Bering's first expedition. 21 



river-boats had to be built by the score, and also two 

 ships. Now his course was up the swift streams of 

 Siberia, and now on horseback or in sledges drawn by 

 dogs through the dreary and desolate forests of the 

 Yakuts and Tunguses. He employed several hundred 

 laborers and twice as many horses to do work which 

 modern ships can accomplish in a few weeks. Franklin, 

 Mackenzie, Schwatka, and many others have traversed 

 vast tracts of the Arctic regions, but their expeditions 

 in light sledges can not be compared with those burden- 

 some transports which Bering and his men dragged 

 from the Gulf of Finland to the shores of the Pacific. 



In the early part of the year 1725 the expedition 

 was ready to start out from St. Petersburg. The offi- 

 cers were the two Danes, Vitus Bering, captain and 

 chief, and Martin Spangberg, lieutenant and second in 

 command, and also the following: Lieut. Alexei Chi- 

 rikoff, Second Lieut. Peter Chaplin, the cartographers 

 Luskin and Patiloff, the mates, Richard Engel and 

 George Morison, Dr. Niemann, and Eev. Ilarion.* The 

 subordinates were principally sailors, carpenters, sail- 

 makers, blacksmiths, and other mechanics. 



Peter the Great died Jan. 28, 1725 ; f but a part 

 of the expedition under the command of Lieut. Chiri- 

 koff had already started on the 24th ; Bering followed 

 Feb. 5. They passed the whole of the first summer 

 in toilsome expeditions overland and on rivers in 

 western Siberia. March 16, they arrived at Tobolsk, 

 whence, in May, the journey was continued with four 

 rafts and seven boats by way of the rivers Irtish, Obi, 



* Note 4. t Here as elsewhere, Old Style. 



