ere compelled to lie-to at a large piece of drift-ice
near the shore. When the fog had lightened so much that the vessel
could be seen from the land, we were again visited by a large number
of natives, whom as before we entertained as best we could. They
invited us by evident signs to land and visit their tents. As it was
in any case impossible immediately to continue our voyage, I
accepted the invitation, ordered a boat to be put out, and landed
along with most of my comrades.

The beach here is formed of a low bank of sand which runs between
the sea and a small shallow lagoon or fresh-water lake, whose
surface is nearly on a level with that of the sea. Farther into the
interior the land rises gradually to bare hills, clear of snow or
only covered with a thin coating of powdered snow from the fall of
the last few days. Lagoon formations, with either fresh or salt
water, of the same kind as those which we saw here for the first
time, are distinctive of the north-eastern coast of Siberia. It is
these formations which gave rise to the statement that on the north
coast of Siberia it is difficult to settle the boundaries between
sea and land. In winter this may be difficult enough, for the low
bank which separates the lagoon from the sea is not easily
distinguished when it has become covered with snow, and it may
therefore readily happen in winter journeys along the coast that one
is far into the land while he still believes himself to be out on
the sea-ice. But when the snow has melted, the boundary is sharp
enough, and the sea by no means shallow for such a distance as old
accounts would indicate. A continual ice-mud-work also goes on here
during the whole summer. Quite close to the beach accordingly the
depth of water is two metres, and a kilometre farther out ten to
eleven metres. Off the high rocky promontories the water is commonly
navigable even for vessels of considerable draught close to the foot
of the cliffs.

The villages of the Chukches commonly stand on the bank of sand
which separates the lagoon from the sea. The dwellings consist of
roomy skin tents, which enclose a sleeping chamber of the form of a
parallelepiped surrounded by warm well-prepared reindeer skins, and
lighted and warmed by one or more train-oil lamps. It is here that
the family sleep during summer, and here most of them live day and
night during winter. In summer, less frequently in winter, a fire is
lighted besides in the outer tent with w