124 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
Sometimes both the shaft and blade are of bone, fastened 
together in a somewhat different way. 
Homs of native clay-slate. These are often perforated at one 
end and carried along with the knife, the spoon, and the sucking- 
tube, fastened with an ivory tongs in the belt. 
Home-made vessels of wood, hone of the ivhale, whalebone, and 
shin of’different kinds. 
Knives, honing tools, axes and 2 ^ots of European, American, or 
Siberian origin, and in addition casks, pieces of cable, iron 
scrap, preserved-meat tins, glasses, bottles, &c., obtained from 
ships which have anchored along the coast. Vessels have 
regularly visited the sea north of Behring’s Straits only during 
the latest decades, and the contact between the sailors and the 
Chukches has not yet exerted any considerable influence on the 
mode of life of the latter. The natives, however, complain that 
the whalers destroy the walrus-hunting, while on the other 
hand they see with pleasure trading vessels occasionally visiting 
their coasts. 
During our stay off the considerable encampment, Irkaipij, 
we believed, as I have already stated, that we had found a chief 
in a native named Chepurin, who, to judge by his dress, appeared 
to be somewhat better off than the others, had two wives and a 
stately exterior. He was accordingly entertained in the gun¬ 
room, got the finest presents, and was in many ways the object 
of special attention. Chepurin took his elevation easily, and 
showed himself worthy of it by a grave and serious, perhaps 
somewhat condescending behaviour, which further confirmed our 
supposition and naturally increased the number of our presents. 
Afterwards, however, we were quite convinced that we had 
in this case committed a complete mistake, and that now there 
are to be found among the Chukches living at the coast neither 
any recognised chiefs nor any trace of social organisation. 
During the former martial period of the history of the race the 
state of things here was perhaps different, but now the 
