,o AFTER WILD SHEEP IN THE ALTAI 



at Perm if we were delayed much longer. Here also 



we witnessed a curious and lively bargaining affray 

 between the captain of our ship and a crowd (I was 

 going to say a herd) of squalid-looking Tartars who, 

 wanting to he conveyed to some landing-place further 

 on, made offers for the price of their passage. The 

 captain was demanding i rouble 50 kopecks apiece, 

 shouting from the top of the deck ; the Tartars were 

 willing to give only 1 rouble 30 kopecks. Finally, 

 after a long and noisy dispute, the bargain was struck 

 at 1 rouble 43 kopecks, and the whole throng poured 

 in with yells and a strong smell of Russian leather 

 boots and unwashed humanity. 



After leaving Kasan we soon branched off from 

 the Volga up the Kama, and saw many icebergs 

 floating down the river. Here the scenery changed 

 as we neared Perm. Both sides of the stream were 

 covered with beautiful dense fir woods and pine. 

 The weather still remained cloudless, and in the 

 best of spirits we landed at Perm on the 1 8th of 

 May at 9.30 p.m. 



Although a couple of hours late, we found that 

 we were in time for the train, which started at 1 1 p.m. 

 We also received the good news that our baggage 

 had left Nijrti by the following steamer, and would 

 find us in three days at Taguil. On the morning 



