ARRIVAL OP THE EXILE. 459 



thought of his companions as dead or dying, looking to his 

 return as their only hope for deliverance. Weakened by 

 fatigue, exposure, and famine, and feeling how utterly pow- 

 erless he was when so much depended on him, this terrible 

 strain was too much for him, and this strong, brave man, 

 who had faced death and endured untold hardships without 

 a quiver, sank into a corner and cried like a child. An old 

 woman, the wife of the master of the hut, saw him and took 

 compassion on him, and a long conference was held by the 

 natives which resulted in their endeavoring to comfort him. 

 Reaching a hand tenderly upon his shoulder they told him 

 he should go to Bulun the next day. He had asked to be 

 taken there, hoping to find some one by whom he could 

 make himself understood, and it was to his anxiety to reach 

 that town that they attributed his grief. 



The next day he again asked them to take him to Bulun 

 to see the commandant, and they told him they had already 

 sent for the commandant, and were expecting him. During 

 the evening the Russian exile, Kusmah, came to the hut, 

 and Nindcrmann asked him if he was the commandant of 

 Bulun. To this he answered 'Yes,' or at least Nindermann 

 so understood him. Then Kusmah asked, " Parakod Jean- 

 nette?"and Nindermann replied, ' Yes.' He then told, as 

 well as he could, the whole story of the loss of the Jcannette 

 and the history of the retreat, illustrating by his little chart 

 and by sketches. 



Nindermann soon felt convinced that Kusmah did not 

 understand either the chart or his description. Then he 

 told him that on the journey on land one man had died and 

 that there were eleven alive. While he was telling him this 

 portion of the story Kusmah kept assenting, and seemed to 

 understand perfectly. He would keep saying, ' kapitan, yes. 

 Two kapitan, first kapitan, second kapitan,' alluding to 

 Melville and Danenliower. Nindermann then understood 

 him to say he couldn't do anything until either one or the 

 other of them had telegraphed to St. Petersburg for instruct 

 tious. Therefore Niuderniann wrote a telegram addressed 



