CHAPTER V. 



KAMSCHATKA — {continued). 



We begin our journey — Stampede of the packliorses— The effects of vodki — Stari- 

 ostrog — Salmon d discretion — Large birches — More stampedes — The fur-trade — 

 Prices of skins — On the tUndras — Narchiki — Enormous abundance of salmon — 

 Mortality among the fish — A Kamschatkan interior — Ovis nivicola — Hot springs 

 —Uses of the birch-tree— Kamschatkan ponies— Gunal — Balagans— Sledge-dogs 

 — An Indian summer. 



Early on the morning of August 19tli we rowed ashore with a 

 somewhat formidable amount of baggage, and found the horses 

 awaiting us. Of these there were sixteen ; and four little foals, 

 engaged in capering round their mothers, were, we learnt, also to 

 join the expedition. This number, owing to our iiuvderow^ personnel, 

 was hardly sufficient, but as we had requisitioned almost all the 

 available cattle in the neighbourhood of Petropaulovsky, we decided 

 to make a start with them, trusting to be able to pick up others 

 at the little village of Avatcha, about twelve versts distant. Our 

 party were ten in number, our three seh'es with two servants 

 forming the yacht contmgent. These latter were old campaigners. 

 Louis, who had served in the Franco-Prussian War, and had been 

 in the army before Paris in the terrible winter of 1870-71, had 

 done much travelling in his master's service and elsewhere, and 

 was without exception the very best servant I ever saw. Spiridione 

 Zembi, a Maltese Greek, our cook, deserves no less praise. Master 

 alike of his profession and of many languages, he contrived to 



1 A verst is two-thirds of an English mile. 



