| 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.