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Les diagrammes suivants illustrent la mAthoda. 1 2 3 32X 1 2 3 4 5 6 ".f. t IX-'' f NARRATIVE or AN EXPEDITION TO THE POLAR SEA, IN THE YEARS 1820, 1821, 1822, AND 182a COMMANDED BY LIEUTKNANT, NOW ADMIRAL FERDINAND WRANGELL, OT THK RUSaUM IMPtRUL HAVY. NEW-YORK: HARPER AND BROTHERS| CLIFF-8T. 1841. f ■^«^ ;i Entered, ticcording to Act of Congress, in the year 1841 , by HiRPER &. Brothers, In the Clerk's Office of the Southern District of New York. PUBLISHER s' ADVERTISEMENT. The recent voyages to discover a Northwest Passage, persevered in through a series of years, and crowned with partial success, have, from the boldness of the enterprise, as well as the skill and courage displayed by the successive navigators, excited a far more lively interest than any others in modern times. But while the British have been thus actively engaged in exploring the Polar Sea north of the American Continent, the Russians have not been idle in attempting to extend their geographical knowledge in the same latitudes north of Siberia. Of the former we have been long since fully informed ; of the latter, until now, entirely ignorant. This volume, therefore, the publishers feel persuaded will be in the highest degree interesting to the American reader, from the great amount of curious information it con- tains, and especially from the manner in which the different expeditions were conducted, by means of sledges, drawn by dogs, over the ice of the Polar Sea. The English copy, from which this is taken, was A m i 11 ADVERTISEMENT. edited by Major Sabine, whose extensive personal knowledge of the Polar Regions peculiarly qualified him for the task. The work, as now presented to the public^ has been carefully revised by the American editor, and considerably abridged, by the exclusion of most of the introductory matter, as well as of two chapters that have no connexion with the general narrative, and all of which consist of little more than minute topographical and other details, destitute of inter- est to the general reader. H. & B. Neia-Vork, SepUj 1841. t PREFACE. The work, of which the present is a translation, was drawn up in the German language by M. En- gelhardt, from the journala and papers of M. Wran- gell, and of the other officers of the expedition, {>laced in his hands for that purpose, and was pub. ished at BerUn in July, 1839, under the editorial care of Professor Ritter, with the sanction of M. Wrangell, who himself communicated the map which accompanied the publication. Notices had been previously given by Professor Parrot in re- gard to some of the physical observations which were made in the course of the expedition, but no general account of its proceedings appeared until this of 1839, either in the Russian or any other language. The German orthography of the proper names has been generally retained. Great part of the names being new, and their pronunciation only known approximately through the medium of a representation by German letters, it did not appear that any adequate advantage would have been gained by an attempt to substitute letters with English values, involving, as it must necessarily have done, an additional degree of uncertainty. The temperatures have been changed from Reau- mur to Fahrenheit's scale. Distances, weights, and prices have been preserved in the original ex- pressions, in worsts, poods, and roubles. The r I- i ' r IT PREFACE. dates are in the " old style," which is still in use in Russia, and twelve days are to be added, to give the corresponding dates in the style adopted by other European nations; thus Newyear's day in this volume is our 13th of January, and so forth. The facts and circumstances made known by an expedition which was engaged during three years in geographical researches, extending over fifty degrees of longitude of the coasts of the Polar Sea, must in many instances bear, by a close analo. gy, on reasonings connected with the yet unex- plored portion of the Artie Circle ; and they do so particularly in respect to that part which has been, imd still continues to be, the theatre of Brit, ish enterprise. There is a striking resemblance in the configu- ration of the northern coasts of the continents of Asia and America for several hundred miles on either side of Behring's Straits: the general di- rection of the coast is the same on both continents, the latitude is nearly the same, and each has its attendant group of islands to the north ; the Asiatic continent, those usually known as the New-Siberi- an Islands, and the American, those called by Sir Edward Parry the North Georgian Group, and since fitly named, from their discoverer, the Parry Islands. The resemblance includes the islands also, both in general character and in latitude. With so decided a similarity in the configuration and position of the land and sea, it is reasonable to expect that there should be a corresponding re« semblance in the state and circumstances of the ice by which the navigation of the ocean may be afiTected. PREFACB. * ^ In perusing M. Wrangell's description of that portion of the sea which is comprised between the Asiatic Continent and the New-Siberian Islands, those who have had personal experience of the corresponding portion of the sea on the American side, namely, of the portion included between the continent and the Parry Islands, must at once rec- ognise the close resemblance which the ice de- scribed by M. Wrangell bears to that which fell under their own observation. In both cases, in summer, a narrow strip of open water exists be- tween the shore and the ice, admitting of the oc- casional passage of a vessel from point to point, subject to frequent interruptions from the closing of the ice on the land by certain winds, and from dif. culties at projecting capes and headlands. The main body of the ice by which the sea is cov. ered is at that season broken into fields and floes of various extent and size, with lanes of open wa, ter between them ; and in this state they remain till the first frost of autumn, when the whole is ce. mented into a firm and connected mass, and re- mains so during the winter. n* "^^1? ^^^^^"®ss of ice formed in a single season M. Wrangell states to be about nine and a ]f feet ; that, if prevented from drifting away durini? the summer, a second season will add about five feet ; and a third season, doubtless, somewhat more. The fields of ice which have been met with by the British expeditions in parts of the sea which are known to be cleared every year (in Baffin's Hay and Hudson's Straits, for example, and to the north and west of Spitzbergen), have usually been from nine to ten feet thick ; but I well remember A 2 11 pRfirxcs. I the surprise excited in the expedition which pene* trated to Melville Island, at the extraordinary and unprecedented thickness of the field-ice which they encountered after passing Barrow Strait, and en« tering, for the first time, the portion of the sea comprised between the continent and the islands north of it ; evidencing that on that portion of the «ea the icy covering remains for successive years. The general thickness was more than double that of the formation of a single year. All the attempts to effect a northwest passage since Barrow Strait was first passed in 1819, have consisted in endeavouring to force a vessel, by one route or another, through this land-locked and ice- encumbered portion of the Polar Ocean. No ex- amination has made known what may be the state of the sea to the north of the Parry Islands ; wheth- er similar impediments there present themselves to navigation, or whether a sea may not there exist, offering no difficulties whatsoever of the kind, as M. Wrangell has shown to be the case to the north of the Siberian Islands, and as by strict anal- ogy we should be justified in expecting, unless, in- deed, there should be other land to the north of the Parry group, making that portion of the ocean also a laiid-locked sea. The expeditions of MM. Wrangell and Anjou were undertaken on the presumption of the con- tinuance to the north (in the winter and spring at least) of the natural bridge of ice by which the isl- ands are accessible from the continent ; but every attempt which they made to proceed to the norths repeated as these were during three years, and from many different points of a line extending for PREFACE. VU several hundred miles in an east and west direc- tion, terminated alike in conducting tbem to an open and navigable sea. Setting asid'^, then, the possibility of the exist- ence of an unknown land, the probability of an open sea existing to the north of the Parry Isl- ands, and communicating with Behring*s Straits, appears to rest on strict analogical reasoning. The distance of either group to Behring's Straits is nearly the same. It can scarcely be doubted, therefore, that by calling again into action the energy and the other admirable qualities which have been fostered and displayed in the Arctic voyages, and by perseve- ring through a succession of seasons, a vessel might be forced from the Atlantic to the Pacific through that confined and encumbered portion of the sea in which all the recent attempts have been made. 1 I / ( \ Ni CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. Departure from St. Petersburgh.— Amval at Irkmk -.?•<.«.»« down the Lena—Account of Scen^i^/NavSon &/^\^ torn, of the Inhabitants-Departure for Niahne Koiymsk Page 19 CHAPTER n. Departure for Ni8hneKoIym8k.-.Pack.hor8e8.-.Fir8t Bivouac ^ -The JakutL-Jakuiian Settlement.-Mioroljurti Cloth ffi-lt'Riv?r'7a Food Villages; NauJnal ChaSt l«,!; iS/ ^'I®^Al*^*"-"-T*^e River Tukulan.-Forest Bi. vouac- Werchow Mountains— Wandering Tuiirusi -Bam- ne if nlvml w^ Alaseja— The Sardach StaUon.-Sred! Riv«-So«Tn^8w! ^""^^f '"« Costume. -The Omolon Kiver.— Dogs and Sledges.- Arrival at Nishne Kulymsk 3a CHAPTER HI. Topography of the District of the Lower Kolyma -Character or Its Chmate.-Winter.-Di8ease8.-VeS?e Gromh - hS«m«'^ H Animals-Former Inhabitfnts-Presen I^^ habitants— Hou8es.-Dress.-Suffering8 of the People from ^TlyL%%T£^^'''?'''r "i ''« Riverl-FiKe?^ Dlovminf n? rh^ w""^""'!?^ l^« Reindeer.- Summer Em- ployment of the Women.-Uatching Herrings.-Trapping the DoL ff? ;;r'"'/'?!*^'*2, ^^ » Hunter.-Employmem of ASfusemiSr' '' !'' houses- Household 'Ec'onomy.-i ••••••,,55 CHAPTER IV. Nishne Kolymsk.-Dome8tic Arrangements-Preparations for Prosecuting the Objects of the Expedition.-WeU-lbundS Doubts respectingthe Discoveries of Sergeant Andwjew -A^ f (' A it n ^ ^ i I [' =• X CONTENTS. rival of the English Traveller, Captain Cochrane.— The New year.—Evening Party.— -Arrival of the Pilot Kosmin.— Prep- arations for a Journe3r with Dogs and Sledges.— Necessary Deviation from the Original Plan.— Tidings of the Arrival of the Tschuktschi on the Lesser Aniuj.— Departure of M. Mati- uschkin for Ostrownoje Page 87 CHAPTER V. First Ice-journey in Sledges over the Sea.— Departure from Nishne Kolymsk.— Sucnarnoje Island.— Baranow Rocks.— Flat, low Coast.— Great Baranow River.— Cold.— First Tra- ces of the Tschuktschi.- Meteor.— Cape Schelagskoj.— Kos- min Rock.— Wollok.— Cape Matiuschkin.— Arautan Island.— Loss of Provisions.— Return to Nishne Kolymsk . . 97 CHAPTER VI. M. Matiuschkin*s Account of the Fair at Ostrownoje.— Remarks on the Tschuktschi whom he met there, and on the Scha- mR na ^^^ CHAPTER VII. Secondlcejoumey.— Preparations.— Plan.— Departure.— Bear- Hunt— First Encampment on the Ice of the Polar Sea.— Four Pillar Island.— Ice broken up and covered with Sea- Water.-— Hummocks.— Dejposite of Provisions.— State of the Ice.— Easter.— White Bears.— The Bear Islands.— Return to Nish- ne Kolymsk 127 CHAPTER Vni, Nishne Kolymsk.-Spring.-Scarcity.— Fisheries for the supply of the Expedition.— Building a Shallop.— Plans for the Sum- mer.— Warm Weather.— Moschetoes.— Embark in the new Beat.— Accident to M. Matiuschkin.— Remdeer Hunting in the Tundra.— Arrival at Tschukotschje.— Departure of M. Kosmin to survey the Coast as far as the Indigirka.— Return up the Kolyma.— Tent burned.— Arrival at Nishne Kolymsk. —Visit to the Jakuti of Sredne Kolymsk.— Their Summer Life and Habitations.— Traditions.— A Ibuty.—Eariy Snow.— Return to Nishne Kolymsk,— Arrival of MM. Matiuschkin, Kyber, and Kosmin. • 1^ CONTENTS* CHAPTER IX. 21 H. MATIUSCHKIN's account of a journey ALONd THB LESSER AND THE GREATER ANIUJ RIVERS. THE LESSER ANIUJ. Departure from Nishne Kolymsk.-Mammoth Bones.-Arrival at Plotbi8cht8che.-Aboriginal Population of thw DistrS i Hnn *" Inhabitants -Causes of the Scantiness of the Popufa- tion.~Jukahiri.-Migration of the Reindeer in Sprine and Summer.-Departure from Plotbischtsche.-Argunowo ipS ginden—Termination of the Journey.-The Rock Obrom^ -Return to Plotbischtsche.-General^Remarksorthe LeSS •' * • • .• . Page 171 THE GREATER ANIUJ. •^TrXr'^AS'^TL^r^^*"^^^^^^ Mountain-Chain of the ^^rS?'®"^ Aniuj.---The Kame8chkowa.—Fur.Huntinff.— Trans -Tigi8chka.-.Amval at Sladnoje and Lebasnofe.-The Em' peror s Name-day-Failure of tie Reindeer HunUFaminS" -Return by Water -Inhabitants of the Banks of he GreSe;^ Aniuj.-Tun^usi, Lamuti. Tschuwanzi. and Jakutf.-ffi Modes of Life, and Numbers.-Schamanism and Schamani -Dolgoje—Arnval at Bol'schaja Brussanka. -Free^ngSnhe River.-Contmuation of the jiurney in Sledges drain b? Jl°ef:-:Z^^''^oy^o^Amvai at Nishne Kolymsk -Remarks oJ the Different Tribes whom we visited during this Journey 183 CHAPTER X. TWrd Journey on »he Ice of the Polar Sea -Preparations - Mortality among the Dogs. -Departure from Kishn^Kl !"'''• "■J^"™*^ towards the Nmh. - Waves of Drifted Snow. -Encounters with White Bears. - Deoosite of Pw? vi8ions.-pifficulties.-Accident.-High Hummocks-SeT ond Deposite of Provisions.-The Expedition DiS -FaS Appearances of Land—Return to t£e Dcposites of Provif Fa";;;?" Expedition Keunited-Proceed Vrthward aS^^ —Easter.— Breaking up of the Ice.— Hummocks -Turn »« the Eastward—State of the Ice -Cape ScKwkoi -ArrL valat the First Deposite of Provisions-Return fo the CoaS! -Pochodsk-Famme-Arrival at Nishne KolySsk -- W • • ♦ r 195 JSl GONTISNTS. I CHAPTER XI. M. Matiuschkin's Journey across the Eastern Tundra in thj Summer of .1822 . . • • • • • * » CHAPTER XII. Fourth Journey on the Polar Sea.-Survey of the Coast as faj as the Island of Koliutschm *** CHAPTER Xin. Return from Sredne Kolymsk to St. Petersburgh . .287 M APPENDIX. Ice of the Polar Sca.-The Polynja.OTOpenWater.--Currert^ -Gain of the Land on the Sea.-The Aurora Borealis . 297 INTRODUCTION. The whole of the immense extent of country from the White Sea toBehring's Straits, embracing 146 degrees of longitude along the coast of Asia and Europe, has been discovered, surveyed, and described by Russians. All the attempts of other maritime nations to find a passage by the Polar Sea from Europe to China, or from the Pacific into the Atlantic, have been limited, in the West by the Karskoie Sea, and in the East by the meridian of Cape North. The impediments which arrested the progress of others have been conquered by Russians, accustomed to the severity of the cli- mate, and to the privations inseparable from it. The first voyages to these icy deserts were un- dertaken by private individuals, attracted by the hope of large profits from a trade in the costly furs of the animals with which these regions abound.* At a later period armed expeditions were sent out by the government, sometimes by land, and some- ♦ "These skins," observes the ••Sibirskoi Vestnik," "were the golden fleece of those days and of those regions, and tempt- ed not only Cossacks and fur-hunters to brave the severest hard- ships, but even induced persons of much higher rank to leave their families and abandon the conveniences of life, in order to plunge into the fearful and unknown wildernesses of Siberia, in the hope of enriching themselves by this trade. It is to the credit of the national character, however, that their desire of gain never drove them to the atrocities of which the gold-seeking conquer- ors of Peru and Mexico were guilty." B k I i I I I. I ft f i 3av INTRODtlCTION. times by sea in large flatboats, which, creeping along the coast, reduced the tribes residing there, one after another, to Russian subjection. Still later, scientific expeditions were fitted Out at a con- siderable expense, the sole object of which was to make an accurate survey of the countries already visited, and to discover others. Few of these surveys, however, afforded any really satisfactory result, so far as geography and hydrography are concerned. The different maps vary from each other, as to the position of the most important points, by more than a degree and a half of latitude. Above all, the whole coast from Capfe Schelagskoj to Cape North remained entire- ly unknown, and the account of Deshnew's voyage from the Kolyma through Behring Straits was so vague and obscure, that the English admiral, Bur- ney, founded on it his well-known hypothesis of an isthmus existing somewhere near Cape Schelag- skoi, by which he supposed the continents of Asia and America to be united. Lastly, the tales of Andrejew, but more particularly Sannikow's as- sertion respecting a large country to the north of Kotelnoi and New-Siberia, found many adherents in modern times, so that the geography of this por- tion of the Russian empire remained in complete obscurity, while, on the other hand, the memorable researches of Parry and Franklin had led to the most exact examination and description of the northern coast of America.* To remove this blank in the geography of his * See Narrative of Discovery and Adventure in the Polar Seas and Regions, 67, and Parry's Voyages, 100, 101, Harpers' Family Library.— Am. Ed. INTRODUCTION, XV country, the Emperor Alexander ordered two ex. peditions to be fitted out, each under the command of an officer of the imperial navy, with a view to an accurate survey of the northwest coast of Si- beria between the Jana and the Kolyma, and as far as the Schelagskoi Noss, and to a minute exami- nation of the islands situated in the Arctic Ocean. The Navy Department accordingly equipped two expeditions for these objects in 1820, which were to proceed by land to the northern coast of Siberia. A lieutenant of the navy was placed at the head of each, to be accompanied by two junior officers, a medical officer, who was also to be a naturalist, and two sailors. One of these expedi- tions, under Lieutenant Anjou, was to commence its operations from the mouth of the Jana ; the other, under my command, from the mouth of the Kolyma. My companions were Midshipman (now Captein-lieutenant) Maiiuschkin, the mate Kosmin, Dr. Kyber, and two seamen, one of whom was a smith, the other a carpenter. In regard to the objects of this expedition, and the means for accomplishing them, the instructions given by the Admiralty Department say : " From the journals and reports of all expeditions hitherto undertaken to the Polar Ocean, it appears that it is impossible to navigate it for scientific purposes even in summer, owing to the presence of immense quantities of drift-ice. On the other hand, it is known that Sergeant Andrejew drove over the ice in the spring of 1763 with sledges ; and the same was done by Messrs. Hedenstrom and Pschenizyn in 1809, 1810, and 1811, when the former survey, ed the Bear Islands, and the latter the Lachow Isl- ( -i n m I i 1 1 ■ i f '■ »: '% (ii: irf ^ 1 i xvi INTRODUCTION. ands and New-Siberia. As this appears to be the only practical plan for the execution of his impe- rial majesty's desire, its adoption has been resolved on by the department of the admiralty with re. spect to the exploring expedition now to be sent. Accordingly, the first division of that expedition is directed to proceed in sledges to survey the coast eastward from the mouth of the Kolyma as far as Cape Schelagskoj, and from thence to proceed in a northerly direction, in order to ascertain whether an inhabited country exists in that quarter, as as* sorted by the Tschuktschi and others." Such, no doubt, was the only practicable plan, naiViely, to undertake the contemplated journey with sledges drawn by dogs. But to procure this first requisite, and to collect the necessary supplies, was a task attended by so many difficulties in the in- hospitable and uninhabited deserts of Northeastern Siberia, that it would have been impossible to overcome them without the co-operation of the public officers in that country. It was therefore fortunate for us that the arrangement of everything relating to our expedition had been confided to Privy-councillor Speranski, at that time governor- general of Siberia, who promoted it in the most active manner, and by whose judicious measures and kind anticipation of our most minute wants we were happily enabled to execute the task as- signed to us. In publishing this narrative I have had no other object in view than to extend the geographical knowledge of those regions, to correct previously, existing errors, and, by a plain statement of what we ourselves have done, to make our experience ^^— -i"- INTAODUCTION. XVU useful to those who may come after us. With these views, I have ventured to be rather diffuse in the description of particular circumstances and events connected with our journey when they hap- pened to bear directly upon the objects of our mis- sion. In all that relates to the natural history and physical characteristics of the country, I have ad. hered, for the most part, to the observations of Dr. Kyber, who accompanied me as naturalist. B2 NARRATIVE OF AN EXPEDITION fo SIBERIA AND THE POLAR SEA. CHAPTER I. I>eparture from St. Petersburgh.— Arrival at Irkuzk.— Passage down the Lena. —Account of Scenery, Navigation, &c.~ Ar- rival at Jakuzk.— Annual Fair at Jakuzk Character and Cus- -^ toms of the inhabitants.— Departure for Nishne Kolymsk. Both divisions of our expedition left St. Peters- burgh on the 23d of March, 1820. In Moscow I Earted from the commander of the second division, lieutenant Anjou, v^ho waited there to obtain better means of transport for our instruments. The pilot Kosmin remained with him to take charge of the instruments belonging to our division. Meanwhile, accompanied by M. Matiuschkin (midshipman), I hastened to Irkuzk, that no time might be lost in setting on foot the necessary preparations for the mission with which I was charged. To make our journey as rapid as possible, we took with us only two small portmanteaus for our clothes, &c., and travelled by the ordinary post in the little carriages caUed telegif which are changed at every station, and are adapted in every case to the nature of the road. The overflowing of many of the rivers on either side of the Ural Chain impeded our journey, but made us amends by the variety which was thus giv- en to the landscape ; the valleys being all chsnged. WRANOi:iL^S P^kP %XPED2TtON. {,r '(■ i into lakeSf and the rising grounds forming green hi" ands. On the namX from Moscow to Irkuzk, which is 5317 wersts* in lengtl? we experienced repeated alternations of spn^ig and winter. Ai Kasan the trees were green aud thp meadows full of flowers, 'while in the Ural Chain, lUe •umniits of the mouiif- ains, and the narrow ravine:^ which were shaded from the sun, were covered with snow. Though at Tobolsk the grass was only just beginning to ap- pear in the pastures, the romantic Krasnojarsk showed all the luxuriance of spring, and the gardens at Irkuzk were in full flower. The rapidity of our journey placed every contrast in the most striking light. We passed in a few days from the magnifi- cent palaces of St. Petersburgh and Moscow to the huts of the wandering Tungusi ; from the vast oak and lime-tree forests of Kasan, to the desert and snow-cc red banks of the Alasej and the Kolyma. After vfosiA ig the Ural Chain, which is here well named the "Stony Girdle," and entering Si- beria Proper, we were agreeably surprised by the kind miinners of the inhabitants, who spared no pains to enable us to prosecute our journey with the least possible delay. Whether by day or by night, our things might be safely left unwatched on the high road while we were changing carriages ; and if we expressed uneasiness about them, the an- swer was always " Nehoss^ never fear : nothing is stolen here." Those wiiose ideas of Siberia are as- sociated with criminals and exiles inhabiting a cold and desolate wilderness, would find instead, in this southern part at least, luxuriant vegetation, careful- ly-cultivated fields, excellent roads, large well-built villages, and general security and comfort. On the 18th of May we isached Irkuzk, and alight- * A went is about two thirds uf i\ ^ iii ^te .-.le ; or, to speak more exactly, 104 wen»*^ are equnl j's ^ ) j:.; graphical miles.— Am, Ed, ' ARRIVAL AT KOTSCHUOA. 21 €cl at the house of M. Kotygin, whose hospitality I shared durin(( the month of my stay there. 1 imme- diately announced myself to the governor-gener- al of Siberia, M. Speranski, by whose kindness and support 1 was speedily enabled to complete the arrangements for our ulterior proceedings. He showed me the correspondence which he had had with the authorities of the diffei onr, provinces through which we were to pass on the bubject of our expe- dition, in order that I mighr point out to him any- thing which might still be wanting. M. Heden- strdm,* who had visUed the coast and islands of the Polar Sea in 1811, came, at the request of *.he gov- ernor-general, to meet me at Irkuzk, and his con- versation and manuscripts afforded me most valua- ble information. Early in June, Lieutenant Anjou and the other members of the expedition arrived at Irkuzk with the instruments ; and on the 25th of June we left the capital of Siberia, full of gratitude for the kind- ness, friendship, and sympathy we had enjoyed there, which we prize i the more, as we were now to take our leave of the civilized world, and of all the enjoyments of social life. On the 27th of June wc arrived at the village of Kotschuga, 236 wersts from Irkuzk, situated on the left bank of the Lena, which is navigable from thence. We found here a large flat-bottomed decked boat, which we loaded with the provisions which had bee> t^ol]erted by the orders of the admiralty at IrkuT^ "! on thr evening of the 28th of June we be^ la j descend this majestic river. Kotschuga is a kind of entrepdt for all goods which are to be conveyed by water to towns or places near the Lena. They are sent partly in large heavily- * M. Hedenstrom was engaged in examining the coasts of Siberia and exploring the country from 1809 to 1811 inclusive. 22 wrangell's polar expedition. laden barics, which are broken up for building male- rials or for firewood on their arrival at Jakuzk, as they are too unwieldy to return against the stream, and partly in smaller boats, which can be rowed i afewgoov lake use of ar the wind- } entitled to r rowers as gpass.* In 1, and speed- ream. made for an best impor- the settle- apart, and lend for the inces of the •e favoured on as Sibe- *olar Ocean superfluities •reu North ; intersected ;ely a point hed by wa- or permission ch the travel- 8 to which he erent stopping are to be paid 8 the common Continent of leir own con- 3 way on the diligences) was )w; and this as been sinee ter. Some meal, salt, tea, sugar, brandy, tobacco, and a few cloth stuffs are, indeed, sent in boats from the yearly fair at Jakuzk iv Shigansk, and other places on the Lower Lena ; bnt from the im- perfection of the boats, and the wani of hands prop- erly to man them, the passage is of. en so long that winter comes on before they arri^'e at their desti- nation. They have then to wait till spring ; and, al- though some of the most indispensable articles may be sent on by land, this enhances the price so enor- mously, that very few are transported in that way. The arrival of these stores is a subject of painful anxiety to the inhabitants, and their non-arrival is often the cause of severe and general sickness. 'The goods which remain behind are sure to be more or less injured ; and the custody of them during the winter is a heavy charge upon the settlers on the banks of the river, who are held responsible for whatever belongs to the crown. All these serious* disadvantages might be obviated by the employment of a steamer, with the assist- ance of which vessels could reach the most distant places on the Lower Lena in a month from Kots- chuga, and thus the passage could be made twice in the course of the summer. In this way the whole district between Irkuzk and the sea, about 4000 wersts in extent, would receive new life, in- dustry would be encouraged, and severe sufTering and privation averted ; while the forests on the banks of the Upper Lena offer inexhaustible stores of cheap and easily accessible fuel, the preparation of which would afford additional employment and profit to the natives.* * It is a singular fact, that, notwithstanding the immense fa- cilities which Russia possesses for internal steam navigation, there is not, or was not a very few years ago (and it is believed that but little change in this particular has taken place since), a single steamer on any of her great rivers, except a small one \3li i>uc T uigiT. A luo IS vWilig iii paib, uu uuuui, lU WUW. UI en* '1 "Au-i^ in < in ^^;i i ! ( H --^ « r S4 WRAN6ELL S POLAR EXPEDITION. But to return to our own navigation. With the occasional assistance of sails or oars, our boat glided rapidly down the stream, between high and roman- tic banks. The Lena is one of the largest rivers in the world : from Kotschuga to Rigi, a distance of 400 worsts, the country is mountainous and covered vvith impenetrable forests, and the banks on either side present a succession of picturesque and varied views of great beauty. On the slopes of the hills we saw cultivated fields, pasture-grounds, and vege- table-gardens surrounding the cottages of the peas- ants, which sometimes stood singly, and sometimes formed httle villages. There are many wooded islands in the bed of the river. The banks became steeper and the mount- ains more lofty as we approached Rigi, where the river makes a sudden bend to the east ; the mount- ains dosing in upon it, and appearing to divert it from its course. Lower down it escapes from the hills, and flows on in a broader stream, between flat banks. Below Rigi there are a few shallows which in some degree impede the navigation when the wa- ter is low ; but after these are past, the flat vessels in common use meet with no impediment through- out the remainder of their passage. The first per- manent winter-habitation of the Russians on the banks of the Lena was built in 1631, at the mouth of the Kuta, a tributary stream from the west. The Lena was first discovered by the Turuchanschi in 1607, and afterward by Cossacks from the Jenis- sei in 1628.* terprise ; partly, also, to the jealous character of the goremment ; but more than all to the numberless annoyances which indi- •viduals undertaking anything of the kmd experience from the local authorities, in the shape of interference, delays, bribe*. &c.— ilm. Ed. * The Cossacks were the conquerors of Siberia, and the dis- covery of this river greatly assisted them in the subjugation of the country.— ^Im. Ed. PASSAGE DOWN THE LENA. 25 Between Saborje and Kirensk the river winds so much that the distance by water is 105 wersts, while in a straight line it is only thirty- five. It is here seven fathoms deep, and has scarcely any current. At Kirensk the left bank consists of black slate rocks, with some talc. A few wersts below I saw strata of chloride slate, in red clay. About 100 wersts farther down, the right bank consists of com- mon clay and imperfect slate. At Schtscheki, 250 wersts beyond Kirensk, the rocks on the left bank are limestone, interspersed with veins of flint and calcareous spar. The banks become low and flat 350 wersts above Olekma. Here there are a quan- tity of fragments of green-stone porphyry, common quartz with mica, and much mica- slate. About 150 wersts from Olekma, the left bank, which is high, consists of layers of different coloured slate, the green layers being thick, and the intervening gray layers very thin ; and occasionally I saw small veins of gypsum interspersed. At Olekma, the left bank consists entirely of clay, with rather thick layers of gray slate, and a beautiful dazzling white gypsum. About 180 wersts above Jakuzk, the right bank of the river is formed of perpendicular rocks, which from their form are called Stolby^ or the pillars ; and there are here several kinds of marble. About sixty wersts below Stolby there are many excavations in the bluff limestone rocks, the remains, probably, of former attempts to discover silver ore. Dr. Kyber saw in one of these caves a larch-tree growing from the rocky floor, at the depth of several fathoms, and flourishing in spite of the constant darkness. To these scanty notices concerning the banks of the Lena I may add the mention of two mineral springs on opposite sides, 150 wersts below Stolby. The one on the left bank issues from a steep limestone rock, and has a sulphurous smell and a high temper- ature ; the other, on the low bank opposite, is cold, yprv clear and has a strono" taste of salt. ll 26 wrangell's polar expedition. The town of Kirensk is a poor little viUage, chief- ly deserving of notice for the success of the inhabi- tants HI cultivating vegetables. They send to Ja- kuzk cabbages, potatoes, turnips, and sometimes even cucumbers. The gardens are all so placed as to be sheltered from the north and east by hills rocks, or woods. About 260 wersts below Kirensk, the Lena passes between precipitous rocks nearly 600 feet high • the depth of the river in this part is twelve fathoms. 1 nis place is remarkable for an echo, which repeats the report of a pistol-shot at least a hundred times, the sound increasing in intensity so as to resemble a well-sustained running fire of musketry, or even a cannonade. They told us here the story of a hunt- er, who on his snow-shoes had pursued an elk to the edge of the precipice ; and, in the ardour of the chase, both man and beast had been precipitated on the ice of the river, eighty fathoms below. Near this place we passed a steep rock in the bed of the stream, where a bark laden with brandy* had been wrecked some time before : it is a little above the mouth of the Witima, which is celebrated for the quantity of talc found on its banks, and still more for Its beautiful sables, which are esteemed the finest m all Siberia after those of Olekma. The forests on the right bank of the Lena are rich in fur-animals of all kinds, and the furs are remarkably fine ; where- as on the left bank the skins are of an inferior qual- ity, as well as much more scarce. This, indeed, might be expected, as the vast woods which cover the right bank of the river are connected with the forests of the Jablonnoj Stanowoj Chrebet,t into which the most adventurous fur-hunters have not * That is, the common spirituous liquor of the country, distil- X nr?u™ '"^®' ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^y ^^® Russians watka.—Am. Ed t This 18 the name of the chain of mountains which extends aouthwarii on the east side of the Lena, and connects itself with tbe iJaiKal cham. PASSAGE DOWN THE LENA. 27 yet penetrated ; while the left bank is more lightly wooded and better inhabited. On the 9th of June we found ourselves opposite the town of Olekma.* Here we had heavy rain, and so violent a wind setting against the stream as completely to stop our progress. We had recourse, therefore, to an expedient commonly resorted to here in such cases, and which succeeded perfectly well. We bound four larch-trees together in a row, and, by attaching stones to them, suspended them about a fathom under water, their tops being down- ward, and their roots attached by cords to the fore- part of our vessel. As the wind had no effect on the water at that depth, the under current, acting on this kind of subaqueous sail, impelled us forward, in spite of the opposition encountered at the surface. As we continued our voyage, we saw large tracts of forest burning, notwithstanding the heavy rain. The bushes and dry underwood were for the most part already consumed. The giant pines and larch- es still stood enveloped in flames, offering a mag- nificent spectacle, especially at night, when the red flames were reflected by the waves of the Lena, and nothing was heard but the loud crackling of the huge resinous trees. The forest-conflagrations often des- ♦ The sables of Olekma are the best in Siberia ; from 50 to 100 roubles'* a piece, and even more, are sometimes given here for skins of remarkable beauty. Those which have a bluish cast are the most prized. The squirrel skins of this district, which are distinguished for their very long, thick, dark-grey hair, are also much sought after, and fetch a high price. Olek- ma is therefore a place of importance on account of its fur-trade. It may moreover be regarded as the limit of grain-cultivation in Siberia : none grows to the north of Olekma, and the winter rye, which is the only grain cultivated at this place, not unfre- quently fails. * The paper rouble is hero meant, the value of which is about 20 cents : the Russian silver rouble is worth about 77 cents. The curren- cy of the country consists, for the most part, of paper, and it is this cur- renoy which is referred to turouguout the voiuiue.— .im. Ed. 28 wrangell's polar expedition. :!i ( ni'{l*in'?!;f^**',°^ '^*'**^' '"^ "toost always origi- nate in the carelessness of hunters or travpllp™ »Sr lect 01 driving the fur-animals and (fame of all kinH. Ws wr'an.^'Jh ''"•''^•"'bed diltr^r |"iu'?h'l ofJiMo^us'^aJeteer ' "'^^'«' »- »»' --«» late the''sror« n??h "'•" ^T^^^''^' the more deso- w! V?f/ "' '-I^.* ""^i' became in every resoect TJa n^ ^^T "' 9'^'^'n» *e last traces of eUher ,,!il« /f^^" cultivation: beyond it the na vM subsist entirely on the produce of their catilppn^ tteJl"^ and fishing. ^^There a?e J^amely any ^^■ tiements except the post-stations, and the few inhab- rus'^^rin^r^^'^TK^y »?•' Those who'cSme to US were in rags, and bowed down bv want and s an"seuie J whif ''^^^^I '""^ case wWe R„"^ fifty we"lt"of Jak«^l ^°T ''^'■"."""h as within suffi-Mp.:: r"'"' ^ *"'=°""'«' «he climateMten S aiyI c'^T" "? ^^"^"^y ^n-l privations. ' bank weSe"d^fj1re'"''r "'g*"' »» « «»««" in„ k ^ . ™ ** Jakuzk on the 86th of July hav ing been twenty-five days in making th» ,>,'■.» from Kotschuga, a distance of S /ers,s ^fnll S'areTaJe'thr "' '^ ""r -P'^comr^f; thatth?;Ser^; fo'SXy^^ ""' '"•'"py -^ coraS^M. MS^nSeKli tt and myself remained durinff our sta^ wl^''^ indebted to him for much vfluabL femSn a„'d advice relative to our iournevlnff in ijh21?o v? u he has thoroughly stud/ed"Sa'"e'sidSTteS JAKUZK. 29 of many years, and by actually travelling through most parts of it. The whole time that the expedi- tion remained in the province under his command, his watchful care and assistance were of essential service in supplying its wants, in a country so de- ficient in resources, and doubtless contributed es- sentially to the success of the enterprise. Jakuzk has all the character of the cold and gloomy north. It is situated on a barren flat, near the river. The streets are wide, but the houses and cottages have a mean aspect, and are surrounded by tall wooden fences. Among so many dry boards there is not a green tree or bush to be seen : nothing to tell of summer except the absence of snow, and this may be considered, perhaps, rather a disadvan- tage in point of appearance. The town has 4000 inhabitants. It consists of about 600 houses, five churches (three built of stone and two of wood), and a convent. A stone building for commercial purposes has recently been erected. The only relic of antiquity is an old wooden fortress or ostrog, with its ruined tower, which was built in 1647 by the conquerors of Siberia, the Cossacks. The mhabiiants look with no little satisfaction on this monument of the exploits of their ancestors, and are, in general, proud and fond of their native city, whatever strangers may think of it. The town has undergone great improvements in the last thirty years. The Jakutian jurti, which Captain Billings* saw here in 1793, have been replaced by substantial dwellings; the windows of ice or of talc have given way to glass in the better class of hous- es, and the more wealthy inhabitants begin to have higher rooms, larger windows, double doors, &c. These are signs of increasing prosperity, under the * This officer was sent by the Russian government with two small vessels, m 1787, to explore the coast of Siberia, and to at- tempt a passage to the Pacific through Behring'a Straits.— .Aib. C2 i* I lit 30 wrangell's polar expedition. tTiTov1n?e!'"^ ''^' °^ '''' ^^^^^^'^^ ^^y^^OT of ria'^^^A?i\h *^^ ^^^^'^ ?^ ^^« ^"terior trade of Sibe- na. All the most costly furs as wpII u^ihl ^! Okkm» frn™ .?*"Y,P*^' '""" 'he mountains nea? mmrot'of°ro„^J{rs''.°"'" '*''^^''' '*» """J » half be^ara"rrive''f±7i' tl'°' ''=^' *« merchants bXr corn miTThI "^''' ''""ej"? *"'' 'hern for K&r- "'""' *" '" '■"■"'"^ qualityTS^dtai^ At the annual fair of Jaknzk one sees none of ih» popular amusements common at fairV in p.,^I ® "I me citizens. The strangers generally seek to ness and leneth of thp fnr^ i^r.«i *^ according to the ful- al8o nearthe^rSo" and ^?hV th ckneT of ^^^^ qualities must be combined in a hfgh deiee of't.f^? '*^"?^ order to form a good assortment It i- ^f» ^ Perfection m amine more tha^n a thousanTsklns to sele^^^^^^^^^^ ^^- ber for one good tioDPt Th- Viiio a sufficient num. to line an outside wiJief|^ilt.~im' £d ""' *^ ^ •ufflcieDtfy large DESCRIPTION OP JAKVZK. 31 governor of conceal from each other the particulars of their deal- ings, which are almost exclusively with the inhabi- tants, they scarcely ever having any transactions with one another. Almost all the Russian settlers in Ja- kuzk employ their little capital in purchasing, in small parcels from the Jakuti during the winter, a collec- tion of furs, on which they realize a good profit at the fair. The Russians live entirely by trade, hav- ing abandoned all sorts of handicraft to the aborigi- nal Jakuti, among whom there are now excellent carpenters, cabinet-makers, carvers in wood, and even painters. The pictures of saints, and the carv- ing and interior fittings in the new church at Ja- kuzk, are all by Jakuti, and are neatly executed. The inhabitants are far from being in an advanced state of intellectual cultivation; books are extreme- ly rare, and education is but little thought of, the children usually passing the first years of their in- fancy with a Jakuti nurse, from whom they learn so much of her native language that I often found the conversation of persons in the best society very diflicult to understand. As the children grow up, they learn a httle reading and writing from the priests. After this they are gradually initiated into the mysteries of the Siberian fur-trade, or obtain places under government. Their hospitality is pro- verbial ; but as there are usually but few strangers, they can, for the most part, only exercise it towards each other. They pass much of their superabun- dant leisure in somewhat noisy assemblages, where eating and drinking play a most important part, u- u""®^' ""^^^^^ is a very substantial meal, and at which naliwki (a kind of liqueur made of brandy, bernes, and sugar) is not spared, the elderly gentle- men pass the remainder of the day with cards and punch, the ladies gather round the tea-table, and the young people dance to the sound of a kind of harp with metal strings, which is the only instrument tnev DOssnafl. T hovA iioov/i »/x.v>» -^f *« u i- 88 wrangell's polar expedition. lament that the love of play, dress, and expense have increased so much of late that many families have been completely ruined by it. My stay, how- ever, was not sufficiently long to enable me to judge how much of this complaint was to be ascribed to the disposition so natural to the aged, to regard the time of their youth as the good old time, and the present age as greatly degenerated from it. By the aid of M. Minizkoj's exertions we were enabled to resume our journey before the close of the summer. Early in August Lieutenant Anjou descended the Lena with his division of the expedi- tion; about the same time I sent M. Matiuschkiii forward to Nishne Kolymsk to prepare for our re- ception ; and, as soon as the morasses and rivers Were frozen, the stores for our use were despatched under the charge of M. Kosmin. My own departure for Kolymsk took place on the 12th of September. 1 ;l CHAPTER IL Departure for Nishne Kolymsk.— Pack-horses.— First Bivouac. —The Jakuti.— Jakutian Settlement.— Mioro.—Jurti, Cloth- ing, Customs, Songs, Food, Villages, National Characteris- tics.— The River Aldan.— The River Tukulan.-Forest Bi- vouac— Werchow Mountains,— Wandering Tungusi.— Bara- low and Tabolog Stations.- Saschsiwersk.— Inhabitants of the District.— The River Alaseja.— The Sardach Station Sredne Kolymsk.— Winter Travelling Costume.— The Omo- lon River.— Dogs and Sledges.— Arrival at Nishne Kolymsk. Regular travelling ends at Jakuzk, as from thence to Kolymsk, and generally throughout Northern Si- beria, there are no beaten roads. The utmost that can be looked for are foot or horse tracks leading through morasses and tangled forests, and over rocks DEPARTURE FOR NI8HNE KOLTMSK. 33 and mountains. Travellers proceed on horseback through the hilly country, and on reaching the plains use sledges drawn either by reindeer or dogs. On what is called the Jakuzk road, which crosses from the right bank of the Lena to the Aldan, there are post-stations for changing horses at a distance of from fifteen to forty wersts. In summer travel* ling is almost exclusively by water. I began my journey by crossing in a boat to the opposite side of the river, where we expected to find horses waiting for us. My companions were a sailor who had come with me from St. Petersburgh, and a retired sergeant from Jakuzk, who had been with M. Heden- Strom to tho shores of the Polar Sea, and whose ex- perience and ability were subsequently of great ser- vice to the expedition : he was also my interpreter. We had ordered thirteen horses, three for ourselves, and the remainder for our provisions, instruments, winter-clothing, and other necessaries. When we landed at the post-station neither men nor horses were to be seen : this was a bad begin- ning, but the sergeant said it was a common occur- rence, and that the Jakuti had probably taken their horses to a valley three wersts off, where there was better pasture. We sent the boatmen to look for them, and meanwhile lighted a good fire on the beach, and prepared some soup to fortify ourselves for the journey. The weather was raw and cold, and the country showed every symptom of ap- proaching winter. In three hours the men and horses arrived, and we commenced loading them : each horse carries about 5A pood (820 Russian pounds), 2^ pood on each side, and half a pood on the back.* The animals are then fastened together in a string, the bridle of each being tied to the tail of the next. Our string of ten horses was managed by only two postillions, 34 WRANGELLS POLAR EXPEDITION. ' , ' \\ one riding the leading horse, and the other the hind- most one. These drivers have no easy task : the horses sometimes slick fast in the morasses, or stumble on the rocks and among the precipices, or break loose and try to roll off their burdens ; and the men must be ever on the watch to remedy such dis- asters. Long practice, however, makes them so ex- pert at this, that an experienced Jakut will some- times take the sole charge of twenty-eight horses, and bring them in safe. In such case, of course, he has to be more on foot than on horseback. As the party proceeded but slowly, I rode ahead with my two companions, and came to several little lakes swarming with wild-fowl, of which we soon shot several for our supper. At the close of the day we reached another post-station, where we were to pass the night. As the jurte was filled with men and cattle, I was glad to avoid the close- ness and other inconveniences within, and passed a very comfortable night under the larch-trees, with my bearskin for a mattress, a covering of furs, and a bright blazing fire. The next morning being clear and frosty, 28o Fahrenheit felt rather cold in dress- ing, and I thought, with something of a shudder, of the approaching winter, when several degrees below freezing would be called by the natives warm weath- er. Man, however, is a creature formed for all cli- mates, and necessity and resolution soon reconcile him to anything. Only a few weeks later, and I myself had learned to think eighteen or twenty de- grees below the freezing point as quite mild. Tea and soup being prepared, breakfast was eaten while the horses were loading, and we resumed our journey. Our way led over a hill covered with pines, and I noticed that several old trees near the path had tufts of horsehair fastened to their branch- es, and that a number of sticks were stuck in the ground near them. The leading postillion here got off his horse, plucked a few hairs from his mane and VALLEY OP MIORO. u fastened them to one of the branches with much so- lemnity. He told us that this was a customary offer- ing to the spirit of the mountain to obtain iiis protec- tion during the journey, and that foot-passengers placed a stick in the ground with the same intention. Ihis is a general practice among the Jakuii, and is even persevered in by many who have professed Christianity. My Jakuti sang almost incessantly. 1 heir style of singmg is monotonous, and rather mel- ancholy, and is quite characteristic of this gloomy and superstitious people : their songs describe the beau- ties of the landscape in terms which appeared to me not a little exaggerated, and which I attributed at first to a poetic imagination ; but my sergeant in- formed me it was customary thus to try to propitiate the spirit of the mountain by flattering encomiums on his territory. We made this day sixty-three wersts with one change of horses. The jurte where we were to sleep had been so highly praised for its roominess, convenience, and, above all, its cleanliness, that I ex- pected an excellent night's rest ; but, though heavy rain obliged me to stay within it, I found in this, as m every other case, that one must be a native-born Jakut to find the atmosphere of such a place endu- raoie. We passed the next day numerous little lakes, which gave a peculiarly pleasing character to the landscape, from their regular oval form, their high wooded banks, and the mirror-like stillness of their sheltered waters, broken only by the plash of the startled wild-fowl. When we had gone about forty wersts, we came to the valley of Mioro or Miure which was one of the most interesting spots that I met with in my journey. This valley has a tolerably regular oval form, and is eight wersts m diameter. It is entirely surround- ?l%t^K\"i^Ly^.^'Thi«»> ilin someVaces ten *».x*v/mo xxigu, iiiiu ittusi nave been at some former U ' 36 wrangbll's polar expedition. period the bank of a considerable lake, now dry. There are, indeed, still in the lowest part of the val- ley some small but very deep lakes, abounding in fish. This, with its sheltered situation and luxu- riant pasture, induced a rich Tungusian chief, named Mi6r6, to settle here with his tribe. They were sub- sequently, however, driven out by Jakuti who came from the south, but the valley still preserves the name. It is one of the most populous and flour- ishing settlements between the Lena and the Aldan. Numerous >wr^t, some approaching to the dimen- sions of Russian houses, two good churches with towers, the bustle of a considerable number of m- habitants, and large droves of cattle and horses, offered a striking contrast with the surrounding des- ert. This remarkable settlement owes much of its prosperity to the Jakutian golowa or superintendent, who has built and endowed the two churches at his own expense. Though his fortune, it is said, amounts to half a million of roubles, he has in no re- spect altered his original national customs. He lives in B.jurte, warms himself by a true Jakutian tschuwal or open hearth, drinks his kumys* eats horseflesh, and in everything but in his profession of the Christian religion, keeps close to the manners of his fore- fathers. The chief branches of industry in this place are the care of cattle, the chase, the fur-trade, and the breeding of horses. . 1 will notice here, in passing, a few of the princi- pal characteristics of this people. Their counte- nance and language fully confirm the tradition of their Tartar descent.! They are property a pasto- * This well-known beverage, prepared from mares' milk, is made here in the same manner as in Tartary ; only the Jaknti have happily not learned, like the Tartars, to make it intoxi- cating. It is an agreeable beverage, and so nourishing that a couple of large skins full of kumys, hung to the saddle, are often the only provisions taken for a foraging excursion oi several ci&vs t According to this tradition, their ancestor was a Tartar FOOD OF THE INHABITANTS. 8T r was a Tartar tal people* whose chief riches consist in the num. ber of their horses and horned cattle, on the produce of which they subsist almost entirely. But the abundance of fur-animals in their vast forests, and the profit which they can make by selling their skins to the Russians, have turned much of their at- tention to the chase, of which they are often pas- sionately fond, and which they follow with unwea- ried ardour and admirable skill Accustomed from infancy to the privations incident to their severe climate, they disregard hardships of every kind. They appear absolutely insensible to cold, and their endurance of hunger is such as to be almost incred- ible. Their food consists of sour cows' milk, mares' milk, of beef, and of horseflesh. They boil their meat, but never roast or bake it, and bread is un- known among them. Fat is their greatest delicacy, and they eat it in every possible shape ; raw, melted, fresh, or spoiled. In general, indeed, they regard quantity more than quality in their food. They grate the inner bark of the larch, and sometimes of the fir, and mix it with fish, a little meal and milk, or, in preference, with fat, and make it into a sort of broth, which they consume in large quantities. They prepare from cows' milk what is called Jaku- tian butter, which is in reality more like cheese or curd, and has a sourish taste : it is not very rich, and is a very good article of food eaten alone. Both men and women are passionately fond of smoking tobacco, preferring the most pungent kinds, especially the Circassian. They swallow the smoke, and it produces a kind of stupefaction closely re- sembling intoxication ; and if provoked when in this state, the consequences are often dangerous. Bran- named Sachalar, who came from his own country on the other side of the mountains to Kirenga on the Lena, where he settled and married a Tungusian woman ; the Juknti «tiii ^.ii tu •elvea Sachaiary. " ' " '''" '^^"' 38 wrangell's polar expedition. H i '. ' m dy is also used, though the long inland carriage makes it extremely dear. The Russian traders konw how to avail themselves of these tastes in their traf- fic for furs. The Jakutian habitations are of two kinds. In summer they dwell in what they call urossy, which are light circular tents formed of poles and covered with birch-bark, which they strip from the trees in large pieces. These are first softened by boiling, and then sewed together ; and the outside of the uros- sy, from the colour of the bark being white, have a very pleasing appearance, and at a distance resem- ble large canvass tents. In the summer they wan- der about with these in search of the finest pastures ; and while their cattle are feeding, they themselves are incessantly employed in collecting the requisite store of winter forage. At the approach of that season they take posses- sion of their warm jurti. These are cottages form- ed of thin boards in the shape of a truncated pyra- mid; and covered thickly on the outside with sticks, grass, and mud. A couple of small openings, which admit a scanty light, are closed in winter with plates of ice, and in summer with fish-membrane or oiled paper. The floor is generally of beaten mud, and is sunk two or three feet below the surface of the ground ; but people in better circumstances have it raised and boarded. There are wide permanent benches round the walls, which serve for seats in the daytime, and for sleeping on at night ; and they are generally parti^'oned off for this purpose, ac- cording to the number of occupants. In the mid- dle, but rather nearest the djor, is the tschuwal^ a kind of open hearth with a chimney up to the roof, where a fire is constantly kept burning. Clothing, arms, and a few household articles hang round the walls, but in general the greatest disorder and want of cleanliness prevail. Outside there are usually sheds for the cows, CHARACTER OF THE JAKUTI. 39 »r the cows, •which in winter are placed under cover and fed with hay, and in extreme cold weather are even brought into the jurte ; whereas the horses are left to shift for themselves as well as they can, by scraping away the snow to get at the withered autumn grass. It is only when they are about to make a journey that they are given hay for a few days previously. The above-described habitations, though rude, are better adapted to ihe wants of the people than those built after the Russian fashion, a few of which are to be seen. In the construction of the jurti small trees may be used instead of boards, which is a great convenience ; while the open fire in the tschu- wal, by keeping up a continual change of air, is far more conducive to health than the close stove. Every tribe of Jakuti is divided into several nas^l- ji, each of which is under a kmsez or chief, by whom minor disputes, &c., are settled. More seri- ous eases go before the golowa or superintendent of the whole tribe, who is elected from among the kna- sez. The people often call in a schaman or conjuror, and have recourse to his incantations to recover a strayed cow, to cure a sick person, or to obtain good weather for a journey, &c., &c. The Jakuti have almost all been baptized ; but, though a part of the New Testament, the Ten Commandments, and sev- eral of the canons of the Church, have been trans- lated into their language, as yet the greater number have no idea of the principles and doctrines of Christianity; and their schamans and the supersti- tions of heathenism still retain their hold upon their minds. As a nation they are unsocial, htigious, and vindictive. An injury received by one of them is very rarely forgotten, and, if he cannot revenge it himself, he will leave the feud to his son. Their passion for litigation is excessive : they will fre- quently undertake difficult and expensive journeys, in a cause where perhaps the matter in dispute is uot of the value of a rouble. Their unsocial dispQ* 1 t ;( n W WUANCnUM.'K ror.AK WtPIUtJITfClN. ijltlou, which IrmlN thcuri lo prnfor wrltllng hy Nitiirfo ftiinilloH itt rt (hMtitiicd IVtiiu niuih othur, in nifikiiitfly tMMitniNfiMl with thn ohnurnil aiul mu\y hoNiiitulily whloh thoy «hc»w t(» NtntnunrM. 'I'hi^ vnry MiiUhirii jrltit) in (MtiiiiitiiiiilitiM, niul it Im only nioiig thn rouln from .!iiku/.k lo tho Ahhtii, whnro Ihn i-oiiiitry in mnv i-ipiUouN, thiit niirh miltlniMrnlN nrn now luid then lo ho mot with; luit. hcwoml tho Wfri-hojiniMk rhuin, thn Nolltiiry >«r/i tun oHnn hnndi'tMln of wtmln JHmi't, N(» thitt thn nnnn'Ni nnighhourn nuiy not «no njtrh olhnr lor yvnrn, Nni-h HiNtiuinnN »rn l»ir Krnat- nr than mm hn in(piirrd on nnnount of puNiun', iukI arn rnthnr to hn iiNcrihnil to thn ihNpomition whinli Innds thf»ni to Hnrk woUlniln, iind to uvoid nil nwM iiUnrnonri«n. As i^oon fiN f hnit nrrivnd nt Miftrft thn ffohma nnmo to «nn inn, nnmnipnnind hy u hiHmt lUKltwo nlnrku, Ihny n(Miiphnnnrl niiK-h of bnintf opprc^nHnd l»y tho U0Nsju'k« fVoni Jiikuxk. I trind to pacify ih hn givnn hnidn to cultivatn, whicli It was to hn hopfld wonld pnt a i»top to snch irrcgn- Inritins. Wn rnsumnd inir jonrnny on tho IMh, and though ii.w roads wnr« had, and thn horwnH Hank nf> to thnir nnnk^ at ono placn in a inora»8, acnonipli8h- iHl nmf?ty wnrsts, ami slnpt at Aldanskaja, half a wnrwt fiom tho Aldan, which falln into thn Lena limnty wcrstH faithnr on. Thern arn no seitlnmcnts hctwcrn this place and Handas, 400 wersts distant i the mtnrvcning tract bring desert and mountainous, with many morasses, on which account travellers usually wait tbr dry' or frosty weather to enabio OSS it. rhoy also select tho strongest them to cross orses they can pmcure, and lake spare ones to re- place those w.'ch may give out on the way. Wo wej^ favoured by the weather, which was frosty, and were therefore detained only one day to pro. cure the necessary provisions. The district we had traversed from the Lcu.i tn tho Aiann i« /.hor %4ii«» I»AII»AOB or TIIK AhPAV, 41 i'/inl by nluvjiUoMN forming par»ll«l rid^nn liko WMVfm, from «n»t to w«mt. Hntwimii f,li« hilln lhnr« aro fiiirnbortimfl rjaldron-likn IioIIowm, rortning marshy valloyM oil Mm north nido, and biktin on iUt^ mmih nU\n. Tlin liniglit« of lanil urn gnnnnilly woll wo(;d- (h\ with hirch ; thn woil i« clay niixDd witfi minil ; and thn northern dorlivitios nijpcartjd to inc njuch fitonimr than thn Nonthnrn. TIio Ahhm in fiorn one w«ir»t and a half in brinwllh ; lt« rurrnnt in rapid, and it flow* in a wfmtcrJy diruc- tion. Wm Haw in tho (hwtancn, on the north side of lh« rivor,a rango of poakod mountains covorod witli snow. On tho 17th wo worn ferried aeroHw the river, with our JiorrteH and higj^ai^e, in a flat- bottomed boat, whieb Horung ah;ak when half way over; and, in Hoite of baling with impn and hats, we must have HiniK but for a httio iHbuKi, on which we landed, and Htonped the hole with dry mo«« and gra»«. That nijjjht wo pitched our little travelling tent of tanned reindeer leather. We pro(!eeded, at break of day on the Iftth, through a dcHert and marshy district, and, on coming to some tolerable pasture, it was thought advisable to halt, that the horses might avail themselves of it, as it was the last we should meet with for a consider- able distance. Meanwhile, as the snow was fall- ing fast, we were glad to cluster round a little fire nnder our tent, and enjoy a cup of tea, our chief re- freshment. Tiie next day was a laborious one ; after crossing the marshes we had to make our way through a thick wood of larch, t)Oplars, and willows, to the only spot where the Tukulan could bo forded. We pitched our tent on its wild shores. Before us were the snowy mountains, behind us the forest, and the silence around was only broken by the loud rushing noise of the torrent. We crossed ei rly in the morning of the 20th, the current being tttronff. and the water un to our HaAA\e»m • hut fh<* 42 wranoell's polar expedition. bottom was hard, and we got safely over, Ihough thoroughly wetted. We had to pass other streams less broad, but equally rapid. The valley of one of these was so strewed with trunks of trees and mass- es of rock, brought down by the torrent when swol- len by the melting of the snows in spring, that our horses made their way with much difficulty. Win- ter seemed now to have commenced in earnest : the thermometer was at 21^, and the ground was cover- ed with snow ; but we were rather pleased with this foretaste of a nomade winter life. For our bivouac during the night we chose a clear spot of ground between high trees, which afforded some protection from the weather ; and, sweeping away the snow, we dragged to the place the trunk of a fallen tree, which formed the foundation of a blazing fire that sent its light far and near. Our guides soon strew- ed the ground about the fire with a quantity of dry brushwood, on which they placed a layer of the green branches of the dwarf cedar. On this fra- grant floor we pitched our three little tents, forming three sides of a square round the fire, while our guides thought the snowy ground on the fourth side quite good enough for them, and used their saddles for pillows. During the time we were engaged in fixing the tents, they unloaded the horses, rubbed them thoroughly down, and fastened them to the trees, that they might not eat the snow or damp grass till they were cool. These matters having been arranged, the kettle was filled, tea and soup were prepared, and our lit- tle country pipes lighted. After supper our guides entertained us with relating wonderful hunting sto- ries and travelling adventures. One of them told of a Cossack who had killed three bears at the same time— one with his knife, a second with his hatchet, and the third with a noose ; and another dilated on the enormous strength of the Siberian elk, which he affirmed could tear up large trees by the roots while SUDDEN PIOODS. 43 at full speed. Both the Jakuti and Russians in this country seem to have no higher pleasure than tell- ing and hearing stories of this kind. It was late before we crept under our tents, where we slept soundly and comfortably in our bearskins and furs. Before lying down to rest, the guides set their horses at liberty, to seek for grass under the snow ♦ 1 ravellers do not always enjoy such undisturbed repose at a place of this kind. In spring and early m the summer the melting of the snow often causes such sudden floods, that it is considered a prudent precaution to select one's sleeping-place near some large tree, which will afford a convenient retreat in case of such an accident. As we approached the source of the Tukulan the valley became gradually narrower, the rocks steep- er, and the trees more thinly scattered, until thev disappeared entirely. The most common trees along the side of the river had been willows and a remarkably large and lofty species of poplar ; birch and fir occupied the drier and more stony grounds, and the dwarf cedar covered the slopes of the mountains. Its small but well-flavoured berries at- tract numbers of black bears and squirrels. Multi- tudes of grouse breed in the thick larch and pine woods. ^ On the 22d we slept at the foot of the mount- i.^*» Jfu® "f*"'! °^^i,l^^ northern horses seems admirably suit- ed to the climate. They are of middle size, have a shortf thick Mni' ^"1^'^ ""^'^ strong.boned in proportion to thei; Sze. Most of them are of a grayish colour: they have very S rough hair, and, like the other quadrupeds of this region, chance their coals m the middle of summer. They perform most labon- ?han^rhTf Sf'Sf ""'r^' months'dura^oS, ^vkL^SeJfoS than the ha f.withered grass, which they get at by scrapintr awav d?t1on^^fM''^' their hoofs, and yet theyVre alwaysTn "^oXorJ unworn to oldTf*" m' ''''! it'^u^^'P ^^^^ *««^^ «°»nd and S«Z^K A ^^^' J^V "°' '**'« ^« attributed to their never having hard com, and always feeding upon grass? Th-v are ,r'^;^5^,^:^^ "^ «^ ^«"««» a^ «^e ufuaUy se^ceVblS \ 1' * ■ ■ li t. ii ■I ■ i i I \mm i\ n\ i!H I i ii 44 wrangell's polar expedition. ains, under the shelter of an overhanging rock, there being no trees. At daybreak the thermometer was —4°. We were now to cros the Werchojansk, which is unquestionably the most difficult and dan- gerous part of the whole road from Jakuzk to the Kolyma. We had to climb steep precipices, where, from the giving way of the snow, we were often in danger of faUing to the bottom ; and, when we came to hollows and narrow ravines, we had great labour in clearing away the snow sufficiently to force a passage. Our guides told us that the gusts of wind from the valleys were sometimes so sudden and violent, that whole parties had been precipitated by them into the abysses, along the margin of which the patlx ran. We were particularly favoured by the weath- er. The sky was cloudless, and, when we were at the summit of the pass,* the ice-coated rocks around sparkled in the beams of the noonday sun as if studded with the most brilliant diamonds. Below us, to the north, opened the valley of the Jana, which flows into the Polar Sea, while bluff rocks shut in our prospect to the south : it was indeed a wild scene. This range divides the tributaries of the Lena from those of the Jana : it consists chiefly of pure black slate, and is steeper on the south side than on the north. It is in latitude 64° 20^ according to our observations, and forms a remarkable line of separ- ation in respect to vegetation. Neither pines, fir- trees, nor aspens {eber'dschen), which last had been occasionally met with hitherto, are found to the north of it. Larches, poplars, birches, and willows continue as far as 68° ; indeed, the latter grow in * The highest part of the pass is, according to barometrical measurements by Lieutenant Anjou, 2100 feet above the level of the nearest pomt on the Tukulan, thirty wersts distant. The summits above us seemed to be 800 or 1000 feet higher than tho pass. VALLEY OP THE i kSA, 45 sheltered places even near the Omolon and the Aniuj rivers. "*' Some Tungusi, whom we met farther on, assured us that a fish known here by the name of charjus {salmo thymallus) was abundant in the lake in which the Jana takes its rise. ihl^^r K «^*^^^iy a worse route in Siberia (with the excep ion of dangerous mountain-passes) than fnrii?"? **"' ^^^^'^ i° ^^^ Pi^^^' «^^oss morasses" forests, torrents, and rocks, and entirely without tlZl ^^'T^"' ^'^ i^" ^^^^^ «ide of these hills the path has been conducted over the most favoura- ble ground avoiding the worst morasses, and has been, m places, widened or otherwise improved. tlnL ?s Jf; ""^^^'^^^^^^^ of some impor. lance, as salt and provisions have to be sent bv it yearly to the settlements on the Jana and Ind girki Another great advantage on the northern side co^. sis s m the erection, at certain intervals, of huts, houL""/ "t^^ ^^^'' ""^ "^"^^ P'^^^'^ or^ookinl: a «nrf ;f T^'.l''' "P ''^^"^^^ fireplace in them, but to let out thf « ' ' v^ ^"opening in the roof serves to let out the smoke : the trayeller through these wild wastes at night, or when overtake^ b^a snow- storm, knows how to value this rude shelter. ^JL l^i ^^^°I '^^ -^"^ ^^« ^ northern direction, and IS bounded to the east and west by peaked mountams, which connect to the south wiKe Werchojansk range, and to the north gradually snk into ower hills, scattered over a marshy plafn.^ 71 place i'n a wt Th- ^"'r^'"^^ ^'^^^"^' ''^^ *^^ l^AA^ A ^•^•^- direction towards the Polar Sea canp/t'hrA^'/^"^? °^ *^« L^"^ and Jana ItTs tt lit. Zfl r w^sf^-' ^^^^^"^ ^^^^ " n\ ■ If i; t .L 11 46 WRANGELL S POLAR EXPEDITION. wami^ we came upon a little hut formed of branches of trees, which at first we thought could not be in- habited. To our astonishment, however, there came out of it a Tungusian, who had settled in this desert for the purpose of hunting reindeer, with his daugh- ter and a couple of dogs. One must have known the cHmate, and seen the country and the half-trans- parent hut, to imagine the situation of these two persons. The poor girl was most to be pitied ; often alone for days together, while her father was absent in pursuit of game, in this wretched abode, which could scarcely afford sufficient shelter from the wind and rain even in summer, thus helplessly exposed in entire solitude to the most intense cold, frequently to hunger, and in entire inactivity. This Tungusian was one of those who, having had the misfortune to lose their tame reindeer, are obliged to separate from the rest of their tribe, and to seek subsistence by themselves in the wilderness. They are called by their countrymen " fortune-hunters :" few of them long survive the continued conflict with cold, hunger, and dangers of every description. The case of these unhappy men, who are frequently met with in the forests, has attracted the attention of the government, which has recently taken measures for settling them along the banks of the great rivers, and providing them with the means of obtaining subsistence by fishing. On the 26th of September we reached the first post-station, called Baralas.* It is 157 wersts from the mountains we had passed, and is, according to our observations in latitude 65° 51^ We were de- lighted to find here a good, roomy ^Mr^c, prepared for travellers, and kept in excellent order. Near the door were pieces of transparent ice ranged along on clean snow, ready for the soup or the teakettle. The interior was well swept, clean hay was laid oa * Barglas in the map. ENTERTAINMENT AT A JURTE. 47 the benches round the walls, and a bright fire was blazing on the hearth. The windows were closed with smooth, transparent panes of ice, carefully ce- mented with the same convenient material. After having been nine days and nights in the open air, in snow and cold, afraid to take off our clothes, or even to wash ourselves, lest we should be frostbitten, we thought ourselves in a palace, and a thorough toilet seemed to give us new Ufe. Our worthy host, for want of personal experience, appeared hardly able to appreciate our hearty thanks for so great an en- joyment. He then placed before us a good meal of Siberian delicacies, such as frozen Jakutian butter without salt, struganina^ or thin slices of frozen fish, and, lastly, fresh raw reindeer marrow. We were too well pleased with our entertainer to show any dislike to his fare. In the sequel we grew more used to such food ; and, indeed, 1 must own that 1 no«y prefer fresh stniganina before it thaws, seasoned with salt and pepper, to dressed fish. On the 27th we left Baralas for the next station, Tabalog, 300 wersts distant. We quitted the ordi- nary postroad, and took one which the trading car- avans follow, and which is nearly 100 wersts short- er. About twenty wersts beyond Baralas we had to cross the Jana, which is here 140 yards broad. The ice was as smooth as a mirror, and our horses, not being rough-shod, could not get on, even when their loads were taken off. The guides were there- fore obliged to ride back to Baralas to fetch some sacks of ashes and sand to strew on the ice to make it passable. Along the flat banks of the Jana, and under shel- ter of the hills, there are many larch and birch-trees on the route we followed, but they are stunted in their growth. The country offers very little variety: on the plain there are many lakes, connected with each other by streams of various si^ips rin ♦>.« fiA r.f tit I i ' iiillli''' 48 wranoell's polar expedition. October we came to the station of Tabalog, which is surrounded by lakes well supplied with fish, and by good pasturages. We also found here a comforta- ble ^uWe, having had no other shelter for the night since we left Baralas than occasional uninhabited and half-ruined huts. To my great joy, we met here Dr. Tomaschewski, who was returning (much to his own satisfaction) from a three years' tour of duty at Kolymsk. To the eastward we saw a range of serrated hills running north and south, wi;h little conical points looking like excrescences. These hills form the di- viding ridge between the waters of the Jana and the Indigirka. At eighty-five wersts from Tabalog we passed through a valley between these hills. 1 had no opportunity of ascertaining their composition, but from the numerous fragments of granite, consisting of white feldspar, mica, and quartz, which we met wiih, I conclude they are of ihat nature. We af- terward came to a large circular valley, still called the Valley of Death, from a tradition that, during the conquest of Siberia, a numerous tribe of reindeer Tungusi retreated to this place, where they made a valiant stand against their pursuers, which ended in the whole horde being slain. A singular accident happened to iiiC here : I had quitted the party to gain a better view of the country, and was rejoining it by what I thought a much straighter and shorter path, when, in crossing a frozen stream, the ice in the middle gave way : my horse immediately disap- peared, while I just managed to spring from his back to the ice, and reached the bank in safety. I con- cluded the animal was drowned ; but our native guides, who had seen the accident at a distance, came running to my aid, and laughingly assured me I should find him again both safe and dry. They immediately went to work to enlarge the opening, and soon brought out the horse, very little the worse for his fall. It often happens in this country that. OULANGINA RIVER. 49 after the surface of the stream freezes, nearly all the water beneath runs off, leaving an empty space which in this case was about six or seven feet in fn^fl r 1^"^"?^'^ "^y saddle-bags had broken open m the fall and I lost my store of tea, sugar, and rum • a serious loss m such a region. miuiu. Proceeding on our route we came to another val- ley, the sides of which, wherever they were clear from snow, appeared to consist chiefly of slate At two places, where I was able to observe them cor- rectly, the strata ran from west by north to east by south, with a dip from north by east to south by west, at an angle of 30°. Large fragments of cori. glomerate, also consisting chiefly of slate and cran- ite, were lying in the valley. * We came next to a stream with picturesque banks. The singularly broken forms of the lofty walls of rock on either side look like the ruined towers and battlements of a feudal castle. We followed this stream until it conducted us to a plain, after cross- ing which we came to another range of saddle shaped hills, consisting also of black slate. T vas struck by the varied forms of the strata : some were concentric, others diverged obliquely in various di- rections. ^ J ^ By following the course of the Gulan^ina, which winds among the hills, it conducted us to the Indi- girka. We saw a number of wild sheep, called here argaly {capraammon) : they are also to be met with in the Werchojansk Mountains. ♦v.^^!?H"'^^^ ^."J^® ^^^^ ^f October we reached the little town of Saschiwersk, on the right bank of the Indigirka, 415 wersts from Tabalog. Durine the journey the cold had never been less than— 40! and we often had it -22°. We had passed our nights in ruined deserted cottages, and in the powarm The plains were still bare of snow, chiefly from the ef- fect of the constant winds. m « iV •1 ''!i b 50 wrangell's polar expedition. of Captain Billings, Saschiwersk, which before only consisted of a few huts, was raised to the rank of a district town by the Empress Catharine II. The presence of the authorities gave to it a temporary importance, but their subsequent withdrawal caused it to fall back to its original insignificance. It has still a good church, and four or five cottages inhab- ited by the priest and his brother, the native over- seer of the post-station, and two Russian families. But, poor as this place is, it has one feature which renders it well deserving of notice, in the person of the clergyman, who is known far and wide by the name oi Father Michel. At the time of our visit he was eighty-seven years of age, and had passed about sixty years hero as deacon and priest, during which time he has not only baptized 15,000 Jakuti, Tun- gusi, and Jukahiri, but has really made them ac- quainted with the leading truths of Christianity; and the fruits of his doctrine, his example, and his counsels are visible in their great moral improve- ment. Such is the zeal of this truly venerable man for the extension of the Gospel among the inhabi- tants of these snowy wastes, that neither his great age, nor the severity of the climate, nor the count- less other difliculties of the country, prevent his still riding above 2000 worsts a year, in order to baptize the newborn children of his widely-scat- tered flock, and to perform the other duties of his sacred calling as well as to assist his people in every way he can, as minister, teacher, friend, and adviser, and even as physician. Yet he sometimes finds time and strength to go to the neighbouring hills to shoot argali and other game ; and has be- stowed so much pains and skill on his little garden that he has reared cabbages, turnips, and radishes. He placed before us sourkrout soup and fresh- baked rye bread, and his pleasure in seeing us en- joy these excellent and long-untasted national dishes was at least as great as our own. He gave us also FATHER MICHEL. 51 another kind of bread of his own invention. It is made of dried fish grated to a fine powder, in which state it will keep a long time if not allowed to get damp ; and mixed with a small quantity of meal, it makes a well-tasted bread. There is much grass in this neighbourhood, and a number of small lakes well supplied with fish, par- ticularly with sigi schnapel {salmo cavarettts) and tschirif another species of the same genus. The population consists chiefly of Jakuti, who during the summer tend their numerous horses and their few cattle in the best pastures, employing themselves at the same time in collecting a store of hay for the winter. When autumn arrives they move to the river, and devote themselves almost entirely to fish- ing, the chase being quite a subordinate employ- ment. Those who have neither cattle nor horses live entirely by fishing, and make use of dogs with light sledges to draw their fish and their firewood home. On the opposite side of the river there is a slate rock 150 fathoms high ; its horizontal black strata alternate with thicker gray ones, interspersed with selenite ; and veins of white selenite intersect its whole height. The government stores of salt and meal having passed this way to Kolymsk a short time before we arrived, a hundred horses had been required for their transport, and this obliged us to wait two days be- fore we could procure any. On the 13th we took leave of Father Michel, who at parting gave us his blessing, and some little arti- cles for the road. The two days which 1 passed in his hospitable cottage are among the few bright points of remembrance in this dreary journey. We proceeded across morasses covered with stunted trees, and here and there a pasture, and a hut where we could pass the night, until we came to the large Lake of Orinkino. Here we entered the Kolyiusk district, and from this point to the Ala- 62 wrangell's polar expedition. sej River, a distance of 250 wersts, the country is entirely uninhabited, consisting chiefly of morasses, wljich are impassable in summer, and which afford no food either for men or cattle. These badardny, as they are called, are never thoroughly dry. After a continuance of dry weather in summer, there forms over them a crust, which, like thin ice, will support a light weight, but gives way with a somewhat heavier one. The horses of such travellers as are obliged to pass them in summer break in this way through the crust, but do not sink very deep, being brought up by the substratum of perpetually frozen earth not far below the surface. There can scarce- ly be anything more desolate than the appearance of these badardny, covered only with half- withered moss, and bearing here and there, on the higher spots, a few miserable larch-bushes, which just show themselves above the ground. The winter is, in- deed, the only season when these morasses are properly passable ; and then, although the ground is hard and safe, the traveller on these vast unshel- tered wastes is exposed to the most violent tem- pests and snowstorms, from which he can only seek refuge in a few widely-scattered and miserably- built powami, in which he runs a risk of being suf- focated by the smoke. We came next to the low range of wooded hills called the Alasej Range, which separates the waters of that river from those of the Indigirka. In the streams among these hills there is much native iron found: it is of excellent quality, and the Jakuti work it into knives, hatchets, &c. Between these hills and the Kolyma, lakes and pasture-ground reap- pear, and a few solitary inhabited jurti are met with, becoming more numerous as the Kolyma is ap- proached. On the 2Ist of October, to our great pleasure, we saw above the trees a column of reddish smoke, pro- ceeding from the Sardach station, where we hoped ARRIVAL AT SREDNE KOLYMSK. 53 3 can scarce- to rest a little, after an eight days' laborious jour- ney, without any shelter, and with a temperature from —60 to — 220. The comfort of the house surpassed our highest expectations. There was one room for ourselves, and another for our guides ; a bath-room, a store- room, an outer court, long sheds for the protection of the government stores on their way to Kolymsk, a small summer-house, and a sundial ; stables for horses and cattle at a short distance from the house, and the whole enclosed by a neat palisade fence, running down to a little lake at the foot of the hill, on the opposite side of which there is a thick larch- grove. It is difficult to describe the pleasure we experienced at the sight of th'^ little settlement, bearing so many marks of the c e and taste of civ- ihzed man. I received here Vdt .irst tidings of M. Matiuschkin^s arrival at Kolymsk, and of his pro- ceedings there. From Sardach to Sredne Kolymsk the distance is 250 wersts ; there are three well-provided post- stations on the way, and the road itself is rendered remarkably agreeable for these regions by several lakes, dense groves of larch, fine willow-bushes, and, generally, a more flourishing and varied vegetation. The change is more decidedly marked after passing a little ridge of hills which divides the waters of the Alasej from those of the Kolyma. It was here that, in crossing a lake, I first saw a herd of wild reindeer. They shot almost close by me, pursued by two wolves, who succeeded in pulling down one of them. It was too dark to distinguish objects when we reached the banks of the Kolyma on the evening of the 25th of October, but the ascending smoke min- gled with sparks, the barking of the dogs, and the occasional glimmering of a lamp through an ice window, told us that we were approaching Sredne- Kolymsk, the church-tower of which we had before seeu at a considerable distance. This is the usual £2 64 WRAN cell's polar EXPEDITION. •• •Jl < • residence of the authorities of the district, and po«* sesses a new and well-built church and thirteen houses. In summer most of ^hese are empty, their owners being absent for the chase, fishing, or some other employment. At the time we arrived the place Was particularly animated, as the inhabitants were engaged in constructing a dam across the riv- er, to Wiiich they were fastening baskets, &c., to catch the fish in ascending the stream. Great quan- tities were formerly thus taken, but they have so di- minished in number the last few years that the peo- ple have been obliged to get rid of most of their dogs for want of food for them, and to have re- course to horses and cattle. They are, indeed, giv- ing'great attention to this last object, but the short- ness of the summer renders it extremely diflicult to provide forage. The cold was daily increasing • during the latter half of our journey from Sardach to this place we had had a temperature from —9° to —33° with a clear sky, but happily without wind. It was neces- sary for us to remain a day at Sredne Kolymsk to obtain a complete travelling equipment of fur cloth- ing, such as the inhabitants wear, and which will be described in the following chapter. I was so helpless when loaded with my new cos- tume, that I was obliged to be lifted on my horse : luckily, the skin of the reindeer oDmbines remarka- ble lightness with its great thickness and warmth, or it would scarcely be possible to sustain the weight of it. The natives get along very well with these garments, and slip in and out through the narrow doors of the cottages, where we novices were con- stantly sticking fast. On the 27th of October we left Sredne Kolymsk, and continued our journey on horseback along the left bank of the Kolyma, meeting occasionally with settlements. After travelling 320 wersts we came to 9. Russian viHnaA nn tVio Kanlrc! r\f «Via vivrAi. Cir^yn I ARRIVAL AT NISHNE KCLYMSK. 55 Ion. Hree we changed our mode of travelling, to our great joy ; for the intense cold and our cum- brous dresses rendered riding exceedingly inconve- nient. Quitting our horses, we placed ourselves in the light, narrow sledges used here, called narty, which are drawn by dogs, and with which we found that we got on much more rapidly than with horses, the surface bemg quite smooth, and that we also suffered far less from the cold. Hitherto we had seen woods of larch a,nd poplar, and had met occa- sionally with birch, and with fine grassy meadows ; ^^ ?^"* ^^^^ *^™^ ^^ scarcely saw any trees, and the bushes became more and more stunted as we proceeded farther north. Two days more brought us to Nishne (Lower) Kolymsk : we arrived there on the 2d of November, and the temperature was then — 40O. Thus we had travelled eleven thousand wersts in 224 days, and reached the first point to which we were bound. Nishne Kolymsk is a fishing village, and was destined to be our headquarters for the next three years. s we came CHAPTER HI. Topography of the District of the Lower Kolyma.-Character ot Its Climate.— Winter.— Diseases.— Vegetable Growth — Abundance of Animals.- Former Inhabitants.-Present in- habitants.- Houses.— Dress.-Sufferings of the People from wapt m the Spring.-Overflowing of the Rivers.-Fisheries. — lakmg of Birds.— Hunting the Reindeer.- Summer Em- ployment of the Women.-Catching Herrings.-Trapping the *ur Animals. -Intrepidity of a Hunter.— Employment of Dogs. — Interior of the Houses. — Household Economy.— Amusements. ' The River Kolyma has its source in 6Ho lat., and 14C° long., in the mountains known under the name of Stannw/ni-Chrphot iiir>>o*.i> ^v.^ t^j:-,:„i _i_- , • %\ 66 WRANGELL S POLAR EXPEDITION, ses : its course for the first 1500 wersts follows the direction of the eastern branch of those mountains, or is N.N.E. ; and it empties itself into the Polar Sea in GH'' 40'. For the first 800 wersts the stream is exceedingly rapid, but beyond this it becomes wi- der and more tranquil. The right bank is steep, consisting of bluff rocks, with the exception of the portion between the mouths of the tributary rivers Omolon and Aniuj. These rocks are precipitous and often overhanging, composed of slate,* inter- sected in some places by veins of indurated clay, and chloride slate, as at Cape Kresty ; in others the slate is black and pure, without admixture, as at Cape Aspidnoj (Slate Cape) ; and sometimes, as in the Kandakow rocks, it is interspersed with amyg- daloid chalcedony, crystals of amethyst, and large specimens of rock-crystal. No fossils have been met with. Notwithstanding the rocky character of the right bank, vegetation is tolerably rich : we saw the beau- tiful epilobium latifolium in bloom. A species of san- guisorha also abounds, the roots of which are col- lected by the natives, and used as an article of food. The left bank is less elevated : in the district of Sredne Kolymsk there are still high-lying pastures, but in approaching the sea, the bank and the district become gradually lower and flatter, until at last the whole country is one enormous tundra or moss-ley- el, extending to the Alasej and the ocean. Besides the two rivers Aniuj (greater and lesser), and the Omolon, there are several smaller tributa- ries ; those which have their sources in mountain- ous or rocky districts being called kamennye protokif or rock-streams, and those which flow from lakes, wiski. * Granite is found at the Baranow rocks, and in the district of Cape Schelagskoj. I observed the first traces of it at Med- weshy Myss, Bear Cape. TOPOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE. $7 Some wersts above the mouth of the Omolon, an arm of the Kolyma encloses a portion of the west- ern tundra, forming a low swampy island, on the southern margin of which Nishne Kolymsk is situa- ted. The river here takes an easterly course for about 100 wersts, after which it turns sudddenly to the north, and, forty wersts below, it divides into two branches, forming the island of Merchojanow. The greatest breadth of this island is nine and a half wersts, while in length it extends to the mouth of the river, where it is much intersected b^ small streams. The eastern arm is six wersts in iJreadth, and is called Kammenaya, or the stony Kolyma; the western, which is not above four wersts wide, is called the Pochodskaja, and also called the Srednaja, or middle Kolyma. About twenty-four wersts far- rier to the north, a loss considerable arm, called the Tschukotskoj, branches off and flows to the north- east. These three arms form the emlouchure, which is about 100 wersts across. The middle and the stony Kolyma have sufficient depth of water for vessels of all kinds ; the navigation is, however, im- peded and rendered dangerous by the number of shifting sandbanks formed by their current, especial- ly near the entrance from the sea. Besides the two larger islands already mentioned, there are a num- ber of smaller ones, which are low, and have been formed in the same manner as the sandbanks. The extreme severity of the cHmate of this dis- trict may be attributed perhaps even more to its un« favourable physical position than to its high lati- tude. To the west there is the great barren tundra, and to the north a sea covered with perpetual ice • so that the cold N.W. wind, which blows almost without intermission, meets with no impediment • bringing with it violent storms of snow, not only in winter, but frequently in summer. This unbroken exposure influences the temperature so greatly, that the averaire op mfian tpmnorotiivA 'sf fi higher than U< •'"i-v-r-ture of U. jvai lu a«i m 58 wrangell's polar expedition. At Nishne Kolymsk the river freezes early in September ; and nearer the mouth, especially ol the most northerly branch, which has the least rapid current, loaded horses often cross on the ice as early as the 20th of August, nor does it ever melt before the beginning of June. It is true that during the three months which are honoured with the name of summer, the sun remains, for fifty-two days, con- stantly above the horizon, but then so near it that his light is accompanied by very little heat ; his disk often assuming an elliptical form, and being so dim that it may be gazed upon with tile naked eye without inconvenience. During this season of perpetual hght the usual order of nature is not disturbed: as the sun ap- proaches the horizon, evening and night come on, and all is hushed in repose ; as he again ascends, nature awakes ; the few httle birds hail the new day with their cheerful twittering ; the small folded yel- low flowers expand their petals, and everything liv- ing appears anxious to partake in the enjoyment which his faint beams afford. As under the tropics there are only spring and summer, so here there are only summer and winter, in spite of the opinion of the inhabitants, who talk quite seriously of their spring and autumn. Spring they affect to recognise in that period when the sun is first visible at noon, though at this vernal season the thermometer is often — 35° during the night ; and autumn they reckon from the first freezing of the river, which is early in September, when the tem- perature is frequently — 47o. The vegetation of summer is scarcely more than a struggle for existence. In the latter end of May the stunted willow-bushes put forth little wrinkled leaves, and the banks which slope towards the south assume a semi-verdant hue. In June the tempera- ture at noon attains to 72° ; the flowers begin to «hnw thP.mselves, and the berry-bearing plants bios- SERVICES RENDERED BY MOSCHETOES. 59 Bom, when not unfrequently an icy blast from the sea turns the verdure yellow, and destroys the bloom. The air is clearest in July, and the tem- perature IS then usually mild. But, as if to imbitter to the inhabitants of this dreary region any sem- blance of summer, and to make them wish for the return of winter, millions of moschetoes now dark- en the air, and oblige them to take refuge in the thick and pungent smoke of the dymokuries* to pro^ tect themselves against these tormentors. But, as everything in nature has a beneficent purpose, and there is no disadvantage that is not compensated by good, these insects render an essential service to the inhabitants by forcing the reindeer to leave the forests, and to take refuge in the cold open plains near the sea. This they commonly do in troops of many hundreds, or even thousands ; and then the hunters, lying in wait for them, especially as they cross the rivers and lakes, kill great numbers with- out difficulty. Another service rendered by the moschetoes is, that they prevent the horses from straying away in the vast plains, where there are no enclosures, and where they feed without keepers. Their instinct teaches them to keep near the dymokuries, to protect themselves from their enemies, where they graze on the leeside of these glimmering heaps in the cover of the smoke. When the pasture is fed off in one place, the smoke-heaps are established in an- other; and they are generally enclosed by a shght fence, to prevent the horses from coming too near the fire. In summer the rolling of thunder-storms is heard in the mountains, but they have little influence on the great plains. * J*^®u® ?''® ^^^«® ^®^Ps ^^ fa"en leaves, moss, and damn W90d, which are set on fire, and the dense smoke from them fnH nlowl^ l^^ '"'^'=*'y ^^^y ^'■^ Pl^^ed both in the pastures and near thn hnnapa erk*h* '> « J cheto season in a constant cloud of smoke. 60 whanoell's polar expedition. h! I,: I H'fir '1 V ' ■ ^ ( Winter, properly so culloil, prevails during nine months of Ihe year. In Oi'tobor the cold is sonio- wliat mitigated by thick io^s, and by the vapour rising from tiie l'rue/inf( sea; but in November the intense cold begins, and in January it increases to — 05^^. Then breathing becomes dilllcuit : the wild reind(H)r, that denizen o! the polar region, retires to the deep- est thicket of the forest, and there stands motionless, us if deprived of life. The nigiit of lifty-two revo- lutions of the earth is relieved uy the whitened sur- face and the strong refraction of the sn(»w, as well as by lYetiuent auroras. On the 28th of December a palo twilight begins to be visible at noon, but it is not sutlicient to dim the stars. As the sun re- turns, the cold becomes even more severe, and its intensity at his rising in February and March is es- pecially felt. Perfectly clear days are extremely rare in winter, as the sea-winds, which constantly prevail, bring with them vapours and fogs, which are sometimes so dense as wholly to conceal tho stare of the deep blue polar sky. These thick fogs are called morrok. They prevail least in September. There is a remarkable phenomena known here by tho name of teplot wcter (the warm wind), blowing from S.K. by S. It sometimes begins suddenly, when the sky is quite clear, and in the middle of winter raises the temperature in a short time from — 47® -|- to 350 ; so that the plates of ice, which are the substitutes for glass in the windows, begin to melt. In the valleys of the Aniuj, this warm wind is fre- auently felt; but its influence does not extend to tne west of Cape Tschukotskoj. It is seldom of longer continuance than twenty-four hours. Though, from what has been said, the climate evi- dently is one of the most severe and unkindly, yet it must be owned that it is not, on the whole, prej- udicial to health. There are here neither scur- vy, nor any dangerous infectious diseases. Ca- tarrhal fever and complaints of the eyes are preva- DISEASES.— VEOETADLE OROWTII. 61 lent, but only in Ootobor, during the thick fogn, nnd in Doccinbor, whon iho nevrre froHts set iu. Tho inflammation of t!if oypH in jmrtly cuuhimI by reflec- tion from tho huow, wliit^li in so i)owerful as to re- quiro u protector to be worn over tfieni. The sick- iiCHs calhul pmwiry, which prevails among tho in- habitants of tlie coast to the wc»Mt of the Kolyma, is much morn rare and less mahgnant in this district. The dis8t(>r>> siHa ia tho ^r.^* , ♦li".-^^ 64 wrangell's polar expedition. vain to question the inhabitants, who are incessantly occupied with the necessities of the present hour, and among whom no traditions preserve the mem- ory of the past. Nothing definite is known con- cerning the people of this country even at the not very remote epoch of its conquest by the Russians. I have indeed heard an obscure saying, " that there were once more hearths of the Omoki on the shores of the Kolyma than there are stars in the clear sky ;" there are also remains of forts, formed of trunks of trees, and tumuli, the latter being for the most part near the Indigirka, and both may have be- longed to these Omoki, who have now disappeared. From the httle I could gdher on the subject, it would seem that the Omoki were a numerous and powerful people ; that they were not nomades, but lived m settlements along the rivers, and supported productive; and the fur-hunters declare that, when the sea recedes after a long continuance of easterly winds, a fresh sup- piy of mammoth-bones is always found washed up on this bank, proceeding apparently from some vast store of them at the bot- tom of the sea. In addition to the mammoth, the remains of two other un- fcnown animals are found along the shores of the Polar Ocean. I he head of one of these bears a strong resemblance to that of the reindeer ; differing from it, however, in the size and form • t*»e antlers, which descend and turn up towards the extrem- ity. The head of the other animal is usually about thirty-one inches long and twelve inches broad, the nose being bent down- ward, and showing several rows of bony excrescences. Near these last-named sculls something like the claw of an enormous bird is generally found. These claws are often three English leet long, flat above, but pointed below, the section present- ing a triangle. They appear to have been divided into joints throughout their whole length, like the claws of a bird. The Jukahiri, who make use of these horny daws to give increased torce to their bows, maintain that they, together with the heads lound near them, belonged to an enormous bird, respecting Which they relate a number of marvelbus stories. Dr. Kyber, vvho had frequent opportunities of examining both the heads and Claws, believes them to be the remaiiis of t. ipecies of rhino* ceroii» '^ PAYMENT OP THIBUTE, 65 themselves by fishing and hunting. Another nu- merous tribe, the Tschukotschi or Tschuktschi, ap- pear to have wandered over the tundra with their herds of reindeer, and certain features of the coun- try still bear their name ; as, for example, the Mala- ja and Bolschaja Tschukotscha, the greater and the lesser Tschuktschi rivers. Both races, however, have disappeared : the Omoki having perished prob- ably by want and disease, while the Tschuktschi have partly wandered away, and partly become con- founded among more recent tribes, forming with them the present scanty population of the country. In the whole Kolyma circle there are now 325 Rus- sian peasants, citizens, and Cossacks, 1034 Jakuti, and 1139 Jukahiri and other races; in all, 2498 males, of whom 2173 pay^a^^a^ or tribute. This jassak consists of 803 foxes and 28 sables, which may be estimated at 6704 roubles, and 10,847 roubles in money, making an average of about eight roubles to be paid by every male of the Jakuti and other tribes. The Russian peasants and citizens are chiefly descended from exiles, and the Cossacks from those of that race who retreated here from the fortress on the Anadyr when it was destroyed by the Tschuktschi. Up to the year 1812 the Cossacks were considered as attached to the public service, and received annually from government a certain supply of provisions, which, however, they were hemselves required to bringt from the upper district of the Kolyma. With the improvidence so charac- teristic of this people, in consequence of a few successive good hunting and fishing years, they neglected to avail themselves of this supply, and in 1812 It ceased to be issued. Since that period there have been several years in which the fishing and hunting were less productive, general want has pre- vailed, and they have had occasion bitterly to regret the forfeiture of the advantages which they former- ij ^ivv/wu. F»iM4 wiu excepiioa 01 six Of their F2 66 wrangbll's polar expedition. im- 'Hill number, who are retained in the public employ, the Cossacks now form a corporation governed by a principal, who is under the commissioner at Sredne Kolymsk : they pay no tribute, but are required to appear when called upon, equipped with sabres and firearms. They also furnish a party of twenty-five or thirty men to keep order at the annual fair, and to protect the Russian and other traders, if necessa- ry, against the Tschuktschi. Although the Russians in this district do not differ much from the other inhabitants in their clothing and modes of Ufe, nor even in their features, still they are easily distinguishable from them by their more muscular frames. They are generally taller, with fairer complexions, and many of them have light brown hair, which is never seen among the na- tive races. The Russian women, too, in spite of the incessant drudgery to which they are subjected, and their want of cleanliness, have more agreeable fea- tures than the natives, and many among them might even be called good-looking. I was particularly struck with their general kindness and their affec- tionate demeanour, and often I had occasion to wit- ness the heartfelt joy with which they welcomed the return of a husband or son from the dangers of the chase or of a distant journey. Most of the Rus- sian women sing very agreeably songs of their own composing, the subject of which is frequently the absence of those who are dear to them. In these songs it is curious to remark the reminiscences of earlier times, in the allusions to doves, nightingales, flowers, and other objects not to be met with in a distance of several thousand wersts, and of which the singer can know nothing except by tradition. The dwellings of the two races are much alike. As the larch-trees are too small to be of any use in the construction of their habitations, they are obli- ged to employ driftwood for that purpose. This is carefully collected at the time of the floods in DESCRIPTION OF THE HOUSES. 67 spring, and it sometimes takes several years to ac- cumulate the necessary timber for a house. The walls are formed of logs in the Russian manner, the interstices being filled with moss, and plastered over with clay ; while a mound of earth is thrown up against them, reaching as high as the windows, to serve as a protection against the cold. The huts are usually from twelve to eighteen feet square, and about nine feet high ; the roofs being flat, and cov- ered with a considerable thickness of earth. The interior arrangement is in all the same : in one cor- ner of the room is the Jakuti tschuwal^ a kind of open fireplace made with willow-rods, plastered on both sides with a thick coat of clay, and the smoke escapes by a hole in the roof, llecentlv they have begun to make Russian stoves of hard-oeeten plas- ter, with chimneys. Two or three sleeping-places are partitioned off, according to the wants of the family ; and the remainder of the space serves for cooking, dwelling, working, and the reception of their friends. Wide benches are ranged round, on which arc laid reindeer skins for their guests to sit and sleep on. Household utensils, guns, bows and arrows, &c., hang about the walls. Their two little windows of a foot square or less might give suffi- cient light if they had glass panes ; but in summer they are of fish-membrane, and in winter consist of plates of ice six inches in thickness. On one side of the house is a small porch, and adjoining to it the provision-room, made of thin boards. There is sometimes a second fireplace in the porch. All the houses have the windows facing the south. On the roof and about the house are scaffolds for drying fish; and there is also a small kennel for sheltering the dogs in extreme cold weather; but they are more generally tethered outside, where they bury themselves in the snow. Enclosed courts are scarcely ever seen. The houses are not arran- ged ia streets, but are nlaced without order, and 66 wrangell's polar expedition. „li according to the caprice of the builders. The peo- ple make but little use of baths ; and, although the government has caused them to be constructed in every village, they are neglected, and are mostly falling into decay. Generally speaking, indeed, there is but little cleanliness. Only a few of the more wealthy in- habitants have under garments of linen or cotton cloth, those in general use being made of soft rein- deer skins, sewed together, and worn with the hair inside. The outside is coloured red with the bark of the alder, and the edges and sleeves are trim- med with narrow strips of beaver or of river otter- skin, which are bought at rather high prices from the Tschuktschi : the trousers are also of reindeer skin. Over the fur shirt an outer garment called kamleja is worn. It is made of thick tanned rein- deer leather, without the hair, and is coloured yel- low by smoke : it is closed before and behind, hav- ing a hood fastened to the back of the neck, and this is drawn over the head on leaving the house. People in better circumstances have a garment of the same form for wearing within doors, made of a cotton cloth called kitajka. They wear a sort of boots made of brown leather or of black goatskin, sewed to tops of reindeer skin with the hair on; these are ornamented with various devices in silk, and sometimes even embroidered with gold thread, and two bands crossing round the legs bind the boots and trousers together. In the open air they wear a double fur cap, narrowing towards the top, but deep and broad enough to cover the forehead and the cheeks ; and, besides this, they wear separate cover- ings for the forehead, ears, nose, and chin. These are often articles of great cost, the forehead-band especially, which, being worn more for ornament than use, is adorned with different kinds of col- oured and gold embroidery ; and after the cap is laid often kept on for show. aav. \;»f..f^^j DRESS OP THE INHABITANTS. 69 On journeys, the kuchlanka is worn over all the above-mentioned garments. This is a wider kamle- ja, made of double skin, with a large hood attached to it : hand-bags are sewn to the sleeves, a small open- ing being left on the inside, through which the hand can be protruded when required for use, and imme- diately drawn back again to protect it from the cold. Instead of the house-boots, half stockings, made of the skin of the young reindeer, are then worn, with the torbassy^ or boots, drawn over them. In this cos- tume one can defy the severest cold for a long time. In the belt is carried a large knife ; the gansa, a very small pipe, made of brass or tin, with a short wooden tube ; a pouch containing the materials for striking a fire, and the tobacco, which is mixed with finely-powdered larch-wood, to make it go farther. The Russians here use tobacco in the same man- ner as all the people of Northern Asia, swallowing the smoke, and allowing it to escape again by the nose and ears. They speak of the pleasurable sensation arising from the sort of intoxication thus produced, and assert that inhaling the smoke in this manner affords much warmth in intensely cold weather. The house-clothing of the women differs from that of the men chiefly in being made of much lighter skins. Females who can afford it wear cotton, and sometimes even silk stuffs, and ornament the part about the throat with trimmings of sable or martin. They also bind cotton or silk handkerchiefs about their heads, and sometimes wear knitted caps, under which the married women conceal their hair, after the Russian fashion. The young girls allow their hair to hang down in a long braid, and wear a fore- head-band when they are more dressed than usual. Their gala dress very much resembles that which was worn some twenty years ago by females of the trading classes in Russia. The larger the figures and the more various the colours of the silk, and the heavier and saver the earrin&rs. the mnrp tnarpfni m ^ , .!. I .fej: l|i! hlijj 70 wranoell's polar etpedition. and elegant the dress is considered. The traders who attend the yearly fairs know how to take ad- vantage of this : they bring the finery which has gone out of fashion even at Jakuzk to the banks of the Kolyma, where they sell it for high prices, as being of the newest mode. , , Fully to understand the customs and pecmianties of these people, one must have lived among them ; must have accompanied them from their winujr dwellings to their summer balagans, have navigated the rapid rivers with tiiem in their Aar^a**^ or heavy boats, and in their wetkm or light canoes. One must have climbed with them the rod; 9 and the hills, on foot and on horseback; have thricd«d he maros oi the thick forest with them ; and with tlu .« have cour- sed jver the boundless Tundra, 00 iS;>. lighi sledge, drawn by dogs, in intense cold, jmd ii\ violent snow- storms. In a word, one must have been domestica- ted among ihem, as we were during nearly three years. We ii/ed with them, we dressed as they did, we ate the samo food, and shared with them all the privations and discomforts inseparable from the cli- mate, frequently experiencing the most pressing want of all the nece«saries of life. I am therefore enabled to give a faitLM picture of life at Nishne Kolymsk, which, apart from a few local circumstan- ces, will apply to the whole course of the Kolyma. Let us begin, then, with spring. The fisheries, as we have before remarked, are the most important branch of industry which the inhabitants pursue, and one on which their very existence may be said essentially to depend. The iin fiediate neighbour- hood of Nishne Kolymsk is unfavourable to it, so that in spring the people leave their habitations, and scatter themselves along the banks of the river in search of places which are more advantageous, where they erect their balagans or light summer-huts, and make their preparations for fishr *;. Most of them have their country-houses for thi: purpose* at SUFFERINGS IN THE SPRING. 71 the mouths of the smaller streams, which they begin to visit jji April When the traders are passing the lesser Aniuj, about the middle of May, on their re- turr to iakuzk front the yearly fair at Ostrownoj, the vvhoie population of the place goes out to meet them, leaving only ^he Cossack commander, one or two guards, the priest, and perhaps a few destitute families, who have nothing to st 1, and who are too weak to follow the crowd. Spring on the Kolyma is the most trying season of the year • the provisions laid up during the pre- vious summer and autumn have been consumed, and the fish, which had withdrawn into the deepest parts of the rivers and lakes during the intense cold, have not yet returned. The dogs, too, are often so much enfeebled by their winter work and by insufficient food, that they are unable to chase the reindeer and elk over the naM^* the only favourable opportunity which the early spring affords for obtaining food. A few ptarmigan are snared, but they are quite in- sufficient to satisfy the general want. The Tungusi and Jukahiri now flock in from the Tundra and from the Aniuj, to the Russian villages on the Kolyma, to escape starvation. One sees them, like wander- ing spectres, pale, without strength, and scarcely able to walk ; they greedily pick up the remains of bones, skin, or anything else which can alleviate the pangs of hunger. But there is little relief for them here, where want likewise reigns ; the inhabitants being often obliged to have recourse to the small re- * When the warmth of the sun in spring thaws the surface of the snow, it freezes again at night, forming a thin crust of ice, which is just strong enough to bear a light sledge with its team of dogs. This state of the snow is called nast. The hunters profit by it to pursue the elk and reindeer by night ; and as the weith' of these animals cause them to break through, they fall an <' yy prey. The nast continues to form during a longer or shcr rr period, according to the more or less sheltered situation c f iiiierent places, and the depth of the snow. It does not occur ^^.^^ ly year; and during the whole time of our stav (-here was no n- . ' in the district. : [ ^ ".^iMMM 72 WRAN cell's polar expedition. mains uf the provisions reserved for the dogs, in consequence of which many of them perish. It is true, a magazine has been established by the government for the sale of rye-meal, which is dis- posed of not only without profit, but at some sacri- fice. Still, the enormous distance, and the difficul- ties of the transport, which sometimes occupies two years, so raise the cost of the article that the great- er number cannot buy it, though, in order to bring it within their reach, payment is not required until the following autumn or winter. There are very few who can engage to pay twenty roubles for a pood of meal, which is not unfrequently half spoiled by the long journey. While we were at Sredne Kolymsk, the commissioner was requested to give in an esti- mate of the quantity of meal which should be sent for the use of his district. He thereupon applied to the golowa of the Cossacks, who is particularly char- ged with the superintendence of the Tungusi and Jiikahiri, when the reply of this latter functionary was, " I do not know how to furnish you with the definite estimate which you require ; but this much lean assure you, that there are not many here who would be able, or even disposed, to pay two roubles a day to prolong their miserable existence." It was my lot to pass here three such dreadful springs ; and I cannot now look back without shud- dering on the scenes of misery which I have wit- nessed, but which I may not venture to describe. When need, however, is at the highest, help usual- ly appears. Suddenly large flights of birds arrive from the south : swans, geese, ducks, and snipes of various kinds. The general distress is now at an end. Old and young, men and women, all who can use a gun or a bow, hasten to the pursuit. Fish also begin to be taken in nets and baskets placed under the ice. The terrible time of hunger is for the pres- ent ended. It is fortunate that the food is not very abundant at first, so that the half-starved people are M 'p\ !■; i SUDDEN INUNDATIONS. 73 accustomed to it by degrees, just as an experienced physician would treat his patients. But in June the rivers open, and the fish now pour in in abundance : all hands are in activity to make the most of this short harvest, in order to lay up provisions for the following winter. Still this season sometimes brings with it a new difficulty. The current not carrying away sufficiently fast the masses of ice, they ground in the bays or shallows, and thus form a kind of dam, which obstructs the course of the river, and causes it to overflow its banks ; thus the meadows and villages are laid under water, and those who have not taken the precaution to drive their horses to higher ground, lose them. In the summer of 1822 we had an inundation of this kind. It was so sudden that we had but just time to remove our things to the flat roof of the house, where we pass- ed more than a week. The lake to the north of Ko- lymsk united its waters with those of the river, and the tops of the houses in the village looked like an archipelago of little islands, among which the people went about in their boats, visiting each other and fishing. These overflowings of the rivers take place more or less every year. When the waters have subsided, the great net-fish- ing begiiis. In some places this lasts only a few days ; while in others, as in Pochodsk, and at the Tschukotskoj River, it continues throughout the summer, though the quantity taken gradually dimin- ishes. At this season, sturgeon, a large kind of sal- mon trout {nelma), a large fish with round back {muk- sun), and a species called tschir, are taken. The fish caught in coming down stream are generally in very poor condition, for which reason they are usually put aside for the dogs, and are prepared as juchala, i. e., cleaned, cut open, and laid flat and dried in the sun. The entrails are boiled down into a kind of train oil, which is often used in cooking as well as for the lai — G 74 wrangell's polar expedition. mt Strong gales from the sea sometimes so agitate the water in the river as to prevent tlie puttings down the nets at the time when the greatest ii'imbf r of fish are passing. Partly for want of r.ki'l, a;a part- ly owing to a deficiency of nets, wiuch are here generally made of horsehair, the fislicrmen do not venture to place them in the mid current, where the fish are both most numerous and of ihR largest size. The same reasons also induce ttiem to confine then^ selves, in a great measure, to the tributary streams. During the floods vast numbers of fish are driven into these smaller rivers and the lakes connected with them; and on their reuirn, when the waters subside, the inhabitants take them in large quantities by means of weirs, baske us, &c. The whole popu- lation engages in these minor fisheries, which are made in some degree common, the produce being divided in due proportion among the owners of the baskets, whereas, in the larger fishery, the nets are drawn in succession, according to an estabhshed or- der, and the fish taken belong exclusively to the owner of the net. It is chiefly in the smaller rivers that they catch the fat tschiri, which are a favourite delicacy, and g-re prepared as jedomnaja jukola. This differs from the juchala already spoken of, by its being made only of the very best fish, and prepared wi*^ great, care The fish are split in halves, the entrain taken out, and, in order that they may be more tender and better dried, they are scored ; and sometimr ^ Ihey are smoked instead of being dried. The upper part of the back is usually cut off, dried separately, and pounded in a wooden mortar, after which it is mix- ed with train oil, and preserved for the winte n wooden vessels with narrow mouths. In like ni .- ner, the under part, which contains the most fat, is kept by itself, as it fnriiishes a favourite addition to the cakes, which are made, not of meal, but of the I s rtft » ■!•♦ o c\P fy iUbi --iS \ti loln -floVi y^n^ oirvioll on/1 KoVoH FISHERIES. BIRD-CHASE. 75 After these fisheries are over, the larger fish begin to ascend the rivers from the sea, and ar' taken both in nets and baskets. While the different fisheries are going on, the swans, geese, and ducks are moulting, and bringing out their young bro' Is on the lakes. As soon as the birds arrive, some of the fishermen are sent to watch their nests. At first they content themselves ^ ,^ with taking away part of the eggs, which are repla- f% CfcJ by new-laid ones. The chase of the birds does not begin until they are moulting and unable to fly, when a great number of the fishermen leave the rivers and go to their breeding-places. They em- ploy trained dogs to pursue !hem, and kill great num- bers with guns, arrows, and sticks. Part of then^ are smoked, but the most are frozen and preserved in snow against the winter. This chase is much less productive than it was formerly. Twenty years ago several thousand geese were sometimes thus ta- ken in a sii; ^le day ; wh. reas now it is called a good season when 1000 geese, 6000 duck , and 200 swans are killed at the r^uiuth of tl.e Ko uia.* This, how- ever, does not an ,e from anT'^ real decrease in their numbers ; but the people be r busily engaged in the iibliery, wh' *h is less tro )leso'^ ai ordinarily more certain in its returns, art t i > lay the chase till the proper time for it is nea? past. BesidevS their stores of fii- and fowl, good house- keepers provide lemselv cs also with reindeer meat. Wlien the reindeer are in motion in large troopn in ijie summer, a part of the hunters go up the Am i in boats, while he others proceed on horseback the shores of ' 3 large akes in the Tundra. T animals a o driven into the water by trained dogs, and a e killed with spears as th ^y are swimming. A skilful hunte. amy kill a hundred deer on the Aniuj * It se. nsto be clearly a^ ert. ned that birds of passagr do not always v'sit the same spot two years in succession, but i :at they fi'equentiy change their ' eeding-places. iiii'ijyi ' '■™ m ; II 76 WRANOELL S POLAR EXPEDITION. in good years, whereas on the Tundra twenty would be a liirge number, and perhaps he would not get more than fie; but, on thr* other hand, the chase on the Aniuj is often a complete failure, which is never the case on the Tundra ; the deer also on the latter are generally larger and better fed than tho^ j killed on the former. While the men are engaged in fishing and hunting, the women avail themselves of the brief summer to collect what little the vegetable kingdom can add to their winter provision. I have before remarked that the partially-thawed soil produces different kinds of berries, and a few edible roots and aromatic herbs, particularly in the mountains. The women are thoroughly acquainted wiih them all, and collect as many as thr more or less favourable character of the season will permit. It is not every yeai that these poor remnants of vegetation arrive ♦o maturi- ty. In the yeai, 1821, '22, and '23, the berries failed so completely that none were to be met w ith. Most of them, particularly the bilberries, grow on the eastern side of the Kolyma, and on the declivity of the Pantelejew Mountains ; they are gathered in the middle of August. The berry-gathering here, like the vintage elsewhere, is a time of merriment. The younger women and girls go out together in large parties, often passing whole days and nights away, enjoying the op^n air, and enlivening their work with various amusements. When the berries have been collected, cold water is poured over them, and they are preserved in a frozen state for a winter luxury. The only plants and roots made use of are the makarscha and wild thyme ; the latter being employ- ed both in smoking articles of food and as a condi- ment. The makarscha is a farinaceous root, which is used partly as an addition to their meat or fish- cakes, to which it imparts an agreeable flavour, and partly alon«., as a kind of delicacy before supper. HERRING-FISHERY. 77 The field-mice lay up in their holes large stores of this and of other roots, and the women are particu- larly expert in discovering these deposites. In September the shoals of herrings begin to as- cend the rivers,* and ain ost all the population then hasten to the most favourable spots for catching them. The numbers of these fish are often so im- mense, that in favourable years 3000 or more may be taken at a draught, and in three or four days 40,000 are sometimes caught with a single good net. It occasionally happens, that during the three pre- ceding months, in spite of the greatest eflforts, the other fisheries have yielded the desponding inhab- itants hardly anything, when a good herring sea- son comes to their relief, and the storehouses are filled in a few days. The herrings are hung up on the scaffolds before the frost sets in, that the water which is in them may drain off" before they freeze. This makes them much lighter for carrying on jour- neys ; those which are collected after the frost has commenced become immediately covered with a thin crust of ice, are inferior in jQavour, and un- wholesome for the dogs. As the reindeer-hunters return from the Aniuj and from the Tundra about the time of the herring-fish- ery, this is a period of i^reat animation and inter- est. If the chase has be n successful, universal joy prevails ; and it forms for a long time the only sub- ject of conversation. The minutest circumstances, every stratagem and turn of the pursued reindeer, the skill of the hunter, the fleetness and sagacity of the dogs, &c are all narrated with as great exact- ness, and in as much detail as if it were a question relating to the niovements of hostile armies. As soon as the frost sets in, the summer fisheries * The largest herrings are found in the Kolyma; those in the Alasej being smaller, and those in the Jana and Indigirka still less. Hence it would appear that the shoals of these fish move from the west towards the east. G2 78 wrangell's polar expedition. are at an end, and the autumn fishing commences. When the rivers are frozen, horsehair nets are set by cutting an opening in the ice across the stream, and sinking the net below. Muksuny, omuly {salmo autumnalis), and nelma {salmo nelma), are taken in this way. This kind of fishing is most productive near the sea ; it is continued with more or less suc- cess till the beginning of December, when the dark- ness and the intense cold oblige the fishermen to break off from their labours and return to their homes. Besides the hunting and fishing, there are other matters which cannot well be neglected. Those who have horses must endeavour to make some provision of fodder for them; and sometimes the house must be repaired, or a new one built. Snares must also be set in the forest for the fur animals,* and occasionally visited : this is usually e iv tin horseback, before there is any snow, when th' grr ^d is hard frozen ; and after snow has fallen, vis gs and dogs are used. About this time the /jindeer leave the western side of the river an'? jss to the eastern, and the inhabitants employ & .- aety of de- * These traps, called past, are a kmd of long box, in which the bait is connected with the open lid in such a manner that at the slightest touch the latter closes and keeps the animal shut up till the hunter comes. The Russian inhabitants of Nishne Kolymsk have above 7500 such traps along the banks of the river, on the eastern side, and in the Western Tundra. Sables and foxes are chiefly taken on the eastern shore of the Kolyma, and along the mountain-rivers Philippowka, Panteiejewa, &c., and stone-foxes on the Western Tundra. The wolverine is seldom taken, as he is strong enough to break through the trap if caught. A careful hunter visits his traps at least ten times in a winter ; few, however, do it so often, and nearly half the ani- r'ials which are caught are lost in consequence. The hunters reckon upon about one taken for every ten traps each time they visit them. A very injurious custom prevails among the Tun- gusi and Jukahiri of carrying away the young whenever they find them, even when still blind ; and the number of young foxes destroyed in this way is very coni»ider&ble. INTREPIDITY OP THE HUNTERS. 79 vices for taking them in the passage. Parties also go out on sledges to hunt the elk and the wild sheep on the Baranow rocks, and others in chase of foxes, sables, and squirrels, by following their tracks in the fresh-fallen snow in sledges drawn by trained dogs. The latter chase is pursued more particularly by the Ukahiri of the Aniuj and Omolon, who live in the mountains and forests, and by the Yakuti of Sredne and Werchne Kolymsk. On the Tundra, by the seashore, long rows of traps, similar to those above described, ai-e set for the wandering stone-foxes, which are very abundant, but their skins are of inferior value. They are par- ticularly numerous every third year ; but if there happen to be many mice, they are less tempted by the bait, which is either a small living animal or a piece of poisoned meat : the latter, however, is said to injure the quality of the fur. Skill in setting the traps is highly valued, and the names of the best fur-hunters are known far and wide ; but those who are distinguished by success in chasing the elk and the bear, and who do not shun a conflict with these animals when necessary, are held in still greater es- teem. The adroitness, courage, and strength shown in such encounters are favourite subjects of conver- sation, and, apart from exaggeration, some of the sto- ries related are really extraordinary. The following adventure occurred during my stay in the country. Two hunters, father and son,, had gone out on horseback to hunt foxes ; they had very poor sport, and were returning almost empty-handed, when by accident they came upon a bear in his den; and, though unprovided with proper weapons for attack- ing him, they resolved to attempt it. The father placed himself u: one entrance of the den, and stop- ped it with his broad shoulders, v/hile ihe son, armed only with a light spear, attacked the animal at the other. More tormented than injured by the weapon, ♦ho vzftvr escape by the u* Ji upeamg ; but • ' if ' , 1. 1 lii'M I m; I 1^,' ,if 80 mtranoell's polar expedition. neither his clawt nor his teeth could pierce the thick, smooth, well-stretohed double fur jacket of the stout Juhakir, who kept his post till his son succeed- ed in killing is formidable adversary. - %w^M A ash enterprises are not always successful, howe*#r. A EussiafH. descending the Kolyma alone Ml a ly^at, saw a very fine elk swimming across the river. Unwilling to let so favourable an oppor- tunity escape, although the boat wa« much too small to have carried the animal had it l>een killed, he prepared a noose and threw it over his horns : he then rowed vigorously for the shore, and while the water continued deep, the elk suffered himself to be drawn along ; but, as soon as he felt the ground un- der his feet, he rapidly gained the bank, and made off at full speed for the li^ighbouring forest, drag- g'ing after him the ligtit ho'dt and the unfortunate Russian, who was some time before he could dis- engage himself. Endless m/ties of this kind are told, with Hm^ minutest cireiin»»tances, and occa- sionally with r*o little embellishni#s^ Of all the anin*ai« m high northerr, /^titudes, none are so deserving of r' - ^- the dog. The com- panion of man in ah ;., — , from the i«J^.nds of the South Sea, where he feeds on bananas, Uf the Polar Ocean, where he subsists on fish, he here acts a part to which he is unaccustor.ied in more fa- voured regions. Necessity has taught the inhabi- tants of the northern countries to employ these comparatively weak animals for draught. On all the coasts of the Polar Sea, from the Obi to Behr- ing's Straits, in Greenland, Kamtschatka, and in the Kurile Islands, dogs are made to draw the sledges of the inhabitants, loaded with their persons and with goods, and for considerable distances. The Siberian dogs closely resemble the wolf. They have long, pointed, projecting noses, sharp up- right ears, and a long bushy tail. Some have smooth and SOmfi f»lirlv Vinir- ih^ir r»nlr»nr ic voi-inno KlQ/>lr EMPLOYMENT OF DOGS, 81 brown, reddish-brown, white, and spotted. They differ also in size ; but it is considered that a good sledge-dog should not be less than two feet seven and a half inches in height, and three feet three quarters of an inch in length (English measure). Their barking, too, is like the howling of a wolf. They live altogether in the open air : in summer they dig holes in the ground for coolness, or lie in the water to avoid the moschetoes ; and in winter they protect themselves by burrowing in the snow, where they lie curled up, with their noses covered by their bushy tails. The female puppies are drown- ed, except a sufficient number to preserve the stock, the males alone being used in draught. Those born m winter enter on their training the following au- tumn, but are not used for long journeys until the third year. The feeding and training is a particu- lar art, and much skill is required in driving and guiding them. The best-trained dogs are used for leaders ; and as the fleet and steady going of the team, usually consisting of twelve dogs, and the safety of the traveller, depend on the sagacity and docility of the leader, no pains are spared in their education, so that they shall always obey their mas- ter's voice, and not be tempted from their course when they come on the scent of game. This last is a point of great difficulty ; and sometimes the whole team will in such cases start off, and no en- deavours on the part of the driver can stop them. 1 have frequently had occasion to admire the in- genious devices practised by the well-trained leader to divert the other dogs from their pursuit; and, when other means fail, he will suddenly wheel round, and by barking, as if he had come on a new scent, try to induce them to follow him. In trav- elling across the wide Tundra in dark nights, or when the vast plain is veiled in impenetrable mist, in storms or in tempests of snow, when the travel- ler is in danxxf^r nf vm I dCii n V£ IaiIooIIa^ ♦ I.,. ^U-.1i.-..- 6 wiu SuCiLCririg powarna ^m 1 K i II 1 1 H ' ' i r II 1 ■ 1 R ^K ^^ H m IHk ' H !# H^ 1 Ill B ' 1 1 ; 1 B ' i III 111 1 II ^^^bI ij '''1 P Mm 82 wrangell's polar expedition. and of perishing on the way, he frequently owes his safety to a ^ood leader. If the animal has ever before been or the plain, and has stopped with his master at the powarna, he will be sure to bring the sledge to it, though deeply buried in the snow ; and when he has reached it he will suddenly stop, and significantly indicate to his master the spot where he must dig. ^ Nor are the dogs scarcely less useful in summer ; they tow the boats up the rivers, and it is curious to observe how readily they obey their master's voice, either in halting or in changing the bank of the stream. On hearing his call they plunge in- stantly into the water, dragging the towing-line af- ter them, swim to the opposite shore, and, on reach- ing it, replace themselves in order, and wait his com- mand to go on. Sometimes those who have no horses use dogs instead of them in their fowling ex- cursions, to draw their light boats from one lake or river to another. In short, the dog is no less indis- pensable to the settled inhabiuint of this country, than is the tame reindeer to the nomadic tribes; and they so regard it.* We saw a remarkable in- stance of this during the terrible sickness, which in the year 1821 carried off the greater part of these useful animals. An unfortunate Juhakir family had only two dogs left out of twenty, and hese were just born, and, indeed, still Wind. The motner dying, the wife of the Juhakir determined to nurse the two puppies with her own child, rather than lose the * It was once unwisely proposed to forbid .8 keeping of dogs on account of the quantity of fish required for their sup- port, which is thus withdrawn from the food of the inhabitants. Each team of twelve dogs requires daily from fifty to seventy herrings. But if this measure had been adopted, so far from in- creasing the quantity of food at the command of the inhabitants, it would Lave deprived them of one of their chief means of pro- curing it, as was most clearly proved at the time of the great mortality among these animals in 1821 and 1823. Happily, this highly injudicious proposal was rejected by the government. IN-DOOR OCCUPATIONS. 83 last remains of their former wealth. She did so, and was rewarded for it, for her two nurslings lived, and became the parents of a new and vigor- ous progeny. ^ In the year 1822, when the inhabitants had lost most of their dogs by the prevaihng sickness, they were reduced to a melancholy condition ; they had themselves to draw home their fuel ; both time and strength failed them in bringing in the fish they had caught in distant places ; while thus occupied, too, the season passed away for fowling and fur-huntinff • and a general and severe famine, in which numbers perished, was the consequence. Horses can never be substituted for dogs, as the severity of the climate and the shortness of the summer make it impossible to provide sufficient fodder for them ; and, besides, these light animals move rapidly over the deep snow, where the heavy horse would sink at every step. Having thus described the out-of-door employ- ments of the inhabitants of this district, let us ac- company one of them into his habitation, at the close of summer, when he and his family rest from their laborious efforts, to enjoy domestic life after their fashion. The walls are now calked afresh with moss, and new plastered with clay, and a solid mound 01 earth is heaped up on the outside as high as the windows. All this is accomplished before Decem- oer ; and then the long winter nights assemble the members of the family around the hearth. The light of the fire, and that of one or more train-oil lamps, glimmer through the ice windows ; and from the low chimneys rise high columns of red ',e mingled with bright sparks, thrown off by t.he iesin- ous wood. The dogs are outside, either en or bur- rowed m tne snow, and from time to time their howling interrupts the general silence. It is so loud as to be heard at a great distance, and is usually rp- pcaieu at aitervais of from six to eight hours, except- 'if, I. M n r \ 84 WRANGELL S POLA.R EXPEDITION. h i jiii^ii !l' (' I ' » when the moon shines, when it is much more fre- quent. A low entrai'ce, over which hangs the thick skin of a white bear or of a reindeer, leads into the dwelling-room. There the father and his sons are seen making nets of horsehair, and preparing bows, arrows, spears, &c. ; while the women, seated on the benches or on the ground, are employed in sew- ing the skins which the men have brought home into different garments, in doing which they use the sin- ews of the reindeer instead of thread. Two large iron kettles are hanging over the fire, in which fish is boiling for 'he dogs. One of the women is en- gaged in preparing the frugal supper, which usually consists either of fish, or of reindeer meat boiled or fried in train oil. As an occasional delicacy, they have baked cakes of fish-roe, or of dried and finely- pounded mw^^wn^, which are their substitute for meal. The cakes are sometimes flavoured with finely-chop- ped fish-bellies, or with reindeer meat and powder- ed makarscha^ mixed with train oil. If a travelling gaest chances to arrive, the best that the larder af- fords is produced ; struganina^ the hesijukola, smoked remdeer tongues, melted reindeer fat, frozen Jakuti butter, frozen moros'kho^ &c. The table, which Bumds at the upper end of the ap nment, is cover- ed, instead of a cloth, with several folds of an old fishing-net ; and in plac of napkins, thin rolled-up shavings of wood are used : this last, however, may be considered a town refinement. Salt seldom ap- pears ; and when it is produced, it is only for the guest : the natives never use it, and even dislike it. In the little towns of Nishne and Sredne Kolymsk, the richer people have tea and Chinese sugar-candy : and ju/^t/Za ar& eaten at tea instead of biscuit. Bread is everywhere rare. From the meal, which is so dear that only the more wealthy can buy it, a drink called saturan is prepared : the meal is roasted in a pan, and butter or tram oii mixed with it so as to RELIGIOUS FESTIVALS. 86 :h more fre- bnng It to a paste, which is then thinned by the ad- dition of boiling water. When this drink is careful- ly made, and with good bui er, it has an agreeable flavour, and is very nourishing and warming : it may be compared to Rumford's "spare soup." It is drunk hot, like tea, out of glasses or cups. Among the daily employments of the young women, fetch- ing water for the household occupies a prominent place : they go for this purpose at certain hours of the day to holes cut in the ice, which, like the fount- ains and village wells in Germany and the rest of Europe, are favourite places for gossiping. About noon the daughter of the house puts on her best at- tire, and runs down to the river with her buckets on her little sledge, where, while she is filling them, she hears and tells the news of the day. Occasion- ally some of the young men are present ; and if one of them fills and carries the water- vessels, it is look- ed upon as the omen of an intended marriage. Swatki* and Easter time, and parti ; hi Jirly the Masslamzuy give a temporaiy animation to :iiv. oth- erwise monotonous life. On Christmas and Easter days the bells ring, and the inhabitants go to church m their best attire: after the service is over, the priest visits each cottage separately, and blesses it, sprinkhng it with holy water.f During the Swaiki and the Masslamza, there are frequent evening par- ties lor conversation, games, singing, and sometimes * Swatki is the time from Christmas to the feast of the three holy kings (twelfth night). Masslaniza is the week before *"V.u- ^" are seasons of general festivity throughout Russia T 1 nis IS a general custom thoughout Russia : every new house, before it is occupied, is blessed by the priest, and from time to time the ceremony is renewed. Nor is it confined to dwellings : almost every kind of structure, public or private must undergo such purification. There is doubtless much of fKoi"!r '? ^his ceremony, and still we cannot but respect the religious feehng from which it is derived ; it brings to mind he saymg of the Psalmist : E.c^t the Lord Lid /S W% labour m vam that hmhl if — Ay« pA ' * H I ll 86 wrangell's polar expedition. fil 111 .' dancing, for which last, however, their huts are but poorly adapted. On these occasions they have a supper, at which tea is drunk in great quantities, ten cups apiece being quite conimon ; of course it is taken without milk, and almost without sugar, on account of its great price, one little piece only be- ing given to each individual, which suffices him for all that he drinks. A few rich people make use of teapots; but generally the tea is boiled in a large V.p le, to make it go farther. Next to tea, brandy .a the greatest request at these parties, and is >^'^- letimes drunk in large quantities, notwithstanding I J very high price. At the Masslaniza, they indulge in the Russian f stimes of sledging and sliding down ice-hills; a curious tribute to national customs, inasmuch as they never drive in any other vehicles than sledges, and over no other roads than snow and ice. Such is the monotonous hfe of the inhabitants of these icy deserts. Happily for them, they have no idea of any other enjoyments ; and if the fisheries and hunting excursions have been productive, so that they are safe from hunger, and if tea and bran- dy are not wanting, they are content, and in their way to a certain degree happy. The inhabitants of Nishne Kolymsk are a vigorous race, usually above the middle height, and well looking. They have few diseases, and one sees among them many who have preserved their activity to old age. This is probably due in a great measure to the necessity they are under of taking strong exercise, and of be- ing much in the open air. The walking in snow- shoes is particularly beneficial, by bringing the mus- cular powers into full action. The scurvy, which rages so dreadfully to the westward, is very rare here, which may be owing, possibly, to the provis- ions being frozen instead of salted. a NISHNE KOLYMSK. 87 CHAPTER IV. Nishne Kolymsk.— Domestic Arrangements.-rPreparations for Prosecuting the Objects of the Expedition.— Well-founded Doubts respecting the Discoveries of Sergeant Andreiew.— Ar- rival of the English Traveller, Captain Cochrane.— The New Year.— Evening Party.— Arrival of the Pilot Kosmin.- Prep- arations for a Journey with Dogs and Sledges.— Necessary Deviation from the Original Plan.— Tidings of the Arrival of the Tschuktschi on the Lesser Aniuj.— Departure of M. Mati- uschkin for Ostrownoje. Nishne Kolymsk was founded, according to Fish- er, in 1644, on the northern arm of the river, where a small fortress or ostrog, a church, and some jurti were built. The settlement was subsequently re- moved to its present site, on a low island in the oth- er branch, which is of more convenient access. It is situated, according to our observations, in lat. 68° 32', and long. 160® 35^ The variation of the magnet- ic needle is here 9° 66^ E., and the dip 77° 33i' N. The river at this place is three wersts broad. The view to the south is bounded by the Aniuj Mountains, which are connected with the Pantelejew range, and the Surowoj rocks : to the north and west the eye loses itself in the barren Tundra. The ostrog consists of a wooden palisade, with small towers at the four corners, and within which is a large building, where the authorities of the place re- side, and where there are magazines for the most part empty : two of these still contain some stores which were prepared for the expedition of Lieuten- ant Laptew* in 1739, and for the vessels of Captains * Laptew spent three years in examining the coast west of Uie Lena. — Am. Ed. 89 wrangell's polar expedition. Billings and Sarytschew. Besides thn osirog, the village consi.'- is of a church and forty-two houses. My house, which was one of the largest in the place, consisted of two rooms, each twelve feet square. The outer room, with a stove, was assign- ed to my attendants, and served also as a kitchen ; the inner one, which had an open hearth, I took for myself : each room had a small window with a thick plate of ice. A bench for a bed, a little rickety ta- ble, and a wooden stool, constituted my furniture : a porch which I built outside somewhat lessened the cold of the house, and was very useful as a storeroom. Half an hour after my arrival, M. Matiuschkin re- turned from the mouth of the Kolyma, where he had been to see what could be spared to us from the produce of the fishery. It may well be supposed that we were not a little rejoiced to meet, and that we had a thousand things to ask and to tell each other. To my great disappointmerii. I learned that when he arrived at Sredne Kolyn sk., on the 2d of October, he found that the con iai^Kioner of that place had not even begun to execui ? the instructions which he had received in the summer from the gov- ernor at Jakuzk relative to our expedition. No store of fish had been procured, nor any materials for the erection of an observatory ; neither had any steps been taken, as I had desired, towards the es- tablishment of a winter-house and deposite of pro- visions at the Baranow rocks. The commissioner's only excuse was, that he had not r apposed we should actually arrive this year. Our operations must have been even more seri- ously deranged than they were by this neglect, but for the energetic and successful exertions of M. Ma- tiuschkin. During his short stay he had collected more than half the necessary provision of fish ; and in spite of the intense cold, which made the carpen- ter's axe snap like glass, he had got a tower erected hkin re- e he had rom the upposed and that ell each tied that le 2d of of that ructions the gov- n. No laterials had any the es- of pro- sioner's sed we re seri- ect, but M.Ma- ollected 5h; and carpen- erected PREPARAT*ON.<^ FOR THE JOURNEY. on the flat roof of my house for an c servai^iy, with indows to the four cardinal poit tg. it was comp ett « 1 few days after my arrival, and the in Btruments lOr the necessary .istronomical observa- tions placed in it. My first care was ^irect -d Lo ob- taining what was necessary fo^ our journey; and for tins purpose 1 invited the richest people of the place, and the elders of the differ«^nt tribus along the neighbouring rivers, to meet me on an appointed day. Th( y came on the ?uui of November, and our first step wuo to form a tariff of prices, which was entirely satisfactory to the inhabitants We next discussed what articles each would bo able to fur- nish, and at av at time. The Juk hiri of the Aniuj, who had had u v<^ry r cessful reindeer hunt, were to supply the sk ns necessary for winter tent, and a great quanti of reindeer boj which were to be pounded for he dogs. The juKahiri of the Omolon offered to provide a good boat, built of birch-wood, and the materials for making sledges ; and the settlers along the Kolyma were to furnish frozen fish. The dried fish had to be brought from 800 wersts up the river, where the fishery had been more productive than near the mouth. There still remained a most essential point, the providing a sufficient number of good dogs to draw the sledges. This was undertaken by a Cossack who had accom- panied M. Hedenstrom, and who was generally con- sidered to have more knowledge than any one else of the qualities and the proper management of these animals. Everything was now in train, and nothing re- mained but that they should all fulfil their engage- ments. I met with many difliculties in this respect, however, which were increased by a sort of distrust entertained by the people in respect to payment, and by the want of good- will on the part of the lo- cal authorities. The commissioner of the district made every eflfort to discourage us. He represent- IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) v.^ 1.0 1.1 IU12.8 Ui Uii 12.2 ^ 1^ 12.0 IL25 iU IIm ill 1.6 Ta /a M o / Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSTER, N.Y, 14580 (716) 872-4S03 90 wrangell's polau expedition. ed the poverty of the inhabitants to be stich, that our extensive demands would overburden their re- sources ; and described, in the most exaggerated terms, the difficulties and dangers we should have to encounter. He assured us the dogs were too weak^ and their drivers inexperienced and untrustworthy ; and dwelt on the barbarity of the Tschuktschi, whom he described as the most dangerous and cruel of men. Though I attached but little importance to his accounts of the perils that awaited us, I did not feel at hberty, without farther knowledge of the subject, to disregard his repeated representations of the injury which he said would be done to the in* habitants by complying with my requisitions. I ac- cordingly abated them so much that we ourselves subsequently suffered. In the following years, how- ever, when I had become well acquainted with the circumstances of the country, I found that I could procure all that was necessary for the expedition, not only without injury, but with positive advan- tage to the inhabitants. My instructions from the Admiralty directed that we should proceed the first year to Cape Schelag- skoj, where the expedition was to be divided into two parts ; that with one of these I should advance in search of the Northern land, which the Cossack Andrejew was supposed to have seen, and that the other division, with an officer, should continue the examination of the coast as far to the eastward as circumstances would permit. To do this we should require fifty sledges, six hundred dogs, and at least forty days' provision ; and as it was necessary to start in February, there remained only three months for preparation. We endeavoured to collect from the inhabitants all the information they could give us relative to the country, and everything that was remembered among them respecting earlier travellers, having any bearing on the objects we had in view. They DISCOVERIES OP ANDREJEW. 91 knew a great deal about the three officers* who were here in 1767, but could tell us very little about Sergeant Andrejew, who was here only five years before, t. e., in 1763. They had learijed, generally, that he had been to the Indigirka, and afterward to the Bear Islands, but were ignorant of his supposed 43iscoveries, which were included in our most recent charts ; and when we spoke of a land north of the Bear Islands, and of traces of a numerous nomade race in that direction, they treated it as a fable. Some of their own people had accompanied Andre- jew on that journey: how then could the discovery and existence of a large inhabited land have been either unknown or forgotten among them ?t Many circumstances were related to us respecting Paw- luzki's proceedings as early as 1731. These and similar inquiries, the duties of the ob- servatory, practising in driving sledges, experiments on the distances which our dogs could travel in a given time, and various other preparations for our journey, so fully occupied us, that the time passed rapidly away. The polar night had set in on the 22d of November ; and the beauty of the varied forms of the Aurora, seen on the deep azure of the clear northern sky, was a source of unwearied en- joyment to us almost every evening. On the 2d of December, probably in consequence of the violent west and northwest winds, the water from the sea was suddenly driven into the Kolyma with such force as to produce an opposite current to that of the river, flooding the banks, breaking up the ice, and carrying away the fishing-nets which * Geodets Leontjew, Lyssow. and Pushkarow. *v^ '^*^®u**^^°""^ ^^^®" ^^ Andrejew was, that, after driving to ttie north, on the ice, about fifty wersts from the mouth of the Krestowoi. they discovered a group of inhabited islands, con- tammg traces of a much more numerous population at some former period : among other things, he mentions the remains of a fort.— .dm. Ed. 92 wrangell's polar expedition. had been placed beneath it. The owners of the neti comforted themselves with the hope, however, that the influx of water would bring with it such a quan* tity of fish, that the increased productiveness of the winter-fishery would more than compensate for the loss of their nets ; and so it proved. The 31st of December surprised us with the ar* rival of the well-known Enghsh pedestrian, Captain Cochrane.* We were all not a little pleased by this agreeable addition to our very limited circle ; sub- jects of conversation were abundant, and we sat talking till long after the beginning of the new year, which came in with a temperature of — 51**. The noonday sun, which ought to have been just visible above the horizon, was intercepted by the hills >^hich bound the plain ; a gray mist lay heavy on the snow-covered surface ; the sky became of a whitish colour, and the cold increased on the 3d and 4th of January to — 55o, and on the 6th the ther- mometer stood for twenty-four hours at — 67o. Breathing became difficult, and the panes of ice in the windows cracked. Though sitting close to a large fire, we were not able to lay aside any part of our fur-clothing ; and when I wanted to write I had to keep the inkstand in hot water. At night, when the fire was allowed to go out for a short time, our bedclothes became covered with a thick snow-like rime, and my guest, in particular, always complained in the morning that his nose was frozen. The nearest mountains to the south appeared un- der all sorts of singular forms, and the more distant * He had not only been hospitably entertained everywhere by the way, but the governor at Jakuzk had given him a Cossack to accompany him to Nishne Kolymsk, and that part of his foot- journey, at least, was made on horseback and m sledges, free of expense. He expressed a wish to join our expedition over the ice ; but the great difficulty of obtaining means of transport, Erovisions, &c., for each individual, made me consider it advisa* le to decline the offer. CELEBRATION OP TWELFTH NIGHT. 93 ones as though they were inverted, with their sum- mits downward; while the river was apparently- narrowed to such a degree, that the opposite bank seemed to be close in front of our houses. As the continued intensity of the cold made it impossible to go on with their business of placing nets under the ice, the inhabitants returned from fishing at the mouth of the river. Still the street seemed deserted, for no one who could help it stir- red from the fireside ; late in the evening especial- ly, when the deathlike silence was only broken, at regular intervals, by the howling of some hundreds of sledge-dogs. We were told that in former years, when the fish- eries were more productive, and great numbers of elks visited the Kolmya, Nishne Kolymsk had been remarkable for its winter-festivities; but the inhabi- tants complained that these were quite at an end. To afford them a little enjoyment in this way, and to show our guest some of the amusements of the place, I invited all the principal inhabitants for Twelfth Night, and engaged for the evening one of the best and roomiest houses, which belonged to a Cossack who could play the violin. The assembly- room, which was about eighteen feet square, was lighted up with train-oil lamps, the walls were or- namented with a little drapery, and the floor was strewed with yellow sand. The refreshments for the ladies were tea, some lumps of white sugar, and cedar-nuts. The supper consisted of fish-cakes, struganinay dried fish, and frozen reindeer marrow. Our guests arrived at five o'clock, in their best furs, and, after the first burst of admiration at our ar- rangements, the ladies took their seats and began to sing national songs ; afterward the younger ones played at various games, and danced with slow and apparently laborious effort to the sound of the old hunter's violin. At ten o'clock the company took 'I I 1^ 94 wrangell's polar expedition. i ment ; nor were these mere words of course, for a year or two after they still spoke of our agreeable and brilliant party as a bright spot in their remem- brance. Next day we went to visit the remains of the two vessels of Captain Billings, which a flood had ear- ned to some distance inland from the river. Though they had been exposed for nearly fifty years to the weather, the wood was still sound. On the 2d of February, the pilot Kosmin arrived with a large quantity of necessaries for the expedi- tion, which he had brought from Jakuzk. He had taken advantage of the slowness of his journey to draw up an exact topographical description of the almost unknown country through which he passed. Besides more important matters, he brought us a welcome and long-untasted addition to our very scanty bill of fare, namely, forty pounds of frozen reindeer meat, and some milk and cream frozen, as IS customary in Siberia, in round cakes, which keep good for a long time. We were now approaching the most animated pe- riod of the year at Nishne Kolymsk, namely, when the caravan from Jakuzk, consisting of about twen- ty merchants, each with from ten to forty horses loaded with goods, halt here for a few days, on their way to the great Tschuktschi fair at Ostrownoje, and dispose of part of their wares to the inhabitants of the distnct, who assemble from a great distance. The richer traders now hasten their return from the banks of the Omolon, where they have passed the month of January in obtaining from the wandering Tungusi a large quantity of furs in exchange for a little tea, tobacco, and brandy. The Tungusi have a strong passion for the latter, and the traders too often avail themselves to the utmost of this weak* ness. The prices this year were ; PRICES OF FUHS. 95 ":f^r^ 8 to 10 Black fox White stone-fox Blue fox Sable* . 60 " 160 2| " 3 • • . . . 7 " 10 10 " 26 The prices of the principal articles brought by the Jakuzk merchants were as follows : 1 lb. Circassian leaf tobacco 1 lb. white sugar .... 1 lb. Chinese sugar-candy . 1 lb. of tea of an inferior quality lib. of fine thread ... 1 piece of kitajka (Chinese cotton), 7 yard's, or* 9 arschinsf 1 piece of half-silk stuff, about 17 yards 1 arschin of coarse linen . 1 figured cotton handkerchief . Boubles. 3k 4* 3 9 3t 10 60 1 6 The superintendent of the district usually arrives soon after the beginning of the fair, for the purpose 01 embracing this favourable opportunity for<;ollect- ing the crown dues : he likewise examines and de- cides any differences there may be among the in- habitants ; and thus his visit, by giving scope to tneir litigious disposition, often brings dissension Where cheerfulness and harmony before orevailed. Meanwhile we had succeeded in obtaining a large quantity of fish for ourselves and our dogs. The supply for the latter was estimated at 81,944 her- nngs.J As the time for our departure approached, I found tnat It would be impossible to obtain for another ift9iT^I P"f®^ °^ ®^^^®^ ^*^ neatly in different years. In 15 roSblel. '" *'°^' ^ '''"^^^^' ""^^ '" ^^^ following year only + 7J^^ ? j®®]*^ arschm is twenty-eight inches. heL in'^fi^Hm.Ht *" * S"*n^»ty of reindeer bones. Itis customary fon f^r^? T'*"^ ®"*'*? supplies, to reduce every sort of provis- of JSIk ^^ *° an equivalent number of herrings, eight or ten t':!!":!,!""^^^^^^*^' ^h«" dried, a proper daily ^UowancS 96 wrangell's polar expedition. l>\ \) ' i H t i » .. ',!> <■-*■ : f month the necessary number of drivers, sledges, and, above all, of dogs, for our intended expedition. Un- der these circumstances I decided on employing the intervening time in surveying the coast to the east- ward as far as our means would permit, with the few sledges which were ready, and on sending M . Mati- uschkin for the same period to Ostrownoje, to gain some knowledge of the Tschuktschi who were accus- tomed to resort there to the fair, and to purchase from them* walrus skins and whalebone for our sledges. But that which I especially recommended to him was to endeavour to establish a friendly understand- ing with that suspicious people, and to tranquillize their minds as to the object of our visit to their shores, by informing them that we were in search of a navigable passage by which ships would be able to bring them a larger and cheaper supply of tobac- co and other articles. He also took with him a good stock of tobacco, beads, scissors, &c., &c., as presents to their chiefs. On the 14th of February I despatched my three travelling-sledges, with the proper number of dogs, under the care of three Cossacks, one of whom un- derstood the Tschuktschi language, to an island at the mouth of the eastern branch of the Kolyma, where our provisions were already deposited. While waiting my arrival, the dogs were to be given good food and ample rest, to improve their condition to the utmost. A few days afterward, the Cossack who had been sent by the superintendent to Ostrownoje to give notice of the approach of the Tschuktschi, returned with information that a small party from Tschaun * Thongs of walrus skin are used hero instead of iron fasten- ings, and are very durable : pieces of whalebone under the wooden runners make the sledge glide along the ice far more smoothly, nor are they so liable as wood to be injured by the salt which is left on it, in places where it has been overflowed DEPARTURE OF THE JAKU2K MERCHANTS. 97 Bay had arrived on the 8th of February within an S^s^of a mucTl^' '"' *'"'' '»'ey'"^-eThe?or^ ruimers oi a much more numerous caravan from th» neighbourhood of Behring's Straits The jSuzk W?eds'i!!HLr°I'" "«'y*°°" "x"' their departure in r„,fi .^^^= they were accompanied by the suoer c1^"ar„^^°l}T^M°a£^^^^^ on ineir return to Tschukotskoj Noss and Behrinl 108 wrangell's polar expedition. which we took at the time for a bay, but whcih we discovered in the fohowing year to be a passage be- tween the Continent and an island to which Scha- laurow had given the name of Sabadej. In crossing this strait, about the middle of it we came on some Tschuktschi huts, built of drift larchwood. They were empty, and we could not judge of the direc- tion in which their occupants had gone, as the snow had covered the tracks of their sledges. Though the shore of the mainland is flat, that of the island is steep, and twenty fathoms or more in height. By a meridian altitude of the moon, the latitude of our sleeping-place was 69° 49', and its longitude, determined by distances of the moon from Aldeba- ran^ 168° 04'. Here we found fresh traces of the Tschuktschi, and from the summit of a neighbouring hill we saw an extensive tundra at some distance towards the N.E. During this day's journey we were present- ed with a striking spectacle. In the N.E. horizon there appeared an insulated dark-gray cloud, from which white beams streamed to the zenith, and across it to the opposite honzon, resembhng the beams of the aurora, but whether laminous or not we could not tell, on account of the daylight. The phenomenon lasted about half an hour. One of our Cossacks, who had been before on the Polar Sea, maintained that the cloud was occasioned by vapour rising from a sudden fissure in the ice. On the same evening there was an aurora extending from N.E. to N.W. Next morning the weather was clear, and the temperature —30^. Soon after we started, M. Kos- min thought he could see land in the distance. We immediately ascended a hill, and ascertained that the supposed land was nothing but hummocks of ice piled up beyond a large polynjd, or space of open water, which extended from east to west as far as the eve could reanh. Onrnhse"'«d lqti*"3, and travelled 1128 wersts. Dr. Kyber had arrived from Irkuzk on the 80th of February, but his health had suffered so much from his winter journey that he was unable to accompany us on our next expedition over the ice. M. Matiuschkin returned on the 19th of March, having executed his mission with complete success. The Tschuktschi chiefs were highly gratified with the. presents sent to them, and gave him the strong- est assurances of a friendly reception at their vari- ous settlements. None of them had ever seen or he. i an thing of a land to the north of their own coasts. CHAPTER VI. M. Matiu8chkin*8 Account of the Fair at Ostrownoje.—Remarkf on the Tschuktschi whom he met there, and on the Scha« mans. We left Nishne Kolymsk on the 4th of March, our party consisting of Captain Cochrane and myself, a Cossack, and a .Takut, who understood the Tschukt- schi language, and served as interpreter. After reaching the lesser Aniuj, we followed its course, passing many huts scattered along its banks, the inhabitants of which "d already left them to pro- ceed to the fair; anJ . s eD beaten tracks made by the great number *>f \ is igers in that direction rendered our journey l^ctii nt^iid and .tisy. We ar- FAIR AT 08TR0WN0JB. 115 rived on the 8ih at what is called the Fort of o«- trownoje : a iew huts surrounded by a palisai - u is situated on an island in the lesser Anim, in 196° 10' longitude, and 68° latitude. A great number of persons had already assembled, and the scene was in a high degree animated and cunous, especially at night, when, illuminated by the blazing fires of the various bivouacs and tents, it contrasted with tho caJni brilliancy of the starry canopy above, and the pale-green, reddish, or straw- coloured light nf the incessautly-varj'ing aurora, which was Vxoibie almost every night. The Russian merchants arrived the next day with 126 loaded pack-horses. The Tschuktschi were here before us, and had encamped on the islands and banks of the river. They came from the extreme eastern point of Asia, bringing furs and walrus teeth, which they had crossed Behring's Straits to procure from the inhabitants of the Northwest coast of America. They had with them iheir women and children, their arms, their household goods, and their movable houses of reindeer skin, all conveyed on sledges drawn by reindeer. The journey occupies five or SIX months; for though the distance in a straight hne IS but little more than a thousand worsts, they make long, circuitous routes in search of pasture.* 1 hey also visit two other places,* where a market of inferior importance is held : after remaining eight or ten davs at Ostrownoje, they set off on their re- .UTO,»?o that their life is actually passed on the road, n^lUyving bare y ihe time for necessary preparations t-u -ur their visits to the American coast. These are made in baidars, or boats formed of skins. The frequent storms and fogs render the passage danger- ous in such frail vessels, and they usually stop on ♦ Anadyrsk and Kammenoje, at both which places the great lair used to be held : its removal to Ostrownoje, which took ^M forty yeaiv ago, is a great convenienc© and advantage to 116 wrangell's polar expedition. the way at the Gwosdew Islands. The trade is an exceedingly profitable one, both to the Russians and to the Tschuktschi. The latter are, indeed, httle more than carriers, bartering the Russian tobacco, hardware, and beads for furs and other articles. Furs which they obtain from the Americans for half a pood of tobacco, they will dispose of to the Rus- sians for two pood of the same article, making their profit in the transaction 300 per cent. The same two pood of tobacco may cost the Russian trader 160 roubles at the outside, and he sells the furs ob- tained with it for at least 260 roubles, leaving him a profit of 62 per cent. These furs consist chiefly of black and silver-gray fox, stone-fox, lynx, wolverine, river-otter, beaver, and a species of marten unknown in Siberia, of remarkable beauty, and nearly resem- bling the sable in the nature and colour of the fur. Besides these, the Tschuktschi bring from America bearskins, thongs of walrus skin, and walrus teeth. They add nothing of their own except whalebone sledge-runners, a large quantity of clothing made by them from the skins of their reindeer, and bags of sealskin in which they pack the American furs. The wares brought by the Russians are nearly all selected with reference to the taste and wants of the Tschuktschi. With the exception of a little tea, sugar, and cloth for the settlers of their own nation who may visit the fair, they consist of tobacco and different kinds of hardware, such as kettles, hatch- ets, knives, &c., and beads of various colours. The traders would bring brandy in large quantities if they were not restrained by a wise and beneficent regu- lation of the government, though some of it is, not- withstanding, clandestinely introduced, and bought by the Tschuktschi at almost incredible prices : they call it wild-making-water; and some will give the most beautiful foxskins, valued at 250 roubles, for a conple of bottles of bad brandy, which cost only a ^w roubles at Jakuzk. The fair is also visited by OPENING OP THE PAIR. 117 the different native tribes of a district above lOOO wersts in extent, Jukahiri, LamuU, Tungusi, Tschu- wanzi, and Koraki. The variety in their d^ess and equipments adds greatly to the animation and inter- est of the scene. ulu^"^? ^^® ^^^L ^®fi^^"» *^® principal persons on both sides assembled to fix the prices fof the differ- ent wares. After much discussion, it was settled tnat two pood of Circassian tobacco should be rated at sixteen fox and twenty marten skins, and other articles in proportion : any one known to sell below the established prices is made to pay a fine, and loses the right of trafficking during the remainder of ine lair. VVithout some such regulation, the avidity 01 the Russian traders would lead them to spoU their market by too eager a competition. On the 11th of February the fair was opened by hoisting a flag over the gate of the ostro^. At this signal tiie Tschuktschi advanced in order, fully armed with spears, bows, and arrows, and ranged themselves, with their sledges and goods, in a semi- circle in front of the fort, where the Russians, with ine other tribes, awaited the ringing of a bell, to give notice that the traffic might begin. The moment it sounded, it seemed as if an electric shock had run through the whole of the party in the fort. Old and young, men and women, all rushed forward in mad confusion towards the Tschuktschi; every one endeavouring to be first at the sledges to obtain tne best, and to dispose of his own wares to the greatest advantage. The Russians were much the most eager of the whole : they might be seen drag^ ging with one hand a heavy bag of tobacco, and carrying m the other a couple of kettles, while hatchets, kmves, wooden and metal pipes, long strings of beads, &c., &c., were stuck round thei? girdles or hanging over their shoulders, as thev ran !;?i'!,£^^^? >^ ?l^dg«' proclaiming their wares in a and jlutT'"'''* '^ ^ '^'^"^^^ °*^ **'^'^'^'^' Tschuktschi, •51 118 wrangell's polar expedition. The noise, press, and confusion defy all description Many were thrown down by the throng in the deep snow, and run over by their competitors ; and though some of them lost their cap and gloves in the fall, instead of stopping to recover them, they might be seen with bare heads and hands in a temperature of —35°, intent only on making up for ^ost time by re- doubled activity. The excessive eagerness of the Russians was exhibited in remarkable contrast with the composure and self-possession of the Tschukt- schi, who stood quietly by their sledges, and made no reply to the torrent of words poured forth by their customers until a proposal met their approba- tion, when the exchange was effected at once. It appeared to us that their calmness gave them a great advantage over the Russians. They had no scales, but judged the weight very accurately by the hand, xhe average value of the goods brought to this fair is said to be nearly 200,000 roubles : it lasts about three days, and at its close the various parties dis- perse. I availed myself of the first assembly in the os- trog to converse with the principal chiefs in relation to our intended journey to their country and its ob- jects. The persons of most note in this confer- ence were Makamok and Leutt, from the Bay of St. Lawrence ; Waletka, whose countless herds of rein- deer feed to the east of Cape Schelagskoj, and Ewraschka, whose tribe lead a nomadic life near Tschaun Bay. I told them that the emperor had sent us to examine the coasts of the Icy Sea for the purpose of discovering whether and by what route vessels could reach the shores, and bring them such articles as they required in greater abundance and at a cheaper rate than they could obtain them at present ; and I asked if, in the course of these re- searches, we should meet with their people, wheth- er we might reckon on a friendly reception, and on CAPTAIN COCHRANE. 119 which would be amply rewarded. Of this I received from all the chiefs the fullest and most satisfactory assurances. Captain Cochrane, however, was less successful. He represented himself as a merchant who wished to travel through their country to the Bay of St. Lawrence, and to cross over from thence to Ameri- ca ; and offered to give them a suitable remunera- tion of tobacco and brandy for a safe passage. Leutt demanded no less than thirty pood of tobac- co to convey him by the month of June to Mets- chigmenskisch Bay. Waletka, on the other hand, offered to take him without recompense to the River Werkon, where he would recommend him to anoth- er chief, who would either forward him to Behring's Straits, or, if he preferred, bring him back to Os- trownoje the next year. If Leutt's demand was exorbitant, the disinterestedness of Waletka's propo- sal appeared somewhat suspicious. Captain Coch- rane saw, moreover, that they were a people among whom he would have much to suffer, and from whom he could learn but little, as he was entirely ignorant of their language. He also judged, from their rude and passionate character, that he would run some risk of being deserted by them, or even of being put to death ; and, on the whole, he determined to return to Nishne Kolymsk. The Tschuktschi are in many respects a very pe- culiar race, and are but little known. They have rarely been visited by persons of observation, and even these have contented themselves with descri- bing their personal appearance, and a few striking ceremonies. A long residence, and a knowledge of the language, would be requisite to obtain correct views as to their modes of life and general charac- ter. I cannot pretend to supply this deficiency, but I may furnish towards it the little I could learn on the present and on other occasions, either directly frOnn t.llPmaplvf>Q fff\m mtr /Mxm r%KoA*.iro*i/^n A*. f^nn\ M if t i 1 M 3 1 I 1 1 ISO WRANGJJLL's polar EXPEDITlOlf. the accounts given by the Russian settlers who ai*e Iheir neighbours. They have retained their original national peculiarities far beyond any other race in Northern Asia. Their weakness has taught them to cultivate peace, and their severe encounters with the conquerors of Siberia have greatly narrowed the limits of the territory within which they wander free and independent. As with all uncivilized peo- ple, their wants are few : their reindeer supply them with food, clothing, and shelter; and they regard with contempt the other aborigines who are content to live under Russian domination. Before the con- quest of Siberia they were constantly at war with their neighbours ; nevertheless, they made common cauae against the invaders ; but the strife was too unequal, and, although they had been always accus- tomed to victory in conflicts with the weaker tribes, they were then fain to retire into deserts diflicult of access, and offering little to tempt farther intrusion. It was long, however, before any peaceful commer- cial intercourse took place ; and when it did, it was at first only on the confines of their own territory, where they came in strong force and completely armed. They have gradually acquired more confi- dence in the friendly intentions of the Russians, and they now come with their wives and children some distance within the boundaries of the latter. This intercourse, by making them acquainted with milder nianners, has in some degree softened their fierce character ; and, no doubt, in process of time, they will assimilate more and more to the Russians, until at length they unite with them, as their neighbours have done. A great number of the Tschuktschi have been already baptized, but it must be admitted that they are as much heathens as ever, and have not the slightest idea either of the doctrines, or of the spirit cf Chnstianity. A priest from Nishne Kolymsk at- tends the fair, and is ready to baptize any who offer themselves, which numbers arc indn^oH irt^r. BARBAROUS STATE OP THE TSCHUKTSCHI. 181 to obtain the presents which it is customary to make them on the occasion.* No instruction is given them, and it is scarcely possible that any should be, so long as their present wandering mode of life con- tinues ; nor is their language, which is not understood by the priests, a less formidable obstacle. The St. Petersburgh Bible Society attempted the translation of the Ten Commandments, the Lord's Prayer, the Creed, and, if I mistake not, one of the Gospels, into a Tschuktschi dialect, printed in Russian char- acters; but partly from the language being totally deficient in w^ords to express new and abstract ideas, and partly for want of letters to represent the strange and uncouth sounds that are found in it, I was assu- red by those capable of forming an opinion on the subject, that the version was wholly imintelligible. Polygamy is general among them, and they change their wives as often as they please. Still, though the women are certainly slaves, they have more in- fluence, and are subjected to less labour, than with many other savage nations. Among other heathen- ish and detestable customs is the inhuman one of de- stroying all deformed children, and even those who appear too delicate easily to rear, and all their old people, as soon as they become unfit for the fatigues and hardships of a nomade life. Two years ago there was an instance of this in the case of one of their wealthiest and most respected chiefs. Walet- ka's father became infirm and tired of life, and was put to death at his own express desire by some of his nearest relations. Every tribe and every caravan is accompanied by one or more schamans, who are consulted on all important occasions, and their decisions are rare- ly controverted. The extent of their power was * This is a profenation of that hallowed rite which cannot be too severely reprobated. What claims to Christianity can it» professed ministers have, who thus prostitute their sacred oflke, Smu icckieBsly violate all its obiigatioiis T—iim, jfcU i -^1 I ■41 122 wrangell's polar expedition* shown, among other instances, by a terrible exhibi. tion of It at Ostrownoje fair in 1814. A siidden and violent disease broke out, and it carried off not only many of the Tschuktschi themselves, but also a great number of reindeer, which form their chief wealth. After having in vain had recourse to their usual conjurations, drummings, and jumpings, the schamans held a general consultation among them- selves, m which it was determined that one of the most honoured chiefs, whose name was Kotschen, must be sacrificed to appease the incensed spirits. Kotschen, however, was so highly respected by the whole nation, that, notwithstanding the implicit obedience usually rendered to the commands of the schamansy their decision on this occasion was reject- ed. But, as the sickness continued to rage, and as neither presents, menaces, nor severe treatment* were of any avail in inducing the schamans to chanse their resolution, Kotschen himself, like another Cur- tius, declared his willingness to submit. Still, so great was the love borne to him by all, that no one could be found who was willing to execute the sen- tence until at last his own son, prevailed on by his fathers entreaties, and terrified by his threatened curse, plunged a knife into his heart, and gave the body to the jc^awan^. ® It is remarkable that Schamanism has no settled dogmas of any kind ; it is not a system of belief taught or handed down from one to another, but, though so widely diffused, seems to originate with each individual separately, as the fruit of a highly- excited imagination, acted upon by external impres- sions, which, in their character, closely resemble each other throughout the deserts of Northern Si- * It is not unusual to chastise a schaman severely, in order to induce him to withdraw or aher a sentence which he mav have CfoSd;?"1, '}"/ n'TP' ^""^^'•'"^^ succeeds; bTi? hi hereby ' reputation is sure to b4 enhanced THE STCHAMANS. 123 bena. The schamans have been represented as being universally mere knavish deceivers ; and no doubt thisistrueof many of them, who go about the coun- try exhibiting all kinds of juggling tricks to obtain presents ; but the history of not a few is, I believe, very different. Certain individuals are born with ardent imaginations and excitable nerves. They grow up amid a general belief in ghosts, schamans, and mysterious powers exercised by the latter. The credulous youth is strongly affected, and aspires to participate in these supernatural communications and powers ; but no one can teach him how he shall do so. He retires, therefore, from his fellows ; his imagination IS powerfully wrought upon by solitude ; by the contemplation of the gloomy aspect of sur- rounding nature ; by long vigils and fasts, and by the use of narcotics and stimulants, until he becomes persuaded that he too has seen the mysterious ap- paritions of which he has heard from his boyhood. He IS then received as a schaman, with many cere- monies, performed in the silence and darkness of the night, is given the magic drum, &c. Still, all his actions continue, as before, to be the result of his individual character. A true schaman, therefore, is not a cool and ordinary deceiver, but rather a psycho- logical phenomenon, by no means unworthy of at- tention. Always after seeing them operate,%ey nave left on my mind a long-continued and gloomy impression. The wild look, the bloodshot eyes, the labouring breast, the convulsive utterance, the seemingly involuntary distortion of the face and Whole body, the streaming hair, the hollow sound of the drum, all conspired to produce the effect ; and I can well conceive that these should appear to the superstitious and ignorant savage as the work of evil spirits. Leaving this subject, I proceed to give some ac- count of the Tschuktschi camp. The tent of a chief may be nlSt.in01lisIl<»/1 orvirtrt/T Av^^T *'»~ * * U m •M %5i 124 WRANGELL S POLAR EXPEDITION. its greater size and height. It was usually pitched near a tree, on the branches of which hung bows, arrows, quivers, clothing, skins, and household arti- cles ; and a few choice reindeer were tethered near it, and fed with fine moss. Fires were burning in the open air as well as in the tents ; and men and women, clothed in furs and covered with hoar-frost, were moving about as gayly as if it were summer, in a cold of — 41°. The tents, called nametj have an opening in the centre for the smoke to escape, and within them are one or more pologs or small sheds. The polog is a sort of square box, formed of skins stretched over laths, and so low that persons inside can only sit on the ground, or, at the most, move a little on their knees. It has no opening for admitting air or light, and is entered by creeping through the smallest pos- sible aperture, which is then carefully closed. An earthen vase filled with train oil, and furnished with a wick of moss, gives light and warmth, and the heat of this place is so great, that the occupants wear scarcely any clothing during the most intense cold. There are often two or three of these pologs under one nametf each containing one of the wives of the master of the tent, with her children. Leutt invited me to pay him a visit, and I rejoiced at an opportunity of seeing something of their do- mestic arrangements ; but, as soon as I had succeed- ed in creeping into the polog, I was wellnigh suffo- cated by the fumes from the stinking oil, and the evaporation from six almost naked people. My awkward entrance and disconcerted air excited the merriment of my host's wife and daughter, who were engaged in decking their hair with beads in honour of my visit. They placed before me some reindeer meat in a dirty wooden vessel, adding a ht- tle rancid oil to improve the flavour : I was obliged to get down a morsel or two of it, while my host ex- patiated on the excellence of his wife's cookery in GAMES OP THE TSCHUKTSCHI. 125 broken Russian, swallowing at the same time a quan- tity of meat and broth, without salt, to which^ tWs people have a great aversion. I shonened my stay ZTa^ as possible, but my clothes retained for many days the smell of the polog. It is wonderful LT«n7f"." ""^"^^ such ap^estiferous atmosphere and still It does not seem to injure their health, fo^ ThYvrp5i,r"*'-\'*^iy/*^°\^ ^^ ^''&^'«"« race' Ihey are distinguished from the other Asiatic tribes by their stature and by their physiognomy, which fl5!?^T.i° T *° '^'^"^^^^ ^^^' o^ the AmenTans, sSS:??:^o^^^^ They can them. Another Tschuktschi chief, named Makomol, in- n!^iT '° ^^^ l^^""? J*^ t^^ *^^ "ear his camp, and came for me m his sledge. We found a number of persons assembled to witness the contest, and lininff both sides of the course The three prizes con^st? ed of a blue foxskin, a beaver skin, and two partic- ularly fine walrus teeth. At a given signal the competitors started, and we could not but admire the surprising fleetness of the reindeer, as well as the skill of the drivers. The victors were loudly ap- plauded by the whole assembly, but especially by their countrymen, whose suffrages they appeared principally to value. j ff ^^ The sledge-race was followed by a foot-race Which I thought still more curious in its way The ' runners were clad in the usual heavy, cumbrous fur dress, in which we moved with difficulty, yet they bounded as hghtly and swiftly over the snow as our best runners m their light jackets and thin shoes. I was particularly struck by the length of the race, Z.J^. ""^ISk ^^^^ ^^^"^ scarcely less than fifteen wersts. The victors received prizes of inferior val- ue, and some slight applause ; the Tschuktschi ap- F« f ?"^i^ ^^^^^^ ^ ™"^^ ^'^^^^ honour to success m the sledge-race. After the games were ended the Whole party were entertained with boiled rfiindppr ha H fj 136 wranoell's polar expedition. meat, cut up in small pieces, and served in large wooden bowls placed on the snow. Every one came to receive his portion, and the order and quiet- ness which prevailed were quite remarltable : nei- ther during the races nor at the meal which follow- ed did I see any crowding, pushing, or quarrelling. Indeed, the general good behaviour was such as is not always met with in more civilized countries on similar occasions. The next day a large party of Tschuktschi, both men and women, came to visit and take leave of me. I had nothing to set before the ladies except tea and sugar-candy : they were pleased with the sugar, but would not touch the tea. After this scanty enter^ tainment I distributed among them blue, red, and white beads, and the good-humour of the party was such that the females offered to show me one of their dances. They stood up in a circle, moving their feet and body backward and forward without changing their place, and beating the air with their hands. After this three distinguished performers commenced a favourite national dance, which was much admired by the spectators generally ; but we strangers could see only three misshapen oily fig- ures, who made a number of frightful grimaces, and jumped to and fro until exhaustion obliged them to desist.^ The interpreter recommended that a small cup of brandy and a little tobacco should be given to each of the three dancers. This was done ; and the whole party soon after dispersed, with repeated invitations to visit them in their own country. The sixth day after our arrival the fair terminated. The chiefs paid me one more formal visit, for the pur- pose of renewing their assurances of a friendly re- ception, and then took their departure in five or six different caravans : the rest of the assemblage sep- arated in various directions at the same time ; and the next fall of snow obliterated all traces of the busy scene, the loneliness of which was only disturb-^ SECOND ICE JOVRNBY. 127 edby the foxes and wolverines, who resorted there to look for bones and other remnants of food that might have been left. ' I quitted Ostrownoje on the 16th of March ; and w fn^T ^^^ ^^^"^ refreshed by good food and nf tro^^n ^^^ ®"°''' "^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^«» ^y the number f J M t"®'& our journey was a rapid one ; we reach- ed Nishne Kolymsk in three days. CHAPTER VII. Second Ice Journey.~Preparation8.--PIan.---Departure.~Bcar. Sr'Tf ''? Enc^n^Pment on the Ice of the Polar Sea.-Pou; rillw I8land.--Ice broken up and covered with Sea- Water — Huinmock8.--Depo8ite of Provisions.-State of the Ice — neTolymS ^^''""-'^^^ »«*' Wande-Retum 1o wW The preparations for our second journey over the ice resembled m most particulars those already de- scribed, bemg only much more extensive, as our journey was intended to be much longer, and our party more numerous. Some additional articles, however, appeared to be requisite on the present oc- casion, as our nightly halts would be made on the ice at a distance from land, and we might expect irequently to encounter hummocks of ice similar to those we had met with at Schelagskoj Noss. ine advanced season rendered it also probable that we might sometimes find the snow imperfectly fro- zen. On these accounts we took with us crowbars for breaking the ice, a portable boat made of skins for crossing lanes of open water, and a quantity of whalebone to bind under the runners of our sledees whenever we came to places either covered with wn snow, or with crvstals of salt i^ft hv th, 128 WRANOELL 8 POLAR EXPEDITION. flowing of the sea-water. I added to the instru- ments a dipping-needle and a sounding-line. We took no more than thirty days' provisions for our- selves and our dogs (of which we had 240), trusting that our stock might occasionally be replenished by success in bear-hunting. Especial care was bestowed on the selection and preparation of the travelling-sledges that were to serve us throughout the expedition : the six best and longest ones, and the strongest and best dogs, were set apart for this purpose ; while the stores and pro- visions were to be conveyed in fourteen other sledg- es, which were to be sent back to Nishne Kolymsk as they should be emptied. The dogs belonging to the travelling-sledges were sent forward to Suchar- noje, where they arrived on the 16th of March, and were prepared for the journey by good feeding and rest. M. Matiuschkin followed on the 22d, to super- intend the distribution and packing of the stores, and I myself reached there on the 25th, when I found everything in perfect order for our departure. The sledges were all packed, the lading of each weighing about 30 pood ; the runners had been cov- ered with a thick coat of smooth ice, and the dogs were in excellent condition. My companions were M. Matiuschkin, the retired Sergeant Reschetnikow, and the sailor Nechoroschkow. We were joined, likewise, by a merchant of Kolymsk named Be- reshnoi, who had requested to be allowed to accom- pany us OR his own account, and in two of his own sledges. The drivers 1 had selected for the travel- ling-sledges were three Cossacks, a Russian peas- ant, and two Jukahirs. The provision-sledges were driven partly by Cossacks and partly by residents of Kolymsk and Jukahirs. We started on the 26th of March, with a light S.E. breeze, a cloudy sky, and a temperature of +21°, and slept at the lesser Baranow Rock, at the mmepowama where we had halted in our first jour- DEPARTURE PROM THE BARANOW ROCKS. 129 Ko^^f ^?^?^ ^®^®u* quantity of driftwood, and loaded our sledges with as much as they could carrv forming a stoc^ of fuel which, with due frugality would last twenty-five days. 'rugaiiiy, es at^Cn"n?J5^hT' ^^^^'t^ ™^*^ ^'^"^ ^"^ research- es at Cape Schelagskoj : but, after our recent journey to that cape, I judged it more advisable, for several ftnTfVl P'^^^eed^directly to the north, and sUrt from the Baranow Rocks. First, our deposites of provisions, on which the success of threxpedftion mainly depended, might not have been safe in the neighbourhood of the Tschuktschi ; secondly, thl immense hummocks which I had seen on that part of the coast would have presented a formidable ob- fin nf Jl''"i;P'°^'^''.' .^"^' ^^''^^y^ «o large a por- tion of the short remammg season would have been consumed m reaching the cape, and our dogs wouW have been so weaned that we should probably have accomplished very little towards the true object of our journey. •' * On the 27th, at 11 A.M., as soon as the mist had cleared away, we took our departure in a due north- erly direction. The twenty-two sledges of which our caravan consisted formed a line of more than hfnS ^'^.^'f.u " ^^"^*'' «^ *^«' ^^^ foremost and hindmost of the party often lost sight of each other. When we had gone two wersts from the coast, we found ourselves m the midst of a chain of hummoisks, about seven wersts m breadth, running parallel with the shore ; they were high and rugged, and the hol- lows among them were filled with loose snow, so that the passage was difficult ; and about the middle of the group we came to a wide fissure in the ice t^!'^J.u^ J?°."^® ?^*^°"r ^^ ^^^^^ ourselves ouu side of the chain, nine wersts from the shore, on an extensive plain of ice. broken only by a few scat! tered masses, resembling rocks in the ocean. The «dfv mli"^'"^ ^^^^ ? P"'^'"^ °"' ^ay uninterrupt. eolymade us recrarH th« vJo«, «♦ ««««. .„:*T. --"" .-- _-5j ^ ^,v T&VTT} U« UiOilf Willi £>0iii6* 130 wrangell's polar expedition. thing of the pleasure which sailors feel at the sight of the open sea, after passing through intricate chan- nels among dangerous rocks. The dogs quickened their pace of their own accord, as if sharing our feelings ; and after we had gone eleven wersts far- ther, I halted to give them rest, and to wait for the provision-sledges. They had just lain down in the snow, when an enormous white bear made his ap- pearance from behind a hummock, looking as if he meant to attack us ; but the loud barking and howl- ing of the dogs soon made him take to flight. The whole party followed in quick pursuit, with guns, spears, and bows and arrows. The chase lasted three hours. The bear, after receiving three ar- rows and two balls in his body, seemed enraged rather than subdued by his wounds, and turned fu- riously on the foremost of his pursuers. At that instant another ball struck him in the breast, and turned his rage on a new assailant : the Cossack who had fired the shot dexterously received the en- raged brute on his lance, directing its point into his mouth, and with admirable skill and force succeed- ed in overthrowing him, when the other hunters hastened to aid their companion, and the beast was soon despatched. He measured above nine feet from snout to tail, was very fat, and so heavy that twelve good dogs could scarcely drag him. We judged that he must have weighed above thirty-five pood. , While this was going on some of the provision- sledges came up, the drivers of which told us that two of their companions had been overset in a deep cleft among the hummocks, and could not be extri- cated without additional help. I immediately had three sledges emptied and sent to their aid ; and, to our great joy, the poor men rejoined as two hours afterward, quite uninjured, though very cold and wet. The day was now so far spent, and both men and dogs were so wearied by their exertionsj that we de- ECONOMY OP FUEL AND PROVISIONS. 131 termined to stay where we were for the night. The camp, and four smaller ones, or pologL belonffinff to the merchant Bereshnoi and to the^wealthfest of our drivers, were pitched near it ; whi^the sLLe« whlch'thrn^P '' ^' ^^ '"^r ^^ ouTer circt^l^^^^^^ which the dogs were tethered. This arranffement S^nt wf/hnnt h -^ ""^J^^^ "°^ approach the encamp, ment without being discovered at some distance bv ff^l fnH ''""' °^/*!f ^°^^- The weather was Seau^ ifu 1, and we availed ourselves of the brigfit eveninir wihght to warm ourselves before Wg dowi? to rest, by throwing spears at a mark. Apiece of ice we e'^mtlcld f.^T""' " bear, certain %oTs on '' were marked as the eyes, the nose, and the heart and whoever hit one of these was declared entSed Ursome'ofT; '^r'""^- I>""ng'th"xi'r' cises some of the party were engaged in repairinff «^^e damages the sledges had sustained among hi mmncf ? P'^^P,^^^"^ supper, &c. In the iftter the utmost frugality was observed in respect to wooT ackrwhl'^/f ^ T' ^"^^"^^^^ '^ ^"« of thrcos: sacks, whose duty it was to see that the least dos- sible quantity was employed in boiling the tea anH soup to extinguish the'^firi the momen? the cooking was over, and to preserve the smallest fragment of a^e^l i™'.^^ "'^' ^^r' "«^' nor werf we less I? i regard to provisions. visioVsfi^JirK"-^ ^^y ^^^'^^ SS"") ""e of our pro- vision-sledges being emptied, was sent back • thn temperature was +5° in the mornin^and + iflo in the evenmg. We proceeded in a n! 15" W di«.^ t.on,and steered our course by some ice-Mls thai * The dogs have a remarkable aversion to bears' flp«>, -. t^ 0-' » »Uv aitei it is coia they eat it with avidity. * 132 wrangell's polar expedition. ft were visible in the distance. We were favoured by a southeasterly wind, and by the smooth surface of the ice. At noon we halted for our daily observa- tions, which gave the latitude 69° 68' ; and the great- er Baranow Rock bore S. 73^o E. by compass. We met with numerous traces of stone-foxes, which appeared to lead in the direction we were going : this had the good effect of making our dogs quicken their pace. After proceeding forty-eight wersts we formed our encampment for the night, in the man- ner before described. The observed latitude was 70^ 12^ ; the greater Baranow Rock lay in a 8. 66o E. directio^§at a distance of about thirty-nine Ital- ian miles ; 'and the dip of the magnetic needle was We already felt the ill effects of the reflection from the snow on our eyes : the weather had been cloudless, and every one complained more or less of inflammation and acute pain. Some black crape^ therefore, which I had brought for the purpose, was now cut up to cover spectacles and form veils for the whole party, and this afforded some protection. The natives applied snuff to their eyes every even- ing, which increased the pain during the night, but made them better in the morning. We considered this remedy too violent, and contented ourselves with washing the part with spirits, which had the effect of lessening the pain and inflammation. On the 99th of March we had a clouded sky and a mild S.E. breeze, with a temperature of -|- 14° in the morning, and — 4° in the evening. We kept on in the same direction, and found our latitude at noon 70° 19' : after proceediiig two wersts beyond this spot, we discovered, through the mist, land bearing N. 39° W., and directed our course towards it, in the hope of making a discovery. Lyssjew, Puschkarew, and Leontjew, in 1769, laid down the position of the Bear Islands, placing the most easterly of them in 71° 68' : accordincr to this. one oJ Sea. wersts clearl] great s massei distant length, ceived which wood. had coi for the come u Whil paring j of dayli lars arc which ii ered wii increasi. diately j consist inches ii siderabh from be: parallel ^ be concli formed ] separatic posure tc We mea in heiffh DISCOVERY OP LAND. 133 the land before us could not bplnmr i a ♦!,«♦ ^ Sd'Lwn^-; ^V*'"^''^'' " promontory, and pe?. ~puntiwrho!rrs\a';;r°"-^'^^="^^ «'•<» -» formed" part'oV'^' «i g^eXrcr^nVS T^ separation and present form havrre'sulted frL '"■ in heSTn/of '"Lf. 1'^°""'* ••'? '«"««' *«-3 feet ^..., _.... „^ .^.e^ ,„ uircumierence near the 134 WRANdELL's POLAR EXPEDITION. ground. The form is something like the body of a man, with a sort of cap or turban on his head, but without arms or legs. At the eastern extremity of the island there is a fourth pillar-like rock of rather smaller size, so that we gave to it the name of Four Pillar Island. We found near our camp two old *7ooden sledge-runners and some reindeer sinews, showing that the place had been visited by others. We returned by the west side of the bay, and reached the coast after a walk of five wersts. On approaching our little camp, we were greeted by the welcome sight of several blazing fires, round which our companions were pursuing their various occupa* lions with more than usual cheerfulness, and we hastened to share their enjoyment. On the follow* ing day (March 30th) we had in the morning a tem- perature of 0, with a light S.E. breeze and a cloud- ed sky : and in the evening + 7°. At noon we re- marked a halo round the sun's disk. 1 had determined to halt here for one day, as it woald afford an opportunity of sending back two more empty provision-sledges, and of preparing a store of finely-broken driftwood. While M. Mati- uschkin went round the island in a sledge for the purpose of surveying its coast, I was occupied in making various observations. By a meridian alti- tude of the sun I found the latitude of our encamp- ment to be 70° 37', and its longitude 0° 41' E. from Sucharnoje, the variation 14"^ 6' E. by corresponding azimuths, and the dip 79° 3', by observations in which the poles of the needle were changed several times. In order also to deduce the dip, I made a series of experiments on the oscillation of the nee- dle, but the results disagreed so much with each other «l:at I lost all confidence in my inclinatorium for that particular purpose. The most successful experiment showed that, when the instrument was in the magnetic meridian, the needle made exactly 181 vibrations in five minutes by the chronometer^ POtm PILLAR ISLAND. 135 >n we re* and that, when the instrument was placed in a direc- tion perpendicular to the magnetic meridian, the needle made only 177 vibrations in the same time, which would give a dip of but 75° 30'. Towards evening M. Matiuschkin returned, having completed his survey, from which we drew a map. From the western shore two small islands were vis- ible, but the thick mist prevented their distance being accurately judged of. The position of this island, its form, its pillars of rock, and, finally, the two islets lying to the west and northwest, lead me to believe that it is the same as that described by Leontjew* as the most eastern of the Bear Islands. It is true that he places that island 1° 2V farther to the north ; but this differ- ence, great as it is, proves nothing against the iden- tity of the two, as a similar error runs through all his determinations of latitude along the coast of the continent west of the Kolyma. We resumed our journey on the 31st of March, with a slightly clouded sky and a fresh breeze from the northeast. The thermometer stood at +7° in the morning, and rose in the evening to +14°, with a strong wind from the E.N.E. We took our depar- ture from the eastern point of the island in a N. 6° E. direction by compass. At noon we had travelled about 1 1 wersts, and found our latitude 70° 42', and our longitude 0° 48' E. from Sucharnoje. Hitherto we had got on without much difficulty, except in passing the hummocks ; but now we came on a surface of ice, which, though smooth, was covered with sharp grains of sea-salt, which soon destroyed the ice-coat^ ing of our siedge-runners. They no longer glided smoothly along, and we were obliged to relieve the dogs of our weight. The farther we advanced, the more difficult our progress became, the snow being * Lfiontjew commenced his explorations in 1765, and contin- ued them for five years. He made three diflferent journeys ovei •the icB.—Am. P4^ * 136 wranoell's polar expedition. more soft and damp, and the crust of salt thicW Ihe wind, also, which was from the v nV i , ened more and more, bringing -^th it a tLi-V'^'^"'- AnlT °" ^'" «i<"h4 was soon'weuh o^'^rh* «.in^*'f Circumstances indicated the v cinUv nf S L*""''/"'* °"' ^'"""ion became every momem Sed "uS Tn sWhII "r """"y.^he mis camped uX'the shS^^lr'T'^thM^f 1c".' I"" wtrr '"jSfif ^;,''> rf ' ^---bi" ch fnge'of Sa fooUhfck w'aL L'^'r f /""T' ^Wch^wa tL app'Jfa^Sinf storm ; "l hld'rhSete^'Jn''""''^ to examine its thickness, and was saU»//d^^^^ ing that it exceeded three and »hlif? ." ^u^' upper surface of the snow on fhe tSo o/?h; J*"" mocks supplied us with ni™ »„j ? °' *"^ '""">• that in immX?e S? wi?S Z °"^ '?'^''' ^''''« ' salt and unpleasant flavour The str,™ .^?- * ^^'^ N. lOO E. direcU'^X^rfwrs^Silrhi^S 1"^ ICE COVERED WITH SALT. 137 the air was mild, the thermometer standing at +22o sank to -f 7°. Our noon observation gave 70° 64' latitude, and our longitude by reckoning was 1° 8' h from Sucharnoje. Having gone 24 wersts far- ther, we came upon tracks of stone-foxes leading in a northwest direction : the horizon in that quarte? was yeded by a dark blue mist, which our cJmpan' ions told us usually indicates open water. Some of the hummocks that we saw contained earth and sand. We had bound pieces of whalebone under our wooden sledge-runners, and found that they greatly facilitated our progress over the damn snow aiid seasalt. Still we were obliged to walTf and U took us seven hours to accomplish thirty-three wersts, notwithstanding which our provision-sledees were so far behind that we had lost sight of them We therefore halted, and passed a morf quiet Si \^2 i^e P^'^ceding. The evening and morning twi- hght had now melted into one. ^ On the morning of the following day (Anril 2d^ beiTJlTIo * T^ ^'°"g^^ «"r ' '^' teJnp^eraturi Deing + 18^. Our course was N. 10° W. We madp our way with great difficulty among hummocks of ice, and had to use our utmost efforts to drag the sledges across wide strips covered with large crys- tals of salt. About 14 wersts from our sleeoinff- place we came in sight of three seals, which were unconcernedly sleeping on the ice : the dogs rushed towards them, but they made good their retreat and disappeared under the ice. On coming to the spot we found a round hole of a foot and a half in diame- ter. ihe ice here was rather more than a foot in thickness, very rotten, and fuU of salt. We sound- ed and found twelve fathoms, with a bottom of soft green mud. The line of hummocks through wh'ch we had passed ran due east and west, and there were others in the same direction about four wersti to the north of the seals' airhole. We Sd Ill 138 WRAN cell's polar expedition. over a strip three or four wersts in breadth, wherd the snow was deeper and free from salt ; and, hav- ing made thirty-four wersts in a northerly direction we encamped for the night under the shelter of a large hummock. By our reckoning our latitude was 71° 31', and our longitude 1° 37' E. from Sucharnoje. We were a good deal exhausted by the efforts which the state of the snow had rendered necessary and by the unwonted mildness of the weather. We determined, therefore, to rest by day and to travel during the night, when the air was colder, and when we should suffer less from tlie dazzling effect of the snow, while at the same time we should enjoy un- interrupted twilight. On the d of April I sent back three more empty provision-Si 3dges, giving the dri- vers a compass to aid therii in their homeward course. Our noon observation gave the latitude 71 ^ 32'. The weather was overcast, with a light breeze from the north, the thermometer at + 16^, and damn snow fell at night. ^ We started shortly after sunset, and noticed a num- ber of tracks of stone-foxes passing from W.S.W. to E.N.E. At first we got on pretty rapidly, not^ withstanding occasional salt patches; but these gradually increased until we had gone about fifteen wersts, when we found ourselves in what may be called a deep salt moor, where it was impossibte to proceed larther. I examined the ice beneath the bnne, and found it onljr five inches thick, and so rotten that it might easily be cut through with a common kmfe. We hastened, therefore, to auit a place so fraught with danger, and, after goine four wersts m a S. by E. direction, reached a smooth surface covered with a compact crust of snow Af- ter advancing a couple of wersts over this, I had the ice examined, and found it fourteen inches thick The depth of the sea was twelve fathoms, and the bottom greenish mud. We halted one or two wersts farther on, near some inconsiderable hummocks, PERILOUS i ITUATION. 139 Where the thickness of the ice and the depth of wa- ter were exumined, and found the same as before. Meanwhile the north wind increased in strength and must have raised a considerable sea in the opeii water, as we heard the sound of the agitated cle- ment beneath, and felt the undulatory motion of the thm crust that covered it. Our position was at least an anxious one ; the more so, as we could do no- thing to avoid the impending danger. Few of our party slept any, the dogs alone being unconscious of the probability that the ice would be broken op under us by the force of the waves. Our latitude was 710 37^ and our longitude 1° 45' E. from Su- charnoje. In the morning we had a cloudy sky, damp snow, and a temperature of + 16°, with a gale from the north ; but in the evening the wind mod- erated and shifted to N.E. ; the sky cleared, and the thermometer showed -|-9°. As soon as the wind fell and the weather became clear, I had two of the best sledges emptied, and placing in them provisions for twenty-four hours, with the boat and oars, and some poles and boards, proceeded northward to examine the state of the ice, directing M. Matiuschkin, in case of danger, to retire with the whole party as far as might be need- ful, without waiting for my return. After driving through the thick brine with much difficulty for seven wersts, we came to a number of large fissures, which we passed with some trouble by the aid of the boards we had brought with us. The ice was heaped up in several places in little mounds or hillocks, which at the slightest tov ^i sunk into a kind of slough. This rotten ice w^ scarcely a foot thick: we found the sea twelve fathoms deep, and the bottom green mud. The countless fissures in every direction through which the water came up, mixed with a quantity of earth, the little hillocks above described, and the water standing among them, all gave to the ice-field the I' ii ^ 140 wrangell's polar expedition. tnved to advance two wersts farther to the north larger ones. At last they became so numerous and BO wide that it was haid to say whetherihrsea b2 neath was really still covered by a connected cr„^ or only by detached floating Jgments of tl, hav-' ing everywhere two or more feet of water between .5T* ■?; s'fong 8»st of wind would have sufficed to drive these separate portions against each other, and, bemg already thoroughly saturated with watw t7J:^^^ It disappeared in a few minutesTreav- ing nothing but open sea on the spot where we were standmg. It was manifestly useless, therrfore to attempt proceodmg farther ; and we hastened to re" jom our companions, to seek with them a place of greater safety. Our most northern latiTude V^Tlo 43'; and we were at a distance of 315 werr^ in a straight hne from the lesser Baranow Krck During my absence M. Matiuschkin had observed the magnetic dip, and found it 79° 61'. I immJdi coufsl*'" °"^"' *" "'"'" "P' '^^ '« '''ke aTs.E: At this stage of my narrative I will notice the r«. markable skill with which our sledge drivers „re^ served the direction of their course, whether fn r^en^rT '"■■«" hummocks, or on't"e„ „i" vaned field of snow, where there were no objects to direct the eye. They appeared to be guided bv a c^e witr^-f^'"'""?-;?"'"^ ^'^ ««P^eiaMhe case with my Cossack driver, Sotnik Tatarinow tT^^J^f ,'"1 f;"''-' experience ii, his occupation fo the m dst of the intricate labyrinths of ice turnip sometimes to the right and sometimes to thekff Sve^r TsmX';'""^. " '"^^ '"'T?'"'' "-"^ "°««'"g r^l.l t^^'ler one, among such incessant chaneel to h s memo'it ''Tf* '» ^^« ^ P'»° °f 'he^ a" Lh other tS'w»^ '° ""^^^ *em so compensate each other that we never lost our main courae, and, WAVELIKE RIDGES OP SNOW. 141 X™Z.1."t t f ''^" ^"^'"=«- To enable us to know by experience at what angle they must cross he greater and the lesser waves of snowta orie? to arrive at their destination, and they never fefl hLbZ^'er^Sh"*' *1e '"«• P«rmaLntI^4« wkd, h« Z^^ '•y ,?"*.'•«'■ Pw>d«ced by temporal winds ; bat the traveller is not to be deceived thot« by ; his practised eye detects the chicle Iind care' hta^cZrM^ reeently-drifted sno^, he correcta oStrerbe'^7id'",^h^ite- % ^"^ "»"'»- to halt in orderTc^^'ilt Ira^l t4l~m7 Where there were no sas^ru^, we had reconrae to *e sun or stars when the weather was clea^hn? e^ te' ''°""^'^'* *'"' '""»P'«« ^' '^^t once' ev- crets^ toth'"'in T" ^^ ^«"'s, the hummocks in- creasea Dotn in size and number- at firef ♦!,« • li^as merely uneven -. hnt\ "« ^?fJ L^* .^T^* l*»e ice w 142 wranoell's polar expedition. ed pieces of various sizes, gradually increasing un- til they formed complete ranges of hummocks, often 80 feet high These great masses of ice were aU of ThlTmtf''V''^'''t'' ^"^ ^^^ ^ «''^"^ «al' taste The difficulty of workmg our way among them was inuch augmented by the loose snow which lay be! tween, concealing a quantity of sharp fragments which often overturned our sledges, and give us d?Z«^r" "J ^'""''^ '^^^'^ hummocksf which differed from those we had before seen, were what ll7u^n^iT^'\ *^"":«^^«k8. They had been form ed during the last winter, as well as in the preoeding sE^ll h^"'"'!!''* "^^^^ ^^^ ^^^' ^^ken by violent storms, is heaped up and cemented together by the ^d wtl "^i^- ^" f *''"« ^^«" «f '^^'^ sharp p^oint! n?« ♦^^fi'^'iT'"''*^"' ^^ ^^'^^ "Pon anothe? group onL^T^}^ ^'^^'^"* ^"P^^t- It consisted partly of 8om^Hml'T'°"'» T^'y^"^ ^" ^^'Shi- and siz^^and sometimes havmg long or round valleys between thn.?c;K* "^^ ^^"^ "^ detached masses, we at first thought ourselves on a hilly island, but on examina- somewK'^*^ be nothing but snow and ice iSa sSmmTts nf J?rf ^^:"'- '" '^^ ^^"^^« ^^ o^ the th« Ti ^ f *^f l^^^ations we found the surface of the ice perfectly bare. It was smooth and even its petecU^a'^^^^ "'^^^5^ ^'^y '« '^ "k " »5^ad' perfectly fresh taste, and was large-drained and opaque. The sides of the hills werl covered w^t? snow, and afforded excellent travelling. After po- ceedmg two worsts we found ourselves in a small wTnS^lni'h"^^' completely sheltered from ever? On' ^f ^?;^ T^ ^^^"'^^ ^^'^ encampment. ^ On the 6th of April the sky was clear with a strong breeze from S.S.E., the^temperature aT + 9' Sserva^ri"^' ?.^ t ^° '"i '^' ^^^"i"&- ^ur iion oDservation gave the latitude 70^ 30'. and the longi- Return op the provision-sledges. 143 tude was 1° 65' E. from Suchamoje. After sunset Mre resumed our march in an easterly direction, but at the end of three wersts we found ourselves among almost impassable winter hummocks, which appear* ed to have been formed upon and around others, con* sistmg of the solid ice above described* We saw at some distance a high black summit, so closely re* semblmg a rock that I determined to reach it in spite of every difficulty. It cost us three hours to effect this, and we had to break our way with crow* bars for about 300 fathoms. We found, however* that It was only an ice-hill, composed entirely of the solid ice already mentioned. From its summit we had an extensive view. To the north and east we saw impenetrable winter hummocks, and a number of knes of open water : to the S.E. the surface was more even, and less intersected by fissures. The provision-sledges had been so much injured that It was plain they could not hold together much longer, and the dogs belonging to them were ex* hausted by hard work. I determined, thp- fore, to form a deposite of provisions at thip ace, and to send back the empty sledges. We xcavated in the iceberg a kind of cellar five feet deep and a fathom across : in this we packed our stores, and closed the opening with the firewood which was to be left and with well-trampled snow^to guurd against the visits of the white bears. I sent the eight empty sledges back to Nishne Kolymsk with their drivers, who had for some time despaired of seeing their homes again, and were so delighted at the prospect of a speedy return that they soon completed the neces- sary preparations, and were ready to start before sunrise. I gave them a compass, and Sergeant Res* chetnikow took the command of the party. The merchant Bereshnoi chose to remain with our divis- ion, which now consisted of ten persons with six sledges, and provisions for fourteen days. n rtrt •_< ifT^ia^uiv was =|-ia" m 144 wrangell's polar expedition. the morning, with a S E. wind, and -go in the even- ing. Throughout the night we frequently heard the noise of fresh clefts opening in the ice around us, and a hollow rumbhng sound, resembling the rolling of distant thunder. A chain of high winter hum- mocks to the S.E. appeared to form the southern boundary of the recent openings, which were every^ where visible to the north and east. From these hummocks we saw many other ice-hills to the south but no spaces of open water. We followed a toler' ably sniooth narrow path along the south side of the ndge of hummocks, seeking an opportunity of Der- 6 rating to the north. The^idge was about a C dred feet high : to our right we had a plain thick Iv strewed with blocks of ice, covered 4hTq= of loose deep snow, and we inferred from this ac- cumulation of winter snow that they we?e fomed m the autumn, and had been since undisturbed. The ndge on our left had evidently been thrown up with! in a few days, and belonged, therefore, to the class of spring hummocks. An examination of the recln fracture, and of the clefts by which it was here and there intersected, led me to infer that tWs rid f had tt'norrn? ^^ ^, jf "^^^^^ manner :Thefea to h^.Z^,^?■ ""^ ^^^ ^^^" ^^^^^^^ ^"ring the winter th^« i^. S^Vr ?"^ ^'''"P^^^ «"«^ J but in the spring Ind ^!J\^^- ^.'^^^" SP' P^'^^y i^t^ ^ extensive field «riP*'.?^'"''' f ?^"^'' P^^^^«' ^hich had been su^ l^^.^U^ T ^"^ ''^i'^'?^ position. This would ac- westrn , i' ^"^T^' l^^P^"^ ^^'^^''y ^» '^^ south, western side, and for the perpendicular, rusffed and tKn"n?TH^"'T^"" on^h^northeast^m fSe ' On varionLfJ^ ""^^^ Tf "^^*^^^ fragments of ice of wewonS^^^^^^ Onp^nif ^^"^ ^T ^?^y ^^^"1^ '•etain thdV position. than 1000 Z^^'^n^'' ^4"*^ ^^"1^ hardly be less FISSURES IN THE ICE. 145 On the southern declivity was a horizontal cleft rather more than a foot broad, which gave me an opportunity of examining to some extent the inter- nal formation; and I found, to my great surprise, that the upper slab or stratum of ice, which was in this place eleven feet thick, had spUt into layers of rather more than two feet in thickness. We passed several spots of open water, and found in sounding twelve fathoms, with mud as before. Having gone twenty-nine worsts along the foot of the ridge, which ran S. 6° E., without finding any passage towards the north, we pitched our tent 300 fathoms from a recent fissure, and near a large fragment of ice. A strong breeze prevailed from the east, and the crust beneath us was agitated more or less during the whole time we remained; while in the N.E. quarter there was a loud noise of the crushing together of the icy masses. Our observation at noon gave 71 » 16' latitude, and our longitude by reckoning was 2<* 20' E. from Sucharnoje. On the 7th of April the weather was clear, with a fresh easterly wind, the thermometer standing at +6° in the morning and —6° in the evening. We continued our route in a southeast direction along the margin of the recent fissure, the ridge of ice be- coming lower and less regular or continuous, and the clefts more and more numerous : we sounded thirty worsts from our halting-place, and found twelve fathoms, the ground as before. After trav- eUing forty-nine worsts, we halted at sunrise in lat- itude 70® 66', our longitude by reckoning being 3® 6 E. from Sucharnoje. On the evening of the 8th heavy clouds came up from the south, and the temperature sunk from -f 18*= to zero. After proceeding ten worsts we came to a wide fissure, across which we ferried ourselves by the aid of a floating block of ice. We tried the cur- rent, and found it setting half a knot in an E.S.E. direction: soundinffs IQl fatVirtmo rp,. — 4... i. N 146 wrangell's polar expedition. wersts farther on, we descried in the horizon in a direction S. 2*^ E., the greater Baranow Rock, which by our reckoning should have borne S. 3° W., dis- tant 114 wersts. While we were discussing this difference, we observed the fresh track of a bear, and M. Matiuschkin and myself gave chase in two sledges which we had emptied for the purpose. We had followed the track for a few wersts, when our attention was suddenly arrested by a distant noise which seemed rapidly approaching, and soon equal- led a loud clap of thunder. At the same time the ice beneath us was violently agitated, and began to open in various directions. We thought no more of the bear, but hastened to join our companions. As we were returning, one of our best dogs had a nar- row escape. He had been set at liberty to pursue the game, and had run in advance of us a considera- ble distance : as he returned, his white colour made the Cossacks mistake him for a bear, and one of them had actually levelled his gun before the error was discovered. As the breaking up of the ice had not extended to the spot where we had left our companions, and as our dogs were tired, we halted for the night ; the latitude was 70° 46', and the longitude 3° 22' E. of Sucharnoje. Next morning, the 9th of April, we continued our course in a southeast direction, until fissures, open water, and impassable hummocks finally baffled all our efforts, and with broken sledges we were compelled to retrace our steps to the last halting-place. The 10th was Easter-day, kept as a festival throughout the Christian world, and espe- cially in Russia. We joined in the prayers of our far-distant friends by the prescribed service, which was read by M. Bereshnoi, and the hymns were sung by our Cossacks and sledge-drivers. A block of ice was carved to represent an altar, and the only wax-taper we possessed was burned in front of it. The day was one of rest and refreshment to all : our INCREASING OBSTACLES. 147 festive fare, it is true, was frugal enough, consistinff of a few reindeer tongues and a little brandy : but m^of Sy!"^^ "^^ ^ ^™^" ^^^ ^^P^ "P^"-« On the 11th, the dogs being rested as well as our- selves, we were about to start, when one of the dri. vers was taken suddenly ill with violent pains in the back, which made motion insupportable to him throughout the day. We availed ourselves of the delay to repair our sledges. The temperature was from +180 to +12o. We frequently heard The sound resembling thunder in the distance, occasion- ed by the crashing of the ice. The constantly-increasing obstacles in the direc tion we desired to pursue, and the slender hopes that could be entertained ^ surmounting them in tfie weakened state of ov gs, induced me, after much consideration, to determine on returninff to our deposite of provisions, of the safety of which our drivers had for some time entertained doubts, lakmg a due west course, we soon came to smooth ice and compact snow, which enabled us to accom- plish sixty-four wersts before we halted. Four Pil- lar Island, which by our reckoning was thirty-eieht wersts from us, was just visible on the horizon in the direction S. 62o W. The noon observations niaae the latitude of our encampment 70° 39'. and the longitude was 1° 45' E. The next day we turned to the north, and came on the track left by the returning provision-sledges. Which we followed across some hummocks. After accomplishing fifty wersts we halted in latitude On the 14th we discovered numerous fresh tracks 01 bears and stone-foxes, which made us not a little apprehensive for the fate of our store. I followed the tracks to the N.E. with three of the lightest Sledges, and soon came on a deserted bear's den a lathom deep m the snow, with two narrow entrances 148 wranoell's polar expedition. opposite to eacl; other, and with just room enough to contain two bears. In the neighbourhood was a seal's hole, having on one side a raised bank of snow, through the lower par of which there was a small opening towards the icehole. The polar bears often throw up this sort of parapet close to a seal's hole, and lie in wait behind it : as soon as the seal creeps out from under the ice, he is caught by the powerful paw of the bear thrust through the opening, which at one pull draws him away from his only place of refuge, and he is then soon despatched. The boldness and dexterity of the stone-fox in ven- turing close to the bear, and carrying off part of his booty, are very remarkable. He is truly the bear's guest, and one geneially finds the track of the two animals together. We now came on our old path, which we determined to pursue until it should con- duct us to our deposite ; and I sent back one of the sledges to tell the rest of our companions to meet us there. We found our former track in great measure broken up. Hummocks had disappeared, and large fissures and lanes had opened since we had travelled it before. These we were obliged, with much labour, either to cross or to go round. At one place my eight dogs fell into the water, and must have dragged the sledge after them but for its great length, which alone saved us. After eleven hours of dangerous and difficult travelling, we reached our deposite, and to our great joy found it unmolested : we saw numer- ous traces of bears on every side, but, happily, they had not ascended the iceberg. Here we were soon re- joined by our companions, and passed the next day in resting the dogs and repairing the sledges. The temperature was +7° in the morning, with a north wind, and -f 19° in the evening, with a west wind. Our noon observation gave the latitude 71° 28'. In the night we were awoke by a sudden and violent barkmgof the dogs, which indicated the approach of a bear. As we never undressed, we were soon on BEAR-HUNT. 149 our feet, and saw two unusually large bears, which were immediately pursued : in our first eagerness we missed our aim, the animals fled unhurt in differ- ent directions, and the hunters scattered themselves m somewhat disorderly pursuit. In vain I tried to recall them : they either did not hear me, or forgot discipline m the mortification of seeing their prev escape. I was left alone among some hummocks, and climbed one of them in the hope of getting sight aL ^^^^IS^'-^'^'i"*/ ^^"^^ ^^^ ^»Jy M. Berlshnoi and my dnver Tantarmow, who were standing to- gether at some distance from me, the former armed with a gun, and the latter with a bow and lance. A third bear now appeared suddenly from behind a hummock, looked at me intently for a few mo- ments, and then turned in the direction in which his companions had fled, and seemed inclined to follow them ; but, on catching sight of the two men who were standing below, he made boldly towards them As they had but a single charge, their situation was somewhat precarious ; but Tatarinow, trusting to his skill, allowed the animal to come within three fathoms, and then fired and wounded him in the shoulder : the beast fled growling and bleeding, and we lost sight of him among the masses of ice. The hunters did not return till morning, when two of their number were still missing, and did not come •?i u^^ *V^"^® ^^^®^' ^^^ *^en so exhausted that H the bears had attacked them they must have fail- en an easy prey. Thus ended this unfortunate chase, the only result of which was to weary both men and dogs to such a degree that I was obliged to remain another day. On the 17th of April the day was overcast, with ^1 li?!!*- °^t^^^ <'rom the east, and a temperature of +210 in the morning, and -f 16° in the evening, with fine snow. There were three halos round the sun After proceeding nine wersts in a westerly course' we crossed our track of the first of April : wfi nnW N3 160 wrangell's polar expedition. left the hummocks behind, and came on a flat stir* face covered with damp snow ; however, our whale- bone runners ghded freely along, and we accomplish- ed forty-one worsts before halting, in lat. 71° 26', an^ long. 0° 43' E. from Suchamoje. Next day the temperature was —4° in the morning, with a fresh breeze from the east, and +6° in the evening. As we had now arrived at a part of the sea which had been visited by M. Hedenstrom in 1810, I thought it useless to proceed farther in this direc- tion, and directed my course to the south, to survey the islands we had seen from Four Pillar Island, in the meridian of which we now were. This day (April 18th) we made forty-two worsts, notwith- standing the violence of the wind, against which the. dogs could sometimes scarcely stand. There was, at the same time, so thick a snowstorm that the persons in the hindermost sledges could not see the leading ones, and were in danger of missing the track, which was every moment effaced by fresh snow. We therefore tied the sledges together in pairs, and fastened the leading dogs of each team to the preceding sledge. In this manner we drove the whole day, unable to see our way, and guided solely by the compass ; finding no sheltering hummock, we were forced to halt at last on the open ice-plain. This night was, doubtless, one of the moac uncom- fortable of our journey. We were exposed to all the fury of the storm, unable either to pitch our tent or light a fire, with a temperature of -f 7°, without tea or soup, and with nothing to quench our thirst or satisfy our hunger but a few mouthfuls of snow, and a httle rye-biscuit and half-spoiled fish. Gladly, therefore, did we the next morning resume our jour- ney, after extracting ourselves and sledges out of the snow, and the dogs, which were still more deep- ly buried. Our course was southerly, and we pro- ceeded with tolerable rapidity; but, as the dark weath- er and driving snow still continued, we were not lANDINO ON FOtJR PILLAR ISLAND. 161 tirithout fear that we might miss Four Pillar Island. Happily, however, so accurate had been our reckon- ing, that, after travelling fifty^wo wersts, our course led us straight to a bay on the north side of the island, which we did not discern until we were with- in five wersts of it. After the difficultios through which we had passed, this bay was a welcome ha- ven. We pitched our tent on terra firma, under the shelter of a high cliff, and, what was better still, we found an abundance of driftwood, with which we soon made two blazing fires, one for warming our- selves and cooking, and the other for drying our wet clothes, which we had been unable to do lor some time ; and as we luxuriated in the full enjoyment of the warmth, and drank our hot though somewhat meager soup and refreshing tea, we soon forgot all previous discomforts. Nothing disturbed our satis- faction save the thought that our efforts had not been rewarded by the discovery of the supposed land of which we had been in search. The next morning we felt quite refreshed, and pro- ceeded N. 65° W. towards the islands we had seen on the previous occasion, the temperature being +9 . On arriving at the first island we were most unexpectedly greeted by the notes of some linnets, the harbingers of spring, and the first cheerful sounds we had heard since we began our journey over the ice : It is impossible to describe the pleasure thev produced. ^ . In order to complete the survey of this group of islands the more rapidly, we divided the work. M. Matiuschkin went to the south, and I to the north: at night we met at the north point of the middle isl- * and, after surveying three, which lie in the direction 01 the meridian. We halted here the whole of the next day m consequence of the thickly-drifted snow. Un the 23d the weather still continued very bad, but as the drift was a litttle less severe, we proceeded *0 examine the westernnincf iolanH ii 152 WRANOELL*S POLAR EXPEDITION. I Our chart of the Bear Islands will show their configuration far better than any description could do ; and I will, therefore, only briefly mention a few remarks which we made during the survey. The first of these islands, Krestowoi, is the high- est and largest of the group. It is distinguished from the rest by two mountains, the most southerly of which has a rounded summit, and is about the centre of the island. The east and north coasts are steep and partly rocky. On the south side, where the shore is more shelving, a stream falls into the sea ; the sloping shore on the west side is formed of gravel. We found driftwood in a small bay near the northwestern point of the island. It consists here, as elsewhere in this group, chiefly of larch mix- ed with a few poplars, but with scarcely any firs. From the many dens and burrows, this island would appear to be visited by a great number of stone- foxes, wolves, and bears, and to be inhabited by mul- titudes of fleld-mice. On the southern side we saw a few reindeer : our encampment was in latitude W 52', and the longitude, trigonometrically deduced, was 1° 21' W. from Sucharnoje. The second island, which is little more than a mass of fragments of granite, is about 200 fathoms long and 150 fathoms broad : we found here only a few decayed trunks of larch trees. This little island is not marked in Leontjew's chart ; and it was prob- ably concealed by masses of ice, which still surround it on every side. The third island is itself high, but has no hills; there are a few rocks on the south side, and more on the east and west, where they run out some dis- tance to sea. The shore is shelving in the bays. Near the east point of the island there was a kind of cellar dug in the earth, supported by posts ; but we: could not examine the interior, as it would have ^en us too long to clear out the snow. We found on the beach a very old oar, of the kind which BEAR ISLANDS. 153 the Jukahirs used in their wetkas ;• we also saw some reindeer sinews and some human bones, but no scuU. ' On the fourth island there are two lonir, high Pi o"S."*"^ parallel to each other in a N.N.W. and ti.S E. direction, connected by a cross-ridge. Where the surface was clear of snow, it appeared to consist of a thin layer of gravel and vegetable earth, covered with fragments of the same rock as that which forms the pillars in the sixth island already described. The cliffs on the northern shore are also of the same rock. The southern shore consists of steep earth-hiUs, with a quantity of mammoth bones. By our observations, the north point of this island IS m 70° 4T. The variation of the needle was 14° east. The fifth island is tolerably high, with cliffs of the same rock as that which forms the western point of the sixth island. Here were some indications of sulphur. d '^*^®t.^!f '^' ^^ ^°"^ ^^^^^^ Island, has been already During our halt of the 23d, one of our drivers, m the boasting spirit common among these people, assured us that he had been, many years ago, on the first Bear Island, which he said was visible from the mouth of the Krestowaja River, from which it had been named ; he farther said that this island was small, circular, and not at all like the one on which we now were. Though I had not much confidence in the driver's story, I resolved not to omit anything which could be done towards investigating the subject, and there- ♦ Wetkais the name of a light, long, narrow boat, formed of iftree boards, used principally for reindeer hunting. Usually only one man sits in these boats, with a single oar havijw a pad- die at each end, which he plies alternately right and left. The wetkas are very rapid, and so light that they can easily be drawn from one lake or nver to anothfi»- 164 wrangell's polar expedition. rV fore decided to look for the island in question by taking a S.S.W. i W. direction towards the Cape Krestowoi of Leontjew's map. The E.N.E. wind rose gradually, but as it was in our backs, and the snow was smooth, we had soon gone over 44 wersts, notwithstanding the drifting snow, when we sud- denly perceived that we were no longer on the ice, but on land. At first we thought we had reached the island we were seeking, but in a few minutes we heard an exclamation from one of our drivers, who had found a fox-trap bearing his own mark, whereby we knew that we were on the mainland, not far from the River Agasonowka. He conducted us, notwithstanding the thick drift, to a halagan at the mouth of the river, where we had once more the comfort of a roof and walls. Our provisions being now exhausted, and the season far advanced, we determined to return home by the shortest route. I would gladly have taken the opportunity of laying down this part of the coast, but the state of the weather made it impossible. The wind was from the N.E., and became more and more violent, and the atmosphere was completely darkened by the driving snow. We abandoned ourselves entirely to the guidance of our drivers, who were thoroughly acquainted with the district. They brought us, on the 25th of April, to a powama near the inouth of the greater Tschukotschje, where the shore forms a high cape. On the 26th we crossed the hills to a river called Jakutskaja Wiska, a distance of 24 wersts, and after driving six wersts farther across a tundra^ we came to the Jakuts lake, where one of our drivers had a store of fish, from which he entertained us. The fish were preserved in a kind of cellar hewn out of the ice of the lake : the opening had been closed with ice and snow, over which water had been pour- ed, so that the surface of tb« lake showed no traces of the store beneath, and it was perfectly inaccessi- ARRIVAL AT POCHODSK. 155 ble to bears. While we were busied in opening and reclosing the ice-cellar, a large herd of reindeer ran by at no great distance. The sight of them had nearly cost us dear, for our dogs all set off in pursuit, and we had great difficulty in recalling them. We slept at a balagan 30 wersts farther on. On the 27th of April the weather changed, the snoY ceased, and we had a cutting S.W. wind, with a teniperature of —2°. We came on a beaten track, which conducted us across a lake to a village on the lesser Tschukotschje. This place, which consists of fifteen old huts and a ruined barrack, is deserted m Winter, but is resorted to in summer for fishing by the mhabitants of the village of Pochodsk, fifty wersts distant, and which we reached late in the night. Poor as this settlement is, its aspect filled us with pleasurable sensations ; we saw a few pla- ces among the huts where the spring had melted the snow, and where brown earth was visible ; smoking chimneys, and the faint glimmer of lamps through the ice windows, told us that we were again among human beings. The barking of the dogs announ- ced our arrival, and from every door we heard the grateful sound of the Russian " welcome." We were soon seated, surrounded by smiling faces, near a stove in a warm room, where we could throw off our frozen furs, and really rest from the toils and pnvations of the icy desert. Our kind hosts soon placed before us the best entertainment their poverty could furnish, giving us, among other things, some iresh-kiUed ptarmigan in our soup ; and thus, in the enjoyment of comforts to which we had been long unaccustomed, and in friendly conversation, the nours passed rapidly away. We continued our jOurney the next day, and arnved at Nishne Kolymsk on the 28th of April, after an absence of 36 days, during which we had travelled 1310 wersts with the same dogs. 166 wrangell's polar expedition. CHAPTER VIII. Nishne Koljrmsk.— dpring.— Scarcity.-Fiiherics for the supply of the Expedition.— Building a Shallop.— Plans for the Sum- mer.— Warm W -ather.— Moschetoes.— Bmbark in the new Boat.-- Accident to M. Matiuachkin— Reindeer Hunting in the Tundra.— Arrival at Tschukotschje— Departure of M. Kosmin to survey the Coast as far as the Indigirka.— Return up tl;ie Ko! ma.— Tent burned.— Arrival at Nishne Kolymsk. —Visit to the Jakuti of Sredne Kolymsk.— Their Summer Life and Habitations.-Traditions.-Albuty.— Early Snow.- Return to Nishne Kolymsk.— Arrival of MM. Matiuschkin, Kyber, and Kosmin. On arriving at Nishne Kolymsk, we found that spring had already brought its accustomed scarcity, with the consequent train of suffering and disease. As soon as the ice of the river began to melt, the whole population dispersed to their summer habita- tions on the banks of the different rivers in pursuit of fish and game. The experience of the past year had taught us that we could not rely on the natives for the supplies necessary for our expedition, as they make but inadequate provision for their own wants, and that for this we must depend upon our- selves. I therefore hastened to send some people with nets and baskets to the most favourable fishing- places before the sledging season was quite over, and fixed on the lesser Tschukotschje as the head- quarters of our several parties, it being a very pro- ductive river, and less frequented than most others. Tatarinow was charged with the general superin- tendence of the fisheries, and I felt secure that we should obtain a sufficient supply. My next care was how we could best employ the short summer. I decided that one division should proceed on horseback to survey the coast between CONTEMPLATED SUMMER EXCURSIONS. 157 the Kolyma and the Indigirka, and that another division should make an accurate survey of the mouths of the Kolyma in boats. A small dwelling, also, and a magazine for provisions, were to be erected at the mouth of the great Baranicha, for the use of our coming winter expedition. Lastly, Dr. Kyber, who had now recovered from his illness, undertook, by his own desire, to examine the coun- try on the banks of the greater and the lesser Aniuj It may seem strange that we should have propo- sed to make a coast survey on horseback ro^her than with reindeer or in boats ; but a full notmf - eration of the subject convinced me that i nivJeet would not be equal, in summer, to such lon^ fays' journeys as we should require to make, and ^h-.t they would be also more expensive than horses * and that boats would not answer, on account of the extensive shallows and sandbanks, which prevent a near approach to the shore ; and, moreover, that any small vessel would run great risk of destruction from the large pieces of ice which are always drift- ing along the coast. We agreed with the Jakuti of Sredne Kolymsk for a sufficient number of horses and for trustworthy guides acquainted with the country. The coast survey I intrusted to M. Mati- uschkin, and undertook that of the Kolyma myself. I farther profited by a journey which our traveUing companion, M. Bereshnoi, was about to make on horseback to the eastern Tundra to search for mam- moth bones,* to send with him Sergeant Reschet- * Throughout Siberia, but more especially in the northern and northeastern parts, mammoth bones and teeth (or, as they are there called, homs) are found in clay hills, in the Tundras, and along the banks of the rivers. The best season for search- ing for these antediluvian remains is in spring, when the streams, swollen by the melting snows, overflow their banks and under- mine the hills ; and it is at this season that the inhabitants re- sort to those localities which are known to be productive Very long journeys are often taken for this object, and usual- ly with ffood success ■' ' 168 wrangell's polar expedition. nikow, with a good carpenter and two assistants, to build a large powarna and a storehouse of driftwood at a convenient spot near the Baranicha River. During our absence on our second journey over the ice, M. Kosmin had been engaged in the build- ing of a large boat or shallop, which he had brought to a successful conclusion in spite of the deficien- cies of all kinds under which he laboured. He had fortunately found under the snow a sufficient quan- tity of knee-timber for the framework, and after the scaffolding was erected, and the artificers understood their instructions, the work proceeded so rapidly that in May a vessel was completed, of excellent constraction in all its f irts. On the 25th of May the ice of the river broke up, and on the following night the first shower of rain fell. The banks and sunny slopes began now to be covered with grass ; the willows opened their buds and put forth young leaves, and the short summer advanced rapidly ; the temperature increased to + 65°, and even to -j- 68°, and the progress of vegeta- tion was sensible to the eye ; but the enjoyment we felt in returning spring was of short duration. The 4th of June brought, as at this season are usual, immense swarms of moschetoes, whose insufferable stings obliged us to take refuge in the house, and to keep up in front of the doors and windows a con- stant smoke, by which we were almost suffocated, and our eyes greatly inflamed. We rejoiced, there- fore, most heartily, when, on the 9th of June, a strong north wind suddenly lowered the temperature from 4- 59° to 4" 38°, and drove away these troublesome enemies. At length we could enjoy the dehght of breathing the air of heaven without either being tor- mented by insects or frozen ; we roamed, therefore, with our guns over the country, seldom returning till late in the evening, and always loaded with wild- fowl. The first bird of passage had been seen on the 29th of April ; but now large flights were con- ACCIDENT TO M. MATIUSCHKIN. 159 tinually passing to the north, and occasionally alight- ing on the grassy slopes, where great numbers were killed. We were not able to launch our shallop, which we named the Kolyma, until the 11th of June, when the inundation subsided. The sails were made from those that had been used for Captain Billings's ves- sels, and the anchor we forged ourselves from rem- nants of iron belonging to the same expedition. We had built, besides, a small boat for crossing shallows. This last was after the pattern of the country wetka, but larger, and could carry three men. All our preparations being completed, our whole party embarked together. Dr. Kyber was to leave us at the first village, and MM. Matiuschkin and Kosmin at the lesser Tschukotschje River, where the horses were to meet them, and where they were to commence their survey. We had four oars, and the current in our favour ; but as it ran only three quar- ters of a knot an hour, and the wind was blowing fresh and dead against us, we were obhged to stop short after proceeding five wersts. Mortified as we were at this detention, we had soon to regret a more serious misfortune, which our companions looked upon as an evil omen, and which obliged us to alter our plans materially for the sum- mer. As we were about to land, one of our dogs, in jumping from the boat to swim on shor 3, became entangled in a loose rope, and would inevitably have been strangled if M. Matiuschkin had not sprung to his aid; but, unfortunately, that gentleman (in his eagerness to release our faithful follower), in cut- ting the rope, cut off* at the same time a large part of his own thumb. The wound was a bad one, and Dr. Kyber was of opinion that it might easily be- come dangerous. I therefore sent the doctor and his patient in the boat back to Nishne Kolymsk, to wait there until the wound should be healed, which 160 wrangell's polar expedition. the doctor considered would require a month, and it was also arranged that they should then travel to- gether up the Aniuj. As soon as the boat returned, M. Kosmin and I continued our voyage, and arrived on the 28th of June at the lesser Tschukotschje River. We visited by the way the villages of Tschernoussow and Po- chodsk, to inquire after the fisheries. Our parties had been successful, and we saw large quantities of fish drying on scaffolds about every house. Great numbers are taken at this season in descending the stream. The fishery is usually conducted by the whole of the little community uniting to erect a dam across the river, leaving an opening in the mid- dle, in which the baskets are placed ; the produce being divided according to establisb'^d rules. After the dam has been formed, the rest ot the work is so light that the men usually leave it to be attended to by the women, while they themselves follow the chase ; some proceeding in karbasses* to the best lo- cahties for fowling, and bringing home large quanti- ties of ducks and geese, and others on horseback following the reindeer along the valleys and streams. Two hunters usually go together, each dragging af- ter him a hght wetka, and being followed by two or more trained dogs. Sometimes they find the reindeer standing up to their necks in water, to avoid the moschetoes and to keep themselves cool, and sometimes the dogs drive them into the river. Meanwhile the hunters launch their light canoes, which they can paddle faster than the deer can swim, and having succeeded in hemming them in, they despatch them with a kind of hght spear called pokoliuga. If, as often occurs, they cannot at once i-tTi^® WfcassM are large, heavy, flat-bottomed boats, formed oi nollow trunks of trees, carrying a lading of fifty pood weight. The best are made from the largest and soundest trees of a pop- lar-like species of aspen, which grows around Werchne Kolymsk. REINDEER CHASE. 161 cany their spoil home, they bury it in the under- stratum of constantly-frozen earth until they can come with sledges to take it away ; in which case It not unfrequently happens that the wolves are be- forehand with them, and the hunters find nothing left but the bones. While we were in this district, we came quite unexpectedly upon a large herd of reindeer, lying quietly in the water, above which their huge antlers rose like the dry branches of a grove of trees. Two of our Jukahirs threw them- selves instantly into the light boat and gave chase ; but not being properly armed, they only succeeded in killing two females. We, who were in the large boat, shot a fine buck. The rest of the herd gained the bank in safety, and soon disappeared. We were disappointed in finding that, the horses we had ordered had not yet arrived at the lesser Tschukotschje. It was some comfort, however, to see that our fishery at this place was proceeding most prosperously. The drying-scaffolds were com- pletely covered with fish, chiefly herrings, and the species called tschir^ and we all set ourselves to work to erect more scaffolds, which were soon hke- wise filled. On the 1st of July a Jakut arrived, bringing five horses, and the very unwelcome intelligence that it was impossible to procure more. Of these five, only two were strong enough to carry the tent, pro- visions, and instruments, and there remained only three weak horses for riding. But for the great and well-grounded confidence which I felt in M.Kos- min's experience, ability, and persevering energy, I could not have ventured on despatching no more than three persons, with indifferent horses, on such a journey, across a desert region, intersected by numerous broad and rapid streams, and devoid of all resources. Having given him my final instruc- tions, he set out on the 2d of July, accompanied by 162 wrangell's polar expedition. the Jakut and a young Cossack. They took with them two light wetkas for crossing the rivers.* The next day, some men, whom 1 had sent down the river in the karhass to shoot geese and swans, returned with information that Tschukotskaja Bay, and even the mouth of the river itself, were still cov- ered with solid ice. I was therefore obliged, most reluctantly, to await a change in the wind, which was now blowing freshly from the north and north- west, and driving the sea-ice into the river instead of clearing it. Day after day we examined the state of the ice, and still found it impossible for a boat to pass ; so that at length I thought it best to give up the attempt for the present, and turned my back on this desert plain, where the eye is uncheered by the sight of a tree, a shrub, or even a blade of green grass. Though it was July, the wind from the north was keen and very cold ; snow fell frequently, and remained whole days on the ground without melting. "While returning in the boat, I occupied myself in surveying, and in determining the position of some of the most remarkable points on the Kolyma. On the 15th of July 1 was at the mouth of the Krutaja, in the parallel of the Sucharnaja Mountain, the lati- tude of which I wished to determine. My tent had been pitched among some willow bushes, and a small fire had been hghted on the windward side, in order that the smoke from it might drive away the mos- chetoes which had reappeared on the weather be- coming a little milder. I had only two people with me, having left one sailor behind to hunt, while the rest had returned to their homes, to procure the ne- cessary provisions for their families. It really seem- ed as if my present attempt, which had had such an * The account of this journey, as it consists almost entirely ot topographical details, barren of interest to the general reader, and IS unconnected with the general narrative, has been omitted, M. Kosmin's survey extended from the mouth of the Kolyma to that of the eastern branch of the Indigirka.— -Am. Ed. TENT ON FIRE. 163 ill-omened beginning, was fated not to succeed ; for after all the vexatious delays already met with, an accident happened which had nearly deprived me of the fruits of all our preceding labours. We had row- ed, as usual, into the middle of the stream, to pro- cure pure water for cooking, that near the banks be- ing muddy, and had not thought it necessary to ex- tinguish the fire for so short an absence, when a sudden gust of wind drove it towards the tent, and before we could reach the shore everything was in a blaze. The loss was a very serious one, but it would have been far more so if I had not succeeded in rescuing a box containing all my papers, journals, charts, and instruments, before the flames had pene- trated the thick covering of furs in which it was en- veloped. This accident, by destroying many articles indis- pensable for our voyage, decided my return to Nish- ne Kolymsk. We arrived there on the 20th of July, and found MM. Matiuschkin and Kyber prepa- ring for their journey up the Aniuj. As I had taken cold, and suffered much from rheumatism. Dr. Ky- ber advised me to go to Sredne Kolymsk, where the milder and less variable climate, and the use of hght- er and fresher food, would probably contribute ma- terially to restore my health. Accordingly, I took the boat up the Kolyma on the 26th, and the two travellers to the Aniuj left Nishne Kolymsk the same day. The farther I receded from the low lands, which are subject to the blighting influence of the Polar .Sea, the more pleasing became the aspect of the country, which loses the dreary uniformity of the Arctic region, and is inhabited by a well-disposed and industrious population, the Jakuti of Sredne Kolymsk. I quitted my boat at the village of Niso- woi Albut, which is the most northern Jakutian set- tlement, and is distant 160 worsts from the town of Sredne Kolymsk, and continued my journey on IS. 51 ■ ' it*' 1 >* rf i i**u; I 164 wrangell's polar expedition. horseback. After so many months passed among icy deserts, the fields here covered with luxuriant grass, the vigorous larch-tress, poplars, and willows, the numerous herds, and frequent seStlements, alto- gether appeared like quite a paradise to me. The soil, the vegetation, the milder air, the whole aspect of nature, breathed life and cheerfulness. The vegetation is especially luxuriant in the albu- ty, or dried-up lakes, which are numerosis in ihm district, and form one of the peculiar features of Northern Siberia. These flat valleys are occasion- ally filled with water by the overflowing of the riv- ers in spring, viLen they nr>converted into lakes of various sizes, all aboundit^r ij* fish. The intense frosts of winter cause large ^ile b^ in tiie ground, by which the water drains off, si;'..i8times in the course of a single year, sometimes b severaJ. The rich al- luvial soil thus exposed soon becomes covered with jUuxuriant growth of the finest grass, and the Jaku- ti never fail to settle near these fresh pastures, so that most of the seitiements in this district are call- ed albuty.'^ The aspect of these summer settlements, with the cattle feeding about them, and the herdsmen not muflled in furs, but dressed in light and convenient clothing, was most pleasing. I was particularly struck by the summer habitation {letowje) of a weal- thy Jakut chief, who had come with his whole tribe, and with his herds of cattle and horses, from the forests where they hud spent the winter. His uross] was surrounded by similar but smaller huts, in which his nearest kinsfolk and his servants were lodged ; *!-* A,c""ous phenomenon occurs in the lakes in the vicinity of the village of Alaseja. In the middle of winter the water somt times suddenly disappears, without any side channels being vis- ible. In such cases a loud noise is heard at the time, and when the bottom of the lake is laid bare, large fissures are visible, oc- casioned by the severity of the frost, t Described in chapter ii., p. 38. loavniers,, AGED JAKUT. 165 and the whole was surrounded by an extensive fence wiUim wliich the cattle were driven at night. Eve- ryth Dg aanomiced a prosperous condition, associa- ted with patri'irchal simphcity, peace, and purity of Toanijors, Thi hospitable and friendly reception which I met with, the mildness of the air in these valleys, which are sheltered by the surrounding hills and iorests, the abundance of excellent milk and other fresh food, and, finally, the complete repose of inmd which I enjoyed, while away from all anxious employment, and surrounded by the beauties of na- ture, all combined to induce me to spend the short remams of summer here, in laying in a store of health and strength against the toils of the following wmter. I soon felt the beneficial effects of this new mode of life, and I shall ever remember with grati- tude and pleasure the time which I passed among these kind, and, as they appeared to me, happy peo- ple. -^ I made several excursions on foot to different al- huty, twenty or thirty wersts off. In one of them, called Sul'gi Etar (horse-pasture), I met with a Ja- kut eighty-two years of age, named after Lieutenant Laptew, who visited the Kolyma in 1739. He had married a Russian woman, and could hot only speak Russian fluently, but also read and wrote it with ease. In spite of his great age, he was so healthy and vigorous that he used to ride long distances With the young men, drive the cattle to and from their pasture, and take his share in most of the country occupations. He was very fond of tea and of punch, which are very expensive luxuries in this place. I passed many agreeable hours with this unusually intelligent Jakut. He complained of the if norance of his countrymen, who, he said, had been ' rnerly more civiHzed ; and that, before they sep- arated from the other Tartar races to which they are allied, they had possessed written characters, and, consequently, means of intellectual cultivation f 166 wrangell's polar expedition. which they have since lost. He asserted that his tribe had once inhabited far distant southern regions, and in proof of it he quoted several popular say- ings, in which gold and gems, lions and tigers, are mentioned, of which they are now entirely ignorant. He was unable to speak more definitely concerning their earlier condition and country, as such accounts have only been handed down by traditions, which have been in great measure lost since Schamanim has yielded to Christianity. He said that htigious- ness, dishonesty, and deceit had increased, and complained particularly that the immoderate use of spirituous liquors (of which, by-the-way, he was rather fond himself) had caused such a physical de- terioration in the race, that no one now attained to the age of a hundred years and upward, as was of- ten the case in his father's time. He talked much of the severity of the climate, the frequent failure of the hay-harvest, and the ravages of wolves. I will here recount all that I could collect from his narrations and from conversation with his country- men concerning their earliest history. The Jakuti who live on the banks of the Kolyma are not the original inhabitants of the country; their predecessors were the Omoki, the Schelagi, the Tungusi, and the Jukahiri. The Omoki, who were settled fishermen, and the Schelagi, who were a no- made people having reindeer, have so wholly disap- peared, partly from wars with intruders, and partly from devastating sickness, that their names are now scarcely remembered. The Jukahiri, also, who were once a numerous nomade race, have greatly diminished. Most of them, having lost their reindeer by disease, now hve poorly as fishermen along the banks of different rivers ; while a few, who have preserved their reindeer, have withdrawn with them into the tundras near the sea. The Jaku- ti alone have not only kept up their numbers, but have advanced very considerably in population, and CONDITION OP THE JAKTUI. 167 in the cultivation of the soil. To them belongs the merit of having introduced the rearing of cattle and horses, and other branches of rural industry, into a region where the soil, and still more the climate, ap- peared to forbid all such attempts, and thus secu- ring not merely a subsistence, but some degree of comfort. They may be said to have rendered these inhospitable steppes accessible to the intrepid de- scendants of Jermak, who have brought with them Christianity, and rescued an ignorant and supersti- tious people from the delusions of Schamanism and its barbarous customs.* The Jakuti are now all baptized. A priest from Sredne Kolymsk visits these settlements every year. An ecclesiastic na- med Slezzow, who resided here twenty years ago, manifested great courage and zeal in abolishing Schamanism. Wherever he found any idols or hea- then altars, he caused them to be destroyed by fire or thrown into the water, and none such are now to be met with. There are still, however, as I have noticed in a former chapter, schamans, who continue to have a few adherents, and are generally consult- ed, and even by Russians, in regard to finding a stray beast or discovering stolen property. What has been said of the Jakuti of the Jakuzk district wiJ.' apply to those of the Kolyma. Their language, their habitations, their clothing, and their modes of life, are the same ; but the hunting weapons of those of the Kolyma consist only of bows and ar- rows, and a large knife called foVma. As their horses subsist during winter on the grass which they find under the snow, the Jakuti migrate in spring with their herds, in order to leave the pas- * It was a frequent practice to expose new-born female chil- dren in baskets, suspended from the branches of trees. Some- times it happened that, before the infants perished from cold and hunger, they were found and adopted by strangers ; and old women are still to be met with in families of which they became members in this way. 168 wrangell's polar expedition. ture in the neighbourhood of their winter-dwellings undisturbed. The nuniber of horned cattle they can keep depends on the quantity -i n^; or-forage which they are able to obtaii., aal -i l^ .ng can ex- ceed the industry with which they pursue this most important object during the sliort summer. Through- out the whole of the hay-m'^king seascj^^^ey If^J almost entirely on kumyss, of which they drink great quantities. It agrees with them rr* iaii^iiu > well, and they grow tat and strong with scarcely any other food. Ono of the greatest disasters which can befall then is a sudden and early winter, cutting short the hay-harvest. Such was the^case the present year. A keen wind from the northwest set in on the 22d of August, with a heavy fall of snow, which covered all the hay remaining m the meadows ; and as only part of it had been stacked, the loss was very great. It was followed by such severe cold that the lakes froze, and troops of evolves came out of the forest and carried off above eighty cows. At the same time, the Kolyma was so unu- sually swollen that the fishery in a great measure failed. A winter of scarcity, therefore, seemed in- evitable ; but nothing appeared to distress the herds- men so much as being obhged, on account of their insufficient store of hay, to diminish still farther the number of their cattle, so ma '" of ^vhich t ey had already lost by the ravages of liie wolve^ It was now time for me to return to r^iishne Ko- lymsk. I parted from these land people, among whom I had recovered my health, and who were cheerful and happy when I first came among thera, without being able to off*er them anythng in their distress except the expression of my sim e npa- thy. I left them on the 31st of August, ad Assed the night 40 wersts off, at a Russian village oi the banks of the Timkina. The next day, September 1st, I found that my boat was already frozen in, ana we bad Bomfi difficulty m working it for two wersts ARRIVAL AT NISHNE KOLYMSK. 169 through the ice which covered the small river : this brought us to the Kolyma, whicu, owing to its greater breadth and tronger current, was still free from ice. We rapidly descended its stream, and arrived the samr day at Nishne Kolymsk. I found there Sergeant Reschetnikow, who had re- turned from the Baranicha after having completed the buildings. He and his people had been frequent- ly disturbed at their work by dangerous visits from white bears. I learned from him that large num- bers of swans and geese resorted to that neighbour- hood for breeding and moulting, and that part of the sea abounded with a species of fish resembling loach- es {srhrnerhn), called golzy- The sailor whom lad left at the mouth of the lesser Tschukotschje return- ed soon afterward, and inform '^d me that both that river and the eastern moi :h of the Kolyma had been completely frozen over as early as the 21st of Au- gust. Violent sto) as and frequent falls ol snow had pre vented him from shooting more than sixty 1 ead of swans and geese. Th ' hery, however, had been very "cessful. Winter was now rap ly approaching : on the 6th of September there ^ aa mi -h floating ice, and on the 8th the Kolyma was fa- "ozta nver. The in- habitants had not yet returucu f^ ^m their summer occupations, and their deserted no ises were com- pletely bu 'ed in now, which had fallen almost without intermission. The only person who usually remains in the village during tho summer an old Cossack, who has charge of the town ch ^'ory. His soliti e had been shared the present se )n by an old woman, wh was too infirm to accompmy her friends ; and on my arrival the whole pop Na- tion con'« ted of these two persons, myself, and *hree men belo'^gingto our e.iped' 'on. The mhab- u tits, however, j^rad illy retur led, and with much labour opened paths to their houses and cleared out the snow, wuich had in may cases Ued the F * vis Lj^^m ^^^pp jii« .170 wrangell's polar expedition. rooms, as the ice windows had melted during the suf'imer, and the slight shutters had not been, in all cases, sufficiently strong to resist the storms of wind and keep out the drifting snow. The tidings brought by the new-comers were by no means cheer- ing : some complained of failure a hunting, others in fishing, and all looked forward to a winter of dis- tress and scarcity. Amid this general anxiety I was gladdened by the arrival of the post from Jakuzk: long-looked-for letters carried me back in imagina- tion to my far-distant ii lends and kindred, and af- forded me inexpressible delight, checked, however, by the recollection that they had been six months in reaching me from St. Petersburgh. On the 29th of September MM. Matiuschkm and Kyber returned from their journey up the greater and the lesser Aniuj, and a week later we rejoiced at thr safe return of M. Kosmiu from his coast ex- pedition to the Indigirka. We were now all once more assembled, and, after spending the days m ar- ranging our papers and journals, and enter ng our observations on the charts, we gathered round the social hearth, and whiled away the long evenings in recouuting our several adventures. DEPARTURE FROM NISHNE KOLYMSK. 171 1^^^' CHAPTER IX. M. MATIUSCHKIN*S ACCOUNT OP A JOURNEY ALONG TM LESSER AND THE GREATER ANIUJ RIVERS. THE LESSER ANItTJ. Departure from Nishne Kolymak. — Mammoth Bones.— Anival at Plotbischtsche.— Aboriginal Population of this District.— Present Inhabitants.— Causes of the Scantiness of the Popula tion.--Jukahiri -Migration of the Reindeer in Spring and Summer.— Departure from Plotbischtsche.— Argunowo.—Po- ginden.— Termination of the Journey.— The Rock Obrom. —Return to Plotbischtsche.— General Remarks on the Lesser Aniuj. On the 20th of June, 1821, Dr. Kyber and myself embarked in a small boat, and with a fresh N.N.W. wind entered the great Aniuj, which empties itself by three arms into the Kolyma, opposite to the os- trog of Nishne Kolymsk. We were followed by the karbass in which our voyage was to be made : our few packages were soon transferred, and we rowed quickly up the stream, which is here about a worst broad, and has sc ircely any current. We reached in the night the mouths of two smaller wiski (streams having their origin in lakes), which are much resort- ed to for fishing by means of weirs and baskets, and are very productive, both in spring, when the fish are passing up to the lakes, and in summer, when they are returning to the sea, and many summer- dwellingf^ have been erected here in consequence. We were detained in engaging rowers and making such arrangements as were necessary till the 13d, when we resumed our voyage. About ten wersts higher up we passed the mouth of the River Bajukowa, which rises in some distant mountains iust visible to the south. Soon after we J 172 wrangell's polar expedition. came to where the greater and the lesser, or dry Aniuj, unite; and, entering the latter, and having followed its windings for twenty wersts, we stopped for the night at a low, sandy island, where we were secure from the visits of the numerous bears which we saw on both sides of the river. The two next days, the 24th and 25th, we were favoured by the wind, and advanced rapidly. The boat being en- tirely open, we were completely wet through by the heavy rain which had fallen incessantly during the last three days, and were delighted to meet, at a place called Kildan, with a halagan, which had been erected for their use by the merchants who travel to Ostrownoje. "We remained there the next day to make several little alterations and improvements in our boat, one of which was to put up a slender mast, to which a towline could be faster.„3, as the rapid current higher up would probabi r«. > ier such a mode of proceeding necessary. I con ; yed myself meanwhile in arrangements respe j., my journal, map, &c. To lay down prec^i^'y ail the different windings and distances wou) ' v considered a useless application of time and labc r, and I therefore con- tented myself with taking observations of latitude and angles of azimuth for determining the principal points. The banks of the river thus far resembled those of the lower Kolyma in their dreary uniformity, but we now began to meet with better pastures. The right bank is much higher than the left. It consists of steep sandhills 30 or more fathoms high, held together only by frosts which the summer is too short to dissolve. Most of the hills were frozen as hard as a rock : nothing thaws but a thin outside layer, though, from being gradually undermined by the water, large masses of frozen sand frequently break off and fall into the stream. When this hap- pens, mammoth bones in a more or less perfect state of Tjreservation are generally found ; we saw a few FOSSILIZED WOODi 173 bones, and a scull, which looked to me like that of a rhinoceros.* * without entering in this place into any speculations con* ceming the manner in which these probably antediluvian re< mains came into their present situations, I would call attention to the remarkable fact that the teeth, tusks, and bones, which are called by the general name of mammoth bones, but which probably belong to several different species of animals, are not distributed equally over Siberia, but form immense local accu- mulations, which become both richer and are more extensive the farther one advances to the north. They are found in the greatest abundance in New Siberia and the Lachow Islands,* as mentioned by Keschetnikow and Sannikow.f Many hundred « I. I- . I 1 I w ..... . ■ . . ■ I ■ ■ ■ I ..... , ■ * Protodiakanow, the companion or Lachow, states that the soil of the first of these islands, which consists only of sand and ice, contains snch a quantity of mammoth bones that they seem to form the principal ma- terial of the island ; and that among these bones there are found the scull and horns of an animal resembling the buffalo.— ^m. Ed. t Sannikow, who visited the Island of Kotelnoi, near New-Siberia, in 1811, relates that he found on the hills in the interior of that island vast quantities of the sculls and other bones of horses, buffaloes, oxen, and sheep ; and he ccr^cludes that the island must have once enjoyed a cli- mate so mild that these animals lived there, in company, perhaps, with the mammoth, whose bones, also, everywhere abound. In farther sup- port of this opinion, he adduces the fact that large trees, in a partially fossilized state, are frequently found here as well as in New-Siberia. A particular account of these remarkable vegetable remains in the latter isl- and is given by Hedenstrom : " On the southern coast of New- Siberia," he says, " are found the remarkable Wood Hills. 1'hey are 30 fathoms high, and consist of horizontal st ata of sandstone, alternating with strata of bituminous beams or trunks of trees. On ascending these hills, fos- silized charcoal is everywhere met with, covered apparently with ashes ; but, on closer examination, this ash is also found to be a petrifaction, and so hard that it can scarcely be scraped off with a knife. On the summit another curiositv is found, namely, a long row of beams resembling the former, but fixed perpendicularly in the sandstone. The ends, which project from seven to ten inches, are for the most part broken. The whole has the appearance of a ruinous dike." Lieutenant Anjou lit vise ex- amined these Wood Hills: he says, "They form a steep decuvity 20 fathoms high, extending about five wersts along the coast. In this bank, which is exposed to the sea, beams or trunks of trees are found, general- ly in a horizontal position, but with great irregularity, fifty or more of them together, the largest being about ten inches in diameter. The wood is not very hard, is friable, has a black colour, and a slight gloss. When laid on the ..ce it does nor burn with a flame, but glimmers, and emits a resinous odour." These facts certainly show that at some distant period a great change must have taken place ; but whether a change of climate, or, as is more probable, some great revolution of nature, transferring ttkese animal and vegetable wrecks from a more southern region, must be matter of conjecture.— ^m. Ed. Pi : * I ' il 174 wrangell's polar expedition* h As wn ascended the stream the current became much more rapid ; the river makes a number of short bendg, and forms many small islands. Its bed is strewed with rough, sharp-pointed stones, against one of which our boat was driven, and sprung aleak ; \mi we dr-t^w it on shore, and repaired the damage in the coarse of two hours. The banks became high- er as we receded from Kildan ; the fine reddish sand was replaced by gravel and stone, and at Mo- lotkowo we saw slate rocks intersected by veins of quartz. The strength of the curr^t prevented us from reaching Plotbischtsche until the third day. It is here that the reindeer usually cross the river in their autumn migration, and we found crowds of hunters impatiently waiting their passage. It was an anx- ious time, for many of the settlements were already threatened with a deficiency of food. We were hos- pitably received by a Jukahir chief named Korkin, Wkf) gave us the best he had, namely, dried reindeer veni»^/fi and train oil, for s^rhich he refused any com- pensatk/». Under the ejd^-^mg circumstances of scarcity »^ iia'»^-* this hberality, which was ex- tended to msmy ". hunters a« well as to our- selves, might appear* to savour of improvidence; but such is true hospitality, which prevails through- out the Russian empire, from St. Petersburgh to Kamtschatka, from the Caucasus to the Polar Sea ; and among the nomades of Siberia especially, the best is always for the guest.* Dr. Kyber wished to remain here a short time, partly for medical inquiries and partly for research- es in natural history. I endeavoured, meanwhile, to pood weight are collected there every year, whereas on the Con- tinent they are much more rare, and are hardly ever met with in the southern part of Siberia. * This is substantially true. The Russians are remarkable for their hospitality. Cheerfulness, kindness, and good-nature are striking traits m their character .—Am. Ed. I» » MIGRATION OP THE OMOKI. 175 learn as much as I could respecting the past and present condition of the inhabitants. Before the conquest of Siberia by the Russians, the population was everywhere greater than at present. Some nu- merous tribes (as has been before observed) have left only their names behind ; and yet there are still, on a comparatively small surface, eight or ten dis- tinct races, some consisting of only a few families, but all distinguishable from each other by language, customs, and features : they appear to be fragments of more numerous tribes, some of them having come, perhaps, from a great distance. The more independent nomade races retreated before their in- vaders farther and farther to the east. Our host maintained that he himself was descended from the Omoki,* and that their language was still preserved in his family. This nation appears to have possessed a certain degree of civilization, and, among other things, to have been acquainted with the use of iron before the arrival of the Russians. As the Russian conquests advanced, and as the smallpox and other contagious diseases which accompanied or preceded their course committed fearful ravages, the Omoki deter- mined to remove, and left the banks of the Kolyma in two large divisions, with their reindeer. Accord- ing to the account of my host, they went northward, but he could not tell where : probably they turned to the west along the coast of the Polar Sea, for there are now near the mouth of the Indigirka tra- ces of numerous jurti^ though the oldest inhabitants have no knowledge of there ever having been any settlement in that part of the country. The place is still called Omokskoje Jurtowischtsche.f The deserted banks of the Kolyma were gradual- * See chapter iii., p. &4. t Where are the remnants of this once numerous nation now to be found ? Can it be in Europe and on the banks of the Pet- 8chora, as some vague traditions would seem to suircreiit ? • 1 . .5 ' t- -4 4 i J i| «j *t( J*' ""'m r.;|U jl ^ '■■■3: VI n6 WRANGieLL's POLAR EXPEDITION. ly occupied by different tribes, of which the most impcr*ajit were the Jukahiri^ the Tungusi from the steppes on the Amur, and the Tschuwanzi, who were pressed hither from the banks of the Anadyr by the Tschuktsehi. Such was the state of things in 1750, when Pawluzkij, waiwod of Jakuzk, support- ed by the then numerous Tschuwanzi and Jukahiri, undertook a campaign against the Tschuktsehi. In this warfare most of the Tschuwanzi perished, and also a great number of the Jukahiri, while the re- mainder, as well as the Russians, were dreadful- ly scourged by malignant fevers, smallpox in its most fatal form, and other contagious disorders, some of which are not even yet entirely extirpated. Thero are now on the lesser Aniuj only a few fam- ilies of the Jukahiri, who, having lost their reindeer, have been obliged to relinquish their nomade hfe. They have been baptized, have gradually laid aside their national pecuharities, and all speak the Rus- sian language. Their habitations and dress resem- ble, and were probably tVie originals of, those al- ready described at Nishne Kolymsk. They have generally black eyes, dark hair, a rather long and remarkably pale face, and tolerably regular features. They still possess the cheerful disposition, un- bounded hospitality, and other similar good qualities which usually characterize a n».iiade people, and which are often lost by civilization ; but in their in- tercourse with the Russians, whom they still regard as oppressors, they manifest a sort of distrustful dissimulation, and will go gre? ' .ogths to overreach them in trade. They are passionately fond of mu- sic, and almost all of them play some airs on the violin or the halalajka. The women have rather agreeable voices. Their singing is quite peculiar: irregular and wild, but, after the ear has become ac- customed to it, not unpleasing. They generally i^n- provise both the words and the air, though the words have nothing original, appearing to be borrowed or Imitated from the Russians. .^-^S V MIGRATIONS OP THE REINDEER. 1T7 The fisheries along the banks of the Aniuj are not very important, as the larger kinds of fish are not met with above Plotbischtsche : the inhabitants, therefore, have to subsist almost entirely on the produce of the chase. As v^ith the Laplanders, their food, clothing, and all their principal wants are sup- plied by the reindeer. To them the two most inter'^sting epochs of the year are the spring and autumn migrations of these . animals. About the end of May they leave the for- ' ests, where they have found some degree of shelter from the winter cold, in large herds, and seek the northern plains nearer the sea, partly for the sake of the better pasture afforded by the moss tundras, and partly to fly from the moschetoes and other insects, which, literally speaking, torment them to death. The hunting, however, at this season, is not nearly as important as in the autumn; it often happens that the rivers are still frozen over, affording no op- portunity of intercepting the deer, and thus the hunt- ers can only lie in wait for them among the ravines, to shoot them with guns or arrows. Success with the latter weapon is rather uncertain, while the high price of powder and ball is an objection to the use of guns, especially as the animals at this season are very thin, and their flesh is so injured by the in- sects that nothing but extreme hunger can render it palatable : those killed in spring are therefore commonly used only for the dogs. The true har- vest, which we arrived just in time to see, is in Au- gust or September, when the reindeer are returning from the plains to the forests. They are then hea2 thy and well fed, their flesh is exceUent, and, as they have just acquired their winter roa« •;, their fur is thick and warm. The difference m tbci quality of the skins at the two seasons is so gi>3ai, that while an autumn skin is valued at five or six roubles, a spring one will fetch only one. or one and a half rouble 178 wrangell's polar expedition. In good years the migrating body of reindeer con- sists of many thousands ; and though they are divi- ded into herds of two or three hundred each, yet these keep so near each other as to form but one immense column, which is sometimes from 60 to 100 wersts in breadth. They always follow the same routs, and in crossing the river near Plotbisch- tsche, they choose a place where a dry valley leads down to the stream on one side, and a flat, sandy shore facilitates their landing on the other side. As each separate herd approaches the river, the animals composing it draw more closely together, and the largest and strongest takes the lead. He advances, closel' followed by a few of the others, with head erect, and apparently intent on examining the local- ity. When he has satisfied himself, he enters the stream, the rest of the herd crowd after him, and in a few minutes the surface is covered with them. It is at this moment that the hunters, who have been concealed to leeward, rush in their light canoes from their hiding-places, surround the animals, and obstruct their passage, while two or three chosen men, armed with short spears, dash in among them, and despatch large numbers in an incredibly short time ; or, at least, so wound them that, if they reach the bank, it is only to fall into the hands of the wom- en and children. The office of tb*^ speannan, however, is a very dangerous one. *. is no easy matter to keep his light boat afloat in the dense crowd of swimming animals, which, moreover, make considerable resist- ance, the males with their horns, teeth, and hind legs, while the females endeavour to overset it by getting their fore feet over the gunwale ; and if they succeed in this, the hunter is almost certainly lost, ibr it s scarcely possible that he should extricate himsejf from the throng ; but the skill of these peo- ple is so great that accidents very rr.rely occur. A good hunter will kill 100 or more in less than half MANNER OP KILLING THE REINDEilR. 179 an hour. It often happens, when the herd is large and gets in disorder, that their antlers become en- tangled with each otl^r, and then, being unable to defend themselves, they are still more easily de- spatched. Meanwhile the rest of the boats pick up the slain, and fasten them together with thongs, every one being allowed to retain what he secures in this manner. It might seem that in this v/ay nothing would be left to requite the spearmen for their skill, and the danger they have encountered ; but, while everything in the river is the property of whoever first lays hold of it, the wounded animals which reach the bank before they fall belong to the spearman who wounded them. The skill and ex- perience of these men is such, that in the thickest of the conflict, when every energy is taxed to the utmost, and their life is every moment at stake, they have sufficient presence of mind to measure the force of their blows so as to kill the smallest ani- mals outright, but only to wound th*- Jarger and finer ones, no that they may be just ablt t > reach the bank. Such management, it may readily be con- ceived, is not sanctioned by the general voice, but it seems, nevertheless, to be almost always practised. The whole scene is exciting, and curious in -iit; highest degree, and quite indescribable. The throug of thousands of swimming reindeer, the loud clash- ing of their antlers, the swift canoes dashing in among them, the terror of the frightened animals, the perilous situation of the huntsmen, the shouts of warning or of applause from their friends, the blood-stained water— these and other accompani- ments form, altogether, a spectacle which no one can picture to himself without having seen it. After the chase is over and the spoils are distrib^ uted, the deer which have been killed are sunk in the river, the ice-cold water of which preserves them for several days, till there is time to prepare them for winter use. For this nurnose the flesh is* ! ' 8.' » i 180 wrangell's polar expedition. cither dried in the air or smoked, or, if early frosts set in, frozen. The Russians sometimes salt the best pieces. The tongues are considered the great- est delicacy, and are reserved for special occasions.* We remained two weeks at Plotbischtsche, leav- ing it on the 13th of August, when the reindeer hunt was quite over, and arrived the same night at Ar- gunowo, where we found a few families still await- ing the passage of these animals. About twenty wersts above Argunowo, the Aniuj is joined from the north by the Poginden, a stream of nearly equal breadth. The reindeer pass the river as high up as this place, but not much beyond, as its course is then broken by waterfalls. There are no settlements on the Poginden, but in winter, when frozen, it affords a smooth and convenient road to the Jukahiri in their journey to the mountains and to the banks of the Beresowaja and Baranicha, where wild sheep abound. At Argunowo the river-scenery became more pleasing : the dark rocks were succeeded by gently swelling and varied slopes, and the windings of the stream were checkered with small islands, studded with groups of poplar-trees, while a few inconsider- able herds of reindeer, which had lingered behind the main body, added animation to the scene. The rapidity of the current allowed us to advance only very slowly. We passed the night of the 16th in a deep ravine between two rocky hills, one of which is named from an extensive enclosure into which the migrating reindeer are enticed by various devices. As the evening was clear, I ascended one of these hills, which I thought would command an extensive pros- pect, and afford me an opportunity of obtaining some angles; but I found the view shut in by dark * Smoked reindeer tongues form a considerable article ol commerce in Russia. They are much fatter and far more del- icate than neat tongues.— "Am, Ed. ASCENT OP THE OBROM ROCK. 181 rocks in almost every direction, and had to return without effecting my purpose. Next dav we came in sight of the Obrom Hock, which was w /orm the termination of our journey : its summit was veiled m clouds. We passed the fort of Ostrownoje, and arrived on the evening of the 17th at the summer vil- lage of Obromsk, where we found only women and children, the men not having yet returned from the reindeer hunt. Dr. Kyber wished to remain here a few days, du- ring which I wandered about the country with my dogs and gun. ^ A Jukahir accompanied me as a guide up the Obrom Rock: the path we took was rugged and dangerous, but the view from the snow-clad summit amply repaid me. To the north were -ndulating snowy mountains, which lost themselves in the blue ice and the haze of the frozen sea, while the dark- red beams of the setting sun, heralds of an approach- ing storm, gilded their summits, and, reflected by the particles of ice which filled the air, formed innumer- able rainbows : here and there dark rocks rose from the mist like islands in the ocean. There are fea- tures peculiar to the icy regions of the Polar Circle which cannot be conveyed by description, but which challenge our admiration no less than the smiling beauty of more favoured climes. While I was con- templating the picture before me, the deathlike still- ness which prevailed was suddenly broken by violent gusts of wind howling and sweeping through the ravines, and whiriing up high columns of snow and sand : my guide urged our speedy return by an ea- sier path than we had followed in the morning, and on which the side of the mountain would afford us some protection from the storm. The Obrom is wooded half way up : fine larch- trees grow near the foot; these are succeeded by shrubs of the same species; and higher up the ground IS covered by the creeping cedar, success- »'• 182 wrangell's polar expedition. ively followed by coarse grasb and moss. The rock itself i 3 of granite, i^iked, and scathed by the weath- er, though with occasional patches of vegetable earth. . ., - The season of storms had now set in ; the few deciduous trees were stripped of their leaves ; the north sides of the hills were covered with snow ; and broad margins of ice began to form along the river. On the 21st of August we commenced our return, and, aided by a favourable wind, descended the stream at five knots an hour, reaching Plotbisch- tsche the evening of the second day. Here we were greeted from both sides of the river with the cheerful songs of the successful hunters, and saw the banks everywhere lined with the numerous reindeer which had been killed ; they were placed under water, and covered with branches : we shout- ed our hearty congratulations, and passed on without stopping. From Plotbischtsche to Obrom the navigation is rendered difficult and hazaraotis by numerous isl- ands, rocks, and sandbankt^ md higher up the riv- er is altogether unnavigable. The Aniuj, being a mountain-stream, is subject to sudden and violent floods. It every year carries away islands and forms new ones, and sometimes alters its course for several wersts ; while the shallows and rapids shift their places so frequently, that even the people living on its banks do not profess to know them. f ♦ BL\CK BEARS. 183 THS GREATER ANK . Joumey continued onHot^eback. The Mountain-Chain of the Greater Aniuj.— The Kame«rhkowa -Fu Huating.--Trap8. —T.gischka— Arrival at Slaurioie and Leba8noje.--The hm- peroru Name-day -Failure of the Reindeer Hunt.— Famine. —Reti rn by Water.— Inhabifnts of the Banks of the Greater Aniuj.— Tufigusi, Lamuti, 1 wanzi, and Jakuti.— Their Affidts of lafe, and Nnmhers -Schamanism and Schamana. _)oi»oje.— Arrival a Bol'schaja Brussanka.— Freezing of the River.— Continuation of the Journey in Sledges drawn by Dogs — Baskowo.— Arrival at Nishne Kolymsk.— Remarks on the DiflFerent Tribes whom we visited during this Joumey. Our Journey '*^om Plotbiochtsche was to be con- tinued on tor ouack, but as ♦he six horses we re- quired wei ti not ready, we M not take our de- parture before the 25ih of Au The continuance of violen. v nds and heavy siiowstorms, added to the great morasses {badarany) which we had to pass, rendered the land-travelhng far from agreeable. Thirty wersts along a narrow footpath brought us to the naked summit of the elevated ridge which divides the two rivers Aniuj fro a each other. We were here greeted by an inhabitant of the mountain in the shape of a huge black bear, which sprang suddenly upon us from the wood : our horses were terrified, but the bear was no less so, and disappear- ed in the thicket before we had time to level our guns. Such encounters are very frequent m this part of the country, but the formidable brute? are not always so harmless. Two of these anim ^ at- tacked a Lamutian hut at night, when the family were asleep, and destroyed them all except one man, who succeeded in making his escape. We pitched our tent for the night about three wersts from the foot of the mountain, on the banks of the Kameschkowa, which falls into the great Aniuj near Patistennoj. It was not very late, and, as nu- merous tracks of sables were visible on the new- .{•rf|ii I « i< ^^. IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-3) 1.0 1.1 mm m 1*0 IL25 i 1,4 2.5 2.2. 2.0 1.6 V] c>>. (?> ^^'^ > > )y^ 7] >> /# w Sciences Corporation 23 W"ST MAIN STRKT WEBSTER, N.Y. US80 (716) 873-4503 4 ■ V ,^^\'"^" ^(^ ^ ^^v^ € ) »* ^^^' ^4^ 184 wrangell's polar expedition. cnrnVfL""?' P'»™i«''n. '^hich afforded a "^,1 wV come addition to our supper. ^ On the banks of both the' irreatpr on^ ♦!,„ i Aniuj there are an immeKuXr of ?rIoi ,^H snares of all kinds, for catching sabW e™&«^ squirrels, wolverines, and foxis which ^mf^'J^^/ notwithstanding all the arts resirTed to for thene' ofLn .T ^'T ^''° ^ »»"«« hundred sable" are often taken in the course of the autumn An indnf tnous Jukahir usually sets about five hundrert ^tV «^f *"y/af^her improvement on them That great practical teacher, necessity, has ledThP Tntf ereeTZr^' '"'^ *ey "•«'« attLn^d a Sh di^ Ihe chase * °' *" ''"^ "^ '^^'^"^^ ^^Ployed ta lift?-." '\^"'^'" °' 'he 2Cth of August we reached the i eater'AiirS'if "^if '''""'■' ""the K of the OLD BURYIN6-PLACES. 185 to halt, and to send one of our people to Sladkcje, where a great number of persons were assembled for the reindeer hunt, and where, therefore, we hoped to be able to obtain a good-sized boat. The next day the boat arrived ; but it was so narrow that it was impossible to stow ourselves and our luggage in it. We therefore agreed that Dr. Kyber should embark by himself, and that I should ride along the river-side as far as Lobasnoje, where we hoped to find a larger karhass, in which we might both proceed, according to our original plan, as far as the mouth of the Angarka, where there was for- merly a small fort, and where the Tschuktschi were in the habit of resorting every year for barter. On the 28th of August I resumed my journey : the ground was covered with snow, and we had to make our way through thickets and across streams and morasses. High wind and falling snow contin- ued throughout the day, and we were glad to take shelter for the night under the steep bank of the River Vetrenowka. The woods through which we had been travelling were much finer than those of the lesser Aniuj. We saw, besides larch, a quanti- ty of well-grown birches, poplars, willows, aspens, and other species of trees. On our way we passed several old burying-places of the earlier inhabitants, which were little wooden buildings resembling the sajhy^t or places for depositing provisions. The corpses were clothed, and armed with bows, arrows, and spears, and those of the sckamans had their magic drum in their hand. At some little distance from 6ur path we saw an old wooden building re- sembling a kind of fortification, made of boards, and which appe?''ed to have been formed by the aid of stone hatchets. The bad weather, the deep snow, and the lateness of the hour did not admit of a closer examination. The Vetrenowka has many windings, and its Komlre mf*% cifAAn nmA vrt/clrtr nTViA Vin11/|ura hofuroon Q3 'Dm i\ Wm *'n\ 186 wrangell's polar expedition. the hills and rocks are covered almost everywhere with angular fragments of stone, which have not yet been rounded by the action of the water. Both here and on the lesser or dry Aniuj, I frequently met with elate with veins of spar, and occasionally with cor- nelian and quartz, the former in very small pieces, and the latter in rather large masses. I also found here a mammoth's jaw-bone in tolerably good pres- ervation. After a rather uncomfortable night, we resumed our journey the next morning. It had struck me several times the day before that the guide was not altogether well acquainted with the way; and on seeing him to-day turn sometimes in one direction and sometimes in another, without any apparent reason, I expressed to him my doubts as to his knowledge of the country. He stoutly maintained, however, that he had often been here before, and to prove It, he ran over the names of the different hills and streams which we had passed. Mefnwhile night came on, and we were still wandering through rugged and desert ravines, our horses almost ex- hausted, when at last the guide acknowledged that he did not know in what direction to look for the Aniuj. I had now to seek a way out of the wil- derness as well as I could. My own opinion was, that the river lay to the westward, and, not having any compass, I directed my course to that quarter by the bark of the larch-trees, which throughout Northern Siberia is black on the north, and red on the south side of the tree. The fur-hunters often thread their way by it through the trackless forests. We shortly came to a stream which we supposed flowed into the Aniuj, and, as the darkness rendered the mountain-paths both difficult and dangerous, I determined on following its course ; it gradually be- came larger, and assumed a northwest direction. After proceeding twenty wersts, we heard to our great joy the rushing sound of the swoUen river. EMPERORS NAME-DAY. 187 dashing over the rocks and stones which interrupted its course. We soon reached its banks, and found that, after having wandered a long way from our road, we had come out opposite to the village of Sladkoje. Here we sheltered ourselves from the wind and snow in a half-ruined balagan which stood near the river. ^ y ^. . . Our fire attracted the notice of the Jukahiri on the opposite bank, and some of them came across to us, gave us fresh reindeer meat, and told us that Dr. Kyber had arrived in the course of the day. As our horses were completely jaded and unfit to continue the journey, I determined to leave most of our things here under the care of our Jukahir, and to cross over to Sladkoje in a little boat. The next day Dr. Kyber and I proceeded in a karhass, and after a passage of seven hours, which was rendered dangerous by the high wind and the force of the waves, we arrived on the 30th of August • t Lobas- noje, where a large number of reindeer are usually taken at this season. We heard several shots fired, and, as we approached nearer, we were greeted by the sound of songs. We were met on the landmg by two Jukahir chiefs, who told us that they wer celebrating the name-day* of the emperor, or, as h is here called, the White or Free Czar, the Son ol the Sun. We joined them, and distributed tobacco and brandy, which added to the general hilarity. The men displayed their skill in shooting at a mark with bows and arrows and with guns ; they had also footraces and boatraces, the women sang and danced, and the rejoicings continued till daybreak. Doubtless the day was celebrated in a far more brilliant manner in many parts of the empire, but it may be doubted if it was kept anywhere with more * It is customary in Russia to celebrate the name-day, that is, the annual return of the day on which an mdividuaJ receivea his name in baptism, as well as bis birthday.— -Am. Js^a, \l 188 wrangell's polar expedition. cordiality and cheerfulness than at this obscure vil " Wett 7Z''' ''r ^'^ i'^Perial Lidr/r^^- we found that a great number of sick neonU hoA collected here to await our arrival,Tnd Ryber decided on staying a fortnight on their account, a. there were several surgical operations to h« ner formed, he was fully occupied ; but the uninterrSnt" ed bad weather, with thick-falling snow conZrt me almost the whole time in irksome rnacivhf it was hardly possible to make a single excursfon i„ the neighbourhood, and 1 had to cSer myself for tunate m getting one meridian altitude ^'^'^ '^"'■ oflrvslaL^ ^hnwl*^ '^V^^y ^"^ <«fl'«^ent kinds oi crystals, chalcedony, and cornelian in the mn.». ains, and at the mouth of the ri>er fl^ " of aTum, 8ua^ size marked with impressions of nla^ts T^ sheUs Ina high cliff of black slati neaVZ liw^ mar Sladkoje, which we followed to the aS there is a whitish earth, which has a sweetish ^d rather astringent taste, and to which the JukaWri ascnbe a variety of sanatory propeAiw "'''""" The district of the greater Anini mu«t h» m^™ • teresting than that ofihe lesst" ZK ^Znt'o"; us denstr population, and of the greater TariZ nl plants and animals. We were therefi-r- .t« ~ ^ disappointed at the state o7the Se7 which ",? most precluded us from making aryobsemtS t Z":^^''; ^.? "''"K''^ "^ "> be^onteS w h such Sr intbS!'''" """•'•'^ ^ - '^"^^S^ H^^^at-^rprce^^^dlL^^^^^^^^^^ Te erelv feTt^T t^f^' »^««Fcity was'aC? Beyereiy telt. It is not easy to iinaffinp tht^ foaw.ii of summer almost entirely on the sU which f^ DISTRESS OP THE INHABITANTS. 189 their beddinc and clothing ; and if, happily, a single reindeer is killed, it is immediately cut up, divided among the whole tribe, and literally eaten skin and all, the hair being just singed off: the contents of the stomach, and even the horns, are used for food. Fish are not caught till later in the year, and even then only in small numbers, and few of the inhabi- tants venture to go off to the tundras in quest of game, for fear of missing the passage of the rein- deer, on which their support so essentially depends. On the 12th of September the famishing inhabi- tants were filled with joy at the sight of immense numbers of reindeer approaching the right bank of the river opposite to Lobasnoje. I never saw such a multitude of these animals. At a distance their antlers resembled a moving forest. The hunters flocked in from every side, and hope beamed on ev- ery countenance as they arranged themselves in their light boats to await the passage of the deer. But whether the animals had seen and were terri- fied at the crowds of people, or whatever the reason may have been, after a short pause they turned, left the bank, and disappeared among the mountains. The utter despair of the poor starving people was dreadful to witness. It manifested itself among these rude children of nature in various forms. Some wept aloud and wnmg their hands; some threw themselves on the ground, and tore up the snow ; others, and among them the more aged, stood silent and motionless, gazing with fixed and tearless eyes in the direction where their hopes had vanish- ed. Feeling our inability to offer the smallest alle- viation to their misery, we hastened to quit this scene of wo, and resumed our voyage on the 30th, notwithstanding a violent contrary wind. Being fa- voured by the current, we reached Sladkoje the same night, and Dolgoje the following day. Throughout the entire distance of about eighty WArst!3 ♦h<* TivAr flnurs aXrma thp font i\f on nnintAr- \\ l^tlf 190 wrangell's polar expedition. rupted mountain ridge, from which bluff rocks occa- sionally project, and overhang the bed of the stream. These rocks consist partly of light gray granite and partly of black slate, between which are thin layers of ochre. The inhabitants were now having re- course to the fisheries as their only remaining, though wholly inadequate resource. Still, the fish- eries on this river, if not very productive, are usual- ly far more so than those of the lesser Aniuj, as the former stream, though not so wide, is much deeper and less rapid than the latter ; and, consequently, the fish go higher up, and in larger quantities. But in the present year of distress even this last hope failed ; only a few fish, and those small ones, were taken ; while more frequently the nets and baskets came up empty. The fowling season was over, general famine appeared inevitable, and no doubt hundreds of the scanty population perished, as had been repeatedly the case in former years. The im- provident and careless habits of the people, the great distunces between their settlements, and the generally desert state of the country, combine to make it impossible for the government or its oflScers to effect any amelioration in their wretched condi- tion. Most of these tribes were formerly nomades, ranging with their tame reindeer far and wide through the tundras in search of the best pasture. After the conquest of Siberia they were subjected to tribute, and were restricted to a limited circle, within which they were often unable to find suffi- cient food for their herds.* The consequence of this restriction has been the gradual loss of those animals, partly for want of pasture and partly from * A few Jukahiri and Tschuwanzi, under the conduct of a chief named Tschaia, still retain their nomade mode of life. They are distinguished from their countrymen by a more pow- erful frame of body, by the tents which form their habitations, and by their clothing, which resembles that worn by the Tschukt- M*.hi. AA dnfta fhat nf nil t\\a vaim/t0 11 um tUat pfOiuOIitOr/. ICE HUMMOCKS. 199 there proposed to form t. aposite of provisions, to send back the empty sledges, and with the remain- der to pursue my researches to the east, north, and northwest. In this manner our present journey would form a continuation of that of the preceding year, and we might hope for a satisfactory conclu- sion in respect to the existence or non-existence of the problematical northern land. About one werst and a half from the shore we came to a considerable group of irregular hummocks, and, after driving among them for eighteen wersts, we halted ; not that we required rest, but in order to repair two of the travelling-sledges which had been injured, and to wait for the provision-sledges, which did not come up till late in the night, and then in a very bad condition. They had been so much dam- aged in passing the hummocks, that we were obliged to expend a large part of our store of birch- wood in mending them. This unsatisfactory work occupied us during the whole of the following day, and we could not resume our journey until 11 o'clock on the 18th. We had heavy snow, a cutting N.W. wind, and a temperature of +2°. The hummocks dimin- ished in size and number, and at last ceased alto- gether ; but in their stead we found a large plain crossed by immense waves or ridges of snow, and though the sledges suffered here much less than among the hummocks, our dogs were wearied by having continually to ascend and descend. The height of these ridges, which was two fathoms and upward, showed that a vast quantity of snow must have fallen, and that east winds had chiefly prevailed. By our noon observation we were in 69° 66^ lati- tude, and our longitude by reckoning was 0° 14' east of the greater Barano w Rock. Our day's march on the 18th was only twenty-three wersts, chiefly from the delays occasioned by the provision-sledges. As some compensation for this, hov/ever, we suc- i*r.r>A.^ in Irillinnr o lorrro whitA hp.ar. whOSe flesh WaS m-ys '..■(■■ u, mm Ill; 200 wrangell's polar expedition. very acceptable to the dogs. In the night the tern- perature fell to —24°, and continued the same throughout the 19th ; but there ^eing very little wind, It was endurable. Towards uoon the weather cleared, and we saw the greater Baranow, distant forty wersts, bearing S. 11© w. The next day we accomplished eighteen wersts between 9 A.M. and noon. Our observation made the latitude 70° 12', and the longitude by reckoninff was Qo 50' E. of the greater Baranow Rock. After completing thirty-six wersts, we were obliged to halt earlier than usual, on account of the violent N W wind and thick drifting snow. Our sixteen provis- ion-sledges (we had emptied and sent back three) were, as usual, behind, and it was not till late at night that fourteen of them came in, the drivers be- ing unable to tell us anything of the two that were stiU missing. My uneasiness at this circumstance was increased by knowing that a number of white bears were roaming about ; one had even broke into our camp m the course of the night, but was imme- diately killed. As soon as day dawned we were on the look-out for the missing sledges : happily, they at length arrived, the drivers informing us that they had lost sight of their companions in the thick snow- drift, and had been obliged to halt where they were • that they had suffered much from the severity of the cold, having neither fire nor food, and had passed the night in constant fear of the bears, which had proba- bly been deterred from attacking them only by their shouts and by the barking of their dogs. We de- posited part of our provisions in the ice at this place, and sent back three more empty sledges. The N.W. wind became still more violent, and the ^snowdrift thicker, the thermometer standing at —9 . But, notwithstanding the badness of the day, we were able to get an observation at noon, which made our latitude 70° 19' ; our longitude by reckon- ing was 10 6' E. nf file ^rroot^i. p..^o« — la^^w INCREASING DIFFICULTIES. 201 On the 21st the wind abated and veered iO the east, but the sky was still overcast, and the ther- mometer showed — no. At 10 A.M. we resumed our route to the northeast among hummocks : our noon observation gave 70° 26^ latitude, and w^ were 10 22' east of the Baranow. In the afternoon we killed a bear that had followed us, and had wounded three of our best dogs. Some of the sledge- drivers had become so dissatisfied with their meager fare that they determined to try some slices of the bear's meat, notwithstanding the aversion universally en- tertained for it in the country. They assured us that they found it very palatable. At night we had a violent east wind, with a temperature of — 24°. On the 22d of March we started again, after re- pairing our sledges, which had been damaged among the hummocks, our latitude being at noon 70° 39', and the longitude by reckoning 1° 5P east of the greater Baranow. By our portable azimuth com- pass the variation was 14p E. The deep snow and large hummocks impeded us so much that we made only fourteen wersts before nightfall, when the wind and snowdrift became more and more violent, and the provision-sledges, which did not arrive until six hours later, probably owed their safety to the drivers having attended strictly to the orders which had been given them, to keep close together, so as to be able to assist each other. On the 23d, to our great joy, we had the kind of warm wind mentioned in a previous chapter, with a clear sky, and the thermometer at 4-36°. We has- tened, therefore, to avail ourselves of so favourable a change, by drying our tent, harness, bedding, and clothes of every description. Meanwhile M. Matiuschkin w^ent forward with two sledges to examine whether the difficulties to- wards the northeast became any less. He reported that, on the contrary, the hummocks increased both in size and aumbef > but that there appeared to be su ,v I ''^i^l ■lii -m mi 202 wranoell's polar expedition. opening to the west, and we accordingly proceeded in that direction : our noon latitude was 70° 42', and our longitude 1° 51' E. by reckoning. We soon came again to bad hummocks, among which we met with continual accidents ; the traces of my sledge broke just as it had attained the summit of one of the highest hummocks, and the dogs flew down the steep declivity, leaving the vehicle and myself at the top. Unluckily, too, at the foot of the hill they came upon a fresh bear's track, and followed it, not- withstanding our cries, until they were stopped by the broken traces which they dragged after them becoming entangled in some blocks of ice. But for this fortunate occurrence we should probably have lost them altogether, and been subjected to great dif- flculties in consequence of it ; after a long chase, we found them four wersts from the place where they had left the sledge, and quite exhausted by the ef- forts they had made to free themselves. Though we had advanced but six wersts, we were forced to halt under the shelter of a large block of ice. A long range of elevated hummocks extended to the S.E. ; our provision-sledges were, as usual, much behind, and it took them ten hours to get over the six wersts. The wind blew strong from the S.W. during the night, but abated towards morning. We started early on the 24th, with a clouded sky and a temperature of -f- 7o. About noon snow began to fall, and our difficulties this day were greater than ever : we had to break our way with crowbars across higher and more rugged hummocks than any we had before met with. The ice of which they were formed was very solid, and had a knotty appearance, and they were covered in many places with blue clay and gravel. In spite of the greatest care, the sledges were frequently overset, sometimes sliding down the slippery declivities and being precipitated into the narrow ravines, from which we extricated them with the greatest difficulty. The efforts of RETURN OF SLEDGES* 203 both men and dogs were taxed to the utmost, and all of us were more or less hurt by falls. As the provision-sledges had suffered the most, and con- stantly caused great delay, I determined to send them home from this place, and to deposite in the ice the provisions which they carried. We excava- ted receptacles for these with great care, and closed them up with thick blocks of ice, filling up all the crevices with snow, and pouring water over the whole, so as to form it into a sohd mass, that it might not be disturbed by the bears. When this was done we proceeded to mend the sledges, which stood greatly in need of it ; but the joy of the drivers at being permitted to return home was so great, that, fatigued as they were, they sung over their work, which they completed with extraordinary despatch. The 25th was spent in this labour. Towards evening the horizon cleared a little, and we saw two mountain-like elevations : one, which bore S, 190 w., I considered to be the greater Baranow Rock, distant by reckoning 130 wersts ; the other bore S. 60 W. ; but whether they were really mount- ains I could not be sure. On determining our po- sition by the bearing of the one supposed to be the Baranow Rock, it was found to agree with our reck- oning, and it appeared that we were thirty wersts to the east of the most eastern point of our last ice- journey. On the morning of the 26th, the thirteen empty sledges started on their return to Nishne Kolymsk. I had sent M. Matiuschkin the day before, with two sledges and provisions for five days, to seek a route by which we might penetrate to the northeast, and I now proceeded northward with M. Kosmin, taking three sledges and provisions for three days. As it had been arranged that we should all meet here again on the 29th, the large tent was left on the spot till our return. We took at first a N.W. direction, in which the hummocks were smaller and less con- *i^ ->!*>%[ * <;«; mi 204 wranoell's polar expedition. ijj i tiguous. After advancing fourteen wersts, our ndon observation gave the latitude 70° 63', and the longi- tude was 1= 66' E. of the Baranow Rock by reckon- ing. The old hummocks gradually diminished in number, and farther to the north we came upon an- other group, consisting of more recent ice : these had been formed by the packing of driftice in the winter, and were distinguished by a greenish-blue colour. We found here a strip of ice bare of snow, unning along the margin of a new fissure, in a W.N. W. di- rection. Having driven five wersts on this smooth pathway, we were astonished at falling in with old sledge-tracks, which, on examination, we recognised as those of our journey the preceding winter. As by our reckoning we were thirty-five wersts from our last year's route, it is probable that the N.W. wind, which prevails throughout the summer, had caused the whole field to drift thus far to the east- ward. This day we accomplished fifty-one wersts, among recent hummocks, meeting occasionally with a few old ones, the sides of many of which were partially covered with gravel and sand : the evening and night were clear, the temperature —13°, with a gentle breeze from the S.E., and we had hummocks around us on every side. On the 27th, our latitude at noon was 71° 13 , our longitude by reckoning 2° 13' E. of the greater Bar- anow Rock ; variation \5? E. While taking our ob- servation, M. Kosmin thought that from the summit of one of the highest hummocks he could see two hills to the northeast. Our attention being directed to them, they appeared clearly like two dark-blue mountainous hills, sometimes visible and sometimes obscured, the highest of the two bearing N. 40 E. Opinions were divided in regard to them; M. Kos- min and myself considered them as land, but our sledge-drivers looked upon it all as one of those op- rbmaraablb optical illusion. 205 tical illusions which have been already spoken of. We drove on in a N. 40° E. direction, and when we had cone about a werst, we came to a piece of near- ly rotten wood imbedded in the ice. The farther we advanced the clearer our hills appeared, pre- senting now the aspect of a hilly country of moder- ate elevation, at no great distance from us. We could plainly distinguish, as we supposed, the val- leys between the different eminences, and even sev- eral single rocks ; everything, in short, confirmed us in the hope of having reached at length the long- sought-for land, the object of all our toi s. We has- tenld forward, therefore, amid mutual congratula- tions ; but, as the evening light set in, we all at once saw our newly-discovered terra firma move 40 to windward, and extend itself along the horizon, until we appeared to be in a lake quite surrounded by "* We^ haUed for the night, full of disappointment, after a day's journey of forty worsts ; we had a sharp E.N.E. wind, with a temperature of -4 . The next day, the 28th, the same illusion was re- neated. * These illusions appear to be of every form and variety in the Polfr ReSons, anS some of them exceedmgly. striking and b^lutiful as t^e following, seen by M. Kosm.n ^^^^^sh^^^i^V;^ have m'ade us forget the latitude (70° ft? , if the fieia^g of ^e 5,hrch"^covered thi sea. and. the P^rpauaUy-f^^^^^^^^^ f^ystf^e rieath our feet, had not reminded us of it. 1 hree days Deiore we could not lay aside our thick winter garments and now the h^SiSclSthing seemed too warm. The sun had been constant- llCSni for tie last seventy-two hours m a clear and cloudless iir This was the last day that we saw it m its full magnifi- sky. X -i^f^nThvthP refraction which the great evaporation r"'\^/lS n?^uced The ste of its disk, its altitude, and its vZ «^n^a?e5 ?^ vary incesLmly^ One moment it seemed to hght appealed to v^^^^^ mcess y ^^ ^.^^ .^^^ ^^^ ^ U woSjd t'hen suS; ri^^^^^^^^ in fuU size and majesty, and i\at«hnvrthe horizon in a flood of red or yellow hght. Thw tSnSts^S lasted throughout the day, nor could we , * I i ■i h:) 306 wranoell's polar expedition. After going eleven wersts and a half in a N.N.IV direction, we found our latitude at noon to be 71© 34 , our longitude 2° 60' E. of the greater Baranow Rock by reckoning, variation 17° E. The hum* mocks did not appear to diminish, and it was now time to return to the spot where we were to meet M. Matiuschkin. We travelled faster in returning, partly because the dogs always run better and more rapidly over a track with which they are acquaint- ed, and partly from some of the worst places having been smoothed in our previous passage : we made fifty wersts before sunset. On the 29th, an easterly breeze rendered the at- mosphere damp, and the thermometer stood at 4-12°. We saw several tracks of bears, and of their para- sites, the stone-foxes. Late in the evening we reach- ed the place where we had deposited our provisions, and found M. Matiuschkin awaiting us. He had made ninety wersts in a N.E. direction in three days, and had reached 71° 10' latitude in the merid- ian of Sand Cape, having met with fewer obstacles than before ; still he had encountered many difficul- ties, particularly from the great quantity of deep snow, in which the dogs and sledges were some- times completely buried. He, too, had been de- ceived by the appearance of land on the horizon: besides tracks of stone-foxes, he had seen that of a red fox, a singular circumstance at such a distance from land. The driver who was to serve us as interpreter if we should meet with any of the Tschuktschi, was attacked with violent cramps in the stomach. For- tunately, we had with us a Jukahir who passed for a surgeon on the banks of the Omolon, and who al- rJinl^nf'r^VP^^"^ 5" ^*' notwithstandingr the pain which the «>oi«, j'^^lt*^*^"*^ '° °°^ ^y®8. In the nfght of the 17th I »S!n o ^k"^'*^ ^^f- *^?*^"' ^^« apparent diameter of the sun, When on the meridian below the pole, and found it 37' 15" in a horizontal, and 28' 20" in a vertical direction »-^m.JS;i ACCIDENT TO gLEDOfi-DWVERS- 207 ways carried a lancet. He was proud of being con- ruUcd: and decided at once that it would be right to otn a vein, which he did with much expertnees: Xher this contributed to the Pfti^"''' »™«»^^«,"| 1 know not, but the pain subsided. We remainea whwe w^were for a Say, to allow him time to re- rove^sTren^th We all suffered, as before, from in- flammatioS^f the eyes which was miUgated m some dftirreo bv the use of b ack crape veils and specta- cle^and by gently rubbing the eyes with spirits. While waitL for our patient, we occupied ourselves with taking" rom the Jeposite provisions for twenty /lavQ and Dacking them on the sledges. Tn the 3^sl of^March, at 2 P.M. we resumed our iournev in a north direction, which appeared to pre- ient fewer difficulties than the northeastern one; stmwtTnly made twelve worsts before night. The fytrng an-^nTght were perfectly calm wt^jaf^d ed skv ; but the next mommg (April 1st) an easi wind which veered in the afternoon to the south, Tcatter^d the clouds. We could accomphshbu twenty wersts, being "^hged to waUi all the way. and frequently even to assist the dogs m drawing %he sf of April,being Easter-day, we did not trav- el fdoublerftL; wer^e issued to each m^ulual ; InA the mildness of the weather and the bright sun- tStae added stm farther to our cheerfulness and the refreshing effects of our repose. The cliar, mild weather continued on the 3d, but the hummocks were large and numerous and pre- vented us from accomplishing m»!^ *»»*» *'f '^^" wersts. Two of our drivers were hurt by the over- Sng of their sledges, and one of our best dogs ^8 K : besides which, we met with many other rccidents and on the ^iJj. °f/P'»' f ^%'JpIu 2 thirteen wersts, were obhged to hall to repair our IVedges The ronners of three of thfem had been broken among the hummocks, and were replaced by I. Ill m 208 IfBA ^Cl^l'g POLAR EXPEDITION. tome of \}\B uirc -wood we nrried with us, which was found very useiul for this purj>o9«. Aft^it putting things in tije best ordpi we could, we continued ir route on tfip 5th of April. It led across a plain of ice covered Vidh crystals of salt. We saw a set'dl lyngr near a hole in the i( *^, but he escaped us. The ice w found to be nearly /our feet thick, the depth of water twelve fathoms, and the bottom greenish mud. The temperature of the water was +29°, while that of the air was -|-26°, and a current was setting from W.N.W. to E.S.E. After a march of nineteen wersts we halted for the night, and kept a more careful watch than usual, as we had seen numerous tracks of stone- foxes and bears, and wished to avoid a nocturnal sur- prise by the latter. During the day we had a fresh breeze from the east, accompanied by a thick fog, which thoroughly wet our tent and clothes, and cov- ered them with rime. Jn the afternoon of the 6th of April, after toiling trirough thirty wersts, we found ourselves at the pomt where M. Kosmin and myself had turned back on the 28th of March, so that it had taken seven days to accomplish the distance which we had then travelled in 2^ days when our sledges were lighter. Before halting for the night we proceeded 9i wersts farther. The hummocks had lately increased both in number and height, many of them being of the class of oil hummocks, and very difficult to pass, chiefly on account of the deep snow which filled the intervals between them. The exertions of the sledge-drivers in particular were veiy great. Ouv interpreter was again attacked by severe cramp in the stomach ; and being unable to procure for him any other assistance than the lancet of the Jukahir, to which it di. not appear prudent to resort a sec- ond time, we fei -r / anxious about him. It was. moreover, evid -nl 'h^^ tn rnliAVA him hv* ... .-n . vhile we could do nothing MORE HUMMOCKS. S09 f«.auent delays. Under all the .nrcumstanceB, I delSned oj; sending him back to the Kolyma thouBh we were then 250 wersis from land, ana iW werats from the nearest inhabiK^d place. We co dd Ul spare either men or dogs; b.' it appeared the eastClto send away the patient w.th t*o eo^P^^- innq to take care of hni, on one of the best sieoges, drawn by twenty-four instead of twelve dogs. Part- in^ with this double team left one of our sledges wfthoifan5\loKS ; and 1 had jt broken »p, a^d made TtS" 'st'^re^r were ''u"abfe^ot^ry i^rhe' .ce «~;rt^lp:tttS.3aa SSsr^-'r=tSnrr=d to five P"«°"^'*"'!.t'?!;f,fl'of April a breeze from elling, we lo""^ "" ^ y.^^ fjoni the summit of thTSesi for some outlet, and were obliged to the "*g"®7.^^^/", -selves bv means of crowbars. etit sizos, partly of old ana pd y .^ :lo°n"se;7nc^fwh»dtot%rri^^ at !he UtUe "'oS Zm wVtrav"td two wersts among crowd- wrlh by Ses of ice rec^ently thrown up. ruiuung 1,1'! 'Sj '51-^ i-J ili' i filO wranoell's polar expedition. »■ from east to west. We had an extensive pros- pect from their summits. To the north we saw sev- eral parallel ranges of newly- formed hummocks of a greenish colour: they resembled the towering waves of the ocean when violently agitated by a siorm. To the south, beyond the flat surface we had crossed, and which looked like a wide river run- ning between cliffs of ice, we discovered high snow- covered hummocks of old formation, which by their inequalities gave to that part of the sea the appear- ance of a country intersected by deep hollows and ravines. The contrast between the southern old hummocks and the northern recent ones was too striking to leave any doubt that we had reached the extreme limit of the shore-ice of the continent, and that we had before us an open sea not bounded by land to the north, at least within a considerable distance. We passed two groups of recent hummocks, and halt- ed for the night among a third group. We had met with several wide fissures, where we found U^ fathoms, and a bottom of green mud. We again buried part of our provisions, that we might be able to press forward to the north more rapidly. On the 9th of April we had a clear sky, a mod- erate breeze from the east, and a temperature of -f 9°. Our noon observation gave the latitude 71 ** 50', and the longitude by reckoning was 3^ 20' E. of the greater Baranow Rock : variation 18|° E. After crossing the ridge behind which we had passed the night, we found ourselves in the midst of one of the wildest groups of hummocks we had ever seen, and among which, after working seven hours with crowbars, we had advanced only three wersts. As there appeared to be no end to our labour in this chaos of ice, and as the exhausted state of the dogs and the dilapidated condition of the sledges threatened us daily with their entire lAflfl. T HaIH q /trkiirtAil nrifV. «V><^ ♦•••^ ^A!^^'... ...V^ «» DlSCOTBUY OP OPEN WATER. 211 companied me, recwesting them to give me their ODinion whether, under present circumstances, thev saw any possibility of our making any material ad- vance They both said that, even if we should not be stopped by open water, still, with our dogs so worn out, we could scarcely hope to accomplish thirty wersts in a week across these rugged hum- "™ Perfectly coinciding in their opinion, I determined to return. But that we might have nothing with which to reproach ourselves, I sent forward M. Ma- tiuschkin, on whose zeal and fidelity 1 had the most complete reliance, in a light sledge, with two com- panions, to examine the ice to the north, m order to determine with certainty if it were wholly impossi- ble for us to proceed farther. He started on the lOth of April : we had had a moderate breeze dunng the night, and heard distinctly the sound of the ice-fields breaking up. In the morning there was a brisk breeze from the north, and the thermometer ^^WhiU M. Matiuschkin was absent, I ascertained the latitude to be 71° 52', and the variation 18 45 E Our longitude by reckoning was 3o 23 h. ol the Baranow We had fourteen fathoms and a half iv»tpr with £rreen mud. , At the end of six hours M. Matiuschkin returned. He had been obliged to pass over high and very dif- ficult hummocks, and to cross wide fissures ; not- withstanding which, by the lightness of his sjedge he had been enabled to accomplish ten wersts m a due north direction, when aU farther advance was stop- ped by the complete breaking up o^ J^^ ice, and a Slose approach to the open water. He had beheld the icy sea breaking its fetters : enormous fields of ce, raUed by the waves into an almost vertical position, driven against each other with a tremen- Sous crash, pressed downward by the ^rce of the iv.om;n0 billows, and reappearmg again on the sur* ^ '4 'li, 1^},' 212 wrangell's polar expedition. II m II. it face, covered with the tom-up green mud which everywhere here forms the bottom, and which we had so often seen on the highest hummocks. On his return, M. Matiuschkin found great part of the track he had passed over already gone, and large spaces which he had just traversed now covered with water. All idea of proceeding farther was therefore at an end, and it was necessary to hasten back to our last deposite of provisions, that we might secure them before they were reached by the breaking up of the ice. Having replaced them in the sledges, we were so fortunate as to find a somewhat less difficult route, by wliich we accomplished sixteen wersts in a W.N. W. direction. We saw numerous tracks of bears going northward, probably to seek for seals among the new openings in the ice. On the llth of April we had a moderate fall of snow : the observed lati- tude of our halting-place was 71° 54', and its longitude by reckoning 2° 52' east of the greater Barano w Rock. Our W.N.W. course soon brought us again among old hummocks, and, to avoid them as much as possi- ble, we proposed turning to the N.E., but we first ascended one of them, fifteen fathoms in height, to observe the state of the ice in that quarter. As far as the eye could reach, we saw nothing but new and impassable hummocks, while a sound resembling the rolling of distant thunder, and numerous columns of dark blue vapour, ascending at various points from N.E. to N.W., but too clearly indicated that the work of disruption was everywhere going on. We had here an opportunity of observing, that where the ice cracks, even in places where it is thick and solid, evaporation immediately ensues, which is more or less dense to the view, according to the temperature of the atmosphere, and usually shows itself in the form of vertically ascending columns of a dark hue. As we could not advance to the N. B-- Wfl hftld nnr nntirao a littlo fovthoi' in tV>A vrt^at. NO SIGNS OF LAND TO THE NORTH. 213 Md halted twenty-four wersts from our last night's MstinK-place. The warmth of the day had melted hft?fin oil, 80 that we had lost the greate^ pan^ it ; and there was so httle wood left tliat * VXv only allow ourselves tea and cookmg once a dajs aUd had to be contented at other times with frozen fish and with enow to quench our thirst. On ?he I2th I sent M. Matiuschkin to examine whether it would not be possible for us to penetrate through the old hummocks to the north ; and, at the end of three hours, he returned and reported that it wouW be very difficult, but not altogether jmpossiWe. We accordingly made the attempt, but had advan- ced only sucwersts when we came to veiy thin "ce, which was broken in many places, and covered with salt water. These unequivocal »nd.cat ons of an approaching general break-up warned us to pro- ceed nofarthef, Ispecially as the north wind contm- Std to increase. The depth of the sea was here fourteen and a half fathoms, and the bottom no lon- ger green mud as before, but gravel. We were now in 73° 8' latitude, and 263 werets in a straight line from the nearest land, ..e., the greater Baranow Bock. Throughout the whole ex- tent we had traversed in so many different directions, the nawre of the ice and the increasing depth of tht sea indicated our greater distance fro™ the con- tinent and we might presume with much probabrii- y that, tf a^y c^n^sideUe land existed to the nor^h of us, we haa, at the utmost, travelled over no more than half the interval which separates it from bibe- ria It was not from this consideration, however, no from any but that of actual physical imjKjss.bl- ity, that we now at last relinquished the attenapt to proceed farther northward, and sought, instead, o ?each the meridian of Cape Schelagskoj, due north of which the problematical land was suPP^Sf ,^° ^ situated, according to my mstructions We ttiej^ fore retraced our steps, ana Biepi i** ^n^ »i^i w«^r^ we had halted on the 10th of April. 1 ,'t l"''"' fll'- ■'■'' j ,,^-'i ti» *i .* fc!lifi ^w| WBln"Pl 't t; PIiImi »' ^' ''> w m f- ''ll 1 iiil ■ w |HBWf -M f. >Mi! 1 li 1 ' ' nfi ill 214 wrangell's polar expedition. tr; lb I On the 13th we reached the deposite of provisions we had formed on the 6th. We saw here numerous tracks of bears, which had probably been attracted by the smell, but all their attempts to break through the covering of ice had failed. On opening our crypt with crowbars, we found the hollow filled with water which had come up through a recent crack in the bottom ; but, fortunately, the crevice was small, and, though the fish was wet through, none of it had been lost. We halted the next day to dry our provisions as well as we could, and to rest our exhausted dogs. On the 15th we resumed our journey, with a light breeze from the N.N.E., the thermometer at —lo. We travelled thirty-six wersts in an E.S.E. direc- tion, along a kind of path between two rows of large hummocks ; but at last the masses of ice (which were in many places covered with earth) ap- proached closer together, and the narrow ravines between them were filled with such deep snow that both men and dogs were buried in it, and, after extri- cating ourselves, we were obliged to retrace our steps for a short distance. We felt the cold very much during the night, as the temperature was — IS**, and we had no fire. On the 16th we continued our course to the east- wardi with clear, calm weather. A good observa- tion at noon gave our latitude 71o 30', and our lon- gitude by reckoning was 3^ 54' east of the greater Baranow Rock. In spite of deep snow and other difficulties, we accomplished thirty wersts. Although the temperature was not lower than —9° on the morning of the 17th, a piercing S.W. wind and violent snowdrift obliged us to halt during the day. At noon we availed ourselves of a favour- able moment, when the sun appeared between the clouds, to obtain an observation, which gave our lat- itude 710 18', and the longitude by reckoning was 4° 4 E. of the greater Baranow, the variation being 18® E. KILLING A BEAR. S15 On the 18th the storm subsided, and we continued our route across old hummocks, covered m many Xces with green mud. When we had gone eigh- S wersts we encountered two bears, which we chased, not only with no advantage but with much positive damage, besides loss of »'""«• .^e killed one of them, it is true i but he was so thin, and his flesh so hard, that it was wholly useless : several of Sur dogs were wounded ; we lost a great part of the day, and encamped for the night much weaned by .ho niirwiit During the night we saw signs of re- tumKring ""a!arge fliiht of black ducks (a««. SySc^ding to tSe n'w. : the floating ice to the north of Siberia is often covered with these '''on the 19th our observed latitude was 71» 18', and our lonritude by reckoning 4" 36' E. of the greater ZranowRock. A violent storm from the N.W-.ac- romZTed by a heavy snowdrift, obUged us to halt a? noon for the rest o? the day. The next morning, Although the wind and snow had not ceased, we Pont^nQed our journey, and three wersts from our Sg-pL" found a tilerably smooth path, bound- ed to the north by hummocks runmng m a S.S.E. •" We sSunded in a cleft which was only covered by a thin crust of ice, and found twenty-one fathoms, with ween mud, and a rather strong current running E S E In the northeastern horizon there were columns of dark blue vapour, similar to those which we had noticed several times before when the «« was senaraling. We had this day travelled thirty- Tne weSts "Id ^e halted for the night mider the sheltw of a large ridge formed by the junction of old and recent hummocks, the latter extending east- ward as far as the horizon. Early in the morning of the 31st of April, MM Matiuschkin and Kosmin went forward m a Ugh Bledge to seeK for the uesi iuUi,c w\T»n*« in^ ^^-^ . < i"! 816 wrangell's polar expedition. but, after passing over rugged hummocks with irreat effort for a single werst to the N.N.E., they came to a space of open water at least two wersts across This opemng extended from E.S.E. to W.N W be* yond the visible horizon ; the ice beyond it appear' ed to be mtersected by numerous fissures, and from the summit of a hummock they clearly saw exten fu^ S^i^r.'^^^^l' "^^^^ ^®^^» ^^ *h>n Jce drifting to" the E.S.E. About a fathom beneath the surface they found a strong current setting to the S.E • the depth of the sea was 19J fathoms, and the bottom green mud. As the open water made it out of the question to attempt proceedmg in that direction, we proceed- ed towards the meridian of Cape Schelagskoj in a S.S.E. direction, where the old hummocks offered rather fewer difficulties than the new ones • we trav elled the whole night, but the deep snow prevented us from accomphshing more than twenty-seven wersts. On the morning of the 22d we were surrounded by a thick fog, which concealed even the nearest objects. When it cleared we saw plainly to the south the black, bluff rocks of Cape Schelagskoj peering above the horizon. The southeastern point of the coast bore S. 45o E., the middle summit S. 40O E.,and the southwestern point of the promonto- 5^'ooo^^S"^ ^'^^ ""^®® ®^ eighty-seven wersts, bore o. 33 E. At 3i P.M. we found the variation 18° 49' E Our noon observation gave the latitude tO'' 63', and the longitude, derived from the bearings of the land, was 6 40' east of the greater Baranow. Our reckoning was m error 24', corresponding to an actual distance of eight miles. An observation of the dip, in which the poles of the needle were not reversed, gave 79° 57 N. * ♦v'^^^J^^"^**'*^'^"^"*'''®^^*"^ ^epth of the sea, and wienumeiDUs spaces of open water, so little agreed POSSIBLE EXISTENCE OF POLAR LAND. 217 with the vicinity of the continent, that if we had not been assured of the fact by the evidence of our sen- ses, we could hardly have imagined that we were tvithin ninety worsts of the mainland. This remark leads to the inference that our hitherto fruitless en« deavours to find the supposed Polar land may, after all, prove nothing against its existence : strictly speaking, they only prove that, notwithstanding all our efforts, it was found impossible by us to reach it ; but whether the insurmountable obstacles which stopped our progress would always present them- selves, I cannot venture to decide. Two circum- stances should be here noticed : first, although in this vicinity we met with many recent fractures, the ice itself was everywhere thick, and covered with sohd snow, whereas farther north it was very thin, and had but httle snow on its surface : second, north winds are always damp winds ; and both these circumstances indicate that the general state of the sea to the north differs materially from its condition in the vicinity of the continent. Towards evening a fresh S.S.W. wind covered the sky with clouds. The state of the ice induced us to take a S.S.E. course ; and on our way we found a piece of half-decayed firewood, which was a very acceptable addition to our scanty stock of fuel. After travelling nineteen worsts, our farther progress in this direction was stopped by a mass of impassable hummocks, which extended to Cape Schelagskoj. The rocks of the cape were clearly distinguishable : their outer point bore S. 30° E. Although the horizon was remarkably clear, we could not discover any indications of land either to the east or to the north. Assuming that any land which was not extremely low must have been visi- ble at a distance of fifty worsts, and that we were eighty worsts from Cape Schelagskoj, it is manifest that in the meridian of that cape no land exists for 130 wersts to tuc Rorthward Oi it \ and we aasv^ — * ^■'iiwl ■>H. m 218 wrangell's polar expedition. ready seen that there is no land for 300 wersts north of the greater Baranow Rock. Having food for our dogs for only four days longer, and being still 200 wersts from our deposite of pro- visions, the season also being very far advanced, we determined to return without delay, and on the 23d of April travelled twenty-six wersts in a westerly direction, over hummocks of old ice and through loose snow. Our noon observation gave the lati- tude 70° 50', and the longitude by reckoning was 2° 8' W. of Cape Schelagskoj. ^^ ' In the afternoon we saw to the south a contmu- ous low coast, apparently elevated above the true horizon. We were opposite to Sand Cape, but, as the interval which separated us from the coast was not less than ninety-eight wersts, this effect must have been produced by the strong refraction of these regions, which often leads to the discovery of re- mote objects. On the 24th we travelled thirty-five wersts, meeting with frequent tracks of bears and - % On the 26th, the latitude by our noon observation Vas 70° 54', and the longitude by reckoning 3° 12' #* W. of Cape Schelagskoj : hummocks and loose snow prevented us from accomphshing more than thirty-eight wersts. Large flights of black ducks passed over us to the westward. On the 20th, though the traveUing was still dim- cult, we made forty-three wersts : a piece of fresh aspen-wood was picked up near our halting-place. Our provisions were now quite exhausted, and the drivers were very uneasy about the dogs, which lose their strength in a very short time after their food fails. But in reliance on our reckoning, by which we could not be more than one day's jour- ney from our deposite, we pushed on cheerfully on the 27th, over a less difficult route than heretofore, and arrived at the spot in the evening, after a march 01 ioriy wursis. leu weists uCiuic 4ca\^ii«ife iw »yc RETURN TO LAND. 219 came upon the old track of M. Matiuschkin's sledge. The 29th was a day of rest to our dogs and of re- freshment for ourselves, enhanced by finding a large Sece"f drift pine-wood, which enabled us to make aTood fire. The marks of teeth and claws about thi block of ice, and the torn-up f"^- showed co„. clusivelv that, during our twenty-eight days ab- sence, LbeaJs had made many desperate attempts on our storehouse, but happily without success : we found everything uninjured. As the lateness of the season the low state of our provisions, and the di- apTdated condition of our sle'dges forbade any con- tinuation of our journey, I thought it best to return to To ymsk by the track we had already travelled ; and thfs had been so much improved "y the consoli- dation of the loose snow, that we made fifty-five wersts on the 39th, fifty wersts ot^^^^JOih,mi reached the coast on the evening of the 1st of May, where we halted for the night, ha f way between the creater and lesser Baranow Rocks. Xty as we were, we rose very early the next morning^ to enjoy the long-unseen sight of the brown earth. The gray moss, the low, leafless bushes and the notes of the few birds, all told of Kf spring, and of a return to animated nature; and we congratulated each other on our toils and privations being over, at least for the present. It is with the warmest satisfaction that I here re- cord my grateful thanks to my two excellent com- panions, MM. Matiuschkin and Kosmin, for /he'r Sous support throughout the difficulties of the fournev we had just completed, during which we iT had frequently to join^n dragging the sledges through neariy bottomless snow and over perpen- Sar cliffs of ice ; and it was doubtless, in a great measure owing to their example that our sledge- drivm encountered so many toils, privations, and danffers cheerfully and without a murmur. A^n Ih« -ith of Mav we arrived at Pochodsk, where 220 WRANGELLS POLAR EXPEDITION. a new and joyful surprise awaited me. My friend and brotiier-officer, Lieutenant Anjou, had just ar- rived from the island of New-Siberia with the expe- dition under his command, proposing to visit Nishne Kolymsk, and to return along the coast to the Jana. But our happiness in meeting thus unexpectedly in these remote regions could not but be materially alloyed by the sight of the suffering and misery which surrounded us. Six half-stnrved Tungusian families, urged by despair, had exerted the last rem- nant of their failing strength to reach this place, where they found the few inhabitants in a scarcely less deplorable condition, their stores being quite con- sumed, and they themselves supporting life as well as they could on remnants of bones and skins, until the approaching spring should bring them the anx- iously-looked-for relief. We divided among them all that remained of our provisions, and had reason to hope that this assistance would save the lives of several. On the 5th of May we reached Nishne Kolymsk, after an absence of fifty-seven days, in which time we had travelled 1355 wersts. 1 found here new or- ders from the governor-general of Siberia in refer- ence to our employments for the present year. Our worthy companion. Dr. Kyber, had only partially recovered, and was suffering with his usual patience and cheerfulness. The town was empty, all the in- habitants having gone away to their summer em- ployments except the invalid Cossack, who regular- ly remains on guard, and our old housekeeper. On the 10th of May the first rain fell ; but sum- mer had not yet fairly arrived, and we had snow re- peatedly afterward. About the 17th fresh grass began to appear on the sheltered banks, and on the 22d the ice, which had covered the river for 259 days, broke up. On the 26th of May the usual in- undation followed, forcing us to take refuge, with all our goods, on the flat roofs of the housesj there to OVERFLOWING OF THE RIVER. 221 await the termination of the flood. To provide against cases which sometimes occur, of the build- ings being materially injured by drifting masses of ice, or of the inundation reaching the roof, we had boats at hand to enable us to retire, if needful, to the Pantelejew Mountain. The inhabitants always take care, before leaving the place, to remove all their portable goods to the roofs of their houses, which certainly present a singular aspect, being cov- ered with sledges, chests, casks, and household utensils of every kind. On the 31st of May the water began to subside, and we were soon afterward able to return to our dwellings ; but, in spite of the constant fires which we kept up, it was long before we got rid of the cold, damp atmosphere proceeding from the walls, which had been thoroughly satura- ted with moisture. CHAPTER XI. M Matiuschkin's Journey across the Eastern Tundra in the Summer of 1822.* I PARTED from M. Wrangell at the village of Pan- telejewka on the 1st of July, in company with our former travelling companion and friend, M. Beresh- noi, who was going to Tschaun Bay. His objects were to trade with the Tschuktschi and to seek for mammoth bones ; mine was to execute the charge intrusted to me by the commander of the expedition, * While M Matiuschkin was engaged in examining the East- ern Tundra, M . Wrangell made a journey through the Stony 1 un- dra These gloomy wastes are so uniform m their character that more than one description of them was thought to be need, less, and that by M. Matiuschkin has been selected, as being the most interesting of the two.— A"*' ■^^' T2 r\ ■I li..jll mm t m 222 WRANOELl's polar EXPEDITtOW. of examining and surveying the district over which we were to travel. It was agreed that we should go round by Ostrownoje, where we expected to find a Tschuktschi interpreter. After crossing to the right bank of the Pantele- jewka, we loaded and mounted our horses, and be- gan our journey by following for three wersls a narrow path along the mountain-side ; then we turn- ed to the east to avoid two rivers, which were so swollen by the heavy rains which had lately fallen that we could not hope to be able to ford them. We rode till sunset over rocky hills clothed with wood, and marshy valleys intersected by streams, and crossed by twilight the Nuptschag, which rises in the White Rocks, and joins the Pantelejewka eight or ten wersts above the village which we had left. The traces of the storm of the previous day were everywhere visible, and our way was frequently im- peded by the uprooted trees which lay across our path. We pitched our tent at night, and the horses were allowed to graze. On the 2d of July the wood became gradually smaller and more scattered as we approached the AVhite Rocks, until there were only low bushes, with occasional stems of larch-trees which had been burned. The marshy ground was overgrown with moss, and intersected in every direction by small brooks. There were here many marsh-birds, and it is the most northern station at which we saw them. As we advanced, both vegetable and animal life be- came more rare, except the immense swarms of moschetoes, which continued to torment both our- selves and our poor horses dreadfully. We hoped to escape them by halting for the night on a barren elevation, exposed on every side to the wind, but, unfortunately, it fell calm : it was in vain that we crept under horsehair nets, or surrounded ourselves with thick and suffocating smoke from the smoulder- ing heaps of moss and leaves ; nothing availed, un- mammoth's tusk. 228 til the increasing cold of the night ' -"ght us a short respite ; but, as soon as the beams oi Ihe morning sun were felt, our tormentors renewed their attacks. On the '•morning of the 3d of July we left the "White Kocks, which gradually diminished in height towards the east, and took a southerly course across a hillv country watered by several streams. Al first we met only with bushes ; but the woods soon became so thick that we had great difficulty m ma- king our way through them. We could not follow anv one of the rivers, because, though they all flow towards the Aniuj, they enter it a long way to the westward, which would have taken us quite out of our course. We availed ourselves as far as possi- ble of the paths which the reindeer had opened in ^^EarTy^on^Xe morning of the 4th we saw above the trees the summits of the two mountains Krugi and Nugpol, which are near the Aniuj, and between which we were to pass to reach that stream. The forest, apparently hitherto untrodden by any human foot, became still denser and more difficult to trav- erse, from the tangled roots and branches of num- bers of uprooted trees. We had frequently to open a path with hatchets, and sometimes could not ad- vance more than half a werst m the course of an hour. The reindeer tracks, which had hitherto befriended us, now ceased, and we had also many streams to cross: late in the ev^nmg we emerged from the wood on a treeless plain, extending from east to west, on which the Krugi Mountain stands ; we rode on to the east, and slept among some low, woody hills surrounding the Nugpol Mountam. In one of the brooks which we crossed we found a very fine mammoth's tusk, which m'g^t weigh 2^ pood (100 lbs.), and the value of which M- Beresh- noi said would fully compensate him for al his ex- penses and trouble hitherto. Unfortunately, on a closer examination, we found that the greater part of ■II ^. 224 wrangell's polar expedition. the tusk was so firmly fixed in the frozen bed of the stream, that all our efforts to get it out failed ; and not having with us any pointed iron crowbars, the prize had to be left behind, to the great regret of the whole party. After riding six wersts on the morning of the 5th, we arrived at the summer dwelling of a Jukahir family at the foot of the Nugpol Mountain, and on the bank of the Aniuj River. By their advice we were ferried by them across the river, as they as- sured us that the forests on the north side were ab- solutely impenetrable ; and that, in the entire absence of any assistance from men or boats, we should find great difficulty in crossing the Poginden, which falls into the Aniuj farther on. We followed the left bank of the river, first through trees and then over a marsh, which delay- ed us so much that we could only accomplish twenty- five wersts in the course of the day. We passed the night at a small Tschuwanzian settlement, to reach which we crossed the river. These poor peo- ple were suffering terribly from hunger ; they had no fishing-rets, and with their lines and baskets they had caught scarcely anything for some time past. We gave them some of our provisions, and their gratitude knew no bounds : the next morning, as we continued our journey after recrossing the river, they followed us for some distance along the oppo- site bank with shouts and songs. The remainder of this day (the 8th) and the whole of the 9th of July we passed at a little settlement opposite to the Obrom Mountain, partly on account of the slight ill- ness of one of our company, and partly to allow our horses rest. On the 10th we descended the river to Ostrow- noje, on a raft formed of trunks of trees, our horses following by the river bank. We engaged a Tschu- wanzian chief, who understood the Tschuktschi Ian- AKRIVAL AT THE POGINDEN. 225 tions detained us until the 12th, when we crossed the Ost rownoie River, and slept fifteen wers s farther the 0^!™™„^, ^{oudy and wet, and this weath- °?'lasted for a week : we passed over several wood- ed hills, and slept near the sources of the Konawa- fovvo River. On the 14th we directed our course icross a barren plain to a ''onsmvMejood.M appeared at a distance to be traversed by a large winding river, which we supposed to be the Fogin- den and U was late at night before we discovered our mrstake, on reaching the banks of an inconsid- Ssrean.; where we slept. The country through which we had Travelled was almost a complete des- Trt wThad not seen a single bird or quadruped !nd we were anxious to arrive at the lakes on the Tundra where we hoped to find wild geese and fish as ow provisions were getting very low. On fhe 'l5th wl came to the Poginden, and pitched our 'ent on its bank, in a thick grove of poplars, while rme°"of1he party cast .^e fishing^et and others roWe^nt^Iforfir; lafa^pens'^^ ver^ornamentalkind of willow, with long, slender hra^chTs there are excellent pastures, and many re'takTiftSeafr'tuld we find any ford^ fi;;l'-ur'io^wTntr-^^^^^^^ case wUh the rivers in this country m summer, ?rom tTe brooks and smaller tributaries freezmg du- "Vdavtoak on the 16th we found the water shalloweVby two feet in the Poginden, and crossed ft at a Bart where it divides into three branches : was uaif up iw'^ aorooo !.-v«*v- , '§d »=!i r-r. w 226 wrangell's polar expedition. nearly lost one of our pack horses. This was just above a waterfall, where the current was strong, but the ford in other respects was the best we could find : we had turned our horses' heads obliquely up the stream, so that they might resist the force of the wa- ter with their whole strength, and had reached the op- posite shore in safety ; but, while the foremost horses were slowly climbing the steep bank, the last was overborne by the current, lost his footing, and must inevitably have been carried down the fall but for the long string by which he was fastened to the oth- er horses. , We advanced in a northerly direction, and saw from the top of a hill a wide marshy plain extend- ing to the Filatow, one of the three principal tributa- ries of the Poginden, and we followed its edge until we found a favourable opportunity of crossing it. The Filatow is everywhere very rapid, and forms a number of gravelly and sandy islands overgrown with willows. It is much inferior in size to the Po- ginden, not being above ten or fifteen fathoms across. We slept on its right bank, under the shelter of a bluff cape wooded with larch : heavy rain fell all the night. High hills extended up the course of the stream northward as far as we could see, while to the southwest the chain appeared to terminate about twenty worsts from us, in a high, rocky mount- ain. We saw numerous rocks from which the earthy covering had apparently been washed away ; and their singular forms a lively imagination might easily metamorphose into colossal figures of men and animals, or into old ruinous buildings. On the 17th 've continued our journey, through rain and sometimes snow, and at the fend of ten worsts arrived at the Fedoticha River, which unites with the Filatow in latitude 69° 3'. Here the wood ends, and on the opposite side of the Fedoticha we saw only a few willow-bushes : before crossing it, therefore, we provided ourselves with a supply of SUPERSTITION OF THE jUKAHIRI. 227 tent-pegs, as we knew we should not find any m . the Tundra. During the remainder of this day's march we had to cross numerous streams. At night we were roused by the barking of our dog at the approach of a black bear, but the darkness pre- vented us from following him, and he escaped. On the I8th the weather was so bad that we could see nothing of the country through which we pass- ed except that our way lay between precipitous hills and mountains, the valley becoming gradually narrower and wilder, until at length we had no footing but the rocky bed of a former torrent. Dark ravines occasionally opened on either side of us. The Jukahiri assured us that this gloomy scene was the summer resort of powerful demons, though they themselves visit it (with many precautions) m au- tumn, to hunt the wild sheep which are attracted by the wormwood that grows here in great abundance, as well as on the banks of the Beresowaja or small Baranicha. We arrived at the latter river, and fol- lowed it for a short distance ; but the violent gusts of wind through the ravines rendered it so difficult for the horses to keep their footing on the slippery path, that we were obliged to halt for the night, and to shelter ourselves from the thickly-fallmg snow behind a projecting rock. On the 19th the weather improved, the hills De- came lower, and the valley gradually widened, so that where we halted for the evening it was above twenty wersts broad, and we began to meet with the small lakes which characterize the Tundras. M Bereshnoi found a mammoth's tooth here, and I shot a fat wild swan, which at the time was rather the better prize of the two, as our stock of provis- ions was reduced to a few biscuits. It was, more- over, a good omen, for we were awoke early the next morning by the noise of immense numbers of moulting geese, which almost covered the lake near us. We were soon on horseback, and, armed i' !1 ,i I ly m If 228 wrangell's polar expedition. •iJbM. with bludgeons, surrounded the lake that they might not escape : our dog drove them on shore, and we knocked down seventy-five. Less experienced than my companions in the use of the weapon, and not so well acquainted with the tricks of these birds, which resemble foxes in cunning, I only succeeded in kiUing one. When I saw them lying on the ground, with their necks and legs stretched out quite stiff, i passed them by, thinking them dead, and went on to knock down others ; but, as I turned back to pick up the slain, they slipped away from me with wonderful agility. The natives are never taken in by them in this way : they deal their blows with remarkable skill and quickness, and the whole scene presents on a small scale somewhat of the an- imation of the autumn reindeer hunt. In great f-pirits at this seasonable supply, we loaded our hor- ses with the game, and continued our route towards the coast. My companions thought themselves still thirty worsts from it, when I found by the me- ridian altitude that we were only five worsts, the sea being concealed from us by some intervening low hills. We slept that night a few worsts east of the mouth of the Beresowaja. On the 2 1st of July we joined M. Wrangell at the halagan near the great Baranicha. On the 31st we crossed the three arms of that river in M. Kosmin's boat, but were prevented from proceeding farther for twenty-four hours by the sudden illness of our interpreter : on the 1st of August he was so much better that we were able to continue our jour- ney. The geese, which had now completed their moulting and were in full plumage, flew over our heads in large flocks towards the south, and we vere unable to shoot one of them, but we killed nine pairs of swans : these birds do not keep togeth- er in large numbers, but are usually seen in pairs, or, at the most, in parties of four. Proceedingjome e carno farther, L_ i. ^P „ ■>., Spui WILD GEESE. 229 werst in breadth, between a low hill and the sea, where the ground might be said to consist entirely of mammoth and buffalo bones ; but a travelling party, the traces of whose fires we saw at a little distance, had been here before us, and carried off all the valuable part of the spoil, namely, the teeth. There were large heaps of jaw bones, which had ev- idently been thrown aside by them. On the right bank of the Kosmina, to our surprise we met M. Kosmin, who had come here in his boat by sea, with four companions, for fishing. They had been very successful the first night, but the next day a north wind drove so much ice into the river that they could do no more for several days. This so- called river is, I suspect, nothing but a long, narrow arm of the sea, for the fishermen who had been twenty wersts inland to the S.E. to shoot birds, re- ported that they found the breadth still the same, and the water too salt to drink. On the 3d of August we took leave of M. Kosmin, who, with his people, had assisted us to construct a light boat for crossing the larger rivers. Our par- ty consisted of M. Bereshnoi, his interpreter the Tschuwanzian chief Mordowskij, three Jakuti, and myself; and we had sixteen saddle and pack horses. On the 4th of August I had separated myself from the party to gain a better view of the country from higher ground, when I came on a large flock of geese, which had been later than the rest in moult- ing. I left my horse grazing, and, quietly approach- ing the birds from the leeward side, succeeded in knocking down several. Meanwhile, one of our Ja- kuti had been sent to look for me by the party, who had become uneasy at my absence^ and he continued the chase with good success. On the 4th of August we halted in a large deep valley, which had apparently been a lake at some former period. The steep shores which surround- ed it appeared a promising locality for mammoth ■ U 4 'C \V''ii 4 \ kl'k 230 wrangell's polar expedition. bones, but the result did not correspond to the ex- pectations we had formed ; dunng the two next days, however, many bones were found, though no very valuable teeth. We shot two remdeer near a lake From the top of a hill we could plamly dis- tinguish, 100 wersts to the east, the high mountams of Waiwanin, Geilla, Rautan, and Cape Schelag- skoj, and also the bluff rocks to the east and south of Tschaun Bay, so that 1 was able to take several very useful angles for my survey of the country. M. Bereshnio determined to lose no time in search- ing for mammoth bones, but to make a tradmg m- tercourse with the Tschuktschi the prmcipal object of his journey. On the 7th of August we took a southwesterly course, between low hills and across lakes which were generally frozen, to what is called the Bolschaja Reka, or Great River, but which is, m fact, the western entrance of Tschau.i Bay, which had been hitherto mistaken for a river, where we ar- rived after a short march. I must here notice a curious natural feature of the country. Since quitting the Kosmina River we had been passing numerous deep lakes, so close togeth- er that they were usually divided from each other only by dams of earth a foot or a foot and a half broad ; yet the level of the water in them, so far from being the same, often differed as much as one or two feet. There can, therefore, be no communi- cation between them ; but, as the thin separating dikes consist only of vegetable earth, we must sup- pose them to be consolidated by ice which never melts ; and this would also account for the remark- able coldness of the water of these lakes, which m many instances were already frozen. Still it is singular that neither the summer sun, nor the action of the water on either side, should be able to pene- trate such thin partitions. .J J / Tschaun Bay has two entrances, divided from V ^«u^« u-.r *v.^ ic,^r^r,A A inn fnu\\ed Sabsdat in the I MOCK SUNS. 231 older maps), the north point of which forms a low sandy cape. The whole island appears to be of a similar character : neither bushes nor grass are to be seen on it, but only moss. The western entrance, near which we were, is the smaller of the two. When M. Bereshnoi was here the precedmg sum- mer, he found in it only two feet of water, so that it could be waded across with ease ; but now north- erly winds had raised its level considerably, and the breadth of the bay was from ten to fifteen wersts. The narrow strip of sand on which we stood was almost covered with the shells of a kind of muscle, which is abundant in the Aleutian Islands and at Sitka : they were partly overgrown with large-leav- ed sea-cabbage and other marine plants. We also saw many shells of shrimps, and a muscle-like kind of shellfish, which appeared to me to be the digiteL- ^"s^nce early in the morning there had been a sharp east wind and a perfectly clear sky. At noon we witnessed a beautiful phenomenon, which my com- nanions pronounced indicative of approaching bad weather of long continuance. The sun was sur- rounded by four parhelions or mock suns, at equal distances from each other, connected by a circle of brilliant prismatic colours, of which the radius was 22° The true sun and two of the parhelions were imersected, besides, by a horizontal prismatic arc, extending 80°, having two smaller bows a the two ends. These last, which were perpendicular to the horizon, had pecuUarly bright and sharply-defined colours but in reverse order to those of the rainbow. The phenomenon lasted two hours, and then gradu- ally disappeared. The wind fell soon after, and the bad weather which had been foretold set in with ^^ wf slep7in a narrow valley, which afforded good grass for our horses, and driftwood for ourselves : the ground on which our tent was pitched had only thawed to the depth of three inches. PMl '"iil 232 wrangell's polar expedition. On the 8th of August we continued our march along the low beach at the foot of a steep earthy bank, from three to seven fathoms in height, full of roots, plants, and fragments of resinous shrubs : it was obviously of recent formation, and contained no traces of mammoth bones.* A spot where the earth had given way presented a curious section of one of the small lakes which had been dried up, the basin of which was only five feet deep : it was hned by two coats of ice, separated from each other by an empty space, the upper coat being covered with earth, on which was growing several creepmg plants and shrubs. About noon we came to a deep though not broad river, which enters Tschaun Bay by two arms, and across which we swam our horses, and conveyed our luggage in the boat ; the river appear- ed to come from the west, and I consider it as bemg most probably another outlet of the Kosmina. The bad weather and the number of small lakes render- ed our progress difficult. During the night the hills were covered with snow, and on the 9th it fell so thick as to conceal almost every object from our view. We met with many tracks of bears, and with a board which seemed to have formed part of a wreck. As we approached the Wajwdnin Mountain we had firmer footing, over fine gravel and along the foot of cliffs of black slate, intersected by vems of quartz. Towards evening the weather cleared and the wind became due north. Very little ice ap- pears to drift into Tschaun Bay, probably owing to the existence of shallows near the entrances. Two or three miles from the coast we saw an insulated rock, which appeared like a frigate with the wmd abeam. I supposed it to consist of quartz, both * At several places along the coast we found old weather- beaten driftwood at a height of two fathoms above the present level of the sea, while fresh driftwood lay on the beach below. Does not this appear to indicate a change having taken place m ^ relative levels of the sea and laud ? MEETING A BEAR. 233 fh)m its whitifjl -gray colour, and from its having withstood the shock of the waves and of masses of ice, which it could not have done had it been com- posed of slate. Our route on the 12th was still along the coasi;, but over a spur of the Wajwamn Mountain : the bad weather had returned, and we slept in a narrow valley, where we had good grass and plenty of driftwood. On the 13th we shorten- ed our route by keeping inland, and cuttuig off a projection of the coast, and emerged again on the seashore at the end of seven hours, when, as I was riding carelessly along, at some distance from my companions, on turning suddenly 'found a rock I came upon a bear engaged in devourmg a seal. H^s- cape was impossible, for the animal had caught sight of me, and, quitting the seal, made furiously towards me Defence was equally out of the question, for I had no weapon except a short knife m my girdle. I recollected at the instant having heard the native hunters say, that a bear could not encounter the fix- ed eye of a man, but would always turn away and flv • so I sprang from my horse and advanced to- wards him as boldly as 1 could. The animal was not, however, in the least disconcerted by my steady locks ; and it would probably have fared badly with me if at this critical moment my dog had not sprang forward, and by his loud barking put my adversary to flight. I brought away the seal as a trophy, ana it afforded the party a very acceptable addition to our reduced stock of provisions. ^ We had now been travelling nearly six weeks without reaching the country of the Tschuktschi, the object of our expedition. The time had far ex- ceeded M. Bereshnoi's calculations, and the lateness of the season and the bad weather made him fear that our return might prove a winter journey, for which we were wholly unprovided. He held, there- fore, a very serious conversation on the subject with our principal guide, the interpreter, who at last U 2 hi 234 wrangi:ll*8 polar expedition. i admitted, what I had long suspected, that he had been leading us by conjecture hitherto, and that now he knew no better than we did where to look for the Tschuktschi. Our vexation may be easily ima- gined. For myself, I had at least had the satisfac- tion of surveying the country, and the part of the coast we had travelled over, conformably with my instructions, but M. Bereshnoi had obtained nothing but a few mammoth bones in return for all the labour and expense he had incurred : both of us had missed the principal aim and most interesting object of our journey, a communication and acquaintance with the Tschuktschi in their own country. M. Bereshnoi determined to return to the Kolyma by the shortest route across the Tundra; and as it was not for me to oppose his judgment, founded on many years' experience and perfect knowledge of the country, we set out on the I4th of August, greatly disappointed at the failure of our hopes, and turned our steps towards a range of mountains which we saw to the eastward, from which we hoped to obtain such a view of the country as would enable us to select the best line of march. After riding twenty wersts we arrived near the foot of the mount- ains, which were separated from us by a deep and rapid river, which we crossed with a good deal of difficulty, and encamped after nightfall on the high bank on the opposite side. A very agreeable surprise awaited us with the first beams of the morning-sun ; for accident had conducted us better than our guide, and we here found ourselves within the boundaries of the Tschuktschi territory. The river we had crossed was the Taun- meo, and near it were many Tschuktschi jurti : we hastened to them, but they were all empty. The marks of their having been occupied were still so re- cent, that the wind had not blown away the light ashes from the hearths ; and, though bones and other remnants of food lay scattered around, the wolves VALtEY OP TAtNMEO. &3ft had not yet been attracted by them. As the inhab- itant" could not be far distant, I climbed a neighbour- n« hill, from which I hoped to have an extensive vifw' A company with the interpreter, who profess- edTo recognise the country, and said that the name of the mountain on which we were was GeiUy ; bu before we reached its summit we were enveloped in tek mist. This, and two «ig"?l-«hots from our comDanims, obliged us to descend. M. Bereshnoi, bUU adher"ng to his intention of returning, had pro- ceeded up the river with the rest of the party, a^d left a Jakut with our horses to wait for us . we mounted, and soon overtook cur companions The valley of the Taunmeo has a considerable breadth, andflike most of the valleys of th-« Jgjn^ is interspersed with numerous lakes. It is boundett Ifn lithir side first by flat hil s, and afterward by ?oweSmatses of ro^k. In places sheltered from thrcold northern blast we found bushes of dwarf- hircb which furnished us with a scanty supply of f^l forcook ng On the 16th of August we saw S^me^usTrace's of Tschuktschi dwellings bu no inhabitants ; the country aPPeared entire y deserted Yet we met large herds of reindeer, which auovvea us tJ^aoDroach them so closely that we could not hnt suDDOse them domesticated, and the property of S IffinhabTtants of the valley i and we subse- quently ascertained that °ur belief mths respect was well grounded, and that the Tschuktstm lo IZm the/belonged hadjed at our approach. ThP further we receded from the coast ine warmer the^aiVbetmeTand towards evening we were ag^^^^ tormented by moschetoes, which were fortunate^^^ soon disoersed by a northwest wmd. We saw nere an^there plants of the black crowberry {empetrum ^Sr!.) thfwhortleberry the cloudberry {rubus ^^«^^^^"^>'_^"V tW had owing to the cold of the summer, none of them had fruited. ^sH '^ i ■1 23Q wrangell's polar expedition. On the 17th we had so violent a northwest wind, with rain and snow, that we were obliged to halt ; but the storm made it impossible to pitch our tent, and the heavy rain baflled all attempts at kindhng a fire. At night the rain and snow were succeeded by frost and in our wet clothes we suffered much from cold 'as the wind still continued, and constantly ex- tinguished the little fire we tried to make with the few twigs we could collect. At daybreak on the I8th we gladly put ourselves in motion, to warm our chilled limbs by exercise. The lakes were frozen over, the morass was every- where hard and passable, and around the bays in the river there were margins of ice. On the 19th we made but a short day's journey, as we had before us a difficult passage over a mount- ain-range, and it was necessary to spare our horses. We had no fuel, and our only food was a small quan- tity of dry biscuit. * j i ^ On the 20th we turned to the westward, along some tracks made by the reindeer. In a plain be- tween two rivers we came upon a pathway, which we afterward learned was that followed by the Tschuktschi in their journey to Ostrownoje. I pro- posed that we should pursue it ; but, being a stran- ger in the country, I was outvoted by my compan- ions, and we turned up a river, which soon conduct- ed us into a deep and rugged valley bounded by steep rocks, the fantastic forms of which appeared still more strange through the mist, which presently be- came so dense that we could see nothing but a few projecting points. The rushing of the torrents on every side, sometimes rolling down large masses ol rock, the howling of the storm through the ravines, and the thick fog which now concealed every ob- ject from our vipw, made the scene a most desolate one ; and, completely ignorant as we were of the place, our farther progress was rendered no less dan- gerous than toilsome. We soon perceived that the PROGRESS STOPPED BY A PRECIPICE. 237 ground under our feet becan«es«U more steep and cipice lay belore us, oi wmu advance was depth on account ^^ ^^;?,f ^^^u Jg^J^^^^ horses now impossible, and the exhausuon ui uu made it 'equally so to return to the ?'»- «« ^^f.^y now thirty wersts distant. While in ">'» P^'H' . /. Theard'the sound of a herd o -«de|r and ha^^^ tpninff in the direction of it, we soon guu e . IhS but they had scented our approach a„d quick the summit of the range. £ Wp now emerged from the mist, but a sea oi pendicular height) we were ^'jec ech they pnrsue among the hummocks, and k.U w . h soears in the course of conversation, the old man informed us of his own accord that he was descend- ed from the Schelagi, or, as they are usually called by the Tschuktschi, the Tschewany, who maay years since migrated towards the west, and have "Vhffirsr of these names has been preserved in that of Cape Schelagskoj. and the second in that of Tschewan or Tschaun Bay and River. Our guest took hUleave after a visit of two hours, well pleased wUh his reception and with some little presents which 1 made him at parting. . , .• • On the 9th of March the kamakat repeated his vis- it with his wives and children, and a young man whom he introduced as his nephew. As we were Sng tea when they arrived, we offered them some "but, on sipping it, they all showed signs of «eat dislike, and todk up a handful of snowf from fhe groind to gel rid of The taste ; they were much Sffl however, with the sugar which we next offprpd them It is surprising that the quantity ol tobacco 1^^^^^^^ they use'both in ^^^^^i^^.^t fa^tT ine should not blunt the sensibility of their taste. The nephew was particularly pleased with he sugar, and tolS us he had eaten some before at Ostrow- JlSje, when he was baptized there. 1 questioned * A crnss erected bv a Russian priest near the Tschaun River had ^en puUedlSwJ and bumeS by the Tschuktschi at that SlacefrSin their believing that s^nce it had been placed there the number of fish m the "^evjiad diminished^ 4 We afterward observed thai it is a ^'^"^^''^^'''^^J^lZi. them to ^eat snow after every meal, even when the weather w very colu. REPORT OP LAND TO THE NORTH. ^^51 him farther on this subject, but he could tell me no- thing and referred me to his wife even for the name Uich had been given him. She remembered it, as well as her own, and showed me the small meta crosses which she and her husband had received at the time, according to the custom of the Russian Church, but her knowledge went no farther. While our attention was occupied by these inquiries, her little son took advantage of the opportunity to pilfer a knife and some beads, which he hid m his fur shirt. I was unwilling to disturb the general good understanding, and therefore took no notice of the child's theft. .,. j ^ ;„ v,:^ The kamakai was a very cinlaeA person in his wav. When I had fully acqinintc him with the \ object of our journey, and had < ppi'^^ntly succeeded in satisfying him that we ha. no designs against him or his people, but that we were come to examine the form and situation of their coast, and to leani bv what route Russians could best bring them tobac CO and other articles for barter, he not only gave me an accurate description of the limits of his country, which extends from the g^^at Baranicha to Cape North, but also drew for us, with a piece of burned wood, the form of Cape Schelagskoj, which he call- ed £m ; Arautan Island, which was correctly rep- resented both as to form and position ; and another island to the east of the Cape, which we afterward found there. He farther assured us, m the most pos- itive manner, that there was no other island along the coast. When I asked him whether there was any other land to the north beyond the visible hori- zon, he seemed to reflect a little, and then said that between Cape Erri (Schulagskoj) and Cape Ir-Kai- Dii (Cape North) there was a part of ths coast where, from same cliffs near the mouth of a river, one might, m a clear summer's day, descry snow-covered mountains at a great distance to the north, hit that in winter tt was impossible to see so far. He said that formerly herds «■ (I i I ■; .'I 11 -i it I'!.; Mil if -if: 252 wrangell's polar expedition. of reindeer sometimes came across the ice of the sea, probably from thence, but th^^ ^h^^^^^ friffhtened back by hunters and by wol\es , inai ne had Self once seen a herd returmng to the nonh in thisway, in the month of April, and that he had followed them in a sledge drawn by two reindeer for a who ed^^^^^ thi rugged surface of the ice orced hhn to ^Uist. His opinion was that these distant mountains were not on an ^^^nd, but on an PvtPnsive land similar to his own country. He haa been tild by his ather that a Tschuktsc u elder had ^nPP aone there with a few followers, in large bai- Z! or boats made of skin, but what they ^omid there or whether they ever returned, he did not know. StTll he maintained that the distant northern land was inhabited, and adduced as a proof of i that some years ago a dead whale had been found at i^rautrisfand, pierced by spears pointed with slate ; and as "he Tsch^ do not use such weapons, he sSjposed ti^^^^ whale must have been v^ounded hv the inhabitants of the northern land.* % thanked the old man for his readiness m answer- ing all our questions, and made him a handsome nresent nromising at the same time that, if his m- format oHroved to be well founded, the government wS not foil to reward him bountifully. He was TxtremelJ grateful, and entreated me to get the em- neror^o send him an iron kettle and a sack fiall of ?obacco, wh"ch he said would make him comp etely happy. 1 asL^ured him that 1 shou d use my utmost exertions towards his obtaining his wish, and soon XwTd he and his party left Us much ^^^^^^^^^^^^^ with our acquaintance, and with our reception oi ^^'Tavailed myself of the fine clear weather to take * The inhabitant, of the Aleutian Islands u^ spears pom^^^^^ with slate in killing whales ; and as J^f f """^i^^^^^^ swim Kreat distances in a ^ry short time,_it if very^Pf^ssiwe m the wiiale lour i at Arautau may nave wuk »w«« .»v.«.~- CAPE KYBERi S53 ^''^tt^ thick failinesnol often making it impossi- HP t^ diSuh the toe of coast, they went astray ble to o'stmguisu uic i a ^y the increasing Kf'hermmSSttTheTlrlgetti^ 'Thl" continues steep a«d «ekyJor^f ^^eS wersts, to the 7Uth o ,a "J-- -" - -«^halted tn XrteVmpe™ was -IP in the moving, A oio in The evening. At noon we reached the 65' by reckoning, and the variation 18 E. *rcm ?hi« rock the shore becomes uneven and hiUy. we «oi *«ii*.«- nnart • the eastern shore is low, ana i^uv "e?ed"witlS Savelly ^-d gh| we^Thi'^ckj^ and forming a steep P™f ""^"'^l^r ibove the which I gave the name of Cape Ky'«r- iiD°'° T" "risf s a conical mountain, ^'^^d by *e Tscbd^U schi Etschonin. There was a good deal oi arm wood on the sandy beach. _ «■ About three an^ a half wersts ""rth of Cape Ky- befthere is a rocky island of '>»'«t»At hummocks! incircumference, entirely surround^ b^^^^^ 1 subsequently learned ttot the Tschuktscm cau Y i A I [i!i 254 wrangell's polar expedition. Amffaoton. I gave it the name of Schalaurow, after the man whose enterprise, courage, and perseve- rance, and, finally, whose death m these regions, well deserved that his name should be so recorded. Part of the shore of Schalaurow Island is cover- ed with heaps of the bones of whales ; these are probably the remains of the dwellings of a people who lived on seals and fish, but chiefly on whales, the bones of which were employed as timber in building their huts. We were told that their lan- guage was very different from that of the wander- ing reindeer Tschuktschi, and resembled that of the people who live near Behring's Straits in mud huts, supported on the inside by whalebones, and having their only entrance from above. They are the same race as the Aleutians and the Greenlanders, which have peopled th^ coasts from the eastern part of North America, along the Polar Sea to Cape Sche- lasrskoi On the 13th we had a light breeze from the west, with a thin mist, and a temperature of —11° in the morning, and —24° in the evening. After taking from the eastern shore of the river as much drift- wood as our sledges could carry, we left the coast, and directed our course over the ice towards the north. Having proceeded four wersts from, the shore, we deposited some of our piovisions in the ice, with the precautions before described, and sent back the empty sledges to the Kolyma. The ice here was not above three feet thick, the depth of water five fathoms, and the bottom green mud. ^^ ^_ ._ ,. On the 14th, after going 17 wersts m a N.N.h. di- rection over a tolerably even surface, with a temper- ature of from —24° to —31°, we came to some very rugged hummocks, where we could only make our way with crowbars, and with so much labour that the evening found us completely exhausted, after having accomplished only three wersts more. On Hip 1 fith the cold diminished a little, the tem- BREAKING W OP THE ICE. 355 «o,^tiirB beinff —13°, and the sky overcast. After fomnethe whole day with our crowbars, we had oaWvancId five wersts, and the sledges were so sertousSured that it was necessary to halt to re- Da^fS About the middle of the day we came tea fissr^ in the ice, which 1 availed myself of to lain soundings, and found nineteen fathoms, with a bottom of mud and sand. /■„,„:„„ our wav Pnnvinced of the impossibility of forcing our way .i.,nnah^hese rueeed hummocks with our heavily- through these ruggea^ to send back eight of K aW ios t~e^ we were the greater natrof our provisions. We excavated two recep- ?acles for thfpurpose, and placed in them a supply for twentv-three days for men and dogs. With the fourTemaining sledges and five people, M. Kosmm ' J ,^„if rILlvPd if it were possible, to advance LtaXthen^th' It being absolutely necessary to^a«y but lime weight, we took with us provisions tor only about five days, and a very smaU q.-nt Uy of fuel Our observed latitude was /0° 12 , u - )ar %tt l^'ih'v&wh.d L snow prevented us fZ commencing our journey and increa^dm the nieht to a tempest, which broke up the ice in sucn a manner that we' found ourselves on a detached telwid of it about fifty fathoms in diameter The Som continuing to rage, we were tossed to and fro and the fissures on every side of "« openea wioer and wider, till some of them were fftee" fathoms arrnss Thus we passed part of the nigni, luuy otarp'that we were in no small danger. At length ?he day brXrand brought with it a favourable ehanee of wind, pressing the fragment of ice on whTch we were against the rest, and by the evening we were again iS contact and connexion with the firm ice. The depth of water was nineteen fathoms On the 19th the storm had subsided and the sky becwne clear, but we saw plainly to the north the rj-l! 4 IK '•'^? ft .if • m-'i 256 wrangell's polar expedition. dark vapours which rise from open water, and which left us but little hope of the possibility of making any considerable advance in that direction. We did not give up the attempt, however, but used our ut- most exertions throughout the day to open a path for ourselves among the hummocks : in some places we had to go a long way round to avoid the wide lanes of open water, and in others we crossed over the new ice just formed, which would hardly bear us ; but, when evening came, we had only made ten wersts, and were still in sight of the coast. On the 20th the weather was calm and fine, the northern horizon of a dark blue, and the thermome- ter at — 11°. The hummocks to the north of us now becoming absolutely impassable, we tried to take a W.N.W. direction; but, after advancing about eight wet.5ts, we came to a space at least five wersts across, only co"3red by a thin crust of ice, which, from its perfect smoothness, we knew to be just formed. Going round it was out of the question, as it extended farther than the eye could reach, from W.N.W to E.S.E. We halted for the night near its margin, the depth of water being 19 J fathoms, the bottom mi.d and sand. Our first care on the morning of the 21st was to examine the possibility of our proceeding farther. Beyond the thin ice the hummocks appeared to be of old formation, and less steep and crowded, so that we might hope to find them passable if we could but reach them. This, however, could only be done by trusting to the newly-formed ice, and opinions were divided as to the possibility of its bearing us. I de- termined, however, to try, and the adventure suc- ceeded better than could have been hoped for, owing to the incredibly swift running of the dogs, to which, doubtless, we owed our safety. The leading sledge actually broke through in several places; but the dogs, warned of the danger by their natural instinct, nnH nnimnfpfi hv thf> inofissant P.riftS nf the driver. "t*a«r« THINNESS OF THE ICE. 267 flew eo rapidly across the yielding crust that we *eached th^th^er side ia f afety, and wuhout m any place absolutely sinking t^'ough. The other three 1.^we^Tno"wTsSVassernbledo{theno.^^^^^^^ of the fissure. It was necessary to halt for a white to let the dogs recover a httle from their extraordi- Tav^^^Kself of the delay to taUe a meridian ?«dSVy^nX K^oL^ts^sib^^^^^^^ mafnland being 174° 13', and the variation 21^ t. '^"'{^omed b/ihe light of a beautiful aurora in the NE quarter to continue our journey 1 11 the mght was far advanced, when we h^d accomplished twe„ tv fniir wersts since noon among old hummocKs ana Eo^e snow, which afforded comparatively easy trav- ^^Th^ mornine of the 32d was fine, but towards noon a I^t spr™g upfrom the west, with thick drifting sniw whichlften placed us in great danger, by con- rpaUnJttie open places till the foremost dogs of a te'am Ud'fXn i^ the sledges narrow yescapmg from being dragged in after them. After cautiously advancing for twenty-four wersts N. by Hj., i souna Saml flund iwentV-one fathoms ^vaterjittic ay Sf fitu'JerS'urinI th^ night the wind rose aj^ again widened the openings m the ice • w"nn««'y: hlwever, it subsided before n*?™;/. and we sue ceeded in escaping from our sland hy forming a kind of bridge of loose fragments of ice. In adS to the serious difficulties presented by thl sfate oHhe ice, the provisions foronr dogs were beginning to fail. To make them hold out as long as possible, I sent back two sledges to ^e ^st de posite, dividing their share among the two which I I' \L 258 wrangell's polar expedition. still retained, sr i with these we resumed our route to the north, more for the satisfaction of leaving no- thing undone that it was possible to do, than with any hope of a favourable resalt. Till noon on the 23d of March we had clear weather, with a light breeze, which towards the afternoon became fresh, with gathering clouds ; while from N.W. to N.E. the horizon was obscured by the dense blue vapour which in these regions always indicates open wa- ter. Notwithstanding this sure token of the impos- sibility of proceeding much farther, we continued our course due north for about ni.ie wersts, wh*in we arrived at the edi^e of an immense break in the ice, extending ez.-l and west farther than the ejo could reach, and \^him u the narrowest part was more than 150 fathorrs across. The strong wester- ly wind was constaotly widening the gap, while tne current was nujiiirig^ easterly at the rate of a knot and a half. We climbed one of the loftiest icehilJj, affording an extensive view towards the north, and from thence wc beheld the wide immeasurable ocean spread out before our gaze. It was a fearful and magaificent spectacle, though to us a melancholy one. Fragments of ice of enormous size were float- ing on ihe surface of the agitated ocean, and were dashed by the waves with awful violence against the edge of the field on the farther side of the channel before us. These coUisions were so tremendous that large masses were every instant broken away, and it was evident that the portion of ice which still divided the channel from the open sea would soon be completely destroyed. Had we made the attempt to ferry ourselves across upon one of the detached pieces of ice, there would have been no firm footing on reaching the opposite side. Even on our ov/n side fresh lanes of water were constantly formii v;, and extending themselves in every dir'=»ctioii in thd field behind us. We co ii go no farther. With a painful feeling oi the impossibility a vuei- 'ffi ■"■ lANES OP OPEN WATER. 259 coming the obstacles which nature opposed to us, our last hope now vanished of discovering the land which we still believed to exist ; and we saw our- selves compelled to renounce the object for which we had striven through three years of hardships, toil, and danger. We had done, however, all that du- ty and honour demanded ; and any farther attempts being totally hopeless, I determined to return. According to my reckoning, the point from which we were compelled to turn back was in latitude 70® 51', and longitude 175o 27^ Our distance from the mainland, in a direct line, was 105 wersts. We had 22| fathoms water, with a clay bottom. We proceeded rapidly along our old track towards the coast, and, though impeded by several fresh openings formed during our short absence, we made thirty-five wersts before halting for the night in a group of old hummocks. On the 24th we set off early, with a moderate breeze from the west, and a temperature of — 8°. We had every reason to make all possible haste, for our old track, which we endeavoured to follow as much as possible, was frequently interrupted by fresh hummocks, piled up since the day before, a proof of the very dangerous state of the ice. We had to ferry ourselves across many fresh breaks, on pieces of ice which were sometimes too small to hold a sledge with its team of dogs. In such cases we made the dogs swim, and help to tow us over, but the strong current which generally prevailed in these lanes of open water rendered this a matter of no small difficulty. Not far from our last de- posite of provisions the current set E.S.E., with a velocity of four miles an hour ; the temperature of the sea at this place was -|-28°, while that of the air was -\-9i°. At night we reached our deposite, where we found the two sledges we had sent back, and our provisions safe. On the 29 til we had a gentle breeze from the east, ! 1»' 'l.Sfl m I! i''V • ■M m: \.m > i* Mkaiil 860 wrangell's polar expedition. a thick mist concealing from us the coast of the continent. In the morning the temperature was —2°, and in the evening -flO"- The strong current ceased with the change of wind, and many of the fissures in the ice closed again. Still our position on this frail and broken-up surface, which the first wind from the sea would again cause to separate, was too hazardous to admit of my allowing the ex- hausted condition of the dogs to detain us tor a mo- ment in attempting to gain the coast. As we were preparing to start, our best sledge-driver was sud- denly seized with such violent pains in the back that he could not raise himself up : this obliged us to remain for the day, to try what our scanty means, which were merely rest, and rubbing with spirits and oil, could do for him. I take this occasion to give to our drivers the praise so justly their due, of having shown unwearied courage, patience, and cheerfulness amid the greatest perils and toils, as well as under every privation. While we were thus detained, two stone-foxes were discovered near us, and, critical as was our situation, the innate love of the chase so far prevailed that the three other drivers, instead of improving the opportunity for rest, occupied themselves in constructing a couple of very ingenious traps, baited with a portion ot their own scanty rations, by which they succeeded in taking one of the animals : the other was found at no short distance, having died of hunger. The severity of the cold was daily decreasing. On the 26th of March, with a mild S.S.E. breeze, we had in the morning a temperature of +27 , ana 4-14° in the evening. Our patient was better lor the twenty-four hours' rest we had given him, thougft wholly unable to drive. As every hour mcreasea the danger of remaining where we were, M. Kos- min, always ready to do the utmost in his power, undertook to drive the sledge himself, putting the sick man in his own place. We could not by any Il f PERILOUS SITUATION. 261 contrivance manage to carry all our provisions with us, and we had only to hope that we might be after- ward able to fetch away the part we were obhged to leave. After driving only three wersts, we found our old track completely obliterated by fresh hum- mocks and fissures, which rendered our advance so difficult that we were at last forced to abandon a part of the stores with which our sledges were la- den. After toiling on for two wersts more, we found ourselves surrounded on every side by lanes of wa- ter, growing wider and wider, until to the west the sea appeared completely open, with fragments of floating ice, and dark vapours ascending from it and obscuring the whole horizon. To the south we still saw what seemed a plain of ice, but it consisted only of larger fragments, and even these we could not reach, as we were separated from them by a wide space of water. Thus cut off in every quar- ter, we awaited the night with the utmost anxiety : happily, the sea and air were calm, and this circum- stance, with the expectation of a night-frost, gave us hope. During the night a gentle breeze sprung up from the W.N.W., and gradually impelled the ice-island on which we were towards the east, and nearer to the larger field before mentioned. In or- der to get over the remaining space, we shoved to- gether with our poles the smaller Pfces of ice which were floating near us, and formed with them a kind of bridge, which the night-frost cemented sufficiently to admit of our crossing oyer upon it before sunrise on the 27th. We had hardly pro- ceeded one werst, however, when we found our- selves in a fresh labyrinth of lanes of water, hem- ming us in on every side. As none of the pieces floating around us were as large as the one on which we stood, which was seventy-five fathoms across, and as there were certain indications of an ap- proaching storm, I thought it best to remain where we were ; and thus we awaited quietly whatever $0 262 wrangell's polar expedition. Hi, ,|™ > ,, m ti m Providence should decree. Dark clouds now rose from the west, and the %vhole atmo8})here became filled with a dense vapour vhile a strong breeze suddenly springing up f.on the same quarter, in- creased in less than h, 1 an hour to a gale. Every moment huge mass \- of ice floating around us were dashed against each other, and broken into a thousand fragments Meanwhile we were tossed to and fro by the waves, and gazed \r> ^^^-'ess inac- tivity on the wild conflict of the elements, expecting every moment to be swallowed up. We had been three long hours in this painful position, and still our island held together, when suddenly it was caught by the storm and hurled against a large field of ice; thr, crash was terrific, and we felt the mass beneath us giving way, and separating in every di- rection. At that dreadful moment, when destruc- tion seemed inevitable, the impulse of self-preser- vation implanted in every living bein j saved us. In- stinctively, and with the quickness of thought, we sprang on the sledges, and urged the dogs to their utmost speed : they flew across the yielding frag ments to the field against which we had been strand- ed, and safely reached a part of it of firmer char- acter, on which were several hommocks, and here the dogs immediately ceased running, apparently conscious that the da^^er was p? ^ed. We were saved ; and, joyfully eiiibracing eacii other, we uni- ted in thanks to God for our preservation. But the continued rag ng of the tf^mpest, -nd the loud crashing of the ice, warned us to make no de- lay, and, after a few moments repose, we hastened onward, guided by our view of the co^ to; ,' iited this part of the Polar Sea at the same e» • ch ; and it is more than probable that, after f^ .ling Cape Schelagskoj for the second time, h^ as stranded on this desert coast, and here terminated his active and enterpri- sing career. Schalaurow's name is known through- out Siberia, and the cordial sympathy which even our half-civilized companions expressed at the sight of these remains was a touching tribute to the mem- ory of this remarkable man.* Dr. Kyber had become acquainted at Ostrownoje with some of the chiefs of the Tschuktschi tribes of this coast, who had spoken much of a more northern land, the lofty mountauis of which were visible on very clear days from a place which they called Ja- kan, and which they described with tolerable mi- nuteness. From their description, this place was to ♦ This enterprising navigator made three voyages along the coast of the Polar Sea, nameljr, '"^^J^^^ea, and '64, from the idbt of which he aever ietumcd.-'-ilwi. ^d. ■jetk.. CAPE JAKAN. 267 the eastward of our present position, and I deter- mined to visit it. Before we started, 1 exammed r provisions belonging to both d.v|s.o,js had par^ f feeToWk^^ori:r r™ "etettfr ^ur dogs g^tJTar as'possible. Of the seven i^- rinlnfsidges, three^were assigned to M, Mat.- .,<.r>Vikin'de to be 69o 42', and its longitude 176- 33 1* ' i «i k, ;;' J 268 wrangell's polar expedition. by reckoning, dependant on our observation of the pre /ious day. We gazed long and earnestly on the horizon, in hopes, as the atmosphere was clear, of di»ceming some appearance of the northern land which the Tschuktschi affirm they have seen from this place, but we could discover nothing of it. We eontiiMed our route towards the east, and, after pro- ceeding four and a half wersts from the rock, we eaHne to the mouth of a small river called Jakan Uwajan. Near it, on the strand, we came upon the framework of a baidar twenty-one feet in length, which satisfied us completely that the rock we had passed was no other than Cape Jakan ; for not only the chiefs at Ostrownoje, but also other Tschuktschi whom we subsequently met near Cape North, men- tioned this vessel as a mark whereby to identify the cape. They stated that they had covered it with walrus skins, and made use of it, when the state of the ice permitted, for taking walruses, which are very abundant about this cape. It is remarkable, that from Cape Jakan to the Indigirka scarcely any walruses are seen, whereas from that cape toTschu- kotskoi Noss both these animals and whales are abundant. When we had gone sixteen wersts eastward from the Jakan River, the warmth of the weather obliged us to halt. Our noon observation gave the latitude 69° 36', the longitude by reckoning being 176° 58^ The coast was low and flat ; Cape Jokan bearing by compass N. 83° W., and the variation being 2U° E. In many places along this coast we saw ifie bones of whales stuck upright in the ground ; and our interpreter, and subsequently the Tschuktschi with whom we met, observed that they were the remains of the former dwellings of a stationary tribe. They appeared to have been habitations of a better and more solid kind than are now used, and to have been partly sunk in the earth. As soon as ft bficnmB a little cooler we resumed our march; matiuschkin's last attempt. 269 and, after travelling ten wersts, arrived at a range of cliffs, which we followed twenty-five wersts farther, wheA we came to a gravelly flat, with here and there earthy hills. Soon after we were so fortunate as to find a quantity of driftwood, consisting chiefly of fir and pine, with very little larch. We >iad for some time past only allowed ourselves fuel for cook- ing or for boiling water once a day, and we now took a sufficient supply. To M. Matiuschkm this was the more important, as he intended to make one more attempt over the sea-ice, m hopes ot get- ting Sight of the land spoken of by the Tschuktschi. We wire now by reckoning in 69° 28' latitude, and 177° 44' longitude. ^ . ,. On the 9th the sky became overcast, and we haa a strong west wind and drifting snow, with a much lower temperature. In the mormng it was +18 , at noon -f 12°, and in the evening +7o. M. Mati- uschkin hastened to avail himself of this favourable circumstance, and started on the ice towards the north, with three sledges, and provisions for fifteen days while M. Kosmin, Dr. Kyber, and myself pro- ceeded eastward with four sledges, and provisions for thirteen days. A thick mist covered the whole country, so that we could see nothing of its as- pect. After travelling forty-eight wersts we came to the mouth of the little River Kujegun, and halted thirteen wersis farther on at five in the morning on the 10th of April. The coast was low, and we saw many piles of driftwood ; this and the tracks ot reindeer sledges gave us hopes of meetmg and be- coming better acquainted with the natives. Uur halting-place was by reckoning in 69° 12' latitude, and 1790 13' longitude. , . ^ r ,\.^ At daybreak we had a moderate breeze from the east, but during the day it increased, and brought drifting snow. In the morning the temperature was 4-4°, and in the evening 4-3°. We followed the coast, which makes a considera- ¥. ■iii..! ifl ;|t rr c% u ") ' t B#l iomised to grant it if he would procure for m thir- teen seals for our dogs, fetch for us on his sledges !'_!:.■ (■ ■M: •S" "*."—*- j:^^^:. ;. u ' .i\ ■■• WmSSBM 272 wrangell's polar expedition. a supply of firewood, which was twenty wersts off, and accompany us to KoUutschin Island, where he informed me that he had a married sister hvmg. He probably expected to have been asked a great deal mjre, for, without a moment's deliberation, he agree,d to all my proposals, praised my moderation and lib- erahty exceedingly, and immediately gave the ne- cessary orders respecting the driftwood and the seals Our departure was arranged for the next day; and, having the chief of the tribe with me, I thought I might venture to leave the greater part of our stores in his hut until our return, which lig^itened our load very much. As I was leaving him, Etel stopped me with a request that he might be permitted to take with him a batas* intended as a present for his sister. 1 could easily perceive that he was thinks ine less of his sister than of being thus armed with the peculiar weapon of the Tschuktschi ; but I made no objection, and we parted excellent friends. He made his appearance early the next morning (April 13th), fully equipped for the journey. He appeared to have put on his best clothes, and carried on his back a kind of haversack, with tobacco, and some few other European trifles, intended for barter at Koliutschin. His cap was much ornamented with beads and earrings, and surmounted by a large raven's head, which he told us would ensure us a fortunate journey a d a good reception. We i>i^. and were accompanied for a consider- able distance by the greater part of the inhabitants of the village, who were evidently under some anx- iety respecting their chief: at length they took heir leaVe, with many ceremonies, and repeated entrea- ties that Etel would come back very soon. Late in the evening we arrived at two single Trfchuktschi huts, where Etel advised us to pass the » A kind of straight sword or large broad knife, fastened to a long handle. DRIFTWOOD. 273 night. The inhabitants were aroused from their sleep by the barking of the dogs, and, being fright- ened at the sight of so many strangers, caught up a large schaman drum, and made a hideous dm till their friend E el came forward with his raven's head, and by this significant emblem, and assurances of our peaceful intentions, induced them to be quiet. We found here only four men and five women ; they seemed very poor, and could only spare us one seal. This place is ninety wersts from Cape Ir-Kaipij (Cape North), and the coast between is low and flat. About forty wersts from the promontory there is a river called Ekechta, narrow, rapid, and abound- ing in fish. We passed also three inconsiderable streams which fall into the same bay. Driftwood is scarce along this coast, partly from its consump- tion by the numerous parties of Tschuktschi, and partly from natural causes ; the rivers of this dis- trict,'coming from a country producing no other trees than a few willows, bring down no wood, and the ice in a great measure opposes a barrier to Jts arri- val by sea. The g.^H*e' part of the driftwood found between the Schelagck ij and Tschukotskoi Noss is probably, however, of American origin, as it con- sists chiefly of the trunks of puies a:)d firs, which trees do not grow along any of th*^ rivers which en- ter the sea between the mouth o** tl.Q Inaigirka and Tschaun Bay. Trunks of those fi\ es are brought down in abundance by the Lena, but they are not often drifted as far as the Indigirka, and are rarely seen among the quantity of larch, aspen, and pop- lars which are floated down by the other rivers of northern Siberia. My opinion that the driftwood on this part of the coast comes from America is confirmed by the assertion of the Tschuktschi, that among the stems of fir they not unfrequently find some which have been felled or hewn with stone &xes. Oa the 14th of April we continued our journey it; ^ ^ f 'i -' ^ t W: i' 874 wrxngell's polar expedition. alone the sandy shore, and, after proceeding twelve wMsls we came to the Amgujim River, which is r^o aid a half wersts broad at its mou h. Etel lold u "that the reindeer formerly f »«/«d this r.^^^^^ in their annual migrations, and that the rschuktschi were n the habit If resorting here from Kohutsch m Tl?,nrt to take them, but that they iiad ceased to pass th s «ay rZteen wersts beyond the river the sandy shore is succeeded by a steep bank of moderate^elevation, and the plain rises gradually to Se foot of a chain of mountains, running parallel wUh the coast, at a distance of from twenty to thir- Tfive wersts. At the point where the steep coas iLins, 1 found the latitude by observation to be 68 10' and the longitude by reckoning 182° 6 . 6u? progress was so rapid that we accomplished eighty-four wersts in the course of the day, and mssed the night at a small Tschuktschi settlement Ke west side of Wankarem River, and close to a cine of the same name. Our dogs were too much :Z^t°ed to bark, so that *« *"h-^/-»^X7he"m startled bv our approach. Before btel woKe mem, he went to a spot not far from the huts, where he SL nreviouslv told US that some of his ancestors ^fre'^buredfnd repeated with much earnestness a rL!.,; nravpr offering also some leaves of tobacco S manes' of the dead. When this was comple- iprt he entered one of the huts, and gave his cmm- trvmen no doubt, a favourable report, as the head man of' the village came out to welcome us, and we «v2«inPd from him several seals for our dogs, in re- 01 the isUiujus are gicav^^-- ... — -_- and least at Cape Wankarem. 1, KOLIUTSCHIN ISLAND. 275 On the 15th we started at daybreak : the sky was clear the horizon to the north dark blue, the air mild, and the- temperature +7° in the mornmg and ,4-6° in the evening. On crossing the isthmus of Wankarem, we saw towa.-: 3 the east, five wersts from the cape, a small island about two wersts m circumference; and at a distance of twenty-five wersts from it, in a S.E. direction, high rocks of granitic porphyry begin to appear. By a meridian altitude, which 1 obtained sixteen wersts from out haltinff-place, I found the latitude to be 67° 43', the longitude by reckoning 183° 34' E.,and the variation 23° E. Cape Onman was distant ten wersts : it is marked by a high mountain, and by a detached range of columns at a short distance from it, 140 feet in height, and resembling the ruins of colossal buildings. Among the masses of rock on the beach, at the foot of these remi .kable rocks, were a few Tschuktschi huts. , ^ ^ As soon as we had passed round Cape Onman, we saw on the horizon Koliutschin Island, appear- ing like a circular mountain, and distant thirty-three wersts. We found a well-beaten track leading to it, over which we advanced rapidly. From this cape the coast trends suddenly towards the south, and the cape itself may be considered as forming the western point of Kohutschin Bay, the eastern side of which we could not distinguish on account of the fog. The shore of Koliutschin Island (Burney Island of Cook) consists everywhere of steep rocks of reddish granite, and it is about three and a half wersts across. The Tschuktschi village which we proposed to visit is situated on the southern point, which does not rise much above the level of the sea. When we were within a quarter of a werst of the huts we halted on the ice. As soon as the Tschukt- schi perceived us, the whole place was in commo- tion ; the women and children were sent away to a hill in the rear, and the men, armed with spears, i: ■ I' m m w ■V If. • trn ii 276 wkanoell's polar expeditioh. bataise,, and bows, arrarnred themselves in fightinK order to await out approach. Etel proposed thai he should 1,0 forward alone to speak to his countr> - men : he d d so, and in a very short time they we.e 80 well satisfied that they laid aside the.r arms, and we were soon on the most friendly terms. They were very much pleased at my offer to barter bea.s Tnd tobacco for whales' flesh for the dogs; they had ptenty of it to spare, having killed the preceding summer no less than fifty whales, besides walruses Our good understanding with the islanders was soon made known to the settlers along the neighbouring S. and they flocked in, bringing on their sledges whaks* flesh, walrus-skin thongs, and «ood jvh^h they hoped to exchange for tobacco. Above sev- enty men collected in a short time, and the ice Kt our little camp resembled a busy fair, i^ery new visiter expected a present of tobacco before besinnins to trade ; the better sort sitting in their Ses drawn b^ four or five dogs harnessed BbreS and beinK'i..ven by a man of inferior con- dition, who ran by a.«ir side. Most of them ca W themselves chief;, and, as every one «?=Pec'«^ '^'^j ger present than his neighbours, our httle stocK n tobacco was soon exhausted. nphrinff's Amone the strangers was a chief from Behnng s StraUs whose dress was adorned with many singula K ionsf he had round his neck some little metid images of saints, and two wntings secured between bufof wood, to which he attached great .mpor- tance. One of these papers was to say that he ana his three sons had been baptized, and the othCT, that he had sent the emperor a fin« "^^''/"S^ and had received in return an upper garment {kjmte ia) of red cloth as a mark of the imperial regard. K was a most tiresome boaster, and seemed to consXr himself entitled to make the most impu- dent demands, without offering anything in rrtura, -,j^«:r.« »c, fVio Qlicrhtp.st. service. VVltn lulb e*. RETURN JOURNEY, 277 rhting 1 that mtr> - were 9, and They beauS 5y had jeding ruses, ssoon ouring ledges which e sev- he ice Every before 1 their nessed )r con- called 1 a lar- 3ck jf hring's ingulav e metal etween impor- he and I other, bxskin, regard, iined to t impu- return, this ex- ception, we were ' leraVV well satisfied Miti he behaviour f th^se peopi towards us, thoi in spite of all our carr a good many things were s' .en; nor doe it appear that they confine the exercise of this propensity to their dealings with foreigners, for our friend Stel asked us to look after his property for him, as he had no great confidence m hib coun- trymen of Koliutschin. The exha oiion of our dogs made . necf ssary to rem?» iwo days at this island; while the r condi- tion after the great exertions and exp' si Inch they had been subjected on the ice, the of to- bacco for purchasing a fresh supply ol jvisions, and the advuiced state of the season, ol ed me to tl nk of returning to Nishne Kolymsk, irom which ^ve were lOUO nrsts distant, and to relinquish the hope which I entertained of surveying the Asi- atic coast the nuie way to Behring's Straits. But, though I was unable to accomplish all that 1 desired, I had the satisfaction of knowing that geography would not lose anything of importance, as my sur- vey was met at this place by that which Captain BiUings's expedition had made of the coast from the Straits to KoUutschin Bay. We took our departure on the evening of the 17th ; up to the last moment fresh visiters continuing to arrive, and to torment us for presents, and even following us for some dis- tance on our route. , , , , j * The south point of Koliutschin Island we found to be in latitude 67° 27^ by meridian altitudes, and in longitude 184° 24' E. by recko ag; variation 23 26' E We were unable to make any observations of dip, as the instrument had been so much injured as to be wholly useless. , , ^i. Early on the morning of the 20th we reached the village of Ir-Kaipij : the inhabitants were overjoyed at the safe return of their chief, and returned to us the things we had left. They had, besides, pro- cured for us the seals which I had requested, which A A V ;.? V^^^ ^'^^^ \cA^ IMAGE EVALUATION TEST TARGET (MT-S) .^-.v^. i.O Li£l2.8 12.5 |50 ■"* M^H lu Kii 12.2 I.I l."^ IM 1.6 IL25 11 1.4 III vl n /, % J> > ^ ^" '/^ '/ Photographic Sciences Corporation 23 WEST MAIN STREET WEBSifeR.N.Y. 14580 (716)872-4503 r.^^ I/. %o 278 wrangell's polar expedition. it took three days to prepare for the journey. I had hoped to avail myself of this delay to obtain a more exact astronomical determination of the posi- tion of the cape by lunar distances ; but, unfortu- nately, the weather was overcast, and I was obliged to content myself with the latitude as ascertained by four altitudes of the sun, taken with both our sex- tants ; the result of which gave Cape North or Ir- Kaipij in 68° 55' 16". The longitude, dependant on that of Cape Jakan, which had been astronomically determined, is 179° 57' E.,» and the variation 21° 40' E. On the 22d of April we commenced our return along the coast to the westward. Before I proceed with the account of our home- ward journey, I will acquaint the reader with the principal particulars collected either by M. Mati- uschkin. Dr. Kyber, or myself, relative to a people hitherto but little known. The Tschuktschi inhabit the northeastern part of Asia, extending from Tschaun Bay to Behring's Straits in one direction, and in the other from the Anadyr and the upper country of the Aniuj to the Polar Sea. Their neighbours to the south are the Koraki, and to the west the Tschuwanzi and Juka- hiri of the Aniuj. They formerly occupied a more extensive territory, before the Cossacks from the Lena subdued the country through which the Koly- ma flows. This is proved by their names being given to the greater and lesser Tschukotschje Riv- ers, and by numerous traditionary accounts of their conflicts with the first Russian settlers on the western banks of the Kolyma. Pogromnoje and Ubiennoje Pole, the Valley of Desolation and the Valley of Death, derive their names from these encounters. The Tschuktschi, though still in a great measure a nomade race, have less of the characteristics which * Captain Cook made the latitude oi" Cape North or Ir-Kai- pij 68» 56', and its longitude 180« 49' E. from Greenwich, by the ship's re ckorung. ACCOUNT CF THE ONKILON. 279 usually accompany such a mode of life than the wandering Tungusi ; they are less cheerful and more provident ; they lay up stores for the future, and, in general, do not remove their dwellings with- out an object, but only when it becomes necessary to seek fresh pasture for their reindeer. They are more covetous and more saving than belongs to the character of the genuine nomade tribes. Their dress differs greatly from that of the Tungusi, which is tight and close-fitting, and well adapted to an active wandering Hfe, whereas that of the Tschuktschi is full, 'loose, and cumbrous. They wear long wide trousers made of fur, and an ample kuchlanka. The coast of the Bay of Anadyr is inhabited by a people very distinct from the Tschuktschi in figure, countenance, clothing, and language, known by the name of Onkilon (sea-people). Captain Billings, in the description of his journey through the territory of the Tschuktschi, shows that the language of this sea-people has a close ahlnity to that of the Aleu- tians of Kodiak, who are of the same stock as the Greenlanders (Esquimaux). There are traditions, that two centuries ago the Onkilon occupied the whole coast from Cape Schelagskoj to Behring^s Straits ; and it is certain that there are everywhere along this tract the remains of huts constructed of earth and the bones of whales, quite different from the present dwellings of the Tschuktschi. A dis- agreement between Krachoi, the principal chief of the Asiatic Esquimaux, and an errimf or head of a tribe of reindeer Tschuktschi, broke out into open hostiUties : Krachoi was defeated and forced to flee, his people migrated, and the coast was deserted. The inhabitants of Ir-Kaipij relate, that Krachoi, having killed a Tschuktschi errimr was closely pur- sued by his son, and that, after some time, he retreat- ed to the rock of Cape North, where he intrenched himself behind a kind of natural rampart, which The young errim foiiowed him thither, BiiU OiU&is. 280 WRANOELL*S POLAR EXPEDITION. and succeeded in killing Krachoi's son, by whicb^ according to the ideas of these people, the debt of blood was paid. Krachoi let himself down from the cliff during the night by means of thongs, and got into a boat which was waiting for him at the foot of the rock. He at first steered towards the east to mislead his pursuers, but the following night he turned westward, and reached Schalaurow Island, where he built the earthen huts of which we had seen the remains. He was gradually joined by his kinsmen, and others of his own tribe, and they all finally fled together in fifteen baidars to the northern country, the mountains of which are said to be some- times visible from Cape .Takan. In the course of the winter a Tschuktschi who was allied to Krachoi disappeared with his family and his reindeer, and it was supposed that he too had gone to the northern land. Formerly all the Tschuktschi lived on the produce of their reindeer ; but many among them, losing their herds by sickness or other causes, settled by degrees along the coast, where they kill whales, seals, and walruses. These animals, the whales es- pecially, are particularly abundant about Koli ischin ; they become more scarce in going westward, and are not met with at all west of Cape Schelagskoj. This is no doubt the reason why we found the pop- ulation along the seacoast numerous as we approach- ed Behring's Straits. This people are now divided into two classes, the settled Tschuktschi, who live on the coast, and the reindeer or nomade Tschukt- schi, who inhabit the mountainous parts of the coun- try. The latter, who form the chief bulk of the pop- ulation, call themselves Tennygik. The two classes live on good terms with each other, and interchange their different commodities. The inhabitants of the coast furnish to those of the interior whale's flesh and bones, walrus skin, and train oil, which last is a favourite article of food, and receive in return rein- deer skins, both raw end made up into clothing. MANNER OF TAKING SEALS. 281 The huts of the settlers are clustered in little vil- lages along the coast. They are formed of poles or of bones covered over with skin, and coma to a point at the top, where there is a hole for the smoke to escape. The low entrance is always turned to the south, and is at the narrow end of the hut : the opposite end is much broader, and in it is a low square inner tent, which forms the sleeping and living apartment. In severe cold weather it is also used for cooking in, by the heat of a lamp of train oil with moss wicks. The usual cooking fire is made of bones which have been soaked in train oil drift- wood for fuel being extremely scarce. At Ir-Kaipij, the principal occupation of the inhab- itants is taking seals and walruses. Seals are some- times caught by a sort of net formed of thongs, placed under the ice, and in which the animal be- comes entangled. Sometimes the following' riethod is resorted to : the hunter dresses himself m white, that he may not be noticod on the snow, and lies down near one of the openings where the seals come out of the water to sun themselves : he is armed with a lance, and carries an instrument con- sisting of five bears^ claws fastened to a stick, with which he keeps gently scratching the snow on the surface of the ice the whole time. The people say that this sets the seals to sleep ; but its more proba- ble use is to cover the noise made by the hunter as he gradually creeps nearer, till he is able to reach the animal with his lance. This method rarely fails of success. Wolves are killed by a very ingenious device. The two ends of a strong piece of whale- bone are bent together, and fastened by a thread ; water is then poured over the ring till it is covered with a crust of ice sufficiently strong to make it re- tain its form ; the thread is then cut, and the whole is smeared over with fat. The wolf, on finding it, swallows it greedily, when the ice melts, and the elastic whalebone springs asunder and chokes him. Aa3 282 wranobll's polar expedition. Walruses are taken by cutting off their retreat to the water, when they are easily despatched. The walrus is almost as useful to the settled, as the rein- deer is to the nomade Tschuklschi. The flesh and the blubber are both used as food, and the latter for their lamps ; the skin is made into durable thongs for har- ness and other purposes, and into strong soles for boots ; the intestines furnish a matenal for hght wa- ter-proof upper garments for summer use; a very durable thread is prepared from the sinews; and, lastly, the tusks, which are of the finest ivory, are sometimes formed into long, narrow dnnking-ves- sels, which it takes a long time to hollow out, but are more frequently sold to the reindeer Tschukt- schi, who dispose of them to the Russians. The most dangerous chase is that of the white bears, which the hunters pursue to their dens among the hummocks, and which are killed with spears, fre- auently after a severe combat. For fishing they employ baskets of thin willow rods, which they sometimes sink in the water, and sometimes use as nets ^or fowling they have a contrivance consist- ing of a number of long slender thongs, to the ends of which stone pebbles or bits of walrus' teeth are fastened. This they throw up into the air with great dexterity among a flight of geese or other wild- fowl, and the birds, becoming entangled in the loose thongs, which fly in every direction, are brought to the ground. The Tschuktschi, as already mention- ed, pursue the white bear, the flesh of which is a favourite article of food ; but they are not generally fond of the chase, although their country abounds in wild reindeer and sheep, foxes, wolvo,s, bears, and other large fur animals. They have bows and ar- rows, but they are not particularly expert m their use. Their principal weapons are different kinds of spears, and particularly the hatass already descnbed. Iron being scarce, they sometimes employ walrus fnaira in niaAfi of It. The sottlcd Tschuktschi use SLAVERY AMONG THE TSCHUKTSCHI. 288 dogs for draught, but, instead of harnessing them two and two, as is done on the Kolyma, they drive them four abreast. Their sledges are also of a different construction, and resemble the reindeer sledges, ex- cept that they are not so large. The dogs are small- er than those employed for draught in other parts of Siberia, and inferior to them both in strength and swiftness. It is remarkable that in 182 1 the Tschukt- 8chi lost great numbers of their dogs by the same malady that made such ravages among those of the Kolyma, the Indigirka, the Jana, and the Lena. From much observation and repeated inquiries, it appears that a kind of slavery exists both among the settled and nomade Tschuktschi. We found among the wealthier people whole families who had always been in a state of servitude : they have no property ; they cannot leave their masters, on whose arbitrary will they are entirely dependant, and by whom they are employed in all sorts of hard labour and attendance on their persons, in return for which they are merely fed and clothed. Neither our inter- preter, nor the Tschuktschi interrogated by us, could give us any information respecting the origin of this state of things. They merely said, " It always had been so, and must always continue to be so." Pos- sibly the slaves are descended from captives. The Tschuktschi use only animal food, boiled reindeers* flesh with seals* blubber being a frequent dish. They are particularly fond of the flesh of the white bear, and of the skin of the whale with a layer of flesh adhering to it, eaten raw, and which bears some resemblance to sturgeon. Meat-broth is taken quite cold, and is often mixed with snow, and drank out of large wooden vessels as a beverage to quench thirst. Each individual carries about with him a small tube of reindeer bone, through which he sucks up the liquid from the vessel in which it is contained. Fish, generally, are not much esteemed, and are only eaten when other food fails. Salt is 284 wranoell's polar expedition. never used. It is strange, that in a country where the cold is so intense, where one would suppose ev- ery means of warmth would be resorted to, every article of food is taken cold. They usually conclude their meals with a lump of snow ; and I have often seen them, in a temperature of — 36°, or even more, catch up from time to time handfuls of fresh snow, and eat it with great apparent relish. On the 23d of April we left Ir-Kaipij, and contin- ued our route towards the west. On the 24th we came to the place from which M. Matiuschkin had commenced his journey over the ice, to make a last attempt to discover the northern land. We found here a large wooden cross erected by him, with a short notice to the effect that he had everywhere met with wide open places, and that, after several at- tempts to advance farther, the breaking up of the ice in every direction had forced him to return, without having been more than sixteen wersts from the C09,st We slept on the 25th at Schalaurow's hut, near the Werkon River, seven wersts N. 80° E. from Cape Kekurnoi. This building, which had been erected sixty years ago| was still in tolerable pres- ervation. All the side timbers were standing : the roof only had iiiUen in. We examined the min- gled earth and snow which filled the interior of the hut, and found some human bones, and a kind of pouch for partridges, made of wood, which was overgrown with moss. The kamakai at Cape Sche- lagskoj afterward told me, that when he was a boy of ten years old, several corpses had been found here, and that five individuals of this unfortunate company had attempted to make the journey on foot to the Kolyma district. Early in the morning of the 1st or May we reach- ed Cape Schelagskoj, and roused up the kamakai who was still asleep, in hopes of obtaining some provisions from him. Unfortunately, his hunting and EXHAUSTED CONDITION OF THE DOGS. 285 fohing had been unsuccessful, and he could spare us scarcely anything. He handed me a letter which M. Matiuschkin had left for me, containing some far- ther details of his proceedings during his last unsuc- cessful attempt on the ice. Our dogs were very much exhausted by their long journey, and their feet were so injured by the sharp ice, which had now lost its covering of snow, that their track was marked with blood, and some of them were so lame that we were obliged to carry them in the sledges. Our stock of provisions both for them and for ourselves was quite consumed, and an attempt we made to meet the Tschuktschi who usually visit Aion or Sabadei Island with their herds of reindeer had failed, so that there was nothing to be done but to follow the practice of the country, which is, when dogs are in very bad condition, to drive them on, without stopping, till they reach a place where they can have good food, and the rest they require. We did so, and with much diflSculty succeeded in reaching the balagan at the mouth of the Baranicha, where we found sufficient provisions to permit of allowing our poor dogs two days' rest. We had had a light breeze, with a temperature of 4-34°, but on the 3d the thermometer suddenly fell to — 8° ; the cloudless sky, however, made amends for the severity of the cold, by enabling us on that and the following days to add some good meridian altitudes to our previous observations for latitude. We resumed our route on the 6th of May. As we approached Nishne Kolymsk, the signs of spring became more perceptible, the banks of the river were clear of snow, and, although the ice was still strong enough to bear us, it was covered with water formed by the melting of the snow, or that brought down by the more rapid moimtain streams, which were now open. There was very great difficulty in drawing the sledges, and, but for the strong smooth whalebone runners which we had purchased at Ko- liutschin, it would have been impossible. m m 286 wranoell's polar expedition. At length, on the 10th of May, we reached Nishno Kolymsk, after an absence of seventy-eight days, during which time we had travelled 2300 wersts. M. Matiuschkin had arrived six days before. Du- ring his homeward journey he had completed the survey of Tsohaun Bay, without meeting with the Tschuktschi anywhere except at Cape Schelagskoj, where the kamakai gave him a friendly reception, but could not spare him any provisions. Our return to Nishne Kolymsk closed the series of attempts made by us to discover a northern land, which, though not seen by us, may nevertheless exist, and be attainable under a combination of very fa- vourable circumstances, the principal of which would be a long, cold, and stormless winter, and a late spring. If another attempt should be made, it would be advisable to leave the coast about Cape Jakan, which all the native accounts concur in representing as the nearest point to the supposed northern regio;i. We had now completed the execution of our in- structions, and were free to leave Nishne Kolymsk, and to commence our homeward journey as soon as it should be practicable. MM. Matiuschkin and Kyber took their departure early in July. They ascended the Kolyma, went from thence to Werch- ne Kolymsk, and up the Omekon to Irkuzk, where they spent the summer in researches relating to natural history. I was detained at Nishne Kolymsk until the Ist of August, when I received orders to await the arrival of a functionary at Jakuzk, who was commissioned to examine all my accounts with the inhabitants of the Kolymsk district, and all the payments I had made them. Unfortunately, this person did not arrive for a long time ; and, though I occupied myself during the interval in arranging my journals, surveys, and maps, yet I own I felt this delay in the highest degree irksome, and a greater trial of patience than all our toils and difficulties hitherto. DEPARTURE FROM SREBNE KOLYMSK. 287 At length he came, the simple accounts were soon ffone over, and, all being settled, I left Nishne Ko- lymsk with M. Kosmin, after a stay of three entire years. We soon reached Sredne Kolymsk, where we hired horses to take us to Jakuzk from our old acquaintance M. Bereshnoi. CHAPTER XIIL Return from Sredne Kolymak to St. Petersbargh. It was on the 19th of November that we left Sredne Kolymsk. Instead of taking the postroad through Saschiwersk and Tabalog, we followed the northern route, which is travelled by the trading caravans across the heaths inhabited by the Jakuti, along the Selenficha River. Although by this means we traversed the country in quite a new direction, the uniformity which prevails throughout northeast- em Siberia is such, that a detailed description of our return to Jakuzk would be little more than a repetition of what has been already said: I will therefore confine myself to the mention of a few particulars, which had not befoi fallen under my notice. The preference given by the trading caravans to the route along the Selenacha, is on account of the excellent food afforded to their horses by a species of equisetumt which grows abundantly on the sandy banks of that river, and is not met with along the postroad. In summer this plant is bitter and dis- tasteful to the horses ; but the first frosts, without altering its green colour, give it a sweetish flavour : it is then much liked by them, and they soon become Btrong and fat from feeding on it. This useful plant, 288 wranoell's polar expedition. which is hardly an inch in height, is known in the' country by the name of tscMboga, Although it re- (quires frost to render it palatable, it is sometimes in- jured by a long continuance of extreme cold, which renders its hollow tubes so brittle, that the hoofs of the horses, in scraping away the snow, destroy them. We always endeavoured to pass the night on the best spots for pasture, though they were not always the best in other respects. On the 0th of December, for instance, with a temperature of ^2°, we slept on an exposed plain where we had no shelter from the north wind, around a fire kindled in the open air. I had a good opportunity of remarking in the Jakuti who accompanied us the degree to which men can harden themselves by long habit against cold and exposure in the severest winter journey. These people do not use any kind of tent or covering, nor any of the larger fur garments, without which we could not venture into the open air when the cold had attained a certain intensity. A Jakut, when travelling, wears only his usual in-door clothing, and at night spreads a horsecloth on the snow, which, with a saddle for his pillow, forms the whole of his bedding ; his only covering being the fur jacket which he has worn during the day, and which he pulls off and puts over his back and shoulders, while the front of his body has scarcely anything to protect it, and is turned to the blazing fire. When he has lain for some time in this way, and feels so warm that he is near perspi- ring, he stops up his nose and ears with little bits of fur, and covers his face so as to leave only an exceedingly small aperture for breathing, and this is all that he requires in the most intense cold to keep from freeizng during sleep. Even in Siberia the Jakuti are called iron men ; and I do not believe that there are any other people in the world who can endure cold and hurger as they do. I have ocCu tiiciii frequently in the uiost intense cold of Hardihood op the jakuti. 289 this country, after the fire had long been extinguish- ed, and when the light jacket had slipped off from their shoulders, sleeping completely exposed to the -.eavens, with scarcely any clothing on them, and their bodies covered with a thick coat of hoar-frost. They are also remarkable for the acuteness of their sight. A middle-aged Jakut assured M. Anjou that he had several times seen that blue star, point- ing to Jupiter, swallow up (mother very small star, and soon afterward vomit it forth again : thus he had ob- served with the naked eye the immersion and emer- sion of one of Jupiter's satellites. Their memory and local sagacity are also very surprising, and are Of the greatest use to them in their journeys through these extensive and unvaried wastes. A pool, a stone, a bush, a rise of ground so slight as to be hardly perceptible, objects which a European scarce- ly notices, are deeply impressed in their memory, and serve years afterward to guide them over the desert and trackless steppe. Our march was often rendered more difficult by a phenomenon peculiar to these regions, resembling the glaciers, though of quite a different origin. In valleys (particularly in the long valley of the Dogdo) where the gravelly soil is parched by the hot sum- mer and the dry autumn which usually follows, it Often happens in the middle of winter, when the cold is most intense, that a large quantity of water gushes up from the earth, spreads itself on all sides, and immediately freezes. This first crust of ice is soon broken by fissures, through which fresh water nses, and a second crust is formed ; and in this manner fresh layers are continually added, as more water presses up from the deep cavities in the ground, until at last the height of the whole mass IS such as to cover the bushes and shrubs, and even trees of moderate size. These fields of ice, which are called tarvni, continue durinir thp winter • onH When they are melted by the heat of the sun in Bb 290 wrangell's polar expedition. spring, they form a number of streams of greater or less size, which rush down to the lowest levels, and sink into the earth as the ground thaws. On the Ochozk route, and among the Omekon Mount- ains, large fields of ice are met with, which, being in elevated places and shaded from the sun, do not melt during the whole summer. These masses are probably formed by the accumulation of rain and snow water, and differ therefore materially from the taryni of the Dogdo River. The ice of the latter is of a dazzling white colour, and seems to contain a quantity of calcareous particles, as we judged from its taste, and from its being so hard as to be quite unfit for washing or for making tea. .^heii the taryni are hard frozen, they are both difllcult and dangerous to cross. The surface is so smooth that even horses properly roughshod can scarcely keep their feet, and are often borne down by their loads, and not unfrequently killed on the spot. It is particularly dangerous when, in passing a ravine or a declivity thus covered, the caravan is caught by one of the furious and irresistible gusts of wind common in this country, and which sometimes hurl men and horses together down a precipice. The passage of the taryni is less hazardous, but not less troublesome, when they are covered with a fresh overflow of water not yet congealed, and the caravan has to wade through the ice-cold element, which not unfrequently causes both the hands and feet to freeze. But the hardy Jakuti receive no in- jury ; after wading through a bath of this kind, their highfurboots(«orfta55y)beingcompletelywetthrough, they plunge their legs two or three times into the snow ; the effect of this is to draw out the water through the skin of the boot, when it forms a crust of ice on the outside, which is easily scraped off; if the time suits, the boots are then dried by a fire, but inis IS usually aeierreu mi mc uignj. *»a.n,. On the 22d of December we arrived at Wercnp- RECEPTION AT WERCHOJANSK. 291 jansk (called by the Jakuti Bpronuk), where we took leave of our friend Bereshnoi. His horses had brought us from Sredne Kolymsk, a distance of 1224 wersts, in thirty-two days. The little settlement of Werchojansk consists of only five wooden houses, and a newly-built church of the same material, which is not yet consecrated. It is on the western side of the Jana, but will probably be transferred in time to the opposite shore, as, from the bend of the river, the bank on which it stands is being gradually un- dermined. I stayed at the house of M. Gorochow, a merchant ; and my surprise and pleasure were great on seeing there a gooc'-sized, neat, and clean room, with regular windows, good i^ -liture, a hand- some fireplace, some prints, and, above all, a small bookcase, containing a collection of our best authors. It was years since I had seen any books except the very few which I had brought with me. While en- joying the unexpected sight of these marks of civil- ized taste and intellectual cultivation, I was sum- moned to table, and, after living for three years upon raw and dried fish, I must confess that the well-ar- ranged board, clean cookery, and thoroug:hly Euro- pean dinner, formed a very pleasant addition to the agreeable conversation of my host, and of M. Mi- chailou, the commissioner of the district. The lat- ter gentleman informed me that the Ustjansk expe- dition had passed through early in November, on their way to Jakuzk. Werchojansk, which is situated, according to our observations, in latitude 67^ 33', is the headquarters of M. Michailou, who has the superintendence of the Jana, Indigirka, and Shigarisk circles : a district equal in extent to France, but the whole population of which does not exceed that of a single large vil- lage. Nevertheless, the commissioner, who makes the circuit of this great desert every year with a secretarv and clerk finds sufficient to do ; for, where there are even no more than a couple of families in a place, there is some dispute to be adjusted. 292 WRANGELL*S POLAR EXPEDITION. The people about Werchojansk are Jakuti, and their chief occupatioTi is the care of cattle, to which the hilly country and the milder climate of the shel- tered valleys are very favourable. There is also much less snow here than in other parts of north- eastern Siberia, so that the cattle can be left out in winter, and find sufficient pasture. This is the more important, as from the very dry summers the growth of grass is never such as to afford a good stock of hay. There are, generally speaking, fewer lakes abounding in fish than in the Kolyma district ; but some of them are so full of a small species of fish about two inches in length that they may be scoop- ed out of the water with buckets. These httle fish, which are preserved for the winter by being frozen, furnish a very good article of food, pounded and boiled with the finely-grated inner bark of the larch- tree. Hunting is much followed : hares and grouse abound, and the country is rich in fur animals ; elks, reindeer, black bears, wolves, musk deer, red foxes, ermines, wolverines, and squirrels of the most valu- able kinds, are all numerous ; but black foxes are rare, and sables are not found here. The musk deer {moschus moschiferus), called here kabarga, must be abundant, as a pound of musk is commonly sold for no more than from ten to fifteen roubles. The character of the Jakuti of Werchojansk has been injured by constant intercourse with their countrymen of Jakuzk, and litigiousness, quarrels, dishonesty, and a passionate love of card-playing are equally general among both. Distrust of their neighbours induces them to keep their cattle at night in ihejurte which they inhabit, the pestiferous atmosphere of which defies description. The Jakuti who live near the Kolyma are far more cleanly in their habits; they are better dressed, and their dweUings are more comfortable and neat; this is particularly the case in the settlements at some distance from the route along which the traders who EFIDEMIi a>ISEASE. 293 carry brandy pass on their way from Jakuzk to Ko- l3n]isk. During my stay at Werchojansl^, a kind of epi- demic catarrhal fever prevailed throughout the dis- trict ; the symptoms were violent oppression of the chest, noise in the ears, headache, &c. It made its appearance when, after an unusually thick fog which lasted a week, intense cold set in suddenly, and in- creased from day to day. From the 23d to the 26th of December the temperature was —49°, — 68°, — 62°, and — 64o. A Cossack, whom I had previ- ously sent forward with my papers, died on the way of the malady. Every one was more or less ill : I suffered most from a painful constriction of the chest, which did not leave me until after my arri- val at Jakuzk, where I had medical aid. It is a gen- eral opinion here that this and other dangerous epi- demics which prevail among the natives are not nearly so formidable to those who have but recent- ly arrived in the country ; but, when strangers have been exposed to the climate for some time, they lose this advantage. We stayed over Christmas day, and left Wercho- jansk on the 27th of December. The cold still con- tinued, and the thermometer constantly indicated —58^. In such a temperature a journey in sledges would have been very disagreeable, but on horse- back the actual suffering is such as cannot well be imagined by those who have not experienced it. Clothed from head to foot in stiff, cumbrous furs, weighing from thirty to forty pounds, one cannot move ; and under the thick fur hood, which is fas- tened to the bearskin collar, and covers the whole face, you can only draw in, as it were by stealth, a little of the external air, which is so keen that it causes a very peculiar and painful feeling in the throat and lungs. To travel the distances from one halting-place to another takes about ten hours, du- ring which time you must continue constantly on Bb2 H 894 wrangell's folar expedition. horseback, as the heavy dress make i it impossible to wade through the snow. The poor horses suffer at least as much as their riders ; for, besides the gen- eral effect of the cold, they are tormented by ice forming in their nostrils and stopping their breath- ing; whenever they intimate that this is the case, by a distressful snort and a convulsive shaking of the head, the drivers relieve them by taking out the pieces of ice, which would otherwise suffocate them. When the frozen ground is not covered with snow, their hoofs often burst from the intensity of the cold. The caravan is constantly surrounded by a thick cloud of vapour ; nor is it only living bodies which produce this eflfect, but the very snow smokes. These evaporations are instantly changed into myr- iads of needles of ice, which fill the air, and cause a continual slight noise, not unlike the sound of torn satin or thick silk. Even the reindeer seek the forest to protect themselves from the severity of the cold ; or, if they are in the tundras, where there is no shelter to be found, the whole herd crowd togeth- er as closely as possible to gain what little warmth they can from each other, and they may be seen standing in this way quite motionless. Only the dark bird of winter, the raven, still cleaves the icy air With slow and heavy wing, leaving behind him a long line of thin vapour, marking the track of his solitary flight. The frosty influence extends evea to inanimate nature ; the trunks of the largest trees are rent asunder with a loud explosive sound, which in these deserts falls on the ear hke a signal-shot at sea ; large masses of rock are riven from their an- cient sites ; the ground in the tundras and in the rocky valleys cracks, and forms wide yawning fis- sures, through which the waters beneath the frozen surface spring up, throwing off a cloud of vapour, and being instantly converted into ice. Nor are the effects of this degree of cold confined to the earth ; the beauty of the deep blue polar sky, so often and ^ PASSAGE OVER THE MOUNTAINS. 295 BO justly praised, disappears in the dense and hazy atmosphere, and, though the stars still gUsten in the firmament, they no longer shine with their wonted briUiancy. We had still before us the difficult passage of the Werchojansk Mountains, the foot of which we reached on the 4th of January, 1824. A violent cutting wind, blowing through the ravines, obliged us to seek shelter in a powama. At sunset the whole country became covered with a thick frozen mist, which the wind drove towards us through the narrow mountain passes ; and this was followed by a storm so violent that it must have overthrown our frail shelter if its lowness had not saved it. The gale lasted till the following morning, when it sub- sided, the atmosphere cleared up, and the tempera- ture rose to — 11°, which, by comparison, seemed mild. We hastened to avail ourselves of this fa- vourable change to commence our passage across the mountains. On the 7th of January we reached the opposite side of them, and entered a fine fir wood, the evergreen beauty of which was the more striking, from the recent storm having swept the snow from the branches. On the 10th of January we reached Jakuzk, where I found my valued friend Lieutenant Anjou, who had returned in safety from his arduous journeys along the Jana and across the Polar Sea, and passed many happy hours with him in recounting our respective adventures. Since we were at Jakuzk four years before, many changes had taken place. The old ostrog had been pulled down, and the materials had been employed in constructing a kind of clubhouse and assembly- rooms, where I saw a well- lighted ballroom, a buf- fet with refreshments, a biUiard-room, a cardroom, &c. : public dinners and dances were given here, and the ballroom was occasionally even converted into a tiieatre. With our arrival at Jakuzk the expedition termi- 296 wranoell's polar expedition. nated, and our companions dispersed in various direc- tions to regain their homes. M. Anjou and myself, however, were still detained for another month to close our accounts : this was at length completed, and we left Jakuzk together on the 8th of February for Irkuzk, where we arrived on the 26th, and found Dr. Kyber waiting for us. We here requested per- mission from the governor- general, M. Lawinski, to visit the warm springs of Turinsk, on the other side of the Baikal, which so far relieved us from the severe rheumatic affections caused by our jour- neys over the Polar Sea as to make full amends for the delay incurred in our return to St. Petersburgh, which we did not reach until the 16th of August, ld34, MM. Matiuschkin and Kosmin having arrived three months before us. APPENDIX. Ice of the Polar Sea.— The Folynja, or Open Water.— Currents* —Gain of the Land on the Sea— The Aurora Borealis. The fur-hunters, who visit New- Siberia and Ko- telnoi Island every year, and pass the summer there, have observed that the space between those islands and the continent is never completely frozen over before the last days of October, although fixed ice forms along the coasts at a much earlier period. In spring, on the other hand, the coasts are quite free by the end of June, whereas, at a greater distance from land, the icy covering continues firm a full month, and would probably remain so still longer, were it not weakened by the multitude of cracks which are formed in the spring, ahd some even in winter. Throughout the summer the sea is covered with fields of ice of various sizes, drifted to and fro by the winds and currents, and, when tossed by storms, they present a truly magnificent spectacle. The ice which the larger rivers annually bring down is never entirely melted the same year, either by the action of the sun or by that of the sea ; the quantity of heat absorbed in the process of melting keeping down the temperature. This yearly ac- cession from the rivers might be expected gradually to augment the quantity of ice in the Polar Sea ; and such would seem to be the case, from what the inhab- itants of the coast near Cape North affirm, namely, that formerly the sea in the neighbourhood of the cape used to be free from ice in summer, where it is rarely so now. The surface of the Polar Sea in 298 APPENDIX. Winter resembles, on a smaller scale, that of the step- pes or tundras of the continent, the hummocks ta- knig the place of the hills and mountains on the land, and the open spaces, or polynji, and the fissures representmg the lakes and rivers. In the summer and autumn the ice breaks up into separate fields, and lanes of open water between them are met with near the land as well as nen»- the open sea: the winds at this period, in driving the fields agamst each other, form what are called au- tumn hummocks, which are usually about six feet high, and consist of sharp, pointed pieces. Winter hummocks are formed in the same manner where lanes of water exist, which at that season is only in the vicinity of the open sea, and usually parallel with the external margin of the ice ; these hum- mocks are therefore generally in ridges, preservinff the same direction. There are none of this descriiS tion between the islands of New-Siberia and the continent, nor have the ridges in that quarter any uniform or determinate course. Winter hummocks are frequently 100 feet in height, sometimes with one perpendicular and one sloping side, as described m page 144, and at others with declivities on both sides : they are formed of a great number of pieces of all sizes heaped together, and among which are occasionally fragments of vexy old ice. The colour of the ice is either a bluish green or a clear white • the fornier is the congealed sea- water, the latter the snow which has fallen on its surface, pressed by its own weight, and cemented by occasional partial thawing and freezing. The ice formed from sea- water is either fresh, in which case it is more blue and transparent, or bitter, when it is much less transparent, of a greenish hue, and without air-bub- bles. Some of the autumn ice is of a dirty grav colour and opaque, and this is formed in shoal and muddy water. The thickness of the ice produbed in a single winter is about nine and a half feet ; an ex- APPENDIX. 299 l[K)snre to a second winter will add about five feet more, and doubtless a third winter will make a still farther addition. But masses are formed of 150 feet and upward in depth. These consist of fragments heaped upon each other by the force of the wind and waves, and cemented together by the frost : the pro- cess of their formation is frequently shown by inter- mediate layers of white and opaque ice, composed of the snow which was originally on the surface of the now imbedded fragments. Wherever the ice is formed from sea-water, and its surface is clear of snow, the salt of the sea may be found deposited in crystals which are called vas- sal; and in the neighbourhood of the polynji the layer of salt is frequently of considerable thickness. It is a great impediment to draught, acting upon the runners of the sledges like so much coarse sand ; though bitter in flavour, and not devoid of medicinal properties, the fur-hunters use it instead of other salt, on their journeys to and from the islands of New-Siberia. The great Polynja, or the part of the Polar Ocean which is always an open sea, is met with about twenty-five worsts north of the islands of Kotelnoi and New-Siberia, and from thence, in a more or less direct line, to about the same distance off the coast between Cape Schelagskoj and Cape North. Tatarinow, who accompanied the surveyor Psche- nitzyn to New-Siberia in April, 1811, found an open sea about twenty-five wersts north of that island, as did Hedenstrom in 1810, about seventy wersts east of it. Lieutenant Anjou, in 1823, traced the bound- ary of the open sea some miles to the north of these islands, as is shown by his track in the map annexed to this work. Our several narrations have related the various instances in which we encountered ei- ther the open sea itself, or the very thin ice indica- tive of its immediate vicinity, at different points of the general boundary-line above described. The Tschuktschi who live near Cap?* North, when I • I < I 300 APPENDIX. speaking of the Polynja in that neighbourhood, re- niarked that the shore-ice usually extends some- what farther seaward about that cape than about Cape Jakan. Our frequent experience, also, that the north and northwest winds, and often the northeast winds, were damp to a degree sufficient to wet through our clothes, corroborates the existence of an open sea at no great distance in those directions. During the summer, the current between Swatoi Noss and Koliutschin Island is from east to west, and in autumn from west to east. This is shown by the accounts of Lachow in 1773, Schalaurow m 1762, and Billings in 1787. The Tschuktschi also informed us, that in summer the ice drifts rapidly along the coast towards the west, and in autumn towards the east. The prevalence of N.W. winds is doubtless the occasion of the S.E. current, which we frequently observed in the spring. It has been noticed in the narrative, and may be seen on the map, that in the part of the Polar Sea over which we travelled, the water deepens almost imperceptibly in going towards the north, but much more rapidly in going towards the east : the bottom was everywhere soft, except in a single instance in 72° 3' N. and 166° 12' E., where we found it rocky. The inhabitants of the northeast of Siberia gen- erally believe that the land is gaining on the sea : this 'belief is chiefly founded on the quantity of long-weathered driftwood which is met with on the tundras and in the valleys, at a distance of fifty wersts from the present sea-line, and considerably above its level. Under no circumstances of weath- er is either sea-water or ice now ever known to come so far inland. In Schalaurow's map, Diomed Island is marked as being separated from the main- land to the east of Swatoi Noss by a sea-channel, whereas no such channel of separation now exists. It may be useful towards future researches of this nature to state, that on Wiliginsk sandbank, near the lesser Baranow Rock, there is a single column APPENDIX. 301 of rock, the summit of which, in May, 1822, was thir- ty English feet in vertical height above the frozen surface of the sea. The general characteristics of the aurora horealia are so well known that it is unnecessary to describe them here ; I shall therefore confine myself to the following particulars, which appear to deserve a special notice : 1. When the streamers rise high and approach the full moon, a luminous circle of from 20° to 30° is frequently formed around it; the circle continuing for a time, and then disappearing. 2. When the streamers extend to the zenith, or nearly so, they sometimes resolve themselves into small, faintly luminous, and cloudlike patches of a milk-white colour, and which not unfrequently con- tinue to be visible on the following day, in the shape of white wavelike clouds. 3. We often saw on the northern horizon, below the auroral light, dark blue clouds, which bear a great resemblance in colour and form to the va- pours which usually rise from a sudden break in the ice of the sea. 4. Even during the most brilliant auroras we could never perceive any considerable noisp, though in such cases we did hear a slight hissing sound, as when the wind blows on a flame. 6. The auroras seen from Nisne Kolymsk usually commence in the northeastern quarter of the heav- ens, and the middle of the space which they occu- py in the northern horizon is generally 10° or 20° east of the true north. The magnetic variation at this place is about 10° E. 6. Auroras are more frequent and more brilliant on the seacoast than at a distance from it : the lati- tude of the place does not otherwise influence them. Thus, for example, it would seem, from the accounts of the Tschuktschi, that in Koliutschin Island (in 67° 2Gf latitude), auroras are much more frequent Go2 •ifc Iterr- d02 APPENDlt. and more brilliant than at Nishne Kolymsk, in lati- tude ^^ * ^ . On the coas' we often saw the stream- ers sho^t up to the zenith, whereas this was rare- ly the ciifcti fi' Nishne Kolymsk, no-^ was the light nearly as brilliai t. .v * a 7 The inhabitants of the coast affirm, that after a briliiant aurora they always have a strong gale from the quarter in which it appeared : we did not observe this to be the case at Nishne Kolymsk. The differ- ence, however, may proceed from local circum- stances, which often either prevent the sea-winds from reaching so far inland, or alter their direction; for example, it often happens that there is a strong northerly wind at Pochodsk, seventy wersts north of Kolymsk, while at the latter place it is southerly. 8 The finest auroras always appear at the setting IT of strong gales in November and January ; when ftie cold is very intense they are more rare. 9 A remarkable phenomenon which I often wit- nessed deserves to be noticed, t. c., when shdot- ing stars fell near the lower portion of an auror^ arch, fresh kindled streamers instantly appeared, and shot up from the spot where the star fell. From some of the above remarks, it may be in- ferred that the freezing of the sea is connected with the appearance of auroras. Perhaps a great quanti- ty of electncity may be produced by the suddenly- nsing vapours, or by the friction of large masses of ice against each other. The aurora does not always occupy the higher regions of the atmosphere, but, on the contrary, it is usually nearer the surface of the earth ; and this is shown by the visible influence of the lower current of the atmoBvhere on its beams. We have fre- quently seen t effect of the wind on the streamers as distinctly d^: . .he douds, and it^is almost al- ways the wind wh^^ ^s blowing at the surface of the earth. h THE END. iti- m- re- l^ht r a 9m rve er- m- ids m; >ng rth •ly. ing nt- ot- •ral md in- ith nti- ay- of her ;hi8 ent fre- ers al- of