184 KAMSGHATKA. [chap. 



was conspicuous for the lively colouring of his hair, the eft'ect of 

 which he had considerably heightened by a bright green tie. 

 Long pursuit of his quarry, and the conviction of the hollowness 

 of all earthly pleasures with the exception of rye -spirit and 

 tobacco, had given him an almost preternatural solemnity of 

 expression, and oblivious to the charms of his partner he shuffled 

 round the room with a calm consciousness of the excellences of 

 seal -hunters as exemplified in his own person, which evidently 

 produced a great effect among the ladies. The walrus -hunter, 

 his companion, was no dancer ; and had not even the compensating 

 attraction of a green tie. Originally a gold-digger in California 

 in the " roaring times of '49," he had left that somewhat unhealthy 

 occupation and, according to his own account, had chased the 

 walrus in most parts of the Arctic Ocean. He was hardly re- 

 garded as a " ladies' man " even by the Kamschatkans, and as he 

 sat furtively watching the dancing, a short black pipe half-buried 

 in his enormous bushy beard, one felt that he had the makings of 

 a very pretty scoundrel about him. We were as strange a mixture 

 of nationalities as of individuals. A Eussian fur- trader of more 

 than doubtful sobriety, an American negro steward of the Nemo, 

 our two hunters, and a few of the eligible youth of the settlement 

 completed the party; and round the door the crew of the Nemo — a 

 group of bright -eyed little Japanese — watched the performance 

 with evident amusement. 



A dance had just ceased as we arrived, and we took our seats 

 in placid ignorance of what was in store for us. Presently the 

 squeak of the fiddle was heard, and instantly the ladies rushed in 

 search of partners. There was a great move in the direction of 

 the two Swedes and the rest of the party, and as became a modest 

 old bachelor I prepared to faire tapisserie with the papas and 

 mammas. But it was destined to be otherwise, for on raising my 

 eyes I found that two fair damsels were suing for the honour of 

 my hand. Now, were I of a romantic nature, I might enlarge 

 upon the position ; the bewitching glances of my two would-be 



