MELVILLE'S NOVEMBER SEARCH. 467 



distance of five or six miles, and a mile or a mile and a half 

 off shore looking for the first cutter, darkness came on. It 

 commenced to blow hard, and so I determined to carry 

 everything I had found to Ballock. On my arrival at Bal- 

 lock again, very much to my astonishment, the drivers told 

 me they had but one day's food for themselves and dogs, 

 and I was, perforce, obliged to return to North Bulun for 

 more provisions, carrying the relics with me. 



At North Bulun I picked out everything of importance 

 and value, throwing out the old sleeping bags, clothing, 

 boots and worthless objects I had brought from the cache. 

 The day following it blew very hard. After I had made 

 arrangements to start, all the drivers but one said it was 

 impossible to go out in such a wind, but I said I would go 

 whether they all went or not. Finally, all the drivers 

 agreed to start in the gale, and we went to the next shelter 

 hut southward of Ballock. Thence I went to Usterda, the 

 place where De Long had left the last record found, in 

 which he stated that he was about to cross the river to the 

 west bank and follow it until he reached a settlement. 



After visiting Usterda I slept at a hut a mile further to 

 the south, other huts being filled with snow. I crossed the 

 river, as De Long had done, and followed the west bank 

 southward, as his record had directed. Noros and Ninder- 

 mann having informed me of the different huts the captain's 

 party had stopped in, and of the hut in which Erickson 

 died, I made the natives understand that I must visit every 

 hut, old or new, on the Lena between Usterda and Mot Vai. 

 Proceeding south about as far as I supposed the party 

 would travel, I came across an old broken-down hut answer- 

 ing the description of Erickson's hut as given me by Ninder- 

 mann. I searched it thoroughly, but found no evidence of 

 the party having been there. I then proceeded south, and 

 on the east bank of the river found another hut in good 

 repair. I searched it thoroughly, inside and out, but found 

 no evidences of the missing men. 



It then came on to blow very badly, and the drivers told 



