120 THE LENA DELTA 



they rested for the night in a fissure in the river bank, 

 where as a last resource Nindemann cut a piece off his 

 sealskin trousers and soaked it in water and burnt it to 

 a crust. Their breakfast consisted of the remains of 

 this toasted sealskin. During the day they saw a crow 

 flying across the river and in among the hills, and, as 

 the crow in these regions is rarely found away from the 

 haunts of men, Nindemann decided to cross the river 

 in the hope of meeting with either natives or game on 

 the other side. When darkness carne on no shelter 

 was discoverable, and so, after a meal of more sealskin 

 and hot water, they went to rest in a hole in the snow. 

 Next day, during which they recrossed the river, their 

 experiences were similar and the end the same. 



On Tuesday the 18th, after a terrible day, they came 

 upon a hut with a pile of wood close by, which proved 

 to be sledges, and these they broke up, as there was no 

 other firing. Next day as they were struggling on 

 they reached a place where there were three huts, in 

 one of which was a half-kayak and in it was some blue 

 mouldy fish ; and here, attacked by dysentery, they 

 remained until the Saturday, unable to go any further. 

 About noon there was a noise outside like a flock of 

 geese sweeping by. Nindemann, looking through the 

 crack of the door, saw something moving which he took 

 to be a reindeer, and was going out with his rifle when 

 the door opened and a man entered, who promptly fell 

 on his knees when he caught sight of the gun. Ninde- 

 mann threw the rifle into a corner and, trying to make 

 friends with the man by signs, offered him some of the 

 fish, which the man by an emphatic gesture pro- 

 nounced not fit to eat. After some more of the sign 



