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used in exploring the Sea of Okhotsk in 1716 arrived,
and after thorough repairs was put into the service.
Bering’s next objective point was the mouth of the
river Bolshoya in southwestern Kamchatka. From the
mouth of this river, which is navigable for small
vessels, he took the Cossack route to the interior, first up
the Bolshoya to the tributary Byistraya, then up this
to within forty versts of its source, thence across a
portage to the Kamchatka, the mouth of which was his
real objective point. From this position he would be
able to fall back upon the Russian colony, which
comprised a number of unimportant stockaded forts on
the Bolshoya and Kamchatka rivers, and could
also gain support from that control of the natives
which was exercised from this point. This change of
base could have been much more easily and quickly
accomplished by sailing around the Kamchatka
Peninsula, but this was something that had never been done.
No accurate information was to be had in regard to the
waters, or to the location of any place. Possibly Bering
had not as yet been able to disabuse his mind of the
prevalent delusions concerning the great extent of
Kamchatka. In the second place, he was no doubt unwilling
to trust his invaluable stores in the inferior vessels
built at Okhotsk. Hence he took the old route.
July 1, Spangberg sailed with the Fortuna for
Bolsheretsk, accompanied by thirteen Siberian traders.
Two days later Chirikoff brought up the rear from
Yakutsk. Somewhat later, the quartermaster arrived
with 110 horses and 200 sacks of flour. A week later
63 horses more arrived, on July 20, one soldier with
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