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conquered the brigands of Yeniseisk and sent their leader
as a prisoner to the authorities.
The historical records of those times, scanty though they
are, serve, in addition to the traditions of the natives, to
show the manner in which the latter were subjugated to
Russian rule. Having by finesse or by firearms made
themselves lords and masters, and robbed the natives of their
furs and skins, these scoundrels compelled them to
contribute annually, under the name of Yassak or taxes, a
large quantity of sable and other valuable furs, and in
consequence they were soon reduced to extreme want and
famine. A large number of them fled to the most distant
parts of the country to the north and north-east, but the
invaders followed them even down to the Arctic sea and
to the border of the land of the Tschuktchis, compelling
them to pay the Yassak. These adventurers met with very
little resistance; only the then numerous Yukagirs and
Lamuts fought bravely for their liberty, and, later, the
courageous Tschuktchi, who up to this day, though
nominally under Russian rule, have in reality preserved their
independence. A merchant of Yakutsk in those early
times has left a description in a manuscript, which has
been preserved, of the way in which the natives were
treated. He says: “The Vojevodes or Military Governors
began their rule by imposing the most intolerable burdens
in the way of taxes, which went not only to the
government, but also to appease the insatiable covetousness of
the tax-gatherers. They oppressed, tormented, and tortured
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