22 SKETCH OF THE BOOTHIANS. 



Yet they wash their faces at least, by using a piece of wetted 

 bear-skin as a towel ; while they were well pleased to be put into 

 good order on board, even to the act of combing and cutting their 

 hair, and the loss of their beards under the barber's hands. The 

 hair of the men is indeed kept cjuite short, being an evident 

 improvement of their appearance as compared with the long- 

 haired tribes, as well as a decided peculiarity : it is the women alone 

 who wear it long, and tied into two bundles, or long cues, hanging 

 over the two shoulders. 



They seem little addicted to ornaments, and were very indifferent 

 to our beads ; it was on the children almost solely that these were 

 placed : while their own consisting of fringes of skin, teeth, and 

 other things, were similar to those which have often been described. 

 Their dresses being shown in plates and described in the ex- 

 planations, I may omit any notice of those, as of many other 

 matters. As elsewhere, the outer dress is always taken off and 

 cleared of snow on entering the huts, altering their appearance in 

 such a manner that they can scarcely be recognised. The snow- 

 sofas on which tliey sleep have no covering of branches, as is 

 common elsewhere : the first layer is that of seal-skins, above 

 which are deer-skins with the hair uppermost, being the sheet 

 or blanket; while a similar skin forms the coverlet. In what 

 manner they sleep, I need not repeat : and the beds are not 

 cold, except in very severe weather, though the temperature 

 of the walls cannot be above the freezing point. The lamp is 

 ever burning ; since it is the fire for cooking when not required as 

 litrht. 



