EXPEDITION TO THE ALTAI 171 



at least forty very inquisitive, well-meaning peasants, 

 who stood about inside our room and in the passage, 

 supported, to judge by the murmuring of voices, by 

 many more outside the house. The priest and our 

 Ouemon friend, Mr. Oshlikoff, took dinner with us. 



All the conversation was about the nrtountains. 

 When I told them we intended climbing Belukha, Mr. 

 Oshlikoff was shocked, while the priest nearly fainted 

 and pleaded with us not to run so grave a risk, as 

 though he were trying to save our lives. All hope of 

 persuading my interpreter to climb with me soon 

 vanished, but I convinced the gentlemen that, at least, 

 nothing would stop me, and repeated the argument, 

 that as no one had ever been through the gorges and 

 the passes in winter, it could not possibly be known 

 if it were practicable to do so or not. 



While the hunters were making preparations pn 

 the following day, we arranged for the post-house 

 keeper to provide us with horses and accompany 

 us to the Saptam. It was necessary to leam to use 

 the skis, so we took two pairs with us, starting at 

 ten o'clock in the morning. 



We went through about i8 inches of snow over 

 the flat valley, and had not been more than two 

 hours away before we gained the mountain slope. 

 We dismounted a little way up the mountain to have 

 a shot at a few kourapatki (white pheasants), but, 

 owing either to the horses being in motion or to 

 bad marksmanship, we missed. We came across 

 what appeared to be the skeleton of a bear, and 

 were informed that this was a' good place for 

 shooting. In fact, the inhabitants rely upon hunting 

 for the great part of their living. Besides bears, 

 there are gluttons, lynxes, foxes, badgers, klonkas, 

 squirrels, sables, ermine, otters, hares, and a large 

 variety of game birds. The chief attraction, how- 

 ever, are the ibex and the real Ovis Ammon, both 



