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A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

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A SffOOTING TRIP

KA

I E H. DEMI DOFF

o| > Prince Sax Donato

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C 5q AITHOR OF

U fi '• HINTING TRIPS IN THE CAUCASUS"

-^ "AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI AND MONGOLIA

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S W /r/^iY ii5 ILLUSTRATIONS

5 PHOTOGRAVURES
AND / J/^Z-^

LONDON

ROWLAND WARD,

166, PICCADILLY
1904

All rights reserved

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A SHOOTING TRIP

TO

KAMCHATKA

E. DEMIDOFF

Prince San Donato

aithor of
"hunting trips in the cavcasus"

'•after wild sheep in the ALTAI AND MONGOLIA

WITH 113 ILLUSTRATIONS

5 PHOTOGRAVURES

AND 2 MAPS

LONDON

ROWLAND WARD, limited

1 66, PICCADILLY
1904

All rights }eser-jcd

TO

MY WIFE

THIS I'.OOK. OF SPORT AND TRAVEL
IS DEDICATED

PREFACE

IN 1897 I devoted six months to a successful ex-
pedition on the borders of Siberia and in ^longolia
after Ovis aiuiuoji, the largest sheep in the world, an
account of which I have since published in a volume
entitled A/tei' IVi/d Sheep in the Altai and Mongolia.
Since then several short trips, one after ibex in
the Sierra Nevada, another to the Kouban district
of the Caucasus and to the Galician Carpathians,
and a third to Sardinia after moufflon, left my longings
for pursuit of game in more remote regions still un-
satisfied. Finally, in the autumn of 1899 circumstances
once more favoured four months' leave of absence,
durino- which time a oood deal mioht be done. Mv
wife and jNIr. St. Georoe Littledale were to be of the
party, and in our preliminary councils various sugges-
tions were made. '" Let us see ; a month or five weeks
will take us somewhere (the coveted x of the problem),
two months' shooting, and a month's journey back.
Why not Mombasa.^ Plenty of cartridges wanted.
How about the Yulduz valley ? Sure to get sheep

6i:2091

vi PREFACE

and ibex, perhaps stags. Alaska seemed attractive
with its wild sheep, mountain goats, and large moose.
Kamchatka ? with its Ovi's nivicola, caribou, and
huge bears."

In this manner we debated till a final decision was
made in favour of Kamchatka,* a land in which
personally I was particularly interested, and having
alreadv brouoht out two volumes on Bio" Game
Shooting on the confines of the Russian Empire,
embracing the Caucasus and the Altai, I was
ambitious to complete the trilogy with an account of
huntinor in the Far East.

The lofty volcanic peaks and snow-clad mountain
ranges of that distant peninsula, besides bearing the
prestige of the "unknown," specially attracted my
attention both by their natural treasures of northern
scenery and by the probabilities of coming across
game unmolested as yet by half-wild natives. As
will be seen later, I was partly mistaken in this

* I feel obliged to draw the reader's attention to tlie true spelling
and pronunciation of the name " Kamchatka," which so many English-
men invariably spell " Kamschatka," and pronounce as if there was a
third "k" in the middle of the word, after the " s." The name is
probably deri\ed from the Russian word " Kamchaty," which means
" unexen or rough," with regard to the surface of the ground. It is a
term which the Russians (or rather Cossacks) who discovered the
country used when referring to tlie peninsula. It must be borne in
mind that these adventurers came through the Siberian steppes, and

PREFACE vii

last supposition, though, with regard to the present
condition of the land, I may still quote the words
of a celebrated explorer of the eighteenth century,^
who wrote : " Bears are the only engineers in Kam-
chatka." The salmon fisheries of the peninsula, of
which I had heard marvellous accounts, also somewhat
infiuenced our decision to visit that country ; and
if only the fish could be tempted by fly, minnow, or
spoon, a forty-pounder at the end of one's line was
by no means a slight attraction. Summer months
were naturally chosen for the execution of our plan,
and preparations for the journey having delayed us
in London till the end of April, 1900, we decided
to travel via the Siberian Railway and Amurland to
Vladivostok, whence the first of the two annual
steamers that leave that port bound for Kamchatka,
usually in the middle of June, was to carry us and
our fortunes. Prospects of " fresh fields and pastures
new " now rose before me toofether w^ith ofleamino-
hopes of sportsmen's red-letter days, which helped

had marched for years across immense stretches of marshes, and it
seems natural that the hiyh mountain ranges must have impressed
them as the striking feature of this new region. I have adopted the
"ch'" in spelhng "Kamchatka" because the ''ch" in the word, as
pronounced in Russian, has its corresponding sound in the Enghsh
language {e.g. as in chat and poach).
* Dittmar.

viii PREFACE

to obliterate the thousands of miles that separated
me from that furthermost corner of Asia. The
mere word "Kamchatka" then conveyed to my
mind ideas of a distant hunting- fairyland across the
seas, where marvels abound and countless animals
graze undisturbed on the alpine pastures, or lie
chewing" their cud in corries round colossal volcanoes.
Now that I look back on my trip as an accom-
plished fact and a thing of the past, the magic
element has given way to close reality. The goal has
been reached, the country visited, the scenery admired,
the trophies of Oz'is nivicola obtained. But in the
dim future, when unexpected events happen to recall
souvenirs of bygone days, Kamchatka will reappear
in my imagination with its fantastic scenes of ''happy
hunting grounds " ; undergone hardships and dis-
illusions will nielt before visions of precipitous cliffs
and snowy peaks, and the craggy outlines of that
inhospitable and neglected land will once more with
greater force break the monotony of those vast misty
stretches of the North Pacific Ocean.

DEMIDOFF.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I.

A brief history of Kamchatka — Commencement of Russian exten-
sion eastwards — Cossacks from the Don led by Ermak — Con-
queror of Siberia — Extension to the Yenissei and the Lena —
The founding of Yakoutsk — A fort on the Okhotsk Sea — Alexeietif,
the first Russian in Kamchatka — ]\Iurdered by natives — First
reports from Kamchatka in 1700 with furs collected as taxes —
Peter the Greats reforms — The Nijni-Kamchatsk fort — The
revolt of 1707 — Troubles in Northern Kamchatka — A sea route
found necessary— Okhotsk to the mouth of the Bolshaia — Dis-
covery of Petropavlovsk Harbour — Anti-Russian rising in 1731 —
Destruction of Nijni-Kamchatsk fort— Russian colonisation from
Siberia in 1740— Failure of agricultural experiments— Adverse
conditions of climate — Encouragement of private enterprise by
Catharine the Great — The growth of trade — The first com-
mercial company formed in the Aleout Islands — Annexation of
the Prybiloff Islands — Foundation of the Russian Seal Fisheries
Company, originally the Russo-American Company — The trade
in sealskins — Appointment of a military governor — Effect of the
Crimean War — The Trans-Siberian Railway — Restoration of
peace and revival of trade . . . ^'^^E<^

CHAPTER II.

Preparations for the voyage — Leave London for St. Petersburg in
April, 1900 — Professor Sliounine's report of Kamchatka — Leave
iMoscow for the Siberian frontier — Crossing the Ob — The Central
Siberian Railway — The Yenissei bridge at Krasnoiarsk — Arrival
at Irkutsk, the capital, with M. Isvolsky, Russian Minister in
Japan — Poor accommodation — The "Museum" — Professor Per-
shine's report on mountain game — Start for Lake Baikal— The
route described — Crossing the lake — Myssovaia to Stretensk, the
terminus of the line — On board the Aviiir — Steamer aground —

X CONTENTS

At Pokrovskoie— Proceed to Mokho, a Chinese village on the
Amur River — A gold-mining district— Arrival at Blagovestchensk
— Departure for Aigun — Steaming down the Amur to Radde —
Two Cossack hunters — Their report of native game — Reach
Khabaro\'sk, the chief town on the Amur — Government House
and the Museum— The line to Madivostok, along the Ussuri
River, twenty-seven days from St. Petersburg . P<^^g<i 22

CHAPTER HI.

Arrival at X'ladivostok — Government House — Sable skins — Engage
a Chinese cook — On board the Baikal — The island of Askold —
Yesso and the Straits of Tsugar — Hakodadi Harbour — Our
fellow-travellers— The Tchukchi tribe — Strange marriage cus-
toms— \'endetta — Reindeer — Report of wild sheep in Northern
Siberia — Esquimaux dogs and their drivers — Report of wild
sheep on the Ganal Range — Whales seen off the Kuriles — Rus-
sian whaling in the Sea of Okhotsk — Rarity of the sperm whale
— A North Pacific fog — Capture of a tufted auk — Off Cape Lo-
patka — Southern Kamchatka — The entrance to Avatcha Bay —
Koriatska volcano — Arrival in Petropavlovsk Harbour — The Is-
pravnik, chief of the district — Government House — Taxes — The
price of furs . . . . ... 64

CHAPTER IV.

A Kamchatkan hunter — Bear skins and sables — Mode of hunting
the sable— Market value of the fur — A hunter frozen to death —
Wild sheep in Asatcha Bay — Preparations for a start — High
prices at the stores — A Chinese t7/^y— Salmon and sea-trout —
Other fishes of Kamchatka — Japanese fish-poachers — Netting
the ri\'ers — ■\'olcanoes of Koriak and Avatchinsky — Many bear
skins — Large numbers exported to America — Curious antlers of
caribou — Pallas's sea-eagle — Hauling the nets — Embark on
board the Stofoj — Loss of our fourth boat — A team of sledge-
dogs photographed — The ship's engine breaks down — Again in
camp on the sandspit — A start for the Ganal range — The har-
bour bar — Dug-out canoes for river-work — Ten miles in twehe
hours — Reach Khutor — The natives described — Bargaining for
ponies — A stampede — Deluge of rain — Capercaillie in the birch
woods — Tracks of a bear — Swarm of moscjuitoes — .A wet and dry
tundra — The Bolshaia River — Arrive at Natchiki . . . 109

CONTENTS

CHAPTER V

The Bolsheretsk valley — Crossing the river — Salmon fishing —
Success with spoon-bait — Fifteen fish in an hour — Astonishment
of the natives — Their mode of fishing described — Hot sulphur
springs — Sarand, or native potato — Start for Alalka through the
Natchiki valley — Incessant rain — Tracks of bears — Their love
of salmon and mode of fishing — Willow grouse first seen —
Arrival at Gandl— On the banks of the Bystraia — Mosquitoes in
myriads — We engage an old native hunter and his two grand-
sons— Across the valley of the Bystraia and the Ganal tundra
— Clouds of mosquitoes —Antlers of caribou on the tundra —
Crossing the Bystraia — The Kamchatskaia Vershina, an extinct
volcano — Dense brushwood — Tracks of bears — Ten days from
the coast ; two months from St. Petersburg — A bear shot —
Native method of estimating weight — Two more bears — \'ast
tracts of moor and snowfields — Lake Sofka Demidoff — Return
to camp — Littledale brings in four heads of 0%'is nivicola and a
bear — My first glimpse next day of Ovis nrvicola — A young ram
missed — Better luck with two four-year-old rams ; both bagged
— Littledale secures three more rams and a ewe for the British
INIuseum — Amusing adventure with a bear — Skinning heads and
taking photographs .... -'''''i't' 154

CHAPTER VL

Resolve to try the country beyond the Kamchatskaia \'ershina —
Photographing the source of the Kamchatka River — Two bears
seen — A small mountain lake — Two sheep sighted — Plagued by
mosquitoes — Lunch on a snowfield — A three-year-old sheep shot
— Eight bears in view at once on the snow — Striped grey mar-
mots numerous — Gillie's adventure with a bear — Littledale kills
a young ram — Crossing the Bystraia — Birch forest and swamps
— Fresh tracks of bear — Intense heat and mosquitoes — Another
young ram shot — The heart saved for native medicine — A stam-
pede amongst the horses — Proceed towards Petropavlovsk and
camp near Koriak — Despatch a messenger from Khutor for
boats to cross the bay — A white dog of the Kamchatkan breed
bought — A good haul of salmon — Medicinal use of bear's blad-
ders— Start in double canoes for the mouth of the Avatcha
Crossing the bar — The launch with boats in tow — News of the
war in China — Embark on board the Tsiisikar for Nikolaievsk

xii CONTENTS

at the mouth of the Ainur opposite Sakhahn — Fishiny in the
harbour — Seals — Start for the sheep range south of A\atcha
Bay — Littledale remains at Petropavlovsk — The mouth of the
Paratunka River — Through birch forest and across a lake to
Kluchi — The village of Kluchi described — Torrents of rain —
The men refuse to proceed — Fine head of caribou — Another
start — The sheep ground reached and a herd sighted — A difficult
stalk and a good ram killed— Return to camp amidst general
rejoicing ..... -^^'''.b''^' -03

CHAPTER VII.

\'ie\vs of the Natchiki valley and the Ganal range — Wild sheep
sighted — A difficult stalk — Two shots with tine heads — A festive
evening — Accident to a pack-horse — Poorest fires — Extraordinary
fishing at Paratunka — Hundreds of salmon trapped in a day— -
Littledale tries for a rise with the spoon-bait — A native of Irkutsk
— His pathetic story — Ride to Tareinska inlet, en route for Petro-
pavlovsk— Sable skins bought — On board the Yakut — A ship
sighted proved to be the Baikal delayed by fog — Avatcha Bay
and the "Three .Sisters" rocks — A sugar-loaf mountain among
the Kuriles — Crossing the Sea of Okhotsk — Three days' fog —
Whales and swordfish — Reach the Island of Sakhalin and La
Perouse Straits — Enter the Gulf of Tartary — A magnificent sun-
rise— View of the coast of Asia — Barracouta lighthouse and the
Stanovoi Mountains — Stop in De Castries Bay to pick up two
pilots — Narrow winding channel between sandbanks to Niko-
laievsk— Danger of running aground — Anchor at length off Niko-
laievsk — Innumerable fish stores — Millions of salmon and keta
{Corregojius eeta) salted and smoked for exportation — Fresh news
of the China War— An inquisitive crowd — On board the Cesare-
vitcli for Blagovestchensk — The village of Malmyjskoie and its
"bear-worship" — Gale at Khabarovsk, and numerous wrecks —
Further war news — At Blagovestchensk in eight days, six hun-
dred miles — Picturesqueness of the .Amur River — Reach .Stret-
ensk and speedily leave by train for .Moscow, en route for St.
Petersburg and home . , . ... 246

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

On the Sandspit at Petropavlovsk (the Author, his W

St. George Littledale). PJiotogravure
Russian Pilgrim Women .
Our Party at TcheHabinsk

Type of Engine on the Trans-Siberian Railway
Bridge over the Yenissei River
The Town of Irkutsk

Withdrawing Train from S.S. Baikal (Myssovaia)
The Sungari, Stern-wheeler
The S.S. Amur on the Shilka River
River Shilka

Banks of the Amur River
A Stern-wheeler on the Amur
The " Burning Cliff" on the Amur River
The Triumphal Arch at Blagovestchensk
Panoramic \'iew of Khabarovsk on the Amur River
A Summer Residence (Banks of the Amur)
A Winter Dwelling (Banks of the Amur)
Monument to Count Muravieff at Khabaro\sk
A Corean on the Ussuri Railway .
Corean Types (Ussuri Railway)
Our Baggage and Porters at A'ladivostok
Our Porters at Madivostok
Madivostok Harbour
Passing Japan
A Whaler

Rocks at the Entrance of Avalcha Bay
The Entrance to Avatcha Bay
The Inner Harbour, Petropavlovsk
The S.S. Jui/'ka! in Petropavlovsk Bay

ife, and Mr,
Fronlispicce

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91

XIV

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

The Main Street, Petropavlovsk . . . .

Monument to Behring at Petropavlovsk

Cross on the Grave of Russians killed in action, August, 1854

Crosses on Graves of English and French killed in August, 1854

Monument to La Perouse (Petropavlovsk)

The Crimean Monument at Petropavlovsk

Petropavlovsk from the Sandspit .

Side View of Petropavlovsk

View of Petropavlovsk, showing Sandspit and Crimean Monumen

South Part of Petropavlovsk Village

The "Admiral " and Vasska the Cook

Our Camp on the Sandspit (Petropavlovsk)

A Forty Pounder

Antlers of Caribou

Our Second Camp on the Shores of Avatcha Bay

The Ispravnik's Team of Sledge-dogs

The Ispravnik's "Narta" and Driver

Near the Mouth of the Avatcha River

The Avatcha River and Koriak \'olcano

Sledge-dogs in their Burrows

Sledge-dogs at rest

Mode of tying up Sledge-dogs

One of our Pack-ponies .

Native Girls at Koriak .

A Bear-skin Window

A Group of Kamchadales at Natchiki

The Natchiki Valley and Settlement

Dug-outs lashed together (Natchiki)

Starting out Salmon Fishing

A Fight with Golfsi (Natchiki)

A Salmon Trap on the ])olsheretsk River (Natchiki

A Salmon Trap

A Native Fisherman

Cleaning Salmon

Curing Salmon

A Burial Cross at Natchiki

\'asska

Kamchatskaia \'ershina (Extinct \'olcano). P/io/Oi^^rai'i/f

94
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'03

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168

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

XV

A Ford on the Bystraia River . . . .

The Ganal Range .....

View opposite Ganal . . . • .

A Salmon Trap across the Bystraia River .

Early Morn on a Tundra . . . .

Kamchatskaia \'ershina ... . .

The Author on the War-path at \'ershina .

Lake Sofka DemidotT. PJiotogyaviiie . . .

Our first day's Bag at \'ershina (four Sheep and four I>ears)

Head and Skin of Ovis tiivicola . . . .

Ovis nivicola (an old Ram) . . . .

Ovis nivicola (a Ewe) . . . . .

Keeping" off Mosquitoes (\'ershina Camp) . . .

Camp Duty . . . . . .

A Corner of Lake Sofka Demidoff (a likely place for Sheep)

Photogravure . . . . .

Ovis ni7'icola . . . . . .

The Author's Bag of Ovis uii'icola . . .

Our Bag of Bighorn (Vershina) . . . .

Lake Sofka Demidoff (Head-waters of the Kamchatka River)

Phoiogravure . . . . .

The Author's Dog, "Kam" . . . .
The Start from Khutor .....
Down the Avatcha River in double Dug-outs

Our Baggage (down the Avatcha River) . . .
Native method of Steering on the Avatcha River
Easy Advance down the Avatcha River
Salmon caught in Trap at Kluchi
The best Head obtained by the Author

Watching a Shoal of Salmon . . . .
Remo\ing Fish from Trap at Kluchi

Dealing out the Catch (Kluchi) . . . .
Salmon Trap left open on Sunday (Kluchi)
A Staircase at Kluchi .....

An old Fisherman at Kluchi . . . .
Removing Salmon from Trap (Kluchi)
Pit in which Salmon are Stored for Winter
A Corean Type on the s.s. Tsitsikar

PAGE
169

1 ''2

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XVI

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

A Corean Type ....

The Mouths of the Amur River (Xikolaievsk Harbour)

Types at Nikolaievsk

Types at Nikolaievsk

The Main Street, Nikolaievsk

A Giliak (Nikolaievsk) .

Giliaks

A Local Type (Nikolaievsk)

A Native of Nikolaievsk

A Buriat Type

Huge Rudders to the Barges on the Amur River

Local Cargo Boat at Khabarovsk

Types on the Amur River

Homeward Bound (the Author and Cieneral Boldyreft';

PAGE

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Map of part of Asia showing Prince I)emidoft''s route to Kam-
chatka . . . . . . At end

Map to illustrate Prince I)emidoft''s Sporting Trip to Kamchatka

/;/ pocket at end

A SHOOTING TRIP TO
KAMCHATKA

CHAPTER I.

A brief history of Kamchatka— Commencement of Russian extension
eastwards— Cossacks from the Don led by Ermak— Conqueror of
Siberia— Extension to the Yenissei and the Lena— The founding of
Yakoutsk— A fort on the Okhotsk Sea— Alexeieff, the first Russian in
Kamchatka— Murdered by natives— First reports from Kamchatka
in 1700 with furs collected as taxes— Peter the Great's reforms— The
Nijni-Kamchatsk fort— The revolt of 1707— Troubles in Northern
Kamchatka— A sea route found necessary— Okhotsk to the mouth of the
Bolshaia— Discovery of Petropavlovsk harbour— AntiT-lussian rising
in 1731— Destruction of Nijni-Kamchatsk fort— Russian colonisation
from Siberia in 1740 — Failure of agricultural experiments — Adverse
conditions of climate — Encouragement of private enterprise by
Catharine the Great— The growth of trade— The first commercial
company formed in the Aleout Islands — Annexation of the Prybiloff
Islands— Foundation of the Russian Seal Fisheries Company, origin-
ally the Russo-American Company— The trade in sealskins— Appoint-
ment of a military governor — Effect of the Crimean Wa.v — The Trans-
Siberian Railway — Restoration of peace and revival of trade.

IN order to throw some light on the events which
brought about the discovery of Kamchatka, it is
necessary to retrace our steps to the end of the six-
teenth century, which may be rightly termed the start-
ing period of Russia's eastward extension. Since that

2 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

tinie never has the policy of the Moscovian monarchs
deviated. Gradual advance across the north-Asiatic
continent has been their constant care, and the Treaty
of Aigoun with China in the fifties, incorporating
the whole of Amurland with the Russian Empire,
was the last link of that long- chain of conquests and
annexations.

In 1583 the first impulse was given by Ermak, a
Cossack from the Don, who, with a handful of
followers, crossed the Ural Mountains in search of
adventures. The Moscovian Government, at that
time under the despotic rule of the Tsar Ivan the
Terrible, gave a semblance of support to the hardy
pioneers, and instructed them to bring as many lands
as they could "under Russian dominion." The party
under Ermak consisted of rough, unscrupulous men.
whose sole aim, in the task they had undertaken,
was plunder, and there can be no doubt that the
Government's intentions in supporting the enter-
prise were directed more towards ridding the country
of its scum than carr)ing out any determined [)lan
of fresh accjuisitions. If, however, an improbable
success crowned the e.xpedition and the men outlived
undergone hardships, h'uits would be welcome, sub-
dued tribes brought under taxation, and the con-
<|uerors' tormcr misdeeds wiped off as a due reward

HISTORY OF KAMCHATKA 3

for their pluck. Great must have been the difficulties
they had to encounter, and long their vicissitudes.
Unfortunately no record of their struggles has
reached us. Rivers were the only assistance nature
afforded them. Virgin forests, impenetrable marshes,
wild nomad tribes stood in their way ; these were
naturally hostile to the new-comers, and offered every
resistance in their power. But they were speedily
subdued by their comparatively more civilised an-
tagonists, and arbitrary taxes in the shape of furs and
skins were imposed upon them. In this manner the
adventurers reached the Irtish, and went as far as the
place where now stands the town of Tobolsk; here they
built an entrenchment as a foothold for further ex-
plorations, Ermak, the leader, is supposed to have
been drowned in crossing the River Ob. His name
is now coupled, in Russian tradition, with the tar-
sounding title of "Conqueror of Siberia,"' and the
mantle of the hero has entirely covered the crimes
of the brigand. The few of the party that returned
from their wanderings brought back both ''sable and
fox " to the Moscovian Tsar, and gave glowing-
accounts of the wide-stretching territories they had
taken possession of in his name.

This was the first step ; the result was apparent,
and new jewels were soon to be added to the Russian

4 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

Crown. The beginning of the seventeenth century
found Russian dominion extended to the banks of the
Yenissei River and later to the Lena, where, in 1638,
the Government actively supported the work of the
Cossacks by founding the town of Yakoutsk on the
spot where six years before a small fort had been
built, and by placing the district under the administra-
tion of an appointed governor or voievoda. Hence-
forward Yakoutsk was to be the central point from
which started the subsequent invading parties of
Cossacks, who gradually reached the Okhotsk Sea, on
whose shores they erected an ostrog, or fort, and
eventually poured down from the north into the
Kamchatkan Peninsula. In 1643 an expedition of
a hundred Cossacks, under the leadership of V^assili
Poiarkoff, crossed the Stanovoi range and discovered
the Amur.

In 1644 another party reached the Arctic Ocean by
descending the Kolyma River on rafts, and took up
a firm position at its mouth. Officials were despatched
to those distant parts with orders to collect taxes from
the subdued natives, followed not only by adventurers
of all kinds, but also by tradesmen, who were attracted
by the rich furs of the country. In 1648 seven
boats, with Cossacks on board, started from KoKinsk
along the northern coast of Siberia, under the com-

RUSSIAN EXTENSION EASTWARDS 5

mand of Dejneff. This expedition, at the expense of
an enterprising- merchant called Alexeieff, who himself
took part in it, encountered a heavy storm, which de-
stroyed half the flotilla. The remaining half, however,
with the leaders on board, crossed Behring- Straits
and landed their persevering crew at the mouth of the
Anadyr River. Alexeieff continued his course south-
wards, and is supposed to have been the first Russian
who visited Kamchatka. The legend says that he
wintered on the coast of the peninsula, and was mur-
dered, together with his men, by the natives. The fact
remains that he was never heard of again, and it was
only a century later that Krasheninikoff, whose stan-
dard work on Kamchatka still possesses great interest,
picked up the tradition which was then current among
some of the tribes. Dejneff was more successful ; he
defeated the warlike Tchuktchis in several skirmishes
on his way up the Anadyr, and established a fort
some five hundred miles from the sea.

A Cossack, by the name of Atlassoff, was the first
to bring back definite information on Kamchatka.
He started in 1697 from the Anadyr settlement
with a force of a hundred armed men, and reached
the Kamchatka River, after having crossed several
mountain passes and routed the Koriak tribes who
inhabited the northern part of the peninsula. Leaving

6 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

a small band of Cossacks to defend themselves as
they could against the surroundino- hostile natives, he
returned, three years later, to Anadyr, and thence
travelled through Yakoutsk to Moscow, bringing back
with him the yassak or taxes he had collected ;
these consisted of 3,000 sables, 17 sea otters, 4 river
otters, 10 blue foxes, and 191 red foxes. Besides
skins he had with him a Japanese, whom he had
found among the Kamchadales, from a Japanese
vessel wrecked oft the coast. The era of Peter the
Great's radical reforms had now commenced, and it is
evident that the Government could not abandon a
newly conquered land to " unknown strangers " (the
Japanese), who had already attempted either to trade
with or to secure it. Special attention was therefore
directed towards Kamchatka. Atlassoft" was promoted
and sent back with full instructions to pacify the
country and bring it officially under Russian dominion.
The letters-patent with which he was supplied gave
him almost unlimited power within his sphere of
action. Unfortunately, though possessed of great
strength of will and undaunted energy, Atlassofif
was a man of unscrupulous means Hardly had he
reached Yakoutsk when he was accused of having
plundered a merchant's house and put in prison,
where he remained five years pending the x'erdict !

NIJNI-KAMCHATSK FORT 7

It was not until 1706, when news arrived of a general
insurrection of the Kamchadales, that he was ordered
out again at the head of a hundred Cossacks to quell
the fermentation in Kamchatka.

In the meantime the small garrison left to keep up
Russian prestige in the country held out a year, but
outnumbered by the natives, whilst retreating to
Anadyrsk were all massacred. The reinforcements,
which had come too late, defeated the Koriaks,
restored the fort on the Kamchatka River, and built
a new one some thirty miles from the mouth of the
Bolshaia River, on the western coast of the pen-
insula.

In 1702 the Nijni- Kamchatsk fort was estab-
lished close to the place where the Kamchatka river
falls into the sea. These three settlements, com-
manding both the main artery of the peninsula and
another important stream flowing into the Sea of
Okhotsk, were strengthened by fresh Cossacks from
Anadyrsk. In 1704 taxes were being collected from
the Kurile tribes inhabiting the southernmost part of
Kamchatka and brought to Anadyrsk, the Govern-
ment seat of the district. But the natives, and
especially the Koriaks, still held out desperately for
their independence. With the exception of the three
fortified settlements just mentioned and their im-

8 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

mediate neighbourhood, the country remained with-
out efficient control.

Two officials sent from Yakoutsk were almost simul-
taneously slaughtered by the Koriaks in the northern
parts of the peninsula. Rumours of this quickly
spread among the Kamchadales of the interior, and
contributed to a wholesale rising ; fifteen Cossacks
were massacred while collecting yassa^. Such was the
state of affairs when Atlassoff, reinstated to his former
position, appeared again in Kamchatka at the head of
a hundred men, with two years' supply of stores, in
the summer of 1707. The prestige of his name,
backed up by strong reinforcements, soon brought the
revolt to an end. The inhabitants round Avatcha
Bay made a particularly gallant defence against the
invaders, but were finally defeated with heavy losses.
Here comes in a fresh element of discord ; freed from
the sway of a distant administration, the Cossacks
began squabbling amongst themselves and rose against
their leader Atlassoff, whose cruelty knew no bounds.
He was seized by the rebels and confined in gaol
at Nijni-Kamchatsk. In the meanwhile two new
officials were appointed from Yakoutsk to look into
matters in Kamchatka ; one of them took three
years to reach his post (1707-10), owing to constant
hostilities with tlie northern tribes throu<>]i whose

REVOLT OF THE COSSACKS 9

country he had to work his way step by step. The two
colleagues joined with Adassoff, and inflicted a severe
punishment on the Cossacks who had taken part in the
revolt. These, in their turn, took a terrible revenge
on the unfortunate triumvirate, and murdered all of
them separately. In 171 1 they elected a leader from
their midst, and gave full vent to their low passions.
Anarchy reigned throughout the whole of the pen-
insula ; the natives were unscrupulously dealt with,
and feelincrs between the two races were as bitter as
ever. Fearing, however, forthcoming reprisals on the
part of the authorities, the Cossacks despatched a
deputation to Yakoutsk with explanations of their
conduct, overrating, if possible, the crimes of their
victims, pointing out the services they had rendered
to their mother country, and imploring a general
amnesty.

In the meanwhile the Cossack leader who had acted
so prominent a part in the mutiny was himself treacher-
ously shut up by Kamchadales of the Avatcha valley,
whilst raiding the district, and was burnt alive with
several native chiefs, who insisted upon sharing his
fate in the doomed building, provided that he should
not escape. In 1712a commissioner of the name of
Kolesoff was appointed from Yakoutsk, with strict
injunctions to put an end to Kamchatkan troubles.

lo A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

Stringent measures were taken, including torture and
capital execution, in order to brin^' the Cossacks to
reason. The country was once more temporarily
pacified, and parties were sent out to investigate the
neighbouring- Kurile Islands, with instructions to
collect information about Japan. The fort of Nijni-
Kamchatsk was abandoned for a more suitable spot at
the toot of the Klioutchefskoi volcano. The followinof
years brouQ^ht but little change in the state of affairs
on the peninsula. More officials were killed by
Koriaks on their way to Anadyrsk and the yassak
was plundered.

In 1716 it was found necessary to discover a new
route to Kamchatka, in order to avoid constant fights
with the warlike Koriaks of the north. A ship started
from Okhotsk and landed at the mouth of the Bolshaia
River ; this was the first attempt to reach Kamchatka
by sea. Henceforward Okhotsk gained importance
as a port, and became the administrative centre of
Russian possessions in the Far East. In 1720 the
country was still under the almost uncontrolled rule of
the Cossacks, and one of the officials reported to
Yakoutsk that if immediate measures were not taken
to remove the troublesome Cossacks and replace them
by others under strong military discipline, rebellion and
anarchy would never cease to prevail in the ravaged

EXPEDITIONS TO N.E. ASIA ir

peninsula. But the period of Cossack rule and blood-
shed was drawing to a close. In 1727 the Government
fitted out two expeditions to north-eastern Asia; one
of them, under the command of Shestakoff and
Pavlutzki, was instructed to quell fermentation among
the Tchuktchi tribes of the Anadyr district ; the
other, under Behring, was to delimit the frontier
between the two continents of Asia and America.
Though the Behring expedition was intended merely
for scientific purposes, yet the presence in Kamchatka
of men far superior in every way to the Cossacks
(they had spent the winter of 1727-8 in Avatcha
Bay, and discovered Petropavlovsk harbour) could not
fail to influence the state of affairs in the peninsula,
and lower, in the eyes of the half-wild Kamchadales,
the prestige of their tormentors. Cossacks now
appeared to them in their true light ; they were but
rough bands of adventurers, unsupported by their
Government and plundering on their own account.
These ideas crraduallv spread throuohout the countrv,
and resulted in what may be termed the last stand of
the Kamchadales for independence.

In 1 73 1 two hryons, or native chiefs, placed them-
selves at the head of their tribes. They were, more-
over, encouraged to rebellion by news of the defeat
and massacre of Shestakoff and his followers by the

12 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

Tchuktchis in a drawn battle. Khartchin and Gon-
gotch, the two Kamchadale leaders, decided in concert
to exterminate every Russian in the country, and to-
invade the valley of the Kamchatka River. A suc-
cessful assault was made on the fort of Nijni-Kam-
chatsk, which was rased to the ground ; neither women,
nor children were spared. Fortunately for the invaders,
a Russian schooner, the Gabriel, sent from Okhotsk
to the relief of Pavlutzki, had been delayed off the
coast by unfavourable winds, and lay at anchor at
the mouth of the Kamchatka River. When news
of the native uprising reached the Gabriel, the journey
to Anadyr was put off, and men were landed with guns
to the relief of the settlement. The fort was stormed,
and the chiefs of the rebellion were sentenced to-
death ; other tavoiis met with a similar fate. The
Cossacks spent the remaining part of the year in
quelling the insurrection, and wholesale massacres,
took place. The combat ended, as the French say,
owing to want of combatants. Had it not been for
unsettled weather, the Kamchadales would have pro-
bably regained their independence, many a life would
have been sacrificed in vain, and years would have
elapsed before the peninsula found itself again under
Russian rule. Such are the laws of the Universe —
a mere chance, an imforeseen event, an atom has its-

ADMINISTRATIVE QUESTIONS 13

weight in the destinies of empires. As it was, the
turning-point of the history of Kamchatka was
reached ; thereafter only a few partial disturbances
occurred here and there, but the country was prac-
tically conquered and pacified.

Administrative questions now sprang up, together
with measures tending towards the education of the
newly subdued natives. With this view the Empress
Elizabeth sent Major Merlin from Yakoutsk, with
instructions for the government of the country as well
as for the founding of orthodox missions and schools.
He remained there until 1 739 ; his companion, Pavlutzki,
was appointed Russian Commissioner of Kamchatka
under the supervision of the head official of the dis-
trict, whose administrative centre was now Okhotsk,
The importance of the latter town grew accordingly,
as it became the seat of the Government and the
only existing port, Pavlutzki was killed in a fight with
the Tchuktchis of Anadyrsk in 1741 ; these warlike
northern tribes gave constant trouble until 1755. when
they were finally brought to submission by Shmaleff,
As for the inhabitants of Kamchatka, they fell into
complete apathy and have remained so ever since.
The second Behring expedition (1733-43) brought no
change in the affairs of the country ; on the contrary,
public interest turned towards its scientific results and

14 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

discovery of "great lands beyond." The peninsula
was partly forgotten, and would have been entirely so,
had it not been for Krasheninikoff, a member of the
expedition, who appeared in Kamchatka in 1737 on
the Fortuna, and has left us the first description of
the country.

In 1740 the Government entered into a period of
colonisation, and at first fiftv families were brouo-ht
over from Yakoutsk to Kamchatka; they settled down
in the Bolsheretzk fort on the west coast, and gradually
spread to the other settlements in the valley of the
main river. In 1760 arose, in connection with sup-
plies for the troops, the question of agriculture, which
lasted over a hundred years, and after many an
attempt at settlement ended in complete failure. At
present almost the only remnants of corn-growing on
the peninsula exist round the village of Klioutchi, at
the foot of the Klioutchefskoi volcano. A party of re-
liable men were sent over from Irkutsk with seeds
and ploughing implements ; every possible facility
with regard to taxes was afforded them. Moreover,
an ukase of the Government four years later gave
full amnesty to escaped convicts who chose to devote
themselves to agriculture in Kamchatka. None of
these measures, owing to the conditions of the climate,
ever answered their purpose. l)Ut this immigration

THE ALEOUT ISLANDS 15

from Siberia gives a clue to the lineage of the present
inhabitants of the country ; they are almost entirely
of a cross breed between the aborigines on one side
and Siberian emigrants and escaped convicts on the
other. Thoroughbred Kamchadales are practically
extinct. To this period belongs the first impulse
of private enterprise towards the fur-riches of the
district. The rescued members of the second Behring
expedition, amongst whom were Steller and Delille,
who returned to Avatcha Bay after the discovery of
the Commander Islands, where Behring himself found
his fate, brought back news of the existence there
of innumerable seals and otters. Kamchatka itself
swarmed with fox and sable. Some of the more enter-
prising local inhabitants risked their lives in order to
discover islands and regions along the coast abound-
ing in furs. A new class of men sprang up — merchants.
Owing to them the Aleout Islands were visited and
Alaska was reached. These facts have their import-
ance in the history of Kamchatka, because the latter
is now employed as a basis for trading operations ;
Okhotsk gradually sank into oblivion towards the
end of the eighteenth century. These traders, owing
to whose enterprise Russian authorities became ac-
quainted with the islands of the North Pacific and the
American continent, were now eners^eticallv backed

i6 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

up by the Central Government. The latter came to
the conclusion that expeditions fitted out for different
scientific purposes, such as those under Lieutenant
Lind (1764), and Lieutenant-Captain Krenitsin and
Levashoff (1766), cost immense sums to the Treasury
and brought little or no result. Accordingly an
ukase of the Empress Catharine the Great gave
full scope to private enterprise, and ordered a staff
of naval officers to be sent out, with instructions that
one of these should be on board each trading ship
for the survey of new country and coasts. Moreover,
every ukase pointed out the necessity of " friendly
relations and honest trade" with the inhabitants. In
1783, Shelekhoff, an enterprising Kamchatkan mer-
chant, made his appearance on the Aleout Islands,
and with a capital of 70,000 roubles (^7,000) founded
the first commercial company, which gradually in-
creased with the annexation of the Prybiloff Islands,
and in 1798 was called the " Russo-American Com-
pany." This firm, under different names, has existed
ever since, and is known at present as the " Russian
Seal Fisheries Company."

Parallel with the growth of trade in Kamchatka,
attempts were constantly being made towards agri-
culture and cattle-breeding in the peninsula. I)Oth
branches, and especially the former, after fift)" years

INCREASE OF RUSSIAN POSSESSIONS 17

of incessant failures, showed but little results at the
end of the eighteenth century. In the meantime the
colonists gradually assimilated witli the natives, and
took to more lucrative means of existence : hunting,
dog-breeding, and fishing. Dried salmon replaced
bread. In 1800 the increase of Russian possessions
in the Far East necessitated the formation of a
Kamchatkan regiment ; its commandant was placed
at the head of the administration of the district, with
his seat at Nijni-Kamchatsk, on the eastern coast of
the peninsula. This was a kind of "land militia,"
soldiers beino' trranted concessions on condition that
they should build farms and grow their own corn.
The Russo- American Company was now in full swing;
in 1S03 fifteen thousand sealskins were traded out of
the country. The Government strongly encouraged
the enterprise, and fully comprehending the difficulties
arising from want of supplies, which had to be brought
z'id Siberia and Okhotsk, fitted out the first expedition
round the world under Krusenstern ; one of the ships
was destined to assist the company. Petropavlovsk
harbour in Avatcha Bay now became the principal
foothold in north-eastern waters. All the following
expeditions in the beginning of the nineteenth century
anchored off Petropavlovsk, whose harbour, together
with Avatcha Bay, is one of the finest, if not the finest

i8 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

harbour in the world. In 1812 the Kanichatkan
regiment was disbanded, and a contingent of marines
formed at Petropavlovsk for the defence of the
harbour, which then became the seat of govern-
ment of the peninsula. A naval officer was appointed
to that post. The campaign of 181 2 and the wars
with Napoleon withdrew for some years the attention
of the Government from Kamchatkan affairs ; but in
181 7 the Russian Commissioner, Ricord, again raised
the question of supplies for the natives, and ordered
storehouses to be built in the principal settlements
on the coast. At the same time he was granted a
subsidy for the foundation of a school of artisans,
with branches of carpentry, smithcraft, etc., at Petro-
pavlovsk. In 1821 a plan of the harbour was con-
firmed, and an annual allowance given for the further
progress of the works. In 1840 a celebrated German
agriculturist. Dr. Kegel, was sent to Kamchatka, by
order of the Emperor Nicholas, with instructions to
educate the inhabitants in land cultivation and concert
measures for their general welfare.

The school at Petropavlovsk was transferred to an
important settlement in the interior, called Milkovo,
and other branches of work were introduced, such as
leather-tanning, etc. Unfortunately Dr. Kegel met
with serious oppositi(jn to his innovations on the part

EFFECT OF THE CRIMEAN WAR 19

of the Acting Commissioner. The school was closed
while still in an embryonic state, and both men were
recalled. At the end of the forties, when the govern-
ment of Eastern Siberia fell into the hands of
Count iMuravieff, Kamchatka had reached its com-
parative apogee. It became a separate administrative
district, with a military governor at its head, under
the supervision of the Governor-General of Eastern
Siberia ; Okhotsk was incorporated with the govern-
ment of Yakoutsk. The first appointed military
governor of the peninsula in 1850 was Captain, later
Admiral, Zavoiko. If the programme of this well-
meaning gentleman had been duly carried out, his
proposed measures towards the civilisation of the
country realised, schools founded, ships constructed,
buildings erected, colonists introduced, Kamchatka
might perhaps have obtained a well-deserved pros-
perity ; but a spell seemed to lie on that unhappy
country. The lengthy correspondence between Cap-
tain Zavoiko and Count Muravieff shows that the
district was on the brink of a reform era when an un-
expected turn of events altered the plans of the Govern-
ment. Admiral Nevelskoy discovered the mouths of
the Amur River and the possibility of navigation on
that great East-Asiatic artery. Thereafter Kamchatka
fell into complete oblivion, and has remained so ever

20 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

since. The cares of the Government then gravitated
around the Amur district, and the town of Nikolaevsk
was founded at the mouth of that river. ...

The last episode in the history of that distant corner
of Asia was the defeat of the Anglo- French Beet off
Petropavlovsk. In 1854 news reached Kamchatka of
the rupture of diplomatic relations between Russia on
one side, and England and France on the other. The
Russian Consul in America gave notice to Zavoiko
that war was declared, and that Petropavlovsk harbour
was to be put in a state of defence. The Anglo-French
fleet, under Admirals Price and P^evrier-de-Pointe,
entered Avatcha Bay at the end of August of that
year; but after several attempts at landing the allied
troops were driven off with the loss of 450 men, killed
or drowned,

A monument now stands on the santipit opposite
Petropa\'lovsk in memory of the affair of August, 1854.
Behind the village is a small enclosure, where three
crosses indicate the burial place of the Russians, Eng-
lish, and P^rench killed in action. In the spring of
1855 Zavoiko was energetically pushing on the works
of defence, in case of a second attack by the allied
forces, when orders arrived that all the available troops
should be concentrated in the Amur district, and that
the inhabitants of Petropavlovsk, if attacked, should

TRANS-SIBERIAN RAILWAY 21

retire into the interior, and leave the village in the
hands of the enemy. Here again we notice the pre-
dominance of the Amur country in the eyes of the
Government. Admiral Zavoiko left Avatcha Bay
in April, 1855 ; Kamchatka remains in the hands
of petty administrators— is/>rav7tzks, and no Russian
Governor-General has since set foot on that land.
Lately, however, since the Amur and Ussuri districts
have gained such importance in the commercial market
of the world, owing to the Trans-Siberian railway,
interest in Kamchatka, with its fisheries and fur-
riches, has revived to a certain extent, and it is to
be hoped that in the near future increase of trade
will contribute both to the welfare and to a closer
investigation of that unexplored peninsula.

CHAPTER II.

Treparations for the voyage — Leave London for St. Petersburg in .April,
1900 — Professor Sliounine's report of Kamchatka — Leave Moscow
for the .Siberian frontier — Crossing the Ob — The Central Siberian
Railway — The Venissei bridge at Krasnoiarsk — .Arrival at Irkutsk, the
capital, with M. Isvolsky, Russian Minister in Japan — Poor accommo-
dation— The "Museum" — Professor Pershine's report on mountain
game — Start for Lake Baikal — The route described — Crossing the
lake — Myssovaia to Stretensk, the terminus of the line — On board
the Amur — Steamer aground — At Pokrovskoie — Proceed to Mokho,
a Chinese village on the .\mur River — .\ gold-mining district —
Arrival at Blagovestchensk — Departure for A'igun — Steaming down
the Amur to Radde— Two Cossack hunters — Their report of nati\e
game — Reach Khabarovsk, the chief town on the .Amur — Covern-
ment House and the Museum — The line to Madivostok, along the
Ussuri River, twenty-seven days from St. Petersburg.

THE object of our trip having been decided upon,
and our preparation.s completed in April, 1900, we
secured in London the services of a photographer, Mr.
Tallent, who consented to accompany us on our long
journey, and to whom I leel much indebted tor the
excellent series of photographs due to his indefatigable
energy. These now appear as illustrations to this
volume, and I could hardly have secured a more
useful collaboration. Out of some six hundred nega-

PREPARATIONS FOR THE \'OYAGE 23

tives taken, I have carefully selected the clearest and
most characteristic ones, believing" that they will fully
illustrate the most typical events of our journey and
the scenery of Kamchatka, together with the types
and mode of living of its inhabitants. Many of these
have never been produced before, particularly those
connected with the headwaters of the Kamchatka
River and the country round its sources, where, until
our visit, no human being, save perhaps some stray
Lamut, had ever before set foot. Moreover, the
sportsman will no doubt be interested in photographs
of Oi'is uivico/a, taken as the trophies were brought
into camp fresh from the hunting-grounds. Such in-
formation as we could gather in London on the subject
of Kamchatkan sport was not very important. Dr.
Guillemard's interesting account of his experiences on
the coast of the peninsula being our sole guide. His
journey down the main river from Petropavlovsk to
Nijni-Kamchatsk merely gave indications of the only
highway of the region, without touching the question
of sport to be obtained cii ivulc, and the existence
of wild sheep in the mountains of the interior still
remained a conjecture. I was, moreover, informed of
the difficulty of communication between \dadivostok
and Kamchatka, limited to two annual cruises to
Petropavlovsk, the ships calling on their return at all

24 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

the ports of the Sea of Okhotsk, which imphed the
disagreeable alternative of an additional month's sea
voyage. This intelligence, however, did not damp our
aspirations. Mr. Schwabe, of the fur-dealing firm
of Crompton and Schwabe, kindly supplied the infor-
mation we required, and confirmed the telegram I had
received from the Russian authorities to the effect
that our steamer was to start from X'ladivostok on
June 14.

We accordingly left London at the end of April
for St. Petersburg, where Tallent was to meet us,
having made the journey by sea together with our
impedimenta, which, owing to the probable difficulties
of commissariat in Kamchatka, had by that time con-
siderably increased in bulk ; the bill of lading showed
four tons. We remained a few days in the Russian
capital. Before my departure I took the opportunity
of meeting Professor Sliounine, who had spent three
years in Kamchatka on a Government niission, and
who afforded us much information on those remote
regions. He was at that time preparing a most inter-
esting account of his experiences, which has since
been published. Our conversation turned principally
on the fauna of the country. I gathered from him that
wild sheep existed on most of the hills north and south
of Avatcha Bav, and especiallv on the clifts overlook-

REPORT OF KAMCHATKA 25

ing the sea ; that their habitat was vaguely defined,
and their haunts in the interior quite unknown ; that,
in his opinion, the most hkely grounds were the wild-
est and most impracticable in the southernmost parts
of the peninsula, round the Kurile Lake, but that few
natives were acquainted with that country. Professor
Sliounine also informed me that bears were to be
found in great numbers on all the hills, but that
caribou betake themselves in summer towards the
Arctic Ocean, and emigrate all together in large herds ;
they return towards the end of August, and pour into
the peninsula for their winter quarters. Most of these
statements we found to be correct. He added that
salmon abounded in everv stream at that time of vear,
and that we should get plenty of fishing. Prospects
seemed bright except as regards caribou. Of the
latter we picked up several fine antlers, showing the
large size to which they attain. Before our departure
I received the most welcome news that Monsieur
Isvolsky, the newly appointed Russian minister in
Japan, was about to start with his family to join his
post, and that we should probably travel together.
Notwithstanding the un.tiring pleasure of his com-
pany, and that of Madame Isvolsky, for all of us,
I had heard of various difficulties for travellers be-
yond Irkutsk, eg. that the line Irkutsk- Stretensk

26 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

was not yet open to the public, and that the shallows
along the river Shilka often delayed passengers. The
presence of a high official, however, would sniooth
down the trials which we might have to undergo, and
our distinguished fellow-traveller was of great help to
us, as will be seen later. M. Isvolsky and faniily,
consisting of his wife and two children, started a few
days before us in a special car, which was attached to
the Siberian express train at Tcheliabinsk, where we
met them.

On the 1 8th of May our train left Moscow con-
veying my wife, Tallent, my valet Cristo, and my-
self On the following- dav we met Mr. St. Georcre
Littledale at the Slaviansky l^azaar (Mrs. Littledale
was not one of the party this time on account of her
health), and on the same evening the Siberian e.Kpress
carried us off to distant lands. The trai)i dc luxe
starts once a week, on Saturdays, and is due at
Irkutsk on the following Monday week. Our ac-
commodation was good, though there was none of the
luxury of the Paris Exhibition train. The restaurant
was moderate, and the food greasy. There are four
trains attached to the service of the Siberian express,
three of which are of the Russian model, and one of
the International Slecj)ing Car Company. We chanced
to take the latter, which, I believe, is not the best.

THE SIBERIAN FRONTIER

27

However, there was little cause for complaint, and our
spirits rose at ev^ery turn of the wheel.

We reached the Siberian frontier, Tcheliabinsk,

RUSSIAN PILCRIM WOMICN.

without incident, on the 22nd, and joined M. Isvol-
sky and his party, which, beside his family, consisted
of the First Secretary of the Legation, M. de Pok-
levsky, and of the new Russian Consul at Hakodadi,

28 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

M. Hedenstrom, who had hv-ed in the Far East,
and took no sHght interest in sporting narratives.
As a matter of fact, his accounts of shooting in the
Amur district contributed greatly to pass the long
weary hours of inactivity, and his keen sense of
humour, combined with a fertility of imagination,
proved a great godsend to our small party. Our
other companions were two or three engineers, and
a lady on her way to join her husband, one of the
constructors of the Manchurian railway. Another
fellow-traveller, whom we constantly saw lounging
in a corner of the car, and smoking cigarettes in a
most tranquil mood, turned out to be a wealthy
merchant travelling to his native town with the
sole object of receiving the minister to Japan in
his mansion at Irkutsk. This act of courtesy, or
rather of heroism, for his return ticket implied 6,000
miles by rail, will probably remain obscure, as such
incidents usually do, in the annals of humanity.

It is unnecessary to weary the reader with a descrip-
tion of the monotonous scenery of the West Siberian
steppes ; these have already afforded scope for many
a tourist's pen. Suffice it to say that the plains were
endless ; a few birches here and there scarcely relieved
the monotony ot the scene. Here and there the line
crosses immense wastes of marshy land, and if one of

ARRIVAL AT TCHELIABINSK 29

US had taken up a position on the roof of the car with
a i2-bore gun and a good supply of cartridges, he
might have brought down many a mallard or teal.

OUR rARTV AT TCHELIAiaNSK.

The heat was intolerable, the more so as the train
halted at every possible opportunity without passing
the smallest stations. Between these, fifteen to twenty
miles an hour was our utmost speed. M. Hedenstroms

so A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

joviality never ceased to amuse the company. He gave
Mr. Littledale and myself the most promising- account
of sport in the Amur regions, where he had spent
a great part of his official career. In his opinion
there was no better hunting-ground than the Khingan
district.

The Khingan is a range of low timber-covered
hills, through which Hows the river Amur some two
hundred miles beyond the town of Blagovestchensk ;
its northern part belongs to Russia, while the southern
portion is in Chinese territory. He strongly ad-
vised us to visit that country, where he said " izubra"
stags were plentiful, besides tiger, roedeer, musk-deer
(native /ada/'j^a), wild sheep (?), and to our profound
astonishment, aurochs. The two last-named species
struck us as being so imlikely to be found in these
regions, that we naturally expressed our surprise at
such unexpected tidings, upon which M. Hedenstrom,
whom we thenceforth called " Daddy " (short for
Hakodadi). volunteered to wire to " the king of
hunters," a Cossack named Lalitin, to meet us at
Hlagovestchensk and contu^m his somewhat startling
statements. P)Oth Littledale and I assented to his
proposal and the telegram was desj)atched forthwith.

After having crossed the (Jb, whence we had branched
off three years before on our way to the .Altai and

CROSSING THE OB 31

Mongolia, we entered the so-called Central Siberian
Railway, and some two hundred versts beyond, close
to the station of Taiga, found ourselves in the midst
of dense woods, which in Siberia bear the name of
laioa. I need hardly say we quitted without regret

TYPE OF EN(;iNE OX THE TRANS-SI BEKIAX RAILWAY.

those endless steppes of the west. The forests con-
sisted chiefly of huge larches, birch, fir, and occasional
cedars. At first sight they strongly reminded one of
the scenery round St. Petersburg. Numbers of trees
lay rotting and moss-covered on the marshy ground,
others half uprooted by gales leant against their
neighbours in a state of desolation, the underwood

32

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

beino" thick and dense. It was evident that no human
hand had ever attempted to preserve them. The train
seemed to cut its way through at the modest speed of
fifteen miles an hour. At one of the stations we were
compelled to wait over four hours, owing to the fact
that the man who looked after the water "reservoir"

FRIDGE OVER THE VEN1^:^EI KIVER.

had gone off to his village carrying the key in his
pocket. At another station the telegraph official was
so drunk that he was unable to announce our arrival
to the next station, which necessitated another delay
of a couple of hours. On May 24 we crossed the
beautiful Yenissei bridge at Krasnoiarsk, a town of no
slight importance on the left bank of that river.
Notwithstanding our numerous stoppages we reached

ARRIVAL AT IRKUTSK 33

Irkutsk, only seven hours late, on the Monday we
were due, May 28.

Irkutsk, the capital of Siberia, is a large and
formerly prosperous town, situated at the junction
of the Angara and Irkut rivers. Between the railway
station and the town the weary traveller crosses the

fi'ir^'B<ir^[fiii%ff*11liii^ '^^ ^''^'''^::

THE TOWxN' OF IRKUTSK.

broad Angara on a pontoon bridge, and presently
reaches the Metropole Hotel after a severe shaking
over unpaved streets. But here his troubles begin.
Words cannot depict the filth which has to be en-
countered. There is nothing for it but to bear up in
stoic silence, and avoid crossing passages, where
odours may involve nothing short of typhoid. The
Isvolsky family put up at the merchant's house. Two

34 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

magnificently turned out fjvYkas had conveyed them
to their home ; a third one had been kindly placed
at our disposal. To my amazement our coachman
addressed me in English ; I understood he had spent
several years in America as a stud groom, and was
now enjoying a well-earned rest in our fellow-
traveller's service. Towards evening we bravely
faced the odour of the passages, and holding our
noses rushed out of the hotel for a drive. All the
party met at the Circus, where we witnessed some fine
equestrian performances and a couple of elephants
playing chess. The secretary and the consul joined
us there after a somewhat curious experience. Their
jehu had driven them from the station to a most
unmentionable place, known in the town as the
" Museum," and they had had the greatest difficulty
in the world to reach the hotel.

We were most anxious to resume our journey in
order to catch the boat at V^ladivostok on the 14th of
June. A special train had been fitted out for the
minister, who attached us informally to his person,
and we were assured that we should be able to leave
Irkutsk on the following night. Next morning my
first visit was to the real Museum, and I was obligingly
shown over it by the curator, Professor Pershine.
There stood a fine Oris aiiiDioji, from the Altai',

THE MUSEUM AT IRKUTSK 35

a tame yak, and a small "izubra" stag of the Amur
district, besides stuffed birds, fishes from Lake Baikal,
etc. On the second fioor we admired a room full of
Buddhist curios and strange native gear of Tungus,
Burlat, and Yakout tribes ; some of these were of fish
skins. Moreover, I am indebted to Professor Pershine
for some valuable information concerning mountain
rame in the Irkutsk region. He stated that Ibex
{Capra sibirica) existed in the Tuncan hills some
hundred and eighty miles south, but there were
no wild sheep [Ovis) in that locality. He seemed to
think that the latter were to be found in the Adun-
Tehalon valley, south of Nerchinsk, and at the head-
waters of the river Borza, but could not guarantee
this. I caught sight, in the Museum, of an old skull
of what I considered to be a Kamchatkan Ovis
nivicola, but the curator was unable to throw any light
on the subject, or give any explanation as to the origin
of the head. He told me that there was a natural
history museum at Chita, where we might find some
interesting specimens ; unfortunately, the half-hour
our train stopped at that place did not allow us to
inspect it.

Having been asked to dinner by Madame Isvol-
sky's host, we betook ourselves to the merchant's
residence at five p.m., the custom being to dine at that

36 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

early hour. The house was considered one of the
finest in the town. We found it quite a large building^
the rooms of unusual size and an immense ballroom in
one of the wings. The furniture w^as of European
make, mostly of crimson plush and anything but fault-
less in taste, while in the hall stood a papier-mache
negro boy with a broad grin, showing a row of snow-
white teeth and holding a brass tray. The house was
lighted throughout by electricity, and lamps of every
colour shone in each corner, roughly imitating flowers
and fruit. The air was stuffy, the windows hermetic-
ally closed, notwithstanding the intense heat, and
a thick layer of dust covered the bright red sofas
and chairs, Madame Isvolsky added that water was so
scarce that, when asked for, it was brouoht in drinkinof-
cups. The proprietor must have been a very musical
man, for under each bed, instead of the customary
china, there was concealed, of all things in the world,
a musical -box. Such was the noble mansion of the
most hospitable of hosts. The dinner was long, with
innumerable courses ; the main feature consisted in
drinking one another's health. The table was covered
with numerous bottles of different shapes and sizes,
and the wines differed merely in colour, their flavour
being identical and uncommonly sweet. Our host was
constantly leaving his seat to fill the glasses of his

START FOR LAKE BAIKAL 37

guests, and would hear of no excuse. He became so
pressing towards the end of dinner that we deemed it
best to return to the hotel on the plea of having to pack
up our belongings. Luckily the special train which
was to convey us to the shores of Lake Baikal was
ready at the station, and we decided to sleep in the
car that night.

Early in the morning we were awakened by angry
voices in the passage ; the train was already on the
move. I hurriedly dressed, and rushing out of my
cabin found Cristo in altercation with the guard. It
appeared that one of my portmanteaus had been
stolen during the night ; it contained all my books
and maps, some of which had been found by a gen-
darme strewing the railway line and had been brought
on by him in a muddy condition. The thief had evi-
dently scattered the contents of my bag in disgust.
But the maps were lost and the robber was never
discovered.

At nine a.m. we slowly steamed on to the pier of the
lake and found the lar^e ice-cutter Baikal awaitinsf
us alongside. This large steam ferryboat, built at
Newcastle on the model of those on Lake Erie in the
United States, transports the whole train of twenty to
thirty cars to Myssovaia on the eastern shores of the
lake — a distance of about sixty miles — in live hours.

38 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

The scenery round the lake is highly picturesque,
surrounded as it is by craggy hills and dense fir woods.
In the autumn months storms are frequent and greatly
endanger navigation ; in winter the ice forms deep
crevasses, which render traffic very difficult. The
interruption of the railway by this immense stretch
of water prompted the Government to complete the
communication by land, and join the two lines by
a section running round the southern shores of the
lake. The construction of this line was being carried
on with unceasing energy at that time, and I heard
that it was no easy enterprise, on account of the
mountainous nature of the country. I gathered that
bears were plentiful in the neighbouring forests. Seals
abound on the northern coasts of the lake, as well as
on its numerous islands. Several species of Sa/mo
inhabit its depths {Sa////o ouiul, baicalcusis, tJivuialliis,
fliiviatilis) also the "golomianka" {CoiiicpJioi'its Iniica-
Iciisis), a fish which is peculiar to Lake Baikal and
found nowhere else.

The morning was fresh, and icebergs still floated
on the waters as we entered the steam ferry. The
sun shone brioht, and our five hours' crossinof was
by no means an unpleasant diversion. At Myssovaia
we found a train waiting to convey us to Stretensk.
It took an hour to unship the train on to the tempo-

EN ROUTE FOR STRETENSK

39

rary wooden pier, as the rails would not fit. We were
shown our respective cars. These turned out to be
ordinary luggage vans roughly adapted for passengers ;
two or three square openings represented the win-

'll

n

WITHDRAWING TRAIN FROM S.S. " BAIKAL" (MYSSOVAIA).

dows, and a wooden partition divided the carriage into
separate compartments, while the furniture consisted
of a table and two stools. They were used by the
engineers of the line, who apparently never aired
their dwelling ; the atmosphere was dense and stuffy,
and the panes were stuck to the wall with thick brown

40 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

paper. Our first step was to let in some fresh air
by removing- the window-panes, our second to sprinkle
the walls and fioor with eau de Cologne and Keat-
ing's powder. The line being as yet closed to the
public, we were glad enough to find some means of
conveyance, and presently settled down for our sixty
hours' journey in comparative comfort. Unfortunately
our carriages had no springs, which considerably in-
creased the shaking we received over the newly
constructed line, and reminded one of a drive in a
Russian "tarantass." Towards evening our train
started amidst the cheers of the I^uriat population,
which had gathered to witness our departure. At
first the line ran alouQ^ the shores of the lake, branch-
ing off eastwards through the dense /^^/>c^ of the
Buriat country. The night was exceedingly cold.
Numerous wood fires on either side pointed to the
carelessness of the inhabitants ; we could count seven
or eight of these fires at a time, and the trees close
to the railway were almost all burnt, probably by
sparks from the engine.

We followed the valleys of the Selenga and Khilok
rivers, which at places widened to a couple of miles.
The scenery was dreary and monotonous, with great
stretches of bircli and pine forest. On the following
dav we dined at Petrovskv Zavod, a Government

CHITA • 41

minino- centre. Here I was told that the climate was
most severe, there being hardly a month in the year
without frost, and over three hundred days without
rain or snow. A little before Chita we struck the
valley of the Ingoda river after crossing the pass
over the Yablonovoi range (about 3,500 feet) into
the system of the Amur. Chita is quite a picturesque
little town at the foot of the hills. I heard that timers
were not unfrequent in the neighbourhood. Our train
advanced at quite a fair pace (fifty versts an hour),
and we soon passed the famous Nerchinsk district,
where convicts are deported and work in the Govern-
ment mines. During the night, our last one in the
car, we were awakened by an unusual stir and bustle
outside. It turned out that our roof was on fire, and
had it not been noticed at one of the stations, we
should have had ample time to be smothered by the
smoke, or burnt alive.

On June 2, at one a.m., we at last sighted Stretensk,
the terminus of the line. Stretensk is a small village
situated on the right bank of the Shilka, one of the
most important confluents of the Amur. The ri\er at
this place is 150 yards broad with a rapid current.
Unfortunately it is badly fed by its tributaries and
becomes unusually shallow in summer, which renders
navigation almost impossible at that time of year,

42 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

unless heavy rain falls in the mountains. It is incon-
ceivable to my mind how the constructors of the
Transbaikal Railway' did not take into consideration
this important item, which at times entirely stopped
traffic and caused no slight delay in the conveyance of
Russian troops during the Boxer War. The line ought
to have been continued to Pokrovskoie, at the junction
of the Shilka and Amur rivers, some three hundred
versts beyond Stretensk, and the pcrckats or
shallows would have been avoided. As it was, the
steamer which we intended to take (of the Amur
Navigation Co.) had not turned up, and we found
ourselves at Stretensk for an unlimited length of time,
and with the disagreeable prospect of missing our
steamer at Vladivostok. A Government steamboat,
the Aiuiir, had been placed at M. Isvolsky's disposal,
and it was entirely owing to his obliging behaviour
that we were able to continue our journey. He
spared us a cabin on board, though there was but
little accommodation for himself and family. A small
launch, the Sniigari, which was to accompany the
minister in case of need, took on board Messrs.
Littledale and Tallent.

We left Stretensk that same day at five [).m., lucky
to get off An hour later the dismal sound of our
keel L>Tatino" over g-ravel indicated that we had run

STEAMER AGROUND

43

ag-round. The steamer stopped. A cable was fastened
to the anchor, and after four hours' struoole we were
again afloat. Our captain, who had deviated from
the right course marked by buoys, was replaced by
the second officer, and confined to his cabin, where
the unfortunate man remained till we reached Blao-o-

THE "SUNGARI," STERN-WHEEI.EK.

vestchensk. In fact, we never saw him aeain. Durino-
the night we were awakened by a rattling— the boat
had struck shingle. Dawn found us on the same spot
struggling with adversity. The weather was fine and
warm. After twelve hours' labour we were on the
move towards noon, and presently came in sight of
four barges stuck in mid-stream. It was our fate to
be soon in a similar position ; a sandbank detained us

44

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

till evening. The anchor had to be fixed ashore and
towed from board by steam power, but efforts were of
no avail, the depth of water being only 2J feet, while
the Amur drew 3^ feet. W^e finally managed to get
afloat with the aid of the Suiigari, which, being
smaller, drew less water.

THE S.S. "AMUR" on THE SHILKA RIVEK.

The banks of the Shilka were quite lovely with
their overhanging precipitous cliffs, covered by pine
and larch. Large stretches of burnt forest bore
witness to numerous wood fires. Small villages were
scattered here and there, with their small wooden
church towering over each of them. They are all
stanitsas, and are inhabited by descendants of the

THE BANKS OF THE SHILKA

45

Cossacks, who were the first colonists of Siberia.
We spent that night at anchor for fear of another
perekat, and on the morning of June 4 advanced
at the slowest speed. A lifeboat was despatched
in front in order to measure the depths, and re-

RIVER SHILKA.

turned with the news that there was four feet of
water everywhere. The Suugari had not turned up.
and we began to fear another delay. In the after-
noon we came across the company's steamer, which
had been unable to move from the sandbank for
the last three weeks, and was awaitino- a lonoed-for
storm in the hills! That day we passed a village

46 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

called Oust- Kara, where the celebrated Russian writer
Dostoievsky had been confined for many years. On
the following- day we were joined by the Simian', to
our great joy. Unhappily, one of our wheels got
damaged — -an accident involving another delay of
several hours, which gave us the opportunity of going"
ashore and stretching our limbs. Once more on board
our progress was uncommonly slow, and our hope of
reaching Vladivostok at the time appointed gradually
grew fainter. Many a time in shallow water did the
well-known scraping sound reach our ears before we
finally came in sight of the Pokrovskaia stanitza
on the morning of June 6. It had taken us four
days to accomplish 358 versts (240 miles). At
Pokrovskaia we were in comparative safety, and time
pressed as we entered the mighty Amur River. To
our right lay Chinese territory, and our first halt in
the afternoon was at a Chinese village named
Mokho. The whole party, with M. Isvolsky at its
head, went ashore to pay a visit to the noyoii, or
commander of the garrison, who received us most
civilly. He showed us round his residence, where
the ladies were struck most by an array of imple-
ments of torture for thieves and criminals ; the latter
were beheaded in a small yard at the back of the
house. Before leaving him. His P^xcellency gave us

THE BANKS OF THE AMUR

47

tea in his private dining-room, and quantities of stale
sweetmeats were passed round, needless to say, with
little success. Madame Isvolsky and my wife were
particularly anxious to see a Chinese lady, and asked

BANKS OF THE AMUR RIVER.

the noyon, through his interpreter, whether they could
be introduced to his consort, upon which the Chinaman
appeared much surprised, and the answer was that
there were no representatives of the weaker sex in the
village. Later, however, during our promenade, we
caught sight of two female figures, and to our question

48 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

on the subject of his false statement, the interpreter
replied, in a sneering tone, that all the ladies of
Mokho were of a very low morality ! We bade
farewell to our temporary host and took a walk round
the vilkiL'-e, which consisted of one street runnino-

A STERN-WHKELER ON THE AMUR.

parallel to the river, filled up on each side with small
dirty shops and a crowded population of miserable-
looking Manchurian fishermen ^uid petty tradesmen.
I learnt that the district was a gold-mining one, and
that adventurers from all parts of the Chinese Empire
had sought fortune in the locality. They had formed

SCENERY ON THE AMUR 49

the so-called "Jeltuga republic," a few miles inland,
and such was the disorder and lawlessness in their
midst that the Celestial Government was obliged to
send troops in 1886 to scatter the miscreants. Food
on board was anything but good ; supplies were
scarce, and butter unknown. Our main support was
soup, together with a few fragments of former pros-
perity, such as Littledale's cakes, bits of which were
daily distributed with much parsimony "to make them
last." Fortunately at one of the villages the cook
managed to get hold of a freshly caught twenty-pound
sturgeon, which was highly appreciated by the fam-
ished party. We now advanced steadily, covering
about 250 versts a day (160 miles).

June the 8th was a lovely warm day on the Amur.
The scenery had by now entirely changed ; the hills
had almost disappeared, giving place to low rolling
plains on either side, covered with high grass and
groves of poplar, ash, and young oak trees. At one of
the stanitzas we picked up a sailor who had caught his
foot in the engine of a steamer, and took him to the
hospital at Blagovestchensk, where we were due on
the following morning. In the afternoon we passed
the so-called " Hurning Cliff." It is supposed that
the smoke which rises perpetually out of the ground
is due to the slow combustion of coal. Towards

E

50

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

evening" we landed at a spot where the river winds
round in a well-nigh complete circle of over twenty
miles, thus forming a narrow-necked peninsula, over
which we walked. It was a beautiful clear night, and
we lit bonfires in expectation of our steamer, which

"'*-.

THE "burning cliff" ON THE AMUR RIVER.

joined us an hour later close to Korsakoff post. The
Si(u(ian\ with our companions on board, having not
yet turned up, we decided to continue our journey
to Blagovestchensk and await them there. As we
mounted deck on the following morning (June 9),
we found that the river had considerably widened ;

BLAGOVESTCHENSK 51

its banks were now quite low, and covered with dense
scrub. At 2.30 p.m. we were in sight of the town,
and a few minutes later alongside the pier, having
taken seven days from Stretensk for a distance of
800 miles.

Blagovestchensk is a comparatively large town
lying on the junction of the Zeya with the Amur.
Owing to its position, and chiefly to the discovery of
rich gold mines in the district, the small Cossack
post of Oust-Zeysk, founded in 1854, developed with
wonderful rapidity, and soon rose to the position of a
flourishing centre. In 1858, after the Treaty of Aigun
with China, it already ranked as a town. Gold at-
tracted people in great numbers, and large fortunes
were made in no time. Buildings were erected, traffic
spread quickly, facilitated by the two navigable rivers,
a parallel case with certain Californian towns, which
sprang up like mushrooms in days of old on account
of the precious metal in their neighbourhood. At the
time of our visit business had somewhat slackened,
though the town had retained its main feature of
luxury. Champagne was to be obtained, but no
beer — local industry had not yet developed, but all
European articles were to be found at the two great
rival and opposite stores of Kunst and Albers, and
Tchurine and Co.

52

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

THE TRIUMPHAL ARCH AT P. LAGOVES TCHENSK.

On the further side of the Amur, which is a mile
and a half broad, some distance inland stands the
Chinese town of Aigun, with a population of over 1 5,000
inhabitants. It was quite a flourishing- place, and little
we thought that we should find it on our return journey
a few months later a heap of smouldering ashes, with
Russian sentinels oiiardino- the ruins. The Chinese

A CHINESE TOWN 53

War had passed over it like an avenging scourge.
On the landing-place stood all the town officials in
shining uniforms assembled to greet M. Isvolsky. I
ran to the telegraph office and found a message from
Mr. Schwabe informing me that he had secured five
berths for us on the steamer starting for Kamchatka
on the 14th. There was no time to be lost, but the
Siingari was not yet in sight, and only five days re-
mained to reach Khabarovsk (over 500 miles) and get
over the Ussuri Railway (another 450 miles) to Vladi-
vostok. In this emergency M. Isvolsky once more
came to our relief. He proposed that the Kam-
chatkan party should embark with all its belongings
on the Snugari, and start immediately. It was to be
a race for life or death. In the meanwhile, having
bought the stores we needed for this headlono- race, I
went in search of the hunter, Lalitin, to obtain con-
firmation of the consul's statement concerning sport in
the Amur district. Instead of the mighty hunter of
the Khingan, I found his son, who had arrived a
couple of days previously, sent by his mother to meet
us. He gave me the sorrowful news of the death of
his father, who had been murdered the previous year
by the Chinese '' Khunkhuz," or wandering brigands,
whom he had pursued in the woods for having stolen
his rifle. The son seemed to know but little of sport.

54 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

and advised us to apply on our way to an old hunter
at Radde, a Russian settlement on the river. I wired
to him forthwith. To my inquiry as to stags in the
Khingan mountains, Lalitin, junior, informed me that
they were plentiful both on Russian and Chinese terri-
tory ; that tigers were not uncommon, and could be
tracked over fresh snow, and that there existed smaller
deer which were to be found on the steeper crags.
This I took to be a species of goral. He added that
stags were larger than cows, and carried "trees" on
their heads, and gave me a decidedly favourable and
graphic description of the size of their antlers. W^ith
regard to wild sheep he knew nothing.

The hotel where we had ordered dinner was kept
by a Frenchman. The rooms were clean and airy,
presenting a strong contrast with that of Irkutsk. The
bill of fare was most attractive, and equal to our ex-
pectations. During the repast a telephone message
came informing us that the SuiiQari had arrived, and
our companions presently joined us. One of them had
shot a roedeer from board ship while the animal was
crossing the river, and they had managed to secure
it — a welcome addition to the larder. Littledale and
I hurried to settle our departure with the captain, a
Swede by birth, who agreed to take us on to Khaba-
rovsk for the sum of 500 roubles (^^50), and promised

THE KHINGAN REGION 55

to land us at that place in two clays and a half. Our
impedimenta were forthwith transported to the deck
of the SujiQan\ fuel was collected, and after havincr
bade farewell to the Isvolskys, who were starting a
few hours later, we left Blagovestchensk at three a.m.
on the loth of June. That day was the hottest we
had yet experienced. Our launch steamed at full speed
in mid-stream, averaging fourteen miles an hour with
the priceless help of the current. At first the banks
of the Amur were low ; poplar, ash, and willow grow-
ing profusely on both sides. As we advanced, the river
orrew narrower, till we neared the Khinoan reo'ion,
where, for a hundred miles, it flows through compara-
tivelv narrow o-oro-es, and the countrv becomes wilder,
mountainous, and highly picturesque. Precipitous
cliffs overhang the water ; the woods alter in charac-
ter, giving place to fir, oak, and occasional cedars.
We stopped at a village called Poyarkovo in order
to get supplies, but there was nothing to be obtained
for love or monev, save a few cq-os and some milk.
The houses were clean and tidy, and the inhabitants,
Cossacks, appeared to be well off In the evening we
witnessed a thunderstorm such as I have rarely seen.
Flashes of lightning swept the skies unceasingly for
over two hours, whilst a most beautiful purple sunset
lit up the horizon to the east. A deluge of rain poured

56

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

on the Sjiiioan', and the water running through the
ceihno- inundated our cabins. Durino- the nio-ht a
dense fog set in, delaying our arrival at Radde, which
we reached at six a.m., three hours overdue.

There we were met by two Cossack hunters, whose
accounts of sport in our district roused our spirits.
According to them, " izubra" stags were more plentiful
in the Chinese Khingan, a couple of days' march in
the interior of the country, the best time of year being
the end of August and September. Ponies could be
got at Radde, as well as men for the caravan. One
of the hunters, who went by the name of Kobosoff,
had killed two tigers the previous winter. They said
that there were plenty of bears, roedeer, and pig, as
well as that mysterious animal, inhabiting the rocks, of

J^' --_

TANOKAMIC VIKW OK KHAKAKC

NATIVE HUNTERS' REPORT

57

the size of a big sheep, which they called iinan. We
thought, according to their description, that it must be
a kind of serow, as its horns, they said, were not very
long. Musk-deer are also common. We promised
on parting to return in August, and employ them tor
the expedition ; unfortunately the Boxer War, which
broke out soon afterwards, altered our plans, the coun-
try being scoured by stray bands of Chinese brigands,
whose presence involved danger even to the most
peaceful of foreigners. On the following day, June
12, at two p.m., we were in sight of Khabarovsk,
the chief town of the Amur district. The river is
over three-quarters of a mile broad at its junction
with the Ussuri. The town is situated on a hill over-
looking the river, and the statue of Count Mouravieff,

THE AMUR KIVEK

58

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

the first Governor-General, stands on the highest point,
commanding a view of the country for miles around.
The weather was fine, but great was our anxiety as
we parted from our obliging captain in search of the

A SUMMER RESIDENCE (BANKS OF THE AMUR)

railway station. In the event of our missing the
ordinary train, I had telegraphed from Blagovestchensk
for a special, but on my inquiry at the station, close to
the pier, the answer was that no orders whatever had
been given. I learnt, however, that there was a large
railwav station the other side of the town, about three

ARRIVAL AT KHABAROVSK

59

miles off, a line connecting the two. My wife, Little-
dale, and I started anxiously in search of a cab, which
we happened to find, and drove to the main station
through clouds of dust. The station-master informed

A WINTER DWELLING (BANKS OF THE AMUR).

US that he had no instructions with regard to us ; that a
special train could not be ready for us before midnight,
that it would consist of a couple of luggage vans only,
travelling at a rate of twenty-five versts an hour
(slower than the usual train), and finally that the price
would be two roubles per verst. the whole distance

6o

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

being over 700 versts ! This bit of news was not
encouraging. Moreover, he said, the ordinary train
was to start on the following morning (June 13) at

m

^M: ^"aIU II'"

.MONUMENT TO COUNT MUKAXTKl'F AT KII AIJAKOVSK.

eicrht a.m., and was due at Vladivostok on the 14th at
two p.m., but it was frequently several hours late.
We naturally declined his proposal concerning the

START FOR VLADIVOSTOK

6i

special, and decided to run the risk of the daily train,
which was to bring us to our destination three hours
before our boat was to start for Kamchatka. We

A COREAX ON THE USSURI RAILWAY.

were running it uncommonly close, and were already
discussing what we should do in the event of our
missing it. The rest of the day was spent visiting
the town, situated on rolling ground, which implied
constant up and down hill work for the wretched

62 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

horse. The streets are broad, and the houses mostly
low and wooden. A few brick buildings stood at the
top of the hill, viz. the Government House and the
Natural History Museum, which we visited. We were
struck by the number of Chinamen and Coreans, out-
numbering the Russian population, which consists
chiefly of former convicts. Our cabman, a Caucasian
by birth, did not seem in the least embarrassed in
giving us an account of his experiences on the Island
of Sakhalin, where he had stayed over three years.
He had been condemned to ten years' hard labour for
having, in a drunken state, stabbed two of his country-
men, and his sentence had been mitigated owing to
his oood conduct. He still had four more vears to
serve at Khabarovsk, where he settled down as a cab-
driver, before being allowed to return to his home in
the Caucasus, where his wife and child awaited him.

We slept that night on board the launch, and started
next morning at eight a.m. by the passenger train.
The line runs parallel to the Ussuri River, in a south-
easterly direction. Strange types of natives crowded
the stations. The country was low and undulated on
either side, exceedincrlv wooded, and covered with
dense underwood veoetation. Timers are said to
swarm in the Ussuri district, and, as I was told, had
oiven oreat trouble durino- the construction of the

THE USSURI RAILWAY

63

line, carrying off cattle and frequently children. The
temperature was quite warm, A restaurant-car was
attached to the train. Tallent was busy with his
camera, taking" numerous snapshots at the natives

^

«

COKEAN TYPES, USSUKI RAILWAY.

during the halts. Next morning we found, to our
great joy, that our train was not late ; at noon we
reached an arm of the sea, and at two p.m. Madi-
vostok, after twenty-seven days' journey from St.
Petersburg.

CHAPTER III.

Arrival at Madivostok — Government House — Sable skins — Engage a
Chinese cook — On board the Baikal — The island of Askold — Yesso
and the Straits of Tsugar — Hakodadi Harbour — Our fellow-travellers
— The Tchukchi tribe — Strange marriage customs — Vendetta — Rein-
deer— Report of wild sheep in Northern! Siberia — Esquimaux dogs
and their drivers— Report of wild sheep on the Canal Range — Whales
seen oft' the Kuriles — Russian whaling in the Sea of Okhotsk —
Rarity of the sperm whale — A North Pacific fog — Capture of a
tufted auk — Oft' Cape Lopatka — Southern Kamchatka — The entrance
to Avatcha Bay — Koriatska volcano — Arrival in Petropavlovsk Har-
bour— The Ispravnik, chief of the district— Government House —
Taxes — The price of furs.

OUR first inquiry at the station, on our arrival at
Vladivostok, was naturally about the Kamchatka
steamer. We learnt that the ship was to start on the
same clay at five p.m., giving us three hours to make
the necessary preparations and purchase stores. Leav-
ino" Cristo and Tallent to look after our baoroaae and
have it carted on board, we drove to Kunst and Albers'
shop in order to get supplies. There again we found
the same rival firms, as at Blagovestchensk. Havino-
bought potatoes, tlour, cooking titensils, and other
odds and ends, we paid a visit to the Governor's wife,

64

AT VLADIVOSTOK

65

Madame Tchichagoff, who received us very kindly ;
her husband was away inspecting his district. A
substantial tea was served, and upon our objection
that we had but a few minutes to spare, she retorted

.^^4^;Vl^^^

OrR HAGCAC.E AND I'ORTERS AT VLADIVOSTOK.

^

that the steamer would wait. X^ladivostok is a
picturesque town with a first-rate natural harbour,
enclosed by two peninsulas, sheltering the inner
waters, and forming a doorway which leads to the
oj)en sea. Several islands lay outside the harbour,
which is sufficiently deep for the largest ocean

66

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

steamers. Unfortunately, thouoh Vladivostok lies in
the same latitude as Venice, the port, owing to the
severe climate, is frozen from the middle of December
to the end of March, and all traffic is suspended for

OUR PORTERS AT VLADIVOSTOK.

over three months of the year. The streets are
uneven, and, if anything", more dusty than at Khaba-
rovsk. The population consists chiefly of the Russian
garrison, and of over 14,000 Chinese and Corean
tradesmen and coolies. Leaving my wife at the

SABLE SKINS

67

Government House, I hurried with Littledale to
Messrs. Crompton and Schwabe's office. INIr. Schwabe,
to whom we were so much indebted for all the infor-
mation concerning our steamer, was away in the

VLADIVOSTOK HARKOUR.

northern seas on a fur errand. His clerk showed us
several hundreds of sable skins, which had recently,
been brought in for sale by a wealthy Yakout mer-
chant. They are usually sold in lots of ten where
two or three lower-class skins are invariably mixed
up with the better ones, and a general price is agreed

68 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

for. Here we picked up the faithful "Gabriel," who,
since our Mongolian trip, had been in Mr. Schwabe's
service, and who was now to accompany Littledale
to Kamchatka. We managed to secure, in a few
minutes' time, the services of a Chinese cook, whom
we immediately despatched on board. At the military
staff office we made a fruitless attempt to get a map
of Kamchatka, and at 4.45 p.m. embarked on the
s.s. Jni'i'ka/, a screw steamer of 1,100 tons, belongino-
to the Russo-Chinese Railway Company. The har-
bour was crowded with steamers and fishing smacks of
every description. There lay, awaiting Mr. Isvolsky,
the Russian Pacific Squadron first-class cruiser Rnrik,
which was to convey the minister to Japan. My wife,
accompanied by Madame Tchichagoff, was already on
the pier, and our luggage safely on board. At 5.30
p.m. we bade farewell to our still bewildered hostess,
who could not comprehend our sporting aspirations, and
weighed anchor for the distant northern peninsula. Our
captain, a sturdy mariner, courteously gave up to us
his own cabin, which was larger and more comfortable
than the others, and promised us that, if togs did not
delay the shi[), she would carry us in eight days to
Petropavlovsk, her average speed being ten knots an
hour. He intended to avoid crossing the Sea of
( )kh()tsk, where dense foos constantlv prevail at that

ASKOLD ISLAND 69

time of year, and to steer for the Straits of Tsugar,
between the islands of Yesso and Nipon ; thence
to proceed some hundred miles east of the Kuriles,
takinor advantao-e of the " Kurosivo," a warm current
runninof northwards as far as Kamchatka. This
course, he said, was somewhat longer than the one
through La Perouse Straits, but infinitely prefer-
able in ev-ery way. According to his reckoning, w^e
were due at Avatcha Bay on the 22nd of June, the
distance being 1,500 miles over the route he had
chosen. The view of Vladivostok town and harbour
was of unsurpassed magnificence as we steamed out
among the islands at its entrance. The rays of the
setting sun outlined the hills which shelter the town,
lying in a semicircle at their foot, and the picture
gradually faded away in a dark blue haze. The sea
was perfectly smooth till we passed, at ten p.m., off
the island of Askold. I learnt that this island
swarmed with " izubra " stags, and a species of Sika
{CervHS sika nianchuricus), and that Vladivostok sports-
men, who had formed a shooting club, drive parts of
the woods, killing a great number of animals every
year. During the night the breeze gradually fresh-
ened, and in the morning our ship was rolling heavily
over high seas. A strong north-westerly wind blew
the whole day, gradually increasing to a regular gale.

70 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

The BaikaL heavily laden as she was with Government
stores, such as flour and sugar, for the inhabitants of
Kamchatka, was fairly steady, but speed had to be
slackened to four knots in order to prevent the huge
waves from submerging her entirely, and last, not
least, she was obliged to alter her course to windward.
We \vere mercilessly tossed about the whole day
as well as the following night, sleep being out of
question on account of the rattling of the screw, con-
stantly out of water.

On the morning of June i6 we were still toiling
across the Sea of Japan, having gone but 150 miles in
thirty-six hours. Our cabin was under two inches of
water, which had leaked from below or dashed throuoh
the portholes occasionally opened for fresh air. Dress-
ing and wading across the cabin floor was no pleasant
occupation. My wife preferred to remain in bed, while
I partook of the scanty breakfast, served by dirty
Chinese boys, in the company of two or three passen-
gers who stoically faced the storm. On the following
day the wind gradually fell, and although the sea was
still " rocky," we were able to resume our course ;
towards evenino-, as we caus^ht sioht of the first islands
of Yesso, we entered perfectly smooth water. It was
a beautiful evening and a strange contrast with the
previous clays, as we neared the mountainous coasts of

THE STRAITS OF TSUGAR

71

Yesso and approached the Straits of Tsugar. The
sea of a deep dark blue rippled quietly around the
ship, and several islands on either side rose out of it
and stood against the sky like huge sugar-loaves. /\t
six p.m. we entered the straits, and could distinctly
make out with our glasses the large fishing village of

PASSING JAPAN.

Matzmai, picturesquely situated at the foot of the hills.
Several Japanese steamers and junks were sighted in
the distance, and we were presently overtaken by the
Rurik conveying M. Isvolsky to Yokohama. She
had started from Madivostok twenty hours after we
left, and overtook us in no time. W^e all stood on
deck, watching her pitch in the heavy ocean swell that

72 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

rose at the further side of the straits, Hke a well-bred
horse covered with foam. Hearty salutes were ex-
chang-ed, and the snow-white apparition was soon but
a spot on the horizon. Tide :'iysi/s current had pro-
duced a strong swell of unbreaking" waves, making us
feel quite uncomfortable again. Hut the captain said
that the glass was high, and promised a smooth jour-
ney for the morrow. In the meanwhile we passed off
Hakodadi Harbour, the town being hidden from view.
It is the capital of Yesso and an important Japanese
commercial centre. We were told that Japanese
steamers run twice every summer from this place to
Petropavlovsk. As we were greatly embarrassed on
the subject of our return journey from Kamchatka, the
/^'c^/'/'c?'/ having to call on her way back at several ports
of the Sea of Okhotsk, such as Gigiga, Ola, Ayan, and
others, and employing a whole month for the cruise, we
thought it possible to avail ourselves of one of these
two Japanese ships to convey us back to civilisation.
As it happened we never saw either of them. Having on
our left the Hakodadi lighthouse, we entered the open
Pacific towards evening, and steering round the south-
eastern promontory of Yesso, took a northerly direction.
That night at supper, for the tu'st time, all the pas-
seno'ers Lrathercd round the table, and the fiddles had
disappeared. Wc naturally made closer acquaintance

OUR FELLOW-TRAVELLERS 73

with our fellow-travellers. These consisted of a Rus-
sian dealer, who was returning to his home in the
interior of Kamchatka, a village called Milkovo ;
a former schoolmaster, now on a gold-prospecting
errand ; and a member of the Russian Geographical
Society with his wife, going to Anadyr on a joint
Russo-American mission with the object of studying
the customs and lanQ:uao-e of the Tchukchis and other
Esquimaux tribes inhabiting the furthermost north,
where he intended to remain a couple of years. The
last-named proved to be a most interesting and in-
structive companion. Doctor Bogoraz was a specialist
on polar ethnography. During our long leisure hours
on board and at dinner he used to relate to us, with
the striking vividness of an eye-witness, his wonderful
experiences of life in the Far North, and the customs
and ways of Arctic tribes. The most attractive one,
he said, was undoubtedly the Tchukchi tribe, which he
considered to belong to the Indian race of the Ameri-
can continent. He had formed this opinion from the
fact that their language, stature, and other features
strongly resembled those of their kinsmen on the
opposite side of the Behring Straits. A friend of his
was sent at the same time by the Russo-American
joint commission to Point Barrow, with the same
scientific object.

74 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

The customs of the Tchukchis surpass human con-
ception and rank them among the very lowest types
of civiHsation, not excluding- even cannibals. They
inhabit the barren northernmost wastes of Asia in
whicker huts covered with reindeer hide, and dress
in sealskins. Herds of tame reindeer are their only
property, and their chief occupation is hunting and
fishing". They are a sturdy race."^ Generally tall and
well bred, they lead a nomad life, wandering every
year over great tracts of country principally along
the coast of the North Pacific and Arctic Oceans.
Their food consists entirely of fish and reindeer ; of
the latter they eat up everything save the skin and
bones. Doctor Bogoraz told us that some of their
customs were beyond human comprehension. They
are pagans, and it happens frequently that, under the
supernatural influence of one of their s/iajuaiis, or
priests, a Tchukchi lad of sixteen years will suddenly
relinquish his sex and imagine himself to be a woman.
He adopts a woman's attire, lets his hair grow, and
devotes himself altogether to female occupation.
Furthermore, this disowner of his sex takes a hus-
band into the yitrf and does all the work which is

* A proof of their stubbornness and courage was their long resistance
to Russian occupation. It was the Tciuikchi tribe that gave the invading
Cossacks most trouble.

THE TCHUKCHI TRIBE 75

usually incumbent on the wife in most unnatural and
voluntary subjection. Thus it frequently happens in
2i yurt that the husband is a woman, while the wife is
-a man ! These abnormal changes of sex imply the
most abject immorality in the community, and appear
to be strongly encouraged by the shauiaus, who inter-
pret such cases as an injunction of their individual deity.
Our companion had stayed several days in a yurt
where the he-wife was a tall, good-looking young man
with thick moustaches, while the she-husband was a
small, middle-aged woman. The former, with long-
hair, wore a woman's dress, and sat bashfully in a
-corner of the tent stitching a couple of reindeer skins !
Another time he had witnessed the followino- combina-
tion. A widow with two children joined the stronger
sex and married a young Tchukchi girl ; further pos-
terity being impossible, a so-called "spare husband," a
man this time, was introduced into the yiirt. The
■children which were born were considered as her own,
and the family, consisting of a female husband, two
children from her deceased husband, her wife and
•children from the "spare husband," lived together in
perfect harmony ! Professor Bogoraz added that this
change of sex usually implied future priestship, and
that almost all the s/ianiaiis were former delinquents
of their sex, and greatly feared by their tribesmen.

76 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

He had spent three years in the Kolymsk district of
Northern Siberia, and while living in the settlement
of Nijni-Kolynisk had been in a position to notice
the disastrous intiuence of native Tchukchis on the
Russian population. The same lack of morals, with
the exception of pagan superstition, reigned in the
town. Community of wives, drunkenness, and general
lawlessness had grown to such an extent in this place,
cut off from communication with the rest of the world,
that the greatest anomalies had become quite natural
in the eyes of those unfortunate outlaws, and no
attempt was made to conceal indiscriminate passion.
Illegal intercourse between Russians and natives was
no less frequent ; a current proverb confirming these
views, "A woman is no pear; she cannot be swal-
lowed by a single person."

It must be remembered that Nijni-Kolymsk lies
at the mouth of the Kolyma river, some 2,000 miles
north-east of Yakutsk, that steamers do not call
there every year, and that life in such conditions may
drive anvone mad. The town itself consists of a
hundred or more low wooden huts with two or three
Government buildings, a church, and a hospital. In
the centre of the settlement, said our companion,
there was a dense wood, through which it was un-
commonly difficult to find one's way, and the houses

VENDETTA 77

lay scattered about In every direction. During his
stay a doctor had been despatched by the Govern-
ment to investigate scurvy, the principal local disease,
and this oentleman had given some offence to his
colleague ; whereupon the latter, with the aid of two
or three friends, proceeded to confine the wretched
new-comer in his room, by icing up the door and
windows, and leaving him to his unhappy fate. He
was almost starved to death. Vendetta is a comnion
feature to all Tchukchis, and an insult is never for-
given. Doctor Bogoraz had personally seen the spot
where the wife and daughter of an offender had been
carried off by the relatives of the offended party some
thirtv miles awav in the woods, and left there. The
niother was found dead with a piece of her daughter's
flesh in her clenched hand. The more aged Tchukchis,
who are unable to work — useless mouths — are usually
done away with — throttled by their children or rela-
tions with thongs of reindeer hide. Thus reindeer
clothe them, shelter them, nourish them, and finally
kill them ! When bargaining, they count with their
fingers, and if the number wanted passes the limit of
ten, they catch hold of someone else's hand, and so
on. Tchukchis milk the reindeer hinds bv suckino' the
udder and spitting out its contents into reindeer blad-
ders. The milk thus obtained is exceedingly thick,

78 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

much thicker than cow's milk, and rich in cream, but
the quantity is small, an average hind yielding not
more than a couple of glassfuls a day. They spend
four months of the year in darkness, and sparingly
light their lamps, which consist of a small bowl filled
with seal oil and a taper. One of their favourite
dainties is a lump of reindeer fat dipped in the oil as
a sauce.

Having mentioned to Doctor Bogoraz that we were
on a sporting trip after Kamchatka bighorn, he in-
formed us that he had come across wild sheep in the
Verkho-Yansk range of Northern Siberia. These
hills were situated about 600 versts (400 miles) north-
east of Yakutsk. Their coat, he said, was light, and
their horns comparatively small. He had also found
a species of Oi'is differing from the former, as he
thought, inhabiting mountains running along the
Arctic Ocean east of Kolymsk ; these in every way
resembled the Kamchatkan kind. I had every reason
to believe his assertions, and am inclined to think
that the Verkho-Yansk sheep may be an undescribed
species.

On the subject of sledge-dogs our friend's narra-
tives were highly interesting. Reindeer and dogs
with the Esquimaux take the place of horses. It
requires the utmost skill and great experience to

SLEDGE-DOGS 79

keep the dogs under control. They are driven in
teams of twelve or more, being- attached to the sledge
one in front of the other, and sometimes in pairs.
The driver has no reins to guide them ; this he does
by means of his voice, to whose different intonations
the leading dog, generally the cleverest of the team,
is perfectly accustomed, and hardly ever mistakes
right or left. Sledge-dogs never go at a walking pace ;
the difficulty consists in starting them all at the same
moment. As soon as they are on the move, they
follow each other at a sharp trot, and can go for many
miles without stopping, rendering this means of loco-
motion a very fast one. The driver invariably carries
an ostog; or iron-shod stick, which he uses for halting,
fixinof it firmlv into the ground. If one of the doo-s
becomes troublesome in any way, the oshig is hurled
at him, the sharj) point of the stick never missing its
aim, and is picked up again at full speed. Sledge-dogs
are fed entirely on fish, but they prefer reindeer meat.
If by chance a native happens to be driving reindeer
in front, and the dogs get their wind, they will start
off at a frantic gallop, and catching up the reindeer,
will tear them to pieces like a famished pack of
wolves. It is then almost impossible to stop them.
At other times, when passing a yu)i where a reindeer
has just been gralloched, they will dash aside and in

8o A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

no time devour the offal, only resuming their journey
when the last morsel has been licked up. In such
cases the driver is helpless. It frequently occurs that
two teams meet, and if one of them is not turned well
aside beforehand, the dogs will rush at each other in
wild confusion, and a general luclt^c takes place ; they
all get entangled in the harness, one on the top of the
other, the drivers' efforts to separate them being of no
avail, and the scrimmage generally ends in bloodshed.
A good team of dogs is worth over 200 roubles
{^20), and, if well managed, can easily do 100 versts
(70 miles) in twenty-four hours.

Our other companion, a Yakout tradesman, who
had settled down in Kamchatka, on being questioned
as to the interior of the country, informed us that
we should be able to find six or eight ponies at
Petropavlovsk, and that there was but one possible
route, leading to the valley of the Kamchatka River,
and following the whole length of the peninsula in
a northerly direction down to Nijni-Kamchatsk. He
said there were several small settlements by the
rivers, inhabited by Kamchadale fishermen, and that
the largest village was Milkovo, where he had taken
up his abode. He invited us to stay at his house,
saying that he had heard of the existence of wild
sheep on the higher range of Ganal as well as further

WHALES SEEN 8i

north round Tolbachinsky volcano ( 1 1 ,000 feet). His
indications, however, were too vague to be of service
to us. He spoke of the wild rejoicings of the Petro-
pavlovsk population when the steamer is sighted by
them in Avatcha Bay. The whining of the dogs along
the beach, and the shouts and cheers of the boys, coulci
be heard on board ship at a distance of several miles.
This excitement is to be accounted for by the scarcity
of steamers and the expected arrival of Government
supplies for the whole year. As it was, we learnt later
that the wretched inhabitants had run out of last year's
provisions, having been reduced to tea without sugar,
and that fish had replaced bread.

On the i8th of June we were steadily advancing over
a smooth sea, some sixty miles east of the first Kuriles.
Although we were supposed to be in the warm Kuro-
sivo current, the temperature was cold, and there was
no land in sight. On the rippling surface of the ocean
great numbers of whales spouted around us. One of
the mates related his six years' experiences on a whaler
in the Sea of Okhotsk, For years these seas had been
scoured by American whalers, and entirely monopo-
lised by them, when an enterprising Russian naval
officer. Count Kaiserling, succeeded in obtaining this
important monopoly from his Government, together
with a concurrent prohibition for foreigners. He had

82

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

fitted out several ships, one of which had been en-
trusted to the first mate of the Baikal. But such were
the hardships and dangers encountered from frequent
storms during- the winter months, that my informant
had given up the tasls: for a more comfortable berth.

A WHALER.

Nevertheless, he said, whaling was a fine sport, and
many a whale had been harpooned by him and towed
alongside his ship. The harpoon which he used was
fired from a gun, with a dynamite shell attached to it,
which exploded in the whale's body. Sperm whales
were very uncommon, most of those met with being
of a smaller kind.

A NORTH PACIFIC FOG 83

The following day we entered a dense fog, and
although a fresh southerly breeze blew steadily, it
hardly ever lifted for three days till we were within
a few miles of Avatcha Bay. Now and then it would
creep away stealthily, allowing us a few hundred
yards' view ; at other times it would hang around the
ship and prevent us from recognising each other on
board. Our captain told us that these fogs are charac-
teristic of the Northern Pacific and Okhotsk seas, and
sometimes last a fortnio^ht or more durino- the summer
months. Besides endangering navigation, it renders
the journey monotonous and uninteresting. No obser-
vations could be taken, and the sextant remained idle
in its case. The loQf and direction were the onlv
means of fixing our position, and that only approxi-
mately, the speed of the current being undetermined.
The dull sound of the foghorn occasionally broke the
silence of those lonely seas. According to the log we
were advancing at the rate of thirty-eight knots every
four hours. In this murky atmosphere we spent three
long days.

On the 2 I St a tufted auk {Siinor/iyiii/ius crisfafc//HS,
Pallas) was caught on board, indicating the proximity
of land. Our captain said that we had passed the last
of the Kuriles, and that the ship was presumably off
Cape Lopatka, the southernmost point of Kamchatka.

84 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

My friend the first mate told me that last year two
fishermen had been landed on one of the Kuriles by
an American schooner to catch the sea-otters, but that
the ship had ne\'er returned to call for them. They
had to remain all the winter on that uninhabited island,
and could only get food provided they were up in the
morning before the crows ! They built a small boat,
and making their way from one island to another,
eventually managed to reach Kamchatka after a
year's absence.

On the following morning, June 22, we found that
the fog was as dense as ever. Numbers of sea birds
hovered above the steamer — an evident sign that land
was not far off. The foghorn was at work every three
minutes, and our skipper said that if the mist did not
lift we should be obliged to keep away from the land
and not attempt to get into Avatcha Bay, in conse-
quence of the numerous reefs at the entrance. Accord-
ing to his calculations, we should be off the lighthouse
at five p.m. He ordered soundings to be taken, which
gave a depth of eighty fathoms. Fortunately, soon
after five the mist broke up in places, and land was
sighted about ten miles to the west. As Dr. Guille-
mard expresses it: "We emerged from the fog much
as a train runs out of a tunnel, and found that Kam-
chatka was in view.'' The mist, however, still hung

AVATCHA BAY 85

over us, preventing us from seeing the higher ground.
We could only perceive the narrow horizontal stretch
of our promised land extending between the grey line
of fog and the sea. Presently, as we advanced with
the utmost caution, the captain recognised the entrance
of the bay.

ROCKS AT THE ENTRANCE OF AVATCHA KAV.

We could now admire the entire coast-line, with
its deep parallel valleys, intercepted by perpendicular
cliffs and craggy promontories, running down into
the sea. The bottom of the gullies was still filled
with snow, whilst patches of grass on the slopes
afforded fine pasture grounds. An hour later we

86 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

steamed slowly into the inner waters. Huge rocks,
swarming with gulls, puffins, cormorants, and ducks of
every kind nesting on their ledges or in their cavities,
stood out on either side of the entrance of the bay.
A deafening noise produced by those millions of birds,
jabbering in their unknown dialect, greeted our arrival.
With regard to the scenery we had before us, I can
do no better than borrow Dr. Guillemard's masterly
description : " After having passed the precipitous
cliffs of the coast, at the foot of which none but a
bird could land, its deep valleys running down to the
sea, at whose mouths still lay the accumulated masses
of last winter's snows ; pinnacle rocks like rows of iron
teeth shown to warn oft auNone r.ish enough to con-
template a landing ; and the coimtry beyond, rising in
abrupt humj)s and irregular masses, clothed with a
uniform growth of low but dense underwood, above
which the distant cones of snow stood out clear and
hard against the sky."

We shaped our course over smooth sea through
the narrow entrance of Avatcha Bay. " The latter
is one of the finest harbours in the world," says Dr.
Ciuillemard, * "if not actually the finest." Rio and
Sydney harbours have no mean claims for this
position of honour, but those of us who had seen

* Cruise of the '■' M'arckesa,'' vol. i. yi\). 68, 69.

A FINE HARBOUR 87

both were unanimous in awarding' the palm to their
Kamchatkan rival. A nearly circular basin of some
nine miles in diameter, and with a narrow entrance
opening- to the S.S.E., it is roomy enough to ac-
commodate the navies of the world. It is entirely

J^SBSB^^^S^Sa

THE ENTRANCE TO AVATCHA BAY.

free from dangers, has an even depth of ten or twel\-e
fathoms, and owino- to its affording^ excellent holding
ground, and being well protected from all winds, it is
perfectly safe in all weathers. But the ordinary
traveller will be struck, not so much with its nautical
excellences as with the superb scenery with which it
is surrounded. To the south rises the \'ilutchinsky

88 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

volcano, now quiescent, a graceful cone of about 7,000
feet ; and a little farther eastwards a huge ilat-topped
mass, exceeding it in height by a thousand feet or
more, obtrudes itself as a rare exception to the rule
ot cone-shaped mountains which seems to obtain
throuohout the country. It is nameless in the charts,
for we are in the land of volcanoes, and it is only
8,000 feet in height. On either hand, on entering,
are the two secondary harbours, Rakova and Tarein-
ska — the latter nearly five miles in length — and within
them again are others on a still smaller scale.

Nature here has treated the mariner right royally.
The ironbound coast without may be as bad a lee
shore as any skipper wishes to see, and the Pacific
Ocean may too often belie its name, but here one can
rest quietly, and sleep sn7' Ics deux oreillcs until eaich
time the anchor is weighed for the homeward vovao-e.
P)Ut if the southern part of tlie bay is fine, it is difficult
to tmd words to describe the beauty of its upper por-
tion. We look north, and the scenery on which we
have just turned our backs is forgotten, for there,
shoulder to shoulder, their vast fields of snow glitter-
ing in the sun, stand a trio of volcanoes such as one
rarely sees. From the summit ot Avatchinska, the
central jK-ak, a delicate streamer of white \apour
iloats out horizontally, sharpl\- defined against the

KORIATSKA VOLCANO 89

blue of the clear northern sky. So closely do these
mountains seem to hedge in the bay that it is hard to
realise the fact that they are twenty miles distant.
But in Kamchatka the scenery is on a large scale,
and a reference to the chart explains the matter in
five figures — the height of Koriatska is i 1,554 feet.

It was close on seven p.m. when Petropavlovsk
Harbour came in sight, hidden, as it was, from view
by low, undulating hills on all sides but one, a long-
wooded promontory called the " Signalny INIyss," or
Signal Cape, sheltering it from the west. At the same
time we discovered the villaoe huts scattered along
the beach, and an unusual concert of howling dogs,
together with the joyful shrieks of the inhabitants,
reached our ears. There was no slight reason for
these rejoicings, for the Baikal represented the much
longed-for commissariat, and the first of the two
annual steamers, due at Petropavlovsk on the ist of
May, had not made its appearance that year, depriving
the starved population of its necessary supplies, which
were almost two months overdue. A few minutes
later we were anchored off the settlement. The har-
bour is quite a tiny one, divided in two by a narrow-
strip of land, leaving but a small entrance into the
inner part, which is of no depth ; larger steamers
have to remain outside. To our astonishment, three

90

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

other ships lay in the harbour. One of them was a
Russian steamer of the Imperial Navy, the Yakut,
bound for Providence Bay, in order to keep off the
American prospectors from intruding on the newly
discovered gold fields, and come to the rescue of a

*ii^ttj»ii[.

THE INNliR HAKHOUK, I'ETROrAVI.OVSK.

recently fitted out Russian mining expedition. Another
was the s.s. Albatross, an American ship on a scientific
mission ; the third one being a small schooner, the
Storoj\ belonging to the Russian Seal Fisheries Co.,
and formerly confiscated from its American owners
for unlawful otter-huntine aloncr the coasts of Kam-

PETROPAVLOVSK

91

chatka. Such a fleet had never been witnessed in
Petropavlovsk Harbour since its defence, in 1854,
aofainst the combined Anglo-French attack on the

town

Great animation soon reigned on board the Bai-
kal, where the local authorities, the captain of the

THE S.S. "BAIKAL" IN PETROPAVLOVSK BAY.

Yakut, and several others, gathered for news.
Strange to say, in this remote corner of the world,
the chief inquiries made were on the subject ot
the Transvaal War! The Ispravnik, who here re-
joices in the exceptional title of "Natchalnik Oblasti,"
or Chief of the District (ispravniks are usually at the
head of the district police), together with his lieutenant,

92 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

were two stately-looking gentlemen, by no means of
the lean kind, and appeared in strange contradiction to
their statements that the village had been starving for
the last month, there being no longer a bag of Hour or
a pound of sugar to be obtained throughout the penin-
sula. They resembled each other like brothers, and
I was constantly at a loss to make out which was
which, I was told that these starving periods were
not unfrequent in Kamchatka, and that they afforded
a capital season to the one or two tradesmen of the
country, who keep back a certain quantity of supplies
of first necessity ; the natives fall entirely into their
hands, and sable skins are exchanged lor a few
ounces of sugar or two or three handfuls of llour. I
think it is the duty of every well-meaning person to
lay a stress on these lawless exactions, in order that
the Government may take measures towards a more
regular importation of stores. The Ispravnik has
almost unlimited power over his district, which in-
cludes the whole of Kamchatka, and whose vast
area and lack of means of communication render his
task practically impossible. He is officially under
the control of the Governor at XHadivostok, whose
sui)ervision is reduced to a minimum, and his local
jurisdiction remains without appeal.

Such a state of affairs, if abandoned to undeserving

THE ISPRAVNIK 93

people, may lead to the most arbitrary proceedings,
and endanger the prestige of the Government. I do
not mean to hint that things were in such a position,
but only that they might be so. As it happened, the
Ispravnik seemed a good-natured person, and from
what I gathered was quite popular among the Kam-
chadales. He informed us that last year measles, a
formerly unknown disease in the country, had been
brought in by some steamer, and had been ravaging
the population ever since, killing over 800 natives.
It was still raging among them in the northern parts
of the peninsula with fatal results. If one considers
that there are not more than 8, 000 inhabitants in the
whole district, it means that ten per cent, had been
carried off; that illness, he said, was chiefly fatal to
grown-up people, and was not so deadly to children.
Lepers still existed in the country, and were isolated
in a small settlement called Nikolaievsk, south of
Avatcha Bay. They all lived together in their
doomed enclosure, forgotten by the rest of the world,
and abandoned by their families, who dared not ap-
proach them. He told us that last winter had been a
very severe one, and that there had been unusually
heavy snowfalls, traces of which could still be seen
on the comparatively low hills. He did not seem to
know much on the subject of sport, though he thought

94

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

wild sheep were plentiful all along the coast. The
path into the interior was as yet impracticable, and he
strongly advised us to wait, promising to muster a few
ponies from different villages several miles distant in

THE MAIN STREET, I'E TKOl'AVLOVSK.

due time, and to send us a couple of native hunters-
on the following day.

That night we slept soundly on board, the first
quiet one after many a night's shaking or tossing.
Next morning mist prevented us from catching a
glimpse of the loftier peaks ; patches of snow lay

STOREHOUSES

95

everywhere, almost down to sea -level. We went
on shore to visit the town. The hamlet consists
of some eighty wooden huts, of which a dozen,
including the Ispravnik's residence, show the com-

^V" i

MONUMENT TO BEHRING (PETROrAVLOVSK).

parative ease of their owners. The main street
runs unevenly parallel to the shore ; a few wooden
planks obviate the necessity for wading through the
mud. It is adorned by the presence of two store-
houses, one of them belonging to the Russian Seal

96

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

Fisheries Co. (formerly the Alaska Commercial Co.),
the other being that of a wealthy tradesman, Rousan-
off by name, who had spent over thirty years in
Kamchatka, and had accumulated a large fortune
by a steady exchange of penny articles for costly

CROSS ON THE GRAVE OF RUSSIANS KILLED IN ACTION
AUGUST, 1854.

sable or blue fox skins. At the head of the street
stands the summer church with its blue painted top,
whilst opposite is the winter church, a low earthen
building, which can be heated during the long cold
months. In the churchyard stands a monument to
J)ehring, above his grave, and a little further, enclosed

GRAVES AT PETROPAVLOVSK

97

by an iron railing, are the three crosses erected to the
memory of the Russians, EngHsh, and French who
were killed in action at the siege of Petropavlovsk in
1S54. The following are the inscriptions : —

Rnss/au Cross. — "■ To the memory of the fallen at the
repulse of the attack of the Anglo-French, August 24th,
1854. Peace to }-our remains."

English Cross. — " In memor}' of the officers, seamen, and
marines killed in action, August, 1854, at Petropaulski.
H.B.M.S. Egeria, 1877."

French Cross. — "A la memoire des marins francais tues au
combat de Petropaulowski, le 24 Aout, 1854," and on the tomb-
stone : "A la memoire de MM. Armand Lefevre Bourasset,
Lieut, de V^'-, Charles Gicquel des Touches, P^nseigne, et des
marins de la Forte, de VEurydice et de rObligardo, decedes le
4 7'"''' 1854. Priez pour eux !"

CROSSES ON THE CKAVliS OK THK KMW.ISH AND FRKNCU

KILLED IN ACTION, AUGUST, 1854.
H

98

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

Ihe calamities of war had not even spared this
distant corner of the globe ; the storms and breakers
of these remote northern seas had sounded the death-
knell of many a daring explorer, such as Behring and

MONUMENT TO LA TEKOUSE (PETROPAVLOVSK).

La Perouse ! To the left ran the wooded Signal
promontory, with a small gap in its centre overlooking
the waters of the bay ; close to it stands a memorial
stone to La Perouse in the shape of a rough piece of
granite, with an iron chain and anchor attached to it.

CRIMEAN MONUMENT

99

On the sandspit, which divides the small harbour,
stands a black -painted obelisk-shaped stone monu-
ment, surmounted with a cross and star, erected in
1 88 1, in memory of the affair of August, 1854. Such
are the ornaments of Petropavlovsk, all of them con-

THE CRIMEAN MONUMENT AT PETROPAVLOVSK.

secrations to bravery and pluck. Nor should I forget,
to mention the comparatively large Government House,
and close to it the building in which the annual sup-
plies are stored, both painted a dull brick-red. Pro-
visions are either sold to the natives, or exchanged for
sable or other skins they may bring in. at market

loo A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

price. Each man's account is carefully kept in the
books, and if his debit outweighs his credit, the result
of his winter chase must restore the balance in his
fa\'our before fresh supplies are given out. Govern-
ment taxes, or y a ssa^\ are likewise paid in this manner.
Two or three fur dealers, besides the Seal Fisheries
Co., compete in spring at the Government auction
rooms ; all the collected furs are thus disposed of by
the Ispravnik, At the time of our visit the price of
sables varied from twenty to a hundred roubles (^2 to
^10), blue fox fetched more, while sea-otter attained
the highest figures, reaching ^100 a skin. The latter
are supposed to be preserved by the Government,
which limits the yearly catch to fourteen. The best
sea-otter fisheries are situated off Cape Lopatka,
round the southernmost extremity of the peninsula,
where their favourite seaweeds abound. A party of
native hunters starts down the coasts every year in a
couple of small boats, involving no slight courage to
face the ocean in the autumn months with such a
fragile ec^uipment. They are often ne\er heard of
again. At other times they bring back their well-
earned booty, consisting of ten or twelve skins, half
of which they share amongst themselves, the other
half being Government property. It remains a
mystery to me how European markets can still be

PETROPAVLO\'SK

103

so prodioally supplied with sea-otters, when one of
their principal haunts yields but fourteen skins
annually at the utmost. We learnt from a clerk of
the Seal Fisheries stores that the entire population
of Petropavlovsk had been on foot that winter for

SIDE VIEW OK PETROPAVLOVSK.

more than two months, with all the "Winchesters"
and cartridges that could be mustered in the place,
in pursuit of a couple of blue foxes which had taken
up their abode in the proximity of the village, but
that all attempts to secure them had proved fruitless.
The shop of the Company seemed to us fairly well

I04 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

provided with utensils of every kind, and canned meats
and fruit, mostly of American produce; before starting
for the interior we took in a large supply of tinned
fruit, which turned out a great success. At the back
of the hamlet there is a small hos[)ital ; we made the
doctor's acquaintance on our return jrjurney. He was
one of the successors of the welbknown Dr. Dybovsky,
who had lived many years in this inhos|)itable country.
Dr. Dybovsky, a naturalist of world-wide tame, had
been form.^rly imprisoned in Siberia for joining in the
Polish rebellion of 1S64, and having served his time,
had been sent to Kamchatka as Government doctor.
He had done a great deal towards relieving the
natives and prosecuting scientific research in the
peninsula, and his name was still mentioned by every-
one with the greatest respect and everlasting gratitude.
There is one doctor for the whole district, and winter
being the only available tinie for travelling, he has to
visit all the villages distributing medicine, his patients
requiring immediate recovery, for he cannot return
to them before a year has elapsed.

That day w^e met one of the native hunters, from
whom we obtained more precise information concern-
ing wild sheep. He knew but little of the interior,
where, he said, it was practically impossiljle to pene-
trate as yet owing to the quantity ot snow lying on

PETROPAVLOVSK

107

the passes, and more so on account of the rivers,
which are unfordable in June. He prompted us to
give up, for the present, our intended expedition
to the Ganal Range (about 200 versts inland), and

^fK^r*""'

SOUTH PART OF PETROPAVLOVSK VILLAGE.

to try the ground he was well acquainted with along
the coast either north of Avatcha Bay, where he
had frequently hunted over the Shipounsky promon-
tory, or down the numerous inlets to the south,
such as the \'ilutcha, Povorotnaia, Asatcha, and
others in the direction of Cape Lopatka. Sheep, he

io8 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

said, were to be found all aloni;" the coast, on the
slopes of the valleys rLinnIng down into the sea. As
for the central hills, he was not convinced of the
existence of sheep in those parts. He added that
the best way of reaching" the ground was to hire
ordinary fishing-boats, or s/i/iiipkis, and sail out of the
bay in any direction, two or three days being suf^cient
to reach the more likely haunts. At night our tents
could be pitched on the beach, and the valley carefully
spied during the day. In the event of not finding
ganie, our camp could be easily lifted, the next valley
inspected, and so on. Bears were plentiful, he said, as
well as reindeer. Unfortunately, though prospects
looked extremely promising, the realisation of these
plans soon proved impracticable. We decided on the
spur of the moment to follow his advice, and settle
matters in the presence of the Ispravnik, who had
managed, in the meanwhile, to secure another hunter,
Koriakine by name, to whose untiring energy we were
subsequently indebted for our success.

CHAPTER IV.

A Kamchatkan hunter— Bear skins and sables — Mode of hunting the sable
—Market value of the fur— A hunter frozen to death— Wild sheep in
Asatcha Bay— Preparations for a start— High prices at the stores —
A Chinese c>^^/— Salmon and sea-trout— Other fishes of Kamchatka-
Japanese fish-poachers — Netting the rivers — Volcanoes of Koriak
and Avatchinsky — Many bear skins — Large numbers exported to
America— Curious antlers of caribou— Pallas's sea-eagle— Hauling
the nets— Embark on board the S/oroJ— Loss oi our fourth boat—
A team of sledge-dogs photographed— The ship's engine breaks down
— Again in camp un the sandspit — A start for the Ganal Range — The
harbour bar— Dug-out canoes for river-work— Ten miles in twelve
hours— Reach Khutor— The natives described— Bargaining for ponies
— A stampede — Deluge of rain— Capercaillie in the birch woods —
Tracks of a bear — Swarm of mosquitoes — A wet and dry tundra — The
Bolshaia River — Arrive at Natchiki.

MIKHAIL KORIAKIXE, the future admiral of
our ephemeral ilotiila. and subsequently our
caravajibas/ii, was a young hunter of undaunted energy
and endless goodwill. He belonged to that set of
half a dozen Petropavlovsk hunters who dail\' risk
their lives after bear or sable, daringly facing ocean
storms in their small fishing-smacks, or endure starva-
tion and cold in the torments of snow during long-
arctic winters. Many a tale he told us of the hard-

109

no A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

ships his party had undergone while bear-hunting" on
the vast snowfields of Kamchatka. They would sail
along the coast, and leaving their boat in some shel-
tered bay, push into the interior through unexplored
wastes, with nothing but their riHes and ammunition ;
they would remain months at a time in pursuit of
game across unknown regions, suffering- aofonv ciurine
intensely cold and sleepless nights, and frequently
returning with eighty or a hundred bear skins, which
they exchanged with American dealers for articles of
prime necessity. They all carried Winchester rifles,
and when they ran out of ammunition, American
tradesmen refused to supply them with cartridges
unless they took another rifle with a corresponding
exchange, thus obliging them to throw away their old
rifle. In fact, I was told that a common lamp-glass
could not be obtained without acquiring a new lamp.
This unusual mode of traffic had l)een imposed upon
them by /\mericans, the sole purveyors to these
northern tribes, who had helplessly to submit to these
tyrannic exactions. Mikhail told us that sable skins
were becoming very scarce on account ot the great
demand for them. An average skin fetched twenty-
five roubles, and a good sable-hunting dog was most
valuable. The dog tracks the animal to its abode
under the roots of a tree or in some fissure of a rock ;

THE ■'AJJ.MIKAI. AND VASsKA THE COOK.

SABLE 113

a net is then placed at tlie entrance of the hole, and
one may often remain days before the sable comes out
and gets entangled in the net. Traps are also used,
but with worse result. The Kamchatkan sable is of
fine quality, dark and soft, with greyish tips to the fur.
The very best skins are said to come from Ajan and
Uda, districts of the Okhotsk region, and frequently
fetch £^0 and more in the European markets. At
present the Russian Government has taken measures
towards the prohibition of sable-hunting in two dis-
tricts of Kamchatka, with the view of preserving this
costly animal. The country round the Kurile Lake in
the south, and that round Lake Kronotsky, close to
the eastern coast, have been selected for this purpose,
but it is difficult to enforce regulations over these
uninhabited and remote parts. I learnt that two or
three years before, a Kamchatkan sable-hunter had
been found frozen to death in the Kronotsky Lake
district with over thirty sable skins — a fortune for him
— lying at his side. Such are the vicissitudes of this
lucrative sport! \n the presence of the Ispravnik and
his lieutenant an agreement was arrived at with our
new friend Koriakine, with a view to hire boats at a
rate of fifty roubles (^,5) each for a month. The joint
crews were to consist of a dozen men and four ex-
perienced hunters (including Koriakine), who were to
I

114 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

receive two roubles per day. The latter henceforth
was to act as " admiral," a nickname which he kept to
the end of our land journey. We decided to start on
the next day but one, in order to give the Admiral
time to furnish our imposing armada and find the
necessary men. Our intentions were to sail out of the
bay and steer down the coast towards Cape Lopatka,
looking in at the numerous inlets as far as Asatcha
(about eighty miles distant), where wild sheep were
said to abound in the broken country in the interior.
While on one of their bear-hunting expeditions, the
men had seen several old rams in the neighbourhood
of Asatcha, and the small bay, said Koriakine, was a
well-sheltered one. Three or four days, provided we
had a favourable wind, would convey us to the
ground. (3ur first halt was to be in X'ilutcha Bay, at
the foot of that volcano ; our second, in the small gulf
beyond the massive promontory of Povorotny, in the
proximity of which game was already to be found,
though not so plentiful as round Asatcha. Cape
Schipunsky, where Dr. Guillemard and his party had
secured several Oi'is uivico/a, on the clitls overlooking
the sea, stood out some thirty miles north of Avatcha
Bay, and had afforded good sport, but, according to
the Admiral, that place had been too frequeiilK- visited
by native hunters, and landing was extremely difficult

SABLE 115

with its open and unsheltered bays. That day we
called at the shops for different odds and ends. I was
struck by the unusually high prices ; we were charged
fourteen roubles (^i los.) for a small copper kettle,
and other trifles on a similar scale. Eggs are particu-
larly dear — twenty kopecks (6^/.) apiece — owing to the
scarcity of hens, which have to be carefully protected
against the omnivorous sledge - dogs ! American
articles, such as Californian canned fruit, come very
cheap on account of their being free from duty, for
Petropavlovsk indulges in the high-sounding title of a
"free port." Upon calling on Mr. Rousanoff, this
elderly gentleman took us into his back shop and
produced a large trunk filled with over two hundred
sable skins of the finest quality ; this was probably
the result of many an advantageous exchange during
the period of " starvation." He told us that the price of
this valuable fur had risen that year, and that Schwabe's
agent had {uirchased almost the whole Government
stock a month before for ^6 apiece, including good
and bad skins. He asked us £S for each of his, and
declined to sell fewer than fifty skins. We thanked
him for his generous proposal, and returned on board
in order to make our preparations.

On the following morning we disembarked with all
our belongings and pitched camp on the narrow tongue

ii6 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

of land which forms the natural breakwater of the
harbour, a few yards from the monument of 1854,
That night our Chinese chef cooked his first dinner,
consisting- mainly of boiled salmon and potatoes.
Vasska, as we called him (the Russian corresponding
to Johnnie), was a cheery little fellow, always ready to

OUR CAMI' ON THE SANDSPIT (I'ETROPAVLOVSK).

help, and though his culinary qualifications were
decidedly below the average, his constant willingness
and unabated good humour rendered him a most
useful companion. A magnificent salmon was brought
into camp during tlie evening and purchased by us
for a few kopecks. It certainly weighed between
forty and fifty pounds. At that time of year (June)
we were at the height of the tcliavyclia season.

SALMON

117

The tchavycha {Saluio oriciiialis), the finest of the
Salmonidce, is proper to Kamchatkan waters and the
Okhotsk Sea, and comes up in shoals to the mouths

w: -f^m'

A KORTY POUNDER.

of the rivers about the end of May, being the first fish
to make its appearance ; it seems closely akin to the
European salmon, and attains enormous diniensions —
eighty pounds, so I was told. Its flesh is of a pale
red colour and its flavour quite excellent. Next come

ii8 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

the so-called oo//si (Sa/iuo co/Zar/s), a species of sea-
troLit, which ascends the rivers to their head-waters
and frequently remains in the lakes, returning to
the sea the following spring. These were the only
fish which would take the spoon ; all our angling
efforts were useless with regard to the other numerous
species. The Jiaiko [Oiicoj-fiviic/nis /aovci'p/ia/its) and
the oa?-biis//a, or humpback {OucorhvncJnts protcus),
arrive almost simultaneouslv in lulv and the be^innino"
•of August, and are not supposed to return to the sea
after spawning. Another species, the krasnaia or red
fish, is caught by the natives in great quantities in the
Kamchatka and Bolshaia rivers. Its flesh is crimson
red, but does not compare in taste with that of its
rivals. The kelts of these fish, like those of European
salmon, become red, and swell to a considerable size ;
their jaws become hooked and their teeth unusually
developed towards the end of September. As regards
the salmon-fishing in Kamchatka, I cannot pass over
in silence the arbitrary fashion in which this highly
important branch of native industry is treated. As
the reader may know, fish constitutes the main susten-
ance of the population, and takes the place of bread.
Ilitherto, Japanese fishermen had unlawfully poached
along the entire coast of the peninsula, abandoning
the Kuriles for these more prolific waters. The

RUSSIAN FISHERIES iiy

Russian Gov^ernment had made no restrictions with
regard to this invasion of its neighbours, so long as
no harm was done to the inhabitants of the interior.
Unfortunately the Russian Seal Fisheries Co. had
of late gone in for fishing in addition to its original
undertaking, and had hired for this purpose numbers
of Japanese, whose junks now scoured Avatcha Bay.
These fishermen were to receive a certain percentage
of their catch and deliver the remainder to the wealthy
monopolists, who were at that time (1900) building
a canning factory on the shores of one of the inlets
of the bay. In order to increase the output on a
larger scale, the mouths of the main rivers, Avatcha,
Paratunka, and others, had been netted, thus prevent-
ing the fish from reaching the upper waters, where the
unfortunate inhabitants of the settlements found their
annual supply considerably decreasing and sat gloomily
invoking the heavens ! For not only did these pro-
ceedings, of which they were unaware, deprive them
of their own living, but they were at a loss also to feed
their famished dogs, which indirectly affected their
sable-hunting in winter. It seems to me that it is of
the utmost importance to prohibit such netting en-
couraged by the Company, and that the question
should be most seriously considered on the part of
the local authorities.

I20 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

After our repast, Vasska's first attempt, we caught
siofht for the first time of the Koriak volcano, now
extinct, raising its lofty snow-clad cone through the
gap between the hills north-west of Petropavlovsk.
To the right lies the lower but active volcano
Avatchinsky {8,000 ft.), which was emitting a small
cloud of white smoke ; a formidable eruption of that
volcano had taken place in October, 1894, and all its
slopes were covered with a thick layer of lava,
I learnt that in the previous year it had given signs
of disturbance, and that a slight earthquake had
been felt at Petropavlovsk. Dr. Tioushoff, whose ac-
quaintance I made later, had ascended the mountain
almost to the summit four months after the eruption,
and obliged me with a most vivid description of his
experience. I noticed that a strong south-easterly
wind blew constantly during the day, from nine a.m. to
seven p.m., with marvellous regularity; evenings were
perfectly calm. Fogs are almost always brought by
southerly winds ; north-east winds never fail to bring
on storms, and when a hunter talks of the '" nord-ost "
the expression implies the maximum of a rough time
and imminent danger. Numbers of bear skins for
sale never ceased to strew the thresholds of our tents.
The price of them — from two to five roubles apiece —
was not excessive ; they pointed to the huge size of

CARIBOU '. 121

the animals, but very few carried dark coats, most of
them being of an ugly light brown colour. We were
told that thousands of them were annually exported to
the United States and other parts of the globe, and
that we should take plenty of cartridges in store for

^>A^.

ANTI.ERS OF CARIBOU.

bears. I was shown a wonderful pair of caribou horns
picked up by a native in the neighbourhood ; they
carried an unusual number of points, but their length
was not remarkable, and as they were bleached and
weather-worn I did not acquire them, but was content
to have them photographed by Tallent. 7die night

122 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

before our departure we all dined on board the
Yakut, whose merry captain treated us royally, and
toasts to each other's success were heartily exchanged.
During dinner the orchestra was supplemented by a
huge gramophone, whose repci'toire included both
Wagnerian airs and music-hall ditties. Madame
Melba's voice resounding at Petropavlovsk was no
common incident.

On the following morning (June 25), at 10.30 a.m.,
our flotilla, consisting of four small boats, or shliup-
kis, towed by the Ispravnik's steam laLuich, started
out of the harbour amid the cheers of the population.
We intended that day to camp by the Vilutcha Inlet
(twenty-fiv^e miles down the coast), and little knew
that a series of misfortunes was in store for us.
Hardly had we reached the middle of the bay when
?iis Excellency, who had insisted on accompanying us
to the entrance, declined to proceed any further under
the pretence of an insufficient supply of coal. We
strongly suspected that the gentleman had begun to
feel sea-sick and longed to return to his '• happy
home." The wind being against us, there was no
possibilitv of hoistini^ our sails and continuing' the
journey ; there was no alternative but to abandon
further progress and pitch tents on tin; opposite shore
of the bay, with the intention of starting again at day-

CAMPING IN A GALE 123

break in order to get well ahead before the usual
south wind began blowing, oars affording us but a
slow advance. We accordingly camped in a regular
gale. In the afternoon we attempted trolling along
the shore of the bay, but salmon seemed quite in-
different to the spoon-bait.

Next day we were on the move before sunrise, and
embarked at four a.m. The water was perfectly
smooth, and the rose-capped cones of the volcanoes
already shone bright against the clear morning sky.
As we neared the entrance of the bay the swell from
the ocean grew stronger and stronger, and the waves,
following each other in rhythmical procession, threat-
ened to swamp us every moment. Our nutshells,
though a few yards apart, would disappear for a few
seconds in the deep, watery gully and rise again to
the top of the next billow, ascending its slope almost
perpendicularly. The moving line of the sea in front
of us grew gradually higher, and we could see at
times these hui>e masses of water dashino- against the
precipitous crags of the coast, covering them with
snow-white foam. Fortunately for us, they did not
break on their way, for we should have inevitably
capsized. The Admiral deemed it prudent to turn
back, this difficult maneeuvre being carried out with
great skill and some danger. Again we steered towards

124 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

land, this time to the northern side of the bay, and
presently anchored in a small harbour some twelve
miles east of Petropavlovsk. Great was our disgust
when we found ourselves pitched again so near our
starting-point. A spell seemed to hang over us.
However, we did not despair, and decided to wait for
the swell to subside, hoping for better luck on the
morrow. During the day Littledale and I went up
one ot the promontories to obtain a better view of the
country we wished to explore. The mighty Vilutcha,
clad in snow, with a hioh ranoe of hills runnincr to
its right, intercepted us from the regions beyond ;
the panorama we had before us was imposing and
beautiful. It was very tantalising to see those vast
huntinn'-orounds almost within touch, and vet to be
unable to reach them, for a voyage by land was
out of the question. There, amidst the roar of the
ocean, hovering below us with numerous gulls and
cormorants, was a magnificent Pallas's sea-eaMe
{7/ia/assacfns pc/aoicus). It had evidently nested in
one of the crevices of the rock at our feet, and kept
settling in a concealed fissure where we could not get
a shot. It was a splendid specimen of that great
northern sea-ea^le, and though Littledale waited for
a shot, the bird never gave him a chance. Not far
from camp stood two or three fishermen's huts and

i' (.

^

SALMON FISHING 127

a fish-shed. We witnessed the evening catch, which
is effected a Httle before sunset. The net, startin^r
from the shore, is carried in a boat and gradually laid
out in a semicircle of thirty to forty yards. The
presence of fish is noticed by the movements of the
corks which float on the surface. The net is then
hauled in slowly by a couple of men up to their waists
in water. It gave quite a good result, consisting of
eighteen large salmon, amongst which were tchavy-
c/ia, haiko, garbns/ia, and go/^si, averaging over
twenty pounds ; the largest fish weighed forty pounds.
This operation was repeated several times with about
the same result. As soon as the sun goes down the
run of fish at once ceases. The fishermen's dogs
stood whining around in eager expectation, and re-
ceived their share in the shape of small turbots, which
they devoured there and then.

Nights were still cold, and warm blankets were
welcome as we turned in early after supper consisting
of the customary boiled salmon. On the following
morning we were up at 2.30 ready to start, when
the Admiral, who had gone out in one of the boats
to examine the state of the open water, returned with
the unwelcome report that the swell had increased
during the night, and was heavier than ever. He
added that it was impossible to proceed out of the bay

128 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

without danger of being swamped, that the wind had
shifted to the south-east, and that the mist which was
gathering foreboded an approaching storm. At the
same time the glass was falling fast. Nothing was to be
done but to return to Petropavlovsk and find some
other way of getting at the coveted sheep.

At six a.m. we found ourselves once more along-
side the Baikal. She had now landed all her
supplies, and was getting up steam to continue her
journey. We immediately went on board to inquire
of the obliging captain whether he would consent
to convey us on his way north, and disembark us
on Cape Schipunsky, as he was about to start that
very morning. He said he was quite willing to
comply with our wishes, but that, in case of a heavy
sea, he could not attempt to approach land at that
point, and that we should have to take the risk of
an in\-oluntary cruise to Nijni- Kamchatsk, which
was no pleasant prospect. Moreover, he added, he
might not be able for the same reason to pick us up
on his return journey, and we might have to remain
an unlimited time on that inhos[)itable shore in hope-
less expectation, like wrecked sailors on some remote
island. Having thanked the captain tor his sound
reasoning, in this emergency we turned to the only
remaining small steamer, the Sioroj, which lay at

START FOR KHODUTKA 129

anchor close by. Its captain, a Finn by birth, and
a regular sea-wolf by vocation, being approached on
the subject, declared he was ready to comply with our
views and take us to one of the southern points of the
peninsula. Being thoroughly acquainted with the
coast, he thought that Khodutka Bay, a few miles
beyond Asatcha Inlet and some eighty miles from
Petropavlovsk, was the most sheltered one, and our
Admiral attesting the presence of game in that
neighbourhood, we jumped at this providential scheme.
Captain Heck (for such was our new friend's name)
proposed to start on the next day but one, taking our
baeeaee and two of our boats on board, while a third
was to be towed behind. Our fourth boat was to sail,
if possible, on the morrow with a crew of four men, and
join us three days later at Khodutka. Provided the
weather was not too bad, we could be landed at our
destination the same day after a ten or twelve hours'
passage. The start was to take place before daybreak
in order to keep in good time. Meanwhile we pitched
our tents again on the sandspit awaiting further
developments. In the afternoon of the following day
we witnessed the departure of our fourth boat, which
was to meet us at Khodutka. We ne\er saw it
again ; not that it had capsized, but when the men
returned after a three weeks' unnecessary cruise, we

I30 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

had already started for the interior. Towards evening,
as we were engaged in shipping our belongings on
board the Storoj^ the Ispravnik sent us for inspection
his team of sledge-dogs duly harnessed and put to his
narta, a most comfortable-looking closed vehicle, on

THE ISPRAVNIK S TEAM OK SLEDGE-DOCS.

long snow-rtmners, made of reindeer skin with a small
window behind and room for a single person. A native
driver in winter clothing, with his sharp-edged stick,
accompanied this arctic turn-out — quite an interesting
display, which Tallent proceeded to photograph. My
valet, Cristo, was taken ill during the night and
declined to follow us on our expedition, so that I

A BREAKDOWN 133

hurriedly secured the services of a boy called Lambert,
who spoke a few words of English and whose father, an
American by birth, had settled down at Petropavlovsk
and had died there. He was an active young- fellow,
and was delighted to share our hardships. Having
embarked on the Storoj, where the accommodation
was in no way too spacious — Littledale and Tallent
slept in the dining-room — we expected to find
ourselves next morning on the move, but it turned
out that the fog was so thick that it was out of the
question starting before eight a.m., when the mist
lifted at last. We had hardly steamed live miles out
of the harbour when our ship stopped owing to some-
thing- havino- oone wrono" with one of the encrines; for
be it known it was a twin-screw steamer. The captain,
engineer, and passengers proceeded to lend a helping-
hand and endeavour to detect the reason of this delay.
To the o-eneral disL^ust it was not till the afternoon
that a broken nut was found, after every separate piece
had been dismounted and carefully inspected. Our
chances of reaching Khodutka that day accordingly
vanished. Another most unconifortable night in our
small, dirty cabin — more of a cu|)board than a cabin —
made us pine for our tents again. At supper Captain
Heck, who was no ordinary person, related many
adventures that had befallen him durino- his thirtv

134 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

years' experience in the Northern Pacific. He had
taken to whaHng in his younger days, and had risked
his Hfe in many a terrific storm. Not destined to
become a sailor, he had come over from Finland in the
sixties as a colonist, with his wife and children, and had
settled down in the Ussuri district, on the Chinese
frontier, with a view to farming. He was prospering
in every way, when one night, during his absence,
a party of Chinese brigands fell upon his farm,
slaughtered his children, and carried away his wife,
whom he had never seen again, notwithstanding his
desperate efforts to trace the criminals. Since then he
had vowed an everlasting hatred of Chinamen, and
had taken to the sea.

Next morning, the same engine still bumping, it
was decided that we should continue our journey with
the aid of the other engine, at the rate of four knots
an hour, and if only the wind was favourable, we
should have the sails up to help. Wt started in this
manner at eleven a.m., and reached the entrance of
that ill-ftited Avatcha Bay in a couple of hours.
Here we were met by the same heavy swell, together
with a fresh southerly breeze. We could not possibly
get beyond X'ilutcha Inlet that day on account of the
slow speed and contrary wind. Ikit here again fortune
turned against us. Hardly had we passed the last

A BREAKDOWN 135

corner of the bay when the cylinder of the second
engine gave way, leaving us entirely at the mercy of
the waves ! Again we were obliged to wheel round,
and, hoisting sail, steer back for Petropavlovsk, which
we managed to reach, disabled as we were, on the
following^ mornino', after another dreadful ni^ht on
board. As for the poor captain, he had to sail to
Vladivostok, there being no means of repairing the
broken cylinder in such a place as Petropavlovsk !
We found ourselves once more encamped on the
same old sandspit in a most embarrassing dilemma,
though it was not without a profound feeling of relief
that we bade farewell to the S f o?vj ^nd re-entered our
tents. There can be no doubt that if one wishes to
obtain sport along the coast of Kamchatka, where
bighorn are certainly more plentiful than in the
interior, chartering a yacht in Japan, or elsewhere,
and so leaving one's movements free, is the sole chance
of success. As it was, our successive failures to reach
the sheep ground from the sea were not so much to
be regretted, for it must be borne in mind that our
main object from the first had been to discover wild
sheep in the interior, where they had never, as yet,
been shot, and it was merely on account of the imprac-
ticable communication inland that we had deviated
from our original plan.

136 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

We now reconsidered our former scheme, and
turned our attention towards the Ganal Ranoe. It
was quite possible that during the days wasted in
our fruitless attempts to get away, the passes into
the interior had been opened, and that we could
accordingly penetrate into the peninsula along the
only existing route which led to the head-waters of
the Kamchatka River. We decided to carry this out
at any cost, and despatched the Admiral to muster
a few^ ponies, with the aid of the Ispravnik, who
sent the three Cossacks of his "guard" on this
errand to the different settlements of the bay. Such
horses as they might manage to collect were to await
us at Khutor, a small hamlet situated a few miles up
the Avatcha River. As for ourselves, we were to
start across the bay, and follow the stream in canoes
to the Khutor rendezvous, whence our expedition by
land was to begin. In the meanwhile Cristo had
shaken off his attack of fever, which I strongly sus-
pected to be connected with our sailing trials, and
resumed his duties on hearing of our new intentions.
We were off, as projected, on July 2, at five a.m.,
leaving Petropavlovsk for the fom'th time. Our two
boats, with ourselves and baLi^ai-e on board, were
towed across the bay by the steam launch, minus the
Ispravnik this time. It was a lovely fresh morning,

THE AVATCHA RIVER 137

such as one only sees in northern regions. We passed
a few fishing-huts along the shore, and presently
reached the bar at the mouth of the Avatcha.
Thoucjh it was still high tide, the water at places was

NEAR THE MOUTH OF THE AVATCHA RIVEK.

so shallow that even the canoes, into which we em-
barked, had to be hauled some hundred yards along
the sand by the Admiral and crew till we got into
the bed of the stream. It took us over two hours
to negotiate the bar. and it was solely owing to the
energy of our nien that we surmcjunted the difhculty.

138 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

I do not think I ever came across a more willing
and determined lot than these natives of the coast,
whose intelligence, much above the average, was
constantly sharpened by the countless hardships of
hunting. Their dug-out canoes, which represent boats
in the interior of Kamchatka, are no more than poplar
trunks, some twenty feet long by a couple of feet in
width, rounded at the bottom and hollowed out by an
axe. They are skilfully manned l)y the natives with
the aid of a long pole or a spade-shaped paddle.
Owing to their rounded keel, however, the slightest
awkward movement may turn theni over, and it re-
quires great experience to punt theni across a fast
current, which is done by Kamchadales at full speed,
and when manned by them appears quite easy. For
greater steadiness two dug-outs were lashed together
for us, and we soon found ourselves comfortably
seated in them.

On entering the river we found the current exceed-
ingly strong, flowing at places at the rate of eight
knots an hour, which considerably reduced our speed.
The country on either side was low and marshy, with
dense vegetation, occasional birch woods, and willow
trees overhanging the water. In order to avoid the
swift current in mid-stream, we ke{)t close to the
banks, and, though olu" men rowed ever so hard, it

KORIAK VOLCANO

139

was sometimes all we could do to maintain our
position and prevent the boats drifting back. At
places the river widened considerably (over two hun-
dred yards), and the current beconiing slower, we
could advance a little faster ; at others, where the

THE AVATCHA RIVER AND KORIAK VOLCANO.

lianks happened to be clear of bushes, we were towed
by the whole crew. Luckily — had it not been for that
circumstance we should never have reached Khutor
that eveninor — austs of a favourable breeze would fill
our sails and afford our men a few minutes' rest.
We halted at noon for luncheon. The heat was

I40 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

intense, and here for the first tinie we were introduced
to Kamchatkan mosquitoes, which are the scourge of
the country at that time of year and later on were to
embitter our trip. Clouds of them now swarmed round
us, gathering from all sides, our faces and calves being
the scene of a regular battlefield. Smoke was to be
henceforth our only defence, to^'ether with occasional
whiffs of wind ; but dead calm to us meant perfect
agony. The Admiral tried to console us by saying
that this was mere child's play in coniparison with what
lay in store for us, especially on the Ganal tundra,
or marshy waste, and his forebodings proved correct.
Towards evening, half a mile below Khutor, the cur-
rent being swifter than ever, we made for the opposite
side, where the stream was slower. This unfortunate
manoeuvre brought us on a sandbank, where we
remained aground for over an hour in lull sight ot our
destination. It was only after continued exertions on
the part of our men that we were finally towed off the
bank, and managed to reach Khutor at seven p.m.,
having accomplished only ten miles in twelve hours.
Khutor cannot even boast of the title of a hamlet, for
two lonely huts standing on a sloping lawn and a fish-
drying shed by the river were the sole buildings attached
to it, the pO})ulation being represented by one family
consisting of a fisherman, his wife, and two girls.

SLEDGE-DOGS

141

Some twenty dogs sat out at the entrance of their
holes, for at that time of year, on account of the
mosquitoes, they bury themselves as much as they

SLEDGE-DOCS AT REST IX TIIKIK BTRKOWS.

can under ground, and dig burrows for that purpose.
Along the banks rows of larger excavations, about ten
feet in circumference and five feet deep, enn)ty at
present, were used for laying in stores of fish tor the
dogs in winter. During the fishing season, and later,

142

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

when the rottincr tish is tlistributed to the animals, the
approach to a settlement may be detected long before
reaching it by the unpleasant smell with which it is
invariably connected.

To our surprise we found quite a large gathering
of Kamchadales and ponies collected from the

SLEDGE-DOCS AT REST, SHOWING I'.URROWS.

neiiihboLirin:^ villaoes alreadv awaiting" us ; the Is-
pravnik's envoys had not been idle. The natives,
who now surrounded us, were mostly of low stature ;
their features bore a distinct Asiatic type with
prominent cheek-bones, small dark eyes, and jet-
black wiry hair. They were probably half-breeds
betw^een the oriijinal inhabitants and Russian colonists,

SLEDGE-DOGS

14:

the purely local race being, I believe, extinct. Their
costume resembled that of Russian peasants — a blue
cotton shirt under an old brown jacket, broad trousers
tucked into top boots, and a military-shaped cap.
Their boots were made of reindeer hide, soles stitched

^ iMnm^lrf*^''*^-^'— ^■**^ '*''

.^ ,. ^ , ^^^f -*^> ■**■ •**:^-- - ■ » ^!i'iS2»j'

:^t%

iMODE OF TYIXG UP SLEDl,E-DOGS.

on to seal's throat-skins round the calves. At their
head was the Shii's/iiJid, or chief official of Stary
Ostrog, a settlement fcjur^ miles distant. He wore
several medals on his breast, and proudly declared to
us that he had represented his district at the Tsar's
coronation in Moscow. The ponies, about twenty in

144 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

number (many more than we hoped to obtain), were
small and. as we soon discovered, exceedingly vicious.
We proceeded to pitch camp, having instructed the
Admiral to select eight of the best men for our
caravan and the safest horses. We learnt that the
path to Koriak village was quite good, and that we
should probably find no difficulty in reaching Ganal
and the valley of the Kamchatka River.

\\ ith regard to game no information could be
obtained. Our hostess at Khutor was a kind old
woman, who, wishing to impress upon us that she was
no common person, told us that she had actually been
to Petropavlovsk, "the town," as she called it, and
had seen several steamers in her life, as well cls the
Archbishop of Kamchatka, then on a \isiting tour.
Our presence in these remote parts will probably lead
to many an embroidered tale in the country. To our
regret we had now to pay off and part with our sturdy
mariners, being ol)liged to take on with us the owi'ers
of the ponies. We only retained the Admiral, or
rather, as he was now to be called, the General in
Command of our forces, together with another hunter,
Silivanoff, whose name was shortened down to ''Silly,"
in strict accordance with his intelligence. A party of
our former com[)anions was to start in search of the
boat which was on its wav to Khodutka Inlet. The new

PACK-HORSES 145

men, fearing no competition and alleging that it was
the busiest time of year, took advantage of us accord-
ingly, and charged the exorbitant sum of two roubles
a day for each pony and the same for each man ; nor
could they be induced to go for less. The\' thoroughly
realised that we were in their power, and their terms
had to be accepted. The night was bitterly cold, and
the lack of blankets, which we had omitted to unpack
in order to make an early start, was sorely felt.

On the following morning our departure was most
unwillingly postponed until eleven a.m., our horses
obstinately refusing to be loaded. The same opera-
tion had to be repeated three or four times over, and
although the men appeared accustomed to the job,
and no novices in the art of packing, hardly had we
oone two hundred vards ahead when a general stam-
pede took place, the young toals joining with their
mothers in wild contusion, and our baggage Hying in
all directions. Luckily no serious harm resulted from
this indescribable luclec, save a long and tedious delay.
The path led through monotonous birch woods with a
dense undergrowth of scrub, and crossed several side-
waters of the Avatcha. Our horses kept constantly
stumbling against roots of trees, and one of them fell
into the stream, damping our precious Hour. There
was not a sign or track of animals of any kind, even

146

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

birds being extremely scarce. On the other hand,
mosquitoes never ceased to harass both ponies and
men. It is possible that whatever game there might
be in these woods had retired to hioher oround on

ONE OF OUR I'ACK-rONIES.

account of these merciless foes. The Stars/iina told
me in earnest that bears are so troubled by mosquitoes
and gnats that, in order to escape from their enemies,
they will run a few hundred yards and suddenly
crouch down under a bush in the hope of misleading
their tormentors ; although they are probably soon

MOSQUITOES 147

discovered by their pursuers or attacked by others.
For the first time our mosquito-nets were produced ;
these we carried over our faces, and a considerable
relief they were to us, for without them we should
probably never have dared to cross the Ganal tundra.
We were accompanied all through the woods by a
strong- smell of wild garlic, which grows profusely in
the country ; tiowers were not numerous as yet — only a
few crocuses and anemones scattered here and there.
Although the nati\'es had promised a short twenty-verst
(thirteen miles) march to Koriak, we lound that the
Kamchatkan unit is akin to the Scotch niile, and that
we had gone fully eighteen miles betore late in the
afternoon we reached the longed-for camping-ground
about a quarter of a mile from the village, which we
could not as yet perceive. Koriak lies concealed by
birch o-roves, on the rio'ht bank of the Avatcha, and
consists of a few log-built huts, fish-sheds, and a small
wooden church. Opposite rises the lofty cone ot the
volcano which bears the same name. The inhabitants
— a few families in all — came crowdino- round us and
watched us pitching camp with intense curiosity. The
same Asiatic type distinguished these men, though it
struck me to be less noticeable in the representatives
of the weaker sex, who resembled ordinary Russian
peasant girls both in features and dress. They all

148

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

seemed painfully concerned with regard to the '" unac-
countable " lack of fish, which usually ascend the rivers
in large shoals at that time of year, and were at a loss
to explain this delay. The season, they said, was the

NATIVE GIRLS AT KOKIAK.

worst they had ever had, and, if continued, starvation
lay at their door. I naturally refrained from informing
these poor people of the true reason of their mis-
fortunes, intending to call the Ispravnik's attention
to the subject on our return to Petropavlovsk. lUit
the General and Silly gave them the disastrous news

CAMP BEYOND KORIAK 149

of unlawful netting at the mouths of the rivers, and
general indignation ensued, followed by the despatch
of a petition to the head of the district.

Next morning we struck camp at sunrise, with the
prospect of a short march of fifteen versts. The Shir-
shind had told us that we should pass along the foot
of a lofty range, and that it was possible we might
find there "what we wanted,"

As these hills lay on our way to Natchiki and
Ganal, we decided to make a halt, and visit those
grounds on the following day. The path led through
small swamps and dreary woods, similar to those of
the previous day. Camp was pitched ten miles be-
yond Koriak, in a marshy hjcality, and numerous fires
were lit to keep off the swarms of mosquitoes. South
of us a steep narrow gully led up to broken crags, and
we could just detect through the ^atherino- mist laro-e
patches of snow several thousand feet above us. Un-
fortunately, clouds became denser in the afternoon,
hiding the loftier regions from \-iew. and presentlv a
deluge of rain poured down upon us, lasting steadily all
night. The whole of the next day was spent drying
our belongings with the aid of a couple of stoves,
hunting being out of the question. We decided to
continue our journey towards Ganal, leaving this
doubtful place for our return, and struck camp at

150 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

eight a.m. en route for Natchiki, a settlement twenty-
two miles distant. The weather had now cleared
again. Queer-shaped volcanic rocks and cones, still
almost entirely snow-covered, rose to our left. A well-
defined path denoted a certain amount of traffic, and
took us at first through monotonous birch forests, some
of the trees attainino; huoe dimensions ; the orass in
places was high, and the undergrowth at times so thick
that there was no trace of the path. A capercaillie got
up within range of shot and fiew silently through the
wood, settling down a little further ; a sprinkling of
white in the plumage showed his northern origin.
Our ponies seemed now fairly accustomed to their
new duty, and though the more vicious ones seemed
inclined to provoke a stampede, they were soon
brought to order. The path, or native "highway,"
was marked by oval cuts in the bark of the birches,
some six feet above level, as well as by poles ir-
regularly stuck in the open ground, where absence
of trees failed to indicate the winter road. The
scenery changed insensibly as we advanced at an easy
canter, the woods gradually giving way to willow and
juniper bushes, low creeping cedars, and patches of
yellow rhododendron in full bloom. After crossing a
rapid stream, the Topola. a tributary of the Avatcha,
we halted for our midday rest. I in(|uired of one of

DRY AND WET TUNDRAS 151

the caravan-men, who was acquainted with the coun-
try, whether sheep were to be found on the slopes of
the neighbouring hills. Though he appeared to confirm
their presence in these parts, his assertions were to be
received with considerable caution, as natives are wont
to assert what they believe is expected. Owing to the
previous day's downpour, mosquitoes were less trouble-
some during this march ; they joined us again towards
evening on the outskirts of Natchiki. In the after-
noon, for the first time, we came across tracks of bear
in the mud, and one of the party actually caught
sight of one, disturbed by our imposing procession.
Athough at no altitude, we had to cross patches of
snow here and there. Three or four miles before
reaching Natchiki our caravan came to a small
"dry" tundra; this was the top of the pass — if it may
be so called — dividing the system of the Avatcha
from the w^atersheds of the Bolshaia and Kamchatka
Rivers. Natives talk of a "dry" and a "wet" tundra;
the former definition implies the pony sinking up to
its knees, while the latter may swallow up the animal
entirely. I noticed how careful the horses were in
stepping along the tundra, constantly avoiding placino-
their feet on occasional emerald-green patches of grass,
which were indeed treacherous. From here we de-
scended into a broad vallev, that of the Bolshaia

152

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

River, which flows into the Sea of Okhotsk, and
half an hour later found ourselves in sight of Natchiki.
Upon approaching the hamlet we were greeted by the
usual howling of dogs and the usual loathsome smell
of decayed fish. The Bolshaia opposite Natchiki is

-M

%w mm

A KEAR-SKIN WINDOW.

not more than thirty yards wide and about three
feet deep, its current strong. We decided to pitch
camp on the right bank of the river, the village being
situated on its left, thus keeping at a reasonable dis-
tance, and in comparative privacy. A few log-cabins,
inhabited by some forty natives, and more fish-drying

NATCH I KI

153

sheds than huts, constituted the settlement, a former
Cossack os/rqo; or fort. The window-panes of the
habitations, instead of glass, were replaced by bear
bladder-skins tightly fitted into the rough framework.

-^ ^Y^^'l^

A GROUr OF KAMCHADALES AT NATCHIKI.

At the time of our arrival the krasi/aia salmon*
season was in full swing, and most of the sheds
attested adequate supplies for winter.

* Oncorhynchus lycaodoti (Pall) is called the krastiaia^ or red fish,
because of the dark crimson colour of its flesh.

CHAPTER V.

The Bolsheretsk valley— Crossing the river — Salmon fishing — Success
with spoon bait — Fifteen fish in an hour— Astonishment of the natives
— Their mode of fishing described — Hot sulphur springs — Sara/ui,
or native potato — Start for ^lalka through the Natchiki valley —
Incessant rain — Tracks of bears — Their lo\e of salmon and mode of
fishing — Willow grouse first seen — Arrival at Ganal — On the banks of
the Bystrala — Mosquitoes in myriads — We engage an old native
hunter and his two grandsons — Across the valley of the Bystraia
and the Ganal tundra — Clouds of moscjuitoes — Antlers of caribou
on the tundra — Crossing the Bystraia — The Kamchatskaia \'ershina,
an extinct volcano — Dense brushwood — Tracks of bears — Ten days
from the coast ; two months from St. Petersburg — A bear shot
— Native method of estimating weight — Two more bears — Wast
tracts of moor and snow-fields — Lake Sofka Demidoft' — Return to
camp — Littledale brings in four heads of Oz'/s 7tivicflla and a bear —
My first glimpse next da)- of Ovis nh'icohi — A young ram missed —
l^etter luck with two four-year-old rams ; both bagged — Littledale
secures three more rams and a ewe for the British Museum — Amusing
adventure with a bear — Skinning heads and taking photographs.

THE broad Bolsheretsk valley in which we were
camped runs in a south-westerly direction, and
is bordered on both sides by low alder-covered ranges,
patches of snow being- still visible on their higher
slopes. In the immediate pro.ximity of Natchiki the
hills are mere rolling knolls, intercepted l)y numerous
marshy tracts, through which the track winds towards

154

THE NATCH I KI VALLEY 155

the valley of the Kamchatka River. A couple of
natives ferried us over the stream in their narrow
canoe, which was most skilfully punted across the
swift current in a few seconds, one of the men
pushing- with his long pole at the head of the dug-
out, the other at its stern. On reaching the opposite

THE NATCHIKI VALLEY AND SETTLEMENT.

bank, strewn with thousands of decaying fish, our
first inquiry was on the subject of wild sheep. Here
the Kamchadales seemed to know something more
about these animals, and told us that one of their
comrades had seen a herd last winter on the mountains
west of Natchiki some forty versts from the village.
They added that most of the inhabitants were hunters,

15(3

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

but that their special attention was directed towards
bear, reindeer, and sable, which were considerably

DUG-OUTS LASHED TOGETHER (NATCHIKI).

more profitable to them than sheep. In spite of their
positive statements, we thought it better to resume
our journey to the Ganal main l;toli|), where we
hoped to find more likely haunts in the upper regions

SALMON FISHING

157

at the head-waters of the Kamchatka River ; we
accordingly resolved to start on the following day.
In the meanwhile, we brought out our rods and
fishing-tackle to give the salmon a fair chance. Our
flies proved a complete failure with those unsophisti-

STARTING OUT SALMON FISHING.

cated salnionidcr, and not a rise could be obtained
from them, though we foul-hooked them every
moment. Litdedale next tried a small spoon-bait,
which he cast with great skill into the middle of
the stream. The result was instantaneous, and his
reel soon whizzed round drawing a taut line ; after

158

A SHOOTING' TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

a memorable fight a six-pounder was landed, and
proved to be a oo//si.'^ My wife and I followed this
eventful example, and in less than an hour's time
fifteen fish, all ^<^'o//si, averaging four pounds, lay
ready for Vasska. They fought exceedingly well

A I'IGIIT WITH COLTS/ (NATCHIKI).

and gave capital sport. Unfortunately no other fish
would be tempted by our bait. It was amusing to
watch the intense astonishment of the population at
our success ; they could not believe their eyes when

* Dr. (luillemartl identifies tliis species with the chair of the Lapland
lakes ; to me it more resembled the common sea-trout.

A SALMON TRAP

159

the fish kept rising- freely at ahiiost every cast of the
spoon-bait, and stood bewildered, following attentively
each turn of the bewitched reel.

On returning to camp we found Tallent in utter
consternation; the valuable "Newman and Gardia"

A SALMON TRAP ON THE KOLSHERETSK RIVER (NATCHIKI).

camera had been dropped on the way — a loss of no
slight importance. Men had been sent back with
injunctions not to appear again without it. Luckily it
had been left at our last halting-place, where it was
found, and brought back during the night. Had it
fallen in the hioh arass or dense bushes, we should

i6o

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

never have recovered it. Next morning another heavy
downpour of rain prevented our striking camp, and
prolonged our angHng experiments. Go/tsi were
decidedly the only game fish of Kamchatka. The

J it 4 «*"•

' >b^^-it.{, wf^..

J^^^r:, ,.;i:«^*^i^

MM'^

}^0^^\

A SALMON IKAI'.

krasnaia refused all our inducements, though that
day we witnessed an uncommonly large run of them,
[producing a regular upstream wave. Some of the
fishermen took us in the afternoon to see their
contrivances for catching fish, an art in which ne-
cessities of life have caused them to excel. Rows

SALMON FISHERY

i6r

of inclined birch stakes are fixed across the stream
from one bank to the other, leaving but a narrow
opening at one of the ends for the free passage of
canoes. Attached to these poles, a little below the
surface of the water, and a few yards apart, are

CLEANING SALMON.

placed two or three long wicker baskets, accord-
ing to the width of the river. The fish which come
up are unable to proceed on account of the stakes ;
they then make their way through the gaps leading
into these baskets, out of which inward turned spikes
prevent them from escaping. When the natives go

u

l62

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

to collect their catch, they lift part of the basket
out of water and secure the fish with iron-edged gaffs
through a small door at the top. As soon as this

A ,NA 1 1\ 1, ll^ill-.k.M \.\.

operation, repeated several times a day, is finished,
the wicker trap is lowered to its fornier position. It
was with the greatest interest that we watched the
dexterity with which these Kamchadalcs secured their
fish ; there must have been at least a couple of hundred

SALMON FISHERY

i6-

krasnaia, most of them already drowned, in the
basket, which was Hterally crammed with magnificent
salmon. In this manner, as they told us, they manage
to haul out over two thousand fish a day. The best

CLKING SALMON.

'^atisk

fish, salted and dried, were divided between the five
families of the village, while the remainder were
buried in pits as a winter supply for the dogs, of
which there were no less than a hundred in Natchiki
alone. Close to our encampment were hot springs,
conveying a strong smell of sulphur, which, mingled

i64 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

with that of decayed fish, was no pleasant addition
to our comfort. Round these springs we discovered
attempts on the part of the natives to grow vegetables,
in the shape of a few small patches of ploughed land.
The warmth emanating from the almost boiling-
water afforded the sole spot in the neighbourhood
where potatoes could be cultivated. Later, in the
Paratunka district, I came across similar volcanic
springs, which are, I believe, disseminated all over
the peninsula, and constitute natural hot-houses. I
was shown the root of a plant known as the Sarand,
which natives gather in large quantities in the woods,
and which is regarded as the local potato; we met
several parties of women in search of this precious
plant round the various settlements through which
we passed, bilberries and birch bark being likewise
eao^erly collected by the Kamchadale ladies. We
had now lost a couple of days owing to continuous
rain, and although the sky was threatening and heavy
dark clouds encircled the hills, we resolved to strike
camp on the foll(j\ving morning m 7vu/e for Malka.

We started, as decided, at 7.30 a.m., in torrents of
rain. Our course at first led us in a due westerly
direction, down the Natchiki valley, with a view of cir-
cumventing a block of mountains at our back. Passing
throuo-h marshv wastes and monotonous birch woods,

NATIVE BURIAL CROSS

165

as natives told us, the best sable-hunting grounds of the
district, we presently branched off northward, gradually
ascending the valley of a small tributary of the Bol-

A BURIAL CROSb AT NAICHIKI.

shaia River, the Soka, which meanders through tall
snowy cotton-grass, and after having crossed another
low divide, halted at midday to rest our ponies. We
were all drenched by the incessant downpour, and lit

i66 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

a fire to dry ourselves and our packs. The latter were
soaked not only on account of the rain, but also owing
to the most awkward habit of the horses, which, when
tired, would constantly lie down with their loads in
the middle of a stream to enjoy a refreshing bath.

The General told me that June and part of July
are usually the dampest months in Kamchatka, con-
tinuous south-easterly winds blowing on mist and
rain ; in fact the weather reminded one of an ugly
November day in England, and the general aspect of
the country was dreary and depressing. As we ad-
vanced we could occasionally catch sight of a higher
range of hills to the east, probably the first spurs of
the Ganal central group. On our way we came across
fresh tracks of two bears. At this time of )-ear they
come down to fish, and feed entirely on salmon, which
they secure by standing motionless in mid-stream,
rarely missing their aim with a blow of their paw.
This was related to us by an eye-witness.

Five miles before reaching the small settlement of
Malka the path turns sharply to the right through a
mossy swamp, where we saw the first willow-grouse.
These birds are said to abound in the tundra. At
nine p.m. we halted to j)itch camp after a long march
of thirty-three miles (fifty versts), within twenty-five
miles of Ganal. It was ovvino- to the ener^v of the

OUR CHINESE COOK 167

General that we managed to cover so much oround
that day, for he had given strict orders to the men to
stop on no account whatever. On the whole our men
were a good-natured lot, and the ponies, though up to
all sorts of tricks, strong little animals and used to hard
work. That night our dinner, consisting of boiled
ov/fs^' and roast veal picked up at Koriak, was quite

>. Uii''-^'^Sut»*r^ '-^'

-t:y

1^ i?->*-><^Bfc

a luxurious repast, though \'asska's broad grin had
given way to a sad expression of fatigue, and he
seemed quite helpless, our companions having to do
all the work. Yasska, although a good sort and an
excellent cook, would now and again relapse into a
lazy mood, and only "cooky fishy or meaty" provided
everything he wanted was brought within his reach.
This was the case that evening. He kept ordering

i68 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

the men about, who stood laughing at his helplessness,
yet nevertheless complied with the little Chinaman's
wishes.

The following day's long march was to bring us at
last to Ganal. The scenery was similar to that of
preceding days : the road winding through birch and
poplar woods, with thick undergrowth of tall grass
and juniper ; here and there a few cedars would inter-
rupt the uniformity of the country, and in open spaces
broad stretches of briar in full bloom afforded a plea-
sant diversion to the eye. We crossed several lateral
streams, and a few miles before our destination struck
the valley of the Bystraia River, which joins the
Bolshaia at its mouths, close to the village of Bol-
sheretsk on the Sea of Okhotsk. The vallev o-radu-
ally widens as we approach Ganal, where it extends
to three or four miles in breadth, forming the tundra
of that name. To our right rose the so-called Gandl-
sky vostriakl, or Aiguilles, rows of sharp-edged vol-
canic crags, which were as yet invisible on account of
the prevailing mist. We could just surmise the exist-
ence of a loftier range, bordering the eastern side of
the valley from the steep gullies sweeping down, and
partly filled with last winter's snows. At the further
end ran parallel a lower range of llat-topped hills with
broad plateaux, which we could distinctly perceive to

< c

(J

i6> SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

t;v' mt !; about, who stood laughing at his helplessness,

,('i ;. vertheless complied with the little Chinaman's

wishes.

The following day's long march was to bring us at

last to Ganal. The scenery was similar to that of

preceding days : the road winding through birch and

poplar woods, with thick undergrowth of tall grass

ail' here and there a few cedars would inter-

mity "f the country, and in open spaces

g ' ' fforded a pi ea-

rn

w
<

>

,1 i ,.... I. , •■ ,iing the tundra

> .. . ar right rose the so-called Gandl-

. , - jstriaki, or Aiguilles, rows of sharp-edged vol-
canic crags, which were as yet invisible on account of
the prevailing mist. We could just surmise the exist-
ence of a loftier range, bordering the eabi
the valley from the steep gullies sweeping do
j'lrtly, filled with last winter's snows. At !\er

end ran parallel' a lower range -;•: ith

broad plateaux, which we could erceive to

THE BYSTRAIA RIVER

169

the west. After crossing a wood of high poplars we
found ourselves, at about five p.m., on the banks of
the Bystraia, opposite Ganal, and encamped on marshy
crround amono- the willow bushes which hung over

A FORD OX THE BYSTRAIA RIVER.

the stream, carefully avoiding closer proximity to
the inhabitants and the " village green " praised by
Dr. Guillemard. The hamlet is situated at an alti-
tude of about eight hundred feet above sea-level, and,
though somewhat larger than Natchiki, could hardly
boast of its size, for the population consisted of eighty

I70

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

souls with a corresponding- number of log-huts and
fish-sheds, together with a small church visited two or
three times a year by the nearest priest, who lived at
Milkovo and whose parish was distributed over several
hundred square miles. Here we found another fishery

THE GANAL RANGE.

dam across the stream, though the supplies as yet laid
in for winter were not so important as at Natchiki, for
the fish were only just arriving. A magnificent forty-
pound tcJiaiycha. still alive, was brought in for our
evening meal. The inhabitants of Cianal belong to
the same Russo-Kamchadale breed as at Natchiki,

MOSQUITOES

171

and were of the lowest grade of intellect we had
hitherto met with. The river current at Ganal is
unusually rapid, as indeed its name denotes (tor
Bystraia in Russian means swift), and no wider than
the Bolshaia at Natchiki. The water is clear and
shallow, and separating there into several channels,
forms two or three small islands. Here mosquitoes

VIEW OPPOSITE GANAL.

swarmed in myriads ; their numbers were so great that
the walls of almost every hut were covered and con-
cealed by them to the depth of half an inch. The
natives carried brown gauze over their faces ; we could
only protect ourselves by lighting fires round the tents
and filling them with smoke. As soon as we had
settled down in only comparative comfort, accom-

172

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

panied by the General, we crossed over to the village
in order to secure hunters, or guides, who could lead
us to the most likely nullahs. It turned out that there
was not a single man capable of giving any informa-
tion about the hills. The constant reply was, " iW

A SALMON TRAP ACROSS THE I5YSTRAIA RIVER.

znaicvi " (" We don't know "), which greatly reminded
us of the Monorolian '' Bc/iness,'' so a^""Tavatino- to
weary and keen travellers. They said that none of
them had ever gone beyond the tundra, and that there
was not one hunter in their midst. Each winter an
odd caribou would be shot when the animal was so
oblio'lno- as to run the (gauntlet through the villao^e.

A WELL-KNOWN HUNTER 173

Deep was our perplexity at this unexpected turn of
affairs, for we had been assured at Petropavlovsk that
the Ganahans were all mighty hunters before the
Lord !

In the evening, as we sat discussing- plans and
shaking off mosquitoes, the General introduced to us
an old man of seventy, who, as he expressed himself,
was " discontented with his ears." Not only was he
quite deaf, but apparently almost dumb. Neverthe-
less, the few words we could get out of him were as
a ray of sunshine in the darkness. He appeared to
have been a well-known hunter in his younger days,
and had actually shot wild sheep at the head-waters
of the Bystraia some thirty years ago. He was (juite
willing to accompany us, saying that he would do his
best to take us to those hunting-grounds, although it
was so lono- since he had visited those reoions that he
could not promise to recognise them. Strange to say,
his memory did not fail him ; this old wreck was to be
our " ouidino- star" to the sources of the Kamchatka
River. We passed a bad night at Ganal : what with
the mosquito bites, the neighing of our pack-ponies,
and the whining of the dogs, sleep was out of the
question.

A couple of young natives turned up next morning
with the invaluable patriarch, who was their grand-

174

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

father, in order to take care of him, and a general
start was made at 8.30, after a hasty breakfast con-
sisting of sour milk and bilberries. The weather,
though dull, was exceedingly warm, and the horses,
exhausted by the previous day's forced marches,
advanced slowly. The path led at first through birch

%

j§0m^^

EARLY MORN ON A TUNDRA.

woods, and gradually ascending the main valley of the
Bystraia, debouched from an open marshy waste.
This is the Ganal tundra. Manv a tale had we heard
of that interminable swamp, such as clogs and even
men having been devoured there by overwhelming
swarms of mosquitoes ; that day's experiences were
sufficient to make one believe the most incredible
statements. For hardly liad we ploughed our way a

THE GANAL TUNDRA 175

few yards through the tundra when clouds of these
merciless insects instantly surrounded us, blinding the
ponies and men. It was almost impossible to advance.
Littledale and I, who took it in turns to walk, there
being no spare pack-animals, had to dash ahead now
and again, stumbling over mossy knolls, in order to
find the path by freeing ourselves for a few seconds
from the buzzing circle of mosquitoes. Tallent's
patience was brought to such a severe test that he
complained that this suffering had not been included
in the agreement, and that he never would have come
out if he had only known of it beforehand ! I kept
every moment brushing off the insects Irom my
clothes, killing thousands of them in one sweep ot my
gloved hand, and at one place Littledale simply fled
at my approach to avoid the lumps of mosquitoes
on my net. The horses streamed with blood, and it
was no easy job for the men to prevent a stampede.
In this manner we toiled along over the spongy moss,
amidst cranberry and briar, a distance of twenty miles.
It was presumably the hardest day on record.

During the march we saw several large caribou
antlers, which lay half rotten on the tundra. Camp
was pitched late in the afternoon on a drier part of the
tundra, and v/e learnt that we were half-way to a vil-
lage called Pushina, on the Kamchatka River. Fires

176 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

were lit round our tents, affording us comparative rest.
According to our veteran guide, another twenty miles
should bring us to the foot of the hills, where there
was a chance of finding game. The old man had
walked the whole way, and did not seem a bit tired ;
he sat down silently, apart from the rest of the cara-
van, looking gloomily into space, probably straining
his memory to recall some of the scenes of his bygone
hunting days. We took great care not to disturb the
equanimity of the old sportsman, who was our only
resource, and who next morning was the first to be on
the alert. The mist had partly cleared away, giving
us an occasional glimpse of the higher grounds, but
the mosquitoes were as troublesome as ever. At first
we followed a few miles up the "highway" in a due
northerly direction across the same swampy ground
and tall orrass ; after an hour's march we branched off
eastwards. Here at times there was a semblance of a
path, which we were told was made by bears, but no
further signs of man's presence.

A little later our party crossed a small torrent tlow-
ing out of a narrow ravine ; this was the l^ystraia,
which takes its source within a short distance of the
great Kamchatka River, and a few miles beyond we
entered a valley running to the south-west, at the
head of which we caught sight of a broad swee[)ing

THE KAMCHATKA RIVER i77

amphitheatre of snow-clad mountains, with a lofty
cone-shaped peak to the left ; that was the Kamchat-
skaia Vershina, an extinct volcano of about 8,000 teet,
towering- above the different ranges, distributed in all
directions, and forming the central mountain group of
the southern part of the peninsula. We were now
within ten or twelve miles of the head-waters of the
Kamchatka River, and as far from our coveted hunt-
inof-srounds. We soon struck the river itself, which
is here but a small stream hardly ten yards wide,
though fast and deep enough to make us look for a
ford, which we discovered after a lengthy search.
Our old guide seemed quite cheery again, and twenty
years younger, as he marched ahead of the caravan
along one of the numerous bear trails which ran
through the high grass and tall reeds bordering the
small river. The vegetation here was exceptionally
high, towering above the mounted ponies, which ad-
vanced slowly in Indian file. This task was all the
more difficult, since he had visited these regions with
his sledge-dogs in winter a quarter of a century ago,
and the aspect of a country alters entirely at different
times of year. Now and again he would halt to pick
up another track, or endeavour to recall to mind some
more conspicuous feature of the scenery, and resume
his course after a few minutes' hesitation. Neverthe-

N

1 78 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

less, we were at places brought to a standstill on
account of the dense brushwood, which grew in zones,
like walls across the valley. Underneath the bushes
we could distinctly trace the long- corridors which
had been made by bears for their own traffic, but
which were of no use to our ponies. We were
obliged to surmount these obstacles by cutting our
way through with the axe, which was freely used
during this eventful but necessarily slow march.
Fortunately open stretches were more frequent, and
towards five p.m. we found ourselves at the junction
of three fine valleys, beyond which further advance
with pack-horses was impossible, for the steep slopes
on every side were covered with thick alders and low-
creeping cedars, affording no safe foothold even to
men.

Camp was pitched in a birch grove by the side of
the main stream at an altitude of 1,500 feet; it was
the very spot where our aged hunter used to leave his
sledge-dogs, and from whence he was wont to start on
the war-trail. From here we could distinctly perceive
part of our future hunting-ground, and several large
snowy corries at the foot of rocky peaks. Raising
its cone above the rest, stood, a few miles oft, the
Kamchatskaia Vershina, like a lone sentry posted to
warn off intruders.

AN EXTINCT VOLCANO

1/9

Notwithstanding the mosquito-nets which covered
our beds, we spent a sleepless night, partly owing
to the excitement of finding ourselves at length on
the eve of our first day's shooting, exactly ten days
after leaving the coast, and nearly two months' in-

KAMCHATSKAIA VERSHINA.

cessant travelling from St. Petersburg! If there was
any justice in the world, surely the time had come
for our reward. Next morning Littledale and I
were up at three, ready for a start. The clouds had
disappeared, and a clear sky promised a fine day.
My companion, with Silly and one of the caravan

i8o A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

men as gillie, took the southern nullah, whilst I
proceeded on horseback due east, escorted by the
General and one of the Ganal youngsters. I rode
for about an hour up a side valley through densely
entangled brushwood and tall grass, picking up count-

THE AUTHOR ON THE WAR-I'ATH AT VEKSHINA.

less mosquitoes on the way ; I could hear their un-
pleasant buzz in the dark as we involuntarily kept
shaking them off the bushes in our progress. A light
mist still hung round the hilltops and crept along the
slopes when we dismounted at the bottom of a ravine,
whence the ponies could go no further. In fact, the

IMPASSABLE SCRUB i8i

last few hundred yards had to be negotiated by
wading in midstream, owing to impassable scrub on
both sides.

Leaving- the horses in charge of one of our fol-
lowers, we began ascending- the right bank, which
implied a couple of hours' continuous scramble
through the dense zone of alder, dwarf cedars, and
rhododendrons. We kept constantly sliding down
the exposed roots, and one step forward often meant
a downshoot of two or three yards. Moreover, the
slope was uncommonly steep, at places almost per-
pendicular, while the mosquitoes, aroused from their
slumber by our movements, took their revenge, and
satisfied their appetites on our hands and faces. It
was not until the sun was high over the opposite ridge
that we finally emerged from that deadly zone and
could see where we were. In spite of the recently
endured struggle, it was not without an indescribable
feeling of curiosity, mingled with an unsurpassed sense
of freedom, that I set my foot on the timber-line of
those unexplored wastes, which no one had as vet
admired, no sportsman except our old guide had
visited. Standing on a narrow ledge of rock, I com-
manded a view over a vast stretch of moor, slanting-
down from the Kamchatskaia \'ershina and other
lower pinnacles, with its innumerable patches of snow

i82 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

glittering in the morning sun, and higher up turning
into large snowfields. It was a grand scene of
silence and desolation, creating an impression which I
shall never forget. I was roused from my contem-
plation of it by the gillie, who flatly declined to go
any further, saying that he felt uneasy, being, I sup-
pose, subject to giddiness, anei it required no slight
threats on the part of the General to induce him to
proceed. Following a well-defined bear-path a little
below the ridge, "^ we had hardly advanced a few yards
when my companion suddenly crouched down, point-
ing towards a moving speck ahead of us. It was a
huge bear, which I could plainly distinguish through
a small gap in the rhododendrons ; the beast was
clumsily making its way down the slope some four
hundred yards in front of us, probably on a fishing
excursion. Turning back to get out of sight, and
o-roping my way through the awkward and blinding-
brush, I crept in the animal's direction, and on peeping
again over a rock I perceived Bruin at 150 yards,
steadily advancing to meet us ; a quarter of an hour
brought me within shot. Taking a steady aim with
my '303, I let go at him. The heavy mass pelted

* It must be confessed that the paths made by bears greatly faciHtated
our getting through the thick covert, which otherwise it would have re-
quired superhuman exertions to penetrate.

A HUGE BEAR 183

downhill, oivino- me a second chance for the other
barrel before it disappeared in the depths of the ravine.
A loud growl from below convinced me that at least
one of the bullets had told. Both the General and I
dashed wildly down the slope, nearly breaking our
necks over a sheer fall, which it took us some time to
turn. We soon struck the beast's spoor, leading
straight to the bottom of the gully, where we found
the animal lying stone dead half-way down a snow-
slide, and with one push rolled him to the side of the
stream. According to the General, he weighed over
eighteen poods (a pood = thirty-two pounds), which
meant a great deal more in September, at the end of
the fishinof season. The coat was of a lightish brown
colour (dark ones, as I am told, being very rare in
Kamchatka), and still in its winter condition, thick
and well-furnished. My companion showed me the
local method of telling the approximate weight of a
bear, which they do by measuring the length from
snout to root of tail with the outstretched hand ; so
many tchctvcrts, or hands, denote a corresponding-
number of poods. But since the weight varies con-
siderably at different times of year, this calculation is
not always correct.

We left the gillie to skin this, my first trophy, and
continued up the ravine over steep, hardened snow

1 84 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

till we reached the same ridge. A few minutes later
two other bears came in sight to oar left, apparently
undisturbed by my shots. They were quietly playing
together and rolling themselves on the moss ; one of
them would occasionally make a rush at his companion
as if to frighten him, and both would then gallop
downhill at full speed, stopping suddenly to begin the
same oame over aoain. Followed bv the General,
I slid out of view, and making a small detour to
leeward, crept stealthily up a boulder, from the top of
which I discovered the unsuspicious pair a hundred
and twenty yards below me. Again the report of my
rifle aroused the slumbering echoes of the mountains,
bringing down the furthest animal, which dropped
motionless on the snow. A second shot wounded the
other, which dashed frantically uphill with a heavy
growl. I let him approach, and then gave him his
quietus at close quarters full in the chest. Both
animals proved smaller than the first one, but their
coats were darker and in good order. Three bears in
an hour's time was no common quarry, and I began
to think it was time to turn my attention to sheep.

Leaving our (juarry to be skinned on the way back,
we decided to pursue our course to higher ground in
search of bighorn. We started accordingly ploughing
our way through the light mosses, and carefully spying

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATK ,

reached the same ridge. A few miriutes later
.er bears came in sight to our left, apparently
vlisturbed by my shots. They were quietly playing
•^•ether and rolling themselves on the moss ; one of
n would occasionally make a rush at his companion
o frighten him, and both would then gallop
' full speed, stopping suddenly to begin the
>llowed by the General,
■lall detour to
lee^^ f

g whicii i

S nty ya

Q -'d the .^,'.1

W 'H' down the lati.n.. -■ ;

K motionless on the snow. A sec-/ ;•■
&4 Other, which dashed frantically uphill v,,v.. .

'" growl [ •< r h' "• Mi'M^oHch, and then gave him iiis
I ! \s full in the chest. Botn

vicr than the first one, but the\r
darker and in good order. Three bears in
an hour's time was no common quarrv, ai
to think it was time to turn my atr< ■

Leaving our quarry to be skiii
we decided to pursue our cours
^< irch of bighorn. We started
our way through the light m ^ in;;

AN ALPINE FLORA 185

in every direction. The flora here was quite of the
Alpine type: pink androsaces, saxifraga. violets, asters,
and other plants of elevated regions grew profusely
between the numerous patches of snow. As we
adv^anced, we struck several sheep-paths with old
tracks and droppings, but, though my Zeiss freely
examined all the surrounding corries, which presented
favourable aspects and afforded capital grazing, there
was no sign of Ovis iiivicola. In addition to this,
it was perfect torture to use the binocular for spying
on account of the mosquitoes, which would instanta-
neously settle on one's hands and unveiled face, merci-
lessly attacking any unprotected part. In this manner,
after a couple of hours' walk, we reached the summit
ot a rounded boulder, commanding a view of vast
tracts of moor and snowfields. My aneroid now
showed an altitude of 4,000 feet. The scenery I had
before me was of unsurpassed beauty. At my feet
trickled from beneath accumulated masses of hard
snow a small rivulet Howing into a lovely turquoise-
blue lake, on which floated large glittering icebergs.
Towering above the eastern shores of the lake rose
the massive cone of the Kamchatskaia X'ershina, with
gloomy rocks piercing its snow garment ; and lower,
craggy ranges running east and west, all converging
towards the main central peak. A majestic silence

i86 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

hung over this bright picture of northern magnificence,
as yet unspoiled by the presence of man ; to me it
appeared hke some fantastic country as described in
tales of childhood, which rises in an instant and as
quickly vanishes at a stroke of the fairy's wand. But
alas! no well-meaning giant nor friendly dwarfs in-
habited these lonely regions to welcome us.

The tiny stream which flowed beneath us was the
source of the great Kamchatka River. It enters the
lake from the east, and running out of its western
extremity, joins another stream from the south, some
three miles above our camp ; gradually shifting round
through the tundra, it eventually takes a direction due
north, which is maintained across the whole peninsula
to the mouth at Nijni-Kamchatsk. The lake, w^hich it
w^as proposed that very evening to call " Lake Sofka
Demidoff," in honour of the only lady who had ever
visited it, was about two miles long by three-quarters
of a mile in breadth, and lay at an altitude of 3,500
feet above sea-level. Narrow at both its extremities,
it widens towards the middle ; its waters are wonder-
fully clear and, I imagine, very deep, as its banks are
fairly abrupt on every side. The sketch (which I
purposely refrain from calling a map) of this lake, and
of the sources of the Kamchatka River, showing its
initial direction, which I made on the spur of the

BEAR SKINS 187

moment and now reproduce in this volume, may convey
to the reader a general idea of this hitherto unexplored
locality.

Seeing no trace of wild sheep, nor of any other
living creature, I determined to return to camp after
having skinned the two bears, for it was now late
in the afternoon, and the prospect of a long struggle
through the bush in the dark was by no means
an attractive one. We luckily struck a useful snow-
slide down a gully, and thus avoided part of the
rhododendron zone. Heavily laden with the skins,
we reached the bottom of the valley completely ex-
hausted, and found ourselves in sight of the tents at
six p.m. Camp was in a state of utter confusion ;
after the previous day's incessant rain there was not
a single pack which had not been damped through,
and everyone had hung up his belongings to dry : it
reminded one of a gipsy encampment in the midst of
the woods. My gillie had faithfully brought in the
skin of the first bear, and we all eagerly awaited
Littledale's arrival in order to know what might be
expected from our hrst hunting-ground. It was not
long before the familiar neighing of ponies, greeting
their returning comrades, announced his approach.
He brought back four average heads of Oz'is nivicola,
of which the best one measured 34 inches by 13.1, and

i88

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

a laree bear skin. That day's bao- thus amounted
to four sheep and four bears. Littledale had come
across the sheep on the higher ridges, where they had
probably betaken themselves to seek comparativ'e pro-
tection from the mosquitoes. He had only spied the

OUR FIRST day's BAG AT VERSHINA (I'OUR SHEEP AND FOUR BEARs).

four rams he had shot as well as a couple of ewes,
and, though our success seemed promising, he did not
think that, with the exception of bears, game was
plentiful in the district. Moreover, he said that sheep
in these parts, unaccustomed as they were to human
presence, were too tame to afford sport, and would let

WILD SHEEP

189

him come up to them in full view without attempting
to escape ; their ignorance of the rifle and curiosity at
the sight of unknown beings placed them entirely in
his power. I\Iy companion had failed to secure an-
other bear at a long range on his way back to camp.

HEAD AND SKIN" OF OVrS h'lVICOLA.

Ne.xt morning, accompanied by my faithful General
and two men, I started before dawn towards one of
the southern nullahs, with the firm intention of making-
straight for the tops, whilst Littledale took an eastern
direction with the object of reconnoitring the slopes
of the Kamchatskaia X'ershina. The night had been
chilly, and the mosquitoes in consequence gave us

I90 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

comparative rest as we rode through the woods and
entered a fresh valley. The sky was perfectly clear,
promising- a fine day. Leaving the horses below the
zone of scrub, we found a long, steep ravine, filled with
hardened snow, which greatly facilitated our ascent.
We could distinguish at the head of the valley rows
of volcanic pinnacles, some 5,000 feet high, with pre-
cipitous snow-slides shooting down the gullies between
them. They ran westward of the main peak, and
appeared to be first-rate ground for sheep.

A distance of about six miles as yet intervened, and
it took us at least three hours before we reached the
more abrupt slopes of the towering crags. As we
were preparing for the last scramble I spied a large
bear some lour hundred yards above us. As I
watched him through the glass, digging the earth
and slowly advancing at right angles from us, his
coat seemed unusually light in colour, almost white.
As he was on our way, I suggested a stalk, and, hiding
from view, followed a lateral ravine in his direction.
Unfortunately, on reaching the commanding ridge,
alder bushes, on which we counted for concealment,
had l)ecome scarce, and further advance in the open
would have involved certain failure. Ihuin was now
two hundred and fifty yards off, and as he appeared
to have no intention of comino- anv nearer, I had to

jyj^ Ajyj^^LA |AX UI.D KAMI.

A WOUNDED BEAR 193

take my chance. Out of five consecutive shots, the
fifth at least reached its destination, for the beast,
which had remained motionless, as if thunder-stricken
by the cracks of the rifle, emitted a loud roar, and
pelted downhill to my right into patches of dense
brushwood, where we could locate him by the waving
of the branches above him, as he forced his way
through. Though we found blood on his tracks, he
was strong enough to pursue his course through the
thicklv entangled scrub, in the midst of which it
would be a dangerous matter to tackle a wounded
bear. The rifie was of no avail, and the General
proposed to abandon a chase which involved such
risk. Time being precious. I agreed to this wise
suggestion, and reluctantly leaving the animal to its
unhappy fate, proceeded to climb a perpendicular
slope towards the left ridge of the valley, along
which we journeyed to a low saddle, where we settled
clown to spy. There mosquitoes again gathered round
us in countless numbers ; my companion, who wore no
gloves, declined to use the spare Zeiss I had lent him
and kept his hands in his pockets. As for myself, I was
reduced to an occasional glance at the surrounding
corries. I was soon destined, however, to catch my
first glimpse of Oz'is nivicoia, for a small grey speck
moving among the rocks of one of the lateral spurs

194 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

presently came in sight ; this proved to be a young
ram. Hoping- that he might be accompanied by others,
I decided to approach him. Creeping cautiously below
the ridge, in an hour we managed to get within a
hundred yards of the place where I had spied him,
and on peeping over a protruding ledge discovered
him still standing in the same spot. I could plainly
distinouish the remnants of his winter coat still clino--
ing in patches to his back and withers. Crawling
down to a small mossy knoll, I was over-anxious to
oret a shot, and the result was I scored a clean miss at
eighty yards ! The ram did not give me a second
chance, for he disappeared like lightning round a
boulder, and I never saw him again. So far success
had not crowned my efforts that day. We returned
disappointed to the saddles we had just left, and
thence started towards the hioher crao^s of that volcanic
ridge, encountering on our way many a "gendarme"
round almost vertical rocks, parts of which treacher-
ously gave way under my grip. At places it was
necessary to advance in a riding position over the
narrow ledge, with precipices of several hundred feet
on either side of us.

The aspect of the country beyond, at an elevation
of about 5,000 feet, had entirely changed. Odd-
shaped rocks of volcanic formation stood out of the

SHEEP TRACKS

197

ground like rows of disjointed fingers, between which
lay scattered everywhere rough heaps of porous
stones and sharp debris of old lava. There were
no more signs of grass or vegetation whatever in
this place of dark desolation. In addition to this
a heavy mist came on unexpectedly, preventing us

KEEPING OFF MOSQUITOES (VEKSHINA CAMP).

from proceeding further. It was not until a whole
hour had elapsed that we were able to resume our
course over the broken ground, peeping here and
there through the small gaps into the deep corries
below. We passed along numerous paths of sheep,
which to judge by the tracks seemed to frequent these
places in preference to the lower pastures, and whose
habits, in this regard, resembled those of ibex.

198 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

Presently, as I was peering down through a clearing
in the mist, I perceived two animals on my right
coming up a ravine in our direction. Creeping cau-
tiously down the sharp stones, which yielded under
my feet, I made for a mass of rock, and on looking
over found that the mist had again filled the gully. I
waited motionless, the wind being favourable, for that
aggravating veil to lift, and as it partially thinned
down I vaguely distinguished two sheep advancing
quietly a hundred yards below me ; I could just tell
that they were young rams. Taking my chance, I
fired at the nearest one, which rolled over, while the
other ran a few yards, and. stopping to look back for
his companion, received my second bullet, which
knocked him head over heels into the abyss. I found
them to be both four-year-old rams, and though the
heads were by no means trophies to be proud of, I
enjoyed the illusion of a success. One of these
animals had entirely shed its winter coat, the other
still carried thick brown patches of hair. I was
specially struck by the shortness of their skulls and
prominent eye-bones. Their summer coat is of a dull
grey hue, lighter on the legs, rump, and under the
belly ; their height at the shoulder is about forty
inches. An average ram weighs from 200 to 250 lbs.
(six to seven poods) with(jut the gralloch. With

WILD SHEEP

199

regard to their ways, it appears to me, as I have said
before, that durinor the two warm months in Kam-
chatka they betake themselves to the highest ground
and adopt the habits of wikl goats, living in the
tightest rocks, unlike wild sheep in the other parts of

>'

A.Mr DUTY.

the world, that rely more on their sight for safety, and
prefer rolling hills. Whether this peculiarity be due
to natural inclination, or to a legitimate horror of
mosquitoes, it is difficult to say ; their tracks seemed
more numerous alono- the ridores than on the lower
pastures. How they can survive the severe winter
months of that northern climate, and find shelter or

20O A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

food when snow covers everything several feet deep,
is a mystery. There can be no doubt tliat Oi'is uivicola
is considerably more plentiful along the coasts, where
life is made easier for them, both on account of the
constant breeze, which blows away mosquitoes in
summer and carries off the snow in winter, as well as
for the capital grazing, partly due to the sea salt. The
well-known Normandy prcs-salcs owe their celebrity
to the same cause. I am inclined to believe that
Kamchatkan bighorn, for the same reasons, grow
larger and stronger along the sea coast than in the
interior of the peninsula. The fact remains that the
heads obtained by me, or picked up by the natives
near the coast, proved finer than any of those which
we obtained in the Ganal region.

Taking the horns and some meat, we now retraced
our steps in the direction of camp. It was no light
job, heavily laden as we were, the General and I, to
reascend the ridge ; luckily on the other side we
were able to slide down the steep snow -shoots almost
the whole way back to the place where the ponies
awaited us, and reached the tents in three hours, at
seven p.m. Littledale had already returned with
three fair heads, one of which measured thirty-three
inches, the other two being smaller, lie had only
seen these three rams together with a herd of ten

p:3

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Q

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S

w

J_^

G

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200 A SHOOTING IRIP TO KAMCHATKA

food when snow covers everything several feet deep,
is a mystery. There can be no doubt that Ovis nivicola
is considerably more plentiful along the coasts, where
lift- is made easier for them, both on account of the
constant breeze, which blows away mosquitoes in
summer and carries off the snow in winter, as well as
lor the capital grazing, partly due to the sea salt. The
well-known Normandy pres-sales owe their celebrity
fh<- ~■^^^^f^ ' ->>--• I am inclined to believe that
fcr the sanT- r-'asons, otow

''n the

p.eat, we now retfac( d
lirection of camp. It was no light
!•;;). heavily laden as we were, the General and I, to
reascend the ridge ; luckily on the other side we
were able to slide down the steep snow -shoots almost
ihe whole way back to the place where the ponies
awaited us, and reached the tents in :
seven p.m. Littledale had already returnt
three fair heads, one of which

inches, the other two being sniuli ii)

seen these three rams to^rether wmi a iitra ui ten

AMUSING ADVENTURE 201

ewes on the top of a high ridge, west of the Kam-
chatskaia Vershina. He said he might have bagged
the lot, for they all stood about five minutes round
him after his shots ; he availed himself of the oppor-
tunity to secure one of the ewes, whose skin and
bones he brought back for the British Museum.

An amusinof adventure befell him that dav. While
climbing a slope with his hunter, they suddenly met

OVIS NIVICOLA.

face to face a large bear which had come up from the
opposite side. Bruin's amazement was great ; he got
up on his hind legs at first, then crouched down again
intently gazing at the intruders. Not wishing to dis-
turb the ground, Littledale picked up a stone and
threw it at the beast, hitting him on the snout ;
whereupon Bruin ran a few yards and stopped again
to look back, when another stone was hurled at him,
till he eventually decided to be off. On his way home
Littledale shot a bear close to camp. Exchanging"

202 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

that evening" our respective impressions, we concluded
that few sheep were distributed among those hills,
and that one or two more days' hunting would well-
nio'h exhaust the remainino- stock.

Next morning, a thick mist having set in, it was
decided to make it an "off-day," and enjoy twenty-four
hours' rest. We spent our time skinning the heads
and taking numerous photographs round the camp.
The incessant struggle against mosquitoes could not
be abandoned, and fires were constantly kept up
round the tents to smoke out these troublesome foes.
The afternoon was quite warm, and dinner was laid
out-of-doors, \'asska doing wonders with roast fillets of
sheep. Before turning in I found that the barometer
had risen and promised a clear day for the morrow.

CHAPTER \T.

Resolve to try the country beyond the Kamchatskaia Vershina— Photo-
graphing the source of the Kamchatka River— Two bears seen — A
small mountain lake — Two sheep sighted— Plagued by mosquitoes-
Lunch on a snowfield— A three-year-old sheep shot— Eight bears in
view at once on the snow — Striped grey marmots numerous — Gillie's
adventure with a bear — Littledale kills a young ram — Crossing the
Bystraia — Birch forest and swamps— Fresh tracks of bear — Intense
heat and mosquitoes — Another young ram shot — The heart saved for
native medicine — A stampede amongst the horses— Proceed towards
Petropavlovsk and camp near Koriak — Despatch a messenger from
Khutor for boats to cross the bay— A white dog of the Kamchatkan
breed bought — A good haul of salmon— Medicinal use of bear's
bladders— Start in double canoes for the mouth of the Avatcha^
Crossing the bar — The launch with boats in tow — News of the war
in China — Embark on board the Tsi/sikar for Nikolaie\sk at the
mouth of the Amur opposite Sakhalin — Fishing in the harbour —
Seals— Start for the sheep range south of Avatcha Bay— Littledale
remains at Petropavlovsk — The mouth of the Paratunka river —
Through birch forest and across a lake to Kluchi — The village of
Kluchi described — Torrents of rain — The men refuse to proceed-
Fine head of caribou — Another start — The sheep ground reached and
a herd sighted— A difficult stalk and a good ram killed — Return to-
camp amidst general rejoicing.

^^UMMER was now at its apogee; vegetation.

^^ which grows so fast in northern regions and shows
so vividly the wonderful resources ot nature, starts
also in the space of a day towards its speedy decline.

204 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

Leaves were turning- red, the tall grass, a few hours
ago of a deep green, was being touched with yellow,
and the briar roses were already dropping their pink
petals ; the cedars seemed alone to resist the first
touches of approaching autumn. Yet that morning,
when I was awakened at three o'clock, a damp, foggy
morning, the calendar indicated that it was only the
15th of July. I resolved to make an energetic attempt
to secure a good head, for no red-letter day had as
yet been marked in my diary, and failure after so long
a journey was not a pleasant prospect. Littledale
might rest on his laurels, but my two small rams were
not an important contribution to our common bag. I
intended that day to try the country beyond the Kam-
chatskaia Vershina, and started at four a.m. up the
valley leading to the lake accompanied by Tallent,
whom I was to leave on my way to photograph the
neighbourhood of the source of the Kamchatka River.
Luckily the mist lifted soon after our departure, and
a couple of hours brought us to the thick zone of bush,
through which we pushed our ponies, availing our-
selves occasionally of the channel in midstream. On
reaching the vast stretches of moorland which led up
to the volcano, we proceeded over steep slopes of
snow towards a saddle to its left. Two bears were
quietly feeding some eight hundred yards off amongst

WILD SHEEP FOUND 205

alder bushes, but I was too much intent on sheep, and
was not to be distracted by bears.

Abandoning Tallent to his work on the banks of
Lake Sofka Demidoff, and leaving- our horses in a
hollow, the General and I. with a gillie, pursued our
course, and presently came to a small mountain lake
at an altitude of about 3,000 feet. In order to in-
spect as much ground as possible, I despatched the
gillie up a side ridge to examine the corrie beyond,
whilst I continued towards the higher ridges, toiling
for over an hour up lava debris in a gloomy gorge
in a due northerly direction. After having spied
in vain the near slopes of the peak from the summit
of one of the boulders, we discovered a little further
some likely ground before us, A broken, sloping
ridge, bordering the left side of the Kamchatka
stream, led to a loftier hill from which ran down on the
opposite side rows of queer-shaped volcanic pinnacles
{kekuria, as the General called them), forming a
huge amphitheatre of rolling stones and blocks of
detached rock. Here we began to spy more carefully.
A couple of sheep soon came in view, though too
distant for us to judge of their sex. After a short
hesitation with regard to the wind, we decided in
f^wour of prudence, and ascended to the top of a hill
to obtain a better view of the oround before oroino-

o 00

2o6 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

further. This plan necessitated a hard chnib, which
took us three long hours. Then we found ourselves
at an elevation of 6,000 feet, the highest point in
the neighbourhood after the Kamchatka peak, and
commanded on all sides many miles of country.
The General pointed out to me the different vol-
canoes rising above the numerous ranges on the dim
horizon. East of us we could plainly see the Jupa-
novskaia Sopka [sopka is the local term for a peak),
an extinct volcano of over 8,000 feet, while due
south rose, hardly visible, the graceful cone of Vil-
utcha some hundred miles distant in a straifrht line :
but such was the transparency of the atmosphere that
its outline was clearly defined against the light
northern sky. The imposing mass of the V^ershina
stood out at close quarters, and the lake seemed
but a tiny blue speck lost in the depths of the moor.
A few old rams enjoying their siesta would have
greatly heightened the beauty of the picture, but
alas ! none were to be seen. The mosquitoes had
followed us even to these heights, where we might
have expected to be at last free from their persecution.
We sat down to lunch in the middle of a snowfield,
hoping in this way to get rid of the tiresome insects,
but were soon to be mistaken, as they presently
swarmed round us as thick as ever. The two animals

A HERD OF EWES 209

we had spied from below had lain down at the same
place, and proved to be ewes.

After a well-earned rest we started down the ridofe,
working our way over rocks among craggy pinnacles,
and peeping carefully into the ravines on either side,
we found a herd of ewes and young 300 yards below
us. Adult rams seemed indeed very scarce, for we
had now examined great tracts of country continuously
on the look-out from six a.m. to two p.m. without
catchino- si^ht of a sinole one. Remembering that
I had promised the director of the St. Petersburg
Museum to present him with a couple of Oz'is nivicola,
I seized the opportunity and proceeded to approach
the herd ; a few minutes later we were within fifty
yards of them as they unsuspiciously advanced among
the rocks. Only one of the ewes was clear of her
winter coat, the others being in a beggarly patchy
condition. As she stepped across the sight of my
ritie I dropped her dead, while her friends stood
gazing in all directions, and it was only when we
stood up that they went off at an easy trot. The
General said she was a three-year-old sheep ; her coat
was of a clean slaty-grey colour, with the usual light
parts on the rump, legs, and belly. The fact that she
was already in summer garb while the older ones still
carried their winter coats led me to the possibly rash

2IO A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

conclusion that the younger sheep shed their coats
earlier than their elders. It is always dangerous to
generalise upon insufficient evidence, but I had been
struck by the same peculiarity in other countries, and
similar facts, as well as exceptions, prove the rule. It
took us some time to skin the animal and gather all
the bones for the skeleton, and evening was setting in
when we started back towards camp.

As we alighted on the summit of the ridge an
immense corrie lay beyond, and there on the vast
snowfields at its bottom awaited us a sight which
few sportsmen can boast of having ever witnessed.
We counted eioht laroe bears wanderino- about on
the snow, all in full view at once, and within a radius
of certainly less than a mile ! They appeared to us
like hu<>"e blackbeetles crawlin^r alono- a whitewashed
floor. It was an uncommon gathering, as I watched
them with my glass, clumsily advancing in different
directions with their snouts to the ground. Six of
them came within the field of my Zeiss, and one of
them specially attracted my attention by his enormous
size. The General, who seemed to be a connoisseur
in the matter, said he must have measured at least
twenty -five hands, or /c/ick'crfs, and consequently
weighed, according to the local estimate, twenty-five
/>oods {H50 lbs.). It was a unique sight. The beasts

BEARS IN THE SNOW 211

had probably betaken themselves to the snowfields
to escape from the mosquitoes, intending- to return to
"land" at night. It was with difficulty that I tore
myself away from this extraordinary coup d\ei7, and
resumed my journey home. On our way numbers
of striped grey marmots kept popping into their holes
as we passed. A long and dreary march over curious
strata like sharp tiles set edgeways in the soil, which
cut the rubber soles of my shoes, rolling' stones, and
lower down beautiful lieht mosses and dwarf rhodo-
dendrons, brought us back to the ponies, where we
found the gillie still pale with terror from an adventure
he had had during our absence. It will be remem-
bered that I had sent him to spy over a ridge in case
there were sheep in one of the lateral corries. He
had naturally seen none, but had encountered a bear
which had actually made for him, and as he had been
forbidden to carry a gun, his only resource was his
legs. He hati managed to escape down a ravine and
mislead Bruin, but he vowed he would never visit the
hills aoain without a firearm of some kind.

o

We reached camp late at night with a painful feeling
of disappointment, for my chances of obtaining a trophy
were vanishing fast. Littledale had found two young
rams on the northern part of the ground, and only
brought in a small head, though the tracks he had

2 12 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

tciken up indicated the presence of more animals than
he had come across. Considering that we had now
sufficiently explored the surrounding" country, we re-
solved to strike camp on the following day. Our
old Ganalian guide volunteered to conduct us to
another nullah further south, saying he knew of a
path through the woods where pack -ponies could
easily pass. Starting late in the morning down the
main valley and branching away from the watershed
of the Kamchatka River, we proceeded southwards
and crossed the Bystraia, which at that place was but
a small stream. The path, if the hardly discernible
track we followed may be so called, led us through
dense jungle and creeping cedars, over which our
horses kept stumbling. A fifteen-mile march took us
in this way to the entrance of a valley running down
from the same Ganal rano^e, though the stream which
flowed in it belonged to the Bystraia. Tents were
pitched by the side of the torrent, and friendly smoke
soon protected us from the midges.

Next morning I was on the move before dawn,
and started, under the guidance of our aged cicerone,
accompanied by the General and Silly ; as there
was not supposed to be ground enough for two guns,
Littledale insisted on giving me the preference, and
remained himself in camp. We rode at first through

THE HEAD OF THE VALLEY 215

the birch forest and occasional swamps, where the
advance was slow ; on reaching the zone of shrub
I could see several miles in front the head of the
valley, crowned with rows of pinnacles similar to
those I had negotiated round the Kamchatskaia
Vershina, and having gone some distance up the
river-bed, dismounted after a couple of hours' ride.
The sky was cloudless, and promised a scorching
hot day. We followed up the long, precipitous snow-
slides, which filled the bottom of the gullies, until
eight a.m., when we came across fresh tracks of bear.
Continuing the ascent, we finally alighted on the
rough summit of a ridge running eastwards, at an eleva-
tion of 5,200 feet, and settled down with our glasses
to spy. But there was no sign of game, save a young-
ram lying on the summit of one of the kckuna.
We pursued our weary course in his direction, in the
hope of finding others in his company, over almost
perpendicular slopes of loose shingle, which constantly
gave way under our feet. Presendy, Silly, who
seemed to reconnoitre our position, declared that we
now were on the very ground where Littledale had
shot his three rams from last camp a few days before!
My chances were melting away like morning mist,
and the further ridges being beyond that day's reach,
nothing was to be done but to retrace our steps.

2i6 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

Moreover, at noon, the heat was intense, and mos-
quitoes had by this time found us out, and swarmed
to attack our gauze nets. Being out of meat, I crept
back towards the youngster which I had despised,
rolling him over a rock to the bottom of the ravine,
where Silly was despatched to cut him up. We
discovered nothing else in the afternoon — not even
a bear — and striking one of the gullies, started home
thoroughly disheartened by continued failure. The
hardened snow of the mornino- had melted fast durino-
the day, and several times gave way under our weight
with a heavy thud as we descended the valley, with
the result of giving us many an involuntary bath in
the stream beneath. We were in sioht of the tents
at six p.m., and decided to abandon the Ganal hills.
I hoped to retrieve my luck in the Natchiki district,
or make a desperate attempt along the sea-coast, and
a general start was agreed upon. That evening,
when visiting the kitchen, I found Vasska busy
gathering, in a dirty bit of paper, what appeared to
be a black powder of some kind. On my inquiry
as to what it was, he explained to me, in his broken
dialect, that this was a precious medicine which he had
made himself of the dried hearts of wild sheep ; these
he had roasted and ground into powder, which he
said was a sure remedy against any kind of disease ;

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2i6 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

Moreover, at noon, the heat wa^ intense, and mos-
quitoes had by this time found us out, and swarmed
to attack our gauze nets. Being out of meat, I crept
back towards the youngster which 1 had despised,
rolling him over a rock to the bottom of the ravine,
where Silly was despatched to cut him up. We
discovered nothing else in the afternoon — not even
a bear — and striking one of the gullies, started home
thoroughly disheartened by continued failure. The
irdened snow of the morning had melted fast during

with ■

the rc.-^ui

^ d the streaii

) l^>.., 1 J V <A I

at six p.m., and decided to abandon the l........ ^..^i. .

I hoped to retrieve my luck in the Natchiki district,
or make a desperate attempt along the sea-coast, and
a general start was agreed upon. That evening,
when visiting the kitchen, I found Vasska busy
gathering, in a dirty bit of paper, what appeared to
be a black powder of some kind. On my inquirx"
as to what it was, he explained to
dialect, that this was a precious medici;
made himself of the dried hea; ; (hese

he had roasted and ground ' h he

said was a sure remedy again- 'lisease;

THE START FOR GANAL 217

a teaspoonful was sufficient to restore broken limbs
or sprains. The hunters told me that Vasska had
insisted that they should bring to him the heart of
every sheep we shot ; he intended to sell the powder
in China, where he could obtain a high price for this
quaint medicine, greatly appreciated in that country.
Vasska was no fool, and secured a profit where he
could.

On the morning of July iS we started back for
Ganal. The silent old man led the way, and in a
couple of hours brought our caravan to the main path,
which we followed down to the villao-e. At four we
were once more pitched on the same spot opposite the
settlement, and greatly enjoyed the salmon and milk
which were sent to us by the natives. Our horses
were dead beat ; some of them had fallen lame, others
had injured their backs, which showed large sores.
During a stampede which took place in the morning-
one of the stallions had bitten another badly, and they
were altogether not in a marching condition.'* Never-
theless, we were determined to quit this God-forsaken
country, and our men, no less desirous to return to
their homes, proved of great assistance in the execu-
tion of our long, dreary marches to the coast, which
we did much quicker than when we advanced inland.

* In Kamchatka dogs are castrated, ponies never ; hence the trouble.

2i8 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

Mosquitoes contributed likewise in no sliglit degree to
push us forward. The dogs at Ganal had to be
smoked the whole day for fear of being eaten aliv^e !
On the second day after our departure from Ganal we
found ourselves again off Natchiki, but a steady down-
pour and the vagueness of local information concern-
ing game in the neighbourhood damped our intention
of seeking" further sport in the interior, and prompted
us to resume our journey to Petropavlovsk, where
brighter prospects of shooting along the coast still
encouraged us. Next day. after a thirty-five-mile
march, we pitched camp in the dark, close to Koriak
village again, leaving behind the likely ground we had
once thought of inspecting on our way to the interior ;
but the General was all for trying Cape Shipounsky,
and the news we received from the Sfarshind of
Koriak, who had been to the "town" with his petition,
strongly inclined us to continue the journey. For
many Japanese schooners now lay off Petropavlovsk
harbour, and a lump sum might induce the owner of
one of them to land us somewhere on the coast.
Scarcity of fish was still sorely felt by the inhabitants
of the settlement, to whom I promised to lend my
assistance by supporting their rightful demands before
the chief of the district. The following day saw us
l)ack at Khutor, whence a messenoer was forthwith

KAMCHATKAN DOGS 219

despatched for boats to convey us across the bay.
We found the water in the river had considerably
subsided, and, according to the General, it would be
no easy matter to negotiate the bar outside. There
we paid off the men, and bade farewell to those useful
companions of our short incursion ; I was less sorry
to leave the ponies, the most vicious of their kind.
Our host took us round his " kennels," where about
sixty dogs of the pure Kamchatka breed greeted us
from their holes with a deafening concert of whines.
One of them specially struck me by his good looks,
and I inquired of his master if he would consent to
part with him, upon which I was asked twenty-five
roubles for the dosf, and obtained him for fifteen. It
was a fine specimen of a native sable-hunting dog,
with a thick snow-white coat and pricked ears. We
named him " Kam," and brought him eventually back
to England, where he lost his good nature, and became
so fierce that no one dared approach him. Having
been constantly fed on salmon, he refused for a long-
time any other food, and the change of climate and
habits produced a disastrous effect upon him.

The neighbouring hamlet, Stary-Ostrog, only four
versts distant, so I was informed, was never visited
by mosquitoes, whilst they swarmed at Khutor. This
curious fact, like manv others in nature, remains as

220 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

yet unexplained ; if only the cause of this anomaly
could be detected, it might lead to the abolition of
that curse of the country. In the evening we wit-
nessed a haul of fish, consistino- of /cj-asiiaia. haiko,
and garbusha (hump-back salmon), but the fisher-
man confirmed the statement of the inhabitants of
Koriak, that his supplies were not half so abundant

■4- _^ .

THE author's dog, " KAM.'"'

as those of previous years. Before dinner 1 found
Vasska bargaining with some of our dismissed party
for the gall-bladders of the bears we had killed. He
was purchasing them by the weight, at a price of six
roubles (twelve shillings) per pound, and bought
twenty roubles' worth of them. He undoubtedly
made a profit out of this, for we watched him later
disposing of them at a much higher })rice. The

DOUBLE CANOES 221

contents of these bladders are greatly appreciated
in China, being used as a cure for special diseases.
Vasska would never lose his chance, and well knew
what he was about.

Next morning we found three double canoes, lashed
in pairs, ready to carr\- us down to the mouths of the

THE START FROM KHUTOR.

Avatcha ; wooden boards, fastened across by the care
of the General, afforded us comfortable seats between
the piled-up luggage. The day was clear, and lovely
the view of the great Koriak volcano and other high
ranges opposite, as we glided silently down the switt
current of the stream ; this time no exertion was
needed on the part of the men, who had nothing to
do but to steer. Kam sat joyfully at the head of

222 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

the dug-out, wagging- his tail with contentment, and
apparently none the sadder for having left his home
for ever. The same distance which had required
twelve hours' incessant struggle up-stream was now
insensibly done in three. At nine a.m. we were quite
astonished to find ourselves off the fishing hamlet

DOWN THE AVATCHA RIVKR IN DOUBLE DUG-OUTS.

of Avatcha ; as the General had foreseen, the water
at the bar was shallower than usual. It took the
men at least an hour to drag our rafts over the sand,
and when we were finally afioat again in the bay, the
boats we expected to await us were nowhere to be
seen. Silly, who had been sent to Petropavlovsk for
them, had probably lost his way, or stopped for a rest

COASTING TO SEROGLASSKY

223

in one of the villages.* The sea being- smooth, it
was decided that we should be punted on by the men,
following the line of the coast. But this slow mode
of advance implied several hours' delay, and it was
not till noon that we reached in this manner a small

'*■/*

i i;^ :^

i.isS' -<-'5?- "■

OUK. BAGGAGE (DOWN THE AVATCHA RIVER).

fishing settlement called Seroglassky (which in Russian
means "grey eyes'"). From this place we caught
sight of a launch towing a couple of boats across the

* We also wrongfully attributed the delay to Silly's inclination for the
bottle ; but the General told us that the sale of strong spirits was strictly
prohibited by the Government throughout the whole of the peninsula —
a measure which cannot be too highly praised. Had it not been for
that regulation, the natives would have entirely died out from drink.

224 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

bay, c'lnd heading towards the mouth of the Avatcha ;
our messao^e had evidently reached its destination.
We consequently tied our handkerchiefs and capes to
the ends of the poles and began waving them and
signalling desperately to the people on the launch.
Although several miles separated us, our efforts were
crowned with success, and presently the steamer
turned in our direction. The Ispravnik in person
was on board, and heartily greeted us back ; our
belongings were soon transported, and the whole
party safely reached Petropavlovsk in the afternoon.
Camp was once more pitched on the memorable sand-
spit, part of which had now been turned into a coal
depot, numerous Corean coolies being engaged in
unloading the Tsitsikar, a large collier, anchored in
the outer harbour.

The captain of that steamer had brought news of
the serious troubles which had broken out in China ;
he had informed the Ispravnik that war had been
declared against the Celestial Empire by the joint
Powers, in consequence of the murder of the German
representative in Pekin ; that the forts of Taku had
been stormed by the pAU-opean troops, and that the
Chinese Imperial Army had united with the Boxers
in a drawn battle, wherein 1,700 Russians and 10,000
Chinamen had been killed. Thou''h events seemed

FRESH PLANS 225

exaggerated, and the source of this unexpected news
lacked authenticity, we could not help thinking that
some important disturbance had taken place, and that
our projected trip to Amurland into the Khingan was
likely to fall through. This only encouraged further
attempts to secure trophies of Kamchatkan bighorn,
and a fresh plan dawned upon us. A small steamer
of the Seal Fisheries Co., the Kotik. bound for the
Commander Islands, lay at present off Petropavlovsk;
if only the skipper could be induced to drop us. on
his way, at Cape Shipounsky, the captain of the
Tsitsikar might call for us at that place ten days
later, when he intended to start back to Nikolaievsk.
The Ispravnik volunteered to carry on the negotia-
tions with both captains, whilst we laid in stores for
the journey. To our great vexation, though the
former was quite willing to land us at Morjovoi Bay
(Walrus Bay), close to the coveted promontory, the
skipper of the Tsitsikar would not listen to any
proposal, and flatly declined to steer a single mile
out of his route, alleging that he had no instructions
whatever on the subject, that the weather might
prevent him from entering an unsheltered bay, which
was not even marked on the chart, and that he was
due on a fixed date at Ta-lien-\\'an. being tied by
an important contract for timber. Thus vanished

226 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

our last hopes of shooting along the coasts of Kam-
chatka.

The season was now achancino-, and time had come
to take measures for our return journey, as we were
told that no more ships would call again before next
year. The Baikal was expected every day from
NijniTvamchatsk, but the prospects of a month's
cruise on that steamer, which was to visit all the ports
of the Okhotsk Sea before ooino- back to Vladivostok,
was no pleasant prospect. Our sole remaining chance
was the Tsitsikar, so we seized the opportunity, and
securincr accommodation on board, booked to Niko-
laievsk, a town lying at the mouth of the Amur
opposite the island of Sakhalin. In the meanwhile
we had ten days at our disposal before the final
departure.

Our friend the Ispravnik paid us a visit in the
evening, and confided to us that durincv our absence
there had been serious alarm at Petropavlovsk.
Several Japanese schooners, chartered by the Seal
Fisheries Co., happened to be sailing in the bay at
the time ; a quarrel having taken |)lace between one
of the inhabitants and a Jap, the former had come to
the Ispravnik with the report that the Japanese had
big guns on board their schooners, and that they were
about to make an attack on the town, with the object

NATIVE STEERING 227

of raiding the Government House, where they knew
that a large sum of money was collected from local
taxes and the recent sale of skins. On hearing of this
the Ispravnik had mustered all the men he could find
— about eighty in number — with rifies and ammuni-
tion. These improvised troops had waited all night

NATIVE METHOD OF STEERING ON THE AVATCHA RIVER.

under arms ready to repell the Japanese fleet, and ex-
pecting the enemy every moment. But no one had
stirred, and the alarm proved to be wholly unjustified,
for on the following day a minute inspection of the
schooners showed the entire absence of guns of any
kind on board. He added that at one time he had
greatly regretted our absence, as reinforcements on
our part would have been most valuable *' for the

228 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

defence of Russian interests," Such was the farce
which we were very sorry not to have witnessed. In
the course of conversation I directed the Ispravnik's
attention to the proceedings of the Seal Fisheries
Co., so detrimental in every respect to the native
population. To this he replied that he had already
drafted a report on the subject, which he was about to
submit to the Governor at Vladivostok, whose decision
could in no event be made public before next summer.
In the meanwhile the unhappy Kamchadales would
have to starve, and Heaven only knows how they got
through that winter, W'hile Vasska was preparing
dinner (the wretch was now in great terror of being-
skinned alive, his countrymen being at war with
Russia, and everyone threatening him), we walked
alone the beach, and witnessed an uncommonly i>ood
haul just outside the harbour. More than two hundred
liaiko, averaging lo lbs., were caught in a quarter of
an hour. Close to us seals (which the natives call
ncrpa) kept popping their heads out of the water, and
diving away at our sight.

Snow had by this time entirely disappeared from
the surrounding hills, and the same strong southerly
wind blew incessantly from nine a.m. to six p,m,,
when a dead calm ensued. That night we slept
soundly, free from anxiety respecting our journey

DOWN THE AVATCHA RIVER

229

home. But success had so far not equalled our ex-
pectations, and it was not without a feeling of despair
that I met next morning the General in company with

EASY ADVANXE DOWN THE AVATCHA RIVER.

an inhabitant of Petropavlovsk, named Podprougine,
who said that he knew of a neiohbourino- ranee of
hills south of Avatcha Bay, where his son had come
across sheep in the previous year, and which could

230 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

possibly be reached, if only the river was fordable, in
a couple of days. I naturally juniped at the proposal,
and clun^ to it as a wrecked sailor clines to a floatinof
spar. There still remained more than a week before
our collier would start, and such a providential chance
might involve a turn of the tide.

Nikolai Podprougine was a Siberian by birth, a native
of Irkutsk, which he had left thirty years previously
with a small party of colonists to seek his fortune in
Kamchatka, where the Government had granted to
the new-comers special privileges, with a view of cul-
tivating kind and growing corn on that inhospitable
peninsula. Owing to the severe climate, ploughing
implements had to be abandoned for more lucrative
occupation, such as hunting and fishing, and my new
companion had in former days frequently pursued
sable and bear. He specially boasted of his close
relationship with the late Archbishop Innocent of
Irkutsk, who had since been canonised, and whose
reputation as a saint was in his lifetime universally
recognised through the whole of Siberia. Nikolai
had none of his uncle's vocation ; after settling down at
Petropavlovsk he started fur-trading on a small scale,
acquiring in this manner comparative ease. Besides
owning one of the best houses in the " town," he was
the proprietor of a " villa " in the country (he called

THE PARATUNKA RIVER 231

it his datcha), a mile beyond the Paratunka River,
close to the settlement of Kluchi, where a natural
hot spring' spouted out of his very garden. Here he
proposed to accompany me, whilst his son would
guide us up the nullah. Littledale, who was rather
sceptical as to the result of this expedition, yet wish-
ful, on the other hand, that I should obtain a trophy,
decided to remain at Petropavlovsk with my wife.
I immediately applied to the Ispravnik with the re-
quest to send for ponies to meet me the following day
on the opposite shore of the bay ; a messenger was
sent to Kluchi, and on the morning of the 25th of
July I bade farewell to my companions. My boat,
with the General and myself and as few stores and
baggage as possible, was towed across Avatcha Bay
by the Government launch. At eight a.m. we landed
safely at the mouth of the Paratunka and found ponies
and men from Kluchi already awaiting us. Loads
were soon distributed and packed on the horses,
whilst I rode on, Nikolai leading the way. The path
was a good one, denoting a fair amount of traffic, and
taking us through a thick birch forest, brought us to
a picturesque little lake, across which Podprougine
punted us in his dug-out, while the rest of the caravan
proceeded to make a circuit by land. On the other
side of the lake a small stream, hardly seven yards

232 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

broad, flows out of it ; this is a valuable tributary of
the Paratunka,* for in summer it swarms with salmon,
which come up to spawn in the lake, and feed a
whole settlement through which we passed a few miles
beyond, witnessing" on our way an uncommonly large
run of krasuaia fish.

On reaching the banks of the Paratunka, about
thirty yards wide at that place, with a fast current
and a channel ten feet deep, we found a primitive-
looking raft, which was punted across by our guide,
the weight of our baggage and swiftness of the stream
almost swamping us in the middle. The ponies were
pushed into the river and swam obediently to the
other side, where they were reloaded. Heavy clouds
had by this time gathered overhead, and the first
drops of a steady downpour, which was to last two
long clays without intermission, greeted us as we
crossed the small level tundra in sight of the village
of Kluchi. Torrents of rain had already wetted us
to the skin before we entered Nikolai's country house,
at one p.m., after a short march of twelve versts.
Kluchi is a small settlement, inhabited by a few

* Dr. Guillemard, by mistake, calls that river the " Paraminka" : the
reason of this is evident. He had probably seen the name written down
in Russian, and the i/iy in the middle of the word corresponds to the
English //<■.

KLUCHI

233

families, and well situated at the foot of the first
slopes leading up to the Velutcha volcano. It con-
sists of a dozen log-built huts, of which my friend's
was by far the most luxurious one, and owes its local
celebrity to the hot springs, which are used not only

SALMON CAUGHT IN TRAP AT KLUCHI.

by the nativ'es, but also by the district authorities for
bathing purposes, being supposed to cure every kind
of disease. Wooden roofs have been constructed over
them to afford the Kiu'g'dste a semblance of comfort in
this primitive Kurort. Classical concerts were re-
placed by the howling of sledge -dogs, mud-baths

234 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

could be had in the middle of the street, and the
absence of doctors greatly facilitated the treatment.

Weather forbidding further advance, I put up for the
night at Nikolai's villa, where the drawing-room could
boast of a spring sofa and an old stained piano.
Numerous unframed photographs were nailed to the
walls ; amongst them was one representing a British
naval officer, and was signed " E. R. Benson, r.n." My
host told me that he had received it as a souvenir of a
memorable bear hunt in the neighbourhood. Nikolai's
son was engaged to accompany us on the following
day to the head of the valley of the Bystraia, an
affluent of the Paratunka, not to be confounded with
the river of the same name, on which lies Ganal ; the
meaning" of the word beini^ " swift " in Russian, and
most of the streams in Kamchatka flowing with a
fast current, that epithet is common to many a river
ot the peninsula. Round the settlement I was struck
by the sight of attempts at cultivation on a much
larger scale : almost every hut owned a vegetable
garden, and Nikolai's enclosure was quite a model one
in this respect, yielding potato, cabbage, and carrots — ■
a pleasant contrast with the uncultivated surround-
ings of the villages in the interior. This was, of
course, due to the hot springs and to the constant
higher temperature both in winter and summer, as

KLUCHI 235

Nikolai said, adding that his warming apparatus was
superior to those of civilised countries, for his hot bath
was always ready for him at any moment and any time
of year, and his taps never out of order. His son,
who had been to the hills last autumn, informed me
that wild sheep, and particularly rams, would come
over now and again from the sea cliffs, but that
they were by no means plentiful, and that shooting
one was a question of luck. He said that it was
doubtful whether we should succeed in fording the
river, which overflows its banks during the summer on
account of the melting snows, and gloomily watched
the rain outside pouring steadily down.

Next morning, when I arose at three, a nasty
damp fog lay thick on the tundra, turning presently
into drizzling rain. Nevertheless, I gave orders to
start, and sent for the ponies. But the men peremp-
torily declined to go, and showed their bad will in
every way. Our guide agreed with the natives,
saying that we should all be soaked in the tall grass
we had to pass through, and that the river would
be too deep for the pack-horses. Again the departure
was necessarily postponed and a valuable day wasted.
In the meantime Nikolai managed to induce his son
to go and inspect the ford on the Bystraia ; in the
afternoon he returned, after six hours' ride, with the

236 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

report that water was high and the current extremely
strong, involving the risk of drowning our ponies.
To my disgust steady rain continued all day, and we
decided, in consequence, to proceed on the morrow
up another nullah, that of the Paratunka, where no
crossing was needed, but where the ground was not so
favourable for game.

In the evening, as I sat pondering over my mis-
fortunes, a native brought me a magnificent pair of
caribou antlers, which I taped and found to measure
over sixty inches. This reindeer had been killed
by him last spring in the immediate vicinity of the
village. He also showed me a huge bear- skin, of
a light yellow colour, with a darker line down the
back ; the head itself was absolutely white. Pie
asked fifty roubles for it, saying that one seldom
met with such a specimen, and that he had tracked
the animal over a fortnight before securing him on
the spurs of the Velutcha. I thought he rather over-
estimated the value of the skin, and refused to give
him such a high price, whereupon he said I could
take it for nothing ; this I likewise declined to do.
Later I forgot all about it, and greatly regretted not
having bought such an uncommon variety of a Kam-
chatkan bear. Before dinner I took an invigorating
hot bath in Nikolai's premises, and noticed, to my

THE BYSTRAIA VALLEY 237

delight, that the clouds were clearing, and that patches
of blue sky were visible through the grey veil of the
mist. A hard frost had set in during the night, and it
was bitterly cold when I came out of the hut at four a.m.
The weather had cleared. The flat stretch of tundra
before me was now as white as a snowheld, and a
light vapour still hung over the river beyond, soon
to be dissolved by the rays of the rising sun. Though
the men strongly advised me to abandon the Bystraia
valley for that of the Paratunka, saying that the road
was bad, and that we should very likely all be
drowned at the crossing of the river, I decided,
nevertheless, to stick to my first plan, and try the
former. Some vague instinct prompted me towards
this apparently unreasonable resolution, and it proved
later to be highly successful.

We left Kluchi at five, with four men and as
many ponies, besides the General and Nikolai's son,
acting as guide. The path lay through birch woods
and high grass, the latter hiding us entireh" at places,
horses and all, drenching us with the previous day's
rain and dew before we had orone half a mile from
the village. We proceeded in this manner for a
couple of hours before entering the nullah. Here
the underwood grew thicker and the slopes more
precipitous ; the path being no longer visible, our

238 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

guide led the way through the clearer spaces in
the forest. Presently we came to the banks of the
river, which forked at that place in two separate
channels. We found no difficulty in crossing the first
one, which seemed but a sidewater, but the main
stream was exceedingly swift, and, judging by the sub-
merged willows on the other side, in a state of Hood.
Young Nikolai' bravely pushed his horse in, followed
by the packs, but hardly had he waded on a few
yards when his pony lost its footing, and started
swimming at the mercy of the current, landing on
the opposite bank some distance below. This example
was imitated by the other horses, who managed
eventually to reach their destination, though not
without a previous thorough damping of our baggage.
One of them, attempting to land at a spot where
the bank was higher, was carried back into the stream
by the weight of its load, and had to be hauled
out by the men a hundred yards lower down, with
my soaked bedding. It was lucky the pony was
not drowned in its struggles, entangled as it was
in the straps. The game, however, was won, and
unbounded our satisfaction when we resumed our
journey an hour later. At times the scrub became
so dense that it was necessary to cut our way through
with an axe as well as with the aid of our hunting-

LOSING THE TRACK 239

knives. More than once our guide lost the track,
when again the axe had to be appHed. At noon
I caught a gHmpse of a broad semicircle of crags
towering above vast open corries at the head of the
valley, together with numerous gullies filled up with
snow, running down steeply from the foot of the
rocks.

It was not before two p.m. that we halted, after a
twenty-mile march, on a nice flat lawn by the stream,
and pitched our camp in the wood, within a few miles
of our ground, further advance with the pack-horses
being impossible. Leaving the caravan men to put
up the tents, I started off with the General for a
preliminary survey of the country, and with a view
to investigate the more likely ground for the next day.
Ascendino- a lateral ravine, it took us at least two
hours to reach the first patches of snow, both on
account of the low situation of the camp (500 feet
above sea-level) and greater elevation of the snow-
line in comparison with the interior of the peninsula.
The mountain scenery here bore a striking resemblance
to that of the Ganal range, and the volcanic compo-
sition of the pinnacles and rocks appeared to me
identical ; they differed only in shape. We proceeded
to the top of a pass between the crags and inspected
a huge stretch of snowfields beyond. Several fresh

240 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

tracks, however, indicated the presence of wild sheep,
and on spying more carefully I discovered a fair-sized
ram — the largest I had as yet seen — walking slowly
up a ridge. As he stood on the skyline, about two
miles westwards, I could see that he carried quite a
good head, and so decided, in consultation with the
General, to make, next morning, straight for that
place.

We returned to camp late in the evening, finding the
tents well smoked against mosquitoes, which had
never ceased harassing us since om" arrival. I turned
in earlv that nioht. and found the weather bright at
four a.m., when I mounted my steed to save a long
climb on foot to the timber-line. The temperature was
chilly as we threaded the nullah through alder scrub
and dwarf cedars to the foot of the precipitous ridge
which ran down from the main spine, separating the
higher ground at the head of the valley in two large
cul-dc-sacs. Here I dismounted, and taking with me
the General, began a desperate scramble up a slope,
which, at places, was as steep as could be, and the
long grass, wet with the morning dew, drenched us
both to the waist. As we advanced mosquitoes came
out with the sun and gathered round us in swarms.
We soon reached, in this tiresome companionship, the
rhododendron and moss zone, and settling down to

WILD SHEEP 241

spy, soon made out a herd of sheep coming" over a
ridge to our left. It was impossible as yet to distin-
guish their sex, so we continued uphill to the summit
of a knoll at an altitude of 3,000 feet. In the mean-
while the sheep had descended from the top of the
ridge and lain down on a snowtield, where, being more
conspicuous, they proved to be young rams, three
of which carried average heads. Unfortunately, they
seemed restless, for we saw them a few minutes later
trot off again and lie down some eight hundred }-ards
below us in a perfectly unstalkable position at the edge
of the snow ; they presently once more got up, as if
pursued by an invisible foe, and moved towards the
foot of the rocks. I now understood the reason of
their troubles, for I could plainly watch the wretched
animals trying to bury themselves as deep as they
could in the snow, worried as they were by the merci-
less mosquitoes. It was a quaint sight to see them
hidino- their faces in the snow, kickino- as much as
they could of it over their backs, and struggling
nervously with their hind-quarters. i\nother herd
came in \iew at that moment — ewes and young ones
this time, also protecting themselves in a similar way.
They had all by this time got rid of their winter coats,
and were in clean summer grey livery. The only side
from which our rams could be approached was that of

R

242 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

the perpendicular cliffs, and a nice grassy boulder just
above the place where they lay would have afforded
me an easy shot. But the question was how to get
there. The wind being favourable — straight uphill —
and midges becoming intolerable, I put an end to our
council of war by starting up the ridge towards the
gloomy higher rocks, intending to find a gully down
which we might descend.

The General was most sceptical as to the result of
this enterprise. Having safely reached the summit of
the divide and carefully located our quarry, we pro-
ceeded to look for a more practicable ravine, and for
an hour could not find a single gully which we could
venture to descend ; there were nothing but sheer
precipices, or vertical snow-shoots, on which a bird
could scarcely alight. At last the General discovered
a narrow gorge, clown which we unhesitatingly started,
little knowing what awaited us below. Words are
powerless to describe the places which we had to
negotiate during the most acrobatic bit of mountain-
eering I have ever performed. The descent, one foot
against the cliff and the other against a wall of ice,
with a dark, fathomless crevasse gaping between, and
not the smallest ledge for a foothold within reach, was
no common trial. We alighted in this manner on the
top of a perpendicular snow-slide, where the General

AN ALPINE ASCENT 243

produced a reindeer-hide strap, which we tied round
our waists, and proceeded downwards with the utmost
care over hardened snow, my companion making steps
in front as he advanced, whilst I waited behind in a
position of marvellous equilibrium, keeping the line as
taut as possible between us, and gradually loosening
it for the next step. At times bits of rock which we
cluno- to would detach themselves and q-q thunderino-
down the gully many hundred yards below with the
roar of an avalanche, threatening to disturb our sheep.
It took us over two hours, which seemed two centuries
to us, to reach the patch of grass marked by me as
being within range of the animals, and when I looked
up and saw the gorge we had just descended, I was
not sorry to think it belonged to the past. As for the
General, he had surpassed himself once more on this
occasion. Incredible as it may appear, after all the
noise we had so involuntarily made, on peeping over
a knob I found the herd in the same place, entirely
unsuspicious.

At that moment the General, who was creeping
up behind me, caught me by the sleeve, pointing
to a couple of young rams which stood intently
watching our proceedings a few yards above us, and
slowly marched off whilst I was hastily picking out
my victim. Mosquitoes had never ceased to worry

244 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

us the whole way, and as I had parted with my
gauze net and gloves in the excitement of the stalk,
my face and hands felt as if they had been in a clump
of nettles. Moreover, as I was taking my aim at the
larger of the three rams which now lay two hundred
yards away, those tiresome insects kept settling in
thousands on the ritie, preventing" me from seeing the
sights ; it was not before I had brushed them several
times off the barrels with my hand that I could attempt
a shot. I fired at last, and a well-known thud an-
nounced that the bullet had reached its mark. The
ram sprang up instantly, while the rest of the herd
dashed downhill, and a second bullet knocked hini
head over heels on the snow. The others having by
this time disappeared round a corner, we scrambled
down to the dead sheep, which I taped on the spot,
and found the head to measure ;^^h inches by 14.V
Q^irth. The coat was of a uniform dark orev colour
with lighter tinges on the face, under the belly, and
round the legs. This was my first successful day in
Kamchatka, and great was my feeling of relief as we
descended that evening towards camp carrying our
well-earned trophy. The hills being lower than those
of Ganal, we had found the sheep here at an altitude
of 4,000 feet ; it is quite possible that we had come
upon their summer residence, and that their winter

MY FIRST SUCCESS 245

quarters were along the sea-coast, where food is more
abundant for them at that time of year. Their sight,
I thought, could not compete with that of their kin-
dred in other countries, either owing to the constant
glare of the snowhelds, to which they invariably be-
take themselves, or possibly on account of their rarely
seeing man. We reached camp at seven p.m. amidst
general rejoicing, and decided to inspect on the follow-
ing day fresh ground, where we little expected to find
our efforts so liberally rewarded.

CHAPTER VII.

Views of the Natchiki valley and the Ganal range — Wild sheep sighted
— A difficult stalk — Two shot, with fine heads— A festive evening —
Accident to a pack-horse — Forest fires — Extraordinary fishing at
Paratunka — Hundreds of salmon trapped in a day — Littledale tries
for a rise with the spoon-bait — A native of Irkutsk — His pathetic
story — Ride to Tareinska inlet, en route for Petropavlovsk — Sable
skins bought — On board the Yakut — A ship sighted proved to be
the Baikal delayed by fog — Avatcha Bay and the " Three Sisters "
rocks— A sugar-loaf mountain among the Kuriles — Crossing the Sea
of Okhotsk — Three days' fog— Whales and swordfish — Reach the
island of Sakhalin and La Pcrouse Straits— Enter the (iulf of Tar-
tary — A magnificent sunrise — \'iew of the coast of Asia — Barracouta
lighthouse and the Stanovoi Mountains — Stop in Ue Castries Bay to
pick up two pilots — Narrow winding channel between sandbanks to
Nikolaievsk — Danger of running aground — Anchor at length off
Nikolaievsk — Innumerable fish stores — Millions of salmon and keta
{Corregonus ccta) salted and smoked for exportation — Fresh news of
the China War — An incjuisitive crowd — On board the Cesarevitch for
Blagovestchensk — The village of Malmyjskoie and its "bear-wor-
ship"— Gale at Khabarovsk, and numerous wrecks — P\irther war news
— At Blagovestchensk in eight days, six hundred miles — Picturesciue-
ness of the Amur river-Reach Stretensk and speedily leave by train
for Moscow, en route for St. Petersburg and home.

IT is a saying- with I'^reiich srxjrtsincn. ''a la chasse
tout arrive cxcepft' cc que F on at tend F Never was
that saying better confirnied tlian on the 30tl"i day of

July, when the General and I left cani|) at four a.m.

246

VALLEY OF THE NATCHIKI 247

for fresh ground in a north-westerly direction. There
were now but few days remaining before the departure
of our steamer, and as it was of vital importance to us
not to miss it, I had resolved, in any case, to start
back for Petropavlovsk on the following day, especi-
ally as the Bystraia was in flood and might seriously
delay our return. This was, therefore, to be my last
attempt in Kamchatka. We rede up the valley,
leaving the ponies at the same junction of the two
small streams, and struck a deep ravine to the right.
Giving a decided preference to the hardened snow, up
which we advanced, as compared with tlie dense alder
brush on either side, we reached at eight a.m. a saddle
on the main ridge at an elevation of 3,000 feet. From
there we obtained a good view of the surroundings,
and could plainly distinguish, on the distant back-
ground, both the broad valley of Natchiki and part of
the Ganal range beyond. Here I began to spy over
a huge corrie which lay to the north, but finding no
vestio-e of oame, I turned my glass more westwards,
and discovered five specks a couple of miles off,
moving slowly across a snowfield at the foot of some
precipitous high cliffs ; the General thought they were
rams, so we instantly dropped into a gully and made
for another saddle opposite, in order to get a closer
and better look at the animals. On reaching this

248 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

point of observation I found that not only was my
companion right, but also that two of the sheep
carried magnificent heads, the other three being
smaller ones. Presently, as we lay in wait, I saw
two of the younger rams separate from the herd and
settle down on the snow, while their elders moved on
and alighted eventually, about a mile below, on an
outstanding mass of rock. Here they stopped, and I
could watch the two splendid rams lazily stretching
their limbs, chewing their cud, and preparing for
a long siesta. But this was by no means satisfactory,
for they presently lay down in that impregnable posi-
tion, round which the vast stretch of snow afforded
no possible hiding within a radius of at least three
hundred yards. They could feel perfectly safe, and
an approach from behind the ridge would fail to bring
us within a reasonable range. In this dilemma, and
certain, as we were, that they would not shift from
their position before evening, most probably returning
on their own tracks and being lost to me for ever, I
decided upon a daring effort. I had noticed a small
hollow beneath us which could shelter me to a gently
sloping knoll at the edge of the snow, where I
should find myself, as I thought, about three hundred
yards from the animals, and then rely on a steady aim.
The sheep might fail to locate the shot, and give

A DIFFICULT STALK 249

me several chances before they were out of reach.
Such was my desperate plan, and my companion's
numerous objections to it were useless to make me
abandon it. I must do the General justice to say that
whenever I formed a resolution not in accordance
with his ideas, he always did his very best to carry it
out successfully, where others would have proceeded
reluctantly, and would have hoped for a failure.

The heat by this time had become intense, and mos-
quitoes were highly troublesome. In order to accom-
plish my plan it was necessary to creep down the slope
in full view of the animals, a detour being of no avail
on account of the snow which lay around and made us
all the more conspicuous. Here, at least, we could
descend cautiously against the rocks, and my previous
experience of their comparatively poor sight con-
tributed to facilitate the task. The descent seemed
interminable, as we crawled down on all fours, occasion-
ally putting up the glass to watch the sheep, and
crouching" motionless whenever one of them turned
his head in our direction. It took us certainly an hour
and a half to negotiate this dangerous approach before
we found ourselves out of view, and breathed a sigh
of relief when a last look through the Zeiss showed
us the animals as calm and unsuspicious as ever. We
now dashed across the hollow, and a few minutes later

250 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

reached the terminus of our stalk, for further advance
meant certain detection. As I carefully peeped over
the small boulder, I found the rams at the same
place about three hundred and fifty yards away. They
seemed as yet too far for a safe shot, and on consult-
ing the General, who was busy brushing off mosquitoes
from his face and cap, he shrugged his shoulders as if
to say that he would assume no responsibility what-
ever in the question, and that it was folly to fire at
such a distance. Nevertheless, I resolved to take the
chance, my self-reliance being put to so severe a test.
Raisinor the two-hundred-vard sioht and drawinir a full
bead, I took a steady aim at the biggest ram and fired.
The three animals stood up instantaneously and dashed
frantically towards us, while the echo of the report
still resounded in the gullies below. None of them
seemed hurt by my first shot, as I watched them
approaching. When they were well within a hundred
yards of my rifle, again I pressed the trigger, dropping
the first one dead, while I finished off the second ram,
which slid down the snow to the bottom of the corrie,
I must here confess that in my excitement I was un-
able to withhold another shot at the third animal —
a four-year old — as he was disappearing over the sky-
line, but luckily missed him clean. As I taped them
on the spot, I found that their measurements ex-

TWO GOOD HEADS

251

ceeded my expectations (39J inches by 14I- and 38^
inches by 144). Curiously enough, my first bullet at
long- ranee had entered a horn of the second one,
splitting the tip. and must have undoubtedly stunned
him. The General's joy was beyond description, as he

THE BEST HEAD OBTAINED BY THE AUTHOR.

pushed the animal down the slope to join his fallen
companion. He proceeded to skin them both, and
strapping the heads round his neck, saying they were
no weight, started down that same ravine towards
camp, where we were met by the triumphant cheers of
our men. Thus ended in a bright halo of success my
last day's shooting on Kamchatkan soil. Dinner that

252 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

night was prepared by Cristo, and the men's feast
lasted, I believe, until the early hours of morn.*

Pondering over the recent events, I could not help
recalling the fact that in ordinary circumstances I
should have waited till evening for the sheep to get up
and feed to some place where a stalk was possible, the
result of which might have been a failure. Here, on
the contrary, reason had given place to temerity, and a
transgression of the laws of stalking had been the very
cause of success, for neither wind nor distance had been
taken into consideration. Next morning a general
retreat to Petropavlovsk was sounded, and at five a.m.
my pack-ponies were already winding their way down
that memorable valley of the Bystraia in a deluge of
rain, whilst a heavy mist concealed the hilltops, and
dark clouds sweeping on from the coast predicted a
break-up of the weather. I had just managed to hit
upon the right time. Soon after the start, one of the
horses, while trying to overtake another on a steep
bank, struck against a tree with its load, and rolled over
a man, seriously injuring him in the thigh. Having
gone half-way, we halted in tlie wood to rest the
ponies, and lit fires to dry ourselves.

On resuming: the march, I was struck bv the <>"reat

* I found the meat uf biyhorn excellent, and without any llavour of
nuilton or even of venison ; I thought it more nearly resembled beef.

FOREST FIRES 253

care which natives take to extinguish every trace of
fire in the smouldering ashes by pouring water on to
it and trampHng over it with their feet ; this they do
for the protection of their forests, whose value they
thoroughly understand. The numerous fires we came
across in Amurland were mostly due to the careless-
ness of the inhabitants, who will sorely regret it in
the near future. In Kamchatka we never saw trace
of a forest fire.

We recrossed the river, which we found no deeper
than before, withcnit accident, and reached Kluchi in
the afternoon. There I learnt from Podprougine that
my wife and Littledale had come to visit the hot
springs, and were now at the settlement of Paratunka.
I accordingly decided to proceed no further that day,
and to return to Petropavlosk with my companions.

An hour later, on nearing the hamlet, I found a large
party gathered to watch the miraculous fishing in the
small stream which fiows out of the lake. Besides
Litdedale and my wife, Tallent was there taking snap-
shots, as well as the doctor of the Yakut, who had
returned from his cruise in the north. This time I was
proud to show my trophies, which were attentively
examined by the whole party. The doctor had brought
back most interesting photographs of the Anadyr and
Providence Bay country, and told me that wild sheep

254

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

inhabited those regions, though they had seen none,
but had picked up the skull of one at the foot of the
hills. I was also informed by him that they had met
a Russo-American gold-prospecting expedition under
M. Bogdanovitch, who had as yet failed to strike ore

>■>.

,;*•«

!***•

WATCHING A SHOAL OF SALMON.

alono; the furthermost northern coast, thouQ-h the soil
was supposed to be auriferous and similar to that round
the newly discovered Cape Nome washings in Alaska.
As we stood by the salmon trap fixed across the
stream, at that part barely eight yards broad, we were
all amazed at the (juantity of fish coming up in shoals,

FISH TRAP AT KLUCHI

255

rising one over the other in a compact mass. The
krasjiaia, whose shining- violet backs we could easily
distinguish, owing to the clearness of the water, kept
pushing each other on, forming a regular up-stream
wave, which broke through the opening in the spikes

REMOVING FISH FROM TRAP AT KLUCHI.

ready to receive them. Over fifteen hundred fish had
been already caught that day, and thousands more were
ascending the torrent, filling the trap every few minutes,
and o-ivino- work to the men. who had hardly time to
o-aff them. At least five hundred salmon were thrown
out before us in this manner. Other natives, who

256

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

stood on the bank, proceeded to divide the catch
between the five or six families w^lio owned shares in
it, by distributing the fish into corresponding wooden
partitions, each of which belonged to one of the families
of the settlement, in proportion to the number of their

DEALING OUT THE CATCH AT KLUCHI.

members, men recei\ing twice as much as women. On
Sundays and holidays, which are numerous in the
Orthodox Church, the traps are lifted by common con-
sent, affording the salmon a free passage to the lake
where they s[)awn — a necessary measure, with a view to
keep up the stock. Littledale tried in vain to get a rise

SALMON TRAP

257

out of them with the spoon bait, but faihng to do so,
he foul-hooked a dozen fish, which made a desperate
fight of it. The hamlet which owned this important
fishery was quite a small place, consisting of a few log-
huts, the most primitive we had seen, some of them

SALMON TKAT LEFT OPEN ON SUNDAY (KLUCHI).

built on four stumps to avoid the high snow or deep
mud, coarsely cut steps in wooden logs being fixed at
the entrance of each hut and used as ladders.

One of the fishermen especially attracted our atten-
tion by his lofty stature and sad expression. I

noticed that he did most of the work, ha\ing been

s

258

A SHOOTINCx TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

hired by the inhabitants for the season, and receiving
a few fish in payment. I learned from him the tragic
story of his Hfe, which he related in a few broken

A STAIRCASE AT KLUCHI.

words. He was a native of Irkutsk, and had left
home as a youth, together with a party of com-
patriots, enticed by the alliiriiiL; promises of the
Government, to seek fortune in Kamchatka, where

AN OLD FISHERxMAN

259

each colonist was to be supplied with horses, cows,
and necessary agricultural implements for cultivation.
Moreover, each family was to receive 500 roubles

AN OLD FISHERMAN AT KLUCHI.

(^50) for the journey. Vast areas of land were to
be liberally allotted them for farming purposes, and
for the first seven years they were to be free from all
Government duties and taxes. Twenty-five families
had responded to this appeal, and, having sold all their

26o

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

belongings, emigrated to Kamchatka, where they
settled down in the interior. But corn would not
grow, and neither the promised money was paid nor

j^

RKMOVINC. SALMON FROM TKAT (kI.UCHI).

the implements delivered to them, having probably
remained in the hands of the officials. All their
demands proved useless. The unfortunate colonists
fell into the utmost poverty, and scattered throughout

SALMON STORE

261

the different settlements of the peninsula in search of
employment. Hoping to find work and means of sub-
sistence, the relater of this sad story had left his family
in the north and come to Petropavlovsk, where he had
earned a few roubles. He had then returned to his

PIT IX WHICH SALMON ARE STORED FOR WINTER.

home in the neighbourhood of the Tolbachinsky vol-
cano, and had found his log- cabin nailed up. During
his absence both his wife and children had died of
starvation ! Penniless and without family or a roof
over his head, he was now destined in his old aq-e to
lead a wanderino- life. It was all ri^ht, he added, when

262 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

the summer fisheries yielded work, but when lonof
winter months would come on, findini^- him without
food or shelter, then in truth life would become a
burden to him, and he had often longed for death to
put an end to his misery.

We rode back to the shores of Tareinska inlet,
where we were met by the launcli which awaited us.
My luggage was soon on board, and, crossing the
bay, we reached Petropavlovsk late at night, where for
the last time I found myself encamped on the edge of
the monument. The Tsitsikar had by this time almost
finished unloading its cargo, and was to start in two
days for Nikolaievsk. We spent these in packing up
our belongings and taking numerous parting snapshots
round the bay. Podprougine came in on the following
morning with a couple of sable skins for sale ; he was
constantly on the look-out for " business," and, as I
was greatly indebted to him for my last trophies, I
purchased the pelts for thirty roubles apiece. We
dined that evening on board the Yakut, whose jolly
captain gave us vivid accounts of his cruise to Provi-
dence Bay ; and the gramophone once more resounded
in the cabin.

Next morning a ship was sighted in the distance,
and the howling- of dogs and villa^'e bovs greeted her
appearance. This was the IhukaL now ten days over-

THE CAPTAIxN OF THE BAIKAL 263

clue, which presently steamed into the harbour. We
were all delighted to see again our friend the captain,
who told us that he had been delayed a fortnight off
Nijni-Kamchatsk on account of the prevailing foo-.
Moreo\'er, owing to the dangerous bar at the mouths
of the river as well as to the strong current (eleven
knots an hour), he had met with great difficulty in
landing his supplies, the more so as he had no launch
on board, and the unloading had to be done with the
aid of small boats, resulting in a great loss of time.
He had also visited the Anadyr and Korff bays, where
he had safely landed Dr. Bogoraz and his wife. He
informed us that he would never have been able to
pick us up on the coast, on account of the stormy
weather outside. Had we insisted on carrying out our
former plan to try Cape Shipounsky, we might have
had to spend the winter in Kamchatka! He was at
present bound for the ports of the Sea of Okhotsk, and
though we regretted to part with so obliging a captain,
there was no choice between a week's or a month's
journey by sea. I should mention that the crew we
had sent down the coast had duly reached Asatcha
inlet, and had returned a few days previously, bringing
back half a dozen heads of young rams \\hicl-i the men
had shot for meat, and saying that they had come
across large herds of sheep in the immediate neigh-

264 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

bourhood of the sea. On the mornino- of Auo-ust the
4th we bade a hearty farewell to all our Kamchatkan
friends, including" the Ispravnik and General, whose
assistance had proved so valuable in every respect, and
to whom we left the greater part of our impedimenta,
a small tent and a stove, which were specially appreci-
ated. Crossing over on board the Tsitsikar at nine
a.m., we weighed anchor half an hour later, and steamino-
slowly out of Petropavlovsk harbour, soon lost sight of
the villaoe. A lioht south-easterlv breeze met us at
the entrance of Avatcha Bav, as we advanced off the
Tri Sestry (literally " three sisters "), three rocks which
rise from the waters like sentinels at the gates of the
bay, and project out into the open sea. Farewell,
Kamchatka !

In the afternoon a strong westerly wind sprang up,
followed by a heavy roll of the ship over the dark blue
waves. The view of the coast was beautiful. This
time the sun shone bright on the white cones of the
volcanoes, and each ravine filled with snow was like a
shining streak of light. The gloomy rocks above, with
intermingled patches of emerald grass, stood out neatly
defined against the sky, whilst the glittering foam of
the angry ocean kept breaking at close intervals against
the lower crags of the promontories.

The accommodation on board was anything but

A COREAN TYPE

26^

comfortable. The ship being a colHer, there were no
passenger cabins ; the captain and first mate had given
up their own cabins to us, which breathed no luxury.
The larger one, for my wife and myself, possessed two

A COKEAN iVi'E ON iUE S..-,. •' IsU:>IKAK.

beds, with a side plank attached to each to prevent
one from being thrown out, and a small washstand.
There was so little room that two persons could not
move about in it at the same time. The dining-saloon,
though slightly more spacious, was constantly subject

2 66

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

to dreadful effluvia of oil and stale fish, which the
crew, consisting mainly of Coreans, used for their food,
and the greasy tablecloth and napkins contributed in
no small degree to shorten our daily repasts. Fresh

A COKEAX TYPE.

air could only be obtained on deck, where we took up
our abode, never descending to the lower regions
unless we could help it. The steamer pitched badly
all night and a great part of the following day, when
we caught a glimpse, towards evening, of a lofty

THE SEA OF OKHOTSK 267

sugar-loaf-shaped mountain, which the captain told us
was one of the Kuriles. We were crossing at that
time the Fourth or Amphitrite Straits into the
Sea of Okhotsk. The heavy swell which had accom-
panied us the first two days gradually smoothed down
as we left the Pacific, and a dense fog set in, together
with a nasty cold drizzle, which is the usual pheno-
menon at that time of year, and renders navigation so
dano-erous in that northern sea. The mist lasted three
long, dreary days, with occasional rare intervals, until
we neared the Straits of La Perouse, between the
Island of Sakhalin and Jezzo.

Time seemed endless during this monotonous pas-
sage on board our providential collier ; at times the
thick, milky fog would partially clear, unveiling a
mile or two of water round the ship, when we could
perceive a few whales spouting or the sharp spike
of a swordfish emerging between the waves. Our
skipper was as silent as the other had been talk-
ative, and the conversation on his part consisted of
short and concise answers to our inquiries. As we
mounted the deck on August the 8th he informed
us that we were advancing at half-speed, and that
if the mist did not lift he would have to stop the
enofine for fear of runningf ashore. According" to his
calculations, we were now oft' the south-east coast of

268 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

Sakhalin ; an hour later, as a gust of wind dispersed
the fog, land was sighted to starboard, confirming the
captain's words, and, fortunately, during the afternoon
a northerly breeze sprang up unexpectedly, dissolving
instantly the mist which had so long enveloped us.
The dull sound of the foghorn ceased as if by en-
chantment, and we detected, some ten miles south,
Cape Soya, the northernmost point of Jezzo, while a
dark strip of land on the opposite side — Cape Notoro
— proved to us that we were in the middle of La
Perouse Straits. At six p.m. we entered the Gulf
of Tartary,* and altering our course, steered in a due
northerly direction. The temperature, damp and cold
up to the present, suddenly changed, and we found
ourselves sailing, comfortable and warm, under a clear
blue sky.

The following niorning we witnessed a magnifi-
cent sunrise, and were in full view of the coast of
the Asiatic continent. We could plainly distinguish
with our glasses its high cliffs, which at places rose

* The so-called (lulf of Tartaiy- in reality Straits of Tartary — was
known as a "gulf" owing to the f;ict that Sakhalin had been considered,
till the middle of last century, as being joined to the Asiatic mainland.
After Admiral Nevelskoy had discovered, in the fifties, the mouths of the
Amur, and founded the settlement of Nikolaievsk, he proceeded north
with his fleet, and was greatly amazed to find an open sea where he
expected every moment to sight land. His first exclamation on meeting
Count Aluravieff, when he returned, was " Sakhalin is an island I"

DE CASTRIES BAY 269

out of the sea, and the atmosphere was so clear that,
although distant from land about eight miles, we could
obtain a fair impression of the nature of the country.
At two p.m. we sighted Barracouta lighthouse, behind
which ran a high range of hills, probably a ramifica-
tion of the Stanovois, some three thousand feet in
altitude. The mountains were all covered with timber,
consisting chiefly of larch, pine, and cedar, with open
o-lades, and. at times, broad traces of wood fires.
Large rocky boulders stood out in broken heaps, and
the general aspect was that of likely ground for stag
and roedeer. Towards evening our steamer passed oft
Cape Patience {A/yss Terpcuia), which we could only
perceive on the distant horizon, as we had steered
further outside ; the chart, indeed, pointed out that
great caution should be observed in navigating this
coast, which is as yet most imperfectly surveyed.

On waking up next morning at six o'clock we found
that the ship had stopped, and. on looking out of the
porthole, saw that we were within a few hundred yards
of land. This was De Castries Bay, surrounded by
wooded lowlands, and a few huts at the head of it
denoted the presence of man. Here it was necessary
to pick up a couple of pilots to guide us to Nikolaievsk
through the narrow, winding channel between sand-
banks formed bv the incessant afflux of the Amur at a

2 70 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

distance of over one hundred miles. This channel is
at places no more than a couple of fathoms deep — our
steamer drawing eleven feet — and it requires great
caution and no slight experience to negotiate this diffi-
cult passage and avoid running aground. We resumed
our course an hour later, and, whilst one of the pilots
was at the wheel, we proceeded to interview the other
on the subject of the war, which, as he informed us,
had assumed serious proportions. We learnt from him
that Blagovestchensk had been bombarded by the
Chinese ; that Russian troops had only lately come to
its relief, and had stormed the town of Aigoun, on the
opposite side ; Chinese artillery, though at work for a
fortnight, had done but little harm, and a Russian
corps was at present occupied in clearing the Amur of
the enemy. But the most alarming news for us was
that all navigation had been practically closed along
the river, where stray parties of Celestials continued to
tire at the boats, which had now been chartered exclu-
sively by the Government for the conveyance of troops
to the front, implying for us the most unpleasant pros-
pect of returning home z'id Vladivostok, Japan, and
America — a prospect which required serious considera-
tion. In this dilemma and intense anxiety we slowly
wended our way between the sandy deposits of the
Amur, and reaching earlv in the afternoon a small

NIKOLAIEVSK HARBOUR

271

promontory and fishing- village at its foot, entered the
mouths of the river. From here, a distance of twenty-
five miles across the broad gulf brought us to Niko-
laievsk, off which we anchored in mid-river three-
quarters of a mile from the town. As it was too late

THE MOUTHS OF THE AMUR RIVER (NIKOLAIEVSK HARBOUR).

to disembark, we spent that night on board, by no
means regretting that it was to be the last. Notwith-
standing the fact that our further movenients seemed
greatly embarrassed by the unexpected turn of events,
we all dined merrily that evening, and were highly
amused at the sight of a bottle of wine which the

272

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

captain produced from his pri\-ate cellar, and which
was textually labelled as follows : " Chatau La Roze.
Bottle chez Bismark and Co., Port Arthur." Needless
to say that we partook of its contents with the utmost

TYPES AT NIKOLAIEVSK.

caution. Nikolaievsk, formerly an important naval
station, which was later transferred to Vladivostok, is
situated on the left bank of the Amur, and though it
cannot comj)ete in commercial power with its younger
rival, yet its position on the coast at the mouth of a

NIKOLAIEVSK

273

oreat Asiatic artery affords it a fair amount of traffic.
Moreover, recent discovery of goldfields in the neigh-
bourhood, tooether with its inexhaustible sahiion fish-
eries, contributes in no sHght degree to the welfare of

TYPES AT NIKOLAIEVSK.

the inhabitants, chiefiy Russian officials, petty trades-
men, fishermen, and former Sakhalin convicts.

The buildings seemed to us quite luxurious after the
log huts of Kamchatkan settlements. Here again
stood in rows quantities of fish stores, where the kcta

2 74 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

{Coi'regonus ccta) played the principal part, and was
being salted and smoked for exportation in millions.
Shoals of salmon were ascending- the river at this time
of year, everyone being busy at the fisheries, while nets
and traps might be seen all over the gulf. Over a
hundred Japanese smacks scoured the bay, hauling out
the fish and carrying it ashore as fast as they could.
No fresh information could be obtained here from the
agent of the Amur Navigation Company, whom we
approached next morning on the subject of the war, as
the town had been left without any post for the last
month ; all available steamers were being stopped at
Khabarovsk for pur[)oses of mobilisation. He made,
however, a most reassuring statement, namely, that one
of the Company's boats had managed to get through
the blockade, and was due at Nikolaievsk in a couple
of days, on the 14th of August, starting back to Khaba-
rovsk on the following evening. \\"e immediately
secured berths at the office, and proceeded to carry
over our belongings from the Tsitsikar to a "village
green " on the banks of the river, which we had care-
fully selected beforehand, and pitched our tents at that
place, on the outskirts of the town.

We spent next day visiting Nikolaievsk, Its
broad, unpaved streets run parallel or at right angles
to the seashore, and are bordered by rows of small,

NIKOLAIEVSK

275

dirty houses. The same two great rival firms as at
Vladivostok and Blagovestchensk stand opposite each
other, as if ready for combat, and the population
presented a similar aspect of a mixture of various
nationalities ; white summer caps of Russian officials

THE MAIN STREET, NIKOLAIEVSK.

could be seen amongst the predominating masses
of Chinese coolies, Japanese fishermen, or native
Giliaks. Here also strolled numerous ex-convicts,
mostly Caucasians who had *' done time " on " The
Island," and the most enterprising of whom had started
different trades. One of the buildings appeared to
us to surpass the others by its comparatively better

276

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

condition. We learnt that this was the Club, chiefly
used by officers stationed in the district, and entered
the place in hope of obtaining fresh news. There we

A GILIAK (MKOI.AIEVSK).

introduced ourselves to a colonel, who most oblig-ingly
told us all he knew about the war, \iz. that the German
Minister at Pekin had been murdered, and that the
Legations were besieged by the allied Hoxers and
Im|)erial troops. In addition to this, communication

NIKOLAIEVSK

277

between Tien-Tsin and Pekin had been cut off, the
Pel-ho river turned by the Chinese, and the wells
poisoned, thus rendering prompt relief totally impos-

sible. In this state of affairs, he said, and a month
having- elapsed since he had received the last post,
foreign representatives must have all fallen into the
hands of the Celestial fanatics. Soldiers were busy

278

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

cleconitinL;- the Club with festoons and flags, and pre-
parations were being carried on for a banquet on the

A LOCAL TYPE (Xl K"I.A1 1.\SK).

following da\' in celebration of the fiftieth anniversary
of the foundation of the settlement by Admiral Nevel-
skoy. The colonel, who was president of the Club,
invited us to that grand repast, but I declined the honour,

c^-

A NATIVE OF MKOl.AIi:\>.K.

CONVICTS 281

alleging the presence of my wife and lack of anything
like dress clothes. Next morning our encampment was
surrounded by an inquisitive crowd, which thronged
close to our tents, occasionally peeping in, and making
us feel most uncomfortable, especially as the greater
part of the people had already paid no slight attention
to the bottle, in commemoration of the forthcoming
local solemnity. Being unable to rid ourselves of that
thirsty lot, we applied for assistance to the colonel, who
obligingly sent a couple of soldiers to disperse the mob.
We were, moreover, informed that the place we had
chosen was by no means a safe one, on account of
escaped convicts, who frequently came over from
Sakhalin, as well as gold-prospecting adventurers, who
gathered from all parts of Siberia. Only lately a party
of five convicts had managed to cross the straits, with
the aid of native Ainos, after having murdered their
guardians, and were still at large. In consequence one
of us was constantlv on ouard, and o'reat was our relief
when the river steamer was sio-hted at eleven a.m. on
August the 14th.

Our parting with \^asska was quite touching, though
he was in no way sorry to return home, and had never
felt in perfect security amongst foreigners since the
beginning of the war. We entrusted most of our
baggage to Gabriel, Littledale's servant, who was

282 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

bound for Vladivostok, whence it was to be shipped
around to London by sea. In the afternoon we em-
barked on board the Ccsai'evitch in a heavy downpour
of rain. That stern-wheeler, belonging to the Amur
Navigation Company, was a fairly clean boat, and our
accommodation on it quite luxurious compared with
that on the Tsitsikar. It was to convey us to
Blagovestchensk, where we should have to shift on
to a smaller boat on account of the shallows in the
Shilka, which we knew so well. The Cesarevitch had
already run the gauntlet under Chinese hre, and traces
of the latter were now visible. Several bullets had
gone through the second-class cabins, and one of them
had struck the edge of the piano in the first-class
saloon and glanced to the further corner, where it was
found in a brass wash-tub. Fortunately, none of the
bullets had hit the boat below the water-line, and the
captain seemed to have no high opinion of Chinese
marksmanship. The whole of next day was spent in
taking in cargo, and delivering the heaped-up piles of
postal arrears. Crowds of third-class passengers in-
vaded the decks, soon rendering it impossible to move
about on board.

A huoe baroe containinij" over a hundred horses for
the front was attached to our boat, which was to tow
it up to Khabarovsk, a chstance of 940 versts (600

GILIAKS 283

miles) ; this would unavoidably delay our advance, and
it was not until seven p.m. that we eventually weighed
anchor. Our captain declared that we should hnd no
difficulty along- the Amur, which was by this time clear
of Chinese, both banks being under Russian military
occupation. On his way to Khabarovsk he had come
across numbers of corpses floating downstream, some
of which had got caught in the steamer's wheel.
Next morning a dense mist, which set in during the
night, delayed us for six hours.

The country on either side presented a succession of
low, undulating hills, all under timber, and villages
were exceedingly scarce ; here and again we passed
two or three fishermen's huts, inhabited by Oiliaks
or Goldys, the predominant tribes of the district.
These have a well-defined Mongol type, with their
small eyes and prominent cheek-bones, and wear pig-
tails. They live by fishing, and bear or sable hunting,
and their costume is brightly picturesque. At the few
halts we made to take in fuel at the larger settlements
of Russian colonists, natives would gather round the
landing-pier displaying their curious types and gear.
W'hen Tallent tried to take snapshots of some of
them, they would take to their heels from fright, and
it was only by surprise that he managed to obtain a
few photographs. The ladies were particularly sh\- ;

284

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

they were of low stature, like Japanese, and when at
ease would bring out long pipes and sit smoking on

A BUKIAT TVl'K.

the shore. The greatest width of the Amur between
Nikolaievsk and Khabarovsk attains three-quarters of
a mile, narrowing at j)laces to four or five hundred
yards, and, although the current was not unusually

TAME BEARS 285

strong-, we advanced at slow speed both on account of
the constant mist in the early morning and of the
heavy barge in tow behind us. August the 17th was
a lovely warm day after the daily fog had cleared away,
but here again we were delayed by a peasant who
had thrown himself overboard. The steamer stopped,
and boats were lowered to rescue the unhappy man.
He was picked up a mile lower down by sheer force,
after a desperate struggle, and safely brought back.
He proved to be off his head from intoxication, and a
couple more hours were thus lost over this affair.

On the following day a strong contrary wind sprang
up. We could perceive in the faint distance a loftier
range of hills, the Sikota-Alin, whilst the foreground
presented the same monotonous aspect of rolling,
wooded boulders, which gradually grew lower. Round
the hamlet we could see occasional signs of cultivation,
consisting chiefly of barley and potatoes. Now and
then a fine sturgeon would he brought in and pur-
chased by our restaui'ateiir for the e\^ening meal.
After a stormy night we halted to take in wood
at a village called Malmyjskoie, where native Goldy
ladies came to meet us in bright procession. I learnt
that the Goldys deify Bruin, and each settlement of
that tribe owns its tame bear, which they hold in great
respect, and though the inhabitants may be starving

286 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

yet the last bit of bread will always be offered to the
strange object of worship. The steamer by this time
in every way resembled a gipsy encampment ; crowds
of passengers lay at random across every passage and
on the decks, with their dirty pillows and blankets
strewn everywhere in a chaotic state of disorder, while
their linen huno- in all directions. A disagrreeable smell
of fish and garlic invaded our cabins, and we longed
to reach Khabarovsk and part with this unpleasant
company.

During the following night we advanced at half-
speed owing to pitch darkness, and found ourselves
at eight a.m. at Viatskoie, a large settlement within
sixty versts of Khabarovsk, which, according to Little-
dale, was "an important corner to turn." Here the
banks of the rix'er were low and sandy ; mountains
had given way to fiat stretches of wooded scenery,
where the everlasting fir trees were diversified by
occasional oaks. In the afternoon, as we approached
our first destination and the river broadened to a great
extent, a strong breeze started up suddenly from the
south, gradually turning into a regular gale, such as
had not been witnessed for years, as the captain told
us. The waves on the Amur grew to the size of a
heavy sea ; our ship began to pilch, wliile the sj)ray
kept sp(juting over the decks and bursting furiously

KHABAROVSK

287

against the window-panes of the saloon. It was a
warm wind, reminding one of the desert simoun: and
such was its strength that none of the passengers
dared to remain on deck for fear of being blown
overboard. It was indeed a strange sight to watch

(i^l9^Q|SR9J9^1r4

HUGE RUDDERS TO THE BARGES ON THE AMUR RIVER.

the water carried off above the surface of the river
and the spray whirling round and whizzing up to a
o-reat heioht. Several planks from the floor of the
lower deck were literally smashed to atoms and washed
away. Our steamer advanced at the rate of three
miles an hour, and, nearing Khabarovsk, we saw
numbers of sailing boats and launches cast ashore

288

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

considerably damaged, and lying wrecked, while huge
waves broke over them in rapid succession. Numerous
barges, laden with hay for the horses at the front, lay
sideways, half swamped, in the teeth of the hurricane,
and both banks of the river were a wild scene of

"'1- ., _.*' 'J J. ' ♦ •,.».,*

LOCAL CARGO I'.OAT AT KHABAROVSK.

devastation. Landing was naturally out of the ques-
tion for us ; it was with great difficulty that we were
able to anchor in midstream opposite the town, close
to the junction of the Amur and Ussuri rivers. Here
we spent the night amid the roar of the gale and shouts
of the terrified passengers. Next morning we found

BLAGOVESTCHENSK 289

that the wind had cahned down, though not sufficiently
to permit us to land. Nevertheless, our captain de-
cided to take us alongside one of the more sheltered
jetties, which he succeeded in doino- after lone-con-
tinued efforts. Anxious as we were to obtain news
and get our letters, we made straight for the post-
office, where an official informed us that a great
number of letters had g-one astrav owino- to the war
troubles. Wq received, however, some letters from
home, and learnt that Pekin was at last in the hands
of the allied troops, who had succeeded in relieving
the Legations after that memorable siege, which will
ever remain a mystery in the annals of history.

Our boat resumed its journey at four p.m. Though
we had vaguely unpleasant prospects of having to
shift over to another steamer some four hundred versts
further up-river on account of the sandbanks, yet we
hoped to get through without change to Blagovest-
chensk. Having started from Khabarovsk on the
2 1 St of August, it was not until the 28th that we
succeeded in reachino- Blagovestchensk — a distance of
six hundred miles. The weather was fine and un-
usually warm the whole way. But few incidents worth
recording broke the monotony of that week on the
Central Amur. Another barge, without horses this

time, was inflicted on our steamer, delaying our
u

290

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

advance and reducing the speed to ten versts an
hour.

Above the junction of the Sungari River the Amur
grows considerably narrower. On the 24th we were

TYPES ON THE AMUR KIVER.

met with the good tidings that a dangerous shallow
had been safely negotiated during the night, and in
the afternoon we entered the gorges of the Khingan,
where we had intended to make an attempt after
" izubra " stags. One of the passengers informed us
that, although the Celestials had been driven back

HALT AT RADDE 291

on every point, yet numerous Chinese marauding
parties still scoured the immediate districts of the
interior, and strongly dissuaded us from carrying out
this hazardous plan. Moreover, he added, it was not
impossible that navigation on the river might be closed
by our return, involving for us a long journey to
Stretensk by land. In consequence we decided to
abandon the trip and put it off for another year.

As we halted next morning at Radde to take in
wood, we were met on the pier by Kobosoff, the
hunter who was to have accompanied us, and en-
trusted to his care half a dozen cases of stores, with
instructions to keep them till the following August,
and in case of our not turning up, to appropriate
their contents. If we had actually returned I quite
expect we should have found our supplies ransacked
long before the appointed time. Opposite the village
Kobosoff showed us the grave of a dozen Russian
soldiers lately killed in action, and told us that the
inhabitants were still all under arms for fear of in-
cursions on the part of the enemy.

Biddinof farewell to our future ouide, we resumed
our course through that most picturesque part of the
Amur. Autumn had now set in, with its wonderful
variety of colouring, and the woods on either side
presented lovely scenery. The evergreen cedars and

292 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

pines stood unaltered among- the reddish oaks and
acacias in full bloom, in the dense entanglement of
wild grape, hops, and thick underwood. Steep rocks
overhung the river, and the wild aspect of the country
made us regret our hasty determination. As we stood
on deck, we caught sight of several swollen bodies of
Chinamen drifting slowly downstream among logs of
floating timber, together with swamped canoes and
cartwheels ; these were, probably, the last vestiges of
the wholesale massacre which had recently taken place
round Blagovestchensk, where we dul\' arrl\ed on the
28th, after a tedious delay in repairing a paddle-wheel
damaged by the drifting timber.

We learnt in the town that the small steamer was
due to start that very day at ten a.m. for Stretensk,
and soon found that the accommodation on board was
by no means attractive. Having hurriedly transported
our baggage, we proceeded to purchase some stores,
and called at the back doors of the shops, which were
closed on account of its being a holiday. Passing
through the garden of Government House, we were
shown se\eral big guns lately captured from the
Chinese. Some of them were of the modern type,
others two or three hundred years old, awkward-look-
inof cannons, with small brass idols carved on the
sides, and thoroughly explaining the harmless bom-

RUINS OF SAKHALIN 293

bardment of the town. Opposite Blagovestchensk we
could see the smouldering ruins of the formerly
flourishing Chinese settlement of Sakhalin, at present
occupied by the Russians. It was a strange contrast
with what we had seen on our way to Kamchatka.
Destruction had passed over like a ghastly whirlwind,
and many a sad reflection crossed our minds at the
sight of those visible traces of desolation and death.
Next day we were slowly advancing along the Upper
Amur. Our launch was overcrowded with passengers,
amongst whom was a genuine admiral, who had just
left his post on the Russian Pacific Squadron, and was
returning to St. Petersburg. This new fellow-traveller,
who was accompanied by his aide-de-camp, was a pre-
possessing individual, but proved a most undesirable
companion during the week's journey to Stretensk,
Although there were several ladies on board besides
my wife, that high official occupied the best cabin, and
was constantly helped to the best food, which was
very scarce, the army commissariat having secured all
available supplies for the troops. Moreover, it was
found necessary, owing to low water, to shift us at
Pokrovskoie, at the mouth of the Shilka. on to a fiat-
bottomed passenger barge, which we awaited at that
place fully twenty-four hours. Fortunately, it was not
until we were within ninetv versts of Stretensk that

!94

A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA

we were made to go on to this uncomfortable boat, the
admiral having put pressure on the captain to convey
us as far up as he could. But here we found ourselves
piled up, like livestock, in heaps, and the single ladies'

IIOMEWARD POUND
(the author and general liOI.DYREFF).

cabin was instantly occupied without ceremony by the
admiral! It was with no slight difficulty that the
gentleman was persuaded to clear out in favour of the
weaker sex. In this manner we finally turned the
"main corner" of our journey, and reached Stretensk
at 9.30 p.m. on September the 5th. Our train — the

RETURN TO ST. PETERSBURG 295

railway now being- open to the public — was due to
start that verv ni^ht at eleven. Our bao-o-ao-e was
hurriedly carried over by voluntary porters, mostly
soldiers, to the station, half a mile distant, in pitch
darkness, and we considered ourselves lucky to get off
so cheaply as we slowly steamed out of Stretensk.
Ten days later we parted with Littledale at Moscow,
and safely arrived at St. Petersburg.

Recalling to mind this trip to the furthermost east, I
may say, in conclusion, that, although three years have
since elapsed, reminiscences of the voyage and success-
ful sport will ever remain clear and bright, and though
great were the hardships and discomforts undergone,
I cannot share the well-known sentiment of the French
writer who avers that "travels are a delightful inven-
tion on account of the pleasure they afford in preparing
for them and recollecting them, the most tiresome part
being their accomplishment."

INDEX

Adventure with a bear, 201.
Aigun, 270.

„ treaty of, 2, 51, 52.
Ajan, 113.
Alaska, 15.

Albatross, steamer, 90.
Aleout Islands, 15, 16.
Alexiet^', a merchant, 5, 6.
Altitudes, 3,000 ft., 205, 241, 247.
„ 4,000 ft., 185,244.
„ S,oooft., 190, 194.
„ 5,200 ft., 215.
„ 7,000 ft., 88.
„ 8,000 ft., 177.
„ 11,554 ft., 89.
Amphitrite Straits, 267.
Amur River, 4, 19, 20, 21, 41, 42,
46, 47-
„ high waves of the,

286.
„ width of, at Niko-

laievsk, 284.
„ types on the, 290.

Amur, steamer, 42, 44.
Anadyr Bay, 263.

„ River, 5, 6, ii, -Ji.
Anadyrsk, 7, 10, 13.
Angara River, y^
Asatcha inlet, 129, 263.
Askold Island, 69,
Atlassoff, a Cossack, 5. 8, 9.

Auk, tufted, captured, 83.

Aurochs reported, 30.

Avatcha Bay and River, 8, 11, 15,
17, 20, 21, 69, 84, 85, 86, 93, 119,
125, 134, 221, 222, 224, 264.

Avatchinsky Peak, 88, 120.

Ayan port, 72.

Baikal, Lake, ^^T.

„ fishes of, 35, 38.
Baikal steamer, 68, 70, 72, 82, 89,

91, 128, 226, 262, 263.
Barges swamped, 288.
Barracouta lighthouse, 269.
Barrow Point, T^, 74, yi.
Bears, 38, 56, 108, 109, 114, 146,
156, 178, 180, 181, 1S8,
190, 193, 20 r, 204.
„ gall-bladders of, 220.
„ tame ones, 285, 286.
„ weight of, 183.
Behring, 11, 13, 15.

,, monument to, 95.
Straits, 5. 73.
Bighorn, 30, 35, 54, -jZ, 114, 151,

189, 191, 225, 252.
Blagovestchensk, 30, 50, 51, 52, 55,
64, 270, 289,

„ arrival at, 292.

Bogoraz, Dr., 73, 74, -j-j, 78, 263.

297

298

INDEX

Bolshaia River, 7, 10, 151, 152, 165,

168, 171.
Bolsheretsk, 14, 168.
Brigands, Chinese [K/iiotk/iuz),

S3-
Bruin, worship of, 285.
Buddhist curios at Irkutsl<, 35.
Burial, native, 165.
Buriat tribe, 35, 40.
Burning Clifif, the, 49, 50.
Byslraia River, 169, 171, 174, 176,
212, 234.
\'alley, 237, 252.

Canoes, dug-out, 138, 156.
Cape Lopatka, 83, 100, 1 14.
„ Nome, 254.
„ Notoro, 268.
,, Patience, 269.
„ Shipounsky, 1 14, 128,218,225.
„ Soya, 268.
Capercaillie, 1 50.
Cargo-boat at Khabarovsk, 288.
Caribou, 121, 172, 175, 236.
Catharine, Empress, 16.
Cesamntch, steamer, 282.
Chinese Brigands {KliKukhitz), 53.

guns, 292.
Chita, 41.

Chft", the ])Urning, 49, 50.
Commander Islands, 15, 225.
Company, Alaska Commercial, 96.
„ Russo-American, 16, 17.

„ Russian Seal P'isheries,

16, 90, 96, 119, 225,
228.
Convicts at Nerchinsk, 41.

,, Nikolaicvsk, 275, 281.

„ Sakhalin, 273.

Corean types, 61, 63, 265, 266.
Cossack hunters, 56.
Crimean monuments, 99.
Cristo, our valet, 26, y], 64, 130, 252.
Crompton and Schwabe, merchants,

24, 53» 67.
Cross, native burial, 165.

De Castries Bay, 269.

Deer, 30, 35, 54, 56, 69, 290.

Dejnefif, a Cossack leader, 5.

Delille, 15.

Dogs, sledge, 78, 79, 80, 130-41,
142, 218.
„ Kamchatkan, 219.

Dostoievsky, his place of banish-
ment, 46.

Dybowsky, Dr., 104.

Eagle, Pallas's sea-, 124.
Elizabeth, Empress, 13.
English graves, 97.
Ermak, a Cossack from the Don,

2, 3-

P'evrier de Pointe, 20.
P^ishes of Lake Baikal, 35, 38.
Fisherman, a native, 162.

,, an old, of Kluchi, 259.

Fishing with spoon bait, 157, 257.
Flora, an alpine, 185,
Fortuna, a Russian schooner, 14.
Fox, 3, 6, IS, 96, 100, 103.
French graves, 97.
Furs, prices of, 100, 113.

Gabriel^ a Russian schooner, 12.

„ a servant, 68, 281.
Ganal, on the Iiystraia River, 234.

„ mountains, 166, 168, 170,
173, 217, 218, 244, 247.

INDEX

J99

Ganal, tundra, 140, 144, 147, 149,

156, 174, 175, 239.
Gigiga port, 72.
Giliaks, 276, 277, 283.
Gold prospecting, 254, 273, 281.
Goldys deifying Bruin, 285.
Goral, 54.

Graves at Petropavlovsk, 97.
Guillemard, Dr. F. H., 23, 84, 86,

114, 169, 232.

Hakodadi, 72.
Heck, Captain, 129, 133.
Hedenstrom, M., 28, 29, 30.
Hot springs at Kluchi, 234, 235.

Ibex, 35.

Iman, a kind of serow, 57.

Ingoda River, 41.

Irkut River, 2i3-

Irkutsk, 25, 26, 28, ],T,.

Irtish River, 3.

Ispravnik, the, 91, 92, 93, 113, 122,

136, 224, 225, 226, 228, 231.
Isvolsky, M., Russian Minister to

Japan, 25, 26, 27, 33, 42, 46, 53,

7'-
Ivan the Terrible, 2.
Izubra stags, 30, 35, 54, 56, 290.

Japan, Sea of, 70.
Jeltuga republic, 49.
Jezzo, 267, 268.
Jupanovskaia Sopka, 206.

Kaiserling, Count, 81.
" Kam," our dog, 219, 220, 221.
Kamchatka, history of, 1-21.
Kanichadales, 11, 12, 15, 153, 170.

Kegel, a German agriculturist, 18.
Kekuria pinnacles, 225.
Khabarovsk, 54, 57, 59, 287, 288.
Khilok River, 40.
Khingan region, 30, 55, 225.

„ gorges of, 290.
Khodutka Bay, 129, 144.
Khutor, 140-44, 218, 219, 221.
Klioutchefskoi volcano, 10, 14.
Kluchi, 14, 232-5, 253.
Kobosoff, a hunter, 291.
Kolesoff, Commissioner, 9.
Kolyma River, 4.
Kolymsk, 4, 76, 78.
Korean types, 61, 63, 265, 266.
Koriak, village and volcano, 120,
139. 147, 149, 218, 220.

„ tribes, 5, 7, 8-
Koriakine, a hunter, 108, 109.
Koriatska Mountain, 89.
Korff Bay, 263.
Korsakoff post, 50.
Kotik^ steamer, 225.
Krasheninikoft", 5, I4-
Krasnoiarsk, 32.
Krenitsin, Captain, 16.
Krusenstern's expedition, 17.
Kunst and Albers' store, 51, 64.
Kurile Islands, 10, 69, 83, 267.

Lake Sofka Demidoff, 186, 205.
Lalitin, a Cossack hunter, 30, 53,

54.
La Perouse, explorer, 98.

,, monument to, 98.

„ Straits, 69, 267, 268.

Lena River, 4.
Levashoff, 16.
Lind, Lieutenant, 16.

INDEX

Littledale, St. George, 26, 30, 42,
54, 1:^4, 133, 157, 175, i79> 200,
201, 211, 231, 253, 256, 286.

Lopatka, Cape, 83, 100, 114.

Malka, 164.

Malmyjskoie, village of, 285.
Man overboard, 285.
MatzmaY, village of, 71.
Merlin, Major, 13
Milkovo, 18, ~2)-

Mokho, a Chinese village, 46, 47.
Morjovoi Bay, 225.
Moscow, 26, 295.

Mosquitoes, 140, 146, 171, 176, 180,
185, 188, 193, 202, 206, 219, 240.
Mud-baths at Kluchi, 233, 234.
Muraviefif, Count, 19, 57.
]Museum at Irkutsk, 34, 35.

,, at \'aldivostok, 62.
Musk-deer, 30, 57.
Myssovaia, 2,7, 38.

Natchiki, 149, 150, 151, 152, 155,

164, 218.
Nerchinsk, a convict station, 41.
Nevelskoy, Admiral, 19, 278.
Nicholas, Emperor, 18.
Nijni-Kamchatsk, 7, 8, 10, 17, 23,

128, 226.
Nikolaievsk, 20, 93, 225, 226, 269,

271, 272, 273, 275, 281.
Nipon, 69.
Nome, Cape, 254.
Notoro, Cape, 268.

Ob River, 3, 30.

Okhotsk, 4, 7, 10, 13, 15, 19, 68, 72,

81, 168, 263, 267.
Ola Port, 72.

Otters, 6.

„ sea, 100.
Oust-kara, village of, 46.
Oust-zeysk, a Cossack post, 51.
Ovis nh'icola, 35, 78, 114, 151, 185,

187, 189, 191, 193, 200, 209.

Pallas's sea-eagle, 124.
Paratunka River, 119, 231, 232.
Patience, Cape, 269.
Pavlutzki, Commander, 11, 13.
Pershine, Professor, 34, 35.
Peter the Great, 6.
Petropavlovsk, 17, 18, 20, 68, 80,

89, 91. 94, 95, 98, loi, 107, 218,

226, 264.
Petrovsky Zavod, a mining district,

40.
Podprougine, Nikolai', a Siberian,

230, 253, 262.
Poiarkofif, a Cossack leader, 4.
Point, Barrow, "j^^, 74, 75.
Poklevsky, M. de, 27.
Pokro\skoie, 42, 46, 293.
Polish rebellion of 1864, 104.
Ponies, 146.

Poyarkovo, village of, 55.
Price, Admiral, 20.
Providence Bay, 90, 262.
Prybilov Islands, 16.
Pushina, on the Kamchatka River,

175-

Radde, 54, 56, 291.
Rakova Harbour, 88.
Reindeer, i"], 78, 108, 156, 236.
Rhododendrons, 181, 182.
Ricord, Russian Commissioner, 18.
Roedeer, 30, 54, 56.
Rousanoft", 1 1 5.

INDEX

301

Rudders, huge, on barges, 287.
Riirik, steamer, 68, 71.
Russian graves, 96, 291.

Seal Fisheries Company,

16, 90, 96, 119, 225,

28.

Sable, 3, 6, 15, 67, 96, 100, 109, 1 10,

113, 156, 165, 262.
Sakhalin Island, 226, 267, 268, 273,

281, 293.
Salmon, 117, 118, 123, 127, 153,
157, 159, 200, 228, 255,
274.
„ curing, 163.
„ in Lake Baikal, 38.
,, trap in Bystraia River, 1 72.
„ „ at Kluchi, 255, 256,

257, 260.
„ „ at Natchiki, 160, 161.

,, replacing bread, 17.
„ stored for winter use, 261.
Sarana, or native potato, 164.
Schipounsky, Cape, 114, 128, 218,

225, 263.
Schwabe, Mr., a merchant, 24, 53,

67, 68, 115.
Seals in the Asatcha River, 228.

,, in Lake Baikal, 38.
Selenga River, 40.
Serow, 57.

Sheep, wild, 30, 35, 54, ~'6, iM-
151, 173, 197, 199' -05' -41. ^43'
244, 249, 263.
Shelekhoft", a merchant, 16.
Shestakoff, Commander, 11.
Shilka River, 26, 41, 42, 44, 45, 293.
Shliupkis, or small boats, 122.
Shmaleff, 13.
Signalny Myss, 89.

Sika deer, 69.
Sikota-Alin range, 285.
Silivanoff", a hunter, 144, 222, 223.
Sledge-dogs, 78, 79, 80, 130, 141,

142, 218, 233.
Slioumine, Professor, 24, 25.
Soya Cape, 268.
Soka River, 165.
St. Petersburg, 24, 31, 293, 295.

„ distance from, 179.

Staircase at Kluchi, 258.
Stanovoi range, 4, 269.
Stary Ostrog, 143, 219.
Steering boats, native method of, 227
Steller, i 5.

Steppes of West Siberia, 28.
StofoJ, steamer, 90, 128, 130, 133.
Stretensk, 41, 42, 291, 292, 293.
Sturgeon, 285.

Su>igan\ launch, 42, 44, 45, 46, 53,
55' 56-
„ River, 290.

Taiga station and woods, 31, 40.
Tallent, our photographer, 22, 24,

26, 42, 63, 130, 133, 204, 205, 253,

283.
Tareinska Harbour, 88.

„ inlet, 262.

Tartary, Gulf of, 268.
Tcheliabinsk, 26, 27.
Tchichagoff, Madame, 68.
Tchuktchis, 5, 11, 12, j^, 74.
Tchurine and Company's Store, 51.
Tigers, 30, 41, 54, 56.
Tioushofif, 120.
Tobolsk, 3.
Topola stream, 150.
Transba'ikal Railway, 42.

302

INDEX

Tri Sestry rocks, 264.

Troikas, 34.

7\sitsikar, steamer, 224, 225, 226,

262, 264, 274, 282.
Tundras, dry and wet, 151.
Tungiis, 35.
Tsugar, Straits of, 69, 71.

Ussuri River, 21, 57, 61, 63, 288.

Wasska, the cook, 116, 120, 167, 202,

216, 220, 228, 281.
Vendetta, 77.
Verkho-Yanak sheep, 78.
Vershina Kamchatskaia volcano,

177, 178, 179, 185, 201, 204.
Viatskoie settlement, 286.
Vilutcha inlet, 122, 124, 134.
Vilutchinsky volcano, 87, 88.

Vladivostok, 60, 61, 63, 65, 66,

69, 71.
\'olcano, an extinct, 177, 179, 185.

Walrus Bay, 225.
Whales seen, 81, 82.
Wild pig, 56.

Yablonovoi mountains, 41.

Yak, 35.

J ^aki/f, steamer, 90, 9 1 , 1 32, 25 3, 262.

Yakut tribe, 35.

Yakutski, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14.

Yassak, or taxes, 6, 8, 10.

Yenissei River, 4, 32.

Yesso, 69, 70, 72, 267, 268.

Yokohama, 71.

Zavoiko, Admiral, 19, 20, 21.
Zeya River, 51.

PLYMOUTH
WILLIAM liKENDON AND SON, I'KINTERS

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X

THE GREAT AND SMALL GAME OF EUROPE,

WESTERN AND NORTHERN ASIA,

AND AMERICA

By R. LYDEKKER

^Vith Eight Hand coloured Plates and other Illustrations

Price /^5 5i". net

THE GREAT AND SMALL GAME OF AFRICA

With I'ifteen Hand coloured Plates of Heads and Fifty-seven
otlier Illustrations

Bv VARIOUS AUTHORS

Oil/ of Print

SPORT IN SOMALILAND

By count JOSEPH POTOCKI

With a ("oloured J'Vontispiece, Fifty-eiglit Coloured Illustrations,
F^ighteen Page Photogravures, Seven Text I'igures, and Map

London: ROWLAND WARD, i.imitkd

"THE JUNGLE," i66, PICCADILLY

Price 2 55. }ict

TRAVEL AND ADVENTURE IN SOUTH-EAST

AFRICA

By F. C. SELOUS

^^'ith numerous Illustrations and Map

Price \os. 6d. net

SUNSHINE AND STORM IN RHODESIA

Bv F. C. SELOUS
Fully Illustrated with Map

Price 30J". iiel. Fourth edition

RECORDS OF BIG GAME

WITH T}1E DISTRIBUTION, CHARACTERISTICS, DIMEN-
SIONS, WEIGHTS, AND

HORN AND TUSK MEASUREMENTS OF THE
DIFFERENT SPECIES

Bv ROWLAND WARD, F.Z.S.

With 253 Illustrations

London: ROWLAND WARD, limited

'•THE JUNGLE," 166, ncCADlI.LV

Pi- ice 2 1 J. uct

ELEPHANT-HUNTING
IN EAST EQUATORIAL AFRICA

Bv ARTHUR H. NEUMANN
With Illustrations and Map

Price Js. 6ci. net. Third edition

SEVENTEEN TRIPS THROUGH SOMALILAND

AND A VISIT TO ABYSSINIA

WITH SUPI'LEMENTARY PREFACE ON THE "MAD
MULLAH" RISINGS

Bv MAJOR H. G. C. SWAYNE, R.E.

\\'\\\\ Illustrations and Maps

Price 215. net

SPORT IN THE HIGHLANDS OF KASHMIR

BEING A NARRATIVE OY
AN EIGHT MONTHS' TRH> IN BALTISTAN AND LADAK

Bv HENRY ZOUCIl DARRAll
With Illustrations and Map

London: ROWLAND WAKD, iimitku

"THE JUNGI-E," i66. PICCADILLY

Piii€ 2 1 J. net

HUNTING TRIPS IN THE CAUCASUS

By E. DEMIDOFF (Prince San Donato)
\\\\\\ Ninety-six Illustrations and Map

Ft ice 21 s. net

AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI
AND MONGOLIA

By E. DEMIDOFF (Prince San Donato)
With Eighty-two Illustrations, Map, and Coloured Frontispiece

8cv. Price %s. 6,t. net

SPORT IN EAST CENTRAL AFRICA

BEING AX ACCOUNT OF

HUNTING TRIPS IN PORTUGUESE AND OTHER

DISTRICTS OF EAST CENTRAL AFRICA

Bv F. V. KIRBY, F.Z.S.

With Illustrations

London: ROWLAND WARD, limited

"THE JUNGLE," i66, PICCADILLY

rrice 7,f. dd. net

THE ENGLISH ANGLER IN FLORIDA

WITH SOME DESCRIPTIVE NOTES OF THE GAME
ANIMALS AND BIRDS

Bv ROWLAND WARD, F.Z.S.

\\'ith numerous Illustrations

Price 3.C. (yd. net

THE SPORTSMAN'S HANDBOOK

PRACTICAL COLLECTING, PRESERVING, AND ARTISTIC

SEITING-UP OF TROPHIES AND SPECIMENS
ll^itb a Sx^noptical ^3ln^c to tbc UMintiiui (Biennis of tbc UlorlD

Bv ROWLANL; ward, F.Z.S.

Price 2I.r. net

A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA

WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE tlAME, FROM ELEPHANT

TO IBEX, AND NOTES ON THE MANNERS AND

CUSTOMS OF THE NATI\'ES

Bv P. H. (L POWELL COTTON, L.Z.S., F.R.O.S.

With Ninety-two lUu.strations and Map

London: ROWLAND WARD, li.mitkd

"THE JUNULK," 166, PlCCAlJlLLV

Price 2I.C net

NATURE PORTRAITS

STUDIES WITH PEN AND CAMERA OF OUR WILD BIRDS,
ANIMALS, FISH, AND INSECTS

T?:XT BV THE EDITOR OF '^COUNTRY LIFE IN AMERICA"

With Fifteen Large Plates and many Illustrations by the best Nature

Photographers

Pyite I2f. 6(/. net

AMERICAN ANIMALS

A POPULAR GUIDE TO THE MAMMALS OF NORTH
AMERICA, NORTH OF MEXICO, WITH INTIMATE
BIOCRAPHIES OF THE MORE FAMILIAR SPECIES

Bv WITMER S'PONE and WILLIAM EVP:RETT CRAM

With numerous Illustrations

Pri,e 30 f. net

CAMERA SHOTS AT BIG GAME

Bv A. G. WALLIHAN

With an Introduction by THEODORE ROOSI-:\'ELT

London: ROWLAND WARD, limited

"THE JUNGLE," .66, PICCADILLV

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