442 
EUROPEAN AND ASIATIC SHORES 
chap, brethren of the Kuban, whom they described as 
xv. 
i 1 ¥ _ j a lawless set of banditti; and our friends in 
Taganrog considered the undertaking to be 
hazardous in the extreme. Yet the experience 
which had so often taught us that rumoured 
perils vanish when they are approached, and, 
above all, the desire of exploring an unknown 
tract of land, encouraged us to make the un- 
Voyage dertaking. In the evening of the third of July, 
sea of Azof, having placed our carriage on board a wretched 
flat-bottomed vessel, more shaped like a saucer 
than a boat, we ventured among the waves and 
the shallows of the Sea of Azof. The first part 
of our voyage was as pleasant and as tranquil 
as we could wish it to be; but having sailed 
through all the Turkish fleet of merchant ships 
in quarantine, as night came on, a gale com- 
menced with considerable violence. Our little 
boat, heavily laden, with an enormous sail 
which was very ill managed, seemed to be all 
at once at the mercy of the sea. The direction 
given to us had been, to steer south-east by 
east. The only person on board with the 
slightest knowledge of navigation, was a French 
refugee at th ■ helm, who pretended that he had 
been a sailor : this man held the guidance of 
our vessel. By mere accident we noticed the 
Polar Star ; and its bearing proved that we were 
out of our course. Upon this our helmsman 
