FIRST DAYS ON BERING ISLAND 141 



blue foxes and ptarmigans. On the way back we sat down at a 

 small stream, regaled ourselves with tea, and thanked God 

 heartily that once more we had good water and under us solid 

 ground, at the same time recalling how wonderfully we had fared 

 and remembering the unjust conduct of various people. 



During the day an effort was made by the disposition of the 

 anchors, large and small, as many as we had, to make the ship 

 secure to the land^si in the best possible manner, and for that 

 reason the boat did not come ashore. In the evening, as we were 

 sitting around the camp fire after having eaten our meal, a blue 

 fox came up and took away two ptarmigans right before our eyes. 

 This was the first sample of the many tricks and thefts which 

 those animals practiced on us later. — I had to encourage my sick 

 and feeble cossack, who regarded me as the cause of his mis- 

 fortune and reproached me for my curiosity which had led me 

 into this misery, [thus] making the first step to our future com- 

 panionship. "Be of good cheer," I said, "God will help. Even 

 if this is not our country, we have still hope of getting there; 

 you will not starve; if you cannot work and wait on me, I will 

 do it for you; I know your upright nature and what you have 

 done for me; all that I have belongs to you also; only ask and I 

 will divide with you equally until God helps." — But he said: 

 "Good enough; I will gladly serve Your IVIajesty, but you have 

 brought me into this misery. Who compelled you to go with 

 these people? Could you not have enjoyed the good times on the 

 Bolshaya River?" — I laughed heartily at his frankness and said: 

 "God be praised, we are both alive ! If I have dragged you into 

 this misery, you have in me, with God's help, a lifelong friend 

 and benefactor. My intentions were good, Thoma, so let yours 



321 In the MS the words "to the land" do not occur. Also, the word at 

 the beginning of the sentence here translated by "disposition" reads 

 "Anbringung" in the published text, but "Ausbringung" in the MS. In 

 the MS the meaning of the passage would rather seem to be that the ves- 

 sel was anchored more securely where she lay, but not secured to the 

 land — a construction which seems more in keeping with the description 

 of this measure as given in the log book (i p. m. entry, November 8, 

 astronomical, in Vol. i, p. 212). 



