ery ingenious way with pieces of bone and
thongs. They also inquired eagerly for percussion guns, but
breechloaders were still unknown to them. In this respect they had
not kept abreast of the times so well as the Eskimo at Port
Clarence.

One of the oldest accounts of the Samoyeds which I know is that of
Stephen Burrough from 1556. It is given in Hakluyt (1st edition,
page 318). In the narrative of the voyage of the _Searchthrift_ we
read:--

"On Saturday the 1st August 1556 I went ashore,[56] and
there saw three morses that they (Russian hunters) had
killed: they held one tooth of a morse, which was not
great, at a roble, and one white beare skin at three
robles and two robles: they further told me, that there
were people called Samoeds on the great Island, and that
they would not abide them nor us, who have no houses, but
only coverings made of Deerskins, set ouer them with
stakes: they are men expert in shooting, and have great
plenty of Deere. On Monday the 3rd we weyed and went roome
with another Island, which was five leagues (15')
East-north-east from us: and there I met againe with
Loshak,[57] and went on shore with him, and he brought me
to a heap of Samoeds idols, which were in number above
300, the worst and the most unartificiall worke that ever
I saw: the eyes and mouthes of sundrie of them were
bloodie, they had the shape of men, women, and children,
very grosly wrought, and that which they had made for
other parts, was also sprinkled with blood. Some of their
idols were an olde sticke with two or three notches, made
with a knife in it. There was one of their sleds broken
and lay by the heape of idols, and there I saw a deers
skinne which the foules had spoyled: and before certaine
of their idols blocks were made as high as their mouthes,
being all bloody, I thought that to be the table whereon
they offered their sacrifice: I saw also the instruments
whereupon they had roasted flesh, and as farre as I could
perceiue, they make the fire directly under the spit.
Their boates are made of Deers skins, and when they come
on shoare they cary their boates with them upon their
backs: for their cariages they haue no other beastes to
serve them but Deere only. As for bread and corne they
have none, except the Russes bring it to them: their
knowledge is very base for they kno