the
starting-point of future excursions, till at last reindeer
traces and afterwards the sight of some of these friendly
animals brought us to the right way, so that about 9
o'clock P.M. we got sight of the longed-for dwelling in the
middle of a snow-desert. At the word _yaranga_ (tent) the
dogs pointed their ears, uttered a bark of joy, and ran at
full speed towards the goal. We arrived at 10.30 P.M. In
the tent we were hospitably received by its mistress, who
immediately made the necessary preparations for our
obtaining food and rest. Yettugin himself was not at home,
but he soon returned with a sledge drawn by reindeer. These
animals had scarcely been unharnessed when they ran back to
the herd, which according to Yettugin's statement was six
kilometres east of the tent.

"I have never seen a family so afflicted with ailments as
Yettugin's. The sexagenarian father united in himself
almost all the bodily ailments which could fall to the lot
of a mortal. He was blind, leprous (?), and had no use of
the left hand, the right side of the face, and probably of
the legs. His body was nearly everywhere covered with the
scars of old sores from four to five centimetres in
diameter. As Dr. Almquist and I were compelled to pass the
night in the same confined sleeping-chamber with him, it
was therefore not to be wondered at that we drew ourselves
as much as possible into our corner. The sleeping-chamber
or inner tent of a reindeer-Chukch is besides much more
habitable than that of a coast-Chukch, the air, if not
exactly pure, may at least be breathed, and the thick layer
of reindeer skins which covers the tent floor may well
compare in softness with our beds on board. Yettugin, his
wife Tengaech, and his brother Keuto, slept out of doors in
order to give us more room and not to disturb us when
rising. Keuto had inherited no small portion of his
father's calamity. He was deaf, half idiotic, and on his
body there were already traces of such spots as on the old
man's. Keuto was however an obliging youth, who during our
stay in the tent did all that he could to be of use to us,
and constantly wandered about to get buds and plants for
us. He was a skilful archer; I saw him at a distance of
twenty or twenty-five paces kill a small bird with a blunt
arrow, and when I plac