192 
THE VOYAGE OF THE VEGA. 
[chap. 
foolhardy fellows went over the weakly frozen together pieces of 
ice to land. Three days after Laptev himself and the rest of the 
men could leave the vessel. Several streams; still unfrozen, lying 
between them and their old winter station, however, prevented 
them from going further. They endeavoured to get protection 
from the cold by digging pits in the frozen earth and lying down 
in them by turns one after the other. The men were sent daily 
to the vessel to fetch as much as possible of the provisions left 
behind, but on the again broke up, and carried the 
abandoned vessel out to sea. 
By the streams at last had frozen so much that the 
return journey could be begun to the former year’s winter 
station distant more than 500 kilometres. The journey through 
the desolate tundra, perhaps never before trodden by the foot 
of man, was attended with extreme difficulties, and it was 
twenty-five days before Laptev and his men could again rest 
in a warmed hut and get hot food. Twelve men perished 
of cold and exhaustion. Laptev now determined to remain here 
during the winter and to go the following spring over the tundra 
to the Yenisej, where he hoped to find depots with provisions and 
ammunition. ISTor did he now remain inactive. For he did not 
wish to return until the surveys were complete. For want of 
vessels these were to be made by land. Such of the men as 
were not required were therefore sent in spring over the tundra 
to the Yenisej and the rest divided into three parties under 
Laptev himself, Ghekin, and Chelyuskin, who were to survey 
each his portion of the coast between the Chatanga and the 
Pjasina and then meet at the Yenisej. These journeys were 
successfully accomplished ; the explorers travelled several times 
without, it would appear, excessive difficulty, over the desolate 
tundra between the Chatanga and the Taimur rivers, discovered' 
Lake Taimur, and surveyed considerable stretches of the coast. 
But when they were all again assembled at Dudino, it was found 
that the north point of Asia had not yet been travelled round and 
