the Chukches who travelled past us were intoxicated, and shook
with pride a not quite empty keg or seal-skin sack, to let us hear
by the dashing that it contained liquid. One of the crew, whom I
asked to ascertain what sort of spirit it was, made friends with the
owner, and induced him at last to part with about a thimbleful of
it, more could not be given. According to the sailor's statement it
was without colour and flavour, clear as crystal, but weak. It was
thus probably Russian corn brandy, not gin.

During a visit which Lieutenants Hovgaard and Nordquist made in the
autumn of 1878 to the reindeer-Chukches in the interior of the
country, much diluted American gin was on the contrary presented,
and the tent-owner showed his guests a tin drinking-cup with the
inscription, "Capt. Ravens, Brig _Timandra_, 1878". Some of the
natives stated distinctly that they could purchase brandy at
Behring's Straits all the year round. All the men in the tent
village, and most of the women, but not the children, had at the
time got completely intoxicated in order to celebrate the arrival of
the foreigners, or perhaps rather that of the stock of brandy. As
there are no Europeans settled at Behring's Straits, at least on the
Asiatic side, we learn from the traffic in brandy that there are
actually natives abstemious enough to be able to deal in it.

Tobacco is in common use, both for smoking and chewing.[284] Every
native carries with him a pipe resembling that of the Tunguse, and a
tobacco-pouch (fig 7, p. 117). The tobacco is of many kinds, both
Russian and American, and when the stock of it is finished native
substitutes are used. Preference is given to the sweet, strong
chewing tobacco, which sailors generally use. In order to make the
tobacco sweet which has not before been drenched with molasses, the
men are accustomed, when they get a piece of sugar, to break it down
and place it in the tobacco-pouch. The tobacco is often first
chewed, then dried behind the ear, and kept in a separate pouch
suspended from the neck, to be afterwards smoked. The pipes are so
small that, like those of the Japanese, they may be smoked out with
a few strong whiffs. The smoke is swallowed. Even the women and
children smoke and chew, and they begin to do so at so tender an age
that we have seen a child, who could indeed walk, but still sucked
his mother, both chew tobacco, smoke, and take a "ram".

Some bundles of Ukraine tobacco, which I took with