5 



2,54 FROM KOTZEBUE S SOUND 



some of us were of my opinion, that he was such, 

 and would not acknowledge it : he was dis- 

 tinguished from the others by a thick beard, which, 

 without any fear, he suffered one of the sailors to 

 ^have off. I told my guests, that I wished to see 

 their dance on shore, because there was not room 

 enough on board the ship ; this was immediately 

 made known to those in the boats, who left the 

 Rurick with the loudest expressions of joy, to 

 make the necessary preparations on shore. . I must 

 obseiTe, that the Tschukutskoi and Americans 

 whom we saw were distinguished from all the 

 northern people, by their invariable cheerfulness. 



At three o'clock, P. M., we went on shore in 

 three boats, well armed. The inhabitants of Nu- 

 niagmo had bivouacked on a low spot near the tent 

 of my old friend ; their baydares were drawn on 

 shore, and quite in a line, so that they might serve 

 in some respect as a defence in case of attack ; be- 

 hind this line were all their arms, in the best order. 

 Probably this precaution has become a rule, on 

 account of the perpetual w^ars which they wage 

 among themselves and with the Americans ; and 

 they did not even neglect it here, though they 

 behaved to us with so much confidence in other 

 respects. They came in a friendly manner to 

 meet us, and invited us to sit down on some skins, 

 which were spread out opposite the baydares. 

 Before the dance began, I gave the women some 

 needles and beads, and the men tobacco-leaves, 



