240 THE JE ANNETTE ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



in our favor ; after getting clear of the point we could run 

 up the coast with a fair wind. ' But,' I added, * if a gale 

 comes on we will be in the breakers.' Melville then decided 

 to turn back and start for Barkin. 



At this juncture Bartlett spoke up and said that he believed 

 we were in the east branch of the Lena. Melville referred 

 to me, and I said that it might be so, but that we should 

 have higher land on our port hand if that were the case. 

 The trend of the river corresponded pretty well with the 

 coast outlet, and if we could find an island about thirty 

 miles up stream it would, doubtless, prove that we were in 

 that place. Bartlett said that he believed such a vast body 

 of water could not be a swamp river ; it was bigger than the 

 Mississippi at its mouth. I still held to my belief that it 

 was a swamp river, but said that it would be a good plan to 

 try to make a landing before night. 



So we stood up stream and were fortunate enough to make 

 a landing at seven p. M., in what we found afterward tho 

 Tunguses call an orasso, or summer hunting hut. We had 

 been 108 hours in the boat since leaving Semenoffski Island. 

 The men immediately built a fire in the hut, and gathered 

 round it before they had restored circulation by exercise. 1 

 knocked about outside and carried up my sleeping bag before 

 supper, so my blood was in good circulation before I went 

 near the fire. We had a cup of tea and a morsel of pemmi- 

 can, having been on quarter rations since we separated. We 

 went to sleep with our feet toward the fire, and several of 

 the men passed the night in agony, as if millions of needles 

 were piercing their limbs. Bartlett described it as the worst 

 night he ever passed. I slept like a child and was very 

 much refreshed next morning. We found fish bones, rein- 

 deer horns and human footprints ; also a curiously fashioned 

 wooden reindeer with a boy mounted on his back. We were 

 very much delighted with our prospects of meeting natives. 



Next morning we got under way about seven, steered up 

 the river about two hours, and then could proceed no further. 

 Bartlett started out to reconnoitre, but when he was a 



