316 REPORT ON VOYAGE OF THE "ST. PAUL" 



we are likely to see the flame, or the smoke in the day time. (10) When you are 

 within a verst of the shore begin sounding to ascertain the depth and the kind of 

 bottom, (u) Fill with fresh water the two barrels which are being sent with 

 you. In all things conduct yourself as a true and good servant of Her Imperial 

 Majesty. 



We had no signal of any kind from him. We saw them approach 

 the shore, and that is all. Hoping that he would come out, we kept under 

 sail for five days and as near the bay as we dared. 



At first the weather was such that the longboat could have come 

 without any trouble; later we had heavy rains, fog, and strong winds 

 which carried us from the said bay a distance of about 30 knots. On 

 July 23 we returned and went up quite close to the bay and there saw 

 a fire which we thought was made by our men. During all the time that 

 we had followed the coast we had seen no fire, no buildings, no boats, 

 nor any other signs of human beings and therefore supposed that the 

 country was uninhabited. When we observed the flame we fired a gun 

 at intervals as a signal to the boat to come out; but no boat came, 

 although the weather was fair for that purpose and we sailed quite close 

 to the shore. As we fired the blaze on the beach grew bigger. 



On July 24 we concluded that it was quite probable that the boat was 

 damaged and could not come out. With this idea in mind all the officers 

 consulted and decided (in writing) to send ashore the small boat with 

 the carpenter, the calker, and the necessary tools to repair the longboat. 

 Boatswain Sidor Savelev volunteered to accompany them, and the sailor 

 Fadiev was asked to go and help row because he had expressed a desire 

 to do so. These are the instructions (a copy of which is enclosed 4 ) which 

 were given to the boatswain. On reaching shore and finding the boat 

 in need of repairs he was to leave the carpenter and calker; and he, with 

 Dementiev and three or four of the men, was to return to the ship without 

 delay. When he departed the weather was very still; we followed him 

 quite close to shore and saw him approach it. According to our time 

 it was exactly six o'clock in the afternoon. The signals which had been 

 agreed upon he failed to make and at the expected time did not return. 

 The weather was fair. Next day, July 25, at one o'clock in the afternoon 

 we sighted coming out of the bay into which we had sent our men two 

 boats, one small and the other larger, and we concluded that they must 

 be our boats returning. We went to meet them; as we drew near we 

 noticed that they were not our boats, because their bows were sharp 

 and the men did not row as we do but paddled. They did not come 

 near enough for us to make out their faces; all we saw was that there 

 were four men in one boat; one man stood at the stern and three paddled. 

 One of them wore something red. We saw them stand up, motion with 



4 See below, p. 323. 



