412 



THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 



[CIIA^ 



Among household articles in the tent I noticed a face-mask of 

 wood, less shapeless than those which according to Whymper's 

 drawings are found amon'cj the natives alono; the river Youcon, 

 in the territory of Alaska, and according to Dr. Simpson among 

 the West-Eskimo. I learned afterwards that this mask came 

 from Piik, Behring's Straits, whither it was probably carried 

 from the opposite American shore. 



" The village Irgunnuk lies from three to four hundred metres 

 from Rirajtinop, and consists of five tents, one of which two days 

 before had been removed from Yinretlen. The tents are as 

 usual placed on earthy eminences, and have if possible the en 

 trance a couple of paces from some steep escarpment, manifestly 

 in order that the door -opening may not be too much obstructed 

 with snow, I reckon the population of Irgunnuk at forty persons. 



" Off this village the ice is broken up even close to the land 

 into torosses, five to six metres hisfh, which form a chain which 



THE SLEEPING CHAMBER IN A CHUKCH TENT. 



(After a drawing by the seiinian Hansson ) 



closely follows the shore for a distance of five to six hundred 

 metres to the eastward. The coast from Irgunnuk to Najtskaj 

 runs in a straight line, is low, and only now and then interrupted 

 by small earthy eminences, which all bear traces of old dwellings. 

 Each of these heights has its special name : first Uelkantinop, 

 then Tiumgatti, and lastly Tiungo, two miles west of Najtskaj. 

 In the neighbourhood of Uelkantinop we were overtaken by a 

 reindeer-Chukch, who accompanied us to Najtskaj in order 

 there to purchase fish and seal-blubber. At noon we reached 

 Najtskaj, where our arrival had been announced by a native, 

 who, with his dog-team, had driven past us on the way. Ac- 

 cordingly on our entrance we were surrounded by the youth of 

 the village, who deafened us with their unceasing cries for 

 bread (kcmka), tobacco, ram, &c. After some moments the 

 begging urchins were joined both by women and full-grown men. 



