324 THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. [chap. 



voyage we were hindered by ice only to a slight extent. Cape 

 Baranov was passed on the night before the 5th September, the 

 mouth of Chann Bay on the night before the 6th September, 

 and Cape Chelagskoj was reached on the 6th at 4 o'clock p.m. 

 The distance in a right line between this headland and the Bear 

 Islands is 180'. In consequence of the many detours in the ice 

 we had required 2^ days to traverse this distance, which cor- 

 responds to 72' per day, or 3' per hour, a speed which in a 

 voyage in unknown, and for the most part ice-bestrewed waters, 

 must yet be considered very satisfactory. But after this our 

 progress began to be much slower. At midnight the sun was 

 already 12° to 13° below the horizon, and the nights were now 

 so dark that at that time of day we were compelled to lie still 

 anchored to some large ground-ice, A further loss of time was 

 caused by the dense fog which often prevailed by day, and which 

 in the unknown shallow water next the land compelled Captain 

 Palander to advance with extreme caution. The navigation 

 along the north coast of Asia began to get somewhat monotonous. 

 Even the most zealous Polar traveller may tire at last of mere 

 ice, shallow water and fog; and mere fog, shallow water and ice. 

 Now, however, a pleasant change began, by our coming at 

 last in contact with natives. In the whole stretch from Yugor 

 Schar to Cape Chelagskoj we had seen neither men nor human 

 habitations, if I except the old uninhabited hut between Cape 

 Chelyuskin and the Chatanga. But on the 6th Sei^tember, 

 when we were a little way off Cape Chelagskoj, two boats were 

 sighted. Every man, with the exception of the cook, who 

 could be induced by no catastrophe to leave his pots and pans, 

 and who had circumnavigated Asia and Europe perhajDS without 

 having been once on land, rushed on deck. The boats were of 

 skin, built in the same way as the " umiaks " or women's boats 

 of the Eskimo. They were fully laden with laughing and 

 chatterinor natives, men, women, and children, who indicated 

 by cries and gesticulations that they wished to come on board. 

 The engine was stopped, the boats lay to, and a large number 

 of skin-clad, bare-headed beings climbed up over the gunwale in 

 a way that clearly indicated that they had seen vessels before. 

 A lively talk began, but we soon became aware that none of the 

 crew of the boats or the vessel knew any language common to 

 both. It was an unfortunate circumstance, but signs were 

 employed as far as possible. This did not prevent the chatter 

 from going on, and great gladness soon came to prevail, especially 

 when some presents began to be distributed, mainly consisting 

 of tobacco and Dutch clay pipes. It was remarkable that none 

 of them could speak a single word of Russian, while a boy 

 could count tolerably well up to ten in English, which shows that 

 the natives here come into closer contact with American whalers 



