THE STARVED ISLANDERS. 38 



ing too weak for further exertion, went into their houses 

 and, covering themselves with skins, lay down and died. In 

 many of the houses we saw from one to four dead bodies. 



" About fifteen miles west of Cape Siepermo we found 

 another village, also entirely deserted. Here we saw twelve 

 dead bodies, all full-grown males. As at the other villages, 

 the women and children had probably been buried, as we 

 saw none. The number of dead at this place was estimated 

 at thirty. At a large settlement on the northwest end of the 

 island, which we next visited, we found about three hundred 

 natives alive. Two hundred had died, and the entire popu- 

 lation had barely escaped starvation by eating their dogs and 

 the walrus-hides covering their boats ;md houses. At a set- 

 tlement on the north \vest end the natives said a laru'e num- 

 ber had died, but how many they could not tell. They said 

 the weather was cold and stormy for a long time, with great 

 quantities of ice and snow, so that they could not hunt wal- 

 rus and seal: and as they make no provision for the future, 

 but depend upon what they can get from day to day, of 

 course failure means starvation. 



"These people live directly in the track of vessels bound 

 into the Arctic Ocean for the purpose of whaling or trading. 

 They make houses, bouts, clothing, etc., of the skins of wal- 

 rus and seals, and sell the bones and ivory to traders for rum 

 and breech-loading arms. As long as the rum lasts they do 

 nothing but drink and light. They had a few furs, some of 

 which we tried to buy to make Arctic clothing; but, notwith- 

 standing their terrible experience in the past, they refused to 

 sell for anything but whiskey, rifles, or cartridges." 



It is gratifying to know that Captain Hooper succeeded in 

 capturing two whiskey-trading schooners, and that they were 

 dealt with according to law. 



The season for northern search having now arrived, Cap- 

 tain Hooper passed through Bering's Straits into the Arctic, 

 Sea, and made five distinct attempts to reach high latitude, 

 but. without extraordinary success. On the 20th of August 



