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, 



