Three Accounts of the Vasil'ev-Shismarev Expedition of 1819-1822

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we constantly heard shots from the "Discovery," but later, we did not receive answers to ours. The fog separated us. On this day it cleared, and we again saw the dismal shores of America in these latitudes, but our comrade was not there. Meanwhile, we reached latitude 69°. We often encountered solid fields of thick ice. Attempting to keep as far north as possible, we picked our way into every clearing between them, and reaching the mentioned latitude, encountered solid ice taking up the whole horizon, extending to the north. We turned back hoping to find the "Discovery." Until the 25th, we had daily fogs around midday, but clear sky in the morning and evening. We could see nothing except the long and unchanging spit extending along the shore for a few miles between Capes Lisburne and Mulgrave, and on it a small settlement of Americans. At all times we had a strong NE current.

On the 28th, we reached Cape Mulgrave, the place of our separation with the "Discovery," which was not to be seen. Again, we turned back, and here a terrible storm from the SW overtook us, which contined until the 31st.10 During all this time a thick wet snow fell so that the men could not shovel it off the deck. On that day it started to abate and turned to the NE. The snow stopped, and in? its place came freezing of seven or more degrees. All the rigging was iced and moved with great difficulty in the blocks. The sails were completely stiff so that in unreefing, the men had blood coming from under their fingernails. This situation cruelly exhausted our