KAMTSC 
their caps; the opening above is only large enough to let 
their head's pais ; they few the fkins of dogs’ feet round 
this opening, with which they cover their faces in cold 
Itormy weather 5 and round their Hurts and fleeves they 
put a border of white dog-fkin ; upon their backs they 
few the froall Ihreds of fkins of different colours. They 
commonly wear two coats ; the under coat with the hair- 
tide inwards, the other fide being dyed with alder; and 
the upper with the hair outwards. Men and women with¬ 
out difiinclion life the above-mentioned garments, their 
drefs only differing in their under clothing and in the co¬ 
vering of their feet and legs. The women have an under 
garment, which they commonly wear at home in the 
lioufe, confining of breeches and a waiftcoat fewed toge¬ 
ther. The breeches are wide, like thofe of the Dutch 
lkippers, and tie below the knee ; the waiftcoat is wide 
above, and drawn round with a firing. The fummer ha¬ 
bits are made of drefled fkins without hair; their winter- 
garment is made of deer or ram fkins with the hair on. 
’The undrefs or lioufehold habit of the men is a girdle of 
leather with a bag before, and likewife a leathern apron 
to cover them behind ; thefe girdles are fewed with hair 
of different colours. The Kamtfchatkans ufed formerly 
to go a hunting and fifliing during the fummer in this 
drefs; but now this fafhion is changed, and they wear li¬ 
nen fhirts, which they buy from the Ruffians The co¬ 
vering-of their.feet and legs is made of fkins of different 
forts; in the fummer time, during the rains, they wear 
the fkins of feals with the hair outwards ; but .their molt 
common covering is the fkin of the legs of the rein-deer, 
and fometimes of the legs of other hearts, the fhaggieft 
they can find, to preferve them againft the cold. But the 
bufkins which both the Cofacs and Kamtfchatkans ufe in 
their fineft drefs are made in the following manner : The 
l'ole is of w'hite feal-fkin, the upper part of fine white lea¬ 
ther, the hind-quarters of white dog-fkin ; what comes 
round the legs is of drefled leather or dyed feal-fkin ; the 
upper parts are embroidered. 
As to their diet, the Kamtfchatkans divide their fifli 
into fix parts ; the fides and tails are hung up to dry ; the 
back and thinner part of the belly are prepared apart, and 
generally dried over the fire ; the head is laid to four in 
pits, and then they eat it like fait fifli, and efteem it much, 
though the ftink is fuch that a ftranger cannot bear it; the 
ribs and the flefli which remain upon them they hang up 
and dry, and afterwards pound for ufe; the large bones 
they likewife dry for food for their dogs ; in this manner 
all thefe different people prepare tk eyokola, which is their 
principal food, or, one may fay, houfehotd bread ; and 
they eat it for the mod part dry: Their fecond favourite 
food is caviare, or the roes of fifh, which they prepare 
three different ways. They dry the roe whole in the air; 
or take it out of the fkin which envelopes it, and, fpread- 
ing it upon a bed of grafs, dry it before the fire ; or, laftly, 
make rolls of it with the leaves of grafs, which they alio 
dry. They never take a journey or go a-hunting with¬ 
out dry caviare ; and, if a Kamtfchatkan has a pound of 
this, he can fubfill without any other provifion a great 
while ;. for every birch and alder tree furnifhes him with 
bark, which with his dried caviare makes him an agreea¬ 
ble meal ; but they cannot eat either feparately, for the ca¬ 
viare flicks like glue to the teeth ; and it is almolt impof- 
fible to fwallow the bark of a tree, chewed ever fo long, 
by itfelf. There is flill a fourth method, which both 
Kamtfchatkans and Koreki ufe in preparing their caviare : 
the firft, having covered the bottom of a pit with grafs, 
they throw the frefh caviare into it, and leave it there to 
grow four ; the Koreki tie theirs in bags, and leave it to 
lour; this is efteemed their moil delicate difli. There is 
a third fort of diet, called by the Kamtfchatkans chupriki, 
which is prepared in this manner: In their huts, over the 
fire-place, they make a bridge of Hakes, upon which they 
lay a heap of fifh, which remains there until the hut be¬ 
comes as warm as a bagnio. If there is no great tbicknefs 
of fifh, one fire ferves to drefs .it; but fometimes they are 
HATK A. 599 
obliged to make two, three, or more, fires. Fifh drefled 
in this manner is half-roaited and half-fmoked, .but has a 
very agreeable tafte, and may be.reckoned the bed of all 
the Kamtfchatkan cookery; for the whole juice and fat is 
prepared with a gradual, heat, and kept in by the fkin, 
from which may when done enough be eafily fepara- 
ted ;~and, as foon as it is thus drefled, they take out the 
guts, anil fpread the body upon a mat to dry ; this they 
afterwards break final], and, putting it into bags, carry it 
along with them for provifion, eating it like the yokola. 
The Kamtfchatkans have a difh which they efteem very 
much, called huigul ; it is fifli laid to grow four in pits : 
and, though the fmell of it is intolerable to us, yet the 
Kamtfchatkans efteem it a perfume. This fifli fometimes 
rots fo much in the pits, that they cannot take it out with¬ 
out ladles ; in which cafe indeed they ufe it for feeding 
their dogs. As for the flefh of land and the larger fea 
animals, they boil it in their troughs with feveral different 
herbs .and roots ; the broth they drink out of ladles and 
howls, and the meat they take out upon boards, and eat 
in their hands. The whale and fea-horfe fat they alfo boil 
with roots. There is a principal difh at all their feafts and 
entertainments, called felaga, which they make by pounding 
all forts of different roots and berries, with the addition of 
caviare, and whale and feal’s fat. The original inhabitants 
feldom ufed any thing for drink but plain water, unlefs 
when they made merry ; then they drank water which had 
flood fome time upon lnuflirooms. At prefent they drink 
fpirits as fall as the Ruffians. After dinner they drink 
water ; and, when they go to bed at night, fet a veflel of 
water by them, with the addition of fnow or ice to keep 
it cold, and always drink it up before morning. In the 
winter-time, they amufe themfelves frequently by throw¬ 
ing handfuls of fnow into their mouths ; and bridegrooms, 
who work with the fathers of their future brides, find it 
their hardelt talk to provide fnow for the family in fum- 
mer-time ; for they mull bring it from the higheft hills, be 
the weather what it will, otherwife they would never fuc- 
ceed in their courtfhip. 
The Kamtfchatkans commonly travel in fledges drawn 
by dogs. The animals ufed for this purpole differ very 
little from our common houfe-dog ; they are of a middling 
fize, of various colours, though there feem to be more 
white, black, and grey, than of any other. In travelling, 
they make ufe of thofe that are caflrated, and generally 
yoke four to a fledge. They drive and direft their dogs 
with a crooked flick about four feet long, which .they 
fometimes adorn with different-coloured thongs ; this is 
looked upon.as a great piece of finery. They drive their 
fledge fitting upon their right fide, with their feet hanging 
down ; for it would be looked upon as a difgrace for a man 
to fit down at the bottom of the fledge, or to make ufe of 
any perfon to drive him, nobody doing this but the women. 
It is very difficult to travel in thefe fledges ; for, unlefs a 
man keeps the exadleft balance, he is liable every moment, 
from the height and narrownefs of them, to be overturned ; 
in a rugged road this would be very dangerous, as the 
dogs never flop till they come to fome houfe, or are en¬ 
tangled by fomething upon the road ; efpecially in going 
down lleep hills, when they run with all their force, and 
are fcarceJy to be kept in ; for which reafon, in defending 
any great declivity, theyunyoke all the dogs except one, 
and lead them foftly down. They likewife walk up hills; 
for it is as much as the dogs can do to drag up the fledge 
empty. After a deep fnow, before it has been hardened 
by a froft, there is no travelling with dogs till a road be 
made, which is effeited by a man going before upon fnow- 
fhoes, whom they call brodovjhika. The fnow-fhoes are 
made of two thin boards, feparated in the middle, bound 
together at the ends, and with the fore part bent a little 
upwards. The brodovfkika, having one of thefe fhoes 
upon each foot, leaves the dogs and fledge, and going on 
clears the road for fome way ; then returning, leads for¬ 
ward the dogs and fledge fo far as the road is made ; a me¬ 
thod which he mult continue till he comes to fome dwel¬ 
ling- 
