X.] 



MENKA'S VISIT. 



373 



of questions which he evidently understood with difficulty, and 

 answered in very unintelligible Russian. He was in any case 

 the first with Avhom some of us could communicate, at least in a 

 way. He could neither read nor write. On the other hand, he 

 could quickly comprehend a map which was shown him, and 

 point out with great accuracy a number of the more remarkable 

 places in north-eastern Siberia, Of the existence of the Russian 

 emperor the first official of the region had no idea; on the 

 other hand, he knew that a very powerful person had his home 

 at Irkutsk. On us he conferred the rank of " Ispravnik " in the 

 neiofhbouriuof towns. At first he crossed Iximself with much 



I 



WASSILI MENKA. 



Btarost among the Reindeer Chukches 

 (After a photograph by L. Talander.) 



zeal before some photographs and copper-plate engravings in 

 the gunroom, but he soon ceased when he observed that we 

 did not do likewise. Menka was accompanied by two badly- 

 clad natives with very oblique eyes, whom we took at first for 

 his servants or slaves. Afterwards we found that they were 

 owners of reindeer, who considered themselves quite as good as 

 Menka himself, and further on we even heard one of them 

 speak of Menka' s claim to be a chief with a compassionate 

 smile. Now, however, they were exceedingly respectful, and it 

 was by them that Menka's gift of welcome, two reindeer roasts, 

 was carried forward with a certain stateliness. As a return 



