Among the Celestials : vol.1 / Page 43 (Color Image)

0043	Among the Celestials : vol.1

CHAP. Y.] WEARISOME TRAVELLING. 21

summer's night and the state of the atmosphere

inside may be imagined ! We, of course,

obtained no adequate rest, and that period of

our journey was irritating and dull.

Travelling on through the forest, we reached

one of the branches of the great Sungari river

—an affluent of the Amur, and, at its junction,

of even greater volume than that river. This

stream we now ascended, as it was said to flow

down from the Ever-White Mountain of which

we were in search ; but after two days' travelling

our mules were brought to a standstill by a bog

through which it was impossible to take any

animal. One man for carrying loads was all

we could secure, and so we had to reduce our

baggage to its minimum, and each one carry

his own, while the one porter carried such

supplies as we should be unable to obtain

ahead ; for though we heard of there being one

or two sable-hunters' huts, the owners of these

were said to be themselves almost starving for

want of food. Shouldering our loads therefore,

we pushed our way through the incessant bogs

which now filled up the valley, and at night

put up in the huts. This was the hardest piece

of work we had done, for we covered from

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