BLAGOVESTCHENSK 289 



that the wind had cahned down, though not sufficiently 

 to permit us to land. Nevertheless, our captain de- 

 cided to take us alongside one of the more sheltered 

 jetties, which he succeeded in doino- after lone-con- 

 tinued efforts. Anxious as we were to obtain news 

 and get our letters, we made straight for the post- 

 office, where an official informed us that a great 

 number of letters had g-one astrav owino- to the war 

 troubles. Wq received, however, some letters from 

 home, and learnt that Pekin was at last in the hands 

 of the allied troops, who had succeeded in relieving 

 the Legations after that memorable siege, which will 

 ever remain a mystery in the annals of history. 



Our boat resumed its journey at four p.m. Though 

 we had vaguely unpleasant prospects of having to 

 shift over to another steamer some four hundred versts 

 further up-river on account of the sandbanks, yet we 

 hoped to get through without change to Blagovest- 

 chensk. Having started from Khabarovsk on the 

 2 1 St of August, it was not until the 28th that we 

 succeeded in reachino- Blagovestchensk — a distance of 

 six hundred miles. The weather was fine and un- 

 usually warm the whole way. But few incidents worth 

 recording broke the monotony of that week on the 

 Central Amur. Another barge, without horses this 



time, was inflicted on our steamer, delaying our 

 u 



