Finally on the tenth day she entered the river for the last time.

"Else you'll be entering the river without benefit of a ship beneath you!"

As day broke clear and cold, they entered the river, with behind them a sea of ice.

The largest ships could not enter the river at all.

On entering the river even Christian suddenly began to sink.

Once the first animals entered the river, the herd followed.

Out of the 305,000 men that entered the river, only 2,700 soldiers escaped death.

"Anything that enters the river there takes on the property," he explained.

As thousands watched he entered the river never to be seen again.

It was the first European vessel to enter the river.