Pidgin: Disable Gaim Buddy Icons

Is there a way to prevent Gaim from automatically downloading buddy icons upon startup? Gaim is very slow to load from my jumpdrive, and upon looking at the debug window, I can tell it is loading buddy icons. I have about 600 people on my list, with usually around 200 online at any given time. My jumpdrive is very slow to access small files (as most flash drives do, I hear). Anyway I know I can make it not *show* the icon, but that doesn't stop it from downloading them. Is there any way to prevent Gaim from loading them in the first place?

Thanks,
-Ares