Mr. Bilzukavitch, the Ispravnik of Ghijiga, was a native of Poland, and governed seventy-two thousand square miles of territory, with a population of sixteen hundred taxed males.  His military force comprised thirty Cossacks with five muskets, of which three were unserviceable.  The native tribes included in the district of Ghijiga are the Koriaks and Chukchees; the Koriaks readily pay tribute and acknowledge the Russian authority, but the Chukchees are not yet fairly subdued.  They were long in open war with the Russians, and though peace is now established, many of them are not tributary.  Those who visit the Russian towns are compelled to pay tribute and become Imperial subjects before selling or purchasing goods.  The Ispravnik is an artist of unusual merit, as evinced by an album of his sketches illustrating life in Northern Siberia.  Some of them appeared like steel engravings, and testified to the skill and patience of the man who made them.

On my second day at Ghijiga I tried a river journey with a dog team.  The bottom of the boat was on the ‘dug-out’ principle, and the sides were two planks meeting in sharp and high points at the ends.  I had a seat on some bearskins on the plank flooring, and found it reasonably comfortable.  One man steered the boat, another in the bow managed the towline, and a third, who walked on land, drove the dogs.  We had seven canines—­three pairs and a leader—­pulling upon a deerskin towline fastened to a thole-pin.  It was the duty of the man in the bow to regulate the towline according to circumstances.  The dogs were unaccustomed to their driver, and balky in consequence.  Two of them refused to pull when we started, and remained obstinate until persuaded with sticks.  The driver used neither reins nor whip, but liberally employed the drift wood along the banks.  Clubs were trumps in that day’s driving.  The team was turned to the left by a guttural sound that no paper and ink can describe, and to the right by a rapid repetition of the word ‘ca.’

[Illustration:  TOWED BY DOGS]

Occasionally the path changed from one bank to the opposite.  At such times we seated the dogs in the bow of the boat and ferried them over the river.  In the boat they were generally quiet, though inclined to bite each other’s legs at convenient opportunities.  One muddy dog shook himself over me; I forgave him, but his driver did not, the innocent brute receiving several blows for making his toilet in presence of passengers.

The Koriaks have a habit of sacrificing dogs to obtain a fortunate fishery.  The animals are hung on limbs of trees, and the sacrifice always includes the best.  Major Abasa urged them to give only their worthless dogs to the evil spirit, assuring them the fishery would result just as well, and they promised to try the experiment.  Dogs were scarce and expensive in consequence of a recent canine epidemic.  Only a day before our arrival three dogs developed hydrophobia and were killed.