FRESH WATER EXPERIMENTS. 
49 
extraordinary swell, that there must have been very heavy rains 
fit the source of the river. We were compelled to stay three 
days in one place, to wait for the fall of the water. I fixed the 
latitude of this place at 59° 39'• 
Oil the 2 {)th of August we were obliged to stem the tide be¬ 
low a waterfall, which extended two fathoms, and in which both 
banks were filled with pointed projecting stones. It cost us no 
small trouble to drag our canoes against the stream betwixt these 
stones. In the middle of the river, we could see nothing but 
foaming and dashing waves, instead of stones. Two versts far¬ 
ther brought us to the proper cascade, which falls perpendicu¬ 
larly from a height of six feet. It does not extend over the 
whole bed of the river, but only from the right shore to a little 
stony island in the middle. But although there was no waterfall 
on the left side, where we were, yet the stream was so power¬ 
ful, and the water so shallow, that we were under the necessity 
of lightening our canoes. Beyond this cascade the river was 
clothed with islands, and after running, as it were, in a channel 
betwixt mountains, it was divided into a number of arms. The 
number of scheweras and dry places now increasing, we could 
not tow the canoes any longer, but were obliged to push them 
forward with our hands. To complete our misfortune, the cold 
weather now commenced. The morning frosts chilled the water 
to such a degree, that no one could ’endure to stand in it for any 
length of time. The people, particularly the Jakuts, grew im¬ 
patient and rebellious, obstinately refusing to labour any more* 
Finding that neither threats nor intreaties were of any avail, I was 
obliged to try the power of example. I waded therefore myself 
for 25 versts through the water, and thus succeeded in bringing 
us out of this difficulty. 
All these arms are again united at the distance of seven versts 
from Judomskoi-krest. Here my steersman had the misfortune 
of oversetting one of the canoes in towing round the point of an 
island, by which a part of the lading was lost. 
On the 27th we arrived safe at our-journey’s end, and unload¬ 
ing our stores immediately into the magazines, I dismissed the 
labouring Jakuts, that they might return home in the empty ca¬ 
noes. The latitude of this place, according to my observation, 
was 59° 53'. 
As there were no horses here for conveying our goods, I was 
obliged to leave them in the care of a Kosak, and proceed, with 
the few horses we could get, towards Ochotsk. 
On the 31st of October, we passed two isbens, and maga¬ 
zines, called the faehrbaute (ferrv-dock) of Elrak, which were 
erected on the former expedition of Behring; for here the ter¬ 
ries and canoes were built that served for carrying the provisions 
SARYTSCHEW.] G 
