compelled to leave him in the snow and
continue their journey as well as they could, but they had by
degrees become so weak and exhausted that, after having traversed
probably about 100 kilometres, for the most part along the coast,
they had to leave even the sledges and the most of what they had
with them. The seventh or eighth day they caught sight of a little
pile of fuel, and the track of a sledge in the snow. By following
this track for about ten kilometres they found a small house,
inhabited by Samoyeds, who immediately gave them a friendly
reception, and entertained them in the most hospitable way. In
particular they showed much kindness to Nils Andreas Foxen, whose
toes were frost-bitten, and who was in other respects much
enfeebled.

These Samoyeds, three men, three women, and a boy, spoke Russian.
They had settled for the winter on the south part of Gooseland to
shoot the seal and the walrus. They had with them a large barge,
besides some small Samoyed boats, and were comparatively well
provided with reindeer flesh, meal, tea, sugar, &c. Their guns were
old flint-lock fowling-pieces, but they were good shots. With these
Samoyeds the four shipwrecked men remained the whole winter, and
were tolerably well off. When the weather permitted they assisted
the Samoyeds in capturing seals, and when the weather was bad they
passed the time as well as they could, the Samoyeds generally
employing themselves in playing cards or draughts. In order to avoid
scurvy the Samoyeds often took exercise in the open air, and ate
reindeer flesh, partly cooked and partly raw, and drank the blood.
They lived in the house until March was well advanced, when, for
want of fuel, they were obliged to hew it down. Instead they removed
into a tent of reindeer skin. These Samoyeds appear to have been
Christians in name, though they must have had strange ideas of their
new God. When, for instance, they saw a seal and missed shooting it,
they shot at the sun, because they believed that God was angry with
them. They lived in a sort of marriage, but if the man became
unfriendly to the woman, or tired of her, he could take another;
they had no clocks, but, notwithstanding, had a tolerably good idea
of time by the help of the stars and the sun; instead of an almanac
they used a piece of wood, in which for every day they cut a notch.
Although they sometimes quarrelled with and threatened one another,
they were, however, on the whole friendly, and r