180 cook's voyage to may, 



him of our intentions, and at the same time, to clear 

 us from the suspicions that were entertained with 

 respect to the designation and purposes of our 

 voyage. 



Captain Clerke having thought proper to fix on me 

 for this service, I received orders, together with Mr. 

 Webber, who was to accompany me as interpreter, 

 to be ready to set out the next day. It proved, how- 

 ever, too stormy, as did also the tith, for beginning 

 a journey through so wild and desolate a country ; 

 but, on the 7th, the weather appearing more favour- 

 able, we set out early in the morning in the ship's 

 boats, with a view to reach the entrance of the Awat- 

 ska at high water, on account of the shoals with 

 which the mouth of that river abounds : here the coun- 

 try boats were to meet us, and carry us up the stream. 



Captain Gore was now added to our party, and we 

 were attended by Messrs. Port and Fedositscb, with 

 two Cossacks, and were provided, by our conduct- 

 ors, with warm furred clothing ; a precaution 

 which we soon found very necessary, as it began to 

 snow briskly just after we set out. At eight o'clock, 

 being stopped by shoal water, about a mile from the 

 mouth of the river, some small canoes, belonging to 

 the Kamtschadales, took up us and our baggage, and 

 carried us over a spit of sand, which is thrown up by 

 the rapidity of the river, and which, they told us, was 

 continually shifting. When we had crossed this shoal, 

 the water again deepened ; and here we found a com- 

 modious boat, built and shaped like a Norway yawl, 

 ready to convey us up the river, together with canoes 

 lor our baggage. 



The mouth of the Awatska is about a quarter of a 

 mile broad ; and as we advanced, it narrowed very 

 gradually. After we had proceeded a few miles, we 

 passed several branches, which we were told emptied 

 themselves into other parts of the bay ; and that some 

 of those on the left hand flowed into the Paratounca 

 river. Its general direction from the bay, for the first 



