NINDEMANN AND NOROS. 803 



the latest accessible at the time of his leaving San 

 Francisco, will be at once apparent by a comparison of 

 it with the chart laid down after the Lena Delta had 

 been traversed by the several parties. It is by this 

 fuller chart that one learns for the first time how near 

 was a settlement of natives to the point where the first 

 cutter landed, a fact upon which Captain De Long's 

 chart was silent as the grave, and which was unknown 

 even to the Russian government. 



The instructions which Captain De Long gave to 

 Nindemann were not written. He bade him keep on 

 the west bank of the river, since he would not find 

 drift-wood on the east bank, and would not be likely to 

 fall in there with natives. He cautioned him to avoid 

 wading, but rather to walk round water when he could. 

 The two men were lightened of all burdens, were fur- 

 nished with a rifle, forty rounds of ammunition, and 

 two ounces of alcohol. When they were ready to start 

 at seven o'clock, they shook hands with everybody, the 

 party which remained behind gave them three cheers, 

 and they set forth on their desperate march. 



They moved along the bank of the creek to the 

 westward until they could find a place where they could 

 cross. The young ice at the edge could not bear their 

 weight, and they were forced to find pieces of timber 

 with which they could make a rude footway to the 

 stronger ice ; upon the other side the ice at the edge 

 broke under them, but the water was shallow. About 

 two hundred yards to the south they came to the larger 

 stream which they were to follow, and found the river 

 open, and the ice running in it. They kept along the 

 bank until about noon, when they saw a ptarmigan 

 upon what appeared like a heavy piece of drift-wood. 

 Nindemann fired and shot his tail-feathers out, but the 



