The Yale expositor., 1911-10-12

mediately before us are seen the snow
dademed mountain monarchs, robed in ma
jestically flowing folds of glacial ermlne- =
far behind the heaving pillows of the ocean, Z
aglitter in the evening sun-while all around !:
is Siberia's virgin forest, the taiga, SILENT E&
untrodden, mysterious Hes
Owing to widely divergent conditions ST. BFN
berias fauna is not uniformly distributed ERN
but within their chosen haunts animals are MS
abundant. OF big game we have on the HM
Pankara the agile keen-eyed mountain EN
sheep and the powerful brown bear. n@i
Rocky mountain sheep here replaced HM
by congeners of slighter build, more slender Va
horns and pure white color Their bands
spend most of the time above timber, re-
naming even during the severe Kamchatka win
ter amongst the heights whose Irregularities OF
cliffs and gorges afford opportunity for shelter
and exposed food supply. Sometimes when we
had nearly stalked them the warning whistle of
the watchful marmot would drive them to head
long flight. Their flesh is very paatable; when
cold weather set In we killed and froze enough to
last all winter
The brown bears are of immense size, greatly
exceeding the grizzlies Of the western hemis-
phere. Their front claws shorter thicker and
more abruptly curved than in grizzlies. AS a rule
they give us a wide berth; in close quarters,
however or when wounded, they are veritable
fends from hell. But Pete attacks them, boldly
and unhesitatingy with his formidable spear
Tradition and training make all natives marks
men Of the first order with firearms, boos and
arrows. Even small ermines and arctic squirrels
stand no chance of escape at seventy-tive yards;
and the Koryaks have to shoot them in the head.
at that, their skins would be worthless
The ground was frostbound nearly to the
face, and bedrock, reached by thawing through
the icy gravels, was ten to fifteen feet deep
Keeping three fires agoing for which Pete rustled
the wood, We made good Roadway. Lack OF
leverage, however, makes the Russian shovel.
which has bend at It's neck, most unwieldly
and exasperating utensil. At the beginning we
struck encouraging colors In addition to quartz,
iron pyrites, often in the form Of mispckel and
all the products of its decomposition such as
magnetic oxide and hematite. Despite these fair
prospects we had worked our way up to the veri-
est headwaters without tangible results early in
November. Near the source tho soil not
frozen, due to warm volcanic springs, and sinking
to bedrock became impossible. Therefore we
crossed the divide leading southwark to the Rus
sakoff river to examine its course down to the
sea and finally to sled to headquarters along the
shore. On the Russakoff found the same con-
ditions; tepid springs above, few colors below,
paydirt nowhere.
Winter is now upon in good earnest; in De-
cember our thermometer sinks to 81 below. The
sheep are safe beyond the snowdrifts; bear, mar
mot and porcupne have retired for their long
Sleep only willow grouse and rock ptarmigan
Glorious winter stars, clear, large, unapproach-
able, glitter the armament. At midnight the
Pleiades Of Job and Homer flame from the zenith
and then the Northern Lights, violet, silvery and
come down and dance with the houseless
snow.
Christmas eve finds us the Russakofs
mouth and on New Years day drag sled
into Ola. Just In time; already midwinter sun
dogs loom ghostlke through the frost-mist in
the south; for far to the northward the weather
witch of the Bahia Pass has been brewing
her dread purga, the Siberian storm
The billiards. fury ragged forty-eight hours, bury
ing the roofs Of the lowly cabins under mountain
Gus drifts.
Quickly the late orthodox Christmas-tide APP
proaches In the morning the entire population
and with them we-attended church, Father Ju.
venal officiating In full canonicas of black and
gold Before the Russian New Year we were I'D
and away once more.