Part 5

Having given an account of the address with which these people counterfeit the postures and motions of the bear, who may be called their dancing master, it may not be unpleasing to relate in what manner they hunt this animal. There are various modes of attacking it; sometimes they lay snares for it: under a heavy trap, supported in the air by a scaffolding sufficiently high, they place some kind of bait to attract the bear, and which he no sooner smells and perceives, than he eagerly advances to devour; at the same time he shakes the feeble support of the trap, which falls upon his neck, and punishes his voraciousness by crushing his head, and frequently his whole body. In passing the woods I have seen them caught in this way; the trap is kept baited till it succeeds, which sometimes does not happen for almost a year. This method of taking them requires no great boldness, or fatigue; but there is another mode, very much adopted in this country, to which equal strength and courage are necessary. A Kamtschadale goes out, either alone or in company, to find a bear. He has no other arms than his gun, a kind of carabine whose but-end is very small; a lance or spear; and his knife. His stock of provision is made up in a bundle containing about twenty fish. Thus lightly equipped, he penetrates into the thickest part of the woods, and every place that is likely to be the haunt of this animal. It is commonly in the briars, or among the rushes on the borders of lakes and rivers, that the Kamtschadale posts himself, and waits the approach of his adversary with patience and intrepidity; if it be necessary, he will remain thus in ambuscade for a whole week together, till the bear makes his appearance. The moment it comes within his reach, he fixes in the ground a forked stick[43] belonging to his gun, by means of which he takes a truer aim, and shoots with more certainty. It is seldom that, with the smallest ball, he does not strike the bear either in the head, or near the shoulder, which is the tenderest part. But he is obliged to charge again instantly, because the bear, if the first shot has not disabled him, runs[44] at the hunter, who has not always time for a second shot. He has then recourse to his lance, with which he quickly arms himself to contend with the beast, who attacks him in his turn. His life is in danger[45] if he does not give the bear a mortal thrust; and in such combats, it may be supposed the man is not always the conqueror; but this does not prevent the inhabitants of this country from daily exposing their lives; the frequent examples of the death of their countrymen has no effect upon them: indeed they never go out, without considering before hand that it is either to conquer or to die; and this severe alternative neither stops nor terrifies them[46].

They hunt other animals nearly in the same manner, such as rein deer, argali, or wild sheep, called in Russia _diki-barani_, foxes, otters, beavers, sables, hares[47], &c. but they have not the same dangers to encounter; sometimes they make use of snares, constructed of wood or iron, less than those which are set for bears, and resembling in their simplicity our pitfalls; no other attention is necessary than that of visiting them from time to time. The Kamtschadales sometimes lie in ambush, armed in the manner I have described; and the only hardship they experience results from their provision being exhausted in consequence of the long duration of their chace. They frequently submit to suffer hunger for many days together, rather than quit their stations till they have obtained the end of their pursuit; but they amply repay themselves for this fasting, by immediately devouring the flesh of the animals[48], and by the pleasure with which they count over the skins they obtain from them.

They chuse for their chace the seasons when the fur of the animal is in its greatest perfection. Sables are hunted in the beginning of winter. These animals live commonly in trees, and are called after their name; a part of the fur nearest the skin being of the same colour as those which they most frequent, as the birch, the fir, &c.

The most favourable seasons for hunting foxes are autumn, winter, and spring. There are four different species. 1. The whitish red fox, which is least esteemed. 2. The red or bright red fox. 3. The fox called _sévadouschka_, the colour of which is a mixture of red, black, and grey. 4. The black fox, which is the scarcest and most valuable: it is really of a deep and entire black, except that at the extremity of the fur upon the back, which is the longest; a grey tint is sometimes perceptible. Some of this species are singularly valuable. There are two other species of the fox that may be added to these, though they are not regarded as such in this country, the blue fox and the white fox. They are called in Russia _galouboy pessets_, and _beloy pessets_; their fur is thicker than that of the rest of the species. The foxes of the continent are in general more beautiful than those caught in the different islands of the east[49], and produce an infinitely higher price.

Rein deer are hunted in winter, and argali in autumn. Otters are extremely scarce in this country; but there is a great abundance of ermines, though, I know not for what reason, no pains are taken to catch them; one would suppose they were of no value.

The Kamtschadales have different seasons also for fishing. Their salmon and trout season is in June, their herring season in May, and that of the sea wolf in spring and summer, but principally in autumn.

They seldom use seines, but almost always common nets[50], or a kind of harpoon, which they manage with great dexterity. Seines serve only for sea wolves; they are made of leather straps, and the meshes are very large. They have another mode of fishing, by closing up the river with stakes and branches of trees, so as to leave only a narrow passage for the fish, or sometimes several, where they place baskets, so constructed that, if the fish once enter, it is impossible for them to retreat.

Horses are very scarce in Kamtschatka. I saw some at Bolcheretsk belonging to government, and intrusted to the care of the Cossacs. They merely serve during summer for the carriage of merchandize and other effects of the crown, and for the convenience of travellers.

Dogs however abound in this country, and are so serviceable to the Kamtschadales, as to render the privation of the other domestic animals less felt by them. They serve all the purposes of carriage, and are fed without difficulty or expence, their food consisting entirely of the offals, or such decayed fish as are rejected by their masters; and even these are not allowed, unless when it is necessary. In summer, which is their season of rest, little care is taken of them; the dogs well know how to provide for themselves, by ranging over the country and along the sides of lakes and rivers; and the punctuality with which they return, is one of the most striking proofs of the fidelity of these animals. When winter arrives, they dearly pay for the liberty and temporary repose they have enjoyed. Their labour and slavery begin anew, and these dogs must have extreme vigour to be able to support them. Meanwhile they are not remarkably large, and resemble pretty exactly our mountain dogs, or such as are commonly used by shepherds. There is not an individual inhabitant, Russian or native, that has less than five. They make use of them when they travel, when they go to the forests to cut wood, and for the conveyance of their effects and provisions, as well as their persons. In short, these dogs conduct travellers from place to place, and horses could not in reality be more serviceable. They are harnessed to a sledge two and two together[51], with a single one before as a leader. This honour is bestowed on the most intelligent, or the best trained dog, and he understands wonderfully the terms used by the conductor to direct his course. The cry of _tagtag, tagtag_, turns him to the right, and _kougha, kougha_, to the left; the intelligent animal understands it immediately, and gives to the rest the example of obedience: _ah, ah_, stops them, and _ha_ makes them set off. The number of dogs that it is necessary to harness, depends upon the load; when it is little more than the weight of the person who mounts the sledge, it is considered as a common sledge, or _saunka_[52], and the team consists of four or five dogs. The harness[53] is made of leather. It passes under the neck, that is, upon the breast of these steeds, and is joined to the sledge by a strap three feet long, in the manner of a trace: the dogs are also fastened together by couples passed through their collars; these collars are frequently covered with bear's skin, by way of ornament.

The form of the sledge is like that of an oblong basket, the two extremities of which are elevated in a curve. Its length is about three feet, and its breadth scarcely exceeds a foot. This kind of basket, which composes the body of the sledge, is of very thin wood; the sides are of open work, and ornamented with straps of different colours. The seat of the charioteer is covered with bear's skin, and elevated three feet from the ground, upon four legs, which diverge towards the lower extremity, and are fastened to two parallel planks, three or four inches broad. These planks are not thick, but so long as to extend beyond the body of the sledge, to which they serve as supports and and as skates. For this purpose they are furnished underneath, in time of thaw, with three or four long pieces of whale-bone, all of them of the same breadth, and fastened to the skates with leathern thongs. In front these planks bend upward, and so meet the poles of the sledge, which gradually lower for that purpose, and are adapted to receive a part of the baggage. The front of the sledge is farther adorned with floating reins or shreds of leather, which are of no use. The charioteer has nothing in his hand but a curved stick, which serves him both for rudder and whip. Iron rings are suspended at one end of the stick, as much for ornament, as to encourage the dogs by the noise which these kind of bells make, and which are frequently jingled for that purpose; the other end is sometimes pointed with iron, to make an easier impression on the ice, and serves at the same time to guide the ardour of these animals. Dogs, that are well trained, have no need to hear the voice of the conductor; if he strike the ice with his stick, they will go to the left; if he strike the legs of the sledge, they will go to the right; and when he wishes them to stop, he has only to place the stick between the snow and the front of the sledge. When they slacken their pace, and become careless and inattentive to the signals, or to his voice, he throws his stick at them[54]; but then the utmost address is necessary to regain it, as he proceeds rapidly along; and this is one of the strongest tests of the skill of the conductor. The Kamtschadales are singularly expert in this exercise. I was in general astonished at the dexterity they displayed in driving their sledges, and as I was soon to have the happiness of travelling in this vehicle, I conceived that I ought to practice, not so much to reconcile myself to it, as to learn to be my own guide. It was in vain they represented to me the risks I should run, by exposing myself alone in a sledge, before I had acquired sufficient skill to know how to conduct it; at my age we are all confident, and I listened not to their cautions. The lightness of my carriage, which scarcely exceeded ten pounds, its elevation, which rendered it more liable to be overturned, the difficulty of preserving the equilibrium, and, in short, the consequences that might attend a fall, if I lost my hold of the sledge[55]; all these considerations, which were exposed to my view, could neither intimidate nor dissuade me from so dangerous an apprenticeship. I mounted one day my new car, consenting however to be followed, and a multitude of sledges attended me. It was not long before the company saw their predictions realized; I had advanced a very little way, when I exhibited a complete fall. Scarcely remounted, I repeated the scene, and occasioned a new burst of laughter: in spite of this, I did not lose my courage, but quickly recovered myself to be overturned again as quickly. I had sufficient reason to be inured to these accidents, for in every attempt I paid the tribute of inexperience. Seven times did I fall in taking my first lesson, but without receiving any injury; and I only returned with more eagerness to take a second, then a third, then a fourth; in short, a day scarcely passed, without my making some progress. The number of my falls diminished, in proportion as I acquired more knowledge and skill, and my success rendered me such an amateur of this exercise, that in a short time I acquired a degree of reputation; it cost me, however, considerable pains to habituate myself to the observance of the necessary equilibrium. The body is, as it were, in continual motion. Here we must lean to the right, because the sledge inclines to the left; there we must suddenly change to the left, because it leans to the right: the next minute, perhaps our posture must be erect; and if we fail in quickness or attention, it is seldom that an immediate overthrow is not the consequence. In falling, it is still necessary not to quit the vehicle, but to hold it as firm as possible, in order to create a sufficient weight to impede the dogs, who, as I have already said, will otherwise advance full speed. The common mode of sitting in a sledge is side ways, as a lady rides on horseback; we may also sit astride; but the point of main difficulty, the _ne plus ultra_ of address and of grace, is to be able to stand upon one leg: it is excellent to see an adept in this striking attitude.

For myself, I was no sooner able to drive, than I abandoned every other mode of conveyance. Always accompanied, because of the roads, I sometimes took a ride, and sometimes went a hunting. The tracks of hares and partridges were perceptible on the snow[56], and to such a degree, that it appeared full of holes like a sieve. The snow was frequently so deep in the woods, that it was impossible to proceed a step without sinking in; our resource in that case was to quit our sledges, which were no longer serviceable to us, and turn them upon their side. Having taking this precaution, which was sufficient to retain our dogs, who immediately laid themselves down in a circular form upon the snow, and patiently waited the return of their guides; we fastened to the soles of our feet, with leathern thongs, rackets, made of thin board[57], six or eight inches wide and four feet long, the front of which turned up like skates, and the bottom was covered with the skin of the sea wolf or rein deer. Furnished with these kind of shoes, we continued our chace; I had at first some difficulty to accustom myself to them, and I fell more than once both upon my back and my face; but the pleasure of a good chase made me soon forget these accidents. Though it was difficult to perceive the hares and partridges, whose whiteness equalled that of the snow, I did not fail, after a little practice, and some instructions from my companions, to bring home a tolerable number.

This was one of my most agreeable diversions while at Bolcheretsk; the rest of my hours were occupied in expressing my impatience and uneasiness, on account of the length of time I was obliged to stay there. To give a different turn to my thoughts, I embraced the few fine days that we experienced, to visit some of the environs, which I had a second opportunity of viewing upon my departure, and which I shall mention when I proceed on my travels. The construction of my travelling sledges[58] engaged also my attention; but my chief consolation was the company of M. Kasloff and the officers of his suite. Their conventions, and the enquiries which I made, enabled me almost every day to take notes, a part of which I have already transcribed, and shall now proceed with the rest.

The diseases that prevail in Kamtschatka is the first article that presents itself. Disagreeable as may be the details they require, I conceive that I ought not to suppress them; they form a part of my observations, and should have a place in my journals.

The small pox, whose ravages I have already mentioned, appears not to be natural to the country, nor is it very common. Since the invasion of the Russians, and the frequent emigrations that succeeded it, this epidemical disease has only made its appearance in 1767 and 1768. It was then brought into the country by a Russian vessel bound to the Eastern islands, for the purpose of hunting otters, foxes, and other animals. The person, who had in his blood the fatal germ, was a sailor from Okotsk, where he had taken remedies for the disorder, previous to his departure; but the recent marks of it were visible. Scarcely landed, he communicated this cruel malady to the poor Kamtschadales, which carried off three fourths of them. As it has not appeared since, it is supposed that these people are not subject to it. In the year 1720 it broke out in the northern part of Kamtschatka but it did not spread so far as the peninsula. It began at Anadirskoi; it is not known how it was brought there, though the Russians are also accused in this instance.

There is reason to suspect that the Kamtschadales are indebted to them in like manner for their knowledge of the venereal disease, which happily is not common. This pestilence appears to be exotic, and its cure is as difficult as it is rare. They have recourse to various roots and to corrosive sublimate, which is attended in this country with its usual ruinous effects, and the more so, as being indiscreetly administered.

The Kamtschadales have no deformed births. Such as are deformed among them, have become so in consequence of a considerable fall, though this is not a very common occurrence, as they are accustomed to fall from their balagans. They are but little subject to the scurvy; their use of wild garlic, and various fruits and berries, is a preservative. The Russians and other settlers are more frequently afflicted with this disease.

Consumptions are frequent enough; but boils, tumors, abscesses, and wens, are very common. They have no mode of curing them, but by incision or extirpation; and they use for these operations a knife, or perhaps simply a sharp stone, which supplies the place of a lancet. Such instruments are calculated to impress us with no very high opinion of the skill of the operators; and it is obvious that the art of surgery, brought to such perfection with us, is in a state of the utmost barbarism at Kamtschatka.

Physic does not appear to have made a greater progress; though it must be confessed that these people have gained something by learning to distrust their impostors and absurd empiricks. Formerly, self-created magicians, called _chamans_, taking advantage of the credulity of the Kamtschadales, turned doctors of physic, and thus secured to themselves a double claim to their veneration and confidence[59]. Their strange dress contributed to the imposition, and suited perfectly their extravagant mummeries. What was told me upon the subject would exceed the utmost stretch of faith, if we had never heard of the Bohemians and other sorcerers of this kind. It is not possible to form an idea of the buffooneries of these suppositious physicians, and the impertinencies they relate, to make their prescriptions or pretended revelations go down. It is probable that their cures were frequently attended with fatal consequences, and that the number of victims equalled that of their patients. Tired at last of being duped at the expence of their lives, the Kamtschadales began to be dissatisfied with these impostors, who gradually lost their credit, and sunk into contempt and oblivion. Such has been the fate also of the chamans. The feeble light which the Russian commerce diffused through the country, proved sufficient to open the eyes of the inhabitants. They perceived at once the absurdity of the magic art of their doctors. As it ceased to be respected, it was no longer lucrative, and the number of magicians diminished of course. Disgusted with the trade, the men abandoned it; and it has since been taken up by some old women, who, possessing less skill, have doubtless fewer customers[60].

The women of this country have seldom more than ten children, the common estimate is four or five, they bear none after the age of forty. They assist one another in their deliveries, which are effected with great facility: meanwhile there are midwives in Kamtschatka, but their number is very small. The accidents which prove fatal to so many mothers, are much less frequent to these women, than instances of child-birth in the open air, in roads, or wherever their occupations call them. On these occasions they make use of their hair, I am told, to tie the umbilical cord, carry home their children themselves, and immediately give them suck. They have no limited time for suckling their children, and I have seen instances of its continuing for four or five years. We may judge from this circumstance of the strong constitution of these women. It is observed, however, that Kamtschadales of either sex, do not live longer than Russians.

I forgot to mention a remedy to which the inhabitants of this peninsula have voluntary recourse in almost every disease: it is to a root called _bears root_, which they steep in brandy. The name sufficiently indicates to whom they are indebted for its knowledge. Perceiving that the bear was fond of eating this herb, and of rolling himself upon it when wounded, they imagined it to possess some healing quality, and this induced them to make use of it. This animal thus gave them their first lesson in botany and pharmacy. It is said however, that the bear cures all his wounds with this root. If this be true, it is natural to suppose that human beings would find it very serviceable: but as I have never had occasion to make the experiment, I can only speak from report.

The Christian religion was introduced into this country by the Russians; but the inhabitants appear to know little more of it than the ceremony of baptism. They are ignorant of the very first principles of Christianity. Slaves to their inclinations, they follow their impulse whether good or bad. If they think of religion, it is merely from a motive of convenience or interest, or when particular circumstances compel them to it. This proves how very defective their instruction is, and reflects in my opinion upon the clergy, whose business it is to enlighten their ignorance. But are these clerical missionaries sufficiently informed themselves? They have no opportunity it must be acknowledged for profound study, and probably it is not required of them, as it is common enough to see a Kamtschadale admitted to this dignified office.

These popes are all under the authority of a protapope, or high priest, resident at Nijenei, and he again is subordinate to the archbishop of Irkoutsk, who alone ordains and appoints the clergy to their cures, so that they are all obliged to resort to this settlement. The length and perils of the journey are considered perhaps as a kind of initiation; and without any other merit or examination, they probably receive holy orders: it is certain they return neither wiser nor better. These divines are then sent to their places of destination; the time they continue is not limited, and depends on the will of their chiefs.

There are eight principal churches in Kamtschatka: Paratounka, Bolcheretsk, Jchinsk, Tiguil, Vercknei, Klutchefskaïa, and two at Nijenei; to these may be added the church of Ingiga, in the country of the Koriacs.