AMONG FRIENDS. 457 



Nindermann. Night came on and we had got a little 

 mider way with our soup, when we heard sleds drive up, 

 and saw our Tunguse coming with two other natives and 

 five reindeer teams. The original Tunguse came rushing 

 into the hut, bringing some frozen fish, deer-skin coats and 

 boots. We went for the fish. He picked up all our things 

 and put them on the sleds. We put on the coats and the 

 boots and soon started off. This was about midnight. Wo 

 were driven about fifteen miles, when we came to two largo 

 tents and many sleds, the deer not being in sight. The 

 natives took us and washed our faces and hands and got us 

 looking a little decent again. They had a big kettle of deer 

 meat on the fire, and we were motioned to help ourselves at 

 once. After that they made us some tea, and then spread 

 deer-skins for us to sleep on. This was our first comfort- 

 able night since we left the captain." 



The native had brought them to a camp of traveling Tun- 

 gnses, who were on their way to Kumak Surka from a tem- 

 porary settlement where they had been staying a little 

 further to the north. In the caravan were seven men and 

 three women, and seventy-five head of deer dragging thirty 

 eleds. With this caravan Nindermann and Noros traveled 

 two days, and arrived at Kumak Surka on the 24th of Octo- 

 ber. Here the two men were well taken care of, Noros at 

 one hut and Nindermann at another. 



They arrived at Kumak Surka during the evening, and 

 amid the preparation of meals for a house full of people and 

 the arrangement of bunks for the accommodation of the 

 guests, there was no opportunity that night to engage atten- 

 tion to the subject of their errand. The next day, however, 

 Nindermann had the field to himself after the morning meal 

 had been discussed. Some one brought him the model of a 

 Yakut boat, which they called a 'parahut,' and asked if his 

 'parahut' was like that. Then, with sticks to represent 

 masts and spars, he showed them that it was bark rigged 

 and moved by steam power also. All this they seemed to 

 understand perfectly, and then asked how and where the/ 

 lost the ship. 



