THE FINAL SEARCH. 855 



gether with a piece of rope. Seeing this I dropped off 

 the sled, and going up to the place on the snow bank, I 

 found a Remington rifle slung across the points of the 

 sticks, and the muzzle about eight inches out of the 

 snow. The dog-driver seeing I had found something 

 came back with the sled, and I sent him to Nindemann 

 to tell him to come back, he having gone as far up the 

 river as the flat-boat. When they returned I started 

 the natives to digging out the snow-bank underneath 

 the tent poles. I supposed that the party had got 

 tired of carrying their books and papers, and had made 

 a deposit of them at this place, and erected these poles 

 over the papers and books as a landmark, that they 

 might return and secure them in case they arrived at 

 a place of safety. Nindemann and I stood around a 

 little while, got upon the bank, and took a look at the 

 river. Nindemann said he would go to the northward, 

 and see if he could discover anything of the track and 

 find the way to Ericksen's hut. I took the compass 

 and proceeded to the southward to get the bearings of 

 Stolbovoi and Mat Vai, so that T might return there 

 that night in case it came on to blow. 



" In proceeding to a point to set up the compass I 

 saw a tea-kettle partially buried in the snow. One of 

 the natives had followed me, and I pointed out to him 

 the kettle, and advancing to pick it up I came upon 

 the bodies of three men, partially buried in the snow, 

 one hand reaching out with the left arm of the man 

 raised way above the surface of the snow — his whole 

 left arm. I immediately recognized them as Captain 

 De Long, Dr. Ambler, and Ah Sam, the cook. The Cap- 

 tain and the Doctor were lying with their heads to the 

 northward, face to the w r est, and Ah Sam was lying at 

 right angles to the other two, with his head about the 



