XII.] 
BEGGING. 
141 
children in the parlour. They are not, perhaps, so wild as ours, 
but are addicted to games which closely resemble those common 
among us in the country. Playthings are also in use, for 
instance, dolls, bows, windmills with two sails, &c. If the 
parents get any delicacy they always give each of their chil¬ 
dren a hit, and there is never any quarrel as to the size of each 
child’s portion. If a piece of sugar is given to one of the 
children in a crowd it goes from mouth to mouth round the 
whole company. In the same way the child offers its father and 
mother a taste of the bit of sugar or 
piece of bread it has got. Even in 
childhood the Chukches are exceed¬ 
ingly patient. A girl who fell down 
from the ship’s stair, head foremost, 
and thus got so violent a blow that 
she was almost deprived of hearing, 
scarcely uttered a cry. A boy, three 
or four years of age, much rolled up 
in furs, who fell down into a ditch 
cut in the ice on the ship’s deck, 
and in consequence of his inconvenient 
dress could not get up, lay quietly still 
until he was observed and helped up 
by one of the crew. 
The Chukches’ most troublesome fault is a disposition to 
begging that is limited by no feeling of self-respect. This is 
probably counterbalanced by their unbounded hospitality and 
great kindness to each other, and is, perhaps, often caused by 
actual necessity. But they thus became veritable torments, 
putting to a hard test the patience, not only of the scientific 
men and officers, but also of the crew. The good nature with 
which our sailors met their demands was above all praise. 
There was ^never any trace of disagreement between the 
natives and us, and I have every reason to suppose that our 
CHUKCH DOLL. 
One-eighth of the natural size. 
