APPENDIX, NO. I. 21 



it becomes triple, forming a good security against accidents 

 happening to the abdomen ; this is fringed round with a cut- 

 ting of the same substance ; they also wear leggins, mocki- 

 sons, and cuffs, the whole made of the deer-skin, and worn 

 with the hair side next to the body, the outside lackered 

 with oil and earth, admirably adapted to repel the severity 

 of the weather ; the only difference in the dress of the 

 two sexes, is the addition of a hood attached to the back 

 of the cossack of the female for the reception of children. 

 The males, on having occasion to use their bows, have to 

 disengage the right shoulder and kneel down on the right 

 knee ; the bow is kept perpendicular, and the lower extre- 

 mity supported against the left foot ; their arrows display 

 some ingenuity, for the blade, which is of iron, is so pro- 

 portioned to the shaft, that when missing their object in 

 \^ ater it does not sink ; the feathers which direct its course 

 become now a buoy, and they take it up at pleasure ; 

 the blade of the arrow^ is shouldered, but not barbed. 

 Their snow shoes, or racketts as they are called by some, 

 differed from all others that I have seen ; the circular part 

 of the bow, which was cross barred with skin-thong, was 

 in breadth about fifteen inches, and lengthways near three 

 feet and a half, with a tail of a foot long ; tliis was to 

 counter-balance the weight of the front, before the fore cross 

 beam. So far their make is like ours, with the difference 

 of length, which must be troublesome in the woods ; but 

 if my conjectures are right, they travel but little in the 

 woods when the snow is on the ground ; now this being 

 placed on the ground and the foot in it, it forms a curve 

 from the surface, both ends being elevated. Their reason for 

 this is obvious, for the twofold purpose of preventing any 

 quantity of snow from resting before the foot, and the other 

 to accelerate their motions. Without causing suspicion, 

 I could not venture to ascertain their exact numbers ; but 

 I conceived there could not be less than thirty-five grown-up 

 persons, of whom probably two thirds were w^omen, some 





