ALASKA. 241 



TIIH l>iaiJYLOV ISLANDS.* 



" Under the iiaine of the Pryhilov Lsktnds are known two small 

 islands l.vin*,^ in Jieriii'^ Sea, between 50'^ and 57^ north lati- 

 tude and KJS^ and 17(P west lon^dtude. 



'* These ishmds were not known before the year 178G; mate 

 (/. Pryhilor, tiien in the service of a swanhnnting company, 

 tirst, in the IJnssian name, found them, but at the same time he 

 was not the first discoverer, because, as before said, (Part I, 

 chap. 1,) on one of them (southwest side of Saint Paul) signs, 

 such as a pipe, brass knife handle, and traces of fire were 

 found, indicating- that people had been there before, but not 

 long, as places were observed where the grass had been burned 

 and scorched. But if we can believe the Aleuts in what they 

 relate, the islands were known to them long before they were 

 visited by the Ivussians. They knew and called them ' Aieck^ 

 after having heard about them. 



" Eegad-dah geek, a vson of an Oonimak chief by the name of 

 Ah-kak-nee-kak, was taken out to sea in a bidarkie by a storm, 

 the wind blowing strong from the south. He could not get back 

 to the beach, uor could he make any other landing, and was 

 obliged to run before the wind three or four days, when he 

 brought up on Saint Paul's Island, north from the land which, 

 he had been compelled to leave. Here he remained itntil autumn, 

 and became acquainted with the hunting of different animals. 

 Elegant weather one day setting in, he saw the peaks of Ooni- 

 mak. He then resolved to put to sea, and return to receive the 

 thanks of his people there ; and, after three or four days of trav- 

 eling, he arrived at Oonimak, with many otter tails and snouts.f 



'' The islands were both at first without vegetation, with ex- 

 ception of Saint Paul's, where there was a small talneelc creep- 

 ing along on the ground ; and on Saint George, if we believe 



* Translated by the writer from Bishop Innoceut VeDianiinov's work 

 '' Zapieska ob Octrovah OonahlasbkeKskaho Otdayla. St. Petersburg, 18-10. 

 (The only Russian treatise upon the subject found. The selections mo.s/ jkt- 

 tinent to the subject are introduced alone in this transhition.) H. W. E. 



t Here Yeniauiinov says that he does feel inclined to believe this story, as 

 the peaks of Oonimak can be seen occasionally f-om Saint Paul's ! I have no 

 hesitation in saying that they were never observed by any mortal eye from 

 the Prybilov Group. The wide expanse of water between these points, and 

 the thick, foggy air of Bering Sea, especially so at the season mentioned iu 

 this story above, will always make the mountains of Oonimak invisible to 

 the eye from Saint Paul's Island. A mirage is almost an impossibility ; it 

 may have been much more probable if the date was a winter one.— H. W. E. 



IG AL 



