IX.] LAGOONS ON THE COAST. 327 



us by evident signs to land and visit their tents. As it was in 

 any case impossible immediately to continue our voyage, I 

 accepted the invitation, ordered a boat to be put out, and landed 

 along with most of my comrades. 



The beach here is formed of a low bank of sand Avhich runs 

 between the sea and a small shallow lagoon or fresh-water lake, 

 whose surface is nearly on a level with that of the sea. Farther 

 into the interior the land rises gradually to bare hills, clear of 

 snow or only covered with a thin coating of powdered snow 

 from the fall of the last few days. Lagoon formations, with 

 either fi'esh or salt water, of the same kind as those which we 

 saw here for the first time, are distinctive of the north-eastern 

 coast of Siberia. It is these formations which gave rise to the 

 statement that on the north coast of Siberia it is difficult to 

 settle the boundaries between sea and land. In winter this may 

 be difficult enough, for the low bank which separates the lagoon 

 from the sea is not easily distinguished when it has become 

 covered with snow, and it may therefore readily happen in winter 

 journeys along the coast that one is far into the land while he 

 still believes himself to be out on the sea-ice. But when the 

 snow has melted, the boundary is sharp enough, and the sea by 

 no means shallow for such a distance as old accounts would 

 indicate. A continual ice-mud-work also goes on here during 

 the whole summer. Quite close to the beach accordingly the 

 depth of water is two metres, and a kilometre farther out ten to 

 eleven metres. Off the high rocky promontories the water is 

 commonly navigable even for vessels of considerable draught 

 close to the foot of the cliffs. 



The villages of the Chukches commonly stand on the bank of 

 sand which sej)arates the lagoon from the sea. The dwellings 

 consist of roomy skin tents, which enclose a sleeping chamber of 

 the form of a j)arallelopiped surrounded by warm well-prepared 

 reindeer skins, and lighted and warmed by one or more train-oil 

 lamps. It is here that the family sleep during summer, and 

 here most of them live day and night during winter. In sum- 

 mer, less frequently in winter, a fire is lighted besides in the 

 outer tent with wood, for which purpose a hole is opened in the 

 top of the raised tent-roof. But to be compelled to use wood 

 for heating the inner tent the Chukches consider the extremity 

 of scarcity of fuel. 



We were received ever3nvhere in a very friendly way, and were 

 offered whatever the house afforded. At the time the supply 

 of food was abundant. In one tent reindeer beef was being 

 boiled in a large cast-iron pot. At another two recently shot 

 or slaughtered reindeer were being cut in pieces. At a third an 

 old woman was employed in taking out of the paunch of the 

 reindeer the green spinage-like contents and cramming them 



