WESTWARD ALONG ALASKAN COAST 319 



vessels to catch the water from the sails; and, although it was bitterish 

 and tasted of tar, yet the men drank it gladly and said that it was good 

 for the health and that the tar bitterness cured them of scurvy. In order 

 that the men might not become too weak from lack of sufficient food I 

 ordered that on those days when they had kasha just once they should 

 be given (this did not apply to the officers and their servants) a cup of 

 wine in addition to the usual allowance. As the head winds continued 

 and the supply of water ran short without any hope of our getting more, 

 the distance from the harbor being still considerable, I ordered that the 

 crew should have kasha only every other day. The men took it in the 

 right spirit, and on the days when they had no kasha they lived on 

 biscuit and butter. On those days when additional food was allowed 

 they had salt meat cooked in sea water. After September 14 the crew 

 had cooked kasha but once a week, and on the other six days they lived 

 on cold food. It was understood that if any one wished to use his allow- 

 ance of drinking water for cooking his biscuit he might do so, but this 

 would be the only warm food he would receive. These privations began 

 to tell; many of the men came down with scurvy, and both officers and 

 crew did their work under great difficulties. Some of the men were so 

 feeble that they could not even come on deck. I began to fear that 

 the worst might happen and therefore ordered that after September 14 

 the members of the crew should have daily two cups of wine and the petty 

 officers one above the usual allowance. 



About seven in the morning of September 4 we sighted land [Islands 

 of Four Mountains], and at the end of the day we took the bearings 

 of it. The reckoning on our returning voyage gave latitude 52° 23' N, 

 longitude from Vaua 32 49', distance on the rhumb E by S o°48'E, 

 1,186 knots, 9 or 2,065^ Russian versts. The land was full of mountains, 

 the highest of which was covered with snow. At eight o'clock we came 

 about to get away from the land and sailed on a course between S and W 

 so that after we got by it we could continue on our regular course. On 

 September 8 we had many indications of the nearness of land, namely 

 birds and floating grass, and on that account between seven in the even- 

 ing and seven in the morning we kept one or two points more to the south 

 than usual, and after that we sailed on the regular course for a short time. 

 At nine o'clock the fog set in and the signs of land were still plentiful, 

 and I was again obliged to sail one point south of our regular course, or 

 west by true compass. At the end of the seventh hour in the evening 

 the wind, by God's mercy, suddenly moderated. We took soundings and 

 found bottom at 50 fathoms. 



While we made ready to anchor the sea carried us into 30 fathoms 

 and sandy bottom, and there we let go the small bower anchor and 



9 These are the corrected longitude and distance. The journal for September 4 

 (see p. 302) gives: longitude, 21 10', distance 770 knots. 



