A baby, strapped into a shallow cradle, lay in the bottom of the boat near the steersman.

The young Mongol was holding his thumb in his mouth and appeared content with his position.
The town was in a condition of rawness like a western city in its second year; there was one principal street and several smaller ones, regularly laid out.

As in all the Russian settlements on the Amoor the houses were of logs and substantially built.

Passing up the principal street we found a store, where we purchased a quantity of canned fruit, meats, and pickles.
[Illustration: "NONE FOR JOE."] These articles were from Boston, New York, and Baltimore, and had American labels.

The pictures of poaches, strawberries, and other fruits printed on the labels were a great convenience to the Russian clerk who served us.