RETURN FROM KAYAK ISLAND 51 



In an hour or so I received the patriotic and courteous reply 

 that I should betake myself on board quickly or they would leave 

 me ashore without waiting for me. — I reflected that God gives 

 to each one the place and the opportunity to do that which he is 

 ordered to do, so as to enable one to present one's services favora- 

 bly to the highest authorities and after long waiting and untold 

 expenses to the Empress [i. e. Government] work out one's des- 

 tinies. However, as matters now stand, it is probable that at our 

 departure we all saw Russia for the last time, since under the 

 present circumstances it is impossible to expect the divine help 

 on the return voyage, if wind and weather were to become as 

 hostile [toward us] as we have been to the general object of the 

 expedition and thereby to our own good fortune. — However, 

 since there was now no time left for moralizing, only enough to 

 scrape together as much as possible before our fleeing the coun- 

 try, and as evening was already nearing, I sent my cossack out 

 to shoot some rare birds that I had noticed, while I once more 

 started off to the westward, returning at sunset with various 

 observations and collections. — Here I was given once more the 

 strict command that, unless I came on board this time, no more 

 notice would be taken of me. I consequently betook myself 

 with what I had collected to the ship and there, to my great 

 astonishment, was treated to chocolate. — 



Although I did not need to trouble myself for the benefit of 

 anybody except those who were capable of judging what I was 

 doing, I nevertheless showed some of the objects and made 

 known my ideas about various things, but only a single one of 

 these was accepted. Namely, an iron kettle, a pound of tobacco, 

 a Chinese pipe, and a piece of Chinese silk were sent to the 

 cellar, but in return the latter was plundered to such an extent 

 that, if we should come again to these parts, the nati\'es would 

 certainly run away even faster or they would show themselves 

 as hostile as they themselves had been treated, especially if it 

 should occur to them to eat or drink the tobacco, the correct 

 use of which probably could be as little known to them as the 

 pipe itself. — A couple of knives or hatchets, the use of which 



