ood, for which purpose a
hole is opened in the top of the raised tent-roof. But to be
compelled to use wood for heating the inner tent the Chukches
consider the extremity of scarcity of fuel.

[Illustration: CHUKCH TENT. (After a photograph by L. Palander.) ]

We were received everywhere in a very friendly way, and were offered
whatever the house afforded. At the time the supply of food was
abundant. In one tent reindeer beef was being boiled in a large
cast-iron pot. At another two recently shot or slaughtered reindeer
were being cut in pieces. At a third an old woman was employed in
taking out of the paunch of the reindeer the green spinage-like
contents and cramming them into a sealskin bag, evidently to be
preserved for green food during winter. The hand was used in this
case as a scoop, and the naked arms were coloured high up with the
certainly unappetising spinage, which however, according to the
statements of Danish colonists in Greenland, has no unpleasant
taste. Other skin sacks filled with train-oil stood in rows along
the walls of the tent.

The Chukches offered train-oil for sale, and appeared to be
surprised that we would not purchase any. In all the tents were
found seals cut in pieces, a proof that the catch of seals had
recently been abundant. At one tent lay two fresh walrus heads with
large beautiful tusks. I tried without success to purchase these
heads, but next day the tusks were offered to us. The Chukches
appear to have a prejudice against disposing of the heads of slain
animals. According to older travellers they even pay the walrus-head
a sort of worship.

Children were met with in great numbers, healthy and thriving. In
the inner tent the older children went nearly naked, and I saw them
go out from it without shoes or other covering and run between the
tents on the hoarfrost-covered ground. The younger were carried on
the shoulders both of men and women, and were then so wrapped up
that they resembled balls of skin. The children were treated with
marked friendliness, and the older ones were never heard to utter an
angry word. I purchased here a large number of household articles
and dresses, which I shall describe further on.

On the morning of the 9th September we endeavoured to steam on, but
were soon compelled by the dense fog to lie-to again at a
ground-ice, which, when the fog lightened, was found to have
stranded quite close to land. The depth here was eleven metres. At
this plac