Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-01-24

catch and porped again immoderately, with their
usual careiessness as to the future. For example,
45 snads" (phoca hispida) were to be seen in one
tent The children, who had fallen ava! during the
previous weeks, soon began to recover their good
condition The vessels deck was a continual assem-
blv place for men, women and children. Many
passed great part OF the day here, cheerfully and
merrily, in a temperature of 40 degrees below zero
Fahrenheit They brought to barter specimenso oil
their works of art, such as they thought would be
interesting to foreigners. have in this way CD
tanned large quantity of drawings and bone cary
ings which are instr uctive showing the standard
of taste among people which still belongs to the
bone age. shall some day give an account to our
Geographical Soc ETY., illustrated by drawings oil the
collection thus got together, and OF the customs oil
this remarkable polar race According to numerous
replies made BY natives to Lieutenant Nordquist,
there is generally open water here all through the
summer.
VISIT FROM a CHIEFTAIN.
On the 9Th of October We had visit from the chief
OF the Reindeer Tschuktschis- VASTLY Menka. He
was a little, brown -compexioned man, dressed in
handsome, white reindeer tunic, under which
a blue flannel shirt could just be seen To give i'm
portance to his arrival, he over the ice to the
vessel on sledge drawn, not by dogs, but by some
OF his subordinatts On his arrival he Immediately
showed us document setting forth his dignity, and
gave Us several proofs of his wealth. consisting OF
few red and white fox skins
He could neither read nor write, and his Rus
sian was very detective and hard to understand.
He however soon understood map that was
shown to him, and with great accuracy he pointed
out number of the principal places in Northern
Siberia This chief officer of the district had no
notion of the existence Of any Emperor OF Russia,
but he knew that very powerful parsonage resided
in Irkutsk. Menka said that in few days he
would be going to Markova, Russian station on
the river Anadyr, near old Anadyrsk. gave him
an open letter addressed to the Governors General
at Irkutsk requesting him to communicate Its CON
tents to His Majesty King Oscar. Itmight be seen
at once however, that Menka must have received
the letter as sort OF confrmatory diploma for him
self When he got ashore he assembled near to
some OF ourselves circle of natives around him,
and then, sitting down in a dgnified manner in the
midst, unfolded the paper, but upside down, and
proceeded to read from it long sentences in
Tschuktschisk to audience, who seemed astounded
at his eruditon. l much feared that letter would
never get delivered. Next day we had another
visit from the great and lear ed potentate, when
presents exchanged, and finally he danced, first
'pas seul AMI afterwards, together with some OF
his hosts the great delight OF all the beholders,
both native and European.
On the Sth of October Lieutenants Nordquist and
Hovgoard went with Menka to pay visit to his
Mo cla drau nv on ipht
five dogs respectively Next morning the camp was
reached, and the party met by the most distin
guished of its inhabitants. They greeted Menka in
the Russian manner-that is to say, by kissing one
another first on each cheek and then the mouth.
" Ourselves" said Nordquist, they welcomed in a
friendly way by holding out their hands and bow
ing Then we went into Menkas brothers tent,
outside which the whole population Of the encamp
ment soon assembled to behold us. The camp con-
sisted OF eighteen tents, and inhabited by
Reindeer Tschuktschis who carry on trade be-
tween the Russians at Kolyma and people whom
they called Jegarganler, living at Behring's Straits
Among the tents were seen number of sledges,
some loaded and some empty. Some of them were
covered with awnings, etc. The household articles
in Menkas brothers tent consisted of some ordinary
copper coffee-pots (Which were used to boil water
in), a few teacups, a tea-tray and some casks
Among the ornaments noticed glass beads
THE WOMEN WE'RE TATTooED,
But not the men. Afterwards we visited Menka's
nephew's camp, arriving there in the evening We
were very kindly received, and We passed the night
there. All the occupants of tent sleep together
in the sleeping apartment, which is not more than
seven eight feet long, by six seven feet broad
and four or five feet high. Men and women sleep
entirely undressed, with the exception of broad
girdles. In the morning the hostess rose first, and
cooked some meat, which was then set forth in the
sleeping apartment, before its occupants had yet at
tired themselves The hostess then cut the meat In
slices on a tray, and afterwards handed it round
| In the morning we saw how the Tschuktichs catch
and kill The reindeer. Two men 60 out in reindeer
skins. When they see reindeer one of them
throws moose, from distance of twenty thirty
feet, round the animals horns. The other then
comes up and kills it by stab behind the shoulder
Afterwards it is passed over to the women who take
out its inside and skin the carcase."
Lieutenant Hovgoard gays: During the whole
of our Journey out which lasted twenty one hours
Menka's slave continually before the sledges,
and even when We rested he still at work look
ing for the track attending to the dogs, etc When
we reached the camp he did not sleep, and yet he
equally brisk during the journey next day. All
the time he took nothing Of alcoholic character
and Menka remarked that had he done so he would
not have been able to run. Instead of this, he
chewed an astonishing amount of tobacco. The
dogs we're not embarrassed for moment during the
whole time; in the morning they lay down and
slept half covered over with snow. Yet we could
not next day perceive the least dimnuion in their
power to drag the sledges." On the 18th of Deem
Der, Lieutenant Nordquist made
AN EXCURSION
To the village of Pidlin, in Kolutschin Creek, to
see native named Tscheptscho, who had talked of
going to Anadyrsk, and to ask him when he would
be able to start Nordquist reports that the village
consists of four tents. The number of inhabitants
is only something twenty persons. al was
received" he says outside the tsnts by the popula
ton of the village and conducted to Tscheptschos
tent He promised to go with me to Anadyrsk in
February. Ny host had wife and thr>e children.
At night the children entirely undressed the
adults wore short trowsers, the husbands being of
tanned skim the wifes OF stuff. In the oppressive
warmth which was kept up by the two main oil
lamps burning all night it would be very difficult
to sleep in the heavy reindeer-skin dresses. They
however cover themselves with rende r-skins.
As, besides tn, heat, frightfu stencil prevailed
here | could not forbear from going out several
times to get mouthful of fresh air. When we got
I'D next morning our hostess set out the breakfast
in a fat tray first, seal flesh and bubber, with
sort OF sour kraut consisting of fermented willow
leaves, afterwards appeared seal liver and lastly,
seal blood the whole frozen. Among other amulets
| noticed VOLTS skull hung up by thong. This
skull which had already received from the man, he
took back again. because his son, then years
would want it when he came to choose wife.
What part in the performance the skull was sup.
posed to play could not ascertain. On our way
home my Tschuktschi postboy sung some Of the
Tschuktschisk songs They are for the most part
limitations of the noises made by animals or some
times improvisations, without rhyme or meter, and
very little variation of tone only and then
.o,,id 7 catch trace of any distinct melody In