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618 BACSTROM’S VOYAGE TO SPITSBERGEN.
the hut of the Ruffians at a diftance. They perceived our approach, and fent two or
three people to meet and welcome us.
‘’he common men made a ftrange appearance; they looked very much like fome
Jews in Rag-fair or Rofemary-lane: they wore long beards, fur caps on their heads,
brown fheep-fkin jackets with the wool outfide, boots, and long knives at their fides by
way of hangers. When we arrived at the hut, we were prefented to the caravelfk or
commander, and to the furgeon, who both received us very politely, and invited us into
the houfe, where we fat down to reft and refrefh ourfelves. Our people were introduced
to their people in an outer room, and were entertained with meat and brandy. It
happened fortunately that the furgeon was a German, a native of Berlin, of the name of
Iderich Pochenthal, confequently I could converfe with him; and we both acted as in-
terpreters between his and our commander.
Captain Souter began with offering to the Ruffian commander, (who was alfo dreffed
in furs, only of a finer fort, and wore his beard and whifkers like the common men,)
the keg of gunpowder, and half a dozen of good table knives and forks: the Ruffian
eaptain accepted them with a great deal of joy, and made us a prefent in return, confift-
ing of halfadozen of white fox fkins, two brown loaves of rye-bread, fix {moked rein-
deer tongues, and two rib-pieces of fmoked deer, for which we kindly thanked him.
They turned out to be moft excellent eating, and of a finer flavour than any Englifli
fmoked tongues, or hung beef.
We placed our wine on the table, our bread and cheefe, and the Ruffian captain or-
dered boiled fmoked rein-deer tongues, new rye-bread, and good brandy and water to
be brought in. We all made a hearty, fociable meal ; the tongues, and the rye-bread,
which was new and favoury, were a rarity tous: the Ruffian officers relifhed our Che-
fhire cheefe and fhip’s bifcuit as a very high treat. We drank the Emprefs of Ruflia’s
and King George’s health. The Ruffian commander was an elderly man, of very
agreeable manners ; the furgeon extremely fo, and very intelligent.
The hut confifted of two large rooms, each about thirty feet fquare, but fo low that
I touched the ceiling with my fur cap. In the middle of the front room was a circular
ere¢tion of brick-work, which ferved as an oven to bake their bread, and bake or boil
their meat, and at the fame time performed the office of a ftove to warm the room.
The fuel employed was wood, which drives on fhore plentifully in whole trees {tripped
oftheir branches. A chimney carried the fmoke out of the roof of the hut; but when
they wifhed it, they could, by means of a flue, convey the fmoke into the back room,
for the purpofe of f{moking and curing their rein-deer flefh and tongues, bears hams, &c.
Round three fides of the front room was raifed an elevated place of about three feet
wide, covered with white bear fkins, which ferved for bedfteads. ‘The captain’s bed-
clothes were made of white fox fkins fewed together ; the furgeon’s was the fame; the
boatfwain, cook, carpenter, and the men, had fheep fkins. ‘The walls infide the room
were very fmooth and white-wafhed ; and the ceiling was made of ftout deal-boards,
plained fmooth, and white-wafhed.
The rooms had a fufficient number of fmall glafs windows, of about two feet fquare,,
to afford light: the floor was hard clay, perfectly fmooth: the whole hut was nearly
fixty feet in length, and thirty-four wide outfide; and was conftructed of heavy beams
cut fquare, of about twelve inches thick, laid horizontally one upon the other, joined.
at the four corners by a kind of dove-tailing, caulked with dry mofs, and payed over.
with tar and pitch, fo that not a breath of air can penetrate: the roof confifted of thin
ribs laid acrofs the beam-walls, and three-inch deal nailed over them, fo that you could:
walk
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