ATTEMPTS TO PROCEED. 245 



Sok ! Sok ! ' which meant ' No ! No ! ' and then tried to 

 explain something which I could not understand, saying 

 ' Kornado,' which I only afterward learned meant ' father.' 

 I felt sorry for the youth, and gave him a colored silk hand- 

 kerchief and one or two little things, and then went back to 

 Melville. 



We then started out on our own hook and tried to work 

 south (that is toward Bulun) among the mud flats ; but in 

 this we were not successful. At five P. M. we had a consul- 

 tation, and I urged that we must decide at once whether to 

 remain out all night or go back. I recommended going 

 back and forcing the natives to go with us. We had two 

 Remingtons and a shot-gun, and I knew that it would be easy 

 to carry our point. Bartlett had been sounding from the 

 bow, so I asked him if he knew the way back. He said yes, 

 and we started to return. We did quite well until dark, 

 but then the wind shifted and began to blow a gale. 

 It was a very bad situation for a boat in such shallow 

 water. We were fortunate enough, however, to get under 

 the lee of a mud bank, where we secured the boat, with 

 three tent-poles driven into the mud and our line fast to 

 them. Thus we rode all night. It was very cold, and some 

 of the men got their feet and legs badly frostbitten. During 

 the snow squalls of the evening before 1 had to give the 

 helm to Leach, because my glass would constantly get 

 covered with snow and I could not see. 



At daylight I got Bartlett and Wilson to stand up in the 

 boat and take a good look at the land. Bartlett said he 

 could not recognize it, but Wilson was sure it was the place 

 where we had first met the natives. Bartlett said that if we 

 could weather a certain mud-flat we would have a fair way 

 in ; so we close reefed, I took the helm, and went to 

 windward of the mud-flat. Then we ran in with a leading 

 wind and landed. Newcomb shot some sea-gulls, and we 

 breakfasted on them in order to save our few remaining 

 pounds of pemmican. Wilson insisted that in less than 

 15 



