228 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
endeavoured to sail round it, but as he did not succeed in doing 
so, he supposed it to be Novaya Zeinlya. Hence he sailed in 
different directions between S.W. and S.E., and was on the 
^-^th in 69° 40' N.L. Next day there was lightning with showers 
of rain. Pet believed himself now to be in Petchora Bay, and 
after sighting, on the ^^th July, the headland which bounds the 
mouth of the river on the north-east, he sailed, it would seem, 
between this headland and the Selenetz Islands into the great 
bay east of Medinski Savorot. Here he made soundings on 
the supposition that the sound between Vaygats Island and the 
mainland would open out at this place, but the water was found 
to be too shallow, even for a boat. Pet now sailed past Yugor 
Schar along the coast of Vaygats towards Novaya Zemlya, 
to a bay on the west coast of Vaygats Island, where he anchored 
between two small islands, which were supposed to be V^oronski 
Ostrov. The entrance to an excellent haven was indicated on both 
sides hy two crosses} On the islands there was abundance of 
driftwood, and on one of them was found a cross, at the foot 
of which a man was buried. Pet inscribed his name on the 
cross, and likewise on a stone at the foot of the cross, ‘Gn order 
that Jackman, if he came thither, might know that Pet had 
been there.” In the afternoon Pet again weighed anchor, 
doubled the western extremity of Vaygats Island, and con¬ 
tinued his voyage, following all along the coast of Vaygats, 
first to the north and north-east, then to the south, between 
an ice-field and the land, until the ice came so close to the 
shore that the vessel could make no headway, when he anchored 
in a good haven by an island which lay on the east side of 
Vaygats in the neighbourhood of the mainland. It was per¬ 
haps the island which in recent maps is called Mestni Island. 
Pet was thus now in the Kara Sea.^ The latitude given— 
1 The Russians had thus landmarks on Novaya Zemlya 300 years ago. 
“ It is commonly assumed that Pet sailed into the Kara Sea through 
Yug’or Schar, but that this was not the case is shown partly by the fact 
