THE FINAL SEARCH. 851 



food, and clothing supplied from Yakutsk, and trans- 

 ported over the mountains in midwinter on pack-horses, 

 reindeer sleds, and dog sleds to the Lena Delta, the dis- 

 tance to the Arctic Ocean, by post road, being over 

 fifteen hundred miles. Mr. Melville engaged three in- 

 terpreters to accompany him and his assistants, for, 

 owing to the scarcity of teams on the road, it was nec- 

 essary to move in three separate parties. 



Nindemann and his interpreter started for Bulun 

 January 19th; Bartlett and his interpreter, with the 

 provision train, followed on the 23d, and Mr. Melville 

 remained until the 27th, when he proceeded, accom- 

 panied by Captain Griinbeck, the captain of the steam- 

 boat Lena, which plied on the Lena River. With them 

 also went the Espravnik of the district, who w r as to 

 lend the authority of the government in all their deal- 

 ings with the natives. Mr. Melville had provided him- 

 self with the most recent chart of the Lena Delta which 

 he could obtain, and this bore Nordenskjold's correc- 

 tions, which were of course not available when the 

 Jeannette had set out on her voyage. This chart it- 

 self was still very imperfect and was rendered much 

 more complete after Mr. Melville and his companions 

 had traversed the Delta. 



Nindemann reached Bulun February 12th, and Mr. 

 Melville and Bartlett on the 17th and 18th. A month 

 was required to collect dog teams and provisions, and 

 to establish depots of supplies at Mat Vai and Kas 

 Karta, which Mr. Melville had selected as the most 

 convenient rendezvous. In making the necessary ar- 

 rangements Mr. Melville was obliged to revisit Geeom- 

 ovialocke, and to repeat much of the severe experience 

 in travel of the November before. He was, however, 

 in far better condition for his work than then : for not 



