Though both belonging to the same stock, the fate of the Tungusi and Mantchou has been very different; for at the same time when the latter conquered the vast Chinese Empire, the former, after having spread over the greatest part of East Siberia, and driven before them the Jakuts, the Jukahiri, the Tchuktchi, and many other aboriginal5 tribes, were in their turn subjugated6 by the mightier7 Russians. In the year 1640 the Cossacks first encountered the Tungusi, and in 1644 the first Mantchou emperor mounted the Chinese throne. The same race which here imposes its yoke8 upon millions of subjects, there falls a prey9 to a small number of adventurers. However strange the fact, it is, however, easily explained, for the Chinese were worse armed and less disciplined than the Mantchou, while the Tungusi had nothing but bows and arrows to oppose to the Cossack fire-arms; and history (from Alexander the Great to Sadowa) teaches us that victory constantly sides with the best weapons.
In their intellectual development we find the same difference as in their fortunes between the Mantchou and the Siberian Tungusi. Two hundred and fifty years ago the former were still nomads, like their northern kinsfolk, and could neither read nor write, and already they have a rich literature, and their language is spoken at the court of Peking; while the Tungusi, oppressed and sunk in poverty, are still as ignorant as when they first encountered the Cossacks.
According to their occupations, and the various domestic animals employed by them, they are distinguished10 by the names of Reindeer11, Horse, Dog, Forest, and River Tungusi; but although they are found from the basins of the Upper, Middle, and Lower Tunguska to the western shores of the Sea of Ochotsk, and from the Chinese frontiers and the Baikal to the Polar Ocean, their whole number does not amount to more than 30,000, and diminishes from year to year, in consequence of the ravages12 of the small-pox and other epidemic13 disorders14 transmitted to them by the Russians. Only a few rear horses and cattle, the reindeer being generally their domestic animal; and the impoverished16 Tunguse, who has been deprived of his herd17 by some contagious18 disorder15 or the ravages of the wolves, lives as a fisherman on the borders of a river, assisted by his dog, or retires into the forests as a promyschlenik, or hunter. Of the miseries19 which here await him, Wrangell relates a melancholy20 instance. In a solitary21 hut in one of the dreariest22 wildernesses23 imaginable, he found a245 Tunguse and his daughter. While the father, with his long snow-shoes, was pursuing a reindeer for several days together, this unfortunate girl remained alone and helpless in the hut—which even in summer afforded but an imperfect shelter against the rain and wind—exposed to the cold, and frequently to hunger, and without the least occupation. No wonder that the impoverished Tungusi not seldom sink into cannibalism24. Neither the reindeer nor the dogs, nor the wives and children of their more fortunate countrymen, are secure from the attacks and voracity25 of these outcasts, who, in their turn, are treated like wild beasts, and destroyed without mercy. A bartering26 trade is, however, carried on with them, but only at a distance, and by signs; each party depositing its goods, and following every motion of the other with a suspicious eye.
The Russian Government, anxious to relieve the misery27 of the impoverished nomads, has given orders to settle them along the river-banks, and to provide them with the necessary fishing implements28; but only extreme wretchedness can induce the Tunguse to relinquish29 the free life of the forest. His careless temper, his ready wit, and sprightly30 manner, distinguish him from the other Siberian tribes—the gloomy Samoïede, the uncouth31 Ostiak, the reserved Jakut—but he is said to be full of deceit and malice32. His vanity shows itself in the quantity of glass beads33 with which he decorates his dress of reindeer leather, from his small Tartar cap to the tips of his shoes. When chasing or travelling on his reindeer through the woods, he of course lays aside most of his finery, and puts on large water-tight boots, or sari, well greased with fat, to keep off the wet of the morass34. His hunting apparatus35 is extremely simple. A small axe36, a kettle, a leathern bag containing some dried fish, a dog, a short gun, or merely a bow and a sling37, is all he requires for his expeditions into the forest. With the assistance of his long and narrow snow-shoes, he flies over the dazzling plain, and protects his eyes, like the Jakut, with a net made of black horse-hair. He never hesitates to attack the bear single-handed, and generally masters him. The nomad2 Tunguse naturally requires a movable dwelling4. His tent is covered with leather, or large pieces of pliable38 bark, which are easily rolled up and transported from place to place. The yourt of the sedentary Tunguse resembles that of the Jakut, and is so small that it can be very quickly and thoroughly39 warmed by a fire kindled40 on the stone hearth41 in the centre. In his food the Tunguse is by no means dainty. One of his favorite dishes consists of the contents of a reindeer’s stomach mixed with wild berries, and spread out in thin cakes on the rind of trees, to be dried in the air or in the sun. Those who have settled on the Wiluj and in the neighborhood of Nertschinsk, likewise consume large quantities of brick tea, which they boil with fat and berries into a thick porridge, and this unwholesome food adds no doubt to the yellowness of their complexion42.
But few of the Tungusi have been converted to Christianity, the majority being still addicted43 to Shamanism. They do not like to bury their dead, but place them, in their holiday dresses, in large chests, which they hang up between two trees. The hunting apparatus of the deceased is buried beneath the chest. No ceremonies are used on the occasion, except when a Shaman happens to be in the neighborhood, when a reindeer is sacrificed, on whose246 flesh the sorcerer and the relations regale44 themselves, while the spirits to whom the animal is supposed to be offered are obliged to content themselves with the smell of the burnt fat. As among the Samoïedes or the Ostiaks, woman is a marketable ware45 among the Tungusi. The father gives his daughter in marriage for twenty or a hundred reindeer, or the bridegroom is obliged to earn her hand by a long period of service.
In East Siberia the Tungusi divide with the Jakuts the task of conveying goods or travellers through the forests, and afford the stranger frequent opportunities for admiring their agility46 and good-humor. On halting after a day’s journey, the reindeer are unpacked47 in an instant, the saddles and the goods ranged orderly on the ground, and the bridles48 collected and hung on branches of trees. The hungry animals soon disappear in the thicket49, where they are left to provide for themselves. The men, who meanwhile have been busy with their axes, drag a larch-tree or two to the place of encampment. The smaller branches are lopped off and collected to serve as beds or seats upon the snow, while the resinous50 wood of the larger trunks is soon kindled into a lively fire. The kettle, filled with snow, is suspended from a strong forked branch placed obliquely51 in the ground over the fire, and in a few minutes the tea is ready—for the Tungusi proceed every evening according to the same method, and are consequently as expert as long and invariable practice can make them. Comfortably seated on his reindeer saddle, the traveller may now amuse himself with the dances, which the Tungusi accompany with an agreeable song; or if he choose to witness their agility in athletic52 exercises, it only costs him a word of encouragement, and a small donation of brandy. Two of the Tungusi hold a rope, and swing it with all their might, so that it does not touch the ground. Meanwhile a third Tunguse skips over the rope, picks up a bow and arrow, spans the bow and shoots the arrow, without once touching53 the rope. Some particularly bold and expert Tungusi will dance over a sword which a person lying on his back on the ground is swinging about with the greatest rapidity. Should our traveller be a friend of chess, the Tungusi are equally at his service, as they are passionately54 fond of this noblest of games, especially in the Kolymsk district. Like all other Siberian nomads, they visit at least once a year the various fairs which are held in the small towns scattered55 here and there over their immense territory—such as Kirensk, Olekminsk, Bargusin, Tschita, and Ochotsk, which, before the opening of the Amoor to trade, was the chief port of East Siberia.
Ochotsk is one of the dreariest places imaginable; at least no traveller who ever visited it has a word to say in its favor. Not a single tree grows for miles and miles around, and the wretched huts of which the town is composed lie in the midst of a swamp, which in summer is a fruitful source of malaria56 and pestilence57. The River Ochota, at whose mouth Ochotsk is situated58, does not break up before the end of May, and the ice-masses continue to pass the town till the 15th or 20th of June. Soon after begins the most unpleasant time of all the year, or “buss” of the Siberians, characterized by thick fog and a perpetual drizzling59 rain. The weather clears up in July, but as early as August the night-frosts cover the earth with rime60. Salmon61, of which no less than247 fourteen different species live in the Sea of Ochotsk, are the only food which the neighborhood affords; all other necessaries of life come from Jakutsk, and are of course enormously dear. Meat appears only from time to time on the tables of the wealthier merchants, and bread is an article of luxury. No wonder that the scurvy62 ravages every winter a place so ill-provisioned, and that at the time when the first caravan63 of pack-horses is expected to cross the Aldan Mountains, the people of Ochotsk, unable to restrain their impatience64, go out a long way to meet it. As the former trade of the place has now no doubt been transferred to the settlements on the Amoor, it may well be supposed that Ochotsk has lost most of its former inhabitants, who can only be congratulated on their change of residence.
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1
nomads
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| n.游牧部落的一员( nomad的名词复数 )；流浪者；游牧生活；流浪生活 | |
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nomad
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| n.游牧部落的人，流浪者，游牧民 | |
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outfit
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| n.（为特殊用途的）全套装备，全套服装 | |
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dwelling
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| n.住宅，住所，寓所 | |
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aboriginal
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| adj.（指动植物）土生的，原产地的，土著的 | |
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subjugated
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| v.征服，降伏( subjugate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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mightier
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| adj. 强有力的，强大的，巨大的 adv. 很，极其 | |
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yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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distinguished
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| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
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reindeer
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| n.驯鹿 | |
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ravages
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| 劫掠后的残迹，破坏的结果，毁坏后的残迹 | |
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epidemic
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| n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的 | |
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disorders
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| n.混乱( disorder的名词复数 )；凌乱；骚乱；（身心、机能）失调 | |
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disorder
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| n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调 | |
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impoverished
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| adj.穷困的，无力的，用尽了的v.使（某人）贫穷( impoverish的过去式和过去分词 )；使（某物）贫瘠或恶化 | |
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herd
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| n.兽群，牧群；vt.使集中，把…赶在一起 | |
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contagious
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| adj.传染性的，有感染力的 | |
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miseries
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| n.痛苦( misery的名词复数 )；痛苦的事；穷困；常发牢骚的人 | |
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melancholy
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| n.忧郁，愁思；adj.令人感伤（沮丧）的，忧郁的 | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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22
dreariest
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| 使人闷闷不乐或沮丧的( dreary的最高级 )； 阴沉的； 令人厌烦的； 单调的 | |
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23
wildernesses
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| 荒野( wilderness的名词复数 )； 沙漠； （政治家）在野； 不再当政（或掌权） | |
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24
cannibalism
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| n.同类相食；吃人肉 | |
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25
voracity
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| n.贪食，贪婪 | |
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26
bartering
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| v.作物物交换，以货换货( barter的现在分词 ) | |
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misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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implements
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| n.工具( implement的名词复数 )；家具；手段；[法律]履行（契约等）v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 )；执行；贯彻；使生效 | |
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relinquish
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| v.放弃，撤回，让与，放手 | |
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sprightly
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| adj.愉快的，活泼的 | |
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uncouth
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| adj.无教养的，粗鲁的 | |
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malice
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| n.恶意，怨恨，蓄意；[律]预谋 | |
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beads
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| n.（空心）小珠子( bead的名词复数 )；水珠；珠子项链 | |
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morass
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| n.沼泽，困境 | |
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apparatus
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| n.装置，器械；器具，设备 | |
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axe
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| n.斧子；v.用斧头砍，削减 | |
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37
sling
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| vt.扔；悬挂；n.挂带；吊索，吊兜；弹弓 | |
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pliable
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| adj.易受影响的；易弯的；柔顺的，易驾驭的 | |
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thoroughly
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| adv.完全地，彻底地，十足地 | |
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40
kindled
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| （使某物）燃烧，着火( kindle的过去式和过去分词 )； 激起（感情等）； 发亮，放光 | |
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41
hearth
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| n.壁炉炉床，壁炉地面 | |
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42
complexion
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| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
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43
addicted
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| adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的 | |
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regale
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| v.取悦，款待 | |
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45
ware
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| n.(常用复数)商品，货物 | |
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46
agility
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| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
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47
unpacked
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| v.从（包裹等）中取出（所装的东西），打开行李取出( unpack的过去式和过去分词 )；拆包；解除…的负担；吐露（心事等） | |
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48
bridles
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| 约束( bridle的名词复数 )； 限动器； 马笼头； 系带 | |
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thicket
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| n.灌木丛，树林 | |
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50
resinous
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| adj.树脂的，树脂质的，树脂制的 | |
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51
obliquely
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| adv.斜； 倾斜； 间接； 不光明正大 | |
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52
athletic
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| adj.擅长运动的，强健的；活跃的，体格健壮的 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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54
passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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55
scattered
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| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
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56
malaria
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| n.疟疾 | |
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pestilence
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| n.瘟疫 | |
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situated
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| adj.坐落在...的，处于某种境地的 | |
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drizzling
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| 下蒙蒙细雨，下毛毛雨( drizzle的现在分词 ) | |
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60
rime
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| n.白霜；v.使蒙霜 | |
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salmon
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| n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的 | |
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scurvy
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| adj.下流的，卑鄙的，无礼的；n.坏血病 | |
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caravan
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| n.大蓬车；活动房屋 | |
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64
impatience
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| n.不耐烦，急躁 | |
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