18 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
noses. He on his part took every reindeer by the horn and 
examined it in the most careful way. After the inspection was 
ended at a sign given by the master the whole herd wheeled 
round and returned in closed ranks, with the old reindeer in 
front, to the previous day’s pasture. 
“ The whole scene made a very favourable impression on us; it 
was not the grim hard savage showing in a coarse and barbarous 
way his superiority over the animals, but the good master 
treating his inferiors kindly, and having a friendly word for 
each of them. Here good relations prevailed between man and 
the animals. Kotschitlen himself was a stately young man, 
with an intelligent appearance and a supple handsome figure. 
His dress, of exceedingly good cut and of uncommonly fine 
reindeer skin, sat close to his well-grown frame, and gave us an 
opportunity of seeing his graceful and noble bearing, which was 
most observable when he was in motion. 
It, “On our repeating our proposal to purchase reindeer we again 
met with a refusal, on which we struck our tent and commenced 
our return journey. We came on board on the 18th March 
at 3 o’clock P.M., after a march of four hours and three- 
quarters. 
“ The way to the reindeer camp rose and fell gently. The 
snow was hard and even, so that we could go forward rapidly. 
On the way out four foxes and some ravens were seen. At one 
place we found a large number of lemming passages excavated 
through the snow in an oblique direction towards the ground. 
Most of them were scratched up by foxes. The descent to an 
untouched lemming nest was cylindrical, and four and a half 
centimetres in diameter. During both days we had snow, and a 
thick and foggy atmosphere, so that we could see only a short 
distance before us ; we did not however go astray, thanks to the 
good eyes and strongly developed sense of locality of our guide, 
the native.” 
Brusewitz's and Nordquisf s Excursion to Nntschoitjin. 
Of this Nordquist gives the following account:— 
“ On the 20th March, at 9 o’clock A.M. Lieut. Brusewitz, 
boatswain Lustig, the Norwegian hunters Johnsen and Sievertsen, 
the Ghukch Notti, and I, left the Vega. Our equipment, which 
consisted of provisions for eight days, cooking apparatus, canvas 
tent, india-rubber mattrasses, reindeer-skin pesks, &c., we drew 
after us on a sledge. At 2.45 P.M. we came to Nntschoitjin 
(Coregonus Lake). During our journey we passed a river 
