X.] 



AT MENKA'S ENCAMPMENT. 



375 



we found ourselves in a valley, surrounded by Lills, some of 

 which rose about 300 metres above their bases. A portion of 

 the veo^etable covering the tundra covild still be distins^uished 

 through the thin layer of snow. The most common plants on 

 the drier jjlaces were Aira nipiua and Foa aJpina ; on the more 

 low-lying places there grew Glyceria, Pedicularis, and Ledum 

 2Mhcstre ; everywhere we found Petasitcs frigida and a species 

 of Salix. The latter grew especially on the slopes in great 

 masses, which covered spots having an area of twenty to thirty 

 square metres. At some places this bush rose to a height of 

 about a metre above the ground. The prevailing rock appeared 

 to be granite. The bottoms of the valleys were formed of post- 

 Tertiary formations, which most frequently consisted of sand and 

 rolled stones, as, for instance, was the case in the great valley 

 in which Menka's brother's camp was pitched. 



" When, on the morning of the 9th, we came to the camp 

 there met us some of the principal Chukches. They saluted 

 Menka in the Russian way, by kissing him first on both cheeks 



CIIUKCH D<lG-SI^EDOE. 



and then on the mouth. The Chukches, however, appear to 

 be very averse to this ceremony, and scarcely ever touched 

 each other with the mouth. Us they saluted in the common 

 way, by stretching out the hand and bowing themselves. We 

 then went into Menka's brother's tent, in front of which the 

 whole inhabitants of the encampment were speedily assembled 

 to look at us. The camp consisted of eighteen tents, pitched 

 on both sides of a river which ran through the valley. The 

 tents were inhabited, by reindeer-Chukches, who carry on traffic 

 between the Russians and a tribe living on the other side of 

 Behring's Straits, whom they call Yekargmdcs. Between the 

 tents we saw a great number of sledges, both empty and loaded. 

 Some of these were light and low sledges for driving in, with 

 runners bent upwards and backwards, others were heavier pack- 

 sledges, made of stronger wood, with the runners not bent back. 

 Some of the light sledges were provided with tilts of sj^lints 

 covered with reindeer skins ; others were completely covered, 

 having an entrance only in front. 



