100 
•IN FORBIDDEN SEAS 
that she had been damaged beyond repair by recent 
heavy gales and high seas. We started to return to 
Furebetsu soon after noon. Crossing the river, the 
mate went through the ice up to his thighs, and the 
Governor went through with one leg. On arrival at 
the bluff, where the track leaves the beach for the 
high land, we found our sailors, who had not been 
able to strike the path owing to the deep snow. 
The Governor found it, and we proceeded, reaching 
the halfway hut about half-past four. It was 
difficult to keep to the track owing to the “ blazes ” 
on the trees marking it being covered up with snow. 
The sailors, unable to proceed, remained in the hut 
until the morning. The Governor, mate, steward, 
one sailor, and myself, pushed on. About an hour 
later we lost the track, and at every step sank up to 
our waists through the snow which covered the sasa 
(bamboo grass). The snow having obliterated all 
traces of the road, we kept facing the wind, which 
when we started was north-west, the direction in 
which we wished to go. Later we found the wind 
had shifted to about west, and consequently we 
were heading for the coast on the other side, some 
miles below Furebetsu. The steward was carrying a 
rifle in a wooden case; I shouldered a large canvas bag 
with some clothes and our last two bottles of “ Old 
Tom.” The poor old darkey was almost played out, 
and we had constantly to wait for him to come up. 
It was a heart-breaking journey. The snow-shoes 
kept catching in the sasa , thus adding to the difficulty 
we had in lifting our feet. We progressed at the rate 
of only about half a mile an hour. About 1 a.m. we 
came to the edge of the plain, with valleys several 
hundred feet below us, and the sea in the distance. 
