Cochrane'i Journey to the 



rasrs they prefer to walk, ami in every 

 olher way appear solicilous to lessen 

 llio labour of the iinimal. 



CHESS. 



The fair at h-iij^lh fiuislicd, I prepared 

 to depart lor Nisliiiey Koiynisk, with 

 inany thanks to my venerable Ynkai;ir 

 host lor ail his kindness. I passed the 

 lime very a;;reeal>ly at his house ; he 

 Was a vriy ^;o()d ciiess player, and was 

 fond of (lie i:;amc. His manner of play 

 added another iiistanee to many I have 

 witnessed, tliat there is, in various [)arls 

 of (he World, li;tle or no diircrenoe any 

 where in (he movinij of the pieces. I 

 liive played the panic with Yakiiti, 

 'J'on;;ousi, and Yiika^iri ; but the 

 Tchuklchi laiijclied at mc for siieh a 

 childish rnijdojnientof my time. While 

 upon this subject, I may remark, as a 

 rircnnistanee relative to this peopU.-, 

 which bus repeatedly surprised me, that 

 wherever a pe«)ple recognize and play 

 the jrame, they are inlallihly Asiatics. 

 Neither the Tcliuktehi nor the Koriaks 

 Kuderstand anj' thin':: of it, but all the 

 Kaniteh.-il<lales are fimiliar «ilh it. 



'J'here were three eliiel's at the fair: 

 first, Yebrashka, who commands the 

 tribes jnhabilin;:: the banks of the 

 Tehaon, J^aekla, and Kvala rivers, as 

 well as the country towards Shclatskoi 

 Noss. Second, Valetka, chief of the 

 iJolo Morsky Tehuktehi, which tribe 

 inhabit the eastern sea roast, from Ca|)o 

 North to liie Biy of Klasheui. Third, 

 Kaehart^a, who commands the 'I'ehuk- 

 .skoi Noss, or East Cape Tribe, wlio in- 

 habit the Noss, and the country from 

 thence to the J>ay of St. Lawrence. 

 The first arc wanderers, and live by tiit ir 

 r<'in-deer. which are employed for 

 Innihen between the riv<;r 'J'<;haon and 

 th<' fair, and in the trade of sea-horse 

 trelh. 'J'he second subsist almost en- 

 tirely bj (ishinn; and hunting, added to 

 a small lri!>nte, or toll of tobacco, which 

 is paid by their sonlhern neighbours for 

 a free |)assage along their coast ; they 

 liave no r<'in-ileer. 'J'he third tribe sub- 

 sist by Irafiio, and tiic breeding of rein-, 

 •leer, of wliieli they have <M)nsiderablo 

 herds, and an' (Mtipioyed from the hay of 

 St. Ijawrence to the banks of the 'J'e- 

 Iiaon. Tiicrr! is also a hturlh chii-f who 

 comrnaiKls the Tcdniklcdii <d' Anadyr 

 No.ss, a tribe who irdiabit tii<' cotmtry 

 and banks of the Anadyr, and also sub- 

 sist by Irallie an>l the breeding of rein- 

 <leer. These cbir'ts live ecpially distant 

 from (Mch nlhcr almtil one hundred and 

 lil'ly or two htmdrcd miles, and carry 

 on a sort of intercourse hv means of the 



Frozen Sua and Kamiehatka. 625 



eastern coast Tehuktehi, who are pro- 

 vi<!ed with baidares. 



They know nothing either of tlieir 

 origin or first seltlemcnt in the country, 

 nor of the Tartar nations subject to 

 Russia, nor do they understand any 

 Tartar words. Their language bcarit 

 no affinity to the Asiatic, though it in 

 understood by the Koriaks. The 

 features of the Tehuktehi, their manners 

 and customs, pronounce them of Ame- 

 rican origin, of which the shaving of 

 their heads, puncturing of their bodies, 

 wearing large ear-rings, their independ- 

 ent and swaggering way of walking, 

 their dress, and superstitious ideas, are 

 also evident [>roofs: nor is it less than 

 probable that the Es(piimaux, and olher 

 tribes of ArcticAmericans, may have de- 

 scended from them, for several words of 

 their languages arc alike, and their dress 

 perfectly similar. That New Siberia 

 has been inliabiled there is no doubt; 

 many huts or yonrt''s still existing, and 

 there are tra<litions in Siberia of tribes 

 having been compelled from j)ersccH- 

 tion, as well as iVom disease, to quit 

 their lands or those beyond the.s6as. 

 'J'lie ))ersons of the Tehuktehi are not 

 j)cculiarly large, though their dress, 

 whicli is clean but of enormous size, 

 gives them almost a gigantic appear- 

 ance. They have fair or clear skins, 

 but ordinary though masctdinc features. 

 In conduct they arc wild and rude. 

 They have no diseases, and live to a 

 great age. 



The whole of them are ingenious, 

 cunning, industrious and excellent me- 

 chanics, which is proved by the sym- 

 metry, neatness and quantity of their 

 partes, clothes, tents, arms, and orna- 

 ments. They liavc no religion, but a 

 sort of regard to some sorcerers or 

 people held by them in veneration. 



Ujion the whole, the Tehuktehi ap- 

 pear to he approaching to Russian sub- 

 jcction ; and I am confident they would 

 never object to a traveller or travellers 

 exploring their inhos|)itable country, 

 j)rovided they received a remuneration; 

 and nothing prevented my being able to 

 accompany them, save their avarice 

 and my poverty. 



A SORClinER OR PRIRST. 



I was made perfectly comfortable, 

 and amused myself with the tricks of a 

 shamann, or sorcerer, some of which 

 Averc indeed strange enougii. He woro 

 a sort of short surtont, covered over with 

 a vari(r(y of small pieces of iron, about 

 the size and sliapi- of the pointed blade 

 of a pcn-kuile ; his boots were em- 

 broidered 



