San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-07-21

favorite mode of killing horse which is to
be eaten is to throw it upon the ground, tie
1t firmly with ropes and then to open the
breast and plunge in the arm to compress
the heart with the hand until death ensues.
They claim that the meat is much improved
by this process.
Old Ephraim and the other Tunguse were
capable Of eating the horse before the break
ing up Of the encampment.
The latter, named Avaram, with bronZed
skin, very prominent cheek bones and small
eyes black and bright as those of the Tar
tars, belonged to a Tunguse group of the
southeast of Siberia. Entirely clothed in
reindeer skin, his chief garment was a kind
of large fur overcoat, open in 'front.' To its
neck was attached, to be used at need
species of very gay hood-a malachi-made
of the skins of red, black and gray foxes
arranged in alternate bands with a border
of sea otter fur; tight fitting skin breeches,
with the hair inside, covered his thighs; his
feet and legs were enclosed in reindeer skin
boots with seal skin soles, reaching above
his knees.
This Tunguse had Joined the band Of gold
robbers in the hope of gaining with it suffl-
cient to pay the price of his betrothed, the
daughter of one of the golovas or great
chief of his tribe, a rare beauty whom he
had obtained at the exorbitant figure of a
hundred reindeer-a veritable fortune.
Among the Tunguses of the southeast, the
price of a woman varies from one reindeer
to hundred. They tell, however, of beau
ties of an inferior order obtained for pipe
of tobacco. These circumstances do not
prevent the marriages from being celebrated
by Russian priest.
The other bandits, after having killed
passably foundered reindeer roasted steaks
cut from the animal; the Koriak and the
Lamoute, on their side, prepared soup
with the contents of the reindeer's stomach.
This Koriak was young man, the sole
survivor of a family dead of hunger. When
he related to his companions that each year,
at the close of winter, famine decimated the
inhabitants of Toumane because, at that
time the supply of fish caught during the
summer gave out:
"Why don't you continue to fish," asked
one of the bandits of him.
"Ah! I don't know" answered he 1.-THE
| Russian government furnishes us with
| packthread to make nets, but we give it to
| the Lamoutes on condition that they shall
| fish for us. Unfortunately, the most fam
| ished among us eat all at the beginning OF
| the winter"
| The Lamoute wore suspended from his
! neck an enormous silver medal, the gift Of
| the Car, received as a reward for the as
| sistance he had rendered his countrymen
| during one Of their periodical famines.
| These spring fanines are the scourge Of
| Siberia This medal, strangely placed on
the bosom of brigand, won for the entire
band great deal of respect from the ma
| tives. y
The Ghiliak fisherman was native of the
| lower Amoor country, forced to flee after
| having slain one of his relatives who had
| stolen from him the flint of his gun. He
| feared. not without reason, that the friends
| of the defunct might retaliate according to
| the Ghiliak code-an eye for an eye and
| tooth for TOOTH This barbarian, who was
very superstitious and inclined to idolatry,
| had been baptized in accordance with the
| Greek rite, and wore about his neck several
| little metal crosses. His name was Mich
aeloff
| As to Ivan, that former Cossack had aban-
doned the post of the region of the Amoor,
! where he lived as a soldier-laborer, coloniz-
ing the country These Cossacks owe a
| service of fifteen years, for which they re-
! ceive an annual salary Of about two dollars
and quarter, the government furnishing
| them, in addition, With rations of black
| bread and, sometimes, Of tea. Their nour-
| isbment consists of salmon which they
must catch themselves, and which, with diff
| ferent wild fruits and the bark and roots of
several kinds of trees, forms a diet but little
varied. 4
Besides, when the escape Of an exile Is the |,
| matter in hand, nothing is neglected to stop I,
him; if necessary the Russian government
would put an army in motion to arrest sim l
| gle man, in order to discourage other at !
| tempts of the same kind.
The bandits commanded by Dimitri found |
themselves compelled to change their plans /;
and to give up, for a time, crossing the !,
| Amoor. They went towards the Gulf Of /
| Penjinsk, situated at the most northern i
point of the Sea of Okhotsk. At this spot, 4
they counted upon succeeding in crossing the 4
| Stanovoi Mountains, by ascending the ONO q
| Ion to its source
| They had procured number of nartas 4
| drawn by reindeer purchased in the Yak n
| cute villages, and forcing their journey,
| had already arrived among the spurs of the 4
| great Stanovoi chain, with their bare and 4
| snowy peaks. They did not hesitate to ven
ture among these terrible mountains, from 4
whence it is rare that one can make his exit
when he has entered their sombre and mex
tricable labyrinths.
Yegor, also, had for a moment entertained
the thought of taking this route. He knew,
thanks to his Investigations, that everyA
cupmar tho pativeS and the Russian half