cr own readers

34 KA)ITCHATKA AND ITS PE OPLE .
The central and southern pa rts of the country are
broken up by the spurs of th e great mountain range
into deep, picturesq ue vall eys, and th e scenery is perhaps
the most beautiful in all Northorn Asia.
2. We sailed from America aero th e Pacific to thi
northern land. The very nam e of Knmtchatka had
always called up to
our minds e\'erything
ba rre n and
inhospitabl e. We
did not think for
a moment that
such a country
could hav e beautiful
scenery and
luxuriant vegetati
on. But it was
summer wh en we
arr ived, and to our surprise and delight we looked
upon grassy hill s covered with trees and green bushes,
and valleys white with clover and Iu\\'ing little groves
of silver-barked birch. Even th e rocks nodded with
wild roses and columbine, whi ch had taken root in
th eir cleft s.
3. The vege ta tion everywhere, un touched as yet by
the aut umn frosts, seemed to have an almost tropical
luxuriance. High, wild grass, mingled with flowers,
extended to the brinks of the rivers ; alp ine roses grew
in dense th ickets along the bank, and dro pped their
pink and yellow petals like fairy boat upon th e surface
of the still, clear water ; yellow columbine drooped
low over the rive r ; and strange black lilies, with downcast
looks, stood here and th ere in sad lonelin e