The Yale expositor., 1911-10-12

Northeastern Kamchatka, famed our smouldering
imagination into brightest flames.
There's of men that don't fit in; they are
always tired of things that be; they want the
strange and the new and they don't know how to
rest. My dear old 'pard" Austin. and belong to
this legion of forelopers, enlisted and never
discharged. The fond hope that going
to be numbered amongst the original Forty
Miners" of a new California over yonder 'crost
the bay" lured us from the Yukon even to ST.
bera-to Vladivostok
There we were Joined by a kindred spirit,
young Russian mining engineer, Ivan Ivanovitch-
soon enough he became plain Jack-fresh from
an American college and ready for adventure.
Kamchatka, dependency of the maritime prov
ince and administrative district Of Petropavlovsk.
has been a Russian colony for 200 years.
From Cape Lopatka, the large pennsulas south
most point, lofty mountains overtopped by many
active and more extinct volcanoes, stretch north.
ward far into the Arctic waste.
On the northeast coast, there where the noun
tain chain recedes over thirty miles from the low
littoral the Pankara enters the sea, opposite to
the large island of Karaginsk. gloomily beau
tiful thundercloud overshadowed the density wood
ed shores when we landed at Ola, the little
Koryak hamlet the Pankaras mouth. In the
course of a few hours our steamer, "Primorsk,"
had discharged our earthly possessions and the
cargo consigned to the local agent of the Russian
Chartered Company. who holds the Turing priv
ieges of Northeastern Siberia.
Open-mouthed natives gaped curiously and a
thousand hostilelookng dogs snarled viciously.
The Natchalnik, however, having infinitely
tinzed papers, received with open arms,
and Father Juvenal, the Pope, offered us the hos
pitality of his log cabin. We learned many inter-
esting facts about this outof-the-way neck OF the
woods that night. The peninsula's mongolod
aborigines, the rapidly decreasing Kamchadales
proper-mostly fishermen-dwell around the
ter to the southwark.
Their northern neighbours our friends, the dog
Koryaks," mighty hunters and trappers, live in
log cabins, dug-outs skin tents. They belong
largely to the orthodox church-at least nominal
ly-are good natured and hosptable, but their
tons Of cleanliness are more than questionable
The occasional sight of toothbrushes
caused a riot Of an amazed mob. Both the women
and the almost beardless men alike, braid their
hair into two plats smoke the cheap Moharka
tobacco, intermixed with birch bark and wear
nearly Identical dresses of pelts or-in summer
gaudy calico.
Further and up to Kamchatkas border the
strictly nomadic reindeer Koryaks," addicted to
weird shamanism, pitch their yourtes wherever
good feeding grounds attract their herds. Be-
yond their territory find in the interior, Tun-
guse tribes, along the seaboard the unconquered
race of the Tchuktches. that stouty refuse the
Yassak to this day.
The Pankara has length of about 30 miles
The advanced season and preliminary examina-
ton of accessible rock formation, combined with
encouraging reports of white and native residents,
prompted US to prospect the upper valley without
delay. The Natchalnk placed the only three pack
horses at disposal. rather shaggy, but hardy
Irkutsk ponies able to shift for themselves even
in winter. AS guide and helper engaged the
Koryak, Peter nicknamed Petrushka-P Parsley
from his fondness for this wild plant. Petrushka
OF course was speedily pared down to Pete,
Ivan has surrendered to Jack long ago.
The village of Ola Is happy. sweet fragrance
OF fish and blubber permeates the air, for seal
and salmon plentiful.
Pete, very busy, very important helps with
our preparations for the prospecting expedition.
The Natchalnik invites to farewell dinner
deer tongue, ptarmigan. smoked and sailed fish.
much tea and more Vodka) and on the 18th day
of August set out.
On the third night encamped In the