V.] 
THE FIRST DUTCH EXPEDITION. 
241 
their hunting than about the navigable water,” they took their 
departure. When one of the sailors hereupon blew a horn, the 
savages were so frightened, that they began to take to flight, 
but, quieted by the assurance that the blast of the horn was 
only a sign of friendship, they returned and on the beach 
saluted the departing strangers, bowing themselves to the earth 
with uncovered heads and crossed hands. 
On the August the Dutch, full of hope, sailed into the 
Kara Sea, or, as they called it, the '‘North Tartaric Ocean.” 
They soon fell in with ice, on which account on the ^ they 
sought protection under Mestni Island (Staten Eiland). Here 
they found a sort of rock crystal resembling diamonds in all 
respects except hardness, a disappointing circumstance which 
was ascribed to the action of cold. Here also were seen images 
and sacrificial places, but no houses and no trees. 
When Nay and Tetgales sailed on, they came to an extensive 
open sea, and on the ^Jth August they believed that they were 
off the mouth of the Obi. Two of its principal mouth-arms 
they named, after the vessels, “ Swan ” and “ Mercurius,” names 
which have since been forgotten. It is quite evident that the 
river which the Dutch took for the Obi was the Kara, and that 
the mouth-arms. Swan and Mercurius, were two small coast 
rivers which debouch from Yalmal into the Kara Sea. 
On the ^ August they determined to return home, taking it 
for proved that, from the point which had been reached, it would 
be easy to double “ Promontorium Tabin,” and thus get to China 
by the north-east passage. A large numb'er of whales were seen 
raising half their bodies out of the sea and spouting jets of water 
from their nostrils in the common way, which was considered a 
further sign that they had an extensive ocean before them. 
On the ^-|th August, Nay and Tetgales sailed again through 
Yugor Schar (Fretum Nassovicum), and the day after at three 
small islands, which were called Mauritius, Orange, and 
New Walcheren, they fell in with Barents, and all sailed 
