THE NOKTH-EAST PASSAGE. 41 



Pitlekai (the nearest village to us) to another village 

 farther east, called Naskai, where they raised tempor- 

 ary tents, and carried on seal-fishing in the open water 

 to be found in the vicinity. About this time the 

 natives made a great haul, allowing to each tent 

 twenty-five to fifty young seals. Besides seals, they 

 got in the same vicinity a good catch of a fish re- 

 sembling cod. 



At first we had some difficulty in holding com- 

 munication with the natives, but we soon picked up 

 a sufficient number of words to make ourselves in- 

 telligible. Lieutenant ISTordqvist, who paid special 

 attention to the language of the Tchuktchis, ultim- 

 ately became tolerably familiar with it. I here give 

 some specimens : anka, sea ; atleatle, snow ; eck, fire ; 

 ergatik, to-morrow ; etlongat, to-day ; ee, yes ; jar- 

 anga, tent ; jo, wind ; kau kau, food ; koy koy, cold ; 

 mimil, water ; murgin, my ; oinga, no, nothing ; 

 oumko, bear ; ourikri, ptarmigan ; outout, wood ; 

 rurTca, wabus; tintin, ice; tirkir, sun; tschagurgin, 

 go ; tscliepiska, sleep ; tscJwpak, dog ; tschopagat, 

 drive with dogs; turgin, yours. 



After the 28th of September, the day on which 

 our further progress was completely arrested, we 

 still cherished a hope of getting free, and accomplish- 

 ing the remaining little distance to Behring Strait 

 the same autumn ; but gradually this hope died out, 

 and we began in earnest to think of the impending 

 winter. With regard to the ship there was really 



