Travels in Kamtschatka, during the years 1787 and 1788, Volume 2
by baron de Jean-Baptiste-Barthélemy Lesseps · English · Gutenberg #49017 · 397,406 chars · public domain (US)
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Title: Travels in Kamtschatka, during the years 1787 and 1788, Volume 2
Author: baron de Jean-Baptiste-Barthélemy Lesseps
Release date: May 21, 2015 [eBook #49017]
Most recently updated: October 24, 2024
Language: English
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TRAVELS IN KAMTSCHATKA, DURING THE YEARS 1787 AND 1788, VOLUME 2 ***
TRAVELS
IN
KAMTSCHATKA,
DURING THE YEARS 1787 AND 1788.
TRANSLATED FROM THE FRENCH OF
M. DE LESSEPS, CONSUL OF FRANCE,
AND
INTERPRETER TO THE COUNT DE LA PEROUSE, NOW
ENGAGED IN A VOYAGE ROUND THE WORLD, BY
COMMAND OF HIS MOST CHRISTIAN MAJESTY.
IN TWO VOLUMES.
VOLUME II.
LONDON:
PRINTED FOR J. JOHNSON, ST. PAUL’S CHURCH-YARD.
1790.
CONTENTS TO VOL. II.
Page
Departure from Poustaretsk 1
Find some concealed provisions 4
Painful travelling 5
Am guilty of an imprudence that injures my health 6
Cured by exercise 9
Meet three convoys sent to M. Kasloff 10
River Penguina 12
Arrival at Kaminoi _ib_
Koriacs falsely accused of rebellion 13
Description of Kaminoi 16
Baidars, or large boats 17
M. Schmaleff is obliged to quit me 18
Gives me a soldier named Yegor-Golikoff _ib_
Tempest 20
Arrival of seven Tchouktchis 21
Conversation with their chief 22
Account of two women who accosted me 31
Arrival at the camp of the Tchouktchis 36
Description of the camp 39
Dress of the women 42
Features 43
Commerce of the Tchouktchis 44
Arrival at Pareiné 46
History of a woman of Ingiga 47
Alarmed by a Koriac chief, who wishes to detain me 49
Departure from Pareiné 59
Meet a horde of wandering Koriacs 63
Contest with my people respecting the weather 65
Surprise them by the use I made of my compass 67
Terrible hurricane 70
Arrival at Ingiga 74
Account of a Koriac prince called Oumiavin 79
Extent of the country 83
Population _ib_
Manners of the fixed Koriacs 84
Their inflexible courage 85
Mode of life 87
Occupations 88
Food 89
Drink 90
Features 92
Cradle in which the women carry their children 93
Marriages _ib_
Funerals 96
Religion 100
Idiom 105
Preparations for my departure from Ingiga 106
Superstition of my soldiers 113
Departure from Ingiga 115
Description of a Koriac sledge 117
Mode of travelling with deer 122
In danger of my life, from being my own charioteer 124
Receive a visit and present from prince Amoulamoula 130
Arrival at the yourt of Oumiavin’s brother 132
Details respecting my host 134
Flocks of rein deer 143
Yourts of the wandering Koriacs 147
Hot springs of Tavatoma 151
Mountain of Villegui 154
Ostrog of Toumané 157
Tempest 160
Take shelter in a deserted yourt 161
Plan of my journey 168
Bay of Iret 170
Arrival at Yamsk 172
Dress of the wandering Toungouses 174
Mountain called Babouschka, or grandmother 177
Ostrog of Srednoi 180
Of Siglann 181
Ola, a Toungouse ostrog 183
Toungouse yourts _ib_
Coquetry of the women 185
Features and character of the Toungouses 186
Perplexities to which we are reduced by the ice being
broken up 188
Obliged to pass over a cornice of ice that adhered to a
rock 190
Stop at the house of a Yakout 197
Fort of Taousk 200
Village of Gorbé _ib_
Of Iné 202
Arrival at Okotsk 204
Visit Mrs. Kasloff 208
Impossibility of procuring deer 210
Description of Okotsk 211
Departure from Okotsk 214
Dangerous situation on a river 215
Remonstrance of one of my guides 217
Obliged to return to Okotsk 219
News of the arrival of M. Kasloff at Ingiga 225
Historical details respecting the commerce of Okotsk 227
Its government 242
Expedition of M. Billings 246
Breaking up of the river Okhota 249
Famine occasioned by the length of winter 252
Preparations for my departure 254
Description of my wretched steeds 257
Salt work twelve wersts from Okotsk 259
Particulars of my journey 260
Manner of our halt 265
Food of the Yakouts 269
Meet a caravan of merchants 270
In danger of being drowned 272
Arrival at Ouratskoï-plodbisché 277
Custom observed by the Yakouts when they leave a horse in
the high way 279
Accident that happens to Golikoff 280
Arrival at the cross of Yudoma 281
Difficulties we experience from the wretched condition of
the boats 282
A cataract 286
Arm of the Yudoma, called the Devil’s arm 292
Enter the river Maya 294
Meet nine boats loaded with military stores for M.
Billings’ expedition 295
A fortunate supply of horses 296
Yakout songs 298
Particulars of my journey as far as Amgui 299
My reception at Amgui 301
Description of a Yakout yourt 302
A drink called koumouiss 303
Customs and manners of the Yakouts 304
Fables 308
Funerals 310
Wooden images of a malicious divinity 314
Summer habitations of the Yakouts 315
Arrival at Yarmangui 316
Width of the Lena at Yakoutsk 317
Arrival at Yakoutsk 318
Sup with M. Billings 319
Description of Yakoutsk 321
Inhabitants 322
Navigation on the Lena 323
Persons employed in this service from stage to stage 324
Town of Oleckma 328
Meet a Toungouse _ib_
Toungouse canoes 329
Visit a horde of these people 330
Particulars respecting them 331
Town of Pelodui 334
Of Kiringui 336
Particulars of the Bratskis 338
Arrival at Irkoutsk 339
Commerce carried on between Russia and China 345
Desert of Barabniskoi-step 362
Adventure in this desert 364
Arrival at Tomsk 366
At Tobolsk 369
At Catherinebourg 370
Head dress of the Tcheremisses 371
Town of Casan 372
An accident that endangers my life 373
Nijenei-novogorod 377
Arrival at Moscow _ib_
At Petersburg 379
At Versailles 381
Vocabulary of the Kamtschadale, Koriac, Tchouktchi, and
Lamout languages 383
Vocabulary of the Kamtschadale language at St. Peter and
St. Pauls, and at Paratounka 404
TRAVELS IN KAMTSCHATKA, &c.
At length the 18 arrived, and I took leave of M. Kasloff. I shall
pass over our adieux; it will be supposed that they were equally
affectionate and distressing. I departed from Poustaretsk at eight
o’clock in the morning, in an open sledge drawn by seven dogs, which I
drove myself; the soldier appointed to escort me had eight harnessed
to his; and we were preceded by a guide chosen from the inhabitants of
this hamlet[1], whose sledge, loaded with the remainder of my effects,
and our provisions, was drawn by a team of twelve. I was accompanied
also by M. Schmaleff and the subaltern officers of his suite; but
instead of travelling together, as had been agreed, as far as Ingiga,
we separated a few days after.
Upon leaving Poustaretsk, we descended the gulf. We proceeded at first
with tolerable ease; the ice was solid and even, and in a few hours
we arrived at the mouth: there our progress was attended with more
difficulty. Obliged to travel upon the sea without leaving the coast,
we were every moment interrupted with piles of ice, that appeared like
so many rocks, against which we were to be dashed to pieces. It was
impossible to avoid them by turning and winding; an unequal chain of
these little mountains extended all along the coast, and intercepted
our passage; we had no resource but to attempt to surmount them, at the
risk of being overturned every step. More than once, in these falls, I
had a narrow escape from being dangerously wounded. My musquet, which
was fastened to my sledge, was bent to the shape of a bow; many of my
companions were severely bruised, and not an individual came off unhurt.
In the dusk of the evening we arrived at a hamlet situated upon the
border of the sea, consisting of two yourts and three balagans, in a
very wretched condition, and totally deserted. The only person who
lived in the yourt which we entered, had fled upon our approach[2]. I
was informed that this man was a chaman or magician: seized with terror
at the news that we were to arrive the next day, he flew immediately
for refuge to the Oluterians[3], where he would probably remain till M.
Kasloff had passed.
The Cossac who gave me this information, had been sent forward the
evening previous to our departure from Poustaretsk, by M. Schmaleff,
with orders to stop at this hamlet till we should arrive, and endeavour
in the mean time to discover some concealed store of fish. This
precaution was very serviceable to us. The Cossac, upon our arrival,
conducted us to a cave which we found to be well stocked. I took a
tolerable portion, having brought from Poustaretsk only provision
enough for two days.
The 19, early in the morning we pursued our route. This day’s journey
was still more fatiguing than the preceding one. The way was terrible.
Twenty times I saw my sledge ready to be shattered to pieces, which
would certainly have been the case, if I had not at last determined
to proceed on foot. I was compelled to this, in order to guard myself
against the danger of being overturned, and thus was I obliged to walk
almost the whole day; but I only avoided one misfortune to fall into
another.
In a few hours I felt myself so fatigued that I was going to remount
my sledge, when a sudden jolt instantly turned it upon its side, and
effectually cooled my desire. I had no resource but to drag myself
on as well as I could. My legs bent under me, I was in a profuse
perspiration, and a burning thirst still added to my weariness. The
snow was a poor relief, and I had nothing else with which to quench my
thirst. Unfortunately I perceived a little river; absolute necessity
conduced my steps to it, and, without reflecting upon the consequences
of my imprudence, I instantly broke the ice, and put a piece into my
mouth. This precipitation was purely mechanical, and I soon repented
it. My thirst was relieved; but from the excessive heat of which I
before complained, I passed to the contrary extreme; a universal chill
seized me, and all my limbs trembled.
The sharpness of the night increased my agueish feeling, and my
weakness at last was so extreme, that I was unable to proceed a step
farther. I entreated my companions to halt in the midst of this desert.
They complied out of pure civility to me, for the difficulty of
procuring wood was otherwise a sufficient reason to determine them to
proceed. Scarcely could they collect enough to place under a kettle;
it consisted of a few little shrubs, so green that it was almost
impossible to make them burn. How happy were we to succeed so far as to
be able to make tea!
After drinking a few cups, I retired to my tent[4], where I lay
down upon a small mattrass spread upon the snow, and covered myself
up with a number of furs, in order to revive perspiration. It was in
vain; I did not close my eyes during the whole night. To the anguish
of a dry and burning fever, were added a continual oppression, and
all the restlessness peculiar to the first symptoms of a disorder. I
conceived myself, I acknowledge, to be dangerously ill, particularly
when I found, upon getting up, that I could not articulate a single
sound. I suffered infinitely both in my breast and throat; the fever
was not abated; nevertheless the idea that a longer halt in this place
would be of no benefit to me, and that I could only hope for succour
by proceeding, determined me to conceal my extreme illness from M.
Schmaleff. I was the first to propose going on, but in this I consulted
my courage more than my strength.
I had advanced but a few wersts, when my sufferings became
insupportable. I was obliged to drive myself, and consequently to be in
continual motion; frequently also I was compelled from the badness of
roads, either to run by the side of my sledge, or call to the dogs to
make them proceed. My hoarseness prevented their hearing me; and it was
only by efforts that exhausted my strength, and tortured my lungs, that
I at last succeeded. This exercise however, painful as it was, proved
salutary to me; by degrees it created a perspiration; in the evening I
could breathe more freely; the fever left me; I had no complaint but
a violent cold, which was removed in a few days. Fatiguing exercise
was the only remedy I used. I took particular care to continue the
perspiration it occasioned, and to this I am persuaded I owe the
rapidity of my cure. My breast however was so sore, that I felt the
effects of it for a considerable time.
During this interval I had nothing to suffer from the rigour of
tempests; the air was calm, and the weather clear. We were blessed with
the finest days of winter, or I should perhaps never again have seen my
native country. Heaven seemed to favour my journey, that I might forget
my sufferings.
The most lively joy soon succeeded to the sorrow that had depressed
me. We met, in different detachments, three convoys sent by sergeant
Kabechoff to M. Kasloff. This unexpected succour gave me the more
pleasure, as the deplorable state in which I had left the governor,
was continually recurring to my mind. What a sudden change in his
situation! He was upon the point of receiving a supply of provisions,
together with an hundred and fifty dogs well fed and well trained. He
will be able, said I to myself, to proceed immediately on his journey;
and if I cannot flatter myself that I shall see him again, I know at
least that he will be extricated from his embarassment. This certainty
relieved the anxiety which I had felt on his account.
The soldier who conducted the convoys, offered me part of his
provisions; but I refused them. He had no profusion, and we were not in
want. I detained him therefore as short a time as possible.
Before he quitted us, he told me that prince Eitel, or chief of the
Koriacs of Kaminoi, who had been accused of rebellion, was advancing to
undeceive the governor, and prove the falsehood of the charge.
In pursuing our route, we perceived, beyond a small river bordered
with some shrubs, a chain of steep mountains, which it was necessary
to climb one after the other, in order to descend upon another river,
called Talofka. Its banks diverged as it approached the sea; they
were well wooded, and I perceived some trees of a tolerable size. We
left this river at a distance from Kaminoi, in order to traverse an
extensive heath, then a considerable lake; at length we crossed the
river Pengina, almost at its mouth, and in a direction from south-east
to north-west. Its breadth is striking, and the aspect of the heaps of
ice that covered it, and which were of an extreme height, would have
been still more picturesque, if we could have taken a more convenient
way; but we had no choice, and were reduced to the necessity of
hoisting, as I may say, our dogs and our sledges from heap to heap.
The difficulty and slowness of this manœuvre is easily conceived; it
required my utmost exertion and care to get off unhurt.
It was still near two hours before we reached Kaminoi, where we
arrived the 24 before noon. We were received by the inhabitants with
the utmost civility. In the absence of Eitel, another prince called
_Eila_, had the command. He came to meet us with a Russian detachment,
and we were conducted to the yourt of Eitel, which had been cleaned and
prepared a long time for the reception of M. Kasloff.
Eila conferred upon us every mark of respect; we had constantly a
centinel at our door, whose orders were to open it to such persons only
as we had no reason to distrust.
This was not owing to any doubts we entertained respecting the report
that had been spread of the rebellion of the Koriacs; it was evidently
false[5]. Their behaviour to us, and the reception they had prepared
for the governor, plainly proved what was their disposition at present.
Nor is it to be presumed that this was the effect of the arrival of
the soldiers sent from Ingiga[6]. Their wretched condition was little
calculated to awe men like the Koriacs, who are too little attached
to life, I understand, to be ever intimidated; and whom nothing can
restrain, if they have the least ground for discontent.
The sight however of the cannon, and of the Cossacs in arms, who had
entered the village without announcing any hostile intention, gave
them at first some alarm. Immediately advancing towards the subaltern
officer who commanded the troop, they called upon him to declare,
whether he was come to strike a blow at their liberty, and extirpate
them; adding, that if such were the project of the Russians, the
Koriacs would all die to a man, rather than submit. The officer removed
their fears, by artfully answering, that the occasion of his embassy
ought not to alarm them; that he was sent to meet M. Kasloff, which was
an honour due to his rank, and prescribed by the military regulations
of Russia towards their governors. This explanation was sufficient to
remove their suspicions; and the Koriacs and Russians lived together
upon terms of the best understanding. The confidence of the Koriacs was
so great, that they took no precautions against a surprise, and would
have paid no attention to the continued abode of these soldiers among
them, but for a famine, which began to render such guests burthensome.
I had intended to stay no longer at Kaminoi than was necessary to
rest my dogs; but on the night of the 24, the sky became obscured, and
frequent gusts of wind threatened an approaching tempest; the fear of
encountering it in the open field, made me defer my departure.
This ostrog is three hundred wersts from Poustaretsk, and is situated
upon an eminence near the sea coast, and at the mouth of the river
Pengina. It contains a great number of balagans and twelve yourts,
all of them very large, and built in a similar manner to those I have
already described. Though very near to one another, these habitations
occupy a considerable space of ground. The palisades which surround
them are fortified with spears, bows and arrows, and musquets. They are
thicker and higher than those placed round the Kamtschadale yourts.
Within these wretched fortifications the Koriacs consider themselves
as impregnable. Here they repel the attacks of their enemies, and
among others, the Tchoukchis, who are the most formidable of their
neighbours, both in point of number and courage[7].
The population at Kaminoi scarcely exceeds three hundred persons,
including men, women, and children. I shall say nothing of the manners
of the inhabitants till my arrival at Ingiga, which will I hope be in a
few days.
Before I left the village, I saw a dozen baidars, or boats, of
different sizes, similar to the one I mentioned upon coming out of
Khaluli[8], except that they were better constructed, and from their
superior lightness, had the advantage in sailing. I admired also their
remarkable breadth. Many of these baidars would hold from twenty-five
to thirty persons.
From the moment of our arrival, M. Schmaleff had foreseen that he
should not be able to accompany me from this village. Beset evening
and morning by the whole detachment of soldiers, who came to acquaint
him with the urgency of their wants, he considered it as his duty not
to abandon them, but to employ all the means which his office and
his perfect knowledge of the country afforded him for procuring them
assistance. He was equally impatient with myself to get to Ingiga,
where his brother had long expected him: but he resolved nevertheless
to let me depart without him.
He informed me of this circumstance with regret, and gave me at the
same time a confidential soldier, named _Yegor-Golikoff_[9]. He made
me, he said, in this man a valuable present; and we shall find in the
sequel that he was not deceived.
This kindness increased the reluctance I felt at being obliged so soon
to leave this good and gallant officer. My gratitude would lead me to
repeat in this place, what the English have written of his humanity
and politeness; but I leave to count de la Perouse the pleasure of
acquitting the debt which every individual in the expedition owes to M.
Schmaleff, for his assiduity in rendering it, while at Saint Peter and
Saint Paul’s, all the services that were in his power.
I came out of Kaminoi at eight o’clock in the morning of the 26, the
weather being tolerably calm[10]. At the distance of fifteen wersts, I
again met with the chain of mountains which I had before passed on this
side of the village. I traversed them a second time, and then crossed
a river called _Chestokova_, from a subaltern officer of that name,
who had been killed there at the head of a detachment sent to keep
the revolted Koriacs in awe. Under advantage of the night the Koriacs
had taken them by surprise upon the border of this river, and had not
suffered an individual to escape: all the Russians were massacred. I
halted in the same place.
I was roused from my sleep by the gusts of wind that blew with extreme
violence. The clouds of snow obscured the air to a degree, that it
was not easy to distinguish if it were day. In spite of this dreadful
hurricane I resolved to proceed; but I could not prevail on my guides
to make even the attempt. They persisted in not quitting the place,
from the apprehension of losing their way, and encountering other
dangers in such bad weather.
Opposed on all sides, I retired to my tent in no very pleasant humour.
At noon I was agreeably consoled by the arrival of seven Tchoukchis.
They were in sledges, similar to those of the wandering Koriacs, and
drawn in like manner by rein deer. I received them under my tent, and
invited them to remain till the storm was dissipated. Nothing could
have flattered them more, as I judged from the air of satisfaction
which my offer imparted to the countenance of every individual.
Among these Tchoukchis was the chief of the horde, called _Tummé_. He
addressed himself to me in order to express the gratitude they felt
for the reception I gave them. He assured me that ever since they had
heard of me, they had desired nothing so ardently as my acquaintance,
and had been greatly alarmed lest they should lose the opportunity. He
added, that they would never forget either my person or my kindnesses,
and that they would give an exact account of every thing to their
countrymen. I answered with a profusion of thanks, informing them that
I had been already made acquainted with their obliging curiosity, and
that I had not been less desirous of the present interview.
After this preface, we talked upon general subjects, particularly upon
their country and mine. My curiosity was equal to theirs, and the time
passed in perpetual questions. As I told them that, in returning to
France, I must pass through the town that was the residence of their
sovereign, they begged me to give her a faithful account of them, and
to lay at her feet the tribute of their respect and submission. They
added, that they were by so much the more happy in being tributaries
of Russia, as they every day found the Russians more easy of access,
and more affectionate in their behaviour. They spoke with particular
commendation of M. Gaguen, governor of Ingiga.
The kindness they had experienced, made them regret the want of
opportunity to maintain a more frequent intercourse with the Russians.
The only mode, they said, of surmounting these difficulties, would be
for the subjects of the Czarina to form afresh their establishment
upon the river Anadir. They promised for the future that, far from
giving any interruption to the settlers, they would exert themselves
by every office of friendship to make them forget the injustice of
their past conduct. That conduct had originated in an error, under
which they laboured as well as the Koriacs, in having formerly figured
to themselves the Russians as consisting only of that small number of
individuals, who came in this adventurous manner to plant themselves
in their territory and neighbourhood. By a natural sentiment of
jealousy, they had regarded these emigrants as so many adversaries,
whose industry and activity were the objects of their suspicion; and
they conceived that nothing could be of more importance to them than to
rid themselves of the intruders, persuaded that in exterminating the
settlers they should destroy the race.
The Tchoukchis professed to have discovered their mistake, and their
folly as soon as they had been properly acquainted with the Russians.
It was in vain that they were now persuaded to revolt, they being
on the contrary disposed to counteract the seditious intrigues of a
prince, or chief of the Tchoukchis, whose residence was fixed, by name
_Kherourgui_, either by curtailing his authority, or even by delivering
him up to the Russians.
Not being able to conceive in what part of the world I was born,
they asked me if my country were not on the other side of the great
river. Before I answered them, I desired to know the meaning of their
question; and I found they imagined that beyond Russia, with which
country itself they had little acquaintance, there was a very large
river that divided them from another country inhabited by different
people.
It was not easy to instruct them upon this subject. I talked a long
while without their understanding a single word of my geographical
dissertation. They had no accurate idea either of number or extension.
It was not less difficult to give them a notion of the strength of
a state, or the riches and power of its sovereign. They had never
attempted an estimation even of that of Russia. That I might enable
them to judge of it, I was obliged to illustrate the abundance of its
commodities, its money, and its population, by comparisons drawn from
the number of animals they hunted, and the quantity of fish they caught
every year, without destroying the breed. This explanation, which I
exerted all my ability to make level to their capacities, extremely
pleased them. I adopted the same method to give them a notion of the
way measure extension. I began with the ground that my tent covered,
and the taking a sheet of paper, drew a sort of geographical chart, in
which I marked pretty nearly the situation and distances of Russia and
France, with respect to their country.
It was not without some labour that I made myself understood. But
for this I was indemnified by the eagerness and attention with which
they listened to me. In general I was astonished at the solidity of
their understanding, and the thirst they felt for the acquisition of
knowledge. Superior in these respects to the Koriacs, they appear both
to respect more upon what they say themselves, and what they hear
and behold. These two people have nearly the same idiom; the only
difference is, that I found in the Tchoukchis a habit of prolonging the
final syllables of words, and a pronunciation slower and sweeter than
that of the Koriacs. With the assistance of my guide, who served me for
an interpreter, I kept up the conversation tolerably well.
The attention with which I examined their dress, inspired them with a
desire of seeing the French habit[11], and I ordered my uniform to be
taken out of my portmanteau. At sight of it they expressed admiration
in every part of their attitude. Every one was eager to touch it,
every one exclaimed upon its singularity and its beauty. My buttons,
marked with the arms of France, were particularly inspected, and it was
necessary anew to exert my ingenuity to describe to them intelligibly,
what this figure represented, and what was its use. But they did not
allow me to finish. They eagerly reached out their hands, and intreated
me to divide them among them. I consented, upon the promise they gave
me to preserve them with extreme care. Their object in keeping them,
was to employ them as a mark of affection, which they might shew to all
the strangers that touched upon their coast, in hopes that among the
rest there might possibly arrive a Frenchman.
Their countrymen had seen the English some years before. “Why, said
they, do not the French also visit us? They might depend upon being
received by us with cheerfulness and cordiality.” I thanked them for
their obliging disposition, and represented to them that the distance
was an insuperable obstacle, and would not permit us to put their
kindness often to the proof. Meanwhile I promised to give a faithful
representation of it upon my arrival in France.
After regaling them in the best manner I could with tobacco, having
nothing that could afford them greater pleasure, we parted upon the
best terms of friendship. Upon leaving me, they said, that I should
probably soon met their equipages and their wives, whom they had left
behind in order to make the greater haste.
The wind became calm shortly after the departure of these Tchoukchis,
and I pursued my journey.
The next day, at the very moment when I was about to stop, upon seeing
a convenient place by the side of a wood, I perceived farther on before
me a numerous troop of rein deer browsing at liberty upon the top of a
mountain. Upon examining them more attentively, I distinguished some
men who appeared to be guarding them. I hesitated at first whether I
should avoid, or join them; but curiosity at length prevailed, and I
advanced to reconnoitre them.
By proceeding along the skirts of the wood I was told I should come up
with them. I conceived however that at the extremity I should be still
separated from them by a river, a small arm of which I had crossed a
quarter of an hour before: at this place it was tolerably wide. While I
was examining these people from one bank to the other, I was approached
by two women who were walking about. The eldest accosted me. How great
was my surprise to hear both her and her companion speak the Russian
language! They informed me that I was but two hundred yards from the
camp of the Tchoukchis, the view of which was intercepted by the wood.
As soon indeed as I got down to the side of the river I could see their
sledges and their tents, and I entreated these women to conduct me
thither.
As we went on, I asked them of what country they were, their language
telling me that they were neither born, nor had always lived among
these people.
One of them informed me that she was a Russian, and had been induced
to accompany the Tchoukchis from a sentiment of maternal affection.
Dangers, fatigues, ill treatment, she had braved every thing, from the
sole motive of reclaiming her daughter, who was retained by them as an
hostage. She had lost her in the following manner.
This young woman was travelling, two years before, with her father
and a number of other Russians upon the river Pengina. Their caravan,
consisting of nine persons, was proceeding quietly along in the midst
of the Koriacs, threatened at that time by a party of Tchoukchis,
headed by this very Kherourgui whom we just now mentioned. To get rid
of their dangerous neighbours, the Koriacs conceived the design of
informing the Tchoukchis of the passage of these strangers[12], as a
prize that ought not to escape them. The artifice succeeded. Seduced by
the expectation of an immense booty in iron and tobacco, the Tchoukchis
followed these travellers. Their courage could not save them, and
four of them, with their arms in their hands, became the victims of a
fruitless resistance. The husband of this woman was killed in defending
his daughter, whom the conquerors carried off with the three remaining
companions of her misfortune. The Russians had incessantly demanded the
surrender of these prisoners, and the Tchoukchis had promised to send
them back; but only two of them had yet been released.
The affecting recital of this unfortunate mother, which was frequently
interrupted by her tears, interested me strongly in her favour.
Without knowing whether the mediation would have any weight with the
Tchoukchis, I felt myself disposed to join my intreaties to hers, and I
had the satisfaction to perceive that they were not nugatory.
The other woman told me that she was by birth a Tchoukchi. In her
infancy she had been taken by the Russians upon the river Anadir, and
carried to Yakoutsk, where they had given her the best education in
their power. She afterwards married a soldier, by whom she was in a few
years left a widow. At length, by order of government, she was sent
back to her own country with her children, to render an account of the
obligations that she owed to the Russians. It had been recommended to
her to give the minutest details to the Tchoukchis, even such as lived
to the greatest distance[13], and insinuate to them the innumerable
advantages they might derive from establishing a safe and peaceable
commerce with the Russians.
This woman spoke the Russian, the Yakout, and the Tchoukchi languages
with equal facility. She told me, that the little knowledge she
derived from her education, had gained her a sort of credit with her
compatriots; that she had already taken advantage of her ascendancy
over their minds, to destroy several of their prejudices; and she
flattered herself that by degrees they would be taught to see their
interest in its true light. Her hopes were chiefly founded upon the
character of this people, which she assured me was perfectly generous,
hospitable, mild, and preferable in every respect to that of the
Koriacs.
The conversation of these women had so engrossed my attention, that
I was in the camp of the Tchoukchis before I perceived it. Their joy
at seeing me was extreme, and I was surrounded in an instant. They all
addressed themselves to me at once, to prevail on me to spend the night
with them. I had no sooner answered that it was my intention, than
they saluted me with new transports and huzzas. I ordered my tent to
be erected at the extremity of the camp, and while it was performing
I invited the chiefs to visit me. Eager to accept my invitation, they
could not wait till I had entered my tent, and I found a more numerous
assembly than it could contain.
After the first compliments were over, we entered into conversation,
mutually desirous of receiving information. We talked in a summary way
of our respective countries, manners, and customs; and the questions
they asked me were nearly similar to those of Tummé and his companions.
They expressed their submission to Russia, their desire of forming an
alliance with that country by means of a commercial intercourse, and
of seeing the establishment upon the Anadir revived. They then entered
into particulars upon the motives of their journey. Their principal
inducement was to visit some relations who had intermarried with the
Russians, and settled at Ingiga. They had also, it was probable, some
commercial project in view, though from their own account, attachment
to their countrymen was their only motive; and in reality, this
patriotic sentiment was visible I thought in their attention to this
Tchoukchi woman, and the caresses they bestowed upon her children.
They frequently entreated me to banish all distrust from my mind, and
to rely upon their friendship. They seemed to suppose that I partook
of the reserve which the Russians discovered in their intercourse with
them; but not having the same reasons to fear them, I was a stranger
to suspicion. I wished them to understand this by my answer, which
was, that being unwilling to offend any individual I might meet with
in my way, I imagined that no one would be desirous of incommoding me,
particularly in the midst of a nation whose civility and rectitude were
already known to me. This mode of reasoning pleased them, and they
appeared to be flattered by my security. I conceived of course that I
ought to conceal my arms, and reject the proposal made by my soldiers
of placing a centinel before my tent.
I distributed tobacco to the most distinguished of these Tchoukchis,
and afterwards treated them with tea and rye biscuit. Their chief, or
prince, named _Chegouiaga_, of the same rank and authority as Tummé,
two of his relations, and the two women who served as interpreters,
supped with me. The repast was perfectly frugal but very gay, and my
guests were as well pleased as if they had fared ever so sumptuously.
The necessity of taking rest obliged us to separate.
As soon as I was alone, I embraced the opportunity of writing down
the notes with which their conversation and my own observations had
furnished me.
The camp of these Tchoukchis was pitched upon the border of the
river, by the side of their equipages, and at the back of the wood
which I mentioned. It contained about a dozen tents ranged in a line
along the bank. They were of a square form, and made of rein deer skin,
suspended by leathern straps to four poles erected at the four corners.
Bundles of spears and arrows, fixed in the snow before every tent, seem
to guard the entrance[14], which is very low, and shuts _hermetically_.
The tents are extremely hot. The partitions and the covering being made
of deer skin, the air cannot penetrate, and there is besides a stove in
the middle of each of them. The bed resembles that of the Kamtschadales
when they halt, and consists of small branches of trees spread on the
snow like litter, and covered with deer skins. Here a whole family will
lie down and sleep together without distinction of age or sex. The
space is so narrow that it is astonishing how so many people can crowd
into it. The air and filthiness occasioned by it are insupportable;
let it suffice to say, that they feel no disgust at seeing their food
and their drink close to the most offensive objects, for no words can
describe the excess of their indolence.
Among these Tchoukchis, whose number amounted to about forty, there
were fifteen or sixteen women[15], and nearly as many children, who are
employed in preparing the tents and provisions. Every principal person
has valets in his service to take care of the deer, and guard them
during the night from the wolves with which these coasts abound.
The dress of the women is very remarkable. It consists of a single
deer skin that is fastened round the neck, where it has an opening both
before and behind, and which descends in the shape of large breeches
below the knee. This garment is put on by means of the opening at the
neck, and there is no other way of taking it off but by loosening the
strings which tie it under the chin, when it instantly falls from the
body, and leaves the woman naked. The inconvenience of this habit
may easily be imagined, from the frequent necessity there must be of
divesting themselves of it. When they travel, they wear a _kouklanki_
over their common dress, and their feet have no other covering than
boots made of the legs of rein deer. Their hair is of a deep black.
Sometimes it is turned up in tufts behind, but it is oftener separated
upon the forehead, and hangs in long braids on each side. Their ears
and their neck are loaded with ornaments of glass beads of different
colours; and when they are cold, the hood of their parque serves them
for a head-dress.
Their countenance is by no means agreeable; the features are coarse,
though their nose is not flat, nor their eyes sunk in their head like
the Kamtschadales. They resemble them in these respects less than do
the Koriac women. They are also taller, but not slender. The thickness
and bulk of their dress give them an appearance the very opposite
to alert. In the mean time they perform the most laborious offices,
such as lighting fire, cutting wood, fetching water, and other things
required in their domestic œconomy. These cares devolve principally
upon the oldest.
The features of the men seemed to be more regular, and not at all
Asiatic. Their complexion, like that of the women, is very tawny; and
their dress, their sledges, and in short, all their customs are exactly
similar to those of the wandering Koriacs. I shall take an opportunity
of describing them together.
These Tchoukchis at present go every year to Ingiga. They leave
their country in the beginning of autumn, and do not arrive at this
settlement till March. As soon as their business is transacted, which
only requires a few days, they set out upon their return, that they may
not lose the advantage of travelling in sledges; but they seldom reach
their home till the latter end of June.
The merchandise they take with them consists chiefly of sable and
fox-skin parques, and moose teeth, which afford a very fine ivory.
They receive in exchange kettles, tobacco, lances, musquets, knives,
and other iron instruments. As yet they are little accustomed to the
musquet, and scarcely make any use of it; but they are very expert in
shooting an arrow, and managing a lance, which are therefore their
principal arms.
Like all the northern people, they have an astonishing propensity to
drunkenness. Their love of brandy is so extreme, that if you once let
them taste it, you must repeat your kindness till they are perfectly
intoxicated, or they would consider themselves as insulted, and
probably have recourse to menaces and violence, to obtain their ends.
As incessant smokers as the Koriacs, they have the same pipes and the
same method of using them.
Being unwilling to prolong my stay, I went as soon as it was light to
take leave of these Tchoukchis in their tents, but the unwholesome
air and the heat soon obliged me to withdraw. Our parting was very
affectionate; each in his turn overwhelmed me with embraces. It may be
supposed I did not fall short in my compliments, nor could I in reality
too highly extol the reception of this hospitable people.
I set off early enough to travel this day thirty wersts. About half way
I found upon the sea coast two balagans and a yourt, inhabited by a
Koriac family, and an hour after I reached the ostrog of Pareiné.
This village is less than Kaminoi, but more populous and well
situated. It is upon a river, from which it takes its name, and about
three wersts from where it pours its waters into the sea of Pengina,
which forms at this place so narrow a gulf, that in clear weather one
can see from one shore to the other.
The first person I saw in the village was an old woman of a mixed
breed, whose melancholy appearance struck me. Either from compassion
or curiosity, I instantly approached her. Upon my questioning her
respecting the cause of her distress, she uttered a loud shriek, and
answered me only by her tears. My intreaties, and the sympathy I
discovered, at last drew from her the recital of her misfortune.
About a fortnight before, she had left Ingiga with her husband, her
son, and a number of friends, to visit some relations at Pareiné.
Overtaken in their way by one of those terrible hurricanes, whose fatal
effects I have been twenty times upon the verge of experiencing, these
travellers had strayed from the road, and been separated from one
another. The father and son were in the same sledge. Having wandered
a long time in pursuit of a shelter, or to discover some vestiges of
the road, they were at length totally lost. After two days search,
they were found buried in the snow, and dead with cold. Their bodies
were completely frozen, and their posture indicated, that these two
unfortunate beings, no longer able to drag themselves on, had lain down
close together to keep themselves warm, and died in each others arms.
More successful than her husband, this woman had found a shelter by the
side of a river, fifteen wersts from Pareiné, where she had arrived
with her companions, exhausted with fatigue, and half dead with grief.
She added, that during this tempest it was impossible to see either
the heavens or the earth. The snow, frozen in the air, grew thicker
as it fell, and was like a shower of icicles. Their clothes had been
so pierced by it as to be perfectly useless. But what still increased
this woman’s affliction, was the inability in which she found herself
of returning to her country. No person seemed disposed to supply her
with the means, which she continually solicited, but without effect.
Upon this she burst into a flood of tears. I said every thing that
compassion suggested to me to console her; and quitted her with regret,
at not being able to afford her any relief, and showing her only a
fruitless pity.
While I was conversing with her, the inhabitants of Pareiné crowded
about me. Their chief or prince, called _Youltitka_, approached to
invite me to pass the night in the village. His sinister countenance
confirmed every thing that had been said of his perfidy, and I gave
him to understand, that I had no desire to stop. Upon my refusal, he
mentioned the impossibility of procuring me dogs and provisions till
the next morning. The reasons he assigned plainly discovered his ill
will[16], and betrayed, I thought, some fatal intention. Resolved to
escape, whatever it might cost me, I replied, that I could very well do
without what I was unable to obtain, but that no consideration should
induce me to stay. He feigned not to comprehend me, and alledged some
new obstacle, regarding me at the same time with a bitter smile, that
seemed to defy me to proceed. I felt that I must arm myself with the
utmost firmness, or patiently submit to whatever law it might please
this wretch to impose upon me. The whole village was present. Two
hundred men at least pressed tumultuously about me, either to inspire
me with terror, or to observe my embarassment. In this perilous
conjuncture, I conceived the design of addressing myself to them in the
Russian language, hoping that there might be some among them who would
understand me, and who might be less unmanageable than their chief.
My harangue was short, but vehement. I enforced the consideration of
my character as a stranger, my claims upon their assistance, my desire
of meriting it by my behaviour towards them, and the kindness I had
received from their countrymen in the course of my journey. I added,
that except in the present instance, I had never had occasion to demand
the succours of which I stood in need; far from waiting till I produced
my orders, they had showed the utmost readiness to anticipate my
wishes, before I could make them known.
At the mention of the word order, I perceived that they looked with
a kind of astonishment upon one another. In proportion as my address
made an impression upon them, I assumed more warmth and assurance. Then
drawing on a sudden my passport from my pocket, and fixing my eyes with
an air of displeasure upon Youltitka, I presented it to him, declaring
at the same time that I meaned to depart in two hours at latest. This
abrupt conclusion disconcerted him. He perceived that he could not
avoid complying with my wishes, without rendering himself criminal;
and the mandate of the governor was too formal and too authoritative
for him to dare to oppose it. He therefore ordered that the quantity
of fish which I wanted, should immediately be collected, intreating me
at the same time to have some regard to the smallness of their stock,
which I should very considerably diminish. It was this idea, he said,
that had induced him to make any difficulties, as he was afraid that I
should totally exhaust their caves. This was a mere subterfuge, as I
was soon convinced that they were abundantly stored.
In the mean time, that he might be thought desirous of making some
amends for his uncivil reception, or perhaps with a view of making me
repent the having forced him in his last intrenchments, he invited
me to wait in his yourt, till my people had made the necessary
preparations for my departure. To refuse would have shown a degree of
inquietude; I wished, on the contrary, fully to convince him of my
intrepidity. It was besides the hour for dining, and with the hope of
imperceptibly gaining the traitor, I accepted his invitation, offering
to treat him with a better repast than it was in his power to provide
for me. I followed him with a countenance as tranquil as if I had felt
myself in perfect security. To speak the truth, however, I was not
without trouble, when, upon coming to his yourt, I found it necessary
to descend forty feet under ground. The extraordinary depth of this
retreat delivered me entirely to the mercy of my host. My companions
could neither have heard nor assisted me. I shuddered at my own
imprudence, but it was too late to draw back. I was well armed, and I
prepared to defend myself as well as I could in case of an insult.
The first care of Youltitka was to seat me in the place of honour,
that is, in a kind of alcove reserved for the chief of the family. His
was a very numerous one, nearly eighty persons living with him in this
yourt. They had all deserted it upon the report of my arrival, and were
still about my people, so that I was alone to contend with three or
four companions or relations of Youltitka, who surrounded me, thrusting
their noses almost in my face. Supposing themselves to be adepts in
the Russian language, because they were able to murder a few words,
they asked me, in turn, a variety of questions, each more absurd than
the preceding. My situation dictated politeness, and I answered them
with mildness and precision. I thus passed an hour in the midst of
these savage figures, truly calculated to inspire dread, particularly
that of their chief[17]. My soldier did not make his appearance, and
I began to be uneasy. Upon a motion which I made to come out, these
Koriacs placed themselves before me. One of them caught hold of my arm
to make me sit down, asking me if I wanted to escape. I endeavoured to
look as stoutly as I could, but I confess my heart palpitated. I again
took my seat; and in spite of the alteration which they might perceive
in my face, I replied, that I did not imagine I had any reason to fear
them. Youltitka then endeavoured to excite my confidence. He swore that
he had the highest esteem for me, and that I was in perfect safety.
His past conduct, he added, might have given me reason to suspect his
character, but he considered it as a point of honour to set me right.
Proud of having been received among the judges of the tribunal of
Ingiga[18], he valued his reputation too much to suffer any one to
treat me ill in his presence.
I knew my man too well to place any faith in these asseverations,
and I considered myself as happy that he dared not do what was in his
power, and probably what was in his heart. I hastened therefore to quit
the yourt, upon the pretext of seeking for my people, and giving them
orders for dinner. I could not however rid myself of this treacherous
Koriac. He persisted in accompanying me. Every word I uttered seemed to
alarm him. Not understanding the Russian language, he immediately asked
the meaning of what I said, and watched all my motions with singular
attention.
I found my people occupied in bartering the bad dogs they had left,
for furs, and articles of dress made of rein deer-skin. Their avarice
had made them forgetful of what I had recommended to them, and the
danger in which they had left me; but I concealed my displeasure on
account of my witnesses. I again descended the yourt, accompanied
by Youltitka and my two soldiers, who began immediately to prepare
our dinner. The women assisted them in cleaning the dishes[19]; and
with the help of brandy, good humour gradually succeeded to fears and
distrust. Our repast was very jovial, and I frequently endeavoured
to imitate my guests in their loud peals of laughter, outrageous
expression of sentiment being the only thing that pleases them. The
dinner being finished, I sent one of my soldiers to order the dogs
to be harnessed, a part of which was a fresh supply. My provisions
were also ready, and in ten minutes I was prepared to take leave of
my Koriacs. They appeared to be satisfied with me; I know not whether
they were really so, but I acknowledge as to myself that I was glad to
escape from them, and I set off therefore as quick as possible.
It was only two o’clock in the afternoon; but I conceived that I
ought to make up for the forced delay I had experienced, and did not
therefore halt till I was fifteen wersts from Pareiné.
This day and the next, which was the 30, afforded nothing that was
worth reciting. I crossed a variety of rivers, not one of which was
considerable, but there were a few shrubs on the banks of some of them.
Upon leaving Pareiné I had quitted the sea, and should see no more of
it on this side of Ingiga, of consequence we had no chance of procuring
dry wood, which we sometimes found while we travelled upon the coast.
This was a considerable loss to us, from the necessity to which it
reduced us of gathering every little shrub we could perceive, and the
fear that even this paltry resource might fail us.
For a long time my principal food had been rein deer. Delicious
as this meat is, there is I believe none of which one is so soon
tired. The worst circumstance however was, that our stock began to be
exhausted. We only eat of it once a day; our other meals consisted of
dried fish and the flesh of the sea wolf boiled. I was highly gratified
this day by a brace of partridges, which I had the good fortune to
kill, and which were added to my table. This gave an agreeable relief
to the tedious uniformity of my daily food.
The day was beautiful, and a clear sky seemed to promise us colder
weather, which was what we wished, the snow being so soft that our dogs
sunk to their bellies. To open a way for them, each of us was obliged
to run before with our rackets. The hope that the next day would afford
us better travelling, animated my guides, and we made tolerable speed.
It was late when we stopped at a place that was not at all sheltered;
there was no wood except a sort of dwarf cedar, resinous, crooked, and
grovelling.
Before I retired to my tent, I perceived at the horizon some
ill-boding clouds. I had been sufficiently habituated to the climate
to be able to judge of the weather from the most trivial appearances,
and I communicated my conjectures to my guides. They considered
their knowledge in this respect as infinitely superior to mine, and
replied, that the setting sun had been too beautiful to give us any
reason to apprehend foul weather. According to their own account they
were never deceived, and I might implicitly rely upon their judgment.
Upon reflection I was not sorry to find them in this security, as it
relieved me from the fear of being constrained by them to pass the day
in this place, which would not be tenable against the first gust of
wind.
As soon as it was light I was waked by one of my guides, who, in a
tone of raillery, came to hasten my departure, that we might not lose
the advantage of the fine day we were likely to have. The moon still
shone, and the sky was without a cloud. While I was at breakfast, as
usual, upon tea and rye biscuit, which my people had reserved for me,
willing rather to want it themselves than that I should be without it,
they questioned me one after another respecting the weather. It was a
contest who should banter me most. I persevered however in my opinion,
desiring them to wait till the evening before they judged whether I was
right or wrong in prognosticating a storm.
We had scarcely broke up our camp, when we perceived at some distance
a company consisting of five Koriac sledges, drawn by rein deer. Our
dogs, allured by the scent of these animals, advanced towards them with
astonishing ardour. The nearer we approached, the more these Koriacs
seemed to avoid us. I imagined at first that it was the natural effect
of their distrust, but the cry and eagerness of our dogs, soon told
me what was the source of their terror. They would infallibly have
rushed upon them if they had been more at liberty. I ordered my guides
therefore to halt. The difficulty was to restrain our steeds, which
we did not effect without considerable exertion. We then endeavoured
by signs to make the Koriacs understand that we were desirous of a
moment’s conversation with them. They appeared to hold a consultation,
and after a few minutes one of their company was dispatched to us.
He stopped about three hundred yards from us, and desired us in like
manner by signs to send also one of our body, and particularly to keep
back our dogs. I ordered one of my soldiers to go with his rackets to
meet this Koriac, and to ask him whence they came, whither they were
bound, if they knew any thing relative to M. Kasloff, and what distance
they imagined us to be from Ingiga.
In the course of half an hour my messenger came back with the following
information. These people were wandering Koriacs, returning to their
families from Ingiga, where they had been to see their friends and
sell their deer skins. They had heard they thought of a supply of dogs
and provisions being sent a short time since to the governor-general,
but they could give us no certain intelligence. Their account of our
distance from Ingiga corresponded with the opinion of my guide, whom I
had just before interrogated upon the subject, in consequence of a new
debate between my people and me. It originated thus.
While we waited the return of the soldier, I observed some clouds
pass rapidly over our heads, the form and direction of which confirmed
me in the idea that we were threatened by an approaching tempest. My
confidential soldier, Golikoff, had been equally incredulous with the
rest, and readily defended the contrary opinion; in the mean time he
agreed that at present there was every appearance that my predictions
would be verified; he had even mentioned me, he said, to the Koriacs,
as a prophet in this respect, and he should be sorry to see me mistaken
in the very first instance, and lose my credit.
This simple avowal was the more diverting to me, as my conductors were
witnesses to it. It suggested to me the desire of amusing myself in my
turn with their ignorant simplicity. The opportunity was favourable.
I repeated, that in two hours at latest, they would be convinced of
my knowledge, but that it was first necessary I should be informed
whether we should meet with any place of shelter in our way. One of
them answered me in the negative. “Till we came to the river Ingiga, we
had to traverse an immense and naked plain, where the eye could merely
discern a few inequalities, occasioned by the soil, or the snow drifted
by the hurricanes, and congealed by the frost.” This intelligence
embarassed me, apprehensive that we should be compelled to return for
shelter to a little wood which we had just passed. We were scarcely
half a league from it, but the obstinacy of my guides in support of the
opinion that we had nothing to fear, removed the difficulty. Imboldened
by their supposed experience, they were desirous that we should
proceed. I agreed with them, hoping to arrive at Ingiga in the evening.
To execute my project with greater certainty, I intended to have
recourse to my compass, which would be a sufficient guide in the
midst of the whirlwinds. I asked therefore, the most intelligent of
my conductors in what direction Ingiga lay, and he made it known to
me immediately by pointing out at a great distance a mountain, the
summit of which seemed to be lost in the clouds. “The town,” said he,
“is a little on this side, and in the same line. We are as yet fifty
or fifty-five wersts from it.” I interrupted him to examine in what
point of the compass it was, and to calculate with my watch the pace
we travelled. From the time we sat out we had gone at the rate of six
or seven wersts an hour, but I considered that the hurricane would
considerably impede us, and I counted therefore only upon three wersts.
It was now six o’clock in the morning, and according to my calculation,
I hoped to be at Ingiga before midnight. I learned also from my guide,
that to gain the river which led to the town, it was first necessary
that we should arrive at a very large forest through which it flowed. I
was satisfied. The immense extent of this wood to the right and left,
convinced me that we could not lose ourselves or miss finding it.
Having taken these precautions, I told my people that I desired
nothing better than to proceed, and that I was resolved not to stop,
whatever might happen. I recommended to them to inform me when they
thought that they had lost their way, and I would then set them right.
The seriousness with which I gave this order, confounded them; they
looked at each other with an air of astonishment, not daring to tell
me in plain terms that I was out of my senses. The most intrepid of
them however, addressed himself to me, and represented, that having
never passed this way, it was impossible I could undertake to guide
them, without running the risk of entirely losing them, and that I was
certainly in jest. I made no other reply than ordering every one to his
sledge, threatening to punish whoever should disobey, and I immediately
gave the signal to depart.
At half after eight we had advanced fifteen wersts, and according to
my estimate had only forty remaining; but the horizon had been for
almost an hour covered with dark clouds. We saw the tempest gradually
approach, and the wind began to raise the snow in eddies. My companions
were silent. Terror acted upon them almost as strongly as their
confusion, and they knew no longer where they were. The hurricane soon
attacked us with a violence that deranged several of our sledges.
By dint of vociferation we rallied them. My conductors confessed
themselves conquered, and conjured me to halt, though we were in the
open country. Blinded by the wind, which blew in their faces, they were
afraid of misleading us.
I reminded them of my promise, and persisted in wishing to go on. I
ordered that all the sledges should keep as close as possible together,
that we might be informed of the least accident that should happen, and
be able to assist one another. Then, by means of my compass, which I
had fastened under my fur cloak, that it might be continually before
my eyes, I began the office of directing our caravan. We travelled in
this order during the rest of the day, and I might say in the midst
of darkness, for I could not see the soldier who was in the sledge
immediately behind me, and scarcely his foremost dogs.
About seven o’clock in the evening, weary of the complaints and
remonstrances of my people, who continually requested me to stop, and
judging beside that we could not be more than five or six wersts from
the wood, I assured them that if we did not reach it by nine o’clock,
we would go no farther that night; unless when arrived at the wood
and the river, they preferred going on, as we should be so near to
Ingiga; but that they should be at liberty to do as they pleased. This
condition appeared to pacify them; not because they imagined themselves
to be so far advanced, on the contrary, they probably considered
themselves as out of the road, and only wished to repose themselves,
that with the advantage of day-light they might recover it again.
At a quarter before nine a kind of dark veil began to be perceptible
before us. As we drew nearer, it became blacker and more extensive.
The next moment my conductors cried out that they could see the trees,
and that they were safe. It was in reality the forest of Ingiga. I
sent them a little way on to examine it, and they presently returned
transported with joy to tell me that we were close to the river.
The respectful tone with which they delivered themselves diverted
me extremely. After thanking me for having guided them so well, the
Koriac asserted that none of their chamans had ever performed any
thing so miraculous. To have predicted the bad weather, at a time
when every thing seemed in their eyes to promise the very reverse; to
have been afterwards able to guide and preserve them in the midst of
this _pourga_[20], was a sagacity, in his opinion, supernatural. The
gratitude of the rest of my company was almost equally absurd. They
could not recover themselves from their astonishment. It was in vain
I showed them my compass, and endeavoured to explain to them how I
derived from it all my knowledge; they replied, that such a conjuring
book was unintelligible except to persons like me, skilled in the art
of magic.
At so short a distance from Ingiga, I was fully assured they would
no longer be desirous of stopping; each of them was anxious to see
his wife, and embrace his children. So far were they from accepting
my proposal to pitch our tent and pass the night in the wood, that
they importuned me to gain the river, and they engaged in three hours
to reach the town. I complied, and we coasted along the bank till we
arrived opposite to Ingiga, where it was necessary to cross the river,
which passed close to the walls. The ice was sufficiently firm, but the
violence of the wind had covered it with water, so that our feet were
very wet.
At the gates of the town I answered the interrogatories usual in
fortified places, and was obliged to wait till a report was made to the
governor. Having long received intelligence that I was on my way, major
Gaguen had the civility to come immediately to welcome me, and offer
me his house. I entered Ingiga the 31, exactly at half after eleven
o’clock.
This town is the largest and most populous I have yet seen. It is
situated upon a river of the same name, thirty wersts from its mouth,
and is defended by a square inclosure of palisades, the height and
thickness of which surprised me, and by wooden bastions, erected on
piles, at the four angles. These bastions are provided with cannon, and
contain a variety of warlike stores. They are guarded day and night
by centinels[21], as are also the three gates of the town, of which
one only is open. There is a small square, before the house of the
governor, and a guard, stationed on one side of this square, defends it
from attack. I was equally struck with the houses. They are of wood,
and very low, but have all a regular front, and are evidently built
upon one plan. M. Gaguen intends by degrees to give this uniformity to
the whole town. The isbas that have been constructed since his arrival,
besides a pleasant appearance, have all the conveniences on the inside
that such habitations will admit of. He has it in contemplation also to
rebuild the church, which is a wretched edifice, and almost in ruins.
The population amounts to about five or six hundred inhabitants, who
are either merchants, or in the service of government. The latter are
most numerous, and form the garrison of the place. They are kept under
the severest discipline, which is indispensible, from the frequent
occasion there is to defend themselves. The circumspection and zeal of
the governor in this respect cannot be surpassed. Their tribunals are
the same with those of Nijenei Kamtschatka.
The commerce of Ingiga consists of furs, and particularly the skins of
rein deer. It is in general superior to Kamtschatka both in the variety
and quality of its skins. It is true that we get the otter and sea
wolf-skin from that peninsula, but the sables of Ingiga are much finer,
though they are at the same time scarcer. The Kamtschadales besides
have no common martens[22], rabbits, or American rats, called _rissei_,
which the Koriacs get by means of exchange from the neighbouring
Tchoukchis, and which they bring to Ingiga with their rein deer-skins.
These deer-skins are sold in their raw state, and at a very good price.
They are afterwards tanned and manufactured with such surprising art,
that the laborious activity of the workmen supersede the necessity
of instruments invented by European industry. The skill and beauty
of their work can only be surpassed by its durableness. Gloves and
stockings come from their hands in a state of perfection. Their sewings
and embroideries are wrought with the hair of the rein deer, with silk,
and with gold, and would do credit to our most skillful glovers.
But it is time I should speak of the customs of the Koriacs. I have
only deferred my account so long that I might be more minute. To the
imperfect observations which I have myself made in passing through
their different ostrogs, I shall add others that are more exact, and
derived from unquestionable authority. In my conversations with M.
Gaguen and the principal inhabitants, I endeavoured to derive some
light upon the subject; but my chief source of information was a
Koriac, whom I shall here introduce to the reader.
My first acquaintance with him was at Kaminoi. Struck with the
civilities which M. Schmaleff bestowed upon him, I was curious to know
the rank and situation of this personage. He was, they informed me, a
_zassédatel_, or Ingiga judge, and was come to meet us to offer us his
services. The facility with which he expressed himself in the Russian
language, and the rectitude of his mind charmed me. I should have taken
him for a Russian, if I had not heard him a moment after speak his
native tongue. I understood also that he was a Koriac prince, called
_Oumiavin_, and brother to one of the chiefs of the wandering Koriacs.
Curiosity led me to ask him a thousand questions. He answered with
a shrewdness and sagacity that I had not observed in any of his
countrymen. The being able to talk with him without the assistance
of an interpreter, rendered his conversation more valuable, and
during my short stay at Kaminoi it was a source of instruction and
amusement to me. Of the various topics upon which we discoursed,
that of religion was the most interesting. Though equally informed
respecting the Russian and the Koriac mode of worship, he in reality
professed neither. He seemed disposed however to be baptized, and only
waited till he was better instructed upon certain points which he did
not comprehend. Full of admiration at the sublimity of the Christian
morals, and the majestic pomp of its external worship, he acknowledged
that nothing could give him a greater desire to become a convert to
it; but the imperious severity of some of our religious rites[23],
the uncertainty of celestial happiness, and particularly the idea of
a God threatening eternal torments, filled him with inquietude and
dismay. With all its visions and all its absurdities, the religion of
his country, he said, offered him at least more hope than fear; its
punishments were confined to the present world, and it promised him a
recompence in the next; the evil spirit could only torment him during
his life, and happiness awaited him at his death. Agitated by these
considerations, his mind floated in continual doubt and perplexity.
He dared neither abjure, nor continue stedfast in the faith of his
fathers. He blushed at its errors, yet his heart cherished them.
The simplicity with which he avowed his irresolution, interested me
the more, as I could discover in his conversation and in his heart,
an uncommon fund of virtue, and a singular love of truth. To fix
his wavering mind, it would have been first necessary to clear away
the prejudices that obscured it, and which had originated from the
false principles that he had imbibed. Any other person would perhaps
have undertaken the talk. I was deterred from it by the fear of not
succeeding in my attempt, from the short time I should be able to spend
with him. He arrived at Ingiga the day after me, as he had promised,
and rendered me very considerable services by his endeavour to furnish
all the information respecting his country that I desired, and to
supply me with what I wanted for the continuance of my journey.
There is in many respects a great resemblance between the fixed and
the wandering Koriacs: we cannot therefore but wonder at the little
cordiality, or rather at the misunderstanding that subsists among
them, on account of which they may be considered as two different
people. Their country however is the same, and takes in a vast extent,
terminated to the south by the peninsula of Kamtschatka, and the gulf
of Pengina; to the east by the country of the Oluterians; to the north
by that of the Tchoukchis, and to the west by the Toungouses, the
Lamouts, and the Yakouts.
It is confidently asserted that this country was formerly very
populous, but that the small-pox had made very considerable ravages.
I doubt whether it has carried off more of the inhabitants than their
frequent contests with their neighbours and with the Russians. The
number of fixed Koriacs scarcely exceeds at present nine hundred; and
though it is not easy to calculate that of the wandering Koriacs, it is
imagined that they do not much surpass this amount.
The manners of the former are the reverse of estimable, and are a
mixture of duplicity mistrust, and avarice. They have all the vices of
the northern nations of Asia, without the virtues. Robbers by nature,
they are suspicious, cruel, incapable either of benevolence or pity. To
procure the least service from them, it is first necessary to offer,
and even to give them some recompence. Nothing but presents can excite
their attention, or rouse their activity[24].
From this perfidious and savage disposition, it would not be easy for
them to live in peace, or form any durable ties with their neighbours.
So unsociable a spirit must also give them an abhorrence of all foreign
dominion. Hence their continual insurrection against the Russians,
their atrocious robberies, their daily incursions on the people who
surround them; hence the respective animosities and revenge that
incessantly spring up.
This state of war foments in every individual a ferocious spirit. The
practice of attacking, and of defending themselves, creates in them an
inflexible courage that delights in perpetual combats, and glories in a
contempt of life. Superstition lends its aid to ennoble in their eyes
this thirst of blood, by imposing a law that obliges them to conquer or
to die. The more important is the cause that calls them to arms, the
more greedy are they of death. Neither the bravery, nor the number of
their adversaries, can at all intimidate them: it is then they swear
_to destroy the sun_. They discharge this terrible oath by cutting the
throats of their wives and children, burning all their possessions,
and rushing madly into the midst of their enemies. The combat can
only terminate by the total destruction of one of the parties. The
vanquished never seek their safety in flight; honour forbids it; and
not a Koriac will survive the slaughter of his countrymen.
The vicinity of the Russian settlements has hitherto produced no
change in the mode of life of the resident Koriacs. Their commercial
intercourse with the Russians, only renders them susceptible to the
attraction of wealth, and desirous of plunder. Insensible to the
advantages of a more polished life, they seem to feel a repugnance
to civilization, and to consider their own manners and customs as
absolutely perfect[25].
Their regular occupation is hunting and fishing; but every season will
not permit them to follow it. During these intervals, shut up in their
profound habitations, they sleep, smoke, and get drunk. Thoughtless of
the future, without regret for the past, they come not out of their
yourts till the most urgent necessity compels them. These yourts are
larger than those of the northern Kamtschadales, but are distributed
nearly in the same manner. I am not sure whether their filthiness be
not still more disgusting: as there is neither door, nor _joupan_, or
vent-hole, the smoke must be insufferable.
These people, enemies to industry, live like the Kamtschadales upon
dried fish, and the flesh and fat of the whale, and sea wolf[26].
The whale is commonly eaten raw, and the sea wolf dried and cooked
in the same manner as their fish, except the sinews, the marrow, the
brain, and now and then a slice of the flesh, which they devour raw
with extreme avidity. Rein deer is their favourite dish. Vegetables
also form a part of their food: they gather in autumn various sorts
of berries, of a part of which they make themselves a refreshing
beverage[27], and the rest is bruised to powder, and kneaded with the
oil of the whale, or sea wolf. This paste, or sweetmeat, is called
_toltchoukha_; it is held in high esteem in this country, but nothing
is to my taste more disagreeable.
Their passion for strong liquors, increased by the dearness of
brandy, and the difficulty of procuring it on account of their extreme
distance, has led them to invent a drink, equally potent, which they
extract from a red mushroom, known in Russia as a strong poison by
the name of _moukhamorr_[28]. They put it in a vessel with certain
fruits, and it has scarcely time to clarify when their friends are
invited to partake of it. A noble emulation inflames the guests, and
there is a contest of who is best able to disburden the master of the
house of his nectar. The entertainment lasts for one, two, or three
days, till the beverage is exhausted. Frequently, that they may not
fail of being tipsy, they eat the raw mushroom at the same time. It is
astonishing that there are not more examples of the fatal effects of
this intemperance. I have seen however some amateurs made seriously
ill, and recovered with difficulty; but experience does not correct
them, and upon the first occasion that offers, they return to their
brutish practice. It is not from absolute sensuality, it is not from
the pleasure of drinking a liquor, that by its flavour creates an
irresistible craving for more; they seek merely in these orgies a state
of oblivion, of stupefaction, of total brutishness, a cessation of
existence, if I may so call it, which constitutes their only enjoyment,
and supreme felicity.
The features of the majority of the Koriacs are not Asiatic, and they
might be considered as Europeans, but for their low stature, their
ill shape, and the colour of their skin. The other Koriacs have the
same characteristic outlines as the Kamtschadales; among the women
particularly, there are very few who have not sunk eyes, flat noses,
and prominent cheeks. The men are almost entirely beardless, and have
short hair. The hair of the women is very much neglected; it commonly
flows upon their shoulders, though there are some who wear it in tufts,
or wrapt up in an handkerchief. Their dress I have already described.
The women carry their children in a sort of cradle, the form of which
I thought singular. It is a kind of nest or basket arched over, in
which the infant is placed in a sitting posture, and sheltered from the
weather.
Among their strange customs I shall mention the probation to
which a young man subjects himself when he is desirous of marrying.
As soon as he has fixed his choice, he waits upon the relations of
his mistress, and offers to drudge for them, as the phrase is. The
young lady is immediately enveloped in a multiplicity of garments,
which conceal her to such a degree, that the face itself is scarcely
visible. She is not left alone for a single instant; her mother, and
a number of old matrons accompany her wherever she goes sleep with
her, and do not lose her from their sight upon any pretext whatever.
The aim of the lover, the point of happiness to which all his cares
tend, is to touch her naked body, the only way by which he can obtain
her. In the mean time he executes with zeal and submission all the
functions that the relations impose on him. Become as it were the
slave of the family, he is employed in all the domestic labours, to
cut wood, fetch water, provide ice, &c. Love, and the presence of
his intended, inspire him with courage. If he relax, a single look,
however indifferent, is sufficient to make him forget the fatigues
and drudgery of his servitude. The hope of abridging its duration
influences all his actions. His eye is invariably fixed on the idol
of his heart, he watches her motions, follows her steps, and intrudes
himself incessantly in her way. But how deceive the Argus eyes of the
duennas that surrounded her! It is a continual contest of vigilance
against cunning; each party acts with equal zeal and perseverance. From
such assiduities, from the agitation of the lover, and the precautions
that are taken to counteract his manœuvres, one would suppose that he
was about to carry off some extraordinary beauty. Who would imagine
that the object of the thoughts and desires of this whining Koriac, was
ugliness itself, and that he aspired to no other reward for so many
exertions, than to touch a callous, yellow, greasy skin? In his leisure
moments, at liberty to see and approach his mistress, he endeavours
to merit her affection by some sly attempt to obtain a touch; but the
number and thickness of her garments are an invincible barrier. Enraged
at so many obstacles, he tears and pulls off this teazing dress. Woe
betide him if he be surprised in his rash attack! The relations, the
inexorable spies, dart upon him, and force him to relinquish his
prize. It is commonly by the eloquence of the foot, or a stick, that
they entreat him to withdraw, and find some better opportunity. If he
resist, he is dragged by the hair, or the nails of these old hags are
imprinted on his face. If he be disheartened, or murmurs at this cruel
treatment, he is instantly dismissed, and forfeits for ever all claim
to the alliance, which is considered as the most signal disgrace that
can be inflicted on a Koriac lover. But difficulties only render his
desires more vehement. Far from complaining, far from desponding at
these rigorous proceedings, he considers himself as the more worthy
of the felicity he has in view. He rejoices, he glories in all the
tribulations he experiences during his amorous and painful servitude.
It is frequently not till after the expiration of two or three years,
more or less, that he obtains his end. Elate with his victory, he flies
to inform the relations of his success. The witnesses are summoned,
and the young lady interrogated[29]. Her confession is necessary, as
well as some proof that she was taken by surprise, and made fruitless
efforts to defend herself. Her hand is then bestowed on the conqueror,
but he is obliged still to wait till it is seen whether she can
reconcile herself to living with him. From this moment, freed from his
labours, he makes his court without restraint to his future wife, who
is not perhaps sorry to find herself delivered from her cumbersome
attire. This second stage of courtship is seldom very long; the damsel,
in the presence of the family, soon accords her consent, and nothing
more is requisite to give him all the claims of a husband. The nuptial
ceremony and feast consist merely in assembling the relations of the
parties, who are eager to get drunk in imitation of the new married
couple. A plurality of wives is not allowed among the Koriacs; I have
seen instances however of its being practiced without scruple.
Their funeral rights have a striking similarity to the ancient
institutions of paganism, still observed by various uncivilized people
of the new hemisphere. When a Koriac dies, his relations and neighbours
assemble to pay him their last respects. They erect a funeral pile,
upon which they place a portion of the wealth of the deceased, and a
stock of provisions, consisting of rein deer, fish, brandy, in short
whatever they conceive he will want for his great journey, and to keep
him from starving in the other world. If it be a wandering Koriac, his
deer conduct him to the pile; if a resident Koriac, he is drawn by his
dogs, or carried by his relations. The body is exhibited, clothed in
his best attire, and lying in a kind of coffin. There it receives the
adieux of the attendants, who, with torches in their hands, consider
it as an honour speedily to reduce their relation or friend to ashes.
They feel only the regret of a short absence, and not of an eternal
separation. They wear no mourning, and the funeral pomp terminates
in a scene of intemperance, where the fumes of their liquor and
tobacco gradually efface the remembrance of death. After a few months
widowhood, the women are permitted to marry again.
The superstitious practices observed at their funerals, and their
transient grief at the loss of persons the most dear to them, are
in my opinion an evident proof of their indifference to life, the
brevity of which neither astonishes nor afflicts them. Their religious
system deadens them apparently to the consoling hope of a protracted
existence. Death is in their eyes but the passage to another life;
and in quitting the world, they do not imagine that their pleasures
terminate, but that other enjoyments are reserved for them. This
flattering prejudice, which I mentioned in my conversation with
Oumiavin, sufficiently accounts for his religious perplexities, and
the ferocious courage of his countrymen. But their absurd dogmas are
entitled to a more particular relation, though the worship upon which
they are founded is very simple, and what is marvellous in it by no
means attractive. The following account contains the whole theogony of
the Koriacs[30].
They acknowledge a supreme being, the creator of all things. He
inhabits the sun, whose burning orb they consider as the throne or
palace of the lord of nature, whom they probably confound with that
celestial fire, which is supposed to be his dwelling. I am led to
believe this, as they neither fear, nor worship him. They address no
prayer to him: goodness, they say, is his essence; all the good that
exists in the world proceeds from him; and it is impossible he should
do an injury. May we not conclude from this statement, that the view
of the constant and universal benefits conferred by this king of the
celestial orbs which gives life, action, and power to all things
terrestrial, while it taught them to consider this luminary of the
world as their tutelary divinity, imbued them with the blind confidence
I have described?
The principle of evil they consider as a malignant spirit, who
divides with the sovereignly good being the empire of nature[31]. Their
power is equal. As the one is intent on the happiness of mankind, the
other endeavours to render them unhappy. Diseases, tempests, famine,
calamities of every kind, are his work, and the instruments of his
vengeance. It is to pacify his wrath, that they sacrifice their
personal interest, and have recourse to devotion. Their homage is
dictated merely by the terror with which this menacing deity fills
every heart, and consists of expiatory sacrifices. They offer to him
various animals, that have just began to exist, rein deer, dogs[32],
the first fruits of their hunting and fishing, and whatever they
possess that is most valuable. Their devotional exercises consist of
supplications and thanksgivings. There is no temple, no sanctuary set
apart for his votaries. This fantastic god is equally worshipped in
all places, and hears the Koriac who prays alone to him in the desert,
as well as the assembled family, who conceive that they render him
propitious by piously getting drunk in their yourt; for drunkness is
become with these people a religious practice, and the basis of all
their solemnities.
This demon, this formidable spirit, is doubtless the same being as
the Koutka of the Kamtschadales, whose ministers and interpreters the
chamans consider themselves. Here, as in the peninsula, the mystic
language of these magicians works upon the credulity, and obtains the
veneration of the multitude. They exercise physic and surgery with
equal success. These exclusive functions, which are supposed to be
aided by inspiration rather than the light of experience, procures them
an unbounded power. They are sent for from all parts of the country,
and testimonies of gratitude heaped upon them before-hand. They demand
with haughtiness whatever they please, and consider every thing that is
given them as a tribute. It is upon the pretext of making an acceptable
offering to the god, whose organ they are, that they appropriate to
themselves whatever the inhabitants possess, that is most costly and
beautiful. It is not necessary to suppose that these imposters gull
their votaries by a parade of virtue, by rigid observances, and a more
scrupulous life; on the contrary, they surpass them in their vices, and
fall short of them in sobriety. On the eve of their magic ceremonies,
they pretend indeed to fast all the day, but they make up for this
abstinence at night by a profusion of the moukamorr, the intoxicating
poison I have described, which they eat and drink to satiety. This
preparatory intoxication they consider as a duty. It is probable that
they feel its effects the next day, and that they derive from it an
elevation of spirits that contributes to derange their minds, and give
them the necessary strength to go through their extravagant transports.
The idiom of the Koriacs has no affinity to that of the Kamtschadales;
their pronunciation is more shrill, and slower, but it is less painful,
and has not those uncommon sounds, those hissings, as difficult to be
uttered as they are to be written.
I have still to give an account of the wandering Koriacs; but not
satisfied with the information I have obtained upon the subject, I
shall wait till my arrival at the house of Oumiavin’s brother, where I
shall have an opportunity of ascertaining its truth, by comparing it
with the objects that will be immediately before my eyes.
From the time of my arrival at Ingiga, M. Gaguen, in compliance
with my entreaties, had been employed upon the means of hastening my
departure as much as possible. Had it depended on myself, I should not
have stopped more than twenty-four hours; but unfortunately my dogs
were fatigued, and there were very few to be procured throughout the
whole town, and these not in the best condition[33]. It was therefore
proposed to me to take rein deer, which I accepted the more readily,
as I hoped to travel the quicker, and as I had long been desirous
of trying this mode of conveyance. I was not left in ignorance of
the inconvenience attending it. I had to expect greater risks, more
fatigue, and less repose; but my impatience made me regardless of every
thing but the possibility of proceeding, and the pleasure of being able
to judge for myself of the speed of these animals.
To satisfy my impatience, and enable me to continue my journey without
interruptions, M. Gaguen resolved to concert with the chiefs of the
wandering Koriacs that were in the neighbourhood, and accordingly sent
to invite them to his house. Two days after, twelve of these princes
arrived, and a number of other Koriacs, who had received similar
invitations.
After the usual compliments[34], he presented me to the assembly,
explaining to them, in a few words, by an interpreter, who I was, the
importance of my embassy, and the necessity in which I stood of their
assistance. This short explanation excited a general murmur. It was in
vain M. Gaguen alledged the absolute orders of government respecting
me; their clamours increased to such a degree, that it was impossible
to be heard, or to learn the cause of their discontent. At last, amidst
this confused noise, it was understood that they complained of all the
labour of the averages falling upon them, while the fixed Koriacs were
exempt from any share in it. What claim had they to this over bearing
immunity? By what privilege, like idle drones, should they be allowed
to vegetate in their yourts? Why not, like them, be subjected to the
conveyance of travellers? These remonstrances, justly founded, but
peevishly urged, began to alarm me respecting the success of my demand,
when an aged prince rose up: “Is this,” cried he, “the fit time to make
our complaints? If our zeal be abused, is this stranger responsible
for it? Has he the less claim to our good offices? He shall have my
assistance, and I will conduct him as far as he shall think necessary.
Consent only to escort him to my house. There are surely some among you
who will render him this trifling service.”
Upon this short address, shame was visible in the countenance of the
whole assembly, and the most mutinous were silent. After a moment’s
pause, every one attempted to exculpate himself from the reproach
which he feared he had merited, and there was an emulation who should
have the preference of conducting the stranger and his attendants to
the _Stoudénaïa-reka_, or cold river, upon the border of which lived
the obliging Koriac, who had voluntarily proffered his services.
Every difficulty being thus removed, my departure was fixed for 5
April, and the whole company engaged to attend my orders on that
day. The old prince, who had so generously pleaded my cause, was the
first to withdraw from my thanks, upon the pretext of having various
preparations to make before my arrival. How great was my joy to learn,
that the person to whom I owed this change of disposition in my favour,
was the brother of Oumiavin, whose acquaintance I had so ardently
desired!
From this instant, M. Gaguen put every thing in motion for my
departure. A number of small wheaten loaves were made under his
immediate inspection, and a supply of rye biscuit. A variety of
eatables, reserved for his own use, was, in spite of my remonstrances,
packed up with my baggage. He added also several presents, which I was
obliged to accept, from the polite and friendly manner in which they
were offered. In short, I know not how to enumerate all his kindnesses
to me. Every hour, during my stay with him, was marked by an attention
to my wishes and an endeavour to oblige. His cares contributed equally
with my repose to re-establish my health, which had been in no very
enviable state since the cold I had caught upon leaving Poustaretsk.
Prepared to depart 5 April, as had been agreed, how great was my
surprise to see none of my conductors arrive! Various expresses were
sent off; but the whole day passed before we had any intelligence. It
was night when they made their appearance, each alledging that the
delay had been unavoidable.
The next day there was a new obstacle. It was Sunday, and the timorous
consciences of my soldiers made them averse to travelling. Was it
necessary to attend to this scruple, or rather this terror? for it
was superstition more than devotion; it was not the sacredness of the
day that influenced them, but the idea that they should meet with
some misfortune. Notwithstanding the care I took to attend a Russian
mass with them, they were not to be prevailed on to set out. After
various intreaties to no purpose, I was obliged to stay and dine with
M. Gaguen, who politely congratulated himself upon the delay. Finding,
however, that it deprived me of all enjoyment, he proposed to cure my
people of their chimerical fears. I defied him, and he accepted my
challenge. Immediately he ordered brandy to be profusely dealt out to
all my attendants, Russians as well as Koriacs. Imperceptibly their
heads were warmed, and gaiety made them forgetful of the pretended
danger. The most reluctant were the first to assist in harnessing the
deer. It was no sooner said than done, and my sledges were ready in an
instant.
During this interval, a scene took place that diverted me extremely.
Oumiavin, out of compliment to me, became completely fuddled. The
vivacity of his regrets led him to practice every species of absurdity,
which he called taking leave of me. He went out, came in again,
officiously assisted in every thing. My sledge was no sooner ready than
he must lift it, to judge of its weight; but unable to keep himself
steady, this good Koriac fell, and in falling, broke the point of my
sabre. His grief, at the sight of this trifling accident, was truly
poignant. He precipitated himself at my feet, which he embraced, and
washed with his tears, conjuring me not to depart till I had forgiven
him. I attempted to raise him, and assured him of my friendship; but he
persisted in his posture, and his tears continued to flow. It was not
till half an hour, that, by means of entreaties and kindnesses, I was
able to pacify him.
I came out of the town on foot, escorted by almost all the
inhabitants, who were desirous, they said, of doing honour to the only
Frenchman that had ever visited them. M. Gaguen, and the officers of
the garrison, insisted upon conducting me to the gates, where, having
repeated my thanks for their civilities, we separated.
Of the four soldiers who composed my suite when I left Kaminoi,
two only remained with me, Golikoff and Nedarezoff; I had left the
others at Ingiga, which was the place of their residence. Upon the
recommendation however of M. Gaguen, I accepted the services of a young
merchant, who asked leave to accompany me as far as Okotsk. During my
abode at Ingiga, I had had frequent opportunities of conversing with
him, and knowing the value of his society, and considered myself as
fortunate in meeting with so agreeable a companion.
It was to no purpose that I had prepared to guide my own sledge; every
one opposed me, from the fear that the want of knowledge and skill
as to my new steeds, might occasion me some fatal accident; they had
beside been expressly injoined not to permit me, during the first day
at least. When I came to my vehicle, I found my guide already seated in
front, and I took my place, without paying any attention to him; but
upon his looking round, I recognized in his features a Koriac prince,
named _Eviava_. He was eager to express his joy in having the honour to
conduct me, and then prepared to join the file.
I have long owed the reader a description of a Koriac sledge, and
am now able to satisfy his curiosity. The picture, I hope, will be
sufficiently interesting to obtain his pardon for the delay.
Upon two skates, placed parallel to each other, that is, upon two
branches of a tree, six feet and an half long, three inches wide, and
very roughly finished, the extremities of which in front are bent
upwards in the form of a demi-crescent, is placed the body of the
sledge, which is really nothing more than a frame of open work, five
feet long and eighteen inches wide, raised two feet and a few inches
above the ground. Two small poles, about five inches in circumference,
constitute the frame of this vehicle, the minuter parts of which are
formed of thick laths, inserted the one in the other. A cross bar,
more substantial than these poles, unites their forward extremities,
which are prolonged to the arches of the skates, and fastened to them
with leathern thongs. The lower part of this open work rests upon a
sort of curvilinear feet, the lower ends of which, spreading out, are
inserted in the skates, and the back is constructed in the form of an
open calash, being sixteen inches high and twenty-four deep, disposed
in a semi-circular form, with short poles ranged at the top, in the
perforations of a demi-hoop, nearly like the backs of our arm chairs in
a garden. In this narrow inclosure, the traveller commonly places his
provisions, or whatever else is destined for continual use. For myself,
I employed it to receive my box of dispatches, and seated myself upon
it till the moment that I took the place of my guide. His seat is
towards the middle of the open work, not far from the cross bar; here
he places himself astride, with his feet resting upon the skates of the
sledge.
The team consists of two rein deer placed abreast, with no other
harness than a leathern collar, which passes across the breast and
between the fore legs of the animal, and is fastened to his flank by
a thong, in the manner of a trace, so that that which belongs to the
deer on the right, is fastened to the cross bar of the sledge, and
that which belongs to the deer on the left, to the bottom of one of
the bent supporters of the carriage, and on the same side. As reins,
they have two slender thongs, one end of which is twisted about the
root of the horns of the deer[35]. When they want to go to the right,
they pull the rein gently in this direction, giving at the same time
a sort of back handed lash to the animal on the left. When they want
to go to the left, they give two or three smart shakes to the right
rein, touching at the same time the deer to which it belongs. The
left rein has no other use than as a curb to the deer to which it is
fastened. The driver has also a stick, one end of which is armed with
a sort of hammer. The head of the instrument consists of an horizontal
bone, one of whose extremities is very sharp, and is principally used
to disengage the traces of the deer, while they are going on, if they
happen to become entangled about their feet; and this is considered
as one of the nicest accomplishments of a driver. The other end of
the bone is round and blunted, and serves the purpose of a whip; but
the blows that are given with it are much more severe; and are beside
distributed so liberally, that the poor animals are sometimes covered
with streams of blood. These sticks are very apt to break, and they
therefore take care to provide themselves with a number of them, which
are fastened lengthwise to the sledge.
We travelled very slowly till the evening. The only inconvenience I
felt was the not being able, for want of an interpreter, to enjoy the
conversation of my princely guide. It doubtless deprived me of a fund
of information which it was in his power to have furnished, and our
mutual taciturnity did not render my journey the more pleasant.
We stopped at seven o’clock. It was necessary to gain a mountain well
known to our Koriacs, and which had been marked in our itinerary as our
first stage. I should in vain have wished to seek shelter in a wood, as
had been my custom when drawn by dogs. The convenience of the traveller
is left out of the account in the choice of a resting place; that of
the rein deer only is consulted, and the spot that most abounds with
moss is invariably preferred. Half way up the mountain our steeds were
unharnessed, and no other care taken of them than that of tying them
with leathern thongs. I saw them instantly scrape away the snow, under
which they well knew how to come at their food. At a short distance
we made a fire, and set on our kettle, and the length of our supper
answered to its frugality. I admitted my Koriac prince to my mess, who
appeared to be highly flattered with the honour. I then laid myself
down on the snow, and was permitted to sleep a few hours; but when the
time was expired, they awoke me without compunction to proceed on our
journey.
It is necessary to observe that the Koriacs will travel four, five, or
six days incessantly without taking scarcely any repose. The rein deer
are habituated to run day and night. In every two or three hours they
are unharnessed, and allowed the interval of an hour to feed, after
which they set off again with equal ardour; and this mode is repeated
till they arrive at the end of the journey. It may be supposed from
this account, that I considered myself as fortunate, when the night
came, to be indulged with two hours uninterrupted sleep. The favour
however was not long accorded to me, and by degrees I was obliged to
accustom myself to the practice of my inflexible conductors, though it
was not without extreme difficulty.
Before I remounted, Eviava informed me that he was under the necessity
of lightening our vehicle, the weight of two persons being for a
continuance too much for our steeds, and that if I wished to make
the experiment of being my own charioteer, he would take one of the
empty sledges, with which we were furnished as a resource in case of
accident, or the loss of any of our deer. The proposal coincided too
well with my inclination for me to hesitate a moment in accepting it,
and I instantly seized the reins, and began my new apprenticeship.
I found it equally arduous with that to which I subjected myself
at Bolcheretsk, with this difference, that I was then the first to
laugh at the frequency of my falls; whereas in the present case, I
obtained the conviction of their danger at the risk of my life. The
trace of the deer on the left, being fastened to the supporter of the
sledge on the corresponding side, nearly touches the left foot of the
conductor, who must be continually on his guard to keep clear of it.
From forgetfulness or inexperience, I failed in this precaution, and
my leg became entangled. The violence of my fall, or more probably
the sudden and acute pain I felt in my leg, led me imprudently to
relinquish my hold of the reins, in order to apply my hand to it. By
what means could I disengage myself? The deer, finding no longer the
same restraint, advanced with greater speed, and every effort I made to
get free encouraged and irritated them. Dragged along in this manner,
my head sweeping the snow and striking continually against the skate
of the sledge, and feeling every moment as if my leg would be shivered
in pieces, it is scarcely conceivable what I suffered. I was no longer
able to cry out; I had lost all consciousness; when, by a motion purely
mechanical, I extended my left hand exactly upon the reins that floated
by chance. A new jolt of the sledge made me draw back my hand, and this
involuntary check stopped my deer. Some of my people came up at the
same time, expecting to find me either dangerously wounded, or already
deprived of life. Meanwhile after a swoon of a few minutes, my senses
returned, and I recovered my strength. The only injury I sustained was
a violent contusion on my leg, and a head-ache, which were attended
with no very material consequences. The joy of having escaped from
this danger, gave me additional courage, and I ascended my sledge, and
pursued my journey as if nothing had happened.
Become more circumspect, I took care in future whenever I was
overturned, to check immediately my deer, for I ought to consider
myself as fortunate that, in their impetuosity, they did not proceed
with me to the mountains[36]. In that case how could they have been
stopped? Three or four days are frequently spent in this pursuit, and
sometimes without success. This intelligence, which I received from
my Koriacs, made me tremble for my dispatches, which were in a box
fastened to my sledge, and were thus liable to be taken from me every
moment.
I perceived at the left of our road the village of Karbanda, situated
on the sea-coast, and ninety wersts from Ingiga. We did not pass nearer
than a werst to it, and it appeared to be a very inconsiderable ostrog.
Three wersts farther on I saw two yourts and six balagans, which are
occupied only in summer.
We had still seven wersts to the place destined for our halt, which was
a wretched hamlet in the middle of a small wood watered by the river
Noyakhona. It consists of a single yourt and three or four balagans,
inhabited winter and summer by ten or twelve Koriacs, who gave me a
tolerable reception; for they sheltered me at least; and this was no
trifling convenience to a man frequently obliged to sleep in the open
air, and upon a bed of snow.
About two o’clock in the morning we sent for our deer, which had
been conducted to a distance from the hamlet, that they might have an
opportunity of feeding, and be out of the reach of the dogs. We pursued
our journey, but the day afforded nothing interesting.
In the evening, Eviava, who was not well acquainted with the situation
of the yourt of Oumiavin’s brother, proposed to me to ascend a mountain
at the left, where he expected to find one of his countrymen that could
direct us. In the space of an hour and an half we reached the summit,
but upon looking round, could perceive no trace of an habitation. The
night would not permit us to extend our search. Perceiving that I was
tired and little disposed to go any farther, Eviava was unhappy. To
satisfy him, I desired that he would make the search without me, and
that I would in the mean time, repose myself in this place till his
return. In about three hours he came with joy to awake me. He had found
his friend, prince Amoulamoula and all his herd. They entreated me not
to quit the place where I was till the next morning, being all desirous
of coming to meet me. I was not sorry for the event, as it procured me
almost a whole night’s rest.
As soon as it was light my visitors came. The chief approached me
first, to pay me his compliments in the Koriac mode. He accompanied
them with a beautiful black and red fox skin, or _sevadouschka_, which
he drew from his parque, and obliged me to accept[37]. In return for
this civility, I treated them all with brandy and tobacco, with which I
had amply provided myself at Ingiga; and having thanked them for their
kindness, I took my leave, supplied with the necessary information to
direct our course.
Though the snow was very deep, and not at all firm, our deer ran with
surprising ease and lightness. Having broader feet, they do not sink
so much as the dogs, and have in this respect the advantage, as there
is no necessity of going before them with rackets to clear the way.
But then the dogs are not so soon tired, and spare the traveller the
disagreeable circumstance of stopping every two or three hours.
In my way I killed a number of partridges. From the quantity we saw,
these cantons must be congenial to them. Some wild rein deer fled upon
our approach with a velocity that scarcely gave me time to observe
them. Happily the abundance of my provisions took from me all desire to
kill them.
At noon we could distinguish the Stoudenaïa-reka, and in an hour after
we had crossed it, or rather we were arrived at the yourt of the
brother of Oumiavin, in whose hands Eviava had undertaken to place me.
My new host came to meet me at the head of his family. Their
satisfaction at seeing me was visible in their countenances, and they
seemed to strive who should press closest. The address of the old
prince was short, but replete with the cordiality which he had before
demonstrated. Every thing he had was at my disposal, and I might
command the services of himself and his family. They immediately began
to place my sledges and effects under cover. I had no other care than
that of my dispatches, and before they would permit me to have even
this trouble, I was obliged to explain to them that I never trusted
this box out of my own hands.
When I entered the yourt, my first care was to pay prince Eviava
my post expences. I had twelve sledges, each drawn by two deer; the
distance we had travelled was a hundred and eighty-five wersts; and I
was indebted therefore seven roubles forty kopecks. In receiving this
sum, my good conductor exclaimed upon my generosity. It was in vain
I endeavoured to prove that I paid him no more than his just due; he
could not comprehend my calculation; and it was the continual burden
of his song, that he had never met with so honest a man. To pay him
for having conferred an obligation upon me, was in his opinion an act
of sublime virtue. So many encomiums, give room for suspicion that the
Russians practice something more than œconomy; and it is asserted, that
their travelling in this country is not attended with much expence.
We sat down to our dinner, which was very joyous. Eviava and my host
eat with me; the brandy was not spared; and my enchanted guests never
remembered to have fared so sumptuously.
I employed the rest of the day in making observations, and
interrogating the people about me. But the reader may have perhaps the
curiosity to know something more of the brave Koriac who received me
with so good a grace.
His name also is Oumiavin, but he is distinguished from his brother by
that of Simeon, in which he was baptized when an infant. He confessed
to me with the utmost frankness, that he had no idea of the nature of
the Christian religion. So little care had been taken to instruct this
young proselyte, that he was ignorant of the very first principles
of the gospel. Accustomed to an absurd mixture of the errors of his
country, and a few external practices of Christianity to which he had
habituated himself[38], he happily found in his heart the principles of
natural rectitude, by which alone his conduct was governed.
Like all the Koriacs, he is small and sallow. His head is
characteristic of his mind. An expression of frankness and benevolence,
confirmed by the whole of his figure, prejudices us in his favour;
and his short white locks, added to the regularity of his features,
give him an air of true distinction. He is lame of his right-arm, in
consequence of an obstinate contest with a bear. His companions fled
through fear, and he was left alone to oppose the monster, and though
he had no other weapon but his knife, he defeated and killed him. The
chace is his favourite amusement. Equally skilful and intrepid, he is
regarded also as a very fortunate hunter.
But it is the strength of his mind, that renders him most estimable
and interesting. The project he formed, and which he laments the not
having been permitted to execute, could only have been dictated by a
head strongly organised. It proves at least much good sense and deeper
reflection than can be ascribed to the rest of his countrymen. It
originated thus.
Indocile and jealous of its liberty, this people had for a long time
impatiently brooked the idea of being tributary to Russia. The severe
administration of the governors was accused by this savage tribe as
being a tyrannical abuse of power; and doubtless, among the numerous
subaltern officers there were many who felt no compunction in harassing
these new subjects of the empress.
Simeon Oumiavin was the first whose indignation was roused. More
enraged at the obduracy of these extortioners, than at what was taken
for them, it was impossible, he said, they could be authorised by a
sovereign whose justice and lenity were incessantly vaunted. This
judicious reflexion made the strongest impression upon his mind, and
awakened all his natural courage. Immediately assembling a few of his
countrymen, who, like himself, were victims of the iniquity of these
petty tyrants, he communicated to them his suspicions, and his design.
“My brethren,” said he, “do you feel the weight of your chains? Were
you born to wear them, to be the prey of these avaricious rulers, whose
rapacity, abusing every day the power entrusted to them, leads them
to regard us as a property which they may squander at their pleasure?
How do we hope to deliver ourselves from this scourge? We cannot have
recourse to arms; we are too weak; and new and more formidable enemies
would spring up from the ashes of the dead. But we dare pass the
immense tract of country which they traversed to come to us; we dare
carry our complaints to the palace of our sovereign. It is in her name,
but not by her order, that we are harassed, that we are robbed. The
mildness of her government gives the lie to such injurious treatment,
such perfidies. Her licentious ministers are the most forward to boast
of its lenity. Let us go in person to claim it, throw ourselves at her
feet, and declare our grievances. She is our common mother, and will
not turn a deaf ear to the cries of a part of her subjects, of whom she
can have no knowledge but from the false accounts of her wicked agents.”
This speech, which I have reported nearly as it was delivered to me
by Oumiavin, inspired every mind with the indignation and enthusiasm
of its author. It was a zealous contest among them who should go to
Petersburg. Meanwhile the most wealthy and intrepid were selected
for the office. Oumiavin, from his ability to speak with tolerable
readiness the Russian language, had the honour of being placed at the
head of the deputation, and they departed, furnished with a variety of
valuable articles which were intended as presents. Arrived at Okotsk,
our travellers stood in need of succour. They applied to the governor,
intreating him to supply them with the means of gaining Irkoutsk at
least. He had got some intelligence of their design, and foreseeing
its danger, took measures to prevent it. Under the specious pretext of
first obtaining the consent of the governor general, he detained them
several months. During this interval, he employed every means to seduce
them. Reasonings, intreaties, kindness, every thing was resorted to;
but nothing could dissuade them from continuing their journey; they
were inflexible. Violence was then made use of; a thousand snares were
spread for them; it was easy for monopoly and persecution to create
wrongs; and as a punishment, they were constrained to return, with the
shame and mortification of having sacrificed to no purpose the greatest
part of their wealth, and their deer.
This melancholy experience discouraged not the chief of the Koriac
confederacy; it was in his eyes an additional proof of the utility
of his design, and the necessity of executing it. From this moment
he treasured up the remembrance of it, hoping that more fortunate
circumstances would one day offer. At the time of my visit, his heart
was still inflamed with the desire of undertaking this expedition.
“Yes,” said he, “in spite of my age, I would set off this moment. My
motive indeed would be different, and I should no longer have the
same obstacles to fear, as our present governors are entitled to our
confidence and praises. My ambition would be to see my sovereign. I
endeavour sometimes to form an idea of her splendid palace, and the
wealth and variety with which it abounds, and it revives my regret at
not having been permitted to behold her in all her magnificence and
glory. We should have considered her as a divinity, and the faithful
account we should have given to our countrymen, would have filled every
heart with respect and submission. Influenced still more forcibly
by love, than we had before been by fear, we should cheerfully have
paid every tribute imposed by moderation. We should have taught our
neighbours to venerate her government, by making them the witnesses of
our satisfaction and gratitude.”
Almost my whole conversation with this honest Koriac was of this
nature. I considered myself as bound to transcribe it in this place,
to give the fuller description of his character. I beg leave to add
another anecdote.
The expences he had incurred had nearly ruined him. A considerable
time was necessary to repair his flock, which, from the neglect
and infidelity of the keepers, had during his absence fallen into
decay. It was at this very moment that he gave a striking proof of
his generosity. One of his relations had some months before lost all
his deer, and was reduced to servitude. Simeon Oumiavin came to his
assistance, and made up for him a small flock which he lent him without
interest. On his return from his fatal embassy, he refused to take it
back, because it was not yet sufficiently augmented to leave his friend
wherewith to support himself.
Their deer is the only source of riches to this wandering people. The
chief of a horde has seldom less than two or three hundred, and many of
them have three or four thousand. Oumiavin’s flock amounted, when I was
with him, to about eight or nine hundred, the view of which afforded me
very great pleasure.
This multitude of deer are seen on the top of a mountain, near the
Stoudenaïa-reka, sometimes collected, and sometimes scattered, seeking
under the snow for moss. It is seldom that any of them wander from the
flock, and they are always caught without difficulty. On the evening
of my arrival I had an opportunity of enjoying this spectacle. They
had been assembled in order to select what were necessary for my use,
which required only a quarter of an hour. Upon a particular cry of
their keepers, the tame deer came towards us. The young ones, and
those which are unaccustomed to, or exempt from, labour, go off in a
different direction. The slow and the restive ones were next separated
from the rest, and those that were wanted were easily caught by means
of a running noose which they threw over them with singular dexterity.
The choice being made, they separated those destined for my use, and
which if they had not been detained by force, would speedily have gone
to rejoin the rest.
They do not ordinarily employ in labour the female deer, which are
reserved for the propagation of the species. They are coupled in
autumn, and foal in the spring. The young males designed for draught,
are castrated nearly in the same manner as the dogs of Kamtschatka.
There are almost always three or four deer in a flock that are trained
for the chace. The instinct of these animals is inconceivable; they
hunt even while they are feeding. If a tame deer perceives a wild one,
he immediately, without showing any sign either of joy or surprise,
imitates in browsing the gait and manner of the other, who sometimes
approaches him without suspecting a snare. Presently one sees them
play together; their horns become entangled, they part, they join each
other again, they fly and pursue each other by turns. In these sportive
amusements the tame deer gradually draws his prey within musquet shot
of the hunter. With a well managed deer, one is able to seize his
companion alive; a cord is hung upon the horns of the former, which, in
their play, he entangles in the horns of his adversary. From that time
the greater the efforts made by the wild deer to escape, the closer the
running knot is drawn, and the more strongly the tame deer pulls at
the cord, in order to give his master time to come up. It frequently
happens however that the wild deer suspects the trick, and escapes the
danger by flight.
When a Koriac comes out of his yourt in the morning, the deer flock
about him in expectation of a drink, which is the highest treat to
them; this is nothing more than human urine, which is carefully
preserved in vessels, or hampers made of straw, and of so nice a
contexture that the liquor cannot penetrate through them. The flock are
so extremely fond of this beverage, that whatever quantity you give
them, it is all swallowed in an instant.
Simeon Oumiavin ordered a young deer to be killed, the best of his
flock. It was cut up for my use, and the half of a wild deer added to
it, the flesh of which appeared to be still more succulent. He gave me
also four very beautiful skins[39]. We then entered the yourt, where I
passed the night upon a mattrass spread in one corner.
Though the appellation be the same, there is no kind of resemblance
between the habitations of the wandering, and the underground dwellings
of the fixed Koriacs. Not knowing how to distinguish the different
lodgings of these people, the Russians have given the name of yourt
to all of them, without troubling themselves with the primitive
signification of the word, which means a subterraneous apartment. The
yourts in question are, properly speaking, mere tents in the form of
huts placed on the surface of the ground. No other care is taken as to
the foundations, than that of drawing the boundary, and removing the
snow that may be within the line. Round the circumference, a number of
poles are erected at equal distances, which uniting at the top, serve
as supports to each other. This rustic timber work has a wretched
covering, of tanned deer skins, extended from the base[40] to within a
foot or two of the summit, which is left open for the admission of air,
and as a passage for the smoke. A considerable inconvenience results
from this circumstance, as there is nothing to protect the centre of
the habitation from the rain and the snow; in the mean time it is on
this very spot they make their fire, and cook their victuals. The
family, and the servants, who have the care of the flocks, sleep under
_pologs_, which are a kind of huts, or low tents ranged in distinct
apartments round the wall of the yourt, and resembling the square tents
of the Tchouktchis.
The unsettled state of these wandering people led them to invent
this species of habitation. The conveyance of their whole house being
equally easy and commodious, they feel the less reluctance to changing
their quarters. Upon the first necessity or inconvenience, they take up
their tents, fasten the poles lengthwise to the sledges, and stow the
coverings with their baggage. A new spot is fixed upon, and deserted
again almost immediately, and thus they remove from one place to
another every moment. Their sledges are of course always kept loaded
by the side of their habitations, and the provision and other articles
taken out in proportion as they want them.
On my arrival I found twelve sledges prepared for me. The first care
of Simeon Oumiavin was to assure me, that he would himself be my
guide, and would conduct me, if it were necessary, as far as Yamsk.
I manifested a becoming sense of this obliging offer, and at eight
o’clock in the morning of 10 April, we took our flight, and at noon had
reached the Tavatoma, being a space of twenty-five wersts.
Desirous of seeing a hot spring which Oumiavin pointed out to me
in the neighbourhood, I put on my rackets to cross on foot a small
wood, by the side of which it forms a stream three fathom wide, which
pours itself into the Tavatoma. I left my people therefore at an
elbow, formed by the river at this place, and it was agreed that they
should proceed over a high mountain that was at the right, and take
the opportunity while they waited for me, of feeding the deer, and
preparing our dinner. Accompanied only by M. Kisselioff, I travelled
two wersts to reach the spring.
It is said to be composed of a number of others issuing from a
mountain at the left of the river, and which unite in their descent. A
thick smoke rises in clouds above these waters, but it has no offensive
smell. The heat is extreme, and the bubbling continual. Their taste is
sharp and disagreeable, which seems to imply that the waters contain
sulphurous and saline particles; by analising them, they would probably
also be found to have iron and copper. It is certain that the stones
we picked up along the stream had all a volcanic quality, but the most
singular circumstance was the effect the water produced upon us. I
merely, in a slight manner, washed my mouth with it, and M. Kisselioff
his face; he had the skin of his face taken off, and I had my tongue
and palate flayed, and for a long time was unable to eat any thing hot
or high seasoned.
Having satisfied my curiosity, we prepared to join our company. To
effect this, we imagined that we were to pass a mountain opposite to
that from which the hot spring issued. Our rackets made us retreat
instead of advancing, and we were obliged to take them off, and ascend
by the help of our hands and feet. About three fourths of the way,
overcome with fatigue, and apprehensive that we had mistaken the road,
I intreated my companion, who was more accustomed to this mode of
climbing upon the snow, to endeavour to gain the summit, from whence
I hoped he would be able to discover our equipage. He succeeded, and
after waiting an hour and half in anxiety, I saw the good Koriac
coming with a sledge to my assistance. We had in reality taken the
wrong direction, he informed me, and Kisselioff had been ten times on
the point of perishing before he found our camp. Upon my arrival we
proceeded immediately on our journey, and did not halt till it was
late, and we were twenty-five wersts from the hot springs of Tavatoma.
We had determined the 11, to push for the chain of mountains called
_Villeguinskoi-khrebeut_, but it was not practicable. At the close of
day we could but just perceive them; we advanced however till we came
near enough to be sure of reaching them early in the morning.
They appeared to be close to us, when we were still at the distance
of eight wersts. Having passed this place, we had to cross a small
river that winds at the bottom of these mountains, when we came to
that of Villegui, which is the loftiest, and gives its name to the
rest. At first sight it appeared to be inaccessible. A narrow passage
presented itself, and, confiding in my princely conductor, we entered
it. Four hours scarcely sufficed to bring us to the peak. Conceive
of an enormous mass, at least two hundred yards high, and nearly
perpendicular, with rocks and stones projecting in various places, and
cleared by the hurricanes from the snow. The little that remained made
the footing so slippery that our deer fell down every moment. In spite
of our exertions to support the sledges, the steepness of the declivity
made them recoil, and we were under the continual apprehension of
their falling upon us, which would infallibly have happened if we had
slipped. Frequently in laying hold of a rock that seemed to adhere to
the mass, it gave way, and I lost my equilibrium. But for Oumiavin
and my soldiers, who were by my side, and gave me timely assistance,
I should infalliably have precipitated to the bottom. Arrived at the
summit, I became giddy upon looking down the precipice I had climbed,
and my heart shuddered at the danger I had escaped.
I was far from thinking myself safe, as I had to descend. My obliging
Koriac, to give me confidence, minutely explained the method I was to
take, and his instruction freed me from all fear of accidents; but I
was still uneasy, having left a part of my baggage at the foot of the
mountain. Who, thought I to myself, will have the courage to go for it?
The intrepid Oumiavin undertook the office, attended by some of his
people.
I was tormented by a burning thirst. The top of the mountain was
covered with snow, but how were we to dissolve it, as there was not
a shrub to be seen? The hope of finding some at the bottom made me
resolve not to wait for my guide, but to avail myself of his lessons,
and descend. We began by unharnessing our deer, and fastening them
to the back part of our sledges, in each of which two men placed
themselves. We then slid down in the manner of the inhabitants of
Petersburg, who, during the carnival, thus amuse themselves upon the
mountains of ice which they form on the Neva. With the aid of our
sticks we guided and kept back our vehicles, and in less than ten
minutes we were safe. I had the good fortune to perceive some small
cedars, and a fire having been kindled, I allayed my thirst. It was
now two o’clock, and at seven we were all assembled; Oumiavin met with
no accident, but he was so fatigued that it was nine before we could
proceed.
The next day’s journey was less painful to us than to our deer. The
snow was more than three feet deep, and so little firm that they sunk
to their necks. Many of them refused to draw, and it was necessary
to leave them behind us. Such is the inconvenience attending these
animals, when one wishes to make a long journey with only short
intervals of rest; as soon as they are tired, we must abandon them or
stop; it is no longer possible make them move.
I had hoped to reach Toumané in the morning of 14, and we were within
ten wersts of it, when a violent gale of wind, accompanied with snow,
almost blinded us. It obliged us to relax our speed, and we did not
enter the village till four o’clock in the afternoon.
It is situated south-west of Ingiga, at the distance of four hundred
and forty wersts, in a little wood through which the river Toumané
flows. Three yourts, an equal number of wooden magazines, and a dozen
balagans make up the whole ostrog, the population of which amounts to
twenty families. Though the river abounds with fish[41], I saw the
inhabitants, either from indolence, or a vitious taste, feed upon the
bark of the birch tree steeped in the oil of the whale.
The bad weather continued during the 15 and 16; but it would have been
impossible to have proceeded if we had been ever so desirous, as our
deer were incapable of drawing us any farther. Oumiavin dared not avow
it, but his melancholy appearance told me what he would willingly have
concealed. Upon my mentioning it to him, he began to make apologies, as
if I had a right to complain, because he found it impossible to conduct
me, as he had intended, as far as Yamsk. I had much difficulty to make
him understand that I was fully satisfied of his good will, and owed
him my thanks for all his civilities; it was necessary to assume an
air of displeasure before he would accept some presents that I thought
myself bound to add to my post expences.
By his advice, I intreated the inhabitants to supply me with what dogs
they had, but with all their efforts they could only procure me a very
small number, and there was no other way of making up what I wanted,
than that of harnessing young dogs, and even females that were ready to
whelp. The generosity of these people was carried so far as to offer me
a part of their dried fish, of which they had no abundance.
The 17 the wind abated, but the sky was covered with black, and
very ill boding clouds. In the mean time having taken leave of
Simeon Oumiavin, and my Toumané hosts, I departed at one o’clock
in the afternoon with my escort, and all my baggage, in five open
sledges. Each team consisted of eight or ten dogs. I had taken a man
extraordinary to serve me as charioteer, having no longer either
strength or courage to undertake the office: this fatiguing exercise
had wholly overcome me.
We soon came to the sea, upon which we travelled in order to avoid
seven mountains, which rendered the common route extremely difficult.
We had scarcely advanced fifteen wersts, partly upon the ice, and
partly upon the coast, when fortunately for us, we were obliged to
return, as the snow began to fall, and the wind to blow with an
impetuosity that drove our dogs back, and made our sledges totter. My
guides delayed not to inform me of the danger; and from the fear of
misleading us, they proposed that we should take shelter in a deserted
yourt that was at no great distance, and the situation of which they
were perfectly acquainted with.
It is upon a small river called _Yovanna_, twenty wersts from Toumané.
When we came up to it we were covered with snow, and almost frozen. We
were all eager to descend that we might be screened from the tempest,
but we found its entrance stopped up with snow four feet deep. Having
hastily arranged our sledges, we took our rackets, for want of shovels,
and began to open a passage. This work occupied us an hour. We were
still in want of a ladder; the most hardy ventured to leap down, and
the rest followed them. We fell upon the carcasses of sea wolves
entirely frozen, and some of them half devoured, doubtless by ravenous
beasts, who, in the depth of winter, had made this subterraneous
habitation their den. A leathern seine in one corner of the yourt, was
the only indication that it had been visited by human beings. It is
to be presumed that the neighbouring Koriacs had made use of it as a
reservoir. The walls were surrounded with icicles, which fell down in
chrystallizations; and in truth, I can only compare this dwelling to
a large ice house. Its form was square, and its dimensions about five
feet deep by ten large.
While we were employed in placing the sea wolves out of the way,
that we might have more room to lie down, my conductors fastened our
dogs[42], and gave them their allowance of food; at the same time a
fire was kindled, and having warmed ourselves and eaten our supper,
I extended myself upon the leathern net we had found in the yourt. A
sea wolf under my head served me as a pillow. My companions imitated
my example; and, excepting the disadvantage of having too confined a
space, we passed a very good night. We ceded an entire corner to the
Koriacs of my suite, who huddled together, and were unable to stretch
themselves at their length; but they made no complaint, and appeared
not to be conscious of any inconvenience. I saw them squat down, like
apes, their head muffled up in their parque, and their elbows resting
upon their knees; and in this posture they slept as soundly as if
wholly at their ease.
The next day the wind changed, but its violence did not abate, and it
was the more troublesome to us, as it drove the smoke into the yourt to
such a degree that we were suffocated and blinded, and were obliged not
to light our fire except at our meals.
I was desirous of remedying this inconvenience by some external
contrivances; but I had no sooner placed my foot out of the yourt than
I was almost blown down. M. Kisselioff, who accompanied me, had his cap
carried away, and was willing to pursue it with some of our conductors;
but it was to no purpose; at the distance of fifteen paces he entirely
lost sight of our retreat, and was only able to find his way back by
the cries we made in answer to his.
We at last succeeded in placing a fence sufficiently high to secure
a free passage to the smoke. From this moment we continued our fire,
without intermission, night or day; but in spite of this care, we
were all chilled. The dampness became equally insupportable with the
cold. The fire gradually melted the ice that surrounded us and we had
a thousand dribblings over our heads, and a stream of water under our
feet. To increase our difficulties, the sea wolves began to thaw,
and diffuse a noxious odour. That which exhaled from our bodies[43]
was more than sufficient to make our asylum a true sink. As it was
impossible to purify the air, we endeavoured at least to get rid of our
neighbours, the sea wolves; and my guides were the first to propose
that our dogs should be fed with them while we continued in this
frightful situation. I consented the more readily, as the scantiness
of our dried fish obliged me to consult œconomy. In thus appropriating
to myself what chance threw in our way, I doubtless did an injury to
some unfortunate inhabitants of this quarter; but when reduced to
extremities, selfishness is sometimes pardonable.
Impatient to pursue our journey, I sent my Koriacs to observe the
weather. In two minutes I saw them descend perfectly covered with snow,
and so chilled, that they could not open their mouths. Their report
corresponded with their sad appearance; but of all their exclamations,
I was most struck with the account they gave me, that the rocks, which
were a few paces from our yourt, and very perceptible the preceding
evening, were now wholly invisible.
The 20, the weather becoming calmer, and the snow having almost
subsided, I ordered preparations to be made for our departure. Our
dogs were therefore harnessed, and we had hoisted ourselves out of the
yourt, when a terrible gust of wind deranged all our measures. The
snow came on as thick as ever, and we were obliged to retreat with
precipitation, happy that we were within reach of shelter. Almost
instantly I found myself ill. I know not whether it were occasioned by
passing suddenly from cold to heat, or by the putrid air I breathed
in plunging myself into this sink, or the vexation I felt at so
many obstacles; but I continued nearly a quarter of an hour without
sensation. The zeal of my soldiers manifested itself on this occasion;
in order to restore me, one deluged me with water, while the other
chafed my temples so roughly with snow, that he rubbed off, I believe,
the skin.
My reflections, after this swoon, were as melancholy as my situation.
I considered my plan as wholly defeated by these impediments and
delays, and was apprehensive of not arriving at Okotsk till the rivers
were broken up. In the mean time this was indispensible, if I intended
to make use of the mode of sledge travelling, to reach the place called
the Cross of Yudoma, or _Yudomskoi-krest_. Hence I had designed to
proceed to Yakotsk by a circuitous passage down the rivers Yudoma,
Maya, and Aldann[44], by which means I found that I should escape the
inconveniencies of the thaw, which renders the road impracticable even
to horses. But according to the calculation I had made, the hindrance
of a single day might occasion me a delay of more than two months. It
is necessary to have been in my place, to judge how very discouraging
was my prospect; the dangers that beset me appeared in my eyes to be
less terrible.
At length, the 21, it was possible to proceed. The sky was still
covered with clouds, and the snow fell heavily, but the wind had
ceased, and we resolved to set off in spite of our apprehension of
another hurricane, which would exceedingly have distressed us, as we
had no hope of refuge till we came to Yamsk. We directed our course
towards the sea, upon which we constantly travelled at the distance of
two wersts from the shore; but in the evening we thought it prudent to
approach nearer, in order to halt. The ice was perfectly smooth, and
our little camp was easily erected.
The next morning we rose tolerably early, and in order to avoid the
curvatures of the shore, we made for the main ocean. We had observed
some bays the preceding evening, but they were less extensive than one
which we crossed in the afternoon of this day. Unfortunately, when we
were opposite to it, a gust of wind prevented us from examining it.
I understood, from my guides, that it was called from the river Iret,
which falls into it, that it is almost entirely closed, and is dry in
summer, when the sea is low. In spring it abounds with water fowl. The
inhabitants of Yamsk and its environs catch them with nets, and hunt
them with sticks in the moulting season. The shallowness of the bay,
which is in all places fordable, is favourable to the diversion of
these sportsmen.
Upon the approach of night we came on shore, and halted till the
morning in a wood of firs, upon the banks of the river Iret.
The 23 furnished nothing remarkable. The wind assailed us with
considerable violence in the middle of a plain, the extent of which was
twenty five wersts. I had again recourse to my compass, and we had not
proceeded fifteen wersts, when the sky suddenly cleared up. We met a
sergeant with dispatches from Okotsk; and a little farther, about three
wersts from its mouth, the river Yamsk presented itself. We pursued its
course, and passed at the right an habitation of fishermen, resorted
to only in summer. Six wersts farther we came to the ostrog of Yamsk,
which is more than a hundred and fifty from Toumané. My biscuits were
nearly consumed, and I was constrained not only to sleep there, but to
remain a considerable part of the next day, to supply myself with a
fresh stock of provisions.
The serjeant who commanded the garrison, which was composed of twenty
men, received me with civility. Upon the recommendation of the governor
of Ingiga, he assiduously provided every thing of which I stood in
need, and gave me the necessary information.
The ostrog, or fort of Yamsk, is upon the border of the river, ten
wersts from its mouth, where it forms a bay that seems to promise
excellent anchorage; but a variety of capes advancing a considerable
way, and a great number of shoals with which the entrance is as it were
blocked up, render it the more dangerous, as the passage is narrow, and
obliges the ships frequently to beat about, or lie to for a favourable
wind, in order to pass over them, for it is almost impossible to
succeed with a side wind. From this account it is evident, that if the
place were more considerable and more frequented, shipwrecks would be
more common[45].
There are at Yamsk only twenty five houses, built of wood; a part of
which, where the church[46] is situated, is surrounded with a square
enclosure of pallisades, like that of Ingiga, but not so high or so
thick. The inhabitants amount to twenty families, whose mode of life is
similar to that of the Russians.
They have a method of making salt, that was new to me. The wood which
the sea throws now and then upon the shore, is collected with the
greatest care. When it is dry, they burn it; the ashes are afterwards
boiled, and the sediment which it leaves is a very white salt.
Two days previous to my arrival at Yamsk, a troop of wandering
Toungouses had left this settlement. To console me under the
disappointment of having missed them, I was favoured with a sight of
the full dress, both of the men and women. They wear no chemises, but a
kind of stomacher fastened behind, and which descends to the knees like
an apron. It is embroidered with the hair of rein deer, and ornamented
with glass beads of various colours, to which are added at the bottom
plates of iron and copper, and a considerable number of small bells.
Under this apron they wear a sort of breeches, or pantaloon, made of
skin, and their legs are covered with long boots, which have the hair
on the outside, and are embroidered. A long waistcoat covers their
shoulders, to the extremities of the sleeves of which gloves are
fastened, with an opening under the wrist for the sake of pulling them
off more conveniently. This waistcoat, close at the breast, and fitted
to the shape, terminates near the middle of the thigh, and is also
ornamented with embroidery and beads. From the small of the back hangs
a tail, two feet long, but not very large. It is made of the hair of
sea wolves, died of different colours. The head dress is a small round
cap, which widens a little on each side to cover the ears. The whole
attire is made of the skin of young deer, and trimmed with sables,
otters, or other furs of equal value.
The garb of the women is nearly the same, except that it has no tail or
gloves, and that there is a small opening in the crown of their caps of
about two inches in diameter, which is doubtless made for the purpose
of passing the hair through.
Such is the mode of these people. In winter they wear thick fur
clothing; but they are careful, for fear of injuring it, to change
their dress the moment they enter their yourts, and to put on their
worst garments; and upon the most trivial occasions they strip
themselves entirely naked.
We felt this day the force of the sun, which announced an approaching
thaw. Of consequence I furnished myself with plates of whale-bone to
be fastened under the skates of my sledges, in case of necessity; and
by the advice of the people of the country, founded on the experience
of travellers in this season of the year, I resolved to travel in the
night, and to rest in the day, when the sun had most power. I came out
of Yamsk at eleven o’clock in the evening, our caravan consisting of
nine large sledges, or _nartas_[47].
At break of day we found ourselves at the foot of a mountain, fifty
wersts from Yamsk. The Koriacs have given it the name of _Babouschka_,
or _grandmother_. The summit, they say, is the tomb of an old
sorceress, equally renowned and formidable. My guides maintained that
it was the loftiest mountain in this part of the world; but their
superstitious fears seem to have magnified it, as, in my opinion,
that of Villegui is much steeper, at least I found more difficulty in
ascending it. Arrived at the top of the Babouschka, they placed iron
cramps under their feet, in the form of small tripods, and fastened,
transversely under the sledges, tolerably large sticks, in order to
impede the velocity in descending. No farther care was necessary than
that of guiding them with the _oschtol_, or stick pointed with iron,
and we came to the bottom without any accident. The inhabitants of the
country however consider this descent as dangerous, particularly when
the inequalities are filled up with snow, which in that case become so
many concealed and inevitable gulphs, and, I am inclined to believe,
frequently prove fatal to travellers.
In all probability, the dread which the Koriacs entertain of this
Babouschka originated in the following manner. As a natural effect of
their prejudice, they feel disposed to acts of gratitude the moment
they find themselves out of danger. The Koriacs who attended me were
eager to hang up their offering, which consisted of small quantities
of tobacco, scraps of fish, pieces of iron, &c. upon the summit where
they suppose the sorceress to sleep. Others had left there before them
old cramps of iron, knives, arrows, and broken arms. I perceived a
Tchouktchi javelin ornamented with ivory, and I advanced to seize it
with a view of keeping it, but the cry of my conductors stopped me.
“What would you do?” said one of them. “Are you desirous of ruining us?
Such a sacrilege would draw down upon us the most dreadful calamities,
and you would be unable to pursue your journey.” At this apostrophe I
could have laughed in the face of the timid prophet, if I had not stood
in need of the succour of these people. To continue to merit it, it was
necessary to respect their error, and I assumed therefore a becoming
gravity; but no sooner had they turned their backs, than I laid hold of
this terrible arrow, as a monument of their absurd credulity.
The first village I came to was Srednoi There is something picturesque
in its situation, which is upon the border of the sea, at the entrance
of a deep bay that loses itself in the land, by forming the channel
of a small river, the water of which is always free from any brackish
taste. The Koriacs, who inhabit it, received me with cordiality. I
rested myself for a few hours in one of the two yourts, which, with
a number of magazines, constitute the whole ostrog. The yourts are
constructed like those of the fixed Koriacs, with this difference, that
they are not subterraneous, and that the entrance is by a door upon
a level with the ground. Muscles abound on these coasts, and are the
principal food of the inhabitants.
I came away in the evening with fresh dogs, and travelled eight wersts
upon the river Srednoi. The ice, in various places, broke under our
sledges, but the hardiness and skill of my guides extricated us from
the difficulty. Obliged to go on shore to free the vehicles, they
had the precaution to put on their rackets, that they might have a
more extensive footing on the ice. But the greatest inconvenience in
travelling on this river was occasioned by the slipperiness of the ice;
our dogs were unable to support themselves, and fell down every moment
one upon another.
Before noon of the 26, we reached the ostrog of Siglann, the last in
the Koriac territories, which is upon a river of the same name. It is
seventy seven wersts from the preceding, and is neither larger nor more
populous. It contains only one yourt, built like those of the Yakoutes,
the description of which I shall defer till my arrival with these
people. I stayed at Siglann to arrange the skates of our sledges, that
is, to fasten plates of whale-bone under them, which the melting of the
snow rendered necessary, and I departed at five o’clock in the evening.
I first crossed a bay, called by the name of the village. It was
large, and appeared to be well defended, except at the south and south
east. The whole coast is of considerable height, and the bay extends so
far, that I was eight hours in gaining the western cape. Farther on I
found another curvature not less considerable, called the _Bay of Ola_.
In spite of the velocity of our pace, we were ten hours in passing over
the widest part of it.
The 27, about three o’clock in the afternoon I stopt at Ola, a
Toungouse ostrog, a hundred and fourteen wersts from Siglann. It is
situated upon a sandy flat at the mouth of the river Ola, which,
widening at this place, affords a small harbour, to the extremity of
which the Toungouses retire in the severe weather. They had quitted it
two days before, and had taken possession of the ten yourts that make
up the village, and in which they reside as long as the warm weather
lasts.
These yourts are not formed underground, like those of the
Kamtschadales and the majority of the fixed Koriacs; they are also
longer and of a superior construction. The walls are supported by thick
posts, and there is a narrow opening at the top of the roof, that
extends from one end to the other; the fire place is in like manner of
the same length as the house. Eight feet above the fire, which is kept
in during the whole summer, they hang upon cross beams their stock of
fish and sea wolves, in order to dry and smoke them, and this indeed
is the chief advantage of these buildings. By means of two doors in
opposite sides of the yourt, they are able to introduce whole trees and
enormous pieces of wood, with which the fire is supplied. Each family
have their bed in little distinct huts in the sides of the building.
The yourt I entered was divided into apartments, the walls of which
consisted merely of prepared fish skins, sewn together, and stained
with different colours. This singular tapestry has by no means a
disagreeable appearance.
The winter yourts are round, and built upon the ground like the summer
ones. The walls are constructed of large beams, placed perpendicularly,
and the covering is inclined like the roofs among us, with a hole in
the top for the evaporation of the smoke. They have a door, the bottom
of which is upon a level with the foundation. Some of them have within
a kind of corridor, which breaks the column of air, so that the smoke
issues more freely.
The instant of my arrival at Ola, I was visited by a number of
women, some dressed in the Russian, and others in the Toungouse
mode. Expressing my surprise at seeing them so fine, I was informed
that it was the village feast; it was also, I understood, a part of
their coquetry to appear in their best attire before strangers. Of
their most esteemed ornaments, embroideries of glass beads seem to
have the preference. Some of them are wrought with tolerable taste;
among others, I observed one on the boot of a young girl that had an
admirable air of lightness; it concealed in no respect the beauty of
the leg, that was covered with a kind of pantaloon of skin, nicely
fitted, over which hung a small petticoat.
There is a striking resemblance between the Russians and Toungouses;
they have similar features and the same language. The men are strong
and well made; some of the women have an Asiatic appearance, but not
the flat nose and broad face of the Kamtschadales and the majority
of the Koriacs. Mildness and hospitality seem to be characteristic
qualities of these people. It was not from a defect of zeal, on their
part, that I did not procure the succour I wanted; but their ability
was so small, that they could only change a part of my dogs.
Upon leaving this village we proceeded on the sea. The ice embarassed
us considerably in the course of the night, and the frequent cracks
which we heard under us, were not calculated to dispel our fears.
At break of day we reached the main land, in order to surmount a steep
promontory. Our way was so complicated, that we had allowed ourselves
seven hours to gain the sea again, but the descent was more difficult
than had been represented, and it was necessary to make ourselves a
passage through a wood of birch trees. One of my guides, suffering
himself to descend like the rest, by the mere force of the slope, from
the top of the mountain to the bottom, was overturned by the shock of
a sledge, which struck against him just as he was turning an angle. He
endeavoured to lay hold of the trunk of a tree, and unfortunately fell
upon the pointed end of his stick, which entered his side; he had also
received a violent blow in the head, and we were obliged to place him
on one of our baggage sledges.
At the foot of the mountain we had another perplexity, occasioned by
the sea being broken up. How great had been our risk during the night!
My conductors were terrified at it equally with myself. “What will
become of us,” cried they? “It is now that we have the most alarming
dangers to encounter.” Dissembling my uneasiness, I attempted to
encourage them. We continued our course for some time along the shore;
a melancholy silence prevailed among my people, whose countenances were
expressive of consternation.
In about half an hour the person at the head of the file suddenly
stopped, exclaiming that it was not possible to proceed any farther. I
conceived at first that his terror magnified the difficulties, and I
sent my soldier Golikoff with one of the most experienced of my guides
to examine our situation. They quickly came back, and confirmed the
ill tidings. Golikoff advised that we should return, and endeavour to
find a way by land, but my guides rejected his counsel, declaring that
it was nearly impossible to ascend, on this side, the mountain we had
just passed, and that even if we succeeded, the route would be too
considerable, and also too dangerous on account of the rapidity of the
thaw, and their little acquaintance with the country. They concluded
by proposing to us to abandon our sledges, to select the most valuable
part of my property, and to cross the bay by leaping from one sheet of
ice to another. But the current began to put them in motion, and the
sea was covered with isolated pieces; it may be supposed therefore that
I felt no great inclination to adopt this mode of travelling, to which
however the people of the country are frequently reduced. I knew not
what plan to follow; at length I resolved to try myself if I could not
find some practicable path along the shore.
A chain of rocks, which, through its whole extent, presents to the
sea a flat perpendicular surface, and consequently without the least
appearance of strand, was the description of the shore I visited. The
sea, in carrying off the mountains of ice which had concealed its
surface, had left a horizontal crust suspended to the side of this
enormous wall, which was not more than two feet wide, frequently not
more than one, and scarcely one foot in thickness. Eight feet below
this sort of cornice, you saw the waves beating against the rock, and
innumerable shelves that the eye discovered in the sea, and that seemed
about ten feet below its surface.
I did not suffer these observations to discourage me, but immediately
committed myself to this perilous cornice. Emboldened by its solidity,
I advanced softly in a sidelong direction, my face turned towards the
rock. It offered no hold to the hands, but only now and then a narrow
cavity, into which I threw myself to recover breath; after having
passed the gaps of the crust, which continually presented themselves to
my steps, the ice being in certain places completely washed away, and
a breach left of two or three feet in length. At first I must confess
I felt myself intimidated, and did not leap them without trembling:
the least error in position, the most trifling accident would have
destroyed me. My companions could not have relieved, nor even so much
as have seen me. This progress continued for three quarters of an hour,
at the end of which I reached the other extremity of the rock, and no
sooner had I arrived than I forgot the dangers of the way to think
only of my dispatches. I had left them under the care of my soldiers,
but I alone could undertake to save them. The experiment I had made
encouraged me, and proud of my discovery, I did not hesitate to return
upon my steps.
My people condemned my conduct, which they considered as rashness, and
expressed their astonishment at seeing me again. I concealed not from
them that the way was hazardous; “but as no accident had happened to
me, why, I asked, should you be deterred from following me? I will once
more make the attempt, and I hope upon my return to find you free from
apprehension, and disposed to imitate my example.”
I immediately took up my port-folio, and the box that contained my
dispatches. My two soldiers Golikoff, and Nedarezoff, whose dexterity
I had already experienced, consented to accompany me. Without their
assistance it would, I believe, have been impossible to save this
precious deposit; we carried it in turn, exchanging it from one to
another. He that had last received it, for instance, who always marched
foremost upon this narrow parapet, threw it suddenly into a hollow
place of the rock, advancing at the same time a few steps; the others
came after him, took up his burthen, and relieved themselves from it by
the same manœuvre. I cannot express what I felt during this operation;
at every stride of the bearer over the gaps of the path, I imagined I
saw my box ready to fall into the sea. Twenty times it was upon the
point of escaping from our hands, and I felt my very blood curdle as
if I had seen death itself gaping under my steps. Indeed I am not able
to say what would have been the effect of my despair, if I had had the
misfortune to lose it. I knew not a moment’s ease till I had deposited
this solemn charge in a place of safety; my joy was then as vehement as
had been my anxiety.
This second success inspired me with so much confidence, that I no
longer doubted of the possibility of transporting our sledges in the
same manner. I communicated my ideas to my soldiers: animated by my
example, and by the event of their first experiment, they cheerfully
returned with me for this new undertaking. By my order they had
unharnessed a part of the dogs; they now fastened to the four corners
of the sledges long thongs of leather which I directed to be held by
those who were before and behind the vehicle. We presently found the
utility of this precaution; our sledges were sometimes wider than the
parapet, and of consequence only rested on one skate, so that the load
must have overturned them into the water if they had not been strongly
supported; at other times the ice, as I have said, was entirely
gone, when it was necessary to give them a sudden elevation in order
to preserve their equilibrium. The muscular arms of my guides were
scarcely equal to the weight, and it was sometimes as much as all of us
could do to keep one another from falling. It was to no purpose, for
us to grapple the rock; it was perpetually to be feared that one of us
should draw in the other, or that the ice should suddenly fail under
our feet. We however suffered nothing but the apprehension.
We returned once more to fetch the rest of our dogs. It seemed as
if these poor animals judged better than ourselves of the extent of
the danger, so much did they bark and draw back, particularly at the
difficult passages. It was to no purpose to cheer them with our voice,
it was necessary to strike them, or to pull them rapidly after us.
There were four of them, who from aukwardness or terror, could not leap
like the rest. The first perished in our sight without the possibility
of our assisting him[48], the second remained suspended by his fore
feet; one of my guides, supported by his comrade and leaning forward,
was fortunate enough to save him; the other two were supported by their
traces, and were easily extricated from the peril.
These various crossings backward and forward occasioned us seven hours
incessant labour and apprehension. We were no sooner out of danger than
we returned thanks to heaven like so many persons escaped from death.
We embraced one another with transport, as if each had owed to his
companion the preservation of his life. In short, our happiness was
better felt than it is in my power to describe.
We made all possible haste to remedy the disorder of our equipage, and
immediately proceeded on a flinty strand, the breadth and solidity
of which relieved us from all disquietude. In about two hours, at a
little distance from the ostrog of Armani, we met a number of sledges
returning empty to Ola, and which of course could have no other way
than that which we had just passed. We informed the conductors of the
difficulty, and wished them equal success.
The village of Armani is eighty wersts from Ola. It consists merely
of two yourts, a summer and a winter one, situated by a river of the
same name. We passed on to the house of a Yakout, three hundred paces
farther, where, it was said, I should find a better lodging. It was
a yourt in the middle of a large wood of fir trees, and had been
inhabited by him thirty years.
In his absence his wife received me with the utmost cordiality. She
offered us milk, and a sourish beverage made chiefly of mare’s milk,
called _koumouiss_. Its taste was by no means disagreeable; and my
Russians, in spite of their superstitious aversion for every kind of
food that comes from the horse, highly relished it. The husband arrived
while this was passing, who was a venerable old man, but as yet full of
health and vigour. Informed of the object of my journey by his wife,
and my soldier Golikoff, who, being a native of Yakoutsk, served as
interpreter, my host instantly cleaned the most distinguished place
in the room that I might repose myself. I was awaked by the lowings
of the herd which came into the yourt. Eight cows, a bull, and a
number of calves, divided the apartment with me. Notwithstanding this
company, there was an appearance of cleanliness, and the air was sweet
and wholesome. This Yakout does not pass his time like the Koriacs
and Kamtschadales, in catching and preparing fish, a species of food
upon which he sets little value; hunting, and the care of his cattle,
occupy his whole attention, and supply all his wants. Besides his herd,
he has also ten horses, which he uses for various purposes, and which
are kept in an inclosure at a little distance from the yourt. Every
thing about this habitation has an air of ease, and creates in the
spectator tranquil and cheerful feelings. I know not whether the sight
of the herd, the appearance of plenty, or the excellence of the milk
provisions communicated some charm to our repast, but I conceived it to
be the most sumptuous I had made for a considerable time. The master of
the house had the kindness before my departure to add some game to my
stock of provisions.
We separated the same evening mutually satisfied with each other. I
travelled the whole night, and arrived in the morning at the fort of
Taousk, being a distance of forty-two wersts. This ostrog, where, in
conformity to the plan we had laid down, we spent the day, is situated
on the river Taon. It contains twenty isbas, a small church served by
the vicar of Okotsk, and a building for the reception of tributes,
surrounded by palisades in the form of bastions. Twenty Yakouts, two
chiefs, and some other Koriacs, who, attracted by the situation, have
settled there, make up the whole of the inhabitants. The garrison
consists of fifteen soldiers, commanded by a serjeant named Okhotin, at
whose house I took up my abode till the evening.
In the night I passed through the village of Gorbé, peopled by
Yakouts, and a small number of Koriacs. At break of day we lost sight
of the sea. We had for some time journeyed upon the banks of the Taon,
and gradually we advanced farther into the land. During 1 and 2 May, we
travelled through fields, and upon the river Kava, without perceiving a
single habitation.
The 3, at the very instant when we were about to halt in the middle
of a wood of fir trees, a gale of wind rose, accompanied with a heavy
snow. My tent, suspended over the sledges containing our baggage,
served us for a shelter. But it was necessary to have a fire. My
conductors, who undertook to procure wood, were buried as high as their
waists in snow, and even with their rackets they sunk up to their
knees. In the afternoon the wind changed, and the sky became clear. We
immediately mounted our sledges, but the depth of the snow obliged us
to alight in turns to open a passage for the dogs.
In the morning of 4 May, we passed over the mountain of Iné, two
hundred and twenty wersts from Taousk. It may be compared in height to
that of Babouschka. When at the summit, the cold pierced us to such a
degree that we stopped to kindle a fire. In about five hours we came
again to the sea, which we left at a short distance from the village of
Iné, where we arrived in the dusk of the evening.
This ostrog is thirty wersts from the mountain, and is peopled by
Russians and Yakouts, whose habitations are isbas and yourts. They have
the care of a stud of two hundred horses, which we had an opportunity
of seeing, ten wersts from the village. I intended to have changed
my team, and sat off again immediately, but I was detained by the
difficulty of procuring dogs. The chief of the place was dead drunk,
and it was not till after an hour’s importunity and search that we were
able to procure an adequate supply.
Twenty-five wersts from Iné, where, that I might make the greater
speed, I had left my equipage under the care of my faithful Golikoff,
with orders to follow me as quickly as possible, I passed two yourts
inhabited by Yakouts and Toungouses. The name of this hamlet is
Oulbé. Farther on I met a number of convoys with flour, which was to
be distributed in the neighbouring villages, and made into biscuits
to supply the ships of M. Billings, of whom I shall presently have
occasion to speak.
We came again upon the coast, and I travelled forty-seven wersts
without quitting it, during which time I saw a number of sea wolves,
and a whale driven upon the shore. At the top of the mountain called
Marikann, that is at the distance of twenty-five wersts, I had the
pleasure to discover the town of Okotsk, but I was attacked by a gale
of wind that made me apprehensive of a new delay. Regardless of every
thing but my impatience, I continued my route, resolving to brave
all accidents. My courage however was not put to the test; before we
reached the shore the weather was calm, and I was able to satisfy
my curiosity by examining the wreck of a vessel that was driven on
the coast. Having crossed, with trepidation, the river Okhota[49], I
entered Okotsk 5 May, at four o’clock in the afternoon, accompanied
only by Nedarezoff.
I alighted at the house of major Kokh, vested with the command in the
absence of M. Kasloff, whose arrival with me he had long expected. The
governor’s letter informed him of the cause of our separation, and I
gave him a brief account of the melancholy circumstances attending it.
I hastened to pay my compliments to Madame Kasloff, and deliver the
packets entrusted to my care, but she was in the country four wersts
from Okotsk, and I was so fatigued that M. Kokh would not permit me to
wait upon her that day. An express was sent off with the letters, and
my apologies, and I fixed on the next day for my visit. Presuming that
I principally stood in need of repose, the major obligingly conducted
me to the apartment destined for me in the house of M. Kasloff. I found
every convenience of which I had been deprived ever since my departure
from Ingiga. In the space of three hundred and fifty leagues I had not,
except once at Yamsk, slept in a bed.
As soon as I rose in the morning I was visited by M. Kokh, and the
principal officers and merchants of the town. M. Allegretti, surgeon
to the expedition of M. Billings, was among them. From the facility
with which he spoke the French language, I should have taken him for a
countryman, if he had not, upon introducing himself, informed that he
was an Italian. My meeting with him was the more fortunate, as the pain
in my breast had returned. I hesitated not to consult him, and am happy
in having an opportunity to declare, that to his skill, and the care he
bestowed upon me during my stay, I am indebted for the perfect cure of
my complaint.
M. Kokh conducted me to his house to dinner, where I had an
opportunity of becoming better acquainted with him[50]. His kindness
extended so far as to form a thousand plans of amusement, which he was
eager to communicate with the hope of inducing me to make some stay
with him.
If my duty had not prohibited every voluntary delay, I could
not easily have resisted the urgency of his invitations, and the
fascinating pleasure of his society; but faithful to my trust, it was
necessary to sacrifice my inclinations and my repose to the rapidity of
my journey. I convinced my host of this, and yielding to my reasons, he
became satisfied with my eagerness to quit him, and even seconded my
zeal by assiduously providing the means for my departure.
The rain had been incessant since my arrival, and the people who were
sent out to examine the roads, conceived them to be impassable, at
least with dogs. From their report, the daily increase of the thaw
deprived me of all hope of advancing farther, unless by means of rein
deer, and M. Kokh therefore sent an express to a horde of wandering
Toungouses that had left Okotsk a few days before, to procure me a
supply of these animals.
Having taken these measures, the major accompanied me to Boulguin,
the country house of Madame Kasloff, who received me as the friend
of her husband, and the companion of his dangers. The object of her
affections was the subject of our whole conversation. She demanded an
account of all our difficulties at the period of our separation. It was
in vain that I attempted to soften in my description such circumstances
as were calculated to impress themselves too forcibly; her sensibility
told her that it was from an unwillingness to give her pain, and it
only alarmed her the more. I did not well know how to console her,
for I was not myself without anxiety respecting this valuable man;
but assisted by M. Kokh, I assumed with tolerable success an air of
serenity. I had recourse to conjectures; and the major, on his part,
mentioned a variety of consoling expedients; and at last we restored
tranquillity to the mind of this affectionate wife, by flattering her
with the speedy arrival of M. Kasloff. This lady was born at Okotsk,
and appeared to have had the best education; she spoke the French
language with elegance. In the solitude of her retreat, her chief
happiness was placed in educating a daughter about three years old, the
express image of her father.
Having made all my visits to the officers of the garrison, I returned
to Boulguin to dine with Mrs. Kasloff, as I had promised, when she gave
me letters to her relations at Moscow.
The next day our express arrived, but he had not been able to overtake
the Toungouses, who had separated, and were dispersed through the
country. Here ended of course our hope of rein deer. Meanwhile it
seemed necessary that I should not defer my departure, as the roads
became worse every day. The longer I wait, said I to myself, the less
capable shall I be of reaching the cross of Yudoma before the rivers
are entirely broken up, and the greater will be the risk of my being
stopped by the floods. Filled with these reflections, I renewed my
entreaties that M. Kokh would allow me to proceed. It was in vain he
alledged the many disagreeable circumstances I should experience, the
obstacles I should encounter, the dangers to which I should be exposed,
from the season being too far advanced to travel with sledges; I
persisted in my resolution. At last he complied, and promised to give
the necessary orders, that nothing might prevent my setting off the
next day, upon condition that I would return the moment I found myself
in any imminent danger. I was glad to obtain my liberty, and consented
to all that he proposed. I spent the remainder of the day in walking
about the town in order to give a description of it, accompanied by a
number of persons who were able to assist my enquiries.
Longer than it is wide, the town of Okotsk extends nearly in a direct
line from east to west; the sea is at the south within a hundred yards
of the houses, and the interval between consists of a flinty strand; at
the north the walls are washed by the Okhota; to the east is the mouth
of this river, that is, at the extremity of a neck of land upon which
the town is built, and that extends from thence to the west. The town
has nothing in it extraordinary; the structure of the houses has little
variety, as they are only isbas, a few of which, situated to the east,
are larger and more commodious than the rest, and are destined for the
use of the officers. M. Kokh lives at the other end of the town; the
gate of his court yard opens into the high street, the regularity of
which is broken by a square, in which are the house of the governor,
and the sessions-house, both of them under the same roof. Opposite
to them is the guard-house, and on the left side of the square the
parish church. These buildings have no very splendid appearance. They
were formerly enclosed with palisades, of which there are still some
vestiges. The remains of a gate to the west of the government house,
shews that this was what they called a fortress. Behind it is a street
reaching almost to the river, inhabited by tradesmen, whose shops,
regularly arranged, line each side of the street.
The port is so very insignificant, that I could not have called it
by this name, if I had not counted in it seven or eight vessels or
galliots, some of them belonging to the crown, and others to merchants,
who carry on a fur trade with America. The port is to the east,
almost at the extremity of the town, and near the river, by a kind
of appendage to which it is formed. Upon the invitation of M. Hall,
lieutenant in the navy, I accompanied him to the dock to see two small
ships that were building for the voyage of discovery intrusted to M.
Billings. The sailors, soldiers, and carpenters, had been sent out at
a very considerable expence; and the armament, which goes on rapidly,
must cost the empress an immense sum.
Faithful to his promise, M. Kokh had made all the preparations for
my departure, and 10 May in the evening, my sledges being loaded and
harnessed, I took leave of him and the rest of the officers, who
expressed their desire of seeing me return.
My company was augmented by two men, who were to serve me as pilots on
the river Yudoma. I travelled all night, notwithstanding the wretched
state of the roads, which corresponded with the report that had been
made. They were completely covered with water, and in some places, the
woods in particular, it reached to the bellies of our dogs. The wind
continued south, the sky became more clouded, and every thing indicated
that the thaw was not likely to cease.
In the mean time, having crossed the river Okhota, I arrived without
accident to the village of Medvejé-golova, or _bear’s-head_, which
is forty-five wersts from Okotsk, and is inhabited by Russians and
Yakouts. I entered very early in the morning, but our dogs were so
weary that I was obliged to spend the day and even the night there,
being unable to procure a fresh supply.
I had hoped to be at Moundoukan the next day, which is twenty wersts
from the preceding ostrog. Half way a part of our dogs refused to
draw, and we reluctantly ventured upon a river that seemed to offer us
a more commodious way. We had scarcely advanced a few paces, when we
heard a sudden crack under our sledges; the next moment I felt myself
gently sink, but a piece of ice still kept me up. It broke a second
time, and my skates became almost invisible. Every effort to extricate
myself would have been fruitless, as the least motion must have carried
me forward and plunged me into the water. Fortunately it was only
four feet deep; by their exertions, my people at last drew me from
my embarassment, but they were nearly as much in want of assistance
themselves. Deaf to the remonstrances of my conductors, I was desirous
of proceeding, but we soon found it necessary mutually to aid each
other in gaining the bank. Meanwhile the snow melted so rapidly, that
our dogs paddled in the water without advancing a step, and fell one
upon another exhausted with fatigue.
Among my guides was a serjeant, whom M. Kokh had given me for my
better security. His reputation for courage and experience led me to
consider him as my compass and guardian, and I kept my eye fixed upon
him, observing his motions and studying his countenance, which had
hitherto been inflexibly composed. In the midst of the murmurs of the
rest of my company, he had not uttered a word nor altered a muscle of
his face, so as to discover any emotion. I naturally construed this
silence into a disavowal of the fears with which they attempted to
fill me, and his tranquillity as an encouragement to go on. Never had
my astonishment been greater than to see him suddenly stop, protesting
that he would not proceed a step farther. I interrogated him, and urged
him to explain himself. “I can no longer be silent,” he answered,
“influenced by a sentiment of vanity, and a desire to display superior
courage, I have hitherto withheld from giving my opinion respecting the
hazardous measure you are desirous of pursuing; but the more I admire
your intrepidity, the more I think myself bound to prevent the fatal
consequences it may occasion, and to inform you of the many dangers and
obstacles that will every instant spring up before you. The majority
of the rivers are already disencumbered of their ice, and could you so
far succeed as to pass them, you would soon be overtaken and surrounded
by the floods. What will then be your resource? To seek an asylum on a
mountain or in a forest, if you should be fortunate enough to meet with
one. Like the inhabitants[51] of these cantons in such circumstances,
can you build yourself a cabin on the tops of the trees, there to
remain a fortnight or three weeks till the waters shall subside? And
are you sure that even in this lofty retreat they will not reach you,
or force you down, together with the tree that serves as your support?
Are you sure that your stock of provisions will preserve you, during
this interval, from the apprehensions of famine? If this summary view
of the calamities that await you are not sufficient to intimidate you,
proceed; you are your own master; I have done my duty, and must beg
leave to quit you.”
This blunt remonstrance, and the terrible prediction it contained, did
not fail to make a strong impression on my mind, and I considered that
I could not do better than return immediately to Okotsk, from which we
were only fifty-five wersts distant.
We reached Medvejé-golova the same evening, where I stayed till four
o’clock in the afternoon of the next day. From thence to the river
Okhota I felt no other inconvenience than that of travelling very
slowly, but to compensate for this short respite, we experienced, when
we came to cross the river, new perils and new alarms. I confess that
I was equally terrified with my people, and dared neither measure with
my eye the width of the river, nor lose sight for a moment of the trace
of my sledge. The instability of the ice, which was moved up and down
by the current, made me apprehensive that it could not bear the weight
of so many passengers, and I expected every instant that an abyss would
open and swallow up some of us. At length having gained the bank, we
counted over the company one after another, to convince ourselves that
no one was lost, and the pleasure of having escaped this tremendous
danger, gave wings to the remainder of our journey to Okotsk, where we
arrived the 14 at noon.
So speedy a return, occasioned some pleasantries on the part of M.
Kokh and the other officers; each reminded me of his prediction; but
I was less confused at the folly of my attempt, than mortified and
distressed at its failure. I calculated with grief that my stay in this
town would not perhaps be less than a month. Engrossed by a thousand
melancholy ideas, I was for some time incapable of returning any
answer to the demonstrations of joy and friendship which were heaped
upon me. All the obstacles I had met with from my first landing at
the port of Saint Peter and Saint Paul, occurred at once to my mind,
and I conceived that the invincible hand of fate opposed itself to
the success of my embassy. It was to no purpose that I employed every
means of being expeditious; it was to no purpose that I had pushed
my zeal to rashness, and on many occasions hazarded both my life and
my dispatches. What a distance was I still from Petersburg! In the
mean time six months are frequently known to be sufficient for this
journey; and a vessel leaving Bolcheretsk in July, will, if it meet
with no accident, commonly arrive at Okotsk in three weeks or a month,
and sometimes in twelve or fifteen days. From Okotsk to Yakoutsk, on
horseback, is only the business of a month, and in like manner from
Yakoutsk to Irkoutsk, whether we sail down, the Lena, or ride along
its banks. At Irkoutsk it will probably be necessary to wait six weeks
till the frost sets in, and by means of sledges it is easy travelling
to Petersburg in a similar portion of time; the governor general has
performed it in twenty eight days.
It is impossible to express my impatience and despair, when I
contrasted the tediousness of my journey with this expeditious mode
of travelling. Eight months had already elapsed, and I was no farther
than Okotsk. It is true, I had no choice of season, and had been
detained nearly three months at Bolcheretsk; obliged beside to make by
land the tour of the peninsula of Kamtschatka, I had had to contend
with tempests and a thousand obstacles, each more grievous than the
preceding. These delays had been equally involuntary and unavoidable;
and though they may be pleaded in my justification, they do not remove
the regret that is inseparable from the recollection of them. It is
always distressing not to be able to execute the trust reposed in
us, particularly when it is known, that at a different season, and
under other circumstances, the task would have been easy; but it is
still more distressing, when attended with the anxiety to see our
native country and our dearest friends. Such were the reflections
which agitated my mind on my return to Okotsk; and for many days they
poisoned the pleasures that every one was desirous of procuring me. At
length, however, the attentions I experienced, and the amusements that
poured in upon me on all sides, dispelled my chagrin, and there was no
longer any merit in my resignation.
Among the officers of the garrison, I owed peculiar obligations to M.
Loftsoff, inspector general. He gave instant orders that the belt of
their wretched horses should be collected from the environs, and kept
in readiness to set off at a moment’s warning[52]. This precaution
enabled me to seize the first favourable opportunity, which, I
flattered myself, would be sooner than they gave me reason to expect.
Mrs. Kasloff, informed of my return, had the kindness to send me every
day an abundance of milk, which she knew had been prescribed by M.
Allegretti, as the only food that could relieve my breast. I was the
more obliged by this attention, as it was not possible to procure milk
at Okotsk at any price.
In a few days I heard news that gave me real pleasure. An express from
Ingiga informed us of M. Kasloff’s arrival in that settlement; but he
had brought no letter from the governor; and our joy soon gave place to
anxiety. In what situation had he arrived? Why had he not written? His
health perhaps would not permit him? We all questioned the messenger
in turns, and it was with difficulty he could convince us of his
safety; but the probability of his account, its invariable uniformity,
and our own hopes, so natural, when the person in question is dear to
us, persuaded us at last that our fears were vain; and in spite of
my melancholy experience of the difficulties of the route, and the
unfavourableness of the season, blinded by my attachment, I frequently
deceived myself, and lessened the obstacles, from my desire to see him
before my departure.
Okotsk being the seat of administration, and the entrepôt of the
Russian commerce in this country, I found myself at the fountain
head of knowledge respecting these subjects. The society in which I
lived, offered me a thousand opportunities of instruction, which it
was impossible not to embrace. I first applied myself to the study of
commerce, by enquiring into the causes that gave rise to, that favoured
and increased the enterprises of the Russian colonies in this quarter
of the world. I was assisted in my enquiries by the most enlightened
persons and the best informed merchants; and to ascertain the truth
of their accounts, I frequently contrasted them with each other, and
compared them with the assertions of Coxe. I beg leave to transcribe,
in this place, the notes which I minuted down for my own information.
If they should contain any details sufficiently interesting to obtain
pardon for the digression, I shall have gained my end, and be amply
rewarded for my labour.
By the conquest of the eastern part of Siberia, the Russians came into
possession of the fruitful mines with which it abounds, and which were
held in no estimation by the inhabitants. To the extraction of iron,
the conquerors added that of silver, gold, and other precious metals,
the eternal objects of the avarice of mankind. The discovery of these
new sources of wealth, enflamed the courage of the adventurers; the
result was, that they were desirous of extending their dominion still
farther, and their eager regards reached beyond Irkoutsk, which ought
on this side to have bounded their empire.
Upon their first incursions into the neighbouring countries, they
perceived, with regret, that they had not the same advantages to hope
for. Nature appeared every where to have acted as a step-mother. The
sterility of the soil, which equalled the rigour of the climate,
and the stupid sloth of the savage inhabitants, who were chiefly
hunters, herdsmen, or ichthyophagi, men who subsist on fish, offered
no flattering resources to industry, and was directly calculated to
check all speculative ideas. But ingenious avarice knew how to acquire
wealth even here. The view of the clothing of the savages, suggested
instantly the idea of robbing them of it, and the emigrants calculated
the possibility of succeeding by the lure of exchange, and the immense
profit that would accrue from this branch of commerce, when it was once
in their possession.
As they proceeded farther to the east of Asia, it was remarked that
the furs were more beautiful; and this was sufficient to persuade
Russia that it was her interest and glory to subject every part of this
vast country to the obedience of her laws. Hitherto it had been the
theatre of the piracies of a herd of Cossacs and Tartars, with whom
some Russians, instigated by the same spirit of plunder, had united
themselves. The success of their attempts being known, the allurement
of riches attracted a greater number of emigrants, whose audacity
increased in proportion to the resistance they met with from the
indigenes. In vain had nature placed these savages in barren deserts,
in the midst of forests, where their independence seemed to be out of
the reach of attack; in vain had she given them frosts, mountains, and
seas of ice as barriers; every thing is surmountable by ambition, a
rage for conquest, and a thirst for riches. The courage of the natives
incited them every day to fresh combats, but it could not save them
from oppression; the conquerors, if I may so speak, sprung up again
in proportion as they perished in these bloody contests. Frequent
reinforcements, countenanced by the government, repaired these losses,
and gave no time to the vanquished to recover from the surprise and
shame of having yielded to a handful of foreigners, whose usurpations
became more enormous on every victory. By force of arms they were
already masters of the whole territory as far as Okotsk, and northward
had advanced to the banks of the Anadir.
To secure so many advantages, a system of government and commerce was
necessary; and immediately forts were constructed and towns built.
These establishments, paltry as they were, opened an asylum to Russian,
and other commercial speculators, who were acquainted with the route
through these provinces. Here they could resort, when tired of their
perilous expedition, and derive succour against the insults of the
primitive inhabitants, who were always disposed to throw off the yoke
and make reprisals.
Independently of the vexations of every kind that were exercised
against them, doubtless without the knowledge of the court to which
they were become tributary, the natives frequently suffered still
farther from the treachery, cruelties, and all the excesses practised
by ferocious conquerors, when intoxicated with success, and goaded
on by the abuse of riches and power, and the hope of impunity. In
practising these barbarities, individuals were emboldened by the
example of their superiors, even of such as were appointed to stop
the disorders, which became at last so enormous as to excite the
indignation of the empress. The produce of the customs no longer flowed
with equal abundance into the treasury; the tributes were either
annihilated or diminished by the persons appointed to collect them.
Hence the frequent change of governors, whose depravity or incapacity
was justly accused, and merited at least an instant recall. Hence the
want of discipline among the troops, the confusion of all order among
the colonists, the daily accusations, the murders, and all the crimes
that anarchy engenders.
It happened exactly the same at Kamtschatka, when a chief of the
Cossacs[53] reduced the inhabitants of that peninsula to submit
themselves to the Russian yoke. How heavily did it at first bear upon
them! how many troubles, how many depredations, how many revolts did it
occasion! This intestine and cruel war ceased not till a better mode of
government was adopted.
A new order of things then took place; the rights of the indigenes
were more respected, the taxes were less arbitrary, every function
was more faithfully discharged. Freed from the shackles that loaded
it, commerce began to prosper, speculations multiplied, the wealthy
merchants of Russia sent their factors to Okotsk, and this town became
the metropolis to other settlements that gradually sprung up. The
eligibleness of its situation in the center of the conquered provinces,
gave it this preference, notwithstanding the smallness of the port; but
the navigation is almost entirely confined
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