LIAKHOFFS DISCOVERY 89 



Passage being accomplished in one season, which was 

 not destined to be fulfilled. 



Another attempt was then made by the Vega to 

 reach the islands to the north, but after sighting the 

 two most westerly of the group the shallow sea was 

 too crowded with rotten ice, and an idea of landing 

 on LiakhofF Island having to be given up for the 

 same reason, the course was altered so as to take the 

 ship round Svjatoi Nos (the Holy Cape), where in 

 April, 1770, Liakhoff had noticed the mighty crowd 

 of reindeer going south. Justly considering they must 

 have come over the ice from some northern land, he 

 went back on their tracks in a dog-sledge, discovering 

 two of the most southerly islands, and obtaining from 

 Catherine the Second as a reward the monopoly of hunt- 

 ing the foxes and collecting the ivory there from the 

 fossil mammoths he found in abundance. 



Forced to keep to the channel along the coast, which 

 daily became narrower, the Vega reached Cape Che- 

 lagskoi, and when off this promontory Nordenskiold 

 saw the first natives during his voyage. Two boats 

 built of skin almost exactly similar to the oomiaks, or 

 women's boats, used by the Eskimos, came out to the 

 ship, the men, women, and children in them intimating 

 by shouts and gestures that they wished to come on 

 board. The Vega was brought-to that they might do 

 so, but as none of the Chukches could speak Russian 

 and none of the Swedes knew Chukche, the interview 

 was not so satisfactory as expected, though the uni- 

 versal language of pantomime with presents ensured a 

 favourable termination. 



On the 12th of September the Vega passed Irkaipii, 



