64 THE SAMOYEDES 



lay in a corner of the tent. The smoke annoyed us 

 when we stood up, but we did not feel it much when 

 seated. The Samoyedes sat cross-legged on the ground, 

 and tea was served on a little table about six inches high, 

 just large enough to hold half a dozen cups. As usual, 

 we found our hosts very ready to give us any information 

 we asked them. 



The Samoyedes never seemed annoyed at our taking 

 notes among them ; they struck us as a good-tempered, 

 somewhat phlegmatic race. They carried old-fashioned 

 Russian flint-lock rifles, but we could not rouse their 

 interest in our breech-loaders ; they do not appear to 

 work much in metals. They always carry a knife, no 

 doubt of Russian make, but they are very ingenious in 

 making handles and in ornamenting them. Patterns of 

 various grades of elaboration are carved upon them, and 

 the patterns filled up with melted tin. They use a small 

 saw, a rude form of brace and bit, and also the indis- 

 pensable axe. 



Like the Russians, the Samoyedes have beautifully 

 white and regular teeth. They are very fond of chewing 

 the resin which they get from the Scotch fir, which 

 doubtless assists in keeping the teeth clean. 



As we are now on the subject of this strange race, 

 we may as well insert here some details we gathered a 

 few days later, after our return to Ust-Zylma, from a 

 Samoyede who drove up in his reindeer sledge from a 

 choom near Habariki. Our interpreter was a Polish 

 Jew, banished by his father to Siberia, because he had 

 adopted the religion of the Greek Church. He translated 

 the Samoyede's bad Russian into worse German. 



We were informed that when a young Samoyede 

 desires to marry, and has come to some understanding 

 with the damsel of his choice, he visits her father's 



