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 



