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in Mar Rova for us, knowing that we would be obliged to return to that place.

In his report, which I enclose, he says he ordered the Kosaks to move to the mouth of the Olgan, which they would willingly have done, but their deer are with young at this season, and could not endure the journey.

The Cossack Tolstekin whom I had sent to purchase 120 deer had also returned to Mar Rova without success, having been four days without food, except a piece of seal skin thong they boiled one day and their dogs had eaten nothing for 5 days.

Fortune seems to have been against us. In the first place, the inhabitants are mostly in a starving condition and there is a great deal of disease among them, so that I could not get but a handful of men for labor without depriving families of their only support.

As it was, I was obliged to send three of my men back to keep

Transcription Notes:
someone seems to keep ignoring commas