PACIFIC AND BEERING'S STRAIT. 109 



mois ; and young Christian actually jumped upon 

 the very peak of a cliff, which was so small as to be 

 scarcely sufficient for his feet to rest upon, and from 

 which any other person would have shuddered even 

 to look down upon the beach, lying many hundred 

 feet at its base. At the northern extremity of this 

 ridge is a cave of some interest, as being the intend- 

 ed retreat of Christian, in the event of a landing 

 being effected by any ship sent in pursuit of him, 

 and where he resolved to sell his life as dearly as 

 he could. In this recess he always kept a store 

 of provisions, and near it erected a small hut, well 

 concealed by trees, which served the purpose of a 

 watchhouse. So difficult was the approach to this 

 cave, that even if the party were successful in cross- 

 ing the ridge, as long as his ammunition lasted, he 

 might have bid defiance to any force. An unfre- 

 quented and dangerous path leads from this place 

 to a peak which commands a view of the western 

 and southern coasts : at this height, on a clear day, 

 a perfect map of the bottom is exhibited by the dif- 

 ferent coloured waters. On all points the island is 

 terminated by cliffs, or rocky projections : off which 

 lie scattered numerous fragments of rock, rising 

 like so many black pinnacles amid the surf, which 

 on all sides rolls in upon the shore. 



We descended by a less abrupt slope than that by 

 which we advanced, and took our way through yam 

 grounds to a ravine which brought us to the village. 

 The path leading down this ravine is, in many places, 

 so precipitous, that we were constantly in danger of 

 slipping and rolling into the depths below, which 

 the assistance of the natives alone prevented. 



While we were thus borrowing help from others, 



