464 THE JEANNETTE ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



that the second cutter never came within hailing-distance of 

 the captain's boat. 



It is my opinion that Chipp never reached land, but that 

 he was swamped during the gale. The second cutter was 

 about the shape of a dry goods box. She was short and 

 deep, and although flying the lightest of all three boats, she 

 was bad to steer, and, as Mr. Chipp once said, ' eternally fly- 

 ing up in the wind.' Being short, if she was hove to, as she 

 would undoubtedly have to be, as the others were, she would 

 not lie as well." 



The following is Mr. Melville's narrative of his search for 

 Lieutenant De Long in November 1881 : 



"At Burulak I secured two teams of dogs driven by 

 Wassili Koolgiak and Tomat Constantino the latter being 

 one of the natives who had rescued Nindermann and Noros 

 at Bulcour. I made Baishoff understand that all expenses 

 would be paid ; that I had no money, but my government 

 and the Russian authorities would sanction everything I 

 said or did. 1 told them I wanted ten days' food for myself, 

 drivers and dogs. I had with me then a description I had 

 taken down from the narratives of Noros and Nindermann 

 of the whereabouts of Captain De Long and his party when 

 they had left to come in advance for assistance. I got 

 away that afternoon, and that night slept at Kumak Surka. 



Next day I traveled fifty versts, and slept in one of the 

 huts of Bulcour the place where Nindermann and Noros 

 had been found by the natives. This was the beginning of 

 my search, following the river to the northward. During 

 the night a snow storm arose and the natives would not 

 move. I had not yet recovered from the frozen condition 

 of my feet and limbs, so that 1 had to trust to the natives 

 for my safety, and thought it best to wait until the gale 

 was over. I was detained one day and the second night. 

 Next morning it was calm enough, and I set out again. 

 From Bulcour to the hut of Mot Vai is about 130 versts. 

 The drivers told me it would be necessary to camp in the 

 snow after going half the distance, and that if we were 



