468 THE JEANNETTE ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



me it was necessary to seek the shelter of a hut. The 

 nearest to us was Sisteraneck, where I slept over night. 

 Next day it was still blowing very hard, and the natives 

 were loath to start out. As we had a very small amount of 

 provisions on hand, and the drivers told me that the gales 

 sometimes continued for ten days at a time, I urged them 

 to move on, and they said they would go forty versts further, 

 to Qu Vina. I searched the hut and all its surroundings, but 

 found no evidences of the missing people. 



By this time I felt that I was off the track. I had only 

 three or four hours of light during the day to work in. I 

 could place no dependence on the natives as regards food. 

 Although I was unable to stand on my feet from the effects 

 of previous freezing in the whale-boat, I was able, even in 

 my semi-disabled condition, to stand the cold, and desired 

 to continue the work ; but I found the natives disinclined 

 to venture out in the storm. They assured me that if we 

 went out both myself and they would most certainly be 

 frozen to death. So I made up my mind to return to Bulun. 



The weather was so bad that the drivers would not leave 

 Qu Vina that day, and so I had to wait there till the follow- 

 ing day, when, the weather being fine, I started on the 

 return journey, intending to stop at Mot Vai. As the 

 weather continued fine I passed by Mot Vai without stop- 

 ping, and camped in the snow further on the way, about 

 eleven o'clock at night. Not having a tent we dug a hole in 

 the snow, and there lay down for a sleep. During the 

 night a terrific storm arose, with dense snow, and contin- 

 ued to rage for forty-eight hours, during which time I had 

 no food except raw frozen fish. As soon as the gale abated 

 we started for Bulcour, eighty versts distant, but we did 

 not reach this place till after eighteen hours. A gale had 

 arisen, the dogs could not work, but lay down and whined. 

 But eventually we arrived at Bulcour and the shelter of the 

 huts there. 



On the journey down the loads proved so heavy carrying 

 the things I had collected that the natives were obliged to 



