246 THE JEANNETTE ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



half an hour he could go to the house where we had slept 

 the night before. Most of us laughed at him, but I told him 

 and Mansen to go and see, while I sent two men to recon- 

 noitre in an opposite direction. Wilson and Mansen came 

 back very soon. We were rejoiced to learn that they had 

 seen the house. 



We immediately recalled our scouts and embarked, rounded 

 the point, and were received at the old place by the natives 

 in the most cordial manner. They were headed by another 

 native, an old man, who took off his cap, and said ' Drasti ! 

 Drasti ! ' at the same time shaking hands. He immediately 

 took possession of Melville, who was very lame, and helped 

 him up to the house. We unloaded the boat, and carried up 

 the sleeping-gear. When the natives saw a couple of gulls 

 that we were expecting to feed on, they threw them down in 

 disgust, and immediately brought deer-meat to replace them. 

 Veo Wassili, for that was the old man's name, proved to be 

 our great friend ; he willingly consented to pilot us to Bulun. 

 and measured the boat's draught, thus showing that he was 

 wide awake and knew what he was about. This old Tunguse, 

 Wassili, or Wassili Koolgiak, or ' Cut-eared Wassili,' in 

 his style and bearing always reminded me of the late Com- 

 modore Foxhall A. Parker. He was always dignified and 

 kindly, and had a certain refinement of manner that was 

 very remarkable. 



We saw at once that Wassili was the man whom Caranie 

 had gone to bring to us, and that was why the youth would 

 not go with us until his father arrived. I got Wassili to 

 draw a chart of the route we should take, and the following 

 is a copy of it, with the way in which he proposed to pilot us 

 and the points at which we should sleep. [See next page.] 



We took a good rest, and were all ready to start next 

 morning with Wassili. Bartlett and myself asked to go 

 ahead, in order to send succor from Bulun and also to spread 

 the news about the two other boats ; but Melville preferred 

 that we should all keep together, for he probably did not feel 

 that we were out of the scrape ourselves yet. 



