177&* THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 327 



mentioned, which we reached at half past four, 

 and found it to be a small island, lying about two 

 miles from the adjacent coast, being a point of land, 

 on the east side of which we discovered a fine bay, 

 or rather harbour. To this we plied up, under reefed 

 topsails and courses. The wind blew strong at south- 

 east, and in excessively hard squalls, with rain. At 

 intervals, we could see land in every direction ; but, 

 in general, the weather was so foggy, that we could 

 see none but the shores of the bay into which we 

 were plying. In passing the island, the depth of 

 water was twenty-six fathoms, with a muddy bottom. 

 Soon after the depth increased to sixty and seventy 

 fathoms, a rocky bottom ; but in the entrance of the 

 bay, the depth was from thirty to six fathoms ; the 

 last very near the shore. At length, at eight o'clock, 

 the violence of the squalls obliged us to anchor in 

 thirteen fathoms, before we had got so far into the bay 

 as I intended'; but we thought ourselves fortunate that 

 we had already sufficiently secured ourselves at this 

 hour; for the night was exceedingly stormy. 



The weather, bad as it was, did not hinder three 

 of the natives from paying us a visit. They came off 

 in two canoes ; two men in one, and one in the other; 

 being the number each could carry. For they were 

 built and constructed in the same manner with those 

 of the Esquimaux ; only in the one were two holes 

 for two men to sit in ; and in the other but one. 

 Each of these men had a stick, about three feet long, 

 with the large feathers or wing of birds tied to it. 

 These they frequently held up to us ; with a view, 

 as we guessed, to express their pacific disposition.* 



The treatment these men met with, induced many 



* Exactly corresponding to this, was the manner of receiving 

 Beering's people, at the Schumagin Islands, on this coast, in 1741. 

 Muller's words are " On sait ce que c'est que le calumet, que 

 les Americains septentrionaux presentent en signe de paix. 

 Ceux-ci en tenoient de pareils en main. C'etoicnt des batons avec 

 ailes defaucon attaches au boul." Decouvertcs, p. 268. 



Y 1 



