1779* ourfelves u p in our furs, waited patiently fo r titc morning-
_ May' ■ About three o’clock, w e were called on to fet out, our gu ides
Sundays. j p g apprehenfive, that i f w e waited longer, w e m igh t
be flopped by the thaw, and n either be able to proceed, nor
to return. After encountering many difficulties, w hich were
principally occafioned by the bad condition o f the road, at
two in the afternoon, we got fafe to an ojtrog, called Nat-
cheekin, fituated on the fide o f a fmall ftream, which falls
into the Bolchoireka, a little w a y below the town. T h e
diflance between Karatcliin and Natcheekin is thirty-eight
werfts (or twenty-five m ile s ) ; and had the hard froft continued,
w e ihould not, b y their account, have been more than
fou r hours in performing i t ; but the fnow was fo foft, that
the dogs, almoft at every ftep, fun k up to their b e llie s ; and
I was indeed much furprifed at their be in g at all able to
overcome the difficulties o f fo fa tigu in g a journey.
Natcheekin is a ve ry inconfiderable ojlrog, ha vin g only one
log-houfe, the refidence o f the Toion; five balagans, and one
jourt. W e were received here w ith the fame formalities,
and in the fame hofpitable manner, as at Karatchin ; and in
the afternoon we went to vifit a remarkable hot fpring,
w h ich is near this village. We faw, at fome diflance, the
fleam rifing from it, as from a boiling ca ldron ; and as we
approached, perceived the air had a ftrong fulphureous fmell.
T h e main fpring forms a bafon o f about three feet in diameter
; befides w hich, there are a number o f lefler fprings,
o f the fame degree o f heat, in the adjacent g roun d; fo that
the whole fpot, to the extent o f near an acre, was fo hot,
that we could not ftand two minutes in the fame place. The
water flowing from thefe fprings is collected in a fmall
bathing pond, and afterward forms a little r iv u le t ; which,
at the diflance o f about an hundred and fifty yards, falls
into the river. The bath, they told us, had wrought great
cures
cures in feveral diforders, fu ch as rheumatifms, fwelled and ^79-
contrailed joints, and fcorbutic ulcers. In the bathing- t— — ■»
place the thermometer flood at 100°, or blood h e a t ; but in
the fpring, after b e in g immerfed two minutes, it was t°
above bo iling fpirits. T he thermometer in the air, at this
time, was 34°; in the river 40’ ; and in the Toion's houfe 64°.
The ground where thefe fprings break out, is on a gentle
a fc e n t ; behind w h ich there is a green h ill o f a moderate
fize, I am forry I was not fufficiently flailed in botany to
examine the plants, w h ich feemed to thrive here with great
lu x u r ian c e ; the w ild garlic, indeed, forced it fe lf on o u r
notice, and was at this time fpr ing ing up very vigoroufly.
T h e next morning, we embarked on the Bolchoireka in Monday ¡a.
canoes ; and, h a vin g the ftream w ith us;, expedled' to be at
our jo u rn e y ’s end the day followin g. T h e town o f Bolche-
• retfk is about e igh ty miles from Na tcheekin ; and we were
informed, that, in the fummer feafon, when the river has
been fu ll and rapid, from the melting o f fnow on the mountains,
the canoes had often gone down in a fingle day ; but
that, in its prefent ftate, we fhould probably be much longer,
as the ice had broken up only three days before we arrived ;
and that ours would be th e fir ft boat that had attempted to
pafs. This intelligence proved but too true. We found
ourfelves grea tly impeded by the fliallows ; and though the
ftream, in many places, ran with great rapidity,, yet every
h a lf mile, w e had ripplings and flioals, over w h ich w e
were obliged to haul the boats- The country, on each fide,.
was very romantic, but unvaried ; the river running between
mountains o f the moft crag gy and barren afpeft,
where there was nothing to diverfify the fc e n e ; but now
and then the fight o f a bear, and the flights o f wild-fowl.
So uninterefting a pafiage leaves me n oth ing farther to fa y ,.
than.