Can't install root

[brownh@hartford-hwp.com (Haines Brown)]

Problem: cdebootstrap can't install packages because it couldn't
install root on the target partition. I'm running cdebootstrap to
install sarge on a target disk that also runs sarge. 

1. /dev/sdc1 is a partitioned scsi disk. The partition is 500 Mb and
   initialized as reiserfs.  

2. There was no indication of problems when I did the partition
   initialization. smartctl and scsiinfo do not suggest any problems
   for the target disk. 

3. Immediately after a boot I do:

   # mount /dev/sdc1 /mnt/debinst
   # cdebootstrap sarge /mnt/debinst http://http.us.debian.org/debian
   ...
   E: Could't install root.

   # ls -l /mnt 
   drwxr-xr-x  22 root root 504 2004-06-29 08:14 debinst

4. strace says:

  ...
  write(3, "O:  /var/cache/apt/archives/amd6"..., 52) = 52
  read(6, "", 4096)                       = 0
  poll([{fd=4, events=POLLIN, revents=POLLHUP}, {fd=6, 
	events=POLLIN, revents=  POLLHUP}], 2, -1) = 2
  waitpid(1581, [{WIFEXITED(s) && WEXITSTATUS(s) == 1}], 0) = 1581
  close(4)                                = 0
  munmap(0x4001a000, 4096)                = 0
  close(6)                                = 0
  munmap(0x4001b000, 4096)                = 0
  write(3, "E: Couldn\'t install root!\n", 26) = 26
  write(2, "E: Couldn\'t install root!\n", 26) = 26
  oldumount("/mnt/debinst/proc")          = 0
  munmap(0x40018000, 4096)                = 0
  munmap(0x40019000, 4096)                = 0
  exit_group(1)                           = ?
	 
My question: Is it correct that the first indication of a problem in
the strace is the line that reports the "E"? Is the "26" and error
code" 

I don't understand how there can be downoading and unpacking of
packages in directories under root if root itself can't be
installed. From a chroot prompt making /mnt/debinst root:

  :/# echo $PATH
  /usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin/:/usr/X11R6/bin 

Haines Brown