The chiefs having pestered the Governor to ask permission to visit the Sulphur, and glad on my part of an occasion to show that no unfriendly feeling kept them away, I immediately consented to a nomination of the best characters, amounting to thirty-seven, which, with the addition of the Russian officers and ourselves, would form a pretty large party.
They observed great ceremony in their approach, and were dressed in the most fantastic garb imaginable, being generally painted with scores of vermillion, in some instances not devoid of taste. Some had helmets of wood, carved in imitation of frogs, seals, fish, or birds' heads. Others wore the very sensible plain conical hat[1] without rim, which serves effectually to ward off sun or rain; and the generality wore, or carried with them, their native shawl, which is very laboriously worked into carpet figures, from the wool of some animal which I could not ascertain. One or two had cloaks of American sables, which were very handsome, but far inferior to those of Siberia.
Most of the helmet party wore ermine skins, tied loosely about them, which I found were purchased at the factory, and are imported from Siberia (via Ochotsk) for traffic with the natives.
I had an opportunity here, as well as at Port Etches, of viewing some of the skins, particularly the sea-otter, which they purchase from the natives, and
- ↑ Used by Mandarins in China.
