ATTEMPTS TO LEAVE GEEMOVIALOCKE. 



and thawing during tlie day. It was the transition period 

 between navigation- and sledding. Nicolai ^hagra told us it 

 would take fifteen days to reach Bulun, but I think that he 

 meant that a delay of fifteen days would be necessary before 

 we started that is, to await the freezing of the river. The 

 next morning it was stormv, and he told us that we could 



o *> * 



not go ; but about nine o'clock he came in and began to 

 rush us off, as if he really intended to send us to Bulun. 

 He put sixty fish in our boat, and made signs for us to hurry 

 up and embark. We did so, and he, witli three others, went 

 ahead to pilot us through the mud-flats. Elim was in the 

 boat with us. 



We worked up the river for about two hours, constantly 

 getting aground, and, in the teeth of a fresh breeze, were 

 making very slow progress. Before the village was out of 

 sight, however the pilots turned around and waved us back. 

 We up helm and went back to the village, where they had a 

 sled ready to c;irry Melville back to the house. About four 

 of us secured the boat, but Nicolai insisted on hauling her 

 up, for he made signs that she would be smashed by the 

 young ice if we did not do so. The natives then assisted us, 

 and we hauled her high and dry up on the beach. The con- 

 dition of the men that day was such that I was not sorry 

 that we had turned back, because they were not up to a 

 fifteen days' journey as represented by the natives. We 

 were then taken to the house of a certain Gabrillo Pashin, 

 where we remained all night. 



Next morning Efim and Gabrillo came to me and made 

 signs that they wished me to go \vith them. They took me 

 to an empty house at the end of the village, where I found 

 some old women engaged in cleaning up. They indicated 

 that they wished us to occupy it ; so I had it cleaned out and 

 moved the whole party into it about noon. Melville mustered 

 the party and told them that he and I were afraid that 

 scurvy had appeared among us, that we must keep the house 

 and ourselves very clean, keep cheerful, and we could prob- 

 ably get along very well until proper food arrived. He also 



