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 



