228 General A. W. Greely — Bering's First Voyage. 



gether to try, with the aid of God, to put ourselves in a position to leave 

 this sorry dwelling. The island where we now found ourselves was des- 

 titute of trees. We were, therefore, obliged to depend upon the wood that 

 the sea brought us to build our cabins and warm ourselves. We gave to 

 this desert place the name of Bering island, in honor of the chief of our 

 expedition, and it was there that he died, on the 8th of December, of 

 grief and sorrow at having to give up all hope of returning to Kamshatka. 

 He refused to eat or drink, and disdained the shelter of our cabins ; his 

 advanced age could not rally under such a disaster. We young men kept 

 our courage up, resisted with firmness all discouragement, made it a duty 

 to still enjoy life and to make as much as we could out of our prison home. 

 Before our arrival, Bering island-was the refuge only of the inhabitants 

 of the sea, who came there to breathe the air and deposit their young. 

 We were, therefore, able at first to observe these creatures very closely 

 without their taking fright. It Avas only after having seen several of their 

 number fall before our guns that they fled at our approach. We killed a 

 great number of them, as much to furnish us with food as for their skins. 

 It was by these valuable spoils, splendid castor skins, that we were repaid 

 in some measure for our sufferings. 



"At the approach of spring the following year we built of the remains 

 of our vessel, as we had intended, a large covered boat, furnished with 

 anchors and sails and able to live at sea if not exposed to storms. In 

 this boat we confided ourselves to the sea, trusting in Providence, the 

 17th of August, 1742, and after nine days at sea, with beautiful calm 

 weather, we arrived safely at Avatscha on the 26th, giving thanks to the 

 Almighty,, who had delivered us from such great dangers, and imbued us 

 with gratitude such as time can never efface. 



" From this account we can correct the error of M. de I'lsle, who places 

 Bering island at the 54th degree, only a short distance from Avatscha, 

 whereas it is on the 56th parallel, sixty miles from Avatscha and forty 

 Dutch miles from the mouth of the Kamshatka river. 



" The voyage of M. Tschirikow, although attended with less fatigue and 

 danger, was not less painful to him. His tender heart, which his profes- 

 sion of mariner had not rendered indifferent to the sufferings of others, 

 was indeed sorely tried. After parting from M. Bering, sailing north- 

 west, he came on the 15th of July to a country the shores of which were 

 lined with rugged rocks, at the foot of which rolled a deep sea. He pru- 

 dently refrained from approaching too near the shore, but at the end of 

 three days sent the pilot, Abrahan'i Dementiew, with a crew of ten men, 

 to reconnoiter the country. Neither Dementiew iior any of those who 

 accompanied him ever returned ; and most sincerely was he mourned, 

 and deservedly so, for he was young, good-looking, of an honorable 

 family, steady and clever in his profession, and zealous in the service of 

 his country. After waiting six days, M. Tschirikow sent the boatman, 

 Sidor Sawelef, Avith three men, but they did not return any more than 

 the others. While waiting for their return we constantly saw smoke on 

 the shores, and the day after the departure of the boatman two men, in 

 different boats, came from the spot Avhere Dementiew and Sawelew had 



