CHAPTER VII. 



BERING'S WINTER AT THE FORT. — INDICATIONS OF AN 

 ADJACENT CONTINENT. — UNSUCCESSFUL SEARCH FOR 

 THIS CONTINENT. — RETURN TO ST. PETERSBURG. — 

 GENERAL REVIEW OF THE RESULTS OF THE FIRST 

 EXPEDITION. 



WHEN Bering on the 2d of September, 1728, 

 entered the mouth of the river Kamchatka, he 

 met the Fortuna, which had made a voyage around the 

 Kamchatka Peninsula. Who commanded the vessel on 

 this voyage, can not be ascertained. 



Bering wintered at the fort. On the days that it was 

 light, the men were busy at work or receiving instruc- 

 tions, and thus the winter passed without any remark- 

 able occurrences or misfortunes. Spangberg, however, was 

 obliged, on account of illness, to go to Bolsheretsk.* 



At lower Kamchatskoi Ostrog, Bering became con- 

 vinced that there must be a large wooded country not 

 far to the east. The waves were more like those of a 

 sea than of an ocean. The driftwood did not indicate 

 the flora of eastern Asia, and the depth of the sea grew 

 less toward the north ; the east wind brought drift- 

 ice to the mouth of the river after three days, the 

 north wind, on the other hand, after five days. The 



* A port on the southern coast of Kamchatka. 

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