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 



