XI.] NOAH ELISEJ. 437 



the edge of the former channel. Another " lead " was formed 

 some days after, but closed again through a new disturbance of 

 tlie position of the ice, a high ice-ranipart, formed of loose 

 blocks, heaped one over another, indicating the position of the 

 former opening. Even the strongest vessel would have been 

 crushed in such a channel by the forcing together of the ice. 

 Of a different sort from both these occasional leads was an 

 extensive opening, which shrnved itself a kilometre or two north 

 of the vessel. It is probable that with few interruptions, which, 

 however, might have been difficult to pass, it extended as far as 

 Bohring's Straits, where, according to the statements of the 

 Chukches, several whalers had already made their appearance. 

 Round the vessel itself, however, the ice still lay fast and 

 unbroken. Nor did the Chukches appear to expect that it 

 would break up very so(jn, to judge by the number of vehicles 

 drawn by dogs or reindeer which still j^assed us, both to the 

 east and west. One of these travellers must here be specially 

 mentioned, as his journey lias been talked about as an expedition 

 sent to our relief. 



It was the 19th June. A large number of Chukches 

 travelling j)ast us as usual came on board, partly to receive 

 the tribute of hospitality to which they considered themselves 

 entitled, partly to satisfy an easily understood curiosity and 

 gossip a little about the most important occurrences of the 

 preceding day. One of them, a middle-aged man, whom we had 

 not seen before, with a friendly and self-satisfied bearing, whose 

 face was a mere collection of wrinkles, and over whose ^^t*'^'" was 

 drawn an old velvet shirt, presented himself with a certain 

 })retentiousness as the chief Noah Elisej. Since the mistake 

 with the stately Chepurin, and since even Menka's supposed 

 slave declared himself to be at least as good as Menka, we had 

 bei{un to be rather indifferent to the rank of chief anions the 

 Ciiiikches. Noah Elisej however, notwithstanding he thus 

 brought forward his pretensions, was received like a common 

 man, at which he appeared to be a little offended. But our 

 behaviour soon changed, when Notti, or some other of our daily 

 guests, who liad become quite familiar with our fancies, tastes 

 and weaknesses, informed us that Noah Elisej had with him a 

 large, a very large letter. Old Noah thus carried a mail, perhaps 

 a European mail. At once he became in our eyes a man of 

 importance. After being stormed for a time with questions, he 

 took from a bag which hung from his neck the ordinary pieces 

 of board fastened t(jgether, which here serve as a postbag. They 

 were found hcjwever to contain only a letter of a couple of lines 

 from a Russian official at Nisclini Kolymsk, without any news 

 from Europe, but inf(jrming us that chief Noah Elisej was sent 

 to us to assist us, if necessary. Noah first })atted his stomach 



