THK VILA'S WINTER QUARTERS. 173 



tramp of several hours to the westward, and saw a bay about 

 fifteen miles wide between the headlands, and there the 

 natives told us the Vega had passed the winter. We found 

 nothing there of any consequence. In the tents, however, 

 we found tin cans marked ' Stockholm," scraps of paper with 

 soundings marked in Swedish, and some interesting pictures 

 of Stockholm professional beauties. The natives indicated 

 to us by signs that the steamer had passed safely out to the 

 east. After purchasing some of the pictures and tin cans we 

 returned to the ship. 



During my absence the captain had got the sun at noon, 

 and the latitude placed us about fifteen miles inland. Our 

 astronomical positions were not reliable, owing to the state 

 of the weather, but from them and the dead reckoning we 

 felt assured that the coast is not correctly charted. The 

 general appearance of the coast was fresh and pleasing. Off 

 what we supposed to be Cape Serdze Kamen we saw a large 

 heart-shaped rock, of which Mr. Collins made an elaborate 

 sketch. There were several sugar-loaf mountains in sight. 



Our walk to the Vega's winter quarters was over a inossy 

 tundra ; no signs of deer ; the vegetation withered. The 

 natives were hospitable, and one old Chukche dame pressed 

 us to eat a dish of walrus blood, but we felt compelled to 

 refuse the offer. The natives were stalwart and handsome ; 

 they lived in skin tents and were exceedingly dirty. They 

 were well clad, and the chief wore a red calico gown as the 

 distinguishing mark of his dignity. This was the last time 

 most of us touched land for a period of more than two years. 



About 4 P. M., August 31st, we stood to the northwest, 

 shaping our course to the southeast cape of Wrangel Land, 

 and then we felt that our Arctic cruise had actually com- 

 menced. We met considerable drift ice ; the weather was 

 stormy and misty. About sunrise, September 1st, we dis- 

 cerned an island which was taken to be Kolyutschin, in Ko- 

 lyutschin Bay. Next day we met pack ice in floes of moderate 

 size, turned to the northward and northeastward, and cruised 



