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+Project Gutenberg's Alone with the Hairy Ainu, by A. H. Savage Landor
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Alone with the Hairy Ainu
+       or, 3,800 miles on a pack saddle in Yezo and a cruise to
+       the Kurile Islands.
+
+Author: A. H. Savage Landor
+
+Release Date: October 28, 2011 [EBook #37873]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALONE WITH THE HAIRY AINU ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Steven Gibbs, LN Yaddanapudi and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+  [Illustration: _Frontispiece_. PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR.
+  "When my clothes came to an end I did without them."]
+
+
+
+
+  ALONE WITH THE
+  HAIRY AINU.
+
+  OR,
+
+  3,800 MILES ON A PACK SADDLE IN YEZO AND
+  A CRUISE TO THE KURILE ISLANDS.
+
+  BY
+  A. H. SAVAGE LANDOR.
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+  WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR.
+
+  LONDON:
+  JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
+  1893.
+
+
+  LONDON:
+  PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
+  STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+This book is not meant as a literary work, for I am not and do not
+pretend to be a literary man. It is but a record--an amplified log-book,
+as it were--of what befell me during my solitary peregrinations in
+Hokkaido, and a collection of notes and observations which I hope will
+prove interesting to anthropologists and ethnologists as well as to the
+general public.
+
+Without any claim to infallibility I have tried to take an open-minded
+and sensible view of everything I have attempted to describe; in most
+cases, however, I have given facts without passing an opinion at all,
+and all I have said I have tried to express as simply and plainly as
+possible, so as not to give rise to misunderstandings.
+
+There are a few points which I want to make quite clear.
+
+First, that I went to Hokkaido entirely on my own account and for my own
+satisfaction. Next, that I accomplished the whole journey (some 4200
+miles, out of which 3800 were ridden on horseback and on a rough
+pack-saddle) perfectly alone. By alone I mean that I had with me no
+friends, no servants, and no guides. My baggage consisted of next to
+nothing, so far as articles for my own convenience or comfort were
+concerned. I carried no provisions and no tent.
+
+I am endowed with a very sensitive nature, and I pride myself in
+possessing the gift of adaptability to an extreme degree, and this may
+partly explain why and how I could live so long with and like the Ainu,
+whose habits and customs, as my readers will see, are somewhat different
+to ours.
+
+When I go to a country I do my best to be like one of the natives
+themselves, and, whether they are savage or not, I endeavour to show
+respect for them and their ideas, and to conform to their customs for
+the time being. I make up my mind that what is good for them must be
+good enough for me, and though I have occasionally had to swear at
+myself for "doing in Ainuland as the Ainu does," especially as regards
+the food, I was not much the worse for it in the end. I never use force
+when I can win with kindness, and in my small experience in Hokkaido and
+other countries I have always found that real savages in their
+simplicity are most "gentleman-like" people. With few exceptions they
+are good-natured, dignified, and sensible, and the chances are that if
+you are fair to them they will be fair to you. Civilised savages and
+barbarians I always found untrustworthy and dangerous.
+
+The Island of Yezo, with the smaller islands near its coast, and the
+Kurile group, taken together, are called "the Hokkaido." The Hokkaido
+extends roughly from 41° to 51° latitude north, and between 139° and
+157° longitude east of Greenwich.
+
+My view of the origin of the word Ainu is this: _Ainu_ is but a
+corruption or abbreviation of _Ai-num_, "they with hair," or "hairy
+men," or else of _Hain-num_, "come with hair," or "descended hairy."
+Considering that the Ainu pride themselves above all things on their
+hairiness, it does not seem improbable to me that this may be the
+correct origin of the word, and that they called themselves after the
+distinguishing characteristic of their race.
+
+The word Ainu is a generic term, and is used both in the singular and
+plural; but when specifying, the words _Kuru_ (people, men), _utaragesh_
+(woman), etc., are generally added to it: viz., _Ainu kuru_, Ainu
+people, Ainu men; _Ainu utaragesh_, an Ainu woman; _Ainu utaragesh
+utara_, several Ainu women.
+
+The Ainu population of Yezo is roughly reckoned by the Japanese at about
+15,000 or 17,000 souls, but at least half this number are half-castes,
+and in my opinion (and I have visited nearly every Ainu village in Yezo)
+the number of thoroughbred Ainu does not exceed 8000 souls.
+
+The illustrations in this book are my own, and are the reproductions
+from sketches which I took on the spot. They may not show much artistic
+merit, but they seem to me to be characteristic of the country and the
+people, and I hope that my readers will be impressed with them in the
+same way.
+
+A. HENRY SAVAGE LANDOR.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+  CHAPTER I.
+  From Hakodate to Mororran--Volcano Bay--The first Ainu--A
+  strange institution among them                                       1
+
+  CHAPTER II.
+  From Mororran to the Saru River                                     12
+
+  CHAPTER III.
+  Up the Saru River--Piratori and its chief                           22
+
+  CHAPTER IV.
+  An Ainu Festival                                                    30
+
+  CHAPTER V.
+  From the Saru River to Cape Erimo                                   35
+
+  CHAPTER VI.
+  From Cape Erimo to the Tokachi River                                44
+
+  CHAPTER VII.
+  The Tokachi Region--Pure Ainu Types--Curious Mode of River
+  Fishing                                                             50
+
+  CHAPTER VIII.
+  From the Tokachi River to the Kutcharo River                        68
+
+  CHAPTER IX.
+  The Koro-pok-kuru, or Pit-dwellers                                  78
+
+  CHAPTER X.
+  The Kutcharo River and Lake--A Sulphur Mine--Akkeshi and
+  its Bay                                                             95
+
+  CHAPTER XI.
+  From Akkeshi to Nemuro--A Horse Station--Nemuro and its
+  People                                                             106
+
+  CHAPTER XII.
+  The Kurile Islands                                                 121
+
+  CHAPTER XIII.
+  On the East and North-East Coast--From Nemuro to Shari-Mombets     133
+
+  CHAPTER XIV.
+  Along the Lagoons of the North-East Coast--From Shari-Mombets
+  to Poronai                                                         145
+
+  CHAPTER XV.
+  On the North-East Coast--From Poronai to Cape Soya                 157
+
+  CHAPTER XVI.
+  From Cape Soya to the Ishikari River                               167
+
+  CHAPTER XVII.
+  The Ishikari River                                                 179
+
+  CHAPTER XVIII.
+  Nearing Civilisation                                               187
+
+  CHAPTER XIX.
+  Completing the Circuit of Yezo--The End of my Journey              196
+
+  CHAPTER XX.
+  Ainu Habitations, Storehouses, Trophies, Furniture--Conservatism   207
+
+  CHAPTER XXI.
+  Ainu Art, Ainu Marks, Ornamentations, Weapons--Graves and
+  Tattoos                                                            218
+
+  CHAPTER XXII.
+  Ainu Heads, and their Physiognomy                                  229
+
+  CHAPTER XXIII.
+  Movements and Attitudes                                            236
+
+  CHAPTER XXIV.
+  Ainu Clothes, Ornaments, and Tattooing                             245
+
+  CHAPTER XXV.
+  Ainu Music, Poetry, and Dancing                                    255
+
+  CHAPTER XXVI.
+  Heredity--Crosses--Psychological Observations                      266
+
+  CHAPTER XXVII.
+  Physiological Observations--Pulse-beat and Respiration--Exposure--
+  Odour of the Ainu--The Five Senses                                 274
+
+  CHAPTER XXVIII.
+  The Ainu Superstitions--Morals--Laws and Punishments               281
+
+  CHAPTER XXIX.
+  Marital Relations, and Causes that limit Population                293
+
+  APPENDIX.
+
+  I.--Measurements of the Ainu Body, and Descriptive Characters      298
+
+  II.--Glossary of Ainu Words, many of which are found in
+  Geographical Names in Yezo and the Kurile Islands                  304
+
+  INDEX                                                              313
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+
+  Portrait of the Author                            _Frontispiece._
+  Aputa                                                           1
+  Ainu Woman saluting                                             6
+  Toya Lake, near Aputa                                          11
+  Fisherman's Hut                                                12
+  Pack-Saddle                                                    18
+  Norboribets Volcano                                            19
+  Horobets                                                       21
+  Storehouses at Piratori                                        22
+  Benry, the Ainu Chief of Piratori                              25
+  Ainu Man waving his Moustache-lifter before drinking           29
+  Ainu Festival, An                                              30
+  Ainu Women dancing                                             33
+  Piratori Woman in Costume                                      34
+  Utarop Rocks                                                   35
+  Ainu Lashed Canoe                                              37
+  Front View of Lashed Canoe                                     38
+  Ainu Oars                                                      38
+  Sailing Canoe                                                  38
+  Ainu Wooden Anchors                                            39
+  Ainu Canoe, Top View of an                                     39
+  Erimo Cape                                                     43
+  Natural Stone Archway, A                                       44
+  Iwa Rocks at Biru                                              49
+  Ainu Houses and Storehouse, Frishikobets, Tokachi River        50
+  Madwoman of Yammakka                                           55
+  Ainu Woman of Frishikobets, on the Tokachi River               60
+  Shikarubets Otchirsh, The                                      67
+  Ainu Man of the Upper Tokachi                                  68
+  Ainu Hook for Smoking Bear-Meat                                77
+  Koro-pok-kuru Fort                                             78
+  Flint Arrow-Heads                                              78
+  Flint Knives                                                   79
+  Koro-pok-kuru Pottery and Fragments of Designs                 86
+  Stone Adzes and Hammer                                         94
+  Ainu Huts and Storehouses on Kutcharo Lake                     95
+  Kutcharo Lake from Mount Yuzan                                 98
+  Sulphur Mine                                                  100
+  Akkeshi in a Fog                                              105
+  Ainu Man and Woman on Horseback                               106
+  Ainu Bits                                                     110
+  Semi-Ainu Rat Trap                                            120
+  Ainu Woman of the Kurile Islands                              121
+  Shikotan Ainu                                                 126
+  Woman of the Kurile Islands                                   132
+  Abashiri Island                                               133
+  Ainu Belle, An                                                140
+  Saruma Lagoon                                                 144
+  Eagle-displayed Sable, An                                     145
+  My Host, the Madman                                           148
+  Sarubuts, showing River-Course altered by Drift Sand          157
+  Ainu Village on the East Coast of Yezo                        166
+  Mashike Mountain                                              167
+  Ishikari Kraftu Ainu                                          178
+  Kamui Kotan Rapids, The                                       179
+  Woman of Ishikari River                                       186
+  Ainu Bark Water Jugs                                          187
+  Ainu Half-caste Child of Volcano Bay                          194
+  Komatage Volcano, Volcano Bay                                 196
+  Wooden Drinking Vessels                                       207
+  Kammakappe, The, &c.                                          209
+  Ahunkanitte, The, &c.                                         210
+  Atzis-Cloth in process of Weaving                             210
+  Roasting Hook                                                 211
+  Ape-Kilai, The, or Earth-Rake                                 214
+  Pestle, Mortar, Spoon, &c.                                    215
+  Ainu Pipe Holder and Tobacco Pouch                            217
+  Ainu Knife, with ornamented Sheath, &c.                       218
+  Kike-ush-bashui, or Moustache-Lifters                         220
+  Suggestions of Leaves, &c.                                    221
+  Elaborations of Chevrons, Wave Patterns, &c.                  222
+  Tchutti, or War-Clubs, &c.                                    223
+  Ainu Knives                                                   224
+  Monuments for Women                                           225
+  Wooden Monuments over Men's Grave                             225
+  Wooden Blade                                                  226
+  Ainu Pipe, An                                                 228
+  Ainu Man walking with Snow-Shoes                              236
+  Thiaske-Tarra, The                                            238
+  Atzis, The                                                    245
+  Atzis, after Japanese Pattern                                 245
+  Winter Bear-skin Coat                                         245
+  Atzis, Back of                                                246
+  "Hoshi," The                                                  247
+  Boots, Deer-Skin Shoe, &c.                                    248
+  Tattoo-marks on Women's Arms                                  253
+  Snow-Shoes                                                    254
+  Ainu Salutation                                               255
+  "Mukko," A, or Musical Instrument                             258
+  Wooden Pipe, A                                                265
+  Naked Ainu Man from the North-East Coast of Yezo              274
+  Trophy of Bears' Skulls                                       281
+  Inao-netuba, &c.                                              292
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: APUTA.]
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+From Hakodate to Mororran--Volcano Bay--The first Ainu--A strange
+Institution among them.
+
+
+I have often asked myself _why_ I went to Yezo; and, when there, what
+possessed me to undertake the laborious task of going round the island,
+up its largest rivers, travelling through jungles and round lakes,
+climbing its highest peaks, and then proceeding to the Kuriles. There
+are certain things in one's life that cannot be accounted for, and the
+journey which I am going to relate is one of them.
+
+Pleasure and rest were the two principal objects which had primarily
+induced me to steer northwards; but it was my fate not to get either the
+one or the other.
+
+I was on the Japanese ship the _Satsuma Maru_. Rapidly nearing the
+Hakodate Head, which we soon passed, we entered the well-protected bay
+and the town of Hakodate at the foot of the Peak came into view. It
+looked extremely pretty, with its paper-walled houses and its tiled
+roofs, set against the background of brown rock with its fringe of green
+at the foot. As we cast anchor, hundreds of coolies, carrying on their
+backs loads of dried fish and seaweed, were running along the _bund_ or
+wharf. A few _musemes_ (girls), in their pretty _kimonos_ (gowns) and
+with oil-paper umbrellas, were toddling along on their wooden clogs, and
+a crowd of loafers stood gazing at the ship as she came to anchor. The
+Peak, more than 1000 feet high, was towering on our south side, forming
+a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a sandy isthmus, and the large
+bay swept round us, forming nearly a circle. The place has a striking
+resemblance to Gibraltar.
+
+I landed, and put up at a tea-house, where I was in hopes of learning
+something regarding the island from the Japanese settlers, but no one
+knew anything. The reports that there were no roads extending beyond a
+few miles; that there was but very poor and scarce accommodation along
+the coast; that the Ainu, who lived further north, were dirty people;
+and that the country was full of bears, were certainly not encouraging
+to an intending traveller.
+
+I must confess that my first day in Yezo was a dull one; but the second
+day I had the pleasure of meeting a Mr. H., a resident, who kindly
+offered me his hospitality, and the next two were pleasantly spent at
+his house. In conversation with a friend of his, I heard the remark that
+no man alone could possibly complete the circuit of the island of Yezo,
+owing to the difficulties of travel; and my readers can imagine the
+astonishment of my interlocutors when I meekly said, that if no one had
+ever done it, I was going to do it; and, indeed, that I intended to set
+out alone the next morning.
+
+"Impossible!" said one, "you are too young and too delicate."
+
+"Absurd!" said my kind host, "it would take a very strong man to do
+it--a man who could stand any amount of hardships and roughing." At the
+same time he gave me a pitiful look, which undoubtedly meant, "You are a
+mere bag of skin and bones."
+
+However, the bag of skin and bones kept his word, notwithstanding the
+poor opinion that his new friends had formed of him.
+
+The preparations for my journey were simple. In two large Japanese
+baskets I packed three hundred small wooden panels for oil-painting, a
+large supply of oil colours and brushes, a dozen small sketch-books, my
+diary, three pairs of boots, three shirts, an equal number of pairs of
+woollen stockings, a revolver, and a hundred cartridges. The remainder
+of my luggage was left in charge of Mr. H. till my return. I did not
+burden myself with either provisions or a tent.
+
+I rose early the following morning and bade good-bye to my kind host.
+"Good-bye," said he, "I expect we shall see you back to-night to
+dinner." The word "dinner" was the last English word I heard from the
+mouth of an Englishman, and it was five long months before I heard
+another.
+
+The first thirty miles of my journey were ridden in a _basha_, a covered
+cart built on four wheels that ought to have been round, but were not.
+There were no springs for the comfort of the traveller, and no cushions
+on the seats. The conveyance was public, and was drawn by two sturdy
+ponies. The driver, a Japanese, carried a brass trumpet, on which he
+continually played.
+
+I might have begun my story by the usual "One fine day," if,
+unfortunately, the day on which I started the rain had not poured
+in torrents. A Japanese policeman and a girl were my only
+fellow-passengers. Travelling at full gallop, on a rough road, in a trap
+with unsymmetrical wheels and with no springs, during a heavy storm, is
+scarcely what one would call a pleasant mode of progression; but after
+some hours of "being knocked about," we went zig-zag fashion, first up a
+steep hill, then down on the other side, giving the horses a rest at a
+roadside tea-house by the famous lakes of Zenzai. The larger of these
+two lakes--the Ko-numa--is extremely picturesque, with its numerous
+little islands wooded with deciduous trees. In shape it is very
+irregular, and many points, which project into the lake, add to the
+loveliness of the scene, while the high ridge over which I had come, on
+the one side, and the rugged volcano of Komagatake on the other, form a
+beautiful background to the limpid sheet of water. The outlet of this
+lake empties itself into Volcano Bay, S.E. of the Komagatake Volcano.
+The other lake, though smaller, is quite as striking, and possesses the
+same characteristics of its larger brother. It goes by the name of
+Ono-numa. A peculiarity of these lakes is that they abound in a smallish
+fish--the _funa_--which is greatly appreciated by the Japanese.
+
+I sat down in the tea-house on the soft mats, and my _bento_--Japanese
+lunch--was served to me on a tiny table. There was water soup; there was
+sea-weed; there was a bowl of rice, and raw fish. The fish--a small
+_funa_--was in a diminutive dish and its back was covered by a leaf; the
+head projected over the side of the plate. On the leaf were placed
+several neatly-cut pieces of the raw flesh, which had apparently been
+removed from the back of the underlying animal. As I had been long
+accustomed to Japanese food of this kind I ate to my heart's content,
+when, to my great horror, the _funa_, which had been staring at me with
+its round eyes, relieved of the weight that had passed from its back
+into my digestive organs, leaped up, leaf and all, from the dish and
+fell on the mat. All the vital parts had carefully been left in the
+fish, and the wretched creature was still alive!
+
+"Horrible!" I cried, violently pushing away the table and walking out
+disgusted, to the great surprise of the people present, who expected me
+to revel in the deliciousness of the dish.
+
+For days and days after I could see in my mind the staring eyes of the
+_funa_, watching each movement of my chopsticks, and its own back being
+eaten piecemeal! Wherever I went this big eye stood before me, and
+increased or diminished in size according to my being more or less
+lonely, more or less hungry. I had often eaten raw fish before, but
+never had I eaten live fish!
+
+The journey in the _basha_ was resumed that afternoon, and, more dead
+than alive, I alighted in the evening at Mori, a small Japanese village
+at the foot of the Komagatake Volcano. The peak of this mountain is 4000
+feet above the level of the sea, but its basin-like crater is at a
+somewhat lower altitude. Up to a certain height it is thickly wooded
+with deciduous trees and firs, thence its slopes are bare of vegetation,
+rugged in form, and very rich in colour. It makes part of a volcanic
+mass which extends from the Esan Volcano, further south, to the limit of
+the Shiribeshi province, crossing straight through the province of
+Oshima as far as the Yurapdake Mountain. Komagatake is one of the most
+majestic and picturesque mountains I have ever seen, as it possesses
+lovely lines on nearly every side. Its isolation and sudden sharp
+elevation, rising as it does directly from the sea, gives, of course, a
+grand appearance to its weird and sterile slopes, which are covered with
+warmly-tinted cinders, pumice, and lava.
+
+I went over to Mororran, across Volcano Bay, and the following morning I
+risked my life on a small craft, which took me over to Mombets. From
+this place I rode on to Uso and Aputa, two Ainu villages at a short
+distance from each other.
+
+Coming from Japan the first thing that strikes a traveller in the Ainu
+country is the odour of dried fish, which one can smell everywhere; the
+next is the great number of crows--the scavengers of the country;
+lastly, the volcanic nature of the island. On visiting an Ainu village
+what impressed me most were the miserable and filthy huts, compared with
+the neat and clean Japanese houses; the poverty and almost appalling
+dirt of the people and their gentle, submissive nature.
+
+I shall not dwell at length on these Volcano Bay Ainu, as this part of
+the country is comparatively civilised, and has been travelled over by
+many people previous to my going there. Besides, most of them have
+intermarried with Japanese, and have consequently adopted many Japanese
+customs and manners.
+
+The Ainu of the coast build their huts generally on a single line, near
+the shore, and each family has its "dug out" canoe drawn up on the
+beach, ready to hand when wanted. The huts are small and
+miserable-looking, and they have no furniture or bedding to speak of.
+The roof and walls are thatched with _arundinaria_, but so imperfectly
+that wind and rain find easy access through their reedy covering.
+Curiosity is the only good quality which I ever possessed, and in
+obedience to it I poked my nose into several of the huts along the
+beach. This was a mistake on my part, for in the Ainu country the nose
+is the last thing one ought to poke in anywhere. I was more than
+astonished to see how human beings could live in such filth! The natives
+kindly asked me to enter, and I of course did so, stooping low through
+the small door and raising the mat which protects the aperture. When I
+was in I could smell a great deal more than I could see, for the east
+window--the size of a small handkerchief, and the only one in the
+hut--did not give light enough to illuminate the premises. However, I
+soon got accustomed to the dimness, and then I could make out my
+surroundings clearly enough. There was an old man, perfectly naked, with
+a fine head, long white hair and beard, sitting on the ground among a
+mass of seaweeds, which he was disentangling and packing. Two young
+women and two young men, with bright, intelligent eyes and high
+cheek-bones, were helping him in his work. In their quiet, gentle way
+they all brought their hands forward, each rubbed the palms together,
+and, lifting the arms, slowly stroked their hair, and the men their
+beard with the backs of their hands, while the women rubbed the first
+finger under the nose from the left to the right. This is their
+salutation, and it is most graceful. They seemed pleased to see me, and
+asked me to sit down. As there were neither chairs nor sofas, stools nor
+cushions, I squatted on the ground.
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOMAN SALUTING.]
+
+Most Ainu of Volcano Bay understand Japanese, and they also speak it,
+interpolating Ainu words when necessary, so I began a conversation. My
+presence did not seem to disturb them or arouse their curiosity, and,
+beyond gazing at the mother-of-pearl buttons on my white coat, they did
+not appear to be struck by me. Evidently the buttons were much more
+interesting to them than the person who wore them. Now and then they
+uttered a few words, but whenever one spoke some of the company seemed
+to be angry, as at an impertinence or a breach of etiquette. Men and
+women wore large ear-rings or pieces of red or black cloth, which added
+a great deal to their picturesqueness; but the women were disfigured by
+a long moustache tattooed across the face from ear to ear. Rough
+drawings adorn the arms and hands of the women, and some of the younger
+females would undoubtedly be fine-looking if not disfigured by the
+tattoos, for they carry themselves well when walking, and possess comely
+features. Judging from appearances, I should think them very passionate.
+
+Coming out of the hut I saw a scene which I shall never forget. Two
+naked boys, covered with horrible skin eruptions, had got hold of a
+large fish-bone, out of which they were endeavouring to make a meal.
+Round them were gathered about thirty dogs, wild with hunger, barking
+furiously at the frightened children, and attacking and fighting them
+for that miserable repast.
+
+I walked along the beach, and endeavoured to make friends with some of
+the Ainu who were less shy than the others. One little girl was
+especially picturesque. She was only about ten, and her large eyes,
+tanned complexion, white teeth, the tiny bluish-black tattoo on her
+upper lip, her uncombed long black hair flying around her, and her red
+cloth ear-rings, made her indeed one of the quaintest studies of colour
+that I have seen in my life. I got her to sit for me; and while I was
+painting her, an old man, the chief of the village, dressed up in a
+gaudy costume, with a crown of willow shavings on his head, came to me
+and made his "salaams." He bore the name of Angotsuro, and before all
+his salaams were over he found himself "caught in the action" in my
+sketch-book. Many of the villagers had collected round, and one of them,
+a half-caste, expressed the wish that I should paint the chief in
+colours, like the picture of the girl. I asked for nothing better, and
+started an oil-sketch of him. The excitement of the natives who were
+witnessing the operation grew greater and greater as each new ornament
+in the chief's dress was put in the picture. Some seemed to approve of
+it, others were grumpy, and apparently objected to the picture being
+taken at all. The _séance_ was indeed a stormy one; and though the chief
+had his regal crown knocked off his head two or three times by the
+anti-artistic party, he sat well for his likeness, especially as I
+promised him in Japanese, that when the picture was completed he should
+be given a few coins and two buttons off my coat.
+
+It was while portraying him that I noticed what extraordinary effects
+colours produce on those whose eyes are unaccustomed to them. A man in
+the crowd would get excited, and open his eyes wide and show his teeth
+every time I happened to touch with my brush the cobalt blue on my
+palette. Other colours had not the same effect on him. His eyes were
+continually fixed on the blue, anxiously waiting for the brush to dip in
+it, and this would then send him into fits of merriment. I squeezed some
+blue paint from a tube on to the palm of his hand, and he nearly went
+off his head with delight. He sprang and jumped and yelled, and then ran
+some way off, where he squatted on the sand, still in admiration of the
+blue dab on his hand, still grinning at intervals with irrepressible
+enjoyment. Where the point of the joke was no one but himself ever knew.
+
+When the picture was finished I had no little trouble to keep the many
+fingers of my audience off the wet painting. Moreover, some person
+endowed with kindly feelings threw a handful of sand in my face, which
+nearly blinded me for the moment and partly ruined the two pictures I
+had painted. The money and the buttons were duly paid to Angotsuro and I
+moved on.
+
+That same evening I went out for a walk. It was a very dark night, and I
+love dark nights. When for some years you have done nothing but see
+strange things and new places there is indeed a great fascination in
+going about in complete darkness; it rests both your eyes and your
+brain. I walked for some time along the beach, stumbling against the
+canoes drawn on shore and against anything that was in my way. Hut after
+hut was passed, but everything was silent; there was not a sound to be
+heard, not a light to be seen. The Ainu are early people; they retire
+with the sun. I walked on yet farther and farther afield, till through
+the thatched wall of one of the huts I discerned a faint light. I stood
+and listened. The sad voice of a man was singing a weird, weird song,
+the weirdest song I have ever heard. Then came a pause, and another
+voice, even more plaintive than the first, continued the same air.
+
+What with the strange melody in the hut, the soothing noise of the waves
+gently breaking on the shingle, and the distant howling of dogs or
+wolves, the mystic effect was such that I could not resist the
+temptation, and I crept into the hut. A fire was burning in the centre,
+but it had almost gone out, leaving a lot of smoke. Three old men were
+sitting on the ground. They decidedly looked as if they did not expect
+me, but, after their first astonishment was over, they asked me to squat
+down in a corner, and there I was left to amuse myself, while they
+resumed their singing and drinking. Of the latter they seemed to have
+had enough already; but, all the same, several wooden bowls, about five
+inches in diameter and two deep, were passed round and emptied in no
+time. The more they drank, the wilder and more melancholy the song
+became. Only one at a time sang, and he would begin in a very low tone
+of voice and go up in a _crescendo_, gradually getting awfully excited;
+then all at once he would stop, as if the effort had been too great for
+him. His head drooped, and he seemed to sleep. Then, suddenly waking up,
+coming back to his full senses in a startling manner, he drained one of
+the bowls, which meantime had been refilled, and resumed the song. The
+three men were facing each other, and so absorbed were they in their
+music that, though I was not more than four feet away from them, they
+seemed to have forgotten me altogether.
+
+I was so impressed with the strangeness of the song that I pulled out my
+pencil and paper to write down the air. As there was no light but the
+flicker of the fire, I turned the white leaf of my sketch-book toward it
+to see what I was writing. This caught the eye of one of the men. He
+woke up, startled from his musical dream, jumped to his feet, and made a
+dash for me, yelling some words which I did not understand, and holding
+over my head something that I could not distinguish at the moment owing
+to the dimness of the light. Standing thus he paused, evidently waiting
+for an answer to something he had said. It came from one of the other
+fellows, who pushed him so violently as to send him sprawling on the
+floor, while, what he held in his hand--a big, heavy, pointed
+knife--fell and stuck deep in the ground about an inch from my toes. A
+dispute arose among themselves, but among the Ainu everything ends up in
+a drink. The large wooden bowls were again refilled; grand bows were
+made to me, and they all stroked their hair and beard several times--a
+sign of great respect. I was then handed one of the bowls and made to
+swallow the contents. But, heavens! never have I felt any liquid work
+its way down so far. Had I swallowed fire it could not have been as bad;
+and, indeed, it was neither more nor less than liquid fire.
+
+As the night was wearing fast, and the old fellows had got on well with
+their drink, the sing-song became rather too languid and monotonous; and
+I crept out of the hut as quietly as I had entered it, not without first
+giving the inmates something for their trouble. I had some difficulty
+in finding my way back to my less musical quarters; and passing too
+close to some of the other huts, the dogs--which infest all Ainu
+villages--barked furiously and roused the whole place.
+
+I learned afterwards that it is an Ainu fashion to try a man's courage.
+This is done in the way in which my musical friends tried mine, namely,
+by making a sudden rush with a knife as if death and destruction were
+imminent, which to a perfect stranger, unconscious of the strain of
+"bluff" in the action, is not very reassuring. If the person to be
+tested is aware of this fashion he has to submit to an unlimited number
+of whacks, administered to him on his bare back, with a heavy war-club.
+These tests of a man's courage and endurance are called the _Ukorra_.
+
+In the first instance it is done, in a certain sense, good-naturedly,
+and not meaning to hurt one. Should, however, the person apparently so
+dangerously threatened show fright or signs of cowardice, he loses the
+respect of the Ainu, unless he has the happy thought of giving them a
+sufficient quantity of some intoxicating liquor to make them all
+drunk--which is a sure means of turning the most inimical Ainu you may
+meet into your fast friend, even if you have had a deadly feud with him.
+
+The second way--with the war-club--of course is a painful process, and
+the Ainu have recourse to it when it is necessary to determine the
+relative amount of courage possessed by certain members of a community.
+The one that can stand the greater number of blows is naturally entitled
+to the respect and admiration of his neighbours, and he is elected
+leader in bear-hunts or similar expeditions. At the election of a new
+chief--when the chief's line of descendants dies out--this process, I
+was told, is often practised; for bravery is the first quality which an
+Ainu chief must possess.
+
+At Aputa, through some of the half-castes, I was able to pick up a great
+number of Ainu words, which were most useful to me afterwards; and from
+that, gradually increasing my stock of words, I soon knew enough to
+understand a little and also to make myself understood.
+
+One day I went along the coast to the next village of Repun, and then
+retraced my steps to Aputa, as there was nothing of interest at the
+former place.
+
+An excursion which I enjoyed more was to the Toya Lake, with its three
+pretty islands in the centre and the magnificent Uso Volcano on its
+southern shores. The walk there and back was hardly fifteen miles, over
+a mountain track and through forests of pine-trees and oaks. The lake is
+about 250 feet above the level of the sea, and is about five miles in
+diameter. Its shores are surrounded with thickly-wooded hills, which
+have grassy terraces at a certain altitude, extending especially towards
+the north-western shores of the lake. The barren Uso Volcano, with its
+sterile slopes, is a great contrast to the beautiful green of the
+comparatively luxuriant vegetation of the lower altitudes. The lake
+finds an outlet into the Osaru River by means of a high waterfall.
+
+The following day I rode back to Mombets, and the next on to
+Shin-Mororran (the _new_ Mororran, distinguished by this affix from
+Kiu-Mororran, the _old_ settlement on the northern shore).
+
+Mororran has a well-protected harbour, and it would be the best future
+port in Hokkaido if the anchorage were of a larger capacity. In more
+speculative hands than the Japanese this port would be a great rival to
+Hakodate. It consists of a thickly-wooded peninsula, which forms a
+well-sheltered bay, at the entrance of which the picturesque island of
+Daikuku stands high above the sea-level. In the harbour itself, smaller
+islets and huge rocks contribute to its beauty.
+
+The village of Mororran is a mere streak of fourth-rate tea-houses along
+the road by the side of the cliffs. Apart from the natural loveliness of
+the harbour, it has, indeed, no claims to consideration at present. In
+former days it was called by the Ainu, Tokri-moi, "the home of the
+seals," for these valuable amphibious animals were said to be then
+plentiful in the bay.
+
+[Illustration: TOYA LAKE, NEAR APUTA.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: FISHERMAN'S HUT.]
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+From Mororran to the Saru River.
+
+
+Thirteen more miles in a _basha_--for I was still in civilised
+regions--took me to Horobets--a village half Ainu and half Japanese.
+
+The Ainu often name their villages after rivers, and this word Horobets,
+which in English means "large river," is an instance of this custom. In
+Southern Japan, previous to my visiting Yezo, I was told that nearly all
+the Ainu of Horobets had become "good Christians." If such were the
+case, which I do not wish my readers to doubt, the small experience
+which I had here, led me to believe that "good Christians" often make
+"very bad heathens."
+
+I left all my baggage in a tea-house at the entrance of the village,
+and, taking my paint-box with me, I went for a walk along the beach. I
+saw a crowd of Ainu in the distance, and I hurried up to them. They were
+busy skinning a large Ushi-sakana (cow-fish), cutting it into pieces
+with their long knives. They did not pay much attention to me, and this
+disregard of what would be to others a cause of curiosity and
+interruption I afterwards found to be a characteristic of the Ainu. They
+are seldom distracted from any particular idea that occupies their mind
+at a certain moment. In fact, they are so little accustomed to reflect
+at all, that it seems almost impossible for them to think of two things
+at the same time. Of all the existing races of mankind they may be said
+to be the most purely one-idea'd.
+
+Stark naked, with their long hair streaming in the wind, they formed a
+picturesque group. What a chance for a sketch! I sat down on the sand,
+opened my paint-box, and dashed off a picture, when a young lad, who had
+taken his share of the fish, came over to see what I was doing. "What is
+it?" he asked me in broken Japanese, to which question I answered that I
+was painting the group of them. The news seemed to give him a shock. He
+rejoined the others, excitedly muttered some words, and apparently told
+them that I had painted the whole group, fish and all. Had anyone among
+them been struck by lightning, they could certainly not have looked more
+dismayed. I never knew until then that painting could have such an
+overpowering effect on people, except, perhaps, when one has sat to an
+amateur artist for one's own likeness, the result of which is often one
+of dumb and blank amazement. Anger and disgust naturally followed. The
+fish was thrown aside, but not the knives, armed with which they all
+rushed at my back. The sudden change of ideas had evidently made them
+exceedingly angry. The grumbling became very loud, and louder still when
+they saw me complacently giving the finishing touches to the fish, which
+was now left alone, and not as before shifted about every second. They
+grew wilder and wilder, until one of the crowd shouted in my ears some
+words which sounded remarkably like swearing. Nevertheless it takes more
+than that to stop me from sketching; but ... "By Jove!" I exclaimed,
+when, all of a sudden, a rush was made on me. My paint-box, picture,
+palette and brushes were snatched out of my hands and smashed or flung
+away, and I found myself stretched on the sand, my late involuntary
+sitters holding me down fast by the legs and arms. A big knife was kept
+well over my head, so that I should not attempt to move, while the
+painting, on a heavy wooden panel, was being mercilessly destroyed by
+others. "If these are Christians, well I am ..." were, I must confess,
+the first words that rose to my lips.
+
+It is, indeed, difficult to describe how and what one feels when, to all
+appearance, one is going to be murdered--for painting a fish! My first
+thought, of course, went to my parents. My next was, what a nuisance it
+was to be murdered with the sun shining in my eyes, so that I could not
+even see who would give me the "finishing touch." All the events of my
+life, the bad ones first, flashed across my mind in those few seconds,
+and then I almost began to feel as if I had made my first steps into the
+other world, and I could see angels and devils disputing for my
+company--the devils, of course, having by far the largest claims. The
+bitterness of death had in some sense passed, when, to my great
+astonishment, and with a few, but very sound, kicks I was made to
+understand that I could get up and go.
+
+The sensation of being brought back to life, when one has made up one's
+mind to be dead, notwithstanding the abrupt manner in which it was
+produced, was indeed a pleasant one. I did get up, and pretty quick, I
+can tell you; but only to see my poor wooden paint-box floating
+half-smashed in the sea, my brushes stuck here and there in the sand,
+and the sketch utterly destroyed.
+
+My assailants were about fifteen or twenty, and I was alone. Stupidly
+enough, and relying on the Christianity of the people, I had not
+burdened myself with the extra weight of my revolver; I had left it with
+my heavy luggage in the small Japanese tea-house where I had put up,
+nearly a mile away. The Japanese police-station was at Washibets,
+another village some miles off. Nothing was left for me but to pick up
+the few unbroken brushes which were within easy reach and retire; but I
+was neither frightened nor conquered, and I swore to myself that I would
+have my revenge. I hurried to the tea-house, took my revolver, and
+filled my pocket with cartridges, then I ran back to the spot where I
+had sketched and been assaulted. There they all were as I had left them,
+one of them mimicking me with the broken palette, which he had fished
+out of the sea. I had kept well behind some thick brushwood, so that
+they should not see me, and for some time watched them unobserved. The
+imitation was perfect. The impromptu Raphael's hair was long enough to
+give him the look of an artist, and he was sufficiently brave to carry
+on his imitation sketching under a shower of missiles and sand thrown at
+him by his friends and companions. As he turned his head I recognised in
+my brother-artist the man who had been holding the knife over my head
+about an hour before, and also the very person who had given me the
+soundest kick. Just like a brother-artist! If my sketching had not
+lasted long, his parody was even shorter. I sprang out from the
+brushwood screen and caught him by the throat, pointing my revolver at
+his head, and telling him in Japanese to follow me to the
+police-station. Another man, attacking me from behind, stabbed me in my
+left arm, but not very severely, as I saw him just in time to avoid his
+blow. The sight of my revolver had a salutary effect on my hairy
+friends, and they were done out of their fun when, keeping them at bay,
+I told them that if they did not follow me they would all be dead men
+before they knew where they were. They had seen guns of the Japanese,
+and they knew the effects of them, so the saucy gentlemen stroked their
+hair and beard and made signs of submission and obedience. However, I
+was not to be easily appeased, as it was necessary to give them a lesson
+to prevent the same thing happening to future travellers; so I made them
+march in front of me, not caring to have them at my back, and thus took
+them all to the Japanese police-station, where they were duly arrested.
+The Japanese are very severe with recalcitrant Ainu, and my assailants
+would have been unmercifully dealt with had it not been for their wives
+and children, who came to me begging me to forgive their husbands and
+fathers for what they had done. I willingly did so, on condition that
+they should all come and prostrate themselves at my feet, imploring
+pardon and forgiveness and offering submission, as well as confessing
+their sorrow. This penitential function was reluctantly fixed by the
+Japanese policeman--the only one in the place--at a late hour in the
+afternoon. During the interval, as I fortunately had a large supply of
+painting materials, I managed to repaint from memory the scene
+represented in the sketch destroyed. The evening came, and the little
+Japanese policeman brought the resigned and humbled Ainu to the inn.
+Their wives and relatives followed, and they all looked supremely
+mournful and sad. I sat, Japanese fashion, on the small verandah on the
+ground-floor, and the policeman placed the Ainu on a line in front of
+me, and then came to sit by my side. He then addressed them, partly in
+the Ainu language, partly in Japanese, and bestowed on them names which
+went well to the point. He scolded them harshly, and asked them why they
+had assaulted me.
+
+One of them, as grave as a judge, with his eyes cast down, and in a
+half-broken voice, came forward and said, that if once you have your
+likeness taken you have to give up your life to it, and it brings
+illness to yourself, to your children, your parents, and your
+neighbours. Not only that, but as I had _taken_ many people together,
+famine was sure to fall on the country. "Then," he added--and he seemed
+positive of what he was talking about--"then there was a fish the
+stranger _made_"--the Ainu have no word for painting--"and had we not
+destroyed his _makings_ all the fish would have disappeared from the
+sea, and all the Ainu would have died of starvation"--which was a
+terrible contingency, as the Ainu live mainly by fishing. "We have not
+hurt the stranger," continued this hairy representative of Master
+Eustache de St. Pierre, "and now that all the Ainu and the fish he made
+are destroyed we are safe."
+
+"You are mistaken," said I, when, by the aid of the policeman, I
+understood the meaning of this long harangue, and I produced the large
+sketch of the scene which I had repainted from memory. This certainly
+beat them. They could hardly believe their own eyes, and looked at each
+other as if some great calamity were approaching. I have no doubt that
+they considered me an evil spirit, and, as such, too powerful to be
+contended with. Discretion was their best part of valour, as they
+proved. One by one they approached the verandah, sat cross-legged in
+front of me, rubbed their hands together, stroked their hair and beard
+three times, and three times each put his head down to my feet, begging
+my pardon. The Ainu women and children who had assembled in the back
+yard, where the function took place, were crying and moaning piteously.
+The most trying part for me was, of course, to keep serious during this
+long tragi-comic performance, and I was indeed glad when it was all
+over; when my supremacy was acknowledged, and my immunity from further
+insult secured; when submission had been made, and such whips and stings
+of outrageous fortune as might come from the painting of a fish had been
+humbly accepted.
+
+The Ainu are gentle and mild by nature, but, like all ignorant people,
+they are extremely superstitious, and superstition is a powerful
+excitant. Nevertheless, they are good people in their own way, and it
+must not be inferred from this small experience of mine that they are
+bullies, for they are not. The superstition regarding the reproduction
+of images is common all through the East, with the exception of the
+Japanese, and in many parts of Europe itself strange ideas are connected
+with portrait-painting. In Spain or Italy many a girl of the lower
+classes would think herself dishonoured if she happened to be sketched
+unawares, or if her picture were shown without the consent of her
+parents, brothers, relatives, and the parish priest.
+
+However, these Horobets Ainu are said, since civilisation has set in in
+that part of Yezo, of late years to have become untrustworthy and
+violent. They are more given to drunkenness than their neighbours, as
+they can procure from the Japanese stronger beverages than their own.
+_Sake_ (Japanese wine) of inferior quality is sold and exchanged in
+large quantities, and has the same fatal effects on them as rum--our
+fire-water--had on the American Indians.
+
+I was not sorry to leave a village which had displayed so little
+appreciation of my art. I took two ponies and two pack-saddles, to one
+of which was lashed my baggage, while I sat on the other. Riding is a
+delightful pastime when you have a good horse and a good saddle; but not
+when you have to look after two vicious animals, and are yourself
+perched on a rough wooden pack-saddle. Moreover, Ainu pack-saddles are
+perhaps the most uncomfortable of their kind. The illustration shows one
+of them. It is made with a rough, solid wooden frame, of which the front
+and back parts are semicircular. One large hole is perforated in each of
+these to allow ropes to be passed through. Under this frame are two mat
+cushions or pads, which are somehow supposed to fit the pony's back; and
+by means of three ropes, one of which is passed under the pony's body
+and fastened on each side of the saddle, while the others hang loose
+across its chest and under its tail respectively, the pack-saddle is
+made to remain in position either going uphill, downhill, or on level
+ground. Stirrups, of course, there are none; and mounting involves some
+difficulties at first. One has to face one's pony and place the left
+foot on the breast-piece, lift oneself up and swing right round,
+describing three-quarters of a circle before attaining one's seat in the
+saddle. If distances are miscalculated in this gymnastic feat, it is a
+common occurrence to find oneself seated on the pony's neck, or else
+landed heavily on either of the two hard wooden arches of the saddle,
+instead of gracefully falling between them. Keeping your equilibrium
+when you are on is also a trying exercise to anybody not born and bred a
+circus rider, and balancing your baggage perfectly on each side of the
+saddle is somewhat more difficult than it sounds.
+
+[Illustration: PACK-SADDLE.]
+
+Nine miles from Horobets one comes across the Nobori-bets[1]
+hot-springs. There was, formerly, a _geiser_ here, but it is seldom
+active now. These hot-springs are situated two-and-a-half miles from the
+sea-coast, and a miserable building, which is a mere shanty, is built in
+the vicinity of them, where people who wish to be cured of different
+complaints put up and take the waters.
+
+    [1] _Nobori_, mountain, volcano; _bets_, river, stream.
+
+I rode on to the Noboribets village, consisting of a few houses only;
+and, though I reached it late in the evening, I had to ride fourteen
+miles further to Shiraoi, "a place of horse-flies."[2]
+
+    [2] _Shirao_, horse-fly; _i_, a suffix meaning _a place_.
+
+At sunrise I was up again and on my way to Tomakomai,[3] the largest
+Japanese fishing village between Mororran and Cape Erimo.
+
+    [3] _To_, lake, swamp; _mak_, behind; _oma_, inside; _i_, a suffix
+        meaning _a place_, or "a place behind which a hidden swamp is
+        found."
+
+[Illustration: NOBORIBETS VOLCANO.]
+
+Sardine fishing is the principal and, indeed, the only industry of the
+place. It is carried on in a practical way. When the long nets are
+ready, and one end of them is fastened to the shore, they launch the
+boat, which is rowed rapidly by twenty or thirty strong men, while the
+net is dropped as the boat goes along. Having thus described a
+semicircle, the boat is beached. All on board jump out, and the net is
+pulled on shore amid the shrieks and yells of the excited fishermen.
+Myriads of sardines are caught each time the net is hauled in; and it is
+a fantastic scene to see the naked crowd which, in clearing the nets
+from the beheaded fish, get covered with silver scales, which stick to
+their arms, legs, and body, and give them a strange appearance.
+
+_Look-out_ towers are built on four high posts, where a watchman is
+posted to signal the arrival and approach of the shoals. The sea is so
+dense with them that it changes its colour, and these moving banks of
+sardines are distinguishable four or five miles from the coast. This
+method is the same as that adopted in Cornwall when the pilchards are
+expected, and the same discoloration of the sea takes place.
+
+From Tomakomai a road branches to the north leading to Sappro, the
+capital of Hokkaido, and it is the last place on the southern coast
+which is visited by that rare specimen of the globe-trotter who ventures
+to Yezo. He hastily makes his way from here to Sappro and Otaru on the
+northern coast, and waits for a ship to be conveyed back to Hakodate. He
+then, of course, tells his friends that he has been round and about and
+through Yezo, while in fact he has seen absolutely nothing of Yezo or
+its inhabitants. About half-a-dozen Europeans, however, have been
+further on--as far as the Saru River; and each one has written a book on
+the Ainu, for the most part copying what the previous author had
+written.
+
+As far as Tomakomai there is a road--a sure sign of civilisation--but
+nothing but a horse-track is to be found all along the southern coast
+after this place has been passed.
+
+Changing my ponies at Yuhuts,[4] nine miles east, and again at Mukawa
+and Saru-buto, I was able to reach Saru Mombets that same night. Many
+Ainu and Japanese fishermen's huts are scattered between Horohuts[5] and
+Yuhuts, on the sandy track along the sea.
+
+    [4] _Yu_, springs; _huts_, mouth of river.
+
+    [5] _Horo_, large; _hut_, _huts_, _put_, the mouth of a river.
+
+The traveller then leaves the sea on the right, and by a very uneven
+track, and after fording several rivers of little importance comes to
+Mukawa, a dirty little village fourteen miles from Yuhuts. My lunch that
+day consisted of a large piece of raw salmon, which was easily digested
+in riding nine more miles to Saru-buto. Sharu in Ainu, corrupted into
+Saru, means a grassy plain; and _buto_ is a Japanese corruption of the
+Ainu word _huts_, the mouth of a river. My ponies must have known of
+this "grassy plain," for they went remarkably well, and I reached the
+latter village some time before dark, so that I was able to push on to
+Saru Mombets, a larger village nearly four miles further. Saru Mombets
+translated means "a tranquil river in a grassy plain," a name thoroughly
+appropriate to the locality.
+
+There is nothing to interest the traveller along the coast, unless he be
+a geologist. Almost the whole of the western part of the Iburi district
+is of volcanic formation. The eastern part is abundant in sandstones,
+breccias, and shales. In the neighbourhood of Yuhuts, and all along the
+coast as far west as Horobets, pumice forms the surface soil, showing
+that in former days frequent eruptions must have taken place. Vegetable
+mould alternates with pumice. Sand, clay, tufa, with beds of peat and
+gravel, are the components of the soil which is found filling up the
+declivities of mountains, covering low-lands and sea-beaches in this
+part of the island. Specimens of the palæozoic group are found in the
+pebbles of the Mukawa River and valley, like amphibolite, limestone,
+phyllite, sandstone, and clay-slate, besides variegated quartzite of
+greenish and red layers. Primary rocks are common all through Iburi and
+Hidaka.
+
+The terraces surrounding the Saru valley are mostly wooded with oak, and
+the swampy region between the Mukawa and Sarubuto has many patches of
+green grass, and a thick growth of high swamp reeds.
+
+[Illustration: HOROBETS.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: STOREHOUSES AT PIRATORI.]
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+Up the Saru River--Piratori and its chief.
+
+
+A large number of Ainu have taken up their abode on the banks of the
+River Saru, or Sharu, as it is called by them, and Piratori, nearly
+fifteen miles from the coast, is the largest village of the whole
+series.
+
+The scenery from the coast to this village is not grand, but pretty,
+through a thickly-wooded country and along grassy plains. The Ainu give
+to the plain itself the name of Sharu-Ru, which corresponds in English
+to a "track in a grassy plain." Along this water-way, or not far from
+it, one meets with numerous small Ainu villages and scattered huts until
+Piratori is reached.
+
+Piratori is a string or succession of many villages on undulating
+ground, the last of them being situated on a high cliff overlooking the
+river. In the Ainu language _Pira_ means "a cliff," and _Tori_ "a
+residence." As in all Ainu villages, the huts are in one line, some few
+yards one from the other. Each has a separate structure--a small
+storehouse built on piles--generally at the west end of the hut.
+
+On my arrival at Piratori, I was welcomed by Benry, the _Ottena_ (chief)
+of the village, who invited me to his hut and _salaamed_ me in the most
+solemn manner, not forgetting to mention incidentally that "his throat
+was very dry," and that _sake_ (Japanese wine) could be obtained from a
+Japanese who lives opposite to his hut.
+
+"He is a bad man," said Benry confidentially; "but he sells very good
+_sake_."
+
+The _sake_ was procured, and Benry, beaming with joy, poured it with his
+shaky, drunken hands into a large bowl. He then produced a wooden stick,
+shaped like a paper-knife, about five inches in length, and waved it in
+the air five or six times with his right hand, dipping the point of it
+each time into the fluid. "_Nishpa_"--sir, master--said he. Then,
+leaning forwards and lifting up his heavy moustache with the small
+stick, he swallowed the contents of the bowl at a draught. The same
+performance took place each time that some fresh _sake_ was poured into
+his bowl, and then Benry, with an inimitable cunning, and a comically
+self-sacrificing expression on his face, meekly enquired whether I would
+care to see "how much an Ainu could drink."
+
+"Yes," said I, "we will go down to the river, and you shall show me
+there if you can drink it dry."
+
+"Yie, yie, yie"--no, no, no--hurriedly replied in Japanese the Ainu
+chief; "water is too heavy, and I meant wine." Owing to this small
+difference of opinion, and having no wish to encourage him in his
+drunkenness, Benry's capacity for intoxicating fluids is yet unknown to
+the civilised world.
+
+Benry's house is a palace compared to other Ainu huts. It is much larger
+than most of them, and boasts of a wooden floor, in the centre of which
+a rectangular fire-place is cut out. The hut has two windows, one toward
+the east, the other opening to the south; but no chimney is provided as
+an outlet for the smoke. A hole in the west corner of the roof answers
+this purpose. The rough wooden frame is thatched with tall reeds and
+_arundinaria_, and the roof is shaped like a prism. The different huts
+of Piratori vary in size, but not in type. The larger ones cover an area
+of about sixteen or eighteen feet square. Most of them, however, do not
+measure more than ten or twelve feet square. Benry's house was
+exceptionally large, and being such a "swell" one, two rough _kinna_
+(mats) were spread on the floor and a number of Japanese rice boxes and
+_shokuji_ tables[6] adorned one side of the dwelling. Over these were
+hung a number of swords, knives, etc., most of them with no blade at
+all, or with only a wooden one. The few old blades which Benry possessed
+were of Japanese workmanship, probably obtained by the Ainu in their
+former wars with the Japanese. A few Ainu spears and arrows with bone
+and bamboo poisoned points were fastened to the roof.
+
+    [6] Small Japanese dinner tables.
+
+These Ainu of Piratori have frequent intercourse with the Japanese, who
+get from them furs and other articles in exchange for _sake_ or a few
+worthless beads. A few half-castes are also found at Piratori. The
+Piratori Ainu, with those of Volcano Bay, as we have seen, are those
+best known to the civilised world, as a few foreigners have travelled so
+far to see them. I may mention that as types the inhabitants of Piratori
+are a great deal better than the residents of Volcano Bay, most of whom
+are half-breeds; but even they themselves cannot be taken as fair
+specimens of their race, for they have adopted several customs and
+habits of the Japanese, which the incautious traveller has then reported
+as purely Ainu customs. For instance, the pure Ainu diet consists almost
+entirely of fish, meat, and seaweeds. Only occasionally are the roots of
+certain trees eaten. At Piratori I found that many grow and eat millet,
+and corn and bad rice are also sometimes procured from the Japanese.
+Benry has also gone so far in the way of civilisation as to invest his
+small fortune in buying half-a-dozen hens and a cock, with whom he
+shares his regal home. These hens lay eggs according to custom, and
+Benry and his "wife" eat them. As the Ainu language has no special word
+for this imported kind of bird, they are known by the name of "kikkiri."
+
+[Illustration: BENRY, THE AINU CHIEF OF PIRATORI.]
+
+After the experience which I had had at Horobets I decided to be more
+careful with my sketching. I broached the subject to Benry, and asked
+him to sit to me for his portrait. At first he was very reluctant, but
+the prospect of receiving a present finally overcame his scruples--for
+he was indeed civilised in this respect, and understood the worth of his
+version of the almighty dollar to perfection--and, consenting to be
+sketched, he sat--at the outset with as much courage as docility. He
+produced a crown of shavings and seaweed, which he solemnly placed on
+his head, whilst his better-half helped him on with his regal _imi_
+(garments), as well as a large sword, which also made part of his regal
+insignia. The crown had in front a small bear's head roughly carved in
+wood, and the clothes were very gaudy. They were made of strips of blue,
+white, and red cloth sewn together. The materials used were Japanese,
+but they were cut and arranged in a thoroughly Ainu pattern. Though he
+began well, Benry was not a good sitter, and, like most animals, he did
+not like to be stared at. He felt the weight of a look, as it were, and
+it made him uncomfortable. Not many minutes had elapsed before he became
+openly impatient; he even showed his temper by flinging away his crown
+and his wooden sword. On the other hand, sketching in Benry's house was
+no easy matter for me. With all the respect due to the chief of
+Piratori, I am bound to say that his house was not a model of
+cleanliness. Those of his hairy brothers and subjects were no better
+than his, and many were a great deal worse. Fleas and other insects were
+so numerous that in a few minutes I was literally covered with them,
+each one of them having a peaceful and hearty meal at my expense, while
+I, for the sake of art, had to go on with my sketch and leave them
+undisturbed. Notwithstanding all this Benry was immortalised twice that
+day, and his maid, housekeeper, or wife--three words which have the same
+meaning to the Ainu--was also handed down to posterity while in the act
+of spinning the inner fibre of the _Ulmus campestris_ bark, destined to
+form a new garment for her lord, master, and husband.
+
+When I went out to sketch the houses and storehouses in the village
+Benry and another man followed me everywhere; but neither he nor his
+fellow-shadow seemed to take any interest in the sketching. In Japan,
+Corea, and China I have often been surrounded by hundreds of people
+attentively watching every stroke of the brush, and I have always found
+them clever and quick in making out the meaning of each line or
+brush-mark. I can assert, without fear of being contradicted, that the
+majority of Japanese, Coreans, and Chinese are even quicker than
+Europeans in that respect, owing to the fact that lines constitute for
+them the study of a lifetime. Chinese characters, which are nothing but
+a deep study of lines, are adopted by the three above-mentioned nations,
+and I consider this to be the original cause why this artistic insight
+is to be found even among the lowest classes. The Ainu have no such
+insight; they have no characters, no writing of any kind, no books, and
+it is therefore not astonishing that they are not trained to understand
+art, bad as it may have been in my case. Their appreciation of lines is
+yet in the rudest form, and they possess no more than what is
+instinctive with them. For instance, while I was sketching, Benry and
+his friend either sat or crouched down by my side like two dogs, and
+when my sketch was finished I showed it to them.
+
+"Pirika, Pirika! Nishpa!" ("Very pretty, very pretty, sir!") Benry
+exclaimed with perfect self-assurance; but when I asked him what he
+thought the sketch represented, he cut me short by saying that _I_ had
+done the picture and _I_ ought to know what it was meant for; he did
+not. His friend agreed with him.
+
+When my work was done we three walked back to Benry's house, my two Ainu
+friends being very anxious that I should get something to eat. From
+their conversation and gestures I caught that it seemed incomprehensible
+to them that I should sit in front of an Ainu hut and--to use their
+expression--"make all sorts of signs on a wooden panel." After a lengthy
+discussion the two came to the conclusion that houses in our country
+were so bad that I had been sent to the Ainu country to "copy" the
+pattern of Ainu huts!
+
+Benry seemed excited about something, and hurried us back with curious
+haste and eagerness. When we left the house in the morning I saw Benry's
+better-half placing a few eggs in water to boil over the fire. When we
+entered the hut, nearly two hours afterwards, the eggs were still
+boiling, and no fair maid within yelling reach. In order that the fire
+might not go out during her absence the thoughtful girl had placed the
+largest portion of the trunk of a tree in the fireplace!
+
+Taken altogether, Benry and all his Saru Ainu are very good-natured.
+They gradually got accustomed to being sketched, seeing that after all
+it really did not bring on them "immediate death."
+
+The more one sees of the Ainu the dirtier they appear, but as dirt to a
+great extent contributes to picturesqueness, I was indeed sorry when
+Benry, exercising his authority, sent several of my sitters to dress up
+in their best clothes--often Japanese--while I should have preferred to
+sketch them in their every-day rags. I must say, for their sake, that
+they were never sent to wash. Being a rapid sketcher, I had recourse to
+a trick. I pretended to sketch one given person, who, of course, was
+sent at once to "dress up," and while he or she, after having returned,
+posed patiently for half an hour or more, I in the meantime took
+sketches of four or five different natives, who were not aware that they
+were being portrayed. As the Ainu--and they are probably not the only
+people--could not make either head or tail of my sketches, my trick was
+never found out.
+
+One day, old Benry led me by the hand in the most affectionate manner to
+a hut some way off, and confidentially told me that we were going to see
+his favourite girl and her boy.
+
+"This," said the chief triumphantly as we went in, "this is Benry's
+_Pirika menoko_" (pretty girl), "and that"--pointing to a youth--"her
+only son."
+
+"And what about the old hairy lady in your own hut?" I inquired.
+
+"That is my _Poromachi_" (great wife), said he, qualifying matters with
+a compliment to the elder woman, "and this is my _Pon-machi_" (small
+wife).
+
+"Why should you have two wives, you old Mormon?"
+
+"Nishpa," retorted he, "my great wife is old, and she is only fit to do
+all the rough work in the house and out. My hair is white, but I am
+strong, and I wanted yet a young wife."
+
+Indeed, there was enough mother-wit in Benry to have made him either a
+scamp or a philosopher. His theories were as remarkable as they were
+accommodating, particularly to himself.
+
+Returning from the house of his love, the chief was in a very talkative
+mood, and he related two or three Japanese stories, which he wanted me
+to believe to be pure Ainu legends. A learned missionary and two or
+three travellers before him, who had visited Piratori previous to
+myself, have accepted these so-called legends wholesale, taking Benry's
+word for their accuracy, which, as the old chief speaks very good
+Japanese, of course simplified the task of understanding and
+transcribing them. I was, however, much surprised to find that such
+learned Europeans could yield such ready credence to a barbarian Ainu
+chief.
+
+Thinking that it would please me, Benry told me the story of a deluge
+and a big flood, in which nearly all the Ainu were drowned. The few that
+escaped did so by finding refuge on a high mountain.
+
+"Where did you learn this story, Benry?" I asked sternly.
+
+"Nishpa, it is an old Ainu story, and all strangers who come to Piratori
+write it in their books."
+
+"Oh, no, Benry, you know well that _one_ stranger did not write it in
+his book," said I quickly, as if I knew all about it.
+
+"Oh, yes, nishpa; _that_ was the stranger who told me the story!"
+
+This small anecdote shows how careful one ought to be in accepting
+information which may sound extremely interesting at first, but is
+absolutely worthless in the end.
+
+[Illustration: AINU MAN WAVING HIS MOUSTACHE-LIFTER PREVIOUS TO
+DRINKING.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AN AINU FESTIVAL.]
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+An Ainu Festival.
+
+
+The Ainu have few public performances, and no special time of the year
+is fixed for them. As it so happened, a festival--a "Iyomanrei"--took
+place while I was at Piratori.
+
+The performance was held in a large hut belonging to the heir apparent
+to the chieftainship of Piratori. I went to the hut and asked whether I
+could attend the performance. The host, in answer, came to meet me at
+the door, and, taking me by the hand, led me in. I was shown where to
+sit, on the southern side of the hut, the place of honour for strangers,
+and my host sat in front of me and saluted me in Ainu fashion.
+
+Benry and several old men were squatting on the floor, Benry in the
+middle, and he was again gorgeous in his regal clothes. Some of the
+others, who wore a crown like Benry's, were chiefs of the neighbouring
+villages, who had come up for the grand occasion.
+
+One by one all the men present rose and came to stroke their hair and
+beard before me, and I returned the compliment as well as I could in
+Ainu fashion. The hut was gradually getting filled, and each man that
+entered first saluted the landlord, then Benry, then myself, and
+ultimately the two guests between whom he sat. Women and children
+occupied the darker west end of the hut, and they took no active part in
+the function. Other chiefs came in, and Benry was surrounded by many of
+them and by elderly men.
+
+The whole group of these chiefs, with their long white beards, lighted
+up by a brilliant ray of sunshine, which penetrated through the small
+east window, was extremely picturesque.
+
+In its savagery it was almost grand, with a barbaric quasi-animal sense
+of power and irresponsibility. In truth, it was a wonderful sight to see
+all these hairy people assembled in this small place--men, yet not men
+like ourselves--men, and not brutes, yet still having curiously brutish
+traits athwart their humanity.
+
+The performance was simple, but really fine in its simplicity. A fire
+burning in the centre of the hut, and filling the place with smoke,
+added, by its suggestive dimness, to the picturesqueness of the scene.
+It was strange that the only ray of sun which came in should fall on the
+most interesting group. Was it chance or design? Rembrandt himself would
+have delighted in painting that scene.
+
+Benry looked every inch a king, and several of the younger men were
+busily engaged lighting his pipe and refilling it with tobacco. He
+puffed away at such a rate that no sooner was the pipe filled than it
+was smoked and handed over again to undergo the same process.
+
+Two large casks of Japanese _sake_ were brought in, and each man
+produced his wooden bowl.
+
+The host came slowly forward, and planted an _Inao_--a willow wand with
+overhanging shavings--in one corner of the fireplace; then muttered a
+few words, which implied that the _sake_ could now be poured out. A
+Japanese lacquer rice-box was filled with the intoxicating liquid, and
+no sooner had this been done than old Benry, forgetting his dignity,
+jumped up and made a rush for it, filled a large bowl, and retired to a
+corner to drink it. All the men present followed his example. Benry was
+never selfish when he had had enough for himself. He filled his bowl
+again and brought it to me, saying that I was a friend of the Ainu, and
+must join them in the drinking.
+
+My attention was suddenly drawn to three old chiefs, who, half drunk,
+stood in front of the small east window. They dipped their
+moustache-lifters in their bowls, waving them towards the sun as a
+salutation to the "Chop Kamui," the "Great Sun." There was no religious
+character attached to this libation offered to the sun, no more than
+when we take off our hats passing a respected friend in the street. It
+is a mere sign of respect, not of worship. Besides, it must be clearly
+understood that no "offerings" of wine are ever made by the Ainu to the
+"Great Sun," and that the "libations" offered are invariably consumed by
+the offerer.
+
+I managed to get several sketches of the assembly, and every moment I
+expected to get into trouble again; but this time they took it most
+kindly.
+
+The hut became very stuffy, owing to the large number of persons and the
+smoke. There were nearly two hundred people in it, packed closely
+together, and there was nothing in the show to interest one--certainly
+not the disgusting sight of this drunkenness, which, moreover, became
+monotonous as well as disgusting.
+
+I stroked my hair and beard--the latter only figuratively--in sign of
+salute, to the host, Benry, and the other drowsy chiefs, and, carefully
+avoiding pushing or treading on any member of the unsteady crowd, I made
+my exit.
+
+Oh, what a treat it was to breathe fresh air again!
+
+Outside the hut the pretty _menokos_ (girls) of Piratori were having a
+lot of fun all to themselves. They were all dressed in long yellowish
+gowns, with rough white and red ornamentations on a patch of blue cloth,
+on their backs; and each girl took a very active part in a game, or a
+kind of savage dance, called Tapkara. They all ranged themselves in a
+circle, and a child or two was sometimes placed in the centre. The game
+consisted in collectively hopping an indefinite number of times, calling
+out either the name, or the accompanying sound, of some of their
+everyday occupations, and clapping the hands so as to keep time. For
+instance, one sound was "Ouye, ouye" ("Fire, fire"), and they all blew
+as when making a fire, and hopped till they were nearly senseless.
+
+Then the next was "R-r-r, r-r-r, r-r-r," and with this they imitated the
+pulling of a rope.
+
+Then "Pirrero, pirrero; pirrero, pirrero," was the sound accompanying
+the action of rowing, imitating the squeaking of the paddle produced by
+the friction on the canoe.
+
+The movement of the arms changed according to the sounds uttered, but
+the hopping was kept up continuously. The game reminded me much of our
+Sir Roger de Coverley, in a more barbarous form, but certainly not less
+pretty than our old country dance.
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOMEN DANCING, PIRATORI.]
+
+Late in the afternoon all the men came out of the hut, and by a winding
+path I was taken to the valley along the river, at the foot of the cliff
+on which Piratori is built. Benry and all the other chiefs remained on
+the cliff. Bareback races formed the next and last event in the
+programme, and the chiefs were to witness them from their "high point of
+view."
+
+There was great excitement as to who should ride the ponies. The Ainu
+are fond of sports, and I noticed that ultimately they were sharp enough
+to select their jockeys from among the lightest men. The winner of each
+race had a good time of it, but the other unfortunate jockeys were
+pulled off the ponies by the angry mob, and knocked about as worthless
+beings.
+
+The evening came, and with the dying sun ended that memorable day of
+festivities. I retired. Distant sounds of the _menokos_, still enjoying
+themselves, came to me with the wind, but fainter and fainter they grew
+as it was getting darker.
+
+"Pirrero! Pirrero! Pirrero!" I heard again, till at last the sounds
+faded away into a mere murmur, and I fell asleep.
+
+The morning that I left Piratori, old Benry put on his regal clothes and
+crown to bid me good-bye.
+
+"Nishpa, Popka-no-okkayan" ("Sir, may you be preserved warm"), said the
+old chief, in the Ainu fashion of bidding farewell; "I have a pain in my
+chest, owing to your leaving Piratori, but I shall accompany you part of
+the way."
+
+[Illustration: PIRATORI WOMAN IN COSTUME.]
+
+I dissuaded the old chief from doing that, but he went on, with his
+plaintive voice: "Nishpa, you must tell in your country that Piratori is
+a nice place, and all the Ainu are good people. Not like the Shamo"
+(Japanese; also half-breeds), "for they are bad. You must return soon,"
+he added, and, taking my hand, he pressed it to his hairy chest. He then
+took me to his hut again, and there renewed his farewells, and I renewed
+mine to him, to his _great_ wife, and to his house, for it is part of
+the Ainu etiquette to bid good-bye to the house of a friend as well as
+to the owner of it.
+
+The return journey to Saru Mombets was accomplished without much
+difficulty.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: UTAROP ROCKS.]
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+From the Saru River to Cape Erimo.
+
+
+After quitting Saru Mombets I was altogether out of the beaten tracks.
+The twenty-two miles to Shimokebo were monotonous in the extreme. High
+cliffs towered above me on the one side, and the sea stretched into
+infinity on the other. River after river had to be waded, the
+At-pets,[7] the Nii-pak-pets,[8] and the Shibe-gari-pets.[9] The
+Nii-pak-pets is wide and fairly deep. Near the At-pets river the
+Japanese Government has established a horse farm, in order to improve
+the breed of Yezo ponies. A few miserable Ainu huts are scattered along
+the coast, and millions of scavenger crows, with their monotonous cries,
+seem to claim sovereignty over these shores. Near the Takae village, on
+the Nii-kap-pets, is an enormous perpendicular cliff, which, jutting out
+into the sea, bars the way to the traveller; therefore I had to abandon
+the sandy shore, and with considerable trouble get the ponies to climb
+over the steep banks, which was no easy task for them. Shimokebo is a
+peculiar-looking place. It is entirely a fishermen's village, and I put
+up at the Ogingawa Zunubi yadoya--a tea-house owned by a Japanese
+fisherman.
+
+    [7] At-pets--Elm-tree river (_at_, elm-tree; _pets_, river).
+
+    [8] Nii-pak-pets--also called Nakap-pets. _Nii_, a wood; _pak_,
+        under; _na_, more; _kap_, bark of tree.
+
+    [9] Shibe-gari-pets--Salmon-trout river.
+
+Japanese will be Japanese wherever they go, and people who have had
+anything to do with them know how difficult it is to satisfy their
+curiosity.
+
+"How old are you?" inquired the _occamisan_--the landlady. "Where do you
+come from? What is your country? Why are you travelling? Have you a wife
+and children? Can you eat Japanese food; also Ainu food? Can you sleep
+in _foutangs_?" (Japanese bedding). "Also with a _makura_?" (a wooden
+pillow).
+
+About fifty more personal and indiscreet questions were also asked, and
+all my belongings were examined with ever-increasing astonishment as one
+thing after another was handled and investigated. I was tired, and felt
+as if I could have kicked the whole crowd of them out of my room; but I
+was unintentionally polite to them to such an extent that the
+_occamisan_ loudly exclaimed--
+
+"_Honto Danna, Anata Nihonno shto, onaji koto!_"--"Really, sir, you are
+just like a Japanese!"
+
+"_Domo neh!_" rose up in a chorus from the large assembly, "_nandemo
+dannasan wakarimas!_"--"The gentleman really understands everything!"
+This was a decided compliment, and I was bound to accept it as it was
+intended. When they heard that I was indeed "_Taihen kutabire mashita_"
+(very tired), they reluctantly left the room, and closed the _shoji_
+(sliding doors of tissue paper on a wooden frame). Each bowed
+gracefully, drawing in his breath at the same time. This is the Japanese
+polite way of leaving a room. Their conversation was resumed in the next
+apartment, regardless of the fact that tissue paper walls are not
+sound-proof. Remarks on me, not quite in harmony with their courteous
+bearing, were passed freely about, and the politest thing I heard them
+say was that I must be a _lunatic_ to travel alone in these inhospitable
+regions, and what a pity it was for a man _so young_ to be so fearfully
+afflicted.
+
+"Oh, those _seyono shto_ (foreigners) are all born lunatics," said the
+voice of one who knew better.
+
+The Shibegari River, at the mouth of which Shimokebo is situated, is
+also called Shibe-chari--"sprinkled salmon river." Very minute traces of
+gold are found in the river-sands and gravels, and also some
+well-developed brown garnet crystals and quartzite and phyllite pebbles.
+The gold, however, is not in sufficient quantity to enable it to be
+worked profitably. Seven and a half miles from Shimokebo the Japanese
+Government has another horse farm similar to that of the At-pets.
+
+The travelling along the coast was heavy, and I could ride but slowly. I
+had to make the ponies go where the sand was wet along the beach, as
+there it was harder and they did not sink. This had its drawbacks, for
+the sea was very rough, and once or twice my ponies and I came very near
+being washed against the cliffs by some extra large wave. Instead of
+green banks, as between Tomakomai and Shimokebo, here were high cliffs
+of volcanic formation, with a narrow strip of sand at their foot.
+
+The few Ainu along the coast were decidedly ugly. It was only now and
+then that in a sheltered nook I came across a hut or two of seaweed
+gatherers; and, still following the cliffs, I passed two or three small
+villages of a few houses each. After fifteen miles of this heavy track I
+reached the fishing station of Ubahu, where I was able to obtain some
+fresh horses. Prowling along the beach, I examined some of the Ainu
+canoes that had been drawn on shore. They might be divided into three
+classes--(_a_) the "dug-outs," used mostly for river navigation; (_b_)
+the lashed canoe; and (_c_) a larger kind used for sailing. The
+"dug-out" does not require explanation, as everyone knows that it is a
+trunk of a tree hollowed out in the shape of a boat, and propelled
+either by paddling or punting.
+
+[Illustration: AINU LASHED CANOE.]
+
+[Illustration: FRONT VIEW OF LASHED CANOE.]
+
+[Illustration: AINU OARS.]
+
+The lashed canoes are made of nine pieces of wood lashed together with
+the fibre of a kind of vine. The concave bottom is all of one piece--a
+partial "dug-out"--to which are added the side pieces, of three planks
+each, sewn together at an angle of about 170°, and made to fit the sides
+of the "dug-out." Two more pieces, one aft and one forward, meet the
+side planks at right angles. The length of these canoes varies from 10
+to 15 feet, the width from 3 to 3½ feet. Two pieces of wood are then
+lashed horizontally, which answer the double purpose of strengthening
+the sides of the canoe and, being provided with pins outside the canoe,
+of allowing it to be used as an outrigger when rowing. Canoes are either
+rowed or sailed. The oars are made of two pieces firmly lashed together.
+A hole is bored in the part which is to be passed through the pin in the
+outrigger. One person is generally sufficient to row an Ainu canoe, and
+he does so standing. There is no steering gear or rudder, and when
+rowing the oars are used for that purpose. Ainu canoes are not decked,
+and therefore cannot stand heavy seas. They are alike on both sides, and
+in most cases the two ends of the canoe are also shaped alike. There
+are, however, certain canoes which, in my opinion, have been suggested
+to the Ainu by Japanese boats, and which are flat at the stern. These
+are generally larger, and used for sailing. A square mat sail is rigged
+on a short mast forward, and the steering is done with one of the oars
+at the stern. The sailing qualities of these canoes, however, are not
+very great, and the slightest squall causes them to capsize and "turn
+turtle." The anchors used by the Ainu are very ingenious; they are cut
+out of a piece of wood, with either one or two barbs, and two stones are
+fastened on the sides of the stem so as to carry the anchor to the
+bottom. No compass is either known or used by the Ainu, and the natives
+shape their course by sight of land. They very seldom go long distances
+out at sea, as they are fully aware of the dangers of the ocean and of
+the imperfection of their own methods of navigation, though they are
+wholly incapable of making any improvements by their own judgment. The
+canoes are always beached when not used, and each family possesses its
+own. There are none which are the property of companies or are common to
+certain villages.
+
+[Illustration: SAILING CANOE.]
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOODEN ANCHORS.]
+
+[Illustration: TOP VIEW OF AN AINU CANOE.]
+
+The track between Ubahu and Urakawa is rough, and the rivers are
+somewhat troublesome. Not far from the Mitsuashi river one has to pass a
+tunnel which has been made through a rock projecting into the sea. In
+rough weather it is difficult and dangerous to get through, as the waves
+wash right through the tunnel. In fair weather it affords a safe passage
+to the traveller.
+
+The Matourabets (the winter fishing river) was successfully waded, and
+the Ikantai[10] village passed. Then at Urakawa or Urapets (the fish
+river) I made a halt for the night. There are many half-breeds at
+Urakawa, and a few real Ainu, but the small population is composed
+mostly of Japanese fishermen.
+
+    [10] _Ikan_, a canal made by salmon on river-beds to lay their
+         spawn; _tai_ thick.
+
+Seven and a half miles further, at Shama-ne--a corruption of _Shuna_,
+stones, and _ne_, together--there are some magnificent granite pillars
+boldly standing out of the sea. The sandy beach came to an end, and huge
+cliffs barred my way in front. I could see that the water was not very
+deep round these rocks, as the waves were breaking a long distance from
+the cliff, a sure sign of shallow water, though even then it might have
+been too deep for my ponies to go through. With great difficulty I got
+the two brutes into the sea, trying to round the large rocks for the
+better ground, which I hoped to find on the other side. The tide was
+low, but the sea was still rough, and nearly every wave as it came in
+went right over my ponies, frightening them, and made them extremely
+difficult to hold. The instinct of self-preservation made them rush for
+the cliff, with the only result that they missed their footing, and they
+and I were both swept away by the next receding wave. I was carried off
+the saddle, but I had sufficient presence of mind to hold on to the
+bridle. An awful struggle ensued between my ponies and myself. Each wave
+that came carried and knocked us one way, each wave that retired carried
+and knocked us the other. In the midst of all this danger I suddenly
+remembered that some years ago a lady who knew all about palmistry
+prophesied that I should one day be drowned.
+
+Had the day come now? Not if energy and perseverance would avert the
+doom! After a long struggle, I succeeded in pulling my horses where the
+water was a little shallower, and there we three stood for some minutes,
+trembling with cold, my two ponies looking reproachfully at me with
+those half-human eyes of animals when forced into positions of danger
+which they can neither understand nor overcome. It is wonderful the
+amount of expression that horses have in their eyes, and how plainly one
+can read their dumb thoughts and formless emotions!
+
+From the point where I was standing I could see that I had to go on but
+a few hundred feet more, and that then my ponies and I would be safe.
+Sure enough, the water grew shallower and shallower, and, to my delight,
+I was soon on the other side of the cliff. At high tide, and in very
+rough weather, it is impossible to pass by this ocean-ford.
+
+Shamane is a picturesque little fishing village, built on the side of a
+promontory jutting out into the sea. From there, looking towards
+Urakawa, there is a lovely view of all the small islands and
+picturesque rocks, standing like huge jewels in the water, while on the
+Horoizumi side, as far as the eye can see, there are only cliffs of
+peculiar shapes, and marvellously rich in colour.
+
+I got two fresh animals, and pursued my journey towards Horoizumi.
+Rocks, rocks, nothing but rocks! My ponies stumbled and slipped all the
+time, and for eighteen miles the riding was hard and intricate. I had to
+lead my ponies most of the way, and help them, pull them, or push them,
+from one rock on to another, and down the next, and so on.
+
+The scenery all along was magnificent and grand. A short distance from
+Shamane a large natural archway emerges from the sea, which is called by
+the Ainu, Shui-shma, "a hole in stone."
+
+Holes have been pierced through the rocks in several places, to give
+comparative safe passage, and to prevent wayfarers from being carried
+away by the waves. Over the entrance of one of these tunnels a pretty
+waterfall, descending from a great height, gives a poetic effect to the
+scene, while it obliges the unfortunate traveller to take an extremely
+cold shower-bath, should he wish to push forward on his journey.
+
+As if all these discomforts combined were not enough, it is to be added
+that the rivers in this part of the coast, though not wide, are
+extremely swift and dangerous to cross. My second pony was carried away
+by the strong current when I crossed the Poro-nam-bets,[11] and I had
+great difficulty in rescuing him.
+
+    [11] _Poro_, large; _nam_, cold; _bets_, river.
+
+At Shamane there are a few Ainu, but from there to Horoizumi I saw none.
+
+Sardines are very plentiful all along this coast, and long seaweeds also
+abound. The latter is used for export, chiefly to China. Horoizumi, a
+nice little village of one hundred and fifty houses, is the most
+picturesque in Yezo. It is built on the slopes of a high cliff, and it
+reminds one much of the pretty villages in the Gulf of Spezia. I arrived
+at sunset, and the warm red and yellow tints which the dying orb of day
+was shedding on the weather-beaten brownish houses, gave a heavenly
+appearance to this very earthly place. As I got nearer, a good deal of
+the heavenly had to be discarded, for the odours of fish-manure and of
+seaweed are two smells which can hardly claim to be classed under that
+heading. The inhabitants of the place themselves seem to feel the
+ill-effects of constantly living in that corrupted atmosphere and on a
+fish and seaweed diet; for, indeed, it is revolting to see the amount of
+horrible cutaneous diseases which affect them. One hardly sees one
+creature out of ten that is not covered with a repulsive eruption of
+some sort. Leprosy, too, has found its way among the fishermen; and my
+readers can easily imagine how pleasant it was for me, when I was
+sketching, to be surrounded by a crowd of these loathsome people, who
+all wished to touch my clothes and all my belongings, and who would even
+lean on my back and rub their heads against mine, when trying to get a
+better view of the sketch.
+
+Poor things! I never had the courage to scold and send them away. It was
+enough that they were afflicted, and I did not like to add humiliation
+to their other sorrows by showing them my disgust.
+
+I rode on to Erimo-zaki, or Rat Cape. Thick fogs are prevalent during
+the summer months along the whole of the south-east coast, of which
+Erimo-zaki is the most southern cape. It is the terminating point of the
+backbone of the main portion of Yezo, which extends from Cape Soya to
+Cape Erimo from N.NW. to S.SE. A lighthouse has lately been erected on
+the cliffs by the Japanese Maritime Department, and a steam fog-horn has
+also been provided for the greater safety of navigation, as a reef of
+rocks and a stretch of shallow water extend out in the sea for about two
+and a half miles from the coast.
+
+The foghorn, I was informed, was only blown when the lighthouse-keeper
+suspected some ship was likely to make for the rocks! A likely thing,
+indeed!
+
+"But how are you to know, especially when there is a thick fog on?" I
+asked.
+
+"So few ships pass near here," was the reply; "and it would not be much
+use keeping steam up all the time to blow the horn, considering that we
+have fog during nearly four months in the year."
+
+"Then," I could not help remarking, "I expect you only light the
+lighthouse when there is going to be a wreck?"
+
+"Oh, no; we show the light every night."
+
+This was just like the Japanese! Owing to the imperfectness of
+charts--none delineating correctly that part of the coast--the strong
+currents, the thick fogs, and the dangerous reefs, there could not be a
+more perilous coast for navigation than that which terminates in Cape
+Erimo. The ships which go from Shanghai, or some of the ports in the
+Petchili Gulf in China, to North American ports, often steer this course
+through the Tsugaru Strait and pass directly south of Cape Erimo. Thus
+the _Mary Tatham_ (an English screw-steamer), while on her journey from
+Shanghai to Oregon, was lost in 1882, with nearly all lives on board,
+about two miles from this cape.
+
+At the foot of the Erimo cliffs is a small fishing village called Okos.
+The sea is shallow at this place, and there are many low-lying reefs
+which afford abundance of kelp and seaweeds.
+
+A short time before I arrived at Okos a man had gone out in his boat to
+save some nets in which a large fish had got entangled. His boat
+capsized, and he was drowned. His wife was in a dreadful state of mind,
+not for the loss of her better half, but for the more irreparable loss
+of the nets.
+
+The distance between Horoizumi and Cape Erimo is seven and a half miles,
+and the track is exceedingly rough in many places. Nearly half-way
+between the last-mentioned village and the cape are the three high
+pillars called _Utarop_, which are represented in the illustration at
+the head of the chapter.
+
+As it was impossible to take my ponies along the few miles between Cape
+Erimo and Shoya, following the precipitous coast, I retraced my steps to
+Horoizumi, meaning to attempt the mountain pass the next morning.
+
+[Illustration: ERIMO CAPE.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: A NATURAL STONE ARCHWAY NEAR SHOYA.]
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+From Cape Erimo to the Tokachi River
+
+
+The mountain pass between Horoizumi and Shoya is supposed to be very
+dangerous on account of bears. I rode the ten miles quietly, but failed
+to meet or see any. The way through thick woods is exceedingly pretty.
+After traversing a small valley with a dense growth of scrub-bamboo, it
+climbs a small hill, from the top of which a lovely view of Cape Erimo
+lies like a picture before one's eyes. There are only thirty houses at
+Shoya, and the place could not be better described than by the words "a
+miserable hole." The rough weather, as well as several landslips, had
+some time before my arrival broken all communication between Shoya and
+the next village east of it. There is a rough mountain trail as far as
+Saruru, but my ponies could not possibly get through the scrub-wood and
+heavy climbing, and none of the natives could be induced to carry my
+luggage. They all positively refused to follow me on account of the
+multitude of bears which they said were on the mountains.
+
+"If the sea goes down," said an old fisherman, "you may be able to get
+through early to-morrow morning at low tide; and, if you are careful,
+you will not be washed away by the waves." The cliffs near Shoya are
+remarkable for their beauty. They are mostly older eruptive rocks which
+nature has carved into hundreds of rugged and fantastic forms. About a
+mile from the village is a huge natural archway, and from this point
+begin the precipitous cliffs, pillars, and rocks which make the journey
+so difficult.
+
+At Shoya there are no pure Ainu, but some of the fishermen exhibit
+traces of Ainu blood. My recollection of Shoya is decidedly not of a
+pleasant character. I put up in the house of a fisherman, which also
+answers the purpose of a tea-house for the few stranded native
+travellers.
+
+"We are so poor," said the landlord when I asked for something to eat,
+"and we have finished our provisions of rice. The other people in the
+village are poorer than we are, and they also have none; and as for
+fish, the sea has been so rough for several days that we have not been
+able to catch any. We ate the last scrap of fish we had just before you
+arrived! If you gave me a fortune, I could not give you anything to
+eat."
+
+When the landlord confessed this to me in the evening, I had already
+been fourteen hours without food. The prospect of not getting any more
+for at least the next eighteen or twenty hours was not an agreeable
+look-out. I was very hungry, but, failing a meal, the next best thing
+was to try and go to sleep. Even that did not prove successful, for
+hunger keeps you awake, and in its first stages sharpens all your senses
+considerably.
+
+The night I spent at Shoya is worthy of a description. From top to
+bottom the corners of my room were filled with webs, which the spiders
+had spun undisturbed in all directions across the room. Hundreds of
+flies and horseflies rose buzzing when I entered the room, and I had to
+engage in a very unequal war against them before I could settle down on
+the hard planks. In one corner of the ceiling a big, long-legged spider,
+too high for me to reach, was enjoying a good meal out of a huge
+horsefly which he had captured in his net. I almost envied the
+long-legged epicure. Nature will be ironical sometimes. When night came,
+and I was still sleepless, the planks on which I was lying seemed harder
+than any planks I had ever slept on before. I turned round one way,
+then the other, then another, till all my bones were aching. Finally,
+through exhaustion, I fell asleep, and even had a nightmare. In my
+dreams, the ghosts of all the spiders I had killed, magnified to the
+size of human beings, were dancing round me, while one fat old
+fellow--fatter than any two others put together--was gravely sitting on
+my chest watching the performance. His weight was such that I was nearly
+suffocated. Sometimes he would seize me by the throat and almost choke
+me, while the dancing spiders would choke themselves with laughing ...
+when--
+
+"_Hayaku Danna!_"--"Quick, sir!" said a Japanese voice, waking me
+suddenly; "get up, or else the tide will rise, and you will not be able
+to get to Saruru."
+
+I opened my eyes; the dream passed, and the monstrous spiders vanished;
+but the pain caused by the emptiness of my stomach was still there, and
+my throat was dry and aching.
+
+It was before sunrise, and it was almost in complete darkness that I
+left Shoya. I was weak and chilly. The monotonous sound of the waves
+breaking over the shore added melancholy to _malaise_, and made me very
+doleful and limp. Nevertheless, as I was in for it, I pushed my way with
+my ponies along high cliffs and among rocks, and got on as best I could.
+
+Where the sea had receded the stones were slippery, and my two animals
+were no sooner on their feet than they were down again on their knees.
+The hollow sound of their hoofs on the rocks was echoed from cliff to
+cliff, and awakened the sleepy crows from their night's repose. I had to
+walk most of the way, and urge on my ponies with howls, as well as stir
+them up with the whip. Though the tide was low, the waves often washed
+up to my waist. Daylight came, and I went along, following the high,
+rugged cliffs, through tunnels occasionally, among rocks continually.
+The scenery was really magnificent, seen as it was in the mysterious
+morning light of the rising sun. My horses were done up when I got to
+Saruru, and I exchanged them for fresh ones. By this time the tide had
+risen, and it was not possible to proceed any further along the
+sea-shore. I was glad of it, as I should thus be forced to try the
+mountain track, which I was told was not so very rough from this point.
+A half-caste offered to show me the way. It was a very stiff climb among
+thick shrub, but it was comparatively smooth work after the experience
+of my journey from Shoya. I came across many tracks and footprints of
+bears on the mountain. In some places the marks were quite fresh and of
+different sizes, varying in length from one foot to four inches. The
+half-caste told me that black bears seldom attack men unless they are
+hungry. They often attack horses.
+
+"But if they hear that a man is near they will not dare to attack even
+the horses," he said, and then began to sing at the top of his voice.
+His singing, half Japanese, half Ainu, was so excruciating that it was
+no wonder to me that it kept the bears away.
+
+We crossed two rapid streams before reaching the summit of the mountain
+range. The view from the summit was lovely. In the distance I could
+distinguish two headlands, while an immense stretch of stormy sea and a
+high mountain were in the foreground. I began to descend, and again I
+got into the region of thick forest and scrub. I perceived a few houses
+near the coast, and we made for them. It was the village of Moyoro,[12]
+or Biru, as it is called by others.
+
+    [12] Moyoro. _Moy_, a bay; _oro_, to be in.
+
+Between Saruru and Biru, where the mountain track sometimes descends to
+the shore, I found many Ainu and half-breeds, especially in the two
+villages of Onnito[13] and Bitatannuki.[14] They are said to be very
+bad, and what I saw of them, even at Biru, corroborated this assertion.
+
+    [13] Onnito. _Onni_ or _Onne_, great, large; _to_, lake, swamp.
+
+    [14] Bitatannuki. _Bita_, to undo; _tannu_, long; _ki_, rushes,
+         reeds.
+
+Biru is situated on a small bay, in the centre of which some gigantic
+pillars stand out at a great height. The rough sea dashes against them,
+and thousands of crows and sea-birds have chosen these rocks for their
+abode. Biru is not a large village. There are only forty fishermen's
+huts, most of which are on the high cliff surrounding the small bay; the
+others are down on the beach. Kelp, seaweed, and sardines are as
+abundant here as on the south-west coast, and maintain the staple
+industries of the inhabitants. The sea-weed is of great length but small
+width. Fourteen more miles over the cliffs brought me to Perohune.[15]
+There were four large deltas to cross, that of the Toyoi-pets[16] being
+the largest. The current in all these rivers is extremely swift.
+
+    [15] _Pero_ or _Pira_, cliff; _Hune_, _Hun_, a particle indicating
+         the existence of something at a place.
+
+    [16] _Toy_, earth; _o_, (?) _i_, a place; _pets,_ river.
+
+Perohune enjoys a big name, but there is only one house in the place. I
+was, however, fortunate enough to get two good ponies there. The fog was
+settling down thicker and thicker, and I could not see more than a yard
+or two in front of me; but at times it lifted up for a few moments, and
+showed me either the dangers I was nearing or the landscape I was
+losing. I passed two lakes, the Tobuts,[17] otherwise called Oputs, and
+the Yuto. Both are divided from the sea by a narrow sand-ridge. There is
+but little of human interest along this deserted coast. There are no
+houses and no people, but many small rivers, and now and then high
+cliffs. My ponies, driven mad by the _abus_, the terrible horseflies of
+Yezo, constantly threw themselves down and rolled on the sand.
+
+    [17] _To_, lake, swamp; _buts_, mouth of a river. _O_, a meaningless
+         prefix; _puts_, mouth of a river.
+
+From Perohune to Yuto Lake the distance is about eleven miles, and from
+Yuto to Otsu it is eleven more miles, on a very easy track. I saw some
+large sea-birds and penguins, and I was struck by the great number of
+drift logs which had been washed on shore by the sea. The last
+thirty-eight miles of the coast was literally covered with this drift
+wood. During the summer months the fog is always dense along this coast,
+greatly owing to a cold current which comes from the Otkoshk Sea, passes
+through the strait between Kunashiri and Etorofu, in the Kuriles, and
+then turns south, following a great part of the south-east coast of
+Yezo. Not far from Erimo Cape it meets a warm current from the China
+Sea, which passes through the Tsugaru Strait, and which in all
+probability is the Kuro-shiwo, or Japan current. This Japan current
+parts from the main stream near the south-western extremity of Japan,
+goes through the Corean Strait, and follows the north-west coast of
+Nippon, passing then through the Tsugaru Strait. As will be seen later,
+a branch of this current runs along the north-west coast of Yezo, and
+through the La Perouse Strait.
+
+[Illustration: IWA ROCKS AT BIRU.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU HOUSES AND STOREHOUSE, FRISHIKOBETS, TOKACHI RIVER.]
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+The Tokachi Region--Pure Ainu Types--Curious Mode of River Fishing.
+
+
+The Tokachi River is one of the largest and most important in Yezo.
+Knowing that the Ainu either settle on the sea-shore or up
+river-courses, I formed an idea that some good types were to be found up
+this river. On reaching Otsu, a small settlement at the mouth of the
+Otsugawa--a branch of the large delta formed by the Tokachi--my idea was
+confirmed by the report that there were no Japanese villages in the
+interior. The expedition up the Tokachi River was by no means easy from
+the accounts I heard at Otsu. None of the Japanese ever dare to
+penetrate into the interior from Otsu, and, so far as foreigners are
+concerned, the Tokachi River was utterly unexplored. There is a certain
+charm in being the first man to do something, and I decided to attempt
+the experiment. The Japanese of Otsu dissuaded me strongly from carrying
+out my plan; for they said the grass and reeds were so high that I could
+not possibly get through.
+
+"It is a kind of a jungle, in fact," said they, "in which yellow and
+black bears are plentiful. The rivers, which are numerous, are swollen
+by the heavy rains that have fallen lately. The natives up the river are
+unsociable and bad, and they will kill you. Then in the high grass
+horse-flies, black-flies, and mosquitoes abound."
+
+"If you attempt it alone," said the wise man of the party, "you will not
+come back alive."
+
+These reports were not encouraging, but, anyhow, I determined that,
+Irish as it may sound, _dead_ or _alive_, if there were any Ainu up the
+stream I would see them. Owing to the difficulty of taking even my usual
+baggage, and not wishing to burden my ponies with more than was
+necessary, I decided to carry with me only a paint-box, many wooden
+sketching panels, my diary, and my revolver. I left all my other things
+at Otsu to wait for my return.
+
+"Should you not come back again, can I keep all your belongings as my
+property?" kindly enquired the landlord of the tea-house, when I bade
+good-bye to him and to all the villagers who had collected round early
+in the morning to see me start.
+
+I took two ponies, as usual. I left Otsu at dawn, and followed as well
+as I could the winding course of the river. Not far from Otsu I came to
+the thick jungle of high reeds and tall grass of which I had already
+heard. I made my way through the first obstructions; but I had not been
+in the jungle more than a few minutes when I was simply devoured by
+horse-flies, mosquitoes, and black-flies. My ponies were kicking,
+bucking, and trying to bolt, as they also were literally covered with
+horse-flies, sucking their blood and stinging them to madness. The reeds
+and grass were about ten or twelve feet high, so that, being higher than
+myself on my horse, I could not see where I was going. I kept along the
+river bank as much as I could; but in many places it was difficult to
+get through the ravines which one invariably finds along rivers, so I
+kept a little way off on the west side, and had the noise of the running
+river to guide me. For many wearisome hours I rode through this jungle,
+the dividing reeds continually rubbing against my face, arms, and legs,
+sometimes making pretty deep cuts with their razor-edged long leaves.
+The huge _shirau_--the horse-flies--grew more and more tiresome as the
+sun got warmer, and my head and hands were swollen and bleeding. The sun
+was by this time high in the sky, but there were no signs of the jungle
+coming to an end, no indications of huts anywhere near--no other noise
+but the sound of the crashing reeds and the running water of the river.
+My ponies were feeding well, as grass was plentiful; but I was faring
+badly. What with the exertion of keeping the ponies in order, while the
+densely-entangled reeds nearly dragged me off the saddle--what with the
+plague of mosquitoes and horse-flies, added to the sense of weakness
+caused by fatigue and hunger--it was really a terrible time for me--one
+of the worst episodes in my life. Nevertheless, I persevered, and went
+on and on, determined to reach my destination. I came upon two very
+large swamps, which forced me to make a wide _détour_. The ponies were
+very tired, and so was I. When darkness set in I halted, took the heavy
+pack-saddles off the ponies, and tied the animals to them, so that they
+could not bolt during the night; and wearied, disheartened, and
+discouraged as I was, I began to think how stupid I had been to start on
+such an expedition without carrying any provisions with me--without
+having provided myself with even a tent or a covering of any kind.
+
+Circumstances made me a philosopher. What is the use of worrying about
+things that cannot be helped? After all, when you get accustomed to it,
+starving is really not so bad as people think. One of my ponies was of a
+sentimental disposition, and he seemed to understand my troubles. He
+came close and rubbed himself against me, placing his head near mine. It
+was touching, and in the solitude in which I was the sympathy of the
+dumb beast was as precious as that of a human being. Had he been able to
+speak, he might have been taken for a Christian, and a good one, too! He
+had been fearfully stung by horse-flies, and my petting him seemed to
+alleviate his pain. There is nothing like sympathy and a little personal
+kindness if one wants to make friends with animals. The last few rays of
+light were spent in putting together the notes which I had taken during
+the day, and which enabled me to draw a sketch-map of the river. At
+Horoizumi some days previously I was able to buy myself a compass from
+a Japanese fisherman, and on this occasion it was extremely useful to
+me.
+
+By the soft, or rather shrill, music of a full orchestra of mosquitoes I
+fell asleep. It was poetic, but not comfortable. Strange noises woke me
+several times during the night. My ponies also were very restless, and
+repeatedly tried to get loose while I was lying down on the two saddles
+to which they were fastened.
+
+It was some time after sunrise when I woke up, and with stiff bones set
+off again. A heavy dew had fallen during the night, and had made my
+clothes very damp. The reeds and grass also were saturated with water,
+and riding through them caused a continuous shower to fall over me,
+giving me an uncomfortable and by no means efficient kind of shower
+bath.
+
+I rode in a westerly direction till about two or three in the afternoon,
+when suddenly the jungle came to an end. Not only that, but a short
+distance away I saw some Ainu huts. I soon reached them, dismounted, and
+tied my ponies to a tree. I went to the first hut, and previous to going
+in I called out: "Hem, hem, hem, hem!" which in the Ainu country is the
+polite preliminary when a stranger wishes to enter a hut. The usual
+practice of _knocking_ at the door is dispensed with, for Ainu doorways
+have no doors.
+
+"Hem, hem, hem, hem, hem!" called I again much louder, but I heard no
+answer; so I lifted the mat and entered the hut. It was empty. No one
+was there. I came out again, and went into the next hut, into another,
+and yet another; but nobody was to be found. I supposed that they were
+all out fishing. From the roof in each hut was hanging some dried and
+half-dried salmon. I could not resist the temptation after nearly
+thirty-four hours of involuntary fasting; and I stole--I mean
+"conveyed," or helped myself to the largest fish. I was greedily eating
+it--and how good it was!--when I thought I heard a groan inside the hut.
+I listened, and I distinctly heard some one sniffing in a corner of the
+dark dwelling. Had I been caught stealing? The crime I had committed
+would be called felony at home, but in the Ainu country it has not
+nearly so bad a name as that. However, felony or not, I dropped the
+fish, or rather what remained of it, and made for the corner whence the
+noise came. As I got closer I discerned a mass of white hair and two
+claws, almost like thin human feet with long hooked nails. A few
+fish-bones scattered on the ground and a lot of filth were massed
+together in that corner; and the disgusting odours these exhaled were
+beyond measure horrible.
+
+"What the devil is that!" I said aloud in my own native tongue. I could
+hear someone breathing heavily under that mass of white hair, but I
+could not make out the shape of a human body. I touched the hair, I
+pulled it, and with a groan, and movements similar to those of a snake
+uncoiling itself, two thin bony arms suddenly stretched out and clasped
+my hand. As my eyes were getting accustomed to the dim light I thought I
+saw some almost worn-out tattoo marks on her arms. Yes, it was a woman
+in that corner, though her limbs were merely skin and bone, and her long
+hair and long nails gave her a ghastly appearance. Indeed, crouched as
+she was, doubled up, with her head on her knees, and the long hair
+falling over her face and shoulders, it was really difficult to make out
+what she was.
+
+I asked her to come out, but she was apparently deaf and dumb. I dragged
+her out, and she made but little resistance; only she preferred crawling
+on her hands and knees to walking upright on her feet. There is no
+accounting for people's tastes, and I let her please herself in her
+manner of locomotion. When she was fairly out in the light I shivered as
+I looked at the miserable being before me. I lifted up her hair to see
+the face. Her eyebrows were thick and shaggy, and were joined over the
+nose. Her eyes were half closed, and dead-looking. The strong light
+seemed to affect her, and with her hands she was feeling the ground,
+probably in order to retrace her steps back to the dark spot. Nature
+could not have inflicted more evils on that wretched creature. She was
+nearly blind, deaf, and dumb; she apparently suffered from rheumatism,
+which had doubled up her body and stiffened her bony arms and legs; and,
+moreover, she showed many of the symptoms of leprosy. Altogether, she
+was painful, horrible, disgusting, and humiliating to contemplate.
+
+I went back to my ponies to fetch my paint-box. During my absence there
+had collected round them half-a-dozen Ainu. They did not know what to
+think of the appearance of the two animals, and the few articles
+fastened to the pack-saddle were regarded with suspicion. When I
+appeared on the scene their astonishment was even greater, and it
+reached its climax when I saluted them in the Ainu fashion, and told
+them that I was a friend of the Ainu. I unfastened my paint-box and went
+back to the old woman. She was still where I had left her. All the Ainu
+present followed me, and when I squatted down they did the same in a
+semicircle round me. My wretched model attempted several times to crawl
+inside the hut, but as I was sitting close to her, I prevented her from
+doing so. There she sat in the most extraordinary position, with her
+head resting on her left hand, and the stiff fingers of her right hand
+pressed on the ground. One leg was bent up and the other was folded,
+resting on the ground and on the foot of the first. She was sniffing the
+wind, and making efforts to see with her half-blind eyes.
+
+[Illustration: MADWOMAN OF YAMMAKKA.]
+
+It is hardly necessary to say that I did not keep my model longer than
+was strictly necessary, and when the sketch was finished I took her by
+the arm, brought her back into the hut, and led her to her favourite
+corner. There she crouched herself again, as I had found her; and there
+I left her, to bear the miseries of her life, till death, the cure of
+all woes, shall take away her soul, if not her body, from the filth she
+had lived in. She was neither ill-treated nor taken care of by the
+villagers or by her son, who lived in the same hut; but she was regarded
+as a worthless object, and treated accordingly. A fish was occasionally
+flung to her, as one would to a beast, and in such a condition this
+human being had lived, or rather existed, apparently for several years.
+Not a word was uttered by the villagers during the few minutes I took to
+paint the sketch. I turned round to inspect my new friends. Others had
+come up, and these men and women, hairy and partly naked, squatting down
+amidst filth, and driven half mad by the horse-flies and black-flies,
+looked just like a large family of restless monkeys. They were gentle
+and kind--much more so than any of their more civilised brethren; and
+one of them, a fine old man, came forward when I came out of the hut and
+wished me to go and see a big yellow bear they had captured. I went, and
+near the man's hut, in a rough square cage made of crossed branches of
+trees, was Bruin grinding his teeth as we drew near. In a sing-song
+monotone the man told me the story of the hunt, and how the bear had
+been captured. Then we went from one hut to another all through the
+village. Yamakubiro is the name given to the huts taken collectively,
+but the man took good care to explain to me that one part of the village
+(numbering only seven houses) was called Tchiota, and the other, a short
+distance away, was named Yammakka. Tchiota in the Ainu language means
+"dead-sand," and Yammakka is "land in behind."
+
+Yammakka has ten huts. The hut in which I had to put up was more than
+filthy, and I had a sort of presentiment that my landlord was a
+scoundrel. He saw me giving a small silver Japanese coin to a girl I had
+painted. From that moment I noticed his eyes were continually fixed on
+my waistcoat pocket, out of which I had taken the coin. However, I did
+not think much of that, as all Ainu are fond of beads, metals, or
+anything that shines. When the evening came I tried to go to sleep on
+the hard planks, as usual. There is undoubtedly more _board_ than
+_lodging_ about Ainu accommodation. Myriads of Taikkis, the tiny but
+troublesome and uninvited guests of all dirty dwellings, did me the
+honour to sup off the few drops of blood which remained in my veins. I
+owed it to a bottle of Keating's Powder that I was not carried away
+bodily by them. I felt cold and feverish, and having no civilised
+bed-clothes to cover me, I slept with my clothes on; and this the more
+willingly, as I felt an instinctive mistrust of my host, and I thought
+it was as well to be ready for any emergency.
+
+A few salmon were hanging right over my nose. They hung low, but they
+smelt high. I had been given a place in the south-west corner of the
+hut, and my landlord retired to the north-east corner. Though this may
+sound very far, my host was really not more than a few feet away from
+me. He apparently thought that I had gone to sleep, for I heard him
+creep to my side. I could not see him, being in absolute darkness, but
+though he was evidently holding his breath, I could feel the warmth of
+his face near mine. He was listening to hear if I were asleep. I kept
+quiet, and pretended to snore. This gave him courage, and sliding his
+hand gently along my arm, he came to a pocket in my coat. He began to
+explore it--but the Ainu are an unfortunate people even when they try to
+steal. He had got hold of a pocket with no bottom to it--a common
+occurrence in my coats. The more he explored, the more he found there
+was to explore. I am fond myself of explorations, and I have no
+objection to a fellow-being, hairy or not hairy, "prospecting" my empty
+pockets or my pockets which have no bottom to them. However, my host was
+not satisfied with the first results of his researches, and with his
+hand still through the torn lining of the coat-pocket proceeded to
+investigate the contents of my waistcoat pockets. This was a different
+matter altogether, and catching hold of him before he was able to
+disentangle himself, I swung his arm away and hit him hard on the head
+with my right fist.
+
+"Wooi!" cried he in despair, and half stunned, as he scrambled away as
+best he could to his north-east corner. By way of apology and excuse,
+and with a trembling voice, the man from his corner said that he had
+only come to sleep on my side of the hut, as the wind was blowing strong
+where he had lain down, and that my side was warmer. A good excuse
+indeed when you are caught _flagrante delicto_ pickpocketing!
+
+The salmon which my host gave me last night for dinner and this morning
+for breakfast was so rotten, that, hungry as I was, I could not eat it.
+From Yammakka, in a westerly direction, the way begins with a gentle
+incline; therefore there is a complete absence of the high and
+troublesome reeds which I had found in the vast marshy plain I had
+crossed on my way here from the coast. I intended pushing on to
+Frishikobets, a larger village some miles off. The old scoundrel wanted
+to accompany me part of the way, saying that there were two dangerous
+rivers to cross, and he would show me where to wade them. I fancied that
+they were as dangerous as they were imaginary, and I started off
+declining his offer. I came across several Ainu huts on my way, passed
+the village of Pensatsunai--six Ainu huts--on the Satsunai river, an
+affluent of the Tokachi, and then arrived at Obishiro in the afternoon.
+There are seven houses at Obishiro. I entered one of them, and to my
+astonishment I found myself in front of an old man and a pretty woman,
+whose appearance and manners were as refined as those of the better
+classes in Japan. A younger man also came in. Their astonishment was as
+great as mine, as they had not seen any civilised beings since they had
+been there. Though the outside of their dwelling was not prepossessing,
+the inside was so clean that I felt as if I had dropped into heaven.
+After what I had gone through, this unexpected _rencontre_ brought me
+back to life and a belief in the proprieties of a civilised existence,
+almost forgotten by now!
+
+These people had a romantic history. Watanabe Masaru--the younger
+man--was a Japanese gentleman by birth and education, but he had no
+fortune. Of an adventurous disposition, clever, sensitive, and tired of
+the conventionalities of his fatherland, he decided eight or ten years
+ago to emigrate to Hokkaido, and there lead the life of a colonist. The
+woman he loved was as brave and constant as he. She sailed with him and
+her father from Japan, and after a long and perilous journey in a junk
+(sailing boat), they landed at the mouth of the Tokachi River. In Ainu
+canoes they went up the river, and established themselves at Obishiro,
+far from civilisation, nearly in the centre of Yezo. At first they had a
+great deal of trouble with the natives, but now they are loved by all.
+There, with two lovely children, they lead an ideal life, far from the
+madding crowd and noise of the world, and freed from the vulgarity of
+society.
+
+I rode on to Frishikobets village, situated on the Frishiko, "old
+river," and in the midst of a beautiful plain. There are only
+twenty-eight houses, and they are scattered about in the plain at a
+distance of several hundred yards one from the other. Some of the huts
+were hidden in the forest. A peculiarity of the Ainu of the Upper
+Tokachi River is, that they frequently cover their dwellings and
+storehouses with the bark of trees, instead of with reeds, as is the
+custom among the Ainu of the Saru River and Volcano Bay.
+
+I was told here again that Ainu women often suckle small bears at their
+breasts so as to fatten them up for the festival; and one not
+infrequently sees the women in Ainu households chewing food, and letting
+the young cub take it from their lips.
+
+These Ainu are much more interesting as types, and also much purer in
+race, than either the Piratori or the Volcano Bay Ainu. A learned
+missionary, who has not himself visited these people, writes as follows
+regarding them:--"The Ainu of the Tokapchi district, in Yezo, are spoken
+of as having been particularly addicted to this kind of warfare (night
+raids against each other, in which the men were murdered, and the women
+stolen and used as slaves or kept as concubines), and are even now held
+in abhorrence by the people of some villages. They are said not only to
+have murdered people, but also to have eaten some of them. They were,
+therefore, cannibals, and I have heard them spoken of as 'eaters of
+their own kind.'"[18]
+
+    [18] Rev. John Batchelor, 'The Ainu of Japan,' chap. xx.
+
+From my own personal experience--and I may add I am the only foreigner
+who has seen these Tokachi, or as others call them, Tokapchi Ainu--I
+came to a conclusion very different from this. I found that not only
+were they not cannibals, but that, taken altogether, they were the most
+peaceable, gentle, and kind Ainu I came across during my peregrinations
+through the land of the hairy people. Indeed, I am sorry to say that it
+is not savagery that makes the Ainu bad, but it is civilisation that
+demoralises them. The only place in Yezo where I was actually
+ill-treated by Ainu, as my readers will remember, is the village where
+they were said to be "very civilised."
+
+I have no wish to force my opinion on the public as the correct one. I
+do but describe what I have actually seen in a district in which others
+who have written on this subject have never set foot, and I leave it to
+my readers to judge who has most claim to be heard.
+
+The language of the Tokachi Ainu varies considerably from the language
+spoken in more civilised districts, and none of the natives up the river
+could speak Japanese when I was there.
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOMAN OF FRISHIKOBETS, ON THE TOKACHI RIVER.]
+
+Unfortunately, the Ainu of this region are not very numerous, and
+constant intermarriage among near relations has proved detrimental to
+the race. However, a glance at them is quite sufficient to show the
+difference between them and Ainu of other tribes. They are not so
+picturesquely arrayed as their more western brothers, and the large
+Japanese brass and silver earrings, as well as the glass bead necklaces
+which make such a brave show yonder, are replaced here by rough bone or
+wooden ornaments. Men and women in summer are almost entirely naked, and
+all children are clad in their own bare skins only. Their winter
+garments are made of bear and deer skins. Some peculiar snow-sandals,
+made of the bark of a kind of ash-tree called _shina_, are sometimes
+worn over the winter salmon-skin boots or moccasins. The Ainu make their
+ropes out of the bark of this _shina_, though often young vine stems are
+used for the same purpose. River fishing-nets are generally made of
+young vines twisted. They are of the roughest description, and are only
+fit for rivers where fish is abundant, as in the Yezo watercourses. The
+Ainu at Frishikobets took very kindly to sitting for their portraits,
+and one after the other--all the best types--were immortalised either in
+oils or in pencil. Strange to say, I came across another old woman, a
+lunatic, very similar to the one I saw at Yammakka. Her face was that of
+a witch, her eyebrows joining downwards somewhat in the shape of an
+owl's beak. Her long pale hands and face, and the long wild hair
+covering half her face, gave her a striking appearance. She had,
+however, not yet reached the stage of imbecility which her Yammakka
+sister had attained. Lunacy is very common among the Ainu, and the
+unfortunate creature thus afflicted seems to lose not only the respect,
+but also the pity, as well as care, of all the others, and is treated by
+them as a worthless animal.
+
+After crossing the Frishikobets River, some distance off, on the east
+side of the Tokachi River, are the villages of Upar-penai,[19]
+twenty-one Ainu huts, Memuro-puto,[20] sixteen huts, and Ottoinnai,[21]
+fourteen huts. Then comes Kinney, with seven houses; and finally
+Nitumap,[22] the last village on the Tokachi River, has as many as
+thirty-six houses.
+
+    [19] _U_, place; _par_, mouth; _pe_, undrinkable water; _nai_,
+         stream; _Upar-penai_, a place at the mouth of a stream of
+         undrinkable water.
+
+    [20] _Me_, in front; _mu_, sheltered spot in a river; _ro_, track;
+         _puto_, mouth of river; _Memuro-puto_, track in front of a
+         sheltered spot at the mouth of a river.
+
+    [21] _Otto_, into; _i_, a place; _nai_, stream; _Ottoinnai_, a place
+         in a stream.
+
+    [22] _Nitumap_, open trunk of a tree.
+
+The huts of the Tokachi region are much smaller than those on the Saru
+River, and near many of them is a cage, in which a big yellow or black
+bear is confined. The natives told me that yellow and black bears were
+numerous in the neighbourhood. Deer (the _yuk_, male deer, and
+_mowambe_, female), were formerly plentiful, but now are very scarce. A
+few years ago a pestilence killed great numbers of them, and since then
+they have dwindled away.
+
+Not many miles from Frishikobets a huge cliff rises perpendicularly
+along the Shikarubets River. A landslip seems to have taken place, which
+leaves one side of the cliff perfectly bare and rugged, showing the
+strata composing the soil. It is of a light yellowish colour, and it is
+called by the Ainu the _Shikarubets Otchirsh_, which translated into
+English means "the white cliff on the bend of the river." This cliff
+stands very high, and can be seen from a great distance, especially in a
+north-east, east, or southerly direction. In winter, when the rushes and
+reeds are not so high in the south-eastern portion of the plain, the
+white cliff can be distinguished from the whole of the Tokachi valley.
+The Ainu themselves use the Shikarubets Otchirsh as a landmark when out
+hunting bears. Owing to its light colour it is visible even at night. I
+was anxious to ascend it, as I was sure no European foot had ever
+trodden on it before. Accompanied by Watanabe Masaru, I started out on
+horseback and crossed the Frishikobets village and river. Here we left
+our horses under the care of an Ainu till our return. We had to cross
+the Tokachi in an Ainu "dug-out," and then, proceeding for several miles
+in a northerly direction, we arrived at the foot of the mountain. It
+would have been impossible to climb it on the east side, as it is quite
+perpendicular; but we were fortunate in getting an Ainu called Unacharo,
+who said he knew a point from which we could ascend, and that he would
+show us the way. He had been hunting bears on that mountain, and he knew
+its slopes well; but as to the way which he was to show us, we had to
+make it for ourselves. With our large knives we were forced to break,
+cut, and tear the entangled branches of trees and shrubs before we could
+get on. We actually had to cut our way through the dense scrubwood until
+we reached the summit. The ascent was rather dangerous in some places,
+and extremely rough when going through the brushwood. We had to keep as
+much as possible near the edge of the cliff, for though it involved more
+danger if we slipped or stumbled, the entangled shrubs were not so thick
+on the edge as farther inland. Finally, after several hours' hard work,
+we reached the top, and were well repaid for our fatigues. The whole of
+the Tokachi valley was stretched before us as far as the sea, and almost
+the whole course of the winding river, with all its numerous affluents,
+could be distinguished like so many shining silver ribbons on the green
+background formed by the tall grass and reeds. As a farming region the
+Tokachi valley and high plains are certainly the most fertile in
+Hokkaido. All the requisites for successful agriculture can be found
+there. The absence of the mountain masses of volcanic rocks, so common
+all over Hokkaido, the richness of the soil, the quantity of water for
+irrigation or for motive power, besides the comparative facility of
+making roads on such flat ground, are qualities that good farmers do not
+generally despise. It is therefore a great pity to see all that Tokachi
+valley practically deserted and so much good land wasted. Hemp, wheat,
+corn, potatoes, beans, and all kinds of vegetables and cereals, could be
+grown with advantage, and the produce carried down the river to the sea
+without much difficulty and at little expense. At Yamakubiro the land
+begins to rise in a gentle slope, but only to form a plateau, of which
+the top is another large plain reaching to the foot of the Oputateishike
+mountain mass. The Otopke Mountain is the highest peak, and resembles in
+shape the Fujiama of Japan. On the north-east side of this mountain are
+the hot springs of Ni-piri-bets.[23] A kind of wood is said by the Ainu
+to be found near these hot springs which is good for curing wounds,
+cuts, rheumatism, and other ailments. These hot springs are not of much
+importance, and it is but seldom that even the Ainu themselves visit
+them. In going to and returning from these springs the Shikarubets
+Otchirsh is never lost sight of by the Ainu, and by the aid of this
+landmark they return safely to their homes.
+
+    [23] _Ni_, wood; _piri_, wound; _bets_, river.
+
+All the Oputateishike mountain mass is volcanic, and forms the backbone
+of the island of Yezo. From the Shikarubets Otchirsh I was able to draw
+a bird's-eye view of the course of the Tokachi River and its affluents,
+which afterwards helped me much in delineating a sketch-map of the
+Tokachi region, with its complicated watercourses. The two high
+mountains of Satsumai and Ghifzan could also be plainly seen from there.
+Coming down was much easier than going up, and when we had again reached
+the bottom of the mountain we turned northward until we came to the
+Shorui-washi River, an affluent of the Tokachi. Previous to this, while
+following the course of the Otsu River, I saw a strange sight. When on
+the summit of the Shikarubets Otchirsh I had seen two Ainu "dug-outs"
+pass up the river, and the Ainu who accompanied us said we should soon
+see them coming back again. We were not far from the river banks when
+shouts and cries of excitement reached my ears. I hurried on to the
+water-side and saw the two "dug-outs" swiftly coming down with the
+strong current, parallel with each other at a distance of about seven
+feet apart. There were three people in each "dug-out," viz., a woman
+with a paddle steering at the prow; another woman crouched up at the
+stern, and a man in the middle. A coarse net made of young vines, and
+about five feet square, was fastened to two poles seven or eight feet
+long. The man who stood in the centre of each canoe held one of the
+poles, to the upper end of which the net was attached, and attentively
+watched the water.
+
+"They are catching salmon--look!" said Unacharo to me; "the salmon are
+coming up the stream from the sea." The small net was plunged into the
+water between the two canoes, and nearly each time a large salmon was
+scooped out and flung into one or other of the "dug-outs," where the
+woman sitting at the stern crushed its head with a large stone. If a
+fish escaped, yells of indignation, especially from the women folk,
+broke out from the boats, to be echoed by the high white cliff. Both men
+and women were naked, and the dexterity and speed with which they
+paddled their canoes down the stream, working the coarse net at the same
+time, seldom missing a fish, was simply marvellous. On the other hand,
+it must be remembered that fish were so plentiful in the river, that it
+was really easier to catch than to miss. In wading the Shikarubets
+(river) I could see large salmon passing me by the dozen, and I felt
+quite uncomfortable when some large fish either rubbed itself against or
+passed between my legs. We got across the Shorui-washi--literally "very
+burning a place to stand"--and having then gone far enough from the
+Shikarubets Otchirsh to see the whole of it, I managed to take a good
+sketch of it. Near this river are some hot springs, called Nishibets,
+from which the river has taken its peculiar name. The easiest way to the
+Otopke Mountain is to follow the valley between the Shikarubets and the
+Otopke River, and then climb the mountain on the north-east side. The
+latter part of the journey is extremely rough and difficult. Watanabe
+and I returned to Obishiro. It is not often that one anywhere meets with
+such simple, straightforward people as these Watanabes. They have lived
+alone at Obishiro for eight years among savages, but never in my life
+have I met with more civilised, kind, thoughtful, gentle beings than
+Watanabe and his wife. As civilisation makes savages bad, I dare say
+savage life makes civilised people good! I go away carrying with me a
+deep affection for these gentle strangers, whose kindness to me has made
+them my friends.
+
+The day came for me to return to the coast. My ponies, probably
+frightened by bears, broke loose during the night, and one of them ran
+away; and I was rather in a difficulty as to how I should get back
+whence I had come. Watanabe, adding kindness to kindness, allowed me to
+have one of his ponies, and after repeated good-byes I started on my
+journey back to the coast. About four miles east of Yammakka the Tokachi
+River receives a large affluent, the Toshibets, or "river of high
+swamps." The Tunnui Puto is the largest of these swamps, about four
+miles north of the mouth of the Toshibets. _Tunnui_ means a kind of
+tree, probably the _Quercus dentata_; _puto_ or _put_ means the mouth of
+a river. The course of the Toshibets River is almost from due north to
+south from its source, then for about six or seven miles from north-west
+to south-east, and, sharply turning again from north to south, continues
+in this direction winding continually for eighteen or twenty miles, till
+it throws itself with a large body of water in the Tokachi River. On the
+southern side of the latter part of the watercourse are found the Ainu
+villages of Pombets, twenty-two huts; Purokenashpa,[24] three huts;
+Kenashpa,[25] twelve huts; and Beppo,[26] eleven huts. The
+characteristics of the natives of these villages and their habitations
+are similar to those already described at Frishikobets. The journey down
+was much the same as that coming up. Tobuts, on the north side of the
+Tokachi, is the largest Ainu village in the district, and has as many as
+sixty huts. The inhabitants are possessed of a somewhat fiery temper in
+this particular village, and the day previous to my going through two
+men were killed in a row. I felt awfully annoyed at being just one day
+too late to see it, as then I might have described how the Ainu die.
+However, I reached the other side of the Tokachi again. A way through
+the same tall rushes and reeds had to be forced, and the same army of
+mosquitoes and horse-flies had to be met and endured. It was my
+intention to push on and reach the coast as soon as possible. At
+Yammakka the natives had seen my runaway pony galloping at full speed
+towards the coast, but no one had caught it. Probably no one had tried.
+
+    [24] _Puro_, great; _ke_, I; _nashpa_, deafening noise.
+
+    [25] _Ke_, I; _nashpa_, deafening noise.
+
+    [26] _Beppo_ or _pet put_, at the mouth of a river.
+
+My ponies went well. I could plainly see where I had already come
+through the jungle, by the long trail of crushed and broken reeds I had
+left behind me. Everything was calm, but for the monotonous sound of
+crashing leaves produced by my forcing my way through the reeds.
+Suddenly my ponies stopped, shied, and began to back. They sniffed the
+ground, then the air. Their ears were straight up, their eyes were
+restless, and their nostrils widely distended. They were certainly under
+some great excitement, and showed unmistakable signs of terror. "What
+could be the cause of it?" I asked myself, but all the same gave the
+ponies a sound thrashing to make them go. It was useless--they would not
+stir. The second pony came by the side of mine, and they both put their
+heads together, in their own way consulting and concerting. They were
+utterly demoralised, and were kicking awfully. It was getting dark, and
+this riotous conduct on the part of my ponies was annoying.
+Unexpectedly, and with a tremendous growl, a huge black bear sprang
+towards us, and tried to seize the baggage pony. However, he and the
+beast I was riding bolted, and ran a desperate race for life; and though
+Bruin followed us clumsily for some time, we soon were far ahead, and
+lost sight of him. It was more than I could do to stop the frightened
+brutes; but finally, after a reckless steeplechase of many miles, after
+jumping over brooks and splashing across torrents, flying over the
+ground and through the jungle, without omitting to anathematise a
+horsefly that had settled on the back of my neck, and was amusing itself
+by boring holes in different parts of it to find a suitable spot for
+feeding, finally we came to a halt. It was about time. During the
+violent ride the reeds had cut my face and neck and hands, and I was
+bleeding all over. I went on and on, and, as my ponies did not seem to
+be very tired, I tried to reach the coast that night. It grew dark, but
+the night was fine, and I let the noise of the running river guide me.
+Each minute seemed an hour, each hour an age. I rode and rode, and still
+rode, till I was nearly exhausted; and still I was surrounded by the
+tall reeds and rushes. "Thank God!" I heartily exclaimed, when finally,
+at a small hour of the morning, I found myself in open ground again, and
+the wind brought in waves the salt smell of the sea.
+
+An hour or so afterwards two tired ponies were easily pulled up at the
+tea-house at Otsu, the landlord was roused, and a wearied and
+half-starved traveller was let in.
+
+[Illustration: THE SHIKARUBETS OTCHIRSH.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU MAN OF THE UPPER TOKACHI.]
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+From the Tokachi River to the Kutcharo River.
+
+
+I decided to stop a day at Otsu, so as to recover from the fatigue of my
+late travels and adventures, and I chose my quarters in the _yadoya_ of
+a Japanese called Inomata Yoshitaro. I was told that he was an
+ex-convict. Be that as it may, he had now turned into a fisherman and
+innkeeper. Like all Japanese, he was an inexhaustible talker, and his
+politeness was so great that it became a bore.
+
+It was about three in the morning when I reached Otsu. I had taken off
+my boots on entering his house--for it is an insult to enter Japanese
+houses with one's boots on--and I had seated myself on the soft mat in
+order to rest my aching limbs, when Yoshitaro made me get up to place a
+small square cushion under me, on which he said I should be more
+comfortable. I had not been on it one minute before Yoshitaro, wanting
+to increase my comforts, made me rise again to exchange the first
+cushion covered with cotton for one covered with silk--a detail to which
+a man is not likely to pay much attention when tired to death, and only
+anxious to be left alone. It followed as a matter of course that before
+I was allowed to go to sleep I had to sip several cups of tea, which
+Yoshitaro's wife had hurriedly made, and I had to relate the result of
+my expedition to the sleepy fishermen who had crept out of their
+_foutangs_ at the news of my arrival. In spite of all this, when I had
+got rid of my audience I had a good night's rest; but when I woke up the
+next day at noon I found myself surrounded by a crowd of fishermen of
+Otsu, who had invaded the _yadoya_ to have a peep at the young
+foreigner, while in the back yard I recognised the voices of Yoshitaro
+and his wife, who evidently were occupied in the exciting chase of a
+fowl.
+
+A few minutes later Yoshitaro triumphantly entered the room with a large
+dish, on which the same fowl, uncooked, and cut into a thousand little
+bits, was served to me, together with pieces of raw salmon, _daikon_ (a
+vegetable), and boiled rice. This he called a European dinner! I did my
+best to roast the chicken bits on the _hibachi_ (the brazier); but I was
+never well up in the culinary art, and, as my landlord remarked, he had
+brought up the meat for me to eat, not to "burn."
+
+Fowls are very scarce indeed in Hokkaido, and the few found have been
+imported; therefore the landlord did not fail to explain, in a
+roundabout manner, under what great obligation I was to him for killing
+such a precious bird.
+
+I said that I had not asked him to do this, and with his perfect
+Japanese politeness, bowing gracefully down to the ground, he said:
+
+"Sayo de gozarimas" ("Yes, your honourable sir"). "But," he added, "the
+bird was so old that if I had not killed it I fear it would have died by
+itself ere long." Such a sacrifice undoubtedly deserved a reward, and he
+assured me that we should be "quite even" if I, being an artist, would
+condescend to paint twelve portraits of him. I had no little trouble to
+make him understand that he was mistaking me for a photographic camera,
+but I offered to paint him a small sketch the next morning if he would
+leave me alone all that day.
+
+Punctually at sunrise he entered my room. He had his best clothes on,
+and his anxiety to be painted was such that he had not been able to
+sleep all night. I painted the sketch, and Yoshitaro and his male and
+female friends joined in exclamations of admiration at the good result
+of the _abura è_ (oil painting). He professed to be very grateful, and
+carefully packed the picture in a box, which he carried into another
+room.
+
+I took advantage of his absence to pack up my traps, as I wished to
+leave for Shaubets that same morning. In a short time Yoshitaro came
+back to my room, but a different man. He was rude, and tried to bully
+me. He presented a bill for the sum of sixteen _yen_, equivalent to £3
+in English money, which I considered exorbitant for two nights' rest, a
+few bowls of rice, and the "European dinner." The highest charge made by
+the very best tea-houses in Hokkaido never exceeds one yen--two
+shillings and tenpence a day--including all meals. I quietly told the
+landlord that he was a thief, and that I would punish him by taking the
+picture away from him; but he swore that he would not surrender it, and
+that he would fight for it if necessary.
+
+I seldom refuse a challenge when I know that I am going to get the best
+of it, and as it so happened that my arms were a great deal longer than
+those of Yoshitaro, I caught him by the throat and shook him so
+violently that he was nearly strangled. His friends came to his rescue,
+and when I dropped him he fell heavily on the mats, and had to be
+carried away. Some minutes elapsed, and while I was hastily taking my
+heavier luggage out of the house I heard Yoshitaro in the next room call
+out to his wife to bring him a sword, as he wanted to kill the "_ijinsan
+bakka_"--"the fool of a foreigner." I entered his room. Yoshitaro, pale
+with rage, was sitting by his _hibachi_, and round him were eight or ten
+of his men. They were apparently holding a congress on what to do, and
+each one of them, as is usual on all occasions in Japan, had pulled out
+his little pipe, and was continually refilling it with tobacco as they
+all discussed the matter on hand. I had my boots on this time, as I
+wished to show the scorn I had for him, his friends, and his house. In
+my coat pocket--the only sound one--I had my revolver, but it was not
+loaded.
+
+"Yoshitaro," I said, "deliver the picture at once."
+
+"I will not," said he.
+
+"Good!" said his friends in a chorus.
+
+"Yoshitaro," I said again, producing the revolver and pointing it at
+him, "if I have not the picture before I count twenty you will be a dead
+man."
+
+I never in my life saw a crowd of bullies so scared. Covering their
+faces with their hands, Yoshitaro's friends bolted in all directions,
+some jumping out of the semi-European window, some dashing through the
+violently-opened paper _shojis_ (sliding doors), leaving eight or ten
+pipes and as many tobacco pouches scattered on the mats. The landlord, a
+moment ago so brave, had not strength to get up, so great was his
+terror. Pale as death, and with a trembling voice, he called imploringly
+to his wife, servants, and friends to come and deliver up the picture.
+
+I had counted up to number fourteen, and no one had put in an
+appearance. Then I incidentally mentioned to Yoshitaro that time was
+nearly up, and enquired if he preferred to be shot through the head or
+the heart, at the same time cocking my revolver. Yoshitaro shuddered.
+
+At number sixteen a little girl, the only brave one of the lot, was sent
+to his help.
+
+"Dutchera Danna?" ("Where is it, sir?") she asked him, quite perplexed.
+
+"Hatchera, hayaku, hayaku nesan!" ("It is there; quick, quick, girl!")
+pointing to a closet in which a pile of _foutangs_ (small mattresses)
+were kept rolled during the day.
+
+Yoshitaro had hidden the sketch so well in the closet that the little
+_nesan_[27] could not find it, and when I called out number nineteen the
+poor girl, discomfited, cried out, "Mi-imasen" ("I do not see it!")
+
+    [27] _Nesan_, a corruption of _annesan_.
+
+Yoshitaro was more dead than alive; his lips were white, and he tried to
+articulate some words, but could not. His eyes, fixed on the closet,
+were glazed and set. His body was beginning to collapse, and every
+moment I thought that he would faint.
+
+In the meantime the _nesan_ hurriedly pulled out all the _foutangs_ and
+unrolled them, and the box with the sketch fell out just as I was about
+to call out number twenty. She gave me the box and sketch, and I told
+Yoshitaro that he must now come out with me, and, putting my revolver in
+my pocket, I pulled the man to the entrance door.
+
+Several villagers had collected at a respectful distance on the road,
+waiting for the report of the revolver. Yoshitaro's wife was the
+farthest of all.
+
+I signed to them to come nearer, and seeing that the revolver was no
+longer in my hands, they came, though very reluctantly. Yoshitaro was
+beginning to breathe again; and when a sufficient crowd had collected, I
+compelled him to accuse himself before them all of being a thief, and to
+confess that he was glad to have been punished. Also I made him promise
+that he would not play such tricks again on any other traveller.
+
+The Japanese are fond of a good joke, even when it is played off on one
+of themselves; and when I had seen all my baggage safe on my
+pack-saddles, I gave Yoshitaro the sixteen dollars he had asked me: "Two
+dollars," I said, "in settlement of my bill, and fourteen to go to your
+doctor for restoring you to good health after the fright you have had
+to-day."
+
+To show how shabby Yoshitaro's nature was, it is enough to state that
+out of the sum received his munificence went to the extent of five _sen_
+(2½_d._) as a present to the girl who had come to save his life!
+
+When my ponies were ready, I showed Yoshitaro and his knavish friends
+how I had sold them. I brought out my revolver again, and they all saw
+that not a single cartridge was in any of its chambers. This done, I
+bade them good-bye, and left them to reflect that it is not always the
+quietest persons who can be imposed on with most impunity, but that
+sometimes such quiet persons get the best of it, even against ten
+bullies or more banded together. I have no doubt that a good many of my
+readers will think me cruel for carrying a joke so far; but, on the
+other hand, if placed in similar circumstances, when no redress from
+without is to be obtained, and one must defend oneself by main force,
+very few would treat such a serious imposition and offence as a joke.
+
+In going through the village more than one fisherman came to tell me
+that I had done right in dealing severely with Yoshitaro, as he was
+known to be a scoundrel and a thief, and they all detested him.
+
+There was little of interest between Otsu and Shaubets, with the
+exception of the beautiful delta formed in the low alluvial valley by
+the Otsu River and the Tokachi River, two large estuaries nearly two
+miles apart, by which the Tokachi River enters the sea. The Tokachi is a
+river of large volume and considerable length, and even when divided,
+the body of water carried by both outlets is so great as to make it
+necessary to cross in boats, fording on foot being quite impossible.
+
+The Urahoro River was successfully crossed, but for the twenty miles on
+to Shahubets the track was flat and sandy, lying mostly under high clay
+banks, some of which form picturesque headlands. The country is not
+mountainous in the proximity of the coast, but it is of a moderate
+elevation all through, and wooded with deciduous trees. The formation of
+the south-east coast from Cape Erimo to Cape Noshafu is in many ways
+unlike that of the south-west coast. The south-western part is more
+mountainous, and is further characterised by the absence of extensive
+plains. The coast-line is indented, and there is a striking want of
+broad beaches. Precipitous rocks are also frequent along the south-west
+coast, and thick deposits of pumice--as we have seen--are lying over
+quaternary rocks, filling up the declivities of mountain lands and river
+shores.
+
+In the western part the tertiaries are more tufaceous than on the
+south-east coast, and they are distinguished mainly by the presence of
+shales and andesite breccia. The south-eastern part is characterized by
+the almost entire absence of volcanic rocks and older eruptive rocks.
+After leaving the range of mountains forming the _Sparti acque_, east
+and west of Cape Erimo, high land is met all the way along the
+south-east coast. Nevertheless, pumice is found in the basin of the
+Tokachi River, and also in that of the Kushiro River, but it does not
+form the surface soil, covering large areas of ground, as in many places
+on the south-western portion of the coast.
+
+The different aspect in the tertiaries of the south-east and south-west
+coast may be accounted for by the presence of breccia and conglomerate,
+shales and sandstones, on the western part, while on the eastern coast
+beds of lignite, coal of inferior quality, and diatom earth form the
+tertiary strata. If it were not for the total want of harbours, or even
+moderately sheltered anchorages for ships, this south-west portion of
+Yezo, with its agricultural resources, its milder climate, and the
+facilities that it offers for the construction of roads and railways,
+ought to support a large population. As things stand now, there are no
+colonists inland, and the coast is deserted and desolate-looking. As I
+have mentioned before, the only drawbacks are the thick fogs prevailing
+during the summer months along the south-east coast, and I believe that
+this in some measure accounts for the Japanese not wishing to settle in
+a part of the country so depressing to their spirits and so trying to
+their nerves. I have often noticed how easily affected the Mikado's
+subjects are by atmospheric and geographical conditions, and how, before
+settling to do business, they make a point of finding some pleasant spot
+where to cast anchor, thinking more of the amenities of physical
+existence than of the facilities for successful trade. I did not see a
+single house for twenty miles until I reached Shaubets, a village of
+eleven Ainu huts and one Japanese house. Thousands of sea-gulls and
+penguins lined the sandy shore, and I saw several large black
+sea-eagles. A pretty waterfall, gently descending from the high grey
+cliff, was decidedly ornamental to the scenery and useful to the
+wayfarer, as it afforded my ponies and myself a good drink of
+deliciously fresh water. Far off in the distance I could distinguish a
+long tongue of land. At Shaubets I was told that it was the peninsula on
+which _Kossuri_, or _Kushiro_, as the Japanese call it, is situated. I
+left Shaubets early in the morning, with the intention of pushing on to
+Kushiro, thirty-one miles distant. At Shiranuka, only ten miles from
+Shaubets, I changed my ponies. Shiranuka is an Ainu village, the
+inhabitants of which employ themselves in collecting and drying seaweed.
+There are also seven or eight Japanese shanties besides the Ainu huts.
+At the mouth of the Tcharo-bets, near the latter village, coal and
+lignite of inferior quality are found; but this coalfield was not worked
+at the time I passed through Shiranuka. The remaining twenty-one miles
+were monotonous and uninteresting. The long _Kossuri_ peninsula was
+before me, increasing in size as I drew nearer; and after having gone
+through the two small villages of To'tori and Akan-gawa, in the
+neighbourhood of Kossuri, I crossed the Kutcharo River, on a
+nicely-built wooden bridge, and found myself at Kushiro, an important
+Japanese settlement on the south-east coast. From its favourable
+situation Kushiro is likely to become one of the chief towns in Yezo,
+though unfortunately it does not possess a good harbour, and is much
+exposed to westerly winds. The largest number of the houses are situated
+on a slight elevation above the reef-harbour, immediately south of the
+river mouth. In the proximity of Kushiro, and just beyond the range of
+hills which stretches for about three miles from the entrance of the
+harbour in a northerly, and for about two miles in an easterly
+direction, is a lagoon, called by the Ainu "Harutori." This lagoon is
+nearly two miles long, and certainly not more than a quarter of a mile
+wide. It is divided from the sea by a very narrow strip of sand, through
+which the water of the lagoon finds its outlet. On the east side of the
+Harutori coal has been discovered, and it seems to be of fairly good
+quality; and three miles further, quite close to the sea-coast, coal was
+dug out some years ago, but the quality was so inferior that the works
+had to be abandoned.
+
+There is a considerable area of good land in the neighbourhood of
+Kushiro, and here again it is to be regretted that Japanese farmers do
+not emigrate to work it. Yezo has a very small population for its size,
+and I was surprised that emigration from the mainland was not carried
+out on a larger scale. Yezo is a rich country in many ways. Why do not
+all the troublesome students, the fiery _soshi_ of Japan, abandon
+politics and futile rows and go and do men's work in that northern
+region of the empire? They would profit by it, and so would their
+country. An immense loss occurs every year simply because no one is
+there to take the profit; and it is a great pity, and almost a shame, to
+see so much waste and neglect in a region which, after all, is not
+difficult of access from the main island of Nippon. To the mineral
+products of the Kushiro district must be added the exports of fish
+(salmon and herrings), fish manure, and seaweed, which could be greatly
+increased if more practical processes were used.
+
+The town of Kushiro itself is not picturesque. There are, I dare say, as
+many as five hundred houses, some built in Japanese, some in
+semi-foreign style. The streets are very wide, and along the main street
+rails have been laid to carry coal trucks from the Harutori mine down to
+the shipping point. Thus the town has a civilised appearance, which was
+artistically ugly enough, but refreshing to my eyes after my experiences
+along the south-west and south-east coasts. There are Ainu huts along
+the river banks, on the high lands, and on the strip of sand between
+Lake Harutori and the sea. Unfortunately, most of the Ainu here, being
+in the employ of the Japanese, have adopted Japanese clothes, customs,
+manners, and language. Nearly all the younger folks are half-castes. A
+select few have even gone so far as to forget their strongest national
+characteristic of dirt; and, to my great amazement, one day I saw an
+Ainu half-caste actually taking a hot bath. It may amuse the reader to
+learn of what this Japanese bathing accommodation generally consists. It
+is one of the features in nearly all fishing stations in Yezo, and it is
+worth describing.
+
+When the day's work is over, one or more of the iron fish-kettles or
+caldrons used for extracting the oil from herrings are filled with
+water. These caldrons rest each on a cylindrical base of stones and
+clay, thus allowing a big fire of wood to be lighted under them. When
+the water has reached a high temperature, the bather either provides
+himself with an old pair of straw sandals (_waraji_), and steps in, or,
+placing a small board on the water, places his foot on it, and forces it
+down to the bottom of the caldron by his own weight. He thus avoids
+scalding his feet, which otherwise he would do severely. I have often
+seen two or three men (Japanese) placidly sitting up to their necks in
+the steaming water of the same caldron, with a huge fire burning under
+it; and several times I have been _warmly_ invited by the bathers to
+join them, which _very warm_ invitation, however, I invariably _coolly_
+considered and declined with thanks.
+
+As regards the Ainu, they are not fond of bathing or washing, and they
+share the Chinese idea that it is only dirty people who need continual
+washing. They do not regard themselves as dirty, and therefore dispense
+with such an "uncleanly habit."
+
+"You white people must be very dirty," once said an Ainu to me, as I was
+taking a plunge into a limpid river, "as you tell me that you bathe in
+the river every day."
+
+"And what about yourself?" I asked him.
+
+"Oh, Nishpa," he replied with an air of contempt, "I am very clean, and
+have never needed washing!"
+
+If Kushiro is not interesting to an artist, it is decidedly so from an
+archæological point of view. Numerous pits, forts, and camps, flint
+implements, and fragments of pottery, are found in the immediate
+neighbourhood of the town, both on the range of hills and along the west
+shore of Lake Harutori. The pits are found in such numbers as to lead
+one to believe that the old "Kossuri" of the Ainu was once the capital
+of a race of pit-dwellers previous to the conquest of the whole of Yezo
+by the hairy race. The Ainu gave these people the name of
+_Koro-pok-kuru_--men of the holes. A few words on them may not be out of
+place, though, unfortunately, little is to be learned from the Ainu as
+to who their predecessors were, and it is merely by a close examination
+of their pits, and relics found in different parts of Yezo and the
+Kuriles, that we can to a certain extent trace the existence of such a
+race of people, and also prove that they were in no way connected with
+the present Ainu.
+
+[Illustration: AINU HOOK FOR SMOKING BEAR-MEAT.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: KORO-POK-KURU FORT.]
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+The Koro-pok-kuru, or Pit-dwellers.
+
+
+[Illustration: FLINT ARROW-HEADS.]
+
+All over Yezo and the Kurile Islands remains of an extinct race of
+pit-dwellers are to be seen. It is especially near lakes and swamps or
+along the coast that rectangular, circular, and elliptical pits are
+numerous, but square pits are not so common. None of these pits have yet
+been discovered on the main island of Nippon, but many are still to be
+found as far south as Hakodate, in Yezo. On the east and north-east side
+of the peak, at the latter port, these pits, flint implements, and rude
+pottery, mostly in fragments, are met with in great abundance. The
+implements consist mostly of arrow-heads, stone adzes, hammers, flint
+knives, and round pebbles, which were used as war ammunition. The
+arrow-heads vary in size, length, and breadth. The larger ones I saw
+measured an inch and three-quarters in length by an inch and
+five-eighths in breadth, while the smaller were seven-eighths of an inch
+by half an inch. They were triangular, with the angle at the point
+sometimes more, sometimes less acute, or lozenge-shaped; they are
+chipped, and not ground. Most of the arrow-heads and a good many of the
+knives were made of a dark reddish siliceous rock. The adzes also, of
+course, varied in size and shape, some being oblong in section, others
+almost rectangular, while others again were oval. They were ground, and
+always made so that the hand could have a good grip on them. The average
+length from the sharp edge to the other end would be about four inches,
+and the sides were rounded. It is apparent that most of these adzes were
+not originally fastened to a stick or club, but were held in the hand.
+They usually have a smooth surface, while the knives, as well as the
+arrow-points, exhibit marks of chipping quite plainly; their edges are
+very sharp. Hard stones are often found on which the people of the Stone
+Age used to grind their implements. The knives are mostly rectangular,
+with very sharp edges, sometimes on both sides. Then there are some in
+the shape of a sword-blade, rounded at the top, and with a rounded place
+at the other end, where they were held. Those with two sharp edges were
+triangular in shape, and were held by the upper part of the triangle,
+which point ends with a kind of knob. It is a curious fact that bone and
+bamboo arrow-points--probably Ainu--are sometimes found in pits, and
+this would lead me to believe, either that the conquering Ainu used
+these weapons in their attacks upon the pit-dwellers, or, supposing for
+a moment that the Ainu themselves were the pit-dwellers in former days,
+that they had abandoned their stone implements and had adopted bone and
+wood, which they found easier to work. I am inclined to the first
+supposition as the correct one. The pits are numerous in Yezo, and,
+following the southern coast from south-west to north-east, we find that
+they increase in number towards the north. Though stone implements and
+fragments of pottery are numerous nearly all along the southern coast,
+but few pits are found either on Volcano Bay or on the south-west part
+of the coast as far as Erimo Cape. As we pass this cape and go north, on
+the south-east coast the pits become more numerous, and at Kushiro--or
+Kossuri, as the Ainu call it--they are found in great quantities.
+Further on are some at Akkeshi, and they are plentiful nearly all along
+that stretch of the coast as far as Nemuro, and on Bentenjima, the small
+island which forms one side of the harbour at that place. North-east of
+that, in the Kuriles, at Kunashiri and Etorofu, we have abundant
+evidence that a large population of these pit-dwellers once existed
+there. In Etorofu particularly the pits, besides being frequent, are in
+much better preservation than any on the island of Yezo.
+
+[Illustration: FLINT KNIVES.]
+
+The pit-dwellers do not seem to have been particular as to the shape of
+their dwellings, though they evidently had a certain predilection for
+the elliptical and rectangular forms. The pits at Kushiro are nearly all
+rectangular, while those from Akkeshi to Nemuro are either rectangular
+or circular.
+
+The average dimensions of rectangular pits are about twelve feet by nine
+feet, but I have seen some as large as sixteen feet by twelve feet. The
+sides slope inwards, and the average depth is from three to six feet.
+Pits which are situated on cliffs, or at any height, are generally
+deeper, probably for the extra shelter required by those living at an
+altitude, compared with those living on the sea-level. The round pits
+are from ten to fourteen feet in diameter, and the elliptical have a
+length of about sixteen feet, and are about eight feet at the widest
+part of the ellipse. The pits which I found on the north-east coast of
+Yezo, from Shari to Cape Soya, were not so numerous as those on the
+southern coast; but some of them were larger in size, as probably, owing
+to the greater severity of the climate, more people lived in the same
+hut for the purpose of creating natural heat. At Tobuts, on the Saruma
+Lake, are three of elliptical shape. Near Abashiri several
+well-preserved specimens of pottery have been found, especially in the
+mud of swamps or lakes; but after leaving Lake Saruma, I did not see any
+traces of the pit-dwellers till I approached Soya Cape. When these pits
+are excavated, a stratum of sand is generally found, and beneath it a
+large quantity of charcoal in the centre of the pit. Under the charcoal
+the earth is burnt, showing that the hearth was in the centre of the
+dwelling, as it is now in the Ainu huts. This goes to prove that there
+was one fire, and not, as some travellers have endeavoured to show, five
+or six burning at the same time, round which, or, rather, between which,
+the pit-dwellers slept. I have often dug in different parts of pits, and
+have invariably come upon this burnt charcoal in or near the middle. I
+never saw any signs of more than one fire in the same pit. Digging in a
+large pit at Kushiro, I found some stag-horns, and numerous bits of
+black and red pottery. Some of the fragments had rough line
+ornamentations on them. There was also a large quantity of war
+ammunition, in the shape of big pebbles and round stones. Most pits
+contain heaps of rubbish and bones of animals. Sometimes there are heaps
+of oyster shells, as near the pits on Saruma Lake; and these shell-heaps
+are similar to those found on the main island of Nippon. In another pit
+on one of the forts at Kushiro I found what I thought was part of a
+human skull; but on a closer examination it turned out to be the skull
+of an animal--probably a fox or a stag. A bone arrow-point also came to
+light in the same pit, and several stone defensive weapons. It was
+interesting to note that this pit was built on the top of a small
+conical hill, and that the hill itself was surrounded by a ditch only a
+few feet wide, thus forming a kind of fort. On the side and at the
+bottom of the fort I saw numbers of stones, which had in all probability
+been used by the pit-dwellers as missiles against the attacking Ainu
+during a battle. Besides forts, the pit-dwellers had camps, generally
+situated in a commanding position above a river, a lake, or a harbour.
+Single pits also are found only under similar conditions.
+
+Near Kushiro, on the Lake Harutori, which is divided from the sea by a
+sand isthmus, are several camps and one or two forts, the first of
+which overlooks the sea. Along the Kutcharo River are forts and camps.
+These camps are on the crowns of the hills, and each is surrounded by a
+small ditch. In the last, about three miles from the coast, were several
+square pits, larger than those on the other three forts. This last fort
+stands some distance back from the river, and is situated in a little
+plain at the summit of a detached mound, which has the appearance of
+having been artificially cut from the larger remaining portion of the
+hill itself. The shape of the fort is a broken cone, and the base
+measures about nine hundred feet in circumference, while the upper one
+is about three hundred. From the top, where there is only a small pit,
+the entrance of the river can easily be watched; and it must have been
+almost impregnable, as the walls of the fort, or, rather, the sides of
+the conical hill, rise nearly perpendicularly from the plain. A small
+stream runs at the foot of the fort.
+
+On the Lake Harutori the range of hills which stretches from the sea for
+three or four miles along its eastern shores is literally covered with
+these pits, and on the sandy isthmus separating the sea from the lake
+some very large pits can be observed. The fort near the sea is called
+_Shirito_ by the Ainu, and that at the other end of the range goes by
+the name of _Moshiriya_. It was in the latter fort that the well-shaped
+bone arrow-point was found, as well as one or two stone adzes, which
+were so shaped as to fit the hand, and evidently had been used as
+hammers, or weapons of offence at close quarters. In the same fort I
+found two stags' horns in good preservation, and many bones of different
+animals. It is doubtful whether these heaps of horns and bones were
+brought into the pits for the purpose of making arrow-points and other
+weapons, or whether the stags had been used merely for food. The bone
+arrow-point found in the same pit was not in such a decayed condition as
+most of the bones I found there, which led me to believe that it was not
+made out of the same kind of bone, or that the bone out of which it was
+made had been cured before its conversion into an arrow-point. I believe
+that in the neighbourhood of Kusuri--or Kushiro, as it is now called by
+the Japanese--there are as many as a thousand or fifteen hundred pits.
+In Etorofu, at Bet-to-bu, on the north-west coast of the island, nearly
+as many are to be found along the seashore, mostly on the plain at the
+top of the cliffs overlooking the sea, while the rest are situated on
+the banks of a narrow stream and along what appears to have been a river
+course. On the same island, at Ru-pets, are several pits of a similar
+description, and a fort.
+
+As the pit-dwellers have disappeared from Yezo and the Kuriles, and only
+pre-historic remains and relics have been left behind to indicate their
+former existence, the questions naturally arise: Who were these
+pit-dwellers? Whence did they come? and whither have they gone? We can
+place no reliance on the accounts given by the Ainu or by the highly
+imaginative Japanese, who, moreover, are perfectly ignorant on this
+subject. Some Ainu say that Yezo was formerly peopled by a race of
+dwarfs, who were their enemies, and were extirpated by them after many
+sanguinary battles. The Ainu are very vague as to when and where these
+battles were fought, but according to their accounts these pit-dwellers,
+whom they call the _Koro-pok-kuru_--literally "men of holes"--once
+inhabited Yezo and the Kuriles. They were only three or four feet in
+height, and some semi-Ainu stories represent them as being only a few
+inches tall. This of course might be taken to mean that they were very
+small by comparison. A few Ainu, yet more imaginative than others, go so
+far as to say gravely that the Koro-pok-kuru were so tiny that when a
+shower of rain came they hid under burdock leaves for shelter. Others,
+however, tell us that these Koro-pok-kuru were their ancestors, and much
+more hairy than the Ainu of the present day. They were strong, fond of
+hunting, and able to cross the mountains with great facility and speed.
+According to Mr. Batchelor, some Ainu state that they themselves
+formerly lived in huts over pits, and that they changed their method of
+house-building on coming in contact with the Japanese; but if this were
+the case it seems unaccountable that they should distinguish their
+predecessors as pit-dwellers. Moreover, if the influence of the Japanese
+was sufficiently strong to cause them to make this most important change
+in their habitations and mode of living, how comes it that in other
+matters they have not adopted Japanese customs? I was unable to trace
+the slightest resemblance between Ainu huts and Japanese edifices of any
+kind, either in their general appearance or in any of the smaller
+details, and I was always struck by the small extent to which the Ainu
+have adopted the customs of the dominant race. Indeed, the character of
+Ainu buildings is peculiar to the Ainu themselves, and, far from
+constructing their dwellings over pits, they go to the other extreme,
+and perch their storehouses on piles or posts. It is a remarkable
+coincidence that on the Lake Kutcharo, not many miles from Kusuri, where
+the Koro-pok-kuru pits are numerous, the roofs of the Ainu huts and
+storehouses are not angular, but circular, which gives them the
+appearance of half a cylinder resting on the ground. This struck me as
+being in all probability the shape of structures built over rectangular
+pits, while the coverings of round pits must have been shaped like half
+a sphere, similar to the snow houses of the Esquimaux, and the
+elliptical like the longer half of an egg.
+
+The present houses of the Kutcharo Lake Ainu, however, are not built on
+pits; and on my questioning the few inhabitants of the village, all were
+perfectly ignorant of the existence of the Koro-pok-kuru, and they knew
+nothing of their own ancestors, nor whether they had built structures
+over pits or not. The idea seemed to them highly ludicrous, and afforded
+them a great deal of amusement.
+
+On the north-east coast of Yezo, where pits are found, some Ainu huts
+have round and others angular roofs; but even in the latter instance,
+the angle of the two sides of the roof is not as acute as with the huts
+on the Saru and the Tokachi River; but both slant in a more gentle way,
+forming an obtuse angle of about 135°. In fact, these variations in the
+Ainu architecture have not yet been accounted for, and whether they
+copied their roofs from their foes the Koro-pok-kuru, or whether it is a
+mere chance that the roofs bear a certain resemblance, cannot be
+discovered from tradition or hearsay. I may mention incidentally my own
+theory, which may afford an explanation of this point. As the Saru, the
+Tokachi, and the Ishikari districts have no very severe weather in
+winter, and only a comparatively small quantity of snow falls during the
+colder months, the Ainu build huts with very slanting roofs, so that the
+snow should not remain on them in winter, while during the summer months
+the rain should fall off the steep incline of the roof before it could
+filter through into the hut. On the Kutcharo Lake and on the north-east
+coast, where strong winds are prevalent, the huts have round roofs, so
+as to offer the least possible resistance to the gales, and thus escape
+the danger of being blown down.
+
+With regard to the snow, the opposite of the Saru Ainu method is
+practised. Instead of preventing the snow from resting on their roofs,
+the Ainu of the colder regions do all they can to let it remain, for by
+thus forming an air-tight vault it renders the hut much warmer in
+winter. In other words, the system is the same as that adopted by the
+Esquimaux, with the exception that the latter, I believe, have no frame
+to their huts, and the vault is entirely of snow and ice; while with the
+Ainu of the north-east coast the snow vault is directly over the hut
+itself. I invariably noticed on the north-east coast, where the Ainu
+have a mixed architecture, that wherever a hut was built in an exposed
+position it had a round roof, while those built under the shelter of a
+cliff or a hill had angular ones, and this is what led me to the above
+conclusion.
+
+To return to the Koro-pok-kuru, they undoubtedly must have had
+semi-spherical and semi-cylindrical roofs over their pits, whether the
+vault was constructed of mud, sticks, and reeds, or simply of snow and
+ice, like the Esquimaux dwellings. For all that we know, the
+Koro-pok-kuru huts may have had conical roofs, like those of the present
+American Indians; but one fact is certain, that whatever shape the roof
+may have had, it was not supported by a central pole, for the hearth is
+invariably in the centre of the pit.
+
+The curious fact already mentioned, that in every pit we find a thick
+layer of sand, seems to prove that it was certainly intended to render
+the ground less damp; and it is my own impression that these
+pit-dwellers, having snow or ice vaults over their heads, resorted to
+that expedient to keep the floor of their huts dry under the continuous
+dripping of the vault, melted by the heat of the fire inside.
+Undoubtedly Yezo was a much colder country in bygone years than it is
+now; and though we cannot implicitly rely on the information given by
+the Ainu, they are all of one opinion in believing that their country
+was all ice and snow in former days, and to give a proof of it they say:
+"Why should we be as hairy as a bear if not to keep the cold out?"
+
+The Japanese know the pit-dwellers by the name of "Ko-bito," or
+"Ko-shto," the latter word meaning "men of the lakes,"[28] but they know
+nothing of their history.
+
+    [28] _Ko_, lake; _shto_, man. _Ko_ is probably a corruption of the
+         Ainu word _to_, a lake or a swamp, and it is used by the
+         Japanese of Yezo for "lake," instead of the word "_numa_."
+
+One fact still remains to be explained, namely, who made the pottery
+that is disinterred in almost every pit and by the shores of lakes. The
+present Ainu do not know how to make pottery, and they have never been
+known to manufacture anything of the kind. All Ainu implements are made
+of wood, though of course the more civilised tribes have now purchased
+iron or porcelain implements from the Japanese. The question, then, is,
+supposing that the Ainu were formerly the pit-dwellers, have they lost
+the art of making pottery, or did the pottery belong to a different race
+of people?
+
+[Illustration: KORO-POK-KURU POTTERY AND FRAGMENTS OF DESIGNS.]
+
+It seemed singular to me that, conservative as the Ainu are of their
+relics, even allowing for its brittle nature, no pottery of the kind
+found in pits is ever to be seen in any Ainu hut. Had they made the
+pottery themselves, surely some specimens or parts of specimens would
+have been preserved.
+
+Comparing facts, we find, then, that the Koro-pok-kuru built their huts
+over pits, made pottery, and used stone and flint implements; while the
+Ainu have never been known to dwell in pits, have never made pottery,
+and have always used bone or bamboo implements. Moreover, Ainu
+traditions of internecine wars, vague as they are, and their designating
+the enemy by the name of Koro-pok-kuru, are further proofs that the Ainu
+themselves do not regard the pit-dwellers as their forefathers. As,
+then, the few facts collected tend to prove that the Ainu and the
+Koro-pok-kuru were two distinct races, it would be interesting to know
+who the latter really were, and what became of them. A learned
+missionary, Mr. Batchelor, writing on this subject, says:--"But I am of
+opinion that these pit-dwellers were closely allied to the Ainu in
+descent, and that the remains of them may now be seen in Shikotan and
+other islands of the Kurile Group. The inhabitants of Shikotan are much
+shorter in stature than the Ainu of Yezo. They are not so good-looking,
+and are said to be a very improvident race. The Ainu look upon the
+Kurile Islanders as the remnants of the Koro-pok-gurus; but this is a
+mere opinion, to be adopted or rejected at pleasure. That they are
+pit-dwellers _is quite certain_, for _they live in pits_ at the present
+day."
+
+Before being so certain as to what he was stating, it would have been
+well had the writer of the above lines visited the island in question.
+He would not then have committed so many blunders in so few lines. The
+inhabitants of Shikotan are _not_ shorter than the Ainu of Yezo, and I
+cannot give a better proof of this than by asking my readers to compare
+the measurements which I took while there with the measurements of the
+Yezo Ainu. The medium height of the Shikotan Ainu is between sixty-one
+inches and sixty-two and three-quarter inches; the medium height of the
+Yezo Ainu is between sixty-one inches and sixty-two and three-quarters,
+or exactly the same. The chest inflated measures thirty-seven and a half
+inches with the Shikotan Ainu, and thirty-seven and a half with the Yezo
+Ainu, while the spinal column is only twenty-four inches with the
+Shikotan Ainu, and about twenty-six and three-quarters with the Yezo
+Ainu.
+
+The Shikotan Ainu have the same structural peculiarity as the Yezo Ainu,
+namely, the length of their arms, which peculiarity, by the way, is
+greatly accentuated with them. The humerus is much longer than with the
+Yezo Ainu, while the ulna and radius are shorter; the hand is the same
+length. A Shikotan Ainu with outstretched arms is generally the length
+of one hand longer than his own height, which is more than is usually
+found with the Yezo Ainu. The medium foot is nine and a half inches with
+both Ainu. In the Ainu the tibia is rather flattened at its angular
+part, but the Shikotan Ainu have a nearly circular tibia. I do not know
+of any other existing race in the world in which such an extraordinary
+phenomenon occurs, and the tibia struck me also as being extremely long,
+while the femur appeared proportionately short. However, with the
+exception that the tibia is more circular than with the Ainu of Yezo, I
+could not see any material difference between them and the other Ainu.
+As we have already seen, each tribe in Yezo has certain characteristics
+which other tribes have not; each tribe has conformed its habits to the
+climate of the district in which it lives, as well as to other
+circumstances; and each of these tribes has adopted a slightly different
+architecture for its dwellings; but it is plain that all belong to the
+same original race. The same might be said of the Shikotan Ainu. At this
+point it is well to explain that the Kurile Islands not many years ago
+belonged to Russia; but they were exchanged for the southern half of
+Sakhalin, then belonging to Japan, and now form part of the Japanese
+Empire. The two larger islands--Kunashiri and Etorofu--are inhabited
+mainly by Ainu and a few Japanese, who migrate there from Yezo during
+the fishing season; while the Island of Shikotan is inhabited by sixty
+Ainu, brought there from the northern islands of Shirajima or Shimushir,
+and Urup, leaving thus all the islands north-east of Etorofu
+uninhabited.
+
+Of Kunashiri and Etorofu I shall say no more in connection with the
+pit-dwellers, but a few more words on the Shikotan inhabitants may prove
+interesting, especially as people have been led to believe that they are
+the descendants of the Koro-pok-kuru, and not really Ainu.
+
+I shall begin by saying that the Shikotan people call themselves
+Kurilsky _Ainu_, and that they speak both Ainu and Russian. Their
+features are not very massive, and their cheek and temple bones slightly
+project. They have strong mouths, and eyes identical in shape and colour
+with those of the Yezo Ainu. They are as hairy; they live by fishing and
+hunting; they clothe themselves in skins; and they are fond of beads and
+shining ornaments. Their huts have angular roofs, and are built in the
+same style as those of the Yezo Ainu, but on a smaller scale. The
+interiors are also alike, and equally dirty, if not more so. The Ainu
+huts at Shikotan are sixteen in number, and _not one_ of them is built
+over a pit, thus showing that Mr. Batchelor was a little rash, when,
+relying on mistaken information, he drew a conclusion which is not in
+accordance with the facts. One thing that has misled most people as
+regards these Kurilsky Ainu is, that they were compelled to cut their
+hair and shave their beards. To the superficial observer this naturally
+gives them a different physiognomy from that of the Yezo Ainu, who let
+their hair grow long, and have flowing beards. Prof. Milne, who some
+years ago visited the Island of Shumshu,[29] relates that he saw there a
+small group of Kurilsky Ainu, who, all included, numbered twenty-two.
+Their dress, although made of skins, was European in form, and the upper
+garment, shaped like a shirt, was made of bird-skins (puffins) with the
+feathers inside. The back was ornamented with the plumes of the yellow
+puffin, and the edge was trimmed with seal-fur. The men wore garments
+tied at the waist with a belt of sea-lion hide. Their feet and legs up
+to the knee were covered with moccasins, also made of sea-lion skin, and
+their food consisted of a few berries, the eggs and flesh of sea-birds,
+seals, and other meat. They were few and migratory, and carried with
+them all their property when migrating. Prof. Milne, in a paper
+contributed to the Asiatic Society of Japan, thinks that the chief point
+in connection with these people is, that they constructed houses by
+making shallow excavations in the ground, which were then roofed over
+with turf, and that these excavations had a striking resemblance to the
+pits now found further south. I believe, however, that Prof. Milne never
+saw them excavating these pits, and the fact that hardly two dozen
+people in the extreme north-east Kuriles having temporarily adopted
+shallow excavations which they roofed over, is barely sufficient proof
+that they were pit-dwellers, and, as will be seen later, I had ample
+evidence afterwards that they were not. It is probable that this
+wandering band, owing to the scarcity or difficulty of procuring timber
+in those regions--the smallness of their canoes not permitting them to
+transport the materials for above-ground structures from one island to
+another--it is probable, I say, that, having come upon pits already dug,
+they had roofed them over and lived in them, finding them suitable to
+the severe climate. When I visited Shikotan (September, 1890), where not
+only these Shimushir people, but all the Kurilsky Ainu, numbering sixty,
+are now collected, and where they have built dwellings in their own
+style, the architecture and mode of construction were identical with
+those of the Yezo Ainu, and there were _no_ pits whatever to their huts.
+
+    [29] The correct name and pronunciation is _Shimushir_.
+
+Had they been pit-dwellers, why should they have so suddenly modified
+their habits as to construct huts wholly above-ground without any reason
+for so doing? Supposing they were actually pit-dwellers, and had lived
+generation after generation in pits, why should they abandon this chief
+structural characteristic in a place where the climate is as severe as
+in the islands they formerly inhabited? I am willing to admit that the
+Kurilsky Ainu, like all barbarians, made the best of what they found in
+their migrations from one island to another, and that, having found pits
+already dug, they had lived in them simply for convenience, and to
+protect themselves from the cold. The impossibility of constructing
+their own style of dwellings, which would have required too much time
+and a great amount of timber and reeds--two articles scarce in the
+north-east Kuriles--may account for their being driven to occupy pits
+already dug; but I am certainly not inclined to admit that therefore the
+few remaining Kurilsky Ainu are in any way connected with or related to
+the Koro-pok-kuru. I believe that I have given sufficient evidence to
+prove this. At any rate, I have given such evidence as it was in my
+power to collect, and I have based my statements on what I actually saw,
+and not on what I heard people say. As others have speculated on this
+subject, I shall now ask the forgiveness of the reader if I am also
+dragged into a little pre-historic speculation as to who the
+Koro-pok-kuru were, and whence they came.
+
+As I remarked at the beginning of this chapter, we find that pits are
+more numerous as we go in a north-east direction. Thus, few are found at
+Hakodate; and though none or few have been found along the south-west
+coast of Yezo, still, flint arrow-heads, pottery, and stone adzes
+collected here and there, show us that the Koro-pok-kuru had travelled
+along that coast, probably journeying in their canoes, landing to hunt,
+or to fight the Ainu.
+
+Along the south-east coast the pits increase in number as we approach
+Kusuri, and at this place the largest number of pits in Hokkaido is
+found; then they are numerous all along the coast as far as Nemuro; and
+in the islands of Kunashiri and Etorofu the population must have been
+large, as there are numerous pits throughout. Pits are found in the
+smaller islands of the Kurile group, and I believe also in Kamschatka.
+From Nemuro, following the coast-line of Yezo, we find some along the
+north-east coast of Yezo, and none down the west coast until we reach
+the narrower part of the island near Sappro. This said, we have two
+points to consider:--
+
+(1.) That the pit-dwellers moved from north-east to south-west.
+
+(2.) That the main bulk of the population settled in Etorofu, Kunashiri,
+and at Kushiro. Few went further south to settle.
+
+All evidence tends to show that they came either from Kamschatka, or
+perhaps more probably from the Aleutian Islands. It seems not
+improbable, looking at the volcanic formation of the Kurile group, that
+in bygone days Yezo was joined to Kamschatka, affording a land passage
+to the migratory people; but this we need not take into consideration.
+
+From what one can gather of this race, the habits and customs of the
+Koro-pok-kuru must have had many points in common with the present
+Esquimaux. Very likely their pits were roofed over with a snow vault.
+They evidently lived by fishing and hunting, like the Esquimaux, and all
+that we know identifies them more with the latter race than with the
+Ainu.
+
+I believe that the present Aleuts have a striking resemblance to the
+Esquimaux; and if this were the case, there is no reason why we should
+not suppose that they in former days inhabited the Kuriles, part of
+Kamschatka and the north-east portion of Yezo. It is a well-known fact
+that the Esquimaux formerly lived in corresponding latitudes on the east
+coast of America, and that they withdrew little by little to the more
+inhospitable regions of the north, and the same might have occurred here
+after the Ainu invasion of Yezo. The Koro-pok-kuru were apparently more
+civilised than their conquerors the Ainu, for they made pottery and
+worked stone; but owing to their retiring nature and weaker physique,
+and outnumbered by the savage hairy people, they became extinct. As to
+the Ainu, they also are undoubtedly a race of the north. Their music,
+their decorations, their habits, display characteristics of northern
+origin; but the Ainu, as we have seen from their structures and customs,
+were by no means accustomed to so cold a climate as their predecessors
+the pit-dwellers. In my opinion they did not invade Yezo from the
+Kuriles, but came from the continent of Asia, probably across Siberia,
+and descended as far as Sakhalin Island, where many Ainu are still to be
+found. As the Koro-pok-kuru resemble the Esquimaux, the Ainu have a
+striking resemblance in many ways to the Northmen of Europe, and this is
+what makes me suppose that they came across the northern part of the
+continent, and not from the northern islands of the Pacific. They made
+their way south, probably crossing over the La Perouse Strait, and the
+main contingent of them came down the north-east coast of Yezo. I base
+this theory on the fact that the strong current which passes through the
+La Perouse Strait from west to east would have made it impossible for
+the Ainu in their light "dug-outs" to navigate against it, or straight
+across from Sakhalin to Soya Cape, and in crossing they were undoubtedly
+drifted far south-east on the north-east coast, probably landing near
+Abashiri or Shari. Another evidence which made me think that the Ainu
+came from Sakhalin is, that all knew of another island besides Yezo,
+which they called Krafto, by which name they designate Sakhalin. Of the
+Kuriles no one knew except those in the immediate neighbourhood. At one
+time the Ainu are said to have inhabited the whole of Japan as far south
+as Satsuma. Archæologists are puzzled by the discovery in the main
+island of Nippon of various kitchen-middens, which include fragments of
+pottery identical with those attributed to the Koro-pok-kuru, and also
+of shell heaps, which some consider of Ainu origin, others as pre-Ainu.
+No pits, however, have been found near these shell heaps, nor on any
+part of Nippon. Thus another question is raised as to who the
+originators of these shell heaps and kitchen-middens were. Is it not
+likely that, as the Ainu proceeded south, they encountered the
+Koro-pok-kuru at Nemuro and then at Kushiro, and, having easily defeated
+them, forced some of them to retreat in the direction of the Kuriles,
+while the rest went towards the south? They probably fled along the
+coastline in their "dug-outs," those who moved south occasionally
+landing to hunt or to attack their pursuers. Thus we can account for the
+occurrence along that coast of some of their implements, but of no pits,
+which they were not likely to dig in such circumstances. Having then
+retreated as far south as Ushongosh (Hakodate), and with the conquering
+Ainu still at their heels, there was nothing more natural than that they
+should cross the Tsugaru Strait,[30] only a few miles in width, carrying
+with them their kitchen-middens and pottery.
+
+    [30] The opposite coast of Nippon can be seen plainly from Hakodate.
+
+The Ainu crossed after them, and, pushing the retreating Koro-pok-kuru
+further and further south, exterminated them, and became the masters of
+the whole of Japan, the Kuriles, and Sakhalin. As they were thus pursued
+by the Ainu, whom they knew as a warlike people, and stronger than
+themselves, there seems to me no cause for wonder that the Koro-pok-kuru
+did not dig any pits while on the main island of Nippon, first, because
+these pits would have been the sure means of bringing the Ainu on their
+track, to their certain annihilation; next, because the climate, being a
+great deal warmer, they had no need for them. On the other hand, it is
+more than probable that the retreaters carried with them their
+kitchen-middens and pottery, which constituted their treasures, and
+without which they could not have prepared their food. The barbarous
+Ainu then came in contact with the Japanese, at whose hands they
+received the same treatment as that which they had inflicted on the
+Koro-pok-kuru. Little by little the land so easily conquered was lost
+again, and the conquering Ainu were ere long in retreat towards the
+north. They were beaten and defeated by the more civilised Japanese, and
+the few who survived had to cross over the Tsugaru Strait back to Yezo.
+There is not a single Ainu now to be found in Nippon, with the exception
+of a child, a half-caste, whose mother was an Ainu, and who lives about
+sixty miles south of Awomori. The mother of this child was the last of
+her race who was born on and who inhabited the main island of Nippon.
+
+Ainu blood can be traced in many of the Japanese in the northern part of
+Nippon, especially between Shiranoka to Awomori, and also some corrupted
+Ainu words are still in use in the dialect spoken in that part of
+Japan. Names of places, rivers, towns, etc., of Ainu origin, are common
+all over Japan. It was this former occupation of Japan by the Ainu that
+for some time led people to believe that the Ainu were the forefathers
+of the Japanese; and when pits were found in Yezo, the same
+hastily-judging people attributed them to the Ainu; and then, when
+mention was made of the Koro-pok-kuru and the Ko-shto, they affixed this
+name to the Kurilsky Ainu whom they had never seen nor studied.
+
+I am not prepared to say whether or not traces of these Koro-pok-kuru
+are to be found in the Aleutian Islands, as I have not visited them; but
+it would prove interesting to trace a connection between them and some
+existing race, in case my supposition be not correct, though I am sure
+that it is nearer the mark than any of the conjectures made by others
+with regard either to the Ainu or the Koro-pok-kuru. At any rate, as I
+do not pretend to infallibility; should my supposition be wrong, the
+facts given above will remain, and a more successful student and
+investigator will be able to work on them with a decided advantage over
+the writer, who had to start from the very beginning, and work on
+information which was more of an obstacle than a help.
+
+[Illustration: STONE ADZES AND HAMMERS.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU HUTS AND STOREHOUSES ON KUTCHARO LAKE.]
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+The Kutcharo River and Lake--A Sulphur Mine--Akkeshi and its Bay.
+
+
+The Kutcharo River is of some importance, for though not of great
+length, it is navigable by small boats for nearly twenty miles from its
+mouth.
+
+I left Kushiro one morning, and made my way up the river, not by boat
+but along its banks on horseback, so as to get a better idea of the
+surrounding country and its inhabitants. At Kushiro I left more than
+half my luggage, to be sent down to Hakodate by the first ship that
+happened to call, and this greatly changed my mode of travelling.
+Instead of two ponies, one pony would now be quite sufficient to carry
+my baggage and myself; and where ponies were not obtainable, I could
+carry all my paraphernalia on my own back with no very great difficulty,
+and in this way I should not be hindered on my journey.
+
+I daresay the baggage I was carrying now weighed about forty-five
+pounds. It mostly consisted of painting materials, and wooden panels, on
+which I usually paint my sketches when travelling.
+
+As to clothes and boots, I was beginning to be rather "hard up." No
+weaver's work, no tailor's garments, nor tanner's hides, can stand the
+wear and tear of such rough travelling as I had had, and the old saying,
+that a "light heart and a thin pair of breeches carry you a long way,"
+is most decidedly not to be applied to anyone journeying to and fro on a
+pack-saddle in Yezo. My coat and trousers were showing signs of rapid
+decay, and I thought with vain desire of needle and thread, buttons and
+hooks. My boots were falling to pieces owing to their continual
+immersion in salt water. The impossibility of cleaning or greasing them
+added to the original damage; and, worse luck of all, they could not be
+replaced. Altogether, what with frayed garments, leaky boots, a battered
+hat, and a general out-at-elbows air, I was scarcely presentable in any
+society a grade above that of the hairy Ainu.
+
+A road has been cut between Kushiro and Shibetcha, a distance of thirty
+miles; but though quite new, it is already out of repair, and it will
+not be long before it is washed away entirely. The Japanese Government
+does its best to open roads near the largest settlements, but Japanese
+officials do not seem to understand that after a road has been made it
+has to be kept in repair.
+
+The country all along is good, and the soil seems rich and fertile.
+Nearly half-way up, on the east side of the Kutcharo River, are three
+lakes,--the Takkobe, the Tori Lake, and the Shirin. The Tori is the
+largest. Its length is five miles, its width about one mile. On the
+southern shore of this lake is a picturesque Ainu village, with its old
+tumble-down huts, and close to it is a group of Japanese houses. The
+contrast between the dirty and neglected old hovels of the Ainu and the
+clean, spruce, and somewhat finikin houses of the Japanese is very
+striking. In this difference we read an epitome of the way in which
+civilisation has travelled from primitive barbarism. The road runs
+through dense forests; but in several places, especially on its highest
+level, we come to lovely views of mountain scenery, towering over the
+shimmering water of the underlying lakes.
+
+In the evening I reached Shibetcha, a nice little place, constructed on
+each side of a large road which rises considerably as it goes through
+the village. The village lies in a small valley surrounded by moderately
+high mountains, and is on the western side of the Kutcharo River, which
+intersects the valley. A wooden bridge and a three-storied Japanese
+tea-house are the two main structures in the place. There are
+sixty-eight houses in the village, and nearly half of them are houses of
+ill-fame, the three-storied tea-house being the principal.
+
+At a distance of twenty-five miles from here is a sulphur mine, and the
+miners, after having amassed sufficient money, come and squander it at
+Shibetcha, thus supporting this nook of demoralization in the wilderness
+of these mountains. As the river becomes very shallow, the mineral from
+the sulphur mine of Yuzan was carried until quite recently on
+pack-saddles as far as here, whence it was brought down by boat to
+Kushiro for shipment; but a small railway, on which only a "truck train"
+is now running once a day from the mine to Shibetcha, has greatly
+simplified matters, and increased the export returns of the mine.
+
+By the kind permission of the Mitsui Company I was allowed to travel on
+one of the trucks (no passenger carriages being provided), and the two
+and a half hours' journey was thus accomplished much more comfortably
+than if I had ridden the twenty-five miles on my pack-saddle. The
+railway took me to the foot of Mount Yuzan, and that same afternoon I
+made the ascent of the mountain. The most valuable sulphur deposits in
+Japan are found on this mountain, the quantity of the mineral being
+practically unlimited. The ascent was hard work, but it was interesting
+to see the _fumaroles_, whence the sulphur is extracted, and whence a
+dense smoke shoots out with great force. The whole mountain is covered
+with thick layers of sulphur of very good quality, and when more
+practical processes are employed for the extraction and carriage of the
+mineral there is no doubt that the sulphur trade will assume a very
+prominent place in the exports of Yezo. Dozens of men are employed now
+to carry the sulphur from the mountain to the railway, but there is work
+enough for hundreds and hundreds more. All the sulphur is at present
+carried on small wheelbarrows, which each man slings on to his shoulders
+when empty and he is going up the mountain. When the sulphur is reached
+the workman sits down, pulls out his pipe, which he fills from the folds
+of his tobacco-pouch, has a quiet smoke and a good rest, then he slowly
+fills his wheelbarrow with the primrose-yellow blocks, and comfortably
+wheels it down hill to the station, a considerable distance. Such a
+primitive fashion of carriage involves great loss of time, and a simple
+mechanical contrivance, by which a large quantity of mineral could be
+brought down at one time, would save an enormous amount of labour, and
+therefore expense. A cable railway would answer the purpose to
+perfection, and the cost of running the steam motor would be
+insignificant, owing to the amount of wood and coal found within easy
+reach. I passed through a large gorge in the mountain, and finally
+reached the summit of Yuzan. Walking on sulphur beds is like walking on
+ice, and many a time in the climb I landed on my knees. Near the summit
+is a huge pinnacle of volcanic rock, standing up perpendicularly, and of
+impossible access. From the foot of this pinnacle a lovely view of the
+Kutcharo Lake is obtained, and it has as a background chain after chain
+of thickly-wooded mountains, beyond which are visible Oakan and Moyokan,
+two volcanic peaks, respectively four thousand and three thousand four
+hundred feet above the level of the sea. On Moyokan are some hot springs
+and accumulations of sulphur. Both these peaks can be seen from the
+coast on a clear day. A small lake lies between Moyokan and Oakan, which
+takes its name from the latter mountain, and finds an outlet in the
+Oakan River. The Oakan joins the Kutcharo River not far from the sea.
+
+[Illustration: KUTCHARO LAKE FROM MOUNT YUZAN.]
+
+The descent was easier than the ascent, and I put up at a small
+tea-house, the only one in the place. The landlord promised to get me a
+good pony early the next morning, but, like a true Japanese, he did not
+keep his promise. He called me at 5 A.M., saying that the pony would be
+ready in a few minutes, and at 9 A.M. the quadruped had not put in an
+appearance; and after numberless excuses, compliments, bows, and lies,
+the landlord acknowledged that no ponies were to be had. I gave my
+luggage to a railway _employé_, who undertook to bring it back to
+Shibetcha, and I started on foot for Lake Kutcharo. From Yuzan a track
+across the mountains goes due north to Abashiri, on the north-east
+coast. I went in a south-westerly direction, and as on the previous day
+from the summit of Yuzan I had noted the position of Lake Kutcharo, I
+had no difficulty in finding my way there; in fact, I came upon a small
+Ainu track leading to it. A delightful walk of ten miles in the forest
+took me to the Ainu village of Kutcharo, on the borders of the lake of
+the same name. The village is a miserable one; it differs from all other
+Ainu villages in its huts, which have semicircular roofs instead of
+angular ones, as is the case with the Ainu of Volcano Bay and of the
+Saru and Tokachi Rivers. I entered some of the huts, and in a few
+minutes I was surrounded by the small population--I daresay about twenty
+souls, all included--whom I led out into the open air to see what they
+were like. They appeared to me smaller than other Ainu, and their bones
+were less massive; they were not so hairy, and more inclined to
+baldness. Their garments were wretched, and resembled those worn by the
+Tokachi Ainu; namely, a few rags held together one could scarcely say
+how. Women were tattooed on their lips and arms, but less extensively
+than are those of other tribes, and the tattooing was not so accurately
+done.
+
+Other Ainu whom I met in the forest in the neighbourhood of this village
+bore the same characteristics, and everyone seemed to be curiously
+melancholy and depressed. An Ainu existence is certainly not one's ideal
+of comfort and hilarity, but their gloom and melancholy seem to me to be
+purely racial and congenital.
+
+The Lake Kutcharo is very large--too large to be seen to advantage from
+its borders, as one can see only parts, and not the whole of it at once.
+It has a pretty island in the centre, and on the west side is a
+peninsula projecting almost as far as the island. On this peninsula a
+small active geyser is found, which rises to a height of about twelve
+feet, and acts spasmodically. The high mountains which surround the lake
+would make the latter a pleasant summer resort were the place within the
+circle of civilisation. The scenery is very similar to that of Norway or
+the Scotch lakes. The Kutcharo River, as can be seen on the map, is an
+outlet of the Lake Kutcharo, into which the waters of the latter
+discharge themselves a few hundred yards west of the Ainu village.
+
+[Illustration: SULPHUR MINE.]
+
+An Ainu pointed out to me the track leading to Tetcha, or Tetchkanga,
+and I directed my steps in that direction, the Ainu having informed me
+that it was very far, and that I could only reach it at night. I crossed
+the stream in a "dug-out," and found the track on the other side. I
+walked fast, for the most part through a thickly-wooded country, and at
+about sunset I reached Tetcha. The distance from Kutcharo, I should
+think, is about ten or twelve miles. Tetcha is an Ainu village, near
+which a few Japanese houses have been built. The Kutcharo River
+intersects it, and the sulphur train from Yuzan stops here to take water
+on its way to Shibetcha. The train had gone through some hours
+previously, and I was left the alternative of walking on to Shibetcha,
+twenty miles further, or of sleeping at Tetcha. I had walked twenty or
+twenty-two miles already that day, and I felt in very good form. I knew
+that it would be full moon that night; and walking through a forest by
+moonlight has always had a great charm for me. Watching the shadows,
+with their thousand different fantastic forms, running in and out
+through the trees and playing round them, has the same weird fascination
+for me as one of Tieck's tales, or the suggestive music of an æolian
+harp. Some of the Ainu and a Jap entreated me not to attempt to cross
+the forest at night, for wolves and bears were numerous, they said, and
+in all probability I should be attacked by them. This last announcement,
+which I was destined to hear every day in Yezo, and which, of course, I
+did not believe, decided me to go, and I started.
+
+"But," cried after me the astonished Japanese, "_anata micci
+wakarimasen_!"--"You do not know the way!"
+
+"_Kamaimasen, Sayonara!_"--"It little matters; good-bye!" was my reply;
+and I left him standing there perplexed, looking after me as if I had
+been a phenomenon.
+
+The Japanese in Yezo and the Ainu never on any account travel far at
+night; and as for going through a forest alone, unprotected, and without
+knowing the way, they evidently regarded it as something more
+reprehensible than folly. Two days previously, when in the train, I had
+noticed that the railway described a curve several miles long, and I
+knew then that by cutting across I could considerably shorten my way.
+When I entered the forest, the sun with its last rays was casting warm
+tints on the tops of the pine-trees. Everything was still, and only now
+and then some huge owl, awakened by the noise of my steps from its day's
+long sleep, would fly away, starting off on its night's peregrinations
+and depredations. I walked mile after mile, and finally struck the rails
+again. On a white post I saw a cipher in Chinese characters, which
+brought me back to the reality that I was still seventeen miles away
+from Shibetcha. I followed the line of rail as closely as I could, and
+late at night I reached Shibetcha. I roused the people at the _Marui
+yadoya_, and, having eaten some salmon and water soup, I retired to my
+_foutangs_, between which, it is useless to say, I slept well. I had
+walked forty-two odd miles that day, and it had been a pleasant change
+from the continuous riding on pack-saddles.
+
+The next day I rode down to the coast to the bay of Akkeshi, about
+forty-two miles east of Kushiro. The road is very good all the way, and
+has on each side woods of oak and pine trees. The traffic on it is at
+present very small, and the only living creatures I saw during the
+twenty-eight or thirty miles were a beautiful long-tailed red fox and a
+number of Japanese convicts led by a policeman. These were dressed in
+red trousers and a short red coat made of coarse material. They were
+walking in a row, and they were chained two by two, and, moreover, a
+long rope joined the chain of each couple to that of the next, so that
+all couples were tied together. The end of this rope was held by the
+policeman. Some of them wore large hats entirely covering their face;
+others wore no hat at all, and had their head shaved in a peculiar
+manner. They were mostly bare-footed, but a few wore straw sandals. The
+Government wisely makes use of these convicts in opening roads and other
+public works, and after their term of punishment is expired, these men
+almost invariably become fishermen. A great part of the Japanese
+population of Yezo is composed of exiles and ex-convicts; in other
+words, Yezo is nothing more or less to Japan than what Australia was to
+England some years ago.
+
+Nearing the coast I passed the "Tonden" of Hondemura, a colonial militia
+farming settlement. A long line of new houses, all exactly alike in
+shape and size, and built at intervals, stretches on each side of the
+wide road. Each of these houses is inhabited by a man who has served his
+time as a soldier, and who has now his family about him, and does work
+as a farmer in this settlement assigned to him. These "Tondens" were
+established by the Government, and I believe that the farmer-soldiers
+give fairly good results in the zeal and industry with which they
+cultivate the land, and the honesty and morality of their lives. I saw
+most of them occupied in stubbing up the scrub, and tearing or cutting
+down the trees, burning the more worthless parts; but it will be some
+years yet before they have cleared an area of cultivable land
+sufficiently large for profit, as the country is very thickly wooded in
+that neighbourhood.
+
+Soon after I had passed the settlement, going down a steep hill I came
+upon a small and dirty semi-Ainu village, and ultimately reached the
+seashore.
+
+The distance from Shibetcha is thirty miles, and the riding was
+beginning to be unpleasant, owing to the gathering darkness, which made
+my pony shy at everything it passed. At the mouth of the Pehambe Ushi
+River I had great difficulty in getting my pony on the ferry-boat, which
+was to take me across the mouth of the lagoon to Akkeshi. Several
+drunken fishermen came on board, and were disagreeably noisy. One of
+these fellows had a pony, which he tied to mine when on board. The ferry
+was to take us across the entrance of the Akkeshi lagoon, and it was
+more than a quarter of an hour before we reached the opposite shore.
+When we were still nearly twenty feet from _terra firma_, my pony,
+frightened at the cries of the drunken crowd, jumped overboard, carrying
+with him his companion steed. The sudden shock and lurch of the boat
+knocked down everybody on board, and nearly capsized us. As it was we
+shipped a lot of water. The ponies found the water deeper than they
+expected, and they had to swim for it. Having landed before he came
+ashore, I recaptured mine, gave him a sound thrashing, and rode on to
+Akkeshi, a few hundred yards from the landing-place. Akkeshi lies at the
+north-east side of the large bay which goes by the same name, and which,
+by the way, is probably one of the best anchorages on the south coast of
+Yezo. The mouth of the bay is to the southward; it extends seven miles
+in a northerly direction, and is about six miles wide in its widest
+part. The bay is prolonged further inland by a large lagoon, called
+Se-Cherippe, which contains many shoals and low islands, near which are
+beds of oysters of enormous size, the shells of some measuring as much
+as eighteen inches in length. The Koro-pok-kuru, by whom this district
+was formerly thickly populated, seem to have relished this diet, as we
+find thick beds of discarded shells on the top of some of the lower
+hills, and in many places, especially in the vicinity of pits. These
+shell heaps are similar to those found on the main island of Nippon, and
+attributed to the Ainu. (_See_ Chapter IX.)
+
+The country round the bay and the lagoon forms a high land or plateau
+between two hundred and three hundred feet above the level of the sea,
+and the higher ground is thickly wooded, thus supplying Akkeshi with
+abundance of timber, mostly of evergreen trees, as Todo and Yezo-matzu,
+two spruces common in other parts of Yezo as well. With its good
+harbour, its large export of oysters, salmon, herrings, fish-manure, and
+seaweed, besides its seal-fishery and the quantity of good timber easily
+cut and transported down the lagoon and across the bay for shipment, it
+is not surprising that Akkeshi has become, after Hakodate, the most
+important centre on the southern coast. It is nearly half as large again
+as Kushiro, and has as many as nine hundred Japanese houses, besides
+sixty or seventy Ainu huts.
+
+The Ainu were formerly extremely numerous in this district; but few of
+them are left now, and those few are indeed poor specimens of their
+race. They have nearly all become bald, and they seem to suffer very
+severely from rheumatism. Thick fogs are very prevalent along the coast,
+and it is but seldom that one can obtain a view of the whole bay. These
+fogs naturally render navigation unsafe, and are one of the great
+drawbacks to the prosperity of the place. However, our good Londoners
+could tell us that greater evils than fogs can exist. I have no doubt
+that at some future date we shall hear of Akkeshi as being the most
+important port in Yezo, when a railway to join it to Shibetcha shall
+have been constructed. The sulphur of Mount Yuzan will probably then be
+taken direct to this place instead of Kushiro, owing to the safety of
+its harbour, an advantage which Kushiro does not possess. The Akkeshi
+Bay is also interesting from a picturesque point of view, when fogs give
+one a chance of seeing the surrounding scenery. Some fine headlands are
+found near the town of Akkeshi, and also on each side of the opening of
+the bay into the ocean. On the eastern side, the two islands of Daikuku
+and Kodaikuku, joined to the mainland by the low reef, slightly under
+water-level, which goes round the bay, are of some importance for an
+artist. This is especially true of the larger island of Daikuku, which
+rises at a considerable height above the sea, forming majestic cliffs,
+beautiful in shape and colour, on which myriads of seagulls,
+albatrosses, and penguins have chosen their abode, finding in these
+almost untrodden and picturesque cliffs a safe place in which to lay
+their eggs and rear their young. Here they live undisturbed, save for
+the dashing waves of the ocean, which make the earth tremble and the
+rock crumble to pieces, but only meet with a blithesome welcome from the
+screaming, light-hearted, fat, and lazy-winged inhabitants, to whom
+those waves bring good stores of daily food.
+
+[Illustration: AKKESHI IN A FOG.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU MAN AND WOMAN ON HORSEBACK.]
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+From Akkeshi to Nemuro--A Horse Station--Nemuro and its People.
+
+
+The road in the proximity of Akkeshi was extremely muddy and slippery,
+owing to the continuous fogs and rain. A north wind was blowing hard the
+day I left for Kiritap, and it drove the mist and drizzly rain right
+through one's skin into one's bones. The fogs, which are prevalent all
+along the coast, seem to excel between Akkeshi and Kiritap; so much so
+that the Japanese in the neighbourhood make them answerable for their
+baldness, and the local Ainu say they are so scantily hirsute because of
+the everlasting dampness in which they live. They clinch their argument
+by reminding you that when their forefathers came to this part of the
+coast they were as hairy as the bear, so what can have caused their own
+comparative smoothness but these everlasting fogs? I believe that to a
+great extent they are right, for when, after a day's wet ride, I have
+sat near a fire even for some hours, I have felt as if my skin were
+soaking with wet--as if I had been too long in a bath--and neither
+rubbing with cotton towels nor the warmth of the fire seemed thoroughly
+to dry it; and perhaps such an extraordinary dampness, constantly
+saturating the pores of the skin, may have an injurious effect upon the
+hair, and cause it to decay and fall off. It was in a thick fog like
+this that I had to find my way to Riruran, the next horse station, about
+eight miles further east. The road soon became a mere track, running
+through an undulating country, chiefly pasture land. As luck would have
+it, I had hired a pony which belonged to the Riruran station, and the
+beast was as anxious to get there as I was. He knew the way and I did
+not, so I let him guide me. Now and then, when the wind blew with
+increased strength, the fog lifted for a few minutes, and disclosed some
+pretty bits of landscape. The country all around was grassy, with the
+familiar densely-wooded hills in the background. It somewhat resembled
+the slopes and high lands of Cornwall, without, however, the herds of
+sheep and cattle, which in our country are connected with green fields;
+without the trim fences and stiles, the ploughed fields and meadows, the
+trim hedges and park-like trees, the bye-lanes and well-kept roads.
+
+Hill after hill was ascended and descended, the sturdy little pony going
+well towards his former home; but as yet I had come on no signs of any
+living creature. No labourers are here to work and plough the dark rich
+soil. Potato fields; cottages with their plots of vegetable grounds;
+cows and sheep scattered over the green pastures--all signs of vigorous
+and successful husbandry--are things that an intending traveller to Yezo
+will miss. Everywhere are solitude and monotony. Still, even solitude
+and monotony are not always to be abhorred, and if they have their
+drawbacks they also have their advantages. You can go undisturbed for
+mile after mile; you can think; you can dream; you can sing; you can
+keep to the track or go across country; you can go fast or slow, and
+there is no one to object, to obstruct, or to comment. You breathe air
+that no one has breathed before, and you quench your thirst in a limpid
+stream unpolluted by sewage, chemical refuse, or poisonous dye-stuffs.
+You lead a simple life, and, what is more, an independent life. Many a
+time, when I woke up to the real state of my new condition, I could not
+help laughing at our civilised conceptions of what constitutes a free
+man in a free country, viz. that he can have a voice in choosing which
+of two men shall be sent as a member to Parliament.
+
+Absorbed, now in my own thoughts on many subjects, and now in gazing at
+the monotonous scenes, which, as if reflected from a magic-lantern,
+suddenly appeared and as suddenly faded away, I had not seen how far my
+pony had hurried on, when, rapidly descending a steep hill, I discerned
+through the grey fog a solitary shed in the small valley below. The
+neighing of my steed, responded to by the neighing of his compatriots in
+the valley, told me that I had reached the horse station of Riruran, and
+a few minutes later my baggage and pack-saddle were removed from my
+steaming quadruped, and a fresh animal was burdened with my possessions.
+These horse stations generally consist of one shed, in which the owner
+and his family live; near it is a rough enclosure formed of branches and
+trunks of trees laid down horizontally, and strengthened at intervals by
+poles stuck in the ground. The ponies are kept in this enclosure during
+the day, but are let loose at sunset, when they go for their food
+wherever they can get it--generally on the near hills. Early in the
+morning one or two Ainu employed in the stations start off to recapture
+the ponies, and after a struggle bring back the herd to the paddock. My
+readers, who may not be well acquainted with the habits of semi-wild
+horses, will wonder that the ponies, once free in an unenclosed country,
+do not bolt away altogether inland, thus making it impossible to
+recapture them; and, moreover, these readers will think what a difficult
+task it must be for the Ainu horsemen to recover all the ponies, each
+one of which, they probably imagine, has bolted in an independent and
+different direction. This is not the case. When a herd of ponies is let
+loose they invariably all go together in one direction, generally
+following those of the older animals which have bells hanging to their
+necks. When they come to a proper feeding-ground they all graze within a
+few yards of one another; and the chances are that the herd will not go
+a step further than is necessary, as they are terribly afraid of bears,
+their most dreaded enemy, by which they well know the more distant
+hills are infested. When their hunger is satisfied they shoulder up
+together and form a circle, in the centre of which the young colts are
+placed, these being thus well protected from bears, who would find a
+sturdy resistance in the hind hoofs of the outstanding guard should they
+come to close quarters. The Ainu are good trackers, and have little
+difficulty in finding in which direction the herd has moved. When this
+preliminary is ascertained, the horseman, mounted on a swift pony, which
+he has taken good care to keep behind, starts from the station about an
+hour before sunrise, so as to allow himself ample time to reach the herd
+before the sun is up. He finds the ponies in this circular position of
+defence. With a long stick he breaks their ranks, and by shouting, and
+wildly galloping to and fro, drives them on in front till the station
+and the pen are reached. When they have all entered the latter, a heavy
+wooden bar is rested on two biforked poles, one on each side of the
+entrance, thus barring their way out; and there they are kept all day,
+waiting for such native travellers or traders as may require their
+services along the coast.
+
+Most of the stations are owned by Japanese and by Ainu half-castes. Some
+have large numbers of ponies; some only a few, according to the wants of
+the neighbourhood.
+
+The average market value of a beast is between five and ten _yen_, or
+about fifteen to thirty shillings in English currency.
+
+At stations where the ponies are but little worked, good animals can
+sometimes be obtained for a small sum of money; but at stations near
+large settlements--where trade with other villages is carried on
+entirely by pack-ponies--they are mostly sorry beasts, with their backs
+one mass of sores, produced by the friction of the rough pack-saddles.
+Moreover, the cruel habit of letting colts follow mares for long
+distances--sometimes forty or fifty miles--is as painful a sight to
+witness as it is injurious to the breed. The Yezo ponies are
+characterised by their long hair and mane. They are short, sturdy,
+punchy brutes, not more than ten or twelve hands high, with a rather
+large and massive head, and thick, crooked legs. They are by no means
+fine-looking animals, nor are they well groomed--in fact, they are not
+groomed at all--but they serve capitally for the rough tracks and
+precipitous wastes of Hokkaido. They have none of the good qualities we
+require in our horses, but they possess others which fit them for the
+country they are in. Their enormous power of endurance, and the
+wonderful way in which they can go over the steepest tracks--almost
+unclimbable on foot; their sure step when going along precipices; and
+the marvellous manner in which they pick their way over rocky coasts,
+which the waves would seem to make impassable, and where none of our
+good horses could go without breaking their legs, are all endowments
+which I feel bound to quote in honour of the Yezo ponies. They are not
+shod, and they can hardly be called trained. Indeed, if a traveller be a
+good rider, it is advisable to obtain a perfectly unbroken animal, as
+from my own personal experience I can say that, though the riding was a
+little more exciting, I could invariably make better time with a totally
+unbroken beast, than with one of the worn-out, sore-backed "quiet
+ponies," which needed any amount of thrashing to make him go.
+
+[Illustration: AINU BITS.]
+
+A curious method is adopted for directing the animal. It is as simple as
+it is ingenious. The necessary "bit" by which we control our horses is
+dispensed with, and it is replaced by two wooden wands about twelve
+inches long and two inches wide, tied together at one end, allowing a
+distance of three inches between them. In the middle of these wands a
+rope is passed which goes over the pony's head behind its ears; while
+the wands themselves, thus supported by it, rest one on each side of the
+pony's nose. Another rope, five or six feet in length, and acting as a
+rein, is fastened at the lower end of one of the wands, and passes
+through a hole in the other, thus allowing this simple contrivance,
+based on the lever principle, to be worked exactly in the same way as a
+nut-cracker, the pony's nose being the nut. The disadvantage of the
+system is, that having only one rein, this has to be passed over the
+pony's head each time one wishes to turn to the right or to the left,
+as by pulling the rope hard, and thus squeezing the animal's nose, its
+head is turned in the direction in which it is pulled, and it is soon
+taught that this is the way it must go. Furthermore, should the pony
+bolt, it can be stopped by pulling its head close to its haunches,
+thereby making it impossible to continue its race. In the latter case it
+often happens, especially with an untrained pony, that it will spin
+round, trying to stretch its twisted neck by pushing its head away from
+the side of its body, and the result is generally a bad fall of horse
+and rider.
+
+Another thing of which one ought to be careful is to keep one's legs out
+of the reach of the brute's teeth; for it is not infrequent that instead
+of the man punishing the animal, the animal revenges itself on the man;
+and the incautious traveller realises Sydney Smith's position, and finds
+that to a Yezo pony, as well as to an English cart-horse, "all flesh is
+grass."
+
+From Riruran, for about fifteen miles, the way is merely a mountain
+track; and I dare say that in fine weather the scenery along it is
+picturesque. Unfortunately, when I went through, the fog had become more
+and more intense, and I saw very little of the landscape. At places the
+track led down to the sea, and then mounted up again over cliffs and
+high lands. As the mist, which came in gusts and waves, deepened or
+lightened in intensity, the rugged precipitous rocks, formed mostly of
+conglomerate, sandstone, and breccia, took all sorts of fantastic forms.
+Along the coast were many Ainu huts inhabited by half-castes and by
+Japanese. The Ainu were once very numerous in this district, but few of
+them are to be found now. The few remaining ones have yielded to the
+more civilised Japanese, and have become their servants. They are used
+as menials in most of the fishing stations, always acting under the
+directions of Japanese masters. Very frequently they are employed as
+tenders of horses, and in some places as guides for traders and
+travellers from one station to another.
+
+Not far from Riruran the mouths of two lagoons have to be crossed, the
+larger of which is called Saruffo-Ko, or "Lake in a grassy plain."
+Cranes, swans, and ducks are numerous in these lagoons.
+
+The track continues mostly over cliffs and mountains till Birvase, a
+small village of seaweed gatherers, is reached, and the next two and a
+half miles are along a sandy beach as far as Hammanaka. A short bridge
+joins this place to the island of Kiritap, which is separated from the
+mainland by a channel only a few feet wide. Towards the evening the fog
+lifted, and I caught a glimpse of the village.
+
+The ponies of the Kiritap village had just been let loose, and were
+running over the small wooden bridge with great clamour. The houses,
+which number about a hundred and twenty, are all poor and dirty. There
+is a main street, and most of the houses are on each side of it. The
+people are fishermen, seaweed gatherers, and small traders; for
+Hammanaka Bay, being a good anchorage for junks and small craft under
+the lee of Kiritap Island, is a place of some importance for its export
+trade of seaweeds, fish-oil, and herring guano; these products being
+sent down to Hakodate.
+
+If a few Ainu have adopted the Japanese language, clothes, and customs,
+there are also many Japanese who have taken up the Ainu language and
+ways. I noticed this more particularly in this district, where the Ainu
+have almost entirely disappeared. The older Japanese and many of the
+younger folks have Ainu features; and not only have they adopted a great
+number of Ainu words, but when talking Japanese they speak it with the
+peculiar intonation and accent pertaining to the Ainu. This is not
+surprising, nor yet peculiar to the Japanese or the Chinese; for we find
+that almost all English residents in Chinese ports adopt many of the
+words of our pig-tailed brothers, and have thus formed a kind of local
+English, besides the "pidgeon-English"--a corruption of "business
+English"--which almost constitutes a language of its own.
+
+The Ainu, like the Scotch or the French, give a rolling sound to the
+"r." Thus, for instance, if I had written the word "Riruran" as it is
+pronounced I should have spelt it "Rrirrurran." Then the Ainu almost
+sing their words--the women in a falsetto voice, ending in a singularly
+mournful kind of cadenza. On his return from a journey, a hunt, or a
+fishing expedition, the Ainu squats down cross-legged in his hut, and,
+after the conventional introductory ceremony of rubbing the palms of his
+hands together and then repeatedly stroking his hair and beard, proceeds
+to relate the adventures that have befallen him during his absence.
+This he does by singing out his story in a sort of monotone, or
+sometimes chanting it. When conversing with Japanese the Ainu have
+slightly modified this habit, which gave rise to much mirth to the
+light-hearted sons of the Mikado's empire. However, like all people who
+are ready to laugh at everything novel, the local Japanese have now
+themselves fallen into that same manner of speaking, which, after all,
+has its charms, as it is rather sentimental in spirit, and so far
+pleasant to the ear. What is more, they have also acquired the slow ways
+of the Ainu.
+
+All along the beach between Hammanaka and Hattaushi, a distance of
+nearly twenty miles, there are fishermen's and seaweed gatherers' huts;
+but none of them is inhabited by Ainu. Men, women, and children are all
+occupied in the seaweed gathering industry; and it is when the sea is
+stormy that the largest quantity of kelp is collected. The numerous
+reefs and rocks all along the shore-line afford suitable ground and
+bottom for its growth and production; and during a stormy sea quantities
+of kelp float on the breaking waves, to be finally thrown on shore. The
+industrious gatherers seldom wait for this "jetsam," as the long weeds,
+after they are washed off the rock, and before they are finally swept on
+shore, are apt to be damaged by the waves, and are therefore of less
+value for the export market than when long and fresh; wherefore, each
+gatherer provides himself with a long pole or hook, and from morning
+till night these half-naked "toilers of the sea" can be seen running to
+and fro in and out of the waves dragging bunches of long ribbon-like
+seaweeds, which are then carefully disentangled, stretched on the sands
+to dry, and, after several days of exposure, are packed for the market.
+
+Some huge cliffs towering over the sandy beach make the track
+interesting; and here and there, scattered in the Hammanaka Bay, are
+some oyster-banks before reaching the single shed of Hattaushi. The
+following twelve miles were on an extremely bad track, partly over steep
+hills and partly on tiresome soft sand. Then I arrived at
+Otchishi--without exception the loveliest little spot in Yezo. It lies
+in the centre of a small bay, on the two sides of which are magnificent
+headlands with precipitous cliffs and rocks of volcanic formation. On a
+pretty bit of green grass in the foreground, only a few feet above the
+sea-level, were a shed and a storehouse. A reef and shallow water closed
+the entrance of the bay to the foaming waves of the Pacific. In the
+sheltered water, which was as smooth as a mirror, the dark rich colour
+of the overhanging rocks, caressed by the last warm rays of the dying
+sun, was reflected with absolute fidelity and almost increased
+loveliness. A cold whitish sky, and the _white horses_ breaking on the
+reef, completed the _ensemble_ of that lovely scene; and it was with
+great regret, after having attempted a sketch, that I was told my horse
+was ready, and I had to leave this poetical and exquisite scene.
+
+On the slight elevations near Otchishi, and in the valley, pits are
+still to be seen, showing that the pit-dwellers were once numerous in
+this district. They are found both along the coast as well as slightly
+inland by the side of small rivers, and on the shores of the Saruffu
+lagoon. A well-kept road begins at Otchishi, and goes on to Nemuro. At
+first it runs over hilly ground and through an oak-wooded country, then
+through thick forests of spruce trees, the trees standing very
+close together. About four miles from Nemuro a military
+settlement--"Hanasaki"--similar to the one on the Shibetcha-Akkeshi
+road, has been established by the Japanese Government. Here, again, I
+was struck by the difficulty and the amount of labour involved in
+clearing the trees off the ground. It will take many years before the
+industrious farmers will have any return for their hard labour. I do not
+know what the object of the Japanese Government may have been in
+starting these two militia settlements in spots so unfit for
+cultivation, but it seems a great pity to see the Tokachi region, which
+has all the requisites for successful agriculture, quite deserted, while
+hundreds of men are wasting their strength and time at other places,
+where it will take several years to open enough ground for even a
+kitchen-garden.
+
+Past the long row of houses at Hanasaki the road descends gently, and I
+arrived at Nemuro, a thriving place of about fifteen hundred houses, on
+the south-west coast of the plateau-like peninsula ending at Cape
+Noshafu. The general elevation of the plateau is between sixty and one
+hundred and twenty feet above the sea-level, and the high land is
+covered with undergrowth and stunted trees, such as scrub bamboo, oak,
+birch, and alder, the east winds and fogs no doubt preventing the latter
+from attaining a larger growth. Some low islands and reefs lie north and
+south off Cape Noshafu, and make navigation very unsafe for the small
+coasting crafts which sometimes during the summer call at Nemuro for
+sea-weed, herring, salt, salmon, and herring guano; the first exported
+chiefly to China, the others to Tokio and Southern Japan. Herrings are
+caught in large numbers during the spring and summer, and the export of
+fish-manure would be considerably increased if the harbour at Nemuro
+could be safely entered by larger ships. As it is now, though well
+sheltered by the small island of Bentenjima, it can only harbour small
+ships, as, besides not being deep, its entrance is narrow and of
+difficult access during the thick fogs of the summer. In the winter and
+part of the spring the harbour and the coast as far as Noshafu Cape are
+blocked with drift ice, thus stopping navigation altogether. The trade
+from the adjoining coast and the Kurile Islands concentrates at this
+port, and as a farming region the small portion of available land
+north-west of the town has given fairly good results. Horse-breeding has
+proved a success for the local wants, but hardly so in producing a fine
+breed of horses. Cattle-breeding, on the other hand, has been a failure
+all through, owing to the severe weather in winter, which the imported
+animals could not stand. In spite of strong easterly winds, heavy fogs,
+ice, and snow, fair crops of _daikon_, potatoes, turnips, barley, beans,
+wheat, and hemp are successfully raised here, as the soil is of
+extremely good quality. As to the town itself, it is prettily laid out,
+the streets crossing each other at right angles, while some of the
+houses are built in semi-European style, to meet the severity of the
+climate. A Shinto temple is erected on the high level; and from this is
+obtained a fine bird's-eye view of the harbour and town, with the
+numerous storehouses overlooking the sea.
+
+As I have given a short description of the town--uninteresting save from
+a commercial point of view--I feel that I owe a few lines to its
+go-ahead inhabitants. Belonging, nearly all, to a young and adventurous
+generation, they reminded me of the same type of Englishmen who have
+abandoned their fatherland and settled in America and Australia,
+striving, and often succeeding, in making a fortune. Such men are
+invariably of a different "make" from that of the young fellows who are
+satisfied to drudge for life in a bank, a merchant's office, or a
+shop--vegetating rather than living; following their day's routine in a
+mechanical sort of way; grumbling continually, but never bold enough to
+attempt any improvement of their position. As one is born an artist, a
+musician, or a literary man, one has to be born a colonist to be a
+successful one.
+
+The young Japanese whom I met at Nemuro impressed me as being thoroughly
+different from any I had come across in my one year's stay in Southern
+Japan; and I was agreeably surprised when I found that I was dealing
+with a lot of young, clever, and serious men, willing to improve their
+country and themselves, and anxious to accept any practical hint that
+would enable them to accomplish this in the shortest time possible. In
+other words, they had lost the slow, phlegmatic way of transacting
+business of the "stay-at-homes," and had accepted the quick perception
+of the true colonist, who is always ready to catch all the chances which
+will help him to get on in life.
+
+I had been struck with this energy, this go-ahead faculty, several times
+along the south-west and south-east coasts, when conversing with the
+Japanese with whom I came in contact; but I was never so much impressed
+as at Nemuro, where, indeed, the men are of a superior class,
+well-educated, and belonging to good families, while most of the
+Japanese at fishing stations along the coast are taken from the scum of
+the towns. They are often escaped or ex-convicts, or else people who
+found it advisable to abandon the livelier shores of Nippon, leaving no
+trace of themselves rather than end their days in a prison cell.
+
+Nemuro is a progressive place in every way, and had it been built five
+miles further west it would have been intersected by the Onnetto
+River--a short outlet of the Onnetto Lagoon, which would have formed a
+larger and safer harbour than the present Nemuro anchorage. As it is,
+prosperity showed itself in the usual way, by the number of
+eating-houses for all classes, a theatre, numerous _guechas_--singers
+and dancers--and a whole street of houses of light morals, in which,
+behind a wooden grating similar to a huge cage, dozens of girls are
+shown in their gaudy red and gold embroidered _kimonos_, with elaborate
+_obis_ round their waist, and expensive long tortoise-shell hairpins
+artistically surrounding their heads like a halo. There in a line the
+pretty girls sit for several hours on their heels in front of a
+_hibachi_--brazier--smoking their diminutive pipes. They are fair game
+for now the compliments and now the jokes of the crowd promenading up
+and down the street in the evening. Every now and then, when an admirer
+approaches the cage, one of the girls gets up, refills her tiny pipe
+with tobacco, and offers it to him, not forgetting to wipe the
+mouthpiece with the palm of her hand before so doing. He (the admirer)
+puffs away, and returns the empty pipe with thanks, shifting on to
+another cage to have his next smoke. Japanese men cannot live without
+_guechas_, and it follows as a matter of course that Nemuro, being a
+prosperous place, there are many of them.
+
+A _guecha_ is a singer or dancer (posturing), or both, and one or more
+generally attend dinner-parties and festivities of any kind. Some sing
+with self-accompaniment of _shamesen;_ others display their wonderful
+powers of mimicking and posturising, in which grace is never lacking. A
+long _kimono_, a carefully-arranged _obi_, and a pretty pair of white
+_tabi_--short socks with split toes--make up the graceful and simple
+attire in which they appear in the house. Their hair, plastered down
+with camelia oil, is a veritable work of art. It is carefully combed,
+oiled, and flattened behind the ears. A metal fastener at the lowest
+point of the curve keeps it in this flat position, and it is then raised
+again and fastened at the back of the head, first in a most elaborate
+twist, and then rolled up in graceful curves. A pretty, tasteful
+_kanzashi_--a long hairpin--is placed on the left side of the head, thus
+completing that part of a _guecha's_ toilette.
+
+The sallow complexion characteristic of the race is despised by the
+womankind of Japan, and all women are given to "painting" themselves.
+With us such a custom is not uncommon, but it is disregarded by most
+sensible women. In Japan it is part of the ordinary woman's daily
+toilette. A thick layer of white chalk is first smeared with a soft
+brush over the face, neck, shoulders, arms, and hands; then the pretty
+_mouseme_, dipping her first finger in red paint, gently rubs this on
+her cheeks, her temples, and over the upper eyelids. The middle finger
+is the "black brush," and adds sentiment to the expression by blackening
+under the eyes; and sometimes when the eyebrows are not shaved it is
+also used to accentuate them. A piece of burnt cork is often used as a
+substitute for black paint. The fourth finger has no occupation, but the
+little finger is for finishing touches, brightening up the mouth with
+carmine, and adding a bit of gold on the lower lip. A _guecha_ paints
+herself to a much greater extent than other women, and with brighter
+colours. As to her moral qualities, a _guecha_ is usually not immoral
+enough to be called "fast," yet too fast to be qualified as "moral."
+Their music and posturing have a great charm for Japanese; and when
+money is made, a good quantity of it goes to keeping up these feminine
+musicians and their establishments.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+To show how enterprising and Americanised the Nemuro people are, I shall
+ask the reader's forgiveness for again relating a personal experience
+which at the time greatly amused me.
+
+I was in the midst of my simple Japanese dinner in the Jamaruru
+tea-house, when four youths entered my room and offered to shake hands
+with me--a most unusual thing with Japanese. One of them handed me his
+card, on which I read, "K. Sato, _Nemuro Shimbun_" (Nemuro newspaper).
+
+"Oh," I said in Japanese, "you have even a newspaper at Nemuro."
+
+"Yes," answered in English one of his friends, a Mr. Yuasa, handing me
+his own card.
+
+"You speak English, then, Mr. Yuasa?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Can I offer you and your friends anything to drink or to eat?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"What will you have?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Will you have some _sake_?"
+
+"No, no; I come to speak to you."
+
+"Thank you."
+
+"No, no; I come to _take your life_ in Nemuro newspaper. Please speak
+where come? How old? Where go?"
+
+When I had sufficiently recovered from the shock of his announcement
+that he had come to take my life, and understood what he meant by it, I
+had a most pleasant conversation in English with him, and in Japanese
+with the others. Mr. Yuasa's English improved as his shyness wore off,
+showing that he had a very fair knowledge of the language. The interview
+lasted many hours, continually interrupted by the _nara honto_ and the
+_sajo deska_--"really" and "indeed" of my visitors--while notes were
+taken by the editor and his staff. They finally departed, and early the
+next morning I received the following letter:--
+
+     "SIR,--I long that you will correspond to me any events wherever
+     you have met them in your journey when you are not so awful busy,
+     as I have to translate and write on the Nemuro _News_. I meet the
+     first time here, and I hope to have your friendly favor hitherto,
+     and thanks for your kindness I have received ever, believe me, your
+     humble servant, F. YUASA."
+
+The same afternoon the editor and his staff called again, accompanied by
+the two Mr. Nakamuras, the richest merchants in Nemuro, and they
+insisted on giving me a European dinner. After my experience at Otsu as
+regards European cooking by Japanese, I was rather loth to accept their
+kind invitation, but I had to yield. The feast began with biscuits and
+jam,[31] and the soup was brought immediately after; then vegetables
+were followed by roast chicken, and the latter by salad and fried fish.
+With the exception of the somewhat inverted order of the courses, this
+time it was actually a European dinner, and even well-cooked; but my
+hosts were seen at a great disadvantage when using a knife and fork. As
+for the anatomy of the chicken, that was decidedly their weakest point.
+Those of the party who were shy gave up the carving as a bad job; the
+bolder only fought bravely; and every now and then a knife gave a
+terrible squeak on the plate, and half a leg, a wing, or a carcase was
+fired right across the table into one's plate, if not in one's face, or
+on one's lap.
+
+    [31] The Japanese always begin their meals with sweets.
+
+"_Honto taihen muskashi_"--"Really it is very difficult"--said the wit
+of the party, helplessly putting down his knife and fork after trying to
+separate the two parts of a wing. "This bird's bones have lost all their
+joints in the cooking."
+
+My hosts were extremely kind, and were, besides, so clever and bright
+that I enjoyed their good company immensely. At the same time I gained
+from them valuable information as regards the neighbouring country and
+the Kurile Islands.
+
+[Illustration: SEMI-AINU RAT TRAP.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOMAN OF KURILE ISLANDS.]
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+The Kurile Islands.
+
+
+From Nemuro I put to sea in a miserable little Japanese craft--a kind of
+tug-boat--which once or twice a year goes to the principal islands of
+the Kurile group, and brings back their products to Nemuro. It is
+needless to say that I was the only passenger on board, though it is
+fair to add that the saloon was large enough to "accommodate" two, but
+not more. As for the only cabin, it had two berths, one over the other,
+but no available space for dressing or undressing, which therefore had
+to be got through outside, unless it was to be done by instalments,
+lying down in the berth itself. I shall spare my readers a minute
+description of this "ocean clipper," her tonnage, and horse-power, and I
+shall not attempt to narrate the many disadvantages of travelling in a
+ship engaged in the fish-manure, dried-fish, and sea-weed trade. These
+three very strongly scented articles speak for themselves without the
+need of words.
+
+The Kuriles are the islands which stretch like a row of beads from the
+most north-easterly coast of Yezo to the most southerly point of
+Kamschatka. They extend from 145° to 158° longitude east of Greenwich,
+and between 42° and 51° latitude north.
+
+The archipelago forms part of the Japanese Empire, having been exchanged
+by Russia not many years ago for the southern half of Saghalien Island,
+then belonging to Japan. This group of islands is characterised mainly
+by the great extent of its volcanic rocks and tertiaries, showing marked
+evidence that it is only a continuation of the volcanic mountain-range
+forming the backbone of Yezo, and extending from Yubaridake, in the
+upper Ishikari province, to Cape Shiretoko; which volcanic region
+embraces a large portion of the Tokachi, Kitami, and Nemuro provinces.
+In this chain of islands there are many beautiful volcanic cones,
+especially in Kunashiri and Etorofu. Iron, copper, and other metal veins
+are found in small quantities in tuffs and andesites, but more important
+here, moreover, are the large sulphur accumulations near and in craters,
+both extinct and active; as on Mount Rahush, in Kunashiri, and the
+Ichibishinai, in Etorofu, the largest island of the Kuriles. At Pontoo,
+in Kunashiri, sulphur bubbles out from the bottom of a volcanic lake,
+which is probably an extinct crater.
+
+Beside being rich in minerals, the larger islands of the Kuriles abound
+in game; but fishing is the main industry practised by the sparse
+population of these rugged regions. The origin of the word "Kuriles" is
+not certain, but in all probability it is from the Russian _kuril_,
+smoke, as there are many active volcanoes in the islands. The more
+poetical Japanese call them _Chishima_, or the "Thousand Islands,"
+meaning that they are numberless, and the _nonchalant_ Ainu of Yezo
+profess entire ignorance as to their existence, and only some of the
+better informed give them the name of _Krafto_, by which they really
+mean Sakhalin. The hairy people are emphatically poor geographers, and
+have but little faculty for locating islands or any other places. In
+fact, how could they, having no maps, and no idea even of what a map is?
+The Chishima group and the island of Yezo, with all the smaller islands
+along and near its coast, when taken collectively, are called by the
+Japanese "The Hokkaido." The nearest of the Kuriles to Yezo is
+Kunashiri, and south of it lies the smaller island of Shikotan; then
+comes Etorofu, the largest of the group; then Urup; after this a number
+of unhabited islets, reefs, and rocks form a barrier separating the
+Otkoshk Sea from the Pacific Ocean. Shimushir, at the south-western end
+of this barrier, and Onekotan, at the north-eastern, are the two
+largest, Shimushir being about thirty miles in length and four or five
+wide, and Onekotan about twenty-five miles long and eight wide.
+Paromushir (a corruption of the Ainu words _poro_, large, and _mushiri_,
+island) is the last island of the group. It has a large reef on its
+south-east coast, and is divided by a channel six or seven miles wide
+from Cape Lopatka, the most southern point of the Kamschatkan peninsula.
+Paromushir is about twice the size of Urup, and is very mountainous,
+with rugged cliffs of volcanic formation, and high picturesque peaks,
+bearing the same characteristics as the scenery in Etorofu and
+Kunashiri, and also of Kamschatka. I have mentioned this last island, as
+it is of some interest, being the most northern point of the Japanese
+empire; and also to a certain extent it is interesting from a geological
+point of view, but, as far as I know, it is not inhabited now, and the
+few Kurilsky Ainu who formerly lived there migrated further south from
+one island to another, till Shimushir[32] and Urup[33] afforded them a
+more hospitable home. However, they were not to live there for long, for
+the Japanese Government, asserting that subjects of the empire who chose
+to live so far could not be properly looked after, sent the small ship
+on which I was now travelling on a mission with orders to bring them all
+down to the formerly deserted island of Shikotan. The orders had to be
+obeyed; and reluctantly setting fire to the huts which they were about
+to abandon and never to see again, ninety souls, all that remained of
+that nomad tribe of Ainu, were embarked and carried into exile at
+Shikotan. The quiet life on the Shikotan rocks little suits the roaming
+disposition of the Kurilsky Ainu; and though even formerly they were
+rapidly dying out, the rate of mortality has increased since their
+exile. Having thus verified the fact that of the "Thousand Islands" of
+the Chishima group only three are inhabited, I shall avoid giving a
+monotonous description of each bare-looking islet and rock, and I shall
+land my readers at Shikotan, on a visit to the Kurilsky Ainu, who are
+important to us in connection with the Ainu of Yezo.
+
+    [32] _Shimushir_, High Island.
+
+    [33] _Urup_, name given to a kind of salmon.
+
+It was early in the morning when I looked out of the porthole, and by a
+fine moonlight saw that we were close to the coast. Huge cliffs and
+peaks, ending in a sharp point, some converging towards one another,
+some standing upright against the whitish cold sky, were reflected in
+the smooth water under the lee of the island. The moon, surrounded by a
+yellowish halo, shone bright over the rugged scene, giving delicate
+bluish tints to all the shadows; while the water, disturbed and cut by
+the prow of our craft, rose in gentle waves, pursuing one another, as if
+running for a place of refuge in the mysterious dark shadows of the
+cliffs. So weird, so enchanted and wild was the scene, that I jumped out
+of my stuffy bunk and went on deck. There I stood, notwithstanding the
+cold, gazing at the gigantic overhanging black rocks, at the precipices,
+crevices, and natural openings through which now and then the radiant
+moon peeped, covering the dark green water with a long undulating streak
+of silver dashes. There I stood, listening to the voices of the waves,
+which rippled on the shingle, contemplating this strange and poetic work
+of nature. I am certain that if sirens there ever were in this world,
+their home must have been among the whimsical and _bizarre_ rocks of
+Shikotan Island. The old "tub" on which I was "ploughing the waves"
+moved slowly through this heavenly spectacle of ever-increasing beauty.
+When the sun rose, enchantment was added to enchantment. The cold bluish
+colour of the rocks became gradually warmer; and, as the light grew
+stronger, the tops of the cliffs turned into a mass of brilliant
+colours. Nature was waking slowly from her torpid sleep, and, in the
+freshness of the morning, a light breeze, caressing the shore, brought
+with it the smell of land.
+
+The captain, a Japanese, informed me that we should soon enter the
+harbour of Shikotan, and, pointing to some huge pillars, said that was
+the entrance. We drew nearer and nearer to it, and the nearer we drew
+the more I became convinced that the captain was under an
+hallucination. I could only see rock after rock, huge pillar after huge
+pillar; but no entrance whatever.
+
+"We are just going in," said the captain, laughing at my astonishment,
+and he gave orders to the quartermaster at the wheel to steer straight
+for one of the pillars. We were but a few yards from it when our craft
+was made to swing rapidly on her starboard side, and we turned round a
+gigantic shoulder of rock, to find ourselves in a narrow channel. One
+minute later we were in a pretty circular harbour, surrounded by high
+peaks--in fact, a kind of "fiord." The access to this harbour is
+certainly difficult to find, but when you are fairly in, it is seen to
+afford a well-sheltered anchorage. It has more the appearance of a small
+mountain lake than that of a sea-harbour; and undoubtedly it is a
+submerged crater. It is perfectly circular, and very deep, but not of
+large capacity. Directly opposite the entrance, on the shore, is a small
+narrow valley, on which is situated the village of the Kurilsky Ainu.
+Four men rowed me ashore, and I went to the village.
+
+When the Japanese imported these Kurilsky Ainu to Shikotan, they allowed
+them to build their huts in their own way; but this done, a railing with
+a gate was erected, closing the entrance of the valley which overlooks
+the harbour, thus preventing the poor wretches from abandoning the
+island to resume their migratory habits, and return to their more
+northern homes. Inside this gate two rows of huts, exactly similar to
+those of the Yezo Ainu, have been constructed by the exiles. There are
+sixteen huts altogether, and not a single one of them is built over a
+pit. In Chapter IX, I have fully explained the characteristics and mode
+of living, which leaves no doubt as to these people being proper Ainu,
+and not pit-dwellers, as some have asserted; though of course their type
+is slightly modified by external conditions--a common occurrence in all
+races. Take a Londoner, a provincial, and a seaman, and though they be
+all three Englishmen, one will have a washed-out look, the other will be
+healthy and strong, but not so sturdy, wiry, and weather-beaten as the
+sailor. The same natural process is at work with this tribe of Ainu.
+They conform their life according to circumstances and places; and
+though they possess the same general characteristics as the rest of the
+Ainu, in some small details they cannot but differ from them.
+
+Shikotan was a deserted island previous to these poor wretches being
+transplanted there by the Japanese Government. It does not abound in
+game, like Shimushir, Urup, or Poromushir, whence they were taken.
+
+[Illustration: SHIKOTAN AINU.]
+
+The story of this tribe of Ainu is a sad one. Hunting, sealing, and
+fishing were their only aims in life, their only pastimes, the only
+things they lived for. At Shikotan they have none of these things. There
+is no big game; the only animal found being a beautiful species of white
+long-tailed fox. There are no large rivers at Shikotan; there is hardly
+any vegetation, and the whole island is nothing but a mass of barren
+rocks.
+
+The food of the Kurilsky Ainu consisted chiefly of meat of bear and
+seals, berries, and eggs of sea-birds. They were a migratory people, and
+in their small cranky canoes they often crossed from one island to
+another, carrying with them all their property, consisting of skin
+garments and fishing and hunting implements, these latter the same as
+those employed by other Ainu. The dress of the men is shaped like a
+short tunic, made of sea-birds' skins, with the feathers inside. Some of
+the smart ones are trimmed with seal, and they are worn fastened round
+the waist with a girdle of sealskin or a belt of sea-lion hide, often
+ornamented with molten lead buttons or Chinese cash. The women's garment
+is much longer, and reaches nearly to the feet; it falls loosely, and
+has long sleeves covering the hands; it is fastened with a girdle in bad
+weather, and the gown is then pulled up to the knee, showing the long
+yellow boots. When carrying water or working this is also done, as it
+gives greater freedom to the limbs, making walking and all movement much
+easier. A red, yellow, or brightly-coloured handkerchief, of Russian
+manufacture, is tied round the neck and another round the back of the
+head, and this makes the women look like Italian peasants. As the gown
+is worn usually loose it has the identical shape of a dressing-gown; it
+is ornamented with yellow feathers of puffins round the neck and the
+edge. Both men and women wear either moccasins, or long boots made of
+sealskin, with the fur inside, or else they wear salmon-skin boots, like
+the Ainu of Yezo. No woman that I saw at Shikotan had a moustache
+tattooed round her lips, or any tattoo marks on her arms. Very few of
+them wore earrings, though all had the ears bored for that purpose, and
+had worn them. The earrings which they possessed were mostly strings of
+coral beads and metal ornaments of Russian manufacture, which, like the
+brightly-coloured handkerchiefs, they had received in bartering with the
+crew of a sealing schooner. Since they have been at Shikotan the men
+have been presented with old caps and overcoats, similar to those of the
+Japanese police. Previous to this, however, when the Kuriles were under
+the rigid Russian _régime_, the Kurilsky Ainu men were compelled to trim
+their hair and beard, which was the first step taken by the priests of
+the Coptic Church in Christianising these nomadic barbarians. When this
+hair-dressing order was complied with, as the first link of the chain,
+the Coptic creed was enforced on them, and the barbarous Kurilsky Ainu
+became well-trimmed orthodox Christians.
+
+At Shikotan, as it is, fishing on a small scale is their main
+occupation, praying the next, and Jacko, the chief of the village, is
+the high priest. Jacko's predecessor, in fulfilling the duties of this
+high post, was a man who had dropped his Ainu name, and had been
+baptized as Alexandrovitch. His house is now occupied by Jacko. It is
+the first on the right-hand side when the village is entered from the
+harbour side, and it is larger than any of the others; it is built of
+wood instead of rushes and reeds. The interior is divided into two
+rooms, and in the second are three stands, the middle one of which has a
+cross on it. On each of these stands is a Russian Bible, with images
+hanging on the page-marks. Several rough stools and a couple of benches
+are placed in rows in front of these stands, and on the walls hang two
+or three Russian religious images. Taken altogether, and compared with
+other Ainu huts, Jacko's chapel had quite a stately appearance.
+
+Just as the Ainu of Yezo have partly acquired the Japanese language, the
+Kurilsky Ainu have learned to talk Russian, besides speaking an Ainu
+dialect.
+
+On Sundays, or on any day which Jacko thinks is a Sunday, the chief
+reads the mass before a congregation of the other fifty-nine hairy
+Christians of the Russian Orthodox Church; he does not spare them a
+sermon, which sometimes lasts half the day, and his audience are most
+attentive and well behaved. None of them would think of leaving church
+before service is over; but one detail in which these hairy Christians
+are not yet fully Christianised is, that no collection plate is ever
+sent round! The Kurilsky Ainu have undoubtedly accepted the form of
+their adopted religion, but I rather doubt whether they have fallen in
+with the principle. Their former barbarian ideas and superstitions are
+still well rooted in their brain, and each individual was a curious and
+enviable combination of a perfect heathen and a thorough Christian,
+according to what suited him or her better at the time being. In other
+words, they believed in two diametrically opposed principles, one of
+which fitted in with every phase of their life when the other was
+deficient.
+
+As many as ninety people, all told, were landed at Shikotan, but thirty
+had already succumbed when I visited the island. A graveyard on a hill
+on the west side of the village was indeed a sad reminder of this fact.
+It will not be long before all the others will pass away, for
+consumption and rheumatism have a great hold on most of the wretches. In
+ten years from now, I dare say, not one of the Kurilsky tribe of Ainu
+will be left on this earth. It is pitiful that the last remains of these
+independent people will end their days secluded and in exile on the
+barren rocks of Shikotan.
+
+As it is, they seem to take life easily, and, with a characteristic
+proper to all nomadic peoples, they make the best of what they can get.
+They are not shy, and they have dropped the formalities and grand
+salutations of other Ainu. They are, however, as dirty, especially in
+their homes. The women dress their hair in small tresses.
+
+The children wear long gowns similar to those of the women, and one or
+two of the children I saw had very fair hair. As will be seen by the
+illustrations, some of the men and women possess good features, more
+resembling those of European races than those of Mongolian type. They
+are gentle and quiet, like all other Ainu. They are submissive, and
+resigned to their sad fate.
+
+The island of Skikotan is almost circular in shape, and it has one or
+two small anchorages on its north coast. I judged its diameter to be
+about twelve or thirteen miles. Etorofu and Kunashiri, though much
+larger in size, are of less interest to us in connection with the Ainu,
+as most of that race found there migrate from Yezo during the fishing
+season; therefore, nothing is to be added about them.
+
+Etorofu is a long, narrow, but irregular island, over one hundred miles
+in length, and varying in breadth from five or six to twenty miles. It
+is very mountainous, and has some bold, rugged scenery, owing to its
+volcanic formation. Etorofu is by far the largest island of the Kurile
+group, and it possesses many safe anchorages, especially on its
+north-west coast, where several mountainous capes branch off the narrow
+strip of land, and afford small ships a fairly safe harbourage from west
+and south-westerly winds. Unfortunately, however, they are open to
+northerly and north-east gales, during the prevalence of which, should a
+ship happen to be cruising about in those latitudes, she would have to
+run for a shelter to the south-east coast. The south-east coast is not
+peopled, with the exception of a very few huts near Moyorotake, or "Bear
+Bay," at its most south-eastern point. A better shelter, however, is to
+be found in the bay, nearly in the middle of the island, on the shores
+of which are a few huts at Onembets and Imotsuto. Most of the coast is
+deserted, and the south-east portion is very rocky, huge cliffs, with
+high richly-coloured mountains in the background, ending like an
+impassable wall into the sea. Where the island is narrower there are
+some low terraces with scrub bamboo and stunted trees. Larch is found in
+Etorofu, while it is seldom found in Yezo. Heather-like plants are also
+indigenous in Etorofu, and cranberry bushes are frequent near the coast.
+From Betoya or Bettobu Bay down to its most south-western point Etorofu
+is all mountainous, with the exception of a small valley near Rubets.
+It is along the banks of the Bettobu River, in that small valley and on
+those terraces, that the numerous pits of the Koro-pok-kuru are found,
+and also at Rupets, further south on the same coast. This, however, I
+have already explained in connection with the pit-dwellers. The two
+small fishing-stations above mentioned are respectively under the lee of
+the headlands ending in Cape Ikahasonets and Notoro Cape. On the first
+headland the mountain of Tsiriju rises to a great altitude. The largest
+fishing-station is at Shana, on the western side of this headland, and
+further north, besides Bettobu, is the small station of Shibets.
+South-west of Shana one finds Rubets, Furubets, Oitoi, and Naibo, the
+latter in the bay of the same name. There are five lakes in Etorofu, two
+of which are between Shana and Bettobu, one near Rubets, the other close
+to Naibo; the fifth is a very small one, fifteen or sixteen miles
+north-east of Bettobu. The country has a rugged look, and in some
+places, as near Rubets, where the volcanic mountain masses leave space
+for low terraces the scrub-bamboo is very thick, as in Yezo, and small
+and stunted trees form the chief vegetation. Larch is more common on the
+north-west coast than on the south-east. Good timber is rather scarce in
+Etorofu, but a fair quantity of it is to be found inland, and also at
+the south-western portion of the island about Naipo.
+
+Accumulations of sulphur are found at Ichibishinai, and there is an
+active volcano south-east of Bettobu, besides the beautiful volcanic
+cone of Atzosa, three or four thousand feet above sea-level. All this
+volcanic mountain mass, with its warmly-tinted peaks, bears the
+characteristics of the central portion of Yezo; and there seems to be
+little doubt that all this row of islands, with the frequent submerged
+craters and volcanic cones, is nothing but the continuation of the
+volcanic zone in Yezo. The main resource of Etorofu is the fishing. Four
+different kinds of salmon and salmon-trout are found, one similar to the
+salmon common in Yezo, the others somewhat differently marked. Salmon is
+extremely plentiful, and in July and August enormous catches are made,
+especially at the mouths of the rivers, where the fish are closely
+packed together.
+
+The Pico Strait, between Etorofu and Kunashiri, is about fourteen miles
+wide, and a strong current from the Okhotsk Sea passes through it,
+causing the sea to break in heavy tide-rips and overfalls similar to
+those observed in the La Perouse Strait, between Yezo and Sakhalin.
+Similar tide-rips are observed also in the channel between Etorofu and
+Urup, but, being much wider (about twenty-four miles), they seem there
+less formidable.
+
+Kunashiri is the next largest island in the Kuriles after Etorofu. It is
+about sixty-five miles long, and very narrow; varying from three to
+eight miles in width. The north-east portion is somewhat wider, and
+extremely mountainous. The highest peak of this mountain range is the
+Tcha-Tcha-Nobori (the old-old-mountain), which is said to be about seven
+thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea. From this volcano
+starts a chain of hills--some pyramidal in form, others somewhat rounder
+at the top--which forms the backbone of the island. Two more active
+volcanoes besides the Tcha-Tcha are on the south-west portion of
+Kunashiri, but they do not rise to a very great altitude. On Horanaho or
+Rausu volcano sulphur accumulations are found, and at Pontoo (small
+lake) sulphur bubbles out from the lake bottom, and seems to be worked
+with profit. The Tcha-Tcha-Nobori is curiously shaped. It is like a
+large cone cut about half-way up in a section, to which a smaller cone
+has been attached, leaving a wide ring right round. It is extremely
+picturesque, and a worthy finish to the strange outline of Kunashiri
+Island.
+
+Vegetation and products are the same as in Etorofu. Salmon is plentiful,
+and a few fishing-stations are spread out here and there at long
+intervals on the coast. As in Etorofu, the population of Kunashiri
+migrates there from Yezo during the fishing season, and leaves the
+island almost deserted in winter. The strait separating it from Yezo is
+only ten or twelve miles wide. Bears and foxes are said to be very
+numerous in all the larger islands of the Kuriles, and seals are
+captured in large quantities during the winter months, more especially
+in the islands nearer Kamschatka. Small game, as ducks, snipes, and
+sandpipers, is abundant. Besides the ruggedness and strange aspect of
+its numerous volcanic peaks, the bareness and the loneliness of the
+coast, there is nothing in the Kurile group to entice the sightseer and
+the pleasure-seeker to a cruise among the islands. The geologist and
+zoologist, however, would find in the Kuriles a very rough but very
+interesting field for their investigations, and a "good shot," who does
+not mind a self-sacrificing and lonely life, would find some good sport
+among the bears, especially in Kunashiri and Etorofu.
+
+[Illustration: WOMAN OF THE KURILE ISLANDS]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: ABASHIRI ISLAND.]
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+On the East and North-East Coast--From Nemuro to Shari-Mombets.
+
+
+I did not remain long at Nemuro after my return from the Kuriles; in
+fact, I remained only a few hours, and again my baggage was lashed to
+the pack-saddle, again I was perched on the top of this instrument of
+torture, and soon was rapidly moving north towards the inhospitable
+coast of the Okhotsk Sea.
+
+The first few days of the lonely life of a peripatetic Robinson Crusoe
+are unmistakably disagreeable, but after that initiation there is no
+doubt that it is a fascinating life. I was more than glad when the gay
+Nemuro was out of sight, and the noise and rumble of semi-civilisation
+out of hearing. The editor and seven gentlemen of Nemuro accompanied me
+for a few miles--then I was left to myself and my own resources.
+Crossing the Onnetto River, the outlet of a large lagoon of the same
+name, I passed through Nishibets and then Bitskai, where in former days
+the Japanese had established a salmon-canning factory, which proved a
+failure, owing to the incapacity of its directors and workmen. Salmon is
+very abundant in the Nishibets River, and a well-managed canning factory
+would be a great success. About ten or eleven miles north of Bitskai a
+peculiar peninsula stretches out from north-east to south-west, which
+affords a shelter for small junks from northerly winds. It is called
+Noshike, and is not more than a few feet above the sea-level. The soil
+all along is very marshy, and the numerous little rivulets and rivers
+are extremely troublesome to cross. My pony was continually sinking into
+and struggling out of mud-holes, into which it had fallen when wading
+across these small watercourses, sometimes not more than a few feet
+wide. I pushed on as far as Shimbets, where there are only a shed and a
+couple of Ainu huts inhabited by half-castes. I had to put up here for
+the night, and by the light of a wick burning in a large oyster-shell
+filled with fish-oil I wrote a few notes in my diary. The fleas in that
+house were something appalling. The next morning I had some fun with a
+wild pony, which I received in exchange for the tired animal I had
+brought.
+
+"Nobody can get on him," said the Ainu half-caste, "but if you think you
+can ride him he will go like the wind."
+
+It took all hands in the small village to get the pack-saddle and
+baggage on to his back, and after we had tied him to a post and lashed
+his fore legs together I mounted. By instalments he was untied, let
+loose, and then afforded us some real fun. He revolved, bucked, kicked,
+stood on his hind legs, and did his very best to bite my legs and knock
+me off the saddle. A small fence was kicked and smashed into a thousand
+bits, and he even attempted to enter the huts--anything to get rid of
+his rider; but he did not succeed. His next trick was to plunge into the
+river close by, and when he reached the middle to shake himself
+violently. He then came out on the other side, and, turning his head,
+saw as well as felt that I was still on his back; then he neighed as if
+in great distress, and bolted. He galloped along the small track, and
+really did go "like the wind." As a punishment I made him keep up the
+pace even when he was tired of his contumacy, and in less than no time I
+reached Shibets, ten miles distant from where I had started.
+
+Shibets is a village of one hundred Japanese houses and twenty Ainu
+huts. The Ainu here have almost altogether adopted Japanese clothes, as
+well as something of the Japanese style of living. The river which goes
+by the same name is notable for the quantity and good quality of salmon
+caught in it, and it is the best salmon-fishing river on the north-east
+coast of Yezo. Herrings are also abundant, but not to the same extent
+as on the south-east coast. A peculiarity of the river is that before
+entering the sea it turns sharply south and runs along a bank of sand
+and mud, which is growing larger every year, which shows that a current
+from the Okhotsk Sea must travel down in that direction through the
+strait between Kunashiri and Yezo. The same peculiarity is noticeable in
+nearly all the rivers of the north-east coast.
+
+From Shibets to Wembets the track is fairly even, but from Wembets round
+Cape Shiretoko it is in many places impassable even on foot. The
+Peninsula, ending in Cape Shiretoko, is a mass of high volcanic
+mountains towards the interior, while scabrous cliffs and huge rocks
+fringe the line of coast. However, from Shibets there is a small
+mountain track inland which brings the traveller across to the
+north-east coast near Shari. The track was through beautiful forests of
+pine trees, oak, birch, and elm, and during the first few miles it is on
+almost level ground. After that, hill after hill is ascended and
+descended, and one goes ever onwards at a higher altitude, until Rubets,
+a small shed, is reached. From here the track follows a zig-zag
+direction till it reaches the summit of the mountain range, and one then
+begins to descend on the other side. From the summit there is a lovely
+view of beautiful blue mountains in the distant west, one of which is
+called Oakan, and the other Moyokan. The mountainous part of the track
+from Igiani, three miles from Shibets, as far as the north-east coast,
+reminded me much of the scenery in Switzerland, with its rapid and
+limpid fresh-water rivers, thickly-wooded country, and green grass,
+which last was replaced here by an undergrowth of scrub bamboo. When I
+went across this mountain pass the rain was pouring in torrents, and the
+road, such as it was, being very slippery and heavy, I only reached the
+north-east coast at dark. The moon would not rise till late, there were
+heavy black clouds, and I was more than puzzled how to find my way.
+
+To add to my bad luck, my pony this time was a sorry beast, with his
+back a mass of sores. I was simply drenched with the rain that never
+ceased. Now and then, by the blinding flash of lightning, I could see a
+long stretch of sand and a line of sand-hills; I could also see the
+reeds bending low under the squalls, and then everything was darkness
+again. I was leading my tired beast, and dragging him along as well as
+I could. Every few yards the wretched creature collapsed, and it took a
+lot of petting, caressing, encouraging and beating to make him get up
+again. I had ridden and walked about fourteen hours in the rain, and was
+nearly frozen to death.
+
+Since I had got out of the forest a bitterly cold north wind chilled me
+through and through, and added the last touch to my weariness and
+discomfort. Again the pony fell, and all my efforts to make him get up
+were useless. The storm, if anything, seemed to increase in violence,
+while my own strength was decreasing every minute. I lay down by the
+side of the pony, trying to warm myself by his heat, and, shivering and
+rattling my teeth together, I tried to go to sleep.
+
+A couple of hours were spent in this way, and when the moon rose I could
+see a little clearer. I climbed with hands and feet on to the
+sand-hills, and I fancied I saw some dark spots in the distance. Could
+they be Shari? First one end of my whip, then the other, was reduced
+into pulp on my pony's back, and with a great effort he again stood on
+all four legs. I had to support the wretch all the way, as you would a
+drunken man, and we went at the rate of less than a mile an hour. The
+spots grew bigger and bigger, and took the shape of huts.
+
+"Hem, hem, hem, hem!" I called out at the first hut, while three or four
+dogs barked furiously and went for my legs. "Will you let a stranger
+sleep here to-night?"
+
+"This is no house for strangers; go elsewhere!" answered a drowsy hoarse
+voice from inside.
+
+"May you be kept--hot!" said I, in pure Ainu fashion, though in my heart
+I attached quite a different meaning to the sentence from that which the
+hairy people give it; and wearily I pulled myself together and passed
+on.
+
+A shadow crept out of one of the huts, and thanks to that shadow I found
+a shelter for the night. There are fifty Ainu huts at Shari, and ten
+Japanese, with an Ainu population of about one hundred souls. The Ainu
+here have adopted Japanese clothes, and many of them eat Japanese food
+when they can get it. The Ainu women of Shari are exceedingly pretty,
+as they do not tattoo the long moustache across their faces, like other
+Ainu. Some of them have a small semicircular tattoo on the upper lip,
+which is not very displeasing to the eye; and in some cases is even
+becoming. The girls have also given up tattooing their arms. The men are
+much taller than the Ainu men of other regions, and they seem to be
+rather ill-natured. Japanese blood can be detected in many of them, and
+that may account for it. While the women are prettier, the men have
+repulsive faces, possessing all the characteristics of purely criminal
+types.
+
+One young fellow who sat for me was the very image of Robespierre in his
+worst moments, and an old man who sat for me afterwards would, according
+to Phrenology, prove to be a murderer of the first water. This gentleman
+was a troublesome sitter, and excelled in making the most awful faces,
+which were accompanied by sounds imitating those of wild beasts. The
+Shari Ainu build their storehouses with cylindrical roofs, similar to
+those of their brethren on the Kutcharo Lake.
+
+After the heavy storm of the previous night the weather cleared up for
+the rest of the day, and the sunset, reflected in the limpid waters of
+the river, was simply magnificent. On the other side, sheltered by the
+sand-hills, were a few Ainu huts standing out against the brilliant red
+and yellow sky, and here and there a large fish jumped out of the water,
+leaving circle after circle of concentric rings to break for the moment
+the reflection in the water.
+
+From Shari to Abashiri the road is for some distance among trees, mostly
+fir and spruce, and then the Tobuts Lake is reached, half of which is a
+mere marsh. It is picturesquely situated, and I followed its borders for
+about three miles, having the sea on one side, the lake on the other.
+The track was easy and mostly on sand. At the outlet of the lake into
+the sea is the Ainu village of Tobuts, access to which is to be had only
+by boat, as the river is extremely deep, and its current very swift.
+
+In the proximity of Tobuts another and smaller lake, the Opoto, with its
+short and winding estuary, is on the left of the traveller, while a long
+way ahead the Abashiri rocks stand high on the horizon. A few Ainu huts
+are scattered along the coast, and some of them have peculiarly shaped
+storehouses. They are small, built entirely of wood, and roofed with
+shingles. Some have two floors, and in this case, though built on piles,
+the first floor is only a few inches above the ground. The "mat" was
+supplanted by a wooden door at the entrance of the storehouse.
+
+The Abashiri cliffs are grand, and from a distance have all the
+appearance of, though they are not in reality, basaltic rocks. They are
+scarred, riven, and fractured in all directions, as if by excessive
+heat. The upper portion of the cliffs is of a beautiful grey-whitish
+colour, blending into yellow and red at their warm brown bases. The
+small cylindrical islet which I give in the illustration is on the north
+side of this cliff, and is of the same volcanic formation. It has
+certain traces of sulphur as a further evidence of its origin. Flocks of
+sea-gulls, penguins, and cormorants have chosen this island for their
+abode.
+
+Abashiri is the only place on the north-east coast which may eventually
+be of some importance, as it has a fair anchorage for small craft under
+the lee of the islet and outstretching cliff. No other place on the
+north-east coast possesses such an advantage. On the Shiretoko Peninsula
+sulphur accumulations are found at Itashibeoni; but, unfortunately, the
+want of a safe harbour, the ruggedness of the coast, and the lack of
+drinkable water in the vicinity, are all facts which make it improbable
+that it could be worked with profit for some years to come. The Ainu at
+Abashiri are repulsive creatures, especially the men, and have more the
+appearance of wild beasts than human beings. Their faces are almost
+square, the mouth large, with narrow lips, the ends of which converge
+towards the ears. The nose is short and stumpy, they have very heavy
+eyebrows, and the eyes are almost lost under the shadow of their
+projecting forehead.
+
+Ponies are scarce and bad along this coast, and the further north one
+goes the more difficult the travelling becomes; the huts are rarer; the
+human beings more uncouth and solitary. The north-east coast is a region
+of swamps, lagoons, and quicksand rivers.
+
+Not far inland from Abashiri there is a large lagoon, the Abashiri-ko;
+then, a few miles further north, another as large--the Notoro-ko. The
+Abashiri Lake finds an outlet in a river which goes by the same name of,
+and falls into the pretty Bay of Abashiri; but the Notoro-ko, as well as
+the larger lagoon of Saruma-ko, which one comes upon after having passed
+the two villages of Tukoro and Tobuts, open directly into the sea. The
+strong current and the tide often block the entrance of these lagoons,
+and the rising water finds an outlet in a different spot. These lagoons
+are separated from the sea by a long and narrow strip of sand-hill; and
+crossing the outlet always involves great danger if the unwary traveller
+does not choose the right moment. The tide creating a great inequality
+of level between the sea and the lake, it follows that at the opening of
+the lagoon the water either throws itself from the sea into the lagoon,
+or _vice versâ_, according to the ebb or flow, and makes a kind of
+whirlpool. The Saruma Lake being much larger than any of the others,
+while its mouth is much smaller, and underlaid with quicksands, the
+danger is even greater, and the safest way is always to get across in a
+boat at slack water. The Saruma Lake is about fifteen miles in length
+and from two to three miles wide. Its water is salt, and large
+oyster-banks are found in it. It is also a favourite resort for seal and
+mallard. In winter they can be killed in great numbers, but in the
+warmer months they are shy, and very difficult to approach. The
+south-western shore of the lake is thickly wooded, and has as a
+background a long range of high mountains with smaller mountains in
+front of it.
+
+At Tobuts, a small village of a few huts, situated at the mouth of the
+Saruma lagoon, I halted for the night. There was a change in my diet
+that day, and I was entertained, or rather I entertained myself, to an
+oyster supper. They were enormous oysters, similar to those found at
+Akkeshi, but not very palatable. However, I was in luck that day, and
+not only did I have this oyster supper, but I actually was the hero of a
+tender little idyll. In this country surprises never come alone, and
+while I was sketching in the twilight to pass away the time, a tall slim
+figure of a girl came out of one of the huts. She had slipped her arms
+out of her robe, leaving the latter to hang from the girdle, and her
+breasts, arms, and the lower half of her legs were uncovered. She was
+pretty and quaint with her tattooed arms and a semicircular black spot
+on her upper lip. She walked a few steps forward, and when she saw me
+she stopped. She looked at me and I looked at her. Hers, with her soft
+eyes, was one of those looks which a man feels right through his body,
+notwithstanding all the self-control he may possess. There she stood, a
+graceful silhouette, with a bucket made of tree-bark in one hand and a
+vine-tree rope in the other, her supple figure almost motionless, and
+her eyes fixed on me. She was the most lovely Ainu girl I had ever come
+across, and not nearly so hairy as most of them. Indeed, in that soft
+twilight, and her wavy long hair blown by the fresh breeze, she was a
+perfect dream.
+
+[Illustration: AN AINU BELLE.]
+
+"Wakka!" ("Water!") cried an angry old voice from inside the hut,
+interrupting the beginning of our romance, and she sadly went to the
+brook, filled her bucket with water, and took it into the hut. It was
+only a few seconds before she reappeared, and came closer, and I
+finished the sketch somewhat hurriedly.
+
+"Let me see the tattoo on your arm," I asked her, and to my surprise the
+pretty maid took my hand in both her own, gave me one of those looks
+that I shall never forget, and her head fell on my shoulder. She
+clutched my hand tightly, and pressed it to her chest, and a force
+stronger than myself brought her and myself to the neighbouring forest.
+There we wandered and wandered till it grew very dark; we sat down, we
+chattered, we made love to each other; then we returned. I would not
+have mentioned this small episode if her ways of flirting had not been
+so extraordinary and funny. Loving and biting went together with her.
+She could not do the one without doing the other. As we sat on a stone
+in the semi-darkness she began by gently biting my fingers, without
+hurting me, as affectionate dogs often do to their masters; she then bit
+my arm, then my shoulder, and when she had worked herself up into a
+passion she put her arms round my neck and bit my cheeks. It was
+undoubtedly a curious way of making love, and when I had been bitten all
+over, and was pretty tired of the new sensation, we retired to our
+respective homes.
+
+In the evening, as I was writing my diary by the light of one of the
+oyster-shell primitive lamps, somebody noiselessly crept by my side. I
+turned my head round. It was she! She grew more and more sentimental as
+it grew later, and she bestowed on me caresses and bites in profusion.
+Kissing, apparently, was an unknown art to her. The old woman, in whose
+house I was, slept soundly all through this, as old women generally do
+on such occasions. By the mysterious light of the dying wick, casting
+heavy shadows, which marked her features strongly, with her jet-black
+wild hair fading away into the black background, with her passionate
+eyes, and her round, statue-like arms, the girl was more like a strange
+fairy than a human being.
+
+I sketched her twice in pencil, and the wick--that wretched wick!--grew
+feeble, and, for the lack of oil, began to dwindle away. I persuaded her
+to return to her hut, and with a few "bites" my hairy maid and I parted.
+
+The morning came, and I was up early. In the vicinity of the huts I
+found three Koro-pok-kuru pits similar to those we have already seen;
+and previous to arriving at Tobuts I also found a fort belonging to the
+pre-Ainu race. From Tobuts, continuing my journey north, on the stretch
+of sand between the water of the sea and that of the Saruma lake the
+travelling was fairly easy but monotonous. The long chain of mountains
+on the other side of the lake was magnificent in the morning light. For
+twenty-two miles this went on; then I had to cross the Yubets River in
+the picturesque spot where its waters divide before again uniting close
+to the sea. North of this river there are three more lagoons--the
+Komuki, the Shibumotzunai, and the Yassuchi, the first two of which have
+direct estuaries into the sea, generally blocked by drift-sand, and both
+are as dangerous as the Saruma lagoon when the water unexpectedly
+overflows. Owing to the heavy rains on the mountains the level of the
+lakes had risen considerably when I went through, and crossing the mouth
+of the first in a flat-bottomed boat, I was nearly swamped. The Ainu who
+was ferrying me across did not lose his presence of mind, and after a
+long struggle and violent efforts we reached the opposite shore. Yubets
+is a village of eighteen Ainu and three Japanese huts. The Ainu along
+these shores are extremely hairy, and some of them have red beards,
+while others are bald. Near some of their huts you may see cages where
+foxes and eagles are kept in captivity.
+
+The women, all the way to Soya Cape, the most northern point of Yezo,
+have given up tattooing a long moustache and their arms. A small
+semicircular spot, similar to the tattoo of the Shari women, is
+nevertheless not uncommon. Bears, yellow and black, again are said to be
+in huge quantities on the thickly-wooded mountains at the back of the
+Saruma and other lagoons.
+
+The coast is most desolate-looking. One may travel mile after mile
+without seeing a hut or meeting a single human being. Now and then, when
+I came to a lonely fisherman's hut, I was civilly treated; and, riding
+from morn till night, I reached Shari Mombets, where there are forty
+Ainu huts and about the same number of Japanese fishermen's shanties. It
+has a small anchorage for small junks only; but, unfortunately, it is
+not well protected, as the reef of rocks which runs in a north-east
+direction does not extend far out to sea. I was roughly treated here at
+first, for some Russian convicts, who had escaped from Sakhalin in an
+open boat, had been drifted by the current down this coast, and
+previously to my arrival had landed in the vicinity of this village.
+They were half starved, and could not speak a word of the language. They
+had no money and no clothes, and none of the natives seemed willing to
+help them in any way. Now that the long-wished-for freedom was obtained
+after years of servitude and chains, the four brave men, who had
+suffered agonies for days, and had almost miraculously escaped death in
+the treacherous currents of the Otkoshk Sea, were certainly not to be
+outwitted by a handful of hard-hearted Japanese or by a pack of hairy
+Ainu. They begged for food and could not obtain it, so they stole it,
+and ill-treated some of the natives who interfered. They then
+disappeared towards the south. When I put in an appearance, all alone
+and almost in rags, leading and dragging my tired pony, it is not
+astonishing that the first thing that struck them was that I must be
+another escaped Russian, "or bad man from Krafto,"[34] as the Ainu
+called me.
+
+    [34] _Krafto_, Ainu word for Sakhalin.
+
+The reception I received was pretty stormy; but when I understood what
+the matter was which caused the rioting, I set their minds at rest, and,
+speaking in their own language, told them that the "bad men of Krafto"
+were my enemies as well as theirs, and that, should I find them, I would
+punish them. Not only that, but, to make them perfectly at ease, I gave
+them some little present of money, which turned them at once into
+friends. As to the Russian convicts, there was no possibility of my
+finding them, for they were travelling towards the south from this
+point, and I was moving towards the north, so I was perfectly safe in
+passing myself off as a kind of supreme judge.
+
+Shari Mombets is a miserable place. In the house where I put up I was
+received by a young man, but the owner of the house did not show
+himself. The next morning, however, as I gave much more money than they
+expected, the landlord was brought to my room to thank me. The poor man
+suffered from elephantiasis--the wretched disease by which the head and
+all the limbs of the body assume gigantic proportions. His head was
+swollen to more than twice its normal size, and had lost its shape; his
+body was piteously deformed and inflated, his eyes nearly buried in
+flesh. The weight of his head was such that the cervical vertebræ were
+scarcely strong enough to support it erect; and when he bowed down in
+Japanese fashion to thank me and bid me good-bye, I had to run to his
+help, for he could not get up again. Poor man! And when we reflect that
+in more civilised countries many people think themselves very ill and
+suffering when they have a pimple on their nose, or a cold in their
+head!
+
+[Illustration: SARUMA LAGOON.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AN EAGLE-DISPLAYED SABLE.]
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+Along the Lagoons of the North-east Coast--From Shari Mombets to
+Poronai.
+
+
+I proceeded north. The Ainu scattered here and there on the coast seemed
+to be hairier and uglier than any of their inland brethren. Two or three
+women had already put on their winter fur garments, as the cold weather
+had begun; and they looked extremely picturesque in them. Most of the
+huts were uninhabited, and had been abandoned by their owners. The sky
+was whitish and cold, and here and there along the beach some huge bones
+of whales had been washed on shore by the tide. Some distance off an
+outcast horse was attacked by thousands of famished crows. It is not an
+uncommon occurrence in Yezo. The black scavengers generally attack very
+young animals, and, flying on the pony's head, peck out its eyes. The
+pony, frightened, and driven mad by pain, bolts, and in his blind and
+reckless race either falls down a precipice and is killed outright, or
+else is driven to the coast by these daring wretches, which continue to
+peck at him with cruel and ceaseless avidity. There, with its way barred
+by the waves, tortured to death, and neighing desperately, the helpless
+beast succumbs, and affords the hungry birds a good meal, while hundreds
+gathered thick on the body, peck the poor brute to death. Thousands of
+others sit screaming in long rows round the scene of the fight,
+attentively watching for the final result, when they too can join in,
+and experience the joys of sated hunger. Nature can indeed be cruel.
+
+I stopped at a hut. My host was decidedly peculiar. For convenience we
+shall call him Omangus, which only means a "gone man," or a lunatic. I
+had heard of him further south, and I was anxious to make his
+acquaintance. I had not been five minutes in his hut before I perceived
+that he really was a lunatic. His head was of an abnormally large size;
+his skull was well developed at the back, with those prominent bumps
+behind the ears which show great love of eating. His forehead was high,
+and very slanting; the upper part was wider than near the eyebrows,
+which were so thick and bushy as nearly to cover the eyes. His nose,
+with its large nostrils, was stumpy and covered with hair, while his
+enormous projecting eyes were restless and fierce. His luxuriant
+moustache and beard matched the thick crop of long black hair which
+covered his whole body. His legs were short, wiry, with stiff and
+swollen joints, probably owing to rheumatism. His arms were very long,
+and his toes were also abnormally long. Altogether he had the appearance
+of a large orang-outang more than that of a human being. All his
+movements resembled those of a wild beast, and now and then, when
+pleased or dissatisfied, he would groan in a way not dissimilar to the
+growling of a bear. In fact, he was labouring under the belief that he
+was a wild beast of some sort, and apparently he regarded himself as a
+"bruin." I never heard him speak or utter words, but whether he was
+actually dumb or not I was not able to ascertain, as every time I tried
+to examine his mouth he attempted to bite me. His biting, however, was
+of a different nature from that of the sweet girl on the Saruma shores,
+and when he did bite he bit well. One day in a struggle I came off
+nearly minus two joints of the third finger of my right hand.
+
+I several times attempted to take measurements of his skull and bones,
+but with no success. Once, as I had got hold of him and was feeling the
+"bumps" on his skull, he managed to disentangle himself, and grabbed me
+by the hair, which led to a conflict, and caused me a "très mauvais
+quart d'heure." We fought desperately, and I was thoroughly "licked";
+not, however, before having found out that he had no bump of
+sensitiveness and none of philoprogenitiveness. He was pleased with his
+victory, and the hostilities ended. He hopped away cautiously, and I saw
+him climb on his hands and feet over the cliff near his hut, where he
+disappeared.
+
+Some hours later I saw the monomaniac stealthily creeping back among the
+rocks. I was some way from the hut, in a place where he could not see
+me. He came slowly forward, watching the hut suspiciously, as he
+evidently thought I was still inside. When he got near he stopped to
+pick up a large stone, and with it in his right hand he sneaked along
+towards the hut. He listened, and crept in. I followed immediately
+after. He was furious when I entered, and tried to escape, but I barred
+his way. He retreated into a corner, crouched down groaning, and showed
+signs of impatience. I could see that he was frightened, and I went to
+him and endeavoured to soothe him; not without success, for he became
+quieter, and I once more noticed the great power that a stronger will
+can exercise over a weaker one. As long as I was staring at him he never
+dared to move, and I could "will" him to do almost anything I wanted by
+thinking hard that he should do it; but when once I turned my eyes away
+I had no more control over him.
+
+This is just what happened that day. Thinking that he would keep quiet
+for some minutes, I got out my palette and brushes in order to take his
+likeness. I had till then relied on my power of "willing" people, when
+my host, seizing the opportunity of my turning my head away for one
+moment, grabbed the stone which he had picked up, and threw it with
+great force at me. I was hit in the ribs, and was hurt sufficiently to
+lose my temper. I went for him, and gave him a sound thrashing, which
+sometimes has more effect than all the "willing" in the world. He became
+docile after that, and I took him outside and forced him to squat down.
+
+[Illustration: MY HOST, THE MADMAN.]
+
+He was restless while I was painting him, and hundreds of half-starved
+crows, which seemed to be on good terms with my sitter, gathered round
+him, chatting in their incomprehensible and noisy language. Some of them
+even flew on to his back and shoulders, and he touched them without
+their flying away.
+
+I was astounded at the familiarity which existed between the madman and
+the birds. They seemed to understand each other, and had I only been
+sufficiently imaginative I might have asserted that I even saw them
+kissing him. Unfortunately, when the first astonishment was over I
+understood the reason of the affection on the part of the scavengers,
+and the whole mystery was unveiled to me. Like all mysteries, the
+apparently extraordinary friendship between the madman and the black
+birds turned out to be a plain bit of literal prose, and, I must add, a
+very disgusting bit. The maniac was covered with vermin, and the
+affectionate kisses of the crows were not kisses of love or sympathy,
+but only mouthfuls of parasites, which they found among the thick hair
+of his body.
+
+Two or three times the maniac crawled up to me, and seemed anxious to
+touch the colours on my palette, and also to put his fingers on the
+sketch. He saw that he gained nothing by being a foe, so he became a
+friend. He even became a great friend when I presented him with a shiny
+silver coin.
+
+Though Omangus was undoubtedly insane, he was a very practical person.
+As will be seen by the illustration, his attire was simple, and no
+allowance was made for pockets. He looked at the coin, turned it over in
+his hands several times, and grinned; then he placed it in his mouth for
+safe keeping. His mouth was apparently his purse. As I saw that he was
+fond of silver coins, I gave him one or two more, and all of them were
+religiously kept in the same natural pocket, except at night, when he
+hid them under a large stone. At sunrise they were collected again and
+placed back under his tongue or in one of his cheeks.
+
+I cannot say that my host was by any means brilliant, but, like most
+lunatics, he was a good soul apart from his little peculiarities. It was
+unfortunate that he had lost the power of speech, or I might have learnt
+some strange things from him.
+
+Omangus was generally restless at night, and while asleep he seemed to
+suffer from awful nightmares. Most Ainu as a rule do not. One morning at
+dawn, as the first rays of light penetrated the hut, I watched him. He
+had been groaning frightfully all night, and I had not been able to
+sleep. He was lying flat on his back breathing heavily, and now and then
+he had a kind of spasm, during which he ground his teeth together with
+violence. It was during these spasms, or nervous contractions, that he
+groaned most fiercely. As he was so stretched I noticed how
+extraordinarily long his femur was compared to his tibia. I gently
+placed my hand over his heart, and found it was beating rapidly and
+irregularly. His forehead also was feverish and abnormally warm. He did
+not wake up, but as soon as the nervous strain was over he fell into a
+lethargic state. He appeared to have lost all strength, and it took me
+some time to awake him; but he finally opened his eyes, and, drowsily
+getting up, yawned to his heart's content, and went to fetch the hidden
+coins.
+
+The more I saw of Omangus, the more he puzzled me. His faculties were
+defective; still, he seemed to possess a fairly good memory. If not, how
+could he remember the concealed treasure? Although he was not able to
+form ideas of his own, he could retain those which he had grasped. His
+hearing was extremely acute, and his inability to speak must have
+undoubtedly been caused by paralysis of the tongue and vocal organs.
+Several times he made violent attempts to utter words, which he would
+not have done had he been born dumb.
+
+After the second day of my pleasant stay in Omangus' ten feet square
+sea-side residence my host became more genial and even affectionate.
+Instead of constantly running away from me he sat opposite me,
+attentively watching all my movements; and if I happened to be
+whistling, he slowly crept nearer, grinning with delight. Occasionally
+he crouched himself by my side, even resting against me. I did not
+approve of the latter proof of affection, not so much for his own sake
+as on account of the "large company" which he carried with him; but I
+had to put up with it until I found a counter-action in loud singing,
+which frightened him away.
+
+Omangus had a quantity of last year's salmon, which he had dried in the
+sun, and which was now hanging from the roof of the little hut. The
+first day or two of my stay there I had but little to eat, owing to his
+belligerent behaviour. He rebelled every time that I attempted to touch
+his provisions, and what I had to eat was generally appropriated while
+my host was out. Afterwards, however, he became generous, and gave me
+more than I wanted. He took good care to draw the three coins out of his
+mouth while he was eating, but once, during a nervous fit, to which he
+was often subject, he swallowed one of them.
+
+One morning, weary of my lunatic friend's company, I packed all my traps
+and went to fetch my pony. Omangus seemed aghast, suspecting that I was
+about to leave. He was restless, and followed me, moaning, from the hut
+to the pony and back, and, with a forlorn look in his eyes, watched me
+bring the baggage outside and lash it to the pack-saddle. I gave him a
+couple more silver coins, which I thought would make him happy; but he
+dropped them in the sand. I bade good-bye to him and left; and there
+poor Omangus stood motionless, gazing at me until the winding shore took
+me round the cliff. He was out of sight for some minutes, but he soon
+reappeared on the summit of the cliff itself, on to which he rapidly
+climbed, and from this point of vantage he could see the coast for
+several miles. There standing, a black figure against the rising sun,
+the hairy Ainu became smaller and smaller as I moved away from him,
+until nothing but a black spot could be seen against the sky; then even
+that spot disappeared. It was the last I saw of my host the madman.
+
+The rivers were troublesome all along this part of my journey, and as
+most of them had quicksands, the safest plan was to cross them in a
+boat, when this was obtainable. However, as I went further north the
+boats became scarce and more scarce, and the small villages, few and
+very far between. I seldom came across a human being with whom I could
+exchange a word, and the constant solitude induced in me the bad habit
+of talking to myself, to animals, or to inanimate objects. My
+unfortunate pony was often lectured on different subjects, and the
+millions of seagulls and penguins all along the coast were asked
+questions of all sorts, which, however, they invariably left unanswered.
+It was strange to see the myriads of birds stretched in two or three
+lines along the shore. Like the "beasts which roamed over the plains" in
+Alexander Selkirk's lament, they had seen so few human beings as to be
+indifferent to me and my pony, and I could walk among them without
+disturbing them or causing them to fly away. The penguins were my
+greatest source of amusement, with their fat bodies and their funny way
+of lifting up one leg as I was approaching, in order to get enough
+spring to raise themselves from the ground had I attempted to capture
+them. I was soliloquising, according to my then custom, while watching
+these droll birds, when not more than two hundred yards ahead I saw two
+large eagles. One of them was perched on a low cliff, the other was
+flying about, now and then returning near to its mate. I dismounted,
+with my revolver in my hand; I had a pocketful of cartridges. I crept
+stealthily from rock to rock, keeping well out of their sight until I
+came close to the pinnacled rock on which they stood. I was then about
+fifty yards from them, and it was useless my firing at such a distance
+with a revolver. I peeped over the rocks, and one of them saw me and
+flew away, while the other remained where it was, stretching its neck in
+my direction. Its piercing eyes were fixed full on me as I was
+approaching; it understood that danger was imminent, and it seemed ready
+to resist the attack. I drew nearer and nearer, and when about four
+yards away I fired two shots, both of which went through its breast, and
+the eagle, with its widespread wings, fell from its lofty pinnacle and
+came down heavily on its back.
+
+In its last convulsions it made desperate efforts to clutch me with its
+long sharp claws; but a couple more shots finished it. The male bird,
+which meanwhile had been describing circles high up in the sky over my
+head, plunged down on me with incredible velocity. I emptied the last
+chamber of my revolver into him, just as the wind of his large wings
+made my eyes twinkle; and to evade the grip of his outstretched claws I
+had to cover my face with my left arm. The report stunned him, and
+flapping his wings, he rose again, to resume his circling over my head,
+leaving a few of his feathers floating in the air. I reloaded quickly,
+and each time he attacked me he was received with a volley. Another
+bullet went through his wing, and his flying became unsteady; he flew
+on to a distant cliff, and there he remained. I seized this opportunity
+of carrying the dead bird away and lash it on to my saddle; but while I
+was so engaged the male eagle flew back to the pinnacle where I had
+first seen the two together, and stretching his enormous wings to their
+full width, screamed as if in despair. On the pinnacle was their nest
+and young, and that was why the female had kept watch and ward over her
+eyrie, and also why she had not abandoned it even when I approached.
+
+I mounted my pony and away I rode with my prey. The male bird followed
+me for miles and miles, and now and then I had to fire to keep him at a
+respectful distance. Ultimately he left me, and my delight was immense
+when, instead of seeing him over my head, ready to plunge on me at any
+moment, I saw him disappear behind the cliff, flying rapidly but
+unsteadily back to his eyrie.
+
+As I now made sure that he had no intention of pursuing me any longer, I
+dismounted, and proceeded to skin the eagle I had shot. It was decidedly
+a magnificent specimen. It measured seven feet from tip to tip of wings,
+and its claws were nearly as large as a child's hand. The semicircular
+nails measured two inches, and were extremely pointed, which fact made
+me feel very thankful that I had just escaped the grip of its male
+companion. The beak was enormous, of a rich yellow colour, the upper
+mandible overlapping the lower. The feathers were black all over, with
+the exception of the tail, which was white. I believe that this kind of
+eagle is generally called the "black sea-eagle," and is found in
+Kamschatka, Yezo, and also along the Siberian coast of the Japan Sea and
+Gulf of Tartary.
+
+I found a sheltered spot, and with my large Ainu knife proceeded to
+dissect the bird. Each minute seemed as long as hours, for I feared the
+male bird might reappear on the scene as I was thus occupied in
+stripping the skin from the carcass of his beloved helpmate. There is no
+knowing what effect anatomical researches might have on a Yezo eagle. My
+heart bounded with joy when the operation was successfully completed,
+and I went to wash my hands in the sea. I came back to the bird, or
+rather its skin, and I was indeed proud of my work, when a horrid idea
+struck me. How was I to get the skin dried? I should be moving day
+after day, and it would not be possible to pack it in that condition
+among my sketches; I had no arsenical soap, and unless I dried it in the
+sun it would certainly rot, and get spoiled.
+
+I resorted to a trick. I fastened two sticks crossways, and having stuck
+one up the eagle's neck, I fastened the two opened wings to the two side
+branches of the cross. The skin was thus kept well opened, and with two
+additional strings, one at each wing, the frame was fastened on to my
+back, the feathered side against my coat, while the inside was exposed
+to the sun and the wind. In wading a river I saw my own image reflected
+in the water, and I must confess the appearance was strange. A few hours
+after a group of Ainu were able to certify to this. I was riding slowly
+along the shore, when I saw a few of them not very far ahead. Two men
+were the first to notice me, and they seemed terror-stricken. As I
+approached they stood still for a minute, shading their eyes with their
+hands so as to make out what kind of winged animal it was they saw
+riding on horseback. When they discovered that the black wings were on a
+human being, the two brave Ainu fled, crying out, "_Wooi, wooi!_" the
+hairy people's cry of distress.
+
+As I got nearer the village, dozens of wild dogs came to meet me, and,
+barking furiously, followed my pony, while the few inhabitants,
+frightened out of their wits at such an unusual sight, hid themselves
+inside their huts. Two or three hurriedly launched their "dug-outs" and
+put out to sea. When I passed the first hut some large salmon were
+thrown at me from inside, probably with the idea that I might satisfy my
+appetite on them, and spare the lives of the trembling donors. Food was
+not over-plentiful along that coast, so I dismounted and picked up the
+provisions so munificently provided by the scared natives. I tied them
+on each side of my pack-saddle, not sorry to be thus saved from the
+danger of dying of starvation--at least for the next two or three days.
+
+As I was so occupied, a little child about four years old, evading the
+vigilance of his parents, ran out of one of the huts. I took him in my
+arms; whereat he cried bitterly, and when the people inside heard it
+there were screams of indignation and despair.
+
+Maternal love is occasionally strong even among Ainu women, and while I
+tried hard to quiet the shrieking baby, his mother, as pale as the dirt
+on her face allowed her to be, came out trembling, and, offering me
+another large salmon, begged me to accept it in exchange for her child,
+who, she said, was not good to eat! It is needless to say that I was
+magnanimous enough to accept her offer, and thereupon handed the child
+over to his mother, who fled with him back into the hut. Then I took off
+my wings and went in after her, explaining to the frightened natives
+what I really was. It took them some minutes, however, to overcome their
+first impression, and then the men were pretty hard on the women for
+having given all the salmon away. The same scene was more or less
+vividly repeated when I came across any other natives during all the
+time that I wore the eagle-skin on my back. I have related this small
+anecdote, as, a few years hence, when some worthy missionary or
+imaginative traveller visits that barren coast of Yezo, it is not
+improbable that he may hear of some additional Ainu legend, which, the
+good missionaries will say, proves that the Ainu are fully aware of the
+existence of heaven and hell.
+
+"A heathen child," the legend will very likely run, "whose parents had
+not embraced our Christian faith, was one day plainly seen by his mother
+in the arms of a black-winged devil. The devil was seen by many, and he
+came from the lower regions on an unknown animal with huge side
+paunches, in which he kept the heathen children he had eaten. The
+mother, who, through her wickedness, saw herself deprived of her child,
+gave offerings to the gods, some through the eastern window for the
+sun-god, and some through the door for the other gods. The offerings
+were accepted, but none of the gods came to her help, and the child was
+nearly lost. Her guiding star appeared to her in that supreme moment,
+and inspired her to reach down from the roof the largest salmon in
+store. She walked out of the hut and offered it to another god, whom she
+knew not before. Instantly the child was restored to his mother. (That
+the god took the salmon would probably be omitted in the legend.) The
+black-winged demon vanished, and the hut was visited by a white being
+(freely translated, "the guardian angel"), with a halo (my white terai
+hat) round his head. He rewarded them, and from that day the family has
+been happy in the faith which they learned in such a miraculous manner."
+
+"Does not this legend speak for itself?" the good missionaries will tell
+us. "Does it not show that the savage Ainu are Christians without
+knowing it?"
+
+I have given these two versions of the same story, as they show the
+reader how easy it is to garble accounts and misrepresent facts. It is a
+good illustration of what I say in my chapter on the Ainu beliefs and
+superstitions, and I must be forgiven if I have ventured to make fun of
+the missionaries. It is not because I dislike them, for I gladly admit
+that some of them out in the East have done good work; but,
+unfortunately, most of them will not take an open-minded view of facts.
+They are so wrapped up in their good work of converting people to
+Christianity that, outside of that, they occasionally have a tendency to
+tinge with their own preconceived ideas, facts which to a less biased
+mind appear simple enough.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: SARUBUTS, SHOWING RIVER-COURSE ALTERED BY DRIFT SAND.]
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+On the North-East Coast--From Poronai to Cape Soya.
+
+
+It was late in the evening when I arrived at Poronai.[35] Saruru, the
+last village I had passed, had only six Ainu and three Japanese huts,
+and the nine or ten miles between there and this place were most
+uninteresting. I was taken across one of the quicksand rivers in the
+ferry by a lovely Ainu girl of about twelve years of age. I have never
+seen a more picturesque being than she was. She was partly dressed in
+skins, but half her chest was bare; her wildly-curled black hair fell
+over her shoulders, and while gracefully paddling across the ferry she
+occasionally threw back her head, thus shaking back the hair that the
+wind had blown over her eyes.
+
+    [35] _Poro_, large; _nai_, stream.
+
+I have often noticed how supple the children of savages are, and how
+like in ease and grace and unconscious rhythm their movements are to
+those of wild animals. Sometimes, to be sure, they have the jerky,
+quick, and ungraceful movements of monkeys, but as a rule their actions
+are unconsciously graceful. Of course, with our children such
+unconscious grace is rare at any time, even when found at all, as from
+the day when they are born we train them to artificiality of all kinds,
+and this artificiality becomes in a sense second nature, overlaying, if
+not destroying, the original impress. And yet that impress is probably
+not wholly destroyed, for, so far as my own experience goes, I, who had
+from my birth led a civilised life, now that I had been for some months
+among barbarians had so little conventionality left in me as to be quite
+happy, or even happier than before, in leading a perfectly uncivilised
+existence. In the absence of chairs and sofas, instinct and the example
+of the natives taught me to squat as they did, and when I had once got
+into the way of it I found the position much more restful than any of
+our European so-called comfortable ways of sitting. It was the same
+thing when I had to sleep, either in the open air or in Ainu huts, where
+there was no more bedding than sofas or easy chairs. To protect myself
+from the cold I almost invariably slept sitting on the ground, with my
+head resting on my knees, just like the apes in the Zoological Gardens.
+I am sure that a good many of my readers, who have never gone through
+such an experience, will put me down as a "crank;" others will say that
+I am a worthy companion of my friend the hairy lunatic, and the most
+charitable will think that, bearing the name of "Savage Landor," I am
+only indulging in a new edition of "Imaginary Conversations," without
+the literary merits of the old. Such is not the case. I have mentioned
+these facts, not to amuse the reader, or merely for the sake of paradox,
+but to show how shallow is the veneer of civilisation which we are apt
+to think so thorough, and how a very short time spent unaccompanied by
+men of one's own stamp, and alone with "nature," rubs the whole thing
+away, and brings us back to instinct rather than education. I am willing
+to admit that not many people would care to follow in my footsteps, and
+live as I lived for months among the Ainu in order to prove whether I am
+right or wrong. Many who have only sat in comfortable chairs or slept in
+soft beds will hardly think my statements credible; but as the
+experiences, besides being of great amusement, were of great interest to
+me, I shall pass them on to my readers, no matter what opinion they may
+form of him who has written them.
+
+Another quality, merely instinctive, which I developed in my lonesome
+peregrinations was the power of accurate tracking. Most people are
+astonished at the wonderful tales told of the tracking abilities of the
+Australian black fellows, and of savages in general; but few ever think
+that if when young they had led the same life as these savages they
+would be as good trackers as the best. As there were absolutely no
+roads, and I travelled with no guide, servant, or companion, the power
+of discovering traces became invaluable to me. It was instinctive in me,
+developed rather than acquired, and therefore I mention it in connection
+with the other facts relating to animal and human instincts.
+Furthermore, I may assert that, until I was thus compelled to make use
+of that faculty, I was not aware that I possessed it.
+
+We find that horses, bears, and most animals are good trackers. Dogs,
+the nearest in intelligence to men, are better than any other quadruped.
+Then come savages, who are the masters of tracking among human beings;
+but as we rise in the scale of civilisation we find that this faculty of
+following a slightly indicated track hardly exists. Does, then,
+intellectual education destroy our instincts instead of improving them?
+
+Tracking on sandy or tufaceous ground is an easy matter, as of course
+the foot leaves a well-marked print; but where I found real difficulty
+was over rocky ground, until I got used to it, and knew all the signs
+and what I had to look for. However, with a little practice, even over
+rocks which the sea has washed, it is not impossible to know if such and
+such creatures, human or animal, have passed that way.
+
+One of the first things in tracking is to look for marks where they are
+likely to be; and this is just where the instinct comes in. Next to
+this, a clear knowledge of the person's or animal's way of walking and
+general habits is necessary. For instance, when I tried to discern
+tracks of Ainu, I invariably looked for them along the sea-shore, and
+failing that, on the adjoining cliffs, as I well knew that if any Ainu
+had passed by there he would have kept either along the coast or not far
+from it. By examination it is easy to see if the ground has been in any
+way disturbed of late. Sometimes a small stone moved from the place
+where it had been for years shows a difference in colour where it has
+been affected by the weather and where not, thus giving a distinct clue
+of some passer-by, man or brute; and when once you have found what the
+characteristics of the tracks are, the most difficult part of the task
+is accomplished.
+
+On weather-beaten rocks the trail is more difficult to strike, and more
+difficult still on rocks over which the sea washes. "For," say the
+simple people, "how can you see tracks on hard stone? The foot certainly
+does not leave a print on rocks as on sand; and even supposing that the
+feet were dirty, the sea would wash away the marks, and you could not
+see anything."
+
+In my case I limited my search to bare-footed marks, as the Ainu
+generally go bare-footed. Everybody knows that dogs track by scent, and
+this is a sure proof that every footmark must have a certain special
+odour, however infinitesimal. When we remember that the act of walking
+makes the feet warm and perspire, it is easy to understand that this
+perspiration, which is a greasy substance, leaves a mark on the
+stone--though to be sure it is sometimes almost imperceptible,
+especially when quite fresh. But most of us, when children at school,
+have noticed that touching a slate with moist fingers leaves a greasy
+mark, which could not be rubbed off again. The same thing happens when
+we tread on stones with bare feet. If the sea washes over the stones
+after the greasy impression has been thus made on them, it does nothing
+but accentuate these marks, and show them more plainly, as the salt
+water acts in one way on the untouched parts of the stone, but in a
+different way where the grease has been absorbed. These marks are
+generally very faint, and it requires some training before they can be
+discerned; but when the knack is once acquired, they become evident
+enough. To an observant eye, and with a little practice, it is not
+difficult to perceive whether one or more persons have tramped on a
+given place, and in what direction they have travelled. The marks on
+stones which are washed over by the sea are usually of a lightish
+colour.
+
+I could almost invariably distinguish the footmarks of an Ainu from
+those of a Japanese, as the Ainu take longer strides, and their toes are
+longer than those of the Japanese. Moreover, with the latter, when
+walking the greater pressure is forward under the foot, and their toes
+are turned in; while in Ainu footprints the whole foot rests on the
+ground, and they keep it perfectly straight, moving the two feet
+parallel to each other.
+
+I have given these few points on tracking, as it will explain to the
+reader how I was able to find my way from one village to another miles
+apart, to steer for huts where I had never been, and to overcome great
+difficulties, which I could not have surmounted if I had not learnt the
+art of tracking, and so far developed my natural powers. My ponies were
+also to a great extent my teachers; and by a close examination of their
+instinct I learned that I myself possessed it, and improved on it.
+
+Between Sawaki, or Fujima, and Poronai there is a beautiful forest of
+oak and hard-wood trees on the hills and firs on the higher mountains,
+while the shore above the sea-wash is covered with thick scrub-bamboo,
+which reaches a height of about ten feet.
+
+On the sandy beach, besides a large number of whales' bones, there is
+any amount of driftwood.
+
+At Poronai, which consisted of only eight huts, the Ainu had adopted an
+architecture for their storehouses different to that of other tribes.
+The walls and the roof were made partly of wood, partly of the bark of
+trees. Heavy stones were placed on the roof to prevent it from being
+blown away during the strong gales so frequent along that coast.
+
+The natives described the winter weather as very severe, especially
+during northerly winds, and they told me that some years the sea all
+along the coast is frozen for some eight or ten miles out, besides the
+drift-ice which sets in from the north and works its way along the coast
+as far as Cape Nossyap, in the neighbourhood of Nemuro. At the beginning
+of the winter this ice, probably drifted across from Sakhalin by the
+strong current in the La Perouse Strait, sets in from the north and
+works down all along the north-east coast of Yezo, filling up all
+indentations in the coast-line, and forming a solid mass on the surface
+of the water.
+
+Seals are very plentiful on these shores as far as Abashiri, but the
+greatest number are found on the Saruma lagoon. In winter it is not
+difficult to come within reach of them, but even in September I saw many
+of them. They were, however, very shy, and when they caught sight of me
+instantly disappeared under water.
+
+A few miles from Poronai I came to a headland, and about one mile from
+it lay the small island of Chuskin.
+
+The coast again, instead of being sandy, showed traces of its volcanic
+formation, forming beautiful cliffs and a rugged outline, rising in
+terraces at places, or cliffs of clay and gravel sediments, with reefs
+extending far out to sea, while below them stretched a beach of coarse
+sand or pebbles, strewn with enormous volcanic boulders. These terraces
+are wooded mostly with alder, Yezo fir, and beech.
+
+Soon after crossing the Porobets River I came across the wreck of a
+sailing ship, which lay flat on the shore disabled and dismasted; and at
+last I reached Esashi. There I again noticed a curious fact, which may
+be of some interest to anthropologists; namely, that Yezo is mostly
+formed of Tertiaries and volcanic rocks, and that the Ainu are mostly to
+be found in regions of Cainozoic or Tertiary formation. In volcanic
+districts they are very scarce. This is curious, for it is a well-known
+fact that the typical life-form of Tertiaries is anthropoid apes, and it
+is a remarkable coincidence that we should find ape-like men populating
+the same strata.
+
+From Esashi the coast is extremely rough and rocky for about eight
+miles. I had to take my famished pony up and down steep mountains rising
+directly from the sea in places where the beach was impassable. Owing to
+the lack of grass my wretched beast had but little to eat; and what with
+the danger of riding, and the miserable condition my pony was in, I had
+to walk most of the way and lead him. Shanoi, about thirteen miles
+further, came in sight--a group of wretched fishermen's huts; and from
+here the coast was somewhat better. The scenery all along is beautiful,
+especially looking back towards the Shanoi Mountains. I saw one or two
+abandoned huts blown down by the wind, but no people.
+
+Near Shanoi the eruptive rocks and granitic cliffs suddenly come to an
+end, as well as the mountainous character of the country, and for
+fifteen miles, till one comes to Sarubuts, the country is pretty flat
+and swampy, with a thick vegetation inland of spruce trees. There is a
+small lagoon formed by the Tombets River, and which often has its mouth
+blocked by the quicksands, which cause it to overflow.
+
+I left Sarubuts in pouring rain, following the trail along the beach.
+The river forms a long narrow lake similar to that of Tombets, and at
+the back of it are terraces and high lands, but no very high mountains.
+Another wreck of a large boat lay in fragments on the sand, and after
+fifteen miles of very uninteresting scenery I arrived at Chietomamai, a
+group of four or five fishermen's huts. Here again the coast was rough,
+but my pony did not sink in the sand as it did on leaving Sarubuts, but
+it stumbled among large pebbles and stones as pointed as needles.
+Further on were grey and brown steep cliffs, which were extremely
+picturesque. The Mezozoic nature of this coast shows more distinctly
+between Chietomamai and Soya Cape, and a large rock emerging from the
+sea is both peculiar and picturesque with its numerous square sections.
+It is from this point that one gets the first view of Soya Cape. Going
+round a bay one passes a few fishermen's houses, and on the cliffs above
+them has been erected the Siliusi lighthouse. I cleared the Cape and
+rounded the bay on the other side, where I saw another wreck of a
+sailing ship dashed upon the rocks, making the scene a sad one. I still
+went on, and went round two or three smaller headlands, when the
+melancholy sight of a fourth wreck stood before me. This last ship had
+her stern out of the water, and a Turkish name was painted on it. Her
+appearance also was Turkish, and I was more than once puzzled as to what
+a Turkish ship could have been doing in the La Perouse Strait. Many
+months afterwards, on my return to Yokohama, but too late to be of any
+help to them, the sad story of the survivors of that ship was revealed
+to me. The mission of the ship in those far-off seas was a mysterious
+one. No one ever knew exactly whence she came, or whither she was bound.
+No one ever learned whether she had been disabled in a typhoon in the
+Chinese Sea, and had been drifted so far north by the strong currents,
+or whether the careless Turkish master had mistaken his course and had
+met his fate in the dangerous currents of La Perouse Strait. Only four
+of the crew survived. There they were on that deserted coast, with no
+clothes, no food, no money; but the few natives treated them kindly. Two
+of them wore "_Tarbouches_" (red caps), the only things they had saved
+from the wreck. The natives on the north-west coast told me of these men
+who were tramping their way south, unable to make themselves understood,
+continually asking for "_Sekhara_," or "_Sakhara_," which, I believe, in
+the Turkish language means tobacco or cigarettes. After months of
+privations, half starved, and worn out with fatigue, they reached
+Hakodate, where, having no passport, and not being able to explain
+themselves, they were duly arrested and sent down to Yokohama.
+Unfortunately for them, at that time the "Entogroul," a Turkish
+man-of-war, had come to Japan, a voyage which took her two years, to
+bring some decorations which the Sultan had bestowed on the Mikado.
+Osman Pasha, the Admiral, had the poor devils brought before him, and
+they told him their sad story, what they had suffered, and how they had
+lost their ship. The story was too true to be believed, or too strange
+to sound true!
+
+"Impostors!" said Osman Pasha, and declining to listen any more to their
+tale of woe, which he called "pure lies," had them "put in irons," in
+which condition they were to be taken back to Constantinople. None of
+the foreign residents in Japan believed the story of these wretches, and
+all were glad to see the miscreants punished. "Impossible," said
+everybody, "that a Turkish ship should have been up there!"
+
+As it so happened, the "Entogroul," on her return trip to
+Constantinople, was herself caught in a typhoon, and, steaming full
+speed to resist the force of the wind and the waves, her boilers burst,
+and Osman Pasha and nearly all hands on board were blown to pieces or
+drowned. If I remember right, over three hundred and sixty lives were
+lost, and no doubt the four men, whose prison, I was told, was near the
+boilers, thus found a tragic end to their life of misery.
+
+When I arrived at Yokohama all this had already happened, and my
+evidence, which probably might have saved the life of these men, was
+therefore useless.
+
+But let us return to Soya Cape, where we have left the wreck.
+
+The rapid current which comes through the Strait gives a horrid look to
+the water, and I have never seen the sea look so vicious. The natives of
+the small Soya village told me that it is impossible to cross over to
+Sakhalin, the high mountains of which, covered with snow and glaciers, I
+could see distinctly. The distance from land to land is about
+twenty-eight miles, but no small boat can get across without being
+swamped. They told me also that often dead bodies of Russians are washed
+on shore, probably unfortunate convicts who found their death in
+attempting to obtain liberty. H.M.S. "Rattler" was wrecked in 1868 on
+one of the numerous reefs near this Cape, so the record of Soya could
+hardly be more mournful.
+
+After the Cape has been well rounded one finds oneself in a bay opening
+due north. In the winter time this bay is completely blocked with ice,
+but the Strait itself is never entirely frozen, owing to the strong warm
+current from the Chinese Sea, which the Japanese call by the name of
+Kuroshiwo.
+
+Soya village is a wretched place of thirty or forty sheds. A few planks,
+badly joined together, and with a kind of a roof over them, made my
+shelter for the night. Soya Cape is the most northern point of the
+north-east coast, and before we abandon it to move towards the south,
+along the west coast, it is important to mention the peculiar and
+conspicuous characteristic of the marked bending of watercourses in a
+south or south-easterly direction. They are forced that way by the
+drift-sand travelling along the coast from north-west to south-east with
+the Kuroshiwo current, which drift-sand is in such quantities as often
+to block altogether the mouths of some rivers, and form the large
+lagoons so common along this coast. The lack of harbours or sheltered
+anchorages, the inhospitable and unfertile shores, the quicksands, and
+the severe climate, besides the danger of being swamped and carried away
+by the overflow of a lagoon or lake, make this coast of little
+attraction for intending settlers or for pleasure-seekers.
+
+Herrings are plentiful all along the coast, but fishing stations could
+not possibly pay, even if any were established, owing to the difficulty
+and expense of carriage and freight, and the risk that ships would run
+in calling at such exposed and unprotected shores.
+
+[Illustration: AINU VILLAGE ON THE EAST COAST OF YEZO.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: MASHIKE MOUNTAIN.]
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+From Cape Soya to the Ishikari River.
+
+
+From Soya the coast forms a large bay, which opens due north, and which
+ends in Cape Soya on the eastern side and in Cape Nossyap on the
+western. Almost in the middle is the small village of Coittoe, and from
+this place, towering beyond the flat Nossyap peninsula, one can see
+Rishiri Island. Near the western part of the bay are some small hills,
+covered mainly with fir-trees. Wakkanai, a Japanese village, is on the
+west coast of the bay, and north of it is Cape Nossyap. From this cape
+is a lovely view of Rishiri and Repunshiri Islands. Rishiri is a
+volcanic cone 6,400 feet above the level of the sea. It has the
+identical shape of the famous Fujiama in Southern Japan, and rising as
+it does in graceful slopes directly from the sea, has the appearance of
+being higher than it really is. Repunshiri is hilly and partly of
+volcanic formation, but none of its peaks rise to a higher altitude than
+five hundred feet.
+
+Rishiri is almost circular at sea-level, and it has no well-sheltered
+nor safe anchorages; but Repunshiri has one good anchorage on its north
+coast. Rishiri is about six and a half miles in diameter and twenty-five
+miles distant, directly west of Cape Nossyap; Repunshiri is eleven miles
+long, about four and a-half wide, and eleven miles distant to Ikaru, its
+nearest point east on the Yezo coast. As the Kuriles are a continuation
+east of the volcanic zone of Yezo, there is no doubt that Rishiri and
+Repunshiri are the terminus of the same volcanic zone at its north-west
+end.
+
+From Wakkanai a new horse-track has been opened to Bakkai, on the
+north-west coast. The ride for the first eleven miles was uncomfortable,
+as my pony, a worn-out brute, sank up to its belly in the mud; but in
+due course I came to the hilly part, and after having gone up one steep
+pitch and down another for a considerable distance, I rapidly descended
+a precipitous bank, and followed the soft sandy beach till I reached
+Bakkai. Here there is a large and peculiar stone, which the Ainu say
+resembles an old woman carrying a child on her back. It stands
+perpendicularly out of the ground at a great height, and it is of a rich
+dark-brown colour. If the north-east coast was barren and deserted, the
+western shore of Yezo was even yet more desolate. For thirty or forty
+miles, as far as the Teshio River, the beach was strewn with wrecks and
+wreckage. Here you saw a boat smashed to pieces; there a mast cast on
+the shore; further on a wheel-house washed away by the waves; then the
+helm of a disabled ship. It was a sight sad enough to break one's heart,
+with all the tragic circumstances it suggested.
+
+Between Bakkai and Wadamanai especially, I do not think that one can go
+more than a few yards at a time without being reminded by the wreckage
+which is strewn thick on the coast of some calamity. A white life-boat,
+with her stern smashed, lay on the sand helpless to save, and as a kind
+of satire on her name; and at Wadamanai, a large Russian cruiser, the
+"Crisorok," dismasted and broken in two, lay flat on the beach half
+covered with sand. Her bridge had been washed away and her deck had sunk
+in. Some of the bodies of her gallant officers and crew had been washed
+on shore by the sea. No one knows in what circumstances the ship was
+lost, but it is probable that during last winter, when she came to her
+ill-fated end, her rigging and sails got top-heavy with ice, and that
+she capsized. Some of the wreckage one finds on that coast has been
+drifted there from the Chinese Sea by the Kuroshiwo current; and then,
+owing to the La Perouse Strait turning so sharply to the east, has been
+left on this last portion of the coast. Here and there a rough tent made
+with a torn sail, or a deserted shed knocked up out of pieces of
+wreckage, is a suggestive reminder that some unfortunate derelict
+seafarer had suffered and striven for life on these forlorn sands. An
+enormous quantity of drift-logs, and here and there some bones of
+whales, are strewn all along the beach.
+
+At Wadamanai there is a mere rough shed under the shelter of the
+sand-hills. When I left this place, moving south, a strong gale blew,
+which made the travelling most unpleasant. It was getting fearfully
+cold, and now that I needed clothes so badly mine were falling
+altogether to pieces. My "unmentionables," which reached down to my feet
+when I left Hakodate at the beginning of my journey, had long since been
+trimmed and reduced to a kind of knickerbockers. Then the knees got worn
+out, and they became more like bathing-breeches; and finally I dispensed
+with them altogether, and made use of them to protect my sketch-book and
+diary, round which I wrapped what remained of the ex-garment. My boots,
+of course, were a dream of the past, and little by little I was getting
+accustomed to walking barefooted. Thus, dressed in a coat, a belt ...
+and nothing else, I moved along this inhospitable coast, half frozen,
+but not discomfited.
+
+The mouths of some of the small rivulets were extremely nasty to cross,
+as my pony sank in the quicksands. I had to help him out, and that meant
+a cold bath each time. From Wadamanai I kept a little more inland, still
+steering for the south, and every now and then I again struck the beach.
+Still the old sad story of wreckages strewn all over the shore, sailing
+boats smashed to pieces, junks disabled and half buried in sand, met me
+at every turn, creating in my mind a very monotony of melancholy.
+
+Late in the evening I reached the mouth of the Teshio River, a broad
+deep watercourse, one of the three largest rivers in Hokkaido, the other
+two being the Ishikari and the Tokachi. It has a long course in a
+general north-westerly direction, and then sharply turns southward,
+running parallel with the coast for about four miles, and forming a
+kind of lagoon at its outlet, which seems now to be working towards the
+northward again. All the other rivers on the west coast tend northward
+owing to the drift-sand which the current brings north. It is strange
+that the Teshio should partly be an exception to this rule, though we
+have ample evidence, even in this watercourse, of the movement of the
+sand, for the bar at its mouth almost entirely blocks its entrance, and
+rapidly works in a northerly direction. Thus there is no doubt that the
+sand travels towards the north all along the west coast.
+
+Sea-trout is abundant in the Teshio River, but salmon, with which this
+stream formerly abounded, are now less plentiful owing to the sand-bar
+which blocks the entrance.
+
+A gale was blowing fiercely when I crossed the lagoon in a small Ainu
+"dug-out," and my pony was made to swim across. Two or three times we
+nearly capsized, and we shipped a lot of water. It was just like sitting
+in a bath with water up to my waist; but the Ainu, who had as much as he
+could do to paddle me across and tow the pony as well, comforted me by
+saying, "Now that his 'dug-out' was full, we could not ship any more
+water, and that his skiff, being made of wood, could not sink!"
+
+After a long struggle we got safely to the other side, and the Ainu
+boatman guided me for a mile or so to the fishing village at the mouth
+of the river. It has but ten huts, all more or less miserable. The pony
+was so done up that he was hardly fit to carry my traps, much less could
+he have borne my weight. I could not get a fresh animal, so I had to
+push forward walking, and dragging the beast on as well as I could. This
+had the advantage of keeping me warm, which I needed badly, for what
+with the cold and my dilapidated costume I was more nearly frozen to
+death than was pleasant. The track was heavy in the soft sand, and the
+dangerous and numerous quicksand streams were enough to make a saint
+swear--if swearing would have done any good. How unspeakably desolate it
+all was! Not a soul to be met; not a hut to be seen! Here and there more
+wreckage and drift-wood on the shore, telling of storms and death, and
+the absence of all human aid. At last I came in sight of an Ainu hut;
+but as I drew near I found that it was abandoned. My meals, never very
+plentiful, were now specially scanty--few and far between; and, taken
+altogether, this part of my travels in Ainuland was somewhat lacking in
+cheerfulness.
+
+The cliffs near Wembets have the strange appearance of so many cones at
+equal intervals along the coast. On the Wembets River there were as many
+as two huts; and here again I had to cross in a boat, the stream being
+too deep to ford on foot or horseback; then again along the sand,
+dragging my pony, while I myself could hardly stand on my half-skinned
+feet, I went on and on, wearied of the monotony of my miserable
+experiences. The track grew narrow, and always worse. The high grey
+cliffs of clay-rock began, and the rough sea washed up to the foot of
+them, making progress more than ever unpleasant and dangerous. Each wave
+that came brought the water up to my knees, often up to my waist, and
+for about ten miles I was continually in and out of water. On a cold day
+my readers can imagine how pleasant it was! About sunset I came in sight
+of the two flat islands of Teuri and Yangeshiri, about fifteen miles off
+the coast. It then grew dark; but the moon came to my help, shining
+brightly on the greyish cliffs. The tide had risen, and in several
+places I had great difficulty in getting across on account of the
+furious waves dashing against the cliffs, and making a picturesque and
+living sheet of foam.
+
+Late at night, as I had almost given up all hope of finding a shelter, I
+came upon a shed on the Furembets River, where I put up for the night.
+
+My wretched pony was nearly dead with fatigue, and I let him loose so
+that he might get a feed of grass. The next morning, after the inmates
+of the hut had volunteered to go and bring him back to me, I heard them
+on the distant hills calling, "_Pop, pop, pop, pop!_" the Ainu way of
+approaching and calling horses. After a time they came back hopeless,
+saying that the brute had bolted, and there was no hope of getting him
+again. He could not be found anywhere! I was in the most awful dilemma,
+for had that been the case I would have been forced to abandon all my
+impedimenta, consisting of sketches and painting materials, and proceed
+as best I could on foot. Under other circumstances I could have carried
+the baggage on my back easily; but as I was half-starved, and had my
+feet badly cut, I was hardly able to carry my own weight; therefore this
+was not possible now.
+
+As incredulity is one of the useful qualities I possess, I went to look
+after my pony myself. The shed was protected by a sand-mound at the
+back, and a small space was left between the mound and the wall of the
+shed. I do not know what made me go and look there, but sure enough
+there was my pony lying flat, and almost too weak to get up again. This
+was no horse-stealing ruse on the part of the Ainu; simply the wretched
+animal's own idea of good stabling and likely fodder. I dragged him out
+of his involuntary prison, and after having done what I could for his
+comfort and well-being, we set out once more on our melancholy travels.
+This may sound cruel to some who in the course of their life have never
+travelled in out-of-the-way places, and who are ready to condemn anyone
+who is the means of letting an animal suffer. It may sound cruel in our
+humane country, where animals are protected and prize-fights tolerated
+and enjoyed; so to avoid misunderstandings it might be as well for me to
+say, that as regards this tired pony it was simply the matter to push on
+with him as far as I could or lose all the valuable materials I had
+collected during months of sufferings and privations. No ponies were to
+be got for any money along that deserted coast, for there were none in
+existence. I did my best to alleviate the poor animal's sufferings by
+undergoing myself a considerable amount of pain, walking most of the way
+with my feet a mass of sores; and as winter was rapidly coming on, I was
+more than anxious to make my way south with all the speed I could, to
+prevent being blocked up with snow and ice and forced to spend the
+winter on this inhospitable coast. Consequently, I was, as a matter of
+fact, more cruel to myself than to my animals; to the others, those who
+will still cast the first stone at me, I can wish no better punishment
+than to be placed in the same position I was then. The trail became
+somewhat better, as it led over the cliffs for about three miles; then
+again it was on the beach. The high cliffs varied from a very rich burnt
+sienna colour to a nice warm grey, and in some places they are perfectly
+white, like the cliffs at Dover. Conical mounds frequently occur, and
+give a curious aspect to this deserted shore. Ten miles further on, at
+Chukbets, I found a couple of huts; then I walked and dragged the pony
+on the cliffs for about four miles; then again I resorted to the beach;
+and finally I entered Hamboro, a small village, or rather a picturesque
+group of sheds and huts, and a capital fishing-station. _Shake_, salmon,
+_mashe_, and herrings are caught in abundance at the mouth of this
+river. A short distance from here hundreds of carcasses of seals were
+scattered on the beach, whence emanated pestilential odours. On account
+of the slowness of my pony I had to-night a modified repetition of last
+night's experience, but neither was the sea so rough nor the trail so
+narrow at the bottom of the cliffs; and though my wretched animal was
+naturally in a worse condition than before, I was able to push on to
+Tomamai that same night, where I arrived at a small hour of the morning.
+
+At Tomamai, the coast, which had described a long curve, the two ends of
+which are Ikuru north and this point south, turns sharply in a southerly
+direction, running straight for many miles from north to south.
+
+From Tomamai southwards the coast is not quite as deserted as it was
+further north, for here and there are villages of fishermen's houses.
+The population, however, is a migratory one, and when I went through,
+the herring-fishing season was over, and consequently most of the houses
+were abandoned and the people had migrated south. The winter weather is
+very severe, and the houses have to be barricaded with thick piles of
+wood as a protection against the strong westerly gales. The boats had
+been drawn far on shore, where they were well fastened to posts, and
+rough sheds thatched with grass built over them.
+
+Along the coast there was a string of these habitations, hut after hut,
+storehouse after storehouse, but hardly a soul to be seen. It was like
+going through the city of the dead. Many of the fishermen's huts were
+built on the side of the rugged cliffs, and they stood on piles about
+fifteen feet high, the back of the house resting on the cliff itself.
+Twelve and a half miles further another row of houses, similarly
+deserted for the winter, stood along the shore-line at Onishika. In this
+part of the coast salmon are very scarce, and the chief industry is the
+herring fishery. There are no Ainu to be found either at Tomamai or
+Onishika.
+
+I continued my lonesome ride in the pouring rain, and soon came to a
+peculiar long tunnel, natural and partly excavated, between this place
+and Rumoi, a village prettily situated on the slope of a hill fifteen
+miles further. This place possesses a small anchorage at the mouth of
+the river, which is now only fit for junks and small sailing-boats, but
+could be considerably improved. Good coal has been discovered some way
+up the river. There is a track on the cliffs leading to Mashike. All
+along the coast are any number of fishermen's houses, but they were all
+closed and barricaded. Ultimately, descending from the cliffs in a
+zig-zag fashion, after another ten miles' ride I found myself at
+Mashike, the largest Japanese village in the Teshio district. Close to
+the tunnel there is a small Ainu village, where the natives let their
+hair grow very long, and then tie it up in a kind of knot, similar to
+the Corean fashion of head-dress, while the women have given up
+tattooing altogether. The fishermen at Mashike seem to suffer greatly
+from "_Kaki_," or rheumatism, and cancer, while consumption, malarial
+fever, and typhus are in a small proportion.
+
+I had to stop over one day at Mashike, for the river was swollen by the
+heavy rains, and it was impossible to get across. On the other side of
+it stood Mashike-san, a huge volcanic mountain rising sheer from the
+sea, and forming Cape Kamuieto, under the shelter of which lies Mashike
+village; and further south Cape Uhui projects into the sea. It is the
+end of a mountain range which here runs north and then south again, in
+the latter part forming one side of the upper basin of the Teshio River.
+Mashike is the largest settlement either on the north-east or west coast
+of Yezo. Its population is partly migratory, but not so wholly as is the
+case with the villages I had previously passed. I was delayed still
+another day owing to the condition of the river; for the rain, instead
+of decreasing, poured down to such an extent that the stream could not
+be crossed, the current being too swift and the water too deep. The sea
+was also too rough to allow of my leaving Mashike in a canoe.
+
+On the third day I rose early, and decided to attempt this much-desired
+crossing of the river. It had not rained during the night, and the
+waters seemed to have slightly diminished. As the stream runs down a
+very steep incline on the slopes of Mashike Mountain, the current rushes
+with tremendous force. It was about five in the morning when I took my
+baggage to the river bank. It was made up in two bundles, which I tied
+together firmly with a leather strap. Some of the natives who had
+collected round me entreated me to give up this foolish idea, for they
+said I should infallibly lose my life if I attempted to wade across the
+swollen river.
+
+I saw at once that my pony would never be able to cross, so I left him,
+and, taking the baggage on my head, and passing my hands through the
+strap, I went into the water. The current was indeed so strong that,
+weak as I was, I could hardly stand against it. I had nearly reached the
+middle, with the water up to my mouth, when I fancied I heard the
+anxious crowd scream to me, "_Abunai! abunai! abunai!_"--"Look out! look
+out! look out!" Startled and alarmed at this piercing cry I turned my
+head, and saw within a few yards of me a huge trunk of a tree coming
+swiftly down with the current. There was a bump, and I saw nothing more.
+Half a minute later I was violently thrown on the opposite bank, and in
+trying to stand up on my feet in the shallow water my right foot
+unfortunately got jammed between two stones in the river bed; I was
+knocked down again, and broke my heel-bone just under the ankle. Several
+natives came to my rescue and I was lifted out of the water,
+half-stunned, half-drowned, but still holding fast to my load. I was
+nearly frozen, and trembling like a leaf from cold. When I tried to
+stand my right leg collapsed, and I had to lie down on the ground. What
+with the blow which I had received from the floating wood, what with the
+muddy water I had involuntarily swallowed, it took me some minutes
+before I could quite understand my situation, or what had befallen me.
+When I did I felt a terrible pain in my right leg. I looked, and there,
+on the sand, under my foot and leg, which were swollen up to an enormous
+size, was a pool of blood; the broken bone had penetrated the skin, and
+was exposed to the air. When I recovered my senses well enough I got a
+man to tear the wet lining of my drenched coat, and with it and a few
+improvised splints I proceeded to set my own broken bone. It was hard
+work; but with the help of some natives I bandaged it up as well as I
+could, and with the extra help of a coarse flaxen rope I made a fairly
+good surgical job of the whole thing.
+
+Stopping there till I grew better would have been foolish, for winter
+was setting in; everything would soon be frozen and snowed up, and, far
+from all my friends, as well as from anything like civilised life or
+elementary comforts as I was, I should probably have died. As long as I
+had a spark of life left in me I decided that I would struggle and push
+on, come what might. Two men undertook to carry me over the Mashike
+Mountain, which rises to an altitude of 3,600 feet above the sea-level.
+The mountain is thickly wooded, and the trail is steep, heavy, and in
+many places dangerous, and when we reached a sufficient altitude the
+trail was merely in the bed of a rivulet composed mainly of huge stones.
+Travelling in the state in which I was, was something like going to
+one's own funeral. The jerking and the cold were excruciating; the
+continuous stumbling and unsteady walk of my men over the rough and
+slippery slopes did not improve my condition; but finally we reached the
+summit. What a lovely view! One could see far along the Teshio coast on
+the one side and down towards the Ishikari on the other, and towards the
+east rose up a picturesque chain of thickly-wooded mountains. Rising
+from the sea stood the fine Cape Airup, near Moi; then far beyond, dimly
+seen in the mist, was the towering outline of Shakotan. We went down the
+other side, and my men, poor fellows, did their best to cheer me up. One
+of them told me a cheering story of a grizzly bear--which, by the way,
+he said were numberless on this mountain--that had killed and eaten two
+children, and also their father when the latter went to their rescue.
+The other told me of the many men who had perished in crossing the
+mountain; some had been overtaken by a snowstorm, others had lost their
+way and fallen over precipices, while others again had been killed by
+avalanches in winter.
+
+Listening to this lively conversation, shaken and suffering, I arrived
+late at night at Moi, having been carried over a distance of twenty-five
+miles, to do which occupied about eighteen hours. There was no possible
+way of getting across the mountains between here and Atzta, as the high
+granitic perpendicular cliffs are unscalable, and I was bound to
+entrust my life to a small Ainu canoe. Two other passengers, a Japanese
+woman and a man, asked if I would allow them to travel in the boat with
+me; and then we three, rowed by an Ainu man, put out to sea. The sea was
+rough outside, but as the large bay was well protected by the Aikap
+Cape, all went right at first; but in rounding the point we went too
+near the rocks, got caught in a breaker, and shipped so much water that
+the canoe began to slowly sink under the additional weight. The Ainu was
+pretty smart, and he put his skiff on the rocks. Between him and the two
+passengers I was helped out, and while the Ainu emptied the canoe, the
+two Japanese undressed entirely and spread out all their clothes and
+underclothes in the sun to dry.
+
+We got on board again, and, coasting more carefully, passed several
+small fishing villages, of which Gokibira is the largest and most
+important. It is backed by high mountains ranging from twelve hundred to
+seventeen hundred and more feet above the sea. One of the mountains--the
+highest--is called Okashi-nae-yama.
+
+Atzta is a long narrow village, of which almost all the houses are built
+against the cliff. From here I had to begin riding again along the bad
+and stony coast, among drift-wood, and up and down cliffs. Anyone who
+has ever had any broken bones will appreciate the tortures which I had
+to go through. Owing to pain, exhaustion, and fatigue I had no control
+over my pony, and could hardly stick on to the saddle. I took the
+precaution of tying the bridle to my wrist, for should the pony knock me
+off, he could not bolt away; but, unhappily, sometimes this was the
+means of his dragging me mercilessly on the ground for dozens of yards
+before he would stop. Then I had to wait for some charitable passer-by
+to help me into the saddle again, for I could no longer mount by myself.
+Day after day of this wretched life made me feel almost unconscious that
+I had a pain. I took things as they came, and I went on. Now that I sit
+here in a comfortable chair writing this by a cosy fire, I am myself
+astonished at my own perseverance. If I were called upon to go through
+the same experience now I could not. But in truth there are many things
+that one does not mind doing for motives of pleasure which one would
+never dream of attempting under the compulsion of an external will.
+Kutambets is picturesquely situated in a large gully formed by a break
+in the red-tinted cliffs. From Kutambets to Moroi the track is slightly
+better, and from this to Ishikari it is quite easy. The latter river, a
+very large one, has to be crossed by a ferry, as the habitations are on
+the south banks of the stream.
+
+[Illustration: ISHIKARI KRAFTU AINU.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE KAMUIKOTAN RAPIDS.]
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+The Ishikari River.
+
+
+On the north side of the mouth of the Ishikari River is an Ainu village
+called Raishats. Its inhabitants are not natives of this island, but
+were imported by the Japanese Government from Sakhalin when it was
+exchanged with Russia for the Kuriles.
+
+At the entrance of the river, and close to this village, another
+wreck--of the "Kamida Maru"--a schooner, ended the mournful list of
+disasters on this inhospitable coast.
+
+The Ainu of Raishats are different in some ways from the Yezo Ainu
+proper. They call themselves Kraftu Ainu, "Kraftu"[36] being the Ainu
+name for Sakhalin. Their skin is of a lighter colour; but the principal
+difference is in their eyes and eyebrows. The Kraftu Ainu have eyes of
+the Mongolian type, though larger, while the Yezo Ainu have not; and
+their eyebrows have a very pronounced curve near the nose. Most of the
+women seemed to suffer from consumption, and the men also did not seem
+as strong as the other Ainu. The women tattoo on their lips a small
+square pattern instead of the long moustache, and most of them have now
+adopted Japanese _kimonos_, or else wear gowns similar to those of
+Russian peasants. Some also wear skin gowns similar to those of the
+Kurilsky Ainu, ornamented with feathers and bits of molten lead sewn on
+them. A velvet cap or a kind of tiara is their head-gear, and this also
+is ornamented with gold and silver or red beads, or else is embroidered
+in bright colours.
+
+    [36] Sometimes also pronounced _Krafto._
+
+The children are arrayed in more gaudy colours than their elders. They
+have bright red embroideries round their necks, and the whole gown is
+full of spangles and beads, the proceeds of parental barter. A peculiar
+paunch-suspender, which I saw here for the first time, was ingenious,
+and answered a great want in the Ainu country. As will be seen later,
+the majority of Ainu children have huge paunches, mostly due to the
+inability of the hairy people to tie and secure properly the umbilical
+cord at the child's birth. This not only produces great discomfort to
+the child, but often causes its death. The belt which I saw was made on
+the principle that the weight of the paunch, under which passed a kind
+of net made of strips of skin, was supported by braces going over the
+shoulders, and by this contrivance, if the original lesion did not get
+much better it did not get worse, as it does when not taken any care of
+at all. Neither men nor women wore earrings; but the fair sex wore a
+kind of velvet ribbon necklace round their neck, and on this ribbon were
+sewn ornaments of molten lead, silver, and other metals.
+
+The habitations, storehouses, and customs of these Ainu are similar to
+those of the others. As I slowly rode along the banks of the river just
+before sunset, retracing my steps towards the Ishikari village, I saw a
+hidden trail, which apparently led to the woods. I made my pony follow
+it, and shortly afterwards I came to a graveyard. As I have said, the
+Ainu are extremely jealous of their burial-places, and they resent
+strangers, even Japanese, going near them. It was nearly fifteen days
+since the accident to my leg had occurred, and though I could neither
+walk nor stand on it, still I was beginning to be accustomed to the
+agony, and with great trouble and pain I could dismount from my tiny
+pony. Strange to say, mounting was not so difficult, for I could pull
+myself up with my arms, lie flat on my stomach on the saddle, and then
+swing round, and it did not jar me as much as coming down. I had my
+paint-box fastened to the saddle, and I unlashed it to take a sketch.
+The tombs were so many trunks of trees cut and carved, and with one
+branch left on one side (_see_ Chapter XXI.). One tomb particularly was
+more ornamented, and it had a flat-shaped monument, roughly but well
+carved at its head. An object resembling the bottom of a "dug-out"
+covered the body, and this was also carved. At each of the four corners
+a wooden blade was stuck in the ground. From the stench I should think
+that the body was only a few inches underground.
+
+Fate had punished me so severely of late for faults which I never
+committed that I thought myself now entitled to commit a fault for the
+sake of squaring accounts. One of the small wooden blades, nicely
+carved, would just go under my coat. I decided to steal it. To my mind
+it was hardly a big enough crime even to balance the last accident I had
+had.
+
+I turned round to see that no one was looking. I put down my paint-box,
+crawled to the grave, took the blade, put it under my coat, and, ashamed
+of myself for committing the outrage--though with prepaid punishment--I
+scrambled up on my pony as well I could, and hurriedly left the place. I
+rode back to the ferry, a long way off, and went across to Ishikari, and
+catching a moment when no one was watching me, I quickly passed the
+carved blade from under my coat into my baggage.
+
+"What a good thief I would make," I thought to myself, when to my horror
+I remembered that in the hurry of leaving the graveyard I had forgotten
+my paint-box in the very same spot from which I had taken the blade!
+
+If any Ainu had gone to the graveyard and found it, I would get into a
+nice mess! During the night I felt more than uncomfortable about it, and
+at dawn the next morning I got the tea-house man to bring my horse and
+set me on it, for I said, "I wish to go and see the sunrise from the
+other side of the river."
+
+The landlord thought it rather funny, and funnier still when he saw me
+coming back a couple of hours later with a paint-box lashed to my
+saddle, while he said he was sure I had started without one.
+
+"Did you not see it this morning?" said I with assumed innocence.
+
+"No, your honourable," said he, drawing in his breath.
+
+"You did not look for it in the right place," said I, and up to this day
+the landlord does not know where the right place was.
+
+The Ishikari is one of the great salmon rivers of Yezo. About the end of
+September the salmon enter the river to spawn. They are in such
+abundance then that the stream is crowded thick with them, and it is
+quite sufficient to have a hook fastened to a stick to pull out a large
+fish each time it is dipped into the water. Millions of fine salmon are
+caught within a few days, and the banks of the river are packed with
+dead fish, while the whole population is occupied in splitting open each
+fish, taking out its inside, for preservation.
+
+The same method of netting as is practised for sardine fishing is
+employed for salmon. Eighteen or twenty excited men vigorously row the
+boats out into mid-stream, and after describing a semicircle, return to
+the bank. The nets are hauled in, the fish flung out on the river banks,
+and the same process begins _de novo_. A man in a "dug-out" watches when
+the salmon are more or less plentiful, and signals for the boat to
+start, while he himself spears them with a harpoon. At the right time of
+the year as many as 1500 or 2,000 and more good fish are caught each
+time the net is hauled in. This grand take of course only lasts a few
+days.
+
+Though good, the Yezo salmon has none of the fine qualities of the
+salmon of northern European rivers, and it is not quite so good as that
+of the Canadian rivers. It does not keep so well, and in colour is much
+lighter than our salmon.
+
+The Ishikari River opens to the north, and runs parallel to the coast,
+leaving a flat tongue of sand between it and the sea. Following the
+course of the stream against the current, it goes winding south, then
+sharply turns to the south-east, following this direction for about
+fourteen miles. Then again it winds up to the north, and then to the
+east for a distance of over one hundred miles, where its source lies in
+the very heart of Yezo.
+
+The Ishikari carries a large body of water, and it is nine hundred and
+twenty feet wide near its mouth. Its "drainage area" has been estimated
+to be over three thousand square miles, including mountain slopes, while
+the actual valley does not, in my opinion, exceed eight hundred square
+miles. The river receives many affluents, of which the most important
+are the Rubeshibe, Chupets, Piegawa, the Sorachi River, and the Toyohira
+on its south side, and the Uriugawa on its north side. Near the coast
+the valley is wooded mainly with scrub oak, but further inland its banks
+are heavily timbered. The Sorachi River is the most important affluent
+on the south side. It is navigable for "dug-outs" and small sailing
+boats for some considerable distance. At Sorachi one strikes the new
+road which leads from the Poronai coal mines to Kamikawa, where the site
+has been chosen for the intended new capital of Hokkaido.
+
+The road between Sorachi and the latter place not being metalled, was
+exceedingly bad owing to the heavy rains, and my pony continually sank
+in mud up to his belly. The road follows the course of the Ishikari
+River more or less; and in the woods is a military settlement like those
+we have seen near Nemuro and Akkeshi. At Otoyebukets the traveller must
+change horses. About eight miles further on one reaches the Kamuikotan
+rapids, a poetic spot: huge rocks in the water, violently rushing
+between and over them, form pretty waterfalls. The Ainu occasionally
+shoot down these rapids in their "dug-outs," and remains of these are to
+be seen here and there smashed on the rocks. From this point the road
+rises almost all the way, and the wayfarer must cross over the hill
+range, from the top of which the whole plain of Kamikawa can be seen, in
+the upper basin of the Ishikari, which, winding like a silver snake,
+intersects the flat valley.
+
+Descending the hill on the other side, I reached the future capital of
+Hokkaido. It is indeed a town of the future, for at the present moment
+there are only five houses, if I may call them so. The site of this
+embryo metropolis is by the Chubets River; and on the hill called
+Nayosami I was told a palace for the Emperor is to be erected. However,
+they were not certain about it yet. It is a pretty hill, almost in the
+centre of the large plain, and from the top of it one gets a lovely view
+of a volcanic cone standing in front of you to the south. Near this hill
+the new road turns sharply almost at a right angle, and two miles
+further some _Tondens_ have been begun (_Ciuta Hombu_). Hundreds of
+convicts, who, by the way, have made the road between here and Poronai,
+were at work continuing the same road towards the east. I believe that
+eventually it will be prolonged to the north-east coast, where it will
+end near Abashiri. In my opinion the scheme practically will be a
+failure, for Kamikawa will never be a flourishing place, as there is
+nothing to support a large population. From a strategic point of view of
+course Kamikawa has the advantage of being in the centre of Yezo.
+
+Kamikawa is 342 feet above the level of the sea, but it is well
+sheltered, and the climate, though very cold, is not quite so severe as
+in other parts of Yezo.
+
+The Ainu of the upper Ishikari are nearly the same as the Saru Ainu,
+only somewhat taller and more ill-tempered. They show greater skill than
+other Ainu in wood-carving and general ornamentation. Along the banks of
+the river huts are scattered here and there; but the largest number is
+at Chubets.
+
+At the present moment the Japanese population of Kamikawa is, with the
+exception of half-a-dozen policemen and as many civilians, composed
+entirely of convicts. These are dressed in red coats and trousers, and
+those who have committed murder have the top of their head shaved in the
+shape of a bottle (Jap., _Hetzui_). If any misbehave, they are beaten
+with the flat side of the long sword worn by the policeman in charge;
+but I must confess that otherwise the policemen are extremely kind in
+every way to these fellows. The well-behaved have one, two, or three
+small pieces of black cloth sewn to their left sleeve. They are made to
+work hard, but save this enforced diligence they seem to have a pretty
+good time. As I was talking to a policeman in charge, two dead men were
+brought on a cart by a man who had a towel over his mouth and a red
+blanket over his head. The two men had died suddenly. They had arrived
+only a few days previously from Southern Japan, where cholera was
+raging, and they had all the symptoms of having died of that deadly
+disease.
+
+A very exciting way of retracing your steps down to the Sorachi River is
+to shoot the rapids in an Ainu "dug-out." You make one or two Ainu
+moderately drunk, as otherwise they do not seem anxious to attempt it,
+and when they are in that pot-valiant condition you get them to paddle
+your canoe down the stream, while you sit in the bottom holding on to
+the sides. You start with the velocity of a turtle, increase it to that
+of a horse, then to that of a swallow, and when you are well in the
+rapids it is like travelling on an arrow. You go rubbing against rocks,
+and are shot in the air when going over a small waterfall, only to fall
+with a splash in the water some yards further, with an increase of
+velocity as you go on. It really requires but little skill to navigate
+rapids, for it is the current itself that does all the work. All that is
+needed is to keep the "dug-out" straight in the water. Of course if you
+should happen to collide with a rock when you are going at nearly double
+the rate of an express train you would have little chance of saving your
+life; but if you are neither smashed nor drowned, and you do not come to
+grief in any way, you can accomplish the journey, which takes you the
+whole day by land, in little over one hour when there is plenty of water
+in the stream.
+
+On the road from Sorachi to Poronai, and halfway between the villages of
+Naye and Takigawa, a new coal mine has been discovered and opened, which
+is said to be very rich in mineral of good quality; in fact, superior to
+the coal of Poronai. It is ten miles from Otaussi Nai village, where the
+high road has to be abandoned if the mine is to be visited.
+
+There are many Ainu both at Takikawa-Mura (Waterfall-River village), at
+Otaussi, and at Poronai-buts. Poronai has in its neighbourhood some rich
+coal mines. As others have reported more accurately and correctly than I
+can on the quality and extent of these coal seams, I shall abstain from
+repeating or copying what has been already said. I may, however, mention
+that the seams cut the valley of the Ikusum River eight miles from
+Poronai-buts, and a continuation of them is found near the springs of
+the Sorachi. The coal beds of Poronai are about three and a half feet
+deep, and many different beds have been found deeper than these, but of
+inferior quality. Poronai also goes by the name of Ishikishiri, and a
+large penitentiary has been erected here for the accommodation of the
+numerous convicts exported from the Main Island to improve the scheme
+for the colonisation of Yezo. I was called on by the chief _yakunin_
+(officer), and he expressed a wish that I should inspect the prisons. A
+splendid horse was sent to convey me thither, and two policemen helped
+me on my progress through the buildings, owing to my inability to walk
+more than a few yards at a time. It was a large walled enclosure, with
+houses for the officials and cells for the _akambos_, a jocular term,
+meaning "babies," which is applied to convicts, because they wear red
+clothes like children. The buildings were beautifully clean, but what
+astonished me most was that no precaution whatever was adopted to
+prevent convicts from escaping. The outside gates were all wide open;
+there were neither soldiers nor policemen at the gates, and, moreover,
+the _concierge_ was himself a convict!
+
+"But," said I, "do not many of these fellows escape?"
+
+"Oh, no, not many. Last month only sixteen ran away," was the
+_insouciant_ answer of my guide.
+
+From Poronai-buts to Sappro there is a small railway, by which the coal
+trains are run to the coast as far as Otaru.
+
+[Illustration: WOMAN OF ISHIKARI RIVER.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU BARK WATER-JUGS]
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+Nearing Civilisation.
+
+
+Sappro, the present capital of Hokkaido, is a town of fairly large size,
+with wide streets intersecting each other at right angles. The
+Hokkaido-cho, a high red-brick building, the law courts, the _Kofikan_,
+the palace built for the Emperor, and used now as a kind of hotel, and
+the houses of officials, are the main buildings of the place. There are,
+besides, a sugar refinery, a hemp and silk factory, and a brewery,
+mainly supported by the Government. Neither of the first two were
+"flourishing industries," and one of the factories, if I remember
+aright, had long ceased working, and the other was soon to follow suit.
+The Government, I must say, have done their best to encourage and push
+on industries as well as agriculture in this district, but their efforts
+have produced but poor results. Machinery, which had been imported at
+great expense from England, America, Germany, and France, was left to
+rust and perish, and no private company seemed ready to continue the
+works. As a farming region the Sappro district has also proved more or
+less a failure from a financial point of view, though again the
+Government cannot but be highly praised for the money they have spent in
+trying to educate the people up to some kind of scientific, and
+therefore paying, method of agriculture. They have a large model farm of
+about 350 acres laid down in grain fields, as well as in meadows and
+pastures, stocked with cattle imported mainly from America. In the
+Toyoshira valley, south of the town, a cattle farm is in full
+operation, but it yields the Government a very poor return. However, the
+Government, I believe, only wish to teach the people foreign ways of
+agriculture, and expect no direct returns for the pains taken and the
+money sunk--so at least it would appear. Another colonial militia
+settlement is also found near Baratte, eight miles north of Sappro.
+Regarding these settlements, it may prove interesting to transcribe the
+Imperial Ordinance No. 181, dated August 28th, 1890, by which they were
+brought into existence and the Tondens were built:--
+
+     ARTICLE 1.--Colonial Militia shall be composed of colonial
+     infantry, cavalry, and colonial artillery and colonial military
+     engineers, and shall be set apart for the defence of Hokkaido,
+     where they shall be stationed.
+
+     ARTICLE 2.--The Colonial Militia shall be organised as soldiers, in
+     addition to their ordinary occupation of farmers; shall live in
+     military houses which shall be provided for them, and shall take
+     part in military drill, in cultivation, and in farming.
+
+     ARTICLE 3.--The Colonial Militia shall also be composed of
+     volunteers from cities and prefectures, and shall change their
+     registered residence (_Houseki_) to Hokkaido, and live there with
+     their families.
+
+     ARTICLE 4.--The term of service of Colonial Militia shall be twenty
+     years: the service with the colours being three years, in the first
+     reserve four years, and in the second reserve thirteen years.
+     Should a colonial militiaman be released from service during his
+     term, owing to the attainment of the full age of forty years, or
+     through death, or some other cause, a suitable male of the family
+     shall be ordered to fulfil the remaining term of service. Such
+     service may be remitted if there be no suitable male.
+
+     ARTICLE 5.--The Colonial Militia shall fulfil supplementary
+     military service during ten years after the end of service in the
+     second reserve, and shall be mobilised in time of war or other
+     emergency.
+
+     ARTICLE 6.--The term of each stage of military service under
+     Articles 4 and 5 shall be counted from April 1st of the year in
+     which the soldier enters the Militia.
+
+     ARTICLE 7.--The terms may be prolonged, even though the period for
+     each stage has fully elapsed, should war or other emergency, or the
+     requirements of military discipline, or the inspection of soldiers
+     (_kwampei-shiki_) demand the same, or should the soldier be then in
+     transit from or to, or be stationed in, a foreign country.
+
+     SUPPLEMENTARY RULES:--
+
+     ARTICLE 8.--Colonial Militia enlisted before the carrying out of
+     these regulations shall be treated according to the following
+     distinctions:--
+
+     (_a_) Those enlisted between the eighth year of Meji and the
+     sixteenth year of Meji shall serve in the first reserve during four
+     years and in the second reserve during nine years.
+
+     (_b_) Those who were enlisted between the seventeenth year of Meji
+     and the twentieth shall serve in the first reserve during four
+     years from the twenty-fourth year of Meji, and in the second
+     reserve after the lapse of the above period during twenty years,
+     reckoned from the year in which they were enlisted.
+
+     (_c_) Those who were enlisted in the twenty-first year of Meji
+     shall serve in the first reserve during four years from the
+     twenty-fifth year of Meji, and in the second reserve after the
+     lapse of the above period during twenty years, reckoned from the
+     year in which they were enlisted.
+
+     (_d_) Those who were enlisted in and after the twenty-second year
+     of Meji shall be treated in accordance with these regulations.
+
+     ARTICLE 9.--The mode of reckoning the terms of service of Colonial
+     Militia levied before the twenty-first year of Meji shall be in
+     accordance with Article 6 of these regulations. The term of service
+     with the colours of those levied in the twenty-second and
+     twenty-third years of Meji shall be counted from the day on which
+     they were included in the Colonial Militia, and their term of
+     service in the first and second reserves from the day next to the
+     lapse of the full term of the former service.
+
+     ARTICLE 10.--These regulations shall come into force on and after
+     the first day of the fourth month of the twenty-fourth year of
+     Meji.
+
+          (Colonial Militia.) Imperial Ordinance No. 181.
+
+     We hereby give our sanction to the present amendment of the
+     regulations relating to Colonial Militia, and order the same to be
+     duly promulgated.
+
+          (His Imperial Majesty's sign-manual),
+          Great Seal.
+
+     Dated August 29th, 1890.
+     (Countersigned) COUNT OYAMA IWAO,
+     (Minister of State for War).
+
+     (_Japan Daily Mail_, September 14th, 1890.)
+
+Sappro was a civilised place compared to others I had seen in Yezo; but
+it had neither the picturesqueness, nor the strangeness, nor yet the
+interest of more uncivilised spots.
+
+There is no doubt that savagery--when you have got accustomed to it--is
+a great deal more fascinating than civilised life, and infinitely more
+so than a base imitation of civilisation.
+
+It might have been thought that after the months of privation to which I
+had been subjected, after all the harassing experiences I had gone
+through, after the accident which had made the last thirty days of my
+journey so agonising, I should have been glad to rest in this "London"
+of the Ainu country, at least until I was well again. But in truth this
+indirectly reflected civilisation worried me. The bustle of the people,
+the lights in the streets, the sounds of the _Shamesen_--everything
+annoyed me.
+
+His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Nagayama, kindly called on me, and when
+I put on some decent clothes which were lent me, he drove me to his
+house, where I had a lengthy conversation on the future of Yezo and the
+Kurile Islands. He seemed to approve of many of the points which I put
+before him, among which I suggested that the exports of sulphur from
+Kushiro, on the south-eastern coast, would be greatly increased if it
+were opened to foreign trade, and I was pleased to hear several months
+later that a motion to that effect was proposed in the Japanese
+Parliament. He also agreed with me that Yezo needed roads and railways
+badly, and that when more facile ways of communication should be
+established along the coast and across country, then without doubt Yezo
+would be rich and flourishing.
+
+He expressed sorrow that emigration was not carried on on a larger scale
+from the Southern Island of Japan, and that private companies of
+capitalists in no way helped the Government.
+
+His Excellency was also kind enough to drive me round the town and show
+me all the sights of Sappro, including the small museum containing
+zoological specimens from Hokkaido, and the implements of the Ainu and
+the Koro-pok-kuru. A huge grizzly bear which had killed two babies and a
+man is now stuffed, and occupies the first small room, while a bottle by
+the side preserves in spirit the head and foot of one baby and some
+parts of the man which were found in its stomach when captured and
+dissected.
+
+I left Sappro for Otaru by the coal train. Otaru is situated on a
+semicircular well-sheltered bay, which makes it the best and only safe
+port on the western coast of Yezo.
+
+The coast at the mouth of the Ishikari River curves gently round, and is
+exposed to the north as far as Cape Shakotan. Otaru is rapidly growing
+in importance, owing to the fact that it is the nearest shipping port to
+the Poronai coal mines. Unfortunately, three small hills, which were
+being levelled when I was there, had greatly interfered with the first
+laying out of the settlement, which accounts for the town being all
+crooked and irregularly planned. It has the appearance of a thriving
+place, and much resembles one of the small seaports of Southern Japan.
+In the main street a go-ahead tailor had written over his door the
+following inscription for the attraction of foreign clients: "Tailor.
+New Forms of every country shall be made here." The notice was tempting,
+and I went in to request his services in furnishing me with "new forms,"
+as he called them, of English fashion; but to my great regret he had
+come to an end of his stock of goods, and I had to be contented with my
+"old forms," and go on as best I could with what I had till I should
+reach Hakodate, where I had left most of my baggage. At Otaru I left all
+my paraphernalia to be shipped to Hakodate by the first ship calling,
+and I proceeded by land on the north and then on the north-west coast. I
+felt that, suffering as I still was, I should keep alive as long as I
+kept moving, as long as I was distracted by new scenery and new
+excitements. I felt that if I were left to myself, not pitied or
+sympathised with, I should be able to drag on and conquer in the end.
+There is nothing, it seems to me, that makes people feel so ill or is so
+enervating as the sympathy of friends and the verdict of a doctor. Among
+civilised people nine out of ten do not know whether they are very ill
+or not until the doctor pronounces his opinion, which shows that many
+complaints would be scarcely felt at all if the patient did not know the
+name of his malady, or if he had sufficient determination as to prevent
+his physical pain from becoming a moral one as well. We have a proof of
+this in hypnotism, by which sicknesses of many kinds can be cured by
+impressing on the subject the belief that his body is perfectly free
+from disease. Of course in this case it is a stronger will acting on a
+weaker one, which, so reinforced, is able to overpower the physical
+trouble. Again, I may be allowed to state that savages and barbarians,
+though affected with horrid diseases of all kinds, do not seem to suffer
+from them as much as we do. If an Ainu man breaks his leg he does not
+think for a moment of lying in bed for the regulation forty days; first
+of all, because he has no bed to lie on; and next, because the
+confinement and inaction would simply kill him. He may lie down on the
+hard ground for two or three days, after which time he crawls about as
+best he can until nature makes his broken bone right again. He does not
+worry himself much about it. Wild animals do the same. If, then, the
+Ainu, and with them savages of other countries, do that, why should not
+I, a human being like them, do the same?
+
+Freed from the encumbrance of my baggage, I set off on a good horse down
+the north coast, and moving from east to west. My baggage now consisted
+of a crutch which I had made for myself, a stick, a couple of Japanese
+_kimonos_, and a few sketch-books.
+
+The travelling was extremely slow, and I shall not dwell at length on
+this part of my journey, for it has no interest in connection with the
+Ainu, as I met with scarcely any. On a practicable and pleasant track
+leading all across the hills beyond Oshoro village, a lovely view of the
+cliffs between that place and Yoichi, lying to the west, is to be had.
+In some parts the scenery is really grand. Coming down on the other side
+of the hill, Momonai and Kawamura, two fishermen's villages of some
+importance, are passed, and further west, through a picturesque and
+narrow entrance of rugged volcanic rocks, is Yoichi, a large village,
+which was entirely burnt down last year, but has since been built up
+again. The road to Iwanai branches off at Kawamura, across the Shakotan
+peninsula. This peninsula is partly volcanic, partly composed of
+tertiaries, on which metal veins are found, especially along the course
+of the Yoichi River.
+
+About three miles from Yoichi a small flax factory was being built as an
+experiment by a Mr. Tokumatz Kuroda, in the employ of the Mitzui
+Company. Twenty-five miles further south-west of Yoichi is Iwanai.
+About ten miles from Kawamura, at Hando, a black tumbledown shed, like a
+haunted house, stands in the middle of the woods, and from here the
+track again goes over a mountain. On the other side is Iwanai. Five or
+six weeks previous to my arrival a large fire had destroyed nearly the
+whole of the village, and--just my luck again!--I had great difficulty
+in finding a place in which to obtain shelter for the night.
+
+From Iwanai the coast-line roughly describes a semicircle, which is
+almost concentric with Volcano Bay on the south coast, the distance
+between the two seas being about twenty or twenty-five miles, so that it
+forms a kind of large peninsula stretching towards the south, and
+widening considerably at its most southern part on the Tsugaru Strait.
+The first two or three miles from Iwanai were a pretty flat and easy
+track, but then I struck the mountain trail, which was steep and heavy
+for my pony. It was raining in torrents, and the narrow track was
+literally turned into a running rivulet. By good luck the rain stopped,
+and when I reached the summit I had a glorious panorama of the brilliant
+rocks and cliffs of the Shakotan Cape to the north-east, with the Kamui
+and the Hurupira Mountains on one side, and the villages of Shiribets,
+Isoya, and Karibayama along the coast on the other. I descended into the
+valley and then went up again the next mountain, the Iwaonobori, a
+higher peak than the first. I went down its slopes on the other side in
+a zig-zag fashion, and then came to the snake-like river called
+Shiribets, on both sides of which a few fishermen's houses are found,
+forming the Shiribets village.
+
+Three miles further is a larger settlement, Isoya, the half of which is
+called Notto Isoya, the other Shimakotan Isoya. It is a long row of
+fishermen's houses scattered along the coast until we get to Ushoro,
+eight miles further, a settlement of 120 houses.
+
+Ushoro is connected by a road to Oshamambe, on Volcano Bay, but I went
+on to Shitzo, four miles north-west of Ushoro. The way was fairly good
+in some parts, and execrably bad in others. The heavy rain which had
+again come on was not exactly suited to my present state of health;
+moreover, it swelled all the small brooks, which fell in a series of
+picturesque waterfalls over the high cliffs down on to the beach. As the
+beach was narrow, this meant each time a cold shower-bath, which,
+however, did not much matter, for I was already drenched by the rain,
+and I had no very "swell" garments to spoil, as my readers know.
+
+[Illustration: AINU HALF-CASTE CHILD OF VOLCANO BAY.]
+
+Shitzo is an old-looking place, but there is nothing attractive about
+it. It is in a small bay sheltered by Cape Benke, but its anchorage is
+only fit for junks or very small skiffs. It is much exposed to northerly
+and easterly winds. The coast from Shitzo to the Cape is lined with
+rocky bluffs and cliffs of conglomerate and volcanic formation, with
+bare hills inland.
+
+There are many reefs stretching out, both along the coast and off the
+Cape; but in many places channels are cut in them, to all appearance
+produced by some remote volcanic action.
+
+On the western side of Cape Benke is the village of Masatomari. There
+were formerly some Ainu villages on this part of the coast, but hardly
+any natives are to be found now. The few remaining have adopted to a
+certain extent Japanese customs and manners.
+
+At Baraputa I heard that it was impossible to continue my journey south
+on horseback along the coast, for the track was almost impassable, even
+on foot. It was a steep and difficult trail over the mountains, among
+rocks and precipitous cliffs, and I was quite unable to accomplish it;
+so I retraced my steps to Shitzo, and from there struck across the
+peninsula on the road for Oshamambe, on Volcano Bay. The road is a good
+one, and when bridges are built where needed it will be practicable for
+_bashas_, the four-wheeled vehicles of Southern Yezo. The way is across
+mountains or among well-wooded hills. Kuromatsunai is the largest group
+of houses found along the road. It is about halfway between the two
+coasts.
+
+Late at night, after having ridden twenty-five miles, I arrived at
+Oshamambe, a semi-Ainu village on Volcano Bay.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: KOMATAGE VOLCANO, VOLCANO BAY.]
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+Completing the Circuit of Yezo--The End of my Journey.
+
+
+Oshamambe is a group of seventy houses, just midway between Mororran and
+Mori. The Ainu of this bay are poor specimens of their race, as most of
+them have intermarried with Japanese. They are, however, those most
+talked about by Europeans, for they are of easy access to
+globe-trotters.
+
+They are mostly half-castes, and even second and third crosses;
+wherefore it is no wonder that the incautious travellers who have
+written on the Ainu, studying only these easily-visited specimens, have
+discovered in them a remarkable likeness to the Japanese!
+
+The fact that I was rapidly nearing the end of my trip half filled me
+with pleasure, yet pleasure mingled with regret. It was nearly six weeks
+now since I met with the accident to my foot, and I was decidedly
+better. The cold weather had greatly contributed to this improvement of
+my condition; and had it not been for my bone which kept sticking out of
+my skin, I should have considered myself in fine case. I could hop along
+with my self-made crutch and my stick, and when riding the pain was not
+nearly as acute as it had been the first fifteen or twenty days.
+
+As the road was good, and there was nothing interesting to me on this
+portion of the journey, I tried to push on rapidly towards Mori.
+Unfortunately, at the last minute my patience was put to a trial. I
+hired a horse, and it was lame. No others were to be had that day for
+love or money. The animal had been lame for two years, they said, and
+though uncomfortable to ride he did not suffer any pain. This I
+ascertained afterwards was true, for that day the sturdy brute carried
+me 48½ miles without once requiring punishment. It is needless to say
+that what I suffered that day by the continuous jerking is beyond
+description. I rode fourteen hours in a fearful storm of rain and snow,
+and my feverish anxiety to reach Hakodate soon, so that I might receive
+letters, and have news of my parents and friends--from whom I had not
+heard for five months--helped me to pull through all the fatigue and
+worry of the way. The road between Oshamambe and Kunnui is fair, getting
+still better towards Yurap and Yamakushinai. But to shorten the journey
+and lessen the jerking I followed the sandy sea-beach, which, describing
+a smaller circle than the road, necessarily diminishes the distance.
+From Yamakushinai the road is very good and wide, and it has
+nicely-built bridges over the Otoshibe and Nigori Rivers. The small
+fishing villages, though not so imposing in appearance as some of those
+in other parts of Yezo, add to the picturesqueness of the bay, with its
+beautiful volcanic cone of Komagatage towering in the distance towards
+the south-east.
+
+The fishing in Volcano Bay consists mostly of mackerel, sprats, halibut,
+and herrings.
+
+I reached Mori late in the evening, and was received with a friendly
+greeting by the people of the tea-house in which I had stayed on my way
+up at the beginning of my journey.
+
+The place was brilliantly lighted with numberless candles, and opposite
+the entrance was a kind of altar decked with flowers and cakes. A few
+_bonzes_, with their shaven heads and long, thin, depraved fingers, were
+saying their prayers and beating with a small wand on the round wooden
+bells. With the gods of Japan you must ring a bell or clap your hands
+before you begin to pray, or else the god will pay no attention to your
+petitions. In the next room another Japanese, with less depraved
+fingers, but with a more wicked face, was dressed in European clothes,
+and was apparently giving a sermon, and sure enough he proved to be a
+native Christian minister!
+
+"Hallo!" said I to the landlord; "what does all this mean?"
+
+"Oh," said he, smiling--for Buddhism teaches you not to show pain--"my
+old mother is dead. You saw her when you were here before. She died
+yesterday, and as she was formerly a Buddhist and had become a
+Christian, I have now got some Buddhist _bonzes_ and a Christian
+minister to pray for her, for I want her to be happy in the other
+world."
+
+"But do you not think," I replied, "that so much praying of different
+kinds might interfere with her happiness?"
+
+"Oh, no, your honourable," he said quickly, "I have paid the _bonzes_
+and the clergyman in advance, and the gods cannot get angry now!"
+
+It was curious to notice the competition between the representatives of
+the two different creeds.
+
+On the one side the Christian shouted his prayers and sang his hymns in
+a stentorian voice, to put the _bonzes_ in the shade and get the start
+of them in the contest; and on the other side these rattled on the
+wooden bells with all their might, so that their prayers should be heard
+first. I was more than happy when this religious race was over, and I
+was allowed a few hours' rest.
+
+Instead of going straight to Hakodate by _basha_ by the road I had
+already once traversed, I followed the coast in a south-easterly
+direction towards the volcano of Esan.
+
+Near Usushiri, some two miles inland, are the hot springs of Obune,
+where, in a picturesque gully surrounded by mountains, are two dirty
+shanties for the benefit of those who wish to take the waters. At Isoya,
+five miles north of this place, similar springs are found, and three and
+a half miles south-east of Usushiri still more can be seen at Kakumi.
+The latter place is a picturesque little spot, with its three old sheds
+and the steaming bath-room framed in the multi-coloured foliage of trees
+with their lovely autumn tints. A clean path a few hundred yards long
+leads from the coast to the springs, and a track across the mountains is
+found between that place and Hakodate; also another leading from Obune
+to the latter port. By both these tracks a most lovely view of Hakodate
+Bay can be obtained when the summit of the mountain range is reached.
+From Kakumi the coast-line is wretched for travelling, set thick as it
+is with stones as sharp as knives, while the waves continually wash over
+the narrow beach, drenching the wayfarer to the skin.
+
+I reached Otatsube, a group of a few fishermen's huts; and as there is
+no traffic whatever along this coast, there were no regular tea-houses.
+Unfortunately for me, the British Squadron in the Pacific had spent the
+summer at Hakodate, and the ships had often gone for gun-practice
+somewhere near this place, scaring the natives to death, and furthermore
+angering them against foreigners in general, for they said the report of
+the guns frightened away all the fish. When I asked for food and offered
+money for it, they flatly refused me, saying contemptuously,--
+
+"You foreigners come and scare all the fish away, and now you shall die
+of starvation before you shall get food from us. We do not want your
+money. We are rich."
+
+And so I was held responsible for the doings of Her Majesty's fleet,
+which until then I did not even know had been in those waters!
+
+At Furimbé, the next small village, only a few miles further on, my
+experience was even more unpleasant. Not only would they not give me
+food, but they would not shelter me for the night in any of the houses;
+and many of the fishermen, taking advantage of my wretched condition,
+were impudent to such a point that I thought we should have come to
+blows.
+
+It was getting quite dark, and I was fearfully hungry and exhausted. The
+only course open to me was to push on, and see if I could come across
+some other hut where the owners were not so churlish. As it turned out,
+for the first time since I had been in Hokkaido I had some good luck
+that night!
+
+A few hundred yards from this Japanese village, among the trees, was a
+little wooden shrine. Through the grating of the door I caught sight of
+offerings of cakes and rice which the religious fishermen had deposited
+on the kind of altar, probably to appease the angry gods, and induce
+them to fill the sea with fish again. The door of the shrine, as is
+usual in country places in Japan, was not locked, but a small outside
+bolt was all there was to keep it closed. I had no difficulty in
+entering. The night was a terrible one. The rain was pouring in
+torrents, and having had nothing to eat all day, I felt I had not the
+strength to go another yard. "After all," I said to myself, "the home of
+the gods, Japanese or not, is good enough for me. So is this supper," I
+soliloquized, swallowing now a white cake, now a red one, then a green
+one, till nothing but the empty vessels were left. "Delicious" was my
+last word, when, smacking my lips over the last green cake, I proceeded
+to make myself comfortable for the night. It is needless to add that I
+left very early in the morning, when the first rays of light broke the
+dimness of the night, and I dare say that, for the sake of morality, I
+ought to add that I was sorry for committing the sacrilege; but I was
+not--indeed I was not!
+
+The mountain track continued, rough and steep in many places, and the
+autumn tints on the foliage were lovely, though not as varied as those
+of Northern America. Past Todohotke another volcano, the Esan, stared me
+in the face. Its crater, or rather its craters, for there are several,
+are not on the summit of the mountain, which is well rounded, but nearly
+halfway down its western slopes. Accumulations of very pure sulphur are
+deposited in and around these craters, and a continuous rumbling can be
+heard inside the mountain. The craters eject sulphurous vapours, and
+molten lava bubbles up as if in gigantic caldrons, congealing at the
+mouths of the craters and cracking with the extreme heat.
+
+The coast-line is precipitous and almost impassable round Cape Esan,
+therefore the track leads over the mountain. The altitude of Esan is
+1740 feet above the sea-level, but owing to its rising directly from the
+sea it has the look of a much more lofty mountain. Komagatage, near
+Mori, is 4,011, or more than double the height of Esan, while
+Makkarinupuri volcano, or Shiribeshi Mountain, as others call it, about
+forty-five miles south-west of Sappro, and ten miles north of Toya Lake,
+reaches an altitude of 6,440 feet.
+
+Iwaonobori, which I passed on the north coast in this latter part of my
+journey, is 3,374 feet. Usu, on Volcano Bay, 1868 feet. Tarumai,
+directly south of Sappro, only reaches a height of 2,800 feet.
+
+When this volcanic part of the coast round Esan Cape is passed the track
+becomes easier and flatter. One comes again to the sandy beaches, and
+the coast is lively with numbers of fishermen's huts, and a couple of
+villages like Shirikishinai and Toi. One day's journey on horseback from
+here takes you to Hakodate. The Hakodate Peak can be seen in the
+distance to the west; and only a few more hours, only a few more miles,
+and I should be in civilisation, I should see a few European faces, and
+I should hear English spoken again.
+
+As I approached the sandy isthmus, and the peak grew bigger before me, I
+wondered what had been going on in the world, and what news I should
+receive of my dear ones. I imagined myself already devouring with my
+eyes the hundreds of letters which must have been amassed at Hakodate,
+waiting for me during the many months I had been away. I imagined myself
+half buried in newspapers months old, anxiously reading the news of the
+world. I hurried on my pony, I crossed the sand isthmus--and there I was
+in the lively streets of Hakodate, gazed at by the astonished Japanese,
+who, I believe, were more than a little amazed--perhaps scandalised--at
+my turn-out.
+
+Such as I was, and before I went to the Japanese tea-house, I called at
+the Consulate for my correspondence. Her Britannic Majesty's
+representative, who knew me well enough, was more than thunderstruck
+when I appeared before him in such a strange attire. He was smoking a
+pipe, and he almost let it drop, such was his surprise.
+
+"Who are you?" he feebly exclaimed, looking me all over from head to
+foot. "Surely you are not Landor?" he said when I told him my name.
+
+"I believe I am," I answered, "and I have come to trouble you for my
+letters."
+
+"Oh, none have come; we have none," he said drily.
+
+And now that I was not quite so well dressed as when I had called on my
+arrival at Hakodate from Southern Japan, he seemed anxious to see me off
+the premises as soon as possible, I dare say for fear lest I should
+expire on his doorstep.
+
+"But there _must_ be some letters," I said, as I was sadly leaving.
+
+"No, there are none. Good-bye," he repeated.
+
+The first glimpse of civilisation and of a civilised being was certainly
+not a pleasing one. In a town where there are hardly half-a-dozen
+British subjects, all told, I expected a better reception than one which
+many would not bestow on a beggar to a compatriot in a foreign country.
+Kindness costs nothing, and I was asking no favour.
+
+I left the place disheartened, but feeling that the pompous official had
+made a blunder, unluckily at my expense.
+
+Mr. Henson, in whose house I had left all my luggage, greeted me with
+open arms. He was kindness itself, and very different from the
+gold-collared gentleman of the Consulate. I must say that I felt most
+uncomfortable when, after having opened my trunks, I put on fresh
+clothes and boots; in fact, such was the change from my late airy
+costume that I caught a cold! I had now almost finished my self-imposed
+task. I had made the whole circuit of Yezo, and been up all its largest
+rivers, with the exception of that part of the western coast which lies
+between Barabuta and Hakodate. It would mean only a few more days of
+agony, and for the sake of completing my journey I left Hakodate again
+the next morning at 2 A.M. in a _basha_ for Esashi, on the west coast.
+The distance is fifty-seven miles, and we employed sixteen hours in
+covering it. It was snowing when we crossed the hills, and it was
+fearfully cold. Fortunately, the road is one of the best in Hokkaido.
+Just in front of me sat a poor man piteously ill with _kaki_. His body
+was dreadfully swollen and his limbs were stiff. What the poor man must
+have suffered in being shaken for so many hours is beyond description.
+His lamentations were heartrending. He had come to Hakodate in the hope
+of getting cured, and now he was returning--to use his words--"to die
+near his home." When we reached Esashi he was truly more dead than
+alive. He was senseless, and had to be lifted up bodily and carried into
+the house.
+
+Esashi is a large place, and is one of the oldest towns in Yezo. In
+front lies a small oblong island, with which various wonderful tales of
+treasure are connected. Its harbour is too unsafe, being exposed to all
+winds, and I was told that the sea is always rough except during the
+months of July and August. I believe that this is greatly due to the
+currents.
+
+I went north to Kumaishi and Cape Ota, the most westerly point of Yezo.
+About ten miles west of this cape is the small island of Okushiri,
+peopled mostly by Japanese.
+
+The track is tolerably fair for about twenty-four miles as far as
+Kumaishi. It runs either along the beach or around clay and conglomerate
+rocky points, occasionally over the cliffs and through ravines. North of
+Esashi, along the Assap River, is a good stretch of cultivable land;
+then the thickly-wooded mountainous region begins again towards the
+north.
+
+Kumaishi is said to be the best district for herring fishing along that
+coast.
+
+From Kumaishi to Kudo numerous reefs extend out at sea, and small
+headlands afford a safe anchorage to junks. The track is mostly on a
+rough coast backed by high and well-wooded hills. Striking across the
+mountains, which rise sheer from the sea, we come to Cape Ota, the most
+westerly point of Yezo. From here the coast turns towards the north-east
+as far as Barabuta; but as it was impossible for me to go on horseback
+to that place, though only a few miles distant, I turned back and
+returned to Esashi, then following the coast towards the south to
+Matsumai or Fukuyama, one of the first Japanese settlements established
+in Yezo, and formerly the capital of the island. The coast is rugged and
+picturesque from Esashi to the two villages of Kaminokumi and Shiofuki,
+after which a mountain path leads to Ishisaki.
+
+I found the Japanese on this coast most polite and honest, and more like
+the "old Japanese" than the younger generations.
+
+The cliffs on the south side of the Ishizaki River were resplendent in
+beauty under the brilliant red and yellow light of the setting sun.
+Oshima (or Large Island) could be seen on the horizon in the distant
+south. Five miles further, across a mountain track, I came to Cisango,
+and five more miles beyond that place landed me at Haraguchi, two small
+fishing villages, with houses resting on high posts and against the
+cliffs, somewhat similar to the villages I found previous to my reaching
+the Ishikari River.
+
+After that are eight or ten miles of a monotonous hilly road, where you
+do nothing but ascend and descend one small hill after another, up and
+down a snake-like or a zig-zag path; but when Eramachi is passed the
+track becomes much more interesting, with its peculiar groups of rocks
+of all shapes sticking out of the sea, and the long line of reef over
+which the breakers roll foaming and thundering. From here by the side of
+Oshima, another small island, "Koshima," is seen on the horizon. Going
+south the coast gradually gets more and more picturesque, with its
+pretty little fishing villages hidden among the rocks and sheltered
+under the high cliffs. At Neptka a good road leads over the cliffs to
+Fukuyama.
+
+About a mile before the town is reached, from a high point of vantage on
+the road, is a pretty peep of Benten Island, just off the shore, with an
+old temple on it, and by its side a new lighthouse. On the shore, a few
+yards from the road opposite the island, a large rock is literally
+covered with hundreds of stone images of Amida and different gods, and
+two _Torii_, sacred emblems of Japan, are placed in front of it.
+
+I descended the slope gently and reached Koromatsumai, otherwise called
+Matsumai, or Fukuyama. It is a "dear old spot," the most picturesque of
+all the towns in Hokkaido. It is ancient, for one thing, while other
+places are modern--some villages, indeed, only a year or two old, or
+even less. Thus weather has toned down the light yellow colour of the
+new wood, which is so offensive to the eye in a landscape, and is so
+common in all Japanese villages of Yezo. Besides, Fukuyama has pretty
+temples on the surrounding hills, and prettily-laid-out gardens with
+tiny stone bridges, bronze lanterns, and dwarfed trees. It is more like
+a town of old Japan. It has a three-storied castle with turned-up roofs,
+as one sees on the willow-pattern plates.
+
+The castle, formerly the residence of the Daimio, a feudal prince, is
+now a restaurant. The irregular streets of the town, the narrow lanes,
+the houses blackened by smoke and age, give a certain _cachet_ which is
+peculiar to the place itself. The inhabitants, too, are more
+conservative than the younger colonists, and are quite "in keeping" with
+the place. Unluckily, the town has seen better days! It possesses no
+good harbour, and all its trade, little by little, is being carried
+away by its more fortunate rival, Hakodate. The population of Matsumai
+decreases considerably every year, as the inhabitants leave this
+poetical but dead-alive and decaying spot for the more exciting life to
+be found in newly-opened districts further east or north.
+
+Between Fukuyama and Hakodate, a distance of over sixty miles, the road
+is extremely bad, and there is nothing whatever to see. Shirakami Cape
+is interesting as being the most southern point of Yezo, and from here
+the coast turns slightly towards the north-east.
+
+Fukushima is an old village. The other headlands, and the Cape of
+Yagoshi, have no special features calling for attention. Near the latter
+cape the coast is volcanic, which renders it very rugged in shape and
+warmly tinted in colour. There are many villages along the coast, as
+Yoshioka, Shiriuchi, Kikonai, Idzumizawa, Mohechi, and Kamiiro, and the
+inhabitants seem well off and well-to-do people.
+
+A great quantity of coal and firewood is carried on pony-back from these
+mountains to Hakodate. Rows of ten, twelve, or fifteen ponies one after
+the other, loaded with as much as they can carry, can be seen slowly
+travelling, under the care of one man, down to the principal port of
+Yezo, especially at the beginning of the winter season; and here and
+there stacks of split wood are piled ready for transportation.
+
+Rounding the Hakodate Bay, I was again at the point whence I had first
+started, and happy that, notwithstanding all the ill-luck I had had,
+notwithstanding the strain on my physique, which is not by any means
+herculean, and notwithstanding all the obstacles which had come in my
+way, I had finally succeeded in doing what no European had ever done
+before, namely, in completing the whole circuit of Yezo at one time,
+exploring all its most important rivers and lakes, studying the habits,
+customs, and manners of that strange race of people, the Hairy Ainu, and
+visiting the Kuriles besides.
+
+Many parts which I travelled over had never been trodden by European
+foot, and this made my journey all the more interesting to me. As the
+book stands I have related but the principal adventures which I had
+during my long peregrinations in Hokkaido, most of which are intended to
+illustrate Ainu customs and traits by my own personal experience rather
+than to excite sympathy for my hardships. Really, though the journey
+nearly cost me my life, I have never, in my extensive wanderings,
+enjoyed a trip more than that to Ainuland.
+
+I have touched but slightly, and not more than was absolutely necessary,
+on subjects relating to the Japanese; for this is intended as a work on
+the Ainu.
+
+I was happy yet sorry to be at the end of my journey! This was the 146th
+day since I first left Hakodate, and the distance I had travelled was
+about 4,200 miles, out of which 3,800 were ridden on horseback, or an
+average of twenty-five miles a day. The remaining 400 miles were either
+by steamer or canoe travelling.
+
+From the day I broke the bone in my foot I travelled fifty-eight days,
+mostly on horseback, and the first time it was attended to and properly
+bandaged up was sixty days after it occurred, or two days after my
+arrival in Hakodate, by Mr. Pooley, chief engineer on board the SS.
+_Satsuma Maru_.
+
+Mr. Henson was again extremely kind, and pressed me to leave the
+tea-house and go and stay at his place, and after five months of "hard
+planks" I slept again in a comfortable bed. What a treat it was! What a
+curious sensation to sleep in a bed again, and actually have sheets and
+blankets! But this was not all, for surprise followed surprise.
+
+The pompous Consul, who for the sake of saving himself the trouble of
+looking into his desk, had made my last portion of the journey wretched
+and sorrowful, found that after all he was mistaken, and on the
+breakfast-table in my place I found a packet of about 100 letters and
+newspapers, which the Consul sent to me with a message saying that when
+I called last time he had forgotten who I was, and therefore had
+forgotten to give me my correspondence!
+
+Now that we have travelled round and through the country in every
+direction; now that we have seen where the different tribes of Ainu are,
+I shall attempt to give my readers some insight into the Ainu
+themselves, and their mode of living.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: WOODEN DRINKING VESSELS.]
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+Ainu Habitations, Storehouses, Trophies, Furniture--Conservatism.
+
+
+Ainu architecture is by no means elaborate, let alone beautiful; but
+though it is so simple, it is to a certain extent varied, differing
+according to the exigencies of climate and locality. Huts of one
+district vary from those of another not only in small details, but also
+in the whole shape; or if the shape is the same, the materials are
+different.
+
+The principal characteristics of the Volcano Bay and Saru River huts is,
+that they have angular roofs and are thatched with tall reeds and
+arundinaria, while the huts up the Tokachi River are more often covered
+with bark, though in form they are almost identical with those others.
+
+On the Kutcharo Lake, again, the huts are thatched with tall reeds like
+those of Volcano Bay, but the building itself has a totally different
+shape. The roof is semicircular, and each hut is in appearance like the
+half of a cylinder lying on its rectangular base.
+
+On the north-east coast the huts have either roofs similar to the
+Kutcharo ones, or else the angle is very obtuse instead of being sharp,
+as with the Piratori or Volcano Bay huts.
+
+In the Kuriles, at Shikotan, the Ainu have houses exactly similar to
+those at Piratori.
+
+Setting aside the varieties of form, we shall now consider how the huts
+are built. A frame is first made by horizontally lashing at short
+intervals long poles to others at the angles of the roof. Often the roof
+is made first and lifted up bodily on the forked poles on which it
+rests. Then long reeds and arundinaria are collected in sufficient
+quantity to thatch the frame thickly on each side. Other poles or
+rafters are then placed over these reeds, and through them lashed
+tightly to the under frame, thus preventing the thatch from being blown
+or washed away. Care is taken to leave an opening for the door; and the
+small east window--usually the only one in Ainu huts--is cut out
+afterwards by means of a knife. Ainu huts have never more than one
+storey and never more than one room and a small porch. In districts
+where the climate is less severe the porch is often dispensed with. In
+building their habitations the hairy people make no attempt whatever at
+symmetry or beauty; all they aim at is to make themselves a shelter and
+nothing more.
+
+There are no more professional architects than professionals of any
+other kind in the Ainu country. Each man is his own architect, builder,
+and carpenter. He may occasionally receive the help of a neighbour when
+he is building his hut, if all hands in the family are not sufficient to
+carry him through his work.
+
+Each family has its own hut, which is used day and night by all the
+members. If one of the sons gets married he sometimes brings his bride
+to live in his father's hut, or else he goes to live in his bride's hut;
+but as the "hairy mother-in-law" is no better than other
+"mothers-in-law," the end of this arrangement is that generally the
+bridegroom has to build a habitation for himself and his better-half.
+Fortunately for him, he has to pay no ground-rent; nor has he to take a
+lease, nor pay the lawyer for an agreement, nor yet to buy the ground
+nor the materials on which and of which his not too luxurious abode is
+to be built. He chooses the site which is most suitable to him, and
+there he builds his hut as best he can; and no one is any the worse or
+the wiser for it. The "furnishing" is a matter of no consideration with
+the Ainu, as he prefers to live in an "unfurnished house." By
+instalments, however, as he finds his floor becoming rather damp, he
+provides himself with a few rough planks, which afford him comfortable
+sleeping accommodation; and during the winter, when fishing is not
+practicable, and he spends most of his day at home, he roughly carves
+for himself a moustache-lifter (the _Kike-ush-bashui_); a small paddle,
+the _Hera_ (which is used both to stir the wine and as an implement in
+weaving); a pestle and mortar carved out of the trunk of a tree; and, if
+he be a very ambitious person and fond of his wife, he will probably
+make her a weaving loom as well as two or three "water-jugs" if we may
+call them so--vessels made of bark bent into shape, and lashed so
+strongly as to be water-tight, and used for carrying water as needed.
+
+A few wooden bowls, a wooden hook, which is suspended over the fire when
+bear-meat is smoked, occasionally a _Kinna_ (a mat), and a skin or two,
+are all the articles of furniture of Ainu manufacture which an Ainu can
+possess, though few of them possess so many. The Ainu hut has a
+fire-place in the centre, or rather, a fire is lighted in the centre of
+the hut. The fire is lighted with a flint and steel--a method learned
+from the Japanese--or by the friction of two sticks. The more civilised
+Ainu have now adopted matches. A hole in the angle of the roof acts as
+chimney, but unfortunately more in name than in practice.
+
+Chairs, stools, sofas, beds, tables, etc., are all things unknown to the
+Ainu. While inspecting the hut it may be as well to see how the
+weaving-loom, the most complicated article of the Ainu household, is
+made and worked. There is a "yarn beam" (the _Kammakappe_), on which the
+"warp" of unwoven thread is wound and kept separated, and another "roll"
+by which the warp threads in the process of weaving are kept in tension
+between the two gratings. There then is the _Poro-usa_ (the "large
+grating"), through the intervals of which the warp threads pass, and the
+_Usa_, a similar but smaller grating placed on the other side of the
+roll.
+
+[Illustration: THE KAMMAKAPPE.]
+
+[Illustration: PORO-USA, OR "LARGE GRATING."]
+
+[Illustration: THE USA.]
+
+[Illustration: STICKS.]
+
+The cloth is wound round a stick which rests on the lap of the weaver,
+and is kept in tension by means of her wrists; and at the same time the
+_Ahunkanitte_ (the "shuttle"), is passed between the two sets of warp
+threads carrying the transverse thread, or "woof," from one side of the
+cloth to the other and back again. This is then beaten up by means of a
+long shuttle like a netting mesh, which first draws the weft into its
+place, and is then used to beat it up. In some ways this form of loom is
+similar to that of India. The "netting mesh" is called _Atzis-Hera_.
+Finally, the _Pekoatnit_ is a bi-forked instrument for separating the
+threads.
+
+[Illustration: THE AHUNKANITTE.]
+
+[Illustration: THE PEKOATNIT.]
+
+It is needless to say that with this primitive and homemade loom it
+takes a very long time to weave a very short piece of cloth; but as time
+is not money with Ainu women, and patience is one of their virtues, it
+answers their purpose, and they wish for nothing better.
+
+[Illustration: ATZIS-CLOTH IN PROCESS OF WEAVING.]
+
+The thread used for manufacturing the cloth is made of the inner fibre
+of the _Ulmus campestris_ bark. At the beginning of the spring the elm
+bark is peeled off the trees and is put in water to soak and soften
+until the inner fibres can be separated, made into threads, and wound up
+round reeds. The material woven from these threads is very coarse and
+brittle, except in wet weather or when soaked in water, in which case
+clothes made of it cannot be worn out.
+
+The weaving is usually plain, but sometimes a simple pattern of black
+parallel lines is woven in with the material. The natural colour of the
+elm-fibre thread is dark yellow, and the black lines are composed of the
+same thread stained.
+
+The other contrivance in Ainu huts which strikes one as being simple
+but clever is the hook suspended over the fire. The rope is passed over
+a rafter. One end of it is fastened to the hook, the other, as shown in
+the illustration, to a piece of wood through which the hook has
+previously been passed.
+
+[Illustration: ROASTING HOOK.]
+
+Mat-making is closely allied to weaving, and is worked entirely on the
+same principle, but without the aid of any kind of machinery. The
+bulrushes are crossed and woven coarsely, and plaited flat. One of these
+mats is used in Ainu huts as a door--"the _Apa Otki_." A smaller one is
+hung over or by the window.
+
+Naturally, Ainu huts are somewhat draughty. The imperfectness of the
+door and window-fittings, the large outlet for the smoke, besides the
+wind which finds its way through the thatched walls, make Ainu dwellings
+"ideal" to anyone wishing to "catch his death of cold." The Ainu do not
+much mind it.
+
+The roof is low, and from it hang the winter provisions of dried salmon
+captured during the autumn. This gives an additional odour to the
+already strong scent of the hut--an "ancient fish-like smell," not
+redolent of the perfumes of Arabia. The smoke inside the hut is so dense
+when there happens to be a fire burning that one's eyes stream with
+involuntary tears, and one is nearly choked. When the days are short in
+winter the Ainu sometimes light their dwellings with a stick to which is
+fastened a piece of animal fat. It is hung up aloft, and when the lower
+end is lighted the fat slowly melting serves to feed the flame and keep
+this primitive lamp alight. Another mode of illumination is by firing a
+lighted piece of birch bark on a stick previously split at the upper
+end. The third way is by filling a large shell with fish-oil and burning
+in it a few strings of elm-fibre. None of these methods come much into
+use for everyday life, as, unlike the negroes, the Ainu are not fond of
+sitting up at night, except on extraordinary occasions; and when by
+chance they do sit up it is by the light of the fire only.
+
+If a stranger stops for the night in an Ainu hut, he is made to sleep
+directly under the east window; but the family take good care to sleep
+all together on the north side, which is the most distant point from
+the door and the window. Occasional callers are received on the side
+nearest to the door.
+
+The few Ainu who possess mats on which they sit during the day hang them
+up at night round the hut, probably to protect themselves from the
+liberal ventilation, which even those who are used to it find trying
+when a gale is blowing or the thermometer is very low.
+
+There is no particular spot inside the hut set apart for meals, and the
+refuse is either thrown into a corner of the hut or flung outside the
+door and left there. It is difficult to say whether the inside or the
+outside of an Ainu hut is the dirtier. Heaps of stinking refuse are
+accumulated round the dwellings, and in summer-time these heaps are
+alive with vermin--mosquitoes, flies, _abu_, and black-flies. It is
+quite sufficient to move a step from the door to see a cloud of these
+noxious insects rise, and each one of them will have a bite at you.
+
+Inside the house you are no better off. _Taikki_ (fleas) are
+innumerable, and of all sizes, not to mention other well-known but
+usually anonymous enemies of the human skin.
+
+The first night I slept in an Ainu hut, though I was provided with
+insecticide powder, I was literally covered with bites. With my fondness
+for statistics I proceeded to count them, and only from my ankle to my
+knee I counted as many as 220. The rest of my body and my head were
+covered in the same proportion, but I gave up the attempt to ascertain
+the exact number--the task was too overwhelming. My skin, however, got
+so inflamed by these bites as to produce fever, which lasted two or
+three days. After that time I never again suffered to such an extent,
+perhaps owing to the fact that no free spot was left to attack, or may
+be from that curious process called acclimatisation.
+
+The Ainu huts are built entirely above ground, and are used alike in
+winter and summer.
+
+In olden times the hut was always destroyed at the death of its owner,
+or when abandoned; but in the former case the custom is seldom practised
+now, and in the latter they are merely left to decay.
+
+It is singular that migrating Ainu, coming across an uninhabited hut,
+never live in it, but build a new one for themselves.
+
+The Kurilsky Ainu until quite recently destroyed their huts when
+migrating from one island to another. They also burnt the huts of
+deceased persons. It is needless to say that the Ainu have no churches,
+no hotels, no hospitals, and no public buildings of any kind. The huts
+in villages are a little way from one another, and each hut has directly
+in front a separate storehouse, built on piles or posts so as not to be
+accessible to wolves, dogs, or rats. These are small structures, the
+architecture of which has the local characteristics of the habitations,
+with the exception that they are invariably on piles, while the
+habitations are on the ground. Clothes, furs, mats, and winter
+provisions of sea-weed are kept in these storehouses, and access to them
+is by means of a peculiar ladder. It is a mere log of wood, six or seven
+feet in length, pointed at one end, and with five or six incisions,
+which serve as steps, and remind me of the steps cut by an ice-axe in a
+glacier or on frozen snow. Natives go up and down these ladders with
+ease, even when carrying heavy weights on their heads; and good care is
+always taken to remove the ladder when leaving the storehouse. Women
+principally look after these storehouses, and seem to have the whole
+care and control of them. I have often seen an Ainu girl--for a
+storehouse could hardly hold more than one--sitting on the tiny door
+working at her lord and master's _Atzis_ robe. Hour after hour I have
+seen her sitting there, working patiently till the sun has set and the
+darkness has come. Her materials were then stowed away; the mat at the
+door was let down; the ladder descended and kicked away; and sadly
+singing in her soft falsetto voice, she retired into the dirt and dark
+of her habitation.
+
+The storehouses stand about six feet above the level of the ground, and
+are generally on four, six, or eight piles. Upon each pile is placed a
+large square piece of wood turned downwards at the sides, so as not to
+be accessible to rats and mice. Upon these square pieces of wood rest
+horizontally four rafters, forming a quadrangle about eight feet square.
+The small storehouse has as a base this quadrangle, and is seldom high
+enough to allow of an adult to stand inside.
+
+Storehouses are thatched like all other houses. On the upper Tokachi,
+however, they are covered with the bark of trees.
+
+Next in connection with Ainu habitations comes the skull-trophy at the
+east end of the hut. This is on a parallel line to the hut wall, and
+only a few yards away from it, and is made of a number of bi-forked
+poles, upon which are placed the skulls of the bears, wolves, and foxes
+killed by the owner of the hut. The Ainu is proud of this trophy, and if
+the number of bear skulls is very large, he commands a certain amount of
+respect from his hairy brethren. There is nothing that Ainu admire more
+than courage, and there is nothing in the world that an Ainu desires
+more than to be thought brave. When he has gained this character a man
+becomes in a certain way the "lion" of the village. He embellishes his
+trophy with a _Nusa_ and _Inaos_ (willow wands with overhanging
+shavings--_see_ Chapter on Superstitions), and he always looks on it as
+an evidence of his manly glory. Besides this, many Ainu possess one or
+two live bears kept in cages. Bear hunters often secure one or more
+cubs, which they bring home and allow to live in the hut like one of the
+family or an Irishman's pig. These cubs are nursed along with and in the
+same manner as the children, and Ainu say that women often put them to
+the breast and suckle them like their own infants. Whether this is true
+or not I cannot say; but though I have never seen it, and therefore
+cannot vouch for it, it is not unlike Ainu women to do such a thing.
+
+When the new-comers grow big and powerful enough to be dangerous, the
+men make a rough cage with logs of timber, placing them one over the
+other in a quadrangular shape, and lashing them strongly together. The
+bear is driven into the cage, which is then roofed over; and after a
+couple of years of confinement, during which it is fattened, poor Bruin
+is killed for a bear festival. In the lower part of the cage there is a
+small wooden tray by which food is served to the captive.
+
+[Illustration: THE APE-KILAI, OR EARTH-RAKE, AS USED BY PIRATORI AINU.]
+
+On the north-east coast of Yezo I have also seen smaller cages, in which
+foxes, eagles, or other animals are kept; and I always noticed the care
+which Ainu took to feed up the imprisoned animals. That "charity begins
+at home" is true even among the hairy people; for if they are kind to
+animals it is only for the sake of making a good meal of them on the
+first occasion that presents itself.
+
+It may be as well to state that the Ainu have never been known to make
+pottery. What they have of the kind is imported and sold to or exchanged
+with them by the Japanese. If I were an Irishman I should say that real
+Ainu pottery is made of wood. Nevertheless, large shells are often used
+by them as drinking vessels where wooden bowls are not obtainable. It is
+a common occurrence in Ainu households that one bowl is used by several
+individuals, and a more common occurrence still that none of the bowls
+are ever washed or cleaned after having been used.
+
+[Illustration: MORTAR.]
+
+[Illustration: PESTLE.]
+
+The small Ainu porch which stands frequently at the entrance of Ainu
+huts answers the purpose of a stackhouse, and in it is stored the
+firewood used in the house. The wooden mortar and the long pestle are
+kept in a corner under the porch. In the more civilised parts of Yezo
+these pestles and mortars are general, as the natives use them for
+pounding millet.
+
+[Illustration: BONE SPOON.]
+
+[Illustration: WOODEN SPOONS AS USED BY THE MORE CIVILISED AINU.]
+
+[Illustration: PESTLE AND MORTAR USED FOR POUNDING SALMON.]
+
+The pure Ainu live principally on animal food--fish and meat--sea-weed,
+and some kinds of roots and herbs, which they find on the mountains.
+Metallurgy is utterly unknown to the Ainu. Until of late years they
+possessed nothing made of metal. Their arrows had bamboo or bone heads;
+tin or iron cooking utensils they had none; and the blades of their
+knives were and are of Japanese origin. Some of these blades are very
+old, and were acquired by the Ainu in the battles which they fought
+against the Japanese; others have been got by barter-metal exchanged for
+skins of animals.
+
+Furthermore, save the weaving-loom, the Ainu possess no machinery of
+their own make. This too, as we have seen, is but a very rude and simple
+kind of machine. The application of wind or water power to economise
+human labour is in no way known to them; thus they have no windlasses,
+no pumps, no bellows, no windmills, no waterwheels; neither have they
+any signs of the rudest form of machinery moved by manual power which
+they have imagined and made for themselves. Furthermore, they are very
+loth to accept those mechanical means of economising labour which are
+employed by their neighbours the Japanese.
+
+The Ainu are very conservative, little as they may have to preserve.
+They show a great dislike to change or reform their habits and customs,
+or to improve themselves in any way. Worse they could certainly not be.
+They have no ancestral attachment which makes them unwilling to discard
+their rude practices for more civilised ways; but, acting according to
+their instincts, and not by their intelligence, they preserve customs
+which seem inconvenient and unpractical to us, which habit has rendered
+familiar and pleasant to them.
+
+Various natives in other parts of the world show signs of an earlier
+state of civilisation, but the Ainu do not. They have never had a past
+civilisation, they are not civilised now, and what is more, they will
+never be civilised. Civilisation kills them. As a hog delights in filth,
+so the Ainu can only live in dirt, neglect, and savagery of personal
+habits. They are made that way, and they cannot help it. They are
+excluded from progress by an impassable barrier. They have many miseries
+in their life, but no greater misery could befall an Ainu than to be
+forced to lead a civilised existence. Even after they have been educated
+in Japanese schools, when they return home, in a short time they forget
+all they have learned, and discard their acquired civilisation for the
+old, free, untrammelled mountain life; the wild habits of the woods and
+sea-shore; the nakedness of summer and the stifling squalor of the one
+small dingy hut in winter; the uncombed hair and matted beard; the
+putrid flesh of salmon, and the vile compound they revel in till they
+get gloriously drunk and bestial.
+
+[Illustration: AINU PIPE-HOLDER AND TOBACCO POUCH, AS USED BY THE MORE
+CIVILISED AINU.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU KNIFE, WITH ORNAMENTED SHEATH.]
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+Ainu Art, Ainu Marks, Ornamentations, Weapons--Graves and Tattoos.
+
+
+The expression of ideas by graphic signs is utterly unknown to the Ainu.
+They have no alphabet, and furthermore, they have no methods whatever of
+writing. Hence the utter incapacity of the hairy people to record
+events, time, or circumstances in their history; for even the system of
+picture-writing is not known to them.
+
+Thus they have neither graven records nor any form of visible history;
+and tradition transmitted from mouth to mouth is all they have by way of
+historic continuity. The nearest approach made to graphic signs is in
+the owner's marks, which we occasionally find on some of their
+implements. The moustache-lifter is the article on which this mark is
+most commonly found. What these marks are meant to represent I do not
+know for certain; but I believe that Fig. 1 is supposed to convey the
+idea of a house, and Fig. 2 that of a boat; Fig. 3 a bear cage, and 4
+the mere result of fancy. Even these marks are only rarely found, and
+have probably been suggested by Japanese writing.
+
+The illustration shows the four specimens which I found carved on
+moustache-lifters.
+
+[Illustration: 1 2 3 4]
+
+Closely allied with writing is, of course, map-drawing and
+ornamentations. Map drawing can be dismissed at once, like that famous
+chapter on snakes in Iceland, as the Ainu know nothing of it.
+
+Rough ornamentations on bone and wooden implements are their only
+artistic efforts. Truthful representations of figures and animals are
+seldom attempted,[37] but conventionalised symbols, suggested by and
+based on certain forms of animal or vegetable life, are occasionally
+used for ornamentation.
+
+    [37] The only attempt at animal representation is the small
+         bear-head in chiefs' crowns.
+
+The Ainu have no rock-sculptures, and can neither paint nor draw in any
+form; what they have are mere simple wood-carvings. But only a few have
+any aptitude for even this crude work, though of course they are not all
+alike. As with us we have people who are artistic and people who are
+Philistine, so with the Ainu, in that very humble degree which is to
+Western art what an acorn is to an oak.
+
+Like all early work, Ainu art--if we may call it so--aims at a certain
+uniformity, especially in leaf-portraiture, so as to produce a somewhat
+symmetrical pattern; for at all times geometry has been the mother of
+design.
+
+An Ainu does not go for his models direct to Nature, neither does he
+servilely copy his neighbour's work; but he gets his ideas indirectly
+from both these sources, and through inability to copy accurately,
+negligence in close study, and some amount of native imagination
+combined, varies the design which he has seen to such an extent as to
+make it in a sense original. The talent shown by different men in the
+art of carving varies considerably, even in men of the same tribe; while
+certain tribes show both aptitude and fondness for these ornamentations,
+whereas others have little of either.
+
+It is the Ainu of the upper Ishikari River who chiefly excel in these
+carved ornamentations. The knife represented in the illustration comes
+from Kamikawa, and was carved with the point of a knife by the chief of
+the Ainu there. It took the man many months to accomplish, and it is by
+far the best specimen of Ainu workmanship that I saw in Yezo, though the
+ornamentations on it are not purely Ainu in character.
+
+This man was a genius as compared to other Ainu, and his ideas of form
+and precision were considerably more developed than in most of his race.
+He has ornamented the sheath with conventionalised symbols, which were
+apparently suggested to him by leaves and branches of trees; and the
+suggestion of a flower can be noticed in the upper part of the handle.
+A suggestion of fish-scales has been used by him to fill up small open
+spaces; others he filled up with parallel lines. The sheath is made of
+two parts, to allow the carver to cut the space for the blade inside;
+but these two parts are well fitted together, and kept fast by six rings
+of neatly-cut bark fastened on while fresh, so that by shrinking the two
+sides of the sheath are brought close together, and are as if made of
+one single piece.
+
+The side view of the same knife shows the clever contrivance for
+fastening it on to the girdle without removing the latter from around
+the body. This knife may be ranked among the _chefs d'œuvre_ of Ainu
+art.
+
+[Illustration: SIDE VIEW.]
+
+The principal characteristics of the more usual ornamentations are
+interesting to study.
+
+[Illustration: KIKE-USH-BASHUI, OR MOUSTACHE-LIFTERS.]
+
+Art of course is only the personification, so to speak, the expression
+of the mind, character, and knowledge of the artist; thus, in Ainu
+ornamentations we have patterns which could be nothing but Ainu, taken
+collectively, yet which show distinctly the temperament of each
+individual. For instance, taking the moustache-lifters (Figs. 1, 2, 4 in
+the illustration). Fig. 1, with its roundish, undecided, lines, was
+carved by a man weak in physique and _morale_; Fig. 2, which is much
+simpler and with more decided lines, was the work of a quiet but strong
+and proud man; and Fig. 4, with its coarse incisions, was the outcome of
+a brutal mind.
+
+Ainu designs, though slightly varied by each individual, are principally
+formed of simple geometrical patterns; then of coils and scrolls; and,
+rarest of all, because the highest attainment of all, of
+conventionalised representations of animal or vegetable forms. Of the
+representations from animal forms the fish-scale is the only one adopted
+by the Ainu, but suggestions of leaves may not infrequently be found in
+these designs. Some of these are long and narrow; others are short and
+stumpy.
+
+[Illustration: SUGGESTIONS OF LEAVES.]
+
+The above are, to my mind, the models which the Ainu have chiefly taken
+for their leaf patterns, following nature at a long distance indeed!
+
+[Illustration: ROPE-PATTERN AND SIMPLE BANDS.]
+
+Beside these, and much more common, are the rope-pattern and the simple
+bands. Often the rope-pattern has bands above and below, especially in
+drinking vessels.
+
+Triangles filled with lines parallel to one of the sides are frequently
+met with in moustache-lifters, and occasionally the annexed patterns are
+found: but as a rule the Ainu are not fond of merely straight single
+lines except for "filling" purposes. These patterns are mostly used on
+their graves. In articles of every-day use they prefer curves as a
+foundation of their ornamentations. The lozenge pattern, especially one
+lozenge inside the other, is a favourite among their geometrical
+designs; also contiguous and detached circles, chevrons, double
+chevrons, and triple chevrons. The chevrons are mainly used by them on
+their graves, and they are invariably enclosed between two or four
+lines.
+
+[Illustration: TRIANGLES.]
+
+[Illustration: CHEVRONS.]
+
+The two following patterns are elaborations of the foregoing, but are
+much more uncommon.
+
+[Illustration: ELABORATIONS OF CHEVRONS.]
+
+The parallel incised lines and parallel lines crossing each other at
+right angles are met with again and again in Ainu patterns. More common
+still is the occurrence of a number of parallel lines meeting
+perpendicularly another lot of parallel lines without crossing them.
+
+[Illustration: A COMMON PATTERN.]
+
+Parallel lines have a fascination for the Ainu, as we find them in most
+of their designs.
+
+Concentric circles are not often met with, neither is the plain or loop
+coil often found, owing to the difficulty of execution; but the wave
+pattern and double wave are typical Ainu patterns; also the reversed
+wave.
+
+[Illustration: WAVE PATTERNS.]
+
+From these may have been derived the other two, the last of which is a
+mere double reversed coil.
+
+[Illustration: REVERSED COIL.]
+
+Triangular marks are occasionally "put in" by the Ainu in some of their
+more complicated designs, and finally we find that, though rarely, they
+sometimes attempt a kind of fret.
+
+Other strange forms of lines which are thoroughly characteristic of the
+Ainu are the following.
+
+[Illustration: FRETS.]
+
+[Illustration: OTHER CHARACTERISTIC DESIGNS.]
+
+I never came across any Ainu wood-carvings that were coloured, but in
+bone-carvings--which, I must add, are very rare--black is used to assist
+shade, and bring out the higher lights by contrast. The Ainu have no
+idea of tones, semi-tones, or gradations; the contrast is merely between
+the strong black and strong white. Enamelling is not known by them.
+
+The objects which bear these incised ornamentations, beside the sheaths
+and handles of their knives and swords and their moustache-lifters, as
+has been shown, are the _Tchutti_, or war-clubs; the _Hera_, or
+netting-mesh used in weaving; drinking-vessels, quivers, pipes and
+tobacco-boxes, the thread-reeds, cloth-hangers, and graves.
+
+[Illustration: TCHUTTI, OR WAR-CLUBS.]
+
+The modern Ainu are not a warlike people, therefore many of the weapons
+which were used in former days for defence and offence are rarely found
+now. For instance, the old war-clubs are not used by the present
+generation. These clubs were long and heavy, and were carried on the
+wrist by a piece of rope passed through a hole at the upper end. Some
+were plain and straight, others were curved towards the end to make them
+heavier. Now and again some carved all over are found. Pieces of leather
+or rope were often knotted round the heavier part to make the blow more
+severe. In some of the very old clubs a stone was inlaid to add to the
+weight and consequent efficiency of the weapon. These clubs are from two
+to two and a half feet in length, and are made of hard wood.
+
+[Illustration: TROUGH IN WHICH RESIN IS KEPT FOR FIXING ARROW-POINTS.]
+
+Ainu bows are simple, and not very powerful. They are about fifty inches
+in length, and made of only one piece of yew. The arrows, which are
+poisoned, are of bamboo or bone. The poison is extracted from aconite
+roots mixed with other ingredients. It is somewhat greasy owing to
+certain fatty matters which it contains, and is smeared into the cavity
+in the arrow-point, which has previously been treated with pine-tree gum
+to fix the poison. The arrow-point is barbed, and so fashioned that when
+the shaft is drawn from the wound this poisoned point remains.
+
+[Illustration: POISONED ARROWS.]
+
+The illustration gives two different kinds of poisoned arrows. In Figs.
+2 and 3, the black part in the point shows the cavity filled with
+poison. Fig. 2 shows how the arrow-head is separated from the reed, and
+how when the arrow is drawn from the flesh the poisoned point remains
+inside the wound.
+
+The arrows, when in war or hunting, are kept in a quiver, and a small
+_Inao_ is hung to it to bring good luck to the owner.
+
+Spears and harpoons of one barb are common, and some of the poisoned
+spears have heads similar to the arrows but of a larger size. Spears are
+out of date now, but harpoons are still employed in fishing.
+
+Knives are the weapons on which a modern Ainu most relies. Some of these
+knives are of such length that they might pass for swords. The blade is
+single-edged, and is protected by a wooden sheath. Nearly every man
+possesses one, which he carries in his girdle when dressed; when naked,
+he carries it in his hand. The illustration shows knives of different
+sizes, and with different patterns worked on them. From an artistic
+point of view the sheaths of knives are the most carefully wrought over,
+and ornamented to a greater extent than any other article of Ainu
+manufacture.
+
+[Illustration: AINU KNIVES.]
+
+Then come the graves. The Ainu are very jealous of these places of
+eternal rest, and good care is taken to hide them either in the midst of
+a forest, on a distant and almost inaccessible hill, or in some remote
+spot, difficult to find or reach.
+
+[Illustration: WOODEN MONUMENTS OVER MEN'S GRAVES.]
+
+[Illustration: MONUMENTS FOR WOMEN.]
+
+Each village has its own semi-secret graveyard, in which all its dead
+are buried. Occasionally, when the site of a graveyard has become known
+to others than these local Ainu, the place is deserted, and a fresh
+place of sepulture is chosen. The manner of burial is as follows. The
+body, wrapped up in a _Kinna_ (mat), is fastened to a long pole and
+carried to the grave by two men. All the villagers follow, each carrying
+some article which was owned by the deceased. A grave is dug, wide and
+long enough to hold the body laid flat. In it are placed the bow and
+arrows with their quiver, the knife--from which, for the sake of
+economy, the blade has been previously removed--and the drinking-vessel
+which belonged to the deceased, if he were a man. Women are usually
+buried with some beads, earrings, and furs. All these articles, carried
+by the mourners, are broken before they are laid in the grave with the
+corpse; a few boards are then placed over the body, and earth is thrown
+over these till the ground is level again.
+
+The grave is generally so shallow that the body is only a few inches
+underground--sometimes not more than four inches. The body lies flat on
+its back. Close to its head is erected a monument. For men it is the
+trunk of a tree, about six feet in length, from which the bark has been
+peeled off, and whereon certain ornamentations are cut. A short branch
+is left on one side. The top of the tree-trunk and the end of the branch
+are cut either in the shape of a lozenge, a hexagon, or a semicircle;
+and a hole is made through it. At the branch end, the cloth-earrings or
+the head-gear of the deceased are hung and left to decay.
+
+[Illustration: WOODEN BLADE.]
+
+Women have simpler graves; they are flat instead of round, and are cut
+into the shape of a canoe-paddle. The chief of a village has a more
+elaborate tomb than others if he has been liked by the villagers. At
+Raishats, on the Ishikari River, I saw a really imposing monument put
+over the grave of the chief who had recently died. It was of very large
+size, and well carved--in the same patterns as those shown in the
+illustration. Its chief peculiarity was that the body, instead of being
+covered by earth, was covered by what appeared to be a canoe or
+"dug-out" turned upside down, the bottom of which had been laboriously
+carved. On each of the two sides, at the head and foot of the grave, was
+stuck into the ground a wooden blade twenty-one inches in length,
+resembling in shape the blade of a sword. Each of these four blades was
+carved alike, and had a strange design resembling the number 88. Whether
+a meaning is attached by the Ainu to this design I cannot say, and the
+curious circumstance, as my readers will remember, through which I came
+into possession of one of these blades, did not permit me to ask many
+questions on the subject. I often wondered whether it meant that life
+begins, goes its way round, and ends where it began? It is more likely,
+though, that no meaning whatever is attached to those lines, for such
+deep thoughts would hardly harmonise with the Ainu philosophy--such as
+it is. The Ainu do not stop to mourn or pray or trouble themselves about
+a grave when the body is once buried. Those who have touched the body
+wash their hands in a tub of water which has been brought for the
+purpose; afterwards the water is thrown over the grave and the tub is
+smashed. The Ainu seldom visit their graveyards except when some one has
+to be buried. They hate their dead to be disturbed, and nothing makes
+them more angry than to know that a stranger has been near their
+burial-ground. When a man is dead they try to forget all about him and
+his doings, in which they generally succeed to perfection. This
+naturally is not conducive to anything like continuity in the history of
+the country, and may partly account for their having none. Moreover,
+none of the tombs bear the name or the mark of the person to whom it was
+erected. Tombs of children are of similar shape to those of adults, only
+smaller in size. When carrying the dead--or, as we should say, going to
+a funeral--the Ainu put on their best clothes, and when the burial is
+over they all get helplessly drunk to make up for the loss of the
+departed friend.
+
+To leave this somewhat grim subject and to return to every-day art, it
+may be well to mention that the designs for embroideries differ in no
+way from the wood-carvings. They are often more accurately finished,
+owing to the greater facility of materials, but the lines and all the
+characteristics of the patterns are the same. In the tattoos the lozenge
+pattern and bands are the two more commonly used. The Egyptian cross is
+sometimes met with([Illustration: egyptian cross]), and also a kind of
+reversed _fylfot_, or _svastika_. Moreover, the St. Andrew's cross with
+an additional line is not uncommon(X|). In the present volume this is
+all I have to say on Ainu art. I may, however, add that their
+ornamentations could not be more primitive, but their frequency on
+weapons, clothing, implements, and graves shows us that art, though not
+understood by the Ainu, has a certain fascination, which, in their
+ignorance, they cannot explain. They know art without knowing what art
+means. Certain lines and simple designs which are familiar to them
+appeal to their taste, else they would not ornament all their articles
+with them. But this does not show any great intellectual activity, for
+beyond that point the Ainu brain cannot go. As art in its natural state
+is merely the pictorial outcome of what the brain has grasped, we have
+in these crude beginnings another strong proof that the brain-power of
+the Ainu is indeed very limited, and their inability to represent animal
+form seems extraordinary in view of what other savages have done; but of
+course superstition may have something to say to the omission. The Ainu
+rank very low in the scale of civilisation; they are probably below the
+Australian blacks and the tree-dwellers of India, who are supposed to be
+among the lowest races in creation. The Terra del Fuegians and certain
+African tribes run them hard; but, taken all in all, the Ainu are the
+furthest behind in the great race of human development.
+
+[Illustration: AN AINU PIPE.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+Ainu Heads, and their Physiognomy.
+
+
+The faces of the Ainu are far from ugly, and their heads are singularly
+picturesque, though of course there are the finer types as there are the
+meaner; by which we come to gradation and comparison. The general idea
+that all Ainu are hideous has arisen from the accounts of the few who
+have travelled in the more civilised parts of Yezo, and have seen and
+studied only a limited number of half-breeds and actual Japanese,
+mistaking them for Ainu. In one of the last publications on the Ainu,
+photographs of Japanese and half-breeds are given as typical specimens
+of the Ainu race; and one or two real Ainu are given as phenomena and
+exceptions. That the Ainu are disgustingly filthy is undoubted; that in
+many ways they are monkey-like is certain; but also that on a close
+examination many are not devoid of good features is undeniable. As
+regards looks, it is a great mistake to compare savages with ourselves,
+and to judge of them from our own standpoint. This is no more fair than
+to compare a thoroughbred fox-terrier with a thoroughbred poodle-dog, to
+the disadvantage of the one or the other. Passing off half-breeds as
+pure types of course makes things ten times worse, and complicates
+matters for those who care for accuracy, and are interested in
+anthropological researches.
+
+Ainu physiognomy is an interesting study. When seen full-face the
+forehead is narrow, and sharply sloped backward. The cheek-bones are
+prominent, and the nose is hooked, slightly flattened, and broad, with
+wide, strong nostrils. The mouth is generally large, with thick, firm
+lips, and the underlip well developed. The space from the nose to the
+mouth is extremely long, while the chin, which is rather round, is
+comparatively short and not very prominent. Thus the face has the shape
+of a short oval. The profile is concave and the mouth and eyebrows are
+prominent, though of course the nose projects more than the lips, yet
+without being too markedly projecting. The chin and forehead recede, as
+has been said, and in the supraorbital region the central boss is
+extremely well marked; also the brow ridges, which, however, are
+slightly less conspicuous than the central boss. The ears are usually
+large, flat, and simply-developed, with long lobes; but unfortunately,
+owing to the heavy weight of their enormous earrings this part of their
+ears is generally much deformed. Sometimes I have seen children with a
+hole in their lobes large enough for me to pass my finger through; with
+others, where the skin was not so elastic, the lobes were torn right
+through and the two sides hung down. In older people one does not see
+this so much, as their long hair entirely covers their ears. The average
+length of a man's ear is two and three-quarter inches; of a woman's, two
+and a half inches.
+
+People have classified the Ainu as Mongolians, notwithstanding that they
+possess no characteristics whatsoever of the Mongolian races.
+
+The colour of their skin is light reddish-brown, and not yellow and
+sallow, like that of Mongolians; they are very hairy, and the Mongolians
+are smooth-skinned; the features of the one race are diametrically
+opposed to those of the other; the mouth is strong and firm in the Ainu
+and weak in the Mongolian; and the Ainu eyes, the strongest
+characteristic of Mongolian races, do not slant upwards, nor are they
+long and almond-shaped, as with the Chinese or the Japanese, but with
+their long axes are in one horizontal plane, as in most Europeans.
+Indeed, the Ainu have a much greater resemblance to the northmen of
+Europe in their prehistoric stage than to any modern races, and least of
+all to the Mongolians.
+
+But let us examine the eye more carefully. The iris is light brown,
+sometimes tending towards dark grey. One seldom sees black or very dark
+brown eyes save in half-breeds; and they are deeply set, as with
+Europeans. The eyelids are no thicker than those of Caucasian races,
+though they droop, as is common among people exposed to the full glare
+of the sun. The broad ridges being very heavy and prominent, cover part
+of the upper eyelid over the outer angle of the opening. The eyelashes
+are extremely long, and the eyebrows are shaggy and bushy. The eyes are
+full of animal-like expression and emotional warmth, a thing very rare
+with their neighbours the Japanese or Chinese. The long eyelashes
+shading the large eyes and rendering them soft, together with their
+pathetic and slow way of talking, make men and women singularly
+interesting. Like most animals, the Ainu can "speak" with their eyes.
+
+The hair in Ainu adults is for the most part black, wavy, and easily
+breaking into large curls. Among children, however, one sees brown
+shades, which darken with years, until the hair turns quite black. Along
+the north-east coast of Yezo I came across several Ainu adults who had
+reddish hair and beard; and in the Kurile Islands, at Shikotan, several
+of the children had light auburn hair hanging in large loose curls and
+rather flaxy in texture, while the hair of adults was even darker than
+that of the Yezo Ainu.
+
+The hair, which is coarse and strong, is uniformly and thickly planted
+over the whole scalp, and reaches well down over the forehead, where, as
+my readers will remember, a space is cut out or shaved off. It grows
+long in men as in women, but when it exceeds ten or twelve inches it is
+generally trimmed in the shape of a half-circle at the back of the head,
+and is cut off level with the shoulders at the sides. The men have a
+luxuriant beard, whiskers, and moustache, which grow to a great length.
+The hair of the beard often begins directly under the eyes, and covers
+all the lower part of the face. Many of the natives also have a few
+short coarse hairs on the nose (especially noticeable in natives of the
+north-east coast of Yezo). The beard, whiskers, and moustache begin to
+grow in the Ainu when they are fairly young. A man at about twenty can
+grow a good beard, and at thirty his beard is very long. Ainu women,
+whom nature has not provided with such a luxuriant growth of hair on the
+lower part of the face, make up for it by having a long moustache
+tattooed on the upper and lower lip, which in their idea makes them
+look "very manly" (_see_ Tattoos). Baldness is not common among
+thoroughbred Ainu, even at a very old age, when, however, they generally
+turn grey and then white, which gives a patriarchal appearance to the
+hairy people.
+
+The Ainu face seldom undergoes the marked changes common to civilised
+nations, as they are not subject to large emotions; but different
+expressions are as easily discernible by anyone who really knows and has
+studied the natives, as the different expressions in the eyes of animals
+by one who is familiar with them. When the Ainu is pleased he seldom
+wrinkles his face and draws back his mouth at the corners, as we do, but
+he shows it by a peculiar sparkle in the eyes and by an almost
+imperceptible wrinkle in his eyelids, which contract and diminish the
+opening. The corners of the mouth turn slightly upwards. The smile is an
+accentuation of this expression, with the additional lowering of the
+eyebrows, especially in the middle near the nose, causing the forehead
+to wrinkle.
+
+Laughter Ainu know not. During my long stay among them I never once saw
+a _real_ Ainu laugh heartily, for the hero of the dab of blue paint
+laughed less than he roared with pleasure; and I do not remember even
+direct crosses doing so; hence travellers have reported the Ainu to be
+"dull," "sad," "expressionless."
+
+Certainly, the first thing that strikes one on coming in contact with
+them is, how depressed they look, and how, even in their work, their
+games, their festivals, sadness is greater than joy. In fact, the Ainu,
+with their sentimental nature, enjoy sadness.
+
+Astonishment and surprise are expressed by a perplexed look in the
+wide-opened eyes, by raising the eyebrows, and by the contraction of the
+mouth. The hands are not raised nor directed towards the object or
+person causing astonishment; but if the arms be hanging down, the
+fingers are widely separated. With the Ainu sorrowful emotions are more
+marked than the more pleasing, the more joyous. Thus, when in low
+spirits the head is bent forwards, the eyes are staring and drooping,
+and the mouth is drawn downwards. In greater grief howling is added to
+these signs. Ainu men occasionally indulge in quiet tears without
+sobbing, but women weep copiously at the death of their children when
+these are young.
+
+When an Ainu stands very erect, with one hand in the other in front,
+and, turning his head on either shoulder, throws it back and looks down
+at you with expressionless eyes, in the meanwhile raising his eyebrows,
+you may be sure that he means to show contempt. If, however, his eyes
+are restless and his lips quiver, if the eyebrows are rapidly brought
+down over the eyelids, while he opens his eyes wide showing the whole of
+the iris; if the nostrils are inflated and he breathes heavily; if the
+head is thrown forward and he is slowly arching, and, as the French say,
+"making a round back," you may be certain that he is in a very bad
+temper, and means to go for you, if he sees his way to it.
+
+When obstinate, the pose of the arms and legs is similar to that by
+which he wishes to show contempt, but the expression of the face is
+absolutely stolid, the eyes are firm and frigid, meaning in that way to
+impress you with the certainty that, come what may, he will not move
+from his decision.
+
+When actively angry, the Ainu sneer and snarl at one another, frowning
+ferociously, and showing all their front teeth, but specially uncovering
+their fangs or dog teeth; the arms are stretched out, but always with
+the fist open--if no knife or other weapon be held in the hand. Shame
+and disgust are two expressions which one does not often see on Ainu
+faces. The former I cannot describe, for I never saw an Ainu who was
+ashamed of anything he had done; the latter is manifested by an upward
+movement of the corners of the lips, and a curling of the nose, with a
+sudden expiration almost like a snort.
+
+Shyness, which is the nearest approach to shame, is shown by women when
+meeting a stranger, and gives them a submissive look. They bend their
+heads and look down until the first emotion has passed, when they gaze
+at the new-comer with a certain restlessness and curiosity, again, as in
+so many of their gestures and ways, reminding one of monkeys. I never
+found any shyness whatever in Ainu men; neither could I detect in them
+any signs of fear for objects, animals, or powers with which they were
+familiar. Things which they do not understand of course frighten them,
+like eclipses of the sun or moon, or as my revolver did when I was
+attacked by them at Horobets; and also when I appeared as a black-winged
+rider on the north-east coast. In the latter case, unfortunately, I was
+too far off to see their faces clearly, and in the former, after the
+attack they showed more sensible submission to the inevitable than true
+cowardice. What I chiefly saw then was here and there a face with
+wide-open, undecided eyes heavily frowning; while some of the others
+shrugged their shoulders and closed their eyes, waiting for the loud
+report of the revolver, which unpleasant noise, heard before from
+Japanese guns, always gives a shock to their nerves.
+
+When an Ainu wishes to show that something cannot be done, or that he
+cannot prevent someone else from doing it, he neither shrugs his
+shoulders like a Frenchman, nor shakes his head laterally like an
+Englishman; nor does he throw out his hands like a Neapolitan, but,
+quietly standing erect, and with his head slightly bent forward, he
+gently lifts it up, and slowly winking his eyes, says that he cannot do
+it.
+
+When children are sulky or displeased they frown and protrude their
+lips, making a nasal noise similar to this--"Ohim"--without any of the
+vowels clearly pronounced.
+
+Our way of nodding the head vertically in sign of affirmation and
+shaking it laterally in negation is not known to the thoroughbred race.
+Those, either Ainu or half-castes, who practise it have learned it from
+the Japanese. The right hand is generally used in negation, passing it
+from right to left and back in front of the chest; and both hands are
+gracefully brought up to the chest and prettily waved downwards--palms
+upwards--in sign of affirmation. In other words, their affirmation is a
+simpler form of their salute, just the same as with us the nodding of
+the head is similarly used both ways.
+
+It is quite enough to look at an Ainu's eyes to see at once whether he
+consents or not, just as it is quite enough to look at a monkey's face
+to know if it will accept the apple you offer it. Slyness and jealousy
+are well marked in the Ainu face, and the former is seen in the
+glittering, restless eyes, the latter in the sulky glance and protruding
+mouth. Slyness is a very common characteristic among Ainu men; jealousy
+is recognised and frequent in women.
+
+I could give a large number of other characteristic expressions, of less
+ethnological importance, but in the present work I shall limit myself to
+the principal ones which I have attempted to describe, leaving out
+altogether "expressions" of half-castes, so as to avoid confusion.
+
+I must beg my reader's forgiveness for the "dryness" of the imperfect
+description I have given of the Ainu physiognomy, as many will agree
+with me that it is a great deal easier to notice unfamiliar expressions
+on faces than to describe them accurately in so many words.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU MAN WALKING WITH SNOW-SHOES.]
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+Movements and Attitudes.
+
+
+The Ainu people may be called physically strong, but yet they are not to
+be compared to the Caucasian races. They are fairly good walkers,
+capable mountaineers, and deft marksmen, but they do not excel in any of
+these exercises, either by speed and endurance in the former two, or by
+special accuracy and long-range in the latter.
+
+In the Ainu country most of the hard work is done by the women, who thus
+surpass the men in both endurance and muscular strength. Ainu men are
+indolent, save under excitement. They will cover a long distance--say
+forty miles--in one day, bear-hunting, and not suffer from great
+fatigue, while they will not be able to walk half that distance under
+less exciting conditions. The average distance which an Ainu can walk in
+one day on a fairly level track does not exceed twenty-five miles at the
+rate of two and a half miles an hour. The distance he can run would not
+go beyond ten English miles, and this is partly from want of training,
+as he never runs if he can help it. If, however, the walk of twenty-five
+miles, or the run of ten miles, had to be kept up for several days in
+succession at the same pace, few Ainu could manage to hold out for more
+than three days at most; while a walking average of fifteen miles and a
+running average of six miles each day could be kept up for a week. In
+walking and running women are as good as men in one day's distances;
+but, contrary to what they are in manual labour, they lack endurance in
+locomotion, and break down after the second or third day. Men regard
+running as unbecoming after childhood. "If we must go quick, why not go
+on horseback?" says the practical Ainu, who is as perfect a horseman as
+the Indian.
+
+When riding, he is able to cover a distance of fifty-five miles easily
+in one day on a good pony, and about seventy miles if he changes his
+quadruped four times. Both men and women ride in the same fashion,
+astride, and nearly always on bareback, or with simply a bear-skin
+thrown over the horse. Pack-saddles are only used when carrying wood,
+fish, sea-weed, or other heavy articles; and though the Japanese of Yezo
+designate these by the name of _Ainu kurah_ (Ainu saddles), they are
+only in reality rough imitations of their own pack-saddles. Though women
+do ride on occasions, it is the men who are the true equestrians. From
+their infancy they spend a great deal of their time on horseback, while
+women ride only when obliged. Being, therefore, accustomed from their
+earliest days to ride pretty nearly from morning to night, men can stand
+many days of hard riding, and are not so easily exhausted as by walking
+or running. The Ainu are good at horse-racing, as we have seen at the
+Piratori festival, but foot-racing, even when the distance was short,
+gave but poor results.
+
+Weights and burdens are carried entirely by women, and they carry them
+either on the head, if the load be not too heavy, or on the back by
+means of a _Thiaske Tarra_, or simply _Tarra_, a long ribbon-like band
+tied round the bundle, leaving a loop which goes over the forehead, thus
+dividing the weight between the shoulders and the forehead. When
+carrying a weight with the _Tarra_ the woman stoops, and the greater the
+weight the lower the head has to be. The strain on the forehead and
+muscles of the neck is greatly modified by bending the body more or
+less; the weight increasing on the shoulders in proportion as the pull
+decreases from the forehead. The advantage of this contrivance is that
+it leaves both hands free. Very heavy loads can be carried by average
+women with this simple contrivance, and its common use may account for
+the strong and well-developed necks noticeable among them, but not among
+the men. Children are carried on the back of other children by means of
+a modified _Tarra_ that has a stick about twenty inches long, the two
+ends of which are fastened to the two ends of the band. The child
+carried sits comfortably on this stick while the centre part of the
+_Tarra_ rests on the head of the child-carrier. This centre part is
+generally lined with a piece of skin or cloth, and ornamented with a few
+simple Ainu designs. A weight which cannot be lifted with both hands is
+easily borne for a long distance by the aid of the _Tarra_; and I should
+think that with it a strong woman could carry on her back a load, say,
+of from eighty to ninety pounds. It is difficult to institute
+comparative tests of strength, as constant practice, without counting
+"knack," often enables a person to perform feats which baffle a much
+stronger man. Taken altogether, the Ainu strength is relative to their
+height; but they are somewhat below the average Caucasian races both in
+endurance, and yet more in speed and muscular power.
+
+[Illustration: THE THIASKE-TARRA, FOR CARRYING CHILDREN.]
+
+When actively employed, the Ainu can abstain from food for fourteen or
+sixteen hours; when quiescent for about twenty. They can go without
+drink (when it is not alcoholic) for ten or twelve hours without feeling
+inconvenience. A pebble is often sucked, or a straw is chewed when fluid
+is not obtainable, thus causing a flow of saliva, which to a certain
+extent quenches their thirst. However, the reason given by the Ainu is
+not this. According to them, certain stones and some kinds of grass
+contain a great amount of water.
+
+More interesting to me than their physical characteristics were their
+movements and attitudes, which I was able to study and note correctly
+without their observation. For instance when Ainu try to move some heavy
+object they pull it towards them. Thus, when they drag their "dug-outs"
+and canoes on shore, and again when they launch them, they never push
+from them, but always pull towards them. If an Ainu has to break a stick
+planted in the ground he does it by pulling it; whereas a Japanese will
+push it. Again, in pulling a rope the Ainu pull; the Japanese push by
+placing the rope over one shoulder and walking in the direction wanted.
+In a crowd where a Japanese would push his way through by extending his
+arms and thus separating people, the Ainu seizes a man on each side,
+pulling one to the right and the other to the left till space for him to
+pass is made.
+
+As muscles are only strengthened by exercise, it is not astonishing that
+we never find well-developed arms among the hairy people, who so seldom
+make vigorous use of them. Children are as fond of climbing trees as the
+average English boy; and sometimes this is done in our way, by putting
+the legs and arms round the trunk and gradually "swarming" up; but with
+trees of a small diameter the ways of monkeys are adopted. The arms are
+stretched, and one hand is placed on each side of the tree. Both feet
+are then pushed against the trunk, keeping the leg slightly bent, but
+stiff. One hand goes rapidly over the other, one foot above the other,
+and so on; and the more rapid the movement the easier the climb, if care
+be taken to plant the feet firmly so as not to slip. Ainu boys are
+dexterous at this; but I have never seen full-grown men attempt it,
+though I am sure they could if they chose. Elderly people are very
+sedate in Ainuland, and violent movements are generally avoided.
+
+Where the Ainu are indeed great is at making grimaces. The Ainu resemble
+monkeys in many ways, but in this special accomplishment they beat
+monkeys hollow. It would take volumes to describe all the different
+grimaces which I saw them make, especially at myself while I was
+sketching them; but one or two of their "favourites" may prove worth
+describing.
+
+One Ainu at Shari, on the north-east coast, excelled in moving his
+scalp, and by raising his eyebrows at the same time creased the skin of
+his forehead to such an extent as to make his eyebrows almost meet his
+hair. The nostrils were expanded and the upper lip was raised so as to
+show the teeth firmly closed. The same man was also good at moving his
+ears. Others preferred to put out their tongue, emitting at the same
+time a harsh sound from the throat.
+
+Although many Ainu could not voluntarily move their scalp they often did
+so unaware. When eating, especially if a piece of food required some
+effort to swallow, the neck was outstretched, the mouth closed tight,
+the eyebrows raised high, and the scalp brought far forward over the
+forehead. In masticating, the ears would sometimes move involuntarily,
+as with dogs or monkeys.
+
+The Ainu are also good at rapid "winking," first with one eye, then the
+other, each eye playing at an inexpressibly funny kind of bo-peep. _En
+revanche_, they make no great use of their hands, and it is not uncommon
+for them to use their feet to assist their hands. Indeed, their toes are
+supplementary fingers, and they often hold things between the big toe
+and the next, as when making nets or _Inaos_ (wooden wands with
+overhanging shavings). When making nets, the string is firmly held by
+the big toe bent over; when shaping _Inaos_ the lower point of the wand
+is passed between the two toes, which keep it fast while the long
+shavings are cut.
+
+When women wind the thread made of the _Ulmus campestris_ fibre, they
+often let it run between the two larger toes while they wind it on a
+spool or a reed. Then, again, the toes are often used to pick up small
+objects out of the reach of the hands, and also to scratch the lower
+extremities. The two middle fingers of the hand and the three smaller
+toes of the foot are seldom used by the Ainu, and are somewhat inert.
+The little finger is slightly more active. Whenever Ainu point at
+anything they habitually do so with the open hand, for they have a
+certain difficulty in using any finger separately. This difficulty is
+not so great with the first finger; but where a European would use only
+his thumb and first finger, an Ainu uses all four fingers and his thumb
+as well, as in carrying food to his mouth, picking up small objects,
+lifting a cup, pulling his own hair, scratching his ears, &c. That the
+Ainu have more muscular power in the head than either in the hands or
+feet when violent exertion is required is certain, as I had frequent
+proof when requiring natives to make my baggage fast with ropes to my
+pack-saddle. Where a European would have done this by passing the ropes
+round the baggage and pulling them fast to the saddle, the Ainu set his
+foot (generally the right) against the baggage and pulled the ropes with
+his teeth. By this method he used one-third more force than he would had
+he done his work with his hands. Though the Ainu are very supple about
+the body, they are nevertheless stiffer than we are about the knees and
+hands, which last peculiarity prevents them from learning any kind of
+sleight-of-hand. They are supple because of the singular flexibility of
+their spine and the "looseness" of their arms about their shoulders.
+When resting or tired, the shoulders droop so far forward as to prove
+that the muscular tension which we constantly exert to have "square
+shoulders" is foreign to the hairy people. The Ainu are deficient in
+biceps, and such an arm as a blacksmith's or athlete's, which is not
+uncommon among ourselves, is in Ainuland a thing unknown. Their muscles
+have not the firmness of those of civilised men. Want of use entails
+loss of power in the muscular system, and that, unfortunately, produces
+further results in paralysis, _kaki_, and rheumatism. In the legs the
+_tendo Achillis_, which often assumes such enormous proportions with us,
+is only moderately developed with them, though it is generally larger
+than the biceps, owing to the habit of walking and riding.
+Notwithstanding this, the centre of muscular power, as we have seen, is
+undoubtedly in the head, as with inferior animals; and the Ainu are
+fully aware of this, for if not why should they carry all weights on the
+head or by the help of the head? Why should they use their teeth instead
+of their hands when an extra powerful pull is required? And why should
+they _push_ with their heads when pulling with their teeth is not
+practicable?
+
+Having examined the different movements of the Ainu, let us now take
+some account of their attitudes. What struck me most was the
+unconscious ease with which they stood, sat, and slept, no matter in
+what circumstances.
+
+It may be well to repeat here that the Ainu are not burdened, as we are,
+with articles of furniture and a code of manners which so greatly modify
+our attitudes and make us conscious of all we do. Moreover, we wear
+crippling boots and nonsensical garments, which, besides not being
+ornamental, more or less alter and deform different parts of our body,
+considerably restrict certain attitudes, and greatly stiffen some of our
+limbs; as, for example, the exaggerated smallness of waist in women.
+
+It is remarkable what a close resemblance the hairy people bear to the
+prehistoric man as constructed by _savants_ out of skulls and
+skeletons--a resemblance found, I believe, in no other race of savages.
+
+Take an Ainu standing at ease; he carries his head straight, but without
+stretching his neck, so that if a horizontal line were passed through
+the _meatus auditorius_ it would cut the face directly under the eyes.
+If another line were drawn perpendicular to the horizontal, we should
+find that the front of the face is not on the same plane with the
+forehead, but projects considerably beyond in its lower part. In
+thoroughbred Ainu the head is well posed on the cervical vertebræ, and
+seldom shows an inclination from back to front, from right to left, or
+_vice versâ_; but in half-castes an inclination forward, and also
+slightly from the left to the right, is a marked characteristic.
+
+The body when standing still is a trifle inclined forward, but when
+walking the inclination is greatly increased.
+
+The body is well balanced, and this inclination is partly due to the
+head being abnormally large for the body; also to the habit of keeping
+the knees slightly bent either when standing still or when in motion.
+
+The women, through carrying heavy weights on the head, are straighter
+than men when standing as well as when walking without a burden. Their
+spinal column describes a gentle curve inwards, while with men it has a
+slight tendency outwards. When an Ainu is standing at rest his arms hang
+by his side, the palms of the hands are turned inwards with a small
+inclination towards the front. But a pose which is even more
+characteristic than this is when both hands are placed in front, the
+fingers of the right hand overlapping those of the left. When sitting
+this is their invariable attitude, but in walking the arms hang by the
+side, and no swing is given to them to help the motion. In running, the
+arms are bent, and sometimes the hands are kept half opened about the
+level of the shoulders.
+
+The Ainu legs, notwithstanding their greater muscular power than that of
+the arms, are neither stout nor well-developed--but they are wiry. The
+hips are narrow, and the legs are slightly curved.
+
+The gait is energetic but not fast, each step being flat, with the foot
+firmly planted on the ground. When in motion the feet are perfectly
+straight, and move parallel to each other, and at each step the heel and
+toes touch the ground at the same time--an undeniable proof that the
+body is well balanced when they walk.
+
+The Ainu walk mostly unshod, and the average length of the step in men
+is twenty-six inches (from heel of left to tip of right foot), and in
+women about twenty inches. The average number of steps to the minute is
+ninety-two in men and ninety-eight in women. Where the Ainu is seen at
+his best is when he is riding bareback. He sits so firmly that animal
+and rider seem to be only one body. The knees are slightly bent, and the
+legs and feet hang so that the toes are a great deal lower than the
+heels, and are also turned in. No voluntary muscular contraction is
+affected on the muscles of the legs; for if the knees are bent this is
+because of the shape of the horse's body, and if the rider "sticks" on
+his steed it is merely by the counterbalance of the dead weight of his
+two legs. The body of the rider is quite erect when riding gently, but
+on increasing speed the body is thrown backwards, the legs remaining in
+the same position. The single rein is held in the right hand resting on
+the horse's mane, and the left arm habitually hangs or rests on the
+rider's leg. When feeding in his hut, the Ainu sits cross-legged, but in
+places where he can lean against something, or out in the open, he
+squats, bearing his weight on both feet, but with the legs bent to such
+an extent that his head is on a level with his knees. Often his arms are
+rested on the knees themselves, and food is passed with the hands to
+the mouth, to be then torn by the teeth. No forks, spoons, or chopsticks
+are used by the thoroughbred Ainu; but Japanese influence has induced
+some of the more civilised specimens of Volcano Bay and Piratori to give
+up partly the use of mother Nature's forks and take to the _Hashi_
+(chopsticks), also to adopt some ugly tin spoons as the sign of their
+adherence to civilisation. Lastly, when asleep the Ainu generally lie
+flat on the back. Sleeping on the right side and resting the head on the
+bent elbow is also a common posture; and when sleeping for a short
+period of time during the day I have often seen men still sitting, bring
+up their legs, cross their arms on their knees, and then rest the head
+on the arms; thus placidly having a "nap" without waking up with a stiff
+neck, stiff legs, and "pins and needles" in their arms, which would be
+the sure result if the average European tried that mode of repose.
+
+Most Ainu have no bedding of any kind, and most of them sleep on hard
+rough planks or on the ground itself. Some of the people, however, sleep
+on bear-skins in winter, as it keeps them warm, and the colder the night
+the closer all the members of the family pack together to warm each
+other with their natural heat. A strange peculiarity, when Ainu are
+asleep, lying flat on their back, is, that instead of keeping both legs
+fully stretched out, one, or sometimes both, are raised and bent, with
+the sole of the foot planted on the ground. This peculiarity is chiefly
+noticeable in men, and I have observed it many times, especially in old
+people. The reason of it is this. The Ainu having no pillow, the head
+has to be turned so far back to rest on the ground itself that action at
+the other end of the body is necessary to counterbalance the strain on
+the spine. I came to this conclusion by being often placed in the same
+circumstances as the hairy people themselves, when I found that lying
+flat on my back on the hard unpillowed ground, if the legs were
+straightened only a small portion of the spine between the shoulders was
+supported, but by raising the legs the whole spinal column rested on the
+level surface.
+
+As we have now seen the Ainu asleep in a "comfortable attitude," we
+shall leave them for the present, and I shall take my readers to examine
+their clothes, their ornaments, and their tattoos.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE ATZIS.]
+
+[Illustration: ATZIS, AFTER JAPANESE PATTERN.]
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+Ainu Clothes, Ornaments, and Tattooing.
+
+
+[Illustration: WINTER BEAR-SKIN COAT.]
+
+The Ainu men generally go naked in summer time, but in some parts of
+Yezo civilisation has forced them to adopt cheap Japanese clothes. It
+must not be supposed from this that the real Ainu never wear any clothes
+at all, for indeed on grand occasions they dress gaudily enough, but
+always in a rude, elementary kind of way. For winter use they sew
+together the skins of either bear or deer, fox or wolf, making a kind of
+sleeveless jacket, which protects the chest, the shoulders, and the
+back. Another kind of fur garment of deer-skin is longer and has
+sleeves, is large at the shoulders, and very narrow at the wrist, as a
+still further protection against the cold. This deer-skin coat is mostly
+worn by women as an under-garment. Besides these fur garments for winter
+weather, they wear the _atzis_, a long reddish-yellow wrapper, made of
+the woven fibre of the _Ulmus campestris_. It has sleeves similar to the
+deer-skin coat, only these sleeves are a great deal wider.
+
+[Illustration: BACK OF ATZIS.]
+
+On the southern coast some of the civilised tribes have either adopted
+Japanese _kimonos_ altogether, or make their _atzis_ after the same
+pattern, to ingratiate themselves with their masters, on the principle
+of imitation being the sincerest flattery, and perhaps also because they
+come cheaper in the end. The _atzis_ reaches below the knees, and is
+folded round the body. It is kept in position by a girdle or belt of the
+same material, or of bear or sea-lion skin. This _atzis_ is ornamented
+with embroidery both back and front, round the sleeves, round the neck,
+and all round the border, or, as we should say, hem. The embroideries
+are done in Japanese coloured cottons and threads. The colours are
+invariably red, blue, and white, on a background of this yellow _Ulmus
+campestris_ cloth. They have the same characteristic patterns, and are
+identical with the ornaments on knife-sheaths, drinking-bowls,
+moustache-lifters, &c., as the readers will find in the chapter on the
+"Arts of the Ainu." Men and women wear _atzis_ of the same shape, only
+those of the women are longer than those of the men, and reach nearly to
+the feet. Moreover, the patterns which are embroidered on the men's
+dresses are not considered suitable for the women's, and _vice versâ_.
+Women--who, by the way, do all these embroideries--have to content
+themselves with the simplest patterns devisable--a mere thin line of
+blue stitches; but they give to the men a more elaborate ornament. They
+first sew on heavy bands of material, which then they embroider in
+highly complicated patterns, thus giving a much heavier and handsomer
+appearance to the male _atzis_. In winter the sleeveless fur jacket is
+sewn over the _atzis_, and, as has been said, women wear the deer-skin
+gown as an under-garment. Ainu embroideries vary considerably, not only
+in different tribes and different villages, but also in each family,
+according to the talent and patience possessed by the embroidress. It
+takes an affectionate wife a year or longer to ornament the elm-bark
+dress of her beloved husband, and in the case of a chief's robe the work
+never comes to an end, as additions are constantly made. Children have
+an extremely simple embroidery, when any, round the sleeves and hem of
+the _atzis_, but never any, simple or elaborate, either on the back or
+front.
+
+I have often seen women working patiently hour after hour while sitting
+on the tiny door of their storehouses; and the result of their labour
+would be half an inch of coarse stitching, which for them was a great
+work of art. Most Ainu now possess needles of Japanese manufacture, but
+in former days they had only bone needles, and instead of fine well-dyed
+Japanese thread were obliged to be content with the fibre of the elm
+tree dyed black. The ornamentations on the _atzis_ of Ainu who have no
+Japanese needles are necessarily a great deal coarser and simpler than
+those which are done with steel needles and cotton threads. The
+essential characteristics are the same in both. In sewing together skins
+for winter garments fish-bone needles are often used up to this day.
+
+These embroidered clothes, when new, are only worn on grand occasions,
+as at a bear festival, or when paying a visit to a neighbouring village.
+A few rags constitute the usual every-day costume, and no difference is
+made between the in-door and the out-of-door clothing. In fact, most
+Ainu sleep in their clothes, such as they are.
+
+[Illustration: THE "HOSHI."]
+
+One article of dress which is worn by all alike, young and old, male or
+female, is the _hoshi_, or leggings. Like their gowns, these are
+sometimes made of the inner fibre of the elm-tree bark and sometimes of
+rushes and reeds plaited as in the ordinary rush matting. When of
+elm-tree bark, they are often embroidered in the upper part, as can be
+seen in the illustration. They are fastened just under the knee by means
+of the two upper strings, then wrapped tightly round the leg and bound
+round the ankle with the lower and longer ribbon. The Ainu go barefooted
+in the summer, but during the winter months, when the cold is too severe
+for this, they cover their feet with mocassins and long boots made of
+salmon-skin, and often of deer-skin. When the Ainu goes for a long
+journey or a hunt, during which he has to traverse rough ground, he
+generally protects his skin boots--the soles of which would soon be
+destroyed by the sharp stones and ice--by slipping over them a pair of
+thick rope sandals, which protect the sides, the back, the toes, and
+sole of the foot. If to this inventory be added a head-gear consisting
+of a band wound round the head, and an occasional apron, the whole of
+the Ainu wardrobe is catalogued. This band, which is worn principally by
+women, is untied and removed when saluting or meeting a man, whether on
+the road or in the woods. A Japanese towel often takes the place of the
+native manufacture. I am inclined to think that this custom of covering
+the head has been acquired from the Japanese, as none of the Ainu of the
+Upper Tokachi--the only pure ones remaining--wore anything in the shape
+of band or kerchief, while it is extremely common with the Ainu of
+Volcano Bay and Piratori to wear these unbecoming towels. At Piratori
+the Ainu women give a more artistic character to this ugly headgear by
+embroidering it in front and wearing it like a tiara. An apron is
+occasionally worn by Ainu, but this too, in my opinion, has been
+borrowed from the Japanese. Ainu clothes often get undone, owing to
+their shape, and therefore Ainu men sometimes wear these aprons, but
+rather because they are made to wear them than from native modesty or
+inclination to be commonly decent. I have seen Ainu on the north-east
+coast of Yezo and on Lake Kutcharo wear coarse hats of matted rushes.
+When laid flat, these hats have a diameter of about thirty inches; but
+when worn, they are folded in two, and kept in this position by a string
+tied under the chin and passed through the hat. They are used
+principally in winter as a protection against the snow. The Ainu care
+more to adorn than to clothe themselves. A few glass beads, a metal
+earring, a silver coin, or anything that shines, can make a man or a
+woman as happy as a king. Intoxicants come first of all things, but
+after them there is nothing in this world that Ainu cherish more than
+personal ornaments, and this is, of course, even truer of women than of
+men. What strikes a stranger when looking at an Ainu for the first time
+is, as I have already said, the size of their metal earrings and heavy
+glass necklaces. As the Ainu cannot work in metals or make glass, these
+ornaments have been purchased from Japanese, Chinese, and Corean
+adventurers, and many costly skins of bears, foxes, wolves, or seals are
+gaily bartered for a few beads, worth next to nothing. The Ainu is fond
+of metals, but he does not know the difference between one and the
+other. All that glitters is gold for him; and if it is not gold then it
+must be silver. Therefore some Ainu are known to have invested all their
+fortune of valuable furs for a pair of brass earrings, and, what is
+more, they have never grudged the bargain! Previous to the importation
+of these worthless articles their ornaments were made of wood, bone, and
+shells, of which "survivals" are still to be seen with the Ainu of the
+Upper Tokachi.
+
+[Illustration: BOOTS TO BE SOAKED IN WATER SO AS TO TAKE SHAPE OF FOOT,
+AND TO BE KEPT UP WITH A STRING.]
+
+[Illustration: DEER-SKIN SHOE.]
+
+[Illustration: THE TARRA OR HEAD-BAND.]
+
+The large circular earrings are much prized: men and women alike wear
+them. Many men, however, do not wear these metal earrings, but prefer
+instead a long strip of red or black cloth, or skin.
+
+The lobes of the ears are frequently torn down by wearing these heavy
+earrings from early childhood, and they know not how to mend them by
+sewing them. Another hole is sometimes bored in the upper and sound
+part.
+
+Ainu women of civilised districts occasionally wear metal finger-rings,
+but these are of course of foreign make, and imported.
+
+Ainu _menokos_ (girls) seem to have no partiality for bracelets or
+amulets, but necklaces are the dream of their life. The delight of an
+Ainu woman in a new necklace is in proportion to the size and number of
+the beads. A woman who possesses one of extra large beads is envied by
+all her less fortunate neighbours; and she who has several strings is at
+once admired and hated by all the womankind of the village. For, indeed,
+Ainu women are "human" enough to know how to hate each other! The beads
+which most take their fancy are the blue, black, white, or metal ones.
+The larger beads in the necklace are in front; and the rough wooden
+pendants with bits of bone, metal, or broken beads inlaid in it, which
+hang to the necklace, rest on the breast. Large Japanese sword-hilts are
+often used as pendants by the Volcano Bay natives.
+
+The Ainu of the Upper Tokachi region had none of these beads, but a
+rough wooden pendant was suspended round their neck by a leather string.
+
+Girdles are worn by men and women for two purposes--first, to keep their
+clothes together; next, to support the large knives which the Ainu
+always carry with them.
+
+The Ishikari Ainu who lived formerly in Sakhalin wear leather belts, and
+the women wear besides a peculiar cloth headgear. Both these articles
+are ornamented with drops of melted lead and Chinese cash sewn on to the
+cloth.
+
+These are all the articles of clothing and ornament which are in common
+use among the Ainu. None of them are worn as symbols of rank, or to
+denote virginity. No Ainu can explain why he or she wears one thing more
+than another, except for the reason that he or she likes it. There are
+no Ainu laws as regards clothing, and with the exception of the "chief,"
+who on special occasions dresses more gaudily, and wears a crown made
+either of willow-tree shavings or dried sea-weed, with a small
+carved-wood bear head in front, they all dress pretty much alike. A
+chief could not be distinguished from a commoner by his everyday
+clothing.
+
+Speaking of personal ornamentation, I may as well describe the way in
+which the hair is dressed, and also the tattoo-marks.
+
+Little care is taken of the long hair, which reaches down to the
+shoulders. It is never washed, nor brushed, nor combed. At the back it
+is cut in a semicircle round the neck. Over the forehead the men shave a
+small part of the long hair, which, falling over their eyes, is
+uncomfortable to them; but women do not. Until lately this shaving was
+done with sharp shells, and wives shaved their husbands. The process was
+said to be rather painful, and the thoughtful women have now adopted
+knives for that purpose, to the great delight of the stronger sex. The
+part shaved is in the shape of a lozenge two and a half inches by two
+inches respectively from angle to angle. This open space causes the hair
+to part in two different directions and hang down in large wavy curls.
+The fingers are occasionally passed through it, and then with the palms
+of the hands it is plastered down on both sides.
+
+A characteristic Ainu method of making the morning "toilette" is to bend
+the head low and let the long hair fall over the forehead. The two hands
+are then placed under it on the temples, and suddenly and violently the
+head is shaken and thrown back, the hair being pressed down by the hands
+at the same time. If the first attempt at neatness is not approved of,
+the process is repeated two or more times. I must confess that
+personally I could seldom see any marked difference between a head of
+hair "dressed" and one "not dressed"; but it must be remembered that the
+Ainu have no looking-glasses, and what they think is right is of course
+right for them.
+
+Formerly, when an old woman lost her husband she had her head entirely
+shaved, and when the hair had grown long again she repeated the process
+as a proof of fidelity and affection to her deceased spouse. It is very
+rarely done now. She used to wear a sort of cap, with an aperture at the
+top, round the crown of the head during the time that her hair was
+short; and it was incumbent on the widow to wear a look of sorrow and
+pain till her hair grew long again.
+
+The Ainu men have long beards and moustaches, which are never trimmed,
+with the exception of the Kurilsky Ainu, who trim theirs. The beard
+begins to grow when they are very young, but it is shaved till they
+reach manhood. It is then left to grow naturally, and never touched
+again as long as they live. Ainu women, whom nature has not favoured
+with such a manly ornament, supplement their deficiency by having a long
+moustache tattooed on their lips. Their hands and arms are also
+tattooed.
+
+The tattooing among the Ainu is limited to the fair sex, and it is
+confined to the head and arms. Why and when the fashion was adopted is
+not known, and the semi-Ainu legends on the subject are very vague. One
+legend says that when the Ainu conquered Yezo, which was then inhabited
+by a race of dwarfs--"the Koro-pok-kuru"--some Koro-pok-kuru women came
+to the Ainu camp to beg food from them, and they did so by passing their
+arms through the reed walls of the Ainu huts. One day an Ainu clutched
+one of these arms and pulled it in, when a tattooed pattern on the tiny
+arm was greatly admired by the hairy conquerors, who adopted the
+practice from that day.
+
+A simpler reason is that the women, not being so hairy as the men, are
+humiliated by their inferiority in that respect, and try to make up for
+it by tattooing themselves. In support of this theory may be quoted the
+fact that women are only tattooed in parts which are left uncovered when
+clad in their long _atzis_ gowns.
+
+The Ainu process of tattooing is a painful one. The tattoo marks are
+usually done with the point of a knife; not with tattooing needles, as
+by the Japanese. Many incisions are cut nearly parallel to each other.
+These are then filled with cuttlefish-black. Sometimes smoke-black mixed
+with the blood from the incisions is used instead. On the lips the
+operation is so painful that it has to be done by instalments. It is
+begun with a small semicircle on the upper lip when the girl is only two
+or three years of age, and a few incisions are added every year till she
+is married, the moustache then reaching nearly to the ears, where at its
+completion it ends in a point. Both lips are surrounded by it; but not
+all women are thus marked. Some have no more than a semicircular tattoo
+on the upper lip; others have an additional semicircle under the lower
+lip; and many get tired of the painful process when the tattoo is hardly
+large enough to surround their lips. The father of the girl is generally
+the operator, but occasionally it is the mother who "decorates" the lips
+and arms of her female offspring. Besides this tattooed moustache, a
+horizontal line joins the eyebrows, and another line, parallel to it,
+runs across the forehead. The tattoo could not be of a coarser kind. A
+rough geometrical drawing adorns the arms and hands of women, the
+pattern of one arm being often different from that of the other.
+Frequently only one arm is tattooed. I never saw tattoos that went
+further than the elbow, neither did I see any other part of the body
+tattooed. The four specimens given in the illustration show the patterns
+most usual in different tribes, though each individual has some slight
+variations.
+
+Fig. 1 was copied by me from the arm of a woman at Frishikobets
+(Tokachi River); Figs. 2 and 3 are the two arms of Kawata Tera, a girl
+of Tobuts (north-east coast of Yezo); and Fig. 4 is the left arm of a
+girl at Piratori.
+
+[Illustration: TATTOO-MARKS ON WOMEN'S ARMS.]
+
+It will be noticed that in the regions where the Ainu have come in
+contact with Japanese, rings are tattooed round the fingers, while the
+Tokachi Ainu women have none. In the two arms of Kawata Tera (Figs. 2
+and 3) the dissimilarity of the two patterns is very marked at first
+sight, but on a close examination it is easy to perceive that the
+operator meant to carry out the same pattern on the right arm as on the
+left; only through his incapacity to reproduce correctly his former
+lines, or for other reasons, he got muddled up in the design, and left
+his work unfinished. If all the lines in the upper half of Fig. 3 were
+continued, the design would be very similar to Fig. 2.
+
+Tattooing is considered an ornament, besides, as I have already
+mentioned, adding the coveted air of "virility" to women. There is no
+religious feeling connected with it, and the practice is rapidly dying
+out, as the Japanese men make fun of the Ainu women, who after all only
+tattoo their mouths and arms, while they themselves often tattoo the
+whole of the body. The Ainu have no rules as to when the girls are to be
+operated on. They are done both before and after marriage, contrary to
+what has been said, that the women do not tattoo themselves after they
+have become wives. The moustache is generally finished before a girl
+gets married, as she herself is anxious to be thus decorated; but there
+are no rules as to virginity or marriage, for the arms and hands are as
+often tattooed after marriage as before. Indeed, in the Ainu country,
+"tattooing" one's wife seems to be one of the pleasures of the
+honeymoon. The design of these tattoos is meant to be, but is seldom,
+symmetrical. The Ainu apparently execute these designs on a preconceived
+plan, but the results rarely come up to expectation, as no drawing of
+the design is prepared beforehand. The bluish-black colour of the tattoo
+is very permanent and strong, and many an Ainu woman is disfigured for
+life, who, according to our ideas, would otherwise be good-looking.
+
+[Illustration: SNOW-SHOES.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU SALUTATION.]
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+Ainu Music, Poetry, and Dancing.
+
+
+The music of each nation has certain characteristics of its own; and
+though according to European ideas the music of what are called
+barbarous peoples may sound in some sense excruciating, it always has a
+certain occult charm, more especially to one who is able to forget his
+former training, and teach himself to see, hear, and think in the same
+way as the natives he is studying.
+
+Undoubtedly we Westerns have brought music to a pitch of refinement that
+no savage nation has even attempted to reach; but in my opinion we do
+savages injustice when we call their music "unmitigated discord."
+Barbarians like the Ainu do not indicate their rhythmical effects and
+modulations by means of a musical notation; and harmony is of course
+very defective with them, from our point of view. On the other hand, the
+feeling and passion with which they chant their songs make them go
+straight to the heart, if as a melody they are not always pleasing to
+the cultivated Western ear.
+
+An Ainu seldom sings for the mere pleasure of art as art, and it is only
+when full of joy or "crazed with care" that he gives expression to his
+feelings in music. Then he pours out his whole soul in that which to
+him is melody beyond the power of words to compass.
+
+After a hunt, a fishing expedition, a journey, or a misfortune, the Ainu
+enters his hut and seats himself cross-legged on the ground. He then
+holds out both hands with the palms together, and rubs them backwards
+and forwards three or four times; after this he raises them, palms
+upwards, to a level with his head, gracefully lowers them to his knees,
+and then, raising them again, strokes his hair and beard. Again he
+lowers his hands twice, thrice, or even more times, according to the
+amount of respect to which the person saluted is entitled, the latter
+following in every smallest detail the motions of his saluting friend.
+When this complicated salutation has been performed separately before
+each male member of the household, the new arrival relates the tale of
+his good-or ill-luck; and if the events be of an unusual character the
+story is chanted in a sort of sing-song which makes each note of joy or
+lamentation vibrate in the heart of the listener. It is only in such
+circumstances of stress of feeling that I ever heard the Ainu sing,
+though sometimes women and young folks when alone, fishing, riding, or
+travelling, sing out bits of their past lives as they remember this
+scene or that event.
+
+Ainu music is almost entirely vocal, and their singing has more the
+character of the _recitative_ than of the _aria_ proper. Their songs are
+always for _solo_; and during my stay among the hairy people I never
+heard a concerted piece, nor even an air or a single voice with a chorus
+for a number of voices; neither did I hear any songs performed by men
+and women together, but invariably by men to other men, and by women to
+other women. It seems to me that the reason why they have no choruses is
+their strict etiquette, which forbids them to interrupt a speaker till
+he has finished his narrative; and as their songs are only narratives
+which the musical sing-song makes more impressive, it seems more than
+probable that the reason I have given is the right one. If a singer
+during his narrative stops, and is silent for a minute or two, another
+takes up the "lost chord" in exactly the same intonation of voice,
+asking a question or singing words of comfort, anger, or scorn, as the
+case may be; but no Ainu ever joins in the song before the person
+singing has stopped.
+
+The hairy people are fond, not only of their own, but of all music, and
+their ear is acute enough to hit a tone or note when sung to them, and
+even to remember with more or less accuracy a short air after they have
+heard it two or three times. Many who have come in contact with the
+Japanese have learned from them songs of a totally different character
+from their own. Of my personal experience I can speak of a boy who,
+while I was sketching, heard me sing a few bars of the _Trovatore_. An
+hour or two later I heard him repeat this passage, certainly with an
+Ainu _libretto_, and somewhat Ainuized; but for all that he had managed
+to catch the melody, which showed that the lad must have had some
+musical instinct as well as a good musical memory.
+
+[Illustration: SIDE VIEW OF THE "MUKKO."]
+
+[Illustration: A "MUKKO," OR MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.]
+
+The Ainu are remarkably quick at reproducing sounds which are direct
+imitations of noises, cries of animals, &c., and it is instinctive in
+them, as when children they are not taught or trained to do so. The
+education of Ainu children is indeed a thing far to seek in every way,
+and what they know is self-taught. Nature is their only school. The Ainu
+voice is pleasant, flexible, and very soft in quality. The men are
+mostly baritone and bass, the women alto; but when singing, a falsetto
+is preferred to the natural voice, especially by the women, and this
+always without an instrumental accompaniment. Musical instruments are
+more than rare among the Ainu; indeed, I saw only one, which is now in
+my own possession. It is a black-stained wooden instrument, fifty-one
+inches in length and three wide. The upper part is flat, the under is
+half a cylinder scooped out by a knife, while five keys are fixed in the
+short neck, in which a cavity is cut, leaving a space for the strings to
+be tied to each key. The top is circular, and flattened on each side.
+One very small hole is bored exactly in the middle of the instrument and
+another is at the lower end, where the point of a triangular piece of
+leather, seven inches long, is passed through and fastened by a knot
+tied in the leather on the opposite side. The five strings, which are of
+_Ulmus campestris_ fibre, are fastened to this leather piece and then to
+each key. A peculiarity of this instrument is, that it has two
+prism-shaped bridges, and they are placed at each end of the harmonic
+case. The Ainu call it _mukko_, which word, however, means only a
+musical instrument; and as it is applied by them to all Japanese
+instruments of music, it shows that they do not distinguish very sharply
+one instrument from another. Though in my long journeying I found one of
+these _mukkos_, I was never able to discover any Ainu who could play on
+it, and the Ainu of Ishikari from whom I bought it told me that the man,
+the only one, who could play on it, was dead. This was unfortunate, as
+none of the others could tell me how he tuned it; and one old man, in
+attempting to solve the problem, broke three strings. Seeing that I was
+then quite unable to learn any of the tunes of the deceased Ainu
+Paganini I purchased the instrument, and found by cross-examining the
+natives that it was played by twanging the strings with the fingers, and
+not with a plectrum, as is the case with the Japanese _shamesen_. In the
+illustration I have faithfully drawn a front and a side view of this
+instrument, so as to give the reader an exact idea of its shape. The
+Ainu of Volcano Bay sometimes make bamboo jew's-harps for their
+children; but even those are very uncommon, so we might as well define
+Ainu music as entirely vocal. Ainu music is sentimental, and not
+displeasing, but it is monotonous, and continually repeats itself. It is
+difficult to establish a rule as to what order of intervals their music
+is founded on, as their progressions, modulations, and rhythmical
+effects are often so peculiar as to make it impossible to indicate them
+accurately by means of our musical notation; but the nearest approach to
+it is the diatonic minor scale. The Ainu are fond of chromatic
+intervals, and when their recital comes to an exciting point they make
+use of this method in a _crescendo_ to give strength to the narrative,
+especially at the end of the tune, which invariably winds up in the
+tonic. The intervals which are of most frequent occurrence in the Ainu
+tunes are as follows:--
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The tunes seldom contain modulations from one key into another, except
+in the case of genius-gifted improvisators, who sometimes indulge in
+such a luxury, especially when intoxicated; but the usual modulation is
+generally begun _pianissimo_ and in irregular time, and is sometimes
+like a slow lamentation gradually and irregularly increasing in force,
+some notes marked violently and the next very faintly, thus giving a
+weird effect of light and shade. When a sentence comes to an end, there
+is a chromatic interval _fortissimo_, and the keynote generally
+concludes the tune. The melody repeats itself again in the next
+sentence, sometimes altering the _pianissimo_ into _fortissimo_, and
+_vice versâ_, according to the force which the narrator wishes to give
+to certain words. The Ainu, as far as I could judge, have no fixed
+rhythmical method, and each man constructs his own. Their melodies are
+generally short and simple, and the same phrases and passages--in fact,
+usually the whole melody--occur again and again in their songs. No Ainu
+melody that I heard was constructed according to any rule of musical
+form. All were invariably of one part only, in which the name of the
+tune was often applied to a certain form of rude poetical composition.
+For instance, some of the folk-lore legends--which, unfortunately, are
+not purely Ainu--are chanted in a musical intonation, and are a kind of
+extempore composition, though the roots of the songs and the verse have
+probably been brought down from former generations. This is proved by
+the preservation in them of some obsolete words and forms of speech
+which are never used in current conversation, and which none of the
+younger folks can understand or explain. I believe, however, that none
+of these legends are very old. The Ainu, having no written language, it
+is but natural that their tradition and legends should have been greatly
+changed and corrupted, especially by intercourse with the more
+imaginative Japanese. It is to be noted, however, that the Ainu, though
+to a certain extent as imitative as monkeys, have also a large amount of
+personality and originality, due to their shy and unsocial habits. This
+originality is not surprising when we remember that they are taught
+nothing, and that each man provides for himself and his family, but has
+no markedly friendly feelings towards his neighbours; in other words, it
+is a state of degradation very similar to that of wild animals. Perfect
+indifference is shown by the people of one village towards those of
+another. They are neither friends nor foes. All have a right to live,
+but as for helping one another, that is out of the question.
+
+Having no written documents, each man, in his easy-going manner, recites
+and sings as best pleases himself such verses or legends as he has heard
+from his father or from some other person, and the result is that,
+according to the reciter's greater or smaller poetical and musical
+tastes, the grandfather's composition, already altered by his father, is
+again altered by the son, which makes it a composition of his own. This
+transformation of a given theme is common even among civilised nations
+when people are set to repeat the same story verbally transmitted from
+one to the other--the version of the third person has but little in
+common with that of the first. If this we do with a spoken narrative,
+how much more with tunes learned by ear only, and characterised in the
+delivery by individual temperament and transient mood.
+
+The Ainu do not teach these legends to their children, and if learned at
+all they are merely "picked up" by ear and, in a manner, at random;
+therefore, most Ainu profess ignorance as to their existence, and a man,
+when I asked him if he knew any, scornfully answered in these identical
+words, translated:--"The Ainu are taught nothing, and they know
+nothing."
+
+The few legends, &c., that I heard were told me by Benry at Piratori,
+and by another old man, the chief of a village up the Saru River. The
+title of one was "Tushi-une-pan"--"Twice Below;" the story of
+Yoshitsune, a Japanese hero, and Samoro-kuru (a Japanese man-friend of
+Yoshitsune), who came to Yezo and had a great struggle with a huge fish,
+which was harpooned by them and disappeared twice under the water,
+capsizing the boat which contained the two fishermen. Yoshitsune's
+temper was roused, and he cut the _nipesh_[38] rope to which the harpoon
+was fastened. The fish went to die at the mouth of the Saru River, when
+plains of hemp sprouted out of its body.
+
+    [38] _Nipesh_: a kind of hemp.
+
+Another legend, called "Kimta-na," is a rather different and more simple
+version of Tushi-une-pan's story which I have just related.
+
+Yet another variant of the same legend is found in the "Inu-sapk"--or "A
+Summer Story" (literally translated: _Inu_, hear, relate; _sapk_,
+summer), which was so very confused that I could not make head or tail
+of its minuter details; but, like the "Kimta-na," it was about a famine
+in the Ainu land.
+
+Then there was a fourth, which went by the name of
+"Abe-ten-rui"--"Burning to embrace," or love-sick. It was again about
+Yoshitsune, who had fallen in love with a pretty Ainu maid, and could
+not eat either good or bad fish until she appeared to him in a dream. As
+Yoshitsune was a strong-minded man he got over his love, and taught the
+Ainu not to be deceived by woman's wiles.
+
+These and other similar legends, some of which do not bear repeating,
+being too improper, can be collected at Piratori or on Volcano Bay from
+the half-civilised Ainu; but I am inclined to think that they are mostly
+concoctions of Japanese ideas construed or misconstrued in the Ainu
+language.
+
+Ainu do not indulge in poetic compositions which have a definite metre,
+nor do they use special words for rhyme or rhythm; but all the words in
+their songs are intelligible, and seldom meaningless syllables are used,
+as in many of the chants of other savage nations. This of course is
+because, as has been said, their songs are merely a form of conversation
+adopted on certain occasions.
+
+Some of their music seems to have been suggested to them by such animal
+sounds as the plaintive howling of bears, wolves, and dogs.
+
+Music is believed by the Ainu to have the power of curing illness, or
+rather, of scaring away from the body those evil spirits which are
+supposed to have taken possession of it; but, when used as exorcism, the
+music is no longer grave, slow, and sentimental, but verily diabolical,
+consisting mainly of wild howling with an accompaniment of stamping feet
+and the rattling of sword and knife, and followed by a disgusting
+expectoration of chewed convolvulus roots, which are said to be powerful
+in expelling the evil spirit and restoring the sick person to health.
+
+Furthermore, music is invariably used by the Ainu--especially by the
+women--to facilitate manual labour, as when pounding millet, rowing,
+pulling canoes on shore, or drawing water from a well, when packing
+sea-weed, or when preparing salmon for the winter; and also in their
+games, which I have already described in the chapter on the festival at
+Piratori.
+
+During the process of pounding millet--which is only practised in the
+southern part of Yezo--two or three girls stand round a mortar in which
+the millet has been placed, and each girl, holding with both hands a
+pestle, beats and sings, one after the other, the words "_Huye, huye_,"
+as the pestle is let down, increasing in loudness when the grain
+requires harder pounding, and slowly decreasing in volume towards the
+end. This pounding begins about sunset, and the place chosen for the
+operation is generally the small porch of the huts. It has indeed a
+weird effect to hear these many voices from the distant huts gradually
+dying away as darkness comes on, till finally only two or three break
+the stillness of the coming night. Then even those wear away, and
+everything becomes as silent as the grave.
+
+When riding on horseback, especially if alone, young men are fond of
+singing, and when going through forests, chopping and collecting
+firewood, Ainu invariably sing.
+
+I have often heard two or three Ainu, when packing sea-weed within a few
+yards of one another, each singing to himself, and each so much absorbed
+in his own composition as not to even hear his neighbours. An Ainu does
+not and cannot sing unless he feels in the mood for it; but if he sings
+he is carried away by his own music. Of course this is a good quality in
+Ainu music, as in all arts where "feeling" is to be appreciated as much
+as execution. The latter is to be got by constant practice and teaching;
+but the first has to be born in one.
+
+My readers must forgive me if I am judging Ainu music, not from the
+European, but from the native standpoint, for I think it is only fair to
+give things as they are, without too much reference to our own ideas.
+
+With savage nations, music is the expression of the feelings and
+passions of the musician. Thus, it is necessary to well know the man
+himself before we can understand his productions and appreciate them;
+and such knowledge is only attained by constantly living with natives,
+not as a mere stranger, but as one of them.
+
+Very few travellers have seen the real Ainu, or studied them accurately,
+while many, partly owing to their inability to differentiate one race
+from another, have given us highly imaginative descriptions, and even
+photographs, of Japanese half-castes and actual Japanese, describing
+them as Ainu. If such worthy ethnologists as have visited the "civilised
+part only" of the Ainu country, have been unable to distinguish types of
+the hairy Ainu race from those of the hairless Japanese, or from
+mixtures of the two, undoubtedly racial characteristics have been but
+imperfectly recorded.
+
+It is more particularly in music and poetry, as I have already
+explained, that temperamental characteristics are shown, and one ought
+to be careful to clearly define what is native music and poetry--in
+which I include legends, traditions, and folk-lore--and what has been
+transmitted by neighbouring and conquering races. Loud music is not
+appreciated by the Ainu, and makes them grin with more scorn than
+enjoyment. I could only try experiments in this direction by singing to
+them, as I had no European musical instruments with me; but I found that
+singing _con brio_ at the top of my voice was not so pleasing to them as
+when I sang _piano con passione_. For instance, the song "Toreador," in
+the opera _Carmen_, created fits of merriment from a crowd at
+Frishikobets, while the same crowd, a few minutes later, listened
+attentively and silently to Gounod's "Ave Maria," sung in a kind of
+"miaoling" voice.
+
+I may here mention incidentally, to show the different musical tastes of
+Ainu and Japanese, that some months previous to this I was at a concert
+at Tokio in which the same "Ave Maria" was performed by some
+distinguished European musicians. The large Japanese audience, who had
+been attentive and well-composed till then, went into fits of laughter
+when Gounod's masterpiece was played, and all through it the noise of
+people laughing was so great as to drown entirely the orchestra and
+singers. Some of the women in the audience nearly went into hysterics at
+the long _legato_ notes at the beginning of the piece. Louder melodies
+and of a livelier character did not affect them so. I wish to draw
+attention to this fact, that amongst all primitive peoples the native
+music is sad and slow--the livelier melodies coming later; and also,
+that with both wild and domestic animals the most noteworthy effects are
+produced by slow and simple music. We all know how dogs will remain
+quiet and calm when a soft and gentle air is played, but get furious to
+the point of savageness under the "plan-plan-rataplan" of a merry noisy
+tune. As for the last item connected with Ainu music, viz., dancing, it
+is rarely practised, even by the Ainu women, to whom alone it pertains.
+At the best it is of a very rude form. In the Piratori festival (Chapter
+IV.) we have seen that their dancing is accompanied by rhythmical sounds
+imitating the noises produced by implements in everyday use, as the
+squeaking of a paddle by the friction on the canoe, the cry which
+accompanies the pounding of millet, blowing alight the fire, and similar
+sounds. Time is kept by clapping the hands and by vociferations which
+tell the partners what position or action to assume, each action being
+accompanied by a different sound, but all performed while the hopping is
+kept up. I have not felt justified in classifying these rhythmical
+sounds, which accompany the dancing, as choruses, for there is not
+enough in them to constitute either a tune or a melody. They are
+suggested more by the action of the arms and upper part of the body than
+by the steps; in fact, if it were not for the continuous hopping it
+would be more accurate to describe Ainu dancing as "posturing." The
+dancers form a circle, with sometimes one or two children in the centre.
+As there are no professional musicians, there are no professional
+dancers; but though each man may be his own composer of music, the women
+never alter their dances, which are handed down unchanged from one
+generation to another. It is only at festivals that the dance is
+performed, and never inside the huts, but in the open air. It is not for
+the amusement of spectators, for besides one or two of the older women,
+spectators there are none; but it is for the enjoyment of the dancers
+themselves. The men do not seem to take the slightest interest in the
+dancing, and apparently regard it as unmanly. They remain in the hut
+drinking while the girls enjoy themselves in this way outside, and
+should one of them by chance come out, he would stop and look on no more
+than men in civilised countries would stop and watch little children at
+play. On the other hand, on such occasions Ainu matrons squat in a
+semicircle not far from the dancers, and keep up a lament-like or
+sometimes quarrelsome conversation among themselves, and occasionally
+encourage the girls in their hopping, and suggesting _encores_ of this
+figure or that, which, between one quarrel and another, has taken their
+fancy.
+
+[Illustration: A WOODEN PIPE.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+Heredity--Crosses--Psychological Observations.
+
+
+The mental qualities of the Ainu are not many, and what they have are by
+no means great; nor are they improved by education, for what they know
+comes more from inheritance than personal acquirement, though naturally
+every rule has its exceptions. I repeatedly noticed that talent, such as
+it was, ran in certain families, the members of which were all more or
+less intelligent. Certain families were more musical than others; other
+families were more artistic--if, indeed, such a word could be applied to
+the very low development of the artistic faculty when at its best among
+the hairy people. Various members of one household were potently insane;
+others were as potently idiotic. I shall not class under this heading of
+heredity transmitted disease, like leprosy, consumption, &c., but I
+shall limit myself to heredity in physical traits and mental qualities.
+Unfortunately, with the Ainu intercourse between the sexes is so
+imperfectly regulated as to often lead one to erroneous conclusions. The
+reader may easily imagine the difficulty of establishing precise rules
+of transmission in a race like the Ainu, where castes are not marked,
+with the exception of the chieftainship in each village, the only
+necessary qualifications for which are a sound, sharp intellect, a
+strong physique, and personal courage. The office is hereditary if these
+qualifications are also inherited; but should the sons or brothers of
+the chief prove unworthy of his place, the Ainu would assemble in a
+"village council" and elect another strong, clear-headed, and brave man
+in place of the _roi fainéant_ thus summarily deposed. These chiefs have
+no absolute authority, though the men often consult them in their
+quarrels and difficulties, which they are asked to settle. Thus, because
+of these qualities necessary for the office, these chiefs are a slightly
+superior type to the other natives; for with savages, as with civilised
+people, sharp-witted, strong, and brave men are naturally of a finer
+type than those who are their inferiors in these qualities: but the
+difference among the best Ainu and the worst is so small that I do not
+feel justified in classing chiefs as of a different caste. Besides,
+exceptional beauty, strength, or larger stature is not necessarily
+transmitted in the families of chiefs, nor do the Ainu themselves
+consider them better-looking than others.
+
+As Ainu laws of marriage have no relation to the physical and moral
+improvement of the race, the only way of classifying the natives for
+purposes of heredity is by tribes, each village being considered as a
+tribe. Ainu villages are generally very small, and the inhabitants of
+each village intermarry among themselves, therefore each member of the
+community is in some way related to every other member; hence heredity
+in certain physical traits, mental qualities, and diseases shows itself
+in one community and not in another. The difficulty of tracing the exact
+connection of each individual with his or her relations beyond the
+acknowledged father and mother also baffles research in more minute
+details. Abnormal formations are sometimes transmitted to many members
+of one tribe, as, for instance, the hare-lip and webbed fingers, of
+which deformities two or three specimens could be found in a small
+village numbering fifteen or twenty houses. Malformation of the
+umbilicus is common--sometimes in almost every member of one small
+community--while it is very rare in others. Children are mostly affected
+by this, as in some villages the cord is not treated at all at birth;
+and this leads to an abnormality till the child grows older, when the
+few who survive seem to get all right. In other villages the cord is
+fastened in a very primitive, not to say imperfect, manner, with a
+common string of _Ulmus campestris_ fibre.
+
+Albinism is very uncommon among the Ainu. I do not know of any case when
+it has been transmitted, as albinos are greatly disregarded by the Ainu,
+and, I was told, seldom marry.
+
+Red hair, or hair with red shades in it, is common among the Ainu of
+the north-east coast of Yezo, and also among the Kurilsky Ainu of
+Shikotan, where nearly all the children have light hair. It darkens
+considerably as they grow older, as many of the men said they had light
+hair when young, which turned dark with age. Members of certain
+communities have inherited the love of bear-hunting; others the love of
+fishing; some tribes have a musical aptitude, and a certain artistic
+talent for rough ornamentations on wood; others have developed their
+inherited power of sustaining hunger and thirst. The only characteristic
+which all the different tribes have inherited, without exception, is
+love for intoxicating drinks; and this love is not only inherited by
+thoroughbred Ainu, but also by half-castes.
+
+Mixed marriages between Japanese and Ainu are frequent, but the progeny
+are unfortunate beings, of whom a large percentage die when very young:
+those who live are generally malformed, ill-natured, and often idiotic.
+Their sight and hearing are not so acute as with the pure Ainu, and
+crosses are said to be sterile, with very few exceptions. If children of
+second crosses are born they seldom live to be more than five years old.
+
+Half-breeds are invariably from a Japanese man with an Ainu woman, but
+occasionally an Ainu man marries or cohabits with a half-caste woman. I
+have never seen a pure-blood Ainu man marry a pure-blood Japanese woman.
+The majority of half-breeds are males: I should think two-thirds males
+and one-third females. The half-caste women are physically finer than
+the men, but they are said to be very generally, if not uniformly,
+sterile.
+
+The products of the first cross greatly resemble in general look the
+Ainu parent, without being quite as hairy, though still very hairy; but
+a strange peculiarity is, that they get bald while quite young. One can
+easily detect them by their eyes, which are frequently like those of the
+Japanese, by the wide flat forehead, and by the pose of the head, which
+inclines forward. They generally walk with their toes turned in, instead
+of keeping their feet perfectly straight, like the pure Ainu. The moral
+and intellectual position of these half-breeds is a pitiful one. They
+are rejected by both the Ainu and Japanese, and are held inferior to
+both alike.
+
+A high moral standard, whether got from philosophic breadth or Christian
+virtues, does not suit a despised barbarian race like the Ainu. Nothing
+could or does kill them quicker than civilisation. Experiments have been
+tried to civilise certain Ainu: they were made to wash, bathe, and live
+in comfortable, clean quarters: they were instructed and got good food;
+but after a few months they had to be sent back to their native place
+and ways, for civilisation only killed them.
+
+The half-castes have none of the good qualities of either race. They are
+neither as brave as the Ainu nor courteous and light-hearted like the
+Japanese. The following remarks, which I take direct from my diary, were
+written by me between Shimokebo and Tomakomai, on the south-west coast
+of Yezo, where many half-breeds are found along the sea-shore, and I
+shall pass them on untouched to my readers.
+
+"The Ainu along this coast were decidedly ugly. Many half-breeds are
+also found along this coast. These half-breeds invariably grow bald in
+early life, whereas the Ainu do not. The hair on their back, arms, and
+legs is not so long or so thick as with the pure Ainu. Their teeth are
+neither so strong nor so sound. As is usually the case when a mixture of
+two or more races takes place, the lower and upper jaws not being of the
+right proportion, it follows as a matter of course that unusual pressure
+and friction injure and wear out the enamel of the teeth, thus causing
+premature decay. The Americans and Australians are good examples of this
+premature decay caused by the disproportion of the upper and lower jaws.
+Also, teeth which do not fit well together sometimes grow so long as to
+be a nuisance to the person who owns them. I found that these
+half-breeds have all the bad qualities of both the Ainu and the
+Japanese, and have not retained any of the good ones. They are
+ill-tempered, lazy, and vindictive. It is well to mention that, on the
+Japanese side, they have come mostly from the criminals exported by the
+Japanese Government, which fact partly explains why they are so
+evil-minded and untrustworthy. Instead of falling into the more
+civilised ways of the Japanese, these half-breeds prefer the wild life
+of their Ainu ancestors; and if anything they are wilder than the Ainu
+themselves. Insanity is very common among half-breeds. The head is in
+most instances of an abnormal size; the frontal bone is generally more
+sloping than with the thoroughbred Ainu; and though the skull be wide
+from one temple to the other, it is not spacious enough from the frontal
+bone to the back of the head. They have heads so shaped that the
+animal propensities are in excess of the moral and mental
+faculties. In thoroughbred Ainu I found the bumps of amativeness,
+philoprogenitiveness, and tune very well developed. In the half-breeds
+these bumps hardly show at all, and in some cases the back of the
+head--where the two first bumps are found--is almost flat.
+
+"Ainu half-breeds never live to be very old. They are often affected
+with rheumatism--_kaki_, a disease peculiar to the Far East--leprosy,
+and consumption, and they suffer from these diseases much more than do
+the pure Ainu. I found leprosy quite common among half-breeds--while I
+have seen but few Ainu affected with it. In most instances, though,
+leprosy had only attained its first stages--contraction of fingers and
+subsequent dropping off of the three phalanges, ears, and nose; but this
+may be explained by the fact that the sufferers in general succumb
+before the disease attains its more serious character, when the whole
+body is visibly affected by it."
+
+Precise laws as to the degree of quickness of perception, power of
+reasoning, and learning of the Ainu race cannot be given, for, as I have
+mentioned before, almost each individual would require a special rule
+for himself. My readers may have noticed that, while some Ainu were but
+little above monkeys, others were sharp, and gave answers very much to
+the point. This may apparently be regarded as a contradiction on my part
+by people who have neither lived with savages, nor studied the
+temperament of beasts. But it is not a contradiction. There are in this
+world clever monkeys and stupid monkeys: some can never be made to learn
+any tricks; others will learn them in no time. Intelligence is
+instinctive, and not acquired, though of course it can be greatly
+developed with education; thus, the Ainu are instinctively intelligent,
+but I wish my readers clearly to understand that their intelligence does
+not go much further than that of an intelligent monkey, though of course
+the Ainu have the advantage over beasts of being able to talk, and
+therefore, to a limited extent, discuss and combine. The Ainu memory is
+a perfect blank in certain respects, as with arithmetic, science,
+mechanics, reading, writing, drawing, and delineating maps; while in
+other directions it seems to be fairly keen, as in hunting, fishing,
+tracking, and acquiring languages up to a certain point. This last
+faculty is noticeable in nearly all the lowest races, as the Australian
+aborigines, the Tasmanian natives (now extinct), the Tierra del
+Fuegians, &c. The Ainu ideas of time are vague, and if you add to that
+the extreme difficulty which they experience in counting even up to ten,
+and their inability to count beyond that number, it is easy to
+understand why we can never learn the exact age of Ainu individuals.
+
+Like the monkeys, the Ainu cannot concentrate their attention, and they
+are easily wearied. Beads and shiny objects have a fascination for them;
+but other objects, even perfectly new to them, arouse but little
+curiosity, which soon passes, and they show no intelligence and less
+imagination as to the probable use of these strange objects. They show
+no inquisitiveness, and no wish to be taught the use of anything new and
+unfamiliar.
+
+It will be remembered that at Yamakubiro, on the Tokachi River, beyond
+the natural astonishment caused by the first appearance of my ponies,
+the strange baggage, and myself, the Ainu did not pay much attention to
+this novel sight, and did not show any wish to have it explained, while
+more civilised people, like the Japanese, would not have been satisfied
+until I had shown and explained every article in my possession, and
+allowed each person to try its use, &c., after which they would talk for
+hours of what they had seen. The Ainu are not "built" so, and therefore
+they have never made any progress. In the more civilised parts of Yezo
+we have a proof of it. Their backwardness in acquiring the habits and
+customs of their conquerors the Japanese, arises from incapacity more
+than from conservatism. Yet for all that the Ainu are so incapable of
+improving themselves, they are very persevering in what they do attempt,
+as in their rough wooden carvings, the hollowing of their "dug-outs,"
+the construction of their wooden tools and weapons, the weaving of their
+rough garments, and the ornamentation thereof; but in all these they
+appear to act more automatically than with keen and constructive
+intelligence.
+
+The Ainu are not to be taken _au pied de la lettre_, for the illusions
+produced by ignorance and untutored imagination prevent anything like
+literal accuracy; but they are not what we may call conscious and
+immoral liars. A good example of this is my adventure at Horobets, when,
+although they knew that they would be severely punished by the Japanese
+policeman, the Ainu confessed their attack on me, and did not attempt
+either denial or evasion. They are often plucky, and even distinctly
+courageous; as, when out bear-hunting, a man armed only with a large and
+not over sharp knife unhesitatingly attacks this formidable beast, who
+sits up on his hind quarters, sure to crush the life out of his
+assailant should he miss his stroke. The Ainu, protecting his head with
+his left arm, and having taken the precaution to cover his back with
+skins, goes merrily for the embrace; and while Bruin squeezes, the hairy
+man splits its body open with the large knife.
+
+The Ainu are cool-blooded. They are not subject to strong emotions, and
+therefore they are not much affected by dreams and nightmares. They are
+not affectionate except for a momentary impulse; but, like most animals,
+they are faithful when they love. Mothers are fond of their children
+till they have reached puberty; but after that the affection seems to
+fade away. Paternal love is much less strong.
+
+The pure Ainu are comparatively honest people, which may be due to the
+incapacity for being dishonest. In a country where there is no exact
+definition of property, where anybody can get what he requires without
+resorting to theft, there is no reason why everybody should not be
+honest. Then, according to Ainu ideas, stealing is not always stealing.
+For instance, if an Ainu, without asking, takes away some of the salmon
+caught by one of his hairy brethren, he will be blamed for it, he will
+get into a row, and probably be beaten; but if the theft is perpetrated
+on a Japanese or a stranger he will be praised, though the Ainu well
+knows that he is not acting right. Their desire is stronger than their
+conscience, such as it is; and having no laws of their own to rule them
+worth speaking of, they often do according to their desire, without
+deserving the accusation of conscious dishonesty. It is exactly the
+same case as when a dog jumps on the dining-table when everybody is
+absent and carries off the leg of mutton which he knows he ought not to
+touch; but the temptation was too strong, and he could not resist it.
+The Ainu are fond of independence, though in many instances I found them
+gentle, and apparently submissive to a stronger will than their own. The
+field of their brain-power is of course very narrow, and the same rough,
+rude, primitive thoughts and ideas are constantly repeated in their
+conversation as well as in their designs.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: NAKED AINU MAN FROM THE NORTH-EAST COAST OF YEZO, PACKING
+SEAWEED FOR WINTER USE.]
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+Physiological Observations--Pulse-beat and Respiration--Exposure--Odour
+of the Ainu--The Five Senses.
+
+
+The following physiological remarks are mostly from observations made on
+Ainu of the Upper Tokachi district, the natives of which have had no
+communication with Europeans and little with Japanese previous to my own
+visit to them. Observations made on the semi-civilised Ainu of Volcano
+Bay and Piratori, on those of the north-east and west coasts, and the
+Ishikari River, as well as on half-castes of different districts, have
+been taken into consideration.
+
+Owing to the lack of a clinical thermometer and other instruments, I,
+unfortunately, was not able to ascertain the normal temperature of the
+body; nor could I get any very accurate observations as to the frequency
+of the pulse-beat, owing to the miserable condition of my watch and the
+difficult task of getting natives to sit perfectly still while their
+pulse was felt. A superstitious fear, too, that some evil would befall
+them accelerated the pulsations, and they invariably moved away rubbing
+the spot I had touched on their wrist. Though I could not count the
+exact number of pulsations to a minute, the movement of the pulse was as
+a rule slow and rather weak. Respirations were fourteen to seventeen to
+a minute in men, and about sixteen to twenty in women, and the
+respiratory movements were similar in both sexes, viz., costal breathing
+was predominant. In half-castes I have sometimes noticed abdominal
+breathing.
+
+The Ainu not only bear cold well, but prefer it to heat, though, indeed,
+their country is never very hot. The sun's rays have no fascination for
+them, as with so many other races; and I have seldom seen Ainu basking
+in the sun for purely physical pleasure, although they go about with
+uncovered heads, and do not seem to suffer any ill effects from the
+practice. The Ainu of Piratori wear Japanese hats of wicker-work; and
+others, especially women, tie round their head a Japanese towel--a
+fashion, as we have seen, also adopted from the Japanese. With this
+head-dress the crown of the head is left uncovered.
+
+The Ainu are not massively formed, but they are sturdy, and, as we have
+seen, can bear almost any amount of privation as regards food and drink.
+Sleep is necessary to them, and they require a great deal to be in
+anything like good condition. The sleeping hours are generally from an
+hour or so after sunset to sunrise; but during the day they are often
+drowsy, and turn in to have a siesta after food and exercise. In men the
+voice is soft and deep; shriller but still gentle in women. The Ainu
+seldom perspire, partly because the pores of their skin are blocked with
+dirt; partly because their long hair absorbs a great quantity of
+natural moisture; and mostly because they do not drink much except when
+they can get hold of intoxicants.
+
+The skin is greasy--the natural result of many years of an unwashed
+existence; and this gives to the hairy people a peculiar and strong
+odour, much resembling that of monkeys. Many are familiar with the
+peculiar odour of an uncleaned monkey's cage, and the same, intensified
+a thousand times, characterises an Ainu village. Hundreds of yards off
+you can distinctly smell out a village, or if the wind is blowing
+towards you, that peculiar odour is perceptible for a full half-mile.
+Although the sense of smell is acute in the Ainu--for they sometimes
+employ it in tracking animals--they are not aware of their own strong
+odour; but they are quick in distinguishing that of other races. I have
+several times heard Ainu of the coast remark that I possessed a
+different odour from that of the Japanese; but they could neither define
+it nor assimilate it to that of any animal they knew, though several of
+them one day held a lengthy pow-wow about it; and in the interest of
+anthropology I submitted to the unpleasant process of being smelt all
+over by them. The Chinese unanimously assert that Europeans smell like
+sheep, and they say this is the reason we constantly wash and bathe,
+being aware of our infirmity, and doing our best to diminish it by soap
+and water. We ourselves attribute to Jews one distinct odour, and yet
+another to the Russians; not to speak of those belonging to the negroes,
+the Chinese, and, in fact, all other nations. Thus, the odour has some
+importance in the classification of peoples, as it largely depends on
+the kind of food as well as the personal habits of a race. Meat-eaters
+smell differently from fish-eaters, and these again from vegetarians. As
+regards the Ainu, their filthy habits of course increase their
+offensiveness, while bodily exercise renders them intolerable. The
+Japanese recognise the Ainu odour as a distinguishing mark of the race,
+and Japanese fishermen have often said to me, "_Aino shto taihen
+kusai_"; "_Saru_," or else "_Kumma onaji koto_"--"Ainu men smell bad,
+just like a monkey or a bear."
+
+As an Ainu grows older this peculiarity increases. The weaker sex is
+generally more "strongly scented" than are the men, owing to the fact
+that women wear skins and rough cloth rags nearly all the year round,
+while in summer the men go about either entirely naked, or very lightly
+clad.
+
+On the north-east coast of Yezo and in Shikotan (Kurile Islands) I saw
+some Ainu who, contrary to the rule, had red hair, and their animal
+odour was terribly offensive. The Ainu do not use any unguents like
+palm-oil, cocoanut-oil, or the like, by which the unpleasantness of
+certain African tribes and Eastern peoples is to be accounted for. What
+they have is natural and national, and due to their food, habits, and
+race alone.
+
+The Ainu have no partiality or dislike for any particular scents, and
+their sense of smell shows itself mainly in their power of tracking game
+or animals, as was said before. The same might be said of the sense of
+"touch," which they seldom apply practically, notwithstanding their
+sensitiveness in certain parts of the body, especially under the
+arm-pits and on each side of the spinal column and the back of the
+head--just those parts which in most animals are the most sensitive; but
+they have no developed sense of touch in their finger-tips, as with
+civilised nations.
+
+Most Ainu find it difficult to declare which is the heavier of two not
+very unequal weights. Differences in the temperature of two bodies, and
+in the smoothness or texture of two surfaces, are also extremely
+difficult for them to define, while it is easy for them to judge of
+weights and texture by eyesight. The palms of the hands, which are so
+sensitive with us, owing to the papillæ being more thickly studded there
+than in other parts of the body, are less intelligently sensitive with
+the Ainu. When they touch cold or hot objects they feel pain, but not
+difference of temperature, as when with us a wound is touched it makes
+little difference whether it is by something hot or cold, it is simply
+pain, and not discrimination. Their lips, as well as the tip of the
+tongue, are slightly more sensitive; the lower lip more so than the
+upper. I was never able to determine the relative sensibility of the
+sensitive parts of the Ainu body, as my experiments either caused anger
+and impatience, or hilarity and mockery. If the first, the observations
+had to be stopped before they were well begun; if the second, beyond the
+general results which I have quoted, the answers were mere guesswork on
+their part, and therefore not worth recording. Most of my observations
+are based on experiments made while the men were unaware that they were
+observed at all. Often, when asleep, I have touched them on the soles of
+the feet and the palms of the hands without causing them to awake, while
+when touched on the lower lip or in the lumbar region they invariably
+woke up startled. One day I tried this experiment on an Ainu who was
+sleeping on his back, with his mouth wide open. I touched his tongue
+with a well-sharpened lead-pencil, and the effect was subitaneous; more
+so than on either the lips or the lumbar region. The skin directly over
+the spine was dull, but the ears showed a certain amount of sensibility.
+The sense of "taste," which is a mere modification of the sense of
+touch, is also dull, although naturally, when stimulated by very acid or
+bitter substances, it produced distinct impressions. Even with
+ourselves, though more perfected than the sense of smell--which,
+however, often comes to its assistance--few can boast of having the
+sense of taste very acute. In our lower classes an extraordinary amount
+of salt, mustard, pepper, or sugar is needed before they can call their
+food "tasty," whereas a person of more refined education will detect the
+lack or excess of even the smallest portion. Over-stimulation of the
+lingual nerves and extremes of heat or cold deaden the sensibility of
+the tongue, palate, and fauces, and destroy the power of distinguishing
+flavours; bad digestion also frequently affects the organs of taste.
+From this we may argue, then, that the sense of taste, though born in
+one, has to be cultivated before it is brought to any degree of
+refinement. The Ainu not only do not possess this acquired refinement,
+but, through monotony of food, learn only one kind of flavour, and
+cannot distinguish differences. Thus, as many labourers in our country
+would not find any difference between a beef-steak slightly underdone
+and one over-cooked, so an Ainu finds no difference whatever between a
+piece of salmon properly dried and one perfectly rotten. In this respect
+the Ainu are far below beasts.
+
+In tribes of natives like the Ainu, who have lived an adventurous life,
+mostly in the open air, it is but natural that the two senses of "sight"
+and "hearing" should be more developed than those of "touch," "smell"
+and "taste;" as life itself depends mostly on their accuracy and
+acuteness. The Ainu possess good sight. Inflammation of the eyes is very
+common among their children, owing to their filthy condition; but it
+seldom affects their permanent sight; very few Ainu suffer either from
+myopy or cataract, or other eye affections such as are frequent among
+civilised and more studious nations. In very warm climates, where the
+sun is powerful and the light strong, the eyes are generally shielded by
+specially long and thick eyelashes and eyebrows, which last prevent the
+sweat from running down the forehead into the orbit; but, strange to
+say, the Ainu, who are a northern race, and have always lived in cold
+climates, have eyelashes even longer and thicker than any race of people
+in tropical climates. The iris is of a somewhat greyish tint, sometimes
+traversed with brown shades. The white of the eye is less pearly than
+with Caucasian races, and the eyes, shaded as they are by long eyelashes
+and heavy eyelids, seem to possess all the qualities necessary for
+abnormally long vision. And this we find to be the case, for the Ainu
+can distinguish objects a long way off, but they are dense as to
+minutiæ. In other words, the eye of an Ainu is ready to receive an
+impression, but very slow in transmitting to the brain the impression
+received.
+
+As we have seen, they cannot reproduce the "human form divine," or any
+faithful representation of anything animate or inanimate which they have
+seen. They see _en gros_; thus, should an Ainu's attention be drawn to
+some very distant object rapidly moving on the shore, he will at once
+say that it is a horse, because he knows that the chances are it is a
+horse, but he will be unable to describe its colour, and whether
+cantering or galloping, saddled or unsaddled, by a single glance at the
+horse, unless his attention is called to each particular detail, when he
+will answer each question correctly enough. The Ainu vision is then
+strong, but the brain is not quick in response. Testing their sight by
+"test dots," as used in the British Army, was not a success, greatly
+owing to their inability to count and the inaccuracy of their answers.
+
+The most fully-developed sense in the hairy people is, in my opinion,
+that of hearing. Distant sounds are clearly recognised and specified,
+and they are also aware that by placing one ear near the ground, far-off
+sounds of horse's hoofs and the like can be clearly distinguished. The
+ticking of a Waterbury watch could be heard by Ainu at a distance of
+twenty and twenty-two feet, while I could only hear it nineteen feet
+away. I was often struck by the quickness with which they detected the
+tick-tack even when the watch was in my pocket, and they were six or
+eight feet away. The unusual sound fixed their attention and made them
+curious as to the cause, and they showed a childish kind of surprise and
+delight when the watch was produced and passed round among them, each
+one being allowed to enjoy his share of the ticking.
+
+Resuming these few remarks on the characteristic points of Ainu senses,
+my readers will probably have noticed certain facts which strongly
+support Darwin's theory of evolution, and the hairy arboreal ancestor
+with pointed ears from which the races of men are descended.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: TROPHY OF BEARS' SKULLS.]
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+The Ainu Superstitions--Morals--Laws and Punishments.
+
+
+I cannot begin this chapter better than by saying that Ainu religious
+ideas are essentially chaotic. They recognise no supreme God, and no
+intelligent Creator; and they cannot be called polytheists, for indeed
+they are not _worshippers_ of any power--taking the word in its full
+meaning. The Ainu worship nothing.
+
+If they have any belief at all it is an imperfect kind of Totemism, and
+the central point of that belief is their own descent from the "bear."
+This does not include the smallest reverence for their ancestor. They
+capture their "Totem" and keep it in captivity; they speak to it and
+feed it; but no prayers are offered to it. When the bear is fat, it is
+taken out of the cage to be ill-treated and baited by all the men
+present. It is tied to a stake and a pole is thrust into its mouth; and
+when the poor beast has been sufficiently tortured, pricked with pointed
+sticks, shot at with blunted arrows, bruised with stones, maddened with
+rage and ill-usage, it is killed outright, and, "ancestor" as it may be,
+it makes the chief dish and _raison d'être_ of a festival, where all the
+members of the tribe partake of its flesh. The owner of the hut in which
+the feast takes place then sticks the skull on to a forked pole, and
+sets it outside with the others at the east end of his hut. The skin is
+made into garments, or is spread on the ground to sleep on.
+
+In addition to this rudimentary kind of Totemism--if I may call it
+so--the Ainu show a certain amount of fear and respect for anything
+which supports their life or can destroy it. This, however, is under the
+form of an "instinct" rather than a "religious feeling." Dumb animals of
+any kind are similarly affected by powers which they cannot explain; but
+as we would not think for a moment that when a dog is barking at the
+moon the dog is worshipping the orb of night, or when it basks in the
+sun that it is offering prayers and reverence to the orb of day, no more
+should we think that the Ainu, who are not much above dumb animals,
+worship all they respect and fear.
+
+If other writers, most of whom have never visited the Ainu country, had
+not written on this subject, I would have limited myself to saying that
+the Ainu, properly speaking, have no religion, but as certain untenable
+theories and false ideas have been published, I feel bound to state what
+I know on the subject, that, so far as I can, I may correct these
+erroneous impressions. I regard myself as qualified to speak with some
+authority, as I am the _only_ foreigner who has seen and studied _all_
+the different tribes of Ainu in Yezo and the Kuriles; while other
+writers, the few who have actually been there, have based their
+statements on a few half-castes or Ainu in the more civilised part of
+southern Yezo, collecting from them ideas left behind by previous
+travellers, and offering them to the public as purely Ainu. That these
+hasty travellers and cursory writers have been deceived, or have
+deceived themselves, is not astonishing; for it must be borne in mind
+that the Ainu language is as poor in words as the Ainu brain is
+deficient in thoughts. Thus it is no easy matter to explain to an Ainu
+what is meant by "religion," by "divinities," and by "worship." The
+nearest approach can be made only by comparisons and analogies, which
+often lead far from the point aimed at. Like all savages and barbarians,
+the Ainu are more apt to answer as they think will please the questioner
+than to give a definition of their own beliefs. The manner in which a
+question is put gives the keynote to the reply, which is in no sense an
+independent statement of their own thoughts.
+
+For instance, if you were to say to an Ainu, "You are old, are you not?"
+he would answer "Yes"; but if you asked the same man, "You are not old,
+are you?" he would equally answer "Yes." Knowingly speaking the truth is
+not one of their characteristics; indeed, they do not know the
+difference between falsehood and truth. This is a common failing with
+all savages as well as with all Orientals; but with the Ainu it is even
+more accentuated; and when, in addition to this, the difficulty of
+making them understand exactly what one means is taken into
+consideration, it is not astonishing that a traveller arrives at a wrong
+conclusion if the utmost pains be not taken in pursuing one's
+investigations.
+
+Of course the Ainu who have come in contact with Japanese know of a God,
+and some of them, at the instigation of Japanese _bonzes_, have become
+nominal Buddhists. Benry, at Piratori, showed me a small Buddhist
+shrine, of Japanese manufacture, which had been put up on a neighbouring
+hill. All the time I stayed at Piratori I never observed any Ainu
+worship at it. One day I saw two boys throwing stones at it, but that
+could hardly be called an act of reverence, even among my hairy friends.
+
+On my inquiring as to the origin and use of the shrine, I was told by
+some that it was erected to the God of the Japanese. Benry, who was
+always "well informed," both in things that he knew and those that he
+did not know, said that it was built in honour of Yoshitsune, the
+Japanese personage who, as we have seen, is the hero in semi-Ainu
+legends, and whose image or spirit, according to travellers' tales, is
+worshipped by the Ainu.
+
+It always appeared strange to me that the Piratori Ainu had this
+Japanese hero in their legends, but still more strange that they should
+make him their deity. Yet what was most singular of all was, that with
+the exception of Benry and a few others at Piratori, no other Ainu I
+met in any other part of Yezo seemed to know about Yoshitsune--or
+Okikurumi, as he is sometimes called by them; and, moreover, they knew
+nothing of his doings, or of the reason of his being worshipped. The
+Ainu of the Tokachi knew nothing whatever of this personage.
+
+The Ainu idea of soul is always associated with "breath" or "life;" and
+as for the resurrection of the body and the future life of the soul,
+they have never even dreamt of it. Metempsychosis is equally unknown to
+them.
+
+As my readers have seen, in the description of a burial the implements
+and weapons which belonged to a deceased person are buried with him. The
+articles, however, previous to being thrown into the grave, are smashed
+to pieces; for the idea is, not that the dead body should profit by
+these things in the other world, but that no other person should make
+use of what had been his property in this. The reasoning power of the
+Ainu does not carry him beyond what is purely material; his mind has
+never been trained to go beyond that limit, and he finds that he can
+live well within it. Like all animals, he is guided by his instinct,
+which tells him what is good and what is bad for him; but as to any
+attempt to find out _why_ such things are good or bad for him, he is
+utterly at a loss, and has to give up the quest. Though not devoid of a
+rudimentary kind of shrewdness, the Ainu is dense and ignorant to the
+last degree, and just as he is reluctant to adopt new modes of living,
+so he is unable to accept new ideas or larger thoughts. The mere
+conception of a Superior Being, who is the Maker of all things and above
+all things, is far beyond the comprehension of any Ainu. Eating and
+drinking are what he principally lives for. He does not thirst for
+knowledge, nor strive after the Divine; and he has no creed of any kind
+and no formula of sacrifice or worship, which two conditions are
+essential to even the most elementary religion.
+
+What the Ainu do really possess in the way of supernaturalism is the
+ordinary savage's credulous superstition, which manifests itself in
+certain charms or fear of certain omens. However, after that degree they
+take the world as it comes. They have no idea of who made it, and they
+are not anxious to learn. The sun, the moon, bears, salmon, water, fire,
+mountains, trees, are all things for which an Ainu has a dumb kind of
+regard, not amounting to reverence, as he knows that he could not live
+without them. This has led some persons to define these objects as the
+principal divinities of the Ainu, and to call the people themselves
+polytheists. The word _Kamoi_, or _Kamui_, has been rendered as "god,"
+gods "divinity." Now, what does the word _Kamoi_, or _Kamui_, really
+mean? Translated literally it means "old" or "ancient"; but amongst a
+hundred other meanings it also denotes "large," "beautiful," "strange,"
+"it," "the man," "he who," &c. In fact, it is used to qualify anything,
+whether good or bad; and in some ways corresponds to our adjectives
+"wonderful," "awful," "grand "; but assuredly the Ainu do not by this
+word mean to designate the objects thus described as so many gods.
+Anything for which they entertain respect or fear is described as
+_Kamoi_, or _Kamui_, which thus is applied to the sun, the moon, the
+stars, mountains, rivers, old trees, bears, salmon, large stones, &c.,
+not with the intention of making them divinities, but simply to specify
+their power, greatness, or antiquity. The word is applied to every kind
+of thing, animate or inanimate, good or bad, respected or derided,
+dreaded or revered, admired or abhorred. It is sometimes a prefix,
+sometimes an affix, and is the most universal attribute the Ainu world
+or language contains. We are, therefore, forced to the conclusion, that
+either the Ainu are polytheists or pantheists to such an extent as
+occasionally to make everything and everybody a god; or else, that
+translators have given their own, and a greatly exaggerated, meaning to
+the word _Kamui_, and that these so-called gods are not gods at all. To
+me there is no alternative opinion on the matter. The Ainu have no gods
+in our sense.
+
+Basing conclusions on wrong premises, writers on the Ainu religion have
+been naturally led astray altogether. For instance, the composite word
+_Kotan-kara-kamui_,[39] which a learned missionary has translated
+"Creator," only means "the man who made the village"--a description
+which hardly corresponds to the grandeur attributed to the words by its
+imaginative translator.
+
+    [39] _Kotan_, village, place, site; _kara_, to make, build; _kamui_,
+    the man, ancient, strength.
+
+Then again, _Kamui kotan_, which according to some means "the home of
+God," in its real signification is "an ancient village; a beautiful
+place." When _Kamui_ is applied to persons, it is generally a suffix;
+when to things, it is a prefix.
+
+But let us come to the _inao_, which by some have been called the "Ainu
+gods," by others "Divine symbols." These _inao_ are willow-wands, with
+shavings depending from the upper end, sometimes from the middle, and
+occasionally from near the lower end as well.
+
+The larger wands are about four feet in length, and have either one or
+two bunches of shavings at the upper end only. They go by the name of
+_inao netuba_, or "big _inao_." Other smaller _inao_, like the
+_Chisei-kara-inao_,[40] are kept in the house, and stuck in the eastern
+corner of the hearth, and in the wall directly opposite the entrance
+door. Some of the _inao_ are shaved upwards from the bottom, others
+downwards from the top; and one, a big _inao_, is often thrust through
+the small window facing the east. Sometimes they are placed about
+singly, especially inside the huts; but outside, close to the eastern
+wall, I have often seen eight or ten standing together in a row. When so
+taken collectively they are called _nuza_. On Volcano Bay, up the Saru
+River, and on the Lake Kutcharo, where it is the custom of the Ainu to
+make trophies of the skulls of bears and deer which have been killed in
+the hunt, one or two _inao_ are placed at the foot of the trophy.
+Sometimes, but very rarely, a whole _nuza_ is to be seen in front of a
+trophy; but in most cases the _nuza_ I saw were near huts that had no
+trophy at all, and, as I say, only very seldom were they in front of the
+trophy itself, unless a bear feast was going on. I am therefore under
+the impression that these _nuza_ are only put up when some festival
+takes place, and that they are not kept there permanently. I remember
+that at Piratori there were no _inao_ and no _nuza_ outside Benry's
+house, but on the day that the festival took place one was put up, and
+several _inao_ were placed inside the hut, in the hearth and on the
+north wall. Likewise, a _nuza_ was put up on the same day at the east
+end of the hut in which the feast was given, and the inside was also
+adorned with _inao_ of various sizes and descriptions. Each _inao_ is
+pointed at the lower end, so as to be easily stuck in the ground. The
+_inao_ of all sizes and shapes impressed me as being mostly for
+ornament. Then some are held as charms against misfortune and disease;
+but they never impressed me as being offerings to the gods. _Inao_ are
+placed near springs, so that the good water may not turn into
+pestilential, and occasionally _inao_ of a peculiar shape are hung in
+the doorway of newly-built huts. They are made of a number of small
+willow sticks tied together, from which hang five or six bunches of
+shavings; they are hung horizontally, and not in a vertical position,
+like the other _inao_. They are very uncommon, and only used on certain
+specified occasions. For example, when a child is born an _inao_, in the
+shape of a doll, is made of a bunch of reeds folded double and tied with
+a string about an inch from the bend, which thus forms the head; it is
+then tied lower down to indicate the waist. By dividing the reeds into
+two equal portions they produce a pair of legs, and a stick is then
+passed through the reeds between the head and the waist to form the
+arms. When this doll is made it is placed near the infant, so that
+should any disease or misfortune, in the shape of a kind of evil spirit,
+be tempted to enter the child's body, it may be averted, and enter the
+doll instead. Should a person fall ill new _inao_ are stuck in the
+hearth, as the Ainu share our own idea that evil spirits dwell mostly in
+fire; others are placed near the sick person. They are not meant as
+offerings to the gods for his or her quick recovery, but merely to bring
+good luck to the individual whose body they think has been taken
+possession of by "animals inside," or, in other words, evil spirits.
+
+    [40] _Chisei_, house, dwelling, hut; _kara_, make; also, have.
+
+Even at the present day in England and on the Continent horseshoes for
+luck are hung over entrance doors, and if a horseshoe be fastened on to
+a stable-door, the beasts within are supposed to be held free from
+accidents and illness.
+
+In Spain and Italy little red rags tied to a small wand, not dissimilar
+in shape to a small Ainu _inao_, are stuck in flower-pots near windows,
+over beds, doors, and up chimneys, to keep witches at bay, red being a
+powerful exorcist in the way of colours, and as good as the "running
+stream which witches dare not cross." Some hysterical women have
+declared that they have seen witches hiding in the smoke of the boiling
+_Pentola_ (the earthenware pot in which the soup is boiled)--but that on
+seeing the red rags they vanished, and never visited the house again.
+Italian and Spanish women and children almost invariably carry charms
+round their necks, that are to keep them safe from harm; and,
+furthermore, when a child falls ill, one or more red rags are fastened
+to its bed before a doctor is sent for. Then, again, people suffering
+from epileptic fits have often been supposed to be "possessed," and
+beaten to death or burnt alive, so that the evil spirit which was in
+them should thus be destroyed. It must be borne in mind that not many
+centuries ago similar beliefs were prevalent even in free and
+enlightened England.
+
+If we compare these beliefs with those of the Ainu, we find that they
+differ very little either in form or substance. In place of the witches
+which our own ancestors, modern Italians, and Spaniards, and some
+benighted peasantry still to be found in the West of England, believed,
+and do still believe in, the Ainu have imaginary animals or evil
+spirits. The wands and red rags of our Latin neighbours are represented
+by their _inao_; and our lucky horseshoe is with them the horizontal
+_inao_. Charms are worn by the Ainu men, women, and children; and when
+going to war or to hunt the men carry a block of wood to which their
+knife or sword is attached, and on the right-hand side of which hangs a
+small _inao_.
+
+These blocks of wood are flattened, and are elliptical at both ends.
+Their length varies from four to fifteen inches, and sometimes
+ornaments--generally circles--are carved on them. A string is fastened
+on one side so as to sling them to the shoulder; but they are usually
+carried under the arm. They are supposed to protect the carrier from
+accidents, and also to bring him good fortune.
+
+We see, then, that similar ideas are entertained by utterly different
+peoples thousands of miles distant from one another; and that certain
+superstitious beliefs left on this side of the globe find their parallel
+among the hairy people on the other. Of course with them it is natural
+that their beliefs should count for more than with Europeans, as
+civilisation has not in any way enlarged or improved their minds; but it
+seems to me unfair that the same identical beliefs should go under the
+name of _superstitions_ when applied to Europeans, and called the "Ainu
+religion" when practised by the hairy inhabitants of Northern Japan.
+Though to this I know it may be replied that, as all things spring from
+germs, so these ignorant superstitions of the Ainu may be in a manner
+called their religion, as the germ of a more developed system--the
+cotyledonous state of what might grow into a more advanced spirituality.
+Like the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Ainu wave their
+moustache-lifters, during their libations, towards the sun, the fire,
+and the person who has paid for the wine, before they address themselves
+to the large wooden bowls wherein lies their happiness; but this also is
+not a religious ceremony, and no religious feeling whatever is connected
+with it. It is a mere _toast_--part of their etiquette--which exactly
+corresponds to the German "_Prosit_," or to our English "Your good
+health." The Ainu of course have no special high-days, no Sundays, no
+religious services, no prayers, no priests, no sacrificial priests, no
+churches, and no bells; but they can "swear"; and as the Neapolitans
+invoke their saints, so they occasionally call the sun, the moon, the
+fire, and everything else, all sorts of bad names if things do not go as
+they ought. This "swearing" has been defined as _Ainu praying_ by one
+authority on the Ainu religion; moreover, the same authority calls the
+Ainu a "distinctly religious people," and an "exceedingly religious
+race!" To anyone who visits a country and regards all that he finds from
+one point of view only, it is not difficult to interpret words and
+things in accordance with the preconceived idea; but however high the
+principles sought to be established, I do not consider a man justified
+in attributing to definite facts an importance and significance to which
+they have no claim. I have no doubt that a native who had associated
+with or been in the employment of a Christian would make statements in
+accordance with his master's belief as it had been taught him; but it is
+incorrect to offer these "borrowed statements" as the religious beliefs
+of a whole nation.
+
+I shall not discuss this question at greater length; but for the sake of
+readers who are interested in the subject it may be well to make two or
+three more statements before closing this chapter. The Ainu do not know
+of a heaven and hell; but in one of the latest publications on the
+aborigines of Japan we are told that they do; and, moreover, that they
+are fully aware of the resurrection of the body in the other world!
+
+Even assuming, for the moment, that the Ainu are theists, or
+polytheists, after what we have heard of their gods, this is a somewhat
+surprising statement. It will be remembered that anything good or bad,
+dreaded or repulsive, respected or not respected, is qualified by the
+Ainu as _Kamui_, and we shall attribute for a while the imaginary
+meaning of "God" to the word. Now, if everything and everybody, good or
+bad, is equally a god, I myself fail to see the necessity of a hell, as
+the chances are that all the gods would inhabit heaven. This alone
+serves to show how absurd the theory is; but I wish to give the exact
+translation of the words _Kando_ and _Teine-pokna-moshiri_, which are
+said to be the two Ainu expressions for "heaven" and "hell."
+
+_Kando_ means "sky," not "heaven." _Teine-pokna-moshiri_[41] stands for
+the "wet earth under(ground)." As the Ainu are in the habit of burying
+their dead, I find it more rational to apply to the words in question
+the meaning of a "burial-place," a "cold place of rest" rather than that
+of Hades or Gehenna.
+
+    [41] _Teine_, wet; _pokna_, under; _moshiri_, earth, place, island.
+
+"They" (the Ainu), says a learned missionary, "seem to conceive of men
+and women as living in large communities in the other world in the same
+way and under the same conditions as they do in this, excepting that
+they can know no death." In other words, resurrection of the body and
+eternal life.
+
+Strange to say, the writer of the same lines asserted in the
+"Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan,"[42] that "The Ainu _know
+nothing_ of a resurrection of the body."
+
+    [42] Vol. X., Part II., §6.
+
+It must not be argued that because they have no religion the Ainu are
+bad people. They are far from it. They are decidedly not moral, for
+nothing is immoral among them. The Ainu must be considered more as
+animals than as human beings. When we speak of a dog, we do not ask
+whether it is a moral dog, but only if it is a good dog. The same can be
+said of the Ainu. We cannot compare them to ourselves, nor judge them by
+our own standard of morality. Taken by themselves they are gentle, kind,
+brave, and above everything they are simple. Their language, manners,
+customs, arts, habits, as we have seen, are the very simplest and rudest
+possible. Thus, it is absurd to suppose that such simple brains could
+entertain high religious ideas. If they had brains enough to compass
+high religious beliefs they would long ago have used those brains in
+bettering their miserable condition and filthy mode of living. They
+would have striven to make the beginnings of a history and a literature,
+or at least to have devised or adopted some mode of writing with which
+they could preserve these high ideas, and pass them on from generation
+to generation. Even their language is so poor in words as to hardly
+express their everyday wants. The Ainu are low in the scale of humanity.
+They have always been low; they have not sunk, for they have never
+risen. They have never done any harm in this world, and they will never
+do any good.
+
+The Ainu are without laws, which, paradoxical as it sounds, to a great
+extent makes them good. People are never so good as when no harm can be
+done. There are indeed few crimes among them; no voluntary infanticides;
+very very rarely murders; no suicides; little theft, and as little
+treachery among people of the same tribe. Though usually retiring and
+reserved, they are hospitable on special occasions, and generous with
+what little they possess. The young show an instinctive reverence for
+the aged, without considering it a virtue or a duty. Cowardice is
+despised by the Ainu, but courage, endurance of pain, and hardship,
+drunkenness, and similar qualities, are looked on as the chief virtues
+in men. Punishments are seldom inflicted by Ainu on any of their
+tribesmen, and the crime must indeed be great to raise the whole
+community against the criminal. If by rare chance some great evil has
+been done, the chief of the village and all the men assemble, and decide
+on the punishment to be inflicted. Flogging is the general punishment
+for the lesser crimes, which, according to Ainu ideas, are theft and
+assault. The murder of a tribesman is sometimes punished by cutting the
+tendons of the hands and feet of the murderer, thus disabling him from
+hunting or fishing. If, however, the man murdered was of another tribe,
+or a Japanese, this Draconian kind of justice is not administered.
+Quarrels among tribesmen are settled by private retribution, and no one
+interferes either one way or the other. These quarrels, however, very
+seldom occur, as the Ainu are naturally a peaceful people. Imprisonment
+does not exist, for the simple reason that the Ainu have no prisons.
+They do not know what a prison is; neither is capital punishment
+practised by them. According to their own ideas they are not cruel to
+children, for we seldom see them wilfully ill-treating them; but
+according to civilised notions Ainu women make shockingly bad mothers.
+They love, but they do not look after, nor practically take care of,
+their little ones after these are about a year and a half old; and as to
+washing them, combing their hair, educating them, or trying to cure them
+of the thousand and one wretched skin diseases, which come chiefly by
+their own neglect, an Ainu mother puts her hand to these things no more
+than the men put theirs to the building of a temple or the creation of a
+literature. This neglect is not with them, as it would be with us, an
+intolerable crime, but is the natural result of their animal instinct as
+contradistinguished from rational development. For if a baby is not old
+enough at one and a half years of age to take care of himself, he is of
+no good as an Ainu. It is needless to add that, in these circumstances,
+most of them are of no good, and that the percentage of infantile deaths
+is appalling to a civilised mind.
+
+[Illustration: 1, 7, INAO-NETUBA. 2, 3, 4, 5, CHISEI-KARA-INAO. 6, A
+PESTLE OR POUNDER.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+Marital Relations, and Causes that Limit Population.
+
+
+The laws of marriage in the Ainu country are not very stringent; in
+fact, there are no laws. If a young man takes a fancy to a pretty hairy
+maid, and the maid reciprocates his affections, all they have to do is
+to go and live together, and there is no Mrs. Grundy to be scandalised
+at the want of closer forms and ceremonies. There is no function to
+celebrate the occasion; there are no wedding presents, no bridesmaids,
+no officiating clergyman, and no old slipper flung after the happy pair
+as soon as the knot is tied. The bridegroom either goes to live in his
+bride's hut, or, if he does not care for his mother-in-law, he will
+bring his lady-love to his own father's hut. Usually, however, the two,
+especially if their respective families are large, prefer to build a hut
+of their own. The honeymoon is spent in house-building, and while the
+bride carries the loads of timber and long reeds, the bridegroom
+accomplishes the more difficult task of putting them together as well as
+he can for future shelter. All goes well with the happy couple until the
+roof has to be lifted up bodily and perched on the forked poles, during
+which process "family rows" generally begin. But they do not last long,
+and when the house is finished, though not decorated, home peace reigns
+within, and the bridegroom, as we have already seen, proceeds to
+ornament his chief treasure--his wife--with tattoos on her arms. This
+idyllic state of things is not specially permanent, for soon after this
+first marriage the Ainu feels that he would like another wife, and,
+without thinking twice about it, he marries again. Though savage and
+barbarian, the Ainu is shrewd enough not to take his second wife to live
+with his first, for he knows what the result would be, human nature
+being the same in Yezo as it is in London, and jealousy as strong among
+the tattooed women of the hairy people as among the fair-skinned
+daughters of the West. All women are bad enough when out of temper, but
+the Ainu women are pre-eminent in this respect. Our shock-haired
+bigamist calls his first wife _poro-machi_--"great wife," and he calls
+the other _pon-machi_--"small wife;" and as long as the two females do
+not live under the same roof they are all happy with the arrangement.
+If, indeed, he chooses to have more than these two wives he thinks small
+blame to himself. There is no bar of any kind in his code to his having
+a third "half;" but this seldom happens now, for the women are not in
+such over abundance in the Ainu country as to allow each man to indulge
+in a "triple alliance." The Ainu are therefore polygamists when they can
+find the third woman, and almost always bigamists when this is possible.
+The wife does not take her husband's name, for no Ainu has a family
+surname; and each man or woman is called after some peculiarity which he
+or she possesses, or after some event or accident which has befallen
+them. For instance, _Una-charo_, a man's name, means "Sprinkled-ashes,"
+and _Yei-Ainu_, "Dangerous Ainu," &c.; and _Korunke_, a woman's name,
+means "Ice-eater;" _Reoback_, "Who burst three times," and so on, each
+person having a different name, which is nothing more than a nick-name.
+When the girl gets married she does not drop this nick-name, neither, as
+has been said, does she take her husband's name, though sometimes she is
+called So-and-So's wife. Supposing that Miss Burst-three-times were to
+marry Mr. Sprinkled-ashes, she would be Mr. Sprinkled-ashes' wife, and
+would still be called by her maiden name, Burst-three-times.
+
+It is impossible to quote exact statistics of the Ainu population, and
+whether the women outnumber the men, but from my own observation I
+should think that females are in excess of the males in some districts,
+and about even in others.
+
+The man, naturally, is the lord and master of the household, and the
+wife is like a kind of inferior being or a slave, whose duty it is to
+obey her male companion. She has to yield in everything, whether she is
+right or wrong; she is occasionally beaten; she never takes active part
+in any of her husband's Bacchanalian revels; but though she leads a sad
+kind of life, a life of hard work and no pleasure, she does not seem to
+be any the worse for it. There are wives, of course, who, as in other
+countries, give a "pretty rough time" to their husbands; but in the Ainu
+country these are certainly the exception. As there is no ceremony of
+marriage, there is naturally no "divorce;" but if an Ainu gets sick of
+his wife, all he has to do is to leave her and go elsewhere, or else to
+banish her from his hut. This, however, very seldom happens, for that
+rare creature the henpecked Ainu husband is willing to put up with a
+lot; and though brave enough to encounter single-handed a bear, the
+hairy man is by no means valiant enough to face his wife's temper;
+while, for all that she is practically a slave, and personally an
+inferior, is sometimes in Ainuland, as everywhere else, the strongest
+factor in the domestic sum.
+
+As long as the wife does her duty well as a "beast of burden," little
+more is required from her. Her morals, as far as I could make out, are
+not well looked after. Adultery is not considered a crime. I do not mean
+by this that adultery is practised on principle, for it is not so: there
+is no reason whatever why it should be, for each man has his own wife or
+wives; but if adultery were practised by any members of a community,
+what we consider a dreadful crime would be regarded as a mere "joke"
+among the hairy people. The husband, like any other animal, dumb or not,
+would naturally resent the intrusion, but the community would in no way
+interfere, or punish the offender. A girl is considered fit to be
+married when she is about sixteen years of age; a man about twenty, or
+as soon as the body is fully developed.
+
+People as a rule marry in the same village. It is but seldom that a girl
+marries a man or a man a girl of a different village. Villages, as we
+have seen, are generally composed of only a few houses, and the result
+of this strict endogamy is, that marriages take place among very near
+relations. In very small villages of only one or two houses, the father
+has been known to marry his own daughter, the uncle his own niece, &c.
+But enough of this. The result of this dreadful state of affairs is,
+that the race is rapidly dying out, destroyed by consumption, lunacy,
+and poverty of blood. All the members of one village are necessarily
+related to one another; and, as I have demonstrated in a previous
+chapter, this is the main cause why certain diseases are common to one
+community and utterly unknown to others, and certain hereditary talents
+or tendencies are frequent in one village and imperceptible in the next.
+
+The Ainu seem to have no Platonic love; their love is purely sexual. It
+is not to be wondered at, in a country where marital relations are so
+peculiar, that very little love is felt for children beyond a certain
+age. The mother suckles her own child usually for seven or eight months.
+She can bear children till she is about thirty-five, though some who
+seem to be much older are still fruitful. It was difficult to ascertain
+this fact for no Ainu knows his own age. As far as I could learn
+fertility is neither hindered nor checked in any way--either by adopting
+a peculiar diet or by other practices. On the other hand, many a woman
+is sterile, and many are also affected with the most horrible of all
+diseases. I am inclined to think, however, that this special malady was
+imported to Yezo with Japanese civilisation, for it is in the more
+civilised parts of the Ainu country that it is most frequent.
+
+There is probably no country in the world where there is so much loss of
+infant life due to want, accidents, and diseases, as with the Ainu.
+Abortion is common, owing to the severe exertion of the mother during
+pregnancy; and many a child dies not many days after birth for the same
+reason, and consequent disappearance of milk in the mother's breasts.
+The greater mortality of children, however, is between the age of six
+and ten. Only a small percentage of these poor creatures live to take
+part in the game of life; while many succumb to ill-treatment and the
+most horrible skin eruptions. Thus we have a good explanation of the
+frightful rapidity with which the Ainu race is fast disappearing.
+Naturally, those few who survive grow strong and healthy; but their
+great fondness for alcoholic drinks, which they can now so easily
+procure from the Japanese, destroys even them.
+
+One is generally struck in Ainuland by the number of old men and
+children, and by the almost entire lack of young fellows between the age
+of fifteen and thirty. This is due mainly to the great increase of
+mortality in children during the last two generations. The sadness which
+seems to oppress the Ainu, and which we see depicted on the face of each
+individual, is nothing but the outcome of this degeneration of the race.
+As a race the Ainu will soon be extinct. I dare say that in fifty years
+from now--probably not so long--not one of the hairy savages, who were
+once the masters of Sakhalin, Yezo, the Kuriles, Kamschatka, and the
+whole of the southern Japanese Empire, will be left. Not one of these
+strange people--soft, good, and gentle, but savage, brave, and
+disreputable--will live to see their country civilised; and in the life
+which they have led of filth and vice they will die in front of that
+greater scourge, civilisation, leaving behind no traces of themselves,
+of their past, of their history, nor of their present--nothing but a
+faint recollection, a tradition, that in Yezo and the Kuriles died the
+last remains of those curious people, the Hairy Ainu.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX.
+
+
+I.--MEASUREMENTS OF THE AINU BODY, AND DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS.
+
+
+The following measurements were taken on five men and five women of the
+pure Ainu of Frishikobets (Upper Tokachi River). They were carefully
+chosen among the best types.
+
+The names of the men were:--
+
+1. Unacharo: _Una_, ashes; _charo_, sprinkled = "Sprinkled-ashes."
+
+2. Aba pukuro: _Aba_, a relation; _pu_, storehouse; _kuro_, a man =
+"Related to the man of the storehouse."
+
+3. Pe chantwe; _Pe_, undrinkable water; _chan_, to run away; _we_, to
+tell = "Who ran to tell of the undrinkable water."
+
+4. Kosankeyan: _Ko san_, to go down; _ke_, eating; _yan_, cold.
+
+5. Yei Ainu: _Yei_, dangerous; _Ainu_, Ainu.
+
+The following were the names of the women:--
+
+1. Usattean: _Usat_, cinders; _tean_, long.
+
+2. Korunke: _Korun_, ice; _ke_, to eat = "Ice-eater."
+
+3. Sho kem: _Sho_, so; _kem_, blood = "Covered with blood."
+
+4. Uina mon: _Uina or Una_, ashes; _mon_, tranquil.
+
+5. Reoback: _Re_, three; _oback_, to burst = "Who burst three times."
+
+
+                     HEIGHT.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 61  }                  1. 58¾ }
+  2. 65  }                  2. 59⅞ }
+  3. 60½ } Med. 62-19/40    3. 59½ } Med. 58⅜
+  4. 64⅞ }                  4. 54⅝ }
+  5. 61  }                  5. 59⅛ }
+
+
+  LENGTH FROM TIP TO TIP OF FINGERS WITH ARMS
+                  OUTSTRETCHED.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 64⅝ }                  1. 59⅛ }
+  2. 65  }                  2. 62½ }
+  3. 63½ } Med. 65⅜.        3. 62½ } Med. 61-13/40.
+  4. 69½ }                  4. 60  }
+  5. 64¼ }                  5. 62½ }
+
+
+It is interesting to notice the great difference between the height and
+this latter measurement, showing the great length of the arms in the
+Ainu race.
+
+
+                  THE HUMERUS.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 9  }                    1. 8½  }
+  2. 9⅝ }                    2. 8¾  }
+  3. 8½ } Med. 9-9/40.       3. 10⅜ } Med. 9-19/40.
+  4. 9  }                    4. 9¾  }
+  5. 10 }                    5. 10  }
+
+
+                    THE ARM.
+
+                    THE ULNA.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 9¼  }                  1. 9¼ }
+  2. 10¾ }                  2. 9⅛ }
+  3. 9⅛  } Med. 9-37/40.    3. 8⅞ } Med. 9¼.
+  4. 11  }                  4. 9⅜ }
+  5. 9½  }                  5. 9⅝ }
+
+                    THE HAND.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 7⅜ }                   1. 6⅞ }
+  2. 7½ }                   2. 7  }
+  3. 7¼ } Med. 7⅖.          3. 6⅞ } Med. 6-9/10.
+  4. 7⅞ }                   4. 6¾ }
+  5. 7  }                   5. 7  }
+
+
+  THE SPINE (dorsal and lumbar vertebræ to the sacrum).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 25½ }                  1. 27  }
+  2. 28⅝ }                  2. 26¾ }
+  3. 27½ } Med. 27⅘.        3. 28¼ } Med. 27⅝.
+  4. 29⅝ }                  4. 27  }
+  5. 27¾ }                  5. 29⅛ }
+
+
+         THE LEG (Femur, Tibia and Foot.)
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 34⅜ }                  1. 32⅞ }
+  2. 36¼ }                  2. 35½ }
+  3. 32½ } Med. 35-1/20.    3. 34  } Med. 33-13/20.
+  4. 37⅞ }                  4. 30½ }
+  5. 34¼ }                  5. 35⅜ }
+
+
+                      FEMUR.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 17½ }                  1. 18⅜ }
+  2. 18⅜ }                  2. 19⅞ }
+  3. 17⅛ } Med. 18⅝.        3. 18½ } Med. 17-33/40.
+  4. 20  }                  4. 14  }
+  5. 20⅛ }                  5. 18⅜ }
+
+
+                      TIBIA.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 14  }                  1. 14¼ }
+  2. 14⅞ }                  2. 13  }
+  3. 12⅝ } Med. 13½.        3. 13½ } Med. 13⅘.
+  4. 14⅞ }                  4. 14  }
+  5. 11⅛ }                  5. 14¼ }
+  (The Tibia is very flattened with the Ainu.)
+
+
+          TARSUS (from ground to Ankle).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 2¾ }                   1. 2  }
+  2. 3  }                   2. 2⅝ }
+  3. 3  } Med. 3.           3. 2  } Med. 2⅜.
+  4. 3¼ }                   4. 2½ }
+  5. 3  }                   5. 2¾ }
+
+
+         CHEST (from Arm-pit to Arm-pit).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 13½ }                  1. 12⅝ }
+  2. 13⅝ }                  2. 14¼ }
+  3. 13½ } Med. 13-19/40.   3. 14¼ } Med.  13-7/20.
+  4. 13  }                  4. 12¼ }
+  5. 13¾ }                  5. 13⅜ }
+
+
+                  AROUND CHEST.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 36½ }                   1. 33⅜ }
+  2. 35⅜ }                   2. 34½ }
+  3. 37½ } Med. 37-3/40.     3. 35½ } Med. 34⅕.
+  4. 37⅝ }                   4. 32⅞ }
+  5. 38⅛ }                   5. 34¾ }
+
+
+                  AROUND WAIST.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 33  }                   1. 28⅜ }
+  2. 37  }                   2. 31½ }
+  3. 34  } Med. 34-7/10.     3. 34⅞ } Med. 31-7/20.
+  4. 36  }                   4. 31  }
+  5. 33½ }                   5. (37⅝ but was conceived.)
+
+
+          MAXIMUM BREADTH OF  SHOULDERS.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 19¼ }                   1. 15½ }
+  2. 16  }                   2. 13⅝ }
+  3. 18  } Med. 17½.         3. 13⅞ } Med. 14⅖.
+  4. 18  }                   4. 13⅞ }
+  5. 16¼ }                   5. 15⅛ }
+
+
+                    THE FOOT.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1.  9¼ }                   1. 8⅝ }
+  2.  9⅝ }                   2. 9⅛ }
+  3.  9½ } Med. 9-23/40.     3. 9⅛ } Med. 8⅘.
+  4. 10¼ }                   4. 8¼ }
+  5.  9¼ }                   5. 8⅞ }
+
+
+                    THE HEAD
+      (around the Head, just above the Ears).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 23½ }                   1. 23⅜ }
+  2. 23½ }                   2. 22⅝ }
+  3. 24⅜ } Med. 23¾.         3. 23⅝ } Med. 22-29/40.
+  4. 22⅜ }                   4. 22  }
+  5. 23⅛ }                   5. 23  }
+
+
+                 LENGTH OF FACE.
+              (From Hair to Chin.)
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 7½ }                    1. 7¼ }
+  2. 9  }                    2. 6¾ }
+  3. 7½ } Med. 7-31/40.      3. 6¾ } Med. 6⅞.
+  4. 6⅞ }                    4. 7  }
+  5. 8  }                    5. 6⅝ }
+
+
+          WIDTH OF FACE FROM EAR TO EAR
+         (over Forehead and Cheek Bones).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 11⅞ }                   1. 11⅛ }
+  2. 12½ }                   2. 11  }
+  3. 12  } Med. 11-19/20.    3. 11¾ } Med. 11-21/40.
+  4. 12  }                   4. 11⅞ }
+  5. 12⅛ }                   5. 11⅛ }
+
+
+              HEIGHT OF FOREHEAD.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 2¼ }                    1. 2¼ }
+  2. 2⅞ }                    2. 1¾ }
+  3. 2⅜ } Med. 2-2/5.        3. 2⅛ } Med. 2.
+  4. 2  }                    4. 2  }
+  5. 2¾ }                    5. 1⅞ }
+
+
+                WIDTH OF FOREHEAD.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 5  }                    1. 6  }
+  2. 5¼ }                    2. 5½ }
+  3. 5½ } Med. 5⅕.           3. 5  } Med. 5⅜.
+  4. 5¾ }                    4. 4⅞ }
+  5. 6  }                    5. 5½ }
+
+
+                 LENGTH OF EARS.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 3  }                    1. 2⅜ }
+  2. 3¼ }                    2. 2⅜ }
+  3. 2¾ } Med. 2-23/40.      3. 2¾ } Med. 2-23/40.
+  4. 2½ }                    4. 2⅞ }
+  5. 2⅝ }                    5. 2½ }
+
+
+               LENGTH OF FINGERS.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 3⅛ }                    1. 3  }
+  2. 3⅜ }                    2. 3  }
+  3. 3  } Med. 3-9/40.       3. 3  } Med. 2-39/40.
+  4. 3⅝ }                    4. 2⅞ }
+  5. 3  }                    5. 3  }
+
+     (_a_) Colour of skin (in parts not exposed to air)--light reddish
+     slightly tending towards brown, but almost as light as with
+     Europeans.
+
+     (_b_) Colour of hair--black, dark-brown, reddish-black, red.
+
+     (_c_) Colour of eyes--light-brown tending towards dark-grey.
+
+     (_d_) Character of hair--wavy.
+
+     (_e_) Amount of hair--abundant on face and all over the body in
+     males more so than in females.
+
+
+MEASUREMENTS OF SHIKOTAN AINU.
+
+The skin and eyes are the same colour as with the Yezo Ainu. The hair is
+black, dark-red, or dark-brown. Black is the prevalent colour. Children
+often have fair hair, which grows darker as they grow older. The hair is
+abundant over body and face, and it is wavy.
+
+The face possesses the identical characteristics of the Yezo Ainu.
+
+  Medium height: 61 inches to 62¾ inches.
+  Round waist: 32⅞ inches.
+  Chest: Empty, 35⅞ inches; inflated, 37½ inches.
+  Humerus: 11⅞ inches.
+  Ulna: 8-11/16 inches.
+  Hand: 6¾ inches.
+  Foot: 9½ inches.
+  Spinal vertebræ: 24 inches.
+  Scapula (from shoulder to shoulder): 17 inches.
+  Between shoulder-blades: 5⅞ inches.
+  Femur: short.
+  Tibia: very long.
+  (Natives objected to have their legs measured.)
+  The Tibia is much rounder than with the Yezo Ainu.
+  Length of face: 7½ inches.
+  Width of face from ear to ear: 11⅛ inches.
+  Round head above ears: 21⅝ inches.
+  Ears: small.
+  Forehead: 2⅜ inches high; 5¼ inches wide.
+
+With arms outstretched and from tip to tip of fingers the Shikotan Ainu
+measure generally the length of one hand (about 6¾ inches) more than
+their own height. Consumption, _kaki_, and syphilis are common
+complaints among them.
+
+
+
+
+II.--GLOSSARY OF AINU WORDS, MANY OF WHICH ARE FOUND IN GEOGRAPHICAL
+NAMES IN YEZO AND THE KURILE ISLANDS.[43]
+
+    [43] The vowels to be pronounced as in Italian.
+
+  A.
+
+  A = (a suffix).
+  Apa = an open space, a doorway.
+  Aikap = impossible, impassable.
+  Ambe = that is.
+  An = to be.
+  Aota = near.
+  Apta = rain.
+  Apun = gently.
+  At = a tree.
+  Atsu = barren, naked.
+
+
+  B.
+
+  Bets, or pets, pet = river.
+  Be, or pe = pestilential water.
+  But, or put = mouth of a river.
+
+
+  C.
+
+  Cha = old.
+  Cha cha = very old.
+  Chip = fish.
+  Chippe = a canoe, a boat.
+  Chup = the sun.
+
+
+  E.
+
+  Erimu = a rat.
+  Etoko = formerly, in front of.
+  Etu = a cape.
+
+
+  F.
+
+  Fu = bare.
+  Fun = green.
+  Fure = red (also pronounced Hure).
+  Frishiko = old.
+
+
+  H.
+
+  Haru = grass.
+  Hattara = a deep pool in a watercourse.
+  Hure = a bad smell.
+  Hure = red.
+
+
+  I.
+
+  I = a suffix for "a place."
+  Ibe = to feed.
+  Ichan = a canal made by salmon in river-beds to lay their, spawn.
+  Ikam = against.
+  Iwa = stone, a rock.
+  Itapk = word, story.
+  Iwashi (Japanese) = sardine.
+  Iwao = sulphur.
+
+
+  K.
+
+  Kama = cliffs, rocks, to go over.
+  Kamui = great, wonderful, ancient.
+  Kap = bark of a tree.
+  Kara = to take, to make.
+  Kashi = towards.
+  Kerimba = a berry.
+  Kene = an alder tree.
+  Kem = blood.
+  Kenashi = a meadow.
+  Keshup = head.
+  Kesh = towards the west.
+  Ki = rushes.
+  Kim = mountain.
+  Kinna = mat.
+  Kinna = reeds.
+  Kinna = grass.
+  Kiri = to know.
+  Kitai = mountain.
+  Koi = the waves of the sea.
+  Kochi = level.
+  Kombo = sea-weed.
+  Koro = to possess, to have.
+  Kotan = a village, a place.
+  Kotcha = in front of.
+  Ku = a bow.
+  Kuano = straight.
+  Kume = black, very dark.
+  Kuru, or guru = a person.
+
+
+  M.
+
+  Ma = to swim, deep.
+  Mak = behind.
+  Makta = away.
+  Mata = winter.
+  Meak = female.
+  Mean = cold.
+  Mo = tranquil.
+  Mon = small, tranquil.
+  Mom = to flow like a river.
+  Moire = slow.
+  Moi = a bay, a sheltered bend in a river where the water is quiet.
+  Moshiri, or mushir = island, country, place, land.
+  Moshiri Kes = the east.
+  Moshitte-chu-pok = north.
+  Moshiri pok = west.
+  Moshitte-chu-pka = south.
+  Mun = grass.
+
+
+  N.
+
+  Na = again.
+  Na = bigger, or smaller (also sign of comparative).
+  Nai, or Nae = a rivulet, a small stream.
+  Nai yau = a tributary stream.
+  Nak = where.
+  Nam = cold, as water, as ice.
+  Naoak = yet more shallow.
+  Ne = together, where, and, also, which, &c.
+  Neatka = also, again.
+  Nen = who.
+  Neto = where.
+  Ni = wood, or tree.
+  Nikam = leaves of a tree.
+  Nibeshi = name of a tree (probably _Tilia_).
+  Nikap = bark of a tree.
+  Nipek = a fire, a flame.
+  Nisei = valley.
+  Nisusu = scenery, panorama, view.
+  Nitat = swampy ground, a swamp, a lagoon.
+  Nitai = a forest.
+  Nitt = a thorn.
+  Nitek = branches of trees.
+  Nituman = trunk of a tree.
+  Nobori = mountain.
+  No = (meaningless ending of words).
+  Noshike = middle.
+  Noshihike = half.
+  Nupka = a forest.
+  Nup = a treeless plain.
+  Nup = a deep silent pool in a river.
+  Nuburi = mountain.
+  Nupuru = turbid (as water).
+  Nupuri = a mountain (volcano).
+  Nutap = the projecting part of a river bend.
+
+
+  O.
+
+  O = a meaningless prefix, sometimes used as an adjective.
+  Oara = one.
+  Oboso = to pass through (as water).
+  Oak = shallow--not deep.
+  Oha = empty.
+  Ohoho = deep.
+  Okai = at a place.
+  Okai = a male.
+  Okari = around.
+  Oakau = to hide.
+  Oakan = a male.
+  Omanne = to go.
+  Oma = to be inside.
+  Onne = large, old, great.
+  Opattek = a volcanic eruption.
+  Opeka = straight.
+  Oro = to be in.
+  Oropak = as far as.
+  Oshima = to go in.
+  Oshimak = behind.
+  Ota = sand.
+  Otaru = sandy.
+  Opke = a spear.
+  Ot = in, inside, into.
+  Oya = another.
+  Oushike = a place.
+  Oyapk = away, abroad.
+  Oyapk moshiri = away, country (foreign country).
+
+
+  P.
+
+  Pa = smoke.
+  Pa = east-end of villages.
+  Pai = bushes.
+  Pakne = as far as.
+  Panke = lower.
+  Paru = the mouth.
+  Pase = heavy.
+  Patek = only.
+  Pe = pestilential water, bad water, not good to drink.
+  Pei = something.
+  Pene = inland.
+  Pet, pets, bets = river.
+  Pet bena = source of a river.
+  Pet samo = bank of a river.
+  Petsamata = by the side of a river.
+  Pet put = the mouth of a river.
+  Pet-urara = a stream.
+  Pet yao = an affluent.
+  Pet-ka-shu = to wade a river.
+  Penke = upper.
+  Pinni = ash-tree.
+  Pinne = male.
+  Piuta = sand (coarse).
+  Pipa = a spring of fresh water.
+  Pira = a bank, a cliff.
+  Piri = a wound.
+  Pirika = pretty, good, well, all-right.
+  Pishita = sea-beach.
+  Pita = to untie, to undo.
+  Pitara = a dry place in a river-bed.
+  Po = a small thing.
+  Pon = small.
+  Poi-shuma = pebbles, stones.
+  Poka = only.
+  Popke = hot, steaming (also Topke).
+  Poro = large.
+  Pui = a hole.
+  Puri = natural, very, usual.
+  Put, Putu (corrupted into Buto by the Japanese) = the mouth of a river.
+
+
+  R.
+
+  Rai = death.
+  Rakka = seal.
+  Rahuru = a fog.
+  Ram = low.
+  Ran = to descend (a mountain).
+  Rangu = a kind of tree.
+  Rarumani = a kind of tree (_Taxus cuspidata_).
+  Re = three.
+  Repun = to go, in the sea, surrounded by water.
+  Repun moshiri = an island.
+  Rera = wind.
+  Retara = white.
+  Ri = high.
+  Rikkin = to ascend.
+  Riri = a wave.
+  Riri-shiye-tuye = ebb tide.
+  Riri-ya = flow tide.
+  Roru = at the head.
+  Ru = a road, a track, a pathway
+  Rui = to burn.
+  Rukoppe = where roads cross.
+  Rui = great, big.
+  Rubeshipe = a ravine.
+  Rupne = large.
+
+
+  S.
+
+  Sapk = summer.
+  Sak = without.
+  Sama = by the side of.
+  San = to descend.
+  Sara, Saru = a grassy plain.
+  Sat = dry.
+  Sattek = shallow water.
+  Sesek = hot.
+  Seta = dog.
+  Shep = broad.
+  Shi = high.
+  Shibe = autumn salmon.
+  Shiki = a kind of tall grass.
+  Shiko = a view, a sight.
+  Shimon = on the right-hand side.
+  Shimoye = to shake, to move.
+  Shenai = a large river.
+  Shirari = a cliff, mass of loose texture.
+  Shirau = a horse-fly.
+  Shiretu = a cape.
+  Shiri = land.
+  Shiruturu = a small island in a river.
+  Sho = so.
+  Shoi = a hole.
+  Shum = foam.
+  Shuma = a stone.
+  So = a waterfall.
+  Shupun = a kind of fish.
+  Shusu = a willow tree.
+
+
+  T.
+
+  Ta = to, towards, to take, to cut.
+  Taanni = on this side.
+  Taksep = a rock.
+  Tapne = short.
+  Tanne = long.
+  Tap kop = an isolated hill.
+  Tat = Birch-tree (_Betula_).
+  To, or ko = a lake, a swamp.
+  Toambe = that.
+  Toi = earth.
+  Tokap = day, light.
+  Tomari = a harbour, a sheltered place.
+  Top = scrub bamboo.
+  Tope = _Acer_--a kind of tree.
+  Tukara, also Tokari = sea-otter.
+  Tunni = _Quercus dentata_.
+  Tureshi = to ascend.
+  Turep = a plant, the roots of which are eaten by the Ainu.
+
+
+  U.
+
+  U = a suffix to indicate a place.
+  Uhui, also Ouye = a fire.
+  Uhui nobori = a volcano.
+  Un = a particle denoting that something is to be found at a place.
+  Upas = snow.
+  Ush = a bay.
+  Ush = a gulf.
+  Ush = a locative particle.
+  Uta = a master.
+  Utka = the rapids of a river.
+
+
+  W.
+
+  Wa = from.
+  Wakka = water.
+  Wen = bad.
+
+
+  Y.
+
+  Ya = land.
+  Yai = danger.
+  Yaikap = awkward.
+  Yam = cold, a chestnut.
+  Yuk = a deer.
+  Yutta = greatest.
+
+
+
+
+INDEX.
+
+
+  A.
+
+  Abashiri, 81, 92, 137-139, 161, 184.
+
+  Abashiri Lagoon, 138, 139.
+
+  Abnormalities, 267.
+
+  Abortion, 296.
+
+  Abstinence from food and drink, 238, 239.
+
+  Abus, 48.
+
+  Adultery, 295.
+
+  Adzes (stone), 78, 79.
+
+  Affection, 272.
+
+  Affirmation, 234.
+
+  Age of the Ainu, 271.
+
+  Agriculture, 62.
+
+  Ahunkanitte, 210.
+
+  Aikap, Cape, 177.
+
+  Ainu bits, 110.
+    capacity for drink, 23.
+    conclusion, an, 27.
+    diet, 24.
+    dirt, 27.
+    gentleness, 17.
+    good-nature, 27.
+    implements, 86.
+    legends, 28, 29.
+    names on Nippon, 94.
+    names, 298.
+    Paganini, 258.
+    pronunciation, 112.
+    village, 74.
+    way of approaching huts, 171.
+
+  Airup, Cape, 176.
+
+  Akangawa, 75.
+
+  Akkeshi, 80, 102-104, 106, 139.
+
+  Akkeshi bay, 104, 105.
+    lagoon, 103.
+
+  Albinism, 268.
+
+  Aleutian Islands, 94.
+
+  Aleuts, 91.
+
+  Alexandrovitch, 127.
+
+  Amida, 204.
+
+  Ancestral attachment, 216.
+
+  Anchors, 39.
+
+  Anchorages, 112, 129, 142, 167, 168, 174, 194, 203.
+
+  Angotsuro, 7.
+
+  Apa-otki (door-mat), 211.
+
+  Aputa, 5, 10.
+
+  Archæology, 77.
+
+  Architecture, 207.
+
+  Arms, 243.
+
+  Arrows, 216.
+
+  Arrow-heads (flint), 78, 79.
+
+  Art, 218-220, 227, 228.
+
+  Artist, 69.
+
+  Arundinaria, 5, 23.
+
+  Asiatic Society of Japan, 89, 290.
+
+  Assap River, 203.
+
+  Attacked by the Ainu, 13-15.
+
+  Attitudes, 241.
+
+  At-pets, River, 35.
+
+  Atzis-robe, 213, 246, 247, 252.
+
+  Atzosa Volcano, 130.
+
+  Atzta, 176, 177.
+
+  Australia, 102.
+
+  Australian blacks, 159, 228.
+
+  Authority of chiefs, 267.
+
+  Awomori, 93.
+
+
+  B.
+
+  Backbone of Yezo, 63, 122.
+
+  Bakkai, 168.
+
+  Baldness, 104, 232, 269.
+
+  Bamboo arrow-points, 79.
+
+  Barabuta, 202, 203.
+
+  Baratte, 188.
+
+  Barter, 216, 249.
+
+  Basha, 3, 12, 195, 198, 202.
+
+  Batchelor, Rev. I., 59, 83, 87, 88.
+
+  Bathing, 76.
+
+  Battles, 81, 86, 93.
+
+  Beaches, 73.
+
+  Bears, 44, 51, 56, 61, 65, 66, 85, 101, 131, 142, 147, 159, 214.
+
+  Bear (descent from the), 281.
+    hunting, 272.
+    (ill-usage of), 282.
+    skins, 245.
+    skull trophy, 286.
+
+  Beliefs compared, 288.
+
+  Bending of watercourses, 165.
+
+  Benke, Cape, 194, 195.
+
+  Benry, 23, 26, 27, 30-34, 260, 283, 286.
+
+  Benten Island, 204.
+
+  Bentenjima (Nemuro), 80, 115.
+
+  Bento, 3, 4.
+
+  Beppo, 65.
+
+  Betoya, 129.
+
+  Bettobu, 82, 130.
+    Bay, 129, 130.
+
+  Birvase, 112.
+
+  Bitskai, 133.
+
+  Bone arrow-point, 81, 82.
+    carvings, 222.
+    setting, 176.
+
+  Bonzes, 197, 198, 283.
+
+  Bowls, 209, 225.
+
+  Bows and arrows, 223, 225.
+
+  Buddhists, 283.
+
+  Buddhist shrine, 283.
+
+  Burial, 225, 227, 284.
+
+
+  C.
+
+  Cancer, 174.
+
+  Cannibalism, 59.
+
+  Canoes, 37-39, 90, 177.
+
+  Carrying children, 238.
+    weights and burdens, 238.
+
+  Castes, 266.
+
+  Castle, 204.
+
+  Caucasian races, 236, 238.
+
+  Chanting, 113, 258.
+
+  Charcoal in pits, 81.
+
+  Charms, 288.
+
+  Chevrons, 221.
+
+  Child-bearing, 296.
+
+  Children of Kurile Islands, 129.
+
+  Chimney, 23.
+
+  Chiefs at a festival, 30, 31.
+
+  Chief's crown, 250.
+    tomb, 226.
+
+  Chieftainship, 266.
+
+  Chietomamai, 163.
+
+  China, 26.
+
+  Chinese, 276.
+    idea, 77.
+    sea, 163.
+
+  Chisei-kara-inao, 286.
+
+  Cholera, 184.
+
+  Choruses, 256, 264.
+
+  Christians, 12, 127, 128, 156, 289.
+
+  Christian minister, 198.
+    virtues, 269.
+
+  Chukbets, 173.
+
+  Chuppets, River, 183.
+
+  Chuskin Island, 162.
+
+  Cisango, 203.
+
+  Civilisation, 58, 59, 65, 216, 217, 288, 297.
+
+  Clothes, 2, 3, 60, 190, 245, 250.
+    and boots, 2, 3, 95, 96, 202, 246, 247.
+
+  Coal, 75, 174, 205.
+    field, 75.
+    mines, 183, 185.
+    trains, 186.
+    trucks, 76.
+
+  Coins, 151.
+
+  Colonial militia, 188, 189.
+
+  Colonisation scheme, 185.
+
+  Colonists, 74, 115, 116.
+
+  Comparisons, 229.
+
+  Compass, 53.
+
+  Concert, 263, 264.
+
+  Conservatism, 216.
+
+  Consul, 206.
+
+  Consumption, 128, 174, 179, 296, 304.
+
+  Convicts (Japanese), 102, 184-186.
+
+  Copper, 122.
+
+  Coptic Church, 127, 128.
+
+  Corea, 26, 174.
+
+  Creator, 281, 285.
+
+  Criminals, 269.
+
+  Crosses, 268, 269.
+
+  Crows, 35, 46.
+    attacking a pony, 146.
+    (familiarity of), 149.
+    (multitude of), 5.
+
+  Cruelty to children, 292.
+
+  Currents, 48, 139, 143, 161, 163, 165, 169.
+
+  Cutaneous diseases, 42.
+
+
+  D.
+
+  Daikuku Island, 11.
+
+  Daikuku and Kodaikuku Islands, 105.
+
+  Daimio, 204.
+
+  Dancing, 264, 265.
+
+  Darwin's theory of evolution, 280.
+
+  Deer-skin coat, 245.
+
+  Degeneration of the race, 297.
+
+  Deluge, the, 29.
+
+  Descriptive characters of Yezo Ainu (Appendix), 298, 303.
+    of Shikotan Ainu (Appendix), 303, 304.
+
+  Designs, 221, 227.
+
+  Dew, 53.
+
+  Dirt, 88, 128.
+
+  Divinities, 282.
+
+  Divorce, 295.
+
+  Dogs (wild), 154, 159.
+
+  Drainage area of Ishikari River, 181, 182.
+
+  Dress of Kurilsky Ainu, 126, 127.
+
+  Drift-ice, 161.
+    logs, 48, 169.
+    sand, 139, 142, 170.
+
+  Drinking vessels, 215, 223.
+
+  Drunkenness, 17, 32, 291.
+
+  Dug-outs, 5, 63, 64, 92, 170, 183.
+
+  Dwarfs, 251.
+
+  Dying out of the race, 296.
+
+
+  E.
+
+  Eagles, 142, 152, 153, 214.
+
+  Ear-rings, 6, 249.
+
+  Ears, 230, 303, 304.
+
+  Eclipses, 234.
+
+  Education, 266.
+
+  Egyptian cross, 227.
+
+  Election of chief, 10, 266.
+
+  Elephantiasis, 143.
+
+  Embroideries, 180, 246, 247.
+
+  Emperor's palace, 183.
+
+  Enamelling, 222.
+
+  Endogamy, 295.
+
+  Entogroul, 164.
+
+  Eramachi, 204.
+
+  Erimo Cape, 19, 42-44, 73, 80.
+
+  Esan Volcano, 4, 198, 200, 201.
+
+  Esashi, 162, 202, 203.
+
+  Esquimaux, 84, 85, 91.
+
+  Ethnologists, 263.
+
+  Etiquette, 31, 211, 212.
+
+  Etorofu, 80, 82, 88, 91, 123, 129, 131, 132.
+
+  European comforts, 158.
+    dinner, 69, 119.
+
+  Eyelashes, 231, 279.
+
+
+  F.
+
+  Face, 229, 230, 232, 302, 304.
+    (width of), 302, 304.
+
+  Factories, 187, 192.
+
+  Falsetto voice, 257.
+
+  Family rows, 293.
+
+  Farming region, 187.
+
+  Fasting, 53.
+
+  Ferry, 178, 181.
+
+  Ferry-boat, 103.
+
+  Finger-rings, 249.
+
+  Fingers, 303.
+
+  Fish diet, 42.
+    manure, 41.
+
+  Fishermen, 39, 103, 142, 163, 174, 192, 193, 199.
+
+  Fishermen's huts, 20.
+
+  Fishing, 53, 64, 130, 224.
+    nets, 60.
+    villages, 203.
+
+  Fire, 193, 209.
+
+  Fleas, etc., 26, 212.
+
+  Flies--black flies and horseflies, 45, 66, 212.
+
+  Flint implements, 78, 79.
+    knives, 78, 79.
+
+  Flirting (curious way of), 141.
+
+  Folk-lores, 259.
+
+  Footprints, 159, 160, 161.
+    of Ainu, 160, 161.
+    of Japanese, 160, 161.
+    of bears, 47.
+
+  Forest, 101, 135, 161.
+
+  Forts, 77, 81, 82, 141.
+
+  Foxes, 102, 126, 131, 142, 214.
+
+  Frishikobets village, 58, 61, 65, 252.
+
+  Fujiama, 161, 167.
+
+  Fukushima, 205.
+
+  Funa, 3.
+
+  Funerals, 227.
+
+  Furembets river, 171.
+
+  Furimbé, 199.
+
+  Furniture, 208.
+
+  Furubets, 130.
+
+  Future legend, 155, 156.
+
+  Fylfot, 227.
+
+
+  G.
+
+  Geology, 21.
+
+  Geometrical patterns, 221.
+
+  Geyser, 100.
+
+  Girdles, 250.
+
+  Girls (Ainu), 157.
+    (Japanese) shown in cages, 117.
+
+  Glossary of Ainu words, 304-311.
+
+  God, 281, 282.
+
+  Gokibira, 177.
+
+  Graphic signs, 218.
+
+  Grass, 21, 52, 62.
+
+  Graves, 221, 223, 225-227.
+
+  Graveyard, 128, 180, 225, 227.
+
+  Guechas, or singers, 116, 117.
+
+  Gun-practice, 199.
+
+
+  H.
+
+  Habits and customs of pit-dwellers, 91.
+
+  Hakodate, 11, 78, 90, 93, 104, 112, 199, 201.
+
+  Hakodate Bay, 1, 2, 205.
+    Bund, 1.
+    Head, 1.
+    Isthmus, 2.
+    Peak, 1, 2, 201.
+
+  Hair, 231, 250, 251.
+
+  Hairiness, 85, 88, 142, 145.
+
+  Half-breeds, 34, 39, 47, 268, 270.
+    castes, 7, 93, 109, 111, 196, 229, 269, 275, 282.
+    (photographs of Japanese half-castes), 263.
+    frontal bone, 270.
+    skull, 270.
+    animal propensities, 270.
+    bumps, 270.
+    age, 270.
+    rheumatism, leprosy and kaki, 270.
+
+  Hamboro, 173.
+
+  Hammanaka, 112, 113.
+
+  Hanasaki, 114.
+
+  Hand-clapping, 264.
+
+  Hando, 193.
+
+  Haraguchi, 203.
+
+  Harbours (want of), 74.
+    and anchorages, 75, 104, 115, 116, 124, 125, 165, 202, 204.
+
+  Harpoons, 224.
+
+  Harutori Lagoon, 75-77, 82.
+
+  Hattaushi, 113.
+
+  Head, 229, 302, 304.
+    (muscular power), 241.
+
+  Heaven and hell, 290.
+
+  Henson (Mr.), 2, 202.
+
+  Hera, or netting-mesh, 223.
+
+  Herrings, 104, 115, 134, 166, 173, 203.
+
+  High-days, 289.
+
+  High-land, 73, 104, 111.
+
+  History, 218.
+
+  Hokkaido, 11, 122, 123.
+
+  Hokkaido-cho, 187.
+
+  Hondemura, 102.
+
+  Horanaho or Rausu Volcano, 131.
+
+  Horse-breeding, 115.
+
+  Horse-farm, 35.
+
+  Horsemen (Ainu), 108.
+
+  Horse-racing, 237.
+
+  Horobets, 12, 234, 272.
+    Ainu, 17.
+
+  Horohuts, 20.
+
+  Horoizumi, 41, 43, 44, 52.
+
+  Hoshi or leggings, 247.
+
+  Hospitality, 291.
+
+  Hostilities, 147.
+
+  Hunger, 45, 52, 199.
+
+  Hungry dogs, 7.
+
+  Hunting, 126.
+
+  Hurupira, Mount, 193.
+
+  Hut building, 207.
+    burning, 123, 212, 213.
+
+  Huts, 5, 8, 24, 35, 56, 58, 76, 81, 84, 85, 86, 89, 90, 96, 99, 104,
+    111, 125, 128, 157, 158, 170, 171, 180, 207, 210-212.
+
+  Hypnotism, 191.
+
+
+  I.
+
+  Ice, 85.
+
+  Ichibishinai (Etorofu), 122.
+
+  Idyll, 139, 140.
+
+  Idzumizawa, 205.
+
+  Igiani, 135.
+
+  Ikahasonets Cape, 130.
+
+  Ikuru, 173.
+
+  Ikusum River, 185.
+
+  Imi (garments), 25.
+
+  Imotsuto, 129.
+
+  Imprisonment, 292.
+
+  Improvisators, 259.
+
+  Inao, 31, 214, 224, 286-288.
+    in shape of a doll, 287.
+    making, 240.
+    netuba, 286.
+
+  Infanticides, 291.
+
+  Inflammation of the eyes, 279.
+
+  Inomata Yoshitaro, 68-72.
+
+  Insanity and idiocy, 266.
+    in half-castes, 270.
+
+  Instincts, 158, 159, 216, 282.
+
+  Intermarriage, 60, 196, 267.
+    with Japanese, 5.
+
+  Iris, 231, 279.
+
+  Iron, 122.
+
+  Irrigation, 63.
+
+  Ishikari, 84, 176.
+    river, 169, 178, 179, 181-183, 191, 275.
+      (course of), 182.
+      Ainu, 179, 183, 184, 219,     226, 250.
+    village, 180.
+
+  Ishikishiri penitentiary, 185.
+
+  Ishisaki, 203.
+
+  Isoya, 193, 198.
+    (Motto Isoya, Shimakotan, Isoya), 193.
+
+  Italy, 287.
+
+  Iwanai, 193.
+
+  Iwaonobori, 193, 200.
+
+  Iwa Rocks, 47, 49.
+
+  Iyomanrei, 30.
+
+
+  J.
+
+  Jacko (chief of Shikotan Ainu), 127.
+
+  Japan, 26.
+    Daily Mail, 189.
+
+  Japanese customs, 5.
+
+  Japanese adoption of Ainu language and ways, 112, 113.
+    clothes, 245, 246.
+    Empire, 122, 123.
+    government, 96, 103, 114, 123, 179, 187, 188.
+    hero, 283, 284.
+    parliament, 190.
+    politeness, 36, 69.
+    settlers, 2.
+    songs, 257.
+    villages, 50.
+    woman's toilette, 117, 118.
+
+  Jealousy, 234, 235, 294.
+
+  Jew's harp, 258.
+
+  Jockeys, 33.
+
+  Jungle, 51-53, 66.
+
+
+  K.
+
+  Kaki, 174, 202, 241, 304.
+
+  Kakumi, 198, 199.
+
+  Kamida Maru (wreck of), 179.
+
+  Kamikawa, 183, 184.
+    (population of), 184.
+
+  Kamiiro, 205.
+
+  Kaminokumi, 203.
+
+  Kammakappe, 209.
+
+  Kamschatka, 91, 122, 123, 153, 297.
+
+  Kamui or Kamoi, 285, 286, 290.
+
+  Kamuieto Cape, 174.
+
+  Kamuikotan, 286.
+    rapids, 183.
+
+  Kamui Mount, 193.
+
+  _Kando_ and _Teine-pokna-moshiri_, 290.
+
+  Karibayama, 193.
+
+  Kawamura, 192, 193.
+
+  Kawata Tera, 253.
+
+  Kenashpa, 65.
+
+  Kikonai, 205.
+
+  Kimonos, 2.
+
+  Kinna (mats), 209, 225.
+
+  Kinney, 61.
+
+  Kiritap, 106, 112.
+
+  Kitchen-middens, 92.
+
+  Knife-blades, 216.
+
+  Knives, 13, 219, 220, 223-225, 272.
+
+  Kofikan, 187.
+
+  Komagatake Volcano, 3, 4, 197, 200.
+
+  Komuki lagoon, 142.
+
+  Ko-numa, 3.
+
+  Koshima, 204.
+
+  Kotan-kara-kamui, 285.
+
+  Kudo, 203.
+
+  Kumaishi, 203.
+
+  Kunashiri, 80, 88, 91, 123, 131, 132.
+
+  Kunnui, 197.
+
+  Kurile Islands, 78, 80, 87-89, 92, 121, 122, 131, 132, 190, 201,
+    231, 282, 297.
+
+  Kurile Islands (trade of), 115.
+
+  Kurilsky Ainu, 87-90, 94, 123-128, 180, 213, 251, 268.
+
+  Kuromatsunai, 195.
+
+  Kuro-shiwo, or Japan current, 48, 165, 169.
+
+  Kushiro, 74-77, 81, 82, 91, 95-97, 104, 190.
+
+  Kutambets, 178.
+
+  Kutcharo lake, 84, 85, 98-101, 137, 207, 286.
+    river, 74, 75, 80, 82, 95, 96, 101, 207.
+
+
+  L.
+
+  Lagoons, 139, 142, 163, 170.
+
+  Language, 59, 283, 291.
+
+  La Perouse Strait, 131, 161, 164, 169.
+
+  Laws, 273, 291.
+
+  Laws of marriage, 293.
+
+  Legends, 28, 29, 260.
+
+  Legend
+    : Abe-ten-rui, 261.
+    : Inu-sapk, 261.
+    : Kimta-na, 261.
+    : Tushi-une-pan, 260.
+
+  Leprosy, 42, 54.
+
+  Letters, 201, 202.
+
+  Libations, 289.
+
+  Life-boat, 168.
+
+  Lighting, 135.
+
+  Lines, 227.
+
+  Lopatka Cape, 123.
+
+  Lunatics, 61, 146-149.
+
+
+  M.
+
+  Machinery, 187, 216.
+
+  Madwoman, 54, 55.
+
+  Makkarinupuri (Volcano), 200.
+
+  Malaise, 46.
+
+  Malarial fever, 174.
+
+  Manners, 242.
+
+  Map-drawing, 218.
+
+  Marks (owner's), 218.
+
+  Masatomari, 195.
+
+  Mashe (fish), 173.
+
+  Mashike, 174.
+    Mount, 174-176.
+
+  Maternal love, 155.
+
+  Mat-making, 211.
+
+  Matrons, 265.
+
+  Matsumai, 203-205.
+
+  Meals, 170, 171.
+
+  Measurements of Yezo Ainu body (Appendix), 298-302.
+
+  Measurements of Shikotan Ainu (Appendix), 303, 304.
+
+  Measurements of Ainu with arms outstretched, 299, 304.
+
+  Memuro-puto, 61.
+
+  Menoko (girls), 32.
+
+  Metallurgy, 216.
+
+  Metempsychosis, 284.
+
+  Mice and rats, 213.
+
+  Migratory people, 91.
+    population, 173, 174.
+
+  Milne (Prof.), 89.
+
+  Missionaries, 28, 29, 59, 155, 156, 285, 290.
+
+  Mitsuashi River, 39.
+
+  Mocassins, 60, 127.
+    and boots, 247.
+
+  Model farm, 187, 188.
+
+  Mohechi, 205.
+
+  Moi, 176.
+
+  Mombets, 5, 11.
+
+  Momonai, 192.
+
+  Mongolian, 129, 230.
+    type, 179.
+
+  Monuments, 226.
+
+  Morality, 269, 290, 295.
+
+  Mori, 4, 196, 197, 200.
+
+  Moroi, 178.
+
+  Mororran, 5, 19, 196.
+    (Shin-, and Kiu-), 11.
+
+  Mortality, 123, 128, 296, 297.
+
+  Mourning, 227.
+
+  Moustache lifter, 23, 208, 220, 221, 289.
+
+  Moustache tattooed, 252, 254.
+
+  Movements and attitudes, 239.
+
+  Moyoro or Biru, 47.
+
+  Moyorotake or Bear Bay, 129.
+
+  Mukawa, 20, 21.
+
+  Musemes, 1.
+
+  Music, 255.
+    of Ainu, 255.
+    of Westerns, 255.
+    as a cure of illness, 261.
+    Chromatic intervals, 258, 259.
+    diabolical, 262.
+    Diatonic minor scale, 258.
+    education in, 257.
+    to facilitate manual labour, 262.
+    feeling in, 255.
+    fondness for, 257.
+    imitation of noises in, 257.
+    key note, 259.
+    loud, 263.
+    melody, 259.
+    metre, 261.
+    modulations, 255.
+    modulations in tunes, 258, 259.
+    passion in, 255.
+    personality in, 260.
+    rhythmical effects in, 255, 258.
+    rhythmical method, 259.
+    sad, 264.
+    suggestions of animal sounds in, 261.
+    teaching of, 260.
+
+    temperamental characteristics in, 263.
+    transformation of a theme, 260.
+    vocal, 256.
+
+  Musical instruments, 257, 258.
+    memory, 257.
+    notation, 255.
+    strings, 257.
+
+  Myopy, 279.
+
+
+  N.
+
+  Nagayama, Governor of the Hokkaido, 192.
+
+  Naibo, 130.
+
+  Naye, 185.
+
+  Nayosami Hill, 183.
+
+  Necklaces and earrings, 60, 249.
+
+  Nemuro, 114-116, 118, 119, 121, 133, 161.
+
+  Neptka, 204.
+
+  Nigori River, 197.
+
+  Nii-pak-pets, River, 35.
+
+  Nippon, 92, 93, 104.
+
+  Nishibets, 133.
+
+  Nitumap, 61.
+
+  Nobori-bets village, 18.
+    Volcano, 18, 19.
+
+  Noshafo Cape, 73, 114, 115, 161.
+
+  Nossyap Cape, 167, 168.
+    Peninsula, 167, 168.
+
+  Notoro Cape, 130.
+    Lake, 139.
+
+  Notski Peninsula, 133.
+
+  Nusa, 214, 286.
+
+
+  O.
+
+  Oak, 21.
+
+  Oakan and Moyokan, 98, 135.
+
+  Oakan River, 99.
+
+  Obishiro, 58.
+
+  Obune, 198, 199.
+
+  Odour, 276.
+
+  Odour of Europeans, 276.
+    of women, 276, 277.
+
+  Oitoi, 130.
+
+  Okashi-nae Mountain, 177.
+
+  Okos, 43.
+
+  Okushiri Island, 203.
+
+  Omangus, 146-150.
+
+  Onekotan, 123.
+
+  Onembets, 129.
+
+  Onishika, 173, 174.
+
+  Onnetto Lagoon, 116.
+    River, 116, 133.
+
+  Ono-numa, 3.
+
+  Opoto Lake, 137.
+
+  Oputateishike Mountain-mass, 63.
+
+  Oputs, 48.
+
+  Orang-outang, 146.
+
+  Ornamentations, 218-220.
+
+  Osaru River, 11.
+
+  Oshamambe, 193, 196, 197.
+
+  Oshima Island, 203, 204.
+    province, 4.
+
+  Oshoro, 192.
+
+  Osman Pasha, 164.
+
+  Ota Cape, 203.
+
+  Otaru, 20, 191.
+
+  Otaussi-nai Village, 185.
+
+  Otatsube, 199.
+
+  Otchishi, 113, 114.
+
+  Otkoshk sea, 123, 131, 133, 135, 143.
+
+  Otopke Mount, 63, 64.
+
+  Otoshibe River, 197.
+
+  Otoyebukets, 183.
+
+  Otsu, 48, 50, 51, 68, 73.
+
+  Otsugawa River, 50.
+
+  Ottoinnai, 61.
+
+  Owls, 102.
+
+  Oyama Iwao (Count), Minister of State for War, 189.
+
+  Oysters, 104, 113, 139.
+
+
+  P.
+
+  Pack-saddles, 17, 18, 237.
+
+  Paddle (Hera), 208.
+
+  Para-puta, 195.
+
+  Paro-mushir, 123, 126.
+
+  Pasture-land, 107.
+
+  Pehambe-ushi River, 103.
+
+  Pekoatnit, 210.
+
+  Pensatsunai, 58.
+
+  Perohune, 48.
+
+  Pestilence, 61.
+
+  Physiognomy, 230.
+
+  Physiological observations, 274.
+
+  Pico Strait, 131.
+
+  Piegawa River, 183.
+
+  Pipes, etc., 223.
+
+  Piratori, 22, 30, 248, 253, 260, 261, 264, 275, 283, 284.
+    Valley, 33.
+
+  Pit-dwellers (Koro-pok-kuru), 77-80, 83-87, 90, 92, 104, 114, 125,
+    130, 251.
+
+  Pit-dwellers' implements, 190.
+
+  Pits, 77-84, 88-94, 114, 130, 141.
+
+  Plateau, 63.
+    like peninsula, 114.
+
+  Poisoned arrows, 223, 224.
+
+  Polygamy, 294.
+
+  Polytheists, 281, 285, 290.
+
+  Pombets, 65.
+
+  Ponies, 3, 21, 65, 66, 138.
+
+  Pon-machi (small wife), 28, 294.
+
+  Pontoo, 122, 131.
+
+  Pooley, Mr., 206.
+
+  Population, 294.
+
+  Porobets River, 162.
+
+  Poronai, 157, 161, 183-186.
+    coal-mines, 191.
+
+  Poro-machi (great wife), 28, 294.
+
+  Poro-nam-bets River, 41.
+
+  Poro-usa, 209.
+
+  Posturing, 264.
+
+  Pottery, 80, 86, 215.
+
+  Poverty of the Ainu, 5.
+    of blood, 296.
+
+  Prayers, 289.
+
+  Prehistoric man, 242.
+
+  Progeny of mixed marriages, 268.
+
+  Provisions, 3, 211.
+
+  Publications on the Ainu, 229.
+
+  Pulse-beat, 275.
+
+  Pumice, 5, 21, 73.
+
+  Punishments, 291.
+
+  Purokenashpa, 65.
+
+
+  Q.
+
+  Quarrels, 292.
+
+  Quicksands, 139, 169, 170.
+
+  Quicksand River, 157.
+
+  Quiver, 224, 225.
+
+
+  R.
+
+  Rags, 247.
+
+  Rahush Mount (Kunashiri), 122.
+
+  Rain, 3, 135, 193, 197, 200.
+
+  Raishats, 179, 226.
+
+  Rattler (H.M.S.), 165.
+
+  Recitative, 256.
+
+  Reeds and rushes, 51, 57, 62, 66, 67, 90.
+
+  Reefs, 123, 194.
+
+  Relations, 296.
+
+  Religion, 283.
+
+  Religious ideas, 281.
+    race, 198.
+
+  Repun, 10.
+
+  Repunshiri, 167, 168.
+
+  Resurrection of the body, 284, 290.
+
+  Reversed coil, 222.
+
+  Rheumatism, 128, 174, 241.
+
+  Rhyme, 261.
+
+  Riding, 17, 237.
+    bareback, 243.
+
+  Riruran, 107, 108, 111.
+
+  Rishiri Island, 167, 168.
+
+  Rivers,
+    peculiarity in, 135.
+    troublesome, 151.
+
+  Roasting hook, 211.
+
+  Robinson Crusoe, 133.
+
+  Rocks, 41, 111, 163.
+
+  Roofs, 207.
+
+  Rubeshibe River, 183.
+
+  Rubets, 83, 130, 135.
+
+  Rumoi, 174.
+
+  Russia, 88, 122.
+    exchange with, 179.
+
+  Russian Bible, 127.
+    convicts, 142, 143, 165.
+    cruiser, Crisorok, 168.
+    régime, 127.
+
+
+  S.
+
+  Sacrilege, 200.
+
+  Sadness, 232, 297.
+
+  Saint Andrew's Cross, 227.
+
+  Sake, 17, 23, 24, 31.
+
+  Sakhalin or Krafto, 88, 92, 93, 122, 142, 161, 165, 297.
+
+  Sakhalin Ainu, 179.
+
+  Salaams, 7, 23.
+
+  Salutation, Ainu, 6, 128, 256.
+
+  Salmon, 130, 131, 133, 134, 173.
+
+  Salmon, dried, 211.
+
+  Salmon-fishing, 63, 64, 182.
+
+  Salmon-trout, 130.
+
+  Sandals, 248.
+
+  Sappro, 20, 91, 186, 187-191.
+
+  Sardine fishing, 19, 20, 41, 47, 48.
+
+  Saru-buto, 20.
+
+  Saru district, climate of, 84.
+
+  Sarubuts, 163.
+
+  Saruffo-Ko Lagoon, 111, 114.
+
+  Saruma Lagoon, 81, 139, 142, 162.
+
+  Saru-Mombets, 20, 21, 34, 35.
+
+  Saru River, 22, 58, 207, 286.
+    Ainu, 260.
+
+  Saruru, 44, 46, 47, 157.
+
+  Satsuma, 92.
+
+  Satsumai and Ghifzan, 63.
+
+  Satsuma Maru, 1, 206.
+
+  Savage dance, 32.
+
+  Savage Landor, 158.
+
+  Savages, 159.
+
+  Sawaki, 161.
+
+  Scenery, 41, 46, 100, 111, 114, 129, 135, 162, 176, 192, 193.
+
+  Scitzo, 193-195.
+
+  Sea-birds, 48, 105, 138, 151, 152.
+
+  Se-Cherippe Lagoon, 104.
+
+  Seal-fishery, 104.
+
+  Seals, 126, 131, 139, 161.
+
+  Sea-trout, 170.
+
+  Sea-weed, 41, 47, 104, 113, 115.
+
+  Sensation, 14.
+
+  Sense
+    of hearing, 278-280.
+    of sight, 278, 279.
+    of smell, 276.
+    of taste, 278.
+    of touch, 277.
+
+  Sensitiveness, 277.
+    of lips, tongue, hands, fingers, lumbar region, etc., 278.
+
+  Sexual love, 296.
+
+  Shakotan, 176.
+    Cape, 191.
+    Peninsula, 192, 193.
+
+  Shama-ne, 39-41.
+
+  Shame and disgust, 233.
+
+  Shamesen, 258.
+
+  Shana, 131.
+
+  Shanoi, 162.
+
+  Shari, 80, 92, 135-137, 240.
+
+  Shari-Mombets, 142, 143.
+
+  Shaubets, 70, 73, 74.
+
+  Shell-heaps, 81, 92, 104.
+
+  Shibe-gari-pets, 35, 37.
+
+  Shibetcha, 96, 97, 99, 101-104.
+
+  Shibets, 134, 135.
+
+  Shibumotzunai Lagoon, 142.
+
+  Shikarubets Otchirsh, 61-64.
+
+  Shikotan, 123-129, 207, 231.
+    Ainu, 87, 88.
+    Island, 88, 89.
+
+  Shimokebo, 35-37.
+
+  Shimushir, 88-90, 123, 126.
+
+  Shina, 60.
+
+  Shiofuki, 203.
+
+  Shirakami Cape, 205.
+
+  Shiranuka, 74, 75.
+
+  Shiraoi, 19.
+
+  Shiretoko Cape, 122, 135.
+    Peninsula, 135, 138.
+
+  Shiribeshi Province, 4.
+
+  Shiribets, 193.
+
+  Shirikishinai, 201.
+
+  Shirin Lake, 96.
+
+  Shiriuchi, 205.
+
+  Shoals and reefs, 104.
+
+  Shooting rapids, 183-185.
+
+  Shorui-washi, 64.
+
+  Shoulders, 301, 304.
+
+  Shoya, 44-47.
+
+  Shrine, 199, 200.
+
+  Siberian coast, 153.
+
+  Siliusi lighthouse, 163.
+
+  Skin, 276.
+    colour of, 230.
+    eruptions, 6, 296.
+
+  Skull trophy, 214.
+
+  Sleep, 275.
+
+  Sleeping, 244.
+
+  Slyness, 234, 235.
+
+  Smoke, 211.
+    black, 252.
+
+  Snow, 84, 85, 115, 197.
+    and glaciers, 165.
+    sandals, 60.
+
+  Singing, 256.
+
+  Sitting, 243.
+
+  Soldiers, 102, 103.
+
+  Songs, 255, 256.
+
+  Sorachi river, 183, 185.
+
+  Soshi, 75.
+
+  Soul, 284.
+
+  Soya Cape, 42, 80, 81, 92, 163, 165, 167.
+
+  Spain, 287.
+
+  Spears, 224.
+
+  Speculation, 90, 91.
+
+  Spezia, Gulf of, 41.
+
+  Spiders, 45.
+
+  Spoons, 215.
+
+  Spruces, 104.
+
+  Stackhouse, 215.
+
+  Statistics, 212.
+
+  Stealing, 53, 57, 181, 272.
+
+  Steeplechase, 66.
+
+  Stone (peculiar), 168.
+    images, 204.
+
+  Storehouses, 23, 26, 137, 138, 161, 173, 180, 213, 247.
+
+  Storeys, 208.
+
+  Storm, 135, 136, 197.
+
+  Strength, 238.
+
+  Struggle, 40.
+
+  Submerged crater, 125.
+
+  Submission, 16, 273.
+
+  Suicides, 291.
+
+  Sulkiness, 234.
+
+  Sulphur, 97, 104, 122, 130, 131, 138, 190, 200.
+
+  Sulphur beds, 97, 98.
+    mine, 97.
+
+  Supernaturalism, 284.
+
+  Superstition, 17, 289.
+
+  Swamps, 65.
+
+  Swearing, 289.
+
+  Swift rivers, 41.
+
+  Sword-hilts (Japanese), 250.
+
+  Sydney Smith's position, 111.
+
+  Symbols, 219.
+
+  Sympathy, 52, 191.
+
+
+  T.
+
+  Taikki (fleas), 56.
+
+  Tailor's sign-post, 191.
+
+  Takae village, 35.
+
+  Takigawa, 185.
+
+  Takkobe Lake, 96.
+
+  Tapkara (a savage dance), 32.
+
+  Tarbouches, 164.
+
+  Tartary, Gulf of, 153.
+
+  Tarsus, 300.
+
+  Tarumai Volcano, 201.
+
+  Tattoos, 6, 137, 142, 179, 227, 232, 251-253, 293.
+    (colour of), 254.
+    (legend on), 251, 252.
+
+  Tattooing (process of), 252.
+
+  Tattooed women, 99.
+
+  Tcharo-bets, 75.
+
+  Tcha-tcha-nobori Volcano, 131.
+
+  Tchiota, 56.
+
+  Tears, 233.
+
+  Teeth of half-castes, 269.
+
+  Temper, 65, 233, 294.
+
+  Tendo Achillis, 241.
+
+  Tent, 3.
+
+  Terra del Fuegians, 228.
+
+  Terror, 154.
+
+  Teshio coast, 176.
+    River, 168-170, 174.
+
+  Tetcha or Tetchkanga, 100, 101.
+
+  Teuri, 171.
+
+  Thatching, 208.
+
+  Theft, 291.
+
+  Thiaske Tarra, 238.
+
+  Thousand Islands, or Chishima, 123.
+
+  Thread-winding, 240.
+
+  Tibia, 88, 300, 304.
+
+  Tide-rips, 131.
+
+  Tobuts, 80, 139, 141, 253.
+
+  Tobuts Lake, 48, 137.
+
+  Todohotke, 200.
+
+  Toi, 201.
+
+  Tokachi, 84.
+    Ainu, 99, 248-250, 253.
+    district, 274.
+    region, 114.
+    River, 50, 58, 59, 61-66, 73, 169, 207, 214, 271.
+
+  Tokio, 115.
+
+  Tokri-moi, 11.
+
+  Tokumatz Kuroda, 192.
+
+  Tomamai, 173, 174.
+
+  Tomakomai, 19, 20, 269.
+
+  Tombets River, 163.
+
+  Tombs, 181.
+
+  Tonden, or military settlement 102, 103, 114, 183, 188.
+
+  Tones, 222.
+
+  Toreador, in Carmen, 263.
+
+  Torii (emblems), 204.
+
+  Tori Lake, 96.
+
+  Totemism, 281, 282.
+
+  To'tori, 75.
+
+  Toshibets River, 65.
+
+  Toya Lake, 10, 11, 200.
+
+  Toyohira River, 183.
+
+  Toyoshira Valley, 187.
+
+  Trackers (Ainu), 109.
+
+  Tracking, 159-161.
+
+  Tradition, 218.
+
+  Transmission of diseases, 266.
+    of images to the brain, 279.
+
+  Travellers (foreign), 263.
+
+  Tree-dwellers of India, 228.
+
+  Trees, 129, 130, 135, 137, 161, 162, 166, 198.
+
+  Triangles, 221.
+
+  Tribes, 88, 267.
+
+  Trovatore, 257.
+
+  Tukoro, 139.
+
+  Tunnel, 39, 41, 174.
+
+  Tunnui-puto, 65.
+
+  Turkish ship (wreck of), 163.
+
+  Tsiriju Mount, 130.
+
+  Tsugaru Strait, 93, 193.
+
+  Types, 229.
+
+  Typhoon, 164, 174.
+
+
+  U.
+
+  Ubahu, 37, 39.
+
+  Uhui Cape, 174.
+
+  Ukorra, 10.
+
+  Ulmus Campestris, 26, 245, 246.
+    Campestris bark, 210.
+    Campestris fibre, 267.
+
+  Ulna, 299, 303.
+
+  Uparpenai, 61.
+
+  Urahoro River, 73.
+
+  Urakawa, 39, 40.
+
+  Urapets River, 39.
+
+  Uriugawa River, 183.
+
+  Urup, 88, 123, 126, 131.
+
+  Usa, 209.
+
+  Ushoro, 193.
+
+  Uso, 5.
+
+  Uso Volcano, 11, 200.
+
+  Utarop Rocks, 43.
+
+  Usushiri, 198.
+
+
+  V.
+
+  Vegetation, 131.
+
+  Villages, Ainu, 5, 22.
+
+  Vines, 60.
+
+  Virginity, 250.
+
+  Virility, 253.
+
+  Volcanic nature, 5.
+    formation, 37, 122, 129, 162, 167, 168, 192, 205.
+    mass, 4.
+    zone, 130.
+
+  Volcano, 130.
+
+  Volcano Bay, 5, 58, 193, 195, 197, 286.
+      Ainu, 6, 248, 274.
+
+  Volcanoes, 131.
+
+
+  W.
+
+  Wadamanai, 168, 169.
+
+  Wakkanai, 167, 168.
+
+  War-clubs, 10, 223.
+
+  Washibets, 14.
+
+  Washing, 28.
+
+  Watanabe Masaru, 58, 64, 65.
+
+  Waterfalls, 11, 41, 74, 194.
+
+  Water-soup, 4.
+
+  Weaving, 210.
+
+  Wembets, 135.
+
+  Wembets River, 171.
+
+  Westerns, 255.
+
+  Whales' bones, 145, 161, 169.
+
+  Wife, 294, 295.
+    (great wife), 34.
+    (second), 294.
+
+  Winter, 161.
+    garments, 60, 145.
+
+  Witches, 287, 288.
+
+  Wolves, 101.
+
+  Women, 136, 137, 142, 232, 236, 249, 252, 253, 294.
+
+  Women standing, 242.
+    and children at a festival, 31.
+    (burial of), 225.
+    feeding bears, 59.
+    suckling bear cubs, 214.
+
+  Women's graves, 226.
+
+  Wood-carving, 219.
+
+  Wooden blade, carved, 226.
+    bowls, 8.
+    panels, 2.
+
+  Wrecks, 42, 43, 162, 163, 165, 168-170, 179.
+
+  Written language, 259.
+
+  Worship, 281, 283, 284.
+
+
+  Y.
+
+  Yagoshi Cape, 205.
+
+  Yamakubiro, 56, 63, 271.
+
+  Yamakushinai, 197.
+
+  Yammakka, 56, 57, 61, 65, 66.
+
+  Yangeshiri, 171.
+
+  Yassuchi, 142.
+    Lagoon, 142.
+
+  Yezo, 297.
+
+  Yoichi, 192, 193.
+
+  Yoshioka village, 205.
+
+  Yoshitsune or Okikurumi, 260, 261, 283, 284. (Also  see  Hero, Japanese.)
+
+  Yubaridake, 122.
+
+  Yubets, 142.
+    River, 141.
+
+  Yuhuts, 20.
+
+  Yurap, 197.
+
+  Yurapdake Mount, 4.
+
+  Yuto Lake, 48.
+
+  Yuzan Volcano, 97, 98, 101, 104.
+
+
+  Z.
+
+  Zenzai lakes, 3.
+
+
+LONDON: PRINTED BY WM. CLOWES AND SONS, LTD., STAMFORD STREET AND
+CHARING CROSS.
+
+
+  +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+  |                                                              |
+  |                      Transcriber's Notes                     |
+  |                                                              |
+  | The following changes have been made to the text.            |
+  |                                                              |
+  | |Page |Original |Changed to |Context                 |       |
+  | |53   |do       |no         |doorways have no doors. |       |
+  | |305  |2/8      |¼          |5¼ inches wide          |       |
+  |                                                              |
+  | Some words occur in both hyphenated and unhyphenated forms   |
+  | in the text.                                                 |
+  |                                                              |
+  +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Alone with the Hairy Ainu, by A. H. Savage Landor
+
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+Project Gutenberg's Alone with the Hairy Ainu, by A. H. Savage Landor
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Alone with the Hairy Ainu
+       or, 3,800 miles on a pack saddle in Yezo and a cruise to
+       the Kurile Islands.
+
+Author: A. H. Savage Landor
+
+Release Date: October 28, 2011 [EBook #37873]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALONE WITH THE HAIRY AINU ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Steven Gibbs, LN Yaddanapudi and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+  [Illustration: _Frontispiece_. PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR.
+  "When my clothes came to an end I did without them."]
+
+
+
+
+  ALONE WITH THE
+  HAIRY AINU.
+
+  OR,
+
+  3,800 MILES ON A PACK SADDLE IN YEZO AND
+  A CRUISE TO THE KURILE ISLANDS.
+
+  BY
+  A. H. SAVAGE LANDOR.
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+  WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR.
+
+  LONDON:
+  JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
+  1893.
+
+
+  LONDON:
+  PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
+  STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+This book is not meant as a literary work, for I am not and do not
+pretend to be a literary man. It is but a record--an amplified log-book,
+as it were--of what befell me during my solitary peregrinations in
+Hokkaido, and a collection of notes and observations which I hope will
+prove interesting to anthropologists and ethnologists as well as to the
+general public.
+
+Without any claim to infallibility I have tried to take an open-minded
+and sensible view of everything I have attempted to describe; in most
+cases, however, I have given facts without passing an opinion at all,
+and all I have said I have tried to express as simply and plainly as
+possible, so as not to give rise to misunderstandings.
+
+There are a few points which I want to make quite clear.
+
+First, that I went to Hokkaido entirely on my own account and for my own
+satisfaction. Next, that I accomplished the whole journey (some 4200
+miles, out of which 3800 were ridden on horseback and on a rough
+pack-saddle) perfectly alone. By alone I mean that I had with me no
+friends, no servants, and no guides. My baggage consisted of next to
+nothing, so far as articles for my own convenience or comfort were
+concerned. I carried no provisions and no tent.
+
+I am endowed with a very sensitive nature, and I pride myself in
+possessing the gift of adaptability to an extreme degree, and this may
+partly explain why and how I could live so long with and like the Ainu,
+whose habits and customs, as my readers will see, are somewhat different
+to ours.
+
+When I go to a country I do my best to be like one of the natives
+themselves, and, whether they are savage or not, I endeavour to show
+respect for them and their ideas, and to conform to their customs for
+the time being. I make up my mind that what is good for them must be
+good enough for me, and though I have occasionally had to swear at
+myself for "doing in Ainuland as the Ainu does," especially as regards
+the food, I was not much the worse for it in the end. I never use force
+when I can win with kindness, and in my small experience in Hokkaido and
+other countries I have always found that real savages in their
+simplicity are most "gentleman-like" people. With few exceptions they
+are good-natured, dignified, and sensible, and the chances are that if
+you are fair to them they will be fair to you. Civilised savages and
+barbarians I always found untrustworthy and dangerous.
+
+The Island of Yezo, with the smaller islands near its coast, and the
+Kurile group, taken together, are called "the Hokkaido." The Hokkaido
+extends roughly from 41� to 51� latitude north, and between 139� and
+157� longitude east of Greenwich.
+
+My view of the origin of the word Ainu is this: _Ainu_ is but a
+corruption or abbreviation of _Ai-num_, "they with hair," or "hairy
+men," or else of _Hain-num_, "come with hair," or "descended hairy."
+Considering that the Ainu pride themselves above all things on their
+hairiness, it does not seem improbable to me that this may be the
+correct origin of the word, and that they called themselves after the
+distinguishing characteristic of their race.
+
+The word Ainu is a generic term, and is used both in the singular and
+plural; but when specifying, the words _Kuru_ (people, men), _utaragesh_
+(woman), etc., are generally added to it: viz., _Ainu kuru_, Ainu
+people, Ainu men; _Ainu utaragesh_, an Ainu woman; _Ainu utaragesh
+utara_, several Ainu women.
+
+The Ainu population of Yezo is roughly reckoned by the Japanese at about
+15,000 or 17,000 souls, but at least half this number are half-castes,
+and in my opinion (and I have visited nearly every Ainu village in Yezo)
+the number of thoroughbred Ainu does not exceed 8000 souls.
+
+The illustrations in this book are my own, and are the reproductions
+from sketches which I took on the spot. They may not show much artistic
+merit, but they seem to me to be characteristic of the country and the
+people, and I hope that my readers will be impressed with them in the
+same way.
+
+A. HENRY SAVAGE LANDOR.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+  CHAPTER I.
+  From Hakodate to Mororran--Volcano Bay--The first Ainu--A
+  strange institution among them                                       1
+
+  CHAPTER II.
+  From Mororran to the Saru River                                     12
+
+  CHAPTER III.
+  Up the Saru River--Piratori and its chief                           22
+
+  CHAPTER IV.
+  An Ainu Festival                                                    30
+
+  CHAPTER V.
+  From the Saru River to Cape Erimo                                   35
+
+  CHAPTER VI.
+  From Cape Erimo to the Tokachi River                                44
+
+  CHAPTER VII.
+  The Tokachi Region--Pure Ainu Types--Curious Mode of River
+  Fishing                                                             50
+
+  CHAPTER VIII.
+  From the Tokachi River to the Kutcharo River                        68
+
+  CHAPTER IX.
+  The Koro-pok-kuru, or Pit-dwellers                                  78
+
+  CHAPTER X.
+  The Kutcharo River and Lake--A Sulphur Mine--Akkeshi and
+  its Bay                                                             95
+
+  CHAPTER XI.
+  From Akkeshi to Nemuro--A Horse Station--Nemuro and its
+  People                                                             106
+
+  CHAPTER XII.
+  The Kurile Islands                                                 121
+
+  CHAPTER XIII.
+  On the East and North-East Coast--From Nemuro to Shari-Mombets     133
+
+  CHAPTER XIV.
+  Along the Lagoons of the North-East Coast--From Shari-Mombets
+  to Poronai                                                         145
+
+  CHAPTER XV.
+  On the North-East Coast--From Poronai to Cape Soya                 157
+
+  CHAPTER XVI.
+  From Cape Soya to the Ishikari River                               167
+
+  CHAPTER XVII.
+  The Ishikari River                                                 179
+
+  CHAPTER XVIII.
+  Nearing Civilisation                                               187
+
+  CHAPTER XIX.
+  Completing the Circuit of Yezo--The End of my Journey              196
+
+  CHAPTER XX.
+  Ainu Habitations, Storehouses, Trophies, Furniture--Conservatism   207
+
+  CHAPTER XXI.
+  Ainu Art, Ainu Marks, Ornamentations, Weapons--Graves and
+  Tattoos                                                            218
+
+  CHAPTER XXII.
+  Ainu Heads, and their Physiognomy                                  229
+
+  CHAPTER XXIII.
+  Movements and Attitudes                                            236
+
+  CHAPTER XXIV.
+  Ainu Clothes, Ornaments, and Tattooing                             245
+
+  CHAPTER XXV.
+  Ainu Music, Poetry, and Dancing                                    255
+
+  CHAPTER XXVI.
+  Heredity--Crosses--Psychological Observations                      266
+
+  CHAPTER XXVII.
+  Physiological Observations--Pulse-beat and Respiration--Exposure--
+  Odour of the Ainu--The Five Senses                                 274
+
+  CHAPTER XXVIII.
+  The Ainu Superstitions--Morals--Laws and Punishments               281
+
+  CHAPTER XXIX.
+  Marital Relations, and Causes that limit Population                293
+
+  APPENDIX.
+
+  I.--Measurements of the Ainu Body, and Descriptive Characters      298
+
+  II.--Glossary of Ainu Words, many of which are found in
+  Geographical Names in Yezo and the Kurile Islands                  304
+
+  INDEX                                                              313
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+
+  Portrait of the Author                            _Frontispiece._
+  Aputa                                                           1
+  Ainu Woman saluting                                             6
+  Toya Lake, near Aputa                                          11
+  Fisherman's Hut                                                12
+  Pack-Saddle                                                    18
+  Norboribets Volcano                                            19
+  Horobets                                                       21
+  Storehouses at Piratori                                        22
+  Benry, the Ainu Chief of Piratori                              25
+  Ainu Man waving his Moustache-lifter before drinking           29
+  Ainu Festival, An                                              30
+  Ainu Women dancing                                             33
+  Piratori Woman in Costume                                      34
+  Utarop Rocks                                                   35
+  Ainu Lashed Canoe                                              37
+  Front View of Lashed Canoe                                     38
+  Ainu Oars                                                      38
+  Sailing Canoe                                                  38
+  Ainu Wooden Anchors                                            39
+  Ainu Canoe, Top View of an                                     39
+  Erimo Cape                                                     43
+  Natural Stone Archway, A                                       44
+  Iwa Rocks at Biru                                              49
+  Ainu Houses and Storehouse, Frishikobets, Tokachi River        50
+  Madwoman of Yammakka                                           55
+  Ainu Woman of Frishikobets, on the Tokachi River               60
+  Shikarubets Otchirsh, The                                      67
+  Ainu Man of the Upper Tokachi                                  68
+  Ainu Hook for Smoking Bear-Meat                                77
+  Koro-pok-kuru Fort                                             78
+  Flint Arrow-Heads                                              78
+  Flint Knives                                                   79
+  Koro-pok-kuru Pottery and Fragments of Designs                 86
+  Stone Adzes and Hammer                                         94
+  Ainu Huts and Storehouses on Kutcharo Lake                     95
+  Kutcharo Lake from Mount Yuzan                                 98
+  Sulphur Mine                                                  100
+  Akkeshi in a Fog                                              105
+  Ainu Man and Woman on Horseback                               106
+  Ainu Bits                                                     110
+  Semi-Ainu Rat Trap                                            120
+  Ainu Woman of the Kurile Islands                              121
+  Shikotan Ainu                                                 126
+  Woman of the Kurile Islands                                   132
+  Abashiri Island                                               133
+  Ainu Belle, An                                                140
+  Saruma Lagoon                                                 144
+  Eagle-displayed Sable, An                                     145
+  My Host, the Madman                                           148
+  Sarubuts, showing River-Course altered by Drift Sand          157
+  Ainu Village on the East Coast of Yezo                        166
+  Mashike Mountain                                              167
+  Ishikari Kraftu Ainu                                          178
+  Kamui Kotan Rapids, The                                       179
+  Woman of Ishikari River                                       186
+  Ainu Bark Water Jugs                                          187
+  Ainu Half-caste Child of Volcano Bay                          194
+  Komatage Volcano, Volcano Bay                                 196
+  Wooden Drinking Vessels                                       207
+  Kammakappe, The, &c.                                          209
+  Ahunkanitte, The, &c.                                         210
+  Atzis-Cloth in process of Weaving                             210
+  Roasting Hook                                                 211
+  Ape-Kilai, The, or Earth-Rake                                 214
+  Pestle, Mortar, Spoon, &c.                                    215
+  Ainu Pipe Holder and Tobacco Pouch                            217
+  Ainu Knife, with ornamented Sheath, &c.                       218
+  Kike-ush-bashui, or Moustache-Lifters                         220
+  Suggestions of Leaves, &c.                                    221
+  Elaborations of Chevrons, Wave Patterns, &c.                  222
+  Tchutti, or War-Clubs, &c.                                    223
+  Ainu Knives                                                   224
+  Monuments for Women                                           225
+  Wooden Monuments over Men's Grave                             225
+  Wooden Blade                                                  226
+  Ainu Pipe, An                                                 228
+  Ainu Man walking with Snow-Shoes                              236
+  Thiaske-Tarra, The                                            238
+  Atzis, The                                                    245
+  Atzis, after Japanese Pattern                                 245
+  Winter Bear-skin Coat                                         245
+  Atzis, Back of                                                246
+  "Hoshi," The                                                  247
+  Boots, Deer-Skin Shoe, &c.                                    248
+  Tattoo-marks on Women's Arms                                  253
+  Snow-Shoes                                                    254
+  Ainu Salutation                                               255
+  "Mukko," A, or Musical Instrument                             258
+  Wooden Pipe, A                                                265
+  Naked Ainu Man from the North-East Coast of Yezo              274
+  Trophy of Bears' Skulls                                       281
+  Inao-netuba, &c.                                              292
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: APUTA.]
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+From Hakodate to Mororran--Volcano Bay--The first Ainu--A strange
+Institution among them.
+
+
+I have often asked myself _why_ I went to Yezo; and, when there, what
+possessed me to undertake the laborious task of going round the island,
+up its largest rivers, travelling through jungles and round lakes,
+climbing its highest peaks, and then proceeding to the Kuriles. There
+are certain things in one's life that cannot be accounted for, and the
+journey which I am going to relate is one of them.
+
+Pleasure and rest were the two principal objects which had primarily
+induced me to steer northwards; but it was my fate not to get either the
+one or the other.
+
+I was on the Japanese ship the _Satsuma Maru_. Rapidly nearing the
+Hakodate Head, which we soon passed, we entered the well-protected bay
+and the town of Hakodate at the foot of the Peak came into view. It
+looked extremely pretty, with its paper-walled houses and its tiled
+roofs, set against the background of brown rock with its fringe of green
+at the foot. As we cast anchor, hundreds of coolies, carrying on their
+backs loads of dried fish and seaweed, were running along the _bund_ or
+wharf. A few _musemes_ (girls), in their pretty _kimonos_ (gowns) and
+with oil-paper umbrellas, were toddling along on their wooden clogs, and
+a crowd of loafers stood gazing at the ship as she came to anchor. The
+Peak, more than 1000 feet high, was towering on our south side, forming
+a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a sandy isthmus, and the large
+bay swept round us, forming nearly a circle. The place has a striking
+resemblance to Gibraltar.
+
+I landed, and put up at a tea-house, where I was in hopes of learning
+something regarding the island from the Japanese settlers, but no one
+knew anything. The reports that there were no roads extending beyond a
+few miles; that there was but very poor and scarce accommodation along
+the coast; that the Ainu, who lived further north, were dirty people;
+and that the country was full of bears, were certainly not encouraging
+to an intending traveller.
+
+I must confess that my first day in Yezo was a dull one; but the second
+day I had the pleasure of meeting a Mr. H., a resident, who kindly
+offered me his hospitality, and the next two were pleasantly spent at
+his house. In conversation with a friend of his, I heard the remark that
+no man alone could possibly complete the circuit of the island of Yezo,
+owing to the difficulties of travel; and my readers can imagine the
+astonishment of my interlocutors when I meekly said, that if no one had
+ever done it, I was going to do it; and, indeed, that I intended to set
+out alone the next morning.
+
+"Impossible!" said one, "you are too young and too delicate."
+
+"Absurd!" said my kind host, "it would take a very strong man to do
+it--a man who could stand any amount of hardships and roughing." At the
+same time he gave me a pitiful look, which undoubtedly meant, "You are a
+mere bag of skin and bones."
+
+However, the bag of skin and bones kept his word, notwithstanding the
+poor opinion that his new friends had formed of him.
+
+The preparations for my journey were simple. In two large Japanese
+baskets I packed three hundred small wooden panels for oil-painting, a
+large supply of oil colours and brushes, a dozen small sketch-books, my
+diary, three pairs of boots, three shirts, an equal number of pairs of
+woollen stockings, a revolver, and a hundred cartridges. The remainder
+of my luggage was left in charge of Mr. H. till my return. I did not
+burden myself with either provisions or a tent.
+
+I rose early the following morning and bade good-bye to my kind host.
+"Good-bye," said he, "I expect we shall see you back to-night to
+dinner." The word "dinner" was the last English word I heard from the
+mouth of an Englishman, and it was five long months before I heard
+another.
+
+The first thirty miles of my journey were ridden in a _basha_, a covered
+cart built on four wheels that ought to have been round, but were not.
+There were no springs for the comfort of the traveller, and no cushions
+on the seats. The conveyance was public, and was drawn by two sturdy
+ponies. The driver, a Japanese, carried a brass trumpet, on which he
+continually played.
+
+I might have begun my story by the usual "One fine day," if,
+unfortunately, the day on which I started the rain had not poured
+in torrents. A Japanese policeman and a girl were my only
+fellow-passengers. Travelling at full gallop, on a rough road, in a trap
+with unsymmetrical wheels and with no springs, during a heavy storm, is
+scarcely what one would call a pleasant mode of progression; but after
+some hours of "being knocked about," we went zig-zag fashion, first up a
+steep hill, then down on the other side, giving the horses a rest at a
+roadside tea-house by the famous lakes of Zenzai. The larger of these
+two lakes--the Ko-numa--is extremely picturesque, with its numerous
+little islands wooded with deciduous trees. In shape it is very
+irregular, and many points, which project into the lake, add to the
+loveliness of the scene, while the high ridge over which I had come, on
+the one side, and the rugged volcano of Komagatake on the other, form a
+beautiful background to the limpid sheet of water. The outlet of this
+lake empties itself into Volcano Bay, S.E. of the Komagatake Volcano.
+The other lake, though smaller, is quite as striking, and possesses the
+same characteristics of its larger brother. It goes by the name of
+Ono-numa. A peculiarity of these lakes is that they abound in a smallish
+fish--the _funa_--which is greatly appreciated by the Japanese.
+
+I sat down in the tea-house on the soft mats, and my _bento_--Japanese
+lunch--was served to me on a tiny table. There was water soup; there was
+sea-weed; there was a bowl of rice, and raw fish. The fish--a small
+_funa_--was in a diminutive dish and its back was covered by a leaf; the
+head projected over the side of the plate. On the leaf were placed
+several neatly-cut pieces of the raw flesh, which had apparently been
+removed from the back of the underlying animal. As I had been long
+accustomed to Japanese food of this kind I ate to my heart's content,
+when, to my great horror, the _funa_, which had been staring at me with
+its round eyes, relieved of the weight that had passed from its back
+into my digestive organs, leaped up, leaf and all, from the dish and
+fell on the mat. All the vital parts had carefully been left in the
+fish, and the wretched creature was still alive!
+
+"Horrible!" I cried, violently pushing away the table and walking out
+disgusted, to the great surprise of the people present, who expected me
+to revel in the deliciousness of the dish.
+
+For days and days after I could see in my mind the staring eyes of the
+_funa_, watching each movement of my chopsticks, and its own back being
+eaten piecemeal! Wherever I went this big eye stood before me, and
+increased or diminished in size according to my being more or less
+lonely, more or less hungry. I had often eaten raw fish before, but
+never had I eaten live fish!
+
+The journey in the _basha_ was resumed that afternoon, and, more dead
+than alive, I alighted in the evening at Mori, a small Japanese village
+at the foot of the Komagatake Volcano. The peak of this mountain is 4000
+feet above the level of the sea, but its basin-like crater is at a
+somewhat lower altitude. Up to a certain height it is thickly wooded
+with deciduous trees and firs, thence its slopes are bare of vegetation,
+rugged in form, and very rich in colour. It makes part of a volcanic
+mass which extends from the Esan Volcano, further south, to the limit of
+the Shiribeshi province, crossing straight through the province of
+Oshima as far as the Yurapdake Mountain. Komagatake is one of the most
+majestic and picturesque mountains I have ever seen, as it possesses
+lovely lines on nearly every side. Its isolation and sudden sharp
+elevation, rising as it does directly from the sea, gives, of course, a
+grand appearance to its weird and sterile slopes, which are covered with
+warmly-tinted cinders, pumice, and lava.
+
+I went over to Mororran, across Volcano Bay, and the following morning I
+risked my life on a small craft, which took me over to Mombets. From
+this place I rode on to Uso and Aputa, two Ainu villages at a short
+distance from each other.
+
+Coming from Japan the first thing that strikes a traveller in the Ainu
+country is the odour of dried fish, which one can smell everywhere; the
+next is the great number of crows--the scavengers of the country;
+lastly, the volcanic nature of the island. On visiting an Ainu village
+what impressed me most were the miserable and filthy huts, compared with
+the neat and clean Japanese houses; the poverty and almost appalling
+dirt of the people and their gentle, submissive nature.
+
+I shall not dwell at length on these Volcano Bay Ainu, as this part of
+the country is comparatively civilised, and has been travelled over by
+many people previous to my going there. Besides, most of them have
+intermarried with Japanese, and have consequently adopted many Japanese
+customs and manners.
+
+The Ainu of the coast build their huts generally on a single line, near
+the shore, and each family has its "dug out" canoe drawn up on the
+beach, ready to hand when wanted. The huts are small and
+miserable-looking, and they have no furniture or bedding to speak of.
+The roof and walls are thatched with _arundinaria_, but so imperfectly
+that wind and rain find easy access through their reedy covering.
+Curiosity is the only good quality which I ever possessed, and in
+obedience to it I poked my nose into several of the huts along the
+beach. This was a mistake on my part, for in the Ainu country the nose
+is the last thing one ought to poke in anywhere. I was more than
+astonished to see how human beings could live in such filth! The natives
+kindly asked me to enter, and I of course did so, stooping low through
+the small door and raising the mat which protects the aperture. When I
+was in I could smell a great deal more than I could see, for the east
+window--the size of a small handkerchief, and the only one in the
+hut--did not give light enough to illuminate the premises. However, I
+soon got accustomed to the dimness, and then I could make out my
+surroundings clearly enough. There was an old man, perfectly naked, with
+a fine head, long white hair and beard, sitting on the ground among a
+mass of seaweeds, which he was disentangling and packing. Two young
+women and two young men, with bright, intelligent eyes and high
+cheek-bones, were helping him in his work. In their quiet, gentle way
+they all brought their hands forward, each rubbed the palms together,
+and, lifting the arms, slowly stroked their hair, and the men their
+beard with the backs of their hands, while the women rubbed the first
+finger under the nose from the left to the right. This is their
+salutation, and it is most graceful. They seemed pleased to see me, and
+asked me to sit down. As there were neither chairs nor sofas, stools nor
+cushions, I squatted on the ground.
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOMAN SALUTING.]
+
+Most Ainu of Volcano Bay understand Japanese, and they also speak it,
+interpolating Ainu words when necessary, so I began a conversation. My
+presence did not seem to disturb them or arouse their curiosity, and,
+beyond gazing at the mother-of-pearl buttons on my white coat, they did
+not appear to be struck by me. Evidently the buttons were much more
+interesting to them than the person who wore them. Now and then they
+uttered a few words, but whenever one spoke some of the company seemed
+to be angry, as at an impertinence or a breach of etiquette. Men and
+women wore large ear-rings or pieces of red or black cloth, which added
+a great deal to their picturesqueness; but the women were disfigured by
+a long moustache tattooed across the face from ear to ear. Rough
+drawings adorn the arms and hands of the women, and some of the younger
+females would undoubtedly be fine-looking if not disfigured by the
+tattoos, for they carry themselves well when walking, and possess comely
+features. Judging from appearances, I should think them very passionate.
+
+Coming out of the hut I saw a scene which I shall never forget. Two
+naked boys, covered with horrible skin eruptions, had got hold of a
+large fish-bone, out of which they were endeavouring to make a meal.
+Round them were gathered about thirty dogs, wild with hunger, barking
+furiously at the frightened children, and attacking and fighting them
+for that miserable repast.
+
+I walked along the beach, and endeavoured to make friends with some of
+the Ainu who were less shy than the others. One little girl was
+especially picturesque. She was only about ten, and her large eyes,
+tanned complexion, white teeth, the tiny bluish-black tattoo on her
+upper lip, her uncombed long black hair flying around her, and her red
+cloth ear-rings, made her indeed one of the quaintest studies of colour
+that I have seen in my life. I got her to sit for me; and while I was
+painting her, an old man, the chief of the village, dressed up in a
+gaudy costume, with a crown of willow shavings on his head, came to me
+and made his "salaams." He bore the name of Angotsuro, and before all
+his salaams were over he found himself "caught in the action" in my
+sketch-book. Many of the villagers had collected round, and one of them,
+a half-caste, expressed the wish that I should paint the chief in
+colours, like the picture of the girl. I asked for nothing better, and
+started an oil-sketch of him. The excitement of the natives who were
+witnessing the operation grew greater and greater as each new ornament
+in the chief's dress was put in the picture. Some seemed to approve of
+it, others were grumpy, and apparently objected to the picture being
+taken at all. The _s�ance_ was indeed a stormy one; and though the chief
+had his regal crown knocked off his head two or three times by the
+anti-artistic party, he sat well for his likeness, especially as I
+promised him in Japanese, that when the picture was completed he should
+be given a few coins and two buttons off my coat.
+
+It was while portraying him that I noticed what extraordinary effects
+colours produce on those whose eyes are unaccustomed to them. A man in
+the crowd would get excited, and open his eyes wide and show his teeth
+every time I happened to touch with my brush the cobalt blue on my
+palette. Other colours had not the same effect on him. His eyes were
+continually fixed on the blue, anxiously waiting for the brush to dip in
+it, and this would then send him into fits of merriment. I squeezed some
+blue paint from a tube on to the palm of his hand, and he nearly went
+off his head with delight. He sprang and jumped and yelled, and then ran
+some way off, where he squatted on the sand, still in admiration of the
+blue dab on his hand, still grinning at intervals with irrepressible
+enjoyment. Where the point of the joke was no one but himself ever knew.
+
+When the picture was finished I had no little trouble to keep the many
+fingers of my audience off the wet painting. Moreover, some person
+endowed with kindly feelings threw a handful of sand in my face, which
+nearly blinded me for the moment and partly ruined the two pictures I
+had painted. The money and the buttons were duly paid to Angotsuro and I
+moved on.
+
+That same evening I went out for a walk. It was a very dark night, and I
+love dark nights. When for some years you have done nothing but see
+strange things and new places there is indeed a great fascination in
+going about in complete darkness; it rests both your eyes and your
+brain. I walked for some time along the beach, stumbling against the
+canoes drawn on shore and against anything that was in my way. Hut after
+hut was passed, but everything was silent; there was not a sound to be
+heard, not a light to be seen. The Ainu are early people; they retire
+with the sun. I walked on yet farther and farther afield, till through
+the thatched wall of one of the huts I discerned a faint light. I stood
+and listened. The sad voice of a man was singing a weird, weird song,
+the weirdest song I have ever heard. Then came a pause, and another
+voice, even more plaintive than the first, continued the same air.
+
+What with the strange melody in the hut, the soothing noise of the waves
+gently breaking on the shingle, and the distant howling of dogs or
+wolves, the mystic effect was such that I could not resist the
+temptation, and I crept into the hut. A fire was burning in the centre,
+but it had almost gone out, leaving a lot of smoke. Three old men were
+sitting on the ground. They decidedly looked as if they did not expect
+me, but, after their first astonishment was over, they asked me to squat
+down in a corner, and there I was left to amuse myself, while they
+resumed their singing and drinking. Of the latter they seemed to have
+had enough already; but, all the same, several wooden bowls, about five
+inches in diameter and two deep, were passed round and emptied in no
+time. The more they drank, the wilder and more melancholy the song
+became. Only one at a time sang, and he would begin in a very low tone
+of voice and go up in a _crescendo_, gradually getting awfully excited;
+then all at once he would stop, as if the effort had been too great for
+him. His head drooped, and he seemed to sleep. Then, suddenly waking up,
+coming back to his full senses in a startling manner, he drained one of
+the bowls, which meantime had been refilled, and resumed the song. The
+three men were facing each other, and so absorbed were they in their
+music that, though I was not more than four feet away from them, they
+seemed to have forgotten me altogether.
+
+I was so impressed with the strangeness of the song that I pulled out my
+pencil and paper to write down the air. As there was no light but the
+flicker of the fire, I turned the white leaf of my sketch-book toward it
+to see what I was writing. This caught the eye of one of the men. He
+woke up, startled from his musical dream, jumped to his feet, and made a
+dash for me, yelling some words which I did not understand, and holding
+over my head something that I could not distinguish at the moment owing
+to the dimness of the light. Standing thus he paused, evidently waiting
+for an answer to something he had said. It came from one of the other
+fellows, who pushed him so violently as to send him sprawling on the
+floor, while, what he held in his hand--a big, heavy, pointed
+knife--fell and stuck deep in the ground about an inch from my toes. A
+dispute arose among themselves, but among the Ainu everything ends up in
+a drink. The large wooden bowls were again refilled; grand bows were
+made to me, and they all stroked their hair and beard several times--a
+sign of great respect. I was then handed one of the bowls and made to
+swallow the contents. But, heavens! never have I felt any liquid work
+its way down so far. Had I swallowed fire it could not have been as bad;
+and, indeed, it was neither more nor less than liquid fire.
+
+As the night was wearing fast, and the old fellows had got on well with
+their drink, the sing-song became rather too languid and monotonous; and
+I crept out of the hut as quietly as I had entered it, not without first
+giving the inmates something for their trouble. I had some difficulty
+in finding my way back to my less musical quarters; and passing too
+close to some of the other huts, the dogs--which infest all Ainu
+villages--barked furiously and roused the whole place.
+
+I learned afterwards that it is an Ainu fashion to try a man's courage.
+This is done in the way in which my musical friends tried mine, namely,
+by making a sudden rush with a knife as if death and destruction were
+imminent, which to a perfect stranger, unconscious of the strain of
+"bluff" in the action, is not very reassuring. If the person to be
+tested is aware of this fashion he has to submit to an unlimited number
+of whacks, administered to him on his bare back, with a heavy war-club.
+These tests of a man's courage and endurance are called the _Ukorra_.
+
+In the first instance it is done, in a certain sense, good-naturedly,
+and not meaning to hurt one. Should, however, the person apparently so
+dangerously threatened show fright or signs of cowardice, he loses the
+respect of the Ainu, unless he has the happy thought of giving them a
+sufficient quantity of some intoxicating liquor to make them all
+drunk--which is a sure means of turning the most inimical Ainu you may
+meet into your fast friend, even if you have had a deadly feud with him.
+
+The second way--with the war-club--of course is a painful process, and
+the Ainu have recourse to it when it is necessary to determine the
+relative amount of courage possessed by certain members of a community.
+The one that can stand the greater number of blows is naturally entitled
+to the respect and admiration of his neighbours, and he is elected
+leader in bear-hunts or similar expeditions. At the election of a new
+chief--when the chief's line of descendants dies out--this process, I
+was told, is often practised; for bravery is the first quality which an
+Ainu chief must possess.
+
+At Aputa, through some of the half-castes, I was able to pick up a great
+number of Ainu words, which were most useful to me afterwards; and from
+that, gradually increasing my stock of words, I soon knew enough to
+understand a little and also to make myself understood.
+
+One day I went along the coast to the next village of Repun, and then
+retraced my steps to Aputa, as there was nothing of interest at the
+former place.
+
+An excursion which I enjoyed more was to the Toya Lake, with its three
+pretty islands in the centre and the magnificent Uso Volcano on its
+southern shores. The walk there and back was hardly fifteen miles, over
+a mountain track and through forests of pine-trees and oaks. The lake is
+about 250 feet above the level of the sea, and is about five miles in
+diameter. Its shores are surrounded with thickly-wooded hills, which
+have grassy terraces at a certain altitude, extending especially towards
+the north-western shores of the lake. The barren Uso Volcano, with its
+sterile slopes, is a great contrast to the beautiful green of the
+comparatively luxuriant vegetation of the lower altitudes. The lake
+finds an outlet into the Osaru River by means of a high waterfall.
+
+The following day I rode back to Mombets, and the next on to
+Shin-Mororran (the _new_ Mororran, distinguished by this affix from
+Kiu-Mororran, the _old_ settlement on the northern shore).
+
+Mororran has a well-protected harbour, and it would be the best future
+port in Hokkaido if the anchorage were of a larger capacity. In more
+speculative hands than the Japanese this port would be a great rival to
+Hakodate. It consists of a thickly-wooded peninsula, which forms a
+well-sheltered bay, at the entrance of which the picturesque island of
+Daikuku stands high above the sea-level. In the harbour itself, smaller
+islets and huge rocks contribute to its beauty.
+
+The village of Mororran is a mere streak of fourth-rate tea-houses along
+the road by the side of the cliffs. Apart from the natural loveliness of
+the harbour, it has, indeed, no claims to consideration at present. In
+former days it was called by the Ainu, Tokri-moi, "the home of the
+seals," for these valuable amphibious animals were said to be then
+plentiful in the bay.
+
+[Illustration: TOYA LAKE, NEAR APUTA.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: FISHERMAN'S HUT.]
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+From Mororran to the Saru River.
+
+
+Thirteen more miles in a _basha_--for I was still in civilised
+regions--took me to Horobets--a village half Ainu and half Japanese.
+
+The Ainu often name their villages after rivers, and this word Horobets,
+which in English means "large river," is an instance of this custom. In
+Southern Japan, previous to my visiting Yezo, I was told that nearly all
+the Ainu of Horobets had become "good Christians." If such were the
+case, which I do not wish my readers to doubt, the small experience
+which I had here, led me to believe that "good Christians" often make
+"very bad heathens."
+
+I left all my baggage in a tea-house at the entrance of the village,
+and, taking my paint-box with me, I went for a walk along the beach. I
+saw a crowd of Ainu in the distance, and I hurried up to them. They were
+busy skinning a large Ushi-sakana (cow-fish), cutting it into pieces
+with their long knives. They did not pay much attention to me, and this
+disregard of what would be to others a cause of curiosity and
+interruption I afterwards found to be a characteristic of the Ainu. They
+are seldom distracted from any particular idea that occupies their mind
+at a certain moment. In fact, they are so little accustomed to reflect
+at all, that it seems almost impossible for them to think of two things
+at the same time. Of all the existing races of mankind they may be said
+to be the most purely one-idea'd.
+
+Stark naked, with their long hair streaming in the wind, they formed a
+picturesque group. What a chance for a sketch! I sat down on the sand,
+opened my paint-box, and dashed off a picture, when a young lad, who had
+taken his share of the fish, came over to see what I was doing. "What is
+it?" he asked me in broken Japanese, to which question I answered that I
+was painting the group of them. The news seemed to give him a shock. He
+rejoined the others, excitedly muttered some words, and apparently told
+them that I had painted the whole group, fish and all. Had anyone among
+them been struck by lightning, they could certainly not have looked more
+dismayed. I never knew until then that painting could have such an
+overpowering effect on people, except, perhaps, when one has sat to an
+amateur artist for one's own likeness, the result of which is often one
+of dumb and blank amazement. Anger and disgust naturally followed. The
+fish was thrown aside, but not the knives, armed with which they all
+rushed at my back. The sudden change of ideas had evidently made them
+exceedingly angry. The grumbling became very loud, and louder still when
+they saw me complacently giving the finishing touches to the fish, which
+was now left alone, and not as before shifted about every second. They
+grew wilder and wilder, until one of the crowd shouted in my ears some
+words which sounded remarkably like swearing. Nevertheless it takes more
+than that to stop me from sketching; but ... "By Jove!" I exclaimed,
+when, all of a sudden, a rush was made on me. My paint-box, picture,
+palette and brushes were snatched out of my hands and smashed or flung
+away, and I found myself stretched on the sand, my late involuntary
+sitters holding me down fast by the legs and arms. A big knife was kept
+well over my head, so that I should not attempt to move, while the
+painting, on a heavy wooden panel, was being mercilessly destroyed by
+others. "If these are Christians, well I am ..." were, I must confess,
+the first words that rose to my lips.
+
+It is, indeed, difficult to describe how and what one feels when, to all
+appearance, one is going to be murdered--for painting a fish! My first
+thought, of course, went to my parents. My next was, what a nuisance it
+was to be murdered with the sun shining in my eyes, so that I could not
+even see who would give me the "finishing touch." All the events of my
+life, the bad ones first, flashed across my mind in those few seconds,
+and then I almost began to feel as if I had made my first steps into the
+other world, and I could see angels and devils disputing for my
+company--the devils, of course, having by far the largest claims. The
+bitterness of death had in some sense passed, when, to my great
+astonishment, and with a few, but very sound, kicks I was made to
+understand that I could get up and go.
+
+The sensation of being brought back to life, when one has made up one's
+mind to be dead, notwithstanding the abrupt manner in which it was
+produced, was indeed a pleasant one. I did get up, and pretty quick, I
+can tell you; but only to see my poor wooden paint-box floating
+half-smashed in the sea, my brushes stuck here and there in the sand,
+and the sketch utterly destroyed.
+
+My assailants were about fifteen or twenty, and I was alone. Stupidly
+enough, and relying on the Christianity of the people, I had not
+burdened myself with the extra weight of my revolver; I had left it with
+my heavy luggage in the small Japanese tea-house where I had put up,
+nearly a mile away. The Japanese police-station was at Washibets,
+another village some miles off. Nothing was left for me but to pick up
+the few unbroken brushes which were within easy reach and retire; but I
+was neither frightened nor conquered, and I swore to myself that I would
+have my revenge. I hurried to the tea-house, took my revolver, and
+filled my pocket with cartridges, then I ran back to the spot where I
+had sketched and been assaulted. There they all were as I had left them,
+one of them mimicking me with the broken palette, which he had fished
+out of the sea. I had kept well behind some thick brushwood, so that
+they should not see me, and for some time watched them unobserved. The
+imitation was perfect. The impromptu Raphael's hair was long enough to
+give him the look of an artist, and he was sufficiently brave to carry
+on his imitation sketching under a shower of missiles and sand thrown at
+him by his friends and companions. As he turned his head I recognised in
+my brother-artist the man who had been holding the knife over my head
+about an hour before, and also the very person who had given me the
+soundest kick. Just like a brother-artist! If my sketching had not
+lasted long, his parody was even shorter. I sprang out from the
+brushwood screen and caught him by the throat, pointing my revolver at
+his head, and telling him in Japanese to follow me to the
+police-station. Another man, attacking me from behind, stabbed me in my
+left arm, but not very severely, as I saw him just in time to avoid his
+blow. The sight of my revolver had a salutary effect on my hairy
+friends, and they were done out of their fun when, keeping them at bay,
+I told them that if they did not follow me they would all be dead men
+before they knew where they were. They had seen guns of the Japanese,
+and they knew the effects of them, so the saucy gentlemen stroked their
+hair and beard and made signs of submission and obedience. However, I
+was not to be easily appeased, as it was necessary to give them a lesson
+to prevent the same thing happening to future travellers; so I made them
+march in front of me, not caring to have them at my back, and thus took
+them all to the Japanese police-station, where they were duly arrested.
+The Japanese are very severe with recalcitrant Ainu, and my assailants
+would have been unmercifully dealt with had it not been for their wives
+and children, who came to me begging me to forgive their husbands and
+fathers for what they had done. I willingly did so, on condition that
+they should all come and prostrate themselves at my feet, imploring
+pardon and forgiveness and offering submission, as well as confessing
+their sorrow. This penitential function was reluctantly fixed by the
+Japanese policeman--the only one in the place--at a late hour in the
+afternoon. During the interval, as I fortunately had a large supply of
+painting materials, I managed to repaint from memory the scene
+represented in the sketch destroyed. The evening came, and the little
+Japanese policeman brought the resigned and humbled Ainu to the inn.
+Their wives and relatives followed, and they all looked supremely
+mournful and sad. I sat, Japanese fashion, on the small verandah on the
+ground-floor, and the policeman placed the Ainu on a line in front of
+me, and then came to sit by my side. He then addressed them, partly in
+the Ainu language, partly in Japanese, and bestowed on them names which
+went well to the point. He scolded them harshly, and asked them why they
+had assaulted me.
+
+One of them, as grave as a judge, with his eyes cast down, and in a
+half-broken voice, came forward and said, that if once you have your
+likeness taken you have to give up your life to it, and it brings
+illness to yourself, to your children, your parents, and your
+neighbours. Not only that, but as I had _taken_ many people together,
+famine was sure to fall on the country. "Then," he added--and he seemed
+positive of what he was talking about--"then there was a fish the
+stranger _made_"--the Ainu have no word for painting--"and had we not
+destroyed his _makings_ all the fish would have disappeared from the
+sea, and all the Ainu would have died of starvation"--which was a
+terrible contingency, as the Ainu live mainly by fishing. "We have not
+hurt the stranger," continued this hairy representative of Master
+Eustache de St. Pierre, "and now that all the Ainu and the fish he made
+are destroyed we are safe."
+
+"You are mistaken," said I, when, by the aid of the policeman, I
+understood the meaning of this long harangue, and I produced the large
+sketch of the scene which I had repainted from memory. This certainly
+beat them. They could hardly believe their own eyes, and looked at each
+other as if some great calamity were approaching. I have no doubt that
+they considered me an evil spirit, and, as such, too powerful to be
+contended with. Discretion was their best part of valour, as they
+proved. One by one they approached the verandah, sat cross-legged in
+front of me, rubbed their hands together, stroked their hair and beard
+three times, and three times each put his head down to my feet, begging
+my pardon. The Ainu women and children who had assembled in the back
+yard, where the function took place, were crying and moaning piteously.
+The most trying part for me was, of course, to keep serious during this
+long tragi-comic performance, and I was indeed glad when it was all
+over; when my supremacy was acknowledged, and my immunity from further
+insult secured; when submission had been made, and such whips and stings
+of outrageous fortune as might come from the painting of a fish had been
+humbly accepted.
+
+The Ainu are gentle and mild by nature, but, like all ignorant people,
+they are extremely superstitious, and superstition is a powerful
+excitant. Nevertheless, they are good people in their own way, and it
+must not be inferred from this small experience of mine that they are
+bullies, for they are not. The superstition regarding the reproduction
+of images is common all through the East, with the exception of the
+Japanese, and in many parts of Europe itself strange ideas are connected
+with portrait-painting. In Spain or Italy many a girl of the lower
+classes would think herself dishonoured if she happened to be sketched
+unawares, or if her picture were shown without the consent of her
+parents, brothers, relatives, and the parish priest.
+
+However, these Horobets Ainu are said, since civilisation has set in in
+that part of Yezo, of late years to have become untrustworthy and
+violent. They are more given to drunkenness than their neighbours, as
+they can procure from the Japanese stronger beverages than their own.
+_Sake_ (Japanese wine) of inferior quality is sold and exchanged in
+large quantities, and has the same fatal effects on them as rum--our
+fire-water--had on the American Indians.
+
+I was not sorry to leave a village which had displayed so little
+appreciation of my art. I took two ponies and two pack-saddles, to one
+of which was lashed my baggage, while I sat on the other. Riding is a
+delightful pastime when you have a good horse and a good saddle; but not
+when you have to look after two vicious animals, and are yourself
+perched on a rough wooden pack-saddle. Moreover, Ainu pack-saddles are
+perhaps the most uncomfortable of their kind. The illustration shows one
+of them. It is made with a rough, solid wooden frame, of which the front
+and back parts are semicircular. One large hole is perforated in each of
+these to allow ropes to be passed through. Under this frame are two mat
+cushions or pads, which are somehow supposed to fit the pony's back; and
+by means of three ropes, one of which is passed under the pony's body
+and fastened on each side of the saddle, while the others hang loose
+across its chest and under its tail respectively, the pack-saddle is
+made to remain in position either going uphill, downhill, or on level
+ground. Stirrups, of course, there are none; and mounting involves some
+difficulties at first. One has to face one's pony and place the left
+foot on the breast-piece, lift oneself up and swing right round,
+describing three-quarters of a circle before attaining one's seat in the
+saddle. If distances are miscalculated in this gymnastic feat, it is a
+common occurrence to find oneself seated on the pony's neck, or else
+landed heavily on either of the two hard wooden arches of the saddle,
+instead of gracefully falling between them. Keeping your equilibrium
+when you are on is also a trying exercise to anybody not born and bred a
+circus rider, and balancing your baggage perfectly on each side of the
+saddle is somewhat more difficult than it sounds.
+
+[Illustration: PACK-SADDLE.]
+
+Nine miles from Horobets one comes across the Nobori-bets[1]
+hot-springs. There was, formerly, a _geiser_ here, but it is seldom
+active now. These hot-springs are situated two-and-a-half miles from the
+sea-coast, and a miserable building, which is a mere shanty, is built in
+the vicinity of them, where people who wish to be cured of different
+complaints put up and take the waters.
+
+    [1] _Nobori_, mountain, volcano; _bets_, river, stream.
+
+I rode on to the Noboribets village, consisting of a few houses only;
+and, though I reached it late in the evening, I had to ride fourteen
+miles further to Shiraoi, "a place of horse-flies."[2]
+
+    [2] _Shirao_, horse-fly; _i_, a suffix meaning _a place_.
+
+At sunrise I was up again and on my way to Tomakomai,[3] the largest
+Japanese fishing village between Mororran and Cape Erimo.
+
+    [3] _To_, lake, swamp; _mak_, behind; _oma_, inside; _i_, a suffix
+        meaning _a place_, or "a place behind which a hidden swamp is
+        found."
+
+[Illustration: NOBORIBETS VOLCANO.]
+
+Sardine fishing is the principal and, indeed, the only industry of the
+place. It is carried on in a practical way. When the long nets are
+ready, and one end of them is fastened to the shore, they launch the
+boat, which is rowed rapidly by twenty or thirty strong men, while the
+net is dropped as the boat goes along. Having thus described a
+semicircle, the boat is beached. All on board jump out, and the net is
+pulled on shore amid the shrieks and yells of the excited fishermen.
+Myriads of sardines are caught each time the net is hauled in; and it is
+a fantastic scene to see the naked crowd which, in clearing the nets
+from the beheaded fish, get covered with silver scales, which stick to
+their arms, legs, and body, and give them a strange appearance.
+
+_Look-out_ towers are built on four high posts, where a watchman is
+posted to signal the arrival and approach of the shoals. The sea is so
+dense with them that it changes its colour, and these moving banks of
+sardines are distinguishable four or five miles from the coast. This
+method is the same as that adopted in Cornwall when the pilchards are
+expected, and the same discoloration of the sea takes place.
+
+From Tomakomai a road branches to the north leading to Sappro, the
+capital of Hokkaido, and it is the last place on the southern coast
+which is visited by that rare specimen of the globe-trotter who ventures
+to Yezo. He hastily makes his way from here to Sappro and Otaru on the
+northern coast, and waits for a ship to be conveyed back to Hakodate. He
+then, of course, tells his friends that he has been round and about and
+through Yezo, while in fact he has seen absolutely nothing of Yezo or
+its inhabitants. About half-a-dozen Europeans, however, have been
+further on--as far as the Saru River; and each one has written a book on
+the Ainu, for the most part copying what the previous author had
+written.
+
+As far as Tomakomai there is a road--a sure sign of civilisation--but
+nothing but a horse-track is to be found all along the southern coast
+after this place has been passed.
+
+Changing my ponies at Yuhuts,[4] nine miles east, and again at Mukawa
+and Saru-buto, I was able to reach Saru Mombets that same night. Many
+Ainu and Japanese fishermen's huts are scattered between Horohuts[5] and
+Yuhuts, on the sandy track along the sea.
+
+    [4] _Yu_, springs; _huts_, mouth of river.
+
+    [5] _Horo_, large; _hut_, _huts_, _put_, the mouth of a river.
+
+The traveller then leaves the sea on the right, and by a very uneven
+track, and after fording several rivers of little importance comes to
+Mukawa, a dirty little village fourteen miles from Yuhuts. My lunch that
+day consisted of a large piece of raw salmon, which was easily digested
+in riding nine more miles to Saru-buto. Sharu in Ainu, corrupted into
+Saru, means a grassy plain; and _buto_ is a Japanese corruption of the
+Ainu word _huts_, the mouth of a river. My ponies must have known of
+this "grassy plain," for they went remarkably well, and I reached the
+latter village some time before dark, so that I was able to push on to
+Saru Mombets, a larger village nearly four miles further. Saru Mombets
+translated means "a tranquil river in a grassy plain," a name thoroughly
+appropriate to the locality.
+
+There is nothing to interest the traveller along the coast, unless he be
+a geologist. Almost the whole of the western part of the Iburi district
+is of volcanic formation. The eastern part is abundant in sandstones,
+breccias, and shales. In the neighbourhood of Yuhuts, and all along the
+coast as far west as Horobets, pumice forms the surface soil, showing
+that in former days frequent eruptions must have taken place. Vegetable
+mould alternates with pumice. Sand, clay, tufa, with beds of peat and
+gravel, are the components of the soil which is found filling up the
+declivities of mountains, covering low-lands and sea-beaches in this
+part of the island. Specimens of the pal�ozoic group are found in the
+pebbles of the Mukawa River and valley, like amphibolite, limestone,
+phyllite, sandstone, and clay-slate, besides variegated quartzite of
+greenish and red layers. Primary rocks are common all through Iburi and
+Hidaka.
+
+The terraces surrounding the Saru valley are mostly wooded with oak, and
+the swampy region between the Mukawa and Sarubuto has many patches of
+green grass, and a thick growth of high swamp reeds.
+
+[Illustration: HOROBETS.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: STOREHOUSES AT PIRATORI.]
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+Up the Saru River--Piratori and its chief.
+
+
+A large number of Ainu have taken up their abode on the banks of the
+River Saru, or Sharu, as it is called by them, and Piratori, nearly
+fifteen miles from the coast, is the largest village of the whole
+series.
+
+The scenery from the coast to this village is not grand, but pretty,
+through a thickly-wooded country and along grassy plains. The Ainu give
+to the plain itself the name of Sharu-Ru, which corresponds in English
+to a "track in a grassy plain." Along this water-way, or not far from
+it, one meets with numerous small Ainu villages and scattered huts until
+Piratori is reached.
+
+Piratori is a string or succession of many villages on undulating
+ground, the last of them being situated on a high cliff overlooking the
+river. In the Ainu language _Pira_ means "a cliff," and _Tori_ "a
+residence." As in all Ainu villages, the huts are in one line, some few
+yards one from the other. Each has a separate structure--a small
+storehouse built on piles--generally at the west end of the hut.
+
+On my arrival at Piratori, I was welcomed by Benry, the _Ottena_ (chief)
+of the village, who invited me to his hut and _salaamed_ me in the most
+solemn manner, not forgetting to mention incidentally that "his throat
+was very dry," and that _sake_ (Japanese wine) could be obtained from a
+Japanese who lives opposite to his hut.
+
+"He is a bad man," said Benry confidentially; "but he sells very good
+_sake_."
+
+The _sake_ was procured, and Benry, beaming with joy, poured it with his
+shaky, drunken hands into a large bowl. He then produced a wooden stick,
+shaped like a paper-knife, about five inches in length, and waved it in
+the air five or six times with his right hand, dipping the point of it
+each time into the fluid. "_Nishpa_"--sir, master--said he. Then,
+leaning forwards and lifting up his heavy moustache with the small
+stick, he swallowed the contents of the bowl at a draught. The same
+performance took place each time that some fresh _sake_ was poured into
+his bowl, and then Benry, with an inimitable cunning, and a comically
+self-sacrificing expression on his face, meekly enquired whether I would
+care to see "how much an Ainu could drink."
+
+"Yes," said I, "we will go down to the river, and you shall show me
+there if you can drink it dry."
+
+"Yie, yie, yie"--no, no, no--hurriedly replied in Japanese the Ainu
+chief; "water is too heavy, and I meant wine." Owing to this small
+difference of opinion, and having no wish to encourage him in his
+drunkenness, Benry's capacity for intoxicating fluids is yet unknown to
+the civilised world.
+
+Benry's house is a palace compared to other Ainu huts. It is much larger
+than most of them, and boasts of a wooden floor, in the centre of which
+a rectangular fire-place is cut out. The hut has two windows, one toward
+the east, the other opening to the south; but no chimney is provided as
+an outlet for the smoke. A hole in the west corner of the roof answers
+this purpose. The rough wooden frame is thatched with tall reeds and
+_arundinaria_, and the roof is shaped like a prism. The different huts
+of Piratori vary in size, but not in type. The larger ones cover an area
+of about sixteen or eighteen feet square. Most of them, however, do not
+measure more than ten or twelve feet square. Benry's house was
+exceptionally large, and being such a "swell" one, two rough _kinna_
+(mats) were spread on the floor and a number of Japanese rice boxes and
+_shokuji_ tables[6] adorned one side of the dwelling. Over these were
+hung a number of swords, knives, etc., most of them with no blade at
+all, or with only a wooden one. The few old blades which Benry possessed
+were of Japanese workmanship, probably obtained by the Ainu in their
+former wars with the Japanese. A few Ainu spears and arrows with bone
+and bamboo poisoned points were fastened to the roof.
+
+    [6] Small Japanese dinner tables.
+
+These Ainu of Piratori have frequent intercourse with the Japanese, who
+get from them furs and other articles in exchange for _sake_ or a few
+worthless beads. A few half-castes are also found at Piratori. The
+Piratori Ainu, with those of Volcano Bay, as we have seen, are those
+best known to the civilised world, as a few foreigners have travelled so
+far to see them. I may mention that as types the inhabitants of Piratori
+are a great deal better than the residents of Volcano Bay, most of whom
+are half-breeds; but even they themselves cannot be taken as fair
+specimens of their race, for they have adopted several customs and
+habits of the Japanese, which the incautious traveller has then reported
+as purely Ainu customs. For instance, the pure Ainu diet consists almost
+entirely of fish, meat, and seaweeds. Only occasionally are the roots of
+certain trees eaten. At Piratori I found that many grow and eat millet,
+and corn and bad rice are also sometimes procured from the Japanese.
+Benry has also gone so far in the way of civilisation as to invest his
+small fortune in buying half-a-dozen hens and a cock, with whom he
+shares his regal home. These hens lay eggs according to custom, and
+Benry and his "wife" eat them. As the Ainu language has no special word
+for this imported kind of bird, they are known by the name of "kikkiri."
+
+[Illustration: BENRY, THE AINU CHIEF OF PIRATORI.]
+
+After the experience which I had had at Horobets I decided to be more
+careful with my sketching. I broached the subject to Benry, and asked
+him to sit to me for his portrait. At first he was very reluctant, but
+the prospect of receiving a present finally overcame his scruples--for
+he was indeed civilised in this respect, and understood the worth of his
+version of the almighty dollar to perfection--and, consenting to be
+sketched, he sat--at the outset with as much courage as docility. He
+produced a crown of shavings and seaweed, which he solemnly placed on
+his head, whilst his better-half helped him on with his regal _imi_
+(garments), as well as a large sword, which also made part of his regal
+insignia. The crown had in front a small bear's head roughly carved in
+wood, and the clothes were very gaudy. They were made of strips of blue,
+white, and red cloth sewn together. The materials used were Japanese,
+but they were cut and arranged in a thoroughly Ainu pattern. Though he
+began well, Benry was not a good sitter, and, like most animals, he did
+not like to be stared at. He felt the weight of a look, as it were, and
+it made him uncomfortable. Not many minutes had elapsed before he became
+openly impatient; he even showed his temper by flinging away his crown
+and his wooden sword. On the other hand, sketching in Benry's house was
+no easy matter for me. With all the respect due to the chief of
+Piratori, I am bound to say that his house was not a model of
+cleanliness. Those of his hairy brothers and subjects were no better
+than his, and many were a great deal worse. Fleas and other insects were
+so numerous that in a few minutes I was literally covered with them,
+each one of them having a peaceful and hearty meal at my expense, while
+I, for the sake of art, had to go on with my sketch and leave them
+undisturbed. Notwithstanding all this Benry was immortalised twice that
+day, and his maid, housekeeper, or wife--three words which have the same
+meaning to the Ainu--was also handed down to posterity while in the act
+of spinning the inner fibre of the _Ulmus campestris_ bark, destined to
+form a new garment for her lord, master, and husband.
+
+When I went out to sketch the houses and storehouses in the village
+Benry and another man followed me everywhere; but neither he nor his
+fellow-shadow seemed to take any interest in the sketching. In Japan,
+Corea, and China I have often been surrounded by hundreds of people
+attentively watching every stroke of the brush, and I have always found
+them clever and quick in making out the meaning of each line or
+brush-mark. I can assert, without fear of being contradicted, that the
+majority of Japanese, Coreans, and Chinese are even quicker than
+Europeans in that respect, owing to the fact that lines constitute for
+them the study of a lifetime. Chinese characters, which are nothing but
+a deep study of lines, are adopted by the three above-mentioned nations,
+and I consider this to be the original cause why this artistic insight
+is to be found even among the lowest classes. The Ainu have no such
+insight; they have no characters, no writing of any kind, no books, and
+it is therefore not astonishing that they are not trained to understand
+art, bad as it may have been in my case. Their appreciation of lines is
+yet in the rudest form, and they possess no more than what is
+instinctive with them. For instance, while I was sketching, Benry and
+his friend either sat or crouched down by my side like two dogs, and
+when my sketch was finished I showed it to them.
+
+"Pirika, Pirika! Nishpa!" ("Very pretty, very pretty, sir!") Benry
+exclaimed with perfect self-assurance; but when I asked him what he
+thought the sketch represented, he cut me short by saying that _I_ had
+done the picture and _I_ ought to know what it was meant for; he did
+not. His friend agreed with him.
+
+When my work was done we three walked back to Benry's house, my two Ainu
+friends being very anxious that I should get something to eat. From
+their conversation and gestures I caught that it seemed incomprehensible
+to them that I should sit in front of an Ainu hut and--to use their
+expression--"make all sorts of signs on a wooden panel." After a lengthy
+discussion the two came to the conclusion that houses in our country
+were so bad that I had been sent to the Ainu country to "copy" the
+pattern of Ainu huts!
+
+Benry seemed excited about something, and hurried us back with curious
+haste and eagerness. When we left the house in the morning I saw Benry's
+better-half placing a few eggs in water to boil over the fire. When we
+entered the hut, nearly two hours afterwards, the eggs were still
+boiling, and no fair maid within yelling reach. In order that the fire
+might not go out during her absence the thoughtful girl had placed the
+largest portion of the trunk of a tree in the fireplace!
+
+Taken altogether, Benry and all his Saru Ainu are very good-natured.
+They gradually got accustomed to being sketched, seeing that after all
+it really did not bring on them "immediate death."
+
+The more one sees of the Ainu the dirtier they appear, but as dirt to a
+great extent contributes to picturesqueness, I was indeed sorry when
+Benry, exercising his authority, sent several of my sitters to dress up
+in their best clothes--often Japanese--while I should have preferred to
+sketch them in their every-day rags. I must say, for their sake, that
+they were never sent to wash. Being a rapid sketcher, I had recourse to
+a trick. I pretended to sketch one given person, who, of course, was
+sent at once to "dress up," and while he or she, after having returned,
+posed patiently for half an hour or more, I in the meantime took
+sketches of four or five different natives, who were not aware that they
+were being portrayed. As the Ainu--and they are probably not the only
+people--could not make either head or tail of my sketches, my trick was
+never found out.
+
+One day, old Benry led me by the hand in the most affectionate manner to
+a hut some way off, and confidentially told me that we were going to see
+his favourite girl and her boy.
+
+"This," said the chief triumphantly as we went in, "this is Benry's
+_Pirika menoko_" (pretty girl), "and that"--pointing to a youth--"her
+only son."
+
+"And what about the old hairy lady in your own hut?" I inquired.
+
+"That is my _Poromachi_" (great wife), said he, qualifying matters with
+a compliment to the elder woman, "and this is my _Pon-machi_" (small
+wife).
+
+"Why should you have two wives, you old Mormon?"
+
+"Nishpa," retorted he, "my great wife is old, and she is only fit to do
+all the rough work in the house and out. My hair is white, but I am
+strong, and I wanted yet a young wife."
+
+Indeed, there was enough mother-wit in Benry to have made him either a
+scamp or a philosopher. His theories were as remarkable as they were
+accommodating, particularly to himself.
+
+Returning from the house of his love, the chief was in a very talkative
+mood, and he related two or three Japanese stories, which he wanted me
+to believe to be pure Ainu legends. A learned missionary and two or
+three travellers before him, who had visited Piratori previous to
+myself, have accepted these so-called legends wholesale, taking Benry's
+word for their accuracy, which, as the old chief speaks very good
+Japanese, of course simplified the task of understanding and
+transcribing them. I was, however, much surprised to find that such
+learned Europeans could yield such ready credence to a barbarian Ainu
+chief.
+
+Thinking that it would please me, Benry told me the story of a deluge
+and a big flood, in which nearly all the Ainu were drowned. The few that
+escaped did so by finding refuge on a high mountain.
+
+"Where did you learn this story, Benry?" I asked sternly.
+
+"Nishpa, it is an old Ainu story, and all strangers who come to Piratori
+write it in their books."
+
+"Oh, no, Benry, you know well that _one_ stranger did not write it in
+his book," said I quickly, as if I knew all about it.
+
+"Oh, yes, nishpa; _that_ was the stranger who told me the story!"
+
+This small anecdote shows how careful one ought to be in accepting
+information which may sound extremely interesting at first, but is
+absolutely worthless in the end.
+
+[Illustration: AINU MAN WAVING HIS MOUSTACHE-LIFTER PREVIOUS TO
+DRINKING.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AN AINU FESTIVAL.]
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+An Ainu Festival.
+
+
+The Ainu have few public performances, and no special time of the year
+is fixed for them. As it so happened, a festival--a "Iyomanrei"--took
+place while I was at Piratori.
+
+The performance was held in a large hut belonging to the heir apparent
+to the chieftainship of Piratori. I went to the hut and asked whether I
+could attend the performance. The host, in answer, came to meet me at
+the door, and, taking me by the hand, led me in. I was shown where to
+sit, on the southern side of the hut, the place of honour for strangers,
+and my host sat in front of me and saluted me in Ainu fashion.
+
+Benry and several old men were squatting on the floor, Benry in the
+middle, and he was again gorgeous in his regal clothes. Some of the
+others, who wore a crown like Benry's, were chiefs of the neighbouring
+villages, who had come up for the grand occasion.
+
+One by one all the men present rose and came to stroke their hair and
+beard before me, and I returned the compliment as well as I could in
+Ainu fashion. The hut was gradually getting filled, and each man that
+entered first saluted the landlord, then Benry, then myself, and
+ultimately the two guests between whom he sat. Women and children
+occupied the darker west end of the hut, and they took no active part in
+the function. Other chiefs came in, and Benry was surrounded by many of
+them and by elderly men.
+
+The whole group of these chiefs, with their long white beards, lighted
+up by a brilliant ray of sunshine, which penetrated through the small
+east window, was extremely picturesque.
+
+In its savagery it was almost grand, with a barbaric quasi-animal sense
+of power and irresponsibility. In truth, it was a wonderful sight to see
+all these hairy people assembled in this small place--men, yet not men
+like ourselves--men, and not brutes, yet still having curiously brutish
+traits athwart their humanity.
+
+The performance was simple, but really fine in its simplicity. A fire
+burning in the centre of the hut, and filling the place with smoke,
+added, by its suggestive dimness, to the picturesqueness of the scene.
+It was strange that the only ray of sun which came in should fall on the
+most interesting group. Was it chance or design? Rembrandt himself would
+have delighted in painting that scene.
+
+Benry looked every inch a king, and several of the younger men were
+busily engaged lighting his pipe and refilling it with tobacco. He
+puffed away at such a rate that no sooner was the pipe filled than it
+was smoked and handed over again to undergo the same process.
+
+Two large casks of Japanese _sake_ were brought in, and each man
+produced his wooden bowl.
+
+The host came slowly forward, and planted an _Inao_--a willow wand with
+overhanging shavings--in one corner of the fireplace; then muttered a
+few words, which implied that the _sake_ could now be poured out. A
+Japanese lacquer rice-box was filled with the intoxicating liquid, and
+no sooner had this been done than old Benry, forgetting his dignity,
+jumped up and made a rush for it, filled a large bowl, and retired to a
+corner to drink it. All the men present followed his example. Benry was
+never selfish when he had had enough for himself. He filled his bowl
+again and brought it to me, saying that I was a friend of the Ainu, and
+must join them in the drinking.
+
+My attention was suddenly drawn to three old chiefs, who, half drunk,
+stood in front of the small east window. They dipped their
+moustache-lifters in their bowls, waving them towards the sun as a
+salutation to the "Chop Kamui," the "Great Sun." There was no religious
+character attached to this libation offered to the sun, no more than
+when we take off our hats passing a respected friend in the street. It
+is a mere sign of respect, not of worship. Besides, it must be clearly
+understood that no "offerings" of wine are ever made by the Ainu to the
+"Great Sun," and that the "libations" offered are invariably consumed by
+the offerer.
+
+I managed to get several sketches of the assembly, and every moment I
+expected to get into trouble again; but this time they took it most
+kindly.
+
+The hut became very stuffy, owing to the large number of persons and the
+smoke. There were nearly two hundred people in it, packed closely
+together, and there was nothing in the show to interest one--certainly
+not the disgusting sight of this drunkenness, which, moreover, became
+monotonous as well as disgusting.
+
+I stroked my hair and beard--the latter only figuratively--in sign of
+salute, to the host, Benry, and the other drowsy chiefs, and, carefully
+avoiding pushing or treading on any member of the unsteady crowd, I made
+my exit.
+
+Oh, what a treat it was to breathe fresh air again!
+
+Outside the hut the pretty _menokos_ (girls) of Piratori were having a
+lot of fun all to themselves. They were all dressed in long yellowish
+gowns, with rough white and red ornamentations on a patch of blue cloth,
+on their backs; and each girl took a very active part in a game, or a
+kind of savage dance, called Tapkara. They all ranged themselves in a
+circle, and a child or two was sometimes placed in the centre. The game
+consisted in collectively hopping an indefinite number of times, calling
+out either the name, or the accompanying sound, of some of their
+everyday occupations, and clapping the hands so as to keep time. For
+instance, one sound was "Ouye, ouye" ("Fire, fire"), and they all blew
+as when making a fire, and hopped till they were nearly senseless.
+
+Then the next was "R-r-r, r-r-r, r-r-r," and with this they imitated the
+pulling of a rope.
+
+Then "Pirrero, pirrero; pirrero, pirrero," was the sound accompanying
+the action of rowing, imitating the squeaking of the paddle produced by
+the friction on the canoe.
+
+The movement of the arms changed according to the sounds uttered, but
+the hopping was kept up continuously. The game reminded me much of our
+Sir Roger de Coverley, in a more barbarous form, but certainly not less
+pretty than our old country dance.
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOMEN DANCING, PIRATORI.]
+
+Late in the afternoon all the men came out of the hut, and by a winding
+path I was taken to the valley along the river, at the foot of the cliff
+on which Piratori is built. Benry and all the other chiefs remained on
+the cliff. Bareback races formed the next and last event in the
+programme, and the chiefs were to witness them from their "high point of
+view."
+
+There was great excitement as to who should ride the ponies. The Ainu
+are fond of sports, and I noticed that ultimately they were sharp enough
+to select their jockeys from among the lightest men. The winner of each
+race had a good time of it, but the other unfortunate jockeys were
+pulled off the ponies by the angry mob, and knocked about as worthless
+beings.
+
+The evening came, and with the dying sun ended that memorable day of
+festivities. I retired. Distant sounds of the _menokos_, still enjoying
+themselves, came to me with the wind, but fainter and fainter they grew
+as it was getting darker.
+
+"Pirrero! Pirrero! Pirrero!" I heard again, till at last the sounds
+faded away into a mere murmur, and I fell asleep.
+
+The morning that I left Piratori, old Benry put on his regal clothes and
+crown to bid me good-bye.
+
+"Nishpa, Popka-no-okkayan" ("Sir, may you be preserved warm"), said the
+old chief, in the Ainu fashion of bidding farewell; "I have a pain in my
+chest, owing to your leaving Piratori, but I shall accompany you part of
+the way."
+
+[Illustration: PIRATORI WOMAN IN COSTUME.]
+
+I dissuaded the old chief from doing that, but he went on, with his
+plaintive voice: "Nishpa, you must tell in your country that Piratori is
+a nice place, and all the Ainu are good people. Not like the Shamo"
+(Japanese; also half-breeds), "for they are bad. You must return soon,"
+he added, and, taking my hand, he pressed it to his hairy chest. He then
+took me to his hut again, and there renewed his farewells, and I renewed
+mine to him, to his _great_ wife, and to his house, for it is part of
+the Ainu etiquette to bid good-bye to the house of a friend as well as
+to the owner of it.
+
+The return journey to Saru Mombets was accomplished without much
+difficulty.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: UTAROP ROCKS.]
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+From the Saru River to Cape Erimo.
+
+
+After quitting Saru Mombets I was altogether out of the beaten tracks.
+The twenty-two miles to Shimokebo were monotonous in the extreme. High
+cliffs towered above me on the one side, and the sea stretched into
+infinity on the other. River after river had to be waded, the
+At-pets,[7] the Nii-pak-pets,[8] and the Shibe-gari-pets.[9] The
+Nii-pak-pets is wide and fairly deep. Near the At-pets river the
+Japanese Government has established a horse farm, in order to improve
+the breed of Yezo ponies. A few miserable Ainu huts are scattered along
+the coast, and millions of scavenger crows, with their monotonous cries,
+seem to claim sovereignty over these shores. Near the Takae village, on
+the Nii-kap-pets, is an enormous perpendicular cliff, which, jutting out
+into the sea, bars the way to the traveller; therefore I had to abandon
+the sandy shore, and with considerable trouble get the ponies to climb
+over the steep banks, which was no easy task for them. Shimokebo is a
+peculiar-looking place. It is entirely a fishermen's village, and I put
+up at the Ogingawa Zunubi yadoya--a tea-house owned by a Japanese
+fisherman.
+
+    [7] At-pets--Elm-tree river (_at_, elm-tree; _pets_, river).
+
+    [8] Nii-pak-pets--also called Nakap-pets. _Nii_, a wood; _pak_,
+        under; _na_, more; _kap_, bark of tree.
+
+    [9] Shibe-gari-pets--Salmon-trout river.
+
+Japanese will be Japanese wherever they go, and people who have had
+anything to do with them know how difficult it is to satisfy their
+curiosity.
+
+"How old are you?" inquired the _occamisan_--the landlady. "Where do you
+come from? What is your country? Why are you travelling? Have you a wife
+and children? Can you eat Japanese food; also Ainu food? Can you sleep
+in _foutangs_?" (Japanese bedding). "Also with a _makura_?" (a wooden
+pillow).
+
+About fifty more personal and indiscreet questions were also asked, and
+all my belongings were examined with ever-increasing astonishment as one
+thing after another was handled and investigated. I was tired, and felt
+as if I could have kicked the whole crowd of them out of my room; but I
+was unintentionally polite to them to such an extent that the
+_occamisan_ loudly exclaimed--
+
+"_Honto Danna, Anata Nihonno shto, onaji koto!_"--"Really, sir, you are
+just like a Japanese!"
+
+"_Domo neh!_" rose up in a chorus from the large assembly, "_nandemo
+dannasan wakarimas!_"--"The gentleman really understands everything!"
+This was a decided compliment, and I was bound to accept it as it was
+intended. When they heard that I was indeed "_Taihen kutabire mashita_"
+(very tired), they reluctantly left the room, and closed the _shoji_
+(sliding doors of tissue paper on a wooden frame). Each bowed
+gracefully, drawing in his breath at the same time. This is the Japanese
+polite way of leaving a room. Their conversation was resumed in the next
+apartment, regardless of the fact that tissue paper walls are not
+sound-proof. Remarks on me, not quite in harmony with their courteous
+bearing, were passed freely about, and the politest thing I heard them
+say was that I must be a _lunatic_ to travel alone in these inhospitable
+regions, and what a pity it was for a man _so young_ to be so fearfully
+afflicted.
+
+"Oh, those _seyono shto_ (foreigners) are all born lunatics," said the
+voice of one who knew better.
+
+The Shibegari River, at the mouth of which Shimokebo is situated, is
+also called Shibe-chari--"sprinkled salmon river." Very minute traces of
+gold are found in the river-sands and gravels, and also some
+well-developed brown garnet crystals and quartzite and phyllite pebbles.
+The gold, however, is not in sufficient quantity to enable it to be
+worked profitably. Seven and a half miles from Shimokebo the Japanese
+Government has another horse farm similar to that of the At-pets.
+
+The travelling along the coast was heavy, and I could ride but slowly. I
+had to make the ponies go where the sand was wet along the beach, as
+there it was harder and they did not sink. This had its drawbacks, for
+the sea was very rough, and once or twice my ponies and I came very near
+being washed against the cliffs by some extra large wave. Instead of
+green banks, as between Tomakomai and Shimokebo, here were high cliffs
+of volcanic formation, with a narrow strip of sand at their foot.
+
+The few Ainu along the coast were decidedly ugly. It was only now and
+then that in a sheltered nook I came across a hut or two of seaweed
+gatherers; and, still following the cliffs, I passed two or three small
+villages of a few houses each. After fifteen miles of this heavy track I
+reached the fishing station of Ubahu, where I was able to obtain some
+fresh horses. Prowling along the beach, I examined some of the Ainu
+canoes that had been drawn on shore. They might be divided into three
+classes--(_a_) the "dug-outs," used mostly for river navigation; (_b_)
+the lashed canoe; and (_c_) a larger kind used for sailing. The
+"dug-out" does not require explanation, as everyone knows that it is a
+trunk of a tree hollowed out in the shape of a boat, and propelled
+either by paddling or punting.
+
+[Illustration: AINU LASHED CANOE.]
+
+[Illustration: FRONT VIEW OF LASHED CANOE.]
+
+[Illustration: AINU OARS.]
+
+The lashed canoes are made of nine pieces of wood lashed together with
+the fibre of a kind of vine. The concave bottom is all of one piece--a
+partial "dug-out"--to which are added the side pieces, of three planks
+each, sewn together at an angle of about 170�, and made to fit the sides
+of the "dug-out." Two more pieces, one aft and one forward, meet the
+side planks at right angles. The length of these canoes varies from 10
+to 15 feet, the width from 3 to 3-1/2 feet. Two pieces of wood are then
+lashed horizontally, which answer the double purpose of strengthening
+the sides of the canoe and, being provided with pins outside the canoe,
+of allowing it to be used as an outrigger when rowing. Canoes are either
+rowed or sailed. The oars are made of two pieces firmly lashed together.
+A hole is bored in the part which is to be passed through the pin in the
+outrigger. One person is generally sufficient to row an Ainu canoe, and
+he does so standing. There is no steering gear or rudder, and when
+rowing the oars are used for that purpose. Ainu canoes are not decked,
+and therefore cannot stand heavy seas. They are alike on both sides, and
+in most cases the two ends of the canoe are also shaped alike. There
+are, however, certain canoes which, in my opinion, have been suggested
+to the Ainu by Japanese boats, and which are flat at the stern. These
+are generally larger, and used for sailing. A square mat sail is rigged
+on a short mast forward, and the steering is done with one of the oars
+at the stern. The sailing qualities of these canoes, however, are not
+very great, and the slightest squall causes them to capsize and "turn
+turtle." The anchors used by the Ainu are very ingenious; they are cut
+out of a piece of wood, with either one or two barbs, and two stones are
+fastened on the sides of the stem so as to carry the anchor to the
+bottom. No compass is either known or used by the Ainu, and the natives
+shape their course by sight of land. They very seldom go long distances
+out at sea, as they are fully aware of the dangers of the ocean and of
+the imperfection of their own methods of navigation, though they are
+wholly incapable of making any improvements by their own judgment. The
+canoes are always beached when not used, and each family possesses its
+own. There are none which are the property of companies or are common to
+certain villages.
+
+[Illustration: SAILING CANOE.]
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOODEN ANCHORS.]
+
+[Illustration: TOP VIEW OF AN AINU CANOE.]
+
+The track between Ubahu and Urakawa is rough, and the rivers are
+somewhat troublesome. Not far from the Mitsuashi river one has to pass a
+tunnel which has been made through a rock projecting into the sea. In
+rough weather it is difficult and dangerous to get through, as the waves
+wash right through the tunnel. In fair weather it affords a safe passage
+to the traveller.
+
+The Matourabets (the winter fishing river) was successfully waded, and
+the Ikantai[10] village passed. Then at Urakawa or Urapets (the fish
+river) I made a halt for the night. There are many half-breeds at
+Urakawa, and a few real Ainu, but the small population is composed
+mostly of Japanese fishermen.
+
+    [10] _Ikan_, a canal made by salmon on river-beds to lay their
+         spawn; _tai_ thick.
+
+Seven and a half miles further, at Shama-ne--a corruption of _Shuna_,
+stones, and _ne_, together--there are some magnificent granite pillars
+boldly standing out of the sea. The sandy beach came to an end, and huge
+cliffs barred my way in front. I could see that the water was not very
+deep round these rocks, as the waves were breaking a long distance from
+the cliff, a sure sign of shallow water, though even then it might have
+been too deep for my ponies to go through. With great difficulty I got
+the two brutes into the sea, trying to round the large rocks for the
+better ground, which I hoped to find on the other side. The tide was
+low, but the sea was still rough, and nearly every wave as it came in
+went right over my ponies, frightening them, and made them extremely
+difficult to hold. The instinct of self-preservation made them rush for
+the cliff, with the only result that they missed their footing, and they
+and I were both swept away by the next receding wave. I was carried off
+the saddle, but I had sufficient presence of mind to hold on to the
+bridle. An awful struggle ensued between my ponies and myself. Each wave
+that came carried and knocked us one way, each wave that retired carried
+and knocked us the other. In the midst of all this danger I suddenly
+remembered that some years ago a lady who knew all about palmistry
+prophesied that I should one day be drowned.
+
+Had the day come now? Not if energy and perseverance would avert the
+doom! After a long struggle, I succeeded in pulling my horses where the
+water was a little shallower, and there we three stood for some minutes,
+trembling with cold, my two ponies looking reproachfully at me with
+those half-human eyes of animals when forced into positions of danger
+which they can neither understand nor overcome. It is wonderful the
+amount of expression that horses have in their eyes, and how plainly one
+can read their dumb thoughts and formless emotions!
+
+From the point where I was standing I could see that I had to go on but
+a few hundred feet more, and that then my ponies and I would be safe.
+Sure enough, the water grew shallower and shallower, and, to my delight,
+I was soon on the other side of the cliff. At high tide, and in very
+rough weather, it is impossible to pass by this ocean-ford.
+
+Shamane is a picturesque little fishing village, built on the side of a
+promontory jutting out into the sea. From there, looking towards
+Urakawa, there is a lovely view of all the small islands and
+picturesque rocks, standing like huge jewels in the water, while on the
+Horoizumi side, as far as the eye can see, there are only cliffs of
+peculiar shapes, and marvellously rich in colour.
+
+I got two fresh animals, and pursued my journey towards Horoizumi.
+Rocks, rocks, nothing but rocks! My ponies stumbled and slipped all the
+time, and for eighteen miles the riding was hard and intricate. I had to
+lead my ponies most of the way, and help them, pull them, or push them,
+from one rock on to another, and down the next, and so on.
+
+The scenery all along was magnificent and grand. A short distance from
+Shamane a large natural archway emerges from the sea, which is called by
+the Ainu, Shui-shma, "a hole in stone."
+
+Holes have been pierced through the rocks in several places, to give
+comparative safe passage, and to prevent wayfarers from being carried
+away by the waves. Over the entrance of one of these tunnels a pretty
+waterfall, descending from a great height, gives a poetic effect to the
+scene, while it obliges the unfortunate traveller to take an extremely
+cold shower-bath, should he wish to push forward on his journey.
+
+As if all these discomforts combined were not enough, it is to be added
+that the rivers in this part of the coast, though not wide, are
+extremely swift and dangerous to cross. My second pony was carried away
+by the strong current when I crossed the Poro-nam-bets,[11] and I had
+great difficulty in rescuing him.
+
+    [11] _Poro_, large; _nam_, cold; _bets_, river.
+
+At Shamane there are a few Ainu, but from there to Horoizumi I saw none.
+
+Sardines are very plentiful all along this coast, and long seaweeds also
+abound. The latter is used for export, chiefly to China. Horoizumi, a
+nice little village of one hundred and fifty houses, is the most
+picturesque in Yezo. It is built on the slopes of a high cliff, and it
+reminds one much of the pretty villages in the Gulf of Spezia. I arrived
+at sunset, and the warm red and yellow tints which the dying orb of day
+was shedding on the weather-beaten brownish houses, gave a heavenly
+appearance to this very earthly place. As I got nearer, a good deal of
+the heavenly had to be discarded, for the odours of fish-manure and of
+seaweed are two smells which can hardly claim to be classed under that
+heading. The inhabitants of the place themselves seem to feel the
+ill-effects of constantly living in that corrupted atmosphere and on a
+fish and seaweed diet; for, indeed, it is revolting to see the amount of
+horrible cutaneous diseases which affect them. One hardly sees one
+creature out of ten that is not covered with a repulsive eruption of
+some sort. Leprosy, too, has found its way among the fishermen; and my
+readers can easily imagine how pleasant it was for me, when I was
+sketching, to be surrounded by a crowd of these loathsome people, who
+all wished to touch my clothes and all my belongings, and who would even
+lean on my back and rub their heads against mine, when trying to get a
+better view of the sketch.
+
+Poor things! I never had the courage to scold and send them away. It was
+enough that they were afflicted, and I did not like to add humiliation
+to their other sorrows by showing them my disgust.
+
+I rode on to Erimo-zaki, or Rat Cape. Thick fogs are prevalent during
+the summer months along the whole of the south-east coast, of which
+Erimo-zaki is the most southern cape. It is the terminating point of the
+backbone of the main portion of Yezo, which extends from Cape Soya to
+Cape Erimo from N.NW. to S.SE. A lighthouse has lately been erected on
+the cliffs by the Japanese Maritime Department, and a steam fog-horn has
+also been provided for the greater safety of navigation, as a reef of
+rocks and a stretch of shallow water extend out in the sea for about two
+and a half miles from the coast.
+
+The foghorn, I was informed, was only blown when the lighthouse-keeper
+suspected some ship was likely to make for the rocks! A likely thing,
+indeed!
+
+"But how are you to know, especially when there is a thick fog on?" I
+asked.
+
+"So few ships pass near here," was the reply; "and it would not be much
+use keeping steam up all the time to blow the horn, considering that we
+have fog during nearly four months in the year."
+
+"Then," I could not help remarking, "I expect you only light the
+lighthouse when there is going to be a wreck?"
+
+"Oh, no; we show the light every night."
+
+This was just like the Japanese! Owing to the imperfectness of
+charts--none delineating correctly that part of the coast--the strong
+currents, the thick fogs, and the dangerous reefs, there could not be a
+more perilous coast for navigation than that which terminates in Cape
+Erimo. The ships which go from Shanghai, or some of the ports in the
+Petchili Gulf in China, to North American ports, often steer this course
+through the Tsugaru Strait and pass directly south of Cape Erimo. Thus
+the _Mary Tatham_ (an English screw-steamer), while on her journey from
+Shanghai to Oregon, was lost in 1882, with nearly all lives on board,
+about two miles from this cape.
+
+At the foot of the Erimo cliffs is a small fishing village called Okos.
+The sea is shallow at this place, and there are many low-lying reefs
+which afford abundance of kelp and seaweeds.
+
+A short time before I arrived at Okos a man had gone out in his boat to
+save some nets in which a large fish had got entangled. His boat
+capsized, and he was drowned. His wife was in a dreadful state of mind,
+not for the loss of her better half, but for the more irreparable loss
+of the nets.
+
+The distance between Horoizumi and Cape Erimo is seven and a half miles,
+and the track is exceedingly rough in many places. Nearly half-way
+between the last-mentioned village and the cape are the three high
+pillars called _Utarop_, which are represented in the illustration at
+the head of the chapter.
+
+As it was impossible to take my ponies along the few miles between Cape
+Erimo and Shoya, following the precipitous coast, I retraced my steps to
+Horoizumi, meaning to attempt the mountain pass the next morning.
+
+[Illustration: ERIMO CAPE.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: A NATURAL STONE ARCHWAY NEAR SHOYA.]
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+From Cape Erimo to the Tokachi River
+
+
+The mountain pass between Horoizumi and Shoya is supposed to be very
+dangerous on account of bears. I rode the ten miles quietly, but failed
+to meet or see any. The way through thick woods is exceedingly pretty.
+After traversing a small valley with a dense growth of scrub-bamboo, it
+climbs a small hill, from the top of which a lovely view of Cape Erimo
+lies like a picture before one's eyes. There are only thirty houses at
+Shoya, and the place could not be better described than by the words "a
+miserable hole." The rough weather, as well as several landslips, had
+some time before my arrival broken all communication between Shoya and
+the next village east of it. There is a rough mountain trail as far as
+Saruru, but my ponies could not possibly get through the scrub-wood and
+heavy climbing, and none of the natives could be induced to carry my
+luggage. They all positively refused to follow me on account of the
+multitude of bears which they said were on the mountains.
+
+"If the sea goes down," said an old fisherman, "you may be able to get
+through early to-morrow morning at low tide; and, if you are careful,
+you will not be washed away by the waves." The cliffs near Shoya are
+remarkable for their beauty. They are mostly older eruptive rocks which
+nature has carved into hundreds of rugged and fantastic forms. About a
+mile from the village is a huge natural archway, and from this point
+begin the precipitous cliffs, pillars, and rocks which make the journey
+so difficult.
+
+At Shoya there are no pure Ainu, but some of the fishermen exhibit
+traces of Ainu blood. My recollection of Shoya is decidedly not of a
+pleasant character. I put up in the house of a fisherman, which also
+answers the purpose of a tea-house for the few stranded native
+travellers.
+
+"We are so poor," said the landlord when I asked for something to eat,
+"and we have finished our provisions of rice. The other people in the
+village are poorer than we are, and they also have none; and as for
+fish, the sea has been so rough for several days that we have not been
+able to catch any. We ate the last scrap of fish we had just before you
+arrived! If you gave me a fortune, I could not give you anything to
+eat."
+
+When the landlord confessed this to me in the evening, I had already
+been fourteen hours without food. The prospect of not getting any more
+for at least the next eighteen or twenty hours was not an agreeable
+look-out. I was very hungry, but, failing a meal, the next best thing
+was to try and go to sleep. Even that did not prove successful, for
+hunger keeps you awake, and in its first stages sharpens all your senses
+considerably.
+
+The night I spent at Shoya is worthy of a description. From top to
+bottom the corners of my room were filled with webs, which the spiders
+had spun undisturbed in all directions across the room. Hundreds of
+flies and horseflies rose buzzing when I entered the room, and I had to
+engage in a very unequal war against them before I could settle down on
+the hard planks. In one corner of the ceiling a big, long-legged spider,
+too high for me to reach, was enjoying a good meal out of a huge
+horsefly which he had captured in his net. I almost envied the
+long-legged epicure. Nature will be ironical sometimes. When night came,
+and I was still sleepless, the planks on which I was lying seemed harder
+than any planks I had ever slept on before. I turned round one way,
+then the other, then another, till all my bones were aching. Finally,
+through exhaustion, I fell asleep, and even had a nightmare. In my
+dreams, the ghosts of all the spiders I had killed, magnified to the
+size of human beings, were dancing round me, while one fat old
+fellow--fatter than any two others put together--was gravely sitting on
+my chest watching the performance. His weight was such that I was nearly
+suffocated. Sometimes he would seize me by the throat and almost choke
+me, while the dancing spiders would choke themselves with laughing ...
+when--
+
+"_Hayaku Danna!_"--"Quick, sir!" said a Japanese voice, waking me
+suddenly; "get up, or else the tide will rise, and you will not be able
+to get to Saruru."
+
+I opened my eyes; the dream passed, and the monstrous spiders vanished;
+but the pain caused by the emptiness of my stomach was still there, and
+my throat was dry and aching.
+
+It was before sunrise, and it was almost in complete darkness that I
+left Shoya. I was weak and chilly. The monotonous sound of the waves
+breaking over the shore added melancholy to _malaise_, and made me very
+doleful and limp. Nevertheless, as I was in for it, I pushed my way with
+my ponies along high cliffs and among rocks, and got on as best I could.
+
+Where the sea had receded the stones were slippery, and my two animals
+were no sooner on their feet than they were down again on their knees.
+The hollow sound of their hoofs on the rocks was echoed from cliff to
+cliff, and awakened the sleepy crows from their night's repose. I had to
+walk most of the way, and urge on my ponies with howls, as well as stir
+them up with the whip. Though the tide was low, the waves often washed
+up to my waist. Daylight came, and I went along, following the high,
+rugged cliffs, through tunnels occasionally, among rocks continually.
+The scenery was really magnificent, seen as it was in the mysterious
+morning light of the rising sun. My horses were done up when I got to
+Saruru, and I exchanged them for fresh ones. By this time the tide had
+risen, and it was not possible to proceed any further along the
+sea-shore. I was glad of it, as I should thus be forced to try the
+mountain track, which I was told was not so very rough from this point.
+A half-caste offered to show me the way. It was a very stiff climb among
+thick shrub, but it was comparatively smooth work after the experience
+of my journey from Shoya. I came across many tracks and footprints of
+bears on the mountain. In some places the marks were quite fresh and of
+different sizes, varying in length from one foot to four inches. The
+half-caste told me that black bears seldom attack men unless they are
+hungry. They often attack horses.
+
+"But if they hear that a man is near they will not dare to attack even
+the horses," he said, and then began to sing at the top of his voice.
+His singing, half Japanese, half Ainu, was so excruciating that it was
+no wonder to me that it kept the bears away.
+
+We crossed two rapid streams before reaching the summit of the mountain
+range. The view from the summit was lovely. In the distance I could
+distinguish two headlands, while an immense stretch of stormy sea and a
+high mountain were in the foreground. I began to descend, and again I
+got into the region of thick forest and scrub. I perceived a few houses
+near the coast, and we made for them. It was the village of Moyoro,[12]
+or Biru, as it is called by others.
+
+    [12] Moyoro. _Moy_, a bay; _oro_, to be in.
+
+Between Saruru and Biru, where the mountain track sometimes descends to
+the shore, I found many Ainu and half-breeds, especially in the two
+villages of Onnito[13] and Bitatannuki.[14] They are said to be very
+bad, and what I saw of them, even at Biru, corroborated this assertion.
+
+    [13] Onnito. _Onni_ or _Onne_, great, large; _to_, lake, swamp.
+
+    [14] Bitatannuki. _Bita_, to undo; _tannu_, long; _ki_, rushes,
+         reeds.
+
+Biru is situated on a small bay, in the centre of which some gigantic
+pillars stand out at a great height. The rough sea dashes against them,
+and thousands of crows and sea-birds have chosen these rocks for their
+abode. Biru is not a large village. There are only forty fishermen's
+huts, most of which are on the high cliff surrounding the small bay; the
+others are down on the beach. Kelp, seaweed, and sardines are as
+abundant here as on the south-west coast, and maintain the staple
+industries of the inhabitants. The sea-weed is of great length but small
+width. Fourteen more miles over the cliffs brought me to Perohune.[15]
+There were four large deltas to cross, that of the Toyoi-pets[16] being
+the largest. The current in all these rivers is extremely swift.
+
+    [15] _Pero_ or _Pira_, cliff; _Hune_, _Hun_, a particle indicating
+         the existence of something at a place.
+
+    [16] _Toy_, earth; _o_, (?) _i_, a place; _pets,_ river.
+
+Perohune enjoys a big name, but there is only one house in the place. I
+was, however, fortunate enough to get two good ponies there. The fog was
+settling down thicker and thicker, and I could not see more than a yard
+or two in front of me; but at times it lifted up for a few moments, and
+showed me either the dangers I was nearing or the landscape I was
+losing. I passed two lakes, the Tobuts,[17] otherwise called Oputs, and
+the Yuto. Both are divided from the sea by a narrow sand-ridge. There is
+but little of human interest along this deserted coast. There are no
+houses and no people, but many small rivers, and now and then high
+cliffs. My ponies, driven mad by the _abus_, the terrible horseflies of
+Yezo, constantly threw themselves down and rolled on the sand.
+
+    [17] _To_, lake, swamp; _buts_, mouth of a river. _O_, a meaningless
+         prefix; _puts_, mouth of a river.
+
+From Perohune to Yuto Lake the distance is about eleven miles, and from
+Yuto to Otsu it is eleven more miles, on a very easy track. I saw some
+large sea-birds and penguins, and I was struck by the great number of
+drift logs which had been washed on shore by the sea. The last
+thirty-eight miles of the coast was literally covered with this drift
+wood. During the summer months the fog is always dense along this coast,
+greatly owing to a cold current which comes from the Otkoshk Sea, passes
+through the strait between Kunashiri and Etorofu, in the Kuriles, and
+then turns south, following a great part of the south-east coast of
+Yezo. Not far from Erimo Cape it meets a warm current from the China
+Sea, which passes through the Tsugaru Strait, and which in all
+probability is the Kuro-shiwo, or Japan current. This Japan current
+parts from the main stream near the south-western extremity of Japan,
+goes through the Corean Strait, and follows the north-west coast of
+Nippon, passing then through the Tsugaru Strait. As will be seen later,
+a branch of this current runs along the north-west coast of Yezo, and
+through the La Perouse Strait.
+
+[Illustration: IWA ROCKS AT BIRU.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU HOUSES AND STOREHOUSE, FRISHIKOBETS, TOKACHI RIVER.]
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+The Tokachi Region--Pure Ainu Types--Curious Mode of River Fishing.
+
+
+The Tokachi River is one of the largest and most important in Yezo.
+Knowing that the Ainu either settle on the sea-shore or up
+river-courses, I formed an idea that some good types were to be found up
+this river. On reaching Otsu, a small settlement at the mouth of the
+Otsugawa--a branch of the large delta formed by the Tokachi--my idea was
+confirmed by the report that there were no Japanese villages in the
+interior. The expedition up the Tokachi River was by no means easy from
+the accounts I heard at Otsu. None of the Japanese ever dare to
+penetrate into the interior from Otsu, and, so far as foreigners are
+concerned, the Tokachi River was utterly unexplored. There is a certain
+charm in being the first man to do something, and I decided to attempt
+the experiment. The Japanese of Otsu dissuaded me strongly from carrying
+out my plan; for they said the grass and reeds were so high that I could
+not possibly get through.
+
+"It is a kind of a jungle, in fact," said they, "in which yellow and
+black bears are plentiful. The rivers, which are numerous, are swollen
+by the heavy rains that have fallen lately. The natives up the river are
+unsociable and bad, and they will kill you. Then in the high grass
+horse-flies, black-flies, and mosquitoes abound."
+
+"If you attempt it alone," said the wise man of the party, "you will not
+come back alive."
+
+These reports were not encouraging, but, anyhow, I determined that,
+Irish as it may sound, _dead_ or _alive_, if there were any Ainu up the
+stream I would see them. Owing to the difficulty of taking even my usual
+baggage, and not wishing to burden my ponies with more than was
+necessary, I decided to carry with me only a paint-box, many wooden
+sketching panels, my diary, and my revolver. I left all my other things
+at Otsu to wait for my return.
+
+"Should you not come back again, can I keep all your belongings as my
+property?" kindly enquired the landlord of the tea-house, when I bade
+good-bye to him and to all the villagers who had collected round early
+in the morning to see me start.
+
+I took two ponies, as usual. I left Otsu at dawn, and followed as well
+as I could the winding course of the river. Not far from Otsu I came to
+the thick jungle of high reeds and tall grass of which I had already
+heard. I made my way through the first obstructions; but I had not been
+in the jungle more than a few minutes when I was simply devoured by
+horse-flies, mosquitoes, and black-flies. My ponies were kicking,
+bucking, and trying to bolt, as they also were literally covered with
+horse-flies, sucking their blood and stinging them to madness. The reeds
+and grass were about ten or twelve feet high, so that, being higher than
+myself on my horse, I could not see where I was going. I kept along the
+river bank as much as I could; but in many places it was difficult to
+get through the ravines which one invariably finds along rivers, so I
+kept a little way off on the west side, and had the noise of the running
+river to guide me. For many wearisome hours I rode through this jungle,
+the dividing reeds continually rubbing against my face, arms, and legs,
+sometimes making pretty deep cuts with their razor-edged long leaves.
+The huge _shirau_--the horse-flies--grew more and more tiresome as the
+sun got warmer, and my head and hands were swollen and bleeding. The sun
+was by this time high in the sky, but there were no signs of the jungle
+coming to an end, no indications of huts anywhere near--no other noise
+but the sound of the crashing reeds and the running water of the river.
+My ponies were feeding well, as grass was plentiful; but I was faring
+badly. What with the exertion of keeping the ponies in order, while the
+densely-entangled reeds nearly dragged me off the saddle--what with the
+plague of mosquitoes and horse-flies, added to the sense of weakness
+caused by fatigue and hunger--it was really a terrible time for me--one
+of the worst episodes in my life. Nevertheless, I persevered, and went
+on and on, determined to reach my destination. I came upon two very
+large swamps, which forced me to make a wide _d�tour_. The ponies were
+very tired, and so was I. When darkness set in I halted, took the heavy
+pack-saddles off the ponies, and tied the animals to them, so that they
+could not bolt during the night; and wearied, disheartened, and
+discouraged as I was, I began to think how stupid I had been to start on
+such an expedition without carrying any provisions with me--without
+having provided myself with even a tent or a covering of any kind.
+
+Circumstances made me a philosopher. What is the use of worrying about
+things that cannot be helped? After all, when you get accustomed to it,
+starving is really not so bad as people think. One of my ponies was of a
+sentimental disposition, and he seemed to understand my troubles. He
+came close and rubbed himself against me, placing his head near mine. It
+was touching, and in the solitude in which I was the sympathy of the
+dumb beast was as precious as that of a human being. Had he been able to
+speak, he might have been taken for a Christian, and a good one, too! He
+had been fearfully stung by horse-flies, and my petting him seemed to
+alleviate his pain. There is nothing like sympathy and a little personal
+kindness if one wants to make friends with animals. The last few rays of
+light were spent in putting together the notes which I had taken during
+the day, and which enabled me to draw a sketch-map of the river. At
+Horoizumi some days previously I was able to buy myself a compass from
+a Japanese fisherman, and on this occasion it was extremely useful to
+me.
+
+By the soft, or rather shrill, music of a full orchestra of mosquitoes I
+fell asleep. It was poetic, but not comfortable. Strange noises woke me
+several times during the night. My ponies also were very restless, and
+repeatedly tried to get loose while I was lying down on the two saddles
+to which they were fastened.
+
+It was some time after sunrise when I woke up, and with stiff bones set
+off again. A heavy dew had fallen during the night, and had made my
+clothes very damp. The reeds and grass also were saturated with water,
+and riding through them caused a continuous shower to fall over me,
+giving me an uncomfortable and by no means efficient kind of shower
+bath.
+
+I rode in a westerly direction till about two or three in the afternoon,
+when suddenly the jungle came to an end. Not only that, but a short
+distance away I saw some Ainu huts. I soon reached them, dismounted, and
+tied my ponies to a tree. I went to the first hut, and previous to going
+in I called out: "Hem, hem, hem, hem!" which in the Ainu country is the
+polite preliminary when a stranger wishes to enter a hut. The usual
+practice of _knocking_ at the door is dispensed with, for Ainu doorways
+have no doors.
+
+"Hem, hem, hem, hem, hem!" called I again much louder, but I heard no
+answer; so I lifted the mat and entered the hut. It was empty. No one
+was there. I came out again, and went into the next hut, into another,
+and yet another; but nobody was to be found. I supposed that they were
+all out fishing. From the roof in each hut was hanging some dried and
+half-dried salmon. I could not resist the temptation after nearly
+thirty-four hours of involuntary fasting; and I stole--I mean
+"conveyed," or helped myself to the largest fish. I was greedily eating
+it--and how good it was!--when I thought I heard a groan inside the hut.
+I listened, and I distinctly heard some one sniffing in a corner of the
+dark dwelling. Had I been caught stealing? The crime I had committed
+would be called felony at home, but in the Ainu country it has not
+nearly so bad a name as that. However, felony or not, I dropped the
+fish, or rather what remained of it, and made for the corner whence the
+noise came. As I got closer I discerned a mass of white hair and two
+claws, almost like thin human feet with long hooked nails. A few
+fish-bones scattered on the ground and a lot of filth were massed
+together in that corner; and the disgusting odours these exhaled were
+beyond measure horrible.
+
+"What the devil is that!" I said aloud in my own native tongue. I could
+hear someone breathing heavily under that mass of white hair, but I
+could not make out the shape of a human body. I touched the hair, I
+pulled it, and with a groan, and movements similar to those of a snake
+uncoiling itself, two thin bony arms suddenly stretched out and clasped
+my hand. As my eyes were getting accustomed to the dim light I thought I
+saw some almost worn-out tattoo marks on her arms. Yes, it was a woman
+in that corner, though her limbs were merely skin and bone, and her long
+hair and long nails gave her a ghastly appearance. Indeed, crouched as
+she was, doubled up, with her head on her knees, and the long hair
+falling over her face and shoulders, it was really difficult to make out
+what she was.
+
+I asked her to come out, but she was apparently deaf and dumb. I dragged
+her out, and she made but little resistance; only she preferred crawling
+on her hands and knees to walking upright on her feet. There is no
+accounting for people's tastes, and I let her please herself in her
+manner of locomotion. When she was fairly out in the light I shivered as
+I looked at the miserable being before me. I lifted up her hair to see
+the face. Her eyebrows were thick and shaggy, and were joined over the
+nose. Her eyes were half closed, and dead-looking. The strong light
+seemed to affect her, and with her hands she was feeling the ground,
+probably in order to retrace her steps back to the dark spot. Nature
+could not have inflicted more evils on that wretched creature. She was
+nearly blind, deaf, and dumb; she apparently suffered from rheumatism,
+which had doubled up her body and stiffened her bony arms and legs; and,
+moreover, she showed many of the symptoms of leprosy. Altogether, she
+was painful, horrible, disgusting, and humiliating to contemplate.
+
+I went back to my ponies to fetch my paint-box. During my absence there
+had collected round them half-a-dozen Ainu. They did not know what to
+think of the appearance of the two animals, and the few articles
+fastened to the pack-saddle were regarded with suspicion. When I
+appeared on the scene their astonishment was even greater, and it
+reached its climax when I saluted them in the Ainu fashion, and told
+them that I was a friend of the Ainu. I unfastened my paint-box and went
+back to the old woman. She was still where I had left her. All the Ainu
+present followed me, and when I squatted down they did the same in a
+semicircle round me. My wretched model attempted several times to crawl
+inside the hut, but as I was sitting close to her, I prevented her from
+doing so. There she sat in the most extraordinary position, with her
+head resting on her left hand, and the stiff fingers of her right hand
+pressed on the ground. One leg was bent up and the other was folded,
+resting on the ground and on the foot of the first. She was sniffing the
+wind, and making efforts to see with her half-blind eyes.
+
+[Illustration: MADWOMAN OF YAMMAKKA.]
+
+It is hardly necessary to say that I did not keep my model longer than
+was strictly necessary, and when the sketch was finished I took her by
+the arm, brought her back into the hut, and led her to her favourite
+corner. There she crouched herself again, as I had found her; and there
+I left her, to bear the miseries of her life, till death, the cure of
+all woes, shall take away her soul, if not her body, from the filth she
+had lived in. She was neither ill-treated nor taken care of by the
+villagers or by her son, who lived in the same hut; but she was regarded
+as a worthless object, and treated accordingly. A fish was occasionally
+flung to her, as one would to a beast, and in such a condition this
+human being had lived, or rather existed, apparently for several years.
+Not a word was uttered by the villagers during the few minutes I took to
+paint the sketch. I turned round to inspect my new friends. Others had
+come up, and these men and women, hairy and partly naked, squatting down
+amidst filth, and driven half mad by the horse-flies and black-flies,
+looked just like a large family of restless monkeys. They were gentle
+and kind--much more so than any of their more civilised brethren; and
+one of them, a fine old man, came forward when I came out of the hut and
+wished me to go and see a big yellow bear they had captured. I went, and
+near the man's hut, in a rough square cage made of crossed branches of
+trees, was Bruin grinding his teeth as we drew near. In a sing-song
+monotone the man told me the story of the hunt, and how the bear had
+been captured. Then we went from one hut to another all through the
+village. Yamakubiro is the name given to the huts taken collectively,
+but the man took good care to explain to me that one part of the village
+(numbering only seven houses) was called Tchiota, and the other, a short
+distance away, was named Yammakka. Tchiota in the Ainu language means
+"dead-sand," and Yammakka is "land in behind."
+
+Yammakka has ten huts. The hut in which I had to put up was more than
+filthy, and I had a sort of presentiment that my landlord was a
+scoundrel. He saw me giving a small silver Japanese coin to a girl I had
+painted. From that moment I noticed his eyes were continually fixed on
+my waistcoat pocket, out of which I had taken the coin. However, I did
+not think much of that, as all Ainu are fond of beads, metals, or
+anything that shines. When the evening came I tried to go to sleep on
+the hard planks, as usual. There is undoubtedly more _board_ than
+_lodging_ about Ainu accommodation. Myriads of Taikkis, the tiny but
+troublesome and uninvited guests of all dirty dwellings, did me the
+honour to sup off the few drops of blood which remained in my veins. I
+owed it to a bottle of Keating's Powder that I was not carried away
+bodily by them. I felt cold and feverish, and having no civilised
+bed-clothes to cover me, I slept with my clothes on; and this the more
+willingly, as I felt an instinctive mistrust of my host, and I thought
+it was as well to be ready for any emergency.
+
+A few salmon were hanging right over my nose. They hung low, but they
+smelt high. I had been given a place in the south-west corner of the
+hut, and my landlord retired to the north-east corner. Though this may
+sound very far, my host was really not more than a few feet away from
+me. He apparently thought that I had gone to sleep, for I heard him
+creep to my side. I could not see him, being in absolute darkness, but
+though he was evidently holding his breath, I could feel the warmth of
+his face near mine. He was listening to hear if I were asleep. I kept
+quiet, and pretended to snore. This gave him courage, and sliding his
+hand gently along my arm, he came to a pocket in my coat. He began to
+explore it--but the Ainu are an unfortunate people even when they try to
+steal. He had got hold of a pocket with no bottom to it--a common
+occurrence in my coats. The more he explored, the more he found there
+was to explore. I am fond myself of explorations, and I have no
+objection to a fellow-being, hairy or not hairy, "prospecting" my empty
+pockets or my pockets which have no bottom to them. However, my host was
+not satisfied with the first results of his researches, and with his
+hand still through the torn lining of the coat-pocket proceeded to
+investigate the contents of my waistcoat pockets. This was a different
+matter altogether, and catching hold of him before he was able to
+disentangle himself, I swung his arm away and hit him hard on the head
+with my right fist.
+
+"Wooi!" cried he in despair, and half stunned, as he scrambled away as
+best he could to his north-east corner. By way of apology and excuse,
+and with a trembling voice, the man from his corner said that he had
+only come to sleep on my side of the hut, as the wind was blowing strong
+where he had lain down, and that my side was warmer. A good excuse
+indeed when you are caught _flagrante delicto_ pickpocketing!
+
+The salmon which my host gave me last night for dinner and this morning
+for breakfast was so rotten, that, hungry as I was, I could not eat it.
+From Yammakka, in a westerly direction, the way begins with a gentle
+incline; therefore there is a complete absence of the high and
+troublesome reeds which I had found in the vast marshy plain I had
+crossed on my way here from the coast. I intended pushing on to
+Frishikobets, a larger village some miles off. The old scoundrel wanted
+to accompany me part of the way, saying that there were two dangerous
+rivers to cross, and he would show me where to wade them. I fancied that
+they were as dangerous as they were imaginary, and I started off
+declining his offer. I came across several Ainu huts on my way, passed
+the village of Pensatsunai--six Ainu huts--on the Satsunai river, an
+affluent of the Tokachi, and then arrived at Obishiro in the afternoon.
+There are seven houses at Obishiro. I entered one of them, and to my
+astonishment I found myself in front of an old man and a pretty woman,
+whose appearance and manners were as refined as those of the better
+classes in Japan. A younger man also came in. Their astonishment was as
+great as mine, as they had not seen any civilised beings since they had
+been there. Though the outside of their dwelling was not prepossessing,
+the inside was so clean that I felt as if I had dropped into heaven.
+After what I had gone through, this unexpected _rencontre_ brought me
+back to life and a belief in the proprieties of a civilised existence,
+almost forgotten by now!
+
+These people had a romantic history. Watanabe Masaru--the younger
+man--was a Japanese gentleman by birth and education, but he had no
+fortune. Of an adventurous disposition, clever, sensitive, and tired of
+the conventionalities of his fatherland, he decided eight or ten years
+ago to emigrate to Hokkaido, and there lead the life of a colonist. The
+woman he loved was as brave and constant as he. She sailed with him and
+her father from Japan, and after a long and perilous journey in a junk
+(sailing boat), they landed at the mouth of the Tokachi River. In Ainu
+canoes they went up the river, and established themselves at Obishiro,
+far from civilisation, nearly in the centre of Yezo. At first they had a
+great deal of trouble with the natives, but now they are loved by all.
+There, with two lovely children, they lead an ideal life, far from the
+madding crowd and noise of the world, and freed from the vulgarity of
+society.
+
+I rode on to Frishikobets village, situated on the Frishiko, "old
+river," and in the midst of a beautiful plain. There are only
+twenty-eight houses, and they are scattered about in the plain at a
+distance of several hundred yards one from the other. Some of the huts
+were hidden in the forest. A peculiarity of the Ainu of the Upper
+Tokachi River is, that they frequently cover their dwellings and
+storehouses with the bark of trees, instead of with reeds, as is the
+custom among the Ainu of the Saru River and Volcano Bay.
+
+I was told here again that Ainu women often suckle small bears at their
+breasts so as to fatten them up for the festival; and one not
+infrequently sees the women in Ainu households chewing food, and letting
+the young cub take it from their lips.
+
+These Ainu are much more interesting as types, and also much purer in
+race, than either the Piratori or the Volcano Bay Ainu. A learned
+missionary, who has not himself visited these people, writes as follows
+regarding them:--"The Ainu of the Tokapchi district, in Yezo, are spoken
+of as having been particularly addicted to this kind of warfare (night
+raids against each other, in which the men were murdered, and the women
+stolen and used as slaves or kept as concubines), and are even now held
+in abhorrence by the people of some villages. They are said not only to
+have murdered people, but also to have eaten some of them. They were,
+therefore, cannibals, and I have heard them spoken of as 'eaters of
+their own kind.'"[18]
+
+    [18] Rev. John Batchelor, 'The Ainu of Japan,' chap. xx.
+
+From my own personal experience--and I may add I am the only foreigner
+who has seen these Tokachi, or as others call them, Tokapchi Ainu--I
+came to a conclusion very different from this. I found that not only
+were they not cannibals, but that, taken altogether, they were the most
+peaceable, gentle, and kind Ainu I came across during my peregrinations
+through the land of the hairy people. Indeed, I am sorry to say that it
+is not savagery that makes the Ainu bad, but it is civilisation that
+demoralises them. The only place in Yezo where I was actually
+ill-treated by Ainu, as my readers will remember, is the village where
+they were said to be "very civilised."
+
+I have no wish to force my opinion on the public as the correct one. I
+do but describe what I have actually seen in a district in which others
+who have written on this subject have never set foot, and I leave it to
+my readers to judge who has most claim to be heard.
+
+The language of the Tokachi Ainu varies considerably from the language
+spoken in more civilised districts, and none of the natives up the river
+could speak Japanese when I was there.
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOMAN OF FRISHIKOBETS, ON THE TOKACHI RIVER.]
+
+Unfortunately, the Ainu of this region are not very numerous, and
+constant intermarriage among near relations has proved detrimental to
+the race. However, a glance at them is quite sufficient to show the
+difference between them and Ainu of other tribes. They are not so
+picturesquely arrayed as their more western brothers, and the large
+Japanese brass and silver earrings, as well as the glass bead necklaces
+which make such a brave show yonder, are replaced here by rough bone or
+wooden ornaments. Men and women in summer are almost entirely naked, and
+all children are clad in their own bare skins only. Their winter
+garments are made of bear and deer skins. Some peculiar snow-sandals,
+made of the bark of a kind of ash-tree called _shina_, are sometimes
+worn over the winter salmon-skin boots or moccasins. The Ainu make their
+ropes out of the bark of this _shina_, though often young vine stems are
+used for the same purpose. River fishing-nets are generally made of
+young vines twisted. They are of the roughest description, and are only
+fit for rivers where fish is abundant, as in the Yezo watercourses. The
+Ainu at Frishikobets took very kindly to sitting for their portraits,
+and one after the other--all the best types--were immortalised either in
+oils or in pencil. Strange to say, I came across another old woman, a
+lunatic, very similar to the one I saw at Yammakka. Her face was that of
+a witch, her eyebrows joining downwards somewhat in the shape of an
+owl's beak. Her long pale hands and face, and the long wild hair
+covering half her face, gave her a striking appearance. She had,
+however, not yet reached the stage of imbecility which her Yammakka
+sister had attained. Lunacy is very common among the Ainu, and the
+unfortunate creature thus afflicted seems to lose not only the respect,
+but also the pity, as well as care, of all the others, and is treated by
+them as a worthless animal.
+
+After crossing the Frishikobets River, some distance off, on the east
+side of the Tokachi River, are the villages of Upar-penai,[19]
+twenty-one Ainu huts, Memuro-puto,[20] sixteen huts, and Ottoinnai,[21]
+fourteen huts. Then comes Kinney, with seven houses; and finally
+Nitumap,[22] the last village on the Tokachi River, has as many as
+thirty-six houses.
+
+    [19] _U_, place; _par_, mouth; _pe_, undrinkable water; _nai_,
+         stream; _Upar-penai_, a place at the mouth of a stream of
+         undrinkable water.
+
+    [20] _Me_, in front; _mu_, sheltered spot in a river; _ro_, track;
+         _puto_, mouth of river; _Memuro-puto_, track in front of a
+         sheltered spot at the mouth of a river.
+
+    [21] _Otto_, into; _i_, a place; _nai_, stream; _Ottoinnai_, a place
+         in a stream.
+
+    [22] _Nitumap_, open trunk of a tree.
+
+The huts of the Tokachi region are much smaller than those on the Saru
+River, and near many of them is a cage, in which a big yellow or black
+bear is confined. The natives told me that yellow and black bears were
+numerous in the neighbourhood. Deer (the _yuk_, male deer, and
+_mowambe_, female), were formerly plentiful, but now are very scarce. A
+few years ago a pestilence killed great numbers of them, and since then
+they have dwindled away.
+
+Not many miles from Frishikobets a huge cliff rises perpendicularly
+along the Shikarubets River. A landslip seems to have taken place, which
+leaves one side of the cliff perfectly bare and rugged, showing the
+strata composing the soil. It is of a light yellowish colour, and it is
+called by the Ainu the _Shikarubets Otchirsh_, which translated into
+English means "the white cliff on the bend of the river." This cliff
+stands very high, and can be seen from a great distance, especially in a
+north-east, east, or southerly direction. In winter, when the rushes and
+reeds are not so high in the south-eastern portion of the plain, the
+white cliff can be distinguished from the whole of the Tokachi valley.
+The Ainu themselves use the Shikarubets Otchirsh as a landmark when out
+hunting bears. Owing to its light colour it is visible even at night. I
+was anxious to ascend it, as I was sure no European foot had ever
+trodden on it before. Accompanied by Watanabe Masaru, I started out on
+horseback and crossed the Frishikobets village and river. Here we left
+our horses under the care of an Ainu till our return. We had to cross
+the Tokachi in an Ainu "dug-out," and then, proceeding for several miles
+in a northerly direction, we arrived at the foot of the mountain. It
+would have been impossible to climb it on the east side, as it is quite
+perpendicular; but we were fortunate in getting an Ainu called Unacharo,
+who said he knew a point from which we could ascend, and that he would
+show us the way. He had been hunting bears on that mountain, and he knew
+its slopes well; but as to the way which he was to show us, we had to
+make it for ourselves. With our large knives we were forced to break,
+cut, and tear the entangled branches of trees and shrubs before we could
+get on. We actually had to cut our way through the dense scrubwood until
+we reached the summit. The ascent was rather dangerous in some places,
+and extremely rough when going through the brushwood. We had to keep as
+much as possible near the edge of the cliff, for though it involved more
+danger if we slipped or stumbled, the entangled shrubs were not so thick
+on the edge as farther inland. Finally, after several hours' hard work,
+we reached the top, and were well repaid for our fatigues. The whole of
+the Tokachi valley was stretched before us as far as the sea, and almost
+the whole course of the winding river, with all its numerous affluents,
+could be distinguished like so many shining silver ribbons on the green
+background formed by the tall grass and reeds. As a farming region the
+Tokachi valley and high plains are certainly the most fertile in
+Hokkaido. All the requisites for successful agriculture can be found
+there. The absence of the mountain masses of volcanic rocks, so common
+all over Hokkaido, the richness of the soil, the quantity of water for
+irrigation or for motive power, besides the comparative facility of
+making roads on such flat ground, are qualities that good farmers do not
+generally despise. It is therefore a great pity to see all that Tokachi
+valley practically deserted and so much good land wasted. Hemp, wheat,
+corn, potatoes, beans, and all kinds of vegetables and cereals, could be
+grown with advantage, and the produce carried down the river to the sea
+without much difficulty and at little expense. At Yamakubiro the land
+begins to rise in a gentle slope, but only to form a plateau, of which
+the top is another large plain reaching to the foot of the Oputateishike
+mountain mass. The Otopke Mountain is the highest peak, and resembles in
+shape the Fujiama of Japan. On the north-east side of this mountain are
+the hot springs of Ni-piri-bets.[23] A kind of wood is said by the Ainu
+to be found near these hot springs which is good for curing wounds,
+cuts, rheumatism, and other ailments. These hot springs are not of much
+importance, and it is but seldom that even the Ainu themselves visit
+them. In going to and returning from these springs the Shikarubets
+Otchirsh is never lost sight of by the Ainu, and by the aid of this
+landmark they return safely to their homes.
+
+    [23] _Ni_, wood; _piri_, wound; _bets_, river.
+
+All the Oputateishike mountain mass is volcanic, and forms the backbone
+of the island of Yezo. From the Shikarubets Otchirsh I was able to draw
+a bird's-eye view of the course of the Tokachi River and its affluents,
+which afterwards helped me much in delineating a sketch-map of the
+Tokachi region, with its complicated watercourses. The two high
+mountains of Satsumai and Ghifzan could also be plainly seen from there.
+Coming down was much easier than going up, and when we had again reached
+the bottom of the mountain we turned northward until we came to the
+Shorui-washi River, an affluent of the Tokachi. Previous to this, while
+following the course of the Otsu River, I saw a strange sight. When on
+the summit of the Shikarubets Otchirsh I had seen two Ainu "dug-outs"
+pass up the river, and the Ainu who accompanied us said we should soon
+see them coming back again. We were not far from the river banks when
+shouts and cries of excitement reached my ears. I hurried on to the
+water-side and saw the two "dug-outs" swiftly coming down with the
+strong current, parallel with each other at a distance of about seven
+feet apart. There were three people in each "dug-out," viz., a woman
+with a paddle steering at the prow; another woman crouched up at the
+stern, and a man in the middle. A coarse net made of young vines, and
+about five feet square, was fastened to two poles seven or eight feet
+long. The man who stood in the centre of each canoe held one of the
+poles, to the upper end of which the net was attached, and attentively
+watched the water.
+
+"They are catching salmon--look!" said Unacharo to me; "the salmon are
+coming up the stream from the sea." The small net was plunged into the
+water between the two canoes, and nearly each time a large salmon was
+scooped out and flung into one or other of the "dug-outs," where the
+woman sitting at the stern crushed its head with a large stone. If a
+fish escaped, yells of indignation, especially from the women folk,
+broke out from the boats, to be echoed by the high white cliff. Both men
+and women were naked, and the dexterity and speed with which they
+paddled their canoes down the stream, working the coarse net at the same
+time, seldom missing a fish, was simply marvellous. On the other hand,
+it must be remembered that fish were so plentiful in the river, that it
+was really easier to catch than to miss. In wading the Shikarubets
+(river) I could see large salmon passing me by the dozen, and I felt
+quite uncomfortable when some large fish either rubbed itself against or
+passed between my legs. We got across the Shorui-washi--literally "very
+burning a place to stand"--and having then gone far enough from the
+Shikarubets Otchirsh to see the whole of it, I managed to take a good
+sketch of it. Near this river are some hot springs, called Nishibets,
+from which the river has taken its peculiar name. The easiest way to the
+Otopke Mountain is to follow the valley between the Shikarubets and the
+Otopke River, and then climb the mountain on the north-east side. The
+latter part of the journey is extremely rough and difficult. Watanabe
+and I returned to Obishiro. It is not often that one anywhere meets with
+such simple, straightforward people as these Watanabes. They have lived
+alone at Obishiro for eight years among savages, but never in my life
+have I met with more civilised, kind, thoughtful, gentle beings than
+Watanabe and his wife. As civilisation makes savages bad, I dare say
+savage life makes civilised people good! I go away carrying with me a
+deep affection for these gentle strangers, whose kindness to me has made
+them my friends.
+
+The day came for me to return to the coast. My ponies, probably
+frightened by bears, broke loose during the night, and one of them ran
+away; and I was rather in a difficulty as to how I should get back
+whence I had come. Watanabe, adding kindness to kindness, allowed me to
+have one of his ponies, and after repeated good-byes I started on my
+journey back to the coast. About four miles east of Yammakka the Tokachi
+River receives a large affluent, the Toshibets, or "river of high
+swamps." The Tunnui Puto is the largest of these swamps, about four
+miles north of the mouth of the Toshibets. _Tunnui_ means a kind of
+tree, probably the _Quercus dentata_; _puto_ or _put_ means the mouth of
+a river. The course of the Toshibets River is almost from due north to
+south from its source, then for about six or seven miles from north-west
+to south-east, and, sharply turning again from north to south, continues
+in this direction winding continually for eighteen or twenty miles, till
+it throws itself with a large body of water in the Tokachi River. On the
+southern side of the latter part of the watercourse are found the Ainu
+villages of Pombets, twenty-two huts; Purokenashpa,[24] three huts;
+Kenashpa,[25] twelve huts; and Beppo,[26] eleven huts. The
+characteristics of the natives of these villages and their habitations
+are similar to those already described at Frishikobets. The journey down
+was much the same as that coming up. Tobuts, on the north side of the
+Tokachi, is the largest Ainu village in the district, and has as many as
+sixty huts. The inhabitants are possessed of a somewhat fiery temper in
+this particular village, and the day previous to my going through two
+men were killed in a row. I felt awfully annoyed at being just one day
+too late to see it, as then I might have described how the Ainu die.
+However, I reached the other side of the Tokachi again. A way through
+the same tall rushes and reeds had to be forced, and the same army of
+mosquitoes and horse-flies had to be met and endured. It was my
+intention to push on and reach the coast as soon as possible. At
+Yammakka the natives had seen my runaway pony galloping at full speed
+towards the coast, but no one had caught it. Probably no one had tried.
+
+    [24] _Puro_, great; _ke_, I; _nashpa_, deafening noise.
+
+    [25] _Ke_, I; _nashpa_, deafening noise.
+
+    [26] _Beppo_ or _pet put_, at the mouth of a river.
+
+My ponies went well. I could plainly see where I had already come
+through the jungle, by the long trail of crushed and broken reeds I had
+left behind me. Everything was calm, but for the monotonous sound of
+crashing leaves produced by my forcing my way through the reeds.
+Suddenly my ponies stopped, shied, and began to back. They sniffed the
+ground, then the air. Their ears were straight up, their eyes were
+restless, and their nostrils widely distended. They were certainly under
+some great excitement, and showed unmistakable signs of terror. "What
+could be the cause of it?" I asked myself, but all the same gave the
+ponies a sound thrashing to make them go. It was useless--they would not
+stir. The second pony came by the side of mine, and they both put their
+heads together, in their own way consulting and concerting. They were
+utterly demoralised, and were kicking awfully. It was getting dark, and
+this riotous conduct on the part of my ponies was annoying.
+Unexpectedly, and with a tremendous growl, a huge black bear sprang
+towards us, and tried to seize the baggage pony. However, he and the
+beast I was riding bolted, and ran a desperate race for life; and though
+Bruin followed us clumsily for some time, we soon were far ahead, and
+lost sight of him. It was more than I could do to stop the frightened
+brutes; but finally, after a reckless steeplechase of many miles, after
+jumping over brooks and splashing across torrents, flying over the
+ground and through the jungle, without omitting to anathematise a
+horsefly that had settled on the back of my neck, and was amusing itself
+by boring holes in different parts of it to find a suitable spot for
+feeding, finally we came to a halt. It was about time. During the
+violent ride the reeds had cut my face and neck and hands, and I was
+bleeding all over. I went on and on, and, as my ponies did not seem to
+be very tired, I tried to reach the coast that night. It grew dark, but
+the night was fine, and I let the noise of the running river guide me.
+Each minute seemed an hour, each hour an age. I rode and rode, and still
+rode, till I was nearly exhausted; and still I was surrounded by the
+tall reeds and rushes. "Thank God!" I heartily exclaimed, when finally,
+at a small hour of the morning, I found myself in open ground again, and
+the wind brought in waves the salt smell of the sea.
+
+An hour or so afterwards two tired ponies were easily pulled up at the
+tea-house at Otsu, the landlord was roused, and a wearied and
+half-starved traveller was let in.
+
+[Illustration: THE SHIKARUBETS OTCHIRSH.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU MAN OF THE UPPER TOKACHI.]
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+From the Tokachi River to the Kutcharo River.
+
+
+I decided to stop a day at Otsu, so as to recover from the fatigue of my
+late travels and adventures, and I chose my quarters in the _yadoya_ of
+a Japanese called Inomata Yoshitaro. I was told that he was an
+ex-convict. Be that as it may, he had now turned into a fisherman and
+innkeeper. Like all Japanese, he was an inexhaustible talker, and his
+politeness was so great that it became a bore.
+
+It was about three in the morning when I reached Otsu. I had taken off
+my boots on entering his house--for it is an insult to enter Japanese
+houses with one's boots on--and I had seated myself on the soft mat in
+order to rest my aching limbs, when Yoshitaro made me get up to place a
+small square cushion under me, on which he said I should be more
+comfortable. I had not been on it one minute before Yoshitaro, wanting
+to increase my comforts, made me rise again to exchange the first
+cushion covered with cotton for one covered with silk--a detail to which
+a man is not likely to pay much attention when tired to death, and only
+anxious to be left alone. It followed as a matter of course that before
+I was allowed to go to sleep I had to sip several cups of tea, which
+Yoshitaro's wife had hurriedly made, and I had to relate the result of
+my expedition to the sleepy fishermen who had crept out of their
+_foutangs_ at the news of my arrival. In spite of all this, when I had
+got rid of my audience I had a good night's rest; but when I woke up the
+next day at noon I found myself surrounded by a crowd of fishermen of
+Otsu, who had invaded the _yadoya_ to have a peep at the young
+foreigner, while in the back yard I recognised the voices of Yoshitaro
+and his wife, who evidently were occupied in the exciting chase of a
+fowl.
+
+A few minutes later Yoshitaro triumphantly entered the room with a large
+dish, on which the same fowl, uncooked, and cut into a thousand little
+bits, was served to me, together with pieces of raw salmon, _daikon_ (a
+vegetable), and boiled rice. This he called a European dinner! I did my
+best to roast the chicken bits on the _hibachi_ (the brazier); but I was
+never well up in the culinary art, and, as my landlord remarked, he had
+brought up the meat for me to eat, not to "burn."
+
+Fowls are very scarce indeed in Hokkaido, and the few found have been
+imported; therefore the landlord did not fail to explain, in a
+roundabout manner, under what great obligation I was to him for killing
+such a precious bird.
+
+I said that I had not asked him to do this, and with his perfect
+Japanese politeness, bowing gracefully down to the ground, he said:
+
+"Sayo de gozarimas" ("Yes, your honourable sir"). "But," he added, "the
+bird was so old that if I had not killed it I fear it would have died by
+itself ere long." Such a sacrifice undoubtedly deserved a reward, and he
+assured me that we should be "quite even" if I, being an artist, would
+condescend to paint twelve portraits of him. I had no little trouble to
+make him understand that he was mistaking me for a photographic camera,
+but I offered to paint him a small sketch the next morning if he would
+leave me alone all that day.
+
+Punctually at sunrise he entered my room. He had his best clothes on,
+and his anxiety to be painted was such that he had not been able to
+sleep all night. I painted the sketch, and Yoshitaro and his male and
+female friends joined in exclamations of admiration at the good result
+of the _abura �_ (oil painting). He professed to be very grateful, and
+carefully packed the picture in a box, which he carried into another
+room.
+
+I took advantage of his absence to pack up my traps, as I wished to
+leave for Shaubets that same morning. In a short time Yoshitaro came
+back to my room, but a different man. He was rude, and tried to bully
+me. He presented a bill for the sum of sixteen _yen_, equivalent to �3
+in English money, which I considered exorbitant for two nights' rest, a
+few bowls of rice, and the "European dinner." The highest charge made by
+the very best tea-houses in Hokkaido never exceeds one yen--two
+shillings and tenpence a day--including all meals. I quietly told the
+landlord that he was a thief, and that I would punish him by taking the
+picture away from him; but he swore that he would not surrender it, and
+that he would fight for it if necessary.
+
+I seldom refuse a challenge when I know that I am going to get the best
+of it, and as it so happened that my arms were a great deal longer than
+those of Yoshitaro, I caught him by the throat and shook him so
+violently that he was nearly strangled. His friends came to his rescue,
+and when I dropped him he fell heavily on the mats, and had to be
+carried away. Some minutes elapsed, and while I was hastily taking my
+heavier luggage out of the house I heard Yoshitaro in the next room call
+out to his wife to bring him a sword, as he wanted to kill the "_ijinsan
+bakka_"--"the fool of a foreigner." I entered his room. Yoshitaro, pale
+with rage, was sitting by his _hibachi_, and round him were eight or ten
+of his men. They were apparently holding a congress on what to do, and
+each one of them, as is usual on all occasions in Japan, had pulled out
+his little pipe, and was continually refilling it with tobacco as they
+all discussed the matter on hand. I had my boots on this time, as I
+wished to show the scorn I had for him, his friends, and his house. In
+my coat pocket--the only sound one--I had my revolver, but it was not
+loaded.
+
+"Yoshitaro," I said, "deliver the picture at once."
+
+"I will not," said he.
+
+"Good!" said his friends in a chorus.
+
+"Yoshitaro," I said again, producing the revolver and pointing it at
+him, "if I have not the picture before I count twenty you will be a dead
+man."
+
+I never in my life saw a crowd of bullies so scared. Covering their
+faces with their hands, Yoshitaro's friends bolted in all directions,
+some jumping out of the semi-European window, some dashing through the
+violently-opened paper _shojis_ (sliding doors), leaving eight or ten
+pipes and as many tobacco pouches scattered on the mats. The landlord, a
+moment ago so brave, had not strength to get up, so great was his
+terror. Pale as death, and with a trembling voice, he called imploringly
+to his wife, servants, and friends to come and deliver up the picture.
+
+I had counted up to number fourteen, and no one had put in an
+appearance. Then I incidentally mentioned to Yoshitaro that time was
+nearly up, and enquired if he preferred to be shot through the head or
+the heart, at the same time cocking my revolver. Yoshitaro shuddered.
+
+At number sixteen a little girl, the only brave one of the lot, was sent
+to his help.
+
+"Dutchera Danna?" ("Where is it, sir?") she asked him, quite perplexed.
+
+"Hatchera, hayaku, hayaku nesan!" ("It is there; quick, quick, girl!")
+pointing to a closet in which a pile of _foutangs_ (small mattresses)
+were kept rolled during the day.
+
+Yoshitaro had hidden the sketch so well in the closet that the little
+_nesan_[27] could not find it, and when I called out number nineteen the
+poor girl, discomfited, cried out, "Mi-imasen" ("I do not see it!")
+
+    [27] _Nesan_, a corruption of _annesan_.
+
+Yoshitaro was more dead than alive; his lips were white, and he tried to
+articulate some words, but could not. His eyes, fixed on the closet,
+were glazed and set. His body was beginning to collapse, and every
+moment I thought that he would faint.
+
+In the meantime the _nesan_ hurriedly pulled out all the _foutangs_ and
+unrolled them, and the box with the sketch fell out just as I was about
+to call out number twenty. She gave me the box and sketch, and I told
+Yoshitaro that he must now come out with me, and, putting my revolver in
+my pocket, I pulled the man to the entrance door.
+
+Several villagers had collected at a respectful distance on the road,
+waiting for the report of the revolver. Yoshitaro's wife was the
+farthest of all.
+
+I signed to them to come nearer, and seeing that the revolver was no
+longer in my hands, they came, though very reluctantly. Yoshitaro was
+beginning to breathe again; and when a sufficient crowd had collected, I
+compelled him to accuse himself before them all of being a thief, and to
+confess that he was glad to have been punished. Also I made him promise
+that he would not play such tricks again on any other traveller.
+
+The Japanese are fond of a good joke, even when it is played off on one
+of themselves; and when I had seen all my baggage safe on my
+pack-saddles, I gave Yoshitaro the sixteen dollars he had asked me: "Two
+dollars," I said, "in settlement of my bill, and fourteen to go to your
+doctor for restoring you to good health after the fright you have had
+to-day."
+
+To show how shabby Yoshitaro's nature was, it is enough to state that
+out of the sum received his munificence went to the extent of five _sen_
+(2-1/2_d._) as a present to the girl who had come to save his life!
+
+When my ponies were ready, I showed Yoshitaro and his knavish friends
+how I had sold them. I brought out my revolver again, and they all saw
+that not a single cartridge was in any of its chambers. This done, I
+bade them good-bye, and left them to reflect that it is not always the
+quietest persons who can be imposed on with most impunity, but that
+sometimes such quiet persons get the best of it, even against ten
+bullies or more banded together. I have no doubt that a good many of my
+readers will think me cruel for carrying a joke so far; but, on the
+other hand, if placed in similar circumstances, when no redress from
+without is to be obtained, and one must defend oneself by main force,
+very few would treat such a serious imposition and offence as a joke.
+
+In going through the village more than one fisherman came to tell me
+that I had done right in dealing severely with Yoshitaro, as he was
+known to be a scoundrel and a thief, and they all detested him.
+
+There was little of interest between Otsu and Shaubets, with the
+exception of the beautiful delta formed in the low alluvial valley by
+the Otsu River and the Tokachi River, two large estuaries nearly two
+miles apart, by which the Tokachi River enters the sea. The Tokachi is a
+river of large volume and considerable length, and even when divided,
+the body of water carried by both outlets is so great as to make it
+necessary to cross in boats, fording on foot being quite impossible.
+
+The Urahoro River was successfully crossed, but for the twenty miles on
+to Shahubets the track was flat and sandy, lying mostly under high clay
+banks, some of which form picturesque headlands. The country is not
+mountainous in the proximity of the coast, but it is of a moderate
+elevation all through, and wooded with deciduous trees. The formation of
+the south-east coast from Cape Erimo to Cape Noshafu is in many ways
+unlike that of the south-west coast. The south-western part is more
+mountainous, and is further characterised by the absence of extensive
+plains. The coast-line is indented, and there is a striking want of
+broad beaches. Precipitous rocks are also frequent along the south-west
+coast, and thick deposits of pumice--as we have seen--are lying over
+quaternary rocks, filling up the declivities of mountain lands and river
+shores.
+
+In the western part the tertiaries are more tufaceous than on the
+south-east coast, and they are distinguished mainly by the presence of
+shales and andesite breccia. The south-eastern part is characterized by
+the almost entire absence of volcanic rocks and older eruptive rocks.
+After leaving the range of mountains forming the _Sparti acque_, east
+and west of Cape Erimo, high land is met all the way along the
+south-east coast. Nevertheless, pumice is found in the basin of the
+Tokachi River, and also in that of the Kushiro River, but it does not
+form the surface soil, covering large areas of ground, as in many places
+on the south-western portion of the coast.
+
+The different aspect in the tertiaries of the south-east and south-west
+coast may be accounted for by the presence of breccia and conglomerate,
+shales and sandstones, on the western part, while on the eastern coast
+beds of lignite, coal of inferior quality, and diatom earth form the
+tertiary strata. If it were not for the total want of harbours, or even
+moderately sheltered anchorages for ships, this south-west portion of
+Yezo, with its agricultural resources, its milder climate, and the
+facilities that it offers for the construction of roads and railways,
+ought to support a large population. As things stand now, there are no
+colonists inland, and the coast is deserted and desolate-looking. As I
+have mentioned before, the only drawbacks are the thick fogs prevailing
+during the summer months along the south-east coast, and I believe that
+this in some measure accounts for the Japanese not wishing to settle in
+a part of the country so depressing to their spirits and so trying to
+their nerves. I have often noticed how easily affected the Mikado's
+subjects are by atmospheric and geographical conditions, and how, before
+settling to do business, they make a point of finding some pleasant spot
+where to cast anchor, thinking more of the amenities of physical
+existence than of the facilities for successful trade. I did not see a
+single house for twenty miles until I reached Shaubets, a village of
+eleven Ainu huts and one Japanese house. Thousands of sea-gulls and
+penguins lined the sandy shore, and I saw several large black
+sea-eagles. A pretty waterfall, gently descending from the high grey
+cliff, was decidedly ornamental to the scenery and useful to the
+wayfarer, as it afforded my ponies and myself a good drink of
+deliciously fresh water. Far off in the distance I could distinguish a
+long tongue of land. At Shaubets I was told that it was the peninsula on
+which _Kossuri_, or _Kushiro_, as the Japanese call it, is situated. I
+left Shaubets early in the morning, with the intention of pushing on to
+Kushiro, thirty-one miles distant. At Shiranuka, only ten miles from
+Shaubets, I changed my ponies. Shiranuka is an Ainu village, the
+inhabitants of which employ themselves in collecting and drying seaweed.
+There are also seven or eight Japanese shanties besides the Ainu huts.
+At the mouth of the Tcharo-bets, near the latter village, coal and
+lignite of inferior quality are found; but this coalfield was not worked
+at the time I passed through Shiranuka. The remaining twenty-one miles
+were monotonous and uninteresting. The long _Kossuri_ peninsula was
+before me, increasing in size as I drew nearer; and after having gone
+through the two small villages of To'tori and Akan-gawa, in the
+neighbourhood of Kossuri, I crossed the Kutcharo River, on a
+nicely-built wooden bridge, and found myself at Kushiro, an important
+Japanese settlement on the south-east coast. From its favourable
+situation Kushiro is likely to become one of the chief towns in Yezo,
+though unfortunately it does not possess a good harbour, and is much
+exposed to westerly winds. The largest number of the houses are situated
+on a slight elevation above the reef-harbour, immediately south of the
+river mouth. In the proximity of Kushiro, and just beyond the range of
+hills which stretches for about three miles from the entrance of the
+harbour in a northerly, and for about two miles in an easterly
+direction, is a lagoon, called by the Ainu "Harutori." This lagoon is
+nearly two miles long, and certainly not more than a quarter of a mile
+wide. It is divided from the sea by a very narrow strip of sand, through
+which the water of the lagoon finds its outlet. On the east side of the
+Harutori coal has been discovered, and it seems to be of fairly good
+quality; and three miles further, quite close to the sea-coast, coal was
+dug out some years ago, but the quality was so inferior that the works
+had to be abandoned.
+
+There is a considerable area of good land in the neighbourhood of
+Kushiro, and here again it is to be regretted that Japanese farmers do
+not emigrate to work it. Yezo has a very small population for its size,
+and I was surprised that emigration from the mainland was not carried
+out on a larger scale. Yezo is a rich country in many ways. Why do not
+all the troublesome students, the fiery _soshi_ of Japan, abandon
+politics and futile rows and go and do men's work in that northern
+region of the empire? They would profit by it, and so would their
+country. An immense loss occurs every year simply because no one is
+there to take the profit; and it is a great pity, and almost a shame, to
+see so much waste and neglect in a region which, after all, is not
+difficult of access from the main island of Nippon. To the mineral
+products of the Kushiro district must be added the exports of fish
+(salmon and herrings), fish manure, and seaweed, which could be greatly
+increased if more practical processes were used.
+
+The town of Kushiro itself is not picturesque. There are, I dare say, as
+many as five hundred houses, some built in Japanese, some in
+semi-foreign style. The streets are very wide, and along the main street
+rails have been laid to carry coal trucks from the Harutori mine down to
+the shipping point. Thus the town has a civilised appearance, which was
+artistically ugly enough, but refreshing to my eyes after my experiences
+along the south-west and south-east coasts. There are Ainu huts along
+the river banks, on the high lands, and on the strip of sand between
+Lake Harutori and the sea. Unfortunately, most of the Ainu here, being
+in the employ of the Japanese, have adopted Japanese clothes, customs,
+manners, and language. Nearly all the younger folks are half-castes. A
+select few have even gone so far as to forget their strongest national
+characteristic of dirt; and, to my great amazement, one day I saw an
+Ainu half-caste actually taking a hot bath. It may amuse the reader to
+learn of what this Japanese bathing accommodation generally consists. It
+is one of the features in nearly all fishing stations in Yezo, and it is
+worth describing.
+
+When the day's work is over, one or more of the iron fish-kettles or
+caldrons used for extracting the oil from herrings are filled with
+water. These caldrons rest each on a cylindrical base of stones and
+clay, thus allowing a big fire of wood to be lighted under them. When
+the water has reached a high temperature, the bather either provides
+himself with an old pair of straw sandals (_waraji_), and steps in, or,
+placing a small board on the water, places his foot on it, and forces it
+down to the bottom of the caldron by his own weight. He thus avoids
+scalding his feet, which otherwise he would do severely. I have often
+seen two or three men (Japanese) placidly sitting up to their necks in
+the steaming water of the same caldron, with a huge fire burning under
+it; and several times I have been _warmly_ invited by the bathers to
+join them, which _very warm_ invitation, however, I invariably _coolly_
+considered and declined with thanks.
+
+As regards the Ainu, they are not fond of bathing or washing, and they
+share the Chinese idea that it is only dirty people who need continual
+washing. They do not regard themselves as dirty, and therefore dispense
+with such an "uncleanly habit."
+
+"You white people must be very dirty," once said an Ainu to me, as I was
+taking a plunge into a limpid river, "as you tell me that you bathe in
+the river every day."
+
+"And what about yourself?" I asked him.
+
+"Oh, Nishpa," he replied with an air of contempt, "I am very clean, and
+have never needed washing!"
+
+If Kushiro is not interesting to an artist, it is decidedly so from an
+arch�ological point of view. Numerous pits, forts, and camps, flint
+implements, and fragments of pottery, are found in the immediate
+neighbourhood of the town, both on the range of hills and along the west
+shore of Lake Harutori. The pits are found in such numbers as to lead
+one to believe that the old "Kossuri" of the Ainu was once the capital
+of a race of pit-dwellers previous to the conquest of the whole of Yezo
+by the hairy race. The Ainu gave these people the name of
+_Koro-pok-kuru_--men of the holes. A few words on them may not be out of
+place, though, unfortunately, little is to be learned from the Ainu as
+to who their predecessors were, and it is merely by a close examination
+of their pits, and relics found in different parts of Yezo and the
+Kuriles, that we can to a certain extent trace the existence of such a
+race of people, and also prove that they were in no way connected with
+the present Ainu.
+
+[Illustration: AINU HOOK FOR SMOKING BEAR-MEAT.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: KORO-POK-KURU FORT.]
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+The Koro-pok-kuru, or Pit-dwellers.
+
+
+[Illustration: FLINT ARROW-HEADS.]
+
+All over Yezo and the Kurile Islands remains of an extinct race of
+pit-dwellers are to be seen. It is especially near lakes and swamps or
+along the coast that rectangular, circular, and elliptical pits are
+numerous, but square pits are not so common. None of these pits have yet
+been discovered on the main island of Nippon, but many are still to be
+found as far south as Hakodate, in Yezo. On the east and north-east side
+of the peak, at the latter port, these pits, flint implements, and rude
+pottery, mostly in fragments, are met with in great abundance. The
+implements consist mostly of arrow-heads, stone adzes, hammers, flint
+knives, and round pebbles, which were used as war ammunition. The
+arrow-heads vary in size, length, and breadth. The larger ones I saw
+measured an inch and three-quarters in length by an inch and
+five-eighths in breadth, while the smaller were seven-eighths of an inch
+by half an inch. They were triangular, with the angle at the point
+sometimes more, sometimes less acute, or lozenge-shaped; they are
+chipped, and not ground. Most of the arrow-heads and a good many of the
+knives were made of a dark reddish siliceous rock. The adzes also, of
+course, varied in size and shape, some being oblong in section, others
+almost rectangular, while others again were oval. They were ground, and
+always made so that the hand could have a good grip on them. The average
+length from the sharp edge to the other end would be about four inches,
+and the sides were rounded. It is apparent that most of these adzes were
+not originally fastened to a stick or club, but were held in the hand.
+They usually have a smooth surface, while the knives, as well as the
+arrow-points, exhibit marks of chipping quite plainly; their edges are
+very sharp. Hard stones are often found on which the people of the Stone
+Age used to grind their implements. The knives are mostly rectangular,
+with very sharp edges, sometimes on both sides. Then there are some in
+the shape of a sword-blade, rounded at the top, and with a rounded place
+at the other end, where they were held. Those with two sharp edges were
+triangular in shape, and were held by the upper part of the triangle,
+which point ends with a kind of knob. It is a curious fact that bone and
+bamboo arrow-points--probably Ainu--are sometimes found in pits, and
+this would lead me to believe, either that the conquering Ainu used
+these weapons in their attacks upon the pit-dwellers, or, supposing for
+a moment that the Ainu themselves were the pit-dwellers in former days,
+that they had abandoned their stone implements and had adopted bone and
+wood, which they found easier to work. I am inclined to the first
+supposition as the correct one. The pits are numerous in Yezo, and,
+following the southern coast from south-west to north-east, we find that
+they increase in number towards the north. Though stone implements and
+fragments of pottery are numerous nearly all along the southern coast,
+but few pits are found either on Volcano Bay or on the south-west part
+of the coast as far as Erimo Cape. As we pass this cape and go north, on
+the south-east coast the pits become more numerous, and at Kushiro--or
+Kossuri, as the Ainu call it--they are found in great quantities.
+Further on are some at Akkeshi, and they are plentiful nearly all along
+that stretch of the coast as far as Nemuro, and on Bentenjima, the small
+island which forms one side of the harbour at that place. North-east of
+that, in the Kuriles, at Kunashiri and Etorofu, we have abundant
+evidence that a large population of these pit-dwellers once existed
+there. In Etorofu particularly the pits, besides being frequent, are in
+much better preservation than any on the island of Yezo.
+
+[Illustration: FLINT KNIVES.]
+
+The pit-dwellers do not seem to have been particular as to the shape of
+their dwellings, though they evidently had a certain predilection for
+the elliptical and rectangular forms. The pits at Kushiro are nearly all
+rectangular, while those from Akkeshi to Nemuro are either rectangular
+or circular.
+
+The average dimensions of rectangular pits are about twelve feet by nine
+feet, but I have seen some as large as sixteen feet by twelve feet. The
+sides slope inwards, and the average depth is from three to six feet.
+Pits which are situated on cliffs, or at any height, are generally
+deeper, probably for the extra shelter required by those living at an
+altitude, compared with those living on the sea-level. The round pits
+are from ten to fourteen feet in diameter, and the elliptical have a
+length of about sixteen feet, and are about eight feet at the widest
+part of the ellipse. The pits which I found on the north-east coast of
+Yezo, from Shari to Cape Soya, were not so numerous as those on the
+southern coast; but some of them were larger in size, as probably, owing
+to the greater severity of the climate, more people lived in the same
+hut for the purpose of creating natural heat. At Tobuts, on the Saruma
+Lake, are three of elliptical shape. Near Abashiri several
+well-preserved specimens of pottery have been found, especially in the
+mud of swamps or lakes; but after leaving Lake Saruma, I did not see any
+traces of the pit-dwellers till I approached Soya Cape. When these pits
+are excavated, a stratum of sand is generally found, and beneath it a
+large quantity of charcoal in the centre of the pit. Under the charcoal
+the earth is burnt, showing that the hearth was in the centre of the
+dwelling, as it is now in the Ainu huts. This goes to prove that there
+was one fire, and not, as some travellers have endeavoured to show, five
+or six burning at the same time, round which, or, rather, between which,
+the pit-dwellers slept. I have often dug in different parts of pits, and
+have invariably come upon this burnt charcoal in or near the middle. I
+never saw any signs of more than one fire in the same pit. Digging in a
+large pit at Kushiro, I found some stag-horns, and numerous bits of
+black and red pottery. Some of the fragments had rough line
+ornamentations on them. There was also a large quantity of war
+ammunition, in the shape of big pebbles and round stones. Most pits
+contain heaps of rubbish and bones of animals. Sometimes there are heaps
+of oyster shells, as near the pits on Saruma Lake; and these shell-heaps
+are similar to those found on the main island of Nippon. In another pit
+on one of the forts at Kushiro I found what I thought was part of a
+human skull; but on a closer examination it turned out to be the skull
+of an animal--probably a fox or a stag. A bone arrow-point also came to
+light in the same pit, and several stone defensive weapons. It was
+interesting to note that this pit was built on the top of a small
+conical hill, and that the hill itself was surrounded by a ditch only a
+few feet wide, thus forming a kind of fort. On the side and at the
+bottom of the fort I saw numbers of stones, which had in all probability
+been used by the pit-dwellers as missiles against the attacking Ainu
+during a battle. Besides forts, the pit-dwellers had camps, generally
+situated in a commanding position above a river, a lake, or a harbour.
+Single pits also are found only under similar conditions.
+
+Near Kushiro, on the Lake Harutori, which is divided from the sea by a
+sand isthmus, are several camps and one or two forts, the first of
+which overlooks the sea. Along the Kutcharo River are forts and camps.
+These camps are on the crowns of the hills, and each is surrounded by a
+small ditch. In the last, about three miles from the coast, were several
+square pits, larger than those on the other three forts. This last fort
+stands some distance back from the river, and is situated in a little
+plain at the summit of a detached mound, which has the appearance of
+having been artificially cut from the larger remaining portion of the
+hill itself. The shape of the fort is a broken cone, and the base
+measures about nine hundred feet in circumference, while the upper one
+is about three hundred. From the top, where there is only a small pit,
+the entrance of the river can easily be watched; and it must have been
+almost impregnable, as the walls of the fort, or, rather, the sides of
+the conical hill, rise nearly perpendicularly from the plain. A small
+stream runs at the foot of the fort.
+
+On the Lake Harutori the range of hills which stretches from the sea for
+three or four miles along its eastern shores is literally covered with
+these pits, and on the sandy isthmus separating the sea from the lake
+some very large pits can be observed. The fort near the sea is called
+_Shirito_ by the Ainu, and that at the other end of the range goes by
+the name of _Moshiriya_. It was in the latter fort that the well-shaped
+bone arrow-point was found, as well as one or two stone adzes, which
+were so shaped as to fit the hand, and evidently had been used as
+hammers, or weapons of offence at close quarters. In the same fort I
+found two stags' horns in good preservation, and many bones of different
+animals. It is doubtful whether these heaps of horns and bones were
+brought into the pits for the purpose of making arrow-points and other
+weapons, or whether the stags had been used merely for food. The bone
+arrow-point found in the same pit was not in such a decayed condition as
+most of the bones I found there, which led me to believe that it was not
+made out of the same kind of bone, or that the bone out of which it was
+made had been cured before its conversion into an arrow-point. I believe
+that in the neighbourhood of Kusuri--or Kushiro, as it is now called by
+the Japanese--there are as many as a thousand or fifteen hundred pits.
+In Etorofu, at Bet-to-bu, on the north-west coast of the island, nearly
+as many are to be found along the seashore, mostly on the plain at the
+top of the cliffs overlooking the sea, while the rest are situated on
+the banks of a narrow stream and along what appears to have been a river
+course. On the same island, at Ru-pets, are several pits of a similar
+description, and a fort.
+
+As the pit-dwellers have disappeared from Yezo and the Kuriles, and only
+pre-historic remains and relics have been left behind to indicate their
+former existence, the questions naturally arise: Who were these
+pit-dwellers? Whence did they come? and whither have they gone? We can
+place no reliance on the accounts given by the Ainu or by the highly
+imaginative Japanese, who, moreover, are perfectly ignorant on this
+subject. Some Ainu say that Yezo was formerly peopled by a race of
+dwarfs, who were their enemies, and were extirpated by them after many
+sanguinary battles. The Ainu are very vague as to when and where these
+battles were fought, but according to their accounts these pit-dwellers,
+whom they call the _Koro-pok-kuru_--literally "men of holes"--once
+inhabited Yezo and the Kuriles. They were only three or four feet in
+height, and some semi-Ainu stories represent them as being only a few
+inches tall. This of course might be taken to mean that they were very
+small by comparison. A few Ainu, yet more imaginative than others, go so
+far as to say gravely that the Koro-pok-kuru were so tiny that when a
+shower of rain came they hid under burdock leaves for shelter. Others,
+however, tell us that these Koro-pok-kuru were their ancestors, and much
+more hairy than the Ainu of the present day. They were strong, fond of
+hunting, and able to cross the mountains with great facility and speed.
+According to Mr. Batchelor, some Ainu state that they themselves
+formerly lived in huts over pits, and that they changed their method of
+house-building on coming in contact with the Japanese; but if this were
+the case it seems unaccountable that they should distinguish their
+predecessors as pit-dwellers. Moreover, if the influence of the Japanese
+was sufficiently strong to cause them to make this most important change
+in their habitations and mode of living, how comes it that in other
+matters they have not adopted Japanese customs? I was unable to trace
+the slightest resemblance between Ainu huts and Japanese edifices of any
+kind, either in their general appearance or in any of the smaller
+details, and I was always struck by the small extent to which the Ainu
+have adopted the customs of the dominant race. Indeed, the character of
+Ainu buildings is peculiar to the Ainu themselves, and, far from
+constructing their dwellings over pits, they go to the other extreme,
+and perch their storehouses on piles or posts. It is a remarkable
+coincidence that on the Lake Kutcharo, not many miles from Kusuri, where
+the Koro-pok-kuru pits are numerous, the roofs of the Ainu huts and
+storehouses are not angular, but circular, which gives them the
+appearance of half a cylinder resting on the ground. This struck me as
+being in all probability the shape of structures built over rectangular
+pits, while the coverings of round pits must have been shaped like half
+a sphere, similar to the snow houses of the Esquimaux, and the
+elliptical like the longer half of an egg.
+
+The present houses of the Kutcharo Lake Ainu, however, are not built on
+pits; and on my questioning the few inhabitants of the village, all were
+perfectly ignorant of the existence of the Koro-pok-kuru, and they knew
+nothing of their own ancestors, nor whether they had built structures
+over pits or not. The idea seemed to them highly ludicrous, and afforded
+them a great deal of amusement.
+
+On the north-east coast of Yezo, where pits are found, some Ainu huts
+have round and others angular roofs; but even in the latter instance,
+the angle of the two sides of the roof is not as acute as with the huts
+on the Saru and the Tokachi River; but both slant in a more gentle way,
+forming an obtuse angle of about 135�. In fact, these variations in the
+Ainu architecture have not yet been accounted for, and whether they
+copied their roofs from their foes the Koro-pok-kuru, or whether it is a
+mere chance that the roofs bear a certain resemblance, cannot be
+discovered from tradition or hearsay. I may mention incidentally my own
+theory, which may afford an explanation of this point. As the Saru, the
+Tokachi, and the Ishikari districts have no very severe weather in
+winter, and only a comparatively small quantity of snow falls during the
+colder months, the Ainu build huts with very slanting roofs, so that the
+snow should not remain on them in winter, while during the summer months
+the rain should fall off the steep incline of the roof before it could
+filter through into the hut. On the Kutcharo Lake and on the north-east
+coast, where strong winds are prevalent, the huts have round roofs, so
+as to offer the least possible resistance to the gales, and thus escape
+the danger of being blown down.
+
+With regard to the snow, the opposite of the Saru Ainu method is
+practised. Instead of preventing the snow from resting on their roofs,
+the Ainu of the colder regions do all they can to let it remain, for by
+thus forming an air-tight vault it renders the hut much warmer in
+winter. In other words, the system is the same as that adopted by the
+Esquimaux, with the exception that the latter, I believe, have no frame
+to their huts, and the vault is entirely of snow and ice; while with the
+Ainu of the north-east coast the snow vault is directly over the hut
+itself. I invariably noticed on the north-east coast, where the Ainu
+have a mixed architecture, that wherever a hut was built in an exposed
+position it had a round roof, while those built under the shelter of a
+cliff or a hill had angular ones, and this is what led me to the above
+conclusion.
+
+To return to the Koro-pok-kuru, they undoubtedly must have had
+semi-spherical and semi-cylindrical roofs over their pits, whether the
+vault was constructed of mud, sticks, and reeds, or simply of snow and
+ice, like the Esquimaux dwellings. For all that we know, the
+Koro-pok-kuru huts may have had conical roofs, like those of the present
+American Indians; but one fact is certain, that whatever shape the roof
+may have had, it was not supported by a central pole, for the hearth is
+invariably in the centre of the pit.
+
+The curious fact already mentioned, that in every pit we find a thick
+layer of sand, seems to prove that it was certainly intended to render
+the ground less damp; and it is my own impression that these
+pit-dwellers, having snow or ice vaults over their heads, resorted to
+that expedient to keep the floor of their huts dry under the continuous
+dripping of the vault, melted by the heat of the fire inside.
+Undoubtedly Yezo was a much colder country in bygone years than it is
+now; and though we cannot implicitly rely on the information given by
+the Ainu, they are all of one opinion in believing that their country
+was all ice and snow in former days, and to give a proof of it they say:
+"Why should we be as hairy as a bear if not to keep the cold out?"
+
+The Japanese know the pit-dwellers by the name of "Ko-bito," or
+"Ko-shto," the latter word meaning "men of the lakes,"[28] but they know
+nothing of their history.
+
+    [28] _Ko_, lake; _shto_, man. _Ko_ is probably a corruption of the
+         Ainu word _to_, a lake or a swamp, and it is used by the
+         Japanese of Yezo for "lake," instead of the word "_numa_."
+
+One fact still remains to be explained, namely, who made the pottery
+that is disinterred in almost every pit and by the shores of lakes. The
+present Ainu do not know how to make pottery, and they have never been
+known to manufacture anything of the kind. All Ainu implements are made
+of wood, though of course the more civilised tribes have now purchased
+iron or porcelain implements from the Japanese. The question, then, is,
+supposing that the Ainu were formerly the pit-dwellers, have they lost
+the art of making pottery, or did the pottery belong to a different race
+of people?
+
+[Illustration: KORO-POK-KURU POTTERY AND FRAGMENTS OF DESIGNS.]
+
+It seemed singular to me that, conservative as the Ainu are of their
+relics, even allowing for its brittle nature, no pottery of the kind
+found in pits is ever to be seen in any Ainu hut. Had they made the
+pottery themselves, surely some specimens or parts of specimens would
+have been preserved.
+
+Comparing facts, we find, then, that the Koro-pok-kuru built their huts
+over pits, made pottery, and used stone and flint implements; while the
+Ainu have never been known to dwell in pits, have never made pottery,
+and have always used bone or bamboo implements. Moreover, Ainu
+traditions of internecine wars, vague as they are, and their designating
+the enemy by the name of Koro-pok-kuru, are further proofs that the Ainu
+themselves do not regard the pit-dwellers as their forefathers. As,
+then, the few facts collected tend to prove that the Ainu and the
+Koro-pok-kuru were two distinct races, it would be interesting to know
+who the latter really were, and what became of them. A learned
+missionary, Mr. Batchelor, writing on this subject, says:--"But I am of
+opinion that these pit-dwellers were closely allied to the Ainu in
+descent, and that the remains of them may now be seen in Shikotan and
+other islands of the Kurile Group. The inhabitants of Shikotan are much
+shorter in stature than the Ainu of Yezo. They are not so good-looking,
+and are said to be a very improvident race. The Ainu look upon the
+Kurile Islanders as the remnants of the Koro-pok-gurus; but this is a
+mere opinion, to be adopted or rejected at pleasure. That they are
+pit-dwellers _is quite certain_, for _they live in pits_ at the present
+day."
+
+Before being so certain as to what he was stating, it would have been
+well had the writer of the above lines visited the island in question.
+He would not then have committed so many blunders in so few lines. The
+inhabitants of Shikotan are _not_ shorter than the Ainu of Yezo, and I
+cannot give a better proof of this than by asking my readers to compare
+the measurements which I took while there with the measurements of the
+Yezo Ainu. The medium height of the Shikotan Ainu is between sixty-one
+inches and sixty-two and three-quarter inches; the medium height of the
+Yezo Ainu is between sixty-one inches and sixty-two and three-quarters,
+or exactly the same. The chest inflated measures thirty-seven and a half
+inches with the Shikotan Ainu, and thirty-seven and a half with the Yezo
+Ainu, while the spinal column is only twenty-four inches with the
+Shikotan Ainu, and about twenty-six and three-quarters with the Yezo
+Ainu.
+
+The Shikotan Ainu have the same structural peculiarity as the Yezo Ainu,
+namely, the length of their arms, which peculiarity, by the way, is
+greatly accentuated with them. The humerus is much longer than with the
+Yezo Ainu, while the ulna and radius are shorter; the hand is the same
+length. A Shikotan Ainu with outstretched arms is generally the length
+of one hand longer than his own height, which is more than is usually
+found with the Yezo Ainu. The medium foot is nine and a half inches with
+both Ainu. In the Ainu the tibia is rather flattened at its angular
+part, but the Shikotan Ainu have a nearly circular tibia. I do not know
+of any other existing race in the world in which such an extraordinary
+phenomenon occurs, and the tibia struck me also as being extremely long,
+while the femur appeared proportionately short. However, with the
+exception that the tibia is more circular than with the Ainu of Yezo, I
+could not see any material difference between them and the other Ainu.
+As we have already seen, each tribe in Yezo has certain characteristics
+which other tribes have not; each tribe has conformed its habits to the
+climate of the district in which it lives, as well as to other
+circumstances; and each of these tribes has adopted a slightly different
+architecture for its dwellings; but it is plain that all belong to the
+same original race. The same might be said of the Shikotan Ainu. At this
+point it is well to explain that the Kurile Islands not many years ago
+belonged to Russia; but they were exchanged for the southern half of
+Sakhalin, then belonging to Japan, and now form part of the Japanese
+Empire. The two larger islands--Kunashiri and Etorofu--are inhabited
+mainly by Ainu and a few Japanese, who migrate there from Yezo during
+the fishing season; while the Island of Shikotan is inhabited by sixty
+Ainu, brought there from the northern islands of Shirajima or Shimushir,
+and Urup, leaving thus all the islands north-east of Etorofu
+uninhabited.
+
+Of Kunashiri and Etorofu I shall say no more in connection with the
+pit-dwellers, but a few more words on the Shikotan inhabitants may prove
+interesting, especially as people have been led to believe that they are
+the descendants of the Koro-pok-kuru, and not really Ainu.
+
+I shall begin by saying that the Shikotan people call themselves
+Kurilsky _Ainu_, and that they speak both Ainu and Russian. Their
+features are not very massive, and their cheek and temple bones slightly
+project. They have strong mouths, and eyes identical in shape and colour
+with those of the Yezo Ainu. They are as hairy; they live by fishing and
+hunting; they clothe themselves in skins; and they are fond of beads and
+shining ornaments. Their huts have angular roofs, and are built in the
+same style as those of the Yezo Ainu, but on a smaller scale. The
+interiors are also alike, and equally dirty, if not more so. The Ainu
+huts at Shikotan are sixteen in number, and _not one_ of them is built
+over a pit, thus showing that Mr. Batchelor was a little rash, when,
+relying on mistaken information, he drew a conclusion which is not in
+accordance with the facts. One thing that has misled most people as
+regards these Kurilsky Ainu is, that they were compelled to cut their
+hair and shave their beards. To the superficial observer this naturally
+gives them a different physiognomy from that of the Yezo Ainu, who let
+their hair grow long, and have flowing beards. Prof. Milne, who some
+years ago visited the Island of Shumshu,[29] relates that he saw there a
+small group of Kurilsky Ainu, who, all included, numbered twenty-two.
+Their dress, although made of skins, was European in form, and the upper
+garment, shaped like a shirt, was made of bird-skins (puffins) with the
+feathers inside. The back was ornamented with the plumes of the yellow
+puffin, and the edge was trimmed with seal-fur. The men wore garments
+tied at the waist with a belt of sea-lion hide. Their feet and legs up
+to the knee were covered with moccasins, also made of sea-lion skin, and
+their food consisted of a few berries, the eggs and flesh of sea-birds,
+seals, and other meat. They were few and migratory, and carried with
+them all their property when migrating. Prof. Milne, in a paper
+contributed to the Asiatic Society of Japan, thinks that the chief point
+in connection with these people is, that they constructed houses by
+making shallow excavations in the ground, which were then roofed over
+with turf, and that these excavations had a striking resemblance to the
+pits now found further south. I believe, however, that Prof. Milne never
+saw them excavating these pits, and the fact that hardly two dozen
+people in the extreme north-east Kuriles having temporarily adopted
+shallow excavations which they roofed over, is barely sufficient proof
+that they were pit-dwellers, and, as will be seen later, I had ample
+evidence afterwards that they were not. It is probable that this
+wandering band, owing to the scarcity or difficulty of procuring timber
+in those regions--the smallness of their canoes not permitting them to
+transport the materials for above-ground structures from one island to
+another--it is probable, I say, that, having come upon pits already dug,
+they had roofed them over and lived in them, finding them suitable to
+the severe climate. When I visited Shikotan (September, 1890), where not
+only these Shimushir people, but all the Kurilsky Ainu, numbering sixty,
+are now collected, and where they have built dwellings in their own
+style, the architecture and mode of construction were identical with
+those of the Yezo Ainu, and there were _no_ pits whatever to their huts.
+
+    [29] The correct name and pronunciation is _Shimushir_.
+
+Had they been pit-dwellers, why should they have so suddenly modified
+their habits as to construct huts wholly above-ground without any reason
+for so doing? Supposing they were actually pit-dwellers, and had lived
+generation after generation in pits, why should they abandon this chief
+structural characteristic in a place where the climate is as severe as
+in the islands they formerly inhabited? I am willing to admit that the
+Kurilsky Ainu, like all barbarians, made the best of what they found in
+their migrations from one island to another, and that, having found pits
+already dug, they had lived in them simply for convenience, and to
+protect themselves from the cold. The impossibility of constructing
+their own style of dwellings, which would have required too much time
+and a great amount of timber and reeds--two articles scarce in the
+north-east Kuriles--may account for their being driven to occupy pits
+already dug; but I am certainly not inclined to admit that therefore the
+few remaining Kurilsky Ainu are in any way connected with or related to
+the Koro-pok-kuru. I believe that I have given sufficient evidence to
+prove this. At any rate, I have given such evidence as it was in my
+power to collect, and I have based my statements on what I actually saw,
+and not on what I heard people say. As others have speculated on this
+subject, I shall now ask the forgiveness of the reader if I am also
+dragged into a little pre-historic speculation as to who the
+Koro-pok-kuru were, and whence they came.
+
+As I remarked at the beginning of this chapter, we find that pits are
+more numerous as we go in a north-east direction. Thus, few are found at
+Hakodate; and though none or few have been found along the south-west
+coast of Yezo, still, flint arrow-heads, pottery, and stone adzes
+collected here and there, show us that the Koro-pok-kuru had travelled
+along that coast, probably journeying in their canoes, landing to hunt,
+or to fight the Ainu.
+
+Along the south-east coast the pits increase in number as we approach
+Kusuri, and at this place the largest number of pits in Hokkaido is
+found; then they are numerous all along the coast as far as Nemuro; and
+in the islands of Kunashiri and Etorofu the population must have been
+large, as there are numerous pits throughout. Pits are found in the
+smaller islands of the Kurile group, and I believe also in Kamschatka.
+From Nemuro, following the coast-line of Yezo, we find some along the
+north-east coast of Yezo, and none down the west coast until we reach
+the narrower part of the island near Sappro. This said, we have two
+points to consider:--
+
+(1.) That the pit-dwellers moved from north-east to south-west.
+
+(2.) That the main bulk of the population settled in Etorofu, Kunashiri,
+and at Kushiro. Few went further south to settle.
+
+All evidence tends to show that they came either from Kamschatka, or
+perhaps more probably from the Aleutian Islands. It seems not
+improbable, looking at the volcanic formation of the Kurile group, that
+in bygone days Yezo was joined to Kamschatka, affording a land passage
+to the migratory people; but this we need not take into consideration.
+
+From what one can gather of this race, the habits and customs of the
+Koro-pok-kuru must have had many points in common with the present
+Esquimaux. Very likely their pits were roofed over with a snow vault.
+They evidently lived by fishing and hunting, like the Esquimaux, and all
+that we know identifies them more with the latter race than with the
+Ainu.
+
+I believe that the present Aleuts have a striking resemblance to the
+Esquimaux; and if this were the case, there is no reason why we should
+not suppose that they in former days inhabited the Kuriles, part of
+Kamschatka and the north-east portion of Yezo. It is a well-known fact
+that the Esquimaux formerly lived in corresponding latitudes on the east
+coast of America, and that they withdrew little by little to the more
+inhospitable regions of the north, and the same might have occurred here
+after the Ainu invasion of Yezo. The Koro-pok-kuru were apparently more
+civilised than their conquerors the Ainu, for they made pottery and
+worked stone; but owing to their retiring nature and weaker physique,
+and outnumbered by the savage hairy people, they became extinct. As to
+the Ainu, they also are undoubtedly a race of the north. Their music,
+their decorations, their habits, display characteristics of northern
+origin; but the Ainu, as we have seen from their structures and customs,
+were by no means accustomed to so cold a climate as their predecessors
+the pit-dwellers. In my opinion they did not invade Yezo from the
+Kuriles, but came from the continent of Asia, probably across Siberia,
+and descended as far as Sakhalin Island, where many Ainu are still to be
+found. As the Koro-pok-kuru resemble the Esquimaux, the Ainu have a
+striking resemblance in many ways to the Northmen of Europe, and this is
+what makes me suppose that they came across the northern part of the
+continent, and not from the northern islands of the Pacific. They made
+their way south, probably crossing over the La Perouse Strait, and the
+main contingent of them came down the north-east coast of Yezo. I base
+this theory on the fact that the strong current which passes through the
+La Perouse Strait from west to east would have made it impossible for
+the Ainu in their light "dug-outs" to navigate against it, or straight
+across from Sakhalin to Soya Cape, and in crossing they were undoubtedly
+drifted far south-east on the north-east coast, probably landing near
+Abashiri or Shari. Another evidence which made me think that the Ainu
+came from Sakhalin is, that all knew of another island besides Yezo,
+which they called Krafto, by which name they designate Sakhalin. Of the
+Kuriles no one knew except those in the immediate neighbourhood. At one
+time the Ainu are said to have inhabited the whole of Japan as far south
+as Satsuma. Arch�ologists are puzzled by the discovery in the main
+island of Nippon of various kitchen-middens, which include fragments of
+pottery identical with those attributed to the Koro-pok-kuru, and also
+of shell heaps, which some consider of Ainu origin, others as pre-Ainu.
+No pits, however, have been found near these shell heaps, nor on any
+part of Nippon. Thus another question is raised as to who the
+originators of these shell heaps and kitchen-middens were. Is it not
+likely that, as the Ainu proceeded south, they encountered the
+Koro-pok-kuru at Nemuro and then at Kushiro, and, having easily defeated
+them, forced some of them to retreat in the direction of the Kuriles,
+while the rest went towards the south? They probably fled along the
+coastline in their "dug-outs," those who moved south occasionally
+landing to hunt or to attack their pursuers. Thus we can account for the
+occurrence along that coast of some of their implements, but of no pits,
+which they were not likely to dig in such circumstances. Having then
+retreated as far south as Ushongosh (Hakodate), and with the conquering
+Ainu still at their heels, there was nothing more natural than that they
+should cross the Tsugaru Strait,[30] only a few miles in width, carrying
+with them their kitchen-middens and pottery.
+
+    [30] The opposite coast of Nippon can be seen plainly from Hakodate.
+
+The Ainu crossed after them, and, pushing the retreating Koro-pok-kuru
+further and further south, exterminated them, and became the masters of
+the whole of Japan, the Kuriles, and Sakhalin. As they were thus pursued
+by the Ainu, whom they knew as a warlike people, and stronger than
+themselves, there seems to me no cause for wonder that the Koro-pok-kuru
+did not dig any pits while on the main island of Nippon, first, because
+these pits would have been the sure means of bringing the Ainu on their
+track, to their certain annihilation; next, because the climate, being a
+great deal warmer, they had no need for them. On the other hand, it is
+more than probable that the retreaters carried with them their
+kitchen-middens and pottery, which constituted their treasures, and
+without which they could not have prepared their food. The barbarous
+Ainu then came in contact with the Japanese, at whose hands they
+received the same treatment as that which they had inflicted on the
+Koro-pok-kuru. Little by little the land so easily conquered was lost
+again, and the conquering Ainu were ere long in retreat towards the
+north. They were beaten and defeated by the more civilised Japanese, and
+the few who survived had to cross over the Tsugaru Strait back to Yezo.
+There is not a single Ainu now to be found in Nippon, with the exception
+of a child, a half-caste, whose mother was an Ainu, and who lives about
+sixty miles south of Awomori. The mother of this child was the last of
+her race who was born on and who inhabited the main island of Nippon.
+
+Ainu blood can be traced in many of the Japanese in the northern part of
+Nippon, especially between Shiranoka to Awomori, and also some corrupted
+Ainu words are still in use in the dialect spoken in that part of
+Japan. Names of places, rivers, towns, etc., of Ainu origin, are common
+all over Japan. It was this former occupation of Japan by the Ainu that
+for some time led people to believe that the Ainu were the forefathers
+of the Japanese; and when pits were found in Yezo, the same
+hastily-judging people attributed them to the Ainu; and then, when
+mention was made of the Koro-pok-kuru and the Ko-shto, they affixed this
+name to the Kurilsky Ainu whom they had never seen nor studied.
+
+I am not prepared to say whether or not traces of these Koro-pok-kuru
+are to be found in the Aleutian Islands, as I have not visited them; but
+it would prove interesting to trace a connection between them and some
+existing race, in case my supposition be not correct, though I am sure
+that it is nearer the mark than any of the conjectures made by others
+with regard either to the Ainu or the Koro-pok-kuru. At any rate, as I
+do not pretend to infallibility; should my supposition be wrong, the
+facts given above will remain, and a more successful student and
+investigator will be able to work on them with a decided advantage over
+the writer, who had to start from the very beginning, and work on
+information which was more of an obstacle than a help.
+
+[Illustration: STONE ADZES AND HAMMERS.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU HUTS AND STOREHOUSES ON KUTCHARO LAKE.]
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+The Kutcharo River and Lake--A Sulphur Mine--Akkeshi and its Bay.
+
+
+The Kutcharo River is of some importance, for though not of great
+length, it is navigable by small boats for nearly twenty miles from its
+mouth.
+
+I left Kushiro one morning, and made my way up the river, not by boat
+but along its banks on horseback, so as to get a better idea of the
+surrounding country and its inhabitants. At Kushiro I left more than
+half my luggage, to be sent down to Hakodate by the first ship that
+happened to call, and this greatly changed my mode of travelling.
+Instead of two ponies, one pony would now be quite sufficient to carry
+my baggage and myself; and where ponies were not obtainable, I could
+carry all my paraphernalia on my own back with no very great difficulty,
+and in this way I should not be hindered on my journey.
+
+I daresay the baggage I was carrying now weighed about forty-five
+pounds. It mostly consisted of painting materials, and wooden panels, on
+which I usually paint my sketches when travelling.
+
+As to clothes and boots, I was beginning to be rather "hard up." No
+weaver's work, no tailor's garments, nor tanner's hides, can stand the
+wear and tear of such rough travelling as I had had, and the old saying,
+that a "light heart and a thin pair of breeches carry you a long way,"
+is most decidedly not to be applied to anyone journeying to and fro on a
+pack-saddle in Yezo. My coat and trousers were showing signs of rapid
+decay, and I thought with vain desire of needle and thread, buttons and
+hooks. My boots were falling to pieces owing to their continual
+immersion in salt water. The impossibility of cleaning or greasing them
+added to the original damage; and, worse luck of all, they could not be
+replaced. Altogether, what with frayed garments, leaky boots, a battered
+hat, and a general out-at-elbows air, I was scarcely presentable in any
+society a grade above that of the hairy Ainu.
+
+A road has been cut between Kushiro and Shibetcha, a distance of thirty
+miles; but though quite new, it is already out of repair, and it will
+not be long before it is washed away entirely. The Japanese Government
+does its best to open roads near the largest settlements, but Japanese
+officials do not seem to understand that after a road has been made it
+has to be kept in repair.
+
+The country all along is good, and the soil seems rich and fertile.
+Nearly half-way up, on the east side of the Kutcharo River, are three
+lakes,--the Takkobe, the Tori Lake, and the Shirin. The Tori is the
+largest. Its length is five miles, its width about one mile. On the
+southern shore of this lake is a picturesque Ainu village, with its old
+tumble-down huts, and close to it is a group of Japanese houses. The
+contrast between the dirty and neglected old hovels of the Ainu and the
+clean, spruce, and somewhat finikin houses of the Japanese is very
+striking. In this difference we read an epitome of the way in which
+civilisation has travelled from primitive barbarism. The road runs
+through dense forests; but in several places, especially on its highest
+level, we come to lovely views of mountain scenery, towering over the
+shimmering water of the underlying lakes.
+
+In the evening I reached Shibetcha, a nice little place, constructed on
+each side of a large road which rises considerably as it goes through
+the village. The village lies in a small valley surrounded by moderately
+high mountains, and is on the western side of the Kutcharo River, which
+intersects the valley. A wooden bridge and a three-storied Japanese
+tea-house are the two main structures in the place. There are
+sixty-eight houses in the village, and nearly half of them are houses of
+ill-fame, the three-storied tea-house being the principal.
+
+At a distance of twenty-five miles from here is a sulphur mine, and the
+miners, after having amassed sufficient money, come and squander it at
+Shibetcha, thus supporting this nook of demoralization in the wilderness
+of these mountains. As the river becomes very shallow, the mineral from
+the sulphur mine of Yuzan was carried until quite recently on
+pack-saddles as far as here, whence it was brought down by boat to
+Kushiro for shipment; but a small railway, on which only a "truck train"
+is now running once a day from the mine to Shibetcha, has greatly
+simplified matters, and increased the export returns of the mine.
+
+By the kind permission of the Mitsui Company I was allowed to travel on
+one of the trucks (no passenger carriages being provided), and the two
+and a half hours' journey was thus accomplished much more comfortably
+than if I had ridden the twenty-five miles on my pack-saddle. The
+railway took me to the foot of Mount Yuzan, and that same afternoon I
+made the ascent of the mountain. The most valuable sulphur deposits in
+Japan are found on this mountain, the quantity of the mineral being
+practically unlimited. The ascent was hard work, but it was interesting
+to see the _fumaroles_, whence the sulphur is extracted, and whence a
+dense smoke shoots out with great force. The whole mountain is covered
+with thick layers of sulphur of very good quality, and when more
+practical processes are employed for the extraction and carriage of the
+mineral there is no doubt that the sulphur trade will assume a very
+prominent place in the exports of Yezo. Dozens of men are employed now
+to carry the sulphur from the mountain to the railway, but there is work
+enough for hundreds and hundreds more. All the sulphur is at present
+carried on small wheelbarrows, which each man slings on to his shoulders
+when empty and he is going up the mountain. When the sulphur is reached
+the workman sits down, pulls out his pipe, which he fills from the folds
+of his tobacco-pouch, has a quiet smoke and a good rest, then he slowly
+fills his wheelbarrow with the primrose-yellow blocks, and comfortably
+wheels it down hill to the station, a considerable distance. Such a
+primitive fashion of carriage involves great loss of time, and a simple
+mechanical contrivance, by which a large quantity of mineral could be
+brought down at one time, would save an enormous amount of labour, and
+therefore expense. A cable railway would answer the purpose to
+perfection, and the cost of running the steam motor would be
+insignificant, owing to the amount of wood and coal found within easy
+reach. I passed through a large gorge in the mountain, and finally
+reached the summit of Yuzan. Walking on sulphur beds is like walking on
+ice, and many a time in the climb I landed on my knees. Near the summit
+is a huge pinnacle of volcanic rock, standing up perpendicularly, and of
+impossible access. From the foot of this pinnacle a lovely view of the
+Kutcharo Lake is obtained, and it has as a background chain after chain
+of thickly-wooded mountains, beyond which are visible Oakan and Moyokan,
+two volcanic peaks, respectively four thousand and three thousand four
+hundred feet above the level of the sea. On Moyokan are some hot springs
+and accumulations of sulphur. Both these peaks can be seen from the
+coast on a clear day. A small lake lies between Moyokan and Oakan, which
+takes its name from the latter mountain, and finds an outlet in the
+Oakan River. The Oakan joins the Kutcharo River not far from the sea.
+
+[Illustration: KUTCHARO LAKE FROM MOUNT YUZAN.]
+
+The descent was easier than the ascent, and I put up at a small
+tea-house, the only one in the place. The landlord promised to get me a
+good pony early the next morning, but, like a true Japanese, he did not
+keep his promise. He called me at 5 A.M., saying that the pony would be
+ready in a few minutes, and at 9 A.M. the quadruped had not put in an
+appearance; and after numberless excuses, compliments, bows, and lies,
+the landlord acknowledged that no ponies were to be had. I gave my
+luggage to a railway _employ�_, who undertook to bring it back to
+Shibetcha, and I started on foot for Lake Kutcharo. From Yuzan a track
+across the mountains goes due north to Abashiri, on the north-east
+coast. I went in a south-westerly direction, and as on the previous day
+from the summit of Yuzan I had noted the position of Lake Kutcharo, I
+had no difficulty in finding my way there; in fact, I came upon a small
+Ainu track leading to it. A delightful walk of ten miles in the forest
+took me to the Ainu village of Kutcharo, on the borders of the lake of
+the same name. The village is a miserable one; it differs from all other
+Ainu villages in its huts, which have semicircular roofs instead of
+angular ones, as is the case with the Ainu of Volcano Bay and of the
+Saru and Tokachi Rivers. I entered some of the huts, and in a few
+minutes I was surrounded by the small population--I daresay about twenty
+souls, all included--whom I led out into the open air to see what they
+were like. They appeared to me smaller than other Ainu, and their bones
+were less massive; they were not so hairy, and more inclined to
+baldness. Their garments were wretched, and resembled those worn by the
+Tokachi Ainu; namely, a few rags held together one could scarcely say
+how. Women were tattooed on their lips and arms, but less extensively
+than are those of other tribes, and the tattooing was not so accurately
+done.
+
+Other Ainu whom I met in the forest in the neighbourhood of this village
+bore the same characteristics, and everyone seemed to be curiously
+melancholy and depressed. An Ainu existence is certainly not one's ideal
+of comfort and hilarity, but their gloom and melancholy seem to me to be
+purely racial and congenital.
+
+The Lake Kutcharo is very large--too large to be seen to advantage from
+its borders, as one can see only parts, and not the whole of it at once.
+It has a pretty island in the centre, and on the west side is a
+peninsula projecting almost as far as the island. On this peninsula a
+small active geyser is found, which rises to a height of about twelve
+feet, and acts spasmodically. The high mountains which surround the lake
+would make the latter a pleasant summer resort were the place within the
+circle of civilisation. The scenery is very similar to that of Norway or
+the Scotch lakes. The Kutcharo River, as can be seen on the map, is an
+outlet of the Lake Kutcharo, into which the waters of the latter
+discharge themselves a few hundred yards west of the Ainu village.
+
+[Illustration: SULPHUR MINE.]
+
+An Ainu pointed out to me the track leading to Tetcha, or Tetchkanga,
+and I directed my steps in that direction, the Ainu having informed me
+that it was very far, and that I could only reach it at night. I crossed
+the stream in a "dug-out," and found the track on the other side. I
+walked fast, for the most part through a thickly-wooded country, and at
+about sunset I reached Tetcha. The distance from Kutcharo, I should
+think, is about ten or twelve miles. Tetcha is an Ainu village, near
+which a few Japanese houses have been built. The Kutcharo River
+intersects it, and the sulphur train from Yuzan stops here to take water
+on its way to Shibetcha. The train had gone through some hours
+previously, and I was left the alternative of walking on to Shibetcha,
+twenty miles further, or of sleeping at Tetcha. I had walked twenty or
+twenty-two miles already that day, and I felt in very good form. I knew
+that it would be full moon that night; and walking through a forest by
+moonlight has always had a great charm for me. Watching the shadows,
+with their thousand different fantastic forms, running in and out
+through the trees and playing round them, has the same weird fascination
+for me as one of Tieck's tales, or the suggestive music of an �olian
+harp. Some of the Ainu and a Jap entreated me not to attempt to cross
+the forest at night, for wolves and bears were numerous, they said, and
+in all probability I should be attacked by them. This last announcement,
+which I was destined to hear every day in Yezo, and which, of course, I
+did not believe, decided me to go, and I started.
+
+"But," cried after me the astonished Japanese, "_anata micci
+wakarimasen_!"--"You do not know the way!"
+
+"_Kamaimasen, Sayonara!_"--"It little matters; good-bye!" was my reply;
+and I left him standing there perplexed, looking after me as if I had
+been a phenomenon.
+
+The Japanese in Yezo and the Ainu never on any account travel far at
+night; and as for going through a forest alone, unprotected, and without
+knowing the way, they evidently regarded it as something more
+reprehensible than folly. Two days previously, when in the train, I had
+noticed that the railway described a curve several miles long, and I
+knew then that by cutting across I could considerably shorten my way.
+When I entered the forest, the sun with its last rays was casting warm
+tints on the tops of the pine-trees. Everything was still, and only now
+and then some huge owl, awakened by the noise of my steps from its day's
+long sleep, would fly away, starting off on its night's peregrinations
+and depredations. I walked mile after mile, and finally struck the rails
+again. On a white post I saw a cipher in Chinese characters, which
+brought me back to the reality that I was still seventeen miles away
+from Shibetcha. I followed the line of rail as closely as I could, and
+late at night I reached Shibetcha. I roused the people at the _Marui
+yadoya_, and, having eaten some salmon and water soup, I retired to my
+_foutangs_, between which, it is useless to say, I slept well. I had
+walked forty-two odd miles that day, and it had been a pleasant change
+from the continuous riding on pack-saddles.
+
+The next day I rode down to the coast to the bay of Akkeshi, about
+forty-two miles east of Kushiro. The road is very good all the way, and
+has on each side woods of oak and pine trees. The traffic on it is at
+present very small, and the only living creatures I saw during the
+twenty-eight or thirty miles were a beautiful long-tailed red fox and a
+number of Japanese convicts led by a policeman. These were dressed in
+red trousers and a short red coat made of coarse material. They were
+walking in a row, and they were chained two by two, and, moreover, a
+long rope joined the chain of each couple to that of the next, so that
+all couples were tied together. The end of this rope was held by the
+policeman. Some of them wore large hats entirely covering their face;
+others wore no hat at all, and had their head shaved in a peculiar
+manner. They were mostly bare-footed, but a few wore straw sandals. The
+Government wisely makes use of these convicts in opening roads and other
+public works, and after their term of punishment is expired, these men
+almost invariably become fishermen. A great part of the Japanese
+population of Yezo is composed of exiles and ex-convicts; in other
+words, Yezo is nothing more or less to Japan than what Australia was to
+England some years ago.
+
+Nearing the coast I passed the "Tonden" of Hondemura, a colonial militia
+farming settlement. A long line of new houses, all exactly alike in
+shape and size, and built at intervals, stretches on each side of the
+wide road. Each of these houses is inhabited by a man who has served his
+time as a soldier, and who has now his family about him, and does work
+as a farmer in this settlement assigned to him. These "Tondens" were
+established by the Government, and I believe that the farmer-soldiers
+give fairly good results in the zeal and industry with which they
+cultivate the land, and the honesty and morality of their lives. I saw
+most of them occupied in stubbing up the scrub, and tearing or cutting
+down the trees, burning the more worthless parts; but it will be some
+years yet before they have cleared an area of cultivable land
+sufficiently large for profit, as the country is very thickly wooded in
+that neighbourhood.
+
+Soon after I had passed the settlement, going down a steep hill I came
+upon a small and dirty semi-Ainu village, and ultimately reached the
+seashore.
+
+The distance from Shibetcha is thirty miles, and the riding was
+beginning to be unpleasant, owing to the gathering darkness, which made
+my pony shy at everything it passed. At the mouth of the Pehambe Ushi
+River I had great difficulty in getting my pony on the ferry-boat, which
+was to take me across the mouth of the lagoon to Akkeshi. Several
+drunken fishermen came on board, and were disagreeably noisy. One of
+these fellows had a pony, which he tied to mine when on board. The ferry
+was to take us across the entrance of the Akkeshi lagoon, and it was
+more than a quarter of an hour before we reached the opposite shore.
+When we were still nearly twenty feet from _terra firma_, my pony,
+frightened at the cries of the drunken crowd, jumped overboard, carrying
+with him his companion steed. The sudden shock and lurch of the boat
+knocked down everybody on board, and nearly capsized us. As it was we
+shipped a lot of water. The ponies found the water deeper than they
+expected, and they had to swim for it. Having landed before he came
+ashore, I recaptured mine, gave him a sound thrashing, and rode on to
+Akkeshi, a few hundred yards from the landing-place. Akkeshi lies at the
+north-east side of the large bay which goes by the same name, and which,
+by the way, is probably one of the best anchorages on the south coast of
+Yezo. The mouth of the bay is to the southward; it extends seven miles
+in a northerly direction, and is about six miles wide in its widest
+part. The bay is prolonged further inland by a large lagoon, called
+Se-Cherippe, which contains many shoals and low islands, near which are
+beds of oysters of enormous size, the shells of some measuring as much
+as eighteen inches in length. The Koro-pok-kuru, by whom this district
+was formerly thickly populated, seem to have relished this diet, as we
+find thick beds of discarded shells on the top of some of the lower
+hills, and in many places, especially in the vicinity of pits. These
+shell heaps are similar to those found on the main island of Nippon, and
+attributed to the Ainu. (_See_ Chapter IX.)
+
+The country round the bay and the lagoon forms a high land or plateau
+between two hundred and three hundred feet above the level of the sea,
+and the higher ground is thickly wooded, thus supplying Akkeshi with
+abundance of timber, mostly of evergreen trees, as Todo and Yezo-matzu,
+two spruces common in other parts of Yezo as well. With its good
+harbour, its large export of oysters, salmon, herrings, fish-manure, and
+seaweed, besides its seal-fishery and the quantity of good timber easily
+cut and transported down the lagoon and across the bay for shipment, it
+is not surprising that Akkeshi has become, after Hakodate, the most
+important centre on the southern coast. It is nearly half as large again
+as Kushiro, and has as many as nine hundred Japanese houses, besides
+sixty or seventy Ainu huts.
+
+The Ainu were formerly extremely numerous in this district; but few of
+them are left now, and those few are indeed poor specimens of their
+race. They have nearly all become bald, and they seem to suffer very
+severely from rheumatism. Thick fogs are very prevalent along the coast,
+and it is but seldom that one can obtain a view of the whole bay. These
+fogs naturally render navigation unsafe, and are one of the great
+drawbacks to the prosperity of the place. However, our good Londoners
+could tell us that greater evils than fogs can exist. I have no doubt
+that at some future date we shall hear of Akkeshi as being the most
+important port in Yezo, when a railway to join it to Shibetcha shall
+have been constructed. The sulphur of Mount Yuzan will probably then be
+taken direct to this place instead of Kushiro, owing to the safety of
+its harbour, an advantage which Kushiro does not possess. The Akkeshi
+Bay is also interesting from a picturesque point of view, when fogs give
+one a chance of seeing the surrounding scenery. Some fine headlands are
+found near the town of Akkeshi, and also on each side of the opening of
+the bay into the ocean. On the eastern side, the two islands of Daikuku
+and Kodaikuku, joined to the mainland by the low reef, slightly under
+water-level, which goes round the bay, are of some importance for an
+artist. This is especially true of the larger island of Daikuku, which
+rises at a considerable height above the sea, forming majestic cliffs,
+beautiful in shape and colour, on which myriads of seagulls,
+albatrosses, and penguins have chosen their abode, finding in these
+almost untrodden and picturesque cliffs a safe place in which to lay
+their eggs and rear their young. Here they live undisturbed, save for
+the dashing waves of the ocean, which make the earth tremble and the
+rock crumble to pieces, but only meet with a blithesome welcome from the
+screaming, light-hearted, fat, and lazy-winged inhabitants, to whom
+those waves bring good stores of daily food.
+
+[Illustration: AKKESHI IN A FOG.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU MAN AND WOMAN ON HORSEBACK.]
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+From Akkeshi to Nemuro--A Horse Station--Nemuro and its People.
+
+
+The road in the proximity of Akkeshi was extremely muddy and slippery,
+owing to the continuous fogs and rain. A north wind was blowing hard the
+day I left for Kiritap, and it drove the mist and drizzly rain right
+through one's skin into one's bones. The fogs, which are prevalent all
+along the coast, seem to excel between Akkeshi and Kiritap; so much so
+that the Japanese in the neighbourhood make them answerable for their
+baldness, and the local Ainu say they are so scantily hirsute because of
+the everlasting dampness in which they live. They clinch their argument
+by reminding you that when their forefathers came to this part of the
+coast they were as hairy as the bear, so what can have caused their own
+comparative smoothness but these everlasting fogs? I believe that to a
+great extent they are right, for when, after a day's wet ride, I have
+sat near a fire even for some hours, I have felt as if my skin were
+soaking with wet--as if I had been too long in a bath--and neither
+rubbing with cotton towels nor the warmth of the fire seemed thoroughly
+to dry it; and perhaps such an extraordinary dampness, constantly
+saturating the pores of the skin, may have an injurious effect upon the
+hair, and cause it to decay and fall off. It was in a thick fog like
+this that I had to find my way to Riruran, the next horse station, about
+eight miles further east. The road soon became a mere track, running
+through an undulating country, chiefly pasture land. As luck would have
+it, I had hired a pony which belonged to the Riruran station, and the
+beast was as anxious to get there as I was. He knew the way and I did
+not, so I let him guide me. Now and then, when the wind blew with
+increased strength, the fog lifted for a few minutes, and disclosed some
+pretty bits of landscape. The country all around was grassy, with the
+familiar densely-wooded hills in the background. It somewhat resembled
+the slopes and high lands of Cornwall, without, however, the herds of
+sheep and cattle, which in our country are connected with green fields;
+without the trim fences and stiles, the ploughed fields and meadows, the
+trim hedges and park-like trees, the bye-lanes and well-kept roads.
+
+Hill after hill was ascended and descended, the sturdy little pony going
+well towards his former home; but as yet I had come on no signs of any
+living creature. No labourers are here to work and plough the dark rich
+soil. Potato fields; cottages with their plots of vegetable grounds;
+cows and sheep scattered over the green pastures--all signs of vigorous
+and successful husbandry--are things that an intending traveller to Yezo
+will miss. Everywhere are solitude and monotony. Still, even solitude
+and monotony are not always to be abhorred, and if they have their
+drawbacks they also have their advantages. You can go undisturbed for
+mile after mile; you can think; you can dream; you can sing; you can
+keep to the track or go across country; you can go fast or slow, and
+there is no one to object, to obstruct, or to comment. You breathe air
+that no one has breathed before, and you quench your thirst in a limpid
+stream unpolluted by sewage, chemical refuse, or poisonous dye-stuffs.
+You lead a simple life, and, what is more, an independent life. Many a
+time, when I woke up to the real state of my new condition, I could not
+help laughing at our civilised conceptions of what constitutes a free
+man in a free country, viz. that he can have a voice in choosing which
+of two men shall be sent as a member to Parliament.
+
+Absorbed, now in my own thoughts on many subjects, and now in gazing at
+the monotonous scenes, which, as if reflected from a magic-lantern,
+suddenly appeared and as suddenly faded away, I had not seen how far my
+pony had hurried on, when, rapidly descending a steep hill, I discerned
+through the grey fog a solitary shed in the small valley below. The
+neighing of my steed, responded to by the neighing of his compatriots in
+the valley, told me that I had reached the horse station of Riruran, and
+a few minutes later my baggage and pack-saddle were removed from my
+steaming quadruped, and a fresh animal was burdened with my possessions.
+These horse stations generally consist of one shed, in which the owner
+and his family live; near it is a rough enclosure formed of branches and
+trunks of trees laid down horizontally, and strengthened at intervals by
+poles stuck in the ground. The ponies are kept in this enclosure during
+the day, but are let loose at sunset, when they go for their food
+wherever they can get it--generally on the near hills. Early in the
+morning one or two Ainu employed in the stations start off to recapture
+the ponies, and after a struggle bring back the herd to the paddock. My
+readers, who may not be well acquainted with the habits of semi-wild
+horses, will wonder that the ponies, once free in an unenclosed country,
+do not bolt away altogether inland, thus making it impossible to
+recapture them; and, moreover, these readers will think what a difficult
+task it must be for the Ainu horsemen to recover all the ponies, each
+one of which, they probably imagine, has bolted in an independent and
+different direction. This is not the case. When a herd of ponies is let
+loose they invariably all go together in one direction, generally
+following those of the older animals which have bells hanging to their
+necks. When they come to a proper feeding-ground they all graze within a
+few yards of one another; and the chances are that the herd will not go
+a step further than is necessary, as they are terribly afraid of bears,
+their most dreaded enemy, by which they well know the more distant
+hills are infested. When their hunger is satisfied they shoulder up
+together and form a circle, in the centre of which the young colts are
+placed, these being thus well protected from bears, who would find a
+sturdy resistance in the hind hoofs of the outstanding guard should they
+come to close quarters. The Ainu are good trackers, and have little
+difficulty in finding in which direction the herd has moved. When this
+preliminary is ascertained, the horseman, mounted on a swift pony, which
+he has taken good care to keep behind, starts from the station about an
+hour before sunrise, so as to allow himself ample time to reach the herd
+before the sun is up. He finds the ponies in this circular position of
+defence. With a long stick he breaks their ranks, and by shouting, and
+wildly galloping to and fro, drives them on in front till the station
+and the pen are reached. When they have all entered the latter, a heavy
+wooden bar is rested on two biforked poles, one on each side of the
+entrance, thus barring their way out; and there they are kept all day,
+waiting for such native travellers or traders as may require their
+services along the coast.
+
+Most of the stations are owned by Japanese and by Ainu half-castes. Some
+have large numbers of ponies; some only a few, according to the wants of
+the neighbourhood.
+
+The average market value of a beast is between five and ten _yen_, or
+about fifteen to thirty shillings in English currency.
+
+At stations where the ponies are but little worked, good animals can
+sometimes be obtained for a small sum of money; but at stations near
+large settlements--where trade with other villages is carried on
+entirely by pack-ponies--they are mostly sorry beasts, with their backs
+one mass of sores, produced by the friction of the rough pack-saddles.
+Moreover, the cruel habit of letting colts follow mares for long
+distances--sometimes forty or fifty miles--is as painful a sight to
+witness as it is injurious to the breed. The Yezo ponies are
+characterised by their long hair and mane. They are short, sturdy,
+punchy brutes, not more than ten or twelve hands high, with a rather
+large and massive head, and thick, crooked legs. They are by no means
+fine-looking animals, nor are they well groomed--in fact, they are not
+groomed at all--but they serve capitally for the rough tracks and
+precipitous wastes of Hokkaido. They have none of the good qualities we
+require in our horses, but they possess others which fit them for the
+country they are in. Their enormous power of endurance, and the
+wonderful way in which they can go over the steepest tracks--almost
+unclimbable on foot; their sure step when going along precipices; and
+the marvellous manner in which they pick their way over rocky coasts,
+which the waves would seem to make impassable, and where none of our
+good horses could go without breaking their legs, are all endowments
+which I feel bound to quote in honour of the Yezo ponies. They are not
+shod, and they can hardly be called trained. Indeed, if a traveller be a
+good rider, it is advisable to obtain a perfectly unbroken animal, as
+from my own personal experience I can say that, though the riding was a
+little more exciting, I could invariably make better time with a totally
+unbroken beast, than with one of the worn-out, sore-backed "quiet
+ponies," which needed any amount of thrashing to make him go.
+
+[Illustration: AINU BITS.]
+
+A curious method is adopted for directing the animal. It is as simple as
+it is ingenious. The necessary "bit" by which we control our horses is
+dispensed with, and it is replaced by two wooden wands about twelve
+inches long and two inches wide, tied together at one end, allowing a
+distance of three inches between them. In the middle of these wands a
+rope is passed which goes over the pony's head behind its ears; while
+the wands themselves, thus supported by it, rest one on each side of the
+pony's nose. Another rope, five or six feet in length, and acting as a
+rein, is fastened at the lower end of one of the wands, and passes
+through a hole in the other, thus allowing this simple contrivance,
+based on the lever principle, to be worked exactly in the same way as a
+nut-cracker, the pony's nose being the nut. The disadvantage of the
+system is, that having only one rein, this has to be passed over the
+pony's head each time one wishes to turn to the right or to the left,
+as by pulling the rope hard, and thus squeezing the animal's nose, its
+head is turned in the direction in which it is pulled, and it is soon
+taught that this is the way it must go. Furthermore, should the pony
+bolt, it can be stopped by pulling its head close to its haunches,
+thereby making it impossible to continue its race. In the latter case it
+often happens, especially with an untrained pony, that it will spin
+round, trying to stretch its twisted neck by pushing its head away from
+the side of its body, and the result is generally a bad fall of horse
+and rider.
+
+Another thing of which one ought to be careful is to keep one's legs out
+of the reach of the brute's teeth; for it is not infrequent that instead
+of the man punishing the animal, the animal revenges itself on the man;
+and the incautious traveller realises Sydney Smith's position, and finds
+that to a Yezo pony, as well as to an English cart-horse, "all flesh is
+grass."
+
+From Riruran, for about fifteen miles, the way is merely a mountain
+track; and I dare say that in fine weather the scenery along it is
+picturesque. Unfortunately, when I went through, the fog had become more
+and more intense, and I saw very little of the landscape. At places the
+track led down to the sea, and then mounted up again over cliffs and
+high lands. As the mist, which came in gusts and waves, deepened or
+lightened in intensity, the rugged precipitous rocks, formed mostly of
+conglomerate, sandstone, and breccia, took all sorts of fantastic forms.
+Along the coast were many Ainu huts inhabited by half-castes and by
+Japanese. The Ainu were once very numerous in this district, but few of
+them are to be found now. The few remaining ones have yielded to the
+more civilised Japanese, and have become their servants. They are used
+as menials in most of the fishing stations, always acting under the
+directions of Japanese masters. Very frequently they are employed as
+tenders of horses, and in some places as guides for traders and
+travellers from one station to another.
+
+Not far from Riruran the mouths of two lagoons have to be crossed, the
+larger of which is called Saruffo-Ko, or "Lake in a grassy plain."
+Cranes, swans, and ducks are numerous in these lagoons.
+
+The track continues mostly over cliffs and mountains till Birvase, a
+small village of seaweed gatherers, is reached, and the next two and a
+half miles are along a sandy beach as far as Hammanaka. A short bridge
+joins this place to the island of Kiritap, which is separated from the
+mainland by a channel only a few feet wide. Towards the evening the fog
+lifted, and I caught a glimpse of the village.
+
+The ponies of the Kiritap village had just been let loose, and were
+running over the small wooden bridge with great clamour. The houses,
+which number about a hundred and twenty, are all poor and dirty. There
+is a main street, and most of the houses are on each side of it. The
+people are fishermen, seaweed gatherers, and small traders; for
+Hammanaka Bay, being a good anchorage for junks and small craft under
+the lee of Kiritap Island, is a place of some importance for its export
+trade of seaweeds, fish-oil, and herring guano; these products being
+sent down to Hakodate.
+
+If a few Ainu have adopted the Japanese language, clothes, and customs,
+there are also many Japanese who have taken up the Ainu language and
+ways. I noticed this more particularly in this district, where the Ainu
+have almost entirely disappeared. The older Japanese and many of the
+younger folks have Ainu features; and not only have they adopted a great
+number of Ainu words, but when talking Japanese they speak it with the
+peculiar intonation and accent pertaining to the Ainu. This is not
+surprising, nor yet peculiar to the Japanese or the Chinese; for we find
+that almost all English residents in Chinese ports adopt many of the
+words of our pig-tailed brothers, and have thus formed a kind of local
+English, besides the "pidgeon-English"--a corruption of "business
+English"--which almost constitutes a language of its own.
+
+The Ainu, like the Scotch or the French, give a rolling sound to the
+"r." Thus, for instance, if I had written the word "Riruran" as it is
+pronounced I should have spelt it "Rrirrurran." Then the Ainu almost
+sing their words--the women in a falsetto voice, ending in a singularly
+mournful kind of cadenza. On his return from a journey, a hunt, or a
+fishing expedition, the Ainu squats down cross-legged in his hut, and,
+after the conventional introductory ceremony of rubbing the palms of his
+hands together and then repeatedly stroking his hair and beard, proceeds
+to relate the adventures that have befallen him during his absence.
+This he does by singing out his story in a sort of monotone, or
+sometimes chanting it. When conversing with Japanese the Ainu have
+slightly modified this habit, which gave rise to much mirth to the
+light-hearted sons of the Mikado's empire. However, like all people who
+are ready to laugh at everything novel, the local Japanese have now
+themselves fallen into that same manner of speaking, which, after all,
+has its charms, as it is rather sentimental in spirit, and so far
+pleasant to the ear. What is more, they have also acquired the slow ways
+of the Ainu.
+
+All along the beach between Hammanaka and Hattaushi, a distance of
+nearly twenty miles, there are fishermen's and seaweed gatherers' huts;
+but none of them is inhabited by Ainu. Men, women, and children are all
+occupied in the seaweed gathering industry; and it is when the sea is
+stormy that the largest quantity of kelp is collected. The numerous
+reefs and rocks all along the shore-line afford suitable ground and
+bottom for its growth and production; and during a stormy sea quantities
+of kelp float on the breaking waves, to be finally thrown on shore. The
+industrious gatherers seldom wait for this "jetsam," as the long weeds,
+after they are washed off the rock, and before they are finally swept on
+shore, are apt to be damaged by the waves, and are therefore of less
+value for the export market than when long and fresh; wherefore, each
+gatherer provides himself with a long pole or hook, and from morning
+till night these half-naked "toilers of the sea" can be seen running to
+and fro in and out of the waves dragging bunches of long ribbon-like
+seaweeds, which are then carefully disentangled, stretched on the sands
+to dry, and, after several days of exposure, are packed for the market.
+
+Some huge cliffs towering over the sandy beach make the track
+interesting; and here and there, scattered in the Hammanaka Bay, are
+some oyster-banks before reaching the single shed of Hattaushi. The
+following twelve miles were on an extremely bad track, partly over steep
+hills and partly on tiresome soft sand. Then I arrived at
+Otchishi--without exception the loveliest little spot in Yezo. It lies
+in the centre of a small bay, on the two sides of which are magnificent
+headlands with precipitous cliffs and rocks of volcanic formation. On a
+pretty bit of green grass in the foreground, only a few feet above the
+sea-level, were a shed and a storehouse. A reef and shallow water closed
+the entrance of the bay to the foaming waves of the Pacific. In the
+sheltered water, which was as smooth as a mirror, the dark rich colour
+of the overhanging rocks, caressed by the last warm rays of the dying
+sun, was reflected with absolute fidelity and almost increased
+loveliness. A cold whitish sky, and the _white horses_ breaking on the
+reef, completed the _ensemble_ of that lovely scene; and it was with
+great regret, after having attempted a sketch, that I was told my horse
+was ready, and I had to leave this poetical and exquisite scene.
+
+On the slight elevations near Otchishi, and in the valley, pits are
+still to be seen, showing that the pit-dwellers were once numerous in
+this district. They are found both along the coast as well as slightly
+inland by the side of small rivers, and on the shores of the Saruffu
+lagoon. A well-kept road begins at Otchishi, and goes on to Nemuro. At
+first it runs over hilly ground and through an oak-wooded country, then
+through thick forests of spruce trees, the trees standing very
+close together. About four miles from Nemuro a military
+settlement--"Hanasaki"--similar to the one on the Shibetcha-Akkeshi
+road, has been established by the Japanese Government. Here, again, I
+was struck by the difficulty and the amount of labour involved in
+clearing the trees off the ground. It will take many years before the
+industrious farmers will have any return for their hard labour. I do not
+know what the object of the Japanese Government may have been in
+starting these two militia settlements in spots so unfit for
+cultivation, but it seems a great pity to see the Tokachi region, which
+has all the requisites for successful agriculture, quite deserted, while
+hundreds of men are wasting their strength and time at other places,
+where it will take several years to open enough ground for even a
+kitchen-garden.
+
+Past the long row of houses at Hanasaki the road descends gently, and I
+arrived at Nemuro, a thriving place of about fifteen hundred houses, on
+the south-west coast of the plateau-like peninsula ending at Cape
+Noshafu. The general elevation of the plateau is between sixty and one
+hundred and twenty feet above the sea-level, and the high land is
+covered with undergrowth and stunted trees, such as scrub bamboo, oak,
+birch, and alder, the east winds and fogs no doubt preventing the latter
+from attaining a larger growth. Some low islands and reefs lie north and
+south off Cape Noshafu, and make navigation very unsafe for the small
+coasting crafts which sometimes during the summer call at Nemuro for
+sea-weed, herring, salt, salmon, and herring guano; the first exported
+chiefly to China, the others to Tokio and Southern Japan. Herrings are
+caught in large numbers during the spring and summer, and the export of
+fish-manure would be considerably increased if the harbour at Nemuro
+could be safely entered by larger ships. As it is now, though well
+sheltered by the small island of Bentenjima, it can only harbour small
+ships, as, besides not being deep, its entrance is narrow and of
+difficult access during the thick fogs of the summer. In the winter and
+part of the spring the harbour and the coast as far as Noshafu Cape are
+blocked with drift ice, thus stopping navigation altogether. The trade
+from the adjoining coast and the Kurile Islands concentrates at this
+port, and as a farming region the small portion of available land
+north-west of the town has given fairly good results. Horse-breeding has
+proved a success for the local wants, but hardly so in producing a fine
+breed of horses. Cattle-breeding, on the other hand, has been a failure
+all through, owing to the severe weather in winter, which the imported
+animals could not stand. In spite of strong easterly winds, heavy fogs,
+ice, and snow, fair crops of _daikon_, potatoes, turnips, barley, beans,
+wheat, and hemp are successfully raised here, as the soil is of
+extremely good quality. As to the town itself, it is prettily laid out,
+the streets crossing each other at right angles, while some of the
+houses are built in semi-European style, to meet the severity of the
+climate. A Shinto temple is erected on the high level; and from this is
+obtained a fine bird's-eye view of the harbour and town, with the
+numerous storehouses overlooking the sea.
+
+As I have given a short description of the town--uninteresting save from
+a commercial point of view--I feel that I owe a few lines to its
+go-ahead inhabitants. Belonging, nearly all, to a young and adventurous
+generation, they reminded me of the same type of Englishmen who have
+abandoned their fatherland and settled in America and Australia,
+striving, and often succeeding, in making a fortune. Such men are
+invariably of a different "make" from that of the young fellows who are
+satisfied to drudge for life in a bank, a merchant's office, or a
+shop--vegetating rather than living; following their day's routine in a
+mechanical sort of way; grumbling continually, but never bold enough to
+attempt any improvement of their position. As one is born an artist, a
+musician, or a literary man, one has to be born a colonist to be a
+successful one.
+
+The young Japanese whom I met at Nemuro impressed me as being thoroughly
+different from any I had come across in my one year's stay in Southern
+Japan; and I was agreeably surprised when I found that I was dealing
+with a lot of young, clever, and serious men, willing to improve their
+country and themselves, and anxious to accept any practical hint that
+would enable them to accomplish this in the shortest time possible. In
+other words, they had lost the slow, phlegmatic way of transacting
+business of the "stay-at-homes," and had accepted the quick perception
+of the true colonist, who is always ready to catch all the chances which
+will help him to get on in life.
+
+I had been struck with this energy, this go-ahead faculty, several times
+along the south-west and south-east coasts, when conversing with the
+Japanese with whom I came in contact; but I was never so much impressed
+as at Nemuro, where, indeed, the men are of a superior class,
+well-educated, and belonging to good families, while most of the
+Japanese at fishing stations along the coast are taken from the scum of
+the towns. They are often escaped or ex-convicts, or else people who
+found it advisable to abandon the livelier shores of Nippon, leaving no
+trace of themselves rather than end their days in a prison cell.
+
+Nemuro is a progressive place in every way, and had it been built five
+miles further west it would have been intersected by the Onnetto
+River--a short outlet of the Onnetto Lagoon, which would have formed a
+larger and safer harbour than the present Nemuro anchorage. As it is,
+prosperity showed itself in the usual way, by the number of
+eating-houses for all classes, a theatre, numerous _guechas_--singers
+and dancers--and a whole street of houses of light morals, in which,
+behind a wooden grating similar to a huge cage, dozens of girls are
+shown in their gaudy red and gold embroidered _kimonos_, with elaborate
+_obis_ round their waist, and expensive long tortoise-shell hairpins
+artistically surrounding their heads like a halo. There in a line the
+pretty girls sit for several hours on their heels in front of a
+_hibachi_--brazier--smoking their diminutive pipes. They are fair game
+for now the compliments and now the jokes of the crowd promenading up
+and down the street in the evening. Every now and then, when an admirer
+approaches the cage, one of the girls gets up, refills her tiny pipe
+with tobacco, and offers it to him, not forgetting to wipe the
+mouthpiece with the palm of her hand before so doing. He (the admirer)
+puffs away, and returns the empty pipe with thanks, shifting on to
+another cage to have his next smoke. Japanese men cannot live without
+_guechas_, and it follows as a matter of course that Nemuro, being a
+prosperous place, there are many of them.
+
+A _guecha_ is a singer or dancer (posturing), or both, and one or more
+generally attend dinner-parties and festivities of any kind. Some sing
+with self-accompaniment of _shamesen;_ others display their wonderful
+powers of mimicking and posturising, in which grace is never lacking. A
+long _kimono_, a carefully-arranged _obi_, and a pretty pair of white
+_tabi_--short socks with split toes--make up the graceful and simple
+attire in which they appear in the house. Their hair, plastered down
+with camelia oil, is a veritable work of art. It is carefully combed,
+oiled, and flattened behind the ears. A metal fastener at the lowest
+point of the curve keeps it in this flat position, and it is then raised
+again and fastened at the back of the head, first in a most elaborate
+twist, and then rolled up in graceful curves. A pretty, tasteful
+_kanzashi_--a long hairpin--is placed on the left side of the head, thus
+completing that part of a _guecha's_ toilette.
+
+The sallow complexion characteristic of the race is despised by the
+womankind of Japan, and all women are given to "painting" themselves.
+With us such a custom is not uncommon, but it is disregarded by most
+sensible women. In Japan it is part of the ordinary woman's daily
+toilette. A thick layer of white chalk is first smeared with a soft
+brush over the face, neck, shoulders, arms, and hands; then the pretty
+_mouseme_, dipping her first finger in red paint, gently rubs this on
+her cheeks, her temples, and over the upper eyelids. The middle finger
+is the "black brush," and adds sentiment to the expression by blackening
+under the eyes; and sometimes when the eyebrows are not shaved it is
+also used to accentuate them. A piece of burnt cork is often used as a
+substitute for black paint. The fourth finger has no occupation, but the
+little finger is for finishing touches, brightening up the mouth with
+carmine, and adding a bit of gold on the lower lip. A _guecha_ paints
+herself to a much greater extent than other women, and with brighter
+colours. As to her moral qualities, a _guecha_ is usually not immoral
+enough to be called "fast," yet too fast to be qualified as "moral."
+Their music and posturing have a great charm for Japanese; and when
+money is made, a good quantity of it goes to keeping up these feminine
+musicians and their establishments.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+To show how enterprising and Americanised the Nemuro people are, I shall
+ask the reader's forgiveness for again relating a personal experience
+which at the time greatly amused me.
+
+I was in the midst of my simple Japanese dinner in the Jamaruru
+tea-house, when four youths entered my room and offered to shake hands
+with me--a most unusual thing with Japanese. One of them handed me his
+card, on which I read, "K. Sato, _Nemuro Shimbun_" (Nemuro newspaper).
+
+"Oh," I said in Japanese, "you have even a newspaper at Nemuro."
+
+"Yes," answered in English one of his friends, a Mr. Yuasa, handing me
+his own card.
+
+"You speak English, then, Mr. Yuasa?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Can I offer you and your friends anything to drink or to eat?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"What will you have?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Will you have some _sake_?"
+
+"No, no; I come to speak to you."
+
+"Thank you."
+
+"No, no; I come to _take your life_ in Nemuro newspaper. Please speak
+where come? How old? Where go?"
+
+When I had sufficiently recovered from the shock of his announcement
+that he had come to take my life, and understood what he meant by it, I
+had a most pleasant conversation in English with him, and in Japanese
+with the others. Mr. Yuasa's English improved as his shyness wore off,
+showing that he had a very fair knowledge of the language. The interview
+lasted many hours, continually interrupted by the _nara honto_ and the
+_sajo deska_--"really" and "indeed" of my visitors--while notes were
+taken by the editor and his staff. They finally departed, and early the
+next morning I received the following letter:--
+
+     "SIR,--I long that you will correspond to me any events wherever
+     you have met them in your journey when you are not so awful busy,
+     as I have to translate and write on the Nemuro _News_. I meet the
+     first time here, and I hope to have your friendly favor hitherto,
+     and thanks for your kindness I have received ever, believe me, your
+     humble servant, F. YUASA."
+
+The same afternoon the editor and his staff called again, accompanied by
+the two Mr. Nakamuras, the richest merchants in Nemuro, and they
+insisted on giving me a European dinner. After my experience at Otsu as
+regards European cooking by Japanese, I was rather loth to accept their
+kind invitation, but I had to yield. The feast began with biscuits and
+jam,[31] and the soup was brought immediately after; then vegetables
+were followed by roast chicken, and the latter by salad and fried fish.
+With the exception of the somewhat inverted order of the courses, this
+time it was actually a European dinner, and even well-cooked; but my
+hosts were seen at a great disadvantage when using a knife and fork. As
+for the anatomy of the chicken, that was decidedly their weakest point.
+Those of the party who were shy gave up the carving as a bad job; the
+bolder only fought bravely; and every now and then a knife gave a
+terrible squeak on the plate, and half a leg, a wing, or a carcase was
+fired right across the table into one's plate, if not in one's face, or
+on one's lap.
+
+    [31] The Japanese always begin their meals with sweets.
+
+"_Honto taihen muskashi_"--"Really it is very difficult"--said the wit
+of the party, helplessly putting down his knife and fork after trying to
+separate the two parts of a wing. "This bird's bones have lost all their
+joints in the cooking."
+
+My hosts were extremely kind, and were, besides, so clever and bright
+that I enjoyed their good company immensely. At the same time I gained
+from them valuable information as regards the neighbouring country and
+the Kurile Islands.
+
+[Illustration: SEMI-AINU RAT TRAP.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOMAN OF KURILE ISLANDS.]
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+The Kurile Islands.
+
+
+From Nemuro I put to sea in a miserable little Japanese craft--a kind of
+tug-boat--which once or twice a year goes to the principal islands of
+the Kurile group, and brings back their products to Nemuro. It is
+needless to say that I was the only passenger on board, though it is
+fair to add that the saloon was large enough to "accommodate" two, but
+not more. As for the only cabin, it had two berths, one over the other,
+but no available space for dressing or undressing, which therefore had
+to be got through outside, unless it was to be done by instalments,
+lying down in the berth itself. I shall spare my readers a minute
+description of this "ocean clipper," her tonnage, and horse-power, and I
+shall not attempt to narrate the many disadvantages of travelling in a
+ship engaged in the fish-manure, dried-fish, and sea-weed trade. These
+three very strongly scented articles speak for themselves without the
+need of words.
+
+The Kuriles are the islands which stretch like a row of beads from the
+most north-easterly coast of Yezo to the most southerly point of
+Kamschatka. They extend from 145� to 158� longitude east of Greenwich,
+and between 42� and 51� latitude north.
+
+The archipelago forms part of the Japanese Empire, having been exchanged
+by Russia not many years ago for the southern half of Saghalien Island,
+then belonging to Japan. This group of islands is characterised mainly
+by the great extent of its volcanic rocks and tertiaries, showing marked
+evidence that it is only a continuation of the volcanic mountain-range
+forming the backbone of Yezo, and extending from Yubaridake, in the
+upper Ishikari province, to Cape Shiretoko; which volcanic region
+embraces a large portion of the Tokachi, Kitami, and Nemuro provinces.
+In this chain of islands there are many beautiful volcanic cones,
+especially in Kunashiri and Etorofu. Iron, copper, and other metal veins
+are found in small quantities in tuffs and andesites, but more important
+here, moreover, are the large sulphur accumulations near and in craters,
+both extinct and active; as on Mount Rahush, in Kunashiri, and the
+Ichibishinai, in Etorofu, the largest island of the Kuriles. At Pontoo,
+in Kunashiri, sulphur bubbles out from the bottom of a volcanic lake,
+which is probably an extinct crater.
+
+Beside being rich in minerals, the larger islands of the Kuriles abound
+in game; but fishing is the main industry practised by the sparse
+population of these rugged regions. The origin of the word "Kuriles" is
+not certain, but in all probability it is from the Russian _kuril_,
+smoke, as there are many active volcanoes in the islands. The more
+poetical Japanese call them _Chishima_, or the "Thousand Islands,"
+meaning that they are numberless, and the _nonchalant_ Ainu of Yezo
+profess entire ignorance as to their existence, and only some of the
+better informed give them the name of _Krafto_, by which they really
+mean Sakhalin. The hairy people are emphatically poor geographers, and
+have but little faculty for locating islands or any other places. In
+fact, how could they, having no maps, and no idea even of what a map is?
+The Chishima group and the island of Yezo, with all the smaller islands
+along and near its coast, when taken collectively, are called by the
+Japanese "The Hokkaido." The nearest of the Kuriles to Yezo is
+Kunashiri, and south of it lies the smaller island of Shikotan; then
+comes Etorofu, the largest of the group; then Urup; after this a number
+of unhabited islets, reefs, and rocks form a barrier separating the
+Otkoshk Sea from the Pacific Ocean. Shimushir, at the south-western end
+of this barrier, and Onekotan, at the north-eastern, are the two
+largest, Shimushir being about thirty miles in length and four or five
+wide, and Onekotan about twenty-five miles long and eight wide.
+Paromushir (a corruption of the Ainu words _poro_, large, and _mushiri_,
+island) is the last island of the group. It has a large reef on its
+south-east coast, and is divided by a channel six or seven miles wide
+from Cape Lopatka, the most southern point of the Kamschatkan peninsula.
+Paromushir is about twice the size of Urup, and is very mountainous,
+with rugged cliffs of volcanic formation, and high picturesque peaks,
+bearing the same characteristics as the scenery in Etorofu and
+Kunashiri, and also of Kamschatka. I have mentioned this last island, as
+it is of some interest, being the most northern point of the Japanese
+empire; and also to a certain extent it is interesting from a geological
+point of view, but, as far as I know, it is not inhabited now, and the
+few Kurilsky Ainu who formerly lived there migrated further south from
+one island to another, till Shimushir[32] and Urup[33] afforded them a
+more hospitable home. However, they were not to live there for long, for
+the Japanese Government, asserting that subjects of the empire who chose
+to live so far could not be properly looked after, sent the small ship
+on which I was now travelling on a mission with orders to bring them all
+down to the formerly deserted island of Shikotan. The orders had to be
+obeyed; and reluctantly setting fire to the huts which they were about
+to abandon and never to see again, ninety souls, all that remained of
+that nomad tribe of Ainu, were embarked and carried into exile at
+Shikotan. The quiet life on the Shikotan rocks little suits the roaming
+disposition of the Kurilsky Ainu; and though even formerly they were
+rapidly dying out, the rate of mortality has increased since their
+exile. Having thus verified the fact that of the "Thousand Islands" of
+the Chishima group only three are inhabited, I shall avoid giving a
+monotonous description of each bare-looking islet and rock, and I shall
+land my readers at Shikotan, on a visit to the Kurilsky Ainu, who are
+important to us in connection with the Ainu of Yezo.
+
+    [32] _Shimushir_, High Island.
+
+    [33] _Urup_, name given to a kind of salmon.
+
+It was early in the morning when I looked out of the porthole, and by a
+fine moonlight saw that we were close to the coast. Huge cliffs and
+peaks, ending in a sharp point, some converging towards one another,
+some standing upright against the whitish cold sky, were reflected in
+the smooth water under the lee of the island. The moon, surrounded by a
+yellowish halo, shone bright over the rugged scene, giving delicate
+bluish tints to all the shadows; while the water, disturbed and cut by
+the prow of our craft, rose in gentle waves, pursuing one another, as if
+running for a place of refuge in the mysterious dark shadows of the
+cliffs. So weird, so enchanted and wild was the scene, that I jumped out
+of my stuffy bunk and went on deck. There I stood, notwithstanding the
+cold, gazing at the gigantic overhanging black rocks, at the precipices,
+crevices, and natural openings through which now and then the radiant
+moon peeped, covering the dark green water with a long undulating streak
+of silver dashes. There I stood, listening to the voices of the waves,
+which rippled on the shingle, contemplating this strange and poetic work
+of nature. I am certain that if sirens there ever were in this world,
+their home must have been among the whimsical and _bizarre_ rocks of
+Shikotan Island. The old "tub" on which I was "ploughing the waves"
+moved slowly through this heavenly spectacle of ever-increasing beauty.
+When the sun rose, enchantment was added to enchantment. The cold bluish
+colour of the rocks became gradually warmer; and, as the light grew
+stronger, the tops of the cliffs turned into a mass of brilliant
+colours. Nature was waking slowly from her torpid sleep, and, in the
+freshness of the morning, a light breeze, caressing the shore, brought
+with it the smell of land.
+
+The captain, a Japanese, informed me that we should soon enter the
+harbour of Shikotan, and, pointing to some huge pillars, said that was
+the entrance. We drew nearer and nearer to it, and the nearer we drew
+the more I became convinced that the captain was under an
+hallucination. I could only see rock after rock, huge pillar after huge
+pillar; but no entrance whatever.
+
+"We are just going in," said the captain, laughing at my astonishment,
+and he gave orders to the quartermaster at the wheel to steer straight
+for one of the pillars. We were but a few yards from it when our craft
+was made to swing rapidly on her starboard side, and we turned round a
+gigantic shoulder of rock, to find ourselves in a narrow channel. One
+minute later we were in a pretty circular harbour, surrounded by high
+peaks--in fact, a kind of "fiord." The access to this harbour is
+certainly difficult to find, but when you are fairly in, it is seen to
+afford a well-sheltered anchorage. It has more the appearance of a small
+mountain lake than that of a sea-harbour; and undoubtedly it is a
+submerged crater. It is perfectly circular, and very deep, but not of
+large capacity. Directly opposite the entrance, on the shore, is a small
+narrow valley, on which is situated the village of the Kurilsky Ainu.
+Four men rowed me ashore, and I went to the village.
+
+When the Japanese imported these Kurilsky Ainu to Shikotan, they allowed
+them to build their huts in their own way; but this done, a railing with
+a gate was erected, closing the entrance of the valley which overlooks
+the harbour, thus preventing the poor wretches from abandoning the
+island to resume their migratory habits, and return to their more
+northern homes. Inside this gate two rows of huts, exactly similar to
+those of the Yezo Ainu, have been constructed by the exiles. There are
+sixteen huts altogether, and not a single one of them is built over a
+pit. In Chapter IX, I have fully explained the characteristics and mode
+of living, which leaves no doubt as to these people being proper Ainu,
+and not pit-dwellers, as some have asserted; though of course their type
+is slightly modified by external conditions--a common occurrence in all
+races. Take a Londoner, a provincial, and a seaman, and though they be
+all three Englishmen, one will have a washed-out look, the other will be
+healthy and strong, but not so sturdy, wiry, and weather-beaten as the
+sailor. The same natural process is at work with this tribe of Ainu.
+They conform their life according to circumstances and places; and
+though they possess the same general characteristics as the rest of the
+Ainu, in some small details they cannot but differ from them.
+
+Shikotan was a deserted island previous to these poor wretches being
+transplanted there by the Japanese Government. It does not abound in
+game, like Shimushir, Urup, or Poromushir, whence they were taken.
+
+[Illustration: SHIKOTAN AINU.]
+
+The story of this tribe of Ainu is a sad one. Hunting, sealing, and
+fishing were their only aims in life, their only pastimes, the only
+things they lived for. At Shikotan they have none of these things. There
+is no big game; the only animal found being a beautiful species of white
+long-tailed fox. There are no large rivers at Shikotan; there is hardly
+any vegetation, and the whole island is nothing but a mass of barren
+rocks.
+
+The food of the Kurilsky Ainu consisted chiefly of meat of bear and
+seals, berries, and eggs of sea-birds. They were a migratory people, and
+in their small cranky canoes they often crossed from one island to
+another, carrying with them all their property, consisting of skin
+garments and fishing and hunting implements, these latter the same as
+those employed by other Ainu. The dress of the men is shaped like a
+short tunic, made of sea-birds' skins, with the feathers inside. Some of
+the smart ones are trimmed with seal, and they are worn fastened round
+the waist with a girdle of sealskin or a belt of sea-lion hide, often
+ornamented with molten lead buttons or Chinese cash. The women's garment
+is much longer, and reaches nearly to the feet; it falls loosely, and
+has long sleeves covering the hands; it is fastened with a girdle in bad
+weather, and the gown is then pulled up to the knee, showing the long
+yellow boots. When carrying water or working this is also done, as it
+gives greater freedom to the limbs, making walking and all movement much
+easier. A red, yellow, or brightly-coloured handkerchief, of Russian
+manufacture, is tied round the neck and another round the back of the
+head, and this makes the women look like Italian peasants. As the gown
+is worn usually loose it has the identical shape of a dressing-gown; it
+is ornamented with yellow feathers of puffins round the neck and the
+edge. Both men and women wear either moccasins, or long boots made of
+sealskin, with the fur inside, or else they wear salmon-skin boots, like
+the Ainu of Yezo. No woman that I saw at Shikotan had a moustache
+tattooed round her lips, or any tattoo marks on her arms. Very few of
+them wore earrings, though all had the ears bored for that purpose, and
+had worn them. The earrings which they possessed were mostly strings of
+coral beads and metal ornaments of Russian manufacture, which, like the
+brightly-coloured handkerchiefs, they had received in bartering with the
+crew of a sealing schooner. Since they have been at Shikotan the men
+have been presented with old caps and overcoats, similar to those of the
+Japanese police. Previous to this, however, when the Kuriles were under
+the rigid Russian _r�gime_, the Kurilsky Ainu men were compelled to trim
+their hair and beard, which was the first step taken by the priests of
+the Coptic Church in Christianising these nomadic barbarians. When this
+hair-dressing order was complied with, as the first link of the chain,
+the Coptic creed was enforced on them, and the barbarous Kurilsky Ainu
+became well-trimmed orthodox Christians.
+
+At Shikotan, as it is, fishing on a small scale is their main
+occupation, praying the next, and Jacko, the chief of the village, is
+the high priest. Jacko's predecessor, in fulfilling the duties of this
+high post, was a man who had dropped his Ainu name, and had been
+baptized as Alexandrovitch. His house is now occupied by Jacko. It is
+the first on the right-hand side when the village is entered from the
+harbour side, and it is larger than any of the others; it is built of
+wood instead of rushes and reeds. The interior is divided into two
+rooms, and in the second are three stands, the middle one of which has a
+cross on it. On each of these stands is a Russian Bible, with images
+hanging on the page-marks. Several rough stools and a couple of benches
+are placed in rows in front of these stands, and on the walls hang two
+or three Russian religious images. Taken altogether, and compared with
+other Ainu huts, Jacko's chapel had quite a stately appearance.
+
+Just as the Ainu of Yezo have partly acquired the Japanese language, the
+Kurilsky Ainu have learned to talk Russian, besides speaking an Ainu
+dialect.
+
+On Sundays, or on any day which Jacko thinks is a Sunday, the chief
+reads the mass before a congregation of the other fifty-nine hairy
+Christians of the Russian Orthodox Church; he does not spare them a
+sermon, which sometimes lasts half the day, and his audience are most
+attentive and well behaved. None of them would think of leaving church
+before service is over; but one detail in which these hairy Christians
+are not yet fully Christianised is, that no collection plate is ever
+sent round! The Kurilsky Ainu have undoubtedly accepted the form of
+their adopted religion, but I rather doubt whether they have fallen in
+with the principle. Their former barbarian ideas and superstitions are
+still well rooted in their brain, and each individual was a curious and
+enviable combination of a perfect heathen and a thorough Christian,
+according to what suited him or her better at the time being. In other
+words, they believed in two diametrically opposed principles, one of
+which fitted in with every phase of their life when the other was
+deficient.
+
+As many as ninety people, all told, were landed at Shikotan, but thirty
+had already succumbed when I visited the island. A graveyard on a hill
+on the west side of the village was indeed a sad reminder of this fact.
+It will not be long before all the others will pass away, for
+consumption and rheumatism have a great hold on most of the wretches. In
+ten years from now, I dare say, not one of the Kurilsky tribe of Ainu
+will be left on this earth. It is pitiful that the last remains of these
+independent people will end their days secluded and in exile on the
+barren rocks of Shikotan.
+
+As it is, they seem to take life easily, and, with a characteristic
+proper to all nomadic peoples, they make the best of what they can get.
+They are not shy, and they have dropped the formalities and grand
+salutations of other Ainu. They are, however, as dirty, especially in
+their homes. The women dress their hair in small tresses.
+
+The children wear long gowns similar to those of the women, and one or
+two of the children I saw had very fair hair. As will be seen by the
+illustrations, some of the men and women possess good features, more
+resembling those of European races than those of Mongolian type. They
+are gentle and quiet, like all other Ainu. They are submissive, and
+resigned to their sad fate.
+
+The island of Skikotan is almost circular in shape, and it has one or
+two small anchorages on its north coast. I judged its diameter to be
+about twelve or thirteen miles. Etorofu and Kunashiri, though much
+larger in size, are of less interest to us in connection with the Ainu,
+as most of that race found there migrate from Yezo during the fishing
+season; therefore, nothing is to be added about them.
+
+Etorofu is a long, narrow, but irregular island, over one hundred miles
+in length, and varying in breadth from five or six to twenty miles. It
+is very mountainous, and has some bold, rugged scenery, owing to its
+volcanic formation. Etorofu is by far the largest island of the Kurile
+group, and it possesses many safe anchorages, especially on its
+north-west coast, where several mountainous capes branch off the narrow
+strip of land, and afford small ships a fairly safe harbourage from west
+and south-westerly winds. Unfortunately, however, they are open to
+northerly and north-east gales, during the prevalence of which, should a
+ship happen to be cruising about in those latitudes, she would have to
+run for a shelter to the south-east coast. The south-east coast is not
+peopled, with the exception of a very few huts near Moyorotake, or "Bear
+Bay," at its most south-eastern point. A better shelter, however, is to
+be found in the bay, nearly in the middle of the island, on the shores
+of which are a few huts at Onembets and Imotsuto. Most of the coast is
+deserted, and the south-east portion is very rocky, huge cliffs, with
+high richly-coloured mountains in the background, ending like an
+impassable wall into the sea. Where the island is narrower there are
+some low terraces with scrub bamboo and stunted trees. Larch is found in
+Etorofu, while it is seldom found in Yezo. Heather-like plants are also
+indigenous in Etorofu, and cranberry bushes are frequent near the coast.
+From Betoya or Bettobu Bay down to its most south-western point Etorofu
+is all mountainous, with the exception of a small valley near Rubets.
+It is along the banks of the Bettobu River, in that small valley and on
+those terraces, that the numerous pits of the Koro-pok-kuru are found,
+and also at Rupets, further south on the same coast. This, however, I
+have already explained in connection with the pit-dwellers. The two
+small fishing-stations above mentioned are respectively under the lee of
+the headlands ending in Cape Ikahasonets and Notoro Cape. On the first
+headland the mountain of Tsiriju rises to a great altitude. The largest
+fishing-station is at Shana, on the western side of this headland, and
+further north, besides Bettobu, is the small station of Shibets.
+South-west of Shana one finds Rubets, Furubets, Oitoi, and Naibo, the
+latter in the bay of the same name. There are five lakes in Etorofu, two
+of which are between Shana and Bettobu, one near Rubets, the other close
+to Naibo; the fifth is a very small one, fifteen or sixteen miles
+north-east of Bettobu. The country has a rugged look, and in some
+places, as near Rubets, where the volcanic mountain masses leave space
+for low terraces the scrub-bamboo is very thick, as in Yezo, and small
+and stunted trees form the chief vegetation. Larch is more common on the
+north-west coast than on the south-east. Good timber is rather scarce in
+Etorofu, but a fair quantity of it is to be found inland, and also at
+the south-western portion of the island about Naipo.
+
+Accumulations of sulphur are found at Ichibishinai, and there is an
+active volcano south-east of Bettobu, besides the beautiful volcanic
+cone of Atzosa, three or four thousand feet above sea-level. All this
+volcanic mountain mass, with its warmly-tinted peaks, bears the
+characteristics of the central portion of Yezo; and there seems to be
+little doubt that all this row of islands, with the frequent submerged
+craters and volcanic cones, is nothing but the continuation of the
+volcanic zone in Yezo. The main resource of Etorofu is the fishing. Four
+different kinds of salmon and salmon-trout are found, one similar to the
+salmon common in Yezo, the others somewhat differently marked. Salmon is
+extremely plentiful, and in July and August enormous catches are made,
+especially at the mouths of the rivers, where the fish are closely
+packed together.
+
+The Pico Strait, between Etorofu and Kunashiri, is about fourteen miles
+wide, and a strong current from the Okhotsk Sea passes through it,
+causing the sea to break in heavy tide-rips and overfalls similar to
+those observed in the La Perouse Strait, between Yezo and Sakhalin.
+Similar tide-rips are observed also in the channel between Etorofu and
+Urup, but, being much wider (about twenty-four miles), they seem there
+less formidable.
+
+Kunashiri is the next largest island in the Kuriles after Etorofu. It is
+about sixty-five miles long, and very narrow; varying from three to
+eight miles in width. The north-east portion is somewhat wider, and
+extremely mountainous. The highest peak of this mountain range is the
+Tcha-Tcha-Nobori (the old-old-mountain), which is said to be about seven
+thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea. From this volcano
+starts a chain of hills--some pyramidal in form, others somewhat rounder
+at the top--which forms the backbone of the island. Two more active
+volcanoes besides the Tcha-Tcha are on the south-west portion of
+Kunashiri, but they do not rise to a very great altitude. On Horanaho or
+Rausu volcano sulphur accumulations are found, and at Pontoo (small
+lake) sulphur bubbles out from the lake bottom, and seems to be worked
+with profit. The Tcha-Tcha-Nobori is curiously shaped. It is like a
+large cone cut about half-way up in a section, to which a smaller cone
+has been attached, leaving a wide ring right round. It is extremely
+picturesque, and a worthy finish to the strange outline of Kunashiri
+Island.
+
+Vegetation and products are the same as in Etorofu. Salmon is plentiful,
+and a few fishing-stations are spread out here and there at long
+intervals on the coast. As in Etorofu, the population of Kunashiri
+migrates there from Yezo during the fishing season, and leaves the
+island almost deserted in winter. The strait separating it from Yezo is
+only ten or twelve miles wide. Bears and foxes are said to be very
+numerous in all the larger islands of the Kuriles, and seals are
+captured in large quantities during the winter months, more especially
+in the islands nearer Kamschatka. Small game, as ducks, snipes, and
+sandpipers, is abundant. Besides the ruggedness and strange aspect of
+its numerous volcanic peaks, the bareness and the loneliness of the
+coast, there is nothing in the Kurile group to entice the sightseer and
+the pleasure-seeker to a cruise among the islands. The geologist and
+zoologist, however, would find in the Kuriles a very rough but very
+interesting field for their investigations, and a "good shot," who does
+not mind a self-sacrificing and lonely life, would find some good sport
+among the bears, especially in Kunashiri and Etorofu.
+
+[Illustration: WOMAN OF THE KURILE ISLANDS]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: ABASHIRI ISLAND.]
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+On the East and North-East Coast--From Nemuro to Shari-Mombets.
+
+
+I did not remain long at Nemuro after my return from the Kuriles; in
+fact, I remained only a few hours, and again my baggage was lashed to
+the pack-saddle, again I was perched on the top of this instrument of
+torture, and soon was rapidly moving north towards the inhospitable
+coast of the Okhotsk Sea.
+
+The first few days of the lonely life of a peripatetic Robinson Crusoe
+are unmistakably disagreeable, but after that initiation there is no
+doubt that it is a fascinating life. I was more than glad when the gay
+Nemuro was out of sight, and the noise and rumble of semi-civilisation
+out of hearing. The editor and seven gentlemen of Nemuro accompanied me
+for a few miles--then I was left to myself and my own resources.
+Crossing the Onnetto River, the outlet of a large lagoon of the same
+name, I passed through Nishibets and then Bitskai, where in former days
+the Japanese had established a salmon-canning factory, which proved a
+failure, owing to the incapacity of its directors and workmen. Salmon is
+very abundant in the Nishibets River, and a well-managed canning factory
+would be a great success. About ten or eleven miles north of Bitskai a
+peculiar peninsula stretches out from north-east to south-west, which
+affords a shelter for small junks from northerly winds. It is called
+Noshike, and is not more than a few feet above the sea-level. The soil
+all along is very marshy, and the numerous little rivulets and rivers
+are extremely troublesome to cross. My pony was continually sinking into
+and struggling out of mud-holes, into which it had fallen when wading
+across these small watercourses, sometimes not more than a few feet
+wide. I pushed on as far as Shimbets, where there are only a shed and a
+couple of Ainu huts inhabited by half-castes. I had to put up here for
+the night, and by the light of a wick burning in a large oyster-shell
+filled with fish-oil I wrote a few notes in my diary. The fleas in that
+house were something appalling. The next morning I had some fun with a
+wild pony, which I received in exchange for the tired animal I had
+brought.
+
+"Nobody can get on him," said the Ainu half-caste, "but if you think you
+can ride him he will go like the wind."
+
+It took all hands in the small village to get the pack-saddle and
+baggage on to his back, and after we had tied him to a post and lashed
+his fore legs together I mounted. By instalments he was untied, let
+loose, and then afforded us some real fun. He revolved, bucked, kicked,
+stood on his hind legs, and did his very best to bite my legs and knock
+me off the saddle. A small fence was kicked and smashed into a thousand
+bits, and he even attempted to enter the huts--anything to get rid of
+his rider; but he did not succeed. His next trick was to plunge into the
+river close by, and when he reached the middle to shake himself
+violently. He then came out on the other side, and, turning his head,
+saw as well as felt that I was still on his back; then he neighed as if
+in great distress, and bolted. He galloped along the small track, and
+really did go "like the wind." As a punishment I made him keep up the
+pace even when he was tired of his contumacy, and in less than no time I
+reached Shibets, ten miles distant from where I had started.
+
+Shibets is a village of one hundred Japanese houses and twenty Ainu
+huts. The Ainu here have almost altogether adopted Japanese clothes, as
+well as something of the Japanese style of living. The river which goes
+by the same name is notable for the quantity and good quality of salmon
+caught in it, and it is the best salmon-fishing river on the north-east
+coast of Yezo. Herrings are also abundant, but not to the same extent
+as on the south-east coast. A peculiarity of the river is that before
+entering the sea it turns sharply south and runs along a bank of sand
+and mud, which is growing larger every year, which shows that a current
+from the Okhotsk Sea must travel down in that direction through the
+strait between Kunashiri and Yezo. The same peculiarity is noticeable in
+nearly all the rivers of the north-east coast.
+
+From Shibets to Wembets the track is fairly even, but from Wembets round
+Cape Shiretoko it is in many places impassable even on foot. The
+Peninsula, ending in Cape Shiretoko, is a mass of high volcanic
+mountains towards the interior, while scabrous cliffs and huge rocks
+fringe the line of coast. However, from Shibets there is a small
+mountain track inland which brings the traveller across to the
+north-east coast near Shari. The track was through beautiful forests of
+pine trees, oak, birch, and elm, and during the first few miles it is on
+almost level ground. After that, hill after hill is ascended and
+descended, and one goes ever onwards at a higher altitude, until Rubets,
+a small shed, is reached. From here the track follows a zig-zag
+direction till it reaches the summit of the mountain range, and one then
+begins to descend on the other side. From the summit there is a lovely
+view of beautiful blue mountains in the distant west, one of which is
+called Oakan, and the other Moyokan. The mountainous part of the track
+from Igiani, three miles from Shibets, as far as the north-east coast,
+reminded me much of the scenery in Switzerland, with its rapid and
+limpid fresh-water rivers, thickly-wooded country, and green grass,
+which last was replaced here by an undergrowth of scrub bamboo. When I
+went across this mountain pass the rain was pouring in torrents, and the
+road, such as it was, being very slippery and heavy, I only reached the
+north-east coast at dark. The moon would not rise till late, there were
+heavy black clouds, and I was more than puzzled how to find my way.
+
+To add to my bad luck, my pony this time was a sorry beast, with his
+back a mass of sores. I was simply drenched with the rain that never
+ceased. Now and then, by the blinding flash of lightning, I could see a
+long stretch of sand and a line of sand-hills; I could also see the
+reeds bending low under the squalls, and then everything was darkness
+again. I was leading my tired beast, and dragging him along as well as
+I could. Every few yards the wretched creature collapsed, and it took a
+lot of petting, caressing, encouraging and beating to make him get up
+again. I had ridden and walked about fourteen hours in the rain, and was
+nearly frozen to death.
+
+Since I had got out of the forest a bitterly cold north wind chilled me
+through and through, and added the last touch to my weariness and
+discomfort. Again the pony fell, and all my efforts to make him get up
+were useless. The storm, if anything, seemed to increase in violence,
+while my own strength was decreasing every minute. I lay down by the
+side of the pony, trying to warm myself by his heat, and, shivering and
+rattling my teeth together, I tried to go to sleep.
+
+A couple of hours were spent in this way, and when the moon rose I could
+see a little clearer. I climbed with hands and feet on to the
+sand-hills, and I fancied I saw some dark spots in the distance. Could
+they be Shari? First one end of my whip, then the other, was reduced
+into pulp on my pony's back, and with a great effort he again stood on
+all four legs. I had to support the wretch all the way, as you would a
+drunken man, and we went at the rate of less than a mile an hour. The
+spots grew bigger and bigger, and took the shape of huts.
+
+"Hem, hem, hem, hem!" I called out at the first hut, while three or four
+dogs barked furiously and went for my legs. "Will you let a stranger
+sleep here to-night?"
+
+"This is no house for strangers; go elsewhere!" answered a drowsy hoarse
+voice from inside.
+
+"May you be kept--hot!" said I, in pure Ainu fashion, though in my heart
+I attached quite a different meaning to the sentence from that which the
+hairy people give it; and wearily I pulled myself together and passed
+on.
+
+A shadow crept out of one of the huts, and thanks to that shadow I found
+a shelter for the night. There are fifty Ainu huts at Shari, and ten
+Japanese, with an Ainu population of about one hundred souls. The Ainu
+here have adopted Japanese clothes, and many of them eat Japanese food
+when they can get it. The Ainu women of Shari are exceedingly pretty,
+as they do not tattoo the long moustache across their faces, like other
+Ainu. Some of them have a small semicircular tattoo on the upper lip,
+which is not very displeasing to the eye; and in some cases is even
+becoming. The girls have also given up tattooing their arms. The men are
+much taller than the Ainu men of other regions, and they seem to be
+rather ill-natured. Japanese blood can be detected in many of them, and
+that may account for it. While the women are prettier, the men have
+repulsive faces, possessing all the characteristics of purely criminal
+types.
+
+One young fellow who sat for me was the very image of Robespierre in his
+worst moments, and an old man who sat for me afterwards would, according
+to Phrenology, prove to be a murderer of the first water. This gentleman
+was a troublesome sitter, and excelled in making the most awful faces,
+which were accompanied by sounds imitating those of wild beasts. The
+Shari Ainu build their storehouses with cylindrical roofs, similar to
+those of their brethren on the Kutcharo Lake.
+
+After the heavy storm of the previous night the weather cleared up for
+the rest of the day, and the sunset, reflected in the limpid waters of
+the river, was simply magnificent. On the other side, sheltered by the
+sand-hills, were a few Ainu huts standing out against the brilliant red
+and yellow sky, and here and there a large fish jumped out of the water,
+leaving circle after circle of concentric rings to break for the moment
+the reflection in the water.
+
+From Shari to Abashiri the road is for some distance among trees, mostly
+fir and spruce, and then the Tobuts Lake is reached, half of which is a
+mere marsh. It is picturesquely situated, and I followed its borders for
+about three miles, having the sea on one side, the lake on the other.
+The track was easy and mostly on sand. At the outlet of the lake into
+the sea is the Ainu village of Tobuts, access to which is to be had only
+by boat, as the river is extremely deep, and its current very swift.
+
+In the proximity of Tobuts another and smaller lake, the Opoto, with its
+short and winding estuary, is on the left of the traveller, while a long
+way ahead the Abashiri rocks stand high on the horizon. A few Ainu huts
+are scattered along the coast, and some of them have peculiarly shaped
+storehouses. They are small, built entirely of wood, and roofed with
+shingles. Some have two floors, and in this case, though built on piles,
+the first floor is only a few inches above the ground. The "mat" was
+supplanted by a wooden door at the entrance of the storehouse.
+
+The Abashiri cliffs are grand, and from a distance have all the
+appearance of, though they are not in reality, basaltic rocks. They are
+scarred, riven, and fractured in all directions, as if by excessive
+heat. The upper portion of the cliffs is of a beautiful grey-whitish
+colour, blending into yellow and red at their warm brown bases. The
+small cylindrical islet which I give in the illustration is on the north
+side of this cliff, and is of the same volcanic formation. It has
+certain traces of sulphur as a further evidence of its origin. Flocks of
+sea-gulls, penguins, and cormorants have chosen this island for their
+abode.
+
+Abashiri is the only place on the north-east coast which may eventually
+be of some importance, as it has a fair anchorage for small craft under
+the lee of the islet and outstretching cliff. No other place on the
+north-east coast possesses such an advantage. On the Shiretoko Peninsula
+sulphur accumulations are found at Itashibeoni; but, unfortunately, the
+want of a safe harbour, the ruggedness of the coast, and the lack of
+drinkable water in the vicinity, are all facts which make it improbable
+that it could be worked with profit for some years to come. The Ainu at
+Abashiri are repulsive creatures, especially the men, and have more the
+appearance of wild beasts than human beings. Their faces are almost
+square, the mouth large, with narrow lips, the ends of which converge
+towards the ears. The nose is short and stumpy, they have very heavy
+eyebrows, and the eyes are almost lost under the shadow of their
+projecting forehead.
+
+Ponies are scarce and bad along this coast, and the further north one
+goes the more difficult the travelling becomes; the huts are rarer; the
+human beings more uncouth and solitary. The north-east coast is a region
+of swamps, lagoons, and quicksand rivers.
+
+Not far inland from Abashiri there is a large lagoon, the Abashiri-ko;
+then, a few miles further north, another as large--the Notoro-ko. The
+Abashiri Lake finds an outlet in a river which goes by the same name of,
+and falls into the pretty Bay of Abashiri; but the Notoro-ko, as well as
+the larger lagoon of Saruma-ko, which one comes upon after having passed
+the two villages of Tukoro and Tobuts, open directly into the sea. The
+strong current and the tide often block the entrance of these lagoons,
+and the rising water finds an outlet in a different spot. These lagoons
+are separated from the sea by a long and narrow strip of sand-hill; and
+crossing the outlet always involves great danger if the unwary traveller
+does not choose the right moment. The tide creating a great inequality
+of level between the sea and the lake, it follows that at the opening of
+the lagoon the water either throws itself from the sea into the lagoon,
+or _vice vers�_, according to the ebb or flow, and makes a kind of
+whirlpool. The Saruma Lake being much larger than any of the others,
+while its mouth is much smaller, and underlaid with quicksands, the
+danger is even greater, and the safest way is always to get across in a
+boat at slack water. The Saruma Lake is about fifteen miles in length
+and from two to three miles wide. Its water is salt, and large
+oyster-banks are found in it. It is also a favourite resort for seal and
+mallard. In winter they can be killed in great numbers, but in the
+warmer months they are shy, and very difficult to approach. The
+south-western shore of the lake is thickly wooded, and has as a
+background a long range of high mountains with smaller mountains in
+front of it.
+
+At Tobuts, a small village of a few huts, situated at the mouth of the
+Saruma lagoon, I halted for the night. There was a change in my diet
+that day, and I was entertained, or rather I entertained myself, to an
+oyster supper. They were enormous oysters, similar to those found at
+Akkeshi, but not very palatable. However, I was in luck that day, and
+not only did I have this oyster supper, but I actually was the hero of a
+tender little idyll. In this country surprises never come alone, and
+while I was sketching in the twilight to pass away the time, a tall slim
+figure of a girl came out of one of the huts. She had slipped her arms
+out of her robe, leaving the latter to hang from the girdle, and her
+breasts, arms, and the lower half of her legs were uncovered. She was
+pretty and quaint with her tattooed arms and a semicircular black spot
+on her upper lip. She walked a few steps forward, and when she saw me
+she stopped. She looked at me and I looked at her. Hers, with her soft
+eyes, was one of those looks which a man feels right through his body,
+notwithstanding all the self-control he may possess. There she stood, a
+graceful silhouette, with a bucket made of tree-bark in one hand and a
+vine-tree rope in the other, her supple figure almost motionless, and
+her eyes fixed on me. She was the most lovely Ainu girl I had ever come
+across, and not nearly so hairy as most of them. Indeed, in that soft
+twilight, and her wavy long hair blown by the fresh breeze, she was a
+perfect dream.
+
+[Illustration: AN AINU BELLE.]
+
+"Wakka!" ("Water!") cried an angry old voice from inside the hut,
+interrupting the beginning of our romance, and she sadly went to the
+brook, filled her bucket with water, and took it into the hut. It was
+only a few seconds before she reappeared, and came closer, and I
+finished the sketch somewhat hurriedly.
+
+"Let me see the tattoo on your arm," I asked her, and to my surprise the
+pretty maid took my hand in both her own, gave me one of those looks
+that I shall never forget, and her head fell on my shoulder. She
+clutched my hand tightly, and pressed it to her chest, and a force
+stronger than myself brought her and myself to the neighbouring forest.
+There we wandered and wandered till it grew very dark; we sat down, we
+chattered, we made love to each other; then we returned. I would not
+have mentioned this small episode if her ways of flirting had not been
+so extraordinary and funny. Loving and biting went together with her.
+She could not do the one without doing the other. As we sat on a stone
+in the semi-darkness she began by gently biting my fingers, without
+hurting me, as affectionate dogs often do to their masters; she then bit
+my arm, then my shoulder, and when she had worked herself up into a
+passion she put her arms round my neck and bit my cheeks. It was
+undoubtedly a curious way of making love, and when I had been bitten all
+over, and was pretty tired of the new sensation, we retired to our
+respective homes.
+
+In the evening, as I was writing my diary by the light of one of the
+oyster-shell primitive lamps, somebody noiselessly crept by my side. I
+turned my head round. It was she! She grew more and more sentimental as
+it grew later, and she bestowed on me caresses and bites in profusion.
+Kissing, apparently, was an unknown art to her. The old woman, in whose
+house I was, slept soundly all through this, as old women generally do
+on such occasions. By the mysterious light of the dying wick, casting
+heavy shadows, which marked her features strongly, with her jet-black
+wild hair fading away into the black background, with her passionate
+eyes, and her round, statue-like arms, the girl was more like a strange
+fairy than a human being.
+
+I sketched her twice in pencil, and the wick--that wretched wick!--grew
+feeble, and, for the lack of oil, began to dwindle away. I persuaded her
+to return to her hut, and with a few "bites" my hairy maid and I parted.
+
+The morning came, and I was up early. In the vicinity of the huts I
+found three Koro-pok-kuru pits similar to those we have already seen;
+and previous to arriving at Tobuts I also found a fort belonging to the
+pre-Ainu race. From Tobuts, continuing my journey north, on the stretch
+of sand between the water of the sea and that of the Saruma lake the
+travelling was fairly easy but monotonous. The long chain of mountains
+on the other side of the lake was magnificent in the morning light. For
+twenty-two miles this went on; then I had to cross the Yubets River in
+the picturesque spot where its waters divide before again uniting close
+to the sea. North of this river there are three more lagoons--the
+Komuki, the Shibumotzunai, and the Yassuchi, the first two of which have
+direct estuaries into the sea, generally blocked by drift-sand, and both
+are as dangerous as the Saruma lagoon when the water unexpectedly
+overflows. Owing to the heavy rains on the mountains the level of the
+lakes had risen considerably when I went through, and crossing the mouth
+of the first in a flat-bottomed boat, I was nearly swamped. The Ainu who
+was ferrying me across did not lose his presence of mind, and after a
+long struggle and violent efforts we reached the opposite shore. Yubets
+is a village of eighteen Ainu and three Japanese huts. The Ainu along
+these shores are extremely hairy, and some of them have red beards,
+while others are bald. Near some of their huts you may see cages where
+foxes and eagles are kept in captivity.
+
+The women, all the way to Soya Cape, the most northern point of Yezo,
+have given up tattooing a long moustache and their arms. A small
+semicircular spot, similar to the tattoo of the Shari women, is
+nevertheless not uncommon. Bears, yellow and black, again are said to be
+in huge quantities on the thickly-wooded mountains at the back of the
+Saruma and other lagoons.
+
+The coast is most desolate-looking. One may travel mile after mile
+without seeing a hut or meeting a single human being. Now and then, when
+I came to a lonely fisherman's hut, I was civilly treated; and, riding
+from morn till night, I reached Shari Mombets, where there are forty
+Ainu huts and about the same number of Japanese fishermen's shanties. It
+has a small anchorage for small junks only; but, unfortunately, it is
+not well protected, as the reef of rocks which runs in a north-east
+direction does not extend far out to sea. I was roughly treated here at
+first, for some Russian convicts, who had escaped from Sakhalin in an
+open boat, had been drifted by the current down this coast, and
+previously to my arrival had landed in the vicinity of this village.
+They were half starved, and could not speak a word of the language. They
+had no money and no clothes, and none of the natives seemed willing to
+help them in any way. Now that the long-wished-for freedom was obtained
+after years of servitude and chains, the four brave men, who had
+suffered agonies for days, and had almost miraculously escaped death in
+the treacherous currents of the Otkoshk Sea, were certainly not to be
+outwitted by a handful of hard-hearted Japanese or by a pack of hairy
+Ainu. They begged for food and could not obtain it, so they stole it,
+and ill-treated some of the natives who interfered. They then
+disappeared towards the south. When I put in an appearance, all alone
+and almost in rags, leading and dragging my tired pony, it is not
+astonishing that the first thing that struck them was that I must be
+another escaped Russian, "or bad man from Krafto,"[34] as the Ainu
+called me.
+
+    [34] _Krafto_, Ainu word for Sakhalin.
+
+The reception I received was pretty stormy; but when I understood what
+the matter was which caused the rioting, I set their minds at rest, and,
+speaking in their own language, told them that the "bad men of Krafto"
+were my enemies as well as theirs, and that, should I find them, I would
+punish them. Not only that, but, to make them perfectly at ease, I gave
+them some little present of money, which turned them at once into
+friends. As to the Russian convicts, there was no possibility of my
+finding them, for they were travelling towards the south from this
+point, and I was moving towards the north, so I was perfectly safe in
+passing myself off as a kind of supreme judge.
+
+Shari Mombets is a miserable place. In the house where I put up I was
+received by a young man, but the owner of the house did not show
+himself. The next morning, however, as I gave much more money than they
+expected, the landlord was brought to my room to thank me. The poor man
+suffered from elephantiasis--the wretched disease by which the head and
+all the limbs of the body assume gigantic proportions. His head was
+swollen to more than twice its normal size, and had lost its shape; his
+body was piteously deformed and inflated, his eyes nearly buried in
+flesh. The weight of his head was such that the cervical vertebr� were
+scarcely strong enough to support it erect; and when he bowed down in
+Japanese fashion to thank me and bid me good-bye, I had to run to his
+help, for he could not get up again. Poor man! And when we reflect that
+in more civilised countries many people think themselves very ill and
+suffering when they have a pimple on their nose, or a cold in their
+head!
+
+[Illustration: SARUMA LAGOON.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AN EAGLE-DISPLAYED SABLE.]
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+Along the Lagoons of the North-east Coast--From Shari Mombets to
+Poronai.
+
+
+I proceeded north. The Ainu scattered here and there on the coast seemed
+to be hairier and uglier than any of their inland brethren. Two or three
+women had already put on their winter fur garments, as the cold weather
+had begun; and they looked extremely picturesque in them. Most of the
+huts were uninhabited, and had been abandoned by their owners. The sky
+was whitish and cold, and here and there along the beach some huge bones
+of whales had been washed on shore by the tide. Some distance off an
+outcast horse was attacked by thousands of famished crows. It is not an
+uncommon occurrence in Yezo. The black scavengers generally attack very
+young animals, and, flying on the pony's head, peck out its eyes. The
+pony, frightened, and driven mad by pain, bolts, and in his blind and
+reckless race either falls down a precipice and is killed outright, or
+else is driven to the coast by these daring wretches, which continue to
+peck at him with cruel and ceaseless avidity. There, with its way barred
+by the waves, tortured to death, and neighing desperately, the helpless
+beast succumbs, and affords the hungry birds a good meal, while hundreds
+gathered thick on the body, peck the poor brute to death. Thousands of
+others sit screaming in long rows round the scene of the fight,
+attentively watching for the final result, when they too can join in,
+and experience the joys of sated hunger. Nature can indeed be cruel.
+
+I stopped at a hut. My host was decidedly peculiar. For convenience we
+shall call him Omangus, which only means a "gone man," or a lunatic. I
+had heard of him further south, and I was anxious to make his
+acquaintance. I had not been five minutes in his hut before I perceived
+that he really was a lunatic. His head was of an abnormally large size;
+his skull was well developed at the back, with those prominent bumps
+behind the ears which show great love of eating. His forehead was high,
+and very slanting; the upper part was wider than near the eyebrows,
+which were so thick and bushy as nearly to cover the eyes. His nose,
+with its large nostrils, was stumpy and covered with hair, while his
+enormous projecting eyes were restless and fierce. His luxuriant
+moustache and beard matched the thick crop of long black hair which
+covered his whole body. His legs were short, wiry, with stiff and
+swollen joints, probably owing to rheumatism. His arms were very long,
+and his toes were also abnormally long. Altogether he had the appearance
+of a large orang-outang more than that of a human being. All his
+movements resembled those of a wild beast, and now and then, when
+pleased or dissatisfied, he would groan in a way not dissimilar to the
+growling of a bear. In fact, he was labouring under the belief that he
+was a wild beast of some sort, and apparently he regarded himself as a
+"bruin." I never heard him speak or utter words, but whether he was
+actually dumb or not I was not able to ascertain, as every time I tried
+to examine his mouth he attempted to bite me. His biting, however, was
+of a different nature from that of the sweet girl on the Saruma shores,
+and when he did bite he bit well. One day in a struggle I came off
+nearly minus two joints of the third finger of my right hand.
+
+I several times attempted to take measurements of his skull and bones,
+but with no success. Once, as I had got hold of him and was feeling the
+"bumps" on his skull, he managed to disentangle himself, and grabbed me
+by the hair, which led to a conflict, and caused me a "tr�s mauvais
+quart d'heure." We fought desperately, and I was thoroughly "licked";
+not, however, before having found out that he had no bump of
+sensitiveness and none of philoprogenitiveness. He was pleased with his
+victory, and the hostilities ended. He hopped away cautiously, and I saw
+him climb on his hands and feet over the cliff near his hut, where he
+disappeared.
+
+Some hours later I saw the monomaniac stealthily creeping back among the
+rocks. I was some way from the hut, in a place where he could not see
+me. He came slowly forward, watching the hut suspiciously, as he
+evidently thought I was still inside. When he got near he stopped to
+pick up a large stone, and with it in his right hand he sneaked along
+towards the hut. He listened, and crept in. I followed immediately
+after. He was furious when I entered, and tried to escape, but I barred
+his way. He retreated into a corner, crouched down groaning, and showed
+signs of impatience. I could see that he was frightened, and I went to
+him and endeavoured to soothe him; not without success, for he became
+quieter, and I once more noticed the great power that a stronger will
+can exercise over a weaker one. As long as I was staring at him he never
+dared to move, and I could "will" him to do almost anything I wanted by
+thinking hard that he should do it; but when once I turned my eyes away
+I had no more control over him.
+
+This is just what happened that day. Thinking that he would keep quiet
+for some minutes, I got out my palette and brushes in order to take his
+likeness. I had till then relied on my power of "willing" people, when
+my host, seizing the opportunity of my turning my head away for one
+moment, grabbed the stone which he had picked up, and threw it with
+great force at me. I was hit in the ribs, and was hurt sufficiently to
+lose my temper. I went for him, and gave him a sound thrashing, which
+sometimes has more effect than all the "willing" in the world. He became
+docile after that, and I took him outside and forced him to squat down.
+
+[Illustration: MY HOST, THE MADMAN.]
+
+He was restless while I was painting him, and hundreds of half-starved
+crows, which seemed to be on good terms with my sitter, gathered round
+him, chatting in their incomprehensible and noisy language. Some of them
+even flew on to his back and shoulders, and he touched them without
+their flying away.
+
+I was astounded at the familiarity which existed between the madman and
+the birds. They seemed to understand each other, and had I only been
+sufficiently imaginative I might have asserted that I even saw them
+kissing him. Unfortunately, when the first astonishment was over I
+understood the reason of the affection on the part of the scavengers,
+and the whole mystery was unveiled to me. Like all mysteries, the
+apparently extraordinary friendship between the madman and the black
+birds turned out to be a plain bit of literal prose, and, I must add, a
+very disgusting bit. The maniac was covered with vermin, and the
+affectionate kisses of the crows were not kisses of love or sympathy,
+but only mouthfuls of parasites, which they found among the thick hair
+of his body.
+
+Two or three times the maniac crawled up to me, and seemed anxious to
+touch the colours on my palette, and also to put his fingers on the
+sketch. He saw that he gained nothing by being a foe, so he became a
+friend. He even became a great friend when I presented him with a shiny
+silver coin.
+
+Though Omangus was undoubtedly insane, he was a very practical person.
+As will be seen by the illustration, his attire was simple, and no
+allowance was made for pockets. He looked at the coin, turned it over in
+his hands several times, and grinned; then he placed it in his mouth for
+safe keeping. His mouth was apparently his purse. As I saw that he was
+fond of silver coins, I gave him one or two more, and all of them were
+religiously kept in the same natural pocket, except at night, when he
+hid them under a large stone. At sunrise they were collected again and
+placed back under his tongue or in one of his cheeks.
+
+I cannot say that my host was by any means brilliant, but, like most
+lunatics, he was a good soul apart from his little peculiarities. It was
+unfortunate that he had lost the power of speech, or I might have learnt
+some strange things from him.
+
+Omangus was generally restless at night, and while asleep he seemed to
+suffer from awful nightmares. Most Ainu as a rule do not. One morning at
+dawn, as the first rays of light penetrated the hut, I watched him. He
+had been groaning frightfully all night, and I had not been able to
+sleep. He was lying flat on his back breathing heavily, and now and then
+he had a kind of spasm, during which he ground his teeth together with
+violence. It was during these spasms, or nervous contractions, that he
+groaned most fiercely. As he was so stretched I noticed how
+extraordinarily long his femur was compared to his tibia. I gently
+placed my hand over his heart, and found it was beating rapidly and
+irregularly. His forehead also was feverish and abnormally warm. He did
+not wake up, but as soon as the nervous strain was over he fell into a
+lethargic state. He appeared to have lost all strength, and it took me
+some time to awake him; but he finally opened his eyes, and, drowsily
+getting up, yawned to his heart's content, and went to fetch the hidden
+coins.
+
+The more I saw of Omangus, the more he puzzled me. His faculties were
+defective; still, he seemed to possess a fairly good memory. If not, how
+could he remember the concealed treasure? Although he was not able to
+form ideas of his own, he could retain those which he had grasped. His
+hearing was extremely acute, and his inability to speak must have
+undoubtedly been caused by paralysis of the tongue and vocal organs.
+Several times he made violent attempts to utter words, which he would
+not have done had he been born dumb.
+
+After the second day of my pleasant stay in Omangus' ten feet square
+sea-side residence my host became more genial and even affectionate.
+Instead of constantly running away from me he sat opposite me,
+attentively watching all my movements; and if I happened to be
+whistling, he slowly crept nearer, grinning with delight. Occasionally
+he crouched himself by my side, even resting against me. I did not
+approve of the latter proof of affection, not so much for his own sake
+as on account of the "large company" which he carried with him; but I
+had to put up with it until I found a counter-action in loud singing,
+which frightened him away.
+
+Omangus had a quantity of last year's salmon, which he had dried in the
+sun, and which was now hanging from the roof of the little hut. The
+first day or two of my stay there I had but little to eat, owing to his
+belligerent behaviour. He rebelled every time that I attempted to touch
+his provisions, and what I had to eat was generally appropriated while
+my host was out. Afterwards, however, he became generous, and gave me
+more than I wanted. He took good care to draw the three coins out of his
+mouth while he was eating, but once, during a nervous fit, to which he
+was often subject, he swallowed one of them.
+
+One morning, weary of my lunatic friend's company, I packed all my traps
+and went to fetch my pony. Omangus seemed aghast, suspecting that I was
+about to leave. He was restless, and followed me, moaning, from the hut
+to the pony and back, and, with a forlorn look in his eyes, watched me
+bring the baggage outside and lash it to the pack-saddle. I gave him a
+couple more silver coins, which I thought would make him happy; but he
+dropped them in the sand. I bade good-bye to him and left; and there
+poor Omangus stood motionless, gazing at me until the winding shore took
+me round the cliff. He was out of sight for some minutes, but he soon
+reappeared on the summit of the cliff itself, on to which he rapidly
+climbed, and from this point of vantage he could see the coast for
+several miles. There standing, a black figure against the rising sun,
+the hairy Ainu became smaller and smaller as I moved away from him,
+until nothing but a black spot could be seen against the sky; then even
+that spot disappeared. It was the last I saw of my host the madman.
+
+The rivers were troublesome all along this part of my journey, and as
+most of them had quicksands, the safest plan was to cross them in a
+boat, when this was obtainable. However, as I went further north the
+boats became scarce and more scarce, and the small villages, few and
+very far between. I seldom came across a human being with whom I could
+exchange a word, and the constant solitude induced in me the bad habit
+of talking to myself, to animals, or to inanimate objects. My
+unfortunate pony was often lectured on different subjects, and the
+millions of seagulls and penguins all along the coast were asked
+questions of all sorts, which, however, they invariably left unanswered.
+It was strange to see the myriads of birds stretched in two or three
+lines along the shore. Like the "beasts which roamed over the plains" in
+Alexander Selkirk's lament, they had seen so few human beings as to be
+indifferent to me and my pony, and I could walk among them without
+disturbing them or causing them to fly away. The penguins were my
+greatest source of amusement, with their fat bodies and their funny way
+of lifting up one leg as I was approaching, in order to get enough
+spring to raise themselves from the ground had I attempted to capture
+them. I was soliloquising, according to my then custom, while watching
+these droll birds, when not more than two hundred yards ahead I saw two
+large eagles. One of them was perched on a low cliff, the other was
+flying about, now and then returning near to its mate. I dismounted,
+with my revolver in my hand; I had a pocketful of cartridges. I crept
+stealthily from rock to rock, keeping well out of their sight until I
+came close to the pinnacled rock on which they stood. I was then about
+fifty yards from them, and it was useless my firing at such a distance
+with a revolver. I peeped over the rocks, and one of them saw me and
+flew away, while the other remained where it was, stretching its neck in
+my direction. Its piercing eyes were fixed full on me as I was
+approaching; it understood that danger was imminent, and it seemed ready
+to resist the attack. I drew nearer and nearer, and when about four
+yards away I fired two shots, both of which went through its breast, and
+the eagle, with its widespread wings, fell from its lofty pinnacle and
+came down heavily on its back.
+
+In its last convulsions it made desperate efforts to clutch me with its
+long sharp claws; but a couple more shots finished it. The male bird,
+which meanwhile had been describing circles high up in the sky over my
+head, plunged down on me with incredible velocity. I emptied the last
+chamber of my revolver into him, just as the wind of his large wings
+made my eyes twinkle; and to evade the grip of his outstretched claws I
+had to cover my face with my left arm. The report stunned him, and
+flapping his wings, he rose again, to resume his circling over my head,
+leaving a few of his feathers floating in the air. I reloaded quickly,
+and each time he attacked me he was received with a volley. Another
+bullet went through his wing, and his flying became unsteady; he flew
+on to a distant cliff, and there he remained. I seized this opportunity
+of carrying the dead bird away and lash it on to my saddle; but while I
+was so engaged the male eagle flew back to the pinnacle where I had
+first seen the two together, and stretching his enormous wings to their
+full width, screamed as if in despair. On the pinnacle was their nest
+and young, and that was why the female had kept watch and ward over her
+eyrie, and also why she had not abandoned it even when I approached.
+
+I mounted my pony and away I rode with my prey. The male bird followed
+me for miles and miles, and now and then I had to fire to keep him at a
+respectful distance. Ultimately he left me, and my delight was immense
+when, instead of seeing him over my head, ready to plunge on me at any
+moment, I saw him disappear behind the cliff, flying rapidly but
+unsteadily back to his eyrie.
+
+As I now made sure that he had no intention of pursuing me any longer, I
+dismounted, and proceeded to skin the eagle I had shot. It was decidedly
+a magnificent specimen. It measured seven feet from tip to tip of wings,
+and its claws were nearly as large as a child's hand. The semicircular
+nails measured two inches, and were extremely pointed, which fact made
+me feel very thankful that I had just escaped the grip of its male
+companion. The beak was enormous, of a rich yellow colour, the upper
+mandible overlapping the lower. The feathers were black all over, with
+the exception of the tail, which was white. I believe that this kind of
+eagle is generally called the "black sea-eagle," and is found in
+Kamschatka, Yezo, and also along the Siberian coast of the Japan Sea and
+Gulf of Tartary.
+
+I found a sheltered spot, and with my large Ainu knife proceeded to
+dissect the bird. Each minute seemed as long as hours, for I feared the
+male bird might reappear on the scene as I was thus occupied in
+stripping the skin from the carcass of his beloved helpmate. There is no
+knowing what effect anatomical researches might have on a Yezo eagle. My
+heart bounded with joy when the operation was successfully completed,
+and I went to wash my hands in the sea. I came back to the bird, or
+rather its skin, and I was indeed proud of my work, when a horrid idea
+struck me. How was I to get the skin dried? I should be moving day
+after day, and it would not be possible to pack it in that condition
+among my sketches; I had no arsenical soap, and unless I dried it in the
+sun it would certainly rot, and get spoiled.
+
+I resorted to a trick. I fastened two sticks crossways, and having stuck
+one up the eagle's neck, I fastened the two opened wings to the two side
+branches of the cross. The skin was thus kept well opened, and with two
+additional strings, one at each wing, the frame was fastened on to my
+back, the feathered side against my coat, while the inside was exposed
+to the sun and the wind. In wading a river I saw my own image reflected
+in the water, and I must confess the appearance was strange. A few hours
+after a group of Ainu were able to certify to this. I was riding slowly
+along the shore, when I saw a few of them not very far ahead. Two men
+were the first to notice me, and they seemed terror-stricken. As I
+approached they stood still for a minute, shading their eyes with their
+hands so as to make out what kind of winged animal it was they saw
+riding on horseback. When they discovered that the black wings were on a
+human being, the two brave Ainu fled, crying out, "_Wooi, wooi!_" the
+hairy people's cry of distress.
+
+As I got nearer the village, dozens of wild dogs came to meet me, and,
+barking furiously, followed my pony, while the few inhabitants,
+frightened out of their wits at such an unusual sight, hid themselves
+inside their huts. Two or three hurriedly launched their "dug-outs" and
+put out to sea. When I passed the first hut some large salmon were
+thrown at me from inside, probably with the idea that I might satisfy my
+appetite on them, and spare the lives of the trembling donors. Food was
+not over-plentiful along that coast, so I dismounted and picked up the
+provisions so munificently provided by the scared natives. I tied them
+on each side of my pack-saddle, not sorry to be thus saved from the
+danger of dying of starvation--at least for the next two or three days.
+
+As I was so occupied, a little child about four years old, evading the
+vigilance of his parents, ran out of one of the huts. I took him in my
+arms; whereat he cried bitterly, and when the people inside heard it
+there were screams of indignation and despair.
+
+Maternal love is occasionally strong even among Ainu women, and while I
+tried hard to quiet the shrieking baby, his mother, as pale as the dirt
+on her face allowed her to be, came out trembling, and, offering me
+another large salmon, begged me to accept it in exchange for her child,
+who, she said, was not good to eat! It is needless to say that I was
+magnanimous enough to accept her offer, and thereupon handed the child
+over to his mother, who fled with him back into the hut. Then I took off
+my wings and went in after her, explaining to the frightened natives
+what I really was. It took them some minutes, however, to overcome their
+first impression, and then the men were pretty hard on the women for
+having given all the salmon away. The same scene was more or less
+vividly repeated when I came across any other natives during all the
+time that I wore the eagle-skin on my back. I have related this small
+anecdote, as, a few years hence, when some worthy missionary or
+imaginative traveller visits that barren coast of Yezo, it is not
+improbable that he may hear of some additional Ainu legend, which, the
+good missionaries will say, proves that the Ainu are fully aware of the
+existence of heaven and hell.
+
+"A heathen child," the legend will very likely run, "whose parents had
+not embraced our Christian faith, was one day plainly seen by his mother
+in the arms of a black-winged devil. The devil was seen by many, and he
+came from the lower regions on an unknown animal with huge side
+paunches, in which he kept the heathen children he had eaten. The
+mother, who, through her wickedness, saw herself deprived of her child,
+gave offerings to the gods, some through the eastern window for the
+sun-god, and some through the door for the other gods. The offerings
+were accepted, but none of the gods came to her help, and the child was
+nearly lost. Her guiding star appeared to her in that supreme moment,
+and inspired her to reach down from the roof the largest salmon in
+store. She walked out of the hut and offered it to another god, whom she
+knew not before. Instantly the child was restored to his mother. (That
+the god took the salmon would probably be omitted in the legend.) The
+black-winged demon vanished, and the hut was visited by a white being
+(freely translated, "the guardian angel"), with a halo (my white terai
+hat) round his head. He rewarded them, and from that day the family has
+been happy in the faith which they learned in such a miraculous manner."
+
+"Does not this legend speak for itself?" the good missionaries will tell
+us. "Does it not show that the savage Ainu are Christians without
+knowing it?"
+
+I have given these two versions of the same story, as they show the
+reader how easy it is to garble accounts and misrepresent facts. It is a
+good illustration of what I say in my chapter on the Ainu beliefs and
+superstitions, and I must be forgiven if I have ventured to make fun of
+the missionaries. It is not because I dislike them, for I gladly admit
+that some of them out in the East have done good work; but,
+unfortunately, most of them will not take an open-minded view of facts.
+They are so wrapped up in their good work of converting people to
+Christianity that, outside of that, they occasionally have a tendency to
+tinge with their own preconceived ideas, facts which to a less biased
+mind appear simple enough.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: SARUBUTS, SHOWING RIVER-COURSE ALTERED BY DRIFT SAND.]
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+On the North-East Coast--From Poronai to Cape Soya.
+
+
+It was late in the evening when I arrived at Poronai.[35] Saruru, the
+last village I had passed, had only six Ainu and three Japanese huts,
+and the nine or ten miles between there and this place were most
+uninteresting. I was taken across one of the quicksand rivers in the
+ferry by a lovely Ainu girl of about twelve years of age. I have never
+seen a more picturesque being than she was. She was partly dressed in
+skins, but half her chest was bare; her wildly-curled black hair fell
+over her shoulders, and while gracefully paddling across the ferry she
+occasionally threw back her head, thus shaking back the hair that the
+wind had blown over her eyes.
+
+    [35] _Poro_, large; _nai_, stream.
+
+I have often noticed how supple the children of savages are, and how
+like in ease and grace and unconscious rhythm their movements are to
+those of wild animals. Sometimes, to be sure, they have the jerky,
+quick, and ungraceful movements of monkeys, but as a rule their actions
+are unconsciously graceful. Of course, with our children such
+unconscious grace is rare at any time, even when found at all, as from
+the day when they are born we train them to artificiality of all kinds,
+and this artificiality becomes in a sense second nature, overlaying, if
+not destroying, the original impress. And yet that impress is probably
+not wholly destroyed, for, so far as my own experience goes, I, who had
+from my birth led a civilised life, now that I had been for some months
+among barbarians had so little conventionality left in me as to be quite
+happy, or even happier than before, in leading a perfectly uncivilised
+existence. In the absence of chairs and sofas, instinct and the example
+of the natives taught me to squat as they did, and when I had once got
+into the way of it I found the position much more restful than any of
+our European so-called comfortable ways of sitting. It was the same
+thing when I had to sleep, either in the open air or in Ainu huts, where
+there was no more bedding than sofas or easy chairs. To protect myself
+from the cold I almost invariably slept sitting on the ground, with my
+head resting on my knees, just like the apes in the Zoological Gardens.
+I am sure that a good many of my readers, who have never gone through
+such an experience, will put me down as a "crank;" others will say that
+I am a worthy companion of my friend the hairy lunatic, and the most
+charitable will think that, bearing the name of "Savage Landor," I am
+only indulging in a new edition of "Imaginary Conversations," without
+the literary merits of the old. Such is not the case. I have mentioned
+these facts, not to amuse the reader, or merely for the sake of paradox,
+but to show how shallow is the veneer of civilisation which we are apt
+to think so thorough, and how a very short time spent unaccompanied by
+men of one's own stamp, and alone with "nature," rubs the whole thing
+away, and brings us back to instinct rather than education. I am willing
+to admit that not many people would care to follow in my footsteps, and
+live as I lived for months among the Ainu in order to prove whether I am
+right or wrong. Many who have only sat in comfortable chairs or slept in
+soft beds will hardly think my statements credible; but as the
+experiences, besides being of great amusement, were of great interest to
+me, I shall pass them on to my readers, no matter what opinion they may
+form of him who has written them.
+
+Another quality, merely instinctive, which I developed in my lonesome
+peregrinations was the power of accurate tracking. Most people are
+astonished at the wonderful tales told of the tracking abilities of the
+Australian black fellows, and of savages in general; but few ever think
+that if when young they had led the same life as these savages they
+would be as good trackers as the best. As there were absolutely no
+roads, and I travelled with no guide, servant, or companion, the power
+of discovering traces became invaluable to me. It was instinctive in me,
+developed rather than acquired, and therefore I mention it in connection
+with the other facts relating to animal and human instincts.
+Furthermore, I may assert that, until I was thus compelled to make use
+of that faculty, I was not aware that I possessed it.
+
+We find that horses, bears, and most animals are good trackers. Dogs,
+the nearest in intelligence to men, are better than any other quadruped.
+Then come savages, who are the masters of tracking among human beings;
+but as we rise in the scale of civilisation we find that this faculty of
+following a slightly indicated track hardly exists. Does, then,
+intellectual education destroy our instincts instead of improving them?
+
+Tracking on sandy or tufaceous ground is an easy matter, as of course
+the foot leaves a well-marked print; but where I found real difficulty
+was over rocky ground, until I got used to it, and knew all the signs
+and what I had to look for. However, with a little practice, even over
+rocks which the sea has washed, it is not impossible to know if such and
+such creatures, human or animal, have passed that way.
+
+One of the first things in tracking is to look for marks where they are
+likely to be; and this is just where the instinct comes in. Next to
+this, a clear knowledge of the person's or animal's way of walking and
+general habits is necessary. For instance, when I tried to discern
+tracks of Ainu, I invariably looked for them along the sea-shore, and
+failing that, on the adjoining cliffs, as I well knew that if any Ainu
+had passed by there he would have kept either along the coast or not far
+from it. By examination it is easy to see if the ground has been in any
+way disturbed of late. Sometimes a small stone moved from the place
+where it had been for years shows a difference in colour where it has
+been affected by the weather and where not, thus giving a distinct clue
+of some passer-by, man or brute; and when once you have found what the
+characteristics of the tracks are, the most difficult part of the task
+is accomplished.
+
+On weather-beaten rocks the trail is more difficult to strike, and more
+difficult still on rocks over which the sea washes. "For," say the
+simple people, "how can you see tracks on hard stone? The foot certainly
+does not leave a print on rocks as on sand; and even supposing that the
+feet were dirty, the sea would wash away the marks, and you could not
+see anything."
+
+In my case I limited my search to bare-footed marks, as the Ainu
+generally go bare-footed. Everybody knows that dogs track by scent, and
+this is a sure proof that every footmark must have a certain special
+odour, however infinitesimal. When we remember that the act of walking
+makes the feet warm and perspire, it is easy to understand that this
+perspiration, which is a greasy substance, leaves a mark on the
+stone--though to be sure it is sometimes almost imperceptible,
+especially when quite fresh. But most of us, when children at school,
+have noticed that touching a slate with moist fingers leaves a greasy
+mark, which could not be rubbed off again. The same thing happens when
+we tread on stones with bare feet. If the sea washes over the stones
+after the greasy impression has been thus made on them, it does nothing
+but accentuate these marks, and show them more plainly, as the salt
+water acts in one way on the untouched parts of the stone, but in a
+different way where the grease has been absorbed. These marks are
+generally very faint, and it requires some training before they can be
+discerned; but when the knack is once acquired, they become evident
+enough. To an observant eye, and with a little practice, it is not
+difficult to perceive whether one or more persons have tramped on a
+given place, and in what direction they have travelled. The marks on
+stones which are washed over by the sea are usually of a lightish
+colour.
+
+I could almost invariably distinguish the footmarks of an Ainu from
+those of a Japanese, as the Ainu take longer strides, and their toes are
+longer than those of the Japanese. Moreover, with the latter, when
+walking the greater pressure is forward under the foot, and their toes
+are turned in; while in Ainu footprints the whole foot rests on the
+ground, and they keep it perfectly straight, moving the two feet
+parallel to each other.
+
+I have given these few points on tracking, as it will explain to the
+reader how I was able to find my way from one village to another miles
+apart, to steer for huts where I had never been, and to overcome great
+difficulties, which I could not have surmounted if I had not learnt the
+art of tracking, and so far developed my natural powers. My ponies were
+also to a great extent my teachers; and by a close examination of their
+instinct I learned that I myself possessed it, and improved on it.
+
+Between Sawaki, or Fujima, and Poronai there is a beautiful forest of
+oak and hard-wood trees on the hills and firs on the higher mountains,
+while the shore above the sea-wash is covered with thick scrub-bamboo,
+which reaches a height of about ten feet.
+
+On the sandy beach, besides a large number of whales' bones, there is
+any amount of driftwood.
+
+At Poronai, which consisted of only eight huts, the Ainu had adopted an
+architecture for their storehouses different to that of other tribes.
+The walls and the roof were made partly of wood, partly of the bark of
+trees. Heavy stones were placed on the roof to prevent it from being
+blown away during the strong gales so frequent along that coast.
+
+The natives described the winter weather as very severe, especially
+during northerly winds, and they told me that some years the sea all
+along the coast is frozen for some eight or ten miles out, besides the
+drift-ice which sets in from the north and works its way along the coast
+as far as Cape Nossyap, in the neighbourhood of Nemuro. At the beginning
+of the winter this ice, probably drifted across from Sakhalin by the
+strong current in the La Perouse Strait, sets in from the north and
+works down all along the north-east coast of Yezo, filling up all
+indentations in the coast-line, and forming a solid mass on the surface
+of the water.
+
+Seals are very plentiful on these shores as far as Abashiri, but the
+greatest number are found on the Saruma lagoon. In winter it is not
+difficult to come within reach of them, but even in September I saw many
+of them. They were, however, very shy, and when they caught sight of me
+instantly disappeared under water.
+
+A few miles from Poronai I came to a headland, and about one mile from
+it lay the small island of Chuskin.
+
+The coast again, instead of being sandy, showed traces of its volcanic
+formation, forming beautiful cliffs and a rugged outline, rising in
+terraces at places, or cliffs of clay and gravel sediments, with reefs
+extending far out to sea, while below them stretched a beach of coarse
+sand or pebbles, strewn with enormous volcanic boulders. These terraces
+are wooded mostly with alder, Yezo fir, and beech.
+
+Soon after crossing the Porobets River I came across the wreck of a
+sailing ship, which lay flat on the shore disabled and dismasted; and at
+last I reached Esashi. There I again noticed a curious fact, which may
+be of some interest to anthropologists; namely, that Yezo is mostly
+formed of Tertiaries and volcanic rocks, and that the Ainu are mostly to
+be found in regions of Cainozoic or Tertiary formation. In volcanic
+districts they are very scarce. This is curious, for it is a well-known
+fact that the typical life-form of Tertiaries is anthropoid apes, and it
+is a remarkable coincidence that we should find ape-like men populating
+the same strata.
+
+From Esashi the coast is extremely rough and rocky for about eight
+miles. I had to take my famished pony up and down steep mountains rising
+directly from the sea in places where the beach was impassable. Owing to
+the lack of grass my wretched beast had but little to eat; and what with
+the danger of riding, and the miserable condition my pony was in, I had
+to walk most of the way and lead him. Shanoi, about thirteen miles
+further, came in sight--a group of wretched fishermen's huts; and from
+here the coast was somewhat better. The scenery all along is beautiful,
+especially looking back towards the Shanoi Mountains. I saw one or two
+abandoned huts blown down by the wind, but no people.
+
+Near Shanoi the eruptive rocks and granitic cliffs suddenly come to an
+end, as well as the mountainous character of the country, and for
+fifteen miles, till one comes to Sarubuts, the country is pretty flat
+and swampy, with a thick vegetation inland of spruce trees. There is a
+small lagoon formed by the Tombets River, and which often has its mouth
+blocked by the quicksands, which cause it to overflow.
+
+I left Sarubuts in pouring rain, following the trail along the beach.
+The river forms a long narrow lake similar to that of Tombets, and at
+the back of it are terraces and high lands, but no very high mountains.
+Another wreck of a large boat lay in fragments on the sand, and after
+fifteen miles of very uninteresting scenery I arrived at Chietomamai, a
+group of four or five fishermen's huts. Here again the coast was rough,
+but my pony did not sink in the sand as it did on leaving Sarubuts, but
+it stumbled among large pebbles and stones as pointed as needles.
+Further on were grey and brown steep cliffs, which were extremely
+picturesque. The Mezozoic nature of this coast shows more distinctly
+between Chietomamai and Soya Cape, and a large rock emerging from the
+sea is both peculiar and picturesque with its numerous square sections.
+It is from this point that one gets the first view of Soya Cape. Going
+round a bay one passes a few fishermen's houses, and on the cliffs above
+them has been erected the Siliusi lighthouse. I cleared the Cape and
+rounded the bay on the other side, where I saw another wreck of a
+sailing ship dashed upon the rocks, making the scene a sad one. I still
+went on, and went round two or three smaller headlands, when the
+melancholy sight of a fourth wreck stood before me. This last ship had
+her stern out of the water, and a Turkish name was painted on it. Her
+appearance also was Turkish, and I was more than once puzzled as to what
+a Turkish ship could have been doing in the La Perouse Strait. Many
+months afterwards, on my return to Yokohama, but too late to be of any
+help to them, the sad story of the survivors of that ship was revealed
+to me. The mission of the ship in those far-off seas was a mysterious
+one. No one ever knew exactly whence she came, or whither she was bound.
+No one ever learned whether she had been disabled in a typhoon in the
+Chinese Sea, and had been drifted so far north by the strong currents,
+or whether the careless Turkish master had mistaken his course and had
+met his fate in the dangerous currents of La Perouse Strait. Only four
+of the crew survived. There they were on that deserted coast, with no
+clothes, no food, no money; but the few natives treated them kindly. Two
+of them wore "_Tarbouches_" (red caps), the only things they had saved
+from the wreck. The natives on the north-west coast told me of these men
+who were tramping their way south, unable to make themselves understood,
+continually asking for "_Sekhara_," or "_Sakhara_," which, I believe, in
+the Turkish language means tobacco or cigarettes. After months of
+privations, half starved, and worn out with fatigue, they reached
+Hakodate, where, having no passport, and not being able to explain
+themselves, they were duly arrested and sent down to Yokohama.
+Unfortunately for them, at that time the "Entogroul," a Turkish
+man-of-war, had come to Japan, a voyage which took her two years, to
+bring some decorations which the Sultan had bestowed on the Mikado.
+Osman Pasha, the Admiral, had the poor devils brought before him, and
+they told him their sad story, what they had suffered, and how they had
+lost their ship. The story was too true to be believed, or too strange
+to sound true!
+
+"Impostors!" said Osman Pasha, and declining to listen any more to their
+tale of woe, which he called "pure lies," had them "put in irons," in
+which condition they were to be taken back to Constantinople. None of
+the foreign residents in Japan believed the story of these wretches, and
+all were glad to see the miscreants punished. "Impossible," said
+everybody, "that a Turkish ship should have been up there!"
+
+As it so happened, the "Entogroul," on her return trip to
+Constantinople, was herself caught in a typhoon, and, steaming full
+speed to resist the force of the wind and the waves, her boilers burst,
+and Osman Pasha and nearly all hands on board were blown to pieces or
+drowned. If I remember right, over three hundred and sixty lives were
+lost, and no doubt the four men, whose prison, I was told, was near the
+boilers, thus found a tragic end to their life of misery.
+
+When I arrived at Yokohama all this had already happened, and my
+evidence, which probably might have saved the life of these men, was
+therefore useless.
+
+But let us return to Soya Cape, where we have left the wreck.
+
+The rapid current which comes through the Strait gives a horrid look to
+the water, and I have never seen the sea look so vicious. The natives of
+the small Soya village told me that it is impossible to cross over to
+Sakhalin, the high mountains of which, covered with snow and glaciers, I
+could see distinctly. The distance from land to land is about
+twenty-eight miles, but no small boat can get across without being
+swamped. They told me also that often dead bodies of Russians are washed
+on shore, probably unfortunate convicts who found their death in
+attempting to obtain liberty. H.M.S. "Rattler" was wrecked in 1868 on
+one of the numerous reefs near this Cape, so the record of Soya could
+hardly be more mournful.
+
+After the Cape has been well rounded one finds oneself in a bay opening
+due north. In the winter time this bay is completely blocked with ice,
+but the Strait itself is never entirely frozen, owing to the strong warm
+current from the Chinese Sea, which the Japanese call by the name of
+Kuroshiwo.
+
+Soya village is a wretched place of thirty or forty sheds. A few planks,
+badly joined together, and with a kind of a roof over them, made my
+shelter for the night. Soya Cape is the most northern point of the
+north-east coast, and before we abandon it to move towards the south,
+along the west coast, it is important to mention the peculiar and
+conspicuous characteristic of the marked bending of watercourses in a
+south or south-easterly direction. They are forced that way by the
+drift-sand travelling along the coast from north-west to south-east with
+the Kuroshiwo current, which drift-sand is in such quantities as often
+to block altogether the mouths of some rivers, and form the large
+lagoons so common along this coast. The lack of harbours or sheltered
+anchorages, the inhospitable and unfertile shores, the quicksands, and
+the severe climate, besides the danger of being swamped and carried away
+by the overflow of a lagoon or lake, make this coast of little
+attraction for intending settlers or for pleasure-seekers.
+
+Herrings are plentiful all along the coast, but fishing stations could
+not possibly pay, even if any were established, owing to the difficulty
+and expense of carriage and freight, and the risk that ships would run
+in calling at such exposed and unprotected shores.
+
+[Illustration: AINU VILLAGE ON THE EAST COAST OF YEZO.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: MASHIKE MOUNTAIN.]
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+From Cape Soya to the Ishikari River.
+
+
+From Soya the coast forms a large bay, which opens due north, and which
+ends in Cape Soya on the eastern side and in Cape Nossyap on the
+western. Almost in the middle is the small village of Coittoe, and from
+this place, towering beyond the flat Nossyap peninsula, one can see
+Rishiri Island. Near the western part of the bay are some small hills,
+covered mainly with fir-trees. Wakkanai, a Japanese village, is on the
+west coast of the bay, and north of it is Cape Nossyap. From this cape
+is a lovely view of Rishiri and Repunshiri Islands. Rishiri is a
+volcanic cone 6,400 feet above the level of the sea. It has the
+identical shape of the famous Fujiama in Southern Japan, and rising as
+it does in graceful slopes directly from the sea, has the appearance of
+being higher than it really is. Repunshiri is hilly and partly of
+volcanic formation, but none of its peaks rise to a higher altitude than
+five hundred feet.
+
+Rishiri is almost circular at sea-level, and it has no well-sheltered
+nor safe anchorages; but Repunshiri has one good anchorage on its north
+coast. Rishiri is about six and a half miles in diameter and twenty-five
+miles distant, directly west of Cape Nossyap; Repunshiri is eleven miles
+long, about four and a-half wide, and eleven miles distant to Ikaru, its
+nearest point east on the Yezo coast. As the Kuriles are a continuation
+east of the volcanic zone of Yezo, there is no doubt that Rishiri and
+Repunshiri are the terminus of the same volcanic zone at its north-west
+end.
+
+From Wakkanai a new horse-track has been opened to Bakkai, on the
+north-west coast. The ride for the first eleven miles was uncomfortable,
+as my pony, a worn-out brute, sank up to its belly in the mud; but in
+due course I came to the hilly part, and after having gone up one steep
+pitch and down another for a considerable distance, I rapidly descended
+a precipitous bank, and followed the soft sandy beach till I reached
+Bakkai. Here there is a large and peculiar stone, which the Ainu say
+resembles an old woman carrying a child on her back. It stands
+perpendicularly out of the ground at a great height, and it is of a rich
+dark-brown colour. If the north-east coast was barren and deserted, the
+western shore of Yezo was even yet more desolate. For thirty or forty
+miles, as far as the Teshio River, the beach was strewn with wrecks and
+wreckage. Here you saw a boat smashed to pieces; there a mast cast on
+the shore; further on a wheel-house washed away by the waves; then the
+helm of a disabled ship. It was a sight sad enough to break one's heart,
+with all the tragic circumstances it suggested.
+
+Between Bakkai and Wadamanai especially, I do not think that one can go
+more than a few yards at a time without being reminded by the wreckage
+which is strewn thick on the coast of some calamity. A white life-boat,
+with her stern smashed, lay on the sand helpless to save, and as a kind
+of satire on her name; and at Wadamanai, a large Russian cruiser, the
+"Crisorok," dismasted and broken in two, lay flat on the beach half
+covered with sand. Her bridge had been washed away and her deck had sunk
+in. Some of the bodies of her gallant officers and crew had been washed
+on shore by the sea. No one knows in what circumstances the ship was
+lost, but it is probable that during last winter, when she came to her
+ill-fated end, her rigging and sails got top-heavy with ice, and that
+she capsized. Some of the wreckage one finds on that coast has been
+drifted there from the Chinese Sea by the Kuroshiwo current; and then,
+owing to the La Perouse Strait turning so sharply to the east, has been
+left on this last portion of the coast. Here and there a rough tent made
+with a torn sail, or a deserted shed knocked up out of pieces of
+wreckage, is a suggestive reminder that some unfortunate derelict
+seafarer had suffered and striven for life on these forlorn sands. An
+enormous quantity of drift-logs, and here and there some bones of
+whales, are strewn all along the beach.
+
+At Wadamanai there is a mere rough shed under the shelter of the
+sand-hills. When I left this place, moving south, a strong gale blew,
+which made the travelling most unpleasant. It was getting fearfully
+cold, and now that I needed clothes so badly mine were falling
+altogether to pieces. My "unmentionables," which reached down to my feet
+when I left Hakodate at the beginning of my journey, had long since been
+trimmed and reduced to a kind of knickerbockers. Then the knees got worn
+out, and they became more like bathing-breeches; and finally I dispensed
+with them altogether, and made use of them to protect my sketch-book and
+diary, round which I wrapped what remained of the ex-garment. My boots,
+of course, were a dream of the past, and little by little I was getting
+accustomed to walking barefooted. Thus, dressed in a coat, a belt ...
+and nothing else, I moved along this inhospitable coast, half frozen,
+but not discomfited.
+
+The mouths of some of the small rivulets were extremely nasty to cross,
+as my pony sank in the quicksands. I had to help him out, and that meant
+a cold bath each time. From Wadamanai I kept a little more inland, still
+steering for the south, and every now and then I again struck the beach.
+Still the old sad story of wreckages strewn all over the shore, sailing
+boats smashed to pieces, junks disabled and half buried in sand, met me
+at every turn, creating in my mind a very monotony of melancholy.
+
+Late in the evening I reached the mouth of the Teshio River, a broad
+deep watercourse, one of the three largest rivers in Hokkaido, the other
+two being the Ishikari and the Tokachi. It has a long course in a
+general north-westerly direction, and then sharply turns southward,
+running parallel with the coast for about four miles, and forming a
+kind of lagoon at its outlet, which seems now to be working towards the
+northward again. All the other rivers on the west coast tend northward
+owing to the drift-sand which the current brings north. It is strange
+that the Teshio should partly be an exception to this rule, though we
+have ample evidence, even in this watercourse, of the movement of the
+sand, for the bar at its mouth almost entirely blocks its entrance, and
+rapidly works in a northerly direction. Thus there is no doubt that the
+sand travels towards the north all along the west coast.
+
+Sea-trout is abundant in the Teshio River, but salmon, with which this
+stream formerly abounded, are now less plentiful owing to the sand-bar
+which blocks the entrance.
+
+A gale was blowing fiercely when I crossed the lagoon in a small Ainu
+"dug-out," and my pony was made to swim across. Two or three times we
+nearly capsized, and we shipped a lot of water. It was just like sitting
+in a bath with water up to my waist; but the Ainu, who had as much as he
+could do to paddle me across and tow the pony as well, comforted me by
+saying, "Now that his 'dug-out' was full, we could not ship any more
+water, and that his skiff, being made of wood, could not sink!"
+
+After a long struggle we got safely to the other side, and the Ainu
+boatman guided me for a mile or so to the fishing village at the mouth
+of the river. It has but ten huts, all more or less miserable. The pony
+was so done up that he was hardly fit to carry my traps, much less could
+he have borne my weight. I could not get a fresh animal, so I had to
+push forward walking, and dragging the beast on as well as I could. This
+had the advantage of keeping me warm, which I needed badly, for what
+with the cold and my dilapidated costume I was more nearly frozen to
+death than was pleasant. The track was heavy in the soft sand, and the
+dangerous and numerous quicksand streams were enough to make a saint
+swear--if swearing would have done any good. How unspeakably desolate it
+all was! Not a soul to be met; not a hut to be seen! Here and there more
+wreckage and drift-wood on the shore, telling of storms and death, and
+the absence of all human aid. At last I came in sight of an Ainu hut;
+but as I drew near I found that it was abandoned. My meals, never very
+plentiful, were now specially scanty--few and far between; and, taken
+altogether, this part of my travels in Ainuland was somewhat lacking in
+cheerfulness.
+
+The cliffs near Wembets have the strange appearance of so many cones at
+equal intervals along the coast. On the Wembets River there were as many
+as two huts; and here again I had to cross in a boat, the stream being
+too deep to ford on foot or horseback; then again along the sand,
+dragging my pony, while I myself could hardly stand on my half-skinned
+feet, I went on and on, wearied of the monotony of my miserable
+experiences. The track grew narrow, and always worse. The high grey
+cliffs of clay-rock began, and the rough sea washed up to the foot of
+them, making progress more than ever unpleasant and dangerous. Each wave
+that came brought the water up to my knees, often up to my waist, and
+for about ten miles I was continually in and out of water. On a cold day
+my readers can imagine how pleasant it was! About sunset I came in sight
+of the two flat islands of Teuri and Yangeshiri, about fifteen miles off
+the coast. It then grew dark; but the moon came to my help, shining
+brightly on the greyish cliffs. The tide had risen, and in several
+places I had great difficulty in getting across on account of the
+furious waves dashing against the cliffs, and making a picturesque and
+living sheet of foam.
+
+Late at night, as I had almost given up all hope of finding a shelter, I
+came upon a shed on the Furembets River, where I put up for the night.
+
+My wretched pony was nearly dead with fatigue, and I let him loose so
+that he might get a feed of grass. The next morning, after the inmates
+of the hut had volunteered to go and bring him back to me, I heard them
+on the distant hills calling, "_Pop, pop, pop, pop!_" the Ainu way of
+approaching and calling horses. After a time they came back hopeless,
+saying that the brute had bolted, and there was no hope of getting him
+again. He could not be found anywhere! I was in the most awful dilemma,
+for had that been the case I would have been forced to abandon all my
+impedimenta, consisting of sketches and painting materials, and proceed
+as best I could on foot. Under other circumstances I could have carried
+the baggage on my back easily; but as I was half-starved, and had my
+feet badly cut, I was hardly able to carry my own weight; therefore this
+was not possible now.
+
+As incredulity is one of the useful qualities I possess, I went to look
+after my pony myself. The shed was protected by a sand-mound at the
+back, and a small space was left between the mound and the wall of the
+shed. I do not know what made me go and look there, but sure enough
+there was my pony lying flat, and almost too weak to get up again. This
+was no horse-stealing ruse on the part of the Ainu; simply the wretched
+animal's own idea of good stabling and likely fodder. I dragged him out
+of his involuntary prison, and after having done what I could for his
+comfort and well-being, we set out once more on our melancholy travels.
+This may sound cruel to some who in the course of their life have never
+travelled in out-of-the-way places, and who are ready to condemn anyone
+who is the means of letting an animal suffer. It may sound cruel in our
+humane country, where animals are protected and prize-fights tolerated
+and enjoyed; so to avoid misunderstandings it might be as well for me to
+say, that as regards this tired pony it was simply the matter to push on
+with him as far as I could or lose all the valuable materials I had
+collected during months of sufferings and privations. No ponies were to
+be got for any money along that deserted coast, for there were none in
+existence. I did my best to alleviate the poor animal's sufferings by
+undergoing myself a considerable amount of pain, walking most of the way
+with my feet a mass of sores; and as winter was rapidly coming on, I was
+more than anxious to make my way south with all the speed I could, to
+prevent being blocked up with snow and ice and forced to spend the
+winter on this inhospitable coast. Consequently, I was, as a matter of
+fact, more cruel to myself than to my animals; to the others, those who
+will still cast the first stone at me, I can wish no better punishment
+than to be placed in the same position I was then. The trail became
+somewhat better, as it led over the cliffs for about three miles; then
+again it was on the beach. The high cliffs varied from a very rich burnt
+sienna colour to a nice warm grey, and in some places they are perfectly
+white, like the cliffs at Dover. Conical mounds frequently occur, and
+give a curious aspect to this deserted shore. Ten miles further on, at
+Chukbets, I found a couple of huts; then I walked and dragged the pony
+on the cliffs for about four miles; then again I resorted to the beach;
+and finally I entered Hamboro, a small village, or rather a picturesque
+group of sheds and huts, and a capital fishing-station. _Shake_, salmon,
+_mashe_, and herrings are caught in abundance at the mouth of this
+river. A short distance from here hundreds of carcasses of seals were
+scattered on the beach, whence emanated pestilential odours. On account
+of the slowness of my pony I had to-night a modified repetition of last
+night's experience, but neither was the sea so rough nor the trail so
+narrow at the bottom of the cliffs; and though my wretched animal was
+naturally in a worse condition than before, I was able to push on to
+Tomamai that same night, where I arrived at a small hour of the morning.
+
+At Tomamai, the coast, which had described a long curve, the two ends of
+which are Ikuru north and this point south, turns sharply in a southerly
+direction, running straight for many miles from north to south.
+
+From Tomamai southwards the coast is not quite as deserted as it was
+further north, for here and there are villages of fishermen's houses.
+The population, however, is a migratory one, and when I went through,
+the herring-fishing season was over, and consequently most of the houses
+were abandoned and the people had migrated south. The winter weather is
+very severe, and the houses have to be barricaded with thick piles of
+wood as a protection against the strong westerly gales. The boats had
+been drawn far on shore, where they were well fastened to posts, and
+rough sheds thatched with grass built over them.
+
+Along the coast there was a string of these habitations, hut after hut,
+storehouse after storehouse, but hardly a soul to be seen. It was like
+going through the city of the dead. Many of the fishermen's huts were
+built on the side of the rugged cliffs, and they stood on piles about
+fifteen feet high, the back of the house resting on the cliff itself.
+Twelve and a half miles further another row of houses, similarly
+deserted for the winter, stood along the shore-line at Onishika. In this
+part of the coast salmon are very scarce, and the chief industry is the
+herring fishery. There are no Ainu to be found either at Tomamai or
+Onishika.
+
+I continued my lonesome ride in the pouring rain, and soon came to a
+peculiar long tunnel, natural and partly excavated, between this place
+and Rumoi, a village prettily situated on the slope of a hill fifteen
+miles further. This place possesses a small anchorage at the mouth of
+the river, which is now only fit for junks and small sailing-boats, but
+could be considerably improved. Good coal has been discovered some way
+up the river. There is a track on the cliffs leading to Mashike. All
+along the coast are any number of fishermen's houses, but they were all
+closed and barricaded. Ultimately, descending from the cliffs in a
+zig-zag fashion, after another ten miles' ride I found myself at
+Mashike, the largest Japanese village in the Teshio district. Close to
+the tunnel there is a small Ainu village, where the natives let their
+hair grow very long, and then tie it up in a kind of knot, similar to
+the Corean fashion of head-dress, while the women have given up
+tattooing altogether. The fishermen at Mashike seem to suffer greatly
+from "_Kaki_," or rheumatism, and cancer, while consumption, malarial
+fever, and typhus are in a small proportion.
+
+I had to stop over one day at Mashike, for the river was swollen by the
+heavy rains, and it was impossible to get across. On the other side of
+it stood Mashike-san, a huge volcanic mountain rising sheer from the
+sea, and forming Cape Kamuieto, under the shelter of which lies Mashike
+village; and further south Cape Uhui projects into the sea. It is the
+end of a mountain range which here runs north and then south again, in
+the latter part forming one side of the upper basin of the Teshio River.
+Mashike is the largest settlement either on the north-east or west coast
+of Yezo. Its population is partly migratory, but not so wholly as is the
+case with the villages I had previously passed. I was delayed still
+another day owing to the condition of the river; for the rain, instead
+of decreasing, poured down to such an extent that the stream could not
+be crossed, the current being too swift and the water too deep. The sea
+was also too rough to allow of my leaving Mashike in a canoe.
+
+On the third day I rose early, and decided to attempt this much-desired
+crossing of the river. It had not rained during the night, and the
+waters seemed to have slightly diminished. As the stream runs down a
+very steep incline on the slopes of Mashike Mountain, the current rushes
+with tremendous force. It was about five in the morning when I took my
+baggage to the river bank. It was made up in two bundles, which I tied
+together firmly with a leather strap. Some of the natives who had
+collected round me entreated me to give up this foolish idea, for they
+said I should infallibly lose my life if I attempted to wade across the
+swollen river.
+
+I saw at once that my pony would never be able to cross, so I left him,
+and, taking the baggage on my head, and passing my hands through the
+strap, I went into the water. The current was indeed so strong that,
+weak as I was, I could hardly stand against it. I had nearly reached the
+middle, with the water up to my mouth, when I fancied I heard the
+anxious crowd scream to me, "_Abunai! abunai! abunai!_"--"Look out! look
+out! look out!" Startled and alarmed at this piercing cry I turned my
+head, and saw within a few yards of me a huge trunk of a tree coming
+swiftly down with the current. There was a bump, and I saw nothing more.
+Half a minute later I was violently thrown on the opposite bank, and in
+trying to stand up on my feet in the shallow water my right foot
+unfortunately got jammed between two stones in the river bed; I was
+knocked down again, and broke my heel-bone just under the ankle. Several
+natives came to my rescue and I was lifted out of the water,
+half-stunned, half-drowned, but still holding fast to my load. I was
+nearly frozen, and trembling like a leaf from cold. When I tried to
+stand my right leg collapsed, and I had to lie down on the ground. What
+with the blow which I had received from the floating wood, what with the
+muddy water I had involuntarily swallowed, it took me some minutes
+before I could quite understand my situation, or what had befallen me.
+When I did I felt a terrible pain in my right leg. I looked, and there,
+on the sand, under my foot and leg, which were swollen up to an enormous
+size, was a pool of blood; the broken bone had penetrated the skin, and
+was exposed to the air. When I recovered my senses well enough I got a
+man to tear the wet lining of my drenched coat, and with it and a few
+improvised splints I proceeded to set my own broken bone. It was hard
+work; but with the help of some natives I bandaged it up as well as I
+could, and with the extra help of a coarse flaxen rope I made a fairly
+good surgical job of the whole thing.
+
+Stopping there till I grew better would have been foolish, for winter
+was setting in; everything would soon be frozen and snowed up, and, far
+from all my friends, as well as from anything like civilised life or
+elementary comforts as I was, I should probably have died. As long as I
+had a spark of life left in me I decided that I would struggle and push
+on, come what might. Two men undertook to carry me over the Mashike
+Mountain, which rises to an altitude of 3,600 feet above the sea-level.
+The mountain is thickly wooded, and the trail is steep, heavy, and in
+many places dangerous, and when we reached a sufficient altitude the
+trail was merely in the bed of a rivulet composed mainly of huge stones.
+Travelling in the state in which I was, was something like going to
+one's own funeral. The jerking and the cold were excruciating; the
+continuous stumbling and unsteady walk of my men over the rough and
+slippery slopes did not improve my condition; but finally we reached the
+summit. What a lovely view! One could see far along the Teshio coast on
+the one side and down towards the Ishikari on the other, and towards the
+east rose up a picturesque chain of thickly-wooded mountains. Rising
+from the sea stood the fine Cape Airup, near Moi; then far beyond, dimly
+seen in the mist, was the towering outline of Shakotan. We went down the
+other side, and my men, poor fellows, did their best to cheer me up. One
+of them told me a cheering story of a grizzly bear--which, by the way,
+he said were numberless on this mountain--that had killed and eaten two
+children, and also their father when the latter went to their rescue.
+The other told me of the many men who had perished in crossing the
+mountain; some had been overtaken by a snowstorm, others had lost their
+way and fallen over precipices, while others again had been killed by
+avalanches in winter.
+
+Listening to this lively conversation, shaken and suffering, I arrived
+late at night at Moi, having been carried over a distance of twenty-five
+miles, to do which occupied about eighteen hours. There was no possible
+way of getting across the mountains between here and Atzta, as the high
+granitic perpendicular cliffs are unscalable, and I was bound to
+entrust my life to a small Ainu canoe. Two other passengers, a Japanese
+woman and a man, asked if I would allow them to travel in the boat with
+me; and then we three, rowed by an Ainu man, put out to sea. The sea was
+rough outside, but as the large bay was well protected by the Aikap
+Cape, all went right at first; but in rounding the point we went too
+near the rocks, got caught in a breaker, and shipped so much water that
+the canoe began to slowly sink under the additional weight. The Ainu was
+pretty smart, and he put his skiff on the rocks. Between him and the two
+passengers I was helped out, and while the Ainu emptied the canoe, the
+two Japanese undressed entirely and spread out all their clothes and
+underclothes in the sun to dry.
+
+We got on board again, and, coasting more carefully, passed several
+small fishing villages, of which Gokibira is the largest and most
+important. It is backed by high mountains ranging from twelve hundred to
+seventeen hundred and more feet above the sea. One of the mountains--the
+highest--is called Okashi-nae-yama.
+
+Atzta is a long narrow village, of which almost all the houses are built
+against the cliff. From here I had to begin riding again along the bad
+and stony coast, among drift-wood, and up and down cliffs. Anyone who
+has ever had any broken bones will appreciate the tortures which I had
+to go through. Owing to pain, exhaustion, and fatigue I had no control
+over my pony, and could hardly stick on to the saddle. I took the
+precaution of tying the bridle to my wrist, for should the pony knock me
+off, he could not bolt away; but, unhappily, sometimes this was the
+means of his dragging me mercilessly on the ground for dozens of yards
+before he would stop. Then I had to wait for some charitable passer-by
+to help me into the saddle again, for I could no longer mount by myself.
+Day after day of this wretched life made me feel almost unconscious that
+I had a pain. I took things as they came, and I went on. Now that I sit
+here in a comfortable chair writing this by a cosy fire, I am myself
+astonished at my own perseverance. If I were called upon to go through
+the same experience now I could not. But in truth there are many things
+that one does not mind doing for motives of pleasure which one would
+never dream of attempting under the compulsion of an external will.
+Kutambets is picturesquely situated in a large gully formed by a break
+in the red-tinted cliffs. From Kutambets to Moroi the track is slightly
+better, and from this to Ishikari it is quite easy. The latter river, a
+very large one, has to be crossed by a ferry, as the habitations are on
+the south banks of the stream.
+
+[Illustration: ISHIKARI KRAFTU AINU.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE KAMUIKOTAN RAPIDS.]
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+The Ishikari River.
+
+
+On the north side of the mouth of the Ishikari River is an Ainu village
+called Raishats. Its inhabitants are not natives of this island, but
+were imported by the Japanese Government from Sakhalin when it was
+exchanged with Russia for the Kuriles.
+
+At the entrance of the river, and close to this village, another
+wreck--of the "Kamida Maru"--a schooner, ended the mournful list of
+disasters on this inhospitable coast.
+
+The Ainu of Raishats are different in some ways from the Yezo Ainu
+proper. They call themselves Kraftu Ainu, "Kraftu"[36] being the Ainu
+name for Sakhalin. Their skin is of a lighter colour; but the principal
+difference is in their eyes and eyebrows. The Kraftu Ainu have eyes of
+the Mongolian type, though larger, while the Yezo Ainu have not; and
+their eyebrows have a very pronounced curve near the nose. Most of the
+women seemed to suffer from consumption, and the men also did not seem
+as strong as the other Ainu. The women tattoo on their lips a small
+square pattern instead of the long moustache, and most of them have now
+adopted Japanese _kimonos_, or else wear gowns similar to those of
+Russian peasants. Some also wear skin gowns similar to those of the
+Kurilsky Ainu, ornamented with feathers and bits of molten lead sewn on
+them. A velvet cap or a kind of tiara is their head-gear, and this also
+is ornamented with gold and silver or red beads, or else is embroidered
+in bright colours.
+
+    [36] Sometimes also pronounced _Krafto._
+
+The children are arrayed in more gaudy colours than their elders. They
+have bright red embroideries round their necks, and the whole gown is
+full of spangles and beads, the proceeds of parental barter. A peculiar
+paunch-suspender, which I saw here for the first time, was ingenious,
+and answered a great want in the Ainu country. As will be seen later,
+the majority of Ainu children have huge paunches, mostly due to the
+inability of the hairy people to tie and secure properly the umbilical
+cord at the child's birth. This not only produces great discomfort to
+the child, but often causes its death. The belt which I saw was made on
+the principle that the weight of the paunch, under which passed a kind
+of net made of strips of skin, was supported by braces going over the
+shoulders, and by this contrivance, if the original lesion did not get
+much better it did not get worse, as it does when not taken any care of
+at all. Neither men nor women wore earrings; but the fair sex wore a
+kind of velvet ribbon necklace round their neck, and on this ribbon were
+sewn ornaments of molten lead, silver, and other metals.
+
+The habitations, storehouses, and customs of these Ainu are similar to
+those of the others. As I slowly rode along the banks of the river just
+before sunset, retracing my steps towards the Ishikari village, I saw a
+hidden trail, which apparently led to the woods. I made my pony follow
+it, and shortly afterwards I came to a graveyard. As I have said, the
+Ainu are extremely jealous of their burial-places, and they resent
+strangers, even Japanese, going near them. It was nearly fifteen days
+since the accident to my leg had occurred, and though I could neither
+walk nor stand on it, still I was beginning to be accustomed to the
+agony, and with great trouble and pain I could dismount from my tiny
+pony. Strange to say, mounting was not so difficult, for I could pull
+myself up with my arms, lie flat on my stomach on the saddle, and then
+swing round, and it did not jar me as much as coming down. I had my
+paint-box fastened to the saddle, and I unlashed it to take a sketch.
+The tombs were so many trunks of trees cut and carved, and with one
+branch left on one side (_see_ Chapter XXI.). One tomb particularly was
+more ornamented, and it had a flat-shaped monument, roughly but well
+carved at its head. An object resembling the bottom of a "dug-out"
+covered the body, and this was also carved. At each of the four corners
+a wooden blade was stuck in the ground. From the stench I should think
+that the body was only a few inches underground.
+
+Fate had punished me so severely of late for faults which I never
+committed that I thought myself now entitled to commit a fault for the
+sake of squaring accounts. One of the small wooden blades, nicely
+carved, would just go under my coat. I decided to steal it. To my mind
+it was hardly a big enough crime even to balance the last accident I had
+had.
+
+I turned round to see that no one was looking. I put down my paint-box,
+crawled to the grave, took the blade, put it under my coat, and, ashamed
+of myself for committing the outrage--though with prepaid punishment--I
+scrambled up on my pony as well I could, and hurriedly left the place. I
+rode back to the ferry, a long way off, and went across to Ishikari, and
+catching a moment when no one was watching me, I quickly passed the
+carved blade from under my coat into my baggage.
+
+"What a good thief I would make," I thought to myself, when to my horror
+I remembered that in the hurry of leaving the graveyard I had forgotten
+my paint-box in the very same spot from which I had taken the blade!
+
+If any Ainu had gone to the graveyard and found it, I would get into a
+nice mess! During the night I felt more than uncomfortable about it, and
+at dawn the next morning I got the tea-house man to bring my horse and
+set me on it, for I said, "I wish to go and see the sunrise from the
+other side of the river."
+
+The landlord thought it rather funny, and funnier still when he saw me
+coming back a couple of hours later with a paint-box lashed to my
+saddle, while he said he was sure I had started without one.
+
+"Did you not see it this morning?" said I with assumed innocence.
+
+"No, your honourable," said he, drawing in his breath.
+
+"You did not look for it in the right place," said I, and up to this day
+the landlord does not know where the right place was.
+
+The Ishikari is one of the great salmon rivers of Yezo. About the end of
+September the salmon enter the river to spawn. They are in such
+abundance then that the stream is crowded thick with them, and it is
+quite sufficient to have a hook fastened to a stick to pull out a large
+fish each time it is dipped into the water. Millions of fine salmon are
+caught within a few days, and the banks of the river are packed with
+dead fish, while the whole population is occupied in splitting open each
+fish, taking out its inside, for preservation.
+
+The same method of netting as is practised for sardine fishing is
+employed for salmon. Eighteen or twenty excited men vigorously row the
+boats out into mid-stream, and after describing a semicircle, return to
+the bank. The nets are hauled in, the fish flung out on the river banks,
+and the same process begins _de novo_. A man in a "dug-out" watches when
+the salmon are more or less plentiful, and signals for the boat to
+start, while he himself spears them with a harpoon. At the right time of
+the year as many as 1500 or 2,000 and more good fish are caught each
+time the net is hauled in. This grand take of course only lasts a few
+days.
+
+Though good, the Yezo salmon has none of the fine qualities of the
+salmon of northern European rivers, and it is not quite so good as that
+of the Canadian rivers. It does not keep so well, and in colour is much
+lighter than our salmon.
+
+The Ishikari River opens to the north, and runs parallel to the coast,
+leaving a flat tongue of sand between it and the sea. Following the
+course of the stream against the current, it goes winding south, then
+sharply turns to the south-east, following this direction for about
+fourteen miles. Then again it winds up to the north, and then to the
+east for a distance of over one hundred miles, where its source lies in
+the very heart of Yezo.
+
+The Ishikari carries a large body of water, and it is nine hundred and
+twenty feet wide near its mouth. Its "drainage area" has been estimated
+to be over three thousand square miles, including mountain slopes, while
+the actual valley does not, in my opinion, exceed eight hundred square
+miles. The river receives many affluents, of which the most important
+are the Rubeshibe, Chupets, Piegawa, the Sorachi River, and the Toyohira
+on its south side, and the Uriugawa on its north side. Near the coast
+the valley is wooded mainly with scrub oak, but further inland its banks
+are heavily timbered. The Sorachi River is the most important affluent
+on the south side. It is navigable for "dug-outs" and small sailing
+boats for some considerable distance. At Sorachi one strikes the new
+road which leads from the Poronai coal mines to Kamikawa, where the site
+has been chosen for the intended new capital of Hokkaido.
+
+The road between Sorachi and the latter place not being metalled, was
+exceedingly bad owing to the heavy rains, and my pony continually sank
+in mud up to his belly. The road follows the course of the Ishikari
+River more or less; and in the woods is a military settlement like those
+we have seen near Nemuro and Akkeshi. At Otoyebukets the traveller must
+change horses. About eight miles further on one reaches the Kamuikotan
+rapids, a poetic spot: huge rocks in the water, violently rushing
+between and over them, form pretty waterfalls. The Ainu occasionally
+shoot down these rapids in their "dug-outs," and remains of these are to
+be seen here and there smashed on the rocks. From this point the road
+rises almost all the way, and the wayfarer must cross over the hill
+range, from the top of which the whole plain of Kamikawa can be seen, in
+the upper basin of the Ishikari, which, winding like a silver snake,
+intersects the flat valley.
+
+Descending the hill on the other side, I reached the future capital of
+Hokkaido. It is indeed a town of the future, for at the present moment
+there are only five houses, if I may call them so. The site of this
+embryo metropolis is by the Chubets River; and on the hill called
+Nayosami I was told a palace for the Emperor is to be erected. However,
+they were not certain about it yet. It is a pretty hill, almost in the
+centre of the large plain, and from the top of it one gets a lovely view
+of a volcanic cone standing in front of you to the south. Near this hill
+the new road turns sharply almost at a right angle, and two miles
+further some _Tondens_ have been begun (_Ciuta Hombu_). Hundreds of
+convicts, who, by the way, have made the road between here and Poronai,
+were at work continuing the same road towards the east. I believe that
+eventually it will be prolonged to the north-east coast, where it will
+end near Abashiri. In my opinion the scheme practically will be a
+failure, for Kamikawa will never be a flourishing place, as there is
+nothing to support a large population. From a strategic point of view of
+course Kamikawa has the advantage of being in the centre of Yezo.
+
+Kamikawa is 342 feet above the level of the sea, but it is well
+sheltered, and the climate, though very cold, is not quite so severe as
+in other parts of Yezo.
+
+The Ainu of the upper Ishikari are nearly the same as the Saru Ainu,
+only somewhat taller and more ill-tempered. They show greater skill than
+other Ainu in wood-carving and general ornamentation. Along the banks of
+the river huts are scattered here and there; but the largest number is
+at Chubets.
+
+At the present moment the Japanese population of Kamikawa is, with the
+exception of half-a-dozen policemen and as many civilians, composed
+entirely of convicts. These are dressed in red coats and trousers, and
+those who have committed murder have the top of their head shaved in the
+shape of a bottle (Jap., _Hetzui_). If any misbehave, they are beaten
+with the flat side of the long sword worn by the policeman in charge;
+but I must confess that otherwise the policemen are extremely kind in
+every way to these fellows. The well-behaved have one, two, or three
+small pieces of black cloth sewn to their left sleeve. They are made to
+work hard, but save this enforced diligence they seem to have a pretty
+good time. As I was talking to a policeman in charge, two dead men were
+brought on a cart by a man who had a towel over his mouth and a red
+blanket over his head. The two men had died suddenly. They had arrived
+only a few days previously from Southern Japan, where cholera was
+raging, and they had all the symptoms of having died of that deadly
+disease.
+
+A very exciting way of retracing your steps down to the Sorachi River is
+to shoot the rapids in an Ainu "dug-out." You make one or two Ainu
+moderately drunk, as otherwise they do not seem anxious to attempt it,
+and when they are in that pot-valiant condition you get them to paddle
+your canoe down the stream, while you sit in the bottom holding on to
+the sides. You start with the velocity of a turtle, increase it to that
+of a horse, then to that of a swallow, and when you are well in the
+rapids it is like travelling on an arrow. You go rubbing against rocks,
+and are shot in the air when going over a small waterfall, only to fall
+with a splash in the water some yards further, with an increase of
+velocity as you go on. It really requires but little skill to navigate
+rapids, for it is the current itself that does all the work. All that is
+needed is to keep the "dug-out" straight in the water. Of course if you
+should happen to collide with a rock when you are going at nearly double
+the rate of an express train you would have little chance of saving your
+life; but if you are neither smashed nor drowned, and you do not come to
+grief in any way, you can accomplish the journey, which takes you the
+whole day by land, in little over one hour when there is plenty of water
+in the stream.
+
+On the road from Sorachi to Poronai, and halfway between the villages of
+Naye and Takigawa, a new coal mine has been discovered and opened, which
+is said to be very rich in mineral of good quality; in fact, superior to
+the coal of Poronai. It is ten miles from Otaussi Nai village, where the
+high road has to be abandoned if the mine is to be visited.
+
+There are many Ainu both at Takikawa-Mura (Waterfall-River village), at
+Otaussi, and at Poronai-buts. Poronai has in its neighbourhood some rich
+coal mines. As others have reported more accurately and correctly than I
+can on the quality and extent of these coal seams, I shall abstain from
+repeating or copying what has been already said. I may, however, mention
+that the seams cut the valley of the Ikusum River eight miles from
+Poronai-buts, and a continuation of them is found near the springs of
+the Sorachi. The coal beds of Poronai are about three and a half feet
+deep, and many different beds have been found deeper than these, but of
+inferior quality. Poronai also goes by the name of Ishikishiri, and a
+large penitentiary has been erected here for the accommodation of the
+numerous convicts exported from the Main Island to improve the scheme
+for the colonisation of Yezo. I was called on by the chief _yakunin_
+(officer), and he expressed a wish that I should inspect the prisons. A
+splendid horse was sent to convey me thither, and two policemen helped
+me on my progress through the buildings, owing to my inability to walk
+more than a few yards at a time. It was a large walled enclosure, with
+houses for the officials and cells for the _akambos_, a jocular term,
+meaning "babies," which is applied to convicts, because they wear red
+clothes like children. The buildings were beautifully clean, but what
+astonished me most was that no precaution whatever was adopted to
+prevent convicts from escaping. The outside gates were all wide open;
+there were neither soldiers nor policemen at the gates, and, moreover,
+the _concierge_ was himself a convict!
+
+"But," said I, "do not many of these fellows escape?"
+
+"Oh, no, not many. Last month only sixteen ran away," was the
+_insouciant_ answer of my guide.
+
+From Poronai-buts to Sappro there is a small railway, by which the coal
+trains are run to the coast as far as Otaru.
+
+[Illustration: WOMAN OF ISHIKARI RIVER.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU BARK WATER-JUGS]
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+Nearing Civilisation.
+
+
+Sappro, the present capital of Hokkaido, is a town of fairly large size,
+with wide streets intersecting each other at right angles. The
+Hokkaido-cho, a high red-brick building, the law courts, the _Kofikan_,
+the palace built for the Emperor, and used now as a kind of hotel, and
+the houses of officials, are the main buildings of the place. There are,
+besides, a sugar refinery, a hemp and silk factory, and a brewery,
+mainly supported by the Government. Neither of the first two were
+"flourishing industries," and one of the factories, if I remember
+aright, had long ceased working, and the other was soon to follow suit.
+The Government, I must say, have done their best to encourage and push
+on industries as well as agriculture in this district, but their efforts
+have produced but poor results. Machinery, which had been imported at
+great expense from England, America, Germany, and France, was left to
+rust and perish, and no private company seemed ready to continue the
+works. As a farming region the Sappro district has also proved more or
+less a failure from a financial point of view, though again the
+Government cannot but be highly praised for the money they have spent in
+trying to educate the people up to some kind of scientific, and
+therefore paying, method of agriculture. They have a large model farm of
+about 350 acres laid down in grain fields, as well as in meadows and
+pastures, stocked with cattle imported mainly from America. In the
+Toyoshira valley, south of the town, a cattle farm is in full
+operation, but it yields the Government a very poor return. However, the
+Government, I believe, only wish to teach the people foreign ways of
+agriculture, and expect no direct returns for the pains taken and the
+money sunk--so at least it would appear. Another colonial militia
+settlement is also found near Baratte, eight miles north of Sappro.
+Regarding these settlements, it may prove interesting to transcribe the
+Imperial Ordinance No. 181, dated August 28th, 1890, by which they were
+brought into existence and the Tondens were built:--
+
+     ARTICLE 1.--Colonial Militia shall be composed of colonial
+     infantry, cavalry, and colonial artillery and colonial military
+     engineers, and shall be set apart for the defence of Hokkaido,
+     where they shall be stationed.
+
+     ARTICLE 2.--The Colonial Militia shall be organised as soldiers, in
+     addition to their ordinary occupation of farmers; shall live in
+     military houses which shall be provided for them, and shall take
+     part in military drill, in cultivation, and in farming.
+
+     ARTICLE 3.--The Colonial Militia shall also be composed of
+     volunteers from cities and prefectures, and shall change their
+     registered residence (_Houseki_) to Hokkaido, and live there with
+     their families.
+
+     ARTICLE 4.--The term of service of Colonial Militia shall be twenty
+     years: the service with the colours being three years, in the first
+     reserve four years, and in the second reserve thirteen years.
+     Should a colonial militiaman be released from service during his
+     term, owing to the attainment of the full age of forty years, or
+     through death, or some other cause, a suitable male of the family
+     shall be ordered to fulfil the remaining term of service. Such
+     service may be remitted if there be no suitable male.
+
+     ARTICLE 5.--The Colonial Militia shall fulfil supplementary
+     military service during ten years after the end of service in the
+     second reserve, and shall be mobilised in time of war or other
+     emergency.
+
+     ARTICLE 6.--The term of each stage of military service under
+     Articles 4 and 5 shall be counted from April 1st of the year in
+     which the soldier enters the Militia.
+
+     ARTICLE 7.--The terms may be prolonged, even though the period for
+     each stage has fully elapsed, should war or other emergency, or the
+     requirements of military discipline, or the inspection of soldiers
+     (_kwampei-shiki_) demand the same, or should the soldier be then in
+     transit from or to, or be stationed in, a foreign country.
+
+     SUPPLEMENTARY RULES:--
+
+     ARTICLE 8.--Colonial Militia enlisted before the carrying out of
+     these regulations shall be treated according to the following
+     distinctions:--
+
+     (_a_) Those enlisted between the eighth year of Meji and the
+     sixteenth year of Meji shall serve in the first reserve during four
+     years and in the second reserve during nine years.
+
+     (_b_) Those who were enlisted between the seventeenth year of Meji
+     and the twentieth shall serve in the first reserve during four
+     years from the twenty-fourth year of Meji, and in the second
+     reserve after the lapse of the above period during twenty years,
+     reckoned from the year in which they were enlisted.
+
+     (_c_) Those who were enlisted in the twenty-first year of Meji
+     shall serve in the first reserve during four years from the
+     twenty-fifth year of Meji, and in the second reserve after the
+     lapse of the above period during twenty years, reckoned from the
+     year in which they were enlisted.
+
+     (_d_) Those who were enlisted in and after the twenty-second year
+     of Meji shall be treated in accordance with these regulations.
+
+     ARTICLE 9.--The mode of reckoning the terms of service of Colonial
+     Militia levied before the twenty-first year of Meji shall be in
+     accordance with Article 6 of these regulations. The term of service
+     with the colours of those levied in the twenty-second and
+     twenty-third years of Meji shall be counted from the day on which
+     they were included in the Colonial Militia, and their term of
+     service in the first and second reserves from the day next to the
+     lapse of the full term of the former service.
+
+     ARTICLE 10.--These regulations shall come into force on and after
+     the first day of the fourth month of the twenty-fourth year of
+     Meji.
+
+          (Colonial Militia.) Imperial Ordinance No. 181.
+
+     We hereby give our sanction to the present amendment of the
+     regulations relating to Colonial Militia, and order the same to be
+     duly promulgated.
+
+          (His Imperial Majesty's sign-manual),
+          Great Seal.
+
+     Dated August 29th, 1890.
+     (Countersigned) COUNT OYAMA IWAO,
+     (Minister of State for War).
+
+     (_Japan Daily Mail_, September 14th, 1890.)
+
+Sappro was a civilised place compared to others I had seen in Yezo; but
+it had neither the picturesqueness, nor the strangeness, nor yet the
+interest of more uncivilised spots.
+
+There is no doubt that savagery--when you have got accustomed to it--is
+a great deal more fascinating than civilised life, and infinitely more
+so than a base imitation of civilisation.
+
+It might have been thought that after the months of privation to which I
+had been subjected, after all the harassing experiences I had gone
+through, after the accident which had made the last thirty days of my
+journey so agonising, I should have been glad to rest in this "London"
+of the Ainu country, at least until I was well again. But in truth this
+indirectly reflected civilisation worried me. The bustle of the people,
+the lights in the streets, the sounds of the _Shamesen_--everything
+annoyed me.
+
+His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Nagayama, kindly called on me, and when
+I put on some decent clothes which were lent me, he drove me to his
+house, where I had a lengthy conversation on the future of Yezo and the
+Kurile Islands. He seemed to approve of many of the points which I put
+before him, among which I suggested that the exports of sulphur from
+Kushiro, on the south-eastern coast, would be greatly increased if it
+were opened to foreign trade, and I was pleased to hear several months
+later that a motion to that effect was proposed in the Japanese
+Parliament. He also agreed with me that Yezo needed roads and railways
+badly, and that when more facile ways of communication should be
+established along the coast and across country, then without doubt Yezo
+would be rich and flourishing.
+
+He expressed sorrow that emigration was not carried on on a larger scale
+from the Southern Island of Japan, and that private companies of
+capitalists in no way helped the Government.
+
+His Excellency was also kind enough to drive me round the town and show
+me all the sights of Sappro, including the small museum containing
+zoological specimens from Hokkaido, and the implements of the Ainu and
+the Koro-pok-kuru. A huge grizzly bear which had killed two babies and a
+man is now stuffed, and occupies the first small room, while a bottle by
+the side preserves in spirit the head and foot of one baby and some
+parts of the man which were found in its stomach when captured and
+dissected.
+
+I left Sappro for Otaru by the coal train. Otaru is situated on a
+semicircular well-sheltered bay, which makes it the best and only safe
+port on the western coast of Yezo.
+
+The coast at the mouth of the Ishikari River curves gently round, and is
+exposed to the north as far as Cape Shakotan. Otaru is rapidly growing
+in importance, owing to the fact that it is the nearest shipping port to
+the Poronai coal mines. Unfortunately, three small hills, which were
+being levelled when I was there, had greatly interfered with the first
+laying out of the settlement, which accounts for the town being all
+crooked and irregularly planned. It has the appearance of a thriving
+place, and much resembles one of the small seaports of Southern Japan.
+In the main street a go-ahead tailor had written over his door the
+following inscription for the attraction of foreign clients: "Tailor.
+New Forms of every country shall be made here." The notice was tempting,
+and I went in to request his services in furnishing me with "new forms,"
+as he called them, of English fashion; but to my great regret he had
+come to an end of his stock of goods, and I had to be contented with my
+"old forms," and go on as best I could with what I had till I should
+reach Hakodate, where I had left most of my baggage. At Otaru I left all
+my paraphernalia to be shipped to Hakodate by the first ship calling,
+and I proceeded by land on the north and then on the north-west coast. I
+felt that, suffering as I still was, I should keep alive as long as I
+kept moving, as long as I was distracted by new scenery and new
+excitements. I felt that if I were left to myself, not pitied or
+sympathised with, I should be able to drag on and conquer in the end.
+There is nothing, it seems to me, that makes people feel so ill or is so
+enervating as the sympathy of friends and the verdict of a doctor. Among
+civilised people nine out of ten do not know whether they are very ill
+or not until the doctor pronounces his opinion, which shows that many
+complaints would be scarcely felt at all if the patient did not know the
+name of his malady, or if he had sufficient determination as to prevent
+his physical pain from becoming a moral one as well. We have a proof of
+this in hypnotism, by which sicknesses of many kinds can be cured by
+impressing on the subject the belief that his body is perfectly free
+from disease. Of course in this case it is a stronger will acting on a
+weaker one, which, so reinforced, is able to overpower the physical
+trouble. Again, I may be allowed to state that savages and barbarians,
+though affected with horrid diseases of all kinds, do not seem to suffer
+from them as much as we do. If an Ainu man breaks his leg he does not
+think for a moment of lying in bed for the regulation forty days; first
+of all, because he has no bed to lie on; and next, because the
+confinement and inaction would simply kill him. He may lie down on the
+hard ground for two or three days, after which time he crawls about as
+best he can until nature makes his broken bone right again. He does not
+worry himself much about it. Wild animals do the same. If, then, the
+Ainu, and with them savages of other countries, do that, why should not
+I, a human being like them, do the same?
+
+Freed from the encumbrance of my baggage, I set off on a good horse down
+the north coast, and moving from east to west. My baggage now consisted
+of a crutch which I had made for myself, a stick, a couple of Japanese
+_kimonos_, and a few sketch-books.
+
+The travelling was extremely slow, and I shall not dwell at length on
+this part of my journey, for it has no interest in connection with the
+Ainu, as I met with scarcely any. On a practicable and pleasant track
+leading all across the hills beyond Oshoro village, a lovely view of the
+cliffs between that place and Yoichi, lying to the west, is to be had.
+In some parts the scenery is really grand. Coming down on the other side
+of the hill, Momonai and Kawamura, two fishermen's villages of some
+importance, are passed, and further west, through a picturesque and
+narrow entrance of rugged volcanic rocks, is Yoichi, a large village,
+which was entirely burnt down last year, but has since been built up
+again. The road to Iwanai branches off at Kawamura, across the Shakotan
+peninsula. This peninsula is partly volcanic, partly composed of
+tertiaries, on which metal veins are found, especially along the course
+of the Yoichi River.
+
+About three miles from Yoichi a small flax factory was being built as an
+experiment by a Mr. Tokumatz Kuroda, in the employ of the Mitzui
+Company. Twenty-five miles further south-west of Yoichi is Iwanai.
+About ten miles from Kawamura, at Hando, a black tumbledown shed, like a
+haunted house, stands in the middle of the woods, and from here the
+track again goes over a mountain. On the other side is Iwanai. Five or
+six weeks previous to my arrival a large fire had destroyed nearly the
+whole of the village, and--just my luck again!--I had great difficulty
+in finding a place in which to obtain shelter for the night.
+
+From Iwanai the coast-line roughly describes a semicircle, which is
+almost concentric with Volcano Bay on the south coast, the distance
+between the two seas being about twenty or twenty-five miles, so that it
+forms a kind of large peninsula stretching towards the south, and
+widening considerably at its most southern part on the Tsugaru Strait.
+The first two or three miles from Iwanai were a pretty flat and easy
+track, but then I struck the mountain trail, which was steep and heavy
+for my pony. It was raining in torrents, and the narrow track was
+literally turned into a running rivulet. By good luck the rain stopped,
+and when I reached the summit I had a glorious panorama of the brilliant
+rocks and cliffs of the Shakotan Cape to the north-east, with the Kamui
+and the Hurupira Mountains on one side, and the villages of Shiribets,
+Isoya, and Karibayama along the coast on the other. I descended into the
+valley and then went up again the next mountain, the Iwaonobori, a
+higher peak than the first. I went down its slopes on the other side in
+a zig-zag fashion, and then came to the snake-like river called
+Shiribets, on both sides of which a few fishermen's houses are found,
+forming the Shiribets village.
+
+Three miles further is a larger settlement, Isoya, the half of which is
+called Notto Isoya, the other Shimakotan Isoya. It is a long row of
+fishermen's houses scattered along the coast until we get to Ushoro,
+eight miles further, a settlement of 120 houses.
+
+Ushoro is connected by a road to Oshamambe, on Volcano Bay, but I went
+on to Shitzo, four miles north-west of Ushoro. The way was fairly good
+in some parts, and execrably bad in others. The heavy rain which had
+again come on was not exactly suited to my present state of health;
+moreover, it swelled all the small brooks, which fell in a series of
+picturesque waterfalls over the high cliffs down on to the beach. As the
+beach was narrow, this meant each time a cold shower-bath, which,
+however, did not much matter, for I was already drenched by the rain,
+and I had no very "swell" garments to spoil, as my readers know.
+
+[Illustration: AINU HALF-CASTE CHILD OF VOLCANO BAY.]
+
+Shitzo is an old-looking place, but there is nothing attractive about
+it. It is in a small bay sheltered by Cape Benke, but its anchorage is
+only fit for junks or very small skiffs. It is much exposed to northerly
+and easterly winds. The coast from Shitzo to the Cape is lined with
+rocky bluffs and cliffs of conglomerate and volcanic formation, with
+bare hills inland.
+
+There are many reefs stretching out, both along the coast and off the
+Cape; but in many places channels are cut in them, to all appearance
+produced by some remote volcanic action.
+
+On the western side of Cape Benke is the village of Masatomari. There
+were formerly some Ainu villages on this part of the coast, but hardly
+any natives are to be found now. The few remaining have adopted to a
+certain extent Japanese customs and manners.
+
+At Baraputa I heard that it was impossible to continue my journey south
+on horseback along the coast, for the track was almost impassable, even
+on foot. It was a steep and difficult trail over the mountains, among
+rocks and precipitous cliffs, and I was quite unable to accomplish it;
+so I retraced my steps to Shitzo, and from there struck across the
+peninsula on the road for Oshamambe, on Volcano Bay. The road is a good
+one, and when bridges are built where needed it will be practicable for
+_bashas_, the four-wheeled vehicles of Southern Yezo. The way is across
+mountains or among well-wooded hills. Kuromatsunai is the largest group
+of houses found along the road. It is about halfway between the two
+coasts.
+
+Late at night, after having ridden twenty-five miles, I arrived at
+Oshamambe, a semi-Ainu village on Volcano Bay.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: KOMATAGE VOLCANO, VOLCANO BAY.]
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+Completing the Circuit of Yezo--The End of my Journey.
+
+
+Oshamambe is a group of seventy houses, just midway between Mororran and
+Mori. The Ainu of this bay are poor specimens of their race, as most of
+them have intermarried with Japanese. They are, however, those most
+talked about by Europeans, for they are of easy access to
+globe-trotters.
+
+They are mostly half-castes, and even second and third crosses;
+wherefore it is no wonder that the incautious travellers who have
+written on the Ainu, studying only these easily-visited specimens, have
+discovered in them a remarkable likeness to the Japanese!
+
+The fact that I was rapidly nearing the end of my trip half filled me
+with pleasure, yet pleasure mingled with regret. It was nearly six weeks
+now since I met with the accident to my foot, and I was decidedly
+better. The cold weather had greatly contributed to this improvement of
+my condition; and had it not been for my bone which kept sticking out of
+my skin, I should have considered myself in fine case. I could hop along
+with my self-made crutch and my stick, and when riding the pain was not
+nearly as acute as it had been the first fifteen or twenty days.
+
+As the road was good, and there was nothing interesting to me on this
+portion of the journey, I tried to push on rapidly towards Mori.
+Unfortunately, at the last minute my patience was put to a trial. I
+hired a horse, and it was lame. No others were to be had that day for
+love or money. The animal had been lame for two years, they said, and
+though uncomfortable to ride he did not suffer any pain. This I
+ascertained afterwards was true, for that day the sturdy brute carried
+me 48-1/2 miles without once requiring punishment. It is needless to say
+that what I suffered that day by the continuous jerking is beyond
+description. I rode fourteen hours in a fearful storm of rain and snow,
+and my feverish anxiety to reach Hakodate soon, so that I might receive
+letters, and have news of my parents and friends--from whom I had not
+heard for five months--helped me to pull through all the fatigue and
+worry of the way. The road between Oshamambe and Kunnui is fair, getting
+still better towards Yurap and Yamakushinai. But to shorten the journey
+and lessen the jerking I followed the sandy sea-beach, which, describing
+a smaller circle than the road, necessarily diminishes the distance.
+From Yamakushinai the road is very good and wide, and it has
+nicely-built bridges over the Otoshibe and Nigori Rivers. The small
+fishing villages, though not so imposing in appearance as some of those
+in other parts of Yezo, add to the picturesqueness of the bay, with its
+beautiful volcanic cone of Komagatage towering in the distance towards
+the south-east.
+
+The fishing in Volcano Bay consists mostly of mackerel, sprats, halibut,
+and herrings.
+
+I reached Mori late in the evening, and was received with a friendly
+greeting by the people of the tea-house in which I had stayed on my way
+up at the beginning of my journey.
+
+The place was brilliantly lighted with numberless candles, and opposite
+the entrance was a kind of altar decked with flowers and cakes. A few
+_bonzes_, with their shaven heads and long, thin, depraved fingers, were
+saying their prayers and beating with a small wand on the round wooden
+bells. With the gods of Japan you must ring a bell or clap your hands
+before you begin to pray, or else the god will pay no attention to your
+petitions. In the next room another Japanese, with less depraved
+fingers, but with a more wicked face, was dressed in European clothes,
+and was apparently giving a sermon, and sure enough he proved to be a
+native Christian minister!
+
+"Hallo!" said I to the landlord; "what does all this mean?"
+
+"Oh," said he, smiling--for Buddhism teaches you not to show pain--"my
+old mother is dead. You saw her when you were here before. She died
+yesterday, and as she was formerly a Buddhist and had become a
+Christian, I have now got some Buddhist _bonzes_ and a Christian
+minister to pray for her, for I want her to be happy in the other
+world."
+
+"But do you not think," I replied, "that so much praying of different
+kinds might interfere with her happiness?"
+
+"Oh, no, your honourable," he said quickly, "I have paid the _bonzes_
+and the clergyman in advance, and the gods cannot get angry now!"
+
+It was curious to notice the competition between the representatives of
+the two different creeds.
+
+On the one side the Christian shouted his prayers and sang his hymns in
+a stentorian voice, to put the _bonzes_ in the shade and get the start
+of them in the contest; and on the other side these rattled on the
+wooden bells with all their might, so that their prayers should be heard
+first. I was more than happy when this religious race was over, and I
+was allowed a few hours' rest.
+
+Instead of going straight to Hakodate by _basha_ by the road I had
+already once traversed, I followed the coast in a south-easterly
+direction towards the volcano of Esan.
+
+Near Usushiri, some two miles inland, are the hot springs of Obune,
+where, in a picturesque gully surrounded by mountains, are two dirty
+shanties for the benefit of those who wish to take the waters. At Isoya,
+five miles north of this place, similar springs are found, and three and
+a half miles south-east of Usushiri still more can be seen at Kakumi.
+The latter place is a picturesque little spot, with its three old sheds
+and the steaming bath-room framed in the multi-coloured foliage of trees
+with their lovely autumn tints. A clean path a few hundred yards long
+leads from the coast to the springs, and a track across the mountains is
+found between that place and Hakodate; also another leading from Obune
+to the latter port. By both these tracks a most lovely view of Hakodate
+Bay can be obtained when the summit of the mountain range is reached.
+From Kakumi the coast-line is wretched for travelling, set thick as it
+is with stones as sharp as knives, while the waves continually wash over
+the narrow beach, drenching the wayfarer to the skin.
+
+I reached Otatsube, a group of a few fishermen's huts; and as there is
+no traffic whatever along this coast, there were no regular tea-houses.
+Unfortunately for me, the British Squadron in the Pacific had spent the
+summer at Hakodate, and the ships had often gone for gun-practice
+somewhere near this place, scaring the natives to death, and furthermore
+angering them against foreigners in general, for they said the report of
+the guns frightened away all the fish. When I asked for food and offered
+money for it, they flatly refused me, saying contemptuously,--
+
+"You foreigners come and scare all the fish away, and now you shall die
+of starvation before you shall get food from us. We do not want your
+money. We are rich."
+
+And so I was held responsible for the doings of Her Majesty's fleet,
+which until then I did not even know had been in those waters!
+
+At Furimb�, the next small village, only a few miles further on, my
+experience was even more unpleasant. Not only would they not give me
+food, but they would not shelter me for the night in any of the houses;
+and many of the fishermen, taking advantage of my wretched condition,
+were impudent to such a point that I thought we should have come to
+blows.
+
+It was getting quite dark, and I was fearfully hungry and exhausted. The
+only course open to me was to push on, and see if I could come across
+some other hut where the owners were not so churlish. As it turned out,
+for the first time since I had been in Hokkaido I had some good luck
+that night!
+
+A few hundred yards from this Japanese village, among the trees, was a
+little wooden shrine. Through the grating of the door I caught sight of
+offerings of cakes and rice which the religious fishermen had deposited
+on the kind of altar, probably to appease the angry gods, and induce
+them to fill the sea with fish again. The door of the shrine, as is
+usual in country places in Japan, was not locked, but a small outside
+bolt was all there was to keep it closed. I had no difficulty in
+entering. The night was a terrible one. The rain was pouring in
+torrents, and having had nothing to eat all day, I felt I had not the
+strength to go another yard. "After all," I said to myself, "the home of
+the gods, Japanese or not, is good enough for me. So is this supper," I
+soliloquized, swallowing now a white cake, now a red one, then a green
+one, till nothing but the empty vessels were left. "Delicious" was my
+last word, when, smacking my lips over the last green cake, I proceeded
+to make myself comfortable for the night. It is needless to add that I
+left very early in the morning, when the first rays of light broke the
+dimness of the night, and I dare say that, for the sake of morality, I
+ought to add that I was sorry for committing the sacrilege; but I was
+not--indeed I was not!
+
+The mountain track continued, rough and steep in many places, and the
+autumn tints on the foliage were lovely, though not as varied as those
+of Northern America. Past Todohotke another volcano, the Esan, stared me
+in the face. Its crater, or rather its craters, for there are several,
+are not on the summit of the mountain, which is well rounded, but nearly
+halfway down its western slopes. Accumulations of very pure sulphur are
+deposited in and around these craters, and a continuous rumbling can be
+heard inside the mountain. The craters eject sulphurous vapours, and
+molten lava bubbles up as if in gigantic caldrons, congealing at the
+mouths of the craters and cracking with the extreme heat.
+
+The coast-line is precipitous and almost impassable round Cape Esan,
+therefore the track leads over the mountain. The altitude of Esan is
+1740 feet above the sea-level, but owing to its rising directly from the
+sea it has the look of a much more lofty mountain. Komagatage, near
+Mori, is 4,011, or more than double the height of Esan, while
+Makkarinupuri volcano, or Shiribeshi Mountain, as others call it, about
+forty-five miles south-west of Sappro, and ten miles north of Toya Lake,
+reaches an altitude of 6,440 feet.
+
+Iwaonobori, which I passed on the north coast in this latter part of my
+journey, is 3,374 feet. Usu, on Volcano Bay, 1868 feet. Tarumai,
+directly south of Sappro, only reaches a height of 2,800 feet.
+
+When this volcanic part of the coast round Esan Cape is passed the track
+becomes easier and flatter. One comes again to the sandy beaches, and
+the coast is lively with numbers of fishermen's huts, and a couple of
+villages like Shirikishinai and Toi. One day's journey on horseback from
+here takes you to Hakodate. The Hakodate Peak can be seen in the
+distance to the west; and only a few more hours, only a few more miles,
+and I should be in civilisation, I should see a few European faces, and
+I should hear English spoken again.
+
+As I approached the sandy isthmus, and the peak grew bigger before me, I
+wondered what had been going on in the world, and what news I should
+receive of my dear ones. I imagined myself already devouring with my
+eyes the hundreds of letters which must have been amassed at Hakodate,
+waiting for me during the many months I had been away. I imagined myself
+half buried in newspapers months old, anxiously reading the news of the
+world. I hurried on my pony, I crossed the sand isthmus--and there I was
+in the lively streets of Hakodate, gazed at by the astonished Japanese,
+who, I believe, were more than a little amazed--perhaps scandalised--at
+my turn-out.
+
+Such as I was, and before I went to the Japanese tea-house, I called at
+the Consulate for my correspondence. Her Britannic Majesty's
+representative, who knew me well enough, was more than thunderstruck
+when I appeared before him in such a strange attire. He was smoking a
+pipe, and he almost let it drop, such was his surprise.
+
+"Who are you?" he feebly exclaimed, looking me all over from head to
+foot. "Surely you are not Landor?" he said when I told him my name.
+
+"I believe I am," I answered, "and I have come to trouble you for my
+letters."
+
+"Oh, none have come; we have none," he said drily.
+
+And now that I was not quite so well dressed as when I had called on my
+arrival at Hakodate from Southern Japan, he seemed anxious to see me off
+the premises as soon as possible, I dare say for fear lest I should
+expire on his doorstep.
+
+"But there _must_ be some letters," I said, as I was sadly leaving.
+
+"No, there are none. Good-bye," he repeated.
+
+The first glimpse of civilisation and of a civilised being was certainly
+not a pleasing one. In a town where there are hardly half-a-dozen
+British subjects, all told, I expected a better reception than one which
+many would not bestow on a beggar to a compatriot in a foreign country.
+Kindness costs nothing, and I was asking no favour.
+
+I left the place disheartened, but feeling that the pompous official had
+made a blunder, unluckily at my expense.
+
+Mr. Henson, in whose house I had left all my luggage, greeted me with
+open arms. He was kindness itself, and very different from the
+gold-collared gentleman of the Consulate. I must say that I felt most
+uncomfortable when, after having opened my trunks, I put on fresh
+clothes and boots; in fact, such was the change from my late airy
+costume that I caught a cold! I had now almost finished my self-imposed
+task. I had made the whole circuit of Yezo, and been up all its largest
+rivers, with the exception of that part of the western coast which lies
+between Barabuta and Hakodate. It would mean only a few more days of
+agony, and for the sake of completing my journey I left Hakodate again
+the next morning at 2 A.M. in a _basha_ for Esashi, on the west coast.
+The distance is fifty-seven miles, and we employed sixteen hours in
+covering it. It was snowing when we crossed the hills, and it was
+fearfully cold. Fortunately, the road is one of the best in Hokkaido.
+Just in front of me sat a poor man piteously ill with _kaki_. His body
+was dreadfully swollen and his limbs were stiff. What the poor man must
+have suffered in being shaken for so many hours is beyond description.
+His lamentations were heartrending. He had come to Hakodate in the hope
+of getting cured, and now he was returning--to use his words--"to die
+near his home." When we reached Esashi he was truly more dead than
+alive. He was senseless, and had to be lifted up bodily and carried into
+the house.
+
+Esashi is a large place, and is one of the oldest towns in Yezo. In
+front lies a small oblong island, with which various wonderful tales of
+treasure are connected. Its harbour is too unsafe, being exposed to all
+winds, and I was told that the sea is always rough except during the
+months of July and August. I believe that this is greatly due to the
+currents.
+
+I went north to Kumaishi and Cape Ota, the most westerly point of Yezo.
+About ten miles west of this cape is the small island of Okushiri,
+peopled mostly by Japanese.
+
+The track is tolerably fair for about twenty-four miles as far as
+Kumaishi. It runs either along the beach or around clay and conglomerate
+rocky points, occasionally over the cliffs and through ravines. North of
+Esashi, along the Assap River, is a good stretch of cultivable land;
+then the thickly-wooded mountainous region begins again towards the
+north.
+
+Kumaishi is said to be the best district for herring fishing along that
+coast.
+
+From Kumaishi to Kudo numerous reefs extend out at sea, and small
+headlands afford a safe anchorage to junks. The track is mostly on a
+rough coast backed by high and well-wooded hills. Striking across the
+mountains, which rise sheer from the sea, we come to Cape Ota, the most
+westerly point of Yezo. From here the coast turns towards the north-east
+as far as Barabuta; but as it was impossible for me to go on horseback
+to that place, though only a few miles distant, I turned back and
+returned to Esashi, then following the coast towards the south to
+Matsumai or Fukuyama, one of the first Japanese settlements established
+in Yezo, and formerly the capital of the island. The coast is rugged and
+picturesque from Esashi to the two villages of Kaminokumi and Shiofuki,
+after which a mountain path leads to Ishisaki.
+
+I found the Japanese on this coast most polite and honest, and more like
+the "old Japanese" than the younger generations.
+
+The cliffs on the south side of the Ishizaki River were resplendent in
+beauty under the brilliant red and yellow light of the setting sun.
+Oshima (or Large Island) could be seen on the horizon in the distant
+south. Five miles further, across a mountain track, I came to Cisango,
+and five more miles beyond that place landed me at Haraguchi, two small
+fishing villages, with houses resting on high posts and against the
+cliffs, somewhat similar to the villages I found previous to my reaching
+the Ishikari River.
+
+After that are eight or ten miles of a monotonous hilly road, where you
+do nothing but ascend and descend one small hill after another, up and
+down a snake-like or a zig-zag path; but when Eramachi is passed the
+track becomes much more interesting, with its peculiar groups of rocks
+of all shapes sticking out of the sea, and the long line of reef over
+which the breakers roll foaming and thundering. From here by the side of
+Oshima, another small island, "Koshima," is seen on the horizon. Going
+south the coast gradually gets more and more picturesque, with its
+pretty little fishing villages hidden among the rocks and sheltered
+under the high cliffs. At Neptka a good road leads over the cliffs to
+Fukuyama.
+
+About a mile before the town is reached, from a high point of vantage on
+the road, is a pretty peep of Benten Island, just off the shore, with an
+old temple on it, and by its side a new lighthouse. On the shore, a few
+yards from the road opposite the island, a large rock is literally
+covered with hundreds of stone images of Amida and different gods, and
+two _Torii_, sacred emblems of Japan, are placed in front of it.
+
+I descended the slope gently and reached Koromatsumai, otherwise called
+Matsumai, or Fukuyama. It is a "dear old spot," the most picturesque of
+all the towns in Hokkaido. It is ancient, for one thing, while other
+places are modern--some villages, indeed, only a year or two old, or
+even less. Thus weather has toned down the light yellow colour of the
+new wood, which is so offensive to the eye in a landscape, and is so
+common in all Japanese villages of Yezo. Besides, Fukuyama has pretty
+temples on the surrounding hills, and prettily-laid-out gardens with
+tiny stone bridges, bronze lanterns, and dwarfed trees. It is more like
+a town of old Japan. It has a three-storied castle with turned-up roofs,
+as one sees on the willow-pattern plates.
+
+The castle, formerly the residence of the Daimio, a feudal prince, is
+now a restaurant. The irregular streets of the town, the narrow lanes,
+the houses blackened by smoke and age, give a certain _cachet_ which is
+peculiar to the place itself. The inhabitants, too, are more
+conservative than the younger colonists, and are quite "in keeping" with
+the place. Unluckily, the town has seen better days! It possesses no
+good harbour, and all its trade, little by little, is being carried
+away by its more fortunate rival, Hakodate. The population of Matsumai
+decreases considerably every year, as the inhabitants leave this
+poetical but dead-alive and decaying spot for the more exciting life to
+be found in newly-opened districts further east or north.
+
+Between Fukuyama and Hakodate, a distance of over sixty miles, the road
+is extremely bad, and there is nothing whatever to see. Shirakami Cape
+is interesting as being the most southern point of Yezo, and from here
+the coast turns slightly towards the north-east.
+
+Fukushima is an old village. The other headlands, and the Cape of
+Yagoshi, have no special features calling for attention. Near the latter
+cape the coast is volcanic, which renders it very rugged in shape and
+warmly tinted in colour. There are many villages along the coast, as
+Yoshioka, Shiriuchi, Kikonai, Idzumizawa, Mohechi, and Kamiiro, and the
+inhabitants seem well off and well-to-do people.
+
+A great quantity of coal and firewood is carried on pony-back from these
+mountains to Hakodate. Rows of ten, twelve, or fifteen ponies one after
+the other, loaded with as much as they can carry, can be seen slowly
+travelling, under the care of one man, down to the principal port of
+Yezo, especially at the beginning of the winter season; and here and
+there stacks of split wood are piled ready for transportation.
+
+Rounding the Hakodate Bay, I was again at the point whence I had first
+started, and happy that, notwithstanding all the ill-luck I had had,
+notwithstanding the strain on my physique, which is not by any means
+herculean, and notwithstanding all the obstacles which had come in my
+way, I had finally succeeded in doing what no European had ever done
+before, namely, in completing the whole circuit of Yezo at one time,
+exploring all its most important rivers and lakes, studying the habits,
+customs, and manners of that strange race of people, the Hairy Ainu, and
+visiting the Kuriles besides.
+
+Many parts which I travelled over had never been trodden by European
+foot, and this made my journey all the more interesting to me. As the
+book stands I have related but the principal adventures which I had
+during my long peregrinations in Hokkaido, most of which are intended to
+illustrate Ainu customs and traits by my own personal experience rather
+than to excite sympathy for my hardships. Really, though the journey
+nearly cost me my life, I have never, in my extensive wanderings,
+enjoyed a trip more than that to Ainuland.
+
+I have touched but slightly, and not more than was absolutely necessary,
+on subjects relating to the Japanese; for this is intended as a work on
+the Ainu.
+
+I was happy yet sorry to be at the end of my journey! This was the 146th
+day since I first left Hakodate, and the distance I had travelled was
+about 4,200 miles, out of which 3,800 were ridden on horseback, or an
+average of twenty-five miles a day. The remaining 400 miles were either
+by steamer or canoe travelling.
+
+From the day I broke the bone in my foot I travelled fifty-eight days,
+mostly on horseback, and the first time it was attended to and properly
+bandaged up was sixty days after it occurred, or two days after my
+arrival in Hakodate, by Mr. Pooley, chief engineer on board the SS.
+_Satsuma Maru_.
+
+Mr. Henson was again extremely kind, and pressed me to leave the
+tea-house and go and stay at his place, and after five months of "hard
+planks" I slept again in a comfortable bed. What a treat it was! What a
+curious sensation to sleep in a bed again, and actually have sheets and
+blankets! But this was not all, for surprise followed surprise.
+
+The pompous Consul, who for the sake of saving himself the trouble of
+looking into his desk, had made my last portion of the journey wretched
+and sorrowful, found that after all he was mistaken, and on the
+breakfast-table in my place I found a packet of about 100 letters and
+newspapers, which the Consul sent to me with a message saying that when
+I called last time he had forgotten who I was, and therefore had
+forgotten to give me my correspondence!
+
+Now that we have travelled round and through the country in every
+direction; now that we have seen where the different tribes of Ainu are,
+I shall attempt to give my readers some insight into the Ainu
+themselves, and their mode of living.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: WOODEN DRINKING VESSELS.]
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+Ainu Habitations, Storehouses, Trophies, Furniture--Conservatism.
+
+
+Ainu architecture is by no means elaborate, let alone beautiful; but
+though it is so simple, it is to a certain extent varied, differing
+according to the exigencies of climate and locality. Huts of one
+district vary from those of another not only in small details, but also
+in the whole shape; or if the shape is the same, the materials are
+different.
+
+The principal characteristics of the Volcano Bay and Saru River huts is,
+that they have angular roofs and are thatched with tall reeds and
+arundinaria, while the huts up the Tokachi River are more often covered
+with bark, though in form they are almost identical with those others.
+
+On the Kutcharo Lake, again, the huts are thatched with tall reeds like
+those of Volcano Bay, but the building itself has a totally different
+shape. The roof is semicircular, and each hut is in appearance like the
+half of a cylinder lying on its rectangular base.
+
+On the north-east coast the huts have either roofs similar to the
+Kutcharo ones, or else the angle is very obtuse instead of being sharp,
+as with the Piratori or Volcano Bay huts.
+
+In the Kuriles, at Shikotan, the Ainu have houses exactly similar to
+those at Piratori.
+
+Setting aside the varieties of form, we shall now consider how the huts
+are built. A frame is first made by horizontally lashing at short
+intervals long poles to others at the angles of the roof. Often the roof
+is made first and lifted up bodily on the forked poles on which it
+rests. Then long reeds and arundinaria are collected in sufficient
+quantity to thatch the frame thickly on each side. Other poles or
+rafters are then placed over these reeds, and through them lashed
+tightly to the under frame, thus preventing the thatch from being blown
+or washed away. Care is taken to leave an opening for the door; and the
+small east window--usually the only one in Ainu huts--is cut out
+afterwards by means of a knife. Ainu huts have never more than one
+storey and never more than one room and a small porch. In districts
+where the climate is less severe the porch is often dispensed with. In
+building their habitations the hairy people make no attempt whatever at
+symmetry or beauty; all they aim at is to make themselves a shelter and
+nothing more.
+
+There are no more professional architects than professionals of any
+other kind in the Ainu country. Each man is his own architect, builder,
+and carpenter. He may occasionally receive the help of a neighbour when
+he is building his hut, if all hands in the family are not sufficient to
+carry him through his work.
+
+Each family has its own hut, which is used day and night by all the
+members. If one of the sons gets married he sometimes brings his bride
+to live in his father's hut, or else he goes to live in his bride's hut;
+but as the "hairy mother-in-law" is no better than other
+"mothers-in-law," the end of this arrangement is that generally the
+bridegroom has to build a habitation for himself and his better-half.
+Fortunately for him, he has to pay no ground-rent; nor has he to take a
+lease, nor pay the lawyer for an agreement, nor yet to buy the ground
+nor the materials on which and of which his not too luxurious abode is
+to be built. He chooses the site which is most suitable to him, and
+there he builds his hut as best he can; and no one is any the worse or
+the wiser for it. The "furnishing" is a matter of no consideration with
+the Ainu, as he prefers to live in an "unfurnished house." By
+instalments, however, as he finds his floor becoming rather damp, he
+provides himself with a few rough planks, which afford him comfortable
+sleeping accommodation; and during the winter, when fishing is not
+practicable, and he spends most of his day at home, he roughly carves
+for himself a moustache-lifter (the _Kike-ush-bashui_); a small paddle,
+the _Hera_ (which is used both to stir the wine and as an implement in
+weaving); a pestle and mortar carved out of the trunk of a tree; and, if
+he be a very ambitious person and fond of his wife, he will probably
+make her a weaving loom as well as two or three "water-jugs" if we may
+call them so--vessels made of bark bent into shape, and lashed so
+strongly as to be water-tight, and used for carrying water as needed.
+
+A few wooden bowls, a wooden hook, which is suspended over the fire when
+bear-meat is smoked, occasionally a _Kinna_ (a mat), and a skin or two,
+are all the articles of furniture of Ainu manufacture which an Ainu can
+possess, though few of them possess so many. The Ainu hut has a
+fire-place in the centre, or rather, a fire is lighted in the centre of
+the hut. The fire is lighted with a flint and steel--a method learned
+from the Japanese--or by the friction of two sticks. The more civilised
+Ainu have now adopted matches. A hole in the angle of the roof acts as
+chimney, but unfortunately more in name than in practice.
+
+Chairs, stools, sofas, beds, tables, etc., are all things unknown to the
+Ainu. While inspecting the hut it may be as well to see how the
+weaving-loom, the most complicated article of the Ainu household, is
+made and worked. There is a "yarn beam" (the _Kammakappe_), on which the
+"warp" of unwoven thread is wound and kept separated, and another "roll"
+by which the warp threads in the process of weaving are kept in tension
+between the two gratings. There then is the _Poro-usa_ (the "large
+grating"), through the intervals of which the warp threads pass, and the
+_Usa_, a similar but smaller grating placed on the other side of the
+roll.
+
+[Illustration: THE KAMMAKAPPE.]
+
+[Illustration: PORO-USA, OR "LARGE GRATING."]
+
+[Illustration: THE USA.]
+
+[Illustration: STICKS.]
+
+The cloth is wound round a stick which rests on the lap of the weaver,
+and is kept in tension by means of her wrists; and at the same time the
+_Ahunkanitte_ (the "shuttle"), is passed between the two sets of warp
+threads carrying the transverse thread, or "woof," from one side of the
+cloth to the other and back again. This is then beaten up by means of a
+long shuttle like a netting mesh, which first draws the weft into its
+place, and is then used to beat it up. In some ways this form of loom is
+similar to that of India. The "netting mesh" is called _Atzis-Hera_.
+Finally, the _Pekoatnit_ is a bi-forked instrument for separating the
+threads.
+
+[Illustration: THE AHUNKANITTE.]
+
+[Illustration: THE PEKOATNIT.]
+
+It is needless to say that with this primitive and homemade loom it
+takes a very long time to weave a very short piece of cloth; but as time
+is not money with Ainu women, and patience is one of their virtues, it
+answers their purpose, and they wish for nothing better.
+
+[Illustration: ATZIS-CLOTH IN PROCESS OF WEAVING.]
+
+The thread used for manufacturing the cloth is made of the inner fibre
+of the _Ulmus campestris_ bark. At the beginning of the spring the elm
+bark is peeled off the trees and is put in water to soak and soften
+until the inner fibres can be separated, made into threads, and wound up
+round reeds. The material woven from these threads is very coarse and
+brittle, except in wet weather or when soaked in water, in which case
+clothes made of it cannot be worn out.
+
+The weaving is usually plain, but sometimes a simple pattern of black
+parallel lines is woven in with the material. The natural colour of the
+elm-fibre thread is dark yellow, and the black lines are composed of the
+same thread stained.
+
+The other contrivance in Ainu huts which strikes one as being simple
+but clever is the hook suspended over the fire. The rope is passed over
+a rafter. One end of it is fastened to the hook, the other, as shown in
+the illustration, to a piece of wood through which the hook has
+previously been passed.
+
+[Illustration: ROASTING HOOK.]
+
+Mat-making is closely allied to weaving, and is worked entirely on the
+same principle, but without the aid of any kind of machinery. The
+bulrushes are crossed and woven coarsely, and plaited flat. One of these
+mats is used in Ainu huts as a door--"the _Apa Otki_." A smaller one is
+hung over or by the window.
+
+Naturally, Ainu huts are somewhat draughty. The imperfectness of the
+door and window-fittings, the large outlet for the smoke, besides the
+wind which finds its way through the thatched walls, make Ainu dwellings
+"ideal" to anyone wishing to "catch his death of cold." The Ainu do not
+much mind it.
+
+The roof is low, and from it hang the winter provisions of dried salmon
+captured during the autumn. This gives an additional odour to the
+already strong scent of the hut--an "ancient fish-like smell," not
+redolent of the perfumes of Arabia. The smoke inside the hut is so dense
+when there happens to be a fire burning that one's eyes stream with
+involuntary tears, and one is nearly choked. When the days are short in
+winter the Ainu sometimes light their dwellings with a stick to which is
+fastened a piece of animal fat. It is hung up aloft, and when the lower
+end is lighted the fat slowly melting serves to feed the flame and keep
+this primitive lamp alight. Another mode of illumination is by firing a
+lighted piece of birch bark on a stick previously split at the upper
+end. The third way is by filling a large shell with fish-oil and burning
+in it a few strings of elm-fibre. None of these methods come much into
+use for everyday life, as, unlike the negroes, the Ainu are not fond of
+sitting up at night, except on extraordinary occasions; and when by
+chance they do sit up it is by the light of the fire only.
+
+If a stranger stops for the night in an Ainu hut, he is made to sleep
+directly under the east window; but the family take good care to sleep
+all together on the north side, which is the most distant point from
+the door and the window. Occasional callers are received on the side
+nearest to the door.
+
+The few Ainu who possess mats on which they sit during the day hang them
+up at night round the hut, probably to protect themselves from the
+liberal ventilation, which even those who are used to it find trying
+when a gale is blowing or the thermometer is very low.
+
+There is no particular spot inside the hut set apart for meals, and the
+refuse is either thrown into a corner of the hut or flung outside the
+door and left there. It is difficult to say whether the inside or the
+outside of an Ainu hut is the dirtier. Heaps of stinking refuse are
+accumulated round the dwellings, and in summer-time these heaps are
+alive with vermin--mosquitoes, flies, _abu_, and black-flies. It is
+quite sufficient to move a step from the door to see a cloud of these
+noxious insects rise, and each one of them will have a bite at you.
+
+Inside the house you are no better off. _Taikki_ (fleas) are
+innumerable, and of all sizes, not to mention other well-known but
+usually anonymous enemies of the human skin.
+
+The first night I slept in an Ainu hut, though I was provided with
+insecticide powder, I was literally covered with bites. With my fondness
+for statistics I proceeded to count them, and only from my ankle to my
+knee I counted as many as 220. The rest of my body and my head were
+covered in the same proportion, but I gave up the attempt to ascertain
+the exact number--the task was too overwhelming. My skin, however, got
+so inflamed by these bites as to produce fever, which lasted two or
+three days. After that time I never again suffered to such an extent,
+perhaps owing to the fact that no free spot was left to attack, or may
+be from that curious process called acclimatisation.
+
+The Ainu huts are built entirely above ground, and are used alike in
+winter and summer.
+
+In olden times the hut was always destroyed at the death of its owner,
+or when abandoned; but in the former case the custom is seldom practised
+now, and in the latter they are merely left to decay.
+
+It is singular that migrating Ainu, coming across an uninhabited hut,
+never live in it, but build a new one for themselves.
+
+The Kurilsky Ainu until quite recently destroyed their huts when
+migrating from one island to another. They also burnt the huts of
+deceased persons. It is needless to say that the Ainu have no churches,
+no hotels, no hospitals, and no public buildings of any kind. The huts
+in villages are a little way from one another, and each hut has directly
+in front a separate storehouse, built on piles or posts so as not to be
+accessible to wolves, dogs, or rats. These are small structures, the
+architecture of which has the local characteristics of the habitations,
+with the exception that they are invariably on piles, while the
+habitations are on the ground. Clothes, furs, mats, and winter
+provisions of sea-weed are kept in these storehouses, and access to them
+is by means of a peculiar ladder. It is a mere log of wood, six or seven
+feet in length, pointed at one end, and with five or six incisions,
+which serve as steps, and remind me of the steps cut by an ice-axe in a
+glacier or on frozen snow. Natives go up and down these ladders with
+ease, even when carrying heavy weights on their heads; and good care is
+always taken to remove the ladder when leaving the storehouse. Women
+principally look after these storehouses, and seem to have the whole
+care and control of them. I have often seen an Ainu girl--for a
+storehouse could hardly hold more than one--sitting on the tiny door
+working at her lord and master's _Atzis_ robe. Hour after hour I have
+seen her sitting there, working patiently till the sun has set and the
+darkness has come. Her materials were then stowed away; the mat at the
+door was let down; the ladder descended and kicked away; and sadly
+singing in her soft falsetto voice, she retired into the dirt and dark
+of her habitation.
+
+The storehouses stand about six feet above the level of the ground, and
+are generally on four, six, or eight piles. Upon each pile is placed a
+large square piece of wood turned downwards at the sides, so as not to
+be accessible to rats and mice. Upon these square pieces of wood rest
+horizontally four rafters, forming a quadrangle about eight feet square.
+The small storehouse has as a base this quadrangle, and is seldom high
+enough to allow of an adult to stand inside.
+
+Storehouses are thatched like all other houses. On the upper Tokachi,
+however, they are covered with the bark of trees.
+
+Next in connection with Ainu habitations comes the skull-trophy at the
+east end of the hut. This is on a parallel line to the hut wall, and
+only a few yards away from it, and is made of a number of bi-forked
+poles, upon which are placed the skulls of the bears, wolves, and foxes
+killed by the owner of the hut. The Ainu is proud of this trophy, and if
+the number of bear skulls is very large, he commands a certain amount of
+respect from his hairy brethren. There is nothing that Ainu admire more
+than courage, and there is nothing in the world that an Ainu desires
+more than to be thought brave. When he has gained this character a man
+becomes in a certain way the "lion" of the village. He embellishes his
+trophy with a _Nusa_ and _Inaos_ (willow wands with overhanging
+shavings--_see_ Chapter on Superstitions), and he always looks on it as
+an evidence of his manly glory. Besides this, many Ainu possess one or
+two live bears kept in cages. Bear hunters often secure one or more
+cubs, which they bring home and allow to live in the hut like one of the
+family or an Irishman's pig. These cubs are nursed along with and in the
+same manner as the children, and Ainu say that women often put them to
+the breast and suckle them like their own infants. Whether this is true
+or not I cannot say; but though I have never seen it, and therefore
+cannot vouch for it, it is not unlike Ainu women to do such a thing.
+
+When the new-comers grow big and powerful enough to be dangerous, the
+men make a rough cage with logs of timber, placing them one over the
+other in a quadrangular shape, and lashing them strongly together. The
+bear is driven into the cage, which is then roofed over; and after a
+couple of years of confinement, during which it is fattened, poor Bruin
+is killed for a bear festival. In the lower part of the cage there is a
+small wooden tray by which food is served to the captive.
+
+[Illustration: THE APE-KILAI, OR EARTH-RAKE, AS USED BY PIRATORI AINU.]
+
+On the north-east coast of Yezo I have also seen smaller cages, in which
+foxes, eagles, or other animals are kept; and I always noticed the care
+which Ainu took to feed up the imprisoned animals. That "charity begins
+at home" is true even among the hairy people; for if they are kind to
+animals it is only for the sake of making a good meal of them on the
+first occasion that presents itself.
+
+It may be as well to state that the Ainu have never been known to make
+pottery. What they have of the kind is imported and sold to or exchanged
+with them by the Japanese. If I were an Irishman I should say that real
+Ainu pottery is made of wood. Nevertheless, large shells are often used
+by them as drinking vessels where wooden bowls are not obtainable. It is
+a common occurrence in Ainu households that one bowl is used by several
+individuals, and a more common occurrence still that none of the bowls
+are ever washed or cleaned after having been used.
+
+[Illustration: MORTAR.]
+
+[Illustration: PESTLE.]
+
+The small Ainu porch which stands frequently at the entrance of Ainu
+huts answers the purpose of a stackhouse, and in it is stored the
+firewood used in the house. The wooden mortar and the long pestle are
+kept in a corner under the porch. In the more civilised parts of Yezo
+these pestles and mortars are general, as the natives use them for
+pounding millet.
+
+[Illustration: BONE SPOON.]
+
+[Illustration: WOODEN SPOONS AS USED BY THE MORE CIVILISED AINU.]
+
+[Illustration: PESTLE AND MORTAR USED FOR POUNDING SALMON.]
+
+The pure Ainu live principally on animal food--fish and meat--sea-weed,
+and some kinds of roots and herbs, which they find on the mountains.
+Metallurgy is utterly unknown to the Ainu. Until of late years they
+possessed nothing made of metal. Their arrows had bamboo or bone heads;
+tin or iron cooking utensils they had none; and the blades of their
+knives were and are of Japanese origin. Some of these blades are very
+old, and were acquired by the Ainu in the battles which they fought
+against the Japanese; others have been got by barter-metal exchanged for
+skins of animals.
+
+Furthermore, save the weaving-loom, the Ainu possess no machinery of
+their own make. This too, as we have seen, is but a very rude and simple
+kind of machine. The application of wind or water power to economise
+human labour is in no way known to them; thus they have no windlasses,
+no pumps, no bellows, no windmills, no waterwheels; neither have they
+any signs of the rudest form of machinery moved by manual power which
+they have imagined and made for themselves. Furthermore, they are very
+loth to accept those mechanical means of economising labour which are
+employed by their neighbours the Japanese.
+
+The Ainu are very conservative, little as they may have to preserve.
+They show a great dislike to change or reform their habits and customs,
+or to improve themselves in any way. Worse they could certainly not be.
+They have no ancestral attachment which makes them unwilling to discard
+their rude practices for more civilised ways; but, acting according to
+their instincts, and not by their intelligence, they preserve customs
+which seem inconvenient and unpractical to us, which habit has rendered
+familiar and pleasant to them.
+
+Various natives in other parts of the world show signs of an earlier
+state of civilisation, but the Ainu do not. They have never had a past
+civilisation, they are not civilised now, and what is more, they will
+never be civilised. Civilisation kills them. As a hog delights in filth,
+so the Ainu can only live in dirt, neglect, and savagery of personal
+habits. They are made that way, and they cannot help it. They are
+excluded from progress by an impassable barrier. They have many miseries
+in their life, but no greater misery could befall an Ainu than to be
+forced to lead a civilised existence. Even after they have been educated
+in Japanese schools, when they return home, in a short time they forget
+all they have learned, and discard their acquired civilisation for the
+old, free, untrammelled mountain life; the wild habits of the woods and
+sea-shore; the nakedness of summer and the stifling squalor of the one
+small dingy hut in winter; the uncombed hair and matted beard; the
+putrid flesh of salmon, and the vile compound they revel in till they
+get gloriously drunk and bestial.
+
+[Illustration: AINU PIPE-HOLDER AND TOBACCO POUCH, AS USED BY THE MORE
+CIVILISED AINU.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU KNIFE, WITH ORNAMENTED SHEATH.]
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+Ainu Art, Ainu Marks, Ornamentations, Weapons--Graves and Tattoos.
+
+
+The expression of ideas by graphic signs is utterly unknown to the Ainu.
+They have no alphabet, and furthermore, they have no methods whatever of
+writing. Hence the utter incapacity of the hairy people to record
+events, time, or circumstances in their history; for even the system of
+picture-writing is not known to them.
+
+Thus they have neither graven records nor any form of visible history;
+and tradition transmitted from mouth to mouth is all they have by way of
+historic continuity. The nearest approach made to graphic signs is in
+the owner's marks, which we occasionally find on some of their
+implements. The moustache-lifter is the article on which this mark is
+most commonly found. What these marks are meant to represent I do not
+know for certain; but I believe that Fig. 1 is supposed to convey the
+idea of a house, and Fig. 2 that of a boat; Fig. 3 a bear cage, and 4
+the mere result of fancy. Even these marks are only rarely found, and
+have probably been suggested by Japanese writing.
+
+The illustration shows the four specimens which I found carved on
+moustache-lifters.
+
+[Illustration: 1 2 3 4]
+
+Closely allied with writing is, of course, map-drawing and
+ornamentations. Map drawing can be dismissed at once, like that famous
+chapter on snakes in Iceland, as the Ainu know nothing of it.
+
+Rough ornamentations on bone and wooden implements are their only
+artistic efforts. Truthful representations of figures and animals are
+seldom attempted,[37] but conventionalised symbols, suggested by and
+based on certain forms of animal or vegetable life, are occasionally
+used for ornamentation.
+
+    [37] The only attempt at animal representation is the small
+         bear-head in chiefs' crowns.
+
+The Ainu have no rock-sculptures, and can neither paint nor draw in any
+form; what they have are mere simple wood-carvings. But only a few have
+any aptitude for even this crude work, though of course they are not all
+alike. As with us we have people who are artistic and people who are
+Philistine, so with the Ainu, in that very humble degree which is to
+Western art what an acorn is to an oak.
+
+Like all early work, Ainu art--if we may call it so--aims at a certain
+uniformity, especially in leaf-portraiture, so as to produce a somewhat
+symmetrical pattern; for at all times geometry has been the mother of
+design.
+
+An Ainu does not go for his models direct to Nature, neither does he
+servilely copy his neighbour's work; but he gets his ideas indirectly
+from both these sources, and through inability to copy accurately,
+negligence in close study, and some amount of native imagination
+combined, varies the design which he has seen to such an extent as to
+make it in a sense original. The talent shown by different men in the
+art of carving varies considerably, even in men of the same tribe; while
+certain tribes show both aptitude and fondness for these ornamentations,
+whereas others have little of either.
+
+It is the Ainu of the upper Ishikari River who chiefly excel in these
+carved ornamentations. The knife represented in the illustration comes
+from Kamikawa, and was carved with the point of a knife by the chief of
+the Ainu there. It took the man many months to accomplish, and it is by
+far the best specimen of Ainu workmanship that I saw in Yezo, though the
+ornamentations on it are not purely Ainu in character.
+
+This man was a genius as compared to other Ainu, and his ideas of form
+and precision were considerably more developed than in most of his race.
+He has ornamented the sheath with conventionalised symbols, which were
+apparently suggested to him by leaves and branches of trees; and the
+suggestion of a flower can be noticed in the upper part of the handle.
+A suggestion of fish-scales has been used by him to fill up small open
+spaces; others he filled up with parallel lines. The sheath is made of
+two parts, to allow the carver to cut the space for the blade inside;
+but these two parts are well fitted together, and kept fast by six rings
+of neatly-cut bark fastened on while fresh, so that by shrinking the two
+sides of the sheath are brought close together, and are as if made of
+one single piece.
+
+The side view of the same knife shows the clever contrivance for
+fastening it on to the girdle without removing the latter from around
+the body. This knife may be ranked among the _chefs d'[oe]uvre_ of Ainu
+art.
+
+[Illustration: SIDE VIEW.]
+
+The principal characteristics of the more usual ornamentations are
+interesting to study.
+
+[Illustration: KIKE-USH-BASHUI, OR MOUSTACHE-LIFTERS.]
+
+Art of course is only the personification, so to speak, the expression
+of the mind, character, and knowledge of the artist; thus, in Ainu
+ornamentations we have patterns which could be nothing but Ainu, taken
+collectively, yet which show distinctly the temperament of each
+individual. For instance, taking the moustache-lifters (Figs. 1, 2, 4 in
+the illustration). Fig. 1, with its roundish, undecided, lines, was
+carved by a man weak in physique and _morale_; Fig. 2, which is much
+simpler and with more decided lines, was the work of a quiet but strong
+and proud man; and Fig. 4, with its coarse incisions, was the outcome of
+a brutal mind.
+
+Ainu designs, though slightly varied by each individual, are principally
+formed of simple geometrical patterns; then of coils and scrolls; and,
+rarest of all, because the highest attainment of all, of
+conventionalised representations of animal or vegetable forms. Of the
+representations from animal forms the fish-scale is the only one adopted
+by the Ainu, but suggestions of leaves may not infrequently be found in
+these designs. Some of these are long and narrow; others are short and
+stumpy.
+
+[Illustration: SUGGESTIONS OF LEAVES.]
+
+The above are, to my mind, the models which the Ainu have chiefly taken
+for their leaf patterns, following nature at a long distance indeed!
+
+[Illustration: ROPE-PATTERN AND SIMPLE BANDS.]
+
+Beside these, and much more common, are the rope-pattern and the simple
+bands. Often the rope-pattern has bands above and below, especially in
+drinking vessels.
+
+Triangles filled with lines parallel to one of the sides are frequently
+met with in moustache-lifters, and occasionally the annexed patterns are
+found: but as a rule the Ainu are not fond of merely straight single
+lines except for "filling" purposes. These patterns are mostly used on
+their graves. In articles of every-day use they prefer curves as a
+foundation of their ornamentations. The lozenge pattern, especially one
+lozenge inside the other, is a favourite among their geometrical
+designs; also contiguous and detached circles, chevrons, double
+chevrons, and triple chevrons. The chevrons are mainly used by them on
+their graves, and they are invariably enclosed between two or four
+lines.
+
+[Illustration: TRIANGLES.]
+
+[Illustration: CHEVRONS.]
+
+The two following patterns are elaborations of the foregoing, but are
+much more uncommon.
+
+[Illustration: ELABORATIONS OF CHEVRONS.]
+
+The parallel incised lines and parallel lines crossing each other at
+right angles are met with again and again in Ainu patterns. More common
+still is the occurrence of a number of parallel lines meeting
+perpendicularly another lot of parallel lines without crossing them.
+
+[Illustration: A COMMON PATTERN.]
+
+Parallel lines have a fascination for the Ainu, as we find them in most
+of their designs.
+
+Concentric circles are not often met with, neither is the plain or loop
+coil often found, owing to the difficulty of execution; but the wave
+pattern and double wave are typical Ainu patterns; also the reversed
+wave.
+
+[Illustration: WAVE PATTERNS.]
+
+From these may have been derived the other two, the last of which is a
+mere double reversed coil.
+
+[Illustration: REVERSED COIL.]
+
+Triangular marks are occasionally "put in" by the Ainu in some of their
+more complicated designs, and finally we find that, though rarely, they
+sometimes attempt a kind of fret.
+
+Other strange forms of lines which are thoroughly characteristic of the
+Ainu are the following.
+
+[Illustration: FRETS.]
+
+[Illustration: OTHER CHARACTERISTIC DESIGNS.]
+
+I never came across any Ainu wood-carvings that were coloured, but in
+bone-carvings--which, I must add, are very rare--black is used to assist
+shade, and bring out the higher lights by contrast. The Ainu have no
+idea of tones, semi-tones, or gradations; the contrast is merely between
+the strong black and strong white. Enamelling is not known by them.
+
+The objects which bear these incised ornamentations, beside the sheaths
+and handles of their knives and swords and their moustache-lifters, as
+has been shown, are the _Tchutti_, or war-clubs; the _Hera_, or
+netting-mesh used in weaving; drinking-vessels, quivers, pipes and
+tobacco-boxes, the thread-reeds, cloth-hangers, and graves.
+
+[Illustration: TCHUTTI, OR WAR-CLUBS.]
+
+The modern Ainu are not a warlike people, therefore many of the weapons
+which were used in former days for defence and offence are rarely found
+now. For instance, the old war-clubs are not used by the present
+generation. These clubs were long and heavy, and were carried on the
+wrist by a piece of rope passed through a hole at the upper end. Some
+were plain and straight, others were curved towards the end to make them
+heavier. Now and again some carved all over are found. Pieces of leather
+or rope were often knotted round the heavier part to make the blow more
+severe. In some of the very old clubs a stone was inlaid to add to the
+weight and consequent efficiency of the weapon. These clubs are from two
+to two and a half feet in length, and are made of hard wood.
+
+[Illustration: TROUGH IN WHICH RESIN IS KEPT FOR FIXING ARROW-POINTS.]
+
+Ainu bows are simple, and not very powerful. They are about fifty inches
+in length, and made of only one piece of yew. The arrows, which are
+poisoned, are of bamboo or bone. The poison is extracted from aconite
+roots mixed with other ingredients. It is somewhat greasy owing to
+certain fatty matters which it contains, and is smeared into the cavity
+in the arrow-point, which has previously been treated with pine-tree gum
+to fix the poison. The arrow-point is barbed, and so fashioned that when
+the shaft is drawn from the wound this poisoned point remains.
+
+[Illustration: POISONED ARROWS.]
+
+The illustration gives two different kinds of poisoned arrows. In Figs.
+2 and 3, the black part in the point shows the cavity filled with
+poison. Fig. 2 shows how the arrow-head is separated from the reed, and
+how when the arrow is drawn from the flesh the poisoned point remains
+inside the wound.
+
+The arrows, when in war or hunting, are kept in a quiver, and a small
+_Inao_ is hung to it to bring good luck to the owner.
+
+Spears and harpoons of one barb are common, and some of the poisoned
+spears have heads similar to the arrows but of a larger size. Spears are
+out of date now, but harpoons are still employed in fishing.
+
+Knives are the weapons on which a modern Ainu most relies. Some of these
+knives are of such length that they might pass for swords. The blade is
+single-edged, and is protected by a wooden sheath. Nearly every man
+possesses one, which he carries in his girdle when dressed; when naked,
+he carries it in his hand. The illustration shows knives of different
+sizes, and with different patterns worked on them. From an artistic
+point of view the sheaths of knives are the most carefully wrought over,
+and ornamented to a greater extent than any other article of Ainu
+manufacture.
+
+[Illustration: AINU KNIVES.]
+
+Then come the graves. The Ainu are very jealous of these places of
+eternal rest, and good care is taken to hide them either in the midst of
+a forest, on a distant and almost inaccessible hill, or in some remote
+spot, difficult to find or reach.
+
+[Illustration: WOODEN MONUMENTS OVER MEN'S GRAVES.]
+
+[Illustration: MONUMENTS FOR WOMEN.]
+
+Each village has its own semi-secret graveyard, in which all its dead
+are buried. Occasionally, when the site of a graveyard has become known
+to others than these local Ainu, the place is deserted, and a fresh
+place of sepulture is chosen. The manner of burial is as follows. The
+body, wrapped up in a _Kinna_ (mat), is fastened to a long pole and
+carried to the grave by two men. All the villagers follow, each carrying
+some article which was owned by the deceased. A grave is dug, wide and
+long enough to hold the body laid flat. In it are placed the bow and
+arrows with their quiver, the knife--from which, for the sake of
+economy, the blade has been previously removed--and the drinking-vessel
+which belonged to the deceased, if he were a man. Women are usually
+buried with some beads, earrings, and furs. All these articles, carried
+by the mourners, are broken before they are laid in the grave with the
+corpse; a few boards are then placed over the body, and earth is thrown
+over these till the ground is level again.
+
+The grave is generally so shallow that the body is only a few inches
+underground--sometimes not more than four inches. The body lies flat on
+its back. Close to its head is erected a monument. For men it is the
+trunk of a tree, about six feet in length, from which the bark has been
+peeled off, and whereon certain ornamentations are cut. A short branch
+is left on one side. The top of the tree-trunk and the end of the branch
+are cut either in the shape of a lozenge, a hexagon, or a semicircle;
+and a hole is made through it. At the branch end, the cloth-earrings or
+the head-gear of the deceased are hung and left to decay.
+
+[Illustration: WOODEN BLADE.]
+
+Women have simpler graves; they are flat instead of round, and are cut
+into the shape of a canoe-paddle. The chief of a village has a more
+elaborate tomb than others if he has been liked by the villagers. At
+Raishats, on the Ishikari River, I saw a really imposing monument put
+over the grave of the chief who had recently died. It was of very large
+size, and well carved--in the same patterns as those shown in the
+illustration. Its chief peculiarity was that the body, instead of being
+covered by earth, was covered by what appeared to be a canoe or
+"dug-out" turned upside down, the bottom of which had been laboriously
+carved. On each of the two sides, at the head and foot of the grave, was
+stuck into the ground a wooden blade twenty-one inches in length,
+resembling in shape the blade of a sword. Each of these four blades was
+carved alike, and had a strange design resembling the number 88. Whether
+a meaning is attached by the Ainu to this design I cannot say, and the
+curious circumstance, as my readers will remember, through which I came
+into possession of one of these blades, did not permit me to ask many
+questions on the subject. I often wondered whether it meant that life
+begins, goes its way round, and ends where it began? It is more likely,
+though, that no meaning whatever is attached to those lines, for such
+deep thoughts would hardly harmonise with the Ainu philosophy--such as
+it is. The Ainu do not stop to mourn or pray or trouble themselves about
+a grave when the body is once buried. Those who have touched the body
+wash their hands in a tub of water which has been brought for the
+purpose; afterwards the water is thrown over the grave and the tub is
+smashed. The Ainu seldom visit their graveyards except when some one has
+to be buried. They hate their dead to be disturbed, and nothing makes
+them more angry than to know that a stranger has been near their
+burial-ground. When a man is dead they try to forget all about him and
+his doings, in which they generally succeed to perfection. This
+naturally is not conducive to anything like continuity in the history of
+the country, and may partly account for their having none. Moreover,
+none of the tombs bear the name or the mark of the person to whom it was
+erected. Tombs of children are of similar shape to those of adults, only
+smaller in size. When carrying the dead--or, as we should say, going to
+a funeral--the Ainu put on their best clothes, and when the burial is
+over they all get helplessly drunk to make up for the loss of the
+departed friend.
+
+To leave this somewhat grim subject and to return to every-day art, it
+may be well to mention that the designs for embroideries differ in no
+way from the wood-carvings. They are often more accurately finished,
+owing to the greater facility of materials, but the lines and all the
+characteristics of the patterns are the same. In the tattoos the lozenge
+pattern and bands are the two more commonly used. The Egyptian cross is
+sometimes met with([Illustration: egyptian cross]), and also a kind of
+reversed _fylfot_, or _svastika_. Moreover, the St. Andrew's cross with
+an additional line is not uncommon(X|). In the present volume this is
+all I have to say on Ainu art. I may, however, add that their
+ornamentations could not be more primitive, but their frequency on
+weapons, clothing, implements, and graves shows us that art, though not
+understood by the Ainu, has a certain fascination, which, in their
+ignorance, they cannot explain. They know art without knowing what art
+means. Certain lines and simple designs which are familiar to them
+appeal to their taste, else they would not ornament all their articles
+with them. But this does not show any great intellectual activity, for
+beyond that point the Ainu brain cannot go. As art in its natural state
+is merely the pictorial outcome of what the brain has grasped, we have
+in these crude beginnings another strong proof that the brain-power of
+the Ainu is indeed very limited, and their inability to represent animal
+form seems extraordinary in view of what other savages have done; but of
+course superstition may have something to say to the omission. The Ainu
+rank very low in the scale of civilisation; they are probably below the
+Australian blacks and the tree-dwellers of India, who are supposed to be
+among the lowest races in creation. The Terra del Fuegians and certain
+African tribes run them hard; but, taken all in all, the Ainu are the
+furthest behind in the great race of human development.
+
+[Illustration: AN AINU PIPE.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+Ainu Heads, and their Physiognomy.
+
+
+The faces of the Ainu are far from ugly, and their heads are singularly
+picturesque, though of course there are the finer types as there are the
+meaner; by which we come to gradation and comparison. The general idea
+that all Ainu are hideous has arisen from the accounts of the few who
+have travelled in the more civilised parts of Yezo, and have seen and
+studied only a limited number of half-breeds and actual Japanese,
+mistaking them for Ainu. In one of the last publications on the Ainu,
+photographs of Japanese and half-breeds are given as typical specimens
+of the Ainu race; and one or two real Ainu are given as phenomena and
+exceptions. That the Ainu are disgustingly filthy is undoubted; that in
+many ways they are monkey-like is certain; but also that on a close
+examination many are not devoid of good features is undeniable. As
+regards looks, it is a great mistake to compare savages with ourselves,
+and to judge of them from our own standpoint. This is no more fair than
+to compare a thoroughbred fox-terrier with a thoroughbred poodle-dog, to
+the disadvantage of the one or the other. Passing off half-breeds as
+pure types of course makes things ten times worse, and complicates
+matters for those who care for accuracy, and are interested in
+anthropological researches.
+
+Ainu physiognomy is an interesting study. When seen full-face the
+forehead is narrow, and sharply sloped backward. The cheek-bones are
+prominent, and the nose is hooked, slightly flattened, and broad, with
+wide, strong nostrils. The mouth is generally large, with thick, firm
+lips, and the underlip well developed. The space from the nose to the
+mouth is extremely long, while the chin, which is rather round, is
+comparatively short and not very prominent. Thus the face has the shape
+of a short oval. The profile is concave and the mouth and eyebrows are
+prominent, though of course the nose projects more than the lips, yet
+without being too markedly projecting. The chin and forehead recede, as
+has been said, and in the supraorbital region the central boss is
+extremely well marked; also the brow ridges, which, however, are
+slightly less conspicuous than the central boss. The ears are usually
+large, flat, and simply-developed, with long lobes; but unfortunately,
+owing to the heavy weight of their enormous earrings this part of their
+ears is generally much deformed. Sometimes I have seen children with a
+hole in their lobes large enough for me to pass my finger through; with
+others, where the skin was not so elastic, the lobes were torn right
+through and the two sides hung down. In older people one does not see
+this so much, as their long hair entirely covers their ears. The average
+length of a man's ear is two and three-quarter inches; of a woman's, two
+and a half inches.
+
+People have classified the Ainu as Mongolians, notwithstanding that they
+possess no characteristics whatsoever of the Mongolian races.
+
+The colour of their skin is light reddish-brown, and not yellow and
+sallow, like that of Mongolians; they are very hairy, and the Mongolians
+are smooth-skinned; the features of the one race are diametrically
+opposed to those of the other; the mouth is strong and firm in the Ainu
+and weak in the Mongolian; and the Ainu eyes, the strongest
+characteristic of Mongolian races, do not slant upwards, nor are they
+long and almond-shaped, as with the Chinese or the Japanese, but with
+their long axes are in one horizontal plane, as in most Europeans.
+Indeed, the Ainu have a much greater resemblance to the northmen of
+Europe in their prehistoric stage than to any modern races, and least of
+all to the Mongolians.
+
+But let us examine the eye more carefully. The iris is light brown,
+sometimes tending towards dark grey. One seldom sees black or very dark
+brown eyes save in half-breeds; and they are deeply set, as with
+Europeans. The eyelids are no thicker than those of Caucasian races,
+though they droop, as is common among people exposed to the full glare
+of the sun. The broad ridges being very heavy and prominent, cover part
+of the upper eyelid over the outer angle of the opening. The eyelashes
+are extremely long, and the eyebrows are shaggy and bushy. The eyes are
+full of animal-like expression and emotional warmth, a thing very rare
+with their neighbours the Japanese or Chinese. The long eyelashes
+shading the large eyes and rendering them soft, together with their
+pathetic and slow way of talking, make men and women singularly
+interesting. Like most animals, the Ainu can "speak" with their eyes.
+
+The hair in Ainu adults is for the most part black, wavy, and easily
+breaking into large curls. Among children, however, one sees brown
+shades, which darken with years, until the hair turns quite black. Along
+the north-east coast of Yezo I came across several Ainu adults who had
+reddish hair and beard; and in the Kurile Islands, at Shikotan, several
+of the children had light auburn hair hanging in large loose curls and
+rather flaxy in texture, while the hair of adults was even darker than
+that of the Yezo Ainu.
+
+The hair, which is coarse and strong, is uniformly and thickly planted
+over the whole scalp, and reaches well down over the forehead, where, as
+my readers will remember, a space is cut out or shaved off. It grows
+long in men as in women, but when it exceeds ten or twelve inches it is
+generally trimmed in the shape of a half-circle at the back of the head,
+and is cut off level with the shoulders at the sides. The men have a
+luxuriant beard, whiskers, and moustache, which grow to a great length.
+The hair of the beard often begins directly under the eyes, and covers
+all the lower part of the face. Many of the natives also have a few
+short coarse hairs on the nose (especially noticeable in natives of the
+north-east coast of Yezo). The beard, whiskers, and moustache begin to
+grow in the Ainu when they are fairly young. A man at about twenty can
+grow a good beard, and at thirty his beard is very long. Ainu women,
+whom nature has not provided with such a luxuriant growth of hair on the
+lower part of the face, make up for it by having a long moustache
+tattooed on the upper and lower lip, which in their idea makes them
+look "very manly" (_see_ Tattoos). Baldness is not common among
+thoroughbred Ainu, even at a very old age, when, however, they generally
+turn grey and then white, which gives a patriarchal appearance to the
+hairy people.
+
+The Ainu face seldom undergoes the marked changes common to civilised
+nations, as they are not subject to large emotions; but different
+expressions are as easily discernible by anyone who really knows and has
+studied the natives, as the different expressions in the eyes of animals
+by one who is familiar with them. When the Ainu is pleased he seldom
+wrinkles his face and draws back his mouth at the corners, as we do, but
+he shows it by a peculiar sparkle in the eyes and by an almost
+imperceptible wrinkle in his eyelids, which contract and diminish the
+opening. The corners of the mouth turn slightly upwards. The smile is an
+accentuation of this expression, with the additional lowering of the
+eyebrows, especially in the middle near the nose, causing the forehead
+to wrinkle.
+
+Laughter Ainu know not. During my long stay among them I never once saw
+a _real_ Ainu laugh heartily, for the hero of the dab of blue paint
+laughed less than he roared with pleasure; and I do not remember even
+direct crosses doing so; hence travellers have reported the Ainu to be
+"dull," "sad," "expressionless."
+
+Certainly, the first thing that strikes one on coming in contact with
+them is, how depressed they look, and how, even in their work, their
+games, their festivals, sadness is greater than joy. In fact, the Ainu,
+with their sentimental nature, enjoy sadness.
+
+Astonishment and surprise are expressed by a perplexed look in the
+wide-opened eyes, by raising the eyebrows, and by the contraction of the
+mouth. The hands are not raised nor directed towards the object or
+person causing astonishment; but if the arms be hanging down, the
+fingers are widely separated. With the Ainu sorrowful emotions are more
+marked than the more pleasing, the more joyous. Thus, when in low
+spirits the head is bent forwards, the eyes are staring and drooping,
+and the mouth is drawn downwards. In greater grief howling is added to
+these signs. Ainu men occasionally indulge in quiet tears without
+sobbing, but women weep copiously at the death of their children when
+these are young.
+
+When an Ainu stands very erect, with one hand in the other in front,
+and, turning his head on either shoulder, throws it back and looks down
+at you with expressionless eyes, in the meanwhile raising his eyebrows,
+you may be sure that he means to show contempt. If, however, his eyes
+are restless and his lips quiver, if the eyebrows are rapidly brought
+down over the eyelids, while he opens his eyes wide showing the whole of
+the iris; if the nostrils are inflated and he breathes heavily; if the
+head is thrown forward and he is slowly arching, and, as the French say,
+"making a round back," you may be certain that he is in a very bad
+temper, and means to go for you, if he sees his way to it.
+
+When obstinate, the pose of the arms and legs is similar to that by
+which he wishes to show contempt, but the expression of the face is
+absolutely stolid, the eyes are firm and frigid, meaning in that way to
+impress you with the certainty that, come what may, he will not move
+from his decision.
+
+When actively angry, the Ainu sneer and snarl at one another, frowning
+ferociously, and showing all their front teeth, but specially uncovering
+their fangs or dog teeth; the arms are stretched out, but always with
+the fist open--if no knife or other weapon be held in the hand. Shame
+and disgust are two expressions which one does not often see on Ainu
+faces. The former I cannot describe, for I never saw an Ainu who was
+ashamed of anything he had done; the latter is manifested by an upward
+movement of the corners of the lips, and a curling of the nose, with a
+sudden expiration almost like a snort.
+
+Shyness, which is the nearest approach to shame, is shown by women when
+meeting a stranger, and gives them a submissive look. They bend their
+heads and look down until the first emotion has passed, when they gaze
+at the new-comer with a certain restlessness and curiosity, again, as in
+so many of their gestures and ways, reminding one of monkeys. I never
+found any shyness whatever in Ainu men; neither could I detect in them
+any signs of fear for objects, animals, or powers with which they were
+familiar. Things which they do not understand of course frighten them,
+like eclipses of the sun or moon, or as my revolver did when I was
+attacked by them at Horobets; and also when I appeared as a black-winged
+rider on the north-east coast. In the latter case, unfortunately, I was
+too far off to see their faces clearly, and in the former, after the
+attack they showed more sensible submission to the inevitable than true
+cowardice. What I chiefly saw then was here and there a face with
+wide-open, undecided eyes heavily frowning; while some of the others
+shrugged their shoulders and closed their eyes, waiting for the loud
+report of the revolver, which unpleasant noise, heard before from
+Japanese guns, always gives a shock to their nerves.
+
+When an Ainu wishes to show that something cannot be done, or that he
+cannot prevent someone else from doing it, he neither shrugs his
+shoulders like a Frenchman, nor shakes his head laterally like an
+Englishman; nor does he throw out his hands like a Neapolitan, but,
+quietly standing erect, and with his head slightly bent forward, he
+gently lifts it up, and slowly winking his eyes, says that he cannot do
+it.
+
+When children are sulky or displeased they frown and protrude their
+lips, making a nasal noise similar to this--"Ohim"--without any of the
+vowels clearly pronounced.
+
+Our way of nodding the head vertically in sign of affirmation and
+shaking it laterally in negation is not known to the thoroughbred race.
+Those, either Ainu or half-castes, who practise it have learned it from
+the Japanese. The right hand is generally used in negation, passing it
+from right to left and back in front of the chest; and both hands are
+gracefully brought up to the chest and prettily waved downwards--palms
+upwards--in sign of affirmation. In other words, their affirmation is a
+simpler form of their salute, just the same as with us the nodding of
+the head is similarly used both ways.
+
+It is quite enough to look at an Ainu's eyes to see at once whether he
+consents or not, just as it is quite enough to look at a monkey's face
+to know if it will accept the apple you offer it. Slyness and jealousy
+are well marked in the Ainu face, and the former is seen in the
+glittering, restless eyes, the latter in the sulky glance and protruding
+mouth. Slyness is a very common characteristic among Ainu men; jealousy
+is recognised and frequent in women.
+
+I could give a large number of other characteristic expressions, of less
+ethnological importance, but in the present work I shall limit myself to
+the principal ones which I have attempted to describe, leaving out
+altogether "expressions" of half-castes, so as to avoid confusion.
+
+I must beg my reader's forgiveness for the "dryness" of the imperfect
+description I have given of the Ainu physiognomy, as many will agree
+with me that it is a great deal easier to notice unfamiliar expressions
+on faces than to describe them accurately in so many words.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU MAN WALKING WITH SNOW-SHOES.]
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+Movements and Attitudes.
+
+
+The Ainu people may be called physically strong, but yet they are not to
+be compared to the Caucasian races. They are fairly good walkers,
+capable mountaineers, and deft marksmen, but they do not excel in any of
+these exercises, either by speed and endurance in the former two, or by
+special accuracy and long-range in the latter.
+
+In the Ainu country most of the hard work is done by the women, who thus
+surpass the men in both endurance and muscular strength. Ainu men are
+indolent, save under excitement. They will cover a long distance--say
+forty miles--in one day, bear-hunting, and not suffer from great
+fatigue, while they will not be able to walk half that distance under
+less exciting conditions. The average distance which an Ainu can walk in
+one day on a fairly level track does not exceed twenty-five miles at the
+rate of two and a half miles an hour. The distance he can run would not
+go beyond ten English miles, and this is partly from want of training,
+as he never runs if he can help it. If, however, the walk of twenty-five
+miles, or the run of ten miles, had to be kept up for several days in
+succession at the same pace, few Ainu could manage to hold out for more
+than three days at most; while a walking average of fifteen miles and a
+running average of six miles each day could be kept up for a week. In
+walking and running women are as good as men in one day's distances;
+but, contrary to what they are in manual labour, they lack endurance in
+locomotion, and break down after the second or third day. Men regard
+running as unbecoming after childhood. "If we must go quick, why not go
+on horseback?" says the practical Ainu, who is as perfect a horseman as
+the Indian.
+
+When riding, he is able to cover a distance of fifty-five miles easily
+in one day on a good pony, and about seventy miles if he changes his
+quadruped four times. Both men and women ride in the same fashion,
+astride, and nearly always on bareback, or with simply a bear-skin
+thrown over the horse. Pack-saddles are only used when carrying wood,
+fish, sea-weed, or other heavy articles; and though the Japanese of Yezo
+designate these by the name of _Ainu kurah_ (Ainu saddles), they are
+only in reality rough imitations of their own pack-saddles. Though women
+do ride on occasions, it is the men who are the true equestrians. From
+their infancy they spend a great deal of their time on horseback, while
+women ride only when obliged. Being, therefore, accustomed from their
+earliest days to ride pretty nearly from morning to night, men can stand
+many days of hard riding, and are not so easily exhausted as by walking
+or running. The Ainu are good at horse-racing, as we have seen at the
+Piratori festival, but foot-racing, even when the distance was short,
+gave but poor results.
+
+Weights and burdens are carried entirely by women, and they carry them
+either on the head, if the load be not too heavy, or on the back by
+means of a _Thiaske Tarra_, or simply _Tarra_, a long ribbon-like band
+tied round the bundle, leaving a loop which goes over the forehead, thus
+dividing the weight between the shoulders and the forehead. When
+carrying a weight with the _Tarra_ the woman stoops, and the greater the
+weight the lower the head has to be. The strain on the forehead and
+muscles of the neck is greatly modified by bending the body more or
+less; the weight increasing on the shoulders in proportion as the pull
+decreases from the forehead. The advantage of this contrivance is that
+it leaves both hands free. Very heavy loads can be carried by average
+women with this simple contrivance, and its common use may account for
+the strong and well-developed necks noticeable among them, but not among
+the men. Children are carried on the back of other children by means of
+a modified _Tarra_ that has a stick about twenty inches long, the two
+ends of which are fastened to the two ends of the band. The child
+carried sits comfortably on this stick while the centre part of the
+_Tarra_ rests on the head of the child-carrier. This centre part is
+generally lined with a piece of skin or cloth, and ornamented with a few
+simple Ainu designs. A weight which cannot be lifted with both hands is
+easily borne for a long distance by the aid of the _Tarra_; and I should
+think that with it a strong woman could carry on her back a load, say,
+of from eighty to ninety pounds. It is difficult to institute
+comparative tests of strength, as constant practice, without counting
+"knack," often enables a person to perform feats which baffle a much
+stronger man. Taken altogether, the Ainu strength is relative to their
+height; but they are somewhat below the average Caucasian races both in
+endurance, and yet more in speed and muscular power.
+
+[Illustration: THE THIASKE-TARRA, FOR CARRYING CHILDREN.]
+
+When actively employed, the Ainu can abstain from food for fourteen or
+sixteen hours; when quiescent for about twenty. They can go without
+drink (when it is not alcoholic) for ten or twelve hours without feeling
+inconvenience. A pebble is often sucked, or a straw is chewed when fluid
+is not obtainable, thus causing a flow of saliva, which to a certain
+extent quenches their thirst. However, the reason given by the Ainu is
+not this. According to them, certain stones and some kinds of grass
+contain a great amount of water.
+
+More interesting to me than their physical characteristics were their
+movements and attitudes, which I was able to study and note correctly
+without their observation. For instance when Ainu try to move some heavy
+object they pull it towards them. Thus, when they drag their "dug-outs"
+and canoes on shore, and again when they launch them, they never push
+from them, but always pull towards them. If an Ainu has to break a stick
+planted in the ground he does it by pulling it; whereas a Japanese will
+push it. Again, in pulling a rope the Ainu pull; the Japanese push by
+placing the rope over one shoulder and walking in the direction wanted.
+In a crowd where a Japanese would push his way through by extending his
+arms and thus separating people, the Ainu seizes a man on each side,
+pulling one to the right and the other to the left till space for him to
+pass is made.
+
+As muscles are only strengthened by exercise, it is not astonishing that
+we never find well-developed arms among the hairy people, who so seldom
+make vigorous use of them. Children are as fond of climbing trees as the
+average English boy; and sometimes this is done in our way, by putting
+the legs and arms round the trunk and gradually "swarming" up; but with
+trees of a small diameter the ways of monkeys are adopted. The arms are
+stretched, and one hand is placed on each side of the tree. Both feet
+are then pushed against the trunk, keeping the leg slightly bent, but
+stiff. One hand goes rapidly over the other, one foot above the other,
+and so on; and the more rapid the movement the easier the climb, if care
+be taken to plant the feet firmly so as not to slip. Ainu boys are
+dexterous at this; but I have never seen full-grown men attempt it,
+though I am sure they could if they chose. Elderly people are very
+sedate in Ainuland, and violent movements are generally avoided.
+
+Where the Ainu are indeed great is at making grimaces. The Ainu resemble
+monkeys in many ways, but in this special accomplishment they beat
+monkeys hollow. It would take volumes to describe all the different
+grimaces which I saw them make, especially at myself while I was
+sketching them; but one or two of their "favourites" may prove worth
+describing.
+
+One Ainu at Shari, on the north-east coast, excelled in moving his
+scalp, and by raising his eyebrows at the same time creased the skin of
+his forehead to such an extent as to make his eyebrows almost meet his
+hair. The nostrils were expanded and the upper lip was raised so as to
+show the teeth firmly closed. The same man was also good at moving his
+ears. Others preferred to put out their tongue, emitting at the same
+time a harsh sound from the throat.
+
+Although many Ainu could not voluntarily move their scalp they often did
+so unaware. When eating, especially if a piece of food required some
+effort to swallow, the neck was outstretched, the mouth closed tight,
+the eyebrows raised high, and the scalp brought far forward over the
+forehead. In masticating, the ears would sometimes move involuntarily,
+as with dogs or monkeys.
+
+The Ainu are also good at rapid "winking," first with one eye, then the
+other, each eye playing at an inexpressibly funny kind of bo-peep. _En
+revanche_, they make no great use of their hands, and it is not uncommon
+for them to use their feet to assist their hands. Indeed, their toes are
+supplementary fingers, and they often hold things between the big toe
+and the next, as when making nets or _Inaos_ (wooden wands with
+overhanging shavings). When making nets, the string is firmly held by
+the big toe bent over; when shaping _Inaos_ the lower point of the wand
+is passed between the two toes, which keep it fast while the long
+shavings are cut.
+
+When women wind the thread made of the _Ulmus campestris_ fibre, they
+often let it run between the two larger toes while they wind it on a
+spool or a reed. Then, again, the toes are often used to pick up small
+objects out of the reach of the hands, and also to scratch the lower
+extremities. The two middle fingers of the hand and the three smaller
+toes of the foot are seldom used by the Ainu, and are somewhat inert.
+The little finger is slightly more active. Whenever Ainu point at
+anything they habitually do so with the open hand, for they have a
+certain difficulty in using any finger separately. This difficulty is
+not so great with the first finger; but where a European would use only
+his thumb and first finger, an Ainu uses all four fingers and his thumb
+as well, as in carrying food to his mouth, picking up small objects,
+lifting a cup, pulling his own hair, scratching his ears, &c. That the
+Ainu have more muscular power in the head than either in the hands or
+feet when violent exertion is required is certain, as I had frequent
+proof when requiring natives to make my baggage fast with ropes to my
+pack-saddle. Where a European would have done this by passing the ropes
+round the baggage and pulling them fast to the saddle, the Ainu set his
+foot (generally the right) against the baggage and pulled the ropes with
+his teeth. By this method he used one-third more force than he would had
+he done his work with his hands. Though the Ainu are very supple about
+the body, they are nevertheless stiffer than we are about the knees and
+hands, which last peculiarity prevents them from learning any kind of
+sleight-of-hand. They are supple because of the singular flexibility of
+their spine and the "looseness" of their arms about their shoulders.
+When resting or tired, the shoulders droop so far forward as to prove
+that the muscular tension which we constantly exert to have "square
+shoulders" is foreign to the hairy people. The Ainu are deficient in
+biceps, and such an arm as a blacksmith's or athlete's, which is not
+uncommon among ourselves, is in Ainuland a thing unknown. Their muscles
+have not the firmness of those of civilised men. Want of use entails
+loss of power in the muscular system, and that, unfortunately, produces
+further results in paralysis, _kaki_, and rheumatism. In the legs the
+_tendo Achillis_, which often assumes such enormous proportions with us,
+is only moderately developed with them, though it is generally larger
+than the biceps, owing to the habit of walking and riding.
+Notwithstanding this, the centre of muscular power, as we have seen, is
+undoubtedly in the head, as with inferior animals; and the Ainu are
+fully aware of this, for if not why should they carry all weights on the
+head or by the help of the head? Why should they use their teeth instead
+of their hands when an extra powerful pull is required? And why should
+they _push_ with their heads when pulling with their teeth is not
+practicable?
+
+Having examined the different movements of the Ainu, let us now take
+some account of their attitudes. What struck me most was the
+unconscious ease with which they stood, sat, and slept, no matter in
+what circumstances.
+
+It may be well to repeat here that the Ainu are not burdened, as we are,
+with articles of furniture and a code of manners which so greatly modify
+our attitudes and make us conscious of all we do. Moreover, we wear
+crippling boots and nonsensical garments, which, besides not being
+ornamental, more or less alter and deform different parts of our body,
+considerably restrict certain attitudes, and greatly stiffen some of our
+limbs; as, for example, the exaggerated smallness of waist in women.
+
+It is remarkable what a close resemblance the hairy people bear to the
+prehistoric man as constructed by _savants_ out of skulls and
+skeletons--a resemblance found, I believe, in no other race of savages.
+
+Take an Ainu standing at ease; he carries his head straight, but without
+stretching his neck, so that if a horizontal line were passed through
+the _meatus auditorius_ it would cut the face directly under the eyes.
+If another line were drawn perpendicular to the horizontal, we should
+find that the front of the face is not on the same plane with the
+forehead, but projects considerably beyond in its lower part. In
+thoroughbred Ainu the head is well posed on the cervical vertebr�, and
+seldom shows an inclination from back to front, from right to left, or
+_vice vers�_; but in half-castes an inclination forward, and also
+slightly from the left to the right, is a marked characteristic.
+
+The body when standing still is a trifle inclined forward, but when
+walking the inclination is greatly increased.
+
+The body is well balanced, and this inclination is partly due to the
+head being abnormally large for the body; also to the habit of keeping
+the knees slightly bent either when standing still or when in motion.
+
+The women, through carrying heavy weights on the head, are straighter
+than men when standing as well as when walking without a burden. Their
+spinal column describes a gentle curve inwards, while with men it has a
+slight tendency outwards. When an Ainu is standing at rest his arms hang
+by his side, the palms of the hands are turned inwards with a small
+inclination towards the front. But a pose which is even more
+characteristic than this is when both hands are placed in front, the
+fingers of the right hand overlapping those of the left. When sitting
+this is their invariable attitude, but in walking the arms hang by the
+side, and no swing is given to them to help the motion. In running, the
+arms are bent, and sometimes the hands are kept half opened about the
+level of the shoulders.
+
+The Ainu legs, notwithstanding their greater muscular power than that of
+the arms, are neither stout nor well-developed--but they are wiry. The
+hips are narrow, and the legs are slightly curved.
+
+The gait is energetic but not fast, each step being flat, with the foot
+firmly planted on the ground. When in motion the feet are perfectly
+straight, and move parallel to each other, and at each step the heel and
+toes touch the ground at the same time--an undeniable proof that the
+body is well balanced when they walk.
+
+The Ainu walk mostly unshod, and the average length of the step in men
+is twenty-six inches (from heel of left to tip of right foot), and in
+women about twenty inches. The average number of steps to the minute is
+ninety-two in men and ninety-eight in women. Where the Ainu is seen at
+his best is when he is riding bareback. He sits so firmly that animal
+and rider seem to be only one body. The knees are slightly bent, and the
+legs and feet hang so that the toes are a great deal lower than the
+heels, and are also turned in. No voluntary muscular contraction is
+affected on the muscles of the legs; for if the knees are bent this is
+because of the shape of the horse's body, and if the rider "sticks" on
+his steed it is merely by the counterbalance of the dead weight of his
+two legs. The body of the rider is quite erect when riding gently, but
+on increasing speed the body is thrown backwards, the legs remaining in
+the same position. The single rein is held in the right hand resting on
+the horse's mane, and the left arm habitually hangs or rests on the
+rider's leg. When feeding in his hut, the Ainu sits cross-legged, but in
+places where he can lean against something, or out in the open, he
+squats, bearing his weight on both feet, but with the legs bent to such
+an extent that his head is on a level with his knees. Often his arms are
+rested on the knees themselves, and food is passed with the hands to
+the mouth, to be then torn by the teeth. No forks, spoons, or chopsticks
+are used by the thoroughbred Ainu; but Japanese influence has induced
+some of the more civilised specimens of Volcano Bay and Piratori to give
+up partly the use of mother Nature's forks and take to the _Hashi_
+(chopsticks), also to adopt some ugly tin spoons as the sign of their
+adherence to civilisation. Lastly, when asleep the Ainu generally lie
+flat on the back. Sleeping on the right side and resting the head on the
+bent elbow is also a common posture; and when sleeping for a short
+period of time during the day I have often seen men still sitting, bring
+up their legs, cross their arms on their knees, and then rest the head
+on the arms; thus placidly having a "nap" without waking up with a stiff
+neck, stiff legs, and "pins and needles" in their arms, which would be
+the sure result if the average European tried that mode of repose.
+
+Most Ainu have no bedding of any kind, and most of them sleep on hard
+rough planks or on the ground itself. Some of the people, however, sleep
+on bear-skins in winter, as it keeps them warm, and the colder the night
+the closer all the members of the family pack together to warm each
+other with their natural heat. A strange peculiarity, when Ainu are
+asleep, lying flat on their back, is, that instead of keeping both legs
+fully stretched out, one, or sometimes both, are raised and bent, with
+the sole of the foot planted on the ground. This peculiarity is chiefly
+noticeable in men, and I have observed it many times, especially in old
+people. The reason of it is this. The Ainu having no pillow, the head
+has to be turned so far back to rest on the ground itself that action at
+the other end of the body is necessary to counterbalance the strain on
+the spine. I came to this conclusion by being often placed in the same
+circumstances as the hairy people themselves, when I found that lying
+flat on my back on the hard unpillowed ground, if the legs were
+straightened only a small portion of the spine between the shoulders was
+supported, but by raising the legs the whole spinal column rested on the
+level surface.
+
+As we have now seen the Ainu asleep in a "comfortable attitude," we
+shall leave them for the present, and I shall take my readers to examine
+their clothes, their ornaments, and their tattoos.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE ATZIS.]
+
+[Illustration: ATZIS, AFTER JAPANESE PATTERN.]
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+Ainu Clothes, Ornaments, and Tattooing.
+
+
+[Illustration: WINTER BEAR-SKIN COAT.]
+
+The Ainu men generally go naked in summer time, but in some parts of
+Yezo civilisation has forced them to adopt cheap Japanese clothes. It
+must not be supposed from this that the real Ainu never wear any clothes
+at all, for indeed on grand occasions they dress gaudily enough, but
+always in a rude, elementary kind of way. For winter use they sew
+together the skins of either bear or deer, fox or wolf, making a kind of
+sleeveless jacket, which protects the chest, the shoulders, and the
+back. Another kind of fur garment of deer-skin is longer and has
+sleeves, is large at the shoulders, and very narrow at the wrist, as a
+still further protection against the cold. This deer-skin coat is mostly
+worn by women as an under-garment. Besides these fur garments for winter
+weather, they wear the _atzis_, a long reddish-yellow wrapper, made of
+the woven fibre of the _Ulmus campestris_. It has sleeves similar to the
+deer-skin coat, only these sleeves are a great deal wider.
+
+[Illustration: BACK OF ATZIS.]
+
+On the southern coast some of the civilised tribes have either adopted
+Japanese _kimonos_ altogether, or make their _atzis_ after the same
+pattern, to ingratiate themselves with their masters, on the principle
+of imitation being the sincerest flattery, and perhaps also because they
+come cheaper in the end. The _atzis_ reaches below the knees, and is
+folded round the body. It is kept in position by a girdle or belt of the
+same material, or of bear or sea-lion skin. This _atzis_ is ornamented
+with embroidery both back and front, round the sleeves, round the neck,
+and all round the border, or, as we should say, hem. The embroideries
+are done in Japanese coloured cottons and threads. The colours are
+invariably red, blue, and white, on a background of this yellow _Ulmus
+campestris_ cloth. They have the same characteristic patterns, and are
+identical with the ornaments on knife-sheaths, drinking-bowls,
+moustache-lifters, &c., as the readers will find in the chapter on the
+"Arts of the Ainu." Men and women wear _atzis_ of the same shape, only
+those of the women are longer than those of the men, and reach nearly to
+the feet. Moreover, the patterns which are embroidered on the men's
+dresses are not considered suitable for the women's, and _vice vers�_.
+Women--who, by the way, do all these embroideries--have to content
+themselves with the simplest patterns devisable--a mere thin line of
+blue stitches; but they give to the men a more elaborate ornament. They
+first sew on heavy bands of material, which then they embroider in
+highly complicated patterns, thus giving a much heavier and handsomer
+appearance to the male _atzis_. In winter the sleeveless fur jacket is
+sewn over the _atzis_, and, as has been said, women wear the deer-skin
+gown as an under-garment. Ainu embroideries vary considerably, not only
+in different tribes and different villages, but also in each family,
+according to the talent and patience possessed by the embroidress. It
+takes an affectionate wife a year or longer to ornament the elm-bark
+dress of her beloved husband, and in the case of a chief's robe the work
+never comes to an end, as additions are constantly made. Children have
+an extremely simple embroidery, when any, round the sleeves and hem of
+the _atzis_, but never any, simple or elaborate, either on the back or
+front.
+
+I have often seen women working patiently hour after hour while sitting
+on the tiny door of their storehouses; and the result of their labour
+would be half an inch of coarse stitching, which for them was a great
+work of art. Most Ainu now possess needles of Japanese manufacture, but
+in former days they had only bone needles, and instead of fine well-dyed
+Japanese thread were obliged to be content with the fibre of the elm
+tree dyed black. The ornamentations on the _atzis_ of Ainu who have no
+Japanese needles are necessarily a great deal coarser and simpler than
+those which are done with steel needles and cotton threads. The
+essential characteristics are the same in both. In sewing together skins
+for winter garments fish-bone needles are often used up to this day.
+
+These embroidered clothes, when new, are only worn on grand occasions,
+as at a bear festival, or when paying a visit to a neighbouring village.
+A few rags constitute the usual every-day costume, and no difference is
+made between the in-door and the out-of-door clothing. In fact, most
+Ainu sleep in their clothes, such as they are.
+
+[Illustration: THE "HOSHI."]
+
+One article of dress which is worn by all alike, young and old, male or
+female, is the _hoshi_, or leggings. Like their gowns, these are
+sometimes made of the inner fibre of the elm-tree bark and sometimes of
+rushes and reeds plaited as in the ordinary rush matting. When of
+elm-tree bark, they are often embroidered in the upper part, as can be
+seen in the illustration. They are fastened just under the knee by means
+of the two upper strings, then wrapped tightly round the leg and bound
+round the ankle with the lower and longer ribbon. The Ainu go barefooted
+in the summer, but during the winter months, when the cold is too severe
+for this, they cover their feet with mocassins and long boots made of
+salmon-skin, and often of deer-skin. When the Ainu goes for a long
+journey or a hunt, during which he has to traverse rough ground, he
+generally protects his skin boots--the soles of which would soon be
+destroyed by the sharp stones and ice--by slipping over them a pair of
+thick rope sandals, which protect the sides, the back, the toes, and
+sole of the foot. If to this inventory be added a head-gear consisting
+of a band wound round the head, and an occasional apron, the whole of
+the Ainu wardrobe is catalogued. This band, which is worn principally by
+women, is untied and removed when saluting or meeting a man, whether on
+the road or in the woods. A Japanese towel often takes the place of the
+native manufacture. I am inclined to think that this custom of covering
+the head has been acquired from the Japanese, as none of the Ainu of the
+Upper Tokachi--the only pure ones remaining--wore anything in the shape
+of band or kerchief, while it is extremely common with the Ainu of
+Volcano Bay and Piratori to wear these unbecoming towels. At Piratori
+the Ainu women give a more artistic character to this ugly headgear by
+embroidering it in front and wearing it like a tiara. An apron is
+occasionally worn by Ainu, but this too, in my opinion, has been
+borrowed from the Japanese. Ainu clothes often get undone, owing to
+their shape, and therefore Ainu men sometimes wear these aprons, but
+rather because they are made to wear them than from native modesty or
+inclination to be commonly decent. I have seen Ainu on the north-east
+coast of Yezo and on Lake Kutcharo wear coarse hats of matted rushes.
+When laid flat, these hats have a diameter of about thirty inches; but
+when worn, they are folded in two, and kept in this position by a string
+tied under the chin and passed through the hat. They are used
+principally in winter as a protection against the snow. The Ainu care
+more to adorn than to clothe themselves. A few glass beads, a metal
+earring, a silver coin, or anything that shines, can make a man or a
+woman as happy as a king. Intoxicants come first of all things, but
+after them there is nothing in this world that Ainu cherish more than
+personal ornaments, and this is, of course, even truer of women than of
+men. What strikes a stranger when looking at an Ainu for the first time
+is, as I have already said, the size of their metal earrings and heavy
+glass necklaces. As the Ainu cannot work in metals or make glass, these
+ornaments have been purchased from Japanese, Chinese, and Corean
+adventurers, and many costly skins of bears, foxes, wolves, or seals are
+gaily bartered for a few beads, worth next to nothing. The Ainu is fond
+of metals, but he does not know the difference between one and the
+other. All that glitters is gold for him; and if it is not gold then it
+must be silver. Therefore some Ainu are known to have invested all their
+fortune of valuable furs for a pair of brass earrings, and, what is
+more, they have never grudged the bargain! Previous to the importation
+of these worthless articles their ornaments were made of wood, bone, and
+shells, of which "survivals" are still to be seen with the Ainu of the
+Upper Tokachi.
+
+[Illustration: BOOTS TO BE SOAKED IN WATER SO AS TO TAKE SHAPE OF FOOT,
+AND TO BE KEPT UP WITH A STRING.]
+
+[Illustration: DEER-SKIN SHOE.]
+
+[Illustration: THE TARRA OR HEAD-BAND.]
+
+The large circular earrings are much prized: men and women alike wear
+them. Many men, however, do not wear these metal earrings, but prefer
+instead a long strip of red or black cloth, or skin.
+
+The lobes of the ears are frequently torn down by wearing these heavy
+earrings from early childhood, and they know not how to mend them by
+sewing them. Another hole is sometimes bored in the upper and sound
+part.
+
+Ainu women of civilised districts occasionally wear metal finger-rings,
+but these are of course of foreign make, and imported.
+
+Ainu _menokos_ (girls) seem to have no partiality for bracelets or
+amulets, but necklaces are the dream of their life. The delight of an
+Ainu woman in a new necklace is in proportion to the size and number of
+the beads. A woman who possesses one of extra large beads is envied by
+all her less fortunate neighbours; and she who has several strings is at
+once admired and hated by all the womankind of the village. For, indeed,
+Ainu women are "human" enough to know how to hate each other! The beads
+which most take their fancy are the blue, black, white, or metal ones.
+The larger beads in the necklace are in front; and the rough wooden
+pendants with bits of bone, metal, or broken beads inlaid in it, which
+hang to the necklace, rest on the breast. Large Japanese sword-hilts are
+often used as pendants by the Volcano Bay natives.
+
+The Ainu of the Upper Tokachi region had none of these beads, but a
+rough wooden pendant was suspended round their neck by a leather string.
+
+Girdles are worn by men and women for two purposes--first, to keep their
+clothes together; next, to support the large knives which the Ainu
+always carry with them.
+
+The Ishikari Ainu who lived formerly in Sakhalin wear leather belts, and
+the women wear besides a peculiar cloth headgear. Both these articles
+are ornamented with drops of melted lead and Chinese cash sewn on to the
+cloth.
+
+These are all the articles of clothing and ornament which are in common
+use among the Ainu. None of them are worn as symbols of rank, or to
+denote virginity. No Ainu can explain why he or she wears one thing more
+than another, except for the reason that he or she likes it. There are
+no Ainu laws as regards clothing, and with the exception of the "chief,"
+who on special occasions dresses more gaudily, and wears a crown made
+either of willow-tree shavings or dried sea-weed, with a small
+carved-wood bear head in front, they all dress pretty much alike. A
+chief could not be distinguished from a commoner by his everyday
+clothing.
+
+Speaking of personal ornamentation, I may as well describe the way in
+which the hair is dressed, and also the tattoo-marks.
+
+Little care is taken of the long hair, which reaches down to the
+shoulders. It is never washed, nor brushed, nor combed. At the back it
+is cut in a semicircle round the neck. Over the forehead the men shave a
+small part of the long hair, which, falling over their eyes, is
+uncomfortable to them; but women do not. Until lately this shaving was
+done with sharp shells, and wives shaved their husbands. The process was
+said to be rather painful, and the thoughtful women have now adopted
+knives for that purpose, to the great delight of the stronger sex. The
+part shaved is in the shape of a lozenge two and a half inches by two
+inches respectively from angle to angle. This open space causes the hair
+to part in two different directions and hang down in large wavy curls.
+The fingers are occasionally passed through it, and then with the palms
+of the hands it is plastered down on both sides.
+
+A characteristic Ainu method of making the morning "toilette" is to bend
+the head low and let the long hair fall over the forehead. The two hands
+are then placed under it on the temples, and suddenly and violently the
+head is shaken and thrown back, the hair being pressed down by the hands
+at the same time. If the first attempt at neatness is not approved of,
+the process is repeated two or more times. I must confess that
+personally I could seldom see any marked difference between a head of
+hair "dressed" and one "not dressed"; but it must be remembered that the
+Ainu have no looking-glasses, and what they think is right is of course
+right for them.
+
+Formerly, when an old woman lost her husband she had her head entirely
+shaved, and when the hair had grown long again she repeated the process
+as a proof of fidelity and affection to her deceased spouse. It is very
+rarely done now. She used to wear a sort of cap, with an aperture at the
+top, round the crown of the head during the time that her hair was
+short; and it was incumbent on the widow to wear a look of sorrow and
+pain till her hair grew long again.
+
+The Ainu men have long beards and moustaches, which are never trimmed,
+with the exception of the Kurilsky Ainu, who trim theirs. The beard
+begins to grow when they are very young, but it is shaved till they
+reach manhood. It is then left to grow naturally, and never touched
+again as long as they live. Ainu women, whom nature has not favoured
+with such a manly ornament, supplement their deficiency by having a long
+moustache tattooed on their lips. Their hands and arms are also
+tattooed.
+
+The tattooing among the Ainu is limited to the fair sex, and it is
+confined to the head and arms. Why and when the fashion was adopted is
+not known, and the semi-Ainu legends on the subject are very vague. One
+legend says that when the Ainu conquered Yezo, which was then inhabited
+by a race of dwarfs--"the Koro-pok-kuru"--some Koro-pok-kuru women came
+to the Ainu camp to beg food from them, and they did so by passing their
+arms through the reed walls of the Ainu huts. One day an Ainu clutched
+one of these arms and pulled it in, when a tattooed pattern on the tiny
+arm was greatly admired by the hairy conquerors, who adopted the
+practice from that day.
+
+A simpler reason is that the women, not being so hairy as the men, are
+humiliated by their inferiority in that respect, and try to make up for
+it by tattooing themselves. In support of this theory may be quoted the
+fact that women are only tattooed in parts which are left uncovered when
+clad in their long _atzis_ gowns.
+
+The Ainu process of tattooing is a painful one. The tattoo marks are
+usually done with the point of a knife; not with tattooing needles, as
+by the Japanese. Many incisions are cut nearly parallel to each other.
+These are then filled with cuttlefish-black. Sometimes smoke-black mixed
+with the blood from the incisions is used instead. On the lips the
+operation is so painful that it has to be done by instalments. It is
+begun with a small semicircle on the upper lip when the girl is only two
+or three years of age, and a few incisions are added every year till she
+is married, the moustache then reaching nearly to the ears, where at its
+completion it ends in a point. Both lips are surrounded by it; but not
+all women are thus marked. Some have no more than a semicircular tattoo
+on the upper lip; others have an additional semicircle under the lower
+lip; and many get tired of the painful process when the tattoo is hardly
+large enough to surround their lips. The father of the girl is generally
+the operator, but occasionally it is the mother who "decorates" the lips
+and arms of her female offspring. Besides this tattooed moustache, a
+horizontal line joins the eyebrows, and another line, parallel to it,
+runs across the forehead. The tattoo could not be of a coarser kind. A
+rough geometrical drawing adorns the arms and hands of women, the
+pattern of one arm being often different from that of the other.
+Frequently only one arm is tattooed. I never saw tattoos that went
+further than the elbow, neither did I see any other part of the body
+tattooed. The four specimens given in the illustration show the patterns
+most usual in different tribes, though each individual has some slight
+variations.
+
+Fig. 1 was copied by me from the arm of a woman at Frishikobets
+(Tokachi River); Figs. 2 and 3 are the two arms of Kawata Tera, a girl
+of Tobuts (north-east coast of Yezo); and Fig. 4 is the left arm of a
+girl at Piratori.
+
+[Illustration: TATTOO-MARKS ON WOMEN'S ARMS.]
+
+It will be noticed that in the regions where the Ainu have come in
+contact with Japanese, rings are tattooed round the fingers, while the
+Tokachi Ainu women have none. In the two arms of Kawata Tera (Figs. 2
+and 3) the dissimilarity of the two patterns is very marked at first
+sight, but on a close examination it is easy to perceive that the
+operator meant to carry out the same pattern on the right arm as on the
+left; only through his incapacity to reproduce correctly his former
+lines, or for other reasons, he got muddled up in the design, and left
+his work unfinished. If all the lines in the upper half of Fig. 3 were
+continued, the design would be very similar to Fig. 2.
+
+Tattooing is considered an ornament, besides, as I have already
+mentioned, adding the coveted air of "virility" to women. There is no
+religious feeling connected with it, and the practice is rapidly dying
+out, as the Japanese men make fun of the Ainu women, who after all only
+tattoo their mouths and arms, while they themselves often tattoo the
+whole of the body. The Ainu have no rules as to when the girls are to be
+operated on. They are done both before and after marriage, contrary to
+what has been said, that the women do not tattoo themselves after they
+have become wives. The moustache is generally finished before a girl
+gets married, as she herself is anxious to be thus decorated; but there
+are no rules as to virginity or marriage, for the arms and hands are as
+often tattooed after marriage as before. Indeed, in the Ainu country,
+"tattooing" one's wife seems to be one of the pleasures of the
+honeymoon. The design of these tattoos is meant to be, but is seldom,
+symmetrical. The Ainu apparently execute these designs on a preconceived
+plan, but the results rarely come up to expectation, as no drawing of
+the design is prepared beforehand. The bluish-black colour of the tattoo
+is very permanent and strong, and many an Ainu woman is disfigured for
+life, who, according to our ideas, would otherwise be good-looking.
+
+[Illustration: SNOW-SHOES.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU SALUTATION.]
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+Ainu Music, Poetry, and Dancing.
+
+
+The music of each nation has certain characteristics of its own; and
+though according to European ideas the music of what are called
+barbarous peoples may sound in some sense excruciating, it always has a
+certain occult charm, more especially to one who is able to forget his
+former training, and teach himself to see, hear, and think in the same
+way as the natives he is studying.
+
+Undoubtedly we Westerns have brought music to a pitch of refinement that
+no savage nation has even attempted to reach; but in my opinion we do
+savages injustice when we call their music "unmitigated discord."
+Barbarians like the Ainu do not indicate their rhythmical effects and
+modulations by means of a musical notation; and harmony is of course
+very defective with them, from our point of view. On the other hand, the
+feeling and passion with which they chant their songs make them go
+straight to the heart, if as a melody they are not always pleasing to
+the cultivated Western ear.
+
+An Ainu seldom sings for the mere pleasure of art as art, and it is only
+when full of joy or "crazed with care" that he gives expression to his
+feelings in music. Then he pours out his whole soul in that which to
+him is melody beyond the power of words to compass.
+
+After a hunt, a fishing expedition, a journey, or a misfortune, the Ainu
+enters his hut and seats himself cross-legged on the ground. He then
+holds out both hands with the palms together, and rubs them backwards
+and forwards three or four times; after this he raises them, palms
+upwards, to a level with his head, gracefully lowers them to his knees,
+and then, raising them again, strokes his hair and beard. Again he
+lowers his hands twice, thrice, or even more times, according to the
+amount of respect to which the person saluted is entitled, the latter
+following in every smallest detail the motions of his saluting friend.
+When this complicated salutation has been performed separately before
+each male member of the household, the new arrival relates the tale of
+his good-or ill-luck; and if the events be of an unusual character the
+story is chanted in a sort of sing-song which makes each note of joy or
+lamentation vibrate in the heart of the listener. It is only in such
+circumstances of stress of feeling that I ever heard the Ainu sing,
+though sometimes women and young folks when alone, fishing, riding, or
+travelling, sing out bits of their past lives as they remember this
+scene or that event.
+
+Ainu music is almost entirely vocal, and their singing has more the
+character of the _recitative_ than of the _aria_ proper. Their songs are
+always for _solo_; and during my stay among the hairy people I never
+heard a concerted piece, nor even an air or a single voice with a chorus
+for a number of voices; neither did I hear any songs performed by men
+and women together, but invariably by men to other men, and by women to
+other women. It seems to me that the reason why they have no choruses is
+their strict etiquette, which forbids them to interrupt a speaker till
+he has finished his narrative; and as their songs are only narratives
+which the musical sing-song makes more impressive, it seems more than
+probable that the reason I have given is the right one. If a singer
+during his narrative stops, and is silent for a minute or two, another
+takes up the "lost chord" in exactly the same intonation of voice,
+asking a question or singing words of comfort, anger, or scorn, as the
+case may be; but no Ainu ever joins in the song before the person
+singing has stopped.
+
+The hairy people are fond, not only of their own, but of all music, and
+their ear is acute enough to hit a tone or note when sung to them, and
+even to remember with more or less accuracy a short air after they have
+heard it two or three times. Many who have come in contact with the
+Japanese have learned from them songs of a totally different character
+from their own. Of my personal experience I can speak of a boy who,
+while I was sketching, heard me sing a few bars of the _Trovatore_. An
+hour or two later I heard him repeat this passage, certainly with an
+Ainu _libretto_, and somewhat Ainuized; but for all that he had managed
+to catch the melody, which showed that the lad must have had some
+musical instinct as well as a good musical memory.
+
+[Illustration: SIDE VIEW OF THE "MUKKO."]
+
+[Illustration: A "MUKKO," OR MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.]
+
+The Ainu are remarkably quick at reproducing sounds which are direct
+imitations of noises, cries of animals, &c., and it is instinctive in
+them, as when children they are not taught or trained to do so. The
+education of Ainu children is indeed a thing far to seek in every way,
+and what they know is self-taught. Nature is their only school. The Ainu
+voice is pleasant, flexible, and very soft in quality. The men are
+mostly baritone and bass, the women alto; but when singing, a falsetto
+is preferred to the natural voice, especially by the women, and this
+always without an instrumental accompaniment. Musical instruments are
+more than rare among the Ainu; indeed, I saw only one, which is now in
+my own possession. It is a black-stained wooden instrument, fifty-one
+inches in length and three wide. The upper part is flat, the under is
+half a cylinder scooped out by a knife, while five keys are fixed in the
+short neck, in which a cavity is cut, leaving a space for the strings to
+be tied to each key. The top is circular, and flattened on each side.
+One very small hole is bored exactly in the middle of the instrument and
+another is at the lower end, where the point of a triangular piece of
+leather, seven inches long, is passed through and fastened by a knot
+tied in the leather on the opposite side. The five strings, which are of
+_Ulmus campestris_ fibre, are fastened to this leather piece and then to
+each key. A peculiarity of this instrument is, that it has two
+prism-shaped bridges, and they are placed at each end of the harmonic
+case. The Ainu call it _mukko_, which word, however, means only a
+musical instrument; and as it is applied by them to all Japanese
+instruments of music, it shows that they do not distinguish very sharply
+one instrument from another. Though in my long journeying I found one of
+these _mukkos_, I was never able to discover any Ainu who could play on
+it, and the Ainu of Ishikari from whom I bought it told me that the man,
+the only one, who could play on it, was dead. This was unfortunate, as
+none of the others could tell me how he tuned it; and one old man, in
+attempting to solve the problem, broke three strings. Seeing that I was
+then quite unable to learn any of the tunes of the deceased Ainu
+Paganini I purchased the instrument, and found by cross-examining the
+natives that it was played by twanging the strings with the fingers, and
+not with a plectrum, as is the case with the Japanese _shamesen_. In the
+illustration I have faithfully drawn a front and a side view of this
+instrument, so as to give the reader an exact idea of its shape. The
+Ainu of Volcano Bay sometimes make bamboo jew's-harps for their
+children; but even those are very uncommon, so we might as well define
+Ainu music as entirely vocal. Ainu music is sentimental, and not
+displeasing, but it is monotonous, and continually repeats itself. It is
+difficult to establish a rule as to what order of intervals their music
+is founded on, as their progressions, modulations, and rhythmical
+effects are often so peculiar as to make it impossible to indicate them
+accurately by means of our musical notation; but the nearest approach to
+it is the diatonic minor scale. The Ainu are fond of chromatic
+intervals, and when their recital comes to an exciting point they make
+use of this method in a _crescendo_ to give strength to the narrative,
+especially at the end of the tune, which invariably winds up in the
+tonic. The intervals which are of most frequent occurrence in the Ainu
+tunes are as follows:--
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The tunes seldom contain modulations from one key into another, except
+in the case of genius-gifted improvisators, who sometimes indulge in
+such a luxury, especially when intoxicated; but the usual modulation is
+generally begun _pianissimo_ and in irregular time, and is sometimes
+like a slow lamentation gradually and irregularly increasing in force,
+some notes marked violently and the next very faintly, thus giving a
+weird effect of light and shade. When a sentence comes to an end, there
+is a chromatic interval _fortissimo_, and the keynote generally
+concludes the tune. The melody repeats itself again in the next
+sentence, sometimes altering the _pianissimo_ into _fortissimo_, and
+_vice vers�_, according to the force which the narrator wishes to give
+to certain words. The Ainu, as far as I could judge, have no fixed
+rhythmical method, and each man constructs his own. Their melodies are
+generally short and simple, and the same phrases and passages--in fact,
+usually the whole melody--occur again and again in their songs. No Ainu
+melody that I heard was constructed according to any rule of musical
+form. All were invariably of one part only, in which the name of the
+tune was often applied to a certain form of rude poetical composition.
+For instance, some of the folk-lore legends--which, unfortunately, are
+not purely Ainu--are chanted in a musical intonation, and are a kind of
+extempore composition, though the roots of the songs and the verse have
+probably been brought down from former generations. This is proved by
+the preservation in them of some obsolete words and forms of speech
+which are never used in current conversation, and which none of the
+younger folks can understand or explain. I believe, however, that none
+of these legends are very old. The Ainu, having no written language, it
+is but natural that their tradition and legends should have been greatly
+changed and corrupted, especially by intercourse with the more
+imaginative Japanese. It is to be noted, however, that the Ainu, though
+to a certain extent as imitative as monkeys, have also a large amount of
+personality and originality, due to their shy and unsocial habits. This
+originality is not surprising when we remember that they are taught
+nothing, and that each man provides for himself and his family, but has
+no markedly friendly feelings towards his neighbours; in other words, it
+is a state of degradation very similar to that of wild animals. Perfect
+indifference is shown by the people of one village towards those of
+another. They are neither friends nor foes. All have a right to live,
+but as for helping one another, that is out of the question.
+
+Having no written documents, each man, in his easy-going manner, recites
+and sings as best pleases himself such verses or legends as he has heard
+from his father or from some other person, and the result is that,
+according to the reciter's greater or smaller poetical and musical
+tastes, the grandfather's composition, already altered by his father, is
+again altered by the son, which makes it a composition of his own. This
+transformation of a given theme is common even among civilised nations
+when people are set to repeat the same story verbally transmitted from
+one to the other--the version of the third person has but little in
+common with that of the first. If this we do with a spoken narrative,
+how much more with tunes learned by ear only, and characterised in the
+delivery by individual temperament and transient mood.
+
+The Ainu do not teach these legends to their children, and if learned at
+all they are merely "picked up" by ear and, in a manner, at random;
+therefore, most Ainu profess ignorance as to their existence, and a man,
+when I asked him if he knew any, scornfully answered in these identical
+words, translated:--"The Ainu are taught nothing, and they know
+nothing."
+
+The few legends, &c., that I heard were told me by Benry at Piratori,
+and by another old man, the chief of a village up the Saru River. The
+title of one was "Tushi-une-pan"--"Twice Below;" the story of
+Yoshitsune, a Japanese hero, and Samoro-kuru (a Japanese man-friend of
+Yoshitsune), who came to Yezo and had a great struggle with a huge fish,
+which was harpooned by them and disappeared twice under the water,
+capsizing the boat which contained the two fishermen. Yoshitsune's
+temper was roused, and he cut the _nipesh_[38] rope to which the harpoon
+was fastened. The fish went to die at the mouth of the Saru River, when
+plains of hemp sprouted out of its body.
+
+    [38] _Nipesh_: a kind of hemp.
+
+Another legend, called "Kimta-na," is a rather different and more simple
+version of Tushi-une-pan's story which I have just related.
+
+Yet another variant of the same legend is found in the "Inu-sapk"--or "A
+Summer Story" (literally translated: _Inu_, hear, relate; _sapk_,
+summer), which was so very confused that I could not make head or tail
+of its minuter details; but, like the "Kimta-na," it was about a famine
+in the Ainu land.
+
+Then there was a fourth, which went by the name of
+"Abe-ten-rui"--"Burning to embrace," or love-sick. It was again about
+Yoshitsune, who had fallen in love with a pretty Ainu maid, and could
+not eat either good or bad fish until she appeared to him in a dream. As
+Yoshitsune was a strong-minded man he got over his love, and taught the
+Ainu not to be deceived by woman's wiles.
+
+These and other similar legends, some of which do not bear repeating,
+being too improper, can be collected at Piratori or on Volcano Bay from
+the half-civilised Ainu; but I am inclined to think that they are mostly
+concoctions of Japanese ideas construed or misconstrued in the Ainu
+language.
+
+Ainu do not indulge in poetic compositions which have a definite metre,
+nor do they use special words for rhyme or rhythm; but all the words in
+their songs are intelligible, and seldom meaningless syllables are used,
+as in many of the chants of other savage nations. This of course is
+because, as has been said, their songs are merely a form of conversation
+adopted on certain occasions.
+
+Some of their music seems to have been suggested to them by such animal
+sounds as the plaintive howling of bears, wolves, and dogs.
+
+Music is believed by the Ainu to have the power of curing illness, or
+rather, of scaring away from the body those evil spirits which are
+supposed to have taken possession of it; but, when used as exorcism, the
+music is no longer grave, slow, and sentimental, but verily diabolical,
+consisting mainly of wild howling with an accompaniment of stamping feet
+and the rattling of sword and knife, and followed by a disgusting
+expectoration of chewed convolvulus roots, which are said to be powerful
+in expelling the evil spirit and restoring the sick person to health.
+
+Furthermore, music is invariably used by the Ainu--especially by the
+women--to facilitate manual labour, as when pounding millet, rowing,
+pulling canoes on shore, or drawing water from a well, when packing
+sea-weed, or when preparing salmon for the winter; and also in their
+games, which I have already described in the chapter on the festival at
+Piratori.
+
+During the process of pounding millet--which is only practised in the
+southern part of Yezo--two or three girls stand round a mortar in which
+the millet has been placed, and each girl, holding with both hands a
+pestle, beats and sings, one after the other, the words "_Huye, huye_,"
+as the pestle is let down, increasing in loudness when the grain
+requires harder pounding, and slowly decreasing in volume towards the
+end. This pounding begins about sunset, and the place chosen for the
+operation is generally the small porch of the huts. It has indeed a
+weird effect to hear these many voices from the distant huts gradually
+dying away as darkness comes on, till finally only two or three break
+the stillness of the coming night. Then even those wear away, and
+everything becomes as silent as the grave.
+
+When riding on horseback, especially if alone, young men are fond of
+singing, and when going through forests, chopping and collecting
+firewood, Ainu invariably sing.
+
+I have often heard two or three Ainu, when packing sea-weed within a few
+yards of one another, each singing to himself, and each so much absorbed
+in his own composition as not to even hear his neighbours. An Ainu does
+not and cannot sing unless he feels in the mood for it; but if he sings
+he is carried away by his own music. Of course this is a good quality in
+Ainu music, as in all arts where "feeling" is to be appreciated as much
+as execution. The latter is to be got by constant practice and teaching;
+but the first has to be born in one.
+
+My readers must forgive me if I am judging Ainu music, not from the
+European, but from the native standpoint, for I think it is only fair to
+give things as they are, without too much reference to our own ideas.
+
+With savage nations, music is the expression of the feelings and
+passions of the musician. Thus, it is necessary to well know the man
+himself before we can understand his productions and appreciate them;
+and such knowledge is only attained by constantly living with natives,
+not as a mere stranger, but as one of them.
+
+Very few travellers have seen the real Ainu, or studied them accurately,
+while many, partly owing to their inability to differentiate one race
+from another, have given us highly imaginative descriptions, and even
+photographs, of Japanese half-castes and actual Japanese, describing
+them as Ainu. If such worthy ethnologists as have visited the "civilised
+part only" of the Ainu country, have been unable to distinguish types of
+the hairy Ainu race from those of the hairless Japanese, or from
+mixtures of the two, undoubtedly racial characteristics have been but
+imperfectly recorded.
+
+It is more particularly in music and poetry, as I have already
+explained, that temperamental characteristics are shown, and one ought
+to be careful to clearly define what is native music and poetry--in
+which I include legends, traditions, and folk-lore--and what has been
+transmitted by neighbouring and conquering races. Loud music is not
+appreciated by the Ainu, and makes them grin with more scorn than
+enjoyment. I could only try experiments in this direction by singing to
+them, as I had no European musical instruments with me; but I found that
+singing _con brio_ at the top of my voice was not so pleasing to them as
+when I sang _piano con passione_. For instance, the song "Toreador," in
+the opera _Carmen_, created fits of merriment from a crowd at
+Frishikobets, while the same crowd, a few minutes later, listened
+attentively and silently to Gounod's "Ave Maria," sung in a kind of
+"miaoling" voice.
+
+I may here mention incidentally, to show the different musical tastes of
+Ainu and Japanese, that some months previous to this I was at a concert
+at Tokio in which the same "Ave Maria" was performed by some
+distinguished European musicians. The large Japanese audience, who had
+been attentive and well-composed till then, went into fits of laughter
+when Gounod's masterpiece was played, and all through it the noise of
+people laughing was so great as to drown entirely the orchestra and
+singers. Some of the women in the audience nearly went into hysterics at
+the long _legato_ notes at the beginning of the piece. Louder melodies
+and of a livelier character did not affect them so. I wish to draw
+attention to this fact, that amongst all primitive peoples the native
+music is sad and slow--the livelier melodies coming later; and also,
+that with both wild and domestic animals the most noteworthy effects are
+produced by slow and simple music. We all know how dogs will remain
+quiet and calm when a soft and gentle air is played, but get furious to
+the point of savageness under the "plan-plan-rataplan" of a merry noisy
+tune. As for the last item connected with Ainu music, viz., dancing, it
+is rarely practised, even by the Ainu women, to whom alone it pertains.
+At the best it is of a very rude form. In the Piratori festival (Chapter
+IV.) we have seen that their dancing is accompanied by rhythmical sounds
+imitating the noises produced by implements in everyday use, as the
+squeaking of a paddle by the friction on the canoe, the cry which
+accompanies the pounding of millet, blowing alight the fire, and similar
+sounds. Time is kept by clapping the hands and by vociferations which
+tell the partners what position or action to assume, each action being
+accompanied by a different sound, but all performed while the hopping is
+kept up. I have not felt justified in classifying these rhythmical
+sounds, which accompany the dancing, as choruses, for there is not
+enough in them to constitute either a tune or a melody. They are
+suggested more by the action of the arms and upper part of the body than
+by the steps; in fact, if it were not for the continuous hopping it
+would be more accurate to describe Ainu dancing as "posturing." The
+dancers form a circle, with sometimes one or two children in the centre.
+As there are no professional musicians, there are no professional
+dancers; but though each man may be his own composer of music, the women
+never alter their dances, which are handed down unchanged from one
+generation to another. It is only at festivals that the dance is
+performed, and never inside the huts, but in the open air. It is not for
+the amusement of spectators, for besides one or two of the older women,
+spectators there are none; but it is for the enjoyment of the dancers
+themselves. The men do not seem to take the slightest interest in the
+dancing, and apparently regard it as unmanly. They remain in the hut
+drinking while the girls enjoy themselves in this way outside, and
+should one of them by chance come out, he would stop and look on no more
+than men in civilised countries would stop and watch little children at
+play. On the other hand, on such occasions Ainu matrons squat in a
+semicircle not far from the dancers, and keep up a lament-like or
+sometimes quarrelsome conversation among themselves, and occasionally
+encourage the girls in their hopping, and suggesting _encores_ of this
+figure or that, which, between one quarrel and another, has taken their
+fancy.
+
+[Illustration: A WOODEN PIPE.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+Heredity--Crosses--Psychological Observations.
+
+
+The mental qualities of the Ainu are not many, and what they have are by
+no means great; nor are they improved by education, for what they know
+comes more from inheritance than personal acquirement, though naturally
+every rule has its exceptions. I repeatedly noticed that talent, such as
+it was, ran in certain families, the members of which were all more or
+less intelligent. Certain families were more musical than others; other
+families were more artistic--if, indeed, such a word could be applied to
+the very low development of the artistic faculty when at its best among
+the hairy people. Various members of one household were potently insane;
+others were as potently idiotic. I shall not class under this heading of
+heredity transmitted disease, like leprosy, consumption, &c., but I
+shall limit myself to heredity in physical traits and mental qualities.
+Unfortunately, with the Ainu intercourse between the sexes is so
+imperfectly regulated as to often lead one to erroneous conclusions. The
+reader may easily imagine the difficulty of establishing precise rules
+of transmission in a race like the Ainu, where castes are not marked,
+with the exception of the chieftainship in each village, the only
+necessary qualifications for which are a sound, sharp intellect, a
+strong physique, and personal courage. The office is hereditary if these
+qualifications are also inherited; but should the sons or brothers of
+the chief prove unworthy of his place, the Ainu would assemble in a
+"village council" and elect another strong, clear-headed, and brave man
+in place of the _roi fain�ant_ thus summarily deposed. These chiefs have
+no absolute authority, though the men often consult them in their
+quarrels and difficulties, which they are asked to settle. Thus, because
+of these qualities necessary for the office, these chiefs are a slightly
+superior type to the other natives; for with savages, as with civilised
+people, sharp-witted, strong, and brave men are naturally of a finer
+type than those who are their inferiors in these qualities: but the
+difference among the best Ainu and the worst is so small that I do not
+feel justified in classing chiefs as of a different caste. Besides,
+exceptional beauty, strength, or larger stature is not necessarily
+transmitted in the families of chiefs, nor do the Ainu themselves
+consider them better-looking than others.
+
+As Ainu laws of marriage have no relation to the physical and moral
+improvement of the race, the only way of classifying the natives for
+purposes of heredity is by tribes, each village being considered as a
+tribe. Ainu villages are generally very small, and the inhabitants of
+each village intermarry among themselves, therefore each member of the
+community is in some way related to every other member; hence heredity
+in certain physical traits, mental qualities, and diseases shows itself
+in one community and not in another. The difficulty of tracing the exact
+connection of each individual with his or her relations beyond the
+acknowledged father and mother also baffles research in more minute
+details. Abnormal formations are sometimes transmitted to many members
+of one tribe, as, for instance, the hare-lip and webbed fingers, of
+which deformities two or three specimens could be found in a small
+village numbering fifteen or twenty houses. Malformation of the
+umbilicus is common--sometimes in almost every member of one small
+community--while it is very rare in others. Children are mostly affected
+by this, as in some villages the cord is not treated at all at birth;
+and this leads to an abnormality till the child grows older, when the
+few who survive seem to get all right. In other villages the cord is
+fastened in a very primitive, not to say imperfect, manner, with a
+common string of _Ulmus campestris_ fibre.
+
+Albinism is very uncommon among the Ainu. I do not know of any case when
+it has been transmitted, as albinos are greatly disregarded by the Ainu,
+and, I was told, seldom marry.
+
+Red hair, or hair with red shades in it, is common among the Ainu of
+the north-east coast of Yezo, and also among the Kurilsky Ainu of
+Shikotan, where nearly all the children have light hair. It darkens
+considerably as they grow older, as many of the men said they had light
+hair when young, which turned dark with age. Members of certain
+communities have inherited the love of bear-hunting; others the love of
+fishing; some tribes have a musical aptitude, and a certain artistic
+talent for rough ornamentations on wood; others have developed their
+inherited power of sustaining hunger and thirst. The only characteristic
+which all the different tribes have inherited, without exception, is
+love for intoxicating drinks; and this love is not only inherited by
+thoroughbred Ainu, but also by half-castes.
+
+Mixed marriages between Japanese and Ainu are frequent, but the progeny
+are unfortunate beings, of whom a large percentage die when very young:
+those who live are generally malformed, ill-natured, and often idiotic.
+Their sight and hearing are not so acute as with the pure Ainu, and
+crosses are said to be sterile, with very few exceptions. If children of
+second crosses are born they seldom live to be more than five years old.
+
+Half-breeds are invariably from a Japanese man with an Ainu woman, but
+occasionally an Ainu man marries or cohabits with a half-caste woman. I
+have never seen a pure-blood Ainu man marry a pure-blood Japanese woman.
+The majority of half-breeds are males: I should think two-thirds males
+and one-third females. The half-caste women are physically finer than
+the men, but they are said to be very generally, if not uniformly,
+sterile.
+
+The products of the first cross greatly resemble in general look the
+Ainu parent, without being quite as hairy, though still very hairy; but
+a strange peculiarity is, that they get bald while quite young. One can
+easily detect them by their eyes, which are frequently like those of the
+Japanese, by the wide flat forehead, and by the pose of the head, which
+inclines forward. They generally walk with their toes turned in, instead
+of keeping their feet perfectly straight, like the pure Ainu. The moral
+and intellectual position of these half-breeds is a pitiful one. They
+are rejected by both the Ainu and Japanese, and are held inferior to
+both alike.
+
+A high moral standard, whether got from philosophic breadth or Christian
+virtues, does not suit a despised barbarian race like the Ainu. Nothing
+could or does kill them quicker than civilisation. Experiments have been
+tried to civilise certain Ainu: they were made to wash, bathe, and live
+in comfortable, clean quarters: they were instructed and got good food;
+but after a few months they had to be sent back to their native place
+and ways, for civilisation only killed them.
+
+The half-castes have none of the good qualities of either race. They are
+neither as brave as the Ainu nor courteous and light-hearted like the
+Japanese. The following remarks, which I take direct from my diary, were
+written by me between Shimokebo and Tomakomai, on the south-west coast
+of Yezo, where many half-breeds are found along the sea-shore, and I
+shall pass them on untouched to my readers.
+
+"The Ainu along this coast were decidedly ugly. Many half-breeds are
+also found along this coast. These half-breeds invariably grow bald in
+early life, whereas the Ainu do not. The hair on their back, arms, and
+legs is not so long or so thick as with the pure Ainu. Their teeth are
+neither so strong nor so sound. As is usually the case when a mixture of
+two or more races takes place, the lower and upper jaws not being of the
+right proportion, it follows as a matter of course that unusual pressure
+and friction injure and wear out the enamel of the teeth, thus causing
+premature decay. The Americans and Australians are good examples of this
+premature decay caused by the disproportion of the upper and lower jaws.
+Also, teeth which do not fit well together sometimes grow so long as to
+be a nuisance to the person who owns them. I found that these
+half-breeds have all the bad qualities of both the Ainu and the
+Japanese, and have not retained any of the good ones. They are
+ill-tempered, lazy, and vindictive. It is well to mention that, on the
+Japanese side, they have come mostly from the criminals exported by the
+Japanese Government, which fact partly explains why they are so
+evil-minded and untrustworthy. Instead of falling into the more
+civilised ways of the Japanese, these half-breeds prefer the wild life
+of their Ainu ancestors; and if anything they are wilder than the Ainu
+themselves. Insanity is very common among half-breeds. The head is in
+most instances of an abnormal size; the frontal bone is generally more
+sloping than with the thoroughbred Ainu; and though the skull be wide
+from one temple to the other, it is not spacious enough from the frontal
+bone to the back of the head. They have heads so shaped that the
+animal propensities are in excess of the moral and mental
+faculties. In thoroughbred Ainu I found the bumps of amativeness,
+philoprogenitiveness, and tune very well developed. In the half-breeds
+these bumps hardly show at all, and in some cases the back of the
+head--where the two first bumps are found--is almost flat.
+
+"Ainu half-breeds never live to be very old. They are often affected
+with rheumatism--_kaki_, a disease peculiar to the Far East--leprosy,
+and consumption, and they suffer from these diseases much more than do
+the pure Ainu. I found leprosy quite common among half-breeds--while I
+have seen but few Ainu affected with it. In most instances, though,
+leprosy had only attained its first stages--contraction of fingers and
+subsequent dropping off of the three phalanges, ears, and nose; but this
+may be explained by the fact that the sufferers in general succumb
+before the disease attains its more serious character, when the whole
+body is visibly affected by it."
+
+Precise laws as to the degree of quickness of perception, power of
+reasoning, and learning of the Ainu race cannot be given, for, as I have
+mentioned before, almost each individual would require a special rule
+for himself. My readers may have noticed that, while some Ainu were but
+little above monkeys, others were sharp, and gave answers very much to
+the point. This may apparently be regarded as a contradiction on my part
+by people who have neither lived with savages, nor studied the
+temperament of beasts. But it is not a contradiction. There are in this
+world clever monkeys and stupid monkeys: some can never be made to learn
+any tricks; others will learn them in no time. Intelligence is
+instinctive, and not acquired, though of course it can be greatly
+developed with education; thus, the Ainu are instinctively intelligent,
+but I wish my readers clearly to understand that their intelligence does
+not go much further than that of an intelligent monkey, though of course
+the Ainu have the advantage over beasts of being able to talk, and
+therefore, to a limited extent, discuss and combine. The Ainu memory is
+a perfect blank in certain respects, as with arithmetic, science,
+mechanics, reading, writing, drawing, and delineating maps; while in
+other directions it seems to be fairly keen, as in hunting, fishing,
+tracking, and acquiring languages up to a certain point. This last
+faculty is noticeable in nearly all the lowest races, as the Australian
+aborigines, the Tasmanian natives (now extinct), the Tierra del
+Fuegians, &c. The Ainu ideas of time are vague, and if you add to that
+the extreme difficulty which they experience in counting even up to ten,
+and their inability to count beyond that number, it is easy to
+understand why we can never learn the exact age of Ainu individuals.
+
+Like the monkeys, the Ainu cannot concentrate their attention, and they
+are easily wearied. Beads and shiny objects have a fascination for them;
+but other objects, even perfectly new to them, arouse but little
+curiosity, which soon passes, and they show no intelligence and less
+imagination as to the probable use of these strange objects. They show
+no inquisitiveness, and no wish to be taught the use of anything new and
+unfamiliar.
+
+It will be remembered that at Yamakubiro, on the Tokachi River, beyond
+the natural astonishment caused by the first appearance of my ponies,
+the strange baggage, and myself, the Ainu did not pay much attention to
+this novel sight, and did not show any wish to have it explained, while
+more civilised people, like the Japanese, would not have been satisfied
+until I had shown and explained every article in my possession, and
+allowed each person to try its use, &c., after which they would talk for
+hours of what they had seen. The Ainu are not "built" so, and therefore
+they have never made any progress. In the more civilised parts of Yezo
+we have a proof of it. Their backwardness in acquiring the habits and
+customs of their conquerors the Japanese, arises from incapacity more
+than from conservatism. Yet for all that the Ainu are so incapable of
+improving themselves, they are very persevering in what they do attempt,
+as in their rough wooden carvings, the hollowing of their "dug-outs,"
+the construction of their wooden tools and weapons, the weaving of their
+rough garments, and the ornamentation thereof; but in all these they
+appear to act more automatically than with keen and constructive
+intelligence.
+
+The Ainu are not to be taken _au pied de la lettre_, for the illusions
+produced by ignorance and untutored imagination prevent anything like
+literal accuracy; but they are not what we may call conscious and
+immoral liars. A good example of this is my adventure at Horobets, when,
+although they knew that they would be severely punished by the Japanese
+policeman, the Ainu confessed their attack on me, and did not attempt
+either denial or evasion. They are often plucky, and even distinctly
+courageous; as, when out bear-hunting, a man armed only with a large and
+not over sharp knife unhesitatingly attacks this formidable beast, who
+sits up on his hind quarters, sure to crush the life out of his
+assailant should he miss his stroke. The Ainu, protecting his head with
+his left arm, and having taken the precaution to cover his back with
+skins, goes merrily for the embrace; and while Bruin squeezes, the hairy
+man splits its body open with the large knife.
+
+The Ainu are cool-blooded. They are not subject to strong emotions, and
+therefore they are not much affected by dreams and nightmares. They are
+not affectionate except for a momentary impulse; but, like most animals,
+they are faithful when they love. Mothers are fond of their children
+till they have reached puberty; but after that the affection seems to
+fade away. Paternal love is much less strong.
+
+The pure Ainu are comparatively honest people, which may be due to the
+incapacity for being dishonest. In a country where there is no exact
+definition of property, where anybody can get what he requires without
+resorting to theft, there is no reason why everybody should not be
+honest. Then, according to Ainu ideas, stealing is not always stealing.
+For instance, if an Ainu, without asking, takes away some of the salmon
+caught by one of his hairy brethren, he will be blamed for it, he will
+get into a row, and probably be beaten; but if the theft is perpetrated
+on a Japanese or a stranger he will be praised, though the Ainu well
+knows that he is not acting right. Their desire is stronger than their
+conscience, such as it is; and having no laws of their own to rule them
+worth speaking of, they often do according to their desire, without
+deserving the accusation of conscious dishonesty. It is exactly the
+same case as when a dog jumps on the dining-table when everybody is
+absent and carries off the leg of mutton which he knows he ought not to
+touch; but the temptation was too strong, and he could not resist it.
+The Ainu are fond of independence, though in many instances I found them
+gentle, and apparently submissive to a stronger will than their own. The
+field of their brain-power is of course very narrow, and the same rough,
+rude, primitive thoughts and ideas are constantly repeated in their
+conversation as well as in their designs.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: NAKED AINU MAN FROM THE NORTH-EAST COAST OF YEZO, PACKING
+SEAWEED FOR WINTER USE.]
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+Physiological Observations--Pulse-beat and Respiration--Exposure--Odour
+of the Ainu--The Five Senses.
+
+
+The following physiological remarks are mostly from observations made on
+Ainu of the Upper Tokachi district, the natives of which have had no
+communication with Europeans and little with Japanese previous to my own
+visit to them. Observations made on the semi-civilised Ainu of Volcano
+Bay and Piratori, on those of the north-east and west coasts, and the
+Ishikari River, as well as on half-castes of different districts, have
+been taken into consideration.
+
+Owing to the lack of a clinical thermometer and other instruments, I,
+unfortunately, was not able to ascertain the normal temperature of the
+body; nor could I get any very accurate observations as to the frequency
+of the pulse-beat, owing to the miserable condition of my watch and the
+difficult task of getting natives to sit perfectly still while their
+pulse was felt. A superstitious fear, too, that some evil would befall
+them accelerated the pulsations, and they invariably moved away rubbing
+the spot I had touched on their wrist. Though I could not count the
+exact number of pulsations to a minute, the movement of the pulse was as
+a rule slow and rather weak. Respirations were fourteen to seventeen to
+a minute in men, and about sixteen to twenty in women, and the
+respiratory movements were similar in both sexes, viz., costal breathing
+was predominant. In half-castes I have sometimes noticed abdominal
+breathing.
+
+The Ainu not only bear cold well, but prefer it to heat, though, indeed,
+their country is never very hot. The sun's rays have no fascination for
+them, as with so many other races; and I have seldom seen Ainu basking
+in the sun for purely physical pleasure, although they go about with
+uncovered heads, and do not seem to suffer any ill effects from the
+practice. The Ainu of Piratori wear Japanese hats of wicker-work; and
+others, especially women, tie round their head a Japanese towel--a
+fashion, as we have seen, also adopted from the Japanese. With this
+head-dress the crown of the head is left uncovered.
+
+The Ainu are not massively formed, but they are sturdy, and, as we have
+seen, can bear almost any amount of privation as regards food and drink.
+Sleep is necessary to them, and they require a great deal to be in
+anything like good condition. The sleeping hours are generally from an
+hour or so after sunset to sunrise; but during the day they are often
+drowsy, and turn in to have a siesta after food and exercise. In men the
+voice is soft and deep; shriller but still gentle in women. The Ainu
+seldom perspire, partly because the pores of their skin are blocked with
+dirt; partly because their long hair absorbs a great quantity of
+natural moisture; and mostly because they do not drink much except when
+they can get hold of intoxicants.
+
+The skin is greasy--the natural result of many years of an unwashed
+existence; and this gives to the hairy people a peculiar and strong
+odour, much resembling that of monkeys. Many are familiar with the
+peculiar odour of an uncleaned monkey's cage, and the same, intensified
+a thousand times, characterises an Ainu village. Hundreds of yards off
+you can distinctly smell out a village, or if the wind is blowing
+towards you, that peculiar odour is perceptible for a full half-mile.
+Although the sense of smell is acute in the Ainu--for they sometimes
+employ it in tracking animals--they are not aware of their own strong
+odour; but they are quick in distinguishing that of other races. I have
+several times heard Ainu of the coast remark that I possessed a
+different odour from that of the Japanese; but they could neither define
+it nor assimilate it to that of any animal they knew, though several of
+them one day held a lengthy pow-wow about it; and in the interest of
+anthropology I submitted to the unpleasant process of being smelt all
+over by them. The Chinese unanimously assert that Europeans smell like
+sheep, and they say this is the reason we constantly wash and bathe,
+being aware of our infirmity, and doing our best to diminish it by soap
+and water. We ourselves attribute to Jews one distinct odour, and yet
+another to the Russians; not to speak of those belonging to the negroes,
+the Chinese, and, in fact, all other nations. Thus, the odour has some
+importance in the classification of peoples, as it largely depends on
+the kind of food as well as the personal habits of a race. Meat-eaters
+smell differently from fish-eaters, and these again from vegetarians. As
+regards the Ainu, their filthy habits of course increase their
+offensiveness, while bodily exercise renders them intolerable. The
+Japanese recognise the Ainu odour as a distinguishing mark of the race,
+and Japanese fishermen have often said to me, "_Aino shto taihen
+kusai_"; "_Saru_," or else "_Kumma onaji koto_"--"Ainu men smell bad,
+just like a monkey or a bear."
+
+As an Ainu grows older this peculiarity increases. The weaker sex is
+generally more "strongly scented" than are the men, owing to the fact
+that women wear skins and rough cloth rags nearly all the year round,
+while in summer the men go about either entirely naked, or very lightly
+clad.
+
+On the north-east coast of Yezo and in Shikotan (Kurile Islands) I saw
+some Ainu who, contrary to the rule, had red hair, and their animal
+odour was terribly offensive. The Ainu do not use any unguents like
+palm-oil, cocoanut-oil, or the like, by which the unpleasantness of
+certain African tribes and Eastern peoples is to be accounted for. What
+they have is natural and national, and due to their food, habits, and
+race alone.
+
+The Ainu have no partiality or dislike for any particular scents, and
+their sense of smell shows itself mainly in their power of tracking game
+or animals, as was said before. The same might be said of the sense of
+"touch," which they seldom apply practically, notwithstanding their
+sensitiveness in certain parts of the body, especially under the
+arm-pits and on each side of the spinal column and the back of the
+head--just those parts which in most animals are the most sensitive; but
+they have no developed sense of touch in their finger-tips, as with
+civilised nations.
+
+Most Ainu find it difficult to declare which is the heavier of two not
+very unequal weights. Differences in the temperature of two bodies, and
+in the smoothness or texture of two surfaces, are also extremely
+difficult for them to define, while it is easy for them to judge of
+weights and texture by eyesight. The palms of the hands, which are so
+sensitive with us, owing to the papill� being more thickly studded there
+than in other parts of the body, are less intelligently sensitive with
+the Ainu. When they touch cold or hot objects they feel pain, but not
+difference of temperature, as when with us a wound is touched it makes
+little difference whether it is by something hot or cold, it is simply
+pain, and not discrimination. Their lips, as well as the tip of the
+tongue, are slightly more sensitive; the lower lip more so than the
+upper. I was never able to determine the relative sensibility of the
+sensitive parts of the Ainu body, as my experiments either caused anger
+and impatience, or hilarity and mockery. If the first, the observations
+had to be stopped before they were well begun; if the second, beyond the
+general results which I have quoted, the answers were mere guesswork on
+their part, and therefore not worth recording. Most of my observations
+are based on experiments made while the men were unaware that they were
+observed at all. Often, when asleep, I have touched them on the soles of
+the feet and the palms of the hands without causing them to awake, while
+when touched on the lower lip or in the lumbar region they invariably
+woke up startled. One day I tried this experiment on an Ainu who was
+sleeping on his back, with his mouth wide open. I touched his tongue
+with a well-sharpened lead-pencil, and the effect was subitaneous; more
+so than on either the lips or the lumbar region. The skin directly over
+the spine was dull, but the ears showed a certain amount of sensibility.
+The sense of "taste," which is a mere modification of the sense of
+touch, is also dull, although naturally, when stimulated by very acid or
+bitter substances, it produced distinct impressions. Even with
+ourselves, though more perfected than the sense of smell--which,
+however, often comes to its assistance--few can boast of having the
+sense of taste very acute. In our lower classes an extraordinary amount
+of salt, mustard, pepper, or sugar is needed before they can call their
+food "tasty," whereas a person of more refined education will detect the
+lack or excess of even the smallest portion. Over-stimulation of the
+lingual nerves and extremes of heat or cold deaden the sensibility of
+the tongue, palate, and fauces, and destroy the power of distinguishing
+flavours; bad digestion also frequently affects the organs of taste.
+From this we may argue, then, that the sense of taste, though born in
+one, has to be cultivated before it is brought to any degree of
+refinement. The Ainu not only do not possess this acquired refinement,
+but, through monotony of food, learn only one kind of flavour, and
+cannot distinguish differences. Thus, as many labourers in our country
+would not find any difference between a beef-steak slightly underdone
+and one over-cooked, so an Ainu finds no difference whatever between a
+piece of salmon properly dried and one perfectly rotten. In this respect
+the Ainu are far below beasts.
+
+In tribes of natives like the Ainu, who have lived an adventurous life,
+mostly in the open air, it is but natural that the two senses of "sight"
+and "hearing" should be more developed than those of "touch," "smell"
+and "taste;" as life itself depends mostly on their accuracy and
+acuteness. The Ainu possess good sight. Inflammation of the eyes is very
+common among their children, owing to their filthy condition; but it
+seldom affects their permanent sight; very few Ainu suffer either from
+myopy or cataract, or other eye affections such as are frequent among
+civilised and more studious nations. In very warm climates, where the
+sun is powerful and the light strong, the eyes are generally shielded by
+specially long and thick eyelashes and eyebrows, which last prevent the
+sweat from running down the forehead into the orbit; but, strange to
+say, the Ainu, who are a northern race, and have always lived in cold
+climates, have eyelashes even longer and thicker than any race of people
+in tropical climates. The iris is of a somewhat greyish tint, sometimes
+traversed with brown shades. The white of the eye is less pearly than
+with Caucasian races, and the eyes, shaded as they are by long eyelashes
+and heavy eyelids, seem to possess all the qualities necessary for
+abnormally long vision. And this we find to be the case, for the Ainu
+can distinguish objects a long way off, but they are dense as to
+minuti�. In other words, the eye of an Ainu is ready to receive an
+impression, but very slow in transmitting to the brain the impression
+received.
+
+As we have seen, they cannot reproduce the "human form divine," or any
+faithful representation of anything animate or inanimate which they have
+seen. They see _en gros_; thus, should an Ainu's attention be drawn to
+some very distant object rapidly moving on the shore, he will at once
+say that it is a horse, because he knows that the chances are it is a
+horse, but he will be unable to describe its colour, and whether
+cantering or galloping, saddled or unsaddled, by a single glance at the
+horse, unless his attention is called to each particular detail, when he
+will answer each question correctly enough. The Ainu vision is then
+strong, but the brain is not quick in response. Testing their sight by
+"test dots," as used in the British Army, was not a success, greatly
+owing to their inability to count and the inaccuracy of their answers.
+
+The most fully-developed sense in the hairy people is, in my opinion,
+that of hearing. Distant sounds are clearly recognised and specified,
+and they are also aware that by placing one ear near the ground, far-off
+sounds of horse's hoofs and the like can be clearly distinguished. The
+ticking of a Waterbury watch could be heard by Ainu at a distance of
+twenty and twenty-two feet, while I could only hear it nineteen feet
+away. I was often struck by the quickness with which they detected the
+tick-tack even when the watch was in my pocket, and they were six or
+eight feet away. The unusual sound fixed their attention and made them
+curious as to the cause, and they showed a childish kind of surprise and
+delight when the watch was produced and passed round among them, each
+one being allowed to enjoy his share of the ticking.
+
+Resuming these few remarks on the characteristic points of Ainu senses,
+my readers will probably have noticed certain facts which strongly
+support Darwin's theory of evolution, and the hairy arboreal ancestor
+with pointed ears from which the races of men are descended.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: TROPHY OF BEARS' SKULLS.]
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+The Ainu Superstitions--Morals--Laws and Punishments.
+
+
+I cannot begin this chapter better than by saying that Ainu religious
+ideas are essentially chaotic. They recognise no supreme God, and no
+intelligent Creator; and they cannot be called polytheists, for indeed
+they are not _worshippers_ of any power--taking the word in its full
+meaning. The Ainu worship nothing.
+
+If they have any belief at all it is an imperfect kind of Totemism, and
+the central point of that belief is their own descent from the "bear."
+This does not include the smallest reverence for their ancestor. They
+capture their "Totem" and keep it in captivity; they speak to it and
+feed it; but no prayers are offered to it. When the bear is fat, it is
+taken out of the cage to be ill-treated and baited by all the men
+present. It is tied to a stake and a pole is thrust into its mouth; and
+when the poor beast has been sufficiently tortured, pricked with pointed
+sticks, shot at with blunted arrows, bruised with stones, maddened with
+rage and ill-usage, it is killed outright, and, "ancestor" as it may be,
+it makes the chief dish and _raison d'�tre_ of a festival, where all the
+members of the tribe partake of its flesh. The owner of the hut in which
+the feast takes place then sticks the skull on to a forked pole, and
+sets it outside with the others at the east end of his hut. The skin is
+made into garments, or is spread on the ground to sleep on.
+
+In addition to this rudimentary kind of Totemism--if I may call it
+so--the Ainu show a certain amount of fear and respect for anything
+which supports their life or can destroy it. This, however, is under the
+form of an "instinct" rather than a "religious feeling." Dumb animals of
+any kind are similarly affected by powers which they cannot explain; but
+as we would not think for a moment that when a dog is barking at the
+moon the dog is worshipping the orb of night, or when it basks in the
+sun that it is offering prayers and reverence to the orb of day, no more
+should we think that the Ainu, who are not much above dumb animals,
+worship all they respect and fear.
+
+If other writers, most of whom have never visited the Ainu country, had
+not written on this subject, I would have limited myself to saying that
+the Ainu, properly speaking, have no religion, but as certain untenable
+theories and false ideas have been published, I feel bound to state what
+I know on the subject, that, so far as I can, I may correct these
+erroneous impressions. I regard myself as qualified to speak with some
+authority, as I am the _only_ foreigner who has seen and studied _all_
+the different tribes of Ainu in Yezo and the Kuriles; while other
+writers, the few who have actually been there, have based their
+statements on a few half-castes or Ainu in the more civilised part of
+southern Yezo, collecting from them ideas left behind by previous
+travellers, and offering them to the public as purely Ainu. That these
+hasty travellers and cursory writers have been deceived, or have
+deceived themselves, is not astonishing; for it must be borne in mind
+that the Ainu language is as poor in words as the Ainu brain is
+deficient in thoughts. Thus it is no easy matter to explain to an Ainu
+what is meant by "religion," by "divinities," and by "worship." The
+nearest approach can be made only by comparisons and analogies, which
+often lead far from the point aimed at. Like all savages and barbarians,
+the Ainu are more apt to answer as they think will please the questioner
+than to give a definition of their own beliefs. The manner in which a
+question is put gives the keynote to the reply, which is in no sense an
+independent statement of their own thoughts.
+
+For instance, if you were to say to an Ainu, "You are old, are you not?"
+he would answer "Yes"; but if you asked the same man, "You are not old,
+are you?" he would equally answer "Yes." Knowingly speaking the truth is
+not one of their characteristics; indeed, they do not know the
+difference between falsehood and truth. This is a common failing with
+all savages as well as with all Orientals; but with the Ainu it is even
+more accentuated; and when, in addition to this, the difficulty of
+making them understand exactly what one means is taken into
+consideration, it is not astonishing that a traveller arrives at a wrong
+conclusion if the utmost pains be not taken in pursuing one's
+investigations.
+
+Of course the Ainu who have come in contact with Japanese know of a God,
+and some of them, at the instigation of Japanese _bonzes_, have become
+nominal Buddhists. Benry, at Piratori, showed me a small Buddhist
+shrine, of Japanese manufacture, which had been put up on a neighbouring
+hill. All the time I stayed at Piratori I never observed any Ainu
+worship at it. One day I saw two boys throwing stones at it, but that
+could hardly be called an act of reverence, even among my hairy friends.
+
+On my inquiring as to the origin and use of the shrine, I was told by
+some that it was erected to the God of the Japanese. Benry, who was
+always "well informed," both in things that he knew and those that he
+did not know, said that it was built in honour of Yoshitsune, the
+Japanese personage who, as we have seen, is the hero in semi-Ainu
+legends, and whose image or spirit, according to travellers' tales, is
+worshipped by the Ainu.
+
+It always appeared strange to me that the Piratori Ainu had this
+Japanese hero in their legends, but still more strange that they should
+make him their deity. Yet what was most singular of all was, that with
+the exception of Benry and a few others at Piratori, no other Ainu I
+met in any other part of Yezo seemed to know about Yoshitsune--or
+Okikurumi, as he is sometimes called by them; and, moreover, they knew
+nothing of his doings, or of the reason of his being worshipped. The
+Ainu of the Tokachi knew nothing whatever of this personage.
+
+The Ainu idea of soul is always associated with "breath" or "life;" and
+as for the resurrection of the body and the future life of the soul,
+they have never even dreamt of it. Metempsychosis is equally unknown to
+them.
+
+As my readers have seen, in the description of a burial the implements
+and weapons which belonged to a deceased person are buried with him. The
+articles, however, previous to being thrown into the grave, are smashed
+to pieces; for the idea is, not that the dead body should profit by
+these things in the other world, but that no other person should make
+use of what had been his property in this. The reasoning power of the
+Ainu does not carry him beyond what is purely material; his mind has
+never been trained to go beyond that limit, and he finds that he can
+live well within it. Like all animals, he is guided by his instinct,
+which tells him what is good and what is bad for him; but as to any
+attempt to find out _why_ such things are good or bad for him, he is
+utterly at a loss, and has to give up the quest. Though not devoid of a
+rudimentary kind of shrewdness, the Ainu is dense and ignorant to the
+last degree, and just as he is reluctant to adopt new modes of living,
+so he is unable to accept new ideas or larger thoughts. The mere
+conception of a Superior Being, who is the Maker of all things and above
+all things, is far beyond the comprehension of any Ainu. Eating and
+drinking are what he principally lives for. He does not thirst for
+knowledge, nor strive after the Divine; and he has no creed of any kind
+and no formula of sacrifice or worship, which two conditions are
+essential to even the most elementary religion.
+
+What the Ainu do really possess in the way of supernaturalism is the
+ordinary savage's credulous superstition, which manifests itself in
+certain charms or fear of certain omens. However, after that degree they
+take the world as it comes. They have no idea of who made it, and they
+are not anxious to learn. The sun, the moon, bears, salmon, water, fire,
+mountains, trees, are all things for which an Ainu has a dumb kind of
+regard, not amounting to reverence, as he knows that he could not live
+without them. This has led some persons to define these objects as the
+principal divinities of the Ainu, and to call the people themselves
+polytheists. The word _Kamoi_, or _Kamui_, has been rendered as "god,"
+gods "divinity." Now, what does the word _Kamoi_, or _Kamui_, really
+mean? Translated literally it means "old" or "ancient"; but amongst a
+hundred other meanings it also denotes "large," "beautiful," "strange,"
+"it," "the man," "he who," &c. In fact, it is used to qualify anything,
+whether good or bad; and in some ways corresponds to our adjectives
+"wonderful," "awful," "grand "; but assuredly the Ainu do not by this
+word mean to designate the objects thus described as so many gods.
+Anything for which they entertain respect or fear is described as
+_Kamoi_, or _Kamui_, which thus is applied to the sun, the moon, the
+stars, mountains, rivers, old trees, bears, salmon, large stones, &c.,
+not with the intention of making them divinities, but simply to specify
+their power, greatness, or antiquity. The word is applied to every kind
+of thing, animate or inanimate, good or bad, respected or derided,
+dreaded or revered, admired or abhorred. It is sometimes a prefix,
+sometimes an affix, and is the most universal attribute the Ainu world
+or language contains. We are, therefore, forced to the conclusion, that
+either the Ainu are polytheists or pantheists to such an extent as
+occasionally to make everything and everybody a god; or else, that
+translators have given their own, and a greatly exaggerated, meaning to
+the word _Kamui_, and that these so-called gods are not gods at all. To
+me there is no alternative opinion on the matter. The Ainu have no gods
+in our sense.
+
+Basing conclusions on wrong premises, writers on the Ainu religion have
+been naturally led astray altogether. For instance, the composite word
+_Kotan-kara-kamui_,[39] which a learned missionary has translated
+"Creator," only means "the man who made the village"--a description
+which hardly corresponds to the grandeur attributed to the words by its
+imaginative translator.
+
+    [39] _Kotan_, village, place, site; _kara_, to make, build; _kamui_,
+    the man, ancient, strength.
+
+Then again, _Kamui kotan_, which according to some means "the home of
+God," in its real signification is "an ancient village; a beautiful
+place." When _Kamui_ is applied to persons, it is generally a suffix;
+when to things, it is a prefix.
+
+But let us come to the _inao_, which by some have been called the "Ainu
+gods," by others "Divine symbols." These _inao_ are willow-wands, with
+shavings depending from the upper end, sometimes from the middle, and
+occasionally from near the lower end as well.
+
+The larger wands are about four feet in length, and have either one or
+two bunches of shavings at the upper end only. They go by the name of
+_inao netuba_, or "big _inao_." Other smaller _inao_, like the
+_Chisei-kara-inao_,[40] are kept in the house, and stuck in the eastern
+corner of the hearth, and in the wall directly opposite the entrance
+door. Some of the _inao_ are shaved upwards from the bottom, others
+downwards from the top; and one, a big _inao_, is often thrust through
+the small window facing the east. Sometimes they are placed about
+singly, especially inside the huts; but outside, close to the eastern
+wall, I have often seen eight or ten standing together in a row. When so
+taken collectively they are called _nuza_. On Volcano Bay, up the Saru
+River, and on the Lake Kutcharo, where it is the custom of the Ainu to
+make trophies of the skulls of bears and deer which have been killed in
+the hunt, one or two _inao_ are placed at the foot of the trophy.
+Sometimes, but very rarely, a whole _nuza_ is to be seen in front of a
+trophy; but in most cases the _nuza_ I saw were near huts that had no
+trophy at all, and, as I say, only very seldom were they in front of the
+trophy itself, unless a bear feast was going on. I am therefore under
+the impression that these _nuza_ are only put up when some festival
+takes place, and that they are not kept there permanently. I remember
+that at Piratori there were no _inao_ and no _nuza_ outside Benry's
+house, but on the day that the festival took place one was put up, and
+several _inao_ were placed inside the hut, in the hearth and on the
+north wall. Likewise, a _nuza_ was put up on the same day at the east
+end of the hut in which the feast was given, and the inside was also
+adorned with _inao_ of various sizes and descriptions. Each _inao_ is
+pointed at the lower end, so as to be easily stuck in the ground. The
+_inao_ of all sizes and shapes impressed me as being mostly for
+ornament. Then some are held as charms against misfortune and disease;
+but they never impressed me as being offerings to the gods. _Inao_ are
+placed near springs, so that the good water may not turn into
+pestilential, and occasionally _inao_ of a peculiar shape are hung in
+the doorway of newly-built huts. They are made of a number of small
+willow sticks tied together, from which hang five or six bunches of
+shavings; they are hung horizontally, and not in a vertical position,
+like the other _inao_. They are very uncommon, and only used on certain
+specified occasions. For example, when a child is born an _inao_, in the
+shape of a doll, is made of a bunch of reeds folded double and tied with
+a string about an inch from the bend, which thus forms the head; it is
+then tied lower down to indicate the waist. By dividing the reeds into
+two equal portions they produce a pair of legs, and a stick is then
+passed through the reeds between the head and the waist to form the
+arms. When this doll is made it is placed near the infant, so that
+should any disease or misfortune, in the shape of a kind of evil spirit,
+be tempted to enter the child's body, it may be averted, and enter the
+doll instead. Should a person fall ill new _inao_ are stuck in the
+hearth, as the Ainu share our own idea that evil spirits dwell mostly in
+fire; others are placed near the sick person. They are not meant as
+offerings to the gods for his or her quick recovery, but merely to bring
+good luck to the individual whose body they think has been taken
+possession of by "animals inside," or, in other words, evil spirits.
+
+    [40] _Chisei_, house, dwelling, hut; _kara_, make; also, have.
+
+Even at the present day in England and on the Continent horseshoes for
+luck are hung over entrance doors, and if a horseshoe be fastened on to
+a stable-door, the beasts within are supposed to be held free from
+accidents and illness.
+
+In Spain and Italy little red rags tied to a small wand, not dissimilar
+in shape to a small Ainu _inao_, are stuck in flower-pots near windows,
+over beds, doors, and up chimneys, to keep witches at bay, red being a
+powerful exorcist in the way of colours, and as good as the "running
+stream which witches dare not cross." Some hysterical women have
+declared that they have seen witches hiding in the smoke of the boiling
+_Pentola_ (the earthenware pot in which the soup is boiled)--but that on
+seeing the red rags they vanished, and never visited the house again.
+Italian and Spanish women and children almost invariably carry charms
+round their necks, that are to keep them safe from harm; and,
+furthermore, when a child falls ill, one or more red rags are fastened
+to its bed before a doctor is sent for. Then, again, people suffering
+from epileptic fits have often been supposed to be "possessed," and
+beaten to death or burnt alive, so that the evil spirit which was in
+them should thus be destroyed. It must be borne in mind that not many
+centuries ago similar beliefs were prevalent even in free and
+enlightened England.
+
+If we compare these beliefs with those of the Ainu, we find that they
+differ very little either in form or substance. In place of the witches
+which our own ancestors, modern Italians, and Spaniards, and some
+benighted peasantry still to be found in the West of England, believed,
+and do still believe in, the Ainu have imaginary animals or evil
+spirits. The wands and red rags of our Latin neighbours are represented
+by their _inao_; and our lucky horseshoe is with them the horizontal
+_inao_. Charms are worn by the Ainu men, women, and children; and when
+going to war or to hunt the men carry a block of wood to which their
+knife or sword is attached, and on the right-hand side of which hangs a
+small _inao_.
+
+These blocks of wood are flattened, and are elliptical at both ends.
+Their length varies from four to fifteen inches, and sometimes
+ornaments--generally circles--are carved on them. A string is fastened
+on one side so as to sling them to the shoulder; but they are usually
+carried under the arm. They are supposed to protect the carrier from
+accidents, and also to bring him good fortune.
+
+We see, then, that similar ideas are entertained by utterly different
+peoples thousands of miles distant from one another; and that certain
+superstitious beliefs left on this side of the globe find their parallel
+among the hairy people on the other. Of course with them it is natural
+that their beliefs should count for more than with Europeans, as
+civilisation has not in any way enlarged or improved their minds; but it
+seems to me unfair that the same identical beliefs should go under the
+name of _superstitions_ when applied to Europeans, and called the "Ainu
+religion" when practised by the hairy inhabitants of Northern Japan.
+Though to this I know it may be replied that, as all things spring from
+germs, so these ignorant superstitions of the Ainu may be in a manner
+called their religion, as the germ of a more developed system--the
+cotyledonous state of what might grow into a more advanced spirituality.
+Like the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Ainu wave their
+moustache-lifters, during their libations, towards the sun, the fire,
+and the person who has paid for the wine, before they address themselves
+to the large wooden bowls wherein lies their happiness; but this also is
+not a religious ceremony, and no religious feeling whatever is connected
+with it. It is a mere _toast_--part of their etiquette--which exactly
+corresponds to the German "_Prosit_," or to our English "Your good
+health." The Ainu of course have no special high-days, no Sundays, no
+religious services, no prayers, no priests, no sacrificial priests, no
+churches, and no bells; but they can "swear"; and as the Neapolitans
+invoke their saints, so they occasionally call the sun, the moon, the
+fire, and everything else, all sorts of bad names if things do not go as
+they ought. This "swearing" has been defined as _Ainu praying_ by one
+authority on the Ainu religion; moreover, the same authority calls the
+Ainu a "distinctly religious people," and an "exceedingly religious
+race!" To anyone who visits a country and regards all that he finds from
+one point of view only, it is not difficult to interpret words and
+things in accordance with the preconceived idea; but however high the
+principles sought to be established, I do not consider a man justified
+in attributing to definite facts an importance and significance to which
+they have no claim. I have no doubt that a native who had associated
+with or been in the employment of a Christian would make statements in
+accordance with his master's belief as it had been taught him; but it is
+incorrect to offer these "borrowed statements" as the religious beliefs
+of a whole nation.
+
+I shall not discuss this question at greater length; but for the sake of
+readers who are interested in the subject it may be well to make two or
+three more statements before closing this chapter. The Ainu do not know
+of a heaven and hell; but in one of the latest publications on the
+aborigines of Japan we are told that they do; and, moreover, that they
+are fully aware of the resurrection of the body in the other world!
+
+Even assuming, for the moment, that the Ainu are theists, or
+polytheists, after what we have heard of their gods, this is a somewhat
+surprising statement. It will be remembered that anything good or bad,
+dreaded or repulsive, respected or not respected, is qualified by the
+Ainu as _Kamui_, and we shall attribute for a while the imaginary
+meaning of "God" to the word. Now, if everything and everybody, good or
+bad, is equally a god, I myself fail to see the necessity of a hell, as
+the chances are that all the gods would inhabit heaven. This alone
+serves to show how absurd the theory is; but I wish to give the exact
+translation of the words _Kando_ and _Teine-pokna-moshiri_, which are
+said to be the two Ainu expressions for "heaven" and "hell."
+
+_Kando_ means "sky," not "heaven." _Teine-pokna-moshiri_[41] stands for
+the "wet earth under(ground)." As the Ainu are in the habit of burying
+their dead, I find it more rational to apply to the words in question
+the meaning of a "burial-place," a "cold place of rest" rather than that
+of Hades or Gehenna.
+
+    [41] _Teine_, wet; _pokna_, under; _moshiri_, earth, place, island.
+
+"They" (the Ainu), says a learned missionary, "seem to conceive of men
+and women as living in large communities in the other world in the same
+way and under the same conditions as they do in this, excepting that
+they can know no death." In other words, resurrection of the body and
+eternal life.
+
+Strange to say, the writer of the same lines asserted in the
+"Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan,"[42] that "The Ainu _know
+nothing_ of a resurrection of the body."
+
+    [42] Vol. X., Part II., �6.
+
+It must not be argued that because they have no religion the Ainu are
+bad people. They are far from it. They are decidedly not moral, for
+nothing is immoral among them. The Ainu must be considered more as
+animals than as human beings. When we speak of a dog, we do not ask
+whether it is a moral dog, but only if it is a good dog. The same can be
+said of the Ainu. We cannot compare them to ourselves, nor judge them by
+our own standard of morality. Taken by themselves they are gentle, kind,
+brave, and above everything they are simple. Their language, manners,
+customs, arts, habits, as we have seen, are the very simplest and rudest
+possible. Thus, it is absurd to suppose that such simple brains could
+entertain high religious ideas. If they had brains enough to compass
+high religious beliefs they would long ago have used those brains in
+bettering their miserable condition and filthy mode of living. They
+would have striven to make the beginnings of a history and a literature,
+or at least to have devised or adopted some mode of writing with which
+they could preserve these high ideas, and pass them on from generation
+to generation. Even their language is so poor in words as to hardly
+express their everyday wants. The Ainu are low in the scale of humanity.
+They have always been low; they have not sunk, for they have never
+risen. They have never done any harm in this world, and they will never
+do any good.
+
+The Ainu are without laws, which, paradoxical as it sounds, to a great
+extent makes them good. People are never so good as when no harm can be
+done. There are indeed few crimes among them; no voluntary infanticides;
+very very rarely murders; no suicides; little theft, and as little
+treachery among people of the same tribe. Though usually retiring and
+reserved, they are hospitable on special occasions, and generous with
+what little they possess. The young show an instinctive reverence for
+the aged, without considering it a virtue or a duty. Cowardice is
+despised by the Ainu, but courage, endurance of pain, and hardship,
+drunkenness, and similar qualities, are looked on as the chief virtues
+in men. Punishments are seldom inflicted by Ainu on any of their
+tribesmen, and the crime must indeed be great to raise the whole
+community against the criminal. If by rare chance some great evil has
+been done, the chief of the village and all the men assemble, and decide
+on the punishment to be inflicted. Flogging is the general punishment
+for the lesser crimes, which, according to Ainu ideas, are theft and
+assault. The murder of a tribesman is sometimes punished by cutting the
+tendons of the hands and feet of the murderer, thus disabling him from
+hunting or fishing. If, however, the man murdered was of another tribe,
+or a Japanese, this Draconian kind of justice is not administered.
+Quarrels among tribesmen are settled by private retribution, and no one
+interferes either one way or the other. These quarrels, however, very
+seldom occur, as the Ainu are naturally a peaceful people. Imprisonment
+does not exist, for the simple reason that the Ainu have no prisons.
+They do not know what a prison is; neither is capital punishment
+practised by them. According to their own ideas they are not cruel to
+children, for we seldom see them wilfully ill-treating them; but
+according to civilised notions Ainu women make shockingly bad mothers.
+They love, but they do not look after, nor practically take care of,
+their little ones after these are about a year and a half old; and as to
+washing them, combing their hair, educating them, or trying to cure them
+of the thousand and one wretched skin diseases, which come chiefly by
+their own neglect, an Ainu mother puts her hand to these things no more
+than the men put theirs to the building of a temple or the creation of a
+literature. This neglect is not with them, as it would be with us, an
+intolerable crime, but is the natural result of their animal instinct as
+contradistinguished from rational development. For if a baby is not old
+enough at one and a half years of age to take care of himself, he is of
+no good as an Ainu. It is needless to add that, in these circumstances,
+most of them are of no good, and that the percentage of infantile deaths
+is appalling to a civilised mind.
+
+[Illustration: 1, 7, INAO-NETUBA. 2, 3, 4, 5, CHISEI-KARA-INAO. 6, A
+PESTLE OR POUNDER.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+Marital Relations, and Causes that Limit Population.
+
+
+The laws of marriage in the Ainu country are not very stringent; in
+fact, there are no laws. If a young man takes a fancy to a pretty hairy
+maid, and the maid reciprocates his affections, all they have to do is
+to go and live together, and there is no Mrs. Grundy to be scandalised
+at the want of closer forms and ceremonies. There is no function to
+celebrate the occasion; there are no wedding presents, no bridesmaids,
+no officiating clergyman, and no old slipper flung after the happy pair
+as soon as the knot is tied. The bridegroom either goes to live in his
+bride's hut, or, if he does not care for his mother-in-law, he will
+bring his lady-love to his own father's hut. Usually, however, the two,
+especially if their respective families are large, prefer to build a hut
+of their own. The honeymoon is spent in house-building, and while the
+bride carries the loads of timber and long reeds, the bridegroom
+accomplishes the more difficult task of putting them together as well as
+he can for future shelter. All goes well with the happy couple until the
+roof has to be lifted up bodily and perched on the forked poles, during
+which process "family rows" generally begin. But they do not last long,
+and when the house is finished, though not decorated, home peace reigns
+within, and the bridegroom, as we have already seen, proceeds to
+ornament his chief treasure--his wife--with tattoos on her arms. This
+idyllic state of things is not specially permanent, for soon after this
+first marriage the Ainu feels that he would like another wife, and,
+without thinking twice about it, he marries again. Though savage and
+barbarian, the Ainu is shrewd enough not to take his second wife to live
+with his first, for he knows what the result would be, human nature
+being the same in Yezo as it is in London, and jealousy as strong among
+the tattooed women of the hairy people as among the fair-skinned
+daughters of the West. All women are bad enough when out of temper, but
+the Ainu women are pre-eminent in this respect. Our shock-haired
+bigamist calls his first wife _poro-machi_--"great wife," and he calls
+the other _pon-machi_--"small wife;" and as long as the two females do
+not live under the same roof they are all happy with the arrangement.
+If, indeed, he chooses to have more than these two wives he thinks small
+blame to himself. There is no bar of any kind in his code to his having
+a third "half;" but this seldom happens now, for the women are not in
+such over abundance in the Ainu country as to allow each man to indulge
+in a "triple alliance." The Ainu are therefore polygamists when they can
+find the third woman, and almost always bigamists when this is possible.
+The wife does not take her husband's name, for no Ainu has a family
+surname; and each man or woman is called after some peculiarity which he
+or she possesses, or after some event or accident which has befallen
+them. For instance, _Una-charo_, a man's name, means "Sprinkled-ashes,"
+and _Yei-Ainu_, "Dangerous Ainu," &c.; and _Korunke_, a woman's name,
+means "Ice-eater;" _Reoback_, "Who burst three times," and so on, each
+person having a different name, which is nothing more than a nick-name.
+When the girl gets married she does not drop this nick-name, neither, as
+has been said, does she take her husband's name, though sometimes she is
+called So-and-So's wife. Supposing that Miss Burst-three-times were to
+marry Mr. Sprinkled-ashes, she would be Mr. Sprinkled-ashes' wife, and
+would still be called by her maiden name, Burst-three-times.
+
+It is impossible to quote exact statistics of the Ainu population, and
+whether the women outnumber the men, but from my own observation I
+should think that females are in excess of the males in some districts,
+and about even in others.
+
+The man, naturally, is the lord and master of the household, and the
+wife is like a kind of inferior being or a slave, whose duty it is to
+obey her male companion. She has to yield in everything, whether she is
+right or wrong; she is occasionally beaten; she never takes active part
+in any of her husband's Bacchanalian revels; but though she leads a sad
+kind of life, a life of hard work and no pleasure, she does not seem to
+be any the worse for it. There are wives, of course, who, as in other
+countries, give a "pretty rough time" to their husbands; but in the Ainu
+country these are certainly the exception. As there is no ceremony of
+marriage, there is naturally no "divorce;" but if an Ainu gets sick of
+his wife, all he has to do is to leave her and go elsewhere, or else to
+banish her from his hut. This, however, very seldom happens, for that
+rare creature the henpecked Ainu husband is willing to put up with a
+lot; and though brave enough to encounter single-handed a bear, the
+hairy man is by no means valiant enough to face his wife's temper;
+while, for all that she is practically a slave, and personally an
+inferior, is sometimes in Ainuland, as everywhere else, the strongest
+factor in the domestic sum.
+
+As long as the wife does her duty well as a "beast of burden," little
+more is required from her. Her morals, as far as I could make out, are
+not well looked after. Adultery is not considered a crime. I do not mean
+by this that adultery is practised on principle, for it is not so: there
+is no reason whatever why it should be, for each man has his own wife or
+wives; but if adultery were practised by any members of a community,
+what we consider a dreadful crime would be regarded as a mere "joke"
+among the hairy people. The husband, like any other animal, dumb or not,
+would naturally resent the intrusion, but the community would in no way
+interfere, or punish the offender. A girl is considered fit to be
+married when she is about sixteen years of age; a man about twenty, or
+as soon as the body is fully developed.
+
+People as a rule marry in the same village. It is but seldom that a girl
+marries a man or a man a girl of a different village. Villages, as we
+have seen, are generally composed of only a few houses, and the result
+of this strict endogamy is, that marriages take place among very near
+relations. In very small villages of only one or two houses, the father
+has been known to marry his own daughter, the uncle his own niece, &c.
+But enough of this. The result of this dreadful state of affairs is,
+that the race is rapidly dying out, destroyed by consumption, lunacy,
+and poverty of blood. All the members of one village are necessarily
+related to one another; and, as I have demonstrated in a previous
+chapter, this is the main cause why certain diseases are common to one
+community and utterly unknown to others, and certain hereditary talents
+or tendencies are frequent in one village and imperceptible in the next.
+
+The Ainu seem to have no Platonic love; their love is purely sexual. It
+is not to be wondered at, in a country where marital relations are so
+peculiar, that very little love is felt for children beyond a certain
+age. The mother suckles her own child usually for seven or eight months.
+She can bear children till she is about thirty-five, though some who
+seem to be much older are still fruitful. It was difficult to ascertain
+this fact for no Ainu knows his own age. As far as I could learn
+fertility is neither hindered nor checked in any way--either by adopting
+a peculiar diet or by other practices. On the other hand, many a woman
+is sterile, and many are also affected with the most horrible of all
+diseases. I am inclined to think, however, that this special malady was
+imported to Yezo with Japanese civilisation, for it is in the more
+civilised parts of the Ainu country that it is most frequent.
+
+There is probably no country in the world where there is so much loss of
+infant life due to want, accidents, and diseases, as with the Ainu.
+Abortion is common, owing to the severe exertion of the mother during
+pregnancy; and many a child dies not many days after birth for the same
+reason, and consequent disappearance of milk in the mother's breasts.
+The greater mortality of children, however, is between the age of six
+and ten. Only a small percentage of these poor creatures live to take
+part in the game of life; while many succumb to ill-treatment and the
+most horrible skin eruptions. Thus we have a good explanation of the
+frightful rapidity with which the Ainu race is fast disappearing.
+Naturally, those few who survive grow strong and healthy; but their
+great fondness for alcoholic drinks, which they can now so easily
+procure from the Japanese, destroys even them.
+
+One is generally struck in Ainuland by the number of old men and
+children, and by the almost entire lack of young fellows between the age
+of fifteen and thirty. This is due mainly to the great increase of
+mortality in children during the last two generations. The sadness which
+seems to oppress the Ainu, and which we see depicted on the face of each
+individual, is nothing but the outcome of this degeneration of the race.
+As a race the Ainu will soon be extinct. I dare say that in fifty years
+from now--probably not so long--not one of the hairy savages, who were
+once the masters of Sakhalin, Yezo, the Kuriles, Kamschatka, and the
+whole of the southern Japanese Empire, will be left. Not one of these
+strange people--soft, good, and gentle, but savage, brave, and
+disreputable--will live to see their country civilised; and in the life
+which they have led of filth and vice they will die in front of that
+greater scourge, civilisation, leaving behind no traces of themselves,
+of their past, of their history, nor of their present--nothing but a
+faint recollection, a tradition, that in Yezo and the Kuriles died the
+last remains of those curious people, the Hairy Ainu.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX.
+
+
+I.--MEASUREMENTS OF THE AINU BODY, AND DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS.
+
+
+The following measurements were taken on five men and five women of the
+pure Ainu of Frishikobets (Upper Tokachi River). They were carefully
+chosen among the best types.
+
+The names of the men were:--
+
+1. Unacharo: _Una_, ashes; _charo_, sprinkled = "Sprinkled-ashes."
+
+2. Aba pukuro: _Aba_, a relation; _pu_, storehouse; _kuro_, a man =
+"Related to the man of the storehouse."
+
+3. Pe chantwe; _Pe_, undrinkable water; _chan_, to run away; _we_, to
+tell = "Who ran to tell of the undrinkable water."
+
+4. Kosankeyan: _Ko san_, to go down; _ke_, eating; _yan_, cold.
+
+5. Yei Ainu: _Yei_, dangerous; _Ainu_, Ainu.
+
+The following were the names of the women:--
+
+1. Usattean: _Usat_, cinders; _tean_, long.
+
+2. Korunke: _Korun_, ice; _ke_, to eat = "Ice-eater."
+
+3. Sho kem: _Sho_, so; _kem_, blood = "Covered with blood."
+
+4. Uina mon: _Uina or Una_, ashes; _mon_, tranquil.
+
+5. Reoback: _Re_, three; _oback_, to burst = "Who burst three times."
+
+
+                     HEIGHT.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 61     }                  1. 58-3/4 }
+  2. 65     }                  2. 59-7/8 }
+  3. 60-1/2 } Med. 62-19/40    3. 59-1/2 } Med. 58-3/8
+  4. 64-7/8 }                  4. 54-5/8 }
+  5. 61     }                  5. 59-1/8 }
+
+
+  LENGTH FROM TIP TO TIP OF FINGERS WITH ARMS
+                  OUTSTRETCHED.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 64-5/8 }                  1. 59-1/8 }
+  2. 65     }                  2. 62-1/2 }
+  3. 63-1/2 } Med. 65-3/8.     3. 62-1/2 } Med. 61-13/40.
+  4. 69-1/2 }                  4. 60     }
+  5. 64-1/4 }                  5. 62-1/2 }
+
+
+It is interesting to notice the great difference between the height and
+this latter measurement, showing the great length of the arms in the
+Ainu race.
+
+
+                  THE HUMERUS.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 9     }                    1. 8-1/2  }
+  2. 9-5/8 }                    2. 8-3/4  }
+  3. 8-1/2 } Med. 9-9/40.       3. 10-3/8 } Med. 9-19/40.
+  4. 9     }                    4. 9-3/4  }
+  5. 10    }                    5. 10     }
+
+
+                    THE ARM.
+
+                    THE ULNA.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 9-1/4  }                  1. 9-1/4 }
+  2. 10-3/4 }                  2. 9-1/8 }
+  3. 9-1/8  } Med. 9-37/40.    3. 8-7/8 } Med. 9-1/4.
+  4. 11     }                  4. 9-3/8 }
+  5. 9-1/2  }                  5. 9-5/8 }
+
+                    THE HAND.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 7-3/8 }                   1. 6-7/8 }
+  2. 7-1/2 }                   2. 7     }
+  3. 7-1/4 } Med. 7-2/5.       3. 6-7/8 } Med. 6-9/10.
+  4. 7-7/8 }                   4. 6-3/4 }
+  5. 7     }                   5. 7     }
+
+
+  THE SPINE (dorsal and lumbar vertebr� to the sacrum).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 25-1/2 }                  1. 27     }
+  2. 28-5/8 }                  2. 26-3/4 }
+  3. 27-1/2 } Med. 27-4/5.     3. 28-1/4 } Med. 27-5/8.
+  4. 29-5/8 }                  4. 27     }
+  5. 27-3/4 }                  5. 29-1/8 }
+
+
+         THE LEG (Femur, Tibia and Foot.)
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 34-3/8 }                  1. 32-7/8 }
+  2. 36-1/4 }                  2. 35-1/2 }
+  3. 32-1/2 } Med. 35-1/20.    3. 34     } Med. 33-13/20.
+  4. 37-7/8 }                  4. 30-1/2 }
+  5. 34-1/4 }                  5. 35-3/8 }
+
+
+                      FEMUR.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 17-1/2 }                  1. 18-3/8 }
+  2. 18-3/8 }                  2. 19-7/8 }
+  3. 17-1/8 } Med. 18-5/8.     3. 18-1/2 } Med. 17-33/40.
+  4. 20     }                  4. 14     }
+  5. 20-1/8 }                  5. 18-3/8 }
+
+
+                      TIBIA.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 14     }                  1. 14-1/4 }
+  2. 14-7/8 }                  2. 13     }
+  3. 12-5/8 } Med. 13-1/2.     3. 13-1/2 } Med. 13-4/5.
+  4. 14-7/8 }                  4. 14     }
+  5. 11-1/8 }                  5. 14-1/4 }
+  (The Tibia is very flattened with the Ainu.)
+
+
+          TARSUS (from ground to Ankle).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 2-3/4 }                   1. 2     }
+  2. 3     }                   2. 2-5/8 }
+  3. 3     } Med. 3.           3. 2     } Med. 2-3/8.
+  4. 3-1/4 }                   4. 2-1/2 }
+  5. 3     }                   5. 2-3/4 }
+
+
+         CHEST (from Arm-pit to Arm-pit).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 13-1/2 }                  1. 12-5/8 }
+  2. 13-5/8 }                  2. 14-1/4 }
+  3. 13-1/2 } Med. 13-19/40.   3. 14-1/4 } Med.  13-7/20.
+  4. 13     }                  4. 12-1/4 }
+  5. 13-3/4 }                  5. 13-3/8 }
+
+
+                  AROUND CHEST.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 36-1/2 }                   1. 33-3/8 }
+  2. 35-3/8 }                   2. 34-1/2 }
+  3. 37-1/2 } Med. 37-3/40.     3. 35-1/2 } Med. 34-1/5.
+  4. 37-5/8 }                   4. 32-7/8 }
+  5. 38-1/8 }                   5. 34-3/4 }
+
+
+                  AROUND WAIST.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 33     }                   1. 28-3/8 }
+  2. 37     }                   2. 31-1/2 }
+  3. 34     } Med. 34-7/10.     3. 34-7/8 } Med. 31-7/20.
+  4. 36     }                   4. 31     }
+  5. 33-1/2 }                   5. (37-5/8 but was conceived.)
+
+
+          MAXIMUM BREADTH OF  SHOULDERS.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 19-1/4 }                   1. 15-1/2 }
+  2. 16     }                   2. 13-5/8 }
+  3. 18     } Med. 17-1/2.      3. 13-7/8 } Med. 14-2/5.
+  4. 18     }                   4. 13-7/8 }
+  5. 16-1/4 }                   5. 15-1/8 }
+
+
+                    THE FOOT.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1.  9-1/4 }                   1. 8-5/8 }
+  2.  9-5/8 }                   2. 9-1/8 }
+  3.  9-1/2 } Med. 9-23/40.     3. 9-1/8 } Med. 8-4/5.
+  4. 10-1/4 }                   4. 8-1/4 }
+  5.  9-1/4 }                   5. 8-7/8 }
+
+
+                    THE HEAD
+      (around the Head, just above the Ears).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 23-1/2 }                   1. 23-3/8 }
+  2. 23-1/2 }                   2. 22-5/8 }
+  3. 24-3/8 } Med. 23-3/4.      3. 23-5/8 } Med. 22-29/40.
+  4. 22-3/8 }                   4. 22     }
+  5. 23-1/8 }                   5. 23     }
+
+
+                 LENGTH OF FACE.
+              (From Hair to Chin.)
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 7-1/2 }                    1. 7-1/4 }
+  2. 9     }                    2. 6-3/4 }
+  3. 7-1/2 } Med. 7-31/40.      3. 6-3/4 } Med. 6-7/8.
+  4. 6-7/8 }                    4. 7     }
+  5. 8     }                    5. 6-5/8 }
+
+
+          WIDTH OF FACE FROM EAR TO EAR
+         (over Forehead and Cheek Bones).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 11-7/8 }                   1. 11-1/8 }
+  2. 12-1/2 }                   2. 11     }
+  3. 12     } Med. 11-19/20.    3. 11-3/4 } Med. 11-21/40.
+  4. 12     }                   4. 11-7/8 }
+  5. 12-1/8 }                   5. 11-1/8 }
+
+
+              HEIGHT OF FOREHEAD.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 2-1/4 }                    1. 2-1/4 }
+  2. 2-7/8 }                    2. 1-3/4 }
+  3. 2-3/8 } Med. 2-2/5.        3. 2-1/8 } Med. 2.
+  4. 2     }                    4. 2     }
+  5. 2-3/4 }                    5. 1-7/8 }
+
+
+                WIDTH OF FOREHEAD.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 5     }                    1. 6     }
+  2. 5-1/4 }                    2. 5-1/2 }
+  3. 5-1/2 } Med. 5-1/5.        3. 5     } Med. 5-3/8.
+  4. 5-3/4 }                    4. 4-7/8 }
+  5. 6     }                    5. 5-1/2 }
+
+
+                 LENGTH OF EARS.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 3     }                    1. 2-3/8 }
+  2. 3-1/4 }                    2. 2-3/8 }
+  3. 2-3/4 } Med. 2-23/40.      3. 2-3/4 } Med. 2-23/40.
+  4. 2-1/2 }                    4. 2-7/8 }
+  5. 2-5/8 }                    5. 2-1/2 }
+
+
+               LENGTH OF FINGERS.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 3-1/8 }                    1. 3     }
+  2. 3-3/8 }                    2. 3     }
+  3. 3     } Med. 3-9/40.       3. 3     } Med. 2-39/40.
+  4. 3-5/8 }                    4. 2-7/8 }
+  5. 3     }                    5. 3     }
+
+     (_a_) Colour of skin (in parts not exposed to air)--light reddish
+     slightly tending towards brown, but almost as light as with
+     Europeans.
+
+     (_b_) Colour of hair--black, dark-brown, reddish-black, red.
+
+     (_c_) Colour of eyes--light-brown tending towards dark-grey.
+
+     (_d_) Character of hair--wavy.
+
+     (_e_) Amount of hair--abundant on face and all over the body in
+     males more so than in females.
+
+
+MEASUREMENTS OF SHIKOTAN AINU.
+
+The skin and eyes are the same colour as with the Yezo Ainu. The hair is
+black, dark-red, or dark-brown. Black is the prevalent colour. Children
+often have fair hair, which grows darker as they grow older. The hair is
+abundant over body and face, and it is wavy.
+
+The face possesses the identical characteristics of the Yezo Ainu.
+
+  Medium height: 61 inches to 62-3/4 inches.
+  Round waist: 32-7/8 inches.
+  Chest: Empty, 35-7/8 inches; inflated, 37-1/2 inches.
+  Humerus: 11-7/8 inches.
+  Ulna: 8-11/16 inches.
+  Hand: 6-3/4 inches.
+  Foot: 9-1/2 inches.
+  Spinal vertebr�: 24 inches.
+  Scapula (from shoulder to shoulder): 17 inches.
+  Between shoulder-blades: 5-7/8 inches.
+  Femur: short.
+  Tibia: very long.
+  (Natives objected to have their legs measured.)
+  The Tibia is much rounder than with the Yezo Ainu.
+  Length of face: 7-1/2 inches.
+  Width of face from ear to ear: 11-1/8 inches.
+  Round head above ears: 21-5/8 inches.
+  Ears: small.
+  Forehead: 2-3/8 inches high; 5-1/4 inches wide.
+
+With arms outstretched and from tip to tip of fingers the Shikotan Ainu
+measure generally the length of one hand (about 6-3/4 inches) more than
+their own height. Consumption, _kaki_, and syphilis are common
+complaints among them.
+
+
+
+
+II.--GLOSSARY OF AINU WORDS, MANY OF WHICH ARE FOUND IN GEOGRAPHICAL
+NAMES IN YEZO AND THE KURILE ISLANDS.[43]
+
+    [43] The vowels to be pronounced as in Italian.
+
+  A.
+
+  A = (a suffix).
+  Apa = an open space, a doorway.
+  Aikap = impossible, impassable.
+  Ambe = that is.
+  An = to be.
+  Aota = near.
+  Apta = rain.
+  Apun = gently.
+  At = a tree.
+  Atsu = barren, naked.
+
+
+  B.
+
+  Bets, or pets, pet = river.
+  Be, or pe = pestilential water.
+  But, or put = mouth of a river.
+
+
+  C.
+
+  Cha = old.
+  Cha cha = very old.
+  Chip = fish.
+  Chippe = a canoe, a boat.
+  Chup = the sun.
+
+
+  E.
+
+  Erimu = a rat.
+  Etoko = formerly, in front of.
+  Etu = a cape.
+
+
+  F.
+
+  Fu = bare.
+  Fun = green.
+  Fure = red (also pronounced Hure).
+  Frishiko = old.
+
+
+  H.
+
+  Haru = grass.
+  Hattara = a deep pool in a watercourse.
+  Hure = a bad smell.
+  Hure = red.
+
+
+  I.
+
+  I = a suffix for "a place."
+  Ibe = to feed.
+  Ichan = a canal made by salmon in river-beds to lay their, spawn.
+  Ikam = against.
+  Iwa = stone, a rock.
+  Itapk = word, story.
+  Iwashi (Japanese) = sardine.
+  Iwao = sulphur.
+
+
+  K.
+
+  Kama = cliffs, rocks, to go over.
+  Kamui = great, wonderful, ancient.
+  Kap = bark of a tree.
+  Kara = to take, to make.
+  Kashi = towards.
+  Kerimba = a berry.
+  Kene = an alder tree.
+  Kem = blood.
+  Kenashi = a meadow.
+  Keshup = head.
+  Kesh = towards the west.
+  Ki = rushes.
+  Kim = mountain.
+  Kinna = mat.
+  Kinna = reeds.
+  Kinna = grass.
+  Kiri = to know.
+  Kitai = mountain.
+  Koi = the waves of the sea.
+  Kochi = level.
+  Kombo = sea-weed.
+  Koro = to possess, to have.
+  Kotan = a village, a place.
+  Kotcha = in front of.
+  Ku = a bow.
+  Kuano = straight.
+  Kume = black, very dark.
+  Kuru, or guru = a person.
+
+
+  M.
+
+  Ma = to swim, deep.
+  Mak = behind.
+  Makta = away.
+  Mata = winter.
+  Meak = female.
+  Mean = cold.
+  Mo = tranquil.
+  Mon = small, tranquil.
+  Mom = to flow like a river.
+  Moire = slow.
+  Moi = a bay, a sheltered bend in a river where the water is quiet.
+  Moshiri, or mushir = island, country, place, land.
+  Moshiri Kes = the east.
+  Moshitte-chu-pok = north.
+  Moshiri pok = west.
+  Moshitte-chu-pka = south.
+  Mun = grass.
+
+
+  N.
+
+  Na = again.
+  Na = bigger, or smaller (also sign of comparative).
+  Nai, or Nae = a rivulet, a small stream.
+  Nai yau = a tributary stream.
+  Nak = where.
+  Nam = cold, as water, as ice.
+  Naoak = yet more shallow.
+  Ne = together, where, and, also, which, &c.
+  Neatka = also, again.
+  Nen = who.
+  Neto = where.
+  Ni = wood, or tree.
+  Nikam = leaves of a tree.
+  Nibeshi = name of a tree (probably _Tilia_).
+  Nikap = bark of a tree.
+  Nipek = a fire, a flame.
+  Nisei = valley.
+  Nisusu = scenery, panorama, view.
+  Nitat = swampy ground, a swamp, a lagoon.
+  Nitai = a forest.
+  Nitt = a thorn.
+  Nitek = branches of trees.
+  Nituman = trunk of a tree.
+  Nobori = mountain.
+  No = (meaningless ending of words).
+  Noshike = middle.
+  Noshihike = half.
+  Nupka = a forest.
+  Nup = a treeless plain.
+  Nup = a deep silent pool in a river.
+  Nuburi = mountain.
+  Nupuru = turbid (as water).
+  Nupuri = a mountain (volcano).
+  Nutap = the projecting part of a river bend.
+
+
+  O.
+
+  O = a meaningless prefix, sometimes used as an adjective.
+  Oara = one.
+  Oboso = to pass through (as water).
+  Oak = shallow--not deep.
+  Oha = empty.
+  Ohoho = deep.
+  Okai = at a place.
+  Okai = a male.
+  Okari = around.
+  Oakau = to hide.
+  Oakan = a male.
+  Omanne = to go.
+  Oma = to be inside.
+  Onne = large, old, great.
+  Opattek = a volcanic eruption.
+  Opeka = straight.
+  Oro = to be in.
+  Oropak = as far as.
+  Oshima = to go in.
+  Oshimak = behind.
+  Ota = sand.
+  Otaru = sandy.
+  Opke = a spear.
+  Ot = in, inside, into.
+  Oya = another.
+  Oushike = a place.
+  Oyapk = away, abroad.
+  Oyapk moshiri = away, country (foreign country).
+
+
+  P.
+
+  Pa = smoke.
+  Pa = east-end of villages.
+  Pai = bushes.
+  Pakne = as far as.
+  Panke = lower.
+  Paru = the mouth.
+  Pase = heavy.
+  Patek = only.
+  Pe = pestilential water, bad water, not good to drink.
+  Pei = something.
+  Pene = inland.
+  Pet, pets, bets = river.
+  Pet bena = source of a river.
+  Pet samo = bank of a river.
+  Petsamata = by the side of a river.
+  Pet put = the mouth of a river.
+  Pet-urara = a stream.
+  Pet yao = an affluent.
+  Pet-ka-shu = to wade a river.
+  Penke = upper.
+  Pinni = ash-tree.
+  Pinne = male.
+  Piuta = sand (coarse).
+  Pipa = a spring of fresh water.
+  Pira = a bank, a cliff.
+  Piri = a wound.
+  Pirika = pretty, good, well, all-right.
+  Pishita = sea-beach.
+  Pita = to untie, to undo.
+  Pitara = a dry place in a river-bed.
+  Po = a small thing.
+  Pon = small.
+  Poi-shuma = pebbles, stones.
+  Poka = only.
+  Popke = hot, steaming (also Topke).
+  Poro = large.
+  Pui = a hole.
+  Puri = natural, very, usual.
+  Put, Putu (corrupted into Buto by the Japanese) = the mouth of a river.
+
+
+  R.
+
+  Rai = death.
+  Rakka = seal.
+  Rahuru = a fog.
+  Ram = low.
+  Ran = to descend (a mountain).
+  Rangu = a kind of tree.
+  Rarumani = a kind of tree (_Taxus cuspidata_).
+  Re = three.
+  Repun = to go, in the sea, surrounded by water.
+  Repun moshiri = an island.
+  Rera = wind.
+  Retara = white.
+  Ri = high.
+  Rikkin = to ascend.
+  Riri = a wave.
+  Riri-shiye-tuye = ebb tide.
+  Riri-ya = flow tide.
+  Roru = at the head.
+  Ru = a road, a track, a pathway
+  Rui = to burn.
+  Rukoppe = where roads cross.
+  Rui = great, big.
+  Rubeshipe = a ravine.
+  Rupne = large.
+
+
+  S.
+
+  Sapk = summer.
+  Sak = without.
+  Sama = by the side of.
+  San = to descend.
+  Sara, Saru = a grassy plain.
+  Sat = dry.
+  Sattek = shallow water.
+  Sesek = hot.
+  Seta = dog.
+  Shep = broad.
+  Shi = high.
+  Shibe = autumn salmon.
+  Shiki = a kind of tall grass.
+  Shiko = a view, a sight.
+  Shimon = on the right-hand side.
+  Shimoye = to shake, to move.
+  Shenai = a large river.
+  Shirari = a cliff, mass of loose texture.
+  Shirau = a horse-fly.
+  Shiretu = a cape.
+  Shiri = land.
+  Shiruturu = a small island in a river.
+  Sho = so.
+  Shoi = a hole.
+  Shum = foam.
+  Shuma = a stone.
+  So = a waterfall.
+  Shupun = a kind of fish.
+  Shusu = a willow tree.
+
+
+  T.
+
+  Ta = to, towards, to take, to cut.
+  Taanni = on this side.
+  Taksep = a rock.
+  Tapne = short.
+  Tanne = long.
+  Tap kop = an isolated hill.
+  Tat = Birch-tree (_Betula_).
+  To, or ko = a lake, a swamp.
+  Toambe = that.
+  Toi = earth.
+  Tokap = day, light.
+  Tomari = a harbour, a sheltered place.
+  Top = scrub bamboo.
+  Tope = _Acer_--a kind of tree.
+  Tukara, also Tokari = sea-otter.
+  Tunni = _Quercus dentata_.
+  Tureshi = to ascend.
+  Turep = a plant, the roots of which are eaten by the Ainu.
+
+
+  U.
+
+  U = a suffix to indicate a place.
+  Uhui, also Ouye = a fire.
+  Uhui nobori = a volcano.
+  Un = a particle denoting that something is to be found at a place.
+  Upas = snow.
+  Ush = a bay.
+  Ush = a gulf.
+  Ush = a locative particle.
+  Uta = a master.
+  Utka = the rapids of a river.
+
+
+  W.
+
+  Wa = from.
+  Wakka = water.
+  Wen = bad.
+
+
+  Y.
+
+  Ya = land.
+  Yai = danger.
+  Yaikap = awkward.
+  Yam = cold, a chestnut.
+  Yuk = a deer.
+  Yutta = greatest.
+
+
+
+
+INDEX.
+
+
+  A.
+
+  Abashiri, 81, 92, 137-139, 161, 184.
+
+  Abashiri Lagoon, 138, 139.
+
+  Abnormalities, 267.
+
+  Abortion, 296.
+
+  Abstinence from food and drink, 238, 239.
+
+  Abus, 48.
+
+  Adultery, 295.
+
+  Adzes (stone), 78, 79.
+
+  Affection, 272.
+
+  Affirmation, 234.
+
+  Age of the Ainu, 271.
+
+  Agriculture, 62.
+
+  Ahunkanitte, 210.
+
+  Aikap, Cape, 177.
+
+  Ainu bits, 110.
+    capacity for drink, 23.
+    conclusion, an, 27.
+    diet, 24.
+    dirt, 27.
+    gentleness, 17.
+    good-nature, 27.
+    implements, 86.
+    legends, 28, 29.
+    names on Nippon, 94.
+    names, 298.
+    Paganini, 258.
+    pronunciation, 112.
+    village, 74.
+    way of approaching huts, 171.
+
+  Airup, Cape, 176.
+
+  Akangawa, 75.
+
+  Akkeshi, 80, 102-104, 106, 139.
+
+  Akkeshi bay, 104, 105.
+    lagoon, 103.
+
+  Albinism, 268.
+
+  Aleutian Islands, 94.
+
+  Aleuts, 91.
+
+  Alexandrovitch, 127.
+
+  Amida, 204.
+
+  Ancestral attachment, 216.
+
+  Anchors, 39.
+
+  Anchorages, 112, 129, 142, 167, 168, 174, 194, 203.
+
+  Angotsuro, 7.
+
+  Apa-otki (door-mat), 211.
+
+  Aputa, 5, 10.
+
+  Arch�ology, 77.
+
+  Architecture, 207.
+
+  Arms, 243.
+
+  Arrows, 216.
+
+  Arrow-heads (flint), 78, 79.
+
+  Art, 218-220, 227, 228.
+
+  Artist, 69.
+
+  Arundinaria, 5, 23.
+
+  Asiatic Society of Japan, 89, 290.
+
+  Assap River, 203.
+
+  Attacked by the Ainu, 13-15.
+
+  Attitudes, 241.
+
+  At-pets, River, 35.
+
+  Atzis-robe, 213, 246, 247, 252.
+
+  Atzosa Volcano, 130.
+
+  Atzta, 176, 177.
+
+  Australia, 102.
+
+  Australian blacks, 159, 228.
+
+  Authority of chiefs, 267.
+
+  Awomori, 93.
+
+
+  B.
+
+  Backbone of Yezo, 63, 122.
+
+  Bakkai, 168.
+
+  Baldness, 104, 232, 269.
+
+  Bamboo arrow-points, 79.
+
+  Barabuta, 202, 203.
+
+  Baratte, 188.
+
+  Barter, 216, 249.
+
+  Basha, 3, 12, 195, 198, 202.
+
+  Batchelor, Rev. I., 59, 83, 87, 88.
+
+  Bathing, 76.
+
+  Battles, 81, 86, 93.
+
+  Beaches, 73.
+
+  Bears, 44, 51, 56, 61, 65, 66, 85, 101, 131, 142, 147, 159, 214.
+
+  Bear (descent from the), 281.
+    hunting, 272.
+    (ill-usage of), 282.
+    skins, 245.
+    skull trophy, 286.
+
+  Beliefs compared, 288.
+
+  Bending of watercourses, 165.
+
+  Benke, Cape, 194, 195.
+
+  Benry, 23, 26, 27, 30-34, 260, 283, 286.
+
+  Benten Island, 204.
+
+  Bentenjima (Nemuro), 80, 115.
+
+  Bento, 3, 4.
+
+  Beppo, 65.
+
+  Betoya, 129.
+
+  Bettobu, 82, 130.
+    Bay, 129, 130.
+
+  Birvase, 112.
+
+  Bitskai, 133.
+
+  Bone arrow-point, 81, 82.
+    carvings, 222.
+    setting, 176.
+
+  Bonzes, 197, 198, 283.
+
+  Bowls, 209, 225.
+
+  Bows and arrows, 223, 225.
+
+  Buddhists, 283.
+
+  Buddhist shrine, 283.
+
+  Burial, 225, 227, 284.
+
+
+  C.
+
+  Cancer, 174.
+
+  Cannibalism, 59.
+
+  Canoes, 37-39, 90, 177.
+
+  Carrying children, 238.
+    weights and burdens, 238.
+
+  Castes, 266.
+
+  Castle, 204.
+
+  Caucasian races, 236, 238.
+
+  Chanting, 113, 258.
+
+  Charcoal in pits, 81.
+
+  Charms, 288.
+
+  Chevrons, 221.
+
+  Child-bearing, 296.
+
+  Children of Kurile Islands, 129.
+
+  Chimney, 23.
+
+  Chiefs at a festival, 30, 31.
+
+  Chief's crown, 250.
+    tomb, 226.
+
+  Chieftainship, 266.
+
+  Chietomamai, 163.
+
+  China, 26.
+
+  Chinese, 276.
+    idea, 77.
+    sea, 163.
+
+  Chisei-kara-inao, 286.
+
+  Cholera, 184.
+
+  Choruses, 256, 264.
+
+  Christians, 12, 127, 128, 156, 289.
+
+  Christian minister, 198.
+    virtues, 269.
+
+  Chukbets, 173.
+
+  Chuppets, River, 183.
+
+  Chuskin Island, 162.
+
+  Cisango, 203.
+
+  Civilisation, 58, 59, 65, 216, 217, 288, 297.
+
+  Clothes, 2, 3, 60, 190, 245, 250.
+    and boots, 2, 3, 95, 96, 202, 246, 247.
+
+  Coal, 75, 174, 205.
+    field, 75.
+    mines, 183, 185.
+    trains, 186.
+    trucks, 76.
+
+  Coins, 151.
+
+  Colonial militia, 188, 189.
+
+  Colonisation scheme, 185.
+
+  Colonists, 74, 115, 116.
+
+  Comparisons, 229.
+
+  Compass, 53.
+
+  Concert, 263, 264.
+
+  Conservatism, 216.
+
+  Consul, 206.
+
+  Consumption, 128, 174, 179, 296, 304.
+
+  Convicts (Japanese), 102, 184-186.
+
+  Copper, 122.
+
+  Coptic Church, 127, 128.
+
+  Corea, 26, 174.
+
+  Creator, 281, 285.
+
+  Criminals, 269.
+
+  Crosses, 268, 269.
+
+  Crows, 35, 46.
+    attacking a pony, 146.
+    (familiarity of), 149.
+    (multitude of), 5.
+
+  Cruelty to children, 292.
+
+  Currents, 48, 139, 143, 161, 163, 165, 169.
+
+  Cutaneous diseases, 42.
+
+
+  D.
+
+  Daikuku Island, 11.
+
+  Daikuku and Kodaikuku Islands, 105.
+
+  Daimio, 204.
+
+  Dancing, 264, 265.
+
+  Darwin's theory of evolution, 280.
+
+  Deer-skin coat, 245.
+
+  Degeneration of the race, 297.
+
+  Deluge, the, 29.
+
+  Descriptive characters of Yezo Ainu (Appendix), 298, 303.
+    of Shikotan Ainu (Appendix), 303, 304.
+
+  Designs, 221, 227.
+
+  Dew, 53.
+
+  Dirt, 88, 128.
+
+  Divinities, 282.
+
+  Divorce, 295.
+
+  Dogs (wild), 154, 159.
+
+  Drainage area of Ishikari River, 181, 182.
+
+  Dress of Kurilsky Ainu, 126, 127.
+
+  Drift-ice, 161.
+    logs, 48, 169.
+    sand, 139, 142, 170.
+
+  Drinking vessels, 215, 223.
+
+  Drunkenness, 17, 32, 291.
+
+  Dug-outs, 5, 63, 64, 92, 170, 183.
+
+  Dwarfs, 251.
+
+  Dying out of the race, 296.
+
+
+  E.
+
+  Eagles, 142, 152, 153, 214.
+
+  Ear-rings, 6, 249.
+
+  Ears, 230, 303, 304.
+
+  Eclipses, 234.
+
+  Education, 266.
+
+  Egyptian cross, 227.
+
+  Election of chief, 10, 266.
+
+  Elephantiasis, 143.
+
+  Embroideries, 180, 246, 247.
+
+  Emperor's palace, 183.
+
+  Enamelling, 222.
+
+  Endogamy, 295.
+
+  Entogroul, 164.
+
+  Eramachi, 204.
+
+  Erimo Cape, 19, 42-44, 73, 80.
+
+  Esan Volcano, 4, 198, 200, 201.
+
+  Esashi, 162, 202, 203.
+
+  Esquimaux, 84, 85, 91.
+
+  Ethnologists, 263.
+
+  Etiquette, 31, 211, 212.
+
+  Etorofu, 80, 82, 88, 91, 123, 129, 131, 132.
+
+  European comforts, 158.
+    dinner, 69, 119.
+
+  Eyelashes, 231, 279.
+
+
+  F.
+
+  Face, 229, 230, 232, 302, 304.
+    (width of), 302, 304.
+
+  Factories, 187, 192.
+
+  Falsetto voice, 257.
+
+  Family rows, 293.
+
+  Farming region, 187.
+
+  Fasting, 53.
+
+  Ferry, 178, 181.
+
+  Ferry-boat, 103.
+
+  Finger-rings, 249.
+
+  Fingers, 303.
+
+  Fish diet, 42.
+    manure, 41.
+
+  Fishermen, 39, 103, 142, 163, 174, 192, 193, 199.
+
+  Fishermen's huts, 20.
+
+  Fishing, 53, 64, 130, 224.
+    nets, 60.
+    villages, 203.
+
+  Fire, 193, 209.
+
+  Fleas, etc., 26, 212.
+
+  Flies--black flies and horseflies, 45, 66, 212.
+
+  Flint implements, 78, 79.
+    knives, 78, 79.
+
+  Flirting (curious way of), 141.
+
+  Folk-lores, 259.
+
+  Footprints, 159, 160, 161.
+    of Ainu, 160, 161.
+    of Japanese, 160, 161.
+    of bears, 47.
+
+  Forest, 101, 135, 161.
+
+  Forts, 77, 81, 82, 141.
+
+  Foxes, 102, 126, 131, 142, 214.
+
+  Frishikobets village, 58, 61, 65, 252.
+
+  Fujiama, 161, 167.
+
+  Fukushima, 205.
+
+  Funa, 3.
+
+  Funerals, 227.
+
+  Furembets river, 171.
+
+  Furimb�, 199.
+
+  Furniture, 208.
+
+  Furubets, 130.
+
+  Future legend, 155, 156.
+
+  Fylfot, 227.
+
+
+  G.
+
+  Geology, 21.
+
+  Geometrical patterns, 221.
+
+  Geyser, 100.
+
+  Girdles, 250.
+
+  Girls (Ainu), 157.
+    (Japanese) shown in cages, 117.
+
+  Glossary of Ainu words, 304-311.
+
+  God, 281, 282.
+
+  Gokibira, 177.
+
+  Graphic signs, 218.
+
+  Grass, 21, 52, 62.
+
+  Graves, 221, 223, 225-227.
+
+  Graveyard, 128, 180, 225, 227.
+
+  Guechas, or singers, 116, 117.
+
+  Gun-practice, 199.
+
+
+  H.
+
+  Habits and customs of pit-dwellers, 91.
+
+  Hakodate, 11, 78, 90, 93, 104, 112, 199, 201.
+
+  Hakodate Bay, 1, 2, 205.
+    Bund, 1.
+    Head, 1.
+    Isthmus, 2.
+    Peak, 1, 2, 201.
+
+  Hair, 231, 250, 251.
+
+  Hairiness, 85, 88, 142, 145.
+
+  Half-breeds, 34, 39, 47, 268, 270.
+    castes, 7, 93, 109, 111, 196, 229, 269, 275, 282.
+    (photographs of Japanese half-castes), 263.
+    frontal bone, 270.
+    skull, 270.
+    animal propensities, 270.
+    bumps, 270.
+    age, 270.
+    rheumatism, leprosy and kaki, 270.
+
+  Hamboro, 173.
+
+  Hammanaka, 112, 113.
+
+  Hanasaki, 114.
+
+  Hand-clapping, 264.
+
+  Hando, 193.
+
+  Haraguchi, 203.
+
+  Harbours (want of), 74.
+    and anchorages, 75, 104, 115, 116, 124, 125, 165, 202, 204.
+
+  Harpoons, 224.
+
+  Harutori Lagoon, 75-77, 82.
+
+  Hattaushi, 113.
+
+  Head, 229, 302, 304.
+    (muscular power), 241.
+
+  Heaven and hell, 290.
+
+  Henson (Mr.), 2, 202.
+
+  Hera, or netting-mesh, 223.
+
+  Herrings, 104, 115, 134, 166, 173, 203.
+
+  High-days, 289.
+
+  High-land, 73, 104, 111.
+
+  History, 218.
+
+  Hokkaido, 11, 122, 123.
+
+  Hokkaido-cho, 187.
+
+  Hondemura, 102.
+
+  Horanaho or Rausu Volcano, 131.
+
+  Horse-breeding, 115.
+
+  Horse-farm, 35.
+
+  Horsemen (Ainu), 108.
+
+  Horse-racing, 237.
+
+  Horobets, 12, 234, 272.
+    Ainu, 17.
+
+  Horohuts, 20.
+
+  Horoizumi, 41, 43, 44, 52.
+
+  Hoshi or leggings, 247.
+
+  Hospitality, 291.
+
+  Hostilities, 147.
+
+  Hunger, 45, 52, 199.
+
+  Hungry dogs, 7.
+
+  Hunting, 126.
+
+  Hurupira, Mount, 193.
+
+  Hut building, 207.
+    burning, 123, 212, 213.
+
+  Huts, 5, 8, 24, 35, 56, 58, 76, 81, 84, 85, 86, 89, 90, 96, 99, 104,
+    111, 125, 128, 157, 158, 170, 171, 180, 207, 210-212.
+
+  Hypnotism, 191.
+
+
+  I.
+
+  Ice, 85.
+
+  Ichibishinai (Etorofu), 122.
+
+  Idyll, 139, 140.
+
+  Idzumizawa, 205.
+
+  Igiani, 135.
+
+  Ikahasonets Cape, 130.
+
+  Ikuru, 173.
+
+  Ikusum River, 185.
+
+  Imi (garments), 25.
+
+  Imotsuto, 129.
+
+  Imprisonment, 292.
+
+  Improvisators, 259.
+
+  Inao, 31, 214, 224, 286-288.
+    in shape of a doll, 287.
+    making, 240.
+    netuba, 286.
+
+  Infanticides, 291.
+
+  Inflammation of the eyes, 279.
+
+  Inomata Yoshitaro, 68-72.
+
+  Insanity and idiocy, 266.
+    in half-castes, 270.
+
+  Instincts, 158, 159, 216, 282.
+
+  Intermarriage, 60, 196, 267.
+    with Japanese, 5.
+
+  Iris, 231, 279.
+
+  Iron, 122.
+
+  Irrigation, 63.
+
+  Ishikari, 84, 176.
+    river, 169, 178, 179, 181-183, 191, 275.
+      (course of), 182.
+      Ainu, 179, 183, 184, 219,     226, 250.
+    village, 180.
+
+  Ishikishiri penitentiary, 185.
+
+  Ishisaki, 203.
+
+  Isoya, 193, 198.
+    (Motto Isoya, Shimakotan, Isoya), 193.
+
+  Italy, 287.
+
+  Iwanai, 193.
+
+  Iwaonobori, 193, 200.
+
+  Iwa Rocks, 47, 49.
+
+  Iyomanrei, 30.
+
+
+  J.
+
+  Jacko (chief of Shikotan Ainu), 127.
+
+  Japan, 26.
+    Daily Mail, 189.
+
+  Japanese customs, 5.
+
+  Japanese adoption of Ainu language and ways, 112, 113.
+    clothes, 245, 246.
+    Empire, 122, 123.
+    government, 96, 103, 114, 123, 179, 187, 188.
+    hero, 283, 284.
+    parliament, 190.
+    politeness, 36, 69.
+    settlers, 2.
+    songs, 257.
+    villages, 50.
+    woman's toilette, 117, 118.
+
+  Jealousy, 234, 235, 294.
+
+  Jew's harp, 258.
+
+  Jockeys, 33.
+
+  Jungle, 51-53, 66.
+
+
+  K.
+
+  Kaki, 174, 202, 241, 304.
+
+  Kakumi, 198, 199.
+
+  Kamida Maru (wreck of), 179.
+
+  Kamikawa, 183, 184.
+    (population of), 184.
+
+  Kamiiro, 205.
+
+  Kaminokumi, 203.
+
+  Kammakappe, 209.
+
+  Kamschatka, 91, 122, 123, 153, 297.
+
+  Kamui or Kamoi, 285, 286, 290.
+
+  Kamuieto Cape, 174.
+
+  Kamuikotan, 286.
+    rapids, 183.
+
+  Kamui Mount, 193.
+
+  _Kando_ and _Teine-pokna-moshiri_, 290.
+
+  Karibayama, 193.
+
+  Kawamura, 192, 193.
+
+  Kawata Tera, 253.
+
+  Kenashpa, 65.
+
+  Kikonai, 205.
+
+  Kimonos, 2.
+
+  Kinna (mats), 209, 225.
+
+  Kinney, 61.
+
+  Kiritap, 106, 112.
+
+  Kitchen-middens, 92.
+
+  Knife-blades, 216.
+
+  Knives, 13, 219, 220, 223-225, 272.
+
+  Kofikan, 187.
+
+  Komagatake Volcano, 3, 4, 197, 200.
+
+  Komuki lagoon, 142.
+
+  Ko-numa, 3.
+
+  Koshima, 204.
+
+  Kotan-kara-kamui, 285.
+
+  Kudo, 203.
+
+  Kumaishi, 203.
+
+  Kunashiri, 80, 88, 91, 123, 131, 132.
+
+  Kunnui, 197.
+
+  Kurile Islands, 78, 80, 87-89, 92, 121, 122, 131, 132, 190, 201,
+    231, 282, 297.
+
+  Kurile Islands (trade of), 115.
+
+  Kurilsky Ainu, 87-90, 94, 123-128, 180, 213, 251, 268.
+
+  Kuromatsunai, 195.
+
+  Kuro-shiwo, or Japan current, 48, 165, 169.
+
+  Kushiro, 74-77, 81, 82, 91, 95-97, 104, 190.
+
+  Kutambets, 178.
+
+  Kutcharo lake, 84, 85, 98-101, 137, 207, 286.
+    river, 74, 75, 80, 82, 95, 96, 101, 207.
+
+
+  L.
+
+  Lagoons, 139, 142, 163, 170.
+
+  Language, 59, 283, 291.
+
+  La Perouse Strait, 131, 161, 164, 169.
+
+  Laws, 273, 291.
+
+  Laws of marriage, 293.
+
+  Legends, 28, 29, 260.
+
+  Legend
+    : Abe-ten-rui, 261.
+    : Inu-sapk, 261.
+    : Kimta-na, 261.
+    : Tushi-une-pan, 260.
+
+  Leprosy, 42, 54.
+
+  Letters, 201, 202.
+
+  Libations, 289.
+
+  Life-boat, 168.
+
+  Lighting, 135.
+
+  Lines, 227.
+
+  Lopatka Cape, 123.
+
+  Lunatics, 61, 146-149.
+
+
+  M.
+
+  Machinery, 187, 216.
+
+  Madwoman, 54, 55.
+
+  Makkarinupuri (Volcano), 200.
+
+  Malaise, 46.
+
+  Malarial fever, 174.
+
+  Manners, 242.
+
+  Map-drawing, 218.
+
+  Marks (owner's), 218.
+
+  Masatomari, 195.
+
+  Mashe (fish), 173.
+
+  Mashike, 174.
+    Mount, 174-176.
+
+  Maternal love, 155.
+
+  Mat-making, 211.
+
+  Matrons, 265.
+
+  Matsumai, 203-205.
+
+  Meals, 170, 171.
+
+  Measurements of Yezo Ainu body (Appendix), 298-302.
+
+  Measurements of Shikotan Ainu (Appendix), 303, 304.
+
+  Measurements of Ainu with arms outstretched, 299, 304.
+
+  Memuro-puto, 61.
+
+  Menoko (girls), 32.
+
+  Metallurgy, 216.
+
+  Metempsychosis, 284.
+
+  Mice and rats, 213.
+
+  Migratory people, 91.
+    population, 173, 174.
+
+  Milne (Prof.), 89.
+
+  Missionaries, 28, 29, 59, 155, 156, 285, 290.
+
+  Mitsuashi River, 39.
+
+  Mocassins, 60, 127.
+    and boots, 247.
+
+  Model farm, 187, 188.
+
+  Mohechi, 205.
+
+  Moi, 176.
+
+  Mombets, 5, 11.
+
+  Momonai, 192.
+
+  Mongolian, 129, 230.
+    type, 179.
+
+  Monuments, 226.
+
+  Morality, 269, 290, 295.
+
+  Mori, 4, 196, 197, 200.
+
+  Moroi, 178.
+
+  Mororran, 5, 19, 196.
+    (Shin-, and Kiu-), 11.
+
+  Mortality, 123, 128, 296, 297.
+
+  Mourning, 227.
+
+  Moustache lifter, 23, 208, 220, 221, 289.
+
+  Moustache tattooed, 252, 254.
+
+  Movements and attitudes, 239.
+
+  Moyoro or Biru, 47.
+
+  Moyorotake or Bear Bay, 129.
+
+  Mukawa, 20, 21.
+
+  Musemes, 1.
+
+  Music, 255.
+    of Ainu, 255.
+    of Westerns, 255.
+    as a cure of illness, 261.
+    Chromatic intervals, 258, 259.
+    diabolical, 262.
+    Diatonic minor scale, 258.
+    education in, 257.
+    to facilitate manual labour, 262.
+    feeling in, 255.
+    fondness for, 257.
+    imitation of noises in, 257.
+    key note, 259.
+    loud, 263.
+    melody, 259.
+    metre, 261.
+    modulations, 255.
+    modulations in tunes, 258, 259.
+    passion in, 255.
+    personality in, 260.
+    rhythmical effects in, 255, 258.
+    rhythmical method, 259.
+    sad, 264.
+    suggestions of animal sounds in, 261.
+    teaching of, 260.
+
+    temperamental characteristics in, 263.
+    transformation of a theme, 260.
+    vocal, 256.
+
+  Musical instruments, 257, 258.
+    memory, 257.
+    notation, 255.
+    strings, 257.
+
+  Myopy, 279.
+
+
+  N.
+
+  Nagayama, Governor of the Hokkaido, 192.
+
+  Naibo, 130.
+
+  Naye, 185.
+
+  Nayosami Hill, 183.
+
+  Necklaces and earrings, 60, 249.
+
+  Nemuro, 114-116, 118, 119, 121, 133, 161.
+
+  Neptka, 204.
+
+  Nigori River, 197.
+
+  Nii-pak-pets, River, 35.
+
+  Nippon, 92, 93, 104.
+
+  Nishibets, 133.
+
+  Nitumap, 61.
+
+  Nobori-bets village, 18.
+    Volcano, 18, 19.
+
+  Noshafo Cape, 73, 114, 115, 161.
+
+  Nossyap Cape, 167, 168.
+    Peninsula, 167, 168.
+
+  Notoro Cape, 130.
+    Lake, 139.
+
+  Notski Peninsula, 133.
+
+  Nusa, 214, 286.
+
+
+  O.
+
+  Oak, 21.
+
+  Oakan and Moyokan, 98, 135.
+
+  Oakan River, 99.
+
+  Obishiro, 58.
+
+  Obune, 198, 199.
+
+  Odour, 276.
+
+  Odour of Europeans, 276.
+    of women, 276, 277.
+
+  Oitoi, 130.
+
+  Okashi-nae Mountain, 177.
+
+  Okos, 43.
+
+  Okushiri Island, 203.
+
+  Omangus, 146-150.
+
+  Onekotan, 123.
+
+  Onembets, 129.
+
+  Onishika, 173, 174.
+
+  Onnetto Lagoon, 116.
+    River, 116, 133.
+
+  Ono-numa, 3.
+
+  Opoto Lake, 137.
+
+  Oputateishike Mountain-mass, 63.
+
+  Oputs, 48.
+
+  Orang-outang, 146.
+
+  Ornamentations, 218-220.
+
+  Osaru River, 11.
+
+  Oshamambe, 193, 196, 197.
+
+  Oshima Island, 203, 204.
+    province, 4.
+
+  Oshoro, 192.
+
+  Osman Pasha, 164.
+
+  Ota Cape, 203.
+
+  Otaru, 20, 191.
+
+  Otaussi-nai Village, 185.
+
+  Otatsube, 199.
+
+  Otchishi, 113, 114.
+
+  Otkoshk sea, 123, 131, 133, 135, 143.
+
+  Otopke Mount, 63, 64.
+
+  Otoshibe River, 197.
+
+  Otoyebukets, 183.
+
+  Otsu, 48, 50, 51, 68, 73.
+
+  Otsugawa River, 50.
+
+  Ottoinnai, 61.
+
+  Owls, 102.
+
+  Oyama Iwao (Count), Minister of State for War, 189.
+
+  Oysters, 104, 113, 139.
+
+
+  P.
+
+  Pack-saddles, 17, 18, 237.
+
+  Paddle (Hera), 208.
+
+  Para-puta, 195.
+
+  Paro-mushir, 123, 126.
+
+  Pasture-land, 107.
+
+  Pehambe-ushi River, 103.
+
+  Pekoatnit, 210.
+
+  Pensatsunai, 58.
+
+  Perohune, 48.
+
+  Pestilence, 61.
+
+  Physiognomy, 230.
+
+  Physiological observations, 274.
+
+  Pico Strait, 131.
+
+  Piegawa River, 183.
+
+  Pipes, etc., 223.
+
+  Piratori, 22, 30, 248, 253, 260, 261, 264, 275, 283, 284.
+    Valley, 33.
+
+  Pit-dwellers (Koro-pok-kuru), 77-80, 83-87, 90, 92, 104, 114, 125,
+    130, 251.
+
+  Pit-dwellers' implements, 190.
+
+  Pits, 77-84, 88-94, 114, 130, 141.
+
+  Plateau, 63.
+    like peninsula, 114.
+
+  Poisoned arrows, 223, 224.
+
+  Polygamy, 294.
+
+  Polytheists, 281, 285, 290.
+
+  Pombets, 65.
+
+  Ponies, 3, 21, 65, 66, 138.
+
+  Pon-machi (small wife), 28, 294.
+
+  Pontoo, 122, 131.
+
+  Pooley, Mr., 206.
+
+  Population, 294.
+
+  Porobets River, 162.
+
+  Poronai, 157, 161, 183-186.
+    coal-mines, 191.
+
+  Poro-machi (great wife), 28, 294.
+
+  Poro-nam-bets River, 41.
+
+  Poro-usa, 209.
+
+  Posturing, 264.
+
+  Pottery, 80, 86, 215.
+
+  Poverty of the Ainu, 5.
+    of blood, 296.
+
+  Prayers, 289.
+
+  Prehistoric man, 242.
+
+  Progeny of mixed marriages, 268.
+
+  Provisions, 3, 211.
+
+  Publications on the Ainu, 229.
+
+  Pulse-beat, 275.
+
+  Pumice, 5, 21, 73.
+
+  Punishments, 291.
+
+  Purokenashpa, 65.
+
+
+  Q.
+
+  Quarrels, 292.
+
+  Quicksands, 139, 169, 170.
+
+  Quicksand River, 157.
+
+  Quiver, 224, 225.
+
+
+  R.
+
+  Rags, 247.
+
+  Rahush Mount (Kunashiri), 122.
+
+  Rain, 3, 135, 193, 197, 200.
+
+  Raishats, 179, 226.
+
+  Rattler (H.M.S.), 165.
+
+  Recitative, 256.
+
+  Reeds and rushes, 51, 57, 62, 66, 67, 90.
+
+  Reefs, 123, 194.
+
+  Relations, 296.
+
+  Religion, 283.
+
+  Religious ideas, 281.
+    race, 198.
+
+  Repun, 10.
+
+  Repunshiri, 167, 168.
+
+  Resurrection of the body, 284, 290.
+
+  Reversed coil, 222.
+
+  Rheumatism, 128, 174, 241.
+
+  Rhyme, 261.
+
+  Riding, 17, 237.
+    bareback, 243.
+
+  Riruran, 107, 108, 111.
+
+  Rishiri Island, 167, 168.
+
+  Rivers,
+    peculiarity in, 135.
+    troublesome, 151.
+
+  Roasting hook, 211.
+
+  Robinson Crusoe, 133.
+
+  Rocks, 41, 111, 163.
+
+  Roofs, 207.
+
+  Rubeshibe River, 183.
+
+  Rubets, 83, 130, 135.
+
+  Rumoi, 174.
+
+  Russia, 88, 122.
+    exchange with, 179.
+
+  Russian Bible, 127.
+    convicts, 142, 143, 165.
+    cruiser, Crisorok, 168.
+    r�gime, 127.
+
+
+  S.
+
+  Sacrilege, 200.
+
+  Sadness, 232, 297.
+
+  Saint Andrew's Cross, 227.
+
+  Sake, 17, 23, 24, 31.
+
+  Sakhalin or Krafto, 88, 92, 93, 122, 142, 161, 165, 297.
+
+  Sakhalin Ainu, 179.
+
+  Salaams, 7, 23.
+
+  Salutation, Ainu, 6, 128, 256.
+
+  Salmon, 130, 131, 133, 134, 173.
+
+  Salmon, dried, 211.
+
+  Salmon-fishing, 63, 64, 182.
+
+  Salmon-trout, 130.
+
+  Sandals, 248.
+
+  Sappro, 20, 91, 186, 187-191.
+
+  Sardine fishing, 19, 20, 41, 47, 48.
+
+  Saru-buto, 20.
+
+  Saru district, climate of, 84.
+
+  Sarubuts, 163.
+
+  Saruffo-Ko Lagoon, 111, 114.
+
+  Saruma Lagoon, 81, 139, 142, 162.
+
+  Saru-Mombets, 20, 21, 34, 35.
+
+  Saru River, 22, 58, 207, 286.
+    Ainu, 260.
+
+  Saruru, 44, 46, 47, 157.
+
+  Satsuma, 92.
+
+  Satsumai and Ghifzan, 63.
+
+  Satsuma Maru, 1, 206.
+
+  Savage dance, 32.
+
+  Savage Landor, 158.
+
+  Savages, 159.
+
+  Sawaki, 161.
+
+  Scenery, 41, 46, 100, 111, 114, 129, 135, 162, 176, 192, 193.
+
+  Scitzo, 193-195.
+
+  Sea-birds, 48, 105, 138, 151, 152.
+
+  Se-Cherippe Lagoon, 104.
+
+  Seal-fishery, 104.
+
+  Seals, 126, 131, 139, 161.
+
+  Sea-trout, 170.
+
+  Sea-weed, 41, 47, 104, 113, 115.
+
+  Sensation, 14.
+
+  Sense
+    of hearing, 278-280.
+    of sight, 278, 279.
+    of smell, 276.
+    of taste, 278.
+    of touch, 277.
+
+  Sensitiveness, 277.
+    of lips, tongue, hands, fingers, lumbar region, etc., 278.
+
+  Sexual love, 296.
+
+  Shakotan, 176.
+    Cape, 191.
+    Peninsula, 192, 193.
+
+  Shama-ne, 39-41.
+
+  Shame and disgust, 233.
+
+  Shamesen, 258.
+
+  Shana, 131.
+
+  Shanoi, 162.
+
+  Shari, 80, 92, 135-137, 240.
+
+  Shari-Mombets, 142, 143.
+
+  Shaubets, 70, 73, 74.
+
+  Shell-heaps, 81, 92, 104.
+
+  Shibe-gari-pets, 35, 37.
+
+  Shibetcha, 96, 97, 99, 101-104.
+
+  Shibets, 134, 135.
+
+  Shibumotzunai Lagoon, 142.
+
+  Shikarubets Otchirsh, 61-64.
+
+  Shikotan, 123-129, 207, 231.
+    Ainu, 87, 88.
+    Island, 88, 89.
+
+  Shimokebo, 35-37.
+
+  Shimushir, 88-90, 123, 126.
+
+  Shina, 60.
+
+  Shiofuki, 203.
+
+  Shirakami Cape, 205.
+
+  Shiranuka, 74, 75.
+
+  Shiraoi, 19.
+
+  Shiretoko Cape, 122, 135.
+    Peninsula, 135, 138.
+
+  Shiribeshi Province, 4.
+
+  Shiribets, 193.
+
+  Shirikishinai, 201.
+
+  Shirin Lake, 96.
+
+  Shiriuchi, 205.
+
+  Shoals and reefs, 104.
+
+  Shooting rapids, 183-185.
+
+  Shorui-washi, 64.
+
+  Shoulders, 301, 304.
+
+  Shoya, 44-47.
+
+  Shrine, 199, 200.
+
+  Siberian coast, 153.
+
+  Siliusi lighthouse, 163.
+
+  Skin, 276.
+    colour of, 230.
+    eruptions, 6, 296.
+
+  Skull trophy, 214.
+
+  Sleep, 275.
+
+  Sleeping, 244.
+
+  Slyness, 234, 235.
+
+  Smoke, 211.
+    black, 252.
+
+  Snow, 84, 85, 115, 197.
+    and glaciers, 165.
+    sandals, 60.
+
+  Singing, 256.
+
+  Sitting, 243.
+
+  Soldiers, 102, 103.
+
+  Songs, 255, 256.
+
+  Sorachi river, 183, 185.
+
+  Soshi, 75.
+
+  Soul, 284.
+
+  Soya Cape, 42, 80, 81, 92, 163, 165, 167.
+
+  Spain, 287.
+
+  Spears, 224.
+
+  Speculation, 90, 91.
+
+  Spezia, Gulf of, 41.
+
+  Spiders, 45.
+
+  Spoons, 215.
+
+  Spruces, 104.
+
+  Stackhouse, 215.
+
+  Statistics, 212.
+
+  Stealing, 53, 57, 181, 272.
+
+  Steeplechase, 66.
+
+  Stone (peculiar), 168.
+    images, 204.
+
+  Storehouses, 23, 26, 137, 138, 161, 173, 180, 213, 247.
+
+  Storeys, 208.
+
+  Storm, 135, 136, 197.
+
+  Strength, 238.
+
+  Struggle, 40.
+
+  Submerged crater, 125.
+
+  Submission, 16, 273.
+
+  Suicides, 291.
+
+  Sulkiness, 234.
+
+  Sulphur, 97, 104, 122, 130, 131, 138, 190, 200.
+
+  Sulphur beds, 97, 98.
+    mine, 97.
+
+  Supernaturalism, 284.
+
+  Superstition, 17, 289.
+
+  Swamps, 65.
+
+  Swearing, 289.
+
+  Swift rivers, 41.
+
+  Sword-hilts (Japanese), 250.
+
+  Sydney Smith's position, 111.
+
+  Symbols, 219.
+
+  Sympathy, 52, 191.
+
+
+  T.
+
+  Taikki (fleas), 56.
+
+  Tailor's sign-post, 191.
+
+  Takae village, 35.
+
+  Takigawa, 185.
+
+  Takkobe Lake, 96.
+
+  Tapkara (a savage dance), 32.
+
+  Tarbouches, 164.
+
+  Tartary, Gulf of, 153.
+
+  Tarsus, 300.
+
+  Tarumai Volcano, 201.
+
+  Tattoos, 6, 137, 142, 179, 227, 232, 251-253, 293.
+    (colour of), 254.
+    (legend on), 251, 252.
+
+  Tattooing (process of), 252.
+
+  Tattooed women, 99.
+
+  Tcharo-bets, 75.
+
+  Tcha-tcha-nobori Volcano, 131.
+
+  Tchiota, 56.
+
+  Tears, 233.
+
+  Teeth of half-castes, 269.
+
+  Temper, 65, 233, 294.
+
+  Tendo Achillis, 241.
+
+  Tent, 3.
+
+  Terra del Fuegians, 228.
+
+  Terror, 154.
+
+  Teshio coast, 176.
+    River, 168-170, 174.
+
+  Tetcha or Tetchkanga, 100, 101.
+
+  Teuri, 171.
+
+  Thatching, 208.
+
+  Theft, 291.
+
+  Thiaske Tarra, 238.
+
+  Thousand Islands, or Chishima, 123.
+
+  Thread-winding, 240.
+
+  Tibia, 88, 300, 304.
+
+  Tide-rips, 131.
+
+  Tobuts, 80, 139, 141, 253.
+
+  Tobuts Lake, 48, 137.
+
+  Todohotke, 200.
+
+  Toi, 201.
+
+  Tokachi, 84.
+    Ainu, 99, 248-250, 253.
+    district, 274.
+    region, 114.
+    River, 50, 58, 59, 61-66, 73, 169, 207, 214, 271.
+
+  Tokio, 115.
+
+  Tokri-moi, 11.
+
+  Tokumatz Kuroda, 192.
+
+  Tomamai, 173, 174.
+
+  Tomakomai, 19, 20, 269.
+
+  Tombets River, 163.
+
+  Tombs, 181.
+
+  Tonden, or military settlement 102, 103, 114, 183, 188.
+
+  Tones, 222.
+
+  Toreador, in Carmen, 263.
+
+  Torii (emblems), 204.
+
+  Tori Lake, 96.
+
+  Totemism, 281, 282.
+
+  To'tori, 75.
+
+  Toshibets River, 65.
+
+  Toya Lake, 10, 11, 200.
+
+  Toyohira River, 183.
+
+  Toyoshira Valley, 187.
+
+  Trackers (Ainu), 109.
+
+  Tracking, 159-161.
+
+  Tradition, 218.
+
+  Transmission of diseases, 266.
+    of images to the brain, 279.
+
+  Travellers (foreign), 263.
+
+  Tree-dwellers of India, 228.
+
+  Trees, 129, 130, 135, 137, 161, 162, 166, 198.
+
+  Triangles, 221.
+
+  Tribes, 88, 267.
+
+  Trovatore, 257.
+
+  Tukoro, 139.
+
+  Tunnel, 39, 41, 174.
+
+  Tunnui-puto, 65.
+
+  Turkish ship (wreck of), 163.
+
+  Tsiriju Mount, 130.
+
+  Tsugaru Strait, 93, 193.
+
+  Types, 229.
+
+  Typhoon, 164, 174.
+
+
+  U.
+
+  Ubahu, 37, 39.
+
+  Uhui Cape, 174.
+
+  Ukorra, 10.
+
+  Ulmus Campestris, 26, 245, 246.
+    Campestris bark, 210.
+    Campestris fibre, 267.
+
+  Ulna, 299, 303.
+
+  Uparpenai, 61.
+
+  Urahoro River, 73.
+
+  Urakawa, 39, 40.
+
+  Urapets River, 39.
+
+  Uriugawa River, 183.
+
+  Urup, 88, 123, 126, 131.
+
+  Usa, 209.
+
+  Ushoro, 193.
+
+  Uso, 5.
+
+  Uso Volcano, 11, 200.
+
+  Utarop Rocks, 43.
+
+  Usushiri, 198.
+
+
+  V.
+
+  Vegetation, 131.
+
+  Villages, Ainu, 5, 22.
+
+  Vines, 60.
+
+  Virginity, 250.
+
+  Virility, 253.
+
+  Volcanic nature, 5.
+    formation, 37, 122, 129, 162, 167, 168, 192, 205.
+    mass, 4.
+    zone, 130.
+
+  Volcano, 130.
+
+  Volcano Bay, 5, 58, 193, 195, 197, 286.
+      Ainu, 6, 248, 274.
+
+  Volcanoes, 131.
+
+
+  W.
+
+  Wadamanai, 168, 169.
+
+  Wakkanai, 167, 168.
+
+  War-clubs, 10, 223.
+
+  Washibets, 14.
+
+  Washing, 28.
+
+  Watanabe Masaru, 58, 64, 65.
+
+  Waterfalls, 11, 41, 74, 194.
+
+  Water-soup, 4.
+
+  Weaving, 210.
+
+  Wembets, 135.
+
+  Wembets River, 171.
+
+  Westerns, 255.
+
+  Whales' bones, 145, 161, 169.
+
+  Wife, 294, 295.
+    (great wife), 34.
+    (second), 294.
+
+  Winter, 161.
+    garments, 60, 145.
+
+  Witches, 287, 288.
+
+  Wolves, 101.
+
+  Women, 136, 137, 142, 232, 236, 249, 252, 253, 294.
+
+  Women standing, 242.
+    and children at a festival, 31.
+    (burial of), 225.
+    feeding bears, 59.
+    suckling bear cubs, 214.
+
+  Women's graves, 226.
+
+  Wood-carving, 219.
+
+  Wooden blade, carved, 226.
+    bowls, 8.
+    panels, 2.
+
+  Wrecks, 42, 43, 162, 163, 165, 168-170, 179.
+
+  Written language, 259.
+
+  Worship, 281, 283, 284.
+
+
+  Y.
+
+  Yagoshi Cape, 205.
+
+  Yamakubiro, 56, 63, 271.
+
+  Yamakushinai, 197.
+
+  Yammakka, 56, 57, 61, 65, 66.
+
+  Yangeshiri, 171.
+
+  Yassuchi, 142.
+    Lagoon, 142.
+
+  Yezo, 297.
+
+  Yoichi, 192, 193.
+
+  Yoshioka village, 205.
+
+  Yoshitsune or Okikurumi, 260, 261, 283, 284. (Also  see  Hero, Japanese.)
+
+  Yubaridake, 122.
+
+  Yubets, 142.
+    River, 141.
+
+  Yuhuts, 20.
+
+  Yurap, 197.
+
+  Yurapdake Mount, 4.
+
+  Yuto Lake, 48.
+
+  Yuzan Volcano, 97, 98, 101, 104.
+
+
+  Z.
+
+  Zenzai lakes, 3.
+
+
+LONDON: PRINTED BY WM. CLOWES AND SONS, LTD., STAMFORD STREET AND
+CHARING CROSS.
+
+
+  +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+  |                                                              |
+  |                      Transcriber's Notes                     |
+  |                                                              |
+  | The following changes have been made to the text.            |
+  |                                                              |
+  | |Page |Original |Changed to |Context                 |       |
+  | |53   |do       |no         |doorways have no doors. |       |
+  | |305  |2/8      |1/4        |5-1/4 inches wide       |       |
+  |                                                              |
+  | Some words occur in both hyphenated and unhyphenated forms   |
+  | in the text.                                                 |
+  |                                                              |
+  +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Alone with the Hairy Ainu, by A. H. Savage Landor
+
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+
+<pre>
+
+Project Gutenberg's Alone with the Hairy Ainu, by A. H. Savage Landor
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Alone with the Hairy Ainu
+       or, 3,800 miles on a pack saddle in Yezo and a cruise to
+              the Kurile Islands.
+
+Author: A. H. Savage Landor
+
+Release Date: October 28, 2011 [EBook #37873]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: UTF-8
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALONE WITH THE HAIRY AINU ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Steven Gibbs, LN Yaddanapudi and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+</pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+<h1>ALONE WITH THE
+HAIRY AINU.</h1>
+
+<h4>OR,</h4>
+
+<h3>3,800 MILES ON A PACK SADDLE IN YEZO AND
+A CRUISE TO THE KURILE ISLANDS.</h3>
+
+<h4>BY</h4>
+<h2>A. H. SAVAGE LANDOR.</h2>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 217px;">
+<img src="images/illus-titlepage.jpg" width="217" height="111" alt="" /></div>
+
+<h4>WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR.</h4>
+
+<h3>LONDON:<br />
+JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.<br />
+1893.</h3>
+
+<hr class="r65" />
+
+<h3>LONDON:<br />
+PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,<br />
+STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.</h3>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 368px;">
+<a name="frontispiece" id="frontispiece"></a><img src="images/illus-frontispiece.jpg" width="368" height="528" title="PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR." alt="PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR." />
+<span class="caption">
+PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR.<br />
+&quot;When my clothes came to an end I did without them.&quot;</span></div>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<a href="./images/illus-map.jpg"><img src="images/illus-map-inline.jpg" width="600" height="462" title="Map of Hokkaido island" alt="Map of Hokkaido island" /></a></div>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+
+
+
+
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_ix" id="Page_ix">[Pg ix]</a></p>
+<h2><a name="PREFACE" id="PREFACE"></a>PREFACE.</h2>
+
+
+<p>This book is not meant as a literary work, for I am not
+and do not pretend to be a literary man. It is but a record&mdash;an
+amplified log-book, as it were&mdash;of what befell me during
+my solitary peregrinations in Hokkaido, and a collection of
+notes and observations which I hope will prove interesting to
+anthropologists and ethnologists as well as to the general
+public.</p>
+
+<p>Without any claim to infallibility I have tried to take an
+open-minded and sensible view of everything I have attempted
+to describe; in most cases, however, I have given facts without
+passing an opinion at all, and all I have said I have tried
+to express as simply and plainly as possible, so as not to give
+rise to misunderstandings.</p>
+
+<p>There are a few points which I want to make quite clear.</p>
+
+<p>First, that I went to Hokkaido entirely on my own account
+and for my own satisfaction. Next, that I accomplished the
+whole journey (some 4200 miles, out of which 3800 were
+ridden on horseback and on a rough pack-saddle) perfectly
+alone. By alone I mean that I had with me no friends, no
+servants, and no guides. My baggage consisted of next to
+nothing, so far as articles for my own convenience or comfort
+were concerned. I carried no provisions and no tent.</p>
+
+<p>I am endowed with a very sensitive nature, and I pride
+myself in possessing the gift of adaptability to an extreme
+degree, and this may partly explain why and how I could live
+so long with and like the Ainu, whose habits and customs, as
+my readers will see, are somewhat different to ours.</p>
+
+<p>When I go to a country I do my best to be like one of the
+natives themselves, and, whether they are savage or not, I
+endeavour to show respect for them and their ideas, and to
+conform to their customs for the time being. I make up my
+mind that what is good for them must be good enough for
+me, and though I have occasionally had to swear at myself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_x" id="Page_x">[Pg x]</a></span>
+for "doing in Ainuland as the Ainu does," especially as
+regards the food, I was not much the worse for it in the
+end. I never use force when I can win with kindness, and
+in my small experience in Hokkaido and other countries I
+have always found that real savages in their simplicity are
+most "gentleman-like" people. With few exceptions they are
+good-natured, dignified, and sensible, and the chances are that
+if you are fair to them they will be fair to you. Civilised
+savages and barbarians I always found untrustworthy and
+dangerous.</p>
+
+<p>The Island of Yezo, with the smaller islands near its coast,
+and the Kurile group, taken together, are called "the
+Hokkaido." The Hokkaido extends roughly from 41° to 51°
+latitude north, and between 139° and 157° longitude east
+of Greenwich.</p>
+
+<p>My view of the origin of the word Ainu is this: <i>Ainu</i> is
+but a corruption or abbreviation of <i>Ai-num</i>, "they with hair,"
+or "hairy men," or else of <i>Hain-num</i>, "come with hair," or
+"descended hairy." Considering that the Ainu pride themselves
+above all things on their hairiness, it does not seem
+improbable to me that this may be the correct origin of the
+word, and that they called themselves after the distinguishing
+characteristic of their race.</p>
+
+<p>The word Ainu is a generic term, and is used both in the
+singular and plural; but when specifying, the words <i>Kuru</i>
+(people, men), <i>utaragesh</i> (woman), etc., are generally added to
+it: viz., <i>Ainu kuru</i>, Ainu people, Ainu men; <i>Ainu utaragesh</i>,
+an Ainu woman; <i>Ainu utaragesh utara</i>, several Ainu women.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu population of Yezo is roughly reckoned by the
+Japanese at about 15,000 or 17,000 souls, but at least half
+this number are half-castes, and in my opinion (and I have
+visited nearly every Ainu village in Yezo) the number of
+thoroughbred Ainu does not exceed 8000 souls.</p>
+
+<p>The illustrations in this book are my own, and are the
+reproductions from sketches which I took on the spot. They
+may not show much artistic merit, but they seem to me to be
+characteristic of the country and the people, and I hope that
+my readers will be impressed with them in the same way.</p>
+
+<p class="smcap">A. Henry Savage Landor.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xi" id="Page_xi">[Pg xi]</a></p>
+<h2>CONTENTS.</h2>
+
+
+<ul class="toc">
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER I.</li>
+<li class="sh">From Hakodate to Mororran&mdash;Volcano Bay&mdash;The first Ainu&mdash;A
+strange institution among them        <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER II.</li>
+<li class="sh">From Mororran to the Saru River        <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_12">12</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER III.</li>
+<li class="sh">Up the Saru River&mdash;Piratori and its chief        <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_22">22</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER IV.</li>
+<li class="sh">An Ainu Festival        <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_30">30</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER V.</li>
+<li class="sh">From the Saru River to Cape Erimo        <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_35">35</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER VI.</li>
+<li class="sh">From Cape Erimo to the Tokachi River        <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_44">44</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER VII.</li>
+<li class="sh">The Tokachi Region&mdash;Pure Ainu Types&mdash;Curious Mode of River
+Fishing        <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_50">50</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER VIII.</li>
+<li class="sh">From the Tokachi River to the Kutcharo River        <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_68">68</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER IX.</li>
+<li class="sh"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xii" id="Page_xii">[Pg xii]</a></span>The Koro-pok-kuru, or Pit-dwellers        <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_78">78</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER X.</li>
+<li class="sh">The Kutcharo River and Lake&mdash;A Sulphur Mine&mdash;Akkeshi and
+its Bay        <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_95">95</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XI.</li>
+<li class="sh">From Akkeshi to Nemuro&mdash;A Horse Station&mdash;Nemuro and its
+People       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_106">106</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XII.</li>
+<li class="sh">The Kurile Islands       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_121">121</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XIII.</li>
+<li class="sh">On the East and North-East Coast&mdash;From Nemuro to Shari-Mombets       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_133">133</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XIV.</li>
+<li class="sh">Along the Lagoons of the North-East Coast&mdash;From Shari-Mombets
+to Poronai       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_145">145</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XV.</li>
+<li class="sh">On the North-East Coast&mdash;From Poronai to Cape Soya       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_157">157</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XVI.</li>
+<li class="sh">From Cape Soya to the Ishikari River       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_167">167</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XVII.</li>
+<li class="sh">The Ishikari River       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_179">179</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XVIII.</li>
+<li class="sh">Nearing Civilisation       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_187">187</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XIX.</li>
+<li class="sh">Completing the Circuit of Yezo&mdash;The End of my Journey       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_196">196</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XX.</li>
+<li class="sh">Ainu Habitations, Storehouses, Trophies, Furniture&mdash;Conservatism       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_207">207</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XXI.</li>
+<li class="sh">Ainu Art, Ainu Marks, Ornamentations, Weapons&mdash;Graves and
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xiii" id="Page_xiii">[Pg xiii]</a></span>Tattoos       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_218">218</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XXII.</li>
+<li class="sh">Ainu Heads, and their Physiognomy       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_229">229</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XXIII.</li>
+<li class="sh">Movements and Attitudes       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_236">236</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XXIV.</li>
+<li class="sh">Ainu Clothes, Ornaments, and Tattooing       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_245">245</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XXV.</li>
+<li class="sh">Ainu Music, Poetry, and Dancing       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_255">255</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XXVI.</li>
+<li class="sh">Heredity&mdash;Crosses&mdash;Psychological Observations       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_266">266</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XXVII.</li>
+<li class="sh">Physiological Observations&mdash;Pulse-beat and Respiration&mdash;Exposure&mdash;Odour
+of the Ainu&mdash;The Five Senses      <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_274">274</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XXVIII.</li>
+<li class="sh">The Ainu Superstitions&mdash;Morals&mdash;Laws and Punishments       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_281">281</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">CHAPTER XXIX.</li>
+<li class="sh">Marital Relations, and Causes that limit Population       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_293">293</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap">APPENDIX.</li>
+<li class="sh">I.&mdash;Measurements of the Ainu Body, and Descriptive Characters       298</li>
+<li class="sh">II.&mdash;Glossary of Ainu Words, many of which are found in Geographical
+Names in Yezo and the Kurile Islands       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_304">304</a></span></li>
+
+<li class="chap"><span class="smcap">Index</span>       <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_313">313</a></span></li>
+</ul>
+
+
+
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xv" id="Page_xv">[Pg xv]</a></p>
+<h2>LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.</h2>
+
+
+<ul class="toc">
+<li>Portrait of the Author    <span class="ralign"><a href="#frontispiece"><i>Frontispiece.</i></a></span></li>
+
+<li>Aputa        <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_1">1</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Woman saluting        <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_6">6</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Toya Lake, near Aputa        <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_11">11</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Fisherman's Hut         <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_12">12</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Pack-Saddle          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_18">18</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Norboribets Volcano           <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_19">19</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Horobets           <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_21">21</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Storehouses at Piratori          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_22">22</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Benry, the Ainu Chief of Piratori          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_25">25</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Man waving his Moustache-lifter
+before drinking          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_29">29</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Festival, An           <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_30">30</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Women dancing          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_33">33</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Piratori Woman in Costume          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_34">34</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Utarop Rocks           <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_35">35</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Lashed Canoe          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_37">37</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Front View of Lashed Canoe           <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_38">38</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Oars            <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_38">38</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Sailing Canoe           <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_38">38</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Wooden Anchors           <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Canoe, Top View of an          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_39">39</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Erimo Cape          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_43">43</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Natural Stone Archway, A          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_44">44</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Iwa Rocks at Biru           <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_49">49</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Houses and Storehouse, Frishikobets, Tokachi River            <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_50">50</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Madwoman of Yammakka          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_55">55</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Woman of Frishikobets, on the Tokachi River          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_60">60</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Shikarubets Otchirsh, The          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_67">67</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Man of the Upper Tokachi          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_68">68</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Hook for Smoking Bear-Meat          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_77">77</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Koro-pok-kuru Fort          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_78">78</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Flint Arrow-Heads          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_78">78</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Flint Knives          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_79">79</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Koro-pok-kuru Pottery and Fragments of Designs          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_86">86</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Stone Adzes and Hammer          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_94">94</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Huts and Storehouses on Kutcharo Lake          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_95">95</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Kutcharo Lake from Mount Yuzan          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_98">98</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Sulphur Mine          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_100">100</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Akkeshi in a Fog          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_105">105</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Man and Woman on Horseback          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_106">106</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Bits          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_110">110</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Semi-Ainu Rat Trap          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_120">120</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Woman of the Kurile Islands          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_121">121</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Shikotan Ainu          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_126">126</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Woman of the Kurile Islands          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_132">132</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Abashiri Island          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_133">133</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Belle, An          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_140">140</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Saruma Lagoon          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_144">144</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Eagle-displayed Sable, An          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_145">145</a></span></li>
+
+<li>My Host, the Madman          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_148">148</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Sarubuts, showing River-Course altered by Drift Sand          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_157">157</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Village on the East
+Coast of Yezo          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_166">166</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Mashike Mountain          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_167">167</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ishikari Kraftu Ainu          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_178">178</a></span></li>
+
+<li><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_xvi" id="Page_xvi">[Pg xvi]</a></span>Kamui Kotan Rapids, The          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_179">179</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Woman of Ishikari River          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_186">186</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Bark Water Jugs          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_187">187</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Half-caste Child of Volcano Bay          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_194">194</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Komatage Volcano, Volcano Bay          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_196">196</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Wooden Drinking Vessels          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_207">207</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Kammakappe, The, &amp;c.          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_209">209</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ahunkanitte, The, &amp;c.          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_210">210</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Atzis-Cloth in process of Weaving          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_210">210</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Roasting Hook          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_211">211</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ape-Kilai, The, or Earth-Rake          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_214">214</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Pestle, Mortar, Spoon, &amp;c.          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_215">215</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Pipe Holder and Tobacco Pouch          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_217">217</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Knife, with ornamented Sheath, &amp;c.          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_218">218</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Kike-ush-bashui, or Moustache-Lifters          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_220">220</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Suggestions of Leaves, &amp;c.          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_221">221</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Elaborations of Chevrons, Wave Patterns, &amp;c.          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_222">222</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Tchutti, or War-Clubs, &amp;c.          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_223">223</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Knives          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_224">224</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Monuments for Women          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_225">225</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Wooden Monuments over Men's Grave          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_225">225</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Wooden Blade          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_226">226</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Pipe, An          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_228">228</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Man walking with Snow-Shoes          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_236">236</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Thiaske-Tarra, The          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_238">238</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Atzis, The          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_245">245</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Atzis, after Japanese Pattern          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_245">245</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Winter Bear-skin Coat          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_245">245</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Atzis, Back of          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_246">246</a></span></li>
+
+<li>"Hoshi," The          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_247">247</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Boots, Deer-Skin Shoe, &amp;c.          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_248">248</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Tattoo-marks on Women's Arms          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_253">253</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Snow-Shoes          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_254">254</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Ainu Salutation          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_255">255</a></span></li>
+
+<li>"Mukko," A, or Musical Instrument          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_258">258</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Wooden Pipe, A          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_265">265</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Naked Ainu Man from the North-East Coast of Yezo          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_274">274</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Trophy of Bears' Skulls          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_281">281</a></span></li>
+
+<li>Inao-netuba, &amp;c.          <span class="ralign"><a href="#Page_292">292</a></span></li>
+</ul>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_1" id="Page_1">[Pg 1]</a></p>
+
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 363px;">
+<img src="images/illus-001.jpg" width="363" height="220" alt="APUTA" />
+<span class="caption">APUTA.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER I.<br />
+<span class="small">From Hakodate to Mororran&mdash;Volcano Bay&mdash;The first Ainu&mdash;A strange
+Institution among them.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>I have often asked myself <i>why</i> I went to Yezo; and, when
+there, what possessed me to undertake the laborious task of
+going round the island, up its largest rivers, travelling through
+jungles and round lakes, climbing its highest peaks, and then
+proceeding to the Kuriles. There are certain things in one's
+life that cannot be accounted for, and the journey which I am
+going to relate is one of them.</p>
+
+<p>Pleasure and rest were the two principal objects which had
+primarily induced me to steer northwards; but it was my fate
+not to get either the one or the other.</p>
+
+<p>I was on the Japanese ship the <i>Satsuma Maru</i>. Rapidly
+nearing the Hakodate Head, which we soon passed, we entered
+the well-protected bay and the town of Hakodate at the
+foot of the Peak came into view. It looked extremely pretty,
+with its paper-walled houses and its tiled roofs, set against
+the background of brown rock with its fringe of green at
+the foot. As we cast anchor, hundreds of coolies, carrying
+on their backs loads of dried fish and seaweed, were running
+along the <i>bund</i> or wharf. A few <i>musemes</i> (girls), in their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_2" id="Page_2">[Pg 2]</a></span>
+pretty <i>kimonos</i> (gowns) and with oil-paper umbrellas, were
+toddling along on their wooden clogs, and a crowd of loafers
+stood gazing at the ship as she came to anchor. The Peak,
+more than 1000 feet high, was towering on our south side,
+forming a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a sandy
+isthmus, and the large bay swept round us, forming nearly a
+circle. The place has a striking resemblance to Gibraltar.</p>
+
+<p>I landed, and put up at a tea-house, where I was in hopes
+of learning something regarding the island from the Japanese
+settlers, but no one knew anything. The reports that there
+were no roads extending beyond a few miles; that there was
+but very poor and scarce accommodation along the coast;
+that the Ainu, who lived further north, were dirty people; and
+that the country was full of bears, were certainly not encouraging
+to an intending traveller.</p>
+
+<p>I must confess that my first day in Yezo was a dull one;
+but the second day I had the pleasure of meeting a Mr. H., a
+resident, who kindly offered me his hospitality, and the next
+two were pleasantly spent at his house. In conversation
+with a friend of his, I heard the remark that no man alone
+could possibly complete the circuit of the island of Yezo,
+owing to the difficulties of travel; and my readers can imagine
+the astonishment of my interlocutors when I meekly said, that
+if no one had ever done it, I was going to do it; and, indeed,
+that I intended to set out alone the next morning.</p>
+
+<p>"Impossible!" said one, "you are too young and too
+delicate."</p>
+
+<p>"Absurd!" said my kind host, "it would take a very strong
+man to do it&mdash;a man who could stand any amount of hardships
+and roughing." At the same time he gave me a pitiful
+look, which undoubtedly meant, "You are a mere bag of skin
+and bones."</p>
+
+<p>However, the bag of skin and bones kept his word, notwithstanding
+the poor opinion that his new friends had
+formed of him.</p>
+
+<p>The preparations for my journey were simple. In two
+large Japanese baskets I packed three hundred small wooden
+panels for oil-painting, a large supply of oil colours and
+brushes, a dozen small sketch-books, my diary, three pairs of
+boots, three shirts, an equal number of pairs of woollen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_3" id="Page_3">[Pg 3]</a></span>
+stockings, a revolver, and a hundred cartridges. The remainder
+of my luggage was left in charge of Mr. H. till my
+return. I did not burden myself with either provisions or
+a tent.</p>
+
+<p>I rose early the following morning and bade good-bye to
+my kind host. "Good-bye," said he, "I expect we shall see
+you back to-night to dinner." The word "dinner" was the
+last English word I heard from the mouth of an Englishman,
+and it was five long months before I heard another.</p>
+
+<p>The first thirty miles of my journey were ridden in a
+<i>basha</i>, a covered cart built on four wheels that ought to have
+been round, but were not. There were no springs for the
+comfort of the traveller, and no cushions on the seats. The
+conveyance was public, and was drawn by two sturdy ponies.
+The driver, a Japanese, carried a brass trumpet, on which he
+continually played.</p>
+
+<p>I might have begun my story by the usual "One fine day,"
+if, unfortunately, the day on which I started the rain had not
+poured in torrents. A Japanese policeman and a girl were my
+only fellow-passengers. Travelling at full gallop, on a rough
+road, in a trap with unsymmetrical wheels and with no springs,
+during a heavy storm, is scarcely what one would call a
+pleasant mode of progression; but after some hours of "being
+knocked about," we went zig-zag fashion, first up a steep hill,
+then down on the other side, giving the horses a rest at a
+roadside tea-house by the famous lakes of Zenzai. The larger
+of these two lakes&mdash;the Ko-numa&mdash;is extremely picturesque,
+with its numerous little islands wooded with deciduous trees.
+In shape it is very irregular, and many points, which project
+into the lake, add to the loveliness of the scene, while the
+high ridge over which I had come, on the one side, and the
+rugged volcano of Komagatake on the other, form a beautiful
+background to the limpid sheet of water. The outlet of this
+lake empties itself into Volcano Bay, S.E. of the Komagatake
+Volcano. The other lake, though smaller, is quite as striking,
+and possesses the same characteristics of its larger brother.
+It goes by the name of Ono-numa. A peculiarity of these
+lakes is that they abound in a smallish fish&mdash;the <i>funa</i>&mdash;which
+is greatly appreciated by the Japanese.</p>
+
+<p>I sat down in the tea-house on the soft mats, and my <i>bento</i>&mdash;Japanese<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_4" id="Page_4">[Pg 4]</a></span>
+lunch&mdash;was served to me on a tiny table. There
+was water soup; there was sea-weed; there was a bowl of
+rice, and raw fish. The fish&mdash;a small <i>funa</i>&mdash;was in a diminutive
+dish and its back was covered by a leaf; the head projected
+over the side of the plate. On the leaf were placed
+several neatly-cut pieces of the raw flesh, which had apparently
+been removed from the back of the underlying animal. As I
+had been long accustomed to Japanese food of this kind I ate
+to my heart's content, when, to my great horror, the <i>funa</i>,
+which had been staring at me with its round eyes, relieved of
+the weight that had passed from its back into my digestive
+organs, leaped up, leaf and all, from the dish and fell on the
+mat. All the vital parts had carefully been left in the fish, and
+the wretched creature was still alive!</p>
+
+<p>"Horrible!" I cried, violently pushing away the table and
+walking out disgusted, to the great surprise of the people
+present, who expected me to revel in the deliciousness of
+the dish.</p>
+
+<p>For days and days after I could see in my mind the staring
+eyes of the <i>funa</i>, watching each movement of my chopsticks,
+and its own back being eaten piecemeal! Wherever I went
+this big eye stood before me, and increased or diminished in
+size according to my being more or less lonely, more or less
+hungry. I had often eaten raw fish before, but never had I
+eaten live fish!</p>
+
+<p>The journey in the <i>basha</i> was resumed that afternoon, and,
+more dead than alive, I alighted in the evening at Mori, a
+small Japanese village at the foot of the Komagatake
+Volcano. The peak of this mountain is 4000 feet above the
+level of the sea, but its basin-like crater is at a somewhat
+lower altitude. Up to a certain height it is thickly wooded
+with deciduous trees and firs, thence its slopes are bare of
+vegetation, rugged in form, and very rich in colour. It makes
+part of a volcanic mass which extends from the Esan Volcano,
+further south, to the limit of the Shiribeshi province, crossing
+straight through the province of Oshima as far as the Yurapdake
+Mountain. Komagatake is one of the most majestic and
+picturesque mountains I have ever seen, as it possesses lovely
+lines on nearly every side. Its isolation and sudden sharp
+elevation, rising as it does directly from the sea, gives, of course,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_5" id="Page_5">[Pg 5]</a></span>
+a grand appearance to its weird and sterile slopes, which are
+covered with warmly-tinted cinders, pumice, and lava.</p>
+
+<p>I went over to Mororran, across Volcano Bay, and the
+following morning I risked my life on a small craft, which
+took me over to Mombets. From this place I rode on to
+Uso and Aputa, two Ainu villages at a short distance from
+each other.</p>
+
+<p>Coming from Japan the first thing that strikes a traveller in
+the Ainu country is the odour of dried fish, which one can
+smell everywhere; the next is the great number of crows&mdash;the
+scavengers of the country; lastly, the volcanic nature of
+the island. On visiting an Ainu village what impressed me
+most were the miserable and filthy huts, compared with the
+neat and clean Japanese houses; the poverty and almost appalling
+dirt of the people and their gentle, submissive nature.</p>
+
+<p>I shall not dwell at length on these Volcano Bay Ainu, as
+this part of the country is comparatively civilised, and has
+been travelled over by many people previous to my going
+there. Besides, most of them have intermarried with Japanese,
+and have consequently adopted many Japanese customs and
+manners.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu of the coast build their huts generally on a single
+line, near the shore, and each family has its "dug out" canoe
+drawn up on the beach, ready to hand when wanted. The
+huts are small and miserable-looking, and they have no
+furniture or bedding to speak of. The roof and walls are
+thatched with <i>arundinaria</i>, but so imperfectly that wind and
+rain find easy access through their reedy covering. Curiosity
+is the only good quality which I ever possessed, and in obedience
+to it I poked my nose into several of the huts along
+the beach. This was a mistake on my part, for in the Ainu
+country the nose is the last thing one ought to poke in anywhere.
+I was more than astonished to see how human beings
+could live in such filth! The natives kindly asked me to enter,
+and I of course did so, stooping low through the small door and
+raising the mat which protects the aperture. When I was in
+I could smell a great deal more than I could see, for the east
+window&mdash;the size of a small handkerchief, and the only one in
+the hut&mdash;did not give light enough to illuminate the premises.
+However, I soon got accustomed to the dimness, and then I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_6" id="Page_6">[Pg 6]</a></span>
+could make out my surroundings clearly enough. There was
+an old man, perfectly naked, with a fine head, long white
+hair and beard, sitting on the ground among a mass of seaweeds,
+which he was disentangling and packing. Two young
+women and two young men, with bright, intelligent eyes and
+high cheek-bones, were helping him in his work. In their
+quiet, gentle way they all brought their hands forward, each
+rubbed the palms together, and, lifting the arms, slowly
+stroked their hair, and the men their beard with the backs of
+their hands, while the women rubbed the first finger under
+the nose from the left to the right.
+This is their salutation, and it
+is most graceful. They seemed
+pleased to see me, and asked me
+to sit down. As there were neither
+chairs nor sofas, stools nor cushions,
+I squatted on the ground.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 146px;">
+<img src="images/illus-006.jpg" width="146" height="122" alt="AINU WOMAN SALUTING" title="" />
+<span class="caption">AINU WOMAN SALUTING.</span></div>
+
+<p>Most Ainu of Volcano Bay
+understand Japanese, and they also
+speak it, interpolating Ainu words
+when necessary, so I began a conversation.
+My presence did not seem to disturb them or
+arouse their curiosity, and, beyond gazing at the mother-of-pearl
+buttons on my white coat, they did not appear to be
+struck by me. Evidently the buttons were much more
+interesting to them than the person who wore them. Now
+and then they uttered a few words, but whenever one spoke
+some of the company seemed to be angry, as at an impertinence
+or a breach of etiquette. Men and women wore large ear-rings
+or pieces of red or black cloth, which added a great deal to
+their picturesqueness; but the women were disfigured by a long
+moustache tattooed across the face from ear to ear. Rough
+drawings adorn the arms and hands of the women, and some
+of the younger females would undoubtedly be fine-looking if
+not disfigured by the tattoos, for they carry themselves well
+when walking, and possess comely features. Judging from
+appearances, I should think them very passionate.</p>
+
+<p>Coming out of the hut I saw a scene which I shall never
+forget. Two naked boys, covered with horrible skin eruptions,
+had got hold of a large fish-bone, out of which they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_7" id="Page_7">[Pg 7]</a></span>
+were endeavouring to make a meal. Round them were
+gathered about thirty dogs, wild with hunger, barking furiously
+at the frightened children, and attacking and fighting them
+for that miserable repast.</p>
+
+<p>I walked along the beach, and endeavoured to make
+friends with some of the Ainu who were less shy than the
+others. One little girl was especially picturesque. She was
+only about ten, and her large eyes, tanned complexion, white
+teeth, the tiny bluish-black tattoo on her upper lip, her
+uncombed long black hair flying around her, and her red
+cloth ear-rings, made her indeed one of the quaintest studies
+of colour that I have seen in my life. I got her to sit for
+me; and while I was painting her, an old man, the chief of
+the village, dressed up in a gaudy costume, with a crown of
+willow shavings on his head, came to me and made his
+"salaams." He bore the name of Angotsuro, and before all
+his salaams were over he found himself "caught in the action"
+in my sketch-book. Many of the villagers had collected
+round, and one of them, a half-caste, expressed the wish that
+I should paint the chief in colours, like the picture of the girl.
+I asked for nothing better, and started an oil-sketch of him.
+The excitement of the natives who were witnessing the operation
+grew greater and greater as each new ornament in the
+chief's dress was put in the picture. Some seemed to approve
+of it, others were grumpy, and apparently objected to the
+picture being taken at all. The <i>séance</i> was indeed a stormy
+one; and though the chief had his regal crown knocked off his
+head two or three times by the anti-artistic party, he sat well
+for his likeness, especially as I promised him in Japanese, that
+when the picture was completed he should be given a few
+coins and two buttons off my coat.</p>
+
+<p>It was while portraying him that I noticed what extraordinary
+effects colours produce on those whose eyes are
+unaccustomed to them. A man in the crowd would get
+excited, and open his eyes wide and show his teeth every
+time I happened to touch with my brush the cobalt blue on
+my palette. Other colours had not the same effect on him.
+His eyes were continually fixed on the blue, anxiously waiting
+for the brush to dip in it, and this would then send him into
+fits of merriment. I squeezed some blue paint from a tube on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_8" id="Page_8">[Pg 8]</a></span>
+to the palm of his hand, and he nearly went off his head with
+delight. He sprang and jumped and yelled, and then ran
+some way off, where he squatted on the sand, still in admiration
+of the blue dab on his hand, still grinning at intervals
+with irrepressible enjoyment. Where the point of the joke
+was no one but himself ever knew.</p>
+
+<p>When the picture was finished I had no little trouble to
+keep the many fingers of my audience off the wet painting.
+Moreover, some person endowed with kindly feelings threw
+a handful of sand in my face, which nearly blinded me for
+the moment and partly ruined the two pictures I had painted.
+The money and the buttons were duly paid to Angotsuro
+and I moved on.</p>
+
+<p>That same evening I went out for a walk. It was a very
+dark night, and I love dark nights. When for some years
+you have done nothing but see strange things and new places
+there is indeed a great fascination in going about in complete
+darkness; it rests both your eyes and your brain. I
+walked for some time along the beach, stumbling against the
+canoes drawn on shore and against anything that was in my
+way. Hut after hut was passed, but everything was silent;
+there was not a sound to be heard, not a light to be seen.
+The Ainu are early people; they retire with the sun. I
+walked on yet farther and farther afield, till through the
+thatched wall of one of the huts I discerned a faint light.
+I stood and listened. The sad voice of a man was singing
+a weird, weird song, the weirdest song I have ever heard.
+Then came a pause, and another voice, even more plaintive
+than the first, continued the same air.</p>
+
+<p>What with the strange melody in the hut, the soothing
+noise of the waves gently breaking on the shingle, and the
+distant howling of dogs or wolves, the mystic effect was such
+that I could not resist the temptation, and I crept into the
+hut. A fire was burning in the centre, but it had almost gone
+out, leaving a lot of smoke. Three old men were sitting on
+the ground. They decidedly looked as if they did not expect
+me, but, after their first astonishment was over, they asked me
+to squat down in a corner, and there I was left to amuse
+myself, while they resumed their singing and drinking. Of the
+latter they seemed to have had enough already; but, all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_9" id="Page_9">[Pg 9]</a></span>
+same, several wooden bowls, about five inches in diameter
+and two deep, were passed round and emptied in no time.
+The more they drank, the wilder and more melancholy the
+song became. Only one at a time sang, and he would begin
+in a very low tone of voice and go up in a <i>crescendo</i>, gradually
+getting awfully excited; then all at once he would stop, as if
+the effort had been too great for him. His head drooped, and
+he seemed to sleep. Then, suddenly waking up, coming back
+to his full senses in a startling manner, he drained one of the
+bowls, which meantime had been refilled, and resumed the song.
+The three men were facing each other, and so absorbed were
+they in their music that, though I was not more than four feet
+away from them, they seemed to have forgotten me altogether.</p>
+
+<p>I was so impressed with the strangeness of the song that I
+pulled out my pencil and paper to write down the air. As there
+was no light but the flicker of the fire, I turned the white leaf
+of my sketch-book toward it to see what I was writing. This
+caught the eye of one of the men. He woke up, startled from
+his musical dream, jumped to his feet, and made a dash for
+me, yelling some words which I did not understand, and holding
+over my head something that I could not distinguish at
+the moment owing to the dimness of the light. Standing thus
+he paused, evidently waiting for an answer to something he
+had said. It came from one of the other fellows, who pushed
+him so violently as to send him sprawling on the floor, while,
+what he held in his hand&mdash;a big, heavy, pointed knife&mdash;fell
+and stuck deep in the ground about an inch from my toes.
+A dispute arose among themselves, but among the Ainu everything
+ends up in a drink. The large wooden bowls were again
+refilled; grand bows were made to me, and they all stroked their
+hair and beard several times&mdash;a sign of great respect. I was
+then handed one of the bowls and made to swallow the contents.
+But, heavens! never have I felt any liquid work its way down
+so far. Had I swallowed fire it could not have been as bad;
+and, indeed, it was neither more nor less than liquid fire.</p>
+
+<p>As the night was wearing fast, and the old fellows had got
+on well with their drink, the sing-song became rather too
+languid and monotonous; and I crept out of the hut as
+quietly as I had entered it, not without first giving the
+inmates something for their trouble. I had some difficulty in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_10" id="Page_10">[Pg 10]</a></span>
+finding my way back to my less musical quarters; and passing
+too close to some of the other huts, the dogs&mdash;which infest all
+Ainu villages&mdash;barked furiously and roused the whole place.</p>
+
+<p>I learned afterwards that it is an Ainu fashion to try a
+man's courage. This is done in the way in which my musical
+friends tried mine, namely, by making a sudden rush with a
+knife as if death and destruction were imminent, which to
+a perfect stranger, unconscious of the strain of "bluff" in the
+action, is not very reassuring. If the person to be tested is
+aware of this fashion he has to submit to an unlimited number
+of whacks, administered to him on his bare back, with a heavy
+war-club. These tests of a man's courage and endurance are
+called the <i>Ukorra</i>.</p>
+
+<p>In the first instance it is done, in a certain sense, good-naturedly,
+and not meaning to hurt one. Should, however,
+the person apparently so dangerously threatened show fright or
+signs of cowardice, he loses the respect of the Ainu, unless he has
+the happy thought of giving them a sufficient quantity of some
+intoxicating liquor to make them all drunk&mdash;which is a sure
+means of turning the most inimical Ainu you may meet into
+your fast friend, even if you have had a deadly feud with him.</p>
+
+<p>The second way&mdash;with the war-club&mdash;of course is a painful
+process, and the Ainu have recourse to it when it is necessary
+to determine the relative amount of courage possessed by
+certain members of a community. The one that can stand the
+greater number of blows is naturally entitled to the respect
+and admiration of his neighbours, and he is elected leader in
+bear-hunts or similar expeditions. At the election of a new
+chief&mdash;when the chief's line of descendants dies out&mdash;this
+process, I was told, is often practised; for bravery is the first
+quality which an Ainu chief must possess.</p>
+
+<p>At Aputa, through some of the half-castes, I was able to
+pick up a great number of Ainu words, which were most
+useful to me afterwards; and from that, gradually increasing
+my stock of words, I soon knew enough to understand a little
+and also to make myself understood.</p>
+
+<p>One day I went along the coast to the next village of
+Repun, and then retraced my steps to Aputa, as there was
+nothing of interest at the former place.</p>
+
+<p>An excursion which I enjoyed more was to the Toya Lake,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_11" id="Page_11">[Pg 11]</a></span>
+with its three pretty islands in the centre and the magnificent
+Uso Volcano on its southern shores. The walk there and
+back was hardly fifteen miles, over a mountain track and
+through forests of pine-trees and oaks. The lake is about
+250 feet above the level of the sea, and is about five miles in
+diameter. Its shores are surrounded with thickly-wooded
+hills, which have grassy terraces at a certain altitude, extending
+especially towards the north-western shores of the lake.
+The barren Uso Volcano, with its sterile slopes, is a great
+contrast to the beautiful green of the comparatively luxuriant
+vegetation of the lower altitudes. The lake finds an outlet
+into the Osaru River by means of a high waterfall.</p>
+
+<p>The following day I rode back to Mombets, and the next on to
+Shin-Mororran (the <i>new</i> Mororran, distinguished by this affix
+from Kiu-Mororran, the <i>old</i> settlement on the northern shore).</p>
+
+<p>Mororran has a well-protected harbour, and it would be the
+best future port in Hokkaido if the anchorage were of a larger
+capacity. In more speculative hands than the Japanese this
+port would be a great rival to Hakodate. It consists of a
+thickly-wooded peninsula, which forms a well-sheltered bay, at
+the entrance of which the picturesque island of Daikuku stands
+high above the sea-level. In the harbour itself, smaller islets
+and huge rocks contribute to its beauty.</p>
+
+<p>The village of Mororran is a mere streak of fourth-rate tea-houses
+along the road by the side of the cliffs. Apart from
+the natural loveliness of the harbour, it has, indeed, no claims to
+consideration at present. In former days it was called by the
+Ainu, Tokri-moi, "the home of the seals," for these valuable
+amphibious animals were said to be then plentiful in the bay.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 238px;">
+<img src="images/illus-011.jpg" width="238" height="130" alt="TOYA LAKE, NEAR APUTA" />
+<span class="caption">TOYA LAKE, NEAR APUTA.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_12" id="Page_12">[Pg 12]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 361px;">
+<img src="images/illus-012.jpg" width="361" height="289" alt="FISHERMAN'S HUT" />
+<span class="caption">FISHERMAN&#39;S HUT.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER II.<br />
+<span class="small">From Mororran to the Saru River.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>Thirteen more miles in a <i>basha</i>&mdash;for I was still in civilised
+regions&mdash;took me to Horobets&mdash;a village half Ainu and half
+Japanese.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu often name their villages after rivers, and this
+word Horobets, which in English means "large river," is an
+instance of this custom. In Southern Japan, previous to my
+visiting Yezo, I was told that nearly all the Ainu of Horobets
+had become "good Christians." If such were the case, which
+I do not wish my readers to doubt, the small experience which
+I had here, led me to believe that "good Christians" often
+make "very bad heathens."</p>
+
+<p>I left all my baggage in a tea-house at the entrance of the
+village, and, taking my paint-box with me, I went for a walk
+along the beach. I saw a crowd of Ainu in the distance,
+and I hurried up to them. They were busy skinning a large
+Ushi-sakana (cow-fish), cutting it into pieces with their long<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_13" id="Page_13">[Pg 13]</a></span>
+knives. They did not pay much attention to me, and this disregard
+of what would be to others a cause of curiosity and interruption
+I afterwards found to be a characteristic of the
+Ainu. They are seldom distracted from any particular idea
+that occupies their mind at a certain moment. In fact, they
+are so little accustomed to reflect at all, that it seems almost
+impossible for them to think of two things at the same time.
+Of all the existing races of mankind they may be said to be
+the most purely one-idea'd.</p>
+
+<p>Stark naked, with their long hair streaming in the wind, they
+formed a picturesque group. What a chance for a sketch! I
+sat down on the sand, opened my paint-box, and dashed off
+a picture, when a young lad, who had taken his share of the
+fish, came over to see what I was doing. "What is it?" he
+asked me in broken Japanese, to which question I answered
+that I was painting the group of them. The news seemed to
+give him a shock. He rejoined the others, excitedly muttered
+some words, and apparently told them that I had painted the
+whole group, fish and all. Had anyone among them been
+struck by lightning, they could certainly not have looked more
+dismayed. I never knew until then that painting could have
+such an overpowering effect on people, except, perhaps, when
+one has sat to an amateur artist for one's own likeness, the result
+of which is often one of dumb and blank amazement.
+Anger and disgust naturally followed. The fish was thrown
+aside, but not the knives, armed with which they all rushed at
+my back. The sudden change of ideas had evidently made
+them exceedingly angry. The grumbling became very loud,
+and louder still when they saw me complacently giving the
+finishing touches to the fish, which was now left alone, and not
+as before shifted about every second. They grew wilder and
+wilder, until one of the crowd shouted in my ears some words
+which sounded remarkably like swearing. Nevertheless it
+takes more than that to stop me from sketching; but ...
+"By Jove!" I exclaimed, when, all of a sudden, a rush was
+made on me. My paint-box, picture, palette and brushes
+were snatched out of my hands and smashed or flung away,
+and I found myself stretched on the sand, my late involuntary
+sitters holding me down fast by the legs and arms. A big
+knife was kept well over my head, so that I should not attempt<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_14" id="Page_14">[Pg 14]</a></span>
+to move, while the painting, on a heavy wooden panel, was
+being mercilessly destroyed by others. "If these are Christians,
+well I am ..." were, I must confess, the first words that
+rose to my lips.</p>
+
+<p>It is, indeed, difficult to describe how and what one feels
+when, to all appearance, one is going to be murdered&mdash;for
+painting a fish! My first thought, of course, went to my
+parents. My next was, what a nuisance it was to be murdered
+with the sun shining in my eyes, so that I could not even see
+who would give me the "finishing touch." All the events of
+my life, the bad ones first, flashed across my mind in those few
+seconds, and then I almost began to feel as if I had made my
+first steps into the other world, and I could see angels and
+devils disputing for my company&mdash;the devils, of course, having
+by far the largest claims. The bitterness of death had in some
+sense passed, when, to my great astonishment, and with a few,
+but very sound, kicks I was made to understand that I could
+get up and go.</p>
+
+<p>The sensation of being brought back to life, when one has
+made up one's mind to be dead, notwithstanding the abrupt
+manner in which it was produced, was indeed a pleasant one.
+I did get up, and pretty quick, I can tell you; but only to
+see my poor wooden paint-box floating half-smashed in the
+sea, my brushes stuck here and there in the sand, and the
+sketch utterly destroyed.</p>
+
+<p>My assailants were about fifteen or twenty, and I was alone.
+Stupidly enough, and relying on the Christianity of the
+people, I had not burdened myself with the extra weight of
+my revolver; I had left it with my heavy luggage in the
+small Japanese tea-house where I had put up, nearly a mile
+away. The Japanese police-station was at Washibets, another
+village some miles off. Nothing was left for me but to pick
+up the few unbroken brushes which were within easy reach
+and retire; but I was neither frightened nor conquered, and I
+swore to myself that I would have my revenge. I hurried
+to the tea-house, took my revolver, and filled my pocket
+with cartridges, then I ran back to the spot where I had
+sketched and been assaulted. There they all were as I had
+left them, one of them mimicking me with the broken palette,
+which he had fished out of the sea. I had kept well behind<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_15" id="Page_15">[Pg 15]</a></span>
+some thick brushwood, so that they should not see me, and
+for some time watched them unobserved. The imitation was
+perfect. The impromptu Raphael's hair was long enough to
+give him the look of an artist, and he was sufficiently brave to
+carry on his imitation sketching under a shower of missiles
+and sand thrown at him by his friends and companions. As
+he turned his head I recognised in my brother-artist the man
+who had been holding the knife over my head about an hour
+before, and also the very person who had given me the
+soundest kick. Just like a brother-artist! If my sketching
+had not lasted long, his parody was even shorter. I sprang
+out from the brushwood screen and caught him by the throat,
+pointing my revolver at his head, and telling him in Japanese
+to follow me to the police-station. Another man, attacking
+me from behind, stabbed me in my left arm, but not very
+severely, as I saw him just in time to avoid his blow. The
+sight of my revolver had a salutary effect on my hairy friends,
+and they were done out of their fun when, keeping them at
+bay, I told them that if they did not follow me they would all
+be dead men before they knew where they were. They had
+seen guns of the Japanese, and they knew the effects of them,
+so the saucy gentlemen stroked their hair and beard and made
+signs of submission and obedience. However, I was not to be
+easily appeased, as it was necessary to give them a lesson to
+prevent the same thing happening to future travellers; so I
+made them march in front of me, not caring to have them at
+my back, and thus took them all to the Japanese police-station,
+where they were duly arrested. The Japanese are
+very severe with recalcitrant Ainu, and my assailants would
+have been unmercifully dealt with had it not been for their
+wives and children, who came to me begging me to forgive
+their husbands and fathers for what they had done. I
+willingly did so, on condition that they should all come and
+prostrate themselves at my feet, imploring pardon and forgiveness
+and offering submission, as well as confessing their
+sorrow. This penitential function was reluctantly fixed by the
+Japanese policeman&mdash;the only one in the place&mdash;at a late
+hour in the afternoon. During the interval, as I fortunately
+had a large supply of painting materials, I managed to repaint
+from memory the scene represented in the sketch<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_16" id="Page_16">[Pg 16]</a></span>
+destroyed. The evening came, and the little Japanese policeman
+brought the resigned and humbled Ainu to the inn.
+Their wives and relatives followed, and they all looked
+supremely mournful and sad. I sat, Japanese fashion, on the
+small verandah on the ground-floor, and the policeman placed
+the Ainu on a line in front of me, and then came to sit by my
+side. He then addressed them, partly in the Ainu language,
+partly in Japanese, and bestowed on them names which went
+well to the point. He scolded them harshly, and asked them
+why they had assaulted me.</p>
+
+<p>One of them, as grave as a judge, with his eyes cast down,
+and in a half-broken voice, came forward and said, that if once
+you have your likeness taken you have to give up your life
+to it, and it brings illness to yourself, to your children, your
+parents, and your neighbours. Not only that, but as I had
+<i>taken</i> many people together, famine was sure to fall on the
+country. "Then," he added&mdash;and he seemed positive of what
+he was talking about&mdash;"then there was a fish the stranger
+<i>made</i>"&mdash;the Ainu have no word for painting&mdash;"and had we
+not destroyed his <i>makings</i> all the fish would have disappeared
+from the sea, and all the Ainu would have died of starvation"&mdash;which
+was a terrible contingency, as the Ainu live mainly
+by fishing. "We have not hurt the stranger," continued this
+hairy representative of Master Eustache de St. Pierre, "and
+now that all the Ainu and the fish he made are destroyed
+we are safe."</p>
+
+<p>"You are mistaken," said I, when, by the aid of the policeman,
+I understood the meaning of this long harangue, and I
+produced the large sketch of the scene which I had repainted
+from memory. This certainly beat them. They could hardly
+believe their own eyes, and looked at each other as if some
+great calamity were approaching. I have no doubt that they
+considered me an evil spirit, and, as such, too powerful to be
+contended with. Discretion was their best part of valour, as
+they proved. One by one they approached the verandah, sat
+cross-legged in front of me, rubbed their hands together,
+stroked their hair and beard three times, and three times each
+put his head down to my feet, begging my pardon. The
+Ainu women and children who had assembled in the back
+yard, where the function took place, were crying and moaning<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_17" id="Page_17">[Pg 17]</a></span>
+piteously. The most trying part for me was, of course, to
+keep serious during this long tragi-comic performance, and I
+was indeed glad when it was all over; when my supremacy
+was acknowledged, and my immunity from further insult
+secured; when submission had been made, and such whips and
+stings of outrageous fortune as might come from the painting
+of a fish had been humbly accepted.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu are gentle and mild by nature, but, like all
+ignorant people, they are extremely superstitious, and superstition
+is a powerful excitant. Nevertheless, they are good
+people in their own way, and it must not be inferred from this
+small experience of mine that they are bullies, for they are
+not. The superstition regarding the reproduction of images
+is common all through the East, with the exception of the
+Japanese, and in many parts of Europe itself strange ideas are
+connected with portrait-painting. In Spain or Italy many a
+girl of the lower classes would think herself dishonoured if
+she happened to be sketched unawares, or if her picture were
+shown without the consent of her parents, brothers, relatives,
+and the parish priest.</p>
+
+<p>However, these Horobets Ainu are said, since civilisation
+has set in in that part of Yezo, of late years to have become
+untrustworthy and violent. They are more given to drunkenness
+than their neighbours, as they can procure from the
+Japanese stronger beverages than their own. <i>Sake</i> (Japanese
+wine) of inferior quality is sold and exchanged in large
+quantities, and has the same fatal effects on them as rum&mdash;our
+fire-water&mdash;had on the American Indians.</p>
+
+<p>I was not sorry to leave a village which had displayed so
+little appreciation of my art. I took two ponies and two
+pack-saddles, to one of which was lashed my baggage, while I
+sat on the other. Riding is a delightful pastime when you
+have a good horse and a good saddle; but not when you have
+to look after two vicious animals, and are yourself perched on
+a rough wooden pack-saddle. Moreover, Ainu pack-saddles
+are perhaps the most uncomfortable of their kind. The
+illustration shows one of them. It is made with a rough, solid
+wooden frame, of which the front and back parts are semicircular.
+One large hole is perforated in each of these to
+allow ropes to be passed through. Under this frame are two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_18" id="Page_18">[Pg 18]</a></span>
+mat cushions or pads, which are somehow supposed to fit the
+pony's back; and by means of three ropes, one of which is
+passed under the pony's body and fastened on each side of
+the saddle, while the others hang loose across its chest and
+under its tail respectively, the pack-saddle is made to
+remain in position either going uphill, downhill, or on level
+ground. Stirrups, of course, there are none; and mounting
+involves some difficulties at first. One has to face one's pony
+and place the left foot on the breast-piece, lift oneself up and
+swing right round, describing three-quarters of a circle before
+attaining one's seat in the saddle. If distances are miscalculated
+in this gymnastic feat, it is a common occurrence to find
+oneself seated on the pony's neck, or else landed heavily on
+either of the two hard wooden arches of the saddle, instead of
+gracefully falling between them. Keeping your equilibrium
+when you are on is also a trying exercise to anybody not born
+and bred a circus rider, and balancing your baggage perfectly
+on each side of the saddle is somewhat more difficult than
+it sounds.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;">
+<img src="images/illus-018.png" width="300" height="159" alt="PACK-SADDLE" />
+<span class="caption">PACK-SADDLE.</span></div>
+
+<p>Nine miles from Horobets one comes across the Nobori-bets<a name="FNanchor_1_1" id="FNanchor_1_1"></a><a href="#Footnote_1_1" class="fnanchor">[1]</a>
+hot-springs. There was, formerly, a <i>geiser</i> here, but it
+is seldom active now. These hot-springs are situated two-and-a-half
+miles from the sea-coast, and a miserable building,
+which is a mere shanty, is built in the vicinity of them,
+where people who wish to be cured of different complaints
+put up and take the waters.</p>
+
+<p>I rode on to the Noboribets village, consisting of a few houses<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_19" id="Page_19">[Pg 19]</a></span>
+only; and, though I reached it late in the evening, I had to ride
+fourteen miles further to Shiraoi, "a place of horse-flies."<a name="FNanchor_2_2" id="FNanchor_2_2"></a><a href="#Footnote_2_2" class="fnanchor">[2]</a></p>
+
+<p>At sunrise I was up again and on my way to Tomakomai,<a name="FNanchor_3_3" id="FNanchor_3_3"></a><a href="#Footnote_3_3" class="fnanchor">[3]</a>
+the largest Japanese fishing village between Mororran and
+Cape Erimo.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 244px;">
+<img src="images/illus-019.jpg" width="244" height="342" alt="NOBORIBETS VOLCANO" />
+<span class="caption">NOBORIBETS VOLCANO.</span></div>
+
+<p>Sardine fishing is the principal and, indeed, the only industry
+of the place. It is carried on in a practical way.
+When the long nets are ready, and one end of them is
+fastened to the shore, they launch the boat, which is rowed
+rapidly by twenty or thirty strong men, while the net is
+dropped as the boat goes along. Having thus described a
+semicircle, the boat is beached. All on board jump out, and
+the net is pulled on shore amid the shrieks and yells of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_20" id="Page_20">[Pg 20]</a></span>
+excited fishermen. Myriads of sardines are caught each time
+the net is hauled in; and it is a fantastic scene to see the
+naked crowd which, in clearing the nets from the beheaded
+fish, get covered with silver scales, which stick to their arms,
+legs, and body, and give them a strange appearance.</p>
+
+<p><i>Look-out</i> towers are built on four high posts, where a
+watchman is posted to signal the arrival and approach of the
+shoals. The sea is so dense with them that it changes its
+colour, and these moving banks of sardines are distinguishable
+four or five miles from the coast. This method is the same
+as that adopted in Cornwall when the pilchards are expected,
+and the same discoloration of the sea takes place.</p>
+
+<p>From Tomakomai a road branches to the north leading
+to Sappro, the capital of Hokkaido, and it is the last place on
+the southern coast which is visited by that rare specimen of
+the globe-trotter who ventures to Yezo. He hastily makes
+his way from here to Sappro and Otaru on the northern coast,
+and waits for a ship to be conveyed back to Hakodate. He
+then, of course, tells his friends that he has been round and
+about and through Yezo, while in fact he has seen absolutely
+nothing of Yezo or its inhabitants. About half-a-dozen
+Europeans, however, have been further on&mdash;as far as the Saru
+River; and each one has written a book on the Ainu, for the
+most part copying what the previous author had written.</p>
+
+<p>As far as Tomakomai there is a road&mdash;a sure sign of
+civilisation&mdash;but nothing but a horse-track is to be found all
+along the southern coast after this place has been passed.</p>
+
+<p>Changing my ponies at Yuhuts,<a name="FNanchor_4_4" id="FNanchor_4_4"></a><a href="#Footnote_4_4" class="fnanchor">[4]</a> nine miles east, and again
+at Mukawa and Saru-buto, I was able to reach Saru Mombets
+that same night. Many Ainu and Japanese fishermen's huts
+are scattered between Horohuts<a name="FNanchor_5_5" id="FNanchor_5_5"></a><a href="#Footnote_5_5" class="fnanchor">[5]</a> and Yuhuts, on the sandy
+track along the sea.</p>
+
+<p>The traveller then leaves the sea on the right, and by a
+very uneven track, and after fording several rivers of little
+importance comes to Mukawa, a dirty little village fourteen
+miles from Yuhuts. My lunch that day consisted of a large
+piece of raw salmon, which was easily digested in riding nine
+more miles to Saru-buto. Sharu in Ainu, corrupted into Saru,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_21" id="Page_21">[Pg 21]</a></span>
+means a grassy plain; and <i>buto</i> is a Japanese corruption of
+the Ainu word <i>huts</i>, the mouth of a river. My ponies must
+have known of this "grassy plain," for they went remarkably
+well, and I reached the latter village some time before dark, so
+that I was able to push on to Saru Mombets, a larger village
+nearly four miles further. Saru Mombets translated means
+"a tranquil river in a grassy plain," a name thoroughly
+appropriate to the locality.</p>
+
+<p>There is nothing to interest the traveller along the coast,
+unless he be a geologist. Almost the whole of the western
+part of the Iburi district is of volcanic formation. The eastern
+part is abundant in sandstones, breccias, and shales. In the
+neighbourhood of Yuhuts, and all along the coast as far west
+as Horobets, pumice forms the surface soil, showing that in
+former days frequent eruptions must have taken place. Vegetable
+mould alternates with pumice. Sand, clay, tufa, with
+beds of peat and gravel, are the components of the soil
+which is found filling up the declivities of mountains, covering
+low-lands and sea-beaches in this part of the island. Specimens
+of the palæozoic group are found in the pebbles of the
+Mukawa River and valley, like amphibolite, limestone, phyllite,
+sandstone, and clay-slate, besides variegated quartzite
+of greenish and red layers. Primary rocks are common all
+through Iburi and Hidaka.</p>
+
+<p>The terraces surrounding the Saru valley are mostly wooded
+with oak, and the swampy region between the Mukawa and
+Sarubuto has many patches of green grass, and a thick
+growth of high swamp reeds.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 359px;">
+<img src="images/illus-021.jpg" width="359" height="164" alt="HOROBETS" />
+<span class="caption">HOROBETS.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_22" id="Page_22">[Pg 22]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 362px;">
+<img src="images/illus-022.jpg" width="362" height="323" alt="STOREHOUSES AT PIRATORI" />
+<span class="caption">STOREHOUSES AT PIRATORI.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER III.<br />
+<span class="small">Up the Saru River&mdash;Piratori and its chief.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>A large number of Ainu have taken up their abode on the
+banks of the River Saru, or Sharu, as it is called by them, and
+Piratori, nearly fifteen miles from the coast, is the largest village
+of the whole series.</p>
+
+<p>The scenery from the coast to this village is not grand, but
+pretty, through a thickly-wooded country and along grassy
+plains. The Ainu give to the plain itself the name of Sharu-Ru,
+which corresponds in English to a "track in a grassy
+plain." Along this water-way, or not far from it, one meets
+with numerous small Ainu villages and scattered huts until
+Piratori is reached.</p>
+
+<p>Piratori is a string or succession of many villages on undulating
+ground, the last of them being situated on a high
+cliff overlooking the river. In the Ainu language <i>Pira</i> means<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_23" id="Page_23">[Pg 23]</a></span>
+"a cliff," and <i>Tori</i> "a residence." As in all Ainu villages, the
+huts are in one line, some few yards one from the other. Each
+has a separate structure&mdash;a small storehouse built on piles&mdash;generally
+at the west end of the hut.</p>
+
+<p>On my arrival at Piratori, I was welcomed by Benry, the
+<i>Ottena</i> (chief) of the village, who invited me to his hut and
+<i>salaamed</i> me in the most solemn manner, not forgetting to
+mention incidentally that "his throat was very dry," and that
+<i>sake</i> (Japanese wine) could be obtained from a Japanese who
+lives opposite to his hut.</p>
+
+<p>"He is a bad man," said Benry confidentially; "but he
+sells very good <i>sake</i>."</p>
+
+<p>The <i>sake</i> was procured, and Benry, beaming with joy, poured
+it with his shaky, drunken hands into a large bowl. He then
+produced a wooden stick, shaped like a paper-knife, about five
+inches in length, and waved it in the air five or six times with
+his right hand, dipping the point of it each time into the fluid.
+"<i>Nishpa</i>"&mdash;sir, master&mdash;said he. Then, leaning forwards and
+lifting up his heavy moustache with the small stick, he
+swallowed the contents of the bowl at a draught. The same
+performance took place each time that some fresh <i>sake</i> was
+poured into his bowl, and then Benry, with an inimitable
+cunning, and a comically self-sacrificing expression on his face,
+meekly enquired whether I would care to see "how much an
+Ainu could drink."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," said I, "we will go down to the river, and you shall
+show me there if you can drink it dry."</p>
+
+<p>"Yie, yie, yie"&mdash;no, no, no&mdash;hurriedly replied in Japanese
+the Ainu chief; "water is too heavy, and I meant wine."
+Owing to this small difference of opinion, and having no wish
+to encourage him in his drunkenness, Benry's capacity for
+intoxicating fluids is yet unknown to the civilised world.</p>
+
+<p>Benry's house is a palace compared to other Ainu huts. It
+is much larger than most of them, and boasts of a wooden
+floor, in the centre of which a rectangular fire-place is cut out.
+The hut has two windows, one toward the east, the other
+opening to the south; but no chimney is provided as an
+outlet for the smoke. A hole in the west corner of the roof
+answers this purpose. The rough wooden frame is thatched
+with tall reeds and <i>arundinaria</i>, and the roof is shaped like<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_24" id="Page_24">[Pg 24]</a></span>
+a prism. The different huts of Piratori vary in size, but not
+in type. The larger ones cover an area of about sixteen or
+eighteen feet square. Most of them, however, do not measure
+more than ten or twelve feet square. Benry's house was
+exceptionally large, and being such a "swell" one, two rough
+<i>kinna</i> (mats) were spread on the floor and a number of
+Japanese rice boxes and <i>shokuji</i> tables<a name="FNanchor_6_6" id="FNanchor_6_6"></a><a href="#Footnote_6_6" class="fnanchor">[6]</a> adorned one side of
+the dwelling. Over these were hung a number of swords,
+knives, etc., most of them with no blade at all, or with only a
+wooden one. The few old blades which Benry possessed were
+of Japanese workmanship, probably obtained by the Ainu in
+their former wars with the Japanese. A few Ainu spears and
+arrows with bone and bamboo poisoned points were fastened
+to the roof.</p>
+
+<p>These Ainu of Piratori have frequent intercourse with the
+Japanese, who get from them furs and other articles in exchange
+for <i>sake</i> or a few worthless beads. A few half-castes
+are also found at Piratori. The Piratori Ainu, with those of
+Volcano Bay, as we have seen, are those best known to the
+civilised world, as a few foreigners have travelled so far to
+see them. I may mention that as types the inhabitants of
+Piratori are a great deal better than the residents of Volcano
+Bay, most of whom are half-breeds; but even they themselves
+cannot be taken as fair specimens of their race, for they have
+adopted several customs and habits of the Japanese, which the
+incautious traveller has then reported as purely Ainu customs.
+For instance, the pure Ainu diet consists almost entirely of
+fish, meat, and seaweeds. Only occasionally are the roots of
+certain trees eaten. At Piratori I found that many grow and
+eat millet, and corn and bad rice are also sometimes procured
+from the Japanese. Benry has also gone so far in the way of
+civilisation as to invest his small fortune in buying half-a-dozen
+hens and a cock, with whom he shares his regal home.
+These hens lay eggs according to custom, and Benry and his
+"wife" eat them. As the Ainu language has no special word
+for this imported kind of bird, they are known by the name
+of "kikkiri."</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 496px;">
+<img src="images/illus-025.png" width="496" height="600" alt="" />
+<span class="caption">BENRY, THE AINU CHIEF OF PIRATORI.</span></div>
+
+<p>After the experience which I had had at Horobets I decided
+to be more careful with my sketching. I broached the subject<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_25" id="Page_25">[Pg 25]</a></span>
+to Benry, and asked him to sit to me for his portrait. At first
+he was very reluctant, but the prospect of receiving a present
+finally overcame his scruples&mdash;for he was indeed civilised in
+this respect, and understood the worth of his version of the
+almighty dollar to perfection&mdash;and, consenting to be sketched,
+he sat&mdash;at the outset with as much courage as docility. He
+produced a crown of shavings and seaweed, which he solemnly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_26" id="Page_26">[Pg 26]</a></span>
+placed on his head, whilst his better-half helped him on with
+his regal <i>imi</i> (garments), as well as a large sword, which also
+made part of his regal insignia. The crown had in front a small
+bear's head roughly carved in wood, and the clothes were very
+gaudy. They were made of strips of blue, white, and red cloth
+sewn together. The materials used were Japanese, but they
+were cut and arranged in a thoroughly Ainu pattern. Though
+he began well, Benry was not a good sitter, and, like most
+animals, he did not like to be stared at. He felt the weight of
+a look, as it were, and it made him uncomfortable. Not many
+minutes had elapsed before he became openly impatient; he
+even showed his temper by flinging away his crown and his
+wooden sword. On the other hand, sketching in Benry's
+house was no easy matter for me. With all the respect due to
+the chief of Piratori, I am bound to say that his house was not
+a model of cleanliness. Those of his hairy brothers and
+subjects were no better than his, and many were a great deal
+worse. Fleas and other insects were so numerous that in a
+few minutes I was literally covered with them, each one of
+them having a peaceful and hearty meal at my expense, while
+I, for the sake of art, had to go on with my sketch and leave
+them undisturbed. Notwithstanding all this Benry was immortalised
+twice that day, and his maid, housekeeper, or wife&mdash;three
+words which have the same meaning to the Ainu&mdash;was
+also handed down to posterity while in the act of spinning
+the inner fibre of the <i>Ulmus campestris</i> bark, destined to form
+a new garment for her lord, master, and husband.</p>
+
+<p>When I went out to sketch the houses and storehouses in
+the village Benry and another man followed me everywhere;
+but neither he nor his fellow-shadow seemed to take any
+interest in the sketching. In Japan, Corea, and China I have
+often been surrounded by hundreds of people attentively
+watching every stroke of the brush, and I have always found
+them clever and quick in making out the meaning of each line
+or brush-mark. I can assert, without fear of being contradicted,
+that the majority of Japanese, Coreans, and Chinese
+are even quicker than Europeans in that respect, owing to the
+fact that lines constitute for them the study of a lifetime.
+Chinese characters, which are nothing but a deep study of
+lines, are adopted by the three above-mentioned nations, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_27" id="Page_27">[Pg 27]</a></span>
+I consider this to be the original cause why this artistic
+insight is to be found even among the lowest classes. The
+Ainu have no such insight; they have no characters, no
+writing of any kind, no books, and it is therefore not astonishing
+that they are not trained to understand art, bad as it may
+have been in my case. Their appreciation of lines is yet in the
+rudest form, and they possess no more than what is instinctive
+with them. For instance, while I was sketching, Benry and
+his friend either sat or crouched down by my side like two
+dogs, and when my sketch was finished I showed it to them.</p>
+
+<p>"Pirika, Pirika! Nishpa!" ("Very pretty, very pretty, sir!")
+Benry exclaimed with perfect self-assurance; but when I
+asked him what he thought the sketch represented, he cut me
+short by saying that <i>I</i> had done the picture and <i>I</i> ought to
+know what it was meant for; he did not. His friend agreed
+with him.</p>
+
+<p>When my work was done we three walked back to Benry's
+house, my two Ainu friends being very anxious that I
+should get something to eat. From their conversation and
+gestures I caught that it seemed incomprehensible to them
+that I should sit in front of an Ainu hut and&mdash;to use their
+expression&mdash;"make all sorts of signs on a wooden panel."
+After a lengthy discussion the two came to the conclusion that
+houses in our country were so bad that I had been sent to the
+Ainu country to "copy" the pattern of Ainu huts!</p>
+
+<p>Benry seemed excited about something, and hurried us
+back with curious haste and eagerness. When we left the
+house in the morning I saw Benry's better-half placing a few
+eggs in water to boil over the fire. When we entered the hut,
+nearly two hours afterwards, the eggs were still boiling, and
+no fair maid within yelling reach. In order that the fire
+might not go out during her absence the thoughtful girl had
+placed the largest portion of the trunk of a tree in the
+fireplace!</p>
+
+<p>Taken altogether, Benry and all his Saru Ainu are very
+good-natured. They gradually got accustomed to being
+sketched, seeing that after all it really did not bring on them
+"immediate death."</p>
+
+<p>The more one sees of the Ainu the dirtier they appear, but
+as dirt to a great extent contributes to picturesqueness, I was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_28" id="Page_28">[Pg 28]</a></span>
+indeed sorry when Benry, exercising his authority, sent several
+of my sitters to dress up in their best clothes&mdash;often Japanese&mdash;while
+I should have preferred to sketch them in their every-day
+rags. I must say, for their sake, that they were never
+sent to wash. Being a rapid sketcher, I had recourse to a
+trick. I pretended to sketch one given person, who, of course,
+was sent at once to "dress up," and while he or she, after
+having returned, posed patiently for half an hour or more, I in
+the meantime took sketches of four or five different natives,
+who were not aware that they were being portrayed. As the
+Ainu&mdash;and they are probably not the only people&mdash;could not
+make either head or tail of my sketches, my trick was never
+found out.</p>
+
+<p>One day, old Benry led me by the hand in the most affectionate
+manner to a hut some way off, and confidentially told
+me that we were going to see his favourite girl and her boy.</p>
+
+<p>"This," said the chief triumphantly as we went in, "this is
+Benry's <i>Pirika menoko</i>" (pretty girl), "and that"&mdash;pointing to
+a youth&mdash;"her only son."</p>
+
+<p>"And what about the old hairy lady in your own hut?" I
+inquired.</p>
+
+<p>"That is my <i>Poromachi</i>" (great wife), said he, qualifying
+matters with a compliment to the elder woman, "and this is
+my <i>Pon-machi</i>" (small wife).</p>
+
+<p>"Why should you have two wives, you old Mormon?"</p>
+
+<p>"Nishpa," retorted he, "my great wife is old, and she is
+only fit to do all the rough work in the house and out. My
+hair is white, but I am strong, and I wanted yet a young wife."</p>
+
+<p>Indeed, there was enough mother-wit in Benry to have
+made him either a scamp or a philosopher. His theories were
+as remarkable as they were accommodating, particularly to
+himself.</p>
+
+<p>Returning from the house of his love, the chief was in a very
+talkative mood, and he related two or three Japanese stories,
+which he wanted me to believe to be pure Ainu legends. A
+learned missionary and two or three travellers before him,
+who had visited Piratori previous to myself, have accepted
+these so-called legends wholesale, taking Benry's word for
+their accuracy, which, as the old chief speaks very good
+Japanese, of course simplified the task of understanding and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_29" id="Page_29">[Pg 29]</a></span>
+transcribing them. I was, however, much surprised to find
+that such learned Europeans could yield such ready credence
+to a barbarian Ainu chief.</p>
+
+<p>Thinking that it would please me, Benry told me the story
+of a deluge and a big flood, in which nearly all the Ainu were
+drowned. The few that escaped did so by finding refuge on a
+high mountain.</p>
+
+<p>"Where did you learn this story, Benry?" I asked sternly.</p>
+
+<p>"Nishpa, it is an old Ainu story, and all strangers who
+come to Piratori write it in their books."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, Benry, you know well that <i>one</i> stranger did not
+write it in his book," said I quickly, as if I knew all about it.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, yes, nishpa; <i>that</i> was the stranger who told me the
+story!"</p>
+
+<p>This small anecdote shows how careful one ought to be in
+accepting information which may sound extremely interesting
+at first, but is absolutely worthless in the end.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 297px;">
+<img src="images/illus-029.jpg" width="297" height="312" alt="AINU MAN WAVING HIS MOUSTACHE-LIFTER PREVIOUS TO DRINKING" />
+<span class="caption">AINU MAN WAVING HIS MOUSTACHE-LIFTER PREVIOUS
+TO DRINKING.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_30" id="Page_30">[Pg 30]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 362px;">
+<img src="images/illus-030.jpg" width="362" height="252" alt="AN AINU FESTIVAL" />
+<span class="caption">AN AINU FESTIVAL.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER IV.<br />
+<span class="small">An Ainu Festival.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>The Ainu have few public performances, and no special time
+of the year is fixed for them. As it so happened, a festival&mdash;a
+"Iyomanrei"&mdash;took place while I was at Piratori.</p>
+
+<p>The performance was held in a large hut belonging to the
+heir apparent to the chieftainship of Piratori. I went to the
+hut and asked whether I could attend the performance. The
+host, in answer, came to meet me at the door, and, taking me
+by the hand, led me in. I was shown where to sit, on the
+southern side of the hut, the place of honour for strangers, and
+my host sat in front of me and saluted me in Ainu fashion.</p>
+
+<p>Benry and several old men were squatting on the floor,
+Benry in the middle, and he was again gorgeous in his regal
+clothes. Some of the others, who wore a crown like Benry's,
+were chiefs of the neighbouring villages, who had come up for
+the grand occasion.</p>
+
+<p>One by one all the men present rose and came to stroke
+their hair and beard before me, and I returned the compliment
+as well as I could in Ainu fashion. The hut was gradually<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_31" id="Page_31">[Pg 31]</a></span>
+getting filled, and each man that entered first saluted the
+landlord, then Benry, then myself, and ultimately the two
+guests between whom he sat. Women and children occupied
+the darker west end of the hut, and they took no active part in
+the function. Other chiefs came in, and Benry was surrounded
+by many of them and by elderly men.</p>
+
+<p>The whole group of these chiefs, with their long white
+beards, lighted up by a brilliant ray of sunshine, which
+penetrated through the small east window, was extremely
+picturesque.</p>
+
+<p>In its savagery it was almost grand, with a barbaric quasi-animal
+sense of power and irresponsibility. In truth, it was a
+wonderful sight to see all these hairy people assembled in this
+small place&mdash;men, yet not men like ourselves&mdash;men, and not
+brutes, yet still having curiously brutish traits athwart their
+humanity.</p>
+
+<p>The performance was simple, but really fine in its simplicity.
+A fire burning in the centre of the hut, and filling the place
+with smoke, added, by its suggestive dimness, to the picturesqueness
+of the scene. It was strange that the only ray of
+sun which came in should fall on the most interesting group.
+Was it chance or design? Rembrandt himself would have
+delighted in painting that scene.</p>
+
+<p>Benry looked every inch a king, and several of the younger
+men were busily engaged lighting his pipe and refilling it with
+tobacco. He puffed away at such a rate that no sooner was
+the pipe filled than it was smoked and handed over again to
+undergo the same process.</p>
+
+<p>Two large casks of Japanese <i>sake</i> were brought in, and each
+man produced his wooden bowl.</p>
+
+<p>The host came slowly forward, and planted an <i>Inao</i>&mdash;a
+willow wand with overhanging shavings&mdash;in one corner of the
+fireplace; then muttered a few words, which implied that the
+<i>sake</i> could now be poured out. A Japanese lacquer rice-box
+was filled with the intoxicating liquid, and no sooner had this
+been done than old Benry, forgetting his dignity, jumped up
+and made a rush for it, filled a large bowl, and retired to a
+corner to drink it. All the men present followed his example.
+Benry was never selfish when he had had enough for himself.
+He filled his bowl again and brought it to me, saying that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_32" id="Page_32">[Pg 32]</a></span>
+I was a friend of the Ainu, and must join them in the
+drinking.</p>
+
+<p>My attention was suddenly drawn to three old chiefs, who,
+half drunk, stood in front of the small east window. They
+dipped their moustache-lifters in their bowls, waving them
+towards the sun as a salutation to the "Chop Kamui," the
+"Great Sun." There was no religious character attached to
+this libation offered to the sun, no more than when we take off
+our hats passing a respected friend in the street. It is a mere
+sign of respect, not of worship. Besides, it must be clearly
+understood that no "offerings" of wine are ever made by the
+Ainu to the "Great Sun," and that the "libations" offered
+are invariably consumed by the offerer.</p>
+
+<p>I managed to get several sketches of the assembly, and
+every moment I expected to get into trouble again; but this
+time they took it most kindly.</p>
+
+<p>The hut became very stuffy, owing to the large number of
+persons and the smoke. There were nearly two hundred
+people in it, packed closely together, and there was nothing in
+the show to interest one&mdash;certainly not the disgusting sight of
+this drunkenness, which, moreover, became monotonous as
+well as disgusting.</p>
+
+<p>I stroked my hair and beard&mdash;the latter only figuratively&mdash;in
+sign of salute, to the host, Benry, and the other drowsy
+chiefs, and, carefully avoiding pushing or treading on any
+member of the unsteady crowd, I made my exit.</p>
+
+<p>Oh, what a treat it was to breathe fresh air again!</p>
+
+<p>Outside the hut the pretty <i>menokos</i> (girls) of Piratori were
+having a lot of fun all to themselves. They were all dressed
+in long yellowish gowns, with rough white and red ornamentations
+on a patch of blue cloth, on their backs; and each girl
+took a very active part in a game, or a kind of savage dance,
+called Tapkara. They all ranged themselves in a circle, and
+a child or two was sometimes placed in the centre. The game
+consisted in collectively hopping an indefinite number of times,
+calling out either the name, or the accompanying sound, of
+some of their everyday occupations, and clapping the hands so
+as to keep time. For instance, one sound was "Ouye, ouye"
+("Fire, fire"), and they all blew as when making a fire, and
+hopped till they were nearly senseless.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_33" id="Page_33">[Pg 33]</a></span>
+Then the next was "R-r-r, r-r-r, r-r-r," and with this they
+imitated the pulling of a rope.</p>
+
+<p>Then "Pirrero, pirrero; pirrero, pirrero," was the sound
+accompanying the action of rowing, imitating the squeaking of
+the paddle produced by the friction on the canoe.</p>
+
+<p>The movement of the arms changed according to the sounds
+uttered, but the hopping was kept up continuously. The
+game reminded me much of our Sir Roger de Coverley, in a
+more barbarous form, but certainly not less pretty than our
+old country dance.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 362px;">
+<img src="images/illus-033.jpg" width="362" height="275" alt="AINU WOMEN DANCING, PIRATORI" />
+<span class="caption">AINU WOMEN DANCING, PIRATORI.</span></div>
+
+<p>Late in the afternoon all the men came out of the hut, and
+by a winding path I was taken to the valley along the river,
+at the foot of the cliff on which Piratori is built. Benry and
+all the other chiefs remained on the cliff. Bareback races
+formed the next and last event in the programme, and the
+chiefs were to witness them from their "high point of view."</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 162px;">
+<img src="images/illus-034.jpg" width="162" height="310" alt="" title="PIRATORI WOMAN IN COSTUME" />
+<span class="caption">PIRATORI WOMAN IN COSTUME.</span></div>
+
+<p>There was great excitement as to who should ride the
+ponies. The Ainu are fond of sports, and I noticed that
+ultimately they were sharp enough to select their jockeys from
+among the lightest men. The winner of each race had a good<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_34" id="Page_34">[Pg 34]</a></span>
+time of it, but the other unfortunate jockeys were pulled off
+the ponies by the angry mob, and knocked about as worthless
+beings.</p>
+
+<p>The evening came, and with the dying sun ended that
+memorable day of festivities. I retired. Distant sounds of
+the <i>menokos</i>, still enjoying themselves, came to me with the
+wind, but fainter and fainter they grew as it was getting
+darker.</p>
+
+<p>"Pirrero! Pirrero! Pirrero!" I heard again, till at last the
+sounds faded away into a mere murmur, and I fell asleep.</p>
+
+<p>The morning that I left Piratori, old Benry put on his regal
+clothes and crown to bid me good-bye.</p>
+
+<p>"Nishpa, Popka-no-okkayan"
+("Sir, may you be preserved
+warm"), said the old chief, in the
+Ainu fashion of bidding farewell;
+"I have a pain in my chest,
+owing to your leaving Piratori,
+but I shall accompany you part
+of the way."</p>
+
+<p>I dissuaded the old chief from
+doing that, but he went on, with
+his plaintive voice: "Nishpa,
+you must tell in your country
+that Piratori is a nice place, and
+all the Ainu are good people.
+Not like the Shamo" (Japanese;
+also half-breeds), "for they are
+bad. You must return soon,"
+he added, and, taking my hand,
+he pressed it to his hairy chest.
+He then took me to his hut
+again, and there renewed his
+farewells, and I renewed mine to
+him, to his <i>great</i> wife, and to his house, for it is part of the
+Ainu etiquette to bid good-bye to the house of a friend as
+well as to the owner of it.</p>
+
+<p>The return journey to Saru Mombets was accomplished
+without much difficulty.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_35" id="Page_35">[Pg 35]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 356px;">
+<img src="images/illus-035.jpg" width="356" height="259" alt="UTAROP ROCKS" />
+<span class="caption">UTAROP ROCKS.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER V.<br />
+<span class="small">From the Saru River to Cape Erimo.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>After quitting Saru Mombets I was altogether out of the
+beaten tracks. The twenty-two miles to Shimokebo were
+monotonous in the extreme. High cliffs towered above me
+on the one side, and the sea stretched into infinity on the
+other. River after river had to be waded, the At-pets,<a name="FNanchor_7_7" id="FNanchor_7_7"></a><a href="#Footnote_7_7" class="fnanchor">[7]</a> the
+Nii-pak-pets,<a name="FNanchor_8_8" id="FNanchor_8_8"></a><a href="#Footnote_8_8" class="fnanchor">[8]</a> and the Shibe-gari-pets.<a name="FNanchor_9_9" id="FNanchor_9_9"></a><a href="#Footnote_9_9" class="fnanchor">[9]</a> The Nii-pak-pets is
+wide and fairly deep. Near the At-pets river the Japanese
+Government has established a horse farm, in order to improve
+the breed of Yezo ponies. A few miserable Ainu huts are
+scattered along the coast, and millions of scavenger crows,
+with their monotonous cries, seem to claim sovereignty over
+these shores. Near the Takae village, on the Nii-kap-pets, is
+an enormous perpendicular cliff, which, jutting out into the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_36" id="Page_36">[Pg 36]</a></span>
+sea, bars the way to the traveller; therefore I had to abandon
+the sandy shore, and with considerable trouble get the ponies
+to climb over the steep banks, which was no easy task for them.
+Shimokebo is a peculiar-looking place. It is entirely a fishermen's
+village, and I put up at the Ogingawa Zunubi yadoya&mdash;a
+tea-house owned by a Japanese fisherman.</p>
+
+<p>Japanese will be Japanese wherever they go, and people who
+have had anything to do with them know how difficult it is to
+satisfy their curiosity.</p>
+
+<p>"How old are you?" inquired the <i>occamisan</i>&mdash;the landlady.
+"Where do you come from? What is your country? Why
+are you travelling? Have you a wife and children? Can you
+eat Japanese food; also Ainu food? Can you sleep in
+<i>foutangs</i>?" (Japanese bedding). "Also with a <i>makura</i>?" (a
+wooden pillow).</p>
+
+<p>About fifty more personal and indiscreet questions were also
+asked, and all my belongings were examined with ever-increasing
+astonishment as one thing after another was handled
+and investigated. I was tired, and felt as if I could have
+kicked the whole crowd of them out of my room; but I was
+unintentionally polite to them to such an extent that the
+<i>occamisan</i> loudly exclaimed&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Honto Danna, Anata Nihonno shto, onaji koto!</i>"&mdash;"Really,
+sir, you are just like a Japanese!"</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Domo neh!</i>" rose up in a chorus from the large assembly,
+"<i>nandemo dannasan wakarimas!</i>"&mdash;"The gentleman really
+understands everything!" This was a decided compliment,
+and I was bound to accept it as it was intended. When they
+heard that I was indeed "<i>Taihen kutabire mashita</i>" (very
+tired), they reluctantly left the room, and closed the <i>shoji</i>
+(sliding doors of tissue paper on a wooden frame). Each
+bowed gracefully, drawing in his breath at the same time.
+This is the Japanese polite way of leaving a room. Their
+conversation was resumed in the next apartment, regardless of
+the fact that tissue paper walls are not sound-proof. Remarks
+on me, not quite in harmony with their courteous bearing,
+were passed freely about, and the politest thing I heard them
+say was that I must be a <i>lunatic</i> to travel alone in these inhospitable
+regions, and what a pity it was for a man <i>so young</i> to
+be so fearfully afflicted.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_37" id="Page_37">[Pg 37]</a></span>
+"Oh, those <i>seyono shto</i> (foreigners) are all born lunatics,"
+said the voice of one who knew better.</p>
+
+<p>The Shibegari River, at the mouth of which Shimokebo is
+situated, is also called Shibe-chari&mdash;"sprinkled salmon river."
+Very minute traces of gold are found in the river-sands and
+gravels, and also some well-developed brown garnet crystals
+and quartzite and phyllite pebbles. The gold, however, is not
+in sufficient quantity to enable it to be worked profitably.
+Seven and a half miles from Shimokebo the Japanese Government
+has another horse farm similar to that of the At-pets.</p>
+
+<p>The travelling along the coast was heavy, and I could ride
+but slowly. I had to make the ponies go where the sand was
+wet along the beach, as there it was harder and they did not
+sink. This had its drawbacks, for the sea was very rough, and
+once or twice my ponies and I came very near being washed
+against the cliffs by some extra large wave. Instead of green
+banks, as between Tomakomai and Shimokebo, here were
+high cliffs of volcanic formation, with a narrow strip of sand at
+their foot.</p>
+
+<p>The few Ainu along the coast were decidedly ugly. It was
+only now and then that in a sheltered nook I came across
+a hut or two of seaweed gatherers; and, still following the
+cliffs, I passed two or three small villages of a few houses each.
+After fifteen miles of this heavy track I reached the fishing
+station of Ubahu, where I was able to obtain some fresh
+horses. Prowling along the beach, I examined some of the
+Ainu canoes that had been drawn on shore. They might be
+divided into three classes&mdash;(<i>a</i>) the "dug-outs," used mostly
+for river navigation; (<i>b</i>) the lashed canoe; and (<i>c</i>) a larger
+kind used for sailing. The "dug-out" does not require explanation,
+as everyone knows that it is a trunk of a tree
+hollowed out in the shape of a boat, and propelled either
+by paddling or punting.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/illus-037.png" width="600" height="94" alt="" />
+<span class="caption">AINU LASHED CANOE.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p><span class="figleft" style="width: 129px;">
+<img src="images/illus-038a.png" width="129" height="70" alt="" title="FRONT VIEW OFLASHED CANOE." />
+<span class="caption">FRONT VIEW OF
+LASHED CANOE.</span></span>
+The lashed canoes are made of nine pieces of wood lashed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_38" id="Page_38">[Pg 38]</a></span>
+together with the fibre of a kind of vine. The concave bottom
+is all of one piece&mdash;a partial "dug-out"&mdash;to which are added
+the side pieces, of three planks each, sewn together at an angle
+of about 170°, and made to fit the sides of the "dug-out."
+Two more pieces, one aft and one forward, meet the side
+planks at right angles. The length of these
+canoes varies from 10 to 15 feet, the width
+from 3 to 3½ feet. Two pieces of wood are
+then lashed horizontally, which answer the
+double purpose of strengthening the sides of
+the canoe and, being provided with pins outside
+the canoe, of allowing it to be used
+as an outrigger when rowing. Canoes are either rowed or
+sailed. The oars are made of two pieces firmly lashed
+<span class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/illus-038b.png" width="600" height="51" alt="AINU OARS" />
+<span class="caption">AINU OARS.</span></span>
+together. A hole is bored in the part which is to be passed
+through the pin in the outrigger. One person is generally
+sufficient to row an Ainu canoe, and he does so standing.
+There is no steering gear or rudder, and when rowing the oars
+are used for that purpose. Ainu canoes are not decked, and
+therefore cannot stand heavy seas. They are alike on both
+sides, and in most cases the two ends of the canoe are also
+shaped alike. There are, however, certain canoes which, in
+my opinion, have been suggested to the Ainu by Japanese
+boats, and which are flat at the stern. These are generally
+larger, and used for sailing. A square mat sail is rigged on a
+<span class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/illus-038c.png" width="600" height="94" alt="SAILING CANOE" />
+<span class="caption">SAILING CANOE.</span></span>
+short mast forward, and the steering is done with one of the
+oars at the stern. The sailing qualities of these canoes,
+however, are not very great, and the slightest squall causes<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_39" id="Page_39">[Pg 39]</a></span>
+them to capsize and "turn turtle." The anchors used by the
+Ainu are very ingenious; they are cut out of a piece of wood,
+<span class="figright" style="width: 250px;">
+<img src="images/illus-039a.png" width="250" height="79" alt="AINU WOODEN ANCHORS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">AINU WOODEN ANCHORS.</span></span>
+with either one or two barbs, and
+two stones are fastened on the
+sides of the stem so as to carry
+the anchor to the bottom. No
+compass is either known or
+used by the Ainu, and the
+natives shape their course by sight of land. They very
+seldom go long distances out at sea, as they are fully aware of
+the dangers of the ocean and of the imperfection of their
+own methods of navigation, though they are wholly incapable
+of making any improvements by their own judgment. The
+canoes are always beached when not used, and each family
+possesses its own. There are none which are the property
+of companies or are common to certain villages.</p>
+
+<p><span class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/illus-039b.png" width="600" height="87" alt="TOP VIEW OF AN AINU CANOE" />
+<span class="caption">TOP VIEW OF AN AINU CANOE.</span></span>
+The track between Ubahu and Urakawa is rough, and the
+rivers are somewhat troublesome. Not far from the Mitsuashi
+river one has to pass a tunnel which has been made
+through a rock projecting into the sea. In rough weather
+it is difficult and dangerous to get through, as the waves
+wash right through the tunnel. In fair weather it affords
+a safe passage to the traveller.</p>
+
+<p>The Matourabets (the winter fishing river) was successfully
+waded, and the Ikantai<a name="FNanchor_10_10" id="FNanchor_10_10"></a><a href="#Footnote_10_10" class="fnanchor">[10]</a> village passed. Then at Urakawa
+or Urapets (the fish river) I made a halt for the night. There
+are many half-breeds at Urakawa, and a few real Ainu, but
+the small population is composed mostly of Japanese
+fishermen.</p>
+
+<p>Seven and a half miles further, at Shama-ne&mdash;a corruption
+of <i>Shuna</i>, stones, and <i>ne</i>, together&mdash;there are some magnificent<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_40" id="Page_40">[Pg 40]</a></span>
+granite pillars boldly standing out of the sea. The sandy beach
+came to an end, and huge cliffs barred my way in front. I
+could see that the water was not very deep round these rocks,
+as the waves were breaking a long distance from the cliff, a
+sure sign of shallow water, though even then it might have
+been too deep for my ponies to go through. With great
+difficulty I got the two brutes into the sea, trying to round the
+large rocks for the better ground, which I hoped to find on
+the other side. The tide was low, but the sea was still rough,
+and nearly every wave as it came in went right over my
+ponies, frightening them, and made them extremely difficult
+to hold. The instinct of self-preservation made them rush for
+the cliff, with the only result that they missed their footing,
+and they and I were both swept away by the next receding
+wave. I was carried off the saddle, but I had sufficient
+presence of mind to hold on to the bridle. An awful struggle
+ensued between my ponies and myself. Each wave that came
+carried and knocked us one way, each wave that retired carried
+and knocked us the other. In the midst of all this danger I
+suddenly remembered that some years ago a lady who knew all
+about palmistry prophesied that I should one day be drowned.</p>
+
+<p>Had the day come now? Not if energy and perseverance
+would avert the doom! After a long struggle, I succeeded in
+pulling my horses where the water was a little shallower, and
+there we three stood for some minutes, trembling with cold,
+my two ponies looking reproachfully at me with those half-human
+eyes of animals when forced into positions of danger
+which they can neither understand nor overcome. It is
+wonderful the amount of expression that horses have in their
+eyes, and how plainly one can read their dumb thoughts and
+formless emotions!</p>
+
+<p>From the point where I was standing I could see that I had
+to go on but a few hundred feet more, and that then my ponies
+and I would be safe. Sure enough, the water grew shallower
+and shallower, and, to my delight, I was soon on the other side
+of the cliff. At high tide, and in very rough weather, it is
+impossible to pass by this ocean-ford.</p>
+
+<p>Shamane is a picturesque little fishing village, built on the
+side of a promontory jutting out into the sea. From there,
+looking towards Urakawa, there is a lovely view of all the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</a></span>
+small islands and picturesque rocks, standing like huge jewels
+in the water, while on the Horoizumi side, as far as the eye can
+see, there are only cliffs of peculiar shapes, and marvellously
+rich in colour.</p>
+
+<p>I got two fresh animals, and pursued my journey towards
+Horoizumi. Rocks, rocks, nothing but rocks! My ponies
+stumbled and slipped all the time, and for eighteen miles the
+riding was hard and intricate. I had to lead my ponies most
+of the way, and help them, pull them, or push them, from one
+rock on to another, and down the next, and so on.</p>
+
+<p>The scenery all along was magnificent and grand. A short
+distance from Shamane a large natural archway emerges from
+the sea, which is called by the Ainu, Shui-shma, "a hole in
+stone."</p>
+
+<p>Holes have been pierced through the rocks in several
+places, to give comparative safe passage, and to prevent
+wayfarers from being carried away by the waves. Over the
+entrance of one of these tunnels a pretty waterfall, descending
+from a great height, gives a poetic effect to the scene, while it
+obliges the unfortunate traveller to take an extremely cold
+shower-bath, should he wish to push forward on his journey.</p>
+
+<p>As if all these discomforts combined were not enough, it is
+to be added that the rivers in this part of the coast, though not
+wide, are extremely swift and dangerous to cross. My second
+pony was carried away by the strong current when I crossed
+the Poro-nam-bets,<a name="FNanchor_11_11" id="FNanchor_11_11"></a><a href="#Footnote_11_11" class="fnanchor">[11]</a> and I had great difficulty in rescuing him.</p>
+
+<p>At Shamane there are a few Ainu, but from there to
+Horoizumi I saw none.</p>
+
+<p>Sardines are very plentiful all along this coast, and long
+seaweeds also abound. The latter is used for export, chiefly
+to China. Horoizumi, a nice little village of one hundred
+and fifty houses, is the most picturesque in Yezo. It is built
+on the slopes of a high cliff, and it reminds one much of the
+pretty villages in the Gulf of Spezia. I arrived at sunset,
+and the warm red and yellow tints which the dying orb of
+day was shedding on the weather-beaten brownish houses,
+gave a heavenly appearance to this very earthly place. As
+I got nearer, a good deal of the heavenly had to be discarded,
+for the odours of fish-manure and of seaweed are two smells<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_42" id="Page_42">[Pg 42]</a></span>
+which can hardly claim to be classed under that heading.
+The inhabitants of the place themselves seem to feel the
+ill-effects of constantly living in that corrupted atmosphere
+and on a fish and seaweed diet; for, indeed, it is revolting to
+see the amount of horrible cutaneous diseases which affect
+them. One hardly sees one creature out of ten that is not
+covered with a repulsive eruption of some sort. Leprosy, too,
+has found its way among the fishermen; and my readers can
+easily imagine how pleasant it was for me, when I was sketching,
+to be surrounded by a crowd of these loathsome people,
+who all wished to touch my clothes and all my belongings,
+and who would even lean on my back and rub their heads
+against mine, when trying to get a better view of the sketch.</p>
+
+<p>Poor things! I never had the courage to scold and send
+them away. It was enough that they were afflicted, and I did
+not like to add humiliation to their other sorrows by showing
+them my disgust.</p>
+
+<p>I rode on to Erimo-zaki, or Rat Cape. Thick fogs are
+prevalent during the summer months along the whole of the
+south-east coast, of which Erimo-zaki is the most southern
+cape. It is the terminating point of the backbone of the
+main portion of Yezo, which extends from Cape Soya to
+Cape Erimo from N.NW. to S.SE. A lighthouse has lately
+been erected on the cliffs by the Japanese Maritime Department,
+and a steam fog-horn has also been provided for the
+greater safety of navigation, as a reef of rocks and a stretch of
+shallow water extend out in the sea for about two and a half
+miles from the coast.</p>
+
+<p>The foghorn, I was informed, was only blown when the
+lighthouse-keeper suspected some ship was likely to make for
+the rocks! A likely thing, indeed!</p>
+
+<p>"But how are you to know, especially when there is a
+thick fog on?" I asked.</p>
+
+<p>"So few ships pass near here," was the reply; "and it
+would not be much use keeping steam up all the time to blow
+the horn, considering that we have fog during nearly four
+months in the year."</p>
+
+<p>"Then," I could not help remarking, "I expect you only
+light the lighthouse when there is going to be a wreck?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no; we show the light every night."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_43" id="Page_43">[Pg 43]</a></span>
+This was just like the Japanese! Owing to the imperfectness
+of charts&mdash;none delineating correctly that part of the coast&mdash;the
+strong currents, the thick fogs, and the dangerous reefs,
+there could not be a more perilous coast for navigation than
+that which terminates in Cape Erimo. The ships which go from
+Shanghai, or some of the ports in the Petchili Gulf in China, to
+North American ports, often steer this course through the
+Tsugaru Strait and pass directly south of Cape Erimo. Thus
+the <i>Mary Tatham</i> (an English screw-steamer), while on her
+journey from Shanghai to Oregon, was lost in 1882, with nearly
+all lives on board, about two miles from this cape.</p>
+
+<p>At the foot of the Erimo cliffs is a small fishing village
+called Okos. The sea is shallow at this place, and there are
+many low-lying reefs which afford abundance of kelp and
+seaweeds.</p>
+
+<p>A short time before I arrived at Okos a man had gone out
+in his boat to save some nets in which a large fish had got
+entangled. His boat capsized, and he was drowned. His
+wife was in a dreadful state of mind, not for the loss of her
+better half, but for the more irreparable loss of the nets.</p>
+
+<p>The distance between Horoizumi and Cape Erimo is seven
+and a half miles, and the track is exceedingly rough in many
+places. Nearly half-way between the last-mentioned village
+and the cape are the three high pillars called <i>Utarop</i>, which
+are represented in the illustration at the head of the chapter.</p>
+
+<p>As it was impossible to take my ponies along the few miles
+between Cape Erimo and Shoya, following the precipitous
+coast, I retraced my steps to Horoizumi, meaning to attempt
+the mountain pass the next morning.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 237px;">
+<img src="images/illus-043.jpg" width="237" height="142" alt="ERIMO CAPE" />
+<span class="caption">ERIMO CAPE.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_44" id="Page_44">[Pg 44]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 240px;">
+<img src="images/illus-044.jpg" width="240" height="180" alt="A NATURAL STONE ARCHWAY NEAR SHOYA" />
+<span class="caption">A NATURAL STONE ARCHWAY NEAR SHOYA.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER VI.<br />
+<span class="small">From Cape Erimo to the Tokachi River</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>The mountain pass between Horoizumi and Shoya is supposed
+to be very dangerous on account of bears. I rode the
+ten miles quietly, but failed to meet or see any. The way
+through thick woods is exceedingly pretty. After traversing
+a small valley with a dense growth of scrub-bamboo, it climbs
+a small hill, from the top of which a lovely view of Cape
+Erimo lies like a picture before one's eyes. There are only
+thirty houses at Shoya, and the place could not be better
+described than by the words "a miserable hole." The rough
+weather, as well as several landslips, had some time before my
+arrival broken all communication between Shoya and the next
+village east of it. There is a rough mountain trail as far as
+Saruru, but my ponies could not possibly get through the
+scrub-wood and heavy climbing, and none of the natives could
+be induced to carry my luggage. They all positively refused
+to follow me on account of the multitude of bears which they
+said were on the mountains.</p>
+
+<p>"If the sea goes down," said an old fisherman, "you may be
+able to get through early to-morrow morning at low tide; and,
+if you are careful, you will not be washed away by the waves."<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_45" id="Page_45">[Pg 45]</a></span>
+The cliffs near Shoya are remarkable for their beauty. They
+are mostly older eruptive rocks which nature has carved into
+hundreds of rugged and fantastic forms. About a mile from
+the village is a huge natural archway, and from this point
+begin the precipitous cliffs, pillars, and rocks which make the
+journey so difficult.</p>
+
+<p>At Shoya there are no pure Ainu, but some of the fishermen
+exhibit traces of Ainu blood. My recollection of Shoya
+is decidedly not of a pleasant character. I put up in the
+house of a fisherman, which also answers the purpose of a tea-house
+for the few stranded native travellers.</p>
+
+<p>"We are so poor," said the landlord when I asked for something
+to eat, "and we have finished our provisions of rice.
+The other people in the village are poorer than we are, and
+they also have none; and as for fish, the sea has been so
+rough for several days that we have not been able to catch
+any. We ate the last scrap of fish we had just before you
+arrived! If you gave me a fortune, I could not give you anything
+to eat."</p>
+
+<p>When the landlord confessed this to me in the evening,
+I had already been fourteen hours without food. The prospect
+of not getting any more for at least the next eighteen or
+twenty hours was not an agreeable look-out. I was very
+hungry, but, failing a meal, the next best thing was to try and
+go to sleep. Even that did not prove successful, for hunger
+keeps you awake, and in its first stages sharpens all your
+senses considerably.</p>
+
+<p>The night I spent at Shoya is worthy of a description.
+From top to bottom the corners of my room were filled with
+webs, which the spiders had spun undisturbed in all directions
+across the room. Hundreds of flies and horseflies rose buzzing
+when I entered the room, and I had to engage in a very
+unequal war against them before I could settle down on the
+hard planks. In one corner of the ceiling a big, long-legged
+spider, too high for me to reach, was enjoying a good meal
+out of a huge horsefly which he had captured in his net.
+I almost envied the long-legged epicure. Nature will be
+ironical sometimes. When night came, and I was still sleepless,
+the planks on which I was lying seemed harder than any
+planks I had ever slept on before. I turned round one way,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_46" id="Page_46">[Pg 46]</a></span>
+then the other, then another, till all my bones were aching.
+Finally, through exhaustion, I fell asleep, and even had a
+nightmare. In my dreams, the ghosts of all the spiders
+I had killed, magnified to the size of human beings,
+were dancing round me, while one fat old fellow&mdash;fatter
+than any two others put together&mdash;was gravely sitting
+on my chest watching the performance. His weight was
+such that I was nearly suffocated. Sometimes he would
+seize me by the throat and almost choke me, while the
+dancing spiders would choke themselves with laughing ...
+when&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Hayaku Danna!</i>"&mdash;"Quick, sir!" said a Japanese voice,
+waking me suddenly; "get up, or else the tide will rise, and
+you will not be able to get to Saruru."</p>
+
+<p>I opened my eyes; the dream passed, and the monstrous
+spiders vanished; but the pain caused by the emptiness
+of my stomach was still there, and my throat was dry and
+aching.</p>
+
+<p>It was before sunrise, and it was almost in complete darkness
+that I left Shoya. I was weak and chilly. The monotonous
+sound of the waves breaking over the shore added
+melancholy to <i>malaise</i>, and made me very doleful and limp.
+Nevertheless, as I was in for it, I pushed my way with my
+ponies along high cliffs and among rocks, and got on as best
+I could.</p>
+
+<p>Where the sea had receded the stones were slippery, and
+my two animals were no sooner on their feet than they were
+down again on their knees. The hollow sound of their hoofs
+on the rocks was echoed from cliff to cliff, and awakened the
+sleepy crows from their night's repose. I had to walk most of
+the way, and urge on my ponies with howls, as well as stir
+them up with the whip. Though the tide was low, the waves
+often washed up to my waist. Daylight came, and I went
+along, following the high, rugged cliffs, through tunnels
+occasionally, among rocks continually. The scenery was
+really magnificent, seen as it was in the mysterious morning
+light of the rising sun. My horses were done up when I got
+to Saruru, and I exchanged them for fresh ones. By this
+time the tide had risen, and it was not possible to proceed
+any further along the sea-shore. I was glad of it, as I should<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_47" id="Page_47">[Pg 47]</a></span>
+thus be forced to try the mountain track, which I was told
+was not so very rough from this point. A half-caste offered
+to show me the way. It was a very stiff climb among thick
+shrub, but it was comparatively smooth work after the
+experience of my journey from Shoya. I came across many
+tracks and footprints of bears on the mountain. In some
+places the marks were quite fresh and of different sizes,
+varying in length from one foot to four inches. The half-caste
+told me that black bears seldom attack men unless they are
+hungry. They often attack horses.</p>
+
+<p>"But if they hear that a man is near they will not dare to
+attack even the horses," he said, and then began to sing at the
+top of his voice. His singing, half Japanese, half Ainu, was
+so excruciating that it was no wonder to me that it kept the
+bears away.</p>
+
+<p>We crossed two rapid streams before reaching the summit
+of the mountain range. The view from the summit was
+lovely. In the distance I could distinguish two headlands,
+while an immense stretch of stormy sea and a high
+mountain were in the foreground. I began to descend,
+and again I got into the region of thick forest and scrub.
+I perceived a few houses near the coast, and we made for
+them. It was the village of Moyoro,<a name="FNanchor_12_12" id="FNanchor_12_12"></a><a href="#Footnote_12_12" class="fnanchor">[12]</a> or Biru, as it is called
+by others.</p>
+
+<p>Between Saruru and Biru, where the mountain track sometimes
+descends to the shore, I found many Ainu and half-breeds,
+especially in the two villages of Onnito<a name="FNanchor_13_13" id="FNanchor_13_13"></a><a href="#Footnote_13_13" class="fnanchor">[13]</a> and Bitatannuki.<a name="FNanchor_14_14" id="FNanchor_14_14"></a><a href="#Footnote_14_14" class="fnanchor">[14]</a>
+They are said to be very bad, and what I saw of
+them, even at Biru, corroborated this assertion.</p>
+
+<p>Biru is situated on a small bay, in the centre of which some
+gigantic pillars stand out at a great height. The rough sea
+dashes against them, and thousands of crows and sea-birds
+have chosen these rocks for their abode. Biru is not a large
+village. There are only forty fishermen's huts, most of
+which are on the high cliff surrounding the small bay; the
+others are down on the beach. Kelp, seaweed, and sardines<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_48" id="Page_48">[Pg 48]</a></span>
+are as abundant here as on the south-west coast, and
+maintain the staple industries of the inhabitants. The sea-weed
+is of great length but small width. Fourteen more
+miles over the cliffs brought me to Perohune.<a name="FNanchor_15_15" id="FNanchor_15_15"></a><a href="#Footnote_15_15" class="fnanchor">[15]</a> There
+were four large deltas to cross, that of the Toyoi-pets<a name="FNanchor_16_16" id="FNanchor_16_16"></a><a href="#Footnote_16_16" class="fnanchor">[16]</a>
+being the largest. The current in all these rivers is extremely
+swift.</p>
+
+<p>Perohune enjoys a big name, but there is only one house in
+the place. I was, however, fortunate enough to get two good
+ponies there. The fog was settling down thicker and thicker,
+and I could not see more than a yard or two in front of me;
+but at times it lifted up for a few moments, and showed me
+either the dangers I was nearing or the landscape I was losing.
+I passed two lakes, the Tobuts,<a name="FNanchor_17_17" id="FNanchor_17_17"></a><a href="#Footnote_17_17" class="fnanchor">[17]</a> otherwise called Oputs, and
+the Yuto. Both are divided from the sea by a narrow sand-ridge.
+There is but little of human interest along this deserted
+coast. There are no houses and no people, but many small
+rivers, and now and then high cliffs. My ponies, driven mad
+by the <i>abus</i>, the terrible horseflies of Yezo, constantly threw
+themselves down and rolled on the sand.</p>
+
+<p>From Perohune to Yuto Lake the distance is about eleven
+miles, and from Yuto to Otsu it is eleven more miles, on a
+very easy track. I saw some large sea-birds and penguins,
+and I was struck by the great number of drift logs which had
+been washed on shore by the sea. The last thirty-eight
+miles of the coast was literally covered with this drift wood.
+During the summer months the fog is always dense along this
+coast, greatly owing to a cold current which comes from the
+Otkoshk Sea, passes through the strait between Kunashiri
+and Etorofu, in the Kuriles, and then turns south, following a
+great part of the south-east coast of Yezo. Not far from
+Erimo Cape it meets a warm current from the China Sea,
+which passes through the Tsugaru Strait, and which in all
+probability is the Kuro-shiwo, or Japan current. This Japan
+current parts from the main stream near the south-western<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_49" id="Page_49">[Pg 49]</a></span>
+extremity of Japan, goes through the Corean Strait, and
+follows the north-west coast of Nippon, passing then through
+the Tsugaru Strait. As will be seen later, a branch of this
+current runs along the north-west coast of Yezo, and through
+the La Perouse Strait.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 362px;">
+<img src="images/illus-049.jpg" width="362" height="249" alt="IWA ROCKS AT BIRU" />
+<span class="caption">IWA ROCKS AT BIRU.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_50" id="Page_50">[Pg 50]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 357px;">
+<img src="images/illus-050.jpg" width="357" height="262" alt="AINU HOUSES AND STOREHOUSE, FRISHIKOBETS, TOKACHI RIVER" />
+<span class="caption">AINU HOUSES AND STOREHOUSE, FRISHIKOBETS, TOKACHI RIVER.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER VII.<br />
+<span class="small">The Tokachi Region&mdash;Pure Ainu Types&mdash;Curious Mode of River
+Fishing.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>The Tokachi River is one of the largest and most important
+in Yezo. Knowing that the Ainu either settle on the sea-shore
+or up river-courses, I formed an idea that some good
+types were to be found up this river. On reaching Otsu, a
+small settlement at the mouth of the Otsugawa&mdash;a branch of
+the large delta formed by the Tokachi&mdash;my idea was confirmed
+by the report that there were no Japanese villages in the
+interior. The expedition up the Tokachi River was by no
+means easy from the accounts I heard at Otsu. None of the
+Japanese ever dare to penetrate into the interior from Otsu,
+and, so far as foreigners are concerned, the Tokachi River was
+utterly unexplored. There is a certain charm in being the
+first man to do something, and I decided to attempt the
+experiment. The Japanese of Otsu dissuaded me strongly
+from carrying out my plan; for they said the grass and reeds
+were so high that I could not possibly get through.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_51" id="Page_51">[Pg 51]</a></span>
+"It is a kind of a jungle, in fact," said they, "in which yellow
+and black bears are plentiful. The rivers, which are numerous,
+are swollen by the heavy rains that have fallen lately. The
+natives up the river are unsociable and bad, and they will kill
+you. Then in the high grass horse-flies, black-flies, and mosquitoes
+abound."</p>
+
+<p>"If you attempt it alone," said the wise man of the party,
+"you will not come back alive."</p>
+
+<p>These reports were not encouraging, but, anyhow, I determined
+that, Irish as it may sound, <i>dead</i> or <i>alive</i>, if there were
+any Ainu up the stream I would see them. Owing to the
+difficulty of taking even my usual baggage, and not wishing
+to burden my ponies with more than was necessary, I decided
+to carry with me only a paint-box, many wooden sketching
+panels, my diary, and my revolver. I left all my other things
+at Otsu to wait for my return.</p>
+
+<p>"Should you not come back again, can I keep all your
+belongings as my property?" kindly enquired the landlord of
+the tea-house, when I bade good-bye to him and to all the
+villagers who had collected round early in the morning to see
+me start.</p>
+
+<p>I took two ponies, as usual. I left Otsu at dawn, and
+followed as well as I could the winding course of the river.
+Not far from Otsu I came to the thick jungle of high reeds
+and tall grass of which I had already heard. I made my way
+through the first obstructions; but I had not been in the jungle
+more than a few minutes when I was simply devoured by
+horse-flies, mosquitoes, and black-flies. My ponies were kicking,
+bucking, and trying to bolt, as they also were literally
+covered with horse-flies, sucking their blood and stinging them
+to madness. The reeds and grass were about ten or twelve
+feet high, so that, being higher than myself on my horse, I
+could not see where I was going. I kept along the river bank
+as much as I could; but in many places it was difficult to get
+through the ravines which one invariably finds along rivers,
+so I kept a little way off on the west side, and had the noise
+of the running river to guide me. For many wearisome hours
+I rode through this jungle, the dividing reeds continually
+rubbing against my face, arms, and legs, sometimes making
+pretty deep cuts with their razor-edged long leaves. The huge<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_52" id="Page_52">[Pg 52]</a></span>
+<i>shirau</i>&mdash;the horse-flies&mdash;grew more and more tiresome as the
+sun got warmer, and my head and hands were swollen and
+bleeding. The sun was by this time high in the sky, but there
+were no signs of the jungle coming to an end, no indications
+of huts anywhere near&mdash;no other noise but the sound of the
+crashing reeds and the running water of the river. My ponies
+were feeding well, as grass was plentiful; but I was faring
+badly. What with the exertion of keeping the ponies in
+order, while the densely-entangled reeds nearly dragged me off
+the saddle&mdash;what with the plague of mosquitoes and horse-flies,
+added to the sense of weakness caused by fatigue and hunger&mdash;it
+was really a terrible time for me&mdash;one of the worst
+episodes in my life. Nevertheless, I persevered, and went on
+and on, determined to reach my destination. I came upon
+two very large swamps, which forced me to make a wide
+<i>détour</i>. The ponies were very tired, and so was I. When
+darkness set in I halted, took the heavy pack-saddles off the
+ponies, and tied the animals to them, so that they could not
+bolt during the night; and wearied, disheartened, and discouraged
+as I was, I began to think how stupid I had been to
+start on such an expedition without carrying any provisions
+with me&mdash;without having provided myself with even a tent or
+a covering of any kind.</p>
+
+<p>Circumstances made me a philosopher. What is the use of
+worrying about things that cannot be helped? After all,
+when you get accustomed to it, starving is really not so bad
+as people think. One of my ponies was of a sentimental
+disposition, and he seemed to understand my troubles. He
+came close and rubbed himself against me, placing his head
+near mine. It was touching, and in the solitude in which I
+was the sympathy of the dumb beast was as precious as that
+of a human being. Had he been able to speak, he might
+have been taken for a Christian, and a good one, too! He
+had been fearfully stung by horse-flies, and my petting him
+seemed to alleviate his pain. There is nothing like sympathy
+and a little personal kindness if one wants to make friends with
+animals. The last few rays of light were spent in putting
+together the notes which I had taken during the day, and
+which enabled me to draw a sketch-map of the river. At
+Horoizumi some days previously I was able to buy myself<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_53" id="Page_53">[Pg 53]</a></span>
+a compass from a Japanese fisherman, and on this occasion it
+was extremely useful to me.</p>
+
+<p>By the soft, or rather shrill, music of a full orchestra of
+mosquitoes I fell asleep. It was poetic, but not comfortable.
+Strange noises woke me several times during the night. My
+ponies also were very restless, and repeatedly tried to get
+loose while I was lying down on the two saddles to which they
+were fastened.</p>
+
+<p>It was some time after sunrise when I woke up, and with
+stiff bones set off again. A heavy dew had fallen during the
+night, and had made my clothes very damp. The reeds and
+grass also were saturated with water, and riding through them
+caused a continuous shower to fall over me, giving me an
+uncomfortable and by no means efficient kind of shower bath.</p>
+
+<p>I rode in a westerly direction till about two or three in the
+afternoon, when suddenly the jungle came to an end. Not
+only that, but a short distance away I saw some Ainu huts.
+I soon reached them, dismounted, and tied my ponies to a tree.
+I went to the first hut, and previous to going in I called out:
+"Hem, hem, hem, hem!" which in the Ainu country is the
+polite preliminary when a stranger wishes to enter a hut. The
+usual practice of <i>knocking</i> at the door is dispensed with, for
+Ainu doorways have <span class="correction" title="Transcriber's Note: Corrected from the original 'do'.">no</span> doors.</p>
+
+<p>"Hem, hem, hem, hem, hem!" called I again much louder,
+but I heard no answer; so I lifted the mat and entered the
+hut. It was empty. No one was there. I came out again,
+and went into the next hut, into another, and yet another; but
+nobody was to be found. I supposed that they were all out
+fishing. From the roof in each hut was hanging some dried
+and half-dried salmon. I could not resist the temptation after
+nearly thirty-four hours of involuntary fasting; and I stole&mdash;I
+mean "conveyed," or helped myself to the largest fish. I
+was greedily eating it&mdash;and how good it was!&mdash;when I thought
+I heard a groan inside the hut. I listened, and I distinctly
+heard some one sniffing in a corner of the dark dwelling. Had
+I been caught stealing? The crime I had committed would
+be called felony at home, but in the Ainu country it has not
+nearly so bad a name as that. However, felony or not, I
+dropped the fish, or rather what remained of it, and made for
+the corner whence the noise came. As I got closer I discerned<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_54" id="Page_54">[Pg 54]</a></span>
+a mass of white hair and two claws, almost like thin human
+feet with long hooked nails. A few fish-bones scattered on the
+ground and a lot of filth were massed together in that corner;
+and the disgusting odours these exhaled were beyond measure
+horrible.</p>
+
+<p>"What the devil is that!" I said aloud in my own native
+tongue. I could hear someone breathing heavily under that
+mass of white hair, but I could not make out the shape of a
+human body. I touched the hair, I pulled it, and with a groan,
+and movements similar to those of a snake uncoiling itself,
+two thin bony arms suddenly stretched out and clasped my
+hand. As my eyes were getting accustomed to the dim light
+I thought I saw some almost worn-out tattoo marks on her
+arms. Yes, it was a woman in that corner, though her limbs
+were merely skin and bone, and her long hair and long nails
+gave her a ghastly appearance. Indeed, crouched as she was,
+doubled up, with her head on her knees, and the long hair
+falling over her face and shoulders, it was really difficult to
+make out what she was.</p>
+
+<p>I asked her to come out, but she was apparently deaf and
+dumb. I dragged her out, and she made but little resistance;
+only she preferred crawling on her hands and knees to
+walking upright on her feet. There is no accounting for
+people's tastes, and I let her please herself in her manner of
+locomotion. When she was fairly out in the light I shivered
+as I looked at the miserable being before me. I lifted up her
+hair to see the face. Her eyebrows were thick and shaggy,
+and were joined over the nose. Her eyes were half closed, and
+dead-looking. The strong light seemed to affect her, and with
+her hands she was feeling the ground, probably in order to
+retrace her steps back to the dark spot. Nature could not
+have inflicted more evils on that wretched creature. She was
+nearly blind, deaf, and dumb; she apparently suffered from
+rheumatism, which had doubled up her body and stiffened
+her bony arms and legs; and, moreover, she showed many
+of the symptoms of leprosy. Altogether, she was painful,
+horrible, disgusting, and humiliating to contemplate.</p>
+
+<p>I went back to my ponies to fetch my paint-box. During
+my absence there had collected round them half-a-dozen Ainu.
+They did not know what to think of the appearance of the two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_55" id="Page_55">[Pg 55]</a></span>
+animals, and the few articles fastened to the pack-saddle were
+regarded with suspicion. When I appeared on the scene their
+astonishment was even greater, and it reached its climax when
+I saluted them in the Ainu fashion, and told them that I was
+a friend of the Ainu. I unfastened my paint-box and went
+back to the old woman. She was still where I had left her.
+All the Ainu present followed me, and when I squatted down
+they did the same in a semicircle round me. My wretched
+model attempted several times to crawl inside the hut, but as
+I was sitting close to her, I prevented
+her from doing so. There
+she sat in the most extraordinary
+position, with her head resting on
+her left hand, and the stiff fingers
+of her right hand pressed on the
+ground. One leg was bent up and
+the other was folded, resting on the
+ground and on the foot of the first.
+She was sniffing the wind, and
+making efforts to see with her half-blind
+eyes.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 138px;">
+<img src="images/illus-055.jpg" width="138" height="196" alt="MADWOMAN OF YAMMAKKA" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MADWOMAN OF YAMMAKKA.</span></div>
+
+<p>It is hardly necessary to say that
+I did not keep my model longer
+than was strictly necessary, and
+when the sketch was finished I
+took her by the arm, brought her back into the hut, and
+led her to her favourite corner. There she crouched herself
+again, as I had found her; and there I left her, to bear the
+miseries of her life, till death, the cure of all woes, shall take
+away her soul, if not her body, from the filth she had lived in.
+She was neither ill-treated nor taken care of by the villagers
+or by her son, who lived in the same hut; but she was regarded
+as a worthless object, and treated accordingly. A fish was
+occasionally flung to her, as one would to a beast, and in such
+a condition this human being had lived, or rather existed,
+apparently for several years. Not a word was uttered by
+the villagers during the few minutes I took to paint the sketch.
+I turned round to inspect my new friends. Others had
+come up, and these men and women, hairy and partly naked,
+squatting down amidst filth, and driven half mad by the horse-flies<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_56" id="Page_56">[Pg 56]</a></span>
+and black-flies, looked just like a large family of restless
+monkeys. They were gentle and kind&mdash;much more so than
+any of their more civilised brethren; and one of them, a fine
+old man, came forward when I came out of the hut and wished
+me to go and see a big yellow bear they had captured. I went,
+and near the man's hut, in a rough square cage made of
+crossed branches of trees, was Bruin grinding his teeth as we
+drew near. In a sing-song monotone the man told me the
+story of the hunt, and how the bear had been captured. Then
+we went from one hut to another all through the village.
+Yamakubiro is the name given to the huts taken collectively,
+but the man took good care to explain to me that one part of
+the village (numbering only seven houses) was called Tchiota,
+and the other, a short distance away, was named Yammakka.
+Tchiota in the Ainu language means "dead-sand," and Yammakka
+is "land in behind."</p>
+
+<p>Yammakka has ten huts. The hut in which I had to put up
+was more than filthy, and I had a sort of presentiment that
+my landlord was a scoundrel. He saw me giving a small
+silver Japanese coin to a girl I had painted. From that
+moment I noticed his eyes were continually fixed on my
+waistcoat pocket, out of which I had taken the coin. However,
+I did not think much of that, as all Ainu are fond of beads,
+metals, or anything that shines. When the evening came I
+tried to go to sleep on the hard planks, as usual. There is
+undoubtedly more <i>board</i> than <i>lodging</i> about Ainu accommodation.
+Myriads of Taikkis, the tiny but troublesome and
+uninvited guests of all dirty dwellings, did me the honour
+to sup off the few drops of blood which remained in my
+veins. I owed it to a bottle of Keating's Powder that I was
+not carried away bodily by them. I felt cold and feverish, and
+having no civilised bed-clothes to cover me, I slept with my
+clothes on; and this the more willingly, as I felt an instinctive
+mistrust of my host, and I thought it was as well to be ready
+for any emergency.</p>
+
+<p>A few salmon were hanging right over my nose. They
+hung low, but they smelt high. I had been given a place in
+the south-west corner of the hut, and my landlord retired to
+the north-east corner. Though this may sound very far, my
+host was really not more than a few feet away from me. He<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_57" id="Page_57">[Pg 57]</a></span>
+apparently thought that I had gone to sleep, for I heard him
+creep to my side. I could not see him, being in absolute
+darkness, but though he was evidently holding his breath, I
+could feel the warmth of his face near mine. He was listening
+to hear if I were asleep. I kept quiet, and pretended to snore.
+This gave him courage, and sliding his hand gently along my
+arm, he came to a pocket in my coat. He began to explore
+it&mdash;but the Ainu are an unfortunate people even when they
+try to steal. He had got hold of a pocket with no bottom to
+it&mdash;a common occurrence in my coats. The more he explored,
+the more he found there was to explore. I am fond myself of
+explorations, and I have no objection to a fellow-being, hairy
+or not hairy, "prospecting" my empty pockets or my pockets
+which have no bottom to them. However, my host was not
+satisfied with the first results of his researches, and with his
+hand still through the torn lining of the coat-pocket proceeded
+to investigate the contents of my waistcoat pockets.
+This was a different matter altogether, and catching hold of
+him before he was able to disentangle himself, I swung his
+arm away and hit him hard on the head with my right fist.</p>
+
+<p>"Wooi!" cried he in despair, and half stunned, as he
+scrambled away as best he could to his north-east corner.
+By way of apology and excuse, and with a trembling
+voice, the man from his corner said that he had only come to
+sleep on my side of the hut, as the wind was blowing strong
+where he had lain down, and that my side was warmer. A
+good excuse indeed when you are caught <i>flagrante delicto</i>
+pickpocketing!</p>
+
+<p>The salmon which my host gave me last night for dinner
+and this morning for breakfast was so rotten, that, hungry as
+I was, I could not eat it. From Yammakka, in a westerly
+direction, the way begins with a gentle incline; therefore there
+is a complete absence of the high and troublesome reeds which
+I had found in the vast marshy plain I had crossed on my
+way here from the coast. I intended pushing on to Frishikobets,
+a larger village some miles off. The old scoundrel
+wanted to accompany me part of the way, saying that there
+were two dangerous rivers to cross, and he would show me
+where to wade them. I fancied that they were as dangerous
+as they were imaginary, and I started off declining his offer.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_58" id="Page_58">[Pg 58]</a></span>
+I came across several Ainu huts on my way, passed the village
+of Pensatsunai&mdash;six Ainu huts&mdash;on the Satsunai river, an
+affluent of the Tokachi, and then arrived at Obishiro in the
+afternoon. There are seven houses at Obishiro. I entered
+one of them, and to my astonishment I found myself in
+front of an old man and a pretty woman, whose appearance
+and manners were as refined as those of the better classes in
+Japan. A younger man also came in. Their astonishment
+was as great as mine, as they had not seen any civilised beings
+since they had been there. Though the outside of their
+dwelling was not prepossessing, the inside was so clean that I
+felt as if I had dropped into heaven. After what I had gone
+through, this unexpected <i>rencontre</i> brought me back to life
+and a belief in the proprieties of a civilised existence, almost
+forgotten by now!</p>
+
+<p>These people had a romantic history. Watanabe Masaru&mdash;the
+younger man&mdash;was a Japanese gentleman by birth and
+education, but he had no fortune. Of an adventurous disposition,
+clever, sensitive, and tired of the conventionalities of his
+fatherland, he decided eight or ten years ago to emigrate to
+Hokkaido, and there lead the life of a colonist. The
+woman he loved was as brave and constant as he. She
+sailed with him and her father from Japan, and after a long
+and perilous journey in a junk (sailing boat), they landed at
+the mouth of the Tokachi River. In Ainu canoes they went
+up the river, and established themselves at Obishiro, far from
+civilisation, nearly in the centre of Yezo. At first they had a
+great deal of trouble with the natives, but now they are loved
+by all. There, with two lovely children, they lead an ideal
+life, far from the madding crowd and noise of the world, and
+freed from the vulgarity of society.</p>
+
+<p>I rode on to Frishikobets village, situated on the Frishiko,
+"old river," and in the midst of a beautiful plain. There are
+only twenty-eight houses, and they are scattered about in the
+plain at a distance of several hundred yards one from the
+other. Some of the huts were hidden in the forest. A peculiarity
+of the Ainu of the Upper Tokachi River is, that they
+frequently cover their dwellings and storehouses with the bark
+of trees, instead of with reeds, as is the custom among the
+Ainu of the Saru River and Volcano Bay.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_59" id="Page_59">[Pg 59]</a></span>
+I was told here again that Ainu women often suckle small
+bears at their breasts so as to fatten them up for the festival;
+and one not infrequently sees the women in Ainu households
+chewing food, and letting the young cub take it from
+their lips.</p>
+
+<p>These Ainu are much more interesting as types, and also
+much purer in race, than either the Piratori or the Volcano
+Bay Ainu. A learned missionary, who has not himself visited
+these people, writes as follows regarding them:&mdash;"The Ainu of
+the Tokapchi district, in Yezo, are spoken of as having been
+particularly addicted to this kind of warfare (night raids against
+each other, in which the men were murdered, and the women
+stolen and used as slaves or kept as concubines), and are
+even now held in abhorrence by the people of some villages.
+They are said not only to have murdered people, but
+also to have eaten some of them. They were, therefore,
+cannibals, and I have heard them spoken of as 'eaters of
+their own kind.'"<a name="FNanchor_18_18" id="FNanchor_18_18"></a><a href="#Footnote_18_18" class="fnanchor">[18]</a></p>
+
+<p>From my own personal experience&mdash;and I may add I am the
+only foreigner who has seen these Tokachi, or as others call
+them, Tokapchi Ainu&mdash;I came to a conclusion very different
+from this. I found that not only were they not cannibals, but
+that, taken altogether, they were the most peaceable, gentle,
+and kind Ainu I came across during my peregrinations
+through the land of the hairy people. Indeed, I am sorry to
+say that it is not savagery that makes the Ainu bad, but it is
+civilisation that demoralises them. The only place in Yezo
+where I was actually ill-treated by Ainu, as my readers will
+remember, is the village where they were said to be "very
+civilised."</p>
+
+<p>I have no wish to force my opinion on the public as the
+correct one. I do but describe what I have actually seen in a
+district in which others who have written on this subject have
+never set foot, and I leave it to my readers to judge who has
+most claim to be heard.</p>
+
+<p>The language of the Tokachi Ainu varies considerably from
+the language spoken in more civilised districts, and none of
+the natives up the river could speak Japanese when I was
+there.</p>
+
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_60" id="Page_60">[Pg 60]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 552px;">
+<img src="images/illus-060.png" width="552" height="600" alt="AINU WOMAN OF FRISHIKOBETS, ON THE TOKACHI RIVER." />
+<span class="caption">AINU WOMAN OF FRISHIKOBETS, ON THE TOKACHI RIVER.</span></div>
+
+<p>Unfortunately, the Ainu of this region are not very
+numerous, and constant intermarriage among near relations
+has proved detrimental to the race. However, a glance at
+them is quite sufficient to show the difference between them
+and Ainu of other tribes. They are not so picturesquely
+arrayed as their more western brothers, and the large Japanese
+brass and silver earrings, as well as the glass bead necklaces
+which make such a brave show yonder, are replaced here by
+rough bone or wooden ornaments. Men and women in
+summer are almost entirely naked, and all children are clad
+in their own bare skins only. Their winter garments are
+made of bear and deer skins. Some peculiar snow-sandals,
+made of the bark of a kind of ash-tree called <i>shina</i>, are sometimes
+worn over the winter salmon-skin boots or moccasins.
+The Ainu make their ropes out of the bark of this <i>shina</i>,
+though often young vine stems are used for the same purpose.
+River fishing-nets are generally made of young vines twisted.
+They are of the roughest description, and are only fit for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_61" id="Page_61">[Pg 61]</a></span>
+rivers where fish is abundant, as in the Yezo watercourses.
+The Ainu at Frishikobets took very kindly to sitting for their
+portraits, and one after the other&mdash;all the best types&mdash;were
+immortalised either in oils or in pencil. Strange to say, I
+came across another old woman, a lunatic, very similar to the
+one I saw at Yammakka. Her face was that of a witch,
+her eyebrows joining downwards somewhat in the shape of
+an owl's beak. Her long pale hands and face, and the long
+wild hair covering half her face, gave her a striking appearance.
+She had, however, not yet reached the stage of imbecility
+which her Yammakka sister had attained. Lunacy
+is very common among the Ainu, and the unfortunate creature
+thus afflicted seems to lose not only the respect, but also the
+pity, as well as care, of all the others, and is treated by them
+as a worthless animal.</p>
+
+<p>After crossing the Frishikobets River, some distance off, on
+the east side of the Tokachi River, are the villages of Upar-penai,<a name="FNanchor_19_19" id="FNanchor_19_19"></a><a href="#Footnote_19_19" class="fnanchor">[19]</a>
+twenty-one Ainu huts, Memuro-puto,<a name="FNanchor_20_20" id="FNanchor_20_20"></a><a href="#Footnote_20_20" class="fnanchor">[20]</a> sixteen huts,
+and Ottoinnai,<a name="FNanchor_21_21" id="FNanchor_21_21"></a><a href="#Footnote_21_21" class="fnanchor">[21]</a> fourteen huts. Then comes Kinney, with
+seven houses; and finally Nitumap,<a name="FNanchor_22_22" id="FNanchor_22_22"></a><a href="#Footnote_22_22" class="fnanchor">[22]</a> the last village on the
+Tokachi River, has as many as thirty-six houses.</p>
+
+<p>The huts of the Tokachi region are much smaller than
+those on the Saru River, and near many of them is a cage,
+in which a big yellow or black bear is confined. The natives
+told me that yellow and black bears were numerous in the
+neighbourhood. Deer (the <i>yuk</i>, male deer, and <i>mowambe</i>,
+female), were formerly plentiful, but now are very scarce.
+A few years ago a pestilence killed great numbers of them,
+and since then they have dwindled away.</p>
+
+<p>Not many miles from Frishikobets a huge cliff rises perpendicularly
+along the Shikarubets River. A landslip seems
+to have taken place, which leaves one side of the cliff perfectly
+bare and rugged, showing the strata composing the soil.
+It is of a light yellowish colour, and it is called by the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_62" id="Page_62">[Pg 62]</a></span>
+Ainu the <i>Shikarubets Otchirsh</i>, which translated into English
+means "the white cliff on the bend of the river." This cliff
+stands very high, and can be seen from a great distance,
+especially in a north-east, east, or southerly direction. In
+winter, when the rushes and reeds are not so high in the south-eastern
+portion of the plain, the white cliff can be distinguished
+from the whole of the Tokachi valley. The Ainu themselves
+use the Shikarubets Otchirsh as a landmark when out hunting
+bears. Owing to its light colour it is visible even at night.
+I was anxious to ascend it, as I was sure no European foot
+had ever trodden on it before. Accompanied by Watanabe
+Masaru, I started out on horseback and crossed the Frishikobets
+village and river. Here we left our horses under the
+care of an Ainu till our return. We had to cross the Tokachi
+in an Ainu "dug-out," and then, proceeding for several miles
+in a northerly direction, we arrived at the foot of the mountain.
+It would have been impossible to climb it on the east side, as
+it is quite perpendicular; but we were fortunate in getting an
+Ainu called Unacharo, who said he knew a point from which
+we could ascend, and that he would show us the way. He
+had been hunting bears on that mountain, and he knew its
+slopes well; but as to the way which he was to show us, we
+had to make it for ourselves. With our large knives we were
+forced to break, cut, and tear the entangled branches of trees
+and shrubs before we could get on. We actually had to cut
+our way through the dense scrubwood until we reached the
+summit. The ascent was rather dangerous in some places,
+and extremely rough when going through the brushwood.
+We had to keep as much as possible near the edge of the
+cliff, for though it involved more danger if we slipped or
+stumbled, the entangled shrubs were not so thick on the edge
+as farther inland. Finally, after several hours' hard work, we
+reached the top, and were well repaid for our fatigues. The
+whole of the Tokachi valley was stretched before us as far as
+the sea, and almost the whole course of the winding river, with
+all its numerous affluents, could be distinguished like so many
+shining silver ribbons on the green background formed by the
+tall grass and reeds. As a farming region the Tokachi valley
+and high plains are certainly the most fertile in Hokkaido.
+All the requisites for successful agriculture can be found there.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_63" id="Page_63">[Pg 63]</a></span>
+The absence of the mountain masses of volcanic rocks, so
+common all over Hokkaido, the richness of the soil, the
+quantity of water for irrigation or for motive power, besides
+the comparative facility of making roads on such flat ground,
+are qualities that good farmers do not generally despise. It
+is therefore a great pity to see all that Tokachi valley
+practically deserted and so much good land wasted. Hemp,
+wheat, corn, potatoes, beans, and all kinds of vegetables and
+cereals, could be grown with advantage, and the produce
+carried down the river to the sea without much difficulty and
+at little expense. At Yamakubiro the land begins to rise in a
+gentle slope, but only to form a plateau, of which the top is
+another large plain reaching to the foot of the Oputateishike
+mountain mass. The Otopke Mountain is the highest peak,
+and resembles in shape the Fujiama of Japan. On the north-east
+side of this mountain are the hot springs of Ni-piri-bets.<a name="FNanchor_23_23" id="FNanchor_23_23"></a><a href="#Footnote_23_23" class="fnanchor">[23]</a>
+A kind of wood is said by the Ainu to be found near these
+hot springs which is good for curing wounds, cuts, rheumatism,
+and other ailments. These hot springs are not of much
+importance, and it is but seldom that even the Ainu themselves
+visit them. In going to and returning from these
+springs the Shikarubets Otchirsh is never lost sight of by the
+Ainu, and by the aid of this landmark they return safely to
+their homes.</p>
+
+<p>All the Oputateishike mountain mass is volcanic, and forms
+the backbone of the island of Yezo. From the Shikarubets
+Otchirsh I was able to draw a bird's-eye view of the course
+of the Tokachi River and its affluents, which afterwards
+helped me much in delineating a sketch-map of the Tokachi
+region, with its complicated watercourses. The two high
+mountains of Satsumai and Ghifzan could also be plainly
+seen from there. Coming down was much easier than going
+up, and when we had again reached the bottom of the
+mountain we turned northward until we came to the Shorui-washi
+River, an affluent of the Tokachi. Previous to this,
+while following the course of the Otsu River, I saw a strange
+sight. When on the summit of the Shikarubets Otchirsh I
+had seen two Ainu "dug-outs" pass up the river, and the Ainu<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_64" id="Page_64">[Pg 64]</a></span>
+who accompanied us said we should soon see them coming
+back again. We were not far from the river banks when
+shouts and cries of excitement reached my ears. I hurried on
+to the water-side and saw the two "dug-outs" swiftly coming
+down with the strong current, parallel with each other at a
+distance of about seven feet apart. There were three people
+in each "dug-out," viz., a woman with a paddle steering at
+the prow; another woman crouched up at the stern, and a
+man in the middle. A coarse net made of young vines,
+and about five feet square, was fastened to two poles seven
+or eight feet long. The man who stood in the centre
+of each canoe held one of the poles, to the upper end of
+which the net was attached, and attentively watched the
+water.</p>
+
+<p>"They are catching salmon&mdash;look!" said Unacharo to me;
+"the salmon are coming up the stream from the sea."
+The small net was plunged into the water between the two
+canoes, and nearly each time a large salmon was scooped out
+and flung into one or other of the "dug-outs," where the woman
+sitting at the stern crushed its head with a large stone. If a
+fish escaped, yells of indignation, especially from the women
+folk, broke out from the boats, to be echoed by the high white
+cliff. Both men and women were naked, and the dexterity
+and speed with which they paddled their canoes down the
+stream, working the coarse net at the same time, seldom
+missing a fish, was simply marvellous. On the other hand, it
+must be remembered that fish were so plentiful in the river,
+that it was really easier to catch than to miss. In wading the
+Shikarubets (river) I could see large salmon passing me by
+the dozen, and I felt quite uncomfortable when some large
+fish either rubbed itself against or passed between my legs.
+We got across the Shorui-washi&mdash;literally "very burning a
+place to stand"&mdash;and having then gone far enough from the
+Shikarubets Otchirsh to see the whole of it, I managed to take
+a good sketch of it. Near this river are some hot springs,
+called Nishibets, from which the river has taken its peculiar
+name. The easiest way to the Otopke Mountain is to follow
+the valley between the Shikarubets and the Otopke River, and
+then climb the mountain on the north-east side. The latter
+part of the journey is extremely rough and difficult. Watanabe<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_65" id="Page_65">[Pg 65]</a></span>
+and I returned to Obishiro. It is not often that one anywhere
+meets with such simple, straightforward people as these
+Watanabes. They have lived alone at Obishiro for eight
+years among savages, but never in my life have I met with
+more civilised, kind, thoughtful, gentle beings than Watanabe
+and his wife. As civilisation makes savages bad, I dare say
+savage life makes civilised people good! I go away carrying
+with me a deep affection for these gentle strangers, whose
+kindness to me has made them my friends.</p>
+
+<p>The day came for me to return to the coast. My ponies,
+probably frightened by bears, broke loose during the night, and
+one of them ran away; and I was rather in a difficulty as to
+how I should get back whence I had come. Watanabe, adding
+kindness to kindness, allowed me to have one of his ponies,
+and after repeated good-byes I started on my journey back to
+the coast. About four miles east of Yammakka the Tokachi
+River receives a large affluent, the Toshibets, or "river of high
+swamps." The Tunnui Puto is the largest of these swamps,
+about four miles north of the mouth of the Toshibets. <i>Tunnui</i>
+means a kind of tree, probably the <i>Quercus dentata</i>; <i>puto</i> or
+<i>put</i> means the mouth of a river. The course of the Toshibets
+River is almost from due north to south from its source, then
+for about six or seven miles from north-west to south-east,
+and, sharply turning again from north to south, continues in
+this direction winding continually for eighteen or twenty
+miles, till it throws itself with a large body of water in the
+Tokachi River. On the southern side of the latter part of the
+watercourse are found the Ainu villages of Pombets, twenty-two
+huts; Purokenashpa,<a name="FNanchor_24_24" id="FNanchor_24_24"></a><a href="#Footnote_24_24" class="fnanchor">[24]</a> three huts; Kenashpa,<a name="FNanchor_25_25" id="FNanchor_25_25"></a><a href="#Footnote_25_25" class="fnanchor">[25]</a> twelve
+huts; and Beppo,<a name="FNanchor_26_26" id="FNanchor_26_26"></a><a href="#Footnote_26_26" class="fnanchor">[26]</a> eleven huts. The characteristics of the
+natives of these villages and their habitations are similar to
+those already described at Frishikobets. The journey down
+was much the same as that coming up. Tobuts, on the north
+side of the Tokachi, is the largest Ainu village in the district,
+and has as many as sixty huts. The inhabitants are possessed
+of a somewhat fiery temper in this particular village, and the day
+previous to my going through two men were killed in a row.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_66" id="Page_66">[Pg 66]</a></span>
+I felt awfully annoyed at being just one day too late to see it,
+as then I might have described how the Ainu die. However,
+I reached the other side of the Tokachi again. A way through
+the same tall rushes and reeds had to be forced, and the same
+army of mosquitoes and horse-flies had to be met and endured.
+It was my intention to push on and reach the coast as soon as
+possible. At Yammakka the natives had seen my runaway
+pony galloping at full speed towards the coast, but no one
+had caught it. Probably no one had tried.</p>
+
+<p>My ponies went well. I could plainly see where I had
+already come through the jungle, by the long trail of crushed
+and broken reeds I had left behind me. Everything was
+calm, but for the monotonous sound of crashing leaves
+produced by my forcing my way through the reeds. Suddenly
+my ponies stopped, shied, and began to back. They sniffed
+the ground, then the air. Their ears were straight up, their
+eyes were restless, and their nostrils widely distended. They
+were certainly under some great excitement, and showed
+unmistakable signs of terror. "What could be the cause of
+it?" I asked myself, but all the same gave the ponies a sound
+thrashing to make them go. It was useless&mdash;they would not
+stir. The second pony came by the side of mine, and they
+both put their heads together, in their own way consulting and
+concerting. They were utterly demoralised, and were kicking
+awfully. It was getting dark, and this riotous conduct on the
+part of my ponies was annoying. Unexpectedly, and with a
+tremendous growl, a huge black bear sprang towards us, and
+tried to seize the baggage pony. However, he and the beast
+I was riding bolted, and ran a desperate race for life; and
+though Bruin followed us clumsily for some time, we soon
+were far ahead, and lost sight of him. It was more than I
+could do to stop the frightened brutes; but finally, after a
+reckless steeplechase of many miles, after jumping over
+brooks and splashing across torrents, flying over the ground
+and through the jungle, without omitting to anathematise a
+horsefly that had settled on the back of my neck, and was
+amusing itself by boring holes in different parts of it to find a
+suitable spot for feeding, finally we came to a halt. It was
+about time. During the violent ride the reeds had cut my
+face and neck and hands, and I was bleeding all over. I went<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_67" id="Page_67">[Pg 67]</a></span>
+on and on, and, as my ponies did not seem to be very tired, I
+tried to reach the coast that night. It grew dark, but the
+night was fine, and I let the noise of the running river guide
+me. Each minute seemed an hour, each hour an age. I rode
+and rode, and still rode, till I was nearly exhausted; and still
+I was surrounded by the tall reeds and rushes. "Thank
+God!" I heartily exclaimed, when finally, at a small hour of
+the morning, I found myself in open ground again, and the
+wind brought in waves the salt smell of the sea.</p>
+
+<p>An hour or so afterwards two tired ponies were easily
+pulled up at the tea-house at Otsu, the landlord was roused,
+and a wearied and half-starved traveller was let in.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 359px;">
+<img src="images/illus-067.jpg" width="359" height="248" alt="THE SHIKARUBETS OTCHIRSH" />
+<span class="caption">THE SHIKARUBETS OTCHIRSH.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="small" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_68" id="Page_68">[Pg 68]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 478px;">
+<img src="images/illus-068.png" width="478" height="600" alt="AINU MAN OF THE UPPER TOKACHI" />
+<span class="caption">AINU MAN OF THE UPPER TOKACHI.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER VIII.<br />
+<span class="small">From the Tokachi River to the Kutcharo River.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>I decided to stop a day at Otsu, so as to recover from the
+fatigue of my late travels and adventures, and I chose my
+quarters in the <i>yadoya</i> of a Japanese called Inomata Yoshitaro.
+I was told that he was an ex-convict. Be that as it
+may, he had now turned into a fisherman and innkeeper.
+Like all Japanese, he was an inexhaustible talker, and his
+politeness was so great that it became a bore.</p>
+
+<p>It was about three in the morning when I reached Otsu. I
+had taken off my boots on entering his house&mdash;for it is an
+insult to enter Japanese houses with one's boots on&mdash;and I
+had seated myself on the soft mat in order to rest my aching
+limbs, when Yoshitaro made me get up to place a small<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_69" id="Page_69">[Pg 69]</a></span>
+square cushion under me, on which he said I should be more
+comfortable. I had not been on it one minute before Yoshitaro,
+wanting to increase my comforts, made me rise again to
+exchange the first cushion covered with cotton for one covered
+with silk&mdash;a detail to which a man is not likely to pay much
+attention when tired to death, and only anxious to be left
+alone. It followed as a matter of course that before I was
+allowed to go to sleep I had to sip several cups of tea, which
+Yoshitaro's wife had hurriedly made, and I had to relate the
+result of my expedition to the sleepy fishermen who had crept
+out of their <i>foutangs</i> at the news of my arrival. In spite of
+all this, when I had got rid of my audience I had a good
+night's rest; but when I woke up the next day at noon I
+found myself surrounded by a crowd of fishermen of Otsu,
+who had invaded the <i>yadoya</i> to have a peep at the young
+foreigner, while in the back yard I recognised the voices of
+Yoshitaro and his wife, who evidently were occupied in the
+exciting chase of a fowl.</p>
+
+<p>A few minutes later Yoshitaro triumphantly entered the
+room with a large dish, on which the same fowl, uncooked, and
+cut into a thousand little bits, was served to me, together with
+pieces of raw salmon, <i>daikon</i> (a vegetable), and boiled rice.
+This he called a European dinner! I did my best to roast
+the chicken bits on the <i>hibachi</i> (the brazier); but I was never
+well up in the culinary art, and, as my landlord remarked, he
+had brought up the meat for me to eat, not to "burn."</p>
+
+<p>Fowls are very scarce indeed in Hokkaido, and the few
+found have been imported; therefore the landlord did not
+fail to explain, in a roundabout manner, under what great
+obligation I was to him for killing such a precious bird.</p>
+
+<p>I said that I had not asked him to do this, and with his
+perfect Japanese politeness, bowing gracefully down to the
+ground, he said:</p>
+
+<p>"Sayo de gozarimas" ("Yes, your honourable sir").
+"But," he added, "the bird was so old that if I had not killed
+it I fear it would have died by itself ere long." Such a
+sacrifice undoubtedly deserved a reward, and he assured me
+that we should be "quite even" if I, being an artist, would
+condescend to paint twelve portraits of him. I had no little
+trouble to make him understand that he was mistaking me for<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_70" id="Page_70">[Pg 70]</a></span>
+a photographic camera, but I offered to paint him a small
+sketch the next morning if he would leave me alone all
+that day.</p>
+
+<p>Punctually at sunrise he entered my room. He had his best
+clothes on, and his anxiety to be painted was such that he had
+not been able to sleep all night. I painted the sketch, and
+Yoshitaro and his male and female friends joined in exclamations
+of admiration at the good result of the <i>abura è</i> (oil
+painting). He professed to be very grateful, and carefully
+packed the picture in a box, which he carried into another
+room.</p>
+
+<p>I took advantage of his absence to pack up my traps, as I
+wished to leave for Shaubets that same morning. In a short
+time Yoshitaro came back to my room, but a different man.
+He was rude, and tried to bully me. He presented a bill for
+the sum of sixteen <i>yen</i>, equivalent to £3 in English money,
+which I considered exorbitant for two nights' rest, a few bowls
+of rice, and the "European dinner." The highest charge made
+by the very best tea-houses in Hokkaido never exceeds one
+yen&mdash;two shillings and tenpence a day&mdash;including all meals.
+I quietly told the landlord that he was a thief, and that I
+would punish him by taking the picture away from him; but
+he swore that he would not surrender it, and that he would
+fight for it if necessary.</p>
+
+<p>I seldom refuse a challenge when I know that I am going
+to get the best of it, and as it so happened that my arms were
+a great deal longer than those of Yoshitaro, I caught him by
+the throat and shook him so violently that he was nearly
+strangled. His friends came to his rescue, and when I
+dropped him he fell heavily on the mats, and had to be carried
+away. Some minutes elapsed, and while I was hastily taking
+my heavier luggage out of the house I heard Yoshitaro in the
+next room call out to his wife to bring him a sword, as he
+wanted to kill the "<i>ijinsan bakka</i>"&mdash;"the fool of a foreigner."
+I entered his room. Yoshitaro, pale with rage, was sitting
+by his <i>hibachi</i>, and round him were eight or ten of his men.
+They were apparently holding a congress on what to do, and
+each one of them, as is usual on all occasions in Japan, had
+pulled out his little pipe, and was continually refilling it with
+tobacco as they all discussed the matter on hand. I had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_71" id="Page_71">[Pg 71]</a></span>
+my boots on this time, as I wished to show the scorn I
+had for him, his friends, and his house. In my coat pocket&mdash;the
+only sound one&mdash;I had my revolver, but it was not
+loaded.</p>
+
+<p>"Yoshitaro," I said, "deliver the picture at once."</p>
+
+<p>"I will not," said he.</p>
+
+<p>"Good!" said his friends in a chorus.</p>
+
+<p>"Yoshitaro," I said again, producing the revolver and
+pointing it at him, "if I have not the picture before I count
+twenty you will be a dead man."</p>
+
+<p>I never in my life saw a crowd of bullies so scared. Covering
+their faces with their hands, Yoshitaro's friends bolted
+in all directions, some jumping out of the semi-European window,
+some dashing through the violently-opened paper <i>shojis</i>
+(sliding doors), leaving eight or ten pipes and as many
+tobacco pouches scattered on the mats. The landlord, a
+moment ago so brave, had not strength to get up, so great
+was his terror. Pale as death, and with a trembling voice,
+he called imploringly to his wife, servants, and friends to
+come and deliver up the picture.</p>
+
+<p>I had counted up to number fourteen, and no one had put
+in an appearance. Then I incidentally mentioned to Yoshitaro
+that time was nearly up, and enquired if he preferred to be
+shot through the head or the heart, at the same time cocking
+my revolver. Yoshitaro shuddered.</p>
+
+<p>At number sixteen a little girl, the only brave one of the
+lot, was sent to his help.</p>
+
+<p>"Dutchera Danna?" ("Where is it, sir?") she asked him,
+quite perplexed.</p>
+
+<p>"Hatchera, hayaku, hayaku nesan!" ("It is there; quick,
+quick, girl!") pointing to a closet in which a pile of <i>foutangs</i>
+(small mattresses) were kept rolled during the day.</p>
+
+<p>Yoshitaro had hidden the sketch so well in the closet that
+the little <i>nesan</i><a name="FNanchor_27_27" id="FNanchor_27_27"></a><a href="#Footnote_27_27" class="fnanchor">[27]</a> could not find it, and when I called out
+number nineteen the poor girl, discomfited, cried out, "Mi-imasen"
+("I do not see it!")</p>
+
+<p>Yoshitaro was more dead than alive; his lips were white,
+and he tried to articulate some words, but could not. His<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_72" id="Page_72">[Pg 72]</a></span>
+eyes, fixed on the closet, were glazed and set. His body was
+beginning to collapse, and every moment I thought that he
+would faint.</p>
+
+<p>In the meantime the <i>nesan</i> hurriedly pulled out all the
+<i>foutangs</i> and unrolled them, and the box with the sketch fell
+out just as I was about to call out number twenty. She gave
+me the box and sketch, and I told Yoshitaro that he must
+now come out with me, and, putting my revolver in my
+pocket, I pulled the man to the entrance door.</p>
+
+<p>Several villagers had collected at a respectful distance on
+the road, waiting for the report of the revolver. Yoshitaro's
+wife was the farthest of all.</p>
+
+<p>I signed to them to come nearer, and seeing that the
+revolver was no longer in my hands, they came, though very
+reluctantly. Yoshitaro was beginning to breathe again; and
+when a sufficient crowd had collected, I compelled him to
+accuse himself before them all of being a thief, and to confess
+that he was glad to have been punished. Also I made him
+promise that he would not play such tricks again on any other
+traveller.</p>
+
+<p>The Japanese are fond of a good joke, even when it is
+played off on one of themselves; and when I had seen all my
+baggage safe on my pack-saddles, I gave Yoshitaro the sixteen
+dollars he had asked me: "Two dollars," I said, "in settlement
+of my bill, and fourteen to go to your doctor for
+restoring you to good health after the fright you have had
+to-day."</p>
+
+<p>To show how shabby Yoshitaro's nature was, it is enough
+to state that out of the sum received his munificence went to
+the extent of five <i>sen</i> (2½<i>d.</i>) as a present to the girl who had
+come to save his life!</p>
+
+<p>When my ponies were ready, I showed Yoshitaro and his
+knavish friends how I had sold them. I brought out my
+revolver again, and they all saw that not a single cartridge was
+in any of its chambers. This done, I bade them good-bye, and
+left them to reflect that it is not always the quietest persons
+who can be imposed on with most impunity, but that sometimes
+such quiet persons get the best of it, even against ten
+bullies or more banded together. I have no doubt that a
+good many of my readers will think me cruel for carrying a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_73" id="Page_73">[Pg 73]</a></span>
+joke so far; but, on the other hand, if placed in similar circumstances,
+when no redress from without is to be obtained, and
+one must defend oneself by main force, very few would treat
+such a serious imposition and offence as a joke.</p>
+
+<p>In going through the village more than one fisherman came
+to tell me that I had done right in dealing severely with
+Yoshitaro, as he was known to be a scoundrel and a thief, and
+they all detested him.</p>
+
+<p>There was little of interest between Otsu and Shaubets,
+with the exception of the beautiful delta formed in the low
+alluvial valley by the Otsu River and the Tokachi River, two
+large estuaries nearly two miles apart, by which the Tokachi
+River enters the sea. The Tokachi is a river of large volume
+and considerable length, and even when divided, the body of
+water carried by both outlets is so great as to make it
+necessary to cross in boats, fording on foot being quite
+impossible.</p>
+
+<p>The Urahoro River was successfully crossed, but for the
+twenty miles on to Shahubets the track was flat and sandy,
+lying mostly under high clay banks, some of which form
+picturesque headlands. The country is not mountainous in
+the proximity of the coast, but it is of a moderate elevation
+all through, and wooded with deciduous trees. The formation
+of the south-east coast from Cape Erimo to Cape Noshafu is
+in many ways unlike that of the south-west coast. The
+south-western part is more mountainous, and is further
+characterised by the absence of extensive plains. The coast-line
+is indented, and there is a striking want of broad
+beaches. Precipitous rocks are also frequent along the south-west
+coast, and thick deposits of pumice&mdash;as we have seen&mdash;are
+lying over quaternary rocks, filling up the declivities
+of mountain lands and river shores.</p>
+
+<p>In the western part the tertiaries are more tufaceous than
+on the south-east coast, and they are distinguished mainly by
+the presence of shales and andesite breccia. The south-eastern
+part is characterized by the almost entire absence of volcanic
+rocks and older eruptive rocks. After leaving the range of
+mountains forming the <i>Sparti acque</i>, east and west of Cape
+Erimo, high land is met all the way along the south-east coast.
+Nevertheless, pumice is found in the basin of the Tokachi<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_74" id="Page_74">[Pg 74]</a></span>
+River, and also in that of the Kushiro River, but it does not
+form the surface soil, covering large areas of ground, as in
+many places on the south-western portion of the coast.</p>
+
+<p>The different aspect in the tertiaries of the south-east and
+south-west coast may be accounted for by the presence of
+breccia and conglomerate, shales and sandstones, on the western
+part, while on the eastern coast beds of lignite, coal of inferior
+quality, and diatom earth form the tertiary strata. If it were
+not for the total want of harbours, or even moderately sheltered
+anchorages for ships, this south-west portion of Yezo, with its
+agricultural resources, its milder climate, and the facilities that
+it offers for the construction of roads and railways, ought to
+support a large population. As things stand now, there are
+no colonists inland, and the coast is deserted and desolate-looking.
+As I have mentioned before, the only drawbacks
+are the thick fogs prevailing during the summer months along
+the south-east coast, and I believe that this in some measure
+accounts for the Japanese not wishing to settle in a part of the
+country so depressing to their spirits and so trying to their
+nerves. I have often noticed how easily affected the Mikado's
+subjects are by atmospheric and geographical conditions, and
+how, before settling to do business, they make a point of
+finding some pleasant spot where to cast anchor, thinking
+more of the amenities of physical existence than of the facilities
+for successful trade. I did not see a single house for
+twenty miles until I reached Shaubets, a village of eleven
+Ainu huts and one Japanese house. Thousands of sea-gulls
+and penguins lined the sandy shore, and I saw several large
+black sea-eagles. A pretty waterfall, gently descending from
+the high grey cliff, was decidedly ornamental to the scenery
+and useful to the wayfarer, as it afforded my ponies and myself
+a good drink of deliciously fresh water. Far off in the distance
+I could distinguish a long tongue of land. At Shaubets I was
+told that it was the peninsula on which <i>Kossuri</i>, or <i>Kushiro</i>,
+as the Japanese call it, is situated. I left Shaubets early in
+the morning, with the intention of pushing on to Kushiro,
+thirty-one miles distant. At Shiranuka, only ten miles from
+Shaubets, I changed my ponies. Shiranuka is an Ainu village,
+the inhabitants of which employ themselves in collecting and
+drying seaweed. There are also seven or eight Japanese<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_75" id="Page_75">[Pg 75]</a></span>
+shanties besides the Ainu huts. At the mouth of the Tcharo-bets,
+near the latter village, coal and lignite of inferior quality
+are found; but this coalfield was not worked at the time I
+passed through Shiranuka. The remaining twenty-one miles
+were monotonous and uninteresting. The long <i>Kossuri</i> peninsula
+was before me, increasing in size as I drew nearer; and
+after having gone through the two small villages of To'tori
+and Akan-gawa, in the neighbourhood of Kossuri, I crossed
+the Kutcharo River, on a nicely-built wooden bridge, and
+found myself at Kushiro, an important Japanese settlement on
+the south-east coast. From its favourable situation Kushiro
+is likely to become one of the chief towns in Yezo, though
+unfortunately it does not possess a good harbour, and is much
+exposed to westerly winds. The largest number of the houses
+are situated on a slight elevation above the reef-harbour,
+immediately south of the river mouth. In the proximity of
+Kushiro, and just beyond the range of hills which stretches for
+about three miles from the entrance of the harbour in a
+northerly, and for about two miles in an easterly direction, is a
+lagoon, called by the Ainu "Harutori." This lagoon is nearly
+two miles long, and certainly not more than a quarter of a
+mile wide. It is divided from the sea by a very narrow strip
+of sand, through which the water of the lagoon finds its outlet.
+On the east side of the Harutori coal has been discovered,
+and it seems to be of fairly good quality; and three miles
+further, quite close to the sea-coast, coal was dug out some
+years ago, but the quality was so inferior that the works had
+to be abandoned.</p>
+
+<p>There is a considerable area of good land in the neighbourhood
+of Kushiro, and here again it is to be regretted that
+Japanese farmers do not emigrate to work it. Yezo has a very
+small population for its size, and I was surprised that emigration
+from the mainland was not carried out on a larger scale.
+Yezo is a rich country in many ways. Why do not all the
+troublesome students, the fiery <i>soshi</i> of Japan, abandon politics
+and futile rows and go and do men's work in that northern
+region of the empire? They would profit by it, and so would
+their country. An immense loss occurs every year simply
+because no one is there to take the profit; and it is a great
+pity, and almost a shame, to see so much waste and neglect in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_76" id="Page_76">[Pg 76]</a></span>
+a region which, after all, is not difficult of access from the main
+island of Nippon. To the mineral products of the Kushiro
+district must be added the exports of fish (salmon and
+herrings), fish manure, and seaweed, which could be greatly
+increased if more practical processes were used.</p>
+
+<p>The town of Kushiro itself is not picturesque. There are, I
+dare say, as many as five hundred houses, some built in
+Japanese, some in semi-foreign style. The streets are very
+wide, and along the main street rails have been laid to carry
+coal trucks from the Harutori mine down to the shipping
+point. Thus the town has a civilised appearance, which was
+artistically ugly enough, but refreshing to my eyes after my
+experiences along the south-west and south-east coasts. There
+are Ainu huts along the river banks, on the high lands, and on
+the strip of sand between Lake Harutori and the sea. Unfortunately,
+most of the Ainu here, being in the employ of the
+Japanese, have adopted Japanese clothes, customs, manners, and
+language. Nearly all the younger folks are half-castes. A select
+few have even gone so far as to forget their strongest national
+characteristic of dirt; and, to my great amazement, one day
+I saw an Ainu half-caste actually taking a hot bath. It may
+amuse the reader to learn of what this Japanese bathing accommodation
+generally consists. It is one of the features in
+nearly all fishing stations in Yezo, and it is worth describing.</p>
+
+<p>When the day's work is over, one or more of the iron fish-kettles
+or caldrons used for extracting the oil from herrings
+are filled with water. These caldrons rest each on a cylindrical
+base of stones and clay, thus allowing a big fire of wood
+to be lighted under them. When the water has reached a
+high temperature, the bather either provides himself with an
+old pair of straw sandals (<i>waraji</i>), and steps in, or, placing a
+small board on the water, places his foot on it, and forces it
+down to the bottom of the caldron by his own weight. He
+thus avoids scalding his feet, which otherwise he would do
+severely. I have often seen two or three men (Japanese)
+placidly sitting up to their necks in the steaming water of the
+same caldron, with a huge fire burning under it; and several
+times I have been <i>warmly</i> invited by the bathers to join them,
+which <i>very warm</i> invitation, however, I invariably <i>coolly</i> considered
+and declined with thanks.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_77" id="Page_77">[Pg 77]</a></span>
+As regards the Ainu, they are not fond of bathing or washing,
+and they share the Chinese idea that it is only dirty
+people who need continual washing. They do not regard
+themselves as dirty, and therefore dispense with such an
+"uncleanly habit."</p>
+
+<p>"You white people must be very dirty," once said an Ainu
+to me, as I was taking a plunge into a limpid river, "as you
+tell me that you bathe in the river every day."</p>
+
+<p>"And what about yourself?" I asked him.</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, Nishpa," he replied with an air of contempt, "I am
+very clean, and have never needed washing!"</p>
+
+<p>If Kushiro is not interesting to an artist, it is decidedly so
+from an archæological point of view. Numerous pits, forts, and
+camps, flint implements, and fragments of pottery, are found in
+the immediate neighbourhood of the town, both on the range of
+hills and along the west shore of Lake Harutori. The pits are
+found in such numbers as to lead one to believe that the old
+"Kossuri" of the Ainu was once the capital of a race of pit-dwellers
+previous to the conquest of the whole of Yezo by the
+hairy race. The Ainu gave these people the name of <i>Koro-pok-kuru</i>&mdash;men
+of the holes. A few words on them may not
+be out of place, though, unfortunately, little is to be learned
+from the Ainu as to who their predecessors were, and it is
+merely by a close examination of their pits, and relics found in
+different parts of Yezo and the Kuriles, that we can to a
+certain extent trace the existence of such a race of people, and
+also prove that they were in no way connected with the
+present Ainu.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 99px;">
+<img src="images/illus-077.png" width="99" height="218" alt="AINU HOOK FOR SMOKING BEAR-MEAT" />
+<span class="caption">AINU HOOK FOR SMOKING BEAR-MEAT.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_78" id="Page_78">[Pg 78]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 362px;">
+<img src="images/illus-078.jpg" width="362" height="226" alt="KORO-POK-KURU FORT" />
+<span class="caption">KORO-POK-KURU FORT.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER IX.<br />
+<span class="small">The Koro-pok-kuru, or Pit-dwellers.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>All over Yezo and the Kurile Islands remains of an extinct
+race of pit-dwellers are to be seen. It is especially near lakes
+and swamps or along the coast that rectangular, circular, and
+elliptical pits are numerous, but square pits are not so common.
+None of these pits have yet been discovered on the main island
+of Nippon, but many are still to be found as far south as
+Hakodate, in Yezo. On the east and north-east side of the
+peak, at the latter port, these pits, flint implements, and rude
+pottery, mostly in fragments, are met with in great abundance.
+The implements consist mostly of arrow-heads, stone adzes,
+<span class="figcenter" style="width: 297px;">
+<img src="images/illus-078.png" width="297" height="119" alt="FLINT ARROW-HEADS" />
+<span class="caption">FLINT ARROW-HEADS.</span></span>
+hammers, flint knives, and round pebbles, which were used as
+war ammunition. The arrow-heads vary in size, length, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_79" id="Page_79">[Pg 79]</a></span>
+breadth. The larger ones I saw measured an inch and three-quarters
+in length by an inch and five-eighths in breadth,
+while the smaller were seven-eighths of an inch by half
+an inch. They were triangular, with the angle at the
+point sometimes more, sometimes less acute, or lozenge-shaped;
+they are chipped, and not ground. Most of the
+arrow-heads and a good many of the knives were made of a
+dark reddish siliceous rock. The adzes also, of course, varied
+in size and shape, some being oblong in section, others almost
+rectangular, while others again were oval. They were ground,
+and always made so that the hand could have a good grip on
+them. The average length from the sharp edge to the other
+end would be about four inches, and the sides were rounded.
+It is apparent that most of these adzes were not originally
+fastened to a stick or club, but were held in the hand. They
+usually have a smooth surface, while the knives, as well as the
+arrow-points, exhibit marks of chipping quite plainly; their
+edges are very sharp. Hard stones are often found on which
+the people of the Stone Age used to grind their implements.
+The knives are mostly rectangular, with very sharp edges,
+sometimes on both sides. Then there are some in the shape
+of a sword-blade, rounded at the top, and with a rounded place
+at the other end, where they were held. Those with two sharp
+edges were triangular in shape, and were held by the upper
+part of the triangle, which point ends with a kind of knob.
+<span class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;">
+<img src="images/illus-079.png" width="300" height="140" alt="FLINT KNIVES" />
+<span class="caption">FLINT KNIVES.</span></span>
+It is a curious fact that bone and bamboo arrow-points&mdash;probably
+Ainu&mdash;are sometimes found in pits, and this would
+lead me to believe, either that the conquering Ainu used
+these weapons in their attacks upon the pit-dwellers, or,
+supposing for a moment that the Ainu themselves were the
+pit-dwellers in former days, that they had abandoned their<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_80" id="Page_80">[Pg 80]</a></span>
+stone implements and had adopted bone and wood, which
+they found easier to work. I am inclined to the first supposition
+as the correct one. The pits are numerous in Yezo,
+and, following the southern coast from south-west to north-east,
+we find that they increase in number towards the north.
+Though stone implements and fragments of pottery are
+numerous nearly all along the southern coast, but few pits are
+found either on Volcano Bay or on the south-west part of the
+coast as far as Erimo Cape. As we pass this cape and go
+north, on the south-east coast the pits become more numerous,
+and at Kushiro&mdash;or Kossuri, as the Ainu call it&mdash;they are found
+in great quantities. Further on are some at Akkeshi, and
+they are plentiful nearly all along that stretch of the coast as
+far as Nemuro, and on Bentenjima, the small island which
+forms one side of the harbour at that place. North-east of
+that, in the Kuriles, at Kunashiri and Etorofu, we have
+abundant evidence that a large population of these pit-dwellers
+once existed there. In Etorofu particularly the pits, besides
+being frequent, are in much better preservation than any on
+the island of Yezo.</p>
+
+<p>The pit-dwellers do not seem to have been particular as to
+the shape of their dwellings, though they evidently had a
+certain predilection for the elliptical and rectangular forms.
+The pits at Kushiro are nearly all rectangular, while those
+from Akkeshi to Nemuro are either rectangular or circular.</p>
+
+<p>The average dimensions of rectangular pits are about twelve
+feet by nine feet, but I have seen some as large as sixteen feet
+by twelve feet. The sides slope inwards, and the average
+depth is from three to six feet. Pits which are situated on
+cliffs, or at any height, are generally deeper, probably for the
+extra shelter required by those living at an altitude, compared
+with those living on the sea-level. The round pits are from
+ten to fourteen feet in diameter, and the elliptical have a
+length of about sixteen feet, and are about eight feet at the
+widest part of the ellipse. The pits which I found on the
+north-east coast of Yezo, from Shari to Cape Soya, were not so
+numerous as those on the southern coast; but some of them
+were larger in size, as probably, owing to the greater severity
+of the climate, more people lived in the same hut for the
+purpose of creating natural heat. At Tobuts, on the Saruma<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_81" id="Page_81">[Pg 81]</a></span>
+Lake, are three of elliptical shape. Near Abashiri several
+well-preserved specimens of pottery have been found, especially
+in the mud of swamps or lakes; but after leaving Lake
+Saruma, I did not see any traces of the pit-dwellers till I
+approached Soya Cape. When these pits are excavated, a
+stratum of sand is generally found, and beneath it a large
+quantity of charcoal in the centre of the pit. Under the
+charcoal the earth is burnt, showing that the hearth was in the
+centre of the dwelling, as it is now in the Ainu huts. This
+goes to prove that there was one fire, and not, as some
+travellers have endeavoured to show, five or six burning at
+the same time, round which, or, rather, between which, the
+pit-dwellers slept. I have often dug in different parts of pits,
+and have invariably come upon this burnt charcoal in or near
+the middle. I never saw any signs of more than one fire in
+the same pit. Digging in a large pit at Kushiro, I found some
+stag-horns, and numerous bits of black and red pottery. Some
+of the fragments had rough line ornamentations on them.
+There was also a large quantity of war ammunition, in the
+shape of big pebbles and round stones. Most pits contain
+heaps of rubbish and bones of animals. Sometimes there are
+heaps of oyster shells, as near the pits on Saruma Lake; and
+these shell-heaps are similar to those found on the main island
+of Nippon. In another pit on one of the forts at Kushiro
+I found what I thought was part of a human skull; but
+on a closer examination it turned out to be the skull of an
+animal&mdash;probably a fox or a stag. A bone arrow-point also
+came to light in the same pit, and several stone defensive
+weapons. It was interesting to note that this pit was built on
+the top of a small conical hill, and that the hill itself was
+surrounded by a ditch only a few feet wide, thus forming a
+kind of fort. On the side and at the bottom of the fort I saw
+numbers of stones, which had in all probability been used by
+the pit-dwellers as missiles against the attacking Ainu during
+a battle. Besides forts, the pit-dwellers had camps, generally
+situated in a commanding position above a river, a
+lake, or a harbour. Single pits also are found only under
+similar conditions.</p>
+
+<p>Near Kushiro, on the Lake Harutori, which is divided from
+the sea by a sand isthmus, are several camps and one or two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_82" id="Page_82">[Pg 82]</a></span>
+forts, the first of which overlooks the sea. Along the
+Kutcharo River are forts and camps. These camps are on the
+crowns of the hills, and each is surrounded by a small ditch.
+In the last, about three miles from the coast, were several
+square pits, larger than those on the other three forts. This
+last fort stands some distance back from the river, and is
+situated in a little plain at the summit of a detached mound,
+which has the appearance of having been artificially cut from
+the larger remaining portion of the hill itself. The shape of
+the fort is a broken cone, and the base measures about nine
+hundred feet in circumference, while the upper one is about
+three hundred. From the top, where there is only a small
+pit, the entrance of the river can easily be watched; and it
+must have been almost impregnable, as the walls of the fort, or,
+rather, the sides of the conical hill, rise nearly perpendicularly
+from the plain. A small stream runs at the foot of the fort.</p>
+
+<p>On the Lake Harutori the range of hills which stretches
+from the sea for three or four miles along its eastern shores is
+literally covered with these pits, and on the sandy isthmus
+separating the sea from the lake some very large pits can be
+observed. The fort near the sea is called <i>Shirito</i> by the
+Ainu, and that at the other end of the range goes by the
+name of <i>Moshiriya</i>. It was in the latter fort that the well-shaped
+bone arrow-point was found, as well as one or two
+stone adzes, which were so shaped as to fit the hand, and
+evidently had been used as hammers, or weapons of offence at
+close quarters. In the same fort I found two stags' horns in
+good preservation, and many bones of different animals. It
+is doubtful whether these heaps of horns and bones were
+brought into the pits for the purpose of making arrow-points
+and other weapons, or whether the stags had been used merely
+for food. The bone arrow-point found in the same pit was
+not in such a decayed condition as most of the bones I found
+there, which led me to believe that it was not made out of the
+same kind of bone, or that the bone out of which it was made
+had been cured before its conversion into an arrow-point. I
+believe that in the neighbourhood of Kusuri&mdash;or Kushiro, as it
+is now called by the Japanese&mdash;there are as many as a thousand
+or fifteen hundred pits. In Etorofu, at Bet-to-bu, on the
+north-west coast of the island, nearly as many are to be found<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_83" id="Page_83">[Pg 83]</a></span>
+along the seashore, mostly on the plain at the top of the cliffs
+overlooking the sea, while the rest are situated on the banks
+of a narrow stream and along what appears to have been a
+river course. On the same island, at Ru-pets, are several pits
+of a similar description, and a fort.</p>
+
+<p>As the pit-dwellers have disappeared from Yezo and the
+Kuriles, and only pre-historic remains and relics have been
+left behind to indicate their former existence, the questions
+naturally arise: Who were these pit-dwellers? Whence did
+they come? and whither have they gone? We can place no
+reliance on the accounts given by the Ainu or by the highly
+imaginative Japanese, who, moreover, are perfectly ignorant on
+this subject. Some Ainu say that Yezo was formerly peopled
+by a race of dwarfs, who were their enemies, and were extirpated
+by them after many sanguinary battles. The Ainu are
+very vague as to when and where these battles were fought, but
+according to their accounts these pit-dwellers, whom they call
+the <i>Koro-pok-kuru</i>&mdash;literally "men of holes"&mdash;once inhabited
+Yezo and the Kuriles. They were only three or four feet in
+height, and some semi-Ainu stories represent them as being
+only a few inches tall. This of course might be taken to mean
+that they were very small by comparison. A few Ainu, yet
+more imaginative than others, go so far as to say gravely that
+the Koro-pok-kuru were so tiny that when a shower of rain
+came they hid under burdock leaves for shelter. Others,
+however, tell us that these Koro-pok-kuru were their ancestors,
+and much more hairy than the Ainu of the present day. They
+were strong, fond of hunting, and able to cross the mountains
+with great facility and speed. According to Mr. Batchelor,
+some Ainu state that they themselves formerly lived in huts
+over pits, and that they changed their method of house-building
+on coming in contact with the Japanese; but if this
+were the case it seems unaccountable that they should distinguish
+their predecessors as pit-dwellers. Moreover, if the
+influence of the Japanese was sufficiently strong to cause them
+to make this most important change in their habitations and
+mode of living, how comes it that in other matters they have
+not adopted Japanese customs? I was unable to trace the
+slightest resemblance between Ainu huts and Japanese edifices
+of any kind, either in their general appearance or in any of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_84" id="Page_84">[Pg 84]</a></span>
+the smaller details, and I was always struck by the small
+extent to which the Ainu have adopted the customs of the
+dominant race. Indeed, the character of Ainu buildings is
+peculiar to the Ainu themselves, and, far from constructing
+their dwellings over pits, they go to the other extreme, and
+perch their storehouses on piles or posts. It is a remarkable
+coincidence that on the Lake Kutcharo, not many miles from
+Kusuri, where the Koro-pok-kuru pits are numerous, the roofs
+of the Ainu huts and storehouses are not angular, but circular,
+which gives them the appearance of half a cylinder resting on
+the ground. This struck me as being in all probability the
+shape of structures built over rectangular pits, while the
+coverings of round pits must have been shaped like half a
+sphere, similar to the snow houses of the Esquimaux, and the
+elliptical like the longer half of an egg.</p>
+
+<p>The present houses of the Kutcharo Lake Ainu, however,
+are not built on pits; and on my questioning the few inhabitants
+of the village, all were perfectly ignorant of the existence
+of the Koro-pok-kuru, and they knew nothing of their own
+ancestors, nor whether they had built structures over pits or
+not. The idea seemed to them highly ludicrous, and afforded
+them a great deal of amusement.</p>
+
+<p>On the north-east coast of Yezo, where pits are found, some
+Ainu huts have round and others angular roofs; but even in
+the latter instance, the angle of the two sides of the roof is not
+as acute as with the huts on the Saru and the Tokachi River;
+but both slant in a more gentle way, forming an obtuse angle
+of about 135°. In fact, these variations in the Ainu architecture
+have not yet been accounted for, and whether they
+copied their roofs from their foes the Koro-pok-kuru, or
+whether it is a mere chance that the roofs bear a certain
+resemblance, cannot be discovered from tradition or hearsay.
+I may mention incidentally my own theory, which may afford
+an explanation of this point. As the Saru, the Tokachi,
+and the Ishikari districts have no very severe weather in
+winter, and only a comparatively small quantity of snow falls
+during the colder months, the Ainu build huts with very
+slanting roofs, so that the snow should not remain on them
+in winter, while during the summer months the rain should
+fall off the steep incline of the roof before it could filter<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_85" id="Page_85">[Pg 85]</a></span>
+through into the hut. On the Kutcharo Lake and on the
+north-east coast, where strong winds are prevalent, the huts
+have round roofs, so as to offer the least possible resistance to
+the gales, and thus escape the danger of being blown down.</p>
+
+<p>With regard to the snow, the opposite of the Saru Ainu
+method is practised. Instead of preventing the snow from
+resting on their roofs, the Ainu of the colder regions do all they
+can to let it remain, for by thus forming an air-tight vault it
+renders the hut much warmer in winter. In other words, the
+system is the same as that adopted by the Esquimaux, with
+the exception that the latter, I believe, have no frame to their
+huts, and the vault is entirely of snow and ice; while with the
+Ainu of the north-east coast the snow vault is directly over the
+hut itself. I invariably noticed on the north-east coast, where
+the Ainu have a mixed architecture, that wherever a hut was
+built in an exposed position it had a round roof, while those
+built under the shelter of a cliff or a hill had angular ones, and
+this is what led me to the above conclusion.</p>
+
+<p>To return to the Koro-pok-kuru, they undoubtedly must
+have had semi-spherical and semi-cylindrical roofs over their
+pits, whether the vault was constructed of mud, sticks, and
+reeds, or simply of snow and ice, like the Esquimaux dwellings.
+For all that we know, the Koro-pok-kuru huts may have had
+conical roofs, like those of the present American Indians; but
+one fact is certain, that whatever shape the roof may have had,
+it was not supported by a central pole, for the hearth is invariably
+in the centre of the pit.</p>
+
+<p>The curious fact already mentioned, that in every pit we
+find a thick layer of sand, seems to prove that it was certainly
+intended to render the ground less damp; and it is my own
+impression that these pit-dwellers, having snow or ice vaults
+over their heads, resorted to that expedient to keep the floor
+of their huts dry under the continuous dripping of the vault,
+melted by the heat of the fire inside. Undoubtedly Yezo was
+a much colder country in bygone years than it is now; and
+though we cannot implicitly rely on the information given by
+the Ainu, they are all of one opinion in believing that their
+country was all ice and snow in former days, and to give a
+proof of it they say: "Why should we be as hairy as a bear if
+not to keep the cold out?"</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_86" id="Page_86">[Pg 86]</a></span>
+The Japanese know the pit-dwellers by the name of "Ko-bito,"
+or "Ko-shto," the latter word meaning "men of the
+lakes,"<a name="FNanchor_28_28" id="FNanchor_28_28"></a><a href="#Footnote_28_28" class="fnanchor">[28]</a> but they know nothing of their history.</p>
+
+<p>One fact still remains to be explained, namely, who made
+the pottery that is disinterred in almost every pit and by the
+shores of lakes. The present Ainu do not know how to make
+pottery, and they have never been known to manufacture anything
+of the kind. All Ainu implements are made of wood,
+though of course the more civilised tribes have now purchased
+iron or porcelain implements from the Japanese. The question,
+then, is, supposing that the Ainu were formerly the pit-dwellers,
+have they lost the art of making pottery, or did the
+pottery belong to a different race of people?</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-086.png" width="400" height="184" alt="KORO-POK-KURU POTTERY AND FRAGMENTS OF DESIGNS" />
+<span class="caption">KORO-POK-KURU POTTERY AND FRAGMENTS OF DESIGNS.</span></div>
+
+<p>It seemed singular to me that, conservative as the Ainu are
+of their relics, even allowing for its brittle nature, no pottery of
+the kind found in pits is ever to be seen in any Ainu hut.
+Had they made the pottery themselves, surely some specimens
+or parts of specimens would have been preserved.</p>
+
+<p>Comparing facts, we find, then, that the Koro-pok-kuru built
+their huts over pits, made pottery, and used stone and flint
+implements; while the Ainu have never been known to dwell
+in pits, have never made pottery, and have always used bone
+or bamboo implements. Moreover, Ainu traditions of internecine
+wars, vague as they are, and their designating the
+enemy by the name of Koro-pok-kuru, are further proofs that
+the Ainu themselves do not regard the pit-dwellers as their
+forefathers. As, then, the few facts collected tend to prove that<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_87" id="Page_87">[Pg 87]</a></span>
+the Ainu and the Koro-pok-kuru were two distinct races,
+it would be interesting to know who the latter really were, and
+what became of them. A learned missionary, Mr. Batchelor,
+writing on this subject, says:&mdash;"But I am of opinion that
+these pit-dwellers were closely allied to the Ainu in descent,
+and that the remains of them may now be seen in Shikotan
+and other islands of the Kurile Group. The inhabitants of
+Shikotan are much shorter in stature than the Ainu of Yezo.
+They are not so good-looking, and are said to be a very
+improvident race. The Ainu look upon the Kurile Islanders
+as the remnants of the Koro-pok-gurus; but this is a mere
+opinion, to be adopted or rejected at pleasure. That they
+are pit-dwellers <i>is quite certain</i>, for <i>they live in pits</i> at the
+present day."</p>
+
+<p>Before being so certain as to what he was stating, it would
+have been well had the writer of the above lines visited the
+island in question. He would not then have committed so
+many blunders in so few lines. The inhabitants of Shikotan
+are <i>not</i> shorter than the Ainu of Yezo, and I cannot give
+a better proof of this than by asking my readers to compare
+the measurements which I took while there with the measurements
+of the Yezo Ainu. The medium height of the
+Shikotan Ainu is between sixty-one inches and sixty-two
+and three-quarter inches; the medium height of the Yezo
+Ainu is between sixty-one inches and sixty-two and three-quarters,
+or exactly the same. The chest inflated measures
+thirty-seven and a half inches with the Shikotan Ainu, and
+thirty-seven and a half with the Yezo Ainu, while the spinal
+column is only twenty-four inches with the Shikotan Ainu,
+and about twenty-six and three-quarters with the Yezo Ainu.</p>
+
+<p>The Shikotan Ainu have the same structural peculiarity as
+the Yezo Ainu, namely, the length of their arms, which
+peculiarity, by the way, is greatly accentuated with them.
+The humerus is much longer than with the Yezo Ainu, while
+the ulna and radius are shorter; the hand is the same length.
+A Shikotan Ainu with outstretched arms is generally the
+length of one hand longer than his own height, which is more
+than is usually found with the Yezo Ainu. The medium foot
+is nine and a half inches with both Ainu. In the Ainu the
+tibia is rather flattened at its angular part, but the Shikotan<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_88" id="Page_88">[Pg 88]</a></span>
+Ainu have a nearly circular tibia. I do not know of any other
+existing race in the world in which such an extraordinary
+phenomenon occurs, and the tibia struck me also as being
+extremely long, while the femur appeared proportionately
+short. However, with the exception that the tibia is more
+circular than with the Ainu of Yezo, I could not see any
+material difference between them and the other Ainu. As we
+have already seen, each tribe in Yezo has certain characteristics
+which other tribes have not; each tribe has conformed its
+habits to the climate of the district in which it lives, as well as
+to other circumstances; and each of these tribes has adopted a
+slightly different architecture for its dwellings; but it is plain
+that all belong to the same original race. The same might be
+said of the Shikotan Ainu. At this point it is well to explain
+that the Kurile Islands not many years ago belonged to
+Russia; but they were exchanged for the southern half of
+Sakhalin, then belonging to Japan, and now form part of the
+Japanese Empire. The two larger islands&mdash;Kunashiri and
+Etorofu&mdash;are inhabited mainly by Ainu and a few Japanese,
+who migrate there from Yezo during the fishing season; while
+the Island of Shikotan is inhabited by sixty Ainu, brought
+there from the northern islands of Shirajima or Shimushir, and
+Urup, leaving thus all the islands north-east of Etorofu
+uninhabited.</p>
+
+<p>Of Kunashiri and Etorofu I shall say no more in connection
+with the pit-dwellers, but a few more words on the Shikotan
+inhabitants may prove interesting, especially as people have
+been led to believe that they are the descendants of the Koro-pok-kuru,
+and not really Ainu.</p>
+
+<p>I shall begin by saying that the Shikotan people call themselves
+Kurilsky <i>Ainu</i>, and that they speak both Ainu and
+Russian. Their features are not very massive, and their cheek
+and temple bones slightly project. They have strong mouths,
+and eyes identical in shape and colour with those of the Yezo
+Ainu. They are as hairy; they live by fishing and hunting;
+they clothe themselves in skins; and they are fond of beads
+and shining ornaments. Their huts have angular roofs, and
+are built in the same style as those of the Yezo Ainu, but on a
+smaller scale. The interiors are also alike, and equally dirty,
+if not more so. The Ainu huts at Shikotan are sixteen<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_89" id="Page_89">[Pg 89]</a></span>
+in number, and <i>not one</i> of them is built over a pit, thus showing
+that Mr. Batchelor was a little rash, when, relying on mistaken
+information, he drew a conclusion which is not in accordance
+with the facts. One thing that has misled most people as
+regards these Kurilsky Ainu is, that they were compelled to
+cut their hair and shave their beards. To the superficial
+observer this naturally gives them a different physiognomy
+from that of the Yezo Ainu, who let their hair grow long, and
+have flowing beards. Prof. Milne, who some years ago visited
+the Island of Shumshu,<a name="FNanchor_29_29" id="FNanchor_29_29"></a><a href="#Footnote_29_29" class="fnanchor">[29]</a> relates that he saw there a small group
+of Kurilsky Ainu, who, all included, numbered twenty-two.
+Their dress, although made of skins, was European in form,
+and the upper garment, shaped like a shirt, was made of bird-skins
+(puffins) with the feathers inside. The back was ornamented
+with the plumes of the yellow puffin, and the edge
+was trimmed with seal-fur. The men wore garments tied at
+the waist with a belt of sea-lion hide. Their feet and legs up
+to the knee were covered with moccasins, also made of sea-lion
+skin, and their food consisted of a few berries, the eggs
+and flesh of sea-birds, seals, and other meat. They were few
+and migratory, and carried with them all their property when
+migrating. Prof. Milne, in a paper contributed to the Asiatic
+Society of Japan, thinks that the chief point in connection with
+these people is, that they constructed houses by making
+shallow excavations in the ground, which were then roofed
+over with turf, and that these excavations had a striking
+resemblance to the pits now found further south. I believe,
+however, that Prof. Milne never saw them excavating
+these pits, and the fact that hardly two dozen people in the
+extreme north-east Kuriles having temporarily adopted shallow
+excavations which they roofed over, is barely sufficient proof
+that they were pit-dwellers, and, as will be seen later, I had
+ample evidence afterwards that they were not. It is probable
+that this wandering band, owing to the scarcity or difficulty of
+procuring timber in those regions&mdash;the smallness of their
+canoes not permitting them to transport the materials for
+above-ground structures from one island to another&mdash;it is
+probable, I say, that, having come upon pits already dug, they
+had roofed them over and lived in them, finding them suitable<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_90" id="Page_90">[Pg 90]</a></span>
+to the severe climate. When I visited Shikotan (September,
+1890), where not only these Shimushir people, but all the
+Kurilsky Ainu, numbering sixty, are now collected, and where
+they have built dwellings in their own style, the architecture
+and mode of construction were identical with those of the Yezo
+Ainu, and there were <i>no</i> pits whatever to their huts.</p>
+
+<p>Had they been pit-dwellers, why should they have so
+suddenly modified their habits as to construct huts wholly
+above-ground without any reason for so doing? Supposing
+they were actually pit-dwellers, and had lived generation
+after generation in pits, why should they abandon this chief
+structural characteristic in a place where the climate is as
+severe as in the islands they formerly inhabited? I am willing
+to admit that the Kurilsky Ainu, like all barbarians, made the
+best of what they found in their migrations from one island to
+another, and that, having found pits already dug, they had
+lived in them simply for convenience, and to protect themselves
+from the cold. The impossibility of constructing their own
+style of dwellings, which would have required too much time
+and a great amount of timber and reeds&mdash;two articles scarce in
+the north-east Kuriles&mdash;may account for their being driven to
+occupy pits already dug; but I am certainly not inclined to
+admit that therefore the few remaining Kurilsky Ainu are in
+any way connected with or related to the Koro-pok-kuru. I
+believe that I have given sufficient evidence to prove this. At
+any rate, I have given such evidence as it was in my power to
+collect, and I have based my statements on what I actually
+saw, and not on what I heard people say. As others have
+speculated on this subject, I shall now ask the forgiveness of
+the reader if I am also dragged into a little pre-historic speculation
+as to who the Koro-pok-kuru were, and whence they
+came.</p>
+
+<p>As I remarked at the beginning of this chapter, we find
+that pits are more numerous as we go in a north-east direction.
+Thus, few are found at Hakodate; and though none or few
+have been found along the south-west coast of Yezo, still, flint
+arrow-heads, pottery, and stone adzes collected here and there,
+show us that the Koro-pok-kuru had travelled along that
+coast, probably journeying in their canoes, landing to hunt, or
+to fight the Ainu.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_91" id="Page_91">[Pg 91]</a></span>
+Along the south-east coast the pits increase in number as
+we approach Kusuri, and at this place the largest number of
+pits in Hokkaido is found; then they are numerous all along
+the coast as far as Nemuro; and in the islands of Kunashiri
+and Etorofu the population must have been large, as there
+are numerous pits throughout. Pits are found in the smaller
+islands of the Kurile group, and I believe also in Kamschatka.
+From Nemuro, following the coast-line of Yezo, we find some
+along the north-east coast of Yezo, and none down the west
+coast until we reach the narrower part of the island near
+Sappro. This said, we have two points to consider:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>(1.) That the pit-dwellers moved from north-east to south-west.</p>
+
+<p>(2.) That the main bulk of the population settled in Etorofu,
+Kunashiri, and at Kushiro. Few went further south to settle.</p>
+
+<p>All evidence tends to show that they came either from
+Kamschatka, or perhaps more probably from the Aleutian
+Islands. It seems not improbable, looking at the volcanic
+formation of the Kurile group, that in bygone days Yezo was
+joined to Kamschatka, affording a land passage to the migratory
+people; but this we need not take into consideration.</p>
+
+<p>From what one can gather of this race, the habits and
+customs of the Koro-pok-kuru must have had many points in
+common with the present Esquimaux. Very likely their pits
+were roofed over with a snow vault. They evidently lived by
+fishing and hunting, like the Esquimaux, and all that we know
+identifies them more with the latter race than with the Ainu.</p>
+
+<p>I believe that the present Aleuts have a striking resemblance
+to the Esquimaux; and if this were the case, there is no reason
+why we should not suppose that they in former days inhabited
+the Kuriles, part of Kamschatka and the north-east portion of
+Yezo. It is a well-known fact that the Esquimaux formerly
+lived in corresponding latitudes on the east coast of America,
+and that they withdrew little by little to the more inhospitable
+regions of the north, and the same might have occurred here
+after the Ainu invasion of Yezo. The Koro-pok-kuru were
+apparently more civilised than their conquerors the Ainu, for
+they made pottery and worked stone; but owing to their
+retiring nature and weaker physique, and outnumbered by the
+savage hairy people, they became extinct. As to the Ainu,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_92" id="Page_92">[Pg 92]</a></span>
+they also are undoubtedly a race of the north. Their music,
+their decorations, their habits, display characteristics of
+northern origin; but the Ainu, as we have seen from their
+structures and customs, were by no means accustomed to so
+cold a climate as their predecessors the pit-dwellers. In my
+opinion they did not invade Yezo from the Kuriles, but came
+from the continent of Asia, probably across Siberia, and
+descended as far as Sakhalin Island, where many Ainu are
+still to be found. As the Koro-pok-kuru resemble the
+Esquimaux, the Ainu have a striking resemblance in many
+ways to the Northmen of Europe, and this is what makes me
+suppose that they came across the northern part of the
+continent, and not from the northern islands of the Pacific.
+They made their way south, probably crossing over the La
+Perouse Strait, and the main contingent of them came down
+the north-east coast of Yezo. I base this theory on the fact
+that the strong current which passes through the La Perouse
+Strait from west to east would have made it impossible for the
+Ainu in their light "dug-outs" to navigate against it, or straight
+across from Sakhalin to Soya Cape, and in crossing they were
+undoubtedly drifted far south-east on the north-east coast,
+probably landing near Abashiri or Shari. Another evidence
+which made me think that the Ainu came from Sakhalin is,
+that all knew of another island besides Yezo, which they
+called Krafto, by which name they designate Sakhalin. Of
+the Kuriles no one knew except those in the immediate
+neighbourhood. At one time the Ainu are said to have
+inhabited the whole of Japan as far south as Satsuma.
+Archæologists are puzzled by the discovery in the main island
+of Nippon of various kitchen-middens, which include fragments
+of pottery identical with those attributed to the Koro-pok-kuru,
+and also of shell heaps, which some consider of Ainu
+origin, others as pre-Ainu. No pits, however, have been
+found near these shell heaps, nor on any part of Nippon.
+Thus another question is raised as to who the originators of
+these shell heaps and kitchen-middens were. Is it not likely
+that, as the Ainu proceeded south, they encountered the
+Koro-pok-kuru at Nemuro and then at Kushiro, and, having
+easily defeated them, forced some of them to retreat in the
+direction of the Kuriles, while the rest went towards the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_93" id="Page_93">[Pg 93]</a></span>
+south? They probably fled along the coastline in their "dug-outs,"
+those who moved south occasionally landing to hunt
+or to attack their pursuers. Thus we can account for the
+occurrence along that coast of some of their implements, but
+of no pits, which they were not likely to dig in such circumstances.
+Having then retreated as far south as Ushongosh
+(Hakodate), and with the conquering Ainu still at their heels,
+there was nothing more natural than that they should cross
+the Tsugaru Strait,<a name="FNanchor_30_30" id="FNanchor_30_30"></a><a href="#Footnote_30_30" class="fnanchor">[30]</a> only a few miles in width, carrying with
+them their kitchen-middens and pottery.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu crossed after them, and, pushing the retreating
+Koro-pok-kuru further and further south, exterminated them,
+and became the masters of the whole of Japan, the Kuriles,
+and Sakhalin. As they were thus pursued by the Ainu, whom
+they knew as a warlike people, and stronger than themselves,
+there seems to me no cause for wonder that the Koro-pok-kuru
+did not dig any pits while on the main island of Nippon,
+first, because these pits would have been the sure means of
+bringing the Ainu on their track, to their certain annihilation;
+next, because the climate, being a great deal warmer, they had
+no need for them. On the other hand, it is more than
+probable that the retreaters carried with them their kitchen-middens
+and pottery, which constituted their treasures, and
+without which they could not have prepared their food. The
+barbarous Ainu then came in contact with the Japanese, at
+whose hands they received the same treatment as that which
+they had inflicted on the Koro-pok-kuru. Little by little the
+land so easily conquered was lost again, and the conquering
+Ainu were ere long in retreat towards the north. They were
+beaten and defeated by the more civilised Japanese, and the
+few who survived had to cross over the Tsugaru Strait back to
+Yezo. There is not a single Ainu now to be found in Nippon,
+with the exception of a child, a half-caste, whose mother was
+an Ainu, and who lives about sixty miles south of Awomori.
+The mother of this child was the last of her race who was born
+on and who inhabited the main island of Nippon.</p>
+
+<p>Ainu blood can be traced in many of the Japanese in the
+northern part of Nippon, especially between Shiranoka to Awomori,
+and also some corrupted Ainu words are still in use in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_94" id="Page_94">[Pg 94]</a></span>
+the dialect spoken in that part of Japan. Names of places,
+rivers, towns, etc., of Ainu origin, are common all over Japan.
+It was this former occupation of Japan by the Ainu that
+for some time led people to believe that the Ainu were the
+forefathers of the Japanese; and when pits were found in Yezo,
+the same hastily-judging people attributed them to the Ainu;
+and then, when mention was made of the Koro-pok-kuru and
+the Ko-shto, they affixed this name to the Kurilsky Ainu
+whom they had never seen nor studied.</p>
+
+<p>I am not prepared to say whether or not traces of these
+Koro-pok-kuru are to be found in the Aleutian Islands, as
+I have not visited them; but it would prove interesting to
+trace a connection between them and some existing race, in
+case my supposition be not correct, though I am sure that it is
+nearer the mark than any of the conjectures made by others
+with regard either to the Ainu or the Koro-pok-kuru. At any
+rate, as I do not pretend to infallibility; should my supposition
+be wrong, the facts given above will remain, and a more
+successful student and investigator will be able to work on
+them with a decided advantage over the writer, who had
+to start from the very beginning, and work on information
+which was more of an obstacle than a help.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-094.png" width="400" height="112" alt="STONE ADZES AND HAMMERS" />
+<span class="caption">STONE ADZES AND HAMMERS.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_95" id="Page_95">[Pg 95]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 358px;">
+<img src="images/illus-095.jpg" width="358" height="139" alt="AINU HUTS AND STOREHOUSES ON KUTCHARO LAKE" />
+<span class="caption">AINU HUTS AND STOREHOUSES ON KUTCHARO LAKE.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER X.<br />
+<span class="small">The Kutcharo River and Lake&mdash;A Sulphur Mine&mdash;Akkeshi and its Bay.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>The Kutcharo River is of some importance, for though not of
+great length, it is navigable by small boats for nearly twenty
+miles from its mouth.</p>
+
+<p>I left Kushiro one morning, and made my way up the river,
+not by boat but along its banks on horseback, so as to get a
+better idea of the surrounding country and its inhabitants. At
+Kushiro I left more than half my luggage, to be sent down to
+Hakodate by the first ship that happened to call, and this
+greatly changed my mode of travelling. Instead of two ponies,
+one pony would now be quite sufficient to carry my baggage
+and myself; and where ponies were not obtainable, I could
+carry all my paraphernalia on my own back with no very
+great difficulty, and in this way I should not be hindered on
+my journey.</p>
+
+<p>I daresay the baggage I was carrying now weighed about
+forty-five pounds. It mostly consisted of painting materials,
+and wooden panels, on which I usually paint my sketches when
+travelling.</p>
+
+<p>As to clothes and boots, I was beginning to be rather "hard
+up." No weaver's work, no tailor's garments, nor tanner's
+hides, can stand the wear and tear of such rough travelling as
+I had had, and the old saying, that a "light heart and a thin
+pair of breeches carry you a long way," is most decidedly not
+to be applied to anyone journeying to and fro on a pack-saddle<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_96" id="Page_96">[Pg 96]</a></span>
+in Yezo. My coat and trousers were showing signs of rapid
+decay, and I thought with vain desire of needle and thread,
+buttons and hooks. My boots were falling to pieces owing to
+their continual immersion in salt water. The impossibility of
+cleaning or greasing them added to the original damage; and,
+worse luck of all, they could not be replaced. Altogether,
+what with frayed garments, leaky boots, a battered hat, and a
+general out-at-elbows air, I was scarcely presentable in any
+society a grade above that of the hairy Ainu.</p>
+
+<p>A road has been cut between Kushiro and Shibetcha, a
+distance of thirty miles; but though quite new, it is already out
+of repair, and it will not be long before it is washed away
+entirely. The Japanese Government does its best to open
+roads near the largest settlements, but Japanese officials do
+not seem to understand that after a road has been made it has
+to be kept in repair.</p>
+
+<p>The country all along is good, and the soil seems rich and
+fertile. Nearly half-way up, on the east side of the Kutcharo
+River, are three lakes,&mdash;the Takkobe, the Tori Lake, and the
+Shirin. The Tori is the largest. Its length is five miles, its
+width about one mile. On the southern shore of this lake is a
+picturesque Ainu village, with its old tumble-down huts, and
+close to it is a group of Japanese houses. The contrast
+between the dirty and neglected old hovels of the Ainu and
+the clean, spruce, and somewhat finikin houses of the Japanese
+is very striking. In this difference we read an epitome of the
+way in which civilisation has travelled from primitive barbarism.
+The road runs through dense forests; but in several places,
+especially on its highest level, we come to lovely views of
+mountain scenery, towering over the shimmering water of the
+underlying lakes.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening I reached Shibetcha, a nice little place, constructed
+on each side of a large road which rises considerably
+as it goes through the village. The village lies in a small
+valley surrounded by moderately high mountains, and is on the
+western side of the Kutcharo River, which intersects the valley.
+A wooden bridge and a three-storied Japanese tea-house are
+the two main structures in the place. There are sixty-eight
+houses in the village, and nearly half of them are houses of
+ill-fame, the three-storied tea-house being the principal.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_97" id="Page_97">[Pg 97]</a></span>
+At a distance of twenty-five miles from here is a sulphur
+mine, and the miners, after having amassed sufficient money,
+come and squander it at Shibetcha, thus supporting this nook
+of demoralization in the wilderness of these mountains. As
+the river becomes very shallow, the mineral from the sulphur
+mine of Yuzan was carried until quite recently on pack-saddles
+as far as here, whence it was brought down by boat to
+Kushiro for shipment; but a small railway, on which only a
+"truck train" is now running once a day from the mine to
+Shibetcha, has greatly simplified matters, and increased the
+export returns of the mine.</p>
+
+<p>By the kind permission of the Mitsui Company I was
+allowed to travel on one of the trucks (no passenger carriages
+being provided), and the two and a half hours' journey was
+thus accomplished much more comfortably than if I had
+ridden the twenty-five miles on my pack-saddle. The railway
+took me to the foot of Mount Yuzan, and that same afternoon
+I made the ascent of the mountain. The most valuable
+sulphur deposits in Japan are found on this mountain, the
+quantity of the mineral being practically unlimited. The
+ascent was hard work, but it was interesting to see the
+<i>fumaroles</i>, whence the sulphur is extracted, and whence a
+dense smoke shoots out with great force. The whole
+mountain is covered with thick layers of sulphur of very
+good quality, and when more practical processes are employed
+for the extraction and carriage of the mineral there is no doubt
+that the sulphur trade will assume a very prominent place in
+the exports of Yezo. Dozens of men are employed now to
+carry the sulphur from the mountain to the railway, but there
+is work enough for hundreds and hundreds more. All the
+sulphur is at present carried on small wheelbarrows, which
+each man slings on to his shoulders when empty and he is
+going up the mountain. When the sulphur is reached the
+workman sits down, pulls out his pipe, which he fills from the
+folds of his tobacco-pouch, has a quiet smoke and a good rest,
+then he slowly fills his wheelbarrow with the primrose-yellow
+blocks, and comfortably wheels it down hill to the station, a
+considerable distance. Such a primitive fashion of carriage
+involves great loss of time, and a simple mechanical contrivance,
+by which a large quantity of mineral could be brought<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_98" id="Page_98">[Pg 98]</a></span>
+down at one time, would save an enormous amount of labour,
+and therefore expense. A cable railway would answer the
+purpose to perfection, and the cost of running the steam
+motor would be insignificant, owing to the amount of wood
+and coal found within easy reach. I passed through a large
+gorge in the mountain, and finally reached the summit of
+Yuzan. Walking on sulphur beds is like walking on ice, and
+many a time in the climb I landed on my knees. Near the
+summit is a huge pinnacle of volcanic rock, standing up perpendicularly,
+and of impossible access. From the foot of this
+pinnacle a lovely view of the Kutcharo Lake is obtained, and
+it has as a background chain after chain of thickly-wooded
+mountains, beyond which are visible Oakan and Moyokan,
+two volcanic peaks, respectively four thousand and three
+thousand four hundred feet above the level of the sea. On
+Moyokan are some hot springs and accumulations of sulphur.
+Both these peaks can be seen from the coast on a clear day.
+A small lake lies between Moyokan and Oakan, which takes
+its name from the latter mountain, and finds an outlet in the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_99" id="Page_99">[Pg 99]</a></span>
+Oakan River. The Oakan joins the Kutcharo River not far
+from the sea.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 359px;">
+<img src="images/illus-098.jpg" width="359" height="272" alt="" />
+<span class="caption">KUTCHARO LAKE FROM MOUNT YUZAN.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>The descent was easier than the ascent, and I put up at
+a small tea-house, the only one in the place. The landlord
+promised to get me a good pony early the next morning, but,
+like a true Japanese, he did not keep his promise. He called
+me at 5 <span class="smcap">a.m.</span>, saying that the pony would be ready in a few
+minutes, and at 9 <span class="smcap">a.m.</span> the quadruped had not put in an
+appearance; and after numberless excuses, compliments, bows,
+and lies, the landlord acknowledged that no ponies were to be
+had. I gave my luggage to a railway <i>employé</i>, who undertook
+to bring it back to Shibetcha, and I started on foot for Lake
+Kutcharo. From Yuzan a track across the mountains goes
+due north to Abashiri, on the north-east coast. I went in a
+south-westerly direction, and as on the previous day from the
+summit of Yuzan I had noted the position of Lake Kutcharo,
+I had no difficulty in finding my way there; in fact, I came
+upon a small Ainu track leading to it. A delightful walk of
+ten miles in the forest took me to the Ainu village of
+Kutcharo, on the borders of the lake of the same name. The
+village is a miserable one; it differs from all other Ainu
+villages in its huts, which have semicircular roofs instead of
+angular ones, as is the case with the Ainu of Volcano Bay and
+of the Saru and Tokachi Rivers. I entered some of the huts,
+and in a few minutes I was surrounded by the small population&mdash;I
+daresay about twenty souls, all included&mdash;whom I
+led out into the open air to see what they were like. They
+appeared to me smaller than other Ainu, and their bones were
+less massive; they were not so hairy, and more inclined to
+baldness. Their garments were wretched, and resembled
+those worn by the Tokachi Ainu; namely, a few rags held
+together one could scarcely say how. Women were tattooed
+on their lips and arms, but less extensively than are those of
+other tribes, and the tattooing was not so accurately done.</p>
+
+<p>Other Ainu whom I met in the forest in the neighbourhood
+of this village bore the same characteristics, and everyone
+seemed to be curiously melancholy and depressed. An Ainu
+existence is certainly not one's ideal of comfort and hilarity,
+but their gloom and melancholy seem to me to be purely
+racial and congenital.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_100" id="Page_100">[Pg 100]</a></span>
+The Lake Kutcharo is very large&mdash;too large to be seen to
+advantage from its borders, as one can see only parts, and not
+the whole of it at once. It has a pretty island in the centre,
+and on the west side is a peninsula projecting almost as far as
+the island. On this peninsula a small active geyser is found,
+which rises to a height of about twelve feet, and acts spasmodically.
+The high mountains which surround the lake would
+make the latter a pleasant summer resort were the place
+within the circle of civilisation. The scenery is very similar to
+that of Norway or the Scotch lakes. The Kutcharo River, as
+can be seen on the map, is an outlet of the Lake Kutcharo,
+into which the waters of the latter discharge themselves a few
+hundred yards west of the Ainu village.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 239px;">
+<img src="images/illus-100.jpg" width="239" height="343" alt="" />
+<span class="caption">SULPHUR MINE.</span>
+</div>
+
+<p>An Ainu pointed out to me the track leading to Tetcha, or
+Tetchkanga, and I directed my steps in that direction, the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_101" id="Page_101">[Pg 101]</a></span>
+Ainu having informed me that it was very far, and that
+I could only reach it at night. I crossed the stream in a
+"dug-out," and found the track on the other side. I walked
+fast, for the most part through a thickly-wooded country, and
+at about sunset I reached Tetcha. The distance from Kutcharo,
+I should think, is about ten or twelve miles. Tetcha is
+an Ainu village, near which a few Japanese houses have been
+built. The Kutcharo River intersects it, and the sulphur
+train from Yuzan stops here to take water on its way to
+Shibetcha. The train had gone through some hours previously,
+and I was left the alternative of walking on to
+Shibetcha, twenty miles further, or of sleeping at Tetcha. I
+had walked twenty or twenty-two miles already that day, and
+I felt in very good form. I knew that it would be full moon
+that night; and walking through a forest by moonlight has
+always had a great charm for me. Watching the shadows,
+with their thousand different fantastic forms, running in and
+out through the trees and playing round them, has the same
+weird fascination for me as one of Tieck's tales, or the
+suggestive music of an æolian harp. Some of the Ainu and a
+Jap entreated me not to attempt to cross the forest at night,
+for wolves and bears were numerous, they said, and in all
+probability I should be attacked by them. This last announcement,
+which I was destined to hear every day in Yezo, and
+which, of course, I did not believe, decided me to go, and I
+started.</p>
+
+<p>"But," cried after me the astonished Japanese, "<i>anata micci
+wakarimasen</i>!"&mdash;"You do not know the way!"</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Kamaimasen, Sayonara!</i>"&mdash;"It little matters; good-bye!"
+was my reply; and I left him standing there perplexed, looking
+after me as if I had been a phenomenon.</p>
+
+<p>The Japanese in Yezo and the Ainu never on any account
+travel far at night; and as for going through a forest alone,
+unprotected, and without knowing the way, they evidently
+regarded it as something more reprehensible than folly. Two
+days previously, when in the train, I had noticed that the railway
+described a curve several miles long, and I knew then
+that by cutting across I could considerably shorten my way.
+When I entered the forest, the sun with its last rays was
+casting warm tints on the tops of the pine-trees. Everything<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_102" id="Page_102">[Pg 102]</a></span>
+was still, and only now and then some huge owl, awakened by
+the noise of my steps from its day's long sleep, would fly
+away, starting off on its night's peregrinations and depredations.
+I walked mile after mile, and finally struck the
+rails again. On a white post I saw a cipher in Chinese
+characters, which brought me back to the reality that I was
+still seventeen miles away from Shibetcha. I followed the line
+of rail as closely as I could, and late at night I reached
+Shibetcha. I roused the people at the <i>Marui yadoya</i>, and,
+having eaten some salmon and water soup, I retired to my
+<i>foutangs</i>, between which, it is useless to say, I slept well. I
+had walked forty-two odd miles that day, and it had been a
+pleasant change from the continuous riding on pack-saddles.</p>
+
+<p>The next day I rode down to the coast to the bay of
+Akkeshi, about forty-two miles east of Kushiro. The road
+is very good all the way, and has on each side woods of oak
+and pine trees. The traffic on it is at present very small, and
+the only living creatures I saw during the twenty-eight or thirty
+miles were a beautiful long-tailed red fox and a number of
+Japanese convicts led by a policeman. These were dressed in
+red trousers and a short red coat made of coarse material.
+They were walking in a row, and they were chained two by
+two, and, moreover, a long rope joined the chain of each couple
+to that of the next, so that all couples were tied together.
+The end of this rope was held by the policeman. Some of
+them wore large hats entirely covering their face; others wore
+no hat at all, and had their head shaved in a peculiar manner.
+They were mostly bare-footed, but a few wore straw sandals.
+The Government wisely makes use of these convicts in opening
+roads and other public works, and after their term of punishment
+is expired, these men almost invariably become fishermen.
+A great part of the Japanese population of Yezo is
+composed of exiles and ex-convicts; in other words, Yezo is
+nothing more or less to Japan than what Australia was to
+England some years ago.</p>
+
+<p>Nearing the coast I passed the "Tonden" of Hondemura, a
+colonial militia farming settlement. A long line of new houses,
+all exactly alike in shape and size, and built at intervals,
+stretches on each side of the wide road. Each of these houses
+is inhabited by a man who has served his time as a soldier,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_103" id="Page_103">[Pg 103]</a></span>
+and who has now his family about him, and does work as a
+farmer in this settlement assigned to him. These "Tondens"
+were established by the Government, and I believe that the
+farmer-soldiers give fairly good results in the zeal and industry
+with which they cultivate the land, and the honesty and
+morality of their lives. I saw most of them occupied in
+stubbing up the scrub, and tearing or cutting down the trees,
+burning the more worthless parts; but it will be some years
+yet before they have cleared an area of cultivable land sufficiently
+large for profit, as the country is very thickly wooded
+in that neighbourhood.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after I had passed the settlement, going down a steep
+hill I came upon a small and dirty semi-Ainu village, and ultimately
+reached the seashore.</p>
+
+<p>The distance from Shibetcha is thirty miles, and the riding
+was beginning to be unpleasant, owing to the gathering darkness,
+which made my pony shy at everything it passed. At
+the mouth of the Pehambe Ushi River I had great difficulty in
+getting my pony on the ferry-boat, which was to take me
+across the mouth of the lagoon to Akkeshi. Several drunken
+fishermen came on board, and were disagreeably noisy. One
+of these fellows had a pony, which he tied to mine when on
+board. The ferry was to take us across the entrance of the
+Akkeshi lagoon, and it was more than a quarter of an hour
+before we reached the opposite shore. When we were still
+nearly twenty feet from <i>terra firma</i>, my pony, frightened at
+the cries of the drunken crowd, jumped overboard, carrying
+with him his companion steed. The sudden shock and lurch
+of the boat knocked down everybody on board, and nearly
+capsized us. As it was we shipped a lot of water. The ponies
+found the water deeper than they expected, and they had to
+swim for it. Having landed before he came ashore, I recaptured
+mine, gave him a sound thrashing, and rode on to
+Akkeshi, a few hundred yards from the landing-place. Akkeshi
+lies at the north-east side of the large bay which goes by
+the same name, and which, by the way, is probably one of the
+best anchorages on the south coast of Yezo. The mouth
+of the bay is to the southward; it extends seven miles in a
+northerly direction, and is about six miles wide in its widest
+part. The bay is prolonged further inland by a large lagoon,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_104" id="Page_104">[Pg 104]</a></span>
+called Se-Cherippe, which contains many shoals and low
+islands, near which are beds of oysters of enormous size, the
+shells of some measuring as much as eighteen inches in length.
+The Koro-pok-kuru, by whom this district was formerly thickly
+populated, seem to have relished this diet, as we find thick
+beds of discarded shells on the top of some of the lower hills,
+and in many places, especially in the vicinity of pits. These
+shell heaps are similar to those found on the main island
+of Nippon, and attributed to the Ainu. (<i>See</i> <a href="#Page_78">Chapter IX.</a>)</p>
+
+<p>The country round the bay and the lagoon forms a high
+land or plateau between two hundred and three hundred feet
+above the level of the sea, and the higher ground is thickly
+wooded, thus supplying Akkeshi with abundance of timber,
+mostly of evergreen trees, as Todo and Yezo-matzu, two
+spruces common in other parts of Yezo as well. With its good
+harbour, its large export of oysters, salmon, herrings, fish-manure,
+and seaweed, besides its seal-fishery and the quantity
+of good timber easily cut and transported down the lagoon
+and across the bay for shipment, it is not surprising that
+Akkeshi has become, after Hakodate, the most important
+centre on the southern coast. It is nearly half as large again
+as Kushiro, and has as many as nine hundred Japanese houses,
+besides sixty or seventy Ainu huts.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu were formerly extremely numerous in this
+district; but few of them are left now, and those few are
+indeed poor specimens of their race. They have nearly all
+become bald, and they seem to suffer very severely from
+rheumatism. Thick fogs are very prevalent along the coast,
+and it is but seldom that one can obtain a view of the whole
+bay. These fogs naturally render navigation unsafe, and are
+one of the great drawbacks to the prosperity of the place.
+However, our good Londoners could tell us that greater evils
+than fogs can exist. I have no doubt that at some future
+date we shall hear of Akkeshi as being the most important
+port in Yezo, when a railway to join it to Shibetcha shall have
+been constructed. The sulphur of Mount Yuzan will probably
+then be taken direct to this place instead of Kushiro, owing to
+the safety of its harbour, an advantage which Kushiro does
+not possess. The Akkeshi Bay is also interesting from a
+picturesque point of view, when fogs give one a chance of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_105" id="Page_105">[Pg 105]</a></span>
+seeing the surrounding scenery. Some fine headlands are
+found near the town of Akkeshi, and also on each side of the
+opening of the bay into the ocean. On the eastern side, the
+two islands of Daikuku and Kodaikuku, joined to the mainland
+by the low reef, slightly under water-level, which goes round
+the bay, are of some importance for an artist. This is
+especially true of the larger island of Daikuku, which rises at a
+considerable height above the sea, forming majestic cliffs,
+beautiful in shape and colour, on which myriads of seagulls,
+albatrosses, and penguins have chosen their abode, finding in
+these almost untrodden and picturesque cliffs a safe place in
+which to lay their eggs and rear their young. Here they live
+undisturbed, save for the dashing waves of the ocean, which
+make the earth tremble and the rock crumble to pieces, but
+only meet with a blithesome welcome from the screaming,
+light-hearted, fat, and lazy-winged inhabitants, to whom those
+waves bring good stores of daily food.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 239px;">
+<img src="images/illus-105.jpg" width="239" height="284" alt="AKKESHI IN A FOG" />
+<span class="caption">AKKESHI IN A FOG.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_106" id="Page_106">[Pg 106]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 235px;">
+<img src="images/illus-106.jpg" width="235" height="314" alt="AINU MAN AND WOMAN ON HORSEBACK" />
+<span class="caption">AINU MAN AND WOMAN ON HORSEBACK.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XI.<br />
+<span class="small">From Akkeshi to Nemuro&mdash;A Horse Station&mdash;Nemuro and its People.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>The road in the proximity of Akkeshi was extremely muddy
+and slippery, owing to the continuous fogs and rain. A north
+wind was blowing hard the day I left for Kiritap, and it drove
+the mist and drizzly rain right through one's skin into one's
+bones. The fogs, which are prevalent all along the coast,
+seem to excel between Akkeshi and Kiritap; so much so that
+the Japanese in the neighbourhood make them answerable for
+their baldness, and the local Ainu say they are so scantily
+hirsute because of the everlasting dampness in which they live.
+They clinch their argument by reminding you that when their
+forefathers came to this part of the coast they were as hairy
+as the bear, so what can have caused their own comparative
+smoothness but these everlasting fogs? I believe that to a
+great extent they are right, for when, after a day's wet ride, I<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_107" id="Page_107">[Pg 107]</a></span>
+have sat near a fire even for some hours, I have felt as if my
+skin were soaking with wet&mdash;as if I had been too long in a
+bath&mdash;and neither rubbing with cotton towels nor the warmth
+of the fire seemed thoroughly to dry it; and perhaps such an
+extraordinary dampness, constantly saturating the pores of
+the skin, may have an injurious effect upon the hair, and cause
+it to decay and fall off. It was in a thick fog like this that
+I had to find my way to Riruran, the next horse station, about
+eight miles further east. The road soon became a mere track,
+running through an undulating country, chiefly pasture land.
+As luck would have it, I had hired a pony which belonged to
+the Riruran station, and the beast was as anxious to get there
+as I was. He knew the way and I did not, so I let him guide
+me. Now and then, when the wind blew with increased
+strength, the fog lifted for a few minutes, and disclosed some
+pretty bits of landscape. The country all around was grassy,
+with the familiar densely-wooded hills in the background. It
+somewhat resembled the slopes and high lands of Cornwall,
+without, however, the herds of sheep and cattle, which in our
+country are connected with green fields; without the trim
+fences and stiles, the ploughed fields and meadows, the trim
+hedges and park-like trees, the bye-lanes and well-kept roads.</p>
+
+<p>Hill after hill was ascended and descended, the sturdy little
+pony going well towards his former home; but as yet I had
+come on no signs of any living creature. No labourers are
+here to work and plough the dark rich soil. Potato fields;
+cottages with their plots of vegetable grounds; cows and sheep
+scattered over the green pastures&mdash;all signs of vigorous and
+successful husbandry&mdash;are things that an intending traveller
+to Yezo will miss. Everywhere are solitude and monotony.
+Still, even solitude and monotony are not always to be
+abhorred, and if they have their drawbacks they also have
+their advantages. You can go undisturbed for mile after
+mile; you can think; you can dream; you can sing; you can
+keep to the track or go across country; you can go fast or
+slow, and there is no one to object, to obstruct, or to comment.
+You breathe air that no one has breathed before, and you
+quench your thirst in a limpid stream unpolluted by sewage,
+chemical refuse, or poisonous dye-stuffs. You lead a simple
+life, and, what is more, an independent life. Many a time,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_108" id="Page_108">[Pg 108]</a></span>
+when I woke up to the real state of my new condition, I
+could not help laughing at our civilised conceptions of what
+constitutes a free man in a free country, viz. that he can have
+a voice in choosing which of two men shall be sent as a
+member to Parliament.</p>
+
+<p>Absorbed, now in my own thoughts on many subjects, and
+now in gazing at the monotonous scenes, which, as if reflected
+from a magic-lantern, suddenly appeared and as suddenly
+faded away, I had not seen how far my pony had hurried on,
+when, rapidly descending a steep hill, I discerned through the
+grey fog a solitary shed in the small valley below. The
+neighing of my steed, responded to by the neighing of his
+compatriots in the valley, told me that I had reached the
+horse station of Riruran, and a few minutes later my baggage
+and pack-saddle were removed from my steaming quadruped,
+and a fresh animal was burdened with my possessions. These
+horse stations generally consist of one shed, in which the
+owner and his family live; near it is a rough enclosure formed
+of branches and trunks of trees laid down horizontally, and
+strengthened at intervals by poles stuck in the ground. The
+ponies are kept in this enclosure during the day, but are let
+loose at sunset, when they go for their food wherever they can
+get it&mdash;generally on the near hills. Early in the morning one
+or two Ainu employed in the stations start off to recapture
+the ponies, and after a struggle bring back the herd to the
+paddock. My readers, who may not be well acquainted with
+the habits of semi-wild horses, will wonder that the ponies,
+once free in an unenclosed country, do not bolt away altogether
+inland, thus making it impossible to recapture them;
+and, moreover, these readers will think what a difficult task it
+must be for the Ainu horsemen to recover all the ponies, each
+one of which, they probably imagine, has bolted in an independent
+and different direction. This is not the case. When
+a herd of ponies is let loose they invariably all go together in
+one direction, generally following those of the older animals
+which have bells hanging to their necks. When they come to a
+proper feeding-ground they all graze within a few yards of one
+another; and the chances are that the herd will not go a step
+further than is necessary, as they are terribly afraid of bears,
+their most dreaded enemy, by which they well know the more<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_109" id="Page_109">[Pg 109]</a></span>
+distant hills are infested. When their hunger is satisfied they
+shoulder up together and form a circle, in the centre of which
+the young colts are placed, these being thus well protected
+from bears, who would find a sturdy resistance in the hind
+hoofs of the outstanding guard should they come to close
+quarters. The Ainu are good trackers, and have little difficulty
+in finding in which direction the herd has moved. When this
+preliminary is ascertained, the horseman, mounted on a swift
+pony, which he has taken good care to keep behind, starts
+from the station about an hour before sunrise, so as to allow
+himself ample time to reach the herd before the sun is up.
+He finds the ponies in this circular position of defence. With
+a long stick he breaks their ranks, and by shouting, and
+wildly galloping to and fro, drives them on in front till the
+station and the pen are reached. When they have all entered
+the latter, a heavy wooden bar is rested on two biforked poles,
+one on each side of the entrance, thus barring their way out;
+and there they are kept all day, waiting for such native
+travellers or traders as may require their services along the
+coast.</p>
+
+<p>Most of the stations are owned by Japanese and by Ainu
+half-castes. Some have large numbers of ponies; some only
+a few, according to the wants of the neighbourhood.</p>
+
+<p>The average market value of a beast is between five and
+ten <i>yen</i>, or about fifteen to thirty shillings in English currency.</p>
+
+<p>At stations where the ponies are but little worked, good
+animals can sometimes be obtained for a small sum of money;
+but at stations near large settlements&mdash;where trade with other
+villages is carried on entirely by pack-ponies&mdash;they are mostly
+sorry beasts, with their backs one mass of sores, produced by
+the friction of the rough pack-saddles. Moreover, the cruel
+habit of letting colts follow mares for long distances&mdash;sometimes
+forty or fifty miles&mdash;is as painful a sight to witness as it
+is injurious to the breed. The Yezo ponies are characterised
+by their long hair and mane. They are short, sturdy, punchy
+brutes, not more than ten or twelve hands high, with a rather
+large and massive head, and thick, crooked legs. They are by
+no means fine-looking animals, nor are they well groomed&mdash;in
+fact, they are not groomed at all&mdash;but they serve capitally for
+the rough tracks and precipitous wastes of Hokkaido. They<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_110" id="Page_110">[Pg 110]</a></span>
+have none of the good qualities we require in our horses, but
+they possess others which fit them for the country they are in.
+Their enormous power of endurance, and the wonderful way
+in which they can go over the steepest tracks&mdash;almost unclimbable
+on foot; their sure step when going along precipices; and
+the marvellous manner in which they pick their way over
+rocky coasts, which the waves would seem to make impassable,
+and where none of our good horses could go without breaking
+their legs, are all endowments which I feel bound to quote in
+honour of the Yezo ponies. They are not shod, and they can
+hardly be called trained. Indeed, if a traveller be a good
+rider, it is advisable to obtain a perfectly unbroken animal,
+as from my own personal experience I can say that, though
+the riding was a little more exciting, I could invariably make
+better time with a totally unbroken beast, than with one of
+the worn-out, sore-backed "quiet ponies," which needed any
+amount of thrashing to make him go.</p>
+
+<p>A curious method is adopted for directing the animal. It is
+as simple as it is ingenious. The necessary "bit" by which
+we control our horses is dispensed with, and it is replaced by
+two wooden wands about twelve inches long and two inches
+wide, tied together at one end, allowing a distance of three
+inches between them. In the middle of these wands a rope is
+passed which goes over the pony's head behind its ears; while
+the wands themselves, thus supported by it, rest one on each
+side of the pony's nose. Another rope, five or six feet in
+<span class="figleft" style="width: 300px;">
+<img src="images/illus-110.png" width="300" height="183" alt="" title="AINU BITS" />
+<span class="caption">AINU BITS.</span></span>
+length, and acting as a rein, is fastened
+at the lower end of one of
+the wands, and passes through a
+hole in the other, thus allowing
+this simple contrivance, based on
+the lever principle, to be worked
+exactly in the same
+way as a nut-cracker,
+the pony's nose
+being the nut. The
+disadvantage of the
+system is, that
+having only one rein, this has to be passed over the pony's
+head each time one wishes to turn to the right or to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_111" id="Page_111">[Pg 111]</a></span>
+left, as by pulling the rope hard, and thus squeezing the
+animal's nose, its head is turned in the direction in which it is
+pulled, and it is soon taught that this is the way it must go.
+Furthermore, should the pony bolt, it can be stopped by
+pulling its head close to its haunches, thereby making it
+impossible to continue its race. In the latter case it often
+happens, especially with an untrained pony, that it will spin
+round, trying to stretch its twisted neck by pushing its head
+away from the side of its body, and the result is generally a
+bad fall of horse and rider.</p>
+
+<p>Another thing of which one ought to be careful is to keep
+one's legs out of the reach of the brute's teeth; for it is
+not infrequent that instead of the man punishing the animal,
+the animal revenges itself on the man; and the incautious
+traveller realises Sydney Smith's position, and finds that to a
+Yezo pony, as well as to an English cart-horse, "all flesh is
+grass."</p>
+
+<p>From Riruran, for about fifteen miles, the way is merely
+a mountain track; and I dare say that in fine weather the
+scenery along it is picturesque. Unfortunately, when I went
+through, the fog had become more and more intense, and I
+saw very little of the landscape. At places the track led down
+to the sea, and then mounted up again over cliffs and high
+lands. As the mist, which came in gusts and waves, deepened
+or lightened in intensity, the rugged precipitous rocks, formed
+mostly of conglomerate, sandstone, and breccia, took all sorts
+of fantastic forms. Along the coast were many Ainu huts
+inhabited by half-castes and by Japanese. The Ainu were
+once very numerous in this district, but few of them are to be
+found now. The few remaining ones have yielded to the more
+civilised Japanese, and have become their servants. They are
+used as menials in most of the fishing stations, always acting
+under the directions of Japanese masters. Very frequently they
+are employed as tenders of horses, and in some places as
+guides for traders and travellers from one station to another.</p>
+
+<p>Not far from Riruran the mouths of two lagoons have to be
+crossed, the larger of which is called Saruffo-Ko, or "Lake in
+a grassy plain." Cranes, swans, and ducks are numerous in
+these lagoons.</p>
+
+<p>The track continues mostly over cliffs and mountains till<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_112" id="Page_112">[Pg 112]</a></span>
+Birvase, a small village of seaweed gatherers, is reached, and
+the next two and a half miles are along a sandy beach as far
+as Hammanaka. A short bridge joins this place to the island
+of Kiritap, which is separated from the mainland by a channel
+only a few feet wide. Towards the evening the fog lifted, and
+I caught a glimpse of the village.</p>
+
+<p>The ponies of the Kiritap village had just been let loose,
+and were running over the small wooden bridge with great
+clamour. The houses, which number about a hundred and
+twenty, are all poor and dirty. There is a main street, and
+most of the houses are on each side of it. The people are
+fishermen, seaweed gatherers, and small traders; for Hammanaka
+Bay, being a good anchorage for junks and small craft
+under the lee of Kiritap Island, is a place of some importance
+for its export trade of seaweeds, fish-oil, and herring guano;
+these products being sent down to Hakodate.</p>
+
+<p>If a few Ainu have adopted the Japanese language, clothes,
+and customs, there are also many Japanese who have taken
+up the Ainu language and ways. I noticed this more particularly
+in this district, where the Ainu have almost entirely disappeared.
+The older Japanese and many of the younger folks
+have Ainu features; and not only have they adopted a great
+number of Ainu words, but when talking Japanese they speak
+it with the peculiar intonation and accent pertaining to the
+Ainu. This is not surprising, nor yet peculiar to the Japanese
+or the Chinese; for we find that almost all English residents
+in Chinese ports adopt many of the words of our pig-tailed
+brothers, and have thus formed a kind of local English, besides
+the "pidgeon-English"&mdash;a corruption of "business English"&mdash;which
+almost constitutes a language of its own.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu, like the Scotch or the French, give a rolling
+sound to the "r." Thus, for instance, if I had written the
+word "Riruran" as it is pronounced I should have spelt it
+"Rrirrurran." Then the Ainu almost sing their words&mdash;the
+women in a falsetto voice, ending in a singularly mournful
+kind of cadenza. On his return from a journey, a hunt, or a
+fishing expedition, the Ainu squats down cross-legged in his
+hut, and, after the conventional introductory ceremony of
+rubbing the palms of his hands together and then repeatedly
+stroking his hair and beard, proceeds to relate the adventures<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_113" id="Page_113">[Pg 113]</a></span>
+that have befallen him during his absence. This he does by
+singing out his story in a sort of monotone, or sometimes
+chanting it. When conversing with Japanese the Ainu have
+slightly modified this habit, which gave rise to much mirth to
+the light-hearted sons of the Mikado's empire. However,
+like all people who are ready to laugh at everything novel, the
+local Japanese have now themselves fallen into that same
+manner of speaking, which, after all, has its charms, as it
+is rather sentimental in spirit, and so far pleasant to the
+ear. What is more, they have also acquired the slow ways
+of the Ainu.</p>
+
+<p>All along the beach between Hammanaka and Hattaushi,
+a distance of nearly twenty miles, there are fishermen's and
+seaweed gatherers' huts; but none of them is inhabited by
+Ainu. Men, women, and children are all occupied in the
+seaweed gathering industry; and it is when the sea is stormy
+that the largest quantity of kelp is collected. The numerous
+reefs and rocks all along the shore-line afford suitable ground
+and bottom for its growth and production; and during a
+stormy sea quantities of kelp float on the breaking waves, to
+be finally thrown on shore. The industrious gatherers seldom
+wait for this "jetsam," as the long weeds, after they are
+washed off the rock, and before they are finally swept on shore,
+are apt to be damaged by the waves, and are therefore of less
+value for the export market than when long and fresh;
+wherefore, each gatherer provides himself with a long pole or
+hook, and from morning till night these half-naked "toilers of
+the sea" can be seen running to and fro in and out of the
+waves dragging bunches of long ribbon-like seaweeds, which
+are then carefully disentangled, stretched on the sands to dry,
+and, after several days of exposure, are packed for the market.</p>
+
+<p>Some huge cliffs towering over the sandy beach make the
+track interesting; and here and there, scattered in the
+Hammanaka Bay, are some oyster-banks before reaching the
+single shed of Hattaushi. The following twelve miles were
+on an extremely bad track, partly over steep hills and partly
+on tiresome soft sand. Then I arrived at Otchishi&mdash;without
+exception the loveliest little spot in Yezo. It lies in the centre
+of a small bay, on the two sides of which are magnificent
+headlands with precipitous cliffs and rocks of volcanic formation.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_114" id="Page_114">[Pg 114]</a></span>
+On a pretty bit of green grass in the foreground, only a
+few feet above the sea-level, were a shed and a storehouse. A
+reef and shallow water closed the entrance of the bay to the
+foaming waves of the Pacific. In the sheltered water, which
+was as smooth as a mirror, the dark rich colour of the
+overhanging rocks, caressed by the last warm rays of the dying
+sun, was reflected with absolute fidelity and almost increased
+loveliness. A cold whitish sky, and the <i>white horses</i> breaking
+on the reef, completed the <i>ensemble</i> of that lovely scene; and it
+was with great regret, after having attempted a sketch, that I
+was told my horse was ready, and I had to leave this poetical
+and exquisite scene.</p>
+
+<p>On the slight elevations near Otchishi, and in the valley,
+pits are still to be seen, showing that the pit-dwellers were
+once numerous in this district. They are found both along
+the coast as well as slightly inland by the side of small rivers,
+and on the shores of the Saruffu lagoon. A well-kept road
+begins at Otchishi, and goes on to Nemuro. At first it runs
+over hilly ground and through an oak-wooded country, then
+through thick forests of spruce trees, the trees standing very
+close together. About four miles from Nemuro a military
+settlement&mdash;"Hanasaki"&mdash;similar to the one on the Shibetcha-Akkeshi
+road, has been established by the Japanese Government.
+Here, again, I was struck by the difficulty and the
+amount of labour involved in clearing the trees off the ground.
+It will take many years before the industrious farmers will
+have any return for their hard labour. I do not know what
+the object of the Japanese Government may have been
+in starting these two militia settlements in spots so
+unfit for cultivation, but it seems a great pity to see the
+Tokachi region, which has all the requisites for successful
+agriculture, quite deserted, while hundreds of men are
+wasting their strength and time at other places, where it
+will take several years to open enough ground for even a
+kitchen-garden.</p>
+
+<p>Past the long row of houses at Hanasaki the road descends
+gently, and I arrived at Nemuro, a thriving place of about
+fifteen hundred houses, on the south-west coast of the plateau-like
+peninsula ending at Cape Noshafu. The general elevation
+of the plateau is between sixty and one hundred and twenty feet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_115" id="Page_115">[Pg 115]</a></span>
+above the sea-level, and the high land is covered with undergrowth
+and stunted trees, such as scrub bamboo, oak, birch,
+and alder, the east winds and fogs no doubt preventing the
+latter from attaining a larger growth. Some low islands and
+reefs lie north and south off Cape Noshafu, and make navigation
+very unsafe for the small coasting crafts which sometimes
+during the summer call at Nemuro for sea-weed, herring,
+salt, salmon, and herring guano; the first exported chiefly to
+China, the others to Tokio and Southern Japan. Herrings are
+caught in large numbers during the spring and summer, and
+the export of fish-manure would be considerably increased if
+the harbour at Nemuro could be safely entered by larger
+ships. As it is now, though well sheltered by the small island
+of Bentenjima, it can only harbour small ships, as, besides not
+being deep, its entrance is narrow and of difficult access during
+the thick fogs of the summer. In the winter and part of the
+spring the harbour and the coast as far as Noshafu Cape are
+blocked with drift ice, thus stopping navigation altogether.
+The trade from the adjoining coast and the Kurile Islands
+concentrates at this port, and as a farming region the small
+portion of available land north-west of the town has given fairly
+good results. Horse-breeding has proved a success for the
+local wants, but hardly so in producing a fine breed of horses.
+Cattle-breeding, on the other hand, has been a failure all
+through, owing to the severe weather in winter, which
+the imported animals could not stand. In spite of strong
+easterly winds, heavy fogs, ice, and snow, fair crops of <i>daikon</i>,
+potatoes, turnips, barley, beans, wheat, and hemp are successfully
+raised here, as the soil is of extremely good quality. As
+to the town itself, it is prettily laid out, the streets crossing
+each other at right angles, while some of the houses
+are built in semi-European style, to meet the severity of
+the climate. A Shinto temple is erected on the high
+level; and from this is obtained a fine bird's-eye view of the
+harbour and town, with the numerous storehouses overlooking
+the sea.</p>
+
+<p>As I have given a short description of the town&mdash;uninteresting
+save from a commercial point of view&mdash;I feel that I owe a
+few lines to its go-ahead inhabitants. Belonging, nearly all, to
+a young and adventurous generation, they reminded me of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_116" id="Page_116">[Pg 116]</a></span>
+same type of Englishmen who have abandoned their fatherland
+and settled in America and Australia, striving, and often
+succeeding, in making a fortune. Such men are invariably of
+a different "make" from that of the young fellows who are
+satisfied to drudge for life in a bank, a merchant's office, or a
+shop&mdash;vegetating rather than living; following their day's
+routine in a mechanical sort of way; grumbling continually,
+but never bold enough to attempt any improvement of their
+position. As one is born an artist, a musician, or a literary
+man, one has to be born a colonist to be a successful one.</p>
+
+<p>The young Japanese whom I met at Nemuro impressed
+me as being thoroughly different from any I had come across
+in my one year's stay in Southern Japan; and I was agreeably
+surprised when I found that I was dealing with a lot of young,
+clever, and serious men, willing to improve their country and
+themselves, and anxious to accept any practical hint that
+would enable them to accomplish this in the shortest time
+possible. In other words, they had lost the slow, phlegmatic
+way of transacting business of the "stay-at-homes," and had
+accepted the quick perception of the true colonist, who is
+always ready to catch all the chances which will help him to
+get on in life.</p>
+
+<p>I had been struck with this energy, this go-ahead faculty,
+several times along the south-west and south-east coasts,
+when conversing with the Japanese with whom I came in
+contact; but I was never so much impressed as at Nemuro,
+where, indeed, the men are of a superior class, well-educated,
+and belonging to good families, while most of the Japanese at
+fishing stations along the coast are taken from the scum of
+the towns. They are often escaped or ex-convicts, or else
+people who found it advisable to abandon the livelier shores
+of Nippon, leaving no trace of themselves rather than end
+their days in a prison cell.</p>
+
+<p>Nemuro is a progressive place in every way, and had it been
+built five miles further west it would have been intersected by
+the Onnetto River&mdash;a short outlet of the Onnetto Lagoon,
+which would have formed a larger and safer harbour than the
+present Nemuro anchorage. As it is, prosperity showed itself
+in the usual way, by the number of eating-houses for all
+classes, a theatre, numerous <i>guechas</i>&mdash;singers and dancers&mdash;and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_117" id="Page_117">[Pg 117]</a></span>
+a whole street of houses of light morals, in which, behind
+a wooden grating similar to a huge cage, dozens of girls are
+shown in their gaudy red and gold embroidered <i>kimonos</i>, with
+elaborate <i>obis</i> round their waist, and expensive long tortoise-shell
+hairpins artistically surrounding their heads like a halo.
+There in a line the pretty girls sit for several hours on their
+heels in front of a <i>hibachi</i>&mdash;brazier&mdash;smoking their diminutive
+pipes. They are fair game for now the compliments and now
+the jokes of the crowd promenading up and down the street
+in the evening. Every now and then, when an admirer approaches
+the cage, one of the girls gets up, refills her tiny pipe
+with tobacco, and offers it to him, not forgetting to wipe the
+mouthpiece with the palm of her hand before so doing. He
+(the admirer) puffs away, and returns the empty pipe with
+thanks, shifting on to another cage to have his next smoke.
+Japanese men cannot live without <i>guechas</i>, and it follows as a
+matter of course that Nemuro, being a prosperous place, there
+are many of them.</p>
+
+<p>A <i>guecha</i> is a singer or dancer (posturing), or both, and one
+or more generally attend dinner-parties and festivities of any
+kind. Some sing with self-accompaniment of <i>shamesen;</i> others
+display their wonderful powers of mimicking and posturising,
+in which grace is never lacking. A long <i>kimono</i>, a carefully-arranged
+<i>obi</i>, and a pretty pair of white <i>tabi</i>&mdash;short socks with
+split toes&mdash;make up the graceful and simple attire in which
+they appear in the house. Their hair, plastered down with
+camelia oil, is a veritable work of art. It is carefully combed,
+oiled, and flattened behind the ears. A metal fastener at the
+lowest point of the curve keeps it in this flat position, and it is
+then raised again and fastened at the back of the head, first in
+a most elaborate twist, and then rolled up in graceful curves.
+A pretty, tasteful <i>kanzashi</i>&mdash;a long hairpin&mdash;is placed on the
+left side of the head, thus completing that part of a <i>guecha's</i>
+toilette.</p>
+
+<p>The sallow complexion characteristic of the race is despised
+by the womankind of Japan, and all women are given to
+"painting" themselves. With us such a custom is not uncommon,
+but it is disregarded by most sensible women.
+In Japan it is part of the ordinary woman's daily toilette. A
+thick layer of white chalk is first smeared with a soft brush<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_118" id="Page_118">[Pg 118]</a></span>
+over the face, neck, shoulders, arms, and hands; then the pretty
+<i>mouseme</i>, dipping her first finger in red paint, gently rubs this
+on her cheeks, her temples, and over the upper eyelids. The
+middle finger is the "black brush," and adds sentiment to the
+expression by blackening under the eyes; and sometimes when
+the eyebrows are not shaved it is also used to accentuate
+them. A piece of burnt cork is often used as a substitute for
+black paint. The fourth finger has no occupation, but the little
+finger is for finishing touches, brightening up the mouth with
+carmine, and adding a bit of gold on the lower lip. A <i>guecha</i>
+paints herself to a much greater extent than other women, and
+with brighter colours. As to her moral qualities, a <i>guecha</i> is
+usually not immoral enough to be called "fast," yet too fast to
+be qualified as "moral." Their music and posturing have
+a great charm for Japanese; and when money is made, a good
+quantity of it goes to keeping up these feminine musicians and
+their establishments.</p>
+
+<hr class="tb" />
+
+<p>To show how enterprising and Americanised the Nemuro
+people are, I shall ask the reader's forgiveness for again
+relating a personal experience which at the time greatly
+amused me.</p>
+
+<p>I was in the midst of my simple Japanese dinner in
+the Jamaruru tea-house, when four youths entered my
+room and offered to shake hands with me&mdash;a most unusual
+thing with Japanese. One of them handed me his card,
+on which I read, "K. Sato, <i>Nemuro Shimbun</i>" (Nemuro
+newspaper).</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," I said in Japanese, "you have even a newspaper at
+Nemuro."</p>
+
+<p>"Yes," answered in English one of his friends, a Mr. Yuasa,
+handing me his own card.</p>
+
+<p>"You speak English, then, Mr. Yuasa?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"Can I offer you and your friends anything to drink or to
+eat?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p>"What will you have?"</p>
+
+<p>"Yes."</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_119" id="Page_119">[Pg 119]</a></span>
+"Will you have some <i>sake</i>?"</p>
+
+<p>"No, no; I come to speak to you."</p>
+
+<p>"Thank you."</p>
+
+<p>"No, no; I come to <i>take your life</i> in Nemuro newspaper.
+Please speak where come? How old? Where go?"</p>
+
+<p>When I had sufficiently recovered from the shock of his
+announcement that he had come to take my life, and understood
+what he meant by it, I had a most pleasant conversation in
+English with him, and in Japanese with the others. Mr. Yuasa's
+English improved as his shyness wore off, showing that he had
+a very fair knowledge of the language. The interview lasted
+many hours, continually interrupted by the <i>nara honto</i> and
+the <i>sajo deska</i>&mdash;"really" and "indeed" of my visitors&mdash;while
+notes were taken by the editor and his staff. They finally
+departed, and early the next morning I received the following
+letter:&mdash;</p>
+
+<blockquote><p>"<span class="smcap">Sir</span>,&mdash;I long that you will correspond to me any events
+wherever you have met them in your journey when you are
+not so awful busy, as I have to translate and write on the
+Nemuro <i>News</i>. I meet the first time here, and I hope to
+have your friendly favor hitherto, and thanks for your kindness
+I have received ever, believe me, your humble servant,
+F. <span class="smcap">Yuasa</span>."</p></blockquote>
+
+<p>The same afternoon the editor and his staff called again,
+accompanied by the two Mr. Nakamuras, the richest merchants
+in Nemuro, and they insisted on giving me a European dinner.
+After my experience at Otsu as regards European cooking by
+Japanese, I was rather loth to accept their kind invitation, but I
+had to yield. The feast began with biscuits and jam,<a name="FNanchor_31_31" id="FNanchor_31_31"></a><a href="#Footnote_31_31" class="fnanchor">[31]</a> and the
+soup was brought immediately after; then vegetables were
+followed by roast chicken, and the latter by salad and fried fish.
+With the exception of the somewhat inverted order of the
+courses, this time it was actually a European dinner, and even
+well-cooked; but my hosts were seen at a great disadvantage
+when using a knife and fork. As for the anatomy of the
+chicken, that was decidedly their weakest point. Those of
+the party who were shy gave up the carving as a bad job; the
+bolder only fought bravely; and every now and then a knife<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_120" id="Page_120">[Pg 120]</a></span>
+gave a terrible squeak on the plate, and half a leg, a wing, or a
+carcase was fired right across the table into one's plate, if not
+in one's face, or on one's lap.</p>
+
+<p>"<i>Honto taihen muskashi</i>"&mdash;"Really it is very difficult"&mdash;said
+the wit of the party, helplessly putting down his knife and
+fork after trying to separate the two parts of a wing. "This
+bird's bones have lost all their joints in the cooking."</p>
+
+<p>My hosts were extremely kind, and were, besides, so clever
+and bright that I enjoyed their good company immensely.
+At the same time I gained from them valuable information as
+regards the neighbouring country and the Kurile Islands.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;">
+<img src="images/illus-120.png" width="300" height="224" alt="SEMI-AINU RAT TRAP" />
+<span class="caption">SEMI-AINU RAT TRAP.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_121" id="Page_121">[Pg 121]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 220px;">
+<img src="images/illus-121.jpg" width="220" height="262" alt="" />
+<span class="caption">AINU WOMAN OF KURILE ISLANDS.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XII.<br />
+<span class="small">The Kurile Islands.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>From Nemuro I put to sea in a miserable little Japanese
+craft&mdash;a kind of tug-boat&mdash;which once or twice a year goes to
+the principal islands of the Kurile group, and brings back their
+products to Nemuro. It is needless to say that I was the only
+passenger on board, though it is fair to add that the saloon
+was large enough to "accommodate" two, but not more. As
+for the only cabin, it had two berths, one over the other, but
+no available space for dressing or undressing, which therefore
+had to be got through outside, unless it was to be done by
+instalments, lying down in the berth itself. I shall spare my
+readers a minute description of this "ocean clipper," her
+tonnage, and horse-power, and I shall not attempt to narrate
+the many disadvantages of travelling in a ship engaged in the
+fish-manure, dried-fish, and sea-weed trade. These three very
+strongly scented articles speak for themselves without the
+need of words.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_122" id="Page_122">[Pg 122]</a></span>
+The Kuriles are the islands which stretch like a row of
+beads from the most north-easterly coast of Yezo to the most
+southerly point of Kamschatka. They extend from 145° to
+158° longitude east of Greenwich, and between 42° and 51°
+latitude north.</p>
+
+<p>The archipelago forms part of the Japanese Empire, having
+been exchanged by Russia not many years ago for the
+southern half of Saghalien Island, then belonging to Japan.
+This group of islands is characterised mainly by the great
+extent of its volcanic rocks and tertiaries, showing marked
+evidence that it is only a continuation of the volcanic
+mountain-range forming the backbone of Yezo, and extending
+from Yubaridake, in the upper Ishikari province, to Cape
+Shiretoko; which volcanic region embraces a large portion of
+the Tokachi, Kitami, and Nemuro provinces. In this chain of
+islands there are many beautiful volcanic cones, especially in
+Kunashiri and Etorofu. Iron, copper, and other metal veins
+are found in small quantities in tuffs and andesites, but
+more important here, moreover, are the large sulphur accumulations
+near and in craters, both extinct and active; as on
+Mount Rahush, in Kunashiri, and the Ichibishinai, in Etorofu,
+the largest island of the Kuriles. At Pontoo, in Kunashiri,
+sulphur bubbles out from the bottom of a volcanic lake, which
+is probably an extinct crater.</p>
+
+<p>Beside being rich in minerals, the larger islands of the
+Kuriles abound in game; but fishing is the main industry
+practised by the sparse population of these rugged regions.
+The origin of the word "Kuriles" is not certain, but in all
+probability it is from the Russian <i>kuril</i>, smoke, as there are
+many active volcanoes in the islands. The more poetical
+Japanese call them <i>Chishima</i>, or the "Thousand Islands,"
+meaning that they are numberless, and the <i>nonchalant</i> Ainu
+of Yezo profess entire ignorance as to their existence, and
+only some of the better informed give them the name of
+<i>Krafto</i>, by which they really mean Sakhalin. The hairy
+people are emphatically poor geographers, and have but little
+faculty for locating islands or any other places. In fact, how
+could they, having no maps, and no idea even of what a map
+is? The Chishima group and the island of Yezo, with all
+the smaller islands along and near its coast, when taken<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_123" id="Page_123">[Pg 123]</a></span>
+collectively, are called by the Japanese "The Hokkaido."
+The nearest of the Kuriles to Yezo is Kunashiri, and south of
+it lies the smaller island of Shikotan; then comes Etorofu,
+the largest of the group; then Urup; after this a number of
+unhabited islets, reefs, and rocks form a barrier separating the
+Otkoshk Sea from the Pacific Ocean. Shimushir, at the south-western
+end of this barrier, and Onekotan, at the north-eastern,
+are the two largest, Shimushir being about thirty
+miles in length and four or five wide, and Onekotan about
+twenty-five miles long and eight wide. Paromushir (a corruption
+of the Ainu words <i>poro</i>, large, and <i>mushiri</i>, island) is the
+last island of the group. It has a large reef on its south-east
+coast, and is divided by a channel six or seven miles wide
+from Cape Lopatka, the most southern point of the Kamschatkan
+peninsula. Paromushir is about twice the size of
+Urup, and is very mountainous, with rugged cliffs of volcanic
+formation, and high picturesque peaks, bearing the same
+characteristics as the scenery in Etorofu and Kunashiri, and
+also of Kamschatka. I have mentioned this last island, as it
+is of some interest, being the most northern point of the
+Japanese empire; and also to a certain extent it is interesting
+from a geological point of view, but, as far as I know, it is not
+inhabited now, and the few Kurilsky Ainu who formerly lived
+there migrated further south from one island to another, till
+Shimushir<a name="FNanchor_32_32" id="FNanchor_32_32"></a><a href="#Footnote_32_32" class="fnanchor">[32]</a> and Urup<a name="FNanchor_33_33" id="FNanchor_33_33"></a><a href="#Footnote_33_33" class="fnanchor">[33]</a> afforded them a more hospitable home.
+However, they were not to live there for long, for the Japanese
+Government, asserting that subjects of the empire who chose
+to live so far could not be properly looked after, sent the
+small ship on which I was now travelling on a mission with
+orders to bring them all down to the formerly deserted island
+of Shikotan. The orders had to be obeyed; and reluctantly
+setting fire to the huts which they were about to abandon and
+never to see again, ninety souls, all that remained of that
+nomad tribe of Ainu, were embarked and carried into exile at
+Shikotan. The quiet life on the Shikotan rocks little suits the
+roaming disposition of the Kurilsky Ainu; and though even
+formerly they were rapidly dying out, the rate of mortality
+has increased since their exile. Having thus verified the fact<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_124" id="Page_124">[Pg 124]</a></span>
+that of the "Thousand Islands" of the Chishima group only
+three are inhabited, I shall avoid giving a monotonous description
+of each bare-looking islet and rock, and I shall land my
+readers at Shikotan, on a visit to the Kurilsky Ainu, who are
+important to us in connection with the Ainu of Yezo.</p>
+
+<p>It was early in the morning when I looked out of the porthole,
+and by a fine moonlight saw that we were close to the
+coast. Huge cliffs and peaks, ending in a sharp point, some
+converging towards one another, some standing upright
+against the whitish cold sky, were reflected in the smooth
+water under the lee of the island. The moon, surrounded by
+a yellowish halo, shone bright over the rugged scene, giving
+delicate bluish tints to all the shadows; while the water,
+disturbed and cut by the prow of our craft, rose in gentle
+waves, pursuing one another, as if running for a place of refuge
+in the mysterious dark shadows of the cliffs. So weird, so
+enchanted and wild was the scene, that I jumped out of my
+stuffy bunk and went on deck. There I stood, notwithstanding
+the cold, gazing at the gigantic overhanging black rocks,
+at the precipices, crevices, and natural openings through which
+now and then the radiant moon peeped, covering the dark
+green water with a long undulating streak of silver dashes.
+There I stood, listening to the voices of the waves, which
+rippled on the shingle, contemplating this strange and poetic
+work of nature. I am certain that if sirens there ever were
+in this world, their home must have been among the whimsical
+and <i>bizarre</i> rocks of Shikotan Island. The old "tub" on
+which I was "ploughing the waves" moved slowly through
+this heavenly spectacle of ever-increasing beauty. When the
+sun rose, enchantment was added to enchantment. The cold
+bluish colour of the rocks became gradually warmer; and, as
+the light grew stronger, the tops of the cliffs turned into a mass
+of brilliant colours. Nature was waking slowly from her
+torpid sleep, and, in the freshness of the morning, a light
+breeze, caressing the shore, brought with it the smell of
+land.</p>
+
+<p>The captain, a Japanese, informed me that we should soon
+enter the harbour of Shikotan, and, pointing to some huge
+pillars, said that was the entrance. We drew nearer and
+nearer to it, and the nearer we drew the more I became<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_125" id="Page_125">[Pg 125]</a></span>
+convinced that the captain was under an hallucination. I
+could only see rock after rock, huge pillar after huge pillar;
+but no entrance whatever.</p>
+
+<p>"We are just going in," said the captain, laughing at my
+astonishment, and he gave orders to the quartermaster at the
+wheel to steer straight for one of the pillars. We were but a
+few yards from it when our craft was made to swing rapidly on
+her starboard side, and we turned round a gigantic shoulder of
+rock, to find ourselves in a narrow channel. One minute later
+we were in a pretty circular harbour, surrounded by high
+peaks&mdash;in fact, a kind of "fiord." The access to this harbour
+is certainly difficult to find, but when you are fairly in, it is
+seen to afford a well-sheltered anchorage. It has more the
+appearance of a small mountain lake than that of a sea-harbour;
+and undoubtedly it is a submerged crater. It is
+perfectly circular, and very deep, but not of large capacity.
+Directly opposite the entrance, on the shore, is a small narrow
+valley, on which is situated the village of the Kurilsky Ainu.
+Four men rowed me ashore, and I went to the village.</p>
+
+<p>When the Japanese imported these Kurilsky Ainu to
+Shikotan, they allowed them to build their huts in their own
+way; but this done, a railing with a gate was erected, closing
+the entrance of the valley which overlooks the harbour, thus
+preventing the poor wretches from abandoning the island to
+resume their migratory habits, and return to their more
+northern homes. Inside this gate two rows of huts, exactly
+similar to those of the Yezo Ainu, have been constructed by
+the exiles. There are sixteen huts altogether, and not a single
+one of them is built over a pit. In <a href="#Page_78">Chapter IX</a>, I have fully
+explained the characteristics and mode of living, which leaves
+no doubt as to these people being proper Ainu, and not pit-dwellers,
+as some have asserted; though of course their type
+is slightly modified by external conditions&mdash;a common occurrence
+in all races. Take a Londoner, a provincial, and a seaman,
+and though they be all three Englishmen, one will have
+a washed-out look, the other will be healthy and strong, but
+not so sturdy, wiry, and weather-beaten as the sailor. The
+same natural process is at work with this tribe of Ainu. They
+conform their life according to circumstances and places; and
+though they possess the same general characteristics as the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_126" id="Page_126">[Pg 126]</a></span>
+rest of the Ainu, in some small details they cannot but differ
+from them.</p>
+
+<p>Shikotan was a deserted island previous to these poor
+wretches being transplanted there by the Japanese Government.
+It does not abound
+in game, like Shimushir,
+Urup, or Poromushir,
+whence they were taken.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 194px;">
+<img src="images/illus-126.jpg" width="194" height="199" alt="" title="SHIKOTAN AINU" />
+<span class="caption">SHIKOTAN AINU.</span></div>
+
+<p>The story of this tribe
+of Ainu is a sad one.
+Hunting, sealing, and fishing
+were their only aims
+in life, their only pastimes,
+the only things they lived
+for. At Shikotan they
+have none of these things.
+There is no big game; the
+only animal found being a
+beautiful species of white
+long-tailed fox. There are
+no large rivers at Shikotan; there is hardly any vegetation,
+and the whole island is nothing but a mass of barren rocks.</p>
+
+<p>The food of the Kurilsky Ainu consisted chiefly of meat of
+bear and seals, berries, and eggs of sea-birds. They were a
+migratory people, and in their small cranky canoes they often
+crossed from one island to another, carrying with them all
+their property, consisting of skin garments and fishing and
+hunting implements, these latter the same as those employed
+by other Ainu. The dress of the men is shaped like a short
+tunic, made of sea-birds' skins, with the feathers inside. Some
+of the smart ones are trimmed with seal, and they are worn
+fastened round the waist with a girdle of sealskin or a belt of
+sea-lion hide, often ornamented with molten lead buttons or
+Chinese cash. The women's garment is much longer, and
+reaches nearly to the feet; it falls loosely, and has long
+sleeves covering the hands; it is fastened with a girdle in
+bad weather, and the gown is then pulled up to the knee,
+showing the long yellow boots. When carrying water or
+working this is also done, as it gives greater freedom to the
+limbs, making walking and all movement much easier. A red,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_127" id="Page_127">[Pg 127]</a></span>
+yellow, or brightly-coloured handkerchief, of Russian manufacture,
+is tied round the neck and another round the back of
+the head, and this makes the women look like Italian peasants.
+As the gown is worn usually loose it has the identical shape of
+a dressing-gown; it is ornamented with yellow feathers of
+puffins round the neck and the edge. Both men and women
+wear either moccasins, or long boots made of sealskin, with the
+fur inside, or else they wear salmon-skin boots, like the Ainu
+of Yezo. No woman that I saw at Shikotan had a moustache
+tattooed round her lips, or any tattoo marks on her arms. Very
+few of them wore earrings, though all had the ears bored for
+that purpose, and had worn them. The earrings which they
+possessed were mostly strings of coral beads and metal
+ornaments of Russian manufacture, which, like the brightly-coloured
+handkerchiefs, they had received in bartering with
+the crew of a sealing schooner. Since they have been at
+Shikotan the men have been presented with old caps and
+overcoats, similar to those of the Japanese police. Previous
+to this, however, when the Kuriles were under the rigid
+Russian <i>régime</i>, the Kurilsky Ainu men were compelled to
+trim their hair and beard, which was the first step taken by
+the priests of the Coptic Church in Christianising these
+nomadic barbarians. When this hair-dressing order was
+complied with, as the first link of the chain, the Coptic creed
+was enforced on them, and the barbarous Kurilsky Ainu
+became well-trimmed orthodox Christians.</p>
+
+<p>At Shikotan, as it is, fishing on a small scale is their main
+occupation, praying the next, and Jacko, the chief of the village,
+is the high priest. Jacko's predecessor, in fulfilling the
+duties of this high post, was a man who had dropped his
+Ainu name, and had been baptized as Alexandrovitch. His
+house is now occupied by Jacko. It is the first on the right-hand
+side when the village is entered from the harbour side,
+and it is larger than any of the others; it is built of wood
+instead of rushes and reeds. The interior is divided into two
+rooms, and in the second are three stands, the middle one
+of which has a cross on it. On each of these stands is
+a Russian Bible, with images hanging on the page-marks.
+Several rough stools and a couple of benches are placed in
+rows in front of these stands, and on the walls hang two<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_128" id="Page_128">[Pg 128]</a></span>
+or three Russian religious images. Taken altogether, and
+compared with other Ainu huts, Jacko's chapel had quite a
+stately appearance.</p>
+
+<p>Just as the Ainu of Yezo have partly acquired the Japanese
+language, the Kurilsky Ainu have learned to talk Russian,
+besides speaking an Ainu dialect.</p>
+
+<p>On Sundays, or on any day which Jacko thinks is a Sunday,
+the chief reads the mass before a congregation of the other fifty-nine
+hairy Christians of the Russian Orthodox Church; he does
+not spare them a sermon, which sometimes lasts half the day,
+and his audience are most attentive and well behaved. None of
+them would think of leaving church before service is over; but
+one detail in which these hairy Christians are not yet fully
+Christianised is, that no collection plate is ever sent round!
+The Kurilsky Ainu have undoubtedly accepted the form of
+their adopted religion, but I rather doubt whether they have
+fallen in with the principle. Their former barbarian ideas
+and superstitions are still well rooted in their brain, and each
+individual was a curious and enviable combination of a
+perfect heathen and a thorough Christian, according to what
+suited him or her better at the time being. In other words,
+they believed in two diametrically opposed principles, one
+of which fitted in with every phase of their life when the other
+was deficient.</p>
+
+<p>As many as ninety people, all told, were landed at Shikotan,
+but thirty had already succumbed when I visited the island.
+A graveyard on a hill on the west side of the village was
+indeed a sad reminder of this fact. It will not be long before
+all the others will pass away, for consumption and rheumatism
+have a great hold on most of the wretches. In ten years from
+now, I dare say, not one of the Kurilsky tribe of Ainu will be
+left on this earth. It is pitiful that the last remains of these
+independent people will end their days secluded and in exile
+on the barren rocks of Shikotan.</p>
+
+<p>As it is, they seem to take life easily, and, with a characteristic
+proper to all nomadic peoples, they make the best of what
+they can get. They are not shy, and they have dropped the
+formalities and grand salutations of other Ainu. They are,
+however, as dirty, especially in their homes. The women dress
+their hair in small tresses.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_129" id="Page_129">[Pg 129]</a></span>
+The children wear long gowns similar to those of the
+women, and one or two of the children I saw had very fair
+hair. As will be seen by the illustrations, some of the men
+and women possess good features, more resembling those of
+European races than those of Mongolian type. They are
+gentle and quiet, like all other Ainu. They are submissive,
+and resigned to their sad fate.</p>
+
+<p>The island of Skikotan is almost circular in shape, and
+it has one or two small anchorages on its north coast. I
+judged its diameter to be about twelve or thirteen miles.
+Etorofu and Kunashiri, though much larger in size, are of less
+interest to us in connection with the Ainu, as most of that race
+found there migrate from Yezo during the fishing season;
+therefore, nothing is to be added about them.</p>
+
+<p>Etorofu is a long, narrow, but irregular island, over one
+hundred miles in length, and varying in breadth from five or
+six to twenty miles. It is very mountainous, and has some
+bold, rugged scenery, owing to its volcanic formation.
+Etorofu is by far the largest island of the Kurile group, and it
+possesses many safe anchorages, especially on its north-west
+coast, where several mountainous capes branch off the narrow
+strip of land, and afford small ships a fairly safe harbourage
+from west and south-westerly winds. Unfortunately, however,
+they are open to northerly and north-east gales, during
+the prevalence of which, should a ship happen to be cruising
+about in those latitudes, she would have to run for a shelter
+to the south-east coast. The south-east coast is not peopled,
+with the exception of a very few huts near Moyorotake, or
+"Bear Bay," at its most south-eastern point. A better shelter,
+however, is to be found in the bay, nearly in the middle of the
+island, on the shores of which are a few huts at Onembets and
+Imotsuto. Most of the coast is deserted, and the south-east
+portion is very rocky, huge cliffs, with high richly-coloured
+mountains in the background, ending like an impassable wall
+into the sea. Where the island is narrower there are some
+low terraces with scrub bamboo and stunted trees. Larch
+is found in Etorofu, while it is seldom found in Yezo.
+Heather-like plants are also indigenous in Etorofu, and
+cranberry bushes are frequent near the coast. From Betoya or
+Bettobu Bay down to its most south-western point Etorofu is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_130" id="Page_130">[Pg 130]</a></span>
+all mountainous, with the exception of a small valley near
+Rubets. It is along the banks of the Bettobu River, in that
+small valley and on those terraces, that the numerous pits of
+the Koro-pok-kuru are found, and also at Rupets, further
+south on the same coast. This, however, I have already
+explained in connection with the pit-dwellers. The two
+small fishing-stations above mentioned are respectively under
+the lee of the headlands ending in Cape Ikahasonets and
+Notoro Cape. On the first headland the mountain of Tsiriju
+rises to a great altitude. The largest fishing-station is at
+Shana, on the western side of this headland, and further north,
+besides Bettobu, is the small station of Shibets. South-west
+of Shana one finds Rubets, Furubets, Oitoi, and Naibo, the
+latter in the bay of the same name. There are five lakes in
+Etorofu, two of which are between Shana and Bettobu, one
+near Rubets, the other close to Naibo; the fifth is a very
+small one, fifteen or sixteen miles north-east of Bettobu. The
+country has a rugged look, and in some places, as near Rubets,
+where the volcanic mountain masses leave space for low
+terraces the scrub-bamboo is very thick, as in Yezo, and
+small and stunted trees form the chief vegetation. Larch is
+more common on the north-west coast than on the south-east.
+Good timber is rather scarce in Etorofu, but a fair quantity of
+it is to be found inland, and also at the south-western portion
+of the island about Naipo.</p>
+
+<p>Accumulations of sulphur are found at Ichibishinai, and
+there is an active volcano south-east of Bettobu, besides the
+beautiful volcanic cone of Atzosa, three or four thousand feet
+above sea-level. All this volcanic mountain mass, with its
+warmly-tinted peaks, bears the characteristics of the central
+portion of Yezo; and there seems to be little doubt that all
+this row of islands, with the frequent submerged craters and
+volcanic cones, is nothing but the continuation of the volcanic
+zone in Yezo. The main resource of Etorofu is the fishing.
+Four different kinds of salmon and salmon-trout are found, one
+similar to the salmon common in Yezo, the others somewhat
+differently marked. Salmon is extremely plentiful, and in July
+and August enormous catches are made, especially at the
+mouths of the rivers, where the fish are closely packed
+together.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_131" id="Page_131">[Pg 131]</a></span>
+The Pico Strait, between Etorofu and Kunashiri, is about
+fourteen miles wide, and a strong current from the Okhotsk
+Sea passes through it, causing the sea to break in heavy tide-rips
+and overfalls similar to those observed in the La Perouse
+Strait, between Yezo and Sakhalin. Similar tide-rips are
+observed also in the channel between Etorofu and Urup, but,
+being much wider (about twenty-four miles), they seem there
+less formidable.</p>
+
+<p>Kunashiri is the next largest island in the Kuriles after
+Etorofu. It is about sixty-five miles long, and very narrow;
+varying from three to eight miles in width. The north-east
+portion is somewhat wider, and extremely mountainous. The
+highest peak of this mountain range is the Tcha-Tcha-Nobori
+(the old-old-mountain), which is said to be about seven
+thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea. From
+this volcano starts a chain of hills&mdash;some pyramidal in form,
+others somewhat rounder at the top&mdash;which forms the backbone
+of the island. Two more active volcanoes besides the Tcha-Tcha
+are on the south-west portion of Kunashiri, but they do
+not rise to a very great altitude. On Horanaho or Rausu
+volcano sulphur accumulations are found, and at Pontoo (small
+lake) sulphur bubbles out from the lake bottom, and seems to
+be worked with profit. The Tcha-Tcha-Nobori is curiously
+shaped. It is like a large cone cut about half-way up in
+a section, to which a smaller cone has been attached, leaving
+a wide ring right round. It is extremely picturesque, and a
+worthy finish to the strange outline of Kunashiri Island.</p>
+
+<p>Vegetation and products are the same as in Etorofu.
+Salmon is plentiful, and a few fishing-stations are spread out
+here and there at long intervals on the coast. As in Etorofu,
+the population of Kunashiri migrates there from Yezo during
+the fishing season, and leaves the island almost deserted in
+winter. The strait separating it from Yezo is only ten or
+twelve miles wide. Bears and foxes are said to be very
+numerous in all the larger islands of the Kuriles, and seals are
+captured in large quantities during the winter months, more
+especially in the islands nearer Kamschatka. Small game,
+as ducks, snipes, and sandpipers, is abundant. Besides the
+ruggedness and strange aspect of its numerous volcanic peaks,
+the bareness and the loneliness of the coast, there is nothing in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_132" id="Page_132">[Pg 132]</a></span>
+the Kurile group to entice the sightseer and the pleasure-seeker
+to a cruise among the islands. The geologist and
+zoologist, however, would find in the Kuriles a very rough but
+very interesting field for their investigations, and a "good
+shot," who does not mind a self-sacrificing and lonely life,
+would find some good sport among the bears, especially in
+Kunashiri and Etorofu.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 155px;">
+<img src="images/illus-132.jpg" width="155" height="299" alt="WOMAN OF THE KURILE ISLANDS" />
+<span class="caption">WOMAN OF THE KURILE ISLANDS</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_133" id="Page_133">[Pg 133]</a></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 239px;">
+<img src="images/illus-133.jpg" width="239" height="172" alt="ABASHIRI ISLAND" />
+<span class="caption">ABASHIRI ISLAND.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XIII.<br />
+<span class="small">On the East and North-East Coast&mdash;From Nemuro to Shari-Mombets.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>I did not remain long at Nemuro after my return from the
+Kuriles; in fact, I remained only a few hours, and again my
+baggage was lashed to the pack-saddle, again I was perched
+on the top of this instrument of torture, and soon was rapidly
+moving north towards the inhospitable coast of the Okhotsk
+Sea.</p>
+
+<p>The first few days of the lonely life of a peripatetic Robinson
+Crusoe are unmistakably disagreeable, but after that initiation
+there is no doubt that it is a fascinating life. I was more than
+glad when the gay Nemuro was out of sight, and the noise and
+rumble of semi-civilisation out of hearing. The editor and
+seven gentlemen of Nemuro accompanied me for a few miles&mdash;then
+I was left to myself and my own resources. Crossing
+the Onnetto River, the outlet of a large lagoon of the same
+name, I passed through Nishibets and then Bitskai, where in
+former days the Japanese had established a salmon-canning
+factory, which proved a failure, owing to the incapacity of its
+directors and workmen. Salmon is very abundant in the
+Nishibets River, and a well-managed canning factory would
+be a great success. About ten or eleven miles north of Bitskai
+a peculiar peninsula stretches out from north-east to south-west,
+which affords a shelter for small junks from northerly
+winds. It is called Noshike, and is not more than a few feet<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_134" id="Page_134">[Pg 134]</a></span>
+above the sea-level. The soil all along is very marshy, and
+the numerous little rivulets and rivers are extremely troublesome
+to cross. My pony was continually sinking into and
+struggling out of mud-holes, into which it had fallen when
+wading across these small watercourses, sometimes not more
+than a few feet wide. I pushed on as far as Shimbets, where
+there are only a shed and a couple of Ainu huts inhabited by
+half-castes. I had to put up here for the night, and by the
+light of a wick burning in a large oyster-shell filled with fish-oil
+I wrote a few notes in my diary. The fleas in that house
+were something appalling. The next morning I had some
+fun with a wild pony, which I received in exchange for the
+tired animal I had brought.</p>
+
+<p>"Nobody can get on him," said the Ainu half-caste, "but if
+you think you can ride him he will go like the wind."</p>
+
+<p>It took all hands in the small village to get the pack-saddle
+and baggage on to his back, and after we had tied him to a
+post and lashed his fore legs together I mounted. By instalments
+he was untied, let loose, and then afforded us some real
+fun. He revolved, bucked, kicked, stood on his hind legs, and
+did his very best to bite my legs and knock me off the saddle.
+A small fence was kicked and smashed into a thousand bits,
+and he even attempted to enter the huts&mdash;anything to get rid
+of his rider; but he did not succeed. His next trick was to
+plunge into the river close by, and when he reached the middle
+to shake himself violently. He then came out on the other
+side, and, turning his head, saw as well as felt that I was still
+on his back; then he neighed as if in great distress, and
+bolted. He galloped along the small track, and really did go
+"like the wind." As a punishment I made him keep up the
+pace even when he was tired of his contumacy, and in less
+than no time I reached Shibets, ten miles distant from where
+I had started.</p>
+
+<p>Shibets is a village of one hundred Japanese houses and
+twenty Ainu huts. The Ainu here have almost altogether
+adopted Japanese clothes, as well as something of the Japanese
+style of living. The river which goes by the same name is
+notable for the quantity and good quality of salmon caught in
+it, and it is the best salmon-fishing river on the north-east
+coast of Yezo. Herrings are also abundant, but not to the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_135" id="Page_135">[Pg 135]</a></span>
+same extent as on the south-east coast. A peculiarity of the
+river is that before entering the sea it turns sharply south and
+runs along a bank of sand and mud, which is growing larger
+every year, which shows that a current from the Okhotsk Sea
+must travel down in that direction through the strait between
+Kunashiri and Yezo. The same peculiarity is noticeable in
+nearly all the rivers of the north-east coast.</p>
+
+<p>From Shibets to Wembets the track is fairly even, but from
+Wembets round Cape Shiretoko it is in many places impassable
+even on foot. The Peninsula, ending in Cape Shiretoko,
+is a mass of high volcanic mountains towards the interior,
+while scabrous cliffs and huge rocks fringe the line of coast.
+However, from Shibets there is a small mountain track inland
+which brings the traveller across to the north-east coast near
+Shari. The track was through beautiful forests of pine trees,
+oak, birch, and elm, and during the first few miles it is on
+almost level ground. After that, hill after hill is ascended and
+descended, and one goes ever onwards at a higher altitude,
+until Rubets, a small shed, is reached. From here the track
+follows a zig-zag direction till it reaches the summit of the
+mountain range, and one then begins to descend on the other
+side. From the summit there is a lovely view of beautiful
+blue mountains in the distant west, one of which is called
+Oakan, and the other Moyokan. The mountainous part of
+the track from Igiani, three miles from Shibets, as far as
+the north-east coast, reminded me much of the scenery in
+Switzerland, with its rapid and limpid fresh-water rivers,
+thickly-wooded country, and green grass, which last was replaced
+here by an undergrowth of scrub bamboo. When I
+went across this mountain pass the rain was pouring in
+torrents, and the road, such as it was, being very slippery and
+heavy, I only reached the north-east coast at dark. The
+moon would not rise till late, there were heavy black clouds,
+and I was more than puzzled how to find my way.</p>
+
+<p>To add to my bad luck, my pony this time was a sorry
+beast, with his back a mass of sores. I was simply drenched
+with the rain that never ceased. Now and then, by the blinding
+flash of lightning, I could see a long stretch of sand and a
+line of sand-hills; I could also see the reeds bending low under
+the squalls, and then everything was darkness again. I was<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_136" id="Page_136">[Pg 136]</a></span>
+leading my tired beast, and dragging him along as well
+as I could. Every few yards the wretched creature collapsed,
+and it took a lot of petting, caressing, encouraging and
+beating to make him get up again. I had ridden and
+walked about fourteen hours in the rain, and was nearly
+frozen to death.</p>
+
+<p>Since I had got out of the forest a bitterly cold north wind
+chilled me through and through, and added the last touch to
+my weariness and discomfort. Again the pony fell, and all
+my efforts to make him get up were useless. The storm, if
+anything, seemed to increase in violence, while my own
+strength was decreasing every minute. I lay down by the
+side of the pony, trying to warm myself by his heat, and,
+shivering and rattling my teeth together, I tried to go to
+sleep.</p>
+
+<p>A couple of hours were spent in this way, and when the
+moon rose I could see a little clearer. I climbed with hands
+and feet on to the sand-hills, and I fancied I saw some dark
+spots in the distance. Could they be Shari? First one end
+of my whip, then the other, was reduced into pulp on my
+pony's back, and with a great effort he again stood on all four
+legs. I had to support the wretch all the way, as you would a
+drunken man, and we went at the rate of less than a mile an
+hour. The spots grew bigger and bigger, and took the shape
+of huts.</p>
+
+<p>"Hem, hem, hem, hem!" I called out at the first hut, while
+three or four dogs barked furiously and went for my legs.
+"Will you let a stranger sleep here to-night?"</p>
+
+<p>"This is no house for strangers; go elsewhere!" answered
+a drowsy hoarse voice from inside.</p>
+
+<p>"May you be kept&mdash;hot!" said I, in pure Ainu fashion,
+though in my heart I attached quite a different meaning to
+the sentence from that which the hairy people give it; and
+wearily I pulled myself together and passed on.</p>
+
+<p>A shadow crept out of one of the huts, and thanks to that
+shadow I found a shelter for the night. There are fifty Ainu huts
+at Shari, and ten Japanese, with an Ainu population of about
+one hundred souls. The Ainu here have adopted Japanese
+clothes, and many of them eat Japanese food when they can
+get it. The Ainu women of Shari are exceedingly pretty, as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_137" id="Page_137">[Pg 137]</a></span>
+they do not tattoo the long moustache across their faces, like
+other Ainu. Some of them have a small semicircular tattoo
+on the upper lip, which is not very displeasing to the eye;
+and in some cases is even becoming. The girls have also
+given up tattooing their arms. The men are much taller than
+the Ainu men of other regions, and they seem to be rather ill-natured.
+Japanese blood can be detected in many of them,
+and that may account for it. While the women are prettier,
+the men have repulsive faces, possessing all the characteristics
+of purely criminal types.</p>
+
+<p>One young fellow who sat for me was the very image of
+Robespierre in his worst moments, and an old man who sat
+for me afterwards would, according to Phrenology, prove to
+be a murderer of the first water. This gentleman was a
+troublesome sitter, and excelled in making the most awful
+faces, which were accompanied by sounds imitating those of
+wild beasts. The Shari Ainu build their storehouses with
+cylindrical roofs, similar to those of their brethren on the
+Kutcharo Lake.</p>
+
+<p>After the heavy storm of the previous night the weather
+cleared up for the rest of the day, and the sunset, reflected in
+the limpid waters of the river, was simply magnificent. On
+the other side, sheltered by the sand-hills, were a few Ainu
+huts standing out against the brilliant red and yellow sky, and
+here and there a large fish jumped out of the water, leaving
+circle after circle of concentric rings to break for the moment
+the reflection in the water.</p>
+
+<p>From Shari to Abashiri the road is for some distance
+among trees, mostly fir and spruce, and then the Tobuts Lake
+is reached, half of which is a mere marsh. It is picturesquely
+situated, and I followed its borders for about three miles,
+having the sea on one side, the lake on the other. The track
+was easy and mostly on sand. At the outlet of the lake into
+the sea is the Ainu village of Tobuts, access to which is to be
+had only by boat, as the river is extremely deep, and its
+current very swift.</p>
+
+<p>In the proximity of Tobuts another and smaller lake, the
+Opoto, with its short and winding estuary, is on the left of the
+traveller, while a long way ahead the Abashiri rocks stand
+high on the horizon. A few Ainu huts are scattered along the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_138" id="Page_138">[Pg 138]</a></span>
+coast, and some of them have peculiarly shaped storehouses.
+They are small, built entirely of wood, and roofed with
+shingles. Some have two floors, and in this case, though built
+on piles, the first floor is only a few inches above the ground.
+The "mat" was supplanted by a wooden door at the entrance
+of the storehouse.</p>
+
+<p>The Abashiri cliffs are grand, and from a distance have all
+the appearance of, though they are not in reality, basaltic rocks.
+They are scarred, riven, and fractured in all directions, as if
+by excessive heat. The upper portion of the cliffs is of a
+beautiful grey-whitish colour, blending into yellow and red at
+their warm brown bases. The small cylindrical islet which I
+give in the illustration is on the north side of this cliff, and
+is of the same volcanic formation. It has certain traces of
+sulphur as a further evidence of its origin. Flocks of sea-gulls,
+penguins, and cormorants have chosen this island for their
+abode.</p>
+
+<p>Abashiri is the only place on the north-east coast which may
+eventually be of some importance, as it has a fair anchorage
+for small craft under the lee of the islet and outstretching
+cliff. No other place on the north-east coast possesses such
+an advantage. On the Shiretoko Peninsula sulphur accumulations
+are found at Itashibeoni; but, unfortunately, the want
+of a safe harbour, the ruggedness of the coast, and the lack
+of drinkable water in the vicinity, are all facts which make it
+improbable that it could be worked with profit for some
+years to come. The Ainu at Abashiri are repulsive creatures,
+especially the men, and have more the appearance of wild
+beasts than human beings. Their faces are almost square,
+the mouth large, with narrow lips, the ends of which converge
+towards the ears. The nose is short and stumpy, they have
+very heavy eyebrows, and the eyes are almost lost under
+the shadow of their projecting forehead.</p>
+
+<p>Ponies are scarce and bad along this coast, and the further
+north one goes the more difficult the travelling becomes; the
+huts are rarer; the human beings more uncouth and solitary.
+The north-east coast is a region of swamps, lagoons, and
+quicksand rivers.</p>
+
+<p>Not far inland from Abashiri there is a large lagoon, the
+Abashiri-ko; then, a few miles further north, another as large&mdash;the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_139" id="Page_139">[Pg 139]</a></span>
+Notoro-ko. The Abashiri Lake finds an outlet in a river
+which goes by the same name of, and falls into the pretty Bay
+of Abashiri; but the Notoro-ko, as well as the larger lagoon
+of Saruma-ko, which one comes upon after having passed the
+two villages of Tukoro and Tobuts, open directly into the sea.
+The strong current and the tide often block the entrance of
+these lagoons, and the rising water finds an outlet in a
+different spot. These lagoons are separated from the sea by a
+long and narrow strip of sand-hill; and crossing the outlet
+always involves great danger if the unwary traveller does not
+choose the right moment. The tide creating a great inequality
+of level between the sea and the lake, it follows that at the
+opening of the lagoon the water either throws itself from the
+sea into the lagoon, or <i>vice versâ</i>, according to the ebb or flow,
+and makes a kind of whirlpool. The Saruma Lake being
+much larger than any of the others, while its mouth is much
+smaller, and underlaid with quicksands, the danger is even
+greater, and the safest way is always to get across in a boat at
+slack water. The Saruma Lake is about fifteen miles in
+length and from two to three miles wide. Its water is salt,
+and large oyster-banks are found in it. It is also a favourite
+resort for seal and mallard. In winter they can be killed in
+great numbers, but in the warmer months they are shy, and
+very difficult to approach. The south-western shore of the lake
+is thickly wooded, and has as a background a long range of
+high mountains with smaller mountains in front of it.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 188px;">
+<img src="images/illus-140.jpg" width="188" height="384" alt="" title="AN AINU BELLE" />
+<span class="caption">AN AINU BELLE.</span></div>
+
+<p>At Tobuts, a small village of a few huts, situated at the
+mouth of the Saruma lagoon, I halted for the night. There
+was a change in my diet that day, and I was entertained, or
+rather I entertained myself, to an oyster supper. They were
+enormous oysters, similar to those found at Akkeshi, but not
+very palatable. However, I was in luck that day, and not only
+did I have this oyster supper, but I actually was the hero of
+a tender little idyll. In this country surprises never come
+alone, and while I was sketching in the twilight to pass away
+the time, a tall slim figure of a girl came out of one of the
+huts. She had slipped her arms out of her robe, leaving the
+latter to hang from the girdle, and her breasts, arms, and
+the lower half of her legs were uncovered. She was pretty
+and quaint with her tattooed arms and a semicircular black<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_140" id="Page_140">[Pg 140]</a></span>
+spot on her upper lip. She walked a few steps forward, and
+when she saw me she stopped. She looked at me and I
+looked at her. Hers, with
+her soft eyes, was one of
+those looks which a man
+feels right through his body,
+notwithstanding all the self-control
+he may possess.
+There she stood, a graceful
+silhouette, with a bucket
+made of tree-bark in one
+hand and a vine-tree rope
+in the other, her supple
+figure almost motionless,
+and her eyes fixed on me.
+She was the most lovely
+Ainu girl I had ever come
+across, and not nearly so
+hairy as most of them.
+Indeed, in that soft twilight,
+and her wavy long hair
+blown by the fresh breeze,
+she was a perfect dream.</p>
+
+<p>"Wakka!" ("Water!")
+cried an angry old voice
+from inside the hut, interrupting
+the beginning of
+our romance, and she sadly
+went to the brook, filled her
+bucket with water, and took it into the hut. It was only
+a few seconds before she reappeared, and came closer, and
+I finished the sketch somewhat hurriedly.</p>
+
+<p>"Let me see the tattoo on your arm," I asked her, and to
+my surprise the pretty maid took my hand in both her own,
+gave me one of those looks that I shall never forget, and her
+head fell on my shoulder. She clutched my hand tightly, and
+pressed it to her chest, and a force stronger than myself
+brought her and myself to the neighbouring forest. There we
+wandered and wandered till it grew very dark; we sat down,
+we chattered, we made love to each other; then we returned.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_141" id="Page_141">[Pg 141]</a></span>
+I would not have mentioned this small episode if her ways of
+flirting had not been so extraordinary and funny. Loving and
+biting went together with her. She could not do the one
+without doing the other. As we sat on a stone in the semi-darkness
+she began by gently biting my fingers, without
+hurting me, as affectionate dogs often do to their masters; she
+then bit my arm, then my shoulder, and when she had worked
+herself up into a passion she put her arms round my neck
+and bit my cheeks. It was undoubtedly a curious way of
+making love, and when I had been bitten all over, and was
+pretty tired of the new sensation, we retired to our respective
+homes.</p>
+
+<p>In the evening, as I was writing my diary by the light of
+one of the oyster-shell primitive lamps, somebody noiselessly
+crept by my side. I turned my head round. It was she!
+She grew more and more sentimental as it grew later, and she
+bestowed on me caresses and bites in profusion. Kissing,
+apparently, was an unknown art to her. The old woman, in
+whose house I was, slept soundly all through this, as old
+women generally do on such occasions. By the mysterious
+light of the dying wick, casting heavy shadows, which marked
+her features strongly, with her jet-black wild hair fading away
+into the black background, with her passionate eyes, and her
+round, statue-like arms, the girl was more like a strange fairy
+than a human being.</p>
+
+<p>I sketched her twice in pencil, and the wick&mdash;that wretched
+wick!&mdash;grew feeble, and, for the lack of oil, began to dwindle
+away. I persuaded her to return to her hut, and with a few
+"bites" my hairy maid and I parted.</p>
+
+<p>The morning came, and I was up early. In the vicinity
+of the huts I found three Koro-pok-kuru pits similar to those
+we have already seen; and previous to arriving at Tobuts I
+also found a fort belonging to the pre-Ainu race. From
+Tobuts, continuing my journey north, on the stretch of
+sand between the water of the sea and that of the Saruma
+lake the travelling was fairly easy but monotonous. The
+long chain of mountains on the other side of the lake was
+magnificent in the morning light. For twenty-two miles
+this went on; then I had to cross the Yubets River in the picturesque
+spot where its waters divide before again uniting<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_142" id="Page_142">[Pg 142]</a></span>
+close to the sea. North of this river there are three more
+lagoons&mdash;the Komuki, the Shibumotzunai, and the Yassuchi,
+the first two of which have direct estuaries into the sea,
+generally blocked by drift-sand, and both are as dangerous as
+the Saruma lagoon when the water unexpectedly overflows.
+Owing to the heavy rains on the mountains the level of the
+lakes had risen considerably when I went through, and crossing
+the mouth of the first in a flat-bottomed boat, I was nearly
+swamped. The Ainu who was ferrying me across did not
+lose his presence of mind, and after a long struggle and
+violent efforts we reached the opposite shore. Yubets is a
+village of eighteen Ainu and three Japanese huts. The
+Ainu along these shores are extremely hairy, and some of
+them have red beards, while others are bald. Near some of
+their huts you may see cages where foxes and eagles are kept
+in captivity.</p>
+
+<p>The women, all the way to Soya Cape, the most northern
+point of Yezo, have given up tattooing a long moustache
+and their arms. A small semicircular spot, similar to the
+tattoo of the Shari women, is nevertheless not uncommon.
+Bears, yellow and black, again are said to be in huge
+quantities on the thickly-wooded mountains at the back of
+the Saruma and other lagoons.</p>
+
+<p>The coast is most desolate-looking. One may travel mile
+after mile without seeing a hut or meeting a single human
+being. Now and then, when I came to a lonely fisherman's
+hut, I was civilly treated; and, riding from morn till night, I
+reached Shari Mombets, where there are forty Ainu huts and
+about the same number of Japanese fishermen's shanties. It
+has a small anchorage for small junks only; but, unfortunately,
+it is not well protected, as the reef of rocks which runs in a
+north-east direction does not extend far out to sea. I was
+roughly treated here at first, for some Russian convicts, who
+had escaped from Sakhalin in an open boat, had been drifted
+by the current down this coast, and previously to my arrival
+had landed in the vicinity of this village. They were half
+starved, and could not speak a word of the language. They
+had no money and no clothes, and none of the natives seemed
+willing to help them in any way. Now that the long-wished-for
+freedom was obtained after years of servitude and chains,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_143" id="Page_143">[Pg 143]</a></span>
+the four brave men, who had suffered agonies for days, and
+had almost miraculously escaped death in the treacherous
+currents of the Otkoshk Sea, were certainly not to be
+outwitted by a handful of hard-hearted Japanese or by a
+pack of hairy Ainu. They begged for food and could not
+obtain it, so they stole it, and ill-treated some of the natives
+who interfered. They then disappeared towards the south.
+When I put in an appearance, all alone and almost in rags,
+leading and dragging my tired pony, it is not astonishing
+that the first thing that struck them was that I must be
+another escaped Russian, "or bad man from Krafto,"<a name="FNanchor_34_34" id="FNanchor_34_34"></a><a href="#Footnote_34_34" class="fnanchor">[34]</a> as the
+Ainu called me.</p>
+
+<p>The reception I received was pretty stormy; but when I
+understood what the matter was which caused the rioting,
+I set their minds at rest, and, speaking in their own
+language, told them that the "bad men of Krafto" were
+my enemies as well as theirs, and that, should I find
+them, I would punish them. Not only that, but, to make
+them perfectly at ease, I gave them some little present of
+money, which turned them at once into friends. As to
+the Russian convicts, there was no possibility of my finding
+them, for they were travelling towards the south from this
+point, and I was moving towards the north, so I was
+perfectly safe in passing myself off as a kind of supreme
+judge.</p>
+
+<p>Shari Mombets is a miserable place. In the house where I
+put up I was received by a young man, but the owner of the
+house did not show himself. The next morning, however, as
+I gave much more money than they expected, the landlord
+was brought to my room to thank me. The poor man
+suffered from elephantiasis&mdash;the wretched disease by which
+the head and all the limbs of the body assume gigantic
+proportions. His head was swollen to more than twice its
+normal size, and had lost its shape; his body was piteously
+deformed and inflated, his eyes nearly buried in flesh. The
+weight of his head was such that the cervical vertebræ were
+scarcely strong enough to support it erect; and when he
+bowed down in Japanese fashion to thank me and bid me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_144" id="Page_144">[Pg 144]</a></span>
+good-bye, I had to run to his help, for he could not get
+up again. Poor man! And when we reflect that in more
+civilised countries many people think themselves very ill and
+suffering when they have a pimple on their nose, or a cold in
+their head!</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 371px;">
+<img src="images/illus-144.jpg" width="371" height="156" alt="SARUMA LAGOON" />
+<span class="caption">SARUMA LAGOON.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_145" id="Page_145">[Pg 145]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 357px;">
+<img src="images/illus-145.jpg" width="357" height="418" alt="AN EAGLE-DISPLAYED SABLE" />
+<span class="caption">AN EAGLE-DISPLAYED SABLE.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XIV.<br />
+<span class="small">Along the Lagoons of the North-east Coast&mdash;From Shari Mombets to
+Poronai.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>I proceeded north. The Ainu scattered here and there on
+the coast seemed to be hairier and uglier than any of their
+inland brethren. Two or three women had already put on
+their winter fur garments, as the cold weather had begun; and
+they looked extremely picturesque in them. Most of the
+huts were uninhabited, and had been abandoned by their
+owners. The sky was whitish and cold, and here and there
+along the beach some huge bones of whales had been washed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_146" id="Page_146">[Pg 146]</a></span>
+on shore by the tide. Some distance off an outcast horse was
+attacked by thousands of famished crows. It is not an
+uncommon occurrence in Yezo. The black scavengers generally
+attack very young animals, and, flying on the pony's
+head, peck out its eyes. The pony, frightened, and driven
+mad by pain, bolts, and in his blind and reckless race either
+falls down a precipice and is killed outright, or else is driven
+to the coast by these daring wretches, which continue to peck
+at him with cruel and ceaseless avidity. There, with its way
+barred by the waves, tortured to death, and neighing
+desperately, the helpless beast succumbs, and affords the
+hungry birds a good meal, while hundreds gathered thick on
+the body, peck the poor brute to death. Thousands of others
+sit screaming in long rows round the scene of the fight,
+attentively watching for the final result, when they too can
+join in, and experience the joys of sated hunger. Nature can
+indeed be cruel.</p>
+
+<p>I stopped at a hut. My host was decidedly peculiar. For
+convenience we shall call him Omangus, which only means a
+"gone man," or a lunatic. I had heard of him further south,
+and I was anxious to make his acquaintance. I had not been
+five minutes in his hut before I perceived that he really was a
+lunatic. His head was of an abnormally large size; his skull
+was well developed at the back, with those prominent bumps
+behind the ears which show great love of eating. His
+forehead was high, and very slanting; the upper part was
+wider than near the eyebrows, which were so thick and bushy
+as nearly to cover the eyes. His nose, with its large nostrils,
+was stumpy and covered with hair, while his enormous
+projecting eyes were restless and fierce. His luxuriant
+moustache and beard matched the thick crop of long black
+hair which covered his whole body. His legs were short,
+wiry, with stiff and swollen joints, probably owing to rheumatism.
+His arms were very long, and his toes were also
+abnormally long. Altogether he had the appearance of a
+large orang-outang more than that of a human being. All
+his movements resembled those of a wild beast, and now
+and then, when pleased or dissatisfied, he would groan in
+a way not dissimilar to the growling of a bear. In fact, he
+was labouring under the belief that he was a wild beast of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_147" id="Page_147">[Pg 147]</a></span>
+some sort, and apparently he regarded himself as a "bruin."
+I never heard him speak or utter words, but whether he was
+actually dumb or not I was not able to ascertain, as every
+time I tried to examine his mouth he attempted to bite
+me. His biting, however, was of a different nature from that
+of the sweet girl on the Saruma shores, and when he did bite
+he bit well. One day in a struggle I came off nearly minus
+two joints of the third finger of my right hand.</p>
+
+<p>I several times attempted to take measurements of his
+skull and bones, but with no success. Once, as I had got
+hold of him and was feeling the "bumps" on his skull, he
+managed to disentangle himself, and grabbed me by the hair,
+which led to a conflict, and caused me a "très mauvais quart
+d'heure." We fought desperately, and I was thoroughly
+"licked"; not, however, before having found out that he had
+no bump of sensitiveness and none of philoprogenitiveness.
+He was pleased with his victory, and the hostilities ended.
+He hopped away cautiously, and I saw him climb on his
+hands and feet over the cliff near his hut, where he
+disappeared.</p>
+
+<p>Some hours later I saw the monomaniac stealthily creeping
+back among the rocks. I was some way from the hut, in a
+place where he could not see me. He came slowly forward,
+watching the hut suspiciously, as he evidently thought I was
+still inside. When he got near he stopped to pick up a
+large stone, and with it in his right hand he sneaked along
+towards the hut. He listened, and crept in. I followed
+immediately after. He was furious when I entered, and tried
+to escape, but I barred his way. He retreated into a corner,
+crouched down groaning, and showed signs of impatience.
+I could see that he was frightened, and I went to him and
+endeavoured to soothe him; not without success, for he
+became quieter, and I once more noticed the great power that
+a stronger will can exercise over a weaker one. As long as
+I was staring at him he never dared to move, and I could
+"will" him to do almost anything I wanted by thinking hard
+that he should do it; but when once I turned my eyes away
+I had no more control over him.</p>
+
+<p>This is just what happened that day. Thinking that he
+would keep quiet for some minutes, I got out my palette and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_148" id="Page_148">[Pg 148]</a></span>
+brushes in order to take his likeness. I had till then relied on
+my power of "willing" people, when my host, seizing the
+opportunity of my turning my head away for one moment,
+grabbed the stone which he had picked up, and threw it with
+great force at me. I was hit in the ribs, and was hurt sufficiently
+to lose my temper. I went for him, and gave him a
+sound thrashing, which sometimes has more effect than all the
+"willing" in the world. He became docile after that, and I
+took him outside and forced him to squat down.</p>
+
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_149" id="Page_149">[Pg 149]</a></p>
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 510px;">
+<img src="images/illus-148.jpg" width="510" height="600" alt="MY HOST, THE MADMAN" />
+<span class="caption">MY HOST, THE MADMAN.</span></div>
+
+<p>He was restless while I was painting him, and hundreds of
+half-starved crows, which seemed to be on good terms with
+my sitter, gathered round him, chatting in their incomprehensible
+and noisy language. Some of them even flew on to
+his back and shoulders, and he touched them without their
+flying away.</p>
+
+<p>I was astounded at the familiarity which existed between
+the madman and the birds. They seemed to understand each
+other, and had I only been sufficiently imaginative I might have
+asserted that I even saw them kissing him. Unfortunately,
+when the first astonishment was over I understood the reason
+of the affection on the part of the scavengers, and the whole
+mystery was unveiled to me. Like all mysteries, the apparently
+extraordinary friendship between the madman and the
+black birds turned out to be a plain bit of literal prose, and, I
+must add, a very disgusting bit. The maniac was covered with
+vermin, and the affectionate kisses of the crows were not
+kisses of love or sympathy, but only mouthfuls of parasites,
+which they found among the thick hair of his body.</p>
+
+<p>Two or three times the maniac crawled up to me, and
+seemed anxious to touch the colours on my palette, and also
+to put his fingers on the sketch. He saw that he gained
+nothing by being a foe, so he became a friend. He even
+became a great friend when I presented him with a shiny
+silver coin.</p>
+
+<p>Though Omangus was undoubtedly insane, he was a very
+practical person. As will be seen by the illustration, his attire
+was simple, and no allowance was made for pockets. He
+looked at the coin, turned it over in his hands several times,
+and grinned; then he placed it in his mouth for safe keeping.
+His mouth was apparently his purse. As I saw that he was
+fond of silver coins, I gave him one or two more, and all of
+them were religiously kept in the same natural pocket, except
+at night, when he hid them under a large stone. At sunrise
+they were collected again and placed back under his
+tongue or in one of his cheeks.</p>
+
+<p>I cannot say that my host was by any means brilliant, but,
+like most lunatics, he was a good soul apart from his little
+peculiarities. It was unfortunate that he had lost the power
+of speech, or I might have learnt some strange things from him.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_150" id="Page_150">[Pg 150]</a></span>
+Omangus was generally restless at night, and while asleep
+he seemed to suffer from awful nightmares. Most Ainu as
+a rule do not. One morning at dawn, as the first rays of
+light penetrated the hut, I watched him. He had been
+groaning frightfully all night, and I had not been able to
+sleep. He was lying flat on his back breathing heavily, and
+now and then he had a kind of spasm, during which he
+ground his teeth together with violence. It was during these
+spasms, or nervous contractions, that he groaned most fiercely.
+As he was so stretched I noticed how extraordinarily long his
+femur was compared to his tibia. I gently placed my hand
+over his heart, and found it was beating rapidly and irregularly.
+His forehead also was feverish and abnormally warm. He did
+not wake up, but as soon as the nervous strain was over he fell
+into a lethargic state. He appeared to have lost all strength,
+and it took me some time to awake him; but he finally opened
+his eyes, and, drowsily getting up, yawned to his heart's
+content, and went to fetch the hidden coins.</p>
+
+<p>The more I saw of Omangus, the more he puzzled me.
+His faculties were defective; still, he seemed to possess a
+fairly good memory. If not, how could he remember the
+concealed treasure? Although he was not able to form ideas
+of his own, he could retain those which he had grasped. His
+hearing was extremely acute, and his inability to speak must
+have undoubtedly been caused by paralysis of the tongue
+and vocal organs. Several times he made violent attempts to
+utter words, which he would not have done had he been
+born dumb.</p>
+
+<p>After the second day of my pleasant stay in Omangus' ten
+feet square sea-side residence my host became more genial
+and even affectionate. Instead of constantly running away
+from me he sat opposite me, attentively watching all my movements;
+and if I happened to be whistling, he slowly crept
+nearer, grinning with delight. Occasionally he crouched himself
+by my side, even resting against me. I did not approve
+of the latter proof of affection, not so much for his own sake
+as on account of the "large company" which he carried with
+him; but I had to put up with it until I found a counter-action
+in loud singing, which frightened him away.</p>
+
+<p>Omangus had a quantity of last year's salmon, which he had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_151" id="Page_151">[Pg 151]</a></span>
+dried in the sun, and which was now hanging from the roof of
+the little hut. The first day or two of my stay there I had
+but little to eat, owing to his belligerent behaviour. He
+rebelled every time that I attempted to touch his provisions,
+and what I had to eat was generally appropriated while my
+host was out. Afterwards, however, he became generous, and
+gave me more than I wanted. He took good care to draw
+the three coins out of his mouth while he was eating, but
+once, during a nervous fit, to which he was often subject,
+he swallowed one of them.</p>
+
+<p>One morning, weary of my lunatic friend's company, I
+packed all my traps and went to fetch my pony. Omangus
+seemed aghast, suspecting that I was about to leave. He
+was restless, and followed me, moaning, from the hut to the
+pony and back, and, with a forlorn look in his eyes, watched
+me bring the baggage outside and lash it to the pack-saddle.
+I gave him a couple more silver coins, which I thought would
+make him happy; but he dropped them in the sand. I bade
+good-bye to him and left; and there poor Omangus stood
+motionless, gazing at me until the winding shore took me
+round the cliff. He was out of sight for some minutes, but he
+soon reappeared on the summit of the cliff itself, on to which
+he rapidly climbed, and from this point of vantage he could
+see the coast for several miles. There standing, a black
+figure against the rising sun, the hairy Ainu became smaller
+and smaller as I moved away from him, until nothing but a
+black spot could be seen against the sky; then even that spot
+disappeared. It was the last I saw of my host the madman.</p>
+
+<p>The rivers were troublesome all along this part of my
+journey, and as most of them had quicksands, the safest plan
+was to cross them in a boat, when this was obtainable. However,
+as I went further north the boats became scarce and
+more scarce, and the small villages, few and very far between.
+I seldom came across a human being with whom I could
+exchange a word, and the constant solitude induced in me the
+bad habit of talking to myself, to animals, or to inanimate
+objects. My unfortunate pony was often lectured on different
+subjects, and the millions of seagulls and penguins all along
+the coast were asked questions of all sorts, which, however,
+they invariably left unanswered. It was strange to see the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_152" id="Page_152">[Pg 152]</a></span>
+myriads of birds stretched in two or three lines along the
+shore. Like the "beasts which roamed over the plains" in
+Alexander Selkirk's lament, they had seen so few human
+beings as to be indifferent to me and my pony, and I could
+walk among them without disturbing them or causing them to
+fly away. The penguins were my greatest source of amusement,
+with their fat bodies and their funny way of lifting up
+one leg as I was approaching, in order to get enough spring
+to raise themselves from the ground had I attempted to
+capture them. I was soliloquising, according to my then
+custom, while watching these droll birds, when not more
+than two hundred yards ahead I saw two large eagles. One
+of them was perched on a low cliff, the other was flying about,
+now and then returning near to its mate. I dismounted, with
+my revolver in my hand; I had a pocketful of cartridges. I
+crept stealthily from rock to rock, keeping well out of their
+sight until I came close to the pinnacled rock on which they
+stood. I was then about fifty yards from them, and it was
+useless my firing at such a distance with a revolver. I peeped
+over the rocks, and one of them saw me and flew away, while
+the other remained where it was, stretching its neck in my
+direction. Its piercing eyes were fixed full on me as I was
+approaching; it understood that danger was imminent, and it
+seemed ready to resist the attack. I drew nearer and nearer,
+and when about four yards away I fired two shots, both of
+which went through its breast, and the eagle, with its widespread
+wings, fell from its lofty pinnacle and came down
+heavily on its back.</p>
+
+<p>In its last convulsions it made desperate efforts to clutch
+me with its long sharp claws; but a couple more shots
+finished it. The male bird, which meanwhile had been describing
+circles high up in the sky over my head, plunged down
+on me with incredible velocity. I emptied the last chamber of
+my revolver into him, just as the wind of his large wings made
+my eyes twinkle; and to evade the grip of his outstretched
+claws I had to cover my face with my left arm. The report
+stunned him, and flapping his wings, he rose again, to resume
+his circling over my head, leaving a few of his feathers floating
+in the air. I reloaded quickly, and each time he attacked me
+he was received with a volley. Another bullet went through<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_153" id="Page_153">[Pg 153]</a></span>
+his wing, and his flying became unsteady; he flew on to a distant
+cliff, and there he remained. I seized this opportunity of
+carrying the dead bird away and lash it on to my saddle; but
+while I was so engaged the male eagle flew back to the pinnacle
+where I had first seen the two together, and stretching
+his enormous wings to their full width, screamed as if in despair.
+On the pinnacle was their nest and young, and that was
+why the female had kept watch and ward over her eyrie, and
+also why she had not abandoned it even when I approached.</p>
+
+<p>I mounted my pony and away I rode with my prey. The
+male bird followed me for miles and miles, and now and then
+I had to fire to keep him at a respectful distance. Ultimately
+he left me, and my delight was immense when, instead of
+seeing him over my head, ready to plunge on me at any
+moment, I saw him disappear behind the cliff, flying rapidly
+but unsteadily back to his eyrie.</p>
+
+<p>As I now made sure that he had no intention of pursuing
+me any longer, I dismounted, and proceeded to skin the eagle
+I had shot. It was decidedly a magnificent specimen. It
+measured seven feet from tip to tip of wings, and its claws
+were nearly as large as a child's hand. The semicircular
+nails measured two inches, and were extremely pointed, which
+fact made me feel very thankful that I had just escaped the
+grip of its male companion. The beak was enormous, of a
+rich yellow colour, the upper mandible overlapping the lower.
+The feathers were black all over, with the exception of the
+tail, which was white. I believe that this kind of eagle is
+generally called the "black sea-eagle," and is found in
+Kamschatka, Yezo, and also along the Siberian coast of the
+Japan Sea and Gulf of Tartary.</p>
+
+<p>I found a sheltered spot, and with my large Ainu knife
+proceeded to dissect the bird. Each minute seemed as long
+as hours, for I feared the male bird might reappear on the
+scene as I was thus occupied in stripping the skin from the
+carcass of his beloved helpmate. There is no knowing
+what effect anatomical researches might have on a Yezo eagle.
+My heart bounded with joy when the operation was successfully
+completed, and I went to wash my hands in the sea. I came
+back to the bird, or rather its skin, and I was indeed proud of
+my work, when a horrid idea struck me. How was I to get<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_154" id="Page_154">[Pg 154]</a></span>
+the skin dried? I should be moving day after day, and it
+would not be possible to pack it in that condition among
+my sketches; I had no arsenical soap, and unless I dried it
+in the sun it would certainly rot, and get spoiled.</p>
+
+<p>I resorted to a trick. I fastened two sticks crossways, and
+having stuck one up the eagle's neck, I fastened the two
+opened wings to the two side branches of the cross. The skin
+was thus kept well opened, and with two additional strings, one
+at each wing, the frame was fastened on to my back, the
+feathered side against my coat, while the inside was exposed
+to the sun and the wind. In wading a river I saw my own
+image reflected in the water, and I must confess the appearance
+was strange. A few hours after a group of Ainu were able to
+certify to this. I was riding slowly along the shore, when I
+saw a few of them not very far ahead. Two men were the
+first to notice me, and they seemed terror-stricken. As I
+approached they stood still for a minute, shading their eyes
+with their hands so as to make out what kind of winged
+animal it was they saw riding on horseback. When they
+discovered that the black wings were on a human being, the
+two brave Ainu fled, crying out, "<i>Wooi, wooi!</i>" the hairy
+people's cry of distress.</p>
+
+<p>As I got nearer the village, dozens of wild dogs came to
+meet me, and, barking furiously, followed my pony, while the
+few inhabitants, frightened out of their wits at such an unusual
+sight, hid themselves inside their huts. Two or three hurriedly
+launched their "dug-outs" and put out to sea. When I passed
+the first hut some large salmon were thrown at me from inside,
+probably with the idea that I might satisfy my appetite on
+them, and spare the lives of the trembling donors. Food was
+not over-plentiful along that coast, so I dismounted and picked
+up the provisions so munificently provided by the scared
+natives. I tied them on each side of my pack-saddle, not sorry
+to be thus saved from the danger of dying of starvation&mdash;at
+least for the next two or three days.</p>
+
+<p>As I was so occupied, a little child about four years old,
+evading the vigilance of his parents, ran out of one of the huts.
+I took him in my arms; whereat he cried bitterly, and when
+the people inside heard it there were screams of indignation
+and despair.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_155" id="Page_155">[Pg 155]</a></span>
+Maternal love is occasionally strong even among Ainu
+women, and while I tried hard to quiet the shrieking baby,
+his mother, as pale as the dirt on her face allowed her to be,
+came out trembling, and, offering me another large salmon,
+begged me to accept it in exchange for her child, who, she
+said, was not good to eat! It is needless to say that I was
+magnanimous enough to accept her offer, and thereupon
+handed the child over to his mother, who fled with him
+back into the hut. Then I took off my wings and went in
+after her, explaining to the frightened natives what I really
+was. It took them some minutes, however, to overcome their
+first impression, and then the men were pretty hard on the
+women for having given all the salmon away. The same
+scene was more or less vividly repeated when I came across
+any other natives during all the time that I wore the eagle-skin
+on my back. I have related this small anecdote, as, a
+few years hence, when some worthy missionary or imaginative
+traveller visits that barren coast of Yezo, it is not improbable
+that he may hear of some additional Ainu legend, which, the
+good missionaries will say, proves that the Ainu are fully
+aware of the existence of heaven and hell.</p>
+
+<p>"A heathen child," the legend will very likely run, "whose
+parents had not embraced our Christian faith, was one day
+plainly seen by his mother in the arms of a black-winged
+devil. The devil was seen by many, and he came from the
+lower regions on an unknown animal with huge side paunches,
+in which he kept the heathen children he had eaten. The
+mother, who, through her wickedness, saw herself deprived of
+her child, gave offerings to the gods, some through the eastern
+window for the sun-god, and some through the door for the
+other gods. The offerings were accepted, but none of the
+gods came to her help, and the child was nearly lost. Her
+guiding star appeared to her in that supreme moment, and
+inspired her to reach down from the roof the largest salmon
+in store. She walked out of the hut and offered it to another
+god, whom she knew not before. Instantly the child was
+restored to his mother. (That the god took the salmon
+would probably be omitted in the legend.) The black-winged
+demon vanished, and the hut was visited by a white being
+(freely translated, "the guardian angel"), with a halo (my<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_156" id="Page_156">[Pg 156]</a></span>
+white terai hat) round his head. He rewarded them, and
+from that day the family has been happy in the faith which
+they learned in such a miraculous manner."</p>
+
+<p>"Does not this legend speak for itself?" the good
+missionaries will tell us. "Does it not show that the savage
+Ainu are Christians without knowing it?"</p>
+
+<p>I have given these two versions of the same story, as they
+show the reader how easy it is to garble accounts and misrepresent
+facts. It is a good illustration of what I say in my
+chapter on the Ainu beliefs and superstitions, and I must be
+forgiven if I have ventured to make fun of the missionaries.
+It is not because I dislike them, for I gladly admit that some
+of them out in the East have done good work; but, unfortunately,
+most of them will not take an open-minded view of
+facts. They are so wrapped up in their good work of converting
+people to Christianity that, outside of that, they
+occasionally have a tendency to tinge with their own preconceived
+ideas, facts which to a less biased mind appear simple
+enough.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_157" id="Page_157">[Pg 157]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 364px;">
+<img src="images/illus-157.jpg" width="364" height="217" alt="" />
+<span class="caption">SARUBUTS, SHOWING RIVER-COURSE ALTERED BY DRIFT SAND.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XV.<br />
+<span class="small">On the North-East Coast&mdash;From Poronai to Cape Soya.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>It was late in the evening when I arrived at Poronai.<a name="FNanchor_35_35" id="FNanchor_35_35"></a><a href="#Footnote_35_35" class="fnanchor">[35]</a> Saruru,
+the last village I had passed, had only six Ainu and three
+Japanese huts, and the nine or ten miles between there and
+this place were most uninteresting. I was taken across one of
+the quicksand rivers in the ferry by a lovely Ainu girl of about
+twelve years of age. I have never seen a more picturesque
+being than she was. She was partly dressed in skins, but half
+her chest was bare; her wildly-curled black hair fell over her
+shoulders, and while gracefully paddling across the ferry she
+occasionally threw back her head, thus shaking back the hair
+that the wind had blown over her eyes.</p>
+
+<p>I have often noticed how supple the children of savages are,
+and how like in ease and grace and unconscious rhythm their
+movements are to those of wild animals. Sometimes, to be
+sure, they have the jerky, quick, and ungraceful movements of
+monkeys, but as a rule their actions are unconsciously graceful.
+Of course, with our children such unconscious grace is rare at
+any time, even when found at all, as from the day when they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_158" id="Page_158">[Pg 158]</a></span>
+are born we train them to artificiality of all kinds, and this
+artificiality becomes in a sense second nature, overlaying, if
+not destroying, the original impress. And yet that impress
+is probably not wholly destroyed, for, so far as my own
+experience goes, I, who had from my birth led a civilised life,
+now that I had been for some months among barbarians had
+so little conventionality left in me as to be quite happy, or
+even happier than before, in leading a perfectly uncivilised
+existence. In the absence of chairs and sofas, instinct and
+the example of the natives taught me to squat as they did,
+and when I had once got into the way of it I found the
+position much more restful than any of our European so-called
+comfortable ways of sitting. It was the same thing
+when I had to sleep, either in the open air or in Ainu huts,
+where there was no more bedding than sofas or easy chairs.
+To protect myself from the cold I almost invariably slept
+sitting on the ground, with my head resting on my knees, just
+like the apes in the Zoological Gardens. I am sure that a
+good many of my readers, who have never gone through such
+an experience, will put me down as a "crank;" others will
+say that I am a worthy companion of my friend the hairy
+lunatic, and the most charitable will think that, bearing the
+name of "Savage Landor," I am only indulging in a new
+edition of "Imaginary Conversations," without the literary
+merits of the old. Such is not the case. I have mentioned
+these facts, not to amuse the reader, or merely for the sake of
+paradox, but to show how shallow is the veneer of civilisation
+which we are apt to think so thorough, and how a very
+short time spent unaccompanied by men of one's own
+stamp, and alone with "nature," rubs the whole thing away,
+and brings us back to instinct rather than education. I
+am willing to admit that not many people would care to
+follow in my footsteps, and live as I lived for months
+among the Ainu in order to prove whether I am right or
+wrong. Many who have only sat in comfortable chairs or
+slept in soft beds will hardly think my statements credible;
+but as the experiences, besides being of great amusement,
+were of great interest to me, I shall pass them on to my
+readers, no matter what opinion they may form of him who
+has written them.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_159" id="Page_159">[Pg 159]</a></span>
+Another quality, merely instinctive, which I developed in
+my lonesome peregrinations was the power of accurate tracking.
+Most people are astonished at the wonderful tales told of the
+tracking abilities of the Australian black fellows, and of
+savages in general; but few ever think that if when young
+they had led the same life as these savages they would be as
+good trackers as the best. As there were absolutely no roads,
+and I travelled with no guide, servant, or companion, the
+power of discovering traces became invaluable to me. It was
+instinctive in me, developed rather than acquired, and therefore
+I mention it in connection with the other facts relating to
+animal and human instincts. Furthermore, I may assert that,
+until I was thus compelled to make use of that faculty, I was
+not aware that I possessed it.</p>
+
+<p>We find that horses, bears, and most animals are good
+trackers. Dogs, the nearest in intelligence to men, are better
+than any other quadruped. Then come savages, who are
+the masters of tracking among human beings; but as we
+rise in the scale of civilisation we find that this faculty of
+following a slightly indicated track hardly exists. Does,
+then, intellectual education destroy our instincts instead of
+improving them?</p>
+
+<p>Tracking on sandy or tufaceous ground is an easy matter,
+as of course the foot leaves a well-marked print; but where
+I found real difficulty was over rocky ground, until I got used
+to it, and knew all the signs and what I had to look for. However,
+with a little practice, even over rocks which the sea has
+washed, it is not impossible to know if such and such creatures,
+human or animal, have passed that way.</p>
+
+<p>One of the first things in tracking is to look for marks
+where they are likely to be; and this is just where the instinct
+comes in. Next to this, a clear knowledge of the person's or
+animal's way of walking and general habits is necessary. For
+instance, when I tried to discern tracks of Ainu, I invariably
+looked for them along the sea-shore, and failing that, on the
+adjoining cliffs, as I well knew that if any Ainu had passed by
+there he would have kept either along the coast or not far
+from it. By examination it is easy to see if the ground has
+been in any way disturbed of late. Sometimes a small stone
+moved from the place where it had been for years shows a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_160" id="Page_160">[Pg 160]</a></span>
+difference in colour where it has been affected by the weather
+and where not, thus giving a distinct clue of some passer-by,
+man or brute; and when once you have found what the
+characteristics of the tracks are, the most difficult part of the
+task is accomplished.</p>
+
+<p>On weather-beaten rocks the trail is more difficult to strike,
+and more difficult still on rocks over which the sea washes.
+"For," say the simple people, "how can you see tracks on
+hard stone? The foot certainly does not leave a print on
+rocks as on sand; and even supposing that the feet were
+dirty, the sea would wash away the marks, and you could
+not see anything."</p>
+
+<p>In my case I limited my search to bare-footed marks, as the
+Ainu generally go bare-footed. Everybody knows that dogs
+track by scent, and this is a sure proof that every footmark
+must have a certain special odour, however infinitesimal. When
+we remember that the act of walking makes the feet warm and
+perspire, it is easy to understand that this perspiration, which
+is a greasy substance, leaves a mark on the stone&mdash;though to
+be sure it is sometimes almost imperceptible, especially when
+quite fresh. But most of us, when children at school, have
+noticed that touching a slate with moist fingers leaves a
+greasy mark, which could not be rubbed off again. The same
+thing happens when we tread on stones with bare feet. If the
+sea washes over the stones after the greasy impression has
+been thus made on them, it does nothing but accentuate these
+marks, and show them more plainly, as the salt water acts in
+one way on the untouched parts of the stone, but in a different
+way where the grease has been absorbed. These marks are
+generally very faint, and it requires some training before they
+can be discerned; but when the knack is once acquired,
+they become evident enough. To an observant eye, and
+with a little practice, it is not difficult to perceive whether
+one or more persons have tramped on a given place, and
+in what direction they have travelled. The marks on stones
+which are washed over by the sea are usually of a lightish
+colour.</p>
+
+<p>I could almost invariably distinguish the footmarks of an
+Ainu from those of a Japanese, as the Ainu take longer
+strides, and their toes are longer than those of the Japanese.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_161" id="Page_161">[Pg 161]</a></span>
+Moreover, with the latter, when walking the greater pressure
+is forward under the foot, and their toes are turned in;
+while in Ainu footprints the whole foot rests on the ground,
+and they keep it perfectly straight, moving the two feet
+parallel to each other.</p>
+
+<p>I have given these few points on tracking, as it will explain
+to the reader how I was able to find my way from one village
+to another miles apart, to steer for huts where I had never
+been, and to overcome great difficulties, which I could not
+have surmounted if I had not learnt the art of tracking, and
+so far developed my natural powers. My ponies were also to
+a great extent my teachers; and by a close examination of
+their instinct I learned that I myself possessed it, and improved
+on it.</p>
+
+<p>Between Sawaki, or Fujima, and Poronai there is a beautiful
+forest of oak and hard-wood trees on the hills and firs on
+the higher mountains, while the shore above the sea-wash is
+covered with thick scrub-bamboo, which reaches a height of
+about ten feet.</p>
+
+<p>On the sandy beach, besides a large number of whales'
+bones, there is any amount of driftwood.</p>
+
+<p>At Poronai, which consisted of only eight huts, the
+Ainu had adopted an architecture for their storehouses
+different to that of other tribes. The walls and the roof
+were made partly of wood, partly of the bark of trees.
+Heavy stones were placed on the roof to prevent it from
+being blown away during the strong gales so frequent along
+that coast.</p>
+
+<p>The natives described the winter weather as very severe,
+especially during northerly winds, and they told me that some
+years the sea all along the coast is frozen for some eight or ten
+miles out, besides the drift-ice which sets in from the north
+and works its way along the coast as far as Cape Nossyap, in
+the neighbourhood of Nemuro. At the beginning of the
+winter this ice, probably drifted across from Sakhalin by the
+strong current in the La Perouse Strait, sets in from the north
+and works down all along the north-east coast of Yezo, filling
+up all indentations in the coast-line, and forming a solid mass
+on the surface of the water.</p>
+
+<p>Seals are very plentiful on these shores as far as Abashiri,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_162" id="Page_162">[Pg 162]</a></span>
+but the greatest number are found on the Saruma lagoon. In
+winter it is not difficult to come within reach of them, but even
+in September I saw many of them. They were, however, very
+shy, and when they caught sight of me instantly disappeared
+under water.</p>
+
+<p>A few miles from Poronai I came to a headland, and about
+one mile from it lay the small island of Chuskin.</p>
+
+<p>The coast again, instead of being sandy, showed traces of
+its volcanic formation, forming beautiful cliffs and a rugged
+outline, rising in terraces at places, or cliffs of clay and gravel
+sediments, with reefs extending far out to sea, while below
+them stretched a beach of coarse sand or pebbles, strewn with
+enormous volcanic boulders. These terraces are wooded
+mostly with alder, Yezo fir, and beech.</p>
+
+<p>Soon after crossing the Porobets River I came across the
+wreck of a sailing ship, which lay flat on the shore disabled
+and dismasted; and at last I reached Esashi. There I again
+noticed a curious fact, which may be of some interest to
+anthropologists; namely, that Yezo is mostly formed of
+Tertiaries and volcanic rocks, and that the Ainu are mostly
+to be found in regions of Cainozoic or Tertiary formation.
+In volcanic districts they are very scarce. This is curious,
+for it is a well-known fact that the typical life-form of
+Tertiaries is anthropoid apes, and it is a remarkable coincidence
+that we should find ape-like men populating the
+same strata.</p>
+
+<p>From Esashi the coast is extremely rough and rocky for
+about eight miles. I had to take my famished pony up and
+down steep mountains rising directly from the sea in places
+where the beach was impassable. Owing to the lack of grass
+my wretched beast had but little to eat; and what with the
+danger of riding, and the miserable condition my pony was
+in, I had to walk most of the way and lead him. Shanoi,
+about thirteen miles further, came in sight&mdash;a group of
+wretched fishermen's huts; and from here the coast was
+somewhat better. The scenery all along is beautiful,
+especially looking back towards the Shanoi Mountains. I
+saw one or two abandoned huts blown down by the wind,
+but no people.</p>
+
+<p>Near Shanoi the eruptive rocks and granitic cliffs suddenly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_163" id="Page_163">[Pg 163]</a></span>
+come to an end, as well as the mountainous character of the
+country, and for fifteen miles, till one comes to Sarubuts, the
+country is pretty flat and swampy, with a thick vegetation
+inland of spruce trees. There is a small lagoon formed by
+the Tombets River, and which often has its mouth blocked
+by the quicksands, which cause it to overflow.</p>
+
+<p>I left Sarubuts in pouring rain, following the trail along the
+beach. The river forms a long narrow lake similar to that
+of Tombets, and at the back of it are terraces and high
+lands, but no very high mountains. Another wreck of a large
+boat lay in fragments on the sand, and after fifteen miles of
+very uninteresting scenery I arrived at Chietomamai, a group
+of four or five fishermen's huts. Here again the coast was
+rough, but my pony did not sink in the sand as it did on
+leaving Sarubuts, but it stumbled among large pebbles and
+stones as pointed as needles. Further on were grey and
+brown steep cliffs, which were extremely picturesque. The
+Mezozoic nature of this coast shows more distinctly between
+Chietomamai and Soya Cape, and a large rock emerging from
+the sea is both peculiar and picturesque with its numerous
+square sections. It is from this point that one gets the first
+view of Soya Cape. Going round a bay one passes a few
+fishermen's houses, and on the cliffs above them has been
+erected the Siliusi lighthouse. I cleared the Cape and rounded
+the bay on the other side, where I saw another wreck of a
+sailing ship dashed upon the rocks, making the scene a sad
+one. I still went on, and went round two or three smaller
+headlands, when the melancholy sight of a fourth wreck stood
+before me. This last ship had her stern out of the water, and
+a Turkish name was painted on it. Her appearance also was
+Turkish, and I was more than once puzzled as to what a
+Turkish ship could have been doing in the La Perouse Strait.
+Many months afterwards, on my return to Yokohama, but too
+late to be of any help to them, the sad story of the survivors
+of that ship was revealed to me. The mission of the ship in
+those far-off seas was a mysterious one. No one ever knew
+exactly whence she came, or whither she was bound. No one
+ever learned whether she had been disabled in a typhoon in
+the Chinese Sea, and had been drifted so far north by the
+strong currents, or whether the careless Turkish master had<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_164" id="Page_164">[Pg 164]</a></span>
+mistaken his course and had met his fate in the dangerous
+currents of La Perouse Strait. Only four of the crew survived.
+There they were on that deserted coast, with no
+clothes, no food, no money; but the few natives treated them
+kindly. Two of them wore "<i>Tarbouches</i>" (red caps), the only
+things they had saved from the wreck. The natives on the
+north-west coast told me of these men who were tramping
+their way south, unable to make themselves understood, continually
+asking for "<i>Sekhara</i>," or "<i>Sakhara</i>," which, I believe,
+in the Turkish language means tobacco or cigarettes. After
+months of privations, half starved, and worn out with fatigue,
+they reached Hakodate, where, having no passport, and not
+being able to explain themselves, they were duly arrested
+and sent down to Yokohama. Unfortunately for them,
+at that time the "Entogroul," a Turkish man-of-war, had
+come to Japan, a voyage which took her two years, to
+bring some decorations which the Sultan had bestowed on
+the Mikado. Osman Pasha, the Admiral, had the poor
+devils brought before him, and they told him their sad story,
+what they had suffered, and how they had lost their ship.
+The story was too true to be believed, or too strange to
+sound true!</p>
+
+<p>"Impostors!" said Osman Pasha, and declining to listen
+any more to their tale of woe, which he called "pure lies,"
+had them "put in irons," in which condition they were to be
+taken back to Constantinople. None of the foreign residents
+in Japan believed the story of these wretches, and all
+were glad to see the miscreants punished. "Impossible,"
+said everybody, "that a Turkish ship should have been up
+there!"</p>
+
+<p>As it so happened, the "Entogroul," on her return trip
+to Constantinople, was herself caught in a typhoon, and,
+steaming full speed to resist the force of the wind and the
+waves, her boilers burst, and Osman Pasha and nearly all
+hands on board were blown to pieces or drowned. If I
+remember right, over three hundred and sixty lives were
+lost, and no doubt the four men, whose prison, I was told,
+was near the boilers, thus found a tragic end to their life
+of misery.</p>
+
+<p>When I arrived at Yokohama all this had already happened,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_165" id="Page_165">[Pg 165]</a></span>
+and my evidence, which probably might have saved the life of
+these men, was therefore useless.</p>
+
+<p>But let us return to Soya Cape, where we have left the
+wreck.</p>
+
+<p>The rapid current which comes through the Strait gives
+a horrid look to the water, and I have never seen the sea look
+so vicious. The natives of the small Soya village told me that
+it is impossible to cross over to Sakhalin, the high mountains
+of which, covered with snow and glaciers, I could see
+distinctly. The distance from land to land is about twenty-eight
+miles, but no small boat can get across without being
+swamped. They told me also that often dead bodies of
+Russians are washed on shore, probably unfortunate convicts
+who found their death in attempting to obtain liberty. H.M.S.
+"Rattler" was wrecked in 1868 on one of the numerous reefs
+near this Cape, so the record of Soya could hardly be more
+mournful.</p>
+
+<p>After the Cape has been well rounded one finds oneself
+in a bay opening due north. In the winter time this
+bay is completely blocked with ice, but the Strait itself is
+never entirely frozen, owing to the strong warm current
+from the Chinese Sea, which the Japanese call by the name
+of Kuroshiwo.</p>
+
+<p>Soya village is a wretched place of thirty or forty sheds.
+A few planks, badly joined together, and with a kind of a roof
+over them, made my shelter for the night. Soya Cape is the
+most northern point of the north-east coast, and before we
+abandon it to move towards the south, along the west
+coast, it is important to mention the peculiar and conspicuous
+characteristic of the marked bending of watercourses in a south
+or south-easterly direction. They are forced that way by the
+drift-sand travelling along the coast from north-west to south-east
+with the Kuroshiwo current, which drift-sand is in such
+quantities as often to block altogether the mouths of some
+rivers, and form the large lagoons so common along this coast.
+The lack of harbours or sheltered anchorages, the inhospitable
+and unfertile shores, the quicksands, and the severe climate,
+besides the danger of being swamped and carried away by
+the overflow of a lagoon or lake, make this coast of little
+attraction for intending settlers or for pleasure-seekers.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_166" id="Page_166">[Pg 166]</a></span>
+Herrings are plentiful all along the coast, but fishing stations
+could not possibly pay, even if any were established, owing to
+the difficulty and expense of carriage and freight, and the risk
+that ships would run in calling at such exposed and unprotected
+shores.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 392px;">
+<img src="images/illus-166.jpg" width="392" height="289" alt="AINU VILLAGE ON THE EAST COAST OF YEZO" />
+<span class="caption">AINU VILLAGE ON THE EAST COAST OF YEZO.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_167" id="Page_167">[Pg 167]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 360px;">
+<img src="images/illus-167.jpg" width="360" height="236" alt="MASHIKE MOUNTAIN" />
+<span class="caption">MASHIKE MOUNTAIN.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XVI.<br />
+<span class="small">From Cape Soya to the Ishikari River.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>From Soya the coast forms a large bay, which opens due
+north, and which ends in Cape Soya on the eastern side and
+in Cape Nossyap on the western. Almost in the middle is
+the small village of Coittoe, and from this place, towering
+beyond the flat Nossyap peninsula, one can see Rishiri
+Island. Near the western part of the bay are some small
+hills, covered mainly with fir-trees. Wakkanai, a Japanese
+village, is on the west coast of the bay, and north of it is Cape
+Nossyap. From this cape is a lovely view of Rishiri and
+Repunshiri Islands. Rishiri is a volcanic cone 6,400 feet
+above the level of the sea. It has the identical shape of the
+famous Fujiama in Southern Japan, and rising as it does in
+graceful slopes directly from the sea, has the appearance of
+being higher than it really is. Repunshiri is hilly and partly
+of volcanic formation, but none of its peaks rise to a higher
+altitude than five hundred feet.</p>
+
+<p>Rishiri is almost circular at sea-level, and it has no well-sheltered
+nor safe anchorages; but Repunshiri has one good<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_168" id="Page_168">[Pg 168]</a></span>
+anchorage on its north coast. Rishiri is about six and a half
+miles in diameter and twenty-five miles distant, directly west
+of Cape Nossyap; Repunshiri is eleven miles long, about four
+and a-half wide, and eleven miles distant to Ikaru, its nearest
+point east on the Yezo coast. As the Kuriles are a continuation
+east of the volcanic zone of Yezo, there is no doubt that
+Rishiri and Repunshiri are the terminus of the same volcanic
+zone at its north-west end.</p>
+
+<p>From Wakkanai a new horse-track has been opened to
+Bakkai, on the north-west coast. The ride for the first eleven
+miles was uncomfortable, as my pony, a worn-out brute, sank
+up to its belly in the mud; but in due course I came to the
+hilly part, and after having gone up one steep pitch and down
+another for a considerable distance, I rapidly descended a
+precipitous bank, and followed the soft sandy beach till I
+reached Bakkai. Here there is a large and peculiar stone,
+which the Ainu say resembles an old woman carrying a child
+on her back. It stands perpendicularly out of the ground
+at a great height, and it is of a rich dark-brown colour. If
+the north-east coast was barren and deserted, the western
+shore of Yezo was even yet more desolate. For thirty or
+forty miles, as far as the Teshio River, the beach was strewn
+with wrecks and wreckage. Here you saw a boat smashed to
+pieces; there a mast cast on the shore; further on a wheel-house
+washed away by the waves; then the helm of a disabled
+ship. It was a sight sad enough to break one's heart, with
+all the tragic circumstances it suggested.</p>
+
+<p>Between Bakkai and Wadamanai especially, I do not think
+that one can go more than a few yards at a time without being
+reminded by the wreckage which is strewn thick on the coast
+of some calamity. A white life-boat, with her stern smashed,
+lay on the sand helpless to save, and as a kind of satire on
+her name; and at Wadamanai, a large Russian cruiser, the
+"Crisorok," dismasted and broken in two, lay flat on the beach
+half covered with sand. Her bridge had been washed away
+and her deck had sunk in. Some of the bodies of her gallant
+officers and crew had been washed on shore by the sea. No
+one knows in what circumstances the ship was lost, but it is
+probable that during last winter, when she came to her ill-fated
+end, her rigging and sails got top-heavy with ice, and that she<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_169" id="Page_169">[Pg 169]</a></span>
+capsized. Some of the wreckage one finds on that coast has
+been drifted there from the Chinese Sea by the Kuroshiwo
+current; and then, owing to the La Perouse Strait turning so
+sharply to the east, has been left on this last portion of the
+coast. Here and there a rough tent made with a torn sail, or
+a deserted shed knocked up out of pieces of wreckage, is a
+suggestive reminder that some unfortunate derelict seafarer
+had suffered and striven for life on these forlorn sands. An
+enormous quantity of drift-logs, and here and there some
+bones of whales, are strewn all along the beach.</p>
+
+<p>At Wadamanai there is a mere rough shed under the shelter
+of the sand-hills. When I left this place, moving south, a
+strong gale blew, which made the travelling most unpleasant.
+It was getting fearfully cold, and now that I needed clothes
+so badly mine were falling altogether to pieces. My "unmentionables,"
+which reached down to my feet when I left Hakodate
+at the beginning of my journey, had long since been
+trimmed and reduced to a kind of knickerbockers. Then the
+knees got worn out, and they became more like bathing-breeches;
+and finally I dispensed with them altogether, and
+made use of them to protect my sketch-book and diary, round
+which I wrapped what remained of the ex-garment. My
+boots, of course, were a dream of the past, and little by little
+I was getting accustomed to walking barefooted. Thus,
+dressed in a coat, a belt ... and nothing else, I moved along
+this inhospitable coast, half frozen, but not discomfited.</p>
+
+<p>The mouths of some of the small rivulets were extremely
+nasty to cross, as my pony sank in the quicksands. I had
+to help him out, and that meant a cold bath each time. From
+Wadamanai I kept a little more inland, still steering for the
+south, and every now and then I again struck the beach.
+Still the old sad story of wreckages strewn all over the shore,
+sailing boats smashed to pieces, junks disabled and half buried
+in sand, met me at every turn, creating in my mind a very
+monotony of melancholy.</p>
+
+<p>Late in the evening I reached the mouth of the Teshio
+River, a broad deep watercourse, one of the three largest rivers
+in Hokkaido, the other two being the Ishikari and the Tokachi.
+It has a long course in a general north-westerly direction, and
+then sharply turns southward, running parallel with the coast<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_170" id="Page_170">[Pg 170]</a></span>
+for about four miles, and forming a kind of lagoon at its outlet,
+which seems now to be working towards the northward again.
+All the other rivers on the west coast tend northward owing
+to the drift-sand which the current brings north. It is strange
+that the Teshio should partly be an exception to this rule,
+though we have ample evidence, even in this watercourse, of
+the movement of the sand, for the bar at its mouth almost
+entirely blocks its entrance, and rapidly works in a northerly
+direction. Thus there is no doubt that the sand travels
+towards the north all along the west coast.</p>
+
+<p>Sea-trout is abundant in the Teshio River, but salmon, with
+which this stream formerly abounded, are now less plentiful
+owing to the sand-bar which blocks the entrance.</p>
+
+<p>A gale was blowing fiercely when I crossed the lagoon in a
+small Ainu "dug-out," and my pony was made to swim across.
+Two or three times we nearly capsized, and we shipped a lot
+of water. It was just like sitting in a bath with water up to
+my waist; but the Ainu, who had as much as he could do to
+paddle me across and tow the pony as well, comforted me by
+saying, "Now that his 'dug-out' was full, we could not ship
+any more water, and that his skiff, being made of wood, could
+not sink!"</p>
+
+<p>After a long struggle we got safely to the other side, and
+the Ainu boatman guided me for a mile or so to the fishing
+village at the mouth of the river. It has but ten huts, all more
+or less miserable. The pony was so done up that he was
+hardly fit to carry my traps, much less could he have borne
+my weight. I could not get a fresh animal, so I had to push
+forward walking, and dragging the beast on as well as I could.
+This had the advantage of keeping me warm, which I needed
+badly, for what with the cold and my dilapidated costume I
+was more nearly frozen to death than was pleasant. The
+track was heavy in the soft sand, and the dangerous and
+numerous quicksand streams were enough to make a saint
+swear&mdash;if swearing would have done any good. How unspeakably
+desolate it all was! Not a soul to be met; not a
+hut to be seen! Here and there more wreckage and drift-wood
+on the shore, telling of storms and death, and the absence
+of all human aid. At last I came in sight of an Ainu hut; but
+as I drew near I found that it was abandoned. My meals,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_171" id="Page_171">[Pg 171]</a></span>
+never very plentiful, were now specially scanty&mdash;few and far
+between; and, taken altogether, this part of my travels in
+Ainuland was somewhat lacking in cheerfulness.</p>
+
+<p>The cliffs near Wembets have the strange appearance of
+so many cones at equal intervals along the coast. On the
+Wembets River there were as many as two huts; and here
+again I had to cross in a boat, the stream being too deep
+to ford on foot or horseback; then again along the sand,
+dragging my pony, while I myself could hardly stand on
+my half-skinned feet, I went on and on, wearied of the
+monotony of my miserable experiences. The track grew
+narrow, and always worse. The high grey cliffs of clay-rock
+began, and the rough sea washed up to the foot of
+them, making progress more than ever unpleasant and
+dangerous. Each wave that came brought the water up
+to my knees, often up to my waist, and for about ten
+miles I was continually in and out of water. On a cold
+day my readers can imagine how pleasant it was! About
+sunset I came in sight of the two flat islands of Teuri and
+Yangeshiri, about fifteen miles off the coast. It then grew
+dark; but the moon came to my help, shining brightly on the
+greyish cliffs. The tide had risen, and in several places I had
+great difficulty in getting across on account of the furious
+waves dashing against the cliffs, and making a picturesque and
+living sheet of foam.</p>
+
+<p>Late at night, as I had almost given up all hope of finding
+a shelter, I came upon a shed on the Furembets River, where
+I put up for the night.</p>
+
+<p>My wretched pony was nearly dead with fatigue, and I let
+him loose so that he might get a feed of grass. The next
+morning, after the inmates of the hut had volunteered to go
+and bring him back to me, I heard them on the distant hills
+calling, "<i>Pop, pop, pop, pop!</i>" the Ainu way of approaching and
+calling horses. After a time they came back hopeless, saying
+that the brute had bolted, and there was no hope of getting
+him again. He could not be found anywhere! I was in the
+most awful dilemma, for had that been the case I would have
+been forced to abandon all my impedimenta, consisting of
+sketches and painting materials, and proceed as best I could
+on foot. Under other circumstances I could have carried the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_172" id="Page_172">[Pg 172]</a></span>
+baggage on my back easily; but as I was half-starved, and had
+my feet badly cut, I was hardly able to carry my own weight;
+therefore this was not possible now.</p>
+
+<p>As incredulity is one of the useful qualities I possess, I went
+to look after my pony myself. The shed was protected by a
+sand-mound at the back, and a small space was left between
+the mound and the wall of the shed. I do not know what
+made me go and look there, but sure enough there was my
+pony lying flat, and almost too weak to get up again. This
+was no horse-stealing ruse on the part of the Ainu; simply the
+wretched animal's own idea of good stabling and likely fodder.
+I dragged him out of his involuntary prison, and after having
+done what I could for his comfort and well-being, we set out
+once more on our melancholy travels. This may sound cruel
+to some who in the course of their life have never travelled
+in out-of-the-way places, and who are ready to condemn anyone
+who is the means of letting an animal suffer. It may
+sound cruel in our humane country, where animals are protected
+and prize-fights tolerated and enjoyed; so to avoid
+misunderstandings it might be as well for me to say, that as
+regards this tired pony it was simply the matter to push on
+with him as far as I could or lose all the valuable materials I
+had collected during months of sufferings and privations. No
+ponies were to be got for any money along that deserted
+coast, for there were none in existence. I did my best to
+alleviate the poor animal's sufferings by undergoing myself a
+considerable amount of pain, walking most of the way with my
+feet a mass of sores; and as winter was rapidly coming on, I
+was more than anxious to make my way south with all the
+speed I could, to prevent being blocked up with snow and ice
+and forced to spend the winter on this inhospitable coast.
+Consequently, I was, as a matter of fact, more cruel to myself
+than to my animals; to the others, those who will still cast
+the first stone at me, I can wish no better punishment than to
+be placed in the same position I was then. The trail became
+somewhat better, as it led over the cliffs for about three miles;
+then again it was on the beach. The high cliffs varied from
+a very rich burnt sienna colour to a nice warm grey, and in
+some places they are perfectly white, like the cliffs at Dover.
+Conical mounds frequently occur, and give a curious aspect to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_173" id="Page_173">[Pg 173]</a></span>
+this deserted shore. Ten miles further on, at Chukbets, I
+found a couple of huts; then I walked and dragged the pony
+on the cliffs for about four miles; then again I resorted to
+the beach; and finally I entered Hamboro, a small village,
+or rather a picturesque group of sheds and huts, and a capital
+fishing-station. <i>Shake</i>, salmon, <i>mashe</i>, and herrings are caught
+in abundance at the mouth of this river. A short distance
+from here hundreds of carcasses of seals were scattered
+on the beach, whence emanated pestilential odours. On
+account of the slowness of my pony I had to-night a
+modified repetition of last night's experience, but neither
+was the sea so rough nor the trail so narrow at the bottom of
+the cliffs; and though my wretched animal was naturally in
+a worse condition than before, I was able to push on to
+Tomamai that same night, where I arrived at a small hour
+of the morning.</p>
+
+<p>At Tomamai, the coast, which had described a long curve,
+the two ends of which are Ikuru north and this point south,
+turns sharply in a southerly direction, running straight for
+many miles from north to south.</p>
+
+<p>From Tomamai southwards the coast is not quite as deserted
+as it was further north, for here and there are villages
+of fishermen's houses. The population, however, is a migratory
+one, and when I went through, the herring-fishing season
+was over, and consequently most of the houses were abandoned
+and the people had migrated south. The winter weather is
+very severe, and the houses have to be barricaded with thick
+piles of wood as a protection against the strong westerly gales.
+The boats had been drawn far on shore, where they were
+well fastened to posts, and rough sheds thatched with grass
+built over them.</p>
+
+<p>Along the coast there was a string of these habitations, hut
+after hut, storehouse after storehouse, but hardly a soul to be
+seen. It was like going through the city of the dead. Many
+of the fishermen's huts were built on the side of the rugged
+cliffs, and they stood on piles about fifteen feet high, the back
+of the house resting on the cliff itself. Twelve and a half
+miles further another row of houses, similarly deserted for the
+winter, stood along the shore-line at Onishika. In this part
+of the coast salmon are very scarce, and the chief industry is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_174" id="Page_174">[Pg 174]</a></span>
+the herring fishery. There are no Ainu to be found either at
+Tomamai or Onishika.</p>
+
+<p>I continued my lonesome ride in the pouring rain, and soon
+came to a peculiar long tunnel, natural and partly excavated,
+between this place and Rumoi, a village prettily situated on
+the slope of a hill fifteen miles further. This place possesses
+a small anchorage at the mouth of the river, which is now only
+fit for junks and small sailing-boats, but could be considerably
+improved. Good coal has been discovered some way up
+the river. There is a track on the cliffs leading to Mashike.
+All along the coast are any number of fishermen's houses, but
+they were all closed and barricaded. Ultimately, descending
+from the cliffs in a zig-zag fashion, after another ten miles'
+ride I found myself at Mashike, the largest Japanese village
+in the Teshio district. Close to the tunnel there is a small
+Ainu village, where the natives let their hair grow very long,
+and then tie it up in a kind of knot, similar to the Corean
+fashion of head-dress, while the women have given up tattooing
+altogether. The fishermen at Mashike seem to suffer
+greatly from "<i>Kaki</i>," or rheumatism, and cancer, while consumption,
+malarial fever, and typhus are in a small proportion.</p>
+
+<p>I had to stop over one day at Mashike, for the river was
+swollen by the heavy rains, and it was impossible to get across.
+On the other side of it stood Mashike-san, a huge volcanic
+mountain rising sheer from the sea, and forming Cape
+Kamuieto, under the shelter of which lies Mashike village;
+and further south Cape Uhui projects into the sea. It is the
+end of a mountain range which here runs north and then
+south again, in the latter part forming one side of the upper
+basin of the Teshio River. Mashike is the largest settlement
+either on the north-east or west coast of Yezo. Its population
+is partly migratory, but not so wholly as is the case with the
+villages I had previously passed. I was delayed still another
+day owing to the condition of the river; for the rain, instead
+of decreasing, poured down to such an extent that the stream
+could not be crossed, the current being too swift and the water
+too deep. The sea was also too rough to allow of my leaving
+Mashike in a canoe.</p>
+
+<p>On the third day I rose early, and decided to attempt this
+much-desired crossing of the river. It had not rained during<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_175" id="Page_175">[Pg 175]</a></span>
+the night, and the waters seemed to have slightly diminished.
+As the stream runs down a very steep incline on the slopes of
+Mashike Mountain, the current rushes with tremendous force.
+It was about five in the morning when I took my baggage to
+the river bank. It was made up in two bundles, which I tied
+together firmly with a leather strap. Some of the natives
+who had collected round me entreated me to give up this
+foolish idea, for they said I should infallibly lose my life if I
+attempted to wade across the swollen river.</p>
+
+<p>I saw at once that my pony would never be able to cross,
+so I left him, and, taking the baggage on my head, and passing
+my hands through the strap, I went into the water. The
+current was indeed so strong that, weak as I was, I could
+hardly stand against it. I had nearly reached the middle,
+with the water up to my mouth, when I fancied I heard the
+anxious crowd scream to me, "<i>Abunai! abunai! abunai!</i>"&mdash;"Look
+out! look out! look out!" Startled and alarmed at
+this piercing cry I turned my head, and saw within a few yards
+of me a huge trunk of a tree coming swiftly down with the
+current. There was a bump, and I saw nothing more. Half a
+minute later I was violently thrown on the opposite bank, and
+in trying to stand up on my feet in the shallow water my right
+foot unfortunately got jammed between two stones in the
+river bed; I was knocked down again, and broke my heel-bone
+just under the ankle. Several natives came to my rescue
+and I was lifted out of the water, half-stunned, half-drowned,
+but still holding fast to my load. I was nearly frozen, and
+trembling like a leaf from cold. When I tried to stand my
+right leg collapsed, and I had to lie down on the ground.
+What with the blow which I had received from the floating
+wood, what with the muddy water I had involuntarily swallowed,
+it took me some minutes before I could quite understand
+my situation, or what had befallen me. When I did I
+felt a terrible pain in my right leg. I looked, and there, on the
+sand, under my foot and leg, which were swollen up to an
+enormous size, was a pool of blood; the broken bone had
+penetrated the skin, and was exposed to the air. When I
+recovered my senses well enough I got a man to tear the wet
+lining of my drenched coat, and with it and a few improvised
+splints I proceeded to set my own broken bone. It was hard<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_176" id="Page_176">[Pg 176]</a></span>
+work; but with the help of some natives I bandaged it up as
+well as I could, and with the extra help of a coarse flaxen
+rope I made a fairly good surgical job of the whole thing.</p>
+
+<p>Stopping there till I grew better would have been foolish,
+for winter was setting in; everything would soon be frozen
+and snowed up, and, far from all my friends, as well as from
+anything like civilised life or elementary comforts as I was, I
+should probably have died. As long as I had a spark of life left
+in me I decided that I would struggle and push on, come what
+might. Two men undertook to carry me over the Mashike
+Mountain, which rises to an altitude of 3,600 feet above the
+sea-level. The mountain is thickly wooded, and the trail is
+steep, heavy, and in many places dangerous, and when we
+reached a sufficient altitude the trail was merely in the bed of
+a rivulet composed mainly of huge stones. Travelling in the
+state in which I was, was something like going to one's own
+funeral. The jerking and the cold were excruciating; the
+continuous stumbling and unsteady walk of my men over the
+rough and slippery slopes did not improve my condition; but
+finally we reached the summit. What a lovely view! One
+could see far along the Teshio coast on the one side and down
+towards the Ishikari on the other, and towards the east rose up
+a picturesque chain of thickly-wooded mountains. Rising from
+the sea stood the fine Cape Airup, near Moi; then far beyond,
+dimly seen in the mist, was the towering outline of Shakotan.
+We went down the other side, and my men, poor fellows, did
+their best to cheer me up. One of them told me a cheering
+story of a grizzly bear&mdash;which, by the way, he said were
+numberless on this mountain&mdash;that had killed and eaten two
+children, and also their father when the latter went to their
+rescue. The other told me of the many men who had perished
+in crossing the mountain; some had been overtaken by a snowstorm,
+others had lost their way and fallen over precipices,
+while others again had been killed by avalanches in winter.</p>
+
+<p>Listening to this lively conversation, shaken and suffering,
+I arrived late at night at Moi, having been carried over a
+distance of twenty-five miles, to do which occupied about
+eighteen hours. There was no possible way of getting across
+the mountains between here and Atzta, as the high granitic
+perpendicular cliffs are unscalable, and I was bound to entrust<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_177" id="Page_177">[Pg 177]</a></span>
+my life to a small Ainu canoe. Two other passengers, a
+Japanese woman and a man, asked if I would allow them to
+travel in the boat with me; and then we three, rowed by an
+Ainu man, put out to sea. The sea was rough outside, but as
+the large bay was well protected by the Aikap Cape, all went
+right at first; but in rounding the point we went too near the
+rocks, got caught in a breaker, and shipped so much water
+that the canoe began to slowly sink under the additional
+weight. The Ainu was pretty smart, and he put his skiff on
+the rocks. Between him and the two passengers I was helped
+out, and while the Ainu emptied the canoe, the two Japanese
+undressed entirely and spread out all their clothes and
+underclothes in the sun to dry.</p>
+
+<p>We got on board again, and, coasting more carefully, passed
+several small fishing villages, of which Gokibira is the largest
+and most important. It is backed by high mountains ranging
+from twelve hundred to seventeen hundred and more feet
+above the sea. One of the mountains&mdash;the highest&mdash;is called
+Okashi-nae-yama.</p>
+
+<p>Atzta is a long narrow village, of which almost all the
+houses are built against the cliff. From here I had to begin
+riding again along the bad and stony coast, among drift-wood,
+and up and down cliffs. Anyone who has ever had any broken
+bones will appreciate the tortures which I had to go through.
+Owing to pain, exhaustion, and fatigue I had no control over
+my pony, and could hardly stick on to the saddle. I took the
+precaution of tying the bridle to my wrist, for should the pony
+knock me off, he could not bolt away; but, unhappily, sometimes
+this was the means of his dragging me mercilessly on
+the ground for dozens of yards before he would stop. Then I
+had to wait for some charitable passer-by to help me into the
+saddle again, for I could no longer mount by myself. Day
+after day of this wretched life made me feel almost unconscious
+that I had a pain. I took things as they came, and I
+went on. Now that I sit here in a comfortable chair writing
+this by a cosy fire, I am myself astonished at my own perseverance.
+If I were called upon to go through the same experience
+now I could not. But in truth there are many things that one
+does not mind doing for motives of pleasure which one would
+never dream of attempting under the compulsion of an external<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_178" id="Page_178">[Pg 178]</a></span>
+will. Kutambets is picturesquely situated in a large
+gully formed by a break in the red-tinted cliffs. From Kutambets
+to Moroi the track is slightly better, and from this to
+Ishikari it is quite easy. The latter river, a very large one,
+has to be crossed by a ferry, as the habitations are on the
+south banks of the stream.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 229px;">
+<img src="images/illus-178.jpg" width="229" height="228" alt="ISHIKARI KRAFTU AINU" />
+<span class="caption">ISHIKARI KRAFTU AINU.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_179" id="Page_179">[Pg 179]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 355px;">
+<img src="images/illus-179.jpg" width="355" height="206" alt="THE KAMUIKOTAN RAPIDS" />
+<span class="caption">THE KAMUIKOTAN RAPIDS.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XVII.<br />
+<span class="small">The Ishikari River.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>On the north side of the mouth of the Ishikari River is an
+Ainu village called Raishats. Its inhabitants are not natives
+of this island, but were imported by the Japanese Government
+from Sakhalin when it was exchanged with Russia for the
+Kuriles.</p>
+
+<p>At the entrance of the river, and close to this village, another
+wreck&mdash;of the "Kamida Maru"&mdash;a schooner, ended the
+mournful list of disasters on this inhospitable coast.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu of Raishats are different in some ways from the
+Yezo Ainu proper. They call themselves Kraftu Ainu,
+"Kraftu"<a name="FNanchor_36_36" id="FNanchor_36_36"></a><a href="#Footnote_36_36" class="fnanchor">[36]</a> being the Ainu name for Sakhalin. Their skin is
+of a lighter colour; but the principal difference is in their eyes
+and eyebrows. The Kraftu Ainu have eyes of the Mongolian
+type, though larger, while the Yezo Ainu have not; and their
+eyebrows have a very pronounced curve near the nose.
+Most of the women seemed to suffer from consumption, and
+the men also did not seem as strong as the other Ainu. The
+women tattoo on their lips a small square pattern instead of
+the long moustache, and most of them have now adopted
+Japanese <i>kimonos</i>, or else wear gowns similar to those of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_180" id="Page_180">[Pg 180]</a></span>
+Russian peasants. Some also wear skin gowns similar to
+those of the Kurilsky Ainu, ornamented with feathers and
+bits of molten lead sewn on them. A velvet cap or a kind of
+tiara is their head-gear, and this also is ornamented with gold
+and silver or red beads, or else is embroidered in bright colours.</p>
+
+<p>The children are arrayed in more gaudy colours than their
+elders. They have bright red embroideries round their necks,
+and the whole gown is full of spangles and beads, the proceeds
+of parental barter. A peculiar paunch-suspender, which I saw
+here for the first time, was ingenious, and answered a great
+want in the Ainu country. As will be seen later, the majority
+of Ainu children have huge paunches, mostly due to the inability
+of the hairy people to tie and secure properly the umbilical cord
+at the child's birth. This not only produces great discomfort
+to the child, but often causes its death. The belt which I saw
+was made on the principle that the weight of the paunch,
+under which passed a kind of net made of strips of skin, was
+supported by braces going over the shoulders, and by this contrivance,
+if the original lesion did not get much better it did
+not get worse, as it does when not taken any care of at all.
+Neither men nor women wore earrings; but the fair sex wore
+a kind of velvet ribbon necklace round their neck, and on this
+ribbon were sewn ornaments of molten lead, silver, and other
+metals.</p>
+
+<p>The habitations, storehouses, and customs of these Ainu
+are similar to those of the others. As I slowly rode along the
+banks of the river just before sunset, retracing my steps
+towards the Ishikari village, I saw a hidden trail, which
+apparently led to the woods. I made my pony follow it, and
+shortly afterwards I came to a graveyard. As I have said,
+the Ainu are extremely jealous of their burial-places, and they
+resent strangers, even Japanese, going near them. It was
+nearly fifteen days since the accident to my leg had occurred,
+and though I could neither walk nor stand on it, still I was
+beginning to be accustomed to the agony, and with great
+trouble and pain I could dismount from my tiny pony. Strange
+to say, mounting was not so difficult, for I could pull myself up
+with my arms, lie flat on my stomach on the saddle, and then
+swing round, and it did not jar me as much as coming down.
+I had my paint-box fastened to the saddle, and I unlashed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_181" id="Page_181">[Pg 181]</a></span>
+it to take a sketch. The tombs were so many trunks of
+trees cut and carved, and with one branch left on one side (<i>see</i>
+<a href="#Page_218">Chapter XXI.</a>). One tomb particularly was more ornamented,
+and it had a flat-shaped monument, roughly but well carved
+at its head. An object resembling the bottom of a "dug-out"
+covered the body, and this was also carved. At each of the
+four corners a wooden blade was stuck in the ground. From
+the stench I should think that the body was only a few inches
+underground.</p>
+
+<p>Fate had punished me so severely of late for faults which I
+never committed that I thought myself now entitled to commit
+a fault for the sake of squaring accounts. One of the small
+wooden blades, nicely carved, would just go under my coat.
+I decided to steal it. To my mind it was hardly a big enough
+crime even to balance the last accident I had had.</p>
+
+<p>I turned round to see that no one was looking. I put down
+my paint-box, crawled to the grave, took the blade, put it
+under my coat, and, ashamed of myself for committing the
+outrage&mdash;though with prepaid punishment&mdash;I scrambled up
+on my pony as well I could, and hurriedly left the place. I
+rode back to the ferry, a long way off, and went across to
+Ishikari, and catching a moment when no one was watching
+me, I quickly passed the carved blade from under my coat
+into my baggage.</p>
+
+<p>"What a good thief I would make," I thought to myself,
+when to my horror I remembered that in the hurry of leaving
+the graveyard I had forgotten my paint-box in the very
+same spot from which I had taken the blade!</p>
+
+<p>If any Ainu had gone to the graveyard and found it, I
+would get into a nice mess! During the night I felt more
+than uncomfortable about it, and at dawn the next morning I
+got the tea-house man to bring my horse and set me on it, for
+I said, "I wish to go and see the sunrise from the other side
+of the river."</p>
+
+<p>The landlord thought it rather funny, and funnier still when
+he saw me coming back a couple of hours later with a paint-box
+lashed to my saddle, while he said he was sure I had
+started without one.</p>
+
+<p>"Did you not see it this morning?" said I with assumed
+innocence.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_182" id="Page_182">[Pg 182]</a></span>
+"No, your honourable," said he, drawing in his breath.</p>
+
+<p>"You did not look for it in the right place," said I, and
+up to this day the landlord does not know where the right
+place was.</p>
+
+<p>The Ishikari is one of the great salmon rivers of Yezo.
+About the end of September the salmon enter the river to
+spawn. They are in such abundance then that the stream is
+crowded thick with them, and it is quite sufficient to have a
+hook fastened to a stick to pull out a large fish each time
+it is dipped into the water. Millions of fine salmon are caught
+within a few days, and the banks of the river are packed with
+dead fish, while the whole population is occupied in splitting
+open each fish, taking out its inside, for preservation.</p>
+
+<p>The same method of netting as is practised for sardine
+fishing is employed for salmon. Eighteen or twenty excited
+men vigorously row the boats out into mid-stream, and after
+describing a semicircle, return to the bank. The nets are
+hauled in, the fish flung out on the river banks, and the same
+process begins <i>de novo</i>. A man in a "dug-out" watches when
+the salmon are more or less plentiful, and signals for the boat to
+start, while he himself spears them with a harpoon. At the
+right time of the year as many as 1500 or 2,000 and more
+good fish are caught each time the net is hauled in. This
+grand take of course only lasts a few days.</p>
+
+<p>Though good, the Yezo salmon has none of the fine qualities
+of the salmon of northern European rivers, and it is not quite
+so good as that of the Canadian rivers. It does not keep so
+well, and in colour is much lighter than our salmon.</p>
+
+<p>The Ishikari River opens to the north, and runs parallel to
+the coast, leaving a flat tongue of sand between it and the sea.
+Following the course of the stream against the current, it goes
+winding south, then sharply turns to the south-east, following
+this direction for about fourteen miles. Then again it
+winds up to the north, and then to the east for a distance of
+over one hundred miles, where its source lies in the very heart
+of Yezo.</p>
+
+<p>The Ishikari carries a large body of water, and it is nine
+hundred and twenty feet wide near its mouth. Its "drainage
+area" has been estimated to be over three thousand square
+miles, including mountain slopes, while the actual valley does<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_183" id="Page_183">[Pg 183]</a></span>
+not, in my opinion, exceed eight hundred square miles. The
+river receives many affluents, of which the most important are
+the Rubeshibe, Chupets, Piegawa, the Sorachi River, and
+the Toyohira on its south side, and the Uriugawa on its north
+side. Near the coast the valley is wooded mainly with scrub
+oak, but further inland its banks are heavily timbered. The
+Sorachi River is the most important affluent on the south side.
+It is navigable for "dug-outs" and small sailing boats for
+some considerable distance. At Sorachi one strikes the new
+road which leads from the Poronai coal mines to Kamikawa,
+where the site has been chosen for the intended new capital of
+Hokkaido.</p>
+
+<p>The road between Sorachi and the latter place not being
+metalled, was exceedingly bad owing to the heavy rains, and
+my pony continually sank in mud up to his belly. The road
+follows the course of the Ishikari River more or less; and in
+the woods is a military settlement like those we have seen
+near Nemuro and Akkeshi. At Otoyebukets the traveller
+must change horses. About eight miles further on one
+reaches the Kamuikotan rapids, a poetic spot: huge rocks
+in the water, violently rushing between and over them, form
+pretty waterfalls. The Ainu occasionally shoot down these
+rapids in their "dug-outs," and remains of these are to be
+seen here and there smashed on the rocks. From this point
+the road rises almost all the way, and the wayfarer must
+cross over the hill range, from the top of which the whole
+plain of Kamikawa can be seen, in the upper basin of the
+Ishikari, which, winding like a silver snake, intersects the flat
+valley.</p>
+
+<p>Descending the hill on the other side, I reached the future
+capital of Hokkaido. It is indeed a town of the future, for
+at the present moment there are only five houses, if I may call
+them so. The site of this embryo metropolis is by the
+Chubets River; and on the hill called Nayosami I was told a
+palace for the Emperor is to be erected. However, they were
+not certain about it yet. It is a pretty hill, almost in the
+centre of the large plain, and from the top of it one gets a
+lovely view of a volcanic cone standing in front of you to the
+south. Near this hill the new road turns sharply almost at a
+right angle, and two miles further some <i>Tondens</i> have been<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_184" id="Page_184">[Pg 184]</a></span>
+begun (<i>Ciuta Hombu</i>). Hundreds of convicts, who, by the
+way, have made the road between here and Poronai, were at
+work continuing the same road towards the east. I believe
+that eventually it will be prolonged to the north-east coast,
+where it will end near Abashiri. In my opinion the scheme
+practically will be a failure, for Kamikawa will never be a
+flourishing place, as there is nothing to support a large population.
+From a strategic point of view of course Kamikawa
+has the advantage of being in the centre of Yezo.</p>
+
+<p>Kamikawa is 342 feet above the level of the sea, but it is
+well sheltered, and the climate, though very cold, is not quite
+so severe as in other parts of Yezo.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu of the upper Ishikari are nearly the same as the
+Saru Ainu, only somewhat taller and more ill-tempered. They
+show greater skill than other Ainu in wood-carving and
+general ornamentation. Along the banks of the river huts
+are scattered here and there; but the largest number is at
+Chubets.</p>
+
+<p>At the present moment the Japanese population of Kamikawa
+is, with the exception of half-a-dozen policemen and as
+many civilians, composed entirely of convicts. These are
+dressed in red coats and trousers, and those who have committed
+murder have the top of their head shaved in the shape
+of a bottle (Jap., <i>Hetzui</i>). If any misbehave, they are
+beaten with the flat side of the long sword worn by the policeman
+in charge; but I must confess that otherwise the policemen
+are extremely kind in every way to these fellows. The
+well-behaved have one, two, or three small pieces of black cloth
+sewn to their left sleeve. They are made to work hard, but
+save this enforced diligence they seem to have a pretty good
+time. As I was talking to a policeman in charge, two dead
+men were brought on a cart by a man who had a towel over
+his mouth and a red blanket over his head. The two men had
+died suddenly. They had arrived only a few days previously
+from Southern Japan, where cholera was raging, and they had
+all the symptoms of having died of that deadly disease.</p>
+
+<p>A very exciting way of retracing your steps down to the
+Sorachi River is to shoot the rapids in an Ainu "dug-out."
+You make one or two Ainu moderately drunk, as otherwise
+they do not seem anxious to attempt it, and when they are in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_185" id="Page_185">[Pg 185]</a></span>
+that pot-valiant condition you get them to paddle your canoe
+down the stream, while you sit in the bottom holding on to the
+sides. You start with the velocity of a turtle, increase it to
+that of a horse, then to that of a swallow, and when you are
+well in the rapids it is like travelling on an arrow. You go
+rubbing against rocks, and are shot in the air when going over
+a small waterfall, only to fall with a splash in the water some
+yards further, with an increase of velocity as you go on. It
+really requires but little skill to navigate rapids, for it is the
+current itself that does all the work. All that is needed is to
+keep the "dug-out" straight in the water. Of course if you
+should happen to collide with a rock when you are going at
+nearly double the rate of an express train you would have
+little chance of saving your life; but if you are neither smashed
+nor drowned, and you do not come to grief in any way, you
+can accomplish the journey, which takes you the whole day by
+land, in little over one hour when there is plenty of water in
+the stream.</p>
+
+<p>On the road from Sorachi to Poronai, and halfway between
+the villages of Naye and Takigawa, a new coal mine has been
+discovered and opened, which is said to be very rich in mineral
+of good quality; in fact, superior to the coal of Poronai. It
+is ten miles from Otaussi Nai village, where the high road has
+to be abandoned if the mine is to be visited.</p>
+
+<p>There are many Ainu both at Takikawa-Mura (Waterfall-River
+village), at Otaussi, and at Poronai-buts. Poronai has
+in its neighbourhood some rich coal mines. As others have
+reported more accurately and correctly than I can on the
+quality and extent of these coal seams, I shall abstain from
+repeating or copying what has been already said. I may,
+however, mention that the seams cut the valley of the Ikusum
+River eight miles from Poronai-buts, and a continuation of
+them is found near the springs of the Sorachi. The coal beds
+of Poronai are about three and a half feet deep, and many
+different beds have been found deeper than these, but of
+inferior quality. Poronai also goes by the name of Ishikishiri,
+and a large penitentiary has been erected here for the accommodation
+of the numerous convicts exported from the Main
+Island to improve the scheme for the colonisation of Yezo.
+I was called on by the chief <i>yakunin</i> (officer), and he expressed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_186" id="Page_186">[Pg 186]</a></span>
+a wish that I should inspect the prisons. A splendid horse
+was sent to convey me thither, and two policemen helped me
+on my progress through the buildings, owing to my inability
+to walk more than a few yards at a time. It was a large
+walled enclosure, with houses for the officials and cells for the
+<i>akambos</i>, a jocular term, meaning "babies," which is applied to
+convicts, because they wear red clothes like children. The
+buildings were beautifully clean, but what astonished me most
+was that no precaution whatever was adopted to prevent convicts
+from escaping. The outside gates were all wide open;
+there were neither soldiers nor policemen at the gates, and,
+moreover, the <i>concierge</i> was himself a convict!</p>
+
+<p>"But," said I, "do not many of these fellows escape?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, not many. Last month only sixteen ran away,"
+was the <i>insouciant</i> answer of my guide.</p>
+
+<p>From Poronai-buts to Sappro there is a small railway, by
+which the coal trains are run to the coast as far as Otaru.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 182px;">
+<img src="images/illus-186.jpg" width="182" height="263" alt="WOMAN OF ISHIKARI RIVER" />
+<span class="caption">WOMAN OF ISHIKARI RIVER.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_187" id="Page_187">[Pg 187]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 300px;">
+<img src="images/illus-187.png" width="300" height="169" alt="AINU BARK WATER-JUGS" />
+<span class="caption">AINU BARK WATER-JUGS</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XVIII.<br />
+<span class="small">Nearing Civilisation.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>Sappro, the present capital of Hokkaido, is a town of fairly
+large size, with wide streets intersecting each other at right
+angles. The Hokkaido-cho, a high red-brick building, the
+law courts, the <i>Kofikan</i>, the palace built for the Emperor, and
+used now as a kind of hotel, and the houses of officials, are
+the main buildings of the place. There are, besides, a sugar
+refinery, a hemp and silk factory, and a brewery, mainly
+supported by the Government. Neither of the first two were
+"flourishing industries," and one of the factories, if I remember
+aright, had long ceased working, and the other was soon to
+follow suit. The Government, I must say, have done their
+best to encourage and push on industries as well as agriculture
+in this district, but their efforts have produced but poor
+results. Machinery, which had been imported at great
+expense from England, America, Germany, and France, was
+left to rust and perish, and no private company seemed ready
+to continue the works. As a farming region the Sappro
+district has also proved more or less a failure from a financial
+point of view, though again the Government cannot but be
+highly praised for the money they have spent in trying to
+educate the people up to some kind of scientific, and therefore
+paying, method of agriculture. They have a large model
+farm of about 350 acres laid down in grain fields, as well as in
+meadows and pastures, stocked with cattle imported mainly
+from America. In the Toyoshira valley, south of the town, a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_188" id="Page_188">[Pg 188]</a></span>
+cattle farm is in full operation, but it yields the Government a
+very poor return. However, the Government, I believe, only
+wish to teach the people foreign ways of agriculture, and
+expect no direct returns for the pains taken and the money
+sunk&mdash;so at least it would appear. Another colonial militia
+settlement is also found near Baratte, eight miles north of
+Sappro. Regarding these settlements, it may prove interesting
+to transcribe the Imperial Ordinance No. 181, dated August
+28th, 1890, by which they were brought into existence and
+the Tondens were built:&mdash;</p>
+
+<blockquote><p><span class="smcap">Article</span> 1.&mdash;Colonial Militia shall be composed of colonial infantry,
+cavalry, and colonial artillery and colonial military engineers,
+and shall be set apart for the defence of Hokkaido, where they shall
+be stationed.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Article</span> 2.&mdash;The Colonial Militia shall be organised as soldiers,
+in addition to their ordinary occupation of farmers; shall live in
+military houses which shall be provided for them, and shall take
+part in military drill, in cultivation, and in farming.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Article</span> 3.&mdash;The Colonial Militia shall also be composed of volunteers
+from cities and prefectures, and shall change their registered residence
+(<i>Houseki</i>) to Hokkaido, and live there with their families.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Article</span> 4.&mdash;The term of service of Colonial Militia shall be
+twenty years: the service with the colours being three years, in the
+first reserve four years, and in the second reserve thirteen years.
+Should a colonial militiaman be released from service during his
+term, owing to the attainment of the full age of forty years, or
+through death, or some other cause, a suitable male of the family
+shall be ordered to fulfil the remaining term of service. Such service
+may be remitted if there be no suitable male.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Article</span> 5.&mdash;The Colonial Militia shall fulfil supplementary
+military service during ten years after the end of service in the
+second reserve, and shall be mobilised in time of war or other
+emergency.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Article</span> 6.&mdash;The term of each stage of military service under
+Articles 4 and 5 shall be counted from April 1st of the year in which
+the soldier enters the Militia.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Article</span> 7.&mdash;The terms may be prolonged, even though the
+period for each stage has fully elapsed, should war or other
+emergency, or the requirements of military discipline, or the inspection
+of soldiers (<i>kwampei-shiki</i>) demand the same, or should the
+soldier be then in transit from or to, or be stationed in, a foreign
+country.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_189" id="Page_189">[Pg 189]</a></span>
+<span class="smcap">Supplementary Rules:</span>&mdash;</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Article</span> 8.&mdash;Colonial Militia enlisted before the carrying out of
+these regulations shall be treated according to the following
+distinctions:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>(<i>a</i>) Those enlisted between the eighth year of Meji and the
+sixteenth year of Meji shall serve in the first reserve
+during four years and in the second reserve during nine
+years.</p>
+
+<p>(<i>b</i>) Those who were enlisted between the seventeenth year of
+Meji and the twentieth shall serve in the first reserve during
+four years from the twenty-fourth year of Meji, and in the
+second reserve after the lapse of the above period during
+twenty years, reckoned from the year in which they were
+enlisted.</p>
+
+<p>(<i>c</i>) Those who were enlisted in the twenty-first year of Meji
+shall serve in the first reserve during four years from the
+twenty-fifth year of Meji, and in the second reserve after
+the lapse of the above period during twenty years, reckoned
+from the year in which they were enlisted.</p>
+
+<p>(<i>d</i>) Those who were enlisted in and after the twenty-second
+year of Meji shall be treated in accordance with these
+regulations.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Article</span> 9.&mdash;The mode of reckoning the terms of service of
+Colonial Militia levied before the twenty-first year of Meji shall be
+in accordance with Article 6 of these regulations. The term of
+service with the colours of those levied in the twenty-second and
+twenty-third years of Meji shall be counted from the day on which
+they were included in the Colonial Militia, and their term of service
+in the first and second reserves from the day next to the lapse of the
+full term of the former service.</p>
+
+<p><span class="smcap">Article</span> 10.&mdash;These regulations shall come into force on and
+after the first day of the fourth month of the twenty-fourth year of
+Meji.</p>
+
+<p>(Colonial Militia.) Imperial Ordinance No. 181.<br /></p>
+
+<p>We hereby give our sanction to the present amendment of the
+regulations relating to Colonial Militia, and order the same to be
+duly promulgated.</p>
+
+<p><span style="margin-left:50%;">(His Imperial Majesty's sign-manual),</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left:60%;">Great Seal.</span></p>
+
+<p><span style="margin-left:5%;">Dated August 29th, 1890.</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left:25%;">(Countersigned) <span class="smcap">Count Oyama Iwao</span>,</span><br />
+<span style="margin-left:55%;">(Minister of State for War).</span></p>
+<p style="margin-left:5%;">(<i>Japan Daily Mail</i>, September 14th, 1890.)</p>
+</blockquote>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_190" id="Page_190">[Pg 190]</a></span>
+Sappro was a civilised place compared to others I had seen
+in Yezo; but it had neither the picturesqueness, nor the
+strangeness, nor yet the interest of more uncivilised spots.</p>
+
+<p>There is no doubt that savagery&mdash;when you have got
+accustomed to it&mdash;is a great deal more fascinating than civilised
+life, and infinitely more so than a base imitation of civilisation.</p>
+
+<p>It might have been thought that after the months of privation
+to which I had been subjected, after all the harassing
+experiences I had gone through, after the accident which had
+made the last thirty days of my journey so agonising, I should
+have been glad to rest in this "London" of the Ainu country,
+at least until I was well again. But in truth this indirectly
+reflected civilisation worried me. The bustle of the people,
+the lights in the streets, the sounds of the <i>Shamesen</i>&mdash;everything
+annoyed me.</p>
+
+<p>His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Nagayama, kindly called
+on me, and when I put on some decent clothes which were
+lent me, he drove me to his house, where I had a lengthy conversation
+on the future of Yezo and the Kurile Islands. He
+seemed to approve of many of the points which I put before
+him, among which I suggested that the exports of sulphur
+from Kushiro, on the south-eastern coast, would be greatly
+increased if it were opened to foreign trade, and I was pleased
+to hear several months later that a motion to that effect was
+proposed in the Japanese Parliament. He also agreed with
+me that Yezo needed roads and railways badly, and that when
+more facile ways of communication should be established along
+the coast and across country, then without doubt Yezo would
+be rich and flourishing.</p>
+
+<p>He expressed sorrow that emigration was not carried on
+on a larger scale from the Southern Island of Japan, and
+that private companies of capitalists in no way helped the
+Government.</p>
+
+<p>His Excellency was also kind enough to drive me round the
+town and show me all the sights of Sappro, including the
+small museum containing zoological specimens from Hokkaido,
+and the implements of the Ainu and the Koro-pok-kuru. A
+huge grizzly bear which had killed two babies and a man is
+now stuffed, and occupies the first small room, while a bottle
+by the side preserves in spirit the head and foot of one baby<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_191" id="Page_191">[Pg 191]</a></span>
+and some parts of the man which were found in its stomach
+when captured and dissected.</p>
+
+<p>I left Sappro for Otaru by the coal train. Otaru is situated
+on a semicircular well-sheltered bay, which makes it the best
+and only safe port on the western coast of Yezo.</p>
+
+<p>The coast at the mouth of the Ishikari River curves gently
+round, and is exposed to the north as far as Cape Shakotan.
+Otaru is rapidly growing in importance, owing to the fact that
+it is the nearest shipping port to the Poronai coal mines.
+Unfortunately, three small hills, which were being levelled
+when I was there, had greatly interfered with the first laying
+out of the settlement, which accounts for the town being all
+crooked and irregularly planned. It has the appearance of a
+thriving place, and much resembles one of the small seaports
+of Southern Japan. In the main street a go-ahead tailor had
+written over his door the following inscription for the attraction
+of foreign clients: "Tailor. New Forms of every country
+shall be made here." The notice was tempting, and I went in
+to request his services in furnishing me with "new forms," as
+he called them, of English fashion; but to my great regret he
+had come to an end of his stock of goods, and I had to be
+contented with my "old forms," and go on as best I could
+with what I had till I should reach Hakodate, where I had left
+most of my baggage. At Otaru I left all my paraphernalia to
+be shipped to Hakodate by the first ship calling, and I proceeded
+by land on the north and then on the north-west coast.
+I felt that, suffering as I still was, I should keep alive as long
+as I kept moving, as long as I was distracted by new scenery
+and new excitements. I felt that if I were left to myself, not
+pitied or sympathised with, I should be able to drag on and
+conquer in the end. There is nothing, it seems to me, that
+makes people feel so ill or is so enervating as the sympathy
+of friends and the verdict of a doctor. Among civilised people
+nine out of ten do not know whether they are very ill or not
+until the doctor pronounces his opinion, which shows that
+many complaints would be scarcely felt at all if the patient did
+not know the name of his malady, or if he had sufficient determination
+as to prevent his physical pain from becoming a
+moral one as well. We have a proof of this in hypnotism, by
+which sicknesses of many kinds can be cured by impressing on<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_192" id="Page_192">[Pg 192]</a></span>
+the subject the belief that his body is perfectly free from
+disease. Of course in this case it is a stronger will acting on a
+weaker one, which, so reinforced, is able to overpower the
+physical trouble. Again, I may be allowed to state that
+savages and barbarians, though affected with horrid diseases
+of all kinds, do not seem to suffer from them as much as we
+do. If an Ainu man breaks his leg he does not think for a
+moment of lying in bed for the regulation forty days; first of
+all, because he has no bed to lie on; and next, because the confinement
+and inaction would simply kill him. He may lie
+down on the hard ground for two or three days, after which
+time he crawls about as best he can until nature makes his
+broken bone right again. He does not worry himself much
+about it. Wild animals do the same. If, then, the Ainu, and
+with them savages of other countries, do that, why should not
+I, a human being like them, do the same?</p>
+
+<p>Freed from the encumbrance of my baggage, I set off on a
+good horse down the north coast, and moving from east to
+west. My baggage now consisted of a crutch which I had
+made for myself, a stick, a couple of Japanese <i>kimonos</i>, and
+a few sketch-books.</p>
+
+<p>The travelling was extremely slow, and I shall not dwell at
+length on this part of my journey, for it has no interest in
+connection with the Ainu, as I met with scarcely any. On
+a practicable and pleasant track leading all across the hills
+beyond Oshoro village, a lovely view of the cliffs between that
+place and Yoichi, lying to the west, is to be had. In some
+parts the scenery is really grand. Coming down on the other
+side of the hill, Momonai and Kawamura, two fishermen's
+villages of some importance, are passed, and further west,
+through a picturesque and narrow entrance of rugged volcanic
+rocks, is Yoichi, a large village, which was entirely burnt down
+last year, but has since been built up again. The road to
+Iwanai branches off at Kawamura, across the Shakotan peninsula.
+This peninsula is partly volcanic, partly composed of
+tertiaries, on which metal veins are found, especially along
+the course of the Yoichi River.</p>
+
+<p>About three miles from Yoichi a small flax factory was
+being built as an experiment by a Mr. Tokumatz Kuroda, in
+the employ of the Mitzui Company. Twenty-five miles further<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_193" id="Page_193">[Pg 193]</a></span>
+south-west of Yoichi is Iwanai. About ten miles from
+Kawamura, at Hando, a black tumbledown shed, like a
+haunted house, stands in the middle of the woods, and from
+here the track again goes over a mountain. On the other
+side is Iwanai. Five or six weeks previous to my arrival
+a large fire had destroyed nearly the whole of the village, and&mdash;just
+my luck again!&mdash;I had great difficulty in finding a place
+in which to obtain shelter for the night.</p>
+
+<p>From Iwanai the coast-line roughly describes a semicircle,
+which is almost concentric with Volcano Bay on the south coast,
+the distance between the two seas being about twenty or
+twenty-five miles, so that it forms a kind of large peninsula
+stretching towards the south, and widening considerably at its
+most southern part on the Tsugaru Strait. The first two or
+three miles from Iwanai were a pretty flat and easy track,
+but then I struck the mountain trail, which was steep and
+heavy for my pony. It was raining in torrents, and the
+narrow track was literally turned into a running rivulet. By
+good luck the rain stopped, and when I reached the summit I
+had a glorious panorama of the brilliant rocks and cliffs of the
+Shakotan Cape to the north-east, with the Kamui and the
+Hurupira Mountains on one side, and the villages of Shiribets,
+Isoya, and Karibayama along the coast on the other. I
+descended into the valley and then went up again the next
+mountain, the Iwaonobori, a higher peak than the first. I
+went down its slopes on the other side in a zig-zag fashion,
+and then came to the snake-like river called Shiribets, on
+both sides of which a few fishermen's houses are found, forming
+the Shiribets village.</p>
+
+<p>Three miles further is a larger settlement, Isoya, the half of
+which is called Notto Isoya, the other Shimakotan Isoya. It
+is a long row of fishermen's houses scattered along the coast
+until we get to Ushoro, eight miles further, a settlement of
+120 houses.</p>
+
+<p>Ushoro is connected by a road to Oshamambe, on Volcano
+Bay, but I went on to Shitzo, four miles north-west of Ushoro.
+The way was fairly good in some parts, and execrably
+bad in others. The heavy rain which had again come on
+was not exactly suited to my present state of health; moreover,
+it swelled all the small brooks, which fell in a series<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_194" id="Page_194">[Pg 194]</a></span>
+of picturesque waterfalls over the high cliffs down on to the
+beach. As the beach was narrow, this meant each time a cold
+shower-bath, which, however, did not much matter, for I was
+already drenched by the rain, and I had no very "swell"
+garments to spoil, as my readers know.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 332px;">
+<img src="images/illus-194.png" width="332" height="400" alt="AINU HALF-CASTE CHILD OF VOLCANO BAY" />
+<span class="caption">AINU HALF-CASTE CHILD OF VOLCANO BAY.</span></div>
+
+<p>Shitzo is an old-looking place, but there is nothing attractive
+about it. It is in a small bay sheltered by Cape Benke, but
+its anchorage is only fit for junks or very small skiffs. It is
+much exposed to northerly and easterly winds. The coast
+from Shitzo to the Cape is lined with rocky bluffs and cliffs of
+conglomerate and volcanic formation, with bare hills inland.</p>
+
+<p>There are many reefs stretching out, both along the coast
+and off the Cape; but in many places channels are cut in
+them, to all appearance produced by some remote volcanic
+action.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_195" id="Page_195">[Pg 195]</a></span>
+On the western side of Cape Benke is the village of Masatomari.
+There were formerly some Ainu villages on this part
+of the coast, but hardly any natives are to be found now. The
+few remaining have adopted to a certain extent Japanese
+customs and manners.</p>
+
+<p>At Baraputa I heard that it was impossible to continue my
+journey south on horseback along the coast, for the track was
+almost impassable, even on foot. It was a steep and difficult
+trail over the mountains, among rocks and precipitous cliffs,
+and I was quite unable to accomplish it; so I retraced my steps
+to Shitzo, and from there struck across the peninsula on the
+road for Oshamambe, on Volcano Bay. The road is a good
+one, and when bridges are built where needed it will be practicable
+for <i>bashas</i>, the four-wheeled vehicles of Southern Yezo.
+The way is across mountains or among well-wooded hills.
+Kuromatsunai is the largest group of houses found along the
+road. It is about halfway between the two coasts.</p>
+
+<p>Late at night, after having ridden twenty-five miles, I arrived
+at Oshamambe, a semi-Ainu village on Volcano Bay.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_196" id="Page_196">[Pg 196]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 352px;">
+<img src="images/illus-196.jpg" width="352" height="232" alt="KOMATAGE VOLCANO, VOLCANO BAY" />
+<span class="caption">KOMATAGE VOLCANO, VOLCANO BAY.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XIX.<br />
+<span class="small">Completing the Circuit of Yezo&mdash;The End of my Journey.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>Oshamambe is a group of seventy houses, just midway
+between Mororran and Mori. The Ainu of this bay are poor
+specimens of their race, as most of them have intermarried
+with Japanese. They are, however, those most talked about
+by Europeans, for they are of easy access to globe-trotters.</p>
+
+<p>They are mostly half-castes, and even second and third
+crosses; wherefore it is no wonder that the incautious travellers
+who have written on the Ainu, studying only these
+easily-visited specimens, have discovered in them a remarkable
+likeness to the Japanese!</p>
+
+<p>The fact that I was rapidly nearing the end of my trip half
+filled me with pleasure, yet pleasure mingled with regret. It
+was nearly six weeks now since I met with the accident to
+my foot, and I was decidedly better. The cold weather had
+greatly contributed to this improvement of my condition; and
+had it not been for my bone which kept sticking out of my skin,
+I should have considered myself in fine case. I could hop
+along with my self-made crutch and my stick, and when riding<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_197" id="Page_197">[Pg 197]</a></span>
+the pain was not nearly as acute as it had been the first fifteen
+or twenty days.</p>
+
+<p>As the road was good, and there was nothing interesting to
+me on this portion of the journey, I tried to push on rapidly
+towards Mori. Unfortunately, at the last minute my patience
+was put to a trial. I hired a horse, and it was lame. No
+others were to be had that day for love or money. The
+animal had been lame for two years, they said, and though
+uncomfortable to ride he did not suffer any pain. This I
+ascertained afterwards was true, for that day the sturdy brute
+carried me 48½ miles without once requiring punishment. It
+is needless to say that what I suffered that day by the continuous
+jerking is beyond description. I rode fourteen hours
+in a fearful storm of rain and snow, and my feverish anxiety
+to reach Hakodate soon, so that I might receive letters, and
+have news of my parents and friends&mdash;from whom I had
+not heard for five months&mdash;helped me to pull through all the
+fatigue and worry of the way. The road between Oshamambe
+and Kunnui is fair, getting still better towards Yurap and
+Yamakushinai. But to shorten the journey and lessen the
+jerking I followed the sandy sea-beach, which, describing a
+smaller circle than the road, necessarily diminishes the distance.
+From Yamakushinai the road is very good and wide, and it has
+nicely-built bridges over the Otoshibe and Nigori Rivers. The
+small fishing villages, though not so imposing in appearance as
+some of those in other parts of Yezo, add to the picturesqueness
+of the bay, with its beautiful volcanic cone of Komagatage
+towering in the distance towards the south-east.</p>
+
+<p>The fishing in Volcano Bay consists mostly of mackerel,
+sprats, halibut, and herrings.</p>
+
+<p>I reached Mori late in the evening, and was received with a
+friendly greeting by the people of the tea-house in which I had
+stayed on my way up at the beginning of my journey.</p>
+
+<p>The place was brilliantly lighted with numberless candles,
+and opposite the entrance was a kind of altar decked with
+flowers and cakes. A few <i>bonzes</i>, with their shaven heads and
+long, thin, depraved fingers, were saying their prayers and
+beating with a small wand on the round wooden bells. With
+the gods of Japan you must ring a bell or clap your hands
+before you begin to pray, or else the god will pay no attention<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_198" id="Page_198">[Pg 198]</a></span>
+to your petitions. In the next room another Japanese, with
+less depraved fingers, but with a more wicked face, was dressed
+in European clothes, and was apparently giving a sermon,
+and sure enough he proved to be a native Christian minister!</p>
+
+<p>"Hallo!" said I to the landlord; "what does all this
+mean?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh," said he, smiling&mdash;for Buddhism teaches you not to
+show pain&mdash;"my old mother is dead. You saw her when you
+were here before. She died yesterday, and as she was formerly
+a Buddhist and had become a Christian, I have now got some
+Buddhist <i>bonzes</i> and a Christian minister to pray for her, for I
+want her to be happy in the other world."</p>
+
+<p>"But do you not think," I replied, "that so much praying
+of different kinds might interfere with her happiness?"</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, no, your honourable," he said quickly, "I have paid
+the <i>bonzes</i> and the clergyman in advance, and the gods cannot
+get angry now!"</p>
+
+<p>It was curious to notice the competition between the representatives
+of the two different creeds.</p>
+
+<p>On the one side the Christian shouted his prayers and sang
+his hymns in a stentorian voice, to put the <i>bonzes</i> in the shade
+and get the start of them in the contest; and on the other side
+these rattled on the wooden bells with all their might, so that
+their prayers should be heard first. I was more than happy
+when this religious race was over, and I was allowed a few
+hours' rest.</p>
+
+<p>Instead of going straight to Hakodate by <i>basha</i> by the
+road I had already once traversed, I followed the coast in a
+south-easterly direction towards the volcano of Esan.</p>
+
+<p>Near Usushiri, some two miles inland, are the hot springs
+of Obune, where, in a picturesque gully surrounded by
+mountains, are two dirty shanties for the benefit of those who
+wish to take the waters. At Isoya, five miles north of this
+place, similar springs are found, and three and a half miles
+south-east of Usushiri still more can be seen at Kakumi. The
+latter place is a picturesque little spot, with its three old sheds
+and the steaming bath-room framed in the multi-coloured
+foliage of trees with their lovely autumn tints. A clean path
+a few hundred yards long leads from the coast to the springs,
+and a track across the mountains is found between that place<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_199" id="Page_199">[Pg 199]</a></span>
+and Hakodate; also another leading from Obune to the latter
+port. By both these tracks a most lovely view of Hakodate
+Bay can be obtained when the summit of the mountain range
+is reached. From Kakumi the coast-line is wretched for
+travelling, set thick as it is with stones as sharp as knives,
+while the waves continually wash over the narrow beach,
+drenching the wayfarer to the skin.</p>
+
+<p>I reached Otatsube, a group of a few fishermen's huts; and
+as there is no traffic whatever along this coast, there were
+no regular tea-houses. Unfortunately for me, the British
+Squadron in the Pacific had spent the summer at Hakodate,
+and the ships had often gone for gun-practice somewhere near
+this place, scaring the natives to death, and furthermore
+angering them against foreigners in general, for they said the
+report of the guns frightened away all the fish. When I
+asked for food and offered money for it, they flatly refused
+me, saying contemptuously,&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>"You foreigners come and scare all the fish away, and now
+you shall die of starvation before you shall get food from us.
+We do not want your money. We are rich."</p>
+
+<p>And so I was held responsible for the doings of Her
+Majesty's fleet, which until then I did not even know had been
+in those waters!</p>
+
+<p>At Furimbé, the next small village, only a few miles further
+on, my experience was even more unpleasant. Not only
+would they not give me food, but they would not shelter me
+for the night in any of the houses; and many of the fishermen,
+taking advantage of my wretched condition, were impudent
+to such a point that I thought we should have come
+to blows.</p>
+
+<p>It was getting quite dark, and I was fearfully hungry and
+exhausted. The only course open to me was to push on, and
+see if I could come across some other hut where the owners
+were not so churlish. As it turned out, for the first time since
+I had been in Hokkaido I had some good luck that night!</p>
+
+<p>A few hundred yards from this Japanese village, among the
+trees, was a little wooden shrine. Through the grating of the
+door I caught sight of offerings of cakes and rice which the
+religious fishermen had deposited on the kind of altar, probably
+to appease the angry gods, and induce them to fill the sea with<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_200" id="Page_200">[Pg 200]</a></span>
+fish again. The door of the shrine, as is usual in country
+places in Japan, was not locked, but a small outside bolt was all
+there was to keep it closed. I had no difficulty in entering.
+The night was a terrible one. The rain was pouring in
+torrents, and having had nothing to eat all day, I felt I had
+not the strength to go another yard. "After all," I said to
+myself, "the home of the gods, Japanese or not, is good enough
+for me. So is this supper," I soliloquized, swallowing now a
+white cake, now a red one, then a green one, till nothing but
+the empty vessels were left. "Delicious" was my last word,
+when, smacking my lips over the last green cake, I proceeded
+to make myself comfortable for the night. It is needless
+to add that I left very early in the morning, when the
+first rays of light broke the dimness of the night, and I dare
+say that, for the sake of morality, I ought to add that I was
+sorry for committing the sacrilege; but I was not&mdash;indeed
+I was not!</p>
+
+<p>The mountain track continued, rough and steep in many
+places, and the autumn tints on the foliage were lovely, though
+not as varied as those of Northern America. Past Todohotke
+another volcano, the Esan, stared me in the face. Its crater,
+or rather its craters, for there are several, are not on the
+summit of the mountain, which is well rounded, but nearly
+halfway down its western slopes. Accumulations of very
+pure sulphur are deposited in and around these craters, and a
+continuous rumbling can be heard inside the mountain. The
+craters eject sulphurous vapours, and molten lava bubbles up
+as if in gigantic caldrons, congealing at the mouths of the
+craters and cracking with the extreme heat.</p>
+
+<p>The coast-line is precipitous and almost impassable round
+Cape Esan, therefore the track leads over the mountain. The
+altitude of Esan is 1740 feet above the sea-level, but owing to
+its rising directly from the sea it has the look of a much more
+lofty mountain. Komagatage, near Mori, is 4,011, or more than
+double the height of Esan, while Makkarinupuri volcano, or
+Shiribeshi Mountain, as others call it, about forty-five miles
+south-west of Sappro, and ten miles north of Toya Lake,
+reaches an altitude of 6,440 feet.</p>
+
+<p>Iwaonobori, which I passed on the north coast in this latter
+part of my journey, is 3,374 feet. Usu, on Volcano Bay,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_201" id="Page_201">[Pg 201]</a></span>
+1868 feet. Tarumai, directly south of Sappro, only reaches a
+height of 2,800 feet.</p>
+
+<p>When this volcanic part of the coast round Esan Cape is
+passed the track becomes easier and flatter. One comes again
+to the sandy beaches, and the coast is lively with numbers of
+fishermen's huts, and a couple of villages like Shirikishinai
+and Toi. One day's journey on horseback from here takes
+you to Hakodate. The Hakodate Peak can be seen in the
+distance to the west; and only a few more hours, only a
+few more miles, and I should be in civilisation, I should
+see a few European faces, and I should hear English spoken
+again.</p>
+
+<p>As I approached the sandy isthmus, and the peak grew
+bigger before me, I wondered what had been going on in the
+world, and what news I should receive of my dear ones. I
+imagined myself already devouring with my eyes the hundreds
+of letters which must have been amassed at Hakodate, waiting
+for me during the many months I had been away. I imagined
+myself half buried in newspapers months old, anxiously reading
+the news of the world. I hurried on my pony, I crossed
+the sand isthmus&mdash;and there I was in the lively streets of
+Hakodate, gazed at by the astonished Japanese, who, I
+believe, were more than a little amazed&mdash;perhaps scandalised&mdash;at
+my turn-out.</p>
+
+<p>Such as I was, and before I went to the Japanese tea-house,
+I called at the Consulate for my correspondence. Her
+Britannic Majesty's representative, who knew me well enough,
+was more than thunderstruck when I appeared before him in
+such a strange attire. He was smoking a pipe, and he almost
+let it drop, such was his surprise.</p>
+
+<p>"Who are you?" he feebly exclaimed, looking me all over
+from head to foot. "Surely you are not Landor?" he said
+when I told him my name.</p>
+
+<p>"I believe I am," I answered, "and I have come to trouble
+you for my letters."</p>
+
+<p>"Oh, none have come; we have none," he said drily.</p>
+
+<p>And now that I was not quite so well dressed as when I
+had called on my arrival at Hakodate from Southern Japan,
+he seemed anxious to see me off the premises as soon as
+possible, I dare say for fear lest I should expire on his doorstep.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_202" id="Page_202">[Pg 202]</a></span>
+"But there <i>must</i> be some letters," I said, as I was sadly
+leaving.</p>
+
+<p>"No, there are none. Good-bye," he repeated.</p>
+
+<p>The first glimpse of civilisation and of a civilised being was
+certainly not a pleasing one. In a town where there are
+hardly half-a-dozen British subjects, all told, I expected a
+better reception than one which many would not bestow on a
+beggar to a compatriot in a foreign country. Kindness costs
+nothing, and I was asking no favour.</p>
+
+<p>I left the place disheartened, but feeling that the pompous
+official had made a blunder, unluckily at my expense.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Henson, in whose house I had left all my luggage,
+greeted me with open arms. He was kindness itself, and very
+different from the gold-collared gentleman of the Consulate.
+I must say that I felt most uncomfortable when, after having
+opened my trunks, I put on fresh clothes and boots; in fact,
+such was the change from my late airy costume that I caught
+a cold! I had now almost finished my self-imposed task. I
+had made the whole circuit of Yezo, and been up all its
+largest rivers, with the exception of that part of the western
+coast which lies between Barabuta and Hakodate. It would
+mean only a few more days of agony, and for the sake of
+completing my journey I left Hakodate again the next
+morning at 2 <span class="smcap">a.m.</span> in a <i>basha</i> for Esashi, on the west coast.
+The distance is fifty-seven miles, and we employed sixteen
+hours in covering it. It was snowing when we crossed the
+hills, and it was fearfully cold. Fortunately, the road is one
+of the best in Hokkaido. Just in front of me sat a poor man
+piteously ill with <i>kaki</i>. His body was dreadfully swollen and
+his limbs were stiff. What the poor man must have suffered
+in being shaken for so many hours is beyond description.
+His lamentations were heartrending. He had come to
+Hakodate in the hope of getting cured, and now he was
+returning&mdash;to use his words&mdash;"to die near his home." When
+we reached Esashi he was truly more dead than alive. He
+was senseless, and had to be lifted up bodily and carried into
+the house.</p>
+
+<p>Esashi is a large place, and is one of the oldest towns in
+Yezo. In front lies a small oblong island, with which various
+wonderful tales of treasure are connected. Its harbour is too<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_203" id="Page_203">[Pg 203]</a></span>
+unsafe, being exposed to all winds, and I was told that the
+sea is always rough except during the months of July and
+August. I believe that this is greatly due to the currents.</p>
+
+<p>I went north to Kumaishi and Cape Ota, the most westerly
+point of Yezo. About ten miles west of this cape is the
+small island of Okushiri, peopled mostly by Japanese.</p>
+
+<p>The track is tolerably fair for about twenty-four miles as far
+as Kumaishi. It runs either along the beach or around clay
+and conglomerate rocky points, occasionally over the cliffs
+and through ravines. North of Esashi, along the Assap
+River, is a good stretch of cultivable land; then the thickly-wooded
+mountainous region begins again towards the north.</p>
+
+<p>Kumaishi is said to be the best district for herring fishing
+along that coast.</p>
+
+<p>From Kumaishi to Kudo numerous reefs extend out at sea,
+and small headlands afford a safe anchorage to junks. The
+track is mostly on a rough coast backed by high and well-wooded
+hills. Striking across the mountains, which rise sheer
+from the sea, we come to Cape Ota, the most westerly point
+of Yezo. From here the coast turns towards the north-east
+as far as Barabuta; but as it was impossible for me to go on
+horseback to that place, though only a few miles distant, I
+turned back and returned to Esashi, then following the coast
+towards the south to Matsumai or Fukuyama, one of the first
+Japanese settlements established in Yezo, and formerly the
+capital of the island. The coast is rugged and picturesque
+from Esashi to the two villages of Kaminokumi and Shiofuki,
+after which a mountain path leads to Ishisaki.</p>
+
+<p>I found the Japanese on this coast most polite and honest,
+and more like the "old Japanese" than the younger generations.</p>
+
+<p>The cliffs on the south side of the Ishizaki River were
+resplendent in beauty under the brilliant red and yellow light
+of the setting sun. Oshima (or Large Island) could be seen on
+the horizon in the distant south. Five miles further, across
+a mountain track, I came to Cisango, and five more miles
+beyond that place landed me at Haraguchi, two small fishing
+villages, with houses resting on high posts and against the
+cliffs, somewhat similar to the villages I found previous to
+my reaching the Ishikari River.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_204" id="Page_204">[Pg 204]</a></span>
+After that are eight or ten miles of a monotonous hilly road,
+where you do nothing but ascend and descend one small hill
+after another, up and down a snake-like or a zig-zag path;
+but when Eramachi is passed the track becomes much more
+interesting, with its peculiar groups of rocks of all shapes
+sticking out of the sea, and the long line of reef over which
+the breakers roll foaming and thundering. From here by the
+side of Oshima, another small island, "Koshima," is seen on
+the horizon. Going south the coast gradually gets more and
+more picturesque, with its pretty little fishing villages hidden
+among the rocks and sheltered under the high cliffs. At
+Neptka a good road leads over the cliffs to Fukuyama.</p>
+
+<p>About a mile before the town is reached, from a high point
+of vantage on the road, is a pretty peep of Benten Island, just
+off the shore, with an old temple on it, and by its side a new
+lighthouse. On the shore, a few yards from the road opposite
+the island, a large rock is literally covered with hundreds of
+stone images of Amida and different gods, and two <i>Torii</i>,
+sacred emblems of Japan, are placed in front of it.</p>
+
+<p>I descended the slope gently and reached Koromatsumai,
+otherwise called Matsumai, or Fukuyama. It is a "dear old
+spot," the most picturesque of all the towns in Hokkaido. It
+is ancient, for one thing, while other places are modern&mdash;some
+villages, indeed, only a year or two old, or even less. Thus
+weather has toned down the light yellow colour of the new
+wood, which is so offensive to the eye in a landscape, and is so
+common in all Japanese villages of Yezo. Besides, Fukuyama
+has pretty temples on the surrounding hills, and prettily-laid-out
+gardens with tiny stone bridges, bronze lanterns, and
+dwarfed trees. It is more like a town of old Japan. It has a
+three-storied castle with turned-up roofs, as one sees on the
+willow-pattern plates.</p>
+
+<p>The castle, formerly the residence of the Daimio, a feudal
+prince, is now a restaurant. The irregular streets of the town,
+the narrow lanes, the houses blackened by smoke and age,
+give a certain <i>cachet</i> which is peculiar to the place itself.
+The inhabitants, too, are more conservative than the younger
+colonists, and are quite "in keeping" with the place. Unluckily,
+the town has seen better days! It possesses no
+good harbour, and all its trade, little by little, is being<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_205" id="Page_205">[Pg 205]</a></span>
+carried away by its more fortunate rival, Hakodate. The
+population of Matsumai decreases considerably every year, as
+the inhabitants leave this poetical but dead-alive and decaying
+spot for the more exciting life to be found in newly-opened
+districts further east or north.</p>
+
+<p>Between Fukuyama and Hakodate, a distance of over sixty
+miles, the road is extremely bad, and there is nothing whatever
+to see. Shirakami Cape is interesting as being the most
+southern point of Yezo, and from here the coast turns slightly
+towards the north-east.</p>
+
+<p>Fukushima is an old village. The other headlands, and the
+Cape of Yagoshi, have no special features calling for attention.
+Near the latter cape the coast is volcanic, which renders it very
+rugged in shape and warmly tinted in colour. There are
+many villages along the coast, as Yoshioka, Shiriuchi, Kikonai,
+Idzumizawa, Mohechi, and Kamiiro, and the inhabitants seem
+well off and well-to-do people.</p>
+
+<p>A great quantity of coal and firewood is carried on pony-back
+from these mountains to Hakodate. Rows of ten, twelve,
+or fifteen ponies one after the other, loaded with as much as
+they can carry, can be seen slowly travelling, under the care of
+one man, down to the principal port of Yezo, especially at the
+beginning of the winter season; and here and there stacks of
+split wood are piled ready for transportation.</p>
+
+<p>Rounding the Hakodate Bay, I was again at the point whence
+I had first started, and happy that, notwithstanding all the ill-luck
+I had had, notwithstanding the strain on my physique,
+which is not by any means herculean, and notwithstanding all
+the obstacles which had come in my way, I had finally succeeded
+in doing what no European had ever done before,
+namely, in completing the whole circuit of Yezo at one time,
+exploring all its most important rivers and lakes, studying the
+habits, customs, and manners of that strange race of people,
+the Hairy Ainu, and visiting the Kuriles besides.</p>
+
+<p>Many parts which I travelled over had never been trodden
+by European foot, and this made my journey all the more
+interesting to me. As the book stands I have related but the
+principal adventures which I had during my long peregrinations
+in Hokkaido, most of which are intended to illustrate
+Ainu customs and traits by my own personal experience rather<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_206" id="Page_206">[Pg 206]</a></span>
+than to excite sympathy for my hardships. Really, though
+the journey nearly cost me my life, I have never, in my
+extensive wanderings, enjoyed a trip more than that to
+Ainuland.</p>
+
+<p>I have touched but slightly, and not more than was absolutely
+necessary, on subjects relating to the Japanese; for this
+is intended as a work on the Ainu.</p>
+
+<p>I was happy yet sorry to be at the end of my journey!
+This was the 146th day since I first left Hakodate, and the
+distance I had travelled was about 4,200 miles, out of which
+3,800 were ridden on horseback, or an average of twenty-five
+miles a day. The remaining 400 miles were either by steamer
+or canoe travelling.</p>
+
+<p>From the day I broke the bone in my foot I travelled fifty-eight
+days, mostly on horseback, and the first time it was
+attended to and properly bandaged up was sixty days after it
+occurred, or two days after my arrival in Hakodate, by Mr.
+Pooley, chief engineer on board the <span class="smcap">ss.</span> <i>Satsuma Maru</i>.</p>
+
+<p>Mr. Henson was again extremely kind, and pressed me to
+leave the tea-house and go and stay at his place, and after
+five months of "hard planks" I slept again in a comfortable
+bed. What a treat it was! What a curious sensation to sleep
+in a bed again, and actually have sheets and blankets! But
+this was not all, for surprise followed surprise.</p>
+
+<p>The pompous Consul, who for the sake of saving himself
+the trouble of looking into his desk, had made my last portion
+of the journey wretched and sorrowful, found that after all
+he was mistaken, and on the breakfast-table in my place I
+found a packet of about 100 letters and newspapers, which the
+Consul sent to me with a message saying that when I called
+last time he had forgotten who I was, and therefore had forgotten
+to give me my correspondence!</p>
+
+<p>Now that we have travelled round and through the country
+in every direction; now that we have seen where the different
+tribes of Ainu are, I shall attempt to give my readers some
+insight into the Ainu themselves, and their mode of living.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_207" id="Page_207">[Pg 207]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-207.png" width="400" height="66" alt="WOODEN DRINKING VESSELS" />
+<span class="caption">WOODEN DRINKING VESSELS.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XX.<br />
+<span class="small">Ainu Habitations, Storehouses, Trophies, Furniture&mdash;Conservatism.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>Ainu architecture is by no means elaborate, let alone
+beautiful; but though it is so simple, it is to a certain extent
+varied, differing according to the exigencies of climate and
+locality. Huts of one district vary from those of another not
+only in small details, but also in the whole shape; or if the
+shape is the same, the materials are different.</p>
+
+<p>The principal characteristics of the Volcano Bay and Saru
+River huts is, that they have angular roofs and are thatched
+with tall reeds and arundinaria, while the huts up the Tokachi
+River are more often covered with bark, though in form they
+are almost identical with those others.</p>
+
+<p>On the Kutcharo Lake, again, the huts are thatched with
+tall reeds like those of Volcano Bay, but the building itself has
+a totally different shape. The roof is semicircular, and each
+hut is in appearance like the half of a cylinder lying on its
+rectangular base.</p>
+
+<p>On the north-east coast the huts have either roofs similar
+to the Kutcharo ones, or else the angle is very obtuse instead
+of being sharp, as with the Piratori or Volcano Bay huts.</p>
+
+<p>In the Kuriles, at Shikotan, the Ainu have houses exactly
+similar to those at Piratori.</p>
+
+<p>Setting aside the varieties of form, we shall now consider
+how the huts are built. A frame is first made by horizontally
+lashing at short intervals long poles to others at the angles of
+the roof. Often the roof is made first and lifted up bodily
+on the forked poles on which it rests. Then long reeds and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_208" id="Page_208">[Pg 208]</a></span>
+arundinaria are collected in sufficient quantity to thatch the
+frame thickly on each side. Other poles or rafters are then
+placed over these reeds, and through them lashed tightly to
+the under frame, thus preventing the thatch from being blown
+or washed away. Care is taken to leave an opening for the
+door; and the small east window&mdash;usually the only one in
+Ainu huts&mdash;is cut out afterwards by means of a knife. Ainu
+huts have never more than one storey and never more than one
+room and a small porch. In districts where the climate is less
+severe the porch is often dispensed with. In building their
+habitations the hairy people make no attempt whatever at
+symmetry or beauty; all they aim at is to make themselves a
+shelter and nothing more.</p>
+
+<p>There are no more professional architects than professionals
+of any other kind in the Ainu country. Each man is his own
+architect, builder, and carpenter. He may occasionally receive
+the help of a neighbour when he is building his hut, if all
+hands in the family are not sufficient to carry him through
+his work.</p>
+
+<p>Each family has its own hut, which is used day and night by
+all the members. If one of the sons gets married he sometimes
+brings his bride to live in his father's hut, or else he goes to
+live in his bride's hut; but as the "hairy mother-in-law" is no
+better than other "mothers-in-law," the end of this arrangement
+is that generally the bridegroom has to build a habitation
+for himself and his better-half. Fortunately for him, he has to
+pay no ground-rent; nor has he to take a lease, nor pay the
+lawyer for an agreement, nor yet to buy the ground nor the
+materials on which and of which his not too luxurious abode
+is to be built. He chooses the site which is most suitable to
+him, and there he builds his hut as best he can; and no one is
+any the worse or the wiser for it. The "furnishing" is a matter
+of no consideration with the Ainu, as he prefers to live in an
+"unfurnished house." By instalments, however, as he finds
+his floor becoming rather damp, he provides himself with a
+few rough planks, which afford him comfortable sleeping
+accommodation; and during the winter, when fishing is not
+practicable, and he spends most of his day at home, he roughly
+carves for himself a moustache-lifter (the <i>Kike-ush-bashui</i>);
+a small paddle, the <i>Hera</i> (which is used both to stir the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_209" id="Page_209">[Pg 209]</a></span>
+wine and as an implement in weaving); a pestle and mortar
+carved out of the trunk of a tree; and, if he be a very ambitious
+person and fond of his wife, he will probably make her a
+weaving loom as well as two or three "water-jugs" if we may
+call them so&mdash;vessels made of bark bent into shape, and lashed
+so strongly as to be water-tight, and used for carrying water
+as needed.</p>
+
+<p>A few wooden bowls, a wooden hook, which is suspended
+over the fire when bear-meat is smoked, occasionally a <i>Kinna</i>
+(a mat), and a skin or two, are all the articles of furniture of
+Ainu manufacture which an Ainu can possess, though few of
+them possess so many. The Ainu hut has a fire-place in the
+centre, or rather, a fire is lighted in the centre of the hut. The
+fire is lighted with a flint and steel&mdash;a method learned from the
+Japanese&mdash;or by the friction of two sticks. The more civilised
+Ainu have now adopted matches. A hole in the angle of the
+roof acts as chimney, but unfortunately more in name than in
+practice.</p>
+
+<p>Chairs, stools, sofas, beds, tables, etc., are all things unknown
+to the Ainu. While inspecting the hut it may be
+as well to see how the weaving-loom, the most complicated
+article of the Ainu household, is made and worked. There is
+a "yarn beam" (the <i>Kammakappe</i>), on which the "warp" of
+unwoven thread is wound and kept separated, and another
+"roll" by which the warp threads in the process of weaving
+are kept in tension between the two gratings. There then is
+the <i>Poro-usa</i> (the "large grating"), through the intervals of
+which the warp threads pass, and the <i>Usa</i>, a similar but smaller
+grating placed on the other side of the roll.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-209.png" width="400" height="167" alt="WEAVING IMPLEMENTS." /></div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_210" id="Page_210">[Pg 210]</a></span>
+The cloth is wound round a stick which rests on the lap of
+the weaver, and is kept in tension by means of her wrists;
+and at the same time the <i>Ahunkanitte</i> (the "shuttle"), is passed
+between the two sets of warp threads carrying the transverse
+thread, or "woof," from one side of the cloth to the other
+and back again. This is then beaten up by means of a long
+shuttle like a netting mesh, which first draws the weft into its
+place, and is then used to beat it up. In some ways this form
+of loom is similar to that of India. The "netting mesh" is
+called <i>Atzis-Hera</i>. Finally, the <i>Pekoatnit</i> is a bi-forked instrument
+for separating the threads.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-210a.png" width="400" height="53" alt="WEAVING IMPLEMENTS." /></div>
+
+<p>It is needless to say that with this primitive and homemade
+loom it takes a very long time to weave a very short
+piece of cloth; but as time is not money with Ainu women,
+and patience is one of their virtues, it answers their purpose,
+and they wish for nothing better.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-210b.png" width="400" height="68" alt="ATZIS-CLOTH IN PROCESS OF WEAVING" />
+<span class="caption">ATZIS-CLOTH IN PROCESS OF WEAVING.</span></div>
+
+<p>The thread used for manufacturing the cloth is made of the
+inner fibre of the <i>Ulmus campestris</i> bark. At the beginning
+of the spring the elm bark is peeled off the trees and is put
+in water to soak and soften until the inner fibres can be
+separated, made into threads, and wound up round reeds.
+The material woven from these threads is very coarse and
+brittle, except in wet weather or when soaked in water, in
+which case clothes made of it cannot be worn out.</p>
+
+<p>The weaving is usually plain, but sometimes a simple
+pattern of black parallel lines is woven in with the material.
+The natural colour of the elm-fibre thread is dark yellow, and
+the black lines are composed of the same thread stained.</p>
+
+<p>The other contrivance in Ainu huts which strikes one as<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_211" id="Page_211">[Pg 211]</a></span>
+being simple but clever is the hook suspended over the fire.
+The rope is passed over a rafter. One end of it is fastened to
+the hook, the other, as shown in the illustration, to
+a piece of wood through which the hook has previously
+been passed.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 83px;">
+<img src="images/illus-211.png" width="83" height="282" alt="ROASTING HOOK" title="" />
+<span class="caption">ROASTING HOOK.</span></div>
+
+<p>Mat-making is closely allied to weaving, and is
+worked entirely on the same principle, but without
+the aid of any kind of machinery. The bulrushes
+are crossed and woven coarsely, and plaited flat.
+One of these mats is used in Ainu huts as a door&mdash;"the
+<i>Apa Otki</i>." A smaller one is hung over or by
+the window.</p>
+
+<p>Naturally, Ainu huts are somewhat draughty.
+The imperfectness of the door and window-fittings,
+the large outlet for the smoke, besides the wind
+which finds its way through the thatched walls,
+make Ainu dwellings "ideal" to anyone wishing to "catch
+his death of cold." The Ainu do not much mind it.</p>
+
+<p>The roof is low, and from it hang the winter provisions of
+dried salmon captured during the autumn. This gives an
+additional odour to the already strong scent of the hut&mdash;an
+"ancient fish-like smell," not redolent of the perfumes of
+Arabia. The smoke inside the hut is so dense when there
+happens to be a fire burning that one's eyes stream with
+involuntary tears, and one is nearly choked. When the days
+are short in winter the Ainu sometimes light their dwellings
+with a stick to which is fastened a piece of animal fat. It is
+hung up aloft, and when the lower end is lighted the fat slowly
+melting serves to feed the flame and keep this primitive lamp
+alight. Another mode of illumination is by firing a lighted
+piece of birch bark on a stick previously split at the upper
+end. The third way is by filling a large shell with fish-oil
+and burning in it a few strings of elm-fibre. None of these
+methods come much into use for everyday life, as, unlike the
+negroes, the Ainu are not fond of sitting up at night, except
+on extraordinary occasions; and when by chance they do sit
+up it is by the light of the fire only.</p>
+
+<p>If a stranger stops for the night in an Ainu hut, he is made
+to sleep directly under the east window; but the family take
+good care to sleep all together on the north side, which is the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_212" id="Page_212">[Pg 212]</a></span>
+most distant point from the door and the window. Occasional
+callers are received on the side nearest to the door.</p>
+
+<p>The few Ainu who possess mats on which they sit during
+the day hang them up at night round the hut, probably to
+protect themselves from the liberal ventilation, which even
+those who are used to it find trying when a gale is blowing or
+the thermometer is very low.</p>
+
+<p>There is no particular spot inside the hut set apart for
+meals, and the refuse is either thrown into a corner of the hut
+or flung outside the door and left there. It is difficult to say
+whether the inside or the outside of an Ainu hut is the dirtier.
+Heaps of stinking refuse are accumulated round the dwellings,
+and in summer-time these heaps are alive with vermin&mdash;mosquitoes,
+flies, <i>abu</i>, and black-flies. It is quite sufficient to move
+a step from the door to see a cloud of these noxious insects
+rise, and each one of them will have a bite at you.</p>
+
+<p>Inside the house you are no better off. <i>Taikki</i> (fleas) are
+innumerable, and of all sizes, not to mention other well-known
+but usually anonymous enemies of the human skin.</p>
+
+<p>The first night I slept in an Ainu hut, though I was provided
+with insecticide powder, I was literally covered with
+bites. With my fondness for statistics I proceeded to count
+them, and only from my ankle to my knee I counted as many
+as 220. The rest of my body and my head were covered in
+the same proportion, but I gave up the attempt to ascertain
+the exact number&mdash;the task was too overwhelming. My skin,
+however, got so inflamed by these bites as to produce fever,
+which lasted two or three days. After that time I never again
+suffered to such an extent, perhaps owing to the fact that no
+free spot was left to attack, or may be from that curious process
+called acclimatisation.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu huts are built entirely above ground, and are
+used alike in winter and summer.</p>
+
+<p>In olden times the hut was always destroyed at the death
+of its owner, or when abandoned; but in the former case the
+custom is seldom practised now, and in the latter they are
+merely left to decay.</p>
+
+<p>It is singular that migrating Ainu, coming across an
+uninhabited hut, never live in it, but build a new one for
+themselves.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_213" id="Page_213">[Pg 213]</a></span>
+The Kurilsky Ainu until quite recently destroyed their
+huts when migrating from one island to another. They also
+burnt the huts of deceased persons. It is needless to say that
+the Ainu have no churches, no hotels, no hospitals, and no
+public buildings of any kind. The huts in villages are a little
+way from one another, and each hut has directly in front a
+separate storehouse, built on piles or posts so as not to be
+accessible to wolves, dogs, or rats. These are small structures,
+the architecture of which has the local characteristics of the
+habitations, with the exception that they are invariably on
+piles, while the habitations are on the ground. Clothes, furs,
+mats, and winter provisions of sea-weed are kept in these
+storehouses, and access to them is by means of a peculiar
+ladder. It is a mere log of wood, six or seven feet in length,
+pointed at one end, and with five or six incisions, which serve
+as steps, and remind me of the steps cut by an ice-axe in a
+glacier or on frozen snow. Natives go up and down these
+ladders with ease, even when carrying heavy weights on their
+heads; and good care is always taken to remove the ladder
+when leaving the storehouse. Women principally look after
+these storehouses, and seem to have the whole care and
+control of them. I have often seen an Ainu girl&mdash;for a storehouse
+could hardly hold more than one&mdash;sitting on the tiny
+door working at her lord and master's <i>Atzis</i> robe. Hour after
+hour I have seen her sitting there, working patiently till the
+sun has set and the darkness has come. Her materials were
+then stowed away; the mat at the door was let down; the
+ladder descended and kicked away; and sadly singing in her
+soft falsetto voice, she retired into the dirt and dark of her
+habitation.</p>
+
+<p>The storehouses stand about six feet above the level of
+the ground, and are generally on four, six, or eight piles.
+Upon each pile is placed a large square piece of wood
+turned downwards at the sides, so as not to be accessible
+to rats and mice. Upon these square pieces of wood rest
+horizontally four rafters, forming a quadrangle about eight
+feet square. The small storehouse has as a base this quadrangle,
+and is seldom high enough to allow of an adult to
+stand inside.</p>
+
+<p>Storehouses are thatched like all other houses. On<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_214" id="Page_214">[Pg 214]</a></span>
+the upper Tokachi, however, they are covered with the bark
+of trees.</p>
+
+<p>Next in connection with Ainu habitations comes the skull-trophy
+at the east end of the hut. This is on a parallel line to
+the hut wall, and only a few yards away from it, and is made
+of a number of bi-forked poles, upon which are placed the
+skulls of the bears, wolves, and foxes killed by the owner of
+the hut. The Ainu is proud of this trophy, and if the number
+of bear skulls is very large, he commands a certain amount of
+respect from his hairy brethren. There is nothing that Ainu
+admire more than courage, and there is nothing in the world
+that an Ainu desires more than to be thought brave. When
+he has gained this character a man becomes in a certain way
+the "lion" of the village. He embellishes his trophy with a
+<i>Nusa</i> and <i>Inaos</i> (willow wands with overhanging shavings&mdash;<i>see</i>
+<a href="#Page_281">Chapter on Superstitions</a>), and he always looks on
+it as an evidence of his manly glory. Besides this, many
+Ainu possess one or two live bears kept in cages. Bear
+hunters often secure one or more cubs, which they bring home
+and allow to live in the hut like one of the family or an Irishman's
+pig. These cubs are nursed along with and in the same
+manner as the children, and Ainu say that women often put them
+to the breast and suckle them like their own infants. Whether
+this is true or not I cannot say; but though I have never seen
+it, and therefore cannot vouch for it, it is not unlike Ainu
+women to do such a thing.</p>
+
+<p>When the new-comers grow big and powerful enough to be
+dangerous, the men make a rough cage with logs of timber,
+<span class="figleft" style="width: 100px;">
+<img src="images/illus-214.png" width="100" height="176" alt="THE APE-KILAI, OR EARTH-RAKE, AS USED BY PIRATORI AINU" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE APE-KILAI, OR EARTH-RAKE, AS USED BY PIRATORI AINU.</span></span>
+placing them one over the other in a quadrangular
+shape, and lashing them strongly
+together. The bear is driven into the cage,
+which is then roofed over; and after a couple
+of years of confinement, during which it is
+fattened, poor Bruin is killed for a bear festival.
+In the lower part of the cage there is a small
+wooden tray by which food is served to the
+captive.</p>
+
+<p>On the north-east coast of Yezo I have also
+seen smaller cages, in which foxes, eagles, or other animals
+are kept; and I always noticed the care which Ainu took to<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_215" id="Page_215">[Pg 215]</a></span>
+feed up the imprisoned animals. That "charity begins at
+home" is true even among the hairy people; for if they are
+kind to animals it is only for the sake of making a good meal
+of them on the first occasion that presents itself.</p>
+
+<p><span class="figleft" style="width: 37px;">
+<img src="images/illus-215a.png" width="37" height="300" alt="PESTLE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">PESTLE.</span></span>
+<span class="figright" style="width: 119px;">
+<img src="images/illus-215b.png" width="119" height="300" alt="MORTAR" title="" />
+<span class="caption">MORTAR.</span></span>
+It may be as well to state that
+the Ainu have never been known
+to make pottery. What they have
+of the kind is imported and sold to
+or exchanged with them by the
+Japanese. If I were an Irishman
+I should say that real Ainu pottery
+is made of wood. Nevertheless,
+large shells are often used by them
+as drinking vessels where wooden
+bowls are not obtainable. It is a
+common occurrence in Ainu households
+that one bowl is used by
+several individuals, and a more
+common occurrence still that none
+of the bowls are ever washed or
+cleaned after having been used.</p>
+
+<p>The small Ainu porch which
+stands frequently at the entrance of Ainu huts
+answers the purpose of a stackhouse, and in it is
+stored the firewood used in the house. The wooden
+mortar and the long pestle are kept in a corner
+under the porch. In the more civilised parts of
+Yezo these pestles and mortars are general, as the natives
+use them for pounding millet.</p>
+
+<p>The pure Ainu live principally on animal food&mdash;fish and
+meat&mdash;sea-weed, and some kinds of roots and herbs, which<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_216" id="Page_216">[Pg 216]</a></span>
+they find on the mountains. Metallurgy is utterly unknown
+to the Ainu. Until of late years they possessed nothing made
+of metal. Their arrows had bamboo or bone heads; tin or
+iron cooking utensils they had none; and the blades of their
+knives were and are of Japanese origin. Some of these blades
+are very old, and were acquired by the Ainu in the battles
+which they fought against the Japanese; others have been got
+by barter-metal exchanged for skins of animals.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-215c.png" width="400" height="136" alt="KITCHEN IMPLEMENTS" /></div>
+
+<p>Furthermore, save the weaving-loom, the Ainu possess no
+machinery of their own make. This too, as we have seen, is
+but a very rude and simple kind of machine. The application
+of wind or water power to economise human labour is in no
+way known to them; thus they have no windlasses, no pumps,
+no bellows, no windmills, no waterwheels; neither have they
+any signs of the rudest form of machinery moved by manual
+power which they have imagined and made for themselves.
+Furthermore, they are very loth to accept those mechanical
+means of economising labour which are employed by their
+neighbours the Japanese.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu are very conservative, little as they may have to
+preserve. They show a great dislike to change or reform their
+habits and customs, or to improve themselves in any way.
+Worse they could certainly not be. They have no ancestral
+attachment which makes them unwilling to discard their rude
+practices for more civilised ways; but, acting according to
+their instincts, and not by their intelligence, they preserve
+customs which seem inconvenient and unpractical to us, which
+habit has rendered familiar and pleasant to them.</p>
+
+<p>Various natives in other parts of the world show signs of an
+earlier state of civilisation, but the Ainu do not. They have
+never had a past civilisation, they are not civilised now, and
+what is more, they will never be civilised. Civilisation kills
+them. As a hog delights in filth, so the Ainu can only live in
+dirt, neglect, and savagery of personal habits. They are made
+that way, and they cannot help it. They are excluded from
+progress by an impassable barrier. They have many miseries
+in their life, but no greater misery could befall an Ainu than
+to be forced to lead a civilised existence. Even after they
+have been educated in Japanese schools, when they return
+home, in a short time they forget all they have learned, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_217" id="Page_217">[Pg 217]</a></span>
+discard their acquired civilisation for the old, free, untrammelled
+mountain life; the wild habits of the woods and sea-shore;
+the nakedness of summer and the stifling squalor
+of the one small dingy hut in winter; the uncombed hair
+and matted beard; the putrid flesh of salmon, and the
+vile compound they revel in till they get gloriously drunk
+and bestial.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-217.png" width="400" height="305" alt="AINU PIPE-HOLDER AND TOBACCO POUCH, AS USED BY THE MORE CIVILISED AINU" />
+<span class="caption">AINU PIPE-HOLDER AND TOBACCO POUCH,
+AS USED BY THE MORE CIVILISED AINU.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_218" id="Page_218">[Pg 218]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/illus-218a.png" width="600" height="136" alt="AINU KNIFE, WITH ORNAMENTED SHEATH" />
+<span class="caption">AINU KNIFE, WITH ORNAMENTED SHEATH.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XXI.<br />
+<span class="small">Ainu Art, Ainu Marks, Ornamentations, Weapons&mdash;Graves and
+Tattoos.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>The expression of ideas by graphic signs is utterly unknown
+to the Ainu. They have no alphabet, and furthermore, they
+have no methods whatever of writing. Hence the utter incapacity
+of the hairy people to record events, time, or circumstances
+in their history; for even the system of picture-writing
+is not known to them.</p>
+
+<p>Thus they have neither graven records nor any form of
+visible history; and tradition transmitted from mouth to
+mouth is all they have by way of historic continuity. The
+nearest approach made to graphic signs is in the owner's
+marks, which we occasionally find on some of their implements.
+The moustache-lifter is the article on which this mark
+is most commonly found. What these marks are meant to
+represent I do not know for certain; but I believe that
+Fig. 1 is supposed to convey the idea of a house, and Fig. 2
+that of a boat; Fig. 3 a bear cage, and 4 the mere result of
+fancy. Even these marks are only rarely found, and have
+probably been suggested by Japanese writing.</p>
+
+<p>The illustration shows the four specimens which I found
+carved on moustache-lifters.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 250px;">
+<img src="images/illus-218b.png" width="250" height="73" alt="SYMBOLS" title="" /></div>
+
+<p>Closely allied with writing is,
+of course, map-drawing and
+ornamentations. Map drawing
+can be dismissed at once, like
+that famous chapter on snakes in Iceland, as the Ainu know
+nothing of it.</p>
+
+<p>Rough ornamentations on bone and wooden implements
+are their only artistic efforts. Truthful representations of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_219" id="Page_219">[Pg 219]</a></span>
+figures and animals are seldom attempted,<a name="FNanchor_37_37" id="FNanchor_37_37"></a><a href="#Footnote_37_37" class="fnanchor">[37]</a> but conventionalised
+symbols, suggested by and based on certain forms of
+animal or vegetable life, are occasionally used for ornamentation.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu have no rock-sculptures, and can neither paint
+nor draw in any form; what they have are mere simple wood-carvings.
+But only a few have any aptitude for even this
+crude work, though of course they are not all alike. As with
+us we have people who are artistic and people who are Philistine,
+so with the Ainu, in that very humble degree which is to
+Western art what an acorn is to an oak.</p>
+
+<p>Like all early work, Ainu art&mdash;if we may call it so&mdash;aims at
+a certain uniformity, especially in leaf-portraiture, so as to
+produce a somewhat symmetrical pattern; for at all times
+geometry has been the mother of design.</p>
+
+<p>An Ainu does not go for his models direct to Nature,
+neither does he servilely copy his neighbour's work; but he
+gets his ideas indirectly from both these sources, and through
+inability to copy accurately, negligence in close study, and
+some amount of native imagination combined, varies the
+design which he has seen to such an extent as to make it
+in a sense original. The talent shown by different men in the
+art of carving varies considerably, even in men of the same
+tribe; while certain tribes show both aptitude and fondness
+for these ornamentations, whereas others have little of either.</p>
+
+<p>It is the Ainu of the upper Ishikari River who chiefly excel
+in these carved ornamentations. The knife represented in the
+illustration comes from Kamikawa, and was carved with the
+point of a knife by the chief of the Ainu there. It took the
+man many months to accomplish, and it is by far the best
+specimen of Ainu workmanship that I saw in Yezo, though
+the ornamentations on it are not purely Ainu in character.</p>
+
+<p><span class="figleft" style="width: 48px;">
+<img src="images/illus-220a.png" width="48" height="300" alt="SIDE VIEW" title="" />
+<span class="caption">SIDE VIEW.</span></span>
+This man was a genius as compared to other Ainu, and his
+ideas of form and precision were considerably more developed
+than in most of his race. He has ornamented the sheath with
+conventionalised symbols, which were apparently suggested to
+him by leaves and branches of trees; and the suggestion of
+a flower can be noticed in the upper part of the handle. A<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_220" id="Page_220">[Pg 220]</a></span>
+suggestion of fish-scales has been used by him to fill up small
+open spaces; others he filled up with parallel lines. The
+sheath is made of two parts, to allow the carver to
+cut the space for the blade inside; but these two
+parts are well fitted together, and kept fast by six
+rings of neatly-cut bark fastened on while fresh, so
+that by shrinking the two sides of the sheath are
+brought close together, and are as if made of one
+single piece.</p>
+
+<p>The side view of the same knife shows the clever
+contrivance for fastening it on to the girdle without
+removing the latter from around the body. This knife
+may be ranked among the <i>chefs d'œuvre</i> of Ainu art.</p>
+
+<p>The principal characteristics of the more usual
+ornamentations are interesting to study.</p>
+
+<p>Art of course is only the personification, so to
+speak, the expression of the mind, character, and
+knowledge of the artist; thus, in Ainu ornamentations
+we have patterns which could be nothing but
+Ainu, taken collectively, yet which show distinctly
+the temperament of each individual. For instance, taking
+<span class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-220b.png" width="400" height="388" alt="" />
+<span class="caption">KIKE-USH-BASHUI, OR MOUSTACHE-LIFTERS.</span></span>
+the moustache-lifters (Figs. 1, 2, 4 in the illustration).
+Fig. 1, with its roundish, undecided, lines, was carved by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_221" id="Page_221">[Pg 221]</a></span>
+a man weak in physique and <i>morale</i>; Fig. 2, which is much
+simpler and with more decided lines, was the work of a quiet
+but strong and proud man; and Fig. 4, with its coarse incisions,
+was the outcome of a brutal mind.</p>
+
+<p>Ainu designs, though slightly varied by each individual, are
+principally formed of simple geometrical patterns; then of coils
+<span class="figright" style="width: 300px;">
+<img src="images/illus-221a.png" width="300" height="224" alt="" title="SUGGESTIONS OF LEAVES" />
+<span class="caption">SUGGESTIONS OF LEAVES.</span></span>
+and scrolls; and, rarest of all,
+because the highest attainment
+of all, of conventionalised representations
+of animal or vegetable
+forms. Of the representations
+from animal forms the
+fish-scale is the only one adopted
+by the Ainu, but suggestions
+of leaves may not infrequently
+be found in these designs. Some
+of these are long and narrow; others are short and stumpy.</p>
+
+<p>The above are, to my mind, the models which the Ainu
+have chiefly taken for their leaf patterns, following nature at a
+long distance indeed!</p>
+
+<p><span class="figright" style="width: 163px;">
+<img src="images/illus-221b.png" width="163" height="42" alt="ROPE-PATTERN AND SIMPLE BANDS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">ROPE-PATTERN AND
+SIMPLE BANDS.</span></span>
+Beside these, and much more common,
+are the rope-pattern and the simple bands.
+Often the rope-pattern has bands above
+and below, especially in drinking vessels.</p>
+
+<p>Triangles filled with lines parallel to one of the sides are
+<span class="figright" style="width: 117px;">
+<img src="images/illus-221c.png" width="117" height="58" alt="TRIANGLES" title="" />
+<span class="caption">TRIANGLES.</span></span>
+frequently met with in moustache-lifters, and
+occasionally the annexed patterns are found:
+but as a rule the Ainu are not fond of merely
+straight single lines except for "filling" purposes.
+These patterns are mostly used on
+their graves. In articles of every-day use they prefer curves
+as a foundation of their ornamentations. The lozenge
+<span class="figright" style="width: 223px;">
+<img src="images/illus-221d.png" width="223" height="75" alt="CHEVRONS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">CHEVRONS.</span></span>
+pattern, especially one lozenge inside
+the other, is a favourite among
+their geometrical designs; also contiguous
+and detached circles, chevrons,
+double chevrons, and triple
+chevrons. The chevrons are mainly
+used by them on their graves, and they are invariably
+enclosed between two or four lines.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_222" id="Page_222">[Pg 222]</a></span>
+The two following patterns are elaborations of the foregoing,
+but are much more uncommon.</p>
+
+<p><span class="figleft" style="width: 200px;">
+<img src="images/illus-222a.png" width="200" height="58" alt="ELABORATIONS OF CHEVRONS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">ELABORATIONS OF
+CHEVRONS.</span></span>
+The parallel incised lines and parallel
+lines crossing each other at right
+angles are met with again and again
+in Ainu patterns. More common still
+is the occurrence of a number of parallel lines meeting
+perpendicularly another lot of parallel lines without crossing
+them.</p>
+
+<p><span class="figright" style="width: 120px;">
+<img src="images/illus-222b.png" width="120" height="43" alt="A COMMON PATTERN" title="" />
+<span class="caption">A COMMON
+PATTERN.</span></span>
+Parallel lines have a fascination for the
+Ainu, as we find them in most of their
+designs.</p>
+
+<p>Concentric circles are not often met with, neither is the
+plain or loop coil often found, owing to the difficulty of
+<span class="figleft" style="width: 138px;">
+<img src="images/illus-222c.png" width="138" height="110" alt="WAVE PATTERNS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">WAVE PATTERNS.</span></span>
+execution; but the wave pattern and double
+wave are typical Ainu patterns; also the
+reversed wave.</p>
+
+<p>From these may have been derived the
+<span class="figright" style="width: 213px;">
+<img src="images/illus-222d.png" width="213" height="70" alt="REVERSED COIL" title="" />
+<span class="caption">REVERSED COIL.</span></span>
+other two, the last
+of which is a mere
+double reversed coil.</p>
+
+<p>Triangular marks are occasionally
+<span class="figleft" style="width: 192px;">
+<img src="images/illus-222e.png" width="192" height="114" alt="FRETS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">FRETS.</span></span>
+"put in" by the Ainu in some of
+their more complicated designs, and
+finally we find that, though rarely, they
+sometimes attempt a kind of fret.</p>
+
+<p>Other strange forms of lines which
+are thoroughly characteristic of the
+Ainu are the following.</p>
+
+<p><span class="figright" style="width: 198px;">
+<img src="images/illus-222f.png" width="198" height="233" alt="OTHER CHARACTERISTIC DESIGNS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">OTHER CHARACTERISTIC
+DESIGNS.</span></span>
+I never came across any Ainu wood-carvings
+that were coloured, but in
+bone-carvings&mdash;which, I must add, are
+very rare&mdash;black is used to assist shade,
+and bring out the higher lights by
+contrast. The Ainu have no idea of
+tones, semi-tones, or gradations; the
+contrast is merely between the strong
+black and strong white. Enamelling
+is not known by them.</p>
+
+<p>The objects which bear these incised ornamentations,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_223" id="Page_223">[Pg 223]</a></span>
+beside the sheaths and handles of their knives and swords and
+their moustache-lifters, as has been shown, are the <i>Tchutti</i>,
+or war-clubs; the <i>Hera</i>, or netting-mesh used in weaving;
+drinking-vessels, quivers, pipes and tobacco-boxes, the
+thread-reeds, cloth-hangers, and graves.</p>
+
+<p>The modern Ainu are not a warlike people, therefore many
+of the weapons which were used in former days for defence
+and offence are rarely found now. For instance, the old war-clubs
+are not used by the present generation. These clubs
+were long and heavy, and were carried on the wrist by a piece
+of rope passed through a hole at the upper end. Some were
+plain and straight, others were curved towards the end to
+<span class="figright" style="width: 246px;">
+<img src="images/illus-223a.png" width="246" height="143" alt="" title="" />
+<span class="caption">TCHUTTI, OR WAR-CLUBS.</span></span>
+make them heavier. Now and
+again some carved all over are
+found. Pieces of leather or rope
+were often knotted round the
+heavier part to make the blow
+more severe. In some of the
+very old clubs a stone was inlaid
+to add to the weight and consequent
+efficiency of the weapon.
+These clubs are from two to two and a half feet in length,
+and are made of hard wood.</p>
+
+<p>Ainu bows are simple, and not very powerful. They are
+about fifty inches in length, and made of only one piece of
+yew. The arrows, which are poisoned, are of bamboo or bone.
+The poison is extracted from aconite roots mixed with other
+ingredients. It is somewhat greasy owing to certain fatty
+<span class="figleft" style="width: 157px;">
+<img src="images/illus-223b.png" width="157" height="23" alt="TROUGH IN WHICH RESIN IS KEPT FOR FIXING ARROW-POINTS" title="" /><span class="caption">TROUGH IN WHICH
+RESIN IS KEPT FOR
+FIXING ARROW-POINTS.</span></span>
+matters which it contains, and is smeared
+into the cavity in the arrow-point, which
+has previously been treated with pine-tree
+gum to fix the poison. The arrow-point
+is barbed, and so fashioned that when the
+shaft is drawn from the wound this poisoned point remains.</p>
+
+<p><span class="figright" style="width: 250px;">
+<img src="images/illus-223c.png" width="250" height="83" alt="POISONED ARROWS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">POISONED ARROWS.</span></span>
+The illustration gives two
+different kinds of poisoned
+arrows. In Figs. 2 and 3, the
+black part in the point shows
+the cavity filled with poison.
+Fig. 2 shows how the arrow-head is separated from the reed,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_224" id="Page_224">[Pg 224]</a></span>
+and how when the arrow is drawn from the flesh the poisoned
+point remains inside the wound.</p>
+
+<p>The arrows, when in war or hunting, are kept in a quiver,
+and a small <i>Inao</i> is hung to it to bring good luck to the
+owner.</p>
+
+<p>Spears and harpoons of one barb are common, and some of
+the poisoned spears have heads similar to the arrows but of
+a larger size. Spears are out of date now, but harpoons are
+still employed in fishing.</p>
+
+<p>Knives are the weapons on which a modern Ainu most
+relies. Some of these knives are of such length that they
+might pass for swords. The blade is single-edged, and is protected
+by a wooden sheath. Nearly every man possesses one,
+which he carries in his girdle when dressed; when naked, he
+carries it in his hand. The illustration shows knives of
+different sizes, and with different patterns worked on them.
+From an artistic point of view the sheaths of knives are the
+most carefully wrought over, and ornamented to a greater
+extent than any other article of Ainu manufacture.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-224.png" width="400" height="391" alt="AINU KNIVES" />
+<span class="caption">AINU KNIVES.</span></div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_225" id="Page_225">[Pg 225]</a></span>
+Then come the graves. The Ainu are very jealous of these
+places of eternal rest, and good care is taken to hide them
+either in the midst of a forest, on a distant and almost inaccessible
+hill, or in some remote spot, difficult to find or reach.</p>
+
+<p>Each village has its own semi-secret graveyard, in which all
+its dead are buried. Occasionally, when the site of a graveyard
+has become known to others than these local Ainu, the place
+is deserted, and a fresh place of sepulture is chosen. The
+manner of burial is as follows. The body, wrapped up in a
+<i>Kinna</i> (mat), is fastened to a long pole and carried to the
+grave by two men. All the villagers follow, each carrying
+some article which was owned by the deceased. A grave is
+dug, wide and long enough to hold the body laid flat. In it
+are placed the bow and arrows with their quiver, the knife&mdash;from
+which, for the sake of economy, the blade has been previously
+removed&mdash;and the drinking-vessel which belonged to
+the deceased, if he were a man. Women are usually buried
+with some beads, earrings, and furs. All these articles, carried<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_226" id="Page_226">[Pg 226]</a></span>
+by the mourners, are broken before they are laid in the grave
+with the corpse; a few boards are then placed over the body,
+and earth is thrown over these till the ground is level again.</p>
+
+<p>The grave is generally so shallow that the body is only a
+few inches underground&mdash;sometimes not more than four
+inches. The body lies flat on its back. Close to its head is
+erected a monument. For men it is the trunk of a tree,
+about six feet in length, from which the bark has been peeled
+off, and whereon certain ornamentations are cut. A short
+branch is left on one side. The top of the tree-trunk and the
+end of the branch are cut either in the shape of a lozenge, a
+hexagon, or a semicircle; and a hole is made through it. At
+the branch end, the cloth-earrings or the head-gear of the
+deceased are hung and left to decay.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/illus-225.png" width="600" height="530" alt="MONUMENTS OVER GRAVES." /></div>
+
+<p>Women have simpler graves; they are flat instead of round,
+and are cut into the shape of a canoe-paddle. The chief of a
+village has a more elaborate tomb than others if he has been
+liked by the villagers. At Raishats, on the Ishikari River,
+I saw a really imposing monument put over the grave of
+the chief who had recently died. It was of very large size,
+and well carved&mdash;in the same patterns as those shown in
+the illustration. Its chief peculiarity was that the body,
+instead of being covered by earth, was covered by what
+appeared to be a canoe or "dug-out" turned upside down,
+the bottom of which had been laboriously carved. On each of
+the two sides, at the head and foot of the grave, was stuck into
+the ground a wooden blade twenty-one inches in length, resembling
+<span class="figleft" style="width: 296px;">
+<img src="images/illus-226.png" width="296" height="67" alt="WOODEN BLADE" title="" />
+<span class="caption">WOODEN BLADE.</span></span>
+in shape the
+blade of a sword. Each
+of these four blades was
+carved alike, and had a
+strange design resembling
+the number 88. Whether a meaning is attached by the Ainu
+to this design I cannot say, and the curious circumstance,
+as my readers will remember, through which I came into
+possession of one of these blades, did not permit me to
+ask many questions on the subject. I often wondered
+whether it meant that life begins, goes its way round, and
+ends where it began? It is more likely, though, that no
+meaning whatever is attached to those lines, for such<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_227" id="Page_227">[Pg 227]</a></span>
+deep thoughts would hardly harmonise with the Ainu
+philosophy&mdash;such as it is. The Ainu do not stop to mourn
+or pray or trouble themselves about a grave when the body is
+once buried. Those who have touched the body wash their
+hands in a tub of water which has been brought for the
+purpose; afterwards the water is thrown over the grave and
+the tub is smashed. The Ainu seldom visit their graveyards
+except when some one has to be buried. They hate their
+dead to be disturbed, and nothing makes them more angry
+than to know that a stranger has been near their burial-ground.
+When a man is dead they try to forget all about
+him and his doings, in which they generally succeed to perfection.
+This naturally is not conducive to anything like
+continuity in the history of the country, and may partly
+account for their having none. Moreover, none of the tombs
+bear the name or the mark of the person to whom it was
+erected. Tombs of children are of similar shape to those of
+adults, only smaller in size. When carrying the dead&mdash;or, as
+we should say, going to a funeral&mdash;the Ainu put on their best
+clothes, and when the burial is over they all get helplessly
+drunk to make up for the loss of the departed friend.</p>
+
+<p>To leave this somewhat grim subject and to return to
+every-day art, it may be well to mention that the designs for
+embroideries differ in no way from the wood-carvings. They
+are often more accurately finished, owing to the greater facility
+of materials, but the lines and all the characteristics of the
+patterns are the same. In the tattoos the lozenge pattern
+and bands are the two more commonly used. The Egyptian
+cross is sometimes met with (<span>
+<img src="images/illus-egyptiancross.png" width="15" height="15" alt="Egyptian Cross" />
+</span>), and also a kind of reversed
+<i>fylfot</i>, or <i>svastika</i>. Moreover, the St. Andrew's cross with
+an additional line is not uncommon(<b>X|</b>). In the present
+volume this is all I have to say on Ainu art. I may, however,
+add that their ornamentations could not be more primitive, but
+their frequency on weapons, clothing, implements, and graves
+shows us that art, though not understood by the Ainu, has a
+certain fascination, which, in their ignorance, they cannot
+explain. They know art without knowing what art means.
+Certain lines and simple designs which are familiar to them
+appeal to their taste, else they would not ornament all their
+articles with them. But this does not show any great intellectual<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_228" id="Page_228">[Pg 228]</a></span>
+activity, for beyond that point the Ainu brain cannot
+go. As art in its natural state is merely the pictorial outcome
+of what the brain has grasped, we have in these crude
+beginnings another strong proof that the brain-power of the
+Ainu is indeed very limited, and their inability to represent
+animal form seems extraordinary in view of what other
+savages have done; but of course superstition may have
+something to say to the omission. The Ainu rank very low
+in the scale of civilisation; they are probably below the
+Australian blacks and the tree-dwellers of India, who are
+supposed to be among the lowest races in creation. The
+Terra del Fuegians and certain African tribes run them hard;
+but, taken all in all, the Ainu are the furthest behind in the
+great race of human development.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-228.png" width="400" height="69" alt="AN AINU PIPE" />
+<span class="caption">AN AINU PIPE.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_229" id="Page_229">[Pg 229]</a></p>
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XXII.<br />
+<span class="small">Ainu Heads, and their Physiognomy.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>The faces of the Ainu are far from ugly, and their heads are
+singularly picturesque, though of course there are the finer
+types as there are the meaner; by which we come to gradation
+and comparison. The general idea that all Ainu are hideous
+has arisen from the accounts of the few who have travelled in
+the more civilised parts of Yezo, and have seen and studied
+only a limited number of half-breeds and actual Japanese,
+mistaking them for Ainu. In one of the last publications on
+the Ainu, photographs of Japanese and half-breeds are given as
+typical specimens of the Ainu race; and one or two real Ainu
+are given as phenomena and exceptions. That the Ainu are
+disgustingly filthy is undoubted; that in many ways they are
+monkey-like is certain; but also that on a close examination
+many are not devoid of good features is undeniable. As regards
+looks, it is a great mistake to compare savages with
+ourselves, and to judge of them from our own standpoint.
+This is no more fair than to compare a thoroughbred fox-terrier
+with a thoroughbred poodle-dog, to the disadvantage of
+the one or the other. Passing off half-breeds as pure types of
+course makes things ten times worse, and complicates matters
+for those who care for accuracy, and are interested in anthropological
+researches.</p>
+
+<p>Ainu physiognomy is an interesting study. When seen full-face
+the forehead is narrow, and sharply sloped backward. The
+cheek-bones are prominent, and the nose is hooked, slightly
+flattened, and broad, with wide, strong nostrils. The mouth is
+generally large, with thick, firm lips, and the underlip well<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_230" id="Page_230">[Pg 230]</a></span>
+developed. The space from the nose to the mouth is extremely
+long, while the chin, which is rather round, is comparatively
+short and not very prominent. Thus the face has the
+shape of a short oval. The profile is concave and the mouth
+and eyebrows are prominent, though of course the nose projects
+more than the lips, yet without being too markedly
+projecting. The chin and forehead recede, as has been said,
+and in the supraorbital region the central boss is extremely
+well marked; also the brow ridges, which, however, are slightly
+less conspicuous than the central boss. The ears are usually
+large, flat, and simply-developed, with long lobes; but unfortunately,
+owing to the heavy weight of their enormous earrings
+this part of their ears is generally much deformed.
+Sometimes I have seen children with a hole in their lobes
+large enough for me to pass my finger through; with others,
+where the skin was not so elastic, the lobes were torn right
+through and the two sides hung down. In older people
+one does not see this so much, as their long hair entirely
+covers their ears. The average length of a man's ear is
+two and three-quarter inches; of a woman's, two and a half
+inches.</p>
+
+<p>People have classified the Ainu as Mongolians, notwithstanding
+that they possess no characteristics whatsoever of the
+Mongolian races.</p>
+
+<p>The colour of their skin is light reddish-brown, and not
+yellow and sallow, like that of Mongolians; they are very
+hairy, and the Mongolians are smooth-skinned; the features
+of the one race are diametrically opposed to those of the
+other; the mouth is strong and firm in the Ainu and weak in
+the Mongolian; and the Ainu eyes, the strongest characteristic
+of Mongolian races, do not slant upwards, nor are they long
+and almond-shaped, as with the Chinese or the Japanese, but
+with their long axes are in one horizontal plane, as in most
+Europeans. Indeed, the Ainu have a much greater resemblance
+to the northmen of Europe in their prehistoric stage than to
+any modern races, and least of all to the Mongolians.</p>
+
+<p>But let us examine the eye more carefully. The iris is
+light brown, sometimes tending towards dark grey. One
+seldom sees black or very dark brown eyes save in half-breeds;
+and they are deeply set, as with Europeans. The<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_231" id="Page_231">[Pg 231]</a></span>
+eyelids are no thicker than those of Caucasian races, though
+they droop, as is common among people exposed to the full
+glare of the sun. The broad ridges being very heavy and
+prominent, cover part of the upper eyelid over the outer angle
+of the opening. The eyelashes are extremely long, and the
+eyebrows are shaggy and bushy. The eyes are full of animal-like
+expression and emotional warmth, a thing very rare with
+their neighbours the Japanese or Chinese. The long eyelashes
+shading the large eyes and rendering them soft, together with
+their pathetic and slow way of talking, make men and women
+singularly interesting. Like most animals, the Ainu can
+"speak" with their eyes.</p>
+
+<p>The hair in Ainu adults is for the most part black, wavy,
+and easily breaking into large curls. Among children, however,
+one sees brown shades, which darken with years, until
+the hair turns quite black. Along the north-east coast of
+Yezo I came across several Ainu adults who had reddish hair
+and beard; and in the Kurile Islands, at Shikotan, several of
+the children had light auburn hair hanging in large loose curls
+and rather flaxy in texture, while the hair of adults was even
+darker than that of the Yezo Ainu.</p>
+
+<p>The hair, which is coarse and strong, is uniformly and
+thickly planted over the whole scalp, and reaches well down
+over the forehead, where, as my readers will remember, a
+space is cut out or shaved off. It grows long in men as in
+women, but when it exceeds ten or twelve inches it is generally
+trimmed in the shape of a half-circle at the back of the
+head, and is cut off level with the shoulders at the sides. The
+men have a luxuriant beard, whiskers, and moustache, which
+grow to a great length. The hair of the beard often begins
+directly under the eyes, and covers all the lower part of the
+face. Many of the natives also have a few short coarse hairs
+on the nose (especially noticeable in natives of the north-east
+coast of Yezo). The beard, whiskers, and moustache begin
+to grow in the Ainu when they are fairly young. A man at
+about twenty can grow a good beard, and at thirty his beard
+is very long. Ainu women, whom nature has not provided
+with such a luxuriant growth of hair on the lower part of the
+face, make up for it by having a long moustache tattooed on
+the upper and lower lip, which in their idea makes them look<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_232" id="Page_232">[Pg 232]</a></span>
+"very manly" (<i>see</i> <a href="#Page_245">Tattoos</a>). Baldness is not common among
+thoroughbred Ainu, even at a very old age, when, however,
+they generally turn grey and then white, which gives a patriarchal
+appearance to the hairy people.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu face seldom undergoes the marked changes
+common to civilised nations, as they are not subject to large
+emotions; but different expressions are as easily discernible
+by anyone who really knows and has studied the natives, as
+the different expressions in the eyes of animals by one who is
+familiar with them. When the Ainu is pleased he seldom
+wrinkles his face and draws back his mouth at the corners, as
+we do, but he shows it by a peculiar sparkle in the eyes and by
+an almost imperceptible wrinkle in his eyelids, which contract
+and diminish the opening. The corners of the mouth turn
+slightly upwards. The smile is an accentuation of this expression,
+with the additional lowering of the eyebrows,
+especially in the middle near the nose, causing the forehead
+to wrinkle.</p>
+
+<p>Laughter Ainu know not. During my long stay among
+them I never once saw a <i>real</i> Ainu laugh heartily, for the hero
+of the dab of blue paint laughed less than he roared with
+pleasure; and I do not remember even direct crosses doing so;
+hence travellers have reported the Ainu to be "dull," "sad,"
+"expressionless."</p>
+
+<p>Certainly, the first thing that strikes one on coming in contact
+with them is, how depressed they look, and how, even in
+their work, their games, their festivals, sadness is greater than
+joy. In fact, the Ainu, with their sentimental nature, enjoy
+sadness.</p>
+
+<p>Astonishment and surprise are expressed by a perplexed
+look in the wide-opened eyes, by raising the eyebrows, and by
+the contraction of the mouth. The hands are not raised nor
+directed towards the object or person causing astonishment;
+but if the arms be hanging down, the fingers are widely
+separated. With the Ainu sorrowful emotions are more
+marked than the more pleasing, the more joyous. Thus,
+when in low spirits the head is bent forwards, the eyes are
+staring and drooping, and the mouth is drawn downwards. In
+greater grief howling is added to these signs. Ainu men
+occasionally indulge in quiet tears without sobbing, but<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_233" id="Page_233">[Pg 233]</a></span>
+women weep copiously at the death of their children when
+these are young.</p>
+
+<p>When an Ainu stands very erect, with one hand in the other
+in front, and, turning his head on either shoulder, throws it
+back and looks down at you with expressionless eyes, in the
+meanwhile raising his eyebrows, you may be sure that he
+means to show contempt. If, however, his eyes are restless
+and his lips quiver, if the eyebrows are rapidly brought down
+over the eyelids, while he opens his eyes wide showing the
+whole of the iris; if the nostrils are inflated and he breathes
+heavily; if the head is thrown forward and he is slowly arching,
+and, as the French say, "making a round back," you may be
+certain that he is in a very bad temper, and means to go for
+you, if he sees his way to it.</p>
+
+<p>When obstinate, the pose of the arms and legs is similar
+to that by which he wishes to show contempt, but the expression
+of the face is absolutely stolid, the eyes are firm
+and frigid, meaning in that way to impress you with the
+certainty that, come what may, he will not move from his
+decision.</p>
+
+<p>When actively angry, the Ainu sneer and snarl at one
+another, frowning ferociously, and showing all their front teeth,
+but specially uncovering their fangs or dog teeth; the arms
+are stretched out, but always with the fist open&mdash;if no knife
+or other weapon be held in the hand. Shame and disgust are
+two expressions which one does not often see on Ainu faces.
+The former I cannot describe, for I never saw an Ainu who
+was ashamed of anything he had done; the latter is manifested
+by an upward movement of the corners of the lips, and
+a curling of the nose, with a sudden expiration almost like
+a snort.</p>
+
+<p>Shyness, which is the nearest approach to shame, is shown
+by women when meeting a stranger, and gives them a submissive
+look. They bend their heads and look down until the
+first emotion has passed, when they gaze at the new-comer
+with a certain restlessness and curiosity, again, as in so many
+of their gestures and ways, reminding one of monkeys. I
+never found any shyness whatever in Ainu men; neither could
+I detect in them any signs of fear for objects, animals, or
+powers with which they were familiar. Things which they do<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_234" id="Page_234">[Pg 234]</a></span>
+not understand of course frighten them, like eclipses of the
+sun or moon, or as my revolver did when I was attacked by
+them at Horobets; and also when I appeared as a black-winged
+rider on the north-east coast. In the latter case,
+unfortunately, I was too far off to see their faces clearly, and
+in the former, after the attack they showed more sensible submission
+to the inevitable than true cowardice. What I chiefly
+saw then was here and there a face with wide-open, undecided
+eyes heavily frowning; while some of the others shrugged
+their shoulders and closed their eyes, waiting for the loud
+report of the revolver, which unpleasant noise, heard before
+from Japanese guns, always gives a shock to their nerves.</p>
+
+<p>When an Ainu wishes to show that something cannot be
+done, or that he cannot prevent someone else from doing it,
+he neither shrugs his shoulders like a Frenchman, nor shakes
+his head laterally like an Englishman; nor does he throw out
+his hands like a Neapolitan, but, quietly standing erect, and
+with his head slightly bent forward, he gently lifts it up, and
+slowly winking his eyes, says that he cannot do it.</p>
+
+<p>When children are sulky or displeased they frown and protrude
+their lips, making a nasal noise similar to this&mdash;"Ohim"&mdash;without
+any of the vowels clearly pronounced.</p>
+
+<p>Our way of nodding the head vertically in sign of affirmation
+and shaking it laterally in negation is not known to the
+thoroughbred race. Those, either Ainu or half-castes, who
+practise it have learned it from the Japanese. The right hand
+is generally used in negation, passing it from right to left and
+back in front of the chest; and both hands are gracefully
+brought up to the chest and prettily waved downwards&mdash;palms
+upwards&mdash;in sign of affirmation. In other words, their affirmation
+is a simpler form of their salute, just the same as with us
+the nodding of the head is similarly used both ways.</p>
+
+<p>It is quite enough to look at an Ainu's eyes to see at once
+whether he consents or not, just as it is quite enough to look
+at a monkey's face to know if it will accept the apple you offer
+it. Slyness and jealousy are well marked in the Ainu face,
+and the former is seen in the glittering, restless eyes, the
+latter in the sulky glance and protruding mouth. Slyness is
+a very common characteristic among Ainu men; jealousy is
+recognised and frequent in women.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_235" id="Page_235">[Pg 235]</a></span>
+I could give a large number of other characteristic expressions,
+of less ethnological importance, but in the present
+work I shall limit myself to the principal ones which I have
+attempted to describe, leaving out altogether "expressions"
+of half-castes, so as to avoid confusion.</p>
+
+<p>I must beg my reader's forgiveness for the "dryness" of the
+imperfect description I have given of the Ainu physiognomy,
+as many will agree with me that it is a great deal easier to
+notice unfamiliar expressions on faces than to describe them
+accurately in so many words.</p>
+
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_236" id="Page_236">[Pg 236]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 354px;">
+<img src="images/illus-236.jpg" width="354" height="397" alt="AINU MAN WALKING WITH SNOW-SHOES" />
+<span class="caption">AINU MAN WALKING WITH SNOW-SHOES.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XXIII.<br />
+<span class="small">Movements and Attitudes.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>The Ainu people may be called physically strong, but yet
+they are not to be compared to the Caucasian races. They are
+fairly good walkers, capable mountaineers, and deft marksmen,
+but they do not excel in any of these exercises, either by speed
+and endurance in the former two, or by special accuracy and
+long-range in the latter.</p>
+
+<p>In the Ainu country most of the hard work is done by the
+women, who thus surpass the men in both endurance and
+muscular strength. Ainu men are indolent, save under excitement.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_237" id="Page_237">[Pg 237]</a></span>
+They will cover a long distance&mdash;say forty miles&mdash;in one
+day, bear-hunting, and not suffer from great fatigue, while they
+will not be able to walk half that distance under less exciting
+conditions. The average distance which an Ainu can walk in
+one day on a fairly level track does not exceed twenty-five
+miles at the rate of two and a half miles an hour. The distance
+he can run would not go beyond ten English miles, and this
+is partly from want of training, as he never runs if he can help
+it. If, however, the walk of twenty-five miles, or the run of
+ten miles, had to be kept up for several days in succession at
+the same pace, few Ainu could manage to hold out for more
+than three days at most; while a walking average of fifteen
+miles and a running average of six miles each day could be
+kept up for a week. In walking and running women are as
+good as men in one day's distances; but, contrary to what they
+are in manual labour, they lack endurance in locomotion, and
+break down after the second or third day. Men regard
+running as unbecoming after childhood. "If we must go
+quick, why not go on horseback?" says the practical Ainu,
+who is as perfect a horseman as the Indian.</p>
+
+<p>When riding, he is able to cover a distance of fifty-five miles
+easily in one day on a good pony, and about seventy miles if
+he changes his quadruped four times. Both men and women
+ride in the same fashion, astride, and nearly always on bareback,
+or with simply a bear-skin thrown over the horse. Pack-saddles
+are only used when carrying wood, fish, sea-weed,
+or other heavy articles; and though the Japanese of Yezo
+designate these by the name of <i>Ainu kurah</i> (Ainu saddles),
+they are only in reality rough imitations of their own pack-saddles.
+Though women do ride on occasions, it is the men
+who are the true equestrians. From their infancy they spend
+a great deal of their time on horseback, while women ride only
+when obliged. Being, therefore, accustomed from their earliest
+days to ride pretty nearly from morning to night, men can
+stand many days of hard riding, and are not so easily exhausted
+as by walking or running. The Ainu are good at
+horse-racing, as we have seen at the Piratori festival, but
+foot-racing, even when the distance was short, gave but poor
+results.</p>
+
+<p>Weights and burdens are carried entirely by women, and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_238" id="Page_238">[Pg 238]</a></span>
+they carry them either on the head, if the load be not too
+heavy, or on the back by means of a <i>Thiaske Tarra</i>, or simply
+<i>Tarra</i>, a long ribbon-like band tied round the bundle, leaving
+a loop which goes over the forehead, thus dividing the weight
+between the shoulders and the forehead. When carrying a
+weight with the <i>Tarra</i> the woman stoops, and the greater
+the weight the lower the head has to be. The strain on the
+forehead and muscles of the neck is greatly modified by
+bending the body more or less; the weight increasing on the
+shoulders in proportion as the pull decreases from the forehead.
+The advantage of this contrivance is that it leaves both
+hands free. Very heavy loads can be carried by average
+women with this simple contrivance, and its common use may
+account for the strong and well-developed necks noticeable
+among them, but not among the men. Children are carried
+on the back of other children by means of a modified <i>Tarra</i>
+that has a stick about twenty inches long, the two ends of
+<span class="figleft" style="width: 106px;">
+<img src="images/illus-238.png" width="106" height="432" alt="THE THIASKE-TARRA, FOR CARRYING CHILDREN." title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE THIASKE-TARRA,
+FOR
+CARRYING
+CHILDREN.</span></span>
+which are fastened to the two ends of the band.
+The child carried sits comfortably on this stick
+while the centre part of the <i>Tarra</i> rests on the
+head of the child-carrier. This centre part is
+generally lined with a piece of skin or cloth, and
+ornamented with a few simple Ainu designs.
+A weight which cannot be lifted with both
+hands is easily borne for a long distance by
+the aid of the <i>Tarra</i>; and I should think that
+with it a strong woman could carry on her back
+a load, say, of from eighty to ninety pounds. It
+is difficult to institute comparative tests of
+strength, as constant practice, without counting
+"knack," often enables a person to perform feats which baffle
+a much stronger man. Taken altogether, the Ainu strength is
+relative to their height; but they are somewhat below the
+average Caucasian races both in endurance, and yet more in
+speed and muscular power.</p>
+
+<p>When actively employed, the Ainu can abstain from food
+for fourteen or sixteen hours; when quiescent for about twenty.
+They can go without drink (when it is not alcoholic) for ten
+or twelve hours without feeling inconvenience. A pebble is
+often sucked, or a straw is chewed when fluid is not obtainable,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_239" id="Page_239">[Pg 239]</a></span>
+thus causing a flow of saliva, which to a certain extent quenches
+their thirst. However, the reason given by the Ainu is not
+this. According to them, certain stones and some kinds of
+grass contain a great amount of water.</p>
+
+<p>More interesting to me than their physical characteristics
+were their movements and attitudes, which I was able to study
+and note correctly without their observation. For instance
+when Ainu try to move some heavy object they pull it towards
+them. Thus, when they drag their "dug-outs" and canoes on
+shore, and again when they launch them, they never push
+from them, but always pull towards them. If an Ainu has to
+break a stick planted in the ground he does it by pulling it;
+whereas a Japanese will push it. Again, in pulling a rope the
+Ainu pull; the Japanese push by placing the rope over one
+shoulder and walking in the direction wanted. In a crowd
+where a Japanese would push his way through by extending
+his arms and thus separating people, the Ainu seizes a man on
+each side, pulling one to the right and the other to the left till
+space for him to pass is made.</p>
+
+<p>As muscles are only strengthened by exercise, it is not
+astonishing that we never find well-developed arms among the
+hairy people, who so seldom make vigorous use of them.
+Children are as fond of climbing trees as the average English
+boy; and sometimes this is done in our way, by putting the
+legs and arms round the trunk and gradually "swarming" up;
+but with trees of a small diameter the ways of monkeys are
+adopted. The arms are stretched, and one hand is placed on
+each side of the tree. Both feet are then pushed against the
+trunk, keeping the leg slightly bent, but stiff. One hand goes
+rapidly over the other, one foot above the other, and so on;
+and the more rapid the movement the easier the climb, if care
+be taken to plant the feet firmly so as not to slip. Ainu boys
+are dexterous at this; but I have never seen full-grown
+men attempt it, though I am sure they could if they chose.
+Elderly people are very sedate in Ainuland, and violent movements
+are generally avoided.</p>
+
+<p>Where the Ainu are indeed great is at making grimaces.
+The Ainu resemble monkeys in many ways, but in this special
+accomplishment they beat monkeys hollow. It would take
+volumes to describe all the different grimaces which I saw them<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_240" id="Page_240">[Pg 240]</a></span>
+make, especially at myself while I was sketching them; but one
+or two of their "favourites" may prove worth describing.</p>
+
+<p>One Ainu at Shari, on the north-east coast, excelled in
+moving his scalp, and by raising his eyebrows at the same
+time creased the skin of his forehead to such an extent as to
+make his eyebrows almost meet his hair. The nostrils were
+expanded and the upper lip was raised so as to show the
+teeth firmly closed. The same man was also good at moving
+his ears. Others preferred to put out their tongue, emitting
+at the same time a harsh sound from the throat.</p>
+
+<p>Although many Ainu could not voluntarily move their scalp
+they often did so unaware. When eating, especially if a piece
+of food required some effort to swallow, the neck was outstretched,
+the mouth closed tight, the eyebrows raised high,
+and the scalp brought far forward over the forehead. In
+masticating, the ears would sometimes move involuntarily, as
+with dogs or monkeys.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu are also good at rapid "winking," first with one
+eye, then the other, each eye playing at an inexpressibly
+funny kind of bo-peep. <i>En revanche</i>, they make no great use
+of their hands, and it is not uncommon for them to use their
+feet to assist their hands. Indeed, their toes are supplementary
+fingers, and they often hold things between the big toe
+and the next, as when making nets or <i>Inaos</i> (wooden wands
+with overhanging shavings). When making nets, the string is
+firmly held by the big toe bent over; when shaping <i>Inaos</i>
+the lower point of the wand is passed between the two toes,
+which keep it fast while the long shavings are cut.</p>
+
+<p>When women wind the thread made of the <i>Ulmus campestris</i>
+fibre, they often let it run between the two larger toes
+while they wind it on a spool or a reed. Then, again, the toes
+are often used to pick up small objects out of the reach of the
+hands, and also to scratch the lower extremities. The two
+middle fingers of the hand and the three smaller toes of the
+foot are seldom used by the Ainu, and are somewhat inert.
+The little finger is slightly more active. Whenever Ainu
+point at anything they habitually do so with the open hand,
+for they have a certain difficulty in using any finger separately.
+This difficulty is not so great with the first finger; but where
+a European would use only his thumb and first finger, an<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_241" id="Page_241">[Pg 241]</a></span>
+Ainu uses all four fingers and his thumb as well, as in carrying
+food to his mouth, picking up small objects, lifting a cup,
+pulling his own hair, scratching his ears, &amp;c. That the Ainu
+have more muscular power in the head than either in the
+hands or feet when violent exertion is required is certain,
+as I had frequent proof when requiring natives to make my
+baggage fast with ropes to my pack-saddle. Where a
+European would have done this by passing the ropes round
+the baggage and pulling them fast to the saddle, the Ainu
+set his foot (generally the right) against the baggage and
+pulled the ropes with his teeth. By this method he used one-third
+more force than he would had he done his work with his
+hands. Though the Ainu are very supple about the body,
+they are nevertheless stiffer than we are about the knees and
+hands, which last peculiarity prevents them from learning any
+kind of sleight-of-hand. They are supple because of the
+singular flexibility of their spine and the "looseness" of their
+arms about their shoulders. When resting or tired, the
+shoulders droop so far forward as to prove that the muscular
+tension which we constantly exert to have "square shoulders"
+is foreign to the hairy people. The Ainu are deficient in
+biceps, and such an arm as a blacksmith's or athlete's, which
+is not uncommon among ourselves, is in Ainuland a thing
+unknown. Their muscles have not the firmness of those of
+civilised men. Want of use entails loss of power in the
+muscular system, and that, unfortunately, produces further
+results in paralysis, <i>kaki</i>, and rheumatism. In the legs the
+<i>tendo Achillis</i>, which often assumes such enormous proportions
+with us, is only moderately developed with them, though it
+is generally larger than the biceps, owing to the habit of
+walking and riding. Notwithstanding this, the centre of
+muscular power, as we have seen, is undoubtedly in the
+head, as with inferior animals; and the Ainu are fully aware
+of this, for if not why should they carry all weights on the
+head or by the help of the head? Why should they use
+their teeth instead of their hands when an extra powerful pull
+is required? And why should they <i>push</i> with their heads
+when pulling with their teeth is not practicable?</p>
+
+<p>Having examined the different movements of the Ainu, let
+us now take some account of their attitudes. What struck me<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_242" id="Page_242">[Pg 242]</a></span>
+most was the unconscious ease with which they stood, sat, and
+slept, no matter in what circumstances.</p>
+
+<p>It may be well to repeat here that the Ainu are not
+burdened, as we are, with articles of furniture and a code of
+manners which so greatly modify our attitudes and make us
+conscious of all we do. Moreover, we wear crippling boots
+and nonsensical garments, which, besides not being ornamental,
+more or less alter and deform different parts of our body, considerably
+restrict certain attitudes, and greatly stiffen some of
+our limbs; as, for example, the exaggerated smallness of waist
+in women.</p>
+
+<p>It is remarkable what a close resemblance the hairy people
+bear to the prehistoric man as constructed by <i>savants</i> out of
+skulls and skeletons&mdash;a resemblance found, I believe, in no
+other race of savages.</p>
+
+<p>Take an Ainu standing at ease; he carries his head straight,
+but without stretching his neck, so that if a horizontal line
+were passed through the <i>meatus auditorius</i> it would cut the
+face directly under the eyes. If another line were drawn perpendicular
+to the horizontal, we should find that the front of
+the face is not on the same plane with the forehead, but projects
+considerably beyond in its lower part. In thoroughbred
+Ainu the head is well posed on the cervical vertebræ, and
+seldom shows an inclination from back to front, from right
+to left, or <i>vice versâ</i>; but in half-castes an inclination forward,
+and also slightly from the left to the right, is a marked
+characteristic.</p>
+
+<p>The body when standing still is a trifle inclined forward, but
+when walking the inclination is greatly increased.</p>
+
+<p>The body is well balanced, and this inclination is partly due
+to the head being abnormally large for the body; also to the
+habit of keeping the knees slightly bent either when standing
+still or when in motion.</p>
+
+<p>The women, through carrying heavy weights on the head,
+are straighter than men when standing as well as when
+walking without a burden. Their spinal column describes a
+gentle curve inwards, while with men it has a slight tendency
+outwards. When an Ainu is standing at rest his arms hang
+by his side, the palms of the hands are turned inwards with
+a small inclination towards the front. But a pose which is<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_243" id="Page_243">[Pg 243]</a></span>
+even more characteristic than this is when both hands are
+placed in front, the fingers of the right hand overlapping those
+of the left. When sitting this is their invariable attitude, but
+in walking the arms hang by the side, and no swing is given
+to them to help the motion. In running, the arms are bent,
+and sometimes the hands are kept half opened about the level
+of the shoulders.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu legs, notwithstanding their greater muscular
+power than that of the arms, are neither stout nor well-developed&mdash;but
+they are wiry. The hips are narrow, and the
+legs are slightly curved.</p>
+
+<p>The gait is energetic but not fast, each step being flat, with
+the foot firmly planted on the ground. When in motion the
+feet are perfectly straight, and move parallel to each other, and
+at each step the heel and toes touch the ground at the same
+time&mdash;an undeniable proof that the body is well balanced when
+they walk.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu walk mostly unshod, and the average length of
+the step in men is twenty-six inches (from heel of left to tip
+of right foot), and in women about twenty inches. The
+average number of steps to the minute is ninety-two in men
+and ninety-eight in women. Where the Ainu is seen at his
+best is when he is riding bareback. He sits so firmly that
+animal and rider seem to be only one body. The knees are
+slightly bent, and the legs and feet hang so that the toes are a
+great deal lower than the heels, and are also turned in. No
+voluntary muscular contraction is affected on the muscles of
+the legs; for if the knees are bent this is because of the shape
+of the horse's body, and if the rider "sticks" on his steed it is
+merely by the counterbalance of the dead weight of his two
+legs. The body of the rider is quite erect when riding gently,
+but on increasing speed the body is thrown backwards, the legs
+remaining in the same position. The single rein is held in the
+right hand resting on the horse's mane, and the left arm
+habitually hangs or rests on the rider's leg. When feeding in
+his hut, the Ainu sits cross-legged, but in places where he can
+lean against something, or out in the open, he squats, bearing
+his weight on both feet, but with the legs bent to such an
+extent that his head is on a level with his knees. Often his
+arms are rested on the knees themselves, and food is passed<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_244" id="Page_244">[Pg 244]</a></span>
+with the hands to the mouth, to be then torn by the teeth.
+No forks, spoons, or chopsticks are used by the thoroughbred
+Ainu; but Japanese influence has induced some of the more
+civilised specimens of Volcano Bay and Piratori to give up
+partly the use of mother Nature's forks and take to the <i>Hashi</i>
+(chopsticks), also to adopt some ugly tin spoons as the sign of
+their adherence to civilisation. Lastly, when asleep the Ainu
+generally lie flat on the back. Sleeping on the right side and
+resting the head on the bent elbow is also a common posture;
+and when sleeping for a short period of time during the day
+I have often seen men still sitting, bring up their legs, cross
+their arms on their knees, and then rest the head on the arms;
+thus placidly having a "nap" without waking up with a stiff
+neck, stiff legs, and "pins and needles" in their arms, which
+would be the sure result if the average European tried that
+mode of repose.</p>
+
+<p>Most Ainu have no bedding of any kind, and most of them
+sleep on hard rough planks or on the ground itself. Some of
+the people, however, sleep on bear-skins in winter, as it keeps
+them warm, and the colder the night the closer all the members
+of the family pack together to warm each other with their
+natural heat. A strange peculiarity, when Ainu are asleep,
+lying flat on their back, is, that instead of keeping both legs
+fully stretched out, one, or sometimes both, are raised and
+bent, with the sole of the foot planted on the ground. This
+peculiarity is chiefly noticeable in men, and I have observed it
+many times, especially in old people. The reason of it is this.
+The Ainu having no pillow, the head has to be turned so far
+back to rest on the ground itself that action at the other end of
+the body is necessary to counterbalance the strain on the spine.
+I came to this conclusion by being often placed in the same
+circumstances as the hairy people themselves, when I found
+that lying flat on my back on the hard unpillowed ground, if
+the legs were straightened only a small portion of the spine
+between the shoulders was supported, but by raising the legs
+the whole spinal column rested on the level surface.</p>
+
+<p>As we have now seen the Ainu asleep in a "comfortable
+attitude," we shall leave them for the present, and I shall take
+my readers to examine their clothes, their ornaments, and their
+tattoos.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_245" id="Page_245">[Pg 245]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/illus-245a.png" width="600" height="382" alt="THE ATZIS" />
+<span class="caption">THE ATZIS.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XXIV.<br />
+<span class="small">Ainu Clothes, Ornaments, and Tattooing.</span></h2>
+
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 305px;">
+<img src="images/illus-245b.png" width="305" height="328" alt="WINTER BEAR-SKIN COAT" title="" />
+<span class="caption">WINTER BEAR-SKIN
+COAT.</span></div>
+
+<p>The Ainu men generally go naked in summer time, but in
+some parts of Yezo civilisation has forced them to adopt cheap
+Japanese clothes. It must not be supposed from this that the
+real Ainu never wear any clothes at all, for indeed on grand
+occasions they dress gaudily enough, but always in a rude,
+elementary kind of way. For winter use they sew together
+the skins of either bear or deer, fox or wolf,
+making a kind of sleeveless jacket, which
+protects the chest, the shoulders, and the
+back. Another kind of fur garment of deer-skin
+is longer and has sleeves, is large at the
+shoulders, and very narrow at the wrist, as
+a still further protection against the cold.
+This deer-skin coat is mostly worn by women
+as an under-garment. Besides these fur
+garments for winter weather, they wear the
+<i>atzis</i>, a long reddish-yellow wrapper, made of the woven
+fibre of the <i>Ulmus campestris</i>. It has sleeves similar to the
+deer-skin coat, only these sleeves are a great deal wider.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 271px;">
+<img src="images/illus-246.png" width="271" height="297" alt="BACK OF ATZIS" title="" />
+<span class="caption">BACK OF ATZIS.</span></div>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_246" id="Page_246">[Pg 246]</a></span>
+On the southern coast some of the civilised tribes have either
+adopted Japanese <i>kimonos</i> altogether, or make their <i>atzis</i> after
+the same pattern, to ingratiate themselves with their masters,
+on the principle of imitation being the sincerest flattery, and
+perhaps also because they come cheaper in the end. The
+<i>atzis</i> reaches below the knees, and is folded round the body.
+It is kept in position by a girdle or belt of the same material, or
+of bear or sea-lion skin. This <i>atzis</i> is ornamented
+with embroidery both back and front,
+round the sleeves, round the neck, and all
+round the border, or, as we should say,
+hem. The embroideries are done in Japanese
+coloured cottons and threads. The colours
+are invariably red, blue, and white, on a
+background of this yellow <i>Ulmus campestris</i>
+cloth. They have the same characteristic
+patterns, and are identical with the ornaments
+on knife-sheaths, drinking-bowls, moustache-lifters, &amp;c.,
+as the readers will find in the chapter on the "Arts of the
+Ainu." Men and women wear <i>atzis</i> of the same shape, only
+those of the women are longer than those of the men, and
+reach nearly to the feet. Moreover, the patterns which are
+embroidered on the men's dresses are not considered suitable
+for the women's, and <i>vice versâ</i>. Women&mdash;who, by the way,
+do all these embroideries&mdash;have to content themselves with the
+simplest patterns devisable&mdash;a mere thin line of blue stitches;
+but they give to the men a more elaborate ornament. They
+first sew on heavy bands of material, which then they embroider
+in highly complicated patterns, thus giving a much heavier and
+handsomer appearance to the male <i>atzis</i>. In winter the
+sleeveless fur jacket is sewn over the <i>atzis</i>, and, as has been
+said, women wear the deer-skin gown as an under-garment.
+Ainu embroideries vary considerably, not only in different
+tribes and different villages, but also in each family, according
+to the talent and patience possessed by the embroidress. It
+takes an affectionate wife a year or longer to ornament the
+elm-bark dress of her beloved husband, and in the case of a
+chief's robe the work never comes to an end, as additions
+are constantly made. Children have an extremely simple
+embroidery, when any, round the sleeves and hem of the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_247" id="Page_247">[Pg 247]</a></span>
+<i>atzis</i>, but never any, simple or elaborate, either on the
+back or front.</p>
+
+<p>I have often seen women working patiently hour after hour
+while sitting on the tiny door of their storehouses; and the
+result of their labour would be half an inch of coarse stitching,
+which for them was a great work of art. Most Ainu now
+possess needles of Japanese manufacture, but in former days
+they had only bone needles, and instead of fine well-dyed
+Japanese thread were obliged to be content with the fibre of
+the elm tree dyed black. The ornamentations on the <i>atzis</i> of
+Ainu who have no Japanese needles are necessarily a great
+deal coarser and simpler than those which are done with steel
+needles and cotton threads. The essential characteristics are
+the same in both. In sewing together skins for winter garments
+fish-bone needles are often used up to this day.</p>
+
+<p>These embroidered clothes, when new, are only worn on
+grand occasions, as at a bear festival, or when paying a visit to
+a neighbouring village. A few rags constitute the usual every-day
+costume, and no difference is made between the in-door
+and the out-of-door clothing. In fact, most Ainu sleep in their
+clothes, such as they are.</p>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 270px;">
+<img src="images/illus-247.png" width="270" height="522" alt="THE HOSHI" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE &quot;HOSHI.&quot;</span></div>
+
+<p>One article of dress which is worn by all alike, young and
+old, male or female, is the <i>hoshi</i>, or leggings. Like their
+gowns, these are sometimes made of the
+inner fibre of the elm-tree bark and sometimes
+of rushes and reeds plaited as in the
+ordinary rush matting. When of elm-tree
+bark, they are often embroidered in the
+upper part, as can be seen in the illustration.
+They are fastened just under the knee
+by means of the two upper strings, then
+wrapped tightly round the leg and bound
+round the ankle with the lower and longer
+ribbon. The Ainu go barefooted in the
+summer, but during the winter months, when
+the cold is too severe for this, they cover their
+feet with mocassins and long boots made of salmon-skin, and
+often of deer-skin. When the Ainu goes for a long journey
+or a hunt, during which he has to traverse rough ground, he
+generally protects his skin boots&mdash;the soles of which would<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_248" id="Page_248">[Pg 248]</a></span>
+soon be destroyed by the sharp stones and ice&mdash;by slipping
+over them a pair of thick rope sandals, which protect the
+sides, the back, the toes, and sole of the foot. If to this
+<span class="figleft" style="width: 285px;">
+<img src="images/illus-248a.png" width="285" height="80" alt="BOOTS TO BE SOAKED IN WATER SO AS TO TAKE SHAPE OF FOOT, AND TO BE KEPT UP WITH A STRING." title="" />
+<span class="caption">BOOTS TO BE SOAKED
+IN WATER SO AS TO
+TAKE SHAPE OF
+FOOT, AND TO BE
+KEPT UP WITH A
+STRING.</span></span>
+<span class="figleft" style="width: 261px;">
+<img src="images/illus-248b.png" width="261" height="83" alt="DEER-SKIN SHOE." title="" />
+<span class="caption">DEER-SKIN SHOE.</span></span>
+inventory be added a head-gear
+consisting of a band
+wound round the head,
+and an occasional apron,
+the whole of the Ainu
+wardrobe is catalogued. This band,
+which is worn principally by women,
+is untied and removed when saluting
+or meeting a man, whether on the road or in the woods. A
+<span class="figright" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/illus-248c.png" width="600" height="68" alt="THE TARRA OR HEAD-BAND" title="" />
+<span class="caption">THE TARRA OR HEAD-BAND.</span></span>
+Japanese towel often
+takes the place of the
+native manufacture. I
+am inclined to think
+that this custom of covering the head has been acquired
+from the Japanese, as none of the Ainu of the Upper
+Tokachi&mdash;the only pure ones remaining&mdash;wore anything in
+the shape of band or kerchief, while it is extremely
+common with the Ainu of Volcano Bay and Piratori to wear
+these unbecoming towels. At Piratori the Ainu women
+give a more artistic character to this ugly headgear by
+embroidering it in front and wearing it like a tiara. An
+apron is occasionally worn by Ainu, but this too, in my
+opinion, has been borrowed from the Japanese. Ainu clothes
+often get undone, owing to their shape, and therefore Ainu
+men sometimes wear these aprons, but rather because they are
+made to wear them than from native modesty or inclination to
+be commonly decent. I have seen Ainu on the north-east
+coast of Yezo and on Lake Kutcharo wear coarse hats of
+matted rushes. When laid flat, these hats have a diameter of
+about thirty inches; but when worn, they are folded in two,
+and kept in this position by a string tied under the chin and
+passed through the hat. They are used principally in winter as
+a protection against the snow. The Ainu care more to adorn
+than to clothe themselves. A few glass beads, a metal earring,
+a silver coin, or anything that shines, can make a man or a
+woman as happy as a king. Intoxicants come first of all
+things, but after them there is nothing in this world that Ainu<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_249" id="Page_249">[Pg 249]</a></span>
+cherish more than personal ornaments, and this is, of course,
+even truer of women than of men. What strikes a stranger
+when looking at an Ainu for the first time is, as I have
+already said, the size of their metal earrings and heavy glass
+necklaces. As the Ainu cannot work in metals or make glass,
+these ornaments have been purchased from Japanese, Chinese,
+and Corean adventurers, and many costly skins of bears,
+foxes, wolves, or seals are gaily bartered for a few beads,
+worth next to nothing. The Ainu is fond of metals, but he
+does not know the difference between one and the other. All
+that glitters is gold for him; and if it is not gold then it must
+be silver. Therefore some Ainu are known to have invested
+all their fortune of valuable furs for a pair of brass earrings,
+and, what is more, they have never grudged the bargain!
+Previous to the importation of these worthless articles their
+ornaments were made of wood, bone, and shells, of which
+"survivals" are still to be seen with the Ainu of the Upper
+Tokachi.</p>
+
+<p>The large circular earrings are much prized: men and
+women alike wear them. Many men, however, do not
+wear these metal earrings, but prefer instead a long strip of
+red or black cloth, or skin.</p>
+
+<p>The lobes of the ears are frequently torn down by wearing
+these heavy earrings from early childhood, and they know
+not how to mend them by sewing them. Another hole is
+sometimes bored in the upper and sound part.</p>
+
+<p>Ainu women of civilised districts occasionally wear metal
+finger-rings, but these are of course of foreign make, and
+imported.</p>
+
+<p>Ainu <i>menokos</i> (girls) seem to have no partiality for bracelets
+or amulets, but necklaces are the dream of their life.
+The delight of an Ainu woman in a new necklace is in proportion
+to the size and number of the beads. A woman who possesses
+one of extra large beads is envied by all her less fortunate
+neighbours; and she who has several strings is at once
+admired and hated by all the womankind of the village.
+For, indeed, Ainu women are "human" enough to know
+how to hate each other! The beads which most take their
+fancy are the blue, black, white, or metal ones. The larger
+beads in the necklace are in front; and the rough wooden<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_250" id="Page_250">[Pg 250]</a></span>
+pendants with bits of bone, metal, or broken beads inlaid in
+it, which hang to the necklace, rest on the breast. Large
+Japanese sword-hilts are often used as pendants by the Volcano
+Bay natives.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu of the Upper Tokachi region had none of these
+beads, but a rough wooden pendant was suspended round
+their neck by a leather string.</p>
+
+<p>Girdles are worn by men and women for two purposes&mdash;first,
+to keep their clothes together; next, to support the large
+knives which the Ainu always carry with them.</p>
+
+<p>The Ishikari Ainu who lived formerly in Sakhalin wear
+leather belts, and the women wear besides a peculiar cloth
+headgear. Both these articles are ornamented with drops of
+melted lead and Chinese cash sewn on to the cloth.</p>
+
+<p>These are all the articles of clothing and ornament which
+are in common use among the Ainu. None of them are worn
+as symbols of rank, or to denote virginity. No Ainu can
+explain why he or she wears one thing more than another,
+except for the reason that he or she likes it. There are no
+Ainu laws as regards clothing, and with the exception of the
+"chief," who on special occasions dresses more gaudily, and
+wears a crown made either of willow-tree shavings or dried
+sea-weed, with a small carved-wood bear head in front, they
+all dress pretty much alike. A chief could not be distinguished
+from a commoner by his everyday clothing.</p>
+
+<p>Speaking of personal ornamentation, I may as well describe
+the way in which the hair is dressed, and also the
+tattoo-marks.</p>
+
+<p>Little care is taken of the long hair, which reaches down to
+the shoulders. It is never washed, nor brushed, nor combed.
+At the back it is cut in a semicircle round the neck. Over
+the forehead the men shave a small part of the long hair,
+which, falling over their eyes, is uncomfortable to them; but
+women do not. Until lately this shaving was done with sharp
+shells, and wives shaved their husbands. The process was said
+to be rather painful, and the thoughtful women have now
+adopted knives for that purpose, to the great delight of the
+stronger sex. The part shaved is in the shape of a lozenge
+two and a half inches by two inches respectively from angle to
+angle. This open space causes the hair to part in two different<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_251" id="Page_251">[Pg 251]</a></span>
+directions and hang down in large wavy curls. The fingers
+are occasionally passed through it, and then with the palms of
+the hands it is plastered down on both sides.</p>
+
+<p>A characteristic Ainu method of making the morning
+"toilette" is to bend the head low and let the long hair fall
+over the forehead. The two hands are then placed under it
+on the temples, and suddenly and violently the head is shaken
+and thrown back, the hair being pressed down by the hands at
+the same time. If the first attempt at neatness is not approved
+of, the process is repeated two or more times. I must confess
+that personally I could seldom see any marked difference
+between a head of hair "dressed" and one "not dressed";
+but it must be remembered that the Ainu have no looking-glasses,
+and what they think is right is of course right
+for them.</p>
+
+<p>Formerly, when an old woman lost her husband she had her
+head entirely shaved, and when the hair had grown long again
+she repeated the process as a proof of fidelity and affection to
+her deceased spouse. It is very rarely done now. She used
+to wear a sort of cap, with an aperture at the top, round the
+crown of the head during the time that her hair was short;
+and it was incumbent on the widow to wear a look of sorrow
+and pain till her hair grew long again.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu men have long beards and moustaches, which are
+never trimmed, with the exception of the Kurilsky Ainu, who
+trim theirs. The beard begins to grow when they are very
+young, but it is shaved till they reach manhood. It is then
+left to grow naturally, and never touched again as long as they
+live. Ainu women, whom nature has not favoured with such
+a manly ornament, supplement their deficiency by having a
+long moustache tattooed on their lips. Their hands and arms
+are also tattooed.</p>
+
+<p>The tattooing among the Ainu is limited to the fair sex,
+and it is confined to the head and arms. Why and when the
+fashion was adopted is not known, and the semi-Ainu legends
+on the subject are very vague. One legend says that when
+the Ainu conquered Yezo, which was then inhabited by a race
+of dwarfs&mdash;"the Koro-pok-kuru"&mdash;some Koro-pok-kuru
+women came to the Ainu camp to beg food from them, and
+they did so by passing their arms through the reed walls of<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_252" id="Page_252">[Pg 252]</a></span>
+the Ainu huts. One day an Ainu clutched one of these arms
+and pulled it in, when a tattooed pattern on the tiny arm was
+greatly admired by the hairy conquerors, who adopted the
+practice from that day.</p>
+
+<p>A simpler reason is that the women, not being so hairy as
+the men, are humiliated by their inferiority in that respect,
+and try to make up for it by tattooing themselves. In support
+of this theory may be quoted the fact that women are only
+tattooed in parts which are left uncovered when clad in their
+long <i>atzis</i> gowns.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu process of tattooing is a painful one. The tattoo
+marks are usually done with the point of a knife; not with
+tattooing needles, as by the Japanese. Many incisions are cut
+nearly parallel to each other. These are then filled with cuttlefish-black.
+Sometimes smoke-black mixed with the blood
+from the incisions is used instead. On the lips the operation
+is so painful that it has to be done by instalments. It is begun
+with a small semicircle on the upper lip when the girl is only
+two or three years of age, and a few incisions are added every
+year till she is married, the moustache then reaching nearly
+to the ears, where at its completion it ends in a point. Both
+lips are surrounded by it; but not all women are thus
+marked. Some have no more than a semicircular tattoo on
+the upper lip; others have an additional semicircle under the
+lower lip; and many get tired of the painful process when the
+tattoo is hardly large enough to surround their lips. The
+father of the girl is generally the operator, but occasionally it
+is the mother who "decorates" the lips and arms of her female
+offspring. Besides this tattooed moustache, a horizontal line
+joins the eyebrows, and another line, parallel to it, runs across
+the forehead. The tattoo could not be of a coarser kind. A
+rough geometrical drawing adorns the arms and hands of
+women, the pattern of one arm being often different from that
+of the other. Frequently only one arm is tattooed. I never
+saw tattoos that went further than the elbow, neither did I see
+any other part of the body tattooed. The four specimens
+given in the illustration show the patterns most usual in
+different tribes, though each individual has some slight
+variations.</p>
+
+<p>Fig. 1 was copied by me from the arm of a woman at Frishikobets<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_253" id="Page_253">[Pg 253]</a></span>
+(Tokachi River); Figs. 2 and 3 are the two arms of
+Kawata Tera, a girl of Tobuts (north-east coast of Yezo); and
+Fig. 4 is the left arm of a girl at Piratori.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 600px;">
+<img src="images/illus-253.png" width="600" height="446" alt="TATTOO MARKS" />
+<span class="caption">TATTOO-MARKS ON WOMEN&#39;S ARMS.</span></div>
+
+<p>It will be noticed that in the regions where the Ainu have
+come in contact with Japanese, rings are tattooed round the
+fingers, while the Tokachi Ainu women have none. In the
+two arms of Kawata Tera (Figs. 2 and 3) the dissimilarity
+of the two patterns is very marked at first sight, but on a
+close examination it is easy to perceive that the operator
+meant to carry out the same pattern on the right arm as on the
+left; only through his incapacity to reproduce correctly his
+former lines, or for other reasons, he got muddled up in the
+design, and left his work unfinished. If all the lines in the
+upper half of Fig. 3 were continued, the design would be
+very similar to Fig. 2.</p>
+
+<p>Tattooing is considered an ornament, besides, as I have
+already mentioned, adding the coveted air of "virility" to
+women. There is no religious feeling connected with it, and the
+practice is rapidly dying out, as the Japanese men make fun of
+the Ainu women, who after all only tattoo their mouths and arms,
+while they themselves often tattoo the whole of the body. The
+Ainu have no rules as to when the girls are to be operated on.
+They are done both before and after marriage, contrary to
+what has been said, that the women do not tattoo themselves<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_254" id="Page_254">[Pg 254]</a></span>
+after they have become wives. The moustache is generally
+finished before a girl gets married, as she herself is anxious to
+be thus decorated; but there are no rules as to virginity or
+marriage, for the arms and hands are as often tattooed after
+marriage as before. Indeed, in the Ainu country, "tattooing"
+one's wife seems to be one of the pleasures of the honeymoon.
+The design of these tattoos is meant to be, but is seldom,
+symmetrical. The Ainu apparently execute these designs on
+a preconceived plan, but the results rarely come up to expectation,
+as no drawing of the design is prepared beforehand.
+The bluish-black colour of the tattoo is very permanent and
+strong, and many an Ainu woman is disfigured for life, who,
+according to our ideas, would otherwise be good-looking.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-254.png" width="400" height="104" alt="SNOW-SHOES" />
+<span class="caption">SNOW-SHOES.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_255" id="Page_255">[Pg 255]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 362px;">
+<img src="images/illus-255.jpg" width="362" height="201" alt="AINU SALUTATION" />
+<span class="caption">AINU SALUTATION.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XXV.<br />
+<span class="small">Ainu Music, Poetry, and Dancing.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>The music of each nation has certain characteristics of its own;
+and though according to European ideas the music of what
+are called barbarous peoples may sound in some sense excruciating,
+it always has a certain occult charm, more especially to
+one who is able to forget his former training, and teach himself
+to see, hear, and think in the same way as the natives he is
+studying.</p>
+
+<p>Undoubtedly we Westerns have brought music to a pitch of
+refinement that no savage nation has even attempted to reach;
+but in my opinion we do savages injustice when we call their
+music "unmitigated discord." Barbarians like the Ainu do
+not indicate their rhythmical effects and modulations by means
+of a musical notation; and harmony is of course very defective
+with them, from our point of view. On the other hand, the
+feeling and passion with which they chant their songs make
+them go straight to the heart, if as a melody they are not
+always pleasing to the cultivated Western ear.</p>
+
+<p>An Ainu seldom sings for the mere pleasure of art as art,
+and it is only when full of joy or "crazed with care" that he
+gives expression to his feelings in music. Then he pours out<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_256" id="Page_256">[Pg 256]</a></span>
+his whole soul in that which to him is melody beyond the
+power of words to compass.</p>
+
+<p>After a hunt, a fishing expedition, a journey, or a misfortune,
+the Ainu enters his hut and seats himself cross-legged on the
+ground. He then holds out both hands with the palms
+together, and rubs them backwards and forwards three or four
+times; after this he raises them, palms upwards, to a level with
+his head, gracefully lowers them to his knees, and then, raising
+them again, strokes his hair and beard. Again he lowers his
+hands twice, thrice, or even more times, according to the
+amount of respect to which the person saluted is entitled, the
+latter following in every smallest detail the motions of his
+saluting friend. When this complicated salutation has been
+performed separately before each male member of the household,
+the new arrival relates the tale of his good-or ill-luck;
+and if the events be of an unusual character the story is chanted
+in a sort of sing-song which makes each note of joy or lamentation
+vibrate in the heart of the listener. It is only in such
+circumstances of stress of feeling that I ever heard the Ainu
+sing, though sometimes women and young folks when alone,
+fishing, riding, or travelling, sing out bits of their past lives as
+they remember this scene or that event.</p>
+
+<p>Ainu music is almost entirely vocal, and their singing has
+more the character of the <i>recitative</i> than of the <i>aria</i> proper.
+Their songs are always for <i>solo</i>; and during my stay among
+the hairy people I never heard a concerted piece, nor even an
+air or a single voice with a chorus for a number of voices;
+neither did I hear any songs performed by men and women
+together, but invariably by men to other men, and by women
+to other women. It seems to me that the reason why they
+have no choruses is their strict etiquette, which forbids them to
+interrupt a speaker till he has finished his narrative; and as
+their songs are only narratives which the musical sing-song
+makes more impressive, it seems more than probable that the
+reason I have given is the right one. If a singer during his
+narrative stops, and is silent for a minute or two, another
+takes up the "lost chord" in exactly the same intonation of
+voice, asking a question or singing words of comfort, anger,
+or scorn, as the case may be; but no Ainu ever joins in the
+song before the person singing has stopped.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_257" id="Page_257">[Pg 257]</a></span>
+The hairy people are fond, not only of their own, but of all
+music, and their ear is acute enough to hit a tone or note when
+sung to them, and even to remember with more or less
+accuracy a short air after they have heard it two or three
+times. Many who have come in contact with the Japanese
+have learned from them songs of a totally different character
+from their own. Of my personal experience I can speak of a
+boy who, while I was sketching, heard me sing a few bars of
+the <i>Trovatore</i>. An hour or two later I heard him repeat
+this passage, certainly with an Ainu <i>libretto</i>, and somewhat
+Ainuized; but for all that he had managed to catch the
+melody, which showed that the lad must have had some
+musical instinct as well as a good musical memory.</p>
+
+<div class="figleft" style="width: 144px;">
+<img src="images/illus-258a.png" width="144" height="600" alt="MUKKO, OR MUSICAL INSTRUMENT" title="" />
+<span class="caption">A &quot;MUKKO,&quot; OR
+MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.</span></div>
+
+<div class="figright" style="width: 104px;">
+<img src="images/illus-258b.png" width="104" height="600" alt="SIDE VIEW OF THE MUKKO" title="" />
+<span class="caption">SIDE VIEW
+OF THE
+&quot;MUKKO.&quot;</span></div>
+
+<p>The Ainu are remarkably quick at reproducing sounds
+which are direct imitations of noises, cries of animals, &amp;c., and
+it is instinctive in them, as when children they are not taught
+or trained to do so. The education of Ainu children is indeed
+a thing far to seek in every way, and what they know is self-taught.
+Nature is their only school. The Ainu voice is
+pleasant, flexible, and very soft in quality. The men are
+mostly baritone and bass, the women alto; but when singing,
+a falsetto is preferred to the natural voice, especially by the
+women, and this always without an instrumental accompaniment.
+Musical instruments are more than rare among the
+Ainu; indeed, I saw only one, which is now in my own
+possession. It is a black-stained wooden instrument, fifty-one
+inches in length and three wide. The upper part is flat, the
+under is half a cylinder scooped out by a knife, while five keys
+are fixed in the short neck, in which a cavity is cut, leaving a
+space for the strings to be tied to each key. The top is
+circular, and flattened on each side. One very small hole is
+bored exactly in the middle of the instrument and another is
+at the lower end, where the point of a triangular piece of
+leather, seven inches long, is passed through and fastened by
+a knot tied in the leather on the opposite side. The five
+strings, which are of <i>Ulmus campestris</i> fibre, are fastened to
+this leather piece and then to each key. A peculiarity of this
+instrument is, that it has two prism-shaped bridges, and they
+are placed at each end of the harmonic case. The Ainu call
+it <i>mukko</i>, which word, however, means only a musical instrument;<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_258" id="Page_258">[Pg 258]</a></span>
+and as it is applied by them to all Japanese instruments
+of music, it shows that they do not distinguish very sharply
+one instrument from another. Though in my long journeying
+I found one of these <i>mukkos</i>, I was
+never able to discover any Ainu
+who could play on it, and the Ainu
+of Ishikari from whom I bought
+it told me that the man, the only
+one, who could play on it, was
+dead. This was unfortunate, as
+none of the others could tell me
+how he tuned it; and one old man,
+in attempting to solve the problem,
+broke three strings. Seeing that
+I was then quite unable to learn
+any of the tunes of the deceased
+Ainu Paganini I purchased the
+instrument, and found by cross-examining
+the natives that it was
+played by twanging the strings
+with the fingers, and not with a
+plectrum, as is the case with the
+Japanese <i>shamesen</i>. In the illustration
+I have faithfully drawn a
+front and a side view of this instrument,
+so as to give the reader an
+exact idea of its shape. The
+Ainu of Volcano Bay sometimes
+make bamboo jew's-harps for their
+children; but even those are very uncommon, so we might
+as well define Ainu music as entirely vocal. Ainu music is
+sentimental, and not displeasing, but it is monotonous, and
+continually repeats itself. It is difficult to establish a rule
+as to what order of intervals their music is founded on, as
+their progressions, modulations, and rhythmical effects are
+often so peculiar as to make it impossible to indicate them
+accurately by means of our musical notation; but the nearest
+approach to it is the diatonic minor scale. The Ainu are
+fond of chromatic intervals, and when their recital comes
+to an exciting point they make use of this method in a<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_259" id="Page_259">[Pg 259]</a></span>
+<i>crescendo</i> to give strength to the narrative, especially at the
+end of the tune, which invariably winds up in the tonic. The
+intervals which are of most frequent occurrence in the Ainu
+tunes are as follows:&mdash;</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-259.png" width="400" height="71" alt="" /></div>
+
+<p>The tunes seldom contain modulations from one key into
+another, except in the case of genius-gifted improvisators, who
+sometimes indulge in such a luxury, especially when intoxicated;
+but the usual modulation is generally begun <i>pianissimo</i>
+and in irregular time, and is sometimes like a slow lamentation
+gradually and irregularly increasing in force, some notes
+marked violently and the next very faintly, thus giving a
+weird effect of light and shade. When a sentence comes to an
+end, there is a chromatic interval <i>fortissimo</i>, and the keynote
+generally concludes the tune. The melody repeats itself
+again in the next sentence, sometimes altering the <i>pianissimo</i>
+into <i>fortissimo</i>, and <i>vice versâ</i>, according to the force which
+the narrator wishes to give to certain words. The Ainu, as far
+as I could judge, have no fixed rhythmical method, and each
+man constructs his own. Their melodies are generally short
+and simple, and the same phrases and passages&mdash;in fact, usually
+the whole melody&mdash;occur again and again in their songs. No
+Ainu melody that I heard was constructed according to any
+rule of musical form. All were invariably of one part only, in
+which the name of the tune was often applied to a certain
+form of rude poetical composition. For instance, some of the
+folk-lore legends&mdash;which, unfortunately, are not purely Ainu&mdash;are
+chanted in a musical intonation, and are a kind of extempore
+composition, though the roots of the songs and the verse
+have probably been brought down from former generations.
+This is proved by the preservation in them of some obsolete
+words and forms of speech which are never used in current
+conversation, and which none of the younger folks can understand
+or explain. I believe, however, that none of these
+legends are very old. The Ainu, having no written language,
+it is but natural that their tradition and legends should have
+been greatly changed and corrupted, especially by intercourse<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_260" id="Page_260">[Pg 260]</a></span>
+with the more imaginative Japanese. It is to be noted, however,
+that the Ainu, though to a certain extent as imitative as
+monkeys, have also a large amount of personality and originality,
+due to their shy and unsocial habits. This originality
+is not surprising when we remember that they are taught
+nothing, and that each man provides for himself and his family,
+but has no markedly friendly feelings towards his neighbours;
+in other words, it is a state of degradation very similar to that
+of wild animals. Perfect indifference is shown by the people
+of one village towards those of another. They are neither
+friends nor foes. All have a right to live, but as for helping
+one another, that is out of the question.</p>
+
+<p>Having no written documents, each man, in his easy-going
+manner, recites and sings as best pleases himself such verses
+or legends as he has heard from his father or from some other
+person, and the result is that, according to the reciter's greater
+or smaller poetical and musical tastes, the grandfather's composition,
+already altered by his father, is again altered by the
+son, which makes it a composition of his own. This transformation
+of a given theme is common even among civilised
+nations when people are set to repeat the same story verbally
+transmitted from one to the other&mdash;the version of the third
+person has but little in common with that of the first. If this
+we do with a spoken narrative, how much more with tunes
+learned by ear only, and characterised in the delivery by
+individual temperament and transient mood.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu do not teach these legends to their children, and
+if learned at all they are merely "picked up" by ear and, in a
+manner, at random; therefore, most Ainu profess ignorance as
+to their existence, and a man, when I asked him if he knew
+any, scornfully answered in these identical words, translated:&mdash;"The
+Ainu are taught nothing, and they know nothing."</p>
+
+<p>The few legends, &amp;c., that I heard were told me by Benry
+at Piratori, and by another old man, the chief of a village up
+the Saru River. The title of one was "Tushi-une-pan"&mdash;"Twice
+Below;" the story of Yoshitsune, a Japanese hero, and
+Samoro-kuru (a Japanese man-friend of Yoshitsune), who came
+to Yezo and had a great struggle with a huge fish, which was
+harpooned by them and disappeared twice under the water,
+capsizing the boat which contained the two fishermen.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_261" id="Page_261">[Pg 261]</a></span>
+Yoshitsune's temper was roused, and he cut the <i>nipesh</i><a name="FNanchor_38_38" id="FNanchor_38_38"></a><a href="#Footnote_38_38" class="fnanchor">[38]</a>
+rope to which the harpoon was fastened. The fish went to
+die at the mouth of the Saru River, when plains of hemp
+sprouted out of its body.</p>
+
+<p>Another legend, called "Kimta-na," is a rather different and
+more simple version of Tushi-une-pan's story which I have
+just related.</p>
+
+<p>Yet another variant of the same legend is found in the
+"Inu-sapk"&mdash;or "A Summer Story" (literally translated:
+<i>Inu</i>, hear, relate; <i>sapk</i>, summer), which was so very confused
+that I could not make head or tail of its minuter details; but,
+like the "Kimta-na," it was about a famine in the Ainu land.</p>
+
+<p>Then there was a fourth, which went by the name of "Abe-ten-rui"&mdash;"Burning
+to embrace," or love-sick. It was again
+about Yoshitsune, who had fallen in love with a pretty Ainu
+maid, and could not eat either good or bad fish until she
+appeared to him in a dream. As Yoshitsune was a strong-minded
+man he got over his love, and taught the Ainu not to
+be deceived by woman's wiles.</p>
+
+<p>These and other similar legends, some of which do not bear
+repeating, being too improper, can be collected at Piratori or
+on Volcano Bay from the half-civilised Ainu; but I am inclined
+to think that they are mostly concoctions of Japanese
+ideas construed or misconstrued in the Ainu language.</p>
+
+<p>Ainu do not indulge in poetic compositions which have a
+definite metre, nor do they use special words for rhyme or
+rhythm; but all the words in their songs are intelligible, and
+seldom meaningless syllables are used, as in many of the
+chants of other savage nations. This of course is because, as
+has been said, their songs are merely a form of conversation
+adopted on certain occasions.</p>
+
+<p>Some of their music seems to have been suggested to them
+by such animal sounds as the plaintive howling of bears, wolves,
+and dogs.</p>
+
+<p>Music is believed by the Ainu to have the power of curing
+illness, or rather, of scaring away from the body those evil
+spirits which are supposed to have taken possession of it; but,
+when used as exorcism, the music is no longer grave, slow,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_262" id="Page_262">[Pg 262]</a></span>
+and sentimental, but verily diabolical, consisting mainly of
+wild howling with an accompaniment of stamping feet and the
+rattling of sword and knife, and followed by a disgusting expectoration
+of chewed convolvulus roots, which are said to be
+powerful in expelling the evil spirit and restoring the sick
+person to health.</p>
+
+<p>Furthermore, music is invariably used by the Ainu&mdash;especially
+by the women&mdash;to facilitate manual labour, as when
+pounding millet, rowing, pulling canoes on shore, or drawing
+water from a well, when packing sea-weed, or when preparing
+salmon for the winter; and also in their games, which I have
+already described in the chapter on the festival at Piratori.</p>
+
+<p>During the process of pounding millet&mdash;which is only practised
+in the southern part of Yezo&mdash;two or three girls stand
+round a mortar in which the millet has been placed, and each
+girl, holding with both hands a pestle, beats and sings, one
+after the other, the words "<i>Huye, huye</i>," as the pestle is let
+down, increasing in loudness when the grain requires harder
+pounding, and slowly decreasing in volume towards the end.
+This pounding begins about sunset, and the place chosen for
+the operation is generally the small porch of the huts. It has
+indeed a weird effect to hear these many voices from the
+distant huts gradually dying away as darkness comes on, till
+finally only two or three break the stillness of the coming
+night. Then even those wear away, and everything becomes
+as silent as the grave.</p>
+
+<p>When riding on horseback, especially if alone, young men
+are fond of singing, and when going through forests, chopping
+and collecting firewood, Ainu invariably sing.</p>
+
+<p>I have often heard two or three Ainu, when packing sea-weed
+within a few yards of one another, each singing to himself,
+and each so much absorbed in his own composition as not
+to even hear his neighbours. An Ainu does not and cannot
+sing unless he feels in the mood for it; but if he sings he is
+carried away by his own music. Of course this is a good
+quality in Ainu music, as in all arts where "feeling" is to be
+appreciated as much as execution. The latter is to be got by
+constant practice and teaching; but the first has to be born
+in one.</p>
+
+<p>My readers must forgive me if I am judging Ainu music,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_263" id="Page_263">[Pg 263]</a></span>
+not from the European, but from the native standpoint, for I
+think it is only fair to give things as they are, without too
+much reference to our own ideas.</p>
+
+<p>With savage nations, music is the expression of the feelings
+and passions of the musician. Thus, it is necessary to well
+know the man himself before we can understand his productions
+and appreciate them; and such knowledge is only
+attained by constantly living with natives, not as a mere
+stranger, but as one of them.</p>
+
+<p>Very few travellers have seen the real Ainu, or studied them
+accurately, while many, partly owing to their inability to
+differentiate one race from another, have given us highly
+imaginative descriptions, and even photographs, of Japanese
+half-castes and actual Japanese, describing them as Ainu. If
+such worthy ethnologists as have visited the "civilised part
+only" of the Ainu country, have been unable to distinguish
+types of the hairy Ainu race from those of the hairless
+Japanese, or from mixtures of the two, undoubtedly racial
+characteristics have been but imperfectly recorded.</p>
+
+<p>It is more particularly in music and poetry, as I have
+already explained, that temperamental characteristics are
+shown, and one ought to be careful to clearly define what is
+native music and poetry&mdash;in which I include legends, traditions,
+and folk-lore&mdash;and what has been transmitted by neighbouring
+and conquering races. Loud music is not appreciated
+by the Ainu, and makes them grin with more scorn than
+enjoyment. I could only try experiments in this direction by
+singing to them, as I had no European musical instruments
+with me; but I found that singing <i>con brio</i> at the top of my
+voice was not so pleasing to them as when I sang <i>piano con
+passione</i>. For instance, the song "Toreador," in the opera
+<i>Carmen</i>, created fits of merriment from a crowd at Frishikobets,
+while the same crowd, a few minutes later, listened
+attentively and silently to Gounod's "Ave Maria," sung in a
+kind of "miaoling" voice.</p>
+
+<p>I may here mention incidentally, to show the different
+musical tastes of Ainu and Japanese, that some months previous
+to this I was at a concert at Tokio in which the same
+"Ave Maria" was performed by some distinguished European
+musicians. The large Japanese audience, who had been attentive<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_264" id="Page_264">[Pg 264]</a></span>
+and well-composed till then, went into fits of laughter
+when Gounod's masterpiece was played, and all through it the
+noise of people laughing was so great as to drown entirely the
+orchestra and singers. Some of the women in the audience
+nearly went into hysterics at the long <i>legato</i> notes at the
+beginning of the piece. Louder melodies and of a livelier
+character did not affect them so. I wish to draw attention
+to this fact, that amongst all primitive peoples the native music
+is sad and slow&mdash;the livelier melodies coming later; and also,
+that with both wild and domestic animals the most noteworthy
+effects are produced by slow and simple music. We all know
+how dogs will remain quiet and calm when a soft and gentle air
+is played, but get furious to the point of savageness under the
+"plan-plan-rataplan" of a merry noisy tune. As for the last
+item connected with Ainu music, viz., dancing, it is rarely
+practised, even by the Ainu women, to whom alone it pertains.
+At the best it is of a very rude form. In the Piratori festival
+(<a href="#Page_30">Chapter IV.</a>) we have seen that their dancing is accompanied
+by rhythmical sounds imitating the noises produced by implements
+in everyday use, as the squeaking of a paddle by the
+friction on the canoe, the cry which accompanies the pounding
+of millet, blowing alight the fire, and similar sounds. Time is
+kept by clapping the hands and by vociferations which tell the
+partners what position or action to assume, each action being
+accompanied by a different sound, but all performed while the
+hopping is kept up. I have not felt justified in classifying
+these rhythmical sounds, which accompany the dancing, as
+choruses, for there is not enough in them to constitute either a
+tune or a melody. They are suggested more by the action of
+the arms and upper part of the body than by the steps; in fact,
+if it were not for the continuous hopping it would be more
+accurate to describe Ainu dancing as "posturing." The
+dancers form a circle, with sometimes one or two children in the
+centre. As there are no professional musicians, there are no
+professional dancers; but though each man may be his own
+composer of music, the women never alter their dances, which
+are handed down unchanged from one generation to another.
+It is only at festivals that the dance is performed, and never
+inside the huts, but in the open air. It is not for the amusement
+of spectators, for besides one or two of the older women,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_265" id="Page_265">[Pg 265]</a></span>
+spectators there are none; but it is for the enjoyment of the
+dancers themselves. The men do not seem to take the
+slightest interest in the dancing, and apparently regard it as
+unmanly. They remain in the hut drinking while the girls
+enjoy themselves in this way outside, and should one of them
+by chance come out, he would stop and look on no more than
+men in civilised countries would stop and watch little children
+at play. On the other hand, on such occasions Ainu matrons
+squat in a semicircle not far from the dancers, and keep up
+a lament-like or sometimes quarrelsome conversation among
+themselves, and occasionally encourage the girls in their
+hopping, and suggesting <i>encores</i> of this figure or that, which,
+between one quarrel and another, has taken their fancy.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 400px;">
+<img src="images/illus-265.png" width="400" height="104" alt="A WOODEN PIPE" />
+<span class="caption">A WOODEN PIPE.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_266" id="Page_266">[Pg 266]</a></p>
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XXVI.<br />
+<span class="small">Heredity&mdash;Crosses&mdash;Psychological Observations.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>The mental qualities of the Ainu are not many, and what
+they have are by no means great; nor are they improved by
+education, for what they know comes more from inheritance
+than personal acquirement, though naturally every rule has its
+exceptions. I repeatedly noticed that talent, such as it was,
+ran in certain families, the members of which were all more
+or less intelligent. Certain families were more musical than
+others; other families were more artistic&mdash;if, indeed, such a
+word could be applied to the very low development of the
+artistic faculty when at its best among the hairy people.
+Various members of one household were potently insane;
+others were as potently idiotic. I shall not class under this
+heading of heredity transmitted disease, like leprosy, consumption,
+&amp;c., but I shall limit myself to heredity in physical
+traits and mental qualities. Unfortunately, with the Ainu
+intercourse between the sexes is so imperfectly regulated as
+to often lead one to erroneous conclusions. The reader may
+easily imagine the difficulty of establishing precise rules of
+transmission in a race like the Ainu, where castes are not
+marked, with the exception of the chieftainship in each village,
+the only necessary qualifications for which are a sound, sharp
+intellect, a strong physique, and personal courage. The office
+is hereditary if these qualifications are also inherited; but
+should the sons or brothers of the chief prove unworthy of his
+place, the Ainu would assemble in a "village council" and elect
+another strong, clear-headed, and brave man in place of the
+<i>roi fainéant</i> thus summarily deposed. These chiefs have no
+absolute authority, though the men often consult them in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_267" id="Page_267">[Pg 267]</a></span>
+their quarrels and difficulties, which they are asked to settle.
+Thus, because of these qualities necessary for the office, these
+chiefs are a slightly superior type to the other natives; for
+with savages, as with civilised people, sharp-witted, strong, and
+brave men are naturally of a finer type than those who are
+their inferiors in these qualities: but the difference among the
+best Ainu and the worst is so small that I do not feel justified
+in classing chiefs as of a different caste. Besides, exceptional
+beauty, strength, or larger stature is not necessarily transmitted
+in the families of chiefs, nor do the Ainu themselves consider
+them better-looking than others.</p>
+
+<p>As Ainu laws of marriage have no relation to the physical
+and moral improvement of the race, the only way of classifying
+the natives for purposes of heredity is by tribes, each village
+being considered as a tribe. Ainu villages are generally very
+small, and the inhabitants of each village intermarry among
+themselves, therefore each member of the community is in
+some way related to every other member; hence heredity in
+certain physical traits, mental qualities, and diseases shows
+itself in one community and not in another. The difficulty of
+tracing the exact connection of each individual with his or her
+relations beyond the acknowledged father and mother also
+baffles research in more minute details. Abnormal formations
+are sometimes transmitted to many members of one tribe, as, for
+instance, the hare-lip and webbed fingers, of which deformities
+two or three specimens could be found in a small village
+numbering fifteen or twenty houses. Malformation of the
+umbilicus is common&mdash;sometimes in almost every member of
+one small community&mdash;while it is very rare in others. Children
+are mostly affected by this, as in some villages the cord is not
+treated at all at birth; and this leads to an abnormality till
+the child grows older, when the few who survive seem to get
+all right. In other villages the cord is fastened in a very
+primitive, not to say imperfect, manner, with a common string
+of <i>Ulmus campestris</i> fibre.</p>
+
+<p>Albinism is very uncommon among the Ainu. I do not
+know of any case when it has been transmitted, as albinos
+are greatly disregarded by the Ainu, and, I was told, seldom
+marry.</p>
+
+<p>Red hair, or hair with red shades in it, is common among<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_268" id="Page_268">[Pg 268]</a></span>
+the Ainu of the north-east coast of Yezo, and also among the
+Kurilsky Ainu of Shikotan, where nearly all the children have
+light hair. It darkens considerably as they grow older, as
+many of the men said they had light hair when young, which
+turned dark with age. Members of certain communities have
+inherited the love of bear-hunting; others the love of fishing;
+some tribes have a musical aptitude, and a certain artistic
+talent for rough ornamentations on wood; others have
+developed their inherited power of sustaining hunger and
+thirst. The only characteristic which all the different tribes
+have inherited, without exception, is love for intoxicating
+drinks; and this love is not only inherited by thoroughbred
+Ainu, but also by half-castes.</p>
+
+<p>Mixed marriages between Japanese and Ainu are frequent,
+but the progeny are unfortunate beings, of whom a large percentage
+die when very young: those who live are generally
+malformed, ill-natured, and often idiotic. Their sight and
+hearing are not so acute as with the pure Ainu, and crosses
+are said to be sterile, with very few exceptions. If children of
+second crosses are born they seldom live to be more than five
+years old.</p>
+
+<p>Half-breeds are invariably from a Japanese man with an
+Ainu woman, but occasionally an Ainu man marries or
+cohabits with a half-caste woman. I have never seen a pure-blood
+Ainu man marry a pure-blood Japanese woman. The
+majority of half-breeds are males: I should think two-thirds
+males and one-third females. The half-caste women are
+physically finer than the men, but they are said to be very
+generally, if not uniformly, sterile.</p>
+
+<p>The products of the first cross greatly resemble in general
+look the Ainu parent, without being quite as hairy, though
+still very hairy; but a strange peculiarity is, that they get
+bald while quite young. One can easily detect them by their
+eyes, which are frequently like those of the Japanese, by the
+wide flat forehead, and by the pose of the head, which inclines
+forward. They generally walk with their toes turned in,
+instead of keeping their feet perfectly straight, like the pure
+Ainu. The moral and intellectual position of these half-breeds
+is a pitiful one. They are rejected by both the Ainu
+and Japanese, and are held inferior to both alike.</p>
+
+<p><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_269" id="Page_269">[Pg 269]</a></span>
+A high moral standard, whether got from philosophic
+breadth or Christian virtues, does not suit a despised barbarian
+race like the Ainu. Nothing could or does kill them
+quicker than civilisation. Experiments have been tried to
+civilise certain Ainu: they were made to wash, bathe, and
+live in comfortable, clean quarters: they were instructed and
+got good food; but after a few months they had to be sent
+back to their native place and ways, for civilisation only killed
+them.</p>
+
+<p>The half-castes have none of the good qualities of either
+race. They are neither as brave as the Ainu nor courteous
+and light-hearted like the Japanese. The following remarks,
+which I take direct from my diary, were written by me
+between Shimokebo and Tomakomai, on the south-west coast
+of Yezo, where many half-breeds are found along the sea-shore,
+and I shall pass them on untouched to my readers.</p>
+
+<p>"The Ainu along this coast were decidedly ugly. Many half-breeds
+are also found along this coast. These half-breeds
+invariably grow bald in early life, whereas the Ainu do not.
+The hair on their back, arms, and legs is not so long or so
+thick as with the pure Ainu. Their teeth are neither so strong
+nor so sound. As is usually the case when a mixture of two
+or more races takes place, the lower and upper jaws not being
+of the right proportion, it follows as a matter of course that
+unusual pressure and friction injure and wear out the enamel of
+the teeth, thus causing premature decay. The Americans and
+Australians are good examples of this premature decay caused
+by the disproportion of the upper and lower jaws. Also, teeth
+which do not fit well together sometimes grow so long as to
+be a nuisance to the person who owns them. I found that
+these half-breeds have all the bad qualities of both the Ainu
+and the Japanese, and have not retained any of the good ones.
+They are ill-tempered, lazy, and vindictive. It is well to
+mention that, on the Japanese side, they have come mostly
+from the criminals exported by the Japanese Government,
+which fact partly explains why they are so evil-minded and
+untrustworthy. Instead of falling into the more civilised ways
+of the Japanese, these half-breeds prefer the wild life of their
+Ainu ancestors; and if anything they are wilder than the Ainu
+themselves. Insanity is very common among half-breeds.<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_270" id="Page_270">[Pg 270]</a></span>
+The head is in most instances of an abnormal size; the frontal
+bone is generally more sloping than with the thoroughbred
+Ainu; and though the skull be wide from one temple to the
+other, it is not spacious enough from the frontal bone to the
+back of the head. They have heads so shaped that the animal
+propensities are in excess of the moral and mental faculties.
+In thoroughbred Ainu I found the bumps of amativeness,
+philoprogenitiveness, and tune very well developed. In the
+half-breeds these bumps hardly show at all, and in some cases
+the back of the head&mdash;where the two first bumps are found&mdash;is
+almost flat.</p>
+
+<p>"Ainu half-breeds never live to be very old. They are often
+affected with rheumatism&mdash;<i>kaki</i>, a disease peculiar to the Far
+East&mdash;leprosy, and consumption, and they suffer from these
+diseases much more than do the pure Ainu. I found leprosy
+quite common among half-breeds&mdash;while I have seen but few
+Ainu affected with it. In most instances, though, leprosy had
+only attained its first stages&mdash;contraction of fingers and subsequent
+dropping off of the three phalanges, ears, and nose; but
+this may be explained by the fact that the sufferers in general
+succumb before the disease attains its more serious character,
+when the whole body is visibly affected by it."</p>
+
+<p>Precise laws as to the degree of quickness of perception,
+power of reasoning, and learning of the Ainu race cannot be
+given, for, as I have mentioned before, almost each individual
+would require a special rule for himself. My readers may
+have noticed that, while some Ainu were but little above
+monkeys, others were sharp, and gave answers very much to
+the point. This may apparently be regarded as a contradiction
+on my part by people who have neither lived with
+savages, nor studied the temperament of beasts. But it is not
+a contradiction. There are in this world clever monkeys and
+stupid monkeys: some can never be made to learn any tricks;
+others will learn them in no time. Intelligence is instinctive,
+and not acquired, though of course it can be greatly developed
+with education; thus, the Ainu are instinctively intelligent,
+but I wish my readers clearly to understand that their intelligence
+does not go much further than that of an intelligent
+monkey, though of course the Ainu have the advantage
+over beasts of being able to talk, and therefore, to a limited<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_271" id="Page_271">[Pg 271]</a></span>
+extent, discuss and combine. The Ainu memory is a perfect
+blank in certain respects, as with arithmetic, science, mechanics,
+reading, writing, drawing, and delineating maps; while in other
+directions it seems to be fairly keen, as in hunting, fishing,
+tracking, and acquiring languages up to a certain point.
+This last faculty is noticeable in nearly all the lowest
+races, as the Australian aborigines, the Tasmanian natives
+(now extinct), the Tierra del Fuegians, &amp;c. The Ainu ideas
+of time are vague, and if you add to that the extreme
+difficulty which they experience in counting even up to ten,
+and their inability to count beyond that number, it is easy
+to understand why we can never learn the exact age of Ainu
+individuals.</p>
+
+<p>Like the monkeys, the Ainu cannot concentrate their attention,
+and they are easily wearied. Beads and shiny objects
+have a fascination for them; but other objects, even perfectly
+new to them, arouse but little curiosity, which soon passes, and
+they show no intelligence and less imagination as to the probable
+use of these strange objects. They show no inquisitiveness,
+and no wish to be taught the use of anything new and
+unfamiliar.</p>
+
+<p>It will be remembered that at Yamakubiro, on the Tokachi
+River, beyond the natural astonishment caused by the first
+appearance of my ponies, the strange baggage, and myself, the
+Ainu did not pay much attention to this novel sight, and did
+not show any wish to have it explained, while more civilised
+people, like the Japanese, would not have been satisfied until I
+had shown and explained every article in my possession, and
+allowed each person to try its use, &amp;c., after which they
+would talk for hours of what they had seen. The Ainu are
+not "built" so, and therefore they have never made any progress.
+In the more civilised parts of Yezo we have a proof of
+it. Their backwardness in acquiring the habits and customs
+of their conquerors the Japanese, arises from incapacity more
+than from conservatism. Yet for all that the Ainu are so incapable
+of improving themselves, they are very persevering
+in what they do attempt, as in their rough wooden carvings,
+the hollowing of their "dug-outs," the construction of their
+wooden tools and weapons, the weaving of their rough garments,
+and the ornamentation thereof; but in all these they<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_272" id="Page_272">[Pg 272]</a></span>
+appear to act more automatically than with keen and constructive
+intelligence.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu are not to be taken <i>au pied de la lettre</i>, for the
+illusions produced by ignorance and untutored imagination
+prevent anything like literal accuracy; but they are not what
+we may call conscious and immoral liars. A good example
+of this is my adventure at Horobets, when, although they
+knew that they would be severely punished by the Japanese
+policeman, the Ainu confessed their attack on me, and did not
+attempt either denial or evasion. They are often plucky, and
+even distinctly courageous; as, when out bear-hunting, a man
+armed only with a large and not over sharp knife unhesitatingly
+attacks this formidable beast, who sits up on his hind
+quarters, sure to crush the life out of his assailant should he
+miss his stroke. The Ainu, protecting his head with his left
+arm, and having taken the precaution to cover his back with
+skins, goes merrily for the embrace; and while Bruin squeezes,
+the hairy man splits its body open with the large knife.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu are cool-blooded. They are not subject to strong
+emotions, and therefore they are not much affected by dreams
+and nightmares. They are not affectionate except for a
+momentary impulse; but, like most animals, they are faithful
+when they love. Mothers are fond of their children till they
+have reached puberty; but after that the affection seems to
+fade away. Paternal love is much less strong.</p>
+
+<p>The pure Ainu are comparatively honest people, which may
+be due to the incapacity for being dishonest. In a country
+where there is no exact definition of property, where anybody
+can get what he requires without resorting to theft, there is no
+reason why everybody should not be honest. Then, according
+to Ainu ideas, stealing is not always stealing. For instance,
+if an Ainu, without asking, takes away some of the salmon
+caught by one of his hairy brethren, he will be blamed for it,
+he will get into a row, and probably be beaten; but if the
+theft is perpetrated on a Japanese or a stranger he will be
+praised, though the Ainu well knows that he is not acting
+right. Their desire is stronger than their conscience, such as
+it is; and having no laws of their own to rule them worth
+speaking of, they often do according to their desire, without
+deserving the accusation of conscious dishonesty. It is exactly<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_273" id="Page_273">[Pg 273]</a></span>
+the same case as when a dog jumps on the dining-table when
+everybody is absent and carries off the leg of mutton which
+he knows he ought not to touch; but the temptation was too
+strong, and he could not resist it. The Ainu are fond of independence,
+though in many instances I found them gentle, and
+apparently submissive to a stronger will than their own. The
+field of their brain-power is of course very narrow, and the
+same rough, rude, primitive thoughts and ideas are constantly
+repeated in their conversation as well as in their designs.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_274" id="Page_274">[Pg 274]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 491px;">
+<img src="images/illus-274.jpg" width="491" height="600" alt="PACKING SEQWEED FOR WINTER USE" />
+<span class="caption">NAKED AINU MAN FROM THE NORTH-EAST COAST OF YEZO, PACKING
+SEAWEED FOR WINTER USE.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XXVII.<br />
+<span class="small">Physiological Observations&mdash;Pulse-beat and Respiration&mdash;Exposure&mdash;Odour
+of the Ainu&mdash;The Five Senses.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>The following physiological remarks are mostly from observations
+made on Ainu of the Upper Tokachi district, the natives
+of which have had no communication with Europeans and
+little with Japanese previous to my own visit to them. Observations
+made on the semi-civilised Ainu of Volcano Bay and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_275" id="Page_275">[Pg 275]</a></span>
+Piratori, on those of the north-east and west coasts, and the
+Ishikari River, as well as on half-castes of different districts,
+have been taken into consideration.</p>
+
+<p>Owing to the lack of a clinical thermometer and other
+instruments, I, unfortunately, was not able to ascertain the
+normal temperature of the body; nor could I get any very
+accurate observations as to the frequency of the pulse-beat,
+owing to the miserable condition of my watch and the difficult
+task of getting natives to sit perfectly still while their pulse
+was felt. A superstitious fear, too, that some evil would
+befall them accelerated the pulsations, and they invariably
+moved away rubbing the spot I had touched on their wrist.
+Though I could not count the exact number of pulsations to
+a minute, the movement of the pulse was as a rule slow and
+rather weak. Respirations were fourteen to seventeen to a
+minute in men, and about sixteen to twenty in women, and
+the respiratory movements were similar in both sexes, viz.,
+costal breathing was predominant. In half-castes I have
+sometimes noticed abdominal breathing.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu not only bear cold well, but prefer it to heat,
+though, indeed, their country is never very hot. The sun's
+rays have no fascination for them, as with so many other races;
+and I have seldom seen Ainu basking in the sun for purely
+physical pleasure, although they go about with uncovered
+heads, and do not seem to suffer any ill effects from the practice.
+The Ainu of Piratori wear Japanese hats of wicker-work;
+and others, especially women, tie round their head a
+Japanese towel&mdash;a fashion, as we have seen, also adopted
+from the Japanese. With this head-dress the crown of the
+head is left uncovered.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu are not massively formed, but they are sturdy,
+and, as we have seen, can bear almost any amount of privation
+as regards food and drink. Sleep is necessary to them, and
+they require a great deal to be in anything like good condition.
+The sleeping hours are generally from an hour or so
+after sunset to sunrise; but during the day they are often
+drowsy, and turn in to have a siesta after food and exercise.
+In men the voice is soft and deep; shriller but still gentle in
+women. The Ainu seldom perspire, partly because the pores
+of their skin are blocked with dirt; partly because their long<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_276" id="Page_276">[Pg 276]</a></span>
+hair absorbs a great quantity of natural moisture; and mostly
+because they do not drink much except when they can get
+hold of intoxicants.</p>
+
+<p>The skin is greasy&mdash;the natural result of many years of
+an unwashed existence; and this gives to the hairy people a
+peculiar and strong odour, much resembling that of monkeys.
+Many are familiar with the peculiar odour of an uncleaned
+monkey's cage, and the same, intensified a thousand times,
+characterises an Ainu village. Hundreds of yards off you can
+distinctly smell out a village, or if the wind is blowing towards
+you, that peculiar odour is perceptible for a full half-mile.
+Although the sense of smell is acute in the Ainu&mdash;for they
+sometimes employ it in tracking animals&mdash;they are not aware
+of their own strong odour; but they are quick in distinguishing
+that of other races. I have several times heard Ainu of the
+coast remark that I possessed a different odour from that of
+the Japanese; but they could neither define it nor assimilate
+it to that of any animal they knew, though several of them one
+day held a lengthy pow-wow about it; and in the interest of
+anthropology I submitted to the unpleasant process of being
+smelt all over by them. The Chinese unanimously assert that
+Europeans smell like sheep, and they say this is the reason we
+constantly wash and bathe, being aware of our infirmity, and
+doing our best to diminish it by soap and water. We ourselves
+attribute to Jews one distinct odour, and yet another to
+the Russians; not to speak of those belonging to the negroes,
+the Chinese, and, in fact, all other nations. Thus, the odour
+has some importance in the classification of peoples, as it
+largely depends on the kind of food as well as the personal
+habits of a race. Meat-eaters smell differently from fish-eaters,
+and these again from vegetarians. As regards the
+Ainu, their filthy habits of course increase their offensiveness,
+while bodily exercise renders them intolerable. The Japanese
+recognise the Ainu odour as a distinguishing mark of the race,
+and Japanese fishermen have often said to me, "<i>Aino shto
+taihen kusai</i>"; "<i>Saru</i>," or else "<i>Kumma onaji koto</i>"&mdash;"Ainu
+men smell bad, just like a monkey or a bear."</p>
+
+<p>As an Ainu grows older this peculiarity increases. The
+weaker sex is generally more "strongly scented" than are the
+men, owing to the fact that women wear skins and rough cloth<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_277" id="Page_277">[Pg 277]</a></span>
+rags nearly all the year round, while in summer the men go
+about either entirely naked, or very lightly clad.</p>
+
+<p>On the north-east coast of Yezo and in Shikotan (Kurile
+Islands) I saw some Ainu who, contrary to the rule, had red
+hair, and their animal odour was terribly offensive. The Ainu
+do not use any unguents like palm-oil, cocoanut-oil, or the like,
+by which the unpleasantness of certain African tribes and
+Eastern peoples is to be accounted for. What they have is
+natural and national, and due to their food, habits, and race
+alone.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu have no partiality or dislike for any particular
+scents, and their sense of smell shows itself mainly in their
+power of tracking game or animals, as was said before. The
+same might be said of the sense of "touch," which they seldom
+apply practically, notwithstanding their sensitiveness in certain
+parts of the body, especially under the arm-pits and on each
+side of the spinal column and the back of the head&mdash;just those
+parts which in most animals are the most sensitive; but they
+have no developed sense of touch in their finger-tips, as with
+civilised nations.</p>
+
+<p>Most Ainu find it difficult to declare which is the heavier of
+two not very unequal weights. Differences in the temperature
+of two bodies, and in the smoothness or texture of two
+surfaces, are also extremely difficult for them to define, while
+it is easy for them to judge of weights and texture by eyesight.
+The palms of the hands, which are so sensitive with
+us, owing to the papillæ being more thickly studded there
+than in other parts of the body, are less intelligently sensitive
+with the Ainu. When they touch cold or hot objects they
+feel pain, but not difference of temperature, as when with us
+a wound is touched it makes little difference whether it is by
+something hot or cold, it is simply pain, and not discrimination.
+Their lips, as well as the tip of the tongue, are slightly more
+sensitive; the lower lip more so than the upper. I was never
+able to determine the relative sensibility of the sensitive parts
+of the Ainu body, as my experiments either caused anger and
+impatience, or hilarity and mockery. If the first, the observations
+had to be stopped before they were well begun; if the
+second, beyond the general results which I have quoted, the
+answers were mere guesswork on their part, and therefore<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_278" id="Page_278">[Pg 278]</a></span>
+not worth recording. Most of my observations are based on
+experiments made while the men were unaware that they
+were observed at all. Often, when asleep, I have touched
+them on the soles of the feet and the palms of the hands
+without causing them to awake, while when touched on the
+lower lip or in the lumbar region they invariably woke up
+startled. One day I tried this experiment on an Ainu who
+was sleeping on his back, with his mouth wide open. I
+touched his tongue with a well-sharpened lead-pencil, and
+the effect was subitaneous; more so than on either the lips or
+the lumbar region. The skin directly over the spine was dull,
+but the ears showed a certain amount of sensibility. The
+sense of "taste," which is a mere modification of the sense of
+touch, is also dull, although naturally, when stimulated by
+very acid or bitter substances, it produced distinct impressions.
+Even with ourselves, though more perfected than the sense of
+smell&mdash;which, however, often comes to its assistance&mdash;few can
+boast of having the sense of taste very acute. In our lower
+classes an extraordinary amount of salt, mustard, pepper, or
+sugar is needed before they can call their food "tasty,"
+whereas a person of more refined education will detect the
+lack or excess of even the smallest portion. Over-stimulation
+of the lingual nerves and extremes of heat or cold deaden
+the sensibility of the tongue, palate, and fauces, and destroy
+the power of distinguishing flavours; bad digestion also
+frequently affects the organs of taste. From this we may
+argue, then, that the sense of taste, though born in one, has
+to be cultivated before it is brought to any degree of refinement.
+The Ainu not only do not possess this acquired
+refinement, but, through monotony of food, learn only one
+kind of flavour, and cannot distinguish differences. Thus, as
+many labourers in our country would not find any difference
+between a beef-steak slightly underdone and one over-cooked,
+so an Ainu finds no difference whatever between a piece of
+salmon properly dried and one perfectly rotten. In this
+respect the Ainu are far below beasts.</p>
+
+<p>In tribes of natives like the Ainu, who have lived an
+adventurous life, mostly in the open air, it is but natural that
+the two senses of "sight" and "hearing" should be more
+developed than those of "touch," "smell" and "taste;"<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_279" id="Page_279">[Pg 279]</a></span>
+as life itself depends mostly on their accuracy and acuteness.
+The Ainu possess good sight. Inflammation of the eyes is
+very common among their children, owing to their filthy condition;
+but it seldom affects their permanent sight; very few
+Ainu suffer either from myopy or cataract, or other eye affections
+such as are frequent among civilised and more studious
+nations. In very warm climates, where the sun is powerful
+and the light strong, the eyes are generally shielded by
+specially long and thick eyelashes and eyebrows, which last
+prevent the sweat from running down the forehead into the
+orbit; but, strange to say, the Ainu, who are a northern race,
+and have always lived in cold climates, have eyelashes even
+longer and thicker than any race of people in tropical climates.
+The iris is of a somewhat greyish tint, sometimes traversed
+with brown shades. The white of the eye is less pearly than
+with Caucasian races, and the eyes, shaded as they are by long
+eyelashes and heavy eyelids, seem to possess all the qualities
+necessary for abnormally long vision. And this we find to be
+the case, for the Ainu can distinguish objects a long way off,
+but they are dense as to minutiæ. In other words, the eye of
+an Ainu is ready to receive an impression, but very slow in
+transmitting to the brain the impression received.</p>
+
+<p>As we have seen, they cannot reproduce the "human form
+divine," or any faithful representation of anything animate or
+inanimate which they have seen. They see <i>en gros</i>; thus,
+should an Ainu's attention be drawn to some very distant
+object rapidly moving on the shore, he will at once say that it
+is a horse, because he knows that the chances are it is a horse,
+but he will be unable to describe its colour, and whether cantering
+or galloping, saddled or unsaddled, by a single glance at
+the horse, unless his attention is called to each particular detail,
+when he will answer each question correctly enough. The
+Ainu vision is then strong, but the brain is not quick in response.
+Testing their sight by "test dots," as used in the
+British Army, was not a success, greatly owing to their inability
+to count and the inaccuracy of their answers.</p>
+
+<p>The most fully-developed sense in the hairy people is, in
+my opinion, that of hearing. Distant sounds are clearly recognised
+and specified, and they are also aware that by placing
+one ear near the ground, far-off sounds of horse's hoofs and the<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_280" id="Page_280">[Pg 280]</a></span>
+like can be clearly distinguished. The ticking of a Waterbury
+watch could be heard by Ainu at a distance of twenty and
+twenty-two feet, while I could only hear it nineteen feet away.
+I was often struck by the quickness with which they detected
+the tick-tack even when the watch was in my pocket, and they
+were six or eight feet away. The unusual sound fixed their
+attention and made them curious as to the cause, and they
+showed a childish kind of surprise and delight when the
+watch was produced and passed round among them, each one
+being allowed to enjoy his share of the ticking.</p>
+
+<p>Resuming these few remarks on the characteristic points of
+Ainu senses, my readers will probably have noticed certain
+facts which strongly support Darwin's theory of evolution, and
+the hairy arboreal ancestor with pointed ears from which the
+races of men are descended.</p>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_281" id="Page_281">[Pg 281]</a></p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 248px;">
+<img src="images/illus-281.jpg" width="248" height="339" alt="TROPHY OF BEARS' SKULLS" />
+<span class="caption">TROPHY OF BEARS&#39; SKULLS.</span></div>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XXVIII.<br />
+<span class="small">The Ainu Superstitions&mdash;Morals&mdash;Laws and Punishments.</span></h2>
+
+
+<p>I cannot begin this chapter better than by saying that Ainu
+religious ideas are essentially chaotic. They recognise no
+supreme God, and no intelligent Creator; and they cannot be
+called polytheists, for indeed they are not <i>worshippers</i> of any
+power&mdash;taking the word in its full meaning. The Ainu
+worship nothing.</p>
+
+<p>If they have any belief at all it is an imperfect kind of
+Totemism, and the central point of that belief is their own
+descent from the "bear." This does not include the smallest
+reverence for their ancestor. They capture their "Totem"
+and keep it in captivity; they speak to it and feed it; but no
+prayers are offered to it. When the bear is fat, it is taken out
+of the cage to be ill-treated and baited by all the men present.
+It is tied to a stake and a pole is thrust into its mouth; and<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_282" id="Page_282">[Pg 282]</a></span>
+when the poor beast has been sufficiently tortured, pricked
+with pointed sticks, shot at with blunted arrows, bruised with
+stones, maddened with rage and ill-usage, it is killed outright,
+and, "ancestor" as it may be, it makes the chief dish and <i>raison
+d'être</i> of a festival, where all the members of the tribe partake
+of its flesh. The owner of the hut in which the feast takes place
+then sticks the skull on to a forked pole, and sets it outside
+with the others at the east end of his hut. The skin is made
+into garments, or is spread on the ground to sleep on.</p>
+
+<p>In addition to this rudimentary kind of Totemism&mdash;if I
+may call it so&mdash;the Ainu show a certain amount of fear and
+respect for anything which supports their life or can destroy it.
+This, however, is under the form of an "instinct" rather than
+a "religious feeling." Dumb animals of any kind are similarly
+affected by powers which they cannot explain; but as we
+would not think for a moment that when a dog is barking at
+the moon the dog is worshipping the orb of night, or when it
+basks in the sun that it is offering prayers and reverence to
+the orb of day, no more should we think that the Ainu, who
+are not much above dumb animals, worship all they respect
+and fear.</p>
+
+<p>If other writers, most of whom have never visited the Ainu
+country, had not written on this subject, I would have limited
+myself to saying that the Ainu, properly speaking, have no
+religion, but as certain untenable theories and false ideas have
+been published, I feel bound to state what I know on the
+subject, that, so far as I can, I may correct these erroneous
+impressions. I regard myself as qualified to speak with some
+authority, as I am the <i>only</i> foreigner who has seen and studied
+<i>all</i> the different tribes of Ainu in Yezo and the Kuriles; while
+other writers, the few who have actually been there, have
+based their statements on a few half-castes or Ainu in the
+more civilised part of southern Yezo, collecting from them
+ideas left behind by previous travellers, and offering them
+to the public as purely Ainu. That these hasty travellers and
+cursory writers have been deceived, or have deceived themselves,
+is not astonishing; for it must be borne in mind that
+the Ainu language is as poor in words as the Ainu brain is
+deficient in thoughts. Thus it is no easy matter to explain to
+an Ainu what is meant by "religion," by "divinities," and by<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_283" id="Page_283">[Pg 283]</a></span>
+"worship." The nearest approach can be made only by
+comparisons and analogies, which often lead far from the
+point aimed at. Like all savages and barbarians, the Ainu
+are more apt to answer as they think will please the questioner
+than to give a definition of their own beliefs. The manner in
+which a question is put gives the keynote to the reply, which
+is in no sense an independent statement of their own thoughts.</p>
+
+<p>For instance, if you were to say to an Ainu, "You are old,
+are you not?" he would answer "Yes"; but if you asked the
+same man, "You are not old, are you?" he would equally
+answer "Yes." Knowingly speaking the truth is not one of
+their characteristics; indeed, they do not know the difference
+between falsehood and truth. This is a common failing with
+all savages as well as with all Orientals; but with the Ainu it
+is even more accentuated; and when, in addition to this, the
+difficulty of making them understand exactly what one
+means is taken into consideration, it is not astonishing that a
+traveller arrives at a wrong conclusion if the utmost pains be
+not taken in pursuing one's investigations.</p>
+
+<p>Of course the Ainu who have come in contact with
+Japanese know of a God, and some of them, at the instigation
+of Japanese <i>bonzes</i>, have become nominal Buddhists.
+Benry, at Piratori, showed me a small Buddhist shrine, of
+Japanese manufacture, which had been put up on a neighbouring
+hill. All the time I stayed at Piratori I never observed
+any Ainu worship at it. One day I saw two boys throwing
+stones at it, but that could hardly be called an act of reverence,
+even among my hairy friends.</p>
+
+<p>On my inquiring as to the origin and use of the shrine, I
+was told by some that it was erected to the God of the
+Japanese. Benry, who was always "well informed," both in
+things that he knew and those that he did not know, said that
+it was built in honour of Yoshitsune, the Japanese personage
+who, as we have seen, is the hero in semi-Ainu legends, and
+whose image or spirit, according to travellers' tales, is worshipped
+by the Ainu.</p>
+
+<p>It always appeared strange to me that the Piratori Ainu
+had this Japanese hero in their legends, but still more strange
+that they should make him their deity. Yet what was most
+singular of all was, that with the exception of Benry and a few<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_284" id="Page_284">[Pg 284]</a></span>
+others at Piratori, no other Ainu I met in any other part of
+Yezo seemed to know about Yoshitsune&mdash;or Okikurumi, as
+he is sometimes called by them; and, moreover, they knew
+nothing of his doings, or of the reason of his being worshipped.
+The Ainu of the Tokachi knew nothing whatever of this personage.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu idea of soul is always associated with "breath" or
+"life;" and as for the resurrection of the body and the future
+life of the soul, they have never even dreamt of it. Metempsychosis
+is equally unknown to them.</p>
+
+<p>As my readers have seen, in the description of a burial the
+implements and weapons which belonged to a deceased person
+are buried with him. The articles, however, previous to being
+thrown into the grave, are smashed to pieces; for the idea is,
+not that the dead body should profit by these things in the
+other world, but that no other person should make use of what
+had been his property in this. The reasoning power of the
+Ainu does not carry him beyond what is purely material; his
+mind has never been trained to go beyond that limit, and he
+finds that he can live well within it. Like all animals, he is
+guided by his instinct, which tells him what is good and what
+is bad for him; but as to any attempt to find out <i>why</i> such
+things are good or bad for him, he is utterly at a loss, and has
+to give up the quest. Though not devoid of a rudimentary
+kind of shrewdness, the Ainu is dense and ignorant to the last
+degree, and just as he is reluctant to adopt new modes of
+living, so he is unable to accept new ideas or larger thoughts.
+The mere conception of a Superior Being, who is the Maker
+of all things and above all things, is far beyond the comprehension
+of any Ainu. Eating and drinking are what he principally
+lives for. He does not thirst for knowledge, nor strive
+after the Divine; and he has no creed of any kind and no
+formula of sacrifice or worship, which two conditions are essential
+to even the most elementary religion.</p>
+
+<p>What the Ainu do really possess in the way of supernaturalism
+is the ordinary savage's credulous superstition, which
+manifests itself in certain charms or fear of certain omens. However,
+after that degree they take the world as it comes. They
+have no idea of who made it, and they are not anxious to learn.
+The sun, the moon, bears, salmon, water, fire, mountains, trees,<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_285" id="Page_285">[Pg 285]</a></span>
+are all things for which an Ainu has a dumb kind of regard,
+not amounting to reverence, as he knows that he could not
+live without them. This has led some persons to define these
+objects as the principal divinities of the Ainu, and to call the
+people themselves polytheists. The word <i>Kamoi</i>, or <i>Kamui</i>,
+has been rendered as "god," gods "divinity." Now, what does
+the word <i>Kamoi</i>, or <i>Kamui</i>, really mean? Translated literally
+it means "old" or "ancient"; but amongst a hundred other
+meanings it also denotes "large," "beautiful," "strange," "it,"
+"the man," "he who," &amp;c. In fact, it is used to qualify anything,
+whether good or bad; and in some ways corresponds to
+our adjectives "wonderful," "awful," "grand "; but assuredly the
+Ainu do not by this word mean to designate the objects thus
+described as so many gods. Anything for which they entertain
+respect or fear is described as <i>Kamoi</i>, or <i>Kamui</i>, which thus is
+applied to the sun, the moon, the stars, mountains, rivers, old
+trees, bears, salmon, large stones, &amp;c., not with the intention
+of making them divinities, but simply to specify their power,
+greatness, or antiquity. The word is applied to every kind of
+thing, animate or inanimate, good or bad, respected or derided,
+dreaded or revered, admired or abhorred. It is sometimes a
+prefix, sometimes an affix, and is the most universal attribute
+the Ainu world or language contains. We are, therefore,
+forced to the conclusion, that either the Ainu are polytheists
+or pantheists to such an extent as occasionally to make everything
+and everybody a god; or else, that translators have given
+their own, and a greatly exaggerated, meaning to the word
+<i>Kamui</i>, and that these so-called gods are not gods at all. To
+me there is no alternative opinion on the matter. The Ainu
+have no gods in our sense.</p>
+
+<p>Basing conclusions on wrong premises, writers on the Ainu
+religion have been naturally led astray altogether. For instance,
+the composite word <i>Kotan-kara-kamui</i>,<a name="FNanchor_39_39" id="FNanchor_39_39"></a><a href="#Footnote_39_39" class="fnanchor">[39]</a> which a learned
+missionary has translated "Creator," only means "the man
+who made the village"&mdash;a description which hardly corresponds
+to the grandeur attributed to the words by its imaginative
+translator.</p>
+
+<p>Then again, <i>Kamui kotan</i>, which according to some means<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_286" id="Page_286">[Pg 286]</a></span>
+"the home of God," in its real signification is "an ancient
+village; a beautiful place." When <i>Kamui</i> is applied to persons,
+it is generally a suffix; when to things, it is a prefix.</p>
+
+<p>But let us come to the <i>inao</i>, which by some have been
+called the "Ainu gods," by others "Divine symbols." These
+<i>inao</i> are willow-wands, with shavings depending from the
+upper end, sometimes from the middle, and occasionally from
+near the lower end as well.</p>
+
+<p>The larger wands are about four feet in length, and have
+either one or two bunches of shavings at the upper end only.
+They go by the name of <i>inao netuba</i>, or "big <i>inao</i>." Other
+smaller <i>inao</i>, like the <i>Chisei-kara-inao</i>,<a name="FNanchor_40_40" id="FNanchor_40_40"></a><a href="#Footnote_40_40" class="fnanchor">[40]</a> are kept in the house,
+and stuck in the eastern corner of the hearth, and in the wall
+directly opposite the entrance door. Some of the <i>inao</i> are
+shaved upwards from the bottom, others downwards from the
+top; and one, a big <i>inao</i>, is often thrust through the small
+window facing the east. Sometimes they are placed about
+singly, especially inside the huts; but outside, close to the
+eastern wall, I have often seen eight or ten standing together
+in a row. When so taken collectively they are called <i>nuza</i>.
+On Volcano Bay, up the Saru River, and on the Lake Kutcharo,
+where it is the custom of the Ainu to make trophies of
+the skulls of bears and deer which have been killed in the
+hunt, one or two <i>inao</i> are placed at the foot of the trophy.
+Sometimes, but very rarely, a whole <i>nuza</i> is to be seen in
+front of a trophy; but in most cases the <i>nuza</i> I saw were
+near huts that had no trophy at all, and, as I say, only very
+seldom were they in front of the trophy itself, unless a bear
+feast was going on. I am therefore under the impression that
+these <i>nuza</i> are only put up when some festival takes place,
+and that they are not kept there permanently. I remember
+that at Piratori there were no <i>inao</i> and no <i>nuza</i> outside
+Benry's house, but on the day that the festival took place one
+was put up, and several <i>inao</i> were placed inside the hut, in the
+hearth and on the north wall. Likewise, a <i>nuza</i> was put up
+on the same day at the east end of the hut in which the feast
+was given, and the inside was also adorned with <i>inao</i> of various
+sizes and descriptions. Each <i>inao</i> is pointed at the lower end,
+so as to be easily stuck in the ground. The <i>inao</i> of all<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_287" id="Page_287">[Pg 287]</a></span>
+sizes and shapes impressed me as being mostly for ornament.
+Then some are held as charms against misfortune and
+disease; but they never impressed me as being offerings to
+the gods. <i>Inao</i> are placed near springs, so that the good
+water may not turn into pestilential, and occasionally <i>inao</i>
+of a peculiar shape are hung in the doorway of newly-built
+huts. They are made of a number of small willow sticks tied
+together, from which hang five or six bunches of shavings;
+they are hung horizontally, and not in a vertical position, like
+the other <i>inao</i>. They are very uncommon, and only used on
+certain specified occasions. For example, when a child is born
+an <i>inao</i>, in the shape of a doll, is made of a bunch of reeds
+folded double and tied with a string about an inch from the
+bend, which thus forms the head; it is then tied lower down
+to indicate the waist. By dividing the reeds into two equal
+portions they produce a pair of legs, and a stick is then passed
+through the reeds between the head and the waist to form the
+arms. When this doll is made it is placed near the infant, so
+that should any disease or misfortune, in the shape of a kind
+of evil spirit, be tempted to enter the child's body, it may be
+averted, and enter the doll instead. Should a person fall ill new
+<i>inao</i> are stuck in the hearth, as the Ainu share our own idea
+that evil spirits dwell mostly in fire; others are placed near the
+sick person. They are not meant as offerings to the gods for
+his or her quick recovery, but merely to bring good luck to the
+individual whose body they think has been taken possession
+of by "animals inside," or, in other words, evil spirits.</p>
+
+<p>Even at the present day in England and on the Continent
+horseshoes for luck are hung over entrance doors, and if a
+horseshoe be fastened on to a stable-door, the beasts within
+are supposed to be held free from accidents and illness.</p>
+
+<p>In Spain and Italy little red rags tied to a small wand, not
+dissimilar in shape to a small Ainu <i>inao</i>, are stuck in flower-pots
+near windows, over beds, doors, and up chimneys, to
+keep witches at bay, red being a powerful exorcist in the way
+of colours, and as good as the "running stream which witches
+dare not cross." Some hysterical women have declared that
+they have seen witches hiding in the smoke of the boiling
+<i>Pentola</i> (the earthenware pot in which the soup is boiled)&mdash;but
+that on seeing the red rags they vanished, and never<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_288" id="Page_288">[Pg 288]</a></span>
+visited the house again. Italian and Spanish women and
+children almost invariably carry charms round their necks,
+that are to keep them safe from harm; and, furthermore,
+when a child falls ill, one or more red rags are fastened to its
+bed before a doctor is sent for. Then, again, people suffering
+from epileptic fits have often been supposed to be "possessed,"
+and beaten to death or burnt alive, so that the evil spirit which
+was in them should thus be destroyed. It must be borne in
+mind that not many centuries ago similar beliefs were prevalent
+even in free and enlightened England.</p>
+
+<p>If we compare these beliefs with those of the Ainu, we find
+that they differ very little either in form or substance. In
+place of the witches which our own ancestors, modern Italians,
+and Spaniards, and some benighted peasantry still to be found
+in the West of England, believed, and do still believe in, the
+Ainu have imaginary animals or evil spirits. The wands and
+red rags of our Latin neighbours are represented by their
+<i>inao</i>; and our lucky horseshoe is with them the horizontal
+<i>inao</i>. Charms are worn by the Ainu men, women, and
+children; and when going to war or to hunt the men carry
+a block of wood to which their knife or sword is attached, and
+on the right-hand side of which hangs a small <i>inao</i>.</p>
+
+<p>These blocks of wood are flattened, and are elliptical at
+both ends. Their length varies from four to fifteen inches,
+and sometimes ornaments&mdash;generally circles&mdash;are carved on
+them. A string is fastened on one side so as to sling them
+to the shoulder; but they are usually carried under the arm.
+They are supposed to protect the carrier from accidents, and
+also to bring him good fortune.</p>
+
+<p>We see, then, that similar ideas are entertained by utterly
+different peoples thousands of miles distant from one another;
+and that certain superstitious beliefs left on this side of the
+globe find their parallel among the hairy people on the other.
+Of course with them it is natural that their beliefs should
+count for more than with Europeans, as civilisation has not in
+any way enlarged or improved their minds; but it seems to
+me unfair that the same identical beliefs should go under the
+name of <i>superstitions</i> when applied to Europeans, and called
+the "Ainu religion" when practised by the hairy inhabitants
+of Northern Japan. Though to this I know it may be replied<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_289" id="Page_289">[Pg 289]</a></span>
+that, as all things spring from germs, so these ignorant superstitions
+of the Ainu may be in a manner called their religion,
+as the germ of a more developed system&mdash;the cotyledonous
+state of what might grow into a more advanced spirituality.
+Like the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Ainu wave their
+moustache-lifters, during their libations, towards the sun, the
+fire, and the person who has paid for the wine, before they
+address themselves to the large wooden bowls wherein lies
+their happiness; but this also is not a religious ceremony, and
+no religious feeling whatever is connected with it. It is a
+mere <i>toast</i>&mdash;part of their etiquette&mdash;which exactly corresponds
+to the German "<i>Prosit</i>," or to our English "Your good
+health." The Ainu of course have no special high-days, no
+Sundays, no religious services, no prayers, no priests, no sacrificial
+priests, no churches, and no bells; but they can "swear";
+and as the Neapolitans invoke their saints, so they occasionally
+call the sun, the moon, the fire, and everything else, all
+sorts of bad names if things do not go as they ought. This
+"swearing" has been defined as <i>Ainu praying</i> by one authority
+on the Ainu religion; moreover, the same authority calls the
+Ainu a "distinctly religious people," and an "exceedingly
+religious race!" To anyone who visits a country and regards
+all that he finds from one point of view only, it is not difficult
+to interpret words and things in accordance with the preconceived
+idea; but however high the principles sought to be
+established, I do not consider a man justified in attributing to
+definite facts an importance and significance to which they have
+no claim. I have no doubt that a native who had associated
+with or been in the employment of a Christian would make
+statements in accordance with his master's belief as it had been
+taught him; but it is incorrect to offer these "borrowed statements"
+as the religious beliefs of a whole nation.</p>
+
+<p>I shall not discuss this question at greater length; but for
+the sake of readers who are interested in the subject it may
+be well to make two or three more statements before closing this
+chapter. The Ainu do not know of a heaven and hell; but
+in one of the latest publications on the aborigines of Japan
+we are told that they do; and, moreover, that they are fully
+aware of the resurrection of the body in the other world!</p>
+
+<p>Even assuming, for the moment, that the Ainu are theists, or<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_290" id="Page_290">[Pg 290]</a></span>
+polytheists, after what we have heard of their gods, this is a
+somewhat surprising statement. It will be remembered that
+anything good or bad, dreaded or repulsive, respected or not respected,
+is qualified by the Ainu as <i>Kamui</i>, and we shall attribute
+for a while the imaginary meaning of "God" to the word. Now,
+if everything and everybody, good or bad, is equally a god, I
+myself fail to see the necessity of a hell, as the chances are that
+all the gods would inhabit heaven. This alone serves to show
+how absurd the theory is; but I wish to give the exact translation
+of the words <i>Kando</i> and <i>Teine-pokna-moshiri</i>, which are
+said to be the two Ainu expressions for "heaven" and "hell."</p>
+
+<p><i>Kando</i> means "sky," not "heaven." <i>Teine-pokna-moshiri</i><a name="FNanchor_41_41" id="FNanchor_41_41"></a><a href="#Footnote_41_41" class="fnanchor">[41]</a>
+stands for the "wet earth under(ground)." As the Ainu are in
+the habit of burying their dead, I find it more rational to apply
+to the words in question the meaning of a "burial-place," a
+"cold place of rest" rather than that of Hades or Gehenna.</p>
+
+<p>"They" (the Ainu), says a learned missionary, "seem to conceive
+of men and women as living in large communities in the
+other world in the same way and under the same conditions
+as they do in this, excepting that they can know no death."
+In other words, resurrection of the body and eternal life.</p>
+
+<p>Strange to say, the writer of the same lines asserted in
+the "Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan,"<a name="FNanchor_42_42" id="FNanchor_42_42"></a><a href="#Footnote_42_42" class="fnanchor">[42]</a> that
+"The Ainu <i>know nothing</i> of a resurrection of the body."</p>
+
+<p>It must not be argued that because they have no religion
+the Ainu are bad people. They are far from it. They are
+decidedly not moral, for nothing is immoral among them.
+The Ainu must be considered more as animals than as human
+beings. When we speak of a dog, we do not ask whether it is a
+moral dog, but only if it is a good dog. The same can be said
+of the Ainu. We cannot compare them to ourselves, nor judge
+them by our own standard of morality. Taken by themselves
+they are gentle, kind, brave, and above everything they are
+simple. Their language, manners, customs, arts, habits, as we
+have seen, are the very simplest and rudest possible. Thus, it
+is absurd to suppose that such simple brains could entertain
+high religious ideas. If they had brains enough to compass
+high religious beliefs they would long ago have used those<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_291" id="Page_291">[Pg 291]</a></span>
+brains in bettering their miserable condition and filthy mode of
+living. They would have striven to make the beginnings of a
+history and a literature, or at least to have devised or adopted
+some mode of writing with which they could preserve these
+high ideas, and pass them on from generation to generation.
+Even their language is so poor in words as to hardly express
+their everyday wants. The Ainu are low in the scale of
+humanity. They have always been low; they have not sunk,
+for they have never risen. They have never done any harm
+in this world, and they will never do any good.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu are without laws, which, paradoxical as it sounds,
+to a great extent makes them good. People are never so good
+as when no harm can be done. There are indeed few crimes
+among them; no voluntary infanticides; very very rarely
+murders; no suicides; little theft, and as little treachery among
+people of the same tribe. Though usually retiring and reserved,
+they are hospitable on special occasions, and generous
+with what little they possess. The young show an instinctive
+reverence for the aged, without considering it a virtue or a duty.
+Cowardice is despised by the Ainu, but courage, endurance of
+pain, and hardship, drunkenness, and similar qualities, are looked
+on as the chief virtues in men. Punishments are seldom inflicted
+by Ainu on any of their tribesmen, and the crime must indeed
+be great to raise the whole community against the criminal. If
+by rare chance some great evil has been done, the chief of the
+village and all the men assemble, and decide on the punishment
+to be inflicted. Flogging is the general punishment for
+the lesser crimes, which, according to Ainu ideas, are theft and
+assault. The murder of a tribesman is sometimes punished
+by cutting the tendons of the hands and feet of the murderer,
+thus disabling him from hunting or fishing. If, however, the
+man murdered was of another tribe, or a Japanese, this Draconian
+kind of justice is not administered. Quarrels among
+tribesmen are settled by private retribution, and no one interferes
+either one way or the other. These quarrels, however,
+very seldom occur, as the Ainu are naturally a peaceful people.
+Imprisonment does not exist, for the simple reason that the
+Ainu have no prisons. They do not know what a prison is;
+neither is capital punishment practised by them. According
+to their own ideas they are not cruel to children, for we<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_292" id="Page_292">[Pg 292]</a></span>
+seldom see them wilfully ill-treating them; but according to
+civilised notions Ainu women make shockingly bad mothers.
+They love, but they do not look after, nor practically take
+care of, their little ones after these are about a year and a
+half old; and as to washing them, combing their hair, educating
+them, or trying to cure them of the thousand and one
+wretched skin diseases, which come chiefly by their own
+neglect, an Ainu mother puts her hand to these things
+no more than the men put theirs to the building of a temple
+or the creation of a literature. This neglect is not with
+them, as it would be with us, an intolerable crime, but is
+the natural result of their animal instinct as contradistinguished
+from rational development. For if a baby is not old enough
+at one and a half years of age to take care of himself, he is of
+no good as an Ainu. It is needless to add that, in these circumstances,
+most of them are of no good, and that the percentage
+of infantile deaths is appalling to a civilised mind.</p>
+
+<div class="figcenter" style="width: 461px;">
+<img src="images/illus-292.png" width="461" height="600" alt="" />
+<span class="caption">1, 7, INAO-NETUBA. 2, 3, 4, 5, CHISEI-KARA-INAO.
+6, A PESTLE OR POUNDER.</span></div>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_293" id="Page_293">[Pg 293]</a></p>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>CHAPTER XXIX.<br />
+<span class="small">Marital Relations, and Causes that Limit Population.</span></h2>
+
+<p>The laws of marriage in the Ainu country are not very
+stringent; in fact, there are no laws. If a young man takes
+a fancy to a pretty hairy maid, and the maid reciprocates his
+affections, all they have to do is to go and live together, and
+there is no Mrs. Grundy to be scandalised at the want of
+closer forms and ceremonies. There is no function to celebrate
+the occasion; there are no wedding presents, no bridesmaids,
+no officiating clergyman, and no old slipper flung after the
+happy pair as soon as the knot is tied. The bridegroom
+either goes to live in his bride's hut, or, if he does not care for
+his mother-in-law, he will bring his lady-love to his own father's
+hut. Usually, however, the two, especially if their respective
+families are large, prefer to build a hut of their own. The
+honeymoon is spent in house-building, and while the bride
+carries the loads of timber and long reeds, the bridegroom
+accomplishes the more difficult task of putting them together
+as well as he can for future shelter. All goes well with the
+happy couple until the roof has to be lifted up bodily and
+perched on the forked poles, during which process "family
+rows" generally begin. But they do not last long, and when
+the house is finished, though not decorated, home peace reigns
+within, and the bridegroom, as we have already seen, proceeds
+to ornament his chief treasure&mdash;his wife&mdash;with tattoos on her
+arms. This idyllic state of things is not specially permanent,
+for soon after this first marriage the Ainu feels that he would
+like another wife, and, without thinking twice about it, he<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_294" id="Page_294">[Pg 294]</a></span>
+marries again. Though savage and barbarian, the Ainu is
+shrewd enough not to take his second wife to live with his
+first, for he knows what the result would be, human nature
+being the same in Yezo as it is in London, and jealousy as
+strong among the tattooed women of the hairy people as
+among the fair-skinned daughters of the West. All women
+are bad enough when out of temper, but the Ainu women are
+pre-eminent in this respect. Our shock-haired bigamist calls
+his first wife <i>poro-machi</i>&mdash;"great wife," and he calls the other
+<i>pon-machi</i>&mdash;"small wife;" and as long as the two females
+do not live under the same roof they are all happy with
+the arrangement. If, indeed, he chooses to have more than
+these two wives he thinks small blame to himself. There
+is no bar of any kind in his code to his having a third "half;"
+but this seldom happens now, for the women are not in such
+over abundance in the Ainu country as to allow each man to
+indulge in a "triple alliance." The Ainu are therefore polygamists
+when they can find the third woman, and almost
+always bigamists when this is possible. The wife does not
+take her husband's name, for no Ainu has a family surname;
+and each man or woman is called after some peculiarity which
+he or she possesses, or after some event or accident which has
+befallen them. For instance, <i>Una-charo</i>, a man's name, means
+"Sprinkled-ashes," and <i>Yei-Ainu</i>, "Dangerous Ainu," &amp;c.;
+and <i>Korunke</i>, a woman's name, means "Ice-eater;" <i>Reoback</i>,
+"Who burst three times," and so on, each person having a
+different name, which is nothing more than a nick-name.
+When the girl gets married she does not drop this nick-name,
+neither, as has been said, does she take her husband's name,
+though sometimes she is called So-and-So's wife. Supposing
+that Miss Burst-three-times were to marry Mr. Sprinkled-ashes,
+she would be Mr. Sprinkled-ashes' wife, and would still
+be called by her maiden name, Burst-three-times.</p>
+
+<p>It is impossible to quote exact statistics of the Ainu population,
+and whether the women outnumber the men, but from
+my own observation I should think that females are in excess
+of the males in some districts, and about even in others.</p>
+
+<p>The man, naturally, is the lord and master of the household,
+and the wife is like a kind of inferior being or a slave, whose
+duty it is to obey her male companion. She has to yield in<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_295" id="Page_295">[Pg 295]</a></span>
+everything, whether she is right or wrong; she is occasionally
+beaten; she never takes active part in any of her husband's
+Bacchanalian revels; but though she leads a sad kind of life,
+a life of hard work and no pleasure, she does not seem to be
+any the worse for it. There are wives, of course, who, as in
+other countries, give a "pretty rough time" to their husbands;
+but in the Ainu country these are certainly the exception.
+As there is no ceremony of marriage, there is naturally no
+"divorce;" but if an Ainu gets sick of his wife, all he has
+to do is to leave her and go elsewhere, or else to banish her
+from his hut. This, however, very seldom happens, for that
+rare creature the henpecked Ainu husband is willing to put
+up with a lot; and though brave enough to encounter single-handed
+a bear, the hairy man is by no means valiant enough
+to face his wife's temper; while, for all that she is practically
+a slave, and personally an inferior, is sometimes in Ainuland,
+as everywhere else, the strongest factor in the domestic sum.</p>
+
+<p>As long as the wife does her duty well as a "beast of burden,"
+little more is required from her. Her morals, as far as I could
+make out, are not well looked after. Adultery is not considered
+a crime. I do not mean by this that adultery is practised
+on principle, for it is not so: there is no reason whatever
+why it should be, for each man has his own wife or wives; but
+if adultery were practised by any members of a community,
+what we consider a dreadful crime would be regarded as a
+mere "joke" among the hairy people. The husband, like any
+other animal, dumb or not, would naturally resent the intrusion,
+but the community would in no way interfere, or punish the
+offender. A girl is considered fit to be married when she is
+about sixteen years of age; a man about twenty, or as soon
+as the body is fully developed.</p>
+
+<p>People as a rule marry in the same village. It is but
+seldom that a girl marries a man or a man a girl of a
+different village. Villages, as we have seen, are generally
+composed of only a few houses, and the result of this strict
+endogamy is, that marriages take place among very near
+relations. In very small villages of only one or two houses,
+the father has been known to marry his own daughter, the
+uncle his own niece, &amp;c. But enough of this. The result of
+this dreadful state of affairs is, that the race is rapidly dying<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_296" id="Page_296">[Pg 296]</a></span>
+out, destroyed by consumption, lunacy, and poverty of blood.
+All the members of one village are necessarily related to one
+another; and, as I have demonstrated in a previous chapter,
+this is the main cause why certain diseases are common to one
+community and utterly unknown to others, and certain hereditary
+talents or tendencies are frequent in one village and
+imperceptible in the next.</p>
+
+<p>The Ainu seem to have no Platonic love; their love is
+purely sexual. It is not to be wondered at, in a country where
+marital relations are so peculiar, that very little love is felt for
+children beyond a certain age. The mother suckles her own
+child usually for seven or eight months. She can bear children
+till she is about thirty-five, though some who seem to be much
+older are still fruitful. It was difficult to ascertain this fact
+for no Ainu knows his own age. As far as I could learn
+fertility is neither hindered nor checked in any way&mdash;either by
+adopting a peculiar diet or by other practices. On the other
+hand, many a woman is sterile, and many are also affected
+with the most horrible of all diseases. I am inclined to think,
+however, that this special malady was imported to Yezo with
+Japanese civilisation, for it is in the more civilised parts of the
+Ainu country that it is most frequent.</p>
+
+<p>There is probably no country in the world where there is so
+much loss of infant life due to want, accidents, and diseases,
+as with the Ainu. Abortion is common, owing to the severe
+exertion of the mother during pregnancy; and many a child
+dies not many days after birth for the same reason, and consequent
+disappearance of milk in the mother's breasts. The
+greater mortality of children, however, is between the age of
+six and ten. Only a small percentage of these poor creatures
+live to take part in the game of life; while many succumb to
+ill-treatment and the most horrible skin eruptions. Thus we
+have a good explanation of the frightful rapidity with which
+the Ainu race is fast disappearing. Naturally, those few who
+survive grow strong and healthy; but their great fondness for
+alcoholic drinks, which they can now so easily procure from
+the Japanese, destroys even them.</p>
+
+<p>One is generally struck in Ainuland by the number of old
+men and children, and by the almost entire lack of young
+fellows between the age of fifteen and thirty. This is due<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_297" id="Page_297">[Pg 297]</a></span>
+mainly to the great increase of mortality in children during
+the last two generations. The sadness which seems to oppress
+the Ainu, and which we see depicted on the face of each
+individual, is nothing but the outcome of this degeneration of
+the race. As a race the Ainu will soon be extinct. I dare
+say that in fifty years from now&mdash;probably not so long&mdash;not
+one of the hairy savages, who were once the masters of Sakhalin,
+Yezo, the Kuriles, Kamschatka, and the whole of the
+southern Japanese Empire, will be left. Not one of these
+strange people&mdash;soft, good, and gentle, but savage, brave, and
+disreputable&mdash;will live to see their country civilised; and in the
+life which they have led of filth and vice they will die in front
+of that greater scourge, civilisation, leaving behind no traces
+of themselves, of their past, of their history, nor of their
+present&mdash;nothing but a faint recollection, a tradition, that in
+Yezo and the Kuriles died the last remains of those curious
+people, the Hairy Ainu.</p>
+
+<hr class="full" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_298" id="Page_298">[Pg 298]</a></p>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>APPENDIX.</h2>
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_299" id="Page_299">[Pg 299]</a></p>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>I.&mdash;MEASUREMENTS OF THE AINU BODY, AND
+DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS.</h2>
+
+
+<p>The following measurements were taken on five men and five
+women of the pure Ainu of Frishikobets (Upper Tokachi River).
+They were carefully chosen among the best types.</p>
+
+<p>The names of the men were:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>1. Unacharo: <i>Una</i>, ashes; <i>charo</i>, sprinkled = "Sprinkled-ashes."</p>
+
+<p>2. Aba pukuro: <i>Aba</i>, a relation; <i>pu</i>, storehouse; <i>kuro</i>, a man
+= "Related to the man of the storehouse."</p>
+
+<p>3. Pe chantwe; <i>Pe</i>, undrinkable water; <i>chan</i>, to run away; <i>we</i>,
+to tell = "Who ran to tell of the undrinkable water."</p>
+
+<p>4. Kosankeyan: <i>Ko san</i>, to go down; <i>ke</i>, eating; <i>yan</i>, cold.</p>
+
+<p>5. Yei Ainu: <i>Yei</i>, dangerous; <i>Ainu</i>, Ainu.</p>
+
+<p>The following were the names of the women:&mdash;</p>
+
+<p>1. Usattean: <i>Usat</i>, cinders; <i>tean</i>, long.</p>
+
+<p>2. Korunke: <i>Korun</i>, ice; <i>ke</i>, to eat = "Ice-eater."</p>
+
+<p>3. Sho kem: <i>Sho</i>, so; <i>kem</i>, blood = "Covered with blood."</p>
+
+<p>4. Uina mon: <i>Uina or Una</i>, ashes; <i>mon</i>, tranquil.</p>
+
+<p>5. Reoback: <i>Re</i>, three; <i>oback</i>, to burst = "Who burst three
+times."</p>
+
+
+
+<div class="center">
+<p class="smcap center"><b>Height</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>61</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>58¾</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>65</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>59⅞</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>60½</td><td>} Med. 62-19/40.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>59½</td><td>} Med. 58⅜</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>64⅞</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>54⅝</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>61</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>59⅛</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_300" id="Page_300">[Pg 300]</a></p>
+
+<p class="smcap center"><b>Length from Tip to Tip of Fingers with Arms Outstretched.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>64⅝</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>59⅛</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>65</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>62½</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>63½</td><td>} Med. 65⅜.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>62½</td><td>} Med. 61-13/40.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>69½</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>60</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>64¼</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>62½</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+</div>
+
+<p>It is interesting to notice the great difference between the height
+and this latter measurement, showing the great length of the arms in
+the Ainu race.</p>
+
+<div class="center">
+<p class="smcap center"><b>The Humerus.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>9</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>8½</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>9⅝</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>8¾</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>8½</td><td>} Med. 9-9/40.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>10⅜</td><td>} Med. 9-19/40.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>9</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>9¾</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>10</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>10</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="smcap center"><b>The Ulna.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>9¼</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>9¼</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>10¾</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>9⅛</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>9⅛</td><td>} Med. 9-37/40.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>8⅞</td><td>} Med. 9¼.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>11</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>9⅜</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>9½</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>9⅝</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="smcap center"><b>The Hand.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>7⅜</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>6⅞</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>7½</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>7</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>7¼</td><td>} Med. 7⅖.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>6⅞</td><td>} Med. 6-9/10.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>7⅞</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>6¾</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>7</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>7</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_301" id="Page_301">[Pg 301]</a></p>
+
+<p class="center"><b><span class="smcap">The Spine</span> (dorsal and lumbar vertebræ to the sacrum).</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>25½</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>27</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>28⅝</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>26¾</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>27½</td><td>} Med. 27⅘.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>28¼</td><td>} Med. 27⅝.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>29⅝</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>27</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>27¾</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>29⅛</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="center"><b><span class="smcap">The Leg</span> (Femur, Tibia and Foot.)</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>34⅜</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>32⅞</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>36¼</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>35½</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>32½</td><td>} Med. 35-1/20.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>34</td><td>} Med. 33-13/20.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>37⅞</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>30½</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>34¼</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>35⅜</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="smcap center"><b>Femur.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>17½</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>18⅜</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>18⅜</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>19⅞</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>17⅛</td><td>} Med. 18⅝.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>18½</td><td>} Med. 17-33/40.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>20</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>14</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>20⅛</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>18⅜</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="smcap center"><b>Tibia.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>14</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>14¼</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>14⅞</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>13</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>12⅝</td><td>} Med. 13½.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>13½</td><td>} Med. 13⅘.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>14⅞</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>14</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>11⅛</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>14¼</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+<p class="center">(The Tibia is very flattened with the Ainu.)</p>
+
+<p class="center"><b><span class="smcap">Tarsus</span> (from ground to Ankle).</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>2¾</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>2</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>3</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>2⅝</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>3</td><td>} Med. 3.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>2</td><td>} Med. 2⅜.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>3¼</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>2½</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>3</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>2¾</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_302" id="Page_302">[Pg 302]</a></p>
+
+<p class="center"><b><span class="smcap">Chest</span> (from Arm-pit to Arm-pit).</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>13½</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>12⅝</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>13⅝</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>14¼</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>13½</td><td>} Med. 13-19/40.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>14¼</td><td>} Med. 13-7/20.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>13</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>12¼</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>13¾</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>13⅜</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="smcap center"><b>Around Chest.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>36½</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>33⅜</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>35⅜</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>34½</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>37½</td><td>} Med. 37-3/40.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>35½</td><td>} Med. 34⅕.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>37⅝</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>32⅞</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>38⅛</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>34¾</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="smcap center"><b>Around Waist.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>33</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>28⅜</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>37</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>31½</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>34</td><td>} Med. 34-7/10.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>34⅞</td><td>} Med. 31-7/20.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>36</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>31</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>33½</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>(37⅝ but was conceived.)</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="smcap center"><b>Maximum Breadth of  Shoulders.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>19¼</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>15½</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>16</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>13⅝</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>18</td><td>} Med. 17½.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>13⅞</td><td>} Med. 14⅖.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>18</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>13⅞</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>16¼</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>15⅛</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="smcap center"><b>The Foot.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>9¼</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>8⅝</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>9⅝</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>9⅛</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>9½</td><td>} Med. 9-23/40.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>9⅛</td><td>} Med. 8⅘.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>10¼</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>8¼</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>9¼</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>8⅞</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_303" id="Page_303">[Pg 303]</a></p>
+
+<p class="center"><b><span class="smcap">The Head</span> (around the Head, just above the Ears).</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>23½</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>23⅜</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>23½</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>22⅝</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>24⅜</td><td>} Med. 23¾.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>23⅝</td><td>} Med. 22-29/40.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>22⅜</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>22</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>23⅛</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>23</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="center"><b><span class="smcap">Length of Face.</span>(From Hair to Chin.)</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>7½</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>7¼</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>9</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>6¾</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>7½</td><td>} Med. 7-31/40.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>6¾</td><td>} Med. 6⅞.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>6⅞</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>7</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>8</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>6⅝</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="center"><b><span class="smcap">Width of Face from Ear to Ear</span> (over Forehead and Cheek Bones).</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>11⅞</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>11⅛</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>12½</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>11</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>12</td><td>} Med. 11-19/20.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>11¾</td><td>} Med. 11-21/40.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>12</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>11⅞</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>12⅛</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>11⅛</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="smcap center"><b>Height of Forehead.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>2¼</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>2¼</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>2⅞</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>1¾</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>2⅜</td><td>} Med. 2-2/5.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>2⅛</td><td>} Med. 2.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>2</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>2</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>2¾</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>1⅞</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="smcap center"><b>Width of Forehead.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>5</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>6</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>5¼</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>5½</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>5½</td><td>} Med. 5⅕.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>5</td><td>} Med. 5⅜.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>5¾</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>4⅞</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>6</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>5½</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_304" id="Page_304">[Pg 304]</a></p>
+
+<p class="smcap center"><b>Length of Ears.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>3</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>2⅜</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>3¼</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>2⅜</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>2¾</td><td>} Med. 2-23/40.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>2¾</td><td>} Med. 2-23/40.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>2½</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>2⅞</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>2⅝</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>2½</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p class="smcap center"><b>Length of Fingers.</b></p>
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr align="center"><td colspan="3">MEN.<br />inches.</td><td></td><td colspan="3">WOMEN.<br />inches.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>1.</td><td>3⅛</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>1.</td><td>3</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>2.</td><td>3⅜</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>2.</td><td>3</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>3.</td><td>3</td><td>} Med. 3-9/40.</td><td></td><td>3.</td><td>3</td><td>} Med. 2-39/40.</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>4.</td><td>3⅝</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>4.</td><td>2⅞</td><td>}</td></tr>
+<tr align="left"><td>5.</td><td>3</td><td>}</td><td></td><td>5.</td><td>3</td><td>}</td></tr>
+</table>
+</div>
+
+<blockquote><p>(<i>a</i>) Colour of skin (in parts not exposed to air)&mdash;light reddish
+slightly tending towards brown, but almost as light as
+with Europeans.</p>
+
+<p>(<i>b</i>) Colour of hair&mdash;black, dark-brown, reddish-black, red.</p>
+
+<p>(<i>c</i>) Colour of eyes&mdash;light-brown tending towards dark-grey.</p>
+
+<p>(<i>d</i>) Character of hair&mdash;wavy.</p>
+
+<p>(<i>e</i>) Amount of hair&mdash;abundant on face and all over the body
+in males more so than in females.</p></blockquote>
+
+
+<p class="smcap center">Measurements of Shikotan Ainu.</p>
+
+<p>The skin and eyes are the same colour as with the Yezo Ainu.
+The hair is black, dark-red, or dark-brown. Black is the prevalent
+colour. Children often have fair hair, which grows darker as they
+grow older. The hair is abundant over body and face, and it is
+wavy.</p>
+
+<p>The face possesses the identical characteristics of the Yezo Ainu.</p>
+
+<blockquote><p>
+Medium height: 61 inches to 62¾ inches.<br />
+Round waist: 32⅞ inches.<br />
+Chest: Empty, 35⅞ inches; inflated, 37½ inches.<br />
+Humerus: 11⅞ inches.<br />
+Ulna: 8-11/16 inches.<br />
+Hand: 6¾ inches.<br />
+<span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_305" id="Page_305">[Pg 305]</a></span>Foot: 9½ inches.<br />
+Spinal vertebræ: 24 inches.<br />
+Scapula (from shoulder to shoulder): 17 inches.<br />
+Between shoulder-blades: 5⅞ inches.<br />
+Femur: short.<br />
+Tibia: very long.<br />
+(Natives objected to have their legs measured.)<br />
+The Tibia is much rounder than with the Yezo Ainu.<br />
+Length of face: 7½ inches.<br />
+Width of face from ear to ear: 11⅛ inches.<br />
+Round head above ears: 21⅝ inches.<br />
+Ears: small.<br />
+Forehead: 2⅜ inches high; <span class="correction" title="Transcriber's Note: Changed from the original '2/8'.">5¼</span> inches wide.<br />
+</p></blockquote>
+
+<p>With arms outstretched and from tip to tip of fingers the Shikotan
+Ainu measure generally the length of one hand (about 6¾ inches)
+more than their own height. Consumption, <i>kaki</i>, and syphilis are
+common complaints among them.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<h2>II.&mdash;GLOSSARY OF AINU WORDS, MANY OF WHICH
+ARE FOUND IN GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES IN YEZO
+AND THE KURILE ISLANDS.<a name="FNanchor_43_43" id="FNanchor_43_43"></a><a href="#Footnote_43_43" class="fnanchor">[43]</a></h2>
+
+<ul class="index">
+<li class="ifrst">A.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">A = (a suffix).</li>
+<li class="indx">Apa = an open space, a doorway.</li>
+<li class="indx">Aikap = impossible, impassable.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ambe = that is.</li>
+<li class="indx">An = to be.</li>
+<li class="indx">Aota = near.</li>
+<li class="indx">Apta = rain.</li>
+<li class="indx">Apun = gently.</li>
+<li class="indx">At = a tree.</li>
+<li class="indx">Atsu = barren, naked.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">B.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bets, or pets, pet = river.</li>
+<li class="indx">Be, or pe = pestilential water.</li>
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_306" id="Page_306">[Pg 306]</a></span>But, or put = mouth of a river.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">C.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cha = old.</li>
+<li class="indx">Cha cha = very old.</li>
+<li class="indx">Chip = fish.</li>
+<li class="indx">Chippe = a canoe, a boat.</li>
+<li class="indx">Chup = the sun.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">E.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Erimu = a rat.</li>
+<li class="indx">Etoko = formerly, in front of.</li>
+<li class="indx">Etu = a cape.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">F.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fu = bare.</li>
+<li class="indx">Fun = green.</li>
+<li class="indx">Fure = red (also pronounced Hure).</li>
+<li class="indx">Frishiko = old.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">H.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Haru = grass.</li>
+<li class="indx">Hattara = a deep pool in a watercourse.</li>
+<li class="indx">Hure = a bad smell.</li>
+<li class="indx">Hure = red.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">I.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">I = a suffix for "a place."</li>
+<li class="indx">Ibe = to feed.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ichan = a canal made by salmon in river-beds to lay their, spawn.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ikam = against.</li>
+<li class="indx">Iwa = stone, a rock.</li>
+<li class="indx">Itapk = word, story.</li>
+<li class="indx">Iwashi (Japanese) = sardine.</li>
+<li class="indx">Iwao = sulphur.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">K.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kama = cliffs, rocks, to go over.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kamui = great, wonderful, ancient.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kap = bark of a tree.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kara = to take, to make.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kashi = towards.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kerimba = a berry.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kene = an alder tree.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kem = blood.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kenashi = a meadow.</li>
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_307" id="Page_307">[Pg 307]</a></span>Keshup = head.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kesh = towards the west.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ki = rushes.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kim = mountain.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kinna = mat.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kinna = reeds.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kinna = grass.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kiri = to know.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kitai = mountain.</li>
+<li class="indx">Koi = the waves of the sea.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kochi = level.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kombo = sea-weed.</li>
+<li class="indx">Koro = to possess, to have.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kotan = a village, a place.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kotcha = in front of.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ku = a bow.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kuano = straight.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kume = black, very dark.</li>
+<li class="indx">Kuru, or guru = a person.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">M.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ma = to swim, deep.</li>
+<li class="indx">Mak = behind.</li>
+<li class="indx">Makta = away.</li>
+<li class="indx">Mata = winter.</li>
+<li class="indx">Meak = female.</li>
+<li class="indx">Mean = cold.</li>
+<li class="indx">Mo = tranquil.</li>
+<li class="indx">Mon = small, tranquil.</li>
+<li class="indx">Mom = to flow like a river.</li>
+<li class="indx">Moire = slow.</li>
+<li class="indx">Moi = a bay, a sheltered bend in a river where the water is quiet.</li>
+<li class="indx">Moshiri, or mushir = island, country, place, land.</li>
+<li class="indx">Moshiri Kes = the east.</li>
+<li class="indx">Moshitte-chu-pok = north.</li>
+<li class="indx">Moshiri pok = west.</li>
+<li class="indx">Moshitte-chu-pka = south.</li>
+<li class="indx">Mun = grass.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">N.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Na = again.</li>
+<li class="indx">Na = bigger, or smaller (also sign of comparative).</li>
+<li class="indx">Nai, or Nae = a rivulet, a small stream.</li>
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_308" id="Page_308">[Pg 308]</a></span>Nai yau = a tributary stream.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nak = where.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nam = cold, as water, as ice.</li>
+<li class="indx">Naoak = yet more shallow.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ne = together, where, and, also, which, &amp;c.</li>
+<li class="indx">Neatka = also, again.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nen = who.</li>
+<li class="indx">Neto = where.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ni = wood, or tree.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nikam = leaves of a tree.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nibeshi = name of a tree (probably <i>Tilia</i>).</li>
+<li class="indx">Nikap = bark of a tree.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nipek = a fire, a flame.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nisei = valley.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nisusu = scenery, panorama, view.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nitat = swampy ground, a swamp, a lagoon.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nitai = a forest.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nitt = a thorn.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nitek = branches of trees.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nituman = trunk of a tree.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nobori = mountain.</li>
+<li class="indx">No = (meaningless ending of words).</li>
+<li class="indx">Noshike = middle.</li>
+<li class="indx">Noshihike = half.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nupka = a forest.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nup = a treeless plain.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nup = a deep silent pool in a river.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nuburi = mountain.</li>
+<li class="indx">Nupuru = turbid (as water).</li>
+<li class="indx">Nupuri = a mountain (volcano).</li>
+<li class="indx">Nutap = the projecting part of a river bend.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">O.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">O = a meaningless prefix, sometimes used as an adjective.</li>
+<li class="indx">Oara = one.</li>
+<li class="indx">Oboso = to pass through (as water).</li>
+<li class="indx">Oak = shallow&mdash;not deep.</li>
+<li class="indx">Oha = empty.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ohoho = deep.</li>
+<li class="indx">Okai = at a place.</li>
+<li class="indx">Okai = a male.</li>
+<li class="indx">Okari = around.</li>
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_309" id="Page_309">[Pg 309]</a></span>Oakau = to hide.</li>
+<li class="indx">Oakan = a male.</li>
+<li class="indx">Omanne = to go.</li>
+<li class="indx">Oma = to be inside.</li>
+<li class="indx">Onne = large, old, great.</li>
+<li class="indx">Opattek = a volcanic eruption.</li>
+<li class="indx">Opeka = straight.</li>
+<li class="indx">Oro = to be in.</li>
+<li class="indx">Oropak = as far as.</li>
+<li class="indx">Oshima = to go in.</li>
+<li class="indx">Oshimak = behind.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ota = sand.</li>
+<li class="indx">Otaru = sandy.</li>
+<li class="indx">Opke = a spear.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ot = in, inside, into.</li>
+<li class="indx">Oya = another.</li>
+<li class="indx">Oushike = a place.</li>
+<li class="indx">Oyapk = away, abroad.</li>
+<li class="indx">Oyapk moshiri = away, country (foreign country).</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">P.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pa = smoke.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pa = east-end of villages.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pai = bushes.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pakne = as far as.</li>
+<li class="indx">Panke = lower.</li>
+<li class="indx">Paru = the mouth.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pase = heavy.</li>
+<li class="indx">Patek = only.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pe = pestilential water, bad water, not good to drink.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pei = something.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pene = inland.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pet, pets, bets = river.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pet bena = source of a river.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pet samo = bank of a river.</li>
+<li class="indx">Petsamata = by the side of a river.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pet put = the mouth of a river.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pet-urara = a stream.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pet yao = an affluent.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pet-ka-shu = to wade a river.</li>
+<li class="indx">Penke = upper.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pinni = ash-tree.</li>
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_310" id="Page_310">[Pg 310]</a></span>Pinne = male.</li>
+<li class="indx">Piuta = sand (coarse).</li>
+<li class="indx">Pipa = a spring of fresh water.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pira = a bank, a cliff.</li>
+<li class="indx">Piri = a wound.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pirika = pretty, good, well, all-right.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pishita = sea-beach.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pita = to untie, to undo.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pitara = a dry place in a river-bed.</li>
+<li class="indx">Po = a small thing.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pon = small.</li>
+<li class="indx">Poi-shuma = pebbles, stones.</li>
+<li class="indx">Poka = only.</li>
+<li class="indx">Popke = hot, steaming (also Topke).</li>
+<li class="indx">Poro = large.</li>
+<li class="indx">Pui = a hole.</li>
+<li class="indx">Puri = natural, very, usual.</li>
+<li class="indx">Put, Putu (corrupted into Buto by the Japanese) = the mouth of a river.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">R.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rai = death.</li>
+<li class="indx">Rakka = seal.</li>
+<li class="indx">Rahuru = a fog.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ram = low.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ran = to descend (a mountain).</li>
+<li class="indx">Rangu = a kind of tree.</li>
+<li class="indx">Rarumani = a kind of tree (<i>Taxus cuspidata</i>).</li>
+<li class="indx">Re = three.</li>
+<li class="indx">Repun = to go, in the sea, surrounded by water.</li>
+<li class="indx">Repun moshiri = an island.</li>
+<li class="indx">Rera = wind.</li>
+<li class="indx">Retara = white.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ri = high.</li>
+<li class="indx">Rikkin = to ascend.</li>
+<li class="indx">Riri = a wave.</li>
+<li class="indx">Riri-shiye-tuye = ebb tide.</li>
+<li class="indx">Riri-ya = flow tide.</li>
+<li class="indx">Roru = at the head.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ru = a road, a track, a pathway</li>
+<li class="indx">Rui = to burn.</li>
+<li class="indx">Rukoppe = where roads cross.</li>
+<li class="indx">Rui = great, big.</li>
+<li class="indx">Rubeshipe = a ravine.</li>
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_311" id="Page_311">[Pg 311]</a></span>Rupne = large.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">S.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sapk = summer.</li>
+<li class="indx">Sak = without.</li>
+<li class="indx">Sama = by the side of.</li>
+<li class="indx">San = to descend.</li>
+<li class="indx">Sara, Saru = a grassy plain.</li>
+<li class="indx">Sat = dry.</li>
+<li class="indx">Sattek = shallow water.</li>
+<li class="indx">Sesek = hot.</li>
+<li class="indx">Seta = dog.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shep = broad.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shi = high.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shibe = autumn salmon.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shiki = a kind of tall grass.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shiko = a view, a sight.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shimon = on the right-hand side.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shimoye = to shake, to move.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shenai = a large river.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shirari = a cliff, mass of loose texture.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shirau = a horse-fly.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shiretu = a cape.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shiri = land.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shiruturu = a small island in a river.</li>
+<li class="indx">Sho = so.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shoi = a hole.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shum = foam.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shuma = a stone.</li>
+<li class="indx">So = a waterfall.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shupun = a kind of fish.</li>
+<li class="indx">Shusu = a willow tree.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">T.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ta = to, towards, to take, to cut.</li>
+<li class="indx">Taanni = on this side.</li>
+<li class="indx">Taksep = a rock.</li>
+<li class="indx">Tapne = short.</li>
+<li class="indx">Tanne = long.</li>
+<li class="indx">Tap kop = an isolated hill.</li>
+<li class="indx">Tat = Birch-tree (<i>Betula</i>).</li>
+<li class="indx">To, or ko = a lake, a swamp.</li>
+<li class="indx">Toambe = that.</li>
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_312" id="Page_312">[Pg 312]</a></span>Toi = earth.</li>
+<li class="indx">Tokap = day, light.</li>
+<li class="indx">Tomari = a harbour, a sheltered place.</li>
+<li class="indx">Top = scrub bamboo.</li>
+<li class="indx">Tope = <i>Acer</i>&mdash;a kind of tree.</li>
+<li class="indx">Tukara, also Tokari = sea-otter.</li>
+<li class="indx">Tunni = <i>Quercus dentata</i>.</li>
+<li class="indx">Tureshi = to ascend.</li>
+<li class="indx">Turep = a plant, the roots of which are eaten by the Ainu.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">U.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">U = a suffix to indicate a place.</li>
+<li class="indx">Uhui, also Ouye = a fire.</li>
+<li class="indx">Uhui nobori = a volcano.</li>
+<li class="indx">Un = a particle denoting that something is to be found at a place.</li>
+<li class="indx">Upas = snow.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ush = a bay.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ush = a gulf.</li>
+<li class="indx">Ush = a locative particle.</li>
+<li class="indx">Uta = a master.</li>
+<li class="indx">Utka = the rapids of a river.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">W.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Wa = from.</li>
+<li class="indx">Wakka = water.</li>
+<li class="indx">Wen = bad.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">Y.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ya = land.</li>
+<li class="indx">Yai = danger.</li>
+<li class="indx">Yaikap = awkward.</li>
+<li class="indx">Yam = cold, a chestnut.</li>
+<li class="indx">Yuk = a deer.</li>
+<li class="indx">Yutta = greatest.</li>
+</ul>
+
+
+
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<p class="pagenum"><a name="Page_313" id="Page_313">[Pg 313]</a></p>
+
+
+
+
+<h2>INDEX.</h2>
+
+
+<ul class="index">
+<li class="ifrst">A.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Abashiri, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>-<a href="#Page_139">139</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Abashiri Lagoon, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Abnormalities, <a href="#Page_267">267</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Abortion, <a href="#Page_296">296</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Abstinence from food and drink, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>, <a href="#Page_239">239</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Abus, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Adultery, <a href="#Page_295">295</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Adzes (stone), <a href="#Page_78">78</a>, <a href="#Page_79">79</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Affection, <a href="#Page_272">272</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Affirmation, <a href="#Page_234">234</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Age of the Ainu, <a href="#Page_271">271</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Agriculture, <a href="#Page_62">62</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ahunkanitte, <a href="#Page_210">210</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Aikap, Cape, <a href="#Page_177">177</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ainu bits, <a href="#Page_110">110</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">capacity for drink, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">conclusion, an, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">diet, <a href="#Page_24">24</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">dirt, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">gentleness, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">good-nature, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">implements, <a href="#Page_86">86</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">legends, <a href="#Page_28">28</a>, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">names on Nippon, <a href="#Page_94">94</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">names, <a href="#Page_298">298</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Paganini, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">pronunciation, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">village, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">way of approaching huts, <a href="#Page_171">171</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Airup, Cape, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Akangawa, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Akkeshi, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>-<a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Akkeshi bay, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">lagoon, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Albinism, <a href="#Page_268">268</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Aleutian Islands, <a href="#Page_94">94</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Aleuts, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Alexandrovitch, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Amida, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ancestral attachment, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Anchors, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Anchorages, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>, <a href="#Page_194">194</a>, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Angotsuro, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Apa-otki (door-mat), <a href="#Page_211">211</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Aputa, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Archæology, <a href="#Page_77">77</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Architecture, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Arms, <a href="#Page_243">243</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Arrows, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Arrow-heads (flint), <a href="#Page_78">78</a>, <a href="#Page_79">79</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Art, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>-<a href="#Page_220">220</a>, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>, <a href="#Page_228">228</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Artist, <a href="#Page_69">69</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Arundinaria, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Asiatic Society of Japan, <a href="#Page_89">89</a>, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Assap River, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Attacked by the Ainu, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>-<a href="#Page_15">15</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Attitudes, <a href="#Page_241">241</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">At-pets, River, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Atzis-robe, <a href="#Page_213">213</a>, <a href="#Page_246">246</a>, <a href="#Page_247">247</a>, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Atzosa Volcano, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Atzta, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>, <a href="#Page_177">177</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_314" id="Page_314">[Pg 314]</a></span>Australia, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Australian blacks, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>, <a href="#Page_228">228</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Authority of chiefs, <a href="#Page_267">267</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Awomori, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">B.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Backbone of Yezo, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bakkai, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Baldness, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_232">232</a>, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bamboo arrow-points, <a href="#Page_79">79</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Barabuta, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Baratte, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Barter, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Basha, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Batchelor, Rev. I., <a href="#Page_59">59</a>, <a href="#Page_83">83</a>, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bathing, <a href="#Page_76">76</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Battles, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>, <a href="#Page_86">86</a>, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Beaches, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bears, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_147">147</a>, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>, <a href="#Page_214">214</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bear (descent from the), <a href="#Page_281">281</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">hunting, <a href="#Page_272">272</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(ill-usage of), <a href="#Page_282">282</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">skins, <a href="#Page_245">245</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">skull trophy, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Beliefs compared, <a href="#Page_288">288</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bending of watercourses, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Benke, Cape, <a href="#Page_194">194</a>, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Benry, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>, <a href="#Page_26">26</a>, <a href="#Page_27">27</a>, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>-<a href="#Page_34">34</a>, <a href="#Page_260">260</a>, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Benten Island, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bentenjima (Nemuro), <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_115">115</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bento, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Beppo, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Betoya, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bettobu, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Bay, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Birvase, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bitskai, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bone arrow-point, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">carvings, <a href="#Page_222">222</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">setting, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bonzes, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bowls, <a href="#Page_209">209</a>, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Bows and arrows, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Buddhists, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Buddhist shrine, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Burial, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">C.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cancer, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cannibalism, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Canoes, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>-<a href="#Page_39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_177">177</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Carrying children, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">weights and burdens, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Castes, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Castle, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Caucasian races, <a href="#Page_236">236</a>, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chanting, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Charcoal in pits, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Charms, <a href="#Page_288">288</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chevrons, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Child-bearing, <a href="#Page_296">296</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Children of Kurile Islands, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chimney, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chiefs at a festival, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chief's crown, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">tomb, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chieftainship, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chietomamai, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">China, <a href="#Page_26">26</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chinese, <a href="#Page_276">276</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">idea, <a href="#Page_77">77</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">sea, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chisei-kara-inao, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cholera, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Choruses, <a href="#Page_256">256</a>, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Christians, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Christian minister, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">virtues, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chukbets, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chuppets, River, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Chuskin Island, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cisango, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Civilisation, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>, <a href="#Page_217">217</a>, <a href="#Page_288">288</a>, <a href="#Page_297">297</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Clothes, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_190">190</a>, <a href="#Page_245">245</a>, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">and boots, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>, <a href="#Page_246">246</a>, <a href="#Page_247">247</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Coal, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">field, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">mines, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">trains, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">trucks, <a href="#Page_76">76</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Coins, <a href="#Page_151">151</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_315" id="Page_315">[Pg 315]</a></span>Colonial militia, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Colonisation scheme, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Colonists, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>, <a href="#Page_115">115</a>, <a href="#Page_116">116</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Comparisons, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Compass, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Concert, <a href="#Page_263">263</a>, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Conservatism, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Consul, <a href="#Page_206">206</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Consumption, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>, <a href="#Page_296">296</a>, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Convicts (Japanese), <a href="#Page_102">102</a>, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>-<a href="#Page_186">186</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Copper, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Coptic Church, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Corea, <a href="#Page_26">26</a>, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Creator, <a href="#Page_281">281</a>, <a href="#Page_285">285</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Criminals, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Crosses, <a href="#Page_268">268</a>, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Crows, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>, <a href="#Page_46">46</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">attacking a pony, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(familiarity of), <a href="#Page_149">149</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(multitude of), <a href="#Page_5">5</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cruelty to children, <a href="#Page_292">292</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Currents, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>, <a href="#Page_169">169</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Cutaneous diseases, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">D.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Daikuku Island, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Daikuku and Kodaikuku Islands, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Daimio, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Dancing, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>, <a href="#Page_265">265</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Darwin's theory of evolution, <a href="#Page_280">280</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Deer-skin coat, <a href="#Page_245">245</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Degeneration of the race, <a href="#Page_297">297</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Deluge, the, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Descriptive characters of Yezo Ainu (Appendix), <a href="#Page_298">298</a>, <a href="#Page_303">303</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of Shikotan Ainu (Appendix), <a href="#Page_303">303</a>, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Designs, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Dew, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Dirt, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Divinities, <a href="#Page_282">282</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Divorce, <a href="#Page_295">295</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Dogs (wild), <a href="#Page_154">154</a>, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Drainage area of Ishikari River, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>, <a href="#Page_182">182</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Dress of Kurilsky Ainu, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Drift-ice, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">logs, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>, <a href="#Page_169">169</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">sand, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_170">170</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Drinking vessels, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Drunkenness, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>, <a href="#Page_291">291</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Dug-outs, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>, <a href="#Page_170">170</a>, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Dwarfs, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Dying out of the race, <a href="#Page_296">296</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">E.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Eagles, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_152">152</a>, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>, <a href="#Page_214">214</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ear-rings, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ears, <a href="#Page_230">230</a>, <a href="#Page_303">303</a>, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Eclipses, <a href="#Page_234">234</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Education, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Egyptian cross, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Election of chief, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Elephantiasis, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Embroideries, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>, <a href="#Page_246">246</a>, <a href="#Page_247">247</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Emperor's palace, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Enamelling, <a href="#Page_222">222</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Endogamy, <a href="#Page_295">295</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Entogroul, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Eramachi, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Erimo Cape, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>-<a href="#Page_44">44</a>, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Esan Volcano, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Esashi, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Esquimaux, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ethnologists, <a href="#Page_263">263</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Etiquette, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Etorofu, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">European comforts, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">dinner, <a href="#Page_69">69</a>, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Eyelashes, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>, <a href="#Page_279">279</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">F.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Face, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>, <a href="#Page_230">230</a>, <a href="#Page_232">232</a>, <a href="#Page_302">302</a>, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(width of), <a href="#Page_302">302</a>, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Factories, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_316" id="Page_316">[Pg 316]</a></span>Falsetto voice, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Family rows, <a href="#Page_293">293</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Farming region, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fasting, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ferry, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ferry-boat, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Finger-rings, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fingers, <a href="#Page_303">303</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fish diet, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">manure, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fishermen, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fishermen's huts, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fishing, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">nets, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">villages, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fire, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>, <a href="#Page_209">209</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fleas, etc., <a href="#Page_26">26</a>, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Flies&mdash;black flies and horseflies, <a href="#Page_45">45</a>, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Flint implements, <a href="#Page_78">78</a>, <a href="#Page_79">79</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">knives, <a href="#Page_78">78</a>, <a href="#Page_79">79</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Flirting (curious way of), <a href="#Page_141">141</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Folk-lores, <a href="#Page_259">259</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Footprints, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of Ainu, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of Japanese, <a href="#Page_160">160</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of bears, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Forest, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Forts, <a href="#Page_77">77</a>, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Foxes, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_214">214</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Frishikobets village, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fujiama, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fukushima, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Funa, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Funerals, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Furembets river, <a href="#Page_171">171</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Furimbé, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Furniture, <a href="#Page_208">208</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Furubets, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Future legend, <a href="#Page_155">155</a>, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Fylfot, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">G.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Geology, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Geometrical patterns, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Geyser, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Girdles, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Girls (Ainu), <a href="#Page_157">157</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(Japanese) shown in cages, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Glossary of Ainu words, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>-<a href="#Page_311">311</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">God, <a href="#Page_281">281</a>, <a href="#Page_282">282</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Gokibira, <a href="#Page_177">177</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Graphic signs, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Grass, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>, <a href="#Page_62">62</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Graves, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>-<a href="#Page_227">227</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Graveyard, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Guechas, or singers, <a href="#Page_116">116</a>, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Gun-practice, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">H.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Habits and customs of pit-dwellers, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hakodate, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>, <a href="#Page_78">78</a>, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hakodate Bay, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Bund, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Head, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Isthmus, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Peak, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hair, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hairiness, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Half-breeds, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>, <a href="#Page_268">268</a>, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">castes, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>, <a href="#Page_109">109</a>, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>, <a href="#Page_275">275</a>, <a href="#Page_282">282</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(photographs of Japanese half-castes), <a href="#Page_263">263</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">frontal bone, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">skull, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">animal propensities, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">bumps, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">age, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">rheumatism, leprosy and kaki, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hamboro, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hammanaka, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hanasaki, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hand-clapping, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hando, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Haraguchi, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Harbours (want of), <a href="#Page_74">74</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_317" id="Page_317">[Pg 317]</a></span>and anchorages, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_115">115</a>, <a href="#Page_116">116</a>, <a href="#Page_124">124</a>, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Harpoons, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Harutori Lagoon, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>-<a href="#Page_77">77</a>, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hattaushi, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Head, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>, <a href="#Page_302">302</a>, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(muscular power), <a href="#Page_241">241</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Heaven and hell, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Henson (Mr.), <a href="#Page_2">2</a>, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hera, or netting-mesh, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Herrings, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_115">115</a>, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>, <a href="#Page_166">166</a>, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">High-days, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">High-land, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">History, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hokkaido, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hokkaido-cho, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hondemura, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Horanaho or Rausu Volcano, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Horse-breeding, <a href="#Page_115">115</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Horse-farm, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Horsemen (Ainu), <a href="#Page_108">108</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Horse-racing, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Horobets, <a href="#Page_12">12</a>, <a href="#Page_234">234</a>, <a href="#Page_272">272</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Ainu, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Horohuts, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Horoizumi, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hoshi or leggings, <a href="#Page_247">247</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hospitality, <a href="#Page_291">291</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hostilities, <a href="#Page_147">147</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hunger, <a href="#Page_45">45</a>, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hungry dogs, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hunting, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hurupira, Mount, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hut building, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">burning, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>, <a href="#Page_213">213</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Huts, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_8">8</a>, <a href="#Page_24">24</a>, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_76">76</a>, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_86">86</a>, <a href="#Page_89">89</a>, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>, <a href="#Page_170">170</a>, <a href="#Page_171">171</a>, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>, <a href="#Page_210">210</a>-<a href="#Page_212">212</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Hypnotism, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">I.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ice, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ichibishinai (Etorofu), <a href="#Page_122">122</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Idyll, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>, <a href="#Page_140">140</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Idzumizawa, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Igiani, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ikahasonets Cape, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ikuru, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ikusum River, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Imi (garments), <a href="#Page_25">25</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Imotsuto, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Imprisonment, <a href="#Page_292">292</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Improvisators, <a href="#Page_259">259</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Inao, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>, <a href="#Page_214">214</a>, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>-<a href="#Page_288">288</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">in shape of a doll, <a href="#Page_287">287</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">making, <a href="#Page_240">240</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">netuba, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Infanticides, <a href="#Page_291">291</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Inflammation of the eyes, <a href="#Page_279">279</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Inomata Yoshitaro, <a href="#Page_68">68</a>-<a href="#Page_72">72</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Insanity and idiocy, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">in half-castes, <a href="#Page_270">270</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Instincts, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>, <a href="#Page_282">282</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Intermarriage, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>, <a href="#Page_267">267</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">with Japanese, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Iris, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>, <a href="#Page_279">279</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Iron, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Irrigation, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ishikari, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">river, <a href="#Page_169">169</a>, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>-<a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>, <a href="#Page_275">275</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub2">(course of), <a href="#Page_182">182</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub2">Ainu, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>, <a href="#Page_219">219</a>, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">village, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ishikishiri penitentiary, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ishisaki, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Isoya, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(Motto Isoya, Shimakotan, Isoya), <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Italy, <a href="#Page_287">287</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Iwanai, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Iwaonobori, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Iwa Rocks, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>, <a href="#Page_49">49</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Iyomanrei, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">J.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Jacko (chief of Shikotan Ainu), <a href="#Page_127">127</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Japan, <a href="#Page_26">26</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Daily Mail, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_318" id="Page_318">[Pg 318]</a></span>Japanese customs, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Japanese adoption of Ainu language and ways, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">clothes, <a href="#Page_245">245</a>, <a href="#Page_246">246</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Empire, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">government, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">hero, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">parliament, <a href="#Page_190">190</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">politeness, <a href="#Page_36">36</a>, <a href="#Page_69">69</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">settlers, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">songs, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">villages, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">woman's toilette, <a href="#Page_117">117</a>, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Jealousy, <a href="#Page_234">234</a>, <a href="#Page_235">235</a>, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Jew's harp, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Jockeys, <a href="#Page_33">33</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Jungle, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>-<a href="#Page_53">53</a>, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">K.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kaki, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>, <a href="#Page_241">241</a>, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kakumi, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kamida Maru (wreck of), <a href="#Page_179">179</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kamikawa, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_184">184</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(population of), <a href="#Page_184">184</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kamiiro, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kaminokumi, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kammakappe, <a href="#Page_209">209</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kamschatka, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>, <a href="#Page_297">297</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kamui or Kamoi, <a href="#Page_285">285</a>, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kamuieto Cape, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kamuikotan, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">rapids, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kamui Mount, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx"><i>Kando</i> and <i>Teine-pokna-moshiri</i>, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Karibayama, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kawamura, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kawata Tera, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kenashpa, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kikonai, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kimonos, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kinna (mats), <a href="#Page_209">209</a>, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kinney, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kiritap, <a href="#Page_106">106</a>, <a href="#Page_112">112</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kitchen-middens, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Knife-blades, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Knives, <a href="#Page_13">13</a>, <a href="#Page_219">219</a>, <a href="#Page_220">220</a>, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>-<a href="#Page_225">225</a>, <a href="#Page_272">272</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kofikan, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Komagatake Volcano, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Komuki lagoon, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ko-numa, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Koshima, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kotan-kara-kamui, <a href="#Page_285">285</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kudo, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kumaishi, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kunashiri, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kunnui, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kurile Islands, <a href="#Page_78">78</a>, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>-<a href="#Page_89">89</a>, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_132">132</a>, <a href="#Page_190">190</a>, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>, <a href="#Page_282">282</a>, <a href="#Page_297">297</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kurile Islands (trade of), <a href="#Page_115">115</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kurilsky Ainu, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>-<a href="#Page_90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_94">94</a>, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>-<a href="#Page_128">128</a>, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>, <a href="#Page_213">213</a>, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>, <a href="#Page_268">268</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kuromatsunai, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kuro-shiwo, or Japan current, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>, <a href="#Page_169">169</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kushiro, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>-<a href="#Page_77">77</a>, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>-<a href="#Page_97">97</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_190">190</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kutambets, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Kutcharo lake, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>-<a href="#Page_101">101</a>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">river, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_82">82</a>, <a href="#Page_95">95</a>, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">L.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Lagoons, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>, <a href="#Page_170">170</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Language, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>, <a href="#Page_291">291</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">La Perouse Strait, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>, <a href="#Page_169">169</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Laws, <a href="#Page_273">273</a>, <a href="#Page_291">291</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Laws of marriage, <a href="#Page_293">293</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Legends, <a href="#Page_28">28</a>, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>, <a href="#Page_260">260</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Legend</li>
+<li class="isub1">Abe-ten-rui, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Inu-sapk, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Kimta-na, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Tushi-une-pan, <a href="#Page_260">260</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Leprosy, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Letters, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>, <a href="#Page_202">202</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_319" id="Page_319">[Pg 319]</a></span>Libations, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Life-boat, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Lighting, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Lines, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Lopatka Cape, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Lunatics, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>-<a href="#Page_149">149</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">M.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Machinery, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Madwoman, <a href="#Page_54">54</a>, <a href="#Page_55">55</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Makkarinupuri (Volcano), <a href="#Page_200">200</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Malaise, <a href="#Page_46">46</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Malarial fever, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Manners, <a href="#Page_242">242</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Map-drawing, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Marks (owner's), <a href="#Page_218">218</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Masatomari, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mashe (fish), <a href="#Page_173">173</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mashike, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Mount, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>-<a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Maternal love, <a href="#Page_155">155</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mat-making, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Matrons, <a href="#Page_265">265</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Matsumai, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>-<a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Meals, <a href="#Page_170">170</a>, <a href="#Page_171">171</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Measurements of Yezo Ainu body (Appendix), <a href="#Page_298">298</a>-<a href="#Page_302">302</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Measurements of Shikotan Ainu (Appendix), <a href="#Page_303">303</a>, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Measurements of Ainu with arms outstretched, <a href="#Page_299">299</a>, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Memuro-puto, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Menoko (girls), <a href="#Page_32">32</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Metallurgy, <a href="#Page_216">216</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Metempsychosis, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mice and rats, <a href="#Page_213">213</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Migratory people, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">population, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Milne (Prof.), <a href="#Page_89">89</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Missionaries, <a href="#Page_28">28</a>, <a href="#Page_29">29</a>, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>, <a href="#Page_155">155</a>, <a href="#Page_156">156</a>, <a href="#Page_285">285</a>, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mitsuashi River, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mocassins, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">and boots, <a href="#Page_247">247</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Model farm, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mohechi, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Moi, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mombets, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Momonai, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mongolian, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>, <a href="#Page_230">230</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">type, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Monuments, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Morality, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>, <a href="#Page_295">295</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mori, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Moroi, <a href="#Page_178">178</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mororran, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(Shin-, and Kiu-), <a href="#Page_11">11</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mortality, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>, <a href="#Page_296">296</a>, <a href="#Page_297">297</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mourning, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Moustache lifter, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>, <a href="#Page_208">208</a>, <a href="#Page_220">220</a>, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Moustache tattooed, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>, <a href="#Page_254">254</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Movements and attitudes, <a href="#Page_239">239</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Moyoro or Biru, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Moyorotake or Bear Bay, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Mukawa, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Musemes, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Music, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of Ainu, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of Westerns, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">as a cure of illness, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Chromatic intervals, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>, <a href="#Page_259">259</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">diabolical, <a href="#Page_262">262</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Diatonic minor scale, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">education in, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">to facilitate manual labour, <a href="#Page_262">262</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">feeling in, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">fondness for, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">imitation of noises in, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">key note, <a href="#Page_259">259</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">loud, <a href="#Page_263">263</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">melody, <a href="#Page_259">259</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">metre, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">modulations, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">modulations in tunes, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>, <a href="#Page_259">259</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">passion in, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">personality in, <a href="#Page_260">260</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">rhythmical effects in, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">rhythmical method, <a href="#Page_259">259</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">sad, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">suggestions of animal sounds in, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_320" id="Page_320">[Pg 320]</a></span>teaching of, <a href="#Page_260">260</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="isub1">temperamental characteristics in, <a href="#Page_263">263</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">transformation of a theme, <a href="#Page_260">260</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">vocal, <a href="#Page_256">256</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Musical instruments, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">memory, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">notation, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">strings, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Myopy, <a href="#Page_279">279</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">N.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Nagayama, Governor of the Hokkaido, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Naibo, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Naye, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Nayosami Hill, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Necklaces and earrings, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Nemuro, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>-<a href="#Page_116">116</a>, <a href="#Page_118">118</a>, <a href="#Page_119">119</a>, <a href="#Page_121">121</a>, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Neptka, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Nigori River, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Nii-pak-pets, River, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Nippon, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Nishibets, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Nitumap, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Nobori-bets village, <a href="#Page_18">18</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Volcano, <a href="#Page_18">18</a>, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Noshafo Cape, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>, <a href="#Page_115">115</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Nossyap Cape, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Peninsula, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Notoro Cape, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Lake, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Notski Peninsula, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Nusa, <a href="#Page_214">214</a>, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">O.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Oak, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Oakan and Moyokan, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Oakan River, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Obishiro, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Obune, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Odour, <a href="#Page_276">276</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Odour of Europeans, <a href="#Page_276">276</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of women, <a href="#Page_276">276</a>, <a href="#Page_277">277</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Oitoi, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Okashi-nae Mountain, <a href="#Page_177">177</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Okos, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Okushiri Island, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Omangus, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>-<a href="#Page_150">150</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Onekotan, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Onembets, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Onishika, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Onnetto Lagoon, <a href="#Page_116">116</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">River, <a href="#Page_116">116</a>, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ono-numa, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Opoto Lake, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Oputateishike Mountain-mass, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Oputs, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Orang-outang, <a href="#Page_146">146</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ornamentations, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>-<a href="#Page_220">220</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Osaru River, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Oshamambe, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>, <a href="#Page_196">196</a>, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Oshima Island, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">province, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Oshoro, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Osman Pasha, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ota Cape, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Otaru, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Otaussi-nai Village, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Otatsube, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Otchishi, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Otkoshk sea, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Otopke Mount, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Otoshibe River, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Otoyebukets, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Otsu, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>, <a href="#Page_68">68</a>, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Otsugawa River, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ottoinnai, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Owls, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Oyama Iwao (Count), Minister of State for War, <a href="#Page_189">189</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Oysters, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">P.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pack-saddles, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_18">18</a>, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Paddle (Hera), <a href="#Page_208">208</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_321" id="Page_321">[Pg 321]</a></span>Para-puta, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Paro-mushir, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pasture-land, <a href="#Page_107">107</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pehambe-ushi River, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pekoatnit, <a href="#Page_210">210</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pensatsunai, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Perohune, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pestilence, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Physiognomy, <a href="#Page_230">230</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Physiological observations, <a href="#Page_274">274</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pico Strait, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Piegawa River, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pipes, etc., <a href="#Page_223">223</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Piratori, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>, <a href="#Page_30">30</a>, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>, <a href="#Page_260">260</a>, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>, <a href="#Page_275">275</a>, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Valley, <a href="#Page_33">33</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pit-dwellers (Koro-pok-kuru), <a href="#Page_77">77</a>-<a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_83">83</a>-<a href="#Page_87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pit-dwellers' implements, <a href="#Page_190">190</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pits, <a href="#Page_77">77</a>-<a href="#Page_84">84</a>, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>-<a href="#Page_94">94</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Plateau, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">like peninsula, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Poisoned arrows, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Polygamy, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Polytheists, <a href="#Page_281">281</a>, <a href="#Page_285">285</a>, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pombets, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ponies, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pon-machi (small wife), <a href="#Page_28">28</a>, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pontoo, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pooley, Mr., <a href="#Page_206">206</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Population, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Porobets River, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Poronai, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>-<a href="#Page_186">186</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">coal-mines, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Poro-machi (great wife), <a href="#Page_28">28</a>, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Poro-nam-bets River, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Poro-usa, <a href="#Page_209">209</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Posturing, <a href="#Page_264">264</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pottery, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_86">86</a>, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Poverty of the Ainu, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of blood, <a href="#Page_296">296</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Prayers, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Prehistoric man, <a href="#Page_242">242</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Progeny of mixed marriages, <a href="#Page_268">268</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Provisions, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Publications on the Ainu, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pulse-beat, <a href="#Page_275">275</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Pumice, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Punishments, <a href="#Page_291">291</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Purokenashpa, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">Q.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Quarrels, <a href="#Page_292">292</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Quicksands, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>, <a href="#Page_169">169</a>, <a href="#Page_170">170</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Quicksand River, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Quiver, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>, <a href="#Page_225">225</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">R.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rags, <a href="#Page_247">247</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rahush Mount (Kunashiri), <a href="#Page_122">122</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rain, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Raishats, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rattler (H.M.S.), <a href="#Page_165">165</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Recitative, <a href="#Page_256">256</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Reeds and rushes, <a href="#Page_51">51</a>, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>, <a href="#Page_62">62</a>, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>, <a href="#Page_67">67</a>, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Reefs, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_194">194</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Relations, <a href="#Page_296">296</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Religion, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Religious ideas, <a href="#Page_281">281</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">race, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Repun, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Repunshiri, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Resurrection of the body, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>, <a href="#Page_290">290</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Reversed coil, <a href="#Page_222">222</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rheumatism, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>, <a href="#Page_241">241</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rhyme, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Riding, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_237">237</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">bareback, <a href="#Page_243">243</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Riruran, <a href="#Page_107">107</a>, <a href="#Page_108">108</a>, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rishiri Island, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rivers,</li>
+<li class="isub1">peculiarity in, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">troublesome, <a href="#Page_151">151</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Roasting hook, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Robinson Crusoe, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rocks, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Roofs, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rubeshibe River, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rubets, <a href="#Page_83">83</a>, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Rumoi, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Russia, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_322" id="Page_322">[Pg 322]</a></span>exchange with, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Russian Bible, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">convicts, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">cruiser, Crisorok, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">régime, <a href="#Page_127">127</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">S.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sacrilege, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sadness, <a href="#Page_232">232</a>, <a href="#Page_297">297</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Saint Andrew's Cross, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sake, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>, <a href="#Page_24">24</a>, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sakhalin or Krafto, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>, <a href="#Page_297">297</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sakhalin Ainu, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Salaams, <a href="#Page_7">7</a>, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Salutation, Ainu, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>, <a href="#Page_128">128</a>, <a href="#Page_256">256</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Salmon, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_133">133</a>, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Salmon, dried, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Salmon-fishing, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>, <a href="#Page_182">182</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Salmon-trout, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sandals, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sappro, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>, <a href="#Page_186">186</a>, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>-<a href="#Page_191">191</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sardine fishing, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Saru-buto, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Saru district, climate of, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sarubuts, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Saruffo-Ko Lagoon, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Saruma Lagoon, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Saru-Mombets, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>, <a href="#Page_21">21</a>, <a href="#Page_34">34</a>, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Saru River, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Ainu, <a href="#Page_260">260</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Saruru, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>, <a href="#Page_46">46</a>, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>, <a href="#Page_157">157</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Satsuma, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Satsumai and Ghifzan, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Satsuma Maru, <a href="#Page_1">1</a>, <a href="#Page_206">206</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Savage dance, <a href="#Page_32">32</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Savage Landor, <a href="#Page_158">158</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Savages, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sawaki, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Scenery, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_46">46</a>, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Scitzo, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>-<a href="#Page_195">195</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sea-birds, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>, <a href="#Page_105">105</a>, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>, <a href="#Page_151">151</a>, <a href="#Page_152">152</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Se-Cherippe Lagoon, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Seal-fishery, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Seals, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sea-trout, <a href="#Page_170">170</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sea-weed, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_47">47</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_113">113</a>, <a href="#Page_115">115</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sensation, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sense</li>
+<li class="isub1">of hearing, <a href="#Page_278">278</a>-<a href="#Page_280">280</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of sight, <a href="#Page_278">278</a>, <a href="#Page_279">279</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of smell, <a href="#Page_276">276</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of taste, <a href="#Page_278">278</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of touch, <a href="#Page_277">277</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sensitiveness, <a href="#Page_277">277</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of lips, tongue, hands, fingers, lumbar region, etc., <a href="#Page_278">278</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sexual love, <a href="#Page_296">296</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shakotan, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Cape, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Peninsula, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shama-ne, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>-<a href="#Page_41">41</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shame and disgust, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shamesen, <a href="#Page_258">258</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shana, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shanoi, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shari, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>-<a href="#Page_137">137</a>, <a href="#Page_240">240</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shari-Mombets, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_143">143</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shaubets, <a href="#Page_70">70</a>, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shell-heaps, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shibe-gari-pets, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shibetcha, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>-<a href="#Page_104">104</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shibets, <a href="#Page_134">134</a>, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shibumotzunai Lagoon, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shikarubets Otchirsh, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>-<a href="#Page_64">64</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shikotan, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>-<a href="#Page_129">129</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>, <a href="#Page_231">231</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Ainu, <a href="#Page_87">87</a>, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Island, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_89">89</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shimokebo, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>-<a href="#Page_37">37</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shimushir, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>-<a href="#Page_90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shina, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shiofuki, <a href="#Page_203">203</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shirakami Cape, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shiranuka, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shiraoi, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shiretoko Cape, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Peninsula, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shiribeshi Province, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shiribets, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shirikishinai, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shirin Lake, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shiriuchi, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shoals and reefs, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shooting rapids, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>-<a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_323" id="Page_323">[Pg 323]</a></span>Shorui-washi, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shoulders, <a href="#Page_301">301</a>, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shoya, <a href="#Page_44">44</a>-<a href="#Page_47">47</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Shrine, <a href="#Page_199">199</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Siberian coast, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Siliusi lighthouse, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Skin, <a href="#Page_276">276</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">colour of, <a href="#Page_230">230</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">eruptions, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>, <a href="#Page_296">296</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Skull trophy, <a href="#Page_214">214</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sleep, <a href="#Page_275">275</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sleeping, <a href="#Page_244">244</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Slyness, <a href="#Page_234">234</a>, <a href="#Page_235">235</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Smoke, <a href="#Page_211">211</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">black, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Snow, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>, <a href="#Page_85">85</a>, <a href="#Page_115">115</a>, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">and glaciers, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">sandals, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Singing, <a href="#Page_256">256</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sitting, <a href="#Page_243">243</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Soldiers, <a href="#Page_102">102</a>, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Songs, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>, <a href="#Page_256">256</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sorachi river, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Soshi, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Soul, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Soya Cape, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_81">81</a>, <a href="#Page_92">92</a>, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Spain, <a href="#Page_287">287</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Spears, <a href="#Page_224">224</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Speculation, <a href="#Page_90">90</a>, <a href="#Page_91">91</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Spezia, Gulf of, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Spiders, <a href="#Page_45">45</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Spoons, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Spruces, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Stackhouse, <a href="#Page_215">215</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Statistics, <a href="#Page_212">212</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Stealing, <a href="#Page_53">53</a>, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>, <a href="#Page_272">272</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Steeplechase, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Stone (peculiar), <a href="#Page_168">168</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">images, <a href="#Page_204">204</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Storehouses, <a href="#Page_23">23</a>, <a href="#Page_26">26</a>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>, <a href="#Page_180">180</a>, <a href="#Page_213">213</a>, <a href="#Page_247">247</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Storeys, <a href="#Page_208">208</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Storm, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>, <a href="#Page_136">136</a>, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Strength, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Struggle, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Submerged crater, <a href="#Page_125">125</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Submission, <a href="#Page_16">16</a>, <a href="#Page_273">273</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Suicides, <a href="#Page_291">291</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sulkiness, <a href="#Page_234">234</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sulphur, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>, <a href="#Page_138">138</a>, <a href="#Page_190">190</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sulphur beds, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">mine, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Supernaturalism, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Superstition, <a href="#Page_17">17</a>, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Swamps, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Swearing, <a href="#Page_289">289</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Swift rivers, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sword-hilts (Japanese), <a href="#Page_250">250</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sydney Smith's position, <a href="#Page_111">111</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Symbols, <a href="#Page_219">219</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Sympathy, <a href="#Page_52">52</a>, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">T.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Taikki (fleas), <a href="#Page_56">56</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tailor's sign-post, <a href="#Page_191">191</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Takae village, <a href="#Page_35">35</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Takigawa, <a href="#Page_185">185</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Takkobe Lake, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tapkara (a savage dance), <a href="#Page_32">32</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tarbouches, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tartary, Gulf of, <a href="#Page_153">153</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tarsus, <a href="#Page_301">301</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tarumai Volcano, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tattoos, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>, <a href="#Page_227">227</a>, <a href="#Page_232">232</a>, <a href="#Page_251">251</a>-<a href="#Page_253">253</a>, <a href="#Page_293">293</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(colour of), <a href="#Page_254">254</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(legend on), <a href="#Page_251">251</a>, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tattooing (process of), <a href="#Page_252">252</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tattooed women, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tcharo-bets, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tcha-tcha-nobori Volcano, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tchiota, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tears, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Teeth of half-castes, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Temper, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_233">233</a>, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tendo Achillis, <a href="#Page_241">241</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tent, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Terra del Fuegians, <a href="#Page_228">228</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Terror, <a href="#Page_154">154</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Teshio coast, <a href="#Page_176">176</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">River, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>-<a href="#Page_170">170</a>, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tetcha or Tetchkanga, <a href="#Page_100">100</a>, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_324" id="Page_324">[Pg 324]</a></span>Teuri, <a href="#Page_171">171</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Thatching, <a href="#Page_208">208</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Theft, <a href="#Page_291">291</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Thiaske Tarra, <a href="#Page_238">238</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Thousand Islands, or Chishima, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Thread-winding, <a href="#Page_240">240</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tibia, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_300">300</a>, <a href="#Page_304">304</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tide-rips, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tobuts, <a href="#Page_80">80</a>, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tobuts Lake, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Todohotke, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Toi, <a href="#Page_201">201</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tokachi, <a href="#Page_84">84</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Ainu, <a href="#Page_99">99</a>, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>-<a href="#Page_250">250</a>, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">district, <a href="#Page_274">274</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">region, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">River, <a href="#Page_50">50</a>, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>-<a href="#Page_66">66</a>, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>, <a href="#Page_169">169</a>, <a href="#Page_207">207</a>, <a href="#Page_214">214</a>, <a href="#Page_271">271</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tokio, <a href="#Page_115">115</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tokri-moi, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tokumatz Kuroda, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tomamai, <a href="#Page_173">173</a>, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tomakomai, <a href="#Page_19">19</a>, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>, <a href="#Page_269">269</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tombets River, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tombs, <a href="#Page_181">181</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tonden, or military settlement <a href="#Page_102">102</a>, <a href="#Page_103">103</a>, <a href="#Page_114">114</a>, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>, <a href="#Page_188">188</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tones, <a href="#Page_222">222</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Toreador, in Carmen, <a href="#Page_263">263</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Torii (emblems), <a href="#Page_204">204</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tori Lake, <a href="#Page_96">96</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Totemism, <a href="#Page_281">281</a>, <a href="#Page_282">282</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">To'tori, <a href="#Page_75">75</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Toshibets River, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Toya Lake, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Toyohira River, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Toyoshira Valley, <a href="#Page_187">187</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Trackers (Ainu), <a href="#Page_109">109</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tracking, <a href="#Page_159">159</a>-<a href="#Page_161">161</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tradition, <a href="#Page_218">218</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Transmission of diseases, <a href="#Page_266">266</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">of images to the brain, <a href="#Page_279">279</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Travellers (foreign), <a href="#Page_263">263</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tree-dwellers of India, <a href="#Page_228">228</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Trees, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>, <a href="#Page_166">166</a>, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Triangles, <a href="#Page_221">221</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tribes, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_267">267</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Trovatore, <a href="#Page_257">257</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tukoro, <a href="#Page_139">139</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tunnel, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tunnui-puto, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Turkish ship (wreck of), <a href="#Page_163">163</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tsiriju Mount, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Tsugaru Strait, <a href="#Page_93">93</a>, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Types, <a href="#Page_229">229</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Typhoon, <a href="#Page_164">164</a>, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">U.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ubahu, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Uhui Cape, <a href="#Page_174">174</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ukorra, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ulmus Campestris, <a href="#Page_26">26</a>, <a href="#Page_245">245</a>, <a href="#Page_246">246</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Campestris bark, <a href="#Page_210">210</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Campestris fibre, <a href="#Page_267">267</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ulna, <a href="#Page_299">299</a>, <a href="#Page_303">303</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Uparpenai, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Urahoro River, <a href="#Page_73">73</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Urakawa, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>, <a href="#Page_40">40</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Urapets River, <a href="#Page_39">39</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Uriugawa River, <a href="#Page_183">183</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Urup, <a href="#Page_88">88</a>, <a href="#Page_123">123</a>, <a href="#Page_126">126</a>, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Usa, <a href="#Page_209">209</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Ushoro, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Uso, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Uso Volcano, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>, <a href="#Page_200">200</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Utarop Rocks, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Usushiri, <a href="#Page_198">198</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">V.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Vegetation, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Villages, Ainu, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_22">22</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Vines, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Virginity, <a href="#Page_250">250</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Virility, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Volcanic nature, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">formation, <a href="#Page_37">37</a>, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>, <a href="#Page_129">129</a>, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">mass, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">zone, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx"><span class="pagenum"><a name="Page_325" id="Page_325">[Pg 325]</a></span>Volcano, <a href="#Page_130">130</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Volcano Bay, <a href="#Page_5">5</a>, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>, <a href="#Page_195">195</a>, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>, <a href="#Page_286">286</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Ainu, <a href="#Page_6">6</a>, <a href="#Page_248">248</a>, <a href="#Page_274">274</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Volcanoes, <a href="#Page_131">131</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">W.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Wadamanai, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>, <a href="#Page_169">169</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Wakkanai, <a href="#Page_167">167</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">War-clubs, <a href="#Page_10">10</a>, <a href="#Page_223">223</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Washibets, <a href="#Page_14">14</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Washing, <a href="#Page_28">28</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Watanabe Masaru, <a href="#Page_58">58</a>, <a href="#Page_64">64</a>, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Waterfalls, <a href="#Page_11">11</a>, <a href="#Page_41">41</a>, <a href="#Page_74">74</a>, <a href="#Page_194">194</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Water-soup, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Weaving, <a href="#Page_210">210</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Wembets, <a href="#Page_135">135</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Wembets River, <a href="#Page_171">171</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Westerns, <a href="#Page_255">255</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Whales' bones, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>, <a href="#Page_169">169</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Wife, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>, <a href="#Page_295">295</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(great wife), <a href="#Page_34">34</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(second), <a href="#Page_294">294</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Winter, <a href="#Page_161">161</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">garments, <a href="#Page_60">60</a>, <a href="#Page_145">145</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Witches, <a href="#Page_287">287</a>, <a href="#Page_288">288</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Wolves, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Women, <a href="#Page_136">136</a>, <a href="#Page_137">137</a>, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>, <a href="#Page_232">232</a>, <a href="#Page_236">236</a>, <a href="#Page_249">249</a>, <a href="#Page_252">252</a>, <a href="#Page_253">253</a>, <a href="#Page_294">294</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Women standing, <a href="#Page_242">242</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">and children at a festival, <a href="#Page_31">31</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">(burial of), <a href="#Page_225">225</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">feeding bears, <a href="#Page_59">59</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">suckling bear cubs, <a href="#Page_214">214</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Women's graves, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Wood-carving, <a href="#Page_219">219</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Wooden blade, carved, <a href="#Page_226">226</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">bowls, <a href="#Page_8">8</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">panels, <a href="#Page_2">2</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Wrecks, <a href="#Page_42">42</a>, <a href="#Page_43">43</a>, <a href="#Page_162">162</a>, <a href="#Page_163">163</a>, <a href="#Page_165">165</a>, <a href="#Page_168">168</a>-<a href="#Page_170">170</a>, <a href="#Page_179">179</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Written language, <a href="#Page_259">259</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Worship, <a href="#Page_281">281</a>, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">Y.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yagoshi Cape, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yamakubiro, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_63">63</a>, <a href="#Page_271">271</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yamakushinai, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yammakka, <a href="#Page_56">56</a>, <a href="#Page_57">57</a>, <a href="#Page_61">61</a>, <a href="#Page_65">65</a>, <a href="#Page_66">66</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yangeshiri, <a href="#Page_171">171</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yassuchi, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">Lagoon, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yezo, <a href="#Page_297">297</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yoichi, <a href="#Page_192">192</a>, <a href="#Page_193">193</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yoshioka village, <a href="#Page_205">205</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yoshitsune or Okikurumi, <a href="#Page_260">260</a>, <a href="#Page_261">261</a>, <a href="#Page_283">283</a>, <a href="#Page_284">284</a>. (Also  see  Hero, Japanese.)</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yubaridake, <a href="#Page_122">122</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yubets, <a href="#Page_142">142</a>.</li>
+<li class="isub1">River, <a href="#Page_141">141</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yuhuts, <a href="#Page_20">20</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yurap, <a href="#Page_197">197</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yurapdake Mount, <a href="#Page_4">4</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yuto Lake, <a href="#Page_48">48</a>.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Yuzan Volcano, <a href="#Page_97">97</a>, <a href="#Page_98">98</a>, <a href="#Page_101">101</a>, <a href="#Page_104">104</a>.</li>
+
+
+<li class="ifrst">Z.</li>
+
+<li class="indx">Zenzai lakes, <a href="#Page_3">3</a>.</li></ul>
+
+
+<p class="center small">LONDON: PRINTED BY WM. CLOWES AND SONS, LTD., STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.</p>
+
+
+
+
+<hr class="chap" />
+<div class="footnotes">
+<h2>FOOTNOTES</h2>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_1_1" id="Footnote_1_1"></a><a href="#FNanchor_1_1"><span class="label">[1]</span></a> <i>Nobori</i>, mountain, volcano; <i>bets</i>, river, stream.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_2_2" id="Footnote_2_2"></a><a href="#FNanchor_2_2"><span class="label">[2]</span></a> <i>Shirao</i>, horse-fly; <i>i</i>, a suffix meaning <i>a place</i>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_3_3" id="Footnote_3_3"></a><a href="#FNanchor_3_3"><span class="label">[3]</span></a> <i>To</i>, lake, swamp; <i>mak</i>, behind; <i>oma</i>, inside; <i>i</i>, a suffix meaning
+<i>a place</i>, or "a place behind which a hidden swamp is found."</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_4_4" id="Footnote_4_4"></a><a href="#FNanchor_4_4"><span class="label">[4]</span></a> <i>Yu</i>, springs; <i>huts</i>, mouth of river.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_5_5" id="Footnote_5_5"></a><a href="#FNanchor_5_5"><span class="label">[5]</span></a> <i>Horo</i>, large; <i>hut</i>, <i>huts</i>, <i>put</i>, the mouth of a river.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_6_6" id="Footnote_6_6"></a><a href="#FNanchor_6_6"><span class="label">[6]</span></a> Small Japanese dinner tables.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_7_7" id="Footnote_7_7"></a><a href="#FNanchor_7_7"><span class="label">[7]</span></a> At-pets&mdash;Elm-tree river (<i>at</i>, elm-tree; <i>pets</i>, river).</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_8_8" id="Footnote_8_8"></a><a href="#FNanchor_8_8"><span class="label">[8]</span></a> Nii-pak-pets&mdash;also called Nakap-pets. <i>Nii</i>, a wood; <i>pak</i>, under;
+<i>na</i>, more; <i>kap</i>, bark of tree.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_9_9" id="Footnote_9_9"></a><a href="#FNanchor_9_9"><span class="label">[9]</span></a> Shibe-gari-pets&mdash;Salmon-trout river.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_10_10" id="Footnote_10_10"></a><a href="#FNanchor_10_10"><span class="label">[10]</span></a> <i>Ikan</i>, a canal made by salmon on river-beds to lay their spawn; <i>tai</i>
+thick.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_11_11" id="Footnote_11_11"></a><a href="#FNanchor_11_11"><span class="label">[11]</span></a> <i>Poro</i>, large; <i>nam</i>, cold; <i>bets</i>, river.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_12_12" id="Footnote_12_12"></a><a href="#FNanchor_12_12"><span class="label">[12]</span></a> Moyoro. <i>Moy</i>, a bay; <i>oro</i>, to be in.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_13_13" id="Footnote_13_13"></a><a href="#FNanchor_13_13"><span class="label">[13]</span></a> Onnito. <i>Onni</i> or <i>Onne</i>, great, large; <i>to</i>, lake, swamp.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_14_14" id="Footnote_14_14"></a><a href="#FNanchor_14_14"><span class="label">[14]</span></a> Bitatannuki. <i>Bita</i>, to undo; <i>tannu</i>, long; <i>ki</i>, rushes, reeds.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_15_15" id="Footnote_15_15"></a><a href="#FNanchor_15_15"><span class="label">[15]</span></a> <i>Pero</i> or <i>Pira</i>, cliff; <i>Hune</i>, <i>Hun</i>, a particle indicating the existence
+of something at a place.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_16_16" id="Footnote_16_16"></a><a href="#FNanchor_16_16"><span class="label">[16]</span></a> <i>Toy</i>, earth; <i>o</i>, (?) <i>i</i>, a place; <i>pets,</i> river.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_17_17" id="Footnote_17_17"></a><a href="#FNanchor_17_17"><span class="label">[17]</span></a> <i>To</i>, lake, swamp; <i>buts</i>, mouth of a river. <i>O</i>, a meaningless prefix;
+<i>puts</i>, mouth of a river.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_18_18" id="Footnote_18_18"></a><a href="#FNanchor_18_18"><span class="label">[18]</span></a> Rev. John Batchelor, 'The Ainu of Japan,' chap. xx.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_19_19" id="Footnote_19_19"></a><a href="#FNanchor_19_19"><span class="label">[19]</span></a> <i>U</i>, place; <i>par</i>, mouth; <i>pe</i>, undrinkable water; <i>nai</i>, stream; <i>Upar-penai</i>,
+a place at the mouth of a stream of undrinkable water.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_20_20" id="Footnote_20_20"></a><a href="#FNanchor_20_20"><span class="label">[20]</span></a> <i>Me</i>, in front; <i>mu</i>, sheltered spot in a river; <i>ro</i>, track; <i>puto</i>, mouth
+of river; <i>Memuro-puto</i>, track in front of a sheltered spot at the mouth of
+a river.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_21_21" id="Footnote_21_21"></a><a href="#FNanchor_21_21"><span class="label">[21]</span></a> <i>Otto</i>, into; <i>i</i>, a place; <i>nai</i>, stream; <i>Ottoinnai</i>, a place in a stream.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_22_22" id="Footnote_22_22"></a><a href="#FNanchor_22_22"><span class="label">[22]</span></a> <i>Nitumap</i>, open trunk of a tree.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_23_23" id="Footnote_23_23"></a><a href="#FNanchor_23_23"><span class="label">[23]</span></a> <i>Ni</i>, wood; <i>piri</i>, wound; <i>bets</i>, river.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_24_24" id="Footnote_24_24"></a><a href="#FNanchor_24_24"><span class="label">[24]</span></a> <i>Puro</i>, great; <i>ke</i>, I; <i>nashpa</i>, deafening noise.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_25_25" id="Footnote_25_25"></a><a href="#FNanchor_25_25"><span class="label">[25]</span></a> <i>Ke</i>, I; <i>nashpa</i>, deafening noise.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_26_26" id="Footnote_26_26"></a><a href="#FNanchor_26_26"><span class="label">[26]</span></a> <i>Beppo</i> or <i>pet put</i>, at the mouth of a river.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_27_27" id="Footnote_27_27"></a><a href="#FNanchor_27_27"><span class="label">[27]</span></a> <i>Nesan</i>, a corruption of <i>annesan</i>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_28_28" id="Footnote_28_28"></a><a href="#FNanchor_28_28"><span class="label">[28]</span></a> <i>Ko</i>, lake; <i>shto</i>, man. <i>Ko</i> is probably a corruption of the Ainu word
+<i>to</i>, a lake or a swamp, and it is used by the Japanese of Yezo for "lake,"
+instead of the word "<i>numa</i>."</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_29_29" id="Footnote_29_29"></a><a href="#FNanchor_29_29"><span class="label">[29]</span></a> The correct name and pronunciation is <i>Shimushir</i>.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_30_30" id="Footnote_30_30"></a><a href="#FNanchor_30_30"><span class="label">[30]</span></a> The opposite coast of Nippon can be seen plainly from Hakodate.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_31_31" id="Footnote_31_31"></a><a href="#FNanchor_31_31"><span class="label">[31]</span></a> The Japanese always begin their meals with sweets.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_32_32" id="Footnote_32_32"></a><a href="#FNanchor_32_32"><span class="label">[32]</span></a> <i>Shimushir</i>, High Island.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_33_33" id="Footnote_33_33"></a><a href="#FNanchor_33_33"><span class="label">[33]</span></a> <i>Urup</i>, name given to a kind of salmon.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_34_34" id="Footnote_34_34"></a><a href="#FNanchor_34_34"><span class="label">[34]</span></a> <i>Krafto</i>, Ainu word for Sakhalin.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_35_35" id="Footnote_35_35"></a><a href="#FNanchor_35_35"><span class="label">[35]</span></a> <i>Poro</i>, large; <i>nai</i>, stream.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_36_36" id="Footnote_36_36"></a><a href="#FNanchor_36_36"><span class="label">[36]</span></a> Sometimes also pronounced <i>Krafto.</i></p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_37_37" id="Footnote_37_37"></a><a href="#FNanchor_37_37"><span class="label">[37]</span></a> The only attempt at animal representation is the small bear-head in
+chiefs' crowns.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_38_38" id="Footnote_38_38"></a><a href="#FNanchor_38_38"><span class="label">[38]</span></a> <i>Nipesh</i>: a kind of hemp.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_39_39" id="Footnote_39_39"></a><a href="#FNanchor_39_39"><span class="label">[39]</span></a> <i>Kotan</i>, village, place, site; <i>kara</i>, to make, build; <i>kamui</i>, the man,
+ancient, strength.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_40_40" id="Footnote_40_40"></a><a href="#FNanchor_40_40"><span class="label">[40]</span></a> <i>Chisei</i>, house, dwelling, hut; <i>kara</i>, make; also, have.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_41_41" id="Footnote_41_41"></a><a href="#FNanchor_41_41"><span class="label">[41]</span></a> <i>Teine</i>, wet; <i>pokna</i>, under; <i>moshiri</i>, earth, place, island.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_42_42" id="Footnote_42_42"></a><a href="#FNanchor_42_42"><span class="label">[42]</span></a> Vol. X., Part II., §6.</p></div>
+
+<div class="footnote"><p><a name="Footnote_43_43" id="Footnote_43_43"></a><a href="#FNanchor_43_43"><span class="label">[43]</span></a> The vowels to be pronounced as in Italian.</p></div>
+</div>
+
+
+
+<hr class="r65" />
+<div class="transnote">
+<h2>Transcriber's Notes</h2>
+
+<p>The following changes have been made in the text.</p>
+
+<table border="0" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" summary="">
+<tr><td align="center">Page</td><td align="center">Original</td><td align="center">Changed to</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="center">53</td><td align="center">do</td><td align="center">no</td></tr>
+<tr><td align="center">305</td><td align="center">2/8</td><td align="center">¼</td></tr>
+</table>
+
+<p>Some images have been moved a couple of paragraphs in the HTML version for better formatting.</p>
+
+<p>A number of words occur both in hyphenated and unhyphenated forms in the text.</p>
+
+<p>The map in the beginning of the book is linked to a larger version in the "images" subdirectory of the current directory.</p>
+</div>
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+<pre>
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Alone with the Hairy Ainu, by A. H. Savage Landor
+
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+</body>
+</html>
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+Project Gutenberg's Alone with the Hairy Ainu, by A. H. Savage Landor
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Alone with the Hairy Ainu
+       or, 3,800 miles on a pack saddle in Yezo and a cruise to
+       the Kurile Islands.
+
+Author: A. H. Savage Landor
+
+Release Date: October 28, 2011 [EBook #37873]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ALONE WITH THE HAIRY AINU ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Steven Gibbs, LN Yaddanapudi and the Online
+Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+  [Illustration: _Frontispiece_. PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR.
+  "When my clothes came to an end I did without them."]
+
+
+
+
+  ALONE WITH THE
+  HAIRY AINU.
+
+  OR,
+
+  3,800 MILES ON A PACK SADDLE IN YEZO AND
+  A CRUISE TO THE KURILE ISLANDS.
+
+  BY
+  A. H. SAVAGE LANDOR.
+
+  [Illustration]
+
+  WITH MAP AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR.
+
+  LONDON:
+  JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE STREET.
+  1893.
+
+
+  LONDON:
+  PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES AND SONS, LIMITED,
+  STAMFORD STREET AND CHARING CROSS.
+
+
+
+
+PREFACE.
+
+
+This book is not meant as a literary work, for I am not and do not
+pretend to be a literary man. It is but a record--an amplified log-book,
+as it were--of what befell me during my solitary peregrinations in
+Hokkaido, and a collection of notes and observations which I hope will
+prove interesting to anthropologists and ethnologists as well as to the
+general public.
+
+Without any claim to infallibility I have tried to take an open-minded
+and sensible view of everything I have attempted to describe; in most
+cases, however, I have given facts without passing an opinion at all,
+and all I have said I have tried to express as simply and plainly as
+possible, so as not to give rise to misunderstandings.
+
+There are a few points which I want to make quite clear.
+
+First, that I went to Hokkaido entirely on my own account and for my own
+satisfaction. Next, that I accomplished the whole journey (some 4200
+miles, out of which 3800 were ridden on horseback and on a rough
+pack-saddle) perfectly alone. By alone I mean that I had with me no
+friends, no servants, and no guides. My baggage consisted of next to
+nothing, so far as articles for my own convenience or comfort were
+concerned. I carried no provisions and no tent.
+
+I am endowed with a very sensitive nature, and I pride myself in
+possessing the gift of adaptability to an extreme degree, and this may
+partly explain why and how I could live so long with and like the Ainu,
+whose habits and customs, as my readers will see, are somewhat different
+to ours.
+
+When I go to a country I do my best to be like one of the natives
+themselves, and, whether they are savage or not, I endeavour to show
+respect for them and their ideas, and to conform to their customs for
+the time being. I make up my mind that what is good for them must be
+good enough for me, and though I have occasionally had to swear at
+myself for "doing in Ainuland as the Ainu does," especially as regards
+the food, I was not much the worse for it in the end. I never use force
+when I can win with kindness, and in my small experience in Hokkaido and
+other countries I have always found that real savages in their
+simplicity are most "gentleman-like" people. With few exceptions they
+are good-natured, dignified, and sensible, and the chances are that if
+you are fair to them they will be fair to you. Civilised savages and
+barbarians I always found untrustworthy and dangerous.
+
+The Island of Yezo, with the smaller islands near its coast, and the
+Kurile group, taken together, are called "the Hokkaido." The Hokkaido
+extends roughly from 41 deg. to 51 deg. latitude north, and between 139 deg. and
+157 deg. longitude east of Greenwich.
+
+My view of the origin of the word Ainu is this: _Ainu_ is but a
+corruption or abbreviation of _Ai-num_, "they with hair," or "hairy
+men," or else of _Hain-num_, "come with hair," or "descended hairy."
+Considering that the Ainu pride themselves above all things on their
+hairiness, it does not seem improbable to me that this may be the
+correct origin of the word, and that they called themselves after the
+distinguishing characteristic of their race.
+
+The word Ainu is a generic term, and is used both in the singular and
+plural; but when specifying, the words _Kuru_ (people, men), _utaragesh_
+(woman), etc., are generally added to it: viz., _Ainu kuru_, Ainu
+people, Ainu men; _Ainu utaragesh_, an Ainu woman; _Ainu utaragesh
+utara_, several Ainu women.
+
+The Ainu population of Yezo is roughly reckoned by the Japanese at about
+15,000 or 17,000 souls, but at least half this number are half-castes,
+and in my opinion (and I have visited nearly every Ainu village in Yezo)
+the number of thoroughbred Ainu does not exceed 8000 souls.
+
+The illustrations in this book are my own, and are the reproductions
+from sketches which I took on the spot. They may not show much artistic
+merit, but they seem to me to be characteristic of the country and the
+people, and I hope that my readers will be impressed with them in the
+same way.
+
+A. HENRY SAVAGE LANDOR.
+
+
+
+
+CONTENTS.
+
+
+  CHAPTER I.
+  From Hakodate to Mororran--Volcano Bay--The first Ainu--A
+  strange institution among them                                       1
+
+  CHAPTER II.
+  From Mororran to the Saru River                                     12
+
+  CHAPTER III.
+  Up the Saru River--Piratori and its chief                           22
+
+  CHAPTER IV.
+  An Ainu Festival                                                    30
+
+  CHAPTER V.
+  From the Saru River to Cape Erimo                                   35
+
+  CHAPTER VI.
+  From Cape Erimo to the Tokachi River                                44
+
+  CHAPTER VII.
+  The Tokachi Region--Pure Ainu Types--Curious Mode of River
+  Fishing                                                             50
+
+  CHAPTER VIII.
+  From the Tokachi River to the Kutcharo River                        68
+
+  CHAPTER IX.
+  The Koro-pok-kuru, or Pit-dwellers                                  78
+
+  CHAPTER X.
+  The Kutcharo River and Lake--A Sulphur Mine--Akkeshi and
+  its Bay                                                             95
+
+  CHAPTER XI.
+  From Akkeshi to Nemuro--A Horse Station--Nemuro and its
+  People                                                             106
+
+  CHAPTER XII.
+  The Kurile Islands                                                 121
+
+  CHAPTER XIII.
+  On the East and North-East Coast--From Nemuro to Shari-Mombets     133
+
+  CHAPTER XIV.
+  Along the Lagoons of the North-East Coast--From Shari-Mombets
+  to Poronai                                                         145
+
+  CHAPTER XV.
+  On the North-East Coast--From Poronai to Cape Soya                 157
+
+  CHAPTER XVI.
+  From Cape Soya to the Ishikari River                               167
+
+  CHAPTER XVII.
+  The Ishikari River                                                 179
+
+  CHAPTER XVIII.
+  Nearing Civilisation                                               187
+
+  CHAPTER XIX.
+  Completing the Circuit of Yezo--The End of my Journey              196
+
+  CHAPTER XX.
+  Ainu Habitations, Storehouses, Trophies, Furniture--Conservatism   207
+
+  CHAPTER XXI.
+  Ainu Art, Ainu Marks, Ornamentations, Weapons--Graves and
+  Tattoos                                                            218
+
+  CHAPTER XXII.
+  Ainu Heads, and their Physiognomy                                  229
+
+  CHAPTER XXIII.
+  Movements and Attitudes                                            236
+
+  CHAPTER XXIV.
+  Ainu Clothes, Ornaments, and Tattooing                             245
+
+  CHAPTER XXV.
+  Ainu Music, Poetry, and Dancing                                    255
+
+  CHAPTER XXVI.
+  Heredity--Crosses--Psychological Observations                      266
+
+  CHAPTER XXVII.
+  Physiological Observations--Pulse-beat and Respiration--Exposure--
+  Odour of the Ainu--The Five Senses                                 274
+
+  CHAPTER XXVIII.
+  The Ainu Superstitions--Morals--Laws and Punishments               281
+
+  CHAPTER XXIX.
+  Marital Relations, and Causes that limit Population                293
+
+  APPENDIX.
+
+  I.--Measurements of the Ainu Body, and Descriptive Characters      298
+
+  II.--Glossary of Ainu Words, many of which are found in
+  Geographical Names in Yezo and the Kurile Islands                  304
+
+  INDEX                                                              313
+
+
+
+
+LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.
+
+
+  Portrait of the Author                            _Frontispiece._
+  Aputa                                                           1
+  Ainu Woman saluting                                             6
+  Toya Lake, near Aputa                                          11
+  Fisherman's Hut                                                12
+  Pack-Saddle                                                    18
+  Norboribets Volcano                                            19
+  Horobets                                                       21
+  Storehouses at Piratori                                        22
+  Benry, the Ainu Chief of Piratori                              25
+  Ainu Man waving his Moustache-lifter before drinking           29
+  Ainu Festival, An                                              30
+  Ainu Women dancing                                             33
+  Piratori Woman in Costume                                      34
+  Utarop Rocks                                                   35
+  Ainu Lashed Canoe                                              37
+  Front View of Lashed Canoe                                     38
+  Ainu Oars                                                      38
+  Sailing Canoe                                                  38
+  Ainu Wooden Anchors                                            39
+  Ainu Canoe, Top View of an                                     39
+  Erimo Cape                                                     43
+  Natural Stone Archway, A                                       44
+  Iwa Rocks at Biru                                              49
+  Ainu Houses and Storehouse, Frishikobets, Tokachi River        50
+  Madwoman of Yammakka                                           55
+  Ainu Woman of Frishikobets, on the Tokachi River               60
+  Shikarubets Otchirsh, The                                      67
+  Ainu Man of the Upper Tokachi                                  68
+  Ainu Hook for Smoking Bear-Meat                                77
+  Koro-pok-kuru Fort                                             78
+  Flint Arrow-Heads                                              78
+  Flint Knives                                                   79
+  Koro-pok-kuru Pottery and Fragments of Designs                 86
+  Stone Adzes and Hammer                                         94
+  Ainu Huts and Storehouses on Kutcharo Lake                     95
+  Kutcharo Lake from Mount Yuzan                                 98
+  Sulphur Mine                                                  100
+  Akkeshi in a Fog                                              105
+  Ainu Man and Woman on Horseback                               106
+  Ainu Bits                                                     110
+  Semi-Ainu Rat Trap                                            120
+  Ainu Woman of the Kurile Islands                              121
+  Shikotan Ainu                                                 126
+  Woman of the Kurile Islands                                   132
+  Abashiri Island                                               133
+  Ainu Belle, An                                                140
+  Saruma Lagoon                                                 144
+  Eagle-displayed Sable, An                                     145
+  My Host, the Madman                                           148
+  Sarubuts, showing River-Course altered by Drift Sand          157
+  Ainu Village on the East Coast of Yezo                        166
+  Mashike Mountain                                              167
+  Ishikari Kraftu Ainu                                          178
+  Kamui Kotan Rapids, The                                       179
+  Woman of Ishikari River                                       186
+  Ainu Bark Water Jugs                                          187
+  Ainu Half-caste Child of Volcano Bay                          194
+  Komatage Volcano, Volcano Bay                                 196
+  Wooden Drinking Vessels                                       207
+  Kammakappe, The, &c.                                          209
+  Ahunkanitte, The, &c.                                         210
+  Atzis-Cloth in process of Weaving                             210
+  Roasting Hook                                                 211
+  Ape-Kilai, The, or Earth-Rake                                 214
+  Pestle, Mortar, Spoon, &c.                                    215
+  Ainu Pipe Holder and Tobacco Pouch                            217
+  Ainu Knife, with ornamented Sheath, &c.                       218
+  Kike-ush-bashui, or Moustache-Lifters                         220
+  Suggestions of Leaves, &c.                                    221
+  Elaborations of Chevrons, Wave Patterns, &c.                  222
+  Tchutti, or War-Clubs, &c.                                    223
+  Ainu Knives                                                   224
+  Monuments for Women                                           225
+  Wooden Monuments over Men's Grave                             225
+  Wooden Blade                                                  226
+  Ainu Pipe, An                                                 228
+  Ainu Man walking with Snow-Shoes                              236
+  Thiaske-Tarra, The                                            238
+  Atzis, The                                                    245
+  Atzis, after Japanese Pattern                                 245
+  Winter Bear-skin Coat                                         245
+  Atzis, Back of                                                246
+  "Hoshi," The                                                  247
+  Boots, Deer-Skin Shoe, &c.                                    248
+  Tattoo-marks on Women's Arms                                  253
+  Snow-Shoes                                                    254
+  Ainu Salutation                                               255
+  "Mukko," A, or Musical Instrument                             258
+  Wooden Pipe, A                                                265
+  Naked Ainu Man from the North-East Coast of Yezo              274
+  Trophy of Bears' Skulls                                       281
+  Inao-netuba, &c.                                              292
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: APUTA.]
+
+CHAPTER I.
+
+From Hakodate to Mororran--Volcano Bay--The first Ainu--A strange
+Institution among them.
+
+
+I have often asked myself _why_ I went to Yezo; and, when there, what
+possessed me to undertake the laborious task of going round the island,
+up its largest rivers, travelling through jungles and round lakes,
+climbing its highest peaks, and then proceeding to the Kuriles. There
+are certain things in one's life that cannot be accounted for, and the
+journey which I am going to relate is one of them.
+
+Pleasure and rest were the two principal objects which had primarily
+induced me to steer northwards; but it was my fate not to get either the
+one or the other.
+
+I was on the Japanese ship the _Satsuma Maru_. Rapidly nearing the
+Hakodate Head, which we soon passed, we entered the well-protected bay
+and the town of Hakodate at the foot of the Peak came into view. It
+looked extremely pretty, with its paper-walled houses and its tiled
+roofs, set against the background of brown rock with its fringe of green
+at the foot. As we cast anchor, hundreds of coolies, carrying on their
+backs loads of dried fish and seaweed, were running along the _bund_ or
+wharf. A few _musemes_ (girls), in their pretty _kimonos_ (gowns) and
+with oil-paper umbrellas, were toddling along on their wooden clogs, and
+a crowd of loafers stood gazing at the ship as she came to anchor. The
+Peak, more than 1000 feet high, was towering on our south side, forming
+a peninsula, joined to the mainland by a sandy isthmus, and the large
+bay swept round us, forming nearly a circle. The place has a striking
+resemblance to Gibraltar.
+
+I landed, and put up at a tea-house, where I was in hopes of learning
+something regarding the island from the Japanese settlers, but no one
+knew anything. The reports that there were no roads extending beyond a
+few miles; that there was but very poor and scarce accommodation along
+the coast; that the Ainu, who lived further north, were dirty people;
+and that the country was full of bears, were certainly not encouraging
+to an intending traveller.
+
+I must confess that my first day in Yezo was a dull one; but the second
+day I had the pleasure of meeting a Mr. H., a resident, who kindly
+offered me his hospitality, and the next two were pleasantly spent at
+his house. In conversation with a friend of his, I heard the remark that
+no man alone could possibly complete the circuit of the island of Yezo,
+owing to the difficulties of travel; and my readers can imagine the
+astonishment of my interlocutors when I meekly said, that if no one had
+ever done it, I was going to do it; and, indeed, that I intended to set
+out alone the next morning.
+
+"Impossible!" said one, "you are too young and too delicate."
+
+"Absurd!" said my kind host, "it would take a very strong man to do
+it--a man who could stand any amount of hardships and roughing." At the
+same time he gave me a pitiful look, which undoubtedly meant, "You are a
+mere bag of skin and bones."
+
+However, the bag of skin and bones kept his word, notwithstanding the
+poor opinion that his new friends had formed of him.
+
+The preparations for my journey were simple. In two large Japanese
+baskets I packed three hundred small wooden panels for oil-painting, a
+large supply of oil colours and brushes, a dozen small sketch-books, my
+diary, three pairs of boots, three shirts, an equal number of pairs of
+woollen stockings, a revolver, and a hundred cartridges. The remainder
+of my luggage was left in charge of Mr. H. till my return. I did not
+burden myself with either provisions or a tent.
+
+I rose early the following morning and bade good-bye to my kind host.
+"Good-bye," said he, "I expect we shall see you back to-night to
+dinner." The word "dinner" was the last English word I heard from the
+mouth of an Englishman, and it was five long months before I heard
+another.
+
+The first thirty miles of my journey were ridden in a _basha_, a covered
+cart built on four wheels that ought to have been round, but were not.
+There were no springs for the comfort of the traveller, and no cushions
+on the seats. The conveyance was public, and was drawn by two sturdy
+ponies. The driver, a Japanese, carried a brass trumpet, on which he
+continually played.
+
+I might have begun my story by the usual "One fine day," if,
+unfortunately, the day on which I started the rain had not poured
+in torrents. A Japanese policeman and a girl were my only
+fellow-passengers. Travelling at full gallop, on a rough road, in a trap
+with unsymmetrical wheels and with no springs, during a heavy storm, is
+scarcely what one would call a pleasant mode of progression; but after
+some hours of "being knocked about," we went zig-zag fashion, first up a
+steep hill, then down on the other side, giving the horses a rest at a
+roadside tea-house by the famous lakes of Zenzai. The larger of these
+two lakes--the Ko-numa--is extremely picturesque, with its numerous
+little islands wooded with deciduous trees. In shape it is very
+irregular, and many points, which project into the lake, add to the
+loveliness of the scene, while the high ridge over which I had come, on
+the one side, and the rugged volcano of Komagatake on the other, form a
+beautiful background to the limpid sheet of water. The outlet of this
+lake empties itself into Volcano Bay, S.E. of the Komagatake Volcano.
+The other lake, though smaller, is quite as striking, and possesses the
+same characteristics of its larger brother. It goes by the name of
+Ono-numa. A peculiarity of these lakes is that they abound in a smallish
+fish--the _funa_--which is greatly appreciated by the Japanese.
+
+I sat down in the tea-house on the soft mats, and my _bento_--Japanese
+lunch--was served to me on a tiny table. There was water soup; there was
+sea-weed; there was a bowl of rice, and raw fish. The fish--a small
+_funa_--was in a diminutive dish and its back was covered by a leaf; the
+head projected over the side of the plate. On the leaf were placed
+several neatly-cut pieces of the raw flesh, which had apparently been
+removed from the back of the underlying animal. As I had been long
+accustomed to Japanese food of this kind I ate to my heart's content,
+when, to my great horror, the _funa_, which had been staring at me with
+its round eyes, relieved of the weight that had passed from its back
+into my digestive organs, leaped up, leaf and all, from the dish and
+fell on the mat. All the vital parts had carefully been left in the
+fish, and the wretched creature was still alive!
+
+"Horrible!" I cried, violently pushing away the table and walking out
+disgusted, to the great surprise of the people present, who expected me
+to revel in the deliciousness of the dish.
+
+For days and days after I could see in my mind the staring eyes of the
+_funa_, watching each movement of my chopsticks, and its own back being
+eaten piecemeal! Wherever I went this big eye stood before me, and
+increased or diminished in size according to my being more or less
+lonely, more or less hungry. I had often eaten raw fish before, but
+never had I eaten live fish!
+
+The journey in the _basha_ was resumed that afternoon, and, more dead
+than alive, I alighted in the evening at Mori, a small Japanese village
+at the foot of the Komagatake Volcano. The peak of this mountain is 4000
+feet above the level of the sea, but its basin-like crater is at a
+somewhat lower altitude. Up to a certain height it is thickly wooded
+with deciduous trees and firs, thence its slopes are bare of vegetation,
+rugged in form, and very rich in colour. It makes part of a volcanic
+mass which extends from the Esan Volcano, further south, to the limit of
+the Shiribeshi province, crossing straight through the province of
+Oshima as far as the Yurapdake Mountain. Komagatake is one of the most
+majestic and picturesque mountains I have ever seen, as it possesses
+lovely lines on nearly every side. Its isolation and sudden sharp
+elevation, rising as it does directly from the sea, gives, of course, a
+grand appearance to its weird and sterile slopes, which are covered with
+warmly-tinted cinders, pumice, and lava.
+
+I went over to Mororran, across Volcano Bay, and the following morning I
+risked my life on a small craft, which took me over to Mombets. From
+this place I rode on to Uso and Aputa, two Ainu villages at a short
+distance from each other.
+
+Coming from Japan the first thing that strikes a traveller in the Ainu
+country is the odour of dried fish, which one can smell everywhere; the
+next is the great number of crows--the scavengers of the country;
+lastly, the volcanic nature of the island. On visiting an Ainu village
+what impressed me most were the miserable and filthy huts, compared with
+the neat and clean Japanese houses; the poverty and almost appalling
+dirt of the people and their gentle, submissive nature.
+
+I shall not dwell at length on these Volcano Bay Ainu, as this part of
+the country is comparatively civilised, and has been travelled over by
+many people previous to my going there. Besides, most of them have
+intermarried with Japanese, and have consequently adopted many Japanese
+customs and manners.
+
+The Ainu of the coast build their huts generally on a single line, near
+the shore, and each family has its "dug out" canoe drawn up on the
+beach, ready to hand when wanted. The huts are small and
+miserable-looking, and they have no furniture or bedding to speak of.
+The roof and walls are thatched with _arundinaria_, but so imperfectly
+that wind and rain find easy access through their reedy covering.
+Curiosity is the only good quality which I ever possessed, and in
+obedience to it I poked my nose into several of the huts along the
+beach. This was a mistake on my part, for in the Ainu country the nose
+is the last thing one ought to poke in anywhere. I was more than
+astonished to see how human beings could live in such filth! The natives
+kindly asked me to enter, and I of course did so, stooping low through
+the small door and raising the mat which protects the aperture. When I
+was in I could smell a great deal more than I could see, for the east
+window--the size of a small handkerchief, and the only one in the
+hut--did not give light enough to illuminate the premises. However, I
+soon got accustomed to the dimness, and then I could make out my
+surroundings clearly enough. There was an old man, perfectly naked, with
+a fine head, long white hair and beard, sitting on the ground among a
+mass of seaweeds, which he was disentangling and packing. Two young
+women and two young men, with bright, intelligent eyes and high
+cheek-bones, were helping him in his work. In their quiet, gentle way
+they all brought their hands forward, each rubbed the palms together,
+and, lifting the arms, slowly stroked their hair, and the men their
+beard with the backs of their hands, while the women rubbed the first
+finger under the nose from the left to the right. This is their
+salutation, and it is most graceful. They seemed pleased to see me, and
+asked me to sit down. As there were neither chairs nor sofas, stools nor
+cushions, I squatted on the ground.
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOMAN SALUTING.]
+
+Most Ainu of Volcano Bay understand Japanese, and they also speak it,
+interpolating Ainu words when necessary, so I began a conversation. My
+presence did not seem to disturb them or arouse their curiosity, and,
+beyond gazing at the mother-of-pearl buttons on my white coat, they did
+not appear to be struck by me. Evidently the buttons were much more
+interesting to them than the person who wore them. Now and then they
+uttered a few words, but whenever one spoke some of the company seemed
+to be angry, as at an impertinence or a breach of etiquette. Men and
+women wore large ear-rings or pieces of red or black cloth, which added
+a great deal to their picturesqueness; but the women were disfigured by
+a long moustache tattooed across the face from ear to ear. Rough
+drawings adorn the arms and hands of the women, and some of the younger
+females would undoubtedly be fine-looking if not disfigured by the
+tattoos, for they carry themselves well when walking, and possess comely
+features. Judging from appearances, I should think them very passionate.
+
+Coming out of the hut I saw a scene which I shall never forget. Two
+naked boys, covered with horrible skin eruptions, had got hold of a
+large fish-bone, out of which they were endeavouring to make a meal.
+Round them were gathered about thirty dogs, wild with hunger, barking
+furiously at the frightened children, and attacking and fighting them
+for that miserable repast.
+
+I walked along the beach, and endeavoured to make friends with some of
+the Ainu who were less shy than the others. One little girl was
+especially picturesque. She was only about ten, and her large eyes,
+tanned complexion, white teeth, the tiny bluish-black tattoo on her
+upper lip, her uncombed long black hair flying around her, and her red
+cloth ear-rings, made her indeed one of the quaintest studies of colour
+that I have seen in my life. I got her to sit for me; and while I was
+painting her, an old man, the chief of the village, dressed up in a
+gaudy costume, with a crown of willow shavings on his head, came to me
+and made his "salaams." He bore the name of Angotsuro, and before all
+his salaams were over he found himself "caught in the action" in my
+sketch-book. Many of the villagers had collected round, and one of them,
+a half-caste, expressed the wish that I should paint the chief in
+colours, like the picture of the girl. I asked for nothing better, and
+started an oil-sketch of him. The excitement of the natives who were
+witnessing the operation grew greater and greater as each new ornament
+in the chief's dress was put in the picture. Some seemed to approve of
+it, others were grumpy, and apparently objected to the picture being
+taken at all. The _seance_ was indeed a stormy one; and though the chief
+had his regal crown knocked off his head two or three times by the
+anti-artistic party, he sat well for his likeness, especially as I
+promised him in Japanese, that when the picture was completed he should
+be given a few coins and two buttons off my coat.
+
+It was while portraying him that I noticed what extraordinary effects
+colours produce on those whose eyes are unaccustomed to them. A man in
+the crowd would get excited, and open his eyes wide and show his teeth
+every time I happened to touch with my brush the cobalt blue on my
+palette. Other colours had not the same effect on him. His eyes were
+continually fixed on the blue, anxiously waiting for the brush to dip in
+it, and this would then send him into fits of merriment. I squeezed some
+blue paint from a tube on to the palm of his hand, and he nearly went
+off his head with delight. He sprang and jumped and yelled, and then ran
+some way off, where he squatted on the sand, still in admiration of the
+blue dab on his hand, still grinning at intervals with irrepressible
+enjoyment. Where the point of the joke was no one but himself ever knew.
+
+When the picture was finished I had no little trouble to keep the many
+fingers of my audience off the wet painting. Moreover, some person
+endowed with kindly feelings threw a handful of sand in my face, which
+nearly blinded me for the moment and partly ruined the two pictures I
+had painted. The money and the buttons were duly paid to Angotsuro and I
+moved on.
+
+That same evening I went out for a walk. It was a very dark night, and I
+love dark nights. When for some years you have done nothing but see
+strange things and new places there is indeed a great fascination in
+going about in complete darkness; it rests both your eyes and your
+brain. I walked for some time along the beach, stumbling against the
+canoes drawn on shore and against anything that was in my way. Hut after
+hut was passed, but everything was silent; there was not a sound to be
+heard, not a light to be seen. The Ainu are early people; they retire
+with the sun. I walked on yet farther and farther afield, till through
+the thatched wall of one of the huts I discerned a faint light. I stood
+and listened. The sad voice of a man was singing a weird, weird song,
+the weirdest song I have ever heard. Then came a pause, and another
+voice, even more plaintive than the first, continued the same air.
+
+What with the strange melody in the hut, the soothing noise of the waves
+gently breaking on the shingle, and the distant howling of dogs or
+wolves, the mystic effect was such that I could not resist the
+temptation, and I crept into the hut. A fire was burning in the centre,
+but it had almost gone out, leaving a lot of smoke. Three old men were
+sitting on the ground. They decidedly looked as if they did not expect
+me, but, after their first astonishment was over, they asked me to squat
+down in a corner, and there I was left to amuse myself, while they
+resumed their singing and drinking. Of the latter they seemed to have
+had enough already; but, all the same, several wooden bowls, about five
+inches in diameter and two deep, were passed round and emptied in no
+time. The more they drank, the wilder and more melancholy the song
+became. Only one at a time sang, and he would begin in a very low tone
+of voice and go up in a _crescendo_, gradually getting awfully excited;
+then all at once he would stop, as if the effort had been too great for
+him. His head drooped, and he seemed to sleep. Then, suddenly waking up,
+coming back to his full senses in a startling manner, he drained one of
+the bowls, which meantime had been refilled, and resumed the song. The
+three men were facing each other, and so absorbed were they in their
+music that, though I was not more than four feet away from them, they
+seemed to have forgotten me altogether.
+
+I was so impressed with the strangeness of the song that I pulled out my
+pencil and paper to write down the air. As there was no light but the
+flicker of the fire, I turned the white leaf of my sketch-book toward it
+to see what I was writing. This caught the eye of one of the men. He
+woke up, startled from his musical dream, jumped to his feet, and made a
+dash for me, yelling some words which I did not understand, and holding
+over my head something that I could not distinguish at the moment owing
+to the dimness of the light. Standing thus he paused, evidently waiting
+for an answer to something he had said. It came from one of the other
+fellows, who pushed him so violently as to send him sprawling on the
+floor, while, what he held in his hand--a big, heavy, pointed
+knife--fell and stuck deep in the ground about an inch from my toes. A
+dispute arose among themselves, but among the Ainu everything ends up in
+a drink. The large wooden bowls were again refilled; grand bows were
+made to me, and they all stroked their hair and beard several times--a
+sign of great respect. I was then handed one of the bowls and made to
+swallow the contents. But, heavens! never have I felt any liquid work
+its way down so far. Had I swallowed fire it could not have been as bad;
+and, indeed, it was neither more nor less than liquid fire.
+
+As the night was wearing fast, and the old fellows had got on well with
+their drink, the sing-song became rather too languid and monotonous; and
+I crept out of the hut as quietly as I had entered it, not without first
+giving the inmates something for their trouble. I had some difficulty
+in finding my way back to my less musical quarters; and passing too
+close to some of the other huts, the dogs--which infest all Ainu
+villages--barked furiously and roused the whole place.
+
+I learned afterwards that it is an Ainu fashion to try a man's courage.
+This is done in the way in which my musical friends tried mine, namely,
+by making a sudden rush with a knife as if death and destruction were
+imminent, which to a perfect stranger, unconscious of the strain of
+"bluff" in the action, is not very reassuring. If the person to be
+tested is aware of this fashion he has to submit to an unlimited number
+of whacks, administered to him on his bare back, with a heavy war-club.
+These tests of a man's courage and endurance are called the _Ukorra_.
+
+In the first instance it is done, in a certain sense, good-naturedly,
+and not meaning to hurt one. Should, however, the person apparently so
+dangerously threatened show fright or signs of cowardice, he loses the
+respect of the Ainu, unless he has the happy thought of giving them a
+sufficient quantity of some intoxicating liquor to make them all
+drunk--which is a sure means of turning the most inimical Ainu you may
+meet into your fast friend, even if you have had a deadly feud with him.
+
+The second way--with the war-club--of course is a painful process, and
+the Ainu have recourse to it when it is necessary to determine the
+relative amount of courage possessed by certain members of a community.
+The one that can stand the greater number of blows is naturally entitled
+to the respect and admiration of his neighbours, and he is elected
+leader in bear-hunts or similar expeditions. At the election of a new
+chief--when the chief's line of descendants dies out--this process, I
+was told, is often practised; for bravery is the first quality which an
+Ainu chief must possess.
+
+At Aputa, through some of the half-castes, I was able to pick up a great
+number of Ainu words, which were most useful to me afterwards; and from
+that, gradually increasing my stock of words, I soon knew enough to
+understand a little and also to make myself understood.
+
+One day I went along the coast to the next village of Repun, and then
+retraced my steps to Aputa, as there was nothing of interest at the
+former place.
+
+An excursion which I enjoyed more was to the Toya Lake, with its three
+pretty islands in the centre and the magnificent Uso Volcano on its
+southern shores. The walk there and back was hardly fifteen miles, over
+a mountain track and through forests of pine-trees and oaks. The lake is
+about 250 feet above the level of the sea, and is about five miles in
+diameter. Its shores are surrounded with thickly-wooded hills, which
+have grassy terraces at a certain altitude, extending especially towards
+the north-western shores of the lake. The barren Uso Volcano, with its
+sterile slopes, is a great contrast to the beautiful green of the
+comparatively luxuriant vegetation of the lower altitudes. The lake
+finds an outlet into the Osaru River by means of a high waterfall.
+
+The following day I rode back to Mombets, and the next on to
+Shin-Mororran (the _new_ Mororran, distinguished by this affix from
+Kiu-Mororran, the _old_ settlement on the northern shore).
+
+Mororran has a well-protected harbour, and it would be the best future
+port in Hokkaido if the anchorage were of a larger capacity. In more
+speculative hands than the Japanese this port would be a great rival to
+Hakodate. It consists of a thickly-wooded peninsula, which forms a
+well-sheltered bay, at the entrance of which the picturesque island of
+Daikuku stands high above the sea-level. In the harbour itself, smaller
+islets and huge rocks contribute to its beauty.
+
+The village of Mororran is a mere streak of fourth-rate tea-houses along
+the road by the side of the cliffs. Apart from the natural loveliness of
+the harbour, it has, indeed, no claims to consideration at present. In
+former days it was called by the Ainu, Tokri-moi, "the home of the
+seals," for these valuable amphibious animals were said to be then
+plentiful in the bay.
+
+[Illustration: TOYA LAKE, NEAR APUTA.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: FISHERMAN'S HUT.]
+
+CHAPTER II.
+
+From Mororran to the Saru River.
+
+
+Thirteen more miles in a _basha_--for I was still in civilised
+regions--took me to Horobets--a village half Ainu and half Japanese.
+
+The Ainu often name their villages after rivers, and this word Horobets,
+which in English means "large river," is an instance of this custom. In
+Southern Japan, previous to my visiting Yezo, I was told that nearly all
+the Ainu of Horobets had become "good Christians." If such were the
+case, which I do not wish my readers to doubt, the small experience
+which I had here, led me to believe that "good Christians" often make
+"very bad heathens."
+
+I left all my baggage in a tea-house at the entrance of the village,
+and, taking my paint-box with me, I went for a walk along the beach. I
+saw a crowd of Ainu in the distance, and I hurried up to them. They were
+busy skinning a large Ushi-sakana (cow-fish), cutting it into pieces
+with their long knives. They did not pay much attention to me, and this
+disregard of what would be to others a cause of curiosity and
+interruption I afterwards found to be a characteristic of the Ainu. They
+are seldom distracted from any particular idea that occupies their mind
+at a certain moment. In fact, they are so little accustomed to reflect
+at all, that it seems almost impossible for them to think of two things
+at the same time. Of all the existing races of mankind they may be said
+to be the most purely one-idea'd.
+
+Stark naked, with their long hair streaming in the wind, they formed a
+picturesque group. What a chance for a sketch! I sat down on the sand,
+opened my paint-box, and dashed off a picture, when a young lad, who had
+taken his share of the fish, came over to see what I was doing. "What is
+it?" he asked me in broken Japanese, to which question I answered that I
+was painting the group of them. The news seemed to give him a shock. He
+rejoined the others, excitedly muttered some words, and apparently told
+them that I had painted the whole group, fish and all. Had anyone among
+them been struck by lightning, they could certainly not have looked more
+dismayed. I never knew until then that painting could have such an
+overpowering effect on people, except, perhaps, when one has sat to an
+amateur artist for one's own likeness, the result of which is often one
+of dumb and blank amazement. Anger and disgust naturally followed. The
+fish was thrown aside, but not the knives, armed with which they all
+rushed at my back. The sudden change of ideas had evidently made them
+exceedingly angry. The grumbling became very loud, and louder still when
+they saw me complacently giving the finishing touches to the fish, which
+was now left alone, and not as before shifted about every second. They
+grew wilder and wilder, until one of the crowd shouted in my ears some
+words which sounded remarkably like swearing. Nevertheless it takes more
+than that to stop me from sketching; but ... "By Jove!" I exclaimed,
+when, all of a sudden, a rush was made on me. My paint-box, picture,
+palette and brushes were snatched out of my hands and smashed or flung
+away, and I found myself stretched on the sand, my late involuntary
+sitters holding me down fast by the legs and arms. A big knife was kept
+well over my head, so that I should not attempt to move, while the
+painting, on a heavy wooden panel, was being mercilessly destroyed by
+others. "If these are Christians, well I am ..." were, I must confess,
+the first words that rose to my lips.
+
+It is, indeed, difficult to describe how and what one feels when, to all
+appearance, one is going to be murdered--for painting a fish! My first
+thought, of course, went to my parents. My next was, what a nuisance it
+was to be murdered with the sun shining in my eyes, so that I could not
+even see who would give me the "finishing touch." All the events of my
+life, the bad ones first, flashed across my mind in those few seconds,
+and then I almost began to feel as if I had made my first steps into the
+other world, and I could see angels and devils disputing for my
+company--the devils, of course, having by far the largest claims. The
+bitterness of death had in some sense passed, when, to my great
+astonishment, and with a few, but very sound, kicks I was made to
+understand that I could get up and go.
+
+The sensation of being brought back to life, when one has made up one's
+mind to be dead, notwithstanding the abrupt manner in which it was
+produced, was indeed a pleasant one. I did get up, and pretty quick, I
+can tell you; but only to see my poor wooden paint-box floating
+half-smashed in the sea, my brushes stuck here and there in the sand,
+and the sketch utterly destroyed.
+
+My assailants were about fifteen or twenty, and I was alone. Stupidly
+enough, and relying on the Christianity of the people, I had not
+burdened myself with the extra weight of my revolver; I had left it with
+my heavy luggage in the small Japanese tea-house where I had put up,
+nearly a mile away. The Japanese police-station was at Washibets,
+another village some miles off. Nothing was left for me but to pick up
+the few unbroken brushes which were within easy reach and retire; but I
+was neither frightened nor conquered, and I swore to myself that I would
+have my revenge. I hurried to the tea-house, took my revolver, and
+filled my pocket with cartridges, then I ran back to the spot where I
+had sketched and been assaulted. There they all were as I had left them,
+one of them mimicking me with the broken palette, which he had fished
+out of the sea. I had kept well behind some thick brushwood, so that
+they should not see me, and for some time watched them unobserved. The
+imitation was perfect. The impromptu Raphael's hair was long enough to
+give him the look of an artist, and he was sufficiently brave to carry
+on his imitation sketching under a shower of missiles and sand thrown at
+him by his friends and companions. As he turned his head I recognised in
+my brother-artist the man who had been holding the knife over my head
+about an hour before, and also the very person who had given me the
+soundest kick. Just like a brother-artist! If my sketching had not
+lasted long, his parody was even shorter. I sprang out from the
+brushwood screen and caught him by the throat, pointing my revolver at
+his head, and telling him in Japanese to follow me to the
+police-station. Another man, attacking me from behind, stabbed me in my
+left arm, but not very severely, as I saw him just in time to avoid his
+blow. The sight of my revolver had a salutary effect on my hairy
+friends, and they were done out of their fun when, keeping them at bay,
+I told them that if they did not follow me they would all be dead men
+before they knew where they were. They had seen guns of the Japanese,
+and they knew the effects of them, so the saucy gentlemen stroked their
+hair and beard and made signs of submission and obedience. However, I
+was not to be easily appeased, as it was necessary to give them a lesson
+to prevent the same thing happening to future travellers; so I made them
+march in front of me, not caring to have them at my back, and thus took
+them all to the Japanese police-station, where they were duly arrested.
+The Japanese are very severe with recalcitrant Ainu, and my assailants
+would have been unmercifully dealt with had it not been for their wives
+and children, who came to me begging me to forgive their husbands and
+fathers for what they had done. I willingly did so, on condition that
+they should all come and prostrate themselves at my feet, imploring
+pardon and forgiveness and offering submission, as well as confessing
+their sorrow. This penitential function was reluctantly fixed by the
+Japanese policeman--the only one in the place--at a late hour in the
+afternoon. During the interval, as I fortunately had a large supply of
+painting materials, I managed to repaint from memory the scene
+represented in the sketch destroyed. The evening came, and the little
+Japanese policeman brought the resigned and humbled Ainu to the inn.
+Their wives and relatives followed, and they all looked supremely
+mournful and sad. I sat, Japanese fashion, on the small verandah on the
+ground-floor, and the policeman placed the Ainu on a line in front of
+me, and then came to sit by my side. He then addressed them, partly in
+the Ainu language, partly in Japanese, and bestowed on them names which
+went well to the point. He scolded them harshly, and asked them why they
+had assaulted me.
+
+One of them, as grave as a judge, with his eyes cast down, and in a
+half-broken voice, came forward and said, that if once you have your
+likeness taken you have to give up your life to it, and it brings
+illness to yourself, to your children, your parents, and your
+neighbours. Not only that, but as I had _taken_ many people together,
+famine was sure to fall on the country. "Then," he added--and he seemed
+positive of what he was talking about--"then there was a fish the
+stranger _made_"--the Ainu have no word for painting--"and had we not
+destroyed his _makings_ all the fish would have disappeared from the
+sea, and all the Ainu would have died of starvation"--which was a
+terrible contingency, as the Ainu live mainly by fishing. "We have not
+hurt the stranger," continued this hairy representative of Master
+Eustache de St. Pierre, "and now that all the Ainu and the fish he made
+are destroyed we are safe."
+
+"You are mistaken," said I, when, by the aid of the policeman, I
+understood the meaning of this long harangue, and I produced the large
+sketch of the scene which I had repainted from memory. This certainly
+beat them. They could hardly believe their own eyes, and looked at each
+other as if some great calamity were approaching. I have no doubt that
+they considered me an evil spirit, and, as such, too powerful to be
+contended with. Discretion was their best part of valour, as they
+proved. One by one they approached the verandah, sat cross-legged in
+front of me, rubbed their hands together, stroked their hair and beard
+three times, and three times each put his head down to my feet, begging
+my pardon. The Ainu women and children who had assembled in the back
+yard, where the function took place, were crying and moaning piteously.
+The most trying part for me was, of course, to keep serious during this
+long tragi-comic performance, and I was indeed glad when it was all
+over; when my supremacy was acknowledged, and my immunity from further
+insult secured; when submission had been made, and such whips and stings
+of outrageous fortune as might come from the painting of a fish had been
+humbly accepted.
+
+The Ainu are gentle and mild by nature, but, like all ignorant people,
+they are extremely superstitious, and superstition is a powerful
+excitant. Nevertheless, they are good people in their own way, and it
+must not be inferred from this small experience of mine that they are
+bullies, for they are not. The superstition regarding the reproduction
+of images is common all through the East, with the exception of the
+Japanese, and in many parts of Europe itself strange ideas are connected
+with portrait-painting. In Spain or Italy many a girl of the lower
+classes would think herself dishonoured if she happened to be sketched
+unawares, or if her picture were shown without the consent of her
+parents, brothers, relatives, and the parish priest.
+
+However, these Horobets Ainu are said, since civilisation has set in in
+that part of Yezo, of late years to have become untrustworthy and
+violent. They are more given to drunkenness than their neighbours, as
+they can procure from the Japanese stronger beverages than their own.
+_Sake_ (Japanese wine) of inferior quality is sold and exchanged in
+large quantities, and has the same fatal effects on them as rum--our
+fire-water--had on the American Indians.
+
+I was not sorry to leave a village which had displayed so little
+appreciation of my art. I took two ponies and two pack-saddles, to one
+of which was lashed my baggage, while I sat on the other. Riding is a
+delightful pastime when you have a good horse and a good saddle; but not
+when you have to look after two vicious animals, and are yourself
+perched on a rough wooden pack-saddle. Moreover, Ainu pack-saddles are
+perhaps the most uncomfortable of their kind. The illustration shows one
+of them. It is made with a rough, solid wooden frame, of which the front
+and back parts are semicircular. One large hole is perforated in each of
+these to allow ropes to be passed through. Under this frame are two mat
+cushions or pads, which are somehow supposed to fit the pony's back; and
+by means of three ropes, one of which is passed under the pony's body
+and fastened on each side of the saddle, while the others hang loose
+across its chest and under its tail respectively, the pack-saddle is
+made to remain in position either going uphill, downhill, or on level
+ground. Stirrups, of course, there are none; and mounting involves some
+difficulties at first. One has to face one's pony and place the left
+foot on the breast-piece, lift oneself up and swing right round,
+describing three-quarters of a circle before attaining one's seat in the
+saddle. If distances are miscalculated in this gymnastic feat, it is a
+common occurrence to find oneself seated on the pony's neck, or else
+landed heavily on either of the two hard wooden arches of the saddle,
+instead of gracefully falling between them. Keeping your equilibrium
+when you are on is also a trying exercise to anybody not born and bred a
+circus rider, and balancing your baggage perfectly on each side of the
+saddle is somewhat more difficult than it sounds.
+
+[Illustration: PACK-SADDLE.]
+
+Nine miles from Horobets one comes across the Nobori-bets[1]
+hot-springs. There was, formerly, a _geiser_ here, but it is seldom
+active now. These hot-springs are situated two-and-a-half miles from the
+sea-coast, and a miserable building, which is a mere shanty, is built in
+the vicinity of them, where people who wish to be cured of different
+complaints put up and take the waters.
+
+    [1] _Nobori_, mountain, volcano; _bets_, river, stream.
+
+I rode on to the Noboribets village, consisting of a few houses only;
+and, though I reached it late in the evening, I had to ride fourteen
+miles further to Shiraoi, "a place of horse-flies."[2]
+
+    [2] _Shirao_, horse-fly; _i_, a suffix meaning _a place_.
+
+At sunrise I was up again and on my way to Tomakomai,[3] the largest
+Japanese fishing village between Mororran and Cape Erimo.
+
+    [3] _To_, lake, swamp; _mak_, behind; _oma_, inside; _i_, a suffix
+        meaning _a place_, or "a place behind which a hidden swamp is
+        found."
+
+[Illustration: NOBORIBETS VOLCANO.]
+
+Sardine fishing is the principal and, indeed, the only industry of the
+place. It is carried on in a practical way. When the long nets are
+ready, and one end of them is fastened to the shore, they launch the
+boat, which is rowed rapidly by twenty or thirty strong men, while the
+net is dropped as the boat goes along. Having thus described a
+semicircle, the boat is beached. All on board jump out, and the net is
+pulled on shore amid the shrieks and yells of the excited fishermen.
+Myriads of sardines are caught each time the net is hauled in; and it is
+a fantastic scene to see the naked crowd which, in clearing the nets
+from the beheaded fish, get covered with silver scales, which stick to
+their arms, legs, and body, and give them a strange appearance.
+
+_Look-out_ towers are built on four high posts, where a watchman is
+posted to signal the arrival and approach of the shoals. The sea is so
+dense with them that it changes its colour, and these moving banks of
+sardines are distinguishable four or five miles from the coast. This
+method is the same as that adopted in Cornwall when the pilchards are
+expected, and the same discoloration of the sea takes place.
+
+From Tomakomai a road branches to the north leading to Sappro, the
+capital of Hokkaido, and it is the last place on the southern coast
+which is visited by that rare specimen of the globe-trotter who ventures
+to Yezo. He hastily makes his way from here to Sappro and Otaru on the
+northern coast, and waits for a ship to be conveyed back to Hakodate. He
+then, of course, tells his friends that he has been round and about and
+through Yezo, while in fact he has seen absolutely nothing of Yezo or
+its inhabitants. About half-a-dozen Europeans, however, have been
+further on--as far as the Saru River; and each one has written a book on
+the Ainu, for the most part copying what the previous author had
+written.
+
+As far as Tomakomai there is a road--a sure sign of civilisation--but
+nothing but a horse-track is to be found all along the southern coast
+after this place has been passed.
+
+Changing my ponies at Yuhuts,[4] nine miles east, and again at Mukawa
+and Saru-buto, I was able to reach Saru Mombets that same night. Many
+Ainu and Japanese fishermen's huts are scattered between Horohuts[5] and
+Yuhuts, on the sandy track along the sea.
+
+    [4] _Yu_, springs; _huts_, mouth of river.
+
+    [5] _Horo_, large; _hut_, _huts_, _put_, the mouth of a river.
+
+The traveller then leaves the sea on the right, and by a very uneven
+track, and after fording several rivers of little importance comes to
+Mukawa, a dirty little village fourteen miles from Yuhuts. My lunch that
+day consisted of a large piece of raw salmon, which was easily digested
+in riding nine more miles to Saru-buto. Sharu in Ainu, corrupted into
+Saru, means a grassy plain; and _buto_ is a Japanese corruption of the
+Ainu word _huts_, the mouth of a river. My ponies must have known of
+this "grassy plain," for they went remarkably well, and I reached the
+latter village some time before dark, so that I was able to push on to
+Saru Mombets, a larger village nearly four miles further. Saru Mombets
+translated means "a tranquil river in a grassy plain," a name thoroughly
+appropriate to the locality.
+
+There is nothing to interest the traveller along the coast, unless he be
+a geologist. Almost the whole of the western part of the Iburi district
+is of volcanic formation. The eastern part is abundant in sandstones,
+breccias, and shales. In the neighbourhood of Yuhuts, and all along the
+coast as far west as Horobets, pumice forms the surface soil, showing
+that in former days frequent eruptions must have taken place. Vegetable
+mould alternates with pumice. Sand, clay, tufa, with beds of peat and
+gravel, are the components of the soil which is found filling up the
+declivities of mountains, covering low-lands and sea-beaches in this
+part of the island. Specimens of the palaeozoic group are found in the
+pebbles of the Mukawa River and valley, like amphibolite, limestone,
+phyllite, sandstone, and clay-slate, besides variegated quartzite of
+greenish and red layers. Primary rocks are common all through Iburi and
+Hidaka.
+
+The terraces surrounding the Saru valley are mostly wooded with oak, and
+the swampy region between the Mukawa and Sarubuto has many patches of
+green grass, and a thick growth of high swamp reeds.
+
+[Illustration: HOROBETS.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: STOREHOUSES AT PIRATORI.]
+
+CHAPTER III.
+
+Up the Saru River--Piratori and its chief.
+
+
+A large number of Ainu have taken up their abode on the banks of the
+River Saru, or Sharu, as it is called by them, and Piratori, nearly
+fifteen miles from the coast, is the largest village of the whole
+series.
+
+The scenery from the coast to this village is not grand, but pretty,
+through a thickly-wooded country and along grassy plains. The Ainu give
+to the plain itself the name of Sharu-Ru, which corresponds in English
+to a "track in a grassy plain." Along this water-way, or not far from
+it, one meets with numerous small Ainu villages and scattered huts until
+Piratori is reached.
+
+Piratori is a string or succession of many villages on undulating
+ground, the last of them being situated on a high cliff overlooking the
+river. In the Ainu language _Pira_ means "a cliff," and _Tori_ "a
+residence." As in all Ainu villages, the huts are in one line, some few
+yards one from the other. Each has a separate structure--a small
+storehouse built on piles--generally at the west end of the hut.
+
+On my arrival at Piratori, I was welcomed by Benry, the _Ottena_ (chief)
+of the village, who invited me to his hut and _salaamed_ me in the most
+solemn manner, not forgetting to mention incidentally that "his throat
+was very dry," and that _sake_ (Japanese wine) could be obtained from a
+Japanese who lives opposite to his hut.
+
+"He is a bad man," said Benry confidentially; "but he sells very good
+_sake_."
+
+The _sake_ was procured, and Benry, beaming with joy, poured it with his
+shaky, drunken hands into a large bowl. He then produced a wooden stick,
+shaped like a paper-knife, about five inches in length, and waved it in
+the air five or six times with his right hand, dipping the point of it
+each time into the fluid. "_Nishpa_"--sir, master--said he. Then,
+leaning forwards and lifting up his heavy moustache with the small
+stick, he swallowed the contents of the bowl at a draught. The same
+performance took place each time that some fresh _sake_ was poured into
+his bowl, and then Benry, with an inimitable cunning, and a comically
+self-sacrificing expression on his face, meekly enquired whether I would
+care to see "how much an Ainu could drink."
+
+"Yes," said I, "we will go down to the river, and you shall show me
+there if you can drink it dry."
+
+"Yie, yie, yie"--no, no, no--hurriedly replied in Japanese the Ainu
+chief; "water is too heavy, and I meant wine." Owing to this small
+difference of opinion, and having no wish to encourage him in his
+drunkenness, Benry's capacity for intoxicating fluids is yet unknown to
+the civilised world.
+
+Benry's house is a palace compared to other Ainu huts. It is much larger
+than most of them, and boasts of a wooden floor, in the centre of which
+a rectangular fire-place is cut out. The hut has two windows, one toward
+the east, the other opening to the south; but no chimney is provided as
+an outlet for the smoke. A hole in the west corner of the roof answers
+this purpose. The rough wooden frame is thatched with tall reeds and
+_arundinaria_, and the roof is shaped like a prism. The different huts
+of Piratori vary in size, but not in type. The larger ones cover an area
+of about sixteen or eighteen feet square. Most of them, however, do not
+measure more than ten or twelve feet square. Benry's house was
+exceptionally large, and being such a "swell" one, two rough _kinna_
+(mats) were spread on the floor and a number of Japanese rice boxes and
+_shokuji_ tables[6] adorned one side of the dwelling. Over these were
+hung a number of swords, knives, etc., most of them with no blade at
+all, or with only a wooden one. The few old blades which Benry possessed
+were of Japanese workmanship, probably obtained by the Ainu in their
+former wars with the Japanese. A few Ainu spears and arrows with bone
+and bamboo poisoned points were fastened to the roof.
+
+    [6] Small Japanese dinner tables.
+
+These Ainu of Piratori have frequent intercourse with the Japanese, who
+get from them furs and other articles in exchange for _sake_ or a few
+worthless beads. A few half-castes are also found at Piratori. The
+Piratori Ainu, with those of Volcano Bay, as we have seen, are those
+best known to the civilised world, as a few foreigners have travelled so
+far to see them. I may mention that as types the inhabitants of Piratori
+are a great deal better than the residents of Volcano Bay, most of whom
+are half-breeds; but even they themselves cannot be taken as fair
+specimens of their race, for they have adopted several customs and
+habits of the Japanese, which the incautious traveller has then reported
+as purely Ainu customs. For instance, the pure Ainu diet consists almost
+entirely of fish, meat, and seaweeds. Only occasionally are the roots of
+certain trees eaten. At Piratori I found that many grow and eat millet,
+and corn and bad rice are also sometimes procured from the Japanese.
+Benry has also gone so far in the way of civilisation as to invest his
+small fortune in buying half-a-dozen hens and a cock, with whom he
+shares his regal home. These hens lay eggs according to custom, and
+Benry and his "wife" eat them. As the Ainu language has no special word
+for this imported kind of bird, they are known by the name of "kikkiri."
+
+[Illustration: BENRY, THE AINU CHIEF OF PIRATORI.]
+
+After the experience which I had had at Horobets I decided to be more
+careful with my sketching. I broached the subject to Benry, and asked
+him to sit to me for his portrait. At first he was very reluctant, but
+the prospect of receiving a present finally overcame his scruples--for
+he was indeed civilised in this respect, and understood the worth of his
+version of the almighty dollar to perfection--and, consenting to be
+sketched, he sat--at the outset with as much courage as docility. He
+produced a crown of shavings and seaweed, which he solemnly placed on
+his head, whilst his better-half helped him on with his regal _imi_
+(garments), as well as a large sword, which also made part of his regal
+insignia. The crown had in front a small bear's head roughly carved in
+wood, and the clothes were very gaudy. They were made of strips of blue,
+white, and red cloth sewn together. The materials used were Japanese,
+but they were cut and arranged in a thoroughly Ainu pattern. Though he
+began well, Benry was not a good sitter, and, like most animals, he did
+not like to be stared at. He felt the weight of a look, as it were, and
+it made him uncomfortable. Not many minutes had elapsed before he became
+openly impatient; he even showed his temper by flinging away his crown
+and his wooden sword. On the other hand, sketching in Benry's house was
+no easy matter for me. With all the respect due to the chief of
+Piratori, I am bound to say that his house was not a model of
+cleanliness. Those of his hairy brothers and subjects were no better
+than his, and many were a great deal worse. Fleas and other insects were
+so numerous that in a few minutes I was literally covered with them,
+each one of them having a peaceful and hearty meal at my expense, while
+I, for the sake of art, had to go on with my sketch and leave them
+undisturbed. Notwithstanding all this Benry was immortalised twice that
+day, and his maid, housekeeper, or wife--three words which have the same
+meaning to the Ainu--was also handed down to posterity while in the act
+of spinning the inner fibre of the _Ulmus campestris_ bark, destined to
+form a new garment for her lord, master, and husband.
+
+When I went out to sketch the houses and storehouses in the village
+Benry and another man followed me everywhere; but neither he nor his
+fellow-shadow seemed to take any interest in the sketching. In Japan,
+Corea, and China I have often been surrounded by hundreds of people
+attentively watching every stroke of the brush, and I have always found
+them clever and quick in making out the meaning of each line or
+brush-mark. I can assert, without fear of being contradicted, that the
+majority of Japanese, Coreans, and Chinese are even quicker than
+Europeans in that respect, owing to the fact that lines constitute for
+them the study of a lifetime. Chinese characters, which are nothing but
+a deep study of lines, are adopted by the three above-mentioned nations,
+and I consider this to be the original cause why this artistic insight
+is to be found even among the lowest classes. The Ainu have no such
+insight; they have no characters, no writing of any kind, no books, and
+it is therefore not astonishing that they are not trained to understand
+art, bad as it may have been in my case. Their appreciation of lines is
+yet in the rudest form, and they possess no more than what is
+instinctive with them. For instance, while I was sketching, Benry and
+his friend either sat or crouched down by my side like two dogs, and
+when my sketch was finished I showed it to them.
+
+"Pirika, Pirika! Nishpa!" ("Very pretty, very pretty, sir!") Benry
+exclaimed with perfect self-assurance; but when I asked him what he
+thought the sketch represented, he cut me short by saying that _I_ had
+done the picture and _I_ ought to know what it was meant for; he did
+not. His friend agreed with him.
+
+When my work was done we three walked back to Benry's house, my two Ainu
+friends being very anxious that I should get something to eat. From
+their conversation and gestures I caught that it seemed incomprehensible
+to them that I should sit in front of an Ainu hut and--to use their
+expression--"make all sorts of signs on a wooden panel." After a lengthy
+discussion the two came to the conclusion that houses in our country
+were so bad that I had been sent to the Ainu country to "copy" the
+pattern of Ainu huts!
+
+Benry seemed excited about something, and hurried us back with curious
+haste and eagerness. When we left the house in the morning I saw Benry's
+better-half placing a few eggs in water to boil over the fire. When we
+entered the hut, nearly two hours afterwards, the eggs were still
+boiling, and no fair maid within yelling reach. In order that the fire
+might not go out during her absence the thoughtful girl had placed the
+largest portion of the trunk of a tree in the fireplace!
+
+Taken altogether, Benry and all his Saru Ainu are very good-natured.
+They gradually got accustomed to being sketched, seeing that after all
+it really did not bring on them "immediate death."
+
+The more one sees of the Ainu the dirtier they appear, but as dirt to a
+great extent contributes to picturesqueness, I was indeed sorry when
+Benry, exercising his authority, sent several of my sitters to dress up
+in their best clothes--often Japanese--while I should have preferred to
+sketch them in their every-day rags. I must say, for their sake, that
+they were never sent to wash. Being a rapid sketcher, I had recourse to
+a trick. I pretended to sketch one given person, who, of course, was
+sent at once to "dress up," and while he or she, after having returned,
+posed patiently for half an hour or more, I in the meantime took
+sketches of four or five different natives, who were not aware that they
+were being portrayed. As the Ainu--and they are probably not the only
+people--could not make either head or tail of my sketches, my trick was
+never found out.
+
+One day, old Benry led me by the hand in the most affectionate manner to
+a hut some way off, and confidentially told me that we were going to see
+his favourite girl and her boy.
+
+"This," said the chief triumphantly as we went in, "this is Benry's
+_Pirika menoko_" (pretty girl), "and that"--pointing to a youth--"her
+only son."
+
+"And what about the old hairy lady in your own hut?" I inquired.
+
+"That is my _Poromachi_" (great wife), said he, qualifying matters with
+a compliment to the elder woman, "and this is my _Pon-machi_" (small
+wife).
+
+"Why should you have two wives, you old Mormon?"
+
+"Nishpa," retorted he, "my great wife is old, and she is only fit to do
+all the rough work in the house and out. My hair is white, but I am
+strong, and I wanted yet a young wife."
+
+Indeed, there was enough mother-wit in Benry to have made him either a
+scamp or a philosopher. His theories were as remarkable as they were
+accommodating, particularly to himself.
+
+Returning from the house of his love, the chief was in a very talkative
+mood, and he related two or three Japanese stories, which he wanted me
+to believe to be pure Ainu legends. A learned missionary and two or
+three travellers before him, who had visited Piratori previous to
+myself, have accepted these so-called legends wholesale, taking Benry's
+word for their accuracy, which, as the old chief speaks very good
+Japanese, of course simplified the task of understanding and
+transcribing them. I was, however, much surprised to find that such
+learned Europeans could yield such ready credence to a barbarian Ainu
+chief.
+
+Thinking that it would please me, Benry told me the story of a deluge
+and a big flood, in which nearly all the Ainu were drowned. The few that
+escaped did so by finding refuge on a high mountain.
+
+"Where did you learn this story, Benry?" I asked sternly.
+
+"Nishpa, it is an old Ainu story, and all strangers who come to Piratori
+write it in their books."
+
+"Oh, no, Benry, you know well that _one_ stranger did not write it in
+his book," said I quickly, as if I knew all about it.
+
+"Oh, yes, nishpa; _that_ was the stranger who told me the story!"
+
+This small anecdote shows how careful one ought to be in accepting
+information which may sound extremely interesting at first, but is
+absolutely worthless in the end.
+
+[Illustration: AINU MAN WAVING HIS MOUSTACHE-LIFTER PREVIOUS TO
+DRINKING.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AN AINU FESTIVAL.]
+
+CHAPTER IV.
+
+An Ainu Festival.
+
+
+The Ainu have few public performances, and no special time of the year
+is fixed for them. As it so happened, a festival--a "Iyomanrei"--took
+place while I was at Piratori.
+
+The performance was held in a large hut belonging to the heir apparent
+to the chieftainship of Piratori. I went to the hut and asked whether I
+could attend the performance. The host, in answer, came to meet me at
+the door, and, taking me by the hand, led me in. I was shown where to
+sit, on the southern side of the hut, the place of honour for strangers,
+and my host sat in front of me and saluted me in Ainu fashion.
+
+Benry and several old men were squatting on the floor, Benry in the
+middle, and he was again gorgeous in his regal clothes. Some of the
+others, who wore a crown like Benry's, were chiefs of the neighbouring
+villages, who had come up for the grand occasion.
+
+One by one all the men present rose and came to stroke their hair and
+beard before me, and I returned the compliment as well as I could in
+Ainu fashion. The hut was gradually getting filled, and each man that
+entered first saluted the landlord, then Benry, then myself, and
+ultimately the two guests between whom he sat. Women and children
+occupied the darker west end of the hut, and they took no active part in
+the function. Other chiefs came in, and Benry was surrounded by many of
+them and by elderly men.
+
+The whole group of these chiefs, with their long white beards, lighted
+up by a brilliant ray of sunshine, which penetrated through the small
+east window, was extremely picturesque.
+
+In its savagery it was almost grand, with a barbaric quasi-animal sense
+of power and irresponsibility. In truth, it was a wonderful sight to see
+all these hairy people assembled in this small place--men, yet not men
+like ourselves--men, and not brutes, yet still having curiously brutish
+traits athwart their humanity.
+
+The performance was simple, but really fine in its simplicity. A fire
+burning in the centre of the hut, and filling the place with smoke,
+added, by its suggestive dimness, to the picturesqueness of the scene.
+It was strange that the only ray of sun which came in should fall on the
+most interesting group. Was it chance or design? Rembrandt himself would
+have delighted in painting that scene.
+
+Benry looked every inch a king, and several of the younger men were
+busily engaged lighting his pipe and refilling it with tobacco. He
+puffed away at such a rate that no sooner was the pipe filled than it
+was smoked and handed over again to undergo the same process.
+
+Two large casks of Japanese _sake_ were brought in, and each man
+produced his wooden bowl.
+
+The host came slowly forward, and planted an _Inao_--a willow wand with
+overhanging shavings--in one corner of the fireplace; then muttered a
+few words, which implied that the _sake_ could now be poured out. A
+Japanese lacquer rice-box was filled with the intoxicating liquid, and
+no sooner had this been done than old Benry, forgetting his dignity,
+jumped up and made a rush for it, filled a large bowl, and retired to a
+corner to drink it. All the men present followed his example. Benry was
+never selfish when he had had enough for himself. He filled his bowl
+again and brought it to me, saying that I was a friend of the Ainu, and
+must join them in the drinking.
+
+My attention was suddenly drawn to three old chiefs, who, half drunk,
+stood in front of the small east window. They dipped their
+moustache-lifters in their bowls, waving them towards the sun as a
+salutation to the "Chop Kamui," the "Great Sun." There was no religious
+character attached to this libation offered to the sun, no more than
+when we take off our hats passing a respected friend in the street. It
+is a mere sign of respect, not of worship. Besides, it must be clearly
+understood that no "offerings" of wine are ever made by the Ainu to the
+"Great Sun," and that the "libations" offered are invariably consumed by
+the offerer.
+
+I managed to get several sketches of the assembly, and every moment I
+expected to get into trouble again; but this time they took it most
+kindly.
+
+The hut became very stuffy, owing to the large number of persons and the
+smoke. There were nearly two hundred people in it, packed closely
+together, and there was nothing in the show to interest one--certainly
+not the disgusting sight of this drunkenness, which, moreover, became
+monotonous as well as disgusting.
+
+I stroked my hair and beard--the latter only figuratively--in sign of
+salute, to the host, Benry, and the other drowsy chiefs, and, carefully
+avoiding pushing or treading on any member of the unsteady crowd, I made
+my exit.
+
+Oh, what a treat it was to breathe fresh air again!
+
+Outside the hut the pretty _menokos_ (girls) of Piratori were having a
+lot of fun all to themselves. They were all dressed in long yellowish
+gowns, with rough white and red ornamentations on a patch of blue cloth,
+on their backs; and each girl took a very active part in a game, or a
+kind of savage dance, called Tapkara. They all ranged themselves in a
+circle, and a child or two was sometimes placed in the centre. The game
+consisted in collectively hopping an indefinite number of times, calling
+out either the name, or the accompanying sound, of some of their
+everyday occupations, and clapping the hands so as to keep time. For
+instance, one sound was "Ouye, ouye" ("Fire, fire"), and they all blew
+as when making a fire, and hopped till they were nearly senseless.
+
+Then the next was "R-r-r, r-r-r, r-r-r," and with this they imitated the
+pulling of a rope.
+
+Then "Pirrero, pirrero; pirrero, pirrero," was the sound accompanying
+the action of rowing, imitating the squeaking of the paddle produced by
+the friction on the canoe.
+
+The movement of the arms changed according to the sounds uttered, but
+the hopping was kept up continuously. The game reminded me much of our
+Sir Roger de Coverley, in a more barbarous form, but certainly not less
+pretty than our old country dance.
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOMEN DANCING, PIRATORI.]
+
+Late in the afternoon all the men came out of the hut, and by a winding
+path I was taken to the valley along the river, at the foot of the cliff
+on which Piratori is built. Benry and all the other chiefs remained on
+the cliff. Bareback races formed the next and last event in the
+programme, and the chiefs were to witness them from their "high point of
+view."
+
+There was great excitement as to who should ride the ponies. The Ainu
+are fond of sports, and I noticed that ultimately they were sharp enough
+to select their jockeys from among the lightest men. The winner of each
+race had a good time of it, but the other unfortunate jockeys were
+pulled off the ponies by the angry mob, and knocked about as worthless
+beings.
+
+The evening came, and with the dying sun ended that memorable day of
+festivities. I retired. Distant sounds of the _menokos_, still enjoying
+themselves, came to me with the wind, but fainter and fainter they grew
+as it was getting darker.
+
+"Pirrero! Pirrero! Pirrero!" I heard again, till at last the sounds
+faded away into a mere murmur, and I fell asleep.
+
+The morning that I left Piratori, old Benry put on his regal clothes and
+crown to bid me good-bye.
+
+"Nishpa, Popka-no-okkayan" ("Sir, may you be preserved warm"), said the
+old chief, in the Ainu fashion of bidding farewell; "I have a pain in my
+chest, owing to your leaving Piratori, but I shall accompany you part of
+the way."
+
+[Illustration: PIRATORI WOMAN IN COSTUME.]
+
+I dissuaded the old chief from doing that, but he went on, with his
+plaintive voice: "Nishpa, you must tell in your country that Piratori is
+a nice place, and all the Ainu are good people. Not like the Shamo"
+(Japanese; also half-breeds), "for they are bad. You must return soon,"
+he added, and, taking my hand, he pressed it to his hairy chest. He then
+took me to his hut again, and there renewed his farewells, and I renewed
+mine to him, to his _great_ wife, and to his house, for it is part of
+the Ainu etiquette to bid good-bye to the house of a friend as well as
+to the owner of it.
+
+The return journey to Saru Mombets was accomplished without much
+difficulty.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: UTAROP ROCKS.]
+
+CHAPTER V.
+
+From the Saru River to Cape Erimo.
+
+
+After quitting Saru Mombets I was altogether out of the beaten tracks.
+The twenty-two miles to Shimokebo were monotonous in the extreme. High
+cliffs towered above me on the one side, and the sea stretched into
+infinity on the other. River after river had to be waded, the
+At-pets,[7] the Nii-pak-pets,[8] and the Shibe-gari-pets.[9] The
+Nii-pak-pets is wide and fairly deep. Near the At-pets river the
+Japanese Government has established a horse farm, in order to improve
+the breed of Yezo ponies. A few miserable Ainu huts are scattered along
+the coast, and millions of scavenger crows, with their monotonous cries,
+seem to claim sovereignty over these shores. Near the Takae village, on
+the Nii-kap-pets, is an enormous perpendicular cliff, which, jutting out
+into the sea, bars the way to the traveller; therefore I had to abandon
+the sandy shore, and with considerable trouble get the ponies to climb
+over the steep banks, which was no easy task for them. Shimokebo is a
+peculiar-looking place. It is entirely a fishermen's village, and I put
+up at the Ogingawa Zunubi yadoya--a tea-house owned by a Japanese
+fisherman.
+
+    [7] At-pets--Elm-tree river (_at_, elm-tree; _pets_, river).
+
+    [8] Nii-pak-pets--also called Nakap-pets. _Nii_, a wood; _pak_,
+        under; _na_, more; _kap_, bark of tree.
+
+    [9] Shibe-gari-pets--Salmon-trout river.
+
+Japanese will be Japanese wherever they go, and people who have had
+anything to do with them know how difficult it is to satisfy their
+curiosity.
+
+"How old are you?" inquired the _occamisan_--the landlady. "Where do you
+come from? What is your country? Why are you travelling? Have you a wife
+and children? Can you eat Japanese food; also Ainu food? Can you sleep
+in _foutangs_?" (Japanese bedding). "Also with a _makura_?" (a wooden
+pillow).
+
+About fifty more personal and indiscreet questions were also asked, and
+all my belongings were examined with ever-increasing astonishment as one
+thing after another was handled and investigated. I was tired, and felt
+as if I could have kicked the whole crowd of them out of my room; but I
+was unintentionally polite to them to such an extent that the
+_occamisan_ loudly exclaimed--
+
+"_Honto Danna, Anata Nihonno shto, onaji koto!_"--"Really, sir, you are
+just like a Japanese!"
+
+"_Domo neh!_" rose up in a chorus from the large assembly, "_nandemo
+dannasan wakarimas!_"--"The gentleman really understands everything!"
+This was a decided compliment, and I was bound to accept it as it was
+intended. When they heard that I was indeed "_Taihen kutabire mashita_"
+(very tired), they reluctantly left the room, and closed the _shoji_
+(sliding doors of tissue paper on a wooden frame). Each bowed
+gracefully, drawing in his breath at the same time. This is the Japanese
+polite way of leaving a room. Their conversation was resumed in the next
+apartment, regardless of the fact that tissue paper walls are not
+sound-proof. Remarks on me, not quite in harmony with their courteous
+bearing, were passed freely about, and the politest thing I heard them
+say was that I must be a _lunatic_ to travel alone in these inhospitable
+regions, and what a pity it was for a man _so young_ to be so fearfully
+afflicted.
+
+"Oh, those _seyono shto_ (foreigners) are all born lunatics," said the
+voice of one who knew better.
+
+The Shibegari River, at the mouth of which Shimokebo is situated, is
+also called Shibe-chari--"sprinkled salmon river." Very minute traces of
+gold are found in the river-sands and gravels, and also some
+well-developed brown garnet crystals and quartzite and phyllite pebbles.
+The gold, however, is not in sufficient quantity to enable it to be
+worked profitably. Seven and a half miles from Shimokebo the Japanese
+Government has another horse farm similar to that of the At-pets.
+
+The travelling along the coast was heavy, and I could ride but slowly. I
+had to make the ponies go where the sand was wet along the beach, as
+there it was harder and they did not sink. This had its drawbacks, for
+the sea was very rough, and once or twice my ponies and I came very near
+being washed against the cliffs by some extra large wave. Instead of
+green banks, as between Tomakomai and Shimokebo, here were high cliffs
+of volcanic formation, with a narrow strip of sand at their foot.
+
+The few Ainu along the coast were decidedly ugly. It was only now and
+then that in a sheltered nook I came across a hut or two of seaweed
+gatherers; and, still following the cliffs, I passed two or three small
+villages of a few houses each. After fifteen miles of this heavy track I
+reached the fishing station of Ubahu, where I was able to obtain some
+fresh horses. Prowling along the beach, I examined some of the Ainu
+canoes that had been drawn on shore. They might be divided into three
+classes--(_a_) the "dug-outs," used mostly for river navigation; (_b_)
+the lashed canoe; and (_c_) a larger kind used for sailing. The
+"dug-out" does not require explanation, as everyone knows that it is a
+trunk of a tree hollowed out in the shape of a boat, and propelled
+either by paddling or punting.
+
+[Illustration: AINU LASHED CANOE.]
+
+[Illustration: FRONT VIEW OF LASHED CANOE.]
+
+[Illustration: AINU OARS.]
+
+The lashed canoes are made of nine pieces of wood lashed together with
+the fibre of a kind of vine. The concave bottom is all of one piece--a
+partial "dug-out"--to which are added the side pieces, of three planks
+each, sewn together at an angle of about 170 deg., and made to fit the sides
+of the "dug-out." Two more pieces, one aft and one forward, meet the
+side planks at right angles. The length of these canoes varies from 10
+to 15 feet, the width from 3 to 3-1/2 feet. Two pieces of wood are then
+lashed horizontally, which answer the double purpose of strengthening
+the sides of the canoe and, being provided with pins outside the canoe,
+of allowing it to be used as an outrigger when rowing. Canoes are either
+rowed or sailed. The oars are made of two pieces firmly lashed together.
+A hole is bored in the part which is to be passed through the pin in the
+outrigger. One person is generally sufficient to row an Ainu canoe, and
+he does so standing. There is no steering gear or rudder, and when
+rowing the oars are used for that purpose. Ainu canoes are not decked,
+and therefore cannot stand heavy seas. They are alike on both sides, and
+in most cases the two ends of the canoe are also shaped alike. There
+are, however, certain canoes which, in my opinion, have been suggested
+to the Ainu by Japanese boats, and which are flat at the stern. These
+are generally larger, and used for sailing. A square mat sail is rigged
+on a short mast forward, and the steering is done with one of the oars
+at the stern. The sailing qualities of these canoes, however, are not
+very great, and the slightest squall causes them to capsize and "turn
+turtle." The anchors used by the Ainu are very ingenious; they are cut
+out of a piece of wood, with either one or two barbs, and two stones are
+fastened on the sides of the stem so as to carry the anchor to the
+bottom. No compass is either known or used by the Ainu, and the natives
+shape their course by sight of land. They very seldom go long distances
+out at sea, as they are fully aware of the dangers of the ocean and of
+the imperfection of their own methods of navigation, though they are
+wholly incapable of making any improvements by their own judgment. The
+canoes are always beached when not used, and each family possesses its
+own. There are none which are the property of companies or are common to
+certain villages.
+
+[Illustration: SAILING CANOE.]
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOODEN ANCHORS.]
+
+[Illustration: TOP VIEW OF AN AINU CANOE.]
+
+The track between Ubahu and Urakawa is rough, and the rivers are
+somewhat troublesome. Not far from the Mitsuashi river one has to pass a
+tunnel which has been made through a rock projecting into the sea. In
+rough weather it is difficult and dangerous to get through, as the waves
+wash right through the tunnel. In fair weather it affords a safe passage
+to the traveller.
+
+The Matourabets (the winter fishing river) was successfully waded, and
+the Ikantai[10] village passed. Then at Urakawa or Urapets (the fish
+river) I made a halt for the night. There are many half-breeds at
+Urakawa, and a few real Ainu, but the small population is composed
+mostly of Japanese fishermen.
+
+    [10] _Ikan_, a canal made by salmon on river-beds to lay their
+         spawn; _tai_ thick.
+
+Seven and a half miles further, at Shama-ne--a corruption of _Shuna_,
+stones, and _ne_, together--there are some magnificent granite pillars
+boldly standing out of the sea. The sandy beach came to an end, and huge
+cliffs barred my way in front. I could see that the water was not very
+deep round these rocks, as the waves were breaking a long distance from
+the cliff, a sure sign of shallow water, though even then it might have
+been too deep for my ponies to go through. With great difficulty I got
+the two brutes into the sea, trying to round the large rocks for the
+better ground, which I hoped to find on the other side. The tide was
+low, but the sea was still rough, and nearly every wave as it came in
+went right over my ponies, frightening them, and made them extremely
+difficult to hold. The instinct of self-preservation made them rush for
+the cliff, with the only result that they missed their footing, and they
+and I were both swept away by the next receding wave. I was carried off
+the saddle, but I had sufficient presence of mind to hold on to the
+bridle. An awful struggle ensued between my ponies and myself. Each wave
+that came carried and knocked us one way, each wave that retired carried
+and knocked us the other. In the midst of all this danger I suddenly
+remembered that some years ago a lady who knew all about palmistry
+prophesied that I should one day be drowned.
+
+Had the day come now? Not if energy and perseverance would avert the
+doom! After a long struggle, I succeeded in pulling my horses where the
+water was a little shallower, and there we three stood for some minutes,
+trembling with cold, my two ponies looking reproachfully at me with
+those half-human eyes of animals when forced into positions of danger
+which they can neither understand nor overcome. It is wonderful the
+amount of expression that horses have in their eyes, and how plainly one
+can read their dumb thoughts and formless emotions!
+
+From the point where I was standing I could see that I had to go on but
+a few hundred feet more, and that then my ponies and I would be safe.
+Sure enough, the water grew shallower and shallower, and, to my delight,
+I was soon on the other side of the cliff. At high tide, and in very
+rough weather, it is impossible to pass by this ocean-ford.
+
+Shamane is a picturesque little fishing village, built on the side of a
+promontory jutting out into the sea. From there, looking towards
+Urakawa, there is a lovely view of all the small islands and
+picturesque rocks, standing like huge jewels in the water, while on the
+Horoizumi side, as far as the eye can see, there are only cliffs of
+peculiar shapes, and marvellously rich in colour.
+
+I got two fresh animals, and pursued my journey towards Horoizumi.
+Rocks, rocks, nothing but rocks! My ponies stumbled and slipped all the
+time, and for eighteen miles the riding was hard and intricate. I had to
+lead my ponies most of the way, and help them, pull them, or push them,
+from one rock on to another, and down the next, and so on.
+
+The scenery all along was magnificent and grand. A short distance from
+Shamane a large natural archway emerges from the sea, which is called by
+the Ainu, Shui-shma, "a hole in stone."
+
+Holes have been pierced through the rocks in several places, to give
+comparative safe passage, and to prevent wayfarers from being carried
+away by the waves. Over the entrance of one of these tunnels a pretty
+waterfall, descending from a great height, gives a poetic effect to the
+scene, while it obliges the unfortunate traveller to take an extremely
+cold shower-bath, should he wish to push forward on his journey.
+
+As if all these discomforts combined were not enough, it is to be added
+that the rivers in this part of the coast, though not wide, are
+extremely swift and dangerous to cross. My second pony was carried away
+by the strong current when I crossed the Poro-nam-bets,[11] and I had
+great difficulty in rescuing him.
+
+    [11] _Poro_, large; _nam_, cold; _bets_, river.
+
+At Shamane there are a few Ainu, but from there to Horoizumi I saw none.
+
+Sardines are very plentiful all along this coast, and long seaweeds also
+abound. The latter is used for export, chiefly to China. Horoizumi, a
+nice little village of one hundred and fifty houses, is the most
+picturesque in Yezo. It is built on the slopes of a high cliff, and it
+reminds one much of the pretty villages in the Gulf of Spezia. I arrived
+at sunset, and the warm red and yellow tints which the dying orb of day
+was shedding on the weather-beaten brownish houses, gave a heavenly
+appearance to this very earthly place. As I got nearer, a good deal of
+the heavenly had to be discarded, for the odours of fish-manure and of
+seaweed are two smells which can hardly claim to be classed under that
+heading. The inhabitants of the place themselves seem to feel the
+ill-effects of constantly living in that corrupted atmosphere and on a
+fish and seaweed diet; for, indeed, it is revolting to see the amount of
+horrible cutaneous diseases which affect them. One hardly sees one
+creature out of ten that is not covered with a repulsive eruption of
+some sort. Leprosy, too, has found its way among the fishermen; and my
+readers can easily imagine how pleasant it was for me, when I was
+sketching, to be surrounded by a crowd of these loathsome people, who
+all wished to touch my clothes and all my belongings, and who would even
+lean on my back and rub their heads against mine, when trying to get a
+better view of the sketch.
+
+Poor things! I never had the courage to scold and send them away. It was
+enough that they were afflicted, and I did not like to add humiliation
+to their other sorrows by showing them my disgust.
+
+I rode on to Erimo-zaki, or Rat Cape. Thick fogs are prevalent during
+the summer months along the whole of the south-east coast, of which
+Erimo-zaki is the most southern cape. It is the terminating point of the
+backbone of the main portion of Yezo, which extends from Cape Soya to
+Cape Erimo from N.NW. to S.SE. A lighthouse has lately been erected on
+the cliffs by the Japanese Maritime Department, and a steam fog-horn has
+also been provided for the greater safety of navigation, as a reef of
+rocks and a stretch of shallow water extend out in the sea for about two
+and a half miles from the coast.
+
+The foghorn, I was informed, was only blown when the lighthouse-keeper
+suspected some ship was likely to make for the rocks! A likely thing,
+indeed!
+
+"But how are you to know, especially when there is a thick fog on?" I
+asked.
+
+"So few ships pass near here," was the reply; "and it would not be much
+use keeping steam up all the time to blow the horn, considering that we
+have fog during nearly four months in the year."
+
+"Then," I could not help remarking, "I expect you only light the
+lighthouse when there is going to be a wreck?"
+
+"Oh, no; we show the light every night."
+
+This was just like the Japanese! Owing to the imperfectness of
+charts--none delineating correctly that part of the coast--the strong
+currents, the thick fogs, and the dangerous reefs, there could not be a
+more perilous coast for navigation than that which terminates in Cape
+Erimo. The ships which go from Shanghai, or some of the ports in the
+Petchili Gulf in China, to North American ports, often steer this course
+through the Tsugaru Strait and pass directly south of Cape Erimo. Thus
+the _Mary Tatham_ (an English screw-steamer), while on her journey from
+Shanghai to Oregon, was lost in 1882, with nearly all lives on board,
+about two miles from this cape.
+
+At the foot of the Erimo cliffs is a small fishing village called Okos.
+The sea is shallow at this place, and there are many low-lying reefs
+which afford abundance of kelp and seaweeds.
+
+A short time before I arrived at Okos a man had gone out in his boat to
+save some nets in which a large fish had got entangled. His boat
+capsized, and he was drowned. His wife was in a dreadful state of mind,
+not for the loss of her better half, but for the more irreparable loss
+of the nets.
+
+The distance between Horoizumi and Cape Erimo is seven and a half miles,
+and the track is exceedingly rough in many places. Nearly half-way
+between the last-mentioned village and the cape are the three high
+pillars called _Utarop_, which are represented in the illustration at
+the head of the chapter.
+
+As it was impossible to take my ponies along the few miles between Cape
+Erimo and Shoya, following the precipitous coast, I retraced my steps to
+Horoizumi, meaning to attempt the mountain pass the next morning.
+
+[Illustration: ERIMO CAPE.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: A NATURAL STONE ARCHWAY NEAR SHOYA.]
+
+CHAPTER VI.
+
+From Cape Erimo to the Tokachi River
+
+
+The mountain pass between Horoizumi and Shoya is supposed to be very
+dangerous on account of bears. I rode the ten miles quietly, but failed
+to meet or see any. The way through thick woods is exceedingly pretty.
+After traversing a small valley with a dense growth of scrub-bamboo, it
+climbs a small hill, from the top of which a lovely view of Cape Erimo
+lies like a picture before one's eyes. There are only thirty houses at
+Shoya, and the place could not be better described than by the words "a
+miserable hole." The rough weather, as well as several landslips, had
+some time before my arrival broken all communication between Shoya and
+the next village east of it. There is a rough mountain trail as far as
+Saruru, but my ponies could not possibly get through the scrub-wood and
+heavy climbing, and none of the natives could be induced to carry my
+luggage. They all positively refused to follow me on account of the
+multitude of bears which they said were on the mountains.
+
+"If the sea goes down," said an old fisherman, "you may be able to get
+through early to-morrow morning at low tide; and, if you are careful,
+you will not be washed away by the waves." The cliffs near Shoya are
+remarkable for their beauty. They are mostly older eruptive rocks which
+nature has carved into hundreds of rugged and fantastic forms. About a
+mile from the village is a huge natural archway, and from this point
+begin the precipitous cliffs, pillars, and rocks which make the journey
+so difficult.
+
+At Shoya there are no pure Ainu, but some of the fishermen exhibit
+traces of Ainu blood. My recollection of Shoya is decidedly not of a
+pleasant character. I put up in the house of a fisherman, which also
+answers the purpose of a tea-house for the few stranded native
+travellers.
+
+"We are so poor," said the landlord when I asked for something to eat,
+"and we have finished our provisions of rice. The other people in the
+village are poorer than we are, and they also have none; and as for
+fish, the sea has been so rough for several days that we have not been
+able to catch any. We ate the last scrap of fish we had just before you
+arrived! If you gave me a fortune, I could not give you anything to
+eat."
+
+When the landlord confessed this to me in the evening, I had already
+been fourteen hours without food. The prospect of not getting any more
+for at least the next eighteen or twenty hours was not an agreeable
+look-out. I was very hungry, but, failing a meal, the next best thing
+was to try and go to sleep. Even that did not prove successful, for
+hunger keeps you awake, and in its first stages sharpens all your senses
+considerably.
+
+The night I spent at Shoya is worthy of a description. From top to
+bottom the corners of my room were filled with webs, which the spiders
+had spun undisturbed in all directions across the room. Hundreds of
+flies and horseflies rose buzzing when I entered the room, and I had to
+engage in a very unequal war against them before I could settle down on
+the hard planks. In one corner of the ceiling a big, long-legged spider,
+too high for me to reach, was enjoying a good meal out of a huge
+horsefly which he had captured in his net. I almost envied the
+long-legged epicure. Nature will be ironical sometimes. When night came,
+and I was still sleepless, the planks on which I was lying seemed harder
+than any planks I had ever slept on before. I turned round one way,
+then the other, then another, till all my bones were aching. Finally,
+through exhaustion, I fell asleep, and even had a nightmare. In my
+dreams, the ghosts of all the spiders I had killed, magnified to the
+size of human beings, were dancing round me, while one fat old
+fellow--fatter than any two others put together--was gravely sitting on
+my chest watching the performance. His weight was such that I was nearly
+suffocated. Sometimes he would seize me by the throat and almost choke
+me, while the dancing spiders would choke themselves with laughing ...
+when--
+
+"_Hayaku Danna!_"--"Quick, sir!" said a Japanese voice, waking me
+suddenly; "get up, or else the tide will rise, and you will not be able
+to get to Saruru."
+
+I opened my eyes; the dream passed, and the monstrous spiders vanished;
+but the pain caused by the emptiness of my stomach was still there, and
+my throat was dry and aching.
+
+It was before sunrise, and it was almost in complete darkness that I
+left Shoya. I was weak and chilly. The monotonous sound of the waves
+breaking over the shore added melancholy to _malaise_, and made me very
+doleful and limp. Nevertheless, as I was in for it, I pushed my way with
+my ponies along high cliffs and among rocks, and got on as best I could.
+
+Where the sea had receded the stones were slippery, and my two animals
+were no sooner on their feet than they were down again on their knees.
+The hollow sound of their hoofs on the rocks was echoed from cliff to
+cliff, and awakened the sleepy crows from their night's repose. I had to
+walk most of the way, and urge on my ponies with howls, as well as stir
+them up with the whip. Though the tide was low, the waves often washed
+up to my waist. Daylight came, and I went along, following the high,
+rugged cliffs, through tunnels occasionally, among rocks continually.
+The scenery was really magnificent, seen as it was in the mysterious
+morning light of the rising sun. My horses were done up when I got to
+Saruru, and I exchanged them for fresh ones. By this time the tide had
+risen, and it was not possible to proceed any further along the
+sea-shore. I was glad of it, as I should thus be forced to try the
+mountain track, which I was told was not so very rough from this point.
+A half-caste offered to show me the way. It was a very stiff climb among
+thick shrub, but it was comparatively smooth work after the experience
+of my journey from Shoya. I came across many tracks and footprints of
+bears on the mountain. In some places the marks were quite fresh and of
+different sizes, varying in length from one foot to four inches. The
+half-caste told me that black bears seldom attack men unless they are
+hungry. They often attack horses.
+
+"But if they hear that a man is near they will not dare to attack even
+the horses," he said, and then began to sing at the top of his voice.
+His singing, half Japanese, half Ainu, was so excruciating that it was
+no wonder to me that it kept the bears away.
+
+We crossed two rapid streams before reaching the summit of the mountain
+range. The view from the summit was lovely. In the distance I could
+distinguish two headlands, while an immense stretch of stormy sea and a
+high mountain were in the foreground. I began to descend, and again I
+got into the region of thick forest and scrub. I perceived a few houses
+near the coast, and we made for them. It was the village of Moyoro,[12]
+or Biru, as it is called by others.
+
+    [12] Moyoro. _Moy_, a bay; _oro_, to be in.
+
+Between Saruru and Biru, where the mountain track sometimes descends to
+the shore, I found many Ainu and half-breeds, especially in the two
+villages of Onnito[13] and Bitatannuki.[14] They are said to be very
+bad, and what I saw of them, even at Biru, corroborated this assertion.
+
+    [13] Onnito. _Onni_ or _Onne_, great, large; _to_, lake, swamp.
+
+    [14] Bitatannuki. _Bita_, to undo; _tannu_, long; _ki_, rushes,
+         reeds.
+
+Biru is situated on a small bay, in the centre of which some gigantic
+pillars stand out at a great height. The rough sea dashes against them,
+and thousands of crows and sea-birds have chosen these rocks for their
+abode. Biru is not a large village. There are only forty fishermen's
+huts, most of which are on the high cliff surrounding the small bay; the
+others are down on the beach. Kelp, seaweed, and sardines are as
+abundant here as on the south-west coast, and maintain the staple
+industries of the inhabitants. The sea-weed is of great length but small
+width. Fourteen more miles over the cliffs brought me to Perohune.[15]
+There were four large deltas to cross, that of the Toyoi-pets[16] being
+the largest. The current in all these rivers is extremely swift.
+
+    [15] _Pero_ or _Pira_, cliff; _Hune_, _Hun_, a particle indicating
+         the existence of something at a place.
+
+    [16] _Toy_, earth; _o_, (?) _i_, a place; _pets,_ river.
+
+Perohune enjoys a big name, but there is only one house in the place. I
+was, however, fortunate enough to get two good ponies there. The fog was
+settling down thicker and thicker, and I could not see more than a yard
+or two in front of me; but at times it lifted up for a few moments, and
+showed me either the dangers I was nearing or the landscape I was
+losing. I passed two lakes, the Tobuts,[17] otherwise called Oputs, and
+the Yuto. Both are divided from the sea by a narrow sand-ridge. There is
+but little of human interest along this deserted coast. There are no
+houses and no people, but many small rivers, and now and then high
+cliffs. My ponies, driven mad by the _abus_, the terrible horseflies of
+Yezo, constantly threw themselves down and rolled on the sand.
+
+    [17] _To_, lake, swamp; _buts_, mouth of a river. _O_, a meaningless
+         prefix; _puts_, mouth of a river.
+
+From Perohune to Yuto Lake the distance is about eleven miles, and from
+Yuto to Otsu it is eleven more miles, on a very easy track. I saw some
+large sea-birds and penguins, and I was struck by the great number of
+drift logs which had been washed on shore by the sea. The last
+thirty-eight miles of the coast was literally covered with this drift
+wood. During the summer months the fog is always dense along this coast,
+greatly owing to a cold current which comes from the Otkoshk Sea, passes
+through the strait between Kunashiri and Etorofu, in the Kuriles, and
+then turns south, following a great part of the south-east coast of
+Yezo. Not far from Erimo Cape it meets a warm current from the China
+Sea, which passes through the Tsugaru Strait, and which in all
+probability is the Kuro-shiwo, or Japan current. This Japan current
+parts from the main stream near the south-western extremity of Japan,
+goes through the Corean Strait, and follows the north-west coast of
+Nippon, passing then through the Tsugaru Strait. As will be seen later,
+a branch of this current runs along the north-west coast of Yezo, and
+through the La Perouse Strait.
+
+[Illustration: IWA ROCKS AT BIRU.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU HOUSES AND STOREHOUSE, FRISHIKOBETS, TOKACHI RIVER.]
+
+CHAPTER VII.
+
+The Tokachi Region--Pure Ainu Types--Curious Mode of River Fishing.
+
+
+The Tokachi River is one of the largest and most important in Yezo.
+Knowing that the Ainu either settle on the sea-shore or up
+river-courses, I formed an idea that some good types were to be found up
+this river. On reaching Otsu, a small settlement at the mouth of the
+Otsugawa--a branch of the large delta formed by the Tokachi--my idea was
+confirmed by the report that there were no Japanese villages in the
+interior. The expedition up the Tokachi River was by no means easy from
+the accounts I heard at Otsu. None of the Japanese ever dare to
+penetrate into the interior from Otsu, and, so far as foreigners are
+concerned, the Tokachi River was utterly unexplored. There is a certain
+charm in being the first man to do something, and I decided to attempt
+the experiment. The Japanese of Otsu dissuaded me strongly from carrying
+out my plan; for they said the grass and reeds were so high that I could
+not possibly get through.
+
+"It is a kind of a jungle, in fact," said they, "in which yellow and
+black bears are plentiful. The rivers, which are numerous, are swollen
+by the heavy rains that have fallen lately. The natives up the river are
+unsociable and bad, and they will kill you. Then in the high grass
+horse-flies, black-flies, and mosquitoes abound."
+
+"If you attempt it alone," said the wise man of the party, "you will not
+come back alive."
+
+These reports were not encouraging, but, anyhow, I determined that,
+Irish as it may sound, _dead_ or _alive_, if there were any Ainu up the
+stream I would see them. Owing to the difficulty of taking even my usual
+baggage, and not wishing to burden my ponies with more than was
+necessary, I decided to carry with me only a paint-box, many wooden
+sketching panels, my diary, and my revolver. I left all my other things
+at Otsu to wait for my return.
+
+"Should you not come back again, can I keep all your belongings as my
+property?" kindly enquired the landlord of the tea-house, when I bade
+good-bye to him and to all the villagers who had collected round early
+in the morning to see me start.
+
+I took two ponies, as usual. I left Otsu at dawn, and followed as well
+as I could the winding course of the river. Not far from Otsu I came to
+the thick jungle of high reeds and tall grass of which I had already
+heard. I made my way through the first obstructions; but I had not been
+in the jungle more than a few minutes when I was simply devoured by
+horse-flies, mosquitoes, and black-flies. My ponies were kicking,
+bucking, and trying to bolt, as they also were literally covered with
+horse-flies, sucking their blood and stinging them to madness. The reeds
+and grass were about ten or twelve feet high, so that, being higher than
+myself on my horse, I could not see where I was going. I kept along the
+river bank as much as I could; but in many places it was difficult to
+get through the ravines which one invariably finds along rivers, so I
+kept a little way off on the west side, and had the noise of the running
+river to guide me. For many wearisome hours I rode through this jungle,
+the dividing reeds continually rubbing against my face, arms, and legs,
+sometimes making pretty deep cuts with their razor-edged long leaves.
+The huge _shirau_--the horse-flies--grew more and more tiresome as the
+sun got warmer, and my head and hands were swollen and bleeding. The sun
+was by this time high in the sky, but there were no signs of the jungle
+coming to an end, no indications of huts anywhere near--no other noise
+but the sound of the crashing reeds and the running water of the river.
+My ponies were feeding well, as grass was plentiful; but I was faring
+badly. What with the exertion of keeping the ponies in order, while the
+densely-entangled reeds nearly dragged me off the saddle--what with the
+plague of mosquitoes and horse-flies, added to the sense of weakness
+caused by fatigue and hunger--it was really a terrible time for me--one
+of the worst episodes in my life. Nevertheless, I persevered, and went
+on and on, determined to reach my destination. I came upon two very
+large swamps, which forced me to make a wide _detour_. The ponies were
+very tired, and so was I. When darkness set in I halted, took the heavy
+pack-saddles off the ponies, and tied the animals to them, so that they
+could not bolt during the night; and wearied, disheartened, and
+discouraged as I was, I began to think how stupid I had been to start on
+such an expedition without carrying any provisions with me--without
+having provided myself with even a tent or a covering of any kind.
+
+Circumstances made me a philosopher. What is the use of worrying about
+things that cannot be helped? After all, when you get accustomed to it,
+starving is really not so bad as people think. One of my ponies was of a
+sentimental disposition, and he seemed to understand my troubles. He
+came close and rubbed himself against me, placing his head near mine. It
+was touching, and in the solitude in which I was the sympathy of the
+dumb beast was as precious as that of a human being. Had he been able to
+speak, he might have been taken for a Christian, and a good one, too! He
+had been fearfully stung by horse-flies, and my petting him seemed to
+alleviate his pain. There is nothing like sympathy and a little personal
+kindness if one wants to make friends with animals. The last few rays of
+light were spent in putting together the notes which I had taken during
+the day, and which enabled me to draw a sketch-map of the river. At
+Horoizumi some days previously I was able to buy myself a compass from
+a Japanese fisherman, and on this occasion it was extremely useful to
+me.
+
+By the soft, or rather shrill, music of a full orchestra of mosquitoes I
+fell asleep. It was poetic, but not comfortable. Strange noises woke me
+several times during the night. My ponies also were very restless, and
+repeatedly tried to get loose while I was lying down on the two saddles
+to which they were fastened.
+
+It was some time after sunrise when I woke up, and with stiff bones set
+off again. A heavy dew had fallen during the night, and had made my
+clothes very damp. The reeds and grass also were saturated with water,
+and riding through them caused a continuous shower to fall over me,
+giving me an uncomfortable and by no means efficient kind of shower
+bath.
+
+I rode in a westerly direction till about two or three in the afternoon,
+when suddenly the jungle came to an end. Not only that, but a short
+distance away I saw some Ainu huts. I soon reached them, dismounted, and
+tied my ponies to a tree. I went to the first hut, and previous to going
+in I called out: "Hem, hem, hem, hem!" which in the Ainu country is the
+polite preliminary when a stranger wishes to enter a hut. The usual
+practice of _knocking_ at the door is dispensed with, for Ainu doorways
+have no doors.
+
+"Hem, hem, hem, hem, hem!" called I again much louder, but I heard no
+answer; so I lifted the mat and entered the hut. It was empty. No one
+was there. I came out again, and went into the next hut, into another,
+and yet another; but nobody was to be found. I supposed that they were
+all out fishing. From the roof in each hut was hanging some dried and
+half-dried salmon. I could not resist the temptation after nearly
+thirty-four hours of involuntary fasting; and I stole--I mean
+"conveyed," or helped myself to the largest fish. I was greedily eating
+it--and how good it was!--when I thought I heard a groan inside the hut.
+I listened, and I distinctly heard some one sniffing in a corner of the
+dark dwelling. Had I been caught stealing? The crime I had committed
+would be called felony at home, but in the Ainu country it has not
+nearly so bad a name as that. However, felony or not, I dropped the
+fish, or rather what remained of it, and made for the corner whence the
+noise came. As I got closer I discerned a mass of white hair and two
+claws, almost like thin human feet with long hooked nails. A few
+fish-bones scattered on the ground and a lot of filth were massed
+together in that corner; and the disgusting odours these exhaled were
+beyond measure horrible.
+
+"What the devil is that!" I said aloud in my own native tongue. I could
+hear someone breathing heavily under that mass of white hair, but I
+could not make out the shape of a human body. I touched the hair, I
+pulled it, and with a groan, and movements similar to those of a snake
+uncoiling itself, two thin bony arms suddenly stretched out and clasped
+my hand. As my eyes were getting accustomed to the dim light I thought I
+saw some almost worn-out tattoo marks on her arms. Yes, it was a woman
+in that corner, though her limbs were merely skin and bone, and her long
+hair and long nails gave her a ghastly appearance. Indeed, crouched as
+she was, doubled up, with her head on her knees, and the long hair
+falling over her face and shoulders, it was really difficult to make out
+what she was.
+
+I asked her to come out, but she was apparently deaf and dumb. I dragged
+her out, and she made but little resistance; only she preferred crawling
+on her hands and knees to walking upright on her feet. There is no
+accounting for people's tastes, and I let her please herself in her
+manner of locomotion. When she was fairly out in the light I shivered as
+I looked at the miserable being before me. I lifted up her hair to see
+the face. Her eyebrows were thick and shaggy, and were joined over the
+nose. Her eyes were half closed, and dead-looking. The strong light
+seemed to affect her, and with her hands she was feeling the ground,
+probably in order to retrace her steps back to the dark spot. Nature
+could not have inflicted more evils on that wretched creature. She was
+nearly blind, deaf, and dumb; she apparently suffered from rheumatism,
+which had doubled up her body and stiffened her bony arms and legs; and,
+moreover, she showed many of the symptoms of leprosy. Altogether, she
+was painful, horrible, disgusting, and humiliating to contemplate.
+
+I went back to my ponies to fetch my paint-box. During my absence there
+had collected round them half-a-dozen Ainu. They did not know what to
+think of the appearance of the two animals, and the few articles
+fastened to the pack-saddle were regarded with suspicion. When I
+appeared on the scene their astonishment was even greater, and it
+reached its climax when I saluted them in the Ainu fashion, and told
+them that I was a friend of the Ainu. I unfastened my paint-box and went
+back to the old woman. She was still where I had left her. All the Ainu
+present followed me, and when I squatted down they did the same in a
+semicircle round me. My wretched model attempted several times to crawl
+inside the hut, but as I was sitting close to her, I prevented her from
+doing so. There she sat in the most extraordinary position, with her
+head resting on her left hand, and the stiff fingers of her right hand
+pressed on the ground. One leg was bent up and the other was folded,
+resting on the ground and on the foot of the first. She was sniffing the
+wind, and making efforts to see with her half-blind eyes.
+
+[Illustration: MADWOMAN OF YAMMAKKA.]
+
+It is hardly necessary to say that I did not keep my model longer than
+was strictly necessary, and when the sketch was finished I took her by
+the arm, brought her back into the hut, and led her to her favourite
+corner. There she crouched herself again, as I had found her; and there
+I left her, to bear the miseries of her life, till death, the cure of
+all woes, shall take away her soul, if not her body, from the filth she
+had lived in. She was neither ill-treated nor taken care of by the
+villagers or by her son, who lived in the same hut; but she was regarded
+as a worthless object, and treated accordingly. A fish was occasionally
+flung to her, as one would to a beast, and in such a condition this
+human being had lived, or rather existed, apparently for several years.
+Not a word was uttered by the villagers during the few minutes I took to
+paint the sketch. I turned round to inspect my new friends. Others had
+come up, and these men and women, hairy and partly naked, squatting down
+amidst filth, and driven half mad by the horse-flies and black-flies,
+looked just like a large family of restless monkeys. They were gentle
+and kind--much more so than any of their more civilised brethren; and
+one of them, a fine old man, came forward when I came out of the hut and
+wished me to go and see a big yellow bear they had captured. I went, and
+near the man's hut, in a rough square cage made of crossed branches of
+trees, was Bruin grinding his teeth as we drew near. In a sing-song
+monotone the man told me the story of the hunt, and how the bear had
+been captured. Then we went from one hut to another all through the
+village. Yamakubiro is the name given to the huts taken collectively,
+but the man took good care to explain to me that one part of the village
+(numbering only seven houses) was called Tchiota, and the other, a short
+distance away, was named Yammakka. Tchiota in the Ainu language means
+"dead-sand," and Yammakka is "land in behind."
+
+Yammakka has ten huts. The hut in which I had to put up was more than
+filthy, and I had a sort of presentiment that my landlord was a
+scoundrel. He saw me giving a small silver Japanese coin to a girl I had
+painted. From that moment I noticed his eyes were continually fixed on
+my waistcoat pocket, out of which I had taken the coin. However, I did
+not think much of that, as all Ainu are fond of beads, metals, or
+anything that shines. When the evening came I tried to go to sleep on
+the hard planks, as usual. There is undoubtedly more _board_ than
+_lodging_ about Ainu accommodation. Myriads of Taikkis, the tiny but
+troublesome and uninvited guests of all dirty dwellings, did me the
+honour to sup off the few drops of blood which remained in my veins. I
+owed it to a bottle of Keating's Powder that I was not carried away
+bodily by them. I felt cold and feverish, and having no civilised
+bed-clothes to cover me, I slept with my clothes on; and this the more
+willingly, as I felt an instinctive mistrust of my host, and I thought
+it was as well to be ready for any emergency.
+
+A few salmon were hanging right over my nose. They hung low, but they
+smelt high. I had been given a place in the south-west corner of the
+hut, and my landlord retired to the north-east corner. Though this may
+sound very far, my host was really not more than a few feet away from
+me. He apparently thought that I had gone to sleep, for I heard him
+creep to my side. I could not see him, being in absolute darkness, but
+though he was evidently holding his breath, I could feel the warmth of
+his face near mine. He was listening to hear if I were asleep. I kept
+quiet, and pretended to snore. This gave him courage, and sliding his
+hand gently along my arm, he came to a pocket in my coat. He began to
+explore it--but the Ainu are an unfortunate people even when they try to
+steal. He had got hold of a pocket with no bottom to it--a common
+occurrence in my coats. The more he explored, the more he found there
+was to explore. I am fond myself of explorations, and I have no
+objection to a fellow-being, hairy or not hairy, "prospecting" my empty
+pockets or my pockets which have no bottom to them. However, my host was
+not satisfied with the first results of his researches, and with his
+hand still through the torn lining of the coat-pocket proceeded to
+investigate the contents of my waistcoat pockets. This was a different
+matter altogether, and catching hold of him before he was able to
+disentangle himself, I swung his arm away and hit him hard on the head
+with my right fist.
+
+"Wooi!" cried he in despair, and half stunned, as he scrambled away as
+best he could to his north-east corner. By way of apology and excuse,
+and with a trembling voice, the man from his corner said that he had
+only come to sleep on my side of the hut, as the wind was blowing strong
+where he had lain down, and that my side was warmer. A good excuse
+indeed when you are caught _flagrante delicto_ pickpocketing!
+
+The salmon which my host gave me last night for dinner and this morning
+for breakfast was so rotten, that, hungry as I was, I could not eat it.
+From Yammakka, in a westerly direction, the way begins with a gentle
+incline; therefore there is a complete absence of the high and
+troublesome reeds which I had found in the vast marshy plain I had
+crossed on my way here from the coast. I intended pushing on to
+Frishikobets, a larger village some miles off. The old scoundrel wanted
+to accompany me part of the way, saying that there were two dangerous
+rivers to cross, and he would show me where to wade them. I fancied that
+they were as dangerous as they were imaginary, and I started off
+declining his offer. I came across several Ainu huts on my way, passed
+the village of Pensatsunai--six Ainu huts--on the Satsunai river, an
+affluent of the Tokachi, and then arrived at Obishiro in the afternoon.
+There are seven houses at Obishiro. I entered one of them, and to my
+astonishment I found myself in front of an old man and a pretty woman,
+whose appearance and manners were as refined as those of the better
+classes in Japan. A younger man also came in. Their astonishment was as
+great as mine, as they had not seen any civilised beings since they had
+been there. Though the outside of their dwelling was not prepossessing,
+the inside was so clean that I felt as if I had dropped into heaven.
+After what I had gone through, this unexpected _rencontre_ brought me
+back to life and a belief in the proprieties of a civilised existence,
+almost forgotten by now!
+
+These people had a romantic history. Watanabe Masaru--the younger
+man--was a Japanese gentleman by birth and education, but he had no
+fortune. Of an adventurous disposition, clever, sensitive, and tired of
+the conventionalities of his fatherland, he decided eight or ten years
+ago to emigrate to Hokkaido, and there lead the life of a colonist. The
+woman he loved was as brave and constant as he. She sailed with him and
+her father from Japan, and after a long and perilous journey in a junk
+(sailing boat), they landed at the mouth of the Tokachi River. In Ainu
+canoes they went up the river, and established themselves at Obishiro,
+far from civilisation, nearly in the centre of Yezo. At first they had a
+great deal of trouble with the natives, but now they are loved by all.
+There, with two lovely children, they lead an ideal life, far from the
+madding crowd and noise of the world, and freed from the vulgarity of
+society.
+
+I rode on to Frishikobets village, situated on the Frishiko, "old
+river," and in the midst of a beautiful plain. There are only
+twenty-eight houses, and they are scattered about in the plain at a
+distance of several hundred yards one from the other. Some of the huts
+were hidden in the forest. A peculiarity of the Ainu of the Upper
+Tokachi River is, that they frequently cover their dwellings and
+storehouses with the bark of trees, instead of with reeds, as is the
+custom among the Ainu of the Saru River and Volcano Bay.
+
+I was told here again that Ainu women often suckle small bears at their
+breasts so as to fatten them up for the festival; and one not
+infrequently sees the women in Ainu households chewing food, and letting
+the young cub take it from their lips.
+
+These Ainu are much more interesting as types, and also much purer in
+race, than either the Piratori or the Volcano Bay Ainu. A learned
+missionary, who has not himself visited these people, writes as follows
+regarding them:--"The Ainu of the Tokapchi district, in Yezo, are spoken
+of as having been particularly addicted to this kind of warfare (night
+raids against each other, in which the men were murdered, and the women
+stolen and used as slaves or kept as concubines), and are even now held
+in abhorrence by the people of some villages. They are said not only to
+have murdered people, but also to have eaten some of them. They were,
+therefore, cannibals, and I have heard them spoken of as 'eaters of
+their own kind.'"[18]
+
+    [18] Rev. John Batchelor, 'The Ainu of Japan,' chap. xx.
+
+From my own personal experience--and I may add I am the only foreigner
+who has seen these Tokachi, or as others call them, Tokapchi Ainu--I
+came to a conclusion very different from this. I found that not only
+were they not cannibals, but that, taken altogether, they were the most
+peaceable, gentle, and kind Ainu I came across during my peregrinations
+through the land of the hairy people. Indeed, I am sorry to say that it
+is not savagery that makes the Ainu bad, but it is civilisation that
+demoralises them. The only place in Yezo where I was actually
+ill-treated by Ainu, as my readers will remember, is the village where
+they were said to be "very civilised."
+
+I have no wish to force my opinion on the public as the correct one. I
+do but describe what I have actually seen in a district in which others
+who have written on this subject have never set foot, and I leave it to
+my readers to judge who has most claim to be heard.
+
+The language of the Tokachi Ainu varies considerably from the language
+spoken in more civilised districts, and none of the natives up the river
+could speak Japanese when I was there.
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOMAN OF FRISHIKOBETS, ON THE TOKACHI RIVER.]
+
+Unfortunately, the Ainu of this region are not very numerous, and
+constant intermarriage among near relations has proved detrimental to
+the race. However, a glance at them is quite sufficient to show the
+difference between them and Ainu of other tribes. They are not so
+picturesquely arrayed as their more western brothers, and the large
+Japanese brass and silver earrings, as well as the glass bead necklaces
+which make such a brave show yonder, are replaced here by rough bone or
+wooden ornaments. Men and women in summer are almost entirely naked, and
+all children are clad in their own bare skins only. Their winter
+garments are made of bear and deer skins. Some peculiar snow-sandals,
+made of the bark of a kind of ash-tree called _shina_, are sometimes
+worn over the winter salmon-skin boots or moccasins. The Ainu make their
+ropes out of the bark of this _shina_, though often young vine stems are
+used for the same purpose. River fishing-nets are generally made of
+young vines twisted. They are of the roughest description, and are only
+fit for rivers where fish is abundant, as in the Yezo watercourses. The
+Ainu at Frishikobets took very kindly to sitting for their portraits,
+and one after the other--all the best types--were immortalised either in
+oils or in pencil. Strange to say, I came across another old woman, a
+lunatic, very similar to the one I saw at Yammakka. Her face was that of
+a witch, her eyebrows joining downwards somewhat in the shape of an
+owl's beak. Her long pale hands and face, and the long wild hair
+covering half her face, gave her a striking appearance. She had,
+however, not yet reached the stage of imbecility which her Yammakka
+sister had attained. Lunacy is very common among the Ainu, and the
+unfortunate creature thus afflicted seems to lose not only the respect,
+but also the pity, as well as care, of all the others, and is treated by
+them as a worthless animal.
+
+After crossing the Frishikobets River, some distance off, on the east
+side of the Tokachi River, are the villages of Upar-penai,[19]
+twenty-one Ainu huts, Memuro-puto,[20] sixteen huts, and Ottoinnai,[21]
+fourteen huts. Then comes Kinney, with seven houses; and finally
+Nitumap,[22] the last village on the Tokachi River, has as many as
+thirty-six houses.
+
+    [19] _U_, place; _par_, mouth; _pe_, undrinkable water; _nai_,
+         stream; _Upar-penai_, a place at the mouth of a stream of
+         undrinkable water.
+
+    [20] _Me_, in front; _mu_, sheltered spot in a river; _ro_, track;
+         _puto_, mouth of river; _Memuro-puto_, track in front of a
+         sheltered spot at the mouth of a river.
+
+    [21] _Otto_, into; _i_, a place; _nai_, stream; _Ottoinnai_, a place
+         in a stream.
+
+    [22] _Nitumap_, open trunk of a tree.
+
+The huts of the Tokachi region are much smaller than those on the Saru
+River, and near many of them is a cage, in which a big yellow or black
+bear is confined. The natives told me that yellow and black bears were
+numerous in the neighbourhood. Deer (the _yuk_, male deer, and
+_mowambe_, female), were formerly plentiful, but now are very scarce. A
+few years ago a pestilence killed great numbers of them, and since then
+they have dwindled away.
+
+Not many miles from Frishikobets a huge cliff rises perpendicularly
+along the Shikarubets River. A landslip seems to have taken place, which
+leaves one side of the cliff perfectly bare and rugged, showing the
+strata composing the soil. It is of a light yellowish colour, and it is
+called by the Ainu the _Shikarubets Otchirsh_, which translated into
+English means "the white cliff on the bend of the river." This cliff
+stands very high, and can be seen from a great distance, especially in a
+north-east, east, or southerly direction. In winter, when the rushes and
+reeds are not so high in the south-eastern portion of the plain, the
+white cliff can be distinguished from the whole of the Tokachi valley.
+The Ainu themselves use the Shikarubets Otchirsh as a landmark when out
+hunting bears. Owing to its light colour it is visible even at night. I
+was anxious to ascend it, as I was sure no European foot had ever
+trodden on it before. Accompanied by Watanabe Masaru, I started out on
+horseback and crossed the Frishikobets village and river. Here we left
+our horses under the care of an Ainu till our return. We had to cross
+the Tokachi in an Ainu "dug-out," and then, proceeding for several miles
+in a northerly direction, we arrived at the foot of the mountain. It
+would have been impossible to climb it on the east side, as it is quite
+perpendicular; but we were fortunate in getting an Ainu called Unacharo,
+who said he knew a point from which we could ascend, and that he would
+show us the way. He had been hunting bears on that mountain, and he knew
+its slopes well; but as to the way which he was to show us, we had to
+make it for ourselves. With our large knives we were forced to break,
+cut, and tear the entangled branches of trees and shrubs before we could
+get on. We actually had to cut our way through the dense scrubwood until
+we reached the summit. The ascent was rather dangerous in some places,
+and extremely rough when going through the brushwood. We had to keep as
+much as possible near the edge of the cliff, for though it involved more
+danger if we slipped or stumbled, the entangled shrubs were not so thick
+on the edge as farther inland. Finally, after several hours' hard work,
+we reached the top, and were well repaid for our fatigues. The whole of
+the Tokachi valley was stretched before us as far as the sea, and almost
+the whole course of the winding river, with all its numerous affluents,
+could be distinguished like so many shining silver ribbons on the green
+background formed by the tall grass and reeds. As a farming region the
+Tokachi valley and high plains are certainly the most fertile in
+Hokkaido. All the requisites for successful agriculture can be found
+there. The absence of the mountain masses of volcanic rocks, so common
+all over Hokkaido, the richness of the soil, the quantity of water for
+irrigation or for motive power, besides the comparative facility of
+making roads on such flat ground, are qualities that good farmers do not
+generally despise. It is therefore a great pity to see all that Tokachi
+valley practically deserted and so much good land wasted. Hemp, wheat,
+corn, potatoes, beans, and all kinds of vegetables and cereals, could be
+grown with advantage, and the produce carried down the river to the sea
+without much difficulty and at little expense. At Yamakubiro the land
+begins to rise in a gentle slope, but only to form a plateau, of which
+the top is another large plain reaching to the foot of the Oputateishike
+mountain mass. The Otopke Mountain is the highest peak, and resembles in
+shape the Fujiama of Japan. On the north-east side of this mountain are
+the hot springs of Ni-piri-bets.[23] A kind of wood is said by the Ainu
+to be found near these hot springs which is good for curing wounds,
+cuts, rheumatism, and other ailments. These hot springs are not of much
+importance, and it is but seldom that even the Ainu themselves visit
+them. In going to and returning from these springs the Shikarubets
+Otchirsh is never lost sight of by the Ainu, and by the aid of this
+landmark they return safely to their homes.
+
+    [23] _Ni_, wood; _piri_, wound; _bets_, river.
+
+All the Oputateishike mountain mass is volcanic, and forms the backbone
+of the island of Yezo. From the Shikarubets Otchirsh I was able to draw
+a bird's-eye view of the course of the Tokachi River and its affluents,
+which afterwards helped me much in delineating a sketch-map of the
+Tokachi region, with its complicated watercourses. The two high
+mountains of Satsumai and Ghifzan could also be plainly seen from there.
+Coming down was much easier than going up, and when we had again reached
+the bottom of the mountain we turned northward until we came to the
+Shorui-washi River, an affluent of the Tokachi. Previous to this, while
+following the course of the Otsu River, I saw a strange sight. When on
+the summit of the Shikarubets Otchirsh I had seen two Ainu "dug-outs"
+pass up the river, and the Ainu who accompanied us said we should soon
+see them coming back again. We were not far from the river banks when
+shouts and cries of excitement reached my ears. I hurried on to the
+water-side and saw the two "dug-outs" swiftly coming down with the
+strong current, parallel with each other at a distance of about seven
+feet apart. There were three people in each "dug-out," viz., a woman
+with a paddle steering at the prow; another woman crouched up at the
+stern, and a man in the middle. A coarse net made of young vines, and
+about five feet square, was fastened to two poles seven or eight feet
+long. The man who stood in the centre of each canoe held one of the
+poles, to the upper end of which the net was attached, and attentively
+watched the water.
+
+"They are catching salmon--look!" said Unacharo to me; "the salmon are
+coming up the stream from the sea." The small net was plunged into the
+water between the two canoes, and nearly each time a large salmon was
+scooped out and flung into one or other of the "dug-outs," where the
+woman sitting at the stern crushed its head with a large stone. If a
+fish escaped, yells of indignation, especially from the women folk,
+broke out from the boats, to be echoed by the high white cliff. Both men
+and women were naked, and the dexterity and speed with which they
+paddled their canoes down the stream, working the coarse net at the same
+time, seldom missing a fish, was simply marvellous. On the other hand,
+it must be remembered that fish were so plentiful in the river, that it
+was really easier to catch than to miss. In wading the Shikarubets
+(river) I could see large salmon passing me by the dozen, and I felt
+quite uncomfortable when some large fish either rubbed itself against or
+passed between my legs. We got across the Shorui-washi--literally "very
+burning a place to stand"--and having then gone far enough from the
+Shikarubets Otchirsh to see the whole of it, I managed to take a good
+sketch of it. Near this river are some hot springs, called Nishibets,
+from which the river has taken its peculiar name. The easiest way to the
+Otopke Mountain is to follow the valley between the Shikarubets and the
+Otopke River, and then climb the mountain on the north-east side. The
+latter part of the journey is extremely rough and difficult. Watanabe
+and I returned to Obishiro. It is not often that one anywhere meets with
+such simple, straightforward people as these Watanabes. They have lived
+alone at Obishiro for eight years among savages, but never in my life
+have I met with more civilised, kind, thoughtful, gentle beings than
+Watanabe and his wife. As civilisation makes savages bad, I dare say
+savage life makes civilised people good! I go away carrying with me a
+deep affection for these gentle strangers, whose kindness to me has made
+them my friends.
+
+The day came for me to return to the coast. My ponies, probably
+frightened by bears, broke loose during the night, and one of them ran
+away; and I was rather in a difficulty as to how I should get back
+whence I had come. Watanabe, adding kindness to kindness, allowed me to
+have one of his ponies, and after repeated good-byes I started on my
+journey back to the coast. About four miles east of Yammakka the Tokachi
+River receives a large affluent, the Toshibets, or "river of high
+swamps." The Tunnui Puto is the largest of these swamps, about four
+miles north of the mouth of the Toshibets. _Tunnui_ means a kind of
+tree, probably the _Quercus dentata_; _puto_ or _put_ means the mouth of
+a river. The course of the Toshibets River is almost from due north to
+south from its source, then for about six or seven miles from north-west
+to south-east, and, sharply turning again from north to south, continues
+in this direction winding continually for eighteen or twenty miles, till
+it throws itself with a large body of water in the Tokachi River. On the
+southern side of the latter part of the watercourse are found the Ainu
+villages of Pombets, twenty-two huts; Purokenashpa,[24] three huts;
+Kenashpa,[25] twelve huts; and Beppo,[26] eleven huts. The
+characteristics of the natives of these villages and their habitations
+are similar to those already described at Frishikobets. The journey down
+was much the same as that coming up. Tobuts, on the north side of the
+Tokachi, is the largest Ainu village in the district, and has as many as
+sixty huts. The inhabitants are possessed of a somewhat fiery temper in
+this particular village, and the day previous to my going through two
+men were killed in a row. I felt awfully annoyed at being just one day
+too late to see it, as then I might have described how the Ainu die.
+However, I reached the other side of the Tokachi again. A way through
+the same tall rushes and reeds had to be forced, and the same army of
+mosquitoes and horse-flies had to be met and endured. It was my
+intention to push on and reach the coast as soon as possible. At
+Yammakka the natives had seen my runaway pony galloping at full speed
+towards the coast, but no one had caught it. Probably no one had tried.
+
+    [24] _Puro_, great; _ke_, I; _nashpa_, deafening noise.
+
+    [25] _Ke_, I; _nashpa_, deafening noise.
+
+    [26] _Beppo_ or _pet put_, at the mouth of a river.
+
+My ponies went well. I could plainly see where I had already come
+through the jungle, by the long trail of crushed and broken reeds I had
+left behind me. Everything was calm, but for the monotonous sound of
+crashing leaves produced by my forcing my way through the reeds.
+Suddenly my ponies stopped, shied, and began to back. They sniffed the
+ground, then the air. Their ears were straight up, their eyes were
+restless, and their nostrils widely distended. They were certainly under
+some great excitement, and showed unmistakable signs of terror. "What
+could be the cause of it?" I asked myself, but all the same gave the
+ponies a sound thrashing to make them go. It was useless--they would not
+stir. The second pony came by the side of mine, and they both put their
+heads together, in their own way consulting and concerting. They were
+utterly demoralised, and were kicking awfully. It was getting dark, and
+this riotous conduct on the part of my ponies was annoying.
+Unexpectedly, and with a tremendous growl, a huge black bear sprang
+towards us, and tried to seize the baggage pony. However, he and the
+beast I was riding bolted, and ran a desperate race for life; and though
+Bruin followed us clumsily for some time, we soon were far ahead, and
+lost sight of him. It was more than I could do to stop the frightened
+brutes; but finally, after a reckless steeplechase of many miles, after
+jumping over brooks and splashing across torrents, flying over the
+ground and through the jungle, without omitting to anathematise a
+horsefly that had settled on the back of my neck, and was amusing itself
+by boring holes in different parts of it to find a suitable spot for
+feeding, finally we came to a halt. It was about time. During the
+violent ride the reeds had cut my face and neck and hands, and I was
+bleeding all over. I went on and on, and, as my ponies did not seem to
+be very tired, I tried to reach the coast that night. It grew dark, but
+the night was fine, and I let the noise of the running river guide me.
+Each minute seemed an hour, each hour an age. I rode and rode, and still
+rode, till I was nearly exhausted; and still I was surrounded by the
+tall reeds and rushes. "Thank God!" I heartily exclaimed, when finally,
+at a small hour of the morning, I found myself in open ground again, and
+the wind brought in waves the salt smell of the sea.
+
+An hour or so afterwards two tired ponies were easily pulled up at the
+tea-house at Otsu, the landlord was roused, and a wearied and
+half-starved traveller was let in.
+
+[Illustration: THE SHIKARUBETS OTCHIRSH.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU MAN OF THE UPPER TOKACHI.]
+
+CHAPTER VIII.
+
+From the Tokachi River to the Kutcharo River.
+
+
+I decided to stop a day at Otsu, so as to recover from the fatigue of my
+late travels and adventures, and I chose my quarters in the _yadoya_ of
+a Japanese called Inomata Yoshitaro. I was told that he was an
+ex-convict. Be that as it may, he had now turned into a fisherman and
+innkeeper. Like all Japanese, he was an inexhaustible talker, and his
+politeness was so great that it became a bore.
+
+It was about three in the morning when I reached Otsu. I had taken off
+my boots on entering his house--for it is an insult to enter Japanese
+houses with one's boots on--and I had seated myself on the soft mat in
+order to rest my aching limbs, when Yoshitaro made me get up to place a
+small square cushion under me, on which he said I should be more
+comfortable. I had not been on it one minute before Yoshitaro, wanting
+to increase my comforts, made me rise again to exchange the first
+cushion covered with cotton for one covered with silk--a detail to which
+a man is not likely to pay much attention when tired to death, and only
+anxious to be left alone. It followed as a matter of course that before
+I was allowed to go to sleep I had to sip several cups of tea, which
+Yoshitaro's wife had hurriedly made, and I had to relate the result of
+my expedition to the sleepy fishermen who had crept out of their
+_foutangs_ at the news of my arrival. In spite of all this, when I had
+got rid of my audience I had a good night's rest; but when I woke up the
+next day at noon I found myself surrounded by a crowd of fishermen of
+Otsu, who had invaded the _yadoya_ to have a peep at the young
+foreigner, while in the back yard I recognised the voices of Yoshitaro
+and his wife, who evidently were occupied in the exciting chase of a
+fowl.
+
+A few minutes later Yoshitaro triumphantly entered the room with a large
+dish, on which the same fowl, uncooked, and cut into a thousand little
+bits, was served to me, together with pieces of raw salmon, _daikon_ (a
+vegetable), and boiled rice. This he called a European dinner! I did my
+best to roast the chicken bits on the _hibachi_ (the brazier); but I was
+never well up in the culinary art, and, as my landlord remarked, he had
+brought up the meat for me to eat, not to "burn."
+
+Fowls are very scarce indeed in Hokkaido, and the few found have been
+imported; therefore the landlord did not fail to explain, in a
+roundabout manner, under what great obligation I was to him for killing
+such a precious bird.
+
+I said that I had not asked him to do this, and with his perfect
+Japanese politeness, bowing gracefully down to the ground, he said:
+
+"Sayo de gozarimas" ("Yes, your honourable sir"). "But," he added, "the
+bird was so old that if I had not killed it I fear it would have died by
+itself ere long." Such a sacrifice undoubtedly deserved a reward, and he
+assured me that we should be "quite even" if I, being an artist, would
+condescend to paint twelve portraits of him. I had no little trouble to
+make him understand that he was mistaking me for a photographic camera,
+but I offered to paint him a small sketch the next morning if he would
+leave me alone all that day.
+
+Punctually at sunrise he entered my room. He had his best clothes on,
+and his anxiety to be painted was such that he had not been able to
+sleep all night. I painted the sketch, and Yoshitaro and his male and
+female friends joined in exclamations of admiration at the good result
+of the _abura e_ (oil painting). He professed to be very grateful, and
+carefully packed the picture in a box, which he carried into another
+room.
+
+I took advantage of his absence to pack up my traps, as I wished to
+leave for Shaubets that same morning. In a short time Yoshitaro came
+back to my room, but a different man. He was rude, and tried to bully
+me. He presented a bill for the sum of sixteen _yen_, equivalent to L3
+in English money, which I considered exorbitant for two nights' rest, a
+few bowls of rice, and the "European dinner." The highest charge made by
+the very best tea-houses in Hokkaido never exceeds one yen--two
+shillings and tenpence a day--including all meals. I quietly told the
+landlord that he was a thief, and that I would punish him by taking the
+picture away from him; but he swore that he would not surrender it, and
+that he would fight for it if necessary.
+
+I seldom refuse a challenge when I know that I am going to get the best
+of it, and as it so happened that my arms were a great deal longer than
+those of Yoshitaro, I caught him by the throat and shook him so
+violently that he was nearly strangled. His friends came to his rescue,
+and when I dropped him he fell heavily on the mats, and had to be
+carried away. Some minutes elapsed, and while I was hastily taking my
+heavier luggage out of the house I heard Yoshitaro in the next room call
+out to his wife to bring him a sword, as he wanted to kill the "_ijinsan
+bakka_"--"the fool of a foreigner." I entered his room. Yoshitaro, pale
+with rage, was sitting by his _hibachi_, and round him were eight or ten
+of his men. They were apparently holding a congress on what to do, and
+each one of them, as is usual on all occasions in Japan, had pulled out
+his little pipe, and was continually refilling it with tobacco as they
+all discussed the matter on hand. I had my boots on this time, as I
+wished to show the scorn I had for him, his friends, and his house. In
+my coat pocket--the only sound one--I had my revolver, but it was not
+loaded.
+
+"Yoshitaro," I said, "deliver the picture at once."
+
+"I will not," said he.
+
+"Good!" said his friends in a chorus.
+
+"Yoshitaro," I said again, producing the revolver and pointing it at
+him, "if I have not the picture before I count twenty you will be a dead
+man."
+
+I never in my life saw a crowd of bullies so scared. Covering their
+faces with their hands, Yoshitaro's friends bolted in all directions,
+some jumping out of the semi-European window, some dashing through the
+violently-opened paper _shojis_ (sliding doors), leaving eight or ten
+pipes and as many tobacco pouches scattered on the mats. The landlord, a
+moment ago so brave, had not strength to get up, so great was his
+terror. Pale as death, and with a trembling voice, he called imploringly
+to his wife, servants, and friends to come and deliver up the picture.
+
+I had counted up to number fourteen, and no one had put in an
+appearance. Then I incidentally mentioned to Yoshitaro that time was
+nearly up, and enquired if he preferred to be shot through the head or
+the heart, at the same time cocking my revolver. Yoshitaro shuddered.
+
+At number sixteen a little girl, the only brave one of the lot, was sent
+to his help.
+
+"Dutchera Danna?" ("Where is it, sir?") she asked him, quite perplexed.
+
+"Hatchera, hayaku, hayaku nesan!" ("It is there; quick, quick, girl!")
+pointing to a closet in which a pile of _foutangs_ (small mattresses)
+were kept rolled during the day.
+
+Yoshitaro had hidden the sketch so well in the closet that the little
+_nesan_[27] could not find it, and when I called out number nineteen the
+poor girl, discomfited, cried out, "Mi-imasen" ("I do not see it!")
+
+    [27] _Nesan_, a corruption of _annesan_.
+
+Yoshitaro was more dead than alive; his lips were white, and he tried to
+articulate some words, but could not. His eyes, fixed on the closet,
+were glazed and set. His body was beginning to collapse, and every
+moment I thought that he would faint.
+
+In the meantime the _nesan_ hurriedly pulled out all the _foutangs_ and
+unrolled them, and the box with the sketch fell out just as I was about
+to call out number twenty. She gave me the box and sketch, and I told
+Yoshitaro that he must now come out with me, and, putting my revolver in
+my pocket, I pulled the man to the entrance door.
+
+Several villagers had collected at a respectful distance on the road,
+waiting for the report of the revolver. Yoshitaro's wife was the
+farthest of all.
+
+I signed to them to come nearer, and seeing that the revolver was no
+longer in my hands, they came, though very reluctantly. Yoshitaro was
+beginning to breathe again; and when a sufficient crowd had collected, I
+compelled him to accuse himself before them all of being a thief, and to
+confess that he was glad to have been punished. Also I made him promise
+that he would not play such tricks again on any other traveller.
+
+The Japanese are fond of a good joke, even when it is played off on one
+of themselves; and when I had seen all my baggage safe on my
+pack-saddles, I gave Yoshitaro the sixteen dollars he had asked me: "Two
+dollars," I said, "in settlement of my bill, and fourteen to go to your
+doctor for restoring you to good health after the fright you have had
+to-day."
+
+To show how shabby Yoshitaro's nature was, it is enough to state that
+out of the sum received his munificence went to the extent of five _sen_
+(2-1/2_d._) as a present to the girl who had come to save his life!
+
+When my ponies were ready, I showed Yoshitaro and his knavish friends
+how I had sold them. I brought out my revolver again, and they all saw
+that not a single cartridge was in any of its chambers. This done, I
+bade them good-bye, and left them to reflect that it is not always the
+quietest persons who can be imposed on with most impunity, but that
+sometimes such quiet persons get the best of it, even against ten
+bullies or more banded together. I have no doubt that a good many of my
+readers will think me cruel for carrying a joke so far; but, on the
+other hand, if placed in similar circumstances, when no redress from
+without is to be obtained, and one must defend oneself by main force,
+very few would treat such a serious imposition and offence as a joke.
+
+In going through the village more than one fisherman came to tell me
+that I had done right in dealing severely with Yoshitaro, as he was
+known to be a scoundrel and a thief, and they all detested him.
+
+There was little of interest between Otsu and Shaubets, with the
+exception of the beautiful delta formed in the low alluvial valley by
+the Otsu River and the Tokachi River, two large estuaries nearly two
+miles apart, by which the Tokachi River enters the sea. The Tokachi is a
+river of large volume and considerable length, and even when divided,
+the body of water carried by both outlets is so great as to make it
+necessary to cross in boats, fording on foot being quite impossible.
+
+The Urahoro River was successfully crossed, but for the twenty miles on
+to Shahubets the track was flat and sandy, lying mostly under high clay
+banks, some of which form picturesque headlands. The country is not
+mountainous in the proximity of the coast, but it is of a moderate
+elevation all through, and wooded with deciduous trees. The formation of
+the south-east coast from Cape Erimo to Cape Noshafu is in many ways
+unlike that of the south-west coast. The south-western part is more
+mountainous, and is further characterised by the absence of extensive
+plains. The coast-line is indented, and there is a striking want of
+broad beaches. Precipitous rocks are also frequent along the south-west
+coast, and thick deposits of pumice--as we have seen--are lying over
+quaternary rocks, filling up the declivities of mountain lands and river
+shores.
+
+In the western part the tertiaries are more tufaceous than on the
+south-east coast, and they are distinguished mainly by the presence of
+shales and andesite breccia. The south-eastern part is characterized by
+the almost entire absence of volcanic rocks and older eruptive rocks.
+After leaving the range of mountains forming the _Sparti acque_, east
+and west of Cape Erimo, high land is met all the way along the
+south-east coast. Nevertheless, pumice is found in the basin of the
+Tokachi River, and also in that of the Kushiro River, but it does not
+form the surface soil, covering large areas of ground, as in many places
+on the south-western portion of the coast.
+
+The different aspect in the tertiaries of the south-east and south-west
+coast may be accounted for by the presence of breccia and conglomerate,
+shales and sandstones, on the western part, while on the eastern coast
+beds of lignite, coal of inferior quality, and diatom earth form the
+tertiary strata. If it were not for the total want of harbours, or even
+moderately sheltered anchorages for ships, this south-west portion of
+Yezo, with its agricultural resources, its milder climate, and the
+facilities that it offers for the construction of roads and railways,
+ought to support a large population. As things stand now, there are no
+colonists inland, and the coast is deserted and desolate-looking. As I
+have mentioned before, the only drawbacks are the thick fogs prevailing
+during the summer months along the south-east coast, and I believe that
+this in some measure accounts for the Japanese not wishing to settle in
+a part of the country so depressing to their spirits and so trying to
+their nerves. I have often noticed how easily affected the Mikado's
+subjects are by atmospheric and geographical conditions, and how, before
+settling to do business, they make a point of finding some pleasant spot
+where to cast anchor, thinking more of the amenities of physical
+existence than of the facilities for successful trade. I did not see a
+single house for twenty miles until I reached Shaubets, a village of
+eleven Ainu huts and one Japanese house. Thousands of sea-gulls and
+penguins lined the sandy shore, and I saw several large black
+sea-eagles. A pretty waterfall, gently descending from the high grey
+cliff, was decidedly ornamental to the scenery and useful to the
+wayfarer, as it afforded my ponies and myself a good drink of
+deliciously fresh water. Far off in the distance I could distinguish a
+long tongue of land. At Shaubets I was told that it was the peninsula on
+which _Kossuri_, or _Kushiro_, as the Japanese call it, is situated. I
+left Shaubets early in the morning, with the intention of pushing on to
+Kushiro, thirty-one miles distant. At Shiranuka, only ten miles from
+Shaubets, I changed my ponies. Shiranuka is an Ainu village, the
+inhabitants of which employ themselves in collecting and drying seaweed.
+There are also seven or eight Japanese shanties besides the Ainu huts.
+At the mouth of the Tcharo-bets, near the latter village, coal and
+lignite of inferior quality are found; but this coalfield was not worked
+at the time I passed through Shiranuka. The remaining twenty-one miles
+were monotonous and uninteresting. The long _Kossuri_ peninsula was
+before me, increasing in size as I drew nearer; and after having gone
+through the two small villages of To'tori and Akan-gawa, in the
+neighbourhood of Kossuri, I crossed the Kutcharo River, on a
+nicely-built wooden bridge, and found myself at Kushiro, an important
+Japanese settlement on the south-east coast. From its favourable
+situation Kushiro is likely to become one of the chief towns in Yezo,
+though unfortunately it does not possess a good harbour, and is much
+exposed to westerly winds. The largest number of the houses are situated
+on a slight elevation above the reef-harbour, immediately south of the
+river mouth. In the proximity of Kushiro, and just beyond the range of
+hills which stretches for about three miles from the entrance of the
+harbour in a northerly, and for about two miles in an easterly
+direction, is a lagoon, called by the Ainu "Harutori." This lagoon is
+nearly two miles long, and certainly not more than a quarter of a mile
+wide. It is divided from the sea by a very narrow strip of sand, through
+which the water of the lagoon finds its outlet. On the east side of the
+Harutori coal has been discovered, and it seems to be of fairly good
+quality; and three miles further, quite close to the sea-coast, coal was
+dug out some years ago, but the quality was so inferior that the works
+had to be abandoned.
+
+There is a considerable area of good land in the neighbourhood of
+Kushiro, and here again it is to be regretted that Japanese farmers do
+not emigrate to work it. Yezo has a very small population for its size,
+and I was surprised that emigration from the mainland was not carried
+out on a larger scale. Yezo is a rich country in many ways. Why do not
+all the troublesome students, the fiery _soshi_ of Japan, abandon
+politics and futile rows and go and do men's work in that northern
+region of the empire? They would profit by it, and so would their
+country. An immense loss occurs every year simply because no one is
+there to take the profit; and it is a great pity, and almost a shame, to
+see so much waste and neglect in a region which, after all, is not
+difficult of access from the main island of Nippon. To the mineral
+products of the Kushiro district must be added the exports of fish
+(salmon and herrings), fish manure, and seaweed, which could be greatly
+increased if more practical processes were used.
+
+The town of Kushiro itself is not picturesque. There are, I dare say, as
+many as five hundred houses, some built in Japanese, some in
+semi-foreign style. The streets are very wide, and along the main street
+rails have been laid to carry coal trucks from the Harutori mine down to
+the shipping point. Thus the town has a civilised appearance, which was
+artistically ugly enough, but refreshing to my eyes after my experiences
+along the south-west and south-east coasts. There are Ainu huts along
+the river banks, on the high lands, and on the strip of sand between
+Lake Harutori and the sea. Unfortunately, most of the Ainu here, being
+in the employ of the Japanese, have adopted Japanese clothes, customs,
+manners, and language. Nearly all the younger folks are half-castes. A
+select few have even gone so far as to forget their strongest national
+characteristic of dirt; and, to my great amazement, one day I saw an
+Ainu half-caste actually taking a hot bath. It may amuse the reader to
+learn of what this Japanese bathing accommodation generally consists. It
+is one of the features in nearly all fishing stations in Yezo, and it is
+worth describing.
+
+When the day's work is over, one or more of the iron fish-kettles or
+caldrons used for extracting the oil from herrings are filled with
+water. These caldrons rest each on a cylindrical base of stones and
+clay, thus allowing a big fire of wood to be lighted under them. When
+the water has reached a high temperature, the bather either provides
+himself with an old pair of straw sandals (_waraji_), and steps in, or,
+placing a small board on the water, places his foot on it, and forces it
+down to the bottom of the caldron by his own weight. He thus avoids
+scalding his feet, which otherwise he would do severely. I have often
+seen two or three men (Japanese) placidly sitting up to their necks in
+the steaming water of the same caldron, with a huge fire burning under
+it; and several times I have been _warmly_ invited by the bathers to
+join them, which _very warm_ invitation, however, I invariably _coolly_
+considered and declined with thanks.
+
+As regards the Ainu, they are not fond of bathing or washing, and they
+share the Chinese idea that it is only dirty people who need continual
+washing. They do not regard themselves as dirty, and therefore dispense
+with such an "uncleanly habit."
+
+"You white people must be very dirty," once said an Ainu to me, as I was
+taking a plunge into a limpid river, "as you tell me that you bathe in
+the river every day."
+
+"And what about yourself?" I asked him.
+
+"Oh, Nishpa," he replied with an air of contempt, "I am very clean, and
+have never needed washing!"
+
+If Kushiro is not interesting to an artist, it is decidedly so from an
+archaeological point of view. Numerous pits, forts, and camps, flint
+implements, and fragments of pottery, are found in the immediate
+neighbourhood of the town, both on the range of hills and along the west
+shore of Lake Harutori. The pits are found in such numbers as to lead
+one to believe that the old "Kossuri" of the Ainu was once the capital
+of a race of pit-dwellers previous to the conquest of the whole of Yezo
+by the hairy race. The Ainu gave these people the name of
+_Koro-pok-kuru_--men of the holes. A few words on them may not be out of
+place, though, unfortunately, little is to be learned from the Ainu as
+to who their predecessors were, and it is merely by a close examination
+of their pits, and relics found in different parts of Yezo and the
+Kuriles, that we can to a certain extent trace the existence of such a
+race of people, and also prove that they were in no way connected with
+the present Ainu.
+
+[Illustration: AINU HOOK FOR SMOKING BEAR-MEAT.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: KORO-POK-KURU FORT.]
+
+CHAPTER IX.
+
+The Koro-pok-kuru, or Pit-dwellers.
+
+
+[Illustration: FLINT ARROW-HEADS.]
+
+All over Yezo and the Kurile Islands remains of an extinct race of
+pit-dwellers are to be seen. It is especially near lakes and swamps or
+along the coast that rectangular, circular, and elliptical pits are
+numerous, but square pits are not so common. None of these pits have yet
+been discovered on the main island of Nippon, but many are still to be
+found as far south as Hakodate, in Yezo. On the east and north-east side
+of the peak, at the latter port, these pits, flint implements, and rude
+pottery, mostly in fragments, are met with in great abundance. The
+implements consist mostly of arrow-heads, stone adzes, hammers, flint
+knives, and round pebbles, which were used as war ammunition. The
+arrow-heads vary in size, length, and breadth. The larger ones I saw
+measured an inch and three-quarters in length by an inch and
+five-eighths in breadth, while the smaller were seven-eighths of an inch
+by half an inch. They were triangular, with the angle at the point
+sometimes more, sometimes less acute, or lozenge-shaped; they are
+chipped, and not ground. Most of the arrow-heads and a good many of the
+knives were made of a dark reddish siliceous rock. The adzes also, of
+course, varied in size and shape, some being oblong in section, others
+almost rectangular, while others again were oval. They were ground, and
+always made so that the hand could have a good grip on them. The average
+length from the sharp edge to the other end would be about four inches,
+and the sides were rounded. It is apparent that most of these adzes were
+not originally fastened to a stick or club, but were held in the hand.
+They usually have a smooth surface, while the knives, as well as the
+arrow-points, exhibit marks of chipping quite plainly; their edges are
+very sharp. Hard stones are often found on which the people of the Stone
+Age used to grind their implements. The knives are mostly rectangular,
+with very sharp edges, sometimes on both sides. Then there are some in
+the shape of a sword-blade, rounded at the top, and with a rounded place
+at the other end, where they were held. Those with two sharp edges were
+triangular in shape, and were held by the upper part of the triangle,
+which point ends with a kind of knob. It is a curious fact that bone and
+bamboo arrow-points--probably Ainu--are sometimes found in pits, and
+this would lead me to believe, either that the conquering Ainu used
+these weapons in their attacks upon the pit-dwellers, or, supposing for
+a moment that the Ainu themselves were the pit-dwellers in former days,
+that they had abandoned their stone implements and had adopted bone and
+wood, which they found easier to work. I am inclined to the first
+supposition as the correct one. The pits are numerous in Yezo, and,
+following the southern coast from south-west to north-east, we find that
+they increase in number towards the north. Though stone implements and
+fragments of pottery are numerous nearly all along the southern coast,
+but few pits are found either on Volcano Bay or on the south-west part
+of the coast as far as Erimo Cape. As we pass this cape and go north, on
+the south-east coast the pits become more numerous, and at Kushiro--or
+Kossuri, as the Ainu call it--they are found in great quantities.
+Further on are some at Akkeshi, and they are plentiful nearly all along
+that stretch of the coast as far as Nemuro, and on Bentenjima, the small
+island which forms one side of the harbour at that place. North-east of
+that, in the Kuriles, at Kunashiri and Etorofu, we have abundant
+evidence that a large population of these pit-dwellers once existed
+there. In Etorofu particularly the pits, besides being frequent, are in
+much better preservation than any on the island of Yezo.
+
+[Illustration: FLINT KNIVES.]
+
+The pit-dwellers do not seem to have been particular as to the shape of
+their dwellings, though they evidently had a certain predilection for
+the elliptical and rectangular forms. The pits at Kushiro are nearly all
+rectangular, while those from Akkeshi to Nemuro are either rectangular
+or circular.
+
+The average dimensions of rectangular pits are about twelve feet by nine
+feet, but I have seen some as large as sixteen feet by twelve feet. The
+sides slope inwards, and the average depth is from three to six feet.
+Pits which are situated on cliffs, or at any height, are generally
+deeper, probably for the extra shelter required by those living at an
+altitude, compared with those living on the sea-level. The round pits
+are from ten to fourteen feet in diameter, and the elliptical have a
+length of about sixteen feet, and are about eight feet at the widest
+part of the ellipse. The pits which I found on the north-east coast of
+Yezo, from Shari to Cape Soya, were not so numerous as those on the
+southern coast; but some of them were larger in size, as probably, owing
+to the greater severity of the climate, more people lived in the same
+hut for the purpose of creating natural heat. At Tobuts, on the Saruma
+Lake, are three of elliptical shape. Near Abashiri several
+well-preserved specimens of pottery have been found, especially in the
+mud of swamps or lakes; but after leaving Lake Saruma, I did not see any
+traces of the pit-dwellers till I approached Soya Cape. When these pits
+are excavated, a stratum of sand is generally found, and beneath it a
+large quantity of charcoal in the centre of the pit. Under the charcoal
+the earth is burnt, showing that the hearth was in the centre of the
+dwelling, as it is now in the Ainu huts. This goes to prove that there
+was one fire, and not, as some travellers have endeavoured to show, five
+or six burning at the same time, round which, or, rather, between which,
+the pit-dwellers slept. I have often dug in different parts of pits, and
+have invariably come upon this burnt charcoal in or near the middle. I
+never saw any signs of more than one fire in the same pit. Digging in a
+large pit at Kushiro, I found some stag-horns, and numerous bits of
+black and red pottery. Some of the fragments had rough line
+ornamentations on them. There was also a large quantity of war
+ammunition, in the shape of big pebbles and round stones. Most pits
+contain heaps of rubbish and bones of animals. Sometimes there are heaps
+of oyster shells, as near the pits on Saruma Lake; and these shell-heaps
+are similar to those found on the main island of Nippon. In another pit
+on one of the forts at Kushiro I found what I thought was part of a
+human skull; but on a closer examination it turned out to be the skull
+of an animal--probably a fox or a stag. A bone arrow-point also came to
+light in the same pit, and several stone defensive weapons. It was
+interesting to note that this pit was built on the top of a small
+conical hill, and that the hill itself was surrounded by a ditch only a
+few feet wide, thus forming a kind of fort. On the side and at the
+bottom of the fort I saw numbers of stones, which had in all probability
+been used by the pit-dwellers as missiles against the attacking Ainu
+during a battle. Besides forts, the pit-dwellers had camps, generally
+situated in a commanding position above a river, a lake, or a harbour.
+Single pits also are found only under similar conditions.
+
+Near Kushiro, on the Lake Harutori, which is divided from the sea by a
+sand isthmus, are several camps and one or two forts, the first of
+which overlooks the sea. Along the Kutcharo River are forts and camps.
+These camps are on the crowns of the hills, and each is surrounded by a
+small ditch. In the last, about three miles from the coast, were several
+square pits, larger than those on the other three forts. This last fort
+stands some distance back from the river, and is situated in a little
+plain at the summit of a detached mound, which has the appearance of
+having been artificially cut from the larger remaining portion of the
+hill itself. The shape of the fort is a broken cone, and the base
+measures about nine hundred feet in circumference, while the upper one
+is about three hundred. From the top, where there is only a small pit,
+the entrance of the river can easily be watched; and it must have been
+almost impregnable, as the walls of the fort, or, rather, the sides of
+the conical hill, rise nearly perpendicularly from the plain. A small
+stream runs at the foot of the fort.
+
+On the Lake Harutori the range of hills which stretches from the sea for
+three or four miles along its eastern shores is literally covered with
+these pits, and on the sandy isthmus separating the sea from the lake
+some very large pits can be observed. The fort near the sea is called
+_Shirito_ by the Ainu, and that at the other end of the range goes by
+the name of _Moshiriya_. It was in the latter fort that the well-shaped
+bone arrow-point was found, as well as one or two stone adzes, which
+were so shaped as to fit the hand, and evidently had been used as
+hammers, or weapons of offence at close quarters. In the same fort I
+found two stags' horns in good preservation, and many bones of different
+animals. It is doubtful whether these heaps of horns and bones were
+brought into the pits for the purpose of making arrow-points and other
+weapons, or whether the stags had been used merely for food. The bone
+arrow-point found in the same pit was not in such a decayed condition as
+most of the bones I found there, which led me to believe that it was not
+made out of the same kind of bone, or that the bone out of which it was
+made had been cured before its conversion into an arrow-point. I believe
+that in the neighbourhood of Kusuri--or Kushiro, as it is now called by
+the Japanese--there are as many as a thousand or fifteen hundred pits.
+In Etorofu, at Bet-to-bu, on the north-west coast of the island, nearly
+as many are to be found along the seashore, mostly on the plain at the
+top of the cliffs overlooking the sea, while the rest are situated on
+the banks of a narrow stream and along what appears to have been a river
+course. On the same island, at Ru-pets, are several pits of a similar
+description, and a fort.
+
+As the pit-dwellers have disappeared from Yezo and the Kuriles, and only
+pre-historic remains and relics have been left behind to indicate their
+former existence, the questions naturally arise: Who were these
+pit-dwellers? Whence did they come? and whither have they gone? We can
+place no reliance on the accounts given by the Ainu or by the highly
+imaginative Japanese, who, moreover, are perfectly ignorant on this
+subject. Some Ainu say that Yezo was formerly peopled by a race of
+dwarfs, who were their enemies, and were extirpated by them after many
+sanguinary battles. The Ainu are very vague as to when and where these
+battles were fought, but according to their accounts these pit-dwellers,
+whom they call the _Koro-pok-kuru_--literally "men of holes"--once
+inhabited Yezo and the Kuriles. They were only three or four feet in
+height, and some semi-Ainu stories represent them as being only a few
+inches tall. This of course might be taken to mean that they were very
+small by comparison. A few Ainu, yet more imaginative than others, go so
+far as to say gravely that the Koro-pok-kuru were so tiny that when a
+shower of rain came they hid under burdock leaves for shelter. Others,
+however, tell us that these Koro-pok-kuru were their ancestors, and much
+more hairy than the Ainu of the present day. They were strong, fond of
+hunting, and able to cross the mountains with great facility and speed.
+According to Mr. Batchelor, some Ainu state that they themselves
+formerly lived in huts over pits, and that they changed their method of
+house-building on coming in contact with the Japanese; but if this were
+the case it seems unaccountable that they should distinguish their
+predecessors as pit-dwellers. Moreover, if the influence of the Japanese
+was sufficiently strong to cause them to make this most important change
+in their habitations and mode of living, how comes it that in other
+matters they have not adopted Japanese customs? I was unable to trace
+the slightest resemblance between Ainu huts and Japanese edifices of any
+kind, either in their general appearance or in any of the smaller
+details, and I was always struck by the small extent to which the Ainu
+have adopted the customs of the dominant race. Indeed, the character of
+Ainu buildings is peculiar to the Ainu themselves, and, far from
+constructing their dwellings over pits, they go to the other extreme,
+and perch their storehouses on piles or posts. It is a remarkable
+coincidence that on the Lake Kutcharo, not many miles from Kusuri, where
+the Koro-pok-kuru pits are numerous, the roofs of the Ainu huts and
+storehouses are not angular, but circular, which gives them the
+appearance of half a cylinder resting on the ground. This struck me as
+being in all probability the shape of structures built over rectangular
+pits, while the coverings of round pits must have been shaped like half
+a sphere, similar to the snow houses of the Esquimaux, and the
+elliptical like the longer half of an egg.
+
+The present houses of the Kutcharo Lake Ainu, however, are not built on
+pits; and on my questioning the few inhabitants of the village, all were
+perfectly ignorant of the existence of the Koro-pok-kuru, and they knew
+nothing of their own ancestors, nor whether they had built structures
+over pits or not. The idea seemed to them highly ludicrous, and afforded
+them a great deal of amusement.
+
+On the north-east coast of Yezo, where pits are found, some Ainu huts
+have round and others angular roofs; but even in the latter instance,
+the angle of the two sides of the roof is not as acute as with the huts
+on the Saru and the Tokachi River; but both slant in a more gentle way,
+forming an obtuse angle of about 135 deg. In fact, these variations in the
+Ainu architecture have not yet been accounted for, and whether they
+copied their roofs from their foes the Koro-pok-kuru, or whether it is a
+mere chance that the roofs bear a certain resemblance, cannot be
+discovered from tradition or hearsay. I may mention incidentally my own
+theory, which may afford an explanation of this point. As the Saru, the
+Tokachi, and the Ishikari districts have no very severe weather in
+winter, and only a comparatively small quantity of snow falls during the
+colder months, the Ainu build huts with very slanting roofs, so that the
+snow should not remain on them in winter, while during the summer months
+the rain should fall off the steep incline of the roof before it could
+filter through into the hut. On the Kutcharo Lake and on the north-east
+coast, where strong winds are prevalent, the huts have round roofs, so
+as to offer the least possible resistance to the gales, and thus escape
+the danger of being blown down.
+
+With regard to the snow, the opposite of the Saru Ainu method is
+practised. Instead of preventing the snow from resting on their roofs,
+the Ainu of the colder regions do all they can to let it remain, for by
+thus forming an air-tight vault it renders the hut much warmer in
+winter. In other words, the system is the same as that adopted by the
+Esquimaux, with the exception that the latter, I believe, have no frame
+to their huts, and the vault is entirely of snow and ice; while with the
+Ainu of the north-east coast the snow vault is directly over the hut
+itself. I invariably noticed on the north-east coast, where the Ainu
+have a mixed architecture, that wherever a hut was built in an exposed
+position it had a round roof, while those built under the shelter of a
+cliff or a hill had angular ones, and this is what led me to the above
+conclusion.
+
+To return to the Koro-pok-kuru, they undoubtedly must have had
+semi-spherical and semi-cylindrical roofs over their pits, whether the
+vault was constructed of mud, sticks, and reeds, or simply of snow and
+ice, like the Esquimaux dwellings. For all that we know, the
+Koro-pok-kuru huts may have had conical roofs, like those of the present
+American Indians; but one fact is certain, that whatever shape the roof
+may have had, it was not supported by a central pole, for the hearth is
+invariably in the centre of the pit.
+
+The curious fact already mentioned, that in every pit we find a thick
+layer of sand, seems to prove that it was certainly intended to render
+the ground less damp; and it is my own impression that these
+pit-dwellers, having snow or ice vaults over their heads, resorted to
+that expedient to keep the floor of their huts dry under the continuous
+dripping of the vault, melted by the heat of the fire inside.
+Undoubtedly Yezo was a much colder country in bygone years than it is
+now; and though we cannot implicitly rely on the information given by
+the Ainu, they are all of one opinion in believing that their country
+was all ice and snow in former days, and to give a proof of it they say:
+"Why should we be as hairy as a bear if not to keep the cold out?"
+
+The Japanese know the pit-dwellers by the name of "Ko-bito," or
+"Ko-shto," the latter word meaning "men of the lakes,"[28] but they know
+nothing of their history.
+
+    [28] _Ko_, lake; _shto_, man. _Ko_ is probably a corruption of the
+         Ainu word _to_, a lake or a swamp, and it is used by the
+         Japanese of Yezo for "lake," instead of the word "_numa_."
+
+One fact still remains to be explained, namely, who made the pottery
+that is disinterred in almost every pit and by the shores of lakes. The
+present Ainu do not know how to make pottery, and they have never been
+known to manufacture anything of the kind. All Ainu implements are made
+of wood, though of course the more civilised tribes have now purchased
+iron or porcelain implements from the Japanese. The question, then, is,
+supposing that the Ainu were formerly the pit-dwellers, have they lost
+the art of making pottery, or did the pottery belong to a different race
+of people?
+
+[Illustration: KORO-POK-KURU POTTERY AND FRAGMENTS OF DESIGNS.]
+
+It seemed singular to me that, conservative as the Ainu are of their
+relics, even allowing for its brittle nature, no pottery of the kind
+found in pits is ever to be seen in any Ainu hut. Had they made the
+pottery themselves, surely some specimens or parts of specimens would
+have been preserved.
+
+Comparing facts, we find, then, that the Koro-pok-kuru built their huts
+over pits, made pottery, and used stone and flint implements; while the
+Ainu have never been known to dwell in pits, have never made pottery,
+and have always used bone or bamboo implements. Moreover, Ainu
+traditions of internecine wars, vague as they are, and their designating
+the enemy by the name of Koro-pok-kuru, are further proofs that the Ainu
+themselves do not regard the pit-dwellers as their forefathers. As,
+then, the few facts collected tend to prove that the Ainu and the
+Koro-pok-kuru were two distinct races, it would be interesting to know
+who the latter really were, and what became of them. A learned
+missionary, Mr. Batchelor, writing on this subject, says:--"But I am of
+opinion that these pit-dwellers were closely allied to the Ainu in
+descent, and that the remains of them may now be seen in Shikotan and
+other islands of the Kurile Group. The inhabitants of Shikotan are much
+shorter in stature than the Ainu of Yezo. They are not so good-looking,
+and are said to be a very improvident race. The Ainu look upon the
+Kurile Islanders as the remnants of the Koro-pok-gurus; but this is a
+mere opinion, to be adopted or rejected at pleasure. That they are
+pit-dwellers _is quite certain_, for _they live in pits_ at the present
+day."
+
+Before being so certain as to what he was stating, it would have been
+well had the writer of the above lines visited the island in question.
+He would not then have committed so many blunders in so few lines. The
+inhabitants of Shikotan are _not_ shorter than the Ainu of Yezo, and I
+cannot give a better proof of this than by asking my readers to compare
+the measurements which I took while there with the measurements of the
+Yezo Ainu. The medium height of the Shikotan Ainu is between sixty-one
+inches and sixty-two and three-quarter inches; the medium height of the
+Yezo Ainu is between sixty-one inches and sixty-two and three-quarters,
+or exactly the same. The chest inflated measures thirty-seven and a half
+inches with the Shikotan Ainu, and thirty-seven and a half with the Yezo
+Ainu, while the spinal column is only twenty-four inches with the
+Shikotan Ainu, and about twenty-six and three-quarters with the Yezo
+Ainu.
+
+The Shikotan Ainu have the same structural peculiarity as the Yezo Ainu,
+namely, the length of their arms, which peculiarity, by the way, is
+greatly accentuated with them. The humerus is much longer than with the
+Yezo Ainu, while the ulna and radius are shorter; the hand is the same
+length. A Shikotan Ainu with outstretched arms is generally the length
+of one hand longer than his own height, which is more than is usually
+found with the Yezo Ainu. The medium foot is nine and a half inches with
+both Ainu. In the Ainu the tibia is rather flattened at its angular
+part, but the Shikotan Ainu have a nearly circular tibia. I do not know
+of any other existing race in the world in which such an extraordinary
+phenomenon occurs, and the tibia struck me also as being extremely long,
+while the femur appeared proportionately short. However, with the
+exception that the tibia is more circular than with the Ainu of Yezo, I
+could not see any material difference between them and the other Ainu.
+As we have already seen, each tribe in Yezo has certain characteristics
+which other tribes have not; each tribe has conformed its habits to the
+climate of the district in which it lives, as well as to other
+circumstances; and each of these tribes has adopted a slightly different
+architecture for its dwellings; but it is plain that all belong to the
+same original race. The same might be said of the Shikotan Ainu. At this
+point it is well to explain that the Kurile Islands not many years ago
+belonged to Russia; but they were exchanged for the southern half of
+Sakhalin, then belonging to Japan, and now form part of the Japanese
+Empire. The two larger islands--Kunashiri and Etorofu--are inhabited
+mainly by Ainu and a few Japanese, who migrate there from Yezo during
+the fishing season; while the Island of Shikotan is inhabited by sixty
+Ainu, brought there from the northern islands of Shirajima or Shimushir,
+and Urup, leaving thus all the islands north-east of Etorofu
+uninhabited.
+
+Of Kunashiri and Etorofu I shall say no more in connection with the
+pit-dwellers, but a few more words on the Shikotan inhabitants may prove
+interesting, especially as people have been led to believe that they are
+the descendants of the Koro-pok-kuru, and not really Ainu.
+
+I shall begin by saying that the Shikotan people call themselves
+Kurilsky _Ainu_, and that they speak both Ainu and Russian. Their
+features are not very massive, and their cheek and temple bones slightly
+project. They have strong mouths, and eyes identical in shape and colour
+with those of the Yezo Ainu. They are as hairy; they live by fishing and
+hunting; they clothe themselves in skins; and they are fond of beads and
+shining ornaments. Their huts have angular roofs, and are built in the
+same style as those of the Yezo Ainu, but on a smaller scale. The
+interiors are also alike, and equally dirty, if not more so. The Ainu
+huts at Shikotan are sixteen in number, and _not one_ of them is built
+over a pit, thus showing that Mr. Batchelor was a little rash, when,
+relying on mistaken information, he drew a conclusion which is not in
+accordance with the facts. One thing that has misled most people as
+regards these Kurilsky Ainu is, that they were compelled to cut their
+hair and shave their beards. To the superficial observer this naturally
+gives them a different physiognomy from that of the Yezo Ainu, who let
+their hair grow long, and have flowing beards. Prof. Milne, who some
+years ago visited the Island of Shumshu,[29] relates that he saw there a
+small group of Kurilsky Ainu, who, all included, numbered twenty-two.
+Their dress, although made of skins, was European in form, and the upper
+garment, shaped like a shirt, was made of bird-skins (puffins) with the
+feathers inside. The back was ornamented with the plumes of the yellow
+puffin, and the edge was trimmed with seal-fur. The men wore garments
+tied at the waist with a belt of sea-lion hide. Their feet and legs up
+to the knee were covered with moccasins, also made of sea-lion skin, and
+their food consisted of a few berries, the eggs and flesh of sea-birds,
+seals, and other meat. They were few and migratory, and carried with
+them all their property when migrating. Prof. Milne, in a paper
+contributed to the Asiatic Society of Japan, thinks that the chief point
+in connection with these people is, that they constructed houses by
+making shallow excavations in the ground, which were then roofed over
+with turf, and that these excavations had a striking resemblance to the
+pits now found further south. I believe, however, that Prof. Milne never
+saw them excavating these pits, and the fact that hardly two dozen
+people in the extreme north-east Kuriles having temporarily adopted
+shallow excavations which they roofed over, is barely sufficient proof
+that they were pit-dwellers, and, as will be seen later, I had ample
+evidence afterwards that they were not. It is probable that this
+wandering band, owing to the scarcity or difficulty of procuring timber
+in those regions--the smallness of their canoes not permitting them to
+transport the materials for above-ground structures from one island to
+another--it is probable, I say, that, having come upon pits already dug,
+they had roofed them over and lived in them, finding them suitable to
+the severe climate. When I visited Shikotan (September, 1890), where not
+only these Shimushir people, but all the Kurilsky Ainu, numbering sixty,
+are now collected, and where they have built dwellings in their own
+style, the architecture and mode of construction were identical with
+those of the Yezo Ainu, and there were _no_ pits whatever to their huts.
+
+    [29] The correct name and pronunciation is _Shimushir_.
+
+Had they been pit-dwellers, why should they have so suddenly modified
+their habits as to construct huts wholly above-ground without any reason
+for so doing? Supposing they were actually pit-dwellers, and had lived
+generation after generation in pits, why should they abandon this chief
+structural characteristic in a place where the climate is as severe as
+in the islands they formerly inhabited? I am willing to admit that the
+Kurilsky Ainu, like all barbarians, made the best of what they found in
+their migrations from one island to another, and that, having found pits
+already dug, they had lived in them simply for convenience, and to
+protect themselves from the cold. The impossibility of constructing
+their own style of dwellings, which would have required too much time
+and a great amount of timber and reeds--two articles scarce in the
+north-east Kuriles--may account for their being driven to occupy pits
+already dug; but I am certainly not inclined to admit that therefore the
+few remaining Kurilsky Ainu are in any way connected with or related to
+the Koro-pok-kuru. I believe that I have given sufficient evidence to
+prove this. At any rate, I have given such evidence as it was in my
+power to collect, and I have based my statements on what I actually saw,
+and not on what I heard people say. As others have speculated on this
+subject, I shall now ask the forgiveness of the reader if I am also
+dragged into a little pre-historic speculation as to who the
+Koro-pok-kuru were, and whence they came.
+
+As I remarked at the beginning of this chapter, we find that pits are
+more numerous as we go in a north-east direction. Thus, few are found at
+Hakodate; and though none or few have been found along the south-west
+coast of Yezo, still, flint arrow-heads, pottery, and stone adzes
+collected here and there, show us that the Koro-pok-kuru had travelled
+along that coast, probably journeying in their canoes, landing to hunt,
+or to fight the Ainu.
+
+Along the south-east coast the pits increase in number as we approach
+Kusuri, and at this place the largest number of pits in Hokkaido is
+found; then they are numerous all along the coast as far as Nemuro; and
+in the islands of Kunashiri and Etorofu the population must have been
+large, as there are numerous pits throughout. Pits are found in the
+smaller islands of the Kurile group, and I believe also in Kamschatka.
+From Nemuro, following the coast-line of Yezo, we find some along the
+north-east coast of Yezo, and none down the west coast until we reach
+the narrower part of the island near Sappro. This said, we have two
+points to consider:--
+
+(1.) That the pit-dwellers moved from north-east to south-west.
+
+(2.) That the main bulk of the population settled in Etorofu, Kunashiri,
+and at Kushiro. Few went further south to settle.
+
+All evidence tends to show that they came either from Kamschatka, or
+perhaps more probably from the Aleutian Islands. It seems not
+improbable, looking at the volcanic formation of the Kurile group, that
+in bygone days Yezo was joined to Kamschatka, affording a land passage
+to the migratory people; but this we need not take into consideration.
+
+From what one can gather of this race, the habits and customs of the
+Koro-pok-kuru must have had many points in common with the present
+Esquimaux. Very likely their pits were roofed over with a snow vault.
+They evidently lived by fishing and hunting, like the Esquimaux, and all
+that we know identifies them more with the latter race than with the
+Ainu.
+
+I believe that the present Aleuts have a striking resemblance to the
+Esquimaux; and if this were the case, there is no reason why we should
+not suppose that they in former days inhabited the Kuriles, part of
+Kamschatka and the north-east portion of Yezo. It is a well-known fact
+that the Esquimaux formerly lived in corresponding latitudes on the east
+coast of America, and that they withdrew little by little to the more
+inhospitable regions of the north, and the same might have occurred here
+after the Ainu invasion of Yezo. The Koro-pok-kuru were apparently more
+civilised than their conquerors the Ainu, for they made pottery and
+worked stone; but owing to their retiring nature and weaker physique,
+and outnumbered by the savage hairy people, they became extinct. As to
+the Ainu, they also are undoubtedly a race of the north. Their music,
+their decorations, their habits, display characteristics of northern
+origin; but the Ainu, as we have seen from their structures and customs,
+were by no means accustomed to so cold a climate as their predecessors
+the pit-dwellers. In my opinion they did not invade Yezo from the
+Kuriles, but came from the continent of Asia, probably across Siberia,
+and descended as far as Sakhalin Island, where many Ainu are still to be
+found. As the Koro-pok-kuru resemble the Esquimaux, the Ainu have a
+striking resemblance in many ways to the Northmen of Europe, and this is
+what makes me suppose that they came across the northern part of the
+continent, and not from the northern islands of the Pacific. They made
+their way south, probably crossing over the La Perouse Strait, and the
+main contingent of them came down the north-east coast of Yezo. I base
+this theory on the fact that the strong current which passes through the
+La Perouse Strait from west to east would have made it impossible for
+the Ainu in their light "dug-outs" to navigate against it, or straight
+across from Sakhalin to Soya Cape, and in crossing they were undoubtedly
+drifted far south-east on the north-east coast, probably landing near
+Abashiri or Shari. Another evidence which made me think that the Ainu
+came from Sakhalin is, that all knew of another island besides Yezo,
+which they called Krafto, by which name they designate Sakhalin. Of the
+Kuriles no one knew except those in the immediate neighbourhood. At one
+time the Ainu are said to have inhabited the whole of Japan as far south
+as Satsuma. Archaeologists are puzzled by the discovery in the main
+island of Nippon of various kitchen-middens, which include fragments of
+pottery identical with those attributed to the Koro-pok-kuru, and also
+of shell heaps, which some consider of Ainu origin, others as pre-Ainu.
+No pits, however, have been found near these shell heaps, nor on any
+part of Nippon. Thus another question is raised as to who the
+originators of these shell heaps and kitchen-middens were. Is it not
+likely that, as the Ainu proceeded south, they encountered the
+Koro-pok-kuru at Nemuro and then at Kushiro, and, having easily defeated
+them, forced some of them to retreat in the direction of the Kuriles,
+while the rest went towards the south? They probably fled along the
+coastline in their "dug-outs," those who moved south occasionally
+landing to hunt or to attack their pursuers. Thus we can account for the
+occurrence along that coast of some of their implements, but of no pits,
+which they were not likely to dig in such circumstances. Having then
+retreated as far south as Ushongosh (Hakodate), and with the conquering
+Ainu still at their heels, there was nothing more natural than that they
+should cross the Tsugaru Strait,[30] only a few miles in width, carrying
+with them their kitchen-middens and pottery.
+
+    [30] The opposite coast of Nippon can be seen plainly from Hakodate.
+
+The Ainu crossed after them, and, pushing the retreating Koro-pok-kuru
+further and further south, exterminated them, and became the masters of
+the whole of Japan, the Kuriles, and Sakhalin. As they were thus pursued
+by the Ainu, whom they knew as a warlike people, and stronger than
+themselves, there seems to me no cause for wonder that the Koro-pok-kuru
+did not dig any pits while on the main island of Nippon, first, because
+these pits would have been the sure means of bringing the Ainu on their
+track, to their certain annihilation; next, because the climate, being a
+great deal warmer, they had no need for them. On the other hand, it is
+more than probable that the retreaters carried with them their
+kitchen-middens and pottery, which constituted their treasures, and
+without which they could not have prepared their food. The barbarous
+Ainu then came in contact with the Japanese, at whose hands they
+received the same treatment as that which they had inflicted on the
+Koro-pok-kuru. Little by little the land so easily conquered was lost
+again, and the conquering Ainu were ere long in retreat towards the
+north. They were beaten and defeated by the more civilised Japanese, and
+the few who survived had to cross over the Tsugaru Strait back to Yezo.
+There is not a single Ainu now to be found in Nippon, with the exception
+of a child, a half-caste, whose mother was an Ainu, and who lives about
+sixty miles south of Awomori. The mother of this child was the last of
+her race who was born on and who inhabited the main island of Nippon.
+
+Ainu blood can be traced in many of the Japanese in the northern part of
+Nippon, especially between Shiranoka to Awomori, and also some corrupted
+Ainu words are still in use in the dialect spoken in that part of
+Japan. Names of places, rivers, towns, etc., of Ainu origin, are common
+all over Japan. It was this former occupation of Japan by the Ainu that
+for some time led people to believe that the Ainu were the forefathers
+of the Japanese; and when pits were found in Yezo, the same
+hastily-judging people attributed them to the Ainu; and then, when
+mention was made of the Koro-pok-kuru and the Ko-shto, they affixed this
+name to the Kurilsky Ainu whom they had never seen nor studied.
+
+I am not prepared to say whether or not traces of these Koro-pok-kuru
+are to be found in the Aleutian Islands, as I have not visited them; but
+it would prove interesting to trace a connection between them and some
+existing race, in case my supposition be not correct, though I am sure
+that it is nearer the mark than any of the conjectures made by others
+with regard either to the Ainu or the Koro-pok-kuru. At any rate, as I
+do not pretend to infallibility; should my supposition be wrong, the
+facts given above will remain, and a more successful student and
+investigator will be able to work on them with a decided advantage over
+the writer, who had to start from the very beginning, and work on
+information which was more of an obstacle than a help.
+
+[Illustration: STONE ADZES AND HAMMERS.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU HUTS AND STOREHOUSES ON KUTCHARO LAKE.]
+
+CHAPTER X.
+
+The Kutcharo River and Lake--A Sulphur Mine--Akkeshi and its Bay.
+
+
+The Kutcharo River is of some importance, for though not of great
+length, it is navigable by small boats for nearly twenty miles from its
+mouth.
+
+I left Kushiro one morning, and made my way up the river, not by boat
+but along its banks on horseback, so as to get a better idea of the
+surrounding country and its inhabitants. At Kushiro I left more than
+half my luggage, to be sent down to Hakodate by the first ship that
+happened to call, and this greatly changed my mode of travelling.
+Instead of two ponies, one pony would now be quite sufficient to carry
+my baggage and myself; and where ponies were not obtainable, I could
+carry all my paraphernalia on my own back with no very great difficulty,
+and in this way I should not be hindered on my journey.
+
+I daresay the baggage I was carrying now weighed about forty-five
+pounds. It mostly consisted of painting materials, and wooden panels, on
+which I usually paint my sketches when travelling.
+
+As to clothes and boots, I was beginning to be rather "hard up." No
+weaver's work, no tailor's garments, nor tanner's hides, can stand the
+wear and tear of such rough travelling as I had had, and the old saying,
+that a "light heart and a thin pair of breeches carry you a long way,"
+is most decidedly not to be applied to anyone journeying to and fro on a
+pack-saddle in Yezo. My coat and trousers were showing signs of rapid
+decay, and I thought with vain desire of needle and thread, buttons and
+hooks. My boots were falling to pieces owing to their continual
+immersion in salt water. The impossibility of cleaning or greasing them
+added to the original damage; and, worse luck of all, they could not be
+replaced. Altogether, what with frayed garments, leaky boots, a battered
+hat, and a general out-at-elbows air, I was scarcely presentable in any
+society a grade above that of the hairy Ainu.
+
+A road has been cut between Kushiro and Shibetcha, a distance of thirty
+miles; but though quite new, it is already out of repair, and it will
+not be long before it is washed away entirely. The Japanese Government
+does its best to open roads near the largest settlements, but Japanese
+officials do not seem to understand that after a road has been made it
+has to be kept in repair.
+
+The country all along is good, and the soil seems rich and fertile.
+Nearly half-way up, on the east side of the Kutcharo River, are three
+lakes,--the Takkobe, the Tori Lake, and the Shirin. The Tori is the
+largest. Its length is five miles, its width about one mile. On the
+southern shore of this lake is a picturesque Ainu village, with its old
+tumble-down huts, and close to it is a group of Japanese houses. The
+contrast between the dirty and neglected old hovels of the Ainu and the
+clean, spruce, and somewhat finikin houses of the Japanese is very
+striking. In this difference we read an epitome of the way in which
+civilisation has travelled from primitive barbarism. The road runs
+through dense forests; but in several places, especially on its highest
+level, we come to lovely views of mountain scenery, towering over the
+shimmering water of the underlying lakes.
+
+In the evening I reached Shibetcha, a nice little place, constructed on
+each side of a large road which rises considerably as it goes through
+the village. The village lies in a small valley surrounded by moderately
+high mountains, and is on the western side of the Kutcharo River, which
+intersects the valley. A wooden bridge and a three-storied Japanese
+tea-house are the two main structures in the place. There are
+sixty-eight houses in the village, and nearly half of them are houses of
+ill-fame, the three-storied tea-house being the principal.
+
+At a distance of twenty-five miles from here is a sulphur mine, and the
+miners, after having amassed sufficient money, come and squander it at
+Shibetcha, thus supporting this nook of demoralization in the wilderness
+of these mountains. As the river becomes very shallow, the mineral from
+the sulphur mine of Yuzan was carried until quite recently on
+pack-saddles as far as here, whence it was brought down by boat to
+Kushiro for shipment; but a small railway, on which only a "truck train"
+is now running once a day from the mine to Shibetcha, has greatly
+simplified matters, and increased the export returns of the mine.
+
+By the kind permission of the Mitsui Company I was allowed to travel on
+one of the trucks (no passenger carriages being provided), and the two
+and a half hours' journey was thus accomplished much more comfortably
+than if I had ridden the twenty-five miles on my pack-saddle. The
+railway took me to the foot of Mount Yuzan, and that same afternoon I
+made the ascent of the mountain. The most valuable sulphur deposits in
+Japan are found on this mountain, the quantity of the mineral being
+practically unlimited. The ascent was hard work, but it was interesting
+to see the _fumaroles_, whence the sulphur is extracted, and whence a
+dense smoke shoots out with great force. The whole mountain is covered
+with thick layers of sulphur of very good quality, and when more
+practical processes are employed for the extraction and carriage of the
+mineral there is no doubt that the sulphur trade will assume a very
+prominent place in the exports of Yezo. Dozens of men are employed now
+to carry the sulphur from the mountain to the railway, but there is work
+enough for hundreds and hundreds more. All the sulphur is at present
+carried on small wheelbarrows, which each man slings on to his shoulders
+when empty and he is going up the mountain. When the sulphur is reached
+the workman sits down, pulls out his pipe, which he fills from the folds
+of his tobacco-pouch, has a quiet smoke and a good rest, then he slowly
+fills his wheelbarrow with the primrose-yellow blocks, and comfortably
+wheels it down hill to the station, a considerable distance. Such a
+primitive fashion of carriage involves great loss of time, and a simple
+mechanical contrivance, by which a large quantity of mineral could be
+brought down at one time, would save an enormous amount of labour, and
+therefore expense. A cable railway would answer the purpose to
+perfection, and the cost of running the steam motor would be
+insignificant, owing to the amount of wood and coal found within easy
+reach. I passed through a large gorge in the mountain, and finally
+reached the summit of Yuzan. Walking on sulphur beds is like walking on
+ice, and many a time in the climb I landed on my knees. Near the summit
+is a huge pinnacle of volcanic rock, standing up perpendicularly, and of
+impossible access. From the foot of this pinnacle a lovely view of the
+Kutcharo Lake is obtained, and it has as a background chain after chain
+of thickly-wooded mountains, beyond which are visible Oakan and Moyokan,
+two volcanic peaks, respectively four thousand and three thousand four
+hundred feet above the level of the sea. On Moyokan are some hot springs
+and accumulations of sulphur. Both these peaks can be seen from the
+coast on a clear day. A small lake lies between Moyokan and Oakan, which
+takes its name from the latter mountain, and finds an outlet in the
+Oakan River. The Oakan joins the Kutcharo River not far from the sea.
+
+[Illustration: KUTCHARO LAKE FROM MOUNT YUZAN.]
+
+The descent was easier than the ascent, and I put up at a small
+tea-house, the only one in the place. The landlord promised to get me a
+good pony early the next morning, but, like a true Japanese, he did not
+keep his promise. He called me at 5 A.M., saying that the pony would be
+ready in a few minutes, and at 9 A.M. the quadruped had not put in an
+appearance; and after numberless excuses, compliments, bows, and lies,
+the landlord acknowledged that no ponies were to be had. I gave my
+luggage to a railway _employe_, who undertook to bring it back to
+Shibetcha, and I started on foot for Lake Kutcharo. From Yuzan a track
+across the mountains goes due north to Abashiri, on the north-east
+coast. I went in a south-westerly direction, and as on the previous day
+from the summit of Yuzan I had noted the position of Lake Kutcharo, I
+had no difficulty in finding my way there; in fact, I came upon a small
+Ainu track leading to it. A delightful walk of ten miles in the forest
+took me to the Ainu village of Kutcharo, on the borders of the lake of
+the same name. The village is a miserable one; it differs from all other
+Ainu villages in its huts, which have semicircular roofs instead of
+angular ones, as is the case with the Ainu of Volcano Bay and of the
+Saru and Tokachi Rivers. I entered some of the huts, and in a few
+minutes I was surrounded by the small population--I daresay about twenty
+souls, all included--whom I led out into the open air to see what they
+were like. They appeared to me smaller than other Ainu, and their bones
+were less massive; they were not so hairy, and more inclined to
+baldness. Their garments were wretched, and resembled those worn by the
+Tokachi Ainu; namely, a few rags held together one could scarcely say
+how. Women were tattooed on their lips and arms, but less extensively
+than are those of other tribes, and the tattooing was not so accurately
+done.
+
+Other Ainu whom I met in the forest in the neighbourhood of this village
+bore the same characteristics, and everyone seemed to be curiously
+melancholy and depressed. An Ainu existence is certainly not one's ideal
+of comfort and hilarity, but their gloom and melancholy seem to me to be
+purely racial and congenital.
+
+The Lake Kutcharo is very large--too large to be seen to advantage from
+its borders, as one can see only parts, and not the whole of it at once.
+It has a pretty island in the centre, and on the west side is a
+peninsula projecting almost as far as the island. On this peninsula a
+small active geyser is found, which rises to a height of about twelve
+feet, and acts spasmodically. The high mountains which surround the lake
+would make the latter a pleasant summer resort were the place within the
+circle of civilisation. The scenery is very similar to that of Norway or
+the Scotch lakes. The Kutcharo River, as can be seen on the map, is an
+outlet of the Lake Kutcharo, into which the waters of the latter
+discharge themselves a few hundred yards west of the Ainu village.
+
+[Illustration: SULPHUR MINE.]
+
+An Ainu pointed out to me the track leading to Tetcha, or Tetchkanga,
+and I directed my steps in that direction, the Ainu having informed me
+that it was very far, and that I could only reach it at night. I crossed
+the stream in a "dug-out," and found the track on the other side. I
+walked fast, for the most part through a thickly-wooded country, and at
+about sunset I reached Tetcha. The distance from Kutcharo, I should
+think, is about ten or twelve miles. Tetcha is an Ainu village, near
+which a few Japanese houses have been built. The Kutcharo River
+intersects it, and the sulphur train from Yuzan stops here to take water
+on its way to Shibetcha. The train had gone through some hours
+previously, and I was left the alternative of walking on to Shibetcha,
+twenty miles further, or of sleeping at Tetcha. I had walked twenty or
+twenty-two miles already that day, and I felt in very good form. I knew
+that it would be full moon that night; and walking through a forest by
+moonlight has always had a great charm for me. Watching the shadows,
+with their thousand different fantastic forms, running in and out
+through the trees and playing round them, has the same weird fascination
+for me as one of Tieck's tales, or the suggestive music of an aeolian
+harp. Some of the Ainu and a Jap entreated me not to attempt to cross
+the forest at night, for wolves and bears were numerous, they said, and
+in all probability I should be attacked by them. This last announcement,
+which I was destined to hear every day in Yezo, and which, of course, I
+did not believe, decided me to go, and I started.
+
+"But," cried after me the astonished Japanese, "_anata micci
+wakarimasen_!"--"You do not know the way!"
+
+"_Kamaimasen, Sayonara!_"--"It little matters; good-bye!" was my reply;
+and I left him standing there perplexed, looking after me as if I had
+been a phenomenon.
+
+The Japanese in Yezo and the Ainu never on any account travel far at
+night; and as for going through a forest alone, unprotected, and without
+knowing the way, they evidently regarded it as something more
+reprehensible than folly. Two days previously, when in the train, I had
+noticed that the railway described a curve several miles long, and I
+knew then that by cutting across I could considerably shorten my way.
+When I entered the forest, the sun with its last rays was casting warm
+tints on the tops of the pine-trees. Everything was still, and only now
+and then some huge owl, awakened by the noise of my steps from its day's
+long sleep, would fly away, starting off on its night's peregrinations
+and depredations. I walked mile after mile, and finally struck the rails
+again. On a white post I saw a cipher in Chinese characters, which
+brought me back to the reality that I was still seventeen miles away
+from Shibetcha. I followed the line of rail as closely as I could, and
+late at night I reached Shibetcha. I roused the people at the _Marui
+yadoya_, and, having eaten some salmon and water soup, I retired to my
+_foutangs_, between which, it is useless to say, I slept well. I had
+walked forty-two odd miles that day, and it had been a pleasant change
+from the continuous riding on pack-saddles.
+
+The next day I rode down to the coast to the bay of Akkeshi, about
+forty-two miles east of Kushiro. The road is very good all the way, and
+has on each side woods of oak and pine trees. The traffic on it is at
+present very small, and the only living creatures I saw during the
+twenty-eight or thirty miles were a beautiful long-tailed red fox and a
+number of Japanese convicts led by a policeman. These were dressed in
+red trousers and a short red coat made of coarse material. They were
+walking in a row, and they were chained two by two, and, moreover, a
+long rope joined the chain of each couple to that of the next, so that
+all couples were tied together. The end of this rope was held by the
+policeman. Some of them wore large hats entirely covering their face;
+others wore no hat at all, and had their head shaved in a peculiar
+manner. They were mostly bare-footed, but a few wore straw sandals. The
+Government wisely makes use of these convicts in opening roads and other
+public works, and after their term of punishment is expired, these men
+almost invariably become fishermen. A great part of the Japanese
+population of Yezo is composed of exiles and ex-convicts; in other
+words, Yezo is nothing more or less to Japan than what Australia was to
+England some years ago.
+
+Nearing the coast I passed the "Tonden" of Hondemura, a colonial militia
+farming settlement. A long line of new houses, all exactly alike in
+shape and size, and built at intervals, stretches on each side of the
+wide road. Each of these houses is inhabited by a man who has served his
+time as a soldier, and who has now his family about him, and does work
+as a farmer in this settlement assigned to him. These "Tondens" were
+established by the Government, and I believe that the farmer-soldiers
+give fairly good results in the zeal and industry with which they
+cultivate the land, and the honesty and morality of their lives. I saw
+most of them occupied in stubbing up the scrub, and tearing or cutting
+down the trees, burning the more worthless parts; but it will be some
+years yet before they have cleared an area of cultivable land
+sufficiently large for profit, as the country is very thickly wooded in
+that neighbourhood.
+
+Soon after I had passed the settlement, going down a steep hill I came
+upon a small and dirty semi-Ainu village, and ultimately reached the
+seashore.
+
+The distance from Shibetcha is thirty miles, and the riding was
+beginning to be unpleasant, owing to the gathering darkness, which made
+my pony shy at everything it passed. At the mouth of the Pehambe Ushi
+River I had great difficulty in getting my pony on the ferry-boat, which
+was to take me across the mouth of the lagoon to Akkeshi. Several
+drunken fishermen came on board, and were disagreeably noisy. One of
+these fellows had a pony, which he tied to mine when on board. The ferry
+was to take us across the entrance of the Akkeshi lagoon, and it was
+more than a quarter of an hour before we reached the opposite shore.
+When we were still nearly twenty feet from _terra firma_, my pony,
+frightened at the cries of the drunken crowd, jumped overboard, carrying
+with him his companion steed. The sudden shock and lurch of the boat
+knocked down everybody on board, and nearly capsized us. As it was we
+shipped a lot of water. The ponies found the water deeper than they
+expected, and they had to swim for it. Having landed before he came
+ashore, I recaptured mine, gave him a sound thrashing, and rode on to
+Akkeshi, a few hundred yards from the landing-place. Akkeshi lies at the
+north-east side of the large bay which goes by the same name, and which,
+by the way, is probably one of the best anchorages on the south coast of
+Yezo. The mouth of the bay is to the southward; it extends seven miles
+in a northerly direction, and is about six miles wide in its widest
+part. The bay is prolonged further inland by a large lagoon, called
+Se-Cherippe, which contains many shoals and low islands, near which are
+beds of oysters of enormous size, the shells of some measuring as much
+as eighteen inches in length. The Koro-pok-kuru, by whom this district
+was formerly thickly populated, seem to have relished this diet, as we
+find thick beds of discarded shells on the top of some of the lower
+hills, and in many places, especially in the vicinity of pits. These
+shell heaps are similar to those found on the main island of Nippon, and
+attributed to the Ainu. (_See_ Chapter IX.)
+
+The country round the bay and the lagoon forms a high land or plateau
+between two hundred and three hundred feet above the level of the sea,
+and the higher ground is thickly wooded, thus supplying Akkeshi with
+abundance of timber, mostly of evergreen trees, as Todo and Yezo-matzu,
+two spruces common in other parts of Yezo as well. With its good
+harbour, its large export of oysters, salmon, herrings, fish-manure, and
+seaweed, besides its seal-fishery and the quantity of good timber easily
+cut and transported down the lagoon and across the bay for shipment, it
+is not surprising that Akkeshi has become, after Hakodate, the most
+important centre on the southern coast. It is nearly half as large again
+as Kushiro, and has as many as nine hundred Japanese houses, besides
+sixty or seventy Ainu huts.
+
+The Ainu were formerly extremely numerous in this district; but few of
+them are left now, and those few are indeed poor specimens of their
+race. They have nearly all become bald, and they seem to suffer very
+severely from rheumatism. Thick fogs are very prevalent along the coast,
+and it is but seldom that one can obtain a view of the whole bay. These
+fogs naturally render navigation unsafe, and are one of the great
+drawbacks to the prosperity of the place. However, our good Londoners
+could tell us that greater evils than fogs can exist. I have no doubt
+that at some future date we shall hear of Akkeshi as being the most
+important port in Yezo, when a railway to join it to Shibetcha shall
+have been constructed. The sulphur of Mount Yuzan will probably then be
+taken direct to this place instead of Kushiro, owing to the safety of
+its harbour, an advantage which Kushiro does not possess. The Akkeshi
+Bay is also interesting from a picturesque point of view, when fogs give
+one a chance of seeing the surrounding scenery. Some fine headlands are
+found near the town of Akkeshi, and also on each side of the opening of
+the bay into the ocean. On the eastern side, the two islands of Daikuku
+and Kodaikuku, joined to the mainland by the low reef, slightly under
+water-level, which goes round the bay, are of some importance for an
+artist. This is especially true of the larger island of Daikuku, which
+rises at a considerable height above the sea, forming majestic cliffs,
+beautiful in shape and colour, on which myriads of seagulls,
+albatrosses, and penguins have chosen their abode, finding in these
+almost untrodden and picturesque cliffs a safe place in which to lay
+their eggs and rear their young. Here they live undisturbed, save for
+the dashing waves of the ocean, which make the earth tremble and the
+rock crumble to pieces, but only meet with a blithesome welcome from the
+screaming, light-hearted, fat, and lazy-winged inhabitants, to whom
+those waves bring good stores of daily food.
+
+[Illustration: AKKESHI IN A FOG.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU MAN AND WOMAN ON HORSEBACK.]
+
+CHAPTER XI.
+
+From Akkeshi to Nemuro--A Horse Station--Nemuro and its People.
+
+
+The road in the proximity of Akkeshi was extremely muddy and slippery,
+owing to the continuous fogs and rain. A north wind was blowing hard the
+day I left for Kiritap, and it drove the mist and drizzly rain right
+through one's skin into one's bones. The fogs, which are prevalent all
+along the coast, seem to excel between Akkeshi and Kiritap; so much so
+that the Japanese in the neighbourhood make them answerable for their
+baldness, and the local Ainu say they are so scantily hirsute because of
+the everlasting dampness in which they live. They clinch their argument
+by reminding you that when their forefathers came to this part of the
+coast they were as hairy as the bear, so what can have caused their own
+comparative smoothness but these everlasting fogs? I believe that to a
+great extent they are right, for when, after a day's wet ride, I have
+sat near a fire even for some hours, I have felt as if my skin were
+soaking with wet--as if I had been too long in a bath--and neither
+rubbing with cotton towels nor the warmth of the fire seemed thoroughly
+to dry it; and perhaps such an extraordinary dampness, constantly
+saturating the pores of the skin, may have an injurious effect upon the
+hair, and cause it to decay and fall off. It was in a thick fog like
+this that I had to find my way to Riruran, the next horse station, about
+eight miles further east. The road soon became a mere track, running
+through an undulating country, chiefly pasture land. As luck would have
+it, I had hired a pony which belonged to the Riruran station, and the
+beast was as anxious to get there as I was. He knew the way and I did
+not, so I let him guide me. Now and then, when the wind blew with
+increased strength, the fog lifted for a few minutes, and disclosed some
+pretty bits of landscape. The country all around was grassy, with the
+familiar densely-wooded hills in the background. It somewhat resembled
+the slopes and high lands of Cornwall, without, however, the herds of
+sheep and cattle, which in our country are connected with green fields;
+without the trim fences and stiles, the ploughed fields and meadows, the
+trim hedges and park-like trees, the bye-lanes and well-kept roads.
+
+Hill after hill was ascended and descended, the sturdy little pony going
+well towards his former home; but as yet I had come on no signs of any
+living creature. No labourers are here to work and plough the dark rich
+soil. Potato fields; cottages with their plots of vegetable grounds;
+cows and sheep scattered over the green pastures--all signs of vigorous
+and successful husbandry--are things that an intending traveller to Yezo
+will miss. Everywhere are solitude and monotony. Still, even solitude
+and monotony are not always to be abhorred, and if they have their
+drawbacks they also have their advantages. You can go undisturbed for
+mile after mile; you can think; you can dream; you can sing; you can
+keep to the track or go across country; you can go fast or slow, and
+there is no one to object, to obstruct, or to comment. You breathe air
+that no one has breathed before, and you quench your thirst in a limpid
+stream unpolluted by sewage, chemical refuse, or poisonous dye-stuffs.
+You lead a simple life, and, what is more, an independent life. Many a
+time, when I woke up to the real state of my new condition, I could not
+help laughing at our civilised conceptions of what constitutes a free
+man in a free country, viz. that he can have a voice in choosing which
+of two men shall be sent as a member to Parliament.
+
+Absorbed, now in my own thoughts on many subjects, and now in gazing at
+the monotonous scenes, which, as if reflected from a magic-lantern,
+suddenly appeared and as suddenly faded away, I had not seen how far my
+pony had hurried on, when, rapidly descending a steep hill, I discerned
+through the grey fog a solitary shed in the small valley below. The
+neighing of my steed, responded to by the neighing of his compatriots in
+the valley, told me that I had reached the horse station of Riruran, and
+a few minutes later my baggage and pack-saddle were removed from my
+steaming quadruped, and a fresh animal was burdened with my possessions.
+These horse stations generally consist of one shed, in which the owner
+and his family live; near it is a rough enclosure formed of branches and
+trunks of trees laid down horizontally, and strengthened at intervals by
+poles stuck in the ground. The ponies are kept in this enclosure during
+the day, but are let loose at sunset, when they go for their food
+wherever they can get it--generally on the near hills. Early in the
+morning one or two Ainu employed in the stations start off to recapture
+the ponies, and after a struggle bring back the herd to the paddock. My
+readers, who may not be well acquainted with the habits of semi-wild
+horses, will wonder that the ponies, once free in an unenclosed country,
+do not bolt away altogether inland, thus making it impossible to
+recapture them; and, moreover, these readers will think what a difficult
+task it must be for the Ainu horsemen to recover all the ponies, each
+one of which, they probably imagine, has bolted in an independent and
+different direction. This is not the case. When a herd of ponies is let
+loose they invariably all go together in one direction, generally
+following those of the older animals which have bells hanging to their
+necks. When they come to a proper feeding-ground they all graze within a
+few yards of one another; and the chances are that the herd will not go
+a step further than is necessary, as they are terribly afraid of bears,
+their most dreaded enemy, by which they well know the more distant
+hills are infested. When their hunger is satisfied they shoulder up
+together and form a circle, in the centre of which the young colts are
+placed, these being thus well protected from bears, who would find a
+sturdy resistance in the hind hoofs of the outstanding guard should they
+come to close quarters. The Ainu are good trackers, and have little
+difficulty in finding in which direction the herd has moved. When this
+preliminary is ascertained, the horseman, mounted on a swift pony, which
+he has taken good care to keep behind, starts from the station about an
+hour before sunrise, so as to allow himself ample time to reach the herd
+before the sun is up. He finds the ponies in this circular position of
+defence. With a long stick he breaks their ranks, and by shouting, and
+wildly galloping to and fro, drives them on in front till the station
+and the pen are reached. When they have all entered the latter, a heavy
+wooden bar is rested on two biforked poles, one on each side of the
+entrance, thus barring their way out; and there they are kept all day,
+waiting for such native travellers or traders as may require their
+services along the coast.
+
+Most of the stations are owned by Japanese and by Ainu half-castes. Some
+have large numbers of ponies; some only a few, according to the wants of
+the neighbourhood.
+
+The average market value of a beast is between five and ten _yen_, or
+about fifteen to thirty shillings in English currency.
+
+At stations where the ponies are but little worked, good animals can
+sometimes be obtained for a small sum of money; but at stations near
+large settlements--where trade with other villages is carried on
+entirely by pack-ponies--they are mostly sorry beasts, with their backs
+one mass of sores, produced by the friction of the rough pack-saddles.
+Moreover, the cruel habit of letting colts follow mares for long
+distances--sometimes forty or fifty miles--is as painful a sight to
+witness as it is injurious to the breed. The Yezo ponies are
+characterised by their long hair and mane. They are short, sturdy,
+punchy brutes, not more than ten or twelve hands high, with a rather
+large and massive head, and thick, crooked legs. They are by no means
+fine-looking animals, nor are they well groomed--in fact, they are not
+groomed at all--but they serve capitally for the rough tracks and
+precipitous wastes of Hokkaido. They have none of the good qualities we
+require in our horses, but they possess others which fit them for the
+country they are in. Their enormous power of endurance, and the
+wonderful way in which they can go over the steepest tracks--almost
+unclimbable on foot; their sure step when going along precipices; and
+the marvellous manner in which they pick their way over rocky coasts,
+which the waves would seem to make impassable, and where none of our
+good horses could go without breaking their legs, are all endowments
+which I feel bound to quote in honour of the Yezo ponies. They are not
+shod, and they can hardly be called trained. Indeed, if a traveller be a
+good rider, it is advisable to obtain a perfectly unbroken animal, as
+from my own personal experience I can say that, though the riding was a
+little more exciting, I could invariably make better time with a totally
+unbroken beast, than with one of the worn-out, sore-backed "quiet
+ponies," which needed any amount of thrashing to make him go.
+
+[Illustration: AINU BITS.]
+
+A curious method is adopted for directing the animal. It is as simple as
+it is ingenious. The necessary "bit" by which we control our horses is
+dispensed with, and it is replaced by two wooden wands about twelve
+inches long and two inches wide, tied together at one end, allowing a
+distance of three inches between them. In the middle of these wands a
+rope is passed which goes over the pony's head behind its ears; while
+the wands themselves, thus supported by it, rest one on each side of the
+pony's nose. Another rope, five or six feet in length, and acting as a
+rein, is fastened at the lower end of one of the wands, and passes
+through a hole in the other, thus allowing this simple contrivance,
+based on the lever principle, to be worked exactly in the same way as a
+nut-cracker, the pony's nose being the nut. The disadvantage of the
+system is, that having only one rein, this has to be passed over the
+pony's head each time one wishes to turn to the right or to the left,
+as by pulling the rope hard, and thus squeezing the animal's nose, its
+head is turned in the direction in which it is pulled, and it is soon
+taught that this is the way it must go. Furthermore, should the pony
+bolt, it can be stopped by pulling its head close to its haunches,
+thereby making it impossible to continue its race. In the latter case it
+often happens, especially with an untrained pony, that it will spin
+round, trying to stretch its twisted neck by pushing its head away from
+the side of its body, and the result is generally a bad fall of horse
+and rider.
+
+Another thing of which one ought to be careful is to keep one's legs out
+of the reach of the brute's teeth; for it is not infrequent that instead
+of the man punishing the animal, the animal revenges itself on the man;
+and the incautious traveller realises Sydney Smith's position, and finds
+that to a Yezo pony, as well as to an English cart-horse, "all flesh is
+grass."
+
+From Riruran, for about fifteen miles, the way is merely a mountain
+track; and I dare say that in fine weather the scenery along it is
+picturesque. Unfortunately, when I went through, the fog had become more
+and more intense, and I saw very little of the landscape. At places the
+track led down to the sea, and then mounted up again over cliffs and
+high lands. As the mist, which came in gusts and waves, deepened or
+lightened in intensity, the rugged precipitous rocks, formed mostly of
+conglomerate, sandstone, and breccia, took all sorts of fantastic forms.
+Along the coast were many Ainu huts inhabited by half-castes and by
+Japanese. The Ainu were once very numerous in this district, but few of
+them are to be found now. The few remaining ones have yielded to the
+more civilised Japanese, and have become their servants. They are used
+as menials in most of the fishing stations, always acting under the
+directions of Japanese masters. Very frequently they are employed as
+tenders of horses, and in some places as guides for traders and
+travellers from one station to another.
+
+Not far from Riruran the mouths of two lagoons have to be crossed, the
+larger of which is called Saruffo-Ko, or "Lake in a grassy plain."
+Cranes, swans, and ducks are numerous in these lagoons.
+
+The track continues mostly over cliffs and mountains till Birvase, a
+small village of seaweed gatherers, is reached, and the next two and a
+half miles are along a sandy beach as far as Hammanaka. A short bridge
+joins this place to the island of Kiritap, which is separated from the
+mainland by a channel only a few feet wide. Towards the evening the fog
+lifted, and I caught a glimpse of the village.
+
+The ponies of the Kiritap village had just been let loose, and were
+running over the small wooden bridge with great clamour. The houses,
+which number about a hundred and twenty, are all poor and dirty. There
+is a main street, and most of the houses are on each side of it. The
+people are fishermen, seaweed gatherers, and small traders; for
+Hammanaka Bay, being a good anchorage for junks and small craft under
+the lee of Kiritap Island, is a place of some importance for its export
+trade of seaweeds, fish-oil, and herring guano; these products being
+sent down to Hakodate.
+
+If a few Ainu have adopted the Japanese language, clothes, and customs,
+there are also many Japanese who have taken up the Ainu language and
+ways. I noticed this more particularly in this district, where the Ainu
+have almost entirely disappeared. The older Japanese and many of the
+younger folks have Ainu features; and not only have they adopted a great
+number of Ainu words, but when talking Japanese they speak it with the
+peculiar intonation and accent pertaining to the Ainu. This is not
+surprising, nor yet peculiar to the Japanese or the Chinese; for we find
+that almost all English residents in Chinese ports adopt many of the
+words of our pig-tailed brothers, and have thus formed a kind of local
+English, besides the "pidgeon-English"--a corruption of "business
+English"--which almost constitutes a language of its own.
+
+The Ainu, like the Scotch or the French, give a rolling sound to the
+"r." Thus, for instance, if I had written the word "Riruran" as it is
+pronounced I should have spelt it "Rrirrurran." Then the Ainu almost
+sing their words--the women in a falsetto voice, ending in a singularly
+mournful kind of cadenza. On his return from a journey, a hunt, or a
+fishing expedition, the Ainu squats down cross-legged in his hut, and,
+after the conventional introductory ceremony of rubbing the palms of his
+hands together and then repeatedly stroking his hair and beard, proceeds
+to relate the adventures that have befallen him during his absence.
+This he does by singing out his story in a sort of monotone, or
+sometimes chanting it. When conversing with Japanese the Ainu have
+slightly modified this habit, which gave rise to much mirth to the
+light-hearted sons of the Mikado's empire. However, like all people who
+are ready to laugh at everything novel, the local Japanese have now
+themselves fallen into that same manner of speaking, which, after all,
+has its charms, as it is rather sentimental in spirit, and so far
+pleasant to the ear. What is more, they have also acquired the slow ways
+of the Ainu.
+
+All along the beach between Hammanaka and Hattaushi, a distance of
+nearly twenty miles, there are fishermen's and seaweed gatherers' huts;
+but none of them is inhabited by Ainu. Men, women, and children are all
+occupied in the seaweed gathering industry; and it is when the sea is
+stormy that the largest quantity of kelp is collected. The numerous
+reefs and rocks all along the shore-line afford suitable ground and
+bottom for its growth and production; and during a stormy sea quantities
+of kelp float on the breaking waves, to be finally thrown on shore. The
+industrious gatherers seldom wait for this "jetsam," as the long weeds,
+after they are washed off the rock, and before they are finally swept on
+shore, are apt to be damaged by the waves, and are therefore of less
+value for the export market than when long and fresh; wherefore, each
+gatherer provides himself with a long pole or hook, and from morning
+till night these half-naked "toilers of the sea" can be seen running to
+and fro in and out of the waves dragging bunches of long ribbon-like
+seaweeds, which are then carefully disentangled, stretched on the sands
+to dry, and, after several days of exposure, are packed for the market.
+
+Some huge cliffs towering over the sandy beach make the track
+interesting; and here and there, scattered in the Hammanaka Bay, are
+some oyster-banks before reaching the single shed of Hattaushi. The
+following twelve miles were on an extremely bad track, partly over steep
+hills and partly on tiresome soft sand. Then I arrived at
+Otchishi--without exception the loveliest little spot in Yezo. It lies
+in the centre of a small bay, on the two sides of which are magnificent
+headlands with precipitous cliffs and rocks of volcanic formation. On a
+pretty bit of green grass in the foreground, only a few feet above the
+sea-level, were a shed and a storehouse. A reef and shallow water closed
+the entrance of the bay to the foaming waves of the Pacific. In the
+sheltered water, which was as smooth as a mirror, the dark rich colour
+of the overhanging rocks, caressed by the last warm rays of the dying
+sun, was reflected with absolute fidelity and almost increased
+loveliness. A cold whitish sky, and the _white horses_ breaking on the
+reef, completed the _ensemble_ of that lovely scene; and it was with
+great regret, after having attempted a sketch, that I was told my horse
+was ready, and I had to leave this poetical and exquisite scene.
+
+On the slight elevations near Otchishi, and in the valley, pits are
+still to be seen, showing that the pit-dwellers were once numerous in
+this district. They are found both along the coast as well as slightly
+inland by the side of small rivers, and on the shores of the Saruffu
+lagoon. A well-kept road begins at Otchishi, and goes on to Nemuro. At
+first it runs over hilly ground and through an oak-wooded country, then
+through thick forests of spruce trees, the trees standing very
+close together. About four miles from Nemuro a military
+settlement--"Hanasaki"--similar to the one on the Shibetcha-Akkeshi
+road, has been established by the Japanese Government. Here, again, I
+was struck by the difficulty and the amount of labour involved in
+clearing the trees off the ground. It will take many years before the
+industrious farmers will have any return for their hard labour. I do not
+know what the object of the Japanese Government may have been in
+starting these two militia settlements in spots so unfit for
+cultivation, but it seems a great pity to see the Tokachi region, which
+has all the requisites for successful agriculture, quite deserted, while
+hundreds of men are wasting their strength and time at other places,
+where it will take several years to open enough ground for even a
+kitchen-garden.
+
+Past the long row of houses at Hanasaki the road descends gently, and I
+arrived at Nemuro, a thriving place of about fifteen hundred houses, on
+the south-west coast of the plateau-like peninsula ending at Cape
+Noshafu. The general elevation of the plateau is between sixty and one
+hundred and twenty feet above the sea-level, and the high land is
+covered with undergrowth and stunted trees, such as scrub bamboo, oak,
+birch, and alder, the east winds and fogs no doubt preventing the latter
+from attaining a larger growth. Some low islands and reefs lie north and
+south off Cape Noshafu, and make navigation very unsafe for the small
+coasting crafts which sometimes during the summer call at Nemuro for
+sea-weed, herring, salt, salmon, and herring guano; the first exported
+chiefly to China, the others to Tokio and Southern Japan. Herrings are
+caught in large numbers during the spring and summer, and the export of
+fish-manure would be considerably increased if the harbour at Nemuro
+could be safely entered by larger ships. As it is now, though well
+sheltered by the small island of Bentenjima, it can only harbour small
+ships, as, besides not being deep, its entrance is narrow and of
+difficult access during the thick fogs of the summer. In the winter and
+part of the spring the harbour and the coast as far as Noshafu Cape are
+blocked with drift ice, thus stopping navigation altogether. The trade
+from the adjoining coast and the Kurile Islands concentrates at this
+port, and as a farming region the small portion of available land
+north-west of the town has given fairly good results. Horse-breeding has
+proved a success for the local wants, but hardly so in producing a fine
+breed of horses. Cattle-breeding, on the other hand, has been a failure
+all through, owing to the severe weather in winter, which the imported
+animals could not stand. In spite of strong easterly winds, heavy fogs,
+ice, and snow, fair crops of _daikon_, potatoes, turnips, barley, beans,
+wheat, and hemp are successfully raised here, as the soil is of
+extremely good quality. As to the town itself, it is prettily laid out,
+the streets crossing each other at right angles, while some of the
+houses are built in semi-European style, to meet the severity of the
+climate. A Shinto temple is erected on the high level; and from this is
+obtained a fine bird's-eye view of the harbour and town, with the
+numerous storehouses overlooking the sea.
+
+As I have given a short description of the town--uninteresting save from
+a commercial point of view--I feel that I owe a few lines to its
+go-ahead inhabitants. Belonging, nearly all, to a young and adventurous
+generation, they reminded me of the same type of Englishmen who have
+abandoned their fatherland and settled in America and Australia,
+striving, and often succeeding, in making a fortune. Such men are
+invariably of a different "make" from that of the young fellows who are
+satisfied to drudge for life in a bank, a merchant's office, or a
+shop--vegetating rather than living; following their day's routine in a
+mechanical sort of way; grumbling continually, but never bold enough to
+attempt any improvement of their position. As one is born an artist, a
+musician, or a literary man, one has to be born a colonist to be a
+successful one.
+
+The young Japanese whom I met at Nemuro impressed me as being thoroughly
+different from any I had come across in my one year's stay in Southern
+Japan; and I was agreeably surprised when I found that I was dealing
+with a lot of young, clever, and serious men, willing to improve their
+country and themselves, and anxious to accept any practical hint that
+would enable them to accomplish this in the shortest time possible. In
+other words, they had lost the slow, phlegmatic way of transacting
+business of the "stay-at-homes," and had accepted the quick perception
+of the true colonist, who is always ready to catch all the chances which
+will help him to get on in life.
+
+I had been struck with this energy, this go-ahead faculty, several times
+along the south-west and south-east coasts, when conversing with the
+Japanese with whom I came in contact; but I was never so much impressed
+as at Nemuro, where, indeed, the men are of a superior class,
+well-educated, and belonging to good families, while most of the
+Japanese at fishing stations along the coast are taken from the scum of
+the towns. They are often escaped or ex-convicts, or else people who
+found it advisable to abandon the livelier shores of Nippon, leaving no
+trace of themselves rather than end their days in a prison cell.
+
+Nemuro is a progressive place in every way, and had it been built five
+miles further west it would have been intersected by the Onnetto
+River--a short outlet of the Onnetto Lagoon, which would have formed a
+larger and safer harbour than the present Nemuro anchorage. As it is,
+prosperity showed itself in the usual way, by the number of
+eating-houses for all classes, a theatre, numerous _guechas_--singers
+and dancers--and a whole street of houses of light morals, in which,
+behind a wooden grating similar to a huge cage, dozens of girls are
+shown in their gaudy red and gold embroidered _kimonos_, with elaborate
+_obis_ round their waist, and expensive long tortoise-shell hairpins
+artistically surrounding their heads like a halo. There in a line the
+pretty girls sit for several hours on their heels in front of a
+_hibachi_--brazier--smoking their diminutive pipes. They are fair game
+for now the compliments and now the jokes of the crowd promenading up
+and down the street in the evening. Every now and then, when an admirer
+approaches the cage, one of the girls gets up, refills her tiny pipe
+with tobacco, and offers it to him, not forgetting to wipe the
+mouthpiece with the palm of her hand before so doing. He (the admirer)
+puffs away, and returns the empty pipe with thanks, shifting on to
+another cage to have his next smoke. Japanese men cannot live without
+_guechas_, and it follows as a matter of course that Nemuro, being a
+prosperous place, there are many of them.
+
+A _guecha_ is a singer or dancer (posturing), or both, and one or more
+generally attend dinner-parties and festivities of any kind. Some sing
+with self-accompaniment of _shamesen;_ others display their wonderful
+powers of mimicking and posturising, in which grace is never lacking. A
+long _kimono_, a carefully-arranged _obi_, and a pretty pair of white
+_tabi_--short socks with split toes--make up the graceful and simple
+attire in which they appear in the house. Their hair, plastered down
+with camelia oil, is a veritable work of art. It is carefully combed,
+oiled, and flattened behind the ears. A metal fastener at the lowest
+point of the curve keeps it in this flat position, and it is then raised
+again and fastened at the back of the head, first in a most elaborate
+twist, and then rolled up in graceful curves. A pretty, tasteful
+_kanzashi_--a long hairpin--is placed on the left side of the head, thus
+completing that part of a _guecha's_ toilette.
+
+The sallow complexion characteristic of the race is despised by the
+womankind of Japan, and all women are given to "painting" themselves.
+With us such a custom is not uncommon, but it is disregarded by most
+sensible women. In Japan it is part of the ordinary woman's daily
+toilette. A thick layer of white chalk is first smeared with a soft
+brush over the face, neck, shoulders, arms, and hands; then the pretty
+_mouseme_, dipping her first finger in red paint, gently rubs this on
+her cheeks, her temples, and over the upper eyelids. The middle finger
+is the "black brush," and adds sentiment to the expression by blackening
+under the eyes; and sometimes when the eyebrows are not shaved it is
+also used to accentuate them. A piece of burnt cork is often used as a
+substitute for black paint. The fourth finger has no occupation, but the
+little finger is for finishing touches, brightening up the mouth with
+carmine, and adding a bit of gold on the lower lip. A _guecha_ paints
+herself to a much greater extent than other women, and with brighter
+colours. As to her moral qualities, a _guecha_ is usually not immoral
+enough to be called "fast," yet too fast to be qualified as "moral."
+Their music and posturing have a great charm for Japanese; and when
+money is made, a good quantity of it goes to keeping up these feminine
+musicians and their establishments.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+To show how enterprising and Americanised the Nemuro people are, I shall
+ask the reader's forgiveness for again relating a personal experience
+which at the time greatly amused me.
+
+I was in the midst of my simple Japanese dinner in the Jamaruru
+tea-house, when four youths entered my room and offered to shake hands
+with me--a most unusual thing with Japanese. One of them handed me his
+card, on which I read, "K. Sato, _Nemuro Shimbun_" (Nemuro newspaper).
+
+"Oh," I said in Japanese, "you have even a newspaper at Nemuro."
+
+"Yes," answered in English one of his friends, a Mr. Yuasa, handing me
+his own card.
+
+"You speak English, then, Mr. Yuasa?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Can I offer you and your friends anything to drink or to eat?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"What will you have?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Will you have some _sake_?"
+
+"No, no; I come to speak to you."
+
+"Thank you."
+
+"No, no; I come to _take your life_ in Nemuro newspaper. Please speak
+where come? How old? Where go?"
+
+When I had sufficiently recovered from the shock of his announcement
+that he had come to take my life, and understood what he meant by it, I
+had a most pleasant conversation in English with him, and in Japanese
+with the others. Mr. Yuasa's English improved as his shyness wore off,
+showing that he had a very fair knowledge of the language. The interview
+lasted many hours, continually interrupted by the _nara honto_ and the
+_sajo deska_--"really" and "indeed" of my visitors--while notes were
+taken by the editor and his staff. They finally departed, and early the
+next morning I received the following letter:--
+
+     "SIR,--I long that you will correspond to me any events wherever
+     you have met them in your journey when you are not so awful busy,
+     as I have to translate and write on the Nemuro _News_. I meet the
+     first time here, and I hope to have your friendly favor hitherto,
+     and thanks for your kindness I have received ever, believe me, your
+     humble servant, F. YUASA."
+
+The same afternoon the editor and his staff called again, accompanied by
+the two Mr. Nakamuras, the richest merchants in Nemuro, and they
+insisted on giving me a European dinner. After my experience at Otsu as
+regards European cooking by Japanese, I was rather loth to accept their
+kind invitation, but I had to yield. The feast began with biscuits and
+jam,[31] and the soup was brought immediately after; then vegetables
+were followed by roast chicken, and the latter by salad and fried fish.
+With the exception of the somewhat inverted order of the courses, this
+time it was actually a European dinner, and even well-cooked; but my
+hosts were seen at a great disadvantage when using a knife and fork. As
+for the anatomy of the chicken, that was decidedly their weakest point.
+Those of the party who were shy gave up the carving as a bad job; the
+bolder only fought bravely; and every now and then a knife gave a
+terrible squeak on the plate, and half a leg, a wing, or a carcase was
+fired right across the table into one's plate, if not in one's face, or
+on one's lap.
+
+    [31] The Japanese always begin their meals with sweets.
+
+"_Honto taihen muskashi_"--"Really it is very difficult"--said the wit
+of the party, helplessly putting down his knife and fork after trying to
+separate the two parts of a wing. "This bird's bones have lost all their
+joints in the cooking."
+
+My hosts were extremely kind, and were, besides, so clever and bright
+that I enjoyed their good company immensely. At the same time I gained
+from them valuable information as regards the neighbouring country and
+the Kurile Islands.
+
+[Illustration: SEMI-AINU RAT TRAP.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU WOMAN OF KURILE ISLANDS.]
+
+CHAPTER XII.
+
+The Kurile Islands.
+
+
+From Nemuro I put to sea in a miserable little Japanese craft--a kind of
+tug-boat--which once or twice a year goes to the principal islands of
+the Kurile group, and brings back their products to Nemuro. It is
+needless to say that I was the only passenger on board, though it is
+fair to add that the saloon was large enough to "accommodate" two, but
+not more. As for the only cabin, it had two berths, one over the other,
+but no available space for dressing or undressing, which therefore had
+to be got through outside, unless it was to be done by instalments,
+lying down in the berth itself. I shall spare my readers a minute
+description of this "ocean clipper," her tonnage, and horse-power, and I
+shall not attempt to narrate the many disadvantages of travelling in a
+ship engaged in the fish-manure, dried-fish, and sea-weed trade. These
+three very strongly scented articles speak for themselves without the
+need of words.
+
+The Kuriles are the islands which stretch like a row of beads from the
+most north-easterly coast of Yezo to the most southerly point of
+Kamschatka. They extend from 145 deg. to 158 deg. longitude east of Greenwich,
+and between 42 deg. and 51 deg. latitude north.
+
+The archipelago forms part of the Japanese Empire, having been exchanged
+by Russia not many years ago for the southern half of Saghalien Island,
+then belonging to Japan. This group of islands is characterised mainly
+by the great extent of its volcanic rocks and tertiaries, showing marked
+evidence that it is only a continuation of the volcanic mountain-range
+forming the backbone of Yezo, and extending from Yubaridake, in the
+upper Ishikari province, to Cape Shiretoko; which volcanic region
+embraces a large portion of the Tokachi, Kitami, and Nemuro provinces.
+In this chain of islands there are many beautiful volcanic cones,
+especially in Kunashiri and Etorofu. Iron, copper, and other metal veins
+are found in small quantities in tuffs and andesites, but more important
+here, moreover, are the large sulphur accumulations near and in craters,
+both extinct and active; as on Mount Rahush, in Kunashiri, and the
+Ichibishinai, in Etorofu, the largest island of the Kuriles. At Pontoo,
+in Kunashiri, sulphur bubbles out from the bottom of a volcanic lake,
+which is probably an extinct crater.
+
+Beside being rich in minerals, the larger islands of the Kuriles abound
+in game; but fishing is the main industry practised by the sparse
+population of these rugged regions. The origin of the word "Kuriles" is
+not certain, but in all probability it is from the Russian _kuril_,
+smoke, as there are many active volcanoes in the islands. The more
+poetical Japanese call them _Chishima_, or the "Thousand Islands,"
+meaning that they are numberless, and the _nonchalant_ Ainu of Yezo
+profess entire ignorance as to their existence, and only some of the
+better informed give them the name of _Krafto_, by which they really
+mean Sakhalin. The hairy people are emphatically poor geographers, and
+have but little faculty for locating islands or any other places. In
+fact, how could they, having no maps, and no idea even of what a map is?
+The Chishima group and the island of Yezo, with all the smaller islands
+along and near its coast, when taken collectively, are called by the
+Japanese "The Hokkaido." The nearest of the Kuriles to Yezo is
+Kunashiri, and south of it lies the smaller island of Shikotan; then
+comes Etorofu, the largest of the group; then Urup; after this a number
+of unhabited islets, reefs, and rocks form a barrier separating the
+Otkoshk Sea from the Pacific Ocean. Shimushir, at the south-western end
+of this barrier, and Onekotan, at the north-eastern, are the two
+largest, Shimushir being about thirty miles in length and four or five
+wide, and Onekotan about twenty-five miles long and eight wide.
+Paromushir (a corruption of the Ainu words _poro_, large, and _mushiri_,
+island) is the last island of the group. It has a large reef on its
+south-east coast, and is divided by a channel six or seven miles wide
+from Cape Lopatka, the most southern point of the Kamschatkan peninsula.
+Paromushir is about twice the size of Urup, and is very mountainous,
+with rugged cliffs of volcanic formation, and high picturesque peaks,
+bearing the same characteristics as the scenery in Etorofu and
+Kunashiri, and also of Kamschatka. I have mentioned this last island, as
+it is of some interest, being the most northern point of the Japanese
+empire; and also to a certain extent it is interesting from a geological
+point of view, but, as far as I know, it is not inhabited now, and the
+few Kurilsky Ainu who formerly lived there migrated further south from
+one island to another, till Shimushir[32] and Urup[33] afforded them a
+more hospitable home. However, they were not to live there for long, for
+the Japanese Government, asserting that subjects of the empire who chose
+to live so far could not be properly looked after, sent the small ship
+on which I was now travelling on a mission with orders to bring them all
+down to the formerly deserted island of Shikotan. The orders had to be
+obeyed; and reluctantly setting fire to the huts which they were about
+to abandon and never to see again, ninety souls, all that remained of
+that nomad tribe of Ainu, were embarked and carried into exile at
+Shikotan. The quiet life on the Shikotan rocks little suits the roaming
+disposition of the Kurilsky Ainu; and though even formerly they were
+rapidly dying out, the rate of mortality has increased since their
+exile. Having thus verified the fact that of the "Thousand Islands" of
+the Chishima group only three are inhabited, I shall avoid giving a
+monotonous description of each bare-looking islet and rock, and I shall
+land my readers at Shikotan, on a visit to the Kurilsky Ainu, who are
+important to us in connection with the Ainu of Yezo.
+
+    [32] _Shimushir_, High Island.
+
+    [33] _Urup_, name given to a kind of salmon.
+
+It was early in the morning when I looked out of the porthole, and by a
+fine moonlight saw that we were close to the coast. Huge cliffs and
+peaks, ending in a sharp point, some converging towards one another,
+some standing upright against the whitish cold sky, were reflected in
+the smooth water under the lee of the island. The moon, surrounded by a
+yellowish halo, shone bright over the rugged scene, giving delicate
+bluish tints to all the shadows; while the water, disturbed and cut by
+the prow of our craft, rose in gentle waves, pursuing one another, as if
+running for a place of refuge in the mysterious dark shadows of the
+cliffs. So weird, so enchanted and wild was the scene, that I jumped out
+of my stuffy bunk and went on deck. There I stood, notwithstanding the
+cold, gazing at the gigantic overhanging black rocks, at the precipices,
+crevices, and natural openings through which now and then the radiant
+moon peeped, covering the dark green water with a long undulating streak
+of silver dashes. There I stood, listening to the voices of the waves,
+which rippled on the shingle, contemplating this strange and poetic work
+of nature. I am certain that if sirens there ever were in this world,
+their home must have been among the whimsical and _bizarre_ rocks of
+Shikotan Island. The old "tub" on which I was "ploughing the waves"
+moved slowly through this heavenly spectacle of ever-increasing beauty.
+When the sun rose, enchantment was added to enchantment. The cold bluish
+colour of the rocks became gradually warmer; and, as the light grew
+stronger, the tops of the cliffs turned into a mass of brilliant
+colours. Nature was waking slowly from her torpid sleep, and, in the
+freshness of the morning, a light breeze, caressing the shore, brought
+with it the smell of land.
+
+The captain, a Japanese, informed me that we should soon enter the
+harbour of Shikotan, and, pointing to some huge pillars, said that was
+the entrance. We drew nearer and nearer to it, and the nearer we drew
+the more I became convinced that the captain was under an
+hallucination. I could only see rock after rock, huge pillar after huge
+pillar; but no entrance whatever.
+
+"We are just going in," said the captain, laughing at my astonishment,
+and he gave orders to the quartermaster at the wheel to steer straight
+for one of the pillars. We were but a few yards from it when our craft
+was made to swing rapidly on her starboard side, and we turned round a
+gigantic shoulder of rock, to find ourselves in a narrow channel. One
+minute later we were in a pretty circular harbour, surrounded by high
+peaks--in fact, a kind of "fiord." The access to this harbour is
+certainly difficult to find, but when you are fairly in, it is seen to
+afford a well-sheltered anchorage. It has more the appearance of a small
+mountain lake than that of a sea-harbour; and undoubtedly it is a
+submerged crater. It is perfectly circular, and very deep, but not of
+large capacity. Directly opposite the entrance, on the shore, is a small
+narrow valley, on which is situated the village of the Kurilsky Ainu.
+Four men rowed me ashore, and I went to the village.
+
+When the Japanese imported these Kurilsky Ainu to Shikotan, they allowed
+them to build their huts in their own way; but this done, a railing with
+a gate was erected, closing the entrance of the valley which overlooks
+the harbour, thus preventing the poor wretches from abandoning the
+island to resume their migratory habits, and return to their more
+northern homes. Inside this gate two rows of huts, exactly similar to
+those of the Yezo Ainu, have been constructed by the exiles. There are
+sixteen huts altogether, and not a single one of them is built over a
+pit. In Chapter IX, I have fully explained the characteristics and mode
+of living, which leaves no doubt as to these people being proper Ainu,
+and not pit-dwellers, as some have asserted; though of course their type
+is slightly modified by external conditions--a common occurrence in all
+races. Take a Londoner, a provincial, and a seaman, and though they be
+all three Englishmen, one will have a washed-out look, the other will be
+healthy and strong, but not so sturdy, wiry, and weather-beaten as the
+sailor. The same natural process is at work with this tribe of Ainu.
+They conform their life according to circumstances and places; and
+though they possess the same general characteristics as the rest of the
+Ainu, in some small details they cannot but differ from them.
+
+Shikotan was a deserted island previous to these poor wretches being
+transplanted there by the Japanese Government. It does not abound in
+game, like Shimushir, Urup, or Poromushir, whence they were taken.
+
+[Illustration: SHIKOTAN AINU.]
+
+The story of this tribe of Ainu is a sad one. Hunting, sealing, and
+fishing were their only aims in life, their only pastimes, the only
+things they lived for. At Shikotan they have none of these things. There
+is no big game; the only animal found being a beautiful species of white
+long-tailed fox. There are no large rivers at Shikotan; there is hardly
+any vegetation, and the whole island is nothing but a mass of barren
+rocks.
+
+The food of the Kurilsky Ainu consisted chiefly of meat of bear and
+seals, berries, and eggs of sea-birds. They were a migratory people, and
+in their small cranky canoes they often crossed from one island to
+another, carrying with them all their property, consisting of skin
+garments and fishing and hunting implements, these latter the same as
+those employed by other Ainu. The dress of the men is shaped like a
+short tunic, made of sea-birds' skins, with the feathers inside. Some of
+the smart ones are trimmed with seal, and they are worn fastened round
+the waist with a girdle of sealskin or a belt of sea-lion hide, often
+ornamented with molten lead buttons or Chinese cash. The women's garment
+is much longer, and reaches nearly to the feet; it falls loosely, and
+has long sleeves covering the hands; it is fastened with a girdle in bad
+weather, and the gown is then pulled up to the knee, showing the long
+yellow boots. When carrying water or working this is also done, as it
+gives greater freedom to the limbs, making walking and all movement much
+easier. A red, yellow, or brightly-coloured handkerchief, of Russian
+manufacture, is tied round the neck and another round the back of the
+head, and this makes the women look like Italian peasants. As the gown
+is worn usually loose it has the identical shape of a dressing-gown; it
+is ornamented with yellow feathers of puffins round the neck and the
+edge. Both men and women wear either moccasins, or long boots made of
+sealskin, with the fur inside, or else they wear salmon-skin boots, like
+the Ainu of Yezo. No woman that I saw at Shikotan had a moustache
+tattooed round her lips, or any tattoo marks on her arms. Very few of
+them wore earrings, though all had the ears bored for that purpose, and
+had worn them. The earrings which they possessed were mostly strings of
+coral beads and metal ornaments of Russian manufacture, which, like the
+brightly-coloured handkerchiefs, they had received in bartering with the
+crew of a sealing schooner. Since they have been at Shikotan the men
+have been presented with old caps and overcoats, similar to those of the
+Japanese police. Previous to this, however, when the Kuriles were under
+the rigid Russian _regime_, the Kurilsky Ainu men were compelled to trim
+their hair and beard, which was the first step taken by the priests of
+the Coptic Church in Christianising these nomadic barbarians. When this
+hair-dressing order was complied with, as the first link of the chain,
+the Coptic creed was enforced on them, and the barbarous Kurilsky Ainu
+became well-trimmed orthodox Christians.
+
+At Shikotan, as it is, fishing on a small scale is their main
+occupation, praying the next, and Jacko, the chief of the village, is
+the high priest. Jacko's predecessor, in fulfilling the duties of this
+high post, was a man who had dropped his Ainu name, and had been
+baptized as Alexandrovitch. His house is now occupied by Jacko. It is
+the first on the right-hand side when the village is entered from the
+harbour side, and it is larger than any of the others; it is built of
+wood instead of rushes and reeds. The interior is divided into two
+rooms, and in the second are three stands, the middle one of which has a
+cross on it. On each of these stands is a Russian Bible, with images
+hanging on the page-marks. Several rough stools and a couple of benches
+are placed in rows in front of these stands, and on the walls hang two
+or three Russian religious images. Taken altogether, and compared with
+other Ainu huts, Jacko's chapel had quite a stately appearance.
+
+Just as the Ainu of Yezo have partly acquired the Japanese language, the
+Kurilsky Ainu have learned to talk Russian, besides speaking an Ainu
+dialect.
+
+On Sundays, or on any day which Jacko thinks is a Sunday, the chief
+reads the mass before a congregation of the other fifty-nine hairy
+Christians of the Russian Orthodox Church; he does not spare them a
+sermon, which sometimes lasts half the day, and his audience are most
+attentive and well behaved. None of them would think of leaving church
+before service is over; but one detail in which these hairy Christians
+are not yet fully Christianised is, that no collection plate is ever
+sent round! The Kurilsky Ainu have undoubtedly accepted the form of
+their adopted religion, but I rather doubt whether they have fallen in
+with the principle. Their former barbarian ideas and superstitions are
+still well rooted in their brain, and each individual was a curious and
+enviable combination of a perfect heathen and a thorough Christian,
+according to what suited him or her better at the time being. In other
+words, they believed in two diametrically opposed principles, one of
+which fitted in with every phase of their life when the other was
+deficient.
+
+As many as ninety people, all told, were landed at Shikotan, but thirty
+had already succumbed when I visited the island. A graveyard on a hill
+on the west side of the village was indeed a sad reminder of this fact.
+It will not be long before all the others will pass away, for
+consumption and rheumatism have a great hold on most of the wretches. In
+ten years from now, I dare say, not one of the Kurilsky tribe of Ainu
+will be left on this earth. It is pitiful that the last remains of these
+independent people will end their days secluded and in exile on the
+barren rocks of Shikotan.
+
+As it is, they seem to take life easily, and, with a characteristic
+proper to all nomadic peoples, they make the best of what they can get.
+They are not shy, and they have dropped the formalities and grand
+salutations of other Ainu. They are, however, as dirty, especially in
+their homes. The women dress their hair in small tresses.
+
+The children wear long gowns similar to those of the women, and one or
+two of the children I saw had very fair hair. As will be seen by the
+illustrations, some of the men and women possess good features, more
+resembling those of European races than those of Mongolian type. They
+are gentle and quiet, like all other Ainu. They are submissive, and
+resigned to their sad fate.
+
+The island of Skikotan is almost circular in shape, and it has one or
+two small anchorages on its north coast. I judged its diameter to be
+about twelve or thirteen miles. Etorofu and Kunashiri, though much
+larger in size, are of less interest to us in connection with the Ainu,
+as most of that race found there migrate from Yezo during the fishing
+season; therefore, nothing is to be added about them.
+
+Etorofu is a long, narrow, but irregular island, over one hundred miles
+in length, and varying in breadth from five or six to twenty miles. It
+is very mountainous, and has some bold, rugged scenery, owing to its
+volcanic formation. Etorofu is by far the largest island of the Kurile
+group, and it possesses many safe anchorages, especially on its
+north-west coast, where several mountainous capes branch off the narrow
+strip of land, and afford small ships a fairly safe harbourage from west
+and south-westerly winds. Unfortunately, however, they are open to
+northerly and north-east gales, during the prevalence of which, should a
+ship happen to be cruising about in those latitudes, she would have to
+run for a shelter to the south-east coast. The south-east coast is not
+peopled, with the exception of a very few huts near Moyorotake, or "Bear
+Bay," at its most south-eastern point. A better shelter, however, is to
+be found in the bay, nearly in the middle of the island, on the shores
+of which are a few huts at Onembets and Imotsuto. Most of the coast is
+deserted, and the south-east portion is very rocky, huge cliffs, with
+high richly-coloured mountains in the background, ending like an
+impassable wall into the sea. Where the island is narrower there are
+some low terraces with scrub bamboo and stunted trees. Larch is found in
+Etorofu, while it is seldom found in Yezo. Heather-like plants are also
+indigenous in Etorofu, and cranberry bushes are frequent near the coast.
+From Betoya or Bettobu Bay down to its most south-western point Etorofu
+is all mountainous, with the exception of a small valley near Rubets.
+It is along the banks of the Bettobu River, in that small valley and on
+those terraces, that the numerous pits of the Koro-pok-kuru are found,
+and also at Rupets, further south on the same coast. This, however, I
+have already explained in connection with the pit-dwellers. The two
+small fishing-stations above mentioned are respectively under the lee of
+the headlands ending in Cape Ikahasonets and Notoro Cape. On the first
+headland the mountain of Tsiriju rises to a great altitude. The largest
+fishing-station is at Shana, on the western side of this headland, and
+further north, besides Bettobu, is the small station of Shibets.
+South-west of Shana one finds Rubets, Furubets, Oitoi, and Naibo, the
+latter in the bay of the same name. There are five lakes in Etorofu, two
+of which are between Shana and Bettobu, one near Rubets, the other close
+to Naibo; the fifth is a very small one, fifteen or sixteen miles
+north-east of Bettobu. The country has a rugged look, and in some
+places, as near Rubets, where the volcanic mountain masses leave space
+for low terraces the scrub-bamboo is very thick, as in Yezo, and small
+and stunted trees form the chief vegetation. Larch is more common on the
+north-west coast than on the south-east. Good timber is rather scarce in
+Etorofu, but a fair quantity of it is to be found inland, and also at
+the south-western portion of the island about Naipo.
+
+Accumulations of sulphur are found at Ichibishinai, and there is an
+active volcano south-east of Bettobu, besides the beautiful volcanic
+cone of Atzosa, three or four thousand feet above sea-level. All this
+volcanic mountain mass, with its warmly-tinted peaks, bears the
+characteristics of the central portion of Yezo; and there seems to be
+little doubt that all this row of islands, with the frequent submerged
+craters and volcanic cones, is nothing but the continuation of the
+volcanic zone in Yezo. The main resource of Etorofu is the fishing. Four
+different kinds of salmon and salmon-trout are found, one similar to the
+salmon common in Yezo, the others somewhat differently marked. Salmon is
+extremely plentiful, and in July and August enormous catches are made,
+especially at the mouths of the rivers, where the fish are closely
+packed together.
+
+The Pico Strait, between Etorofu and Kunashiri, is about fourteen miles
+wide, and a strong current from the Okhotsk Sea passes through it,
+causing the sea to break in heavy tide-rips and overfalls similar to
+those observed in the La Perouse Strait, between Yezo and Sakhalin.
+Similar tide-rips are observed also in the channel between Etorofu and
+Urup, but, being much wider (about twenty-four miles), they seem there
+less formidable.
+
+Kunashiri is the next largest island in the Kuriles after Etorofu. It is
+about sixty-five miles long, and very narrow; varying from three to
+eight miles in width. The north-east portion is somewhat wider, and
+extremely mountainous. The highest peak of this mountain range is the
+Tcha-Tcha-Nobori (the old-old-mountain), which is said to be about seven
+thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea. From this volcano
+starts a chain of hills--some pyramidal in form, others somewhat rounder
+at the top--which forms the backbone of the island. Two more active
+volcanoes besides the Tcha-Tcha are on the south-west portion of
+Kunashiri, but they do not rise to a very great altitude. On Horanaho or
+Rausu volcano sulphur accumulations are found, and at Pontoo (small
+lake) sulphur bubbles out from the lake bottom, and seems to be worked
+with profit. The Tcha-Tcha-Nobori is curiously shaped. It is like a
+large cone cut about half-way up in a section, to which a smaller cone
+has been attached, leaving a wide ring right round. It is extremely
+picturesque, and a worthy finish to the strange outline of Kunashiri
+Island.
+
+Vegetation and products are the same as in Etorofu. Salmon is plentiful,
+and a few fishing-stations are spread out here and there at long
+intervals on the coast. As in Etorofu, the population of Kunashiri
+migrates there from Yezo during the fishing season, and leaves the
+island almost deserted in winter. The strait separating it from Yezo is
+only ten or twelve miles wide. Bears and foxes are said to be very
+numerous in all the larger islands of the Kuriles, and seals are
+captured in large quantities during the winter months, more especially
+in the islands nearer Kamschatka. Small game, as ducks, snipes, and
+sandpipers, is abundant. Besides the ruggedness and strange aspect of
+its numerous volcanic peaks, the bareness and the loneliness of the
+coast, there is nothing in the Kurile group to entice the sightseer and
+the pleasure-seeker to a cruise among the islands. The geologist and
+zoologist, however, would find in the Kuriles a very rough but very
+interesting field for their investigations, and a "good shot," who does
+not mind a self-sacrificing and lonely life, would find some good sport
+among the bears, especially in Kunashiri and Etorofu.
+
+[Illustration: WOMAN OF THE KURILE ISLANDS]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: ABASHIRI ISLAND.]
+
+CHAPTER XIII.
+
+On the East and North-East Coast--From Nemuro to Shari-Mombets.
+
+
+I did not remain long at Nemuro after my return from the Kuriles; in
+fact, I remained only a few hours, and again my baggage was lashed to
+the pack-saddle, again I was perched on the top of this instrument of
+torture, and soon was rapidly moving north towards the inhospitable
+coast of the Okhotsk Sea.
+
+The first few days of the lonely life of a peripatetic Robinson Crusoe
+are unmistakably disagreeable, but after that initiation there is no
+doubt that it is a fascinating life. I was more than glad when the gay
+Nemuro was out of sight, and the noise and rumble of semi-civilisation
+out of hearing. The editor and seven gentlemen of Nemuro accompanied me
+for a few miles--then I was left to myself and my own resources.
+Crossing the Onnetto River, the outlet of a large lagoon of the same
+name, I passed through Nishibets and then Bitskai, where in former days
+the Japanese had established a salmon-canning factory, which proved a
+failure, owing to the incapacity of its directors and workmen. Salmon is
+very abundant in the Nishibets River, and a well-managed canning factory
+would be a great success. About ten or eleven miles north of Bitskai a
+peculiar peninsula stretches out from north-east to south-west, which
+affords a shelter for small junks from northerly winds. It is called
+Noshike, and is not more than a few feet above the sea-level. The soil
+all along is very marshy, and the numerous little rivulets and rivers
+are extremely troublesome to cross. My pony was continually sinking into
+and struggling out of mud-holes, into which it had fallen when wading
+across these small watercourses, sometimes not more than a few feet
+wide. I pushed on as far as Shimbets, where there are only a shed and a
+couple of Ainu huts inhabited by half-castes. I had to put up here for
+the night, and by the light of a wick burning in a large oyster-shell
+filled with fish-oil I wrote a few notes in my diary. The fleas in that
+house were something appalling. The next morning I had some fun with a
+wild pony, which I received in exchange for the tired animal I had
+brought.
+
+"Nobody can get on him," said the Ainu half-caste, "but if you think you
+can ride him he will go like the wind."
+
+It took all hands in the small village to get the pack-saddle and
+baggage on to his back, and after we had tied him to a post and lashed
+his fore legs together I mounted. By instalments he was untied, let
+loose, and then afforded us some real fun. He revolved, bucked, kicked,
+stood on his hind legs, and did his very best to bite my legs and knock
+me off the saddle. A small fence was kicked and smashed into a thousand
+bits, and he even attempted to enter the huts--anything to get rid of
+his rider; but he did not succeed. His next trick was to plunge into the
+river close by, and when he reached the middle to shake himself
+violently. He then came out on the other side, and, turning his head,
+saw as well as felt that I was still on his back; then he neighed as if
+in great distress, and bolted. He galloped along the small track, and
+really did go "like the wind." As a punishment I made him keep up the
+pace even when he was tired of his contumacy, and in less than no time I
+reached Shibets, ten miles distant from where I had started.
+
+Shibets is a village of one hundred Japanese houses and twenty Ainu
+huts. The Ainu here have almost altogether adopted Japanese clothes, as
+well as something of the Japanese style of living. The river which goes
+by the same name is notable for the quantity and good quality of salmon
+caught in it, and it is the best salmon-fishing river on the north-east
+coast of Yezo. Herrings are also abundant, but not to the same extent
+as on the south-east coast. A peculiarity of the river is that before
+entering the sea it turns sharply south and runs along a bank of sand
+and mud, which is growing larger every year, which shows that a current
+from the Okhotsk Sea must travel down in that direction through the
+strait between Kunashiri and Yezo. The same peculiarity is noticeable in
+nearly all the rivers of the north-east coast.
+
+From Shibets to Wembets the track is fairly even, but from Wembets round
+Cape Shiretoko it is in many places impassable even on foot. The
+Peninsula, ending in Cape Shiretoko, is a mass of high volcanic
+mountains towards the interior, while scabrous cliffs and huge rocks
+fringe the line of coast. However, from Shibets there is a small
+mountain track inland which brings the traveller across to the
+north-east coast near Shari. The track was through beautiful forests of
+pine trees, oak, birch, and elm, and during the first few miles it is on
+almost level ground. After that, hill after hill is ascended and
+descended, and one goes ever onwards at a higher altitude, until Rubets,
+a small shed, is reached. From here the track follows a zig-zag
+direction till it reaches the summit of the mountain range, and one then
+begins to descend on the other side. From the summit there is a lovely
+view of beautiful blue mountains in the distant west, one of which is
+called Oakan, and the other Moyokan. The mountainous part of the track
+from Igiani, three miles from Shibets, as far as the north-east coast,
+reminded me much of the scenery in Switzerland, with its rapid and
+limpid fresh-water rivers, thickly-wooded country, and green grass,
+which last was replaced here by an undergrowth of scrub bamboo. When I
+went across this mountain pass the rain was pouring in torrents, and the
+road, such as it was, being very slippery and heavy, I only reached the
+north-east coast at dark. The moon would not rise till late, there were
+heavy black clouds, and I was more than puzzled how to find my way.
+
+To add to my bad luck, my pony this time was a sorry beast, with his
+back a mass of sores. I was simply drenched with the rain that never
+ceased. Now and then, by the blinding flash of lightning, I could see a
+long stretch of sand and a line of sand-hills; I could also see the
+reeds bending low under the squalls, and then everything was darkness
+again. I was leading my tired beast, and dragging him along as well as
+I could. Every few yards the wretched creature collapsed, and it took a
+lot of petting, caressing, encouraging and beating to make him get up
+again. I had ridden and walked about fourteen hours in the rain, and was
+nearly frozen to death.
+
+Since I had got out of the forest a bitterly cold north wind chilled me
+through and through, and added the last touch to my weariness and
+discomfort. Again the pony fell, and all my efforts to make him get up
+were useless. The storm, if anything, seemed to increase in violence,
+while my own strength was decreasing every minute. I lay down by the
+side of the pony, trying to warm myself by his heat, and, shivering and
+rattling my teeth together, I tried to go to sleep.
+
+A couple of hours were spent in this way, and when the moon rose I could
+see a little clearer. I climbed with hands and feet on to the
+sand-hills, and I fancied I saw some dark spots in the distance. Could
+they be Shari? First one end of my whip, then the other, was reduced
+into pulp on my pony's back, and with a great effort he again stood on
+all four legs. I had to support the wretch all the way, as you would a
+drunken man, and we went at the rate of less than a mile an hour. The
+spots grew bigger and bigger, and took the shape of huts.
+
+"Hem, hem, hem, hem!" I called out at the first hut, while three or four
+dogs barked furiously and went for my legs. "Will you let a stranger
+sleep here to-night?"
+
+"This is no house for strangers; go elsewhere!" answered a drowsy hoarse
+voice from inside.
+
+"May you be kept--hot!" said I, in pure Ainu fashion, though in my heart
+I attached quite a different meaning to the sentence from that which the
+hairy people give it; and wearily I pulled myself together and passed
+on.
+
+A shadow crept out of one of the huts, and thanks to that shadow I found
+a shelter for the night. There are fifty Ainu huts at Shari, and ten
+Japanese, with an Ainu population of about one hundred souls. The Ainu
+here have adopted Japanese clothes, and many of them eat Japanese food
+when they can get it. The Ainu women of Shari are exceedingly pretty,
+as they do not tattoo the long moustache across their faces, like other
+Ainu. Some of them have a small semicircular tattoo on the upper lip,
+which is not very displeasing to the eye; and in some cases is even
+becoming. The girls have also given up tattooing their arms. The men are
+much taller than the Ainu men of other regions, and they seem to be
+rather ill-natured. Japanese blood can be detected in many of them, and
+that may account for it. While the women are prettier, the men have
+repulsive faces, possessing all the characteristics of purely criminal
+types.
+
+One young fellow who sat for me was the very image of Robespierre in his
+worst moments, and an old man who sat for me afterwards would, according
+to Phrenology, prove to be a murderer of the first water. This gentleman
+was a troublesome sitter, and excelled in making the most awful faces,
+which were accompanied by sounds imitating those of wild beasts. The
+Shari Ainu build their storehouses with cylindrical roofs, similar to
+those of their brethren on the Kutcharo Lake.
+
+After the heavy storm of the previous night the weather cleared up for
+the rest of the day, and the sunset, reflected in the limpid waters of
+the river, was simply magnificent. On the other side, sheltered by the
+sand-hills, were a few Ainu huts standing out against the brilliant red
+and yellow sky, and here and there a large fish jumped out of the water,
+leaving circle after circle of concentric rings to break for the moment
+the reflection in the water.
+
+From Shari to Abashiri the road is for some distance among trees, mostly
+fir and spruce, and then the Tobuts Lake is reached, half of which is a
+mere marsh. It is picturesquely situated, and I followed its borders for
+about three miles, having the sea on one side, the lake on the other.
+The track was easy and mostly on sand. At the outlet of the lake into
+the sea is the Ainu village of Tobuts, access to which is to be had only
+by boat, as the river is extremely deep, and its current very swift.
+
+In the proximity of Tobuts another and smaller lake, the Opoto, with its
+short and winding estuary, is on the left of the traveller, while a long
+way ahead the Abashiri rocks stand high on the horizon. A few Ainu huts
+are scattered along the coast, and some of them have peculiarly shaped
+storehouses. They are small, built entirely of wood, and roofed with
+shingles. Some have two floors, and in this case, though built on piles,
+the first floor is only a few inches above the ground. The "mat" was
+supplanted by a wooden door at the entrance of the storehouse.
+
+The Abashiri cliffs are grand, and from a distance have all the
+appearance of, though they are not in reality, basaltic rocks. They are
+scarred, riven, and fractured in all directions, as if by excessive
+heat. The upper portion of the cliffs is of a beautiful grey-whitish
+colour, blending into yellow and red at their warm brown bases. The
+small cylindrical islet which I give in the illustration is on the north
+side of this cliff, and is of the same volcanic formation. It has
+certain traces of sulphur as a further evidence of its origin. Flocks of
+sea-gulls, penguins, and cormorants have chosen this island for their
+abode.
+
+Abashiri is the only place on the north-east coast which may eventually
+be of some importance, as it has a fair anchorage for small craft under
+the lee of the islet and outstretching cliff. No other place on the
+north-east coast possesses such an advantage. On the Shiretoko Peninsula
+sulphur accumulations are found at Itashibeoni; but, unfortunately, the
+want of a safe harbour, the ruggedness of the coast, and the lack of
+drinkable water in the vicinity, are all facts which make it improbable
+that it could be worked with profit for some years to come. The Ainu at
+Abashiri are repulsive creatures, especially the men, and have more the
+appearance of wild beasts than human beings. Their faces are almost
+square, the mouth large, with narrow lips, the ends of which converge
+towards the ears. The nose is short and stumpy, they have very heavy
+eyebrows, and the eyes are almost lost under the shadow of their
+projecting forehead.
+
+Ponies are scarce and bad along this coast, and the further north one
+goes the more difficult the travelling becomes; the huts are rarer; the
+human beings more uncouth and solitary. The north-east coast is a region
+of swamps, lagoons, and quicksand rivers.
+
+Not far inland from Abashiri there is a large lagoon, the Abashiri-ko;
+then, a few miles further north, another as large--the Notoro-ko. The
+Abashiri Lake finds an outlet in a river which goes by the same name of,
+and falls into the pretty Bay of Abashiri; but the Notoro-ko, as well as
+the larger lagoon of Saruma-ko, which one comes upon after having passed
+the two villages of Tukoro and Tobuts, open directly into the sea. The
+strong current and the tide often block the entrance of these lagoons,
+and the rising water finds an outlet in a different spot. These lagoons
+are separated from the sea by a long and narrow strip of sand-hill; and
+crossing the outlet always involves great danger if the unwary traveller
+does not choose the right moment. The tide creating a great inequality
+of level between the sea and the lake, it follows that at the opening of
+the lagoon the water either throws itself from the sea into the lagoon,
+or _vice versa_, according to the ebb or flow, and makes a kind of
+whirlpool. The Saruma Lake being much larger than any of the others,
+while its mouth is much smaller, and underlaid with quicksands, the
+danger is even greater, and the safest way is always to get across in a
+boat at slack water. The Saruma Lake is about fifteen miles in length
+and from two to three miles wide. Its water is salt, and large
+oyster-banks are found in it. It is also a favourite resort for seal and
+mallard. In winter they can be killed in great numbers, but in the
+warmer months they are shy, and very difficult to approach. The
+south-western shore of the lake is thickly wooded, and has as a
+background a long range of high mountains with smaller mountains in
+front of it.
+
+At Tobuts, a small village of a few huts, situated at the mouth of the
+Saruma lagoon, I halted for the night. There was a change in my diet
+that day, and I was entertained, or rather I entertained myself, to an
+oyster supper. They were enormous oysters, similar to those found at
+Akkeshi, but not very palatable. However, I was in luck that day, and
+not only did I have this oyster supper, but I actually was the hero of a
+tender little idyll. In this country surprises never come alone, and
+while I was sketching in the twilight to pass away the time, a tall slim
+figure of a girl came out of one of the huts. She had slipped her arms
+out of her robe, leaving the latter to hang from the girdle, and her
+breasts, arms, and the lower half of her legs were uncovered. She was
+pretty and quaint with her tattooed arms and a semicircular black spot
+on her upper lip. She walked a few steps forward, and when she saw me
+she stopped. She looked at me and I looked at her. Hers, with her soft
+eyes, was one of those looks which a man feels right through his body,
+notwithstanding all the self-control he may possess. There she stood, a
+graceful silhouette, with a bucket made of tree-bark in one hand and a
+vine-tree rope in the other, her supple figure almost motionless, and
+her eyes fixed on me. She was the most lovely Ainu girl I had ever come
+across, and not nearly so hairy as most of them. Indeed, in that soft
+twilight, and her wavy long hair blown by the fresh breeze, she was a
+perfect dream.
+
+[Illustration: AN AINU BELLE.]
+
+"Wakka!" ("Water!") cried an angry old voice from inside the hut,
+interrupting the beginning of our romance, and she sadly went to the
+brook, filled her bucket with water, and took it into the hut. It was
+only a few seconds before she reappeared, and came closer, and I
+finished the sketch somewhat hurriedly.
+
+"Let me see the tattoo on your arm," I asked her, and to my surprise the
+pretty maid took my hand in both her own, gave me one of those looks
+that I shall never forget, and her head fell on my shoulder. She
+clutched my hand tightly, and pressed it to her chest, and a force
+stronger than myself brought her and myself to the neighbouring forest.
+There we wandered and wandered till it grew very dark; we sat down, we
+chattered, we made love to each other; then we returned. I would not
+have mentioned this small episode if her ways of flirting had not been
+so extraordinary and funny. Loving and biting went together with her.
+She could not do the one without doing the other. As we sat on a stone
+in the semi-darkness she began by gently biting my fingers, without
+hurting me, as affectionate dogs often do to their masters; she then bit
+my arm, then my shoulder, and when she had worked herself up into a
+passion she put her arms round my neck and bit my cheeks. It was
+undoubtedly a curious way of making love, and when I had been bitten all
+over, and was pretty tired of the new sensation, we retired to our
+respective homes.
+
+In the evening, as I was writing my diary by the light of one of the
+oyster-shell primitive lamps, somebody noiselessly crept by my side. I
+turned my head round. It was she! She grew more and more sentimental as
+it grew later, and she bestowed on me caresses and bites in profusion.
+Kissing, apparently, was an unknown art to her. The old woman, in whose
+house I was, slept soundly all through this, as old women generally do
+on such occasions. By the mysterious light of the dying wick, casting
+heavy shadows, which marked her features strongly, with her jet-black
+wild hair fading away into the black background, with her passionate
+eyes, and her round, statue-like arms, the girl was more like a strange
+fairy than a human being.
+
+I sketched her twice in pencil, and the wick--that wretched wick!--grew
+feeble, and, for the lack of oil, began to dwindle away. I persuaded her
+to return to her hut, and with a few "bites" my hairy maid and I parted.
+
+The morning came, and I was up early. In the vicinity of the huts I
+found three Koro-pok-kuru pits similar to those we have already seen;
+and previous to arriving at Tobuts I also found a fort belonging to the
+pre-Ainu race. From Tobuts, continuing my journey north, on the stretch
+of sand between the water of the sea and that of the Saruma lake the
+travelling was fairly easy but monotonous. The long chain of mountains
+on the other side of the lake was magnificent in the morning light. For
+twenty-two miles this went on; then I had to cross the Yubets River in
+the picturesque spot where its waters divide before again uniting close
+to the sea. North of this river there are three more lagoons--the
+Komuki, the Shibumotzunai, and the Yassuchi, the first two of which have
+direct estuaries into the sea, generally blocked by drift-sand, and both
+are as dangerous as the Saruma lagoon when the water unexpectedly
+overflows. Owing to the heavy rains on the mountains the level of the
+lakes had risen considerably when I went through, and crossing the mouth
+of the first in a flat-bottomed boat, I was nearly swamped. The Ainu who
+was ferrying me across did not lose his presence of mind, and after a
+long struggle and violent efforts we reached the opposite shore. Yubets
+is a village of eighteen Ainu and three Japanese huts. The Ainu along
+these shores are extremely hairy, and some of them have red beards,
+while others are bald. Near some of their huts you may see cages where
+foxes and eagles are kept in captivity.
+
+The women, all the way to Soya Cape, the most northern point of Yezo,
+have given up tattooing a long moustache and their arms. A small
+semicircular spot, similar to the tattoo of the Shari women, is
+nevertheless not uncommon. Bears, yellow and black, again are said to be
+in huge quantities on the thickly-wooded mountains at the back of the
+Saruma and other lagoons.
+
+The coast is most desolate-looking. One may travel mile after mile
+without seeing a hut or meeting a single human being. Now and then, when
+I came to a lonely fisherman's hut, I was civilly treated; and, riding
+from morn till night, I reached Shari Mombets, where there are forty
+Ainu huts and about the same number of Japanese fishermen's shanties. It
+has a small anchorage for small junks only; but, unfortunately, it is
+not well protected, as the reef of rocks which runs in a north-east
+direction does not extend far out to sea. I was roughly treated here at
+first, for some Russian convicts, who had escaped from Sakhalin in an
+open boat, had been drifted by the current down this coast, and
+previously to my arrival had landed in the vicinity of this village.
+They were half starved, and could not speak a word of the language. They
+had no money and no clothes, and none of the natives seemed willing to
+help them in any way. Now that the long-wished-for freedom was obtained
+after years of servitude and chains, the four brave men, who had
+suffered agonies for days, and had almost miraculously escaped death in
+the treacherous currents of the Otkoshk Sea, were certainly not to be
+outwitted by a handful of hard-hearted Japanese or by a pack of hairy
+Ainu. They begged for food and could not obtain it, so they stole it,
+and ill-treated some of the natives who interfered. They then
+disappeared towards the south. When I put in an appearance, all alone
+and almost in rags, leading and dragging my tired pony, it is not
+astonishing that the first thing that struck them was that I must be
+another escaped Russian, "or bad man from Krafto,"[34] as the Ainu
+called me.
+
+    [34] _Krafto_, Ainu word for Sakhalin.
+
+The reception I received was pretty stormy; but when I understood what
+the matter was which caused the rioting, I set their minds at rest, and,
+speaking in their own language, told them that the "bad men of Krafto"
+were my enemies as well as theirs, and that, should I find them, I would
+punish them. Not only that, but, to make them perfectly at ease, I gave
+them some little present of money, which turned them at once into
+friends. As to the Russian convicts, there was no possibility of my
+finding them, for they were travelling towards the south from this
+point, and I was moving towards the north, so I was perfectly safe in
+passing myself off as a kind of supreme judge.
+
+Shari Mombets is a miserable place. In the house where I put up I was
+received by a young man, but the owner of the house did not show
+himself. The next morning, however, as I gave much more money than they
+expected, the landlord was brought to my room to thank me. The poor man
+suffered from elephantiasis--the wretched disease by which the head and
+all the limbs of the body assume gigantic proportions. His head was
+swollen to more than twice its normal size, and had lost its shape; his
+body was piteously deformed and inflated, his eyes nearly buried in
+flesh. The weight of his head was such that the cervical vertebrae were
+scarcely strong enough to support it erect; and when he bowed down in
+Japanese fashion to thank me and bid me good-bye, I had to run to his
+help, for he could not get up again. Poor man! And when we reflect that
+in more civilised countries many people think themselves very ill and
+suffering when they have a pimple on their nose, or a cold in their
+head!
+
+[Illustration: SARUMA LAGOON.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AN EAGLE-DISPLAYED SABLE.]
+
+CHAPTER XIV.
+
+Along the Lagoons of the North-east Coast--From Shari Mombets to
+Poronai.
+
+
+I proceeded north. The Ainu scattered here and there on the coast seemed
+to be hairier and uglier than any of their inland brethren. Two or three
+women had already put on their winter fur garments, as the cold weather
+had begun; and they looked extremely picturesque in them. Most of the
+huts were uninhabited, and had been abandoned by their owners. The sky
+was whitish and cold, and here and there along the beach some huge bones
+of whales had been washed on shore by the tide. Some distance off an
+outcast horse was attacked by thousands of famished crows. It is not an
+uncommon occurrence in Yezo. The black scavengers generally attack very
+young animals, and, flying on the pony's head, peck out its eyes. The
+pony, frightened, and driven mad by pain, bolts, and in his blind and
+reckless race either falls down a precipice and is killed outright, or
+else is driven to the coast by these daring wretches, which continue to
+peck at him with cruel and ceaseless avidity. There, with its way barred
+by the waves, tortured to death, and neighing desperately, the helpless
+beast succumbs, and affords the hungry birds a good meal, while hundreds
+gathered thick on the body, peck the poor brute to death. Thousands of
+others sit screaming in long rows round the scene of the fight,
+attentively watching for the final result, when they too can join in,
+and experience the joys of sated hunger. Nature can indeed be cruel.
+
+I stopped at a hut. My host was decidedly peculiar. For convenience we
+shall call him Omangus, which only means a "gone man," or a lunatic. I
+had heard of him further south, and I was anxious to make his
+acquaintance. I had not been five minutes in his hut before I perceived
+that he really was a lunatic. His head was of an abnormally large size;
+his skull was well developed at the back, with those prominent bumps
+behind the ears which show great love of eating. His forehead was high,
+and very slanting; the upper part was wider than near the eyebrows,
+which were so thick and bushy as nearly to cover the eyes. His nose,
+with its large nostrils, was stumpy and covered with hair, while his
+enormous projecting eyes were restless and fierce. His luxuriant
+moustache and beard matched the thick crop of long black hair which
+covered his whole body. His legs were short, wiry, with stiff and
+swollen joints, probably owing to rheumatism. His arms were very long,
+and his toes were also abnormally long. Altogether he had the appearance
+of a large orang-outang more than that of a human being. All his
+movements resembled those of a wild beast, and now and then, when
+pleased or dissatisfied, he would groan in a way not dissimilar to the
+growling of a bear. In fact, he was labouring under the belief that he
+was a wild beast of some sort, and apparently he regarded himself as a
+"bruin." I never heard him speak or utter words, but whether he was
+actually dumb or not I was not able to ascertain, as every time I tried
+to examine his mouth he attempted to bite me. His biting, however, was
+of a different nature from that of the sweet girl on the Saruma shores,
+and when he did bite he bit well. One day in a struggle I came off
+nearly minus two joints of the third finger of my right hand.
+
+I several times attempted to take measurements of his skull and bones,
+but with no success. Once, as I had got hold of him and was feeling the
+"bumps" on his skull, he managed to disentangle himself, and grabbed me
+by the hair, which led to a conflict, and caused me a "tres mauvais
+quart d'heure." We fought desperately, and I was thoroughly "licked";
+not, however, before having found out that he had no bump of
+sensitiveness and none of philoprogenitiveness. He was pleased with his
+victory, and the hostilities ended. He hopped away cautiously, and I saw
+him climb on his hands and feet over the cliff near his hut, where he
+disappeared.
+
+Some hours later I saw the monomaniac stealthily creeping back among the
+rocks. I was some way from the hut, in a place where he could not see
+me. He came slowly forward, watching the hut suspiciously, as he
+evidently thought I was still inside. When he got near he stopped to
+pick up a large stone, and with it in his right hand he sneaked along
+towards the hut. He listened, and crept in. I followed immediately
+after. He was furious when I entered, and tried to escape, but I barred
+his way. He retreated into a corner, crouched down groaning, and showed
+signs of impatience. I could see that he was frightened, and I went to
+him and endeavoured to soothe him; not without success, for he became
+quieter, and I once more noticed the great power that a stronger will
+can exercise over a weaker one. As long as I was staring at him he never
+dared to move, and I could "will" him to do almost anything I wanted by
+thinking hard that he should do it; but when once I turned my eyes away
+I had no more control over him.
+
+This is just what happened that day. Thinking that he would keep quiet
+for some minutes, I got out my palette and brushes in order to take his
+likeness. I had till then relied on my power of "willing" people, when
+my host, seizing the opportunity of my turning my head away for one
+moment, grabbed the stone which he had picked up, and threw it with
+great force at me. I was hit in the ribs, and was hurt sufficiently to
+lose my temper. I went for him, and gave him a sound thrashing, which
+sometimes has more effect than all the "willing" in the world. He became
+docile after that, and I took him outside and forced him to squat down.
+
+[Illustration: MY HOST, THE MADMAN.]
+
+He was restless while I was painting him, and hundreds of half-starved
+crows, which seemed to be on good terms with my sitter, gathered round
+him, chatting in their incomprehensible and noisy language. Some of them
+even flew on to his back and shoulders, and he touched them without
+their flying away.
+
+I was astounded at the familiarity which existed between the madman and
+the birds. They seemed to understand each other, and had I only been
+sufficiently imaginative I might have asserted that I even saw them
+kissing him. Unfortunately, when the first astonishment was over I
+understood the reason of the affection on the part of the scavengers,
+and the whole mystery was unveiled to me. Like all mysteries, the
+apparently extraordinary friendship between the madman and the black
+birds turned out to be a plain bit of literal prose, and, I must add, a
+very disgusting bit. The maniac was covered with vermin, and the
+affectionate kisses of the crows were not kisses of love or sympathy,
+but only mouthfuls of parasites, which they found among the thick hair
+of his body.
+
+Two or three times the maniac crawled up to me, and seemed anxious to
+touch the colours on my palette, and also to put his fingers on the
+sketch. He saw that he gained nothing by being a foe, so he became a
+friend. He even became a great friend when I presented him with a shiny
+silver coin.
+
+Though Omangus was undoubtedly insane, he was a very practical person.
+As will be seen by the illustration, his attire was simple, and no
+allowance was made for pockets. He looked at the coin, turned it over in
+his hands several times, and grinned; then he placed it in his mouth for
+safe keeping. His mouth was apparently his purse. As I saw that he was
+fond of silver coins, I gave him one or two more, and all of them were
+religiously kept in the same natural pocket, except at night, when he
+hid them under a large stone. At sunrise they were collected again and
+placed back under his tongue or in one of his cheeks.
+
+I cannot say that my host was by any means brilliant, but, like most
+lunatics, he was a good soul apart from his little peculiarities. It was
+unfortunate that he had lost the power of speech, or I might have learnt
+some strange things from him.
+
+Omangus was generally restless at night, and while asleep he seemed to
+suffer from awful nightmares. Most Ainu as a rule do not. One morning at
+dawn, as the first rays of light penetrated the hut, I watched him. He
+had been groaning frightfully all night, and I had not been able to
+sleep. He was lying flat on his back breathing heavily, and now and then
+he had a kind of spasm, during which he ground his teeth together with
+violence. It was during these spasms, or nervous contractions, that he
+groaned most fiercely. As he was so stretched I noticed how
+extraordinarily long his femur was compared to his tibia. I gently
+placed my hand over his heart, and found it was beating rapidly and
+irregularly. His forehead also was feverish and abnormally warm. He did
+not wake up, but as soon as the nervous strain was over he fell into a
+lethargic state. He appeared to have lost all strength, and it took me
+some time to awake him; but he finally opened his eyes, and, drowsily
+getting up, yawned to his heart's content, and went to fetch the hidden
+coins.
+
+The more I saw of Omangus, the more he puzzled me. His faculties were
+defective; still, he seemed to possess a fairly good memory. If not, how
+could he remember the concealed treasure? Although he was not able to
+form ideas of his own, he could retain those which he had grasped. His
+hearing was extremely acute, and his inability to speak must have
+undoubtedly been caused by paralysis of the tongue and vocal organs.
+Several times he made violent attempts to utter words, which he would
+not have done had he been born dumb.
+
+After the second day of my pleasant stay in Omangus' ten feet square
+sea-side residence my host became more genial and even affectionate.
+Instead of constantly running away from me he sat opposite me,
+attentively watching all my movements; and if I happened to be
+whistling, he slowly crept nearer, grinning with delight. Occasionally
+he crouched himself by my side, even resting against me. I did not
+approve of the latter proof of affection, not so much for his own sake
+as on account of the "large company" which he carried with him; but I
+had to put up with it until I found a counter-action in loud singing,
+which frightened him away.
+
+Omangus had a quantity of last year's salmon, which he had dried in the
+sun, and which was now hanging from the roof of the little hut. The
+first day or two of my stay there I had but little to eat, owing to his
+belligerent behaviour. He rebelled every time that I attempted to touch
+his provisions, and what I had to eat was generally appropriated while
+my host was out. Afterwards, however, he became generous, and gave me
+more than I wanted. He took good care to draw the three coins out of his
+mouth while he was eating, but once, during a nervous fit, to which he
+was often subject, he swallowed one of them.
+
+One morning, weary of my lunatic friend's company, I packed all my traps
+and went to fetch my pony. Omangus seemed aghast, suspecting that I was
+about to leave. He was restless, and followed me, moaning, from the hut
+to the pony and back, and, with a forlorn look in his eyes, watched me
+bring the baggage outside and lash it to the pack-saddle. I gave him a
+couple more silver coins, which I thought would make him happy; but he
+dropped them in the sand. I bade good-bye to him and left; and there
+poor Omangus stood motionless, gazing at me until the winding shore took
+me round the cliff. He was out of sight for some minutes, but he soon
+reappeared on the summit of the cliff itself, on to which he rapidly
+climbed, and from this point of vantage he could see the coast for
+several miles. There standing, a black figure against the rising sun,
+the hairy Ainu became smaller and smaller as I moved away from him,
+until nothing but a black spot could be seen against the sky; then even
+that spot disappeared. It was the last I saw of my host the madman.
+
+The rivers were troublesome all along this part of my journey, and as
+most of them had quicksands, the safest plan was to cross them in a
+boat, when this was obtainable. However, as I went further north the
+boats became scarce and more scarce, and the small villages, few and
+very far between. I seldom came across a human being with whom I could
+exchange a word, and the constant solitude induced in me the bad habit
+of talking to myself, to animals, or to inanimate objects. My
+unfortunate pony was often lectured on different subjects, and the
+millions of seagulls and penguins all along the coast were asked
+questions of all sorts, which, however, they invariably left unanswered.
+It was strange to see the myriads of birds stretched in two or three
+lines along the shore. Like the "beasts which roamed over the plains" in
+Alexander Selkirk's lament, they had seen so few human beings as to be
+indifferent to me and my pony, and I could walk among them without
+disturbing them or causing them to fly away. The penguins were my
+greatest source of amusement, with their fat bodies and their funny way
+of lifting up one leg as I was approaching, in order to get enough
+spring to raise themselves from the ground had I attempted to capture
+them. I was soliloquising, according to my then custom, while watching
+these droll birds, when not more than two hundred yards ahead I saw two
+large eagles. One of them was perched on a low cliff, the other was
+flying about, now and then returning near to its mate. I dismounted,
+with my revolver in my hand; I had a pocketful of cartridges. I crept
+stealthily from rock to rock, keeping well out of their sight until I
+came close to the pinnacled rock on which they stood. I was then about
+fifty yards from them, and it was useless my firing at such a distance
+with a revolver. I peeped over the rocks, and one of them saw me and
+flew away, while the other remained where it was, stretching its neck in
+my direction. Its piercing eyes were fixed full on me as I was
+approaching; it understood that danger was imminent, and it seemed ready
+to resist the attack. I drew nearer and nearer, and when about four
+yards away I fired two shots, both of which went through its breast, and
+the eagle, with its widespread wings, fell from its lofty pinnacle and
+came down heavily on its back.
+
+In its last convulsions it made desperate efforts to clutch me with its
+long sharp claws; but a couple more shots finished it. The male bird,
+which meanwhile had been describing circles high up in the sky over my
+head, plunged down on me with incredible velocity. I emptied the last
+chamber of my revolver into him, just as the wind of his large wings
+made my eyes twinkle; and to evade the grip of his outstretched claws I
+had to cover my face with my left arm. The report stunned him, and
+flapping his wings, he rose again, to resume his circling over my head,
+leaving a few of his feathers floating in the air. I reloaded quickly,
+and each time he attacked me he was received with a volley. Another
+bullet went through his wing, and his flying became unsteady; he flew
+on to a distant cliff, and there he remained. I seized this opportunity
+of carrying the dead bird away and lash it on to my saddle; but while I
+was so engaged the male eagle flew back to the pinnacle where I had
+first seen the two together, and stretching his enormous wings to their
+full width, screamed as if in despair. On the pinnacle was their nest
+and young, and that was why the female had kept watch and ward over her
+eyrie, and also why she had not abandoned it even when I approached.
+
+I mounted my pony and away I rode with my prey. The male bird followed
+me for miles and miles, and now and then I had to fire to keep him at a
+respectful distance. Ultimately he left me, and my delight was immense
+when, instead of seeing him over my head, ready to plunge on me at any
+moment, I saw him disappear behind the cliff, flying rapidly but
+unsteadily back to his eyrie.
+
+As I now made sure that he had no intention of pursuing me any longer, I
+dismounted, and proceeded to skin the eagle I had shot. It was decidedly
+a magnificent specimen. It measured seven feet from tip to tip of wings,
+and its claws were nearly as large as a child's hand. The semicircular
+nails measured two inches, and were extremely pointed, which fact made
+me feel very thankful that I had just escaped the grip of its male
+companion. The beak was enormous, of a rich yellow colour, the upper
+mandible overlapping the lower. The feathers were black all over, with
+the exception of the tail, which was white. I believe that this kind of
+eagle is generally called the "black sea-eagle," and is found in
+Kamschatka, Yezo, and also along the Siberian coast of the Japan Sea and
+Gulf of Tartary.
+
+I found a sheltered spot, and with my large Ainu knife proceeded to
+dissect the bird. Each minute seemed as long as hours, for I feared the
+male bird might reappear on the scene as I was thus occupied in
+stripping the skin from the carcass of his beloved helpmate. There is no
+knowing what effect anatomical researches might have on a Yezo eagle. My
+heart bounded with joy when the operation was successfully completed,
+and I went to wash my hands in the sea. I came back to the bird, or
+rather its skin, and I was indeed proud of my work, when a horrid idea
+struck me. How was I to get the skin dried? I should be moving day
+after day, and it would not be possible to pack it in that condition
+among my sketches; I had no arsenical soap, and unless I dried it in the
+sun it would certainly rot, and get spoiled.
+
+I resorted to a trick. I fastened two sticks crossways, and having stuck
+one up the eagle's neck, I fastened the two opened wings to the two side
+branches of the cross. The skin was thus kept well opened, and with two
+additional strings, one at each wing, the frame was fastened on to my
+back, the feathered side against my coat, while the inside was exposed
+to the sun and the wind. In wading a river I saw my own image reflected
+in the water, and I must confess the appearance was strange. A few hours
+after a group of Ainu were able to certify to this. I was riding slowly
+along the shore, when I saw a few of them not very far ahead. Two men
+were the first to notice me, and they seemed terror-stricken. As I
+approached they stood still for a minute, shading their eyes with their
+hands so as to make out what kind of winged animal it was they saw
+riding on horseback. When they discovered that the black wings were on a
+human being, the two brave Ainu fled, crying out, "_Wooi, wooi!_" the
+hairy people's cry of distress.
+
+As I got nearer the village, dozens of wild dogs came to meet me, and,
+barking furiously, followed my pony, while the few inhabitants,
+frightened out of their wits at such an unusual sight, hid themselves
+inside their huts. Two or three hurriedly launched their "dug-outs" and
+put out to sea. When I passed the first hut some large salmon were
+thrown at me from inside, probably with the idea that I might satisfy my
+appetite on them, and spare the lives of the trembling donors. Food was
+not over-plentiful along that coast, so I dismounted and picked up the
+provisions so munificently provided by the scared natives. I tied them
+on each side of my pack-saddle, not sorry to be thus saved from the
+danger of dying of starvation--at least for the next two or three days.
+
+As I was so occupied, a little child about four years old, evading the
+vigilance of his parents, ran out of one of the huts. I took him in my
+arms; whereat he cried bitterly, and when the people inside heard it
+there were screams of indignation and despair.
+
+Maternal love is occasionally strong even among Ainu women, and while I
+tried hard to quiet the shrieking baby, his mother, as pale as the dirt
+on her face allowed her to be, came out trembling, and, offering me
+another large salmon, begged me to accept it in exchange for her child,
+who, she said, was not good to eat! It is needless to say that I was
+magnanimous enough to accept her offer, and thereupon handed the child
+over to his mother, who fled with him back into the hut. Then I took off
+my wings and went in after her, explaining to the frightened natives
+what I really was. It took them some minutes, however, to overcome their
+first impression, and then the men were pretty hard on the women for
+having given all the salmon away. The same scene was more or less
+vividly repeated when I came across any other natives during all the
+time that I wore the eagle-skin on my back. I have related this small
+anecdote, as, a few years hence, when some worthy missionary or
+imaginative traveller visits that barren coast of Yezo, it is not
+improbable that he may hear of some additional Ainu legend, which, the
+good missionaries will say, proves that the Ainu are fully aware of the
+existence of heaven and hell.
+
+"A heathen child," the legend will very likely run, "whose parents had
+not embraced our Christian faith, was one day plainly seen by his mother
+in the arms of a black-winged devil. The devil was seen by many, and he
+came from the lower regions on an unknown animal with huge side
+paunches, in which he kept the heathen children he had eaten. The
+mother, who, through her wickedness, saw herself deprived of her child,
+gave offerings to the gods, some through the eastern window for the
+sun-god, and some through the door for the other gods. The offerings
+were accepted, but none of the gods came to her help, and the child was
+nearly lost. Her guiding star appeared to her in that supreme moment,
+and inspired her to reach down from the roof the largest salmon in
+store. She walked out of the hut and offered it to another god, whom she
+knew not before. Instantly the child was restored to his mother. (That
+the god took the salmon would probably be omitted in the legend.) The
+black-winged demon vanished, and the hut was visited by a white being
+(freely translated, "the guardian angel"), with a halo (my white terai
+hat) round his head. He rewarded them, and from that day the family has
+been happy in the faith which they learned in such a miraculous manner."
+
+"Does not this legend speak for itself?" the good missionaries will tell
+us. "Does it not show that the savage Ainu are Christians without
+knowing it?"
+
+I have given these two versions of the same story, as they show the
+reader how easy it is to garble accounts and misrepresent facts. It is a
+good illustration of what I say in my chapter on the Ainu beliefs and
+superstitions, and I must be forgiven if I have ventured to make fun of
+the missionaries. It is not because I dislike them, for I gladly admit
+that some of them out in the East have done good work; but,
+unfortunately, most of them will not take an open-minded view of facts.
+They are so wrapped up in their good work of converting people to
+Christianity that, outside of that, they occasionally have a tendency to
+tinge with their own preconceived ideas, facts which to a less biased
+mind appear simple enough.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: SARUBUTS, SHOWING RIVER-COURSE ALTERED BY DRIFT SAND.]
+
+CHAPTER XV.
+
+On the North-East Coast--From Poronai to Cape Soya.
+
+
+It was late in the evening when I arrived at Poronai.[35] Saruru, the
+last village I had passed, had only six Ainu and three Japanese huts,
+and the nine or ten miles between there and this place were most
+uninteresting. I was taken across one of the quicksand rivers in the
+ferry by a lovely Ainu girl of about twelve years of age. I have never
+seen a more picturesque being than she was. She was partly dressed in
+skins, but half her chest was bare; her wildly-curled black hair fell
+over her shoulders, and while gracefully paddling across the ferry she
+occasionally threw back her head, thus shaking back the hair that the
+wind had blown over her eyes.
+
+    [35] _Poro_, large; _nai_, stream.
+
+I have often noticed how supple the children of savages are, and how
+like in ease and grace and unconscious rhythm their movements are to
+those of wild animals. Sometimes, to be sure, they have the jerky,
+quick, and ungraceful movements of monkeys, but as a rule their actions
+are unconsciously graceful. Of course, with our children such
+unconscious grace is rare at any time, even when found at all, as from
+the day when they are born we train them to artificiality of all kinds,
+and this artificiality becomes in a sense second nature, overlaying, if
+not destroying, the original impress. And yet that impress is probably
+not wholly destroyed, for, so far as my own experience goes, I, who had
+from my birth led a civilised life, now that I had been for some months
+among barbarians had so little conventionality left in me as to be quite
+happy, or even happier than before, in leading a perfectly uncivilised
+existence. In the absence of chairs and sofas, instinct and the example
+of the natives taught me to squat as they did, and when I had once got
+into the way of it I found the position much more restful than any of
+our European so-called comfortable ways of sitting. It was the same
+thing when I had to sleep, either in the open air or in Ainu huts, where
+there was no more bedding than sofas or easy chairs. To protect myself
+from the cold I almost invariably slept sitting on the ground, with my
+head resting on my knees, just like the apes in the Zoological Gardens.
+I am sure that a good many of my readers, who have never gone through
+such an experience, will put me down as a "crank;" others will say that
+I am a worthy companion of my friend the hairy lunatic, and the most
+charitable will think that, bearing the name of "Savage Landor," I am
+only indulging in a new edition of "Imaginary Conversations," without
+the literary merits of the old. Such is not the case. I have mentioned
+these facts, not to amuse the reader, or merely for the sake of paradox,
+but to show how shallow is the veneer of civilisation which we are apt
+to think so thorough, and how a very short time spent unaccompanied by
+men of one's own stamp, and alone with "nature," rubs the whole thing
+away, and brings us back to instinct rather than education. I am willing
+to admit that not many people would care to follow in my footsteps, and
+live as I lived for months among the Ainu in order to prove whether I am
+right or wrong. Many who have only sat in comfortable chairs or slept in
+soft beds will hardly think my statements credible; but as the
+experiences, besides being of great amusement, were of great interest to
+me, I shall pass them on to my readers, no matter what opinion they may
+form of him who has written them.
+
+Another quality, merely instinctive, which I developed in my lonesome
+peregrinations was the power of accurate tracking. Most people are
+astonished at the wonderful tales told of the tracking abilities of the
+Australian black fellows, and of savages in general; but few ever think
+that if when young they had led the same life as these savages they
+would be as good trackers as the best. As there were absolutely no
+roads, and I travelled with no guide, servant, or companion, the power
+of discovering traces became invaluable to me. It was instinctive in me,
+developed rather than acquired, and therefore I mention it in connection
+with the other facts relating to animal and human instincts.
+Furthermore, I may assert that, until I was thus compelled to make use
+of that faculty, I was not aware that I possessed it.
+
+We find that horses, bears, and most animals are good trackers. Dogs,
+the nearest in intelligence to men, are better than any other quadruped.
+Then come savages, who are the masters of tracking among human beings;
+but as we rise in the scale of civilisation we find that this faculty of
+following a slightly indicated track hardly exists. Does, then,
+intellectual education destroy our instincts instead of improving them?
+
+Tracking on sandy or tufaceous ground is an easy matter, as of course
+the foot leaves a well-marked print; but where I found real difficulty
+was over rocky ground, until I got used to it, and knew all the signs
+and what I had to look for. However, with a little practice, even over
+rocks which the sea has washed, it is not impossible to know if such and
+such creatures, human or animal, have passed that way.
+
+One of the first things in tracking is to look for marks where they are
+likely to be; and this is just where the instinct comes in. Next to
+this, a clear knowledge of the person's or animal's way of walking and
+general habits is necessary. For instance, when I tried to discern
+tracks of Ainu, I invariably looked for them along the sea-shore, and
+failing that, on the adjoining cliffs, as I well knew that if any Ainu
+had passed by there he would have kept either along the coast or not far
+from it. By examination it is easy to see if the ground has been in any
+way disturbed of late. Sometimes a small stone moved from the place
+where it had been for years shows a difference in colour where it has
+been affected by the weather and where not, thus giving a distinct clue
+of some passer-by, man or brute; and when once you have found what the
+characteristics of the tracks are, the most difficult part of the task
+is accomplished.
+
+On weather-beaten rocks the trail is more difficult to strike, and more
+difficult still on rocks over which the sea washes. "For," say the
+simple people, "how can you see tracks on hard stone? The foot certainly
+does not leave a print on rocks as on sand; and even supposing that the
+feet were dirty, the sea would wash away the marks, and you could not
+see anything."
+
+In my case I limited my search to bare-footed marks, as the Ainu
+generally go bare-footed. Everybody knows that dogs track by scent, and
+this is a sure proof that every footmark must have a certain special
+odour, however infinitesimal. When we remember that the act of walking
+makes the feet warm and perspire, it is easy to understand that this
+perspiration, which is a greasy substance, leaves a mark on the
+stone--though to be sure it is sometimes almost imperceptible,
+especially when quite fresh. But most of us, when children at school,
+have noticed that touching a slate with moist fingers leaves a greasy
+mark, which could not be rubbed off again. The same thing happens when
+we tread on stones with bare feet. If the sea washes over the stones
+after the greasy impression has been thus made on them, it does nothing
+but accentuate these marks, and show them more plainly, as the salt
+water acts in one way on the untouched parts of the stone, but in a
+different way where the grease has been absorbed. These marks are
+generally very faint, and it requires some training before they can be
+discerned; but when the knack is once acquired, they become evident
+enough. To an observant eye, and with a little practice, it is not
+difficult to perceive whether one or more persons have tramped on a
+given place, and in what direction they have travelled. The marks on
+stones which are washed over by the sea are usually of a lightish
+colour.
+
+I could almost invariably distinguish the footmarks of an Ainu from
+those of a Japanese, as the Ainu take longer strides, and their toes are
+longer than those of the Japanese. Moreover, with the latter, when
+walking the greater pressure is forward under the foot, and their toes
+are turned in; while in Ainu footprints the whole foot rests on the
+ground, and they keep it perfectly straight, moving the two feet
+parallel to each other.
+
+I have given these few points on tracking, as it will explain to the
+reader how I was able to find my way from one village to another miles
+apart, to steer for huts where I had never been, and to overcome great
+difficulties, which I could not have surmounted if I had not learnt the
+art of tracking, and so far developed my natural powers. My ponies were
+also to a great extent my teachers; and by a close examination of their
+instinct I learned that I myself possessed it, and improved on it.
+
+Between Sawaki, or Fujima, and Poronai there is a beautiful forest of
+oak and hard-wood trees on the hills and firs on the higher mountains,
+while the shore above the sea-wash is covered with thick scrub-bamboo,
+which reaches a height of about ten feet.
+
+On the sandy beach, besides a large number of whales' bones, there is
+any amount of driftwood.
+
+At Poronai, which consisted of only eight huts, the Ainu had adopted an
+architecture for their storehouses different to that of other tribes.
+The walls and the roof were made partly of wood, partly of the bark of
+trees. Heavy stones were placed on the roof to prevent it from being
+blown away during the strong gales so frequent along that coast.
+
+The natives described the winter weather as very severe, especially
+during northerly winds, and they told me that some years the sea all
+along the coast is frozen for some eight or ten miles out, besides the
+drift-ice which sets in from the north and works its way along the coast
+as far as Cape Nossyap, in the neighbourhood of Nemuro. At the beginning
+of the winter this ice, probably drifted across from Sakhalin by the
+strong current in the La Perouse Strait, sets in from the north and
+works down all along the north-east coast of Yezo, filling up all
+indentations in the coast-line, and forming a solid mass on the surface
+of the water.
+
+Seals are very plentiful on these shores as far as Abashiri, but the
+greatest number are found on the Saruma lagoon. In winter it is not
+difficult to come within reach of them, but even in September I saw many
+of them. They were, however, very shy, and when they caught sight of me
+instantly disappeared under water.
+
+A few miles from Poronai I came to a headland, and about one mile from
+it lay the small island of Chuskin.
+
+The coast again, instead of being sandy, showed traces of its volcanic
+formation, forming beautiful cliffs and a rugged outline, rising in
+terraces at places, or cliffs of clay and gravel sediments, with reefs
+extending far out to sea, while below them stretched a beach of coarse
+sand or pebbles, strewn with enormous volcanic boulders. These terraces
+are wooded mostly with alder, Yezo fir, and beech.
+
+Soon after crossing the Porobets River I came across the wreck of a
+sailing ship, which lay flat on the shore disabled and dismasted; and at
+last I reached Esashi. There I again noticed a curious fact, which may
+be of some interest to anthropologists; namely, that Yezo is mostly
+formed of Tertiaries and volcanic rocks, and that the Ainu are mostly to
+be found in regions of Cainozoic or Tertiary formation. In volcanic
+districts they are very scarce. This is curious, for it is a well-known
+fact that the typical life-form of Tertiaries is anthropoid apes, and it
+is a remarkable coincidence that we should find ape-like men populating
+the same strata.
+
+From Esashi the coast is extremely rough and rocky for about eight
+miles. I had to take my famished pony up and down steep mountains rising
+directly from the sea in places where the beach was impassable. Owing to
+the lack of grass my wretched beast had but little to eat; and what with
+the danger of riding, and the miserable condition my pony was in, I had
+to walk most of the way and lead him. Shanoi, about thirteen miles
+further, came in sight--a group of wretched fishermen's huts; and from
+here the coast was somewhat better. The scenery all along is beautiful,
+especially looking back towards the Shanoi Mountains. I saw one or two
+abandoned huts blown down by the wind, but no people.
+
+Near Shanoi the eruptive rocks and granitic cliffs suddenly come to an
+end, as well as the mountainous character of the country, and for
+fifteen miles, till one comes to Sarubuts, the country is pretty flat
+and swampy, with a thick vegetation inland of spruce trees. There is a
+small lagoon formed by the Tombets River, and which often has its mouth
+blocked by the quicksands, which cause it to overflow.
+
+I left Sarubuts in pouring rain, following the trail along the beach.
+The river forms a long narrow lake similar to that of Tombets, and at
+the back of it are terraces and high lands, but no very high mountains.
+Another wreck of a large boat lay in fragments on the sand, and after
+fifteen miles of very uninteresting scenery I arrived at Chietomamai, a
+group of four or five fishermen's huts. Here again the coast was rough,
+but my pony did not sink in the sand as it did on leaving Sarubuts, but
+it stumbled among large pebbles and stones as pointed as needles.
+Further on were grey and brown steep cliffs, which were extremely
+picturesque. The Mezozoic nature of this coast shows more distinctly
+between Chietomamai and Soya Cape, and a large rock emerging from the
+sea is both peculiar and picturesque with its numerous square sections.
+It is from this point that one gets the first view of Soya Cape. Going
+round a bay one passes a few fishermen's houses, and on the cliffs above
+them has been erected the Siliusi lighthouse. I cleared the Cape and
+rounded the bay on the other side, where I saw another wreck of a
+sailing ship dashed upon the rocks, making the scene a sad one. I still
+went on, and went round two or three smaller headlands, when the
+melancholy sight of a fourth wreck stood before me. This last ship had
+her stern out of the water, and a Turkish name was painted on it. Her
+appearance also was Turkish, and I was more than once puzzled as to what
+a Turkish ship could have been doing in the La Perouse Strait. Many
+months afterwards, on my return to Yokohama, but too late to be of any
+help to them, the sad story of the survivors of that ship was revealed
+to me. The mission of the ship in those far-off seas was a mysterious
+one. No one ever knew exactly whence she came, or whither she was bound.
+No one ever learned whether she had been disabled in a typhoon in the
+Chinese Sea, and had been drifted so far north by the strong currents,
+or whether the careless Turkish master had mistaken his course and had
+met his fate in the dangerous currents of La Perouse Strait. Only four
+of the crew survived. There they were on that deserted coast, with no
+clothes, no food, no money; but the few natives treated them kindly. Two
+of them wore "_Tarbouches_" (red caps), the only things they had saved
+from the wreck. The natives on the north-west coast told me of these men
+who were tramping their way south, unable to make themselves understood,
+continually asking for "_Sekhara_," or "_Sakhara_," which, I believe, in
+the Turkish language means tobacco or cigarettes. After months of
+privations, half starved, and worn out with fatigue, they reached
+Hakodate, where, having no passport, and not being able to explain
+themselves, they were duly arrested and sent down to Yokohama.
+Unfortunately for them, at that time the "Entogroul," a Turkish
+man-of-war, had come to Japan, a voyage which took her two years, to
+bring some decorations which the Sultan had bestowed on the Mikado.
+Osman Pasha, the Admiral, had the poor devils brought before him, and
+they told him their sad story, what they had suffered, and how they had
+lost their ship. The story was too true to be believed, or too strange
+to sound true!
+
+"Impostors!" said Osman Pasha, and declining to listen any more to their
+tale of woe, which he called "pure lies," had them "put in irons," in
+which condition they were to be taken back to Constantinople. None of
+the foreign residents in Japan believed the story of these wretches, and
+all were glad to see the miscreants punished. "Impossible," said
+everybody, "that a Turkish ship should have been up there!"
+
+As it so happened, the "Entogroul," on her return trip to
+Constantinople, was herself caught in a typhoon, and, steaming full
+speed to resist the force of the wind and the waves, her boilers burst,
+and Osman Pasha and nearly all hands on board were blown to pieces or
+drowned. If I remember right, over three hundred and sixty lives were
+lost, and no doubt the four men, whose prison, I was told, was near the
+boilers, thus found a tragic end to their life of misery.
+
+When I arrived at Yokohama all this had already happened, and my
+evidence, which probably might have saved the life of these men, was
+therefore useless.
+
+But let us return to Soya Cape, where we have left the wreck.
+
+The rapid current which comes through the Strait gives a horrid look to
+the water, and I have never seen the sea look so vicious. The natives of
+the small Soya village told me that it is impossible to cross over to
+Sakhalin, the high mountains of which, covered with snow and glaciers, I
+could see distinctly. The distance from land to land is about
+twenty-eight miles, but no small boat can get across without being
+swamped. They told me also that often dead bodies of Russians are washed
+on shore, probably unfortunate convicts who found their death in
+attempting to obtain liberty. H.M.S. "Rattler" was wrecked in 1868 on
+one of the numerous reefs near this Cape, so the record of Soya could
+hardly be more mournful.
+
+After the Cape has been well rounded one finds oneself in a bay opening
+due north. In the winter time this bay is completely blocked with ice,
+but the Strait itself is never entirely frozen, owing to the strong warm
+current from the Chinese Sea, which the Japanese call by the name of
+Kuroshiwo.
+
+Soya village is a wretched place of thirty or forty sheds. A few planks,
+badly joined together, and with a kind of a roof over them, made my
+shelter for the night. Soya Cape is the most northern point of the
+north-east coast, and before we abandon it to move towards the south,
+along the west coast, it is important to mention the peculiar and
+conspicuous characteristic of the marked bending of watercourses in a
+south or south-easterly direction. They are forced that way by the
+drift-sand travelling along the coast from north-west to south-east with
+the Kuroshiwo current, which drift-sand is in such quantities as often
+to block altogether the mouths of some rivers, and form the large
+lagoons so common along this coast. The lack of harbours or sheltered
+anchorages, the inhospitable and unfertile shores, the quicksands, and
+the severe climate, besides the danger of being swamped and carried away
+by the overflow of a lagoon or lake, make this coast of little
+attraction for intending settlers or for pleasure-seekers.
+
+Herrings are plentiful all along the coast, but fishing stations could
+not possibly pay, even if any were established, owing to the difficulty
+and expense of carriage and freight, and the risk that ships would run
+in calling at such exposed and unprotected shores.
+
+[Illustration: AINU VILLAGE ON THE EAST COAST OF YEZO.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: MASHIKE MOUNTAIN.]
+
+CHAPTER XVI.
+
+From Cape Soya to the Ishikari River.
+
+
+From Soya the coast forms a large bay, which opens due north, and which
+ends in Cape Soya on the eastern side and in Cape Nossyap on the
+western. Almost in the middle is the small village of Coittoe, and from
+this place, towering beyond the flat Nossyap peninsula, one can see
+Rishiri Island. Near the western part of the bay are some small hills,
+covered mainly with fir-trees. Wakkanai, a Japanese village, is on the
+west coast of the bay, and north of it is Cape Nossyap. From this cape
+is a lovely view of Rishiri and Repunshiri Islands. Rishiri is a
+volcanic cone 6,400 feet above the level of the sea. It has the
+identical shape of the famous Fujiama in Southern Japan, and rising as
+it does in graceful slopes directly from the sea, has the appearance of
+being higher than it really is. Repunshiri is hilly and partly of
+volcanic formation, but none of its peaks rise to a higher altitude than
+five hundred feet.
+
+Rishiri is almost circular at sea-level, and it has no well-sheltered
+nor safe anchorages; but Repunshiri has one good anchorage on its north
+coast. Rishiri is about six and a half miles in diameter and twenty-five
+miles distant, directly west of Cape Nossyap; Repunshiri is eleven miles
+long, about four and a-half wide, and eleven miles distant to Ikaru, its
+nearest point east on the Yezo coast. As the Kuriles are a continuation
+east of the volcanic zone of Yezo, there is no doubt that Rishiri and
+Repunshiri are the terminus of the same volcanic zone at its north-west
+end.
+
+From Wakkanai a new horse-track has been opened to Bakkai, on the
+north-west coast. The ride for the first eleven miles was uncomfortable,
+as my pony, a worn-out brute, sank up to its belly in the mud; but in
+due course I came to the hilly part, and after having gone up one steep
+pitch and down another for a considerable distance, I rapidly descended
+a precipitous bank, and followed the soft sandy beach till I reached
+Bakkai. Here there is a large and peculiar stone, which the Ainu say
+resembles an old woman carrying a child on her back. It stands
+perpendicularly out of the ground at a great height, and it is of a rich
+dark-brown colour. If the north-east coast was barren and deserted, the
+western shore of Yezo was even yet more desolate. For thirty or forty
+miles, as far as the Teshio River, the beach was strewn with wrecks and
+wreckage. Here you saw a boat smashed to pieces; there a mast cast on
+the shore; further on a wheel-house washed away by the waves; then the
+helm of a disabled ship. It was a sight sad enough to break one's heart,
+with all the tragic circumstances it suggested.
+
+Between Bakkai and Wadamanai especially, I do not think that one can go
+more than a few yards at a time without being reminded by the wreckage
+which is strewn thick on the coast of some calamity. A white life-boat,
+with her stern smashed, lay on the sand helpless to save, and as a kind
+of satire on her name; and at Wadamanai, a large Russian cruiser, the
+"Crisorok," dismasted and broken in two, lay flat on the beach half
+covered with sand. Her bridge had been washed away and her deck had sunk
+in. Some of the bodies of her gallant officers and crew had been washed
+on shore by the sea. No one knows in what circumstances the ship was
+lost, but it is probable that during last winter, when she came to her
+ill-fated end, her rigging and sails got top-heavy with ice, and that
+she capsized. Some of the wreckage one finds on that coast has been
+drifted there from the Chinese Sea by the Kuroshiwo current; and then,
+owing to the La Perouse Strait turning so sharply to the east, has been
+left on this last portion of the coast. Here and there a rough tent made
+with a torn sail, or a deserted shed knocked up out of pieces of
+wreckage, is a suggestive reminder that some unfortunate derelict
+seafarer had suffered and striven for life on these forlorn sands. An
+enormous quantity of drift-logs, and here and there some bones of
+whales, are strewn all along the beach.
+
+At Wadamanai there is a mere rough shed under the shelter of the
+sand-hills. When I left this place, moving south, a strong gale blew,
+which made the travelling most unpleasant. It was getting fearfully
+cold, and now that I needed clothes so badly mine were falling
+altogether to pieces. My "unmentionables," which reached down to my feet
+when I left Hakodate at the beginning of my journey, had long since been
+trimmed and reduced to a kind of knickerbockers. Then the knees got worn
+out, and they became more like bathing-breeches; and finally I dispensed
+with them altogether, and made use of them to protect my sketch-book and
+diary, round which I wrapped what remained of the ex-garment. My boots,
+of course, were a dream of the past, and little by little I was getting
+accustomed to walking barefooted. Thus, dressed in a coat, a belt ...
+and nothing else, I moved along this inhospitable coast, half frozen,
+but not discomfited.
+
+The mouths of some of the small rivulets were extremely nasty to cross,
+as my pony sank in the quicksands. I had to help him out, and that meant
+a cold bath each time. From Wadamanai I kept a little more inland, still
+steering for the south, and every now and then I again struck the beach.
+Still the old sad story of wreckages strewn all over the shore, sailing
+boats smashed to pieces, junks disabled and half buried in sand, met me
+at every turn, creating in my mind a very monotony of melancholy.
+
+Late in the evening I reached the mouth of the Teshio River, a broad
+deep watercourse, one of the three largest rivers in Hokkaido, the other
+two being the Ishikari and the Tokachi. It has a long course in a
+general north-westerly direction, and then sharply turns southward,
+running parallel with the coast for about four miles, and forming a
+kind of lagoon at its outlet, which seems now to be working towards the
+northward again. All the other rivers on the west coast tend northward
+owing to the drift-sand which the current brings north. It is strange
+that the Teshio should partly be an exception to this rule, though we
+have ample evidence, even in this watercourse, of the movement of the
+sand, for the bar at its mouth almost entirely blocks its entrance, and
+rapidly works in a northerly direction. Thus there is no doubt that the
+sand travels towards the north all along the west coast.
+
+Sea-trout is abundant in the Teshio River, but salmon, with which this
+stream formerly abounded, are now less plentiful owing to the sand-bar
+which blocks the entrance.
+
+A gale was blowing fiercely when I crossed the lagoon in a small Ainu
+"dug-out," and my pony was made to swim across. Two or three times we
+nearly capsized, and we shipped a lot of water. It was just like sitting
+in a bath with water up to my waist; but the Ainu, who had as much as he
+could do to paddle me across and tow the pony as well, comforted me by
+saying, "Now that his 'dug-out' was full, we could not ship any more
+water, and that his skiff, being made of wood, could not sink!"
+
+After a long struggle we got safely to the other side, and the Ainu
+boatman guided me for a mile or so to the fishing village at the mouth
+of the river. It has but ten huts, all more or less miserable. The pony
+was so done up that he was hardly fit to carry my traps, much less could
+he have borne my weight. I could not get a fresh animal, so I had to
+push forward walking, and dragging the beast on as well as I could. This
+had the advantage of keeping me warm, which I needed badly, for what
+with the cold and my dilapidated costume I was more nearly frozen to
+death than was pleasant. The track was heavy in the soft sand, and the
+dangerous and numerous quicksand streams were enough to make a saint
+swear--if swearing would have done any good. How unspeakably desolate it
+all was! Not a soul to be met; not a hut to be seen! Here and there more
+wreckage and drift-wood on the shore, telling of storms and death, and
+the absence of all human aid. At last I came in sight of an Ainu hut;
+but as I drew near I found that it was abandoned. My meals, never very
+plentiful, were now specially scanty--few and far between; and, taken
+altogether, this part of my travels in Ainuland was somewhat lacking in
+cheerfulness.
+
+The cliffs near Wembets have the strange appearance of so many cones at
+equal intervals along the coast. On the Wembets River there were as many
+as two huts; and here again I had to cross in a boat, the stream being
+too deep to ford on foot or horseback; then again along the sand,
+dragging my pony, while I myself could hardly stand on my half-skinned
+feet, I went on and on, wearied of the monotony of my miserable
+experiences. The track grew narrow, and always worse. The high grey
+cliffs of clay-rock began, and the rough sea washed up to the foot of
+them, making progress more than ever unpleasant and dangerous. Each wave
+that came brought the water up to my knees, often up to my waist, and
+for about ten miles I was continually in and out of water. On a cold day
+my readers can imagine how pleasant it was! About sunset I came in sight
+of the two flat islands of Teuri and Yangeshiri, about fifteen miles off
+the coast. It then grew dark; but the moon came to my help, shining
+brightly on the greyish cliffs. The tide had risen, and in several
+places I had great difficulty in getting across on account of the
+furious waves dashing against the cliffs, and making a picturesque and
+living sheet of foam.
+
+Late at night, as I had almost given up all hope of finding a shelter, I
+came upon a shed on the Furembets River, where I put up for the night.
+
+My wretched pony was nearly dead with fatigue, and I let him loose so
+that he might get a feed of grass. The next morning, after the inmates
+of the hut had volunteered to go and bring him back to me, I heard them
+on the distant hills calling, "_Pop, pop, pop, pop!_" the Ainu way of
+approaching and calling horses. After a time they came back hopeless,
+saying that the brute had bolted, and there was no hope of getting him
+again. He could not be found anywhere! I was in the most awful dilemma,
+for had that been the case I would have been forced to abandon all my
+impedimenta, consisting of sketches and painting materials, and proceed
+as best I could on foot. Under other circumstances I could have carried
+the baggage on my back easily; but as I was half-starved, and had my
+feet badly cut, I was hardly able to carry my own weight; therefore this
+was not possible now.
+
+As incredulity is one of the useful qualities I possess, I went to look
+after my pony myself. The shed was protected by a sand-mound at the
+back, and a small space was left between the mound and the wall of the
+shed. I do not know what made me go and look there, but sure enough
+there was my pony lying flat, and almost too weak to get up again. This
+was no horse-stealing ruse on the part of the Ainu; simply the wretched
+animal's own idea of good stabling and likely fodder. I dragged him out
+of his involuntary prison, and after having done what I could for his
+comfort and well-being, we set out once more on our melancholy travels.
+This may sound cruel to some who in the course of their life have never
+travelled in out-of-the-way places, and who are ready to condemn anyone
+who is the means of letting an animal suffer. It may sound cruel in our
+humane country, where animals are protected and prize-fights tolerated
+and enjoyed; so to avoid misunderstandings it might be as well for me to
+say, that as regards this tired pony it was simply the matter to push on
+with him as far as I could or lose all the valuable materials I had
+collected during months of sufferings and privations. No ponies were to
+be got for any money along that deserted coast, for there were none in
+existence. I did my best to alleviate the poor animal's sufferings by
+undergoing myself a considerable amount of pain, walking most of the way
+with my feet a mass of sores; and as winter was rapidly coming on, I was
+more than anxious to make my way south with all the speed I could, to
+prevent being blocked up with snow and ice and forced to spend the
+winter on this inhospitable coast. Consequently, I was, as a matter of
+fact, more cruel to myself than to my animals; to the others, those who
+will still cast the first stone at me, I can wish no better punishment
+than to be placed in the same position I was then. The trail became
+somewhat better, as it led over the cliffs for about three miles; then
+again it was on the beach. The high cliffs varied from a very rich burnt
+sienna colour to a nice warm grey, and in some places they are perfectly
+white, like the cliffs at Dover. Conical mounds frequently occur, and
+give a curious aspect to this deserted shore. Ten miles further on, at
+Chukbets, I found a couple of huts; then I walked and dragged the pony
+on the cliffs for about four miles; then again I resorted to the beach;
+and finally I entered Hamboro, a small village, or rather a picturesque
+group of sheds and huts, and a capital fishing-station. _Shake_, salmon,
+_mashe_, and herrings are caught in abundance at the mouth of this
+river. A short distance from here hundreds of carcasses of seals were
+scattered on the beach, whence emanated pestilential odours. On account
+of the slowness of my pony I had to-night a modified repetition of last
+night's experience, but neither was the sea so rough nor the trail so
+narrow at the bottom of the cliffs; and though my wretched animal was
+naturally in a worse condition than before, I was able to push on to
+Tomamai that same night, where I arrived at a small hour of the morning.
+
+At Tomamai, the coast, which had described a long curve, the two ends of
+which are Ikuru north and this point south, turns sharply in a southerly
+direction, running straight for many miles from north to south.
+
+From Tomamai southwards the coast is not quite as deserted as it was
+further north, for here and there are villages of fishermen's houses.
+The population, however, is a migratory one, and when I went through,
+the herring-fishing season was over, and consequently most of the houses
+were abandoned and the people had migrated south. The winter weather is
+very severe, and the houses have to be barricaded with thick piles of
+wood as a protection against the strong westerly gales. The boats had
+been drawn far on shore, where they were well fastened to posts, and
+rough sheds thatched with grass built over them.
+
+Along the coast there was a string of these habitations, hut after hut,
+storehouse after storehouse, but hardly a soul to be seen. It was like
+going through the city of the dead. Many of the fishermen's huts were
+built on the side of the rugged cliffs, and they stood on piles about
+fifteen feet high, the back of the house resting on the cliff itself.
+Twelve and a half miles further another row of houses, similarly
+deserted for the winter, stood along the shore-line at Onishika. In this
+part of the coast salmon are very scarce, and the chief industry is the
+herring fishery. There are no Ainu to be found either at Tomamai or
+Onishika.
+
+I continued my lonesome ride in the pouring rain, and soon came to a
+peculiar long tunnel, natural and partly excavated, between this place
+and Rumoi, a village prettily situated on the slope of a hill fifteen
+miles further. This place possesses a small anchorage at the mouth of
+the river, which is now only fit for junks and small sailing-boats, but
+could be considerably improved. Good coal has been discovered some way
+up the river. There is a track on the cliffs leading to Mashike. All
+along the coast are any number of fishermen's houses, but they were all
+closed and barricaded. Ultimately, descending from the cliffs in a
+zig-zag fashion, after another ten miles' ride I found myself at
+Mashike, the largest Japanese village in the Teshio district. Close to
+the tunnel there is a small Ainu village, where the natives let their
+hair grow very long, and then tie it up in a kind of knot, similar to
+the Corean fashion of head-dress, while the women have given up
+tattooing altogether. The fishermen at Mashike seem to suffer greatly
+from "_Kaki_," or rheumatism, and cancer, while consumption, malarial
+fever, and typhus are in a small proportion.
+
+I had to stop over one day at Mashike, for the river was swollen by the
+heavy rains, and it was impossible to get across. On the other side of
+it stood Mashike-san, a huge volcanic mountain rising sheer from the
+sea, and forming Cape Kamuieto, under the shelter of which lies Mashike
+village; and further south Cape Uhui projects into the sea. It is the
+end of a mountain range which here runs north and then south again, in
+the latter part forming one side of the upper basin of the Teshio River.
+Mashike is the largest settlement either on the north-east or west coast
+of Yezo. Its population is partly migratory, but not so wholly as is the
+case with the villages I had previously passed. I was delayed still
+another day owing to the condition of the river; for the rain, instead
+of decreasing, poured down to such an extent that the stream could not
+be crossed, the current being too swift and the water too deep. The sea
+was also too rough to allow of my leaving Mashike in a canoe.
+
+On the third day I rose early, and decided to attempt this much-desired
+crossing of the river. It had not rained during the night, and the
+waters seemed to have slightly diminished. As the stream runs down a
+very steep incline on the slopes of Mashike Mountain, the current rushes
+with tremendous force. It was about five in the morning when I took my
+baggage to the river bank. It was made up in two bundles, which I tied
+together firmly with a leather strap. Some of the natives who had
+collected round me entreated me to give up this foolish idea, for they
+said I should infallibly lose my life if I attempted to wade across the
+swollen river.
+
+I saw at once that my pony would never be able to cross, so I left him,
+and, taking the baggage on my head, and passing my hands through the
+strap, I went into the water. The current was indeed so strong that,
+weak as I was, I could hardly stand against it. I had nearly reached the
+middle, with the water up to my mouth, when I fancied I heard the
+anxious crowd scream to me, "_Abunai! abunai! abunai!_"--"Look out! look
+out! look out!" Startled and alarmed at this piercing cry I turned my
+head, and saw within a few yards of me a huge trunk of a tree coming
+swiftly down with the current. There was a bump, and I saw nothing more.
+Half a minute later I was violently thrown on the opposite bank, and in
+trying to stand up on my feet in the shallow water my right foot
+unfortunately got jammed between two stones in the river bed; I was
+knocked down again, and broke my heel-bone just under the ankle. Several
+natives came to my rescue and I was lifted out of the water,
+half-stunned, half-drowned, but still holding fast to my load. I was
+nearly frozen, and trembling like a leaf from cold. When I tried to
+stand my right leg collapsed, and I had to lie down on the ground. What
+with the blow which I had received from the floating wood, what with the
+muddy water I had involuntarily swallowed, it took me some minutes
+before I could quite understand my situation, or what had befallen me.
+When I did I felt a terrible pain in my right leg. I looked, and there,
+on the sand, under my foot and leg, which were swollen up to an enormous
+size, was a pool of blood; the broken bone had penetrated the skin, and
+was exposed to the air. When I recovered my senses well enough I got a
+man to tear the wet lining of my drenched coat, and with it and a few
+improvised splints I proceeded to set my own broken bone. It was hard
+work; but with the help of some natives I bandaged it up as well as I
+could, and with the extra help of a coarse flaxen rope I made a fairly
+good surgical job of the whole thing.
+
+Stopping there till I grew better would have been foolish, for winter
+was setting in; everything would soon be frozen and snowed up, and, far
+from all my friends, as well as from anything like civilised life or
+elementary comforts as I was, I should probably have died. As long as I
+had a spark of life left in me I decided that I would struggle and push
+on, come what might. Two men undertook to carry me over the Mashike
+Mountain, which rises to an altitude of 3,600 feet above the sea-level.
+The mountain is thickly wooded, and the trail is steep, heavy, and in
+many places dangerous, and when we reached a sufficient altitude the
+trail was merely in the bed of a rivulet composed mainly of huge stones.
+Travelling in the state in which I was, was something like going to
+one's own funeral. The jerking and the cold were excruciating; the
+continuous stumbling and unsteady walk of my men over the rough and
+slippery slopes did not improve my condition; but finally we reached the
+summit. What a lovely view! One could see far along the Teshio coast on
+the one side and down towards the Ishikari on the other, and towards the
+east rose up a picturesque chain of thickly-wooded mountains. Rising
+from the sea stood the fine Cape Airup, near Moi; then far beyond, dimly
+seen in the mist, was the towering outline of Shakotan. We went down the
+other side, and my men, poor fellows, did their best to cheer me up. One
+of them told me a cheering story of a grizzly bear--which, by the way,
+he said were numberless on this mountain--that had killed and eaten two
+children, and also their father when the latter went to their rescue.
+The other told me of the many men who had perished in crossing the
+mountain; some had been overtaken by a snowstorm, others had lost their
+way and fallen over precipices, while others again had been killed by
+avalanches in winter.
+
+Listening to this lively conversation, shaken and suffering, I arrived
+late at night at Moi, having been carried over a distance of twenty-five
+miles, to do which occupied about eighteen hours. There was no possible
+way of getting across the mountains between here and Atzta, as the high
+granitic perpendicular cliffs are unscalable, and I was bound to
+entrust my life to a small Ainu canoe. Two other passengers, a Japanese
+woman and a man, asked if I would allow them to travel in the boat with
+me; and then we three, rowed by an Ainu man, put out to sea. The sea was
+rough outside, but as the large bay was well protected by the Aikap
+Cape, all went right at first; but in rounding the point we went too
+near the rocks, got caught in a breaker, and shipped so much water that
+the canoe began to slowly sink under the additional weight. The Ainu was
+pretty smart, and he put his skiff on the rocks. Between him and the two
+passengers I was helped out, and while the Ainu emptied the canoe, the
+two Japanese undressed entirely and spread out all their clothes and
+underclothes in the sun to dry.
+
+We got on board again, and, coasting more carefully, passed several
+small fishing villages, of which Gokibira is the largest and most
+important. It is backed by high mountains ranging from twelve hundred to
+seventeen hundred and more feet above the sea. One of the mountains--the
+highest--is called Okashi-nae-yama.
+
+Atzta is a long narrow village, of which almost all the houses are built
+against the cliff. From here I had to begin riding again along the bad
+and stony coast, among drift-wood, and up and down cliffs. Anyone who
+has ever had any broken bones will appreciate the tortures which I had
+to go through. Owing to pain, exhaustion, and fatigue I had no control
+over my pony, and could hardly stick on to the saddle. I took the
+precaution of tying the bridle to my wrist, for should the pony knock me
+off, he could not bolt away; but, unhappily, sometimes this was the
+means of his dragging me mercilessly on the ground for dozens of yards
+before he would stop. Then I had to wait for some charitable passer-by
+to help me into the saddle again, for I could no longer mount by myself.
+Day after day of this wretched life made me feel almost unconscious that
+I had a pain. I took things as they came, and I went on. Now that I sit
+here in a comfortable chair writing this by a cosy fire, I am myself
+astonished at my own perseverance. If I were called upon to go through
+the same experience now I could not. But in truth there are many things
+that one does not mind doing for motives of pleasure which one would
+never dream of attempting under the compulsion of an external will.
+Kutambets is picturesquely situated in a large gully formed by a break
+in the red-tinted cliffs. From Kutambets to Moroi the track is slightly
+better, and from this to Ishikari it is quite easy. The latter river, a
+very large one, has to be crossed by a ferry, as the habitations are on
+the south banks of the stream.
+
+[Illustration: ISHIKARI KRAFTU AINU.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE KAMUIKOTAN RAPIDS.]
+
+CHAPTER XVII.
+
+The Ishikari River.
+
+
+On the north side of the mouth of the Ishikari River is an Ainu village
+called Raishats. Its inhabitants are not natives of this island, but
+were imported by the Japanese Government from Sakhalin when it was
+exchanged with Russia for the Kuriles.
+
+At the entrance of the river, and close to this village, another
+wreck--of the "Kamida Maru"--a schooner, ended the mournful list of
+disasters on this inhospitable coast.
+
+The Ainu of Raishats are different in some ways from the Yezo Ainu
+proper. They call themselves Kraftu Ainu, "Kraftu"[36] being the Ainu
+name for Sakhalin. Their skin is of a lighter colour; but the principal
+difference is in their eyes and eyebrows. The Kraftu Ainu have eyes of
+the Mongolian type, though larger, while the Yezo Ainu have not; and
+their eyebrows have a very pronounced curve near the nose. Most of the
+women seemed to suffer from consumption, and the men also did not seem
+as strong as the other Ainu. The women tattoo on their lips a small
+square pattern instead of the long moustache, and most of them have now
+adopted Japanese _kimonos_, or else wear gowns similar to those of
+Russian peasants. Some also wear skin gowns similar to those of the
+Kurilsky Ainu, ornamented with feathers and bits of molten lead sewn on
+them. A velvet cap or a kind of tiara is their head-gear, and this also
+is ornamented with gold and silver or red beads, or else is embroidered
+in bright colours.
+
+    [36] Sometimes also pronounced _Krafto._
+
+The children are arrayed in more gaudy colours than their elders. They
+have bright red embroideries round their necks, and the whole gown is
+full of spangles and beads, the proceeds of parental barter. A peculiar
+paunch-suspender, which I saw here for the first time, was ingenious,
+and answered a great want in the Ainu country. As will be seen later,
+the majority of Ainu children have huge paunches, mostly due to the
+inability of the hairy people to tie and secure properly the umbilical
+cord at the child's birth. This not only produces great discomfort to
+the child, but often causes its death. The belt which I saw was made on
+the principle that the weight of the paunch, under which passed a kind
+of net made of strips of skin, was supported by braces going over the
+shoulders, and by this contrivance, if the original lesion did not get
+much better it did not get worse, as it does when not taken any care of
+at all. Neither men nor women wore earrings; but the fair sex wore a
+kind of velvet ribbon necklace round their neck, and on this ribbon were
+sewn ornaments of molten lead, silver, and other metals.
+
+The habitations, storehouses, and customs of these Ainu are similar to
+those of the others. As I slowly rode along the banks of the river just
+before sunset, retracing my steps towards the Ishikari village, I saw a
+hidden trail, which apparently led to the woods. I made my pony follow
+it, and shortly afterwards I came to a graveyard. As I have said, the
+Ainu are extremely jealous of their burial-places, and they resent
+strangers, even Japanese, going near them. It was nearly fifteen days
+since the accident to my leg had occurred, and though I could neither
+walk nor stand on it, still I was beginning to be accustomed to the
+agony, and with great trouble and pain I could dismount from my tiny
+pony. Strange to say, mounting was not so difficult, for I could pull
+myself up with my arms, lie flat on my stomach on the saddle, and then
+swing round, and it did not jar me as much as coming down. I had my
+paint-box fastened to the saddle, and I unlashed it to take a sketch.
+The tombs were so many trunks of trees cut and carved, and with one
+branch left on one side (_see_ Chapter XXI.). One tomb particularly was
+more ornamented, and it had a flat-shaped monument, roughly but well
+carved at its head. An object resembling the bottom of a "dug-out"
+covered the body, and this was also carved. At each of the four corners
+a wooden blade was stuck in the ground. From the stench I should think
+that the body was only a few inches underground.
+
+Fate had punished me so severely of late for faults which I never
+committed that I thought myself now entitled to commit a fault for the
+sake of squaring accounts. One of the small wooden blades, nicely
+carved, would just go under my coat. I decided to steal it. To my mind
+it was hardly a big enough crime even to balance the last accident I had
+had.
+
+I turned round to see that no one was looking. I put down my paint-box,
+crawled to the grave, took the blade, put it under my coat, and, ashamed
+of myself for committing the outrage--though with prepaid punishment--I
+scrambled up on my pony as well I could, and hurriedly left the place. I
+rode back to the ferry, a long way off, and went across to Ishikari, and
+catching a moment when no one was watching me, I quickly passed the
+carved blade from under my coat into my baggage.
+
+"What a good thief I would make," I thought to myself, when to my horror
+I remembered that in the hurry of leaving the graveyard I had forgotten
+my paint-box in the very same spot from which I had taken the blade!
+
+If any Ainu had gone to the graveyard and found it, I would get into a
+nice mess! During the night I felt more than uncomfortable about it, and
+at dawn the next morning I got the tea-house man to bring my horse and
+set me on it, for I said, "I wish to go and see the sunrise from the
+other side of the river."
+
+The landlord thought it rather funny, and funnier still when he saw me
+coming back a couple of hours later with a paint-box lashed to my
+saddle, while he said he was sure I had started without one.
+
+"Did you not see it this morning?" said I with assumed innocence.
+
+"No, your honourable," said he, drawing in his breath.
+
+"You did not look for it in the right place," said I, and up to this day
+the landlord does not know where the right place was.
+
+The Ishikari is one of the great salmon rivers of Yezo. About the end of
+September the salmon enter the river to spawn. They are in such
+abundance then that the stream is crowded thick with them, and it is
+quite sufficient to have a hook fastened to a stick to pull out a large
+fish each time it is dipped into the water. Millions of fine salmon are
+caught within a few days, and the banks of the river are packed with
+dead fish, while the whole population is occupied in splitting open each
+fish, taking out its inside, for preservation.
+
+The same method of netting as is practised for sardine fishing is
+employed for salmon. Eighteen or twenty excited men vigorously row the
+boats out into mid-stream, and after describing a semicircle, return to
+the bank. The nets are hauled in, the fish flung out on the river banks,
+and the same process begins _de novo_. A man in a "dug-out" watches when
+the salmon are more or less plentiful, and signals for the boat to
+start, while he himself spears them with a harpoon. At the right time of
+the year as many as 1500 or 2,000 and more good fish are caught each
+time the net is hauled in. This grand take of course only lasts a few
+days.
+
+Though good, the Yezo salmon has none of the fine qualities of the
+salmon of northern European rivers, and it is not quite so good as that
+of the Canadian rivers. It does not keep so well, and in colour is much
+lighter than our salmon.
+
+The Ishikari River opens to the north, and runs parallel to the coast,
+leaving a flat tongue of sand between it and the sea. Following the
+course of the stream against the current, it goes winding south, then
+sharply turns to the south-east, following this direction for about
+fourteen miles. Then again it winds up to the north, and then to the
+east for a distance of over one hundred miles, where its source lies in
+the very heart of Yezo.
+
+The Ishikari carries a large body of water, and it is nine hundred and
+twenty feet wide near its mouth. Its "drainage area" has been estimated
+to be over three thousand square miles, including mountain slopes, while
+the actual valley does not, in my opinion, exceed eight hundred square
+miles. The river receives many affluents, of which the most important
+are the Rubeshibe, Chupets, Piegawa, the Sorachi River, and the Toyohira
+on its south side, and the Uriugawa on its north side. Near the coast
+the valley is wooded mainly with scrub oak, but further inland its banks
+are heavily timbered. The Sorachi River is the most important affluent
+on the south side. It is navigable for "dug-outs" and small sailing
+boats for some considerable distance. At Sorachi one strikes the new
+road which leads from the Poronai coal mines to Kamikawa, where the site
+has been chosen for the intended new capital of Hokkaido.
+
+The road between Sorachi and the latter place not being metalled, was
+exceedingly bad owing to the heavy rains, and my pony continually sank
+in mud up to his belly. The road follows the course of the Ishikari
+River more or less; and in the woods is a military settlement like those
+we have seen near Nemuro and Akkeshi. At Otoyebukets the traveller must
+change horses. About eight miles further on one reaches the Kamuikotan
+rapids, a poetic spot: huge rocks in the water, violently rushing
+between and over them, form pretty waterfalls. The Ainu occasionally
+shoot down these rapids in their "dug-outs," and remains of these are to
+be seen here and there smashed on the rocks. From this point the road
+rises almost all the way, and the wayfarer must cross over the hill
+range, from the top of which the whole plain of Kamikawa can be seen, in
+the upper basin of the Ishikari, which, winding like a silver snake,
+intersects the flat valley.
+
+Descending the hill on the other side, I reached the future capital of
+Hokkaido. It is indeed a town of the future, for at the present moment
+there are only five houses, if I may call them so. The site of this
+embryo metropolis is by the Chubets River; and on the hill called
+Nayosami I was told a palace for the Emperor is to be erected. However,
+they were not certain about it yet. It is a pretty hill, almost in the
+centre of the large plain, and from the top of it one gets a lovely view
+of a volcanic cone standing in front of you to the south. Near this hill
+the new road turns sharply almost at a right angle, and two miles
+further some _Tondens_ have been begun (_Ciuta Hombu_). Hundreds of
+convicts, who, by the way, have made the road between here and Poronai,
+were at work continuing the same road towards the east. I believe that
+eventually it will be prolonged to the north-east coast, where it will
+end near Abashiri. In my opinion the scheme practically will be a
+failure, for Kamikawa will never be a flourishing place, as there is
+nothing to support a large population. From a strategic point of view of
+course Kamikawa has the advantage of being in the centre of Yezo.
+
+Kamikawa is 342 feet above the level of the sea, but it is well
+sheltered, and the climate, though very cold, is not quite so severe as
+in other parts of Yezo.
+
+The Ainu of the upper Ishikari are nearly the same as the Saru Ainu,
+only somewhat taller and more ill-tempered. They show greater skill than
+other Ainu in wood-carving and general ornamentation. Along the banks of
+the river huts are scattered here and there; but the largest number is
+at Chubets.
+
+At the present moment the Japanese population of Kamikawa is, with the
+exception of half-a-dozen policemen and as many civilians, composed
+entirely of convicts. These are dressed in red coats and trousers, and
+those who have committed murder have the top of their head shaved in the
+shape of a bottle (Jap., _Hetzui_). If any misbehave, they are beaten
+with the flat side of the long sword worn by the policeman in charge;
+but I must confess that otherwise the policemen are extremely kind in
+every way to these fellows. The well-behaved have one, two, or three
+small pieces of black cloth sewn to their left sleeve. They are made to
+work hard, but save this enforced diligence they seem to have a pretty
+good time. As I was talking to a policeman in charge, two dead men were
+brought on a cart by a man who had a towel over his mouth and a red
+blanket over his head. The two men had died suddenly. They had arrived
+only a few days previously from Southern Japan, where cholera was
+raging, and they had all the symptoms of having died of that deadly
+disease.
+
+A very exciting way of retracing your steps down to the Sorachi River is
+to shoot the rapids in an Ainu "dug-out." You make one or two Ainu
+moderately drunk, as otherwise they do not seem anxious to attempt it,
+and when they are in that pot-valiant condition you get them to paddle
+your canoe down the stream, while you sit in the bottom holding on to
+the sides. You start with the velocity of a turtle, increase it to that
+of a horse, then to that of a swallow, and when you are well in the
+rapids it is like travelling on an arrow. You go rubbing against rocks,
+and are shot in the air when going over a small waterfall, only to fall
+with a splash in the water some yards further, with an increase of
+velocity as you go on. It really requires but little skill to navigate
+rapids, for it is the current itself that does all the work. All that is
+needed is to keep the "dug-out" straight in the water. Of course if you
+should happen to collide with a rock when you are going at nearly double
+the rate of an express train you would have little chance of saving your
+life; but if you are neither smashed nor drowned, and you do not come to
+grief in any way, you can accomplish the journey, which takes you the
+whole day by land, in little over one hour when there is plenty of water
+in the stream.
+
+On the road from Sorachi to Poronai, and halfway between the villages of
+Naye and Takigawa, a new coal mine has been discovered and opened, which
+is said to be very rich in mineral of good quality; in fact, superior to
+the coal of Poronai. It is ten miles from Otaussi Nai village, where the
+high road has to be abandoned if the mine is to be visited.
+
+There are many Ainu both at Takikawa-Mura (Waterfall-River village), at
+Otaussi, and at Poronai-buts. Poronai has in its neighbourhood some rich
+coal mines. As others have reported more accurately and correctly than I
+can on the quality and extent of these coal seams, I shall abstain from
+repeating or copying what has been already said. I may, however, mention
+that the seams cut the valley of the Ikusum River eight miles from
+Poronai-buts, and a continuation of them is found near the springs of
+the Sorachi. The coal beds of Poronai are about three and a half feet
+deep, and many different beds have been found deeper than these, but of
+inferior quality. Poronai also goes by the name of Ishikishiri, and a
+large penitentiary has been erected here for the accommodation of the
+numerous convicts exported from the Main Island to improve the scheme
+for the colonisation of Yezo. I was called on by the chief _yakunin_
+(officer), and he expressed a wish that I should inspect the prisons. A
+splendid horse was sent to convey me thither, and two policemen helped
+me on my progress through the buildings, owing to my inability to walk
+more than a few yards at a time. It was a large walled enclosure, with
+houses for the officials and cells for the _akambos_, a jocular term,
+meaning "babies," which is applied to convicts, because they wear red
+clothes like children. The buildings were beautifully clean, but what
+astonished me most was that no precaution whatever was adopted to
+prevent convicts from escaping. The outside gates were all wide open;
+there were neither soldiers nor policemen at the gates, and, moreover,
+the _concierge_ was himself a convict!
+
+"But," said I, "do not many of these fellows escape?"
+
+"Oh, no, not many. Last month only sixteen ran away," was the
+_insouciant_ answer of my guide.
+
+From Poronai-buts to Sappro there is a small railway, by which the coal
+trains are run to the coast as far as Otaru.
+
+[Illustration: WOMAN OF ISHIKARI RIVER.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU BARK WATER-JUGS]
+
+CHAPTER XVIII.
+
+Nearing Civilisation.
+
+
+Sappro, the present capital of Hokkaido, is a town of fairly large size,
+with wide streets intersecting each other at right angles. The
+Hokkaido-cho, a high red-brick building, the law courts, the _Kofikan_,
+the palace built for the Emperor, and used now as a kind of hotel, and
+the houses of officials, are the main buildings of the place. There are,
+besides, a sugar refinery, a hemp and silk factory, and a brewery,
+mainly supported by the Government. Neither of the first two were
+"flourishing industries," and one of the factories, if I remember
+aright, had long ceased working, and the other was soon to follow suit.
+The Government, I must say, have done their best to encourage and push
+on industries as well as agriculture in this district, but their efforts
+have produced but poor results. Machinery, which had been imported at
+great expense from England, America, Germany, and France, was left to
+rust and perish, and no private company seemed ready to continue the
+works. As a farming region the Sappro district has also proved more or
+less a failure from a financial point of view, though again the
+Government cannot but be highly praised for the money they have spent in
+trying to educate the people up to some kind of scientific, and
+therefore paying, method of agriculture. They have a large model farm of
+about 350 acres laid down in grain fields, as well as in meadows and
+pastures, stocked with cattle imported mainly from America. In the
+Toyoshira valley, south of the town, a cattle farm is in full
+operation, but it yields the Government a very poor return. However, the
+Government, I believe, only wish to teach the people foreign ways of
+agriculture, and expect no direct returns for the pains taken and the
+money sunk--so at least it would appear. Another colonial militia
+settlement is also found near Baratte, eight miles north of Sappro.
+Regarding these settlements, it may prove interesting to transcribe the
+Imperial Ordinance No. 181, dated August 28th, 1890, by which they were
+brought into existence and the Tondens were built:--
+
+     ARTICLE 1.--Colonial Militia shall be composed of colonial
+     infantry, cavalry, and colonial artillery and colonial military
+     engineers, and shall be set apart for the defence of Hokkaido,
+     where they shall be stationed.
+
+     ARTICLE 2.--The Colonial Militia shall be organised as soldiers, in
+     addition to their ordinary occupation of farmers; shall live in
+     military houses which shall be provided for them, and shall take
+     part in military drill, in cultivation, and in farming.
+
+     ARTICLE 3.--The Colonial Militia shall also be composed of
+     volunteers from cities and prefectures, and shall change their
+     registered residence (_Houseki_) to Hokkaido, and live there with
+     their families.
+
+     ARTICLE 4.--The term of service of Colonial Militia shall be twenty
+     years: the service with the colours being three years, in the first
+     reserve four years, and in the second reserve thirteen years.
+     Should a colonial militiaman be released from service during his
+     term, owing to the attainment of the full age of forty years, or
+     through death, or some other cause, a suitable male of the family
+     shall be ordered to fulfil the remaining term of service. Such
+     service may be remitted if there be no suitable male.
+
+     ARTICLE 5.--The Colonial Militia shall fulfil supplementary
+     military service during ten years after the end of service in the
+     second reserve, and shall be mobilised in time of war or other
+     emergency.
+
+     ARTICLE 6.--The term of each stage of military service under
+     Articles 4 and 5 shall be counted from April 1st of the year in
+     which the soldier enters the Militia.
+
+     ARTICLE 7.--The terms may be prolonged, even though the period for
+     each stage has fully elapsed, should war or other emergency, or the
+     requirements of military discipline, or the inspection of soldiers
+     (_kwampei-shiki_) demand the same, or should the soldier be then in
+     transit from or to, or be stationed in, a foreign country.
+
+     SUPPLEMENTARY RULES:--
+
+     ARTICLE 8.--Colonial Militia enlisted before the carrying out of
+     these regulations shall be treated according to the following
+     distinctions:--
+
+     (_a_) Those enlisted between the eighth year of Meji and the
+     sixteenth year of Meji shall serve in the first reserve during four
+     years and in the second reserve during nine years.
+
+     (_b_) Those who were enlisted between the seventeenth year of Meji
+     and the twentieth shall serve in the first reserve during four
+     years from the twenty-fourth year of Meji, and in the second
+     reserve after the lapse of the above period during twenty years,
+     reckoned from the year in which they were enlisted.
+
+     (_c_) Those who were enlisted in the twenty-first year of Meji
+     shall serve in the first reserve during four years from the
+     twenty-fifth year of Meji, and in the second reserve after the
+     lapse of the above period during twenty years, reckoned from the
+     year in which they were enlisted.
+
+     (_d_) Those who were enlisted in and after the twenty-second year
+     of Meji shall be treated in accordance with these regulations.
+
+     ARTICLE 9.--The mode of reckoning the terms of service of Colonial
+     Militia levied before the twenty-first year of Meji shall be in
+     accordance with Article 6 of these regulations. The term of service
+     with the colours of those levied in the twenty-second and
+     twenty-third years of Meji shall be counted from the day on which
+     they were included in the Colonial Militia, and their term of
+     service in the first and second reserves from the day next to the
+     lapse of the full term of the former service.
+
+     ARTICLE 10.--These regulations shall come into force on and after
+     the first day of the fourth month of the twenty-fourth year of
+     Meji.
+
+          (Colonial Militia.) Imperial Ordinance No. 181.
+
+     We hereby give our sanction to the present amendment of the
+     regulations relating to Colonial Militia, and order the same to be
+     duly promulgated.
+
+          (His Imperial Majesty's sign-manual),
+          Great Seal.
+
+     Dated August 29th, 1890.
+     (Countersigned) COUNT OYAMA IWAO,
+     (Minister of State for War).
+
+     (_Japan Daily Mail_, September 14th, 1890.)
+
+Sappro was a civilised place compared to others I had seen in Yezo; but
+it had neither the picturesqueness, nor the strangeness, nor yet the
+interest of more uncivilised spots.
+
+There is no doubt that savagery--when you have got accustomed to it--is
+a great deal more fascinating than civilised life, and infinitely more
+so than a base imitation of civilisation.
+
+It might have been thought that after the months of privation to which I
+had been subjected, after all the harassing experiences I had gone
+through, after the accident which had made the last thirty days of my
+journey so agonising, I should have been glad to rest in this "London"
+of the Ainu country, at least until I was well again. But in truth this
+indirectly reflected civilisation worried me. The bustle of the people,
+the lights in the streets, the sounds of the _Shamesen_--everything
+annoyed me.
+
+His Excellency the Governor, Mr. Nagayama, kindly called on me, and when
+I put on some decent clothes which were lent me, he drove me to his
+house, where I had a lengthy conversation on the future of Yezo and the
+Kurile Islands. He seemed to approve of many of the points which I put
+before him, among which I suggested that the exports of sulphur from
+Kushiro, on the south-eastern coast, would be greatly increased if it
+were opened to foreign trade, and I was pleased to hear several months
+later that a motion to that effect was proposed in the Japanese
+Parliament. He also agreed with me that Yezo needed roads and railways
+badly, and that when more facile ways of communication should be
+established along the coast and across country, then without doubt Yezo
+would be rich and flourishing.
+
+He expressed sorrow that emigration was not carried on on a larger scale
+from the Southern Island of Japan, and that private companies of
+capitalists in no way helped the Government.
+
+His Excellency was also kind enough to drive me round the town and show
+me all the sights of Sappro, including the small museum containing
+zoological specimens from Hokkaido, and the implements of the Ainu and
+the Koro-pok-kuru. A huge grizzly bear which had killed two babies and a
+man is now stuffed, and occupies the first small room, while a bottle by
+the side preserves in spirit the head and foot of one baby and some
+parts of the man which were found in its stomach when captured and
+dissected.
+
+I left Sappro for Otaru by the coal train. Otaru is situated on a
+semicircular well-sheltered bay, which makes it the best and only safe
+port on the western coast of Yezo.
+
+The coast at the mouth of the Ishikari River curves gently round, and is
+exposed to the north as far as Cape Shakotan. Otaru is rapidly growing
+in importance, owing to the fact that it is the nearest shipping port to
+the Poronai coal mines. Unfortunately, three small hills, which were
+being levelled when I was there, had greatly interfered with the first
+laying out of the settlement, which accounts for the town being all
+crooked and irregularly planned. It has the appearance of a thriving
+place, and much resembles one of the small seaports of Southern Japan.
+In the main street a go-ahead tailor had written over his door the
+following inscription for the attraction of foreign clients: "Tailor.
+New Forms of every country shall be made here." The notice was tempting,
+and I went in to request his services in furnishing me with "new forms,"
+as he called them, of English fashion; but to my great regret he had
+come to an end of his stock of goods, and I had to be contented with my
+"old forms," and go on as best I could with what I had till I should
+reach Hakodate, where I had left most of my baggage. At Otaru I left all
+my paraphernalia to be shipped to Hakodate by the first ship calling,
+and I proceeded by land on the north and then on the north-west coast. I
+felt that, suffering as I still was, I should keep alive as long as I
+kept moving, as long as I was distracted by new scenery and new
+excitements. I felt that if I were left to myself, not pitied or
+sympathised with, I should be able to drag on and conquer in the end.
+There is nothing, it seems to me, that makes people feel so ill or is so
+enervating as the sympathy of friends and the verdict of a doctor. Among
+civilised people nine out of ten do not know whether they are very ill
+or not until the doctor pronounces his opinion, which shows that many
+complaints would be scarcely felt at all if the patient did not know the
+name of his malady, or if he had sufficient determination as to prevent
+his physical pain from becoming a moral one as well. We have a proof of
+this in hypnotism, by which sicknesses of many kinds can be cured by
+impressing on the subject the belief that his body is perfectly free
+from disease. Of course in this case it is a stronger will acting on a
+weaker one, which, so reinforced, is able to overpower the physical
+trouble. Again, I may be allowed to state that savages and barbarians,
+though affected with horrid diseases of all kinds, do not seem to suffer
+from them as much as we do. If an Ainu man breaks his leg he does not
+think for a moment of lying in bed for the regulation forty days; first
+of all, because he has no bed to lie on; and next, because the
+confinement and inaction would simply kill him. He may lie down on the
+hard ground for two or three days, after which time he crawls about as
+best he can until nature makes his broken bone right again. He does not
+worry himself much about it. Wild animals do the same. If, then, the
+Ainu, and with them savages of other countries, do that, why should not
+I, a human being like them, do the same?
+
+Freed from the encumbrance of my baggage, I set off on a good horse down
+the north coast, and moving from east to west. My baggage now consisted
+of a crutch which I had made for myself, a stick, a couple of Japanese
+_kimonos_, and a few sketch-books.
+
+The travelling was extremely slow, and I shall not dwell at length on
+this part of my journey, for it has no interest in connection with the
+Ainu, as I met with scarcely any. On a practicable and pleasant track
+leading all across the hills beyond Oshoro village, a lovely view of the
+cliffs between that place and Yoichi, lying to the west, is to be had.
+In some parts the scenery is really grand. Coming down on the other side
+of the hill, Momonai and Kawamura, two fishermen's villages of some
+importance, are passed, and further west, through a picturesque and
+narrow entrance of rugged volcanic rocks, is Yoichi, a large village,
+which was entirely burnt down last year, but has since been built up
+again. The road to Iwanai branches off at Kawamura, across the Shakotan
+peninsula. This peninsula is partly volcanic, partly composed of
+tertiaries, on which metal veins are found, especially along the course
+of the Yoichi River.
+
+About three miles from Yoichi a small flax factory was being built as an
+experiment by a Mr. Tokumatz Kuroda, in the employ of the Mitzui
+Company. Twenty-five miles further south-west of Yoichi is Iwanai.
+About ten miles from Kawamura, at Hando, a black tumbledown shed, like a
+haunted house, stands in the middle of the woods, and from here the
+track again goes over a mountain. On the other side is Iwanai. Five or
+six weeks previous to my arrival a large fire had destroyed nearly the
+whole of the village, and--just my luck again!--I had great difficulty
+in finding a place in which to obtain shelter for the night.
+
+From Iwanai the coast-line roughly describes a semicircle, which is
+almost concentric with Volcano Bay on the south coast, the distance
+between the two seas being about twenty or twenty-five miles, so that it
+forms a kind of large peninsula stretching towards the south, and
+widening considerably at its most southern part on the Tsugaru Strait.
+The first two or three miles from Iwanai were a pretty flat and easy
+track, but then I struck the mountain trail, which was steep and heavy
+for my pony. It was raining in torrents, and the narrow track was
+literally turned into a running rivulet. By good luck the rain stopped,
+and when I reached the summit I had a glorious panorama of the brilliant
+rocks and cliffs of the Shakotan Cape to the north-east, with the Kamui
+and the Hurupira Mountains on one side, and the villages of Shiribets,
+Isoya, and Karibayama along the coast on the other. I descended into the
+valley and then went up again the next mountain, the Iwaonobori, a
+higher peak than the first. I went down its slopes on the other side in
+a zig-zag fashion, and then came to the snake-like river called
+Shiribets, on both sides of which a few fishermen's houses are found,
+forming the Shiribets village.
+
+Three miles further is a larger settlement, Isoya, the half of which is
+called Notto Isoya, the other Shimakotan Isoya. It is a long row of
+fishermen's houses scattered along the coast until we get to Ushoro,
+eight miles further, a settlement of 120 houses.
+
+Ushoro is connected by a road to Oshamambe, on Volcano Bay, but I went
+on to Shitzo, four miles north-west of Ushoro. The way was fairly good
+in some parts, and execrably bad in others. The heavy rain which had
+again come on was not exactly suited to my present state of health;
+moreover, it swelled all the small brooks, which fell in a series of
+picturesque waterfalls over the high cliffs down on to the beach. As the
+beach was narrow, this meant each time a cold shower-bath, which,
+however, did not much matter, for I was already drenched by the rain,
+and I had no very "swell" garments to spoil, as my readers know.
+
+[Illustration: AINU HALF-CASTE CHILD OF VOLCANO BAY.]
+
+Shitzo is an old-looking place, but there is nothing attractive about
+it. It is in a small bay sheltered by Cape Benke, but its anchorage is
+only fit for junks or very small skiffs. It is much exposed to northerly
+and easterly winds. The coast from Shitzo to the Cape is lined with
+rocky bluffs and cliffs of conglomerate and volcanic formation, with
+bare hills inland.
+
+There are many reefs stretching out, both along the coast and off the
+Cape; but in many places channels are cut in them, to all appearance
+produced by some remote volcanic action.
+
+On the western side of Cape Benke is the village of Masatomari. There
+were formerly some Ainu villages on this part of the coast, but hardly
+any natives are to be found now. The few remaining have adopted to a
+certain extent Japanese customs and manners.
+
+At Baraputa I heard that it was impossible to continue my journey south
+on horseback along the coast, for the track was almost impassable, even
+on foot. It was a steep and difficult trail over the mountains, among
+rocks and precipitous cliffs, and I was quite unable to accomplish it;
+so I retraced my steps to Shitzo, and from there struck across the
+peninsula on the road for Oshamambe, on Volcano Bay. The road is a good
+one, and when bridges are built where needed it will be practicable for
+_bashas_, the four-wheeled vehicles of Southern Yezo. The way is across
+mountains or among well-wooded hills. Kuromatsunai is the largest group
+of houses found along the road. It is about halfway between the two
+coasts.
+
+Late at night, after having ridden twenty-five miles, I arrived at
+Oshamambe, a semi-Ainu village on Volcano Bay.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: KOMATAGE VOLCANO, VOLCANO BAY.]
+
+CHAPTER XIX.
+
+Completing the Circuit of Yezo--The End of my Journey.
+
+
+Oshamambe is a group of seventy houses, just midway between Mororran and
+Mori. The Ainu of this bay are poor specimens of their race, as most of
+them have intermarried with Japanese. They are, however, those most
+talked about by Europeans, for they are of easy access to
+globe-trotters.
+
+They are mostly half-castes, and even second and third crosses;
+wherefore it is no wonder that the incautious travellers who have
+written on the Ainu, studying only these easily-visited specimens, have
+discovered in them a remarkable likeness to the Japanese!
+
+The fact that I was rapidly nearing the end of my trip half filled me
+with pleasure, yet pleasure mingled with regret. It was nearly six weeks
+now since I met with the accident to my foot, and I was decidedly
+better. The cold weather had greatly contributed to this improvement of
+my condition; and had it not been for my bone which kept sticking out of
+my skin, I should have considered myself in fine case. I could hop along
+with my self-made crutch and my stick, and when riding the pain was not
+nearly as acute as it had been the first fifteen or twenty days.
+
+As the road was good, and there was nothing interesting to me on this
+portion of the journey, I tried to push on rapidly towards Mori.
+Unfortunately, at the last minute my patience was put to a trial. I
+hired a horse, and it was lame. No others were to be had that day for
+love or money. The animal had been lame for two years, they said, and
+though uncomfortable to ride he did not suffer any pain. This I
+ascertained afterwards was true, for that day the sturdy brute carried
+me 48-1/2 miles without once requiring punishment. It is needless to say
+that what I suffered that day by the continuous jerking is beyond
+description. I rode fourteen hours in a fearful storm of rain and snow,
+and my feverish anxiety to reach Hakodate soon, so that I might receive
+letters, and have news of my parents and friends--from whom I had not
+heard for five months--helped me to pull through all the fatigue and
+worry of the way. The road between Oshamambe and Kunnui is fair, getting
+still better towards Yurap and Yamakushinai. But to shorten the journey
+and lessen the jerking I followed the sandy sea-beach, which, describing
+a smaller circle than the road, necessarily diminishes the distance.
+From Yamakushinai the road is very good and wide, and it has
+nicely-built bridges over the Otoshibe and Nigori Rivers. The small
+fishing villages, though not so imposing in appearance as some of those
+in other parts of Yezo, add to the picturesqueness of the bay, with its
+beautiful volcanic cone of Komagatage towering in the distance towards
+the south-east.
+
+The fishing in Volcano Bay consists mostly of mackerel, sprats, halibut,
+and herrings.
+
+I reached Mori late in the evening, and was received with a friendly
+greeting by the people of the tea-house in which I had stayed on my way
+up at the beginning of my journey.
+
+The place was brilliantly lighted with numberless candles, and opposite
+the entrance was a kind of altar decked with flowers and cakes. A few
+_bonzes_, with their shaven heads and long, thin, depraved fingers, were
+saying their prayers and beating with a small wand on the round wooden
+bells. With the gods of Japan you must ring a bell or clap your hands
+before you begin to pray, or else the god will pay no attention to your
+petitions. In the next room another Japanese, with less depraved
+fingers, but with a more wicked face, was dressed in European clothes,
+and was apparently giving a sermon, and sure enough he proved to be a
+native Christian minister!
+
+"Hallo!" said I to the landlord; "what does all this mean?"
+
+"Oh," said he, smiling--for Buddhism teaches you not to show pain--"my
+old mother is dead. You saw her when you were here before. She died
+yesterday, and as she was formerly a Buddhist and had become a
+Christian, I have now got some Buddhist _bonzes_ and a Christian
+minister to pray for her, for I want her to be happy in the other
+world."
+
+"But do you not think," I replied, "that so much praying of different
+kinds might interfere with her happiness?"
+
+"Oh, no, your honourable," he said quickly, "I have paid the _bonzes_
+and the clergyman in advance, and the gods cannot get angry now!"
+
+It was curious to notice the competition between the representatives of
+the two different creeds.
+
+On the one side the Christian shouted his prayers and sang his hymns in
+a stentorian voice, to put the _bonzes_ in the shade and get the start
+of them in the contest; and on the other side these rattled on the
+wooden bells with all their might, so that their prayers should be heard
+first. I was more than happy when this religious race was over, and I
+was allowed a few hours' rest.
+
+Instead of going straight to Hakodate by _basha_ by the road I had
+already once traversed, I followed the coast in a south-easterly
+direction towards the volcano of Esan.
+
+Near Usushiri, some two miles inland, are the hot springs of Obune,
+where, in a picturesque gully surrounded by mountains, are two dirty
+shanties for the benefit of those who wish to take the waters. At Isoya,
+five miles north of this place, similar springs are found, and three and
+a half miles south-east of Usushiri still more can be seen at Kakumi.
+The latter place is a picturesque little spot, with its three old sheds
+and the steaming bath-room framed in the multi-coloured foliage of trees
+with their lovely autumn tints. A clean path a few hundred yards long
+leads from the coast to the springs, and a track across the mountains is
+found between that place and Hakodate; also another leading from Obune
+to the latter port. By both these tracks a most lovely view of Hakodate
+Bay can be obtained when the summit of the mountain range is reached.
+From Kakumi the coast-line is wretched for travelling, set thick as it
+is with stones as sharp as knives, while the waves continually wash over
+the narrow beach, drenching the wayfarer to the skin.
+
+I reached Otatsube, a group of a few fishermen's huts; and as there is
+no traffic whatever along this coast, there were no regular tea-houses.
+Unfortunately for me, the British Squadron in the Pacific had spent the
+summer at Hakodate, and the ships had often gone for gun-practice
+somewhere near this place, scaring the natives to death, and furthermore
+angering them against foreigners in general, for they said the report of
+the guns frightened away all the fish. When I asked for food and offered
+money for it, they flatly refused me, saying contemptuously,--
+
+"You foreigners come and scare all the fish away, and now you shall die
+of starvation before you shall get food from us. We do not want your
+money. We are rich."
+
+And so I was held responsible for the doings of Her Majesty's fleet,
+which until then I did not even know had been in those waters!
+
+At Furimbe, the next small village, only a few miles further on, my
+experience was even more unpleasant. Not only would they not give me
+food, but they would not shelter me for the night in any of the houses;
+and many of the fishermen, taking advantage of my wretched condition,
+were impudent to such a point that I thought we should have come to
+blows.
+
+It was getting quite dark, and I was fearfully hungry and exhausted. The
+only course open to me was to push on, and see if I could come across
+some other hut where the owners were not so churlish. As it turned out,
+for the first time since I had been in Hokkaido I had some good luck
+that night!
+
+A few hundred yards from this Japanese village, among the trees, was a
+little wooden shrine. Through the grating of the door I caught sight of
+offerings of cakes and rice which the religious fishermen had deposited
+on the kind of altar, probably to appease the angry gods, and induce
+them to fill the sea with fish again. The door of the shrine, as is
+usual in country places in Japan, was not locked, but a small outside
+bolt was all there was to keep it closed. I had no difficulty in
+entering. The night was a terrible one. The rain was pouring in
+torrents, and having had nothing to eat all day, I felt I had not the
+strength to go another yard. "After all," I said to myself, "the home of
+the gods, Japanese or not, is good enough for me. So is this supper," I
+soliloquized, swallowing now a white cake, now a red one, then a green
+one, till nothing but the empty vessels were left. "Delicious" was my
+last word, when, smacking my lips over the last green cake, I proceeded
+to make myself comfortable for the night. It is needless to add that I
+left very early in the morning, when the first rays of light broke the
+dimness of the night, and I dare say that, for the sake of morality, I
+ought to add that I was sorry for committing the sacrilege; but I was
+not--indeed I was not!
+
+The mountain track continued, rough and steep in many places, and the
+autumn tints on the foliage were lovely, though not as varied as those
+of Northern America. Past Todohotke another volcano, the Esan, stared me
+in the face. Its crater, or rather its craters, for there are several,
+are not on the summit of the mountain, which is well rounded, but nearly
+halfway down its western slopes. Accumulations of very pure sulphur are
+deposited in and around these craters, and a continuous rumbling can be
+heard inside the mountain. The craters eject sulphurous vapours, and
+molten lava bubbles up as if in gigantic caldrons, congealing at the
+mouths of the craters and cracking with the extreme heat.
+
+The coast-line is precipitous and almost impassable round Cape Esan,
+therefore the track leads over the mountain. The altitude of Esan is
+1740 feet above the sea-level, but owing to its rising directly from the
+sea it has the look of a much more lofty mountain. Komagatage, near
+Mori, is 4,011, or more than double the height of Esan, while
+Makkarinupuri volcano, or Shiribeshi Mountain, as others call it, about
+forty-five miles south-west of Sappro, and ten miles north of Toya Lake,
+reaches an altitude of 6,440 feet.
+
+Iwaonobori, which I passed on the north coast in this latter part of my
+journey, is 3,374 feet. Usu, on Volcano Bay, 1868 feet. Tarumai,
+directly south of Sappro, only reaches a height of 2,800 feet.
+
+When this volcanic part of the coast round Esan Cape is passed the track
+becomes easier and flatter. One comes again to the sandy beaches, and
+the coast is lively with numbers of fishermen's huts, and a couple of
+villages like Shirikishinai and Toi. One day's journey on horseback from
+here takes you to Hakodate. The Hakodate Peak can be seen in the
+distance to the west; and only a few more hours, only a few more miles,
+and I should be in civilisation, I should see a few European faces, and
+I should hear English spoken again.
+
+As I approached the sandy isthmus, and the peak grew bigger before me, I
+wondered what had been going on in the world, and what news I should
+receive of my dear ones. I imagined myself already devouring with my
+eyes the hundreds of letters which must have been amassed at Hakodate,
+waiting for me during the many months I had been away. I imagined myself
+half buried in newspapers months old, anxiously reading the news of the
+world. I hurried on my pony, I crossed the sand isthmus--and there I was
+in the lively streets of Hakodate, gazed at by the astonished Japanese,
+who, I believe, were more than a little amazed--perhaps scandalised--at
+my turn-out.
+
+Such as I was, and before I went to the Japanese tea-house, I called at
+the Consulate for my correspondence. Her Britannic Majesty's
+representative, who knew me well enough, was more than thunderstruck
+when I appeared before him in such a strange attire. He was smoking a
+pipe, and he almost let it drop, such was his surprise.
+
+"Who are you?" he feebly exclaimed, looking me all over from head to
+foot. "Surely you are not Landor?" he said when I told him my name.
+
+"I believe I am," I answered, "and I have come to trouble you for my
+letters."
+
+"Oh, none have come; we have none," he said drily.
+
+And now that I was not quite so well dressed as when I had called on my
+arrival at Hakodate from Southern Japan, he seemed anxious to see me off
+the premises as soon as possible, I dare say for fear lest I should
+expire on his doorstep.
+
+"But there _must_ be some letters," I said, as I was sadly leaving.
+
+"No, there are none. Good-bye," he repeated.
+
+The first glimpse of civilisation and of a civilised being was certainly
+not a pleasing one. In a town where there are hardly half-a-dozen
+British subjects, all told, I expected a better reception than one which
+many would not bestow on a beggar to a compatriot in a foreign country.
+Kindness costs nothing, and I was asking no favour.
+
+I left the place disheartened, but feeling that the pompous official had
+made a blunder, unluckily at my expense.
+
+Mr. Henson, in whose house I had left all my luggage, greeted me with
+open arms. He was kindness itself, and very different from the
+gold-collared gentleman of the Consulate. I must say that I felt most
+uncomfortable when, after having opened my trunks, I put on fresh
+clothes and boots; in fact, such was the change from my late airy
+costume that I caught a cold! I had now almost finished my self-imposed
+task. I had made the whole circuit of Yezo, and been up all its largest
+rivers, with the exception of that part of the western coast which lies
+between Barabuta and Hakodate. It would mean only a few more days of
+agony, and for the sake of completing my journey I left Hakodate again
+the next morning at 2 A.M. in a _basha_ for Esashi, on the west coast.
+The distance is fifty-seven miles, and we employed sixteen hours in
+covering it. It was snowing when we crossed the hills, and it was
+fearfully cold. Fortunately, the road is one of the best in Hokkaido.
+Just in front of me sat a poor man piteously ill with _kaki_. His body
+was dreadfully swollen and his limbs were stiff. What the poor man must
+have suffered in being shaken for so many hours is beyond description.
+His lamentations were heartrending. He had come to Hakodate in the hope
+of getting cured, and now he was returning--to use his words--"to die
+near his home." When we reached Esashi he was truly more dead than
+alive. He was senseless, and had to be lifted up bodily and carried into
+the house.
+
+Esashi is a large place, and is one of the oldest towns in Yezo. In
+front lies a small oblong island, with which various wonderful tales of
+treasure are connected. Its harbour is too unsafe, being exposed to all
+winds, and I was told that the sea is always rough except during the
+months of July and August. I believe that this is greatly due to the
+currents.
+
+I went north to Kumaishi and Cape Ota, the most westerly point of Yezo.
+About ten miles west of this cape is the small island of Okushiri,
+peopled mostly by Japanese.
+
+The track is tolerably fair for about twenty-four miles as far as
+Kumaishi. It runs either along the beach or around clay and conglomerate
+rocky points, occasionally over the cliffs and through ravines. North of
+Esashi, along the Assap River, is a good stretch of cultivable land;
+then the thickly-wooded mountainous region begins again towards the
+north.
+
+Kumaishi is said to be the best district for herring fishing along that
+coast.
+
+From Kumaishi to Kudo numerous reefs extend out at sea, and small
+headlands afford a safe anchorage to junks. The track is mostly on a
+rough coast backed by high and well-wooded hills. Striking across the
+mountains, which rise sheer from the sea, we come to Cape Ota, the most
+westerly point of Yezo. From here the coast turns towards the north-east
+as far as Barabuta; but as it was impossible for me to go on horseback
+to that place, though only a few miles distant, I turned back and
+returned to Esashi, then following the coast towards the south to
+Matsumai or Fukuyama, one of the first Japanese settlements established
+in Yezo, and formerly the capital of the island. The coast is rugged and
+picturesque from Esashi to the two villages of Kaminokumi and Shiofuki,
+after which a mountain path leads to Ishisaki.
+
+I found the Japanese on this coast most polite and honest, and more like
+the "old Japanese" than the younger generations.
+
+The cliffs on the south side of the Ishizaki River were resplendent in
+beauty under the brilliant red and yellow light of the setting sun.
+Oshima (or Large Island) could be seen on the horizon in the distant
+south. Five miles further, across a mountain track, I came to Cisango,
+and five more miles beyond that place landed me at Haraguchi, two small
+fishing villages, with houses resting on high posts and against the
+cliffs, somewhat similar to the villages I found previous to my reaching
+the Ishikari River.
+
+After that are eight or ten miles of a monotonous hilly road, where you
+do nothing but ascend and descend one small hill after another, up and
+down a snake-like or a zig-zag path; but when Eramachi is passed the
+track becomes much more interesting, with its peculiar groups of rocks
+of all shapes sticking out of the sea, and the long line of reef over
+which the breakers roll foaming and thundering. From here by the side of
+Oshima, another small island, "Koshima," is seen on the horizon. Going
+south the coast gradually gets more and more picturesque, with its
+pretty little fishing villages hidden among the rocks and sheltered
+under the high cliffs. At Neptka a good road leads over the cliffs to
+Fukuyama.
+
+About a mile before the town is reached, from a high point of vantage on
+the road, is a pretty peep of Benten Island, just off the shore, with an
+old temple on it, and by its side a new lighthouse. On the shore, a few
+yards from the road opposite the island, a large rock is literally
+covered with hundreds of stone images of Amida and different gods, and
+two _Torii_, sacred emblems of Japan, are placed in front of it.
+
+I descended the slope gently and reached Koromatsumai, otherwise called
+Matsumai, or Fukuyama. It is a "dear old spot," the most picturesque of
+all the towns in Hokkaido. It is ancient, for one thing, while other
+places are modern--some villages, indeed, only a year or two old, or
+even less. Thus weather has toned down the light yellow colour of the
+new wood, which is so offensive to the eye in a landscape, and is so
+common in all Japanese villages of Yezo. Besides, Fukuyama has pretty
+temples on the surrounding hills, and prettily-laid-out gardens with
+tiny stone bridges, bronze lanterns, and dwarfed trees. It is more like
+a town of old Japan. It has a three-storied castle with turned-up roofs,
+as one sees on the willow-pattern plates.
+
+The castle, formerly the residence of the Daimio, a feudal prince, is
+now a restaurant. The irregular streets of the town, the narrow lanes,
+the houses blackened by smoke and age, give a certain _cachet_ which is
+peculiar to the place itself. The inhabitants, too, are more
+conservative than the younger colonists, and are quite "in keeping" with
+the place. Unluckily, the town has seen better days! It possesses no
+good harbour, and all its trade, little by little, is being carried
+away by its more fortunate rival, Hakodate. The population of Matsumai
+decreases considerably every year, as the inhabitants leave this
+poetical but dead-alive and decaying spot for the more exciting life to
+be found in newly-opened districts further east or north.
+
+Between Fukuyama and Hakodate, a distance of over sixty miles, the road
+is extremely bad, and there is nothing whatever to see. Shirakami Cape
+is interesting as being the most southern point of Yezo, and from here
+the coast turns slightly towards the north-east.
+
+Fukushima is an old village. The other headlands, and the Cape of
+Yagoshi, have no special features calling for attention. Near the latter
+cape the coast is volcanic, which renders it very rugged in shape and
+warmly tinted in colour. There are many villages along the coast, as
+Yoshioka, Shiriuchi, Kikonai, Idzumizawa, Mohechi, and Kamiiro, and the
+inhabitants seem well off and well-to-do people.
+
+A great quantity of coal and firewood is carried on pony-back from these
+mountains to Hakodate. Rows of ten, twelve, or fifteen ponies one after
+the other, loaded with as much as they can carry, can be seen slowly
+travelling, under the care of one man, down to the principal port of
+Yezo, especially at the beginning of the winter season; and here and
+there stacks of split wood are piled ready for transportation.
+
+Rounding the Hakodate Bay, I was again at the point whence I had first
+started, and happy that, notwithstanding all the ill-luck I had had,
+notwithstanding the strain on my physique, which is not by any means
+herculean, and notwithstanding all the obstacles which had come in my
+way, I had finally succeeded in doing what no European had ever done
+before, namely, in completing the whole circuit of Yezo at one time,
+exploring all its most important rivers and lakes, studying the habits,
+customs, and manners of that strange race of people, the Hairy Ainu, and
+visiting the Kuriles besides.
+
+Many parts which I travelled over had never been trodden by European
+foot, and this made my journey all the more interesting to me. As the
+book stands I have related but the principal adventures which I had
+during my long peregrinations in Hokkaido, most of which are intended to
+illustrate Ainu customs and traits by my own personal experience rather
+than to excite sympathy for my hardships. Really, though the journey
+nearly cost me my life, I have never, in my extensive wanderings,
+enjoyed a trip more than that to Ainuland.
+
+I have touched but slightly, and not more than was absolutely necessary,
+on subjects relating to the Japanese; for this is intended as a work on
+the Ainu.
+
+I was happy yet sorry to be at the end of my journey! This was the 146th
+day since I first left Hakodate, and the distance I had travelled was
+about 4,200 miles, out of which 3,800 were ridden on horseback, or an
+average of twenty-five miles a day. The remaining 400 miles were either
+by steamer or canoe travelling.
+
+From the day I broke the bone in my foot I travelled fifty-eight days,
+mostly on horseback, and the first time it was attended to and properly
+bandaged up was sixty days after it occurred, or two days after my
+arrival in Hakodate, by Mr. Pooley, chief engineer on board the SS.
+_Satsuma Maru_.
+
+Mr. Henson was again extremely kind, and pressed me to leave the
+tea-house and go and stay at his place, and after five months of "hard
+planks" I slept again in a comfortable bed. What a treat it was! What a
+curious sensation to sleep in a bed again, and actually have sheets and
+blankets! But this was not all, for surprise followed surprise.
+
+The pompous Consul, who for the sake of saving himself the trouble of
+looking into his desk, had made my last portion of the journey wretched
+and sorrowful, found that after all he was mistaken, and on the
+breakfast-table in my place I found a packet of about 100 letters and
+newspapers, which the Consul sent to me with a message saying that when
+I called last time he had forgotten who I was, and therefore had
+forgotten to give me my correspondence!
+
+Now that we have travelled round and through the country in every
+direction; now that we have seen where the different tribes of Ainu are,
+I shall attempt to give my readers some insight into the Ainu
+themselves, and their mode of living.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: WOODEN DRINKING VESSELS.]
+
+CHAPTER XX.
+
+Ainu Habitations, Storehouses, Trophies, Furniture--Conservatism.
+
+
+Ainu architecture is by no means elaborate, let alone beautiful; but
+though it is so simple, it is to a certain extent varied, differing
+according to the exigencies of climate and locality. Huts of one
+district vary from those of another not only in small details, but also
+in the whole shape; or if the shape is the same, the materials are
+different.
+
+The principal characteristics of the Volcano Bay and Saru River huts is,
+that they have angular roofs and are thatched with tall reeds and
+arundinaria, while the huts up the Tokachi River are more often covered
+with bark, though in form they are almost identical with those others.
+
+On the Kutcharo Lake, again, the huts are thatched with tall reeds like
+those of Volcano Bay, but the building itself has a totally different
+shape. The roof is semicircular, and each hut is in appearance like the
+half of a cylinder lying on its rectangular base.
+
+On the north-east coast the huts have either roofs similar to the
+Kutcharo ones, or else the angle is very obtuse instead of being sharp,
+as with the Piratori or Volcano Bay huts.
+
+In the Kuriles, at Shikotan, the Ainu have houses exactly similar to
+those at Piratori.
+
+Setting aside the varieties of form, we shall now consider how the huts
+are built. A frame is first made by horizontally lashing at short
+intervals long poles to others at the angles of the roof. Often the roof
+is made first and lifted up bodily on the forked poles on which it
+rests. Then long reeds and arundinaria are collected in sufficient
+quantity to thatch the frame thickly on each side. Other poles or
+rafters are then placed over these reeds, and through them lashed
+tightly to the under frame, thus preventing the thatch from being blown
+or washed away. Care is taken to leave an opening for the door; and the
+small east window--usually the only one in Ainu huts--is cut out
+afterwards by means of a knife. Ainu huts have never more than one
+storey and never more than one room and a small porch. In districts
+where the climate is less severe the porch is often dispensed with. In
+building their habitations the hairy people make no attempt whatever at
+symmetry or beauty; all they aim at is to make themselves a shelter and
+nothing more.
+
+There are no more professional architects than professionals of any
+other kind in the Ainu country. Each man is his own architect, builder,
+and carpenter. He may occasionally receive the help of a neighbour when
+he is building his hut, if all hands in the family are not sufficient to
+carry him through his work.
+
+Each family has its own hut, which is used day and night by all the
+members. If one of the sons gets married he sometimes brings his bride
+to live in his father's hut, or else he goes to live in his bride's hut;
+but as the "hairy mother-in-law" is no better than other
+"mothers-in-law," the end of this arrangement is that generally the
+bridegroom has to build a habitation for himself and his better-half.
+Fortunately for him, he has to pay no ground-rent; nor has he to take a
+lease, nor pay the lawyer for an agreement, nor yet to buy the ground
+nor the materials on which and of which his not too luxurious abode is
+to be built. He chooses the site which is most suitable to him, and
+there he builds his hut as best he can; and no one is any the worse or
+the wiser for it. The "furnishing" is a matter of no consideration with
+the Ainu, as he prefers to live in an "unfurnished house." By
+instalments, however, as he finds his floor becoming rather damp, he
+provides himself with a few rough planks, which afford him comfortable
+sleeping accommodation; and during the winter, when fishing is not
+practicable, and he spends most of his day at home, he roughly carves
+for himself a moustache-lifter (the _Kike-ush-bashui_); a small paddle,
+the _Hera_ (which is used both to stir the wine and as an implement in
+weaving); a pestle and mortar carved out of the trunk of a tree; and, if
+he be a very ambitious person and fond of his wife, he will probably
+make her a weaving loom as well as two or three "water-jugs" if we may
+call them so--vessels made of bark bent into shape, and lashed so
+strongly as to be water-tight, and used for carrying water as needed.
+
+A few wooden bowls, a wooden hook, which is suspended over the fire when
+bear-meat is smoked, occasionally a _Kinna_ (a mat), and a skin or two,
+are all the articles of furniture of Ainu manufacture which an Ainu can
+possess, though few of them possess so many. The Ainu hut has a
+fire-place in the centre, or rather, a fire is lighted in the centre of
+the hut. The fire is lighted with a flint and steel--a method learned
+from the Japanese--or by the friction of two sticks. The more civilised
+Ainu have now adopted matches. A hole in the angle of the roof acts as
+chimney, but unfortunately more in name than in practice.
+
+Chairs, stools, sofas, beds, tables, etc., are all things unknown to the
+Ainu. While inspecting the hut it may be as well to see how the
+weaving-loom, the most complicated article of the Ainu household, is
+made and worked. There is a "yarn beam" (the _Kammakappe_), on which the
+"warp" of unwoven thread is wound and kept separated, and another "roll"
+by which the warp threads in the process of weaving are kept in tension
+between the two gratings. There then is the _Poro-usa_ (the "large
+grating"), through the intervals of which the warp threads pass, and the
+_Usa_, a similar but smaller grating placed on the other side of the
+roll.
+
+[Illustration: THE KAMMAKAPPE.]
+
+[Illustration: PORO-USA, OR "LARGE GRATING."]
+
+[Illustration: THE USA.]
+
+[Illustration: STICKS.]
+
+The cloth is wound round a stick which rests on the lap of the weaver,
+and is kept in tension by means of her wrists; and at the same time the
+_Ahunkanitte_ (the "shuttle"), is passed between the two sets of warp
+threads carrying the transverse thread, or "woof," from one side of the
+cloth to the other and back again. This is then beaten up by means of a
+long shuttle like a netting mesh, which first draws the weft into its
+place, and is then used to beat it up. In some ways this form of loom is
+similar to that of India. The "netting mesh" is called _Atzis-Hera_.
+Finally, the _Pekoatnit_ is a bi-forked instrument for separating the
+threads.
+
+[Illustration: THE AHUNKANITTE.]
+
+[Illustration: THE PEKOATNIT.]
+
+It is needless to say that with this primitive and homemade loom it
+takes a very long time to weave a very short piece of cloth; but as time
+is not money with Ainu women, and patience is one of their virtues, it
+answers their purpose, and they wish for nothing better.
+
+[Illustration: ATZIS-CLOTH IN PROCESS OF WEAVING.]
+
+The thread used for manufacturing the cloth is made of the inner fibre
+of the _Ulmus campestris_ bark. At the beginning of the spring the elm
+bark is peeled off the trees and is put in water to soak and soften
+until the inner fibres can be separated, made into threads, and wound up
+round reeds. The material woven from these threads is very coarse and
+brittle, except in wet weather or when soaked in water, in which case
+clothes made of it cannot be worn out.
+
+The weaving is usually plain, but sometimes a simple pattern of black
+parallel lines is woven in with the material. The natural colour of the
+elm-fibre thread is dark yellow, and the black lines are composed of the
+same thread stained.
+
+The other contrivance in Ainu huts which strikes one as being simple
+but clever is the hook suspended over the fire. The rope is passed over
+a rafter. One end of it is fastened to the hook, the other, as shown in
+the illustration, to a piece of wood through which the hook has
+previously been passed.
+
+[Illustration: ROASTING HOOK.]
+
+Mat-making is closely allied to weaving, and is worked entirely on the
+same principle, but without the aid of any kind of machinery. The
+bulrushes are crossed and woven coarsely, and plaited flat. One of these
+mats is used in Ainu huts as a door--"the _Apa Otki_." A smaller one is
+hung over or by the window.
+
+Naturally, Ainu huts are somewhat draughty. The imperfectness of the
+door and window-fittings, the large outlet for the smoke, besides the
+wind which finds its way through the thatched walls, make Ainu dwellings
+"ideal" to anyone wishing to "catch his death of cold." The Ainu do not
+much mind it.
+
+The roof is low, and from it hang the winter provisions of dried salmon
+captured during the autumn. This gives an additional odour to the
+already strong scent of the hut--an "ancient fish-like smell," not
+redolent of the perfumes of Arabia. The smoke inside the hut is so dense
+when there happens to be a fire burning that one's eyes stream with
+involuntary tears, and one is nearly choked. When the days are short in
+winter the Ainu sometimes light their dwellings with a stick to which is
+fastened a piece of animal fat. It is hung up aloft, and when the lower
+end is lighted the fat slowly melting serves to feed the flame and keep
+this primitive lamp alight. Another mode of illumination is by firing a
+lighted piece of birch bark on a stick previously split at the upper
+end. The third way is by filling a large shell with fish-oil and burning
+in it a few strings of elm-fibre. None of these methods come much into
+use for everyday life, as, unlike the negroes, the Ainu are not fond of
+sitting up at night, except on extraordinary occasions; and when by
+chance they do sit up it is by the light of the fire only.
+
+If a stranger stops for the night in an Ainu hut, he is made to sleep
+directly under the east window; but the family take good care to sleep
+all together on the north side, which is the most distant point from
+the door and the window. Occasional callers are received on the side
+nearest to the door.
+
+The few Ainu who possess mats on which they sit during the day hang them
+up at night round the hut, probably to protect themselves from the
+liberal ventilation, which even those who are used to it find trying
+when a gale is blowing or the thermometer is very low.
+
+There is no particular spot inside the hut set apart for meals, and the
+refuse is either thrown into a corner of the hut or flung outside the
+door and left there. It is difficult to say whether the inside or the
+outside of an Ainu hut is the dirtier. Heaps of stinking refuse are
+accumulated round the dwellings, and in summer-time these heaps are
+alive with vermin--mosquitoes, flies, _abu_, and black-flies. It is
+quite sufficient to move a step from the door to see a cloud of these
+noxious insects rise, and each one of them will have a bite at you.
+
+Inside the house you are no better off. _Taikki_ (fleas) are
+innumerable, and of all sizes, not to mention other well-known but
+usually anonymous enemies of the human skin.
+
+The first night I slept in an Ainu hut, though I was provided with
+insecticide powder, I was literally covered with bites. With my fondness
+for statistics I proceeded to count them, and only from my ankle to my
+knee I counted as many as 220. The rest of my body and my head were
+covered in the same proportion, but I gave up the attempt to ascertain
+the exact number--the task was too overwhelming. My skin, however, got
+so inflamed by these bites as to produce fever, which lasted two or
+three days. After that time I never again suffered to such an extent,
+perhaps owing to the fact that no free spot was left to attack, or may
+be from that curious process called acclimatisation.
+
+The Ainu huts are built entirely above ground, and are used alike in
+winter and summer.
+
+In olden times the hut was always destroyed at the death of its owner,
+or when abandoned; but in the former case the custom is seldom practised
+now, and in the latter they are merely left to decay.
+
+It is singular that migrating Ainu, coming across an uninhabited hut,
+never live in it, but build a new one for themselves.
+
+The Kurilsky Ainu until quite recently destroyed their huts when
+migrating from one island to another. They also burnt the huts of
+deceased persons. It is needless to say that the Ainu have no churches,
+no hotels, no hospitals, and no public buildings of any kind. The huts
+in villages are a little way from one another, and each hut has directly
+in front a separate storehouse, built on piles or posts so as not to be
+accessible to wolves, dogs, or rats. These are small structures, the
+architecture of which has the local characteristics of the habitations,
+with the exception that they are invariably on piles, while the
+habitations are on the ground. Clothes, furs, mats, and winter
+provisions of sea-weed are kept in these storehouses, and access to them
+is by means of a peculiar ladder. It is a mere log of wood, six or seven
+feet in length, pointed at one end, and with five or six incisions,
+which serve as steps, and remind me of the steps cut by an ice-axe in a
+glacier or on frozen snow. Natives go up and down these ladders with
+ease, even when carrying heavy weights on their heads; and good care is
+always taken to remove the ladder when leaving the storehouse. Women
+principally look after these storehouses, and seem to have the whole
+care and control of them. I have often seen an Ainu girl--for a
+storehouse could hardly hold more than one--sitting on the tiny door
+working at her lord and master's _Atzis_ robe. Hour after hour I have
+seen her sitting there, working patiently till the sun has set and the
+darkness has come. Her materials were then stowed away; the mat at the
+door was let down; the ladder descended and kicked away; and sadly
+singing in her soft falsetto voice, she retired into the dirt and dark
+of her habitation.
+
+The storehouses stand about six feet above the level of the ground, and
+are generally on four, six, or eight piles. Upon each pile is placed a
+large square piece of wood turned downwards at the sides, so as not to
+be accessible to rats and mice. Upon these square pieces of wood rest
+horizontally four rafters, forming a quadrangle about eight feet square.
+The small storehouse has as a base this quadrangle, and is seldom high
+enough to allow of an adult to stand inside.
+
+Storehouses are thatched like all other houses. On the upper Tokachi,
+however, they are covered with the bark of trees.
+
+Next in connection with Ainu habitations comes the skull-trophy at the
+east end of the hut. This is on a parallel line to the hut wall, and
+only a few yards away from it, and is made of a number of bi-forked
+poles, upon which are placed the skulls of the bears, wolves, and foxes
+killed by the owner of the hut. The Ainu is proud of this trophy, and if
+the number of bear skulls is very large, he commands a certain amount of
+respect from his hairy brethren. There is nothing that Ainu admire more
+than courage, and there is nothing in the world that an Ainu desires
+more than to be thought brave. When he has gained this character a man
+becomes in a certain way the "lion" of the village. He embellishes his
+trophy with a _Nusa_ and _Inaos_ (willow wands with overhanging
+shavings--_see_ Chapter on Superstitions), and he always looks on it as
+an evidence of his manly glory. Besides this, many Ainu possess one or
+two live bears kept in cages. Bear hunters often secure one or more
+cubs, which they bring home and allow to live in the hut like one of the
+family or an Irishman's pig. These cubs are nursed along with and in the
+same manner as the children, and Ainu say that women often put them to
+the breast and suckle them like their own infants. Whether this is true
+or not I cannot say; but though I have never seen it, and therefore
+cannot vouch for it, it is not unlike Ainu women to do such a thing.
+
+When the new-comers grow big and powerful enough to be dangerous, the
+men make a rough cage with logs of timber, placing them one over the
+other in a quadrangular shape, and lashing them strongly together. The
+bear is driven into the cage, which is then roofed over; and after a
+couple of years of confinement, during which it is fattened, poor Bruin
+is killed for a bear festival. In the lower part of the cage there is a
+small wooden tray by which food is served to the captive.
+
+[Illustration: THE APE-KILAI, OR EARTH-RAKE, AS USED BY PIRATORI AINU.]
+
+On the north-east coast of Yezo I have also seen smaller cages, in which
+foxes, eagles, or other animals are kept; and I always noticed the care
+which Ainu took to feed up the imprisoned animals. That "charity begins
+at home" is true even among the hairy people; for if they are kind to
+animals it is only for the sake of making a good meal of them on the
+first occasion that presents itself.
+
+It may be as well to state that the Ainu have never been known to make
+pottery. What they have of the kind is imported and sold to or exchanged
+with them by the Japanese. If I were an Irishman I should say that real
+Ainu pottery is made of wood. Nevertheless, large shells are often used
+by them as drinking vessels where wooden bowls are not obtainable. It is
+a common occurrence in Ainu households that one bowl is used by several
+individuals, and a more common occurrence still that none of the bowls
+are ever washed or cleaned after having been used.
+
+[Illustration: MORTAR.]
+
+[Illustration: PESTLE.]
+
+The small Ainu porch which stands frequently at the entrance of Ainu
+huts answers the purpose of a stackhouse, and in it is stored the
+firewood used in the house. The wooden mortar and the long pestle are
+kept in a corner under the porch. In the more civilised parts of Yezo
+these pestles and mortars are general, as the natives use them for
+pounding millet.
+
+[Illustration: BONE SPOON.]
+
+[Illustration: WOODEN SPOONS AS USED BY THE MORE CIVILISED AINU.]
+
+[Illustration: PESTLE AND MORTAR USED FOR POUNDING SALMON.]
+
+The pure Ainu live principally on animal food--fish and meat--sea-weed,
+and some kinds of roots and herbs, which they find on the mountains.
+Metallurgy is utterly unknown to the Ainu. Until of late years they
+possessed nothing made of metal. Their arrows had bamboo or bone heads;
+tin or iron cooking utensils they had none; and the blades of their
+knives were and are of Japanese origin. Some of these blades are very
+old, and were acquired by the Ainu in the battles which they fought
+against the Japanese; others have been got by barter-metal exchanged for
+skins of animals.
+
+Furthermore, save the weaving-loom, the Ainu possess no machinery of
+their own make. This too, as we have seen, is but a very rude and simple
+kind of machine. The application of wind or water power to economise
+human labour is in no way known to them; thus they have no windlasses,
+no pumps, no bellows, no windmills, no waterwheels; neither have they
+any signs of the rudest form of machinery moved by manual power which
+they have imagined and made for themselves. Furthermore, they are very
+loth to accept those mechanical means of economising labour which are
+employed by their neighbours the Japanese.
+
+The Ainu are very conservative, little as they may have to preserve.
+They show a great dislike to change or reform their habits and customs,
+or to improve themselves in any way. Worse they could certainly not be.
+They have no ancestral attachment which makes them unwilling to discard
+their rude practices for more civilised ways; but, acting according to
+their instincts, and not by their intelligence, they preserve customs
+which seem inconvenient and unpractical to us, which habit has rendered
+familiar and pleasant to them.
+
+Various natives in other parts of the world show signs of an earlier
+state of civilisation, but the Ainu do not. They have never had a past
+civilisation, they are not civilised now, and what is more, they will
+never be civilised. Civilisation kills them. As a hog delights in filth,
+so the Ainu can only live in dirt, neglect, and savagery of personal
+habits. They are made that way, and they cannot help it. They are
+excluded from progress by an impassable barrier. They have many miseries
+in their life, but no greater misery could befall an Ainu than to be
+forced to lead a civilised existence. Even after they have been educated
+in Japanese schools, when they return home, in a short time they forget
+all they have learned, and discard their acquired civilisation for the
+old, free, untrammelled mountain life; the wild habits of the woods and
+sea-shore; the nakedness of summer and the stifling squalor of the one
+small dingy hut in winter; the uncombed hair and matted beard; the
+putrid flesh of salmon, and the vile compound they revel in till they
+get gloriously drunk and bestial.
+
+[Illustration: AINU PIPE-HOLDER AND TOBACCO POUCH, AS USED BY THE MORE
+CIVILISED AINU.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU KNIFE, WITH ORNAMENTED SHEATH.]
+
+CHAPTER XXI.
+
+Ainu Art, Ainu Marks, Ornamentations, Weapons--Graves and Tattoos.
+
+
+The expression of ideas by graphic signs is utterly unknown to the Ainu.
+They have no alphabet, and furthermore, they have no methods whatever of
+writing. Hence the utter incapacity of the hairy people to record
+events, time, or circumstances in their history; for even the system of
+picture-writing is not known to them.
+
+Thus they have neither graven records nor any form of visible history;
+and tradition transmitted from mouth to mouth is all they have by way of
+historic continuity. The nearest approach made to graphic signs is in
+the owner's marks, which we occasionally find on some of their
+implements. The moustache-lifter is the article on which this mark is
+most commonly found. What these marks are meant to represent I do not
+know for certain; but I believe that Fig. 1 is supposed to convey the
+idea of a house, and Fig. 2 that of a boat; Fig. 3 a bear cage, and 4
+the mere result of fancy. Even these marks are only rarely found, and
+have probably been suggested by Japanese writing.
+
+The illustration shows the four specimens which I found carved on
+moustache-lifters.
+
+[Illustration: 1 2 3 4]
+
+Closely allied with writing is, of course, map-drawing and
+ornamentations. Map drawing can be dismissed at once, like that famous
+chapter on snakes in Iceland, as the Ainu know nothing of it.
+
+Rough ornamentations on bone and wooden implements are their only
+artistic efforts. Truthful representations of figures and animals are
+seldom attempted,[37] but conventionalised symbols, suggested by and
+based on certain forms of animal or vegetable life, are occasionally
+used for ornamentation.
+
+    [37] The only attempt at animal representation is the small
+         bear-head in chiefs' crowns.
+
+The Ainu have no rock-sculptures, and can neither paint nor draw in any
+form; what they have are mere simple wood-carvings. But only a few have
+any aptitude for even this crude work, though of course they are not all
+alike. As with us we have people who are artistic and people who are
+Philistine, so with the Ainu, in that very humble degree which is to
+Western art what an acorn is to an oak.
+
+Like all early work, Ainu art--if we may call it so--aims at a certain
+uniformity, especially in leaf-portraiture, so as to produce a somewhat
+symmetrical pattern; for at all times geometry has been the mother of
+design.
+
+An Ainu does not go for his models direct to Nature, neither does he
+servilely copy his neighbour's work; but he gets his ideas indirectly
+from both these sources, and through inability to copy accurately,
+negligence in close study, and some amount of native imagination
+combined, varies the design which he has seen to such an extent as to
+make it in a sense original. The talent shown by different men in the
+art of carving varies considerably, even in men of the same tribe; while
+certain tribes show both aptitude and fondness for these ornamentations,
+whereas others have little of either.
+
+It is the Ainu of the upper Ishikari River who chiefly excel in these
+carved ornamentations. The knife represented in the illustration comes
+from Kamikawa, and was carved with the point of a knife by the chief of
+the Ainu there. It took the man many months to accomplish, and it is by
+far the best specimen of Ainu workmanship that I saw in Yezo, though the
+ornamentations on it are not purely Ainu in character.
+
+This man was a genius as compared to other Ainu, and his ideas of form
+and precision were considerably more developed than in most of his race.
+He has ornamented the sheath with conventionalised symbols, which were
+apparently suggested to him by leaves and branches of trees; and the
+suggestion of a flower can be noticed in the upper part of the handle.
+A suggestion of fish-scales has been used by him to fill up small open
+spaces; others he filled up with parallel lines. The sheath is made of
+two parts, to allow the carver to cut the space for the blade inside;
+but these two parts are well fitted together, and kept fast by six rings
+of neatly-cut bark fastened on while fresh, so that by shrinking the two
+sides of the sheath are brought close together, and are as if made of
+one single piece.
+
+The side view of the same knife shows the clever contrivance for
+fastening it on to the girdle without removing the latter from around
+the body. This knife may be ranked among the _chefs d'[oe]uvre_ of Ainu
+art.
+
+[Illustration: SIDE VIEW.]
+
+The principal characteristics of the more usual ornamentations are
+interesting to study.
+
+[Illustration: KIKE-USH-BASHUI, OR MOUSTACHE-LIFTERS.]
+
+Art of course is only the personification, so to speak, the expression
+of the mind, character, and knowledge of the artist; thus, in Ainu
+ornamentations we have patterns which could be nothing but Ainu, taken
+collectively, yet which show distinctly the temperament of each
+individual. For instance, taking the moustache-lifters (Figs. 1, 2, 4 in
+the illustration). Fig. 1, with its roundish, undecided, lines, was
+carved by a man weak in physique and _morale_; Fig. 2, which is much
+simpler and with more decided lines, was the work of a quiet but strong
+and proud man; and Fig. 4, with its coarse incisions, was the outcome of
+a brutal mind.
+
+Ainu designs, though slightly varied by each individual, are principally
+formed of simple geometrical patterns; then of coils and scrolls; and,
+rarest of all, because the highest attainment of all, of
+conventionalised representations of animal or vegetable forms. Of the
+representations from animal forms the fish-scale is the only one adopted
+by the Ainu, but suggestions of leaves may not infrequently be found in
+these designs. Some of these are long and narrow; others are short and
+stumpy.
+
+[Illustration: SUGGESTIONS OF LEAVES.]
+
+The above are, to my mind, the models which the Ainu have chiefly taken
+for their leaf patterns, following nature at a long distance indeed!
+
+[Illustration: ROPE-PATTERN AND SIMPLE BANDS.]
+
+Beside these, and much more common, are the rope-pattern and the simple
+bands. Often the rope-pattern has bands above and below, especially in
+drinking vessels.
+
+Triangles filled with lines parallel to one of the sides are frequently
+met with in moustache-lifters, and occasionally the annexed patterns are
+found: but as a rule the Ainu are not fond of merely straight single
+lines except for "filling" purposes. These patterns are mostly used on
+their graves. In articles of every-day use they prefer curves as a
+foundation of their ornamentations. The lozenge pattern, especially one
+lozenge inside the other, is a favourite among their geometrical
+designs; also contiguous and detached circles, chevrons, double
+chevrons, and triple chevrons. The chevrons are mainly used by them on
+their graves, and they are invariably enclosed between two or four
+lines.
+
+[Illustration: TRIANGLES.]
+
+[Illustration: CHEVRONS.]
+
+The two following patterns are elaborations of the foregoing, but are
+much more uncommon.
+
+[Illustration: ELABORATIONS OF CHEVRONS.]
+
+The parallel incised lines and parallel lines crossing each other at
+right angles are met with again and again in Ainu patterns. More common
+still is the occurrence of a number of parallel lines meeting
+perpendicularly another lot of parallel lines without crossing them.
+
+[Illustration: A COMMON PATTERN.]
+
+Parallel lines have a fascination for the Ainu, as we find them in most
+of their designs.
+
+Concentric circles are not often met with, neither is the plain or loop
+coil often found, owing to the difficulty of execution; but the wave
+pattern and double wave are typical Ainu patterns; also the reversed
+wave.
+
+[Illustration: WAVE PATTERNS.]
+
+From these may have been derived the other two, the last of which is a
+mere double reversed coil.
+
+[Illustration: REVERSED COIL.]
+
+Triangular marks are occasionally "put in" by the Ainu in some of their
+more complicated designs, and finally we find that, though rarely, they
+sometimes attempt a kind of fret.
+
+Other strange forms of lines which are thoroughly characteristic of the
+Ainu are the following.
+
+[Illustration: FRETS.]
+
+[Illustration: OTHER CHARACTERISTIC DESIGNS.]
+
+I never came across any Ainu wood-carvings that were coloured, but in
+bone-carvings--which, I must add, are very rare--black is used to assist
+shade, and bring out the higher lights by contrast. The Ainu have no
+idea of tones, semi-tones, or gradations; the contrast is merely between
+the strong black and strong white. Enamelling is not known by them.
+
+The objects which bear these incised ornamentations, beside the sheaths
+and handles of their knives and swords and their moustache-lifters, as
+has been shown, are the _Tchutti_, or war-clubs; the _Hera_, or
+netting-mesh used in weaving; drinking-vessels, quivers, pipes and
+tobacco-boxes, the thread-reeds, cloth-hangers, and graves.
+
+[Illustration: TCHUTTI, OR WAR-CLUBS.]
+
+The modern Ainu are not a warlike people, therefore many of the weapons
+which were used in former days for defence and offence are rarely found
+now. For instance, the old war-clubs are not used by the present
+generation. These clubs were long and heavy, and were carried on the
+wrist by a piece of rope passed through a hole at the upper end. Some
+were plain and straight, others were curved towards the end to make them
+heavier. Now and again some carved all over are found. Pieces of leather
+or rope were often knotted round the heavier part to make the blow more
+severe. In some of the very old clubs a stone was inlaid to add to the
+weight and consequent efficiency of the weapon. These clubs are from two
+to two and a half feet in length, and are made of hard wood.
+
+[Illustration: TROUGH IN WHICH RESIN IS KEPT FOR FIXING ARROW-POINTS.]
+
+Ainu bows are simple, and not very powerful. They are about fifty inches
+in length, and made of only one piece of yew. The arrows, which are
+poisoned, are of bamboo or bone. The poison is extracted from aconite
+roots mixed with other ingredients. It is somewhat greasy owing to
+certain fatty matters which it contains, and is smeared into the cavity
+in the arrow-point, which has previously been treated with pine-tree gum
+to fix the poison. The arrow-point is barbed, and so fashioned that when
+the shaft is drawn from the wound this poisoned point remains.
+
+[Illustration: POISONED ARROWS.]
+
+The illustration gives two different kinds of poisoned arrows. In Figs.
+2 and 3, the black part in the point shows the cavity filled with
+poison. Fig. 2 shows how the arrow-head is separated from the reed, and
+how when the arrow is drawn from the flesh the poisoned point remains
+inside the wound.
+
+The arrows, when in war or hunting, are kept in a quiver, and a small
+_Inao_ is hung to it to bring good luck to the owner.
+
+Spears and harpoons of one barb are common, and some of the poisoned
+spears have heads similar to the arrows but of a larger size. Spears are
+out of date now, but harpoons are still employed in fishing.
+
+Knives are the weapons on which a modern Ainu most relies. Some of these
+knives are of such length that they might pass for swords. The blade is
+single-edged, and is protected by a wooden sheath. Nearly every man
+possesses one, which he carries in his girdle when dressed; when naked,
+he carries it in his hand. The illustration shows knives of different
+sizes, and with different patterns worked on them. From an artistic
+point of view the sheaths of knives are the most carefully wrought over,
+and ornamented to a greater extent than any other article of Ainu
+manufacture.
+
+[Illustration: AINU KNIVES.]
+
+Then come the graves. The Ainu are very jealous of these places of
+eternal rest, and good care is taken to hide them either in the midst of
+a forest, on a distant and almost inaccessible hill, or in some remote
+spot, difficult to find or reach.
+
+[Illustration: WOODEN MONUMENTS OVER MEN'S GRAVES.]
+
+[Illustration: MONUMENTS FOR WOMEN.]
+
+Each village has its own semi-secret graveyard, in which all its dead
+are buried. Occasionally, when the site of a graveyard has become known
+to others than these local Ainu, the place is deserted, and a fresh
+place of sepulture is chosen. The manner of burial is as follows. The
+body, wrapped up in a _Kinna_ (mat), is fastened to a long pole and
+carried to the grave by two men. All the villagers follow, each carrying
+some article which was owned by the deceased. A grave is dug, wide and
+long enough to hold the body laid flat. In it are placed the bow and
+arrows with their quiver, the knife--from which, for the sake of
+economy, the blade has been previously removed--and the drinking-vessel
+which belonged to the deceased, if he were a man. Women are usually
+buried with some beads, earrings, and furs. All these articles, carried
+by the mourners, are broken before they are laid in the grave with the
+corpse; a few boards are then placed over the body, and earth is thrown
+over these till the ground is level again.
+
+The grave is generally so shallow that the body is only a few inches
+underground--sometimes not more than four inches. The body lies flat on
+its back. Close to its head is erected a monument. For men it is the
+trunk of a tree, about six feet in length, from which the bark has been
+peeled off, and whereon certain ornamentations are cut. A short branch
+is left on one side. The top of the tree-trunk and the end of the branch
+are cut either in the shape of a lozenge, a hexagon, or a semicircle;
+and a hole is made through it. At the branch end, the cloth-earrings or
+the head-gear of the deceased are hung and left to decay.
+
+[Illustration: WOODEN BLADE.]
+
+Women have simpler graves; they are flat instead of round, and are cut
+into the shape of a canoe-paddle. The chief of a village has a more
+elaborate tomb than others if he has been liked by the villagers. At
+Raishats, on the Ishikari River, I saw a really imposing monument put
+over the grave of the chief who had recently died. It was of very large
+size, and well carved--in the same patterns as those shown in the
+illustration. Its chief peculiarity was that the body, instead of being
+covered by earth, was covered by what appeared to be a canoe or
+"dug-out" turned upside down, the bottom of which had been laboriously
+carved. On each of the two sides, at the head and foot of the grave, was
+stuck into the ground a wooden blade twenty-one inches in length,
+resembling in shape the blade of a sword. Each of these four blades was
+carved alike, and had a strange design resembling the number 88. Whether
+a meaning is attached by the Ainu to this design I cannot say, and the
+curious circumstance, as my readers will remember, through which I came
+into possession of one of these blades, did not permit me to ask many
+questions on the subject. I often wondered whether it meant that life
+begins, goes its way round, and ends where it began? It is more likely,
+though, that no meaning whatever is attached to those lines, for such
+deep thoughts would hardly harmonise with the Ainu philosophy--such as
+it is. The Ainu do not stop to mourn or pray or trouble themselves about
+a grave when the body is once buried. Those who have touched the body
+wash their hands in a tub of water which has been brought for the
+purpose; afterwards the water is thrown over the grave and the tub is
+smashed. The Ainu seldom visit their graveyards except when some one has
+to be buried. They hate their dead to be disturbed, and nothing makes
+them more angry than to know that a stranger has been near their
+burial-ground. When a man is dead they try to forget all about him and
+his doings, in which they generally succeed to perfection. This
+naturally is not conducive to anything like continuity in the history of
+the country, and may partly account for their having none. Moreover,
+none of the tombs bear the name or the mark of the person to whom it was
+erected. Tombs of children are of similar shape to those of adults, only
+smaller in size. When carrying the dead--or, as we should say, going to
+a funeral--the Ainu put on their best clothes, and when the burial is
+over they all get helplessly drunk to make up for the loss of the
+departed friend.
+
+To leave this somewhat grim subject and to return to every-day art, it
+may be well to mention that the designs for embroideries differ in no
+way from the wood-carvings. They are often more accurately finished,
+owing to the greater facility of materials, but the lines and all the
+characteristics of the patterns are the same. In the tattoos the lozenge
+pattern and bands are the two more commonly used. The Egyptian cross is
+sometimes met with([Illustration: egyptian cross]), and also a kind of
+reversed _fylfot_, or _svastika_. Moreover, the St. Andrew's cross with
+an additional line is not uncommon(X|). In the present volume this is
+all I have to say on Ainu art. I may, however, add that their
+ornamentations could not be more primitive, but their frequency on
+weapons, clothing, implements, and graves shows us that art, though not
+understood by the Ainu, has a certain fascination, which, in their
+ignorance, they cannot explain. They know art without knowing what art
+means. Certain lines and simple designs which are familiar to them
+appeal to their taste, else they would not ornament all their articles
+with them. But this does not show any great intellectual activity, for
+beyond that point the Ainu brain cannot go. As art in its natural state
+is merely the pictorial outcome of what the brain has grasped, we have
+in these crude beginnings another strong proof that the brain-power of
+the Ainu is indeed very limited, and their inability to represent animal
+form seems extraordinary in view of what other savages have done; but of
+course superstition may have something to say to the omission. The Ainu
+rank very low in the scale of civilisation; they are probably below the
+Australian blacks and the tree-dwellers of India, who are supposed to be
+among the lowest races in creation. The Terra del Fuegians and certain
+African tribes run them hard; but, taken all in all, the Ainu are the
+furthest behind in the great race of human development.
+
+[Illustration: AN AINU PIPE.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXII.
+
+Ainu Heads, and their Physiognomy.
+
+
+The faces of the Ainu are far from ugly, and their heads are singularly
+picturesque, though of course there are the finer types as there are the
+meaner; by which we come to gradation and comparison. The general idea
+that all Ainu are hideous has arisen from the accounts of the few who
+have travelled in the more civilised parts of Yezo, and have seen and
+studied only a limited number of half-breeds and actual Japanese,
+mistaking them for Ainu. In one of the last publications on the Ainu,
+photographs of Japanese and half-breeds are given as typical specimens
+of the Ainu race; and one or two real Ainu are given as phenomena and
+exceptions. That the Ainu are disgustingly filthy is undoubted; that in
+many ways they are monkey-like is certain; but also that on a close
+examination many are not devoid of good features is undeniable. As
+regards looks, it is a great mistake to compare savages with ourselves,
+and to judge of them from our own standpoint. This is no more fair than
+to compare a thoroughbred fox-terrier with a thoroughbred poodle-dog, to
+the disadvantage of the one or the other. Passing off half-breeds as
+pure types of course makes things ten times worse, and complicates
+matters for those who care for accuracy, and are interested in
+anthropological researches.
+
+Ainu physiognomy is an interesting study. When seen full-face the
+forehead is narrow, and sharply sloped backward. The cheek-bones are
+prominent, and the nose is hooked, slightly flattened, and broad, with
+wide, strong nostrils. The mouth is generally large, with thick, firm
+lips, and the underlip well developed. The space from the nose to the
+mouth is extremely long, while the chin, which is rather round, is
+comparatively short and not very prominent. Thus the face has the shape
+of a short oval. The profile is concave and the mouth and eyebrows are
+prominent, though of course the nose projects more than the lips, yet
+without being too markedly projecting. The chin and forehead recede, as
+has been said, and in the supraorbital region the central boss is
+extremely well marked; also the brow ridges, which, however, are
+slightly less conspicuous than the central boss. The ears are usually
+large, flat, and simply-developed, with long lobes; but unfortunately,
+owing to the heavy weight of their enormous earrings this part of their
+ears is generally much deformed. Sometimes I have seen children with a
+hole in their lobes large enough for me to pass my finger through; with
+others, where the skin was not so elastic, the lobes were torn right
+through and the two sides hung down. In older people one does not see
+this so much, as their long hair entirely covers their ears. The average
+length of a man's ear is two and three-quarter inches; of a woman's, two
+and a half inches.
+
+People have classified the Ainu as Mongolians, notwithstanding that they
+possess no characteristics whatsoever of the Mongolian races.
+
+The colour of their skin is light reddish-brown, and not yellow and
+sallow, like that of Mongolians; they are very hairy, and the Mongolians
+are smooth-skinned; the features of the one race are diametrically
+opposed to those of the other; the mouth is strong and firm in the Ainu
+and weak in the Mongolian; and the Ainu eyes, the strongest
+characteristic of Mongolian races, do not slant upwards, nor are they
+long and almond-shaped, as with the Chinese or the Japanese, but with
+their long axes are in one horizontal plane, as in most Europeans.
+Indeed, the Ainu have a much greater resemblance to the northmen of
+Europe in their prehistoric stage than to any modern races, and least of
+all to the Mongolians.
+
+But let us examine the eye more carefully. The iris is light brown,
+sometimes tending towards dark grey. One seldom sees black or very dark
+brown eyes save in half-breeds; and they are deeply set, as with
+Europeans. The eyelids are no thicker than those of Caucasian races,
+though they droop, as is common among people exposed to the full glare
+of the sun. The broad ridges being very heavy and prominent, cover part
+of the upper eyelid over the outer angle of the opening. The eyelashes
+are extremely long, and the eyebrows are shaggy and bushy. The eyes are
+full of animal-like expression and emotional warmth, a thing very rare
+with their neighbours the Japanese or Chinese. The long eyelashes
+shading the large eyes and rendering them soft, together with their
+pathetic and slow way of talking, make men and women singularly
+interesting. Like most animals, the Ainu can "speak" with their eyes.
+
+The hair in Ainu adults is for the most part black, wavy, and easily
+breaking into large curls. Among children, however, one sees brown
+shades, which darken with years, until the hair turns quite black. Along
+the north-east coast of Yezo I came across several Ainu adults who had
+reddish hair and beard; and in the Kurile Islands, at Shikotan, several
+of the children had light auburn hair hanging in large loose curls and
+rather flaxy in texture, while the hair of adults was even darker than
+that of the Yezo Ainu.
+
+The hair, which is coarse and strong, is uniformly and thickly planted
+over the whole scalp, and reaches well down over the forehead, where, as
+my readers will remember, a space is cut out or shaved off. It grows
+long in men as in women, but when it exceeds ten or twelve inches it is
+generally trimmed in the shape of a half-circle at the back of the head,
+and is cut off level with the shoulders at the sides. The men have a
+luxuriant beard, whiskers, and moustache, which grow to a great length.
+The hair of the beard often begins directly under the eyes, and covers
+all the lower part of the face. Many of the natives also have a few
+short coarse hairs on the nose (especially noticeable in natives of the
+north-east coast of Yezo). The beard, whiskers, and moustache begin to
+grow in the Ainu when they are fairly young. A man at about twenty can
+grow a good beard, and at thirty his beard is very long. Ainu women,
+whom nature has not provided with such a luxuriant growth of hair on the
+lower part of the face, make up for it by having a long moustache
+tattooed on the upper and lower lip, which in their idea makes them
+look "very manly" (_see_ Tattoos). Baldness is not common among
+thoroughbred Ainu, even at a very old age, when, however, they generally
+turn grey and then white, which gives a patriarchal appearance to the
+hairy people.
+
+The Ainu face seldom undergoes the marked changes common to civilised
+nations, as they are not subject to large emotions; but different
+expressions are as easily discernible by anyone who really knows and has
+studied the natives, as the different expressions in the eyes of animals
+by one who is familiar with them. When the Ainu is pleased he seldom
+wrinkles his face and draws back his mouth at the corners, as we do, but
+he shows it by a peculiar sparkle in the eyes and by an almost
+imperceptible wrinkle in his eyelids, which contract and diminish the
+opening. The corners of the mouth turn slightly upwards. The smile is an
+accentuation of this expression, with the additional lowering of the
+eyebrows, especially in the middle near the nose, causing the forehead
+to wrinkle.
+
+Laughter Ainu know not. During my long stay among them I never once saw
+a _real_ Ainu laugh heartily, for the hero of the dab of blue paint
+laughed less than he roared with pleasure; and I do not remember even
+direct crosses doing so; hence travellers have reported the Ainu to be
+"dull," "sad," "expressionless."
+
+Certainly, the first thing that strikes one on coming in contact with
+them is, how depressed they look, and how, even in their work, their
+games, their festivals, sadness is greater than joy. In fact, the Ainu,
+with their sentimental nature, enjoy sadness.
+
+Astonishment and surprise are expressed by a perplexed look in the
+wide-opened eyes, by raising the eyebrows, and by the contraction of the
+mouth. The hands are not raised nor directed towards the object or
+person causing astonishment; but if the arms be hanging down, the
+fingers are widely separated. With the Ainu sorrowful emotions are more
+marked than the more pleasing, the more joyous. Thus, when in low
+spirits the head is bent forwards, the eyes are staring and drooping,
+and the mouth is drawn downwards. In greater grief howling is added to
+these signs. Ainu men occasionally indulge in quiet tears without
+sobbing, but women weep copiously at the death of their children when
+these are young.
+
+When an Ainu stands very erect, with one hand in the other in front,
+and, turning his head on either shoulder, throws it back and looks down
+at you with expressionless eyes, in the meanwhile raising his eyebrows,
+you may be sure that he means to show contempt. If, however, his eyes
+are restless and his lips quiver, if the eyebrows are rapidly brought
+down over the eyelids, while he opens his eyes wide showing the whole of
+the iris; if the nostrils are inflated and he breathes heavily; if the
+head is thrown forward and he is slowly arching, and, as the French say,
+"making a round back," you may be certain that he is in a very bad
+temper, and means to go for you, if he sees his way to it.
+
+When obstinate, the pose of the arms and legs is similar to that by
+which he wishes to show contempt, but the expression of the face is
+absolutely stolid, the eyes are firm and frigid, meaning in that way to
+impress you with the certainty that, come what may, he will not move
+from his decision.
+
+When actively angry, the Ainu sneer and snarl at one another, frowning
+ferociously, and showing all their front teeth, but specially uncovering
+their fangs or dog teeth; the arms are stretched out, but always with
+the fist open--if no knife or other weapon be held in the hand. Shame
+and disgust are two expressions which one does not often see on Ainu
+faces. The former I cannot describe, for I never saw an Ainu who was
+ashamed of anything he had done; the latter is manifested by an upward
+movement of the corners of the lips, and a curling of the nose, with a
+sudden expiration almost like a snort.
+
+Shyness, which is the nearest approach to shame, is shown by women when
+meeting a stranger, and gives them a submissive look. They bend their
+heads and look down until the first emotion has passed, when they gaze
+at the new-comer with a certain restlessness and curiosity, again, as in
+so many of their gestures and ways, reminding one of monkeys. I never
+found any shyness whatever in Ainu men; neither could I detect in them
+any signs of fear for objects, animals, or powers with which they were
+familiar. Things which they do not understand of course frighten them,
+like eclipses of the sun or moon, or as my revolver did when I was
+attacked by them at Horobets; and also when I appeared as a black-winged
+rider on the north-east coast. In the latter case, unfortunately, I was
+too far off to see their faces clearly, and in the former, after the
+attack they showed more sensible submission to the inevitable than true
+cowardice. What I chiefly saw then was here and there a face with
+wide-open, undecided eyes heavily frowning; while some of the others
+shrugged their shoulders and closed their eyes, waiting for the loud
+report of the revolver, which unpleasant noise, heard before from
+Japanese guns, always gives a shock to their nerves.
+
+When an Ainu wishes to show that something cannot be done, or that he
+cannot prevent someone else from doing it, he neither shrugs his
+shoulders like a Frenchman, nor shakes his head laterally like an
+Englishman; nor does he throw out his hands like a Neapolitan, but,
+quietly standing erect, and with his head slightly bent forward, he
+gently lifts it up, and slowly winking his eyes, says that he cannot do
+it.
+
+When children are sulky or displeased they frown and protrude their
+lips, making a nasal noise similar to this--"Ohim"--without any of the
+vowels clearly pronounced.
+
+Our way of nodding the head vertically in sign of affirmation and
+shaking it laterally in negation is not known to the thoroughbred race.
+Those, either Ainu or half-castes, who practise it have learned it from
+the Japanese. The right hand is generally used in negation, passing it
+from right to left and back in front of the chest; and both hands are
+gracefully brought up to the chest and prettily waved downwards--palms
+upwards--in sign of affirmation. In other words, their affirmation is a
+simpler form of their salute, just the same as with us the nodding of
+the head is similarly used both ways.
+
+It is quite enough to look at an Ainu's eyes to see at once whether he
+consents or not, just as it is quite enough to look at a monkey's face
+to know if it will accept the apple you offer it. Slyness and jealousy
+are well marked in the Ainu face, and the former is seen in the
+glittering, restless eyes, the latter in the sulky glance and protruding
+mouth. Slyness is a very common characteristic among Ainu men; jealousy
+is recognised and frequent in women.
+
+I could give a large number of other characteristic expressions, of less
+ethnological importance, but in the present work I shall limit myself to
+the principal ones which I have attempted to describe, leaving out
+altogether "expressions" of half-castes, so as to avoid confusion.
+
+I must beg my reader's forgiveness for the "dryness" of the imperfect
+description I have given of the Ainu physiognomy, as many will agree
+with me that it is a great deal easier to notice unfamiliar expressions
+on faces than to describe them accurately in so many words.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU MAN WALKING WITH SNOW-SHOES.]
+
+CHAPTER XXIII.
+
+Movements and Attitudes.
+
+
+The Ainu people may be called physically strong, but yet they are not to
+be compared to the Caucasian races. They are fairly good walkers,
+capable mountaineers, and deft marksmen, but they do not excel in any of
+these exercises, either by speed and endurance in the former two, or by
+special accuracy and long-range in the latter.
+
+In the Ainu country most of the hard work is done by the women, who thus
+surpass the men in both endurance and muscular strength. Ainu men are
+indolent, save under excitement. They will cover a long distance--say
+forty miles--in one day, bear-hunting, and not suffer from great
+fatigue, while they will not be able to walk half that distance under
+less exciting conditions. The average distance which an Ainu can walk in
+one day on a fairly level track does not exceed twenty-five miles at the
+rate of two and a half miles an hour. The distance he can run would not
+go beyond ten English miles, and this is partly from want of training,
+as he never runs if he can help it. If, however, the walk of twenty-five
+miles, or the run of ten miles, had to be kept up for several days in
+succession at the same pace, few Ainu could manage to hold out for more
+than three days at most; while a walking average of fifteen miles and a
+running average of six miles each day could be kept up for a week. In
+walking and running women are as good as men in one day's distances;
+but, contrary to what they are in manual labour, they lack endurance in
+locomotion, and break down after the second or third day. Men regard
+running as unbecoming after childhood. "If we must go quick, why not go
+on horseback?" says the practical Ainu, who is as perfect a horseman as
+the Indian.
+
+When riding, he is able to cover a distance of fifty-five miles easily
+in one day on a good pony, and about seventy miles if he changes his
+quadruped four times. Both men and women ride in the same fashion,
+astride, and nearly always on bareback, or with simply a bear-skin
+thrown over the horse. Pack-saddles are only used when carrying wood,
+fish, sea-weed, or other heavy articles; and though the Japanese of Yezo
+designate these by the name of _Ainu kurah_ (Ainu saddles), they are
+only in reality rough imitations of their own pack-saddles. Though women
+do ride on occasions, it is the men who are the true equestrians. From
+their infancy they spend a great deal of their time on horseback, while
+women ride only when obliged. Being, therefore, accustomed from their
+earliest days to ride pretty nearly from morning to night, men can stand
+many days of hard riding, and are not so easily exhausted as by walking
+or running. The Ainu are good at horse-racing, as we have seen at the
+Piratori festival, but foot-racing, even when the distance was short,
+gave but poor results.
+
+Weights and burdens are carried entirely by women, and they carry them
+either on the head, if the load be not too heavy, or on the back by
+means of a _Thiaske Tarra_, or simply _Tarra_, a long ribbon-like band
+tied round the bundle, leaving a loop which goes over the forehead, thus
+dividing the weight between the shoulders and the forehead. When
+carrying a weight with the _Tarra_ the woman stoops, and the greater the
+weight the lower the head has to be. The strain on the forehead and
+muscles of the neck is greatly modified by bending the body more or
+less; the weight increasing on the shoulders in proportion as the pull
+decreases from the forehead. The advantage of this contrivance is that
+it leaves both hands free. Very heavy loads can be carried by average
+women with this simple contrivance, and its common use may account for
+the strong and well-developed necks noticeable among them, but not among
+the men. Children are carried on the back of other children by means of
+a modified _Tarra_ that has a stick about twenty inches long, the two
+ends of which are fastened to the two ends of the band. The child
+carried sits comfortably on this stick while the centre part of the
+_Tarra_ rests on the head of the child-carrier. This centre part is
+generally lined with a piece of skin or cloth, and ornamented with a few
+simple Ainu designs. A weight which cannot be lifted with both hands is
+easily borne for a long distance by the aid of the _Tarra_; and I should
+think that with it a strong woman could carry on her back a load, say,
+of from eighty to ninety pounds. It is difficult to institute
+comparative tests of strength, as constant practice, without counting
+"knack," often enables a person to perform feats which baffle a much
+stronger man. Taken altogether, the Ainu strength is relative to their
+height; but they are somewhat below the average Caucasian races both in
+endurance, and yet more in speed and muscular power.
+
+[Illustration: THE THIASKE-TARRA, FOR CARRYING CHILDREN.]
+
+When actively employed, the Ainu can abstain from food for fourteen or
+sixteen hours; when quiescent for about twenty. They can go without
+drink (when it is not alcoholic) for ten or twelve hours without feeling
+inconvenience. A pebble is often sucked, or a straw is chewed when fluid
+is not obtainable, thus causing a flow of saliva, which to a certain
+extent quenches their thirst. However, the reason given by the Ainu is
+not this. According to them, certain stones and some kinds of grass
+contain a great amount of water.
+
+More interesting to me than their physical characteristics were their
+movements and attitudes, which I was able to study and note correctly
+without their observation. For instance when Ainu try to move some heavy
+object they pull it towards them. Thus, when they drag their "dug-outs"
+and canoes on shore, and again when they launch them, they never push
+from them, but always pull towards them. If an Ainu has to break a stick
+planted in the ground he does it by pulling it; whereas a Japanese will
+push it. Again, in pulling a rope the Ainu pull; the Japanese push by
+placing the rope over one shoulder and walking in the direction wanted.
+In a crowd where a Japanese would push his way through by extending his
+arms and thus separating people, the Ainu seizes a man on each side,
+pulling one to the right and the other to the left till space for him to
+pass is made.
+
+As muscles are only strengthened by exercise, it is not astonishing that
+we never find well-developed arms among the hairy people, who so seldom
+make vigorous use of them. Children are as fond of climbing trees as the
+average English boy; and sometimes this is done in our way, by putting
+the legs and arms round the trunk and gradually "swarming" up; but with
+trees of a small diameter the ways of monkeys are adopted. The arms are
+stretched, and one hand is placed on each side of the tree. Both feet
+are then pushed against the trunk, keeping the leg slightly bent, but
+stiff. One hand goes rapidly over the other, one foot above the other,
+and so on; and the more rapid the movement the easier the climb, if care
+be taken to plant the feet firmly so as not to slip. Ainu boys are
+dexterous at this; but I have never seen full-grown men attempt it,
+though I am sure they could if they chose. Elderly people are very
+sedate in Ainuland, and violent movements are generally avoided.
+
+Where the Ainu are indeed great is at making grimaces. The Ainu resemble
+monkeys in many ways, but in this special accomplishment they beat
+monkeys hollow. It would take volumes to describe all the different
+grimaces which I saw them make, especially at myself while I was
+sketching them; but one or two of their "favourites" may prove worth
+describing.
+
+One Ainu at Shari, on the north-east coast, excelled in moving his
+scalp, and by raising his eyebrows at the same time creased the skin of
+his forehead to such an extent as to make his eyebrows almost meet his
+hair. The nostrils were expanded and the upper lip was raised so as to
+show the teeth firmly closed. The same man was also good at moving his
+ears. Others preferred to put out their tongue, emitting at the same
+time a harsh sound from the throat.
+
+Although many Ainu could not voluntarily move their scalp they often did
+so unaware. When eating, especially if a piece of food required some
+effort to swallow, the neck was outstretched, the mouth closed tight,
+the eyebrows raised high, and the scalp brought far forward over the
+forehead. In masticating, the ears would sometimes move involuntarily,
+as with dogs or monkeys.
+
+The Ainu are also good at rapid "winking," first with one eye, then the
+other, each eye playing at an inexpressibly funny kind of bo-peep. _En
+revanche_, they make no great use of their hands, and it is not uncommon
+for them to use their feet to assist their hands. Indeed, their toes are
+supplementary fingers, and they often hold things between the big toe
+and the next, as when making nets or _Inaos_ (wooden wands with
+overhanging shavings). When making nets, the string is firmly held by
+the big toe bent over; when shaping _Inaos_ the lower point of the wand
+is passed between the two toes, which keep it fast while the long
+shavings are cut.
+
+When women wind the thread made of the _Ulmus campestris_ fibre, they
+often let it run between the two larger toes while they wind it on a
+spool or a reed. Then, again, the toes are often used to pick up small
+objects out of the reach of the hands, and also to scratch the lower
+extremities. The two middle fingers of the hand and the three smaller
+toes of the foot are seldom used by the Ainu, and are somewhat inert.
+The little finger is slightly more active. Whenever Ainu point at
+anything they habitually do so with the open hand, for they have a
+certain difficulty in using any finger separately. This difficulty is
+not so great with the first finger; but where a European would use only
+his thumb and first finger, an Ainu uses all four fingers and his thumb
+as well, as in carrying food to his mouth, picking up small objects,
+lifting a cup, pulling his own hair, scratching his ears, &c. That the
+Ainu have more muscular power in the head than either in the hands or
+feet when violent exertion is required is certain, as I had frequent
+proof when requiring natives to make my baggage fast with ropes to my
+pack-saddle. Where a European would have done this by passing the ropes
+round the baggage and pulling them fast to the saddle, the Ainu set his
+foot (generally the right) against the baggage and pulled the ropes with
+his teeth. By this method he used one-third more force than he would had
+he done his work with his hands. Though the Ainu are very supple about
+the body, they are nevertheless stiffer than we are about the knees and
+hands, which last peculiarity prevents them from learning any kind of
+sleight-of-hand. They are supple because of the singular flexibility of
+their spine and the "looseness" of their arms about their shoulders.
+When resting or tired, the shoulders droop so far forward as to prove
+that the muscular tension which we constantly exert to have "square
+shoulders" is foreign to the hairy people. The Ainu are deficient in
+biceps, and such an arm as a blacksmith's or athlete's, which is not
+uncommon among ourselves, is in Ainuland a thing unknown. Their muscles
+have not the firmness of those of civilised men. Want of use entails
+loss of power in the muscular system, and that, unfortunately, produces
+further results in paralysis, _kaki_, and rheumatism. In the legs the
+_tendo Achillis_, which often assumes such enormous proportions with us,
+is only moderately developed with them, though it is generally larger
+than the biceps, owing to the habit of walking and riding.
+Notwithstanding this, the centre of muscular power, as we have seen, is
+undoubtedly in the head, as with inferior animals; and the Ainu are
+fully aware of this, for if not why should they carry all weights on the
+head or by the help of the head? Why should they use their teeth instead
+of their hands when an extra powerful pull is required? And why should
+they _push_ with their heads when pulling with their teeth is not
+practicable?
+
+Having examined the different movements of the Ainu, let us now take
+some account of their attitudes. What struck me most was the
+unconscious ease with which they stood, sat, and slept, no matter in
+what circumstances.
+
+It may be well to repeat here that the Ainu are not burdened, as we are,
+with articles of furniture and a code of manners which so greatly modify
+our attitudes and make us conscious of all we do. Moreover, we wear
+crippling boots and nonsensical garments, which, besides not being
+ornamental, more or less alter and deform different parts of our body,
+considerably restrict certain attitudes, and greatly stiffen some of our
+limbs; as, for example, the exaggerated smallness of waist in women.
+
+It is remarkable what a close resemblance the hairy people bear to the
+prehistoric man as constructed by _savants_ out of skulls and
+skeletons--a resemblance found, I believe, in no other race of savages.
+
+Take an Ainu standing at ease; he carries his head straight, but without
+stretching his neck, so that if a horizontal line were passed through
+the _meatus auditorius_ it would cut the face directly under the eyes.
+If another line were drawn perpendicular to the horizontal, we should
+find that the front of the face is not on the same plane with the
+forehead, but projects considerably beyond in its lower part. In
+thoroughbred Ainu the head is well posed on the cervical vertebrae, and
+seldom shows an inclination from back to front, from right to left, or
+_vice versa_; but in half-castes an inclination forward, and also
+slightly from the left to the right, is a marked characteristic.
+
+The body when standing still is a trifle inclined forward, but when
+walking the inclination is greatly increased.
+
+The body is well balanced, and this inclination is partly due to the
+head being abnormally large for the body; also to the habit of keeping
+the knees slightly bent either when standing still or when in motion.
+
+The women, through carrying heavy weights on the head, are straighter
+than men when standing as well as when walking without a burden. Their
+spinal column describes a gentle curve inwards, while with men it has a
+slight tendency outwards. When an Ainu is standing at rest his arms hang
+by his side, the palms of the hands are turned inwards with a small
+inclination towards the front. But a pose which is even more
+characteristic than this is when both hands are placed in front, the
+fingers of the right hand overlapping those of the left. When sitting
+this is their invariable attitude, but in walking the arms hang by the
+side, and no swing is given to them to help the motion. In running, the
+arms are bent, and sometimes the hands are kept half opened about the
+level of the shoulders.
+
+The Ainu legs, notwithstanding their greater muscular power than that of
+the arms, are neither stout nor well-developed--but they are wiry. The
+hips are narrow, and the legs are slightly curved.
+
+The gait is energetic but not fast, each step being flat, with the foot
+firmly planted on the ground. When in motion the feet are perfectly
+straight, and move parallel to each other, and at each step the heel and
+toes touch the ground at the same time--an undeniable proof that the
+body is well balanced when they walk.
+
+The Ainu walk mostly unshod, and the average length of the step in men
+is twenty-six inches (from heel of left to tip of right foot), and in
+women about twenty inches. The average number of steps to the minute is
+ninety-two in men and ninety-eight in women. Where the Ainu is seen at
+his best is when he is riding bareback. He sits so firmly that animal
+and rider seem to be only one body. The knees are slightly bent, and the
+legs and feet hang so that the toes are a great deal lower than the
+heels, and are also turned in. No voluntary muscular contraction is
+affected on the muscles of the legs; for if the knees are bent this is
+because of the shape of the horse's body, and if the rider "sticks" on
+his steed it is merely by the counterbalance of the dead weight of his
+two legs. The body of the rider is quite erect when riding gently, but
+on increasing speed the body is thrown backwards, the legs remaining in
+the same position. The single rein is held in the right hand resting on
+the horse's mane, and the left arm habitually hangs or rests on the
+rider's leg. When feeding in his hut, the Ainu sits cross-legged, but in
+places where he can lean against something, or out in the open, he
+squats, bearing his weight on both feet, but with the legs bent to such
+an extent that his head is on a level with his knees. Often his arms are
+rested on the knees themselves, and food is passed with the hands to
+the mouth, to be then torn by the teeth. No forks, spoons, or chopsticks
+are used by the thoroughbred Ainu; but Japanese influence has induced
+some of the more civilised specimens of Volcano Bay and Piratori to give
+up partly the use of mother Nature's forks and take to the _Hashi_
+(chopsticks), also to adopt some ugly tin spoons as the sign of their
+adherence to civilisation. Lastly, when asleep the Ainu generally lie
+flat on the back. Sleeping on the right side and resting the head on the
+bent elbow is also a common posture; and when sleeping for a short
+period of time during the day I have often seen men still sitting, bring
+up their legs, cross their arms on their knees, and then rest the head
+on the arms; thus placidly having a "nap" without waking up with a stiff
+neck, stiff legs, and "pins and needles" in their arms, which would be
+the sure result if the average European tried that mode of repose.
+
+Most Ainu have no bedding of any kind, and most of them sleep on hard
+rough planks or on the ground itself. Some of the people, however, sleep
+on bear-skins in winter, as it keeps them warm, and the colder the night
+the closer all the members of the family pack together to warm each
+other with their natural heat. A strange peculiarity, when Ainu are
+asleep, lying flat on their back, is, that instead of keeping both legs
+fully stretched out, one, or sometimes both, are raised and bent, with
+the sole of the foot planted on the ground. This peculiarity is chiefly
+noticeable in men, and I have observed it many times, especially in old
+people. The reason of it is this. The Ainu having no pillow, the head
+has to be turned so far back to rest on the ground itself that action at
+the other end of the body is necessary to counterbalance the strain on
+the spine. I came to this conclusion by being often placed in the same
+circumstances as the hairy people themselves, when I found that lying
+flat on my back on the hard unpillowed ground, if the legs were
+straightened only a small portion of the spine between the shoulders was
+supported, but by raising the legs the whole spinal column rested on the
+level surface.
+
+As we have now seen the Ainu asleep in a "comfortable attitude," we
+shall leave them for the present, and I shall take my readers to examine
+their clothes, their ornaments, and their tattoos.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: THE ATZIS.]
+
+[Illustration: ATZIS, AFTER JAPANESE PATTERN.]
+
+CHAPTER XXIV.
+
+Ainu Clothes, Ornaments, and Tattooing.
+
+
+[Illustration: WINTER BEAR-SKIN COAT.]
+
+The Ainu men generally go naked in summer time, but in some parts of
+Yezo civilisation has forced them to adopt cheap Japanese clothes. It
+must not be supposed from this that the real Ainu never wear any clothes
+at all, for indeed on grand occasions they dress gaudily enough, but
+always in a rude, elementary kind of way. For winter use they sew
+together the skins of either bear or deer, fox or wolf, making a kind of
+sleeveless jacket, which protects the chest, the shoulders, and the
+back. Another kind of fur garment of deer-skin is longer and has
+sleeves, is large at the shoulders, and very narrow at the wrist, as a
+still further protection against the cold. This deer-skin coat is mostly
+worn by women as an under-garment. Besides these fur garments for winter
+weather, they wear the _atzis_, a long reddish-yellow wrapper, made of
+the woven fibre of the _Ulmus campestris_. It has sleeves similar to the
+deer-skin coat, only these sleeves are a great deal wider.
+
+[Illustration: BACK OF ATZIS.]
+
+On the southern coast some of the civilised tribes have either adopted
+Japanese _kimonos_ altogether, or make their _atzis_ after the same
+pattern, to ingratiate themselves with their masters, on the principle
+of imitation being the sincerest flattery, and perhaps also because they
+come cheaper in the end. The _atzis_ reaches below the knees, and is
+folded round the body. It is kept in position by a girdle or belt of the
+same material, or of bear or sea-lion skin. This _atzis_ is ornamented
+with embroidery both back and front, round the sleeves, round the neck,
+and all round the border, or, as we should say, hem. The embroideries
+are done in Japanese coloured cottons and threads. The colours are
+invariably red, blue, and white, on a background of this yellow _Ulmus
+campestris_ cloth. They have the same characteristic patterns, and are
+identical with the ornaments on knife-sheaths, drinking-bowls,
+moustache-lifters, &c., as the readers will find in the chapter on the
+"Arts of the Ainu." Men and women wear _atzis_ of the same shape, only
+those of the women are longer than those of the men, and reach nearly to
+the feet. Moreover, the patterns which are embroidered on the men's
+dresses are not considered suitable for the women's, and _vice versa_.
+Women--who, by the way, do all these embroideries--have to content
+themselves with the simplest patterns devisable--a mere thin line of
+blue stitches; but they give to the men a more elaborate ornament. They
+first sew on heavy bands of material, which then they embroider in
+highly complicated patterns, thus giving a much heavier and handsomer
+appearance to the male _atzis_. In winter the sleeveless fur jacket is
+sewn over the _atzis_, and, as has been said, women wear the deer-skin
+gown as an under-garment. Ainu embroideries vary considerably, not only
+in different tribes and different villages, but also in each family,
+according to the talent and patience possessed by the embroidress. It
+takes an affectionate wife a year or longer to ornament the elm-bark
+dress of her beloved husband, and in the case of a chief's robe the work
+never comes to an end, as additions are constantly made. Children have
+an extremely simple embroidery, when any, round the sleeves and hem of
+the _atzis_, but never any, simple or elaborate, either on the back or
+front.
+
+I have often seen women working patiently hour after hour while sitting
+on the tiny door of their storehouses; and the result of their labour
+would be half an inch of coarse stitching, which for them was a great
+work of art. Most Ainu now possess needles of Japanese manufacture, but
+in former days they had only bone needles, and instead of fine well-dyed
+Japanese thread were obliged to be content with the fibre of the elm
+tree dyed black. The ornamentations on the _atzis_ of Ainu who have no
+Japanese needles are necessarily a great deal coarser and simpler than
+those which are done with steel needles and cotton threads. The
+essential characteristics are the same in both. In sewing together skins
+for winter garments fish-bone needles are often used up to this day.
+
+These embroidered clothes, when new, are only worn on grand occasions,
+as at a bear festival, or when paying a visit to a neighbouring village.
+A few rags constitute the usual every-day costume, and no difference is
+made between the in-door and the out-of-door clothing. In fact, most
+Ainu sleep in their clothes, such as they are.
+
+[Illustration: THE "HOSHI."]
+
+One article of dress which is worn by all alike, young and old, male or
+female, is the _hoshi_, or leggings. Like their gowns, these are
+sometimes made of the inner fibre of the elm-tree bark and sometimes of
+rushes and reeds plaited as in the ordinary rush matting. When of
+elm-tree bark, they are often embroidered in the upper part, as can be
+seen in the illustration. They are fastened just under the knee by means
+of the two upper strings, then wrapped tightly round the leg and bound
+round the ankle with the lower and longer ribbon. The Ainu go barefooted
+in the summer, but during the winter months, when the cold is too severe
+for this, they cover their feet with mocassins and long boots made of
+salmon-skin, and often of deer-skin. When the Ainu goes for a long
+journey or a hunt, during which he has to traverse rough ground, he
+generally protects his skin boots--the soles of which would soon be
+destroyed by the sharp stones and ice--by slipping over them a pair of
+thick rope sandals, which protect the sides, the back, the toes, and
+sole of the foot. If to this inventory be added a head-gear consisting
+of a band wound round the head, and an occasional apron, the whole of
+the Ainu wardrobe is catalogued. This band, which is worn principally by
+women, is untied and removed when saluting or meeting a man, whether on
+the road or in the woods. A Japanese towel often takes the place of the
+native manufacture. I am inclined to think that this custom of covering
+the head has been acquired from the Japanese, as none of the Ainu of the
+Upper Tokachi--the only pure ones remaining--wore anything in the shape
+of band or kerchief, while it is extremely common with the Ainu of
+Volcano Bay and Piratori to wear these unbecoming towels. At Piratori
+the Ainu women give a more artistic character to this ugly headgear by
+embroidering it in front and wearing it like a tiara. An apron is
+occasionally worn by Ainu, but this too, in my opinion, has been
+borrowed from the Japanese. Ainu clothes often get undone, owing to
+their shape, and therefore Ainu men sometimes wear these aprons, but
+rather because they are made to wear them than from native modesty or
+inclination to be commonly decent. I have seen Ainu on the north-east
+coast of Yezo and on Lake Kutcharo wear coarse hats of matted rushes.
+When laid flat, these hats have a diameter of about thirty inches; but
+when worn, they are folded in two, and kept in this position by a string
+tied under the chin and passed through the hat. They are used
+principally in winter as a protection against the snow. The Ainu care
+more to adorn than to clothe themselves. A few glass beads, a metal
+earring, a silver coin, or anything that shines, can make a man or a
+woman as happy as a king. Intoxicants come first of all things, but
+after them there is nothing in this world that Ainu cherish more than
+personal ornaments, and this is, of course, even truer of women than of
+men. What strikes a stranger when looking at an Ainu for the first time
+is, as I have already said, the size of their metal earrings and heavy
+glass necklaces. As the Ainu cannot work in metals or make glass, these
+ornaments have been purchased from Japanese, Chinese, and Corean
+adventurers, and many costly skins of bears, foxes, wolves, or seals are
+gaily bartered for a few beads, worth next to nothing. The Ainu is fond
+of metals, but he does not know the difference between one and the
+other. All that glitters is gold for him; and if it is not gold then it
+must be silver. Therefore some Ainu are known to have invested all their
+fortune of valuable furs for a pair of brass earrings, and, what is
+more, they have never grudged the bargain! Previous to the importation
+of these worthless articles their ornaments were made of wood, bone, and
+shells, of which "survivals" are still to be seen with the Ainu of the
+Upper Tokachi.
+
+[Illustration: BOOTS TO BE SOAKED IN WATER SO AS TO TAKE SHAPE OF FOOT,
+AND TO BE KEPT UP WITH A STRING.]
+
+[Illustration: DEER-SKIN SHOE.]
+
+[Illustration: THE TARRA OR HEAD-BAND.]
+
+The large circular earrings are much prized: men and women alike wear
+them. Many men, however, do not wear these metal earrings, but prefer
+instead a long strip of red or black cloth, or skin.
+
+The lobes of the ears are frequently torn down by wearing these heavy
+earrings from early childhood, and they know not how to mend them by
+sewing them. Another hole is sometimes bored in the upper and sound
+part.
+
+Ainu women of civilised districts occasionally wear metal finger-rings,
+but these are of course of foreign make, and imported.
+
+Ainu _menokos_ (girls) seem to have no partiality for bracelets or
+amulets, but necklaces are the dream of their life. The delight of an
+Ainu woman in a new necklace is in proportion to the size and number of
+the beads. A woman who possesses one of extra large beads is envied by
+all her less fortunate neighbours; and she who has several strings is at
+once admired and hated by all the womankind of the village. For, indeed,
+Ainu women are "human" enough to know how to hate each other! The beads
+which most take their fancy are the blue, black, white, or metal ones.
+The larger beads in the necklace are in front; and the rough wooden
+pendants with bits of bone, metal, or broken beads inlaid in it, which
+hang to the necklace, rest on the breast. Large Japanese sword-hilts are
+often used as pendants by the Volcano Bay natives.
+
+The Ainu of the Upper Tokachi region had none of these beads, but a
+rough wooden pendant was suspended round their neck by a leather string.
+
+Girdles are worn by men and women for two purposes--first, to keep their
+clothes together; next, to support the large knives which the Ainu
+always carry with them.
+
+The Ishikari Ainu who lived formerly in Sakhalin wear leather belts, and
+the women wear besides a peculiar cloth headgear. Both these articles
+are ornamented with drops of melted lead and Chinese cash sewn on to the
+cloth.
+
+These are all the articles of clothing and ornament which are in common
+use among the Ainu. None of them are worn as symbols of rank, or to
+denote virginity. No Ainu can explain why he or she wears one thing more
+than another, except for the reason that he or she likes it. There are
+no Ainu laws as regards clothing, and with the exception of the "chief,"
+who on special occasions dresses more gaudily, and wears a crown made
+either of willow-tree shavings or dried sea-weed, with a small
+carved-wood bear head in front, they all dress pretty much alike. A
+chief could not be distinguished from a commoner by his everyday
+clothing.
+
+Speaking of personal ornamentation, I may as well describe the way in
+which the hair is dressed, and also the tattoo-marks.
+
+Little care is taken of the long hair, which reaches down to the
+shoulders. It is never washed, nor brushed, nor combed. At the back it
+is cut in a semicircle round the neck. Over the forehead the men shave a
+small part of the long hair, which, falling over their eyes, is
+uncomfortable to them; but women do not. Until lately this shaving was
+done with sharp shells, and wives shaved their husbands. The process was
+said to be rather painful, and the thoughtful women have now adopted
+knives for that purpose, to the great delight of the stronger sex. The
+part shaved is in the shape of a lozenge two and a half inches by two
+inches respectively from angle to angle. This open space causes the hair
+to part in two different directions and hang down in large wavy curls.
+The fingers are occasionally passed through it, and then with the palms
+of the hands it is plastered down on both sides.
+
+A characteristic Ainu method of making the morning "toilette" is to bend
+the head low and let the long hair fall over the forehead. The two hands
+are then placed under it on the temples, and suddenly and violently the
+head is shaken and thrown back, the hair being pressed down by the hands
+at the same time. If the first attempt at neatness is not approved of,
+the process is repeated two or more times. I must confess that
+personally I could seldom see any marked difference between a head of
+hair "dressed" and one "not dressed"; but it must be remembered that the
+Ainu have no looking-glasses, and what they think is right is of course
+right for them.
+
+Formerly, when an old woman lost her husband she had her head entirely
+shaved, and when the hair had grown long again she repeated the process
+as a proof of fidelity and affection to her deceased spouse. It is very
+rarely done now. She used to wear a sort of cap, with an aperture at the
+top, round the crown of the head during the time that her hair was
+short; and it was incumbent on the widow to wear a look of sorrow and
+pain till her hair grew long again.
+
+The Ainu men have long beards and moustaches, which are never trimmed,
+with the exception of the Kurilsky Ainu, who trim theirs. The beard
+begins to grow when they are very young, but it is shaved till they
+reach manhood. It is then left to grow naturally, and never touched
+again as long as they live. Ainu women, whom nature has not favoured
+with such a manly ornament, supplement their deficiency by having a long
+moustache tattooed on their lips. Their hands and arms are also
+tattooed.
+
+The tattooing among the Ainu is limited to the fair sex, and it is
+confined to the head and arms. Why and when the fashion was adopted is
+not known, and the semi-Ainu legends on the subject are very vague. One
+legend says that when the Ainu conquered Yezo, which was then inhabited
+by a race of dwarfs--"the Koro-pok-kuru"--some Koro-pok-kuru women came
+to the Ainu camp to beg food from them, and they did so by passing their
+arms through the reed walls of the Ainu huts. One day an Ainu clutched
+one of these arms and pulled it in, when a tattooed pattern on the tiny
+arm was greatly admired by the hairy conquerors, who adopted the
+practice from that day.
+
+A simpler reason is that the women, not being so hairy as the men, are
+humiliated by their inferiority in that respect, and try to make up for
+it by tattooing themselves. In support of this theory may be quoted the
+fact that women are only tattooed in parts which are left uncovered when
+clad in their long _atzis_ gowns.
+
+The Ainu process of tattooing is a painful one. The tattoo marks are
+usually done with the point of a knife; not with tattooing needles, as
+by the Japanese. Many incisions are cut nearly parallel to each other.
+These are then filled with cuttlefish-black. Sometimes smoke-black mixed
+with the blood from the incisions is used instead. On the lips the
+operation is so painful that it has to be done by instalments. It is
+begun with a small semicircle on the upper lip when the girl is only two
+or three years of age, and a few incisions are added every year till she
+is married, the moustache then reaching nearly to the ears, where at its
+completion it ends in a point. Both lips are surrounded by it; but not
+all women are thus marked. Some have no more than a semicircular tattoo
+on the upper lip; others have an additional semicircle under the lower
+lip; and many get tired of the painful process when the tattoo is hardly
+large enough to surround their lips. The father of the girl is generally
+the operator, but occasionally it is the mother who "decorates" the lips
+and arms of her female offspring. Besides this tattooed moustache, a
+horizontal line joins the eyebrows, and another line, parallel to it,
+runs across the forehead. The tattoo could not be of a coarser kind. A
+rough geometrical drawing adorns the arms and hands of women, the
+pattern of one arm being often different from that of the other.
+Frequently only one arm is tattooed. I never saw tattoos that went
+further than the elbow, neither did I see any other part of the body
+tattooed. The four specimens given in the illustration show the patterns
+most usual in different tribes, though each individual has some slight
+variations.
+
+Fig. 1 was copied by me from the arm of a woman at Frishikobets
+(Tokachi River); Figs. 2 and 3 are the two arms of Kawata Tera, a girl
+of Tobuts (north-east coast of Yezo); and Fig. 4 is the left arm of a
+girl at Piratori.
+
+[Illustration: TATTOO-MARKS ON WOMEN'S ARMS.]
+
+It will be noticed that in the regions where the Ainu have come in
+contact with Japanese, rings are tattooed round the fingers, while the
+Tokachi Ainu women have none. In the two arms of Kawata Tera (Figs. 2
+and 3) the dissimilarity of the two patterns is very marked at first
+sight, but on a close examination it is easy to perceive that the
+operator meant to carry out the same pattern on the right arm as on the
+left; only through his incapacity to reproduce correctly his former
+lines, or for other reasons, he got muddled up in the design, and left
+his work unfinished. If all the lines in the upper half of Fig. 3 were
+continued, the design would be very similar to Fig. 2.
+
+Tattooing is considered an ornament, besides, as I have already
+mentioned, adding the coveted air of "virility" to women. There is no
+religious feeling connected with it, and the practice is rapidly dying
+out, as the Japanese men make fun of the Ainu women, who after all only
+tattoo their mouths and arms, while they themselves often tattoo the
+whole of the body. The Ainu have no rules as to when the girls are to be
+operated on. They are done both before and after marriage, contrary to
+what has been said, that the women do not tattoo themselves after they
+have become wives. The moustache is generally finished before a girl
+gets married, as she herself is anxious to be thus decorated; but there
+are no rules as to virginity or marriage, for the arms and hands are as
+often tattooed after marriage as before. Indeed, in the Ainu country,
+"tattooing" one's wife seems to be one of the pleasures of the
+honeymoon. The design of these tattoos is meant to be, but is seldom,
+symmetrical. The Ainu apparently execute these designs on a preconceived
+plan, but the results rarely come up to expectation, as no drawing of
+the design is prepared beforehand. The bluish-black colour of the tattoo
+is very permanent and strong, and many an Ainu woman is disfigured for
+life, who, according to our ideas, would otherwise be good-looking.
+
+[Illustration: SNOW-SHOES.]
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: AINU SALUTATION.]
+
+CHAPTER XXV.
+
+Ainu Music, Poetry, and Dancing.
+
+
+The music of each nation has certain characteristics of its own; and
+though according to European ideas the music of what are called
+barbarous peoples may sound in some sense excruciating, it always has a
+certain occult charm, more especially to one who is able to forget his
+former training, and teach himself to see, hear, and think in the same
+way as the natives he is studying.
+
+Undoubtedly we Westerns have brought music to a pitch of refinement that
+no savage nation has even attempted to reach; but in my opinion we do
+savages injustice when we call their music "unmitigated discord."
+Barbarians like the Ainu do not indicate their rhythmical effects and
+modulations by means of a musical notation; and harmony is of course
+very defective with them, from our point of view. On the other hand, the
+feeling and passion with which they chant their songs make them go
+straight to the heart, if as a melody they are not always pleasing to
+the cultivated Western ear.
+
+An Ainu seldom sings for the mere pleasure of art as art, and it is only
+when full of joy or "crazed with care" that he gives expression to his
+feelings in music. Then he pours out his whole soul in that which to
+him is melody beyond the power of words to compass.
+
+After a hunt, a fishing expedition, a journey, or a misfortune, the Ainu
+enters his hut and seats himself cross-legged on the ground. He then
+holds out both hands with the palms together, and rubs them backwards
+and forwards three or four times; after this he raises them, palms
+upwards, to a level with his head, gracefully lowers them to his knees,
+and then, raising them again, strokes his hair and beard. Again he
+lowers his hands twice, thrice, or even more times, according to the
+amount of respect to which the person saluted is entitled, the latter
+following in every smallest detail the motions of his saluting friend.
+When this complicated salutation has been performed separately before
+each male member of the household, the new arrival relates the tale of
+his good-or ill-luck; and if the events be of an unusual character the
+story is chanted in a sort of sing-song which makes each note of joy or
+lamentation vibrate in the heart of the listener. It is only in such
+circumstances of stress of feeling that I ever heard the Ainu sing,
+though sometimes women and young folks when alone, fishing, riding, or
+travelling, sing out bits of their past lives as they remember this
+scene or that event.
+
+Ainu music is almost entirely vocal, and their singing has more the
+character of the _recitative_ than of the _aria_ proper. Their songs are
+always for _solo_; and during my stay among the hairy people I never
+heard a concerted piece, nor even an air or a single voice with a chorus
+for a number of voices; neither did I hear any songs performed by men
+and women together, but invariably by men to other men, and by women to
+other women. It seems to me that the reason why they have no choruses is
+their strict etiquette, which forbids them to interrupt a speaker till
+he has finished his narrative; and as their songs are only narratives
+which the musical sing-song makes more impressive, it seems more than
+probable that the reason I have given is the right one. If a singer
+during his narrative stops, and is silent for a minute or two, another
+takes up the "lost chord" in exactly the same intonation of voice,
+asking a question or singing words of comfort, anger, or scorn, as the
+case may be; but no Ainu ever joins in the song before the person
+singing has stopped.
+
+The hairy people are fond, not only of their own, but of all music, and
+their ear is acute enough to hit a tone or note when sung to them, and
+even to remember with more or less accuracy a short air after they have
+heard it two or three times. Many who have come in contact with the
+Japanese have learned from them songs of a totally different character
+from their own. Of my personal experience I can speak of a boy who,
+while I was sketching, heard me sing a few bars of the _Trovatore_. An
+hour or two later I heard him repeat this passage, certainly with an
+Ainu _libretto_, and somewhat Ainuized; but for all that he had managed
+to catch the melody, which showed that the lad must have had some
+musical instinct as well as a good musical memory.
+
+[Illustration: SIDE VIEW OF THE "MUKKO."]
+
+[Illustration: A "MUKKO," OR MUSICAL INSTRUMENT.]
+
+The Ainu are remarkably quick at reproducing sounds which are direct
+imitations of noises, cries of animals, &c., and it is instinctive in
+them, as when children they are not taught or trained to do so. The
+education of Ainu children is indeed a thing far to seek in every way,
+and what they know is self-taught. Nature is their only school. The Ainu
+voice is pleasant, flexible, and very soft in quality. The men are
+mostly baritone and bass, the women alto; but when singing, a falsetto
+is preferred to the natural voice, especially by the women, and this
+always without an instrumental accompaniment. Musical instruments are
+more than rare among the Ainu; indeed, I saw only one, which is now in
+my own possession. It is a black-stained wooden instrument, fifty-one
+inches in length and three wide. The upper part is flat, the under is
+half a cylinder scooped out by a knife, while five keys are fixed in the
+short neck, in which a cavity is cut, leaving a space for the strings to
+be tied to each key. The top is circular, and flattened on each side.
+One very small hole is bored exactly in the middle of the instrument and
+another is at the lower end, where the point of a triangular piece of
+leather, seven inches long, is passed through and fastened by a knot
+tied in the leather on the opposite side. The five strings, which are of
+_Ulmus campestris_ fibre, are fastened to this leather piece and then to
+each key. A peculiarity of this instrument is, that it has two
+prism-shaped bridges, and they are placed at each end of the harmonic
+case. The Ainu call it _mukko_, which word, however, means only a
+musical instrument; and as it is applied by them to all Japanese
+instruments of music, it shows that they do not distinguish very sharply
+one instrument from another. Though in my long journeying I found one of
+these _mukkos_, I was never able to discover any Ainu who could play on
+it, and the Ainu of Ishikari from whom I bought it told me that the man,
+the only one, who could play on it, was dead. This was unfortunate, as
+none of the others could tell me how he tuned it; and one old man, in
+attempting to solve the problem, broke three strings. Seeing that I was
+then quite unable to learn any of the tunes of the deceased Ainu
+Paganini I purchased the instrument, and found by cross-examining the
+natives that it was played by twanging the strings with the fingers, and
+not with a plectrum, as is the case with the Japanese _shamesen_. In the
+illustration I have faithfully drawn a front and a side view of this
+instrument, so as to give the reader an exact idea of its shape. The
+Ainu of Volcano Bay sometimes make bamboo jew's-harps for their
+children; but even those are very uncommon, so we might as well define
+Ainu music as entirely vocal. Ainu music is sentimental, and not
+displeasing, but it is monotonous, and continually repeats itself. It is
+difficult to establish a rule as to what order of intervals their music
+is founded on, as their progressions, modulations, and rhythmical
+effects are often so peculiar as to make it impossible to indicate them
+accurately by means of our musical notation; but the nearest approach to
+it is the diatonic minor scale. The Ainu are fond of chromatic
+intervals, and when their recital comes to an exciting point they make
+use of this method in a _crescendo_ to give strength to the narrative,
+especially at the end of the tune, which invariably winds up in the
+tonic. The intervals which are of most frequent occurrence in the Ainu
+tunes are as follows:--
+
+[Illustration]
+
+The tunes seldom contain modulations from one key into another, except
+in the case of genius-gifted improvisators, who sometimes indulge in
+such a luxury, especially when intoxicated; but the usual modulation is
+generally begun _pianissimo_ and in irregular time, and is sometimes
+like a slow lamentation gradually and irregularly increasing in force,
+some notes marked violently and the next very faintly, thus giving a
+weird effect of light and shade. When a sentence comes to an end, there
+is a chromatic interval _fortissimo_, and the keynote generally
+concludes the tune. The melody repeats itself again in the next
+sentence, sometimes altering the _pianissimo_ into _fortissimo_, and
+_vice versa_, according to the force which the narrator wishes to give
+to certain words. The Ainu, as far as I could judge, have no fixed
+rhythmical method, and each man constructs his own. Their melodies are
+generally short and simple, and the same phrases and passages--in fact,
+usually the whole melody--occur again and again in their songs. No Ainu
+melody that I heard was constructed according to any rule of musical
+form. All were invariably of one part only, in which the name of the
+tune was often applied to a certain form of rude poetical composition.
+For instance, some of the folk-lore legends--which, unfortunately, are
+not purely Ainu--are chanted in a musical intonation, and are a kind of
+extempore composition, though the roots of the songs and the verse have
+probably been brought down from former generations. This is proved by
+the preservation in them of some obsolete words and forms of speech
+which are never used in current conversation, and which none of the
+younger folks can understand or explain. I believe, however, that none
+of these legends are very old. The Ainu, having no written language, it
+is but natural that their tradition and legends should have been greatly
+changed and corrupted, especially by intercourse with the more
+imaginative Japanese. It is to be noted, however, that the Ainu, though
+to a certain extent as imitative as monkeys, have also a large amount of
+personality and originality, due to their shy and unsocial habits. This
+originality is not surprising when we remember that they are taught
+nothing, and that each man provides for himself and his family, but has
+no markedly friendly feelings towards his neighbours; in other words, it
+is a state of degradation very similar to that of wild animals. Perfect
+indifference is shown by the people of one village towards those of
+another. They are neither friends nor foes. All have a right to live,
+but as for helping one another, that is out of the question.
+
+Having no written documents, each man, in his easy-going manner, recites
+and sings as best pleases himself such verses or legends as he has heard
+from his father or from some other person, and the result is that,
+according to the reciter's greater or smaller poetical and musical
+tastes, the grandfather's composition, already altered by his father, is
+again altered by the son, which makes it a composition of his own. This
+transformation of a given theme is common even among civilised nations
+when people are set to repeat the same story verbally transmitted from
+one to the other--the version of the third person has but little in
+common with that of the first. If this we do with a spoken narrative,
+how much more with tunes learned by ear only, and characterised in the
+delivery by individual temperament and transient mood.
+
+The Ainu do not teach these legends to their children, and if learned at
+all they are merely "picked up" by ear and, in a manner, at random;
+therefore, most Ainu profess ignorance as to their existence, and a man,
+when I asked him if he knew any, scornfully answered in these identical
+words, translated:--"The Ainu are taught nothing, and they know
+nothing."
+
+The few legends, &c., that I heard were told me by Benry at Piratori,
+and by another old man, the chief of a village up the Saru River. The
+title of one was "Tushi-une-pan"--"Twice Below;" the story of
+Yoshitsune, a Japanese hero, and Samoro-kuru (a Japanese man-friend of
+Yoshitsune), who came to Yezo and had a great struggle with a huge fish,
+which was harpooned by them and disappeared twice under the water,
+capsizing the boat which contained the two fishermen. Yoshitsune's
+temper was roused, and he cut the _nipesh_[38] rope to which the harpoon
+was fastened. The fish went to die at the mouth of the Saru River, when
+plains of hemp sprouted out of its body.
+
+    [38] _Nipesh_: a kind of hemp.
+
+Another legend, called "Kimta-na," is a rather different and more simple
+version of Tushi-une-pan's story which I have just related.
+
+Yet another variant of the same legend is found in the "Inu-sapk"--or "A
+Summer Story" (literally translated: _Inu_, hear, relate; _sapk_,
+summer), which was so very confused that I could not make head or tail
+of its minuter details; but, like the "Kimta-na," it was about a famine
+in the Ainu land.
+
+Then there was a fourth, which went by the name of
+"Abe-ten-rui"--"Burning to embrace," or love-sick. It was again about
+Yoshitsune, who had fallen in love with a pretty Ainu maid, and could
+not eat either good or bad fish until she appeared to him in a dream. As
+Yoshitsune was a strong-minded man he got over his love, and taught the
+Ainu not to be deceived by woman's wiles.
+
+These and other similar legends, some of which do not bear repeating,
+being too improper, can be collected at Piratori or on Volcano Bay from
+the half-civilised Ainu; but I am inclined to think that they are mostly
+concoctions of Japanese ideas construed or misconstrued in the Ainu
+language.
+
+Ainu do not indulge in poetic compositions which have a definite metre,
+nor do they use special words for rhyme or rhythm; but all the words in
+their songs are intelligible, and seldom meaningless syllables are used,
+as in many of the chants of other savage nations. This of course is
+because, as has been said, their songs are merely a form of conversation
+adopted on certain occasions.
+
+Some of their music seems to have been suggested to them by such animal
+sounds as the plaintive howling of bears, wolves, and dogs.
+
+Music is believed by the Ainu to have the power of curing illness, or
+rather, of scaring away from the body those evil spirits which are
+supposed to have taken possession of it; but, when used as exorcism, the
+music is no longer grave, slow, and sentimental, but verily diabolical,
+consisting mainly of wild howling with an accompaniment of stamping feet
+and the rattling of sword and knife, and followed by a disgusting
+expectoration of chewed convolvulus roots, which are said to be powerful
+in expelling the evil spirit and restoring the sick person to health.
+
+Furthermore, music is invariably used by the Ainu--especially by the
+women--to facilitate manual labour, as when pounding millet, rowing,
+pulling canoes on shore, or drawing water from a well, when packing
+sea-weed, or when preparing salmon for the winter; and also in their
+games, which I have already described in the chapter on the festival at
+Piratori.
+
+During the process of pounding millet--which is only practised in the
+southern part of Yezo--two or three girls stand round a mortar in which
+the millet has been placed, and each girl, holding with both hands a
+pestle, beats and sings, one after the other, the words "_Huye, huye_,"
+as the pestle is let down, increasing in loudness when the grain
+requires harder pounding, and slowly decreasing in volume towards the
+end. This pounding begins about sunset, and the place chosen for the
+operation is generally the small porch of the huts. It has indeed a
+weird effect to hear these many voices from the distant huts gradually
+dying away as darkness comes on, till finally only two or three break
+the stillness of the coming night. Then even those wear away, and
+everything becomes as silent as the grave.
+
+When riding on horseback, especially if alone, young men are fond of
+singing, and when going through forests, chopping and collecting
+firewood, Ainu invariably sing.
+
+I have often heard two or three Ainu, when packing sea-weed within a few
+yards of one another, each singing to himself, and each so much absorbed
+in his own composition as not to even hear his neighbours. An Ainu does
+not and cannot sing unless he feels in the mood for it; but if he sings
+he is carried away by his own music. Of course this is a good quality in
+Ainu music, as in all arts where "feeling" is to be appreciated as much
+as execution. The latter is to be got by constant practice and teaching;
+but the first has to be born in one.
+
+My readers must forgive me if I am judging Ainu music, not from the
+European, but from the native standpoint, for I think it is only fair to
+give things as they are, without too much reference to our own ideas.
+
+With savage nations, music is the expression of the feelings and
+passions of the musician. Thus, it is necessary to well know the man
+himself before we can understand his productions and appreciate them;
+and such knowledge is only attained by constantly living with natives,
+not as a mere stranger, but as one of them.
+
+Very few travellers have seen the real Ainu, or studied them accurately,
+while many, partly owing to their inability to differentiate one race
+from another, have given us highly imaginative descriptions, and even
+photographs, of Japanese half-castes and actual Japanese, describing
+them as Ainu. If such worthy ethnologists as have visited the "civilised
+part only" of the Ainu country, have been unable to distinguish types of
+the hairy Ainu race from those of the hairless Japanese, or from
+mixtures of the two, undoubtedly racial characteristics have been but
+imperfectly recorded.
+
+It is more particularly in music and poetry, as I have already
+explained, that temperamental characteristics are shown, and one ought
+to be careful to clearly define what is native music and poetry--in
+which I include legends, traditions, and folk-lore--and what has been
+transmitted by neighbouring and conquering races. Loud music is not
+appreciated by the Ainu, and makes them grin with more scorn than
+enjoyment. I could only try experiments in this direction by singing to
+them, as I had no European musical instruments with me; but I found that
+singing _con brio_ at the top of my voice was not so pleasing to them as
+when I sang _piano con passione_. For instance, the song "Toreador," in
+the opera _Carmen_, created fits of merriment from a crowd at
+Frishikobets, while the same crowd, a few minutes later, listened
+attentively and silently to Gounod's "Ave Maria," sung in a kind of
+"miaoling" voice.
+
+I may here mention incidentally, to show the different musical tastes of
+Ainu and Japanese, that some months previous to this I was at a concert
+at Tokio in which the same "Ave Maria" was performed by some
+distinguished European musicians. The large Japanese audience, who had
+been attentive and well-composed till then, went into fits of laughter
+when Gounod's masterpiece was played, and all through it the noise of
+people laughing was so great as to drown entirely the orchestra and
+singers. Some of the women in the audience nearly went into hysterics at
+the long _legato_ notes at the beginning of the piece. Louder melodies
+and of a livelier character did not affect them so. I wish to draw
+attention to this fact, that amongst all primitive peoples the native
+music is sad and slow--the livelier melodies coming later; and also,
+that with both wild and domestic animals the most noteworthy effects are
+produced by slow and simple music. We all know how dogs will remain
+quiet and calm when a soft and gentle air is played, but get furious to
+the point of savageness under the "plan-plan-rataplan" of a merry noisy
+tune. As for the last item connected with Ainu music, viz., dancing, it
+is rarely practised, even by the Ainu women, to whom alone it pertains.
+At the best it is of a very rude form. In the Piratori festival (Chapter
+IV.) we have seen that their dancing is accompanied by rhythmical sounds
+imitating the noises produced by implements in everyday use, as the
+squeaking of a paddle by the friction on the canoe, the cry which
+accompanies the pounding of millet, blowing alight the fire, and similar
+sounds. Time is kept by clapping the hands and by vociferations which
+tell the partners what position or action to assume, each action being
+accompanied by a different sound, but all performed while the hopping is
+kept up. I have not felt justified in classifying these rhythmical
+sounds, which accompany the dancing, as choruses, for there is not
+enough in them to constitute either a tune or a melody. They are
+suggested more by the action of the arms and upper part of the body than
+by the steps; in fact, if it were not for the continuous hopping it
+would be more accurate to describe Ainu dancing as "posturing." The
+dancers form a circle, with sometimes one or two children in the centre.
+As there are no professional musicians, there are no professional
+dancers; but though each man may be his own composer of music, the women
+never alter their dances, which are handed down unchanged from one
+generation to another. It is only at festivals that the dance is
+performed, and never inside the huts, but in the open air. It is not for
+the amusement of spectators, for besides one or two of the older women,
+spectators there are none; but it is for the enjoyment of the dancers
+themselves. The men do not seem to take the slightest interest in the
+dancing, and apparently regard it as unmanly. They remain in the hut
+drinking while the girls enjoy themselves in this way outside, and
+should one of them by chance come out, he would stop and look on no more
+than men in civilised countries would stop and watch little children at
+play. On the other hand, on such occasions Ainu matrons squat in a
+semicircle not far from the dancers, and keep up a lament-like or
+sometimes quarrelsome conversation among themselves, and occasionally
+encourage the girls in their hopping, and suggesting _encores_ of this
+figure or that, which, between one quarrel and another, has taken their
+fancy.
+
+[Illustration: A WOODEN PIPE.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXVI.
+
+Heredity--Crosses--Psychological Observations.
+
+
+The mental qualities of the Ainu are not many, and what they have are by
+no means great; nor are they improved by education, for what they know
+comes more from inheritance than personal acquirement, though naturally
+every rule has its exceptions. I repeatedly noticed that talent, such as
+it was, ran in certain families, the members of which were all more or
+less intelligent. Certain families were more musical than others; other
+families were more artistic--if, indeed, such a word could be applied to
+the very low development of the artistic faculty when at its best among
+the hairy people. Various members of one household were potently insane;
+others were as potently idiotic. I shall not class under this heading of
+heredity transmitted disease, like leprosy, consumption, &c., but I
+shall limit myself to heredity in physical traits and mental qualities.
+Unfortunately, with the Ainu intercourse between the sexes is so
+imperfectly regulated as to often lead one to erroneous conclusions. The
+reader may easily imagine the difficulty of establishing precise rules
+of transmission in a race like the Ainu, where castes are not marked,
+with the exception of the chieftainship in each village, the only
+necessary qualifications for which are a sound, sharp intellect, a
+strong physique, and personal courage. The office is hereditary if these
+qualifications are also inherited; but should the sons or brothers of
+the chief prove unworthy of his place, the Ainu would assemble in a
+"village council" and elect another strong, clear-headed, and brave man
+in place of the _roi faineant_ thus summarily deposed. These chiefs have
+no absolute authority, though the men often consult them in their
+quarrels and difficulties, which they are asked to settle. Thus, because
+of these qualities necessary for the office, these chiefs are a slightly
+superior type to the other natives; for with savages, as with civilised
+people, sharp-witted, strong, and brave men are naturally of a finer
+type than those who are their inferiors in these qualities: but the
+difference among the best Ainu and the worst is so small that I do not
+feel justified in classing chiefs as of a different caste. Besides,
+exceptional beauty, strength, or larger stature is not necessarily
+transmitted in the families of chiefs, nor do the Ainu themselves
+consider them better-looking than others.
+
+As Ainu laws of marriage have no relation to the physical and moral
+improvement of the race, the only way of classifying the natives for
+purposes of heredity is by tribes, each village being considered as a
+tribe. Ainu villages are generally very small, and the inhabitants of
+each village intermarry among themselves, therefore each member of the
+community is in some way related to every other member; hence heredity
+in certain physical traits, mental qualities, and diseases shows itself
+in one community and not in another. The difficulty of tracing the exact
+connection of each individual with his or her relations beyond the
+acknowledged father and mother also baffles research in more minute
+details. Abnormal formations are sometimes transmitted to many members
+of one tribe, as, for instance, the hare-lip and webbed fingers, of
+which deformities two or three specimens could be found in a small
+village numbering fifteen or twenty houses. Malformation of the
+umbilicus is common--sometimes in almost every member of one small
+community--while it is very rare in others. Children are mostly affected
+by this, as in some villages the cord is not treated at all at birth;
+and this leads to an abnormality till the child grows older, when the
+few who survive seem to get all right. In other villages the cord is
+fastened in a very primitive, not to say imperfect, manner, with a
+common string of _Ulmus campestris_ fibre.
+
+Albinism is very uncommon among the Ainu. I do not know of any case when
+it has been transmitted, as albinos are greatly disregarded by the Ainu,
+and, I was told, seldom marry.
+
+Red hair, or hair with red shades in it, is common among the Ainu of
+the north-east coast of Yezo, and also among the Kurilsky Ainu of
+Shikotan, where nearly all the children have light hair. It darkens
+considerably as they grow older, as many of the men said they had light
+hair when young, which turned dark with age. Members of certain
+communities have inherited the love of bear-hunting; others the love of
+fishing; some tribes have a musical aptitude, and a certain artistic
+talent for rough ornamentations on wood; others have developed their
+inherited power of sustaining hunger and thirst. The only characteristic
+which all the different tribes have inherited, without exception, is
+love for intoxicating drinks; and this love is not only inherited by
+thoroughbred Ainu, but also by half-castes.
+
+Mixed marriages between Japanese and Ainu are frequent, but the progeny
+are unfortunate beings, of whom a large percentage die when very young:
+those who live are generally malformed, ill-natured, and often idiotic.
+Their sight and hearing are not so acute as with the pure Ainu, and
+crosses are said to be sterile, with very few exceptions. If children of
+second crosses are born they seldom live to be more than five years old.
+
+Half-breeds are invariably from a Japanese man with an Ainu woman, but
+occasionally an Ainu man marries or cohabits with a half-caste woman. I
+have never seen a pure-blood Ainu man marry a pure-blood Japanese woman.
+The majority of half-breeds are males: I should think two-thirds males
+and one-third females. The half-caste women are physically finer than
+the men, but they are said to be very generally, if not uniformly,
+sterile.
+
+The products of the first cross greatly resemble in general look the
+Ainu parent, without being quite as hairy, though still very hairy; but
+a strange peculiarity is, that they get bald while quite young. One can
+easily detect them by their eyes, which are frequently like those of the
+Japanese, by the wide flat forehead, and by the pose of the head, which
+inclines forward. They generally walk with their toes turned in, instead
+of keeping their feet perfectly straight, like the pure Ainu. The moral
+and intellectual position of these half-breeds is a pitiful one. They
+are rejected by both the Ainu and Japanese, and are held inferior to
+both alike.
+
+A high moral standard, whether got from philosophic breadth or Christian
+virtues, does not suit a despised barbarian race like the Ainu. Nothing
+could or does kill them quicker than civilisation. Experiments have been
+tried to civilise certain Ainu: they were made to wash, bathe, and live
+in comfortable, clean quarters: they were instructed and got good food;
+but after a few months they had to be sent back to their native place
+and ways, for civilisation only killed them.
+
+The half-castes have none of the good qualities of either race. They are
+neither as brave as the Ainu nor courteous and light-hearted like the
+Japanese. The following remarks, which I take direct from my diary, were
+written by me between Shimokebo and Tomakomai, on the south-west coast
+of Yezo, where many half-breeds are found along the sea-shore, and I
+shall pass them on untouched to my readers.
+
+"The Ainu along this coast were decidedly ugly. Many half-breeds are
+also found along this coast. These half-breeds invariably grow bald in
+early life, whereas the Ainu do not. The hair on their back, arms, and
+legs is not so long or so thick as with the pure Ainu. Their teeth are
+neither so strong nor so sound. As is usually the case when a mixture of
+two or more races takes place, the lower and upper jaws not being of the
+right proportion, it follows as a matter of course that unusual pressure
+and friction injure and wear out the enamel of the teeth, thus causing
+premature decay. The Americans and Australians are good examples of this
+premature decay caused by the disproportion of the upper and lower jaws.
+Also, teeth which do not fit well together sometimes grow so long as to
+be a nuisance to the person who owns them. I found that these
+half-breeds have all the bad qualities of both the Ainu and the
+Japanese, and have not retained any of the good ones. They are
+ill-tempered, lazy, and vindictive. It is well to mention that, on the
+Japanese side, they have come mostly from the criminals exported by the
+Japanese Government, which fact partly explains why they are so
+evil-minded and untrustworthy. Instead of falling into the more
+civilised ways of the Japanese, these half-breeds prefer the wild life
+of their Ainu ancestors; and if anything they are wilder than the Ainu
+themselves. Insanity is very common among half-breeds. The head is in
+most instances of an abnormal size; the frontal bone is generally more
+sloping than with the thoroughbred Ainu; and though the skull be wide
+from one temple to the other, it is not spacious enough from the frontal
+bone to the back of the head. They have heads so shaped that the
+animal propensities are in excess of the moral and mental
+faculties. In thoroughbred Ainu I found the bumps of amativeness,
+philoprogenitiveness, and tune very well developed. In the half-breeds
+these bumps hardly show at all, and in some cases the back of the
+head--where the two first bumps are found--is almost flat.
+
+"Ainu half-breeds never live to be very old. They are often affected
+with rheumatism--_kaki_, a disease peculiar to the Far East--leprosy,
+and consumption, and they suffer from these diseases much more than do
+the pure Ainu. I found leprosy quite common among half-breeds--while I
+have seen but few Ainu affected with it. In most instances, though,
+leprosy had only attained its first stages--contraction of fingers and
+subsequent dropping off of the three phalanges, ears, and nose; but this
+may be explained by the fact that the sufferers in general succumb
+before the disease attains its more serious character, when the whole
+body is visibly affected by it."
+
+Precise laws as to the degree of quickness of perception, power of
+reasoning, and learning of the Ainu race cannot be given, for, as I have
+mentioned before, almost each individual would require a special rule
+for himself. My readers may have noticed that, while some Ainu were but
+little above monkeys, others were sharp, and gave answers very much to
+the point. This may apparently be regarded as a contradiction on my part
+by people who have neither lived with savages, nor studied the
+temperament of beasts. But it is not a contradiction. There are in this
+world clever monkeys and stupid monkeys: some can never be made to learn
+any tricks; others will learn them in no time. Intelligence is
+instinctive, and not acquired, though of course it can be greatly
+developed with education; thus, the Ainu are instinctively intelligent,
+but I wish my readers clearly to understand that their intelligence does
+not go much further than that of an intelligent monkey, though of course
+the Ainu have the advantage over beasts of being able to talk, and
+therefore, to a limited extent, discuss and combine. The Ainu memory is
+a perfect blank in certain respects, as with arithmetic, science,
+mechanics, reading, writing, drawing, and delineating maps; while in
+other directions it seems to be fairly keen, as in hunting, fishing,
+tracking, and acquiring languages up to a certain point. This last
+faculty is noticeable in nearly all the lowest races, as the Australian
+aborigines, the Tasmanian natives (now extinct), the Tierra del
+Fuegians, &c. The Ainu ideas of time are vague, and if you add to that
+the extreme difficulty which they experience in counting even up to ten,
+and their inability to count beyond that number, it is easy to
+understand why we can never learn the exact age of Ainu individuals.
+
+Like the monkeys, the Ainu cannot concentrate their attention, and they
+are easily wearied. Beads and shiny objects have a fascination for them;
+but other objects, even perfectly new to them, arouse but little
+curiosity, which soon passes, and they show no intelligence and less
+imagination as to the probable use of these strange objects. They show
+no inquisitiveness, and no wish to be taught the use of anything new and
+unfamiliar.
+
+It will be remembered that at Yamakubiro, on the Tokachi River, beyond
+the natural astonishment caused by the first appearance of my ponies,
+the strange baggage, and myself, the Ainu did not pay much attention to
+this novel sight, and did not show any wish to have it explained, while
+more civilised people, like the Japanese, would not have been satisfied
+until I had shown and explained every article in my possession, and
+allowed each person to try its use, &c., after which they would talk for
+hours of what they had seen. The Ainu are not "built" so, and therefore
+they have never made any progress. In the more civilised parts of Yezo
+we have a proof of it. Their backwardness in acquiring the habits and
+customs of their conquerors the Japanese, arises from incapacity more
+than from conservatism. Yet for all that the Ainu are so incapable of
+improving themselves, they are very persevering in what they do attempt,
+as in their rough wooden carvings, the hollowing of their "dug-outs,"
+the construction of their wooden tools and weapons, the weaving of their
+rough garments, and the ornamentation thereof; but in all these they
+appear to act more automatically than with keen and constructive
+intelligence.
+
+The Ainu are not to be taken _au pied de la lettre_, for the illusions
+produced by ignorance and untutored imagination prevent anything like
+literal accuracy; but they are not what we may call conscious and
+immoral liars. A good example of this is my adventure at Horobets, when,
+although they knew that they would be severely punished by the Japanese
+policeman, the Ainu confessed their attack on me, and did not attempt
+either denial or evasion. They are often plucky, and even distinctly
+courageous; as, when out bear-hunting, a man armed only with a large and
+not over sharp knife unhesitatingly attacks this formidable beast, who
+sits up on his hind quarters, sure to crush the life out of his
+assailant should he miss his stroke. The Ainu, protecting his head with
+his left arm, and having taken the precaution to cover his back with
+skins, goes merrily for the embrace; and while Bruin squeezes, the hairy
+man splits its body open with the large knife.
+
+The Ainu are cool-blooded. They are not subject to strong emotions, and
+therefore they are not much affected by dreams and nightmares. They are
+not affectionate except for a momentary impulse; but, like most animals,
+they are faithful when they love. Mothers are fond of their children
+till they have reached puberty; but after that the affection seems to
+fade away. Paternal love is much less strong.
+
+The pure Ainu are comparatively honest people, which may be due to the
+incapacity for being dishonest. In a country where there is no exact
+definition of property, where anybody can get what he requires without
+resorting to theft, there is no reason why everybody should not be
+honest. Then, according to Ainu ideas, stealing is not always stealing.
+For instance, if an Ainu, without asking, takes away some of the salmon
+caught by one of his hairy brethren, he will be blamed for it, he will
+get into a row, and probably be beaten; but if the theft is perpetrated
+on a Japanese or a stranger he will be praised, though the Ainu well
+knows that he is not acting right. Their desire is stronger than their
+conscience, such as it is; and having no laws of their own to rule them
+worth speaking of, they often do according to their desire, without
+deserving the accusation of conscious dishonesty. It is exactly the
+same case as when a dog jumps on the dining-table when everybody is
+absent and carries off the leg of mutton which he knows he ought not to
+touch; but the temptation was too strong, and he could not resist it.
+The Ainu are fond of independence, though in many instances I found them
+gentle, and apparently submissive to a stronger will than their own. The
+field of their brain-power is of course very narrow, and the same rough,
+rude, primitive thoughts and ideas are constantly repeated in their
+conversation as well as in their designs.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: NAKED AINU MAN FROM THE NORTH-EAST COAST OF YEZO, PACKING
+SEAWEED FOR WINTER USE.]
+
+CHAPTER XXVII.
+
+Physiological Observations--Pulse-beat and Respiration--Exposure--Odour
+of the Ainu--The Five Senses.
+
+
+The following physiological remarks are mostly from observations made on
+Ainu of the Upper Tokachi district, the natives of which have had no
+communication with Europeans and little with Japanese previous to my own
+visit to them. Observations made on the semi-civilised Ainu of Volcano
+Bay and Piratori, on those of the north-east and west coasts, and the
+Ishikari River, as well as on half-castes of different districts, have
+been taken into consideration.
+
+Owing to the lack of a clinical thermometer and other instruments, I,
+unfortunately, was not able to ascertain the normal temperature of the
+body; nor could I get any very accurate observations as to the frequency
+of the pulse-beat, owing to the miserable condition of my watch and the
+difficult task of getting natives to sit perfectly still while their
+pulse was felt. A superstitious fear, too, that some evil would befall
+them accelerated the pulsations, and they invariably moved away rubbing
+the spot I had touched on their wrist. Though I could not count the
+exact number of pulsations to a minute, the movement of the pulse was as
+a rule slow and rather weak. Respirations were fourteen to seventeen to
+a minute in men, and about sixteen to twenty in women, and the
+respiratory movements were similar in both sexes, viz., costal breathing
+was predominant. In half-castes I have sometimes noticed abdominal
+breathing.
+
+The Ainu not only bear cold well, but prefer it to heat, though, indeed,
+their country is never very hot. The sun's rays have no fascination for
+them, as with so many other races; and I have seldom seen Ainu basking
+in the sun for purely physical pleasure, although they go about with
+uncovered heads, and do not seem to suffer any ill effects from the
+practice. The Ainu of Piratori wear Japanese hats of wicker-work; and
+others, especially women, tie round their head a Japanese towel--a
+fashion, as we have seen, also adopted from the Japanese. With this
+head-dress the crown of the head is left uncovered.
+
+The Ainu are not massively formed, but they are sturdy, and, as we have
+seen, can bear almost any amount of privation as regards food and drink.
+Sleep is necessary to them, and they require a great deal to be in
+anything like good condition. The sleeping hours are generally from an
+hour or so after sunset to sunrise; but during the day they are often
+drowsy, and turn in to have a siesta after food and exercise. In men the
+voice is soft and deep; shriller but still gentle in women. The Ainu
+seldom perspire, partly because the pores of their skin are blocked with
+dirt; partly because their long hair absorbs a great quantity of
+natural moisture; and mostly because they do not drink much except when
+they can get hold of intoxicants.
+
+The skin is greasy--the natural result of many years of an unwashed
+existence; and this gives to the hairy people a peculiar and strong
+odour, much resembling that of monkeys. Many are familiar with the
+peculiar odour of an uncleaned monkey's cage, and the same, intensified
+a thousand times, characterises an Ainu village. Hundreds of yards off
+you can distinctly smell out a village, or if the wind is blowing
+towards you, that peculiar odour is perceptible for a full half-mile.
+Although the sense of smell is acute in the Ainu--for they sometimes
+employ it in tracking animals--they are not aware of their own strong
+odour; but they are quick in distinguishing that of other races. I have
+several times heard Ainu of the coast remark that I possessed a
+different odour from that of the Japanese; but they could neither define
+it nor assimilate it to that of any animal they knew, though several of
+them one day held a lengthy pow-wow about it; and in the interest of
+anthropology I submitted to the unpleasant process of being smelt all
+over by them. The Chinese unanimously assert that Europeans smell like
+sheep, and they say this is the reason we constantly wash and bathe,
+being aware of our infirmity, and doing our best to diminish it by soap
+and water. We ourselves attribute to Jews one distinct odour, and yet
+another to the Russians; not to speak of those belonging to the negroes,
+the Chinese, and, in fact, all other nations. Thus, the odour has some
+importance in the classification of peoples, as it largely depends on
+the kind of food as well as the personal habits of a race. Meat-eaters
+smell differently from fish-eaters, and these again from vegetarians. As
+regards the Ainu, their filthy habits of course increase their
+offensiveness, while bodily exercise renders them intolerable. The
+Japanese recognise the Ainu odour as a distinguishing mark of the race,
+and Japanese fishermen have often said to me, "_Aino shto taihen
+kusai_"; "_Saru_," or else "_Kumma onaji koto_"--"Ainu men smell bad,
+just like a monkey or a bear."
+
+As an Ainu grows older this peculiarity increases. The weaker sex is
+generally more "strongly scented" than are the men, owing to the fact
+that women wear skins and rough cloth rags nearly all the year round,
+while in summer the men go about either entirely naked, or very lightly
+clad.
+
+On the north-east coast of Yezo and in Shikotan (Kurile Islands) I saw
+some Ainu who, contrary to the rule, had red hair, and their animal
+odour was terribly offensive. The Ainu do not use any unguents like
+palm-oil, cocoanut-oil, or the like, by which the unpleasantness of
+certain African tribes and Eastern peoples is to be accounted for. What
+they have is natural and national, and due to their food, habits, and
+race alone.
+
+The Ainu have no partiality or dislike for any particular scents, and
+their sense of smell shows itself mainly in their power of tracking game
+or animals, as was said before. The same might be said of the sense of
+"touch," which they seldom apply practically, notwithstanding their
+sensitiveness in certain parts of the body, especially under the
+arm-pits and on each side of the spinal column and the back of the
+head--just those parts which in most animals are the most sensitive; but
+they have no developed sense of touch in their finger-tips, as with
+civilised nations.
+
+Most Ainu find it difficult to declare which is the heavier of two not
+very unequal weights. Differences in the temperature of two bodies, and
+in the smoothness or texture of two surfaces, are also extremely
+difficult for them to define, while it is easy for them to judge of
+weights and texture by eyesight. The palms of the hands, which are so
+sensitive with us, owing to the papillae being more thickly studded there
+than in other parts of the body, are less intelligently sensitive with
+the Ainu. When they touch cold or hot objects they feel pain, but not
+difference of temperature, as when with us a wound is touched it makes
+little difference whether it is by something hot or cold, it is simply
+pain, and not discrimination. Their lips, as well as the tip of the
+tongue, are slightly more sensitive; the lower lip more so than the
+upper. I was never able to determine the relative sensibility of the
+sensitive parts of the Ainu body, as my experiments either caused anger
+and impatience, or hilarity and mockery. If the first, the observations
+had to be stopped before they were well begun; if the second, beyond the
+general results which I have quoted, the answers were mere guesswork on
+their part, and therefore not worth recording. Most of my observations
+are based on experiments made while the men were unaware that they were
+observed at all. Often, when asleep, I have touched them on the soles of
+the feet and the palms of the hands without causing them to awake, while
+when touched on the lower lip or in the lumbar region they invariably
+woke up startled. One day I tried this experiment on an Ainu who was
+sleeping on his back, with his mouth wide open. I touched his tongue
+with a well-sharpened lead-pencil, and the effect was subitaneous; more
+so than on either the lips or the lumbar region. The skin directly over
+the spine was dull, but the ears showed a certain amount of sensibility.
+The sense of "taste," which is a mere modification of the sense of
+touch, is also dull, although naturally, when stimulated by very acid or
+bitter substances, it produced distinct impressions. Even with
+ourselves, though more perfected than the sense of smell--which,
+however, often comes to its assistance--few can boast of having the
+sense of taste very acute. In our lower classes an extraordinary amount
+of salt, mustard, pepper, or sugar is needed before they can call their
+food "tasty," whereas a person of more refined education will detect the
+lack or excess of even the smallest portion. Over-stimulation of the
+lingual nerves and extremes of heat or cold deaden the sensibility of
+the tongue, palate, and fauces, and destroy the power of distinguishing
+flavours; bad digestion also frequently affects the organs of taste.
+From this we may argue, then, that the sense of taste, though born in
+one, has to be cultivated before it is brought to any degree of
+refinement. The Ainu not only do not possess this acquired refinement,
+but, through monotony of food, learn only one kind of flavour, and
+cannot distinguish differences. Thus, as many labourers in our country
+would not find any difference between a beef-steak slightly underdone
+and one over-cooked, so an Ainu finds no difference whatever between a
+piece of salmon properly dried and one perfectly rotten. In this respect
+the Ainu are far below beasts.
+
+In tribes of natives like the Ainu, who have lived an adventurous life,
+mostly in the open air, it is but natural that the two senses of "sight"
+and "hearing" should be more developed than those of "touch," "smell"
+and "taste;" as life itself depends mostly on their accuracy and
+acuteness. The Ainu possess good sight. Inflammation of the eyes is very
+common among their children, owing to their filthy condition; but it
+seldom affects their permanent sight; very few Ainu suffer either from
+myopy or cataract, or other eye affections such as are frequent among
+civilised and more studious nations. In very warm climates, where the
+sun is powerful and the light strong, the eyes are generally shielded by
+specially long and thick eyelashes and eyebrows, which last prevent the
+sweat from running down the forehead into the orbit; but, strange to
+say, the Ainu, who are a northern race, and have always lived in cold
+climates, have eyelashes even longer and thicker than any race of people
+in tropical climates. The iris is of a somewhat greyish tint, sometimes
+traversed with brown shades. The white of the eye is less pearly than
+with Caucasian races, and the eyes, shaded as they are by long eyelashes
+and heavy eyelids, seem to possess all the qualities necessary for
+abnormally long vision. And this we find to be the case, for the Ainu
+can distinguish objects a long way off, but they are dense as to
+minutiae. In other words, the eye of an Ainu is ready to receive an
+impression, but very slow in transmitting to the brain the impression
+received.
+
+As we have seen, they cannot reproduce the "human form divine," or any
+faithful representation of anything animate or inanimate which they have
+seen. They see _en gros_; thus, should an Ainu's attention be drawn to
+some very distant object rapidly moving on the shore, he will at once
+say that it is a horse, because he knows that the chances are it is a
+horse, but he will be unable to describe its colour, and whether
+cantering or galloping, saddled or unsaddled, by a single glance at the
+horse, unless his attention is called to each particular detail, when he
+will answer each question correctly enough. The Ainu vision is then
+strong, but the brain is not quick in response. Testing their sight by
+"test dots," as used in the British Army, was not a success, greatly
+owing to their inability to count and the inaccuracy of their answers.
+
+The most fully-developed sense in the hairy people is, in my opinion,
+that of hearing. Distant sounds are clearly recognised and specified,
+and they are also aware that by placing one ear near the ground, far-off
+sounds of horse's hoofs and the like can be clearly distinguished. The
+ticking of a Waterbury watch could be heard by Ainu at a distance of
+twenty and twenty-two feet, while I could only hear it nineteen feet
+away. I was often struck by the quickness with which they detected the
+tick-tack even when the watch was in my pocket, and they were six or
+eight feet away. The unusual sound fixed their attention and made them
+curious as to the cause, and they showed a childish kind of surprise and
+delight when the watch was produced and passed round among them, each
+one being allowed to enjoy his share of the ticking.
+
+Resuming these few remarks on the characteristic points of Ainu senses,
+my readers will probably have noticed certain facts which strongly
+support Darwin's theory of evolution, and the hairy arboreal ancestor
+with pointed ears from which the races of men are descended.
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: TROPHY OF BEARS' SKULLS.]
+
+CHAPTER XXVIII.
+
+The Ainu Superstitions--Morals--Laws and Punishments.
+
+
+I cannot begin this chapter better than by saying that Ainu religious
+ideas are essentially chaotic. They recognise no supreme God, and no
+intelligent Creator; and they cannot be called polytheists, for indeed
+they are not _worshippers_ of any power--taking the word in its full
+meaning. The Ainu worship nothing.
+
+If they have any belief at all it is an imperfect kind of Totemism, and
+the central point of that belief is their own descent from the "bear."
+This does not include the smallest reverence for their ancestor. They
+capture their "Totem" and keep it in captivity; they speak to it and
+feed it; but no prayers are offered to it. When the bear is fat, it is
+taken out of the cage to be ill-treated and baited by all the men
+present. It is tied to a stake and a pole is thrust into its mouth; and
+when the poor beast has been sufficiently tortured, pricked with pointed
+sticks, shot at with blunted arrows, bruised with stones, maddened with
+rage and ill-usage, it is killed outright, and, "ancestor" as it may be,
+it makes the chief dish and _raison d'etre_ of a festival, where all the
+members of the tribe partake of its flesh. The owner of the hut in which
+the feast takes place then sticks the skull on to a forked pole, and
+sets it outside with the others at the east end of his hut. The skin is
+made into garments, or is spread on the ground to sleep on.
+
+In addition to this rudimentary kind of Totemism--if I may call it
+so--the Ainu show a certain amount of fear and respect for anything
+which supports their life or can destroy it. This, however, is under the
+form of an "instinct" rather than a "religious feeling." Dumb animals of
+any kind are similarly affected by powers which they cannot explain; but
+as we would not think for a moment that when a dog is barking at the
+moon the dog is worshipping the orb of night, or when it basks in the
+sun that it is offering prayers and reverence to the orb of day, no more
+should we think that the Ainu, who are not much above dumb animals,
+worship all they respect and fear.
+
+If other writers, most of whom have never visited the Ainu country, had
+not written on this subject, I would have limited myself to saying that
+the Ainu, properly speaking, have no religion, but as certain untenable
+theories and false ideas have been published, I feel bound to state what
+I know on the subject, that, so far as I can, I may correct these
+erroneous impressions. I regard myself as qualified to speak with some
+authority, as I am the _only_ foreigner who has seen and studied _all_
+the different tribes of Ainu in Yezo and the Kuriles; while other
+writers, the few who have actually been there, have based their
+statements on a few half-castes or Ainu in the more civilised part of
+southern Yezo, collecting from them ideas left behind by previous
+travellers, and offering them to the public as purely Ainu. That these
+hasty travellers and cursory writers have been deceived, or have
+deceived themselves, is not astonishing; for it must be borne in mind
+that the Ainu language is as poor in words as the Ainu brain is
+deficient in thoughts. Thus it is no easy matter to explain to an Ainu
+what is meant by "religion," by "divinities," and by "worship." The
+nearest approach can be made only by comparisons and analogies, which
+often lead far from the point aimed at. Like all savages and barbarians,
+the Ainu are more apt to answer as they think will please the questioner
+than to give a definition of their own beliefs. The manner in which a
+question is put gives the keynote to the reply, which is in no sense an
+independent statement of their own thoughts.
+
+For instance, if you were to say to an Ainu, "You are old, are you not?"
+he would answer "Yes"; but if you asked the same man, "You are not old,
+are you?" he would equally answer "Yes." Knowingly speaking the truth is
+not one of their characteristics; indeed, they do not know the
+difference between falsehood and truth. This is a common failing with
+all savages as well as with all Orientals; but with the Ainu it is even
+more accentuated; and when, in addition to this, the difficulty of
+making them understand exactly what one means is taken into
+consideration, it is not astonishing that a traveller arrives at a wrong
+conclusion if the utmost pains be not taken in pursuing one's
+investigations.
+
+Of course the Ainu who have come in contact with Japanese know of a God,
+and some of them, at the instigation of Japanese _bonzes_, have become
+nominal Buddhists. Benry, at Piratori, showed me a small Buddhist
+shrine, of Japanese manufacture, which had been put up on a neighbouring
+hill. All the time I stayed at Piratori I never observed any Ainu
+worship at it. One day I saw two boys throwing stones at it, but that
+could hardly be called an act of reverence, even among my hairy friends.
+
+On my inquiring as to the origin and use of the shrine, I was told by
+some that it was erected to the God of the Japanese. Benry, who was
+always "well informed," both in things that he knew and those that he
+did not know, said that it was built in honour of Yoshitsune, the
+Japanese personage who, as we have seen, is the hero in semi-Ainu
+legends, and whose image or spirit, according to travellers' tales, is
+worshipped by the Ainu.
+
+It always appeared strange to me that the Piratori Ainu had this
+Japanese hero in their legends, but still more strange that they should
+make him their deity. Yet what was most singular of all was, that with
+the exception of Benry and a few others at Piratori, no other Ainu I
+met in any other part of Yezo seemed to know about Yoshitsune--or
+Okikurumi, as he is sometimes called by them; and, moreover, they knew
+nothing of his doings, or of the reason of his being worshipped. The
+Ainu of the Tokachi knew nothing whatever of this personage.
+
+The Ainu idea of soul is always associated with "breath" or "life;" and
+as for the resurrection of the body and the future life of the soul,
+they have never even dreamt of it. Metempsychosis is equally unknown to
+them.
+
+As my readers have seen, in the description of a burial the implements
+and weapons which belonged to a deceased person are buried with him. The
+articles, however, previous to being thrown into the grave, are smashed
+to pieces; for the idea is, not that the dead body should profit by
+these things in the other world, but that no other person should make
+use of what had been his property in this. The reasoning power of the
+Ainu does not carry him beyond what is purely material; his mind has
+never been trained to go beyond that limit, and he finds that he can
+live well within it. Like all animals, he is guided by his instinct,
+which tells him what is good and what is bad for him; but as to any
+attempt to find out _why_ such things are good or bad for him, he is
+utterly at a loss, and has to give up the quest. Though not devoid of a
+rudimentary kind of shrewdness, the Ainu is dense and ignorant to the
+last degree, and just as he is reluctant to adopt new modes of living,
+so he is unable to accept new ideas or larger thoughts. The mere
+conception of a Superior Being, who is the Maker of all things and above
+all things, is far beyond the comprehension of any Ainu. Eating and
+drinking are what he principally lives for. He does not thirst for
+knowledge, nor strive after the Divine; and he has no creed of any kind
+and no formula of sacrifice or worship, which two conditions are
+essential to even the most elementary religion.
+
+What the Ainu do really possess in the way of supernaturalism is the
+ordinary savage's credulous superstition, which manifests itself in
+certain charms or fear of certain omens. However, after that degree they
+take the world as it comes. They have no idea of who made it, and they
+are not anxious to learn. The sun, the moon, bears, salmon, water, fire,
+mountains, trees, are all things for which an Ainu has a dumb kind of
+regard, not amounting to reverence, as he knows that he could not live
+without them. This has led some persons to define these objects as the
+principal divinities of the Ainu, and to call the people themselves
+polytheists. The word _Kamoi_, or _Kamui_, has been rendered as "god,"
+gods "divinity." Now, what does the word _Kamoi_, or _Kamui_, really
+mean? Translated literally it means "old" or "ancient"; but amongst a
+hundred other meanings it also denotes "large," "beautiful," "strange,"
+"it," "the man," "he who," &c. In fact, it is used to qualify anything,
+whether good or bad; and in some ways corresponds to our adjectives
+"wonderful," "awful," "grand "; but assuredly the Ainu do not by this
+word mean to designate the objects thus described as so many gods.
+Anything for which they entertain respect or fear is described as
+_Kamoi_, or _Kamui_, which thus is applied to the sun, the moon, the
+stars, mountains, rivers, old trees, bears, salmon, large stones, &c.,
+not with the intention of making them divinities, but simply to specify
+their power, greatness, or antiquity. The word is applied to every kind
+of thing, animate or inanimate, good or bad, respected or derided,
+dreaded or revered, admired or abhorred. It is sometimes a prefix,
+sometimes an affix, and is the most universal attribute the Ainu world
+or language contains. We are, therefore, forced to the conclusion, that
+either the Ainu are polytheists or pantheists to such an extent as
+occasionally to make everything and everybody a god; or else, that
+translators have given their own, and a greatly exaggerated, meaning to
+the word _Kamui_, and that these so-called gods are not gods at all. To
+me there is no alternative opinion on the matter. The Ainu have no gods
+in our sense.
+
+Basing conclusions on wrong premises, writers on the Ainu religion have
+been naturally led astray altogether. For instance, the composite word
+_Kotan-kara-kamui_,[39] which a learned missionary has translated
+"Creator," only means "the man who made the village"--a description
+which hardly corresponds to the grandeur attributed to the words by its
+imaginative translator.
+
+    [39] _Kotan_, village, place, site; _kara_, to make, build; _kamui_,
+    the man, ancient, strength.
+
+Then again, _Kamui kotan_, which according to some means "the home of
+God," in its real signification is "an ancient village; a beautiful
+place." When _Kamui_ is applied to persons, it is generally a suffix;
+when to things, it is a prefix.
+
+But let us come to the _inao_, which by some have been called the "Ainu
+gods," by others "Divine symbols." These _inao_ are willow-wands, with
+shavings depending from the upper end, sometimes from the middle, and
+occasionally from near the lower end as well.
+
+The larger wands are about four feet in length, and have either one or
+two bunches of shavings at the upper end only. They go by the name of
+_inao netuba_, or "big _inao_." Other smaller _inao_, like the
+_Chisei-kara-inao_,[40] are kept in the house, and stuck in the eastern
+corner of the hearth, and in the wall directly opposite the entrance
+door. Some of the _inao_ are shaved upwards from the bottom, others
+downwards from the top; and one, a big _inao_, is often thrust through
+the small window facing the east. Sometimes they are placed about
+singly, especially inside the huts; but outside, close to the eastern
+wall, I have often seen eight or ten standing together in a row. When so
+taken collectively they are called _nuza_. On Volcano Bay, up the Saru
+River, and on the Lake Kutcharo, where it is the custom of the Ainu to
+make trophies of the skulls of bears and deer which have been killed in
+the hunt, one or two _inao_ are placed at the foot of the trophy.
+Sometimes, but very rarely, a whole _nuza_ is to be seen in front of a
+trophy; but in most cases the _nuza_ I saw were near huts that had no
+trophy at all, and, as I say, only very seldom were they in front of the
+trophy itself, unless a bear feast was going on. I am therefore under
+the impression that these _nuza_ are only put up when some festival
+takes place, and that they are not kept there permanently. I remember
+that at Piratori there were no _inao_ and no _nuza_ outside Benry's
+house, but on the day that the festival took place one was put up, and
+several _inao_ were placed inside the hut, in the hearth and on the
+north wall. Likewise, a _nuza_ was put up on the same day at the east
+end of the hut in which the feast was given, and the inside was also
+adorned with _inao_ of various sizes and descriptions. Each _inao_ is
+pointed at the lower end, so as to be easily stuck in the ground. The
+_inao_ of all sizes and shapes impressed me as being mostly for
+ornament. Then some are held as charms against misfortune and disease;
+but they never impressed me as being offerings to the gods. _Inao_ are
+placed near springs, so that the good water may not turn into
+pestilential, and occasionally _inao_ of a peculiar shape are hung in
+the doorway of newly-built huts. They are made of a number of small
+willow sticks tied together, from which hang five or six bunches of
+shavings; they are hung horizontally, and not in a vertical position,
+like the other _inao_. They are very uncommon, and only used on certain
+specified occasions. For example, when a child is born an _inao_, in the
+shape of a doll, is made of a bunch of reeds folded double and tied with
+a string about an inch from the bend, which thus forms the head; it is
+then tied lower down to indicate the waist. By dividing the reeds into
+two equal portions they produce a pair of legs, and a stick is then
+passed through the reeds between the head and the waist to form the
+arms. When this doll is made it is placed near the infant, so that
+should any disease or misfortune, in the shape of a kind of evil spirit,
+be tempted to enter the child's body, it may be averted, and enter the
+doll instead. Should a person fall ill new _inao_ are stuck in the
+hearth, as the Ainu share our own idea that evil spirits dwell mostly in
+fire; others are placed near the sick person. They are not meant as
+offerings to the gods for his or her quick recovery, but merely to bring
+good luck to the individual whose body they think has been taken
+possession of by "animals inside," or, in other words, evil spirits.
+
+    [40] _Chisei_, house, dwelling, hut; _kara_, make; also, have.
+
+Even at the present day in England and on the Continent horseshoes for
+luck are hung over entrance doors, and if a horseshoe be fastened on to
+a stable-door, the beasts within are supposed to be held free from
+accidents and illness.
+
+In Spain and Italy little red rags tied to a small wand, not dissimilar
+in shape to a small Ainu _inao_, are stuck in flower-pots near windows,
+over beds, doors, and up chimneys, to keep witches at bay, red being a
+powerful exorcist in the way of colours, and as good as the "running
+stream which witches dare not cross." Some hysterical women have
+declared that they have seen witches hiding in the smoke of the boiling
+_Pentola_ (the earthenware pot in which the soup is boiled)--but that on
+seeing the red rags they vanished, and never visited the house again.
+Italian and Spanish women and children almost invariably carry charms
+round their necks, that are to keep them safe from harm; and,
+furthermore, when a child falls ill, one or more red rags are fastened
+to its bed before a doctor is sent for. Then, again, people suffering
+from epileptic fits have often been supposed to be "possessed," and
+beaten to death or burnt alive, so that the evil spirit which was in
+them should thus be destroyed. It must be borne in mind that not many
+centuries ago similar beliefs were prevalent even in free and
+enlightened England.
+
+If we compare these beliefs with those of the Ainu, we find that they
+differ very little either in form or substance. In place of the witches
+which our own ancestors, modern Italians, and Spaniards, and some
+benighted peasantry still to be found in the West of England, believed,
+and do still believe in, the Ainu have imaginary animals or evil
+spirits. The wands and red rags of our Latin neighbours are represented
+by their _inao_; and our lucky horseshoe is with them the horizontal
+_inao_. Charms are worn by the Ainu men, women, and children; and when
+going to war or to hunt the men carry a block of wood to which their
+knife or sword is attached, and on the right-hand side of which hangs a
+small _inao_.
+
+These blocks of wood are flattened, and are elliptical at both ends.
+Their length varies from four to fifteen inches, and sometimes
+ornaments--generally circles--are carved on them. A string is fastened
+on one side so as to sling them to the shoulder; but they are usually
+carried under the arm. They are supposed to protect the carrier from
+accidents, and also to bring him good fortune.
+
+We see, then, that similar ideas are entertained by utterly different
+peoples thousands of miles distant from one another; and that certain
+superstitious beliefs left on this side of the globe find their parallel
+among the hairy people on the other. Of course with them it is natural
+that their beliefs should count for more than with Europeans, as
+civilisation has not in any way enlarged or improved their minds; but it
+seems to me unfair that the same identical beliefs should go under the
+name of _superstitions_ when applied to Europeans, and called the "Ainu
+religion" when practised by the hairy inhabitants of Northern Japan.
+Though to this I know it may be replied that, as all things spring from
+germs, so these ignorant superstitions of the Ainu may be in a manner
+called their religion, as the germ of a more developed system--the
+cotyledonous state of what might grow into a more advanced spirituality.
+Like the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Ainu wave their
+moustache-lifters, during their libations, towards the sun, the fire,
+and the person who has paid for the wine, before they address themselves
+to the large wooden bowls wherein lies their happiness; but this also is
+not a religious ceremony, and no religious feeling whatever is connected
+with it. It is a mere _toast_--part of their etiquette--which exactly
+corresponds to the German "_Prosit_," or to our English "Your good
+health." The Ainu of course have no special high-days, no Sundays, no
+religious services, no prayers, no priests, no sacrificial priests, no
+churches, and no bells; but they can "swear"; and as the Neapolitans
+invoke their saints, so they occasionally call the sun, the moon, the
+fire, and everything else, all sorts of bad names if things do not go as
+they ought. This "swearing" has been defined as _Ainu praying_ by one
+authority on the Ainu religion; moreover, the same authority calls the
+Ainu a "distinctly religious people," and an "exceedingly religious
+race!" To anyone who visits a country and regards all that he finds from
+one point of view only, it is not difficult to interpret words and
+things in accordance with the preconceived idea; but however high the
+principles sought to be established, I do not consider a man justified
+in attributing to definite facts an importance and significance to which
+they have no claim. I have no doubt that a native who had associated
+with or been in the employment of a Christian would make statements in
+accordance with his master's belief as it had been taught him; but it is
+incorrect to offer these "borrowed statements" as the religious beliefs
+of a whole nation.
+
+I shall not discuss this question at greater length; but for the sake of
+readers who are interested in the subject it may be well to make two or
+three more statements before closing this chapter. The Ainu do not know
+of a heaven and hell; but in one of the latest publications on the
+aborigines of Japan we are told that they do; and, moreover, that they
+are fully aware of the resurrection of the body in the other world!
+
+Even assuming, for the moment, that the Ainu are theists, or
+polytheists, after what we have heard of their gods, this is a somewhat
+surprising statement. It will be remembered that anything good or bad,
+dreaded or repulsive, respected or not respected, is qualified by the
+Ainu as _Kamui_, and we shall attribute for a while the imaginary
+meaning of "God" to the word. Now, if everything and everybody, good or
+bad, is equally a god, I myself fail to see the necessity of a hell, as
+the chances are that all the gods would inhabit heaven. This alone
+serves to show how absurd the theory is; but I wish to give the exact
+translation of the words _Kando_ and _Teine-pokna-moshiri_, which are
+said to be the two Ainu expressions for "heaven" and "hell."
+
+_Kando_ means "sky," not "heaven." _Teine-pokna-moshiri_[41] stands for
+the "wet earth under(ground)." As the Ainu are in the habit of burying
+their dead, I find it more rational to apply to the words in question
+the meaning of a "burial-place," a "cold place of rest" rather than that
+of Hades or Gehenna.
+
+    [41] _Teine_, wet; _pokna_, under; _moshiri_, earth, place, island.
+
+"They" (the Ainu), says a learned missionary, "seem to conceive of men
+and women as living in large communities in the other world in the same
+way and under the same conditions as they do in this, excepting that
+they can know no death." In other words, resurrection of the body and
+eternal life.
+
+Strange to say, the writer of the same lines asserted in the
+"Transactions of the Asiatic Society of Japan,"[42] that "The Ainu _know
+nothing_ of a resurrection of the body."
+
+    [42] Vol. X., Part II., Sec.6.
+
+It must not be argued that because they have no religion the Ainu are
+bad people. They are far from it. They are decidedly not moral, for
+nothing is immoral among them. The Ainu must be considered more as
+animals than as human beings. When we speak of a dog, we do not ask
+whether it is a moral dog, but only if it is a good dog. The same can be
+said of the Ainu. We cannot compare them to ourselves, nor judge them by
+our own standard of morality. Taken by themselves they are gentle, kind,
+brave, and above everything they are simple. Their language, manners,
+customs, arts, habits, as we have seen, are the very simplest and rudest
+possible. Thus, it is absurd to suppose that such simple brains could
+entertain high religious ideas. If they had brains enough to compass
+high religious beliefs they would long ago have used those brains in
+bettering their miserable condition and filthy mode of living. They
+would have striven to make the beginnings of a history and a literature,
+or at least to have devised or adopted some mode of writing with which
+they could preserve these high ideas, and pass them on from generation
+to generation. Even their language is so poor in words as to hardly
+express their everyday wants. The Ainu are low in the scale of humanity.
+They have always been low; they have not sunk, for they have never
+risen. They have never done any harm in this world, and they will never
+do any good.
+
+The Ainu are without laws, which, paradoxical as it sounds, to a great
+extent makes them good. People are never so good as when no harm can be
+done. There are indeed few crimes among them; no voluntary infanticides;
+very very rarely murders; no suicides; little theft, and as little
+treachery among people of the same tribe. Though usually retiring and
+reserved, they are hospitable on special occasions, and generous with
+what little they possess. The young show an instinctive reverence for
+the aged, without considering it a virtue or a duty. Cowardice is
+despised by the Ainu, but courage, endurance of pain, and hardship,
+drunkenness, and similar qualities, are looked on as the chief virtues
+in men. Punishments are seldom inflicted by Ainu on any of their
+tribesmen, and the crime must indeed be great to raise the whole
+community against the criminal. If by rare chance some great evil has
+been done, the chief of the village and all the men assemble, and decide
+on the punishment to be inflicted. Flogging is the general punishment
+for the lesser crimes, which, according to Ainu ideas, are theft and
+assault. The murder of a tribesman is sometimes punished by cutting the
+tendons of the hands and feet of the murderer, thus disabling him from
+hunting or fishing. If, however, the man murdered was of another tribe,
+or a Japanese, this Draconian kind of justice is not administered.
+Quarrels among tribesmen are settled by private retribution, and no one
+interferes either one way or the other. These quarrels, however, very
+seldom occur, as the Ainu are naturally a peaceful people. Imprisonment
+does not exist, for the simple reason that the Ainu have no prisons.
+They do not know what a prison is; neither is capital punishment
+practised by them. According to their own ideas they are not cruel to
+children, for we seldom see them wilfully ill-treating them; but
+according to civilised notions Ainu women make shockingly bad mothers.
+They love, but they do not look after, nor practically take care of,
+their little ones after these are about a year and a half old; and as to
+washing them, combing their hair, educating them, or trying to cure them
+of the thousand and one wretched skin diseases, which come chiefly by
+their own neglect, an Ainu mother puts her hand to these things no more
+than the men put theirs to the building of a temple or the creation of a
+literature. This neglect is not with them, as it would be with us, an
+intolerable crime, but is the natural result of their animal instinct as
+contradistinguished from rational development. For if a baby is not old
+enough at one and a half years of age to take care of himself, he is of
+no good as an Ainu. It is needless to add that, in these circumstances,
+most of them are of no good, and that the percentage of infantile deaths
+is appalling to a civilised mind.
+
+[Illustration: 1, 7, INAO-NETUBA. 2, 3, 4, 5, CHISEI-KARA-INAO. 6, A
+PESTLE OR POUNDER.]
+
+
+
+
+CHAPTER XXIX.
+
+Marital Relations, and Causes that Limit Population.
+
+
+The laws of marriage in the Ainu country are not very stringent; in
+fact, there are no laws. If a young man takes a fancy to a pretty hairy
+maid, and the maid reciprocates his affections, all they have to do is
+to go and live together, and there is no Mrs. Grundy to be scandalised
+at the want of closer forms and ceremonies. There is no function to
+celebrate the occasion; there are no wedding presents, no bridesmaids,
+no officiating clergyman, and no old slipper flung after the happy pair
+as soon as the knot is tied. The bridegroom either goes to live in his
+bride's hut, or, if he does not care for his mother-in-law, he will
+bring his lady-love to his own father's hut. Usually, however, the two,
+especially if their respective families are large, prefer to build a hut
+of their own. The honeymoon is spent in house-building, and while the
+bride carries the loads of timber and long reeds, the bridegroom
+accomplishes the more difficult task of putting them together as well as
+he can for future shelter. All goes well with the happy couple until the
+roof has to be lifted up bodily and perched on the forked poles, during
+which process "family rows" generally begin. But they do not last long,
+and when the house is finished, though not decorated, home peace reigns
+within, and the bridegroom, as we have already seen, proceeds to
+ornament his chief treasure--his wife--with tattoos on her arms. This
+idyllic state of things is not specially permanent, for soon after this
+first marriage the Ainu feels that he would like another wife, and,
+without thinking twice about it, he marries again. Though savage and
+barbarian, the Ainu is shrewd enough not to take his second wife to live
+with his first, for he knows what the result would be, human nature
+being the same in Yezo as it is in London, and jealousy as strong among
+the tattooed women of the hairy people as among the fair-skinned
+daughters of the West. All women are bad enough when out of temper, but
+the Ainu women are pre-eminent in this respect. Our shock-haired
+bigamist calls his first wife _poro-machi_--"great wife," and he calls
+the other _pon-machi_--"small wife;" and as long as the two females do
+not live under the same roof they are all happy with the arrangement.
+If, indeed, he chooses to have more than these two wives he thinks small
+blame to himself. There is no bar of any kind in his code to his having
+a third "half;" but this seldom happens now, for the women are not in
+such over abundance in the Ainu country as to allow each man to indulge
+in a "triple alliance." The Ainu are therefore polygamists when they can
+find the third woman, and almost always bigamists when this is possible.
+The wife does not take her husband's name, for no Ainu has a family
+surname; and each man or woman is called after some peculiarity which he
+or she possesses, or after some event or accident which has befallen
+them. For instance, _Una-charo_, a man's name, means "Sprinkled-ashes,"
+and _Yei-Ainu_, "Dangerous Ainu," &c.; and _Korunke_, a woman's name,
+means "Ice-eater;" _Reoback_, "Who burst three times," and so on, each
+person having a different name, which is nothing more than a nick-name.
+When the girl gets married she does not drop this nick-name, neither, as
+has been said, does she take her husband's name, though sometimes she is
+called So-and-So's wife. Supposing that Miss Burst-three-times were to
+marry Mr. Sprinkled-ashes, she would be Mr. Sprinkled-ashes' wife, and
+would still be called by her maiden name, Burst-three-times.
+
+It is impossible to quote exact statistics of the Ainu population, and
+whether the women outnumber the men, but from my own observation I
+should think that females are in excess of the males in some districts,
+and about even in others.
+
+The man, naturally, is the lord and master of the household, and the
+wife is like a kind of inferior being or a slave, whose duty it is to
+obey her male companion. She has to yield in everything, whether she is
+right or wrong; she is occasionally beaten; she never takes active part
+in any of her husband's Bacchanalian revels; but though she leads a sad
+kind of life, a life of hard work and no pleasure, she does not seem to
+be any the worse for it. There are wives, of course, who, as in other
+countries, give a "pretty rough time" to their husbands; but in the Ainu
+country these are certainly the exception. As there is no ceremony of
+marriage, there is naturally no "divorce;" but if an Ainu gets sick of
+his wife, all he has to do is to leave her and go elsewhere, or else to
+banish her from his hut. This, however, very seldom happens, for that
+rare creature the henpecked Ainu husband is willing to put up with a
+lot; and though brave enough to encounter single-handed a bear, the
+hairy man is by no means valiant enough to face his wife's temper;
+while, for all that she is practically a slave, and personally an
+inferior, is sometimes in Ainuland, as everywhere else, the strongest
+factor in the domestic sum.
+
+As long as the wife does her duty well as a "beast of burden," little
+more is required from her. Her morals, as far as I could make out, are
+not well looked after. Adultery is not considered a crime. I do not mean
+by this that adultery is practised on principle, for it is not so: there
+is no reason whatever why it should be, for each man has his own wife or
+wives; but if adultery were practised by any members of a community,
+what we consider a dreadful crime would be regarded as a mere "joke"
+among the hairy people. The husband, like any other animal, dumb or not,
+would naturally resent the intrusion, but the community would in no way
+interfere, or punish the offender. A girl is considered fit to be
+married when she is about sixteen years of age; a man about twenty, or
+as soon as the body is fully developed.
+
+People as a rule marry in the same village. It is but seldom that a girl
+marries a man or a man a girl of a different village. Villages, as we
+have seen, are generally composed of only a few houses, and the result
+of this strict endogamy is, that marriages take place among very near
+relations. In very small villages of only one or two houses, the father
+has been known to marry his own daughter, the uncle his own niece, &c.
+But enough of this. The result of this dreadful state of affairs is,
+that the race is rapidly dying out, destroyed by consumption, lunacy,
+and poverty of blood. All the members of one village are necessarily
+related to one another; and, as I have demonstrated in a previous
+chapter, this is the main cause why certain diseases are common to one
+community and utterly unknown to others, and certain hereditary talents
+or tendencies are frequent in one village and imperceptible in the next.
+
+The Ainu seem to have no Platonic love; their love is purely sexual. It
+is not to be wondered at, in a country where marital relations are so
+peculiar, that very little love is felt for children beyond a certain
+age. The mother suckles her own child usually for seven or eight months.
+She can bear children till she is about thirty-five, though some who
+seem to be much older are still fruitful. It was difficult to ascertain
+this fact for no Ainu knows his own age. As far as I could learn
+fertility is neither hindered nor checked in any way--either by adopting
+a peculiar diet or by other practices. On the other hand, many a woman
+is sterile, and many are also affected with the most horrible of all
+diseases. I am inclined to think, however, that this special malady was
+imported to Yezo with Japanese civilisation, for it is in the more
+civilised parts of the Ainu country that it is most frequent.
+
+There is probably no country in the world where there is so much loss of
+infant life due to want, accidents, and diseases, as with the Ainu.
+Abortion is common, owing to the severe exertion of the mother during
+pregnancy; and many a child dies not many days after birth for the same
+reason, and consequent disappearance of milk in the mother's breasts.
+The greater mortality of children, however, is between the age of six
+and ten. Only a small percentage of these poor creatures live to take
+part in the game of life; while many succumb to ill-treatment and the
+most horrible skin eruptions. Thus we have a good explanation of the
+frightful rapidity with which the Ainu race is fast disappearing.
+Naturally, those few who survive grow strong and healthy; but their
+great fondness for alcoholic drinks, which they can now so easily
+procure from the Japanese, destroys even them.
+
+One is generally struck in Ainuland by the number of old men and
+children, and by the almost entire lack of young fellows between the age
+of fifteen and thirty. This is due mainly to the great increase of
+mortality in children during the last two generations. The sadness which
+seems to oppress the Ainu, and which we see depicted on the face of each
+individual, is nothing but the outcome of this degeneration of the race.
+As a race the Ainu will soon be extinct. I dare say that in fifty years
+from now--probably not so long--not one of the hairy savages, who were
+once the masters of Sakhalin, Yezo, the Kuriles, Kamschatka, and the
+whole of the southern Japanese Empire, will be left. Not one of these
+strange people--soft, good, and gentle, but savage, brave, and
+disreputable--will live to see their country civilised; and in the life
+which they have led of filth and vice they will die in front of that
+greater scourge, civilisation, leaving behind no traces of themselves,
+of their past, of their history, nor of their present--nothing but a
+faint recollection, a tradition, that in Yezo and the Kuriles died the
+last remains of those curious people, the Hairy Ainu.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX.
+
+
+I.--MEASUREMENTS OF THE AINU BODY, AND DESCRIPTIVE CHARACTERS.
+
+
+The following measurements were taken on five men and five women of the
+pure Ainu of Frishikobets (Upper Tokachi River). They were carefully
+chosen among the best types.
+
+The names of the men were:--
+
+1. Unacharo: _Una_, ashes; _charo_, sprinkled = "Sprinkled-ashes."
+
+2. Aba pukuro: _Aba_, a relation; _pu_, storehouse; _kuro_, a man =
+"Related to the man of the storehouse."
+
+3. Pe chantwe; _Pe_, undrinkable water; _chan_, to run away; _we_, to
+tell = "Who ran to tell of the undrinkable water."
+
+4. Kosankeyan: _Ko san_, to go down; _ke_, eating; _yan_, cold.
+
+5. Yei Ainu: _Yei_, dangerous; _Ainu_, Ainu.
+
+The following were the names of the women:--
+
+1. Usattean: _Usat_, cinders; _tean_, long.
+
+2. Korunke: _Korun_, ice; _ke_, to eat = "Ice-eater."
+
+3. Sho kem: _Sho_, so; _kem_, blood = "Covered with blood."
+
+4. Uina mon: _Uina or Una_, ashes; _mon_, tranquil.
+
+5. Reoback: _Re_, three; _oback_, to burst = "Who burst three times."
+
+
+                     HEIGHT.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 61     }                  1. 58-3/4 }
+  2. 65     }                  2. 59-7/8 }
+  3. 60-1/2 } Med. 62-19/40    3. 59-1/2 } Med. 58-3/8
+  4. 64-7/8 }                  4. 54-5/8 }
+  5. 61     }                  5. 59-1/8 }
+
+
+  LENGTH FROM TIP TO TIP OF FINGERS WITH ARMS
+                  OUTSTRETCHED.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 64-5/8 }                  1. 59-1/8 }
+  2. 65     }                  2. 62-1/2 }
+  3. 63-1/2 } Med. 65-3/8.     3. 62-1/2 } Med. 61-13/40.
+  4. 69-1/2 }                  4. 60     }
+  5. 64-1/4 }                  5. 62-1/2 }
+
+
+It is interesting to notice the great difference between the height and
+this latter measurement, showing the great length of the arms in the
+Ainu race.
+
+
+                  THE HUMERUS.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 9     }                    1. 8-1/2  }
+  2. 9-5/8 }                    2. 8-3/4  }
+  3. 8-1/2 } Med. 9-9/40.       3. 10-3/8 } Med. 9-19/40.
+  4. 9     }                    4. 9-3/4  }
+  5. 10    }                    5. 10     }
+
+
+                    THE ARM.
+
+                    THE ULNA.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 9-1/4  }                  1. 9-1/4 }
+  2. 10-3/4 }                  2. 9-1/8 }
+  3. 9-1/8  } Med. 9-37/40.    3. 8-7/8 } Med. 9-1/4.
+  4. 11     }                  4. 9-3/8 }
+  5. 9-1/2  }                  5. 9-5/8 }
+
+                    THE HAND.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 7-3/8 }                   1. 6-7/8 }
+  2. 7-1/2 }                   2. 7     }
+  3. 7-1/4 } Med. 7-2/5.       3. 6-7/8 } Med. 6-9/10.
+  4. 7-7/8 }                   4. 6-3/4 }
+  5. 7     }                   5. 7     }
+
+
+  THE SPINE (dorsal and lumbar vertebrae to the sacrum).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 25-1/2 }                  1. 27     }
+  2. 28-5/8 }                  2. 26-3/4 }
+  3. 27-1/2 } Med. 27-4/5.     3. 28-1/4 } Med. 27-5/8.
+  4. 29-5/8 }                  4. 27     }
+  5. 27-3/4 }                  5. 29-1/8 }
+
+
+         THE LEG (Femur, Tibia and Foot.)
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 34-3/8 }                  1. 32-7/8 }
+  2. 36-1/4 }                  2. 35-1/2 }
+  3. 32-1/2 } Med. 35-1/20.    3. 34     } Med. 33-13/20.
+  4. 37-7/8 }                  4. 30-1/2 }
+  5. 34-1/4 }                  5. 35-3/8 }
+
+
+                      FEMUR.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 17-1/2 }                  1. 18-3/8 }
+  2. 18-3/8 }                  2. 19-7/8 }
+  3. 17-1/8 } Med. 18-5/8.     3. 18-1/2 } Med. 17-33/40.
+  4. 20     }                  4. 14     }
+  5. 20-1/8 }                  5. 18-3/8 }
+
+
+                      TIBIA.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 14     }                  1. 14-1/4 }
+  2. 14-7/8 }                  2. 13     }
+  3. 12-5/8 } Med. 13-1/2.     3. 13-1/2 } Med. 13-4/5.
+  4. 14-7/8 }                  4. 14     }
+  5. 11-1/8 }                  5. 14-1/4 }
+  (The Tibia is very flattened with the Ainu.)
+
+
+          TARSUS (from ground to Ankle).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 2-3/4 }                   1. 2     }
+  2. 3     }                   2. 2-5/8 }
+  3. 3     } Med. 3.           3. 2     } Med. 2-3/8.
+  4. 3-1/4 }                   4. 2-1/2 }
+  5. 3     }                   5. 2-3/4 }
+
+
+         CHEST (from Arm-pit to Arm-pit).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 13-1/2 }                  1. 12-5/8 }
+  2. 13-5/8 }                  2. 14-1/4 }
+  3. 13-1/2 } Med. 13-19/40.   3. 14-1/4 } Med.  13-7/20.
+  4. 13     }                  4. 12-1/4 }
+  5. 13-3/4 }                  5. 13-3/8 }
+
+
+                  AROUND CHEST.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 36-1/2 }                   1. 33-3/8 }
+  2. 35-3/8 }                   2. 34-1/2 }
+  3. 37-1/2 } Med. 37-3/40.     3. 35-1/2 } Med. 34-1/5.
+  4. 37-5/8 }                   4. 32-7/8 }
+  5. 38-1/8 }                   5. 34-3/4 }
+
+
+                  AROUND WAIST.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 33     }                   1. 28-3/8 }
+  2. 37     }                   2. 31-1/2 }
+  3. 34     } Med. 34-7/10.     3. 34-7/8 } Med. 31-7/20.
+  4. 36     }                   4. 31     }
+  5. 33-1/2 }                   5. (37-5/8 but was conceived.)
+
+
+          MAXIMUM BREADTH OF  SHOULDERS.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 19-1/4 }                   1. 15-1/2 }
+  2. 16     }                   2. 13-5/8 }
+  3. 18     } Med. 17-1/2.      3. 13-7/8 } Med. 14-2/5.
+  4. 18     }                   4. 13-7/8 }
+  5. 16-1/4 }                   5. 15-1/8 }
+
+
+                    THE FOOT.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1.  9-1/4 }                   1. 8-5/8 }
+  2.  9-5/8 }                   2. 9-1/8 }
+  3.  9-1/2 } Med. 9-23/40.     3. 9-1/8 } Med. 8-4/5.
+  4. 10-1/4 }                   4. 8-1/4 }
+  5.  9-1/4 }                   5. 8-7/8 }
+
+
+                    THE HEAD
+      (around the Head, just above the Ears).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 23-1/2 }                   1. 23-3/8 }
+  2. 23-1/2 }                   2. 22-5/8 }
+  3. 24-3/8 } Med. 23-3/4.      3. 23-5/8 } Med. 22-29/40.
+  4. 22-3/8 }                   4. 22     }
+  5. 23-1/8 }                   5. 23     }
+
+
+                 LENGTH OF FACE.
+              (From Hair to Chin.)
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 7-1/2 }                    1. 7-1/4 }
+  2. 9     }                    2. 6-3/4 }
+  3. 7-1/2 } Med. 7-31/40.      3. 6-3/4 } Med. 6-7/8.
+  4. 6-7/8 }                    4. 7     }
+  5. 8     }                    5. 6-5/8 }
+
+
+          WIDTH OF FACE FROM EAR TO EAR
+         (over Forehead and Cheek Bones).
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 11-7/8 }                   1. 11-1/8 }
+  2. 12-1/2 }                   2. 11     }
+  3. 12     } Med. 11-19/20.    3. 11-3/4 } Med. 11-21/40.
+  4. 12     }                   4. 11-7/8 }
+  5. 12-1/8 }                   5. 11-1/8 }
+
+
+              HEIGHT OF FOREHEAD.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 2-1/4 }                    1. 2-1/4 }
+  2. 2-7/8 }                    2. 1-3/4 }
+  3. 2-3/8 } Med. 2-2/5.        3. 2-1/8 } Med. 2.
+  4. 2     }                    4. 2     }
+  5. 2-3/4 }                    5. 1-7/8 }
+
+
+                WIDTH OF FOREHEAD.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 5     }                    1. 6     }
+  2. 5-1/4 }                    2. 5-1/2 }
+  3. 5-1/2 } Med. 5-1/5.        3. 5     } Med. 5-3/8.
+  4. 5-3/4 }                    4. 4-7/8 }
+  5. 6     }                    5. 5-1/2 }
+
+
+                 LENGTH OF EARS.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 3     }                    1. 2-3/8 }
+  2. 3-1/4 }                    2. 2-3/8 }
+  3. 2-3/4 } Med. 2-23/40.      3. 2-3/4 } Med. 2-23/40.
+  4. 2-1/2 }                    4. 2-7/8 }
+  5. 2-5/8 }                    5. 2-1/2 }
+
+
+               LENGTH OF FINGERS.
+          MEN.                    WOMEN.
+         inches.                 inches.
+  1. 3-1/8 }                    1. 3     }
+  2. 3-3/8 }                    2. 3     }
+  3. 3     } Med. 3-9/40.       3. 3     } Med. 2-39/40.
+  4. 3-5/8 }                    4. 2-7/8 }
+  5. 3     }                    5. 3     }
+
+     (_a_) Colour of skin (in parts not exposed to air)--light reddish
+     slightly tending towards brown, but almost as light as with
+     Europeans.
+
+     (_b_) Colour of hair--black, dark-brown, reddish-black, red.
+
+     (_c_) Colour of eyes--light-brown tending towards dark-grey.
+
+     (_d_) Character of hair--wavy.
+
+     (_e_) Amount of hair--abundant on face and all over the body in
+     males more so than in females.
+
+
+MEASUREMENTS OF SHIKOTAN AINU.
+
+The skin and eyes are the same colour as with the Yezo Ainu. The hair is
+black, dark-red, or dark-brown. Black is the prevalent colour. Children
+often have fair hair, which grows darker as they grow older. The hair is
+abundant over body and face, and it is wavy.
+
+The face possesses the identical characteristics of the Yezo Ainu.
+
+  Medium height: 61 inches to 62-3/4 inches.
+  Round waist: 32-7/8 inches.
+  Chest: Empty, 35-7/8 inches; inflated, 37-1/2 inches.
+  Humerus: 11-7/8 inches.
+  Ulna: 8-11/16 inches.
+  Hand: 6-3/4 inches.
+  Foot: 9-1/2 inches.
+  Spinal vertebrae: 24 inches.
+  Scapula (from shoulder to shoulder): 17 inches.
+  Between shoulder-blades: 5-7/8 inches.
+  Femur: short.
+  Tibia: very long.
+  (Natives objected to have their legs measured.)
+  The Tibia is much rounder than with the Yezo Ainu.
+  Length of face: 7-1/2 inches.
+  Width of face from ear to ear: 11-1/8 inches.
+  Round head above ears: 21-5/8 inches.
+  Ears: small.
+  Forehead: 2-3/8 inches high; 5-1/4 inches wide.
+
+With arms outstretched and from tip to tip of fingers the Shikotan Ainu
+measure generally the length of one hand (about 6-3/4 inches) more than
+their own height. Consumption, _kaki_, and syphilis are common
+complaints among them.
+
+
+
+
+II.--GLOSSARY OF AINU WORDS, MANY OF WHICH ARE FOUND IN GEOGRAPHICAL
+NAMES IN YEZO AND THE KURILE ISLANDS.[43]
+
+    [43] The vowels to be pronounced as in Italian.
+
+  A.
+
+  A = (a suffix).
+  Apa = an open space, a doorway.
+  Aikap = impossible, impassable.
+  Ambe = that is.
+  An = to be.
+  Aota = near.
+  Apta = rain.
+  Apun = gently.
+  At = a tree.
+  Atsu = barren, naked.
+
+
+  B.
+
+  Bets, or pets, pet = river.
+  Be, or pe = pestilential water.
+  But, or put = mouth of a river.
+
+
+  C.
+
+  Cha = old.
+  Cha cha = very old.
+  Chip = fish.
+  Chippe = a canoe, a boat.
+  Chup = the sun.
+
+
+  E.
+
+  Erimu = a rat.
+  Etoko = formerly, in front of.
+  Etu = a cape.
+
+
+  F.
+
+  Fu = bare.
+  Fun = green.
+  Fure = red (also pronounced Hure).
+  Frishiko = old.
+
+
+  H.
+
+  Haru = grass.
+  Hattara = a deep pool in a watercourse.
+  Hure = a bad smell.
+  Hure = red.
+
+
+  I.
+
+  I = a suffix for "a place."
+  Ibe = to feed.
+  Ichan = a canal made by salmon in river-beds to lay their, spawn.
+  Ikam = against.
+  Iwa = stone, a rock.
+  Itapk = word, story.
+  Iwashi (Japanese) = sardine.
+  Iwao = sulphur.
+
+
+  K.
+
+  Kama = cliffs, rocks, to go over.
+  Kamui = great, wonderful, ancient.
+  Kap = bark of a tree.
+  Kara = to take, to make.
+  Kashi = towards.
+  Kerimba = a berry.
+  Kene = an alder tree.
+  Kem = blood.
+  Kenashi = a meadow.
+  Keshup = head.
+  Kesh = towards the west.
+  Ki = rushes.
+  Kim = mountain.
+  Kinna = mat.
+  Kinna = reeds.
+  Kinna = grass.
+  Kiri = to know.
+  Kitai = mountain.
+  Koi = the waves of the sea.
+  Kochi = level.
+  Kombo = sea-weed.
+  Koro = to possess, to have.
+  Kotan = a village, a place.
+  Kotcha = in front of.
+  Ku = a bow.
+  Kuano = straight.
+  Kume = black, very dark.
+  Kuru, or guru = a person.
+
+
+  M.
+
+  Ma = to swim, deep.
+  Mak = behind.
+  Makta = away.
+  Mata = winter.
+  Meak = female.
+  Mean = cold.
+  Mo = tranquil.
+  Mon = small, tranquil.
+  Mom = to flow like a river.
+  Moire = slow.
+  Moi = a bay, a sheltered bend in a river where the water is quiet.
+  Moshiri, or mushir = island, country, place, land.
+  Moshiri Kes = the east.
+  Moshitte-chu-pok = north.
+  Moshiri pok = west.
+  Moshitte-chu-pka = south.
+  Mun = grass.
+
+
+  N.
+
+  Na = again.
+  Na = bigger, or smaller (also sign of comparative).
+  Nai, or Nae = a rivulet, a small stream.
+  Nai yau = a tributary stream.
+  Nak = where.
+  Nam = cold, as water, as ice.
+  Naoak = yet more shallow.
+  Ne = together, where, and, also, which, &c.
+  Neatka = also, again.
+  Nen = who.
+  Neto = where.
+  Ni = wood, or tree.
+  Nikam = leaves of a tree.
+  Nibeshi = name of a tree (probably _Tilia_).
+  Nikap = bark of a tree.
+  Nipek = a fire, a flame.
+  Nisei = valley.
+  Nisusu = scenery, panorama, view.
+  Nitat = swampy ground, a swamp, a lagoon.
+  Nitai = a forest.
+  Nitt = a thorn.
+  Nitek = branches of trees.
+  Nituman = trunk of a tree.
+  Nobori = mountain.
+  No = (meaningless ending of words).
+  Noshike = middle.
+  Noshihike = half.
+  Nupka = a forest.
+  Nup = a treeless plain.
+  Nup = a deep silent pool in a river.
+  Nuburi = mountain.
+  Nupuru = turbid (as water).
+  Nupuri = a mountain (volcano).
+  Nutap = the projecting part of a river bend.
+
+
+  O.
+
+  O = a meaningless prefix, sometimes used as an adjective.
+  Oara = one.
+  Oboso = to pass through (as water).
+  Oak = shallow--not deep.
+  Oha = empty.
+  Ohoho = deep.
+  Okai = at a place.
+  Okai = a male.
+  Okari = around.
+  Oakau = to hide.
+  Oakan = a male.
+  Omanne = to go.
+  Oma = to be inside.
+  Onne = large, old, great.
+  Opattek = a volcanic eruption.
+  Opeka = straight.
+  Oro = to be in.
+  Oropak = as far as.
+  Oshima = to go in.
+  Oshimak = behind.
+  Ota = sand.
+  Otaru = sandy.
+  Opke = a spear.
+  Ot = in, inside, into.
+  Oya = another.
+  Oushike = a place.
+  Oyapk = away, abroad.
+  Oyapk moshiri = away, country (foreign country).
+
+
+  P.
+
+  Pa = smoke.
+  Pa = east-end of villages.
+  Pai = bushes.
+  Pakne = as far as.
+  Panke = lower.
+  Paru = the mouth.
+  Pase = heavy.
+  Patek = only.
+  Pe = pestilential water, bad water, not good to drink.
+  Pei = something.
+  Pene = inland.
+  Pet, pets, bets = river.
+  Pet bena = source of a river.
+  Pet samo = bank of a river.
+  Petsamata = by the side of a river.
+  Pet put = the mouth of a river.
+  Pet-urara = a stream.
+  Pet yao = an affluent.
+  Pet-ka-shu = to wade a river.
+  Penke = upper.
+  Pinni = ash-tree.
+  Pinne = male.
+  Piuta = sand (coarse).
+  Pipa = a spring of fresh water.
+  Pira = a bank, a cliff.
+  Piri = a wound.
+  Pirika = pretty, good, well, all-right.
+  Pishita = sea-beach.
+  Pita = to untie, to undo.
+  Pitara = a dry place in a river-bed.
+  Po = a small thing.
+  Pon = small.
+  Poi-shuma = pebbles, stones.
+  Poka = only.
+  Popke = hot, steaming (also Topke).
+  Poro = large.
+  Pui = a hole.
+  Puri = natural, very, usual.
+  Put, Putu (corrupted into Buto by the Japanese) = the mouth of a river.
+
+
+  R.
+
+  Rai = death.
+  Rakka = seal.
+  Rahuru = a fog.
+  Ram = low.
+  Ran = to descend (a mountain).
+  Rangu = a kind of tree.
+  Rarumani = a kind of tree (_Taxus cuspidata_).
+  Re = three.
+  Repun = to go, in the sea, surrounded by water.
+  Repun moshiri = an island.
+  Rera = wind.
+  Retara = white.
+  Ri = high.
+  Rikkin = to ascend.
+  Riri = a wave.
+  Riri-shiye-tuye = ebb tide.
+  Riri-ya = flow tide.
+  Roru = at the head.
+  Ru = a road, a track, a pathway
+  Rui = to burn.
+  Rukoppe = where roads cross.
+  Rui = great, big.
+  Rubeshipe = a ravine.
+  Rupne = large.
+
+
+  S.
+
+  Sapk = summer.
+  Sak = without.
+  Sama = by the side of.
+  San = to descend.
+  Sara, Saru = a grassy plain.
+  Sat = dry.
+  Sattek = shallow water.
+  Sesek = hot.
+  Seta = dog.
+  Shep = broad.
+  Shi = high.
+  Shibe = autumn salmon.
+  Shiki = a kind of tall grass.
+  Shiko = a view, a sight.
+  Shimon = on the right-hand side.
+  Shimoye = to shake, to move.
+  Shenai = a large river.
+  Shirari = a cliff, mass of loose texture.
+  Shirau = a horse-fly.
+  Shiretu = a cape.
+  Shiri = land.
+  Shiruturu = a small island in a river.
+  Sho = so.
+  Shoi = a hole.
+  Shum = foam.
+  Shuma = a stone.
+  So = a waterfall.
+  Shupun = a kind of fish.
+  Shusu = a willow tree.
+
+
+  T.
+
+  Ta = to, towards, to take, to cut.
+  Taanni = on this side.
+  Taksep = a rock.
+  Tapne = short.
+  Tanne = long.
+  Tap kop = an isolated hill.
+  Tat = Birch-tree (_Betula_).
+  To, or ko = a lake, a swamp.
+  Toambe = that.
+  Toi = earth.
+  Tokap = day, light.
+  Tomari = a harbour, a sheltered place.
+  Top = scrub bamboo.
+  Tope = _Acer_--a kind of tree.
+  Tukara, also Tokari = sea-otter.
+  Tunni = _Quercus dentata_.
+  Tureshi = to ascend.
+  Turep = a plant, the roots of which are eaten by the Ainu.
+
+
+  U.
+
+  U = a suffix to indicate a place.
+  Uhui, also Ouye = a fire.
+  Uhui nobori = a volcano.
+  Un = a particle denoting that something is to be found at a place.
+  Upas = snow.
+  Ush = a bay.
+  Ush = a gulf.
+  Ush = a locative particle.
+  Uta = a master.
+  Utka = the rapids of a river.
+
+
+  W.
+
+  Wa = from.
+  Wakka = water.
+  Wen = bad.
+
+
+  Y.
+
+  Ya = land.
+  Yai = danger.
+  Yaikap = awkward.
+  Yam = cold, a chestnut.
+  Yuk = a deer.
+  Yutta = greatest.
+
+
+
+
+INDEX.
+
+
+  A.
+
+  Abashiri, 81, 92, 137-139, 161, 184.
+
+  Abashiri Lagoon, 138, 139.
+
+  Abnormalities, 267.
+
+  Abortion, 296.
+
+  Abstinence from food and drink, 238, 239.
+
+  Abus, 48.
+
+  Adultery, 295.
+
+  Adzes (stone), 78, 79.
+
+  Affection, 272.
+
+  Affirmation, 234.
+
+  Age of the Ainu, 271.
+
+  Agriculture, 62.
+
+  Ahunkanitte, 210.
+
+  Aikap, Cape, 177.
+
+  Ainu bits, 110.
+    capacity for drink, 23.
+    conclusion, an, 27.
+    diet, 24.
+    dirt, 27.
+    gentleness, 17.
+    good-nature, 27.
+    implements, 86.
+    legends, 28, 29.
+    names on Nippon, 94.
+    names, 298.
+    Paganini, 258.
+    pronunciation, 112.
+    village, 74.
+    way of approaching huts, 171.
+
+  Airup, Cape, 176.
+
+  Akangawa, 75.
+
+  Akkeshi, 80, 102-104, 106, 139.
+
+  Akkeshi bay, 104, 105.
+    lagoon, 103.
+
+  Albinism, 268.
+
+  Aleutian Islands, 94.
+
+  Aleuts, 91.
+
+  Alexandrovitch, 127.
+
+  Amida, 204.
+
+  Ancestral attachment, 216.
+
+  Anchors, 39.
+
+  Anchorages, 112, 129, 142, 167, 168, 174, 194, 203.
+
+  Angotsuro, 7.
+
+  Apa-otki (door-mat), 211.
+
+  Aputa, 5, 10.
+
+  Archaeology, 77.
+
+  Architecture, 207.
+
+  Arms, 243.
+
+  Arrows, 216.
+
+  Arrow-heads (flint), 78, 79.
+
+  Art, 218-220, 227, 228.
+
+  Artist, 69.
+
+  Arundinaria, 5, 23.
+
+  Asiatic Society of Japan, 89, 290.
+
+  Assap River, 203.
+
+  Attacked by the Ainu, 13-15.
+
+  Attitudes, 241.
+
+  At-pets, River, 35.
+
+  Atzis-robe, 213, 246, 247, 252.
+
+  Atzosa Volcano, 130.
+
+  Atzta, 176, 177.
+
+  Australia, 102.
+
+  Australian blacks, 159, 228.
+
+  Authority of chiefs, 267.
+
+  Awomori, 93.
+
+
+  B.
+
+  Backbone of Yezo, 63, 122.
+
+  Bakkai, 168.
+
+  Baldness, 104, 232, 269.
+
+  Bamboo arrow-points, 79.
+
+  Barabuta, 202, 203.
+
+  Baratte, 188.
+
+  Barter, 216, 249.
+
+  Basha, 3, 12, 195, 198, 202.
+
+  Batchelor, Rev. I., 59, 83, 87, 88.
+
+  Bathing, 76.
+
+  Battles, 81, 86, 93.
+
+  Beaches, 73.
+
+  Bears, 44, 51, 56, 61, 65, 66, 85, 101, 131, 142, 147, 159, 214.
+
+  Bear (descent from the), 281.
+    hunting, 272.
+    (ill-usage of), 282.
+    skins, 245.
+    skull trophy, 286.
+
+  Beliefs compared, 288.
+
+  Bending of watercourses, 165.
+
+  Benke, Cape, 194, 195.
+
+  Benry, 23, 26, 27, 30-34, 260, 283, 286.
+
+  Benten Island, 204.
+
+  Bentenjima (Nemuro), 80, 115.
+
+  Bento, 3, 4.
+
+  Beppo, 65.
+
+  Betoya, 129.
+
+  Bettobu, 82, 130.
+    Bay, 129, 130.
+
+  Birvase, 112.
+
+  Bitskai, 133.
+
+  Bone arrow-point, 81, 82.
+    carvings, 222.
+    setting, 176.
+
+  Bonzes, 197, 198, 283.
+
+  Bowls, 209, 225.
+
+  Bows and arrows, 223, 225.
+
+  Buddhists, 283.
+
+  Buddhist shrine, 283.
+
+  Burial, 225, 227, 284.
+
+
+  C.
+
+  Cancer, 174.
+
+  Cannibalism, 59.
+
+  Canoes, 37-39, 90, 177.
+
+  Carrying children, 238.
+    weights and burdens, 238.
+
+  Castes, 266.
+
+  Castle, 204.
+
+  Caucasian races, 236, 238.
+
+  Chanting, 113, 258.
+
+  Charcoal in pits, 81.
+
+  Charms, 288.
+
+  Chevrons, 221.
+
+  Child-bearing, 296.
+
+  Children of Kurile Islands, 129.
+
+  Chimney, 23.
+
+  Chiefs at a festival, 30, 31.
+
+  Chief's crown, 250.
+    tomb, 226.
+
+  Chieftainship, 266.
+
+  Chietomamai, 163.
+
+  China, 26.
+
+  Chinese, 276.
+    idea, 77.
+    sea, 163.
+
+  Chisei-kara-inao, 286.
+
+  Cholera, 184.
+
+  Choruses, 256, 264.
+
+  Christians, 12, 127, 128, 156, 289.
+
+  Christian minister, 198.
+    virtues, 269.
+
+  Chukbets, 173.
+
+  Chuppets, River, 183.
+
+  Chuskin Island, 162.
+
+  Cisango, 203.
+
+  Civilisation, 58, 59, 65, 216, 217, 288, 297.
+
+  Clothes, 2, 3, 60, 190, 245, 250.
+    and boots, 2, 3, 95, 96, 202, 246, 247.
+
+  Coal, 75, 174, 205.
+    field, 75.
+    mines, 183, 185.
+    trains, 186.
+    trucks, 76.
+
+  Coins, 151.
+
+  Colonial militia, 188, 189.
+
+  Colonisation scheme, 185.
+
+  Colonists, 74, 115, 116.
+
+  Comparisons, 229.
+
+  Compass, 53.
+
+  Concert, 263, 264.
+
+  Conservatism, 216.
+
+  Consul, 206.
+
+  Consumption, 128, 174, 179, 296, 304.
+
+  Convicts (Japanese), 102, 184-186.
+
+  Copper, 122.
+
+  Coptic Church, 127, 128.
+
+  Corea, 26, 174.
+
+  Creator, 281, 285.
+
+  Criminals, 269.
+
+  Crosses, 268, 269.
+
+  Crows, 35, 46.
+    attacking a pony, 146.
+    (familiarity of), 149.
+    (multitude of), 5.
+
+  Cruelty to children, 292.
+
+  Currents, 48, 139, 143, 161, 163, 165, 169.
+
+  Cutaneous diseases, 42.
+
+
+  D.
+
+  Daikuku Island, 11.
+
+  Daikuku and Kodaikuku Islands, 105.
+
+  Daimio, 204.
+
+  Dancing, 264, 265.
+
+  Darwin's theory of evolution, 280.
+
+  Deer-skin coat, 245.
+
+  Degeneration of the race, 297.
+
+  Deluge, the, 29.
+
+  Descriptive characters of Yezo Ainu (Appendix), 298, 303.
+    of Shikotan Ainu (Appendix), 303, 304.
+
+  Designs, 221, 227.
+
+  Dew, 53.
+
+  Dirt, 88, 128.
+
+  Divinities, 282.
+
+  Divorce, 295.
+
+  Dogs (wild), 154, 159.
+
+  Drainage area of Ishikari River, 181, 182.
+
+  Dress of Kurilsky Ainu, 126, 127.
+
+  Drift-ice, 161.
+    logs, 48, 169.
+    sand, 139, 142, 170.
+
+  Drinking vessels, 215, 223.
+
+  Drunkenness, 17, 32, 291.
+
+  Dug-outs, 5, 63, 64, 92, 170, 183.
+
+  Dwarfs, 251.
+
+  Dying out of the race, 296.
+
+
+  E.
+
+  Eagles, 142, 152, 153, 214.
+
+  Ear-rings, 6, 249.
+
+  Ears, 230, 303, 304.
+
+  Eclipses, 234.
+
+  Education, 266.
+
+  Egyptian cross, 227.
+
+  Election of chief, 10, 266.
+
+  Elephantiasis, 143.
+
+  Embroideries, 180, 246, 247.
+
+  Emperor's palace, 183.
+
+  Enamelling, 222.
+
+  Endogamy, 295.
+
+  Entogroul, 164.
+
+  Eramachi, 204.
+
+  Erimo Cape, 19, 42-44, 73, 80.
+
+  Esan Volcano, 4, 198, 200, 201.
+
+  Esashi, 162, 202, 203.
+
+  Esquimaux, 84, 85, 91.
+
+  Ethnologists, 263.
+
+  Etiquette, 31, 211, 212.
+
+  Etorofu, 80, 82, 88, 91, 123, 129, 131, 132.
+
+  European comforts, 158.
+    dinner, 69, 119.
+
+  Eyelashes, 231, 279.
+
+
+  F.
+
+  Face, 229, 230, 232, 302, 304.
+    (width of), 302, 304.
+
+  Factories, 187, 192.
+
+  Falsetto voice, 257.
+
+  Family rows, 293.
+
+  Farming region, 187.
+
+  Fasting, 53.
+
+  Ferry, 178, 181.
+
+  Ferry-boat, 103.
+
+  Finger-rings, 249.
+
+  Fingers, 303.
+
+  Fish diet, 42.
+    manure, 41.
+
+  Fishermen, 39, 103, 142, 163, 174, 192, 193, 199.
+
+  Fishermen's huts, 20.
+
+  Fishing, 53, 64, 130, 224.
+    nets, 60.
+    villages, 203.
+
+  Fire, 193, 209.
+
+  Fleas, etc., 26, 212.
+
+  Flies--black flies and horseflies, 45, 66, 212.
+
+  Flint implements, 78, 79.
+    knives, 78, 79.
+
+  Flirting (curious way of), 141.
+
+  Folk-lores, 259.
+
+  Footprints, 159, 160, 161.
+    of Ainu, 160, 161.
+    of Japanese, 160, 161.
+    of bears, 47.
+
+  Forest, 101, 135, 161.
+
+  Forts, 77, 81, 82, 141.
+
+  Foxes, 102, 126, 131, 142, 214.
+
+  Frishikobets village, 58, 61, 65, 252.
+
+  Fujiama, 161, 167.
+
+  Fukushima, 205.
+
+  Funa, 3.
+
+  Funerals, 227.
+
+  Furembets river, 171.
+
+  Furimbe, 199.
+
+  Furniture, 208.
+
+  Furubets, 130.
+
+  Future legend, 155, 156.
+
+  Fylfot, 227.
+
+
+  G.
+
+  Geology, 21.
+
+  Geometrical patterns, 221.
+
+  Geyser, 100.
+
+  Girdles, 250.
+
+  Girls (Ainu), 157.
+    (Japanese) shown in cages, 117.
+
+  Glossary of Ainu words, 304-311.
+
+  God, 281, 282.
+
+  Gokibira, 177.
+
+  Graphic signs, 218.
+
+  Grass, 21, 52, 62.
+
+  Graves, 221, 223, 225-227.
+
+  Graveyard, 128, 180, 225, 227.
+
+  Guechas, or singers, 116, 117.
+
+  Gun-practice, 199.
+
+
+  H.
+
+  Habits and customs of pit-dwellers, 91.
+
+  Hakodate, 11, 78, 90, 93, 104, 112, 199, 201.
+
+  Hakodate Bay, 1, 2, 205.
+    Bund, 1.
+    Head, 1.
+    Isthmus, 2.
+    Peak, 1, 2, 201.
+
+  Hair, 231, 250, 251.
+
+  Hairiness, 85, 88, 142, 145.
+
+  Half-breeds, 34, 39, 47, 268, 270.
+    castes, 7, 93, 109, 111, 196, 229, 269, 275, 282.
+    (photographs of Japanese half-castes), 263.
+    frontal bone, 270.
+    skull, 270.
+    animal propensities, 270.
+    bumps, 270.
+    age, 270.
+    rheumatism, leprosy and kaki, 270.
+
+  Hamboro, 173.
+
+  Hammanaka, 112, 113.
+
+  Hanasaki, 114.
+
+  Hand-clapping, 264.
+
+  Hando, 193.
+
+  Haraguchi, 203.
+
+  Harbours (want of), 74.
+    and anchorages, 75, 104, 115, 116, 124, 125, 165, 202, 204.
+
+  Harpoons, 224.
+
+  Harutori Lagoon, 75-77, 82.
+
+  Hattaushi, 113.
+
+  Head, 229, 302, 304.
+    (muscular power), 241.
+
+  Heaven and hell, 290.
+
+  Henson (Mr.), 2, 202.
+
+  Hera, or netting-mesh, 223.
+
+  Herrings, 104, 115, 134, 166, 173, 203.
+
+  High-days, 289.
+
+  High-land, 73, 104, 111.
+
+  History, 218.
+
+  Hokkaido, 11, 122, 123.
+
+  Hokkaido-cho, 187.
+
+  Hondemura, 102.
+
+  Horanaho or Rausu Volcano, 131.
+
+  Horse-breeding, 115.
+
+  Horse-farm, 35.
+
+  Horsemen (Ainu), 108.
+
+  Horse-racing, 237.
+
+  Horobets, 12, 234, 272.
+    Ainu, 17.
+
+  Horohuts, 20.
+
+  Horoizumi, 41, 43, 44, 52.
+
+  Hoshi or leggings, 247.
+
+  Hospitality, 291.
+
+  Hostilities, 147.
+
+  Hunger, 45, 52, 199.
+
+  Hungry dogs, 7.
+
+  Hunting, 126.
+
+  Hurupira, Mount, 193.
+
+  Hut building, 207.
+    burning, 123, 212, 213.
+
+  Huts, 5, 8, 24, 35, 56, 58, 76, 81, 84, 85, 86, 89, 90, 96, 99, 104,
+    111, 125, 128, 157, 158, 170, 171, 180, 207, 210-212.
+
+  Hypnotism, 191.
+
+
+  I.
+
+  Ice, 85.
+
+  Ichibishinai (Etorofu), 122.
+
+  Idyll, 139, 140.
+
+  Idzumizawa, 205.
+
+  Igiani, 135.
+
+  Ikahasonets Cape, 130.
+
+  Ikuru, 173.
+
+  Ikusum River, 185.
+
+  Imi (garments), 25.
+
+  Imotsuto, 129.
+
+  Imprisonment, 292.
+
+  Improvisators, 259.
+
+  Inao, 31, 214, 224, 286-288.
+    in shape of a doll, 287.
+    making, 240.
+    netuba, 286.
+
+  Infanticides, 291.
+
+  Inflammation of the eyes, 279.
+
+  Inomata Yoshitaro, 68-72.
+
+  Insanity and idiocy, 266.
+    in half-castes, 270.
+
+  Instincts, 158, 159, 216, 282.
+
+  Intermarriage, 60, 196, 267.
+    with Japanese, 5.
+
+  Iris, 231, 279.
+
+  Iron, 122.
+
+  Irrigation, 63.
+
+  Ishikari, 84, 176.
+    river, 169, 178, 179, 181-183, 191, 275.
+      (course of), 182.
+      Ainu, 179, 183, 184, 219,     226, 250.
+    village, 180.
+
+  Ishikishiri penitentiary, 185.
+
+  Ishisaki, 203.
+
+  Isoya, 193, 198.
+    (Motto Isoya, Shimakotan, Isoya), 193.
+
+  Italy, 287.
+
+  Iwanai, 193.
+
+  Iwaonobori, 193, 200.
+
+  Iwa Rocks, 47, 49.
+
+  Iyomanrei, 30.
+
+
+  J.
+
+  Jacko (chief of Shikotan Ainu), 127.
+
+  Japan, 26.
+    Daily Mail, 189.
+
+  Japanese customs, 5.
+
+  Japanese adoption of Ainu language and ways, 112, 113.
+    clothes, 245, 246.
+    Empire, 122, 123.
+    government, 96, 103, 114, 123, 179, 187, 188.
+    hero, 283, 284.
+    parliament, 190.
+    politeness, 36, 69.
+    settlers, 2.
+    songs, 257.
+    villages, 50.
+    woman's toilette, 117, 118.
+
+  Jealousy, 234, 235, 294.
+
+  Jew's harp, 258.
+
+  Jockeys, 33.
+
+  Jungle, 51-53, 66.
+
+
+  K.
+
+  Kaki, 174, 202, 241, 304.
+
+  Kakumi, 198, 199.
+
+  Kamida Maru (wreck of), 179.
+
+  Kamikawa, 183, 184.
+    (population of), 184.
+
+  Kamiiro, 205.
+
+  Kaminokumi, 203.
+
+  Kammakappe, 209.
+
+  Kamschatka, 91, 122, 123, 153, 297.
+
+  Kamui or Kamoi, 285, 286, 290.
+
+  Kamuieto Cape, 174.
+
+  Kamuikotan, 286.
+    rapids, 183.
+
+  Kamui Mount, 193.
+
+  _Kando_ and _Teine-pokna-moshiri_, 290.
+
+  Karibayama, 193.
+
+  Kawamura, 192, 193.
+
+  Kawata Tera, 253.
+
+  Kenashpa, 65.
+
+  Kikonai, 205.
+
+  Kimonos, 2.
+
+  Kinna (mats), 209, 225.
+
+  Kinney, 61.
+
+  Kiritap, 106, 112.
+
+  Kitchen-middens, 92.
+
+  Knife-blades, 216.
+
+  Knives, 13, 219, 220, 223-225, 272.
+
+  Kofikan, 187.
+
+  Komagatake Volcano, 3, 4, 197, 200.
+
+  Komuki lagoon, 142.
+
+  Ko-numa, 3.
+
+  Koshima, 204.
+
+  Kotan-kara-kamui, 285.
+
+  Kudo, 203.
+
+  Kumaishi, 203.
+
+  Kunashiri, 80, 88, 91, 123, 131, 132.
+
+  Kunnui, 197.
+
+  Kurile Islands, 78, 80, 87-89, 92, 121, 122, 131, 132, 190, 201,
+    231, 282, 297.
+
+  Kurile Islands (trade of), 115.
+
+  Kurilsky Ainu, 87-90, 94, 123-128, 180, 213, 251, 268.
+
+  Kuromatsunai, 195.
+
+  Kuro-shiwo, or Japan current, 48, 165, 169.
+
+  Kushiro, 74-77, 81, 82, 91, 95-97, 104, 190.
+
+  Kutambets, 178.
+
+  Kutcharo lake, 84, 85, 98-101, 137, 207, 286.
+    river, 74, 75, 80, 82, 95, 96, 101, 207.
+
+
+  L.
+
+  Lagoons, 139, 142, 163, 170.
+
+  Language, 59, 283, 291.
+
+  La Perouse Strait, 131, 161, 164, 169.
+
+  Laws, 273, 291.
+
+  Laws of marriage, 293.
+
+  Legends, 28, 29, 260.
+
+  Legend
+    : Abe-ten-rui, 261.
+    : Inu-sapk, 261.
+    : Kimta-na, 261.
+    : Tushi-une-pan, 260.
+
+  Leprosy, 42, 54.
+
+  Letters, 201, 202.
+
+  Libations, 289.
+
+  Life-boat, 168.
+
+  Lighting, 135.
+
+  Lines, 227.
+
+  Lopatka Cape, 123.
+
+  Lunatics, 61, 146-149.
+
+
+  M.
+
+  Machinery, 187, 216.
+
+  Madwoman, 54, 55.
+
+  Makkarinupuri (Volcano), 200.
+
+  Malaise, 46.
+
+  Malarial fever, 174.
+
+  Manners, 242.
+
+  Map-drawing, 218.
+
+  Marks (owner's), 218.
+
+  Masatomari, 195.
+
+  Mashe (fish), 173.
+
+  Mashike, 174.
+    Mount, 174-176.
+
+  Maternal love, 155.
+
+  Mat-making, 211.
+
+  Matrons, 265.
+
+  Matsumai, 203-205.
+
+  Meals, 170, 171.
+
+  Measurements of Yezo Ainu body (Appendix), 298-302.
+
+  Measurements of Shikotan Ainu (Appendix), 303, 304.
+
+  Measurements of Ainu with arms outstretched, 299, 304.
+
+  Memuro-puto, 61.
+
+  Menoko (girls), 32.
+
+  Metallurgy, 216.
+
+  Metempsychosis, 284.
+
+  Mice and rats, 213.
+
+  Migratory people, 91.
+    population, 173, 174.
+
+  Milne (Prof.), 89.
+
+  Missionaries, 28, 29, 59, 155, 156, 285, 290.
+
+  Mitsuashi River, 39.
+
+  Mocassins, 60, 127.
+    and boots, 247.
+
+  Model farm, 187, 188.
+
+  Mohechi, 205.
+
+  Moi, 176.
+
+  Mombets, 5, 11.
+
+  Momonai, 192.
+
+  Mongolian, 129, 230.
+    type, 179.
+
+  Monuments, 226.
+
+  Morality, 269, 290, 295.
+
+  Mori, 4, 196, 197, 200.
+
+  Moroi, 178.
+
+  Mororran, 5, 19, 196.
+    (Shin-, and Kiu-), 11.
+
+  Mortality, 123, 128, 296, 297.
+
+  Mourning, 227.
+
+  Moustache lifter, 23, 208, 220, 221, 289.
+
+  Moustache tattooed, 252, 254.
+
+  Movements and attitudes, 239.
+
+  Moyoro or Biru, 47.
+
+  Moyorotake or Bear Bay, 129.
+
+  Mukawa, 20, 21.
+
+  Musemes, 1.
+
+  Music, 255.
+    of Ainu, 255.
+    of Westerns, 255.
+    as a cure of illness, 261.
+    Chromatic intervals, 258, 259.
+    diabolical, 262.
+    Diatonic minor scale, 258.
+    education in, 257.
+    to facilitate manual labour, 262.
+    feeling in, 255.
+    fondness for, 257.
+    imitation of noises in, 257.
+    key note, 259.
+    loud, 263.
+    melody, 259.
+    metre, 261.
+    modulations, 255.
+    modulations in tunes, 258, 259.
+    passion in, 255.
+    personality in, 260.
+    rhythmical effects in, 255, 258.
+    rhythmical method, 259.
+    sad, 264.
+    suggestions of animal sounds in, 261.
+    teaching of, 260.
+
+    temperamental characteristics in, 263.
+    transformation of a theme, 260.
+    vocal, 256.
+
+  Musical instruments, 257, 258.
+    memory, 257.
+    notation, 255.
+    strings, 257.
+
+  Myopy, 279.
+
+
+  N.
+
+  Nagayama, Governor of the Hokkaido, 192.
+
+  Naibo, 130.
+
+  Naye, 185.
+
+  Nayosami Hill, 183.
+
+  Necklaces and earrings, 60, 249.
+
+  Nemuro, 114-116, 118, 119, 121, 133, 161.
+
+  Neptka, 204.
+
+  Nigori River, 197.
+
+  Nii-pak-pets, River, 35.
+
+  Nippon, 92, 93, 104.
+
+  Nishibets, 133.
+
+  Nitumap, 61.
+
+  Nobori-bets village, 18.
+    Volcano, 18, 19.
+
+  Noshafo Cape, 73, 114, 115, 161.
+
+  Nossyap Cape, 167, 168.
+    Peninsula, 167, 168.
+
+  Notoro Cape, 130.
+    Lake, 139.
+
+  Notski Peninsula, 133.
+
+  Nusa, 214, 286.
+
+
+  O.
+
+  Oak, 21.
+
+  Oakan and Moyokan, 98, 135.
+
+  Oakan River, 99.
+
+  Obishiro, 58.
+
+  Obune, 198, 199.
+
+  Odour, 276.
+
+  Odour of Europeans, 276.
+    of women, 276, 277.
+
+  Oitoi, 130.
+
+  Okashi-nae Mountain, 177.
+
+  Okos, 43.
+
+  Okushiri Island, 203.
+
+  Omangus, 146-150.
+
+  Onekotan, 123.
+
+  Onembets, 129.
+
+  Onishika, 173, 174.
+
+  Onnetto Lagoon, 116.
+    River, 116, 133.
+
+  Ono-numa, 3.
+
+  Opoto Lake, 137.
+
+  Oputateishike Mountain-mass, 63.
+
+  Oputs, 48.
+
+  Orang-outang, 146.
+
+  Ornamentations, 218-220.
+
+  Osaru River, 11.
+
+  Oshamambe, 193, 196, 197.
+
+  Oshima Island, 203, 204.
+    province, 4.
+
+  Oshoro, 192.
+
+  Osman Pasha, 164.
+
+  Ota Cape, 203.
+
+  Otaru, 20, 191.
+
+  Otaussi-nai Village, 185.
+
+  Otatsube, 199.
+
+  Otchishi, 113, 114.
+
+  Otkoshk sea, 123, 131, 133, 135, 143.
+
+  Otopke Mount, 63, 64.
+
+  Otoshibe River, 197.
+
+  Otoyebukets, 183.
+
+  Otsu, 48, 50, 51, 68, 73.
+
+  Otsugawa River, 50.
+
+  Ottoinnai, 61.
+
+  Owls, 102.
+
+  Oyama Iwao (Count), Minister of State for War, 189.
+
+  Oysters, 104, 113, 139.
+
+
+  P.
+
+  Pack-saddles, 17, 18, 237.
+
+  Paddle (Hera), 208.
+
+  Para-puta, 195.
+
+  Paro-mushir, 123, 126.
+
+  Pasture-land, 107.
+
+  Pehambe-ushi River, 103.
+
+  Pekoatnit, 210.
+
+  Pensatsunai, 58.
+
+  Perohune, 48.
+
+  Pestilence, 61.
+
+  Physiognomy, 230.
+
+  Physiological observations, 274.
+
+  Pico Strait, 131.
+
+  Piegawa River, 183.
+
+  Pipes, etc., 223.
+
+  Piratori, 22, 30, 248, 253, 260, 261, 264, 275, 283, 284.
+    Valley, 33.
+
+  Pit-dwellers (Koro-pok-kuru), 77-80, 83-87, 90, 92, 104, 114, 125,
+    130, 251.
+
+  Pit-dwellers' implements, 190.
+
+  Pits, 77-84, 88-94, 114, 130, 141.
+
+  Plateau, 63.
+    like peninsula, 114.
+
+  Poisoned arrows, 223, 224.
+
+  Polygamy, 294.
+
+  Polytheists, 281, 285, 290.
+
+  Pombets, 65.
+
+  Ponies, 3, 21, 65, 66, 138.
+
+  Pon-machi (small wife), 28, 294.
+
+  Pontoo, 122, 131.
+
+  Pooley, Mr., 206.
+
+  Population, 294.
+
+  Porobets River, 162.
+
+  Poronai, 157, 161, 183-186.
+    coal-mines, 191.
+
+  Poro-machi (great wife), 28, 294.
+
+  Poro-nam-bets River, 41.
+
+  Poro-usa, 209.
+
+  Posturing, 264.
+
+  Pottery, 80, 86, 215.
+
+  Poverty of the Ainu, 5.
+    of blood, 296.
+
+  Prayers, 289.
+
+  Prehistoric man, 242.
+
+  Progeny of mixed marriages, 268.
+
+  Provisions, 3, 211.
+
+  Publications on the Ainu, 229.
+
+  Pulse-beat, 275.
+
+  Pumice, 5, 21, 73.
+
+  Punishments, 291.
+
+  Purokenashpa, 65.
+
+
+  Q.
+
+  Quarrels, 292.
+
+  Quicksands, 139, 169, 170.
+
+  Quicksand River, 157.
+
+  Quiver, 224, 225.
+
+
+  R.
+
+  Rags, 247.
+
+  Rahush Mount (Kunashiri), 122.
+
+  Rain, 3, 135, 193, 197, 200.
+
+  Raishats, 179, 226.
+
+  Rattler (H.M.S.), 165.
+
+  Recitative, 256.
+
+  Reeds and rushes, 51, 57, 62, 66, 67, 90.
+
+  Reefs, 123, 194.
+
+  Relations, 296.
+
+  Religion, 283.
+
+  Religious ideas, 281.
+    race, 198.
+
+  Repun, 10.
+
+  Repunshiri, 167, 168.
+
+  Resurrection of the body, 284, 290.
+
+  Reversed coil, 222.
+
+  Rheumatism, 128, 174, 241.
+
+  Rhyme, 261.
+
+  Riding, 17, 237.
+    bareback, 243.
+
+  Riruran, 107, 108, 111.
+
+  Rishiri Island, 167, 168.
+
+  Rivers,
+    peculiarity in, 135.
+    troublesome, 151.
+
+  Roasting hook, 211.
+
+  Robinson Crusoe, 133.
+
+  Rocks, 41, 111, 163.
+
+  Roofs, 207.
+
+  Rubeshibe River, 183.
+
+  Rubets, 83, 130, 135.
+
+  Rumoi, 174.
+
+  Russia, 88, 122.
+    exchange with, 179.
+
+  Russian Bible, 127.
+    convicts, 142, 143, 165.
+    cruiser, Crisorok, 168.
+    regime, 127.
+
+
+  S.
+
+  Sacrilege, 200.
+
+  Sadness, 232, 297.
+
+  Saint Andrew's Cross, 227.
+
+  Sake, 17, 23, 24, 31.
+
+  Sakhalin or Krafto, 88, 92, 93, 122, 142, 161, 165, 297.
+
+  Sakhalin Ainu, 179.
+
+  Salaams, 7, 23.
+
+  Salutation, Ainu, 6, 128, 256.
+
+  Salmon, 130, 131, 133, 134, 173.
+
+  Salmon, dried, 211.
+
+  Salmon-fishing, 63, 64, 182.
+
+  Salmon-trout, 130.
+
+  Sandals, 248.
+
+  Sappro, 20, 91, 186, 187-191.
+
+  Sardine fishing, 19, 20, 41, 47, 48.
+
+  Saru-buto, 20.
+
+  Saru district, climate of, 84.
+
+  Sarubuts, 163.
+
+  Saruffo-Ko Lagoon, 111, 114.
+
+  Saruma Lagoon, 81, 139, 142, 162.
+
+  Saru-Mombets, 20, 21, 34, 35.
+
+  Saru River, 22, 58, 207, 286.
+    Ainu, 260.
+
+  Saruru, 44, 46, 47, 157.
+
+  Satsuma, 92.
+
+  Satsumai and Ghifzan, 63.
+
+  Satsuma Maru, 1, 206.
+
+  Savage dance, 32.
+
+  Savage Landor, 158.
+
+  Savages, 159.
+
+  Sawaki, 161.
+
+  Scenery, 41, 46, 100, 111, 114, 129, 135, 162, 176, 192, 193.
+
+  Scitzo, 193-195.
+
+  Sea-birds, 48, 105, 138, 151, 152.
+
+  Se-Cherippe Lagoon, 104.
+
+  Seal-fishery, 104.
+
+  Seals, 126, 131, 139, 161.
+
+  Sea-trout, 170.
+
+  Sea-weed, 41, 47, 104, 113, 115.
+
+  Sensation, 14.
+
+  Sense
+    of hearing, 278-280.
+    of sight, 278, 279.
+    of smell, 276.
+    of taste, 278.
+    of touch, 277.
+
+  Sensitiveness, 277.
+    of lips, tongue, hands, fingers, lumbar region, etc., 278.
+
+  Sexual love, 296.
+
+  Shakotan, 176.
+    Cape, 191.
+    Peninsula, 192, 193.
+
+  Shama-ne, 39-41.
+
+  Shame and disgust, 233.
+
+  Shamesen, 258.
+
+  Shana, 131.
+
+  Shanoi, 162.
+
+  Shari, 80, 92, 135-137, 240.
+
+  Shari-Mombets, 142, 143.
+
+  Shaubets, 70, 73, 74.
+
+  Shell-heaps, 81, 92, 104.
+
+  Shibe-gari-pets, 35, 37.
+
+  Shibetcha, 96, 97, 99, 101-104.
+
+  Shibets, 134, 135.
+
+  Shibumotzunai Lagoon, 142.
+
+  Shikarubets Otchirsh, 61-64.
+
+  Shikotan, 123-129, 207, 231.
+    Ainu, 87, 88.
+    Island, 88, 89.
+
+  Shimokebo, 35-37.
+
+  Shimushir, 88-90, 123, 126.
+
+  Shina, 60.
+
+  Shiofuki, 203.
+
+  Shirakami Cape, 205.
+
+  Shiranuka, 74, 75.
+
+  Shiraoi, 19.
+
+  Shiretoko Cape, 122, 135.
+    Peninsula, 135, 138.
+
+  Shiribeshi Province, 4.
+
+  Shiribets, 193.
+
+  Shirikishinai, 201.
+
+  Shirin Lake, 96.
+
+  Shiriuchi, 205.
+
+  Shoals and reefs, 104.
+
+  Shooting rapids, 183-185.
+
+  Shorui-washi, 64.
+
+  Shoulders, 301, 304.
+
+  Shoya, 44-47.
+
+  Shrine, 199, 200.
+
+  Siberian coast, 153.
+
+  Siliusi lighthouse, 163.
+
+  Skin, 276.
+    colour of, 230.
+    eruptions, 6, 296.
+
+  Skull trophy, 214.
+
+  Sleep, 275.
+
+  Sleeping, 244.
+
+  Slyness, 234, 235.
+
+  Smoke, 211.
+    black, 252.
+
+  Snow, 84, 85, 115, 197.
+    and glaciers, 165.
+    sandals, 60.
+
+  Singing, 256.
+
+  Sitting, 243.
+
+  Soldiers, 102, 103.
+
+  Songs, 255, 256.
+
+  Sorachi river, 183, 185.
+
+  Soshi, 75.
+
+  Soul, 284.
+
+  Soya Cape, 42, 80, 81, 92, 163, 165, 167.
+
+  Spain, 287.
+
+  Spears, 224.
+
+  Speculation, 90, 91.
+
+  Spezia, Gulf of, 41.
+
+  Spiders, 45.
+
+  Spoons, 215.
+
+  Spruces, 104.
+
+  Stackhouse, 215.
+
+  Statistics, 212.
+
+  Stealing, 53, 57, 181, 272.
+
+  Steeplechase, 66.
+
+  Stone (peculiar), 168.
+    images, 204.
+
+  Storehouses, 23, 26, 137, 138, 161, 173, 180, 213, 247.
+
+  Storeys, 208.
+
+  Storm, 135, 136, 197.
+
+  Strength, 238.
+
+  Struggle, 40.
+
+  Submerged crater, 125.
+
+  Submission, 16, 273.
+
+  Suicides, 291.
+
+  Sulkiness, 234.
+
+  Sulphur, 97, 104, 122, 130, 131, 138, 190, 200.
+
+  Sulphur beds, 97, 98.
+    mine, 97.
+
+  Supernaturalism, 284.
+
+  Superstition, 17, 289.
+
+  Swamps, 65.
+
+  Swearing, 289.
+
+  Swift rivers, 41.
+
+  Sword-hilts (Japanese), 250.
+
+  Sydney Smith's position, 111.
+
+  Symbols, 219.
+
+  Sympathy, 52, 191.
+
+
+  T.
+
+  Taikki (fleas), 56.
+
+  Tailor's sign-post, 191.
+
+  Takae village, 35.
+
+  Takigawa, 185.
+
+  Takkobe Lake, 96.
+
+  Tapkara (a savage dance), 32.
+
+  Tarbouches, 164.
+
+  Tartary, Gulf of, 153.
+
+  Tarsus, 300.
+
+  Tarumai Volcano, 201.
+
+  Tattoos, 6, 137, 142, 179, 227, 232, 251-253, 293.
+    (colour of), 254.
+    (legend on), 251, 252.
+
+  Tattooing (process of), 252.
+
+  Tattooed women, 99.
+
+  Tcharo-bets, 75.
+
+  Tcha-tcha-nobori Volcano, 131.
+
+  Tchiota, 56.
+
+  Tears, 233.
+
+  Teeth of half-castes, 269.
+
+  Temper, 65, 233, 294.
+
+  Tendo Achillis, 241.
+
+  Tent, 3.
+
+  Terra del Fuegians, 228.
+
+  Terror, 154.
+
+  Teshio coast, 176.
+    River, 168-170, 174.
+
+  Tetcha or Tetchkanga, 100, 101.
+
+  Teuri, 171.
+
+  Thatching, 208.
+
+  Theft, 291.
+
+  Thiaske Tarra, 238.
+
+  Thousand Islands, or Chishima, 123.
+
+  Thread-winding, 240.
+
+  Tibia, 88, 300, 304.
+
+  Tide-rips, 131.
+
+  Tobuts, 80, 139, 141, 253.
+
+  Tobuts Lake, 48, 137.
+
+  Todohotke, 200.
+
+  Toi, 201.
+
+  Tokachi, 84.
+    Ainu, 99, 248-250, 253.
+    district, 274.
+    region, 114.
+    River, 50, 58, 59, 61-66, 73, 169, 207, 214, 271.
+
+  Tokio, 115.
+
+  Tokri-moi, 11.
+
+  Tokumatz Kuroda, 192.
+
+  Tomamai, 173, 174.
+
+  Tomakomai, 19, 20, 269.
+
+  Tombets River, 163.
+
+  Tombs, 181.
+
+  Tonden, or military settlement 102, 103, 114, 183, 188.
+
+  Tones, 222.
+
+  Toreador, in Carmen, 263.
+
+  Torii (emblems), 204.
+
+  Tori Lake, 96.
+
+  Totemism, 281, 282.
+
+  To'tori, 75.
+
+  Toshibets River, 65.
+
+  Toya Lake, 10, 11, 200.
+
+  Toyohira River, 183.
+
+  Toyoshira Valley, 187.
+
+  Trackers (Ainu), 109.
+
+  Tracking, 159-161.
+
+  Tradition, 218.
+
+  Transmission of diseases, 266.
+    of images to the brain, 279.
+
+  Travellers (foreign), 263.
+
+  Tree-dwellers of India, 228.
+
+  Trees, 129, 130, 135, 137, 161, 162, 166, 198.
+
+  Triangles, 221.
+
+  Tribes, 88, 267.
+
+  Trovatore, 257.
+
+  Tukoro, 139.
+
+  Tunnel, 39, 41, 174.
+
+  Tunnui-puto, 65.
+
+  Turkish ship (wreck of), 163.
+
+  Tsiriju Mount, 130.
+
+  Tsugaru Strait, 93, 193.
+
+  Types, 229.
+
+  Typhoon, 164, 174.
+
+
+  U.
+
+  Ubahu, 37, 39.
+
+  Uhui Cape, 174.
+
+  Ukorra, 10.
+
+  Ulmus Campestris, 26, 245, 246.
+    Campestris bark, 210.
+    Campestris fibre, 267.
+
+  Ulna, 299, 303.
+
+  Uparpenai, 61.
+
+  Urahoro River, 73.
+
+  Urakawa, 39, 40.
+
+  Urapets River, 39.
+
+  Uriugawa River, 183.
+
+  Urup, 88, 123, 126, 131.
+
+  Usa, 209.
+
+  Ushoro, 193.
+
+  Uso, 5.
+
+  Uso Volcano, 11, 200.
+
+  Utarop Rocks, 43.
+
+  Usushiri, 198.
+
+
+  V.
+
+  Vegetation, 131.
+
+  Villages, Ainu, 5, 22.
+
+  Vines, 60.
+
+  Virginity, 250.
+
+  Virility, 253.
+
+  Volcanic nature, 5.
+    formation, 37, 122, 129, 162, 167, 168, 192, 205.
+    mass, 4.
+    zone, 130.
+
+  Volcano, 130.
+
+  Volcano Bay, 5, 58, 193, 195, 197, 286.
+      Ainu, 6, 248, 274.
+
+  Volcanoes, 131.
+
+
+  W.
+
+  Wadamanai, 168, 169.
+
+  Wakkanai, 167, 168.
+
+  War-clubs, 10, 223.
+
+  Washibets, 14.
+
+  Washing, 28.
+
+  Watanabe Masaru, 58, 64, 65.
+
+  Waterfalls, 11, 41, 74, 194.
+
+  Water-soup, 4.
+
+  Weaving, 210.
+
+  Wembets, 135.
+
+  Wembets River, 171.
+
+  Westerns, 255.
+
+  Whales' bones, 145, 161, 169.
+
+  Wife, 294, 295.
+    (great wife), 34.
+    (second), 294.
+
+  Winter, 161.
+    garments, 60, 145.
+
+  Witches, 287, 288.
+
+  Wolves, 101.
+
+  Women, 136, 137, 142, 232, 236, 249, 252, 253, 294.
+
+  Women standing, 242.
+    and children at a festival, 31.
+    (burial of), 225.
+    feeding bears, 59.
+    suckling bear cubs, 214.
+
+  Women's graves, 226.
+
+  Wood-carving, 219.
+
+  Wooden blade, carved, 226.
+    bowls, 8.
+    panels, 2.
+
+  Wrecks, 42, 43, 162, 163, 165, 168-170, 179.
+
+  Written language, 259.
+
+  Worship, 281, 283, 284.
+
+
+  Y.
+
+  Yagoshi Cape, 205.
+
+  Yamakubiro, 56, 63, 271.
+
+  Yamakushinai, 197.
+
+  Yammakka, 56, 57, 61, 65, 66.
+
+  Yangeshiri, 171.
+
+  Yassuchi, 142.
+    Lagoon, 142.
+
+  Yezo, 297.
+
+  Yoichi, 192, 193.
+
+  Yoshioka village, 205.
+
+  Yoshitsune or Okikurumi, 260, 261, 283, 284. (Also  see  Hero, Japanese.)
+
+  Yubaridake, 122.
+
+  Yubets, 142.
+    River, 141.
+
+  Yuhuts, 20.
+
+  Yurap, 197.
+
+  Yurapdake Mount, 4.
+
+  Yuto Lake, 48.
+
+  Yuzan Volcano, 97, 98, 101, 104.
+
+
+  Z.
+
+  Zenzai lakes, 3.
+
+
+LONDON: PRINTED BY WM. CLOWES AND SONS, LTD., STAMFORD STREET AND
+CHARING CROSS.
+
+
+  +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+  |                                                              |
+  |                      Transcriber's Notes                     |
+  |                                                              |
+  | The following changes have been made to the text.            |
+  |                                                              |
+  | |Page |Original |Changed to |Context                 |       |
+  | |53   |do       |no         |doorways have no doors. |       |
+  | |305  |2/8      |1/4        |5-1/4 inches wide       |       |
+  |                                                              |
+  | Some words occur in both hyphenated and unhyphenated forms   |
+  | in the text.                                                 |
+  |                                                              |
+  +--------------------------------------------------------------+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Alone with the Hairy Ainu, by A. H. Savage Landor
+
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