LAST WORDS FROM THE EXPLORERS. 25 



emotion at the possession of such unique treasures, and at 

 once hid them in the ample folds, or rather stowage-places, 

 of her fur dress." 



On the 18th of August the schooner Fanny A. Hyde, con- 

 veying- coal and extra stores for the expedition, arrived from 

 San Francisco, and on the evening of the 21st both vessels 

 resumed the voyage northward. As they started out, the 

 guns at the old Russian fort and at the Agency of the Wes- 

 tern Fur and Trading Company belched forth a parting 

 salute. 



On the 25th the Jeannette arrived at St. Lawrence Bay, 

 East Siberia, some thirty miles south of East Cape, where 

 DeLong learned from the natives that a steamer, supposed to 

 lie the Vega, had gone south. The schooner arrived the 

 next day, and her stores were transferred to the Jeannette. 

 In a letter dated August 26th, Engineer Melville wrote home 

 as follows : 



" We did not send our convoy back from St. Michael's 

 as we expected, because we were too deeply laden already 

 to take on our stores. It was very fortunate for us we had her 

 to carry our extra coal and stores over here, for on the wa\ 

 we were caught in a terrible gale of wind, and. owing to the 

 condition of the ship, and deeply laden as we were, the sen 

 had a clean sweep over us. It stove in our forward parts. 

 carried away the bridge, caved the bulkheads, and in fact 

 just drowned us out. Had we the other stuff on board we 

 must have foundered, or else got it overboard in time. We 

 leave here for East Cape to-day, having taken on board all 

 our stores, and we are -in even much worse sea-condition 

 than we were before ; but we think that maybe, when we get 

 into the ice where the wind can't raise a sea, we will be all 

 right." 



From St. Lawrence Bay the Jeannette continued her jour- 

 ney alone. Just before starting, Mr. Collins, as special 

 correspondent of the New York Herald, wrote to that journal 

 as follows : 



