Though the natives do the most of the fishing on the Amoor, they do not have a monopoly of it, as some of the Russians indulge in the sport.  One old fellow that I saw had a boat so full of salmon, that there was no room for more.  Now and then a fish went overboard, causing an expression on the boatman’s face as if he were suffering from a dose of astonishment and toothache drops in equal proportions.

There were dogs everywhere, some lying around loose, and others tied to posts under the storehouses.  Some walked about and manifested an unpleasant desire to taste the calves of my legs.  All barked, growled, and whined in a chorus like a Pawnee concert.  There were big dogs and little dogs, white, black, grey, brown, and yellow dogs, and not one friendly.  They did not appear courageous, but I was not altogether certain of their dispositions.  Their owners sought to quiet them, but they refused comfort.

[Illustration:  ABOUT FULL.]

Those dogs had some peculiarities of those in Kamchatka, but their blood was evidently much debased; they appeared to be a mixture of Kamchadale, greyhound, bull dog, and cur, the latter predominating.  They are used for hunting at all seasons, and for towing boats in summer and dragging sledges in winter.  I was told that since the Russian settlement of the Amoor the Gilyak dogs have degenerated, in consequence of too much familiarity with Muscovite canines.  Nicolayevsk appeared quite cosmopolitan, in the matter of dogs, and it was impossible to say what breed was most numerous.  One day I saw nineteen in a single group and no two alike.

Near the entrance of the village an old man was repairing his nets, which were stretched along a fence.  He did not regard us as we scrutinized his jacket of blue cotton, and he made no response to a question which Borasdine asked.  Further along were two women putting fish upon poles for drying, and a third was engaged in skinning a large salmon.  The women did not look up from their work, and were not inclined to amiability.  They had Mongol features, complexion, eyes, and hair, the latter thick and black.  Some of the men wear it plaited into queues, and others let it grow pretty much at will.  Each woman I saw had it braided in two queues, which hung over her shoulders.  In their ears they wore long pendants, and their dresses were generally arranged with taste.

When recalled by the steam whistle we left the village and took a short route down a steep bank to the boat.  In descending, my feet passed from under me, and I had the pleasure of sliding about ten yards before stopping.  Had it not been for a Cossack who happened in my way I should have entered the Amoor after the manner of an otter, and afforded much amusement to the spectators, though comparatively little to myself.  The sliding attracted no special attention as it was supposed to be the American custom, and I did not deem it prudent to make an explanation lest the story might bring discredit to my nationality.