434 TRAVELS OF A NATURALIST 



July 19. 



On the morning of Monday, the 19th of July, our first 

 news was that four vessels from the sea had arrived at 

 the bar, fishermen having brought the news to Alexievka. 



There are some hopes of our getting to Dvoinik to- 

 morrow evening. We had now to get all things packed 

 and ready for a start on our return in a week or ten days. 

 The news reached us on board the steamer as we lay-to 

 close to the rafts, until Arendt should go on board one 

 of them. 



Nearing Alexievka, binoculars were in requisition, and 

 as we discovered a large schooner lying at anchor in the 

 roads opposite Alexievka, many were the conjectures as 

 to her nationality. But as soon as we could discern her 

 colours dreams of English beer and ' aiblin's whiskey ' 

 floated before our mind's eye. ' She was an Englishman,' 

 as Paddy would say. 



We saw the captain — Captain Taylor, of the schooner 

 Triad — later, and he told us that he had come direct 

 from Iceland, where he had taken a cargo of coals 

 from Bo'ness, ten miles from our house at Dunipace. 

 He and his mate are Scotchmen. 



We intend taking passage with him to Copenhagen, 

 where he can land us on his way to Cronstadt. 



The gale continued, and would delay the arrival of the 

 rafts and the lading of the ship, but he hoped to get off 

 in six days after the rafts arrive. This wind will also 

 delay our visit to Dvoinik, as the steamer must first go 

 up to tug down the rafts — 20 versts up the river— but 

 we shall have time after that, as the steamer must take 

 the pilot (who brought up Captain Taylor's ship) again 

 to the cutter. 



July 20. 



On Tuesday, the 20th of July, we went across to 

 Vassilkova with some of the men, in hopes of getting 



