2 70 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA 



distance of over one hundred miles. This channel is 

 at places no more than a couple of fathoms deep — our 

 steamer drawing eleven feet — and it requires great 

 caution and no slight experience to negotiate this diffi- 

 cult passage and avoid running aground. We resumed 

 our course an hour later, and, whilst one of the pilots 

 was at the wheel, we proceeded to interview the other 

 on the subject of the war, which, as he informed us, 

 had assumed serious proportions. We learnt from him 

 that Blagovestchensk had been bombarded by the 

 Chinese ; that Russian troops had only lately come to 

 its relief, and had stormed the town of Aigoun, on the 

 opposite side ; Chinese artillery, though at work for a 

 fortnight, had done but little harm, and a Russian 

 corps was at present occupied in clearing the Amur of 

 the enemy. But the most alarming news for us was 

 that all navigation had been practically closed along 

 the river, where stray parties of Celestials continued to 

 tire at the boats, which had now been chartered exclu- 

 sively by the Government for the conveyance of troops 

 to the front, implying for us the most unpleasant pros- 

 pect of returning home z'id Vladivostok, Japan, and 

 America — a prospect which required serious considera- 

 tion. In this dilemma and intense anxiety we slowly 

 wended our way between the sandy deposits of the 

 Amur, and reaching earlv in the afternoon a small 



