VOYAGE OF THE "ST. PAUL" 347 



LANDFALLS IN THE ALEUTIAN ISLANDS 



Soon after the fog cleared two men were seen on the beach, and 

 in a short time seven baidarkas, each carryingone man, approached 

 the ship. Gifts were distributed by Chirikov, but the natives 

 could not be persuaded to come on board. In the afternoon 

 (September 10) 14 of these skin boats came out to the ship; but 

 none of the natives would come on board, and Chirikov had no 

 boats in which to send a party ashore. The log for September 9 

 has an interesting account of this meeting. Late in the afternoon 

 of September 10 the wind freshened, heavy squalls came down the 

 hills, the St. Paul began to drag towards the rocks which lined the 

 shore, and Chirikov was obliged to cut the cable and put hastily 

 to sea. For the next four days, until September 14, Chirikov 

 steered to the southward of west to keep clear of the land , but 

 on the latter date, being in latitude 50° 31' with no signs of land, 

 the course was changed to the northward of west so as to work up 

 to the 53rd parallel. This course took the St. Paul within 20 

 miles of Kiska Island on the 16th, but the weather was overcast 

 and no land was seen. 



In the latter part of August, Chirikov found it necessary to 

 put the crew on short allowance of both food and water, and he 

 reports that the crew had cooked kasha (a buckwheat mush) but 

 once a week and on the other six days lived on cold food, with an 

 allowance of water just sufficient to quench the thirst. These 

 privations soon sapped the vitality of the men, and on September 

 16 the log records the death of one man from scurvy and the fact 

 that many of the men were very ill, Chirikov among the number. 



At sundown of September 21a cast of the lead indicated 60 

 fathoms, and Chirikov, with his customary prudence, gave orders 

 to shorten sail and heave to for the night. In the morning land 

 was sighted, and at noon the St. Paul was close under the eastern 

 shores of Agattu Island. The atmosphere was clear, and they 

 made out the Semichi Islands and the peaks of Attu in the 

 distance. By this time all but one of the officers and most of the 

 crew were down with scurvy, and only a few were able to drag 

 themselves on deck to work the ship. Chirikov himself was so 



