It is impossible to look at Siberia, without being struck with the shape
of Kamkatka, which juts out like a short arm. It is a peninsula. A
beautiful country it is; full of mountains, and rivers, and woods, and
waterfalls, and not as cold as might be expected. But there are not many
people dwelling in it; for though it is larger than Great Britain, all
the inhabitants might be contained in one of our small towns. And why
are there so few in so fine a country? Because the people love brandy
better than labor. They have been corrupted by the Russian soldiers, and
traders, and convicts, and they are sickening and dying away.
A traveller once said to a Kamkatdale, "How should you like to see a ship
arrive here from China, laden with tea and sugar?" "I should like it
well," replied the man, "but there is one thing I should like better--to
see a ship arrive full of _men_; it is men we want, for our men are sick;
of the twelve here, six are too weak to hunt or fish."
But the ship that would do the most good to Kamkatka, is a missionary
ship. The Greek church is the religion; but _no_ religion is much thought
of in Kamkatka; hunting and fishing only are cared for. Yet I fear if
missionaries were to go to Kamkatka, the emperor of Russia would send
them away.
Where there are few men, there are generally many beasts and birds; this
is the case in Kamkatka.
One of the most curious animals in Siberia, is the Argalis, or mountain
sheep. It is remarkable for its enormous horns, curled in a very curious
manner. Think not it is like one of our quiet, foolish sheep; there is no
animal at once so strong and so active. It is such a climber, that no
wolf or bear can follow it to the high places, hanging over awful
precipices, where it walks as firmly as you do upon the pavement.
Sometimes a hunter finds it among the mountains, and just as he is going
to shoot it, the creature disappears:--it has thrown itself down a
precipice! Is it dashed to pieces? No, it fell unhurt, and has escaped
without a bruise; for its bones are very strong, and its skin very thick.
The bears of Kamkatka live chiefly upon fish and berries, and seldom
attack men. Yet men hunt them for their skins, and for their fat. The
skins make cloaks, and the fat is used for lamps; but their flesh is
thrown to the dogs. Many of the bears are very thin. It is only _fat_
bears that can sleep all the winter in their dens without food; _thin_
bears cannot sleep long, and even in winter they prowl about for food.
Dogs are very much afraid of them. A large party of travellers, who were
riding in sledges, drawn by dogs, observed the dogs suddenly begin to
snuff the air, and lo! immediately afterwards, a bear at full speed
crossed the road, and ran towards a forest. Great confusion took place
among the dogs; they set off with all their might; some broke their
harness, others got entangled among the trees, and overturned their
sledges. But the bear did not escape; for the travellers shot him through
the leg, and afterwards through the body; and the dogs feasted on _his_
flesh, instead of the bear feasting on _theirs_.
Hunting seals is one of the occupations of the Kamkatdales. Three men in
sledges, each sledge drawn by five dogs, once got upon a large piece of
ice, near the shore. They had killed two seals upon the ice, when they
suddenly perceived that the ice was moving, and carrying them out to sea.
They were already too far from land, to be able to get back. They knew
not what would become of them, and much they feared they should perish
from cold and hunger. The ice was so slippery that they were in great
danger of sliding into the sea. To prevent this, they stuck their long
poles deep into the ice, and tied themselves to the poles. They were
driven about for many days; but one morning,--to their great joy, they
found they were close to the shore. They did not forget to praise God for
so mercifully saving their lives; though they were so weak from want of
food, as scarcely to be able to creep ashore.
CHARACTER.--The Kamkatdales are generous and grateful. A poor family will
sometimes receive another family into the house for six weeks; and when
the food is nearly gone, the generous host, not liking to tell his
visitors of it, serves up a dish of different sorts of meat and
vegetables, mixed together; the visitors know this is a sign that the
food is almost exhausted, and they take their leave.
Did I say the Kamkatdales are grateful? I will give you an instance of
their gratitude. A traveller met a poor boy. He remembered his face, and
said, "I think I have seen you before." "You have," said the boy; "I
rowed you down the river last summer, and you were so kind as to give me
a skin, and some flints; and now I have brought the skin of a sable as a
present for you." The traveller, perceiving the boy had no shirt, and
that his skin dress was tattered, refused the present; but seeing the boy
was going away in tears, he called him back, and accepted it. A Chinese
servant, who was standing by, pitied so much the ragged condition of the
boy, that he gave him one of his own thin nankin shirts.