IGO THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [chap. 



stranded along the coast in a depth of nine to sixteen metres. 

 During night we passed a place where five Samoyed tents were 

 pitched, in whose neighbourhood a large number of reindeer 

 pastured. The land was now quite low, and the sea had become 

 considerably shallower. The course was therefore shaped for the 

 N.W., in which direction deeper water was soon met with. 

 Notwithstanding the slight salinity and high temperature 

 (4. 7°'7) of the surface water a Clio borealis and a large number 

 of Copepoda were taken at the surface." 



The excursion now described and Almquist's and Hovgaard's 

 landing in 1878 were, as far as I am aware, the only occasions 

 on which naturiilists have visited the northern part of that 

 peninsula which sejiarates the Kara Sea from the Obi. The 

 Norwegian hunters also visit the place seldom, the main reasons 

 being the inaccessibility of the shallow east coast, and the want 

 of harbours. They now, however, land occasionally to take in 

 water, and perhaps to barter the tobacco they have saved from 

 their rations, knives they have no use for, and old-fashioned 

 guns, gunpowder, lead, &c., for the products of the Samoyeds' 

 reindeer husbandry, hunting and fishing. At first the natives 

 fled when they saw the Norwegians coming, and, when they 

 could not make their escape, they saluted them with great 

 humility, falling on their knees and bending their heads to the 

 earth, and were unAvillmg to enter into any traffic with them 

 or to show them their goods. But since the Samoyeds observed 

 that the Norwegians never did them any harm, the mistrust 

 and excessive humility have completely disappeared. Now a 

 visit of Europeans is very agreeable to them, partly for the 

 opportunity which it offers of obtaining by barter certain 

 articles of necessity, luxury, or show, partly perhaps also for 

 the interruption thereby caused in the monotony of the tundra 

 life. When the walrus-hunters row or sail along that open 

 coast, it often happens that natives run backwards and forwards 

 on the shore, and by signs eagerly invite the foreigners to land ; 

 if they do so, and there are any wealthy Samoyeds in the 

 neighbourhood, there immediately begins a grand entertainment, 

 according to the customs of the people, with more than one 

 trait reminding us of the sketches from the traditionary periods 

 of the civilised nations. 



What I have stated here is about all that we know of Yalmal, 

 and we see from this that a very promising, yet untouched field 

 for researches in ethnography and natural history here lies 

 before future travellers to the Yenisej. 



What sort of winter is there at the mouth of the Yenisej ? 

 We have for the present no information on this point, as no scien- 

 tific man has wintered there. But on the other hand we have a 



