774 THE VOYAGE OF THE JE ANNETTE. 



We saw the tracks of two men walking along the beach 

 the way we had come ; and at 11.10 we came to an old 

 hut, which apparently (from fresh embers and meat 

 scraps) had been used last night. Here the river made 

 a long bend to the right, and anxious to shelter and 

 rest my weary party, I halted for dinner. A consid- 

 erable distance ahead of us on our side of the river is 

 another hut-like looking structure for to-night. 



After getting my breath and resting a few moments, 

 I took a look at the situation and I was considerably 

 nonplused. Before us ran a river south southwest, and 

 at right angles to it, or east southeast, ran a second. 

 We were therefore in a fork, and in any case had to 

 cross a wide (one fourth of a mile) river before proceed- 

 ing on our journey. This involved a raft, and suitable 

 timber was neither convenient or accessible, even if we 

 had lashings enough, which we have not- I sent Alexey 

 along the stream running east southeast, and when 

 he came back he said it turned up more to the north- 

 ward and grew wider. I am inclined to think we have 

 reached the end of the Delta, and that the reason 

 why it does not correspond with my chart is because 

 the shoals of sixty years ago have become raised lands. 

 Sagastyr, if there is such a place, is five miles south- 

 west from us, if I am right, and the tracks of the 

 men seen this morning would point at their coming 

 from there. 



If Chipp or Melville got through all right they would 

 naturally send back to look for us, and these two men 

 may have been on some such errand. At all events, 

 we are too much fagged out to do anything more with- 

 out some sleep, and I shall stay in this hut all night. 

 We had dinner (ten pounds ribs, five and a half pounds 

 heart and liver), and at 1.10 P. M. set Nindemann, with 



