THE AMERICAN MUSEUM JOURNAL 



more than a fortnight. At one time, indeed, my ilhiess became so 

 alarming, that the Cossack, who also felt responsible for the success 

 of the expedition, asked me for instructions as to which way to carry 

 my body and my "official papers "in case I should die on the route. 

 I ordered him to tie up everything in curried leather, and to take it 

 with all possible despatch to the Anadyr. 



My route lay across the border-line between the Koryak and the 

 Chukchee reindeer-breeders, who in former times were involved in 

 continuous warfare with each other, and then along the line of Kerek 

 villages. The latter are a branch of the Maritime Korvak, who live 

 in the most remote part of the country, which is very poor in natural 

 resources. In former times they lived chieflv on walrus; but within 

 the last few decades, i. e., since the arrival of American whalers has 

 driven the walrus farther to the north, they have been rapidly dying 

 out from continual starvation. 



Between the Kerek villages and the first camps of the Anadyr 

 Reindeer Chukchee lies an uninhabited, mountainous country. It is 

 unknown to the Kerek, who therefore could not supply us with guides, 

 and we had to pass through it, guided solely by the course of the 

 frozen mountain rivers up to the watershed, and then down to the 

 tributaries of the Anadyr. This journey lasted seventeen days, and 

 nearly exhausted the strength of both dogs and drivers. 



I reached Mariinsky Post on March 26, and after a stay of two 

 weeks started northward with a party of native traders, who were 

 returning from the annual traffic with the Anadyr Cossacks. I was 

 accompanied by Mr. Axelrod and four Russianized natives with extra 

 teams, carrying provision and wares for barter. During this journey 

 Mr. Axelrod made a survey of the overland route. A journey of four 

 weeks brought us to Indian Point, where we staid about a month, 

 during which time I made a boat journey to St. Lawrence Island. 

 My studies at that place were devoted to the Maritime Chukchee and 

 Asiatic Eskimo. 



At the end of June I started on my return journey towards the 

 mouth of the Anadyr. For this purpose I bought the frame of a 

 native boat and had it covered with walrus hides. Our journey in 

 this boat lasted thirty-two days, and we arrived at Mariinsky Post 

 on July 28, 1901, ten days before the arrival of the annual postal 

 steamer which took us back to Vladivostok. From there I shipped 

 our collections to New York by way of Suez, while we returned over 

 the Trans-Siberian Railway to St. Petersburg. There I was unfor- 



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