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TO THE NORTHERN PARTS OF RUSSIA AND SIBERIA. 63
yor of Ruffia, when they will remove from ove plac e to another, then they will make
facrifices in manner following. Every kindred doth facrifice in their own tent, and he
that is moit ancient is their prieft. And firft the prieft hata begin to play upon a thing
like t) a great fieve, with a fkin onthe one end like a drum : and the ftick that he
playeth with is about a {pan long, and one end is round likea ball, covered with the
fkin of an hart. Alfo the prieft hath upon his head a thing of white like a garland,
and his face is covered with a piece of a fhirt of mail, with many fmall ribs, and teeth
of fifhes, and wild beafts hanging on the fame mail. Then he fingeth as we ufe here
in Enel: and to hallow, whope, or fhout at hounds, and the reft of the company anfwer
him with this owtis, ‘iho, igha, igha, and then the prieft replieth again with his voices.
And they anfwer him with the felf-fame words fo, many times, that in the end he be-
cometh as it were mad, and falling down as he were dead, having nothing on him but
a fhirt, lying upon his back I might perceive him to Breathe: Talked them why he lay
fo, and they anfwered me, now doth our God tell him what we fhall do, and whither
we fhall go. And when he had lain {ftilla little while, they cried thus three times to-
gether, oghan, oghao, oghao, arid as they ufe thefe three calls he rifeth with his head
and lieth down again, and then he rofe up and fang with like voices as he did before :
and his audience anfwered him igha, igha, igha. Then he commanded them to kill five
olens or great deer, and continued finging {till both he and they as before. Then he
took a fword of a cubit and a {pan long (I did mete it myfelf ) and put it into his belly
halfway and fometime lefs, but no wound was to be feen, (they continuing in their
{weet fong fill). Then he put the fword into the fire till it was warm, and {fo thruft it
into the flit of his fhirt and thruft it through his body, asI thought, in at his navel and
out at his fundament: the point being out of his fhirt behind, T laid my finger upon.
it, then he pulled out the {word and fat down.. ‘This -being done, they fet a “kettle of
water over the fire to heat, and when the water doth feeth, the prieft beginneth to fing
again they anfwering him, for fo long as the water was in heating they fat and fang not.
Then they made a thing being four fquare, and in height and fquarenefs of a chair,
and covered with a gown very clofe the fore part thereof, for the hinder part ftood to
the tent’s fide. Their tents are round and are called chome in their language. The
water {till feething on the fire, and this fquare feat being ready, the prieft put off his
fhirt, and the thing like a garland which was on his head, with thofe things which
covered his face, and he had on yet all this while a pair of hofen of deers’ {kins with
the hair on, which came up to his buttocks. So he went into the {quare feat, and fat
down like a taylor and fang with a {trong voice or hallowing. ‘Then they took a {mall
line made of deers’ {kins of four fathoms long, and with a {mall knot the prieft made it
faft about his neck, and under his left arm, and gave it unto two men ftanding on both
fides of him, which held the ends together. Then the kettle of hot water was fet
before him in the fquare feat, all this time the fquare feat was not covered, and then
it was covered with a gown of broad cloth without lining, fuch as the Rufles do wear.
Then the two men which did hold the ends of the line ftill {tanding there, began to
draw, and drew till they had drawn the ends of the line ftiff and together, and then I
heard a thing fall into the kettle of water which was before him in “the tent There-
upon I afked them that fat by me what it was that fell into the water that {tood before
him. And they anfwered me, that it was his head, his fhoulder, and left arm, which
the line had cut off, I mean the knot which I faw afterward drawn hard together.
Then I rofe up and would have looked whether it were. fo or not, but they laid hold on
me, and faid, that if they fhould fee him with their bodily eyes, they fhould live no
longer. And the moft part of them can {peak the Rufle tongue to be underftood :
and
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