440 THE JEANNETTE ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



tine, who was four days behind us, the sled he was with and 

 one other having been separated from us during a poorga 

 the first day out from Erktreen. 



Before reaching Wanker's house we stopped at a log house 

 to get some tea. This was the first inhabited house I had 

 seen, and I regarded it with due interest. There was but 

 one room, with the fireplace in the corner, on which was 

 blazing a glorious fire that made my frozen nose glow with 

 the heat. There stood the steaming tea-kettle, and as we 

 entered, the lady of the house, attired in a loose robe, not 

 gathered in at the waist, but flowing from the shoulders half- 

 way down her leather boot-legs, cut some pieces of reindeer 

 meat from one of two carcasses that leaned against the wall, 

 with the skins still covering them, and fried them in a pan 

 over the glowing coals. In the meantime a frozen fish was 

 cut into slices and placed before us, with an additional plate 

 of dried fish and some preserved cranberries, and afterward 

 the hot tea that made the remainder of my journey quite 

 comfortable. While we were partaking of the hospitality of 

 the Russian native, three sledge loads of Chukches arrived 

 and were similarly entertained. I thought it must be a con- 

 siderable tax upon the time and hospitality of those who 

 live upon,, the lines of travel to entertain so many guests, 

 for no one passes their houses without entering, and no one 

 pays anything for his entertainment. All the guests, except- 

 ing myself, even the Chukches, crossed themselves when 

 they entered the house, as well as before, and after eating 

 and when they left. 



I told Wanker that I would rather go on to Nishni 

 Kolymsk, but he would not listen to it, and insisted that I 

 should remain at his house. I poured my complaint into 

 the ear of my driver that day, and though he understood 

 little of what I said he did seize the main point, which was 

 that I staid at Wanker's against my will and preferred to go 

 to Nishni Kolymsk. He said, 'Da, da,' and meant 'yes,' 

 and here our conversation ended. He delivered me at 

 Wanker's that night and departed early next morning. 



