GILIAKS 283 



miles) ; this would unavoidably delay our advance, and 

 it was not until seven p.m. that we eventually weighed 

 anchor. Our captain declared that we should hnd no 

 difficulty along- the Amur, which was by this time clear 

 of Chinese, both banks being under Russian military 

 occupation. On his way to Khabarovsk he had come 

 across numbers of corpses floating downstream, some 

 of which had got caught in the steamer's wheel. 

 Next morning a dense mist, which set in during the 

 night, delayed us for six hours. 



The country on either side presented a succession of 

 low, undulating hills, all under timber, and villages 

 were exceedingly scarce ; here and again we passed 

 two or three fishermen's huts, inhabited by Oiliaks 

 or Goldys, the predominant tribes of the district. 

 These have a well-defined Mongol type, with their 

 small eyes and prominent cheek-bones, and wear pig- 

 tails. They live by fishing, and bear or sable hunting, 

 and their costume is brightly picturesque. At the few 

 halts we made to take in fuel at the larger settlements 

 of Russian colonists, natives would gather round the 

 landing-pier displaying their curious types and gear. 

 W'hen Tallent tried to take snapshots of some of 

 them, they would take to their heels from fright, and 

 it was only by surprise that he managed to obtain a 

 few photographs. The ladies were particularly sh\- ; 



