20  SMITHSONIAN    MISCELLANEOUS    COLLECTIONS  VOL.    96 
They  gave  us  to  understand,  by  signs,  that  their  real  abode  was  behind  the 
promontory,  in  the  W.,  whither  they  invited  us.  A  second  boat,  coming  from 
the  quarter  pointed  out,  in  which  two  women,  dressed  like  men,  looked  fright- 
fully with  their  tattooed  faces,  confirmed  this  assertion.  How  much  did  I 
regret  not  understanding  their  language,  as  I  should  then  have  been  able  to 
relate  many  interesting  things  concerning  these  people.  In  many  respects  they 
resemble  the  inhabitants  of  Norton  Sound,  described  by  Captain  Cook ;  they 
are  of  a  middle  stature,  robust  make,  and  healthy  appearance ;  their  clothing, 
which  consists  of  skins,  is  filthy  to  the  highest  degree.  My  Aleutian,  who  has 
passed  several  years  in  the  peninsula  of  Alashka,  affirms,  that  there  is  very 
little  difference  between  these  two  people,  as  well  in  their  language  as  in  other 
respects.  We  observed  several  European  utensils  of  iron  and  copper.  Every 
islander  is  armed  with  a  knife,  an  ell  (2  feet)  long,  and  adorned  with  large 
blue  and  white  glass  beads. 
While  our  naturalists  were  strolling  about  the  mountains,  I  entertained  myself 
with  my  new  acquaintance,  who,  as  soon  as  they  learnt  that  I  was  the  com- 
mander, invited  mc  to  their  tent.  A  filthy  piece  of  leather  was  spread  on  the 
floor  for  me  to  sit  on ;  and  then  they  came  up  to  me  one  after  the  other — each 
of  them  embraced  me,  rubbed  his  nose  hard  against  mine,  and  ended  his  caresses 
by  spitting  in  his  hands  and  wiping  them  several  times  over  my  face.  Though 
these  signs  of  friendship  were  not  very  agreeable  to  me,  I  bore  all  patiently. 
To  suppress  their  further  tenderness,  I  distributed  some  tobacco-leaves,  which 
they  received  with  much  pleasure,  and  were  going  to  repeat  all  their  caresses 
again.  I  hastily  took  some  knives,  scissars,  and  beads,  and  thus  happily  pre- 
vented a  second  attack.  An  almost  still  greater  misery  awaited  me ;  when,  in 
order  to  refresh  me,  they  brought  forth  a  wooden  trough  of  whale  blubber,  (a 
great  delicacy  among  all  the  northern  inhabitants  of  the  sea  coasts),  and  I 
bravely  took  some  of  it,  sickening  and  dangerous  as  this  food  is  to  an  European 
stomach.  This,  and  some  other  presents,  which  I  afterwards  made  them,  sealed 
the  bond  of  our  friendly  acquaintance.  My  host,  the  proprietor  of  the  tent, 
and  probably  the  chief  of  his  countrymen  present,  after  our  meals  ordered  a 
dance;  one  of  them  stept  forwards,  made  the  most  comical  motions  with  his 
whole  body,  without  stirring  from  his  place,  making  the  most  hideous  grimaces ; 
the  others  sung  a  song,  consisting  of  only  two  notes,  sometimes  louder,  some- 
times lower,  and  the  time  was  beat  on  a  small  tambourine The   island 
is  called  by  the  inhabitants,  Tschibocki ;  and  the  country  to  the  east  (America) 
Kililack.  That  part  which  we  saw  had  a  most  dismal  appearance ;  it  consists 
of  pretty  high  mountains,  covered  with  snow.  Not  a  single  tree,  not  even  a 
small  bush,  adorns  the  grey  rocks,  only  short  grass  sprouts  up  here  and  there 
between  the  moss,  only  a  few  stinted  plants  rise  above  the  ground,  and  yet 
many  a  flower  blows  here.  The  arms  of  the  islanders,  which  they  use  for  the 
chace  as  well  as  war,  consist  of  bows,  arrows,  and  lances ;  the  two  latter  are 
furnished  with  a  broad,  well-wrought  iron  head :  these,  as  well  as  their  other 
European  utensils,  we  afterwards  learnt  they  received  from  the  Tschukutskoi. 
They  do  not  appear  ever  to  have  seen  any  European,  to  judge  by  the  amazement 
with  which  they  beheld  us.  Nothing  attracted  their  attention  so  much  as  my 
telescope;  and  when  I  showed  them  its  properties,  and  they  really  saw  quite 
distant  objects  close  before  their  eyes,  they  were  seized  with  the  most  extravagant 
joy.    [Kotzebue,  1821,  vol.  i,  pp.  189-193.] 
