SCOUTING EXPEDITIOxNS 169 



go south across the country at Lyesnaya Ryechka^^s and then to 

 follow the shore until he came either to the end of the island or 

 to the mainland itself, in case it were united with the latter, 

 since it was still believed that we were stranded on Cape Kro- 

 notski.396 These scouts began the trip on March 15 but returned 

 unexpectedly on the 19th, again with the report that they could 

 go no farther in the south because of the steep rocks which 

 extended into the sea. However, they, too, had missed the right 

 way, as I discovered later on my trip. Nevertheless, they 

 brought back two noteworthy pieces of information for us, viz., 

 first, that they had found chips and fragments of the pinnace that 

 had been built in Avacha the winter before; the carpenter Aku- 

 lev397 recognized definitely the chips which he had hewn off in 

 Avacha. Next they described to us an animal which they had 

 seen for the first time on land and alive, and which, from their 

 description, we took to be a sea bear [fur seal].^^^ 



On Alarch 22 this same boatswain with his former companions 

 started off again under the former instructions with the changed 

 order to go on the north side as far as the point projecting north, 

 from there continue his way southward overland, and in case 

 he met obstacles in the south, he should once more go northward 

 across or along the mountains and keep on until he came to some 

 mainland or to the other end of the island. In the latter case all 

 of them should come back quickly in order not to put any further 

 obstacles in the way of the building of the new vessel. If, how- 

 ever, they came to the mainland or to Kamchatka, half of the 

 party should [proceed] to Avacha with the reports, the other half 

 return to the command with the information. With three others 

 from our yurt I accompanied these scouts and at Lyesnaya 



395 See, above, footnote 344. By "south" is meant west (see, above, 

 footnote 359)- 



396 The headland on the Kamchatkan shore directly opposite in the 

 same latitude (see Vol. i, PI. I). 



3" The MS reads: "The carpenter and soldier Akulev," This is proba- 

 bly the soldier whose name is spelled Okulov in the list in Vol. i, p. 235. 



398 The MS adds: "and with which later on we became well ac- 

 quainted." 



