1867.] 333 [Bickmore. 



Interpreter, wlio was also absent, but a sub-official gave me some far- 

 tht^r items in regard to the strange people under his charge. They 

 cultivate millet and potatoes, but no rice. In one hut I saw the thick 

 midrib of some wild plant finely chopped. When they kill a bear, 

 they are allowed the head, but the skin belongs to the Interpi-eter. 

 They are permitted, however, to wear deer skin, and the woman I saw 

 first at Mori had on an outer dress of that kind. It is said that when 

 young cubs are found they are brought home and nursed by the Aino 

 women like their own children, but this is quite incredible. 



Returning to Ya-ma-Koosh-nai, I continued on to Mori, and made 

 that day twenty-five miles, over the sand, rocks and shingle. The 

 next day I reached Hakodadi, thirty-two miles — whole distance on 

 foot in six days, one hundred and thirty miles. On my return I 

 found that eight Ainos had just arrived in a couple of junks from a 

 place on the south coast, a short distance east of Endermo Bay. 

 With the prospect of a small present they readily came to the resi- 

 dence of Colonel Rice, whose kind hospitality I was then enjoying. 

 They all sat down cross-legged, in the Turkisth style, not in a semi- 

 circle like our American Indians, but in a straight line, the oldest man 

 on their extreme left, the highest position of honor, and the rest 

 ranging themselves atcording to their ages, to the youngest on their 

 right. They could not tell, however, how old they were, but said the 

 Jajianese officials kept a record of their ages. As soon as they were 

 seated they began their salutation, which consists in slightly inclining 

 the body forward, at the same time raising both hands as high as the 

 eyes, with the palms inward and the fingers extended and nearly 

 touching each other. The hands then pass down along the beard to 

 the chest. This is repeated three times, and when they wish to show 

 still greater respect they accompany these motions with a low gut- 

 tural muttering. Saki (Japanese rice-whiskey) being their favorite 

 drink, each was offered a glass and a chop stick. Taking the glass in 

 the left hand and the stick in the right, they dip the end of the 

 stick into the liquor they are about to drink, and slightly raising it 

 describe a circle with an upward and inward motion. While describ- 

 ing these motions with the stick, they uttered a long prayer, in a low 

 monotonous tone. This prayer, they afterwards informed us, was not 

 in our behalf, in return for the saki, but addressed to the God of the 

 sea, asking that they might be preserved in their boats, and find an 

 abundance of fish. One of their number spoke Japanese fluently, 

 and Mr. James J. Enslie, the Japanese interpreter at the British 

 Consulate, and himself the author of two interesting papers on the 

 Ainos, kindly volunteered to ask them a list of questions I had pre- 

 pared. In this way the following information was obtained directly 



