180 SIBERIA 



quently to pick their way among the fallen trees 

 scattered over the frozen slopes, making riding an 

 increasingly difficult task. 



The trees in this part of the country, which are 

 principally firs, are very tall and graceful, tapering 

 to a fine point at the crown and almost devoid of 

 branches. Their shape at the base is rather peculiar 

 and different from that of any trees of the same species 

 that I have ever seen. The first 8 or lo feet are 

 relatively much thicker than the rest of the tree. 

 These trees do not grow in the valleys, but only 

 on the mountain slopes and down to the water's 

 edge. Our hunters were constantly on the look-out 

 for bears, Ovis Ammon, ibex, or other big game, 

 and we saw by my Zeiss binocular several herds of 

 what appeared to be ibex or Ovis Ammon, too far 

 away to stalk, so we had to let them go. I watched 

 one herd while the hunters were dragging a pack 

 horse out of a snow heap and, although we did not 

 seem to be making much noise, considering the 

 distance, they raised their heads and vanished among 

 trees J 



Descending the slope and crossing the Akkem 

 river at an altitude of 5,650 feet, we obtained our 

 first good view of the Katunskie-Belki range. We 

 watered our horses at a place where the ice had 

 broken. On reaching the opposite bank we found 

 that the horses could not get up it, and were, there- 

 fore, pbliged to unload the pack horses and help 

 them up the slope, dragging the baggage after us. 

 The bed of the forest is composed of rock, with a 

 layer of sand, which no doubt accounts for the slender 

 roots of the trees. Several of them fell during our 

 progress through the forest, making a dull, crashing 

 noise. A large number of trees on the side we were 

 now on appeared to have been uprooted by a recent 

 hurricane. They were lying in all directions against 



