About six o’clock the same evening, the stranger, accompanied by two other natives, returned, bringing with them a frozen fish, which they skinned and sliced, and while Nindemann and Noros were devouring the first real food that they had had for many a day, the men brought in deer-skin coats and boots for them. Assisting them into the sleighs, they drove off with them along the river to the westward for a distance of about fifteen miles to where some other natives were located in two tents. These treated the sailors with great kindness. By signs and pantomime Noros and Nindemann tried in every possible way to explain to these natives about De Long and the remainder of the first cutter’s party, but they failed to understand, and two days later, after reaching Ku Mark Surka, the same efforts were renewed without success. In despair of securing assistance, the men implored to be conveyed to Belun, which they reached October 26. [Sidenote: _ABANDONMENT_] An interview with the commandant at Belun left the men still uncertain if they were understood, or the plight of De Long’s forlorn party made clear to the official, who, however, repeated that he would take a paper to the “Captain,” who Nindemann supposed to be his superior officer. Sick and weak from dysentery, scantily clothed, and insufficiently fed, the men were located in a miserable hut which had been assigned to them, when on the evening of November 2, 1881, the door opened and a man dressed in fur entered. As he came forward, Noros exclaimed, “My God! Mr. Melville! Are you alive? We thought that the whale-boats were all dead!” The official, having already knowledge of the safety of the whale-boat’s party, had immediately communicated with Melville, who in all haste came to Belun. The whale-boat party were now on their road from Geemovialocke to Belun. The intrepid Melville was now determined upon an immediate search for De Long’s party, and to this end hastened back, meeting Danenhower at Burulak, where he gave him instructions to proceed with the entire party to Yakutsk, a distance of twelve hundred miles, and to communicate with the Russian government and the United States minister.