252 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA 



night was prepared by Cristo, and the men's feast 

 lasted, I believe, until the early hours of morn.* 



Pondering over the recent events, I could not help 

 recalling the fact that in ordinary circumstances I 

 should have waited till evening for the sheep to get up 

 and feed to some place where a stalk was possible, the 

 result of which might have been a failure. Here, on 

 the contrary, reason had given place to temerity, and a 

 transgression of the laws of stalking had been the very 

 cause of success, for neither wind nor distance had been 

 taken into consideration. Next morning a general 

 retreat to Petropavlovsk was sounded, and at five a.m. 

 my pack-ponies were already winding their way down 

 that memorable valley of the Bystraia in a deluge of 

 rain, whilst a heavy mist concealed the hilltops, and 

 dark clouds sweeping on from the coast predicted a 

 break-up of the weather. I had just managed to hit 

 upon the right time. Soon after the start, one of the 

 horses, while trying to overtake another on a steep 

 bank, struck against a tree with its load, and rolled over 

 a man, seriously injuring him in the thigh. Having 

 gone half-way, we halted in tlie wood to rest the 

 ponies, and lit fires to dry ourselves. 



On resuming: the march, I was struck bv the <>"reat 



* I found the meat uf biyhorn excellent, and without any llavour of 

 nuilton or even of venison ; I thought it more nearly resembled beef. 



