PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 348 



barge was hoisted out and sent to examine the inlet, chap. 

 with directions to meet the ship at Chamisso Island, *— - y-~ 

 She was again placed under the command of Mr. Jj^ 

 Elson, and equipped in every way necessary for the 

 service required. 



We were visited by several baidars, containing 

 from ten to thirteen men each, whose object was to 

 obtain articles in exchange. They were in every 

 respect similar to the natives of Schismareff Inlet, 

 though rather better looking, and were all, without 

 exception, provided with labrets, either made of 

 ivory and blue beads, as before described, of ivory 

 alone, or of different kinds of stone, as steatite, por- 

 phyry, or greenstone ; they readily disengaged these 

 from their lips, and sold them, without minding the 

 inconvenience of the saliva that flowed through the 

 badly cicatriced orifice over the chin ; but on the 

 contrary derided us when we betrayed disgust at the 

 spectacle, by thrusting their tongues through the 

 hole, and winking their eyes. One or two had small 

 strings of beads suspended to their ears. 



The articles they brought off were, as before, 

 skins, fish, fishing implements, and nic-nacs. Their 

 peltry consisted of the skins of the seal, of the com- 

 mon and arctic fox, the common and musk-rat, the 

 marten, beaver, three varieties of ermine, one white, 

 one with a light brown back and yellow belly, and 

 the third with a gray back spotted white and yellow ; 

 the American otter, the white hare, the polar bear, 

 the wolf, the deer, and the badger. Their fish were 

 salmon and herrings : their implements, lances, either 

 of stone or of a walrus tooth fixed to the end of a 

 wooden staff; harpoons precisely similar to the Es- 

 quimaux ; arrows ; drills ; and an instrument, the 



