THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 



[CHAr. 



with violence, until at last, in the bottom, I got a solution of 

 the riddle — a loaded revolver. Several of the natives had also 

 breechloaders. The oldest age with stone implements, and the 

 most recent period with breechloaders, thus here reach hands 

 one to the other. 



Many natives were evidently migrating to more northerly 

 hunting-grounds and fishing places, perhaps also to the markets 

 and play-booths, which Dr. John Simpson describes in his well- 

 known paper on the West Eskimo.^ Others had already pitched 

 their summer tents on the banks of the inner harbour, or of the 

 river before mentioned. On the other hand, there was found in 



^ ^'<^7x>-. 



ESKIMO FAMILY AT PORT CLARF.NCE. 



(After a photograph by L. Palander.) 



the region only a small number of winter dwellings abandoned 

 during the warm season of the year. The population consisted, 

 as has been said, of Eskimo. They did not understand a word 

 of Chukch. Among them, however, we found a Chukch woman, 

 who stated that true Chukches were found also on the American 

 side, north of Behring's Straits. Two of the men spoke a little 

 English, one had even been at San Francisco, another at 

 Honolulu. Many of their household articles reminded us of 

 contact with American whalers, and justice demands the 



^ Further Papers relative to the recent Arctic Expedition, etc. 

 to both Houses of Parliament. London, 1855, p. 917. 



Presented 



