TO kotzebue's sound. ^J 



vioLir, however, soon conciliutetl them so much, 

 that we walked arm-in-arm, laughhig and joking : 

 this cheerfulness appeared to me to be rather 

 forced, on the part of the savages. Our discourse 

 was interrupted by the appearance of an animal, 

 in many respects isimilar to the squirrel ; but it is 

 much larger, and lives in the earth : it is called 

 in Siberia, Gewraschka. The Americans, who make 

 very neat summer-dresses of the skins of this ani- 

 mal, of which there are great numbers here, call it 

 Tschikschi. We tried to catch it for our collec- 

 tion J but, without the assistance of our friends, 

 who are very expert in rinming, would scarcely 

 have succeeded. They brought it triumphantly to 

 us, and laughed heartily at our unskilfulness. As 

 we were proceeding farther, I observed a snipe, 

 and wishing to know if my companions were ac- 

 quainted with fire-arms, and what impression a 

 shot would make on them, I was induced to 

 shoot it. The sound occasioned the greatest fright, 

 they looked at each other, not knowing whether 

 to stay or fly ; but, when they perceived that 

 nothing had happened to them, they tooiv courage, 

 and cautiously looked round at my fowling-piece ; 

 the old man, who had carried one, without suspect- 

 ing what he had in his hand, quickly returned the 

 gun to the owner. The dead snipe, which he 

 would not venture to touch, had inspired him with 

 the greatest respect for the terrible instrument, 

 and they could not get over their astonishment at 



Q o 



