R U S S I x\ N D I S C O V E R I E S. » 



approached that place towards evening, they fired from 

 the heights ; but no fignal being returned, they con- 

 cluded, as was really the cafe, that this company had. 

 likewife been malfacred by the inhabitants. They them- 

 felves narrowly efcaped the fame fnte ; for, immediately 

 upon the report of the fire-arms, numerous bodies of the 

 iilanders made their appearance, and clofely purfued the 

 Ruffians : darknefs however coming on, the latter found 

 means to efcape over the fandy fliorc of a bay to a rock, 

 where they were flieltered, and could defend themfelves. 

 They here made fo good, a ufe of their arms, that the 

 iilanders thought proper to retire : the fugitives, as foon. 

 as their purfuers were withdrawn, feized the op- 

 portunity of proceeding towards the haven, where their 

 vefTel lay at anchor: they ran without interruption during 

 the whole night, and at break of day, when they were about 

 three verfts from the haven, they efpied a locker of the 

 velTel lying on the fiiore. Struck with aftonifhment at 

 this alarming difcovery, they retreated with precipitation 

 to the mountains, from whence they defcried feveral 

 iilanders rowing in canoes, but no appearance of their 

 own vefiel. During that day they kept themfelves clofely 

 concealed, and durft not venture again towards the haven 

 before the evening. Upon their arrival they found the 

 veflTel broken to pieces, and the dead bodies of their com- 

 panions lying mangled along the beach. Having col- 

 le61ed all the provifion which had been untouched by 

 the favages, they returned to the mountains. 



The- 



3^ 



