342 



THE JEANNETTE ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



was led to inquire his age on account of the worn appear- 

 ance of his teeth. I was informed that he was twenty years 

 old when killed, and was now going to be used for food. 



The whips used by the people of these parts when driving 

 horses are funny-looking affairs, being a combination of whip 

 and curry-comb. The handle is some two feet long, with a 

 leathern thong or lash, and has a looped strap by which the 

 whip can hang suspended from the arm. A small, very dull 

 blade is inserted in the handle, which the drivers use in cold 

 weather for scraping off the rime and clearing the frozen 

 moisture away from the nostrils of their horses while on the 

 road. Another peculiarity which I noticed was that the 

 drivers always whipped their horses when they came to a 

 hill, running them up-hill and walking them down-hill quite 

 often. We traveled with three horses abreast, and I must 

 confess it was at times exciting to see them start on a tight 

 run up-hill. They did this in fine style, and were evidently 

 trained to it. 



On Saturday, December 17th, we started in the early 

 morning from the stansea where we had lodged, for Yakutsk. 



