100 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap 
respect they had not kept abreast of the times so well as the 
Eskimo at Port Clarence. 
One of the oldest accounts of the Samoyeds which I know 
is that of Stephen Burrough from 1556. It is given in 
Hakluyt (1st edition, page 318). In the narrative of the 
voyage of the SearclifJirift we read :— 
''On Saturday the 1st August 1556 I went ashore,^ and there 
saw three morses that they (Russian hunters) had killed: they 
held one tooth of a morse, which was not great, at a rohle, and 
one white beare skin at three robles and two robles: they 
further told me, that there were people called Samoeds on the 
great Island, and that they would not abide them nor us, who 
have no houses, but only coverings made of Deerskins, set ouer 
them with stakes: they are men expert in shooting, and have 
great plenty of Deere. On Monday the 3rd we weyed and 
went roome with another Island, which was five leagues (15') 
East-north-east from us: and there I met againe with Loshak,^ 
and went on shore with him, and he brought me to a heap of 
Samoeds idols, /which were in number above 300, the worst 
and the most unartificiall worke that ever I saw : the eyes and 
mouthes of sundrie of them were bloodie, they had the shape 
of men, v women, and children, very grosly wrought, and that 
which they had made tor other parts, was also sprinkled with 
blood. Some of their idols were an olde sticke with two or 
three notches, made with a knife in it. There was one 
of their sleds broken and lay by the heape of idols, and 
there I saw a deers skinne which the foules had spoyled : and 
before certaine of their idols blocks were made as high as their 
mouthes, being all bloody, I thought that to be the table 
whereon they offered Their sacrifice : I saw also the instruments 
whereupon they had roasted flesh, and as farre as I could 
perceiue, they make the fire directly under the spit. Their 
boates are made of Deers skins, and when they come on shoare 
they cary their boates with them upon their backs : for their 
cariages they haue no other beastes to serve them but Deere 
only. As for bread and come they have none, except the Russes 
^ Probably on one of the small islands near Vaygats. 
2 A Russian hunter who had been serviceable to Stephen Burrongh in 
many ways. 
