Our companions were greatly dejected on hearing that all appearance
had vanished of the sea, which the Cossack was so confident of having
seen. The Karaikee said he had been considering the distance we had
made, and thought it was too great to attempt to return, and he was
willing now to obey my orders and accompany me through whatever road
I chose to take. I explained to them the necessity of firmness and
an unaltered resolution, telling them that they must put their trust
in God, while exerting every nerve and all their fortitude of mind
to keep themselves from sinking under the incessant fatigue we must
inevitably experience, for that we had but a scanty allowance of
food, and must push on in full hopes of being able to procure more by
the road, though we could form no judgment as to when the period of
our troubles and labors would arrive.
I made the Cossack and the Chinese join their hands to ours, and,
turning to the East, cross themselves as I did to confirm their
promise, assuring them that I would eat, drink, sleep, and work the
same as the rest, nor require of them one single act that I was not
ready and willing to assist in performing myself. We left on this
spot everything superfluous in the way of clothes, etc., making the
sledges as light as possible. The Cossack and myself led the way. I
soon perceived that we should have some difficulty in accomplishing
the business, but the danger was not so great as we imagined. Having
only a scanty portion of food we drank tea twice every twenty-four
hours, and in the morning we took thin rice-water, with a small lump
of chocolate each, to make it palatable. We perceived that, laborious
as was our march, this nourishment was enough to keep us alive
until it should please Heaven to direct us where we might procure,
with our guns, the means of living well. I was pleased at finding
my companions more cheerful and seemingly determined to exert all
their fortitude, courage, and perseverance so necessary to conquer
difficulties and insure our safety. We were an unfortunate little
band, thrown upon a wide wilderness, but relying on heaven and our
good stars, entirely ignorant of the country, and having nothing but
a pocket-compass to direct us towards the ocean, as to which, whether
it was one hundred or twenty versts distant, we could not possibly
tell....
On the 31st we threw everything away except what was absolutely
necessary. Just as we were about to depart, on the evening of this
day, two wild geese flew over us. I fired at them and thought I
had missed, but my Chinese boy declared he heard the shot strike
and had seen them alight, about two hundred yards off, on a spot
which he pointed out. The Cossack and myself repaired thither with
all possible speed. One of the geese fled at our approach, and the
other that was wounded remained in the middle of a large bog, where,
if shot, I was fearful we should find great trouble in getting it.
After shooting it I entered the bog, but found the surface of a tough
sod that sank down, bringing the mud and water to my middle without
breaking. I had used the precaution to take a large stick in my
hand, or I should not have been able to extricate myself. The sod
at length broke and let me down to my arm-pits, and I was obliged to
tell the Cossack, who was a much lighter man, to try what he could
do. He succeeded remarkably well until he got nearly back with the
goose, when he sunk suddenly up to his neck, and began to roar and
bawl in a most hideous manner, being so alarmed at the same time that
he could hardly make use of the stick. I had the utmost difficulty
to get near him with the other stick, which he laid hold of, and I
pulled him out, almost suffocated with mud. Dangerous as was the
situation of my companion, his ridiculous figure made me burst into
a fit of laughter, and the Chinese joined me heartily; this caused
him to scream the more loudly, in order to impress me with the fuller
idea of his perilous situation. When extricated from the bog he
crossed himself a dozen times and then laughed as heartily as myself.
Indeed, the goose was such a prize as gave us spirits to laugh....
In the evening I went to the summit of the mountain again, imagining
that as the sun descended I might discover better what was on the
opposite side of some extensive low grounds that lay before us.
Whilst there, and holding my compass to take the direction for our
route of the following day, I thought I plainly saw, at a great
distance to the northward and eastward, three or four men, and as
many reindeer or horses. I immediately called out to the two Chinese
to light a large fire, and making the Cossack and Karaikee come up to
me endeavored to point out to them the objects that had just met my
eyes. Although I felt confident I saw men and animals moving, I could
not with all my care direct their sight so as to distinguish them,
and they persisted in saying they could see nothing. This made me
quite unhappy....
Scarcely had we made our fire when the grass all around us was in
a blaze, obliging us to move to another spot; and the fire raged
with such violence it was in vain to attempt extinguishing it. At
length the woods--the whole country around--were on fire. We were
not sorry for an accident that might, perhaps, if any of the natives
were near, bring them to the spot. It also helped to destroy some
large swarms of mosquitoes that plagued us not a little on our
arrival. Indeed, we suffered almost as much from these insects as
from fatigue and hunger. Those flying leeches of Siberia never
quitted us day or night, unless when on the mountains, or when the
wind blew hard enough to sweep them away. We got off early on the
4th, and had a most fatiguing time till twelve o’clock, when the
sun became so oppressive it was impossible to proceed any farther
without refreshment. The skin being chafed from our shoulders, and
our feet sore, added to the difficulty of wading the deep marshes
that occurred at every instant; we were all completely exhausted.
My two Chinese, for the first time, lay down and began to cry! I
consoled them with the assurance that we must either discern the
sea, or arrive at some place where we should find plenty of food, in
the course of a day or two; and that it was a folly to give up when
we were now at the moment of getting over our difficulties. Taking
out the rest of the small biscuits that I had carefully preserved,
I divided them equally between the Cossack, the Karaikee, and
themselves, and having boiled our kettle, and drunk heartily of tea,
the whole party was soon put into good spirits again. As I kept no
part of this slender provision for myself, it was some time before
I could prevail upon the two Chinese to eat their biscuit without
sharing it with me. However, I would not take it from them; for,
although I was tired, I did not feel my strength exhausted as they
did.
While my companions slept I drew on my boots, that scarcely deserved
the name, and made an excursion with my gun to see if I could find
any game, and also to examine the route necessary to be pursued
in the afternoon. It grieved me considerably to perceive that the
impediments we had met in the morning increased so much as to render
it necessary to proceed due south. I was almost in despair, when I
beheld six large sea-gulls flying in that direction, and which at
length seemed to alight near a forest some distance off, which place,
however, I thought we should be able to reach, by exerting ourselves,
before seven or eight in the evening. I returned immediately to my
companions, who were not a little delighted by this joyful news, the
Karaikee assuring me there must be a large river or lake near, as the
kind of gulls I had seen strongly indicated this.
We now found the way moss-covered, dry, and even, and between six and
seven in the evening arrived at the forest. To our great astonishment
we beheld what we supposed a narrow lake of great length, forming a
crescent, the opposite banks being also covered with fine timber.
Here we determined to pass the night, and pitched our tent behind a
small copse, that concealed it from the lake, in order to prevent
its frightening away any water-fowl that might visit it. This being
accomplished, leaving the Chinese and Cossack to boil the tea-kettle,
the Karaikee and myself went to examine the lake. On approaching
the banks I discovered two small ducks quite near the shore, and
had the good fortune to shoot them both at one shot. Running to the
water-side to pick them up, God only knows the inexpressible joy that
filled our hearts when we beheld the water move, and satisfied our
senses that we were on the banks of a large river. It was somewhat
remarkable that the obstacles I had met with during the last two
days, and which disheartened me so much, had yet, by turning me aside
from the route I wished to take, been the cause of our falling in
with this fine stream so favorable to our wishes. We felt satisfied
it must bring us to the ocean, from which, by all appearances, we
could not be far removed. My companions were overjoyed beyond measure
at this discovery, since we could now make a raft, and descend to
the sea without undergoing such severe fatigue as heretofore, not to
mention the pleasing anticipation of being daily enabled to procure
plenty of food.
On the 6th of June I went out very early with my gun, but finding no
game, picked some handfuls of keesletya to make soup for our dinner
with the remaining duck, and returned to my companions. A number
of fine trees lay before us on the ground. I therefore marked out
those which I thought best suited for our raft. The Cossack said he
would cut them whilst I should go out in search of food, so that we
all might be enabled to work the following morning, and leave that
place in the evening. Although I walked a considerable distance
during the morning, and saw a deer and several geese, ducks, and
gulls, they were all so wild it was impossible to get within shot
of them. I returned, quite dejected and tired, along the banks of
the river, seating myself in the bushes, about two hundred yards
above our tent, where I was determined to stay and shoot something
to afford us a dinner on the following day. It was not long before a
gull came flying over my head. I shot it, and shortly after a fine
duck that fell into the river just before me. Leaning on my gun, I
pulled off my boots in order to wade after it. Just as I had got them
off, seeing the current seizing my prize, I rushed into the water,
fearful of losing it, and forgetting I had a gun in my hand until I
was out of my depth and obliged to swim. The weight of my clothes and
of the double-barrelled fowling-piece embarrassed me so much that
I could not keep myself above water, and, sinking several times, I
was at length obliged to let go my favorite gun, and even then with
difficulty kept myself from sinking. Luckily, some bushes grew up not
far below me, having their tops above the water, which I attained
and laid hold of, though I still found myself out of my depth. Here
the duck was entangled, and I secured it. There was a bush for every
four or five yards between me and the shore, and I swam from one to
another, holding the duck in my mouth, and arriving where it was
shallow enough to wade before my friends got near enough to aid me.
I regretted exceedingly the loss of a gun that had been so useful,
but we had two remaining which were sufficient for our purpose. On
the 7th we all labored hard to finish our raft, as we had food for
that day, and were to trust to our good stars to furnish us on the
following. I employed myself in cutting down immediately two large
dead trees for the side-pieces; and before two o’clock in the day we
had all the timbers well lashed together, and the raft ready to be
launched in the water. After dinner we launched our raft, which to
our great joy did not swim too low, and proved in fact everything
that we could have wished. It was composed of fifteen lower timbers,
of the thickness of a man’s thigh, and about sixteen or eighteen
feet long, two cross-pieces at each end, to which they were strongly
lashed with manilla rope and thongs, and a layer of poles and bushes
placed above all to sit on. Thus prepared, we placed our baggage upon
it, and committed ourselves to the surface of a fine large river
with a current running at the rate of more than five miles an hour.
Before quitting this place we all returned thanks to Heaven in the
most solemn manner for having conducted us thus far in safety, and
prayed fervently for a continuation of the Almighty protection we
had so often experienced. We soon discovered a material difference
between walking and our present method of travelling, having floated
at our ease, before nine at night, a greater distance than we had
made during any three days before. We had also the pleasure, for the
first time, of being free from mosquitoes and gnats. Just before
we stopped for the night I killed a fine large sheldrake that came
flying by. I determined to stop every night at ten or eleven o’clock,
and start again at four in the morning, being fearful lest during the
twilight we might run foul of rocks or trees in the way, and injure
our raft so as to oblige us again to go on foot. We encamped this
night close on the bank of the river amongst some dry grass, and not
far from a mountain called Sunkapskoy, which the Cossack thought he
knew he had traversed in the winter, and near to which was a Tongusee
tabboon. Between two and three in the morning a swan came floating
down the river. I fired at it with my rifle, and missed. Seeing it
fly toward a lake at the back of the tent, where we heard another
one, I repaired thither and got a shot at it from behind a bush,
within forty or fifty yards. The bird rose and flew a little way,
and then to our great joy fell dead in the middle of the lake. The
Cossack, tying two pieces of old timber together with a thong he had
in his pocket, floated himself along on them, and brought the swan
safely to shore. This stock of animal food put the whole party in
good spirits, and we continued our route on the raft, finding the
current increasing every hour, and promising to convey us rapidly
to the ocean. During the day I shot another swan and a duck. We
soon discovered that the mountain that the Cossack thought he knew
was much farther from the sea than he imagined, and after we had
floated near it, he did not recollect any of the country around. The
river was extremely crooked, sometimes carrying us west, sometimes
east, and in fact to all points of the compass. On the 8th, in the
evening, we stopped early, and had, for the first time since we left
the mountain, what we thought a good supper, though we were still
fearful of consuming meat more than once a day, the wild fowl being
excessively shy and difficult to shoot.
The weather became so raw and uncomfortable, being accompanied with a
drizzling rain, that we stopped earlier than usual, and continued to
halt until four o’clock in the morning of the 10th, when we proceeded
again, though a chill fog prevailed, and a good deal of wind. We had
a most unpleasant time, but, anxious to arrive at the ocean, would
not lie by, particularly as the stream had increased in rapidity, and
now hurried us along with considerable swiftness. About one o’clock,
although we were nearly in the middle of the river, which was here
upwards of a verst wide, we were suddenly seized by a whirlpool; and
in spite of our utmost efforts, having nothing but poles to guide the
raft, were drawn violently towards the left bank, and forced under
some large trees, which had been undermined by the water, and hung
over the surface of the stream, the roots still holding them fast to
the shore. I saw the danger to which we were exposed, and called out
to every one to lie flat on his face and hold fast to the baggage.
The branches were so thick it was impossible for all to escape, and
there being barely room to admit the raft under them, they swept off
the two Chinese, the Karaikee, my tin box with all my papers and
valuables, our soup-kettle, etc., etc. Nothing now remained but a
small tea-kettle and a few other things that happened to be tied fast
with thongs. The Karaikee and one of the Chinese seized hold of the
branches that swept them off, and held their heads above water, but
the youngest of the Chinese having floated away with the current, the
Cossack and myself had the greatest difficulty in paddling the raft
up to him. We came just in time to poke our poles down after him as
he sank for the third time. Fortunately he seized it, and we drew him
upon the raft half drowned. As the current was running at the rate of
six or seven miles an hour, we were carried more than half a verst
down before we gained the shore. The other Chinese and the Karaikee
crying out aloud for assistance, I ran up the shore as quickly as I
could, taking a long pole with me, and leaving the Cossack to take
care of the raft and the young Chinese. When I arrived at the spot
my Chinese cook informed me he had seized my tin box with one hand,
and was so tired of holding with the other that, if I did not come
soon to his assistance, he must leave it to the mercy of the current.
Whilst I attempted to walk out on the body of the tree, whose
branches they were holding, one of the roots broke, and very nearly
separated it from the shore. I was therefore obliged to jump off and
stride to one that was two feet under water, hauling myself along by
the branches of the others, and at length I got near enough to give
the Chinese a pole. He seized fast hold, and I pulled him between
two branches, enabling him to get a leg over one, and keep his body
above water. Thus placed, he tied the tin box with his handkerchief
to the pole, and I got it safely ashore. I was now obliged to return
and assist the Karaikee, who held by some branches far out, and where
there were no others near enough for him to reach, in order to draw
himself in. After half an hour’s labor I got them both on the bank,
neither of them knowing how to swim, and both much exhausted by the
cold and the difficulty of holding so long against a rapid current.
As the wind commenced blowing very hard, we concluded to stay all
that day where we were, it being likewise necessary to dry our
clothes, papers, etc., which were all completely wet.
In the afternoon the wind died away, and the sun shone out clear,
when I commenced drying my papers, and found many of the most
valuable of them totally ruined. The ink in some was quite effaced,
and others were so stuck together that they were destroyed in my
attempting to separate them. At six in the evening we made an
excursion along the banks of the river, to see if we could discover
any of the things we had lost, and kill some game. In our rambles
we frightened a duck from off her nest, and got six eggs. Shortly
after I killed a swan with my rifle, and the poor Karaikee going for
it, had the pleasure to find his bundle of clothes that had been
swept from the raft. We had lost nearly all our cooking utensils:
fortunately our spoons and cups were in our pockets. A small
tea-kettle without a cover had to serve for every purpose. The top of
my tin box we employed as a dish, pouring our soup into it that we
might eat it more conveniently with our spoons. We felt severely the
loss of our soup-kettle, being obliged to make our dinner and drink
our tea from the same vessel. In consequence of the high wind that
prevailed, and its being quite unsafe for our frail bark to proceed,
we remained here until four o’clock in the afternoon of the 11th,
when we departed, though it was still blowing hard, with drizzling
rain, making the weather quite cold and uncomfortable. We became
so wet and chilled that we stopped early in the evening. We left
our resting place between four and five on the 12th, with a rapid
current that conveyed us swiftly along. About mid-day we espied a
Tongusee canoe hung up between two trees, and the appearance of some
wood freshly cut made me immediately push for the shore, inspired
with the hope of finding there some inhabitants. In this expectation
we were disappointed, though there was every appearance of persons
having visited the spot but a short time before. We were not a little
overjoyed to find the canoe with paddles and everything complete. Our
raft was much water-soaked and swimming deep, and without the canoe
we should have been obliged to remain a day somewhere in order to
repair it, and put some additional logs to make it float higher. The
canoe we now lashed to one side, put the Karaikee in one end and the
Cossack in the other, with a considerable portion of our baggage,
and lightened the raft, so that it swam as high as we could wish. We
found those two persons with their paddles could turn it more quickly
and better than all five of us had been able to do with poles.
We now floated on a fine, deep, and wide river, and, though extremely
crooked, beautiful beyond conception, winding down amongst romantic
mountains and through large bodies of rich lowlands, interspersed
with lakes, rivulets, and meadows covered with fine grass. It
appeared a matter of surprise to me that so fine a stream, apparently
possessing abundance of game and fish, should be entirely destitute
of neighboring inhabitants. We saw numbers of fish constantly playing
about us, and contrived a hook with a small nail, but had not the
good fortune to catch any of them. The current seemed to increase
as we descended, and we set off before four on the 13th to take
advantage of it. About ten o’clock I discovered a jourta not far
from the edge of the left bank, and casting off the canoe despatched
the Cossack and Karaikee to examine it. They soon returned,
informing me it was a winter jourta of the Tongusees, but was then
quite deserted, and that there was not the smallest appearance of
inhabitants anywhere near. The day was hot and calm, and our visit
to the shore brought off to us a swarm of mosquitoes that pestered
us continually,--an annoyance we had not experienced for some days
previously in consequence of the wind and rain. My companions often
complained of not having meat enough, and seemed displeased at my
dealing it out sparingly. This was, however, absolutely necessary by
reason of the difficulty of killing game, for we perceived that as we
descended the river became wider, and the water-fowl scarcer and more
difficult of approach; besides which it was quite uncertain whether
we should meet inhabitants at the sea-coast, and perhaps, when there,
we might again find game scarce and difficult to shoot. On the 14th
the current increased in rapidity to such a degree that it cost us
considerable pain and labor to guide our raft in safety, and we felt
grateful to Heaven for having fallen with the canoe, without which
we could never have descended this part of the river on so frail a
vehicle.
We ran aground three or four times, and twice got entangled in the
trees that hung over the stream, but fortunately escaped without
accident. Perceiving a very dangerous place just below us, and
being too near the shore to prevent the raft’s being drawn into
the whirlpool, we pulled in and landed on the bank immediately
opposite to us. We then dragged the raft up for about a hundred
yards, assisted by the counter current that generally prevails near
the edge of a stream. By this precaution we got nigh enough to
be able to make an offing sufficient to prevent being thrown upon
another dangerous place we had seen below, composed of fallen trees,
roots, etc., thrown up like an island, over which the water foamed
in a cataract. Not long after we had landed I observed the Karaikee
examining with great attention the spot where we were and the
surrounding mountains, and at length he began to pray and to cross
himself with great fervency, the tears running down his cheeks in a
stream. I approached him to inquire the cause of his emotion, when
he exclaimed: “That is our mountain; our village is not far off, for
on this spot I caught some hares last winter. I know that we are now
not far from Grebay, a small Yakut village on the sea-coast, at the
mouth of the river, which is called Cowvah, and only twenty versts
from Towinsk. But a short distance below this is the branch on which
Towinsk stands, emptying itself into the bay, about ten versts higher
up, and if it had been earlier in the season we might have descended
it with a raft, but I perceive the water is now too low to attempt
it.”
It will be easier for my readers to imagine than for me to express
the joy we all experienced at this cheering news. We boiled our
kettle and made all the meat we had into soup, determined to have a
feast after such a long term of short allowance. This, however, was
only a comparative feast, as our whole stock amounted to a third of
a swan and a teal. Our repast finished we pushed off our raft with
great spirits, paddling with all our strength to obtain the midway
channel and avoid the dangers which, like Scylla and Charybdis,
threatened us on either hand. The current ran at the rate of eight
or nine knots an hour in turbulent eddies that twisted us round and
round, in spite of our best exertions. We had, however, the good
fortune to escape unhurt, but afterwards ran aground several times,
and with great difficulty got the raft off (by all jumping into the
water) and that not without injuring it materially. Between two and
three o’clock in the afternoon we found ourselves in a fine wide
channel, with a moderate current, and on the beach, not far below us,
descried a man and two boys mending a canoe. The effect the sight
of human beings had upon us is not to be described. Every soul shed
tears of joy, and when these people approached with their canoe to
assist us it was impossible to resist the impulse, or to answer their
questions. Our tears flowed in streams, and we were all so unmanned
we could only reply to them by signs. The elder person proved to be a
Yakut, whom I had known when I passed before. This good Yakut, when
he recognized me, jumped upon the raft, clasped me in his arms, and
shed tears in abundance, exclaiming, “Thank God! Thank God! you are
all saved.” He informed me that the Tongusees having confessed their
leaving us on the mountain, the old chief, living near to Towinsk,
had despatched his son, with twenty-five head of reindeer, in search
of us, and that every one there had given us up for lost, knowing
how difficult it was to procure food on those deserted plains and
mountains in the spring of the year.
On inquiry we found that had we taken any other route than the one we
came we must inevitably have perished!
* * * * *
[Sidenote: 1881.]
“Dear Uncle Fritz,” said Alice, shivering, “did anything as bad as that
ever happen to you?”
“Not for so many days,” said he, patting her shoulder as they walked
into supper. “But I have eaten smoked salmon cold with more appetite
than I now have for Ellen’s hot muffins.”
When they were seated at the table, and the decomposition of the
muffins had begun, Bob Edmeston followed up what Alice had said.
“You see, Alice,” said he, “that the excitement of discovery carries
men on. For me, I mourn that nothing is left unknown for the explorers
of this age.”
They all laughed at his melancholy, and Philip asked him what was the
source of Mink Brook, and Laura if he would tell her where the water of
the Shannock factories emptied into the sea.
“I will not be bullied,” said Bob. “I do not know these things because
my education has been neglected. But, alas! some one knows them. They
are on the map of Rhode Island. What I thirst for is the unknown, yet
not unknowable. Alas! the discoverers have wrested this from me.”
“Not at all,” said Uncle Fritz. “You have only to ask at the Public
Library for the Journal of the Geographical Society, or the Bulletin de
la Geographie, and you will see that there is as good discovery as ever
going on to-day.”
“One comes to love these explorers,” said Bertha. “Here I never heard
of your Mr. Dobell’s wife nor children nor home; but I have been
crying, without knowing it, because he was so hungry.”
Fergus said, rather seriously, that we always sympathized with men who
gave themselves for an idea. It might be obedience to an Emperor, it
might be the source of a river,--we were always glad to follow a man in
proportion as he was unselfish.
Bob Edmeston, without going into the philosophy of the thing, said
there were lots of interesting books on the shelf the Dobell volumes
came from.
So there are, and so it happens that the next volume of this series
will be