98 KAMSCHATKA. [chap. 



at the base of the low range of hills bounclmg the plain, — the 

 hnger-marks, as it were, of the icy grip of winter. 



We reached Narchiki early in the afternoon, and were greeted 

 by the prolonged howls of innumerable dogs. Though the village 

 boasts of only six huts, there are over one hundred and fifty of 

 these animals to pull the sledges of the inhabitants by day, and 

 to endeavour, in combination with other equally hungry, though 

 happily smaller creatures, to disturb their rest by night. The 

 sledge-dog, indeed, appears to do without sleep, and anything 

 more hideous than their nocturnal concerts it would be difficult 

 to imagine. Fortunately an open-air life and hard work are not 

 generally compatible with insomnia, and after a few nights the 

 traveller would be more apt to miss his music than to abuse it. 



Narchiki is placed on a little branch of the Avatcha Eiver, 

 which is here not more than eighteen inches deep. Standing upon 

 its banks we began for the first time dimly to realise the vast 

 numbers of fish which must annually visit the country, and which 

 may be said literally to choke its rivers. Hundreds were in sight, 

 absolutely touching one another ; and as we crossed the river our 

 horses nearly stepped upon them. Their back fins were visible as 

 far as we could see the stream, and aground and gasping in the 

 shallows, and lying dead or dying upon the banks, were hundreds 

 more. The odour from these decaying fish was distinctly percep- 

 tible at a distance of a couple of hundred yards or more. In weight 

 these salmon varied from seven to fifteen and even twenty pounds. 

 They were for the most part foul fish, — blotchy with patches of red 

 and white, and of the kmd known by the Eussians as the Garbusa ;-^ 

 but others in fair condition were to be found, and with a little 

 trouble I was able to pull out three good ten-pound fish in as 

 many minutes with a gaff. Any other method of fishing would 

 have been useless. It would have been nearly impossible to make 

 a cast without foul-hooking a fish, and nine-tenths, or more of them, 

 were in an uneatable condition. Had we wished to do so, we 



^ Snhno 2>'>'otet(s of Fal]as. 



