Works of A.P. Chekhov, Vol. 10: Sakhalin Island

...directly from the sea across the mountains, one would surely not encounter a single dwelling, not a single living soul for a distance of five hundred versts or more... The shore is cheerfully green in the sun and, apparently, gets along perfectly well without man. At six o'clock, we were in the narrowest part of the strait, between Capes Pogobi and Lazarev, and saw both shores very closely; at eight o'clock, we passed Nevelskoy’s Cap—this is the name of a mountain with a bump on the summit, resembling a cap. The morning was bright and brilliant, and the pleasure I experienced was intensified by the proud realization that I was seeing these shores.

In the second hour, we entered De-Kastri Bay. This is the only place where ships sailing through the strait can take shelter during a storm, and if not for it, navigation along the Sakhalin shores, which are entirely inhospitable, would be unthinkable *). There is even such an expression: "to run to De-Kastri." The bay is beautiful and arranged by nature as if on order. It is a round pond, about three versts in diameter, with high banks that protect it from winds and a narrow exit to the sea. If one judges by its external appearance, the bay is ideal, but alas!—this only seems so; seven months of the year it is covered with ice, poorly protected from the east wind, and so shallow that steamers drop anchor two versts from the shore. The exit to the sea is guarded by three islands, or, more accurately, reefs, which give the bay a peculiar beauty; one of them is named Oyster Island: very large and fatty oysters are found on its underwater part.

On the shore, there are a few small houses and a church. This is the Alexandrovsky Post. Here live the head of the post, his clerk, and the telegraph operators. One local official,

*) Regarding the purpose of this bay in the present and future, see K. Skalkovsky, "Russian Trade in the Pacific Ocean," p. 75.