[Illustration: A YOUNG MAN. A YOUNG WOMAN.]
The people that inhabit the Arctic Lands are few in number and
generally but little above the condition of savages. In stature they
are below the medium height, and in appearance far from beautiful.
Cleanliness is not one of their virtues. Male and female dress nearly
in precisely the same costume, and in winter when they are enveloped
in their garments of skins they look vastly like a fur bag surmounted
by a head. Nearly all these Northern races are or have been idolaters,
and are full of all manner of superstitions. Many are the attempts
that have been made to bring Christianity to them, and heroic are the
struggles and labors that have been borne, and are to-day being borne
by zealous ministers. The pay of the Lapland or Icelandic priest is
rarely more than $150 a year, so that his life is one of severe labor.
Among the Lapps, who inhabit the Scandinavian Peninsula, the value of a
pastor is estimated by the strength of his voice, and consequently his
sermons must be delivered in the most sonorous tones if he would not
have the contempt and neglect of his people.
In spite of all these resonant teachings, however, the Lapp is very
far from forgetting the superstitions that have come down to him from
his fathers. One tribe carry about with them on their travels their
gods, which are but conical pieces of stone. Sorcerers exist who
pretend to see the future and to give answers from the other world,
and witches who profess to control the winds. Such was the belief in
their powers, that it is said that at one time it was no rare thing
for English ships to stop at Archangel to buy a wind. Perhaps the most
curious of these superstitions, however, is the reverence with which
the bear is regarded. To the Lapp, the bear is the wisest of animals;
he can understand every word spoken and hence is always mentioned with
respect. It may seem strange that so wise an animal should ever be
hunted and slain, but the temptation he offers is a strong one. His
furry coat makes the best kind of winter garments, and his flesh is
thought a great treat. Therefore the hunter after always begging his
pardon for the insult about to be offered hastens to drive his lance
into his heart. It is considered most disgraceful to kill a bear when
sleeping, so that if bruin meets his death it is always in the open
field. When the hunters return home with the body, they are greeted by
the women with words of scorn; the entrances to the huts are barred
against them, and they are obliged to force an entrance to their own
hearths. In this way it is believed the spirit of the bear is appeased.
His bones are always buried in the same way, first the head, then the
neck, body, etc., for the Lapp believes in the bear’s resurrection and
fears his wrath should he come to life and find his bones treated with
indignity.
[Illustration: ESQUIMAUX HUT.]
This reverence does not, however, extend to the wolf, for this is an
accursed animal. On his snow-shoes, and bearing in one hand a long
pole with which to steer himself, the hunter follows swiftly on the
wolf’s tracks, and overtaking him beats out his brains with a club,
which as a polluted thing he is careful to burn at once. Nor will he
demean himself to touch the skin of his victim, but leaves it to be
devoured by any animal that may chance to find it. The great occupation
of the Laplander is the care of herds of reindeer, and no doubt the
great detestation in which the wolf is held is owing to the injury he
inflicts upon the herdsman.
The hut of the Lapp is but a poor affair. Its frame is a few poles
bent together at the top, its walls skins sewed together. The floor is
covered with skins, in its centre flames a smoky fire, and about it
sleeps the owner of the house curled up in a heap like one of his dogs.
[Illustration: AN ESQUIMAUX VILLAGE.]
Such a hut as this would be of little use to the Esquimau, who lives
far to the northward on the American continent amid perpetual snow.
His house is most ingeniously formed. With solid blocks of snow about
a foot in thickness, he builds its circular wall and dome-like roof.
A tunnel-like entrance is made through which he enters on hands and
feet, while a block of snow fills the narrow doorway keeping out the
cold air. With his skins spread out upon the floor and his oil lamp
lighted, he soon has a temperature which is perhaps as much too warm as
the outer air is too cold. The arctic explorer sometimes comes upon a
village of such huts clustered under some protecting cliff or near some
favorite hunting or fishing ground.
The Esquimau is a hearty eater. The intense cold to which he is always
exposed gives him a raging appetite. Parry once made trial of the
ability of a young man, who was furnished with all the food he wished.
In twenty hours he had eaten eight and a half pounds of meat, nearly
two pounds of bread, a pint and a quarter of rich soup, a tumbler and
three wine glasses of spirits, and over a gallon of water. But the
Esquimau is not alone in his appetite. At Jakutsk in Siberia, Sir
George Simpson gave two natives each thirty six pounds of boiled beef,
while the same amount of melted butter was put before them to drink.
They entered upon their undertaking with great zest. One was old,
the other young. The younger man at first seemed to make the greater
headway. “His teeth are good,” said his older opponent, “but with the
help of my saint, (crossing himself) I will soon come up to him.” His
was no idle boast, for in an hour all was devoured and the gorged
champions, lying upon the floor, respectfully kissed the ground in
token of gratitude to their benefactor.
[Illustration: DOG SLED.]
[Illustration: ARCTIC DOG.]
When the Esquimau wishes to travel, he fastens his dogs to a light
sledge by long traces, and whip in hand with his fur skins drawn about
him takes his seat upon it, and is whirled over the snow at tremendous
speed. His whip is a curious affair. From the end of a stock only
about a foot long, extends a lash of some twenty feet. Woe to the
unfortunate driver who does not know how to use this lash, and to be
able to bring a resounding blow on the ear of an unruly dog. The fresh
track of a bear is scented and the whole pack is away like a whirlwind,
while the rider tumbled off his sledge by collision with some hummock
of ice is left to get home on foot as best he can. Dr. Hayes tells of
his experience. “The wind was blowing at my back, and when I had gone
far enough and wanted to turn around and return, the dogs were not so
minded. There is nothing they dislike so much as to face the wind, and
feeling very fresh they were evidently ready for sport. After much
difficulty I brought them at last up to the course, but I could keep
them there only by constant use of the lash, and since this was three
out of four times blown back into my face, it was evident I could
not hold out long, besides my face was freezing in the wind. My arm,
not used to such violent exercise, soon fell almost paralyzed, and
the whip-lash trailed behind me on the snow. The dogs were not slow
to discover something wrong. They looked back over their shoulders
inquiringly, and discovering that the lash was not coming they ventured
to diverge gently to the right. Finding the effort not resisted they
gained courage, and increased their speed, and at length they wheeled
short round, turned their tails to the wind and dashed off on their
own course, as happy as a parcel of boys freed from the restraints
of the school-room, and with the wild rush of a dozen wolves. I could
soon again use the whip, and managed to turn the intractable team among
a cluster of hummocks and snow drifts, which somewhat impeded their
progress. Springing suddenly off, I capsized the sledge. The points
of the runners were driven deeply into the snow, and my runaways
were anchored. A vigorous application of my sinew-tipped lash, soon
convinced them of the advantages of obedience, and they trotted off in
the meekest manner facing the wind without rebelling.”
[Illustration: DANISH SETTLEMENT IN GREENLAND.]
The Esquimaux extend over the whole continent of North America; but
in Asia we find several distinct tribes. Such are the Samojedes, the
Ostjaks, the Jakuts, the Tungusi, and others. But while they differ in
minor points, they are alike in general appearance and in their mode
of life. Among all the arctic nations settlements have been attempted,
but they are but poor affairs inhabited by only a few venturesome
trappers or traders whom hope of great gain alone can tempt to lead
such a forlorn life. Of all these northern settlements, none is more
mournful than that of Siberia. Here come every week long trains of
prisoners whom the Russian government banishes to this prison land.
Political offenders, criminals, even the roaming vagabond, all go to
Siberia. Twelve thousand are thus annually added to its population. The
place allotted to each depends on his crime. The worse this has been,
the more northerly his place. Murderers and burglars go to the mines
at Nertschinsk, from which they never emerge alive. But the ordinary
criminal has every inducement to reform and become a good citizen. A
piece of good land is given him, with a horse, two cows, a hut, and the
necessary tools to till the ground. For several years he has to pay no
taxes, so that if a sensible and industrious man he may often attain a
degree of comfort which he never dreamed of in his former days.
These Siberian peasants are said to be men of great strength and
capable of resisting the most intense cold, and Russia is said to have
no finer subjects than the children of those whom she thus compels to
colonize her frozen regions. In addition to the occupation of tilling
the soil, a vast number of people are employed as carriers. The
great quantities of silver, copper and lead produced by the mines at
Nertschinsk, have to be transported across the country to the markets
of Russia, and the provisions required by the thousands of workmen have
in turn to be carried back to the mines.
Small are the chances of success to the bold man who attempts to
escape. Everywhere are the active soldiers, and should he make his
way through them, the vast deserts and forests are peopled by a
savage race, who are allowed by the Russian government to drive an
arrow through any stranger not of their own tribe whom they may find
wandering through their territory.