SKIRTING THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS 275 



being. 3 These images are being sent together with this humble report 

 to the honorable Admiralty College, but the hats as well as the sticks 

 were lost at the time of our misfortune. 



All these islands are uninhabited and treeless. It is evident that the 

 Americans come in baidarkas from the mainland to the islands to hunt sea 

 animals and to catch fish. As to the way the Americans make their 

 baidarkas from seal hide, it may be seen from the detailed drawing which I 

 made on the map which is sent to the Admiralty College. Having taken 

 on water we got under sail September 6 and continued on our course. 

 We called that island Shumagin. We intended to go straight to Avacha 

 Bay, but contrary winds from the west as well as violent winds hindered 

 us and caused us much suffering. Frequently we had to heave to in order 

 to save ourselves. On September 24 we came to latitude 51 N where we 

 sighted several islands [Adak, Atka] and, behind them on the WNW, 

 the American mainland [Great Sitkin]. At this place there blew an inde- 

 scribable gale from the west which continued until October 13. During 

 the whole time we had to heave to and were carried to the eastward 

 about 80 German miles. In order that the Admiralty College may form 

 some idea of the storm it should be pointed out that the old navigators 

 said that they had seldom seen anything like it. We were saved from it 

 with great difficulty. A number of the men were down with scurvy, 

 some died of it, and those who survived were too weak to work. Al- 

 though, on account of the hard labor and the continuous inclement 

 weather, we were at the end of our strength, yet with the help of God 

 we made every effort to reach the Harbor of St. Peter and St. Paul. On 

 October 25, being then in latitude 51 and some minutes, we sighted a 

 high, rocky, and treeless island in NW by N, which we named St. Marki- 

 ana [Kiska Island]. On the 28th we saw another island to the NNW, 

 about three miles distant, and in its neighborhood three small islands. As 

 far as we could make out they were all bare and treeless. This island we 

 named St. Stephen [Buldir]. The following day it was foggy, and on 

 taking soundings and getting only 35 fathoms of water we hove to and 

 did not take any chances. When it cleared a bit we noticed an island 

 to the west which we named St. Abraham [one of the Semichi]. We then 

 hoisted the sails and went on our way. It became very difficult to run the 

 ship because, in addition to those who died, 40 were ill and those who 

 were still about were very feeble. We continued under these conditions 



8 These so-called hats were eye shades which the hunters used when out at sea. 

 Cook gives the following description of them: "All of them [Aleuts of Unalaska] 

 have a kind of oval snouted cap, made of wood, with a rim to admit the head. 

 These caps are dyed with green and other colors; and round the upper part of the 

 rim are stuck the long bristles of some sea animal [sea lion] on which are strung 

 glass beads; and on the front is a small image or two made of bone." (James Cook: 

 A Voyage to the Pacific Ocean, London, 1784, Vol. 2, p. 51.) See Fig. 12, lower. 



