68 ' ACCOUNTOFTHE 



Account of rj^jjg natives of the above-mentioned iflands are very 



the Jnnabitants ■* 



ofAiacWa. ^^^^ ^^^^ ftrongly made. They make their cloaths of 

 the fkins of birds ; and thruft bones through their un- 

 der-hps by way of ornament. They were faidto ftrike 

 their nofes nntil they bled, in order to fuck the blood; 

 but w^e are informed from fubfequent accounts, that the 

 blood thus drawn from themfelves was intended for other 

 purpofes *. They were accufed even of murdering 

 their own children in order to drink their blood ; but 

 this is undoubtedly an invention of the criminals, who 

 reprefented the iflanders in the moft hideous colours, in 

 order to excufe their own cruelties. Their dwellings 

 under-ground are fimilar to thofe of the Kamtchadals ; 

 and have feveral openings on the fides, through which 

 they make their efcape when the principal entrance is 

 befet by an enemy. Their weapons confift of arrows 

 and lances pointed with bone, which they dart at a coa- 

 fiderable dirtance. 



Animals. fhe ifland Alakfu is faid to contain rein-deer, bears, 



wild boars, wolves, otters, and a fpecies of dogs with 

 long ears, which are very fierce and wild. And as the 

 greateft part of thefe animals are not found upon thofe 

 Fox Iflands which lie nearer to the weft, this circum- 



* It appears in the lafl: chapter of this tranflation, that the iflanders 

 are accuftomed to glue on the point of their tlarts with blood ; and 

 that this was the real motive to the pradice mentioned in the text. 



llance 



