ey has been talked
about as an expedition sent to our relief.

[Illustration: STEGOCEPHALUS KESSLERI (STUXB). Natural size. ]

[Illustration: SABINEA SEPTEMCARINATA (SABINE). Natural size.
EVERTEBRATES FROM THE SEA AT THE "VEGA'S" WINTER QUARTERS. ]

[Illustration: ACANTHOSTEPHIA MALMGRENI, (GOES). Magnified twice. ]

[Illustration: OPHIOGLYPHA NODOSA, (LUeTKEN). Magnified twice
EVERTEBRATES FROM THE SEA AT THE "VEGA'S" WINTER QUARTERS. ]

It was the 19th June. A large number of Chukches travelling past us
as usual came on board, partly to receive the tribute of hospitality
to which they considered themselves entitled, partly to satisfy an
easily understood curiosity and gossip a little about the most
important occurrences of the preceding day. One of them, a
middle-aged man, whom we had not seen before, with a friendly and
self-satisfied bearing, whose face was a mere collection of
wrinkles, and over whose _pesk_ was drawn an old velvet shirt,
presented himself with a certain pretentiousness as the chief NOAH
ELISEJ. Since the mistake with the stately Chepurin, and since even
Menka's supposed slave declared himself to be at least as good as
Menka, we had begun to be rather indifferent to the rank of chief
among the Chukches. Noah Elisej however, notwithstanding he thus
brought forward his pretensions, was received like a common man, at
which he appeared to be a little offended. But our behaviour soon
changed, when Notti, or some other of our daily guests, who had
become quite familiar with our fancies, tastes weaknesses, informed
us that Noah Elisej had with him a large, a very large letter. Old
Noah thus carried a mail, perhaps a European mail. At once he became
in our eyes a man of importance. After being stormed for a time with
questions, he took from a bag which hung from his neck the ordinary
pieces of board fastened together, which here serve as a postbag.
They were found however to contain only a letter of a couple of
lines from a Russian official at Nischm Kolymsk, without any news
from Europe, but informing us that chief Noah Elisej was sent to us
to assist us, if necessary. Noah first patted his stomach to
indicate that he was hungry and wanted food, and hawked and pointed
with his finger at his throat to let us know that a _ram_ would
taste well. He then told us something which we did not then exactly
understand, but which we now have reason to interpret as a statement
that Noah was the leader of an ex