My traveling companions were very happy with the sea journey. They captivated other officials with their rapturous stories about the new route. We were soon assigned to reconnoiter the coastal settlements of northern Sakhalin.

Beginning that evening, we loaded onto the Prince Shakhovskoi a large crate of various snacks and drinks, or, in the district commander's expression, an entire grocery store.

Next morning, the expeditionaries were all gathered at the guardhouse on the wharf. The weather was overcast and very windy. Waves jolted the wharf furiously and sprayed the building's roof. A great distance from shore, the breakers seethingly frothed. Some officials suddenly declared we shouldn't leave in such weather. Only I., empowered by some weird notion that the meat-pies would dry out or the boiled food would go bad, prevailed upon the district commander to order us to leave that day. Everyone turned to me, until then sitting silently on the divan. At I— — v's urging, I unwillingly stood up and, in a rather cutting voice, clearly proved there could be no thought of going to sea during a NW wind.

“In such a powerful surf,” I said, “anyone would be driven ashore in an instant. That’d be true anywhere on Sakhalin. At sea, it's going to keep blowing.” (“And I’ll be up to my knees in water, battling the wind alone,” I thought to myself.) “Why, when we’re peacefully inside this building on the wharf, why look anywhere else for a harbor away from the NW wind?”

It was decided, then, to wait until the weather calmed down. After midday, the wind began subsiding, and we were able to go to sea at 4 o’clock. We encountered a swell and it rocked us forcefully. Some of the young expeditionaries got poisoned, as mariners say, and became seasick.

Late in the evening, we reached Khoé settlement and dropped anchor. The administrators went to spend the night onshore, while the mechanic L. and I remained on the steamer: the wind cooled, and a large swell rocked the ship. Running on deck from time to time to see whether we’d drifted, I couldn't sleep all night. Sunrise proved we’d drifted fairly close to shore. Upon our urgent whistles, the administrators woke up and quickly gathered aboard the steamer.