THE PACIFIC OCEAN. 187 



of armed men marching toward us. That we might give '"?• 



00 April. 



them as little alarm, and have as peaceable an appearance 

 as poffible, the two men who had boat-hooks in their hands, 

 were ordered into the rear, and Mr. Webber and myfelf 

 marched in front. The Ruffian party, confiding of about 

 thirty foldiers, was headed by a decent looking pcrfon, with 

 a cane in his hand. He halted within a few yards of us, 

 and drew up his men in a martial and good order. I deli- 

 vered to him Ifmyloff's letters, and endeavoured to make 

 him underftand, as well as I could (though I afterward 

 found in vain), that we were English, and had brought 

 them papers from Oonalafhka. After having examined us 

 attentively, he began to conduct us toward the village, in 

 great filence and folemnity, frequently halting his men, to 

 form them in different manners, and make them perform 

 fcvcral parts of their manual exercife, probably with a view 

 to fhew us, that if we had the temerity to offer any violence* 

 we fhould have to deal with men who were not ignorant of 

 their bufincfs. 



Though I was all this time in my wet clothes, fhivering 

 with cold, and fufhciently inclined to the mod uncondi- 

 tional fubmiflion, without having my fears violently alarm- 

 ed ; yet it was impoilible not to be diverted with this mili- 

 tary parade, notwithstanding it was attended with the mod 

 unfeafonable delay. At length, we arrived at the houfe of 

 the Commanding Officer of the party, into which we were 

 ufhered ; and, after no fmall ftir in giving orders, and dif- 

 pofing of the military without doors, our holt made his ap- 

 pearance, accompanied by another pcrfon, whom we un- 

 derftood to be the Secretary of the port. One of IfmylofF's 

 letters was now opened, and the other fent off, by a fpecial 

 meflenger, to Bolcheretfk, a town on the Welt fide of the 



B b 2 peninfula 



