116 EXTRAORDINARY ADVENTURES, &C. 
When our four mariners had passed nearly six years in 
this dreary place, Feodor Weregin, who had from the first 
been in a languid condition, died, after suffering excruciating 
pains during the latter part of his life. Though they were 
relieved by that event from the trouble of attending him, and 
the pain of witnessing without being able to alleviate his mis- 
eiy, yet his death affected them not a little. They saw their 
number diminished, and each of the survivors wished to be 
the next to follow him. 
As he died in winter, they dug a grave in the snow as deep 
as they could, in which they laid the corpse, and then covered 
it to the best of their power, that the white bears might not 
get at it. The melancholy reflections occasioned by the death 
of their comrade were still fresh in their minds, and each ex- 
pected to pay this last duty to his remaining companions in 
misfortune, or to receive it from them, when, on the 15th of 
August, 1749, a Russian ship unexpectedly appeared in sight. 
The vessel belonged to a trader, who had come with it to 
Archangel, intending that it should winter in Nova Zembla; 
but, fortunately for our poor exiles, the director of the whale 
fishery proposed to the merchant to let his ship winter at 
West Spitzbergen, to which, after many objections, he at 
length agreed. 
The contrary Avinds they met with on their passage made 
it nnpossible for them to reach the place of their destination. 
The vessel was driven toward East Spitzbergen, directly op- 
posite to the residence of our mariners, who, as soon as they 
perceived her, hastened to light fires upon the hills nearest 
their habitation, and then ran to the beach, waving a flag 
made of rein-deer's skin, fastened to a pole. Tbe people on 
board perceiving these signals, concluded that there were 
men upon the island who implored their assistance, and there- 
fore came to' an anchor near the shore. It would be in vain 
to attempt to describe the joy of these poor people at seeing 
the moment of their deliverance so near. They soon agreed 
with the master of the ship to work for him during the voyage, 
and to pay him eighty rubles on their arrival, for taking them 
on board with all their riches, Avhich consisted of fifty pud, or 
2000 pounds weight of rein-deer fat ; beside many hides of 
those animals, skins of blue and white foxes, and those of the 
ten white bears they had killed. They took care not to for- 
get their bow and arrows, their spears, their knives, and ax, 
which were almost worn out, their awls and their needles, 
which they carefully kept in a bone box, very ingeniously 
