SPITZBERGEN. — RUSSIAN HUNTERS. 143 



cle of value. I only took with me the wax-tapers, 

 which appeared to have been intended for religious 

 purposes. 



During the stay of the hunters, they employ 

 themselves in killing seals, sea-horses, &c. in the 

 water ; and bears, foxes, deer, or whatever else they 

 meet with, on land. They are furnished with pro- 

 visions for eighteen months by their employers, 

 consisting of rye-flour for bread, oatmeal, barley- 

 meal, pease, salt beef, salt cod, and salt holibut, 

 together with curdled milk, honey, and linseed oil ; 

 besides which, they procure for themselves lion- 

 deer in winter, and birds in summer, the use of 

 which is found to be very conducive to health. 

 Their drink chiefly consists of a liquor called nuas, 

 made from rye-flour and water ; malt or spiritous 

 liquors being entirely forbidden, to prevent drunken- 

 ness, as these persons, when they were allowed it, 

 drank so immoderately that their work was often al- 

 together neglected. For general purposes, they use 

 spring- water, when it is to be had ; or, in lieu of it, 

 take water from lakes : but when neither can be got, 

 they use melted snow *. 



Their fuel, consisting of wood, is brought with 

 them from Russia, and landed at their station-hut, 

 from whence it is conveyed by water, in boats, or by- 

 land in small hand-sledges, to the different huts- 



* Beaufoy's Queries, Nos. 12, 13, !§. 



