98 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[OHAP. 
the dead body had been wrapped in the common Samoyed 
dress. In the grave were found besides the remains of an iron 
pot, an axe, knife, boring tool, how, wooden arrow, some copper 
ornaments, &c. Rolled-up pieces of bark also lay in the coffin, 
which were doubtless intended to be used in lighting fires 
in another world. Beside the grave lay a sleigh turned upside 
down, evidently placed there in order that the dead man should 
SAMOYED GRAVE ON VAY’GATS ISLAND. 
not, away there, want a means of transport, and it is probable 
that reindeer for drawing it were slaughtered at the funeral 
banquet. 
As it may be of interest to ascertain to what extent the 
Samoyeds have undergone any considerable changes in their 
mode of life since they first became known to West-Europeans, 
I shall here quote some of the sketches of them which we 
