RICHARD JOHNSON ad. 



1556. 



Foule inough, and there wee sawe white Foxes and Store of foule. 



white Beares. And the sayde Samoeds which are about *??*/* Foxes - 



the bankes of Pechere, which are in subjection to the 



Emperour of Russia, when they will remove from one 



place to another, then they will make sacrifices in manner 



following. Everie kinred doeth sacrifice in their owne Themanerof 



tent, and hee that is most auncient is their Priest, the Samoeds 



And first the Priest doeth beginne to playe upon a sacrl fi ce ^ . 



o £ j 1 about the river 



thing like to a great sieve, with a skinne on the one fp ec here. 



ende like a drumme : and the sticke that he playeth 



with is about a spanne long, and one ende is round 



like a ball, covered with the skinne of an Harte. Also 



the Priest hath upon his head a thing of white like a 



garlande, and his face is covered with a piece of a shirt 



of maile, with manie small ribbes, and teeth of fishes, 



and wilde beastes hanging on the same maile. Then 



hee singeth as wee use heere in Englande to hallow, 



whope, or showte at houndes, and the rest of the 



company answere him with this Owtis, Igha, Igha, Igha, 



and then the Priest replieth againe with his voyces. 



And they answere him with the selfesame wordes so 



manie times, that in the ende he becommeth as it were 



madde, and falling downe as hee were dead, having 



nothing on him but a shirt, lying upon his backe I 



might perceive him to breathe. I asked them why hee 



lay so, and they answered mee, Nowe doeth our God tell 



him what wee shall doe, and whither wee shall goe. 



And when he had lyen still a litle while, they cried 



thus three times together, Oghao, Oghao, Oghao, and 



as they use these three calles, hee riseth with his head 



and lieth downe againe, and then hee rose up and 



sang with like voyces as hee did before : and his audience 



answered him, Igha, Igha, Igha. Then hee commaunded 



them to kill five Olens or great Deere, and continued 



singing still both hee and they as before. Then hee 



tooke a sworde of a cubite and a spanne long, (I did 



mete it my selfe) and put it into his bellie halfeway 



and sometime lesse, but no wounde was to bee seene, 



347 



