272 THE JE ANNETTE ARCTIC EXPEDITION. 



to Your Excellency, as well as I have to inform you about 

 five hundred (500) roubles expended in provisions and 

 clothes for the thirteen (13) saved strangers, and will send 

 to yon afterward a special account about this. From the 

 missing people we as yet have not any news ; but I have 

 ordered all the inhabitants to do all in their power to find 

 all they can, if only the bodies. If they find the bodies they 

 have to be careful to do all they can to keep them, and also 

 anything belonging to the strangers." 



A copy of the ispravnik's report having been sent to Lieut- 

 enant Danenhower by General Pedoshcnko for examination, 

 he returned it with a communication in part as follows : 



"As you have invited my attention to this report and have 

 requested my opinion relative to the merits of the people who 

 helped us, I would respectfully submit the following state- 

 ments : 



JFirat The man named Wassili Bobrowsky rendered the 

 most important services. He is known among the natives 

 and by me as Wassili Koolgiak, which means Cut-eared 

 Wassili. This man may be identified by a gunshot wound 

 near the left elbow. The moment we met him we felt safe, 

 for he gave us food and immediately consented to pilot us 

 to Bulnn, at the same time measuring how much water the 

 boat required, and thereby showing that he knew what he 

 was about. He took us to Nicolai Diakonoff, whom we un- 

 understood to be his superior. At a subsequent time he 

 brought us fish and took me on a journey to the mouth of 

 the river in search of the two missing boats, and also took 

 Mr. Melville on his journey to Bulun. He was always kind 

 and good to us, and it is not only my opinion but also that 

 of the others that we owe more gratitude to him than to 

 any one else. 



Second The exile Kusmah Eremoff I will recommend 

 as second in the order of merit. He found us accidentally 

 and agreed to take me to his house, where he gave me more 

 than one-half of his small stock of provisions and volun- 

 teered to carry me to Bulun on the following Sunday. I 



