The continuing adventures of Khvostov and Davydov. The previous episode:
Khvostov and Davydov are now in the part of eastern Siberia, where relays of post horses are no longer available. Travel is slow. They have also left the region of the Yakuts, and are now in the area where the Tungus, both nomads and those with permanent dwellings, live. This part of the journey provides a little more swashbuckling, and opportunities for unusual modes of travel.
At the end of the previous episode, they were delayed because they were missing some horses and the boat they needed to cross the river. Davydov appears to pass the time by sketching the winter route between Yakutsk and Okhotsk.
It might be helpful here to provide a refresher on principal units of measure. Here are a few:
Pood: Weight, 40 Russian funts, about 36 pounds.
Verst: Distance, just over a kilometer or 0.6 miles
Sazhen: Length or depth, often translated as fathom, and about 7 feet. There are 500 sazhens to a verst
Arshin: Length, about 71 cm or 28 inches – 1/3 of a sazhen
DAVYDOV’S NARRATIVE (Cont’d)
[15 July 1802, cont’d – at Allakh-Yun]
The winter road was previously built here, but when the village on Allakh-Yun was destroyed, the Post, Couriers and Relays, learned that by riding to the north, they could buy a lot of squirrels and other soft stuff [furs] from the Tunguses they meet. They laid a winter road to Aimyakon, across which the route from Yakutsk will be about 2,000 versts to Okhotsk, that is, almost twice as far as along the summer road. And riding there is hard, for it is an empty place for 600 or 700 versts, with severe frosts and big blizzards, called Buranami, and in Okhotsk and Kamchatka Purgami. They say that the snow on that road is not as deep as in some places near here, for example, on the seven ridges and some others. The winter road goes by the following route: from Yakutsk they leave in summer by relays of horses to Arilakh, where they turn off to the left. As far as the Aldan river there are frequent Yakut villages, but after that they travel on horseback alone to the river and large Yakut village Aimyakon, located from Yakutsk 1000, and from the Aldan more than 600 versts, beyond which there are no dwellings at all. Here they change horses and ride more than 400 versts through the vastness to the Tulskiy ridge, where although there is no village, but they take reindeer from the nomadic Tungus, if they meet them; otherwise they continue to ride the same horses for another 200 versts, to the ridge and river Bargachan. Here, when they find the nomadic Tunguses, they take their reindeer and ride 100 versts to the lake and river Uyaga. They call those with permanent dwellings Walking Tungus [as opposed to mounted – JT.]; nomads change places in summer and winter, herd reindeer and transport on them all their belongings and yurts, consisting of birch bark, covering several stakes tied in the top, so that the yurt always has conical shape, or they cover these stakes with reindeer and other animals’ skins. From the Tulskiy ridge to Okhotsk, the road follows the Okhotsk river. On the Uyaga they take from the Walking Tungus dogs, with which they travel 200 versts in a Nartakh (a kind of sleigh) all the way to Okhotsk; for the most part they change them halfway at Arka, where Walking Tungus live, and then with the Yakuts at Metya, 55 versts from Okhotsk.
In winter they load around 4 poods on a horse. When they stop, they let them loose, so that, raking the snow with a hoof, they find the faded grass remaining under it, or they clear a small space and let them go there. Horseback riding is very dull in winter, for the horses, weakened by thinness and lack of food, go very slowly, and sometimes get so tired that the rider has to ski most of the way and carry his food and clothes himself. On reindeer they usually load three poods, or for a short trip four or five; but then they choose the two best reindeer for the added weight and change them daily. After two or three hours, it is necessary to stop to feed the reindeer a little, who eat white moss while pawing the snow, which usually grows on the mountains: they are not allowed to stand for any length of time and are sent directly to feed.
Finally, when the horses and the boat were found, we took the baggage to the other side, and the horses swam across, and at 6:30pm we set off. The water in the Allakh-Yun stood so high that it flooded part of the road up to the horses’ bellies. At 10 versts from the station we stopped at the left side of the mountain Taskh-Tanara Balagana. Taskh means stone, Tanara means God, and Balagana church, and this name comes from an image found once on this stone mountain. Continuing on a field a verst farther, we stopped for the night.
26 July.
The night had thick fog, which fell to the ground in the morning, but when we set off on the road, the day became fine. We forded the river Mutin cross, named for the Cossack centurion Mutin, who was once marching with his command to Okhotsk, and put a cross on it. The river flows into the Allakh-Yun, along with 8 or 9 others that are nameless because they only flow in spring and after rains; for this reason these rivers, like all others that do not always flow, are called dry. After this we rode over a high mountain, called Ancha; farther along we passed a feeding place Dylga Asylyk (feeding hillocks), and approached the Ancha ford, where the water was so high, that we had to stop and wait for it to abate. After standing for a while, we lowered a pole into the river and observed that the water was falling, but at 10:00 it began to rain and destroyed our hope of crossing. There is supposed to be a ferry here, but when it is absent, travelers are often forced to wait a long time.
On the way, we shot a partridge and two squirrels, and in the lake we caught two large ducklings, which could not yet fly. A Yakut killed these things with a stick and gave them to us, and we gave him two squirrels, which he ate immediately, frying some on a stick. Squirrel meat is very tender and white, but the local Russians do not eat it.
Snow was visible in many places on the mountains across the Ancha.
Although all Yakuts are great hunters for tobacco and vodka, our hired man did not like either; that could be considered a great rarity.
Seeing that the water was not going to fall soon, we began to build a raft. At 2pm one was ready, and the rain stopped. Then we tied together all our lassos and ropes and sent someone to carry one end of this line to the other side, so that by this means we could get over on the raft. When the man who carried the end swam, the current pulled the rope and began to drag the horse so strongly that he had to return. Thus, all the methods used by us for the crossing were in vain. While waiting, we went into the forest to pick berries and mushrooms, and I shot small game.
The most convenient time to travel along the Okhotsk road is late autumn, when there is no rain at all, and the water in the rivers is so low that not a single ford gets in the way.
In the evening we tried again to cross by raft; but the Yakuts, afraid of drowning, said, that ten versts upstream is another ford; but it since it was already rather late, we postponed our departure there to the morning.
28 July.
At 8:00 we set off. It was a beautiful day. We crossed four dry rivers, approaching the Ancha, but there was one we could not cross, and so we stopped on a small island, near another on which many blueberries grew.
The Ancha divides into several small streams, creating many islands, on one of which we stood; for this branch was shallow. Opposite us the river Anchakan flows into the Ancha.
We had barely had time to drink our tea in the evening when one of our people, emerging from the tents, shouted: Robbers! Robbers! we grabbed our guns and jumped out, and seeing people already galloping very close to us, we faced them and shouted for them to stop.
There were 11 robbers. Seeing that we were ready to shoot at them, they stopped not more than ten sazhens from us. We told them to back off further, and when they did this, then taking all possible precautions so that they could not suddenly and unexpectedly attack us, we entered into negotiations with them. The ataman told us that they thought they would find merchants here, not military men; that there was no scheme against us; that they all fled from Ust Mayskaya pier on the Aldan, and were lost; moreover, that privation and hardship were their reasons for robbing. (The usual pretext for idlers.) Thus, for the second time, we got out of grave danger, for it must be confessed that our forces were very weak against them. Later, when these robbers had been overwhelmed and interrogated, we learned that this was the very gang that was waiting for us at the ford of the Belaya River, and which, having heard about our passage from the other gang that met us, followed us with that intention of catching us at a time when we stopped, jump right onto the tents, and without letting us react, crush or stab everyone.
29 July.
At 4am it started raining and continued around three hours, but the water compared to yesterday’s level fell by a quarter of an arshin and we crossed the Ancha by ford, where the horses could just make it without swimming. We immediately went over the Anchakan. Soon after this we met a Yakut, naturally one of the turners [remember that these are Yakuts that bring unladen horses back from Okhotsk –JT.], for the same hour he galloped back. We greatly regretted that we could not warn this man about the proximity of the robbers, who would not fail to rob him.
About 55 versts from Allakh-Yun, we arrived at a place called Camel Valley, from the fact that once a pack camel, led to Okhotsk by a certain merchant, died here. They say that this camel was four sazhens long, that they loaded it with 200 poods, and all the rest of the stories among the Yakuts about him are just as likely. Six versts from Camel Valley is a glacier called Ice Lake; it is more than a verst long, and around 200 sazhens wide, and they say, usually is much more extensive. This ice never melts completely, the thickness of it is about an arshin, the surface is whitish, but at the bottom it is blue and due to the rains it has become spongy. The reflection of the sun’s rays from the surface of this ice hurt the eyes. A little farther along we reached two more small glaciers, which all lie on shallow, rocky ground.
On a lake, called Little Chzherga Talakh we shot three ducks. By nightfall we forded the river Anchakan for the 20th time, and an even greater number of small streams. A little farther we reached the lake Big Chzherga Talakh, from which the outgoing stream, connecting with another, flowing from the mountains, constitute the river Akachan, flowing into the Yudom. We forded it three times and at 9:00 we stopped. The name Chzherga Talakh comes from the fact that in these lakes swim many small fish, called by the Yakut Chzherga, which the Yakut, during the summer, catch by the snout.
30 July.
It rained all morning. In the 16th verst from our overnight camp, we reached Captain’s Notch, a glacier 2 versts long and about 200 sazhens wide, but usually larger. At the top of this a stream flows, which we could not cross quickly, for the ice that composes its banks is high and steep, and being washed away by the current of the stream, it collapsed with a noise like a cannon shot. To the south, over a high mountain, there was a terrible black cloud, past which other clouds on both sides moved very quickly, but at the bottom there was perfect silence. We expected rain or thunder, but the oncoming wind dispersed all these clouds.
Not far from Captain’s Notch, we drove past a collapsed hut 2-1/2 square sazhens in size, where a passing merchant was once forced to winter, because suddenly a lot of snow fell and all his horses broke.
We continued our journey on the left bank of the Akachan, avoiding the fords across this river, which would have stopped us, although the road here was much longer and extremely bad. With great difficulty we went around the Sokoliy Mountain, along a road of uneven sharp stones, sometimes along the river itself, and sometimes along the cut of the high bank. It rained hard the whole time.
Five versts from Sokoliy Mountain we forded the Ognen river, which takes its name from the extreme swiftness of its current. The ford was so deep that during the pouring rain itself we rode waist-deep in the water, and one could say that we made our way through the water between heaven and earth. After passing two fields called Kogon Ippyt (wounded drake), we stopped to spend the night at the Kenchai ford.
Ken-chai means a wide stone field, and the ford is therefore named Kenchay-ski, because in this place the river spreads widely and flows along the stone bottom. This day we have crossed as many as forty small rivers and streams.
31 July.
In the evening the rain stopped, but at 4am it began again and fell so hard that the Yakuts did not even want to get up from their overnight stay, although they endure bad weather with amazing patience, and even after rain they rarely dry their clothes and shoes. All our companions gathered in a tent, in which only two or three could sleep. The rain that drove us into this cramped shelter did not stop pouring like a river. The Okhotsk road is hard enough without this, but now there were many more obstacles. It must be confessed that wasps, gadflies, mosquitoes, varnaks, rains, fords, were such circumstances, from which either all patience should be crushed, or all impatience should grow stronger.
1 August.
The rain continued. At six o’clock in the morning we sent to catch the horses; but the Yakuts were so reluctant to go, that we were not able to set out until eleven. Yesterday it was dry around us, but today we saw swift rivers: these were undoubtedly from the rains, and we will have to ford them constantly. The Akachan spread extremely broadly and presented a wonderful sight: the hills covered with forest became islands, a lot of trees torn from the roots rushed along the river, which sometimes stopped at those islands. One cannot help but be surprised to what extent the waters rise here when, in a dry season, riding near the local rivers, you see whole trees lying high in the branches of others. Finally we approached a small river, and we began to ford it. The first Yakut led four horses: the three rear ones broke away, were carried away by the speed of the current, got entangled in the alluvial forest and drowned, so it was with great danger that we saved the baggage. After this we began to take the horses across one by one at another place, where it was not necessary to swim more than a sazhen: here we crossed safely and only soaked all the baggage. It was good that we had four spare horses, so that from the death of three we were not prevented from continuing. Forty versts from Captain’s Notch we reached the ice glacier Ken-chai, two versts in length, and in width about one, though usually it is about 10 versts long. At 4:00 we stopped near the Ken-chai and Lamkov rivers, because the water in them was very high; the Yakuts were so scared, that they said: if they go across this river, they will drown the rest of the horses and they will all drown themselves. Thus, we were forced to pitch the tent on the wet tundra, or to put it simply, in a swamp. We settled down in it in the following way: we spread a large number of larch branches, laid felts on them, and, as usual, put the saddles at our heads, laid our guns and pistols between these beds, and sabers on the sides of these, and at the entrance of the tent put a chest of rusks. Having done this, we lay down on wet felt and waited with considerable boredom for the end of the bad weather.
2 August.
At 4:00 the sun appeared for an instant, but then the sky was again covered with gloom so that the mountains less than half a verst from us became invisible and the rain poured down harder than ever. We were soaked to the bone and shivered from the cold. Making our boredom worse was the thought that if the rains delayed us long enough, the ship could leave for America before our arrival in Okhotsk, then we would be forced to winter in that city and lose a whole year.
Sometimes the Yakuts did not stop at good pasture, but simply went further saying, that there was drunken grass growing here. — What is drunken grass? — When a horse eats it, then it goes crazy, rushes around, and then dies. The only way to save it is to saddle and ride it until it becomes foamy with sweat. However, no one knows this harmful plant by sight, but the Yakuts, having heard enough about what feeding places drive the horses mad, never stop at these, believing that the drunken grass is there.
From Yakutsk to Allakh-Yun, the forest for the most part is Larch and pine, with much less birch, aspen, alder, and cedar, a lot of willow and dwarf birch: in general the forest is sparse. Into Allakh-Yun, it is thicker in some places, especially with larch. Then there are a lot of poplars, which previously were not seen at all; but pine becomes rarer, and finally disappears completely. On the way, there are blueberries, red and black currants, the latter rarely; also quite a few elderberries and princesses [raspberries].
We stopped no more than three versts from the river where our horses drowned, because the unbaptized Yakuts took the cauldron and went back to eat their fill of horse meat. It is known that the Yakuts are great gluttons, and a fat horse is the tastiest morsel for them, but when Russians are watching, the baptized do not eat this food, although in the uluses they live just like all others. The Yakuts eat not only those horses they have killed on purpose, but also those dead from stings, and even sometimes from infection, from which they themselves die afterwards. In 1803 [while this journey took place in 1802, Davydov wrote this account in 1810 –JT.], the Aldan Yakuts went to haymaking, at which time they usually feast, that is, they eat as much as they can. They had a fat horse. It suddenly fell, and the Yakuts ran up to look and found it, to their surprise, dead. According to ordinary superstition, they thought that the devil had killed it, which, however, did not prevent them from eating it. A few hours later, tumors appeared on everyone’s bodies, and then sores. After two or three days, many died, and in other places where they had sores, everything was rotted out. The same thing happened at the same time on the Amga and the Allakh-Yun, where there was a death of a horse, which the Yakuts did not stop eating until that time, when many themselves died. Then they went to their Shamans; these begged the devil not to kill any more horses; but the infection did not abate until autumn. In both cattle and horses, it started with a tumor, which then turned into sores and was so virulent that if someone touched the tumor with his hand, then a pimple appeared on it, and after that a sore. The Yakuts learned of this case, and now they did not eat the falling horses, although on Allakh-Yun the plague killed a lot of them.
2 August (date repeated)
At night, the ice on the Ken-Chai glacier often collapsed with great noise. In the morning our Yakuts returned, brought with them a whole skinned horse and said that on the spot they had eaten only two cauldrons each, because it was cold. They removed the manes from all three horses in order to return to camp to show that the horses were killed and not sold; however, under this guise, when the owner of the horses is not with the convoy, the workers often eat the best of them, and bring the manes back.
The water in the Lamkov river had fallen, so we crossed it at a ford and climbed a steep mountain, along a very muddy road. One horse broke loose, dropped two sazhens over its head to the bottom, but when it surfaced, it was all right. Ten versts from our overnight camp we left the main road. We had to ford a branch of the Akachan river, but it was too deep, and we did not want to stop, so we began to make our way along the bank: we drove along a steep stone slope, or straight through the water, where it was shallower, but there was a lot of driftwood. This detour was extremely difficult. Although the Yakuts had heard that there was another better one along the top of the ridge, they did not know for sure. Having left the road again, we forded a small river, from which burns begin, that is, places where they sometimes burned out the grass, so that afterwards they have better forage. From this river to the Yudom cross, the road is not rocky and is quite good, although the rains spoiled it badly. We waded across several deep marshes and approached a small stream, in which the water was very high; but as its width was not more than four sazhens, we laid several trees from bank to bank and placed brushwood over them, and by this bridge carried all our baggage across the river. The horses we drove in to swim. Small rivers that flow across the road and for which there is no special name are generally called cross rivers. The crossing lasted three hours, after which, having traveled about three versts, we were stopped by another river. Then we found several people traveling to Okhotsk and also blocked behind the water, among them the Yakutsk merchant Zakharov, who is traveling to Okhotsk for the fortieth time, but has never seen such great waters. Our Yakuts even ate raw horse meat on the way.
3 August.
In the morning it started to rain, but it did not last more than two hours. We began to build a raft for crossing; but as the Yakuts did not want it, they said that they would look for a ford, but they found a ready bridge like the one we built yesterday. A second burn begins at this river. We waded across several deep marshes and rode up to the Grazny river, which takes its name from its extremely shallow bottom. It flooded so much, that between it and the Yudom (into which it flows) there was not a dry place, even though the space between the banks spans two versts. Not far from us stood a few families of nomadic Tungus, and we hired one of them to go with us to Yudom cross for a bigger boat. He went with us in a birch bark canoe (a kind of small river vessel), similar to the ones on the Lena River, only these are smaller and seem to go faster. The Tungus stayed to fish. We rode on reindeer. The saddle they put on them is very small and without stirrups, but the rider usually has a stick in his right hand, which serves to maintain balance. The ride is rather awkward, although it is fast, for the deer takes long strides, but it runs at a quick trot. A deer climbs mountains very easily, due to the shortness of its front legs.
In the next installment: Chapter II of Davydov’s narrative concludes. From Yudom Cross, a landmark dating back to Vitus Bering’s early explorations of Siberia, at long last they reach Okhotsk, the port from which they will depart on the sea portion of their expedition.