LETTERS OF INTRODUCTION 



251 



my proposed Yenesei expedition, and all those who know 

 the value of such documents in Russia will appreciate 

 my gratitude to his Excellency for his kindness in 

 furnishing me, at a moment's notice, with letters of intro- 



OSTIAKS OF THE OB 



duction to General Timar^cheff, the Minister of the 

 Interior at St. Petersburg, which proved of the greatest 

 service to me on my long and adventurous journey. 



The details of this journey, how we travelled nearly 

 six thousand miles to the ship, and how we lost her, and 

 had to travel home again by land, form the subject of the 

 following pages. The reader may, however, feel some 



