Viewing page 6 of 26

This transcription has been completed. Contact us with corrections.

better. I gave him a Springfield rifle, a small quantity of Powder & Lead some tobacco and beads for the deer chief, & to himself a double barrel shot gun which had proved almost worthless and some tobacco. He left promising to return about the 1st of January.
   I made these arrangements through one of his men who had picked up a little English from whalers and by signs. The month of December was extremely stormy and cold, mean temperatures being 12° Fahrenheit and greatest cold -45° on the 30th. January 2d the Thermometer went down to 53° Fah. This was the lowest reading of the Ther. at Camp Macrae. On the 6th instant O-Cary-Cray returned & again bringing only six light sleds with him. He now said the snow was too deep and the weather too severe to travel by way of the river to Anadyrsk, the deer would give out and the whole party would freeze to death. That we must go to the Deer Chiefs & from there take tents and travel by way of the mountains, which would protect us from the wind storms. From there we could make the trip in ten days. I had either to accept this proposition or remain at Camp with no prospects of leaving