62 BEHRING. 



contrary winds, the Russians were overtaken by a vio- 

 lent storm, which lasted for seventeen days. They 

 found, though they had not kept up their sails, that 

 they had been driven back to 48 18' of latitude. The 

 scurvy now began to appear among them ; hardly a day 

 passed without the death of one of the crew, and hands 

 enough, in health, were scarcely left to manosuvre the 

 vessel. 



A return to Kamtschatka was resolved upon. After 

 discovering and naming several capes and islands, they 

 saw two which, by an unfortunate mistake, they took 

 for the two first of the Kourilo Isles. By this they 

 erred in their reckoning. They in vain took their course 

 to the west ; the shore of Kamtschatka remained invisi- 

 ble, and there was soon no hope, so late in the season, 

 of making a port in that country. The crew, notwith- 

 standing their sufferings from cold and continued rain, 

 attended to their duty. The scurvy had already so far 

 advanced that the steersman was conducted to the helm 

 by two other invalids, who happened still to have the 

 use of their legs, by supporting him under the arms. 

 When he could no longer steer, from suffering, he was 

 succeeded by another no better able to execute the labor 

 than himself. Thus did the miserable crew waste away 

 into death. They were obliged to carry few sails, for 

 they had not hands to reef them, if at any time it 

 should be required ; and such as they had were nearly 

 worn out, so that the slightest storm was sufficient to 

 shiver them into threads ; in this case they could not 

 be replaced from the stores, for want of sailors able to 

 bend new ones. The rain was soon succeeded by snow. 

 The nights now grew longer and darker, and they had 

 now, in addition to their former precautions, to guard 

 against shipwreck. The fresh water on board was rap- 



