Oriental and Western Siberia; A Narrative of Seven Years' Exploration and Adventures in Siberia, Mongolia, the Kirghis Steppes, Chinese Tartary, and a Part of Central Asia

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: 36 EXCURSIONS ON THE TCHOUSSOWAIA. CHAPTER III. EXCUESIONS ON THE TCHOUSSOWAIA. All was prepared for my departure at eight o'clock this morning, but a great snow-storm approaching from the higher region of the Oural, I was told that I must on no account leave till this had passed. It was well I remaiped, as it commenced to blow most furiously, and the snow fell so thick that we could not have descried objects a boat's length before us. The storm continued without intermission until past three, when the weather cleared up. I then determined to walk along the north bank of the river, and take a sketch of some fine rocky masses about a verst distant; but in this I was disappointed. I had proceeded a short distance only, when the snow-storm began again with redoubled vigor, which compelled me to seek shelter in the nearest dwelling. I turned back and entered a respectable cottage, where I found two women, who treated me with extreme kindness. It was difficult to make them understand a word of my Russian; however, I suppose the storm spoke for me. When they had given me a seat, one of them brought some preserved fruit and a plate of small nuts, which I was entreated to eat: the nuts were from the Siberian cedar, and are much liked here. After remaining two hours and the storm moderating, I thanked these kind people and hastened back to my quarters, as I saw that we should have a stormy night. I crossed the Tchoussowaia to the east bank, telling the men to follow me up the stream with the boat; I then walked on, and in about half an hour arrived at a fine rocky gorge; the precipices on either side are limestone broken into very beautiful forms, with small pine and larch trees growing from the fissures. Here I sketched two views, each displaying some curious geological featur...