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. 



