498 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
we found ourselves in a valley, surrounded by hills, some of 
which rose about 300 metres above their bases. A portion of 
the vegetable covering the tundra could still be distinguished 
through the thin layer of snow. The most common plants on 
the drier places were Aira alioina and Poa alpina; on the more 
low-lying places there grew Glyceria, Pedicularis, and Ledum 
pahostre; everywhere we found Petasites frigida and a species 
of Salix. The latter grew especially on the slopes in great 
masses, which covered spots having an area of twenty to thirty 
square metres. At some places this bush rose to a height of 
about a metre above the ground. The prevailing rock appeared 
to be granite. The bottoms of the valleys were formed of post- 
Tertiary formations, which most frequently consisted of sand and 
rolled stones, as, for instance, was the case in the great valley 
in which Menka’s brother’s camp was pitched. 
“ When, on the morning of the 9th, we came to the camp 
there met us some of the principal Chukches. They saluted 
CHUKCH DOG-SLEDGE. 
Menka in the Russian way, by kissing him first on both cheeks 
and then on the mouth. The Chukches however, appear to 
be very averse to this ceremony, and scarcely ever touched 
each other with the mouth. Us they saluted in the common 
way, by stretching out the hand and bowing themselves. We 
then went into Menka’s brother’s tent, in front of which the 
whole inhabitants of the encampment were speedily assembled 
to look at us. The camp consisted of eighteen tents, pitched 
on both sides of a river which ran through the valley. The 
tents were inhabited by reindeer-Chukches, who carry on traffic 
between the Russians and a tribe living on the other side of 
Behring’s Straits, whom they call Yehargaides. Between the 
tents we saw a great number of sledges, both empty and loaded. 
Some of these were light and low sledges for driving in, with 
runners bent upwards and backwards, others were heavier pack- 
sledges, made of stronger wood, with the runners not bent back. 
