Page 271

271

The lower extremities are guarded
by a pair of breeches, literally copies fac-
similies of our [own] courtly knee
buckled ones but adapted to the waist
in a manner so un-Grandisonian
that I leave their special structure
to my note book. The [wannooke?] are
bear skin and tied closely just below
the knee.

The foot gear consists of a
bird skin short sock, on whose foot a sole
is laid a padding of grass. Over this
comes a Bear Skin leg, sown with
great dexterity to a the natural sole of the same
material and abundantly wadded
about the foot with dry non conducting
straw.

When this simple wardrobe
is fully adjusted to the person we
realize the wonderful endurance of
these men. [Wrangall?] called the
Jacuti iron men because they slept at
-50° opposite a fire with the back
exposed. Now they of Smiths Sound
have an uncoved space [of] between the
cincture of the trousers at the waist and
the [Kapetath?] to bend exposes them
to partial nudity and upon all
occasions the entire chest is open to
the atmosphere from below. Yet this
man will sleep upon his sledge with
the atmosphere 93° degrees below our
freezing point.

The only additional articles
of dress known to me are [the]
a fox's tail held between the teeth to
protect the nose in a wind and mits
of seal skin well protected with straw.

271

The lower extremities are guarded
by a pair of breeches, litrrally copies
similies of our [own] courtly knee
buckle ones but adapted to the waist
in a manner so un-Grandisonian
that I leave their special structure
to my note book. The [wannooke?] are
bear skin and tied closely just below
the knee.

The foot gear consists of a
bird skin short sock, on whose foot [?]
is laid a padding of grass. Over this
comes a Bear Skin leg, sown with
great dexterity to a the natural sole of the same
material and abundantly wadded
about the foot with dry non conducting
straw.

When this simple wardrobe
is fully adjusted to the person we
realize the wonderful endurance of
these men. [Wrangall?] called the
Jacuti iron men because they slept at
-50° opposite a fire with the back
exposed. Now they of Smiths Sound
have an uncoved space between the
[?] of the trousers at the waist and
the [kapetath?] to bend exposes them
to pratical nudity and upon all
occasions the entire chest is open to
the atmosphere from below. Yet this
man will sleep upon his sledge with
the atmosphere 93° degrees below our
freezing point.

The only additional articles
of dress known to me are [the]
a [?] held between the teeth to
protect the house in a wind and mits
of seal skin well protected with straw.