Gilpin observer., 1911-10-12

mediately before us are seen the snow
diademed mountain monarchs. robed In ma
1estically flowing folds of glacial ermine- x
far behind the heaving billows of the ocean.
aglitter in the evening sun-while all around ~
Is Siberias virgin forest. the taiga. SILENT EX1
untrodden mysterious E@Y
Owing to widely divergent conditions 81
beria's fauna is not uniformly distributed, &3
but within their chosen haunts animals are ~
abundant. OF big game we have on the r.
Pankara the agile. keen-eyed mountain
sheep and the powerful brown bear. IT.
Rocky mountain sheep are here replaced 0W
by congeners of sghter build. more slender k
horns and pure white color. Their bands
spend most of the time above timber. re-
manning even during the severe Kamchatka win
ter amongst the heights whose irregularities OF
cliffs and gorges aford 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 fight. Their flesh is very palatable; when
cold weather set in killed and froze enough to
last all winter
The brown bears of immense size. greatly
exceeding the grizzlies of the western hemis-
phere Their front claws are shorter, thicker and
more abruptly curved than in grizzlies. AS rule
they give us wide BERTH in close quarters.
however when wounded. they are veritable
hends from hell But Pete attacks them. boldly
and unhesitatingly with his formidable spear.
Tradition and training make all natives marks
men of the first order with firearms. boos and
arrows. Even small ermnes and arctic squirrels
stand no chance Of escape at scventy-five yards;
and the Koryaks have to shoot them in the head.
at that. their skins would be worthless
The ground was frostbouhd nearly to the
face. and bedrock, reached by thawing through
the icy gravels was ten to fifteen feet deep.
Keeping three fires agong. for which Pete rustled
the wood We made good headway. Lack OF
leverage however makes the Russian shovel,
which has bend at it's neck a most unwieldly
a,d fine Nutan A fha hapip we
struck encouraging colors In addition to quartz.
iron pyrites, often In the form OF mispickel and
all the products of its decomposition such
magnetic oxide and hematite. Despite these fair
prospects had worked way up to the veri-
est headwaters without tangible results early in
November. Near the source the soil not
frozen. due to warm volcanic springs, and sinking
to bedrock became impossible. Therefore we
crossed the divide leading southwark to the Rus
sakof river to examine Its course down to the
sea and finally to sled to headquarters along the
shore. On the Russakor We found the same con-
dtions: tepid springs above. a 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 porcupine have retired for their long
sleep; only willow grouse and rock ptarmgan
main with
able. glitter on the armament. At midnight the
Pleiades Of Job and Homer flame from the zenith
and then the Northern Lights. violet. silvery and
rose come down and dance with the houseless
snow.
Christmas eve finds the Russakon's
mouth and on New Years day we drag our sled
into Ola. Just In time: already midwinter sun
dogs loom ghost-like through the frost-mist in
the south; for far to the northward the weather
witch Of the Yaga Baba Pass has been brewing
her dread purga. the Siberian snow storm.
The blizzard's fury ragged forty-eight hours, bury
ing the roofs of the lowly cabins under mountain
? GUS drifts.
Quickly the late orthodox Christmas.tide ap-
proaches. In the morning the entire population
and with them we-attended church. Father Ju.
venal ofnciating in full canonicals OF black ana
gold. Before the Russian New Year we were up
and away once more.