SARYTSCHEW’S TRAVELS. 
ife 
snow, without ever changing my linen, or taking oft’ my clothes 1 
during the whole time. Thirty versts beyond our last nights 
abode, we passed the river Conta ; and after crossing verdant 
meadows, reached the first juris late in the evening. 
My resolution was to have taken a little repose here, but 
learning that the kn'ask of the district lived 40 versts farther, I 
remounted next morning, and set off with fresh vigour. On 
our way we had occasion to cross a great chain of mountains, 
named Atbas, to which the Jakuts pay homage, as in fact they 
do to all distinguished mountains, by depositing offerings of 
horse-hair on the trees. My guides did not omit this ceremony, 
each Jakut tearing out some hairs from his horse’s tail, or mane, 
and hanging them on the nearest branches of the trees. 
Our horses were so jaded from hard labour and want of food 
that they carried us with difficulty the last stage to Omekon. 
During the whole of the journey they were allowed but two 
hours in the morning before day-break for grazing, being tied up 
the rest of the night as soon as we alighted ; and the grass which 
they kicked up with their hoofs w ? as so withered and rotten as 
to have lost ail its nutritive quality; but in some places, even 
this miserable fodder was not to be found, so that I am per¬ 
suaded the poor beasts did not get in the twelve days as much 
food as they ought to have had in twenty-four hours. I learnt, 
however, from experience, that, w ithout such a precaution, they 
would not have gone half the way; for some of the horses, 
through the negligence of the guides, having rolled themselves 
in the snow while the sweat was upon them, w T ere covered th<s 
next morning with such large ulcers upon their backs, that they 
could not bear either a saddle or any other burden : the Jakuts 
left them unguarded in the wood, intending to take them on 
their return in case they had recovered, but if not, they were 
still obliged to carry their ow ners. 
On reaching Omekon, I put up at the jurt of an invalid Ko« 
sak, clerk to the knask of-that place. I w as here informed 
that the deep snow w'ould prevent me pursuing the journey to 
Odiotsk on horseback. Some Kosaks had just been making an 
attempt to go this road with the post, and after losing all 
their horses, were trying to get back on snow-shoes, when they 
fortunately met with the Reindeer-Tunguses, who thus saved their 
lives, and conveyed them to Ochotsk. Reindeer, which are in 
general use among tire tribes in these parts for passing from one 
place to another, are very well calculated for the purpose, be¬ 
ing detained neither by the deepest snows in the winter, nor the 
widest marshes in the summer. I therefore gladly consented to 
wait until the return of the messenger, dispatched to the Tun- 
