IX SEARCH OF THE EIEA. 153 



women, who turn their toes in ; the men, on the 

 contrary, turn theirs out. They remind one of 

 nothing so much as a group of wax-work figures. 

 They have the reputation of being most kind and 

 hospitable to sailors in distress and, indeed, endless 

 are the instances of their having befriended and saved 

 the lives of castaways on their barren coasts. Hence 

 Sir Allen Young distributed amongst them numerous 

 small presents, impressing upon them that, should the 

 crew of the Eira come among them, they would be 

 expected to do all they could for them, and would 

 be amply repaid for any expenditure. These people 

 live on fish and reindeer in summer, with the addi- 

 tion of seals, walrus, and bears in winter, when the 

 ice closes in. They are skilful hunters, and prepare 

 skins for barter with the Russians. Their tents are 

 made of two thicknesses of reindeer-skins spread on 

 converging poles, with an aperture at the top for the 

 escape of smoke ; the outer skin has the hair outside, 

 the inner one being turned inside, and the floor is 

 carpeted in the same manner. The cooking is done 

 in a separate tent, the hook-pot being then brought 

 into the living tent and slung on the fire to keep hot. 

 The interior of the tent into which I went was occu- 

 pied by men, women, and children, a number of dogs, 

 and a young polar bear, all lying about amongst a 

 profusion of skins and rugs of various kinds. We 

 had expected to find here a Russian officer, who pays 

 an annual visit as governor, but he had not arrived. 



