38o THE LOSS OF THE "THAMES" 



heard before, a plaintive scream. I shot one, expecting- 

 to procure a new bird. Our willow-warbler, and also the 

 yellow-browed warbler, were thinly sprinkled through 

 the trees, the former preferring the ' birches and the 

 latter the pines. I shot a scarlet bullfinch, and heard 

 several singing. 



On Tuesday, the 3rd of July, we weighed anchor 

 early in the morning with a fair breeze, which at noon 

 became strong enough to clear the decks of mosquitoes. 

 The cabin we made habitable by a vigorous application 

 of brown-paper smoke. We found the sterlet and the 

 sturgeon delicious eating, the former the richer of the 

 two. Now and then we passed small encampments of 

 Ostiak chooms on the banks. The men were busy 

 fishing, in their usual lazy fashion. They frequently 

 boarded us, wanting to buy salt and to sell fish. We 

 saw many birds as we steamed along, a large flock of 

 ducks, a small party of swans, occasionally a gull, once 

 a pair of terns, and once an eagle. 



After dinner I turned in for an hour's nap. When I 

 came on deck aofain I found that a serious accident had 

 happened. In attempting to wear the ship, or box-haul 

 her on her stern, she had refused to come round. The 

 sails were in perfect order, each in the correct position 

 for performing its required task. She was coming- 

 round very nicely, when suddenly, without any apparent 

 cause, in spite of her helm, in spite of a monster patent 

 jib, pulling hard with a fresh breeze, she swung back 

 and shot towards the shore. She was then in five 

 fathoms of water. She soon got into three and a half 

 fathoms, and the captain to save himself let go the 

 anchor. The sails were thrown back, which had the 

 desired effect of throwing her head off-shore. By a 

 most unfortunate accident, in coming back, she fouled 



