go into convulsions, sing in the Yakut language, utter strange cries, and behave generally as if they were insane.  Nothing could quiet them until the article for which they had asked was produced.  Thus Kolmagorof’s daughter had imperatively demanded a woollen tippet, and as the poor Cossack had nothing of the sort in the house, he had started out through the village to find one.  This was all the information that Viushin could give me.  He had never seen one of these possessed persons himself, and had only heard of the disease from others; but he said that Paderin, the chief of the Gizhiga Cossacks, could undoubtedly tell me all about it, as his daughter had been similarly afflicted.  Surprised to find among the ignorant peasantry of north-eastern Siberia a disease whose symptoms resembled so closely the phenomena of modern spiritualism, I determined to investigate the subject as far as possible, and as soon as the Major came in, I persuaded him to send for Paderin.  The chief of the Cossacks—­a simple, honest old fellow, whom it was impossible to suspect of intentional deception—­confirmed all that Viushin had told me, and gave us many additional particulars.  He said that he had frequently heard his daughter talk the Yakut language while in one of these trances, and had even known her to relate events which were occurring at a distance of several hundred miles.  The Major inquired how he knew that it was the Yakut language which his daughter spoke.  He said he did not know certainly that it was; but it was not Russian, nor Korak, nor any other native language with which he was familiar, and it sounded very much like Yakut.  I inquired what was done in case the sick person demanded some article which it was impossible to obtain.  Paderin replied that he had never heard of such an instance; if the article asked for were an uncommon one, the girl always stated where it was to be found—­frequently describing with the greatest minuteness things which, so far as he knew, she had never seen.  On one occasion, he said his daughter asked for a particular spotted dog which he was accustomed to drive in his team.  The dog was brought into the room, and the girl at once became quiet; but from that time the dog itself became so wild and restless as to be almost unmanageable, and he was finally obliged to kill him.  “And do you believe in all this stuff?” broke in the Major impatiently, as Paderin hesitated for a moment.

“I believe in God and in our Saviour Jesus Christ,” replied the Cossack, as he crossed himself devoutly.

“That’s all right, and so you ought,” rejoined the Major; “but that has nothing whatever to do with the ‘Anadyrski bol.’  Do you really believe that these women talk in the Yakut language, which they have never heard, and describe things which they have never seen?”

[Illustration:  TUNGUSES ON REINDEER-BACK MOVING THEIR ENCAMPMENT Photograph in The American Museum of Natural History]