288 LOSS or the st. peter. 
hold. Fortunately the remaining one was not in readiness, 
otherwise in this extremity that also would have been thrown 
overboard, and thus they would have lost all their anchors. 
At the moment when they were busily employed in getting 
ready the third anchor, a prodigious sea took the ship and drove 
her clear off the rock. 
The Russians suddenly found themselves in calm water, 
and anchored in four fathoms and a half, and about three hun- 
dred fathoms from the shore. The following day they went 
to reconnoitre the coast. Providence had conducted them al- 
most miraculousl)^ to a place which, notwithstanding the dan- 
gers with which it was surrounded, was the only one where 
they could have saved themselves. The shore every where 
else was rendered inaccessible by rocks, which projected to a 
great distance into the sea. Twenty fathoms more to the north- 
ward or southward, the vessel would have been dashed to pie- 
ces, and all the crew must have perished. 
The winter was now rapidly advancing. The first care of 
the crew was to survey the country round the spot where they 
had landed, and to choose the most commodious place for fix- 
ing their quarters. Exhausted with disease and fatigue, they 
rested till noon, and then hoisted out the boat, but not without 
great difficulty. 
On the 6th of November, at one o'clock. Lieutenants Waxel 
and Steller went on shore, and found the land sterile, and co 
vered with snow. A stream which issued from the mountains 
and fell into the sea not far from the spot, was not yet frozen ; 
its water was limpid and very good. No trees were to be seen, 
nor even any brush-wood for fuel ; the sea had, however, 
thrown some upon the beach, but being concealed beneath the 
snow, it could not easily be found. This account was not cal- 
«ulated to produce the most favorable impressions. Where 
were they to procure the materials necessary for constructing 
habitations ? where could the sick be placed in comfort ? and 
how could they be preserved from the cold 1 Man, however, 
should never abandon himself to despair ; for the more forlorn 
his situation, the more ingenious is he rendered by necessity. 
Between the sand-hills, bordering the stream above mention* 
ed, were holes of considerable depth ; these it was propos«d 
to clean out at the bottom, to cover them with sails, and thus 
take shelter in them till they could collect a sufficient quan- 
tity of drift-wood to erect huts. In the evening Waxel and 
Steller returned to the ship to make their report to the com- 
modore. 
