Steppe, with the dweUings of Petrow and Mosgalewski, formed the utmost Umit of the 

 expedition by this route, no further progress south-eastwards being made. 



In spring these steppes and wood-steppes here are said to be covered with a luxu- 

 riant grass vegetation, which is gradually destroyed by the drought in the course of 

 the summer. In the second half of August these tracts had already an autumnal 

 appearance, the first nights of frost having also in a great measure ruined the vegetation. 

 Just in this transition zone between the steppe and the taiga, the best and richest regions 

 of the land, from a cultural standpoint, are to be found, and it is strange that this rich 

 and beautiful country should be so thinly populated. The area of the Urjankai land 

 probably exceeds 150,000 wersts^ of which, as mentioned already, at least one third is 



Fig. 59. A view in tlie Dora Steppe. In some pliices tlie steppe is nearly de- 

 stitute of vegetation, and being exposed to tlie erosion of tiie violent winds 

 there are often formed stretches of drilt-sand. In the right bacliground larches. 



arable, but with a population scarcely amounting to 20,000 individuals, living scattered 

 about in deep valleys and dense woods, where no foreign traveller hitherto has been 

 able to search them out. For this reason it is also, as a matter of course, quite impos- 

 sible to state the exact number of the inhabitants. 



For our homeward journey from the Dora Steppe we had to choose between two 

 routes, the one lying across the Amyl taiga, followed by us when entering the land, and 

 the other by water down the Bei-kem. In spite of the latter route being the longer, it 

 was chosen as having the charm of novelty. 



The Bei-kem runs here at an average speed of 16 wersts an hour, and in the course of 

 one day we descended in this way from the Dora Steppe to- Ust Sisti-kem. The bottom 

 of the valley is situated at a height of between 950 m. and 850 m. above sea-level. At 

 some distance below Ust Sisti-kem the Bei-kem receives an affluent called the Sebi. 



89 



