124 THE LENA DELTA 



picked up a few words, asked him to take him to 

 Bulun, to which the man replied by again saying 

 commandant and holding up five or six fingers. Late in 

 the evening there arrived a tall Russian, whom Ninde- 

 mann supposed to be the commandant and addressed 

 in English, but he was a Russian exile who could 

 not understand him, though he seemed to know some- 

 thing about the matter, for in what he said he clearly 

 mentioned Jeannette and Americansk. Nindemann 

 tried him in German, but at this he shook his head. 

 Then Nindemann showed him the chart given him by 

 De Long, which the Russian evidently did not under- 

 stand, though he said something that sounded like 

 St. Petersburg and telegrams. While this apparently 

 hopeless conversation was going on Noros was busy 

 steadily writing out a note that the two sailors had 

 drawn up, and the tall Russian who we shall see was 

 really a most intelligent man giving over his talk 

 with Nindemann in despair, coolly picked this up and 

 put it in his pocket, and notwithstanding the protest 

 of the Americans, walked off with it. In the morning 

 he came in and gave them to understand that he was 

 going to Bulun, and that they were to follow, and 

 soon afterwards the natives fitted them out with 

 clothing and boots and food and sent them off on a 

 sledge. At Bulun they were taken to the comman- 

 dant, who, after a little sign language from Ninde- 

 mann, showed that he understood, and said something 

 about a telegram. The sailors jumped at the idea, 

 and one of them dictated to the other a despatch to 

 the American Minister at St. Petersburg. This the 

 Russian took, explaining that the captain should have 



