywhere. However, he saw a small herd of wild reindeer, twenty or thirty in number. The deer were grazing on the laida (treeless part of a tundra landscape). But these deer were of a dark colour for some reason. If they were real wild deer, as he had seen many times, they would be of a light colour. The man thought that these deer might be domestic deer. If so, there must be chums somewhere nearby, people must be living. The man started to climb down the hill to get a closer look at the deer. As he descended, he came very close. But what's the matter? The deer don't look at him at all, they don't get scared. Some are eating, others have already laid down to rest. The man stood looking at the deer. You couldn't tell if they were wild or domestic. It was as if the reindeer did not see the man.
   As the man stood beside those reindeer, two sleds appeared. Someone was coming, either shepherds or hunters. Seems like it's hunters. The sleds stopped before reaching the reindeer. You can see the hunters take their bows and arrows and start sneaking up on this herd of reindeer. They only look at the deer, they pay no attention to the man standing there. Or do they not see him at all? The men crept up on the reindeer and first one, then the other shot at the reindeer. Killed two deer. The rest of the reindeer, having noticed the men, ran away quickly. The hunters went to their sledges, untied the reindeer and drove to the place where the killed reindeer were lying. They picked up the carcasses, put them on their sleds and tied them tightly. Then they began to talk. The hunter, who looked older, said:
   - We only got two wild deer today. I wanted to get another one, but I didn't get a shot off. Maybe you and I didn't sneak up on them properly. Maybe the deer smelled human scent. All right. Those deer have run far away now. We're not gonna catch up with them. What do we do? Go to the chums?
   The second hunter said:
   - I think we should go to the chums. We will not find any wild reindeer today. While the hunters were talking like this, a man came to the sledges and said: ‘I don't know who you are, but maybe you can take me with you. Can't I go to your chums? How will I stay on an empty land?
   The man said so, but the hunters did not even look at him. It turned out that they neither saw nor heard the man. After standing a little longer, they untied the reindeer, took the reindeer in their hands and turned the sleds round and drove off. The man remained standing in the empty place. What would happen now, where would he go? Soon the day would be over. Would he really spend the night in an empty place?
   When those hunters left, the man followed their trail. Maybe he will come to the chums and there he will find out about the people and spend the night. So he goes, he goes. It turns out that their chums are far away. Already the sun is setting, and the dwellings are still nowhere to be seen. But the man goes on anyway, maybe he'll reach them by morning at least. And so he did. He walked all night. It's good that the moon appeared, it seemed a little brighter. He'd better not lose his tracks...
   The man only saw the chums when the morning dawn appeared. He reached them somehow. He was tired, he hadn't eaten anything. Well, he reached them, but what then?
   There are five big tents. Smoke has already appeared, some of them must have stood up and doused the fire. Which chum should I enter now? The man sat down on one sledge, which was next to the chums, and waited. Perhaps someone would come out and he would ask which chum he could enter. Indeed, soon a woman came out of the chum, went to her cargo sledge and took out some meat. I guess she was going to cook food. However, the woman did not even notice the man sitting on the sledge. Having taken the meat, she returned to the chum. The man again waited to see if the man would come out of the chum. He waited for a long time.
   Then young people, two boys, came out of another chum. They stopped not far from the sledge on which the man who had come was sitting. But they could not see him. They began to talk:
   - Well, today looks like it's gonna be a good day. We're gonna go look for wild deer.
   - Well, how could we not? I want to go hunting.
   Hearing this conversation, a man who came in got up from his sledge and approached the guys. He said:
   - Who lives in these chums? I'm lost, I've come to you. I want to enter a chums, maybe I'll be fed. In which chum does your master live?
   The young men don't even look at him. They do not answer anything. They stood still and went back to their chum. The man remained standing on the street. Thinking about what to do next. He's cold and hungry. Well, he thinks, I'll go to the middle chum. It seems to be bigger than the others. Maybe the owner is sitting there. It's morning now, we should have breakfast.
   A man entered the middle chum. As soon as he entered, the fire was blazing strongly. Standing at the entrance, he began to examine the chum. It turned out to have two halves. An old man and an old woman sit in the left half, and a young man and his wife sit in the right half. In the cradle lies a child. Nobody notices the man who has entered their dwelling. The food is boiled. They sit and eat. Looking at them, the man also felt hungry.
   He muttered:
   - Hey, can't you see me or what? I'm here. Feed me!
The fire blazed again. The people paid no attention to the man who had come and said nothing. Only an old man said:
   - Why is the fire worrying today? Yesterday nothing was heard, now it has puffed twice. Yet the fire sees something.
   A young man, probably his son, said:
   - Well, fire's always blazing. What are we gonna look at it for?
The man who came in asked once more:
   - Feed me, please! I got lost, I walked for a long time on the empty tundra, I was exhausted.
   The fire blazed again, even stronger than the other two times. But the inhabitants of the chum themselves do not see or hear the man who has come. Already finishing their meals, the old man and his son will probably go outside. What to do? The man who came to the house became quite ill at heart. He moved away from the entrance to the chum and sat down on the bed. But no one noticed it. What is it? Is this man still a man, or has he already turned into an invisible spirit? He sits on the bed, not knowing what to do, how to make the people of the chum pay attention to him. The man spoke once more:
   - Give me something to eat! Or do you want a piece of meat? I'm so hungry that I feel sick at heart.
   Before he could finish saying those words, the fire flickered twice. Again no one looked at the man. Only the old woman spoke, looking at the old man:
   - What happened in our chum? Why is the fire so restless? Perhaps an evil spirit has sat on the ends of the poles of our chum?
   The old man said:
   - What are you talking about? What evil spirit do you know about? Or are you losing your mind in your old age?
   The old woman fell silent and said nothing more. The old man and his son came out of the tent, probably they were going to hunt for reindeer. And where could the man who had come to the chum go? He sat on the bed and then went to sleep. Neither the young man's wife nor the old woman paid any attention to him. It was as if this man did not exist in the chum at all.
   Well, the man slept, slept, maybe he felt better from sleeping. But he was hungry, didn't eat anything. While he slept, the whole day must have passed. There was the sound of sledges. The old man and his son must have returned from hunting. Conversations began to be heard. The young man's wife took the cauldron and left the chum, probably to get fresh meat. The man was still lying on the bed. Maybe he would have got up and come out of the chum to see what they had brought. Now he is lying there with no strength to get up.
   Meanwhile the old man and the son entered the chum and sat down in their seats. The old man said:
   - Let's eat while the blood is warm. We've got fat male deers, now we've got enough meat to last us a long time.
   Well, ther are eating. The man who came in sat up on the bed and spoke:
   - Give me something to eat! At least give me fresh blood to drink!
Nobody answered anything. As they ate, so they continued to eat. The young man's wife hung up the pot to boil. When the men have finished eating, they talk about this and that. They sit on their beds, waiting for fresh meat to boil.
   However, what about the man who comes in? He sees and hears the people of the chum, but he cannot say anything to them. He is not visible to them at all. The man thought and thought for a long time, then decided to speak again. He said:
   - What kind of people are you? Why can't you hear my words? The fire blazed twice again.
   Here the old woman could not stand it and said to the old man:
   - Go to the outermost chum and call the shaman to come and look at our fire. How come the fire keeps blazing? Has misfortune come to us?
The old man, whether he wanted to or not, got out of bed and went to the outermost chum. He didn't stay long and returned to his dwelling.
   A little while later, a shaman came to them. He was dressed in a shaman's parka, but he had not brought a tambourine with him. Entering the chum, he said nothing. He went to the place behind the hearth, sat down and looked at the fire. At that time the man came and spoke again:
   - Who lives here? Why can't they see or hear me?
As soon as he said these words, the fire blazed three times. And now the shaman looked at him, it seems that only he noticed that there was a stranger in the chum. The shaman said:
   - I see that a spirit from the middle world has taken up residence in your chum. How did it get here? We've never had such spirits here before. Let me try to talk to it.
   The shaman began talking to the man who had come in:
   - What are you, the spirit of a man of the middle world or someone else?
   - No, I'm not a spirit. I'm a real man.
   - How did you come into our world?
   - I don't know how I ended up in this strange land. I used to live with my father and mother and brothers. I think I used to walk on the tundra, gathering reindeer. Then something happened to me. I think I fell somewhere, lost consciousness. When I started to see with my eyes again, it turned out that I was on an unfamiliar land. Then I saw some deer. Two men came to that place and killed two deer. I was close to the men and wanted to talk to them. However, they did not hear me. They put the carcasses on a sledge and went home. Where could I go? I followed the trail, and here I am now. I was hungry and begged for food. But people can't hear or see me. Maybe you can help me. You're a shaman.
   - Yes, I'm a shaman. But what am I going to do with you? You couldn't have come to our world for nothing. Earth people don't live here. However, if you did get here, you must have been punished by the gods. You must have committed some kind of sin. Once again, earthlings cannot live here. Now we'll have to do something. I guess I'll have to do a shamanistic ritual. I must retrace your path. If I follow your path and find your bad deeds, you'll probably be lost. I won't save you. However, if on your path I find your foolishness, I don't know what will happen. Maybe it will be possible to return you to the middle world.
   Then the shaman said to the old man:
   - There is a man from another world in your chum. He's like a spirit. You can't see him with your eyes, you can't talk to him. However, if I don't help him, he may disappear. Now bring in my tambourine, heat it up. I'll do the ritual, I'll walk his path. If he's a bad man, let him go. We don't need him.
The old man went out of the chum to get a tambourine. Then he came back and began to warm the tambourine. When everything was ready, the shaman started the ritual. He sang, jumped and pounded the tambourine for a long time. When he had finished, he announced:
   - I have walked the whole path of this spirit that has come upon our land. I didn't find any bad deeds of his. Turns out he used to be the family's naughty son, an age of cutting his father's words. Apparently, the gods decided to punish him. They gave him a chance to suffer in a foreign land. Well, now we have to help him. Make a big fire! I'll burn him in our fire.
   The old woman put wood on the fire. Soon there was a big fire and it was hot. The shaman said to the man who came in:
   - Take my hand! With both hands grasp it and hold on tight! Don't be afraid of me, I won't kill you.
   The shaman held out his hand to the man. The man got out of bed and took the shaman's hand with both hands. Then the shaman yanked him sharply towards him and threw him into the fire. The flames grew even bigger, a hissing sound was heard, sparks flew. The shaman kept the spirit in the fire until it took human shape. First the head appeared, then the torso, arms, legs. The shaman pulled it out of the fire, and the people of the chum only now saw that the spirit had become a human being like themselves.
   The shaman said:
   - Give him some clothes! Get some bacari (long boots from deerskin), a parka!
The old woman immediately came out of the dwelling and went to untie the sledge. She took out spare bakari and parka and brought them into the chum. The man who came dressed and became like everyone else. The shaman said to the old woman:
   - Bring some meat, let him eat. He hasn't eaten anything for a long time, let him eat, rest and gain strength. Don't touch him, don't tell him anything! Let him lie on the bed as long as he wants. Then I'll wake him up myself.
The old woman said nothing, brought meat and gave it to the man. The shaman went to his chum. When the man had eaten, he went to bed. He slept day and night and all day long.
   On the evening of the second day, the shaman came and began to wake the man, saying:
   - Get up, if you can, if you have strength. The man got up and sat on the bed. He seemed to cheer up a little. He began to talk to the shaman:
   - I don't know how I got better. But I can feel strength in my arms and legs. But I don't remember at all what happened to me in the past. I don't remember how I came to this chum. These people I see now are complete strangers. Maybe you can tell me why I am sitting here?
   - You have no memory of your past now, of course. However, before you became our man, you yourself spoke of your past life. I heard your words. So I decided to burn you in our fire. You were burned and now you are just like our man. What do you think, how will you live from now on?
   - I don't know what to say now. Well, I won't stay here. Maybe I'll go hunting wild reindeer.
   - Well, of course, you will get wild reindeer. Now know the inhabitants of this chum: there is an old man, an old woman and their son and his wife. The son is good at getting wild reindeer. Keep one mind with him! Perhaps he will give you a sledge, reindeer. The old man will give you a bow and arrows. Well, live like that!
   After this conversation, the shaman went to his dwelling. Well, this man, why would he sit in the chum for a long time? When the old man and his son came out of the chum, he went out too. Now he feels well, his heart is stronger. The son went to fetch reindeer. It turned out that the inhabitants of this camp had a lot of reindeer, maybe as many as a thousand. When the reindeer came, the men took harnesses and began to catch the right reindeer. The man who came just sat and watched. He had nothing of his own yet: no harness, no sledge, no reindeer. Well, that's no trouble. He will get everything as the shaman said. Indeed, when they had finished catching reindeer, the old man's son gave the man four reindeer and said:
   - Here's your reindeer, here's your sledge, now you can come hunting with us. Do you think you'll go?
   The man said:
   - How can I not go? How can I not want to go deer hunting? Of course I'll go. If only the old man would give me a bow and arrow.
   Well, what does the old man say? He gave the man a bow and arrow. The old man wasn't exactly infirm himself. He went hunting sometimes. Now, however, how would he cut the shaman's words? As he was told, so he did. Let him ride, let him get used to our life.
   Well, we went hunting. That day we got three wild deer. Then we went several more times and had a good hunt. The man hunted wild deer on an equal footing with other hunters.
   It's been like that for a whole year.
   An old man once said to a man:
   - You're good at hunting wild deer. Do you think it might be a good idea for you to get married? I've got my eye on a girl.
The man said:
   - What can I say? I want to get married.
   Well, what's next? The man got married. He was given a separate chum. After that, he went hunting again and got wild reindeer.
   Some time passed, and one evening the shaman went into the man's chum and sat on the bed. The wife set up a table and put different food on it. They began to eat.
   After the meal, the shaman spoke:
   - I have a word for you, I don't know if you'll like it, if you'll take offence?
   The man said 'Why should I take offence? You saved me, you didn't let me disappear for good. Now I live well, I don't see any misfortune. Speak up if you have something to say'.
   The shaman said:
   - I have long seen that you live well. You have a young wife, and your sledges are full of hides and meat. When I first saw you, I thought you would surely be lost. Earth people can't live in our world. But you burned in our fire and became our man. Now what I want to ask you is, do you think you can go back to your land? Your brothers must still be living there. I don't know if your father and mother are alive, I haven't seen them. Well, you're not going back yourself, of course. If you were to go back without my help, you would die, your wife and your reindeer would die too. After you have been burnt in our fire, you are no longer an earthling, but a man of this world. However, I will help you, if, of course, you wish to return to your brothers.
   The man said:
   - But how can I tell you whether I want to or not? I don't remember my past life. You say I have brothers. I don't remember anything about them. However, if they are really living, I don't know what to do. Maybe I should go back to them. However, how will I recognise my brothers if I haven't seen them?
The shaman said:
   - You saw your brothers when you lived on earth. It was only when you were burned in the fire that your memory changed completely. But that's not a problem. With my help, you could return to earth, and if you did, you would recognise your brothers immediately.
   The man said:
   - If you say so, that's fine. I'll go back, though I live well on this earth. But I don't know how I'll live in my brothers' land if I've forgotten everything. But all right, I'll go back. I can't go against your word, you saved me from destruction.
   The shaman said:
   - Well, if you agree, then listen to my word. Remember what I say! I said that you will not get to the land of the brothers by yourself. However, you and the argysh (a caravan) will cross one mountain following me, and so you will find yourself in your native land. I will not be with you all the time, I will only lead you over the mountain. Then you'll go on your own. You will see your land and you will know where to go. When you return to your brothers, remember to slaughter seven reindeer at your family's sacrificial site. That way you will close the way to this world forever. If you spare the deer, I don't know, maybe you'll come back to us. That's all I said. Tomorrow prepare the argysh! Prepare the sledge, the harness. Put two puffin skins in the sledge. You'll need them to blindfold you and your wife.
   The shaman said nothing more and left for his chum. Another day came, and after breakfast the man began to prepare for the journey. When the reindeer were brought in, the man fished out as many riding reindeer as were needed for the argysh. The wife dismantled the chum. The shaman harnessed four colourful reindeer to his sledge.
   When everything was ready, the shaman said to the man:
   - I'll ride in front, you ride behind me, and let your wife take the argysh sledge behind you. When we reach the mountain, we'll stop. Then I'll tell you what to do next. Don't stop on the way! As long as I go, you and your wife go as long as I go. If you stop once and I go too far ahead, you'll lose me. You'll get lost, and you'll both have to retrace your steps. Now I'm going, watch out, don't fall behind!
   The shaman untied the reins, took the long pole in his hands and drove off. The man and his wife went too. Well, it must have been a long drive. Not once did they stop to give the reindeer a rest. So, during the argysh people usually stop, give the reindeer a rest, see if some sledges have fallen behind and we should wait for them. These people never stopped. They travelled as the shaman said. Then a hillside or a hill with steep slopes appeared ahead. It was covered with snow, only on the top there were thawed patches. By the time we reached it, it was time for the sun to set, the day was over. When we reached the hill, we stopped.
   The shaman said to the man:
   - Well, now listen carefully to what I'm about to tell you. We got to the place successfully, we didn't stop anywhere. That's good, but now I'll tell you what to do next. Now neither you nor your wife will be travelling on your own. Tie your reindeer to my sledge! Let your wife tie her reindeer to your sled. Then sit on your sledge and blindfold yourselves with wisps. Hold the reins and long poles in your hands, but do not steer the reindeer. I'll lead the whole argysh alone. You just sit on the sledge blindfolded. Maybe during the ride you will hear some sounds. Sit still, don't unbind your eyes! Take the waders off your eyes only when you feel that your reindeer are not walking slowly, but running. Then you will open your eyes and see where you are. If you don't see me, don't look for me. Know that I have already returned to my land and you don't need me anymore. Now do as I say!
   Well, the man tied his reindeer to the shaman's sledge and his wife's reindeer to her sledge. Then he told his wife to sit on the sledge, put the reins and the reindeer in her hands and blindfolded herself with a wadding. Then he sat on his sledge and blindfolded himself. Well, now it's time to go forward. The man sees nothing, only listens. The shaman got on his sledge, and the whole argysh moved forward. But the reindeer are going very slowly, as if they can hardly move their legs. They go, they go. Then the noise of a snowstorm became audible, it seems that a strong wind blew. But only the noise of the wind was heard, the wind itself could not be felt. Then I heard the noise of bells, it seems that a long argysh is passing by, and tied bells are ringing on the necks of the front reindeer. They rang for a while and then fell silent. The man begins to feel that he wants to sleep very much, his head is bowed, his hands can hardly hold the reindeer and reins. But he tries not to fall asleep, somehow invigorates himself...
   After a while, the man felt his reindeer move quickly. As fast as if they had just been harnessed. The man pulled the blindfold off his eyes. It was bright, a bright spring day. He turned back and saw that his wife had taken off her blindfold too. The man stopped his harness, trying to figure out where he was now. He began to look around the area and was surprised to see that the land was the same land he had travelled over more than once to hunt wild deer. The man looked in the direction he had come from, but he didn't see a tall hillside anywhere. The shaman was nowhere to be seen.
   A man went to his wife's sled, untied her reindeer from his sled so that she could ride on her own. He said:
   - Well, now I see I'm on familiar ground. Follow me! Let's go to my brothers' camp. What's the trouble now?
   Let's go. They drove on and on, but they couldn't see their brothers' chums. They stopped at some old tent. It seems that there had been plagues here for a long time, and there were white-white bones of wild deer. Having examined this old chum, the man said to his wife:
   - I don't know where we've come to. I've only been in these parts a short time ago, maybe six months. How did I find my brothers' old chum? My wife said:
   - I don't know this land. If you found the old chum, it means that your brothers have leaved.
   All right, let's keep going. Somehow we found barely visible tracks and followed them. The day was over, they spent the night in the empty tundra. When morning dawn appeared, they went again. They found another chum, which had been left long ago. The man wondered: where had the brothers gone? How could they have travelled so far away in such a short time? What to do now?
   The wife said:
   - But keep following your brothers' argysh tracks. They must stop somewhere.
   We didn't say anything else, we followed the tracks. These tracks led somewhere to the south. While we were travelling, the tundra ended and the forest began to appear. On the way we found four or five more chums. The tracks showed that the brothers' argysh had gone far to the south, into the forest area. Well, what to do? We'll have to go to them.
Only on the fifth day of the argysh did the man finally see the chums. There were only three of them. The man thought: are these chums of my brothers, or have I fallen in with strangers? Well, he reached this camp, stopped not near the chums, but at a distance. He told his wife to stay and wait, and I went to see who lived there.
   As he walked to the camp, an old man appeared from the middle chum. As he approached him, the man recognised him as his elder brother! But when had he grown old?
   The man said:
   - I think you're my older brother. I hardly recognise you, you've grown old. Well, I'm here now.
   The older brother said, ‘Oh, I hardly recognise you. You seem to be my younger brother. It's been twenty years since you were lost. Well, tell me how you got back! Where did you disappear for so long?
   The younger brother began to narrate:
   - I don't know how twenty years could have passed. It seems like it was only a year ago that I was in trouble. I got lost and found myself in a strange land, among strangers. I almost died there. If it hadn't been for the shaman, I probably would have died. The shaman brought me back to life. Then I lived with strangers for a year, I think, and went hunting. But when I got married, the shaman offered me to return to my native land. He took me out of the alien world. But I couldn't find your chums for a long time, only now I saw them.
   The older brother said:
   - How could you find our camp? We have been travelling from place to place for twenty years. We have a lot of reindeer, how can we stay in one place for long? Well, now you see that I have only three chums. Father and mother died long ago. First my father got sick and died, and two years later my mother died. Then two brothers died of the disease. I, the middle brother and you have arrived. My eldest son lives in the neighbouring chum. He's been married for a long time and has three children. Well, I see you've come with an argysh, there's a woman sitting on a sledge. How will you live now? Are you going to build your own dwelling?
   The man said:
   - I will live in my chum. Now I have learnt the whole truth about how you lived without me. If you, elder brother, agree, I'll build my chum here. Where else can I go? I'm on my native land now.
   After this conversation, the man brought his argysh to the camp, and his wife started to put up the chum.
   Now this is the end of the tale. The man, remembering the shaman's words, slaughtered seven deer on the sacrificial site of his family. Thus he closed forever the way to the world he had accidentally entered, or the gods had punished him. After that he started to go hunting with his brothers, hunting wild deer. He lived peacefully, nothing bad ever happened to him again. That's all.