74 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
from Anadyrsk to Chnkotskojnos. By tlie way they fell in with 
thirteen tents, inhabited by Chnkches who owned no reindeer. 
The inhabitants were required to submit and pay tribute. This 
the Chukches refused to do, on which the Russians killed most 
of the men and took the women and children prisoners. The 
men who were not cut down killed one another, preferring death 
to the loss of freedom. Some days after there was another fight 
with 300 Chukches, which, however, was so unfortunate for the 
latter that 200 are said to have fallen. The rest fled, but 
returned next day with a force ten times as strong, which finally 
compelled the Russo-Yukagirean troop to return with their 
object unaccomplished. 
A similar campaign on a small scale was undertaken in 1711, 
but with the same issue. On a demand for tribute the Chukches 
answered : “ the Russians have before come to us to demand 
tribute and hostages, but this we have refused to give, and thus 
we also intend to do in future.” ^ 
About fifteen years after this resultless campaign the Cossack 
colonel Affanassej Schestakov proposed to the Government 
again to subdue this obstinate race, intending also to go over to 
the American side, yet known only by report, in order to render 
the races living there tributary to the Russians. The proposal 
was accepted. A mate, Jacob Hens, a land-measurer, Michael 
Gvosdev, an ore-tester, Herdebol, and ten sailors were 
ordered by the Admiralty to accompany the expedition. At 
Yekaterinenburg Schestakov was provided with some small 
cannon and mortars with ammunition, and at Tobolsk with 400 
Cossacks. In consequence of a great number of misfortunes, 
among them shipwreck in the sea of Okotsk, there stood how¬ 
ever but a small portion of this force at his disposal when he 
^ As security for the subjection of the conquered races, the Russians 
were accustomed to take a number of men and women from their prin¬ 
cipal families as hostages. These persons were called amanates, and were 
kept in a sort of slavery at the fixed winter dwellings of the Russians. 
