Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 33.djvu/522

506 upon a sum that was very high for them, but fairly reasonable for us.

In a third house half a dozen women were cutting up sword-fish and preparing strips for smoking, by stretching them with pieces of stick into a regular V-diamond pattern. Several men sat round smoking and giving orders, but loftily refusing to do anything to assist their wives. The men apologized for the dirty appearance of the place, and truly an apology was in order, for a dirtier, more malodorous house I never entered! They said we would not care to sit down, nor did we. A hasty glance was enough to show us that, in all essentials, this was quite similar to the others.

I paid a visit to the village chief, who lives in a large house, a part of which is occupied by a Japanese Christian, who is trying to do missionary work among the people. The chief, a very old man, received me sitting in front of his cabinet of Japanese curios. He bowed, extended both his hands with the palms up, waved them toward himself, and stroked his long gray beard. These actions were repeated twice, and were accompanied by a low, murmured greeting, which was translated to me as meaning that he deemed himself highly honored by my call, and hoped I would enjoy myself during my stay in his village. The Ainu, he said, were too poor and too ignorant of the manners of honorable foreigners to do anything to entertain me; and a lot of compliments and pleasant things. His quiet dignity of manner, and his low, musical voice impressed me very favorably; and, although he was dirty and clad in rags, he looked the chief.

One of my guides brought something in his hand and asked, in rather a mysterious way, if I wished to see an Ainu musical