114 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
winter, in consequence of the difficulty of melting over the 
train-oil lamps a sufficient quantity of snow, to quench their 
thirst with snow. On hoard they often asked for water, and 
drank at once large quantities of it. 
Spirits, to which they are exceedingly addicted, they call, 
as has been already stated, in conversation with Europeans, 
‘‘ ram,’’ the pronouncing of the word being often accompanied 
by a hawking noise, a happy expression, and a distinctive ges¬ 
ture, which consisted in carrying the open right hand from the 
mouth to the waist, or in counterfeiting the unintelligible talk 
of a drunken man. Among themselves they call it fire-water 
{akmimil). The promise of it was the most efficient means of 
getting an obstinate Chukch to comply with one’s wishes. In 
case they undertook to drive us with their dog-teams, they were 
never desirous of finding out whether any stock of provisions 
was taken along, but warned by our parsimony in dealing out 
spirituous liquor, they were unwilling to start until they had ex¬ 
amined the stock of “ ram.” That drunkenness, not the satisfying 
of the taste, was in this case the main object, is shown by the 
circumstance that they often fixed, as price for the articles they 
saw we were anxious to have, such a quantity of brandy as 
would make them completely intoxicated. When on one oc¬ 
casion I appeared very desirous of purchasing a fire-drill, which 
was found in a tent inhabited by a newly-wedded pair, the 
young and very pretty housewife undertook the negotiation, 
and immediately began by declaring that her husband could not 
part with the fire-producing implement unless I gave him the 
means of getting quite drunk, for which, according to her 
statement, which was illustrated by lively gesticulations repre¬ 
senting the different degrees of intoxication, eight glasses were 
required. Not until the man had got so many would he be 
content, that is, dead drunk. I have myself observed, however, 
on several occasions that two small glasses are sufficient to make 
them unsteady on the legs. Under the influence of liquor they 
