A shooting trip to Kamchatka . cific Squadron, and wasreturning to St. Petersburg. This new fellow-traveller,who was accompanied by his aide-de-camp, was a pre-possessing individual, but proved a most undesirablecompanion during the weeks journey to Stretensk,Although there were several ladies on board besidesmy wife, that high official occupied the best cabin, andwas constantly helped to the best food, which wasvery scarce, the army commissariat having secured allavailable supplies for the troops. Moreover, it wasfound necessary, owing to low water, to shift us atPokrovskoie, at the mouth of
A shooting trip to Kamchatka . cific Squadron, and wasreturning to St. Petersburg. This new fellow-traveller,who was accompanied by his aide-de-camp, was a pre-possessing individual, but proved a most undesirablecompanion during the weeks journey to Stretensk,Although there were several ladies on board besidesmy wife, that high official occupied the best cabin, andwas constantly helped to the best food, which wasvery scarce, the army commissariat having secured allavailable supplies for the troops. Moreover, it wasfound necessary, owing to low water, to shift us atPokrovskoie, at the mouth of the Shilka. on to a fiat-bottomed passenger barge, which we awaited at thatplace fully twenty-four hours. Fortunately, it was notuntil we were within ninetv versts of Stretensk that !94 A SHOOTING TRIP TO KAMCHATKA we were made to go on to this uncomfortable boat, theadmiral having put pressure on the captain to conveyus as far up as he could. But here we found ourselvespiled up, like livestock, in heaps, and the single ladies. IIOMEWARD POUND(the author and general ). cabin was instantly occupied without ceremony by theadmiral! It was with no slight difficulty that thegentleman was persuaded to clear out in favour of theweaker sex. In this manner we finally turned themain corner of our journey, and reached Stretenskat on September the 5th. Our train—the RETURN TO ST. PETERSBURG 295 railway now being- open to the public—was due tostart that verv ni^ht at eleven. Our bao-o-ao-e washurriedly carried over by voluntary porters, mostlysoldiers, to the station, half a mile distant, in pitchdarkness, and we considered ourselves lucky to get offso cheaply as we slowly steamed out of days later we parted with Littledale at Moscow,and safely arrived at St. Petersburg. Recalling to mind this trip to the furthermost east, Imay say, in conclusion, that, although three years havesince elapsed, reminiscences of the voyage and success-ful sport will ever
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookidshootingtrip, bookyear1904
