PARTING ON THE LENA. 1ST 



hands became frost-bitten and circulation could not b*> 

 restored in it. He died, and was buried in tbe river. 



Then it was that the captain decided to send Noros and 

 Nindermann ahead. The food had been quite exhausted ; 

 the party was existing only on brandy. Noros thinks it was 

 a Sunday when they left. The captain had held divine 

 service, the men seated on the banks of the river. After 

 service he called the two men and told them he wanted them 

 to push on ahead, and that he would follow with his party. 



"If you find game," were his last words, "then return to 

 us ; if you do not then go to Kumak Surka." 



Noros thus describes the parting: "The captain read 

 divine service before we left. All the men shook hands with 

 us, and most of them had tears in their eyes. Collins was 

 the last. He simply said: 



'Noros, when you get to New York remember me.' 



They seemed to have lost hope, but as we left they gave 

 us three cheers. We told them we would do all that we 

 could do, and that was the last we saw of them. Snow had 

 fallen to a depth of a foot or a foot and a half." 



The river at this place was about five hundred yards wide, 

 and the place was near where the mountains on the western 

 side ended: There was one spot which remained distinctly 

 impressed upon his mind namely, a high, conical, rocky 

 island, which rose up out of the river, and which he called 

 Ostava, or Stalboy. How he got the name is not quite clear. 

 But the rock is a landmark in his memory, and it bore aboufe 

 east by north from the spot where they left the captain. 

 The rock is just at the end of the mountains ; the mountains 

 commence with that rock. 



After leaving this rock the two men traveled slowly and 

 wearily. They sighted deer once, but could not get near 

 them. They shot one grouse and caught an eel, which was 

 all the food they had. They made a kind of tea from the 

 bark of the Arctic Avillow, but often had only hot water to 

 drink. They chewed and ate portions of their skin breeches, 

 and the leather soles of their moccasins. About two days 



