Part 1

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.