START FOR KHODUTKA 129 



anchor close by. Its captain, a Finn by birth, and 

 a regular sea-wolf by vocation, being approached on 

 the subject, declared he was ready to comply with our 

 views and take us to one of the southern points of the 

 peninsula. Being thoroughly acquainted with the 

 coast, he thought that Khodutka Bay, a few miles 

 beyond Asatcha Inlet and some eighty miles from 

 Petropavlovsk, was the most sheltered one, and our 

 Admiral attesting the presence of game in that 

 neighbourhood, we jumped at this providential scheme. 

 Captain Heck (for such was our new friend's name) 

 proposed to start on the next day but one, taking our 

 baeeaee and two of our boats on board, while a third 

 was to be towed behind. Our fourth boat was to sail, 

 if possible, on the morrow with a crew of four men, and 

 join us three days later at Khodutka. Provided the 

 weather was not too bad, we could be landed at our 

 destination the same day after a ten or twelve hours' 

 passage. The start was to take place before daybreak 

 in order to keep in good time. Meanwhile we pitched 

 our tents again on the sandspit awaiting further 

 developments. In the afternoon of the following day 

 we witnessed the departure of our fourth boat, which 

 was to meet us at Khodutka. We ne\er saw it 

 again ; not that it had capsized, but when the men 

 returned after a three weeks' unnecessary cruise, we 



