DRIFTING IN ICE OFF HERALD ISLAND. 107 



white beard, and he did not speak English. Two oflBcers on 

 board did speak English, and there was an officer who was 

 Russian who spoke the Chuckch language like a native. With 

 this last officer, who was named Horpish (?), the natives 

 spoke, and were told the ship was a Swiss (?) which was going 

 home, having wintered in Koliutchin Bay. We left St. Law- 

 rence Bay at 7.30 P. M. August 27th. Came here because 

 this is the place at which Nordenskjold is last reported to be, 

 and because I was requested by Mr. SibiriakofT, of St. Peters- 

 burg, to leave papers here for Captain Sengstaecke, who com- 

 mands the steamer Nordenskjold, now on her way here from 

 Europe. The oflBcers and men under my command are all 

 well, and we expect to sail to-night for Wrangel Land by 

 Koliutchin Bay. 



Please communicate this news of us to the Secretary of the 

 Navy, Washington, D. C, United States of America. 

 George W. De Long, 



Lieutenant U. S. Navy, 

 Commanding American Arctic Exypedition. 



With this letter and a bundle of newspapers ad- 

 dressed to Captain Sengstaecke, I attempted to land. 

 Upon getting in toward the beach we found so much 

 ice moving about as to make a landing impossible ; but 

 after pulling to and fro for about half an hour, we 

 saw the natives getting ready to come out to us in 

 a skin boat. Presently they succeeded in getting out,, 

 but to our disappointment we could not make each 

 other understood. Hoping to learn something by per- 

 sistence, we led the way back to the ship, the natives 

 following in obedience to our signals. The chief, a 

 stout, not ill-looking man, was seated amidships in his 

 baidera, clad in a bright red tunic and a cloth cap (that 

 evidently came at some time from civilization), with all 

 the dignity of a king. 



Upon arriving on board ship nothing could make this 



