SARYTSCHEw’s TRAVELS. 
42 
view a hideously steep precipice that made us giddy, and obliged 
us to crawl on our hands and feet when we could not take an 
oblique direction. 
Proceeding along the river Tukulan, betwixt lofty mountains, 
we soon were cheared with the sight of poplars and larches. A 
few versts farther the scene was still more agreeably diversified 
by the evergreen of pines and firs, a rarity in nature which we 
had not enjoyed since our departure from Jakutsk; for neither 
of these trees is to be found from the Wercho-Janish chain of 
mountains to an immense extent northward/ and from Jakutsk 
to Ochotsk eastward. 
On the 19 th of November we reached the river Aldan, and 
the first Jakutish jurts. On'our entrance, a ludicrous scene en¬ 
sued, which was not so perfectly agreeable to the poor doctor, 
who felt himself violently assailed in the face, without being 
able to discover through his mask the quarter from whence he 
received the assault. From the shrieks, he doubtless conjec¬ 
tured it to be a female, as it in reality was, who, in a species of 
frenzy, had flown at the doctor to tear off his mask. After we 
had forcibly released him from her rude embrace, she conti¬ 
nued screaming until she fell exhausted and senseless to the 
ground. The Jakuts regard such fits as a species of disorder 
attributable to terror, to which their w omen, particularly those 
in years, are very much subject. The patients in this case, have 
the name of miratschkens. Miserable as our jurt was we en¬ 
joyed a night of .sweet repose; under other circumstances, the 
stench alone from the cattle w ould have rendered this place in¬ 
supportable, but now 7 a warm shelter compensated for the want 
of every other convenience. 
The distance from hence to Jakutsk was 150 versts; a com¬ 
paratively agreeable journey for us, with a constant change of 
horses, and succession of villages, We accordingly reached our 
point of destination on the 24th, and experienced that heartfelt 
satisfaction at the termination of our toilsome and painful jour¬ 
ney, which is conceivable by none who have not endured similar 
fatigues. 
Mr.. Billings had arrived there some days earlier, and Mr. 
Behring had been occupied, during the summer, with dispatch¬ 
ing the materials for Ochotsk. They had prepared us warm 
rpqms, which were altogether Commodious, though without any 
elegance. The reception we met with from the inhabitants, and 
the commander Marklowski, contributed no less to render our 
stay 111 this city perfectly agreeable. 
There w as at, this time in Jakutsk, an English traveller of the 
name of Ledyard, whose eccentric conduct excited considera¬ 
ble attention. He was known to Mr. Billings, from having 
