rt the weakness which assailed him, and the beating of the storm,
he yielded his hold and perished in the sea.

AN ACCOUNT OF FOUR RUSSIAN SAILORS,

ABANDONED ON THE ISLAND OF EAST SPITZBERGEN.

In the year 1743, a merchant of Mesen, in Russia, fitted out a vessel
for the Greenland whale-fishery. She carried fourteen men, and was
destined for Spitzbergen. For eight successive days after their
sailing the wind was fair, but on the ninth it changed; so that
instead of getting to the coast of Spitzbergen, the usual rendezvous
of the Dutch ships, they were driven eastward, and after some days
elapsed they found themselves near an island, called by the Russians
Little Broun. Approaching within three versts, or two English miles of
this island, the vessel was suddenly surrounded by ice and the crew
were reduced to an extremely dangerous situation.

In this alarming state, a council was held when the mate, Alexis
Himkof, informed his comrades that some of the people of Mesen
formerly intended wintering on this island, and for that purpose had
carried timber hither, fit for building a hut, and actually erected
one at some distance from the shore.

The whole crew, therefore, concluded to winter there, if the hut, as
they hoped, still existed, because they were exposed to imminent
danger by remaining in the ship, and they would infallibly perish if
they did so. Four of the crew were on that account, dispatched in
search of it, or any other assistance they might meet with.

The names of these four were, Alexis Himkof, Iwan Himkof, Stephen
Scharapof and Feoder Weregin. Two miles of ice intervened between them
and the shore, which being loose and driven together by the wind,
rendered their approach difficult and dangerous. Providing themselves
with a musket, a powder-horn containing twelve charges of powder, with
as many balls, an axe, a kettle, about twenty pounds of flour, a
knife, a tinder-box, some tobacco and each his wooden pipe, they soon
arrived on the island.

Their first employment was exploring the country, when they discovered
the hut alluded to, about a mile and a half from the shore. It was
thirty-six feet long, eighteen broad and eighteen high; and consisted
of two chambers. Rejoicing greatly at their success, they passed the
night in it; though having been built a considerable time, it had
suffered much from the weather.

Next morning the four men hastened to the shore, impatient to
communicate thei